The Sons of Discord

by Gapeagle

Chapter IV: Chaotic Tendencies (Part 2)

This Curt Nightway couldn't hide from me forever. Everyone was a pair of eyes for me. The cellphones, the street cameras, and the home securities. Any way he walked, I could follow. Any time he talked, I could listen. Any place he decided to hide, I could find. Well, that would be the case, if I knew how to use my hacking abilities better.

"Stupid thing..." I muttered.

I would admit to anyone, I was still a greenhorn to all this. Technology wasn't my forte in any circumstance. Yeah, I hacked all those things before, but that wasn't special. My device did everything, I only pressed buttons. Starting a car was easy, just ignite the engine. Making audio from a TV go to my phone? Easy, just direct the audio away from the TV speakers. Finding a guy in humongous city? Yeah, that was going to be a problem.

The best first step to take was to find his phone. Of course, I was not sure he was even carrying his phone, but most people do. Using my phone, I started to search for all the nearby phone signals. Thousands alone were in the same block as me. I would have to check all of them one-by-one until I found him. Of course, I could just wire his phone number.

I did so. His number and information was easily taken from the police department. I searched for it and nothing came up. The number was a dead one. I cursed at this and kicked a piece of broken cement down the sidewalk I walked. This guy got out of prison knowing that he wasn't going to change at all. It was easy to tell he was prepared to be tracked by the police.

"I'm not the police though..."

I started to spread out my search. If he didn't have a vehicle he wouldn't be far. Quickening my step, I went faster through the empty alleys and busy sidewalks. My Assassin skills allowed me to traverse over any obstacles like fences, boxes, or even people. To them, I probably just seemed like some impatient woman who couldn't keep her eyes off her phone. Typical.

George Avenue was close, very close. I paused in my movements and looked around. Street cameras that watched the intersections has better viewpoints than me, so I hacked into them. There was about six in the area. Manehatten was dense with security which was all the better for hackers like me. I went from one to another, zooming in on any suspicious figures and peeking around corners I couldn't reach.

My searching came up empty, but I knew he was around here. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Maybe he already knew the police were after him? In some desperate attempt, I hacked into one guy's phone, checked it and then moved to another. Silas Knight, Ferris Hawk, Mark Hunter, yadda...yadda. This was going nowhere for sure.

I did this for some time. Wasting minutes upon minutes when every second counted. I left George Avenue and headed down another wide street. I was now on Orange Lane. After crossing the street at a crosswalk, my phone started to pick up another police transmission.

"Suspect spotted. Eastbound on Orange Lane."

My heart skipped a beat. He was walking right towards me. My body tensed up as I started to lose control of my vision. The world turned a dull blue once more and there he was, about a hundred feet in front of me, shining in bright hazy orange. That tiny moment was all I needed. My vision returned back to normal and I hacked into his phone.

It was an older phone, but the guy made the big mistake of taking selfies. I searched his files to find Curt Nightway's face on all the pictures. This was my target. A rapist, a suspect, a fugitive, just walking peacefully down this Manehatten street. Well, his nice walk was about to end.

Now, I didn't want to fight or kill him right then and there in the crowded street. Or did I? I looked down at my hidden blade. I could just stab him when while we walked by each other. Just like the old Assassins did, right? As he approached, I extended my blade and waited for him.

"He deserves more..."

At first, I thought that was my mind telling me something, but the sly chuckle and cunning accent said otherwise. It was like time froze there. I stayed staring at Curt Nightway and he kept looking downward. My heart started beating faster and faster.

"Stabbing is so cliche, my dear. Give him something more...memorable."

"Who said that?" I said aloud.

"Go on! Give him the death he deserves. No man who takes advantage of a woman or any person for that matter should carry on living. Make all a witness of his folly."

I couldn't pinpoint the voice. I was used to voices being in my head thanks to the Elements of Harmony, but this was completely different. It felt cruel and full of passion. It wasn't controlling me, but it did make me feel...more alive. Nightway was walking right to me. I had to act fast. Some sense made me look back at the street. There was not many cars on this particular street except one large pickup truck. I now knew how I was going to deal with this punk.

With my device, I hacked into the truck's throttle signal, making it speed up. I only had a second or so to do this. Nightway was right next to me when I hacked in the vehicle. He was not a large guy, not at all. In all sense, he probably should have went to the gym to bulk up some. I turned around and grabbed him. That split moment, I saw his shocked face at my attack. It was only a split-second because I then threw him off the sidewalk and into the street, right in front of the oncoming truck. the truck was probably hitting sixty by now when the grill hit Nightway in the face.

I heard bones crack as his legs were caught under the tires. The people on the sidewalk screamed as they witnessed this horrid man meet a horrid death. His head rolled underneath the back tire, making his neck turn 180 degrees. He was mangled and broken by the truck and left sprawled on the pavement.

"Haha! That was a good one! Good show to you! Haha!"

