Discord Arc: Disarray, Discordant, and Disastrous

Darkness.

Those were the first thoughts that ran through Rainbow Dash’s mind as she floated...or was she falling? She didn’t know, really, seeing as she had no way of telling which way was up or down.

Aside from having no idea where she was, she found her memory to be rather hazy at the moment. She remembered fighting someone. The word “chaos” was tugging at the back of her mind, but she wasn’t sure why.

Whatever, I just need to...find a way out of here.

She moved a hoof, or at least she thought she did; she couldn’t see anything, after all. Then she remembered her magic. She focused on her magic. A faint, red spark formed at the tip of her horn, quickly turning into a soft and steady glow.

Nope. Nothing. There was nothing around her. Just endless, dark void.

Her breathing hitched as she took in the area around her, trying to find something, anything that would bring some kind of familiarity to mind. Was she dreaming? Maybe that was it, she was just dreaming. Though, if she was dreaming, why did it feel like she was awake? She was able to feel her coat, her limbs, and could hear herself breathing perfectly. She could see her own body in the soft glow of her red light, but nothing else. It was like the darkness would swallow her up if she stopped channeling light into her horn.

I’m...alone? She curled her hooves and tail inward. Her wings snapped shut. I need to get out of here. I...I don’t want to be here anymore...

She channeled more magic into her horn, her aura stretching out in the inky blackness. She swept her magic as far as it could go, hoping to find something that held any sort of familiarity to Equestria.

Her attempt was met with a cold, dark nothingness. She couldn’t break past this darkness. Whatever it was, it was everywhere. She began to panic, her senses trying to stretch further. Surely there–wait!

She paused as a sudden presence came up on her mental radar. It was a kind, caring one, full of magic. She did her best to locate the sudden spark of life, tilting her head downward. A faint, barely visible purple light caught her attention.

“...H-hello?” Rainbow called out. The distant purple light seemed to flicker for a moment, then began to glow brighter.

“...ell...o...?” replied a voice, distant and muffled by the all-encompassing dark. Rainbow’s heart leapt in her chest. She recognized that voice!

“Twilight? Is that you?”

A moment of silence. “...nbow Dash...?”

Rainbow Dash’s smile broke into a wide grin. She flared out her wings and pushed against the dark void. The purple light grew brighter and brighter to her as she made her way towards it. Eventually she was able to make out the faint outline of a purple pony, about twice her height. The purple light suddenly began to bob up and down before the face of Twilight Sparkle came into the view of Rainbow’s red light.

“Rainbow Dash! Oh thank goodness! I-I thought I was the only one here!”

Rainbow noticed that Twilight’s eyes were a little red and puffy. Twilight sniffled a little as she wrapped her forelegs around the Princess of Weather and Water. “I-I was scared...”

Rainbow wouldn’t admit that she had felt the same, instead returning the hug of her taller friend. “H-hey, it’s alright, Twilight...” She looked around the void, Twilight and her light stretching out into the vast darkness, which still provided no hint as to where they were.

“Um...where are we?”

Twilight shook her head. “I wish I knew. All I do know is that Discord sent me here.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened. “That’s right! Discord!” Memories started returning to her. “That jerk, I had him on the ropes! Then he went and almost destroyed Canterlot! He had to cheat to beat me!” She went quiet. “I...I guess I sort of fell for a trap of his. Canterlot’s fine, but...he must have trapped me in here after I lost.”

Twilight and Rainbow continued to scan their dark surroundings. Twilight’s horn lit up a little before fizzling out. “Huh...that’s odd.” She tried once more, her horn igniting in a soft, arcane light, only to go out like a burnt out lightbulb. Twice more she did this, only to meet similar results. Her expression became worried as the light of her magic went out the final time.

“What’s wrong?”

Twilight touched a hoof to the tip of her horn. “I...can’t cast any spells. Well, aside from channeling light to my horn, but that just requires me to call upon my magic, not do anything specific with it like a spell. I can’t teleport, I can’t summon so much as a writing quill...nothing!” She frowned. “I think this darkness is why I can’t use any of my spells, Rainbow.”

Rainbow frowned. “So, you think that Discord is doing this to our magic or something? I mean, you said he sent you here, right? If he wanted to capture us, he probably wants to keep us from using any kinds of spells.”

“I don’t know, Rainbow, but that’s probably our best guess right now,” Twilight said as she channeled magic into her horn once more, producing her own purple light. “For now, we’ll have to put our trust in the girls.”

“Yeah. Luna got your tiara, by the way.”

Twilight smiled. “Good.”

“Celestia almost had a panic attack, too.”

Twilight cringed. “I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not dealing with her right now.”

“Yeah, she looked like she was ready to go on the warpath with Discord. Seriously, I’m pretty sure the paint was chipping off the walls in her room it was so hot.”

“I can’t say I’ve seen Celestia ever get that mad,” Twilight admitted.

“Yeah, she was kind of scary,” Rainbow chuckled a little. “She really was worried, though. I’m kind of jealous, Twi. She really cares about you.”

Twilight smiled a little, embarrassment clearly written on her features. “Hopefully she and the other girls will be able to stop Discord...”

“He isn’t so tough. He plays dirty, though,” Rainbow grumbled. “You should have seen me! I gave him a good hoof to the gut.” Her frown became a triumphant smirk. “I’m putting my bits on Applejack, personally. Four solid kicks from her would have him down for the count. Maybe one now that she’s even stronger.”

“Is she really that strong? I mean...I know she was always been a strong pony, but...this is Discord. This is the Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos we’re talking about.”

“Well...y’know when Granny Smith passed away?” Twilight nodded. “Well, AJ needed to vent a little. I kind of followed her from a distance to make sure she wouldn’t do anything stupid, and...well, let’s just say the mountain range south of Equestria is a little smaller because of her.”

“Oh no, what did she do?”

Rainbow just chuckled. “You know the saying ‘You’re making a mountain out of a mole hill?’ Applejack did the exact opposite to one of the mountains.”

Twilight gaped. “C-can...can she do that? I mean, that’s dangerous! Somepony could have gotten hurt!”

“She wasn’t hurting anypony though, and the mountains were far away from any forests. She was really upset, Twilight, and needed to blow some steam. She made sure no animals or ponies got hurt. Besides, she is the Princess of the Earth. I think she has more right than any of us to go and turn a mountain into gravel.”

The two sat in silence for several long minutes after that. Twilight eventually spoke up again. “I’m worried, Rainbow.” She wrapped her hooves around Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow did her best to comfort her distraught friend, all the while trying to fight down her own fears. She was doing her best to appear confident, but the truth was that she wasn’t sure how strong Discord was. Yes, she had gotten a few solid hits during her fight with him, but he adapted to her speed. Still, this was Discord they were talking about. He wasn’t above cheating and making things unfair, just as long as he won in the end.

“Don’t worry, Twi. It’ll all work out. Just you wait...”

And so they did.

“Um...Captain Lily Wing? Where are all the guards?”

The pegasus mare looked over her shoulder to the purple and green dragonling on her back. “I’m not sure, Spike. Discord’s a very powerful spirit, though. I...I don’t like to be a pessimist in a situation like this, but I fear he may have disposed of the Royal Guard.”

Spike paled. “You mean...he–?”

“No. At least, I hope not. Trust me, I would know if things had become that dangerous much sooner. From what Princess Celestia has told me, Discord is cruel, but he rarely resorts to anything fatal. At least, he didn’t last time.”

“So, wait, you know about Discord?”

Lily Wing nodded. “Princess Luna and Princess Celestia faced him down ages ago, and what they told me so far has matched up with what I’ve seen since he broke free. Next to the princesses, I am the highest ranking authority in the castle, especially during emergencies. It’s my duty to know these things, Spike. I know about past threats to Equestria, about every ambassador we have in the neighboring kingdoms, our spy network–”

“We have spies?”

“Several, actually...well...” Lily Wing paused, realizing now wasn’t the time to explain about sleeper agents or the darker side of politics. Equestria was, by most accounts, a utopia as far as society went. The Griffon Kingdom was fairly peaceful, too. Still, Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom weren’t the entire globe.

Sometimes there were problems, though. Equestria wasn’t peaceful by sheer luck; it had rulers with the power to control the elements of the world at its disposal. Long ago, Celestia and Luna had made it clear to the neighboring nations that they would never use their powers as a means of intimidation. Instead, they declared neutrality in any conflict, and would only rise up and fight if a nation dared strike first against Equestria.

Needless to say, war was something Equestria had not experienced in a long, long time.

