Ponies of the Five Rings

by Simon_oSullivan


Chapter 6: Weighing the Cost. Part 3

Pipsqueak could barely react at Scootaloo’s charge, only able to jump to the left as her sword glided past him, barely touching his fur. With a mighty flap of her wings, Scootaloo took off, flying up in the sky. Pipsqueak took a defensive stance again, his hind legs ready to move to either side in order to avoid the incoming attack. A soft breeze whispered delicately around him as he aligned himself with Air.

“I’m ready,” he muttered.

Scootaloo performed a wingover and dived against Pipsqueak, who jumped to the left and avoided her blade for a few inches. To Scootaloo’s frustration, he dodged every single attack, but Pipsqueak wore an expression of focus rather than confidence.

“I can’t win if she keeps moving like that,” he grunted lowly. “If only I could stop her from flying, or at least disarming her, I might be able to counterattack.” Pipsqueak’s eyes widened as an idea sprouted in his mind. “Of course! It has to work!” He barely avoided another strike from Scootaloo, who was flying in narrower and narrower circles around him. “If she lets me, that is,” he added with a huff.

“Your reflexes are admirable, monk, but nopony beats a Rainbow Scout!” howled Scootaloo victoriously, diving towards him.

With a quick hop to the left, Pipsqueak avoided the attack. To Scootaloo’s surprise, he spread his front hooves and stood motionless before her.

“What, you’re giving up already?” I expected a bit more from you. Don’t worry, I just need a drop of your blood and it will be over!” she cried with another dive.

Once she got close enough, Pipsqueak closed his eyes and smashed his hooves together, letting out a mighty shout. The shockwave created by the technique struck Scootaloo, making her stumble and land head first into the ground. Her sword fell several feet away from both ponies.

“What’s going on?” cried Lyra, galloping next to Dinky and Snails, followed by Bon Bon.

“Pipsqueak and Scootaloo are dueling,” replied Snails.

“Bon Bon, make sure that Pinkie doesn’t see this,” ordered Lyra with a frown. “Stay at her chamber’s door and don’t let her come here. The last thing Pinkie needs is to witness this.”

“Right, Lyra,” answered Bon Bon with a nod before galloping away.

“What has happened so far?”

“Pipsqueak has done some kind of shockwave that has apparently disoriented Scootaloo,” explained Dinky.

“Yes!” cried Lyra joyfully. “I’ve used it against him several times in our training sessions. I’m glad to know that my teachings have aided him to master it.”

Snails hushed abruptly, calling the mares’ attention back to the duel. “Scootaloo’s getting up.”

“Urk… what the hay was that?” Scootaloo grunted as she walked sideways clumsily, barely able to stand on her four legs. “My head feels like a beehive.”

“Rise, Scootaloo!” demanded Pipsqueak, leaning forward with his front hooves pointing to the ground.

“Where… where’s my sword?” she muttered, looking around her. “Never mind, I’ll look for it later.” She shook her head before staring menacingly at Pipsqueak. “I’ll make you spit blood with my bare hooves if necessary!”

Scootaloo jumped towards him, tackling him with ferocity and smashing him against a tree. She threw a punch to his face, but Pipsqueak dodged it and the attack hit the bark. With a quick jump backwards, she shook her hoof to relief the pain. Taking advantage of the situation, Pipsqueak shifted forward and hit her in the stomach. In an attempt to move away from him, Scootaloo walked back until they reached the lake next to the shrine. She took off, flying low over the water and massaging her forehead to recover from the shockwave.

“I think I’m fine again,” she muttered with a smirk. “Well, monk, what now?” She spread her front legs, taunting him. “I don’t know how you did that thing before, but I’m not going to let you catch me off-guard again!”

Pipsqueak shrugged at her comments before giving a long-suffering sigh, and took a gentle step onto the lake. When he was certain the technique was in effect, he slowly made his way towards Scootaloo.

Scootaloo gasped in awe, flying away from him. “Wh… how… how are you doing that?!” she cried. “That’s impossible!“

”Everything is solid ground to me, Scootaloo,” he stated without a trace of emotion. “You might be able to run away from me, but as long as the duel lasts, I’ll get to you.”

“Running away? Me?” Scootaloo frowned, gritting her teeth furiously. “I’m not running away! I’ll show you what I can do!”

