Agents of Discord

by Scarlett Haze

You, Me, & Elements of Harmony

Stirring up, I could tell I was sitting up and my forehooves were locked together. My eyes took some time to adjust to the change in setting and to the ponies that stood in front of me.

"He's awake," I heard a mare say as I tried to clear my sight. When it did clear, I got to see the mares that introduced me to the town. I kept trying to remember their names, but I came up blank. The princess was there too, her expression of unhappiness made me cringe back. I attempted to pull the cuffs that locked my forehooves, but it didn't work.

"After your escapade in the asylum, I insured that the cuffs you are wearing right now were magically enhanced," Celestia coldly explained.

I remained quiet before turning to the window and seeing the night sky, "Shit! I slept too late!" In the panic, I pulled harder on the cuffs, this time making it glow as I grunted.

"The cuffs are meant to get stronger against the strength of the wearer," Celestia warned me as I continued pulling with everything I had. "Not even the strongest pony in the world can-"

She stopped as the cuffs began to crack, releasing more light with every snap I was able to create. My grunts had become a loud yell. Closing my eyes, I continued to purely focus on the arms, thinking only of breaking them out so I could rush to Canterlot and stop Discord. My arms shook with intensity, knowing I was near escape. With a final roar of effort, my forehooves came free.

The effort nearly wiped me, before my eyes came open and I prepared to crash out the window.

"Can't stay, saving the world," I shouted before bursting through the glass. Attempting to open my wings and finish the escape, I found out that I was plummeting to the ground. Looking back to where my wings were supposed to be, I was shocked by a restraint jacket that had pinned them down. I expected to meet dirt, instead, as I turned I fell flat on a wooden floor.

"Not very bright for a human, aren't you?" I heard a pony say as a purple hoof stepped into my sight. Lifting my head, I groaned at the realization that I was back in the room I had started in.

"Although, I've had some time with the book of the Discordian Wars. You could be easily trying to dupe us into believing that you're not bright at all," the purple unicorn said.

I began to get up, knowing that I wasn't going to get anywhere with these ladies if I could try. "You could give me credit, I'm sure that I'll be the only guy you know that's willing to save your ass from being fried."

"Do you even realize the full extent of what you and your friends have done to my ponies and my kingdom?" Celestia huffed.

"I'm not the one that said we should stand around and do nothing," I yelled back. "As I was getting dragged away, what'd you tell your subjects? 'Oh, everything is going to be just fine. Remember the light in your heart and believe in the power of sunshine, happiness, and love. With our faith, we won't be horribly taken over by a madman.'" I ended my mock of the princess with a flurry of eye batting before turning to the other ponies in the room.

"I'm not crazy enough to just make this up, you've seen me before at least once," I said, hoping to at least get an agreement of some kind.

"One of your friends helped destroy Canterlot Castle," Rarity sneered.

"Another one of your friends ranted in the streets making the town worried," Pinkie added.

"And this, just came from the last one of your so-called friends," Applejack said, sliding a wine basket towards me.

Carefully looking down at it, I picked up the bottle and looked at the label. On it was the face of Limonade, no emotion on it along with empty eyes. I began shaking at the concept that Linda was now under Discord's control, but set the bottle down. A card sat at the bottom and I quickly brought it up and opened it, a little red card slipping out as I did.

Good work, Bait. You've managed to both simultaneously ruin my fun and made things harder for me to control. With Nightmare Moon now in this equation that I had not foreseen and you still after my throat for taking your precious little friends, I now have to wonder why I'm working so hard to even get your attention anymore.

You know what? Just don't show up at the castle anymore. I don't need you or the necklace that I had spent my precious, hard-earned time on. I don't need you to arrive with anypony else, army or otherwise. I just don't want you in general. Here's hoping that you enjoy the last vestige of your girl's free will, a drink of her own efforts and love (Bluh.).

With love,
Discord

I dropped the card in my hooves and let it fall to the ground before looking to the bottle and pulling it to me. I hugged it close for a moment, maybe hoping that I'd at least feel her own hug come back to me.

"It's all been the fault and plan of Discord to use them, and he's going to use you the moment you try to enter the castle," Twilight explained as I shut my eyes, envisioning Richard, Marian and Linda all turned from me.

I continued to shake, doing all I could from not tearing up again. "How can-" I swallowed the large ball that had grown in my throat, "How can he be stopped?"

"He can't," Fluttershy answered, prompting me to look up to her. "Rainbow Dash is still in the hospital, she's been getting magical and modern treatments but she won't be cleared until tomorrow."

"Which brings up the final straw I've had with you," Celestia interrupted. "You, in all of your trickery, spite, and hate have brought Nightmare Moon back into Equestria." Her eyes looked to the window, "Watch."

Looking out the window, the horizon began lighting up. The sun began slowly rising up before it was stopped and was sinking back where it had risen. Looking to the princess, her horn was alight. She had stopped the magic and I saw the sun drop from the horizon, leaving the night again.

