Malice. Hatred beyond measure. These are the life and limb of the Equestrian Wasteland. It's all so clear to me now. Ponies aren't interested in helping each other. They're interested only in their own survival. After all I've done, and all I've seen, however... I still cling to the hope that one day we will all live again in harmony.

Harmony. A force that was supposedly so powerful that it drew ponies together. What happened that corrupted harmony so? The war, of course. The long and bloody conflict not only resulted in the near extinction of our species, but also meant the death of our greatest treasure – harmony.

Time stands against me now. Tensions rise and the pawns are in place, waiting on the storm to come.

Well, I won't let it. I'll fight the storm, no matter the cost. Because that is what is right. What is just. What is honorable. A wise white stallion taught me that once.

I will fight, or I will die. What remains to be seen is which one the ultimate outcome will be.

I came to in the middle of the inky depths of darkness. An icy chill seized me as I realized that I was alone. Where am I? I thought. I tried to move. I couldn't. I was stuck. Something was holding me down. What was even stranger, was that I couldn't feel my wings. I glanced over, trying to see the appendages. They weren't there! Where the hell are my wings?! I thought frantically. I looked down at my hooves, suddenly realizing they were the wrong color. I was pink. I was also smaller.

I began to hyperventilate as I tried to push on whatever was holding me down. I reached out for my magic, but felt nothing. I grimaced. There had to be some explanation for all of this! What happened to me?!

“Oh... tsk, tsk. Now don't do that, dearie. You'll only make it worse,” an aged, quavering voice said.

My eyes shot up, seeing a ghostly apparition of an draconequus wearing a gray wig and a shawl. A cane had popped into existence next to him.

“Discord,” I said, my eyes widening as I shut my mouth. My voice was different too! I sounded all high and squeaky!

Discord's eyes widened as he burst into laughter. He rolled about in midair, cackling wildly.

“You... you... you should see the look on your face,” he said. “Priceless!”

“What's going on? Where am I?” I said, ignoring the fact for the moment that my voice was not my own.

Discord stopped rolling around and snapped his claws. He disappeared, reappearing in a white lab coat with glasses on his face. He took out a stand and pulled on a string, rolling down an entire chalkboard out of nowhere. A piece of chalk floated into his open paws. He started drawing intensely on it, equations and numbers and letters.

“Well, you 'zee,” the spirit of Chaos said, his voice now slightly higher pitched and very haughty sounding. “It is 'ze existential crisis 'zat every pony must face in 'zere lifetimes. Who are 've? ‘Vhy are ve here? ‘Vhen is lunch? ‘Zis is the 'ze questions you have, ja?”

“Discord!” I squeaked angrily. “Tell me what I want to know before I come up there and rip you limb from limb!”

Discord grinned widely, disappearing in a puff of smoke. “Oh, but that would ruin my fun,” he whispered in my ear. I turned my head slightly. The mismatched spirit's face was no longer there.

“What did you do to me?” I said. “Tell me!”

“My dear, dear Radiant Star... I decided that I simply couldn't wait for you to find me. So, I gave you a little gift. A way for us to meet, face to face without that annoying little gun of yours,” the spirit's voice echoed all around me. I couldn't see him. Frankly I couldn't see anything. “Or do you not remember your little friend?”

My eyes widened. The memory orb, Discord's appearance. The scene he played out before me.

I was in Sunshine Sky's body. There was no other explanation. A flash of light later and Discord reappeared, grinning toothily at my expense.

“You didn't,” I snarled and roared. “You put me in Sunshine Sky's body. Why? What happened to her? What happened to my body?!”

Discord's expression looked painful as he pulled out two industrial size ear plugs and shoved them into his goat-like ears.

“Indoor voice, my dear,” he said. “Your questions will all be made clear in due time. And to answer you: Yes, Because, She's fine, You're fine. Does that help at all?”

“Not really,” I snorted. “Why did you put me in her body?”

“To speak to you,” Discord said. “But now I can see that you're being all boring and interrogational. Perhaps you need some friends to play with. That might help you see things my way.” Discord snapped his claws again, and I heard growling from all around me. “Careful now... you don't want to get too friendly.”

Yellow eyes pierced the darkness, staring intently at me. I was surrounded by them. Manticores. I grimaced. A fuzzy feeling came over me as I felt magic flowing through my horn. Figures, I thought. Discord doesn't like it if isn't a little sporting. The manticores roared, one of the sets of yellow eyes starting forward. Discord grinned widely as he snapped his claws, disappearing in a flash of bright light. I had to do something, and fast, otherwise I'd be manticore meat.

“Here goes nothing,” I said, flaring my horn. I wasn't used to this whole 'no wings, short body' deal. I wasn't even sure what magic Sunshine even had access to. I decided that good old fashioned telekinesis would be the safest bet. I directed my magic towards the closest manticore, which I could see more clearly now that my eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness. The blast was weak, but the pressure against his eyes and snout was enough to confuse the beast. I glanced at the restraints holding me down. Reaching back into my own mind, I searched for something to try and sever them. I released the magic. What was supposed to be the metal links dissolving in a flash of heat was a slow melting, and I strained to pull the softened manacles apart. They finally fell to the ground with a sizzle, and in the light given off by the molten steel I could see the manticores circling. There were three of them.

I shrugged off the rest of the metal chains, finally able to move. The first manticore decided that was the right time to attack. The monstrosity dove forward, roaring and howling as its stinger hit the ground next to where I had been. I dove to the side, rolling over and flaring my horn again. I thought of what I had seen of the pink unicorn, and decided to go for broke, using one of her ideas for a spell. The ground shook beneath the monster, green thick vines sprouting out of the concrete and taking hold of the beast's wings. The manticore roared, struggling against the vines.

“Hah!” I crowed in my squeaky squeaky voice. I still couldn't get used to it. “Take that, you ruffian!”

The manticore snarled in response. Wings beat against air, indicating that another of the pack was incoming. I glanced about, noticing that one of the three had disappeared. A roar from above me told me all I needed to know. I moved forward clumsily, still trying to get accustomed to the smaller form. A manticore crashed into the ground behind me as I started running. There had to be an exit here somewhere!

A door appeared out of nowhere, standing alone in the center of the room. I snarled loudly as another manticore jumped out in front of me. It reared up, readying its scorpion-like tail for a strike. My horn flared, emitting a shower of sparks, the bright light causing the beast to squawk and cover its eyes. I rushed past it and stopped in front of the door. I didn't have a chance to really study the structure. It was a door, and even though I knew that Discord was behind it, I could hope that it lead somewhere safer than this. I threw it open with a blast of magic, and leaped through.

I landed on a rough patch of dead grass. Behind me, the door snapped shut and disappeared in a flash of white light. I groaned loudly, standing shakily. Thunder erupted in the sky above me as I took in my surroundings. The land was dead for miles and miles. Where am I? I thought. Am I even in Manehattan anymore? I spun about, looking for any sign of anything that I might recognize. Nothing but inhospitable wasteland. I stopped, sitting back onto my haunches, trying to figure out what in the hell was going on.

“Alright,” I said aloud. “So I'm trapped in a unicorn's body, in the middle of nowhere. I was almost killed by manticores, but escaped through a door that led me here. And to top it all off, the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony wants to fuck with me. This is has got to be my best day ever.”

Almost as if on cue, my day got worse. Skittering noises came from the hill behind me. A ridiculously large white radscorpion appeared over its crest, chattering loudly. I stood, instinctively thinking to reach for Stargazer, when I remembered where I was and that I didn't have my gun. I was going to have to make Discord pay for that part later on. The radscorpion charged, scurrying down the hill with the intent of making me dinner. Without any way of fighting it off except for magic (and even then I wasn't sure how long I'd last against something of this size), I turned tail and started to run.

The sandy and partially grassed terrain below my feet quickly turned to cement. I was now on a road, an old highway from the looks of it. A glance behind me revealed that the radscorpion was still chasing after me. I lurched into a short-legged gallop, noticing a fallen street sign laying along the highway.

Exit 42 – Discord Avenue 6 miles

I blinked. This had to be some kind of joke or something. Discord was just messing with me. But why? Why was he doing this? I kept trying to apply some logic to the situation, but applying logic to a being comprised of complete and utter chaos was about as difficult as giving a cat a bath. It just didn't happen. Either way, I surmised that this Discord Avenue was where I needed to go. The radscorpion screeched loudly behind me. No matter what I did, I couldn't shake it. I ran hard, panting as Sunshine Sky's body tried its best to keep up with my mind, which was running a mile a minute. Why did Discord want to talk to me? What was this long game that he kept referring to? Why show me all of those memory orbs if all he wanted to do was kill me? Why was I monologuing so much?!

I passed a second sign, this one upright. It had a single arrow on, somehow pointing in all directions, and said 3 miles on it. I couldn't even tell if I was close or not. I heard a roar behind me and I turned. An even larger Yao Guai had appeared in front of the radscorpion. The two gigantic beasts, titan-like in their nature, started battling. The radscorpion swung its vicious tail, intending to split the large bear in two with its barbed stinger. The Yao Guai batted away the tail with a casual flick of its massive paw and drew in a large breath. With a single exhale the massive black bear emitted a stream of fire that singed the giant scorpion's legs. I blinked. I was relatively sure that real Yao Guai couldn't breath fire. Very sure. Oh what the hell, I didn't know anything anymore at that point. I didn't stop to think about it as I whirled and resumed galloping forward. Better to leave the two giant beasts behind fighting each other than chasing after me.

