//------------------------------// // Discord's Lament // Story: A New Dimension, A New Threat // by ZeroChill //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash and Mono walked down a hallway where its walls are brimmed with gold and velvet ropes. Framed pictures of Equusians were hung upon the walls. “And that’s the H.O.R.S.E. Hall of Fame in a nutshell.” Rainbow Dash capped off with a prudent smile on her face. “Interesting. So many heroes who have done so much…” Mono stated. His eyes drifted towards a duo; one was a red dragon-like creature with yellow eyes and a brown head. His limbs and horns are an amalgamation of animal parts. Wrapped around his lion’s paw for an arm was a dark magenta earth pony filly with a puffy purple mane and tail. Her eyes were purple with hypnotic swirls. She had an orange and yellow-striped cap on her head. An image of a baseball and screw was present on her flank. They both had large grins on their faces. “Ummm… who are these two? They look a bit off.” Mono asked. “The dracoequus you see here is named Discord. That filly wrapped in his right arm is his daughter Screwball. These two are the terror on the field against the Van’Goth. So much so that we thought we would win solely by riding on the coattails of their success.” Rainbow Dash’s smile fell into a frown. She looked away from the image with half-lidded eyes. “Are they dead?” Mono questioned. “No. You can’t really kill them since they are technically immortal. But… Screwball was captured by the Van’Goth and, combined with him losing his wife, Discord has been heartbroken ever since.” Rainbow Dash responded. “Well, it couldn’t be that bad, could it?” The wall to their right collapsed in dust from a fast moving projectile. After the dust settled, the projectile was a black-coated earth pony stallion with yellow eyes and a vanilla-colored mane and tail. Discord walked through the hole in the wall with a scowl on his face and picked up the Stallion by his neck with his eagle’s talon. “What do you mean you couldn’t find Screwball?! I thought you said your sources knew where she is!” He shouted. “I’m sorry!” The stallion choked out. “The leads proved to be false! Just give me more time!” “Give you more time?! I’ve given you eight years to locate the whereabouts of my daughter! All what you prove to be is a disappointment after disappointment!” With his grip on the stallion’s throat tightening, Discord screamed. “Not so hard! I can’t breathe!” “Can’t breathe?! This is merely a fraction of how I felt each time I needed to wait for news on my precious daughter!” Discord tossed the stallion back through the hole. He sighed. “Useless. Every one of them is useless.” Mono extended his right paw out with a frown on his face. Rainbow Dash placed her right front hoof on his paw and lowered it, shaking her head. “Not a good idea to talk to him.” Discord’s ears perked up at her voice. He turned around, fixating his gaze on Mono. “I believe we haven’t met before. You must be one of those Pokémon that Celly keeps yammering on about, right? I’m sure Dashie told you my name already, but I’ll still introduce myself.” He cleared his throat and snapped his eagle’s talons. A sign appeared above his head with his name flashing in rainbow neon colors. An unenthusiastic ‘yay’ escaped from his mouth. “Ummm… you don’t seem that cheery for someone who looks like he or she should be cheery.” Mono commented. “What do you know?” Discord groaned out. “If you experienced even half of the things I’ve experienced, you wouldn’t be so cheery either.” “I can’t say that I understand the pain of losing a significant other or not being able to see your daughter any more. But, I do understand the pangs of losing a loved one.” Mono said. Discord hummed. A monocle appeared in a veil of smoke over his right eye. He gazed into Mono’s right eye. “So you do. Lost your parents at the young age of eight. Kind of the same thing that my little Screwball had to go through except she never knew her mother.” “That… must be very tough for her.” With his teeth clenched and his eyes shifting left and right, Mono stated. “Being captured is also very tough on her. It is also incredibly tough on me. Do you understand why I am unhappy?” With arms crossed, Discord questioned. “Very much. But… that doesn’t exactly give you reason for taking out your frustration on others like that.” “And I say it does. It’s a bit of stress relief on my trembling nerves. You’ll understand when you have children one day.” A sad sigh slipped through Mono’s lungs while he shook his head. “Look, what if my team and I help to look for your daughter? I’m not too entirely sure about locating her whereabouts, but our mission completion rate is great. I just don’t want to see you beat yourself or others up over this situation.” Discord scoffed and flipped his hand off. Rainbow Dash held her head back, clenched her teeth and sweat poured down her face. She cricked her neck and swiped her hoof across her neck with