The Dark Side of the Moon

by TheIceManCometh

Discord

Equestria was founded by a band of earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns who were searching for a new land to settle in after theirs was made uninhabitable due to a never-ending blizzard. Much like in their previous land, the three groups lived separately and only intermingled with each other for business and trade purposes. Each tribe had their own set of laws and currency that only applied to their respective tribe, thus making trading difficult which led to bartering goods instead of money. All the ponies therefore only focused on making a living, which impeded technological advances. A disjointed Equestria remained stuck in the past. A lack of centralization would lead to an age of tyranny and ultimately its eventual saving grace.

Not long after Equestria was founded a being known as Discord, the embodiment of disharmony not only in appearance but in spirit as well, would wreak havoc across the land. If all the ponies of the different tribes of Equestria joined forces then they could have easily repelled Discord, but alas they wished to remain homogenous and therefore each tribe fell to Discord. The three tribes were then finally united under Discord’s flag of despotism and oppression. Discord’s first order was for all the ponies to build for him a magnificent and grand castle for him. The ponies were forced to work night and day until his castle was completed. They had to live in small shacks near the castle that would, ironically, become the wealthiest city in all Equestria: Canterlot. The juxtaposition of the magnificent castle and the shantytown was Discord’s idea to show the ponies how great and powerful he was compared to the weak and insignificant ponies. His plan succeeded; nopony dared to oppose him. All but one: a unicorn living in the shantytown with his pregnant wife and daughter.

This particular unicorn had a brilliant white coat with long, dark black hair. He had the build of a stallion but also possessed mare-like facial features. If he was able to maintain proper levels of hygiene, his beauty would be truly unrivaled. Once upon a time his wife had been the talk of the town; her beauty never failed to astound anypony who might look across this goddess. Like her husband, she had a white coat that shined brighter than the sun. Her long, gorgeous red mane flowed gracefully down her neck. The hard and stressful life she lives now has completely devastated her once marvelous attributes. Her coat had turned grey, her once red mane and tail faded to a shade of brown, dark circles had appeared under her eyes, and, for a pony pregnant with her next baby, she looked malnourished. She had been giving what little food she received to their young filly, Celestia. Celestia had inherited her parent’s natural beauty. She had a white coat like her parents and a light pink mane and tail.

Sitting down in a pathetic excuse for a home, the unicorn looked at his fellow ponies; what he saw was suffering the likes he had never seen before. Nopony deserves this kind of life. The poor living conditions of the shantytown gave rise to disease and famine that ravaged the ponies living there. He looked at his wife cradling their young filly in her arms; she didn’t notice him looking at her. She was staring off into space with a desperate yet somewhat calm look on her face. Looking back out at all the ponies, he knew he had to do something, but something was stopping him. He looked at his family once again. He feared not what would become of him, but of his family if he resisted. His hooves were tied, or so he thought. Something would soon occur that would change his perspective and finally open his eyes.

After almost six months of endless toil and misery, Discord’s castle was nearing completion. It was around this time that this unicorn’s wife had their baby girl. It was a beautiful, cloudless night boasting a full moon when the miracle finally happened. Astonishing both her parents, she had a beautiful dark blue coat that resembled the color of the night sky. Her hair was a soft blue that complemented her coat very well. The proud father picked up his newborn daughter and rocked her in his arms as she slept. As he looked up at the sky, his gaze became transfixed on the full moon. The way it gave light to the Earth during the darkness of the night reminded him of the way his newborn daughter gave him hope during these trying times.

“Luna. Let’s call her Luna.”

His wife was lying on the ground, pale and fatigued, after having just given birth. “Luna…Luna…I like it.”

He gave Luna back to his wife and sat down beside her. Celestia, intrigued by this new baby filly she had never seen before, crawled up to Luna and began to inspect her. Her parents smiled as they watched Celestia touch Luna’s cheek then stroke her hair. Finally, Celestia curled up next to her baby sister and quickly fell asleep. Something about this scene bothered the stallion, however. It shouldn’t be like this. They shouldn’t have to live under these atrocious conditions. They deserve better. They deserve a future. With these truths guiding his conscience, he turned to his wife.

