Chapter 2:2.1 – City of Stone
“… this sheds more light on why Discord chose to hide the Elements of Harmony so nearby, besides keeping with his riddle,” Twilight Sparkle dictated, “He could only move them as far as his power extended, and that area was far less vast than it appeared. Apart from the erratic movements of sun, moon, and stars, only Equestria succumbed to his chaos magic, and not even the entirety of Equestria. Most of the Kingdom of Los Pegasus, the Kingdom of Vanhuv’r, and the western two-thirds of White Tail Wood were spared, along with everything north of the Bloodpeak Mountains and south of the Broken Lands. Did you get all that, Spike?”
“Got it,” Spike confirmed as he penned the last stroke.
Discord’s return was bound to be recognized as an important event for years to come, and Twilight intended to have a record of it, with everything she had observed and learned written down. She hadn’t thought to do so with the return of Nightmare Moon, an equally important occasion, and she wanted to get down what she remembered while it was still fresh. Nearly a month had passed since the solstice, and news had been steadily coming in for a while now of experiences outside her own, which she also wanted to record.
Thankfully, the Elements of Harmony had undone Discord’s magic entirely, with no lingering side effects. Ponieville was just the way the sorceress remembered it, and Cant’r Laht had also returned to normal, as she’d seen on a brief visit. Celestia was no longer a statue, and she was moving the sun and moon through the sky again, as well as keeping Cant’r Laht’s sorceresses in line as their matron. For Equestria as a whole, it seemed that things had returned to business as usual, the continent’s inhabitants only a little rattled, as they had been after Nightmare Moon’s return. Things were holding together, but how many more crises like this could they withstand before something changed? Twilight didn’t like the thought of that.
The sorceress suddenly sensed something, a blooming of power to the north. It was hard to pinpoint its source, since it faded rapidly, too rapidly for it to have dissipated naturally. Magic had been used somehow, and then swiftly hidden. All signs pointed to Cant’r Laht as the source of the magic, but that didn’t feel right. Also, it was like no spell she’d ever sensed. It felt … tainted somehow, as if the magic were poison.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Spike asked with concern as she looked queasy.
“Spike, take a letter to Celestia,” Twilight said, “I have to find out if everything is okay in Cant’r L-”
“Twilight! Twilight!” Pinkamena interrupted her as she charged into Golden Oak’s laboratory without knocking, “Twilight! I just had a premonition! Something big is happening, or going to happen, in Onon’r Laht!”
The sorceress gasped. Onon’r Laht. That’s why it didn’t feel like it came from Cant’r Laht, it came from below. This could be extremely serious. No decent mage would ever live in Onon’r Laht, only the indecent kind, those that practiced necromancy and the like.
“What did you see, Pinkamena?” Twilight asked with a voice kept level through effort.
“Not much, just that there was something, or somepony, big, important, … maybe dangerous?” Pinkamena said as she scrunched up her nose and concentrated on remembering, “We were there.”
“We?” Twilight asked, having a feeling what she meant.
“The six of us, the Brave Companions I mean, and Spike too. I can’t tell much more.”
“Okay, here is what we are going to do,” Twilight Sparkle said thoughtfully, “Spike, I am still going to have you take a letter. Celestia may be able to sense better what we will be facing, and we should let her know we are leaving Ponieville regardless. Pinkamena, can you find the rest of our friends and tell them to meet us here?”
“Can do!” Pinkamena said with an enthusiastic salute before leaving the laboratory.
It seems there will always be something for the Brave Companions to take part in. That is fine with me, though. I’ve seen the alternative, and I didn’t like it one bit. Much better that if we must face these things, we face them together.
***
From the stone arch that marked the entrance to Onon’r Laht swung three ponies. Really, though, it was a stretch to call them ponies anymore, for they’d been hanged long ago and not much flesh was left on their skeletons. Around the necks of two of them hung placards bearing a rough rendition of the crest of Baron Rissel, a local lord. These two were likely soldiers who’d either been caught trying to infiltrate the city or been snatched from the countryside and placed here as a warning to the baron of what would await him if he tried to take Onon’r Laht. The third pony had no placard, so there was no telling for what reason they’d been executed, if there had been a reason at all.
Though Onon’r Laht was technically within the territory of Cant’r Laht (the cities were almost directly above and below each other), it was no more under Celestia’s rule than the Everfree Forest. Law and order were practically nonexistent here, other than through rule by force. Onon’r Laht was both a breeding ground and magnet for undesirables: thieves, murderers, drug rings, necromancers, and criminals of all kinds. At the same time, it was a place where those who had nowhere else to go ended up. Those who had to flee their homes for one reason or another (the most common recently being unicorns fleeing King Hadish’s pogroms) and could find nowhere else that would take them came here. The marginalized members of society congregated here, especially those who weren’t ponies at all. Zebras, gryphons, and even a few minotaurs and satyrs all lived here.