“I’d rather not go into details, Spike, but...let’s just say that our spies are just ponies who are making sure everything is alright in the other kingdoms.”

Spike frowned, but made no further inquiry on the matter.

Lily Wing stopped suddenly and flared out her wings. Without warning, she dashed towards a side of the hall, hiding behind a suit of armor.

“What–?”

Lily Wing held up a hoof, signaling Spike to remain quiet. His jaw shut with an abrupt click of his teeth.

Lily Wing’s ears twitched, listening to something that Spike himself could not yet pick up. Eventually he heard a very distant sound of hooves falling against tiling. Lily Wing’s wings folded back to her sides as Spike felt her back muscles loosen. Lily Wing chanced a peek from behind the suit of armor.

Big Macintosh and Braeburn were speaking in hushed voices while carrying Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle on their backs.

“Big Mac, do you think we’ll see Sis at all?”

“No idea, Apple Bloom,” Big Mac replied. “I’m sure wherever she is, though, she’s doin’ alright. She’s a tough pony.”

“I hope Rarity’s alright...and Mommy...”

Braeburn flashed the little filly on his back a smile. “Now don’t you worry none, Sweetie Belle. I’m pretty sure that Discord feller is regrettin’ this attack on Canterlot already. Shoot, it sounds like he’s got his grubby claws full already as is, tryin’ to keep Celestia from fryin’ him on the spot.” He chuckled a little. “Yer sister seems pretty capable of herself. I’m sure she’s doin’ fine as well.”

Lily Wing stepped out from behind the suit of armor, causing Big Mac and Braeburn to take a step back in surprise. “Lord Macintosh and Lord Braeburn...I’m glad to see you are unharmed.”

Sweetie Belle jumped down from Braeburn’s back and galloped to Lily Wing. “Miss Lily Wing! H-have you seen Rarity?”

Lily Wing shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lady Sweetie Belle, but I have not seen any of the princesses since the order to initiate Code Haven was made by Princess Celestia.”

Sweetie Belle’s gaze dropped to the floor. “You don’t think Discord did...anything to hurt her, do you?”

Lily Wing was saved from answering when the sound of something thudding against the door behind her was heard. She, along with the others, spun around to face the large oak door on the far end of the hall. She stepped forward and drew out a short sword from her side, holding it in her teeth. “S’ay ‘ack, eve’pon’eh. I ‘on’t–”

The doors burst open a second later, revealing three familiar stallions that fell into a pile before her.

Lily Wing’s eyebrows rose. She quickly composed herself and sheathed her blade while clearing her throat. “Privates Quick Wit, Scrappy, and Lightweight, what are you doing here?”

The three young stallions’ eyes snapped open as they recognized the voice of the Head Captain of the Royal Guard. They got to their feet and gave salutes, then Quick Wit spoke. “Sir, we were patrolling the corridor in front of the Restricted Door, as were the orders given by Captain Spark Fyre.”

“Which still doesn’t explain why you’re here, Private.”

“Y-yes, well, we were on guard when we heard an explosion from the direction the chambers of the Restricted Door. The three of us went to investigate, only to find that...Discord character there as well. Captain Spark Fyre and the rest of the Royal Guard stationed at the Door were blocking him from reaching it.”

“You mean to tell me that he’s already reached the Restricted Door?” Lily Wing’s eyes widened. “If that’s the case, we have to–”

“W-wait, Head Captain...erm...with all due respect, we were ordered to retreat.”

“Retreat?”

“W-well, not retreat so much as we were ordered to find the first princess we could and inform her of the situation,” Lightweight explained.

“What happened?”

“The ponies guarding the Restricted Door were turned into mice,” Scrappy answered.

Lily Wing’s jaw went slack. “Could you repeat that, Private Scrappy?”

The light brown stallion cleared his throat. “Er...well, Discord sort of lifted up the Royal Guard while laughing all evil-like. Captain Spark Fyre saw us, and right before he was turned into a mouse, he yelled for us to find the princesses. We were ready to fight Discord...until he turned everypony into mice.”

The room was silent for several long moments before Braeburn spoke up. “Well, don’t that just take the cake?”

“Well, I’d say cheese if we’re talking about mice, but my humor is a bit corny at times.”

Everyone jumped at the sound of the new voice, eyes looking up to the ceiling. There, hovering above them, was none other than the draconequus who had been responsible for causing so much trouble in Canterlot. Lily Wing flared out her wings, but did not ascend. Scrappy and Quick Wit drew out spears. Lightweight rotated his back ankles a little, producing leg blades from his armor suit that snapped into place.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Spike all shook in fright. Big Mac and Braeburn ushered them to back away, keeping their gazes locked with the slowly descending draconequus.

“Well...judging from that sun symbol on your armor, I’d say you’re part of Celestia’s Honor Guard. Lily Wing, if I’m correct,” Discord said with an amused tone.

“That’s correct. I am Head Captain of the Royal Guard of Equestria and sole member of Princess Celestia’s Honor Guard; Head Captain Lily Wing.”

The draconequus rolled his eyes. “Ugh, I can see why she chose you. You reek of staunchness.”

“I suppose for a monster like you, such a quality would be disgusting,” she quipped. “Truthfully, it doesn’t matter if you’re some magical spirit or not. It is my sworn duty to defend Equestria, and her rulers.”

Discord just chuckled. “You ponies truly don’t get it, do you? You cannot defeat me, no matter how much you want to.” He smirked. “Tell you what, I’ll make you an offer: denounce Celestia and the others as your rulers, and I’ll let you go.”

“Alright...here’s my counter offer.”

Lily Wing was flying at Discord, four leg blades snapping into place as she spun around, intent on slashing him across the face. Discord groaned before vanishing into a burst of light and reappearing right behind her as she landed. Lily Wing quickly spun around and slashed at him with her forelegs, missing as he leaned back. She continued with her spinning movements, almost as if she were dancing. Her attacks seemed to have no end to them, just continuous, fluid movements, one after another.

Quick Wit looked behind him, taking note of the Apple family, Sweetie Belle, and Spike. “You five need to leave! Now!”

Big Mac frowned, but nodded and urged the others to follow him as he made his way towards the door they had come from.

Lily Wing stopped her assault, and instead took a few steps back while keeping her wings flared out. Her eyes never left Discord’s as she spoke. “What do you possibly plan to gain by taking over Equestria? Land? Riches? You know that the ponies of Equestria would never stand for that. They rebelled against you once, and they would do it a second time.”

Discord grinned. “You poor, delusional mare. You think I’ll even give them a chance to speak out?” He smirked. “What makes you think all ponies enjoy being ruled by a bunch of god-like ponies? Hm?”

“The Princesses are caring and just! They want nothing more than for our land to be happy and prosper!”

“Perhaps, but some may not see it that way,” Discord began. “That’s just your opinion. You’ve served Celestia for several years, I imagine. You’re loyal because that’s all you know how to be, Lily Wing.”

“Be quiet, you monster.”

Discord rubbed his chin in thought as he studied her. “Hm...I recognize your face, now that I think about it. Celestia had confided the secret of me with you. You took it upon yourself to patrol the gardens every other day, just to make sure that I was still encased in stone.”

The two began to circle one another as the three Privates kept their weapons at ready. The tension grew thick within the corridor as Discord’s smirk grew. “Now I remember where I’ve seen those movements before. You were taught how to fight using the same style that Commander Hurricane did, weren’t you? Celestia taught you close combat fighting. Impressive on her part.”

Lily Wing gritted her teeth. She knew she was in over her head. Still, she had to hold Discord off for at least a minute or two. She needed to buy the others time to escape.

“Head Captain...?” Lightweight asked, the sound of three sets of hooves walking up beside her.

Lily Wing looked to see Quick Wit and Lightweight on her right, and Scrappy on her left. She managed to smile despite the situation they were in. “Thank you for staying by my side, Privates.”

Discord cleared his throat. “As touching as this moment is, I’m afraid I have places to go, and princesses to antagonize before taking back my throne.”

“The throne belongs to the Equestrian Princesses,” Lily Wing replied. “As sworn soldiers of the Royal Guard, it is our duty to see to it that any threat towards the kingdom and her rulers is stopped.”

Discord frowned and rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, honor and duty, protect the helpless and stand up for the right cause and so on and so forth...” He yawned while stretching a bit. “Truth is, I don’t care what you think about me. Celestia and Luna are getting their comeuppance for what they did to me. You think your princesses are so benign? You think they are truly so wonderful?” He sneered. “I may do things you ponies don’t agree with, but unlike Celestia and Luna, I don’t turn ponies into stone! Drive them nuts? Sure. Encase them in stone? Never.”

