Somehow, David knew he was dreaming.
He didn’t know why or how but, for some reason, he was fully conscious and aware of the fact that he was asleep. He also knew who was responsible.
“DISCORD!” David shouted at the heavens. “SHOW YOURSELF!”
Nothing happened.
David stared at the heavens for what seemed like eternity, this had to be the work of Discord, who else could do … this?
The air was hot and cold at the same time, the sun shone down on David heating up the land and him. A cool wind blew-too cold; it was as if the balance of the world-the harmony, had been destroyed.
The land was barren; a stretch of red, scorched rock was all that could be seen. Not a single living thing for miles on end. No Tress, no plants no animals, no water, no life. It was a post-apocalyptic world. Either that or it was hell, David couldn’t decide.
Silence, David prowled the landscape looking for … something, life, civilization, hell, he’d even settle for death. At least that would show that this … hellhole once harbored the seeds of life. But David found nothing.
David looked to the sky, ignoring the sun and moon-which wasn’t easy-and gazing at the sky itself; a ashy-grey expanse of grey clouds-or smoke, that covered the sky. Light shone from the sun and moon-which didn’t make sense because the moon required the sun’s light to shine, if the sun wasn’t behind the moon-not directly behind though,- it wouldn’t shine. Plus, the moon seemed to be emitting light.
“What the hell?”
David turned around to see Spike-no, Stephan, wait no- oh forget it. You know, from now on I’ll just call him Stephan from now on. ‘Cause ‘Spike’ sounds like a dog’s name.
“What in the name of Celestia-?” Stephan’s eyes widened when he saw David, who flashed the peace-sign at him like; ‘sup.’ “David? What is-?”
He was cut off by a sudden flash of light that nearly blinded David.
David blinked; his eyes were slowly readjusting to the low light. When they finally adjusted he saw who’d seemingly teleported in front of him; it was the Mane Six.
“Oh, that’s great. Just … freaking, great, really,” David grumbled. He turned to Stephan with a mocking smile. “Gents, the day is saved,” David drawled, he turned to Twilight and exaggerated a fake bow. “Thanks to the mighty … Princess Twilight.”
“Alright, that’s it!” Rainbow Dash snapped, balling her fists. “You’re so freaking dead!” She half-ran, half-walked over to David, who sneered at her preparing for a fight.
“Oh, I’m so scared! What’re you going to do, blast me with rainbows? Give me a break.” David taunted, he was about to charge at Rainbow, but Stephan got in the way.
“Wow, calm do guys!” Stephan protested stepping in between David and Rainbow Dash. “We got bigger problems than your … uh, rivalry.”
“Yeah, in case you haven’t noticed Dash, we’re in the middle of nowhere!” The red-haired girl pointed out- uh, what was her name again? Whatever, David thought dismissively. It doesn’t matter.
“Humph!” Rainbow Dash said, scowling. She muttered some unintelligible words under her breath-though David couldn’t hear her, he was almost certain she was cursing him.
“Ah reckon, this is what that Discord, fella was a’ talkin’ about.” Apple-jacked –or whatever her name was.
“Ya think?” David muttered.
Stephan scowled. “Yeah, but, where’s Discord? He should be here- wherever we are.” He turned to David, his scowl replaced by a musing frown. “You’re the new Lord of Chaos, and Discords been crashing in your head, do you know where he is?”
David gave him a deadpan stare. “If I knew, he would be here already spilling the beans. As it is,” he glared at the heavens. “That snake will show up, no doubt with some dramatic-”
BOOM!
A pure-black thunder bolt cuts through the sky, blowing a ten-foot wide area in front of the teens. Debris flew in all directions, David dropped to the ground shielding him as best he could from the shrapnel.
“What on earth is happening?”
“We’re under attack!”
“What in tarnation?”
“What the hell?”
“Ugh, dirt!”
“What in Celestia’s name is going on?”
“The mole-people have rising against us! RUN!”
