//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 – Counterpoint // Story: Autonomous Reflection // by Crystalline HP //------------------------------// If somepony during the height of my influence had told me that I would presently be hiding hundreds of feet underground, alone below the castle I miss more than any other structure in existence, I would have laughed and punished them for their insolence. Nowadays, of course, I may well have called them back and begged them to be my friend, if only to extinguish this terrible loneliness. But either way, incredibly, they would have been right. Four days I’ve been stuck within these craggy walls, led here by my own desperation, no less. It makes my skin crawl to imagine what those who respected me would perceive if they were to discover me down here. To the uninformed, I must appear a plotting, shady villain. Yet nopony can see me, and neither do I wish for anypony to observe how pathetic I have become. Even the strange insects on which I have intruded have regarded me thus far as an uninvited nuisance, and I know that – if all motivation to expand my ocean of useless wisdom had not already abandoned me – they would sooner dive into a rival colony’s nest than allow me to study their behaviour. Once again, my power serves only to drive others away… So long as I am here, I cannot avoid giving off a tremendous aura of powerful magic, and I take virtually no consolation in the knowledge of how necessary this spell is. What pride can one take in their greatest invention when its purpose is befouled by that same artificer? Merely scurrying around like this, living off the rich sights of what could have been… I disgrace myself. The whole reason I have crawled back to Canterlot now is to fix myself—but here I hide, waiting for my exuding magic to seep through to the ponies above in the cowardly hope that somepony will save me the horror of revealing myself first. Sooner or later, an astute unicorn will easily discern a presence down here. Only the safety of sheer distance can temporarily shield me from detection while I fret over whether enough dignity survives in these bones to admit how far I have fallen. And so I find myself in this dank, forgotten dungeon of Canterlot Castle. Worse, this essential spell which must constantly accompany me is proving to be a double-edged sword, one sharpened more lethally on my side of its length; constantly casting magic during these last few days has exhausted me, and I fear I may pass into the void if I can’t convince another unicorn to sympathise with my plight and lend me their strength. This loaded dilemma means that, even if somepony were to sense a disturbance and seek out the source, I do not possess the confidence to say I would still be around to actually find. These are the arguments with which I have challenged myself throughout this wakeful nightmare, and I finally see how obvious the most healing course of action is. Although I have dwelled for an inexcusable time on such a clear decision, not even the most stubborn memory of my old self can now deny that I must kneel before my mistakes, and ask those whom I so selfishly used and discarded to raise me anew. Yet still, after hearing all of these home truths and humilities, my pride insists that I curse myself with one more chance to do this alone. I’ve delayed for too long already. There will be no better opportunity than right now, as I sense that a great number of powerful ponies – probably the royal sisters with those eight, creepy politicians – have barricaded themselves in a single, fairly confined space. Their reasons for doing so are impossible for me to guess, but I know only that I must take advantage and give my unyielding pride its last chance to preserve the independence it so avidly strives to regain. But it doesn’t worry me anymore that I will most likely be discovered on my way to the castle’s archives. I no longer care if no scroll on the emotion I pine for exists. Indeed, I will not take false shelter under a stupid delusion that words could ever accurately record the intimacy of knowing another heart, for if they could, I would have devoured the pages upon which they sat long ago. I only hope she can forgive me. With ten pairs of expectant eyes already cleaving into Celestia, Rainbow Dash faintly heard her conscience order the dismissal of actively becoming an eleventh source of pressure. Ironically, however, this command was itself dismissed by her superior taste for tension and all things dramatic. Rainbow knew better than most how a crowd’s collective attention surged through the blood, charging every atom with that beautiful rush of potential energy. But it was her handling of this cumulative force that had brought her to the top of competitive flying: she wielded a figurative key, one held in perfect balance of conscious effort and instinct, which unlocked inside her the secret to best exploit the energy’s release. Instead of panicking and repelling the energy back in all directions like a cataclysmically uneconomical generator, Rainbow breathed the pressure as she would oxygen, immersing herself in each individual’s desire to witness a killer performance and amassing them all into one central location. This location was home to the very reasons why she lived, and few entities nurtured the personal importance required to enter; only the drive to become the world’s best flyer, along with being around a special friend – whom Rainbow adored for reasons hidden even to herself – had ever stirred this place inside her. She was certainly not a spiritual pony, but Rainbow Dash liked to think it was her soul. Then, of course, it was a simple matter of unleashing the blast in a single moment in time which coincided with the climax of her routine. The emotional ecstasy was indescribable, an inseparable joining of her passion and spectator awe. She doubted that her hunger for this union would ever be sated, and she was glad for it; the feeling had welded itself to her being as firmly as the stitches which conjoined her Wonderbolts uniform to the proud badge upon it. Radical as these methods were, Rainbow’s wildest dreams had never managed to plant a single subconscious desire inside her head that might encourage her to pursue a more fulfilling lifestyle. And when her vivid imagination was dormant, was happily sitting back because her actual life could sate its appetite with leftovers to spare, Rainbow knew that there was nothing left to chase. Except… Except for love… The tears were upon her before she knew it. No! Stupid pegasus! I