Lockheart
Pain raced across my chest as I crashed into the ground. My wings itched. My magic was starting to fritz as a tell-tale sign of green flames danced across my body switching between fur and chitin. I pushed myself off the ground trying to force order back into my body. One painful burst of green flames scorched across my body as I tried not to scream before everything went back to normal.
With a couple of deep breaths I was staring at the ground and my feet. The gray fur was back as a slip of blue hair went down in front of my eyes. One quick check at my flank to see if my fake cutie mark back in place… and my wings.
“Shit.” I muttered underneath my breath.
My coat didn’t survive the crash and more importantly… for a brief moment this form I thought was normal. I’m human. I’m not a bug and I’m sure as hell not a pony!
I sighed as I tried to push into the back of my mind to worry about latter. Right now my wings were out for the world to see and the Royal Guard just had reports of a crazed alicorn with illusion magic. Walking around with a horn and wings was practically a death sentence at this point.
I took a deep breath and muttered “Just a coat. Just will my old coat back and I’ll be good.”
I tried to will back into existence my coat as the illusion flickered over my body. It felt strange… really odd to tell the truth. I could see the coat resting over my wings… but I couldn’t feel it. Even then the illusion wasn’t my best work as it seemed… static. It didn’t move as the jacket looked like it had been starched to death. It wasn’t my best work.
One glance up at the sky and the toxic cloud gave me all the reason I needed to move my legs again before I was caught. Then I felt something odd. There was some sort of … scent? Feel? I felt… something?
It drifted in the air… the surge of emotion. More importantly it was powerful and I was running low on magic. While I didn’t want to fight I wasn’t going to let myself be captured without putting up some struggle at least. Without even thinking about it my magic latched onto it trying to suck in the brief moment of emotion to refill my reserves.
I keeled over and threw up as my body ached in pain, but didn’t let go of it. My body twisted in agony, but I felt stronger. I glanced up to take a look at my surroundings and noticed the hedge maze… Discord.
******
Discord
Another day watching the ponies walk about enjoying their little lives as I’m stuck as an overgrown lawn gnome. Worst of all those dam pigeons have returned and decide to take up rest upon me again… little winged rats.
I can’t tell which is the worst part. Being trapped in stone and awake through it all… or the pigeons.
I can’t even tell if Celestia had specifically bred these pigeons just to annoy me. If you can house train a bear not to go on the carpet than why can’t you train a pigeon to not mess around with statues!
An explosion rang out in the castle as I tried to focus on it. My mind already trying to figure out what could have made such a wonderful mess. Was it a buffalo running wild or some griffin ambassador trying to have a dual with old Celestia? Maybe somepony decided to set off a bunch of fireworks inside the castle!
Normally it would have ended there… and return back to the old boring order I was forced to endure day after day, but it didn’t stop there. If I could move I would be smiling again as the culprit burst out a window trying to escape the palace guards. With some fancy magic he pulled on a tin can releasing a burst of smoke making all the little ponies drop like flies.
Sadly like flies my little culprit crashed to the ground. Injured and so close to escaping the fun police if they hadn’t already started surrounding the hedge maze. My only moment of excitement all day was about to end until something unexpected happen. It touched me.
Discord.
The thought rang in my head, but it wasn’t mine. I’ve talked to myself long enough to recognize all the little voices I use when I’m bored, but this? This was different. This had a presence as it tugged on me.
I couldn’t help but chuckle as I watched in growing interest. My magic was touching this pony… No… it’s not a pony. It’s something else. Something wonderfully new in this boring old city.
Most of all I could feel my magic drifting out of its cage. Not taken and stuffed away in some musty old box, but dancing in the air as tiny bits kept interacting with the new creature that set them free. The fun police started to move in to stop him as I shifted the odds a little. To my pleasure an ill placed pot came crashing down on one of their heads as the other guard managed to trip on a root before crashing into his fellow guard knocking them both out.
My magic started to drift across the hedge maze letting me see past my prison. Past my cage and onto a ring side view of the chase as my magic was free. Well… not enough to make any big changes, but enough to have some fun.
If I could rub my paws I would as I prepared to have some fun I hadn’t had in ages.
******
Lockheart
I struggled forward trying to get out of the hedge maze as my body struggled in protest. It tried to stop feeding on the magic as my body kept trying to reject it… yet the emotion. The power that it held kept drawing back in to feed on. It was like taking a sip of water only for it to go down the wrong tube as I kept coughing nearly gagging on each tiny drop that fell into my body.
