Discord's Disharmonic Rise to Power
A pony stage production as performed by the fine actors and actresses of the Raszagal Troupe
~ ~ ~
Intro: The Bard's Song
[The simple plucking of a lone lute fills the air as the curtains part. A lavender unicorn with a six-pointed star emblazoning her flanks steps forward, the lute still playing and suspended in the air by the magic aura flaring from her fluted horn.]
[Bard]
I sing to you a folk song
But one you likely know
It comes from a distant land
And it comes from ages ago
I speak of an ancient tyrant
Chaotic, conniving, and cruel
And of two great sisters
Who united to end his rule
[Bard, spoken]
This is the story of the mad god Discord and how he plunged Equestria into its darkest age. Calamity reigned supreme and for one thousand years the only laughter that could be heard was his own.
[The lights dim and the Bard exits stage left.]
~ ~ ~
Ballroom Bedlam
[Enter Discord through drawn curtains to stand at center stage. The orchestra starts into a slow waltz.]
[Discord]
I've heard spun many a lengthy yarn
Depicting me in a much kinder light
But those truths are all somewhat stretched
It's such a funny thing, hindsight
[A brown earth pony enters from stage right and a yellow pegasus enters from stage left. They meet at back center stage, take each others' hooves, and begin to dance.]
[Discord]
I will admit that I once tried
So very hard to abide
By the many natural laws governing the land
But they were all just so boring
And oftentimes left me snoring
And in the end I simply refused to understand
The ponies all caged themselves within
Prisons of rational thought
Whereas it seemed only I could see the beauty
That untamed chaos brought
When everything in creation
Can be explained, understood, and defined
The simple joy of beholding
All that's new and strange is undermined
[Two more sets of ponies enter from opposite ends of the stage, both pairs joining hooves in the background and beginning to dance just as the previous pair had. The orchestra picks up the pace, the waltz quickening and the dancers doing the same.]
[Discord]
Regularity and order
Sequence and symmetry
That's no way to live
That's no way to be free
But it seemed that all were blind
Everypony but me
The vileness of harmony was something
That only my eyes could see
I felt lost and alone
Perhaps even a little insulted
This system that I hated
Had everypony else exulted
Did I really need,
To follow their silly laws?
Wasn't disorder,
The perfect escape clause?
[Two more pairs of dancers enter and join the others in the back ground. The orchestra picks up again, the dancers all moving dangerously fast in an effort to keep up with the hectic pace.]
[Discord]
It seemed only natural
To shun order in favor of calamity
A perfect world of infinite
Unlimited possibility
Deep down in my heart of hearts
At the center of my soul
I knew that chaos was
The puzzle piece to make me whole
But was it enough,
Finally knowing why and where I stand?
I still wanted to share my chaos
With everypony across the land
They couldn't appreciate it yet
But I felt that with the right nudge they could
Just a tiny, little push
They'd someday thank me, I knew they would
[The orchestra picks up once more, reaching a fever pitch, and the dancers all begin to trip, stumble, and fall. Soon, only Discord is left standing. The orchestra stops and silence reigns. Discord slowly makes his way to front center stage.]
[Discord, spoken]
In the end, I found that there was only one real option left to pursue. If anypony was ever going to see the same beauty and splendor that I saw, I was going to have to force them to see it; sunder their minds until they could finally understand things the way that I understood them.
Disharmony. Disorder. Discord.
Yes... Discord.
The moment the word came to mind, I knew it was right.