“A long time ago, in a world, much unlike the one we occupy, there was a kingdom. A kingdom with riches beyond your wildest dreams.” The eyes in your comrades widen in awe as you speak, the simpletons. “No,” you answer their silent question, “It wasn’t gold that they built their temples, nor was it the jewels that adorned their royal cuffs, though adorn them they did.”
The ashen air fills your lungs as you inhale, the fire radiating before you not aiding in your health. Then again, what could aid it? “No no, what made them rich came not from the soil, not from the earth or mines beneath them. The stars above, perhaps? Wrong again, it was a source of wealth that we couldn’t possibly obtain.”
A hand rises in the ranks, “What was it?”
“…Magic.”
The murmurs echo through the files and lines of your men, whispering about this ‘magic.’ They couldn’t remember the term. All had forgotten that ancient mysticism, all, save for you. “Yes men, magic. The ability to manipulate the world without these hands,” you gesture, “But with your spirit, your very soul.” Soul… Soon. “Honed through the mind, this power allowed an infant race to thrive. Weak, sniveling, undisciplined they were, even with this great power. That is, until another race rose to power, their opposite in almost every way.”
”Who were they?” that same voice rings out.
Silly you, you chuckle to yourself, you had forgotten to give their name. “Equines harnessed their magic. It was the griffins who showed them the strength of steel. The flying beasts slashed and clawed at the Equine people, hunting them down like typical prey. All seemed lost, you could say, but there was still hope for them. A third race arose from the shadows, training the Equine people in the art of warfare, giving them a chance to harness their natural gifts.”
You look to the floor. How the mighty have fallen… “They won the war and their allies… exiled, too bloodthirsty, too savage for the Equines to tolerate. Peace found its way home, but this was long ago. The Equines went soft, adopting the traditions of old, nearly forgetting their strength. It was… angering…”
”Sir,” your guard whispers, “What happened to the third race?”
“The same thing that happened before.” You glance back up with a devilish grin. “We rose.”
~~~
The night lies still in the forest, Everfree, a suiting name. That’s where it all began after all. Free from the bounds that tied us in the deep dark of the earth. All of us, “Rise.” A tearing rips through you, at least, that’s the most accurate way to describe it. Your flesh cracks as your lungs gasp for air, only finding dirt in its place. Death does not come easily to you, and it shall not come once more. You lunge towards the surface, your limbs easily plunging through the soft earth, the first breath of fresh air filling you completely with a gasp.
Slumped on the ground, your fingers digging into the soil, you hear the muffled screams of others nearby. Pounding your chest, you dislodge a hunk of dirt from your throat, taking the time to look at your hand as your skin stitches back together, as good as new. “Interesting…” you flex your digits before the screams call your attention once more.
”You should help them.” Scanning the forest around you, you find a single, ugly- vile looking creature slouched upon a throne of- pink clouds? Whatever it is, it sips from a chalice before grinning back at you, “Are those ears of yours working properly? Or perhaps you would like a shovel?” With a snap of his fingers, the tool appears by your side.
“Fascinating,” running your hand along this new creation before flicking it over, “But that won’t be necessary. They’ll emerge, or they’ll die.”
He appears interested at this, “Don’t you care for your friends safety?”
“Friends are a vulnerability. To rely on those is to put a gun to your own head. Speaking of…” Your hands travel down the length of your silken garbs to the two weapons residing on your hilt. You unsheathe the sword from your belt and press it against your nose, breathing deep of its familiar earthy scent. “This is the only friend a person should keep, always trusty.” Your flintlock looks a little worse for wear, but it’ll live.
”S-sir!”
“Hop to it soldier,” you bark, marching over to the hand protruding from the ground.
Locking him at the elbow you use your rejuvenated muscles to aid in his escape, the soldier coughing profusely before smiling at you, “My lord…”
“It is good to see you brother.” His leather armor is in tatters, a side effect of such a long ‘sleep.’
The soldier blinks about in confusion, “How long-“
“It doesn’t matter. Find the rest of our brothers, quickly, we won’t staying long.” He gives a weakened salute and follows your orders. A soldier like him will make it far.
”Going so soon,” the creature questions with a laugh, “Off to do something interesting I hope.” An amalgamation would be the best way to describe him, if it is a he. “And I was so hoping that I could have some toys to play with.” Upon further inspection, you notice a book below his rump, almost wholly concealed by his lizard-like tail.
“We are not a toy to be used by a child.”
”A child? Me? Oh you slay me with your insults, how might I ever recover?” He once again chuckles, tossing his chalice aside, morphing into a turtle upon impact. “But you seem to think you have a choice.” Powerful, yes. He would make a mighty ally, but that look in his eye would only serve to betray you should his mood shift.
“I’m sure we might get to enjoy each other’s company over a cup of wine, but until it suits me, you are nothing more than rabble.”
His cheery demeanor quickly changes into one of irritation, “Your arrogance will be your downfall, whatever you are.” You look back to the book, and then back to him as you piece together what has just transpired.
