It was a day after the celebration of Rainbow Dash’s release that I went to the lunar palace’s ruins again. I smiled with sadistic glee as I saw yet another council of the Terrible Two unfold before me. Suffering was wailing again. “What has become of us? What has happened? She was supposed to fight this war without mortal aid and now she has five others at her side. What is this folly? Fear, again I blame you for this! When you sought to find a weakness, we have found only a strength. Woe is us; for now we are struggling to dig six thorns out of our flesh. Even now they aid her in her mission. They go through that town day by day, further entrenching their already impregnable position. What will you have us do now; now that we have seen so many failures?”

Fear opened her eyes as she sat upon the dais. She scoffed and began to laugh. At first it was only a light giggle, but it soon became a maniacal fit.

“What can be so humorous? We are being undone!” Suffering Screamed.

Fear calmed down enough to speak. “Are you truly so blind, my leader? Have you truly learned nothing from this? We have lost nothing!” She suppressed another evil giggle. “Furthermore, we have gained so much. Do you not see? Our situation can be likened to a hilarious scenario in which we sent spies into the enemy camp. The spies were found but when they were exposed, rather than executing them, our enemy showed them around their camp; exposing willfully every detail and then…,” She paused for more laughter. “…sending them back to us with provisions!”

Suffering sneered. “Are you mad?”

Once again Fear burst into laughter; ignoring her commander’s interrogations. Finally, she gained ahold of herself, sighing, and spoke with a clear voice. “Listen well, Suffering. While it may appear that our enemy has gained much, she has done nothing more than paint a target on her weak spot. I told you just previously that no attack we make will be in vain. There is always the chance that a specific attack will have a chance to succeed, as we want it to appear to our enemy who believes that she is gaining ground; however, in truth, these are meant to fail; for we learn more in failure (namely our enemy’s success) than in our victory.

“Think back to what I said before and you will see that our true intentions were satisfied greater than we could have hoped. Firstly, we found out that our suspicions were true. The mare is indeed foolish. In that regard, we have gained valuable intelligence. Yet I assume that you are more concerned with our second discovery: the adversary’s acquisition of allies. This may at first seem like a travesty, but when you look closer, in the same regard as her bravery, there is an equal downside to her strength.”

Suffering was taken aback. “How could having allies possibly be detrimental in any way?”

“Aid, by definition, cannot be unhelpful. Yet from whom the aid comes, can at times be a double-edged sword. For as one steers closer and closer to an ally, one becomes more and more vulnerable. On the one hand, the opponent has allies. But on the other hand, those allies can turn against her. For in the last, immortal words of Discord before he was vanquished by the earthly princesses of this world, ‘You may defeat chaos today Celestia, but enjoy it. Your victory will be short-lived … Good can only be prevalent for so long before Evil musters its forces, and seizes upon the heart – twisting friendships into war, loyalty into deceit, and kindness into unadultered hate.’”

“Do you mean to say that this can be a good thing?”

“That is precisely the case. Only, in order for you…” She began to slow her rate of speaking. “…to take full advantage of it you will have to swallow your pride and…” She stopped for a moment.

Suffering was anxious to hear her finish. “Well … what?”

“You ears will not take joy in what I am about to say.”

“If it helps us win this war then I will take any necessary steps.”

“…We will have to call upon Discord once more.”

Suffering stood silently. After a moment, her left eye began to twitch. She spoke through gritted teeth. “What do you mean we shall have to call upon Discord?”

“Well, we would be hard pressed to turn our enemies against themselves without his aid. If you recall, we did indeed discuss this possibility in our deliberation.”

She yelled, “Yes, but I did not think you to be serious. How can we ask Khoas’ son for help now that we have released and imprisoned him once more?”

“Calm yourself. As long as we hold the keys to his freedom, we are his masters. Though he may act out of free will after his second release, he will be indebted to us, for we have done him no wrong. His judgment was fair, and suspension of that judgment will be a gift.”

Suffering thought over this for another minute. “Very well, Fear. We may go and revive the draconequus. But, I do this only because my desire for victory is greater than that of my hate for his faults.” Saying this, they both dematerialized. I swallowed. This would prove to be problematic.

