Magic

Chapters

Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 2
Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 3
Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 1

Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 2

Magic, Chapter 2, Unwanted Memories Part 2

Knowing full well that being in the air would be the easiest way to be spotted, John hastily began his retreat towards the edge of the city, skimming close to the rooftops. As he sped over the houses, he lowered himself down so that his stomach was millimetres away from touching the tiled roofs. The rush of wind that battered his face due to his speed was nothing compared to the wave of choking emotion that held him in an icy grasp. Shock-waves of fear made him tremble from head to tail, throwing him slightly off balance as he nimbly dodged the occasional chimney jutting out of the top of houses. He was aware that he could still be spotted, but only from the air at this height. Above him, as he didn't dare to look, he was dimly aware of a faint roaring. It only served as reason to increase his speed, and he did so. As he dashed across the city, he felt an unexplainable burst of anger gnaw at him, and he wobbled as he tried to ignore it.

"Hey!"

John heard the exclamation from behind him, and he quickly peeked around to see who it came from. He was going too fast to actually find who had shouted; the buildings kept flashing in his vision. Was it the buildings? He didn't care. He gritted his teeth, and flapped harder, fatigue already sapping at his willpower.

Wow, I'm really out of shape.

Pushing the thought aside, he continued his escape. To an onlooker, he was be a grey blur racing across the rooftops, unable to decipher or be recognised as a pony.

"Please, stop!"

Despite his initial reaction to turn around, he ignored his natural instincts and dove down, blasting over the heads of crystal ponies in the streets following their boring daily routines. He looked down, focusing on the thin doorway that fringed his vision. With a snort, his eyebrows slanted down and his crimson irises locked onto his target. The rush of air displaced by him rocketed through the streets, blowing some ponies off balance and throwing any unsecured item into the air. There were several monotonous insults thrown back at him, but he shrugged them off.

The air rushing past his eardrums obscured the sound, but he thought he could hear the unmistakable sound of hooves pounding against stone, and the faint flapping of wings behind him, somewhere to the left and up. With an agitated growl, he ducked down further, now flying at head height to try an throw off whoever was pursuing him.

As if it isn't obvious.

Rolling and spiralling to avoid hitting anypony, he watched as he came astonishingly close to hitting an out-of-place cart containing whatever it contained. He needed to get on the ground if he was to escape from them.

Sneaking a peek behind him, he wasn't at all shocked to see five very familiar ponies following a similar path. Twilight was obviously pushing herself to try and keep up with him, beads of sweat already dripping from her brow. Pinkie had an expression of stoic determination etched onto her features, with a faint sheen of sweat on her brow. Applejack, as ever, was out in front, eyes glued to him and hooves battering the crystal underneath relentlessly. Her stetson, John noted, was perched precariously on her head, on the verge of dropping off due to the astonishingly fast gallop she was implementing.

With a grimace, he flew back up to give himself more room to use. The street was completely straight, with no objects or extensions to block his advance, so he gazed back again.

They weren't gaining on him, nor was he gaining. They were at a constant distance, now that the crystal ponies that he had flown over had retreated to the sides of the street and they had a clear path as well. He could see Rarity and Fluttershy now. They were bringing up the rear, but were still very close to the other three. Daring to look to his left, he was greeted with the unwanted sight of a cyan pegasus.

"Stop running!" She shouted at him, though it was muffled to the point of inaudibility by the air resistance. Her rainbow trail was visible behind her, and her mane was pulled all the way back over her head; she was going that fast to keep up. Her eyes were filled with something, but it was negative. With a gulp, John's head snapped back in front, and he immediately squinted, water streaming from his eyes.

His wings were now beginning to give up on him, his flight muscles straining to keep him airborne, screaming in protest. With a grunt of pain, he dove down again, holding his wings out as he extended his legs. There was a thunk of pain as his hooves touched the ground, and he winced as he drew them back up to his chest, slowing down enough to stay ahead. As he did so, he heard a sudden absence of wings flapping, and he instinctively dropped his hooves. He stumbled at first, but quickly recovered and began sprinting.

Why are you running, pony?

The voice in his head told him, but it was not his own. It was deep, rung in his ears and undoubtably melodious. As he listened, he felt a rush of confusing anger, and he stumbled again, staggering off to the right. An influx of memories rushed into his head, inciting a snarl from the fleeing pegasus.

Get out of my head!

He blinked to clear the water from his eyes, and judged the distance he still had to run. It wasn't that far; he could easily see

the gateway from here. It was, however, still a feat he doubted was within his capacities to perform.

There was a sudden whistling from above, and he galloped even faster, knowing exactly what that sound meant. His legs strained to maintain the speed, but he willed himself forward. Soon enough, the crystal slowly began to fade out into grass, the colour a welcome changed to icy blues and whites. The ground was softer, but it made his muscles go slack momentarily, and he came extremely close to falling over and onto his face. Regardless, he kept going.

"Why must you follow me?!" He shouted into the wind, leaving him with a lack of breath.

"We just want to talk!" Was the return from Twilight, panting ringing in his ears.

"Well, I don't wa-Urk!"

The next thing he knew, he was on the grass, wings struggling above him. He could feel each individual blade poking into the skin on his underside, but it was soft. He also felt hooves pushing the small of his back down, and whoever they belonged to was ultimately stronger than he was, so he didn't waste any energy. His nostrils were full of the earthy odour, and John couldn't help but breath it in. His hooves stopped scrabbling at the ground, and dropped unceremoniously to his sides whilst his wings drooped, and folded back in as he sniffed.

John tasted something metallic in his mouth, and he swallowed, aware of the dryness in his throat.

"Got you! Why were you running?!" Dash hissed in his ear, making him shiver. He shook his head numbly, closing his mouth and biting down on his tongue.

Why do you refuse to talk? Are you afraid?

Hoofsteps behind him signalled the arrival of the other five mares, and he went rigid as he felt Rainbow's hooves dig harder into his back. Heavy, laboured breathing indicated that they were all out of breath, so John assumed that's why they remained silent. He heard the roaring again, and he winced. His eyes were directed at the gateway, a mere few metres away, and he chastised himself mentally.

Damn it all to the moon! So close!

He closed his eyes in defiance as the fringe of Dash's hair appeared at the edge of his vision.

"Who are you? Are you a spy?!" She growled.

He refused to acknowledge her question.

"Dash... simmer down now. Ah think you knocked him out." Applejack warned, seemingly standing in front of him. Rainbow's hooves stopped applying pressure to his spine, and he resisted the urged to breathe out in relief.

"He...uhm...said his name was Stormy Skies..." Fluttershy muttered, somewhere off to his right. The absence of Rainbow's hooves made him realise just how tired he was, but his brain refused to let him sleep.

"That doesn't explain why he's here." Twilight added, and he felt a hoof tap against ribs lightly. John opened his left eye a fraction of a millimetre, and sure enough, the orange cowpony was blocking any route of escape. His wings had gone numb, but there was nopony above him. If his wings cooperated with him, he could go, and leave them to go back to their own lives.

Ah, you're afraid. I expected as much.

"Why does he exude a feeling of familiarity?" Rarity asked, to his left. That meant that he was surrounded, and that meant no hope of staying silent. They would do something eventually to get him to speak, but until then, he would hold his tongue.

"Ah feel it too. Dash?" Applejack confirmed.

"Mm." Was the simple yet effective response.

"Has anypony seen him before? Fluttershy?"

"I..ah...haven't. But he knows where we're from..." The meek yellow pegasus answered.

"Suspicious, but that doesn't explain anything. Pinkie?"

"Nope!"

There was a heavy sigh, and he felt the cold touch of magic against his coat, slithering underneath him. "Maybe if we see his face? Applejack, you may want to move." Twilight uttered.

Yes!

John heard Applejack move, and tensed his muscles, fighting against the magical hold. His hooves found purchase on the ground, moments before Twilight would have turned him over. He sped off, reaching out with a hoof towards the gateway. Straight away, he felt the magic pull him back, and he was thrown roughly to the ground, landing on his stomach again. There was quiet for a few moments, and he felt himself being dragged backwards onto the cold crystal ground.

"So he is awake!" Dash shouted, and he felt somepony bite down on his mane. As he struggled to keep his head down with all his might, he found that his face was slowly being raised to the sun. Silence ensued, and he felt something touch his forehead.

"He obviously knows who we are and where we live. He's a pegasus, not a crystal pony, and he was running away. There's something odd going on girls, but we need to remain calm."

That struck a dark chord inside him.

"Calm?"

"You look like you're having a good day, like absolutely everything was perfect..."

"You think I'm having a good day?"

"Erm...well...you see..."

"You really think that I'm having a good day? After yesterday? ...Yes. I'm having a perfect day. Of course I'm having a good day, I mean, how could I not? The past week of my life has been perfect!"

John tried to inch away from the object, as tendrils of magic wormed their way into his mind. As the distant memory passed through his mind, he felt the tendrils recoil, and a pang of emotional grief exploded inside him.

"Get off me!" John's eyes snapped open. He flapped his wings, and his mane was released. Unable to stop basic physics, his head thumped against the crystal ground, hard, and the darkness of sleep claimed him.

