chapter thirteen- farewell
"Princess! I'm back! I think I know why you're stuck here!"
I land outside the royal palace ruins, and gallop inside. I find Luna's spirit sitting (Well, the intangible spirit equivalent of sitting) on the throne, probably contemplating some memory from the past. She looks up at me curiously as I approach.
"Hello again, young one." She says thoughtfully. "What bringest thou unto our presence this time?"
I quickly explain to her the situation with the Frazits, and how they may hold the key to her release.
"Wh-what?" She asks me, stunned. "Part of Discord's essence doth remain in this world?"
"Yes, the frazits are contained and guarded by the gnomes." I inform her, certain that I am telling the real Luna this time.
"Then we must hence to the dominion of the gnomes, at once!" Luna springs off the throne, the bored lethargy vanishing from her face, and a sense of purpose burning in her eyes. "The fiend must be banished, and driven beyond the borders of this world! Lean on, noble North Star!"
I try to tell her that the Frazits are not Discord himself, but merely parts of his essence... but I realize it is best not to try and correct an Alicorn princess. Seeing how eager the princess is, I merely sigh, and lead on.
...
Our arrival in the Mastificent forest causes a few of the creatures to stir, Luna's very presence casing several of the nocturnal creatures here to awaken. As we pass under the tall oaks and ceders, the sight of the sunlight coming though the treetops lights our path through the darkened forest floor.
"This place doth never cease to amaze us!" Luna says, floating nearby. "Tell us, why didst ponykind change the moniker of these woods from the Forest Everfree?"
"It was called the Everfree Forest, because it was the one place in Equestria that we ponies didn't control everything, Princess." I reply, looking around. "When the rest of nature returned to normal, the name kind of became redundant."
"Oh, of course." She replied sheepishly. "We shouldeth have realized that."
As we head deeper into the forest, I lead Luna to a large cave that the river flows out of.
"Here we are, Princess... the entrance to the kingdom of the Dream Valley gnomes- a tribe called the Dell Dwellers." I explain. "They are the caretakers of the forest... growing the tall trees from acorns, and shaping the stones and boulders."
"So this is where the gnomes dwell, deep beneath the forest floor." Luna replied in amazement. "This is why we ponies never had to care for the Forest Everfree... and we never knew..."
"Blimey! You were unaware of the Dell Dwellers existence?" I ask her, as we trot into the cave.
"We kneweth of them, but we did not know where they made thy dwelling." She replied. "Only our royal chancellor, Sky Runner, would visit their underground dominions. We kept the knowledge of the humanoid races from ponykind, for their own good- or so Celestia claimed."
"Contact with the gnomes was forbidden as a result, I see..." I nod my head in understanding. "I don't know what Dream Valley would do without our resident gnome mage, the Moochick. He has done so much to help us..."
"The Moochick! That old wizard doth live still?" Luna asks, her eyes going wide. "When did you set eyes upon him last? Is he well?"
"Yes, he is fine." I tell her, taken aback. "I didn't know you knew the Moochick, Princess! Were the two of you friends?"
"In another lifetime, young one." She regained her composure, and looked away. "We had best press on, and try to locate the Frazits."
We press on through the caverns, until we come to a large chamber filled with mining equipment. There, we find the gnomes- those small, bearded humanoids who dress in rustic greens and browns. But they are not working the mines, or running the machinery. Rather, the normally industrious Dell Dwellers are smashing the machines and equipment with their hammers.
"What in the name of the Horsemaster is wrong with them?" I ask in surprise. "They're acting like they've lost their minds!"
"Or that they've been infected by chaos." Luna says knowingly. It is then we notice a barrel in the center of the chamber, overturned with it's lid off. A mass of multicolored spirits, that look like tiny flames, are swarming all over the chamber.
"It's the Frazits!" I exclaim. "They've gotten loose!"
The Fraztis are everywhere, hopping about the cavern, with malicious grins on thier tiny faces. As they flit about, the gnomes start doing even more chaotic things, like running off cliffs, and hitting each other.
It is at that point, that one of the Dell Dwellers comes stumbling up the path, apparently hurt.
"Are you all right, noble gnome?" Luna asks. "What happened here?"
"I-it was terrible!" He exclaims, upon seeing us. "The Frazits just exploded out of their barrel, and started driving everybody berserk! It all happened so fast, even our wizards were overwhelmed!"