“Twi’, are y’ sure this is a good idea?” Applejack asked as she stared at the swinging bodies.
“It is what we must do,” Twilight answered with certainty.
It wasn’t only Pinkamena’s premonition that decided it must be the six of them to take on this task. Celestia had replied to Twilight’s letter after they’d left Ponieville. She had felt the blossoming of magic as well, but not as strongly as Twilight had, despite being in much closer proximity to the source. The ancient sorceress believed there was some link between it and the Brave Companions, and recent events suggested how. The magic was strange, tainted, and unfamiliar, but there was something about it that suggested Discord’s handiwork. Perhaps there had been an aftereffect of his short-lived reign after all, and because they had used the Elements of Harmony to end it, they were tied to it. The Elements were in their saddlebags, just in case they had need of them, but Twilight hoped the threat wasn’t large enough to come to that.
“It will be okay, everypony,” Twilight announced to her friends, “Together we defeated Nightmare Moon, Discord, and all kinds of challenges. Together we shall prevail again.”
Together, they trotted into Onon’r Laht, passing beneath the swinging skeletons. There was no gate beneath the arch; there would be no point. Onon’r Laht’s walls had crumbled away in all but a few places long ago. Onon’r Laht, meaning City of Stone in the Language of the Horns, had originally been built over nine millennia earlier by the unicorns following their invasion of Equestria. It had been a counterpart to Gladfengel, the pegasus town built on the slopes of the Titan’s Horn above, and later Cant’r Laht, the City of Sky, which was built next to the pegasus settlement once the unicorns managed to carve a path through the mountains. After the Conjunction, when magic allowed the construction of the platform that Cant’r Laht spread onto, Onon’r Laht survived, although they had to deal with the redirection of rivers by the city above. Both cities were later abandoned during the Long Winter, when the White Procession first found their way into this world, and the city below was never fully rebuilt in the aftermath.
For almost four thousand years now, Onon’r Laht had been a ruin, inhabited only by outlaws and the lost. The stone buildings still stood, a testament to the magic invested in them by the city’s mages, spiteful of Cant’r Laht, but most were in poor condition and had been repaired in makeshift ways, if at all. The canals, once the city’s chief method of transportation and source of pride, rivaling those of Neighples on the Eastern Continent, were largely clogged by debris, and the entire city reeked of the rubbish Cant’r Laht sends down from above.
Suspicious eyes watched the Brave Companions as they trotted through the streets. Some were sizing them up, to see if it would be worth the risk to try robbing them, while others held their possessions tightly, waiting to see if they would be the victims of a robbery. Several gryphons lounged atop a building, and one pulled out a crossbow and fired as a rat scurried across the cobblestones below, giving a squeak as it was impaled. Foals whose ribs were visible through the scraps of cloth that served as clothes rushed from a nearby gutter toward the fresh kill, hoping they could get away with it and trade it to some other gryphon for food they could stomach. They scattered as another bolt impaled the rat and the gryphon swooped down to snatch up her kill.
“What are they doing here?” Pinkamena asked Rainbow Dash as she spotted a few Hunters hanging around a notice board, carefully avoiding making eye contact with anypony else.
“There’s always work for Hunters in Onon’r Laht, if you’re desperate,” Rainbow replied with a touch of melancholy to her voice, “Plenty of monsters come out of the lake. The real trouble is finding a job that won’t get you killed or cheated by your employer when the job is done.”
Up the street, a pony was thrown out of a building whose doorway was flanked by once-elegant pillars, now no more than rough columns. He looked like he’d been beaten within a hairsbreadth of death, and an earth pony and minotaur sauntered out of the building to finish the job.
“Let this be a warning! This is what happens to anypony who tries to steal from the Gold Pike!” the pony announced, drawing the attention of everypony in the street, “Lucarian!”
The minotaur drew a sword as long as a pony’s body and held it over the beaten pony’s neck.
“Twilight, we have to do something,” Fluttershy whispered in the sorceress’s ear as she watched the proceedings with wide eyes.
“We cannot, we are outnumbered. See the sashes those two are wearing? Eighteen others in sight wear them too, likely signifying they are lackeys for this Gold Pike,” Twilight explained, “Even if Rainbow were able to fight them all off or I were to use my magic to interfere, it could give us away before we accomplish what we have come here to do. I am sorry, Fluttershy.”