/br/

"Twilight? You alright?" Dash asked as Twilight picked herself up from the floor, rubbing her head once she stood up.

"I think so. He shouldn't be able to block my spell, so I'm a little confused and tired, that's all."

"Wait, he blocked a Grade 5 memory spell?" Rarity emphasised.

Twilight was stunned for a moment, before shaking her head. "How do you know what spell I used?"

"A lady must expand her knowledge sometimes. Even if I can't use the spell, I can learn it, my dear Twilight."

"Oh. And to answer your question, yes. Although, I did break through into his thoughts."

"Can ya tell who he is?" Applejack asked.

"No. It's... er... I don't exactly know how to phrase it. It's like a... uhm..." Twilight frowned.

Everypony aside from the unconscious pegasus looked at each other uncomfortably for a few moments, silence filling the void.

"His mind is scrambled. Scattered. I dare say broken." Twilight announced, momentarily scowling.

Rainbow Dash's expression darkened at this statement.

"You make it sound like chaos." Rarity returned, tilting her head at the pegasus, studying him intently.

"I just don't know how else to put it." Twilight kicked her hoof against the ground, deep in thought.

"Alright. Ya'll can stay here, and mahself, Pinkie and Shy will go an' get help." Applejack said. Twilight nodded at her, and the cowpony walked off, with Fluttershy and Pinkie hot on her heels.

"All I want to know is why he was spying on us." Dash muttered, gazing down at the dark grey stallion.

"Maybe he wasn't." Twilight mused, "I think he was hiding from us."

"Why?" Dash looked up, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know. All I know is that either he, or somepony else, is blocking me from seeing his memories. That only happens if a pony has been in sufficient emotional turmoil or trauma."

"Agh! Let's just bring him to Princess Cadence. She'll know what to do with him."

The stallion below the three twitched, and their heads snapped down in shock.

"Twilight?" Rarity asked, noticing first.

"Yes, Rarity?"

"What's the record for the longest time without having a cutie mark?" Rarity pointed at his flank.

Dash frowned, and looked down on her side of the stallion. "Hey! He has this weird scar up one side of his flank, just... like..."

Her eyes opened in shock, and Twilight shared a glance with Rarity.

"It can't be. He looks nothing like John. The idea is simply preposterous."

"Open his eyes; see if he's awake." Twilight ordered, still massaging her head. Rarity used her magic to flip him over, and carefully opened one of his eyes.

It was red.

"Curious." Twilight breathed, crouching down to get a closer look. "Only unicorns could have red eyes, unless he's been affected by Anti-Magi, of course."

"Like Discord?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah."

Twilight looked up at Dash. The cyan pegasus was frozen in place, blinking every few seconds. As she looked closer, she could see a trickle of a tear in her right eye, and a slightly swishing tail to accompany the action.

"So is it John, or not?"

"I haven't a clue, darling. I think we should bring him to Princess Cadence and your brother. And then, we can go and see if there's anything in the library about defending the kingdom. That's the priority."

/br/

"Hah! I hope it hurt, you thrice blasted foal!"

A masculine voice, deep and melodious, cackled through the darkness, bouncing off the walls and reverberating in the eardrums of any within earshot. As the laughter died down, there was a sudden and unexpected flash of light; hued the foulest green. It briefly illuminated the darkest reaches of the treacherous cavern, throwing a few of the inhabitants into view for a minuscule amount of time. Their eyes, a piercing and cold shade of blue reflected the light, giving them a glowing appearance whilst it lasted. Tongues clacked as they glanced at one another, unsure of what to do. Black exoskeletons shone momentarily. Then, silence.

A great, hulking beast of an insectiod pony sauntered from the source of the flash, a rare thin-lipped smile on his face. He was blacker than night itself, the dull steel armour he wore glinting in the near darkness. His hooves, if you could call them hooves, were encased in bracers of an equally dark metal, the bottoms of which thumped against the stone underhoof as he approached. His mane, dirty and unkempt from a period of mourning, flowed down the back of his neck, a horrible sea of dark grey-green framing his face. His eyes were alight with malice and the darkest of intents, green flames dancing in his cat-like pupils with a crazed intensity.

His horn, twisted and gnarled, jutted out of his forehead at a proud angle. His wings, folded against his thin but muscular torso, glittered in the remnants of the light. The stark ebony crown upon his head gave out an otherworldly glow, mysterious and entrancing to the creatures. He turned with a regal flourish, smiling down at the confused populace. A few dared to tilt their heads and hiss, inquiring as to what had happened.

"He is alive and unstable. All it will take is one push, and he will be ours. For now, prepare."

He looked up to the distant ceiling, murkily shrouded from his view.

"Chrysalis was too cautious, too slow."

His horn began to light up like a firecracker, green sparks flying off it at every angle imaginable.

"And she was struck down because of it."

The light became harsher and infinitely more bright.

"Celestia, and her pitiful sister Luna will fall."

The creatures began to circle around him, gathering. More appeared from the darkness, hundreds of pairs of beady eyes lighting up with feral excitement.

"And we," He shouted, a cacophony of distortion gracing the ears of his subjects and spurring them on.

He paused, listening to the hisses of those who had congregated around him with a wide grin, a sight never seen on his face before. A drop of sweat slid down one side of his face; the strain of holding the spell was overwhelming.

"Will have our revenge!" He finished, firing the spell he had been charging into the cavern ceiling. It hit the rock and sizzled, melting through countless layers before breaching the ground above. Drops of molten rock dripped from the aperture created, splashing lightly against the stone below with little plops. There were hushed whispers around the cavern.

All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the ground began to shake. The bolt of energy had burst out into the surface, expanding rapidly until it filled a large dip in the rocky mountains, situated among the dusty plains of the Badlands. The rock on either side was starting to melt, forming a fiery pool of death that trickled into the dip. Boulders began to tumble, picking up speed as they rushed down the mountainside, occasionally being thrown into the air by odd extrusions in the stone crags.

Slowly but surely, the lava eventually spilled over an edge that was slightly lower down than the others, quickly rushing in to bolster the volume of the magically burning, and as such, ever flowing liquid. It poured down the ancient, scorched sandstone, creating a picturesque vision of Tartarus, heralding doom and despair.

Inside the cavern, the creatures were cheering and frenzied, whooping and laughing as one grotesque devilish choir that never sung in harmony. Even as they celebrated, even more were drawn to the abnormal addition to their landscape, knowing full well what was now going to happen.

Revenge.

/br/

A spark of awareness, similar to coming out of a long sleep, was the only thing occupying John's thoughts. The scent of perfume hung lightly in the air, delicately working it's way into his nostrils. He welcomed it, and took a measured breath, sniffing at the aroma delicately, as to preserve and appreciate it. After a few more tentative breaths, he cracked an eyelid open completely. As soon as he did so, he hissed and shut it again; the light streaming in through a window to much to bear in his current state. Recovering quickly, he slowly opened both eyes, and tried to look around.

His vision was blurred, and as such, he could only make out the faintest of details; medium sized blobs of colour obscured most of what he could see. John shook his head wearily to clear his line of sight.

Three figures he recognised were standing before him, all in their own resplendent glory and nobility. The first was a mare of small stature compared to her compatriots, purple in colour, eyes sparkling with a mixture of unreadable emotions. She stared at John knowingly, as if she had caught him out. The second was a taller mare, a warm comforting pink in hue. Her wings, two toned and magnificent, were folded precisely against her chest. Her horn was aglow with a soft purple glow, calming the stallion considerably. Her face was lined with fatigue; dark bags under her eyes betrayed her pleasant air of happiness. The last, and perhaps the most formidable of the three, was a mare of equal height to the previous, but coloured in respectable hues of the night; blues and dark purples. Her teal eyes shone with a mixture of admiration and confusion, and were securely locked onto John's own red pair. Her wings were spread regally, and her horn was levelled at his prone form.

"Erm... Hi?" He said. The mares were not fools, and didn't fall for his deceit. They approached slowly, hoofsteps muffled due to his groggy hearing. John carefully, but swiftly, got to all fours, wobbling on his hooves as he struggled to regain balance. As he shook his mane, he watched the greyed colours swish around him before settling in his usual style. As they got closer, he ducked down, lowering his head to the floor in an equal display of fear and acceptance.

"Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Twilight." He uttered, keeping his eyes squarely on the floor.

"John... You're alive." Twilight whispered, watching him curiously.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." He returned, a little bit on the spiteful side. Twilight winced as if she'd been stung, but quickly regained her composure, lowering herself to the floor to try and make eye contact.

"Why would it be 'unfortunate'?" Cadence asked, watching the stallion refraining from looking up at the three.

Will have our revenge!

John gasped, and lifted a hoof up to his head, staggering forward as he did so. He heard a insectiod buzzing in his ears, like millions of pairs of wings right next to his ear. He froze in place, strangely attracted to the noise.