The craziest part of it all… was that I was just getting a drop. The magic started to hang in the air like humidity as I had trouble breathing as I glanced at one of the sides of the maze. Two guards stared at me ready to charge… until a vase came crashing down knocking one out as the other one tripped on a broken root which sent him crashing head first into a statue of Celestia.
Discord.
I rubbed my aching head and struggled to move forward. I never should have agreed to that moment of stupidity… I should have weighed the options more or simply pushed it to another day. Anything that kept me from doing that stupid stunt!
They didn’t know Princess Cadence which meant pre-show era… but what about the train? Was it real or just something to move some of us around only to disappear afterwards? What was the point of the monster attack? Sure it didn’t have a discord flare… but it did lead us to Canterlot. It lead one of his “pieces” right into the hedge garden running from guards.
Was I just being paranoid or freaking out from just how horribly screwed I was at the moment!
I stopped for a moment mostly because I started coughing badly. My coat flared changing from design to design as my body struggled to accept the next drop of chaotic energy.
Should I just let the guards capture me or continue with plan B? Was there a way to speak to Discord without breaking his cage?
I didn’t bothering asking if I could even break his cage mostly because this was Discord. He wouldn’t have made me a freaky changeling if he didn’t have a way for me to free him. Even in his madness there was a plan just waiting to be played... or that he simply forgot about like the plunder seeds and the Tree of Harmony. The only question was if it suited me better… Me playing as Discord little chess piece or testing Canterlot's jail cells.
I struggled to move forward as I muttered “Discord… Let’s talk about our deal.”
******
Discord
I tried not to laugh.
Really.
Alright it was mostly because I was physically unable to laugh, but it was just so funny to watch.
I could hear all the wards screaming out. I could feel the ponies panicking as they were rushing out to defend the castle… but it wasn’t for me. Oh no… something else was panicking. I could feel the creature racing as fast it could trying to reach the castle. I could feel it trying to set of every alarm just in hopes of stopping my new little playmate.
I moved just a small amount of magic out into the sky expanding the ugly cloud of pesticide over the hedge maze. Surely enough the little ponies flew right past my new playmate rushing off to stop what they thought was an escaping pony instead of an oncoming monster sent to stop me!
Discord
I held out my ear as I listened to what he had to say.
Let’s talk about our deal.
Deal? I never knew about this new chaotic little bundle of joy until just a few minutes ago. I twisted my magic about as I decided two could play at this little tug of war he had with me. I let him tug as I pulled letting me take a good grasp as his magic… and let me get a small look into his head.
That was when I saw it. He saw me… well somebody impersonating me. I mean really? I get set free and I start having tea parties with ponies instead of unleashing a symphony of chaos?
The memories scrabbled about in a jumbled mix so I couldn’t get a full picture, but I caught enough before it all blew away in the wind. The one who had impersonated me was now panicking since the little changeling thought he was me.
If only I could grin to show just how much fun I was going to have with this. What’s more apparently the little changeling knew what would happen if he somehow set me free. Better yet he was planning on it. A soul insane enough to release what everypony called a “mad god” just in hopes of me granting him a small boon.
I turned a few of the open paths shut blocking a few ponies from grabbing him just yet as I planned my next move. Celestia hadn’t noticed what was going on… properly stuck trying to deal with his friends or the fact all the alarms screaming were blocking any notice of the tiny sliver of magic that was being released from my prison.
I adjusted myself whishing I had my rubber ducky and some goggles before I took a dive to get a better look at the little changeling running about and to talk about 'our deal'.
******
Lockheart
I took another deep breath trying to catch my breath. My body ached in pain as it was now covered in sweat. I couldn’t tell if it felt like climbing a mountain or drowning in humidity. My horn was flaring out of control as countless illusions danced about around me as I tried to funnel out the excess magic.
Green flames danced across my body constantly now. Each one bring a searing pain as my injured body would twist in pain before being restored to normal for just a few seconds before the pain set back in again. It didn’t matter if I had stopped switching between changeling and pony forms. Right now the dance of flames would convince anyone I wasn’t a real pony. Even the very ground beneath my feet was scorched from each flaming step as I struggled to move forward.
I gasped for air “Just… Got to get out… drop off the side of the mountain… then fly until it cuts off… then I’m free.”
There had to be a limit on the range of this emotion drain ability. All I had to do was get far enough away from Discord and then it would cut off. Then I would just simply copy the form of the first idiot I saw and hide until the heat died down. Then I would be free.
