//------------------------------// // CH-8: It Begins // Story: A Discorded Love (My Little Pony/Discord) // by JasminePosey //------------------------------// "IT'S MARIA!!" Pinkie Pie bellowed into the microphone. She celebrated in her hot air balloon, jumping and dancing and making it bounce up and down like a deranged yo-yo. "Maria won! Maria beat Rainbow Dash! Somepony beat Rainbow Dash!!" she sang, and Rainbow Dash and I looked at each other in shock. "I what?!" I panted. "She what?!" Rainbow shrieked. The crowd roared my name. Twilight and the others celebrated, and I caught Apple Jack tipping her hat to me. I beamed proudly. Against all odds, I had beaten Rainbow Dash. And it was mostly thanks to Discord. Wait...what happened to Discord? 'Discord?' I thought. 'You still there?' "It seems we'll be seeing each other soon," he said. 'What do you mean?' I received no answer. 'Discord?' Still nothing. "That was amazing," Rainbow said quietly. I turned to her in surprise. "Y-you're not mad that I beat you?" I asked. She sat down on a nearby cloud and stared at the ground. "I'm a little upset, but that's just 'cause I'm competitive. I'm more impressed at how awesomely you beat me, though." She began to hover in front of me, a small smile playing on her lips. "How'd you do it? I was so sure that I would win...but then you just...how'd you do it?" "Um, I guess it's just beginner's luck," I lied. I dare not mention Discord. "Beginner's Luck? Well, you've got some luck there," she said with a slight tease. I smiled. "I'm glad to have raced you," she held out her hoof with a confident Rainbow Dash smile. I gave her my own little smile and took her hoof in my hand, or paw, if there's reason to be specific about it. We shook, then descended down to the meadow where the rest of the Mane 6 waited anxiously. As soon as my feet touched the soft grass, I was bombarded by ponies. Every pony began talking at once. "Great job, Maria!" Twilight beamed. "I knew ya could do it!" Apple Jack whooped. "You were absolutely marvelous, darling," Rarity complimented. "SHE WAS AWESOME!" Pinkie Pie cheered. "She was like 'whoosh!' and Rainbow Dash was like 'whoosh!' and I was like "It's Maria-It's Rainbow Dash!' And Maria won!" "Good job, Maria," Fluttershy said quietly. I giggled. "Thanks girls," I said. "But I couldn't have done it without you all cheering me on," "I know! That's why I was like-" "I think we've got it, Pinkie," Twilight said. "Well, this has been fun and all, but I need some rest," Rainbow Dash yawned. "Wait!" Pinkie cried. "I have to throw a 'Congratulations!' party for Maria!" "There's been enough partying for one day, sugar," Apple Jack said. "Besides, I'm sure Maria is plum tuckered out from her first day here," "But wait," Twilight said, "Maria doesn't have anywhere to sleep," "She can stay with me in Cloudsdale," Rainbow suggested. "Or stay with me at the Library?" said Twilight. "She can stay in the ol' shack at Sweet Apple Acres!" Apple Jack blurted. "It's no longer used fer storage, and Big Mac was thinkin' 'bout tearin' it down. What'cha think, Maria?" "I appreciate how you all want to give me a place to stay, but-" "But nothin'," Apple Jack interrupted me. "I can assure ya it's no trouble with you makin' yerself at home in that ol' shack," "Well," I said, "if you insist." "It's settled then!" she nodded. "Well, I'll see you girls tomorrow then. I've got to get back to the library," Twilight said. "See you guys!" Rainbow called as she flew off towards her home. Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie said their farewells as well, each going their separate ways. "We best be headin' off," Apple Jack said, trotting off in the direction of the farm. "There she is," Apple Jack said. I looked at it critically. It was a dark brown, with rusty nails and old wood. It was decent sized, about half the size of Apple Jack's red barn. It leaned dangerously to the side, and looked on the verge of collapsing. The roof was patched. "Well, what do ya think?" "Well...it's a shack..." I said. I carefully opened up the wooden door. An overwhelming smell of rotting and moldy wood hit me, and I gagged. Forcing myself to breathe through my mouth, I took a few careful steps inside. There was an old hay pile in the corner, and bugs crawled along the walls. I shivered in disgust. The floor was dusty, and cobwebs were everywhere. I could've sworn that something crawled about in the shadows. I retreated back outside to the orange pony. "I'll admit, I wasn't expecting something like this, but I guess it'll do," "I know it's a bit old, but I recon you can use that fancy magic of yers ta fix 'er up," Apple Jack suggested. "Oh yeah!" I said. "I totally forgot," I took a few steps back, picturing a comfortable place to live in. It didn't have to be big; the size was just fine. However, rusty nails and rotting wood didn't bode well with me. I suddenly thought of a design, then snapped. With a poof, a brand new shack appeared in the place of the old one. The roof was repaired, and the small building now stood upright. The horrid smell disappeared, being replaced with a flowery, clean smell. I smiled, and Apple Jack gasped. "I'll have to remember this when we need ta fix up the barn," Apple Jack whistled. Then, she yawned. "Well, see ya tomorrow, Maria. Best be gettin' some shut-eye, cause we'll be up early tomorrow," "Okay. Thanks Apple Jack," I called after her as she trotted off in the direction of her home. I turned back to mine. This was temporary as well, seeing as I was accompanying the Lord or Chaos in his plot to once again take over Equestria. There's not a doubt in my mind that the ponies would trust me enough to let me live among them after this all blows over. