//------------------------------// // Prologue: A New Game // Story: My Little Pony: Eternal Harmony // by LightOfTriumph //------------------------------// Something was very, very wrong. Discord sensed something awful in the air. It was rare that something snapped his magical senses so thoroughly. It was terrifying. It was revolting. And worse than all of that... It was familiar. There was no doubt about it. He was planning something huge. Twilight Sparkle walked into the hallway that led to the council room. Feeling more than a little misty eyed at the prospect of her student moving away. She wondered if this was what Celestia felt when Twilight stopped being strictly her student. That was over two decades ago now... How the time had flown since those days. The circumstances were different this time. Twilight wasn't training a possible successor. She hadn't quite gotten tired of the job, yet. Certainly not to a point where she felt like she was no longer fit for duty. A bit worrying for a monarch, but... Princess Twilight Sparkle took quite a bit of pride in her work as Ruler of Equestria. The best part about her job, however, was being able to work with her five best friends. All of whom had earn just as much, if not more, accolades than she had. Like the Celestial Sisters before them, they were meant to rule together. She met up with them waiting outside the council room. "Girls, I thought we talked about this," Twilight smiled. "You don't have to wait for me in the hall. You can just head inside." "Twilight," said Applejack calmly. "No offense, but we ain't waitin' for you." It was then that Twilight noticed the look on each of their faces. Each one of these mares, who had faced fire, flood or famine countless times were all shaken to their very core. Something had scared them more than Twilight had seen them since Grogar's Bell Crisis. Something was very, very wrong. "What's going on?" Twilight asked. "There's... Something behind that door," Rainbow Dash said. "And as much as I don't wanna admit it. Its terrifying." "What is it?" Twilight asked, now growing concerned. "We don't know darling," Rarity said, eying the door. "But you know what it's like for Unicorns, when there's some kind of huge magical presence. And behind that door... Well, let's just say you don't have to be a Unicorn to sense it." "There is some serious bad mojo behind that door," Pinkie said excitedly. "This is like the evilest evil that we've ever faced! Well... Maybe. Have you noticed our lives have been kind of hectic? I mean it's been pretty quiet lately but.." "Touch the door Twilight." Fluttershy said calmly. "You'll see what we mean." Twilight looked around at the haunted expressions on her friends faces. She steeled herself and touched the door. She immediately felt pure unadulterated rage. Followed quickly by despair. It moved into Apathy and settled on grief. Every negative emotion that a pony could have raced through her mind all at once. It was an awful feeling. One she had felt too many times before. "Well he's early," Twilight said dryly. "Over a month early. Celestia knows I would love too see him as much as possible... Hopefully in a cage, profusely apologizing..." "You know who this is?" Rarity said, completely shocked. "Twilight, why would you associate with such an... odd presence. I know you still study magic, but..." "I don't have a choice," Twilight said. "Technically, he works for me..." "This wouldn't happen to be Celestia's old chess partner, would it?" Applejack said, inquisitively. "The one who always leaves you in a foul mood?" "Bingo," Twilight said dryly. "I wanted to keep you guys from meeting him. He's not a very pleasant pony to be around. But... He's early. Our Annual game isn't until next month... This could be an emergency." "Its your call, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said sternly. "If you want us to back you up, we'll face this together." "I really don't wanna face him alone, I never do," Twilight admitted. "But... He can really bring out the worst in you... I don't want you guys to--" "Don't be ridiculous," Rarity scoffed. "He may bring out the worst in ponies, but we bring out the best in each other. There's nothing we haven't faced together, and quite frankly you shouldn't have faced him alone in the first place." "That's right," Applejack nodded. "Whatever this Varmint can do don't compare to what we've done as a crew." "I'm a little insulted you think we can't take him at this point," Rainbow Dash smiled. "How many times have we saved Equestria? That statue in the royal garden was put up for a reason." "You're the one who taught me to not be afraid as long as I'm with my friends," Fluttershy said firmly. "The least I can do is be there for you when you're scared." "Let's head in!" Pinkie Pie squeaked, pulling a water balloon out of her mane. "Let's see if this chessmaster can handle a thinking man's game..." Twilight looked at her friends. Reflecting back on the days where she thought she would be better off alone. Now she couldn't imagine being without them. The very idea was repugnant to her. Why did she think that facing her Chess partner alone was a wise idea in the first place? It seemed so silly now. She took a deep breath and opened the door to the council room. Twilight would never get used to his appearance. From a distance he looked like an ordinary earth pony in a dapper navy blue suit, but if you got a close look at him you'd realize something was very wrong. The first think you'd notice were his eyes. They were pitch black, but they still shone. It was as if a raging fire was burning directly behind them. They were such a terrifying presence on the strange pony's face that it would almost distract anyone from everything else wrong with it. His face was used to smiling, and the smile would seem to be genuine. That wasn't the problem. The problem was it made you wonder how he came by that joy in the first place. His name was short, almost to the point of being peach fuzz. Making a diamond of yellow running from the top of his head, to the back of his neck. This stood out against his rust colored coat. He was sitting on Twilight's throne at the head of the round table. He was already staring at the door. Already meeting Twilight's eyes. "Not like you to be late, is it?" the creature said, casually. "Scratch," Twilight growled. "I'm in your seat," the strange pony said. He got off of Twilight's throne and paced around to the front of the room. He took a look at the Council of Friendship's worried expressions, and a smile nearly cut the top of his head off. "Now you all