“Free?” laughed a voice in my head “Free of what? Free of the guards? Free of the lies you’re still trying to weave?”
“Discord.” I spat out the name in pain.
I couldn’t tell if I was angry for the pain I was now feeling or hopeful that he was about to throw me a life line… even if it was to dangle me in front of the sharks. He played with my life in the tutorial, but he didn't strip me of my memories like the others.
I struggled with each gasping breath “Can… You send me… Back…”
“Back? Now why would I do that?” he replied as if I asked for him to stop playing with his new toy.
Come to think of it that exactly what I was doing! I felt a paw… or a claw on my shoulder as I turned around.
A Chester cat smile appeared “What do you have to go back to? Some boring old job you don’t like to pay bills you don’t want just so you try to have fun if time permits it? Personally that sounds all rather drab if you ask me.”
I pushed myself forward trying to figure out how long it would take before I hit the ground once I jumped off the edge of Canterlot and tried to see if I could fly. Any other day this would have been crazy talk… It’s kind of sad really.
“I won’t be your chess piece.” I muttered as the magic lased pain started to ease down. “So send me back home away from all this chaos.”
Discord chuckled “Send you back? Let’s take a look at it then. Best case your just one of a million souls trying to cut out a small piece of a life from themselves. You live a long life… maybe and that a big if mind you… maybe you find a nice girl. Settle down. Have a few kids and then grow old and die barely having lived the life you dreamed of.”
“And no crazy monsters.” I snapped back “No mind wipes, or struggles to lie to everybody I run into. Just a normal life.”
“How about this? You do me one little favor and I’ll give you want you always wanted.” He whispered in my ear.
“A new bike?”I joked back to the insane monster nearby “Sorry but four hooves kind of makes that difficult.”
“Immortality.” Rang the words at me side making me stop as Discord continued his speech “That’s what you want. What you wish for each night. That little thing you whisper to yourself before you go to sleep, but know you may never get. Would you rather be stuck as a little pony with that gift here… or back home without it?”
I could feel myself sweating not from the heat or the oppressive magic in the air. I could hear him chuckling as he knew I was listening with all ears.
“This was the worst part about Discord.” I muttered to myself “He is a fantastic liar.”
“I prefer to call it a creative truth.” The smug bastard replied not even denying it “All I want is for you…”
I could hear him pause just building up the tension. Just getting ready to say ‘free me and I shall grant it to you’… and then turn me into a stone statue shortly afterwards.
“To take an element of harmony.” He finished to my surprise.
“What?” I blurted out loud.
My menu snapped open as a small digital Discord appeared. A Quest icon opened up revealing the six elements of Harmony with two dancing Discords near the accept button. The reward… immortality.
“What’s the catch.” I replied with unease as I kept moving forward.
For some reason the pain had stopped flooding my body… or my brain just cut it off. Maybe Discord fixed it just so I could focus on his crazy deal. This was Discord and while I may not know a lot about him before cannon... He tended to have a twisted sense of humor.
All I had to do was keep him talking while I tried to escape this crazy place.
“Getting it.” Discord replied as if it was obvious “I promise as your fellow companion of chaos that when you have one of the Elements of Harmony in your grasp you shall be given Immortality… the live long bit like Loony and Sunny or yours truly. Personally I’d suggest the Element of Honesty since it fits you so well.”
Grab an element. Keep hold of it. Heck I was already planning on visiting the old castle next… I nearly hit myself in the face with my hoof in an attempt to face palm as I wondered if I was really that stupid. My plan was to hide and more importantly this is Discord! There is something obvious I’m missing here.
Then a small part of my mind whispered back “Element of harmony gone and he can’t be sealed back again. That’s the catch isn’t it? Besides… would it hurt to give it a shot?”
I glanced at the icon feeling my greed rising as I slowly replied “And why are you picking me over everyone else for this… gift.”
Discord chuckled “If you feel that nervous how about this? We shake on it? You’ll see why I like you in a moment.”
He disappeared as I looked around. A group of Canterlot guards stood at the edge of the maze. Spears pointed and blocking my escape plan. They had cuffs ready and spears drawn as my chaotic bursts of green fire danced across my body. In a normal situation this would have worked and I would have been dragged into some deep dark jail cell.
“Shit.” I shouted
A sane person wouldn’t tempt fate.
“Shit, fuck, Holy Christ. Crap oh Crap oh Holy Shit!” I sang out loud to their confusion.
The storm clouds rumbled as I could hear something roar in the distance making them all turn their heads at the roar behind them as I smiled like a mad man as I activated my cursing curse.
