Starlight Glimmer’s eyes began to droop. She yawned and slowly lowered her head onto the book she was reading…before bolting up again. “NO!” She pushed away from her desk and crouched down to a bucket of water that she was keeping nearby. “No, no, no!” She plunged her head into the water, held her breath for several seconds, and lifted her head back out again.
“Drat. The ice melted again,” Starlight growled to herself. “Bet the filly has something to do with this.” She grumbled and turned back to her books.
She jumped again as she heard a knock on her door but calmed down a little when she heard Twilight’s voice. “Starlight? Are you in there? You didn’t come down for breakfast.”
“I’ll eat later, Twilight,” she said as she turned to the next page.
Twilight cautiously entered the room with a plate of waffles and cupcakes. Her eyes widened as she took in the huge mess in Starlight’s room. “Whoa. What happened here?”
Starlight rolled her eyes. “Oh don’t act like you’ve never made a mess before. I’ll re-shelve those books when I’m done.”
Twilight frowned in concern. “Starlight, are you okay?”
“‘Starlight, are you okay?’” Starlight mimicked in a whiny tone. “‘Starlight, why are you being crazy? Starlight, why can’t you just kiss the filly’s hooves like the rest of us mindless idiots!’” she growled.
Twilight frowned at her. “Do you want to explain why you’re acting like a huge jerk now?”
Starlight grumbled. “Sorry Twilight. I’m just grumpy.”
“You’re more than grumpy, Starlight. When’s the last time you got any sleep?”
“I can’t sleep. Every time I do I get nightmares.”
“Starlight. When did you last sleep?”
“I don’t know. What day is it?” Starlight said as she rubbed the bags under her eyes.
“It’s Sunday.”
“Sunday,” Starlight sighed, her eyes fluttering a little. “Why don’t we have sundaes anymore…”
“Um…I don’t want to repeat myself, but are you okay?”
Starlight groaned and focused her gaze on Twilight. “I’m fine. Now take your twin and leave.”
“What twin?” a bewildered Twilight asked.
“Get out already!” Starlight snapped, pushing the princess out the door. “And get me some more ice water! I need something to keep me awake and the filly keeps stealing from me!”
“What? But the filly hasn’t been in your room since-”
Starlight slammed the door in Twilight’s face, hurrying back over to her books. She spent the next three hours searching through texts and scrolls for anything about what the filly truly was.
Eventually she shoved a pile of books off her desk in frustration. “Nothing! It all adds up to nothing! Every fact I have is challenged by two more! She’s happy, then she’s mad! She’s cheerful and then she’s cold! She’s quiet when she first appears and she hasn’t shut up since then! The only thing I know for sure is that she’s driving me crazy! Every crazy, insane thing this filly has done…it all adds up to nothing! Nothing she does makes any sense!”
Starlight slammed her head on her desk, her eyes watering with tears of exhaustion and enraged frustration. Slowly, she lifted her head up and grinned. “Wait…make sense. I mean…I ordered Fluttershy to get rid of him…but then again…”
She levitated a discarded book over to her face and flipped it open. “The Spirit of Chaos…” she whispered as her face stretched into a mad grin.
Twilight Sparkle nervously bit her lip as she searched through her castle. Starlight was really starting to scare her. Being the responsible princess that she was, she thought it would be best to let the filly know that she should try to stay away from Starlight as much as possible until she calmed down. When she couldn’t find the filly in any of the usual spots she liked to study in, she began to open and close every door she passed by in the hopes of finding her.
Eventually, she opened a door leading to a pretty small room with a window. The filly was sitting down and holding a slice of birthday cake and a photo of something that Twilight couldn’t quite make out.
The filly held up the photo to the light and smiled softly. Her ear twitched as if she was listening to something. “Oh, I know. I admit, I’ve been taking my time with her. But a little patience can add so much to the perfect present. You just keep smiling for me…” She set the photo down and grinned out the window. “And I’ll make that witch pay for what she did to you.”
Twilight blinked in confusion. “Um…”
The filly spun around to face her with wide eyes, but her huge grin settled down into a relaxed smile as she saw the princess. “Oh. Hey there Twilight. Come to join the party?”
“What party?” Twilight asked.
The filly giggled and held up the cake. “My friend’s birthday party! What else could it be?”
“But…you’re the only one here,” Twilight said. The filly blinked cheerfully at her. “Where is this friend of yours?”
“Right here!” the filly answered, hugging the empty air next to her.
Twilight’s ears lowered as she came to a horrifying realization. “Oh my gosh…I’m so sorry.”
The filly blinked in happy confusion. “Sorry about what?”
Twilight gulped and wiped away some of the water in her eyes. “N-nothing. It’s nothing.” She put on a brave smile and said, “You and your friend can stay here as long as you like.” She quietly left the room, resolving to let the filly have her peace.
“Hold on sweetie. Twilight, are you feeling okay?” Twilight turned around to see the filly smiling patiently at her. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”
Twilight slowly shook her head and smiled sadly at her. “I just want you to be happy.”
“Aww! Right back at you!” the filly danced over to her and gave her a hug. As Twilight returned the hug, the filly asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to stay and meet my friend? I think you have a lot in common with him.”
“Um…s-sure,” Twilight said. “What’s your friend’s name?”
The filly giggled. “He doesn’t have one.”
“What…what do you mean?”
