The Foundation of Memory's Past
Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Ghosts From The Past. [Re-Written]
Previous Chapter Next ChapterA bright white light flashed throughout the room, blinding everyone, including me. A powerful shock wave erupted and I hopped back.
Once it died down, I noticed that Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna were all unconscious, and Cadence was the only one who was still awake.
I could hear the guards trying to open the doors, and made sure to put a blockade right at the front, keeping them out. Cadence noticed me and saw the others. She gasped as I glared at her, and stalked her like prey.
"Please! Don't hurt them! I'm sorry for whatever happened! Just don't hurt them!" She cried, tears starting to fall from her eyes. She noticed that I was also crying, and lit up her horn in magic.
I activated my shields before she could do anything. Getting close to her, I knocked her down and got between her. She looked at me like I was going to assault her, and I put my hoof on her neck, choking her lightly.
Flaring out my wings, I raised my other hoof and readied myself to punch her. I felt like I was being controlled, and I couldn't stop myself.
I froze suddenly, and blinked a few times. What?
I saw she had a terrified look in her eyes, and I got up off of her. She looked at me and I shook my head, a pain flaring throughout my chest and head.
Growling in pain, I fell to the ground and clutched my chest. I yelled in pain and electricity danced around my body. More tears were falling, and my shields popped, adding more chaos to the batch.
She then got on top of me, and pressed her horn gently onto my forehead, at the base of my horn, and I passed out.
Cadence's P.O.V.
I watched as Franz slowly fell asleep under my magic. Why did he attack me?
I looked over to my Shining and my aunts. They were still unconscious, but looked like they were waking up again.
"Auntie Celestia!" I cried, rushing over to her. She must've heard me, and pushed herself up, rubbing her head with a hoof.
"What happened?" She asked. Seeing the damage around us, she instantly wrapped Franz in a field of magic, tore off his capsules, and let him float above the ground.
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" I heard her say, a glare in her eye.
"W-well, it looked like he wanted to, but stopped himself before hitting me. Why did he try to attack me?" I asked, nearly getting back in control of my fear. I saw her look at him through different angles, and wrap him in several golden chains. She also looked over to the large metallic contraption he made and moved it aside for the guards to move in.
"Guards, please take Prince Franz back to his unofficial quarters. Have him under temporary house arrest and do not let him leave until further notice." She ordered. The gave a salute before dragging him off into the hallway.
"I do not know why he did so, but I believe it has to do with his past. It's possible your name was a trigger, and that Discord was the one behind this." She said, her eyes narrowing. I gulped, and noticed that auntie Luna was getting back up.
"Auntie Luna! Are you okay?" I said, moving over to her. She looked around frantically, and seeing me.
"Where is he." She said, looking at me with an intense look.
"Why do you wa-" I was cut off.
"WHERE IS HE!" She shouted. I flinched and pointed over to the hallway.
"Luna, I don't think it would be wise to talk to him at the moment. He nearly killed Cadence! And not to mention almost killed us in the process!" Shouted auntie Celestia. I swallowed nervously. I've never seen her so angry before.
"But sister, please, let us see him! I can find what is ailing him, please! Just let me see him!" She begged. She sounded desperate to be with him.
"No, I cannot risk it. You saw how much power he has with one single punch! He almost killed Cadence, for suns sake!"
"No."
"No?" Asked Celestia. Luna looked up at her with a hate filled glare.
"No!" She growled, standing up proudly and flaring her wings out. They were both having a standoff, and Celestia began to falter. Luna took notice quickly, and glared her down with an icy glare.
"I am going to see my mate, and there is nothing you can do about it, Celestia." She growled lowly. She turned away and began walking towards the hallway.
Celestia teleported in front of Luna, who didn't flinch.
"I'm sorry, but you cannot see him. He is under the influence of Discord still, and I cannot risk losing my sister after just getting her back. Surely you understand my situation."
Luna looked at the ground with a frown. I saw a small tear fall down her cheek, and pushed her aside.
"Just because you couldn't have a chance with him, doesn't mean I shouldn't." She said, leaving the room. Celestia just looked a her with a sad look, before letting out a sigh.
I walked up to her and gave her a hug, trying my best to comfort her. She gave one back and looked at the doorway where the two of them had gone.
"Ugh, what happened?" I heard from behind us. Shining!
I quickly broke the hug and ran over to him. I saw he was bleeding from the nose, and I helped him up, acting as a support.
"Shining! Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked over to me and smiled.
"I am now." He said. I smiled and nuzzled his side. He turned his attention to Celestia, who was still staring at the doors.
