Chapter Two
Chapter Two
*******
“Why’re we out here so late, Dash?” Scootaloo asked. She and Rainbow Dash were soaring high above Ponyville just after the sun dipped beneath the clouds. A full moon was rising, and it cast a creamy glow on the landscape below.
“No reason,” Dash said, her gaze distant. She had taken off her armor before pulling Scootaloo aside and taking flight.
“What’s wrong, Dash?” Scootaloo asked, gliding in front of her idol. “You seem a lot calmer than before. Aren’t you bored? There’s nothing up here.”
“Nah, I’m not bored,” Dash sighed. “Scootaloo, you know something?”
“Yeah?” Scootaloo asked.
“I’m going to miss this,” Dash finally said.
“What?” Scootaloo asked. “Why? I’m not going anywhere.”
“Yeah, but I’ve been thinking that someday I might not be able to do this with you anymore. With anypony anymore,” Dash explained. “And I’m going to miss just, y’know, flying around with a friend.”
“Are you trying to be deep, Dash?” Scootaloo laughed. “Save that for Rarity; she’s the dramatic one.”
Dash turned a little red. “Never mind,” she mumbled.
“Look, Dash, you’re my friend, right?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yeah, ‘course I am. Why?” Dash asked.
“That’s all I needed to know,” Scootaloo smiled. “You don’t have to get fancy or anything. I know you’re not going to be here forever. That’s impossible, and I know that. So just cut the drama!” she said, diving and then doing some loops.
Dash followed suit. Scoot’s right, I’m over-thinking this. I’m the Element of Loyalty. I don’t need to worry about anypony besting me in battle, she thought, swerving around Scootaloo in a midair game of tag.
“Why are you worrying all of a sudden?” Scootaloo asked.
“Well, if you’ve been through what I’ve been through, you really wouldn’t have to ask that question,” Dash answered.
“Training was that bad, huh?” Scootaloo assumed.
“It wasn’t just the training, it was this entire thing, with the Elements of Discord, the Daymare, training, our powers, realizing my Potential thingy...” Dash trailed off. “I’ve just had a lot on my plate, that’s all.”
“Well, I can’t blame you for being stressed out,” Scootaloo said. “You should take a load off, relax a bit. At least, that’s what I think.”
“Y’know, Scoot? Maybe I will,” Dash said. “I’m getting fed up with all this stupid Discord business. I just want to relax with my friends, and I’m pretty sure they feel the same way.”
Scootaloo nodded. “I bet. Hey, Rarity’s going to be expecting me back pretty soon,” Scootaloo said, motioning toward town. “Seeya tomorrow, Dash.”
Dash said goodbye and watched Scootaloo leave from a fluffy cloud. Yeah, I guess she’s right. But... why do I still feel a little off? She looked toward the stars. Hmm... there was that dark burst earlier. I wonder what it meant. It was heading toward Fillydelphia. I should probably check it out; it didn’t look too good.
Dash spread her wings, her ruby necklace and crimson eyes glowing as she summoned her strength. Pushing off of the cloud with a strong kick, Dash started to fly toward the booming city.
The night was quiet as she glided along; she reached the city with an hour of fast flight. Trotting briefly through the sleeping city and watching for signs of danger in the alleyways, she made her way to the central government building. The blue warrior pushed open the doors with a bit of effort, but gasped when she walked inside.
*******
Every single government pony, from the lowliest secretary to the highest official, was on the ground, seemingly in intense agony.
“Please... please help us,” one stallion groaned.
“Who did this to you?!” Dash asked, her mane igniting in anger. Rainbow-colored flames singed the sides of the entryway as they sparked from her flowing hair.
“We don’t know,” a young mare croaked. “Please, why can’t we move? Help us!”
Dash bit her lip. “Sorry, I don’t know how to get you out of this. But I will track down the ponies who did this!”
“He went to the office of the Princess,” an officer said. “Please, hurry; the Princess won’t fend him off for long!”
