//------------------------------// // Heroes // Story: United Nations of Pegasi // by Scourgeous //------------------------------// The thick fog was unsettling and hard to breathe it. It tasted like smoke and charcoal, and crept all around, smothering whatever was ahead in choking darkness. Derpy had to place her hooves carefully one after the other to avoid stumbling on the rock hard ground. Celestia walked steadily behind her, her white fur giving a comforting glow through the approaching gloom. Derpy felt like her pelt would fade away into the gray mist, taking her with it, so she stuck close to the white Alicorn. "Trixie?" She called, voice echoing for what seemed like miles, coming back to her and greeting her with a cold blast of air. "Derpy, this way!" Celestia hissed, nipping the Pegasus' side before galloping off into the darkness. Wait! Wait for me... Derpy hurried forward, but the Alicorn was gone. She ran desperately in the same direction, but all scent and sound of the Princess had scattered. There was unsettling silence as Derpy wandered aimlessly, unsure if she was even heading towards the castle any longer. She let out a whine and fluttered into the air, but it didn't matter how high she rose, the darkness was above and below, and on both sides until she planted her hooves back down on the ground. "Someone please..." She whispered, lowering her head to snuffle the ground. I've never wished for a rainbow to show the way so much before. She pleaded in her head, staring up into the ever-shifting cloud layer, golden eyes watery. Cold crept deep into her, and she cried out to the open air, wishing for something. Anything. "Gone your separate ways, have you?" Said a voice so familiar, Derpy whirled around, eyes widened at the Draconequus that had sprawled himself out in the blanket of soft downy cloud. She bared her teeth and knelt down, wings fluttering with anger. "Discord! What do you want with us? What is your purpose of bringing chaos to this land?" He chuckled, inspecting the claws on one of his hands, then smirking at her. "It's more fun, don't you see? I'm done making things annoying, it's better to bring misery!" When she narrowed her eyes and scraped her hoof against the ground, he went on, waving his lion paw around in a gesture. "To see your sad little heart scraping for hope, is enough to make me shed a tear. But to make you lose that love you rely on is so much fun, disharmony is what I bring in my wake!" She snarled and leaped at him, kicking her hooves with anger, ears flattened against her skull. He whirled away from her like a snake, and she landed on the ground with an oomph! "Coward!" She howled, chasing after him, but he was fading away. "We can't all be heroes." *** Celestia crouched down, pressing against the bank. The black mist danced above her, but down the slope it cleared out, and she could see the gleaming castle in the bloody light of the sunset. She could see Luna's old guards stationed at every entrance and window. They wouldn't be much of a match for her, but she knew that there would be something more vicious behind the darkened walls. She peered up over the bank, wishing Derpy would appear at any moment, but the gray Pegasus was nowhere to be found. She let loose a sigh, then got to her hooves and trotted down the rocky slope, ignoring the calls of the guards as they spotted her. The orange and red light of the sunset turned her white coat a swirling yellow shade. She stared up at the guards as they swarmed like flies around the castle, her eyes glowing rose pink. "For Equestia!" She bellowed, thundering forward with a blast of magical light. She skid into the castle wall and winced, turning to swing her horn at one of the bat-like ponies. "I'm warning you!" She yelled, eyes just angry slits. "I don't usually resort to violence!" The stallions, shades of gray from the hypnosis, did not heed her word and charged at her, neighing loudly. She raised her head, and a light burst from her horn, and they went flying back. She stomped her hooves, anger rising deep within her. "No-one disobeys their Princess!" She neighed, slamming past them and through the heavy doors. The castle was seemingly abandoned on the inside, but she knew not to let her guard down. Something was up, and she knew it. She stepped lightly through once familiar halls, her eyes tracing the stain-glass windows. She dreaded being separated from both of her companions of the journey, but she couldn't turn back now. "Hello?" She breathed, stepping into the main room, staring around. Her heart stammered a little as a ghostly light streamed through the windows, allowing her to know that the sun had sunk below the horizon to be taken over by the night. She explored around, walking down the steps and standing in the middle of the marble floor and staring up at the ceiling. "Luna... can you hear me?" She said aloud, staring up with tears in her eyes. "Can you understand me?" "Celestia?" Said a small, terrified voice. The white Alicorn turned around slowly, eyes widening as she stared at the white light flowing through the window down onto the place where she had once stood to address all of her subjects. Now in her usual place, just a small lavender gray filly unicorn, trembling as she stared at the Princess with wide scared eyes. Dinky.