"Princess Celestia, what happened to Prince Franz? Why did he attack Cadence?" He asked, looking over to her. She didn't respond at first, and turned to face us.
"I have much to tell you, Cadence." She said, picking up his capsules.
"Captain Shining Armor. Will you please take this to the Research and Development wing." She said. Shining nodded and took the pieces with care, and left.
I turned back to Celestia, and she hung her head slightly.
"It was a thousand and three years ago, when me and my sister were on a quest to defeat Discord, where I would meet an individual, named Franz."
Franz P.O.V
I had done it.
I had god right where I wanted him.
I had him on his knees, and I was going to deal the finishing blow.
"I understand, my child, that you are frustrated. You shouldn't take this rage-filled path. It will only taint your heart with darkness. You have much to live for, don't waste your life on petty revenge."
He was kneeling and was missing both of his arms. The large burn on his chest was turning a sickly black, infecting the surrounding tissue that would shut him down.
"I don't need the advice of a simple bixby. It's clear that I'm stronger than you, and I will get what I want." I said, my staff glowing brightly. I pointed at him with the end, and poked him in the forehead.
"You are going to die here, in this world where there is nothing left but ash and dust. I will go somewhere that is right for me." I continued.
He looked at me with sad eyes, and suddenly smiled. I pushed my staff into his skull, the electricity dancing throughout his head and int his body.
"I thought I felt something in you. You are stronger than me, because you are one of seven. A fundamental element. It is clear which one you are. Take my soul, Imagination, it would be an honor, and you will need it for the hardships ahead your jour-"
I cut him off, his head exploding in a flash of white and red. His body fell back and I saw his body fade away, into the wind.
I had killed god. This god.
I deleted my armor and sat on a rock nearby. The surrounding landscape destroyed and in ruins, fire catching onto everything, and the world deformed from it's natural beauty.
I saw more helicopters inbound, and I just sat there, and made a portal to another world.
Equestria sounds Ideal. Plus, I get to finally be at peace there. Live out however long I have, maybe have a kid, maybe fight a few more gods just for fun. Discord seems like a bitch, so I can take him down easily enough.
I turned to look at the world I scarred, and admired my work with morbid contemt. Why did things have to turn out this way.
I was hit with multiple rounds from firearms, and I got angry. Creating a arm device, I trapped whoever shot me in a disk than would last for several days, torturing them the whole time.
I grunted in pain as a missile hit me and flung me into the new world, where I landed in a field, bleeding through the many holes in by body. It would be a few hours before anyone found me. And I lay there, rethinking everything I've done.
A lone tear fell down the side of my face, as I finally got some rest.
I woke up and noticed that I was bound with golden chains. I tried to move, only for them to glow and tighten around my form. I was beginning to panic, and thrashed around in them. This served only to make my situation worse, and I forced myself to calm down.
Breathing in and out steadily, I tested the durability of the chains. Every time I tried to get more space, they would tighten, and when I relaxed, it got loose by a small margin. I looked around my surroundings, and saw that I was in my room, sitting on the marble floor.
I imagined myself a power saw, and levitated it over and turned it on. I winced as the loud whirring and sparks sprayed into the bed. This wasn't working, it seemed.
I then imagined myself an Ant-man suit, and felt it wrap around my body. I looked for the button to shrink, and couldn't find one. I let myself relax a bit more, and felt the chains loosen a bit more.
*click*
I immediately began falling and hit the ground with a unnoticed thwack, leaving a small crack in the ground. I saw the chains falling down, and had to jump out of the way to not get crushed by them again.
Barely making it out from getting crushed by golden metal chains, I looked for a button to grow back to size, only to find the one that made me shrink. I thought of a button to grow, and it materialized on my chest. Hitting it, I grew back to normal size, and took off the suit, deleting it so that I wouldn't have to worry about another device being lost.
I heard some ponies at the door, patrolling and making my room secure. From what?
I looked around and at the golden chains. I created a ragdoll and tossed them at the chains.
In an instant, the chains wrapped around it, effectively ripping it into small pieces. Who the hell would make these things?!
I then remembered that I could take a punch from a literal god back on my world. I shuddered from his words. There were apparently six others like me. But where could they be? They sure as hell can't be here, since I came here knowingly. How did I know about Equestria before coming here? Did I plan on coming here, or was that a one off. Since I was a fundamental element, I could literately build my own worlds, so was that also a possibility?
Shaking my head, I tried not to think about it. I went over to the door and tried to open it.
Only to face plant into Luna, who looked as surprised as I did. She saw how our faces were close, and I backed away.