Dash nodded and quickly ascended the building, flying up flights of stairs and soaring through hallways. Nopony seemed to have escaped the spell; ponies lying limply everywhere, grunting in frustration as they tried to move their limbs.
Dash suddenly found herself at a large door emblazoned with Luna’s coat-of-arms. This must be it, she thought. The door was open slightly, and Dash heard voices. She was about to blast into the room before she thought, I should approach this like Luna taught me. I need to find out who’s in there and who or what they are. Dash slowly pressed her eye against the crack in the doorway.
“...really matter in the long run,” a blue-green unicorn stallion said, slowly pacing toward a blue alicorn mare with a flowing, magical dark blue mane dotted with what looked like tiny stars. “You’ve made it all possible. Right from the very beginning, you know,” the stallion said, resting his head on the mare’s neck with false affection. She shuddered in disgust. “I’ve always kind of liked you, Luna. You were one of the good ones. Not like those other Elements.”
Yuck! Dash thought, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue. Why is that stallion acting so loving toward her?
“Leave now, Deception!” Luna commanded. She grunted in frustration. “I have nothing for you.”
“Oh, but you do,” Deception said, turning around and rifling through Luna’s papers. “There are many things of interest in a Princess’s drawers. Perhaps I’ll find something interesting before I depart. Tea?” he asked, using telekinesis to levitate a teakettle out of a china cabinet.
“No thank you,” Luna growled.
“Hmm? Very well, I’m more of a hot chocolate pony anyway,” Deception said, putting the kettle away. “You wouldn’t happen to have any ground cocoa, would you? Or perhaps you, Rainbow Dash?”
Dash felt all of her limbs suddenly cease functioning. She fell forward, pushing the door open and landing on the floor with a thud.
“My personal favorite paralyzation spell,” Deception chuckled. “Very efficient, if I do say so myself. I’ve studied long and hard to find the specific formula that renders anypony under its effect to be as helpless as a newborn. My efforts did not go unrewarded.”
“Ugh...” Dash grunted, her mouth to the floor. “What’s going on, Luna? Why is this whackjob threatening you?”
“Oh, don’t you remember me?” Deception asked. “I try to leave an impression when I first meet a pony. Oh, well, there’s plenty of time for that later.”
“What are you waiting for, Deception?” Luna gritted her teeth.
“A moment of weakness. A lapse in concentration,” Deception said with a toothy grin. “A monarch, I’ve heard, is under so much pressure that she’s akin to a house of cards. Of course, I could torture the information out of you, but that’s not why I’m here.”
“What is it, then?” Luna asked quietly. “Do you enjoy seeing me suffer? Do you have fun making a mockery of me? Is that it?” she asked, a bit louder.
“Not at all; I quite enjoy your company,” Deception said. “A Princess of your age must have all sorts of interesting stories that I’d absolutely love to hear.”
“You said you were a messenger,” Luna said. “What is your message?”
“Hmm? Oh, quite a simple one, actually,” Deception said. “In approximately a year, give or take a month, you will be dead. Turned to dust, if you want to be specific.”
Luna chuckled sadly. “I’m immortal, Deception. You cannot kill me.”
“Who was talking about me killing you?” Deception laughed. “No, I prefer not to get my hooves dirty. It’s much more practical for you to just... kill yourself.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean-”
“Perhaps, perhaps not,” Deception interrupted, shrugging. “I do know how your delicate little mind works, Luna; I’ve known you for quite a while. I know what makes you tick, as well as what will make you stop ticking. Good day,” he said before vanishing in a puff of white smoke.
Dash exhaled as blood flooded back into her legs. “What was he talking about?”
Luna was deep in thought for a moment, but she snapped out of it and turned her attention to Dash. “You should not have come here, Rainbow Dash.”
“Look, I saw the dark energy, I came to check it out. You didn’t really have the situation under control, did you?” Dash asked.
