3: The Shards
Twilight Sparkle found that, despite how tired she was, she couldn’t fall asleep. In the end, she resorted to using a sleep spell that she had discovered in one of the library’s tomes. It was an easy enough spell to cast and, luckily, it came with a secondary enchantment that would wake her up after a specific amount of time. This way she was able to catch up on her rest without accidently wasting her afternoon by oversleeping.
Thus Twilight was able to finally fall asleep. It was not as restful as she had hoped. Her dreams were full of strange images; images of creepy spirits, ponies in pain, and her mentor Princess Celestia. She kept tossing and turning in her sleep, unable to find peace so when the spell finally wore off, she felt more tired than she did when she had gone to bed. So now that she was up and about, she found that she couldn’t concentrate on her daily activities. Her schedule became a mess when she had forgotten to return her library books on time so when she tried to rush back, she discovered that she had also forgotten to brush out her mane. She arrived at the library just as Mrs. Paper was locking the front doors. “It’s okay,” she explained. “You can drop them off tomorrow.”
“But tomorrow I will be visiting the Canterlot Museum!” Twilight whined. “I will be there all day reading up on the history of the modern unicorn!”
“Just leave a little earlier and it’ll be fine,” Mrs. Paper countered.
“If I leave early than I won’t have time to finish the chapter of Rare and Exotic Herbs that I planned on reading.” Twilight shook her head. “I read exactly sixty seven and three quarters words per minute so I had set aside a very specific amount of time that will allow me to finish that last chapter while taking into account of the momentary pauses that rise whenever I take a sip of a hayseed smoothie. If I were to leave early, I would have to cut out the enjoyment of a hayseed smoothie!” Twilight tapped her hoof against her chin. “Although, if I ordered a small hayseed smoothie than I will be able to finish it faster than I would if it were a large. This way I can finish the smoothie and use that extra time to finish the rest of the chapter. It should save me exactly five minutes and thirty seven seconds.” She nodded. “Okay! I can leave early; granted that no pony stops to try and talk with me.”
“Uh,” Mrs. Paper said. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Excellent!” Twilight clapped her hooves together. “I will see you tomorrow! Now if you excuse me, I am very late for my pre-evening snack. Have a good night, Mrs. Paper!”
“You too Twilight.” She said as Twilight bolted through the bustling crowd of Canterlot. She shook her head in dismay. “That poor filly,” she sighed. “She really needs to learn how to loosen up and have fun…”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Twilight was just barely able to make it to the deli in time before it closed. Unfortunately, so did six other ponies, one of which seemed to not understand the concept of “fast-food”. He was staring at the menu while drumming his hooves against the counter. After what felt like an eternity, he finally placed an order (a lettuce and straw sandwich) and the line began moving once again. Twilight purchased her snack (an apple and strawberry salad with an orange smoothie), then made her way back to the palace. Within minutes she was back in the dark, dank halls leading to the Archives. BloodMoon raised an eyebrow as Twilight approached. “Burning the midnight oil again, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Something like that,” she replied with a smile. “Strawberry?” she offered.
He glanced around the hall as if worried that some other guard would see him accepting such a delicious treat. He finally snapped the strawberry up and swallowed it after a few bites. “Thank you. Watch your step.”
“I will!” she chirped. Twilight made her way down the spiral staircase and soon enough she was back in the hidden chamber that housed Chancellor Patience’s journal. She set her salad down next to the book before opening it to where she left off.
The legend of Anarchy is a terrifying one. According to the myths, he was a beast most foul: one who made Discord seem like a foal in comparison. Whereas Discord found his mirth in pranks and sick jokes, Anarchy found amusement in pain and destruction. As Anarchy was a spirit of the same breed as Discord, it is hard to believe that such a monster could exist, for spirits are unable to die. If tis true that Anarchy had at one point in time existed, than it is my duty to ask; where is he now?
Such explains my inability to believe in the Shards of Anarchy. For without the Spirit, how can there be Shards? Alas, Celestia was set in her ways. She would not be swayed…
----------------------------------------------------------------------
“The Shards of Anarchy?” Prism asked. “But they are but a legend. There is no evidence that they have ever existed.”
“Nae, I disagree.” Celestia countered. “During our travels, my sister and I have heard stories of mystical stones that have been granting their owners mysterious power. To the south of this fair city is a stone that, according to the rumors, has allowed a single pony the ability to heal the wounded through laughter and bliss. To the west is said to be a stallion that lived in the lap of luxury while those around him suffered. He purchased a jewel during an auction and ever since he has been sharing his wealth with all those who needed it.”
Prism frowned. “But that doesn’t make sense. How could the Shards of Anarchy be helping ponies in need? They are to bring forth waves of misery, not happiness.”
“That is what I want to know,” Luna said as she approached the group. “Sister, ye have been speaking of these Shards since learning of their mythology. What thou hast described does not seem to be the Shards.”
“Aye, I know that the effects are different than the legend but I have a theory.” She used her magic to summon a stick of charred wood on over from a nearby fire pit. She used it to draw upon the stone floor. “According to legend, there was a cruel and sadistic spirit who tortured and killed ponies for its own amusement. The legend speaks of a fantastic war between this spirit and that of another who also wanted to rule over the land. In the end, the sadistic spirit was defeated and its heart was torn from its chest. The heart crystallized and shattered into six separate pieces. Those pieces would be known as the Shards of Anarchy.”
“Aye,” Patience responded. “Tis what the legend says, but pray tell, where are ye going with this?”
Celestia drew six separate icons representing the six shards. “The Shards brought forth suffering to any pony who found them. One brought forth a string of lies from the pony’s mouth causing them to lose any and all confidences that their friends and family had towards them. The second turned a kind and gentle old mare into a cruel, vicious being who constantly threatened any and all that came too close to her property.”