The rocky highway sloped downwards, curving gently through a green lush valley that spread out for miles. Another road sign, pointing either forward or straight up indicated that Discord Avenue was only one more mile to go. The valley was filled with buildings, the ruins of an ancient town. The only things off about the entire place was that the majority of the buildings were upside down, floating in the air, or scampering about on tiny hooves. A large mansion stopped in front of a small bodega, and opened its doors up, devouring the smaller building whole. It burped loudly and continued around the valley, completely ignoring me. A group of very large horned creatures wearing what appeared to be pink frilly outfits came dancing by, standing on the very tips of their hooves. I blinked. Just where in the hell was I?

I decided to press forward, the center of this town being the obvious exit out of this strange place. As I made my way into the town, I noticed the ponies. They were gray toned, and completely oblivious to everything around them. One of them was watering a garden that was growing off of the side of a building, while another one was ice skating on a lake of soap that had formed in the middle of the street. As I walked, I grew increasingly nervous. More than often, I caught a few of the gray ponies watching me, their eyes dull and lifeless.

I made it to the center of town with little issue. There, where there might have been a fountain or a statue, was another large door. Surrounding it were several large neon arrow signs, all pointing directly at it. Another sign, written in script sat above the door. I paused for a second to read it aloud.

“To the pony who has made it to this door, the road ahead is very bleak.

The answers to your questions may not be what you seek.

Stray from the path and you will end up like them.

Discorded and lost to the chaos within.

For few ponies have made it to my gates.

So come to me now, and meet your fate.”

I grimaced. Another riddle? Straying from the path? That was easy. The path lay straight ahead to the door. I took one step and realized my mistake. The moment my hoof touched the ground, all of the gray ponies in the vicinity immediately looked up. One of them called out, an unholy shriek of terror that chilled me to the very bone. Shit! I thought as the group of discorded ponies moved forward. With a preternatural swiftness they moved, one of them in front of me almost as soon as I lifted my leg to step back. It howled and snorted, its eyes turning a dull red as it changed form. It became a monstrous bipedal creature with claws and horns. It sliced through the air, forcing me to jump back. I glanced around. Many of the other ponies in the crowd were doing the same thing.

“Stray from the path...” I said aloud. “What the hell does that mean?”

I sidestepped, accessing my magic and attempting to hit the thing with a weak blast of Sunshine’s telekinesis. It merely dazed the creature for a few seconds before it started forward again. It was a few seconds I intended to capitalize on. Ducking underneath the creature I ran for the door. It was the only solution to this game. I had to get there by any means possible.

Of course there had to be a catch. As I neared the door, the ground beneath me cracked wide open, creating a moat of molten magma between me and the door. I grimaced as I watched the magma pop up all around it, turning it into an island amidst boiling lava. I nearly tumbled in, but thankfully was able to turn at the last minute. A shriek from behind me indicated that one of the creatures was on my tail. I growled loudly, ducking to the side as it soared past me and into the lava. The beast howled and roared in pain, sinking below the surface. I cursed under my breath. If I'd had wings, I could have just flown over, and I doubted that Sunshine's borrowed magic was capable of teleportation. It wasn't a typical skill every unicorn had access to, after all.

I had to get across the lava pit and into that doorway. There had to be some way to get across! I scanned the plaza for something, anything that I could use. There! I thought. There was a large wooden pole across the other side of the plaza. It was snapped off, just the perfect length for a bridge. It was a little thin, but I could make it work. I just had to get there. One of the discorded, as I'd come to call the beasts, charged right at me. I couldn't take on all of these things. I had to be quick. I jumped to my left and moved as the thing barreled right into another one that had been behind me. With Sunshine's body, I was smaller and I could move faster than I normally could. I hoped that would be an advantage against these things.

I ducked and dodged, in what felt almost like slow motion. Each time I made it past one of the discorded I felt like my whole life had nearly passed before my eyes, and yet I managed to not get struck. It was like a cheat, like the discorded were trying to scare me without actually hurting me. Was this just part of Discord’s game, too? Was I being tested somehow?

A discorded appeared in front of me, howling and slobbering. I flared my horn, pushing weakly with a blast of telekinesis at him. The blast only fazed the beast, disorienting it for a brief moment. I followed up with trying to activate Sunshine's vine spell, but it didn't seem to work here. Was the only magic I had access to basic abilities? Using the opportunity presented, I ducked between the creature's legs and kept charging forward. I arrived at the wooden pole and hopped onto it. I took a few shaky steps, trying to get the rhythm of my own trot together before progressing out any further.

The discorded roared and growled at me as I made my way across the makeshift bridge. I was doing it! I was going to get across! I was halfway across when I felt the pole beneath me shudder and shake. I glanced back, seeing several of the discorded crawling up onto it. Shit shit shit! I thought. With all the extra weight on it, the pole wouldn't hold. It would fall into the magma below. I started moving a little faster, thankful that the pole was dry and not slippery. A loud *crack* erupted from behind me and the pole started to fall away below my hooves. I cursed loudly, my trot turning into a downward slide. I was only going to have one chance to get across the rest of the way. I flared my horn, and pushed off of the pole with my back hooves as hard as I could.

I was in the air above the lava, my front legs stretched out as far as they could go. I released the spell I'd been storing up, trying to push my back hooves with telekinesis. I missed. As the howls and screams of the lava-bound discorded ripped through the air, a surprisingly powerful shove pinned my tail to my haunches and slammed me into the concrete island. I rolled and tumbled, hitting the archway with a tremendous *thud*.

“Ow,” I said aloud as I tried to push myself up. “Anypony get the number of that skywagon?” I glanced around, remembering where I was and that I was alone. “Oh, right.” I took a look over at the door. It was cracked slightly open. I glanced across the sea of lava. The edges of the other side were filled to the brim with discorded. They roared and snapped and howled as I pushed the door open the rest of the way. A soft light came over me as I stepped through, and the world disappeared.

I blinked. It was dark out again, and I stood on a hill overlooking a massive harbor. Centuries of old fishing and naval boats lay in pieces amidst the old docks. A large pre-war military base could be seen sitting just off of the harbor. I turned my head back, seeing Tenpony Tower in the distance. I'm back in Manehattan? I thought. What in the hell was all that then?

“Oh... you've made it this far, how splendid!” a voice from above me said.

My eyes shot up, seeing a toothy grin and two yellow mismatched eyes.

“Discord!” I shouted. “What is going on here?!”

“Step inside, little ‘Sunshine Star’...” Discord replied, a spectral claw appearing out of nowhere and pointing down at the base next to the harbor. “We need to have a chat, you and I. And I would prefer that we aren't disturbed.”

The face dissipated into nothingness and I scowled. Why did Discord want me to come here? What was his game? Was my body okay? What about Sunshine's spirit? Too many questions circled around in my mind.

With nothing more to do than ponder the answers to them all, I decided that the best course of action was forward. I took one step, that turned into two, that turned into many more as I headed towards the miltary base at the end of the harbor. As I walked silently, I couldn't help but wonder...

What's next?

The entrance to the military base loomed over my head. It was dark. The walk through the harbor had been... boring to say the least. After what I had gone through to get here, I had been expecting more from Discord. I trotted into the dark courtyard leading into the confines of the base, glancing about here and there for any sign of danger. Several times I had to pause and rest. This body wasn't used to the active lifestyle I usually lived. I was pushing it, but I had to find Discord so I could get put back into my body.

The military base itself appeared to be old Equestrian in design, prior to Luna's reign. The golden arches leading into the courtyard were tarnished and falling apart. The building itself was a utilitarian gray in color, accented by rusted gold markings. A large steel door sat at the end of the courtyard, leading into the base.

The door was locked. Of course. I grimaced. Without a PipBuck I wasn't going to be hacking into it anytime soon, and Sunshine Sky's magic was nowhere near strong enough to ‘pick’ the lock my normal way. I was going to have to find a different way in. I glanced around, looking for something that I could use to gain entrance. An open air duct sat hanging off of the side of the building, several feet above me. I looked back at my sides. No wings still. The one time I really could have used them and I didn't have them!

I decided a different approach was needed. I flared my horn, casting Sunshine's vine spell. The green plants erupted from the ground, wrapping around and creating a round platform. I stepped onto it, letting it lift me up to the duct. I banged on the cover for a few minutes with my hoof, finally breaking through. I tossed the cover aside and crawled inside. I took a deep breath and started forward. The duct was cramped, dark, and hot. I began to sweat profusely by the time I reached the first fork in the ductwork. I glanced down the right fork, not believing my eyes. A translucent arrow of green and gold appeared inside, pointing further down the air ducts. It disappeared a moment later. I grimaced and started down the right fork.

The duct ended abruptly above a grated panel. A soft light emanated from below. I knocked the grate away, letting it fall free to the flooring below with a clatter. I grunted as I shoved myself through the hole. If I'd have been at least a little taller or wider, I might not have fit. I found myself wondering if Discord planned this all along. Had he anticipated that I might not be able to reach him in my normal body? Had he been playing me all this time and I hadn't realized it?