“I have to go,” he said resolutely and softly.

She nodded slightly as if she understood everything that had been going through his mind. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

He got up and, after kissing his wife and daughters on the head, began to walk towards Discord’s castle.

***

The unicorn finally reached the premises of Discord’s castle. The menacing castle stood before him like an obstacle daring to be overcome. He scoffed at the castle and continued walking until a cloud of smoke suddenly materialized before him. Out from the smoke came the mighty being Discord, agitated as to who was trespassing on his property.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? A pony who took a wrong turn while out on a late night stroll? Or maybe you just wanted a closer look at my magnificent palace?” Discord’s playful tone suddenly turned sharp and irate. “Why are you trespassing on my property?”

“I’ve come to tell you that I will not be your slave any longer.”

Discord snickered, “Oh really? And why is that? Do you already forget that it was I who gave your life purpose? Oh and not just some plain old purpose no, but the greatest purpose a pony can wish for: to serve ME! Before I came into the picture you lived a pitiful existence with your lowly family who—”

“Shut up. I didn’t come here to listen to your incessant babbling. I just came to tell you that I refuse to be held down by something so beneath me any longer. For something that is almighty and all powerful, you are incredibly weak. Tell me something, who was it that not only built that castle for you, but built it while starving and sleep deprived? It wasn’t you; it was these ponies. Through their determination and sheer will to live on they have survived this long under your cruel death sentence. They all have loved ones who keep them going and give them a reason to live; something that you don’t have. You are but a parasite that feeds on that strength and uses it to sustain yourself because, like a parasite, you are incapable of living on your own. That is why we are strong, and you are weak. And that is why I will be your slave no longer.”

Discord’s face slowly contorted as he heard the pony speak; his eyes narrowed and his devious smile turned into a sharp frown. “So you believe that these ponies are stronger than me, huh? …Let me show you just how weak these ponies really are. Guard!”

A female pegasus came flying through the sky and landed next to Discord. She had a broken, miserable look on her face, like her soul was in direct conflict with her body.

“Y-Yes sir?”

Without taking his piercing gaze off of the unicorn, he instructed, “Go get a cloud and place it above this unicorn.”

She looked at the unicorn; he was standing firm with a stern look on his face meeting Discord’s gaze. “But…but why?”

“Don’t question me, just do it!” Discord snapped.

“S-Sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“I don’t care if you’re sorry just get the cloud NOW!”

“Y-Y-Yes! Right away sir!” Frightened, the pegasus lifted off into the sky and placed a cloud above the unicorn.

Unwavered, the unicorn stood firm.

“Let’s see how strong you ponies really are,” Discord laughed. “Guard!… Hit that unicorn with a bolt of lightning.”

“W-W-What? I…I can’t!”

“Oh really? You can’t? Hmm, Linda wasn’t it?”

“Huh!” the pegasus gasped.

“Yes…I think that was her name wasn’t it? The name of your mother? Oh, what a lovely young mare she is. If I recall correctly she had you when she was still quite young. Of course, that didn’t look too good for your father who already had a family of his own, so he dumped his mistress—Oh I’m sorry, I mean he dumped your mother, and she was forced to live a life of obscurity. But that didn’t really matter to her since she had you, right? A close family of two; how sweet.”

The pegasus began to tremble with fear at Discord’s words. She was never more scared in her entire life. She stared off into space with tears streaming down her face. She wanted to fly away, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t move; it was as if Discord’s very words paralyzed her.

“Hmm…if I recall correctly, Linda isn’t doing too well is she? She must be very weak from all the hard work she’s done. It would be…unfortunate…if something were to happen to her…Don’t you agree?

All the different scenarios of her mother’s death going through her head were too much for her to take. “PLESE STOP! I’LL DO IT, JUST STOP, PLEASSSE!”

Discord let out a triumphant laugh. “Good! Now, hit that unicorn with a bolt of lightning.”

