Game Over
From The Depths
Preread, Edited, and Reviewed By
Illustrious Q, Batty Gloom, El Oso, Alexstrazsa, JustAnotherTimeLord, Hidden Brony
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Chapter 9
Game Over
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Twilight groaned as she shifted her legs, which were stiff and unresponsive. Her mind was coming awake, but she refused to open her eyes. It felt like she had been up all night studying while wrestling a hydra. She wanted more sleep. Thankfully, it was nice and dark. No bright light shining in her eyes. Yes, nice and dark.
Like that figure that...
Swinging from partially asleep to fully awake, Twilight’s mind recalled the dire situation she was last in. Her heart started pounding in her chest, and her eyes zipped in all directions, trying to find the murderous figure that had been moments away from stabbing her.
Yet, none of that was there. She didn’t see the maze or the mysterious castle. She wasn’t in the forest. She was in a hospital room, with the window’s blinds pulled shut and the sterile smell of sanitizers hitting her nose. There were numerous flowers on her bedside table, along with an untouched apple pie and some balloons. It was all very safe, very calm, and entirely ordinary.
Twilight didn’t know whether to be calm or even more freaked out.
“Well, you took your sweet time waking up.”
Turning away from the window and present-laden bedside table, Twilight looked to her right to see Discord sitting—actually sitting—in the hospital provided waiting chair. He looked like he was flipping through a magazine, probably borrowed from a waiting area. The spirit of chaos, who could conjure things with the snap of his claw, had borrowed something from the hospital.
“W-what—?”
“What happened?” Discord interrupted, tossing the magazine over his shoulder. It folded itself into a complex paper airplane, which did a few loop-de-loops before flying out of the room. “To put it bluntly, you, Celestia, Twin Blades, and I saved Equestria from Tirek.”
“Tirek... but I thought we defeated him back in the catacombs. Princess Celestia told me that she blasted him with his own Dark Rainbow.”
“Oh, yes, it was a gripping tale of triumph over the darkness,” Discord mused. “But, take it from me, Tirek is never beaten that easily. Here, let me ask you if this rings a bell.” Putting his paw behind his back, Discord withdrew a small, round, white frosted cake with a blue, green, and pink trim. The top of the cake was decorated with a frosting sun. He set the cake in Twilight’s lap before once more reaching behind his back again.
“See, once upon a time there was this rather know-it-all mare whose sister decided to throw a tantrum. That mare needed to put her sister in time-out for about a thousand years, give or take, and to do it used some very pretty jewelry. In doing so, the jewelry was sealed in stone for a long time. But a part of their power lingered with the know-it-all mare.”
At that Discord produced six candles, sat them on the cake, and lit them. Each one burnt with its own unique color. “That magic tagged along with the mare for centuries, silently protecting her from any nasty, dark influence that might have tried to control or corrupt her. That is, until, that mare went down into a very dark basement to fix a problem her sister started.”
“The catacombs of the old castle?” Twilight asked, only for Discord to put his claw on her lips.
“Twilight, you know its rude to interrupt. Now, where was I? Oh yes. In those catacombs, that mare met a nasty creature. He wanted to do awful things, but he couldn’t leave his dark little corner of the basement without help. So he reached out to touch the mare, hoping he could make her carry him outside. And when he did that, this happened.”
Discord licked his finger and used it to put out one of the candles on the cake. That left five candles, burning and flickering with their own unique flames. Twilight stared at those candles, her mind seeing something familiar. She then gasped. “Five lights... Five stars! Those were the Elements of Harmony!”
“I’d scold you for interrupting again, but I suppose I’m getting bored telling the story this way anyway. After everything that happened, even I’ve lost a bit of my normal pep and vigor.” Discord spun his wrist, turning his claw into a knife as he began to cut his Celestia-metaphor cake. “Yes, those lights you were being tricked into putting out represented the lingering essence of the Elements within Celestia.”
Discord offered Twilight a slice of the cake, and while she would normally refuse, a grumble from her stomach made her hunger apparent. She took the slice, using her magic to break off a chunk and place it in her mouth. Rarity would probably have a fit she wasn’t using a fork, but at that moment, Twilight felt magic was suitable enough.
“So,” she said, talking through the small morsel of cake, “what really happened?”
“Oh, a mixture of things,” Discord said. He took one of the flowers from Twilight’s beside boquete and began to fold and twist it, as if he was making origami. “It seems our dear Celestia was sleepwalking several nights a week after her little excursion into the catacombs. Her therapist attributed it to bad dreams, but it was, in fact, a little bit of Tirek’s essence taking control when the princess’s defenses were at their lowest.
“Tirek must have used Celestia like a puppet for weeks to get this plan of his set up. He was always very patient. He’d actually have a redeeming quality if that patience extended to anything but his own schemes. Still, he made his preparations and then made a trigger.” Discord took the flower he had been folding and held it above Twilight's head.
He then let go, its new, conical shape falling perfectly onto her horn. “It really is amazing what you can do with a little bit of hypnosis, especially if you do it during a dream. Tirek had Celestia trained like a little dog that drools when it hears its food bell. The moment the horn crown was delivered to her, she had a subconscious need to put it on.”
“But why Nightmare Night?” Twilight asked.
“Oh, Tirek couldn’t care a flying horseshoe about pony holidays. He probably just needed Celestia to put it on during some big shindig at the castle. Though, I will admit, it was rather appropriate timing.” Discord served himself a slice of cake. Then, with another spin of his wrist, his claw became a fork which he used to slip a bit of cake into his mouth.
“So, Princess Celestia was being influenced by Tirek because he touched her that night in the catacombs. She made the spell that was tied to the horn crown. But... what was that spell supposed to do, anyway? Was it a teleportation spell that took us to that castle?”