“Son of a-”
The dust cleared unnaturally quick revealing the Lord of Chaos him self- Discord.
“Watch the language.”
David stumbled back-Discord had popped into existence right in from of him. David gaped at the chimera, dumbstruck, before regaining his wits. Rage pulsed through him, David hated being made fun of, and that’s clearly what Discord was trying to do. David opened his mouth furiously to retort-or insult, or both- but Rainbow Dash beat him to the punch.
“What hell, do you think you’re doing?!” Rainbow screamed in Discords face, she looked like she’d gone psycho. Her face was red; she’d balled her fists so tight her veins were bulging against her skin like ropes. That-disturbingly- reminded David of Andrew, the kid who’d been driven insane by Starswirl.
“Why Rainbow Dash, I’m answering your questions of course! Is that any way to treat one of Twilight’s dearest friends?”
“Don’t give me that bullshit!” Rainbow Dash snarled, she looked close to snapping and charging at Discord.
“Rainbow Dash, there’s no need for that language!” Rarity protested, glaring at Rainbow, her hands on her hips.
“Calmma, down! Ya know Discord’s here to tell us what-” Applejack began, chastising, but Discord ignored her.
“Such lies Rainbow!” Discord said smirking, instantly David was on guard, he knew Discord well enough to know when he was planning something. David shared a nervous glance with Stephan before turning his attention back to Discord. “I haven’t given you any bullshit, but if you really want it …”
Rainbow Dash took a step forward, growling and balling her fists in what was supposed to be a threatening move. And it would have been fairly intimidating-not to David though- if she hadn’t stepped in a pile of cow scat.
For a long moment nobody said anything, not even Discord, who simply smirked triumphantly. The Mane Six (minus Rainbow Dash) stood in silence, staring at Rainbow Dash’s foot which was firmly implanted in … well, you know.
Spike stared, wide-eyed and surprised. And David … well, he too just stared, nobody said or did anything for what seemed like eternity.
Rainbow Dash was the first to act, without saying anything she pulled her foot out of the pile of … ah, you know. Her foot made a loud squelching sound as she tugged it out of the pile of waste.
That was too much for David, when he caught Stephan’s eye the two of them burst into laughter. David was laughing so hard, clutching his gut that he didn’t even notice that Pinkie was laughing with him and Stephan.
“Shut-up!” Rainbow yelled at them, blushing fiercely. “That’s … that’s not funny, stop laughing Pinkie Pie!”
It took awhile, but the three of them finally managed to stop laughing. I’m never going to forget that! David thought, snickering.
“Alright, cut it out guys.” The red-haired girl told them, though even she was smiling a bit. “That’s enough, calm down.”
After everyone had settled down, Discord began to float in the air- he wasn’t flying, that would require wing-power a Discord was not moving his wings. It was more like floating.
“Well, then, if your done squabbling,” Discord drawled. “I suppose I could explain everything to you as I promised. That is, if all of you want to?” Discord looked over the teens with a lazy, bored expression, as if informing teens about apocalyptic alternate universe’s was something he did often.
“Yes.” Twilight said, coldly. “And we also want to know why you didn’t do anything … traitor.” There was no anger in the last word, it was more like hurt. David wondered what exactly Discord did that was so awful. It couldn’t have been that bad, could it? I mean Discord doesn’t kill or torture people … right?
Discord mocking, smug smile disappeared and was replaced by a different expression; shame.
“I can only apologize for that so many times Twilight.” He muttered.
David couldn’t believed what he was hearing- except for the whole traitor thing, it honestly wasn’t hard for David to imagine Discord breaking Twilight’s- or anybodies-trust. But, Discord, apologizing? David would be less surprised if his pet dog, Ripper, had told him that he could grow wings and fly.
“And I can’t pretend I really believe you.” Twilight responded, sadly.
Discord sighed. “So be it.” Then he snapped his fingers and everything disappeared.
