//------------------------------//
// Ch.20 Heart of Darkness 
// Story: Discord's Reign 
// by chief maximus 
//------------------------------//


DISCORD'S REIGN
Chapter 20-Heart of Darkness


Luna released a strained cry, the anger of the fog buffeting harshly against the thin layer of magic holding back the tide of madness mere inches from consuming them all.

From the gaps in the mist, they could see the twisted buildings of the once magnificent city. Some floated in mid air, some appeared to be melting, only to reform themselves in new ways and resume dripping towards the ground. Cracks in the earth revealed giant gears and cogs beneath the surface, grinding away as if the planet were one giant mechanical ball. The streets flowed like rivers, the carts and fruit stands having sunk halfway beneath the cobblestone tide as it buckled and bounced like waves undulating up and down the roads. The constant cloud coverage did not allow much sunlight to get through, casting a creeping darkness over the entire city. 

Twilight looked up to try and locate the castle, but couldn't see through the fog that surrounded them. She looked to Luna, whose expression seemed to scream that she was using all of her power just to keep the truth spell from collapsing.

"Princess Luna, how are you holding up?" 

The lunar princess' eyes were shut tightly; beads of sweat beginning to form on her brow as she fought to keep the spell from faltering.

"He's...so much stronger...than I remember!" she gasped, her knees feeling as though they were going to buckle at any moment.

Twilight called to the princess over the swirling wind of the fog as it continued to hammer away at their lone island of sanity.

"Just hang on until we can find-" Twilight stopped herself mid sentence, seeing their target standing just beyond their spell.

Both hands behind his back, he still held his constant, mischievous smile.

"Discord!"

The chimera seemed to hold a look of disappointment before flashing a reserved grin. He exhaled a deep breath onto the side of the spell as it fogged up, in a manner similar to glass. With his lion's paw, he began to inscribe a message backwards so those within could read it. 

You should not have come.

The words slowly vanished as he repeated the process with a different sentence.

This is not your fight!

Just as he added the dot beneath the exclamation point, the spell began to crack. The long tendrils of the expanding crack spread like a spider web across the length of their protective bubble.

An instant later, the spell shattered completely, letting the hurricane-force winds rush in and fill their lungs with Discord's twisted power. One by one, they collapsed, falling into an endless abyss of inky blackness. 

Oddly enough, Twilight felt her awareness persist. She had the disconcerting feeling of falling, but it quickly passed. She immediately regretted her seemingly perfect plan, acutely aware that she'd most likely doomed herself and her friends to insanity. 

"You were a fool to come here." 

She inhaled to respond, but found no air available. It was as though she was suffocating, but still her consciousness remained.

"Think, my dear." Discord's voice echoed endlessly around her. She knew her eyes were wide open, but there was nothing except the pitch black staring back at her. Was this what being insane was like? Had the students Celestia had lost all gone through this on their journey to a complete mental breakdown?

"What is this place?" 

Though Twilight only thought the words, they manifested themselves in the same echoing manner as if she had uttered them aloud. Even more unsettling, this meant her thoughts were no longer private. 

"You tell me." Discord's voice responded, "This is your subconscious. I half expected it to be an endless library." 

She felt her sense of direction return as what felt like gravity began to settle her hooves on solid ground. 

"But I suppose this is your first time here," Discord continued, "So let me make it a bit more familiar to you." 

The darkness rushed away as Twilight found herself back in the ruined Canterlot castle of her nightmare. This time, Discord sat on the dusty throne instead of hiding. He rested his head on his talon, looking almost bored as Twilight approached him. The dust from the faded red carpet rose with each step, tickling her sinuses as she stopped before him. 

She recalled briefly what Luna had said just before they arrived: That nothing she saw was real.

Twilight knew how skilled Discord had become at blurring the line between reality and fantasy, and even now she was having trouble keeping her senses and emotions from overriding what she knew was just a mirage. 

"What have you done with my friends?" she demanded, not as easily intimidated as she had been the last time.

"I'm with them as we speak." he explained, standing from his throne. "You've made a grave mistake in coming here."

Twilight gritted her teeth, fully fed up with this nonsense. First the elements, then Celestia, now this? How could he have not meant for them to come after all that? It felt like they were just his pieces in some insane game of chess. She found herself casting doubt over whether this was a highly elaborate plan, or just some kind of sick game. 

"Really?" she snarled, "Then why did you capture me, give me nightmares, then give us the elements and the princess?"

Discord sighed. On the surface, he was growing weary of explaining things to a unicorn who was supposed to be sharp. But on the inside, he secretly loved every second he was allowed to unravel his web of secrets. "Your job was to free her, and you did." he clapped his hands together happily, "So congratulations!"