In his mind's eye, as he stood there, he saw a mountain explode into a maelstrom of fire and flames, and a city collapsing in the rubble as it sped down the cliff-side. It swiftly changed form, separating into pieces and reforming. Now, John saw another explosion of fire, centred on a pony's silhouette. It engulfed the shadow, and then dispersed. By now, the stallion was shaking slightly as he stood, staring blankly at the three mares. When it was gone completely, he muttered incoherently, a dull ache behind his eyeballs making him lose rational thought for a moment.

"John?" Luna asked, stepping forward. When he did not respond, she touched her horn to his forehead, a brilliant blue glow bursting into life. Her eyes went wide, and then her brow knotted. The stallion promptly went slack, collapsing into a heap on the floor. He felt no pain as he hit the crystal, but he was aware that he would have even more bruises. Through the haze of tiredness, he was able to catch a few words, eyelids beginning to droop.

"...Canterlot...Celestia...alert her...knows..."

"...he see? Is he..."

"No... Stay...empire...I need..."

He watched between forced openings of his eyes as Luna began to gallop away, her ethereal mane waving in a faint breeze as she ran. And then, the darkness claimed him again.

/br/

A feeling of weightlessness accompanied by the quaint sensation of being numb was the first thing that John was aware of. It felt similar to sleeping, but he was obviously not sleeping. That alone was a cause for concern. Eyes bursting open, he drew in a quick breath and scanned his surroundings. He saw nothing but black.

What in the name of...

Looking down, he found himself to be standing on nothingness, and whinnied in surprise. Jumping up into the void, he tried to spread his wings, but soon discovered that he was actually supported by the nothingness, and resolved to bring them back to his sides. Or, at least, he thought he had. After a few moments of deliberation within his head, he resorted to idly corkscrewing on the spot.

It was a unique and eerie experience, not feeling the effects of rotating, nor seeing the world in front of him spin with him. This struck him as rather strange, and he stopped.

"Am I even spinning, or was I imagining it?" He asked, not expecting a reply from the empty space. When he didn't hear one, he sighed in relief, thankful that this was not just a hallowed dream. This was a reality, and he was finally dead.

But am I?

Again, the questioning voice in his head had piped up, and he hushed it quickly.

Squinting in the dark, he looked around again. As he gazed into whatever was in front of him, he couldn't help but think about how nice it would be to see. No sooner than he had finished his silent declaration, had a small flickering orb of brightness blazed into life overhead. He blinked once, a little alarmed, but consoled himself swiftly. Almost immediately, the light went out, extinguished by an ominous breeze that chilled him to the bone.

He imagined another orb to combat the mournful re-invasion of darkness, the fresh light casting out a warmth that he welcomed, warily casting his eyes around him once more to search for the source of the wind. The brilliance of the sphere lit up the area in front of him, and he was oddly confused at what he saw.

The sleeping form of a stallion no bigger than he was in front of John. At least, he assumed a stallion; it was a crude representation. Bright colours, jagged edges and an otherworldly glow scarcely made up a pony. He thought it cartoon-ish, and then remembered the irony of living in a cartoon-like plane of existence. The numbness began to recede as his gaze rested on the form. Eventually, he found himself able to feel his limbs again, and was overjoyed and disappointed to find he still had hooves.

Remembering his priorities, he began to look around more, but his eyes kept wandering back to the stallion. Giving up, he let his body control itself.

Out of nowhere, beyond the hues of twilight, the "stallion" twitched, edging towards the light. As it approached, John begun to take notice of it, in particular, he was drawn to observing the colours.

A grey body. A light blue and azure mane. An unrefined blue meteor drawn on the flank facing him.

Shaded Comet.

Unable to avert his gaze, he helplessly watched as the awkward impersonation raised its head weakly, meeting John's eyes with a pair of empty pits even darker than the void behind it. John was startled momentarily, until something above the likeness of Shaded caught his eye. Faint strings were attached to the limbs and body, and he followed them, until he came to the pony, or rather, creature behind this.

Made up in a similar manner to Shaded, the orange draconequus smiled down at John, a curious expression that he didn't expect.

"Discord." John muttered, rolling his eyes.

"What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy to see me again. Of course, once we got past all the hate and all..." The spirit replied, shrugging off the venomous look that John gave him.

"There are no words beyond "hate" that I could use to describe my feelings towards you." John returned.

Discord looked hurt. "Ouch. That's a little deep, don't you think?"

"Nope."

The spirit dropped the strings, fixing him with an agitated look. "Oh lighten up, will you?"

John raised an eyebrow. "Lighten up? You," John pointed a hoof at him, "want me," he pointed at himself, "to lighten up?"

"That's what I said, isn't it? Or did I give the wrong impression?"

"Just shut up."

Discord growled, and silenced John with a raised claw. "I'm here under the banner of peace," he said, waving a white flag above his head, before dispelling it, "but with all joking aside, what I have to say is important. Unfortunately, what you have not yet realised, and neither have anypony else, is that you can't kill a spirit. All you have done in your little crusade, all you have succeeded in, is simply halting me momentarily. And, on top of that, put in motion a series of events that could potentially destroy Equestria." He finished with a dismissive wave of his lion's paw.

"What?!"

Discord grinned at him, reaching out with a talon to prod his cheek.

"Did it ever occur to you that Chrysalis had a husband?"

The crushing reality hit him like a wet sock in the face.

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. But, what you have also done has begun another series of events that will counter him. For instance," Discord

pointed to himself, doing a somersault, "You have absorbed me."

"What do you mean?" John questioned, a little distraught.

"You forget again. In the month that I have been a part of you, I saw each and every one of your memories, which stopped you from seeing them. I know who you are, right down to the most insignificant of details. Including when you and Luna had that conversation."

"You mean..."

"Mmhmm. You didn't think carefully about your method, did you? I mentioned before, spirits can't be killed. There are quite a few who you have met already, in pony form. Most are broken, shadows of who they once were. But all are important. Therefore, there must, I repeat, must always be a spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. That is how I'm talking to you. I am now a part of you, until I regain enough strength to give myself a body again."

Discord stopped his antics, and looked John dead in the eye.

"But you are unique. Luna has explained to you who I used to be. And because you have the combined power of three of the strongest spirits dormant inside you, two of them being positive, you have changed me."

"When Magi or Anti-Magi is transferred between objects or people, the receiver will always undergo a change..." John whispered, studying the draconequus carefully for any signs of deceit.

"Correct. The Magi in you was displaced by the full force of of the spirit of Chaos entering you, and it had to go somewhere. Effectively, you are now the spirit of Chaos, until such a time as you can bestow it upon somepony else."

John stayed silent, brain completely numb. He was completely gobsmacked. Discord stayed silent for a few moments, allowing John to regain his thoughts. Once he had given him a sufficient amount of time, he continued.

"But... Spirits aren't always physical. I was the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, one of which is intangible. The inverse is my previous form; the spirit of Order and Harmony."

"So..." John rolled his hoof, barely understanding.

"You are now the holder of two polar opposites. Congratulations, it's a first. Chaos, Order, Harmony and Disharmony are now a part of you."

"But they balance each other out, so I can't be all four, can I?" John shook his head, watching the draconequus spin around him in circles.

"No. That is why I am still here. For as long as I am here, the four combined make up the spirit of Balance." Discord stressed. "If I were to leave, you would become the spirit of Chaos, and as such, I would have to destroy you."

"Because you're the spirit of Order and Harmony." It was a statement, not a question, which Discord recognised.

"Indeed. It's a vicious circle. But, as you are not, and never will be, a natural holder of the spirit, you cannot house it. Again, that is why I was absorbed. If I wasn't, the power would have made your head explode, literally."

John blinked. "Oh."

"Welcome to life. Enjoy your stay." Discord quipped. He stopped moving again, landing beside John. "There is a way out, but it requires the help of a large number of spirits."

"And that is? I'm not sure if I want to be an all-knowing, all-powerful God."

Discord laughed, the deep melody bouncing off the walls of his mind.

"You bestow Balance onto me. After all, I am a natural holder, and it means that-"

Without warning, the draconequus disappeared, whisked away by the ominous wind. The chilled air made him shiver, but it was gone quickly.

John sighed wearily, frowned, and then lay his head upon his hooves, the final words replaying in his head.

Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 3

Magic, Chapter 3, Unwanted Memories Part 3

The first thing John was aware of was his throbbing head, the spark of awareness spreading like a wildfire through his skull. Keeping his eyes securely shut, so as to not betray his consciousness, he discreetly wriggled his one of his hooves, making sure he was able to make a quick escape. Flexing his wings underneath him, he felt a small flutter as they responded to his will. A small smile appeared on his face, overjoyed that he wasn't torn to pieces by a distraught Luna after he lost consciousness. Wait, did he lose consciousness? Was it just an illusion? Or was it actually Discord? Dismissing the train of thought before he became immersed in the question, he accepted the first and third options. Just to make it easier.

He already had a headache, after all.