She charged recklessly towards Pipsqueak, throwing a flurry of punches at him. With an impassive expression, he stepped back as he parried her strikes. However, he noticed how defending from Scootaloo’s frenzied attack had taken a toll on his focus as he began sinking slowly. Much to his relief, both got to the shore before the effect of the technique wore off completely.           

Scootaloo flew backwards, landing several feet away from Pipsqueak.

“You fight with the ferocity of a tiger,” admitted Pipsqueak. “Such potential could do wonders for the Empire. It’s disappointing that you prefer wasting it on duels about imaginary offenses.”

“Shut up, monk!” demanded Scootaloo with her wings extended.

“I have a name, you know?!” roared Pipsqueak in a fit of rage. “Have the decency of learning it! I’m Pipsqueak, the Jade Magistrate and Monk of the Party Clan!”

“I might, because once this duel is over, your shame will make you quit your position and hide from the world. Such will be your defeat nopony will dare think of you.”

Pipsqueak growled, but took a deep breath instead of falling for her taunts. “Do you know, Scootaloo, that you’ve made a great mistake challenging me?”

Scootaloo didn’t hesitate in laughing at his comment. “Is that a threat? You’re not that good at making them, you know?”

“I’m not threatening you, Scootaloo, I’m stating a fact. I was going to let the whole incident with Dinky slip. However, you came here and challenged me for it. This gives me something that I’ve been looking forward to have since then.” Pipsqueak’s words made Scootaloo’s confidence fade away and take a defensive stance. To her surprise, small whirlwinds surged around his front hooves. “A blank check to satisfy my own desires of revenge for what you did to my future wife.” Pipsqueak showed a wide, sardonic grin that made Scootaloo lower her ears in terror. “So, as long as I don’t cause you bleeding wounds, I can get my payback and make it as long as I wish. Get ready, Scootaloo, for nopony spits over my fiancée’s honor without consequences!” he roared as he took an offensive stance and the whirlwinds swirled even faster.

Pipsqueak moved faster than the pegasus could believe and suddenly he was in front of her, throwing a hurricane of blows faster than she could see. The blows seemed to land everywhere, and came with no pattern, so she couldn’t predict where the next one would land, let alone have enough speed to dodge or block it. In an attempt to move away from him, she pulled her head back, gritting her teeth in pain before smashing her forehead against Pipsqueak’s. The blow made him stumble and stop attacking, which Scootaloo took to fly away and recover her breath.

“I need my katana to end this as soon as possible!” grunted Scootaloo, her hooves pressing against her chest. “This monk is a monster, but nothing I can’t handle!”

With those words, she let out a ferocious roar and dived towards him. Pipsqueak jumped away, only to see Scootaloo slam the ground vigorously and use the momentum to tackle him, starting a grapple. Once she got a tight grip, she flew up and began spinning around. Pipsqueak‘s attempts to set himself free were to no avail. When they’d reached a high altitude, Scootaloo dived again, aiming at the lake. Pipsqueak took a quick and deep breath before being thrown in the center of the lake with a potent splash. Hovering towards the shore, Scootaloo let out a relaxed sigh.

"That will give me some time to catch up," she said with a ragged breath. "I must find my sword!"
 

-o-

Pipsqueak reached the bottom of the lake, taking a few moments to recover from the dizziness of the constant twists and turns.

The technique will grant me some extra time, thought Pipsqueak. But I have to act fast before she finds her sword. He looked up, being greeted by the blinding reflection of the Sun in the lake's surface and forcing him to avert his eyes. Surrounded by water, he focused with his legs widely spread to align his chi with the element. As he summoned the simple technique, water began to swirl around his four hooves in bubbly whirlwinds.

This is for Dinky, he thought with a frown as the whirlpools propelled him towards the surface.

 

-o-

"Pipsqueak," said Snails in a low voice.

Dinky had clenched Lyra's front leg since Pipsqueak was thrown into the lake, and didn't move his worried stare from the body of water.

"Don't worry, Dinky, he's fine," assured Lyra with a comforting voice. "One of the first techniques we teach to our students allows them to hold their breath longer than usual. In these situations, it becomes a reactive resource."

"Even so, I won't feel fine until he gets out of there."

"I understand, young summoner, but I have faith in him being able to perform a basic technique." Lyra gave her a tender smile and caressed her hoof. "He's fine, trust me."

