Chrysalis Wins
Ch.57 “The Discord Games”
-In the fields of the crystal empire
Everything went dark. The sun left the sky, and not even the moon or stars were there to give a glimmer of light. Artificial lights and fires died, not even the glow of magic could penetrate the sudden onset of this darkness. Only sounds, smells, and touches could be perceived.
The inhabitants of the empire, and the war hosts without were all caught very off guard. Complaints and fears manifested themselves in the forms of wails and uproar. But none could make sense of why they were all plunged into darkness.
Before long there was a flash of white light, and the light stayed once it appeared. All eyes turned towards the horizon from which it was projected. Towards the horizon was a tall silhouette which resembled a great pillar of some kind. On top of the pillar was a long snake-like figure that had a myriad of inconsistent appendages attached to his form. Every pony that looked towards this strange creature could view it as if it was right infront of their muzzles. Even though many knew it was actually a great distance away.
With a graceful swing the figure raised one of his arms, which appeared to have a conductor’s baton in its grasp. Then flicked his wrist, and the baton shone brightly with glorious power. In reaction the sky changed, the very ground reacted and seemed to morph. A symphony from ethereal sources resounded in every ear.
The storm the equestrians brought with them began to mutate, and its contours bounded out of control. Soon the entire sky was overcastted by the cottony contrast. The dark swirl of grey began to bleed a different color, and every shade from bright peachy pink, to a deep ponderous heliotrope replaced the previously grim hues.
When lightning flashed it wasn’t just white, but a prismatic beam of all colors, then it turned into neon licorice, and rained down upon the ground like a hail of worms. Instead of thunder, each flash of lightning was followed by a choir of a thousand laughs, eerie sinister laughs. The populous all around began to be seriously unnerved, helpless to the changes around them.
Next moment the ground caught every creature’s attention, as it rumbled and writhed. The fields of grass, and crystal paved walk ways constantly shifted texture. From stony stiff, to cushioned carpet, to slippery soap, and back again.
The smells in the air shifted constantly with a new unnatural breeze, sometimes it was sweet, sometimes fouls, but it was always different within a few moments, and gave no pony time to adapt.
The grand conductor of this orchestra-of-absurdness swung the baton again with a swift jerk. Then the ground around his highly elevated column began to mold and jump like liquid. Earth and dirt flowed as if it was a fountain and climbed towards the heavens. It did so in a broad circular fashion, which left the conductor’s column in the dead center of it all.
After moments the energy of the ground distilled and started to solidify once more, into the shape a grand structure. Details as immaculate as sculpture covered the broad flat surfaces, though the style was no more coherent than the logic of its formation.
Once it was complete the shape of an inordinately large stadium was discernible. Rows upon rows of sculpted step-seats were carved into the inner bowl of the structure. Hundreds of thousands could easily occupy such accommodations. The center field was also gigantic and spacious. So much so that a lake could easily fit inside.
The central pillar upon which the conductor stood was easily tall enough to oversee all of this. He could see the empire and the fields around it, and beheld the populous with a dissonant comprehension.
A broad smile came across his uneven mouth, and the conductor’s baton was tossed aside. In its place two fingers brought themselves together, then released in a snap. The small action created an echo in the magical plane, and the ponies of the empire and elsewhere all began to vanish in white snaps of light, hundreds, thousands of them even.
Those who tried to resist the magical relocation instead found themselves enraptured by the elements, and otherwise compelled towards the direction of the new stadium. Earth, and air carried away many. All in the region would witness this, and there would be no questions about it.
---
The draconequus atop the pillar cackled and rubbed his paws together, the anticipation on his twisted face was tantamount to a child on the verge of holiday. When he reined his mirth under control he wriggled the digits of his paws and shaped one more structure in the middle of the stadium’s field. A large dark dome was conjured, and a neat silvery disc on top of the dome was created, which would serve effectively as a broad platform.
In a flash the orchestrator was ontop of the platform, on top of the dome. The pillar in the center of the stadium began to recede and shrink without its creator’s presence.
He put a paw to the floor of the silver surface, and pulled out a tall microphone stand out of its substance. With the new object in paw, he rattled it and blew into it a few times to determine functionality. A loud high pitched screech was the answer, which blew around the stadium, which was now filled with ponies, changelings, and every other creature that inhabited the local region. Their collective response was to cover their ears and wince in discomfort.
“Sorry about that, seems these darn things always do that. hehe.”
He coughed once loudly into his elbow, then put his muzzle back to the mic. He had successfully drawn the attention of the crowd. Whoever looked towards him, was able to discern the chimera clearly, even though the distance was great.
“Anyway, here we are. I’m sure most of you are quite confused, and that’s alright. I’m not here to give you all the answers. Rather, we’re here to let you find answers for yourselves.”
The draconequus’s voice carried across the stadium, and was met with varied responses of disgruntlement. Some outbursts were heard here and there, but most remained in place, afraid of another strange shift in events.
“Indeed, I believe most of you are aware that a bloody war was right around the corner. Yes? Speak up if you were aware.”
The general discomfort and uncertainty from the crowd resulted in a weak response. He gave a frown at the lack of enthusiasm. Then snapped his fingers.
