A Story
Time Lost
Ch. 1: A Story
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to MLP. All other characters are mine.
In the beginning of all creation, there was nothing. There was only black emptiness spreading out to infinity. One spark was all that was needed. An explosion of light and energy filled the emptiness with precious matter. Pure, unaffected atoms pushed out towards the infinite horizon. From matter, gravity soon took hold and the universe began to form. Particles of matter drew together creating the planets and stars. All was good and bright in the galaxies littering the empty realm of space.
As gravity created order among the stars, disorder grew. Energy spread across the system, becoming unusable by the stars they originated from. Consciousness grew, becoming aware of the surrounding space. Untouchable and intangible, this consciousness felt the worlds around it.
All he ever knew was the pain of the universe, the pain of being discarded by those precious stars that warmed the vacuum. The spirit of entropy cried out in anguish, the laws of gravity and energy spreading him out to the far reaches of the cosmos. Twisted, crushed and warped by the fabrics of time and space for an uncountable number of years. In time, entropy despised the laws that governed the universe for bringing him this pain. Entropy despised the light shining into the black void, spreading energy out into the blackness and adding more to his burden. Entropy despised that was wrought by the light, life. Why should these insignificant beings be free while he writhes in pain? Why should they be allowed to languish in comfort as he suffers in agony? He had to be freed from his pain.
Possessing a will he did not know, the spirit of entropy forced himself into being. He strove to be more than intangible, more than the mere byproduct of creation. He wished to live, to exist. The universe shook, a wave of unimaginable power rippling across the cosmos. Consciousness becoming flesh, turning into a being of disjointed parts; a long narrow head of grey fur, a long torso of brown fur that turned into a snake-like tail with a white tuft at the end, his left arm a golden and lion's paw, his right an eagle’s claw, right leg of a green lizard, the left leg of a mountain goat. From his back, two wings extended into the vacuum, a dark bat’s wing and the feathered wing of bright blue. From his temple a blue horn from a goat stuck out from the left side and a large deer’s antler stuck out from the other side. To complete his physical appearance, two glowing yellow eyes and mismatched red irises looked out from under white bushy eyebrows the same color as the goatee at the end of his muzzle. A smile crept over his face, a single long fang jutting from the right side of his mouth. No longer trapped in his ethereal plane, he was free.
From hatred, the God of Chaos was born. Free from his pain, HE was free to wreak havoc on a universe that had so wronged him.
The universe as a whole trembled at the birth of Discord.
Worlds fell, civilizations were lost and life died, but Discord remained. Beyond the bounds of time, the draconequus would forever remain until the end of the universe.
After so many years, Discord found himself in the throne room of Canterlot. Night had already taken to Equestria, the moon’s light filtering through the glass panels. Discord sat in front of the gold throne decorated with a signature sun, looking at the polished tiles and pillars cast in deep blue light. Discord’s eyes were unfocused, staring at the long stretched shadows of the pillars.
In his silence, Discord’s mind was a thousand miles away. His thoughts on friendship, What a peculiar idea. To think Twilight would come to my aid after what I did to her and her friends. Thoughts of his actions swirled around his head, bringing forth memories from the far distant past. Why would she forgive me so easily? Is it because we’re friends? Could I be forgiven for my sin? Icy fingers clenched at his heart, the worlds he had harmed and the lives he had ended reminding him of the deeds he had committed.
This feeling never went away. In time it would lessen, but the feeling would always be there. The past would always be there. Maybe I want to be forgiven for my sins?
“Discord?”
Discord focused on the warm voice of Princess Celestia. The pure white alicorn’s multi-colored hair flowed behind her as she moved into the throne room, her brow furrowed. The gloomy surroundings reflected off of her gold crown. The Princess looked upon Discord in concern.
Discord nodded, “Princess.”
Celestia stopped directly in front of Discord, standing tall and regal, “Discord, why are you moping about?”
Discord responded with a curt, “I’m not moping.”
“Yes you are,” Celestia commented, her tone was calm but the emphasis showed she was concerned. “After Tirek’s attack, you have barely done anything. You haven’t caused any mischief, destroyed any of the royal cakes, painted Canterlot in poke-dots and stripes, and you didn’t even laugh when I switched Luna’s shampoo with bleaching agent. Her mane was white for an entire week.”
Discord folded his paws together, shrugging his shoulders in response.
Celestia continued, “That’s what I mean! You aren’t acting like your usual chaotic self.” Lowering her tone, Celestia moved closer, “I won’t force you to tell me, but please tell me what is bothering you. Let me try to help you.”
Discord stared into those large purple eyes, contemplating what to do. What would she think of me? The gamble was her friendship. Discord asked, “Celestia, do you ever find yourself just thinking about the past and all the mistakes you’ve made?”
“Sometimes,” Celestia answered, confused.
Discord took a deep breath, “Have you ever done something so horrible, that you are forever haunted by it?”
Celestia remained passive, “Yes, why do you ask?”
Discord moved his gaze away from the Sun Princess, looking out into the night sky. “After Tirek’s defeat, I was shocked when Twilight and her friends were so willing to forgive me. It-it felt amazing to be forgiven.” Discord’s voice dropped lower, his red irises becoming unfocused as his long face grimaced in pain. “I have never really been forgiven before. Yes you and your sister have been kind to me after I was reformed, but this was truly being forgiven. I felt bad for what I did, but relieved that they would still be my friends.”