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if I was captured in stone along with him. That is, unless... My thoughts were dashed when I was overcome with a heavy fatigue. I opened the door to the newly repaired shack, and looked around. It looked like an apartment really, with a small living space, kitchen, and a short hallway which no doubt lead to my bedroom. It amazed me to see that this tiny shack held even this seemingly small space. I reminded myself that not everything about my powers made sense. Even so, I took a quick look at everything. The living space had a small couch, in which sat in front of a coffee table, and that gave way to a flat screen TV. How this even got here, I'll never know. Maybe I can produce things that don't even exist here? I shrugged off the thought-provoking detail and strolled down the hallway to my room, located near a bathroom that was complete with a shower and some essentials. I opened the door to my bedroom and gasped. It resembled my former bedroom in my world. I walked about the room absentmindedly. The closet held my regular clothes, and my bed looked exactly how I had left it when I woke up that morning. The morning of the day I was pushed into this world. As I sat on the bed, I ran my fingers across the spread. It was a quilt my late grandmother had made from numerous scraps of cloth. A lone tear trailed down my cheek as I recalled my former life, and all I unintentionally left behind. I grabbed a pillow and buried my face into it and sobbed. Never had I realized how miserable I was. The tears I never knew I was holding back were released. Soon, my pillow was soaked with tears, and I was exhausted. Still, I felt a lot better. Laying down, I covered myself with my blanket, falling asleep quickly. "Rise an' shine, every pony!" Apple Jack hollered. I groaned sleepily, rolling over. The digital clock read 5:30 AM. I groaned once more and covered my head with my pillow. They didn't need me out there this early. I could sleep in for a few...more...hours.... Knock, Knock, Knock! "C'mon Maria!" Apple Jack said happily. I ignored her call, pretending to be asleep. Knock, Knock, Knock "C'mon!" she persisted. "We need yer help with harvestin' the fields!" she said. I sat up, yawning. I slumped out on my room and opened the door. The country pony flashed me a smile. "Good, you're up," "Why do you need my help?" I practically growled. With my mane a rat's nest, my eyes half opened, and my patience a thin line, I'm sure I was just delightful. "I told y'all ta get some sleep," she smiled. "Apple Bloom had a school field trip today to the castle, and Granny Smith got another Charley horse, so we're down two ponies. But I recon with you here, you'll be able to give us a hoof with all the chores," "But why so early," I moaned, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes. "It's just natural fer the Apple Family to be up before the rooster crows," in the distance, a crow sounded. Apple Jack nodded towards the sound. "See?" "I see," I mumbled. "Just give me a few minutes to freshen up," "Alright," she said. "I'll be waitin' out here for ya," I nodded turning and shutting the door behind me. I grumbled under my breath. "Getting up early for chores? Stupid rooster needs to learn to sleep late. In fact, the whole family needs to learn how," I found myself in my bathroom, and I peered into the mirror, grimacing at the mess that was my hair. I snapped, making a brush appear in my claw. I ran the bristles through my tangled curls, cringing at the slight pinch as it tugged at my head. Next, I splashed some cool water over my face. It was refreshing, and I was able to be fully awake. Brushing my teeth was a quick task, and I fixed my room with a simple snap of my fingers. Since I was able to do anything at the snap of my fingers, I didn't worry about the chores. I was still a bit irritated at being woke up early, though. And I don't know why Apple Bloom gets to pass on chores just because of some field trip. Wait. A field trip? Today? Then that would mean... My heart leaped into my throat as the puzzle pieces fit together. Discord's release was today! Talk about bad timing. I took a few deep breathes, wrapping my mind around the fact that chaos would be unleashed in less than a few measly hours. The King of Chaos would soon put his plan of ruling Equestria into play. And I was the accomplice. His partner. I wouldn't necessarily go as far as to say the Queen of Chaos, but in retrospect, it's obvious. The butterflies in my stomach soon