~
David cried out in shock. Where the ruins of some apocalypse once was, stood a massive, crowded city.
Hundreds of ponies were chatting, laughing and just do everyday things. It didn’t look like an apocalypse was going to happen anytime soon. And yet it is going to happen, soon. David mused, staring a laughing foal that was playing some game with his friends. Did they realize before the end? Did they know what was coming?
‘What was coming …’ What exactly was it that occurred? What on earth could cause so much destruction and death?
You’ll see … The voice of Discord whispered mysteriously in his ear, and for once, David wasn’t annoyed by Discord ‘mystic’, he was too preoccupied with anticipation for … something.
That’s what I’m afraid of.
“Where are you, Discord?” David wondered out loud. “What are you trying to show me?”
As if to answer the scene froze, a foal was in mid-jump reaching for his ball. A Pegasus mare was chatting with some unicorns with an excited smile on her face. It was as if time had frozen, tentatively-as if everything would disappear like an illusion- David inched his hand close to a glass of water upturned, the water frozen mid-fall like ice, except it wasn’t cold. Well, it was but it wasn’t like ice, it was cold and smooth like metal spheres- or pearls.
The scene flickered like it was … fluctuating. One second David was looking at a thriving Utopian society, the next he was stranded in hell.
“Oh, enough with the goddamn drama!” David grumbled. “Just get on with it.”
Drama?! I worked hard on this dream; it’s not easy making it as dramatic or cool-looking as I’ve done it!
I don’t give a mother-
Can you stop with the cursing already? It’s really annoying and-
I have freaking idea how you’re talking in my brain, Twilight Sparkle. But I request you shut your mouth, before I shut it for you.
Must you be so rude?
Can you cut the crap? Were stuck in some … malfunctioning version of Canterlot, and you two are yapping like bunch of morons!
David shocked, Stephan, his-dare he say it?-friend was losing his patience with David. Then again-when he thought about it, David decided he couldn’t blame Stephan.
Calm you tit’s Spiky, can’t you see me and your girlfriend are trying to have an uncivilized conversation here!
The scene fluctuated again, except this time the rest of the mane six appeared along with the post-apocalyptic Equestria, sadly they (minus Stephan of course) didn’t leave with it.
Stephan’s face was red; he looked angry and embarrassed at the same time. Stephan looked like he was about to say something but his girlfriend- Vanity, or whatever her name is- interrupted.
“Uncivilized?!” She shrieked, balling her fists. Her face so red that David was worried (read: hopeful.) that her head might explode. “I-you- I mean-The nerve! Me?! Uncivilized?! I … I-ugh!”
Rarity stomped her foot in frustration and anger. It was all David could do to hold in his laughter.
“I-She-I mean- She’s not my girlfriend!” Stephan shouted, but he looked more embarrassed than angry. “I have never even … you know!” Stephan covered his face with his hands as if to shield himself from the embarrassment David had inflicted upon him.
“If you’re done talking about Spikey’s girlfriend, perhaps we can get back on track?” Discord commented. His voice was disembodied; it seemed to be emitting from all directions and it seemed as if multiple Discord’s were speaking simultaneously. David wondered why Discord wasn’t using his ‘telepathy’ thing.
Never mind, I think I figured it out.
Suddenly the ‘Mane Six’, Stephan and David found themselves in a frozen wasteland. David took back any complaints he had about the weather before, it was actually pretty nice compared to … This.
It was freezing cold. David didn’t know how he felt the cold in a dream even though he shouldn’t have-then again, he didn’t know how he felt the temperature before either- but apparently, nobody told Discord that. So David and the Moron-Six were stuck in Equestria’s version of the Antarctic. Even worse, they were all in their regular ‘Street-Clothes’, instead of jackets and coats.
“Alright, back to our little story …Over a thousand years ago, Boogie-man returned from his icy tomb.”
The ice a few meters away from Spike exploded, bits of ice-shrapnel flew in all directions, David and the others scrambled for cover.