can’t cry in front of four members of royalty, my best friends and some douchebag who owns a pink umbrella! This meeting. Important. Focus, Dash. So Rainbow tried to forget about how her heart silently choked on years of its own unreleased love because she had no one who would truly accept it; about how her intimacy-starved soul attacked her every night with an agonising yearning to be held; about how her rumoured prowess with stallions was nothing but a self-inflicted lie to hide that her lips were still pure; and about how she harboured terrifying, confusing feelings for the pink pony sat right next to her. It was impossible. She could wrestle her sadness into submission for the duration of the meeting, but her bed was not a place of safety. Not anymore. The warmth that her body enjoyed inside it was provided only by affectionless cotton, and her insides were a frozen block of ice with no melting point. Lying alone in bed just removed any last incentive to stifle her cold whimpers. Unless somepony could explain to her within the next couple of hours exactly why she wanted to wrap herself in a warm tangle of Pinkie Pie’s limbs and kiss her, the unshed tears would not be denied the journey down her cheeks. They would simply return later to spill in a helpless flood, punishing her for the delay by stealing hours of sleep and replacing them with the loneliness that would reduce her to a sobbing wreck. Rainbow Dash knew that the latter outcome was inevitable. But, just as she employed a full-on approach to blot out the pressures of her job and personal life, she also knew that Celestia would have her own tactics to deal with being the centre of attention. There’s no way she doesn’t know how to handle this. We’re kindred spirits, even! She might strut her stuff with words instead of action, and her mindset is probably on a different planet to my adrenaline addiction, but the principle is the same. Relieved that she was able to temporarily displace her distress, Rainbow Dash followed up by focusing on the Conference Room and, in particular, on the alicorn who had practically ordered them there in the first place. You’ve set the scene like a boss, so come on, Celestia… Time for the main event… And so her astuteness to Celestia’s strung position did not prevent Rainbow’s intense pink eyes from making their contribution. Tonight, she was just another of the crowd, breathlessly awaiting the promised show. “You may recall,” Celestia began, oddly choosing to open with her soft, soothing tone, “that our fickle ally Discord here has been banished from Equestria not once, but twice.” “Should reckon ah do,” Applejack commented, seemingly oblivious to the concept of rhetorical devices. “Ah was there fer one of ‘em.” Shooting her friend a scornful look across the table, Twilight hissed, “Don’t interrupt, Applejack!” A smirk probed at Rainbow Dash’s face. Thirty seconds in and her wingless rival was already bucking the wrong apples. Still, her forwardness carried a certain charm, not least because Rainbow shared that selfsame characteristic; it gave reason for her to cherish their friendship. “It’s quite alright, Applejack,” came Celestia’s disappointingly sympathetic reply. “This is a meeting, not a lecture. I have much to explain, yes, but feel free to ask questions and express yourself as you see fit.” Resisting the gaping invitation to express her own awesomeness was difficult, but Rainbow Dash kept her mouth shut. Intrigue about where Celestia was going with her history of Discord had piled more fuel onto her already ignited interest, the curious flames licking at her with a potency she had not felt since her astonishment of first seeing Twilight sporting a pair of impossible wings. After a perfectly-timed length of silence, Celestia continued. “Discord’s most recent exile was owed to six of the bravest and most selfless ponies ever to grace Equestria: Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie here tonight, of course.” Celestia turned to nod at each of them as she declared their heroism, and though her friends’ proud smiles probably were of sufficient acknowledgement, Rainbow saw no harm in quickly pumping a hoof to relish in her status before focusing again. Spike looked downright offended. “But what about his initial banishment?” Celestia suggested, coaxing her audience into some proactive thinking. “The time when Luna and I were forced to lock Discord in stone? Does anypony here, barring my sister and the deserving victim himself, know the crimes that cost him his freedom on that occasion?” A mutual exchange of confused glances promptly tackled Rainbow’s worry that she might have been dumped out of the information loop. Her friends were riding in the same boat of ignorance as she was. Strangely, the same relief was not settling upon Cadence and Shining Armour, who were also clearly none the wiser; their adjacent positions around the table were unified in strong concern. Perhaps, Rainbow thought, the lovers believed they ought to know already. Then she realised that Celestia was actually awaiting some form of answer, as if the princess were a relaxed teacher who whiled away lesson time by enjoying her students’ blank slates. …Well, don’t ask me. Even the egghead looks like I bought her a book about procrastination and clonked her upside the face with it. Her mind vacated for an unplanned pit stop on issues involving Twilight – primarily organising the mare’s flying lessons in a simple schedule that would save Spike the crippling claw cramp – until Pinkie Pie finally offered the obvious, and then some. “Was it because he was being a total meanie? Did he open a candy store that put everypony else out of business and then start filling the cupcakes with poo?” Sat next to her, Rainbow knew the baffling tangent through which Pinkie’s imagination was straying would only blend into yet more obscurity if her mouth went uninterrupted. Luna must have collided with the same realisation and tried to throw the reins back over to her suddenly very flustered-looking sister by cutting in, “Pinkie Pie, faecal matter isn’t exactly—” “Oh, but then he laughed so hard he forgot what was in them, nommed on ten at once and threw up so much that he begged to be banished! And thus Discord was defeated by his own dastardly deeds!” By now Pinkie had arose to stand gallantly on her hind legs, finishing in a heroic, soaring pose that carried a likeness to Rainbow’s favourite posture in the presence of a screaming crowd. And she wanted to laugh. Her body actually prepared itself for the inevitable fit of giggles: face