Discord's Rise

by legomaster00156

Black and White

Starswirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever, and Quake the Earthshaker: one of the best teams Equestria could've asked for to stop the chocolate rain. They passed through the Earth-pony lands at the base of the Canterlot Mountain, and soon reached the edge of the Everfree Forest. It had been relatively unexplored so far, as the ponies had been too occupied setting up their homes in the land they already had to bother expanding.
"Master, you have made sure that the traces lead through this place?" Clover asked. Even though they were no longer master and pupil, he felt odd calling him anything but Master.
"Yes, Clover. It is a very faint trace of magic, but it's there. I think that something is attempting to conceal it, which is why neither of you could detect it," Starswirl said.
"But it couldn't hide from the greatest unicorn to ever live," Clover said proudly.
"I am not certain that the praise is entirely justified, but thank you," Starswirl said, smiling ever so slightly. He had lost much of his humor over the years, turning into a much more serious and much older unicorn.
Quake used a spell to light up her horn like a torch, and the others repeated the gesture. The pointed their horns forward as they advanced into the forest, shedding light around the ancient woods. There was no proper path through the woods, so they had to step around strange plants and over roots.
All of a sudden, Quake stopped, and held her head high, searching for something.
"Everyone, remain very still," Quake whispered urgently. "We are being watched."
The three ponies stayed in one position for about two minutes, before a twig snapped behind them. Acting on instinct, Quake launched a low-power lightning bolt in the direction of the snap. They heard a yelp, as something ran away.
"I missed, just barely. I was just being cautious; I wouldn't want to kill something that's not hostile," Quake said, without leaving her highly alert battle stance. "But when one predator is attracted, more will come. Let's move with haste."
"I suggest a teleport," Clover reminded.
"We do not know our destination. Without knowledge of our targets, we cannot teleport properly," Starswirl advised. "It would be much safer to use an spell of illusion to mask our scent."
"Well, then, for the love of the late Queen, do it already," Quake growled.
Starswirl's horn glowed, and a hazy white light settled over the three ponies. It stayed there for a few seconds, before vanishing.
"That should do it," Starswirl said. "Keep moving, and remember that it only blinds one of a beast's senses."
They continued through the forest, hearing and seeing no more sign of approaching monsters. They remained cautious, though, and tread with light hooves over the untamed forest ground. They eventually began to lose track of how long they had wandered through the forest, with nothing but a faint trail of magic to guide them. It was obvious that the storm had come from very, very far away.
At last, Quake announced a clearing in the forest where they could rest their tired legs. Starswirl and Clover set to work conjuring bedrolls, while Quake set up defensive charms around the clearing. After half an hour, they were finally done setting up. Dawn was breaking on the distant horizon.
"Starswirl, how large is this forest?" Clover asked, laying down on a bedroll.
"That is not in my knowledge, Clover," Starswirl said.
"Everything is in your knowledge, Master," Clover said, grinning.
"The wisest of ponies is merely the creation of those he learned from," Starswirl said sagely.
"While we're giving out old pony advice anyway, if you've been awake all night, it is time to rest," Quake said, giving an exaggerated impersonation of Starswirl's voice.
Clover and Starswirl chuckled, before settling down and resting.
----------
Clover was the first to awaken, somewhat groggily. The sun was high in the sky, and the heat of the star had woken him up. However, no sooner had he taken a step than Quake shot up from her own sleep, already on high alert. Before even speaking, she ran around the perimeter of their camp, double-checking their defenses. Once she was satisfied, she turned back to the startled stallion.
"Not being very attentive this afternoon, are you, clever colt?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking.
"Were you even asleep?" Clover asked.
"I always sleep lightly. It's much better to avoid danger," Quake said.
"Your preparation borders on paranoia," Clover said.
"Much better than being dead, if you ask me," Quake responded, shrugging.
Clover went silent at this, and decided to distract himself with making a meal while Starswirl slept. His bedroll vanished, while a stove and pans appeared. He pulled out a few red flowers and pieces of bread, deciding to make grilled rose sandwiches. Quake decided to engage him in conversation again as he cooked.
