//------------------------------//
// Chapter Thirty: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- The End of the Beginning  
// Story: Heroes and Allies 
// by LewisClarke 
//------------------------------//







A/N

Heroes and Allies has a TV Tropes page! Read it! Add stuff! Profit! Well, not really.














Celestia and Luna stared down at a large camera at an undisclosed location.

"Six times," Luna commented. "Perhaps something has befallen them?"

Celestia turned to her sister. "Possibly. I'll give it one more try."




______________




A rather annoying sound echoed through the walls of the crate.

"Go ahead, lieutenant. I think you might want to pick it up," Greene suggested.

Mike nodded. "Got it cap, linking us into a private chat... done."

The large center screen lit up with the faces of the two royal sisters.

..."Greetings all. It is good to see you all again. I hope we weren't interrupting any-".... Celestia lifted an eyebrow. ..."Why is Twilight sleeping on a pile of books?"....

Everyone turned to the once again unconscious unicorn.

Greene spoke up. "She's had a bit of a rough night... and day for that matter. Apparently she's been diving into her research head first. Including her arrival here, I don't think she's slept in three days."

..."Could you wake her? This is rather important,"... Celestia suggested.

"We tried. Have you ever seen her like this before?" Lime Tree questioned.

Celestia smiled as if recalling a fond memory. ..."The day Twilight first gained access to the Royal Canterlot Central Library she stayed up for four days... and she was a filly then. My student must be losing her touch."...

Kaiser chucked. "What, did you guys not have beds back then? That's ridiculous."

..."Indeed. Allow me to remedy this situation. *Ahem* TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"...

Twilight jumped a full three feet into the air. "I didn't enchant the doll! I swear it! Please don't send me back to magic kindergarten!" She took stock of her surroundings and turned red as a beet. "Oh. Hi there, princesses."

Luna chuckled. ..."Welcome back to the land of the living, student. You may wish to partake in the consumption of a "double-caffee-mocha-late". It is a fine human brew that has done wonders for my disposition."...

Pinkie hopped into the air and prepared to gallop away. "Ooh! I'll do ya one better! I just put in a new batch of enercakes in the oven underground! I'll be right back!"

Celestia shrugged. ..."I suppose we could wait for her to-"....

"Back! Here ya go Twilight!" Pinkie shoved four of the quite literally sparking treats into the drowsy unicorn's mouth. Twilight's hair spiked upward as if she'd just been the lucky recipient of several thousand volts of electricity, then settled back down with an audible poof.

"Wow," Twilight coughed out a puff of smoke. "That... That was... *cough* interesting. What did you say was in these?"

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin in contemplation. "Flour, sugar, water, raw guarana, more sugar...."

"I'll take your word for it," Twilight interrupted. "I'm sorry about this, princesses. We won't interrupt you again," Twilight added with a sharp eyebrow to those around her.

..."Nonsense! You lot are quite amusing,"... Luna laughed.

..."Good to see you haven't lost your gift for hijinks," Celestia added. "Now, sit down. There is quite a lot to-"...

Discord strode into the Crate. "Celly! Lulu! It's been quite a while since I've seen my two favorite duarchical overlords! How have you been? What are you up to?"

Celestia sighed. ..."Discord, it's been three days."....

"Well, being frozen in stone for a millennia makes you impatient. But hey, you still didn't answer my question! What's up, Cello? Ha. Cello. Because that would be spelled just like- never mind. So what's with the little dinner party in here?"

...."I do not believe that happens to be any of your business,"... Luna answered.

"Testy. Ah. I like that side of you. You wouldn't happen to be telling a certain story, now would you?"

Celestia groaned. ..."And if we are?"...

"If you are, you'll need me to fill in all the spots you're bound to intentionally leave out!"

...."Is there a point to this? Find some other way to amuse yourself,"... Celestia growled.

"Oh, but I brought a guest!" 

Discord pointed to a cloaked figure waiting just outside the crate. The figure stepped into the light and removed her hood. "It is good to see you all again! I had hoped that I would find a friend!"

"Zecora?!" Twilight and her friends shouted all at once.