contorted, stomach clenched, hooves posed ready to helplessly bang the table…but her abdomen remained constricted, denying the release of air needed for that first laugh to burst from her mouth. Rainbow Dash tried to wonder why, but her head answered with only indistinct rambling; it had become a dysfunctional mess. In an overwhelming bid for rare seconds of total independence, Rainbow’s brain had immobilised conscious thought to blindly grab at any signal coming in from her body, scramble their intended messages and redirect them instead to her eyes, where they could gaze at Pinkie Pie and her oddly enchanting form. Whether or not this rebellion had been fanned by the whispers enticing her to dive into Pinkie’s embrace, she could not tell, nor could she call upon the necessary faculties to consider it at all. Rainbow Dash simply found herself inexplicably content to stare at Pinkie Pie, while fleeting memories of hugging together brushed warmly against the more private recesses of her mind. P-Pinkie... How are you doing this to me? Why do you make my heart soar but my stomach plummet? I-I don’t understand... Discord had experienced no such oddities, however, and it was his gleeful laughter that dragged Rainbow Dash back into the realm of the Conference Room. Wiping a tear from one of his discoloured eyes, Discord managed, “Oh, what a fantastically humiliating way to go that would have been! You’re just giving me ideas here, Pinkie! See, this is why you’re my favourite pony along with adorable little Fluttershy. All these other losers are just so…boring.” “What was that?” Rainbow growled, venting her frustration at being so out of touch with emotions her own spirit had birthed. “You’re telling me that being able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom in front of thousands is boring?” “You uneducated ruffian!” squalled an equally outraged Rarity. “Hound at me all you like if my personal designs do not appeal to you, but I will not have a sordid word spat upon the fashion career itself! Boring is a description suited to the unambitious and lazy, and should never be confused with stylish simplicity. Regardless of taste, if passion and effort was weaved into somepony’s work, then it can only be admired!” “Ah’m sure as hay not lazy,” added Applejack, “and ah can vouch the same fer all us here ponies.” Becoming swamped by an ever-increasing number of sound rebuttals, Discord steadily cocked his head until his face hung almost upside-down. Along with a deceptive smile that now looked like a frown to his distrusting companions, Discord hummed lightly, as though hearing the fierce protection of their lifestyles were somehow amusing him. “Interesting. Well then, I’ll just call you predictable instead.” Discord relaxed his neck to its natural upright. “Your life might be all about doing loop de loops at mach infinity or whatever, but when you’ve seen it once, the exciting edge dulls pretty quickly. At least Pinkie here can spout comedy gold and not even realise it.” Rainbow grew angrier, detesting how he was complimenting Pinkie in such a sneaky, backhanded manner. She was being advertised like an attraction to be plonked on a stool and left for an insensitive crowd to laugh at, her quirky but pure heart nothing but a source of entertainment to Discord. Finding it difficult to fight this disguised injustice, Rainbow scowled as her head rummaged for a snappy comeback. Before it could advance beyond the petty insults stage, however, Discord was already talking again. “Anyway, we’re veering wildly off-topic. As startlingly plausible as your suggestion was, Pinkie, I’m afraid that begging Celestia to stop my intestines from being regurgitated halfway across Equestria wasn’t how I ended up looking like a demented opera singer for about fifty zillion years.” “Then what did you do?” asked Twilight with a tired grimace. “Well, I would hate to steal our hostess’s limelight.” Prodding Princess Celestia with his tail, Discord sarcastically announced, “Forge ahead, almighty ruler. I permit thee to unveil my abominations to your weirdo friends.” But Celestia shook her head. “My share of talking is done, and it’s time I passed the torch.” She paused, toying with a thought. “Why don’t you speak for yourself, Discord? After all, only you truly know how your mentality worked in those bygone days. What do you say, sister?” “…I am not opposed to that,” Luna responded formally. “Then it’s settled. The floor is yours, Discord. And please stop poking me.” Yawning, Discord summoned an apple from the refreshments table and impaled it on the left horn atop his head. “My gratitude for offering me no input whatsoever on that decision. Appreciated. And I really don’t know how you expect me to stretch this into some sort of dramatic explanation. I could sum everything up in one sentence.” “Go on then,” prompted Spike. Juice had begun to secrete from the apple, and Discord stuck out his ridiculously long tongue so he might catch any rogue drips running down his face. “Erh schhole eh ewewents uhv hisharerhneh.” Luna sighed. “Discord, if you retract your tongue, you may be able to form a comprehensible sequence of phonetics.” Smacking his razor-thin lips, Discord tore the wounded apple from his appendage and launched it towards a hanging banner opposite, where it scored a bullseye on Luna’s artistically rendered flank. “I said I stole the elements of disharmony.” For a whole minute, the only audible noise was shattered fruit splatting the floor as the few surviving apple fragments lost their flimsy, adhesive grip on the banner. Rainbow was sure she had misheard the draconequus. “You stole what?” she piped up at last. “The elements of harmony? Well, that’s about as much of a surprise as me destroying everyone at racing.” “My ears were surely blocked with something I will be thoroughly cleaning out later,” Rarity said, mortified, “but for a moment there they heard you say disharmony.” “That’s really weird,” Twilight uttered slowly, accompanied by one of her priceless, befuddled expressions. “I thought he said that too.” Seeming fully engaged for the first time, Discord leaned forward and grinned. “As much as I’d love having an excuse to bash your head against a wall, Rarity, your ears aren’t actually clogged on this occasion.” His talons danced on the table, their sporadic trot seeming to match his invigoration. “I suppose I could flesh this out a bit… I think a little history lesson is in order, one which doesn’t feature on your holey little curriculum of today.” Discord shrugged and gestured openly. “You heard correctly. I