The minotaur raised his sword, then brought it down swiftly, beheading the thief. As the killing stroke fell, Twilight’s head snapped around. She’d sensed magic being used in their vicinity, a teleportation spell. The magic was dissipating rapidly, but she still determined that something had been teleported out of Rarity’s saddlebags.
“Rarity, I think you were just robbed,” Twilight said as she looked around for the culprit, “Is anything missing?”
“The Element of Charity!” Rarity gasped after digging through her saddlebags.
Twilight’s eyes locked on a teenaged unicorn trotting toward an alley. Yes, she has the ability to use magic, and nopony else here does. Got you.
“You! Stop right there!” she called to the unicorn, and the thief broke into a gallop, disappearing into the alleyway.
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash took off into the air, and the crowd parted as the other five took off toward the thief. Somepony stuck out a cane to try to trip Applejack, but she jumped over it easily, casting a glare back at the pony who’d done so that convinced him to make himself scarce. With Rainbow and Fluttershy calling out the thief’s position, they darted through the narrow alleys, avoiding garbage, debris, and the huddled forms of ponies.
When the thief came in sight, Twilight teleported her to immediately in front of them and she crashed into a wall. Recovering quickly, she took off again, bucking a pile of garbage at the Brave Companions as she ran. Twilight teleported her again, but she continued to run, and again a third time with the same result. After the fourth teleportation, when Rainbow Dash landed ahead of her and cut off her escape route, she finally admitted defeat.
“What d’y’want, eh?” the thief asked cockily, though it was easy to tell her bravery was false, “Here t’ take me t’ Cant’r Laht t’ be y’apprentice?”
“I think not,” Twilight replied, “I want you to give back what you stole from my friend.”
“‘At’s all?” the thief asked with skepticism.
“That is all,” Twilight Sparkle replied, and the thief returned the Element of Charity from the pouch at her side, “Though, if I were you, I would learn how to detect when other sorceresses are around before trying that trick. Not all will be as forgiving.”
“If I had magic like that, d’y’think I would be livin’ ‘ere?” the young thief scoffed before spitting at Twilight’s hooves and galloping away.
***
Nopony else in Onon’r Laht seemed bold enough to try to rob them before the Brave Companions reached their destination, though they saw plenty of heinous acts committed that they couldn’t afford to interfere with on the way. A full day had passed since the blossoming of magic here, and the signs had faded considerably, but they were still there. Now that Twilight was in the city, she was able to track down the location where the burst had occurred. It was an unassuming location, a rundown house like any other in Onon’r Laht. If it hadn’t been for the remaining aura of magic and the marks on the walls from where the sparse furniture had been thrown into them, she might’ve believed she had the wrong location.
There was no sign of exactly what had caused the magical burst, but it was no longer here, of that Twilight was certain. Given how the magic had seemed to become shielded after the burst, she suspected that some pony was the source, perhaps even a Source itself, just discovering their powers; however, if that was the case, it didn’t make much sense that they immediately knew how to hide them from others. There was also the fact that the magic was tainted, twisted in some way of which she did not know the specifics.
“If you’re looking for Bitter Leaf, he’s not here,” a feeble voice came from the doorway of the home, and the Brave Companions turned from their search in surprise.
A pegasus mare wearing a shawl stared at them with hollow eyes. Despite her unassuming appearance, Rainbow Dash drew her sword, suspecting a trap. She lowered it as Twilight motioned to her, afraid they’d scare the mare off.
“Who is Bitter Leaf?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“You mean, you’re not Gold Pike’s thugs, here to punish him?” the mare asked, eyes growing wider.
“Do we look like hired thugs?” Rainbow Dash asked, sheathing her sword.
“I assure y’, we’re nothin’ o’ th’ sort,” Applejack said at the same time, and the stranger looked confused.
“Who are you?” Twilight asked, hoping to get more information out of this mare before she bolted. She would’ve liked it if the stranger would come into the room with them, but the mare stayed in the doorway, keeping her escape route open, a smart decision in Onon’r Laht.
“I … I am Glidas,” the mare said, uncertain how much to divulge, “Bitter Leaf is my … friend.”
“What did Bitter Leaf do to earn punishment from Gold Pike’s thugs?” Rarity asked, taking a few steps toward Glidas, but stopping when it looked like she was about to bolt.