"It must be around here somewhere," grunted Scootaloo, desperately searching for her katana among the grass. After several seconds of hovering over the ground, a ray of light struck her in the eyes. She rubbed her eyes for a moment, but had a grin on her face, for she knew what it meant. "There it is!" With a quick dive, Scootaloo grabbed her weapon before looking back at the lake with a confident smirk and extending her wings. "I'm ready when you are, monk."

Small waves began to surge on the water, which made Scootaloo to take an offensive stance, prepared to strike as soon as Pipsqueak rose from the lake. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow as the waves became slightly bigger by the second, and changed to a defensive stance as she noticed the whirlpool that formed in the middle of it, just where he had thrown Pipsqueak in. To everypony's awe, a thin column of swirling water sprouted from the lake, with the young monk on top.

"What in Equestria is that?!" cried Scootaloo, paralyzed by such a sight.

"There you are!" shouted Pipsqueak. The column of water bent towards Scootaloo, who covered herself with the sword and the wings in an instinctive defense. When he arrived to the ground, mere inches away from her, the monk pulled back his right front hoof, completely endowed in water. The following blow didn't seem to cause any pain to Scootaloo, who opened her eyes slowly to see Pipsqueak in front of him, with his water-covered hoof on her shoulder.

"So much for that? And I thought for a moment that I had to worry!" Scootaloo let out a snicker, still not fully recovered from the shock. "Water cushions damage, didn't you know that?"

"I know that. But there's also something else water does."

"And that is?"

"It pushes," he answered with a smirk.

The water surrounding his hoof burst with the strength of a devastating tsunami, throwing Scootaloo back as she screamed.

“Oh, my!” cried Dinky, covering her mouth with both hooves. Next to her, Snails stared at the scene with is mouth wide open.

“Don’t worry; Water Fist is a technique that doesn’t cause harm per se,” assured Lyra. However, when Scootaloo slammed against a tree due to the knockback with a thundering sound, the three ponies shivered. “However, crashing against objects due to the kiho’s effect is still painful.”

The blow knocked Scootaloo’s breath out of her; she fell on her knees, breathing raggedly whenever she wasn’t spitting some water. Pipsqueak walked slowly towards her, confidence dimly glowing in his eyes.

“We’re even, Scootaloo,” grunted Pipsqueak to himself with a satisfied smirk. “Time to finish the duel.”

“You really think this is fun, don’t ya?” growled Scootaloo with gritted teeth. “You think you can humiliate me as long as you wish. Well, you can’t!” In a fit of anger, she pounded the ground with her hooves and threw a terrifying gaze at him. “You wanna play rough? Let’s do this!” she roared as she extended her wings.

With a mighty flap, she dashed towards Pipsqueak, tackling him and pushing him back several feet. As they got close to her katana, Scootaloo checked the monk’s hind legs, which there rigidly bent due to the grip’s wrestle. She couldn’t contain a sadistic grin as she gathered all the strength she had and kicked him in the side of his right knee, dislocating the bone. As Pipsqueak squealed in pain, she pulled back her front hoof and threw a punch in his cheek, knocking him to the ground.

“A simple drop of blood, and it will be over,” said Scootaloo as she picked up her sword. “An overwhelming victory is what I deserve after this; a testament of the Rainbow Clan’s superiority!”

With those words, Scootaloo took off and flew high into the sky with the katana in her mouth. Pipsqueak gritted his teeth, trying to move, but the agony caused by his right hind leg wouldn’t let him. He tried to gallop, but setting his hoof on the ground made him scream and fall on his side. As he turned face up clenching his knee, Scootaloo kept flying up until she got lost among the clouds.

“Pip!” yelled Dinky as she tried to rush to his side.

“No, Dinky, you have to stay here!” said Lyra as she prevented the summoner from getting outside the temple.

“But Lyra, she’s going to—”

“She won’t. No matter how angry she is, she won’t kill him. She’s just scaring him.” Lyra didn’t sound convinced, and wrapping Dinky with her front hooves only showed further evidence of her lack of faith.

“At least Overlord Rainbow Dash seems quite calm,” stated Snails.