My eyes widened when I understood what I had just done. Yes, my intent was to kill him, but not like this. I was expecting stabbing him and then telling him why he was wrong, trying to understand an evil person. This felt like a straight up murder with no purpose. Everyone saw it. There was no hiding what I had done. You might as well put me on a stage with spotlights.

I took my phone and fixed the throttle on the truck before it collided with anything. The driver, an older man, jumped out and ran from his vehicle like it was a monster. He must've felt like he killed Nightway. It happened too quick for him to know the truth.

Everyone was staring at me. Nightway was a complete stranger to them. They thought I had just killed some innocent man. I wanted to ease their fears, but I knew it would work. One woman reached for her phone, which made me disable it before she could dial the cops. I did that with all the nearby signals.

"Out of my way," I told them.

---

I returned to my car. Yeah, it was still there. The pizzas had to been cold by now, but that didn't stay on my mind. Neither did Nightway for that matter. I was used to killing people. I took out many a goon when I was a vigilante after the Elements of Harmony were placed back in the tree. That time seemed so simpler than now. Nah, what was on my mind was the voice in my head. It was foreign, it was cruel, it inspired me to do worse than even I thought I was capable of.

"It had to be Discord. It had to be," I muttered to myself.

There was no doubt in my mind. The Lord of Chaos had finally started to play with me. I knew him from Octavia's writings. His horrid beast form, his evil laugh, and his wicked sense of humor. It was all words, so I never heard his voice for myself. I was a mere mortal in his game of pawns and rooks. I hoped I was a rook. Vinyl was most likely his queen.

I started the car and drove out of the city without any trouble. I heard sirens of course, but none came close to me. I was already wanted. I earned bounty on my head before I went to find Octavia's second set of writings down in Baltimare. So a little more didn't bother me. As long as I could still buy pizza, I was good, right?

I reached the commuter's lot and parked the car right where it was before. I didn't think about taking it back to the base. If the rightful owner knew it went missing, someone was going to track it down. Well, at least he would have the smell of pizza in there. After I left the car, I carried the pizzas to the base by foot.

The backdoor was unlocked and I slipped right in. Instantly, the smell of soda and alcohol smacked me in the nose. Neon sure knew how to stick up the place. I was a craft beer only kind of girl, so I often avoided the heavy drinks. Neon didn't however. I could only guess that pirate blood of his made him impervious to getting drunk easily.

"Finally, ya back!" Vinyl yelled from somewhere.

"Yeah, I know. Heavy traffic," I muttered.

"Heavy traffic, my ass," Scoots said. "You did something else."

I placed the cold pizzas on a table and watched the others come in through different doorways. Scoots was only half-awake and wearing a orange tank top with baggy black sweat pants. Vinyl was chewing some bubblegum and looked at me with suspicious eyes. The literal glow in her eyes made me uneasy.

"So, who ya kill?" she asked knowingly.

"You know?" I tried to sound innocent.

"Well yeah, what else would you do? I know you ain't one to lollygag or go to the park."

"Lollygagging is a great hobby of mine actually," I replied.

"C'mon, Akay. Was it Templar?" Scoots asked.

"No," I said simply.

"What a waste then," Vinyl shrugged. "Next time ya go hunting, pick someone worth the time."

"He was a criminal, a rapist," I pointed out in my defense.

Vinyl rolled her red eyes. "Your point? My pizza got cold."

There was no use in arguing with her, but I never backed down from any challenge. "Discord told me to kill him."

Both Scoots and Vinyl froze. The latter blinked in shock. "Really?"

"Yup."

"Ain't that interesting," Scoots spoke first. "Guess he's startin' to like ya!"

"Is that what it is?" I tried to seem confused. "Huh."

Vinyl walked over to me. "He don't usually speak with non-Survivors. I mean, you're not the only Daughter of Discord without red eyes. Huh, guess he thinks more of you than I thought he would. He's unpredictable, so..."

Neon stumbled in the room with a bottle of cider in his hand. Since he had been up all night, he was barely awake. He looked at me with a lazy smile. A slight chuckling noise left him before he spoke.

"The Lord of Chaos is watching you, Akay. That's pretty cool."

"Cool? I think it's rather creepy," I said.

Scoots laughed. "Aw! Don't be like that. Discord's the best pal ya can have, even if he sometimes goes off the rails. I'd see it as an honor."

I was going to comment on this, but I decided not to. These Survivors were pleased about this. Seemed like this was some milestone for me or something. So, I kinda just nodded and all and left them their cold pizza. It was just passed one o'clock and I was not hungry.

My feet carried me to a back room where there was a large old sofa for me to fall on. Without remembering what was in my pocket, I heard my pistol hit the floor. My mind told me it fired, reality told me everything was fine. Still, it was best not to treat a weapon with such idiotic carelessness. I picked it up by only moving my arm and removed the magazine and then pulled the slide back to empty the chamber.

I heard Vinyl complain about her hunger and her less-than-pleasant pizza, but I couldn't give a damn. With the pistol resting on my chest and my phone being held above me like I was texting, I simply laid there.