Kaiser leaned toward Greene. "What's with the slant-rhyming zebra?"

Lenard shrugged. "I dunno. I'm along for the ride on this one."

Twilight turned to the group of human comrades. "Guys, this is Zecora. She's been there for us when we needed her, several times. She lives- lived out in the Everfree Forest."

Gerri nodded. "Nice to meet you, Zecora." 

"Yeah," Mace began "I went through Everfree twice now. Both times it was a vermin-infested and enemy-infiltrated mess. How'd you get out?"

"A time to tell, a time to know. A darkness rises, a foe does grow. "

Applejack scratched her head. "Well, uh, we're mighty glad ta see ya made it."

"Yeah," Rainbow added. "You here to hear the story too?"

"I've come to hear and speak as well, for I myself have a tale to tell."

"That's why I brought her!" Discord cheered. "Stories for everypony! Well, that and the fact that nothing's on. Seriously. We should consider upgrading to cable at least."

..."Ahem.".... Everyone turned back to the screen, where an especially irked Celestia waited for attention. ..."I'm sure that's fine and dandy, but regretfully, we're on a tight schedule. Shall we begin?"...

"Oh, sorry princess." Twilight sheepishly rubbed her neck. "Go ahead. We're ready."

Celestia and Luna traded unsure looks. 

..."Very well."...	






Chapter Thirty: Black Sun, Red Moon -Part IV- The End of the Beginning






"Just a few years after the great war between the old kingdom and the Caprastian Empire came to a close, tensions began to mount amongst those who were meant to fight as allies..."

"As ancient ancestors of our kind vied for control of our world, there could be no quarter given and or taken for the victorious and the defeated. Paranoia became the bane of both our nation and our world's existence..."



A large procession made its way into the Eclipstrian capital city of Everfree. The procession rounded a corner and stopped in the center of the local village. A regally dressed unicorn climbed onto a barrel of Eclipstrian brandy to address the local denizens. Everypony began to turn their heads in curiosity.

"Citizens of our glorious kingdom, we have found a traitor among our ranks!" The unicorn motioned for a nearby guard to reveal the prisoner, a young mare in her early adult years. "This mare- let me see... Appleflower, was found consorting with known enemies of the crown!"

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"Furthermore, we have witnesses that claim she has done so on multiple occasions, in direct defiance of our king and queen!"

The crowd released a louder gasp.

"A hearing will be held by King Soltaire and Queen Noctau themselves at sunset tonight! Our glorious leaders are sure to bring a just end to this wretch! After which, I will personally lead a crusade to expose and eliminate these criminals!"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves as the unicorn stepped down and lead the procession toward Castle Everfree. Far above, a lone Caprastian ram watched from the top floor of an abandoned stone building, his long bow poised to make a killing shot. He sighed and lowered it.

"No. Not here. Not now. I can't risk harming you, my love."

A pandragon minor crept into the ram's hiding spot. "Vance, this is madness! We'll be killed if just one of them sees us!"

"Quiet, Haangar! Do you wish us dead!?"

"No, my lord, but our Emperor wishes you alive! You are his most trusted lieutenant now. You cannot gallivant off like this if you wish to retain you position!"

"And what would you have me do?" Vance spoke with raw malice. " I refuse to leave her to these jackals!"

"She is of their kind. If you had any sense, you would leave her to her fate!"

Vance angrily back-hoofed the insolent pandragon minor, who immediately realized his mistake. "My apologies, my lord! I was quite out of line."

"Go tell our emperor that I am doing what I believe is right. If that is not right in his eyes, I do not wish to be his lieutenant."

"Fine. I shall go." The pandragon began to crawl away as to stay out of sight of the townsponies below. "Refrain from doing anything foolish, Lord Vance."

The ram turned without a word, and the minor disappeared into a back alley.

"The only thing foolish to happen today, was the ponies placing themselves between me and you, my love."

He drew an arrow from his quiver, then lined it up with a large ceramic jar precariously placed on a railing above the regal unicorn still moving up the street..

The desperate Caprastian soldier sighed exhaustively. 

"The things I do for those I love."

He released the arrow.