Slowly opening his eyes, he gazed blearily around his surroundings, his groggy brain trying to formulate a plan. From what he could see, he was in a dimly lit, beautifully decorated room of an average size; expensive drapes and curtains in shades of purple and blue made up a lot of what he could see. A thin stream of daylight filtered in through a gap in the purple, landing squarely on a row of bookcases on the far wall. Rows upon rows of the novels and tomes were blanketed in a shroud of dust, hiding the titles from view. Not that it mattered; he was still unable to read Equestrian. Blinking wearily, he looked down at what he was lying on. It was a simple bed, scarily comfortable and welcoming. Purple sheets, with a white snowflake emblazoned underneath him greeted his eyes, and he paused to take it in for a moment.

Raising himself fully off the bed, and dangling his hind legs over the side, John sighed.

The moment the sound, barely a whisper, escaped his lips, he was aware of footsteps faintly approaching. Throwing himself off the bed in a blind panic, his eyes darted over to the door. It was too far away to reach and escape before whoever the hooves belonged to made it to the door, leaving one option. Slowly, and carefully as to not make unnecessary commotion, he began sneaking towards the purple curtains. Thankfully, his hooves were muffled by what appeared to be a blue woven rug, with the same white snowflake printed in the middle, but it never hurt to be too cautious.

Especially if one is attempting another daring escape, immediately after failing one's original attempt.

With just a few inches to left to travel, John tried to pull the fabric aside with magic. He concentrated on moving it silently to the side, but absolutely nothing happened. Not even a twitch, or a slight tug. Frowning, he began again, but with the same results. The footsteps were getting closer, he realised, and he bit down on the curtain, drawing it aside with a little more force than what would have been necessary. It fell heavily, the material heavier than he expected, landing with a swish of air. Jumping backwards in surprise, his wings shot out with an even louder whump. Biting down on his tongue to stop himself from cursing, he hastily poked his head through the aperture left by the curtain, not expecting there to be any more barriers.

He was wrong. His head slammed into the window, bouncing of the glass with a dull impact of bone. Rearing back on his hind legs, he brought a hoof to his head, struggling not to curse anything under the sun for his misfortune. His headache increased tenfold, and he was disorientated by the pain momentarily. A moment was all it took.

The door was pushed open, and he turned around, flaring his wings out in preparation for an attack. Instead he was met with the uncertain gaze of Spike the dragon. John scowled down at the purple assistant, baring his teeth slightly. Spike remained unaffected, yawning slightly either in tiredness or boredom. John took a step forward. Spike produced a scroll out of nowhere, and held it teasingly to the side.

"I'll send it." Was all he said, with such a chilling tone that it disturbed John. Blinking in shock, he bit his lip, thinking.

Could I get past him? Undoubtedly. Could I grab the scroll before he sends it to Princess Celestia? Doubtful.

"You wouldn't dare." John challenged him, taking a step forward. Strangely, under any other circumstances, such a situation would leave him pumped with adrenaline, but he was eerily calm. Spike opened his mouth, raising the scroll to his chest height. There was still around two ponylengths between the two, and neither was going to give ground to the other.

"I would." Spike swore, a thin lipped grimace on his face.

The stallion and the dragon locked eyes, green against red. Just give up, was his subconsciousness' not so helpful input on the situation.

"Give up? You forget who you're talking to." John returned, not feeling at all foolish for talking to himself.

Would you rather have them chase you down, or you go to them?

"Neither. Now get out of my head." John blocked his now suspiciously pain free head from the spirit, and turned his attention back to the dragon. Spike had a bemused expression on his face, scroll even closer to his mouth. Raising an eyebrow, the dark grey stallion motioned to him with a wave of his hoof. "What?"

"I don't trust you. Who were you talking to?" Spike questioned, the scroll directly in front of his teeth.

"Nopony. Myself." John growled back, uncomfortably scraping his hoof along the rug, pawing at it.

"You feeling alright?" Spike lowered the scroll slightly.

"You tell me. I could have a concussion for all I know. Or brain damage. That would explain a lot."

Spike blinked, before glancing behind him.

A million different plans were formulated in John's mind in that split second, and he decided on one. Time slowed down as he breathed in, everything being seen in spectacular detail and precision. Dashing forward with a powerful flap of his aching wings, he grabbed the scroll with his mouth, and began to gallop, all before the poor baby dragon had time to react. John blinked, feeling the adrenaline soften the impact of his hooves to the point of not feeling them hit the floor, like he was running on air.

Running on air. Oh.

He sighed, not resisting the magical hold now that he was now aware of. He had barely made it out of the door before being caught.

"Damn it." He whispered, dropping the scroll in the process. It bounced once, fluttering in the still air, and landed. Slowly, as John looked on, it rolled open, revealing... nothing? John spun around in the magical grip, eyeing Spike suspiciously. The lilac dragon shrugged, bending over to pick it up. "You seriously think that I carry letters around?" Spike gave him a smug grin. John stuck his tongue out, since he couldn't flip him the bird, or make any similar grotesque gestures. The assistant blew a raspberry at John, and began to greet whoever had stopped him. John refused to acknowledge the other presence, even as he was gently dropped back to the crystal floor, but not yet released.

/br/

Meanwhile...

/br/

Even through the daily toils and troubles she had to sit through, the bringer of the sun, Princess Celestia, still managed to make time to indulge herself. It was the least she deserved, and in all honesty, it was all the Elite allowed her. Ugh, how she hated the Elite. They weren't all bad, however, but one bad apple spoils the bunch. Unfortunately. She stopped musing, turning her attention to the platter in front of her. As usual, she had politely requested that everypony, save for Luna, left her alone for five minutes.

She was now sitting alone, staring at a single slice of cake. It wasn't expensive, or made with the finest sugars. It was a simple arrangement between herself and the Cake family. Every week, they would send up a cake, each time of a different variety, in exchange for the regular price and publicity. It was a good situation for each side, and neither had regretted it since. It had then become a daily routine to settle down with a cup of tea, and a slice of said cake, each and every day.

Today, it was chocolate.

Taking a sip of her tea, she let the sweet, hot beverage calm her nerves. Luna had vanished from the castle a while ago, and hadn't returned since. She had left neither a note or a notification from a guard; if anything, the Royal Guard were just as shocked as her. Celestia had since been on edge, worried about her whereabouts. After all, Luna was still recovering from escaping the moon a second time. But still, she could take care of herself.

Placing down the dainty, minute cup she was using, she looked around, studying her surroundings with the intent of distracting herself. She was currently in her own private bedroom, nestled in one of the highest towers of Canterlot. Not the highest one, however. That belonged to somepony else, even after it had been refurbished into a sightseeing point, complete with telescope. The same one that Discord had met his end, after being tackled of the edge by a pony she had never seen before.

After all, she had been imprisoned and impersonated for at least a year, after that Faust-damned Changling Queen, disguised as a lesser Changling with no horn, had infiltrated Celestia's room in the dead of the night after being brought inside. She couldn't possibly know everything. How the ponies she cared for assumed such a thing was beyond her and her sister, but she never said anything.

Her eyes were drawn to the newest addition to go into the Hall of the Elements. It was a window, a carefully and precisely crafted sheet of glass. But this were different to the others. Two had been created by herself and Luna, commerating that mysterious pony.

The first, created by herself, was a rendition of the scene unfolded in front of her, and her interpretation of the situation

when the pony, (whom she had assumed to be Shaded Comet originally, until her sister and student had told her that it was in fact a sentient creature who called himself John, who had been forced into the body by the Changling Queen) had tackled Discord off the highest tower, plummeting to both their dooms over three thousand metres below, landing on the outskirts of Ponyville.

It depicted the grey pegasus flying down, wings spread, with Discord held in place by "John"'s hooves. In the background was blue sky, and soft clouds, signifying the peace he restored. But the most striking thing, even to her, the creator, was the brilliant rainbow directly behind John, and the spectrum-tinted flames engulfing his body as he fell. In the light, be it from Luna's moon or her sun, it sparkled, glowing, casting the room into a glorious blaze of colour.

The second, created by Luna, had been placed elsewhere. It was a lot smaller, but for a reason.

Celestia rose up, striding towards her balcony. It was open air, so that she could raise the sun, and comfortably see the city sprawling underneath. It also happened to have a table, so as an afterthought, she levitated her slice of cake outside with her.

Below, in the centre of Canterlot, a monument had been built. It was both simplistic and unique in design, taking the shape of a raised arch. Each of the stone pillars supporting the structure had the names of every last pony, mare or stallion, that had been murdered by the Changlings etched into the surface. The stone itself was glossy, making each and every last section sparkle brilliantly. Between the pillars was a smaller monument, dedicated to the Royal Guards that had been murdered akin to their civilian counterparts. Here, each individual name was engraved on an obsidian black plate, mounted on the surface.

But the most striking part of the entire monument was in the arch itself. Luna's window was imbedded in the centre, so that when the sun or the moon rose at their respective times, the first rays of light from either celestial body would shine through the window at an exact point. It was a pain to get it in the right place, but Luna had figured it out eventually. The window background was a dark azure, dotted with small, clear stars. Mentioned stars were surrounding a burning yellow halo, glowing with an otherworldly light; in the centre of the halo was a depiction of the moon. In front of the moon was that pony, hooves outstretched upwards, wings flared to the sides.