"Franz!" She cried, and threw herself into the room and locking the door. I was knocked down, but recovered quickly.
"Hey, what's going on?" I asked. She looked at me, and frowned.
"You attacked our niece. We were barely able to protect her, and thou managed break all three of our shields with a single strike. Why did you try and kill her?" She asked.
"I did what!?" I yelled, taken completely by surprise. I had trouble remembering what exactly happened, but she looked at me like I was hurt.
"You... don't remember?" She asked. I shook my head, not knowing that I did so. She let out a sigh, and walked to the bed. She noticed the chains, and the destroyed doll, and looked over to me.
"Was this your doing?" She questioned. I nodded my head, and she looked a bit relieved.
"I believe it's time we told thou what happened between you and Discord. I didn't want to tell you this, as it was too much for me to handle. What you'll see is what led up to our battle with him, the actual battle, and the aftermath. Art thee ready?" She asked.
I wanted to say no. I wanted to just go to sleep and take a break from all of this drama. I knew I couldn't do that now, and I nodded my head, even though I wasn't.
She smiled sadly, and hopped onto the bed.
"Please lay here. I need you to be resting while we do the work." She said, patting the bed next to her. I went over and climbed onto the bed. I laid next her on my stomach, and she frowned.
"On thou's back, preferably." She said. I complied, and rolled over, pulling some of the sheets over my lower area. She then climbed on top of me, and lit her horn in her light blue magic.
"This may pinch slightly, but I am certain that it will be quite painless. Are thee ready?" She asked again, her nose bumping lightly against mine.
"Seems weird, and a bit rushed, but yeah." I answered. She slowly tapped her horn against mine, and I was blinded by a bright white light.
I then felt as though I was falling, and closed my eyes, awaiting whatever fate I would receive
I was back in the void again. This time, Luna was there at the same time as me. I saw her at the same time as me.
"So, what now?" I asked. She put her hoof to her chin, and thought for a moment. Her face suddenly lit up and her horn lit up again.
In an instant, we were in a grassy path, trees surrounding us, where there were two paths to take. I noticed that I couldn't see myself, and that I was essentially a ghostly spectator.
"Dear sister, art thou sure we took the correct path? This could lead us straight to Discord, and we are yet to retrieve The Elements Of Harmony." I heard Luna say, her voice slightly less mature.
"Yes, Luna, I am certain that The Elements are in this area. We shall defeat Discord, and all of his spawns. We will see the day he comes to justice!" I heard Celestia say, her voice also sounding much younger and more naïve. I turned and saw that Luna's mane wasn't flowing, and was a light blue color.
Celestia had a simple pink mane and tail for her colors, and she was also shorter than what I remembered her being. I'm guessing that this was one of Luna's memories.
They took the path on the right, which lead to a familiar field that I thought I originally came from. They both made their way to the open field, and I could see myself, battered and with many bullet holes in my body. They, however, are yet to notice me. I think I was napping at this point.
"Tia, What is the plan for defeating Discord again? We art still slightly confused as to why one would need such ancient artifacts for a being like him." Asked Luna.
"We need them because he is the God of Chaos. The Elements of Harmony are the perfect counter for beings such as him. That is why we are going to the Tree of Harmony. Once there we-" Celestia stopped walking, as they saw my injured form there.
In an instant, they had their weapons out. Celestia's being a golden halberd, and Luna's being twin swords.
"Sister, what is that creature?" Asked Luna. It kinda hurt to hear her call me that.
"Possibly one of Discords spawns." Said Celestia. They slowly inched their way over to me, not lowering their weapons the least.
"It looks... Intriguing. What could it be?" Luna asked.
"We are not certain, but be careful. This could be a lulling tactic. We aren't sure what kind of power this spawn could have." Said Celestia.
They were about three meters away, when they both noticed the holes in my body and the dried tears on my resting face.
"Is it injured?" Asked Luna, who was behind Celestia while taking a peak.
"I believe so." They thought about it for a second, and approached me at a more eased pace.
"Perhaps it was injured from Tartarus before it was summoned. Monsters beyond out comprehension are held there, waiting to be released upon the world." Said Luna. I was a bit surprised that there was an actual hell here, but I could probably fight my way out if I wanted to. Like a certain guy in green clad armor.
"We should put it out of it's misery, and let it rest in peace. Who knows what it is capable of at full power." Said Celestia, raising her halberd several feet over my head.
I saw my past self shiver, and open my eyes. Luna and Celestia also noticed, and she quickly brought it down.
It stabbed my head, and I went limp. Celestia had no emotion, while Luna's was one of slight regret. I watched as Celestia pulled it back out of my skull and flick the blood off her blade in a dismissive manner.
