//------------------------------// // 18: Incorruptible // Story: The Elements of Disharmony: Necessary Corruption // by Night_Shine //------------------------------// Puzzle Master grinned as he stared at his storm through the blood-red window. A magnificent incident, that. Now it is time to witness the fruits of my labor. He glanced sideways at the dead-still wooden door, and then down to the watch on his left foreleg. His smug grin flickered uneasily. She is later than I expected… Straightening his posture, he triple-checked to make sure that every single aspect of the upcoming confrontation would proceed within his expectations. The dying rays of moonlight entered in a crimson glow from behind him, shrouding his silhouette in darkness—which gave him the atmosphere of danger and mystery he needed. Flickering candles on the walls added to the ominous nature of the atmosphere. On his desk sat a neat stack of papers and scrolls—No, those are irrelevant and distracting.—he calmly swiped them off and opened a drawer on his desk, filing the papers neatly in an unmarked folder. He glanced at the other two objects, the important ones, giving a nod of satisfaction at the red flash of moonlight and the carefully-arranged positions on his chessboard. As with most of his demonstrations the setup strayed tremendously from the established rules of chess; in this case, the white and black kings sat one space apart while the other pieces were scattered throughout the board. I never was much of a book player, though… crreeeeeeeaaaak He smiled as he looked straight through the eyes of the powerful figure trotting through his door. Time for the endgame. Princess Celestia closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cool air calm her nerves as she stood behind the polished wooden door. Opening her eyes, she read the few simple words written in liquid gold upon its face: ~Lord Silver Tongue~ President, Black Castle Enterprises With a flick of her magic, the door creaked open, revealing a dim room lit by the bloodred glow of its tinted window. Six candles flickered with the sudden rush of air as she trotted into the room. The resident and master, a grinning stallion watching her from behind his simple desk, had been expecting her. The first words are crucial; they immediately set the tone of the game and make clear the pattern of establishing superiority. Mine must be extremely aggressive in order to initiate a mindset of immediate danger. The Princess has faced numerous enemies before who held Canterlot in their grasp for a night, but never a pony without ostensible power who utilizes my style of corruption. Playing on the instinctual fear of the unknown will plant the seed of unnerved paranoia in her mind that must grow to fruition within the next twenty minutes. Glaring through the eyes of the Princess with a bemused grin across his face, Puzzle Master spoke clearly and maliciously: “Good evening, Princess. I am surprised it took you this long to arrive. How’s Luna?” Celestia did not blink at an eye, her focus zeroed in on the crimson-eyed stallion. “She’s feeling a lot better. Feeling much more…herself, actually.” She internally winced. I need to focus and cut to the chase. His talent is with words; I cannot give him an opportunity to gain the upper hoof. Puzzle Master did not move a muscle in his face, analyzing his opponent’s strategy behind a thick mask of arrogance. She thinks I do not know! My primary strategy worked flawlessly. Time to end this charade. His tone oozed apathy as he replied: “Really. Fascinating.” “You don’t sound surprised,” Celestia responded, readying her trump card. As soon as he figures out that his plan failed, he will crumble. She watched his reaction carefully. Bemused, Puzzle Master glanced up to a blank spot on the ceiling for a split second. I wonder how long I can drag this out…the longer the better; impatience builds to anger. “Don’t I? I apologize, but that does not seem very out of the ordinary to me.” That’s enough. I need to get to the point. Celestia cleared her throat and declared, “Puzzle Master, your game is up. Every wielder of the Elements of Disharmony has been defeated, and my Elements of Harmony are on their way. If you attempt to escape, I and my Royal Guard will find you. You have lost.” “OH NO! How could this have possibly happened?! Nooo-” burst out Puzzle Master before breaking into a fit of cackling laughter that he could not hold in any longer. He planted his face into the desk, pounding his hoof against its surface in mirth. I have been waiting to do this for so long…but I dare not miss her reaction! Lifting his head from the desk, Puzzle Master stared back to his adversary with an even wider grin across his face. The stallion’s piercing laughter rang in Celestia’s ears as a flurry of thoughts whirled around her