Celestia sat on the cold floor, continuing to listen, “But why have you been acting so strange?”
Discord remained silent, the only sound in the large room were the subtle breath of the two deities. “I regret my past.” Celestia’s viewable eye widened slightly in surprise at the sound of miserable pain in his voice, but she dared not interrupt him. Discord needed to talk to somepony and sometimes the best medicine was an open ear. “I cannot say I was a good person when I first came into being. I was not the same Discord you see before you. I was angry, vengeful. I was a beast, an animal, all sound and fury. I attacked anything that was close to me.”
Discord took a shuttering breath, memories of fire and destruction flowing through his mind. A world burned and its people cried out in anguish. Discord continued, “I took out my anger and pain on innocent beings from all across the universe.” Discord ignored the gasp of surprise from Celestia, the princess quickly quieting herself to allow him to continue. “I could try to dismiss it all, saying that it wasn’t me. That I didn’t understand what I did and I could not control myself. But in the end, a part of me did commit some of the worst travesties the universe had the displeasure of witnessing.”
Discord fell into silence, Celestia waiting for him to continue. When he didn’t, she asked, “What did you do?”
Discord’s rolled his jaw around in his paw, considering the best answer. “I wiped an entire species from the face of creation.”
Celestia’s eye filled with horror for the creature in front of her. The only reason she didn’t fly down to Ponyville and get Twilight plus friends to beat Discord into a bloody pulp was the sorrow etched in his face. Deep wrinkles lined his forehead and the corners of his mouth, emphasizing his deepening frown. Never had Celestia ever seen Discord this sad, this heartbroken.
“Why?”
Discord answered, twisting his tail between his paws, “I don’t know.” The best way he could answer. “I could only see in them everything I hated about the universe. They did not have to suffer for the light. They were allowed to be what I could not. They were able to make their own choices, they could be whatever they wanted to be.”
Celetia’s eyes softened slightly, but remained guarded. “What race was it?”
Discord scratched under his chin, trying to remember their name, “I believe they called themselves hoomuns.”
Celestia’s eyebrow rose, “Do you mean tell me that you are responsible for the extinction of humans on this planet?”
All of the races of this planet knew about humans. Every land contained small traces of the once mighty race. Stories and legends grew from these ancient relics. That they had the power to fly without wings, buildings so tall they could touch the heavens, and could perform great miracles without the need of magic. No pony knew what a human even looked liked, but many years have passed as more of their work was uncovered from the earth. Humans were a mystery that could never be fully understood. They had fallen prey to time’s unrelenting grip.
“Yes,” Discord answered softly. “I saw them take their first steps onto land and I was there when the last of humanity took their dying breath.”
Disgusted would be an appropriate word for what Celestia felt right now. Her stomach clenched painfully and her head swam, “How do you feel about your actions today?”
Discord answered, “It makes me feel horrible inside, unclean, like I want to vomit out my insides.” Celestia felt some relief, only a sliver, that Discord did feel wrong about his actions. Discord asked, his face still pained, “Do you want to know the worst part about it?”
“What?”
“There’s no taking it back.” Celestia was taken aback by this sudden remark. Discord looked at his own paws, shaking his head, “I cannot undo what I did. With all of these godlike powers, I cannot turn back time and I cannot bring back the dead.” Faces flashed through his mind. Pale faces of men and women who fell to his wrath.
Sniff. Sniff.
To see Discord like this was unheard of. Here the great draconequus shed a tear for the long lost race. Celestia didn’t know how to proceed; no pony would have ever imagined having to consul Discord. “Discord,” Celestia began, the draconequus turning his head towards her, “I don’t know how I can help you with this, but I am willing to try and understand what your plight is. I will try my best to assist you in any way I can.”
Discord’s face brightened slightly, a glimmer of happiness in his eye. Celestia could be such a kind soul, always willing to help others in a time of need. Discord said, “That’s the problem. How can I make up for something I did in the past? How can I be forgiven for destroying an entire race?”
Silence followed. The two continued to sit in silence, the moon continuing its arch through the night sky to swim through a sea of stars. Discord’s mind glanced over the various memories, until he focused on a very particular encounter with a nameless man.
“Celestia,” Discord said, “Do you believe in ghosts?”
Celestia blinked several times, “No.”
Discord said, “But ghosts do exists.” Without much care, Discord ignored Celestia’s confused look, “The past is our ghost. It follows us wherever we go and haunts us every waking moment. Even as the memories fade with time, they will never truly disappear and the feelings of guilt will always remain.” Discord took a deep breath, “Out of all of the humans I have encounter, there are few that I remember with some detail. One in particular does exist in Equestria.”
Celestia asked, “Who?”
“I don’t remember his name,” Discord’s brow furrowed in concentration. “I can vaguely remember his face. But I remember what he did.”
“What?”
“He wounded me,” Discord stated. With no reservation, Discord began to share his story with Celestia. The mental reel started playing in his head, both faded and blurring…
0 0 0
The early twenty-first century, Earth was in turmoil. Economies crashed and tensions rose as a new enemy appeared before them. All of the nations and their military might could not stop him.
Discord smiled down from high in the blue sky on the dry desert ground.
