Two Sides of Discord

by MLP Fangirl

Chapter Four

Discord and the five mares had left the library and stepped into the chaos that Ponyville was suffering. Discord couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia come over him. True, he would never do anything like this now that he was reformed, but that didn't mean he never felt the urge to.

Ponies were still in a frenzy. Most of them would quickly scurry away at the sight of the spirit. Discord couldn't blame them. They had no idea that there was another Discord roaming around. Their natural inclination would be that he had come to harm them. He could not explain it to everypony, for that would take too long. However, there was something he could do.

"Discord, can you fix Ponyville?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

"Yah, then the townsponies will realize you're not evil. Drocsid's the bad one. You're good!" Pinkie stated happily.

"I think I can mend this town. It might be kind of tough reversing the effects of chaos magic for me, but I'm sure I can do it." Discord snapped his fingers twice, and in a moment's notice, Ponyville had returned to normal. It took the freaked-out citizens of Ponyville a minute to realize that everything was fine. They all jumped for joy but then looked confused as they figured out who did it.

"Don't worry, everypony. We'll explain everything as soon as we take down Discord, I mean, Drocsid," Rainbow assured from the air.

"Don't try to figure it out jus' yet. It will hurt yer head. Trust me," Applejack said as she rubbed her head.

"We'll stop that evil being in no time. Discord, teleport us to Canterlot, please," Rarity directed.

Discord obliged, and with a snap, the group had vanished.

Spike watched Twilight sleep. He felt sorry for her. Magic was her life, and now, she was completely depleted of it. Twilight was a strong mare no doubt, but without her magic, who knows how much strength she would have? Spike headed to the kitchen for a snack figuring he would be here for a little while.

Twilight slept in her unconscious state. Though her body was unconscious, her subconscious mind was still functioning. She could still create thoughts. Her magic deprivation had knocked her out physically. Mentally, she was still fine.

Ugh, what happened? The last thing I remember is talking with Discord and my friends. Discord? Oh, now I remember. I had just transferred my magic to him. I guess the lack of magic managed to knock me out. I hope I wake up soon. They probably are on their way to Canterlot as I speak, uh, think. I hope they'll manage without me. Her mind went into hibernation mode as she carried on in her slumber.

Discord and the ponies arrived in the chaotic ghost town that Canterlot had become. No pony was on the streets probably due to the disorderly state of things. That did not change the fact that everything was still a mess. Discord decided not to tamper with anything for right now. The evil Discord would no doubt realize what was happening and work to correct it. And not in a positive way.

There were no regular ponies around. However, there were royal guards patrolling the city who most likely were duped into working for Discord. Whether by manipulation or brute force was unknown. Time to enact phase two.

The ponies were in an alleyway that was behind one of the stores. The guards would pass by without even a look.

"Who trains these royal guards? They sure aren't doing a good job of patrolling," Rainbow whispered, unimpressed.

"They're probably brain-washed. Ponies who are mind controlled usually don't function as well when they're not. Trust me, I know," Discord replied.

"Well, I think it's time to initiate phase two. Discord, if you will," Pinkie prodded. With a snap of his fingers, the ponies...remained the same. Huh?

"Uh, Discord, not to be the bearer of bad news, but I can still see all of ya. Your spell didn't work," Applejack noted.

"You can turn ponies invisible, right?" Rarity asked, checking her hooves.

"I can, and I did," Discord replied with a smirk. The ponies looked at each other.

"Uh, Discord, we can still see each other," Fluttershy mentioned meekly.

"That's the beauty of it. This spell is known as perception. You're not invisible, just unnoticeable. Other ponies will be able to see you, but won't pay you any mind. I disabled the perception for us so we won't have a hard time finding each other. We'll just walk right into the castle. The guards won't pay any attention to us," Discord explained proudly.

The Mane Five's faces lit up as they figured out what it meant. Discord was smart. With that, they headed towards the palace.

As they entered the palace doors, they noticed that Drocsid had done some remodeling. There were some statues erected in his honor. The castle itself no longer had that majestic look that most castles had. Instead, it looked more like a haunted mansion.

Everyone was starting to feel paranoid. Even Rainbow Dash and Discord. The castle had an eerie vibe about it. Discord was shocked at how different the old him was from this new Discord. They had the same goal but took different paths to get there. Discord sighed in shame as he remembered memories from a long time past.

Fluttershy looked at Discord with concern. "What's wrong, Discord? Are you getting nervous?"

"Me? Nervous? Pffft, as if. I'm completely capable of taking down that phony, baloney me. It's just seeing all of this...havoc reminds me of my former self. Even before I escaped the first time. During my reign, I was nothing but a maniacal, tyrannical despot. You wouldn't believe all the things I had made ponies go through. None of which were pleasant. I was a different creature back then. Not a single care for friendship. Now I've changed but, if I didn't have such great friends like you mares, my temptations would most likely get the better of me," Discord said remorsefully.

"Don't worry, Discord! We'll make sure that you stay on our side for good. It's our job as friends to make you happy! And if you turned evil, I don't think you'd be happy! Well, the good happy anyway," Pinkie jumped up and hugged him.