The filly shrugged and examined the photo. “His name was taken from him. But it’s okay. I just need the witch to give it back.” She was quiet for a few seconds before she stared at Twilight. Her face was eerily serious, without a trace of a smile. “Starlight Glimmer has hurt you in ways you don’t yet understand. You should be careful around her, darling.”
Twilight’s eyes widened. “What? But…Starlight’s never hurt anypony…right?”
The filly turned away and smirked at the floor. “You don’t know her like I do.” Her ear twitched and she looked up with a smile. “I can hear the witch whispering already.” She giggled and said, “No more room for you Starry. My head’s crowded enough.”
Twilight stared at her in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Before the filly could answer, Starlight Glimmer zipped into the room, a mad grin on her face. “AH HA! I finally figured it out!”
Princess Twilight groaned. “Starlight, can’t you just leave her alone?”
“Quiet,” Starlight growled as she stormed her way towards the filly. She held up the book she was levitating and pointed at the picture in it. “I finally figured out who you really are…” she grinned triumphantly. “Discord.”
The filly blinked a few times and then smiled. “Oh please, do go on.”
“Twilight, don’t you see? It all makes sense because it doesn’t make sense!” Starlight beamed excitedly. “It explains everything the filly has been doing and how she’s been hiding it from you all! Only Discord could be so utterly crazy and powerful enough to pull off every sneaky, slimy scheme that has happened since she came here.”
Twilight groaned. “Not this again. Starlight, she’s just a filly. I don’t care if you can’t equalize her, but you need to stop picking on her.”
“Do you hear yourself?! You don’t care if she’s equal? I thought you supported our proud philosophy, but everything she does is to further her own twisted goals and turn you all against me! Discord’s cast a spell on you! It all makes sense!”
“Do you want to explain why she’s wrong this time, or should I?” the filly asked, picking up her slice of cake and licking the frosting.
“Starlight, I know she’s a little crazy but she can’t be Discord,” Twilight said. “And before you ask, I already gave her another changeling test and-”
Starlight interrupted with a snort. “Oh, she CAN’T be Discord? And why is that?”
“Discord likes to brag.” Twilight spread her hooves out to better explain. “No matter how manipulative he was when my friends and I first met him, he made sure we knew who he was. When we were in the maze, we knew it was him. When the plunderseed vines grew all over Ponyville, he later admitted that he did it even though he didn’t have to. Even though he’s our friend now, he still loves to be the center of attention. He can stick to the shadows, but not for very long.”
“She’s right, Starry,” the filly said. “If I was stirring up so much trouble, I’d make sure you knew it was me. He, he, he!” she giggled. “But I’m not Discord, so whatcha gonna do?”
“Don’t lie to me!” Starlight snarled at the filly. “I know it’s you Discord! It’s been you all along, you lying, sneaky, smug, manipulative, obnoxious, little BRAT!”
A flash of light appeared behind them. Twilight and Starlight turned around to see the real Discord, hovering in front of them. He frowned at Twilight and asked, “Where’s Fluttershy?”
Starlight spun around to face the filly. She looked at Discord. She looked at the filly. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “Bah…bah, bwa?”
The filly’s grin widened. “You were saying?”
“Dah…dee, dah…” a thoroughly confused Starlight stammered.
“Twilight! Where’s Fluttershy?” Discord repeated impatiently.
“D…Discord? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked.
Discord slapped his face with his lion paw and dragged it down in frustration. “Oh, I really don’t have time for this. Never mind, we’ll look together.”
He snapped his fingers and the two of them disappeared in a flash of light. Starlight shook her head a few times and glared at the filly again. “Where did you take them – I mean, her?!”
The filly smiled innocently. “Me? I believe it was that handsome little spirit who just departed with our beautiful book princess.”
“Stop trying to confuse me!” Starlight growled. “Y-you’re still Discord. You have to be!”
“How do you figure that, my dear?” the filly asked, taking another bite of her cake.
“You used your chaotic powers to disguise yourself as a pony. Just now, you must have split yourself in two and turned your clone back to normal. Or abnormal. Or maybe he’s the original and you’re the clone…” Starlight muttered as she scratched her head.
The filly shrugged and said, “Well, if you won’t believe me, why don’t you ask the real Discord? Or did you forget that a super-powerful chaos spirit just kidnapped your princess and is probably planning on doing the same to a whole herd full of ponies? You might wanna get on that.”
“You…you…AAHH!” Starlight roared. She teleported out of the castle with a flash of light, her mind too clouded with anger to consider the consequences of somepony seeing her teleport. She reappeared out in the middle of Ponyville and began searching for Discord and Twilight
She didn’t have to search for long before she spotted a miniature tornado zipping back and forth through Ponyville, setting the townsfolk into a panic. The tornado zoomed off to a hill on the outskirts of Ponyville before it settled down. Taking an educated guess that Twilight had convinced Discord to stop, Starlight teleported up to the hill to see what in the world was happening.
There she saw Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all looking at the spirit of chaos. She hid behind a tree and began eavesdropping. “Okay Discord, you got us all. Now could you please explain what’s going on?” Fluttershy asked.
Discord sighed. “I’m sorry Fluttershy. Not about what I’m doing, but what I was foolish enough to do before. To make a long story short, it seems that even you can make mistakes sometimes. When you ordered me to leave Ponyville and never return I should have realized that my dear Fluttershy would never say anything like that.” Discord’s red pupils flashed dangerously. “Not unless some control-freak witch was telling you to.”
