//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three- Uthrubael 
// Story: Becoming A Nightmare 
// by thefulkboy1 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Three...

Uthrubael


The Alicorn surged forth, watching the dark, bleak world flash past her in a blur. Her thoughts were in a frenzy, and she felt she was going to hit a slab of rock and end up as nothing more than a mess for somepony else to clean up. But Nightmare Moon seemed to know where she was going, at least. They were heading in the direction of the massive towers, which Luna could now view in their full glory. Most of them were a sleek silver color, but a few were black and caked with rust and other types of residue. They were tall, there was no arguing about that. Their peaks stretched into the dark heavens above, higher than anyone would dare go.
“Nightmare Moon,” Luna cried over the wind whistling in her ears. “How is this possible?! Nopony has ever gone that far up into the Heavens!”
“You don’t have to scream,” Nightmare Moon growled. “I can hear you just fine. But, to answer your question, this world has existed far longer than any of the Upperworlds.”
“Upperworlds?”
Nightmare Moon scoffed. “So many questions. Let the Cloakmaster answer them for you.”
Luna sighed and said nothing. The towers continued to get closer, and taller. Luna began to see things moving on the ground below her. They were living creatures, but nothing Luna had ever seen. She wanted to ask Nightmare Moon what they were, but held her tounge; she couldn’t know what the spirit could do to her. So she just watched the creatures go about their business, and the towers grew ever so taller.
“Alright!” Nightmare Moon suddenly screeched. Luna came to a halt, and she began to slowly float to the ground. “Here we are! Welcome to the glorious industrial city of Uthrubael!” When Luna touched the ground, she was finally free to move her entire body. She folded her wing in and glanced around her. It was a city, she could gather that from the towering buildings, smoke, dozens of creatures and loud noises.  It wasn’t anything like the Canterlot, or some other city in Equestria. It had a menacing feel to it, as if she was being watched constantly by some predator. It was also dirty. The walls of the buildings were caked in grease dirt, and a dark sticky substance that could only be blood. There was death here, and a lot of it.
“Okay, Luna,” Nightmare Moon hissed softly. “Uthrubael is a large place, filled with evil beings. Just try to find the Cloakmaster without causing too much trouble. That shouldn’t be too hard, now should it?”
“How are we supposed to know where he is?”
“Just... go to the Chrysalis Tavern. Ask the bartender, she’ll know.” And with that, Nightmare Moon seemed to shut herself off, leaving Luna to fend for herself.
As she began walking through the city, Luna gazed upon the strange creatures that roamed the streets. They all varied in sizes, and, Luna soon realized, species. There were even a few burly Griffons admiring some type of weapon, and Luna knew Griffons were native only to Equestria. So... how did they end up here?
Luna was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice the Draconequus standing in front of her.
“You seem lost, little pony,” he sneered, making Luna jump. She glanced at him, and surprise coursed through her.
“Discord!”
The Draconequus smiled, casually walking over to stand beside Luna. “So, Loony, how have things been since we saw each other last?”
“How... how did you escape the stone?! How did you get here?!” Luna questioned him, pinning him against a greasy wall. A few  passerby stopped to watch the scene that was unfolding.
“I didn’t,” Discord growled. “I myself didn’t, at least. I don’t know about him.”
“Him? Who’s him?”
“The Equestrian Discord, of course. My alternate self?” Luna stared at him, puzzled. Discord scoffed and pushed the pony away from him. “Jeez, Loony, you are just as clueless as your sister!”
“What do you mean, ‘your alternate self?’”
“I mean, my second half! My twin! I am the Spirit of Chaos, after all. So I can do whatever I want.” Discord grinned at Luna. “Tell me, how is he doing? How many birds have shit on him? I really want to know.”
Luna glared at him and began to walk away. “If you won’t give us answers, then we won’t give you answers.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Discord said, gliding over to Luna. “I’ll give you plenty of answers. Just tell me one thing: what are you doing here?”
“We... We’re looking for a place called the Chrysalis Tavern.” Luna answered, wanting to hide her true motives from her greatest enemy. Discord smiled and wrapped an arm around her neck.
“Just go a two blocks down, take a right, and go three more blocks. It should be right there, if I remember correctly.” Discord said. “Now, what else do you want to know?”
“What do you mean when you say you have a second half?”
“Well, when you and your pretty sister Celestia locked me away in stone, I split away from him and began searching for a new place to live. Just until he is freed, of course.”
“And you found this place.”
“Yes!” Discord ringed, raising a finger. “And what a glorious place it is! Sure, it could you some fixing up, but look at all this chaos!” He spread his arm wide. “How about you tell me how you ended up here. What did Celestia do, send you to the Moon?” Discord laughed, but when he saw Luna’s face, he immediately stopped and stared at her. “Oh, dear. She did, didn’t she?”
Luna nodded. “Yes... but it was our fault. We grew jealous”
“As well as you should have!” Discord said, letting go of her. “You had every right to be. Celestia got all the glory, and all you got were sleeping ponies. What fun is that?”
“We know,” Luna sighed. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll be going. I have business to attend to.”
“Wait, Luna,” Discord murmured, following the pony. “How about I tag along? Make sure you get to where you’re going. One enemy of Celestia to another?”
Luna shook her head. “No, but thank you for the offer, Discord. Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
DIscord paused, then suddenly nodded. “Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Hope to see you soon, Loony!” Discord disappeared around a corner, and Luna began toward the Chrysalis Tavern.
“Chrysalis Tavern...” Luna murmured to herself. “What a weird name. I wonder who owns it?”

----

Discord walked out of Uthrubael, skipping slightly. What a coincidence! Luna was in this world as well! And she was about to meet Chrysalis. They were a perfect trio, really. If Luna let slip that she came from a world full of love and kindness, then Chrysalis would have no other choice to attack Equestria. And when Discord broke free... He could barely contain his excitement! So much chaos was going to hit Equestria, and Celestia would be unprepared for it all.