Few settlements remained, pockets of the population holding up in secluded areas. Below him, a large base had once stood. The large warehouses once housed the proud training facility for the newest F-35 fighter jets. A long airfield ran through the middle of the open fields, far away from the brown brick offices and several barracks meant to house recruits. A single concrete structure sporting a large cross proclaimed the hospital directly in the center of the living courtiers.
Hundreds of feet of wired fencing ran along the perimeter with several sections of thick brick walling facing the city road.
His minions overran the installations defenses as the officials rushed to evacuate all essential personnel along with the civilians. Every active and reserve member met the horde of abominations with every piece of hardware their arsenal had. Training jets fitted for combat, humvees attached with heavy machine guns spilling hot lead into the advancing army, and the individually issued M-4 and M-16 battle rifles firing from atop rooftops and windows. The base’s defenders were short handed, not enough weapons for each man or woman, forcing them to improvise with homemade weapons of crude metal.
Discord had come to expect this kind of resistance. An animal with its back to the wall will fight with all of its might till the very last breath. Discord floated down towards the hospital, the bases defenders barely holding the horde of grotesque creatures at bay.
Discord landed softly in front of one of his creations. Beings of twisted and scared red flesh, made of a thick torso, two legs and extended arms that fell past their knees tipped with five jagged fingers made from tan bone. On what could be called a head; there were no eyes, only a single gaping mouth of spinning razor sharp teeth and an black pit. Pieces or rock and rubble stuck out awkwardly all over the creatures lined with bits of fading fabrics and leathers barely holding onto these warped bodies.
Created from the flesh of his human victims, they were mindless brutes. They served his every whim without question. Stronger and faster than their previous counterparts, they were the perfect killing machines. They felt no remorse and did not suffer from any moral obligations.
Discord casually walked up to the destroyed entryway, white hot lead lancing out of the hallway towards the draconequus. Each piece of metal rebounded off an invisible barrier, splashing the surrounding rock and minion with fragments of hot metal.
‘This is too easy.’
Discord entered the long pale white hallway of broken tile and scorched walls. Discord skirted around the piles of dead men and minions. The humans’ uniforms of greens, tans and blues stained with their owner’s blood. At the end of the hallway, four men positioned themselves behind the corner of the wall, their rifles littering the floor with brass.
The wall they were using as protection came to life, spikes of white stucco piercing through their armor and uniforms. They slowly gasped for air, their lungs pierced. One managed to reach for his sidearm, aiming the handgun at Discord. The man’s hand disappeared as he squeezed the trigger, leaving a bloody stump and screaming man behind him.
Discord smiled as the man’s screams echoed down the hall, the mindless drones slowly following in the wake of their master to finish off the suffering men.
The ER room was a nightmare, nurses and doctors rushed the wounded out from the open and into the basement. Empty beds and overturned tables littered both sides of the room in their mad rush to escape. It was a futile effort, but what choice did they have. The horde was entering from all sides of the building. Standing stationary next to the door, the last soldier stood with his weapon drawn on the only entryway. The rest of the wing blocked off by welded metal benches from the park.
Barely five foot ten inches, this man wore the light green of his service and thick steel toed boots. An insignia of three stripes and a star were stitched to each sleeve. The man had broad shoulders and stocky build with a rounded face, his light blue eyes peering down the iron sights of the old M-16. He had to be just out of his twenties, his light brown hair short. Inside he was scared, not just for his life, but for the lives of the people frantically trying to move the ill. But his hands were steady, and he was waiting.
To make a bad situation worse, he had no bullet proof vest. All he had was a single pistol strapped to his right thigh and a six inch blade pressing against his left hip. There were not enough vests to go around and he was not a combat soldier, the small patch over the letters ‘United States Air Force’ displaying a compass with wings and a gear surrounded by an olive branch. Sitting to his left, four clips full of ammo laid ready on a small white table.
Muffled screams could be heard from the locked doors. His orders were to stop anyone and anything from entering through the thick glass doors of foggy grey glass. The soldier flipped his weapon to semi, taking a deep breath into his quivering lungs and releasing it. His hands never shook. The hair on the back of his head stood on end, knowing the inevitability of their plight. All of his senses waited for the right moment, for any sign of movement.
A tall silhouette moved towards the doors, two mismatched horns visible through the warped glass. The soldier did not hesitate to flip his weapon to auto, unleashing a deadly storm of bullets. Nurses and doctors barked out orders as the residents screamed in terror.
Glass shattered, littering the ground in a shower of diamonds. Discord smiled at the vein attempt, the soldier emptying an entire clip in seconds.
Click. Click. Click.
The soldier’s left hand ejected the spent clip, reaching for a fresh one. Before his hand could wrap around a new clip, wires burst from the soft ceiling to wrap around the soldier’s neck lifting him up slightly. Force to stand on the tips of his toes. The soldier’s rifle dropped uselessly on the ground with his left hand reaching for the wire around his neck, the right hand going to the handgun.
Lifting the sidearm to waste height, the soldier’s finger squeezed the trigger. Brass flew from the small weapon, the soldier attempted to keep his aim true as the wire cut into his neck. The metal weapon flew out of his hand by an unseen force, leaving him to struggle against the wire.
Discord slowly drew closer to the struggling human, those blue eyes full of angry. Veins bulged in his head, the soldier desperately trying to pry the metal wire from around his neck with both hands. Discord chuckled, passing the soldier to move to the rest of the room, “Now who should I play with next?”