“Fucking bastard pegged me now as a dragon wants to skull rape me now!” I shouted running back into the maze before the curse lashed out as I continued to swear with each step I took until the guard ponies were gone.
Hopefully Celestia can clean up my mess.
******
Valkyrie
“and now we’re here.” I finally finished.
It wasn’t easy telling the whole story without sounding insane. Nor was it easy omitting certain details or making believable lies… which thankfully the lying part wasn’t needed that much.
Mostly I kept to the story and… didn’t mention the specifics of each person’s issues. She saw Lockheart’s disguise was flawed… so I could skip the alicorn bit. Stardust wasn’t in the room so I didn’t have to play which side I trusted… since one’s human and the other is apparently a missing citizen that Celestia herself had noticed.
I do not want to be the person/pony who says “We are the body snatchers from Pluto 9!” like some bad sci-fi plot. I also did not want to step into the messy second guessing bit were I wonder if I’m a human in a stolen pony body or if I was never human in the first place.
Celestia was… she was rather calm as she listened to everything without butting in… and didn’t pressure me into saying anything. Of course that didn’t exactly mean she believed me.
“That’s quite a tale.” She calmly replied.
I couldn’t help but shake nervously. This was the big moment. This is where she would either say “Yes I believe you and I’ll send you home!” or “No you’re a crazy pony so off to the dungeon!” which would happen back home if I told this story. Those are my two fates.
The castle seemed to shake as the doors flew opened. Guards were rushing out as ponies in charge started shouting orders. Celestia’s calm presence disappeared to one of doubt. I gulped as I just remembered that Lockheart was still running around.
Please don’t say they caught him. Please don’t say…
“There’s a monster in the hedge maze!” shouted a pony.
I gulped rather loudly or it felt loud in the back of my head. Celestia moved forth out of the room as I tried to run to keep up with her. First instinct was apologize or try to help get Lockheart off the hook. Already I tried to picture the worst case scenario. Celestia already out the castle I looked over the hedge maze in new found confusion.
The maze was a chaotic mess. More so than it possibly should be as a white cloud hovered right on top of the entire maze. A few things moved about in the maze… big things as quills would just break the surface of the cloud before submerging again like sharks. Vines shot out grabbing pegasi and dragging them down into the maze unless another pony cut the vines freeing them. Some parts of the maze were on fire… or erupting like a volcano as bits of flaming rock shot out into the air before crashing back down into the maze.
“Discord.” I whispered in horror.
“What?” a pony guard nearby asked out loud.
I shook my head “What’s going on down there?”
Discord. Worst case scenario. Half a dozen guards chasing a crazed pony through a hedge maze… No don’t think that. There could be a reason for random chaos flying about… like countless swears being shouted into the air.
“I’d be more concerned with up there!” the pony shouted
I looked up as my throat went dry. A large cloud of darkness was crashing against a large shield barrier. My first thought was Sombra until I saw the one large massive eye open up as the thin black slit looked more like a lizard eye than a human’s. A red beam of magic shot out of the large eye tearing through the shield spell before it tore apart the ground beneath the unicorns. The darkness didn't even pause for a second as it moved towards the hedge maze.
Most of the ponies were rushing towards the darkness yet Celestia wasn’t in sight… I glanced back down at the hedge maze when a whimsical laugh danced throughout the air. Canterlot was not a good place to be today!
The guard pony shouted “I’m sorry, but we are going to need every set of wings we can get against that thing until the princess is ready!”
“Sorry!” I shouted jumping head first towards the maze “What’s in the maze needs to be taken care of first!”
No elements. No Candace. No Mane Six. There was just one princess and a bunch of frightened ponies and former humans trying to figure out what was going on. The last thing we need is Discord running free right now!
The cloud covering the maze burned my eyes as I came crashing to the ground. Fudge pudding covered my body as I pulled myself out of the sugary mess only to see just how much had changed inside the maze. The hedge walls were still made out of plants… but it looked more like Ponyville during Discord’s reign as even the dimensions seemed to be off… because I doubt the plants were twenty stories tall outside the maze.
Even then creatures walked about. Not the funny chaotic bits like tall legged rabbits or dancing buffalos. No… These were creepy monsters. Walking stick giants on two legs with two arms crafted out of jagged tree branches as flames danced underneath their feet. Giant pitcher plants with long vines shooting out into the sky trying to drag down ponies into it’s mouth. It looked like the Dungeons and Dragons Monster Book was dumped in here.