“Did your being here make it any better?” Luna asked spitefully. She sighed. “I apologize. However, Rainbow Dash, these are matters that concern only myself and Celestia for the time being. I want you to return to Ponyville and get a good night’s sleep before returning here tomorrow. Understand?”
Dash nodded. “What’s so important about this that you want to keep under wraps?”
“I knew that Discord had a plan,” Luna said, charging up a teleport, “but it may now have several more dimensions to it that I had not otherwise considered.”
=====================================================================
“Jeez,” Dash remarked at the bustling downtown. “Everypony and their brother’s been in this town since the war. Hasn’t anypony moved out yet?”
“No,” Twilight sighed, shivering a bit from the chill fall air. “A lot of ponies made their home here and don’t want to leave.”
“I don’t blame them one bit,” Rarity said, glancing in alleyways for potential thugs. “Although all sorts of scum are in this city, it’s vastly better than the ruins of Stalliongrad. I heard they’re still finding remains, even after six months.”
Fluttershy shuddered. “I’m thankful Ponyville wasn’t too badly damaged.”
“Yer tellin’ me,” Applejack said. “Ah feel sorry fer all the ponies that had relatives there. It’s none too pretty a sight.”
I remember when we first stepped into the city during the war, Twilight grimaced. It was a complete boneyard.
“Why are we wearing these tacky coats again, Twilight?” Rarity asked.
“Because Luna asked us to. You know what kinds of mobs there would be if everypony knew we were in town,” Twilight explained simply.
“So where are we going, anyway?” Pinkie asked.
“To see Celestia,” Twilight explained, pointing toward a large blue building encrusted with Luna’s coat-of-arms located smack-dab in the middle of Fillydelphia. “Luna, too.”
Fluttershy pulled Rarity aside. “Are you sure it was a good idea to leave those two with him?”
“Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle will get along just fine with Olly, I’m sure. They’re much safer in Ponyville, anyway, and Olly’s... responsible,” Rarity said after an unsure pause. “That doesn’t stop me from being worried sick about them, though.”
“I know the feeling, I’m not quite sure Olly should be watching Angel either,” Fluttershy admitted. “But they’ll probably get along fine. We don’t have any reason not to trust him.”
“If you disregard that he’s slightly eccentric,” Rarity added. “Honestly, sometimes I just don’t know.” Not watching where she was going, she bumped into a stallion. “Oh! Pardon me, I didn’t see you there.”
“S’okay, dearie, s’okay,” the stallion said. He was a light brown color with a darker brown mane, and he wore a slightly worse-for-wear felt jacket. He wore goggles similar to Olly’s on his forehead. “What brings you ta town, darlin’?”
“Oh, um, we’re on official business,” Rarity explained quickly, seeing Twilight motion for her to hurry up.
“‘Aye wasn’t born yesterday, dearie. Nopony’s had business wi’ the Princess since last summer. Guess ‘Aye shouldn’t pry, though. Wot wi’ all the attacks as of late, ‘Questria’s been right worked up, it has. Distrustful. All this news bout Deception doesn’t ‘elp. What’s yer name, dearie?” the stallion asked. Before she could answer, the stallion squinted, peeking under Rarity’s hood and adding, “Wait a moment.... Yer Generosity, aren’t-”
Dash clamped her hooves over his mouth before he could continue. “Yeah, bozo, and you’re about to blow our cover!” she hissed.
“Dash, get off of him,” Twilight ordered, stepping in front of the stallion. After Dash unhooved him, Twilight made sure nopony was looking and said discreetly, “We are the Elements of Harmony, but we are also here on important matters of state. The Princesses asked us to come here quietly, so please don’t make a spectacle about it.”