"Why however, you chose to come here to try and fight is beyond even me," he began circling Celestia's star pupil, "Not everything is about you, but humility wasn't one of the elements of harmony now was it?"

That condescending tone almost drove Twilight to attack him right then and there, but without the other elements of harmony, she knew it would only annoy him at the most. 

"So this is about revenge?" 

Discord chuckled softly. It looked like he'd have to hold her hoof through this whole process after all. "Revenge?" he sighed, "I suppose when I was first trapped in stone, the case could have been made. But now, it's much bigger than that. You could certainly say that you would not find yourself in this position if Celestia hadn't turned her back on me, so in that respect you are technically correct." 

He snapped his fingers and made an ornate ivory pipe appear in his hand, and struck a similarly produced match on his scaly leg. Instead of fire, a drop of water seemed to cling to the matchstick, which lit the pipe nonetheless. Discord then took a deep drag on the newly lit piece, blowing out a stream of bubbles which quickly fell to the ground. 

"The truth of the matter my dear, is much simpler than that." he took a drag of his pipe as he stopped in front of her, "I play this game, for the games sake, of course!" 

Twilight was stunned, though in the back of her mind she expected this type of answer. 

"So you toy with the lives of thousands, just for fun?"

"Lives?" Discord said, lifting himself from the ground and floating before her as if in an invisible hammock, "You call what these ponies were doing before I came along living?"

"What was it they were doing that was so fulfilling? Working their precious gift of life away to secure a place in your high and mighty 'society'? All I did was free them from the trappings of their miserable lives."

"Who are you to judge whether they were miserable or not?" Twilight stomped, "I was happy with my life until you came along!"

Discord simply laughed before resting his hands behind his head, "My dear girl, you still don't get it."

"I get that you made thousands of ponies crazy with your stupid fog!" 

"Curious thing about the fog; it brings your worst fears to fruition before your very eyes, but only if you allow it. Why is seemingly every one of the citizens of Equestria suffering under the immersion of their greatest fears?" he asked turning his head toward Twilight. "Because they allowed their lives to be governed by them. Fear controlled them before I came to power, all I did was expose them to the truth."

"But enough about me, I'm sure you have some questions?"

Twilight certainly couldn't deny that fact. "What is this place?" 

"This is Canterlot castle my dear! About nine-hundred-ninety-four years seven months and twenty-one days ago, during my first stint as ruler of Equestria."

The lavender unicorn looked around, taking in the torn tapestries, the shattered stained glass and the holes in the roof where snow was beginning to fall into the throne room. The fact that Celestia and Luna had allowed...this...to happen to their capital? Her horror was plain on her face, and did not go unnoticed by the draconequus on the throne. 

"Did you think I would lie to you?"

A sharp stare from Twilight gave him his answer, "No, no," he said, "I abhor lying. Anyone can lie, but the truth can have a profound effect on the entire world. None can hide from it; it can't be proven wrong. It's permanence and finality are much more effective than even the most well crafted lie."

"I like you Twilight." Discord smiled at her. "You're by far the most observant of Celestia's students I've had the pleasure of matching wits with, even though sometimes you need a bit of guidance. I see a lot of her in you. I often sat on that very throne contemplating why your mind was so hard to break for many nights before it dawned on me. Celestia nearly forced you to become friends with the other element bearers, instead of simply selecting them herself as she had always done. The bond between you all kept you from going over the edge. Quite a clever strategy on Celestia's part I must say."

"So because you couldn't let go of your grudge against Celestia, you chose to punish every innocent pony in Equestria?" Twilight growled, unsure of what to do, but certain she was not taking comfort in his explanations.

"There are no innocents, Twilight. Everypony is guilty of something." Discord was running out of ways to try and explain his reasoning, so he tried empathy. "What if you were in my position? What if you had been handed a golden opportunity to do whatever you could imagine...what task would you undertake if you knew you could not fail?"

Twilight grinned. She had him now. Just keep him talking for a little while longer...

"But you have failed," she sneered, "Celestia will be here soon, and this whole game of your's will come to an end." 

She leaned close, making a mocking grin, "And when she gets here, you won't stand a chance!"

The god of disharmony was dumbstruck for a moment, to the point where Twilight thought her words may have had some effect. Then he burst out laughing, giving a few good pounds to the throne's armrest before catching his breath.


"Is that so?" he managed, holding back giggles with his free hand. "It's almost funny. In fact, it is funny! I've explained everything to you, and you still don't get it!

His expression dropped as he noticed Twilight still held her look of contentment, "You still don't see it? I've already won. Your civilization is in ruins, your citizens are consumed by my influence, and you're pinning all your hopes on an alicorn who is at most only at half her strength." he chuckled, taking another long toke from his pipe "And I'm supposed to be the illogical one."  