I flailed my way to the floor, landing with a *thud*. Groaning, I picked myself up, a headache forming as I tried to figure out where in the hell I was. It appeared to be some sort of infirmary. Rows of metal beds lined the walls while several tables lay in the center of the room. I stalked forward, looking for the exit. A tinny chime caught my attention. I looked over, noticing a robot in the corner. It was one of those old Doctor Orderly robots that was used for medical procedures pre-war. It was humming along to itself, its buzzsaws whirring softly. It was a wonder I hadn't heard it before. I grimaced. A robot like this one was likely on omega threat level protocol, meaning it was going to attack if it saw me.

I shuffled underneath the nearest table as quietly as I could. The whirring of the buzzsaw cut out and the robot moved through the infirmary. It stopped near the table I was hiding under. Had it seen me? I wasn't even close to being able to take on one of these things. Come to think of it... why was I so weak? I had seen Sunshine Sky fight before and she had been able to hold her own. Had Discord done something to her? In fact, the only spells I'd been able to use were the vine spell and telekinesis, and that I was attributing to the fact that I had actually seen those spells performed by the mare. I wondered if maybe that was the case. I was only going based on what I had seen the mare do, and trying to do it my way. Regardless, I was stuck in this room if I couldn't get out and away from this robot.

The robot hung around the table for a few agonizing minutes before it moved on further down into the room. I stepped out quietly, heading for the door. It slid open with a screech. I flattened my ears as I leaped out into the hallway. The door slid closed just as the robot appeared in its frame.

“Halt, intruder!” it shouted, emitting a gout of fire from its side.

The door closed all the way, cutting off the stream of heat. The door stayed closed. I blinked. Could the robots not trigger them to open? I wasn't going to stick around to find out. Pulling myself to my hooves I began to make my way down the hall. It was a maintenance corridor, lined with pipes. Overturned boxes lay along the path. I walked quietly, hoping and praying there weren't anymore robots.

How wrong I was. After several minutes I found myself at a fork in the passage. On the right, a Ponitron security robot was rolling up and down the long stretch of hallway. It stopped just before the fork, turning around and heading the other way. I frowned as another arrow of gold and green appeared in the air pointing down the same hallway. Of course, I thought. Discord couldn't possibly make it easy on me. I sighed. There was no way I was going to get down the hall without alerting the robot to my presence. Well, shit, I thought. The robot clicked and whirred as it reached the other end, turning around. I sat silently and waited for it to traverse the long hall once more, falling into line behind it as softly as I could. The robot seemed to be set on its course until it stopped in the center of the hall. I glanced over, jumping into an open door. It was an office filled with terminals and scrap metal.

One of the terminals was still active, blinking a soft green at the far end of the office. I crept along underneath the window looking into the small room as the red glow of the Ponitron's sensor swept back and forth. After a few long antagonizing moments it continued forward. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way over to the terminal, tapping on its keyboard. I shook my head, trying to remember how to do this. I'd always just had Violet do these sorts of things, or I'd toss them around the room with magic. Something told me that wasn't going to work this time. I was not a thinky pony by any means, and being forced to do so didn't really help.

The terminal came up with a list of words that could have been the password. I tapped the side of my head, trying to decide on what to choose. I groaned. I was not good at this! Taking a chance, I tapped the first word I saw that looked good. Turns out the password was chaos. I blinked as the menu came up. One of the options was Disable 1st Floor Security Drones. Thank Luna! I hit the menu option, receiving a success message in response. The robot in the hall went dark. I cheered and ran out into the hallway past the disabled robot. I stuck my tongue out at it and continued down to the end. A door sat at the end. It slid open as I trotted up to it. On the other side was a massive hangar. Ponitrons whirred back and forth on the catwalks that hung over the floor below.

I stepped inside quietly as I could, glancing down from the catwalk to the ground floor. A large metal crate sat in the center of the hangar. Several larger Ponitrons zipped around it. Two large arrows appeared in the air, this time a bright red in color. They pointed at the crate, blinking. I cleared my eyes, and the arrows disappeared. I had to go down there?! I groaned as I made my way down a set of metal stairs. I was really not enjoying this. I knew that there would be no shutting down these robots. Discord wouldn't make it that easy. I decided that the best thing to do was to test just how badly the chaos deity wanted to speak to me.

The metal stairs led all the way down to the ground floor. Thankfully none of the Ponitrons had noticed me yet. I intended t change that. I strode out of the darkness, walking straight towards the metal crate in the center. The nearest Ponitron stopped cold in its tracks, focusing its sensors and its laser rifle on me.

“Halt, Intruder,” it said in a monotone voice.

“Can it, tinhead,” I challenged. “I'm here to talk to Discord.”

The Ponitron stayed silent for several long moments. I cringed, worrying if maybe I had made a mistake. Finally the robot lowered its weapon.

“Access Granted, opening cube,” it said.

A loud hissing noise erupted from the metal crate as the rest of the Ponitrons turned and began to roll into their alcoves at the far end of the room. The metal crate continued to hiss as pieces of it began to fall away. My eyes widened when the object in the center of it was revealed.

It was a statue. A statue... of Discord.

“Well, we finally meet face to face, Radiant Star...” the deity of chaos whispered into my ear. His voice came from all around me.

“Discord? Where are you? Show yourself!” I shouted.

Discord's laughter erupted madly from the void. “You're staring right at me, little Star,” he replied. “That's me right there, in the stone statue.”

I blinked. What? I thought. He's in the statue?

“You're lying,” I said. “I've seen you.”

Discord cackled again. A shimmer appeared in front of the statue before me, forming into the shape of the draconequus.

“You've seen this, and you've seen that, but you have yet to see the real me,” he said as his form became solid looking. He was wearing a top hat and a monocle, reclining against a chair. He waved his hand, causing another chair to appear across from him. A table popped up out of nowhere, two cups of tea steaming on top of it. “Do have a seat, my dear. This story is going to take a long time to tell.”

I grimaced, trotting over to the chair and plopping onto it.

“Talk,” I said. “And when this is all over, I want back into my own body. And Sunshine Sky needs to be freed.”

“Of course,” Discord said with a grin. “Now... I'm sure you're wondering about that incredibly handsome fellow behind me. I was not lying when I said that it is me. The real me.”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I saw you... in the memory orb. You were there.”

“Yes... I remember that day quite clearly. It was why I chose to show it to you,” Discord replied calmly. He lifted one of the tea cups and began to drink the ceramic cup itself. The liquid shape of the tea appeared underneath it, dropping to the ground with a splash. Discord grimaced. “Oh look, my tea's ran away.” The blob of tea sprang to life, growing a pair of legs and arms. It screeched and ran off.

“Enough, Discord,” I said, snarling under my breath. “What happened to you?”

“It's quite simple, little Star. I was encased in a stone prison. Despite the fact that I was 'reformed', loopy Luna never seemed to trust me. And you obviously saw how much Twilight liked me,” Discord said. “One of the final acts that Luna took against me was to turn me back to stone. I'm still not sure how she did it, quite honestly. Never got the time to ask her. She stuffed me away here to keep an eye on me.”

“You mean... you're stuck in that thing? Then... then how are you here?” I said.

“Patience, little Star,” Discord said. “The war happened. Well... the end of the war, that is. The megaspells dropped, and everypony died. Well... sort of. I was left here... left to the sands of time. But Luna's spell must have had some flaw in it. Something tied to her life force. When she died, the spell began to wane.”

“Statue still looks pretty intact to me,” I snorted.

“Indeed,” Discord said, his tongue slithering in out of his mouth. “The stone itself is secure, but there are cracks in the spell. It has allowed slivers of my existence to slip out. You've even met one or two of them. Fillydelphia, Chicacolt, Manehattan. All me, but not me at the same time.” Discord snapped a claw, separating into four separate Discords, each with their own brightly colored top hat and monocle combination. They all spoke as one. “To be honest, Radiant Star. I am quite tired of such a fragmented existence.”

“They were all you?” I said. “But not you...?” I tried to process the concept in my mind.

The Discords all grinned toothily. “Indeed,” they said. “We are the aspects of the god of chaos. From Mirth to Malevolence, we represented Discord's various parts of his personality. But no longer. We want more.”

“So what do you want?” I said, narrowing my gaze at the four mismatched beasts.

The Discords snapped their claws, reforming back into a single Discord. His top hat now comprised of all the colors of the others.

“I admit, Radiant Star... that I am fearful of dying here. I want to be free,” he said. “I want to taste Equestrian soil once more. I've heard it's gotten much better since its irradiated.” I made a gagging noise. “The spell is failing. When it does... it will seal me inside forever. And I will die. Dying is boring. It's so much more fun living.”

“And what... you want me to free you?” I said.

Discord's eyes narrowed at me. “The thought had crossed my mind,” he said.

“Why do you even think that I would want to do that?” I asked.

“Because I have answers,” the god of chaos said, lifting a paw up and admiring his claws. “Answers I know you want, and I know you need.”

“About what?” I said.

Discord chuckled to himself. “Oh... you can't trick me that easily, little Star. But I will give you a little tidbit of information that I believe you shall find very interesting,” he said. “I've waited here, long enough, but unable to touch you.”

“You sure as hell tried hard in Fillydelphia,” I snorted.