A pony with an ashy-grey coat, and tar-black hair-or is it mane?-and tail rose out of the icy water. He was part shadow part pony, his form hissed smoked and flickered, but his eyes remained closed. The wind suddenly picked up, swirling around the pony, whose form seemed to be more like smoke by the second. Hate, rage and greed seemed to radiate from him; David felt a surge of senseless rage. He wanted to scream, to kick something, most of all he wanted to … kill the people who had done him wrong; Starswirl and his associates.
David shook his head, these weren’t his thoughts, and he was being manipulated.
The winds picked-up until they were whipping across the tundra like a hurricane. The pony’s eyes snapped open. The stallion’s-David assumed it was a stallion- eyes were green, with blood-red irises and green mist trailing from them. BOOM! With a force like a shotgun the stallion body exploded into black mist, which flew across the tundra, almost as if it was … alive.
“What the hell?” David and Rainbow said, simultaneously. They turned and glared at each other as if accusing each other of plagiarism.
“So … wha’ just happened?” Applejack asked, nonplussed. “’Cause it looked ta’ me like … Well, like sumthin’ real bad is a’going on.
“Wow,” David sneered at her. He felt so … angry. He didn’t know why but he just did. “A Real freaking genius you are, aren’t ya Einstein?”
Applejack’s face turned red, she balled her fists and glared at David. “You shut yer mouth!” She snapped at him.
“And if I don’t?” David sneered; rage was coursing through him, egging him on. “What are you going to do huh?”
“Shut up!” Rainbow snapped at him, balling up her fists. “Just shut your stupid mouth or we’ll-“
“Or you’ll do what?” David demanded, his mocking sneer never leaving his face. “Ask Twilight to save the day with your oh-so-special; ‘Magic of Friendshp’? How convenient it is, that Twilight’s always here to save the day while all of you,” David gestured to the rest of the ‘Mane Six’. “-conveniently don’t have to do anything while she deafest all of your enemies. Your nothing but a lazy son of a-“
Rainbow Dash’s fist slammed into David’s face.
David stumbled back a bit, shocked. But that shook soon turned into anger and a thirst for vengeance. David rushed forward and punched Rainbow Dash in the face as hard he could, five minutes later David and Rainbow were rolling in the icy tundra punching and kicking each other as hard as they could, the rest of the ‘Mane Six’-including Spike this time- stared in shock, too dumbstruck to do anything.
Then Applejack snapped out of her stupor. “Wha’ are you two doing?” She shouted angrily as she struggled to pull David and Rainbow apart.
“She started it!” David snarled, struggling against Stephan-who had stepped in to help Applejack.
“What are you, seven years old?” Stephan growled as he held David by his hands, struggling to pull him away from Rainbow Dash.
“Let me go, Applejack!” Rainbow Dashed growled, struggling against Applejack as she was pulled away from David.
“Rainbow Dash! Why on earth would you go and do something like that?!” Rarity demanded, shrilly. “Where are your manners?!”
“Don’t even try to lecture me.” David growled at Stephan, whose face was red from the effort it took too restrain David.
“Are you done?” The voice of Discord drawled. “Or will there be more childish fights for me to watch, honestly, I find them quit entertaining.”
“Shut up and continue with the story.” Rainbow Dash growled.
“But, how can I ‘shut-up’ yet still continue-?”
“You know what I mean, freak.” Rainbow Dash snapped.
“Alright, back to the story. Like I was saying Sombra rose from his icy tomb, bent on revenge-“
“They always are.” David murmured.
“-on the ones who had imprisoned him.” Discord continued ignoring David’s comment. “But he was too weak to challenge the princesses outright, so he bid for time possessing ponies, forcing them to do his dirty work.”
Suddenly, the teens were in the slums of Canterlot, a living shadow was watching a unicorn stallion plant flowers, the shadow flew into the horn-and presumably in the brain-of the stallion, whose iris shrunk to pinpricks, before turning blood red, with slits for pupils, and green aura covering the whites of his eyes. The stallions initial shocked expression turned to one of insane glee.