“Oh no. That big of a spell would have been too much for Tirek’s little cancer to do,” Discord said as he finished his first slice of cake and served himself a second. “No, the original spell was meant to do three things. First, it would connect the mind of everypony in the castle to Celestia’s consciousness. Second, it would take over her mind entirely. Third, as a result of the first two steps, Tirek’s cancerous influence would have spread to everypony connected to Celestia by the spell, basically giving him a small army in the matter of moments.”
“But then why didn't it do exa...” Twilight began to ask, only to look to Discord. “That moment when you grabbed the crown. You did something, didn’t you?”
“Very astute of you, Twilight. You deserve a gold star.” Discord stuck said gold star sticker on Twilight’s cheek as he beamed like some proud teacher. “Yes. The moment I saw that nasty little thing, I could tell it was Tirek’s. It just exuded his particular artistic vision, not to mention some of his dark magic. That’s why I tried to grab it. Unfortunately, it seems even he’s heard about my reformation into a law-abiding citizen of Equestria. He put in some nasty counter measures to keep me from interfering.
“So, while I couldn’t stop what was about to happen, I did make it... more interesting.” Discord stuck his fork-claw into his slice of cake, but as he pulled it up the cake itself morphed. It grew into a tall, regal looking castle, though still made entirely of cake.
“So it was your game. The fake Luna inside was telling the truth.”
“About that much, yes. The game was mine, though for once I was playing for Equestria’s benefit,” Discord said as he broke off a tower of his castle cake and popped it into his mouth. “Every pony caught in the initial spell’s web was pulled into Celestia’s dream. There, they would start to be overcome with their nightmares until they became monstrous beasts. Beasts that, I hoped, would hunt down Tirek’s little cancer and clean it out of Celestia’s head.
“Of course, there were a few ponies that started out transformed, ones I selected to guard the candles in Celestia’s mind. After all, I couldn’t leave the goal of the game completely undefended at the beginning.”
“So... wait... you were the one that turned me into a giant book snake!” Twilight snapped, pointing an accusing hoof at Discord.
“No, I wasn’t, but I must say that was an excellent transformation. A very inspired mix of all your little phobias. A fear of snakes, destroyed books, dark magic, tombs, and claustrophobia all rolled into a deadly package. You really must try to do that again for next Nightmare Night. I promise, you’d win every costume contest you could enter.”
“But then why did that snake-mouthed Celestia look like Nightmare Moon in mirrors? Why did that Celestia have my mane? Why did I have Celestia’s mane? Why did you make me one of the candles?” Twilight asked, her mind trying to wrap around the fact that it had been Discord’s game the whole time, even if it was his attempt at helping.
“Let me answer the first three, because they’re really all the same question,” Discord said as he stood up from his seat, stretching after finishing his castle-shaped slice of cake. “I may have made the rules to the game, Twilight, but that didn’t stop Tirek’s little cancer from trying to cheat. When it realized it wouldn’t be able to blow out the candles on its own, it began to manipulate the ponies in the dream. It gave some of them sweet dreams so they wouldn’t become monsters. It tried to use others to its advantage. You know this, especially after that little swim you took in Twin Blades’ memories.
“That’s also why it made Luna, whose fear had turned her into a foal-gobbling Nightmare Moon, look like Celestia with your mane. Tirek was trying to convince you that you had been taken to some far off castle, a goal I think we both agree he succeeded in accomplishing.” Discord turned and put his paw and claw at the end of the bed, chuckling as he looked Twilight. “You can be so narrow minded sometimes. It’s part of the reason why you’re so fun to be around.”
“If he was cheating, why didn't you stop him?” Twilight asked, glaring down Discord with her forehooves crossed.
“Because I wasn’t really part of the game,” Discord answered, brushing of Twilight’s glare as if it was dust on his chest. “Sure, I had my little bat, but that was about all I could do. After all, sending my chaotic magic across a mental bridge without frying the pony brain on the other side isn’t exactly easy. We’re honestly lucky Celestia’s brain didn’t turn into a hard-boiled egg having that many ponies running around her dream.”
“And what about the fact that I was one of the ‘stars?’” Twilight asked, not allowing herself to get led off-topic by Discord’s tangent. “That thing wanted to kill me.”
“I must admit, that was a surprise for me as well,” Discord said, using his claw to remove a screw from the end of Twilight’s bed. “There was supposed to be five candles, but the essence of the Element of Magic inside Celestia apparently had another idea.”
Discord flicked the screw, which flew through the air and stuck to Twilight’s horn as if she was casting a magnetism charm. “It was drawn to you. You are the current wielder of the Element of Magic, after all. Who better to represent the essence in my little game.”
“But Tirek was trying. To. Kill me!”
“Oh wha wha wha.” Discord snapped his claw, popping out of existence and appearing next to Twilight before quickly putting a pacifier in her mouth. “You really shouldn’t whine about what was, in the end, a fortuitous turn of events. The fact you bonded with that light is the reason you got a second chance to be in Celestia’s head, unlike Cadance, Philomena, or Raven, who were disconnected from the dream the moment their candles were snuffed. To be quite honest, you were cheating almost as bad as Tirek’s little cancer, but then how could I expect anything else when your precious mentor, Princess Celestia, was setting such a bad example.”
Twilight spat out the pacifier. “Princess Celestia was there too?”
“Well of course, all this was happening in her little noggin. She, perhaps, didn’t have a piece on the board like everypony else, but since when do you expect the game board in a boardgame to be a player as well.”
“She was... the game board,” Twilight said, tilting her head to one side before taking in a small breath in realization. “She was the castle.”
“To an extent,” Discord confirmed as he began to open the blinds, letting warm rays of sunlight flood into the room. The view beyond the window was of a desolate desert. “Everything was just her dream, but certain things did represent certain aspects of your dear princess’s psyche. The library, for example, was all her wisdom and knowledge while the painting in that library was the core of her consciousness. That’s why it remained pristine even as the frame, its protection, deteriorated.