continuous strokes. “Just because your team’s mission completion rate is great does not mean you are able to do this arduous task for me. Many have tried and everyone failed.” Discord replied. “Then why don’t you go look for her? Don’t you have some unusual ability of being able to warp reality with your fingertips?” Mono asked with a sour voice. “What do you think I have been trying to do?! I scoured the entire world three times looking for her. I used every single one of my abilities from radars-“A table with green sonar and headphones materialized between Mono and Discord. “-to warping space itself to find my daughter! Those Van’Goth must have hidden her well to the point where none of my powers can aid me.” Discord’s vicious stare fell into a somber frown and eyes. He dropped down onto his elbows and knees. Sobs heard clearer than crystals and a waterfall of tears broke out of him. Mono frowned and stepped towards his side. He patted his shoulder. “You don’t need to feel like this. You may say that I will not be able to succeed, but I promise that I will find your daughter today. You can count on that.” Mono said with a smile. Rainbow Dash winced, groaned and smacked her face with her right front hoof. Discord floated from above the ground and hugged Mono. “You’re very stubborn about this, and I can appreciate that about you. I’m putting you in charge of looking for my daughter then.” With a snap of his lion’s paw, Discord vanished in a puff of smoke. Mono turned back towards Rainbow Dash, who shook her head with a disapproving motion. “I thought you were smart, Mono! No one, and I mean no one should ever make a deal like that with Discord! Now you are at the verge of his mercy.” “What’s the worst that can happen? I get flung around like that guy that Discord choked?” Mono said with an uneasy smile. “His innate power is greater than that of the council. Knowing him, he’d probably put you on some sort of torture device if you fail.” Rainbow Dash stated. Mono shut his mouth and stared into nothingness. His spine was gripped with icy fear. He hugged his shoulders and shuddered. “He couldn’t really put me in a torture device. It’s unethical… right?” “Normally, yeah it is unethical. But this is Discord we’re talking about. Last guy that failed looking for his daughter ended being put in an iron maiden. He survived, but the experience traumatized him enough to stay away from Discord.” Rainbow Dash answered. “What have I gotten myself into?” Mono whispered out. “Tell you what; I don’t want to see you end up like that poor sap, so I’ll help you look for Screwball.” Rainbow Dash offered with a smile. “That would be appreciated. Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” Mono, Lith and Rainbow Dash slugged their way through the bitter winds of the Glacial Drift. Everyone wore thick parkas, boots and multiple scarves. “So tell me why I’m doing this again? I don’t even know why I even agreed to this.” Lith asked with an irritated shiver in her voice. “The last report I’ve heard regarding Screwball was that a filly with a physical description similar to her was found in this region. Plus, if I don’t find her, Discord’s going to put me in something like an iron maiden.” Mono responded. “You can be too nice sometimes, Mono. But… I don’t want to see you on the receiving end of a pissed off dracoequus. But seriously? The Glacial Drift?” “How do you think I feel?! I can’t even put my wings out without them freezing like juice in a fridge.” Rainbow Dash stammered out. “I should have purchased that exo when I had the chance…” Mono whispered to himself. In the distance is a tall piece of blue vegetation in the rough shape of a lollipop. Its thick canopy and stalk stood tall against the winds. It had the circumference of a wide tower and small opening at its base. Rainbow Dash grinned underneath her scarf. “That place looks a bit warm. We should probably take a break and head there.” She suggested. “I guess we can use a bit of warmth. My ankles are freezing with these blistering winds.” Mono stated. “If what I know about plants like this is correct, then this really would be a good place to keep warm.” Lith added. The air within the tower steamed with heat pouring out of the floor. Mono, Lith and Rainbow Dash pulled on the multiple scarves around their neck. They shed off their excess clothing and are brought down to their uniforms. Rainbow Dash sighed with delight and unfolded her wings. “Wow this place is amazing! How is it that something hot like this exists out here?” “I can explain that.” Lith answered. “We are inside what is known as a steam tree. Steam trees thrive in areas of extreme winds and generate their own heat through its roots with that wind. The steam we are seeing now is from the evaporation of water through the roots of the tree. The process helps to keep a steam tree moisturized and provides a safe haven for creatures.” “I didn’t know you knew about this plant, Lith.” Mono noted. “The Glacial Drift inspired me to look up some of the native fauna and flora. It is a dangerous continent after all.” “If Screwball is in the Glacial Drift, then could she be in one of these steam trees?