//------------------------------// // 16: To Tyrannize Kindness // Story: The Elements of Disharmony: Necessary Corruption // by Night_Shine //------------------------------// Fluttershy took one step through the archway of the Canterlot Palace Labyrinth and immediately the ground spewed out a black cast-iron fence behind her, blocking her only exit. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the fence and whimpered, but then turned back towards the pathway, feeling the warmth of the Element against her neck and strengthening her resolve. As she turned around she noticed a flashing neon arrow that had suddenly appeared in front of her, which pointed forward into the Labyrinth. She turned back to the iron fence, which now had an upside-down “DO NOT ENTER” sign plastered across its face, and then gulped as she trotted forward into the twisting maze of traps and terror. An arrogant smirk stretched across Discord’s muzzle as he watched Fluttershy from above; she had walked straight into the maze without a second thought and was now trotting down one of the paths with noticeable hesitation. Perfect. Now the fun begins… He snapped his clawed fingers and a trio of pink butterflies flew out of the hedge to her right, floating almost lazily through the air and leading her to the path that spiraled around to her left twenty feet ahead on the path. She ignored the butterflies and kept walking the same direction, taking the path to the right. Discord’s laughing eyes suddenly tightened into a glare. Fine. If you want to play games, we can play games. In fact, I have a game that I designed just for you… The draconequus snapped his fingers again and disappeared in a flash of light, his toothy grin hanging in the air for a fraction of a second before he faded into the air. Rounding the corner, Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her hooves as she found herself staring face-to-face with a horrific exhibit of torture and chaos. A pit of pinkish-red bubbling fluid oozed on the ground, roiling but not frothing over; something was holding it back. Above the pit two wooden poles climbed high into the air, each with an animal dangling from a chain attached to the top of the pole. On the left pole, a tiny little bunny swung back and forth in the air, its eyes stretched wide in innocent fright. On the right pole, a majestic falcon desperately strained the wings that were bound to its sides with tiny chains in a vain attempt to escape its imprisonment, temporarily ignoring the helpless prey hanging less than ten feet away. Discord’s cackling voice suddenly boomed around Fluttershy, as if from an intercom: “Fluttershy! We’re going to play a game, you and I. Trust me; it’ll be fun.” She looked frantically up into the air, looking for the tell-tale sight of the demon’s mismatched limbs and body. He was nowhere to be found. The voice continued, ignoring Fluttershy’s lack of a response. “You get to choose to free one of these innocent animals from its current predicament, but only one. If you attempt to set both of them free, they will immediately fall down into…well, I’ll just tell you that touching that stuff isn’t advisable for those who enjoy the use of their limbs.” Again she had no reply, staring at the two critters with a growing sense of horror. The mouse stared at her with its tiny little eyes, begging and pleading. By now, the falcon had stopped struggling and lay motionless on the end of its chain, resigned to its fate. “But wait, there’s more! If you choose to free the falcon and let the mouse fall to whatever fate awaits it below, the falcon will probably swoop down and eat the mouse to end its suffering. So, saving the mouse just because it’s cute—which I knew you would automatically prioritize—may not work out as well for both of them. And of course if you refuse to make the choice I’ll drop both of them, as well as let the bubbly death sauce pour out and flood the Labyrinth....and maybe even Canterlot.” “So, which do you choose, Element of Kindness?” Fluttershy took a deep breath to steady her fears, gently placing them aside as she closed her eyes and collected her thoughts. There was no real right answer to this riddle; Discord had designed it so there was no way any choice she made could possibly be considered ‘kind’. Just like last time, he was using wordplay and illusions to try and trick her out of her Element. But…just like last time, he had forgotten one extremely important factor. She suddenly snapped her eyes open and stared at the falcon, concentrating with all of her might on its closed despairing eyes. The falcon opened its eyes slowly, hesitantly, not believing what it saw nor what it felt. Fluttershy was staring directly at it, and…it knew what she was thinking. A soothing