//------------------------------// // Intermission 1 - Fractures of Past and Present // Story: Where Harmony Ends // by Kenny //------------------------------// Hello there! Shade of Chrona, or Shade-C you can call me, here! With my main form having stepped into the material world, just this little piece remains to keep the tale moving. Unfortunately, I don't have the kind of power to pierce the veil obscuring time currently. Don't ask. ... Why don't I occupy you with tales of what may be, what was, and what might have been instead? Heh, you don't have a say. Here we go! Where Harmony Ends Harmony and Entropy The two Great Entities watched each other, one in hatred, the other in pity. The world around them was putty in their presence, as reality protested the stress of supporting two beings above gods and demons in such close proximity. Harmony had at last drawn the line; the Entropy had spurned Her Kindness and Her Generosity, so it was time to be Loyal and Honest with Her allies and Self. Magic whirled through the air as the being brought to bear, for the longest of times, the magical of Loyalty and Honesty- both hard and unyielding, the truest and safest of battle-form magics able to be used without fear of breaking Unity. Odd. I can't seem to recall... Well, it was before my existence, so I'm afraid I'll have to come back later as I recover the fragments of events that occurred back then. To Choose a Form 1. Rainbow Dash "So be alone then! I don't trust you... For all I know this could be some massive trick!" The Alicorn, Rainbow Dash turned away from Discord, retreating back to her own vaingloriously shining orb. Discord watched her go. Heaving a dramatic sigh, the draconequus looked at the retreating figure. "I'm warning you now Dashie, ol' pal old friend! You will regret this!" The response was yelled backwards without any hint of acknowledgement. "I'm too cool for regret! Now leave!" The Spirit-King left, and the turbulent earth and shifting sky with him. Dash hadn't even reached the safety of her own mind as a void stretched out, spearing her rear hooves. "Wha-" And she was gone. Consumed by the void of death. 2. The Canary-Pegasus "Oh, well, if you need a place to rest and recover..." Fluttershy quivered in fear at the thought of her friend simply passing on and she never being able to see him again in her lifetime. Plus, he looked really desperate and she didn't doubt that he needed to help. A warm smile bloomed across Discord's oddly-proportioned face. "I could always count on you, dear Fluttershy... But alas! This is one matter that you cannot help with." The pegasus found herself safely back inside her mellow-yellow orb. She squeaked at the sudden movement, now looking out at Discord from a yellow-tinted view. "Don't get me wrong, you have been my dearest friend in many an eon, and I would gladly take you up on your offer, but... I fear for your safety Fluttershy," he tapped the yellow orb, as it easily gave before the god's claw, "I do not believe you have the stamina or willpower to remain yourself after our union..." "This is as much for your sake as it is for mine." And he was gone- the Void closed around her, and all alone inside her own head, she wept. 3. Generosity Slips Up Discord finished his whole "being alone" spiel, while Rarity admired herself in the glistening mass of her own mindscape. Only a true artisan would have successfully redesigned the simple orb to a grand and awe-inspiring palace. "Mmhm. Yes, darling; whatever you need," she responded distractedly. "Excellent! I just know you and I will get along splendidly, Rarity!" There was a moment where she took that in, breaking her concentration as a look of horror dawned on her multifaceted reflections. Then the draconequus swooped her up, and ran from the now-encroaching void, pulling his own mind from the gaping maw. One episode of insanity later... Rarity woke up, the alicorn yawning widely as she considered the strangeness of her dream. She opened her eyes, to find a mirror before her; she let out a scream at the yellow-and-red eyes peering back out at her. 4. The Honest Truth Applejack just listened closely to Discord, listening for any lie or subtle twist of words, but only received a refreshing bit of truth from the secretive and insane being. "Oh, alright. Ya can stay here for a bit Discord; but if Ah see any form of trickery or schemin', Ah'm giving you the buck of a century." Discord seemed miffed at the threat. He gave out an exaggerated sigh, and began following Applejack to her simplistic Home-ified mindscape. The storm raged around a house, standing unyielding and unaffected by the raging of the sky or the churning of the earth. A faintly orange orb flickered as the two passed the barrier of what was defined as belonging to 'Applejack', and the draconequus looked back as his storm quietly settled into place within the orb, the void claiming everything beyond its boundary. Discord tried to thank Applejack, but his voice was gone. Looking down at himself, he realized his entire lower-half had turned to stone, and it was quickly creeping up and over. Something was wrong; it shouldn't have been this way. The mare whose mind he had just stepped into looked on, a vicious light in her eyes. "Well, Ah reckon I'm a mite not-fittin' ya 'friend'. But don't worry, Ah can keep ya safe for a bit." Discord, astonished by the amount of willpower bearing down on him, was enveloped in stone. "Well, Ah reckon the girls might be jealous of me somethin' fierce once I figure out how to make him show up outside-a' here." Chaos and Insanity Pinkie and Discord were singing something about being over a rainbow, when Chrona stepped into the orb. Pinkamena just watched the two, attempting to fight a smile spreading across her fading face. He glared at the two of them, and watched the flexing and expansion of Pinkie's vividly-pink mind-orb. "No. This will undo all I have worked to save." Then he isolated the timestream from the whole thread, and left. In that particular reality, doom came not by Entropy, but by the storm of cheery chaos enveloping the world. Where Harmony Ends Wasn't that fun? I still remember the particular headache I got just from watching The Pink Insanity roam the world. I don't know why I didn't nip that in the bud... Oh, wait. I did! 