A New Harmony

by Pascoite


Prologue

Another summer in Ponyville. Another dark summer. No matter. There had been many dark days before now, but it’s bearable when the end is in sight. All the ruckus at the Grand Galloping Gala had weakened this prison considerably, and the childish squabbling of those three stupid fillies had finished the job. My freedom proved to be short-lived, however. The fault is my own, as I never considered that juvenile upstart Twilight powerful enough to command the Elements of Harmony. I was half right. She could control the power well enough to trap me, but only just. She lacks focus yet, and her effort was sadly lacking. These walls are tantalizingly thin, and restrict only physical movement. They can’t contain my mind. But best not to play my hand too quickly.

The Elements are still out there after all, but wielded now by those weaklings. The Princesses – now there were formidable adversaries, but they’re irrelevant now – control the power no more. And while Twilight’s friendships have become the source of that power, they are also its greatest weakness. Only one need be corrupted. Going after all six last time was a grave miscalculation. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Perhaps a bit of organization is needed, to take a page from Twilight’s playbook.

First order of business: acquire an underling to do my dirty work for me, and take the fall, if necessary. I can stay confined for the time being, and avoid raising any suspicions.

Second: another layer of defense, a distraction to keep Twilight and her meddlers occupied. Keeping them out of my hair would be a wise precaution, and it will be fun to see them scurrying about on foal’s errands.

Finally, a point to prove. Twilight’s friends, those preposterous little simpletons! Applejack’s wretched honesty, Rarity’s pathetic generosity, Rainbow Dash’s useless loyalty, Pinkie’s chaotic… actually, there’s a filly after my own heart. That half-wit Twilight was the most laughable of all! I’d done nothing, nothing, and she’d folded of her own accord! How delicious! But the last one, Fluttershy and her sickening kindness, was different. I couldn’t turn her. Only the brute force approach sufficed. Most unsatisfying! That will have to be rectified, of course. This is a matter of pride.

Wonderful! Now I’ve got my little chess pieces assembled. The disciple, the outcast, and the traitor. Who to fill the first two roles? Decisions, decisions… But the third is clear. Fluttershy. This is going to be fun. I will break her.