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Not a bad guess, Rainbow Dash.” Mono stated. “She’s still warm-blooded and would want to seek comfort amidst a frozen land. If she is anywhere, she could be up at the canopy of this tree.” Lith turned her head to the left, revealing thick growths of vines along the walls that stretched towards unknown heights. “We can probably use these vines to climb up to the top.” “Since I have wings, I could fly my way to the top. I’ll keep your backs protected in case anything tries to sneak up on you.” Rainbow Dash offered. “I appreciate that gesture, Rainbow Dash. Hopefully, Screwball is up here.” Mono stated. A low moan echoed from within the tree. The walls of the tree spun with black energy, summoning black hunks of bipedal and animated stones that are top heavy. A deafening roar erupted from their mouths. “They couldn’t wait for us could they? Well, it’s a good thing I got my rifle.” Rainbow Dash said with a cocky tone, taking out her rifle from her sheathe and holding the butt on her shoulders. Three bullets fired out of the rifle. Each one dug into the kneecaps of the golems, causing the rest of the leg to crumble. Fire built up within Lith’s paw tips. A burst of embers erupted out of them and struck the row of golems before the group. “So that’s what the move looks like in combat.” Mono commented. “I call it Psycho Fire. As I’ve said before, it’s not too powerful but it gets the job done.” Lith explained, blowing the smoke off of her pawtips. Mono ran towards the group of burning golems, splitting his body into clones via Double Team. Wisps of shadow energy emanated from the golems. Three shockwaves burst out of the golem, destroying all of the clones and knocking Mono, Lith and Rainbow Dash against the wall. Their bodies shattered. “That… hurt more than I expected.” Mono groaned out. “That wasn’t like any move I ever seen. It felt super effective.” With her right paw rubbing her temple, Lith stuttered. “You’re telling me. I never felt a move like that hit me before.” Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash stated. “It’s almost as if those golems were using…” Mono’s eyes widened and suspense grasped his heart. “…Shadow moves.” “You can’t be serious, Mono. That project was dead for years!” Lith called out. “What are you two talking about? And why are you making it sound like some ‘in the know’ thing?” Rainbow Dash asked with an irate scowl. “Back in our world years ago, a criminal organization had succeeded in finding out the way to artificially close the hearts of Pokémon. These Pokémon, which were dubbed Shadow Pokémon, are stripped of all of their emotions and heart. Shadow Pokémon only care about inflicting violence on others. It was a huge topic back in our lab because it only displays the potential evils of science and cruelty against Pokémon.” Mono explained. “That sounds very screwed up. I mean, stripping a Pokémon of their heart and emotions? That’s low. But… why do these golems have access to moves like that?” Rainbow Dash questioned with worry present in her tone. “I have a theory, but I really hope it isn’t true. What if these golems are merely some sort of ability brought upon a reality warper whose heart was closed? It could only mean that Screwball is up here, but…” Lith paused in her words, unable to continue. “If that’s the case, then it would only break Discord’s heart if he finds out. I hope to Arceus that it isn’t true.” Mono stated. “Let’s climb up this tree as quickly as possible!” Rainbow Dash commanded. Lith’s paws poked above the edge of the cliff, lifting her up. With his head over the edge, Mono pushed himself upwards. Rainbow Dash landed on the ground at the top. Her eyes picked up the sight of Screwball amidst the shadowy portals within the canopy. “It’s her!” Mono shouted. Screwball made a slow turn around. Her swirling eyes strained with a dark malice. She growled. Spikes of shadow energy formed at the base of the edge. With a burst of energy in their system, Mono and Lith leaped over the pools of darkness that turned into black thorns upon thorns. “Are you two okay?