Discord cackled, waving his hand to make another cup of tea appear on the table. It set itself on fire and then went out immediately, steaming.

“Malevolence. An aspect of me. But despite his... enthusiasm for the job, he could not touch you. Not with the Element of Magic inside of you,” Discord said. “No... I had to come up with a way to separate you from the one you know as Spark.” My eyes widened. Discord's grin became wider. “Yes... you see it now, don't you, little Star. I couldn't touch you when you passed through Manehattan, because of Spark as well.”

“Why did Stargazer hurt you?” I asked, not even thinking.

Discord's eyes went dark with malice. The bare mention of the weapon meant something to him.

“That infernal contraption. I daresay Luna did a very good job, designing a weapon of such power. She was involved in its construction from the get go,” he said.

“You knew about it?” I said.

“Indeed. There wasn't much that Luna could keep from me. When you're the intangible embodiment of chaos, you tend to go wherever and whenever you please,” Discord said. “Perhaps that was why Luna had me put back into a stony prison. I simply knew too much. Suffice to say, the gun was her way of ensuring that anypony who came after her couldn't. It's a shame she never got to use it.”

“What was so special about it?” I continued. I couldn't stop asking questions. Finally, there was somepony (somedraconequus?) who knew what the heck was going on! My mind was completely abuzz with questions.

“Starmetal, of course. The zebras said it was an evil material, born of the stars above. Personally, between you and me... they were all a little too crazy in the head,” Discord said. “But starmetal itself... well, you know how it is.”

I nodded, glancing away for a second. I sighed, returning my attention to the deity.

“What about in Chicacolt?” I found myself asking on autopilot. “Why didn't the spirit there attack me?”

“That was Mirth. He's not the type to attack anypony, really,” Discord said. “In fact, I don't much like that aspect of my personality...” He snapped a finger and a second Discord ripped itself from his body. A joyous grin was on his face. The first Discord grimaced angrily, lifting a hand held laser weapon. “Arrividerci!!” The laser weapon erupted, blasting the second Discord with a searing red beam. The copy shrieked and howled, turning into a pile of ash. Discord blew on the laser weapon, sheathing it afterwards. “There. That's taken care of.”

“What... what did you just do?” I asked hesitantly.

Discord glanced over at me, his grin returning.

“I killed him, of course. No need for that part of my personality when I'm free, after all,” he said. “Now then... where were we? Oh, yes, that's right. I believe that my inability to touch you had something to do with Spark and her connection to Nightmare Woona. Some residual effect of the spell, I assume.”

“I... I see,” I said.

“No... you don't see, little Star,” Discord mused. “In order to get you here, I had to do something that I abhor. I had to wait. And I hate waiting, Radiant Star. But in the end, it was all worth it. I dropped a line in a certain alicorn's mind about you, and with little prodding, you came to Chicacolt.”

“What?” I asked, finally making the connections. Discord had been in the scenes behind us, watching and waiting. The whole fucking time! “You... you're responsible for telling Pride about us.”

“Finally catching on are we now?” the spirit replied. “Yes... that was my doing.”

“But... but how did you know that Spark and I would separate there?” I said.

Discord laughed madly. “I didn't!” he snorted. “I took a gamble. I knew that eventually Spark would want control. She's never played well with others after all. It felt so good, putting all the chips on the table and making that roll, Radiant Star. And look how well it played out! You're here, and I can finally be rid of this... ugh... statue.”

My mind exploded with thoughts. Everything up until now had been one cosmic fucking game to this monster. Everything. Violet's injury, Spark. Lucky. Lilith. Everything was poked and prodded forward by this fucking thing. To say I was angry was an understatement.

I was rage incarnate.

“No,” I said after several moments.

“No? No, what?” Discord replied.

I glared at the spirit of chaos. “NO!!” I shouted. “I will not set you free! You... you're responsible for all of this! You're responsible for Violet nearly losing her life to Spark! For Lucky dying! For Lilith! You did it all!!”

“I hate to tell you this, little Star...” he said, whispering in my ear. “But those things would have happened without my prodding. I merely... gave Pride the inkling. She would have heard of you eventually after you killed her would be lover.”

I growled loudly, standing from the chair.

“I don't care, you... you monster! I am not going to free you! Now put me back in my body!” I roared.

Discord floated around, waving a claw. “I think perhaps you oughta... cool off,” he said, snapping a claw. A large snowball appeared above my head, splattering me with icy cold. I shivered, shaking off the snow as my teeth chattered.

“N-N-N-Not fair,” I said angrily, stuttering around the cold.

“I can make more,” Discord replied. “Now... are you going to listen to me?”

I glared at the spirit of chaos for several long moments, and finally nodded. Discord grinned and snapped his claw, removing the snow from me.

“Good. Now then... I brought you here for a very specific reason, moreso than just to free me. I want to show you things. Things you will need to know for the trials ahead. In fact, I think perhaps it might help if I gave you a little incentive.” He snapped his other claw, an orb appearing in the paw with a flash of light.

“A memory orb?” I questioned. “And how do I know that it won't just release you and trap me inside?”

“Come now, little Star... don't you trust me?” the spirit said.

“Not particularly, no,” I snarled.

“I figured you might say as much,” he said. “But this is something you absolutely need to see. And after you're done viewing it, we will discuss my freedom. Besides... it's not like you have a choice...”

The spirit snapped a claw and the arms from the chair began to elongate and circle around me. I yelped loudly as they stretched and closed in, sealing me in place. Discord's form slithered sinuously around me, lifting the memory orb and lowering it onto my horn. It sparked to life, dropping the world out from underneath me.

I couldn't see up or down from my host's body. It was unique, and terrifying. The whole world in front of me was painted in bright colors on one half, and the other half with muted half tones. Also... I was standing upside down from a ceiling. Is this what Discord felt like all the time? I couldn't even begin to understand the outlook the spirit of Disharmony had. Where was I even? Everything around me was in flux.

Careful now, little Star. Don't want to step too close to the chaos... a voice in my mind said.

I thought this was a memory orb, I said angrily.

A cold chuckle emanated from the back of my mind. It felt like ice rolling down my back.

It is... but really, did you not expect me to tag along? What fun is that? Discord replied. Just watch...

My host's eyes lifted up as the door to his strange abode opened. Things settled into focus as I realized that the draconequus was lounging comfortably against a couch on the ceiling. His eyes narrowed as a dark alicorn entered the room.

“Discord,” Princess Luna said. “We wish to speak with thee.”

“Oh look who it is, pretty Princess Woona,” Discord responded, the malice in his voice clearly evident.

“Discord,” the Princess of the Night said flatly.

Discord rolled his eyes, literally. The two orbs popped out of their sockets, falling through the air to land on the floor below, which had now turned into strawberry pudding. It was a very jarring feeling to suddenly be immersed in such a sticky sweet substance. Discord's head popped back up out of the pudding, his eyes back in their original places. He now sported a beard made completely out of the pinkish stuff.

“And what, pray tell, can I do for you today, my dear Princess? Come to gloat about your petty little war?” he said.

“You know why we are here,” Luna replied. “You came to visit Twilight. Why? What interest do you have in the Ministry of Arcane Science?”

“No interest at all, I'm afraid. I've got too many other Ministries to keep track of,” Discord said, pointing out each one on his claw, which grew extra digits for each new one he came up with. “You've got the Ministry of Silly Trots, the Ministry of Badger Badger Mushroom Mushroom, the Ministry of Excellent Chaos, the Ministry of Awesome Chaos, and finally the Ministry of Radical Chaos.” His claws returned to normal and he shook them out, grinning.

Luna rolled her eyes. “Those last three are the same thing,” she said.

“Are they really? Dear me, I shall have to fix that at once,” he said, snapping a claw and appearing to wear a carpenter's hat. He held a hammer in the other paw. The strawberry beard remained. “If you'll excuse me I'll just --”

Luna lifted a hoof, slamming it into the spirit's chest, stopping him cold.

“No,” she said, her eyes flaring angrily. “You will answer our questions, Discord. No more games. You know too much about Equestria's inner workings already. Why are you interested in Twilight?”

Discord's eyes widened. “And I thought we had an understanding, Woona. In all these years we've known each other, you've not once lifted a hoof against me,” the chaos deity said. He waved a paw, disappearing into thin air and reappearing behind Luna. “I would tread lightly if I were you. You would do well to remember that you don't have the Elements of Harmony anymore to face me with.”

Luna snarled, spinning about and trying to strike at the spirit. Discord disappeared once more, a sigh escaping his mouth as it fluttered up to the ceiling on its own.

“Discord! Get back down here!” Luna roared. “We will kill you for threatening us!”

“Ohh, Woona. So angry. So hateful. Can't we all just get along?” Discord's disembodied voice said. “You want to know why I went to visit Twilight? Fine. I went because I know what she did out there in the middle of nowhere. I know that you're fighting every day to control the Nightmare, but you can't. I know... I know what Twilight wants. She wants you. Your position. She wants to be a pretty pony Princess again, to go back to the old times.”

My own mind ran a million times into overdrive. Nightmare was still inside the Princess? But then why... why was she not letting her out to take over the world? Unless... a glance at Luna's face while Discord was speaking confirmed my suspicions. Luna was fighting the Nightmare, even as the two eternal beings spoke. She didn't want to let it out. She was trying to protect the world by keeping it in.