head. What? How? Why did he…? He couldn’t have—of all the things I expected him to—Celestia frowned in confusion, almost taking an unconscious step backwards before she stopped herself. Opening her mouth to reply, nothing came but silence. Now the fun begins. “Aaaah…what’s the matter? Was I not melodramatic enough? I thought you enjoyed eliciting this kind of reaction from your usual villains, Tia.” He sat motionless in his chair, still staring at her, still not blinking. Don’t call me that. Only Luna calls me that. The thoughts slipped into her consciousness before she could stop them, and Celestia took another deep breath before continuing. “No. No I don’t. And why would you be happy about all of your minions’ defeat?” she asked, her voice saturated with confusion and dripping with disgust. Puzzle Master nearly laughed aloud for a second time at his opponent’s blunder. Did you really leave that opportunity wide open? Very well, I will directly attack your focal point, if you insist…Clearing his throat, he launched into a well-rehearsed speech: “Oh Tia…you never did see this coming, did you? You’ve been spoiled, dear. Every enemy your kingdom has ever faced has only set their sights on one completely ridiculous goal—being, of course, absolute conquest. None of them possess even a shred of common sense. I thought perhaps you could learn a little by stepping out of your comfort zone.” Implications of understanding her thoughts and actions, as well as knowledge of her suspicions, will undermine her confidence as expected. It is time to initiate the next phase of attack. Celestia’s gaze narrowed into a glare. “What are you talking about?” Oh, Tia, why are you making this so easy? I wanted a challenge. Oh well. Puzzle Master leaned forward over his desk, the unwavering crocodile grin stretched taught across his face. “I never wanted Canterlot.” Celestia paused, taken aback. Again she found herself at a loss for words. He must be lying—this makes no sense, even for a pony as crazy as him! But still…she paused, feeling the uncomfortable rush of aggression flow through her veins. Following up before the Princess could snap out of her confusion and cut off his assault halfway through, Puzzle Master whispered, “Is that too hard to get through your sweet little brain? I will give you a moment to process it.” What?! Is he—I need to stay in control of my emotions. I will not let this insane stallion get the upper hoof. “You’re lying. Why else would you stage the coupe? What else could you possibly want?” Puzzle Master chuckled again—I hope this habit is beginning to irritate her by now, otherwise it will have been utterly useless—and gave the tiny sigh of a teacher explaining to an inattentive filly that two plus two does not, in fact, equal five. “Please think before you speak, Princess…it is awfully uncomfortable to watch a powerful ruler such as yourself fail to grasp the most basic of concepts. The coupe was merely to get your attention, nothing more.” The words hit Celestia like a slap in the face. “What?” “And now you are listening.” Immediate follow-up will drive home the panicked uncertainty she is currently suppressing, giving me the clear advantage. Celestia’s mind spun in endless circles, hopelessly confused. I need some answers. Struggling to keep an even tone of voice, she said, “But…why free Discord? Why rally all of these villains with their own motives against me, if you would give them nothing in return?” Puzzle Master put a hoof to his chin. Now for the dislodging maneuvers. “Hm…I suppose that would have been a serious problem if my cohorts grew aware of my true intentions, wouldn’t it? In that case, it was very kind of you to risk the lives of your Elements of Harmony to defeat those nasty villains and protect me from their wrath. I am truly flattered.” “What?!” The angry outburst slipped from Celestia’s lips before she could stop it. She mentally cursed herself. I cannot let him keep up this argument. “Enough of your games, Puzzle Master. Give up now or I will put you under a sleep spell and take you back to the Castle for punishment.” Shifting in his seat, Puzzle Master took a deep breath to prepare himself. The dislodging maneuvers are complete. Time for the final phase. He closed his eyes and shook his head, smiling again and giving a light chuckle. “If only it were that simple…allow me to explain your options, Tia. Option the First: You put me under a sleep spell and take me back to Canterlot. I stand trial and go to jail. I wait patiently for my contacts in the Royal Guard to hear of my predicament, and they come and free me, wherein I concoct a whole new plan and the whole process starts over again.” Celestia frowned with sudden worry. Contacts in the Royal Guard? “Option the Second: You put me under a sleep spell and take me back to Canterlot. I stand trial, and you