Lily Wing grimaced. “You forced them into doing that, Discord. Ponies were suffering because of you. They asked for help of the Elements of Harmony, and the Elements heeded their call.”

Discord just rolled his eyes, the ever-cocky smirk on his face. “Hmph. I guess it’s all a matter of perspective. The world you ponies live in is a false, modified one. Nothing chaotic about it, aside from the random incident or two. It’s dull.”

“We prefer the term peaceful,” said Lily Wing.

“Again perspective,” Discord said with a have of his lion’s paw. “Regardless, what you ponies think is irrelevant. I’m going to take over Equestria once more, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

Lily Wing kept her gaze on Discord as she spoke. “I’m going to need you three to be light on your hooves. This...probably won’t end well for us, but you three know as well as I do that we need to do something.” She reached for a necklace she had tucked under her armor, pulling it out and gazing into it. It was a simple, golden necklace with a diamond hanging from it. She placed the diamond to her forehead, and closed her eyes.

A moment passed before a sudden warmth filled the room. Light began emitting from the diamond as Lily Wing let the necklace once again dangle from her neck. Discord gave the jewelry a curious look before quirking an eyebrow. “That’s Celestia’s magic.”

“It’s a Boon from her Majesty. As the Head Captain, I’m allowed to have a necklace containing a bit of her magic within.”

Discord looked interested. “Do continue.”

Lily Wing smirked. “I’d rather not.” She looked to the three stallions alongside her. “Hold nothing back against him.”

The four guards scraped at the tiling before running at him. Lightweight kicked off the ground before spreading his wings, taking lead. Discord lifted a claw and produced a tennis racket before swatting at the pegasus. Lightweight let out a yelp, flying off to the side. He managed to halt his trajectory by flaring his wings, and moved in for a second attack.

Scrappy and Quick Wit thrust their spears forward, striking nothing but air as Discord vanished from sight. The two spun around to see the draconequus had teleported behind them before engaging in another round of evading Lily Wing’s dance-like attack.

Discord was grinning at the mare. “It’s funny,” He began. “I think I know what you did when you used that little Boon of yours.”

If Lily Wing heard what he was saying, she didn’t acknowledge it.

“You see, I had intended on teleporting behind you just a moment ago, but I ended up between you and those two knuckleheads.” He grinned. “I think you cast a spell that’s limiting my powers.”

Lily Wing’s eyes narrowed as she rolled to the side, avoiding Discord’s tail.

“I see that I’m right,” He laughed. “Oh, that’s not that bad of an idea, Lily Wing, really it isn’t. However, the fact remains, I’ve only been using a fraction of my power since I broke free.”

Discord lifted an eagle claw before catching Lightweight’s foreleg as it flew towards his head. He smirked before throwing the stallion at Lily Wing, sending the two crashing to the floor. Quick Wit and Scrappy galloped towards him, spears held firmly in their teeth. Lily Wing and Lightweight were already up on their feet once more.

I don’t have time for this...

Discord snapped his fingers and produced a black bomb with a wick fuse sticking out of the end. With a flick of his fingers, the wick lit, and began to burn up the fuse.

“If you four can’t beat me in less than a minute, this whole hall is going to blow.”

Lily Wing’s eyes widened. “H-how? Magic of that caliber should be suppressed by–”

“Oh, come now. You honestly think I’ve been using even half of my powers right now?” Discord tut-tutted the Head Captain with a shake of his head. “I may be chaotic, but I’m not an idiot. If I went all-out from the start, I’d have nothing to do after I’ve taken out Canterlot. Well, that and I’d run the risk of tiring myself out early, and that’s definitely not a thing I can afford to do against your princesses, as much as I hate to admit it.” He looked at the fuse. “Oh, by the way, thirty-three seconds to go.”

“Scrappy, Lightweight, Quick Wit, get behind me!”

The stallions, who had all paused when Discord produced the bomb, looked to her quizzically. They hesitated for half a second before obeying her command. With the three ponies now behind her, she focused her mind on the necklace. It was glowing once more, this time surrounding them all in a golden bubble of sorts. A smaller bubble enveloped the bomb.

Discord grinned. “My, my...someone is a clever pony. It’s a logical move, but it won’t work. That necklace has spent most of its magic trying to suppress my powers. Holding back the amount of power I packed away in that bomb won’t do anything.”

Lily Wing chose to ignore him. Her eyes narrowed as she summoned every ounce of her willpower into the necklace.

So as long as I can protect my guards...I have not completely failed...

Discord vanished in a flash of light. A moment later the fuse burnt out, and the bomb began to swell in size. The protective bubbles surrounding the four ponies and the bomb began to flicker.

Lily Wing’s vision was flooded in a bright light as a loud ringing filled her ears. She thought she heard one of the stallions behind her yell something, but she couldn’t be sure. A strong force pushed her back suddenly, and her vision went dark.

Applejack halted in place. She felt a weak vibration run through her feet. The same kind of vibration she had felt right after she saw the Sonic Rainboom outside of Canterlot Castle. Her stomach churned a little, and a feeling of uneasiness washed over her.

She continued down the steps of the tower she had walked up earlier. Her search for the others had been fruitless thus far. She had tried to reach out to the others with her telepathy, but something was keeping her from doing so.

Probably that no good Discord...

She looked out a window, taking notice of the condition outside. The orange sherbet blizzard had lessened a little, but was still blowing.

She continued onward, and eventually reached the door leading out of the tower. She stepped out into another hallway. If she remembered correctly, going left would bring her somewhere close to the Greeting Hall. Taking a right would eventually bring her to the dining hall. Following her instincts, she went right.

Applejack would be lying if she said she wasn’t afraid. However, she was equal parts angry, too. Discord had not only hurt Twilight and Rainbow Dash, but his actions were a threat to Equestria, and probably the world as well, and he knew it. No matter how you tried to argue it, there was no way that orange sherbet blizzards and chocolate milk rain was healthy for the environment. If she ever got her hooves on that draconequus, she’d be sure to give him a good, old fashioned beat down.

Pushing open the doors to the dining hall revealed it to be empty...

“Ah, Applejack. I was wondering if somepony would be showing up here...”

Empty, aside from the very being she was looking for.

Applejack adjusted her hat. “You mind tellin’ me what yer still doin’ here? I believe we asked you to get on outta here some time back.”

Discord quirked an eyebrow. “Odd, I remember Celestia and Luna being the ones who did most of the talking. In fact, you hardly said a word if I remember right.”

Well, he had her there. “That might be true, but the fact of the matter is I ain’t one for talkin’ when it comes to folk like you.”

“Like me? Oh, do tell.”

“Gladly,” Applejack growled. “Y’see, yer a prick. A selfish jerk, and above all else, a monster.”

“Monster. Honestly, that word is getting old, Applejack.” Discord was cleaning out an ear with his pinky finger. “Are you quite finished?”

Applejack let out a snort. “Yep.”

The draconequus looked in time to see Applejack leaping towards him, her right front hoof pulled back, an obvious tell of what she was intending to do. He flashed away, and Applejack’s hoof smashed through the floor, sending up large chunks stone. The ground cracked, and liked waves on the ocean, sent tiling in all directions. She whirled around to see Discord standing on a table a ways from her, grinning amusedly.

“That’s a lot of power you’re packing in those hooves, Applejack. Though, how do you expect to catch me when you’re so weighed down by muscle?”

Applejack just glared before kicking off the ground once more, flaring her wings and flying at Discord. She spun once before slamming her tail into the table he had been standing on, reducing it to splinters. She growled in frustration, having missed her target once again.

“You’re not getting any closer, my dear. Like I said, you could be the strongest pony in all of Equestria, but it makes no difference with all that muscle and power weighing you down,” he chuckled. “Though, I’m guessing you don’t really care at this point. You’ve always been a rather stubborn pony, haven’t you?”

“Stop talkin’ like you know me, ya jerk!” Applejack stomped her front hooves on the ground, producing large cracks that spider-webbed across the dining hall.

“I do know you, Applejack. You see, I’ve been watching you six since you gained the Elements of Harmony. I watched as Luna was banished from Equestria, crazed and determined to plunge the world into eternal night. I watched as you six defeated Nightmare Moon. I may not know everything about you, but just because I was encased in stone doesn’t mean I was unable to see what was going on around me. After Celestia banished Luna, my prison slowly began to weaken. With both her and Luna no longer connected to the Elements, I was able to start chipping away at the spell that had trapped me in stone.” He smirked as Applejack continued to glare. “Over time, I was able to see whatever I wanted if I focused hard enough. I figured the quickest way to getting rid of you six was by getting to know your weaknesses.”