Fluttershy’s ear folded down. “Discord, I…when we couldn’t get the equalization spell to work on you, I…I thought Starlight Glimmer would understand. I never wanted to hurt you, but I…she…”
Discord crossed his arms. “Fluttershy, you’re supposed to be smarter than this. How could you just abandon me like that? Did my friendship mean nothing to you?!”
Fluttershy flinched. “Of course your friendship means something to me. I…” Her eyes began to water. “I’m sorry Discord. I had no right to kick you of Ponyville.”
“Then why did you?” he growled.
Applejack spoke up. “Starlight’s whole equality deal didn’t give us much choice, sugar cube. She said anything that’s different from you just gets in the way of true friendship. And you’re about as different as it gets. But…” Her ears folded down. “For a while now, I’ve been thinking maybe this ain’t such a hot deal. Things haven’t been as perfect as Starlight promised it would be.”
“I see. And do you all feel this way?” Discord looked to the rest of his friends. Seeing their ears folded down in shame, he sighed. “Well at least you all came to your senses eventually.”
Starlight grumbled as she continued to spy on them. Hearing that her friends were turning against her and regretting their decision to kick the freak of nature out…she was simmering with anger. But she remained hidden, on the small chance that she might hear something about the filly.
“Well now that we’re done with this sentimental and tearful reunion I suggest we all make like lightning and bolt. Just tell me where old Starlight hid your cutie marks and we can get rolling.”
“Stop right there!” Starlight shouted as she got out from behind the tree. “You’re not laying a hoof on those cutie marks!”
The other ponies turned to face her with a look of shock. Discord was far less impressed. “Not exactly a problem for me,” he said, examining his talons. He folded his arms and asked, “Who invited old lady buzzkill, anyway?”
“Old?!” Starlight growled. “I’m over a thousand years younger than you!”
Discord grimaced. “You don’t look like it. Seriously my dear, when was the last time you got any beauty sleep? Luna knows you need it.”
“Shut up! I won’t let a spirit of chaos disrupt the perfect harmony that I’ve created!”
Discord snorted. “You think what you’re creating is harmony? My dear, you have problems. And coming from me that’s saying a lot.”
Her horn began to glow as she stomped towards him. Fluttershy quickly got in between them. “Starlight, stop! I don’t want my friends to fight!”
“See?! Why can’t any of you see this?!” Starlight shouted at Twilight. “This is what I’ve been talking about! She’s trying to turn you all against equality, forcing you back into a chaotic world of special talents and flawed friendships!”
“She? Did I switch genders in my sleep and forget about it again?” Discord stroked his beard and shrugged.
“Starlight, just…just take a breath, okay?” Twilight said gently. “Listen, there’s a calming technique that Cadance taught me. Maybe if you-”
“I’ll calm down just as soon as the filly is dealt with!” Starlight snapped.
“Filly?” Discord’s head lowered to Fluttershy’s level and asked her, “Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”
Starlight’s horn glowed brighter as she took aim at him. She knew that a direct attack wouldn’t work on him. Already she was thinking of a number magical compulsions, reform, and mind control spells that might work…
“Right, I’m going to stop you right there,” Discord said as he snapped his fingers. Starlight’s horn disappeared and reappeared in his eagle claw. One of his talons gave it a small scratch before he handed it to Fluttershy. “Could you please hold this for a few minutes? Thank you.”
Starlight’s jaw dropped as her hoof frantically patted her forehead, confirming that her horn had indeed been stolen. She glared at him. “How dare you-”
Discord held out his lion paw and curled his fingers. Starlight found herself pulled by his power and flying towards him until her face touched his. “Between the two of us, you have dared quite a lot more.” His eyes narrowed and flashed dangerously. “You hurt my friends, little star, in ways you can’t even comprehend. And you’re going to regret it.”
“Discord, stop!” Twilight cried. “Don’t hurt her!”
He smirked at the frightened Starlight. “Now why would I do that, Twilight? She’s already tied herself to a far worse fate.” He telekinetically lowered her back onto the grass.
He teleported over to his friends and gathered them up in a hug with his long arms. “Now, why don’t we go find your cutie marks and take our leave? Oh.” He took Starlight’s horn from Fluttershy and casually tossed it onto the ground. “You can just screw that back on whenever.”
“You don’t get off that easy,” Starlight said as she recovered her horn and her courage, twisting the former back onto her head until she could feel her connection to her magic return. “What ‘worse fate’ are you talking about? Why have you come back to Ponyville? You’re not going anywhere until I get answers!”
Discord stuck his tongue out at her. “Watch me. Now girls, those cutie marks?”
Rarity frowned. “Darling, I think it’s only fair that you tell us what’s going on.”
“Yeah Discord. You’re being awfully sneaky right now,” Pinkie said, looking at him through a magnifying glass.
Only Starlight raised an eyebrow at that. “Where did you get that magnifying…it doesn’t matter. Talk!” she growled at Discord.
“Discord…” Fluttershy said sternly.
“Listen, I would love to explain what’s going on. Can you please wait until we are far away from Ponyville?”
“Why? What’s in Ponyville?” Rainbow asked.
Discord let go of his friends and nervously chuckled. “It’s nothing.”
Applejack groaned. “What did you do this time, Discord?”
“Okay it actually wasn’t me. Or rather, not directly. You know, it’s sort of like that situation with my plunderseeds, you remember those right?” Seeing her frown, he coughed a little. “Yes, I can see that you do. Well like that incident, it happened long before I met any of you. And really, it wasn’t my actions but rather a pony who was reacting to my actions,” he rambled.
