Discord let out a long, tired sigh, his foot tapping impatiently at the ground as he swirled his chocolate milk of glass. Again, he contemplated his miserable lot in life. Being the absolute ruler of an entire kingdom was so…boring. He couldn’t believe just how dull every day was, day after day.

Now, taking over the kingdom, that had been glorious, wonderful fun. Starting off small, his simple tricks had infuriated and confused those he’d pulled them on. But when he built up? Oh, what a riot! Entire communities had been turned on their head! Some literally.

Day had been night, or dusk, or morning, or day. Nopony ever really knew what he would decide. Then again, neither had he! He chuckled at the memory as he had made fish fly and birds swim; rain had parched the ground to dust, or came down uncomfortably, even unbearably hot, or, as his personal favorite, chocolate milk. Everything the ponies had held so dear in their command—the animals, the weather, the very magic so inherent to who they were (Cutie Mark Roulette had been a particular favorite)—had been taken away and put under his will.

But now that he had won, now that Harmony had been shown its true place—its boring, pointless, miniscule place—he was finding his chaos...lacking. As much as he hated to say it, chaos unimpeded was hardly chaos at all. It needed something to fight against, something to react to. Unexpectedly, of course.

Turning to lie upside down and sideways in his chair—bringing the view of his hut back to normal—he realized that chaos was served better with an outside force to actually find it chaotic. Sure, the ponies of Equestria suffered under its sway eternally, fearing what the next day, the next hour, the next minute might bring down upon their hooves or under their heads. But it was a constant, with no change in the overall effect.

Even an immortal scion of chaos could break a pony’s will only so many times before it became routine. And that disgusted him. He was better than that. Oh so much better.

He rubbed at his chin. Something he had thought, something that had flittered in and out, had caught his attention… Now what was it?

With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a mirror in front of him.

“Mirror, mirror, in my paw,” he intoned dramatically, “show me when I was thinking ten seconds ago.”

The blank face swirled with color until Discord was watching himself, on his chair, on his chair. He had to admit that the draconequus looked especially stately and wondered if he truly looked so wise and pensive when he was thinking to himself. It was almost too good to be believed. Almost.

But instead of the visage of intelligence and maturity he knew he held most of the time, this time Discord felt his face fall in annoyance. “Well this isn’t very helpful. Yes, I can see little ol’ me thinking hard, but I can hardly see what I’m thinking. Pfui,” he snorted, tossing the mirror aside. It bounced off the stone floor, landing near the fireplace, where it promptly melted.

He thought about it once again. How do I go about reading my own mind?

“Aha!” he shouted as the answer came to him. “Discord, old boy, you’re getting rusty. This is too easy.”

He raised his paw and snapped his fingers smartly. There was a bright flash, a bit of smoke—totally unnecessary, but he felt the effects added a little professionalism—and the sound of a rooster crowing. Funny, he didn’t remember adding that last part…

“That was me, sorry. I just couldn’t help myself! It really needed a sound effect.” he said to himself, gently wiping off his front. “And next time, could we skip the rush of air? It really stirs up the dust.”

“Are you implying that my performance was lacking?” he asked himself, incredulous.

“There there, we all have our off days,” he consoled, patting himself on the back. “Besides, don’t we have more important business to attend to?”

“You’re right,” he said, not entirely over the insult. “I’m trying to think of the perfect way to alleviate this, shall we say, slump we’re in?”

“And I’ve already thought of it,” he replied, matter-of-factly.

“True, true. But I’ve done and forgotten.”

“Tsk tsk.” He wagged a finger. “I suppose it can’t be helped. We are a neverending fountain of good ideas, after all. Things get pushed out, removed, replaced… Even we can have...trouble with our own majesty.”

Discord’s eyes lit up. “So true! It is so wonderful to see somepony else who truly gets me.”

“Even if I am you,” the copy replied.

Discord nodded, waving a claw. “Who else can I trust for the perfect solution but moi?”

