Just Another Rogue: of Shadows

by Tattered Ribbon

Blackout

Was it too much to ask for a normal day? This thought and others like it ran through Ribbon mind. She was now stuck to the ceiling as if gravity no longer applied, as was Chitsuki. Now a guard burst into the room, who was not stuck to the ceiling, yelling. “Everypony get to safety, Discord has broken lo- Well, buck… I see I was a bit too late…”

Ribbon could only shush Chitsuki, but she seemed to have plans of her own. She mouthed ‘I got this’ before jumping from the ceiling and landing on the floor in front of the guard.

“Name and rank soldier!”

He salutes. “Captain Shining Armor ma’am!”

Ribbon took this chance to Change into her pegasus form. the guard must have seen the flash, because he started readying a spell at Ribbon. “STAND DOWN SOLDIER, SHE’S A FRIENDLY! NOW GIVE ME A SITREP ON THIS!” ’Holy buck that was loud!’

The ringing in Ribbons ears took its time to dissipate and Ribbon had missed what Chi said to the guard, but heard his response "I'll teleport us there." His horn glowed before a flash pink light overtook Ribbon vision. What she was presented to afterwords was mess, the ground was checkered, the clouds were pink, and she had to duck to avoid one that was aimed at her head.

“Well this just made number seven on my list of ‘weirdest stuff I’ve ever seen.”

"Why did I have to come? I was safe in my room!" Ribbon couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the modified landscape for fear that something may plow into her when she’s not looking.

"But wheres the fun in that? All tucked away like a cuddle bug waiting for Moonie to come back." Ribbon was startled that something had teleported beside her, an arm around her side and It was caressing her cheek with the other.

"Leave my friend out of this, your fight is with me..." Discord makes a sarcastic scream of fright, before laughing. Now that it let go, she finally got a good look at it. Ribbon wished she didn’t. The creature was as big a mess as the landscape, a miss mash of different animal parts. This was Discord.

"Little Moony thinks she's all tough now!" He snaps his… talons? and suddenly the imposing, almost demanding form that was Chitsuki was turned into a foal. "No, I think I'll bring her into this all the same, Don't want to leave anypony out now do I?" Every word out of his muzzle just seemed to drip laughter. And just to get his point across he picked Ribbon up, making her squirm and wiggle to get free. As she struggled, Discord just kept laughing.

“Wha- Why, thank you, now I’m just harder to hit.”

Discord just seems to smile. "Finally somepony who understands! Now what to do to your friend?"

Chitsuki oozed miasma, before returning to her original form, and leveled a glare at him that looked like a rabid Diamond Dog eye balling a steak. "Bucking. Hurt. Her. And. You. DIE."

Chitsuki begin closing the distance between the three of them. Ribbon still in Discords grip.

"My, my, how violent. No I'm not going to hurt her" he snapped his talons, causing Ribbon to revert to her Changeling form. Which shocked her into a stupor. "She looks MUCH better without a mask on, don't you think?" he held Ribbon out in front of himself as if taunting a child with candy.

“Let her go, NOW!”

He frowns. "Oh fine, Be that way. Ruin all my fun way don't you." He prepares to snap his talons. "But before I go, one last thing." He snaps them. Immediately, Ribbon felt a sucking sensation in her mind, before Chitsuki begin to gravitate towards Ribbon. "If you're going to be so violent, I can't just let you roam around, so you can stay in her head till I'm done. Tah tah." As Chitsuki get closer to Ribbon. Ribbon felt as if she would pass out as Chitsuki sank into her body.

Ribbons chitin felt as if she was on fire, and not changeling fire, normal fire that burns. It felt as if an unfathomable amount of power was flowing through her veins. In what little vision she had, she saw a black fire licking her hooves, it was unnatural how the flames absorbed the light instead of producing it. As the flames covered her whole body, Ribbon could only wait, as the pain threatened to blackout her vision.

‘Ribbon, are you there, Ribbon, please answer me, I d-d-don’t want to be alone agaaain’

‘C-Chi? is that you?’