The air crackled about as magic seemed to clash. Half of it funny and “happy” while the other venomous and brooding.
“Wark!” shouted a voice behind me.
I jumped back only to see what looked like the “Dragon costume” Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash used in the dragon migration story… except alive. It wagged its tail happily as it walked past me before lunging at the first creepy monster. Soon more Discord brand madness began appearing fighting the creepy variant monster pack as I stepped back.
“What the hell is going on here?” I couldn’t help but shout.
I felt the air crackle as my small swear just did something bad. I could feel the curse starting to take effect as soon every monster would suddenly want to attack me or something!
“Now what are you?” Discord’s whimsical voice floated past my ear “You look like a pony. Walk like a pony, but you’re certainly not a pony.”
I chuckled nervously “Oh sh…” I bit my lip before I could finish.
Last thing I needed was to summon Cthulhu to this mix. Discord seemed to chuckle at my near miss as I tried to think of something to say.
“Uh… Discord?” I asked out lout “Any chase you could… show me the way?”
“You mean the way out?” a large sign with the exit blinking in neon light appeared pointing at an opening in the maze “Or the way to me?”
I tried to smile “To you… since Celestia is in here and…”
“Big creepy monster that sent you here is coming to town to spoil my fun?” He replied before I could finish.
The words died in my mouth. The thing that sent us to Equestria was outside... or did he mean sending me into the maze? The need to see Princess Celestia grew as I needed to either get her help to stop it so I could go back home… or make sure she isn’t whisked away or something.
The ground shook as a marble stair case rose above the hedge maze, but just under the cloud cover as Discord’s voice rang out “Just take the stairs and maybe you’ll get here before the other party guests arrive.”
I took one step towards the stair case “And the catch? I mean… you’re not going to play some trick on me while I’m on this thing?”
Discord chuckled as he whispered into my ear “Who says you’re the one I want to trick for my grand return?” Discord’s laughter rang in the air “All you need to do is simply get up on the staircase and... enjoy the show while I set up the board.”
I bolted up the staircase as fear surged through my body. Discord was planning to do something to someone. Alright that means Lockheart is in trouble… or is Discord leading the black smoke monster to “banish” Celestia or something… or is Discord trying to distract Celestia from the black smoke monster that’s attacking Canterlot?
Now Discord was floating beside me… but transparent and shuffling a deck of cards in his hands with a poker outfit.
Discord tossed cards in front of my face “But I’ll admit that this is quite fun. Watching everypony running about trying to figure it all out. Since your all by your lonesome I’ll give you a few freebees.”
One of the cards stopped and revealed me… human me. It was unsettling to see Discord showing me my real face as the freckled face stared back at me like a mirror.
“First we have the “players” for a lack of a better term.” He replied as another card flew out “But of course you’re all placed in Equestria… No not ahem… the one you know, but it’s close enough.”
“Before Luna’s return.” I snapped back
Discord smiled “Her return… so that means after Loony’s return I get set free.” He stretched his arms and snapped his finger as an alarm clock appeared along with spotted pajamas “I’ll have to set an alarm clock so I’m ready for that big event.”
I stared at him in confusion “What? You…”
“Didn’t know until now?” He interrupted “Just because I have a rather impressive bag of tricks doesn’t mean I know everything which would be rather boring come to think of it. Any other tidbits you want to exchange future girl?”
I kept my mouth shut. I had no idea what was going on and apparently the stairs were still spiraling upwards. I stopped only for Discord to snap his fingers turning the staircase into an escalator moving me forward anyway.
“Back to the game at hand.” He smugly replied with a smirk on his face “Next we have the villains. Which let’s face it also includes your lot.” I opened my mouth “Can you honestly say everyone is going to play fairly… or not freak out or run into difficulties with their new problems like little Stardust back at the Castle?”
Another card spun out in front of me. On the right was a human reaching for the planet earth as he was trying to drag a pony with him. On the left side was a pony stretching out for Canterlot as she had a hoof around the human’s stomach trying to drag him towards Canterlot. The pony didn't look like Stardust, but it was properly safe to say that Stardust wasn't the only one with his/her problem.
“Not everyone wants to go home. Not everyone wants to stay. Naturally there is going to be some “management issues” so to speak.” He said out loud as he did air quotes with his fingers “And if we take technological or sociological differences some may want to try their hand at making a better Equestria… or making Equestria their kingdom.”
I shook my head trying to focus on the current issue “And what about you? Why are you helping me or even explaining this all to me?”