“By the way, you should really thank her for helping you find that spell to get into Twin Blades’ head. You might not have made it without that little trick.”
Twilight chewed on another bite of the cake, her eyes wandering as she was deep in thought. “Then... that must have been why everything kept changing back to what it had been after I left a hallway or a room. Celestia was forgetting what parts I changed. But then what happened at the end? Why did your bat led me to a statue of you if you weren’t even really there?”
“To get you to use this,” Discord said, his arm stretching to twice its length to pick up Twilight’s crown off her bedside table. “After you helped Tirek’s cancer snuff all the stars but yourself, the only way we were going to win was if I got you to use this. By using the Elements, you purged Tirek’s little cancer out of Celestia’s head, restored their lingering essence in the princess’s body, and broke the spell of the horn crown.
“But, I know you, Twilight. You didn’t even think of trying to use the little trinket in your crown without your friends being there with you. So, I had to give you a reason to try, and that’s why I put the statue in. I have to give credit to Tirek, though. Hiding my body as parts of others statues in the maze was a rare moment of creativeness on his behalf.”
Discord chuckled, tossing the crown to Twilight as he began to stroll towards the door. “So, once more the day is saved thanks to six little ponies and their pretty jewelry, with a little assistance from a pegasus guard, a royal know-it-all, and the beloved yours truly. Celestia’s just down the hall if you want to visit her. Besides you and me, she’s about the only one that really remembers everything that happened. All the others were spared the details of the experience, believing it was nothing more than a bad dream.
“And in many ways,” Discord said as he placed his paw on the door handle, “that’s all it was.”
“Wait, I have one more question,” Twilight asked, sitting up in her hospital bed as Discord turned around in the door.
“Just one, Twilight? Oh, I don’t believe that.”
“The way you were talking just now, it sounds like you know Tirek.”
Discord’s characteristic smile faded, and he looked away from Twilight. “Once more, your astuteness shines through, my dear Twilight. You see, in my life I’ve been blasted by the Rainbow of Light, also known as the Elements of Harmony, three times. Two times was by you ponies of Equestria, which turned me to stone. The first time—which was a very long time ago—I was sent to the great jail of Tartarus.”
Discord’s grip on the handle tightened as he his claw balled into a fist. “I pray you never see the inside of that place, Twilight. For all the horrors you experienced during my game, that place is far, far worse. It is a fate I wouldn’t wish on any soul.
“A fate I barely managed to escape.”
Turning slowly, Discord looked at Twilight. For a moment she was frightened by the look in his eye, one so dead serious it nearly rivaled Fluttershy’s stare in its sheer crippling power. “I am never going back, nor am I going to let Tirek turn this pony paradise into just extension of his prison. I will... never go back.”
“Discord...”
Twilight’s one word, spoken with concern and kindness, snapped the draconequus out of his moment. He put on a smile, turning and flourishing his arms. “Oops, I got a little bit too serious right there. Can’t let that happen. After all, I’m a spirit of chaos. I can’t let myself get caught up in moody stuff like that. Now, if you'll excuse me, dear Twilight, I’m going to go brighten Princess Celestia’s day. Sayonara.”
“But Discord—” She tried to protest. The draconequus, however, put his paw on the door and pushed it open. In that moment, a stampede of chromatic mares and one young dragon rushed into the room, encircling Twilight’s bed. They were all chattering at the same time, saying how good it was to see she was awake and how worried they were.
In the confusion Discord slipped out, pulling the door shut. Still, even as Twilight began to greet and thank her friends for the gifts on her bedside table, her imagination chewed on what Discord said like a dog with a bone. If Tartarus was even worse than what she went through, then she had to wonder.
Just what horrors had Discord been through that he seemed so intent on keeping buried?
~~~
Discord lingered outside the door for a few seconds, lifting his claw and slowly counting down on his talons. 3... 2... 1...
“I’ve been asleep how long!?”
The draconequus couldn’t help but smirk, finding a moment's joy in hearing Twilight shout like that. Still, he was a busy spirit of chaos. So much to do. So many places to be. It was almost impossible to think even he could get around to all of it.
“Dr. Discord, Patient Cumquat is ready for her checkout examination.”
Discord turned, a doctor’s white coat rising out of his skin like a snowstorm of dandrif. He took a clipboard from the nurse, a strikingly handsome draconequus. Discord couldn’t help but feel he was looking into a mirror when he saw that nurse, but then again the same could be said of the hospital’s entire staff.
Pushing the limits of even his chaotic magic, Discord had multiplied himself into an army of caregivers. An army that had taken a small broom closet of Canterlot Castle and turned it into extensive medical facility. To say the least, Fluttershy was very pleased with how earnestly Discord was trying to help the ponies who had been caught up in the Nightmare Night incident.
He didn’t have the heart to tell her it was more to remove every trace of Tirek from Equestria than to help ponies.
“Anything else?” he asked as he walked alongside one of his nurse clones. The nurse handed him a clipboard, and he flipped through the pages of cartoon scribbles, fine classical art, and ink splots it held.
“Patient Cumquat asked if she could visit Patient Scribble before she is released today. There is also a stallion here to pick up Patient Scribble, a Mr. Finder.”
“Have Mr. Finder meet me in Patient Scribble’s room,” Discord answered as he passed back the clipboard. “I’ll be along shortly for the exit examination.”
The nurse nodded, diverging to another hallway while Discord continued on his way. The hospital had been much bigger at the start, for multiple reasons, but as ponies were released Discord let his little pocket dimension collapse in size. Now, there were only a few dozen rooms remaining, a few stubborn cases that still needed to be sorted out.