It had confused Celestia to no end, learning that, in her and Luna's absence, "John" had raised the moon in front of the sun. From what she learned, it was a beacon to war, a call to arms. But, how he did it... That information was unknown. Nopony knew how he had done the impossible. The unthinkable. And yet, he had.

Taking another sip of her now almost drained cup of tea, she sighed in annoyance. She had known this "John" for all of ten minutes before he died. He had rallied uncountable ponies to his cause, single-handedly killed both Changling Generals, and then killed the Queen, and she barely knew who he was.

And why was that? Because he had been alive for two weeks. One doesn't tend to make a lot of friends in that lifetime. That, and the fact that Luna seemed to be hiding information from her.

Mysterious.

A pang of hunger slipped through her train of thought, and she wriggled her nose. Lifting up the slice of cake, she studied it for a moment, before bringing it to her mouth.

There was a gust of wind as the door to her bedroom was forced open, slamming on the wall supporting it. Her head snapped around, ethereal mane whipping in the air, cake still in front of her mouth. She hastily set down the slice, exhaling to show her displeasure. But, as the pony burst through the door with a cry of "Tia!", her mood turned to one of worry.

"Lulu!"

Luna slid to a halt, firmly planting her hooves into the floor. Celestia stepped forwards, confusion evident on her face, but she was cut off from saying anything.

"Sis! The Empire! John! Discord!"

/br/

Thankfully, after an exchange between himself and Princess Cadence, he was allowed to roam free inside the castle. So far, he was getting bored of seeing his reflection in everything, and was itching to fly around properly. But, until such a time when he could, he was stuck, alone, with his thoughts.

He was dreading to see them again, but from what he had heard on his walk around the crystal fortress, they were attempting to find him. That was enough to send him scampering back down the hall with his tail between his legs every time he heard hoofsteps in his immediate vicinity.

Coward.

He had plonked his flank down on a bench under a window, buried his head in his hooves, and let his thoughts loose. Outside, the sun as shining, but everything seemed bleak to him. Right now, even if the six angry mares rounded the corner, he wouldn't budge.

But why would they be angry? I killed... well, got rid of Discord...

They're angry because they barely knew you. You played all of them for fools.

Not all of them; Dash. She knew.

The name sent a shiver down his spine. How did she react to his death?

She screamed out my name, didn't she?

Doesn't matter. A friend would do the same.

But isn't she more than a friend?

"More than a friend?" He asked bitterly, his voice echoing through the halls. "She was to Shaded. Not me."

But what is she to you?

Nothing more than a friend. She thought I was Shaded.

Then why did you kiss her?

The mental question shook him, bringing a memory to mind.

I... Don't know...?

You love her.

I don't! At least, I don't think so... I was depressed... I just needed someone... Anypony who would listen...

Pointlessly depressed, though.

Hardly. I thought I saw my daughter die before my eyes!

True, but why Rainbow Dash? Why her...?

He flicked his ear, hearing something in the distance drfit into his mind.

"Hear ye! Hear ye! Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armour do..."

He blanked it out.

Ugh... where was I? Oh! Dash...

He swished his tail, unsure.

I chose Dash because... we needed each other... I was depressed, she was depressed...

You fit together.

No, we don't...?

His brain stopped working momentarily as he mused over that thought.

I chose her because... as much as I hated it, Shaded was still a part of me... It was easier...

But do you love her?

I... suppose I do...

The voice in his head that happened to be his stopped responding, and left him alone.

Alone.

A flash of determination found him on his hooves.

"I don't want to be alone." He whispered, looking through the window, peering down into the streets below. Something was going on; there were brightly coloured tents here and there, more stalls than he could care to count, and a lot of ponies in the streets.

A celebration of sorts?

Shrugging, he turned away, beginning to trot through the hallways with a goal in mind. He was a stallion on a mission. As he rounded a corner, he found himself face to face with his reflection, and he frowned at it.

"Oh no, you're not stopping me. I messed up, and I need to apologise."

Smiling at himself, he spun away, spreading his wings.

/br/

A few minutes later...

/br/

After rushing through the halls and out of a door, he found himself outside in the sun, an small, odd smile on his face. The air, strangely, wasn't as stale as he remembered it, and the jovial grins on the ponies around him lifted his spirits, a boost of confidence injected straight into him by the change of scenery. There wasn't a single dull coat in sight, and it brightened his mood considerably, for some quaint reason he couldn't quite place his metaphorical finger on.

I imagine it's just me trying to quell any stray thoughts.

Well, it's working. It would be better if you were in a good mood anyway.

John found himself absent-mindedly nodding in agreement; the quaint grin still worn proudly.

"It would be, wouldn't it? I can't afford to be in a bad mood, as much as you're helping me; I'm still stronger at the moment."

What do you mean?

At that moment, John swore he could see the draconequus appear in front of him, leaning on a nearby stand without a care in the world. Discord regarded him with a curiously knowing expression, but had a cocky grin that ultimately angered John. Dashing over and sliding to a halt in front of him, barely avoiding a crystal pony in the process, he began to string together a list of profanities before being interrupted by a wave of Discord's lion paw. Shaking his head in disbelief, John narrowed his eyes.

"How are you out here?" He hissed, barely louder than a hoarse whisper. Discord simply stood up straight, and begun to stretch, seemingly oblivious to the ponies around him, who were now congregating around the stand. The crowd didn't take notice of him, barely even batting an eyelid.

John, startled, glanced around behind him. Eyes rapidly flitting from pony to Discord to pony, he felt his eye twitch. What the hay was going on here?

Discord cracked his neck, and turned his head to face John, smirking.

I'm not actually here. At least, not really. Now, are you going to answer my question?

"What?"

Are you going to answer my question? Y'know, you saying that you're stronger than me?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, John blinked several times, and exhaled heavily whilst looking down and to the right.

"My body."

True, but I'm in it. I'm keeping you safe from yourself.

"Whatever."

Discord flew over the heads of the ponies, landing at his side without so much as a sound. Many of them were expressing their confusion at him talking to himself. He brushed their looks aside without a second care in the world. Now, all they needed to do was find...

"Hey!"

Or that.

John groaned, turning to face one of five ponies he didn't want to run into before finding Dash. The mare in question, a bright pink mare with a personality every bit as quirky as her mane, was bouncing towards him, seemingly under the impression that he was a crystal pony. No matter. Discord watched with a bemused expression as the party pony opened her eyes mid-bounce, and saw John.

Her mane deflated instantly, eyes adopting a colder, harsher look.

John didn't spare her a second thought; he just galloped away with his tail between his legs, ducking and weaving through the bustling city centre with a number of mishaps. He knew he could run, but he couldn't hide. But strangely, some primal instinct inside him spurred him onwards. Adrenaline coursed through his veins unlike ever before.

He didn't even get a dignified hoofshake when she caught him, a whole four seconds later. After a moment of weightlessness, John found himself planted firmly on his face after running into the mare. He had promptly tripped, and ended up on the floor, wings flapping spasmodically behind him. At that moment, John lost all faith in the laws of reality forever. There was no way in hell she could move that fast.

Discord, drifting along behind the pegasus, gave him a mournful look when Pinkie blocked him.

"Uhhh..." John moaned, rubbing his forehead with his hoof groggily, the floor in front of him spinning and dipping as he lay on the ground.

Pinkie trotted over, looking eerily calm.

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie promise."

"...Pinkie Promise?" John coughed, not entirely sure of what incident Pinkie was referring to.

"I love you so much..." He whispered, stroking aside an errant strand of her blond mane, looking deeply into her rose eyes, and kissing her on the forehead again, but with as much fatherly love he could muster. She jumped on him, wrapping her hooves around him one final time, pouring her heart out.

"You'd better... come back...promise me..." She sniffled, refusing to let go. John's composure flickered, and he dropped his voice a few decibels, so only Hope could hear him.

"Cross my heart...and hope to fly...Stick a...cupcake...in my...eye..." He softly whispered, nuzzling her face.

"Oh... no..." He placed his hoof against his head in regret, a distant memory brought back to mind. He had promised.

"She's still with Zecora, just so as you know." was all she said. With that, her mane inflated again, and she hopped off.

In utter exhaustion and defeat, John dropped his hoof to the ground, his head following swiftly after, tears dripping from his eyes. Heart wrenching waves of emotion rocketed through his body. All that he been blissfully unaware of had just come crashing down around him, shattering against the cold, hard ground.

"Hope..."

/br/

Some more minutes later...

/br/

Head held low, tail limp and mane partly hiding his face from the world, John traversed the now bleak and bleary world around him with a level of awareness only just noticeable. He was so deep in thought that he was narrowly avoiding bumping into everything, and that was only because they noticed him first and made way for the musing pegasus. Slowly making his way in a random, winding manner with no particular destination in mind, he blanked out all sound as he thought.

How long has it been?

Avoiding an unmanned food stall with something that vaguely resembled corn on the cob, he steadily brought his head up to glance around. The moment he did, his eyes stung due to an unfortunately timed bitter wind that blew his mane back. Blinking away the tears; the twin streams of water were rolling down his cheeks, he stopped to gaze upon the crystal gateway.

He had been so close to escape, to not interfering.