He pointed down back at the hedge maze I was now above “Why because it will make this game more fun! I know the rules and you don’t. The powers that cursed you all let you speak to me when you’re nearby.” He grinned revealing all his teeth “And watching you having to explain it all is going to be worth it. I’m not going to do anything little pony. It’s you and your friends that are going to do it for me.”
With a wave of his hand I now saw the forest I had left behind as pictures appeared. Diamond dogs and griffins smiling as name tags danced above their heads as a cart was burning and ponies lay dead around them.
Another picture revealed a group of ponies with name tags dancing above their heads laughing in joy as they raced out of a dragon’s cave as bits of gold fell out of their bloated saddle bags.
Four ponies with name tags were defending a group of ponies from a manticore as another picture showed a griffin and diamond dog with name tags drawing up designs for an airplane to a group of ponies.
“There are good souls. There are bad souls. And then there are just souls making a difference.” Discord’s voice sang out “The only question is how long until you each start bucking each other when your goals clash.”
My menu popped open as a new quest just appeared. Two dancing discords rested beside the Yes and No buttons.
The quest read Introducing Humanity. Because let’s face it. Somebody has to. Quest rewards new spoofy team base!
I blinked “This is your plan?”
He simply shrugged “Why not? How many people do you think will try to free me if they think I can send them back home?”
My stomach lurched as I suddenly had visions of Players setting siege to Canterlot trying to reach Discord’s statue to free him so they could go home. I could already hear a few of them coming up with reasons for their actions.
It’s not real. It’s not our home. It won’t matter since they can seal him back up with the elements of harmony. Didn’t that fluttershy episode prove he was just a big softy? It's a lot easier than doing the light side quest to send us home.
A female voice you tend to hear for movie flight attendants said “You shall be arriving at Discord’s Statue soon. Please keep your wings and legs inside the ride while you think about your lovely future. Have fun!”
Break—
Discord
You sometimes you never realize how much you missing the little things like drumming one’s fingers against your own arm… or on something partially sturdy. This was the part I always hated. The waiting.
I had fun setting up all the pieces and get everyone to their little spots. Celly was saving her little ponies from the small bouts of chaos flaring here and there. Little miss Boston was struggling with her new information and what to share and what she wouldn't share with Celly. The boring “monster” was rushing towards ready to stop my “fiendish plan” or whatever it was thinking.
Heck I even let a few things fall out of my control… not that I couldn’t change them mind you. Mostly it was because it would give me a small chuckle or possibly even surprise me if they did something unexpected. Life tended to get dull when you knew everything that would happen and after twenty two years of watching that grounds keeper of an old stallion trim the same spots at the same time and the same say for the last twenty two years!
If I could move my hands then I would have nearly ripping out all of my own hair if not introduction a well-deserved load of chaos on that annoying pony! Honestly it was a shame this was his day off as I had plenty of things that I could have done to him to make things interesting for him.
But such is the way of life. At least the local pigeon population got their just rewards.
The clatter of hooves came before me as I focused on the first player of my little game. Lockheart was having a hard time breathing. His magic kept flaring about as the green flames kept dancing across his body creating new changes as he kept shifting form. His horn flared sporadically creating fresh burst of chaos like a unicorn’s magic that just went out of control.
I almost felt a tear came to my eyes when I heard the twisted melody of chaos ring from the little changeling’s mouth. Green flames sparked out of his mouth like a dragon breathing fire. Each burst of flames came with each curse word he sang out into the air as the original words had long since been twisted into some form of black speech altering the very world around him as various flowers and plants bloomed from the hedge maze in a veritable mess. He glanced up at my stony prison ending his sweet melody of chaos.
“Discord.” He spoke with uncertainty.
I grinned or tried to at least “Lockheart.” It's nice to know we are now on a first name bases.
Lockheart was the first to arrive and apparently not the same pony he was before he entered. Already the chaotic mingle of my own magic and whatever magic Lockheart had rested in his body as the two forces kept shifting about restlessly, but stable. One would think that it would be enough… yet his horn kept trying to suck in the magic around it unable to stop. Each step he took was in obvious pain, but it was pain he had learned to block out.
Or his body forgot to put back in his nervous system to let him feel the pain he should be experiencing.
Lockheart gritted his teeth as he stared at the stone prison that held me and spoke out loud “Clarify… Immortality… the whole deal… not skipping on the important… part.”