‘Oh thank God, you’re alright, I thought Discord had effectively replaced your mind with mine!’

‘Th-the magic… It hurts…’

‘What? Chitsuki went silent momentarily, until the flow of power coursing through Ribbons body stopped burning, and was replaced with a dull throb ‘I think our only option is to take down discord, because I have no clue how to undo this, and I don't think your body can take this much energy for very long before side effects begin cropping up.

‘B-b-but how do we fight him like this?

’Look, it is taking too much of my focus keeping my power down to levels that won't irreversibly damage your body, to control anything. At the most I can give you suggestions on what to do, but you have to carry them out.’

’Bu-but I don’t know how to use it!’

‘I don’t know! use it like you would use any other magic!’

I-i can’t!

’I can only think of one way then, repeat after me “We are many, but we are One”’

‘We are many, but we are One’

‘We are many, but we are One’

‘We are many, but we are One!’

…

They opened their eyes, and saw the chaos Discord had wrought. They decided that they could not let it continue. Shifting their form to that of a sky dwelling pegasus, they took to the air in search of him. They followed the foul stench of his magic, only to be greeted by a sight that horrified them. Discord had corrupted the Elements, leaving himself unopposed. We would not be able to maintain Our disguise. Direct intervention was necessary.

They touched down, looking him in the eyes, unwavering. Before speaking. “You shouldn't have done that…”

He blinked. "Shouldn't have done what my dear?”

"You forced the Blood Moons very being, into the Rogues body, hoping to remove a threat. Instead you created Us, and incited Our wrath." They shed their disguise, allowing it to burn up in the roiling field of energy surrounding their being. At the sight of this, Discords eyebrow rose off his face.

“For We are neither Chitsuki, nor are We Tattered Ribbon. We are, Concordia.” Their name seemed to strike something buried deep within Discords mind, as for the most fleeting of moments, true fear appeared on his features. They capitalized on this fact by releasing a surge of undirected power, driving our point home. “And we will teach you the meaning of FEAR!”

Discord didn't even take the time to laugh, and instead rushed them, intent on delivering a flaming uppercut. "Our power... moves worlds..." channeling large amount of miasma and magic, Concordia struck the ground in front of them, creating a shockwave of dark power, and launching Discord high into the air, shocking him. With a flap of their wings, They pursued him. Before they could connect, Discord teleported behind Us, and axe kicked Us into the ground. Emerging from the crater coated in dust. "Concordia voiced Their rage. "Our wrath… rends time itself..." Discord gave them a confused stare. They rushed up to him, focusing every ounce of rage into an aura of darkness around their hoof. "Dāku..." Concordia’s hoof met his gut. "Shōryū..." They launched their other hoof into his jaw. "KEN!" The impact sent him even higher into the air, before he plummeted back down to earth, while We landed in front of him.

Discord got up, wavering slightly before sighing. “It appears I made a mistake, joining your consciences.” He tightened his paw into a fist. “But that can be easily fixed.” Concordia blinked, and he was right in front of them. He delivered a punch to their mid section.

* CRUNCH! *

…

…

...

upon regaining consciousness, Ribbon was consumed by pain, and realized that she was trapped under pile rubble, barely able to see out of it. The only thing she could see, was Twilight and her friends, staring at where she was trapped, but she was in too much pain to worry about that. Secondly, she noticed Chitsuki looking at the pile of rubble as well, her body trembling in worry and anger. The air seemed to grow cold, as Chitsukis eyes sharpened and took on a look that not even a dragon fully consumed by its greed could match. It promised absolute murder, after being subjected to pain beyond pain.

She looked back at Twilight, pure fear having since broken her free of whatever Discord had done to her mind, and said a single word. “Run…” and run they did. Turning her glare to Discord, she walked up to him, radiating unrestrained bloodlust. Ribbon didn’t hear what occurred next, as she had finally passed out from blood loss and an overload of pain.