I obviously came in through there, so naturally it has to be...

"An exit..." he breathed, his breath oddly crystallizing in a cloud in front of him. It didn't escape his attention, and he frowned down at it, curious. At that exact second, he heard a malevolent chuckle, faint but distinct. All around him the ponies' heads shot up, fear and recognition dawning on their features. Eyes wide and mouths trembling, they quickly lost their sparkly lustre, proceeding to shake like leaves and crouch low to the ground.

John, meanwhile, had locked eyes with the source of the laughter, on the hill with the crystal gateway. Ignoring the ponies trembling, he stepped around them and raised his head to fully meet the eyes of the newcomer.

The newcomer was immersed in smoke, hiding much of his body from view. behind him, dark storm-clouds swirled and swished like an ethereal cape of darkness, casting a malevolent glow across the pony's armoured torso. The armour he was wearing was as bright as harsh moonlight, not the soft, comforting moonbeams that Luna possessed. His grey coat was considerably lighter than John's, and his black mane was swept backwards into the inky fog behind him. His eyes gave off a sickly smoke, tinting the whites green and the edges purple. Two pairs of red irises met, challenging each other.

"Who is he?" He shouted, not taking his eyes off him. One of the ponies clustered at his hooves raised her had weakly, all the life seemingly drained out of her; the happiness that was exuded by the ponies before had been replaced by trepidation. Their fear seeped into the air, creating a foul cloud of negative thoughts for John. He shook them off, waiting for an answer.

The mare who had raised her head, in a cracked voice, answered with a squeak.

When no other attempt at an answer came, and the pony on the hill moved even closer, he saw no other choice. Judging from their reactions, he was known. Reasonable deduction led him to the conclusion that the pony was the fabled King Sombra. That, in short, meant he was an enemy. He watched as Sombra slowly climbed into the air, assisted by the black thunderclouds that hid him away. Extending his wings, previous woe forgotten for now, John sucked in a breath of the freezing air. Behind Sombra, he could see miles upon miles of snowy wasteland, without a single non-white structure in sight. As soon as he caught that glimpse, the blackness rolled in to obscure it once more, beginning to encircle the city.

No other choice.

Prologue, Unwanted Memories Part 1

The sun was warm, the day pleasant and carefree. Not a single cloud was in the sky, leaving a beautiful light blue shade for everypony to admire. It was such a shame that they weren't actually admiring it. Many a pony were lolling about mirthlessly in the sun's rays, gazing blankly at the sights around them and tilting their heads in curiosity. The crystal palace, long a subject of terror and hopelessness, had been restored to its former glory and splendour, shining brilliantly in the daylight. Nothing could ever hope to defeat the unique and dazzling structure; the crystalline towers reaching up to the bottom of the heavens themselves cast a pleasant glow across the kingdom that could never be matched through artificial means. And yet, something was missing.

This was all too apparent to one such pony idly lazing about outside the hospital, studying the daily routines of his fellow citizens from a bench. As far as he could remember, he had been living here. The again, he couldn't recall much anyway, as if an entire lifetime had been wiped off the slate. The last thing he could remember was waking up in a hospital bed with no idea who he was, where he was or what he was. Two of those questions had been answered with time already.

He half-heartedly flicked his tail, which was two tones of blue; a calming baby blue and a shockingly bright azure. It was slightly ragged in places, and curled into thick spikes near the ends. Much like his mane, which was flicked carefully to the side to keep it out of his eyes. He blinked, hiding his deeply crimson eyes from view for a split second, before sighing and looking over his shoulder. As he shifted, he felt his stomach slide over the cool crystal underneath him, making him shiver slightly.

On his back were a pair of wings, an addition that the other ponies here most certainly did not have. Each individual feather was a dark grey, the same shade as the occasional storm cloud he saw on the horizon. Past the wings, which he flapped experimentally, was an intriguing and grimace-inducing patch of lighter grey that spanned the distance between his left flank and just under his ribcage, as if all the skin there had been ripped off. Unfortunately, from what the pony had been told, he didn't have a marking that should be on both sides of his flank, something that the hospital staff, dull and as lifeless as they were, called a "cutie mark".

That was probably due to having the skin torn off on the left, but what about the right? Did he just not have one, or did he have one before?

He shook his head, turning back to look at the motionless forms of the so called crystal ponies. How were they crystal? They more or less all had the same coat colour as him, but with duller manes and tails. Curious.

A soft breeze wafted his direction, cold yet refreshing. As he felt the bracing air against his skin, he let his thoughts wander. Or rather, change. Since he had awoken, every time he tried to think of one thing, he was slowly led on to another thing. He thought it comparable to a stream, twisting and turning slowly until it changed direction, splitting off into smaller branches until it reached a lake. If that was the case, he was slowly floating along the start of the stream on a wooden raft, peacefully admiring the scenery. It was only a matter of time until he reached a turn, and then eventually, the lake itself.

That is, presuming a lake is comparable to knowledge. A lake of knowledge perhaps?

"Excuse me? Mister?" The pony heard a voice from behind, tired but young. He turned to face the speaker, a young mare with a grey-purple mane and violet eyes. She was standing at an angle to him, so he could see her cutie mark. It was a indigo-ish diamond, giving him no clues whatsoever. According to the monotonous hospital staff, a cutie mark represents a pony's special talent. Therefore, having no cutie mark meant no talent. That was depressing to discover.

"How can I help you?" He replied in an equally tired voice. It wasn't physical fatigue; it was boredom. As far as he could tell, he had been here for around a week, and had done nothing except sleep, eat and watch the empty sky. He wanted something to do. His cutie mark wasn't going to be in sleeping, that was for sure.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She motioned with a hoof towards the bench, her facial expression staying remotely neutral. He shook his head politely, and shuffled across to make some space for her. She nodded a thanks, her neck stiff, and sat down, folding her forelegs underneath her. The stallion breathed in deeply, sniffing the afternoon air and placing his head against the tops of his forelegs. The air smelt different today. Almost...stale.

Stale?

The stallion's head popped up, scowling at the sky in confusion. As he watched, the mare beside him lowered her head, drooping in her seat. He raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze around so that it faced the gateway into the kingdom in the distance. The thin crystal spires that burst from the ground still shone brilliantly, and the three gems floating between the two were still reflecting the sunlight. beyond the gateway was a vast array of green rolling hills and lush fields of grass. The countryside. So why was the air stale?

It made no sense to the pony, and as such, sparked his curiosity. Doing something aside from the basic functions of a pony would be nice, he reasoned, and he slowly tried to pry himself off of the bench. His body refused to budge, even after a few attempts, so he gave up. Even thinking about it would be a change. Something's better than nothing, right?

Lowering his head, he closed his eyes, and cleared his mind of errant strings of thought.

We're in the countryside. Therefore, if the air is stale, something is up. Something's going on. The air can't be stale here, so we're either in a pony maintained environment, or...

The stallion snorted, his wings twitching in amusement.

Or I'm just imagining it. Boredom is a wonderful thing.

He raised his head again, observing the oscillating shards and the colours they gave off as they sparkled. He had no idea how long he sat, blankly staring off into space. He was surprised that he didn't forget how to breathe; he was that bored. A flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention, and his eyes snapped round. It was a white...unicorn...stallion? A blue two-tone mane similar to his own, but brighter?

Huh. That's interesting.

The stallion turned to look at him, or rather, the hospital, as he continued running into the distance. As he faced him, the pegasus got a clear view of the unicorn. Piercing blue eyes, muscled build and a quaintly decorated shield for a cutie mark?

Why does he look so...familiar?

A twinge in the back of his skull warned the pegasus that he was overexerting himself by thinking, and he turned away. It remained, however, and the grey stallion used a wing to massage the back of his head. It was like an extra pair of hooves, but with smaller legs on the end. If that made any sense whatsoever. but what fun is there in making sense when all you do is eat and sleep? It made it extremely easy to hold things though; all he needed to do was curl it around whatever object it was. It wasn't useful for holding a drink though. The cup just slipped and fell, and anyway, he couldn't bend his neck back far enough to reach the straw. Blinking twice, the stallion continued to rub his head as he sagged in his seat, trying to ignore the

potent headache he know had.

Stupid stale air.

His eyelids fluttered, feeling heavier with each passing second. The breeze, by now, had increased slightly, and had decided to lower itself in temperature. It was now ice cold, leaving him with chills when it passed over. The mare beside him had dropped off to sleep, and was snoring quietly and twitching every few seconds, one of her back legs kicking out spasmodically now and then. Deciding to join her, the stallion let his head droop, returning his wing to his side with a flick of a muscle.

/.../

After an unmeasurable length of time, the stallion heard the clopping of hooves against the crystal floor in the distance, and he flicked his ear in annoyance. Why was it the moment he decided to get to sleep that they suddenly chose to start moving? Through his eyelids he could see the light shining down directly on him, so he flicked his mane. The curled fringe ended up covering his eyes, and he sighed in relief. No more blasted sun.

Who was that unicorn? I feel like I know him.