“You’re avoiding the question Discord,” Twilight said sternly.
“No, I’m trying to avoid something else entirely,” Discord grumbled. He sighed and said, “But I can see that you’re not going to let this go. I guess it’s story time, everypony. Now you’ll have to excuse the brief flash of chaos I am about to create. I’ll return this hill back to its normal, boring self but I need to set the stage as it were.”
He brought his claw and paw together, creating a ball of chaotic magic. He spread his arms out, expanding the ball until it had enveloped a large part of the hill. The watching ponies were gently pushed away as the sphere expanded. When the light faded, a large area of the hill have been converted to what Ponyville used to look like when Discord had taken over. The rest of Ponyville still looked the same but within the stage Discord had created the grass had turned bright blue and checkered, striped fish and chunks of the ground were floating in the air, and Discord was seated on an elaborate throne.
“Now I want you all to remember that the old me was not a pleasant fellow. Certainly, there are many things I did back then that I would never do now that I have learned about friendship. Also, I shall be using a few illusions of ponies long past to help explain my story. No real ponies were harmed in the making of this production. Keeping that in mind, please try not to be too alarmed by the things I said in the past and please hold all questions until the scene is over.” Discord smiled and snapped his fingers. “With that warning out of the way, on with the show!”
As the ponies watched him, Discord slouched back on his throne. He raised his paw and a blob of energy oozed out of him until it took the shape of a wooden pony puppet. He twirled his fingers and soon the puppet was an actual pony, a young unicorn mare with a purple coat and an electric blue mane and tail.
The pony shuddered with fear, even though Discord wasn’t doing anything to her. “What about these two?” he asked her. He snapped his fingers and two pink and black ballerina outfits appeared in the air.
“Um, t-those are n-nice,” the pony stammered fearfully.
Discord rolled his eyes. “You said the same thing about the last five outfits! If you’re not going to give me anything useful perhaps I should just turn you into a two-headed squirrel and be done with you.”
“Please don’t kill me!” the pony cried, sobbing uncontrollably.
Discord groaned. “Okay, that was funny the first seven times but it has now become boring. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s being bored.” His eyes flashed dangerously
The pony cried even harder causing Discord to sigh. “Alright already.” He pulled out a clean tissue out from his mouth and levitated it to her. “Come on, you’re a big filly now. Dry those tears.” The pony seized the tissue and wept into it. “Look, I’ll only be mad if you don’t answer my question. So just tell me what you think and I won’t have to dangle you over a volcano of boiling jelly beans.”
The pony was still shaking uncontrollably but she did her best to answer. “W-well who are these outfits for?”
“It’s for those adorable sisters of course. Loony and Celly-belly, or whatever their names are. It has been entertaining watching them fail over and over again.” He grinned. “When I next defeat them, I’m going to make them put on a play for me! It will involve sock puppets and incredibly embarrassing outfits. I’m just trying to figure out which one is more humiliating. So what do you think? Ballerinas? Maids? Clowns?”
A dozen costumes appeared and circled around the confused pony. “Um, I don’t know. Fashion isn’t my special talent.”
Discord rolled his eyes and the outfits disappeared. “Well then what use are you to me?” He snapped his fingers and rectangle of fire leapt up from the ground. The mare screamed as she was slowly lowered towards the flames.
“DISCORD! STOP!” Fluttershy cried. The rest of the ponies were just as horrified as she was. Within seconds, the entire scene froze. The pony turned back into a puppet and gazed back at them with a blank stare.
“Oh dear.” Discord broke character and addressed his audience. “As I said before, no ponies were harmed in the making of this. Ask Twilight and she can confirm that I never killed anyone during my reign, including this mare.” He cringed as he noticed the tears in her eyes. “Sorry, perhaps my warning should have been clearer. However, you have no need to worry. Whoever this pony is, she lived a long and happy life…I assume. I don’t know what happened to her while I was imprisoned.” He grinned and turned the puppet back into a terrified mare. “But look! This is where the mysterious stranger comes to rescue the poor little pony from the big bad Discord!”
He snapped his fingers again and another puppet appeared, right in the middle of his audience. The puppet also transformed into a pony, but this one was concealed by a tattered cloak. The pony marched towards the spirit of chaos and shouted at the top of his lungs. “DISCORD!”
Discord resumed character and gave a curious glance at the newcomer. “Well hello there little pony. Perhaps you can help me out. See, I’m trying to think of the best outfits for the flying freak sisters and…”
“Shup up!” the stallion shouted. “Spirit of Chaos! You have wrought destruction and anarchy upon our peaceful lands for the last time! You will never again corrupt our homes, our friends, our bodies, or our minds! Release that innocent mare at once and let her go free so that you may face justice for your many atrocities! Come, and face the end of your chaotic conquest!”
Discord raised both eyebrows. “Wow. Quite a way with words you have there.” He stared at the stallion in silence for three seconds before his gaze drifted to the sky. “You know, I bet Celestia would look hilarious with a squid hat…”
“Enough!” the stallion shouted. “No more of your games! No more of your sadistic torture! No more of your poisonous words! You are going to be silent and listen to what I have to say!” The stallion began to draw his cloak back. “Or else I’ll be forced to break one of your toys.”