Hundreds of duplicate draconequi appeared infront of the crowd in segmented intervals. All of them flapped their little wings and shouted at the equines infront of them with loud voices.
“You were about to be in a war? YES OR NO!”
With the sound of his voice much more up close and personal, the crowd’s response was much greater. There was a general consensus of.
“Yes.”
Then the head chimera smiled.
“Why?... now sshhh, don’t voice your answer right now. I want you to keep it to yourself. Once the demonstrations and games are over, we’ll see if your answer stays the same.”
There were a number of murmurs amongst the crowd, but no equine spoke loudly at that time. With another broad smile, the draconequus’s disposition turned cheery.
“Now could I get two volunteers? Two who would be willing to come up here and answer some questions?”
No pony raised a hoof. All the hundreds of duplicate draconequi kept sharps eyes on the crowd to see if any would. After a stretch of no pony daring to, they collectively rolled their eyes.
“Fine…”
A lion paw pointed randomly to a pony crowd, and an eagle claw pointed randomly to a changeling crowd. Two figures were incased in magic and draw out of their seats into the air, and up onto the silver platform.
The pony was a blue pelted mare with green mane, and she wore the leather outfit of a militia pony. The changeling was a common drone of Chrysalis’s swarm, and had a grey mane. Both of the equines were placed equidistant on either side of the draconequus. He extended a friendly paw towards both of them and shook their hesitant hooves.
“Alright, thank you, and thank you for being my brave volunteers. The questions I have are fairly simple, so there’s no need to fear you won’t know the answer.”
Both of the equines looked very afraid anyway, and quaked in their hooves, with their ears laid low and tails tucked between their legs.
“The lovely mare in this corner will be first. Now, for first the question, do you know this changeling over here?”
At first the shaken mare just stared, dumbfounded. The draconequus sighed, and smacked his face with his lion paw, before he slowly dragged it down. Then he picked up a far more conversational, and casual tone in an attempt to reassure the pony.
“It’s a simple question, have you seen this changeling before? Do you know him?”
He brought the mic to the mare’s muzzle, she stared at it, then up to the changeling across from her, then to the tall draconequus, then to the mic infront of her again. She mumbled a bit, but slowly found confidence.
“N-no. no. I don’t know him.”
“Very good, very good, now, over to this corner.”
The mic was brought infront of the drone’s fanged snout.
“Have you ever seen this mare before? Ever met her?”
“N-no. I haven’t.”
“Alright, so I’m correct when I say neither of you know each other.”
The pony and the changeling nodded their heads.
“Ok. On to the next question. What’s your name?”
The mic was brought to the mare again.
“Foamy Reeds, sir.”
“Oh no need to be so formal. Sorry I haven’t introduced myself by the way. I’m Discord. I’ll forgive you if you haven’t heard of me. But yes, Foamy Reeds, a very nice name indeed. And onto our other volunteer.”
The mic, held in his eagle claw, extended back towards the changeling.
“Your name?”
“Diggy.”
“Diggy, huh, nice and simplistic. Thank you for the frank answer.”
Both the changeling and the pony physically relaxed a little. The questions were not challenging, and the friendly casual manner of the draconequus helped them look past the oddness of the situation.
“So, Foamy, do you have any family?”
“I uh, have two brothers and three sisters. I’m number four. Oh, and there’s my parents.”
“Hmm, nice, now how about you Diggy?”
“Besides the rest of the swarm? My mate just had twins the other day.”
“Oh, congratulations! I’m sure you two look forward to raising them.”
The drone turned a little bashful, and scrapped one hoof along the ground.
“Yes.”
Discord gave the changeling a hearty pat on the back, and turned his attention back to the mare.
“And you, Foamy, are you on friendly terms with your family?”
“Ya, I love my family a lot. I’ve also got a dozen nieces and nephews that like me a whole lot.”
“Hmm, and I’m sure they miss their auntie, being so far away and all.”
“The little buggers can’t get enough of me, but ya.”
“I’m sure… Alright, that’s it for questions.”
Both Foamy and Diggy raised an eye brow to that.
“Really?”
“Yes, that was it. But there is one more thing before I let you two go.”
Both equines started to express apprehension in their postures again. They looked at each other for reassurance before they looked up to Discord. The slim snaky draconequus shrugged his shoulder and spoke matter of factly.
“Kill each other.”
“What?”
The equines gawked, not sure if they heard correctly.
“Kill each other… you know, fight to the death, one of you will probably survive. Go ahead, I won’t interfere…”
For a long measure of time there was silence, the silence extended all the way out to the stadium, and many thousands of eyes watched, just as nervous as the two equines held up on the pedestal. Many breaths were held, and eventually the tension became unbearable.
“N-no.”
It seemed as if every eye in the stadium shot to Diggy when he stuttered out that word. There was a wide, collective gasp, and Discord raised an eyebrow. A twinge of a smile came through his indifferent expression.
“Y-ya, me neither. I don’t want to fight him.”
Foamy seemed to have found her voice as well, and she even stamped her hoof in disapproval of the situation. The draconequus didn’t hide his smile very well at all.