don't look happy to see me at all. You'd think I wasn't welcome. Twily, you should probably introduce me. It would help break the ice." Twilight nodded. "His name is Scratch," Twilight said, not breaking eye contact with the strange Pony. "He's the Warden of Tartarus... He gives me an annual report on the state of the prison." "Everything's fine, by the way," Scratch offered. "Keeping your three most wanted shacked up nice and tight. Unless I get distracted, or... You know... Lose interest. They won't be getting out any time soon." "He seems to have an important job to do," Fluttershy said timidly. "I don't understand why I find him so... Unpleasant." "Unpleasant?" Scratch said, with mock offense. "Now, Flutters. That's just straight up unkind. You know your better than that. At least, that's what you keep telling yourself..." "What?" Fluttershy said, shocked. "What do you mean?" "You really wanna know?" Scratch said, giving his gleeful little smile. "I mean I... could go into your cruel streak... But you've come to terms with that, haven't you?" "Oh, I get why he's unpleasant," Rainbow Dash said dryly. "He's a jerk." "Dashie, I could go into the fact that you're terrified you'll measure up to Spitfire," Scratch continued calmly. "Or how AJ is afraid of her little sister growing up. Or how Pinks isn't sure she's a good mom. Or how Rarity is worried about her age is creeping up on her. Or how Twily is sad that your age is creeping up on you..." The council all looked a little more Melancholy than they did when Scratch started talking. "But that's the thing," Scratch sighed, sitting on the council table. "You all know these things. You've wrestled with this self doubt. You've talked it out. You've overcome all of it. I would be proud of you but it kinda leaves me at a loose end." Twilight had never broken eye contact. This was what he did. He reached inside of you, found all of your worries and doubts, and put a big spotlight on them so the whole world could see them. So that you thought they were the only thing that mattered. From there he could twist you to do what he wanted with a few well chosen words. That aside, he was right. They had all moved past those issues by helping each other. Twilight remembers the emotional council meeting where she came to terms with her immortality. So that left one pertinent question. "What are you doing here, Scratch?" Twilight said sternly. "What do you want?" Scratch gave a little shrug. "Cut me loose." "Not gonna happen," Twilight answered immediately. "What do you mean 'cut you loose?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Simple," Scratch said, giving his huge smile. "While Twily described me as a Warden, which is fairly accurate, as I try to keep the place tidy, I'm also a prisoner. I've been locked in the lowest stinking hole in the ground for--" "I'm keen to guess," Ratity sighed, having heard speeches like this and finding them utterly tiresome. "A thousand years?" "Try the beginning of time itself," Scratch said frankly. He looked around at the slightly puzzled expressions on the faces of the six ponies. "Oh, trust me. I got some stories to tell. But they can wait. The point is, for untold eons I have been watching the suffering of the truly evil. Untold horrors the likes of which none of you could comprehend. The kind of pain and torture that pony kind wouldn't want to imagine. It's just so... Boring." A wave of contempt and disgust washed over the Council of Friendship as Scratch hopped off the table. "They've gotten used to it! That's the problem!" Scratch complained. "They know that something bad is going to happen to them, so there's no hope to crush any more. You can't break a spirit that's already broken. Every once and a while I get a new roomie, but do you know how rare that's become? That's you and your 'Magic of Friendship' Twily! You've really been messing with my bottom line!" "Get out," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "I'm not cutting you loose, and our game isn't for another month." "Oh, the game already started." Scratch said frankly. "We've been playing ever since you walked through the door." "What are you talking about?' Dash said, angrily. "What are you planning?!" "Telling you my strategy would just be poor planning, wouldn't it?" Scratch said. He then looked around the room at the other the Ponies. The smile seemed to get wider. "You all look so spooked... Why? I can't do anything you haven't seen before. My magical talent is only really good enough to fight Twilight to a standstill. The six of you together could drop me like a bad habit. What's so scary about me?" He turned to look at Fluttershy. "What about you Flutters? What are you afraid of?" "Hey! Leave her alone!" Pinkie shouted, stepping in front of Fluttershy. "The protective instinct I'd expect from a mother," Scratch shot back. "Tell me, Pinks, How is your little colt doing?" "That's enough!" Twilight insisted, stomping forward. "I have to live with your bike every time you have to give your report, but I will not let you threaten my friends! State your business and GET! OUT!" The last word hung in the air. Echoing down the hall. Rarely had they ever seen their friend turn on all of her regality at once. Even rarer when it was done with pure anger. Scratch looked at Twilight, slightly impressed. "Wow, I guess I was wrong," Scratch nodded. Then the smile cut itself across his face once again. "I can still get under your skin." The council scowled at Scratch as he hopped off the table and paced around it. "The game this time is a little more complex than chess," Scratch said cheerfully. "And, in my opinion, a little more fun. And what's even better, you can play with your friends. I've got to make some preparations. I will let you know when the game is starting." The room seemed to get darker. "I'll be seeing you all," Scratch said calmly. "Just as soon as my pieces are in place." The room went pitch black with a mystical darkness. When the lights came back up, Scratch was gone. "So, on a scale of one to ten," Pinkie started. "How terrified should we be right now?" Twilight didn't answer. She was wracking her brain over and over. What did Scratch have at his disposal? What pieces did he have in place? Luster Dawn shifted from hoof to hoof outside of Starlight Glimmer's office. Waiting for her initiation for her new job, and she was nervous. Nervousness wasn't new for her... But something was different this time. There was something off in the air. It was like the world was upside down. Her skin didn't fit right. The floor was uneven. Something was very, very wrong.