"Princess, we need to do something!" I exclaim. "Before these chaos sprites get loose, and wreak havoc over all of Ponyland!"
"Oh ho ho ho, I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that, Miss Star!" A voice echoes through the cavern. "You see, now that I'm awake again, I am certainly not going to let you ponies ruin my fun this time!"
"That voice..." Luna's eyes go wide. "It cannot be..."
A massive form materializes in the cave, emerging from the energy crackling around the Frazits. Luna, enraged, dives at the creature, but of course passes right through it.
I have never seen a Draconiquuis before now, but I know what the creature is as soon as it appears. A large mishmash of many different creatures, with a cruel and sadistic smile across it's face. There is only one thing this abomination could be... Discord, the spirit of Disharmony that tormented Equestria so long ago.
"Impossible!" Luna yells angrily. "My sister gave her life to destroy you!"
"That she did...and it most certainly worked, didn't it?" The Draconiquuis asks sarcastically." I must thank you, by the way... it was your discovery of the Frazits and their chaos, that led to my awakening. All I had to do was influence them to bust out of their barreled prison!"
When I say he is the 'spirit' of disharmony, I mean it in more ways than one. Much like the Princess, Discord is an immaterial wraith, unable to interact psychically with the world of the living.
"Discord, the lord of chaos..." I whisper. I leap into the air, and fly right at the chaos god. But like the princess before me, I merely pass through Discord, as if he weren't even there.
"In the flesh... so to speak." He replies, glaring down at us. "Although Celestia did destroy my physical form- robbing me of all my wonderful powers- my spirit remains here, just waiting to play will all the wonderful ponies!"
"Ha ha! But thou art powerless, knave!" Princess Luna replies, grinning. "Like myself, all thou can doest now is appear and speak to ponies! Thou cannot bringeth about the chaos thy so richly craves!"
"True, by myself all I can do is shoot my mouth off, and annoy everpony." Discord looks around and the frazits. "But with these wonderful creatures- my children, you might call them, under my guidance... I can reign chaos and disharmony all over Ponyland!" His insane laughter echoes through the mine. He raises his arms, gathering the Frazits to himself. Together, they begin to rise towards the ceiling, heading for the surface.
"Princess, we 'ave to stop him!" I yell frantically. "If Discord and those things get out, birds will be flying backwards and it'll be raining strawberry jam!"
I dive at him once again, but I am immediately hit by a barrage of Frazits. As soon as the creatures touch me, I feel the urge to go and jump into the underground river for a mid-afternoon swim, which I immediately do. I am powerless to control my own actions, as the power of chaos overwhelms me.
"Foolish Pegasus! You think you can finish me, when even your precious Celestia could not?" He bellows out a pearl of laughter. "Once, I was content to play cruel pranks, and rein suffering on ponykind. But now, my children will infuse chaos into the hearts and minds of all the rulers in Ponyland! Then we'll really see this dark age light up with war... the most beautiful chaos of all!"
"Do not fear, young one. We shall not allow any harm to come to thy home." Luna looks up at the floating discord. "If our spirit and his linger in this because of each other, then we shall be the ones to take him out."
"Luna, no!" I yell in protest. "You cant-!"
But she is already floating up towards the ceiling, and as she gets near discord, they both begin to glow.
"Wait, what are you doin- no." The draconiquuis's eyes go wide. "NO, YOU CAN'T! NO!"
"And so the final joke is played upon thee! Farewell, monster!" Luna tells Discord. "We go to join our sister in the light... but you, you go to a place where your suffering shall never end!"
"No! My chaos, my beautiful chaos!" The malevolent spirit wails, and vanishes in a flash of light. Discord... the living embodiment of Chaos, leaves this world forever.
"North Star... thank you for everything!" She is fading away now, even as the light envelops her. "We... I... are grateful that I got to meet a pony like you, for it gives me hope for the future of our kind! Remember all that you have seen and heard, North Star of Dream Valley! Remember, and pass it on to the generations of ponies to come!"
"Goodbye, Princess!" I reply, tears streaming down my face. "I swear I shall never forget you!"
"Fare you well, North Star!" Her voice sounds distant now. "Thank you for setting us free!"
FSHOOM!
There is a flash of light, and Princess Luna, the last of the alicorns, departs from this world...
never to return.
next; epilouge