"Let us continue our path to the Tree of Harmony. We shan't be distracted any longer than needed." She said, stepping over my body and walking away. Luna followed, taking one last glance at me, before leaving.
If I was killed, how the hell was I standing here in the first place!
I suddenly popped into existence, a white form with the shape of my body before the bones, flesh, and skin quickly formed. I looked at them with an annoyed look in my eyes, and took off the device I had on the dead body's arm.
They turned to look back, and were shot by the disks. They both yelped in surprise, and they tried to fight the energy fields trapping them.
"Sister!"
"Luna!"
The past me stared at them. Celestia looked like she was trying to use her magic, but the energy restraints kept cancelling out her magic. Luna looked terrified, and noticed the other me's body.
"Sister! It can be revived! We need to restrain it!" She said, struggling to move. The past me was walking towards them at a very slow pace, almost trying to scare them. He went up to Luna, and looked at her trembling form. The past me used my hand and brushed the side of her ribs, causing her to tremble and Celestia to fight even harder.
Almost a few seconds later, he began shining a bright while light, the same transformation I used, and turned into a Alicorn like them. He looked exactly like I did, and cleared his throat.
"I personally don't enjoy being killed, so how about you don't do that again, and I'll release you two." He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
Both of them had a look of surprise, and stopped their struggling.
"Thou can, speak?" Asked Celestia. I looked over to her and began walking, only to fall on my face. Oh right, I didn't know how to walk in that form yet.
After a few moments of struggling, he managed to get back into a standing position. Both Luna and Celestia watch him as he extends his forearm and deactivates the disks.
In an instant, Celestia tries to use her magic to blasts him. He was blown back, and came to a rolling stop.
"Sister, why did thou do that! He could have been an ally against Discord!" Luna said, looking over the burns on his chest.
"I thought walking like this would be easier. I guess not." He said, reverting back into his human form. He began materializing Spartan Armor, the same one I saw that was ruined from the Research and Development.
"We can take thou, for you are nothing but one of Discords spawns." Celestia said. His helmet folded over his face, covering the wicked smile he had.
"You're wrong. I'm actually here to kill that bastard. I don't have a problem with you two, it's him I'm after." He growled, the visor lighting up in a golden visor hue.
Luna then got between the two of them, and tried to defuse the situation.
"Sister, creature, I am certain that we can both benefit from our situations. We are trying to stop Discord and the chaos he has brought upon the world. Surely thou can assist us in our journey?" She said, looking over my armor with an impressed glance.
"What's in it for me?" He said, materializing a sword and plasma rifle on his back and thigh. it was the sword that Cloud had, and seemed to make Celestia re-consider her desire to attack me.
"Well, we won't attack thee, and thy can reside in the newly founded Equestria as a knight for defeating him." Celestia said, no longer glaring at him.
"I came here to not fight anymore. But he was the one of the last ones I need to fight, so it's contradicting to my plan" He then pointed a finger, hoof, at both of them.
"But if you think that I'll let your species try any experiments on me, they better prepare for one hell of a fight!" He shouted.
"Then it's agreed. We will not attack, or experiment on thee, and thou will return in aid for defeating Discord, and bringing peace back to the lands. Do we have a deal, creature?" Said Celestia. Luna got back to her side, and lowered her swords.
"But if thou tries to attack our troops in any way, shape of form, we shall be forced to take lethal action against you. Do we make ourselves clear?" Said Luna, with a raised eyebrow. He simply turned to her and scoffed.
"You ponies are too damn cute to hurt." He said, crossing his arms. I lightly smiled from the little blush they both got, and they began waking away, with me following behind.
After a few minutes, they came across a bridge, one that looked lightly used, and recently built. Both Celestia and Luna crossed it, and he stayed behind, looking at the bridge.
"Art thou not coming, creature?" Asked Luna. The past me just clenched his fist.
"I have a name, you know. And I can't cross." He said.
"And why not?" Asked Celestia, a look of suspicion on her face.
"Because I'm too heavy." He said dryly. I snorted, and felt a light pressing on my side. Turning, I saw the current Luna, and looked over to the past Luna.
"Do not worry, I am with you right now. I just had to find you since thou was lost for a moment." I heard her say.
"Well, took you long enough. Is this when we met?" I asked. I turned back to her, and saw her nod.
"Yes. This is nothing more than a memory on our first encounter." She responded. I turned back and saw myself trying to cross, and breaking a few planks from my armored boot.
"Can't thee just fly over?" Asked the past Luna. I gave her a tilted head, before replying sarcastically.