********"Wait! Wait! Wait!"*******

Everpony turned to Twilight. "Where did the dragons come from? They weren't part of the story when you left off."

Discord chuckled and shook his head. "Tisk, tisk, Celestia. You've been holding out on our friends here! You mean to tell me you haven't even told them the back story's back story?"

Mace turned to the more chaotic of the listeners. "Yes, she has. She told us all about the kingdom being formed."

"If you think that's where it started, you've been deprived! It's my solemn duty to butt in here and reveal the truth!"

"You? Reveal truth?" Twilight questioned. "Sorry. I'm not interested in whatever you're selling."

"But I haven't even begun! Those two swirly-manes up there aren't the only long-lived demi-mortals around here! Let me spin ya a tale!"



*******************


"Way before the alicorns started battling each other and such, they were far too busy battling my kind. We were what you could call an order of chaos, the likes of which they'd never seen before..."

"An order of chaos? That's an oxymor-"

"Try to stay with me, dear. Just how did you obtain your status as the smartest unicorn around, anyway?"

"Discord..."

"Now, I didn't interrupt you when you were telling your story, Celly. I trust you will do the same?"

"Excuse me, but you hath-"

"You too, Moonbeams Magee. As I was saying again, this order of chaos was made up of draconequi who opposed the entitlement of the Alicorns, back when the sun and moon didn't follow them around like lost puppies. Back then, the powers of magic and chaos were largely misunderstood and abused. Energy flooded through the Earth like a rip tide, and anything could be made to happen if one simply devoted enough free time. I was but a child, and Celestia and Luna hadn't even been born yet. Even so, their kind was just as stubborn and order-obsessed as they would learn to be, so much later..."

Rainbow Dash slapped a hoof to her face. "Wait, wait wait! You can't do this! We're up to like four stories in one now!"

Discord shrugged. "I'm sure it'll all work out. Do try to pay attention." 


**********************




A small ball of snow suddenly burst into flame. Nearby, a pair of creatures that could only be described as a menagerie of other bizarre creatures rolled into one, looked on.

"That is most impressive, son, but next time let us focus on being a little more chaotic with thy works. The others will laugh at you for that nearly orderly display."

"Orderly?! I hath made frozen water burn!"

"Yes, and this sort of inside the box thinking is certain to bring dishonor to our family for generations, if left unchecked, my son."

The young draconequus lowered his head. The father couldn't help but pat the boy's mismatched shoulder.

"I am sorry, son. I know we have all been so hard on you since we learned of your abilities, but not every chaos adept can rise to the throne and become the lord of chaos. In just a month, you will do chaotic battle with the most powerful adepts in the world, and seek your destiny. I want that for you. Your mother and all the others want you too as well. We just want to see you succeed. This is why we have called you Discord, the one who would eschew order and logic."

"I understand father. I will try harder," the young draconequus spoke in a now cheerful tone.

"Yes, now let us work on your chaos theory. Then we can..." The older draconequus paused as he caught a glimpse of something in the sky. "I have not seen the like! Son! Flee this place immediately!"

"What, father?"

"You must leave now!"

"But father, what is-"

The older draconequus began to charge chaos energy around himself to warp his now terrified looking son away, as a blinding light grew brighter in the sky. 

Several other draconequi gathered in the area, as a young Discord began to disappear into thin air.

As the world began to shift around him, Discord could hear one of the draconequi yell out to his father. He could just make out a rather loud exchange. 

"Bedlam! What is happening?!"

"They have finally come to destroy us all! Drive them back! We must hold our territory! For The Order!"

The world faded to white. The last thing the young draconequus could see was the face of a regal looking alabaster creature with four legs and hair of fire, descending from the sky. 



********************



"Ataxia! Ataxia! We must get the children to safety!"

"Quiet! My son is reemerging from his slumber."

"Mother?" Discord took stock of his new surroundings.

"Ataxia, he does not look well."

"It was his first time traveling with chaos energy. If my husband was forced to so brutally shove him back here, it must be worse than I thought!"

"Yes, milady. Master Discord! Do you hear me? Where is your father? Discord, wake up! Your father, Bedlam! Where were you when he sent you back?!"

