//------------------------------// // discord // Story: Child of Harmony // by Shilic //------------------------------// The twisting tunnels under the mountain seemed to go on forever, branching out in every direction. At first, Flurry tried to keep track of her path, but that quickly proved an impossible task, as several of the passages were so identical it was almost like they led back on themselves in an impossible loop. It didn’t matter much anyway. It wasn’t like there was anything waiting for her outside. Flurry wasn’t even sure what she hoped to find within the caves. It was unlikely she would find any food, anything that would help her survive. But she pushed forward anyway. It was better than freezing to death in the cold, and thin hopes were all she had to cling to. She had lost everything else. It was to her great surprise, then, that those thin hopes paid off. Flurry turned another seemingly endless curve in the tunnels, only to find not another identical hallway, but a spacious cavern. Every surface was almost completely covered in glowing crystals, to the point where clusters jutted from the floor and walls. In the center was a large lake that was, more importantly to Flurry, surrounded by plants and trees, illuminated in the rainbow light. She was struck frozen with surprise for a moment, before shaking off her shock and rushing down towards the grove. Close up, she could see that it wasn’t just the multicolored gems; the plants themselves were a mix of strange colors, greens and yellows mixed with reds, blues, purples, sometimes even on the same plant. The fruit the trees bore were equally strange, oddly shaped and covered in unnatural seeming patterns. At that point, though, Flurry barely cared. She reached out with her magic, energized by the thought of food, and pulled down a pair of apple looking fruits covered in black and white checkers, biting into one without a second thought. She finished the first so quickly she didn’t even register the flavor, only realizing halfway through the second that it tasted like the bizarre mix of vanilla ice cream and black licorice.  “delightful, aren’t they? a bright spot of chaos in a dreadfully dull world…” Flurry jerked her head up, looking around for the source of the deep, flippant sounding voice. It seemed not to have come from anywhere at all, instead echoing inside her head. “Who’s there?” “a child of harmony in my hall of chaos, at this of all times...” The voice chuckled. “a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one.” There was a surge of light as the gems making up the walls flashed. The increase in illumination finally revealed to Flurry the last feature of the cavern, one she had missed in her rush for food, and she screamed, jumping back. Wrapped around the inside wall of the cavern was a giant creature. Its body was mostly serpentine, but covered with limbs and wings from all kinds of creatures. Flurry’s eyes ran along the creature's form, following the length of its static body to its head, held up behind the lake, glinting red pupils in large yellow eyes. Flurry froze, waiting for it to move, but it never did. “oh, do calm down,” The creature said. “i couldn’t hurt you even if i wanted to, not like this.” It was with closer inspection that Flurry understood. The creature wasn’t a creature at all, but a giant statue, grey stone dotted with the same colored crystals as the walls. What she had thought were its eyes were simply red gems set in larger yellow ones. “You’re… a talking statue?” Flurry asked. “more like an imprisoned aspect of the world projecting my voice into your mind, but yes, ‘talking statue’ is a technically correct interpretation.” “Imprisoned aspect?” Flurry tilted her head. “What does that mean?” The statue sighed. “it seems some education is in order. really, what are they teaching children these days? i am discord, chaos incarnate. the reverse of harmony, if you’d like. the yin to her yang, and, as of about… two and a half of your weeks ago, the rightful ruler of the world.” “Two and a hal- you!” Flurry yelled, pointing a hoof at Discord. “You’re the one who-” “if you’re about to blame me for the destruction of your empire, you’d best stay your hoof. i had no part in that. the fault instead lies on the shoulders of your precious harmony.” Flurry opened her mouth to retort, and then closed it, thinking. “Aunt Twili- that... creature, was talking about Harmony. I always thought... Harmony is supposed to be a force of good, right?” “such belief is relative, like all things in this world. to its children, harmony is good. to mine, it is destruction. the same is true in reverse. it is why the cycle has stalled yet again.” “Cycle?” “you do ask a lot of questions. it’s growing dull. perhaps it best i explain in full, lest you bore me with your predictable responses.”  Discord seemed to clear his throat, though such a noise was merely performative. “this world is one of cycles. for an age; one thousand, one hundred and eleven of your years, harmony reigns, while i slumber. then, i awaken, and harmony subsides for the same amount of time. the age of chaos follows the age of harmony, followed once more by the age of chaos once more. thus has the world been since the founding of eternity.” “but, at the end of each era, almost without fail, the ruling power grows arrogant, obscuring the nature of the cycle and attempting to forestall their end. i make no claim of innocence in such matters. the end of my last age…” Discord laughed again, this time with a hint of fondness. “now that was fun. it has been eons since i enjoyed a battle so much.” “but this… this is something else entirely.” Discord’s voice lost most of its mirth, turning serious. “harmony’s latest effort… it has gone terribly wrong. corrupted, somehow. a flaw in her latest bearers, perhaps. such matters are beyond my vision. regardless, her light still shines upon the world, but it is a foul light, a light of rot. it is wrong, and if it is not purged, the cycle will end, and all shall perish.” “but you…” Discord’s entire focus seemed to narrow down on Flurry, as if he was gazing into her soul. “yes, i suppose with a bit of training, you’ll do. a little dour for my tastes, but we take what we can get.” “Do? Do for what?” Flurry couldn’t help but ask. “what did i say about asking questions?” Discord asked, sounding annoyed, before laughing again. “not doing what she’s told, perhaps there’s hope for you after all.” “you are a child of harmony, but one born under the heart of love. it’s a curious power, love, neither harmony or chaos, yet intwined with both. it is for that reason that the corrupted servants of harmony destroyed it, for it was the only part of this world protected from its twisted light. you, dear…” Discord paused, sounding a little embarrassed. “Princess Flurry Heart.” Flurry supplied for him. “yes, of course, flurry heart. i totally knew that.” Discord let out a light cough. “anyway, flurry heart, the touch of love in your soul, can resist harmony’s rot. you can destroy the bearers, purge harmony of this corruption, and restore the cycle so i can take my rightful place.” “Destroy the Bearers? Like, fight them?” Flurry asked, unsure. “I… I don’t know…” “you have the power. under my expert tutelage, and with a few tools, i believe you are capable of such a task. and, besides, if you don’t, this world will wither and fade into dust and ashes,” Discord added casually. “no pressure, or anything.” Flurry hesitated, considering the terrible task presented to her. Her father had shown her the basics of swordplay, but she wasn’t a fighter in the slightest. To fight monsters like the ones that had destroyed her home… She thought of her father, leading his soldiers in a doomed charge. She thought of her mother, using all her energy to save her daughter. She thought of the frozen wasteland outside, the only thing waiting for her if she refused. Flurry Heart narrowed her eyes, and nodded. “I’ll do it.”