I found them as they entered unnoticed into the royal gardens and found the petrified Discord. Suffering spoke and said, "Discord, son of Khaos, we, Suffering and Fear, being disharmonic divinities, hereby release you from your prison of stone." There was a flash of light and color returned to the now animate draconequus.

Discord smiled smugly. “Oh, back so soon?” He said. "What happened to me messing everything up?"

Suffering knew time was of the essence. “You can be self-exultant later Discord; for if you do so now there may not be a chance later. There is now a more pressing issue.”

“Oh, there you go again; always so curt with everybody. You can never stop to smell the roses can you?”

Fear broke in, “Discord, I love savoring the chaos just as much as you, but Suffering speaks well. We would not have revoked her edict on you if the situation did not necessarily call for it. The hands of the clock move faster than we would have them. Now is the time for work, not for play.”

Discord sighed. “I should have known that it would be like this. Very well, if I help you, will you both at least try to enjoy yourselves a little? Life just isn’t fun if you don’t appreciate it every once in a while.”

Suffering spoke out of necessity. “Discord, if we win this war we will sacrifice a thousand ponies on your altar and then we will feast for seven years.”

“Hmm, tempting,” He said sarcastically. “But keep the ponies alive. There’s no fun if there’s no one to torment and I dislike the idea of shedding so much blood over nothing.” I could see a gleam of disgust in his visage. An awkward silence ensued.

Fear thought it was time to move on, so she explained to Discord the situation; relating to him all the events that had passed since his sentence. Then she proposed an elaborate plan which would require the effort of each of the Terrible Three.

“And you are sure this will work?” Discord asked.

“We planned this from the beginning. The only thing that we were unsure of was whether this plan would actually fit the existing situation. With all the preexisting requirements, this will work, and our victory will be accomplished. But of course, there is only one small problem.”

“And that is…”

“If he will actually hear us.”

Suffering reassured her and said, “Let us simply take the chance. We lose not so much if he does not.”

Discord and Fear discussed this and said, “Then call him and we shall see if fate is on our side.”

I shivered and shook in disbelief. “No,” I thought. “Surely they cannot call him. He cannot be ordered around like a servant. Surely he will not act upon this.” This situation was so ominously unthinkable. Their plan so terrifying for one who knew of whom they spoke.

I followed the three as they traversed the great ocean in the west. They came to a place that is inhabited by the dragons: horrible creatures who have a strange language that was spoken by the civilized creatures of the east (ponies, cows, and griffons to an extent) only in the ancient days before Equestria was founded. Everything in this land was megalithic. The cities stretched for miles and the houses were thousands upon hundreds of square feet in area. The architecture of this place was peculiar. Into the stone of every building were carved bizzare glyphs and symbols whose meaning the natural mind cannot comprehend.

The dragons themselves were fearsome. Some were as large as houses, and others the size of hills. All had long teeth the size of a pony and as sharp as razors. The color of their scales was often brilliant and even the black ones gleamed in the sun even as the shields of an army do when they advance upon an undefended town. Their eyes were humongous; having pupils like slits and irises of many dark colors.

Through the capital city of Nihtegesa the tiny ponies treaded; being eyed by all the giants who passed. They came to its center which was of such massive proportions that it cannot be measured by civilized hooves. The whole structure is made of sapphire and gold and it shines in the sun from afar. There are an innumerable amount of steps of gold, which they traversed instantly because of the medium through which they traveled. At their top, there is a sapphire door which opened with Suffering’s shout of an unintelligible word.

Inside of the temple is a large room. The walls are made of many types of brilliant stones and metals –amethyst, ruby, emerald, silver, diamond, and much more- each which forms a mesmerizing pattern in the walls. Upon the ceiling is a great painting that depicts a war that happened before even my time in which the dragons were defeated by the ponies and banished to the west. There is a massive circle carved into the ground, and within the circle is inscribed squares that form a star with twelve points. And within that star there are many signs: the sun and moon and stars; each painted with lifelike colors. All throughout the circle are written words which hold the power to enslave any mortal and bring them under their speaker’s heel for all time.