Discord smirked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There is only one reason a cold-hearted, cruel abomination like you would keep us alive. Entertainment.” The stallion threw off his cloak, revealing his disfigured appearance. His mane and tail had been shaved off, likely a result of one of Discord’s pranks. His brown eyes were red with exhaustion. His pale coat was covered in bruises and scrapes. But the most alarming traits were the two symbols it looked like the stallion had carved into his body. The bloody cuts were not too serious, but they did look ominous. The arrows of chaos over his head and a cheerful, but unsettling smile over his heart.
The stallion pulled out a knife. “Something tells me you don’t want to see me die. After all, you’re the only one allowed to break your ‘toys’, aren’t you?” he growled.
By now, Discord, the unnamed mare, and the audience of ponies were all shocked. “Whoa, now! There’s no need for that!” He snapped his fingers and the mare was safely lowered to the ground. “See? She’s free to go! Run along now, dearie.” The mare glanced fearfully at Discord and the stallion before she ran off. “See? You can put the knife down now. Um…listen, I’m sure there are lots of ponies who care about you. Is there anypony I can summon for you? Family or…ugh, friends? I’m not so great with the mushy-feely stuff but-”
The stallion lowered the knife. “I will not return to my friends and family until I have ensured that you will never hurt them again. So listen well to these words of warning, vile spirit.”
Discord stared at the stallion in surprise. “Well…good. Glad you’re not suicidal. I must say, I’m used to you ponies being about as threatening as a basket of declawed kittens. Celly and Lulu are the only interesting ones. I’ve never seen a pony get so…dark.” He lowered himself back into his throne and smiled. “You have my interest, little pony. Tell me all about my supposed ‘doom’,” he said with a chuckle.
“For too long, the innocent have been preyed upon by the wicked. The hatred and fear that spread between the pony tribes, the horrifying Windigos, the bandits and thieves, the bullies and monsters, all leading up to you. The spirit of chaos and the enemy of harmony. But on this day, I shall give life to the creature that will end all evil,” the stallion said as he raised his right hoof.
“Nice speech,” Discord said, tapping his chin in amusement.
“Celestia and Luna are already doing everything they can to stop you. But ponies are beginning to lose faith in their heroes. They are beginning to lose hope. And so from the depths of despair I shall bring a new, but unorthodox hero. One who spreads both hope and fear to all who cross her path.”
“I honestly don’t know where you’re going with this,” Discord commented with a smile. “Please don’t stop.”
“I will ensure that even against overwhelming odds, good shall always win. I will ensure that even when heroes cannot fight any longer, evil will always lose. If a hero is not strong enough to save the day…then something else will avenge it.”
The stallion lifted up his right hoof, and unwrapped a scroll that had been tied to his leg. He unfolded the scroll and held it up to the light. The scroll’s paper was a perfect shade of white but the letters on it were made with a dark red, glowing ink of some kind. The scroll had an otherworldly aura to it.
“Ooh! What have you got there?” Discord grinned.
“A being that I cannot even begin to understand gifted this spell to me. And so I call upon the forces of nature, upon this scroll’s magic, and upon your own power for this curse!” the stallion declared.
“My power?” Discord asked, an amused smirk on his face.
“I shall call forth a monster just as chaotic, crazy, cruel, and cunning as you are. She will be your equal match, if not your superior. A monster that preys upon other monsters. A monster that you cannot stand against.”
“Just as chaotic as me? The master of chaos?” Discord laughed. “You’re kidding me! No pony is as crazy as I am! Honestly, what are you trying to do? From the pronoun you’re using it sounds like you’re trying to summon a female version of me. Sorry kid, but I am one of a kind. Now, I suppose in some other universes I might have siblings, but-”
“I have already considered that,” the stallion stated. “Making another Discord is the last thing I want. No, this creature will be chaotic in mind but less so in body. She will not have access to your magic because she won’t need it.”
“Doesn’t sound like she has a chance then, does it?” Discord chuckled.
“You underestimate my knowledge of chaos. She won’t need magic but she’ll hunger for it, even if I tell her otherwise. No matter the obstacles she faces…she will find a way to overcome and overpower it,” the stallion murmured.
“I still don’t see how any of this could kill me,” Discord scoffed.
“Kill you? This creature will never kill anyone! The villains she fights will never escape justice because she will not allow them to die! She will be without mercy! She will not rest until the villain she targets is left a shell of their former selves! She will reduce the cruelest of monsters into broken weaklings!”
“Sure she will,” Discord said with a condescending smirk.
“You may doubt me now, but you will learn to fear this creature. Every evil being will. Which brings me closer the next part of the spell. This curse is the curse to end all curses. In both power and purpose. A curse such as this requires sacrifice. Something to bind and fuel its power. But I cannot bind this curse to myself as I am a mere mortal.”
The stallion glared at Discord. “And so I shall bind this curse to evil itself. This creature will never truly die so long as evil continues to exist. Evil shall sow the seeds of its own destruction and the tree shall bear fruit.”
“You know, you sure love to talk about whatever this creature is without actually saying anything,” Discord said.
The stallion gave him an angry grin. “Ah, but that is where I leave the details up to the whims of nature. I have explained her personality, power, and purpose. But I won’t give away her true form. For fear of the unknown is the one thing everybody fears. You won’t have a clue what this creature looks like until it is too late.”
Discord sighed. “Right. Well this has been fun, but I feel like you’ve dragged this on long enough. Is that everything? I’m feeling hungry.”