The copy nodded, a knowing look on his handsome face. “But enough about me, let’s talk about us.”

“Let’s.”

“So, what do you want from me, might I ask?”

Discord waved his arms around widely. “All of this. It was so pleasing, so fantastic to take. But now it’s ours.”

“And we grow bored,” said the clone, thoughtfully.

“Too much so! What is there left to do? I mean, there are only so many ways to break a pony once they’re already broken, after all.”

“Is it really breaking them when you rule?”

“A fair point, a fair point. But I can hardly grant them Harmony.” He made a twisted face. “Even just saying the word is—“

“Atrocious. Vile. Practically vulgar,” said the clone, matching his expression and sticking out a tongue.

“And all that work I put in, all that effort and struggle to show these ponies that rightful ways of Chaos…” He paused as he saw his doppelganger’s face take on an odd look. “Do you have something?”

“I just might.” He gave a wicked grin. “I think this is even more than what we thought up earlier, for now we are focused! Yes, yes. Listen to this:

“We recognize that the fun isn’t what comes after the victory, but obtaining the victory itself.”

Discord nodded. “Yes, and?”

“Well that’s it! It was the fight that kept things interesting. Boring and useless as those harmony-loving fools were, they still forced us to bring our A-game. They challenged us, made us think, made us be creative. And that test of our own might was—”

“Immense fun!” Discord finished. “Yes, yes, I see now. We need those still in a position to think themselves free, or at least believe they can become free. To fight against us, try to overcome us. Somepony with enough free will and, above all, hope left that we can then crush into the dust! Mwahaha! Oh yes! What a brilliant idea.”

“Now hold on just a moment there,” his clone said sternly. “That is all well and good but...perhaps it shouldn’t be us who crush it?”

Discord tilted his head, confused. “Explain?”

The other Discord brought his claw and paw together in a thoughtful expression. “Well, we both know there’s nopony alive or dead with the skill, charm, wit, power, or looks to stand against us. So what fun would it really be if we stopped them? But really, when were we having the most fun? When we applied ourselves directly?”

Slowly, realization dawned upon Discord. “It’s so obvious! I feel silly that I missed it… Well, I suppose I didn’t miss it. It was too obvious, perhaps, so clearly just a matter of course.”

“So you see what I mean?”

“Oh yes,” he said with relish, rubbing his paw and claw together eagerly. “The best trick up our sleeves, if we had them. Not to overtake them ourselves, but to let them destroy themselves. Yes, those were the days. A rumor here, a slight practical joke there… And those fools would take themselves apart, piece by piece. Glorious.”

“So, we are agreed?” asked the clone.

“Oh very much so.” He gave a deep, dramatic bow. “I just want to thank myself for making this possible.”

The clone laughed, waving a claw. “Oh, stop, me. You’re embarrassing yourself!”

Discord tapped at his chin. “True, and time waits for nopony! Well, ta ta!”

“Ta,” replied the clone as Discord clapped his hands together. There was another flash of light as the whole room trembled. When it all calmed, Discord was alone, as he always had been.

His mind was racing.

“A competition,” he thought aloud. “A competition of free souls, untouched by my majesty. ...now where will I find anypony like that?” He hmmed to himself. “Everypony now is a happy subject to my rule. They would follow my commands, but for all the wrong reasons. There’s no entertainment there.

“But…” He paused. It would require a fair bit of power, but certainly was not beyond him. He began to pace, swirling a bit of energy to bring up a small model as he thought it up. “It is only fair, after all. To open the competition to all of Equestria—no matter when they might be from. Yes.” He nodded, satisfied. He turned, looking at the vague shape of the magical model that was forming itself.

“They’ll need the proper venue, of course.” He casually jerked a finger and the model began collapsing into itself, expanding again in a different shape. “After all, it can’t be too easy. Not only must they test themselves against each other, but I think I’ve earned the right to test them myself.”