Discord felt he’d almost miss his little mad house, but he had been playing this particular role for long enough. He’d need to go out and do about a dozen other professions in twenty-four hours to get himself out of what had been become a very orderly routine.
Still, he couldn’t fantasize about retirement from his short medical career for much longer. He did have patients to see. He reached one of the patient room doors on the hallway and stepped through it as if it was nothing but strips of fabric. “How are you this afternoon? Did you sleep well?”
Celestia sat up in her bed, actually smiling a little at the sight of the Draconequus. “I did, actually.”
“Well, I believe we both know who you need to thank for that. So many patients started doing better when Luna resumed her royal duties.” Discord stepped up to the bed, using a yoyo string to bring the medical chart to his claw. He then brought out a tuning fork, and tapped it against Celestia’s horn. The tuning fork sounded like a barbershop quartet singing a warm up for a performance, but it was a tone that made Discord smile. “Really, as the big sister, I can’t believe you’ve let yourself lay around in bed so much longer than she did. Tell me, are you just playing sick just so you can have a vacation?”
“No, I’m just following my doctors orders,” Celestia said, still smiling, through her grin accentuated several wrinkles on her face. She looked older than any pony had ever seen the believed-to-be immortal princess.
“Yes, I must admit being your taskmaster has been a delightful experience. Though, you worked off the extra weight from your all-cake meal regiment faster than I anticipated. I do believe some mares would consider assassinating you if they thought it would give them your metabolism. Perhaps I should consider spreading that rumor. Now, open your mouth an say ‘awwww.’”
Celestia did as she was requested, and the draconequus leaned. He withdrew a dentist's mirror from his coat and then held it just inside the princesses mouth. He had to push it in deep, to the point where the back of the mirror was pressing against the back of her throat. Celestia gagged, just a little, but otherwise suppressed her reflex while Discord had his look.
Still, in the mirror Discord saw the glint of six little lights, shining brightly.
“Well, it seems I’ll have to save my new all-pie treatment for somepony else,” he said as he withdrew the dental tool. “You are ready to be released, after your group therapy session of course. Still, keep the ruling to a minimum and limit your magic to raising the sun slowly.” Discord put a claw to his mouth and whistled loudly. In a flash the door to the room burst open, a wheelchair screeching to a stop next to the bed. “Your chariot awaits.”
Celestia nodded, slowly pulling herself out of bed and putting her hooves on the floor. Her steps were a bit weak, but she made it to the wheelchair and sat down. “Thank you, Discord.”
“Oh, don’t thank me yet. Just wait until you get my bill,” he said with a sly grin as he took hold of the equine wheelchair’s handles and began to push it towards the door. “I accept payment in practical jokes, chaotic freedom, and national holidays when everypony celebrates the wonders of chaos. I have also been thinking about getting a little kingdom of my own, you know, like what Cadance has. A little city-state of chaos. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I did truly enjoy the idea of making Ponyville the chaos capital of the world.
“Then again, Twilight probably would have something say to that now that she’s awake.”
Celestia perked up and looked over her shoulder. “Twilight is awake?”
“Oh yes, she came to just a few minutes ago. She’s currently being swarmed by her friends, but you can see her after your therapy. Right now, I believe you and I have somepony else to meet.”
~~~
Path Finder knocked at the door cautiously, not in fear of disturbing the pony within but of the door itself. On every visit he had made to Discord’s hospital, the door before him had done something different. The first day it had swung upward, almost clocking him in the jaw. On another day it turned into a flaming hoop, and the only way through was to make the jump. His tail was still a little singed from that ordeal.
But, today, the door simply swung inward, as if on normal hinges. Path Finder didn’t want to believe it. He lingered in the hallway fearing the door was going to snap back in his face for some cruel trick. Still, he didn’t want to leave the mare inside waiting, so he took a tentative step. One hoof across the threshold and the door remained normal. Halfway through and still nothing had happened.
Path Finder didn’t know how to explain why he was in the door’s good graces today, but he wasn’t going to question it either. He just finished stepping inside and let the door shut itself as he moved to the side of the room’s hospital bed. “Hey, what are you doing still in bed?”
The mare laying on top of the sheets was Twin Blades, though Path Finder still had trouble recognizing his fellow royal guard out of uniform. In stark contrast to the white coats their armor magically gave them, hers was a rich yellow. It went well with her short cut red mane and tail as well as the pair of crossed swords that were her cutie mark.
They were real, vibrant colors, unlike him who had a color pallette that matched his namesake talent of finding a path: brown coat on wheat-colored mane. It was a very earth pony color palette, like his father, even though they were both unicorns. His cutie mark was a lighter brown piece of paper with a red dotted line on it.
Twin Blades slowly rose into a sitting position, wincing noticeably as some of her joints popped. “Sorry, guess I was about ready to doze off again. It seems all I’ve been doing lately is sleeping.”
“Well, sleeping is healing, but tonight you’ll be able to do that in your own bed,” Path Finder said. Horn glowing, he opened the flaps of his saddle bags and began to levitate a few things from around the room. Most were small gifts and well meant cards from comrades in the Royal Guard. But, as Path Finder packed things away, he also took something out.
“It’s too bad you couldn’t be there to receive this in person. You're practically a national hero now. The first to receive this award in a thousand years.” Path Finder levitated the wooden case to Twin Blades, slowly cracking it open to reveal its contents. A medal was displayed against the soft, silken interior along with an accompanying certificate. The medal itself was a sun and crescent moon imposed upon one another and surrounded by six gems in familiar colors.
“The Harmony Medal of Honor,” Path Finder said as he stacked the get well cards into a neat pile and slipped them into his saddle bags. “It was originally created to honor ponies who displayed exceptional valor during and after Discord’s reign of chaos. From what Princess Luna said, Princess Celestia hasn’t given it to anypony since the first Nightmare Moon incident. It was an award they were meant to give together, after all. It’s either equal to or one step above the Solar Medal of Honor, depending on who you ask.”