"So, you can't raise the sun?" I asked, dumbfounded with the knowledge that an alicorn could do that.

Her head turned to me, keeping her disapproving stare at me. "I can't raise the sun until my sister, Luna, lowers the moon. Now that Luna is Nightmare Moon again, she will never lower it. The crops will die without sunlight, my little ponies will be left in the dark, and the harmonious nature of the world will shatter apart."

I forced myself up and stood in front of Celestia, my own anger boiling over. "So, it wasn't the castle breaking apart. It wasn't the ponies ready to go up in arms to take back their homes. NO! It's the other princess going nuts that you suddenly get your feathers ruffled over!" I pulled away to put some distance between us before turning again. "Let me guess, NOW, you want to get an army together. NOW, you want to take back your castle. NOW, after TWO, you count them, TWO CITIES have fallen under your EVER so watchful eyes. NOW, after a god damn alicorn princess becomes a force of destruction, you finally say you should do something."

I sat on the floor and clopped my forehooves together slowly before setting them to the floor again. "Truly, you are a grand leader."

"Don'tcha dare think you're better than the princess," Applejack admonished. "Luna's the only sister she's got, so you keep your mouth shut!"

"And Richard, Linda, and Marian are the closest damn friends I got," I bellowed back. "If you want something done, then get this wrapping off of me and I'll take down Discord and Nightmare Moon. Even if I don't, then you can take solace in the fact that I'll die before Discord can corrupt me or let Nightmare Moon try to fuck with my mind again."

"You are staying here," Celestia ordered. "The Elements of Harmony will be led by myself and the remainder of my guard to the castle gates. Only they can defeat Discord and Nightmare Moon with their power."

She pointed to the mares, and only then did I realize they all had necklaces on, besides Twilight who wore a golden crown. They seemed to react like I did.

"But, Celestia, what about Rainbow Dash? We can't use the Elements without her," Twilight advised.

"I will hold on to the Element of Loyalty when it comes time for the magic of friendship to be brought forth," Celestia explained, revealing a necklace with a red lightning bolt on the front. "Even if I'm still distracted in a fight, my own magic should be enough to replace the missing piece."

"So that's it," I huffed. "I spend days with being toyed with by Discord and brought to my mental breaking point, and now I'm just thrown out of it."

Celestia nodded and looked to Twilight. "Is it finished?"

Twilight nodded and Celestia opened the door with her magic. Two guards were set at attention as they awaited command.

"Take the pegasus to Twilight's library, she will take it from there," Celestia requested. Twilight past me and I felt a push behind me from the princess. "Put another set of cuffs on his forelegs before you do."

***

"I wish to know more about you," Twilight said as I was moved to the center of the room. "Your species anyway."

Looking at the place I followed the wired mess that wrapped around the entirety of the basement to the platform and consoles on the floor. The center lit much like the other teleporter that Richard made and my heart sank knowing what was going to happen.

"You're sending me back," I softly said.

"Yes," Twilight nonchalantly responded. "Once you're back in your proper dimension and earth, you'll never bother any of the ponies of Equestria again."

The cuffs on my arms went heavy as I kept my eyes to her, "What about Rich? Linda? Marian? Are they going to come back?"

She stopped briefly before resuming her actions. "You will be sent back with your memory wiped of-"

"You didn't answer me," I snipped, already trying to work the cuffs off of me like before. "Are. You. Sending. Them. Back?"

Twilight shut her eyes and sighed before looking to me. Her expression was something I had seen many times before, uncertainty.

"Can you promise they'll be back?" I asked, my arms beginning to shake from the strain of trying to break the cuffs again with my back turned to Twilight.

"I-" Twilight started before she stopped herself. "I'm not sure of what the fate of your friends will be."

When she finished her words, the cuffs broke off and I pinned her against the wall. "Then I ain't leaving!"

Her horn lit up and forcibly transported me back to the center. "I'm sorry, but this is for every pony's good." Still holding on to me with her magic, she flipped a large switch as the room began humming.

Fighting back with all the energy I had, I managed to stand and face Twilight with the light around me growing brighter. I could already feel my body being sucked away as I yelled out. "I'm not leaving them!"

***

My body kept feeling and unfeeling around me. I refused to look at what was around me, instead attempting to focus on where I needed to be. I needed weapons, armor, an army. I needed the underground base.

Everything I had experienced in Equestria came at me in a moment. The timberwolf fight. Being rescued by Zecora. The suit made by Rarity. Flying for the first time. Racing Rainbow Dash. Standing tall against wild animals. The party. The dancing. The drunken ass I made of myself. Finding the underground base. Being possessed by Nightmare Night. Running from the windigo. Getting allies for the fight. The nightmares. The day of training. All of the moments Discord had messaged me or openly laughed at my situation. The night in the asylum.

Through it all, I continued my cry out as I began to fade.

"I'm not leaving them!"