He continued tweaking and teasing, as much guiding the creation as letting it create itself. It had to be perfect in its imperfection. So expertly designed to accommodate any challenger. Dangerous and deadly, difficult but still allowing a chance. It would keep his competitors on their hooves. He could picture it now, watching them move—some afraid, some nervous, some prepared, but all anxious and perhaps just a little paranoid. Truly the perfect combination for the best show.

At last, he gently lifted the finished model before him. To anypony else, it wasn’t much to look at. Relatively circular, divided into various sections, the detail wasn’t, well, in the details. But Discord could sense the differences in each section. Each field had a spirit of its own, all dedicated to twisting reality into a more entertaining form.

He laughed. “Oh yes, Discord. You’ve truly outdone yourself. Though the real thing will have to wait just a moment longer...”

Setting the model down, he turned his mind to the next piece: the competitors.

Taking his seat again, he thought what would work best. Should they be trained warriors? Normal ponies? What he needed was a single factor unifying them all. The energy required to gather them would be immense, and if he wanted it to work well, giving the spell as singular a target as possible would be best.

“Simply fighting for your life is all well and good,” he said aloud, “but what this game needs is true desperation. Desire in their drive. Plus, if they know they’re actually fighting for something, they will struggle all the harder.”

Yes, he nodded to himself. Even the best sort would throw his own mother to the dogs if it meant getting something that defined his very being. That he wanted enough to risk his life for. To kill for.

His laughter filled the room. It was just too wonderful; he couldn’t wait to see his plan in action.

Heading for the door, he grabbed the model with his tail. He had an Arena to build, and time was wasting. Then the spell itself…

He sighed as he took to the sky, the site for the Arena already chosen in his mind. It would be a lot of work.

But it would be so worth it.

Later, the chaos lord wiped at his brow, exhausted.

It had taken him seven terrible, long, grueling seconds of focus and concentration. Though he was all-powerful and infinitely skilled, this spell was perhaps the most complex and draining he had ever worked.

But there it stood before him. A swarming, beautiful vortex of Chaos energy. The Chaos Arena had been a breeze compared to this. However, this was only the first step. It was just energy, after all. Now to shape it to his will…

The spell would be keyed to the land of Equestria itself. Discord closed his eyes and opened himself to it. It was fascinating, even now, feeling at one with the land. As powerful as he was, there was simply so much more magic contained in the earth. And that magic tied the land with anything and everything living on it. So he carefully tied his spell to that magic, which would allow it the same access he had in sensing those connections.

This was also how it would be able to pull ponies—or whatever, why be picky?—from any time as well. Though Discord had never done much studying on it himself, he knew magic’s odd relationship with time had fascinated that old goat, Starswirl. It amused him to think how the stallion would react to Discord’s little game.

He realized, absentmindedly, that the spell itself would have to have a bit of a mind of its own. The ponies it chose had to meet his strict requirements, but he hardly wanted to choose them himself. No, he wanted the surprise.

After tying it to Equestria, he began imparting the selection process. Skill and experience and physical capability, these were all well and good but ultimately secondary. No, what the participants had to have above all other things was a wish. Something located at their very core that they then built their entire self about. It would define them, make them who they were. Nothing less would drive them hard enough to do anything to get it.

It would be that want that would be their downfall. Oh, sure, there would be one victor—and Discord was even feeling generous enough that he thought he would actually grant their request—but the rest would do everything they could to win. They would be filled with hope, only to have it dashed by others feeling the same way. And Discord could simply watch and laugh.

With these thoughts and more, he shaped the spell to share them. It would base all its own decisions on them, granting Discord the absolute best potential roster.

After a few minutes, Discord realized he actually did feel a little worn out. The spell was taking a good deal of his power, though it would return in time. He disregarded it as unimportant. His work neared completion.

As he finished it, he double-checked his handiwork. It was a monster of a spell, and he felt pleased at his own genius. Gently, he willed it to act. With little fanfare, the energy dissipated quickly, although he could lightly sense it coursing through the magical veins of Equestria.