"But even I am not blind to reality. As beautiful as my chaos is, I know nothing lasts forever. Eventually, my reign will come to an end. You see Twilight, unlike you mortals, the princesses and I find ourselves in a unique position. We are immune to the ravages of time, yet can still die. I'm sure Celestia has regaled you with the opportunities she had to end my life?"

"Yes, and she didn't!" 

"I suppose I can't blame her. When you get right down to it, I am unsure if I could end her life as well. I've lived for over a thousand years, I have no fear of death. I'm sure she feels the same way." 

Twilight took a seat on her flanks, silently praying Celestia would come rescue them all, temporarily forgetting that any thoughts she had were immediately vocalized.

"She'll come." Discord said, "I'm counting on it." 

"So we're just going to wait here until she gets here? No mind games? Repressed memories? Horrifying hallucinations? Nothing?"

His smile remained, "Nope. As I said before, I like you. You've resisted my attempts to shatter your will, and while I may be illogical, I'm not unfair. Besides, aren't you curious to see how your friends fare against me?"

Twilight snapped to her hooves in anger, "Don't you dare hurt them!"

"Oh Twilight, surely you know me better than that. I've got something special planned for each of them. It is the strength of their resolve and the bond they have with their element that will determine whether or not they come through unscathed."

'Please hurry princess!' Twilight thought, 'Before we lose somepony forever!'

Discord smiled knowingly, taking a slow drag of his pipe. 

"Don't fret Twilight." he said conversationally, "By the time the game is over, we'll all have lost more than you could ever imagine."





Applejack awoke to the sound of birds singing sweetly in the trees of her apple orchard. Her eyes fluttered open, revealing a bright summers afternoon beneath a cloudless sky. The grass around her belly danced gently with the breeze rolling across the hills as she tried to piece together how she got here. 

'Last thing I remember was goin' ta Canterlot...'

She jumped. Her thought had echoed, somehow. Almost as if she'd spoken aloud.

"Well that's different," she said getting to her hooves and heading toward the farmhouse.

"Granny? Big Macintosh? Applebloom?" Applejack called into the house from the porch. She gently nudged the door open, greeted only by silence. As she stepped further into the house, the quiet clacking of knitting needles drew her attention to the living room. The grayed bun of her grandmother stuck up from behind Granny Smith's favorite rocker, a sigh of relief and a smile escaped her lips as she trotted around in front of her grandmother. 

"Granny you wouldn't believe th' dream Ah jus'-"

Discord looked up at her from the old rocking chair as he set down the sweater he had been knitting. 

"Hello Applejack." he smiled, an excitement shining in his eyes, "But this is no dream." 

The muted orange earth pony took a cautious step backwards, her eyes wide in disbelief. "What've you done with my family!" she yelled. 

Discord cracked his neck from side to side. This one, just like her love interest, would not be so easily intimidated.

"They're safe back at your farm, of course. You don't think you're back at Sweet Apple Acres do you?" 

Applejack recalled Luna's words before they left.

"So none a' this is real?"

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." he said beginning to rock slowly but purposefully in the creaky old chair. "You feel the boards beneath your hooves, and smell the applewood scent of your home, do you not?"

She couldn't deny that everything certainly felt real. No dream she ever had could stand up to this level of detail or lucidity. 

"I know you're not much for conversation, so I'll cut right down to it. Your parents left you at an early age, didn't they? The result of a tragic accident perpetrated by none other than your old friend Rainbow Dash." 

A look of anger fell across Applejack's normally gentle features. "Don't you ever talk about my parents or Rainbow!"

"Now, now, calm yourself. I only come to you with a proposition." 

Though she was still upset, she had enough common sense to know that no good could come from a deal with the devil. 

"Come now, you still doubt me? I may enjoy a game or two at another's expense, but I'm no liar." 

Applejack figured there was no other way out than to go along, so she sat on her flanks before him, still holding her suspicious glare.

"Fine." she huffed, "What's is it?"

"I'll give you two choices, but you may only choose one. Once your choice has been made, the results will be irreversible. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah can we just get this over with?"

Discord smiled at her impatience. "Good, then lets get started."

"What is the one thing you wish you could change about your life?" he asked nonchalantly.

She thought, but only for a moment. She missed her parents, but assumed that wasn't what he was talking about. Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten all her thoughts repeated themselves aloud, confirming what Discord had already known.

"You miss your parents? Understandable, no pony should have to grow up when they're still a filly. What if I told you I could give them back to you?"

Applejack scoffed at the idea, "I'd call you a swindler and a liar." 