“Spyin’, huh? Hmph. I can see a cheatin’ scumbag like you stoopin’ to that level.” Applejack rolled her neck a little and stretched her hind legs a bit. “I’m usually not the kind of pony to go and mess someone up, but for you, I think I’ll make an exception. So, here’s what I’m gonna do.” She stomped the ground once more as her horn lit up. Several large stone blocks carved themselves out of the walls surrounding the dining hall and slowly began orbiting the two. “I’m gonna knock you around until you bring back Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Then, if I’m feelin’ generous, I’ll buck you so hard that you’ll fly clear into next Tuesday. Sound good?”

Discord just laughed while spreading out his arms. “Surprise me, Applejack.”

“I plan to.”

The stone blocks halted suddenly as an orange glow surrounded them. Applejack raised a hoof, pointing it towards Discord. Her ankle twitched ever so slightly, and the area flooded with more of her magical power.

The blocks shot towards Discord, smashing tables and some of the decorum in the dining hall in the process. Discord had teleported away from the large pile of rubble, only to duck as another large block almost knocked his head clean off his shoulders. He looked down to see Applejack carving more stone blocks out of the surrounding walls, whipping them at him as she slowly walked towards him, her eyes never leaving his.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to maim me, Applejack. For shame, isn’t that going against the proper behavior of an Equestrian Princess?”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed before she made the levitating blocks orbit around her as she took to the air. Her horn’s glow intensified, and the blocks once more shot out at Discord, faster than before. He weaved around them with ease, his serpentine form allowing him to flex and bend in ways that no pony could ever hope to imitate.

A relatively large block about the size of a small market stall flew at him. He flew to the side, only to be met face to face with Applejack. He noticed the faint glow of magic in her hooves as she spun around, hind legs tucked in as she prepared to buck him.

Discord blinked. “Clever girl.”

He raised up both arms, only to feel a sickening crunch in his right arm as he was literally rocketed out the windows of the dining hall. He smashed through the glass and hit the frozen ground of Canterlot Castle’s gardens before he could even register what happened. He groaned as he got to his feet, hissing in pain as he felt a stinging sensation in his ribs. With a snap of his fingers, the pain faded as he felt the broken bones mend themselves.

He looked up, his eyes barely making out the faint shape of Applejack as she flew through the sherbet blizzard that continued to blow through Canterlot. She made an uneasy landing, almost slipping on the slick, sherbet-covered ground, and looked to the draconequus. “Still standin’, huh? Looks like yer tougher than I thought. Not many can stand up right away after getting hit by these two.” She gave Discord a smug grin while stretching her hind legs. “Judging from the look you had on yer face, I’d say that didn’t feel too pleasant for you.”

“Don’t get too full of yourself, Applejack. You can hit hard, but you’re an eon too soon to be celebrating any victory against me.” He flexed his paw and talons while smirking. “You’re not dealing with your run-of-the-mill pony here. My power is nearly limitless.”

“Don’t make a bit of difference to me, Discord. I will stop you.”

“Hmmph,” Discord folded his arms in front of his chest and floated off the ground.

Applejack shifted her hooves through the orange sherbet as she gritted her teeth. She focused on the ground beneath her feet, taking in deep breaths as she felt the pulse of the planet beneath her.

Alright...I got this...I just need to be careful how I move things...it’ll be just like when I was practicin’ my magic up in the mountains...

Her body began to glow a vibrant orange as she flared out her wings once more. “We’re gonna settle this fight elsewhere, got that?”

Discord quirked an eyebrow. “Really? What makes you think I’m going to go along with that plan?”

Applejack gave no answer, instead she shot forward with a single powerful flap of her wings. Discord spun around, his tail slamming into her side. He grinned, satisfied with the direct hit to her sides.

His grin quickly disappeared as he noticed Applejack stayed in place, her hooves holding their ground. The frown on her face was one of disappointment. “That all you’ve got?”

The Earth Princess bit down on Discord’s tail and began to spin in tight circle, gradually picking up speed. She let out a grunt before chucking the draconequus clear over her shoulder, sending him flying straight towards the mountainside that Canterlot was built on. Wasting no time, she lifted off the ground and pursued.

Discord looked from behind, noting the incoming mountain. He placed his lips around his thumb before blowing, causing his midsection to expand. By the time he crashed into the mountain, he was the size of a hot air balloon, and harmlessly bounced off the rocky surface.

“Rraaaaagh!”

A powerful hoof slammed into Discord’s bloated stomach. The draconequus’ face twisted in pain before he exploded into thousands of packing peanuts. Applejack’s eyes scanned the area as tiny white pieces of foam showered down on her.

“Very impressive, Applejack. So far you’ve managed to hurt me more than Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash put together. Not something that many can claim to have done in all the eons that I’ve existed.”

Applejack let out an annoyed snort. “Hmph. I’ve dealt with tougher varmints than you.”

“Really, now?”

Whirling around, Applejack was face to face with Discord’s grinning face. She glared at him as he just continued to smile.

“I have to admit, you sure can take a beatin’.”

Discord floated around leisurely, chuckling as he examined his eagle talons. “Hm, I suppose I owe you credit as well. You’re good at dishing out the damage.”

Adjusting her hat a little, Applejack looked to the open plains between Canterlot and Ponyville. “Alright, I’ve had enough of this cramped area. We’re gonna settle this over there.” She pointed a hoof towards the open, sherbet-snow covered fields.

Discord rolled his eyes. “Fine, I suppose I’ll give into your demands just this once.” With a snap of his fingers, the two flickered away, reappearing in the middle of the open plains area.

Gaining her bearings, Applejack tapped the slushy ground with a hoof. She quirked an eyebrow at Discord, her expression becoming slightly confused. “I don’ get it. Yer actually goin’ along with this? I thought I was gonna have to hogtie you an’–”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, Applejack. I know you’re doing this just to keep Canterlot from getting caught up in our little bout. The truth is, I could care less about that gaudy little capital of yours...” His smirk curved into a sinister grin. “I’m just eager to see what you’re going to do now that there’s nothing holding you back.”

Applejack sniffed the ground a bit, her nose wrinkling at the weird, citrus scent. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it felt unnatural to her. A small part in the back of her mind told her to get rid of it right now. She ignored that for now, focusing on the draconequus before her.

Using her tail, she drew a circle around herself that had a circumference equal to her body length. She looked back up to Discord and spoke. “See this here circle? I ain’t budging from this spot.”

Discord grin vanished, being replaced with a look of surprise. Slowly, his expression melted back into an amused grin, and a chortle escaped his throat as he clapped his hands together. “Oh, I see what you’re going for here, Applejack,” he sighed. “I take it you’re going to humiliate me by trying to have me try and force you out of that spot with my powers, hm?”

“Eeyup.”

Discord’s smile disappeared. “I had expected more from you.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Very well, I was getting bored anyway. You’re all brawn, not much for creativity.” He flexed his hands. “Here I come, then.”

Discord flashed away, reappearing a couple hundred meters above her. He held a ball of purple flames in both hands, laughing in an almost giddy tone. “Alright, you want to stay right there? Go ahead! Try and survive this!”

The ball of flames expanded tenfold, now dwarfing its creator. With a flick of his wrist, the ball of flames roared down towards Applejack. The sherbet covering the ground began to bubble before evaporating, and the brown grass beneath quickly dried up before withering away and turning into ashes.

Applejack focused on the ground beneath her. Time seemed to slow down as she felt the planet’s raw power channeling through her body.

Alright...come on now, Applejack...you can do this...

Her senses dug deep, past the planet’s bedrock. She eventually found what she was looking for. Her mind probed the upwelling of heat, satisfied when it began to churn.

Steady now. This is what you need, now don’t go an’ ruin it...

Her magic began flow into the hot spot, and with little warning, the heated area deep beneath her began to roar to life. Rock melted at an incredibly accelerated rate, assisted by her magic’s connection to the planet. She smirked as the molten rock began making its way through the mantle, moving at hundreds of kilocanters per second.

Her eyes refocused on the area around her. The ground had been bathed in a dark purple light, like one of those fancy black light bulbs that Twilight had shown her once. She cocked her head upward, noting the incoming purple fireball. It was descending upon her rather slowly, but she already felt the intense heat rolling off of it in waves. She was pretty sure the only reason she was still standing was because of her ties to the planet, and the fact that she was an alicorn princess. Otherwise she probably would be roasting right now.