He smiled, wickedly. For all those that had fought against him, for all those that wailed and whined about his chaos, there was proof enough. The land itself accepted it—although it accepted harmony just as well, he grudgingly admitted. But regardless, there it was. Equestria could be a simple land of harmony or a playground of chaos. And which was the obvious choice?

Discord summoned up a seat, took it, and let out a long sigh. It had been ages since he had worked with that much pure chaotic magic. He felt, oddly, tired. It was unusual, unpleasant. But, he supposed, not unexpected. His energy would return with just a little time.

And that was exactly what he had. The spell was out and about, checking every heart, peeking into every dusty mind. Searching, searching. No place was safe; no time was immune.

“Sixteen,” he said quietly. “Find me sixteen! And then we can get this party started!”

And then he laughed. He could hardly wait.

There was no way that Discord could do much more than gently feel the workings of his spell. As it coursed through the leylines of Equestria, it faded in and out, going before and beyond his own frame of the Present. He tried to imagine it.

Gently it would dart along, unseen, but perhaps felt by those sensitive to such things. For each creature it would pause for a split second, probing their innermost thoughts and feelings, comparing it to the template that Discord had instilled within it. Then, with the will he had imparted into it, it would make a judgement call.

For most it would search, reject, and then move on. But here or there, then or when…

Here a pegasus paused in midflight, his feathers tingling, as if a storm was coming. There an earth pony stopped his charge, a strong sense of foreboding filling his mind. Then a gryphon felt an itch on her back, as if she was being watched. When the changeling’s sense of emotional energy completely blanked, it mentally screamed, both from terror at the unfamiliarity and pain from its sudden intense hunger.

And then, just as suddenly as they paused, suffering from that strange dark feeling, they vanished.

Just a faint pop and they were gone. With each, Discord could feel the spell working, like a little tickle in the back of his mind. One by one, he counted down, knowing the spell would deposit them all at the same time in the place he designated—at the entrance to his Chaos Arena.

Four… Three… Two… One—!

With a flap of his wings, he bounded from his chair, barely containing his excitement. He felt like a kid again, all giddy energy and expectation. He took a step for the door, then stopped.

“Now, now, Discord,” he told himself. “This will have to be handled...delicately. Can’t just go barging in like some sort of common pony. You are a king. Act like one.”

They would be arriving in the large foyer-style entrance he had placed in the Arena. While he could have simply appeared there—which had its merits, he admitted—he wanted to see them first.

So, with a snap of his fingers he instead teleported to the upper level of the entrance, into his viewing room. There, in the center, was yet another model of the Arena, but much larger than the first one he had made. At the moment it was simply so much carved stone, but when the Games began his magic would bring it to life. A living representation of the reality. Perfectly allowing him to watch—and even affect things, if he felt the need or whim.

On one side was a copy of his favorite chair; across from that was a large set of double doors. It was through these he passed, down a long hall, lit only by torchlight, and past another set. He opened them quietly, revealing a small balcony. Approaching the railing, he leaned on it and shifted his gaze over and down.

Discord rubbed his claw and paw together eagerly as he looked over the collection of vic—er, participants. His spell had done wonderfully; far better than he had initially expected. Even now, he could sense—below their confusion, their anger, their fear—the overwhelming need within their hearts. Sixteen very different goals within sixteen very different breasts, but all so strong, so defining.

They were all so delectably perfect for what he had in mind. And skilled, too. So unique and talented a group of souls… There was a fine mix of ponies, a couple griffons and changelings, and even a young dragon. What were the odds?

“Just as I want them,” he whispered to himself. Yes… He could feel his spirit rejuvenating already. Here would be the best in entertainment. They would fight—whatever their consciences told them—and they would fight so well. A spectacle for all the ages… Perhaps, he thought, I should do this more often! Now there was an idea!

Oh but mustn’t let them wait any longer. The show must go on!