“Oh, and why not? Aren’t you two on opposite sides of the fence?”
“Ya, but…”
Then the mare seemed to lose her voice just as fast. Luckily Diggy picked up for her.
“I don’t want to fight if I don’t have to. I don’t want to kill any pony…”
His courage bolstered hers, and she spoke up again.
“Ya, Diggy’s done nothing to me. Why should I fight him?”
Discord thoughtfully stroked his goatee, and spoke again with nonchalance.
“So are you two saying it would be wrong to fight each other right here, right now? That neither of you have a history with each other that deserves such a conflict.”
The pony and changeling exchanged glances again, and in turn gave a bold nod to Discord.
“It would be wrong.”
“Ya, nothing’s happened between us. There’s no reason to.”
At that point the chaotic chimera just burst into laughter. He even went so far as to fall backwards, and roll around on the pedestal, and flailed his limbs about giddily. This indulgence in humor was lost on the two equines, and they stared in confusion.
Eventually he calmed down, and crawled over to the pony and changeling. He lowered himself to their level, and wrapped an arm around each of them, so he could pull them close.
“Heh, pretty stupid huh? Just fight and kill each other for no good reason eh? Hard to think of something dumber than that ya?”
His constant chortles brought out some hollow laughter from the two.
“Ha-ha, ya. Real stupid.”
Foamy wore a very uneasy fake smile that Diggy attempted to share.
Discord suddenly stood up and dropped both of them on their rumps. His laughter was completely gone, and his expression fell to something rather dark. He snapped digits on both of his paws, and there was a white flash. Queen Chrysalis and Shining Armor appeared on the pedestal just behind the draconequus. More shocked gasps echoed across the stadium, and a few shouts and screams. Diggy and Foamy just gaped, speechless. Discord, however, had some words to seethe.
“Then why is it acceptable for you two to fight and die and when they say so?”
He might as well have breathed fire, because his new venomous tone caused Foamy and Diggy to drop to the ground, terrified. The draconequus then adopted a very sarcastic vehemence.
“Oh, but it’s justified! See, she’s all evil like, and, and he’s all aggressive like. So ya know, to settle out differences we need to throw minions at each other…”
Shining and Chrysalis were both frozen in place, neither could move a muscle, except for their eyes. Which were opened wide and wild. They both looked about with a panicked franticness. This greatly disturbed the on looking Foamy and Diggy. Meanwhile, the draconequus hovered a short distance up into the air, and pulled out two small cross planks of word. Attached to these crosses were strings. With long unnatural reach, Discord put out a paw above the mare and the changeling respectively.
In the next moment, the two ‘volunteer’ equines danced about as the chimera played with them like marionettes. Then he did a poor imitation of Chrysalis’s voice.
“Hey Diggy, we need their stuff, go get it!”
Another snap of magic put a frozen, barely lucid Cadance onto the platform. Discord puppeted Diggy over to Cadance, and the drone carried the princess over to Chrysalis’s side. Then Shining Armor was puppeted to jump about like a spastic goat. Discord’s impression of Shining was a little better.
“My bride! My bride, she took my only bride! Um, um, Hey Foamy!”
“Yes sir?”
“Go get her back for me!”
Foamy marionette marched over to the changelings. Discord’s bad imitation of Chrysalis’s voice came up again.
“The ponies are coming, go fight em’ off Diggy.”
Then Diggy and Foamy smacked each other around a bit, before they both were set on their sides. The chimera voiced Shining’s part again.
“Aw… looks like our soldiers are dead… guess that means we have to settle our differences ourselves.”
Frozen Chrysalis was made to slink in disappointment.
“Aw, llama pickles, it looks like you’re right. Ok, here we go!”
Discord made the stallion and queen do some play smacks with each other, meanwhile a copy Discord popped up next to the two fallen equines, Foamy and Diggy. He held a skull up in one paw, while he dramatically put the other on his forehead in a gesture of woe.
“Oh, to be or not to be… Should it be their decision?”
The copy discord scooped up the mare and the drone, and wept over them, dramatically.
“Oh, these leaders… These princes, princesses, queens, and kings! They feign care and importance for those below them. But when it push comes to shove, they would willingly sacrifice their own subjects for their needs! They don’t have your best interest at heart. For if they did, they wouldn’t send you to kill each other for their personal gain.”
The draconequus double released Foamy and Diggy, and their spell induced control was gone. As soon as the two were free, they skirted away till they were at the edges of the platform. Another snap of magic and only one Discord stood at the platform. He held out a paw, and gestured towards Chrysalis, Shining, and Cadance, then addressed the rest of the stadium with his voice.
“They won’t say it to you, but to them, the rest of you are disposable. You need a leader they say. We know how to make the best decisions they say. Our safety is a priority because you need us they say… Well guess what I say… You, my good equines, know what’s best for you. You know your needs. You know your concerns. You know your desires. You know all of this much better than your manipulative royalty… So who do you think should make decisions for you?...”
Magic surround the blue mare and the changeling drone, and both of them flew through the air, and were placed back into their original positions in the crowd. Shining, Cadance, and Chrysalis all disappeared in a flash.