The earth began to crack around her. Steam rose up from the crevices along with an intense orange glow. Rumbling could be heard from the layers of rock beneath her. She closed her eyes, and lifted her front hooves up before slamming them back into the ground.

Hundreds upon hundreds of gallons of magma shot out from the ground, reaching up above her like a geyser. The purple fireball was halted by the sudden force of the planet before it was pushed back by the quickly rising lava.

Discord frowned. “What?” He noticed the fireball quickly approaching him. “Nonononon–!”

His shouts were drowned out by the roaring flames and lava. He felt the scorching heat hit him a second before he was engulfed in the inferno of his and Applejack’s creations. As the flames blasted him further into the sky, he decided that he had arrived too soon towards proclaiming that Applejack lacked creativity. Still, he was rather miffed, to say the least. Actually, downright furious was a better way to describe his current emotions. He had been one-upped, so to speak, by some greenhorn alicorns not once, but twice. First Rainbow Dash had caught him off guard with her unnatural speed, and now Applejack was blasting him with a superheated stream of lava.

No. He could not allow this to stand. As the Spirit of Disharmony and Chaos, he had no equal or better. Period.

He growled as his eyes flashed. Discord let out a loud roar which echoed throughout the open plains. The lava halted its movement, and his fireball dissipated in a cloud of embers. He glared down at Applejack, who returned it in kind with one of her own.

Applejack remained standing in her spot as Discord slowly floated down to the ground. Lava splattered to the ground, scorching the surface as it did so. Applejack didn’t so much as flinch as chunks of the molten rock pelted her orange coat. The lava simply rolled off her like rain on a window pane, sizzling as it cooled. She looked over the large fissure she had created, frowning. That would have to be fixed later, she thought.

Focusing on the magma chamber beneath the surface, she slowly forced it back down while pulling away the heat from the molten rock. She kept the fissure open though, just in case she needed to call up more lava to fight Discord with.

“Had enough?” Applejack asked with a small smirk.

“Yes. Well, I’ve had enough of you, at least,” Discord replied.

Discord’s hands began to crackle with electricity. He flickered away from her vision, and a moment later a horrible pain shot through her. Applejack screamed as her body spasmed violently. She fell to the ground with a heavy thud, groaning as one eye looked to see Discord standing to her right, both paw and talons held out in front of him, sparking with electric power.

“Hm. What do you know, you did stay in place. Impressive,” Discord joked as he looked to the fallen mare. “Though, it looks like I win. Rather sad, considering–”

With a sudden burst of strength, Applejack rose up and swung a foreleg at him. Discord backed away as a slight ripple in the air brushed against his face. He gave her an incredulous look as she rose back to her feet, knees quaking as she glared defiantly at him.

“I...I...I ain’t down yet, Discord...” She let out a few shaky breaths as she willed herself to stand up straight. Smoke rose up from some of the singed fur on her body.

Discord snarled as the corners of his mouth formed into a sneer. “You don’t get it, do you? I’ve won this little scuffle of ours the moment you challenged me,” He gestured to his body, completely healed, free of injury or burns. “You’re messing with the wrong spiritual entity, my dear Applejack.” He grinned. “Give up.”

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. “Say that again?”

“I told you to give up. It’s not that hard.”

Applejack chuckled. “Perhaps you haven’t met me. I’m Applejack, the most dependable, hardest workin’ pony in all of Equestria. I’m a princess of this land, and I ain’t bowin’ out just because of a few scrapes or bruises. Ya got that?”

Discord growled in annoyance before lifting a palm. Applejack felt a wave of magic smash into her, and she quickly dug her heels into the ground, halting her movement. Her green eyes locked onto Discord as she let out a battlecry, unleashing a primal wave of telekinetic power.

Discord was blown back like a leaf in the wind, bouncing against the ground several times before hopping to his feet. He stomped on the ground, causing a large slab of earth to rise up before him. He lifted both hands, and made a motion, as though trying to make it spin from a distance. The massive chunk of earth began to rotate, and within seconds was spinning at high speeds, sending off small chunks of rock and soil. Discord stopped moving his hands, and instead pointed a single talon at his target. The chunk of earth zoomed towards Applejack as it continued spinning like a top.

Oh no, not with my earth you don’t.

Applejack raised her head up just as the massive slab of earth was within a forelegs’ reach of her. Her horn impacted the earthen projectile, smashing it into tiny bits of debris that scattered in every direction.

As the large slab of earth exploded in front of her, Discord lunged forward. He held in his hand a ball of glowing red light. Applejack gritted her teeth before spinning around, and kicking her hind legs out and connecting her hooves with the red orb of chaotic energy.

Big Macintosh looked up as a distant rumble shook the glass windows lining either side of the large hall. His group had ended up finding Trixie and Scootaloo wandering the halls near the throne room, bringing their number to seven. Considering how large Canterlot Castle was, finding them was both lucky as well as a good sign to the stallion. It meant there was the possibility that the others were alright as well.

Even so, he couldn’t help but worry. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had been defeated, according to what Discord had said with that mind-communicating power of his. It was a scary thought, and the worst part was he didn’t know if that meant he had just beaten them up or...something worse. Spike claimed that Discord didn’t do stuff like that, but he didn’t sound so sure of himself.

He really hoped the little guy was right.

The group paused as Trixie and Sweetie Belle both froze in place before shuddering.

“T-Trixie, what was that?”

Trixie blinked several times before speaking up. “I...I don’t know. Trixie just felt so much magic all at once that she couldn’t tell who or...what...made the spells.”

“I got a weird feelin’, too. My stomach got all knotted up for a second right before that all that rumblin’...” Apple Bloom said. “Is that normal?”

Trixie tried her best to give the young earth pony a smile. “It’s not unnatural for ponies to have a very basic sense of magic. After all, every pony has their own special kind of magic. Earth ponies can do lots of things that are extremely hard for unicorns and pegasi to do.”

“Like plantin’ apple trees?”

“I...” Trixie laughed a little. “Yes, farming seems to be a lot easier for an earth pony to do than a unicorn.”

Big Macintosh kept his gaze focused on the nearly darkened sky. The blizzard had become a light snowfall now, but that wasn’t what got his attention.

It was odd. He never remembered sunset occurring before the early afternoon, even during the late winter months. If that wasn’t weird enough, the sun seemed to be staying in one place, as if it got tired and just decided to hang on the edge of the horizon. It was just light enough outside that you could still see the distant little buildings that made up Ponyville down below. The large fields that separated Canterlot and his hometown were–

“Hold on, what happen’d down there?” Big Macintosh asked as he gazed out the window, looking to a dark, smoky crater in the middle of the plains below. Even through the sherbet snowfall, it was rather visible.

The group of ponies walked towards the window, looking out to the open plains beyond the Canterlot proper. Smoke was rising from the black crater, and a large fissure could be seen stretching for almost a quarter of a kilotrot.

Macintosh frowned at the sight. That large scar on the land had not been there yesterday, he knew that much. Heck, he was fairly certain that about an hour ago that was all just snow-covered fields. Now it resembled looked like a group of dragons had decided to wrestle in the middle of the fields and fight over a horde of gems.

“That must’ve been Discord’s doin’,” Braeburn said aloud. “I ain’t never seen anything like that before...”

Trixie held her tongue as the others silently gazed out the window, looking to the distant crater. She knew who had caused that large crater. Judging from the troubled frown on Sweetie Belle’s face, she at least suspected who it might be. The filly looked to Trixie, giving her a questioning gaze. Trixie shook her head once and cast her gaze to the Apples for a moment before returning it to Sweetie Belle.

Sweetie Belle frowned, but gave a simple nod. Trixie placed a comforting hoof on the young pony’s back and pulled her close.

“Not now, Sweetie Belle,” Trixie whispered.

Sweetie Belle just let out a few shaky breaths. “I...I’m scared, Trixie. Wh-what if he finds Rarity–?”

“We have to be strong. It’s all we can do right now,” Trixie replied softly. “No matter what, Trixie will keep you safe.” Sweetie Belle looked up to her with teary eyes. “As...as a pony of the Canterlot Court...I swear I’ll do all I can.”

“Sweetie Belle, are ya alright?”

Trixie spoke for the distraught filly. “She’s just a little frightened, Apple Bloom.”

Braeburn walked over and gave the young unicorn a little nudge. “Hey now. I know it’s pretty scary now, but that Discord fella’ will get what’s comin’ to him. Our girls ain’t gonna let him just go an’ get away with all this.”