“And you’re foolishness will be yours. Tell me, what did that book tell you us, or rather, how did it instruct our release?”
”Oh instruct is such an unfeeling term. In fact, it is so distasteful, I might make note to remove it completely.” Prying open the book, the creature rips out a page and swallows it whole before holding another out to you, “Paper?”
“You have no idea who I am do you?”
”Why now, I know everything about you. You are a… shaved monkey who likes to play with metal sticks. Close enough?” You only smile at his cackling, your soldiers approaching from behind you.
“Report?”
”We only have seven men sir, including me and yourself. Two could not escape the earth’s clutches.”
“Then they have been punished adequately for their weakness. Gather their effects. The rest of you, scout the surrounding terrain. We’ll need shelter for tonight. Food can wait for the sun.”
”As you command, my lord.”
”Such discipline those ones,” the creature mutters teasingly, “I wonder if I could help loosen them up a little bit.” You can only shake your head at his ignorance. Summoning those of which he is oblivious to.
“And once more, your stupidity fills me with a certain glee.”
”Why must everything you say be such a bore? It’s no matter, I can change that for you.” Rising from his throne he floats over to you, almost cheerfully.
“Has history forgotten about us? Are we nothing more than scribble in some forgotten book? Knowing nothing of your conjurations is the first step to oblivion’s gate.”
”Then aren’t I lucky that I shall never see them.” You stand your ground as he approaches you, bending his neck down to your level and placing a paw upon your head. ”Your bones must be weary, too long without stretch,” his eyes twirl hypnotically in his sockets, a tingle forming in your head, “Just play some games, let’s start with fetch.” Releasing you, the tingling ceases, the creature picking up a stick and tossing it behind you, “Go get it boy!”
“hehe…” you start to chuckle, “Hehehe. Aha ahahahaa!”
He’s confused by your booming laugh, even as you wipe the tear from your eye, “I said fetch! Hmm… Did I do it wrong?”
“Magic… How I’ve missed its usage. I still get tingles when someone is foolish enough to try it out on me.”
He scratches his chin, “I don’t understand. Why won’t my magic work on you? Where is that book?” It summons a pair of glasses as it sifts through the book, looking for the knowledge he should have already gleaned.
“We are beyond magic, what you foolishly used to summon us was a spell used to summon our dead. An old and all but forbidden conjuration. Magic, has no effect on our Living. Breathing. Fighting. Bodies. You , are an imbecile.”
“Well, this is far more interesting than I could’ve possibly imagined. The possibilities of entertainment are endless now!”
“Such power, wasted on such an immature form. You don’t deserve such a gift.” Your subordinate arrives once more, not taking note of the creature. “Report?”
”Their armor’s rotted and useless. Their weapons are still capable, and one of the scouts has returned. There appears to be a cottage just outside the forest.” Civilization goes on, your kind just a ripple in the waters. You plan to be a hurricane.
“Gather the rest of the men and tear it down. Harvest whatever they can. We’ll set up a temporary base of operations here then proceed onwards.”
”What is the plan, my lord?”
…You turn around slowly, eyeing the soldier before you backhand him to his knee. “You have your orders, should I wish to inform you of anything else, I shall do so. Understood?”
”Yes sir.”
“Understood?!”
”Yes sir!” he salutes, jogging off, “You two, you’re with me.” When you look back, Discord appears… shocked. “There’s nothing funny about hitting him.”
“Funny? I don’t do things for the joy or thrill. I do things because they must be done.”
He slumps down on his throne, snapping in another chalice, “Huh. I just- I can’t remember a time where ponies did that.”
“I do,” you unholster your flintlock plopping in a small flask of gunpowder and lead round, “It was a different time. A time of necessity.” Searching your pockets you secure your flint into the hammer and cock it back. It feels just like old times.
The creature shakes his head. “We aren’t like that anymore. They’re better than that,” he looks up to you, “You aren’t fun.”
“What’s your name, creature?”
”Discord,” a hint of grin on his face.
“Well then Discord. My name is Anonymous.” You raise your flintlock, the conjurer sitting well within the kill distance. “Say goodbye to my little friend.” *click*
Hmm, figures your friend would fail you. You unload the flintlock, rolling the round out of the barrel. ”I don’t understand, why was I supposed to say goodbye?”
“Because, if all had gone to plan, you would’ve been leaving this life,” you reply nonchalantly as you reholster your pistol.
”You tried to kill me?!” he stumbles over the back of his throne, shaking like a child during their first thunderstorm. “Why would you do that?!”
“You attempted to use your power over me. In most cases I would respect that, but you never bothered to learn about enemy. In other words, you went all-in with a pair of tens, assuming you would win, and that is unacceptable.”
”But you can’t just kill people!” his voice nearly cracks, “You make them go into a- a maze or you get them to ruin their friendship.”
“Ugh please, just the idea of that makes my stomach churn. Like I said, you’re soft and weak. Back in my time, the strong thrived. You could adapt, or you could die. There’s always a choice.”
You see him finally stand up in confidence, “You may be immune to my magic, but I don’t think you’ll be immune to theirs. The elements will stop you.”