“‘Aye can keep a secret, darlin’, sure as sugar,” the stallion said, thumping his chest twice. “‘Aye jus’ wanted ta thank ya fer gettin’ me outta that rot of a Dreamscape. Almost got out meself, ‘Aye did, but a friend a mine got captured at the last moment and we had to call it quits before we ended up the same. ‘Aven’t seen ‘em since.”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight said.
He nodded. “Name’s Siggy. A pretty miss like you can call me ‘Charmin’,” he added with a playful wink.
Twilight chuckled. “Nice to meet you, Siggy.”
He smiled, revealing the space between his teeth. “‘Aye’d git to where ya were goin’ soon, ladies. ‘Aye’ve been ‘ere in Filly ever since the lot of you kicked out Arrogance, ’Aye have, but not all of the ponies ‘ere are happy wi’ yer performance thus far. An’ don’t worry, my lips are sealed. ‘Aye owe ya my life, now don’t ‘Aye?” And with that, Siggy said goodbye and departed.
“I like him,” Pinkie decided.
Twilight was worried about what Siggy had said. ‘Not happy with our performance?’ Equestria has been safe for months now! What do they want us to do, permanently get rid of them? Nevertheless, she collected herself quickly and continued walking with her friends.
They arrived at the capital building. Celestia met them outside. “I’m glad to see you,” she said, though she looked distracted.
“Is something wrong, Princess?” Rarity asked.
“No, and don’t call me Princess,” Celestia shook her head, her sigh forming mist in the late autumn weather. “Too formal. I don’t know where that came from; it’s probably one of my worst pet peeves. And if anything, I should be calling you ‘ma’am,’ Rarity; you’re an Element of Harmony.”
“Oh!” Rarity said. “Alright, then.” That’s very casual of her, for a Princess. Then again, she was possessed by Arrogance the entire time we’ve known her until now; there’s bound to be some differences.
“This way,” Celestia said, motioning toward the main marketplace. “I have someone you ought to meet.”
Trotting down the orange sidewalk, Twilight and company followed Celestia to an exotic-looking shop. It was adorned with carved wooden masks, lit candles, and colorful paints that sharply contrasted with the surroundings, but was gorgeous nonetheless.
“This place looks really familiar,” Dash said.
“But from where?” Fluttershy asked.
“I believe you’ve met her already,” Celestia smiled, ringing the doorbell.
“I’ll be right there; I’m combing my hair,” a voice from inside said.
“Zecora!” Pinkie chirped, recognizing the voice on the other side of the door. It opened to reveal a tall striped zebra with large gold earrings and a gold brace around her neck and another on one of her front legs. Her cutie mark was a large spiral with triangles dotting its perimeter. Her mane was a gray and white mohawk.
“Welcome my friends, I’ve not seen you in a while. I trust you return from your journey with a smile?” Zecora asked.
“Yep!” Pinkie said, her blue irises shining with happiness.
“Your eyes,” Zecora said in awe. She glanced at Dash. “And your eyes, as well! You’ve had quite the experience, I can tell.”
“Well, it’s not over yet,” Celestia said. “We were wondering if you can divine the future for us, Zecora, if you’re able.”
“Of course, of course, I can help you indeed. The future is something I never misread,” Zecora said, ushering them inside. “Come inside, if you please, outside you will freeze.”
They were escorted into the interior of the home. It was fairly modern considering Zecora had been living in the wild the last time the group had seen her.
“Ah know why ya’d move ta the city, Zecora, but why’d ya stay?” Applejack asked. “Ain’t you goin’ back to the forest like ya used to?”
“Although the forest is where I began my trade, in the city I find I am much better paid,” Zecora chuckled. “With all the troubles amidst in these times, ponies look to psychics to spend their dimes.”
“I’ve never thought of you being the most monetarily concerned, Zecora,” Rarity said.
“The money I earn I don’t spend on myself; it goes to the books that you see on my shelf,” Zecora said, motioning to the bookshelf in the room they had just entered. It was filled with ancient texts and tomes that Twilight had never seen before.