“Twilight... Twilight can never go back to those times,” Luna snarled. “This war... everything is riding on this war. If Equestria fails... we all die. Including you.”

“Please... I'm the eternal embodiment of the spirit of Chaos,” Discord said. He reappeared on the ceiling. All the moving about was really making me sick. “I'm afraid I simply can't die, my dear Woona. You're wasting your time too, with that little side project of yours.”

“You know about Stargazer?” Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Discord grinned toothily. “I know about more than you could possibly ever hope to know,” he said. “I just won't tell the full story. Not yet. That's for later. How is the little monster trapped inside your mind, by the way?”

“I...” Luna started to reply, turning her head away. “That is none of your concern, big monster. What did Twilight tell you when you saw her?”

“Hah! Changing the subject I see,” Discord said. “To be honest, the poor dear didn't really feel like talking. Her lips were zipped.” He lifted a paw, pulling a giant zipper across his face.

“She bound a very powerful spirit that night,” Luna said. “It would take a lot of energy out of a pony, even one as extraordinary as her.”

“Speaking of that,” Discord said matter of fact. “How did little Twilight Sparkle get the best of the Nightmare and seal up old Sparky-poo? I thought your dark friend and the wayward Element were best of buddies?”

Luna's eyes narrowed at this. “Nightmare was... preoccupied. Also... my sister was involved,” she said softly.

“Oh, now that is too rich,” Discord replied, a wide grin on his face. “And now the world is left without the Element of Magic. All because it wanted a little too much power in return. I wasn't lying when I said you had no way to get rid of me.”

“Neither was I,” Luna said, her eyes flashing. “I may not like Nightmare, Discord, but there is one thing that she is quite good at. And that's getting what she wants. Always.”

The alicorn's horn flared to life, tendrils of dark magic snaking forth from it. They sped out, latching onto the draconequus' form. The chaos magic in the air began to dissipate as Discord writhed in pain. Luna's magic fed more into the spirit's anger, strengthening it against any defense that Discord could have put up. I could feel the hatred behind the magic as it insinuated itself into host's very essence.

“Such a petty thing, little Woona,” Discord choked out. “You want to know a secret? My last one? You will die. You won't win your pathetic little war. Your world will become a hollowed out shell of itself, burned by balefire and hate. You can't stop chaos, my dear. You can't even begin to understand it. And it... it will consume you.”

Luna roared, pouring power into the magic more as the various parts of Discord's body began to solidify. In just mere moments, the draconequus was pure white marble. Luna huffed and puffed, her horn returning to normal. The vision of the memory became a haze, stopping against time itself.

You see, little Star... you see how Luna fought against the Nightmare. Twilight did the same... against Spark... Discord said from the back of my mind.

What does this have to do with you? I said. It seems to me that Luna was justified in removing you from the picture.

Ah, but she didn't remove me. Not fully, Discord replied. She merely delayed the inevitable. I think she knew somehow, that Spark would return. And that she would not be around to stop it. Perhaps it is my job then, to take care of the wayward Element. The spirit snickered.

No. I'm going to find Spark. She's my responsibility. I let her out, I said. I will bear that burden.

We shall see, Radiant Star. We shall see, Discord said as the memory faded into the smell of bananas and the real world came rushing back.

I opened my eyes, groaning when I remembered that I was still wrapped in an imaginary wooden chair, sitting in front of the spirit of chaos. Discord was grinning widely as my eyes drifted up to him.

“Now then... are you going to free me? I do not relish this, Radiant Star. I like you. I truly do,” the spirit said. “But I will do what I must to free myself from this wretched prison.”

“I... I have a question first,” I asked. “Why did you leave the memory orbs in the first place?”

Discord lifted a claw, pondering his response for a few moments.

“Twilight was never a very smart pony, if you've noticed by witnessing her memories,” he said finally. “But even she knew that there was power in knowledge. The memory orbs were to show you that, along with trying to explain what led Twilight to such desperation that she had to seal Spark away. It seems however, you didn't quite get the message.”

“What message?” I said angrily. I was starting to get really mad over all the crypticness.

“The message. The one I've been trying to tell you. I meant what I said before... there is a storm coming, Radiant Star,” Discord said, his tone shifting to a very serious nature. “A storm of immense and incalculable power.”

“A storm of chaos?” I asked. “All the more reason to not free you, I think.”

Discord's eyes widened and he burst into laughter, cackling wildly.

“Oh, you ponies... you're so hilarious when you assume things,” he said. “I wasn't talking about me. I was talking about you.”

“Me? What do I have to do with any of this?” I said.

“You will be responsible for the oncoming storm, Radiant Star,” Discord said, his tone even and serious. “That is why you will free me. You will not be able to stop yourself. I've seen it.”

“What are you, prophetic or something?” I replied. “How do you know that I'm the bad mare?” I couldn't believe it. I wasn't bad, I wasn't! There was no way that Discord was right. He couldn't possibly be right. Could he?

“In a sense you could say I can see the future. Let's just say... I can sense chaos in the air and I breathe it like a fish does water, and I can sense it all around you,” Discord said. “You are going to cause a storm of great chaos. And it will be quite glorious.”

“Why did you want Twilight's power?” I said, trying to change the subject. I didn't need to hear anymore about how I was going to cause a storm of whatever. I knew what I was going to do. I was going to stop Spark, and end this. I wasn't the bad one, Discord was. He had been plotting this from the very beginning, even up until two hundred years beforehand. He deserved to rot in the stone for eternity.

“Changing the subject are we? Temper, temper, little Star. You want to know why I wanted her power? Because if I had it, I could forever be free, and never have to worry about the Elements sending me back into stone,” Discord replied simply. “I still want that power, very much. In fact, I am going to visit our friend Spark, should you agree to free me. I will make sure that you do not do what you plan to. I will take what is rightfully mine.”

“And how do you plan to do that? Spark has a body now. She's dangerous,” I said.

Discord paused for a moment. “Plans... who needs them. I make my own brand of fun,” he finally said. “More chaotic that way.”

“You don't know, do you?” I said. “You won't visit her. You couldn't even touch her when she was in my body. I'm sure that you still won't be able to.” I sensed I was beginning to get the upper hoof here.

Discord scowled, revealing that he had in fact been bluffing.

“If you are trying to derail me, Radiant Star, you will find that it is not so easy,” he said. “Now then. I shall explain the rules of the game, so do try to keep up and follow along.”

I blinked. All sense of having the upper hoof went flying out the window.

“Game?” I asked, confused.

Discord grinned widely, snapping his claw. The chairs disappeared along with the table. They were replaced by a large checkered game board.

“Why, chaos chess of course!” the spirit of Chaos said. “The rules are quite simple. Move your pieces against mine, and try to take the king. But be warned... one wrong move... and you will lose. And there are many, many, many ways for me to win.”

“What happens if I lose?” I said, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

Discord's grin turned sinister. I really didn't want to hear the answer now.

“If you lose, you agree to set me free. The information is there in your mind, you just need to act on it. You won't however... be able to do it in this form. You'll need to come here in your own body,” he instructed. “And you will not bring that... infernal gun of yours when you do.”

“And if I win?” I asked. I intended to win. I was not going to set free this monstrosity.

“If you somehow are capable of winning at a game I invented, well then I suppose that you would be able to exercise your right to not free me. But that would be akin to murder, now wouldn't it?” Discord replied. “As well, I will release you back into your own body, and we shall never have to see one another ever again.”

“Either way, you release me,” I said. “And Sunshine Sky. What if I decide to leave Manehattan and not free you?”

“Then I will have Malevolence hunt you down and eat your soul for breakfast,” Discord said flatly.

It was the most serious I had ever heard the god of chaos be. I could tell by the sinister glare on his face that he meant every word. I gulped slowly, thinking about the implications of this. Sighing, I looked up at the spirit and nodded.

“Alright, let's do this then,” I said.

Discord sneered and waved his paw, several flashes of light throwing the game pieces out onto the board. On my side... I had several pieces consisting of my friends, Dusk Blue and a bunch of other unicorns. The Twilight Society, I mused. In the center of my side was a large purple alicorn figure. This had to be my king. The other side of the board appeared to be made up of ponies dressed in combat armor. There were unicorns, earth ponies, and even pegasi tokens. I caught a brief glimpse of Captain Kirby. The NCR? Discord's king was represented by an ever changing statue of himself, the tiny draconequus writhing and molding into something new every five seconds. The board itself began to change beneath us, turning into a scale model of the city of Manehattan. My friends and the Society were safely in Tenpony Tower, while the NCR was on the outskirts of the city. It was so...

“Since you seem to be so keen on beating me, you may have the first move,” Discord said.

I grimaced, realizing that I wasn't even sure how to play this stupid game! I thought back to the times I had sat, watching Nixis and Steeljack play their own crude version of chess. Those rules didn't seem to apply here.

Discord chuckled as I sat there. “Do you have a move, or are you giving up already? I do want this to be a little fun, Radiant Star.”

I shot the draconequus an angry look and spoke. “Do my friends count as one piece, or do I have to command them separately?” I asked.

“However you so desire, my dear. After all, what fun would it be to play chaos chess if the rules didn't change during the game?!” Discord replied, his eyes lit up like light bulbs. In fact, they appeared to be actual light bulbs.