Stifling a yawn with a hoof, he laid his head back down against his hooves, turning his head so it was more comfortable. As he tried to fall back into the welcoming clutches of sleep, he couldn't help but listen to the hoofsteps. As he concentrated, he began to be able to hear even smaller details. For instance, the was a lot more than one set of hooves walking. From here, he could make out maybe four or five, possibly more. Unsure, the head was brought back up with an audible groan, the fringe flopping over his red eyes as he swivelled around to see if he could spy whoever was walking.

Not seeing anypony, he cracked his neck. A pop echoed off the empty streets, and he smiled as the stiffness in his neck disappeared. As soon as he had done this, he felt his nostrils twitch. He sniffed. He sneezed violently, his head forced backwards with the sudden action. His eyes were clenched closed as his speed backwards continued, his body following his head due to the two being connected.

The next thing he knew, he was on the crystal floor behind the bench curled up into a ball, and had one hoof over his quivering nose. Eyes rolling in a derped-up fashion, he sat up, feeling the blood rush to his head. With an exhausted exhale, he fell backwards onto the glass-like ground, throwing his forehooves out to his sides.

"It's gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous!"

He shot up immediately, wings flapping erratically as he landed on all four hooves. He knew that voice. He was sure of it. But who did it belong to? It was female, definitely. It had a bit of an upper-class ring to it, the pronunciation had emotion, precision and it sounded close.

Wait, close!?

He glanced around, his headache returning as his eyes scanned the surrounding area, wary yet hopeful. The voice had stirred something within him, and he was determined to find out why.

"Focus, Rarity." Another voice, different but oddly cordial. "We're here to help Twilight, not admire the scenery."

Twilight? Rarity!?

Who in the name of all things hay was here? He began to trot away from the bench, peering round the street and frowning when he saw nopony. Nopony whatsoever. Arriving at a corner, specifically the one that lead to the palace, he poked his head around.

"Eh, I don't see what the big deal is. Just looks like another old castle to me."

The stallion blinked, slumping down slightly before struggling to push himself back up. His head was pounding, thumping, fighting to break the inside of his skull. He could hear his own heart beating furiously against his ribcage. Because, just underneath the spire, in the little alcove beneath the palace, were six ponies.

A yellow pegasus with a pink mane and tail, delicately styled into a heart shape. A pink earth pony with an even pinker mane, poof-y and bouncy. A white unicorn with a deep purple mane, stylishly fashioned into curls. An orange earth pony with a stetson hat balanced on her head, with a loosely tied-at-the-end blonde mane and tail. A purple unicorn with a straight darker purple mane that had highlights of pink and purple.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw the last pony.

"I could never hate the mare I love, Dashie."

Dashie?

The stallion shook his head frantically, desperate to clear his head. After a few moments, the six disappeared inside, and he could finally breath. Panting in fear, confusion and something else he couldn't quite place a hoof on, he collapsed where he was standing, mentally drained and dead to the physical world.

"What was that? Who are they!?" He hissed between sucks of air, glowering at the doorway that the six entered. Around him, the air got colder, his breath icing as soon as it left his body, forming a fine, sparkling mist in front of him that hung like a veil in the silence that ensued. Several deep breaths later, he found himself holding a hoof to his head and a hoof to his chest, lying flat on his back. Chest heaving, he rolled over onto his front, and hugged himself, curling up.

If there was anypony around to see, they would have noticed that the stallion on the floor was shaking without control, the crystal around him frozen over with a thin layer of frost. All of a sudden, the frost melted, leaving a minuscule puddle in the outline of a pony. The pony, calm and collected after a few moments, shook himself off, tapping a hoof to the side of his head in an effort to keep himself focused.

"I need to sit down... and think." He murmured to himself, frowning at the doorway into the castle. Swaying slightly from side to side, he began to step back to the bench, feeling a little light headed, and a bit sick. As he lurched precariously, he noticed that the mare had gone.

What in the name of all things Equestrian is going on? Is this what an answer feels like?

He fumbled to get into a position to sit down on the bench, turning his gaze skywards as he lowered himself. Above him, in the corner of his vision, he could see something sparkling at the top of the crystal spire, reflecting of the mirrored edges of the palace as his eyes followed the contours and edges all the way to the ground. As his belly made contact with the bench, he vaguely remembered something.

/br/

It was... yesterday. He was in the exact same position as he was now, sitting on the exact same bench. The sky was the same shade of blue, but... flickering. Shifting colours, from a peaceful baby blue to a stark grey. It happened so quickly that even he doubted that it happened, but he was sure. A sound to his right. Slowly, he turned his head to meet approaching hoofsteps. It was a pink mare, one with a horn and a pair of wings. An alicorn...

As she made her way past, he lowered his head in respect and admiration, and she turned back to face him.

"Please, don't bow."

He raised his eyes to look at her. A lovingly crafted three-tone mane swayed slightly in the wind, accompanied by a smile that could melt the thickest ice. Her horn was aglow with a small light, but it was faint. She was, as noticed, pink. Not a bright pink however, but a warm and welcoming pink. Her eyes were much the same, but a vibrant purple.

The alicorn crouched down slightly, probably to get on his level so he didn't have to look up.

"I'm Princess Cadence. I was sent here to help."

He cocked an eyebrow, stretching out slightly.

"Help? Why would we need help?" He replied, his volume low and tone cautious, yet questioning.

Cadence glanced behind her, before taking a seat next to him. Her eyes gazed into his own with curiousity.

"You've been gone a thousand years. So much has changed in that time. Sombra is not gone, but he isn't here."

"Sombra?"

"You don't remember?" She asked, suddenly quiet.

"I don't remember much. I don't even know my own name." He said with a pang of sadness, shaking his head slightly to actuate his point. Out of nowhere he felt something rubbing against his neck. It was Cadence, gently nuzzling him. Was she trying to comfort him? The action was sincere, full of unhidden emotion. She felt sympathy for him.

Sympathy?

"I am so sorry. I didn't realise..." She apologised, lowering her head in... shame? It may not have been, but there wasn't much else that she could have possibly felt. She felt bad for them, and being a Princess, was truly sorry that she couldn't do anything.

"Hey. It's not a problem. You didn't know." He returned, smiling soberly.

"You remind me of somepony I was told about." She suddenly narrowed her eyes at him. "But he's unfortunately not with us any more." She finished, looking away and up. He followed her eyes to the balcony connected to the palace.

"You're staying in the palace?" He inquired, tilting his head to the side. She nodded wordlessly, still staring up at the balcony. After a few moments, she sighed, and looked back down.

"I was sent here by my aunt Celestia," She started speaking, turning to face him again. "To help you. To protect you. You've been gone for a thousand years. The ponies here were cursed by Sombra and ultimately disappeared with the city. You were gone. Out of the blue, the Crystal Empire returned, just a few days ago. I'm here with my husband, Shining Armour..."

"Shining Armour? He sounds familiar..." The stallion whispered to himself. Cadence must have heard him; she fixed him with a weird look, watching him carefully out of the corner of her eyes, studying every minute move he made for a few seconds.

It was uncomfortable.

"...And soon, my sister-in-law and her friends will be here to help. Is there anything you remember that we can do to make you feel safe?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The Crystal Empire isn't the only thing that returned." She said cryptically, before raising herself off her haunches and standing up. He grimaced, and nodded to her.

"I wish you the best, Princess Cadence."

"You too. I hope you remember something soon."

/br/

He awoke in a fit of shivers. Twisting around, he saw that he had been sweating, and a noticable sheen of it was on his coat. With a groan, he lowered his head again, going back to thinking. Daintily placing his chin on his hooves as he stretched out, he breathed in deeply and sniffed the air once more.

Stale.

With a huff, he flipped himself over, tucking his wings into his sides. The sunlight above, as if through divine intervention, shone at just the right angle to make him sparkle, faint beams of light refracted off him shooting back out, giving him a lightly glowing appearance. Not bothering to move out of the way; it was pleasant, he yawned and cast his eyes back out at the streets.

Okay. So, that was a memory...? From yesterday? Why can't I remember?

I suppose, if that's the case, that I know Princess Cadence. She mentioned a Celestia. Why does she sound like I know her?

WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE I KNOW EVERYPONY?! He screamed out in his thoughts, casting them out far and wide, expelling them from his brain.

"Confound these ponies. They're driving me crazy!" He muttered, sitting back up and throwing himself against the back of the bench, hiding his wings from view. Not that it really mattered anyway; there was an alicorn somewhere inside the palace. With them.

Hold it. Rewind. Sister-in-law? That must be one of those, making them royalty. But which pony was it? He shut his eyes, unaware of the fact that his hoof was rubbing sub-consciously against his left flank, and tried to think. To remember.

As he listened to his inner mechanics, he became aware of the quiet, sincere echoes inside his skull. He sensed the vibrations of a voice, and was beginning to make out a picture in his mind's eye, watching. Darkness tinged and gathered around the edges of his vision. The voices were echoed and distorted, twisted and demonic; remnants of the shattered memories of a dead pony. Nothing more, nothing less. Somepony not him. His lips moved of their own accord, mirroring the movements of those he saw, hissing out the sounds made. Each was drawn out, becoming quieter near the end.