“The- The elements of harmony?!”
His grin couldn’t be any wider, “So you do have a weakness then. We’ll see how well you like it when Celestia finds out about you.”
“Wait! You can’t tell her! The elements- You don’t understand!”
”Too late for that,” he waves with a snap, “Tata!” One flash of green light later and he’s gone, his throne disappearing with him, his book, however, resting on the ground.
“So… Celestia still rests upon the throne. How swell.” You pick it up, slipping it behind your belt as you turn back, the first of your men getting back. Counting the three men who were sent out to scavenge for supplies, they don’t appear to be carrying any. “Where are the supplies, soldier?”
The oldest of the three takes a knee before you, “I’m sorry sir, but the building was occupied by a winged Equine. We decided it would be best-“
“Hold,” you raise your hand with barely contained anger, “Who first spoke to defy my order?”
”I take full responsibility for my men. The fault rests on me.”
You wait, hand on your sword, until one of the other men steps forward, “No my lord, the fault is mine. The Equine was no threat to us. It would be best if-“ Your hands move quick, cutting off the last few words of his mouth with a single thrust of your blade. His eyes widen as his mind catches up to his body, those eyes pleading for forgiveness.
“Let this serve as an example to the rest of you,” kicking him off your blade, “Do not question my orders. If I want recommendations, I shall ask for them. Now, where is this cottage?”
At the cottage… You kick open the cottage door, a flurry of critters scampering out the door. “Let the owner of this house stand at attention!” At first there is no response. Even the rest of your company are confused as you turn to your eldest member. “Did you not inform me this was an occupied establishment?”
”Aye my lord, but the Equine… she is rather skittish.” So she has resorted to hiding from you, but that would also mean that she knew of your presence. One of your men, likely the one at death’s door, made contact. Another offense.
“Tear it all down, bring back what you can.”
”P-please don’t,” you pick up from the far side of the room. The curtains waver, a small Equine, a Pegasus, steps out from her hiding place. She is demure and gentle in appearance as well as heart, exactly how a subservient female should be. “Do you own this cottage?”
She nods, hiding behind her pink mane to avoid looking at you, “Please don’t tear it down. It- It’s all I have…” You walk over and take a knee before her, “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Now now, why would I ever to do that to such a creature?” She flinches as you raise your hand, finally resting it against her cheek. You close your eyes and savor her warmth. “The heat of another… It is a sensation that has no equal, but… There is something else.” A… tingle. Magic, like before, but she shows no sign of such a gift.
”Sir, what are your orders?” He stays at your hand once more as you think. If she isn’t a unicorn, she can’t have magic unless…
“What might I call you, Equine?”
”My- my… fluttershy…”
“Fluttershy? That is rather accurate, but answer me truthfully. You wouldn’t happen to be a wielder of the Elements of Harmony, would you? Kindess, perhaps?” For the first time you see her smile. Possibly the side effect of a newfound sense of safety.
“Men!” you stand back up, Fluttershy scooting away, “Tear this place down. She comes with us.”
”Wait what?”
Later… ”Please, I’ll do- *gulp* anything, just let me go.”
“Do not resist Equine Fluttershy,” you reply with your back turned, “I have done far worse things than merely tie up a pony to a tree.”
”W-worse?”
“Much much worse. Don’t you worry though, no harm shall come to you as long as your condition fits to serve me.” Walking around the makeshift camp, you can’t help but feel proud of yourself. Even during your initial reign, things never progressed this quickly. You know Celestia still reigns, though her weakness has returned, as well as her servants such as that Discord. Your existence is unknown to most of those who still thrive here, but not for long. A soldier finishes pitching up your tent, using the curtains of her house in place of the roof. “Good on you brother, are you enjoying the fresh air?”
”Of course, my lord. Tartarus wasn’t very nice. I much prefer it up here.”
“We all share this my brother, and perhaps we can reach our former glory.”
”My lord?” he asks before you can enter the tent.
“Yes…”
”Back in the cottage, you said something about ‘The Elements of Harmony.’ What are those?”
“Hehe,” you laugh at the thought, “Those are the Equines most powerful magical artifacts. Capable of stopping most threats if used correctly.”
”How powerful?” he asks, the fear obvious in his voice.
“Stay your fears brother, for as powerful as they might be, their magic is useless against us. Even if I did tell them otherwise,” you grin at your deception. “Rest. We’ll need it for tomorrow.”
”Of course, and my lord? The men and I were wondering. It’s been so long since we, you know…” You give him one hard look and he shuts up with a salute, “Affirmative sir, we were just wondering.”
“Keep your head clear.” Heading inside, you grab the pillow and blanket, dragging them back to the tree Fluttershy is tied to. “Here,” you chuck them next to her, “You need sleep too.”
”Don’t you need these?”
“Nah, I’ve slept on worse,” you admit sitting close by against a tree.
”But… Why are you sleeping here?” You give your men a hard look, a few passing a few unfavorable glances towards the Equine. “Just get some rest.”
Ahh… Risen at last…