//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: Despair and Chaos 
// by Choral Note 
//------------------------------//

	It’s so boring being trapped in stone. It’s even more boring when there are no ponies around for you to manipulate. Unfortunately, ever since I broke free before, Celestia and Luna decided it wasn’t safe for me to live in the royal garden, so they locked me in the castle basement, heavily guarded… but there were never any ponies around. So, my once boring life became as boring as it could be after I had a day of fun in Ponyville.
Every day, I simply stood there, frozen in place, with nothing to do at all. I don’t even sleep in this state. I simply stand here, in the dark room, completely isolated. Every second of my imprisonment, I think about the ponies that once again defeated me. Every minute, I recall the smug looks on their faces as they made their formation and used their “magic of friendship” to make me suffer. I have nothing to do but count the days until… nothing. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ll be stuck here forever, forced to just stand and wait until I finally die. Can I even die in this state? Truly, this is the worst punishment one could possibly receive. Every minute feels like an hour. Every hour feels like a day. Every day feels like a week. I’ve been trapped here for a month, but it feels more like five months; hell, a year.
I thought I would be trapped forever… until one day, something happened. It was like any other day. Nothing was happening, but then, out of the blue, he appeared.
Or should I say she.
At first, it appeared to just be a teddy bear, perhaps under some enchantment, wandering in. But, you see, that was a very odd occurrence. Nopony had come to visit me since my imprisonment, and I was pretty sure nopony would start then. By now I had figured the room I was in was under complete lockdown.
Then I realized how strange the teddy bear was. The right half was white with a regular black button eye. However, the left half was pitch black with a strange, seemingly lightning-shaped red eye and a stretched, toothy grin.
“Good afternoon,” came a playful, childish, and almost unnerving voice.. “You must be Discord. I’ve heard much about you…”
I felt some of the stone around my face crack a little, allowing me to speak. “Who are you? How did you get here?”
“Upupupu,” the bear giggled. “I’m glad you asked! They call me Monokuma.” The left side of his mouth opened, revealing the sharpness of the teeth. “And as to how I got it… I simply walked in!” The bear cackled.
I frowned. “And why did you come here?”
The bear’s mouth closed again. “I thought it was obvious,” It cried, “I’m here to free you, of course!”
I didn’t believe my ears. “You’re saying you’d free me? Even though my plan is to bring chaos to all of Equestria?”
“That’s exactly why I need to free you!” Monokuma sighed. “I need your help!”
“What exactly do you need my help with?” I asked in disbelief. “Don’t tell me you plan to free my just to use one of my horns to open a can.”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said?!” Monokuma miffed. “Your plan is to bring chaos to all of Equestria, right?”
If I wasn’t already, I would’ve frozen in shock. “You’re saying that you also what to bring chaos to Equestria?”
Monokuma put a paw to his chin. “Sort of… What I’m looking for isn’t exactly chaos, but it does bring chaos.” The bear giggled. “My goal is something much more interesting.”
At this point, I was very interested. “What exactly is your goal?”
“My goal is…” The bear opened his mouth again. “Despair.”
I paused. “Despair?” I repeated. “What exactly do you mean?”
“I mean despair,” the creepy bear replied. “That dreadful feeling you get when things go wrong, that awful pit in your stomach when you know something bad is happening…” The bear cackled. “That beautiful feeling of despair!” Monokuma extended his paw to me. “I need your help to spread that lovely despair- and chaos, of course- all across Equestria!” He giggled. “Upupu, think about it! Ponies will turn against each other, countless ponies will be killed, and the two of us will have caused it all!”
I consider his offer for a moment. I could finally reach my ultimate goal if I agreed. On the other hoof (or claw, in my case), I had to think about the possibility of being defeated again, and this time, the punishment could be even worse. I thought for a moment.
…No, I thought to myself. I won’t be defeated again. I’ve learned from my mistakes. I grinned at the monochrome teddy bear. “Where do I sign up?


“Sister…!” Princess Luna called, bursting into the throne room. “Sister, Discord-”
“I know, Luna,” Celestia interrupted. “I already sensed his absence, as well as a great force of evil accompanying him.
“Sister, what do we do?” Luna cried worriedly. “This is too much for Twilight and her friends to handle!”
Celestia took in a deep breath. “I’m… not sure, Luna,” She sighed. “There’s really only one option I can think of.” She stood up, and began walking toward the door. “Follow me, Luna.”
Celestia and Luna’s hoofsteps were the only sound that could be heard as they walked through the castle halls. Neither sister said a word as they approached a tall door. It was unlike the other doors in the castle.
“I’ve… never been in this room before,” Luna remarked, looking at the door with fascination. “What’s in here?”
Celestia wordlessly opened the door in answer to her sister. The room was dark, save for a few candles Celestia had lit upon entering. Aside from said candles, the room was empty. The only remarkable thing that appeared in this room was a scroll hanging on the back wall.
“Sister…” Luna whispered. “Is this some sort of spell?”
Celestia nodded. “This spell has been passed down in our family for many years,” she began. “Though I never thought we’d have to use it.”
“What kind of spell is it…?” Luna asked, walking toward the back wall.
“If I remember correctly,” Celestia said, “This is the spell to summon beings from another universe.”
Luna’s head whipped around to face her sister. “Another universe? Whatever do you mean, sister?”
“You will see in due time, Luna,” Celestia said, walking over to join her sister. “Please, write to Twilight about this.”
Before Luna left the room, she could see her sister’s horn glowing brightly.