Already some were beginning to grow restless, though they were all suspicious enough that they had yet to speak to one another. Still, it would only be a matter of moments, and he didn’t want that. Not at all. That would spoil his fun.

Clapping his hands together loudly, he released a bit of power to magnify the sound. That brought everypony’s attention to the two massive torches that burst into rainbow-coloured flame above them. Between the flames, he entered, lightly resting an arm on the railing and looking at his playthings below.

He saw a great many things look back at him. There was far more recognition than he suspected there would be. He was not a complete unknown. Yet most were from the far future, or so the residual magic around them told him. However, those looked, for the most part, fairly...normal. Like anypony from before he had taken over. That was either a very interesting point or a very disappointing one. Perhaps both.

In some of those eyes was hate, and Discord reveled in it. That was what he had worked so hard to see, at least in the beginning. First they hated him, then they feared him, and then they knew nothing but despair… Oooh, he itched all over just thinking about it.

There was plenty of confusion, with just a little fear, which was to be expected. And in a couple of his guests’ eyes he saw excitement, of all things. Strange, that, but satisfying in its own right. Being feared and hated was fantastic, but it was nice to sprinkle in a little respect and even fawning over him. He did so deserve it, after all.

He let his senses flow over the gathered sixteen, taking in who they were and what they were capable of. He also took careful note of their equipment—one pony was covered with a lot of strange mechanical devices that Discord couldn’t even begin to guess the purpose behind—and noted how many unicorns were among the bunch. Sometimes a little planning went a long way to bring out the best chaos, after all, and he would need to pair them off accordingly.

Satisfied, he stood tall, stretched his arms out wide, and gave his best smile.

Showtime!

“Greetings, worthy participants!” he called out, magnifying his voice with a little magical help. “And welcome! To the Discordian Games!”

And dramatic pause… Is that applause?

He lowered his arms and took back a position leaning on the railing. Yes, he could see there were at least two ponies clapping wildly. He kept his face neutral, but inwardly he smiled. That was very interesting.

“I’ll bet you’re wondering exactly what that is, or perhaps a, ‘Why me?’ or maybe you’re so befuddled you don’t even know who I am.” He inclined his head a fraction. “I am your host, your organizer, your absolute ruler-supreme. But I am generous, so you may simply call me Discord.”

That drew sharp looks, both confused and angry. But he continued.

“Some of you have heard of me, I see. For those of you unfamiliar, you are forgiven, for today you have been especially chosen to compete in a once-in-a-lifetime, historic event. For all of Equestria’s entertainment, you have been gathered. Hither and yon I have taken you—oh, and even time was no obstacle in choosing my perfect participants, so if things seem a little different than what you’re used to, try not to collapse into a twitching pile. But I do go on.”

He paused, looking at them carefully. And...there! he thought, quickly waving his claw.

Down below, a few of the participants had opened their mouths—and at least one beak—to speak, but he silenced them quickly, stuffing their mouths with pacifiers. A bib wrapped around their heads, holding them tight in.

“Ah ah ah,” he said, wagging a finger. “Don’t interrupt your betters, children. I am still talking. Trust me, there is still so much more to tell, and you’ll want to hear it if you care to have a hope to survive.” He grinned. “And win my prize.”

Aaah! That hit the mark, he thought, pleased. Some had been distinctly ignoring him, others simply looked angry or disinterested. Now he had their undivided attention.

“Yes, you heard me right. They’re called games for a reason, everypony! In my eternal generosity, I am prepared to do more than simply give you the honor of participating. For one of you, count ‘em, one, there awaits the most spectacular of prizes! Nothing in your pitiful little lives could even hope to compare.” Discord gently waved his hands. “I know, you are not worthy. But still, it is my pleasure as your king.

“What is this fabulous prize, you may ask? Well, you might want to, but you can’t… Nevermind. The prize. Yes, the prize!” He pointed down at them with one long finger. “For one of you, I am prepared to grant you anything you could possibly want.” He saw some looks of disbelief, some in doubt and some in awe. “Yes, it seems impossible, or perhaps too good to be true. But rest assured, I fully mean what I say.