“Like I said before. The same deal Celestia has.” I hummed only for Lockheart to glare for a few second before causing him to sigh “You will live for as long as you are alive. You won’t age but you’ll die if a sword goes through your head… and if Sun Butt whips out the Elements of Harmony… You’ll either go poof, or I’ll have a new roommate in this garden.”
Lockheart grinned “Long life… no disease or… tricks?”
If I could have rolled my eyes I would have. Seriously what is up with all these “sort of immortality” deals? What fun is stuffing someone’s brain in a fish bowl or turning them into a statue? Sure it might be good for a few laughs, but then it just gets so boring. I mean without that little kick of life and chaos then what’s the point of doing it?
Apparently Lockheart liked crossing his T’s and dotting his I’s… It was almost as if he didn’t trust me? Maybe I should give him that old “friendship” speech about trust? Celestia certainly harped on it enough over the years for me to repeat it with my eyes closed.
Lockheart frowned “I’d rather…. make sure we are both…. on the same page… if I’m to play the game… I want to make sure… I pick the side I like.”
I felt like shrugging “And pray tell what happens when our little partnership has ended?”
Lockheart chuckled “Then I’ll properly be dead.” He coughed “Still… you’ll think of something… or you’ll already be free… by then.” He steeped closer “Better question… is what will you do once your need… for me has ended.”
“You think I’ll be the one to betray you?” I said in disbelief.
Really? Ponies tended to give up much too quickly. Sure I had plans… but thinking that I would be the one to call it off was laughable. Besides that little bit about the world on a sea turtle’s back and the board game seemed a bit interesting to try out one day. Lockheart even gave the okay for me to use him as a game piece!
Lockheart continued to stare apparently waiting for my response. Next thing you’ll know he’ll be checking to see if I try to steal his soul or take the last piece of cake when he wasn’t looking. I knew I never should have never done that to Celestia.
Oh she goes on and on about protecting her little ponies, but between you and me. I think she carried a grudge about the whole disappearing cake curse I put on her. It was so much fun watching her trying to counter that curse right up until she got all uppity and pulled out the Elements of Harmony.
How was I supposed to know she couldn’t take a joke? Oh Locky is still waiting for an answer!
“I guess we will just have to see how this goes.” I replied “Still it will be fun seeing what you’ll actually do instead of what you would think you would do.” A new sound of hooves came closer “Though I should warn you that I have company arriving.”
Lockheart glanced at the open paw and back at where Celestia was going to arrive.
“Want to shake on it then?”
Break—
Overkill
I saw the fire approaching the end of my “ride” Discord gave me. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but sitting here wasn’t going to help. I pushed out all the complicated questions and focused on the task ahead.
Find Lockheart. Save the Princess. Stop evil Monster. Figure the rest out latter.
I jumped down opening up my wings. I flew forward scanning the maze for any hints of white. Surely enough I found Princess Celestia as she was freeing the last of her ponies from some twisted chaos spawned nightmare.
Seriously… This one looked like it came from Warhammer instead of Equestria. Twisted limbs and tendrils tearing through anything it ran into. Like a demon of old. Dark magic flared out of its twisted body as Celestia fought to protect her rescued ponies and slayed the vile demon with a blast of holy magic.
I landed on the ground only for her to turn to me and say “What are you doing here?”
“Left, right left! Then you’ll be at the center of the maze!” I shouted “Something is burning its way through the maze trying to get there!”
Celestia’s eyes widened as she raced forth. I chased after her feeling guilty. Discord’s little talk made me feel nervous being near Celestia. That I was somehow betraying her… which was silly. Yet I was feeling nervous… scared even. Just a few days ago I was with my friends and family… now I’m stuck here and something is happening.
Stardust… I don’t know enough about her to help… or even if I should? The male side I don’t know… and the female side has a family here. Was it right to tear her away from her family? Was the male side to be trusted and even if he was… how long would he last with the conflicting personality?
Lockheart? I sent him on this crazy goose chase only for him to risk his life in this crazy maze. What happens when he’s caught by Celestia? Would the sudden emergence of a new alicorn make her happy… or make her wonder if we were trying to undermine her or something. Even then I could feel it in my gut that this whole mess was his fault.
Discord wasn’t freed until after Twilight and her friends had the elements of harmony. Just what did Lockheart do to cause this?
Discord said he didn't send us here and that someone else did, but If he didn’t cause this… then who did? Why did I even think Discord was the direct cause of this mess? Discord didn’t seem like an evil mastermind. More like the dog who kept chasing cars… then again the Joker said that line and he turned Gotham city into a mad house.