“Yeah, and besides, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are here, too!” Scootaloo added. “There’s no way Discord could beat ponies as magical as them!”

Trixie closed her eyes for a moment. She hoped Braeburn and Scootaloo were right; the situation was starting to look less hopeful with every passing hour for Canterlot and the rest of Equestria.

Applejack cracked open an eye, and took in a slow breath. She winced as a pain wracked through her ribs, and she was fairly certain she tasted iron on her lips. She tried to move, but her body just wasn’t responding to her brain’s commands. On top of all that, her head was throbbing, like Big Macintosh had kicked her square in the noggin.

Ugh...this is worse than the time Uncle Strudel brought over all of that Apple Bock Beer of his after apple bucking season ended....
She tried again to move her legs, but found that the boundless strength she had possessed minutes ago was gone. She couldn’t even lift her head without groaning in pain.

“Well, I must say...that was quite a bold move you pulled there, Applejack...”

The Princess of the Earth’s eyes widened. No...he was still standing?

The sound of Discord laughing weakly reached her ears. “A most splendid display of raw power, Applejack. You not only singed my fur, but I think you managed to sprain my wrist and injure my tail.” There was a hint of begrudging respect in his tone, she noted.

The draconequus appeared in her field of vision, looking down on her. Sure enough, he was missing a lot of fur on the face and chest area, and had several burn marks on his skin. He was holding his eagle talon in his lion paw, hissing in pain as he tried to move it.

“My magic’s having trouble healing me at the moment. For you to have hurt me that badly is saying a lot.” He slowly let his eagle talon drop to his side. “Still, these injuries will come to pass. You, however, look like you’re in a world of pain.”

“Nnn...”

“Can’t even form words, huh?” He chuckled. “How sad.”

“I...still didn’...from...”

Discord quirked an eyebrow. “Hm? Speak up, will you?”

Applejack grinned weakly. “Ya still...didn’t...get me to move from...my spot.” She coughed a bit while laughing. “I won the game...”

Discord scowled. He really had no reason to be mad, but the fact that she had managed to beat him in their little contest angered him anyway. Despite the large crater in the ground, he noticed that Applejack was telling the truth. She had not moved from that spot the entire time.

Grabbing her by the horn, Discord yanked Applejack up so that she was eye level with him. His glare was met with a weak smile from the mare, who occasionally winced in pain as he continued to hold her up by the horn. “You’re an infuriatingly stubborn pony, you know that?”

“So I’ve heard...”

Discord growled before his eyes flickered to her necklace. He smirked, and with a bit of magic yanked it off. Applejack’s eyes widened as she watched the Element of Honesty float towards Discord. He smirked before dropping the alicorn. She grunted as her head hit the ground, coughing up dirt and blood.

“Blech...this thing is horrid,” Discord stated as he regarded the necklace with the orange apple jewel. “It’s practically radiating with Harmony.”

Applejack tried to call magic to her horn. “Gimme...that...back...”

“Ugh, still trying to fight back?” Discord snapped his fingers, and the Element of Honesty vanished from sight.

Applejack’s eyes widened. “W-what did you–?”

“Don’t worry, the Element of Honesty is safe with me. It’s in a place where not even Celestia and Luna could possibly find. As for you...” His lion paw rested on her head. “I think it’s time I got rid of you.”

“Y-you...yellow-bellied...thievin’...” She glared at him, only to have her vision cut off by the brim of her hat being pulled over her eyes.

“Fare thee well, Princess Applejack. It’s been swell.”

With those words, Applejack vanished.

Rarity paused for a moment as she and Luna made their way through the empty Greeting Hall of Canterlot Castle. The place felt eerie and foreboding without all the usual ponies running from one place to another, going about various castle affairs.

“Luna...I know the holidays were just yesterday and that most of the staff was not supposed to be back until tomorrow, but...where are the ponies that stayed here during Hearth’s Warming?”

Luna sighed. “Well, I would like to say they went through the underground corridors and escaped the castle. That...that is what the castle staff has been directed to do in an emergency like this.”

“Still, there should be at least a few guards around here...although, considering the dreadful situation we’re dealing with, I can understand the chaos, no pun intended.”

“I know,” Luna began. “I fear that Discord has probably already found most of the guards and dealt with them in some fashion or another.”

Rarity gasped. “You don’t mean he–?”

“No!” Luna said, a little louder than she had intended. “I...forgive me.” She rubbed her right temple with a hoof, trying to soothe the growing headache she was experiencing. “I...Discord has always been a rather crafty and cunning spirit, but...I don’t recall him ever once trying to...kill another pony.” Luna chewed on her lower lip a little. “As I said before, Rarity, this is all just some game to him.”

“Well, I must disagree with his preference for entertainment. It’s repulsive, and downright cruel! Honestly, how can somepony possibly find hurting others to be entertaining?” She raised her nose a bit. “Hmph! I daresay he’s nothing more than a schoolyard bully who needs to be put into his place.”

“If only it were that simple,” Luna shook her head. “When Celly and I first stood up to him, he–”

The walls of Canterlot shook, and both mare’s involuntarily shuddered as they felt the clear and detectable magic of Applejack and Discord wash over their senses. Applejack’s magical signature quickly plummeted before dropping off the mental radar of the two princesses. The cloud of Discord’s magic once again shrouded the castle, obscuring their alicorn senses.

Rarity’s eyes widened. “Applejack. No, not her too...”

“Rarity, wait, calm–”

Rarity was already galloping towards the large double doors leading out of the Greeting Hall and towards the grounds outside of Canterlot Castle. Luna spread her magic over the doors, holding it in place. Rarity’s own magic attempted to open it, but failed. She tried a second time, and almost managed to hold it open long enough to squeeze through. Eventually she took a step back and gave Luna a look of both anger and worry. “Luna, open these doors! I need to help Applejack this–”

“Rarity! You’d be falling right into a trap!” Luna shouted. “Even if he was injured somehow, Discord’s power is not to be taken lightly!”

“Then what do you suggest we do, Luna? Should we just let him simply claim her as another one of his victims? Just sit back and let Applejack be harmed without intervening and trying to help?”

Luna gritted her teeth. “Yes. As harsh as that sounds, that is what I believe we should do. The fact that Applejack’s magic suddenly vanished can only mean she has already been defeated. Even worse, we do not have the Element of Honesty, as she was the last one wearing it, was she not?”

Rarity felt a lead weight settle in her stomach, and her knees became weak. “Oh no...th-then...Discord must have the Element of Honesty!”

“Yes, though, I’m fairly positive he cannot do anything with the Elements. Their power clashes with his own too much for any sort of magical connection to be established. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that he has one of the Elements. He may try to hide it from us, or even attempt to destroy it.”

“D-destroy the Elements of Harmony?”

Luna nodded. “I’m fairly certain such a thing is beyond even his power, though. Destroying Harmony would be like destroying Chaos.”

“I...I thought you and Celestia did that when you first sealed him away,” Rarity said, giving the dark alicorn a confused look.

“No, Chaos and Harmony are two very integral parts to the world. Without Chaos, things would never change, and that would bring forth many problems for the planet. In turn, without Harmony the world would be ripping itself apart in so many ways it would be impossible to keep track of them all. Chaos and Harmony complete each other, Rarity. When balanced, they give us what many would call an ‘ordinary’ or ‘normal’ life.”

“I...well, I never thought about that. I suppose my life has always had a little bit of chaos in it. What with meeting deadlines, taking care of Sweetie Belle, and numerous other things.”

Luna nodded. “Precisely. You see, Chaos isn’t always a bad thing, though it’s often given the stigma of being bad. However, Chaos is what can make a pony stronger, smarter, and better at something.”

“Yes, I suppose that holds some truth to it,” Rarity agreed.

“Think of it this way, Rarity; when you were up late working on a dress, did you plan being up that late?”

“Sometimes, yes, but...no, most times I had something hold me up from finishing it earlier, or I had to change something in the design.”

Luna smiled a little. “Now, while those times were stressful, did you not learn from it and become a better dressmaker because of it?”

Rarity managed to smile a little. “I...yes, I suppose I did.”

“There were times where I would be up for days at a time, trying to compose music, only stopping to raise and lower the moon,” Luna chuckled a little. “I recall one time spending close to a week working on a piece that I later scrapped.”

“Oh my, that’s unfortunate!”

“No, not at all! I learned from the mistakes I made with my work, and I created a wonderful aria a month later, using elements from the scrapped work. A wonderful little number. I do believe our niece actually found it in one of the older archives some months back before my return...”