Twin Blades slowly closed the wooden case and set it on the bed beside her. “It’s very nice. Thank you for accepting it for me.”
“It’s the least I could do,” he said, smiling in hopes that the gesture might brighten Twin Blades’ mood as well. But she remained distant, reminding Path Finder all too well of how his comrade was after their trip into the catacombs. Still, he didn’t let his grin fade as he took the medal case into his magic and stowed it back into his saddle bags. “Well, that’s just about everything, then. How about we get you home?”
Path Finder lifted a foreleg, intending to walk to the side of the bed to help Twin Blades get to her hooves. However, he was promptly interrupted by the slamming of the room’s door. It had fallen open like a bridge that crossed a moat, and standing on the far side were two familiar faces.
Discord wheeled Celestia in, smiling and waving a claw dramatically in the air. “Ah, another patient who is ready to return to the outside world, and this one has a strapping young stallion here to help her home. Try not to be jealous, Celestia. I’m sure Cadance could fix you up with a nice fossil if you want somepony your own age.”
“Your highness.” Path Finder bowed to the princess, though he couldn’t help but notice a distinct lack of movement in the periphery of his vision. Glancing to his side, he was able to confirm that Twin Blades was not bowing. She hadn’t even bothered to tilt her head. She had just sat there as the princess was wheeled in by her chaotic doctor.
“Discord, if I may,” Celestia said, placing her forehooves on the wheels of the chair. The draconequus obliged, releasing his grip on the chairs handles and letting Celestia wheel herself closer. Path Finder slowly rose out of his bow, taking note of how tired Celestia seemed to be. In all the days he had seen her as a guard, she had always been vibrant. But today, she seemed older. Wrinkles around her eyes and lack of vigor in her voice. Yet the motherly kindness the princess was known for still remained.
“I don’t want to keep you for long,” Princess Celestia said as she came to a stop beside Twin Blades’ bed. “I just have to say thank you. No pony should have been forced to endure what you’ve been through. Twice now you’ve been instrumental in protecting me, my sister, and all of Equestria from a very dangerous enemy. There is no way for me to truly repay the debt I owe you, but I would like to try.
“My door will always be open for you, Twin Blades. If you wish to retire from the Guard, then know I will ensure you never have to work another day in your life unless you choose to. If you wish to remain in the Guard, then I’ll grant you any promotion you want. You have proven to have the fortitude, bravery, and intellect to be amongst my top generals. If you wish to leave Equestria behind and live in another land, to put this all behind you, then I’ll ensure you are welcomed warmly wherever you choose to go.”
Path Finder was struck in awe of what he was hearing. It was basically a blank check from the princess. Anything Twin Blades wanted, Princess Celestia would try to give her. It was no less than Twin Blades probably deserved, but seeing the princess make the offer herself was something he’d never forget. He’d even imagine that, if Princess Celestia wasn’t in a wheelchair, she would have bowed.
The princess of the sun would have bowed to a pegasus solar guard who, some would argue, was just doing her job.
Twin Blades looked just as shocked by the offer, as if it was all some cruel joke after everything that happened. Still, after a few moments of silence, Twin Blades began to shift in her bed. She pulled back the sheets, working herself to the edge before sliding down and landing on her hooves. She then turned to face Princess Celestia, looking up to the princess with what Path Finder believed was a tiny smile.
“I... Thank you for the offer. I have a lot to think about, so it may take a while for me to give you an answer.”
Celestia extended a forehoof, setting it on Twin Blades’ shoulder. “Take as long as you need. Until you decide otherwise, consider yourself on paid leave from the Guard.”
Twin Blades nodded, tapping her forehoof against Celestia’s a few times before turning away. “Thank you, princess.” She walked over to Path Finder, still wearing her tiny smile. “I’d like to go home now.”
Path Finder nodded, giving a quick farewell bow to the princess before he and Twin Blades walked to the door. It wasn’t a long walk to Twin Blades’ apartment from the castle, something that could be said of most ponies in the guard. Still, it was a walk the pair would make in silence. Twin Blades happy to see the sun again and be outside. Path Finder happy just to see Twin Blades wearing a smile, even if it was just a small one.
~~~
“That’s highly inappropriate, Discord,” Celestia said as she was wheeled out of Twin Blades’ now vacant room and down the hospital hallway.
“What? I’m just saying that Path Finder is playing the reliable coworker really well. I’m not saying he’ll make anything off it. He may respect the mare too much as a ‘friend.’ I’m just saying he’s in a good position. That and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a thing for red-maned mares.”
“Path Finder is just being a good friend,” Celestia said, trying to defend the pair in their absence.
“Ah, that is true, but there is something I’ve heard Cadance say,” Discord mused as he and Celestia passed the nurse’s station staffed with his clones, who were doing their work while also making a pack of crayons put on a musical broadway show for their amusement. “I mean, besides screaming at the top of her lungs when she first came around with a few extra hooves than she’s used to. No, I believe she likes to say that a romantic partner should also be one of your best friends.”
“I don’t know if Cadance would appreciate you twisting her words like that.”
“Well, we’ll be able to ask her, won’t we?” Discord came to a stop at a large pair of double doors. Through the small square windows, it was easy to see a comfortable, very welcoming room. Composed of warm colors and numerous soft cushions, it was the one part of the hospital Discord had been forced to give up control of. The group therapy room was, as it had been explained to him, a sovereign embassy of order amidst his chaotic hospital.
With a snap of his tail, Discord commanded the doors to open. He turned Celestia’s wheelchair to face inside, where he could see Princess Luna and Princess Cadance were already seated in their favored cushions. There was, however, a third, unexpected guest. One who was now marching towards him and Celestia with what appeared to be grand purpose.