At the back of the temple there is a throne of an unimaginable size made from heated bronze, which likewise has not been measured by civilized hooves. Upon it is an immense black dragon with purple eyes, and leathery wings colored gold. His claws are like the tips of mountains and his fangs stretch on longer than the breadth of Ponyville. To this day, I believe, he still sits upon the throne.

Suffering came forth and stood in the center of the big circle and shouted to him from so far away. “Hail Deaðbӕr Junindinok, king of dragons, god of death, crusher of spirits, and conqueror of nations. We come, asking you for your assistance. We come from the land of Equestria where ponies rule. There is one who is against us who threatens to overtake all of that land. If she is allowed, her reign will extend the dominion to this place. And, although I do not question your power, I believe she could prove to be a thorn in your side. We humbly have arrived here to ask for your aid.”

The dragon glared at the tiny pony. He did not answer for a long while, but Suffering dared not speak and anger him. Eventually, he opened his mouth. His voice was deep but his words flowed. “τι δει σε ἐμοι βοηθειν; το τλημον ουδεν χρησοται.” In retrospect, it was hilarious that he had changed languages on her in mid-conversation, but at the time nothing was anything but terrifying. Roughly, his words translate to, “Why is it necessary for me to come to your aid? The wretch will do no such thing.”

Suffering hesitated, and spoke very slowly; apparently not having spoken the language in a while. “εγω μεν γιγνωσκω ουδεν, ω δεσποτα. ἡ δε αυτη θυμον χαρες εχει.” Her response was, “Master, I know nothing, but this one holds the spirit of joy.”

The dragon, who was lazily reclining before, sat up and there was a large sound at his slightest movement. “If you lie fola [filly], I shall crush you beneath my feet.”

Suffering flinched, but answered, “What I speak is the truth.”

Hearing this, the dragon lifted his mighty head and opened his jaws. He roared with his terrible might. The blast of the sound was deafening. Even as a desert storm sweeps upon its victims when the air was calm just seconds ago and buries them under torrents of wind and sand so that none escape, even so was the dragon’s roar. No later had the beast’s thunder finished escaping his jaws, did he cry out. His words no longer flowed, but were broken. “Gúð to innian! Invoke!” He mixed two languages in one quotation; quite unusual to say the least.

Suffering, not wishing to anger the beast, cried out, “O dragon and god, I invoke thee!” The words in the circle illuminated. There was a flash of light, and the dragon disappeared. Suffering, who had been knocked over, rose to her hooves; shaking.

Fear, recovering first, smiled and said, “Truly, today our victory is complete.”

♦       ♦       ♦

It was not a usual site. I saw a decrepit stallion walk into Ponyville on the first day of the week. His mane was matted and unkept; his body unwashed and dirty. He looked as if he had been beaten; having bruises of varying severity in visible places. His face was grim as death and his movements were like one who was about to die. I perceived that the tales of Ponyville’s prosperity and joy had brought him here as was the case with many others who had entered into the town with similar conditions. Or maybe he was like Max, who had been exiled from the capital. Whatever the reason, he walked towards a place where I knew there had long been a vacant house.

On his way, he was spotted by an ecstatic Pinkie Pie who had immediately realized there was a new face. As was the case with all the others, she immediately saw it was necessary to cheer him up. He did not immediately respond to her efforts, but of course, this too was common. It would only be a matter of time before she broke him of his grumpiness and he allowed himself to taste joy. He would be one more plot of territory for the determined soldier of joy to conquer.

She did not hound him. Though she was still as aggressively kind as with Max, she saw it fit to take things a bit slower. She learned much about his personal life simply by observing him. She had long since trained herself to deduce nearly everything that could be understood about a person without asking them. Eventually, she did some meddling and found that he had attended several tea parties in his prime. Seeing the hole in the stallion’s defenses, she went to Rarity and asked her if she could host a tea party for the benefit of this pony. With a little coaxing and the promise of a favor later, Rarity was convinced. Pinkie went to him on the sixth day of the week and invited him to the Carousel Boutique for a tea party the following day. As expected, though he appeared glum, he accepted and showed that there was hope for him.

Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Mr. Britten Lauponi sat around the decorated table. Rarity had spared no expense in laying out an extravagant afternoon tea for them. The white tablecloth was adorned with golden lace weaved into intricate patterns which the eye could follow all the day. The silverware was priceless; made of fine porcelain imported from the near west. She had put up fancy curtains and some fine paintings which she had stored in her attic. She had also brought out imported treats such as scones with raspberry jam and clotted cream, and little cakes (which Pinkie would surely be consuming by the hoofful). All that they waited on was the tea.

“So, Mr. Lauponi, what did you do in Manehatten?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, I was a criminal defense attorney; quite the duty, but someone had to do it.”

“Ooh, so what kind of ponies did you defend; any exciting cases?”

“Well, interesting that you ask. There was in fact this one case where…”

The tea party had just started and Pinkie had already succeeded in extricating more words from him than he had spoken in the entire time he was in the town. I smiled as I watched the mare work her magic. Pinkie did not know too much about legal proceedings, but she quickly intuited that Rarity did and soon she was about to start a conversation between the two where Mr. Lauponi really opened up. With all of Ponyville being brought under Pinkie’s hoof so easily, I was wondering whether or not she would decide it was time to move to the next town …

The Terrible Three entered unseen and interrupted my musing. This would be most unfortunate. “Out of all days,” I asked. “Why did it have to be today?” The three stood around the parlor like lionesses ready to pounce upon their prey. Yet they were not fixing their gaze upon Pinkie Pie as they did most of the time. Rather, their attention was focused on the grey, white-maned stallion with the quill for a cutie mark. This made me very nervous, for knew what they had planned. Like wolves they had amassed to easily take down their target: Discord, the god who sought to turn many ponies against Pinkie; Fear, the divine alicorn who would complement Discord’s prowess; and Suffering, who had invoked [called into herself] the god of death.

A buzzer went off in the kitchen and my heart skipped a beat. The hour had come. Dread gripped me and would not let go. Thus I did the only thing I could do. I solemnly told Pinkie, even though she could not hear me, “My beloved friend, if I could help you I would. Because of all you have done for this world, because of the hope you inspired, and because of the peace that you have brought to Equestria which shall be remembered for many ages to come, I would gladly die for you. And moreover, I would be more than happy to endure what you are about to suffer in your place; for of all the ponies in this world, including even the reigning princesses, you are the most undeserving of this treatment to which you are about to be subjected. And even though your ears are not tuned to my voice, which has spoken to all who would not listen throughout the ages, I want to tell you that in spite of all who will hate you; not knowing that they are wrong, …” There was no way to express it in this language, so I stared until I believed I could see deep into her soul. There I imagined myself carving into its walls the words, “σε αγαπαω.” The phrase can rendered, "I love you." But that takes away all meaning. It means that one has a desire to do what is best for a person every moment of every day; even if that causes pain to either party. Yet even this description does not fully encompass the implications of my using that word.

Hearing the buzzer, Rarity stood up and said, “Oh, that must be the tea. I’ll be right back.” She opened the parlor door and left the room; closing the portal behind her.

No sooner had she done this, did a huge, evil grin appear on each of the Terrible Three’s faces. Fear spoke. “We have spent so many months planning for this day. I’ve been waiting for too long.”

“Haven’t we all.” Discord said.

Suffering shouted, “Go!” Instantly, the three released the magic on themselves to make them visible and able to interact with the world. Neither Mr. Lauponi nor Pinkie even had time to scream. Without making a sound, Fear leapt upon the stallion and pinned him to the ground. Suffering grabbed the butter knife and, despite its dullness, brutally thrust it into his throat; dealing a fatal wound. Then she tossed it to Discord who had leapt upon Pinkie. The dragon-horse smeared the blood on the knife all over Pinkie’s snout and then thrust it into her mouth handle first. He then grabbed Pinkie up and threw her on top of the body of Mr. Lawponi.

Suffering silently signaled for the assassins to scatter. The three dematerialized again. Yet before Fear left, she whispered in Pinkie’s ear, “Tsume.” It was a word in Japanese chess which denotes the first check in a series of checks which will inevitably lead to checkmate.

At that moment, Rarity, hearing the commotion, opened the door. I believe that the whole town heard her shrill scream.

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