stole the six elements of disharmony. See, thousands of years ago, when this single fang of mine still enjoyed the company of a full set of teeth, the existence of the elements of harmony and disharmony were common knowledge among the public. And, just like you six unlikely saviours, these elements had representatives called Bearers.” Celestia nodded, adding, “By telepathic methods which we still don’t fully understand, the elements themselves would subtly draw these unwitting Bearers to this very castle, where we used to keep and guard all twelve elements.” “Sister and I became very apt at recognising a new Bearer,” Luna remarked, a hint of nostalgia sweeping over her. “The symptoms were always the same: somepony meandering into the grand hall, scuffling with the guards and imploring us to believe that they had been guided here by visions. We would hang the element we suspected was a match around their neck, and if it glowed…” “Then whoop-de-doo,” finished Discord blandly. “Another name to be worshipped by history books so obsessively that the Bearer could probably sue for sexual harassment. After a huge party celebrating the new representative and enough media coverage to deforest half of Equestria, the element was locked back into safe storage until some sort of disaster turned up, which was usually me.” Her brain activity clearly in academic overdrive, Twilight was unsurprisingly first to jump in with a question. “Wow… So you’re saying that the elements choose the ponies?” Wearing a bittersweet smile, it was Celestia who answered. “My dear Twilight, don’t you remember how you and your friends discovered the elements of harmony? It safe to say it was no coincidence that Applejack and the others, who had already been chosen by their elements, joined you and became your travelling companions. Do you see? Your new friends were drawn to their elements, and the element of magic revealed itself to you when you needed it because you had befriended them. The very reason I secretly designated the task of defeating Nightmare Moon to you was because I believed you were special.” The helpless grin spreading across Twilight’s face was infectious. “So is that why it appeared to me? Because the element of magic chooses somepony not only because they have a knack for spellcasting, but also because they can unite the other Bearers?” “Without a doubt.” Celestia raised an upturned hoof. “Still, I did not and cannot decide who stands as a manifestation of an element. I just followed my instinct and gave you a nudge in the right direction.” Rainbow Dash felt a twinge of sympathy for Luna, whom she caught blinking back shameful tears. Having tried for years herself – in vain – to erase the memory of Nightmare Moon’s insanity, Rainbow shuddered to imagine the horrors of once actually being one’s own twisted persona, each day of normality thereafter undoubtedly stained with guilt. A rising thought thankfully dominated her attention, stamping down the past. “Uh, question? You said you always had a hunch about which element was going to be the right one for a pony who wandered into the castle. How did you know beforehand?” “Now come on, Lame-bow Dash,” scoffed Discord in a condescending tone that left her wanting to acquaint his face with an industrial furnace. “Use the space between your ears. There can only be one pony bound to one element at a time.” “But can’t somepony stand in if a Bearer is out of town or something?” Rainbow protested, trying to ignore the sense telling her that Discord would just shoot her down after probably poking holes in the parachute. “What if one of them got ill?” “So what?” Discord replied through beguiled chuckling. “What if the element of laughter’s Bearer keeled over and died because they had a severe fit of the funnies? What if they all spontaneously melted into fudge tarts? It doesn’t matter! Soon enough, any element lacking a Bearer would just choose another pony and, one way or another, bring them to the castle.” Celestia rolled her eyes. “A little indifferently put, perhaps, but Discord is basically correct. The elements have a strange habit of ignoring circumstance. Through distance, injury, and death itself, they will always find a way to join with their Bearers and gather together to challenge whatever evil is at work. A mystery among mysteries, yes, but one for which we are nonetheless grateful.” “I’m not grateful for it,” Discord butted in indignantly. “Anyway, it was obviously big news whenever the only thing a Bearer suddenly represented was a reason to buy death insurance, so the sisters here would be actively expecting a replacement and could sit around like cashiers waiting for their next customer.” Luna cast a distasteful look his way, all traces of her hurt having vanished. “Your inaccurate portrayals and heartless wording are wrongly implying that we had next to no compassion, Discord. Our citizens were not disposable pawns whom we mindlessly lined up to test compatibility; all of Equestria mourned at the passing of a Bearer.” “Oh!” With a sobering revelation causing her to yelp, Fluttershy blushed as the circular group focused on her. “B-But that means…when we pass away…” Luna nodded sadly. “I’m afraid so. Without intending to vandalise your accomplishments, it is true that the six of you are merely one rotation of an ancient cycle. You will all eventually relinquish the deep bonds you share with your respective elements to ponies likely yet to be born, just as the drifting souls of Bearers laid to rest relinquished theirs unto you.” A melancholic silence rented some time from their lives as they reflected on death’s inevitability. Frightened that dwelling for too long on the subject might lead her into exploring philosophies she had always considered unfunny jokes, Rainbow Dash rapidly found another outlet of thought while no one was speaking: Luna and her unfailing seriousness. Rainbow was the first to admit she had a tendency to be uncompromising and somewhat ignorant to signs of others’ suffering, but she did not need to borrow from Fluttershy’s vast slew of experience to know that Luna was fundamentally damaged. Extreme jealousy had once corrupted her into seeking acknowledgement through evildoing, and the cure of her sister’s love had not been comprehensive; a cardinal component of Luna was beyond repair. Although the alicorn had buried her pain from the subject of Nightmare Moon admirably quickly, Rainbow doubted that her insides would be synchronised with such calm and surety. Keeping all that sorrow and regret bottled up for so long must be really