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// Challenge Bonus Chapter 2 -  Era Shoots Discord 
// Story: When The Wind Changes 
// by Symphony 
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Before the sun had had a chance to break over the horizon, a pair of ponies had been walking around the castle grounds through the brisk morning air looking for a secluded spot away from prying eyes.


"But daaaad, why do we have to do this so early?"


"I've already told you, its a lot easier to get away with noisy practice just as everypony's about to wake up. That way nopony can be mad at you for waking them up." The auburn alicorn stallion told his indigo daughter.


"What are we doing here anyways?"


"I already told you Era were going to practice some basic self defense spells. Because as a member of the royal family there may be someponies who may try and hurt you, or if you ever get the urge to attack random ponies on the streets that's fine too."


"Alright, what's the first spell?"


"The first spell my little pony shall be a basic fireball." Said the stallion as the pair arrived behind an out-of-the-way shed. There had already been some targets set up, as well as some mild explosives in case of severe boredom. The targets ranged from bunnies to Changelings to a cardboard cutout of Princess Celestia herself.


Positioning himself several yards away from the Celestia cutout the stallion lowered into a fighting stance, and pointed his horn towards the piece of cardboard. Magic began to pour into his horn, and Era could feel the temperature rise ever so slightly. Then suddenly a small orange orb sparked into life. The indigo filly was entranced by the raw magic given form. The colors within the iridescent ball of energy fluttered wildly shifting from a deep crimson to a pulsing orange then a bright yellow and finally a white that threatened to outshine the sun.


CRACK. The ball of fire tore through the air, and reduced the chunk of cardboard, and a good chunk of the sheds wall, to a smouldering pile of ash.


"That, Era my dear, is one of the most basic offensive spells one can learn. I hope you paid attention because I don't feel like repeating myself."


"Wow dad that was awesome. Does that mean I'll be able to blow up buildings too?"


"Era what I showed you was the spell at slightly less than its full potential so I'm afraid that the best you're going to be able to do is set some of these targets on fire." Era's disposition quickly turned south." Seeing this the father took quick action. "But don't worry I'm sure you'll get the hang of this, and be blowing up all in your path in no time." The smile she now wore warmed the stallions heart.


"Alright now it's you turn to set stuff on fire kiddo. The first thing you wanna do is take careful aim. Remember to look from the tip of your horn and down to your target." The dark blue filly took a stance similar to that of her father. "Next you'll want to gather some magic into your horn slowly, and not too much don't hurt yourself."


A dark blue aura had begun to seep from the base of her horn, and soon creeped up to the tip. "Good, now try to envision the spark you saw me make earlier, and just a spark. After you have done that hold it with your telekinesis while feeding the spark ever so little with magic." This part proved to be a bit more difficult, but soon enough she mastered it too. "Now comes the tricky part, you'll have to expand your telekinesis, and feed the spark at the same time don't worry if you don't get it the first time." Era could see the spark at the end of her horn grow ever so slightly, and then more and more. The ball of scarlet flame grew wild, and she could feel its heat seep into her. Soon enough the heat was more than she could endure, her concentration collapsed as did the telekinetic barrier around the ball imploded causing the orb to flare, and explode in front of her. Luckily the ball was no larger than the size of a bit so only a small scorch mark marred the end of her horn.


Rubbing her horn and removing a small ache Era tried again, and again failing more times than she could count. After each failure the smile on her fathers face dropped slightly causing a pang of worry to shoot through her mind. At this point the sun was well over the horizon, and her patience had grown thin.


"Dad isn't there anyway you can help me more?"


"Hmm well I suppose I could share with you one of my experiences with the spell, and that may help you with your trouble. How does that sound?"


"Alright lets give it a shot." Era said, her enthusiasm renewed.


The brown stallion lowered his horn to hers, hovering less than an inch away. Then with a flash of dark brown energy an arc of electricity jumped from the stallion to the filly. What neither of them saw, was a single strand of yellow within the haze of magic.


Era collapsed on the floor for a second as a flood of new memories entered her mind. There she sensed the control she was missing, and felt confident her next attempt would work. but then a strange creature flashed behind the memories, and burned itself into her mind. Before the image could curse her any longer she opened her eyes, but...


Era sat there staring at the chimeric beast that now stood before her. Ice flowed through her veins, her tiny heart threatened to rip itself out of her chest. She could see its shallow, uneven breaths escaping its long maw past a fang glistening with fresh saliva, and above a gnarled, hoary goatee. Deep red irises on top of yellow corneas seemed to pierce her to the bone. The mismatched horns upon its head struck a chord in her mind leaving a nightmarish thought in its wake. (What is this thing where's my daddy.)


The iridescent scales of green upon the thing's right reptilian leg reflected slightly in the light. A cloven hoof, part of a tan leg attached haphazardly to an extended dark brown body. A lion's paw and an eagle's talon protruded from its upper body. A pair of mismatched wings erupted from its spine one a bare, leathery bat wing, the other a feathered pegasus wing. Finally scarlet tail that ended in an alabaster tuft of feathers rounded out the thing from the apex of its horns to the tip of its tail.
Era could hear her furious heart beat pounding in her ears, but that did not dull her mind. Ideas raced in her mind, each more convoluted than the last, each gaining purchase as the seconds ticked by. She could see its body but still felt it was some sort of dream, a trick of the mind or magic. She kept hoping to see the seams at the junctions of its limbs, or the wires keeping it suspended. None appeared.


The demonic marionette continued its penetrating gaze farther into her soul than she herself could fathom. Until a familiar voice escaped its mouth. "Era, honey, why are you looking at me like that?" A scaled talon reached across to touch her. A scream bellowed from deep within her, and instinct kicked in, firing a cobalt blue ball of flame that struck the beast in the chest. They both collapsed to the ground, one from exhaustion the other from injuries suffered.







Luna had been searching for Era and Discord since the sun had risen, but found neither hide nor hair of either. Her search took her high and low around the castle grounds, and the guards had confirmed that neither had left. The nocturnal dyarch was about to give up until she heard an unmistakable scream pierce the air. She raced to its source sweat streaming from her brow, and a cone of compressed air forming before her. The sound barrier strained, but before breaking the lunar princess slowed, and found what she had been looking for. Her husband, and daughter.


Both were collapsed, but only the stallion was injured. Burned, blistered flesh along his chest was already healing leaving soft pink flesh in return. His coat would grow back but that would take some time.


"Discord what happened?!"


The auburn stallion creaked one eye open, and groaned slightly. "Would you believe that we were attacked by a group of Magmar?"


"No I would not belive that."


"Alright, in that case I brought Era back here to practice some basic fire spells. She had been doing pretty good up until the end, and then she started having trouble."


"Then what happened?" The alicorn mare asked, more worry than anger in her voice.


"I gave her some of my experience with the spell then she started freaking out, screamed, and hit me in the chest with a fireball. On the plus side she finally got the hang of the spell."


A small chuckle escaped the princess of the night, as well as a tear from her eye. Relived she wrapped her hooves around Discord, and poked him once in the ribs for good measure, eliciting a yelp from the brown stallion before he passed out. Carrying both her husband and daughter in her magic she trotted them both to the castle to rest, and prepare a lecture for when they woke up.