"So, how do you do it? The conjurations?" she asked. "I mean, bringing things from other places with telekinesis is simple magic, but making things appear from nowhere - now that's impressive."
"Well, I learned from the best, of course," Clover answered. "Starswirl taught me all sorts of magic, so I'm pretty varied. My strongest talents have always been in teleportation, though. Building teleportation circles, traveling long distances, and even affecting other objects and creatures with it have always come easy to me, at least compared to most unicorns. So, bringing things from other places isn't all that difficult to me." He pulled his normally flank-concealing cloak up, revealing his Cutie Mark: a blue teleportation aura.
"Do you think you're better at it than Starswirl?" Quake asked. It wasn't an accusation, or even a suspicion. Just a question.
"I don't think anypony's better than Starswirl," Clover answered honestly. "His special talent is magic itself. I mean, nopony can top that."
"But his knowledge is stretched thin," Quake argued. "Unlike me with battle magic, you with teleportation, or even the Princess with foresight, he has chosen to pursue all fields equally. Somepony must be able to defeat him in their area of expertise."
"Maybe. But not me," Clover said. He lifted the first sandwich out of the pan, levitating it towards Quake. "Enjoy."
Quake giggled, taking a bite out of the sandwich. Only when Clover's cheeks turned red did she take the sandwich with her own magic.
"My, my, Clover, you seem to act as if eating the sandwich was a romantic gesture," Quake said. She winked and gave a playful bump to her friend.
"To be fair, it seems an awful lot like you're flirting with me," Clover said quietly.
"Oh, maybe I am, maybe I'm not. Who knows?" Quake asked.
She turned around and walked off with her sandwich. Clover took another and set it on the pan, but was nearly scared out of his wits when an old stallion teleported next to him with a loud "pop!". He recovered just in time to save the pan from falling off the stove.
"Getting pretty friendly, are you?" Starswirl asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, tell me you weren't eavesdropping, Master," Clover said, facehoofing. This was one of the most embarassing moments he had had with Starswirl.
"Alright, then. I was not eavesdropping," Starswirl said. "You'd best hurry with brunch. We are burning daylight, and we do not wish to come across things that go bump in the night."
"Y-yes, Master," Clover said, nodding without looking at Starswirl. He could only imagine that his old Master had the mother of all mad grins on his face, even though in fact his Master had remained frighteningly stoic throughout the conversation.
----------
After the ponies had taken down camp and travelling, they learned that they were nowhere near as far from the end of the forest as they had thought. In fact, a mere half-hour later, they were bursting from the dark forest into a large green plain.
They all gave a sigh of relief, before noticing a white mare with black stripes approaching them. It held a spear in it's forehoof. It yelled at them in a language none of them could identify. When they didn't respond, she pointed her spear at them. Quake calmly countered by snapping the spear in half with magic.
"No weapons, no battle magic, no pain," Quake warned, as the stunned mare looked at them fearfully.
"We do not speak your language," Starswirl said slowly. "We are friends. I am Starswirl. This is Clover, and that is Quake."
"Master, why does this Earth-pony have stripes?" Clover whispered.
"I don't know. Nopony has ever come this far before," Starswirl responded, also whispering.
"Ponies?" the mare asked. She seemed to recognize the word somehow.
"Yes, we are ponies," Starswirl confirmed.
The mare approached cautiously, observing their horns. She even tapped on Quake's, even though the battle mage attempted to bite her for it. The white mare than nodded, and indicated to them to follow her. They decided that they didn't have anypony better to lead them, so they followed with some hesitation from Quake.
As they walked, the grass grew shorter and drier, indicating that this region had not had rain for a very long time. The mare lead them to a small town, build from oddly shaped tents and full of white and black ponies just like her. Some looked quite menacing, while others simply looked curious at the sight of the three travellers.
The unicorns were taken inside a large central tent, where an ornately jeweled elder was lying down on a mattress of hay. The elder opened her eyes, and communicated with their guide in the same odd language. Finally, the guide nodded and stepped away.
"Horned ponies, who are you?" the elder asked.
"Oh, good, you speak Equestrian," Starswirl said with relief. "I am Starswirl, and these are Clover and Quake. May we know who you are?"