"You probably already know this, but I'm pretty sure none of us thought you'd change. Turns out we wrong. Frankly, I'm peachy keen with that. You're all right, Discord," Applejack said with a tip of her hat.

"Indeed. You've surprised, Discord. Who would have thought that the Embodiment of Chaos would be changed by Harmony. Ironic, but true," Rarity also put in. Discord smiled at their compliments. He, too, thought it would never happen. Yet, he proved himself wrong which he was okay with.

Rainbow groaned. "Um, I hate to ruin the moment, but we're on a mission. The sooner we do this, the sooner Equestria will return to normal." With that reminder, the gang started heading towards the throne room.

Meanwhile, in the library in Ponyville, the unconscious alicorn began rousing from her sleep. She was still weak as expected. After all, magic was basically a unicorn's main source of energy. With it all of it sapped out of her, she felt rather terrible.

As she awoke, she was met with a big hug from Spike who didn't realize he was adding to her pain.

"Oh, Twilight! I'm so glad you're up. I had thought that the lack of magic would have put you in a coma. Since you're up, I can disregard that theory. I'm so happy you're okay," Spike cheered happily. He noticed she was cringing. "Uh oh, are you going to pass out again?" He asked worriedly.

"I-if you don't l-let go, I...might," Twilight said with both eyes shut tight.

"Oh! Sorry!" He immediately let go of her. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired. That spell took a lot out of me. My cutie mark's gone, too. Without magic, I feel so meaningless. I can't even fly," she sighed poking a hoof at her wing.

"What? Why?" Spike asked bewildered.

"All ponies have magic inside them. Magic is what makes earth ponies stronger than the other races, allows pegasi to fly, and unicorns, obviously, to perform spells. Cutie marks are also enhanced by magic. Once a pony discovers their special talent, the magic inside them generates the cutie mark. Since I don't have any magic in me, I can't fly, and I don't have my cutie mark," Twilight explained sadly.

"So, does that mean you don't have a special talent anymore?"

"No...well, kind of, in a way," Spike looked at her curiously, "Let me put it to you this way. My special talent is magic. But, I don't have any magic. I can't so much as levitate a teacup. So, in a way, I don't have a special talent right now. But, I'm sure once this whole fiasco is taken care of I'll get my magic back. I hope," She said with a wistful eye towards Canterlot.

"You think they'll be okay?" Spike asked looking in the same direction.

"I'm sure they are. They're strong mares. Plus, they've got help from Discord. With his powers, they should be successful. Let's just hope that Discord and...what did Pinkie call the bad Discord again?"

"Drocsid?"

"Right. Let's hope Discord and Drocsid won't be evenly matched. Because if they are... who knows what the final outcome might be?"

Back in Canterlot, the gang was nearing the main H.Q. of the despotic draconeques himself. Some of the ponies had a terrible foreboding about what the result might be of the battle. Discord, of course, had no premonitions about it. His reformation had gotten rid of his evilness, but it hadn't completely gotten rid of his over-confidence and arrogance. Within a few minutes, the group had arrived at the soon-to-be, great battle scene.

They could hear some talking on the other side. Discord recognized one of the voices as a more sinister variation of his own, which meant that Drocsid was in there.

"Perfect. This will be over in no time. I guarantee it," Discord boldly proclaimed.

"Discord, if I were you, I wouldn't have such a calm head 'bout this," Applejack scolded worriedly.

"I have to agree with A.J. This isn't some run-of-the-mill type of bad guy we're dealing with. You're going up against an evil you! I doubt it's going to be as easy as you think," Rainbow put in, hovering in front of his face.

"Have you forgotten who I am?" Discord asked with mock offense.

"Have you forgotten who you're facing? Discord, we don't want you getting hurt. You're our friend. We'd feel terrible if something happened to you," Fluttershy gently whimpered, putting a hoof on his paw.

"Yah, Dissy! I don't know what I'd do without you. Life wouldn't be nearly as great if you weren't in it. Cheesy, I know. But, true all the same," Pinkie stated firmly.

"So, Discord, I suggest, for your own good, to reevaluate your assumption of victory. I'm not saying that you'll lose. I honestly don't know who will win. But, it will help you immensely if you focus on the battle and not on the hopeful triumph. If you go in there with high hopes, you might come out of there defeated. Keep an open mind. You know Twilight would encourage you to do the same," Rarity finished her mini pep talk.

Discord groaned but not one of frustration. "All right, all right. You've convicted me enough. I shall do my best not to get too cocky. Can't say the same for my twin. Anyway, wish me luck, ladies. You've got some royals to locate," Discord gave them a final wink.

They nodded to him in return, and with a final glance, the five mares started their search for the Princesses.

Discord approached the grand double doors and pushed them open. The battle was about to begin.

Author's Note:

First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait. School work can be a pain. Not only that but this chapter quite a bit of brainstorming. But now, it's finished. Wait no more. Comments would be appreciated. See you all next time for...the epic battle.

Comments

[RandomHamster33]

I have a bad feeling about this . . .