“Fine. Then I'd like to move my friends out of Tenpony Tower,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

If I was going to have to face a game where the rules changed all the time, I'd have to do my best to keep on my hooves. I knew that there was something to do about the fact that the Twilight Society and the NCR were involved. Was Discord trying to tell me something about what was going to happen between the two rival factions? The pieces representing my friends, except for the piece representing me, began to make their way out into the city. They approached a section of the city board. Discord grinned widely.

“My move then! I move four manticores into place to attack your friends,” the spirit of Chaos replied. I blinked as four tiny manticores appeared in adjacent squares around the others. They roared in miniature, rushing at the ponies and hellhound standing in the center.

“My friends attack!” I quickly shouted. “They attack the manticores!!”

Discord sneered. “Catching on, are we?” he said. “Fine, this is the first challenge then. Let us watch to see how it plays out, shall we?” He waved a claw, the tiny versions of my friends had begun to engage the manticores. Within moments, the monsters had been destroyed, turned into tiny broken pieces that littered the game board. I whooped in response.

“Yes! That's my friends for you,” I said, chuckling. I mean, it was only a game after all. My friends could handle themselves. They always could, even when it wasn't real.

“Now the real fun begins. The NCR moves into the city,” Discord said. The various figures that belonged to the NCR were starting to leave their camp and make their way into the city, heading towards Tenpony Tower. “I'd be careful if I were you, Radiant Star... The NCR is very trigger happy.”

I glared right back at the spirit. “Fine then. I'm going to have my friends intercept the NCR and try to talk to them,” I said, feeling rather smug with myself. My friends began to make their way towards the NCR troops. The troops stopped when my friends appeared in their square. They sat still for several moments.

“I see how you're going to play this game,” he said. “Not bad, not bad at all. However... I am the undisputed master of chaos chess... and I declare that the talks will not go as planned, and the NCR sends your friends back to Tenpony Tower with a warning!”

My eyes widened. My friends started walking back on their own to the Tower as the NCR held their position deep into the city.

“What?” I said. “Well, I order my friends to go back.” They didn't. They kept moving towards the Tower. “Why aren't they going back?!”

Discord chuckled loudly. “I can see you haven't figured it out by now,” he said. “I'd hate to ruin the surprise...”

The gears in the back of my mind began to turn. The map, the game board, my friends, Tenpony, the NCR... all of it flew by in my thoughts. It was only then that I realized what was going on. It was ludicrous, but it made perfect sense when you realized just who you were dealing with.

“This isn't a game at all,” I said. “This... This is actually happening!”

Discord let out a massive chortle, nearly rolling off of his chair. The chair actually… moved to keep him from falling off.

“You figured it out, Radiant Star! But don't think that makes you the winner, no... we're just getting started,” he snorted. “Yes... my magic is leaking out enough to the point where I can influence minor events here and there. Just like the swarm of bloodwings that are about to eat your precious friends.”

I glanced down, scowling at the miniature forms (even tinier than my friends) that were soaring through the air right at them. I had to think of something. If this was really happening, then perhaps a little help could come through. I grinned.

“Then I call on Dusk Blue to save the day and get them back to Tenpony Tower safely!” I shouted. Discord growled as a blue unicorn appeared before my friends, teleporting them away to the base of the Tower. “Take that, Discord!”

“The bloodwings follow after, of course,” Discord said rolling his eyes.

I grimaced as I watched the bloodwings give chase. “Well... well then I use my secret weapon,” I said angrily. This game was getting too ridiculous. I had to figure out a way to end it and soon, before something bad happened to my friends.

“Oh? A secret weapon? Do tell,” Discord said.

“Yeah. I call on Harry, the Yao Guai!” I said. Out of a nearby subway station emerged a giant black miniature bear. It roared as loudly as its little form could let it, charging towards the swarm of bloodwings. The mutated bats were apparently afraid of the creature and began to fly away, giving my friends enough time to get into Tenpony Tower safely.

“Ugh... fine. You got that, but here's the coop de grassy,” the spirit of Disharmony replied. “The NCR issues an ultimatum threat to Tenpony Tower. The stage is set for the greatest of all chaos... war.”

“Even you would never stoop that low, Discord,” I said.

“Doesn't matter. It means that I win the game. If we continue to play your king will be taken and I will have influenced chaos beyond measure causing you to lose anyways,” he said. “As I said before... I always win.” He waved a claw, causing the gameboard to disappear completely. “And now, you have to free me.”

I scowled again. I wasn't quite sure at all what caused me to lose, I wasn't even sure how to play the stupid game in the first place! But... I had to stick to what I had promised. I made a deal with the devil, and it was time to pay up.

“You win,” I said softly. “But I have one more question before we end this.”

“Oh? And what could you possibly need to know now?” Discord said, grinning.

“Discord!” I barked. “If I do this... If I free you, will you promise to leave this place... to leave Spark be? I have to be the one to find her. I have to be the one to save her!”

“Save her? Why would you ever want to do that?” Discord said, his expression changing to one of befuddlement. The spirit of Chaos couldn't clearly understand why I would want such a thing.

“Because... because the world needs the Element of Magic, Discord. Harmony, Disharmony... both are needed to keep the world in balance,” I said. I closed my eyes, sighing. Discord was right about one thing. No matter how much I wanted to see him die, the world needed his force just as much as it needed Spark. Harmony and Disharmony existed together. Without one or the other to provide balance... the world would not survive. It was my only option. I just hoped that I could get Discord to agree to not go after Spark. “I see that now. But in order for the world to benefit from both, both need to be there. That's why I need to save Spark.”

“A dangerous proposition if there ever was one,” Discord mused. “I suppose that I can occupy my time, until the occasion arises that I must devour you to prevent you from destroying the world, and then take the power I so desire.”

“That's... not exactly comforting,” I said angrily. “Besides... I promise. I will not do what you think I'm going to. I will make sure of it.”

Discord shrugged. “It is what it is, Radiant Star. I will tell you something,” the spirit said. “Twilight's spell bound Spark so that she could never hurt anypony ever again. Nightmare was bound into Luna, all the way up until the end of the war. She did it to sacrifice herself, so that Nightmare could not longer corrupt the Elements of Harmony... but the damage was quite done. And now... here you are... harboring Twilight's connection. What will you do to prevent you from harming others? Will you sacrifice yourself?”

“I... If I have to, yes,” I said. “I will do whatever it takes... whatever I have to. I will restore Spark and stop this madness.”

“Then come closer to the statue...” he said. “You know, it's a funny thing. I was lying before when I said you had to be in your original body to free me. All you need to do to free me is to touch the statue. Funny how things turn out don't they?”

My eyes widened as I glanced past the ethereal spirit at the statue.

“And you will do as I say? Leave Spark alone? Leave this place?” I said.

Discord nodded. “Freedom... well, freedom is all I ever truly need,” the spirit said. “After all, I'm the spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. I can do anything I want! Perhaps I will have fun over the next century or so littering the Wasteland with useless junk and those silly bottle caps you ponies find so appealing. You never know what I might do!”

I grimaced. I stood, trotting past the form of the draconequus. I had made up my mind. I knew what to do.

I placed my hoof on the statue, concentrating hard. Somewhere... somehow, I knew that a certain lavender alicorn would be quite unhappy about all of this. But right now, she wasn't around, and I didn't think this was something she needed to know. The statue began to glow unnaturally, cracks forming all over it. I stepped back away from it, watching as the ethereal form of Discord disappeared completely. The statue burst at the cracks, the sinewy form of the spirit of Chaos stretching out and cracking his neck. He glanced down at me with those malicious yellow eyes.

“Well, hardly the beauty sleep I had hoped for,” he said. “However... you do have my thanks, little Star.”

“Just... send me back to my own body, and Sunshine Sky too. Return her to Tenpony,” I said.

Discord grinned again, a real grin this time, instead of the spirit form. It felt… genuine.

“Oh, I did agree to that, didn't I?” he said. “Fine. But before I leave you, I have one more thing to tell you. If you're going after Spark... beware the world that lives inside Everfree. The magic there is... wild. Uncontrolled. It always has been and always will be. After all, it's a place where I thrived.”

“I'm aware of that,” I said. “Everfree has only gotten wilder since Red Eye cleared out of there.”

“Then I shall leave you with a riddle, little Star...”

“Wild creatures big and small

Do not go near this ancient hall

Darkness taints the land beneath the moon

And winter is destined to come soon

For closer you arrive to what you seek

The one you should fear will begin her reap

So caution and warning to you and your friends

For friendship cannot save you in the end.”

I blinked. What the hell did that mean?! Discord merely sneered as he snapped his claws at me. A massive surge of white light surrounded me, and I felt my entire mind and body being ripped away at the seams. After several moments of antagonizing pain, my vision went dark.

“Star...?”

“Is she awake?”

“I can't tell... poke her a bit to see.”

“OUCH!” I shouted as my eyes shot open at the feeling of a hoof jabbing into my side. I craned my neck around to see Violet sitting there, a sheepish grin on her face. The others were standing around behind her, watching intently.

“I uh... was just trying to see if you were awake?” Violet said, retracting her hoof.

“How... how long have I been out?” I said, my throat feeling quite parched.