"He will pay..."

"Go. I'll hold them off..."

"I'm your worst nightmare..."

"Why...is this...happening to me...!?"

He gasped, watching what could potentially be his life flash before his eyes in a maelstrom of colour and sound, accompanied by the sounds of hoofsteps from nearby. He pulled himself out of his brain, gulping in air and massaging his temples furiously. As he did, he couldn't shake the feeling of horror at watching his life go past. It was both a blessing and a curse to see. Imagine his emotions; fear, horror, anger, as a forest fire. Destructive, corrupting and tainted. Then imagine an equally destructive thunderstorm that puts out the fire. Yes, it stops the fire, but it replaces it with things just as bad; jealousy, sadness and regret just to name a few. He heard the waves of emotion crashing against his thoughts, words barely audible through the chaos.

"John!"

It stopped. There was no warning, no slowing down. It just stopped. Blinking a few times, he rolled his shoulders, flexing his wings and breathed in deeply.

"John?" He whispered, placing his hooves in front of him as he straightened out on the bench. "I have a name... I... remember..." He grinned from ear to ear like an idiot, only just restraining himself enough to not whoop and jump about in glee. "I remember! I'm alive!" He laughed, rich and deep, the sound vibrating in his throat.

"Twilight, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy and-" He paused, ears drooping down as he recalled what he had done.

"Dashie... Hope..." He flicked his tail to the side in sadness, sighing.

They all think I'm dead. They've moved on with their lives. I can't intrude now. It's too late.

No. I'm dead, and this is just a punishment. I did enough crap in one lifetime to be punished in seven. Or am I alive?

John pursed his lips, lowering his head back down. With a snort, he settled on the latter.

And they're here in the Crystal Empire. Ponyfeathers. Luna, please, keep them the hell away from me. They'll do their job and go. I don't need to be found. Just let them walk past, unaware. Please.

He stared at the crystal surface underneath, looking deeply into his own reflection.

As least my mane's different. They won't recognise me if they walk past. Hopefully.

He moved his head closer to the shiny rock, studying his eyes. They had completely shifted in colour from one end of the spectrum to the other. Oh well, it was just another thing that camouflaged him.

"Uhm... Excuse me... Mister...?" A soft voice from above his head spoke, feminine and quiet. Almost shy...

Oh no.

Of all six ponies, it just had to be her. Even Rainbow Dash would be preferable to her.

"Can I help you?" John refused to raise his head, keeping his eyes firmly away from the knowing gaze of the meek yellow pegasus. As soon as he uttered his response, there was a little squeak from her, followed by an even quieter answer.

"I was... wondering if you could help me... If that's all right with you..."

Some ponies never change.

"That depends on what you need help with."

Another squeak. The urge to facehoof rose, and John cursed his rotten luck. His breathing was strangely calm, surprising him.

"Uhm...would you know anything about...defending the Empire?" She made that adorable "squee" sound that he loathed and loved equally. It broke any and all barriers he had, and he almost raised his head. Urging himself to keep down, he stared with determination at the mirrored surface, met with his own steely eyes.

"Why don't you try the library?"

"Oh! Good idea! Thank you...erm..."

She wanted his name? John quickly racked his brains for an acceptable excuse of a name, flicking his tail in annoyance. When it landed, it covered his flank slightly, hiding the blankness there. After a few moments of silent conversation with himself, scanning through talents that he had and particular traits and dismissing some, he came up with a name to use instead of Shaded Comet or John. Instinctively, without any control, he lifted his head as he said it. His eyes were met with Fluttershy's, and fortunately, there was no spark of recognition.

"Stormy Skies. And you?"

"Err...I'm Fluttershy..." She trailed off, voice barely louder than a mouse scampering in the fields, or a slight wind. Just as he remembered. She cast her eyes down, hiding behind her pink, half-heart shaped mane.

/br/

Fluttershy, not one to normally be suspicious of a pony, was intrigued by the behaviour of Stormy Skies. He had kept his head down, avoiding her eyes to begin with. Earlier, she had seen him out of the corner of her eye, watching her and her friends from around a corner. She couldn't help but feel a bit wary of this pony.

Even the way he was positioned on the bench was off. He was, whether he realised it or not, covering his flank with his tail, and had his back strangely parallel to the backrest of the bench. His tail, and mane when she took note of it, were scarily familiar. It reminded her of John's mane, but Skies' was darker, more greyed, just like the other crystal ponies she had seen. The only thing that separated him from them was his shockingly vibrant crimson irises; something the crystal ponies definitely didn't have.

After all, a red that deep was unnatural. It normally meant one of two things. One, he was actually a unicorn: it was one in a Celestia-knows-how-much chance of a unicorn having red eyes; making him an extreme rarity amongst ponies. According to Twilight, only unicorns could have pure red eyes like his. She had heard rumours of Vinyl Scratch's eyes being red, but the off-white DJ never took off her distinctive sunglasses. The other, if she recalled Twilight's explanation after the incident, meant that Stormy had a high concentration of Chaos magic inside of him.

But, as he was a crystal pony, he had been gone for a thousand years. How could he have been corrupted in the millennium that he didn't exist? Who was that pony?

Thoroughly confused and suspecting of trickery, Fluttershy held her tongue with practised ease. For now.

/br/

Fluttershy had been studying him with a mysteriously inquisitive expression, hiding behind her mane and frowning down at him as if she had noticed something out of place. If he were wearing any, John would be quaking in his boots. Fluttershy was easy to mislead, but not easy to fool for an extended period of time. If there was anything to be noticed, she would know about it.

It's always the silent ones.

Repressing a sigh, John blinked at her, thinking of something to say to break the uneasy mutual silence and failing. As such, he opted to sit there and stare blankly at her until she went away and hopefully forgot about him. But, alas, fate begged to differ.

The quick pitter-patter of hooves behind him alerted John to the presence of another pony. Not twisting around, afraid that Fluttershy would see his not so cleverly hidden wings, he instead gazed out of the corner of his eyes. He was greeted with the sight of one of the monotonous doctors from the hospital. No doubt out her to check on him, at the worst possible time.

"Sir? Are you feeling better? I see you're holding a conversation, so that's progress." He droned, eyes unfocused and cloudy.

John nodded uneasily. "Yes. This is Fluttershy. She's visiting from Ponyville."

The crack of eyes moving at phenomenal speeds was almost imaginable as John flinched, the horror of the situation hitting him as he realised what he had said without thinking. Fluttershy's pair turned steely, ice cold circles boring into him, freezing him in place in trepidation. Why!? In the names of Celestia and Luna, why in Equestria compelled him to blurt out something he wasn't supposed to know? The doctor's pair was inquiring, but he held his silence, seemingly amused by the canary yellow pegasus' reaction.

"What did you say?" She asked, her meekness and shyness forgotten as her voice went neutral, void of all emotions.

John gulped, unable to tear himself away from the now slowly approaching pegasus. Deep down inside him, he felt something stir, a chuckle building in his throat. It came out as an uncomfortable choking sound, feeling as if he was shrinking under her eyes.

"Nothing." He quickly replied, formulating a plan.

"I see she has wings as well..." The doctor mindlessly began, unaware of the tension building.

"As well?" She repeated, eyes flashing from the doctor back to John. Her lips curled in slightly, giving her a barely noticeable snarl that would never be on her face normally. The last time she had that look, she punched him; becoming a complete toss up of who she was, warped and twisted by hate.

"...But Anti-Magi corrupted him...When Magi or Anti-Magi is transferred between objects, the receiver will always undergo a change..."

He shook his head, the distant memory taking him out of reality for a second. As he locked eyes with Fluttershy, he noticed a slight change in her appearance: she was greyed. The doctor was nowhere to be seen, and Fluttershy had been changed.

"Anti-Magi corrupts... receiver undergoes a change..." He whispered, a plan beginning to take form in his mind. Fluttershy, for now, was dubbed as "Flutterrage" whilst she was like this, so he had a name for future reference.

This is why, out of all the possible methods, I killed Discord like I did.

Killed?

John, all of a sudden, was completely overwhelmed by the thought, delving deeply into what he knew in an effort to reassure himself, but failing miserably.

When something dies, it releases energy when it is consumed. The high amount of Anti-Magi in Discord, upon death, so have practically overflowed from his body. Discord's body IS Anti-Magi, therefore meaning that when he died, he was essentially released in the form of Anti-Magi. Magi, and probably Anti-Magi, has a tendency to be absorbed by the nearest living thing able to host it, such as crops, animals and even ponies.

Even ponies.

He gulped, making a strangled sound as he noticed how Flutterrage was staring at him.

That explains why there was no body. So, I now host a god-level amount of Anti-Magi inside of me, and because I have so much, it's leaking out into the air, thus flipping nearby ponies' personalities.

His eyes flicked between Fluttershy and the sky.

Well, bollocks. If I get away now, hopefully she wouldn't have had enough time to absorb enough to completely turn her. This is exactly why I shouldn't be here.

"I hate this bucking world." John uttered, before launching himself into the air from the bench, leaving a startled yellow pegasus behind.