“Shining Armor, so nice of you to join us. I think the therapist would applaud you for supporting your wife, though I thought we agreed these meetings were going to be closed door.”
“I want to talk to you, Discord,” Shining Armor snapped.
“Oh, well, I sense I’m about to receive a new piece of paper in my complaint box. Celestia, I presume you can make it the rest of the way yourself.”
“Yes, I can,” Celestia answered, drawing herself out of the wheelchair and walking gingerly towards an empty cushion next to Luna.
“Wonderful. Then Shining Armor and I will just be a moment.” Discord jumped into the wheelchair, expertly drawing it back so he was balancing on just the two big wheels. He then rolled into the hallway, waiting there until Shining Armor had come outside before using another snap of his tail to shut the door. “So, Mr. Mi Amora Armor, what can I do for you?”
“It’s about—”
“No, wait, don’t tell me. I can read it on your face,” Discord said, smiling mischievously as held Shining’s lips shut with a claw. “There’s no reason to hide the secret from me. You’re a hoof stallion, and you’d like to have something to remember the eight-legged Cadance by. Well, I didn’t really take any pictures, but you should know I am a master of the arts.”
In a flash of chaotic magic, Discord had replaced his wheelchair with an artist’s canvas on an easel and his doctor’s jacket with a paintbrush in his claw while his paw supported a painter’s palette. “Shall I draw her like one of the Canterlot mares, or would you prefer something more Crystal Empire in style?”
“Why did you lie to Twilight?”
“Oh, that’s what this is about,” Discord said, touching the brush to a splotch of color on the palette before beginning to paint on his canvas. “Well, I’ll still send you a nice painting of Cadance anyway. Please be sure to have a photographer ready when she sees it. I want to know what her face looks like when she beholds my artwork for the first time.”
“Discord, you told Twilight it was all just a dream.”
“Yes, I did,” the draconequus answered nonchalantly.
“Even though that’s not what really happened.”
“Yes, I believe there’s even a word for it. What is that word again? Oh yes, I remember now. The word is ‘lying.’”
Shining Armor furrowed his brow, the aggravated rumble in his voice growing in intensity. “She just woke up and you're already playing games with her head. Didn’t you think that I or one of her friends would tell her the truth?”
“Did you tell her the truth?” Discord asked, pausing from his painting for just a moment.
“No, we didn’t, but—”
“Then you are just as guilty as me of this imagined crime.”
“It’s not imagined,” Shining Armor snapped.
“Okay, yes, I’ll give you that much. My ‘crime’ of withholding information from your dear LSBFF is very true. I plead guilty on all counts. I, however, will not have my good name besmirched with these insinuations that it was in anything but Princess Twilight’s best interest.” Discord, after making a dramatic stroke with his paint brush, grabbed his painter’s palette with both claw and paw and pressed it into the canvas. He then began pushing it around with an almost child-like glee, like he was playing with hoof paints.
“After all, like you said, somepony will tell her the truth eventually,” Discord continued, a few freckles popping up on his fur before he used his tail to pull a large cowpony hat out of his ear and put it on his head. “In fact, I think I know just the mare who will tell her everything when the time is right. But, for your dear sister, the past few weeks have passed in a moment. The last thing she remembers is being face to face with that little cancer Tirek put in Celestia’s head.”
Discord put his hand on the edge of his canvas, slowly turning it around to reveal what he had been painting. “Do you really think it’s in her best interest to tell her the truth right now?”
The painting depicted a moment in time, one that had been burned into Shining Armor’s mind. It was the crystal caverns below Canterlot. While he and his guards had been trying to break through what they believed was a portal, Twilight’s friends had been calling to the Elements of Harmony. Without warning, the Elements activated. A rainbow shot forth from the gemstones, striking against the crystalline mirror and blowing through it as it were tissue paper.
At first, they had all feared the Elements had destroyed the portal, as if to seal off something horrible from Equestria. Shining Armor had been amongst the first to rush forward, and it was then they saw the truth. The crystal surface had been a mirror, but not a portal like the one in the Crystal Empire. It had simply been a separating wall; beyond lay a large cavern.
It was in this cavern they found the party guests, but not as they expected them to be. Many were twisted, their bodies mutated by some strange magic. One guard had to back away from the sight, losing his lunch in a quiet corner. Shining Armor couldn’t blame him, as his own stomach wanted to empty itself onto the floor at what he saw.
This moment, when Shining Armor and the other guards first looked upon the hidden room, was what Discord had depicted in his painting. A mass of ponies lay upon a crystal floor, and like a spiraling whirlpool, those closer to the center began to look more and more disfigured. Some of the transformations were reverting before their very eyes, being washed away by the Elements of Harmony. Others, however, remained as they were, partially or completely changed.
Towards the middle of the room were five hulking creatures in particular: a pink spider, an ash phoenix, a carnivorous-looking Nightmare Moon, a bat, and the largest of them all, a purple-scaled snake with a cobra hood. A hood that resembled the mane of a mare Shining Armor knew all too well.
And at the very center of it all lay a black-coated, centaur figure. A figure that bore Celestia’s mane but had no other features that resembled the sun princess. A figure of lore and legend, who nopony had looked upon in the flesh in several thousand years.
“Twilight will be able to handle the truth in time. I have little doubt about that.” Discord raked his claw against the nearby wall, making it spark to life as if a match. “But I don’t think she needs to know just yet that those transformations inside Celestia’s mind were a reflection of what Tirek’s magic was doing to them in the real world. After all, even Tirek needs an army if he is to reconquer the world.