I was so caught up in my own thoughts I bumped right into Celestia without even noticing. I quickly moved back in embarrassment for a moment before staring in dumb founded fear. This wasn’t the same type of fear of something you saw that looked frightening. This was something deeper.
It tugged at your very soul drowning you in terror making you unable to act. The oppressive weight whispering in your ears tell you that the end was near. That it was useless to resist as you were already dead. The other ponies behind me fell back or simply collapsed. None of them went past me to protect their Princess.
Celestia the only one unaffected shouted “STOP THIS AT ONCE!”
The ground shook from her very voice as the plants in front of her bent over or snapped at the sheer power of her voice. It helped snapped me out of the mind-numbing terror that had trapped me. I stood in defiance against the black smoke monster. In its wispy grasp was Discord frozen in stone. It stared at us all for just a moment before flying straight up into the sky.
Before Celestia could take flight countless spells flew forth from its body as they all came crashing down upon us. Celestia stood ready as a shield spell flared to life protecting us from the deadly assault as the smoke creature left. She opened her wings only for a pained cough to catch her attention as I turned to see it.
Green flames danced around the area revealing Lockheart… bleeding. His body was in poor condition as he smiled. Beside him was a statue of Discord. I stared at the statue in horror as a single crack rested on it’s right hand.
It wasn’t breaking apart, but the jagged crack wasn’t magically fixed. Did this mean Discord’s seal was starting to weaken? Was he going to burst right out or did the crack simply shave of a bit of time before he breaks free again?
“How long until you think it finds out the statue is a fake?” He whispered in pain.
I blinked “How?”
Shouldn’t we be more worried about the freaking god of chaos breaking free? than what smoky the creepy monster is going to do when he finds out he has a fake?
Lockheart chuckled as he apparently misunderstood my question “I “Fixed” a statue nearby…”
He coughed as green eldritch flames flew out of his mouth as he fell to one knee. He started coughing as blood hit the ground. I tried to rush over to him only for Celestia to block me with one of her rather large angel like wings as I was forced to watch him cough up more blood. She stared at him as he tried to smile before he finally collapsed.
Celestia spoke out loud “Get him to an infirmary, but don’t touch him directly.”
The other ponies gave Lockheart a wide birth as their unicorn magic levitated him up.
I shouted “What’s going on?”
Thoughts raced through my mind. It was all my fault. I decided to make a big chaotic mess just to get some face time with Celestia only to end up screwing over everyone around me! Stardust is having an identity crises while Lockheart nearly died! Coughing up blood isn’t a good sign of a health! Neither is coughing up green eldritch flames!
Celestia looked at me grimly “Your friend… is sick.” I glanced back at Discord’s prison. The same prison with a crack holding the reality warping monster that played without lives. “And I would like to know why a creature was after a statue in my garden?”
My blood ran cold as I realized the truth. Lockheart knew Discord wasn’t a statue. Celestia wanted to know how he knew about it. This wasn’t a screw up or a question about his early actions. Celestia wanted to know what he knew. Celestia didn’t know I also knew Discord was more than just a statue!
“So what you will say?” Discord words whispered into my ears mocking me.
I didn’t know if it was a figment of my imagination or if Discord actually said it. Either way Celestia didn’t hear it… or thought it was directed at her instead.
I whispered “Can you promise me he’ll be… alright?”
How do you ask someone like Celestia not to be too rough on an interrogation? Did they even have those in Equestria? The land always looked so peaceful… but what did they do to the really bad criminals when they didn’t have the Elements of Harmony on hand? What did they do to find out information they needed? Did they simply cast a truth spell or something?
"What would they do to me?" Rang the question in the back of my mind.
Celestia gave me a soft smile “We will do our best.”
It wasn’t an answer. It was a deflection.
“Just…” I didn’t know what to say. “Just let me know… when he’s alright.”
I hung my head in defeat… in sorrow. I just left Lockheart… the one I sent into this stupid mess… the one who was worried about everything. I just let him go without a fight and under Celestia’s lock and key.
Celestia glanced back at Lockheart “I’ll see what I can do to help you and Stardust find a place to rest for the mean time.”
I just sold him out for a bed and a hot meal. Discord’s message wasn’t asking who I was about to save… it was asking who I was going to betray. The others left with Lockheart in their grasp. I looked back at Discord. His frozen stone form being lifted up in Celestia magic practically laughing at me before he was carried back into the castle… some place to be hidden since something tried to capture him.
I walked back to the castle… trying to figure out what I would do next.