The sun had was still halfway over the sky and I was already tired of the day. Everything had been moving so fast. Who knew that the boring days of climbing into tombs and such would seem so wonderful? There was no one pointing guns at you, no mysterious killer artifacts, and plain ol' guiltless innocence. The world was magicless and free. It was so convoluted now, ever since I stepped my damn feet into a cave I was never supposed to enter.

Oh, I wish Octavia could see how it's all changed. A woman of integrity that I never met but was more a friend to me than any of these red-eyed fools. They cared more about beating Ahuizotl than helping people. I never thought I could relate to the Templar's hatred of Assassins until now. The Sons of Discord seemed like what the Brotherhood was on the surface. Plain old killers without a goal. Now I was one of them and so I was a merciless killer as well.

"Octavia..." I muttered.

My attention returned to the shard we got. Could it be Valor? Could it be the shard that Octavia wielded? I knew she had it removed from her hand according to her last entry. I scrambled to my feet and went to the room where it was being held. In the light from a single window, it was gleaming in its case.

I extended my hidden blade and started to chip away at the glass that surrounded it. I knew I couldn't touch the shard with bare hands, so I was prepared to jump back if it was freed. I kept attacking the case until the glass shattered. The shard broke free and fell on the floor. With a triumphant laugh, I leaned over the pink crystal.

"Valor! Valor is never alone! Umm...Octavia!" I tried to get some reaction out of it.

Of course, I had no idea how to communicate with it without sacrificing my hand. Shards were nasty in that way. A shard had to bury itself into a person's palm before being able to be used properly. Unless...How did Vinyl use the shard of Hope? If I recalled correctly, she used it without having it in her palm.

"C'mon, Valor! Speak to me. Give me some sign that you are Valor," I told it.

No hum left the crystal. I must have sounded so stupid in my excitement. After repeated my words over and over and even pounding the floor, I gave up. I sighed in defeat and simply stared at with disappointed eyes.

"It's not Valor, dipshit," Vinyl said when she came to investigate my madness.

"I could have guessed..."

"Valor was never in that collection that the Empresses had. It coming into Templar hands would be bizarre and inconsistent to what we know."

I crossed my arms. "Well, maybe if ya told me about this 'information,' you could have saved me from looking like a moron!"

"From what we know, Empress Trixie was the last one to see Valor, well besides me. After Octavia's death, Trixie lamented the loss and decided to make some memorial after Tavi. She made a statue in southern Canterlot and it's called the Nameless Captain. The heart of the statue has Valor planted in it. It's completely covered, so no one can see it."

"So? Some Templar could have just taken it then," I suggested.

"The Sons of Discord there always check on the statue. It's a dead drop for us. The statue is still there in best of shape. There's been no evidence of anyone trying to take that shard."

"Why don't you take it?" I demanded.

She snarled. "Because I won't mess with my friend's memorial."

Ha! So she did still have feelings for Octavia! I was glad there was still some humanity in her after being a Survivor for so long. I nodded in understanding, trying to hide what I was actually feeling. Both our eyes returned to the mess of glass and the pinkish shard in the middle of it.

"Now clean this up," she told me. "And make sure you don't touch that thing. I don't care if ya become a shard user, but you may care about it."

She turned to leave, but I stopped her. "Vinyl! How did you use Hope without it going into your palm?"

She raised a brow. "Easy, Discord never let it go into me. If ya remember, I had just lost a battle to Spitfire, so I was bleeding out in the Palace dungeons. Losing anymore blood to the shard ripping my hand open would have killed me. Discord let me use the shard without me losing more blood. I owe a lot to Discord. You may look at Discord with distaste and all, but he saved my life, more than once too. Now get cleaning."

She left without another word, leaving me to my chore. Huh, the day was looking up for the sole reason that I saw someone in Vinyl for once. There was still something there that I read about in Octavia's writings. The witty, nonchalant, and rebellious Assassin was still there, just buried under a pile of Chaos. Perhaps I could unbury slowly but surely?

The day had began slow, became terrifying, and then went back to a slow pace. Such was the Chaotic tendencies of my new occupation. After I cleaned up and returned to the lounge room where I kept quiet and away from my comrades, I inspected the shard closer and closer. There had to be some way to make it speak. I remember Empress Celestia could understand shards. Maybe we needed a Bearer to tell us what it was?

"Maybe, we need Discord..."

*.*

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why does this story have a Sci-Fi tag, but not the previous one?

[Gapeagle]

6973861 I did that because this one focuses more on futuristic hacking and stuff while the previous was more magic-based. (Also, the sci-fi tag didn't exist when the previous one was written.)

[badninja]

Great I wonder why Discord was influencing Yearling? (I got to get use to using her name, I kept writing Octavia) I bet it has to do with all the time she spent the elements and she may know something that Discord either wants to know or would rather be kept quiet. Great chapter and I wonder if Valor will be in Yearling's (I almost did it again) hand eventually?

[Gapeagle]

6974496 Hmm....What to say...

"You're onto something kiddo, but what you're on? Who knows..."

[badninja]

6974632

Ohhhhhhh. I wonder what it was?