“Bitter Leaf is not himself. He’s … he’s changed,” Glidas said, trying to hold things back, but it soon all came tumbling out, “He’s been odd ever since the Confusion, selfish and openly envious of the bosses, Gold Pike especially. He was talking crazy, but I never thought he’d do anything so mad as try to steal from them. The last time I saw him, though …”
“Is Bitter Leaf an earth pony, by any chance?” Applejack asked worriedly, thinking of the thief they’d seen executed earlier.
“Yes?” Glidas said with concern.
“With a white coat and blue mane?” Applejack asked.
“No, why?” Glidas asked, her eyes becoming slightly less large.
“If he did steal from Gold Pike, somepony else got th’ blame,” Applejack said.
“Did anything happen to Bitter Leaf yesterday?” Twilight asked, trying to get things back on track now that they had established that they had not, in fact, stood by while the target of their search had been killed.
“I don’t know; when I got home, everything was a mess and Bitter Leaf had disappeared,” Glidas answered, “I didn’t see him again until today, when I found him out at the Bloody Stage yelling all kinds of crazy things. Quite a crowd was gathering around him, and when I called out, he acted like he didn’t even know me.”
“Do you know where he is now?” Twilight asked and berated herself for the enthusiasm she’d displayed when Glidas recoiled slightly.
“Is … is he in trouble with the sorceresses of Cant’r Laht?” Glidas asked, truly looking at Twilight’s robes for the first time and recognizing her for what she was.
“Maybe, we won’t know until we find him,” Applejack answered honestly.
“Can you take us to him?” Pinkamena asked.
“You think … you could undo what’s happened to him?” Glidas asked, looking to Twilight, “I just want him back … the way he was.”
“If we can, then we will,” Twilight promised her.
“I’ll show you the way,” Glidas said after a moment’s thought.
***
The Bloody Stage had once been an amphitheater where the residents of Onon’r Laht would come to watch performances, but that time was long past. A crumbling wall, a stage, and the concentric rows of seats were all that remained of the structure now. The Bloody Stage had been given its name because it was a favorite spot for large executions, and the stones were stained with blood. The only bloodstains the Brave Companions could see when they arrived were those on the stage itself, since the standing area directly in front of it was packed with spectators.
On the stage stood Bitter Leaf, an earth pony with a dark gray coat and azure mane. The robes he wore weren’t typical to a mage, but they were as close as one could scrounge up in a place like Onon’r Laht. Twilight Sparkle also made note of the staff upon his back, which looked like it had been freshly cut only hours earlier. Beneath his robes, something jangled as he moved around animatedly, and Rainbow Dash was able to spot golden chains hanging around his neck, barely visible even to her Hunter’s eyes because of the hood scrunched up behind his head.
“… we must take it! It should be ours!” Bitter Leaf was yelling when the Brave Companions got close enough to the stage to hear what he was saying, “We can’t stop there, though, no! We’ll march on Ponieville and clear out the mayoral treasury! Once I have the Equestry Valley, the Hill Kingdoms are next, and the riches of the Bank of Trotstagor! Then Cant’r Laht and Celestia’s royal treasury! We can do it!”
Bitter Leaf paused as his eyes locked on the Brave Companions, and Twilight felt a spark pass between them. He knows who we are and why we’ve come! But how? Bitter Leaf took off like a shot from the stage, jumping into the crowd and fleeing in the opposite direction as the Brave Companions. Chaos broke out in the crowd as the pack of creatures tried to figure out what was going on.
“Hold on, Spike!” Twilight told the dragon on her back before teleporting to the other side of the crowd.
Rainbow Dash flew over the crowd and charged ahead after Bitter Leaf, joining Twilight in her pursuit. Fluttershy also lifted off from the ground, but kept back and tried to direct Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkamena around the crowd. Twilight Sparkle galloped after Bitter Leaf, keeping him in sight as he tore down the narrow street. As he tried to turn to go down another street, she reached out with her magic and … nothing happened.
The spell should’ve teleported him back to her, just like with the thief earlier, but instead it failed. It wasn’t that she’d casted the spell incorrectly—she was certain of that—but it didn’t work. The magic reached out to Bitter Leaf and just … stopped short, as if he were cloaked in something that repelled magic. Even if he were wearing dimeritium, it would need to be nearly full plate before it could block magic so thoroughly. No, something about him had deflected Twilight’s spell.
Without the trick she’d used before, the sorceress had to chase him on hoof. Neither of them were particularly athletic ponies, but Twilight was better nourished, so she was confident she could still catch him, especially with Rainbow Dash chasing him too. The only problem the Hunter had was losing sight of him whenever he ducked through a building or under canopies that the residents had stretched between the crumbling structures. Twilight herself often lost sight of him as he changed direction, usually knocking something over to slow her as he did so. It seemed a common tactic in Onon’r Laht.