“One thing, any possible thing. I will use my infinite power to grant it. Think upon that, if you will. An offer like this doesn’t come about everyday. And I am fully aware that within each of you is a wish stronger than anything.” He paused, a thought occurring. “Also, I grant you my word that, despite my chaotic tendencies, I am perfectly capable of applying my power in a fair and just manner. What you want, you will get. No tricks, no strings.

“‘But Discord,’ you may be saying,” he said, beginning to pace back and forth, “‘what can we possibly do to earn such a marvelous prize? How might we earn your infinite grace and generosity?’ I am so glad you asked. I know you’re limited, but in my wisdom I have made the Games very simplistic.

“Look around you. In this hall, you will spy sixteen doors. One for each of you. Those doors lead to my specially designed Chaos Arena. It is a masterpiece of work, one time a boring old pony city. Dedicated to the usual pointlessness of harmony and peace and comfort and blah, blah, blah.” He spat. “Boring! But not without potential; potential I have unlocked as only I can do.

“You sixteen will step through those doors, into the Arena, where wonders and danger await, hoof in claw. My fields are glorious in their design and nature, but make no mistake. In the Arena you face death.”

Stopping his pacing, he took to the railing again, studying their reactions at this announcement. A part of him almost wanted to release the silence, but his patience held. Though he knew he would need to hurry it along, lest he do something drastic.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he snapped. “Of course you face death—how else would we reduce sixteen to one? But the Arena is merely half the challenge, and the easier half at that. Look around you, a little closer this time. See into the eyes of your fellow participants. They are the only thing standing between you and victory. Between you and your prize. Take a good, long look.” He smirked. “For one of them may be the eyes of the pony who might end you.

“Alone, you’ll enter the Arena, but that is just temporary. For you see, there is only one game tonight: Kill, or be killed. Fight and win, for death is the only thing awaiting the losers.”

Rapping his fingers on the rail, he added, “And if any of you get cold-hooves and think you’ll simply run away or not fight… A little bit of advice. There is no escape without my say so. You are here because I want you here, and nothing will change that. But, let’s say you do manage to escape the Arena. Impossible, but let’s pretend. The only thing you will find is Discord. This land is mine; all of Equestria is mine. You can not escape me, no matter how far you might run.

“Furthermore, I’ll sweeten the pot. Perhaps even your greatest want is not enough to make you kill. So, on top of your wish, I will send you home, safe and sound. No matter where or when that might be. Keep that in mind, all of you, as we begin.”

With that, the room descended into silence, even deeper than was possible with his spell. None of the participants looked at one another. They were too busy looking within their own selves.

And so it truly has begun, he thought happily. He could see the wheels turning as some concentrated on the fight, but most considered his words. Slowly they would convince themselves of the necessity, of the worth… Discord knew all too well how the pony mind worked. Like a changeling or a griffon would be that different, he reckoned. But no matter what they told themselves, even winning what they wanted most in the world, it would torture and haunt them, twisting them into a shell of what they were.

Just as planned.

Slowly he raised his arms, rubbing his fingers together. Sparks shot from his talons and claws, falling from the balcony above down below. As they hit the stone floor they began bouncing towards the far walls. Sixteen hopping spark flows separated out, one for each door. As they hit the plain wood, they moved up the front and gathered, forming a simple curve of a handle.

“Now choose,” boomed his voice. “Best of luck and fight well. But remember the most important thing:

“Entertain me.”

And with that, he vanished once more, a crackle of thunder and his mad laughter marking his exit as his voice echoed, bouncing to and fro and filling the entire room.

Finding themselves still silenced, the various participants—each having come to their own conclusion—slowly trotted or hovered or slinked to a door, avoiding looking too hard at one another. Then, as one, they gripped the glowing handle and pulled.

As they passed through the doors, they closed with a final boom, leaving an empty and silent room.

The Games had begun.