feeling of warmth blossomed in its chest, spreading out through its body into the tips of its wings. Fluttershy finally spoke up. “Alright, Discord, I’ll play your game. I choose to save the falcon.” Discord blinked once, then twice, as he stared down into his reflecting pool at the pony. He scratched his head with a claw as he looked at her, trying to read her expression, befuddled. Is she actually playing this the way I want her to? No, she wouldn’t do that. She must be trying to take some kind of third option…after all, this is the only pony I couldn’t brainwash the last time I escaped. Nevertheless, I should follow my own rules and give her what she wants. A sadistic grin crossed his face. “Alrighty then, one falcon coming right up!” With a small pop! the falcon disappeared and re-appeared at Fluttershy’s side, as the cute little mouse was sent spiraling down to its doom below. The falcon immediately jumped into the air, shooting straight towards the falling mouse. This should get interesting. I wonder what Fluttershy will do- His train of thought was cut off as he saw the falcon immediately stop directly under the falling mouse, catching the prey on its back. It landed carefully on the grass, bending down to let the mouse slide off and scamper into the bushes. The satisfied smile that had settled on Fluttershy’s face was almost blown right off by the deafening intensity of Discord’s voice as he screamed at her from nowhere. “YOU! YOU USED YOUR MAGIC TO CONTROL THE LITTLE BEASTS, DIDN’T YOU?!” The burning whine of Discord’s anger rang in Fluttershy’s ears as she stared up into the empty air, wondering what in Equestria could drive anyone to devise such a sick and twisted game. “No, Discord, I didn’t. Even though I suggested the idea, the falcon chose to save the mouse’s life by itself. You really should stop assuming the worst in everyone.” Turning away from the empty air, Fluttershy stepped back into the maze and continued down the winding path that led to into nowhere. Discord cracked a sadistic smile as he pieced together his next game. Oh, what fun this one will be! The ice rink sat beneath him, shining crystal-white in the sunlight—Nonono, it should be purple—as he assessed his work. Perfect. Fluttershy should turn the corner right about...now! The wind whistled through the labyrinth, filling the silence. He pulled a clock out of his ear and stared at its face, frowning. He scratched his head in bewilderment. She was supposed to arrive right now. Where is she? Fluttershy trotted further into the heart of the maze, taking several deep breaths to calm her racing heart. The bushes rustled as a hot wind pushed past her, ruffling the fur on her wings, but she ignored and it and kept walking. I just need to keep going until I find Discord. Letting her mind wander, Fluttershy thought, what will happen when I find him? I hope I don’t have to fight him…but I know he won’t give up easily. I guess I’ll just have to see when I get- A sudden tug on her neck yanked her out of her thoughts, and Fluttershy looked up, startled. Again something pulled at her neck, pointing towards left wall of the labyrinth. Looking down, she saw her Element of Harmony floating up next to her neck and pulling her towards the wall. She glanced up at the direction it pointed and frowned. The only thing there was another hedge wall. Still…something seemed off about it. Somehow she knew that she had reached the center of the maze. I wonder what’s inside…? Tentatively Fluttershy reached a hoof through the wall and placed it on the ground on the other side, pulling her body through the bush which happily moved aside at her touch. Her hoof splashed as it landed in a small puddle of water. “TYRANT!” The voice screamed, over and over and over and over and over Fluttershy jumped back into the hedge, suddenly scared. “W-what is this place?” she said aloud, but then hesitantly placed her hoof back in the pond. That voice echoing over and over inside my head, her voice; always her voice. But then again, she was the only one who dared to speak, all those years ago… She climbed out of the hedge and slowly waded further into the pond, feeling the strange liquid swirl around her hooves. Every current brought a different feeling as if it was completely unstable; one minute it chilled her to the bone and then another it roiled angrily against the thin fur hanging over her hooves. Still she pressed on, determined to find out what was in this pond. She still doesn’t understand. None of them understand. No one could ever hope to understand. …I don’t understand. The water level had reached her belly fur as she started to swim, nearly slipping as the ceiling dropped off beneath her. Why understand? A wisp of black liquid swam past Fluttershy, boiling