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “We’re fine. But, that attack confirmed my suspicions; Shadow Rave can only be used by those who had their hearts closed through artificial means.” Lith stated. Rainbow Dash growled and held her rifle in position. She pulled the trigger, sending a Flamethrower towards Screwball’s direction. Screwball cracked a smirked and vanished from her spot. She reappeared by Rainbow Dash’s side and kicked her in the gut, knocking the wind out of her. Rainbow Dash found herself flying through the roof of the canopy. “Rainbow Dash!” Lith shouted. A virulent scowl formed on her face. She shot a Charge Beam towards Screwball. Screwball pulled down the space and time in front of her with her right hoof. The gap in dimensions ate the Charge Beam. A sudden gasp made its way out of Lith’s mouth. Mono observed space and time opening above Lith. He pushed her out of the path with Psychic, causing her to avoid the stream of lightning shooting downwards. He sprinted by Lith’s side, picking her up by her right paw. “Are you alright, Lith? Sorry for the sudden push.” He said. “I’m fine. I did not expect that to happen at all.” Lith responded. A broken and child-like fit of laughter burst from Screwball. A blob of shadowy energy formed on her right front hoof. She chucked it into the air, filling the inside of the canopy with shadows. A surge of purple rain cascaded upon the battlefield, touching the fur of Mono and Lith with a sizzle. The duo winced and went down on their knees. “This must be a Shadow Sky. I have no other explanation as to why it burns.” Mono noted with a quivering lip. Lith shot a Psycho Fire out of her pawtips that aimed towards Screwball. Screwball faded away into darkness, dodging the bolt of fire. She reappeared in front of Lith, rearing her right hind leg. She became held in a Psychic by Mono. With his paw extended out, Mono flung Screwball towards the wall with a hard thump. Screwball winced from the blow against her shoulder. Her eyes emanated with a red glow. She took out a knife and sliced the telekinetic aura around her, breaking it. “How was that even possible? She sliced through your Psychic like butter.” Lith noted. “I don’t know, but fighting her is like fighting a severely mad cartoon character that is high on power. It seems like we won’t be winning this fight.” Mono admitted. A loud roar of thunder echoed from above. Rainbow Dash crashed her way through the canopy with a rainbow aura around her and collided with Screwball. The resulting shockwave sent gusts of color throughout the area, turning the snow into the color of rainbow sherbet and reversing Mono and Lith’s colors. With the smoke subsided, Screwball and Rainbow Dash stood their ground with hardened gazed towards each other. Both of their bodies had scratches along the face, chest and legs. Screwball spat out a green liquid from her mouth and growled. Rainbow Dash held out her rifle and pressed a yellow charm upon it. The rifle hummed with a golden light. “You. Me. We’re doing it now!” With these words, she fired three bolts of yellow energy that hurdled towards Screwball. Screwball leaped into the air and roundhouse kicked them back towards Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash held her rifle out, absorbing the energy reflected back. “So energy attacks clearly don’t work on you. Looks like I’ll have to bring out the good ol’ fisticuffs.” She tossed her rifle to the side and stood on her hind legs. She dashed towards Screwball and launched her right front hoof across the cheek of her face. Screwball smirked and grasped Rainbow Dash’s right front hoof’s ankle with her left front hoof and twisted it out of its socket. Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened and her teeth shut closed. Screwball bashed her right hoof into Rainbow Dash’s right front knee, knocking the joint onto its other side. Fires of screaming pain erupted throughout Rainbow Dash’s right front leg. “Rainbow Dash!” Mono shouted, running towards the battling ponies. Rainbow Dash groaned and socked Screwball across her face with her left front hoof. Her right front leg limped on its side. “You think that rendering my right front leg useless would put me at a disadvantage? I’ve learned to fight with just my head!” She shouted, bashing her head into Screwball’s forehead. Screwball flinched and backed away from Rainbow Dash. Observing Mono and Lith run towards her side, she growled. She slipped into a portal of shadows and vanished. “She’s getting away!” Lith shouted, running towards the portal. “It’s too late, Mono. She got away.” Rainbow Dash warned. “Ummm… I’m over here, Rainbow Dash.” Mono said with a silent tone. Rainbow Dash chuckled. A twinge of pain surged up from her leg, causing her to grasp it with a tight grip. “Hold on, Rainbow Dash. I’ll get you up and better with a new move I learned myself.” Mono’s right paw ignited with a white sparkling light. “Just be careful about how you touch my leg. It’s hurting like a mother bucker!” Rainbow Dash shouted. Mono tapped Rainbow Dash’s right front knee, illuminating it with a white glow. Rainbow Dash’s facial expressions eased into a smile and her bones set themselves into their regular position. “How did I do? While my Heal Pulse was helpful, it only healed the wounds on the current state of body. The wounds would have been healed, but everything else would have remained. This move helps to restore the body to its original shape.” Mono stated. “Cool. What is it called?” “I think that Psycho Heal might be a good name for it until I can think up a better name. You should be able to move around normally now.” Rainbow Dash