“I’ve heard it several times, at different places, and at different eras. That this is your king’s war or this is your queen’s war… Well, now I say it’s time, it’s theirs, and I’m going to let them own it!”
With a willful clap, the silver platform that supported the draconequus broke free from the dark dome where it rested, and flew over towards the shrunken central pillar of the stadium. As he crossed the air, the darkness of the dome started to fall away, and become transparent.
Inside of the now clear dome was another large elevated platform. This one was earthy, and much wider than Discord’s personal silver disc. On the platform were eleven figures. Eleven equines that the audiences in the stadium recognized quickly.
Standing side by side, petrified into their positions, was Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, Sombra, Chrysalis, Crone, Specter, More, Monarch, and Torque.
Discord’s silver platform connected with the shrunken pillar. Which was still high enough to overlook the platform inside the glassy dome. In a snap, Discord jumped platforms, and hovered above the royalty that stood statuesque.
“Yes, all of these creatures, who would have much blood spilled on their behalf. Here they are, and here they can bring up their problems with each other. No pawns in the way, no knights on their behalf. No kingdom’s resources to burn for their endeavors… Just each other.”
Discord paused infront of More, and Torque, who still wore their pony guises.
“I suppose we should be honest at this point to. You’re not really Mayor More, and you’re not really King Torque.”
The disguises around the two royal changelings melted away under Discord’s presence. A shuddered gasp came from many Equestrian and Germane ponies, and the crowd almost erupted into riot at the mere sight of it. The Chimera just laughed wildly at the crowd’s response.
“Don’t get too excited yet, we haven’t even got to the good parts. I do appreciate the enthusiasm however.”
He clapped his paws together, and an overwhelming bolt of lightning blinded every pony, and a crack of thunder deafened every pony. The draconequus gave a few moments of recovery to the much subdued crowds.
“Now we are going to do a series of games. Over the course of this we will get to see your precious royalty work out their issues with each other.”
Discord turned towards each of the eleven ponies and changelings and eyed them one by one.
“I know there are plenty of aggressive feelings amongst this group. So, for the first game we’re going to do indulge in a little slapstick. Here are the conditions…”
The draconequus disappeared from the glassy dome, and reappeared on his silver disc pillar. He wore a black and white referee outfit, and pulled out a convoluted sports manual.
“Game one, battle royal…”
Suddenly the ground below the earthy platform cracked apart, and a thick red liquid began to ooze up. Soon it coated the floor, and bubbled menacingly beneath the plateau that hosted the ‘participants’.
“To win, knock all other contestants off the platform… into the river of ghost scorpion ursa trinity tartarus sauce.”
The ghost-scorpion-ursa-trinity-tartarus sauce flowed until it reached the edges of the glass dome, and then it steadily rose until the devilishly spicy sauce acquired some depth.
“No equine is allowed wings or magic. Also, there will be five minutes of pre-game banter. You’re free to form alliances, but remember, at the end there can be only one winner.”
In a final flash of magic, the eleven contestants we’re teleported equidistant away from each other, in a ring around the edges of the platform. All horns and wings disappeared from them.
“Alright, just remember, anything you say or do can and will be judged freely by me and the audience… Pregame banter go!”
With a snap of his eagle claws the equine royalty were released from their frozen state. Contained in their own cubicles, but otherwise free to move and speak.
“DISCORD!”
Not thrilled with this arc at all.
This... is pretty in character for Discord.
This is definitely something I couldn't have done better myself.
I can honestly see why other countries might not want to make war on equestria for reasons other than celestia and luna.
If the wartime situation gets too convoluted or chaotic, Discord might escape, and since he hates battles that end in death, he is going to solve the situation his way: a game where he makes the rules, and the victor is left to chance.
Oh I really love it when Discord decides to give this kind of friendship lesson...
I like your Discord, he loves chaos, but doesn't want to see anyone actually die or be hurt.
Dis gun b gud. Hopefully there will finally be done communication between them all and maybe a cessation of hostilities, at least for a bit.
Cya
Raziel-chan
I wonder if celestia or luna will team up with with chrysalis, if only because she actually cares about the citizens of equestria, unlike the other changeling rulers who have agendas not in equestria's intrest.
Well,this was chaoticly new. I wonder who should win? And go Discord! You rock!
6712871 The Discord part specifically, or all the changeling royals crawling out of the woodwork to steal the show?
6713269 Discord.
Well, that is honestly disappointing.
Especially considering Cadance, luna, and Celestia could easily take control of the situation against discord at this stage. But its pretty clear that is going to be a factor that will be ignored. And that is what is disappointing. Right now Discord is utterly outmatched, but it will be ignored for the plot's convenience here.
Discord's power is chaos, it lets him warp the world and landscape around him, but he is not unlimited in his power. Luna and Celestia are a sufficient threat against him, with Cadance's aid he would be easily overpowered. With so many other powerful beings at hand, there is no contest.
Removing the horns clearly would not stop them. Or he may even be unable to do so in a manner that actually disables them, else he would have toyed with them forever more in the past. Rather than concocting a plan to bind the two of them using the plunder seeds.