Other than a few major boulevards, the streets of Onon’r Laht were narrow and winding, and Bitter Leaf had soon doubled back, allowing the rest of the Brave Companions to catch up. With the directions of Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy above, the others worked to corral Bitter Leaf. He continued to flee whenever he spotted them, as if instinctively knowing who they were, but he couldn’t run forever.
Bitter Leaf was cornered at last where the city met the lake. Broken, crumbling piers jutted out into the water, their edges uneven from where buildings built along them had collapsed outward centuries earlier. Bitter Leaf turned to and fro as he considered his next move. Along the shore to the left was Pinkamena, and to the right was Applejack. Twilight Sparkle was closing the distance behind him, and Rarity was a short distance behind her. Rainbow Dash and Pinkamena were overhead, the Hunter at last able to consider possible routes of attack. The only way that wasn’t blocked off was the pier ahead of him, and he galloped onto it, even though there would be no escape in that direction, unless he was planning on swimming or sprouting wings. So far, he’d done nothing surprising, other than not use the magic he was suspected to have.
The Brave Companions on hoof closed in from behind while those in flight followed along in the air. Bitter Leaf stopped at the end of the pier and looked down into the water before turning back to face his pursuers. The look on his face was one of frightened apprehension, Twilight saw as she got close enough. She also noticed that his eyes looked like those of a snake, with yellowed sclera and burgundy irises.
“What do you want with me?” Bitter Leaf demanded, looking back and forth between the ponies and dragon.
“If y’ don’t know that, then why did y’ run?” Applejack asked.
“We need to know what happened to you during the … Confusion, and over the last few days,” Twilight said, “You have found that you can work magic, now, right? It can be dangerous to do so without a guide.”
“You have no idea what’s going on, do you?” Bitter Leaf asked as his entire demeanor suddenly shifted, and he gave a grin with too many teeth, “You soon will.”
The stallion craned his neck back and grabbed ahold of his staff before cracking the end against the flagstones at his hooves. Grass suddenly bloomed up around it from the stone and spread toward the Brave Companions. Bitter Leaf had let down the barrier hiding his magic and Twilight Sparkle could sense it now. It was chaos magic, but also a very particular kind of chaos magic that she’d become acquainted with recently. Discord’s magic.
Rainbow Dash dove toward Bitter Leaf and was struck by a gigantic pendulum that knocked her back. A whole array of pendulums swung between the Brave Companions and Bitter Leaf now, hanging from nothing in the sky. The pier warped and twisted, becoming a maze of staircases at impossible angles to each other. The Brave Companions rushed onto the structure, trying to make it through to Bitter Leaf. The grass covering the stairs grew into vines that reached out to entrap the Brave Companions. As Rainbow Dash was working to cut them free, a giant creature that looked half-fish, half-squid emerged from the lake, opening its mouth wide. Bitter Leaf returned the staff to his back and trotted into the creature’s maw, before opening a door at the back of its throat that led to a room filled with gold and jewels.
Gravity returned to normal among the twisted staircases as the fish-squid sank out of sight, and Rainbow and Fluttershy had to carefully carry the others down to the ground. Spike burned away enough of the vines holding him and Twilight that she was able to teleport them to the end of the pier. As she stared out at the tranquil lake, the vines and grass wilted and the staircases collapsed under their own impossible shape and weight, joining the rest of the debris in Onon’r Laht. She could no longer sense Bitter Leaf, as much as she desired to be able to. He was much more dangerous than they’d expected.
***
That night, Twilight worked to compose her report to Celestia. The news that somepony was using Discord’s magic was troubling, to say the least. She was glad they’d brought the Elements of Harmony, and each of them would be looking after their respective artifacts more carefully now. There were no inns in Onon’r Laht (not that they’d trust one if there were), so they set up camp in an abandoned building (of which there were plenty). Smoke from their campfire drifted through a hole in the ceiling, mingling with the mist that shrouded everything in the city of stone at night.
“Twilight, somepony’s approaching,” Rainbow Dash announced from where she watched out the window.
A cloaked and hooded figure was making his way through the mist, purposefully headed toward the building the Brave Companions were camped in. He paused barely for a moment when he reached the doorway downstairs and let himself in. Was this pony associated with Bitter Leaf? Was this just a normal robbery? Were they resting in somepony’s home? There was no way to tell, so the Brave Companions prepared themselves for any situation. As the stallion climbed the ladder to the second floor and poked his head over, Rainbow Dash yanked him up and threw him to the floor with her sword poised over his throat.