cold to the touch. Why does she think she needs to understand? Why can’t she understand that she will never understand? It’s just having fun. It’s only fun. So much fun to go down and have them all within my reach, bowing to my every whim, playing every game I want them to, all beneath me, all below me… An ebony-black blob of pure whiteness floated past Fluttershy’s hooves, far beneath the crimson-green surface of the pond. …none beside me... Fluttershy stopped. Her hooves pumped rhythmically from side to side, keeping her afloat as she wondered why she had stopped right here. All of her fur was completely dry in the shallow pond. She suddenly frowned. “This isn’t anywhere near as shallow as it looked from shore,” she murmured to herself, staring down into the ever-shifting murky depths. Fluttershy gazed down into the bottom of the pond. Lying beneath everything else, all of the roiling angries and bubbling laughs, one pair of burning thoughts did not move. Why is there no one beside me? Why is there no one besides me? Suddenly an unpleasant feeling prickled Fluttershy’s neck, and she had the distinct feeling that somepony was watching her. She whirled around, looking back towards the hedges she had entered through…and there he was. Hovering above the ground. Glaring at her with a pendant of red fire blazing against his neck and a pair of roller-skates dangling below his clenched fist. “Why did you have to come here? Why couldn’t you have just played along?” he asked, every word a stinging blow. The pond rippled as he spoke, its surface absorbing the anger in his voice, turning a sickly shade of blood red. “We were playing a game together, and then you had to go and ruin everything by coming here. You ponies are all the same, aren’t you? All of you are content to spend your five-second lives doing absolutely nothing, and then whenever I try and have any fun, you ruin it because it doesn’t fit in with your perfect little pretty pink planet. I’m sick of being the only one, the only one who…” He faltered, suddenly noticing the odd way that Fluttershy was staring at him. “What?” “Discord…you’ve never had a friend before, have you?” The angry look on his face evaporated as he fell onto his back in midair, cracking up, his laughs echoing through the empty halls of his empty maze. “Oh…oh geez. You little ponies really are all the same, aren’t you? A…a friend…ahahaha!” Fluttershy pressed on, still staring at him. “No, I’m serious. Have you ever had a friend before?” He stood up, and his face scrunched back into an expression of anger as fast as if he had flipped a switch. “I know you’re serious. Believe me; I know…you’re always serious. All of you are always serious when it comes down to it, even that Pinkie Pie.” He grimaced. “And no, I have never had a friend. Nopony ever wants chaos…especially when Harmony has been all the rage for over three thousand years. Trust me, my usual greeting is a rainbow blasted in my face.” Discord’s red eyes were boring holes into Fluttershy’s, daring her to make a move. “Speaking of, isn’t it about time for you to attempt the same? If I’m not a lawn decoration by the time your friends get back, they will be awful disappointed.” She opened her mouth to reply, but he immediately cut her off by continuing: “…that is, if you think you can do it by yourself. Does it concern you that the only ponies who can stop me together are currently scattered all over Equestria with struggles of their own?” He paused, looking down at her with that wide arrogant smile. She looked back up to him, still thinking deeply, not sure how to respond. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t really think about that…I just knew that I needed to find you, so that I could convince you not to hurt any of my friends.” At that, Discord launched into another bout of laughing. “Oh…my sides…Fluttershy, you are a riot. Convince me? Convince me? How in the world were you deluded enough to think you could convince me of anything? I’m the immortal spirit of chaos! You’re a pony who’s going to die in less than a hundred years! What could you possibly convince me of?” “Well, I’d start off by convincing you that I don’t want to hurt you.” “Of course you don’t. None of you ponies ever do. But in the end, you all are living happily ever after in your shiny white castles, and I’m locked up in a stone statue in the garden suffering a fate worse than death. Funny, isn’t it?” Fluttershy flinched in horror. Worse than…? Was it really that bad? She felt an uncomfortable twinge in her gut. How must it have felt to sit in one place alone for thousands of years, with no friends to comfort you? “I think it’s funny,” Discord said, still grinning. Poor thing…I need to find a way to fix this. How could I let him