By all means, Discord should get pulverized into the ground and escape, as at this point the collective force here is well beyond his power. Tirek himself use discord's magic to empower himself, and yet it could only match the combined might of four alicorns thanks to the power he stole from many other ponies.
So its hard to even think that Discord would retain any control of this situation considering the sheer amount of power present.
6713380 Discord cheats. He's specifically disabled ponies before that, if you go by the Tirek scale, were more powerful than him, including both Luna and Celestia at the same time. By accident.
6713506 As i said were it so easy, Discord would have just done that to Celestia and luna to begin with long ago. Would make sense that beings with more powerful magic are more resistant.
It kinda explains why Tirek had to steal power from so many beings first. To increase the power of his spell and reduce their resistance.
It would be best to presume that Discord is unable to just disable ponies along the lines of alicorns, considering he would have if he could. He is a trickster but not impractical. Were it between simply disabling them or having to create some complex plan to bind them and destroy the tree, i would presume he would prefer the prior. Would make sure he wasn't stone for so long and be unable to play.
6713538
Perhaps it is less a matter of power and more of preparedness. If either Tia or Luna were in any state to defend themselves, he would be easily outmatched. Since, however, they were both cocooned at the time, he had free rein to weaken them sufficiently before waking them up. As for all of the others, they probably either only know of him as a legend or did not expect him to escape so soon after the previous attempt.
6713380
Luna and Celestia are no match for Discord...
And I seriously doubt Cadance's contribution would change the matter at all.
The hell?
He was going to... but Elements of Harmony.
His plan was primarily to steal the magic away from the Tree of Harmony. It was the mega-magical threat, (as the tree has dues-exmachina level power, and even discord recognized that). Catching the sisters seemed more like an after thought, because if he really wanted to pin down or imprison the sisters... He easily could have, but that wouldn't be as fun would it? To him, dragging the enemy along, and giving them the false idea that they have a chance is what he enjoys.
The elements being seperated from the tree was something he didn't anticipate.
If you'd like to review the exact wording of his explanation, skip to 6:48 of the video.
That thing in season 4 finale...
That scene heavily wreaks of plot-ex-machina to me... Up until that point in the show, power doesn't mean crap to Discord. The only thing that could threaten him was the Elements of Harmony. THE ONLY THING. But ya know, The writers wanted a show down between Twilight and Tirek instead.... I mean, it doesn't even really make sense to give all that magic to Twilight anyway... Surely Celestia or Luna would be a better fighter if they were caught. Just because Twilight is unknown doesn't mean that any of the other princesses are incapable of hiding... hmmm, must have something to do with being the main character of the show...
Also another thing to take into account is Discords ability to apparently judge magical power/ transference of magic.
That happened right after all the princesses shoe-horned their magic into Twilight. But I think the point stands. The princesses picked Discord originally to hunt down Tirek, because of his ability to sense magic presumably. It's not hard to conclude that discord is a pretty good judge of character when it comes to magic. (except for the elements, but how the elements work mechanically isn't explained well, is it... Perhaps all the magic remains in the Tree of Harmony, and is simply projected through the elements.)
So I think Discord should have been able to recognize if Tirek surpassed him in power, and be more weary of the situation altogether. ( Though i don't think Tirek should have been able to take Discord so easily anyway... #Dat Twilight/Tirek #Priority!)
It all just felt very forced to me... Sure the DBZ style fight between Twilight and Tirek was cool, and animated very well. But the way things built up to it... I disagree with that very heavily.
One of the key facets of Discord's character (to me atleast) was that he didn't care about other people's power levels, cause the elements were the only means to beat him. Season 4 Finale changed that in a way I don't agree with.
You may disagree with my opinion, but that's what that nice little AU tag is for isn't it... I want to depict Discord the way i perceived him before that silly hack to his character in the season 4 finale.
Besides, the most important rule when debating who's the strongest =
6713717 Or you haven't put enough thought into how powerful discord actually is.
And i said Threat, not more powerful than him. Not to mention that those timelines also included flim and flam taking over the world and were becoming increasingly unlikely.
The fact that it only took four alicorns to match the power of hundreds, if not thousands, of ponies and discord, implies that Discord, while powerful than any individual alicorn, is not more powerful than multiple ones. That is the only conclusion that can be determined.
You argument relies on basically ignoring what was on display. So its not what can be called a valid argument. Tirek had grown strong enough to steal even Discord's magic. You are trying to argue that it is invalid because you Think it is unlikely.
You argument about the tree of harmony is even worse. The plunder seeds would have been useless against the tree had he tried beforehand. Remember, the tree utterly destroyed them when its full power was returned.
That is not a strong argument in any case. Also might i add one of the futures was flim and flam taking over.
6713821
Oh please, If you want to start throwing accusations at me personally, that puts you open to receive it back. If you want to call me lazy, fine. But I think our track records have something else to say about that.
I'm aware of the formula the season 4 finale put out. (Tirek with Discord's + thousands of ponies magic = 4 alicorns) I just don't care for it. The show's been inconsistent about that depiction anyway. Because if a few Alicorns could seriously contend with Discord, then why didn't they do it? I mean if you really want to play around with that recipe then it leaves other things open, possibly ( 2 alicorns + thousands of ponies = Discord) or some shenanigangs like that. Heck, Celestia and Luna showed they were capable of magic transferance, why couldn't they just gather most of equestria together and say.