turned to angry wasps. I suddenly thought of warning Celestia...but then again, I would ruin the entire story plot, and Lord knows what'll happen if that were to go down. No, I'd have to play along. I wouldn't tell any pony about what would happen. They'll find out just as they had in the TV series. I won't tell Discord about his capture, nor the ponies about the true hiding place of the Elements of Harmony. I'll simply be Discord's partner and hope that I don't mess things up too seriously. Besides, what could go wrong? "Like this, Apple Jack?" I called, wiping my lion paw over my forehead to catch the sweat. Apple Jack refused to let me use my magic to get any of the chores done. ("It ruins the original process," she had explained.) The apple-bucking pony looked up from the apples she had bucked from the tree. "Yer doin' just fine, Maria!" she replied with a quick glance in my direction. I stretched, trying to relieve my aching muscles. Since I didn't have the leg power to buck apples, I was given the task of plowing the fields. Big Macintosh accompanied Apple Jack in bucking apples. I had just finished plowing my second row, and several hours had already passed. Apple Jack assured me that I would only have to plow three rows, since it took me so long, then went on to comment that she could plow the entire field in less than two hours without breaking a sweat. Needless to say, I didn't feel any better. "Keep on plowin' Maria!" Apple Jack cheered me on. "There's lots more ta be done!" I groaned, taking my place at the back of the plow. I pushed with all my might in a desperate effort to get the task done. An hour and a half passed and I was finished with the row. I took a seat under one of the apple trees, trying to catch my breath. It was about noon, and Apple Bloom had yet to return. I kept my eyes on the clear blue sky, looking for a stray pink cloud or something out of the ordinary. "Nice job, Maria," Apple Jack trotted up to me. "They're a little crooked, but fer a first-timer, it's not so bad," "Thanks, Apple Jack," I smiled. I leaned back against the tree, making a hand fan appear. I waved it with my tail to make a small breeze, closing my eyes in bliss. "There's still a few chores we gotta do," she said. "The hay needs harvesting for one thing," "Hay?" I asked tiredly, opening one eye and frowning a bit. "Yep. Follow me," I sighed, standing and following the orange pony. She lead me to a large field with tall grass. I looked at it in defeat. "And I can't use my magic to harvest it?" she shook her head with a small smile, handing me a scythe. "Most of this here hay is transported to Canterlot. Can't have it's taste ruined by fancy magic," "I thought you'd say that. So how long will this take us by hand, er-hoof?" I asked. "Well, it might take a new pony like yerself about two hours at least," she said. "Best be gettin' started if you wanna be done by lunch time," she turned to leave. "Wait, aren't you gonna help?" I asked. "Sorry, sugar cube, but the corn field is ripe for the pickin', and Big Mac's out in the town to get some things for Granny Smith," she said apologetically. "I'll try to be back soon ta help, alright?" "Alright," I said, faking a smile. When she was out of range, I growled, muttering under my breath. I approached the midst of the dry grass and began to use the scythe to cut it down. I swung the tool around, cutting down a bunch of stalks, then took another swing. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I was about to swing a third time when a funny sensation hit my nose. I immediately dropped the tool, holding my nose. "No," I said with a nasal accent. "I will nod sneeze no madder whad," After a minute had passed, I released my nose. The sensation dimmed considerably, and the urge to sneeze was minimal. I sighed, trying to avoid breathing through my nose. I reached down to pick up the scythe, and an itch began in the back of my throat. I closed my mouth, coughing into my fist. The heat was building up in my lungs, and I summoned a glass of water to drown it. Unfortunately, it made my condition worse, and I fought to keep from coughing too hard, whilst trying to escape the field. I hadn't learned to teleport, and I wasn't about to try it now, for fear that I would screw up something else. Ironically, as I found my way out of the field, the urge to cough and sneeze disappeared. I pinched the bridge of my nose. My eyes glanced over the sky, which was still clear. Shaking my head in disappointment, I turned back to the field, not daring to reenter it. However, my nose began to tickle, and I couldn't hold back the wallop of a sneeze that I had tried to hold back. My body tensed as I sneezed, releasing a large stream of fire into the field of grass. The flames quickly engulfed the field, but I found myself stuck, mesmerized by the majestic flames that danced gracefully in front of me, putting on a grand show of red and yellow, merging some into a light orange. It was a beautiful sight. I was caught up in the show, at least, until a certain someone appeared in front of me. "Well, well, well, it seems we've met again, Miss Firestone..."