The pegasus turned her face away from the unicorn and closed her eyes. “I’m…I’m so sorry…please…forgive me…I have…no choice…”

The unicorn looked at the pegasus in the sky with the same unyielding look on his face. “What’s your name, pegasus?”

“It’s…It’s Lucy…”

“Lucy… Is that what you honestly think? That you have no choice?”

Surprised, the pegasus opened her eyes and looked at the unicorn down below. “W-What do you mean?”

The unicorn took a moment to look into Lucy’s eyes. What he saw was terror, suffering, and dissonance. “What I mean is that a pony chooses; a slave obeys.”

Lucy gasped; something inside her clicked that bewildered her. It was the beginning of an epiphany. She stopped crying and stared at the unicorn as if waiting for him to answer what was bewildering her.

“Enough!” Discord yelled. “Hit that pony now!”

Discord’s voice pushed whatever it was Lucy was feeling and replaced it with the fear that had paralyzed her before. Once again she closed her eyes and turned her head away as she bucked the cloud, sending a bolt of lightning down on the unicorn. He let out a sharp scream that radiated throughout the land as he fell down. There was a large black spot where the lightning had hit him. Despite the pain he felt, he got back up on his hooves.

“A pony chooses…A slave obeys.”
A smirk began to creep onto Discord’s face. “Hit him again.”

Reluctantly, she bucked the cloud again and soon heard another scream emanate from the pony whom she’d struck. The unicorn refused to give up, however, and got back up again. He was breathing much more heavily now.

“A pony…chooses…”

Discord was laughing maniacally now. “Yes! That’s it! Good, good! Hit him again! NOW!”

Once again, Lucy bucked the cloud and sent a lightning bolt down on the unicorn. She covered her ears so she couldn’t hear the terrible screaming, as if she was trying to deny the fact that she was killing somepony, but it was no use. His agonizing scream penetrated her body right down to her soul. I’m going to kill him; he’s going to die because of me! But if I don’t do what Discord says then…mom… She was panicking; she didn’t know what to do. Tears began to leave her eyes uncontrollably. Her heart and her mind were telling her two conflicting things. Then, to her amazement, she heard the unicorn speak once more.

The unicorn was barely standing now; his whole body was trembling due to his muscle spasms caused by the electricity. “A slave…obeys…”

Slightly irritated that the pony was still standing, Discord ordered Lucy to strike him again. Lucy heard Discord’s words but didn’t act on them. She floated up next to the cloud, trying to resolve the internal struggle that consumed her. She then heard a loud yell from Discord.

“Did you not hear me fool? I said to strike him again! Unless of course you would rather me kill your mother instead!”

Lucy’s body moved on impulse at those words that seemed to control her very being. She struck the cloud again and heard another scream that seemed to torture her as much as it did the unicorn. A minute or so passed without a sound from the unicorn. She thought she had finally killed him but was too scared to open her eyes and see for herself what she had done. She heard Discord start to laugh triumphantly again. She couldn’t stop crying; she was disgusted with herself. Hate began to brim up inside her, but it wasn’t Discord she hated, it was herself. I…I killed him…He’s dead…because of me…How…how can I face my mom now that…now that I’m a murderer! Discord’s laughter came to an abrupt halt. She wondered why he stopped when she suddenly heard a familiar phrase.

The unicorn’s body slowly began to move. He used every ounce of strength he had left to lift himself up. “A…pony…chooses…A…slave…obeys…”

Discord was now overflowing with hatred and anger. He wanted that pony dead more than anything. He was screaming now, “LUCY, FINISH THE JOB NOW OR I SWEAR I’LL MAKE EVERY PONY YOU CARE ABOUT SUFFER! THEIR LIVES ARE IN YOUR HOOVES SO YOU BETTER HIT HIM AGAIN!”

The unicorn fell to his knees and outstretched his arms up to Lucy as if he was begging to God. “OBBEEEYYYY!!!”