Rarity quirked an eyebrow as the two reached a set of doors, opening them with their magic. “You have a niece, too?”

Luna gave no reply. Rarity looked to see that the dark alicorn was facing forward, her eyes narrowed and a small frown marring her features. Rarity followed her gaze.

A small gasp escaped her lips as she looked to the scene lying before the two. “O-oh my...”

Four guards, all decorated in golden armor, lie on the ground. Rarity immediately recognized the emblem of Celestia’s cutie mark on the armor of the off white pegasus mare. “Lily Wing!”

Luna and Rarity galloped to the injured guards. Thankfully, it seemed they had only been knocked out, and suffered some burns. Nothing worse, though. It looked like an explosion had gone off. Most of the windows had been shattered, and there were scorch marks all along the stone walls of the hallway.

Rarity gently nudged the Head Captain of the Royal Guard. “Lily Wing?”

The pegasus mare let out a weak groan and opened her eyes. She studied Rarity for several moments before speaking, her voice weak and hoarse. “P-Princess...Rarity...?”

Rarity managed to smile a little. “It’s alright, dear. Luna and I are here now...”

Lily Wing’s eyes widened suddenly. “Discord! H-he–!”

Rarity held the pegasus down gently with her magic. “Lily Wing, please, don’t move. Just...what happened, dear?”

Lily Wing ignored the informality from her ruler and spoke. “I...I was with Spike...we ran into Lord Macintosh and Lord Braeburn. They had Lady Apple Bloom and Lady Sweetie Belle with them. Privates Scrappy, Quick Wit, and Lightweight found us, and reported that Discord had taken down our troops guarding the Restricted Door.”

Luna was suddenly at Rarity’s side. “The Restricted Door? Head Captain, are you certain of this?”

“Captain Spark Fyre...he ordered those three to retreat, and find the nearest princess, and inform them...we...we were found by Discord. The four of us tried to hold him off so the others could escape...” Lily Wing’s head turned to face away from the two. “Forgive me, your Highness. We failed you.”

Rarity frowned. “Nonsense. You four did your jobs to the best of your abilities, and protected our families.”

Lily Wing’s frown lessened a little.

“We’re in your debt, if anything.”

Another groan was heard from behind the three. Luna and Rarity looked to see Scrappy getting to his feet. The light brown stallion’s legs wobbled, but he managed to stand. Considering he was a rather sturdy earth pony, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him on his hooves so quickly.

He rubbed his head before taking in his surroundings. He sucked in a breath upon noticing the two princesses, and snapped to attention. “Y-your Majesties!” He almost fell over as he raised a leg to salute them.

Luna waved a hoof. “At ease, Private Scrappy.” The stallion visibly relaxed. “Are you alright?”

Scrappy winced a bit as he attempted to walk, but nodded. “I may have sprained something in my back left leg, but I’ll be alright...” He looked to see Lily Wing conscious and looking to him. “Ah, Head Captain, are you alright, sir?”

Lily Wing nodded. “Good to see you on your feet, Private. How are the others?”

“Why does my mane smell like dandelions?” croaked Quick Wit.

“You’re probably using Summer’s shampoo again, Quick Wit. That...or Discord’s bomb did it,” replied Lightweight, who was also still on the ground.

Scrappy chuckled as he turned back to Lily Wing. “They’re as fine as ever, sir.”

Luna, Rarity, and Scrappy helped the other guards to their feet. Luna took note of the faint glowing coming from Lily Wing’s neck. “You used my sister’s Boon, I see.”

“Yes, your Highness. It provided us with a shield when Discord detonated an explosive of some sort.”

“That explains the condition of this place,” said Rarity as she scanned the hallway. “Do any of you know where he may have gone?”

“I’m afraid not, your Majesty. He teleported out of here right before the explosion.”

Luna grimaced. “Judging from the magic we felt, if he somehow avoided that attack Applejack dealt, then he probably teleported somewhere within the castle again. If not...he’s probably injured, and licking his wounds.”

“Princess Applejack fought him?” Lightweight asked.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, although we fear she may have lost. We could sense her power for a brief moment before it completely vanished. Now we cannot sense anything.”

“Yes, it feels like Discord is obscuring our magical perception again with his own powers.” Luna closed her eyes, trying to reach out with her magic. Her horn glowed briefly before she opened her eyes and shook her head. “I’m afraid he’s clouded our magical senses again, Rarity.”

Lily Wing straightened up a little. “Your Highnesses, allow us to escort you.”

“No, Lily Wing. Things have become too dangerous. That aside, you’re all injured, no matter how well you’re trying to hide it, I can tell.”

“Princess Luna, please. As Head Captain of the Royal Guard I cannot–”

“As a princess of Equestria, it is my duty to see to it that all my subjects are safe,” Luna replied evenly. Lily Wing looked down to the ground, a frown clear and evident on her features. “You know my sister would say the same thing.”

“I...” Lily Wing sighed. “...yes, your Highness. I suppose Princess Celestia would say the same thing.” She looked up to Luna once more. “What are your orders then, your Majesties?”

“Find shelter. Preferably outside of the castle. As odd as it sounds, Canterlot Castle is not safe right now. The town itself isn’t being targeted by Discord. He’s focusing on finding us, and we’re looking for him as well. Drawing the citizens into our fight is the last thing any of us wish to do, and he knows it. We’ll avoid pulling innocent bystanders into this conflict if we can.”

“Very well, then, your Majesties. We’ll take our leave.” Lily Wing and the three stallions all bowed.

The doors on the far end of the hall opened, causing the ponies to pause and look to the source of the noise. The creaking doors opened slowly, revealing a coat of white and a shimmering mane of blue, pink, and light green pastel hues

“Celly!”

Celestia’s eyes widened as Luna galloped to her. “Luna?”

Luna’s almost knocked Celestia to the ground as she embraced her older sister. Celestia’s shock quickly gave way to relief as she returned her sister’s embrace. They parted and shared a brief smile before Celestia stepped to the side. “Pearl, it’s safe.”

Rarity’s mother came into view from behind the partially opened doors. The pink mare looked around before her eyes settled on her daughter. “Rarity!”

Rarity greeted her mother, moving to her side before she could take a single step. The two shared a hug, both of them shedding a few quiet tears.

“Mother, I-I was so worried when you vanished...” Rarity whispered shakily. “I...I’m sorry I couldn’t–”

“Hush...Princess Celestia’s been with me for the better part of an hour now, and I’m fine. There’s no way you could have known Discord would do something like that. Nopony expected it...” She gently wiped away a few tears from her daughter’s eyes before giving her a kiss on the forehead. “You have nothing to be ashamed of.”

Rarity nodded. “Sweetie Belle is with Big Macintosh and Braeburn. I...I don’t know where they are now, but Lily Wing said that she and these three brave gentlecolts held Discord off long enough so that Sweetie Belle and the others could get away...”

Pearl looked to the four weary guards. “Thank you, Ms. Lily Wing. Thank you, boys.”

Scrappy grinned. “No need to thank us, your Ladyship. Just doing our job.”

“Ladyship?” Pearl blushed a little. “Oh my, when did this happen?” She smiled brightly while turning to her daughter once more. “Rarity, I thought everypony was just being polite to me while I was here. Are you saying I’m an actual noblepony?”

“Um, perhaps later, Mother? Let’s worry about getting you to someplace safe first.”

“Oh, I’m afraid it’s too late to find someplace ‘safe’, Rarity.”

Celestia and Luna tensed as Rarity’s wings instinctively flared, putting herself between the intruder and her mother. Discord’s laughter filled the air before he appeared before the group.

“Well, it seems Applejack managed to leave her mark with you, Discord,” Luna stated with a hint of amusement.

Patches of fur were still missing from Discord, but he appeared to be otherwise unharmed to the ponies.

Discord gave her a sour look. “I must admit, Applejack was quite the difficult pony. Still, I defeated her in the end, and I have the Element of Honesty now.” He reclined back while floating leisurely through the air. “Sad, really. She put up the best fight so far, but she also lost the most in the end. Even Twilight and Rainbow Dash at least managed to get the Elements away from me.”

Luna and Celestia took a step forward. The draconequus, for his part, remained unphased by the intimidating presence of the two alicorn sisters. Instead of cowering back, he merely grinned. “Well...this is nostalgic, isn’t it?”

Luna looked over her shoulder to Rarity. Her horn glowed briefly, followed by Rarity’s own horn lighting up. Her eyes widened before she looked to her mother and the Royal Guards. “We have to go. Mother, follow Head Captain Lily Wing, she’ll lead you out of the castle.”