The entire room was silent, no one dare move a muscle in front of Discord else they attract his attention. The soldier reached for the knife, Discord’s back to him, and proceeded to violently cut the wire just above his head.
Discord ignored the sound of scrapping metal, more interested in the whimpering of the people in his sights. ‘Why would a god have to worry about a single man?’ Discord raised his lion’s paw, all of the horde moving to surround the building or search for more enemies in the untaken facilities.
Discord smiled, his snake like tongue gliding over his sharp teeth in anticipation. He would have some fun with these humans. ‘I hope they scream,’ Discord thought as the sides of his grin grew wider. Twisting his sickeningly long face at the many torments his mind could conceive.
The faint snap brought Discord back to reality, but he didn’t need to turn around to see the coughing soldier rubbing his neck while holding his knife ready with the left hand ready for a fight. Discord chuckled at this human’s attempt at bravery, “Tell me boy, which one of these lovely ladies would you like me to start with?”
Faster than anyone could react, Discord appeared next to a short dark skinned nurse wearing pale green scrubs. Tears began to fall from her dark eyes, an eagle’s claw clenching the back of her neck roughly. Discord looked towards the soldier, passing the tip of the tiger’s claw over the young woman’s exposed throat. “Should she be quick, or should I take my time with her? Your choice.”
Discord enjoyed seeing the wheels turn inside the man’s head, trying to figure a way to save her. Even in the face of the inevitable death, soldiers will try to save a life in need. Pushing his talon against the woman’s Adam’s apple and applying just the right amount of pressure to cause a single tear of crimson blood to slide down her throat, the soldier yelled throwing out his hand to stop Discord, “Wait! Wait!”
Discord stopped, enjoying the look of turmoil on the young human’s face, “Yes?”
“Let her go and take me instead.”
‘Oh that is such the cliché, but I do love to play with these would be heroes.’ Discord chuckled, “And why would I do that?”
The man froze, trying to think of an excuse, “Because she won’t be any fun.”
‘That’s a new one.’ Discord commented, “I don’t know. I think I can make her scream louder than you.”
“But she won’t give you a good fight. I can.”
“Why does that matter?” Discord asked, his forked tongue sticking out of his teeth to taste the air. He could taste the overpowering stench of fear from every person in this room, especially the young soldier.
“Because you want to have fun,” the soldier continued, trying desperately to keep his voice from shaking. “Where is the fun in hurting someone if you can’t get any satisfaction?” This hit a cord with the draconequus, catching his attention as the soldier moved a step closer, “How can it be fun if no one’s able to give you a challenge? To me it’d get a little dull if all you ever wanted you could make happen with just a snap of your fingers. If everything were that easy, than what’s the point in doing anything.”
‘I see where this is going.’ Discord was actually surprised at the sudden move. Of course he had been challenged by individuals before, but here this kid was trying to play to his ego. ‘Interesting, but incredibly stupid.’ This man was still doomed to die. “For your insolence, I could just snap my fingers and kill you right now. What would you say about that?”
The soldier didn’t even hesitate to respond, “Where’d the fun in that be? Wouldn't that be a waste?” Discord’s smile grew even bigger, taking up his entire muzzle. The soldier saw the insatiable hunger behind those large yellow eyes, the eyes of a madman. Now it was time to drive in the point, the human lifted up his knife slowly turning the blade in his grip, “You’d waste the opportunity to get your hands dirty, to stick a knife me and slowly turn it. To watch what’s going in my head and enjoy every second as the life slowly vanishes from my eyes. It won’t be quick. It won’t be clean. Now doesn't that sound like a fun time?”
Discord cackled loudly, dropping the nurse on the ground to approach the apprehensive soldier. “Very well, I’ll play your game, but first,” with a flick of his wrists Discord sent the six in blade out of the human’s hand and into the wall. “Let’s make this a little more interesting.”
The soldier nodded, unbuttoning his top shirt and tossing it to the ground to ensure it could not get in the way. A light green t-shirt covered the soldier’s torso, the soldier lifting both of his hands before curling them into fists. He may not know any fancy fighting styles, but he did know how to hit hard.
Discord tilted his head to each side, several pops filling the air. Discord readies both of his paws, curled into fists. Silence crept between the two, the only sound were the remaining orderlies and their patients slowly edging their way out the back of the room. The soldier watched the monster in front of him for any indication of his first move.
Both moved at the same time, the human rushing forward to tackle the tall draconequus. Wrapping both arms around his waist, the human twisted and slammed Discord into the hard tile like a professional wrestler. Discord recovered quickly, grabbing the railing of a nearby bed to get to his feet. The soldier slammed his fist into his stomach, beginning to work on the body with powerful blows from both hands into the brown furred body. A right cross across the muzzle caused Discord to stumble back. The soldier was breathing heavily and heart pumping in his chest, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Discord rubbed his jaw, an amused grin playing across his muzzle, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Discord was up on him in a heartbeat. The soldier blocked the right hook, the blow causing his arm to tremble. It felt like being hit by a jackhammer. The soldier delivered a quick left jab before ducking under Discord’s left. Following up with an uppercut to the grey muzzle, Discord caught the soldier’s right arm with his left arm. The talons on Discord’s right paw stabbed into the small of the soldier’s back.
Stumbling back, Discord pushed the soldier into the wall next to the entrance. Lights flashed before the human’s eyes as he desperately held both of his forearms to block his upper body, Discord’s fist crashing into his sides and face. Backhanding the draconequus, the human followed by kicking Discord’s side to drive him back.