Lucy finally opened her eyes and, with resolve, made a choice. She bucked the cloud with all her might and sent a gigantic lightning bolt down on Discord. Discord let out a ghastly scream and promptly fell to the ground. With the last of the unicorn’s strength gone, he fell down as well. Neither of them was moving. Lucy took in a few deep breaths to regain her composure after everything that had happened. Worried about the unicorn, she flew down and inspected him. His skin was covered with large black marks and his hair was frizzed slightly charred. She didn’t know if she should try to help him or go get a doctor; she didn’t want to cause him any more unnecessary pain by touching him. She decided that carrying the unicorn back to a doctor was the quickest way to help him. She was about to pick him up when she heard something that froze every muscle in her body. It was a sinister laugh that only the vilest of creatures could produce.

“Foolish little pony. Did you really think you could kill me off with a measly little bolt?” Lucy slowly turned around and saw Discord, completely unharmed, walking right up to her. “You know, it’s not too late to run away. Hell, maybe you’ll even have enough time to get your mother and escape. ...Well?”

Lucy dwelled on that last statement. She looked at the unicorn behind her. She couldn’t tell if he was still alive or dead. If he’s dead and she ran, she might have a chance to escape; but if he’s alive and she ran, she’d be abandoning the unicorn she hurt so much. Lucy made up her mind and turned around. She stood steadfast and faced Discord with resolve like a great wall. “I’ve already caused this pony so much pain, so I… I won’t let you hurt him!”

Discord’s eyebrows scrunched, his eyes narrowed in on Lucy, and his crooked smile gave way to a frown. “…Fine.”

In the blink of an eye Discord vanished and materialized in front of Lucy and struck her face with the back of his hand. Appearances can be deceiving, and this is especially true in Discord’s case. He is much stronger than his rather slim physique suggests. That single blow sent Lucy flying in the direction he hit her almost as if she had been hit by a train. While still flying horizontally through the air Discord appeared behind her and elbowed her in the back. Her back took the full brunt of the blow which not only completely stopped her but broke her back as well. She fell down to the ground and started to thrash about in pain. Discord started to repeatedly kick her in the stomach until her whole stomach was black and blue with bruises. She was in intense pain but couldn’t scream because all of the blows to her stomach knocked the wind out of her. That changed when Discord forcibly grabbed her mane and suspended her in the air. Beginning to screech once more, Discord proceeded to shut her up again by striking her face with his knee. Her screeches were now muffled against his knee as blood started to pour down her face and his knee. Discord retracted his knee to reveal a horrific sight. Lucy’s face was covered in bruises, she had one black eye, her nose was bleeding heavily, and parts of her teeth were chipped. Discord’s single blow to her face resembled the kind of damage done after a savage, unrelenting beating. Discord then dropped her to the ground and stared at her. She was writhing in complete and total agony and crying in pain. The pitiful sight would bring tears to anypony’s eyes; but not Discord’s. Discord looked down at her with those same scrunched eyebrows, narrowed eyes, and emotionless frown. When she turned away from him he stepped on one of her wings so hard that it broke it instantly. She let a sharp shrill that would make anypony cringe were they unfortunate enough to hear it. The shrill subsided when Discord stepped on her head and began to slowly crush her skull under his enormous strength.

The pain Lucy was going through right now was indescribable in just how horrible it is. Up until now she couldn’t even formulate a single thought; all she could do was scream and cry, begging for a release. No matter how much she cried out, however, that release would never come. She was finally able to think about what was happening to her under Discord’s foot that was slowly crushing her head. Is… is this the kind of pain that unicorn felt? I did this… to him? Maybe… I deserve this then… Maybe… I… deserve to die… Mother… I wish I could see you one last time… Goodbye… A single tear traveled down her face to the ground. The sound of a loud crunch immediately followed.

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[TheIceManCometh]

Decided to release another chapter and hopefully I'll be able to finish it. This is going to be a pretty long story so there may be spelling/grammar mistakes in it. Also, I only have a general idea of what will actually happen so bare with me as I make the necessary adjustments to the description/picture. There shouldn't be any edits to the actual chapters unless of course its spelling/grammar related.