The world finally stopped spinning.

"Father?!" Discord shot up. "He was teaching me to use my chaos powers near the lake, just like he does every week! Mother, something was coming to get us!"

Discord's mother, Ataxia, stood back in horror. "That is nearly at the border! Why have you never told me your father took you there?!"

Discord slapped his pawed hand to his face. "Surely that was a grand mistake on my part, revealing this, but I-"

Ataxia sighed. "It hardly matters now. Turmoil, gather whoever you can. It is too late for the others."

"What is happening, mother?"

Ataxia knelt down to face her son, as distant explosions grew closer. "Do you remember what your father and I told you about the creatures called alicorns?"

"Uh huh." Discord nodded his head youthfully. "You said they use a special type of chaos called magic, right?"

"Yes. Strange looking creatures that do not appreciate our ways, and most likely never will."

"Why are you talking about them, mother? They are but fiction!"

"That is only because you have never been unfortunate enough to meet one in person."

"Is it them, mother? Are they here?"

Ataxia stood and turned her back to her son.

"Yes, and I'm afraid there is nothing we can do to stop them. Son, I'm sending you away from here. Go as far as you can and do not stop until you can no longer hear the screams of the fallen."

"But mother, what are you-"

An explosion rung out nearby, sundering an entire camp. Ataxia began to create another white field of energy around the young draconequus.

"You will understand one day. Serve the order with your life. Do not ever let them get away with this."

"What do you-"

Discord fell into the whiteness once more.



*****************


"The End!"

Everyone in the crate began to trade confused faces.

Twilight shifted her weight. "How is that the end, Discord?"

"Because the ancient alicorns destroyed everything that day. I was the only survivor! Or at least I think I am."

"But- You- That can't be it!"

"I said I had a story. I didn't say it would be as long and drawn out as the one the wavy hair sisters over there keep trying to tell you."

"Can't you at least give us an epilogue? You know, just to sum up the whole thing?"

"Oh alright."

"Ahem. In a world gone mad, the (probably) last survivor of a forgotten race will have to survive long enough to avenge his kind! That man... was Discord: The Last Forgotten Son! Coming to a theater near you!"

"He's been hittin' the TV hard, hasn't he?" Mace mumbled to himself.

"Our hero took on the strength of the entire Draconequuan race, to bring justice to those who destroyed it!"

Celestia lowered her head and sighed. ..."The pain begins anew."...


******************


"Before we were wiped from existence, the Draconequuan people were very much like the alicorns in one crucial aspect: we also had three up-and-coming races to watch over. Can you guess what they were? I'll give you a hint. The alicorns are a combination of the three races they protect, and so were we..."


A griffin scribe approached an armor-clad griffin hunched over a table. "Grand Praetor Kellinx. I am sorry to tell you that the Caprastians have been routed. They will not stand with us against the great destroyers."

An enraged griffin jumped from his chair. "For four-thousand years the Caprastians have enjoyed prosperity under the Draconeuquuan order! This is the thanks they give them?! Abandonment during their worst hour?!"

"They are an order no longer, my lord. If the great destroyers laid waste to our masters, we cannot stand against them. If we do not flee, the same will happen to us."

"What of the pandragons? Will they stand?"

"We have yet to hear from the pandragons. They have seemingly disappeared."

The grand praetor looked up to then empty night sky. "This is our worst nightmare realized then. Without our masters this can only go one way. We will stand for them and show our loyalty with our lives if necessary. Rally the troops. We will show the alicorns that we will not give in like the others."

"But, my lord! We will be massacred!"

The grand praetor turned over the table.

"They are coming for us anyway! Wouldn't you rather die on your terms?!"

"Sir-" Several other griffins turned to each other. "For the order, we would."

A young draconequus wearily stumbled into the room and collapsed. The grand praetor rushed to his side. "Master draconequus! Are you injured?!"

"They're gone," the young creature managed to speak.

"Then it really is meant to be the annihilation of our kind. We are with you, my lord."

"Of course you are. We have to fight back. They told me so," Discord answered as if this was a simple request.