decide to banish me instead of jail me. I wait patiently for my contacts to hear of my predicament so they can sneak me back across the border to Equestria and I return to Canterlot in secret. I concoct a whole new plan and the whole process starts over again.” But…She tried to object, but the stallion was on a roll. “Option the Third: You hesitate to act after I finish speaking, allowing your Elements and my Elements time to come here and join the game. I continue to goad you and them until the least emotionally stable among the group cannot stand it any longer. One of the former Wielders of Disharmony lashes out in anger, murdering or otherwise incapacitating me—or you. The others, not quite so sure of their allegiance, lash out at that Wielder. The Elements of Harmony become confused with the shifting factions among the Wielders of Disharmony and fail to act, assuming they are not taken out immediately as they would not expect another fight. Canterlot descends once again into chaos.” A shiver ran down Celestia’s spine. Did he plan this from the start? “Option the Fourth: You wait for your pony troupe to arrive with their new friends, and they manage not to react to my goading. Your six little mares use their Elements against me, convinced that the magic will find a way to defeat me when you cannot, like it did Discord and Nightmare Moon. However, given that those two were immortal god-like beings and I am but a humble earth pony, I do not survive the deadly magic and you may as well have murdered me outright.” Celestia’s glare intensified. “So what are you saying? What do you expect me to do?” Puzzle Master exhaled, his grin wider than an empty skull’s as his goading eyes drove her to fury. “Take a guess, Tia dear.” Celestia’s heartbeat pounded fiercely in her chest, synchronized with the painful throbbing of suppressed anger. Boiling magic rose within her horn, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she pushed the fury back to its place in the corner of her mind. She took a deep breath, and then another. Puzzle Master leaned back in his seat, stretching out his hooves. Let’s see how long it takes to lure the monster from its cave…“Tell me, Princess,” he began, “how long have you been suppressing this anger? One hundred years? One thousand? Ten thousand? You know, bottling up emotions like this is not very good for your mental health. If you do not trust my word as a former psychologist, you could go ahead and ask your sister—she has plenty of personal experience in this area…” Inhale. Everything gained a blood-red tint as Celestia opened her eyes once again, taking in the calm silence around her with itching impatience. Exhale. The anger rose again immediately at the sight of Puzzle Master leaning back in his chair, fiddling with a mirror shard between his thick blue hooves. I must stay in control… The Princess’s alarmed voice dropped suddenly into a dead-flat monotone as she finally spoke up: “So, was this your plan all along?” She dared not move a single muscle. Puzzle Master looked up in surprise, and grinned again. “How difficult was it to hide this for thousands of years? Does anypony else even have the faintest clue what their benevolent ruler keeps hidden behind the smiling mask? Discord knew. He must have known.” “What are you talking about?!” Venomous fury filled her voice as she snapped out at the chessmaster, but at this point she did not care. Every inch of her skin burned with the effort of holding still. “An interesting thing that I noticed in my studies, with the unenthusiastic assistance of my emotionally challenged little brother—who was perfectly suited to the task—is the pattern through which deadly alter-ego personalities can be formed, namely, through suppressed emotions. I noticed that my brother struggled quite a bit with anger and fear, and had an odd tendency to cling to our annoying parents…so I decided to utilize him as a psychological experiment as to the effects of extreme emotion on magical psychology. Disappointingly, though, his alternate ego could never break through no matter what I did in regards to physical and mental torture. I nearly gave up on my experiment…when, lo and behold, Discord rose again and flipped everyone’s personalities upside down.” The stallion laughed at his pleasant memories. “You should have seen what he became! You should have seen what he did!” Inhale. This stallion spent years torturing an innocent colt because he wanted to destabilize a child’s mind. Exhale. He deserves the same… “Luckily I was able to escape his wrath, even if he took out quite a few others on his initial rampage. Once he had calmed down a bit, though, I convinced him to use the very unique magic he now possessed to preserve his alternate personality, and I gained one extremely useful minion. So I started to wonder…if one little