“About... two days, I'd say give or take,” Violet replied softly. “We... we weren't sure what was going on. Was the memory orb that long?”

“It... it wasn't the memory orb,” I said. “It was... it was Discord. He forced me to trade bodies with Sunshine Sky. He had captured her.”

“What?!” my friends collectively said.

I sighed, and nodded. A glimmer of light between my forehooves drew my attention. Where before there had been a single memory orb, now there were two. One of them was the one I had just entered, which had gone dark. The other glittered brightly. The words One final parting gift were etched into its side. I picked it up and set it on the table in front of us.

“I... I freed him,” I said. “Discord, that is.” My friends continued to stare at me like I was insane. “He was trapped inside a stone statue in an old military base out on Manehattan Harbor.”

“Wait... when you say you freed him, you mean...” Patch said.

“The God of Chaos and Disharmony is loose in the Wasteland,” I said with a not. “I... let him out.” My eyes widened, when I realized what I had done. I'd let out possibly one of the most dangerous forces in the universe out into a veritable playground. And yet... I believed he would honor our agreement. At least... for now. I knew that somewhere... somehow in the future our paths would cross again. Would we somehow become friends? Something about the way Discord treated me still felt rather off. Like he was pushing me, prodding me forward, trying to help. He had mentioned something in Twilight's memory about being reformed. So was he actually good? Or evil?

I decided that in the end, it didn't really matter. He was Discord. Mysterious and mischievous to the very end. I looked back at my friends. Their expressions were ones of... fear and befuddlement.

“So are we like... going to have to run for our lives now?” Lilith broke the silence. I chuckled softly.

“No. I don't think we'll need to worry about him interfering with our plans,” I said. “We sort of... made an agreement.”

“How do you know he'll honor it?” Violet said. “I mean, this is Discord we're talking about here.”

“I... I just know,” I said. “Now then... I've been out for two days. What's been going on around here? Have you guys gone to see Dry Rot yet?” I asked, feeling more invigorated than ever to get right back on track.

“Well... it's been a little more interesting, but not as interesting as what happened to you,” Patch said. “We went to go and try to talk to the NCR.”

“Ran into a pack of manticores on the way there,” Steeljack said.

I blinked. Well... that confirms everything that happened while I was playing that stupid game with Discord, I thought.

“I... Really? That's... that's crazy,” I said, grinning nervously.

Steeljack raised an eyebrow. “You alright, Star?” he asked.

“Never... never better. Yep, I'm all good!” I said.

“Alright then,” Steeljack said, glancing over at Patch. “Go on, darlin'.”

“Well... we were on our way to the camp when we found a group of NCR soldiers in the city proper,” the green mare continued. “They're... they're moving into the city. I thought maybe I could use whatever pull I had with Kirby to try and convince him otherwise.”

“Let me guess,” I said. “That didn't work.”

Patch shook her head. “They ran us out of their extended camp,” she said. “I never even got a chance to talk to Kirby. Star... they're preparing for war.”

I grimaced. I had hoped that was the one thing that Discord hadn't fully influenced, but it seemed that he had. Or had he? Had Discord actually made those events happen? Or had he simply had the foresight to see the chaos of them to predict what would occur? I couldn't rightfully tell.

“Our only option then is to seek out Captain Kirby and try and speak with him,” I said. “However... priority number one should be locating this Dry Rot. I will see if we can get a message to the NCR... try and delay this if I can. Once that is done, we will leave for Duskhoof.” I shot a sly glance over at Violet, who was looking a little red in the cheeks. “Anything else happen while I was gone? Violet?”

The mare groaned and then finally exploded. “Okay okay, you were right, he was real!” she shouted.

I grinned widely, knowing exactly who she was talking about.

“Oh? And who might you be talking about, Violet?” I said.

“Harry, alright. You were right about Harry. He's not an imaginary bear,” she said. “In fact he saved us from some very nasty bloodwings.”

“Is he alright?” I said, remembering how I had countered the bloodwing swarm. I hadn't seen where the Yao Guai had ran off to after chasing the swarm away. Violet nodded in response. “Good. Perhaps in the future you'll believe me when I say I've seen a giant bear.”

My green love grumbled under her breath. I giggled and stood, stretching out my wings. It felt so good to have them back! I never realized how much I'd missed them. Finishing my stretches, I opened my eyes.

“Feeling better?” Patch said.

“I am. Now, if you all will excuse me. I must speak with Dusk Blue,” I said, moving towards the door. I stopped and glanced back at my friends. “Do what you can to get ready, so that we can go visit Dry Rot.”

They nodded, going about their business. I sighed and pushed open the door, thinking about what I was going to do about the NCR. Discord worried me enough. His presence being free out in the Wasteland still didn't strike me as being a good thing, but there was nothing I could do about it for now.

I trotted to the elevator, taking it all the way down to the main lobby. Tenpony Tower in many ways reminded me of Theater, except the hustle and bustle of this place was far more... subdued. I could tell that the ponies here loved their comfort, as opposed to the raucous loud nature of the MMMM and their charges. Still... I realized that I didn't know exactly where to find Dusk Blue as I walked through the halls. A tap on my shoulder blade told me I didn't need to, however. I glanced to my side, seeing a very familiar pink unicorn.

“Radiant Star,” Sunshine Sky said, her squeaky voice reminding me all too well of the time I'd spent inside of her body. “I believe I owe you a debt a gratitude.”

“Sunshine,” I replied. “I do believe you don't owe me a thing. After all, we were both imprisoned. What happened to you?”

The pink unicorn motioned for me to follow her. As we walked, she started to speak.

“I was out around Central Station, looking for any clues on the alicorn that attacked the outlying settlements,” she said softly. “I thought maybe... maybe it had something to do with you. I guess I was right about that?”

“You were. Did you find out anything concrete? When we asked around there, nopony really knew what happened,” I asked.

“I figured as much. I can confirm that the alicorn that attacked the settlements was Spark,” she said. “Discord said as much when he captured me.”

“Why did he take you?” I said.

Sunshine shrugged. “He said he wanted to use me as bait, to get you to come to him,” she replied. “Before I knew it, I was watching you pilot my body.”

“I... I uh... Definitely had a lot of trouble with that part,” I said, chuckling.

Sunshine giggled. “That you did. Still, thank you. You saved my life.”

“No worries. Really. I'm just glad you're alright,” I said. “Listen... Sunshine. I need to talk to Dusk Blue. What happened with Discord... the NCR and the Twilight Society. We need to find a way to delay what's going on, at least until we can get them into the same room together to talk things out. I don't think either side really wants a war if it can be avoided.”

“I agree,” Sunshine said. “Dusk Blue is aware of this already. He asked for me to come find you and speak with you. He's very busy at the moment, but is hearing everything we're saying. Telepathy spell.” The pink mare grinned, tapping the side of her head.

“I... I see,” I said. “So then... what should we do? I want to help, but I have pressing matters that I need to attend to as well.”

“Your friend, Patch,” Sunshine said plainly. I nodded. “Dusk says that he understands your needs, but wants to see if you can try speaking to the NCR again. I know that this is difficult, Star, but we cannot budge from our position. Celestia One belongs to the Twilight Society. The NCR will need to trust us that we will use it appropriately.”

“But if you don't compromise, the NCR will attack, Sunshine. Even Tenpony Tower couldn't withstand their combined military might if they chose to devote enough ponypower to it,” I pleaded.

Sunshine sighed. “Understand Star. This isn't greed. We're the only ones who understand how to use this technology,” she said. “This is the legacy that Twilight Sparkle left us.”

“Well, she left me with a jumble of emotions and a boatload of manure,” I replied angrily. Sunshine shied away as I lifted my hoof. I closed my eyes and hung my head. “Look... I'm sorry. I just... I've seen firsthand how bad things can get when ponies don't talk and work together. It never ends well.”

“Dusk says that he understands, and will be willing to speak to the NCR, if you can facilitate an early meeting,” she said. Her horn flared, floating out a tiny circular device to me. “Take this with you. It's a long range hologram device, late Ministry of Arcane Science design. It's a little unpredictable, but it should let Dusk speak directly to the NCR Officer in charge.”

I levitated the device out of her magical grasp, placing it into my saddlebags. “And what about my friend? What about Dry Rot?” I asked.

“Take care of this for us, and you will be free to pursue your own plans,” Sunshine said. “All you have to do is deliver the unit, and the rest will be up to us.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. It was hard to tell if she was being sincere or not.

“Deal. We'll go out first thing in the morning,” I said, turning away from the unicorn to leave her.

“Star?” Sunshine called after me.

I stopped, glancing back at her.

“Yes?”

“I meant what I said before. I really am thankful that you saved me,” she said.

“You're welcome,” I replied as I started my journey back up to my room.

The others weren't going to be happy about this, but we didn't have much of a choice. We had technically made an agreement to help the Society with the NCR, and had to see it through to the end. Several moments passed before I pushed open the door to our room. Violet looked up at me expectantly.

“So... what's the word?” she asked.

I sighed, shaking my head. “No dice. Dusk Blue wants us to deliver something to the NCR. Something that would let them talk to each other,” I said. “Once that is done, then we can go seek out Dry Rot.”

“So... when do we leave?” she said.

“First thing in the morning. Sorry, everypony. I tried to get them to agree to it,” I said, glancing over at Patch.