"I am Chieftain Varuk, of the western zebra tribe. That is my name in your foreign tongue," Varuk explained. "You have travelled far, yes? The rain has not fallen on our lands for many nights."
"Yeah, we've been travelling pretty far, but now that we moved, only the Everfree Forest separates us," Quake said. Varuk looked at her oddly.
"Your language has changed since our lands were last visited by ponykind. The pony who met us, though, was winged," Varuk said.
"You have met a pegasus, then? Wings, but no horn?" Starswirl asked.
"No, she had a horn, and wings, too. She shone like the sun in all of it's glory," Varuk said. "That is the word passed down to me, along with your language."
"That's just a myth..." Starswirl muttered to himself.
"Chieftain Varuk, do you know anything about the chocolate rain that has been falling on us beyond the Everfree Forest?" Clover asked hopefully. Varuk seemed surprised by this question, but nodded.
"Brown rain is not unknown to us. It heralded the dragon named Discord. He brought chaos to our lands, and caused us to fight amongst ourselves. If this rain has reached the lands beyond the Dark Forest, he is coming for your tribes, too," Varuk said ominously.
"A- a dragon? Are you serious?" Quake asked.
"This dragon is unique, then," Starswirl said, shaking himself out of his reverie. "I have never known a dragon capable of performing magic, especially powerful magic like this. Do you have any paintings, or statues, or something to show us this 'Discord'?"
"Only a description, passed down through the tribes by word," Varuk answered. "He bears the body of a red serpent, the head of a white pony, claws of beasts, and wings of a demon and an angel. He is truly terrifying, as my ancestors have said."
"Do you know where he is now? The magic trail lead this way," Clover asked.
"None can track him. He does not walk. He moves from place to place in a single second," Varuk answered.
"Great. So, he's got magic, he's got flight, he's got the weapons of lots of monsters... anything I missed?" Quake asked.
"Nah, I think you covered it," Clover answered.
"Chieftain Varuk, I am so grateful for your help," Starswirl said, bowing low. His companions repeated the gesture. "Have we permission to leave your presence to continue our quest?"
"Yes, you may leave. May you be safe on your journey. Tell your tribes of us when you return to your home," Varuk said, nodding her head.
The unicorns left the tent. Quake and Clover were practically bouncing with joy at their lucky encounter, and even Starswirl smiled happily.
"So, now we just teleport back home and prepare for war, right?" Clover asked.
"That is correct, Clover," Starswirl answered.
Quake, though, had gone rigid. As Clover and Starswirl talked, she'd felt something fall on her back. She turned around... to find a single brown raindrop splashed across her. She looked up, and widened her eyes.
"Gentlecolts, not to alarm you, but I do believe we have company," she said.
The other two looked upwards, and immediately saw a serpentine figure lying casually on a pink cloud, which was dropping chocolate rain on them. He couldn't be seen clearly, but they didn't need to see him to know who he was.
"Clover and Quake, run ahead. I'll get him away from this village. Set up a trap for him with whatever magical defenses you can conjure up," Starswirl whispered.
His companions ran further into the dusty desert land, leaving Starswirl alone with the zebras and Discord, who had still not acknowledged anypony's presence. A few of the zebras were picking up spears and gathering around the tents, while others retreated inside.
"Discord!" Starswirl bellowed. "I know your name, and your form! Reveal yourself in honorable battle for Equestria's continued peace!"
As soon as he finished talking, a teleportation aura illuminated the pink cloud briefly. Suddenly, standing at a much taller stature than expected, Discord himself was in front of Starswirl. He leaned down, his horse head even with Starswirl's eyes.
"Sorry? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my victory," Discord said, grinning.
"Victory? Victory over what?" Starswirl asked, confused.
"Oh, sorry, you were attempting to create a trap for me. Well, pro tip: don't try to create a trap for someone who has infinite powers over the entire world," Discord said.
Discord snapped his fingers, and suddenly Quake and Clover were next to him again.
"Whoa, what happened? Clover, we were supposed to-" Quake cut off, staring at the creature who had just teleported them back. "Ok, new plan, Starswirl?"