'Mild' Tampering Chrona was excited; at long last, he could restore the Elements to that of mortal kin! Of course, while I- he, could just force the Elements onto creatures, warping their minds in the process, it almost usually never turned out well. Celestia, for one, had lost most of his warlike and turbulent nature as befitting the Sun. What's more, she even became attuned to Harmony's magic! The multishaded mane was evident in showing that much at least. He looked along ahead, searching for compatible and easily accessible bearers. Celestia was most likely making plans of her own, but she still had no idea whom might be able to take the Elements. Chrona always considered it odd that the creatures capable of bearing the Elements of their own nature a little strange; but, he had put a hoof in some of those families. The rest just came from natural mutations of magic. The first he found was a joyful soul, waiting only for the right stimulation that might never come. Corona observed her through the span of a lifetime, as the foal grew into filly, and at last mare, never realising its true potential. She would live a long, boring life, with events coming and events going, toiling in the fields with the rocks. That never quite made sense to Chrona, the rock farming, but he could use it, easily. It started with visions and dreams of a maternal figure, an image of what she could be. He let the phantom do its job as he left to seek another. The next was a true diamond in the rough, one that might have gone unnoticed if not for the breath of cold air that he could feel even in an immaterial state, even in a different dimension. He looked down at the little filly, observing her work in clothing, redundant as it may be, and the darkness yet unfelt within. A Crystal Unicorn, long thought extinct, magic rendered inert by the flow of Pony Unicorn magic- this filly was destined already for great and terrible things. Two strong possibilities; one, the mare brought down a wintry doom to Equestria, spurned and rejected by the world, the other she stood against it in a manner only those long before her could, birthing a Crystal Heart given in full generosity and at the cost of her whole self. A simple enchantment pushing her towards the latter path would provide growth towards the desired attributes. Then came a beacon of magic, pulsing with the frantic energy of youth; a small lavender filly reading quietly in Celestia's seat of power. Chrona knew that the Solar Princess would find this one easily, once her potential revealed itself. He needed a way, and a place to tie all the bearers together... Examining closely for any significant events, he saw... The Return of a Mad God... A Black Swarm Before Deepest Shadow... A Fall of a Mare undeserving her fate... ...Too significant, and some were even unclear on the details of occurrence. Likely that they hadn't been fully set on a path leading to them yet, but they would definitely occur. Landmark Events, he mused. Moving further backwards, he saw... A Violation of Ancient Law... Moon's Descent... An Anointing of Sky Marrying Flesh... There! That last should do nicely, the Great Entity considered. He looked closer, citing location and who- Cloudsdale. That's already out of the question. The pony in question, though... a fate tied closely with another pegasus- one loyal to a fault, the other kind to a poison. A cruel irony that they should both die in the storm to be brought about by Generosity, being the first to notice and react desperately. He considered the second pegasus as Kindness, an obvious and undeniable pick. Creatures of her nature were rare and far between, with true empathy and compassion an uncommon trait. Hers would be a life of struggle and quiet endurance lest she be moved away and placed elsewhere more understanding. The one to succeed with the Anointing, however... Arrogant, brash, unpleasant and somewhat caustic in nature- while she may have been Loyal, she was not altogether a pleasant being to be around. Perhaps the yellow one would be able to temper that temper... Chrona stopped at his choice of words, realizing it was just an awful play on words. He shook his head- that blue one would be Loyalty if she could prove herself deserving of it. A central location would be needed. A location within reasonable difference of the explosive result of the Anointing.. A location not large and impersonal, but close-knit and easy to connect to others.. A location easily accessible to all of them.. Ponyville would do. How ironic, Chrona thought, that such a small town would play a key role in many events to come. Already he could feel the shifting of the timestream, as he settled on the location, events shaping themselves around his decisions. He could already see an eerily familiar filly stepping away from home, planning to entrap herself in webs of deceit and so-called-elegance. Honesty was truthfully the easiest of Elements to align oneself to, but the hardest to remain true to. One would have to be shaped properly from early years to properly use it, not just to bear it. The filly's home seemed ideal, and perhaps this experience would service to reinforce her ideals. He left that one alone to only be called back by the rainbow-maned one. He may have set it up, but they would all need to find their own way to Ponyville. He couldn't make it that easy, after all. Funny, isn't it? The nature of how easily mortals can change. A 'Mild' Tampering I called it... Oh, how wrong I was. Care to peek