Pearl frowned. “Rarity, is everything alright?”

Rarity gave her mother a pleading look. “Mother, please, we need to get out of here.”

Discord frowned. “Leaving so soon, Rarity?” He snapped his fingers, but found himself remaining in place. Confused, he snapped again, but remained floating in the air, unmoved. He noticed a bright, white aura of magic surrounding him, and smirked. “Well, Celestia, it looks like you’re finally ready to take me on, hm?”

Celestia kept her eyes on Discord as she spoke. “Rarity, go. Get them to safety, then find Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.”

Rarity nodded once and turned to leave with the others.

“Rarity, one more thing.”

The Princess of Beauty looked over her shoulder to see Luna meeting her gaze. “Inform anyone you meet within Canterlot Castle to leave the castle grounds as soon as possible. If Celly and I are to take Discord seriously in battle...we cannot guarantee the castle will continue to be a safe place for them to take shelter in.”

“Aw, that’s touching, Luna. You two are serious about this fight, aren’t you?”

Luna ignored Discord. “Go. Now. You know what you have to do, Rarity.”

Rarity gave a final nod before leaving through the opposite end of the hall with the other five ponies following her.

As the doors shut behind the retreating group, Discord eyed the two sisters. A sinister grin spread across his face. “Tell me, Celestia...Luna...have either of you kept up in your combat skills since I was encased in stone?”

The two sisters simply glared at him, wings opened and horns glowing.

“Nothing?” He sighed. “Ugh, you two won’t even humor me with some kind of heroic one-liner, will you? Fine.” He crouched low, his body coiled a little as he flared out his own wings. “You do know that if you two fail to beat me that Equestria is mine for the taking, right? You had a chance with Twilight, and even Rainbow Dash and Applejack held a glimmer of potential against me...but Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy are a far cry from combat-ready ponies.”

“Your arrogance continues to blind you, Discord,” Celestia began. “Even if you somehow defeat us, you cannot conquer Equestria. Your Chaos pales in comparison to the powers of love and friendship.”

“Ugh, cliché and disgusting. Honestly, Celestia, get some new material for me, will you? I asked for a heroic one-liner, not a cheesy one.” He flexed his eagle claw a bit. “As for ‘friendship’, I’ve have already made it clear how little it’s helped the first three I beat. What makes you think you two will fare any better against me?”

“The girls are talented, but they are still inexperienced in using their powers fully,” Luna began. “If Twilight had only two years to prepare against you, you wouldn’t be able to hold a candle against her. Judging from the residual healing magic surrounding you, Applejack managed to deal greater injuries than you had anticipated. As for Rainbow Dash, I know for a fact that you still don’t have your claws on the Element of Loyalty. That’s a victory in my mind.”

“Hmph. Sticks and stones, Luna. Sticks and stones...”

Luna quirked an eyebrow. “I do not see how sticks or stones have anything to do with–”

“It’s an expression, Luna. Don’t worry about it right now.” Celestia explained.

“Ah, I see,” Luna straightened up a little. “Regardless of what has happened so far, Discord, it will not dissuade us. We defeated you once, and we’ll do it a second time.”

“Without all the Elements of Harmony? Really, now?”

“We’ll defeat you...even if we have to take more...serious measures into consideration.”

Discord chuckled. “Hoho...that sounds more like you, Celestia. Though, what would Equestria think of their iconic princess if they knew you’d resort to violence to rid the land of me?”

“We’ll endure whatever disapproval they may give later. So as long as our ponies are safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Hm...alrighty then. I suppose we’ve chatted long enough.” Discord eyes gained a predatory gleam to them. “Let’s see how far you really will go for this little land of yours, shall we?”

The air was thick with the magic of the three powerful beings. Tiles began cracking underneath the magical pressure, and the temperature within the hall began to fluctuate rapidly.

The three shifted their footing a little. The air seemed to warp with every movement they made. Discord raised his lion’s paw, ushering them to come at him.

Luna and Celestia shared the briefest of looks with each other, then pushed off the ground, horns ignited in arcane power.

The fight would later go down in the Royal Equestrian Archives as one of the most terrifying displays of combined magical power shown by the two royal sisters of Equestria.

Pinkie’s nose and knees began to itch. She frowned at the odd combo. Itchy nose and an itchy knee...she never recalled that–

Both her ears twitched several times as her neck began to ache a little, and her eyes lit up as she drew in a gasp.

“I-is everything alright, Pinkie?” Fluttershy asked, turning to her friend.

Pinkie Pie remained quiet for several moments, then slowly shook her head. “I...I don’t know. I just got a weird feeling. My Pinkie Sense is telling me that somepony is really angry, and feeling really, really sad, too. I think...I think it’s Princess Luna and Celestia.”

Fluttershy paused. “L-Luna? Is she okay? I mean...are they hurt?”

Pinkie let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Fluttershy. I’ve been getting these little wiggly, niggly feelings all day. Most of them haven’t been good.”

A little whimper escaped Fluttershy as her head drooped.

“H-hey, it’ll be alright, Fluttershy! As long as we’re together, that big meanie Discord can’t do anything to us.” Pinkie placed a reassuring hoof over Fluttershy’s shoulders. “Right?”

“I...I hope so.” Fluttershy sniffled a bit. “I’m just...oh, Pinkie...why would Discord do something like this to everypony? I’m getting all these bad feelings right now, even though I don’t know where they’re all coming from. All the plants are sleeping, but they’re so confused by this weather. Lots of the animals that are awake during the winter are scared, and the change in the time of day...” She looked outside and frowned. “It’s already dark out, and it’s not even three in the afternoon yet. Everypony is staying in their homes...”

Pinkie understood all too well. She had been flooded with emotions ever since she had woken up. She still didn’t know how to fully tune them out, and sometimes it got to her. She was getting scared, angry, and sad all at once. Little foals throughout Canterlot were crying to their distraught parents, asking if Discord was going to take them away, or hurt their families. The only thing keeping Pinkie from breaking down right now was the emotions she was feeling from Celestia and Luna, wherever they were in the castle.

Celestia was angry. She was reluctant to do something, Pinkie noticed, but she was going through with it anyway. Luna was determined, just like her older sister. She was worried about Fluttershy, and the rest of her friends. Both of the sisters were worried for Equestria.

However, there was something else that shined brighter than the rest of the emotions running through their minds, Pinkie noted. It was something that warmed her, like a bonfire.

Hope.

Hope towards stopping Discord, and bringing back order to Equestria.

Now, Pinkie realized that, being the Princess of Hope, she likely had some sort of deep, underlying connection to this feeling. It was because of these emotions she was feeling that she had remained strong, despite the onslaught of despair she was feeling from all the ponies around her. So as long as someone had hope in their hearts, she would too. So as long as she had a kingdom to protect from that big jerkface Discord, she would be strong.

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. Discord’s just a really big bully. Besides, we saved Equestria once already, remember?”

Fluttershy nodded slowly. “Y-yes, back when Luna was Nightmare Moon. I...that was pretty scary...”

“Yep, but it wasn’t too scary since we were all together, was it?”

“Well, no, it wasn’t. That’s because you were all there with me. I felt...safer with all of you...”

Pinkie beamed. “That’s right. I felt safe when I was with you girls as well,” She continued walking down the hall as Fluttershy followed. “Discord might be strong, Fluttershy, but there’s one thing we have that he doesn’t.”

“Really?” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side.

Pinkie nodded. “Do you know what it is? Go ahead, guess! Guess!”

“Um...each other?”

Pinkie leaped into the air, a little bit of confetti and streamers flying out of her opened wings. “Yay! You got it right!”

Pinkie giggled as she flapped her wings several times, causing some glitter to fall out of them. Fluttershy was soon giggling as well at her friend’s antics.

“I guess you’re right, Pinkie. We’ve got each other, no matter what else happens.”

“That’s right. Now come on, we have an Equestria to save!”

“Um...an Equestria? I think there’s only one–”

Pinkie was already bouncing down the hall, humming a tune and flapping her wings with every bounce. Fluttershy giggled a little more, feeling better than she had moments ago. It might have been because of Pinkie Pie. She had a tendency to show others that things weren’t that bad, and in the end, everything would turn out for the best.

Therefore, despite the dark cloud of chaos that seemingly hung over all of Equestria, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel like everything would be alright.

End of Chapter Nine- Discord Arc Part 2

Next Up: When things are bleak and it feels like everything is falling apart...when things are dark and lonely, there’s one thing you can do to make it better: Smile.