free without needing to lock him back up again? She racked her brain, trying to think of something, anything to help the miserable beast…when suddenly, a faint glimmer of hope sparked in her mind. Well, it’s an awful solution, but it’s better than nothing. “What if I stayed with you this time?” Discord stared blankly at the butter-yellow mare. He had been expecting all of the usual things the ponies always said—“I don’t want to hurt you, but I have to! Sorry!” *zap*—but this…he did not see this coming. Cleaning out his ear with his pinky talon and throwing out a huge wad of gunk, Discord asked, “What?” “I-If you get turned to stone again, I mean. Would it help to have somepony to talk to?” He groaned. “So, you would turn me to stone, but stop by in case I get lonely? Thanks.” “You know what...I’m not going to turn you to stone again.” Wait, is she serious? Does she have any idea what she’s talking about? Discord snapped his fingers and reappeared right next to her, with a pair of librarian-glasses balanced precariously atop his muzzle for added skepticism. “Listen, Flutters. This is going to end one of three ways. One, you try and fight me and lose, and I laugh at you as I freeze you in a wad of unbreakable grape jelly, so the Elements of Harmony won’t threaten me again—at least until the new Element-bearers come around in a century or so. Two, your friends show up and you turn me into a garden decoration, just like last time…but I won’t let that happen, because we’re done stalling. Three, you don’t try and fight me, and I put you in a wad of jelly anyway. What’ll it be?” he asked. Fluttershy did not speak, but she did answer. Gently unclipping her Element, she waded back into the pond, her hair stained black by the chaotic muck. Discord watched her, confused. What is she doing…? She trotted still further into his pond, swimming now, pushing onward into the pond. She took off her Element before going in…why? There’s nothing in there that could save her, or defeat me, or even bring her friends back…unless she’s stalling by trying to confuse me! Discord nodded, satisfied with this explanation. His eagle-claw suddenly filled with jelly that eagerly fizzled and cracked in the empty air. No more stalling, Flutters. Time’s up. Yet even as he pulled back the wad to throw at her, taking aim…he hesitated. I’ll at least see what she thinks she’s doing. If she wanted to stall, she would have run into the labyrinth…no, she must think she can do something else. The water level was at her head as she swam still further into the pond. He could feel the memories swirling around in there, agitated by her presence. I believe they might attack her if she tries to go further, Discord mused. Nice of them to do the job for me. He gave a wry smile. He snapped his lion paw fingers and instantly appeared at her side as she swam further into the pond, her nose barely above the surface. “Yknow, Flutters, it can be quite dangerous to go in there…after all, my memories are often bitter to ponies, and can be provoked quite easily. Also, whirlpools appear very suddenly and might just drown you…” That should get her out. Suddenly a whirlpool appeared straight beneath her and she was sucked down, swallowed into the abyss of swirling chaos. A few bubbles floated up to the surface and then popped, exploding with a cacophony of gag-esque noises. He stared in disbelief. She forgot her Element. How does she think she’ll get out?! Time stood still as the draconequus hovered in mid-air, his body completely still. He stared down into the depths of the bottomless pond…and saw a body floating there, completely still. No. There’s no way she could be that stupid…is she expecting her friends to come save her?! All of her friends are out all over Equestria! How could her friends save her if none of them are here? His heart skipped a beat…as he answered his own question. …I’m here. I'm here beside her. With a snap of his fingers the butter-yellow pony was laying on the grass, her hooves splayed out to her side. Her chest shuddered as it rose and fell, weaker and weaker with each breath. Discord’s mind whirled as he watched the pony fade right in front of him. He snapped his fingers again to get the fluid out of her lungs, but…nothing happened. Something was stopping him…his magic wasn’t working! WHAT?! He snapped again and again, but for the first time in his life, his magic refused to let him continue. Staring at her, he suddenly noticed a tint of red on her soft fur, from a light…a glowing light…on his chest… Not hesitating for an instant, Discord unsnapped the Element of Cruelty from his neck and sprinted over to the shore of the pond, where the Element of Kindness sat as unmoving as its owner. With a pop! he reappeared at Fluttershy’s side, and