ahead? No? Well, alright then... quit mumbling about 'spoil-er-z'. Look! The mists bend so easily now! Nice to see that things are getting better; we'll be able to resume the tale, soon. Where Harmony Ends The Task of Those Left Behind All the remaining ponies stared open-mouthed at Chrona, Celestia excluded. She just watched sadly. Silently, he turned to the remaining four mortals; "Don't fight it. This is for your own good." The runes and light enveloped the trembling yellow pegasus, vanishing her as well. Dash attempted to charge and knock the albino stallion off his hooves, but as she drew closer, she too was snared and made immobile by the spell being placed on them. Rarity fell asleep even as the spell claimed her, her magical exhaustion paramount over alarm, fear, and defensive instinct. He ceased at Twilight's death-glare, and sparks flying from her horn. Chrona laughed. "You really think you can stop me, godling? In case it wasn't clear, you have no power more than Luna until you find Harmony and Unity within. You know this; the protests from within, the arguing with oneself. Take this time here to balance yourself. Then come after me. Luna, you will need to balance yourself too before the Elements permit you to recover fully. Both of you are needed. Now if you don't min-" And he was gone, a glass sundial marking where he had departed. It slowly shifted of its own will, turning margin by margin, counting down to the release of Ignis. Aw, it seems like the mists are clouded again. Well, I do believe we have time for one more mini-story! Where Harmony Ends Rise of A Mad King Once he was grand, blessed with the grace and form of anything he chose, but as the curse burned itself into him, he found that he was drawn inexorably to a twisted mockery of what he had been. Sure short transformation still worked, but no longer had he free will to be as he chose; ironic that chance and choice had been stripped from the Spirit-King of Chaos and Master of Change. They called him Fortune, once, wielding Consequence and Reward as tools of his trade and weapons to defend the station he occupied. His job was to be mover, shaker, challenger of routine and old ways; and following Nature's fall, guardian as well. His power may not have been enough to impress his opponents, but his wit and mind held all those who would approach at bay. Of course, there was those days when he could feel it. He could feel a black poison scorching its way through soul and body, warping and twisting as it passed. Slowly, bit by bit, the Guardian grew more erratic and unpredictable; less identifiable to friend or foe, both from his view and from outside- and he began to abandon his post more and more often. The burning, the scorching, the ignition of a madness and darkness that threatened to consumed him scared Fortune. In the last few days of his tenure as Protector of the Tree of Harmony, Fortune made one of his last plays in lucidity. Already his allies and enemies had abandoned his old name and called him something new, something darker; Discord they called him, and he shuddered how aptly a perversion of who we was fit. The bright glowing cave that had been his home for so long now serviced to banish his madness temporarily, with Harmony reaching out and binding the fractured mind that was both Fortune's and Discord's. "I will not let them take it... Your death.. WILL be avenged!" Fortune burst out into a fit of insane laughter as the draconequus performed his spell weaving upon the cavern- his last able act as Guardian. First, was the entrance itself- it must be protected from whatever came after, be it him or agents of Void or Unity. None shall be allowed in, except those of true need of the Elements. A magical web layered itself all over the walls, the floors, the open-entrance, cloaking and shielding the cave from everything short of Entropy himself walking over and dispelling the cave. Not that the enchantment was powerful- no, rather it instead pulled ambient magic to nullify any opposing force moving through if without fitting the prerequisites. Second, he must hide this cave even further; such that none should dare to even approach. With a great upheaval of the earth, a forest began to grow over the oncee lovely-green countryside, with rolling hills and a beautiful mountain, resources abundant and the gem of the world. Those who lived in the area, be it pony, dragon, griffin, animal, changeling or plant were snared by the trees, and twisted into horrifying monsters by the corruption of Fortune's magic. In his state, he considered it an acceptable loss. And lastly, a select few should know where to look if he truly went insane through his own safeguards. The siblings of Sun and Moon in a land distant both jerked away as they felt magic-of-oil commune with their minds, carrying instructions. The name Fortune and all that it represented was stolen away as the tendril departed. A distant Griffin King shed a tear as his once-closest friend left him the instructions to trap, or even kill him. He would soon leave to confront Discord, to try and convince him back to the side of Unity and Harmony. A Diamond Dog trembled with knowledge of a doomed comrade, and fearing the reprisal to come, sealed himself deep into the Underdark. All the meanwhile, with his last bit of lucidity, Fortune both sealed his intelligence to capture evil, and his name and memory to bind power. With safeguards in place, the god was lost; Master of Change no more, only the Spirit-King of Chaos remained. Driven by an impulse deeper than he realized, Discord pulled a cup of chocolate milk from the air, and proceeded to down it in one go. All alone in both mind and body, fire in his veins Discord let out a whooping, mad laugh. I bet even Twilight Sparkle or Discord don't remember this incident! ...Oh! It seems like the mists are stable and clear now. I do believe it is time to continue the story.