wiggled her right front leg and smiled. “Thanks for the treatment, Mono. But, I could have still flown my way out of here.” “Out of this blizzard?” Mono retorted. “Touché.” Lith shook her head and frowned. “We couldn’t bring Screwball back. I’m sorry.” She said. “It’s not a complete loss. I managed to place a chip on her when I struck her with my left front hoof. If she comes up again, we’ll know.” Rainbow Dash stated. “But… is Discord going to put me in an iron maiden for failing?” Mono whimpered out. “If he wants to put you in an iron maiden, then he’s going to have to put me in one as well! I won’t let you suffer that alone. I refuse to!” Lith stated with a resolute tone. “Make that the three of us. I won’t let Mono take the fall for this mission. After all, what kind of H.O.R.S.E. officer would I be if I just threw all of the faults on the two of you? A bad one, that’s what!” Rainbow Dash said. “Regardless, we still have pay our dues and face the music.” Mono, Lith and Rainbow Dash crossed through the gates of H.O.R.S.E. headquarters with uneasy frowns on their faces. Discord puffed into the area before the three with a frown on his face. “I assume that the three of you showing up empty-handed means that you failed with getting my daughter back.” He said with a serious tone. “There were several issues that happened with our mission, Discord. We actually found Screwball, but she attacked us.” Mono explained. “We tried to bring her back, but she escaped and left us empty-handed.” Lith added on. Discord’s stern expression softened up. His feet touched the ground. “She attacked you? That doesn’t sound like my Screwball at all. The Screwball I know and love would never provoke an attack.” “Well that’s what happened! Apparently, Mono and Lith said something about her heart being artificially closed.” Rainbow Dash stated. “Wait wait wait. Repeat that last part again.” Discord stated with his hands shaking away. “Did you say that her heart was artificially closed?” “It’s what we said. Didn’t you say that the Van’Goth captured her?” Lith asked. Discord walked back several steps with his eagle’s talon over his chest. His eyes looked into the sky with a stunned expression. “They… closed her heart? They stripped away her ability to love and show compassion?” He broke down onto his knees and banged the ground with his clenched lion’s paw. He shut his eyes and teeth, holding back the tears in his eyes. He shook his head and a stream of tears flowed its way into the city. Mono frowned and walked by his side, patting his back. “I’m sorry about what happened, Discord. I really am. It must hurt bad to know that this is the fate of your daughter. But… I promise that we will get her back. Rainbow Dash managed to place a tracker on her before the last skirmish.” Discord’s cries have softened. He wiped his stray tears away with his eagle’s talon and looked towards Mono. “How do you ever plan on opening her heart? It’s almost impossible without a lot of love.” “I don’t know, but it will happen one day. And I hope that you will finally be reunited with your daughter.” Mono whispered. Discord stood up from the ground and looked into the sky with his frown curving upwards. “I’m going to… be alone for a while.” “So… am I going to be put in an iron maiden?” Mono asked. “Heavens no! Who put that thought into your head? I’m much more merciful than that.” Discord responded with an offended tone. “But, let me know when your thingamajig finds Screwball. Okay?” With these words, he vanished from the area. “So Rainbow Dash, why did you scare me like that?” Mono asked. “Scare you like what? The iron maiden?” Rainbow Dash responded with a shrug and sheepish smile. “Well, that’s at least what I’ve heard him do.” “Rainbow, are you sure that those aren’t just rumors spread to make Discord look more frightening than he is?” Lith asked. “I mean, he threw a stallion and nearly choked him to death, but I think that is how every father would respond if their child goes missing. Don’t you think?” Rainbow Dash frowned and lowered her head in shame. “I guess you’re right. It was a bit insensitive for me to think of him as being nothing but a jerk because of what he did.” An eruption of chuckles surged from her throat. “Heck, if I go missing, I bet my father would act the same way.” Discord appeared on a serene hill above a sparkling sea with the sun setting in the horizon. At the top of the hill were images of him with a cherry red earth pony mare with a lavender-colored mane and tail. Her blue eyes resonated with the happy grin on her face. Discord moved his right thumb over the image and stroked her head. “They found her, Wild Berry. They finally found her. I just hope that you will reach out to her and clear the shadows of her heart. I want to see her smiling face once more. I want to see her laugh and play with me like the days before the war. I want her to be like her mother; gentle and sweet with a hint of insanity. I hope that I can see that once more.”