“It's no big deal, Star. I can wait, you know,” Patch said, smiling softly. “I'm fine. Really, I am.”

I sighed, plopping to my haunches.

“I know, I just... I feel like... I feel like I'm responsible for all of this happening to you. I just want to, you know, fix it,” I said.

Patch smiled again softly. She stood, coming closer to me. Violet and the others nodded knowingly as they gave us some privacy, heading back to their rooms.

“I know... I know you feel like it's all your fault, Star. It's not. I don't blame you for this,” Patch said. I hung my head low as the green mare reached out with a hoof, placing it on my shoulder. “Trust me. It'll be alright. We'll make it through this. I'll make it through this.”

“I... Okay. Okay. You're right. You're right. I shouldn't be worrying this much about this,” I said, glancing up at the mare. “I think I'm just gonna try and get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us.”

Patch nodded, trotting back to her own room. I slunked into the room and plopped down next to Violet. The love of my life nuzzled me closely, bringing a smile to my face. It had been far too long since I'd enjoyed something so simple in my life as a quick nuzzle. My eyes drifted down to the other memory orb Discord had left me. Violet followed my gaze and then looked away with a sad look on her face.

“We were all worried about you when you didn't come out of the memory orb,” she said softly. “I was worried.”

“I...” I started to say.

“No... you don't get it, Star,” Violet said suddenly, cutting me off. Her voice was edgy, angry. “You said before that it was my purpose in life to protect the things I love, but I can't protect you when you're off in those things. What if... what if next time you don't wake up?”

“I... I'm sorry, Violet,” I said softly.

I glanced down at the memory orb again. Part of me really wanted to just grab a hold of it and drop right into it then and there. I almost did. Violet placed a hoof on my shoulder. I looked up at her, meeting her pleading gaze.

“I know. I know you are,” she said. “Just... try to exercise a little caution please? I... I love you so much, Star. I just... I don't want to lose you.”

She was starting to tear up. I reached in, giving her a nuzzle. I opened my mouth, pressing my lips to hers in a brief chaste kiss. I pulled away, smiling.

“And you won't, I promise you,” I said. I looked at the memory orb and batted it away with my forehoof, knocking it across the room. “I will still need to view that at some point, but until we're done here, I promise no more memory orbs.”

Violet smiled, wiping away her tears. “O-O-Okay,” she said. “I'm... I'm okay with that.” She reached in and nuzzled me again. I sighed, resting my head against hers. We laid there for several long moments before we finally drifted off to sleep.

I glanced up from where I was sitting, groaning loudly. The library was the last place I wanted to be after everything that had happened. I stood, trotting towards the door. Might as well get it over with, I thought, pushing it open. The library felt cold and there was very little light. I cringed as I stepped inside.

“Hello?” I called out. No response. Great, I thought. I'm sure I've probably royally pissed off little miss high and mighty.

I trotted into the center of the dark library, glancing about nervously. Where in the hell was Twilight? Hooves stomping on the ground alerted me to the alicorn's presence as she appeared at the top of the stairs. She tromped down the stairs, glaring at me.

“What did you do?!” she said angrily.

I looked away for a moment, and then returned her glare. “I did what I had to,” I replied. “I'm going to assume you know.”

“About Discord? Yes, I'm aware of what you did,” Twilight spat venomously. “Why? Why did you let him go?”

I sighed, taking a deep breath. I had to face this head on.

“Balance,” I said. “Discord may be a little off his rocker, but he's not evil. He's just a force, like order. But the world needs both harmony and disharmony to survive. That's why I had to free him.”

Twilight continued to glare at me. “And you really believed that he wasn't interested in killing you? Or taking Spark? He's Discord! He's a liar! It's in his nature!” she shouted.

I stomped a hoof angrily, the wood floor cracking underneath the force of the blow.

“And what do you know about lying, Twilight? You knew what was going on all along. Why didn't you tell me about Luna? About Nightmare? About what you did to Spark?!” I shouted right back. Twilight's eyes widened. “That's right. I saw the memories. Why did you seal Spark away? Why did Luna do what she did? I want to know!”

“There are plenty of things you do not understand, Star,” Twilight said softly. “Life was not easy for any of us during the war.”

“Then enlighten me,” I said gruffly. “You brought me here to yell at me about Discord, so the only decent thing to do is to answer my own questions.”

Twilight sighed, lowering her head. She finally nodded after a few long moments.

“First off... you have to remember... Spark is dangerous. She was dangerous back then, and she is still dangerous today. I recognized that. Yes... I might have been a little... extreme in my methods, but it was the only way to prevent her from pursuing her plans,” she explained.

“What exactly did you do to her?” I said.

“I sealed her essence in a soul gem. A soul gem is something the zebras believe can hold the souls of their departed loved ones. It's often used in dark magic,” Twilight said. “I managed to get my hooves on one, thanks to an old friend of mine. A zebra named Zecora. She wouldn't say where she got it from, only that it was very old.”

I cocked an eyebrow at this. Twilight had been friends with a zebra? I didn't quite remember anything about that. Funny, I thought. A lot of things have been slipping my mind lately. Must be stress. Twilight smiled softly and continued speaking. “The soul gem, combined with the spell energy and my sacrifice, were enough to seal Spark inside of it.”

“Then... how the heck did she get out? And how did you know how to seal her in the first place?” I asked frantically.

“I... I've never told anypony else this before,” Twilight said with a scowl. “It... it was Celestia. She knew how to bind Spark. I don't know how she knew, but she did. As to how Spark escaped... that I don't know.”

“Celestia?” I inquired. I cocked my head. “But Spark was with you all the time... how did she not see what was coming? She seemed genuinely surprised in the memory.”

“That was because Celestia gave me a spell to block certain portions of my mind away from her,” she replied. “Spark asked me about it from time to time. I told her that the spell was to organize my thoughts better. I had been feeling rather stressed from running the Ministry all the time. She bought it hook, line, and sinker.”

“I... I see,” I said. “What does Luna have to do with this? She sealed Discord away. She also had Nightmare inside of her still. Why?”

“Luna... Luna never lost the Nightmare,” Twilight said. “It was always deep inside of her, somewhere. When I found out that Spark had been corrupted by her, I confronted Luna. She was... hurting. There were many reasons that Luna stayed in the shadows during the war. Nightmare was one of those.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Luna... she was trying her hardest to prevent Nightmare from escaping. Right after Celestia abdicated the throne and the Ministries were in place, she had an... episode. It was kept secret. Equestria did not need to give the zebras any indication that Nightmare Moon had returned. It took a lot of... effort, but we managed to calm her down,” Twilight replied. The lavender alicorn sighed and lifted a hoof. “You have to understand... Luna wasn't bad. Nightmare was the evil one. Luna had to do everything she could to hold her inside.”

“So why did she banish Discord?” I said. It was relieving to finally be getting some answers for a change.

“I... I don't know to be honest, Star,” Twilight said. “Discord... he visited me after I sealed Spark. He said something about wanting her... our power. I suspect it had something to do with that.”

“He did want it,” I said without missing a beat. “He wanted it to be free. At least that's what he said.” The more I heard of both sides of the story made me feel like Discord had some further motive for wanting Spark's power. Twilight's explanation didn't make me feel any better about it.

“I guess that's all I needed to know then,” I said. “Look... I know that you're angry about what happened with Discord... but I had no choice. If I didn't free him, we'd never have been able to get to Spark. He had us locked into freeing him, either way.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes at me. “I... I know,” she said. “I'm... I'm sorry. I'm just... I'm tired of all these distractions. Every moment, I can feel the connection weakening. I don't know exactly what will happen if it's severed completely. Nothing good, I'm afraid.”

“What?” I said, cocking my head in confusion.

“Well... if we take the principle of amniomorphic spells into account, factoring in the --” Twilight began, glancing up at me before blushing fiercely. “Sorry. Equestrian. Got it. I'm afraid... if the connection severs... there's a chance that you will die, Radiant Star.”

Author's Notes:

And there we are... Chapter 27! Its crazy, but things are starting to heat up between the NCR and Twilight Society, and not to mention a certain spirit of Disharmony being loose in the Wasteland.

Fear not though, this is far from the last time that we'll see Discord. His overall impact on the story means that his final appearance will be the most chaotic and explosive ever. I can't wait!

As of this chapter, we're now getting very close to the end. Chapters 35, 36, and the Epilogue are coming. They even have names, so that's how serious we are about that.

Now... by the time you read this chapter this will have already happened, because the chapter isn't going to be edited and released until my editor Wirepony and pre-reader McMesser show up on my doorstep in the month of August. You see, Wirepony has the entire month of August off and he's chronicling his journey throughout the USA (one that involves a major stop to see me) over at http://wiregeek.tumblr.com. Check it out!

Onto the plugs. Of course, you can continue to ask Star questions over at http://askradiantstar.tumblr.com!

My fic plug for this chapter is going over to JohnColt, the head of the FoE Wiki (http://falloutequestria.wikia.com) and his story “Fallout Equestria: Gaia Prevails”. I'm happy to give a plug to him in return for featuring Starlight on the main wiki page. So go check out his story!

Mucho thanks indeed to McMesser and Wirepony for all that they do. I so can't wait to meet you guys.

Again, big thanks to Kkat for creating this world in which I now play.