On the other side of the battlefield, Rainbow Dash had been monitoring every single one of Scootaloo’s moves. She was going through an ordeal as she did her best to avoid showing her anger at her former student’s behavior. Not even she was sure about what was going to happen, but above all things, she had to show magnanimity, as if everything was going as it should. The tiniest evidence that Scootaloo, even after all that had happened, was still behaving in an insubordinate way would shatter Rainbow Dash’s reputation, forcing her to leave her clan’s leadership, or even worse. Above all else, she trusted Scootaloo, and something told her, deep inside her, that she wasn’t going to do anything they would regret.

Still lying on the ground, Pipsqueak had already forsaken his chances of moving away from whatever Scootaloo had in mind. After turning face down and resting on his knees and leaning to the left to put most of his weight on the side with both healthy legs, he pushed the ground with gritted teeth and pleading eyes.

“Come on… come on,” muttered Pipsqueak between his teeth as desperation scratched his throat. “Calm down… calmed… impassive… sturdy…” With a long sigh, he rested his forehead on the grass, feeling how Earth flowed under his knees and his chi crawled through his body.

Up in the sky, Scootaloo came to a sudden halt, staring for a brief moment to the ground before diving towards Pipsqueak. The blade’s whistling as it cut the air at such outstanding speed grew louder with every second.

Both Snails and Dinky kept an eye horrified at Scootaloo’s dive, but Lyra was paying attention to Pipsqueak. Even from the distance, a few changes in his body were slightly noticeable. Starting from his hooves and legs, his skin was becoming stark, with small protuberances sprouting through his flesh, giving him a craggy appearance. Even though he was summoning a technique, his gasping showing that the pain was taking its toll and making it difficult to focus. Despite having so many things against him, however, he seemed to be able to achieve it, if hardly in time.

Dinky turned back at Lyra and hugged her tightly, sinking the face on the monk’s chest, and Lyra hugged back. Snails, on the other hoof, couldn’t stop watching the battle. With a thundering clash that was clearly heard for everypony in the surroundings, Scootaloo’s sword shattered against Pipsqueak’s stone-like skin. Despite only the katana’s tip touched his body, it broke in half. The upper one flying back, which Scootaloo attempted to dodge by leaning instinctively to the right. However, the keen edge managed to make small cut in her cheek that her adrenaline-pumping body ignored. The broken blade landed a few feet from Rainbow Dash, who stared at the sharp edge and took a step back in awe.

“Sweet merciful Celestia,” she finally muttered.

Lyra grinned in silence, shaking Dinky tenderly as she gestured with her head to look back.

“He did it,” whispered Lyra.

“That was amazing,” added Snails in awe.

Slightly shaking, Dinky slowly turned to see Pipsqueak on the ground, in pain but still alive. She wiped her watery eyes with a short smile. “Praised be the Fortunes,” said Dinky. “I hope this is over.”

Because of the strike which, even if not lethal, was still painful enough to make Pipsqueak grunt between his teeth, his body slowly returned to normal as his focus faded away. There was a serious bruise where the katana’s tip had landed.

“I can’t… stand this anymore,” grunted Pipsqueak slowly, barely able to move. When a drop of blood fell into the grass in front of him, he sighed deeply in relief. However, a growl over him made him cringe.

Scootaloo held her broken weapon with both hooves, staring at it in horror with shaky legs and ragged breathing.

“I… didn’t want this to happen, Scootaloo,” said Pipsqueak as he tried in vain to get up. “This is over now, and we—”

“My sword…” Scootaloo didn’t seem to be paying attention to him, shocked at the sight of her broken weapon. “My symbol as a samurai, as a warrior… shattered in front of me.”

“The duel is over now. We both should leave and rest.”

“No!” Scootaloo grabbed Pipsqueak’s neck and lifted him over her head before throwing him against a tree.

As Pipsqueak recovered from the attack, he painfully got up, standing only on his left hind leg and leaning his back on the tree. In front of him, Scootaloo threw the broken katana to the ground, her chest pumping frantically up and down.

“You broke my sword!” roared Scootaloo. “I swear by my honor that you’ll pay for this!”

“You bled, Scootaloo, the duel is over. I refuse to go on with it.”

“Lies!” With that word, she rushed towards him in frenzy. Pipsqueak, standing only in one leg and standing against a tree, could only block a few blows of the many Scootaloo threw him as she screamed. “You want this to end? Bleed already!”

