Chapter Twenty-Three: Elemental Issues

Something filled my mind. It was quite unsettling, but at least this either meant that I was already going insane from waiting in this statue, or something had entered my mind. Again. This had to stop happening to me. Oh well. What was it now?

Return to us, Element of Order.

What are you talking about? Who are you? I'm not really an Element of Harmony, that was just a little party game, like all of this has been from the beginning.

You are required once more. We can assist you.

Okay, I'm listening.

Your afflictions cannot be healed by us, but if you trust us, we will help you do what is necessary.

Yeah, I knew it, you're the Elements of Harmony, aren't you? That's cute. What do I have to do to get out of this?

Be yourself.

Well, that's going to be difficult if I don't have my own-

My mind was flooded with images. Men and mer, friends and enemies, all filled my sight at once. Memories, new and old, of all those ponies I'd gotten to know over the last month, of all the adventures we had, of the success we'd enjoyed. I felt something welling up inside me. I felt... different, normal.

Return to us, Element of Order.

The voice faded. Okay, this was bad. I was still stuck in this statue. What was Discord doing with my body? How did the Elements get in my head too? I felt a need to tell the world that my mind was not a plaything, it was getting very, very annoying. I thought about what Discord could do with my body, threatening to destabilize the universe if he didn't get his way. This was bad.

Discord has no power. Your influence is bound to your soul, not your body.

Yeah, good to know, thank you. Now, get out of here, please.

I was left to think. Had the Elements been in my head the whole time, too? My brain sure had been crowded for the last few weeks, and I was getting awfully tired of being possessed. At least they snapped me out of that state. Now what did I have to do? Wait for someone to come rescue me? How in the world could they do that?

Ponyville library

"Alright, everypony. I've asked you to bring your Elements of Harmony with you because Equestria is in great danger," Twilight said, observing the reactions of her friends and finalizing in her head what she was going to say. Each of her friends had been asked to pack for adventure, and to bring their enchanted jewellery, to be prepared for whatever they decided to do about this. All were clad in their saddlebags, and Fluttershy had brought Blitzle along.

"W-what kind of danger?" Fluttershy asked. Before Twilight could answer, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"Yeah, and where's Zach? I saw him a few hours ago, walking through Ponyville."

Those words struck like a hammer. This confirmed that Zach had betrayed Equestria.

"Where might he be? You must've surely sent him a letter." Rarity, too, spoke.

Twilight sighed. "Zach has overthrown the Princess. Legally, he is now the ruler of Equestria."

"How is that even possible? I mean, he's one of the Elements of Harmony, like us, right? No Element of Harmony would dare betray the others, and especially not the Princess," Applejack stated. All of them were certain of Zach's position as one of the Elements, there was no question there. The real question was why Zach would undergo such a reversal in loyalty practically overnight.

"I don't know, Applejack. What we do know is that Celestia has ordered us, specifically, not to intervene. I, for one, think that this situation completely calls for intervention," Twilight continued, "and if we can't stop him, we can at least try to figure all of this out. What do you girls think?"

The ponies looked amongst themselves for a moment.

"Umm... will this be dangerous?" Fluttershy asked. Twilight had to think about that. Zach had lost his only weapon during their last adventure, and his physical capabilities were nothing if not insubstantial. The most dangerous thing about Zach was his ability to maipulate the universal barrier, and that was what made him a risk big enough for Celestia not to interfere with. Though, he was unlikely to suddenly start doing chaotic things when they arrived, it wasn't like him to do so. Then again, nothing he'd done today were things he'd normally do.

"I don't think so, Fluttershy, but we can't be too careful."

"It is settled, then," Rarity said, "we will go to Canterlot and apprehend this rebel."

"Maybe he isn't taking over Equestria," Pinkie Pie said. All attention went to her. "I mean, it would be an awesome prank to pull."

"Again, Pinkie, we can't be too careful. We should get going to Canterlot, it's getting-" Twilight stopped mid-sentence as she noticed something. The sun was not setting. "-Late. Something has happened to the Princess! Come on, girls!"

The Elements, minus one, joined by Blitzle and Spike, made haste for Canterlot. The Princess was in danger, and Zach had gone rogue. The Elements of Harmony needed to intervene.

Canterlot Castle

Discord sat on the throne, gazing idly at the five statues, of four guards and a Princess, wondering where the second Princess had hidden herself. She would show eventually, he was sure of that. He'd already changed Canterlot to fit his preferences. The citizens were in panic, of course, and he was enjoying all of this chaos. Overthowing Celestia had been very easy, as was disposing of Zach. Sure, it had been boring waiting in his mind for such a long time, waiting for him to finish his games, but it had been worth the wait. The rest of the Elements would have recieved their letter not to trifle with 'Zach'- that is, if Celestia wrote one. She was smart enough to do that, though. They wouldn't be able to fight their 'friend' anyway, even if they knew it was him, and he knew how loyal they were to their beloved Princess. His victory was at hand, everything was going according to plan.