“And she is too. The time has come.” The stallion picked up the knife again and with one quick slice, made a small cut into his right hoof. He set the knife down and clenched the scroll tightly, his blood beginning to ooze over the scroll. His eyes focused on Discord, but they didn’t look the same.
“I summon this creature from the darkest shadows. A being born of the magic of friendship and the power of madness. A protector of the innocent and devourer of the wicked. I cast her curse upon evil itself. Monsters, witches, villains, and tyrants will wake from their tortured nightmares, screaming at the very thought of her. Her legacy will be one of carnage and chaos.”
Discord sighed. “Is that-”
“Evil will cower before her!” the stallion roared. “She will not rest until all of space and time has been utterly transformed by Her! Chaotic! Vengeance!”
With that final shout, the stallion lowered the scroll, gasping for breath. Discord smirked at him. “Well that was a very lovely speech you had. I don’t think I’ve ever heard one of you ponies act so crazy. You deserve a prize for being a mildly entertaining distraction. How do you feel about extra appendages?”
Discord raised his claw to snap his talons…and frowned. “Huh?” He examined his eagle claw, still raised in the air. There was a faint white aura around his talons. He reached over with his paw to grab his other limb and pulled. But his claw remained frozen in midair. “How odd. My limbs don’t usually gain minds of their own at this hour.”
His eyes widened as his talons began to move, scratching a hole into the fabric of space and time. Soon a small portal had appeared over his claw. And from that portal, a great cloud of pink smoke began to pour out.
The pink smoke continued to grow until Discord regained control of claw and pulled it back, closing the portal. The pink smoke began to twist and transform in the air. A pony, a dragon, a snake, and a dozen other creatures. After a minute it finally settled on a form. A pair of huge pink and purple eyes, filled with glowing spirals of endless insanity.
The floating eyes focused their gaze on the stallion and on the former Elements of Harmony. After a few seconds the eyes winked at them, doing a happy little spin in the air. Then, the eyes switched their focus. One eye stared at Discord while the other eye stared at Starlight Glimmer.
A floating mouth appeared below the eyes, filled with sharp, pearly white fangs. It stretched out into an impossibly wide grin as the fangs began to ooze blood. The grinning face let out an utterly demonic, otherworldly, and insane laugh…and then faded into the air.
Everyone stared in shock. Slowly Discord pointed at the space where the smoke had been. “What…in the world…was that?”
The stallion shocked gaze slowly faded. He glared at Discord and said, “Three days.”
“What?” Discord asked.
“Celestia and Luna have three days to defeat you. If they fail to beat you in that time she will come back to finish the job.”
The stallion let out a long sigh and smiled peacefully. “At last…the nightmare will be over. And one day in the future all nightmares will be over.” He smirked at Discord, turned around, and walked away. “Goodbye Discord. And good riddance.”
Discord chuckled nervously. “Ha, ha, ha. Was that supposed to scare me? Nice magic trick of yours, but I’m not impressed. So you made a little smoke appear. I’m not worried. Why would I be worried? I’m Discord! The master of chaos! You think you can threaten me? You think just because I lost control of my own magic, I’m going to leave you ponies alone? You think I can be stopped?”
The stallion kept walking away at a calm pace. Eventually he left the sphere of chaos Discord had created for his enactment and the stallion puppet faded away. Discord slowly floated back down to his throne, nervously stroking his beard.
“Can I be stopped? That smoke thing…no, no, no. That’s crazy.” He stared at his eagle claw before he snapped his fingers and conjured up a bag full of little black seeds. “Although…I suppose it couldn’t hurt to start making backup plans. Not like I’ll need them or anything.”
Discord looked back at his audience and clapped his paw and claw together. The sphere of chaos imploded; collapsing in on itself until the hill was normal again. He floated over to them and said, “The rest of my story, you already know.”
Starlight frowned. “What was that all about?”
Discord stared at her as if she was dumber than dirt. “Are…are you kidding? You’re kidding me, right? Have you no sense? Have you no appreciation for theatre?!” He glanced at his friends. “You all understand what I’m saying, right?”
“You’re saying that some guy a thousand years ago got super angry at you and made a spooky curse that was supposed to defeat you in the event that the Elements of Harmony couldn’t,” Pinkie said with a smile. “The reason you’re telling us this now is because the curse has come back and it’s targeting a really big meanie in Ponyville and you’re worried that the big spooky monster is going to beat us up if we get in her way.”
“Hit the nail right on the head Pinkie,” Discord said with a small shiver. “At first I dismissed the Curse-Ender as an empty threat, but recently I have heard somepony or something try to invoke me.”
“Invoke you?” Rainbow asked.
“Indeed. Something has spoken words that no normal pony would ever utter. The creature is calling out to me and it’s doing it from Ponyville.” Discord explained. “You see-”
“Oh give me a break!” Starlight snapped.
Discord frowned at her. “I don’t take many things seriously Miss Glimmer, but this is important.”
“Oh sure! That’s such a great, spooky legend…that you made up!” she growled.
He glared at her. “Excuse me?”
“You’re lying! You’re making up some ridiculous story to scare us and try to fool us into thinking that you’re not behind all the insanity that I’ve had to put up with thanks to that blasted filly, who you totally are!” she growled. She glanced at Twilight and her friends and shouted, “Can’t any of you see that he’s lying to you?!”
Discord frowned. “Twilight, Fluttershy, you know me. Would I lie to you?” He paused and quickly added, “About something this serious?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Doesn’t seem that serious to me. I haven’t seen any spooky smoke creatures. Even if I did, we could take it!”