"Hey everybody, there's this pesky draconequus over there messin' with everyone's lives. How bout we borrow your magic for a bit? Then we'll be strong enough to take him out. Then, after we're done with business, we'll give it right back to you... cause we know how to do that..."
"... ye, why not."
huh, oh, what did you say again? I could've have sworn...
Oh, ya, that's right, you said they were a threat, and with a little help they could EASILY OVERPOWER HIM. So what do you even mean by threat, but not powerful enough?
Ye, a number of those depictions wouldn't really happened, not if things happened chronologically. But it's easy to see the point of those alternate timelines was simply if one particular villain took over. If things did happen chronologically... I think Discord would actually be on top. Because the order of villains in said timeline would be
Nightmare Moon - Discord - Chrysalis - Sombra - Flim Flam - Tirek - Starlight Glimmer
So what I think would happen... NMM would take over first, and banish Celestia to the sun. Discord would pop out a little later, and make NMM his clown, then rule equestria. Then Chrysalis would come along, and he would make a clown of her too. Or she would just remain in hiding and fear.
Then Sombra would come along (d\Discord can sense disturbances in the force/ magic, so I think he would notice the empire and come check it out.) Then for fun, steal all of Sombra's precious artifacts, and in turn, make him a clown. A shadow clown =P
Flim and Flam are just straight up a joke...
Tirek would be weak and flimsy, Discord would have no reason to ally with him, and would make a toy out of him, and never allow him to get strong. Infact, he would probably stick him inside the magic-resistant smooze or something...
Starlight Glimmer... ya, she don't got crap on him. I mean, technically her time shenanigans got the whole thing rolling anyway. The only way she'd beat him was if she redacted her "evil" plan and redeemed herself anyway. Which she did, so there you go.
Hm... you must have missed something very obvious in my last comment post...
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm... I guess TWO alicorns does count as MULTIPLE ONES... Lol, oh wait, even Twilight is there, so there's technically 3, but whatever, she wasn't there to fight anyway... The helpless humilation of Celestia and Luna in that instance doesn't make me think they are even on close to equal terms with Discord.
I already mention my thoughts about the Finale's recipe already, so I would circle back to the top to answer the rest of the queries in said quote.
You're not guilt free in your arguments either. Pretending you don't have flaws in your arguments isn't what I would call a good idea either...
Same could be said for just about any powerful character in the show. Except for maybe Tree ex-machina. But the Tree is fine, it's a plot device anyway. Discord before Tirek, however, showed he was easily above and beyond the rest, and quite capable of keeping whole kingdoms and their powerful rulers under his thumb.
Hey, so you do like things! Too bad that part of the show felt like a pickle to me ( I didn't like it ) Oh, and by belonged to the world, you mean they finally had him straight up beat by someone? I know Discord comes across as superfluously arrogant, and shamelessly smug, and people love to see a character like that get smeared and put in his place... but I don't think they did him justice, he didn't even put up a fight. They made him lose his cunning... so Tirek could look cunning... It just doesn't work for me.
Brush away plot convenience? hmm, well plot convenience is plot convenience whether its in the show, or if its in my story. Just because its in the show or my story doesn't make it right on either account. I'm not justifying my story by saying the show has faults too. I'm simply acknowledging it.
What you're otherwise saying is that i'm not remotely justified to say anything critical about the show... but I clearly love the show, that's why I'm writing a friggin' long fanfic ( I know this one is far from the longest, but still). I love the show for different reasons than you do, also, I have different criticisms of the show than you do. (Different things bother us. Different does not = wrong, however) So I'm going to go along with my favorite depictions.
Point to me a contrivance free story... One that is flawless, and perfect... I could rewrite this story a thousand times, and I'm sure you would still find fault with it.
The bigger problem though, (For you at least) Is I don't think my depiction of Discord is a fault in this instance. You can call it a mistake, but I don't think it is.
To finish with the initial point.
You know, I know we shouldn't say quantity = quality... But it definitely says I put the time in... I've taken the time to address all of your points. I've provided supporting evidence for large sections of my answers.
You on the other hand, have given short quips about your favorite points... next time i would ask you to be more thorough in your responses =P, and provide some more supporting evidence...
6713821 But the lovely thing about being an 'alternate universe' story is the fact that it is a different universe. Just because the show discord was following the preset rules of that universe doesn't mean this discord is. They are different characters in different worlds and different situations.
Arkolo is the creator of this universe and the characters are his creations. He has obviously put a lot of thought into the characters backgrounds and experiences and it shows.
Oooh games. Hope Discord has enough snakes. If he doesn't have enough snakes, the games will become games of hunger. They'll become...
The Hunger Games
6713821 Easy... this is arkolo's universe. Hence the tag Alternate Universe. If he so much desires, he could turn Discord into the Terminator. "Hasta la vista, baby!"
Just enjoy the story.
6713717
llama pickles!?!