“Stop!” cried Pipsqueak. In an attempt to stop her reckless attack, he leaned forward and wrapped her with his arms in a hug that trapped her front legs and wings. Enraged, Scootaloo roared and shook fiercely trying to release herself from the grip. “Stop I tell you!”

“Not until I win!” yelled Scootaloo, doubling her efforts to break free.

Adrenaline and rage fueled her, and Pipsqueak’s grapple became weaker with every scream and attempt at freedom. She seemed to be unstoppable, prey to despair and revenge, while his strength had almost vanished. Gathering the little energy he had left, Pipsqueak hopped on his left hind leg, turning Scootaloo’s back against the tree and released the grip. When she was about to jump over him, he pushed her neck with a hoof, pulling the other one back and resting his whole weight on the leg that was holding her.

“I… said… stop!

“No!” cried everypony witnessing the duel at the same time.

The four ponies breathed in relief when Pipsqueak punched the tree trunk behind Scootaloo, missing her face for mere inches. Her ears perked up as she heard a cracking sound behind her. When Pipsqueak released her and fell on his side grunting in pain, Scootaloo looked behind her. With widened eyes, she witnessed how the tree she was pushed against a few seconds ago was falling apart, taken down with a punch.

“I-i-impossible…” stuttered Scootaloo before the tree crashed against the ground with a deafening noise of branches shattering under the trunk’s weight. “T-t-the tree… h-he t-t-took down the tree… with a single strike.”

Pipsqueak raised a hoof and gestured for Dinky, Snails and Lyra to come close to him. Without a second to lose, they galloped next to him. The hoof he had punched the tree with was bleeding slightly.

“You have pushed yourself way too far,” said Lyra with deep concern, passing her hooves over his body. “Your chi is too weak, and your last kiho didn’t work properly. Your body had the proper strength, but didn’t have enough reserves to harden before it.”

“Pip, I’ll treat your wounds and will take you to your chambers,” continued Dinky, hugging Pipsqueak’s head against her chest. “You need some rest.”

“You’ve fought like a hero, Pipsqueak,” added Snails. “You should feel proud.”

Their worry came to a sudden halt the moment Scootaloo’s incredulous laughter called their attention. “I… I won,” she said as she pointed at Pipsqueak’s bleeding hoof. “I won!”

“No, Scootaloo,” corrected Pipsqueak, pointing at her cheek.

She reached her cheek and, for the first time, noticed the blood in it. “When did this happen?”

“When your sword shattered, part of it flew towards you and cut your cheek.”

“No way, I dodged it!” complained Scootaloo.

“He’s telling the truth,” corrected Rainbow Dash, flying towards them with the upper half of the blade held with a hoof. With contempt, she offered it to Scootaloo.

“No, it must be his, from when I hit him with—” Scootaloo turned to look at Pipsqueak’s back, only to see a huge, dark bruise, but no wound. Realizing her defeat, she fell to her knees with fallen ears.

“In the heat of battle, warriors tend to ignore scratches and petty wounds,” said Rainbow Dash with a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder. “It is an understandable mistake to make, even in duels.”

“But… I spoke truth… my sword—”

“In the Celestial Tournament,” interjected Lyra with a frown, “you proclaimed that a samurai’s sword bears the ultimate truth. However, even your own katana turned against you, and you still didn’t want to see through your foolish conspiracies. Your weapon shattered to show you the truth, and you ignored it.”

“Scootaloo, we’ll get you a new one before—” Rainbow Dash stopped talking as Scootaloo shook her head.

“No. This duel was your last gift.” The other four ponies stared dumbfounded at each other, not knowing Scootaloo’s fate. “I have failed as a samurai, I have failed my clan… and I have failed you.” She looked at Rainbow Dash after speaking those words, biting her lips in an attempt to avoid crying. “I am a shameful samurai and, as such, I deserve a shameful weapon.” Without a trace of doubt, Scootaloo stretched her front leg and grabbed her weapon’s hilt. Less than two feet of steel rested on the weapon. “They say a samurai’s katana is not only a weapon of war, but also an expression of the soul of its bearer. Looking at my sword, that’s the truest statement of all.”

“Where are you going?” asked Snails.

