"The world as we know it is dying," Onyxxus' recorded image spoke. The deep booming voice echoed through the halls of Darkreach. "Ages ago, we set out to plant a garden of harmony and peace—but that garden is starting to wither away. There are very few of my kind left who first cultivated this living, growing world. The tools that we used may yet be restored. The key to this is accessing the Harmonic Prism located within Midnight Armory, situated on the Dark Side. But we cannot venture there as we are right now. There are far too many hazards and unknown dangers acting as impenetrable blockades. To confront this, we have established Darkreach... our first bastion of harmony on the Dark Side. With the combined efforts of mortal and immortal kind, we may just yet mount up a crusade to acquire the relic of life-giving harmony and restore this world to what it was originally blessed to be..."
"Hrmmmff..." Logan folded his forelimbs. "Poor ideological god-sap. Shit didn't work the way he expected it to, did it?"
"Shhhh!" Ariel frowned, glaring aside. "Have some respect!"
"Hey—his heart was in the right place! But take a look around us!" Logan exhaled. "I'm just saying... Mortuana had a waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better track record! And even that was sketchy as buck."
Kepler sighed. "Therre is grrave trruth to ourr brrotherr's rrambling, sadly."
"Onyxxus' bloodline was dying," Ariel muttered, staring at the speaking hologram. "Darkreach was the best thing he could manage, given the circumstances."
"Yeah, well..." Logan's nostrils flared. "Maybe he should have given it the ol' college try a lot sooner... instead of heaping it onto the shoulders of so many unlucky mortals."
Wildcard gestured something with his right talon.
"The prrevailing patterrn of things as of late," Kepler translated.
"Uh huh..."
Scampering hoofsteps. Flynn bounded up into the room, panting. "We're at over eighty percent juice! How's it looking!"
"We're being talked to by a long dead Emeraldinian god-king," Ariel said. "You did good."
"Whew! Awesome!" Flynn grinned. "You know, sometimes I even amaze myself—"
"Shut up and take notes, Baldy," Logan grunted.
Flynn jumped in place. Floundering, he levitated a pad of paper and began scribbling on it with black ink. "It's... it's a repeatable message, Big Show. All I gotta do is just switch a lever now and he'll give his lecture all over again."
"I know. I just don't want to hear your self-righteous ego-stroking. Now take notes."
"Mrmmmmm..." Flynn did just that, begrudgingly.
While the rest of the Herald paid attention to the message, Rainbow Dash shuffled numbly into a corner of the common room and sat down.
"... ... ...?" Rarity and the others looked over. "Weak in the knees, darling?"
"It's not stadium seating in here, Dashie!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Stand up if you wanna see the climax!"
Rainbow was hardly in the mood. She trembled as she glanced up at the turned heads of the Herald. "You've heard one rambling alicorn, you've heard them all."
"Indeed." Rarity rubbed her dainty chin. "They do appear to be quite prone to... self-indulgent monologues."
"What's botherin' you, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow swallowed a lump down her throat. "What m-makes you think that something's bothering me?"
"Because I'm me and you're you." Applejack frowned. "Now spill it."
Rainbow bit her lip.
Twilight Sparkle floated closer. "It's... it's Discord again, isn't it?"
Rainbow hung her head with a sigh.
"Rainbow..." Applejack sighed. "We ain't gonna get anywhere if you dun level with us. Haven't you learned—?"
"He was trying to talk me into shooting up all my friends," Rainbow Dash said.
Applejack blinked. "... ... ...whelp."
Rainbow grimaced. "Yeah... ... ..."
"Was..." Twilight Sparkle squirmed. "...he serious?"
Rainbow frowned. "No, Twilight, he just likes to spit out suggestions of spontaneous homicide for kicks!"
"Well, Rainbow, he is Discord," Rarity said glibly.
Rainbow raised a hoof... faltered... then relented with a sigh. "True enough."
"If you ask me, he's just tryin' to get under yer skin," Applejack said.
"Well he's doing a dang good job of it," Rainbow grunted.
"I'm sorry, Rainbow," Twilight said. "The girls and I—we aren't doing a good enough job of shielding you from him. Maybe if... if we all concentrated or meditated or—"
"He does whatever he wants whenever he wants, Twi," Rainbow droned. "I can't expect you guys to keep tabs on him twenty-four-hours a day..." She rolled her eyes. "Heh... as if 'days' matter here on the Dark Side."
"We get it, Dashie," Pinkie Pie said, her ears folded. "It's just tough when we can't sense or hear him like you can."
"Why would he want you to off yer buddies and pals?" Applejack remarked.
Rainbow frowned. "Does it matter?"
"I think it does." Applejack tilted her head back. "From what little we knew of Discord... it seemed obvious that he enjoyed tormentin' ponies."
"Or just trolling them!" Pinkie said.
Twilight squinted at her. "'Trolling...'?"
Pinkie bore a smug grin. "You really should have spent more time on the World Wide Whinny."
"Pinkie, there is no such thing."
"Well maybe there should be!"
"From the sound of it, I think not."
"Point is..." Applejack cleared her throat. "Discord seems to have the most fun with everypony bein' alive for him to rule over all chaotic-like." She squinted at Rainbow. "So why would he want all yer friends dead?"
"It's... it's just the notion that chills me to the bone," Rainbow muttered. "I'm getting the impression that Discord has... more or less witnessed most of the stuff I've been through... that we've been through." She clenched her teeth. "I think his sense of humor has darkened from all that."
"He's simply trying to harass you!" Rarity upturned her nose. "Nothing more! Nothing less!"
"That's just it, Rarity," Rainbow Dash muttered. She gazed at Seraphimus—her charcoal brown eyes reflecting Onyxxus' translucent glowing figure. "I can't afford to settle for more or less. I need to know what I'm dealing with. Concretely and exactly."
Silence—save for the regal tone of the deceased alicorn.
Twilight looked over at the fairest of the ghostly mares. "Fluttershy? You've been silent for a while. What are your thoughts on the matter?"
"Wuh oh..." Pinkie Pie flinched. "It's never a good thing when Flutters has been quiet for a while."
"Don't be silly, darling!" Rarity waved a hoof. "Our beloved Fluttershy is just being her usual meek self!" She looked over. "Isn't that right, Fluttershy—oh goodness!"
Fluttershy's pupils had shrunken to pinpricks. She shivered all over and her wings drooped. "Uhm... girls...?"
Rainbow stared at her, heart skipping. "What's the matter, Fluttershy?"
"I... I think I'm sensing something all of a sudden..."
"What?" Pinkie leaned forward. "A flock of midnighters?"
"Chaos varmints stampedin' our way?" Applejack asked.
Rainbow gulped. "Is... is it Discord?"
Fluttershy shook her head, trembling some more. "I... I'm not sure what it is. But... but this is now lit up and so bright and active..." She grimaced, glancing at Rainbow. "... ... ...something hidden deep in Darkreach has awoken."