The only thing to say is... I feel sorry for Princess Cadence. Poor girl...
Her wedding ruined, she being away from her husband, locked up as food & weakened because of that, her legacy stolen from her... Now she has to fight with the other Royals to the amusement of Discord. Poor girl. She just can't get a break.
6714077 You really haven't answered any of them. You just gave thin explanation that are clearly trying to brush aside the criticism without legitimately answering the issue. You've done it with a large swath of issues. From the idea that for some reason the pool clones were allergic to the thing that created, to Sombra's distinctly discord like behavior. Not to mention that somehow changelings have every single ability to counter ponies no matter what they do, even so far as to somehow make teleportation not happen and their goo being inexplicably efficient in binding the magic of something well beyond a typical unicorn.
Every time there is a legitimate issue you brush it aside and it just.... Stays around. And now is no different.
For example, you are intentionally being ignorant of what i mean by Threat. A threat is not necessarily something that can beat you, but has the capacity to harm you and, especially so, you have a hard time defeating yourself. Which is what the regal sisters were to discord.
There are certain limitations to the show, it is true. Yet using that as an excuse for what you write is rather irresponsible and is prone to abuse. Just like the whole Alternate Universe tag, which is constantly used to excuse not different interpretations, but outright bad writing.
I cannot say the writing here is necessarily BAD. It is not good either though. It makes the same mistakes again and again and rather than taking in criticism, it tries to brush it aside.
To put it another way, you have now created a scenario where the tale cannot continue after the discord scenario. Whatever happens, there is no way for Chrysalis to reclaim control of equestria, and all of changeling kind is now exposed.Onlty further twisting of the plot could possibly allow it to continue afterwards.
Also as proof that Celestia could likely turn the tables. She can make objects, and likely beings, directly untouchable by his magic. She did it with the elements, she could do it to herself and all the other rulers. And that could also be the explanation to how Discord could not just disable her before. She and luna have magic powerful enough to repel his attempts at doing so. And there is in series evidence for that.
So by the combination of Celestia have means to do so, her and her two alicorn cohorts power being greater than his, along with several other beings who want him to go down, it is just impossible for it to continue outside of outright ignoring these factors that would more than likely contradict what you are planning right now.
6714381 it's like the Equestria girls series.
6715098
How do you mean?
6715522 i like them, but there are parts they could have done a lot better.
Discord isn't pulling any stops here. While naturally I don't let like to think of Discord as all-powerful, I think what you're doing here works.
1. It looks awesome without breaking his character.
2. AU 4 life.
I always thought the reason Tirek managed to drain Discord was the element of shock. Discord was clever enough to catch Tirek, and didn't let him know about Twilight right away, so he wasn't completely brainless. He just has a chaotic naivity which makes him act very immature at times, and when Tirek shattered his trust, it broke his spirit long enough for Tirek to drain him.
But everyone has their head cannons, and most of them are impossible to refute.
Now, what was I talking about again?
6714381
Your argument is devolving... you wanna know why?
Your lordofmyth is showing... and I've already taken plenty of time to answer those same questions. Be careful...
Seriously? and you're not just brushing aside half of the issues I bring up?
I try to answer you're inquiries and accusations as directly and as thoroughly as I can. I don't say more if either I don't think it needed further explanation or there was nothing more that needed to be said.
But serious, I quote all your points and answer them. Are you saying I put no effort into my rebuttals?
Everytime YOU think there is an issue. If you haven't noticed, several people are not bothered by the depictions at all. Infact, several have voiced their thoughts on how they like it. Apparently to them, there is no legitimate issue.
And how am I brushing it aside when I take the time to make these GIANT-WALLS-OF-TEXT. If anything, I think that shows how much I care to answer these apparent 'issues'. If I was really being dismissive you wouldn't get an answer back at all. You would get apathy from me. That would truly be brushing it aside.
um no, your wording was confusing and I didn't understand what perspective you were coming from. You were making some vague dissonance between threat and power.
Ok, the first half of that was clear. Then the second part was a strange friggin' assertion that comes out of nowhere, plus the wording is weird. Also I think your assertion is incorrect. The regal sisters are not equal to discord... It's like you pretend this video doesn't exist or something...
Or that the answer to conclude from it isn't obvious. a thousand Who's really brushing aside issues here?
You didn't read my previous comments very carefully did you Well, this should be just as good the second time (sigh)
well plot convenience is plot convenience whether its in the show, or if its in my story. Just because its in the show or my story doesn't make it right on either account. I'm not justifying my story by saying the show has faults too. I'm simply acknowledging it.
I can admit I make an imperfect product. I willing to be accountable for it (I have a comments section that allows anyone to call me out) I have shown that I was willing to take criticism and change (The redacted Crone arc) But at the end of the day, it is ultimately my choice which criticisms I think are valid... and I just so happen to think, many of yours aren't. I've provided plenty of legitimate evidence for my reasons, while YOU on the other hand tend to brush it off. Call it contrived, thin explanation blah blah. When what you're really saying is it doesn't line up with your headcannon or personal taste. You've been poor at proving the point otherwise.