“My place isn’t among honorable samurais anymore,” replied Scootaloo with a frown. “I’ll join the Deathseekers.” Her announcement was received with gasps of horror from the Party ponies. “Now I know that it’s my place. Even though I’ve learnt from my mistake, that’s not enough for me, nor will it prevent me from falling for it again. In my search to bring honor to my mentor, I’ve brought shame to all my clan, myself and my mentor instead.”

“Scootaloo,” interjected Rainbow Dash.

“It’s true, Overlord Dash.” Scootaloo raised her head, looking towards the horizon as her former mentor looked away. The formality with which Scootaloo had called her made her heart sink. “Only an honorable death as a Deathseeker shall bring a bit of honor to my clan, even if it’s not enough to compensate my failures.” With a sorrowful gaze, she nodded at the four ponies in front of him. “You’ve taught me the wrong of my ways, and for that I thank you.”

When Scootaloo turned around to leave, Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo’s broken edge and pressed it against her chest. “We’re leaving, Scootaloo.”

With a weak nod, Scootaloo took off, followed closely by her former mentor. As they left the shrine, Dinky began healing Pipsqueak’s wounds.

“Luckily it’s over,” said Snails in relief.

“But I feel sorry for Scootaloo,” added Dinky as she summoned the water spirits to heal Pipsqueak.

“So do I,” seconded Pipsqueak.

“Hold still,” demanded Lyra as she sat next to him, grabbing his right hind left. With a swift snap, she relocated his bone, getting a loud grunt between his teeth as thanks. “You should be able to walk normally, but you’ll still need to rest for a while.”

Snails offered Pipsqueak his shoulder, to help him walk to the temple. With that, the four Party ponies returned to the shrine.

 

-o-

During the trip through the depths of the Everfree Forest towards Discord’s castle, Whooves showed no sign of rebellion or complain, even though Spot and the rest of the Diamond Dogs had been thrusting at him with their spears. Whooves simply ignored their nuisances, focused on how the world around him became much more twisted and deformed, a mockery of a forest. As they got closer to the place where Discord fell from the Celestial Heavens, a crater with a dimensional hole known as the Festering Pit, everything became much more disturbing. The influence of the Realm of Chaos had destroyed the very concept of nature. If there were any trees, bushes and rocks around, they were impossible to identify as such. The land itself warped in naturally impossible ways, with peaks and valleys appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye and bodies of water crawling on their own.

Once they got close enough to spot the obsidian castle from the distance, the landscape became much more horrifying. The burned trees melted like ice and pillars and natural rocks eroded at an unbelievably fast rhythm. It looked like a pony would be able to see in a week the erosion process that took eons naturally. Under their feet, the ground sometimes felt soft and gooey, and sometimes like normal ground. Whooves let out a sigh of relief when he set a hoof on Discord’s castle, the only place in the Everfree Forest that didn’t distort every second.

Whooves galloped through the main hall, to which the rest of the Diamond Dogs reacted by chasing him with threatening roars.

“Discord!” cried Whooves in anger.

Spot came to a sudden halt, nocking an arrow on his bow and aiming at the pony while poking the tip of his tongue out in concentration. Once he was sure it would hit, he released the projectile.

“I warned you, pony,” growled Spot with a sardonic grin.

When the arrow was about to hit Whooves, it turned into a cobweb, covering his haunches completely with the sticky substance. The Diamond Dogs looked around them in awe, and Spot grunted to himself, clenching his fists.

“For a guest, you’re quite a noisy lot,” said Discord jokingly. Whooves stared dumbfounded as the Dark Lord himself approached them. He was sitting on his throne, but the structure was moving on its own, with Discord resting his head on his right claw. “I thought I asked you not to harm him in any way,” he continued, throwing a contempt gaze at the Diamond Dogs. “I recommend you to leave before I think of an original punishment for your incompetence!” Without a second thought, they ran while shoving each other in their haste to escape. Once they had all left the castle, Discord lowered his head towards Whooves. “Now, what do I owe the dubious honor of your presence here, Fortune of Time?”

“I know that one of the Black Scrolls has disappeared from their hiding place,” replied Whooves with an irritated tone. “I suppose that you know nothing about it.”

Discord shrugged. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. I mean, sure, I know about the Black Scrolls, but Celestia and Luna hid them.”

“Don’t mock me, Discord!” In a fit of rage Whooves pounded his front hooves on the ground. “What have you done this time?!”