ever so gently wrapped it around her neck, with a caution he had never before employed. Seconds stretched into hours as he watched the faint emerald glow of the Element of Kindness pulsing with her heartbeat, painfully slow. But then… Fluttershy coughed violently as she jerked up, panting and sweating, her eyes wide as dinner plates. She retched and coughed up the deathly fluid of the pond, which sizzled and scarred the surface of the grass. A stupidly huge smile crossed Discord’s face, and a very…strange…feeling washed over him. What is this…? I’ve never felt this before…But it was a nice feeling, and he let it stay for a second or two as he watched his recovering frien—Wait, is she? No, she couldn’t be; she’s just a pony! That I just saved, for no reason. I…guess she is.—friend. Friend. I…I kinda like that. He had almost forgotten that one minor twinge of annoyance until she woke up and looked at him with those big, adorable eyes, and then he remembered what had actually just happened. “Why did you do that? Did you make me save you?!” She frowned. “What? No…I didn’t even think about what would happen to me. I knew that those were your memories in that pond…and I wanted to understand what happened. I wanted to know why you would think I couldn’t save you.” The feeling came back to him, unpredictably, unexpectedly. This time…he let it stay. Two friends sat together by a pond, both smiling. Even though neither of them spoke a word…both knew exactly what the other would say. The Element of Cruelty lay dead on the grass, and the Element of Kindness pulsed with warmth between the two as the bushes and vines of the labyrinth walls slowly collapsed around them, happily falling back to sleep within the earth. The pitter-patter of raindrops falling to the earth faded away as the clouds dispersed into the open sky, and with the rainfall gone, the pond faded as well; it faded into nothing more than a bad memory. Scritch-scratch scritch-scratch scritch-scratch In a tall building within the heart of the city of Canterlot, amid the wreckage of storm and destruction, while tendrils of black fog reached around every corner to ensnare any naïve civilian who was not yet subdued, while twelve of the most powerful beings on the planet waged total war in the city’s own statue garden, the thirteenth sat calmly at a small desk in his study. He was bathed in an ominous glow from the translucent-red glass window behind him, a glow that matched the tint of the monocle squeezed tightly in his left eye. His desk was simplistic yet elegant, built from a type of wood imported from halfway across the world, far beyond the borders of Equestria. A neat stack of papers and scrolls sat at the stallion’s right side, one of only three features that decorated the unordinarily ordinary surface of the desk. The other two were a small shard of a mirror and a very oddly-decorated chessboard which had an even odder setup. Six black pawns had been placed to the side of the chessboard, lying on their sides—lost, useless, and forgotten. The six white pawns were all approaching the black king from their respective locations, turn by turn, but they were too far away to reach him before the white king did…which had spent its last turn moving within the attack range of the black king. Black’s turn. Paying very little attention to the board, the stallion grasped a quill firmly in his mouth, scritching and scratching at a scroll beneath him, writing out a letter to a friend of his who had fallen asleep on his rounds patrolling the corridors of Canterlot Castle. Suddenly glancing up, the stallion found himself staring at the dark silhouette of a pony that had slipped into the room without a sound. A welcoming grin crossed the stallion’s face. “Ah, Professor Magus! Glad to see you took my advice about the protection spell. Could you do me a favor and deliver this message to one of the Guards? He should be fast asleep on the south balcony. Thank you ever so much…” The silhouette nodded; a cool rush of wind swept through the room as the scroll flew off of the stallion’s desk. A small creak echoed through the quiet room as the open door swung shut. Perfect. I do hope the fellow hurries to deliver that message—after all, he seems to have forgotten that the protection spell I recommended only lasts for twenty minutes after the user wakes up, mused Puzzle Master. But then again, I may not have mentioned that little detail when I originally suggested the spell. All of a sudden Puzzle Master frowned and spun towards the window, looking intently into the sky. It would appear that the storm is clearing up. Soon I will have visitors…I suppose I should prepare myself. After all, my visitors are expecting quite a show, and it would be a shame to disappoint them.