“Truth mirrored are lies,” Discord mused as he used his finger to ignite the bottom edge of the canvas he had just painted. “And lies mirrored are truth. So many ways to interpret such a little phrase, especially when it was one of the loosey goosey rules of my little game. In truth, I’m the only one that knows entirely what happened.”
The flames across the bottom of the canvas spread up the surface quickly, causing the previous image to change into a much more pleasant one. It showed Twilight being surrounded by her friends in her hospital bed, each mare wearing a warm, relieved smile.
“And I think it’s best that no one, not even you, Shining Armor, knows how close we were to losing that little game.” Discord stepped away from the easel, once more putting a smile on his face. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am running a bit late.”
“Yes... of course,” Shining Armor said, taking a step back so Discord could head back towards the rest of the hospital. The draconequus, however, instead stepped over Shining Armor, heading towards the room where all the princesses were gathered around in a circle. “Wait, I thought you said those meetings were closed?”
“Oh, they are,” Discord answered, on paw on the door as he prepared to go inside. “Didn’t Cadance tell you? I’m joining their little group. It is a delightful show seeing those mares spill their fears so willingly. If I had known group therapy was so entertaining, I would have started going much earlier.”
Discord leaned in a little, chuckling under his voice. “Also, since Dr. Well Wish is taking a little sabbatical, I thought it would be fun to go and see one of his colleagues. Oh, the look on his face when he gets back. Besides, Dr. Ink Blot is far easier on the eyes and ears. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
Discord slipped into the room, flying through the air before nestling himself into a cushion. Shining Armor followed behind a moment, holding the door open and peaking inside as another mare came in from a back door. She took a seat on one cushion that faced all the others, a clipboard in hoof as she looked over the rim of her glasses.
“Good day, everypony. I’m glad to see we are all here, including our newest friend Discord. Now, let’s begin as always by going around the room and discussing how our week went. We’ll then branch off from there wherever we desire. This is a safe place. This is a calm place. This is a place where you need not fear being judged by others. In here you are not princess nor a spirit of chaos. In here you are intellectual beings who have suffered a great ordeal, and together we are going to continue the healing process.
“Discord, please put the popcorn away.”
~~~
“Are these the complete records, ma’am?”
“Oh yes,” the librarian said as she adjusted her glasses. “Just as you requested, an accurate record of every book Princess Celestia checked out of the royal library during the evening shift for the past year.”
“Thank you,” the guard said as he took the report and slipped it into the his saddlebags. “We know this has been a difficult time for everypony, but we must be sure to account for every one of Princess Celestia’s late night activities while under evil influence. Still, we believe we’re nearing the end of the search. These library reports are among the last we need to track the princesses movements for the past few months.”
“I’m glad to hear it. It will be nice to know we can come to work again without having to worry about the whole castle getting caught up in a silly spell that gave the whole night shift nightmares.” The librarian gave a small wave as the guard turned to leave. “Thanks again, and be sure to give Princess Celestia my best wishes if you see her.”
“Yes ma’am, I will.”
“Head librarian?”
Turning away from her seat at her desk, the head librarian looked into the face of one of the junior assistants. “Oh, yes? What is it?”
“Ma’am, I was reshelving books when I found this book in the wrong place. I went to check our card catalogue to see where it belongs, but I couldn’t find in the records.”
The head librarian took the book, turning it over a few times before cracking it open and taking look at the title page. “Clavicula Concorida Regis? With a name like that it must be a spell book, but it looks hoof written. Kind of looks like Princess Celestia’s writing, but with all the crazy stuff going on, when would she have found the time to write a spell book?”
“I don’t know, Ma’am.”
“Well, seems nice enough,” she said as she flipped through the pages, briefly noting some of the accurately drawn diagrams and spell instructions. “Must have been a private donation we didn’t get marked. Put it in the research-journal section next to the other spell books while I add it to our records.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the junior assistant said, taking the book and tossing it on his cart. The head librarian took up her quill, jotting down the name of the book while it was still fresh in her mind. The junior assistant walked further and further away, carrying the book deeper into labyrinth of the library shelves, not knowing what it contained. Not knowing it was meant to replace a book previously burned by Princess Celestia herself.
Not knowing what one phrase that was contained in the book’s pages.
Those who have been touched by Tirek are forever within his grasp.
==========
The End
==========
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Questions, Comments, Concerns?
pen.stroke.pony@gmail.com
My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic © Hasbro
I do not own the intellectual properties this fan-fiction is based on.
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That. was. AWESOME!!! Great story.
*goosebumps*
Fantastic story, loved every single moment of it. This story reached a special tag I like to call the "Drop everything and read" tag. Which is to say, if this updated, I would do everything within my power to just start reading right away. Not many stories get that tag.
There was one little typo where you wrote "Celetia." And... It's a good ending, but it still strikes me as sequel-ish. Not sure how, but hey, I'm not the writer here.
Dude, just, dude. I love every one of your stories and this one is just as brilliant!
think it is ironic you used tirek as a villain in this story yet, as it turns out, he wsa the finale villain. though this depiction is nothing like him.
this was a pretty interesting story. though still tirek curse is not so easily disposed of, and may try harm them again one day. we will see.
be honest i would almsot want to see the villain changed a bit all things considered. the concept of this villain is pretty damn fascinating all things considered.
That was an interesting ending. I don't know it was supposed to end this story or if there will be another one. I hope there is another one. Twilight has not suffered enough mentally yet. I'm messed up I know.
WHOOO! Great tale my friend!
I LOVED I ALL
i got to know is there going to be a sequel to this sequel
reactiongifs.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/slow_clap_citizen_kane.gif
Wonderful job on the story. Loved it from beginning to end and I thank you for it.
Great, another sequel? I hope so, I wonder how Nyx will react to the news of this
HINT HINT
I have never needed more of a series than this one right here. It's better than a moustache.
Do you plan on writing anything in this universe again?
