A Dark Shade of the Past

by InfinityBreach

Falling Snow

*The library*

1/1/11

We started training today. The creator explained that we are to be trained to our peaks; forms that are meant to be our maximum amount of power, and that we must figure out how to get to those forms by ourselves…

I already know what the changeling and pony versions are. When a changeling is able to exhibit love and falls in love with another, then they become flutterponies. I've never really learned what flutterponies can do, however.

I know what I have to do to change… but I'm way too embarrassed to. I mean, I want to go up to Shaded and be like "Hey! I like you! Let's go out!" but… I just can't.

Sigh.

Then there are the ponies. I don't know entirely how, but they are able to turn into alicorns, just like the creator is. I wonder what the pony sisters would be like?

Then there are the other three. I have no idea what they would turn to, but the creator did say that Atax would have to train alongside a pony. Celestia pretty much begged him to work with her, even though he didn't even need to be convinced.

I'm pretty sure those two like eachother. While most species are okay with interspecies relationships like changlings dating ponies or things like that, it's because we're partially equine in nature. However, dragons and ponies? I'm fine with it, but I don't know if everypony else would be.

I'll always be there to support them, though.

Anyway, it seems as though we've all been paired up to find out how to reach our peaks.

Shaded and I, Celestia and Atax, and Luna and Natura.

Shaded helped me develop a plan for the hive today. We call it the 'old ways', because falling in love is the oldest tradition in the world. The entire plan is that whenever a changling happens across a pony or other equine in danger that they can't help, they can make a pact with that pony to go back to their loved ones and basically be them. Chrysalis suggested that we should instead force-take love from the ponies, because they are born with an abundance of it.

That is not right. We as a world must work together, not fight. Chrysalis doesn't understand this though, and a lot of what she does is competitions.

Chrysalis has been ignoring me lately, and has been especially hateful towards me when she sees me. I've tried to be as nice as I can, though… what is wrong with her lately?

I guess I'll have to figure that out one day.

"So.. Atax Entropy, the dragon. I'm guessing his peak was well… Discord. A draconequus. It makes sense. Entropy is chaos in science, which is equivalent to discord, which is absolute chaos." Twilight rubbed her hoof over her chin, before casting a look at her assistant.

Because it was winter, he was sleeping a lot lately. Twilight couldn't help but smile at her best friend. She got up and walked over to his bed, covering him with another blanket to keep him warm.

"A dragon can turn into a draconequus, huh?" Twilight said to herself, looking at Spike. "And you need a pony and a dragon to train together to reach it's peak…"

Twilight's eyes closed, as she thought to what any of this could mean. 'It seems like more and more of my life had something special planned for it, but what is it?' she thought to herself.

Twilight let out a sigh as her balcony door flew open, a burst of rainbow entering the room.

"Twilight! I need your help!" Rainbow said, grabbing her.

"Agh, Rainbow! What's going on?" Twilight asked in annoyance.

"The weather is out of control! We were having a snowball fight and all of a sudden the weather just got crazy!" Rainbow pointed to the window, where all you could see was white. "There's a massive blizzard outside, and Fluttershy left to check on her animals. The other pegasi are trying to fix the weather but we can't even touch the clouds right now, and while we were having the snowball fight Eclipsal got drowned in some of the snow and I can't find him!" Rainbow shouted, shaking Twilight.

Twilight pushed Rainbow away, falling back onto the ground. "Rainbow! You need to calm down. Let me just look in my books to see if anything like this has happened before. There should be a spell to fix this."

Twlight lifted her horn in the air to levitate a book to her.

"Um… what are you doing?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm bringing over a book." Twilight replied.

"But isn't your horn supposed to glow when you do magic?" Rainbow said, looking confused.

Twilight's eyes widened, and she lifted her horn again, and again.

"I can't use magic!" Twilight yelled, grabbing at her horn.

"What?!" Rainbow shouted in disbelief. "How are we supposed to fix this then?!"

Spike stood up from his bed, finally waking up from the noise. "Ugh, what's going on?"

"Spike!" Twilight said, running up to him. "Quick, are you able to use your green fire?"

Spike groggily got up, stretching his limbs, before bellowing out orange fire. His eyes widened, as he took a step back. "What the hay?"

"Oh no." Twilight muttered. "This is worse than I thought. It seems like…"

"No one is able to use their magic?"

Everypony turned to the new voice, and jumped when they saw the familiar draconequus they had come to know.

"Discord!" Rainbow yelled flying up to him, pointing an accusing hoof at him. "What are you up to this time, taking our magic away from us?!"

"Rainbow, get back down here. As much as I hate to say it, he's not here for anything bad." Twilight stated, curiously looking at Discord. "So, you know what's actually going on, right?"