tough. I hope she’s ok... Ah, heck, I’m going soft. Since when did I get so sensitive? “Please, let us not drain ourselves of optimism,” Celestia said firmly, cracking the brittle air. Her horn glowed with magic, and hot drinks floated to settle in front of everyone around the table. “All of us here have many years in us yet. If we may move on, the next logical question is why so few of our population nowadays know that the elements of disharmony even exist. Again, Discord will be better off explaining, unless anypony has anymore ques—” “Oh, pick me! Pick me!” Her hoof flailing about in the air, Pinkie Pie could have been mistaken for an overeager filly in a competitive classroom. “Consider yourself picked,” Discord said distractedly, pouring half of his drink into his right ear. “You said you used to have loads of teeth, right? What happened to them?” Discord blinked. “…Know when to quit flirting with a dragon. Anyway, back to my criminal record. So one day, I woke up in a bad mood and felt like being a general nuisance to society. It was probably a Tuesday. They’re always terrible. But what’s important is that this day happened to slot nicely into the Elemental Festival.” “The what?” Shining Armour sighed. “Stars above, this meeting is making me feel inadequate…” “An old tradition,” clarified Celestia with unwavering patience. “During the warmest week of spring, Equestria used to annually celebrate the sacredness of the elements, and all research into their mysteries ceased for seven days out of respect. The Bearers of that generation would each wear their element around their neck and be flown all over Equestria, stopping at locations both rich and poor to spread messages of friendship and share personal outlooks. It was truly special.” Discord gagged. “An excuse for a knees-up was what it was. Sentimental disagreements aside, I’ve already told you the rest. Since this was the only time of year when the elements weren’t hidden away more deviously than a stallion’s stash of adult magazines, the parade was a red flag to a bull. And I have horns. So I waited until the procession came back to Canterlot on the biggest, final day, and made my move.” “What, you just ran out like a streaker and nicked the lot of them right off their necks?” Rainbow Dash said dubiously, absurd imagery forcing her to suppress a snort. “Exactly. Best thrill I’ve ever had.” While her husband still sulked over his heavily punctured knowledge of past customs, Cadence sat in total contrast: wide-eyed and enthralled by the flood of new information. “But why didn’t you steal the elements of harmony while you were at it?” the alicorn asked, voicing a valid point that had also just occurred to Rainbow Dash. Discord’s raised eyebrow regarded Cadence as though she had just come out with the dumbest thing he had ever heard. “Well, these two sisters and the ten thousand-odd crowd weren’t just going to let me waltz in and take souvenirs, now were they? For once in my life, time was actually an issue. Besides, what would I want with those nice, honest necklaces? If you’re going to pull a heist in full public view and the only goodies on offer are a collection of old relics, you’d better make sure the ones that end up in your pocket at least offer some dark potential.” “Then let me guess,” Spike said drolly. “You cackled like a maniac, announced your superiority with a terrible one-liner and retreated to your evil lair.” Discord smirked. “Close enough, dragon slave.” Rainbow saw Twilight bite back a furious retort. She had spent more than enough time hanging around and joking with Spike to know that Twilight was extremely protective of him; anyone who hurt her best friend, physically or emotionally, would next have to escape the terror of merciless, unhinged Twilight Sparkle. Worse, dubbing him a slave also indirectly accused Twilight herself of mistreating Spike. But she can’t deny it after making him clean up the absolute wreck that Pinkie Pie made of the library, and she knows it. Haha! Oh, Twilight, you just love dunking that brainy head of yours into sticky dilemmas... While Twilight fumed and Spike sat waiting for a defence that never came, Shining Armour finally resigned from his brooding and spoke. “You had your grubby paws on the elements of disharmony. So why aren’t we surrounded by monuments to you, worshipping the God of Chaos? Surely you tried to take over the world or carry out some other typical, villainous plan.” “Ah, now this is where things get embarrassing,” Discord said slowly, his grin widening far too much. “Turns out I made a pretty big doo-doo… I had stolen the cookies, but forgotten that only the confectioner could open the jar, so to speak.” Pinkie Pie took the words right out of Rainbow Dash’s mouth. “Um, cookies are really tasty and everything, but what are you on about?” Discord paused thoughtfully. “Well, I’d bought the tool kit, but forgotten to take the DIY crash-course beforehand, if you get my drift.” “Nope,” said Applejack flatly. “...Why, are we gonna build a barn or somethin’?” “What Discord means,” Celestia cut in with a delicate chuckle, “is that despite his success in stealing the elements, exploiting their power was a physical impossibility. See, what nopony knew back then is that only species of pony – namely earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi and alicorns – can tap into any element’s reservoir of energy.” “Picture the usability of an element as a hierarchy,” Luna evoked with a rare smile. “The Bearer naturally wields the most influence, being the only one who can actually siphon energy therefrom. Below them are all other ponies, able to communicate with elements in a crude sort of manner, the extent of which depends on many factors. But if you do not bear a cutie mark, the elements become selectively deaf; they will completely ignore you. Discord accidentally discovered this fact for himself, much to his own cost.” A light bulb moment struck Rarity. “But of course! That’s why our first attempt at banishing you failed: because Spikey-Wikey was trying to use Rainbow’s element of loyalty!” Rainbow Dash felt a surge of smugness at her exclusive access to the element, which then began an unwelcome battle with glum memories of how she had betrayed her friends when they had needed her most. With her mind undecided on a reaction, her mouth cued its default egotistical mode, blurting, “Yep, Rarity’s right. The awesomeness scale doesn’t even go high enough for me.” “So you were doomed from the start!” Twilight mocked, a slightly perverse smirk topping off her miniature slice of