“How’d you get these?” Twilight asked in awe. “These look even older than the ones in the Royal Library!”
“The Canterlot library was funded by state, and I’m afraid books were things they liked to berate,” Zecora sighed. “The wealthy provided most of my collection, but they never were regarded with too much affection. Knowledge is something I greatly adore, but I’m not certain I’ll find too much more.”
“It’s true,” Celestia admitted. “Arrogance despised books. She’s like your typical high-school prom queen. You’re lucky you got what you did, Twilight. It was all I could do to force that little bit of cooperation out of Arrogance, and I don’t care much for books myself.”
“Shall we proceed to what is in need?” Zecora suggested, motioning to a large pot in the center of the room.
“By all means, Zecora,” Celestia said.
Zecora nodded, and she tossed some herbs and potions into the pot as it began to boil with powerful magic. Dash’s armor began to glow.
“Um, is it supposed to do this?” Dash asked, shaking her shining armored hoof.
Celestia chuckled. “Yes, of course. Mithril is a very sensitive magic detector.”
“Great,” Dash mumbled. This is going to get really annoying really fast.
Zecora stared into the misty waters. Twilght only saw faint impressions of ponies and perhaps some other creatures that weren’t ponies. “I have seen what’s to see, and though I might not agree, a terrible message was given to me,” Zecora said after a long stretch of silence. “I shall tell you what I have seen in the stars… one of your group isn’t who they say they are.”
Celestia’s eyes shot wide open, and she tensed. “No,” she murmured. “Not already. It’s too soon.”
“What do you mean, not who they say they are?” Dash asked.
Zecora shook her head. Just then, there was a mighty crash from outside, and a scream.
“Something’s going on outside!” Pinkie exclaimed, rushing out of the room.
*******
They all rushed outside to see a maroon unicorn stallion with a chocolate-colored mane surrounded by a ring of dark fire. He wore sharp black glasses that covered bright orange, slitted eyes. He glared at the group with a gaze so cold it turned the already chilly weather frigid.
“Who’re you?” Applejack asked.
“What are you?” Twilight asked. His eyes... it’s the mark of Discord!
The stallion said nothing, he just kept staring. He locked onto Celestia’s gaze and held it.
“Just give me the word, Celestia, and I’ll jump this freak!” Dash said.
Celestia stared, her eyes watery. “I...”
“Celestia?” Rarity asked.
The monarch fell to her knees suddenly, stunning everyone. “But... But I thought... Skids, I...” A tear slid down her face as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“It’s him!” Pinkie gasped. “Don’t look into his eyes; he’ll destroy you!”
“What have you done to Celestia?!” Dash yelled. Not waiting for an answer, she leapt at the stallion.
The stallion simply gazed up at her. Without any warning, Dash was seized in the grips of intense sorrow. Scootaloo... she thought before slamming into a wall and falling to the ground limply.
Twilight was stunned into silence. He--He just took out Dash and Celestia without raising a hoof! She was suddenly struck with realization. He’s... he’s Guilt!
Guilt silently gazed up at Applejack. She stumbled backward, intense sadness absorbing her thoughts and wrecking her will to fight. She shouldn’t have died; it’s all my fault! Both of them...
The blue balloon-shaped pendant on Pinkie’s necklace glowed as she tried to absorb the negative energy and replace it with positive energy. Blue sparks crackled around Guilt’s head as he mentally battled Pinkie, and the corner of his mouth twitched in what might have been a grimace. He took a knee, closing his eyes tightly.
The ground shook, and a shockwave of crackling green lightning bolted around Pinkie’s hooves, electrocuting her. She screamed in pain; it felt like somepony had dug out her insides and replaced them with hot tar. She fell to the ground, lifeless.
Sweating despite the freezing weather, Twilight was seized in the grips of true panic. She charged up a lightning bolt, but Guilt had already prepared his final attack. With a mighty flash and a great burst of dark energy, every pony in Fillydelphia fell into icy unconsciousness.