"Yes. New plan," Starswirl said, shaking his head.
"Oh, plans, plans, plans! So booorrriiinnnggg..." Discord drawled. "You wanted a battle, didn't you? Well, it's three against one. Come at me."
Quake took the chance. She charged at Discord, with her horn pointed ahead. Discord rolled his eyes and teleported away, leading her to pierce only air where he had been. She reacted quickly, though. The moment she heard the rematerialization pop, she turned around and let loose a lightning bolt from her horn. Discord responded by raising the ground in front of him to create a shield of barren earth.
By now, the zebra warriors were acting. One hurled a spear with deadly accuracy towards Discord's head, but he merely ducked without even looking at it. He twisted his wrist, causing the offending zebra to be encased in a gelatinous green substance. Other zebras charged at him, but he snapped his fingers again, causing them to be teleported in an infinite loop of charging him, and being pushed back as soon as they were within a few feet.
Starswirl and Clover both joined Quake in assaulting Discord with magic. As Clover attempted to contain Discord in a single place, Starswirl barred teleportation. Between the efforts of the two, they were able to restrain Discord enough to allow Quake a direct shot at Discord's heart.
Discord screamed in pain as a lightning bolt pierced his chest where, on any other creature, his heart would have been. However, he displayed his strange anatomy by having nothing there. What's more, the lightning bolt had been less of an electrocution and more of a needle piercing his flesh.
Discord, in his pained rage, broke the magical bonds holding him, leaving a mental recoil in Starswirl and Clover's minds. They fought against a brief headache, during which time Discord took a chance to teleport away, not wanting to die in battle here before he got the chance to spread chaos. Quake noticed his attempted teleportation, and charged. She bit his leg just as he blinked away, taking her with him.
"Quake?" Clover gasped, shaking the headache away and seeing no sign of the mare. "Where'd they go? Master, can you detect the magic?"
"I can try," Starswirl offered.
While Clover walked around and freed the zebra warriors from their time loops, leaving them somewhat disoriented, Starswirl searched the entire camp for signs of a magic trail. A few minutes later, the two came back together, both of them disappointed.
"I'll guess that you didn't find anything?" Clover asked. Starswirl shook his head sadly. The young mage's eyes became wet for a moment, something his Master took note of.
"I'm sure she's fine," Starswirl reassured him. "Remember, she's the toughest mare in Equestria. Dragon, god, or demon, nothing will be able to stop her. I will ask the Chieftain if we may be granted hospitality for the day, in case she teleports back to here. If not, she's likely returned to Canterlot."
"Thank you, Master," Clover said. He forced a smile at his Master's speech.
----------
"OOOOWWWW!!!" Discord yelled in rage, kicking the persistent mare off of his leg. "You bit me! Why in the world would you bite me?"
The chaos spirit and battle mare had appeared on a rocky, dusty piece of land, with outcroppings leading upward like a set of stairs to the top of a large, flat-headed rock. No civilization could be seen in any direction. It was obvious that Discord had made a mistake during his teleportation, to lead them to such an odd place.
"I agree that my choice of weapon was poor. My horn would've done significantly more damage. I was rushed, though," Quake said calmly. She charged him with her horn out again, which he responded with a simple sidestep. He winced as the maneuver put pain on his leg.
"What is with you ponies anyway? What do you want me for?" Discord complained.
"You wish to parlay?" Quake growled, turning around and preparing for another charge.
"Yeah, sure, if that's what you call it," Discord said, rolling his eyes.
"Fine. In the name of Princess Platinum and the nation of Equestria, I am here to demand that you cease all activities in the lands and skies between the Everfree Forest and the Mountains of the Long Journey," Quake said, standing at her full height and speaking with the most demanding voice possible. This would've cowed all but the strongest of ponies. Unfortunately, Discord was not a pony.
"Equestria is a new country. I haven't ruled it yet. I need my fun time," he said.
"Equestria already has a ruler. Three, in fact. If you wish to conquer us while we're settling, you've waited far too long. In 16 years, we have built up a large army. We will be ready for you with wards, weapons, and allies," Quake warned.
"And who is 'we'?" Discord asked, smirking.