revenge against Discord for insulting her and the dragon on her back. “Right you are, brainiac,” Discord ground out in irritation. “Needless to say I was a bit miffed, so after wrecking some random stuff, I hid the elements in faraway, desolate locales. I figured that if I couldn’t use them, no one should have the privilege.” Eyeing Discord carefully, Luna said, “Sister and I eventually tracked Discord down and interrogated him about their locations, but he predictably refused to cooperate. There was nothing left to be done but banish him, for despite the theft ending in no disaster, his intentions – combined with previous offences – demonstrated the unacceptable risk of letting him go free. We combed Equestria ourselves for many months thereafter, searching for the missing elements, but our efforts yielded nought.” “And suddenly our story ends,” Celestia concluded with a troubled sigh. “Over many years, stories of the elements of disharmony faded into legends, then into whispers, and finally into silence. Luna and I still see no reason to revive these dormant memories…not until the elements are with us once again. Unfortunately, contrary to my previous assertion, I suspect there is just too much distance separating the hidden elements of disharmony from the majority of our population. And so, to this day, potential disharmonic Bearers walk about their daily lives, ignorant of how special they are.” Rainbow Dash was speechless. Six more primal pieces of the world lay simply abandoned in Equestria, probably buried underneath thousands of years’ worth of corrosion. The foundation of her entire life still remained as the joy of cannonballing through virtually every town, city and culture her country had to offer. Granted, the time she had actually spent integrating into the vast majority had been far too brief for her to technically claim to have visited, but not even the tiny tribe of zebras who lived secluded among the Everfree Forest’s thickest vines were ignorant of the name Rainbow Dash. Those elements are lazing about all over the place. For all I know, I might have blasted right past the lot of them... Celestia said nothing more, allowing her guests to fully digest the eons of history she had fed them in mountainous scoops. Another mostly ruminative silence eclipsed Discord and his fake snoring until Spike presented a startlingly rational question. “Uh, that was dead interesting and all, but… What was the point of telling us all that?” Blinking several times in surprise, Luna turned to Celestia. “He makes a valid point, sister. I still cannot deduce why you bespoke our presence here tonight. To what end have we been divulging these secrets?” “Isn’t it obvious?” came Discord’s sinister voice, taking the room by surprise. “Because I’ll ride a gamble I’d be willing to bet a few bits on. Celestia here just wants me to spill the beans on where the elements of disharmony are so you sorry bunch of misfits can play fetch for her.” Turning to Celestia, he quickly created a makeshift wallet from his own fur, into which he dropped a smattering of real currency plucked from his nose. “If I’m wrong, feel free to mug me.” Celestia countered with a surprise of her own: shameless concordance. “And why should we not work together to reanimate these traditions? You claim to be reformed, so atone for your crimes by assisting in the retrieval of what you stole in the first place.” Licking his lips musingly, a congratulatory smile formed on Discord’s face. “Well-reasoned, Celestia. Since I can’t forge Luna’s signature convincingly enough to exempt myself from doing something productive, I suppose I’ll collaborate with you on this one.” Then his face darkened. “But one might almost think that you’ve had this planned for ages… That your apparent kindness in liberating me was, in fact, merely a ploy to set all this in motion…” His voice was casual and resonated with the nonchalance of someone speculating in pure conjecture, but the entire Conference Room knew Discord too well to miss the ominous accusation concealed within. Rainbow Dash reversed her attention back to Celestia, eager to hear the princess retaliate with something of equal subtlety. Their story had only enforced to her that Discord and Celestia had been at each other’s throats for millenia, and Rainbow was extremely interested to watch how their timeless conflicts were fought and had developed after clashing time and again. Her anticipation deflated, however, when Celestia retained her authentic pleasantness. “Not at all, Discord. I only chanced across this idea a few days ago, shortly after Twilight’s coronation. Your freedom is not a means to an end, I promise you.” Her tone shifted to become more serious on the ear. “But I will point out that our plan to collect the elements presents us the fortuitous opportunity to test the extent of your reformation.” His body language uncharacteristically unreadable, Discord sniffed. “...I’m listening.” “Here is my proposal, Discord,” Celestia said with neutrality deserving of a medal. “When all six elements are back in our possession, it is my hope that disharmonic Bearers will once again start being drawn to the castle. If, at this point, part of our success was owed to you staving off your evil ways and instead cooperating with us, then I would appoint you as their official guide and advisor.” Sipping the last dregs of her drink, Luna never managed to swallow as her mouth spewed every last drop across the table. “Oh my goodness… Please excuse my ill-mannered effusion, but you cannot be serious, sister! Entrusting Discord with tasks to help our cause is arguably foolish enough, but to empower him into such a vital role… His track record must govern our decisions, and it reads only that he will betray us again!” “Be calm, Luna, and realise that I did not decide this on a whim,” Celestia asserted. “As I implied, he won’t be honoured such a position blindly. We will individually judge his conduct while gathering the elements, and afterwards reach a mutual agreement as to whether or not he deserves that right.” Her gaze swept once across the table. “Besides, you and I assist Twilight and her friends, who are the current Bearers of the elements of harmony... Would it not be fitting for Discord to act as the new face of those who represent the opposite?” It was clear that Luna would concede even before her held breath was released in a heavy sigh. “…Of course. I understand.” Rainbow Dash managed to pinpoint a hazy concern that had been nagging her throughout the entire meeting, and quickly made it known before