crybaby colt could turn into a rampaging beast, what would happen if I utilized the same strategy against somepony with infinitely more magical potential? And that is when I thought about you.” Inhale. I have never met a living creature who deserves worse than this stallion. Exhale. Equestria’s legal system would never allow him the fate he deserves. “What was the pretty pony princess hiding behind her shiny gold crown and her infinite patience? Nopony else knew, even if Discord had a guess. It would seem that I am the first pony to find out!” Inhale. I cannot lash out at him because that is exactly what he wants. Exhale. But he has pushed this too far… “I found Discord’s description of your reaction to his first recent escape very intriguing. He said that as soon as he started speaking you barely even moved! Barely even moved. Interestingly enough, his explanation for your refusal to assist the Elements of Harmony in their mission that fateful day was that you were afraid of him…but I don’t think he understood the real reason behind your cowardice.” Cowardice?! Inhale. Exhale. “No, no, you did not hide in your castle because you were afraid of the big bad beast out there. You hid in your castle because you were afraid of the big bad beast in here…driven by paranoia that the poor protected ponies living happily beneath your hoof would find out who you really are, behind the mask of infinite patience and endless smiles.” Inhale exhale. You have no idea how good it would feel to wipe the arrogant smile off your sadistic child-abusing face. He leaned forward again, drawing closer and closer to the stone-faced alicorn. “May I ask you a question, Princess? How does it feel to know that I threw your entire kingdom into chaos, causing extreme emotional trauma to your little sister and countless other innocent ponies, just because I was curious how you would react?” FWOOM! Time slowed down as Celestia ignited her horn in a blinding inferno. A brilliant light washed over the room, dancing on the walls as the Solar Princess’s horn blazed with the golden fire of justice and a stallion’s screechy laughter echoed out into the night. Long shadows stretched down the hallways, blanketing the shaded soul in yet another layer of darkness. His nervous hoofsteps echoed through the corridor, rippling the silence. Dozens of memories flashed across his vision, desperately straining to pull him back to the empty garden that lay safe in the shadow of Canterlot Castle…but he paid them no heed. The voices, though, would not leave him alone. You left her there in the garden. Why? Isn’t she your friend now? Yes, but first I need to- No, you don’t. Can’t you just wait until later? The Princess is probably busy. Trust me, this cannot wait. With a new sense of determination, Soul Shade turned the corner only to run headfirst into one of the Royal Guards levitating a large unmarked box in front of their face. He winced as the fragile painting floating safe in his magic fell suddenly towards the floor, but he caught it at the last second and set it down as gently as he could. “Oh my gosh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-” The colt cut himself off under the intensity of the guard’s sudden glare, withering as his words faded into inaudible mumbling. “What are you doing awake, kid?” Soul Shade coughed nervously. “Um, well, it’s almost morning-” The guard’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not what I meant. What kind of magic did you use to stay awake? Is anypony with you?” Speechless and confused, Soul Shade spluttered “I didn’t use any magic to stay up! Why does that even—wait. Wait just a minute.” His wide eyes narrowed and flashed bright red. “You meant, ‘why didn’t the Shadow’s spell work’, didn’t you? How did you know about that spell? And why are you awake? The Shadow’s spell has not worn off yet…I would know. I cast it.” The guard took a step backwards, suddenly nervous. A glow from his horn subtly pushed the box behind him, hiding their contents from the angry colt. “Y-You’re working for my brother, aren’t you?” Clearing his throat to regain his sense of authority, the guard stated, “I don’t know what you’re talking about—and don’t take that tone with me, citizen. I am working for her Royal Highness Princess Celestia herself.” “No. No, you’re not. You are working for Puzzle Master. I’m not scared of you.” Losing his patience, the guard shoved Soul Shade to the side. “You’re wasting my time, kid. I have an important package to deliver to Lord Silver Tongue, so get out of my way!” As the guard stepped forwards and floated the box back in front of him, Soul Shade promptly knocked it out of the air, spilling its contents all over the floor. The contents… Soul Shade’s eyes widened and he instinctively took a step back. A set of metal armor lay splayed across the