“As Twilight has already told you Sombra took the Elements out of the equation, then he possessed one particular unicorn …”
The scene changed showing a light-purple unicorn. The unicorn had spiky yellow hair, streaked with grey, covering its left eye. Its tail was similarly spiky and long, with the same yellow color-except it didn’t have the grey streaks.
But it was the unicorn’s eyes that actually indicated anything unusual about him; His irises were blood red, glazed over with insane glee.
Sombra, David thought, feeling nauseous. This has something to do with Sombra.
“He’s doing it isn’t he?” a familiar voice said. “He is- he was, possessing that unicorn … like … like he did with me.”
Blood roared in David’s ear as he turned to see the boy who tried to kill him; Andrew.
“What the hell is he doing here?!” David roared.
“He’s here because he deserves to understand as well, David Blaze.” Discord growled, which-with his disembodied voice-sounded pretty … unnerving.
“He tried to kill me!” David protested, glaring at the blonde, who gulped and stepped back eyeing David nervously. “I should kick his-“
“Yes he tried kill you!” Discord snarled, the anger in his voice catching David of guard. “He tried to kill you because the scumbags who took your memory drove to the brink of insanity! He has as much right to know what’s going on as you.”
David bit his lip, and scowled. But he couldn’t argue with Discord on that.
“Fine.” David said coolly, before turning to sneer in Andrew’s face. “But if he tries to kill me again, I’ll break his neck.”
Andrew paled, he turned to Discord-as if asking for help, but Discord simply nodded.
“That’s seems fair enough,” Discord said, in a radically calmer voice, it was like there was a different person speaking. A cooler, calmer, more rational Discord. I wonder if Discord has a split personality disorder. David thought. No, never mind. I don’t wanna know.
“Sombra sent his little ‘puppet’ on a killing spree murdering hundreds of thousands of ponies.”
The hooded unicorn snuck up on a grey stallion that was closing his shop, a large three-meter black scythe hovered next to the stallion’s throat. The stallion turned saying,
“What the-?” The shop-owner never got to finish his sentence, in flash of silver and crimson he was dead. Lying on the ground with a pool of blood surrounding him, his eyes wide and shocked, yet also glazed over with undeniable death.
Everyone else, turned away. David didn’t, he never even flinched, and he just stared at the dead stallion before turning his gaze to the hooded murderer.
“Who the hell is this psychopath?” David asked disgustedly.
“This is Starfire, he was a normal unicorn colt … until the day Sombra broke him, filling his mind with horrific images or ruin and death, soon he could control the colt with ease murdering hundreds of ponies after he deceived Twilight into sealing her friends in the Tree of Harmony. This-along with the disappearance of her prized pupil and her friends-put a tremendous amount of stressed on Celestia.”
The scene changed showing an alicorn with a white coat and floating rainbow mane and tail. She would have looked regal, if it wasn’t for the bags under her eyes, the tension in wings-which were pulled back in a attempt to look confident- and the sheer despair in her eyes. The signs of despair, anger, and sheer hopelessness were present in every form. When Celestia spoke, it sounded hollow and cold. When she was alone-without soldiers of nobles-she’d stare blankly out the window, as if waiting for something.
“Wh-what happened to her?” Twilight said her voice barely above a whisper.
“What do you think?” David said, flatly. Twilight glared at him, her eyes were welling up with tears, and-despite her glare, she looked more sad than angry.
“I wasn’t asking you.” Twilight muttered. She said you with so much contempt that if David wasn’t so uncompassionate, he would apologized. As it is, he did look away without a snarky comment.
“All the stress from leading Equestria, to deal with the murder reports and the terrible situation her kingdom was in, took its toll, weakening Celestia. Until a unicorn stallion was framed for being the murderer who’d killed all those ponies.”