"I am Quake. My allies lie in the Earth-ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. I repeat, we will defeat you," Quake answered, narrowing her eyes and preparing for another attack.
"Oh, I wouldn't attack if I were you. I would like you to see the end of your country as you know it," Discord said, crossing his arms smugly. "It is awfully difficult to do that from beyond the grave."
"Oh, you wish to give me a death threat?" Quake asked. "C'mon, make your threats believable."
"Do you wish to challenge me in battle again?" Discord asked. He was seconds away from completely laughing.
Quake gave no warning. She responded by by conjuring a tiny red bead, and tossing it at Discord. It promptly exploded within inches of his face, catching him in the blast radius. Or at least, it should have. The energies that had created the fireball warped around Discord, so that he was unharmed as the explosion finished.
"Warp Shield spell?" Quake asked, apparently surprised by the sudden reflexes of the dragon.
"I don't need a spell to change things. It's what I'm good at," Discord said.
He snapped his fingers, causing the ground under Quake's feet to give way. She growled as the rocks she stood on collapsed, falling into a pit that had instantly appeared. However, she was not one to panic. She began to leap up the falling rocks quickly, jumping back onto flat ground and growling.
Her horn glowed, and a dozen small meteorites appeared around Discord, all centered on him. He yelped as they hit hm one by one, causing visible burns across his body. He retaliated by causing spikes to shoot up from the ground, each one intended to impale the determined mare. However, with expert skill, she dodged and broke each and every one. She then levitated the broken stone spires, hurling them at Discord like incredibly large and deadly javelins.
The spell, unfortunately, gave Discord time to prepare. The rock spears shattered against an invisible shield. Discord teleported them next to Quake, and they spontaneously exploded in her face. She put up a shield spell of her own in time to save her from fatal injury, but scorch marks and soot could be seen across her flank, and a shard of rock wedged itself painfully into her left foreleg.
Quake came up with a sudden idea, and started to climb the stair-like rocks. Discord leaped up the rocks closely behind her. He could have easily simply terraformed and caused the stairs to disappear, but he was having far too much fun to forbid a climactic duel on top of a rock. She attempted to teleport instantly to the top of the stairs, but for some reason her magic failed.
As she leapt onto the final step, she set up a temporary ward around the entire top of the rock. It would prevent Discord from getting in for thirty seconds, at most. She focused on her magic, touching her injuries with her horn. They began to mend, but she knew she would be able to manage nothing more than a patch-up before Discord broke through her charm. Words echoed in her head.
"Should one of us wind up in mortal peril, with no chance of escape, you need only to break it on the ground, and it will send out a powerful telepathic wave to any living creatures within a few miles."
Quake grinned. Salvation. She pulled her sending stone out, and threw it against the ground. Discord reeled outside of the barrier, the telepathic wave having been strong enough to be comparable to somepony screaming in his ear.
----------
Clover's head shot up. It had been faint, barely a trace, but he'd heard the message: "Help me. 82 longitude, 93 latitude. Stone spire."
"Master, it's her!" Clover yelled. Starswirl mumbled. He was half-asleep, the battle having drained much of the old stallion's energy. "Master, it's Quake! I heard her sending stone go off!"
Starswirl opened his eyes suddenly. He had not heard it. The zebras all around the camp also seemed indifferent, apparently having heard nothing themselves. He raised an eyebrow at the somewhat disbelievable news.
"Clover, nopony else heard anything. Perhaps worry is clouding your mind," Starswirl suggested.
"No, Master," Clover said firmly. "I know the cooradinates. I am going to teleport there and save her. 82 longitude, 93 latitude. Come along if you wish."
With that, Clover's horn glowed, and he vanished in a burst of magic.
----------
"Oh, you were hoping for help, were you?" Discord asked, recovered from the telepathy and stalking over to where Quake was standing on the rock. As expected, her injuries were only partially mended.
"Not hoping. I know help will come, as soon as my allies recieve the telepathic signal. Teleportation is a specialty of theirs," Quake said defiantly, preparing to reengage combat.