floor, polished and gleaming. Every piece shone fiery crimson against the blue tint of the moonlight, emanating heat and melting away the cool breeze of the night. Hammered into the center of the chestpiece, a black sun insignia glared haughtily at the darkness surrounding it. The guard stepped back, feigning innocence. “What is that?! I…I didn’t know-!” Soul Shade took a deep breath before looking back up to the guard; all of the fear had drained from his eyes. “Get out. Just…get out. I don’t want to see you again, and if my brother asks, tell him you’re tired of corrupting the Equestrian government so you quit your job.” Hesitating, the guard took one last chance to exert his authority. “Listen, kid, just because you know my employer doesn’t mean you can tell me what to do.” “What if I tell the Princess?” “In a few minutes, that won’t even matter,” he replied, gesturing to the door of Puzzle Master’s office. A fiery glow spilled out from the cracks in the door, flooding the hallway in blinding light. Soul Shade jerked his head back to the door, noting the golden light with an expression of absolute horror across on his face. Horror turned to anger as he trotted swiftly to the guard. “Hey, watch it, kid! I could still arrest you for attacking a Royal-” The guard gave a surprised gasp as Soul Shade’s hoof collided with his windpipe. Gold metal clanged against crimson as the stallion fell backwards, right into the sharp scattered pieces of armor. A blast of deafening sound exploded from the floor where the two met, vibrating the floor and resounding through the entire building. Soul Shade instinctively squeezed his eyes shut and plugged his ears with his hooves, backing up and colliding with the wall behind him. From behind it, he suddenly heard the muffled voice of the Princess, filled not with anger but with surprise: “What was that?!” An ice-cold shiver suddenly raced down Soul Shade’s back. If she sees the armor that her Royal Guard was about to deliver…Working quickly, he threw open the nearest window and levitated the armor and the unconscious guard into the cool night air, carefully lifting them up onto the roof of the building where they would be safe. He stepped forward, taking a deep breath and picking up the fragile painting with his magic before he slowly pushed open the door to face the two ponies he had feared most for all of his life. Princess Celestia’s heartbeat pounded mercilessly against her skull as she glared down at the helpless villain in front of her, whose eyes danced with mirth as they dared her to make a move. Her breaths came in shallow gasps. Fiery aggression rushed through her veins, from her horn down to the tips of her hooves. An inferno of hot light throbbed inside of her horn, itching for her to let it loose. “What, are you scared of me? Little old me? Come now, Tia, make your move; I dare you-” Celestia was pondering how lovely it would feel to blast Puzzle Master into an ash stain on the carpet when a deafening CRASH echoed from the hallway behind her. She whirled around, twin fires burning in her eye sockets and beneath the surface of her horn. She heard a moan, and the sound of a pony bumping into the wooden door. "What was that?" A second passed, and then two. Neither pony dared to move as they both watched the door, waiting the eternity of split time between anger and hope, between confidence and misery. The door opened to reveal a little blue colt holding a painting. Princess Celestia’s expression of pure rage faded into confusion. “…Brother?” whispered Puzzle Master, sorrow meeting despair in his voice. He watched in stupefied horror as all of his elaborate plans crumbled to ruins around him. Months of scratching out every last pattern and motive of these ponies, weeks of acquiring the right contacts to aid this one master scheme…all destroyed by his naïve fool of a brother. The little colt trotted into his office with his head hanging low, carefully dragging the heavy painting behind him. Both chessmasters stood frozen by shock, at a complete loss for words. The blinding light above Celestia’s forehead faded into a dim glow and then died, leaving only the pure-white surface of her horn. “What is that?” asked the Princess, her commanding overtone replaced by a curious whisper. Without speaking, the colt flipped the framed canvas around, revealing a very familiar painting. It captured the image of the sky in a beautiful sunrise within its intricate brushwork, displaying both the moon and the sun in all of their glory. The stars were faintly visible through the first bright rays of morning, and the few scattered clouds above the sun reflected a spectrum of colors, the stunning bright pinks, reds, and oranges of dawn. Carved into its simple wood frame was a small inscription, the title of the work: Harmony in Equestria. The painting that