Now I'm making an objectively different decision from the show based on my taste. I'm depicting Discord the way I think he should be. You can disagree with that, but you can't call me wrong. Otherwise no one deserves an opinion about the show (That would include you)
Oh please then, mighty soothsayer, what is a specific example of why is it bad writing and not a different interpretation?
It ignores the same poorly reasoned criticisms again and again. Rather than going backwards, and rewriting the entire thing to fit one critic's taste. You know, NOT ALL CRITIQUE IS GOOD CRITIQUE, honestly some stories are worse off for trying to pander. Besides If I followed your advice it would directly contradict someone else who likes it the way it is. Who's to say your opinion is more important than theirs? Because you're you, and special and all that I get it...
It's like you think I have zero ability to foreshadow... Please take a thorough reread of Ch. 52, and incase you can't find any possible clues, I'll add this little exerpt from Ch. 53
“Granted, but what are you trying to gift me?”
The changeling queen eyed the satchel distrustfully. So the crimson hippocampus opened it to reveal the contents. There was only one item, a golden spoon…
“A spoon… is this a joke?”
Chrysalis brought her lips back in a snarl, she couldn’t afford to have her time wasted at the moment.
“No, this is a spoon from Golden Spoon, the lord of the draconequi, something that Lethal forgot to deliver.”
At the mention of the lightning drake her horn ignited and started to spark bits of light.
“I don’t have time to waste with senseless drivel.”
The door started to close, but a green hoof blocked it. The queen’s expression flared with offense at the action, and the door blew back open. She pointed her flared horn at the offending hippocampus, which floated back a little.
“This is not a gift you should reject your majesty. If it’s an honest gift, which I believe it is, the value is immeasurable.”
The changeling’s anger was barely kept under control, but the serious tone from the green one gave her the slightest inclination that spoon actually carried some weight to it. The satchel was seized in her magic and pried from the red one’s hooves. She placed it on her back then closed the door.
Without another word she seared open a portal and leapt into it.
If, after reading Ch.52, and reading that exerpt, your imagination isn't tickled at all. Then I have no hope for you... You want answers here! you want answers now! You don't like being surprised by anything... Yep, I better give you all the information right now or the story is stupid, dumb, retarted, poorly written, contrived, and all that trash...
So you bring up the little snippet mention in "keep calm and flutter on" where Celestia basically says. "I put a spell on the elements, so Discord shouldn't be able to take them away."
Ya, what I ask is why she didn't do that earlier. Would've made "The return of harmony" a whole lot simpler... Also if you want to conclude she can do that to other living beings why didn't she do that earlier? When it was relevant? Say, before they even put discord in stone the first time? Why can't Celestia just make everything and everyone untouchable to Discord?
Hmm, maybe Discord didn't disable her before, because he thought it was fun to mess with her? After all, the sisters don't do jack to him without the tree and elements anyway. This is the last time i'll post this...
How many times have have they repelled the shenanigans Discord brought along?
Celestia and Luna have great magic. There's no doubt about that. But comparing them to Discord just isn't going to work. I'd like you to post your in series evidence, if you can.
I don't believe Cadace + Celestia + Luna is close competition for Discord... As for everyone else there, they're totally caught off guard. Discord's ability to warp reality has much more potent effects than you give him credit for.
... Alright I've poured enough time and effort into this banter. Sheesh, I could've put the next chapter out... Blah. I'm not going to continue this argument anymore. I'm clearly just wasting time.
6714309
Ye, poor Cadance has got the short end of the stick... a lot...
pre06.deviantart.net/7e81/th/pre/i/2012/120/2/2/sad_cadence_by_yanoda-d4y1mly.png
we'll see how the games treat her
6715787
Ye, Discord isn't all powerful. Just very powerful. I plan to show the difference a little later.
Thank you for the complement I always imagined Discord loved theatrics. So why not a big stadium with an arena, where he can continue to play puppet master.
Also the thing with Tirek. I do think your point about the emotions behind the scene was more of the key. It wasn't so much about power levels here or there as much as it was about betrayal. I mean, for goodness sake, they had Discord and Fluttershy repeat the exact same line within two minutes.
"Surely you saw this coming..."
"I didn't, I truly didn't..."
Yep, that was the point of that
... LOL, I guess we were talking about the chapter?
6714264
6715808 Now viewing that picture of poor Cadence... I feel even more sorry for her. She's like, "Why? Why?" She'll probably be the first one to be tossed over the side.
After all this is over, I would not be surprised that she has to be under suicide watch & require years of therapy.
i like this so far on the terk/discord i think it is like capt genu from dbz he can take your body/power but he dus not know how to yous discords magec
i love Discords Theatrics in this.
Reasonable guy, this Discord.
Why is Discord the only sane man in this? That just can't be right.
7651914
It sounds quite ironic when you put it like that. ... ironic... I think Discord would like that
All I have to say about this chapter is ugh. I hate Discord shenanigans. I really just wanted an actual war, y'know?
Probably just me.
But if Discord is just gonna be puppeting everyone around for the next however many chapters, I... might just have to stop reading here. And it sucks because I was super engrossed with the plot that finally crescendo'd perfectly into this massive conflict that... Discord just ground to a halt.