The Sides We Choose

by Frost Bear

Discord Has No Strings

The ponies of Cloudsdale peacefully glided from cloud to cloud. The Imperialistic pegasus city was divided between the Republic and Empire. While the city itself was under imperial rule, many citizens made public displays of their allegiance to the Republic. Solar guards were nearly gone with limited numbers. Even the Wonderbolts, the pride of Cloudsdale, were divided into a mostly Republic state.

If the Empire didn’t do anything now they would lose Cloudsdale to the Republic.

And Celestia can’t have that…

An Empire supporter was arguing with a Republic supporter in a dinner.

“While the idea of freedom is commendable; the community NEEDS cooperation,” the Empire supporter stated, “We can not carter to the needs of all ponies. Someone has to make the food so the rest of us can eat.”

“We have to give the right to choose positions,” the Republic supporter countered, “An earth pony deserve the right to choose a career in weather management. If he does not enjoy it, he has the choice to return to farmwork.”

“That sounds like false hope to me. Surely you don’t take pleasure from disappointment.”

“Of course not! I simply believe we must be given options no matter who or what we are. Take a look around, Cloudsdale is a pegasus only city. Even though there are spell that support cloud walking, we do not have methods that allow easy access for that method. Not only that but pegasi are fragile compared to earth ponies. If we were able to give earth ponies the option to work in a weather factory we could boost production speed!”

“I see reason with that but I refuse to trust an earth pony with a cloud walking enchantment. What if the enchantment wears off? That’s a liability I can’t afford. Insurance is too high.”

“Hmm… Perhaps there could be a method where it won’t wear off? Or at the least issue unicorn help to ensure regulated enchantments are placed hourly or so. But that would mean we’d have to keep an eye on them while they sleep.”

“That’s what I’m saying, it’s too dangerous to hire earth ponies in Cloudsdale.”

“Fair enough… oh, you’re religious nuts are parading again…”

The two groaned as a small crowd of pegasi in red robes marched down the fluffy cloud. They were chanting in fancy talk while swinging pendulums that resembled the sun. Five or Three of them smacked themselves with black books. This parade was usually followed by some low class citizens accusing a poor mare of witchcraft.

A silly thing to do in Equestria on account witchcraft is perfectly legal.

It was a rather shocking surprise that ,instead of the usual nonsense, a new brand of nonsense arrived.

Discord manifested in an orb of golden light. He wore radiant armor in a sun motif pattern. Scarlet cloth waved behind him in a heroic way. His helmet was blinding him due to the lack of eye holes. A giant shield in the shape of the sun was his weapon of choice for the moment. It was odd that the over zealous ponies in red robes banged their heads to the cloud and rambling about “the chaotic beast of the sun has come to punish the wicked,” or some giggerish like that.

Discord couldn’t hear them thanks to a lack of interest and the fact his helmet didn’t have ear holes.

“Did I make it to Cloudsdale?” Silence, “I must’ve taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque.”

Discord lifted his helm to look at the ponies beneath him. He chuckled to himself about how the ponies looked hopeful to him. Oh how disappointed they’ll be. If they only knew what Celestia unleashed on them. He snapped his talon to make his get up disappear. He snapped again and turned the sun worshiping ponies into various reptiles.

“He turned me into a newt!” one of them cried.

The unaffected ponies stared at the stallion.

“I got better…” he mumbled before trying to hide himself.

“Well I do hope you all enjoyed that little taste of what’s to come,” Discord grinned to make the ponies around him scream in terror, “You see… Celestia has heard that this city has a lot of trouble with the Republic. So she decided to take advantage of my allegiance to her by sending me here to deal with all of you.”

The two that had their argument backed away as Discord approached them, “Now if it was just her, she’d send in guards to handle the problem… and we all know how that turned out for Ponyville.”

Several pegasi shuddered as the thought of the once peaceful town turned war zone turned slum. Celestia gave the order to the guards to eliminate the threat in Ponyville, many died. Celestia gave the order to Discord to eliminate the threat in Cloudsdale. There is no greater fear than the one they felt at that realization.