“Ah, you must be Rainbow Dash, as vigilant as I expected,” the stallion said, paying no heed to the blade ready to decapitate him.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?” Rarity asked, keeping a close watch on her saddlebags after the theft earlier.
“How rude of me,” the stallion said before teleporting out from under Dash, “I am Count Arnwulf of the House Steeding, Sorcerer of the 2nd Council in the Lodge of Sorceresses.”
A Cant’r Laht sorcerer. He could only be here for one reason, the same as them. Either he’d sensed Bitter Leaf’s blossoming power just as Twilight and Celestia had, or he’d heard about it somehow. Nothing else would convince a Cant’r Laht mage, much less a council member, to come to Onon’r Laht.
“Celestia sent you?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I came as soon as I could,” Arnwulf replied, “I am here to lend any assistance that I am able, though it would help to know what you have already found out.”
“How did you find us?” Rainbow Dash demanded to know after sheathing her sword.
“Twilight Sparkle has a most distinctive magical signature, though I suspect that I may also have been sensing the legendary artifacts you are carrying,” Arnwulf said, “If you ask me, bringing them along to face a rogue mage is overkill.”
“You might not think that after we explain what is really going on here,” Twilight Sparkle said, and proceeded to sum up their encounter with Bitter Leaf.
“I see,” Arnwulf said thoughtfully after her explanation, “That explains why the statue felt so empty.”
“What does that mean?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
“It means that you may have trapped Discord’s corporeal form, but his essence, his soul if you will, escaped the prison you created,” Arnwulf explained, “After his first defeat, he was more cautious this time and had a backup plan if you really managed to use the Elements of Harmony against him. That would be my guess.”
“So, Bitter Leaf … is Discord?” Applejack asked.
“Not exactly. It is more like he has been possessed by Discord, but without Discord having any real control,” Arnwulf said, “Discord’s soul has changed his mind and also given him some measure of his powers. This is a problem. With even a fraction of Discord’s power, Bitter Leaf poses a severe threat to Cant’r Laht and Equestria.”
“How do you know all of this?” Twilight asked suspiciously.
“After Discord’s return, I began researching the other Great Ones. Some of them were known to possess ponies in this same way,” Arnwulf explained and paused before going on, “For now, the other Great Ones are safely sealed away in Tartarus, but if they were to escape … we need to be ready for them. I am not the only one in Cant’r Laht who has become concerned about Celestia’s ability to protect us. First Nightmare Moon and now Discord; twice in a year she has failed to act, and many are beginning to wonder why.”
“She did not act because she could not wield the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight defended her mentor, “The actions she took sent us to find them both times, and both times we saved Equestria because of her direction.”
“Yes, of course, that must be it,” Arnwulf said, though it sounded like he didn’t fully mean it, “You and your companions will not always be around to save the day, though. It is wiser to seek to defend ourselves than to rely on magical artifacts that nopony, not even their bearers, truly understands how to work.”
Count Arnwulf let that statement hang in the air and a silence wore on. The mages of Cant’r Laht are questioning Celestia’s power? Does she know? They’ve always questioned her, pushed against her at every chance they could, but never questioned her position as the most powerful living sorceress. Is all that about to change? What will her response be?
“So … about Bitter Leaf bein’ possessed by Discord …” Applejack brought the mages back to the present, “What do we do ‘bout that?”
“Well, the easiest option would be to kill him and capture Discord’s soul before it tries to move on to a new host,” Arnwulf said.
“No,” Twilight said firmly, and Arnwulf looked surprised, “We will not kill him unless there is no other way.”
“Very well, but be aware that he may not give us another way,” Arnwulf said, “If we can capture him, I should be able to extract Discord’s soul without doing more than minor damage to his mind.”
“And how do you know how to do this?” Twilight asked. There wasn’t much call for extracting the souls of ancient beings, at least not until now.
“Like I said, I have been studying the Great Ones,” Arnwulf said, giving her a stare with eyes that hinted at something unsaid, “Research without application is dead.”
“Capturing Bitter Leaf isn’t going to be easy,” Pinkamena pointed out, “Not with his chaos magic.”
“That is why killing him is the safer option,” Arnwulf said, and got glares from most of the Brave Companions, “I know, I know, you do not want to kill him unless it is necessary.”
“He does not deserve death,” Twilight said, and Applejack nodded, “He is just a pony unfortunate enough to be chosen by Discord.”