“Now wait just a minute there, Fortune,” complained Discord as he raised a claw to stop Whooves. “I don’t know why you’re accusing me, but you know as well as I do that I can’t interact directly in the affairs of mortals, which includes searching for the Black Scrolls throughout Equestria.”

“I might be slightly younger than you, but that doesn’t mean you can fool me, Dark Lord. The Black Scroll has disappeared, and that benefits you and only you!”

“That’s as true as a statement can be, my old friend. However,” he added with a raised finger, “I repeat that I can’t intervene directly. So, if one of my minions, which all work for me by their own free will, mind you, has come across it and brings it to me, I’m still playing by the rules!”

“You’re still giving orders to minions!”

“Correction, little pony. I’m thinking aloud, and those around me are free to consider them orders and act accordingly.”

“This is outrageous!” roared Whooves.

“But still fair. If you have something else to discuss about, feel free to do so, but make it quick, I hate it when my sake gets cold.”

The sound of hooves against the obsidian slabs caught their attention. Behind Whooves, Hoity Toity galloped towards them.

“My lord Discord,” he said before prostrating to him. “You were right all along; my clan leader had conspired against me. I heard them talking about it, mocking about how I wasn’t somepony to worry about anymore. I swear fealty to you, and offer the Black Scroll I found in the Imperial Palace’s cellar.”

“So you’re the one responsible!” cried Whooves. When he looked at Hoity, he noticed that he was wearing the Jewel colors. “And you called yourself an honorable samurai?”

“You heard him, Fortune,” said Discord with a grin. “You have done well, Hoity Toity, and I accept your offering. You are now a full-fledged samurai of the Ivy Clan.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

“The Ivy Clan? Are you really going to spit on the Celestial Order’s face by founding a clan out of nowhere?!”

“I am a Child of Heaven, just as Celestia and Luna. If ponies begin following me, it behooves me to organize them in a clan. Remember, Fortune, that both sisters took an empire of ponies under their rule and gave them specific duties.”

“But that’s different!”

“Tell me why,” challenged Discord with a wide grin.

Though Whooves opened his mouth to speak, words wouldn’t come out. Much to his contempt, Discord was right. After centuries of getting used to Celestia and Luna doing absolutely nothing save for keeping the Six Clans together, Discord’s Modus Operandi was difficult to stand. With a defeated sigh, he shook his head.

“You’ve done nothing against the rules, but that doesn’t mean that Equestria will stay idle while you turn the Everfree Forest into a mockery of the Empire!”

“I wasn’t expecting otherwise, Fortune,” said Discord, rubbing his claws together.

“Two can play at that game, Discord,” assured Whooves with a smirk. “The Empresses might refuse to act even indirectly, but I shall stand against you for the Empire if necessary!”

“Yes, I remember that. The Thunder’s Guide, the Little Teacher, the Fortune of Time… you’ve got quite a few titles to yourself, Whooves. But what are you trying to tell me with this?” he teased as he showed his fang.

With a frown, Whooves spoke in a prophetic way. “When the Nightmare returns, so will the Thunders, and they will stand against the wheels of destiny. You know you’ll have to face them someday, even if you still don’t know who they are or when they’ll come.”

“You fought the Nightmare, not me,” corrected Discord with a laugh. “If you really think that I’m afraid of you choosing a small group of ponies and throwing them to fight me, you’re showing much less wisdom than I expected from a centuries-old sage.”

“Your arrogance shall be your doom, Discord!”

The draconequus burst into laughter. “Look who’s talking about arrogance! You, who expect that the six clans send samurais against me instead of giving them positions to protect an already crumbling empire!”

“Just wait and see!” With those words, Whooves turned around and walked out of the castle, his hoofsteps fading away slowly.

“Is he speaking the truth, my lord?” asked Hoity once Whooves’ steps couldn’t be heard anymore.

“Even if he plans on doing something, he doesn’t have the power that the Empresses or I do, so overwhelming him isn’t that hard. No, he’ll use another strategy, and even then, he’s incredibly picky about who’ll get the rewards.”

“So we have nothing to fear?”

Snorting softly, Discord tapped the armchairs of the throne. “Not at all. With the Black Scroll in our power, we can start with much more ambitious plans.”

“What do you require from me, my lord?”