Discord smiled, "You still doubt my power?" 

"Ah think that goes without sayin'. Not even Celestia can revive the deceased." 

The god of chaos laughed at her notion, "There is a lot you don't know about dear old Celestia. You think just because she doesn't go around raising the dead, means she is physically unable? Ah, you mortals are always good for a laugh." 

Applejack was getting tired of being talked down to, and her tone showed it. "So what, you're sayin you can revive my parents?"

A simple nod, yet she refused his answer. "Ah don't believe you." 

"Hm...then I find myself at an impasse. But if I cannot convince you..." he added, snapping his fingers, "Then perhaps they can."

He pointed a talon behind her, toward the kitchen.

"Applejack?" 

That voice. She hadn't heard it in so many years, at first it sounded foreign, yet she knew exactly who it belonged to.

She slowly turned her head, and nearly shut her eyes in disbelief. In the kitchen stood her mother and father, both waiting for her with tears of joy in their eyes, having been separated from the children they loved for so many years. 

The orange earth ponies eyes welled even though they were closed. She opened them again, expecting to see nothing but an empty kitchen, figuring this to be one of Discord's tricks. But instead, they still stood there, waiting for the daughter they had missed so much. 

She bolted toward them, putting her forelegs around their necks as she sobbed into their manes. They had to be real. Their coats were just as soft as she had remembered growing up. Their warm embrace had the same tenderness she had recalled in every fleeting dream she ever had of this exact scenario.

"We missed ya sugarcube..." her mother whispered. 

Applejack was at a loss for words. The unfettered joy she felt charging through her veins did not help the fact that she never wanted to let go of the two ponies before her. She pulled back from her hug, looking into the faces of those she could only see in one picture on her living room wall. 

"Ah...Ah can't believe it...is it really you?"

"It is sweetheart. We're so sorry we weren't there to see you grow into the beautiful mare you are today," her father said, his voice alone more comforting to her than a thousand feather beds. "We're so proud of you, Applejack." 

"I see you're still wearing my hat." he smiled warmly down at her. The orange earth pony responded weakly, her lip still trembling, "Y-yeah...I never let it outta my sight..." 

Her father buried his head in her mane with another hug. 

"How's your brother and sister?" Gala asked.

"They're doin' fine," Applejack said breathlessly. There was just so much she wanted to tell them. "I wish they were here ta see you. Applebloom's growin' like a weed, and Mac, well he's finally found him a special filly."

The parents grinned, the joyous news of the well being of their offspring offering them a glimmer of happiness in what had been eternal worry up until this point.

Applejack's dad pulled away from the hug in shame, remembering the reason he and his wife had missed out on their children growing up.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart, if I had just taken down that silo earlier we'd...we'd still be with you."

Applejack inhaled sharply, trying to get ahold of herself to respond. "That don't matter...you're here now. That's more than Ah could ever want." 

"Ahem." 

Discord's rather loud throat clearing drew their attention.

"What on earth is that?" Gala asked.

"I, am the one responsible for this touching little reunion. Now Applejack, you still haven't heard the rest of the deal."

The orange earth pony turned to face him, drying her tears.

"Alright then. Let's hear it." 

"I will return you to the day your parents met their untimely end, and give you the opportunity to save them. You will live the life you would have had from that day forward." a somber expression crossed his face as he stood from the rocker. 

"However, if you choose to travel down that road, you will not have any memory of any of the events past that point. You will have never met any of the other element bearers, and would not be an element bearer yourself. Rainbow Dash will have been fired from the weather patrol, and leave Ponyville, to parts unknown." 

"Or, you could choose to send your parents back to their eternal slumber, and resume your attempts to try and retake Equestria, scraping out your meager existence on your farm with your overworked brother and ailing Granny." 

A truly impossible choice. How could she be expected to make such an agonizing decision? To radically alter the course of history, to give up everything she and her friends had worked for, and forget all the wonderful memories she had made with her best friends, to forsake Rainbow Dash's love all for a chance to live happily with her parents, and have a real foalhood, instead of a hard life of even harder work day in and day out?

Applejack glanced back over her shoulder at her parent's pleading eyes. "We just want to be... with you again." her father whispered. "We've missed you and your brother and sister...more than you could ever realize." 

Her father's impassioned plea tore at her very soul, the tears she had fought threatening to escape her eyes once more.  She turned to face the god of chaos.  

"Well?" he asked opening a portal with a snap of his fingers to his right. Inside was the day that had haunted her nightmares. She caught glimpses of her filly self, playing out in the fields with Big Macintosh, both of their flanks blank as they wrestled in the tall grass. They laughed as if they hadn't a care in the world, and for the most part...they didn't. 

"What's it going to be?"