“If you say so,” Arnwulf said, clearly still unhappy with the decision but willing to go along with it, “First, we will have to find and capture him, though.”
“Leave that to me,” Twilight said, “As soon as he uses his chaos magic again, I will know exactly where in the city he is.”
***
They didn’t have to wait for long. Twilight could sense the moment Bitter Leaf used his chaos magic. The link between her and Discord through the Elements of Harmony allowed her to sense it more easily than regular magic, but it left a nauseous feeling in her mind when she reached out to locate it. She reached out infrequently as the Brave Companions traveled the streets of Onon’r Laht, avoiding the roaming packs of thieves and murderers out for their nightly fun and trying not to step on the vagrants curled up in the alleyways. Bitter Leaf had used his magic only twice since Twilight had first sensed it, but it left a stain that faded gradually enough for her to confidently lead the way to wherever the possessed mage had cast his spells.
All three occasions he’d used his magic, he’d been within the large, blocky building that the Brave Companions were now approaching. A dome had once covered the roof, but most of it had fallen in over the years and firelight now came from the hole, along with the sound of voices. A wagon had been rolled across the doorway in place of the missing doors and four zebras guarded it, the space between their stripes painted yellow.
“Essa[1],” Count Arwulf whispered, and repeated it as he faced each zebra in turn.
The guards fell asleep, their weapons banging against the stones as they crumpled up and collapsed one by one. Rarity and Applejack moved the wagon out of the way, and the group entered the crumbling structure. Enough of the walls remained that they couldn’t see their target until they were nearly upon the crowd surrounding him.
A large group of zebras were assembled in the open room under the dome, all of them with the yellow paint between their stripes. Much like with Gold Pike and the sashes earlier, they were symbols of one of Onon’r Laht’s gangs. Their former leader, a zebra like them, was in the room, but had been impaled by a broomstick and then hanged; however, he was hanging from the floor, not the ceiling. Another zebra was hanging upside-down next to him, and Bitter Leaf was waving at him as the Brave Companions reached the doorway to the room.
“That is what will happen if you question me or try to seek revenge!” Bitter Leaf screamed, “I’ve offered you the deal of a lifetime, to join my army and plunder all of Equestria—nay, all of Equus! After the kings and queens of Equestria lie dead and I’ve melted their crowns and swords into my throne, we’ll cross the Shimmering Sea and plunder the Zebrikaanian Empire too! Mine! It’ll all be mine! Ahahaha!”
As his laughing abated, Bitter Leaf’s eyes grew wide and he craned his neck at an angle that shouldn’t have been physically possible. On the edge of hole in the roof, crouched and ready to attack was Rainbow Dash, and Bitter Leaf stared directly into her eyes.
“Oho! Thought you could sneak up on me, eh?” he shouted as Dash abandoned her position and shot toward him, “I’ll teach you to try something like that!”
Bitter Leaf rapped his staff against the ground, and a giant earthworm shot up from beneath Rainbow Dash before shoving her against the wall. The zebras scattered, and the rest of the Brave Companions tried to make their way through the churning crowd to Bitter Leaf. The possessed sorcerer rapped his staff against the ground again, and the floor near him turned to liquid, swirling around a drain. Bitter Leaf jumped through, and the sound of clinking coins came up from his escape hatch.
The swirling hole began to narrow, and there would be no forcing their way through the crowd before it closed. Twilight and Arnwulf both teleported themselves across the room and followed Bitter Leaf through, hoping that this unorthodox portal led somewhere they would be able to return from. Twilight Sparkle fell into a pile of coins and gold bars, the impact with a chest jarring her hip and throwing Spike off. They were surrounded by treasure, a veritable hoard, and Spike was practically drooling until Rarity fell through the hole above and landed on top of him. She would be the last Brave Companion to join them; the swirling drain closed up completely with a slurping sound after she came through.
“Keep your wits about you,” Twilight warned as she looked around the room, “Bitter Leaf is here somewhere.”
“How right you are!” Bitter Leaf proclaimed as he pranced into view, “I hope you like my collection. Gold Pike and the Yellow Stripes possessed it once, but now it is all mine! Soon, an army will be mine as well, then all the world!”
“Mrinessen’r dorentai’i![2]” Twilight incanted, in no mood for games.
Ice spikes jutted from ceiling and floor, restraining Bitter Leaf. Somehow, he was still able to reach around and grab his staff. As it cracked against the spikes, the ice turned to bubbles. Fires burst up around the room in multiple colors, but none near enough to the treasure to harm it in any way. Wheels ringed in spikes appeared from nowhere and spun around the room, nearly taking off Twilight’s legs before she jumped over one.