Discord snapped his fingers, opening a scrying window in front of him for Hoity and him to see. Both could see the monstrosity that Trixie had become, which, even though Discord was already used to her new form, Hoity jumped back in terror. “I’ve left this beautiful mare wander aimlessly and have fun for quite some time now. I consider that it’s about time that she swears fealty to our cause.”

“B-but what’s that? Who’s she? I don’t want to get close to that abomination!”

“Now now, saying that in front of her will hurt her feelings,” said Discord with a mocking expression. “You might also get yourself killed again, so try not to let it slip. Besides, I have something that will make sure she won’t attack you.”

“I-I still… my most humble apologies, my lord, but is there another task I could take care of?”

Discord frowned at first, but when he took a second look at Trixie, he smiled profusely. “Of course, my frightful minion, I have another task that you could take care of. Unseal the scroll and allow its power to bestow you.”

“Are you sure, my lord?”

“Of course, of course! But first, let me tell you about my plan, and you might act the way you want,” he said with a sardonic grin. “We have the beginning of a clan, but we need funds. And more ponies, but we’ll worry about that later. There’s a pony in Equestria that you may know, and we might be able to convince her to fund our clan if we make a juicy deal with her.”

“Who are you talking about, my lord?” asked Hoity with a raised eyebrow.

“This mare called Diamond Tiara.”

“Yes, I remember her, the daughter of the Jewel Treasurer. But she still doesn’t have a position where she could help us with.”

“That’s where you take part, my good friend,” said Discord with a snort.

“Me?” Hoity raised an eyebrow, unsure of where the conversation was going.

“The Black Scrolls, as you might remember, have the Nightmare sealed inside them, the essence that turned Empress Luna into Nightmare Moon. It was Starswirl the Bearded’s magic and power what encased the Nightmare inside them.” Discord tapped the armchair gently with his claw. “What you have here,” he added, clenching the scroll in his other claw, “is part of the Nightmare. If somepony – you, for example – unsealed the scroll, you might get its powers. Who knows? Whoever unsealed the scroll might even be able to control such great power and put it to a good use.”

Hoity looked at the scroll, its pulsating aura covering Discord’s claw. As ideas of what he could do with more power rushed through his mind, he licked his lips. “What kind of power are we talking about, and how much?”

Discord didn’t make efforts to hide his grin. “Well, a creature who gained control of the Nightmare would be able to bend the shadows and darkness at will. The power of twisting reality by giving form to formlessness and removing form to create substance. As for quantity, not even the sky will limit it if done properly.”

Hoity stared at the scroll in Discord’s hand as he spoke, motionless and paying attention to every word Discord said. After a moment of silence, the Dark Lord nonchalantly got up, leaving the Black Scroll in his armchair.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have to take care of that ravishing mare.” With a grin, he leaned towards Hoity, showing a small black chest he had next to his throne. Opening it showed a still-beating heart. “A scout party found this inside a cave in the whereabouts. She was smart enough to hide it, but not enough to keep it in a place where my mongrels couldn’t find it. For her own interests, having this in my power will be enough to make her join us. Besides, in the end we all have a common enemy,” he added with a shrug.

“But didn’t you just say that you couldn’t interfere—”

“In the affairs of mortals, yes,” finished Discord. “But you see, she’s not mortal anymore. She’s now something like an undead. She’ll live forever as long as this stays safe,” he said, closing the chest. ”Now, if you excuse me, I have some deals to make.”

As he finished the sentence, Discord disappeared in a blast of light. Without a moment to lose, Hoity rushed to grab the scroll. After looking around to see that there was nothing around, he unsealed the scroll without a second thought. A blast of darkness burst out of the scroll, quickly surrounding Hoity in a whirlwind of shadows.

“I have many names,” whispered a voice in Hoity’s head. “You ponies call me Nightmare. Others call me the Lying Darkness or Shadow. But I am Nothing. My power is now yours to command.”

Darkness completely surrounded Hoity after the whirlwind had stopped. He breathed the shadow cloud around him, but physically seemed no different from before unsealing the scroll.

“If we are to move through the Empire, we’ll need to be a bit more discreet,” thought Hoity Toity aloud, hoping that Nothing would reply.

“Darkness is to be feared, and those who are feared don’t need to hide. We shall never get caught. What are your plans now, young servant of the Everfree?”

Hoity smiled broadly. “I’m going back to Jewel lands, to follow my master’s will. And you’ll help me.”