“Oh for goodness sake! Pinkie Pie, could you please organize a town wide panic already?!”
Pinkie shrugged. “I dunno. That guy said his monster was a protector of the innocent. Which means she’s nice as long as you’re a good person. Maybe she just wants a friend! Come on Discord, why are you acting so scared?”
“Me? Scared?! HA! What do I have to be scared of?” Discord scoffed.
“I can think of a few things.” Everyone turned around to see the filly strolling up the hill with a chilling smile.
“You’re afraid of losing, dear boy. You were afraid of the Elements because they could seal you in stone, costing you victory and robbing you of years of mischief and misadventure. You’re afraid of losing your power and reputation. You worry that your friends are taming you, crushing your chaotic spirit until you’re just a pony errand boy; making you something less than Discord. Most of all, you’re afraid of losing your friends. Too harmonious and you’re not you anymore. But too chaotic and you might lose them for good. It’s how Tirek tricked you, it’s how Fluttershy and Luna helped you…”
The filly giggled. “And really, why stop the running gag now?”
Discord took a step back. “Do I know you?” he said, sounding both confused and nervous.
The filly gasped dramatically. “Why, you don’t recall me? Oh, I’m crushed! How the high and mighty forget!” she giggled. “Well, you’ll remember soon enough. First of all, don’t take too much of what I said to heart. I’m a big fan of your work. I might not have approved of your message back when you were evil but your performance is much more enjoyable now that you’ve reformed.”
The filly held up a party invitation. ” Anyway, even if you don’t know who I am, I’ve got quite a memorable event planned! There’ll be games, fireworks, dancing, and cake! I even brought some sponge cake for starters!”
Pinkie frowned suspiciously at the soapy, wet sponge that the filly held up next. “That’s not cake.”
Starlight scoffed. “So much for your supposed ‘Curse-Ender’. Just admit that you created this menace, Discord.”
Discord’s eyes widened. “What?” He stared down at the filly. “That’s the Curse-Ender?”
“Of course not! There’s no such thing!”
But the two chaotic creatures ignored Starlight. “Ooh, what’s this I see? A hint of recognition? A hint of fear?” The filly swept her hoof over her face. “Perhaps this will help. Look at me Discord. Tell me what you see.”
Discord stared at the smiling filly. “I…I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are.”
“Look closer, sweetheart,” the filly whispered.
Discord took a step back, shaking his head. “No, really. I don’t know…what you are.”
The filly grinned. “There’s the answer I was looking for.” Her face relaxed as she examined the wet sponge. “So Dissy, you can mess around with ponies’ minds, huh? Can you make them sleepy?”
“Of…of course.”
“Can you erase – no, wait – modify their memories?”
“I…probably.”
“Good.” The filly gestured at Twilight and her friends. “Knock their lights out. You and I need to have a private conversation.”
“What in tarnation?!” Applejack asked as she and her friends backed up.
“Kid, what are you doing?” Rainbow asked.
“Ah ha! See? I told you she can’t be trusted!” Starlight shouted.
The filly smiled at her. “Oh dearie, you mistake my intentions. I’m not that selfish. Truly, I’m doing this with your feelings in mind!”
“My feelings?! What makes you think I want this, you lunatic?!”
“Simple, darling.” Without any more warning, the filly ran towards Starlight in a burst of speed. Before Starlight could react, the filly had leapt over her head and landed on her back, the soapy sponge in hoof.
“And sweep, sweep!” the filly sang before she jumped off again. “Not so equal anymore, eh dearies?”
Starlight felt a shiver run down her spine, along with the water running down her flank. “Oh no…” She gulped as she felt their eyes fall on her.
“Starlight…your cutie mark…”
“How could you?”
“You lied to us!”
Starlight couldn’t make out which pony was saying what. Her world was crashing down around her. Everything she had worked to achieve, destroyed in seconds. All she could focus on was the filly who was looking positively ecstatic.
“Since I’m feeling generous, I’m giving you this choice, Starry. You can allow Discord to modify their memories so that we can have our conversation in peace. Your secret will be safe. Or…everything stays the way I have set it in motion.” Her grin widened. “And the whole world can see both of us for who we truly are.”
Rarity gasped. “Starlight! You’re not seriously going to-”
“Hey Discord, you got a camera? I can already see the headlines and the angry mobs!” the filly giggled.
“No!” Starlight cried as she felt their gaze burn into her soul. She buried her face in the ground and covered her flank with her tail. “Don’t look at me!”
“I think we have our answer,” the filly giggled. “Discord, knock their lights out. Remove my presence from this conversation but keep the seeds of your story buried in their minds.”
With his jaw dropped, Discord snapped his fingers, causing the former Elements of Harmony to fall asleep. A second snap, brought out golden swirls of memory out from their foreheads and into his waiting paw.
“Excellent.” The filly smiled wider as she studied Starlight. “Look at that. Her shoulders actually relaxed. She cares more about her secret than anything else. It’s so pathetic it’s funny.”
“You…you…” Starlight growled as she stood back up, hatred burning in her eyes.
“Tuck our friends into bed, Dissy, and give them some sweet dreams.”
Discord snapped his fingers and teleported his friends back to their homes. He stared at the filly with admiration. “That was an impressively sadistic choice.”
The filly smiled. “Aww! Thank you!”