Discord sighed, pushing away Rainbow Dash. "Yeah, unfortunately I do. Windigos." Discord told them, putting a claw up to his chin. "Haven't seen those in awhile…"

Discord shook his head, and began smirking. "So, let me guess. You ponies aren't having such a good friendship at the moment, huh? I wonder who it could be this time. Whoever it was owes me one for making me have to fly over here instead of teleport!"

Twilight gave a slight glare at Rainbow, before sighing. "Do you know how to fix this?"

"I… no. I don't. I was in stone when the Windigo incident happened. You know, before pegasi started to use magic to control the weather, the Windigos were in charge of manipulating it?" Discord said.

"Oh really?" Twilight said, astonished. "I thought that was just a legend."

"What legend?" Rainbow asked. "I thought pegasi always controlled the weather."

"Nope." Discord stated. "You see, there used to be an entire race of sea-ponies. Every winter, they would borrow the magic of the entire world to change the weather and set up the world for it's next year by turning into Windigos and manipulating the weather."

"Which is why they are so easily affected by emotions." Twilight explained. "Emotions are what power magic, so if the areas that they borrowed magic from were filled with negative emotions, they would go out of control and freeze their area with blizzards."

"Ugh! This is a great history lesson and all, but HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO SAVE PONYVILLE?" Rainbow yelled at the two.

"Rainbow, calm down. We are not going to save Ponyville by freaking out." Twilight stated.

"But still, Eclipsal is out there in the snow and we don't know where!" Rainbow replied.

*Eclipsal's POV*

The balcony door of the library show open as Pinkie crashed through it on her flying machine. I was on the back of it, feeling nauseous.

I jumped off of it and landed on the floor, sighing in relief. "Oh thank Celestia I'm back on the ground again."

Pinkie landed her machine and began giggling. "Well, I did say I'd catch you later!"

"I didn't know that meant as I was following through a wall of snowballs and a blizzard!" I said back to her, lying on my back.

"Well that's one problem solved." I heard Twilight say.

I turned my head to see Twilight, Rainbow and some sort of other creature there.

"Uh… hi." I said, looking at the creature that was staring at me.

"Hi." He muttered, taking in a deep breath. "I take it you are Eclipsal?"

"Yep." I stated. "What's your name?"

"The name is Discord." He stated.

"Twilight, I thought Discord was trapped in stone, and evil?" I said, getting up onto my hooves.

"He's good now. Kinda. Point is he's on our side." Twilight explained to me.

"Oooh, Discord!" Pinkie yelled, jumping into his arms. "Do you have any chocolate rain? Do ya? Do ya?"

Discord laughed, petting Pinkie massive curls. "No I don't, magic isn't working at the moment. When it does though, I'll summon as much as you want."

"Huh? What's wrong with your magic?" I asked.

"Right now we think that all the magic in Ponyville is gone." Twilight stated.

I tapped my hoof on the ground, and black limbs extended from my hoof, just like whenever I use my magic.

"Well, mine still works." I stated, picking up a pencil with it to test it out.

Discord stared at me in shock, shaking his head. "I-I… Twilight… we need to talk later."

Then he looked out the window. "Rainbow Dash, I need you to go to Cloudsdale. Check the clouds under the weather factory. Tell me if you find anything or any… one there."

"And why should I listen to you?" Rainbow yelled, glaring at him.

"Because if you don't, the world might be in danger instead of just Ponyville." Discord stated, his usual goofy facing appearing serious.

Discord then turned to look at Rainbow. "Listen, I don't care whether you go to Cloudsdale or not, but right now I'm going to check on Fluttershy."

"I think I'm going to make sure Rarity is okay. I was supposed to visit her anyway." I stated.

"I'll go with you, Eclipsal!" Spike said, before Twilight stopped him.

"You shouldn't be outside. If you were a normal dragon then you would be fine with a blizzard because your internal heat sack would be fully matured. But you're just a baby, so you'll be staying here." Twilight told him, which made Spike grumble in annoyance before heading back upstairs.

Discord looked at Spike retreating back up the stairs and gave a light chuckle. "Ah, young love. Well, it's time to go."

Discord opened the door, a wall of snow appearing before him. He let out a sigh. "Let's hope I'm not too rusty."

He inhaled air, his chest expanding as smoke came out of his nostrils. He then blew on the pile of snow, a blueish black fire bursting from his mouth, eradicating the snow blocking the door.

"Twilight." Discord began, looking back. "Come to Fluttershy's on Hearths Warming Eve. We really need to talk."

"Uh… okay." Twilight responded, as Discord flew away.

"… I guess I'll go to Cloudsdale then. I can ask for help clearing out the snow." Rainbow stated.

"And after I check on Rarity, I'll go back to Applejack's and tell her about what's happening." I said.

"And when this is all over, I'm drinking tons of chocolate!" Pinkie said, licking her lips.

So we all went our separate ways.