No... Twilight thought as her mind slowly slipped into oblivion. He’s too strong...
“You get away from them!” Twilight heard somepony snarl. Luna? she thought.
Guilt looked Luna directly in the eye as she dove from high in her capital building, but she was unaffected by his gaze. With a deft kick to the side of the face, Guilt was sent sprawling, but Twilight didn’t see the rest. She had already drifted away.
=====================================================================
*******
Twilight awoke in a large, comfy infirmary. She, along with all of her friends, were lying on puffy white cots. Twilight suddenly yelped in pain and clutched her head, as did Rarity.
“You’re awake!” a blue alicorn mare rushed into the room. “Thank heavens, Guilt tore you to pieces! I’m so relieved; you were knocking on death’s door.”
Twilight wiped sweat off her brow. It’s like I have a mind cramp that I can’t shake off! “Luna, please, I need help...”
Luna gasped and rushed to Twilight’s side, pulling a needle out of a nearby cabinet with her telekinesis and gently pushing it into a vein in Twilight’s neck. “It’s a painkiller. Please hold still.”
Twilight sighed and fell over onto the bed as the migraine melted out of her. Luna wrapped a bandage over the injection zone and rushed over to help Rarity.
“Our--Our necklaces!” Fluttershy gasped, feeling her bare neck.
“Guilt must have taken them,” Celestia moaned. “He wasn’t supposed to be here this soon!”
“And my wings!” Dash said, stretching out her feathery appendages, which were slightly bloodied. “Some of the feathers are missing!”
“More like torn off,” Luna muttered, bandaging Rarity’s neck. “Essentially, Guilt clipped all three of your wings. You’ll be grounded until the feathers grow back, and that could take months. Not to mention that Guilt also took away Rarity and Twilight’s magic by bestowing a curse upon them called Thaumic Incindia--completely disabling both of their magic until the next full moon.”
“B-... But the last full moon was yesterday, Princess!” Rarity swallowed.
“I’m aware,” Luna sighed. “It could be a week before you’re able to use any magic at all.”
Twilight bit back a strong swear. I had better watch my tongue, but this is so awful! I was really getting the hang of my magic, only to have it ripped away.
Celestia soothed her ruffled feathers, but she was still very angry. “Guilt’s crafty, I’ll give him that. He not only took your necklaces, but made you two flightless and magic-less for our entire journey.”
“Wait, we’re still goin’ on that crazy trip?” Applejack asked. “How do we know Discord’s not just sendin’ us on a wild goose chase?”
“We’re not going to the mountain, we’re going to Canterlot. I’ll tell you more about it later, but if we just stay here, we’re sitting ducks,” Celestia explained, gritting her teeth. “Just like we were today. Deception must have relayed the fact that we were going to be here at this exact time so that Guilt could catch us off guard.”
“Zecora said something about a Deception earlier, what exactly is she?” Pinkie asked. “I know I’ve seen her and all, but not for a really long time.”
Celestia turned away. “I hate to use this as an example, but Deception is like Lorey. She kills one of your group members and impersonates them to the finest point.”
“But we just saw Deception yes-” Dash clamped her hooves over her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbled to Luna.
Luna glanced at Dash, a tad annoyed, but addressed the group. “Deception had revealed herself yesterday. She paralyzed my entire staff and revealed that Discord may have a greater scheme than I had ever anticipated.”
“Well, don’t leave us hangin’, what is it?” Applejack asked.
Luna shook her head. “Now is neither the time nor the place. For now, you need to rest.”
“Hey, what does Deception do, anyway?” Pinkie asked.
“Deception is a backstabbing, slimy traitor,” Celestia growled.
“Sister,” Luna warned. “Deception is the fourth Element of Discord, opposite of Loyalty,” she explained. “She specializes in espionage and sabotage, but you know that already. However, Deception has recently taken a liking to breaking ponies’ hearts and killing them in the process, which she has done in particular to the Element of Loyalty.”