With a flick of his tail, Discord’s white tufted wrapped around one of the human’s arm and pulled him towards the center of the room. Losing his footing, the soldier stumbled for a second and allowed Discord to hit him with a solid hit across the chin. Stars flew across his vision. The soldier collided with the hard ground, releasing a grunt. Looking up to see a gloating Discord looking down on him, the soldier growled loudly at him. “Over so soon?” Discord motioned to himself in disappointment, “I want my money’s worth. Come on! Get up!”
“Coming right up!” The human responded, quickly rising to his feet. A slap across his chest sent him back down.
Discord moved closer and within striking range, “Going back down!”
The soldier’s foot struck like a snake, catching the scaled leg and causing Discord to fall onto one knee. The human was up in a heartbeat, grabbing Discord by the scruff of his neck and slamming his head into the ground. Pulling Discord’s head back up, the soldier’s left hand delivered a vicious hook across Discord’s jaw. Before another hit could land, Discord grabbed the human by the shoulder and effortlessly flung him into the railing of an opposing bed.
The soldier yelped as Discord, grabbed his shoulder and threw him flat onto the ground. Rolling to the side, the soldier looked up in time to catch that reptilian tail upside his head. Reeling, dark red crimson flew from his mouth filling it with the taste of rust.
“Taste good?”
The soldier barely had time to stumble into the center of the room before the vile serpent Discord delivered a painful kick to his chest.
Flying out the destroyed door, the human body skidding across the debris covered tile. Wood and glass cut deep into his arms and face. The soldier groaned as he got to his feet, littering the floor in a shower of tiny rubies. Vision blurring, he blinked rapidly at the tall shadow approaching him in an attempt to focus his vision.
Facing Discord, the soldier balled his fists in anger. Pieces of sharp wood and glass stuck out of his flesh all over his arms, shoulders and back. He ignored the pain and lightheartedness, as the beast approached. Ducking under the wide arch of Discord’s eagle claw, the soldier delivered a powerful blow to Discord’s side and to the face. Discord backhanded the human, knocking him back.
The soldier was able to remain on his feet. Sweat trickled down his face burning the eyes and cuts. Skin rose around his eyes, sights of future bruises. His ribs hurt, but still allowed some air into his body through shallow breaths.
Inside, Discord was ecstatic and having the time of his life watching this soldier trying to fight. Now, Discord wanted to raise the stakes. Swiping at the human with his claws extended, Discord sought to render the soft pink flesh. The human ducked under the right claw, the draconequus’s attack wide and providing the human with an opening he needed.
In a hurry, the soldier wrapped one arm under each of Discord’s arms in a full nelson. The tail thrashed rapidly, but the soldier drove his knee into the small of Discord’s back. In a blur of movement, the human found himself holding nothing but air. A solid strike in his ribs drove him to the right, cradling his left side. His ribs burned and he could have sworn he heard a sickening crack. Breathing became harder, a hot poker sticking in his side.
Discord advanced, easily swatting the blows the soldier threw. With a flash of talons, four deep lacerations appeared across his chest. The cotton shirt absorbed the blood, white fire lacing across the soldier’s skin. Hissing, the soldier brought his elbow to Discord’s jaw while Discord stabbed at his gut. The nail pierced him like a burning torch, driving the little breath he head out of his lungs.
Discord removed his lion’s claw from the human’s gut and grabbed his throat. Without so much as a grunt, Discord easily lifted the soldier over his head with one arm before driving him down to the ground.
The human remained on his back trying to swallow as much air as he could, Discord taking a step back to watch. His eyes flashing in the florescent light as a predator’s would, the kill was almost here and he could taste it. The soldier’s body hurt, pain centered on the cuts on his chest, gut, broken ribs, and face. The adrenaline rush was fading under the pulsating pain all over his body.
Slowly, the human rolled to his side, coughing up blood onto the ruined floor in an attempt to clear his lungs. On shaking legs, he stood with his hands held ready. ‘I should probably congratulate him. I didn't even think he’d have this much in him.’
Discord asked, “Did you think you were going to die today?”
To Discords surprise and amusement, the human chuckled, “Yeah, I did.”
“Then why did you want to play this little charade? You might have lived longer if you ran?”
The human remained silent for a moment, flecks of blood and spittle leaving his open mouth, “Because I had to try.” A simple answer.
Discord hummed to himself, thinking deeply about what to do next. Deciding it was time to end this little game, Discord moved first. The human jabbed at the approaching figure with his right hand. The fist connecting with air.
In a burst of pain and blood, claw marks appeared on the back of his right hand all the way up his arm. Staggering forward, more pain exploded from his back. Discord slashed from the human’s right shoulder to lower back, leaving a trail of torn flesh. The soldier spun to backhand the offending beast, Discord caught his attack without a problem. Faster than he could conceive, Discord’s talons slashed down the left side of his face.
Pain, that was all he felt as nerves fired their messages into the brain. His eye darkened to pitch black.
Before the soldier could fall backwards, Discord kicked in his right kneecap. A sharp snap emitted from the joint, bending the wrong way. The soldier howled with pain, his legs crumbling under him. Red hot liquid slid across his face, his left eye useless as he barely registered the paw gripping his shirt and dragging him across shatter glass to the empty wall next to the ER entrance. The light was better and Discord wanted to see the work he had done by setting the human with his back propped against the wall.