had fallen and shattered on her floor after she woke up to find her sister consumed by hatred once again…unbroken, fixed, pure. “Where did you find this?” she asked. Shuffling uncomfortably on his hooves, the colt mumbled, “I…I made it. For you.” Taken aback, she hesitated, but still had a few pieces missing from the puzzle. “I saw this painting destroyed by the storm last night.” “I…” he cleared his throat, not sure how to explain. “It lived on in my memory, at least long enough to paint another one. It’s my favorite one, you see…” his voice trailed off into incomprehensible murmuring. Celestia cracked a grin. “What do you know? It’s mine too.” The colt’s nervous face burst into a glowing smile, radiating warmth across the room…which lasted for only a fraction of a second. “BROTHER! What are you doing here?! You’ve destroyed everything! I was mere seconds away from showing the world the true beast that lies behind their phony Princess! I could have shown everyone what this so-called ‘pure’ mare really is!” Both heads swiveled back to the flustered Puzzle Master as his midnight cheeks burned with indignant humiliation. They stared at him for a second before the Princess cleared her throat and spoke to him one last time: “No, Puzzle Master. You don’t get it, do you? You think of everypony as a challenge; you see only a game to destroy them from the inside out. All that you do is destroy. You are the true beast here…have you ever made one friend in your life that you liked simply as a fellow pony? Your lust for power over others, your heartless cruelty, your stubborn greed, your betrayal of everyone you know, your deceptive actions, and most importantly your fear of truly knowing anyone as a friend have led you to ruin tonight. I will not destroy you…because you have too much to learn.” No. Anything but this…there’s no WAY she could still pull the friendship card! His quivering eyes folded into a glare. She cannot possibly let me off the hook when I did this much to her! Nopony could forgive what I have done! “All of your life you spent learning how to undermine the hopes and dreams of others instead of building them up. You are an incredibly smart pony, Puzzle Master…what would it be like for you to use your knowledge to help other ponies instead of hurt them? While-” “NO!” he suddenly yelled, his voice jumping to a whiny screech. “NO! You blithering fool! Both of you are absolute fools! You ruined everything! I hate you all! I can’t take it anymore!” Hastily whirling around and dropping his monocle and mirror shard on the floor, Puzzle Master threw his body out the window, shattering the blood-red glass as he soared through the empty air. Without hesitation Princess Celestia leaped after him, turning her face against the howling wind to protect it from the storm of glass. Air rushed past her ears as she spread her wings and dove after the Puzzle Master, squinting through the darkness to make out his limp form. His expensive tuxedo was torn and tattered from the jump. She reached down with her magic and grabbed him before he fell even halfway to the ground, hauling his unconscious form back up to the window. The sudden jump and collision with the window had knocked him completely unconscious. Princess Celestia grimaced as she alighted inside the broken window, gently setting down the insane stallion on his desk and folding her powerful wings behind her back. She looked over to Soul Shade, and after a moment, said, “I will take your brother down to the hospital myself…he earned that much. However, can you check up on him daily to make sure nothing happens to him? Nopony will feel very happy about what he did, especially the ponies who he manipulated…” she winced. “I know what he deserves, Soul Shade, and he will face the Equestrian justice system…but before he does, he needs to heal,” and I need to take a second look into the Guard, the Princess finished silently. “Can I trust you to make sure he is safe?” The colt took a long look at his brother, whose limbs were splayed across the desk and whose mouth had formed a small puddle of drool on the expensive wood. He hesitated for a moment before one more thought entered his mind—What would Pinkie say if I did anything to him?—and reluctantly nodded his head. “Yes, Princess Celestia.” She smiled at him again, glowing with the comforting warmth of the dawning sun. “But before we do that…I need to raise the sun, and I am sure that all of your friends would love to watch the dawn with you this morning. Maybe you can find them and suggest that you all do that together…” His face immediately brightened, and without another word he shot into the hallway. Princess Celestia chuckled and turned to the broken window, closing her eyes and reaching out her magic to greet an old friend who had waited patiently beneath the horizon. It’s time.