“Me?” Dash scoffed. “Like I’m going to let anypony like that get close to me while all this stuff is going on.”
“Don’t underestimate her!” Celestia growled, standing up suddenly. “She’s killed more Elements of Loyalty than I can count, including-”
“Sister!” Luna snapped. “Sit down.”
Celestia reluctantly laid down on her cot. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“As I was saying,” Luna said irritably, “Loyalty has had a very large target on his or her back for a long time now. I can’t say I know why; you should ask Obsidian after you retrieve the source of the Gateway.”
“The source?” Fluttershy asked. “Oh, of course, that orb that Deception stole.”
Luna nodded. “Deception is probably located in Canterlot, as is the Source. You need to retrieve that and your necklaces on your journey.”
“We’ll put it on our to-do list,” Twilight grumbled, rubbing the spot where the painkiller was injected. “Can we rest for tonight, though?”
“I will allow that, but you should leave very soon,” Luna said. “As Celestia said, you are in danger if you stay out in the open.”
“Cloak-and-dagger it is, then,” Rarity muttered.
“I’ll make lunch, and then we can prepare,” Luna said, leaving the room.
Twilight rubbed her horn mournfully. What are we supposed to do now? She absently noticed smoke drifting up from below her window.
“I don’t get it,” Dash muttered. “Why didn’t Guilt just kill us and be done with it?”
“Because Deception needs us alive. Guilt only had to remove our abilities and render us powerless for our journey. Then, they can do whatever they want with us,” Celestia explained, stretching her damaged wings.
“But what would they want to do with us?” Fluttershy asked.
“...I don’t know,” Celestia admitted. “Knowing Deception, it’s something awful, and it’s something that we want to avoid.”
Smoke? Twilight thought, leaning and trying to look down below her window.
“Is there any speedy fix for all of this?” Pinkie asked. “Like a super-speedy-Magic-squeezy?”
“One full moon,” Celestia repeated. “That’s when the Thaumic Incindia will be lifted.”
Twilight gazed out of her window and saw ponies marching through the streets, holding signs in their mouths. Suddenly, everything flew into a frenzy as the ponies attacked the police and tore through Fillydelphia, with chants so loud that they could be heard from the hospital bedrooom:
Down with Discord.
Fillydelphia was rioting.
=====================================================================
[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This story takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
1,063 users online
1,660,334 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
So... Siggy = Cid. Nice..
Are we going to expect more FF/KH characters ponified in the near future?
Fantastic!
It feels like something's going to happen to either Rainbow Dash or Scootaloo. Dash's worries early in this chapter back this point, and Scootaloo's nonchalance toward the issue seems to be an attempt to tell the reader not to worry about it for now. Add to this the fact that Deception intentionally makes a target of Loyalty, and it feels like some heavy foreshadowing. Either that or it's a red herring. Both are fun, so I'm down with either route.
...Siggy? I'm unsure how I feel about this guy; not even sure if he's going to play more of a role than that brief conversation. Ah well, always fun to meet new characters regardless. Speaking of new characters, Guilt kicks ass. Seriously, I'm loving his power. Also, nice use of Seymour's music from FFX. I can't wait to see more of this guy.
Excellent chapter overall. I'm psyched to see what happens next. I'll end with what was probably the most beautiful description in this particular chapter:
Celestia shook her head, her sigh forming mist in the late autumn weather.
Man, I really wish I had a laptop to listen to the music while I read...anyone wanna donate to the "Give A Laptop to AscendedWings" Foundation
awesome chapter
I agree wuth Keeria but to tell the truth im still on edge with olly there just not enough we know about him
334843
I know exactly what you mean. Believe me when I say that I don't trust Olly either. Not even a little.
Does anybody remember all the Elements of Discord? I know Envy, Arrogance, Deception, Guilt, Hate and... ?