Discord looked down on his handiwork with fondness. The entire left side of the human’s face was composed of mangle and torn flesh, clear soft tissue of the eye running down the ruined cheek. His right eye was nearly closed, only a sliver of white and blue visible under blackening lids. Discord clucked his tongue, noticing the bone sticking out of the jeans on the right leg. His entire shirt and most of his pants were stained by blood, sweat, and brown dirt clinging to it. “You’ve really done a number on yourself.”
The soldier could barely register Discord’s voice, the edges of his vision blurring. The only thing he could focus on was those mad yellow eyes. The fluorescent lights grew brighter as their surrounding wall grew darker.
The Spirit of Chaos moved forward, kneeling down to whisper in his ear, “Don’t feel bad. We both knew this would happen and now I have to finish it.” The human’s left felt hand the ground next to him, trying to find anything sharp. A sharp point cut into the hard flesh, letting him know of the large piece of glass lying beside him.
Raising a paw, Discord brought forth the cold steel knife the soldier dropped earlier. Grasping it tightly in his paw, Discord drove the point of the knife directly towards the human's unprotected throat.
He had to move. The blade drew ever so closer. The rest of his body refused to obey its master, thoughts unable to penetrate abused flesh. Still the knife came closer, only a few inches away.
By sheer force of will, the soldier managed to move his body, leaning to the left. Discord’s eyes grew wide as the knife’s blade missed his vital throat, driving deep into the wall at an awkward angle just above the shoulder. With the blade’s miss, the human’s right hand crabbed the back of Discord’s neck.
Pulling it towards him, the soldier bashed his head into Discord’s muzzle. Slightly stunned, Discord did not see the jagged edge of glass sinking into his neck.
Discord released a surprise gargled, black liquid seeping from the wound in his neck. Moving backward, Discord dropped the knife he was wielding and wrapped his paws around his throat. Three inches of grass sticking out from between his fingers, dark liquid spilling onto his coat and the floor. The soldier only watched Discord, having no strength to move.
A sickening feeling filled the human’s gut, loud chuckles escaped from Discord’s grinning mouth. Discord pulled out the piece of glass with no hesitation before looking at it in the light. Black grease slid over the glass, dripping unnaturally slow towards the cold hard floor. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen my own blood before,” Discord commented nonchalantly, as if he were merely talking about the weather.
The soldier couldn’t move, trapped by pain and utter horror at the monster in front of him. If Discord could not be killed, then the entire human race was doomed. Fear enveloped him in his stupor. Discord turned to the human, discarding the makeshift weapon with no care. Horrible things passed through his mind, all arranged on what he could do to the poor human. Discord advanced upon his downed opponent, clapping ever so softly, “Congratulation! You my good sir have won the chance to receive some special treatment from yours truly.”
If the soldier could move, he would have run for his life. Those sick yellow eyes were staring at him with new-found hunger, “Now I was thinking about what I should do with you.” Discord appeared next to the human, sitting down and leaning his head on the human’s left shoulder to look up into that destroyed face. “I was thinking about some dark and terrible torture, like turning you into one of my minions or into a bug that I could slowly pull off each leg and leaving you to die in agony.” The soldier remained silent, his heart pounding against his chest and desperately trying to escape. “But then I thought ‘I really want to remember this day’,” in a swirl of motion, Discord jumped into the air before pointing down at the dying soldier in judgment. “So I’m going to make you a personal collection in my garden.”
The soldier didn’t know what that meant. Nor did he feel his limbs locking up, his hands and boots turning a deep white color. Marble laced with a flowing grey mineral swirls consumed the human’s body. From the hands and boots, rock converted flesh and cloth leaving the head for last. The last thing this human would ever know was the laughing face of Discord and the knowledge of his failure.
0 0 0
Discord and Celestia remained silent. Celestia was disturbed to put it mildly, she asked, “What happened after that?”
Discord said glumly, “I proceeded to finish my work, keeping him as a statue to remember that day for all times.”
No matter how much she felt disgusted with Discord, she could not change the past and had to instead work on the present Discord in hopes of preventing any future acts of violence. “Do you have any ideas where the statue is now?”
Discord scratched his head, “I can sense where any of my magic lingers. Finding him would only take a short amount of time.”
“Have you ever considered releasing him from his stone prison?” Celestia asked, wondering about the answer.
“Yes,” Discord sighed. “The problem is that his flesh has no magical properties and unable to survive the conversion to stone, he’s basically dead.” Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but Discord cut her off, “I don’t mean that he’s dead-dead. His life force was sealed inside the stone body, he’s more half-dead than full dead. Only his flesh was affected. I would have to infuse a large amount of magic into his flesh to return it to organic tissue. That would cause massive amounts of changes in his form. I would basically be creating a new body for him.”
“How would you create a new body? You said it yourself, you can’t bring back the dead,” Celestia responded, trying to decipher Discord’s words.
Discord explained, “I can use some of my blood to create new flesh. It’s not bringing back the dead, instead infusing the magic within my tissue into his body. The magic would be very volatile. I would have very little to no control over what form he would take. It would make him into the image of any of the inhabitants in this world.” Before Celestia could ask why, Discord spouted, “The reason is that his flesh would need to inherit properties of magic to live again. Human’s never had magic. His flesh would be taking on these properties through the conversion process, and as such, force him to become a being that can handle magic. He could be an earth pony, unicorn, dragon, Pegasus, or even a griffon.”