“However… since it’s just me who gets to decide what to do with you… We’re going to do this MY WAY! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” his laughter echoed through the city, terrifying even the most courageous stallion in the Empire’s army. Music started to play. It was what could’ve been a happy song slowed down to the point of becoming creepy.

“I… got… no… strings…” Discord whispered slowly, “To hold me down… to make me fret… or make me frooooowwwwnnn…”

He slammed his claw into the cloud. The white fluff turned into a sticky pink. Any pony caught in the mess vanished in a pink pomf.

“I had strings… but now I’m free,” he flared his mismatched wings with a malicious smile, “There are… no strings on me!”

A couple flew away with a foal in their arms. Discord threw one of his feathers at them. The family desperately flew away from the seeking dart. Their efforts were in vain as the feather poked the foal and made the family dissipate into a colorful mist.

“Hi-ho the me-ri-o,” Discord cackled as he eyed a mare hiding behind a barrel, “That’s the only way to be…” he whispered in her ear. The mare eeped when Discord ringed her neck, “I want the world to know…” she vanished when he patted her head with his paw, “Nothing ever worries me.”

The Solar guard scrambled in a panic. The manic spirit of madness slithered underneath the sticky cloud, still making ponies vanish with its pink touch. Discord sprung from below with a terrifying wail.

“I’ve got no strings…” he tore their armor off with a single talon, “So I have fun…” he coiled his tongue around them as his voice echoed the verse, “I’m not tied up to anyone!”

The guards melted like super heated ice. The pink cloud sucked them up and belched a cute little pop. Discord set his sites on the weather factory.

“They’ve got strings…” he opened the roof of the factory. The terrorized pegasi screamed bloody murder at the site of Discord, “But you can see…” he laughed in a diabolical manner, “There are… not strings on me…” he let out a torrent of green fire. It enveloped the ponies within the factory. From where Discord’s flame started to the deepest closet in the building. Nopony was safe from the flames. Out the corner of his eye he spotted a swarm of Republic supporters.

“You have no strings…” he sang with a frown, “Your arms are free…” he whipped himself a few meters in front of them. He snorted when one gave a failed attempt to stop him, “To love me by the Zeider Zee…” the pegasi gave him confused looks before being eaten by the clouds around them, “Ya, ya, ya, if you would woo…” He glanced down to Ponyville with a telescopic eye. Specifically; his eyes fell on a small cottage, “I’d bust my strings for you…”

A kick to the back of his head took him out of his small daydream. A shaking pegasus glared at him. Discord smiled, “You have no stings… Couci Couca… Your savoir faire is oo-la-la,” the pegasus couldn’t decide if that was a complement or an insult, “I’ve got strings but enter nous…” Discord’s tail wrapped around the pegasus’ legs, “I’d cut my strings for you!” he laughed as he slammed the pegasus through a cloud building turning pink. The pegasus panicked as sticky pink strings attacked her. Screams immediately stopped after a loud pomf rang in Discord’s ear.

As the pink consumed all of Cloudsdale and its ponies, Discord smiled at the site of Appleloosa, “Down where the Volga flows… There’s a Republican rendez-vous…” he lightly chuckled to himself, “Where me and chaos goes…” He glanced at Ponyville once again, “But I’d rather go with you…”

“Hey!” A small ragtag team of ex-Wonderbolts lined up before Discord.

Discord could only smile a toothy smile at the cowering pegasi. The pegasi nearly fainted at the growing dark figure that was Discord. He appeared more like a monster than a being with thought. Saliva drooled from his crooked fangs. Red and yellow eyes stared into the souls of his last victims… The last to disappear from the Solar Empire… At least for now…

“There are… No strings on me…”

Author's Note:

Yikes. ok, This was a last minute decision I decided to go with because it was 9/11. I imagined Discord singing this song from one of my favorite Disney movies and it made Ultron look light in comparison. The idea is that Celestia ordered Discord to get rid of any and all Republic influence in Cloudsdale to which Discord obeys in HIS special way.

Comments

[Southern Moon]

It's disturbing... I'm okay with that!
Just some errors noticed:

An Empire supported was arguing with a Republic supporter in a dinner.

“I… got… no… stings…” Discord whispered slowly,

“There are… not stings on me…” he let out a torrent of green fire.