"You haven't figured it out? Ohohohoho! This is rich!" Discord exclaimed, laughing hysterically. "This entire area, from these rocks for about an 2 mile radius around them, is teleport locked! Only I can teleport in, only I can teleport out. Nopony is coming to save you for a long time!"
"Well, then, I'll have to fight you alone until then," Quake said bravely.
"You are possibly the most stubborn and stupid creature I have ever met," Discord said, sighing. "I could kill you with all of one thought. I am a god."
"Then let's test your immortality," Quake challenged.
Her horn glowed with a spell of her own design. Discord yelled in pain, despite no apparent attack having been made. His left arm fell to his side limply. She had never actually intended to use this spell due to it's horrible effect: it slowly and painfully broke every bone in the target's body, killing them only when they begged for death.
"Discord, I am Quake, the greatest battle mage alive. You chose the wrong pony to duel," Quake said with a smug satisfaction. Discord was rolling in the ground in pain. Her horn continued to glow as she put her hoof on his chest. "You are looking rather frail, 'god'. How many seconds left? Thirty? Twenty?"
"You... will... die..." Discord whispered weakly, as his other arm broke.
Suddenly, Discord set himself on fire. Quake yelped as the flames began to burn at her fur and mane, her calm victory suddenly replaced by frantic spellcasting. She began to cast water spells to pour water over himself, but it was countered by Discord's magic, and she couldn't put it out no matter what spell she attempted. She was burning alive. Meanwhile, nearby, Discord seemed to be growing stronger, despite the fire along his own body. He could not stand or move any of the broken bones, but his breathing was becoming more regulated, and it was clear he was no longer in pain.
"Everlasting fire," Discord explained calmly, as he lay on the ground and watched Quake burning. "It's not actually everlasting, of course. It will only burn for as long as I keep my focus. Of course, by the time I let go, you will be dead."
Quake screamed in pain. Her shield spells weren't working. Her water spells weren't working. In her subconscious mind, she was somehow proud to have died in battle. of course, her primary thoughts were that she didn't want to die at all.
A single minute later, Discord lost his focus. Quake was smoldering on the ground, within an inch of her life. She couldn't see what had stopped him, and in fact, she was only partially conscious. She heard the "pop" or a teleportation spell, and then hooves running up beside her.
"Quake..." The voice was faint, but it was clearly pancked. She opened her eyes slightly, seeing blue hooves.
"C...lo...ver..." Quake whispered. She didn't need to see the rest of the unicorn to know who he was.
"Hold on," the voice answered. "I'll teleport us out. I ended up miscalculating last time somehow, but I know the exact location of the zebra camp. Starswirl can heal you."
"No... good..." Quake muttered. "Can't... es...ca..." Quake fell into sleep before she could complete her sentence.
The blue conjurer kneeled in front of the dying mare, checking her life signs. He was no healer, but he could tell that he heartbeat and breathing were both dangerously slow. He wasted no time in gently lifting her onto his back. He began a teleportation spell, but his horn did not activate. He tried again, to a similar effect.
"Locked. I should have known when I was bounced a mile and a half away from my destination," Clover muttered. "Ok, no problem. I just have to get out of the range of the lock, and we can escape. Hold on, Quake, you're going to survive!"
Clover took off running, but he was careful with his steps, lest he endanger Quake's life further. He could feel her heartbeat slowing down more and more, and hear her breathing become more shallow. He had to hurry.
----------
Starswirl awoke as a loud pop resounded directly beside him in the zebra tent. He fluttered his eyes drowsily, but he became instantly alert when he noticed that it was Clover beside him. He then noticed his passenger. Starswirl immediately helped Clover to lay her down on a bunch of hay.
"Clover, ask the zebras for medicine. We need it quickly," Starswirl ordered.
His horn glowed as Clover left to fulfill his orders, and he touched her mouth with it. It was a simple resuscitation spell, meant to keep her alive until the real medicine arrived. For all of the power of magic, healing was a minor ability at best, and nothing compared to the herbs and medicines of Earth-ponies and pegasi. He hoped that the zebras had something similar.