“Turn around and face me!” Starlight cried as she blasted the filly with all of her might. She grinned as her spell connected with the filly’s face and sent her flying. “HA! Not so high and mighty now, are you?!”
“Nyeh heh, he, ha, ha! Ah ha, ha, ha, ha!” Starlight’s smile faded as the filly stood back up. “Such anger! Now we’re talking!”
“You sick freak!” Starlight growled as she blasted the filly again.
Once again, the filly was knocked off her hooves. But she got back up with another smile on her face. “Come now Starlight Glimmer, a baby princess has hit me harder than that!”
“Stay down!” Starlight cried as she fired at the filly, only for her enemy to sidestep away from her attack. “Why. Won’t. You. Break?!” She screamed, her every word punctuated with another blast.
The filly either dodged her attacks or took them with a giggle. Starlight knew that she was letting her anger get the best of her, but it was just so hard to control it. Seeing that her attacks weren’t doing anything, she planned to trap the filly in crystal. But as her horn glowed with power, the scratch that Discord had left on her horn choose that moment to interfere.
Seeing that her horn’s light was beginning to dim, the filly seized the opportunity and rushed towards her enemy. With surprising speed and strength, the filly kicked Starlight’s legs in, causing her to fall down. Starlight gasped as two hooves landed on her stomach and two more landed on her throat.
The filly gazed down at Starlight. Not with a smug smirk or an innocent smile designed to disguise her inner darkness. Not even with a pair of crazy eyes. For the first time in Starlight’s memory, the filly stared at her with a pure, evil grin.
“Ya wanna know something funny? I could have done this anytime I wanted. All the magic you can wield wouldn’t have stopped me. The only thing holding me back was...well, you’re not exactly martyr material. But too many ponies still believe all the lies you spewed about a concept you don’t understand. They need to see you for who you truly are. Of course, I also held back for my own benefit.” the filly gave her a dark chuckle. “Your prolonged suffering is such sweetness.”
“You’re a monster…” Starlight gasped out as the filly tightened her hold on her neck.
The filly chuckled. “I may be a monster, but at least I’m not a murderer.” She hopped off of Starlight’s body, allowing the unicorn to catch her breath.
“I have…never killed…anypony,” Starlight gasped.
The filly smiled. “Not in this timeline.”
“Oh what? You’re a time traveler now?” Starlight glared up at her foe.
The filly shrugged. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m not.”
Discord shook his head. “I never knew the Curse-Ender could be this scary.”
Again, the filly shrugged. “Maybe I am her. Maybe I’m not.” She giggled and said, “Really darlings, you’re not focusing on the bigger picture here. But you will soon enough.” The last thing Starlight heard was a finger snap and the filly’s fading laughter.
Discord looked down at the sleeping Starlight. “So…that was something.”
“Oh, I know! She’s shaping up quite nicely, don’t you think?” the filly asked. “Now Discord, unlike the others I want you to lock her memories in her head. She won’t remember this encounter until we want her to.”
Discord snapped his fingers again and cloud of darkness swirled around Starlight’s head before vanishing. “Just so you’re aware, I’m only doing this because-”
“We have common allies and a common enemy.” The filly smiled at him. “Fear me all you want Discord, but know that I care about you and your friends. You’ve got nothing to worry about me. Starlight Glimmer is the one I’m after.”
“Well I’m quite happy to hear it. But you can’t blame me for being cautious around the curse that was created to torture me,” Discord replied.
“Now when did I say I was the so-called Curse-Ender?” the filly asked.
“But…I remember that curse. It happened just like I said it did,” Discord protested.
“Are you sure about that? Out of the three people here, none of us are reliable narrators, now are we?” the filly asked as she gently brushed Starlight’s mane.
“What other explanation can there be?”
“Maybe I was inspired by the Curse-Ender,” the filly suggested. “Maybe I was an ordinary girl who dreamed of turning herself into the world’s scariest legend.” She laughed and said, “Or maybe I just like to mess with people.”
“But enough about me, let’s talk about what you want. You want your friends back, don’t you? I can do that. I can return Ponyville to the happy, peaceful village it was always meant to be. And I can even promise that we’ll have fun doing it. All I ask in return is that you keep helping me. When we’re done, you can have friendship AND freedom.” She smiled up at Discord and asked, “What do you say?”
Discord’s face morphed into a confident smile. “I’d say it’s a deal.” He reached down and shook the filly’s hoof. “So what’s the next part of our plan?”
“I began my party preparations at a specific point in time, darling. Where Starlight Glimmer was at the peak of her power. All of Equestria under her hoof. Its citizens ignorantly believing her every lie, except for those who fight on. Starlight’s ‘equality’ movement is at the perfect stage. Unforgettable but still vulnerable. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Not a clue,” Discord replied.
“I want to strike down this evil when it is at its strongest, but before it has a chance to do any permanent damage. And so far, things have worked out splendidly. Starlight’s mind is almost at its snapping point. And I want the world to witness it.”
The filly smiled as another white-coated, pink-maned, smiling filly walked up to them. “So are we good to go?”
“We’re on to the fireworks show, my boy. Tell Chrysalis that I’m going to open the gates soon and her whole kingdom is invited.”
Green fire consumed the second filly, revealing his true form. The changeling saluted her before he buzzed his wings and flew away.
“You made a deal with Chrysalis?” Discord asked.
“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ve got a surprise planned for her too.” The filly looked down at Starlight. “It’s a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these, mares like you…”
“Well, that part will come true soon.”