Great chapter
My favourite fanfic of MLP: FIM
Proabably gonna spend hours trying to find the last Element of Discord now, lol.
And was the "Super-speedy-Magic-squeezy" a pun on a machine name?
337314
The last one would be Twilight's opposite, Vengeance, which is the one with the most raw power of them all (Deception is crafty, but Vengeance pretty much kills powerful stuff by looking at it), the only drawback is, it needs a host that is willing to host it, so putting 2 and 2 together, my guess is Deception is planning to break Dash but instead of killing her like she's done to many other Loyalty incarnations, she's going to make her want to be Vengeance's body, probably preventing the element from reincarnating (which is the main reason for them to not just outright kill the mane 6, they want to end the Harmony/Discord war entirely, killing them just makes the element reincarnate in another pony).
Obviously this is just wild speculation that could be completely wrong
341892 Ohhh! And if I recall correctly the opposites are like this:
Honesty~>Arrogance
Kindness~>Hate
Generosity~>Envy
Loyalty~>Deception
Laughter~>Guilt
Pretty sure but need to be about 20% more sure.
342006 "They had turned into the Elements of Discord: Envy, Arrogance, Deception, Guilt, Hate, and finally Vengeance."
So:
Honesty~>Arrogance
Kindness~>Hate
Generosity~>Envy
Loyalty~>Deception
Laughter~>Guilt
Magic~>Vengeance, the strongest one of all.
341892 This is my idea, I still think Scootaloo will be the one to take in Vengeance. If she hasn't already. Deception does indeed have it out to Loyalty, but remember what she likes. "However, Deception has recently taken a liking to breaking ponies’ hearts and killing them in the process" What would break Rainbow more, than seeing her adoptive little sister, personal #1 fan, and maybe even best friend she can fall onto for anything; Turn around and willingly let Vengeance take over her? Scootaloo would be a traitor, non-loyal, a spit in her face basicly. That is what I think will happen.
342794
Yeah, that's possible as well given the whole deal on Envy and Arrogance where she was pretty much allowed to survive on purpose just so that she bonded with Saphira. A couple of manipulation here and there could do the trick and make Scootaloo hate AJ enough for her to willingly become Vengeance.
Yeah, that sounds more likely now that I think about it. It's just the part of their plan that is supossed to be different this time what puzzles me, since doing what you said pretty much acomplishes nothing new in the grand scheme of things (at least from Discord's POV) as Loyalty is implied to have been killed prematurely every single time and Harmony still managing to win.
344612 Ah, but harmony has never won. They always ended in a draw. Think of it this way tho. Think of it as a game, The Elements are the players, Equestria is the game board, and Harmony/Discord are the teams. There are no rules in this game tho. There are no boundaries. Deception is the smartest of everyone, but she is tired of playing this game. To end it, who says Discord has to win? As is always pointed out, she is a traitor. What if she is a traitor to Discord as well.
I believe her master plan, the thing she is working towards to end the game, is to help Harmony win, in such a way that nopony would know it was cause of her. This might mean that to hide that she is a traitor, to keep them believing she is loyal, she has to kill loyalty. who knows, Maybe loyalty knew this, and willingly lets her? I believe she will be the biggest hero of all, taking the ultimate price of being hated by everyone for the greater good, even letting herself die in the end.
Yay! I thought this was dead, turns out my click to track it never registered. Anywho, awesome chapter!
Nice nice, and now we have a new element of discord in play. Guilt, maiming ponies with the blink of an eye.
So now we've seen Guilt. Curious as to when Hate will show up.
Deception is one of those nasty villains that wreaks absolute havoc with everyone. Which, of course, is why I like her so much as a villain
And I'm suspicious of every OC we meet. So, Siggy, I'm watching you...
I'm suspicious of either Olly or Pinkie.
Guilt can kill/KO you by looking in your eyes?!? Well then, Fluttershy, unleash the STARE!!!!