...This is not the end...
Great end to a great fic!
4578449
No matter what, it'll happen again, and again, and again until all are in his grasp
Been a pleasure working for you, Pen. Hope to see you again sometime soon.
Now, this is an excellent story, far above and beyond many others on the site,
But it really isn't as good as the original.
Damn...I knew the moment that book arrived, something was fishy...
Well, it's been a rather long road, but so concludes another great story.
Great as always, Pen Stroke! With an ending like that I hope we will see even more of this theme in the future!
Thanks so much for this. It was a great and chilling read. Looking forward to whatever you decide to pursue for your next project.
The end is never the end is never the end is never
Of course it has to end with a stinger slash sequel hook.
The other copy of the book was found?
global3.memecdn.com/well-we-amp-039-re-fucked_o_2166763.jpg
Here we go again.
(Before someone asks, that image is actually not shopped. Volcanic lightning is a real thing, mates!)
Geez. Tirek is like herpes.
And while it seems like the end for this series, I really hope you do a third. I'd love to see what Tirek has for a third act, given that he has more touched ponies available now than he's had in a long while. Twilight giving birth to some sort of tainted spawn she has to keep locked in the basement?
Does he have the pony power to start a Cult of Tirek?
Heh, so in the end it was a game where everyone and everything that could was cheating. Poor Twilight, but when you operate on a stage with beings of this power level, little things like "not wanting to be turned into the combined embodiment of your worst nightmares" kind of go out the window. But hey, everyone survived, and that's more than can be said for the last time Tirek played a little game. Discord's reaction to the importance of stopping this is interesting. He may be so-so in the reformation department, but I like that he knows when to get serious and play the game hard as opposed to just for fun.
And Twin Blades survived to get her really swanky commendation!
And from the sound of things a potential coltfriend too if she is interested.
Damn, I wonder if any of the rescue squad is getting therapy as well for having witnessed that. I take it that had Tirek succeeded, Celestia's mind would have been destroyed while he conquered Equestria in her transformed body?
That ending, though, the head librarian is being almost criminally stupid. They know Celestia was up to undefined nightly activities, activities that the guard is doing its best to track down, and her reaction to a book she doesn't recognize other than having been written by the Princess is to shrug and file it away? "When would she have found the time to write it?" Really?
Would proper etiquette be to point out grammar errors here, in a private message, or just ignore them?
4582298
I prefer receiving PM's.
Another great story.
I kind of want to know whether Tirek made Celestia write a second copy and what fool of a librarian would put anything that looks even vaguely like Celestia's writing anywhere where just anyone could find it? Why can't some books just stay burned?!
4578284
Out of curiosity, were your parents siblings?
-HB
4582378 and yet another great read, just what I would expect from you, Pen Stroke.
Whatever you do never do a HiE"
And, as always, thanks for writing this awesome story.
Great story, though it was more along the Slender Games kind of horror than the more chilling fear of the dark in the first one (in my opinion). Hope to have a sequel, but it will be difficult to write a new concept with the same characters without it failing.
4584083
4584301 Well I suppose this isn't the first time a story ended like this.
4583284
You will ... never be a memory?
"Unless you brought enough for everybody."
I can't help but feel let down that the story is over.
Everyone at the party, all of them are now susceptible to him. Or does it only mean touched physically not with his magic?
I will admit, I had to check the first story to see if Tirek was a late addition or the original villain. Great job on the story. Looking forward to more.
NOW THAT. WAS A STORY.
With an ending line like that, there HAS to be a 3rd book. KEEP WRITING PEN STROKE!!
I must say, it's quite terrifying when you read the "Twilight Sparkle" chapter just before bed. Then wake up in the middle of the night with a high fever and muddled thoughts.
Overall I didn't feel that it was as scary as the first. But I think it gave the desired effect.
Hmm. Interesting indeed. The only part I find displeasing is the idea Tirek was able to simply...overtake Celestia so easily. Were Discord not there he would have simply won without any effort, while simultaneously enslaving the 4 most powerful mares in Equestria. Into the Depths at least required far more...diabolical work than that to pull off. By comparison, this seems almost cheating.
On the other hoof, body horror is awesome and I want to see a part 3 where things go even worse!
4610893 honestly there is a major difference when it is your lackeys doing the work and when it's the ruler of tartarus, even at reduced power,so of course tirek had an easier time of taking over
4662843
Yes, but this is like clicking an 'I win' button of sorts. And on a well orchestrated scheme, that's fine. Here it feels a little abrupt, but that could well be because we weren't seeing all that had happened. I don't know!
The last line calls for infinite sequels.
Absolutely amazing, loved this story! This really calls for sequels - I'd love to hear more about Discords past in Tartarus!
While I enjoyed the story, I disliked Twin Blades, I feel she was over rewarded, it felt like the writer thought that giving her anything would be a good idea, but I thought it was a typical occurrence, the most she should of got was a medal and a good well done, I don't even think she should of got the medal she was given, it should of been a less prestigious one, so that out me off that entire part, it felt like a whole lot of ass kissing, it was really off putting, while you may write good with the story Pen Stroke, I thought you over did that part, which put me off a little at the end, so much so that I nearly stopped reading, if this were my story, I would go back and change it, it would certainly be for the better
An absolutely amazing story! Is there going to be another sequel, or another horror story around next Halloween?
ARGH, I hate you for that cliffhanger ending.
Can I has another sequelz, plz?
Wow, good job. You're doing cthulhu pretty well with Tirek, keeping his power nebulas and undefined, while making it so the ponies can only ever really slow him down, rather than destroy him completely. That last part really got me too! When the evil book showed up I was like oh S***
. (thats really something, considering I don't usually swear!) Another day spent reading fanfiction... I think my family might be starting to worry!
Good God that picture is creepy