The praetor turned to his soldiers. "Gather what we have left. Make contact with the pandragons and rams if you can. We are leaving tomorrow morning. For salvation, or death. Only time will tell."




********************


"So, what happened next?!" Rainbow demanded to know.

"We lost. Badly," Discord answered with a shrug.

"What?" everyone responded.

"You're not gonna tell us about it?" Rainbow questioned.

"Fine. That particular occurrence nearly rendered the griffins extinct, made the pandragons into xenophobic supremacists, and turned the Caprastians into barbarians for a few centuries, the alicorns made world conquest their hobby, and I had quite a while to nurture my hatred for them. What most didn't know, was that it wasn't even the full force of the alicorns that rained down on us that day. It was only the Order of the Rising Sun that ended our reign. Just one of the then many alicorn houses."

Luna could be heard stamping a hoof to the concrete floors of wherever she was. "If you mean to tell me my father did murder indiscriminately against your "innocent," be prepared to pay for your slander!"

"What, your folks never bothered to tell you that one at bedtime? That's no surprise."

..."Discord...".... Celestia held back a snarl. 

"If it makes you feel any better, the Clan of Moonlight followed up with a few attacks here and there. I still have this scar that your would-be mother gave me right on my-"

"Well I for one have heard enough of this nonsense," Rarity declared.

"Call it what you want, but it's the reason why you're not at home crocheting or whatever it is that you do," Discord spoke with biting indifference.

"What do you mean," Twilight questioned. 

"How do I explain this...? Well, just a few centuries later, without enemies to test themselves against, the alicorn royal houses preceded to turn against each other, deciding that even members of their own kind weren't meant to rule, or live...  That ended with them nearly ruining our world completely, then narrowly fixing it by uniting and forming a nation called The Unified Kingdom of Eclipstria. But I suppose they told you this already. What they didn't tell you was that wasn't the end of the natural tendency for alicorns to create and sustain "order" by any means necessary. But what the hey, we all have that crazy childhood story. Why should I bother to bore you with any more of mine?"

Twilight shook her head. "I know there's more to this you aren't telling us. Something that makes even you cringe at the thought of it."

"That's so very astute of you, my dear Twilight! Tell me, are you always this prying?"

"Deny it if you want. I'm more interested in what the more trustworthy of us have to say anyway."

"Well then! I believe my stripped associate here has something to say."

Zecora shifted an eyebrow. "Your associate, I am not. But yes, a story, that I've got."

Applejack picked her teeth of a recently devoured apple. "Well we're all here anyways. Guess you oughta lay it on us."

Zecora lowered her head. "The tale to tell. The time to know. Listen close to the words I sow."

"How colorful," Discord chimed in. "But how about we just cut to the chase. Tell them about the war that made Zebra kind a force to be reckoned with." 

Zecora lifted her hood. Everyone in attendance suddenly grew nervous.

"Please, my dear Zecora. Tell them about the High Council of the Liberation Alliance."





Anomalous Energy Event Team Armed Forces Fact File #18 The M4 Carbine Family.

Based on earlier versions of the M16, the M4 is a heavily fielded semi and fully automatic weapon in use with the United States armed forces. Coming into service in the mid-nineties and featuring a compact and efficient design, the M4's lighter weight and size make it idea for use in close quarters combat situations. From the brush of the densest jungles to the streets of the urban environment, the M4 is a practical weapon for suppression of enemy forces in the hands of America's infantries.

Now currently being used by the armed forces tasked with protecting AEE scientists, this weapon, along with others, is a trusted part of the lives of the soldiers that wield them. This popular firearm utilizes the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge, which is the standard cartridge for weapons of the same class around the world, and more importantly, the upcoming deployment of forces into the anomalous ream could very well be taking them into another one.
 

A/N

Sorry about the wait, everyone. I don't have to tell you that things are weird for me right now. You may have noticed that this chapter is a bit short, and that I may be a bit confusing. Don't worry, it's completely... intentional. That'll make sense later I suppose. Now, let's get this train rolling again, shall we?

P.S. Here's a little something for the geographically challenged among you, (or the geographically intrigued!) A good old fashion game of find the stars! 









Until next time,

-Lynolius