it devolved into a cloud she couldn’t put her hoof on again. “There’s just one thing I don’t get. Why do you want to get them back anyway? They’re the elements of disharmony. If they’re gone, then good riddance! It can’t be worth continuing some mouldy old tradition when we’re risking the world turning into a twisted playground again or something. And why did you even used to celebrate them? Weren’t their Bearers a bunch of stuck-up bandits?” Celestia held up a rigid hoof to plug Rainbow’s outburst. “Your worry is understandable, Rainbow Dash, but it is the very moral upstanding of the disharmonic Bearers themselves that leads me to my second reason for wanting the elements back safely.” “Moral upstanding?” repeated Spike sceptically. “Yes. How can I best put this? All elements behave like dogs to their masters." A surreal scenario immediately staged itself inside Rainbow Dash’s head in which she was playfully calling her element of loyalty by name, whereupon it came hopping around the corner with a bone snared between its clasps. “That’s, uh...quirky...”  she offered, quelling her imagination’s new idea of walking it on a leash. “Please ignore how demeaning that sounds,” Celestia requested, shaking her head lightly. “Explaining such a complex relationship is difficult. The basic concept goes thusly: if an element is bonded to a good heart, then it too will learn altruism and be unlikely to cause trouble.” Shining Armour had already taken a wrong turn and lost what little he had been following. “What the...? How is that even possible?!” “There is a more practical reason than simple fun as to why we held the Elemental Festival every year,” said Celestia, taking a small detour to better make her point. “On their own, elements are dangerous things; they are blind to everything but the characteristics after which they are named. Fortunately for us, though, the elements seem to acknowledge their shortcomings.” Shining Armour’s face collided with the table. “...My question stands.” Her voice carrying an understanding laugh, Celestia went on, “Well, as you might expect, elements choose ponies who live in close companionship with their respective traits as their Bearers. But, surprisingly, these ponies also always possess the mental strength and humility to know when their emotional beliefs must be set aside in order to preserve the peace. Somehow, through a medium which science is still unable to identify, this restraint is then passed onto the element when it is worn during the Elemental Festival.” Twilight sat agape. “So all Bearers are estimable ponies?” “Precisely,” Celestia responded with a smile. “However – continuing the dog analogy – when left to its own devices, an element will begin acting on instinct. In the disharmonic elements’ case, this is a nice way of saying that they will wreak havoc. Do you understand now? After thousands of years without their better halves keeping them in check, they are going rogue, starting to cause magical disturbances that carry an unsettling quality of wickedness. It was my sensing of these disturbances that led me to assemble us all here at such short notice.” The number of times that Celestia had silenced the Conference Room was stretching into the territory of countless. “So it really is essential that we retrieve them…” whispered Rarity. Rainbow glanced at Luna, predicting to see her whole body telling of an even gloomier mood, but was surprised when relief cleansed her features instead. “That is one of my concerns vanquished, at least. A terrible unease has been plaguing me since yesterday morning, but the cause seems obvious in hindsight: these same disturbances which you sensed, sister.” “I thought as much.” A shamed look crossed Celestia’s face. “I assumed you would either figure it out for yourself, Luna, or at least be able to cope until tonight... I’m sorry for not putting you at ease sooner. And I’m making assumptions about the rest of you, too. I have not yet asked if you will all work with me in this long and likely difficult task.” “You don’t have to, princess!” Twilight answered before Celestia could utter a word of her formal request. “Of course we’ll help you! Right, girls?” Never one to bother with small print at the best of times, Rainbow Dash had heard enough to recognise the benefits to be reaped for everyone, including a chance to satisfy her own adventurous streak. “Too right!” she shouted, binding herself to a vow that was accompanied by various other affirmations from her friends. “Excellent,” said Celestia energetically, circulating the positive atmosphere. “Well, that is all for tonight, but the risk of the elements inciting something truly dark and horrific grows by the second... We will dive right into the search tomorrow morning. Still, we might as well save some time now by deciding on which element to pursue first. Then, after Discord discloses its location, I can arrange travel and supplies for those who we pick to collect it. So, from the six elements of disharmony, which are called—” “Hold it right there, Celestia.” The relaxed mood fled instantly. On a night when normal proceedings had already broken down and were now out of sight several miles back, Discord was keeping the guessing games alive by sounding serious for once. “I think you’ve forgotten something critical. Aren’t you going to explain what happens when a pony who isn’t an element’s Bearer tries to take it?” Rainbow Dash had never seen the most prominent ruler of her country betray a flash of humiliation before, but she saw it now. “…Naturally, that is important. How could I forget?” Celestia rewarded Discord with a nod. “You have taken your first step towards regaining my trust.” “Blah-blah, whatever,” Discord drawled, his apathetic self already resuming control. “I’ve never stood in the flesh for so long without doing something hilarious, so let’s get this over with. It might be more interesting – that’s more efficient to you boring ponies– to show them, rather than stand here ranting until somebody dies of dehydration. Perhaps a demonstration with the elements of harmony?” “A good idea,” Celestia agreed. Her horn glowed, and the elements of harmony which Rainbow and her friends had brought on the train descended with a small thunk onto the table, arranged in a perfect circle. “Control is yours, Discord. I’m sure you understand how extremely unpredictable this is, so show me another example of your trustworthiness by handling this responsibly.” The unease to which Luna had admitted was swiftly rejoining her. As if she were avoiding giving up her half of