Celestia’s eyes widened with surprise, “Why haven’t you done this already?”
Discord turned pale, “Because I don’t know what will happen to him after. His mind will be fractured. The human mind was not designed to survive this type of curse. Memories and bits of his personality would be warped or missing when he woke up. He would be a broken mind in a body that’s not his, living in a world that he knows nothing about. How would he survive in this situation?”
To Discord’s surprise, Celestia agreed, “You are right Discord.”
Discord turned to her, asking or almost pleading, “What should I do? I want to free him, but I don’t know if he can live in this world. He is my only connection to that lost world, without him the only things that remain of humanity are their decaying ruins.”
Celestia hummed to herself, thinking deeply. “I think the best option is to do nothing.”
Wait what?
Before Discord could start, Celestia said, “If you truly want to free him, then that is your decision. But if you do, the best thing would be for you to keep your distance…”
“Why?!”
“Because,” Celestia said, “your interactions may bring back those painful memories from his past and cause him to become unstable towards the world around him. A broken mind is not easily mended and is more likely to act on impulses when introduced to a stressful situation. You have played a huge role in his life, meaning he will most likely react negatively to your presence. He may even become violent. It would require lots of time and a loving environment to heal his wounds. Equestria is a very open society, but we would have to slowly introduce him to it with the knowledge of his special heritage and his situation.”
Discord asked, “If I do this, do you think I can be forgiven?”
“I don’t know,” Celestia took a deep breath. “He may never be able to forgive you for what you have done to him and his world. That will have to be a fact you may have to accept. I would recommend reflecting on your past and finding a better way to improve yourself for the future. But be warned, dwelling in the past will only cause you more pain. Learn from the past and don’t dig up old wounds. You may do some good or you may do more harm. No pony can know for certain what the outcome will be.”
With that Celestia grew silent. Discord’s looked deep into those large eyes, finding concern and fear. Discord said, “I will try my best to follow your advice, because it is sound advice.” Celestia smiled as Discord’s frown lightened, “But if I do try to free him, would you help me? He’ll need a lot of help?”
Celestia dipped her head, “Of course I will Discord. We are friends after all.”
Discord chuckled, “Goodnight, Princess Celestia.”
“Goodnight Discord.” With that, Celestia left the throne room to retire to her chambers. Discord decided to walk through the walls and into the open night air. Luna did always have a way with stars. Flying through the clear night air, Discord flew gently over the land. As he flew, the only though on his mind was what to do.
Should I risk the chance he won’t be able to handle this world, or do I let him remain in his stone body? The risk was so great, not just for him but for all of those ponies this human would be in contact with. If only I knew more about him? That struck a chord in Discord’s head. What did he know about him? He could be a raving psychotic for all Equestria was concerned.
Let’s see: he was protective of others, he wanted to save lives and he was unafraid to give his life for the rest of those people in that hospital. No. He was trembling when he saw me, but he still managed stand up tall and proud. The only kind of pony I know who would do that would be a good pony. He’s more like a pony than we know. He would willing go through hell to help someone. Or maybe I’m delusional. Discord’s mind recalled the scene before, recalling the desperation and fear. Discord felt hope, He did it for others. So he is a good person. That this human may be just like the ponies he lived with and would not willingly harm a pony. Is it worth the risk?
0 0 0
The statue wasn’t very hard to find. At the bottom of a sink hole in a massive rainforest, buried under piles of soil and dead leave sat the human soldier. With a snap of his fingers, the earth rose in the air and formed a miniature volcano. Bits of dirt and pieces of plants erupted into the air like a gauzier. Discord waited patiently. Slowly a black head rose up from the ground, followed by a torso, arms and legs. “Oh my! You are a dirty boy. Let me get you all nice and clean,” Discord chuckled softly, pulling from their air a large feather duster. With a few swipes, the marble returned to its pristine white. Untouched by time, the soldier remained the same after all of these years. Seeing this unchanged being sent a hallow pang in his chest.
Discord attempted to distract himself. Wow. My magic does do a great job in preservation. Maybe I could take up a job at a museum. I’m sure everypony would just love to see the exhibits come to life… Wait, I think that’s been done before.
Shaking his head, Discord leaned towards the statue’s head. Looking deep into his single eye, Discord could feel the hopelessness of the stuck gaze. Discord straightened, looking down at the statue. He wanted to release him, but feared the risks. Looking into that single eye, Discord felt the compelling need to right his wrong. Seeing the still broken body, Discord could almost feel the flesh tearing under his claws.
Shivering as the uncomfortable memory crept over him, Discord thought What to do now? Huffing Discord sat to the left of the statue facing the same direction. Both stared at the dark green foliage creeping down the sides of the sinkhole. In silence, Discord listened to the continuous calls of birds, bugs and many other animals inside the forest. It was peaceful.
Discord cupped his head between his paws, groaning in discontent. His mind was split. This place was too peaceful and too depressing at the same time. Turning to look at the destroyed face Like so many years ago, Discord rested his head against the soldier’s shoulder.