The scene faded away, the majesty of Celestia’s throne-room was replaced by the cold, unforgiving wall of her dungeons. Celestia sat-or rather stood-on raised platform with a dark blue alicorn at her side.
“Shadow Star, you have been found guilty of unspeakable crimes against Equestria, you have been found guilty of murdering hundreds of retired royal guards and even, everyday citizens. Do you deny these charges?” Celestia asked-well, actually it sounded more like she was demanding him to answer.
“Yes, I do, Princess,” The defendant croaked; he was a unicorn stallion with a silver coat, streaked with blood. “I … I never killed those ponies, it was Starfire who-“
“Do you have any evidence?” Celestia asked, cutting him off. “Well?”
The silver unicorns face fell, his eyes widened with fear. “N-no, none, but my words Princess.” He stammered, nervously.
“Your word.” Celestia asked coldly. “The word of a murder and a liar.”
“I didn’t lie, uh, princess.” The unicorn replied, louder this time, sounding a little angry. “Every word I spoke is true and-“
“Silence.” Celestia said in deadly whisper, her eyes wide with rage and – Wait, what was that? David could of swore he saw Celestia’s eye’s flash with green. Horrified, and hoping his eyes were playing tricks on him her glanced at Andrew.
Andrews’s eyes were the size of saucer plates, his mouth wide open in mute shock and recognition.
It hit David in that moment, a wave of terror threatened to overcome him. It simply couldn’t be … but it was.
Celestia’s possessed by Sombra.
~
David stared out the window, having awoken from his little ‘nap’ after seeing what Celestia had done.
Bits and pieces of the end of the dream flashed in his mind, but one thing was certain. Celestia was the one who destroyed Equestria; she’d lost control of the sun and scorched the lands during her fight with Luna-who had fought against Celestia after the trial. Luna had retreated from Canterlot which was burned to the ground-literally. Though the dream had ended there David was able to piece together what happened afterword’s, but that wasn’t the strangest part, no, the strangest part was when he woke-up soaked in sweat with a note crushed in his right hand.
The note read; there’s another, a boy named Alex was also kidnapped and sent to Equestria; he’s in the Griffon Empire: Magnificum Imperium.
David stared the letter for seemed like eternity, trying to make sense of what was written. Jumbled emotion stirred in him, he couldn’t decide if he felt shocked, horrified or relived.
~
“Well, look who’s finally here, David the master magician!” Stephan joked, grinning. Stephan, the Mane Six and Andrew were waiting for him, all of them had backpacks slung over their shoulders and sleeping bags either attacked to their backpacks or help at their side. Someone could have mistook them for a bunch of friends going to a sleepover or something, the thought of something someone might think they were doing something so normal, made David want to laugh. The thought of what was too come in a few-weeks, month’s maybe?-shut him up.
“’Bout time you showed up.” Stephan said, way too cheerfully, and there was something … forced about that grin. “Well, what’re you all waiting for? Let’s go!” And with that he stepped through the portal like it was no biggie.
The others followed; all of them crossing the mirror barrier, every time it happened the air seemed to be displaced for a second, like a mirage, making it hard to see. After Fluttershy(who went with Rainbow Dash), Andrew and David were the only ones left.
Andrew stared at David like he wanted to say something but was too afraid to, he edged slowly to the mirror before turning to look at David one last time with fearful, apologetic eyes. Then he was gone, and David was alone.
For a second David considered bolting, running away as far as possible and leaving the whole ‘Saving the World’ thing to Twilight and her friends. He didn't ask to be sent to Equestria, far from it. But, he couldn't bring himself to abandon his friends again, he arrived as a stranger with no memory, they should have been suspicious but instead they welcomed him with-more or less-open arms. Even Eclipsed Blade’s cool demeanor didn't seem so annoying anymore, he’d been good guy (or stallion, whatever) in the end, hadn't he?
David took a deep breath and ran into the mirror-portal, cold and darkness engulfed him as he disappeared in a wink of light.