consent to Discord, Luna said only, “...This has never been done before. Not deliberately.” When Discord continued to stare at her in false innocence, waiting for approval which he knew he did not need, Luna yielded a grudging nod. Humming in contentment again, Discord looked a little too happy. “Let’s make sure this is as random as I am. Twilight, you lovely new princess, you. Pick a number between a million and one and a million and six.” Making to answer, Twilight suddenly stalled in awkward realisation. “Um… Isn’t that the same as picking a number between one and six?” “…You are the biggest killjoy I have ever met.” Discord groaned loudly and dragged his lion paw over his misshapen head. “Forget it, you royal bore. Somepony else can have a go instead.” Figuring that she had nothing to lose but the prospect of exploding if she stood in one place for much longer, Rainbow shrugged and called out, “A million and four.” “Ah, the element of loyalty! You’ve chosen your own one! How moderately exciting.” Discord slowly lifted the element from the table with offensive inelegance, and Rainbow’s peripheral vision caught Luna stiffening. “Now, multi-coloured Dash, pick a number between minus one and minus five.” She frowned. “What’s with the reduced option?” “Because the host can’t also be a contestant,” Discord answered simply. “Now get on with it before my beard grows a beard.” Ignoring the impulse to demand a less cryptic response, Rainbow felt Pinkie Pie’s close proximity help tame her frustration as she probed into the next round of Discord’s curious game. “Minus two.” “Applejack!” Discord yelled in an overzealous tone, one not dissimilar to how Rarity tended to greet her friends at a party after giddying herself on far too many lavish cocktails that streamed from the pockets of handsome but ultimately doomed stallions. “Applejack, your good friend Rainbow Dash has elected you to be our guinea pig. Now you at least have somepony to blame if this goes horribly wrong. So, when I tell you to—” “Wait!” cried Luna so loudly than even Celestia jumped. “While I acknowledge that your randomisation will prove our point beyond doubt, I insist that Princess Twilight and Fluttershy are the participants. I politely request that you all accept this without question.” Huh? If she knows how dangerous this is, why does Luna want two of us to risk our necks? A pair of bewildered faces pleaded Luna for an explanation why she was consigning them to possible injury or worse. Then, oddly, a measure of understanding came over Twilight in the form of an emphatic nod. Apprehensive interest stirred inside Rainbow as Luna calmly returned the gesture. Looks like somepony knows something I don’t... Wondering if she was alone in her maddening lack of knowledge, Rainbow studied Celestia closely and spotted the brief show of confusion she had been looking for. The alicorn did not intervene, however, saying only, “You heard her, Discord.” “…Well, since you asked so nicely,” Discord said slowly, his own curiosity evident. Sliding the element across the table to halt perfectly between Twilight and Fluttershy’s conveniently opposing positions, he explained, “Now, you pair. When I tell you, all I want you to do is touch the element of loyalty at the same time. But! Imagine that you are in dire need of it. Manipulate your mindsets into thinking that your very lives depend on taking the thing. It is essential that you want it.” Neither participant said a word, only fearful trepidation engulfing them both. Willing a share of her courage towards them, Rainbow Dash fidgeted as Twilight bit her lip and concentrated on Discord’s instructions. It was impossible to distinguish anything except raw fear from Fluttershy; she shook like a leaf in a hurricane. If you scar Fluttershy, Discord, I swear... Without waiting for the terrified pegasus to calm or be calmed, Discord said, “Ready? Do you want the element more than your morning bacon after a night on the cider? Good. Now touch it.” Two right forelegs stretched across the table, and the duo found eye contact. Nodding to each other in weak reassurance, their hooves committed to the touch. A blinding flash erupted from the element, forcing Rainbow Dash to shield her eyes. Panic struck her, but her body did not respond with appropriate urgency; her vision was taking an eternity to clear. Before her eyes could fully recover, another of her senses was assaulted as a horrified shriek that could only have been Rarity deafened her ears. When her sight finally regained normal function, Rainbow wished it hadn’t. Twilight are Fluttershy were gone. Her instinctive fright instantly inflamed into conscious panic. The element of loyalty sat in exactly the same spot in the centre of the table, the light having dissipated and leaving no sign to suggest that it had just made two of her best friends vanish into thin air. Shocked murmurs that matched her quickened heart were bouncing around the Conference Room, but Rainbow Dash didn’t hear them. Seeking comfort, she merely made the mistake of turning to Pinkie Pie. It was perhaps to be expected that Pinkie would be frozen in silence with a stunned expression exposed on her face, but this was of no help to Rainbow’s rapidly evolving panic. The pony on whom she had always relied for endless optimism, unfaltering friendship and a good laugh was not providing, and she was not prepared for that. As though grasping for a positive thought amid the rush of dizzying terror, her mind thrust upon her unrelated, impossible fantasies of being engaged in an intimate embrace with Pinkie Pie. Unfortunately, confused as she was about her feelings, this only served to frenzy her more. W-What’s going on?! Why am I so afraid?! Pinkie, help me! Why do I want to kiss you?! On the verge of a mental breakdown, she submitted totally to her instinct. Rainbow Dash wasn’t entirely sure what happened next. She vaguely felt herself crashing into a fight-or-flight state of mind, but the only enemy was impossible to combat; the notion of attacking the element which she herself represented was absurd. With nothing to fight, Rainbow felt her pounding against the carpet, and she realised that her body was taking her away from prying eyes so she could be sick. Voices called out after her, and her last thread of common sense was screaming at her that, if something unthinkable had indeed happened to her friends, then the royal sisters would have exploded into action...but her choices were not her own anymore. Rainbow Dash felt the first drops of bile climb her throat as she fled the Conference Room.