I watched in boredom as Celestia led the six little ponies along into the chamber. I faded away when one of them glanced at me, blanking her memory and giving her a small headache. My magic back then was able to perform feats almost as well as Dissy, but with less 'Oomph!' to them. Something I was better at then Dissy was psychology, namely twisting people and ponies minds. He could make more physical chaos in the world, but I was a true puppeteer, casting illusions and manipulating my enemies at every turn. In their minds light would turn to shadow and up would be down after a few moments of my manipulating them.

I watched Discord lead the little ponies along, giving them a little riddle as to where the three Hellements were hidden by him. Of course, they believed the fakes I had left and so went with what Discord said and rushed off to the maze by the castle. This would be where I took a more active role with the little horses. I watched the six of them rush off and then looked back at Celestia. I heard her murmur a wish of good luck to her little ponies. I grinned and watched her like a predator.

"Show time..."

First a little bit of trickery, giving Celestia a little tweak in the way she saw reality around her. A bit of paranoia and then make time fly in her mind. Then a little illusion, the sun and moon moving around to make her think time's passed. Hmm, how about the little bearers winning faster than she thought they would. Maybe have the student go first.

"Princess! We found the Elements!"

"Twilight? Oh, thank goodness! I was rather worried that maybe something had... Happened?"

I made the little ponyquinns of the bearers take up combative stances. Now the blue pegasus.

"We're here to stop your evil! King Discord has sent us to free Equestria from your rule!"

I watched her as she took a step back in bleary confusion.

"What? I'm not trying to to take over Eq-"

Cut her off with the bearer of honesty.

"Liar! Discord showed us how you've been brainwashin' everypony!"

Celestia had a look in those blurry little eyes by this point, one of fear and confusion. Now for the pink one.

"We know what you did to all of the ponies who tried to stop you!"

Now the purple.

"I trusted you, and now I see that it was all A! LIE!"

Celestia was now terrified, the little change I made in her perception leading her to believe them. She was sobbing, honestly thinking she had committed all kinds of atrocities. For that I didn't even need to work out an illusion, her mind was blearily filling in the blanks for me. Celestia was frozen in terror and sorrow, tears streaming down her face as my six ponyquinns lifted into the air, illuminating. In Sunbutt's mind it was the light of Harmony casting down one more tyrant. In my mind it was a simple golden glow of vengeance as I brought out a cockatrice from the Everfree to gaze into her eyes. In her last moments she looked to the floor with half-lidded eyes, accepting of her final fate as her body was fully corrupted, her mind fading and her flesh succumbing into stone. I let out a final laugh as I snapped the cockatrices skeleton and threw its corpse into my ribcage with the elements and stood in front of Celestia.

"Oh boy, what a finish! A thousand years in stone earning every one of Discord's tricks just for when I got loose. See, I remember Celly! I know that if those little ponies of yours successfully pass Discord's riddle and then get their hooves on the elements I stole that anything we did to Equestria would be undone but this! HAH!"

I leaned in the the statue, ad kept talking even though she couldn't hear me.

"See, I didn't do this. A cocatrice did. Even if Dissy and I get locked up again, the elements won't have any effect, and since I destroyed the cockatrice that trapped you, there is NO way to save you! Dissy may not turn ponies to stone but I DO! And you know what? Yu taught me something... Even if the enemy has the bigger stick, if you plan out a victory with every uncertainty in mind, and as the damaged mofo I am, then you win."

I grinned one last time and painted a mustache on Celestias face.

"I've already won, and if I'm wrong about that..."

I started walking away, choosing not to teleport for the effect and hoping some part of her was still alive to see and hear me.

"Well just by stoning you, I've ruined the one thing that held Equestria from dissolving into madness of its own accord..."

With my final step out of the hall, I snapped my hand, sending the shattered windows falling throughout the hall behind me.

Now was the fun part. I had waited a bit, and then found the little bearers. It seemed the purple one was more resilient that we'd thought, she still held together, and the blue pegasus...

Well then. It seemed Dissy had made her a small chubby dragon. I'd have to figure that out later.

"Congratulations Spike, you're the new Rainbow Dash!"

Well that explained that. Dissy was sitting on a throne waiting to take the punishment as the six rose in the air...

Only to flop back on the ground, as they only had three elements.

"Ha-ha! Well done everypony, you- HA!- You killed me! I'm dying of laughter here!"

I slowly faded into view above Discord's throne with a Cheshire grin, and the barest hint of while pupils in my black eyes.

"Well ain't that just a bummer my little ponies..." Next Chapter: Chapter Three: You've Met With a Terrible Fate Haven't You? Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 29 Minutes