“Caen’r majia acca Ye’r accael![3]” Twilight yelled, and the wheels were caught up in a whirlwind before being dashed to pieces.
“Why don’t you put him to sleep, like you did those guards?” Spike asked Arnwulf as icicles began to fall from the ceiling, deflating as they struck the ground.
“I need to be ready to cast the spell to remove his possession,” the stallion replied, “Besides, no spell used directly against him will work, unless the Elements of Harmony work without a full set.”
“Reventra![4]” Twilight yelled out, thrusting a hoof in the direction of Bitter Leaf.
He stepped out of the way as the spell sailed toward him and the wall behind him broke to pieces. I don’t want to hit him, but he has to be still in order for this to work, and I don’t think he’ll cooperate with me.
“Reventra!” Twilight yelled again, causing a pile of gold to go flying in a shower of coins.
“No!” Bitter Leaf yelled and tried to gather them back up into a pile.
While he was doing so, Rarity managed to sneak up on him, and rather hesitantly tackled him. The overwhelming chaos in the room seemed to lessen, as if something was blocking it. Spinning plates crashed to the floor and the ceiling ceased bubbling. The Element of Charity! It’s still in Rarity’s saddlebags!
“Reventra!” Twilight cast a last time as Bitter Leaf reached for his staff, and the branch shattered, splinters scattering across the floor. Even with the staff destroyed, the chaos magic was not ended, however, Bitter Leaf was just unable to direct it.
“Rarity! Keep ahold of him!” Twilight yelled out as she prepared another spell, “The Elements of Harmony can block his magic!”
“I’ll try, Twilight, darling, but I do hope you have a plan that doesn’t involve me holding him down all evening,” Rarity replied, “I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”
“Arnwulf, are you ready?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, I think so,” the sorcerer said as he spied a diamond atop one of the piles of treasure.
“Ye seni cavan’r doros’i![5]” Twilight incanted, and glowing bonds appeared around Bitter Leaf’s body, holding him in place. Rarity moved away, and Twilight struggled to keep ahold of the possessed mage.
It was as if his entire body were covered in something slippery and he’d be able to pull himself free of the magical shackles if he tried hard enough. Arnwulf rushed over before he could try too hard. Setting down the diamond next to him, he took a deep breath.
“Elf ikrin tur rei siss, hy Ye broci noya[6],” he proclaimed, his voice ringing.
Arnwulf concentrated intently as Bitter Leaf yelled and tried to break free. A thread of mist began to flow from Bitter Leaf’s forehead, and Arnwulf raised up the diamond to entrap it. The gem began to glow more and more brilliantly until the entirety of Discord’s soul had been transported from Bitter Leaf into its crystalline structure. The light dulled as Arnwulf sat back and caught his breath. The chaos in the room had ceased completely; it was over.
“Is he … dead?” Spike asked as he approached Bitter Leaf.
“Just unconscious,” Arnwulf assured him, “His mind and body will both need to recover from that ordeal, but he will return to normal. He can return to the regular problems of Onon’r Laht. Our problems are not over by far, though.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked, unsettled at the thought.
“He was not possessed by the entirety of Discord’s soul, only a fragment,” Arnwulf sighed, “If I had guess, I would say there are six more pieces out there at least.”
“Six more ponies possessed by Discord,” Twilight said breathlessly.
“Yes, a troubling thought, isn’t it,” Arnwulf laughed mirthlessly, “And until they Awaken, like Bitter Leaf did here, there is no way of telling who they are.”
“But I will be able to sense when they … Awaken.”
“Most likely, yes,” Arnwulf answered Twilight, “Though I would not put it past a creature like Discord to have a trick or three in the works. In fact, he may be playing tricks already. I noticed something peculiar when extracting the soul fragment. It was not a representative split of his soul, but a heavily aspected piece. That is why he was so concerned about this hoard and accumulating riches, armies, and kingdoms. It was all he cared about.”
“Greed,” Twilight said.
It was the vice that had inflicted Rarity during Discord’s brief reign, the opposite of her Element, Charity. That must’ve been why her closeness had been so effective at blocking Bitter Leaf’s chaos magic. Arnwulf was convinced there were still six more pieces of Discord’s soul, but there were only five other Elements. Could he be wrong, and if so, could he have underestimated the number of soul fragments out there, or was Discord just playing another prank? Multiple ponies with Discord’s powers, scattered across Equestria. It was a horrible thought.