Remembering from a dream.
Remembering a promise.
A promise of truth.
Of truth that would be revealed.
The door closed behind me, trapped me inside with Warden. The office was more spacious than I expected and well lit by Luna’s celestial eye that spread it grace through a big window that faced the slumbering city. Warden stood in front of the window, facing away from me. From the back of the gray earth pony was a single leathery wing emerging.
“I have waited for you.” he said as he turned around to face me. His single silver eye pierced me in place. “Do you have any idea how much work you are about to destroy? What are you thinking? The guards. How many of my subjects have they slaughtered tonight, and for what reason? For you to feel better?” he shouted out at me.
“I’m here to cleanse this city, to give this city freedom.” I said, taking a careful step backward as his silver eye glared at me.
“So you see yourself as a hero is that it? What did you hope to accomplish? Do you not see the damage you do to the city by just removing the ones that is doing their work? You remove a stallion or a mare from a position and another have to take that place, learn the work from the ground!” He marked the last word by stomping down a hoof in the ground, a hoof that changed to a lion paw before my eyes.
“I do not see myself as a hero, I see myself as a pony who sees the truth.”
“And what would that truth be?” he snarled at me.
“That Discord have fallen, his reign of chaos is over. The ponies have to control themselves, without any interference by the old, corrupted ways.”
“Discord have not fallen, you of anypony should know that. He is inside of you, I can feel him, as he is inside of me. Join me, Notharam, and we can make this city better. Things will have to change, the citizens will get more power. But this is not the way, they must be lead, they must be shown what they want.”
I could not help but smile at him.
“You know as much as I that that is not the way. This must end here. I’m here to make sure that you pay. Pay for the lives of the fifty-nine prisoners that died during Project Discord, pay for the death of Carrotshield.”
He looked surprised at me before he started to laugh.
“Project Discord? Was that what they told you? That was not the name on the project. The project was more than just the little group of guards, so much more.” he paused and looked at me. “The real name of the project was After Discord.”
“After Discord?”
“After Discord. A project started to make sure that Discords legacy would live on even after his death. He knew that they where on their way, that they had awoken. So he prepared. He talked to me, gave in my possession a vial of his blood, to be used if he was defeated. But I have to admit, I was afraid. I did not know what would happen if I injected it in me.”
“So you used it on prisoners, killing fifty-nine innocent ponies!”
Warden laughed again, tears running down his eyes. I took a couple of steps back in horror as I saw how the side of his back bulged outwards, the flesh and skin tearing apart. A pegasi wing emerged from the wound, hanging from his side.
“No, I did not use it. Carrotshield did. She wanted to protect all of the guards in the city, and I suggested that we could use some of the blood. She was more than happy to try it on the filth that roamed the streets. And I was terrified at the results, all of them went insane and died. And I was supposed to inject that in myself when Discord was defeated?” He laughed even more now, his newly acquired pegasi wing starting to beat in the air. “And she saw the insanity of it all herself, came here and shouted at me. BLAMING me! I said to her that she could cancel the project, but that bitch did more than that! She took the remaining blood of Discord and injected it into me!”
In front of my eyes did one of his back legs transform, changing shape to that of a lizard.
“And I hate every moment of it! He whisper to me, tell me to give in. He laughs at me. But worst of all is the fact that I talk with his voice! My body is changing, adapts to him. And the same will happen to you! But my fate is already sealed, and so is this towns! Even if you kill me will this happen to you, your body will be the vessel for Discord and his powers! Do you not see it, Notharam?”
And I understood where he went with all this. The city was doomed. If we killed all of the corrupted ponies, removing the taint of Discord would it not matter. Discord would return and take his seat again, and new corruption would rise.
“Give in, Notharam. I’m the real power here.” Discord whispered in my ear. “Kill Warden and get your revenge, and then give in. You can not change anything.”
I did not want to believe him, it had to be something I could do. I looked at Warden, he trembled as an antler emerged on the right side of his skull, the antler of a deer. He looked pledging at me.
“Help m....” he whispered as his skull started to change form, a big tooth grew out from the upper lip, the horn of a goat joining pair with the antler of the deer. His pupils changed shape, his left leg transformed into that of a goat, his tail to that of a snake.
“Finally free.” Discord called out, stretching his body, tasting the air with his snake tongue. “That Warden was really boring, but he gave in at the end. And now, is it your turn Notharam.”
He laughed and raised a hoof to the air. If it was not for the grave situation would I laugh at the confusion that spread over the god’s face as he looked down at the hoof.
“No, this can not be! What is happening, why is not the transformation complete?”
Discord laughed in my head. “It is really quite simple. I can not transform into the parts that somepony else have taken. And you, Notharam, have the talon. His magic is in that talon, without it can he not use it at all.”
The Discord in front of me stared at me.
“You.” he whispered. “The warden did not lie then, you have a part of me inside of me, do you not? I thought he lied, I did not believe he had the courage to do that.” he said and smiled at me. “Well, then I guess I will have to take back my talon with force!” he laughed as he began walking towards me.
“We are on our way.”