"Really, I hadn't thought of that!" He yelled back, deciding to just go and say fuck it and jump over, and landing on the other side with a bit of flare. It looked like I wasn't trying to impress them, and waited for them to take lead again.
After a few more minutes of walking, the present Luna shifted the landscape to an old town that looked a bit like Ponyville, but I knew it wasn't, because it was just a small village. I saw Discord, sitting on a black wooden throne, and turning dramatically.
There were all kinds of weird things going on. Buildings were floating, mountains were flying, and fish were swimming in the air.
I glared at the being I was seeing. His mismatching appearance, his different sets of limbs, which looked like they belonged to a god of chaos. The past me saw was hiding behind a building, armor and staff ready. I thought I could see parts of his body giving off slight trembling, either from excitement, fear, or both.
"Oh, this is so much fun!, how about pin the tail on the pony?" He said, lifting Celestia's tail. They both looked at Celestia's rear, and saw that he had indeed taken her tail.
"Playtime is over for thou, Discord." Celestia said, walking closer.
He seemingly didn't care, and began chewing on some seeds he materialized, even flicking them around without care.
"Oh, I doubt that." He then ate a large handful of the seeds, and offered them some.
"Hungry?" He then flicked one to each of them, hitting them on the forehead.
They did not look impressed.
"Suit yourselves." He added, eating another handful.
Celestia lit her magic up and floated out the old version of what looked like The Elements of Harmony. Discord seemed interested, and put a hand to his chin.
"Ooh, what have you got there?"
"The Elements of Harmony." Celestia said, a smug tone in her voice.
"With them, we shall defeat you!" Finished Luna.
He began laughing uncontrollably, and threw himself onto the railings of the chair.
"You should see yourselves right now, the expressions on your faces." he laughed out. His face then took a sinister tone, and he teleported in front of them.
"It will make stopping you even more fun." He said darkly, and let loose a blast of energy.
It quickly canceled out the magic surrounding the two of them, surprising them as he grabbed them by the throats each. I was surprised, and looked back to Luna, who was just staring at the situation impassively.
"Weren't you worried about this when it happened?" I asked. She looked at me and gently nudged me with her side.
"At that moment, I was terrified. But guess who came to rescue us?" She said with a smile. I turned back and barely saw a blur speed towards them, catching Discord off guard and landing a solid punch to his face. Both Celestia and Luna were let go and Discord was flung into a nearby flying mountain.
"That was easier than I thought." He said, dissipating his staff and pulling off the sword from his back.
"Do not underestimate him. He is the god of chaos and disharmony! Do not take him lightly!"
"Yes, I am very displeased when someone doesn't give me a real fight. Isn't that right, fellow Eleme-" The past me cut him off as he swung his sword at him, missing almost entirely. Discord only laughed as he re-materialized in front of the both of them.
"Was this your back up plan? Bring a newbie into the game? I thought that you two were supposed to be wi-" He didn't get a chance as they swung their weapons at him, grazing him lightly.
"Oh, come on. How is tha-" A volley of plasma rounds struck him from the side, and he looked unimpressed, almost annoyed.
"Why don't you stop that. You are not cool doing that." He said, turning to the past me, who was now trembling with clear excitement.
"I've got something cool for you!" He screamed, throwing the sword at him like a throwing ax. Discord simply split his head into two and let the sword pass through the opening.
"Now do you think that will work?" He asked, smiling darkly.
"No, but this will." Past Franz said, exploding into a cloud of smoke. Discord looked confused, when we all heard the whirring of energy.
In an instant, past me was close to Discord, a large spinning ball of energy in his hands.
"Take this! Rasenshuriken!" He yelled, slamming it into his side. Discord gained a pained expression, and was thrown into the ground several dozen feet away.
"Shields, now!" He screamed.
Both Luna and Celestia complied, and put up their strongest shield.
A massive explosion of energy erupted and blinded everyone, including past me. The explosion took the shape of a large dome of energy, ripping anything that was inside to shreds. I thought it was over, we all did, but we were wrong.
Laughter was heard, and past me was struck down into the ground, a large slash on his armor. I turned up to see that Discord was now silver, and had a purple glow in his skin, from the area where the attack hit him. Only his joints were open, and he was wielding the same trident that Asgore had, along with what looked like a small battleaxe at the bottom.
Looks like I get to have some fun after all!" He screamed madly, picking me up with his magic and throwing me at the ground near the two of them.
I winced from the amount of damage I was taking. It was hard to look at, and probably even harder for Luna. Maybe even Celestia too.
This was my fight with Discord.
And I won somehow, against the odds.