A zebra burst through the tent flaps, with Clover levitating a dozen cermaic jars behind her. She began running over Quake's body with her hooves. She then ordered Clover to drop several jars beside her. She mixed together the ingredients, crushed them into a fine powder with her hooves, and set them beside Quake's nose. She didn't breathe them in as intended, so the zebra tried a different tactic. She stuffed them directly into Quake's mouth, hoping she would instead swallow the ingredients for at least a partial effect. She was disappointed. Half heartedly, she leaned by Quake again. She ran her hooves over once more, as she pressed her ears to Quake's chest.
She turned to the pair of worried unicorns, and made a single gesture which conveyed everything that they had hoped would not be true: she shook her head sadly.
----------
Starswirl and Clover teleported to the base of Canterlot Mountain, with the newly shrouded Quake on Clover's back. Though the zebras had not been able to save her, they had been willing to help them wrap her in exotic cloths, fitting of a brave mare. As the unicorns began the journey up the mountain, neither of them spoke a word. Neither of them cried. They had let their emotions go when they were with the zebras overnight. They were left with a resolve to bring her back home.
As they arrived at the gates, the guards let them in. Neither one of the present guards raised an eyebrow at the shroud on Clover's back, nor the fact that only two unicorns had returned. They maintained their indifferent and resolute expressions.
The reaction inside was quite different. The civilians that saw the return of the ponies cheered and whooped, but quickly fell into a solemn silence when they noticed Clover's baggage.
They made their way to the castle, where they were allowed immediate audience with the Princess. Upon her throne, Princess Platinum put on a sorrowful face even before the pair entered. She seemed remarkably unsurprised. Oak stood beside her, though he actually seemed to have an expression of relief.
"Starswirl. Clover. I see that you bring bad tidings," the Princess said. "Is Quake lost to us?"
"Yes, your highness. We met on the other side of the Everfree Forest a type of striped pony, who called themselves zebras. They told us of the threat that we face: a creature called Discord. It was just in time, as well, as we faced him in battle soon afterwards. She died attempting to end a war before it began," Starswirl said. Clover remained stoically silent.
"A death befitting an extraordinary mare," the Princess said, nodding.
"You seem not so surprised by our news," Starswirl observed aloud.
"I am afraid that I foresaw death in this mission, soon after you chose to embark on it. I also knew, though, that this mission would allow us warning of the coming threat," the Princess admitted. Clover's expression soured.
"I am sorry, grandfather," Oak said, bowing remorsefully. "Had I been there, I could have saved her-"
"Rather than once again embarking on a late night escape with your secret love, the Princess?" Starswirl accused. Oak's jaw dropped. "Do not think these things are invisible to me, Oak. No magic can protect one from all senses. All magical ones, perhaps. But when the signs begin to show, it is only a matter of time before one draws the lines."
"How many will die, Oak? Princess Platinum?" Clover exclaimed demandingly. "Quake was the first of the deaths in what I expect may be a very, very long battle."
"There may be only one," Princess Platinum said, in an otherwordly voice.
"And what does that mean?" Clover demanded.
"There may be only one," Princess Platinum repeated.
"She can't give anything more, Clover," Oak said, stepping up to face the angered conjurer. "It's foresight, the single least controllable magic. She is getting a vision in response to grandfather's question."
"Then maybe you can interpret it, firewood," Clover growled, inches away from outright stabbing Oak with his horn.
"I don't know what it means. Figure it out, 'Clover the Clever'," Oak challenged, turning around and swatting Clover with his tail. He walked back over to Princes Platinum's side, who seemed to be rather normal, even after her ominous prophecy.
"We will take Quake to her family for a proper funeral," Starswirl said, not objecting to the infighting amongst the unicorns. "Come along, Clover. We have work to do."
When they left the throne room and shut the door, Clover turned to Starswirl expectantly. It was clear something was on his Master's mind.
"Clover," Starswirl finally said. "It has become clear to me that we are, in fact, quite alone. Oak and Princess Platinum are strongly in love, and at this time, that is a very dangerous thing. They would break the world apart to see each other live another day."
"So what is our course of action?" Clover asked.
"First, we will go to the library. Then, we will repay Discord for Quake's death, and we will save Equestria," Starswirl said confidently.