The feeling of longing filled his heart. Longing to see this soul free from the suffering he had caused it so long ago. New energy shot into his limbs, no longer would he wait. If there are any issues, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Discord jumped to his feet, rolling his shoulders in anticipation for the trial ahead, “Alright human! This is it! I’m not just going to free you. I’m going to give you the best life you could imagine! Um… How am I going to do that?”
Discord froze, trying to comprehend what the next step was. Freeing someone was one thing: but where do they go when you free them? Discord’s answer: Ponyville. The place had every form of kindness imaginable. But what about a home? A job? Discord had the answer to this as well: Princess Celestia could help. She knows ponies and being a princess, she’ll be able to help with any financial complications. But I’ll have to stay off the radar, Discord’s smile faltered. If that’s the way it has to be, then so be it. This isn’t for me.
Raising his lions paw, the white talon of his second paw sliced through the brown pad. Black blood seeped from the deep scratch. Taking a deep breath, Discord tried to quell the squirming in his gut. I’ve never attempted anything like this before, but where’s the fun without a little mystery.
Discord placed the bleeding palm against the human’s brow, focusing on his magic. Discord felt the all too familiar buildup of magic within his chest before moving towards his palm. Black veins spread across the uneven surface of the statue. More magic continued to flow, the white marble becoming completely covered in black liquid.
Magic continued to drain from Discord, the black substance reflecting the poor light of the sinkhole. The liquid mass stirred and twisted across the surface of the statue. Time began to slow for Discord as more magic were taken from his body.
“Grrrrr,” Discord growled, the strain on his magic growing as the black mass writhed violently under his palm. The spell continued to draw on his strength. Beads of sweat developed on his brow as the spell continued to pull from him. All attempts to cut the flow of magic failed, Discord dropping to one knee as he continued to grow weaker. Why won’t it stop? Discord screamed in his head as his limbs grew heavy.
The black mess flashed red, exploding in Discord’s face. Discord flew through the air, pieces of the marble statue bouncing off his hide. Leaving a trail of upturned dirt as his slid across the soft soil, Discord decided to just lie there when he finally came to rest. Breathing the humid air, Discord felt shaken. Never before had he experienced this kind of backlash from a spell and he would most likely never try to perform it again. Wearily getting to his feet, Discord approached the smoldering hole left by the spell. Tendrils of smoke rising from the blackened earth. Discord slowly approached the hole, apprehensive about what might occupy the space.
Discord’s jaw dropped, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
“W-well, I didn’t expect that.”
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mmmm ok ... i like it
4582327 Thank you.
I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
This story seems awesome! The cliff hanger is killing me!
Not sure why this has been added to a group dedicated to Discord being a good guy, since according to the lore in this story, Discord is actually the most powerful and evil being to ever exist, waging cosmic war against the forces of goodness and light. Even though Celestia is claiming to be his friend, it's made pretty clear that she is just trying to prevent him from going on another murderous rampage.
But anyway...
This was great and well-written. A few small typos here and there, but not enough to ruin anything. Definitely an engaging prologue. I can't wait to see what happens with this ex-human soldier.
Keep up the good work!
4582423 Sorry,
The second chapter should be added within two weeks.
4582429 Redemption. Trying to become a good guy. If it doesn't fit, I'll try and have it removed.
4582442
I think it fits. A guy who recognizes that the things he's done in the past are awful and sincerely tries to make amends is a good guy at least for the context of that behavior, and it's actually made fairly clear that no, Celestia isn't trying to keep Discord from going on a murderous rampage, she's trying to overcome her own revulsion at the knowledge of what he's done, given that she knows he has changed and that he sincerely regrets what he did.
I think that most versions of Discord are beings who could do with a good hard look at what they've done in the past; I myself tend to write a very sympathetic Discord, but he's committed his share of atrocities and horrors in his time (nothing on the scale of the one in this story, but no canon-accurate version of Discord is ever *innocent*.) So I don't think a story where Discord used to be a really terrible being is disqualified if during the time period of the story he regrets what he did and is seeking to do something to try to make up for what he did.
so let me get this strait from what i read in the description.there were once humans in equestria and then he screwed things up and they all died and then ponies happend....but theres one question...how would lyra know about us?....was she there when there was still humans?...did she see the end of humanity happen?....just how does she know?
4582935 Good questions. I will absolutely have to address them in the story itself. Thanks for pointing that out, I did not really consider Lyra. Here, enjoy a mustache!
4582925 Thanks.
uh..thanks?....
befor anyone brings up anything about eqestria girls for any reason...what if the human wolrd of the mirior is NOT THE HUMAN WORLD..maybe celestia is trying to hide something..maybe the truth..maybe eqestria IS THE HUMAN WORLD and after discord killed everybody our chemicals,toxic waste,and anything that raidioactive went the land?...maybe thats how ponies came to be...have dragons happen to exsist in eqestria..
4582965 I'm not sure how to respond without spoiling anything. I like the enthusiasm and your questions, I just don't want to take the fun out of the mystery. Thanks for the comments.
you welcome.by the way im sure alot of your readers are going to ask questions like mines
4582996 So true. I'll just have to answer them in the story. Yeah for future developments!
is the human a boy or a girl?because when i was reading part one when discord was telling that story i was getting mixed and comfused...if the human is a girl there might actualy be hope for humanity to repopulate in equestria.
4583143 Male.
4582436
Quality over quantity.
No problem. As long as it gets done I'm happy.
this is a good story so far, and I can't wait to read the next chapter.