Patience watched as Celestia wrote the words Dishonesty and Cruelty beneath two of the six symbols. “The third Shard transformed a young, innocent pony into a greedy, temperamental bully who ended up stealing all the toys of all the other fillies in her school.” Underneath the third icon she wrote the word Greed. “And the forth convinced a stallion to leave his mare and children to chase after another mare who caught his fancy whereas the fifth tore out every ounce of enjoyment out of another, causing constant misery until finally she took her own life.” She wrote Betrayal and Misery beneath two more symbols.
“Finally there was a teenage unicorn that discovered the sixth and final shard. Upon discovering this jewel, the unicorn’s magical prowess increased tenfold but alas she was unable to contain the power and the resulting magic ended up destroying not only her, but the entire village in which she dwelled.” She wrote Sorcery beneath the final icon. “These are the elements that the Shards represent.”
Luna and Prism nodded. “Aye,” Luna said. “Tis why I am so confused in thy belief that the Shards are now helping ponies instead of destroying them.”
Celestia set the charcoal stick down to look at her younger sister. “There is not a force within the world that cannot be corrupted. As the legends say, even the happiest, most generous of ponies fell to the power of the Shards, but I say this to thee: What if the Shards themselves could be corrupted?”
Prism crinkled her nose. “How could relics be corrupted?”
“I ask thee to humor these thoughts,” Celestia explained. “The legends are over a thousand years old. What if, after all this time, the essence of the Shards began to weaken? It is no secret that the ponies of this land radiate love and kindness so what if the Shards absorbed all of this positive energy and turned into something else?” She shrugged her elegant shoulders. “And instead of Anarchy, they brought forth Harmony?”
Luna gave her sister a tired, withered look that suggested that she had heard this argument far too many times. Prism on the other hoof seemed rather interested in what Celestia had to offer. “Could it be true?”
“We have heard many a rumor suggesting this to be true. Luna and I have heard several rumors about ponies that have changed their lives around for the better. These changes have come out of the blue; grumpy, irritated ponies that suddenly became kind and loving. I cannot ignore such stories for they support my theories. I must venture forth to see if there is truth to these rumors.”
“What can we do to help?” Prism asked. Luna shot her an irritated look but Prism ignored it. “Tis the only plan we have so I say we go with it. At the least it be an excuse to escape this city.”
“But what of them,” Patience pointed towards the weak and injured victims of Discord’s twisted antics. “We cannot abandon them.”
Prism bit her bottom lip in thought. “Allow me to stay behind,” she finally said. “I shall watch over them as thou hast watched over me. Ye three need to venture out and if luck tis on our side, ye shall find these shards and bring an end to Discord’s reign.”
“Are ye sure?” Luna asked with eyes wide. “Ye have no magic to protect you against Discord.”
“Aye, I am sure. I shall work my tail off to protect the ponies of this city and I shall find others to assist in the Underground.” She nodded. “Ye mission to find the Shards is worth more than my safety, than all of our safety. Ye must find them and stop Discord.”
“And stop him we shall.” Celestia said.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Prism accompanied the trio of ponies to the outskirts of the city. Throughout the journey they kept their eyes to the sky for any signs of Discord but he was nowhere to be found. If luck was on their side, Discord would be hundreds of miles away finding amusement in some other city. There could literally be weeks, even months, without a sighting of the trickster spirit for he could literally be on the other side of the world. However, even during these quiet times the ponies found that they could not relax for they all knew that at any time, at any moment he could return. This resulted in living their lives in a constant state of paranoia. It did not help matters that his influence could be seen all over the land; from the red licorice trees to the cotton candy clouds, Discord’s magic was everywhere.
“Before we leave,” Celestia told Prism. “Ye must be wary of those ye take to the Underground for there be some ponies out there who find amusement in Discord’s magic. They are always on the lookout for any pony who tries to rise up against Discord and if they find out where the Underground is, they will be more than happy to alert the spirit of its location. Ye must be very careful in who you trust.”
“Is she serious?” Prism asked Patience as Celestia and Luna stepped out of earshot. “How could any pony support Discord?”
“She is very serious though I have yet to meet a pony who supports that dreadful spirit but it would be wise to take heed in her warnings. These are trying times and while tis hurts to admit it; we cannae take the risk of trusting every pony. Ye must be cautious.”
“I shall.” Prism responded. “And ye do your best to be careful as well.”
“The sisters are quite powerful in their own right. I be feeling quite safe under their protection even if they are keeping secrets.”
“Hmm,” Prism mumbled. “I still have doubt their intentions.”
“Not I. Whilst tis true that I find their past suspicious, I do not doubt their motives in wanting to rid the land of Discord. They may be our only hope in finding peace.”
“I hope ye are right, sir Patience.” Prism said.
“As do I, my dear.” He responded. “As do I.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------
And so we began our quest for the Shards of Anarchy. Whilst I still held reservations concerning the Shards’ existence, I could not deny Celestia’s passion in wanting to find them for if her theory was indeed correct, than these corrupted Shards of Anarchy could contain within them a source of unfathomable power.
But could that power truly rival Discord’s own?
Only time shall tell…
Stats
Page generated in 0.02 seconds
Total duration
1,001 users online
2,074,379 hits today, 2,205,040 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
878011
Could be, it is a kids show. Yet how Mazer describes Discord is how you would think the embodiment of chaos would be.
879038
you may enjoy my Chaos and Anarchy story then as Discord is one of the main characters.
879063
WUT
879295
^_^ Check it out. http://www.fimfiction.net/story/14887/Chaos-and-Anarchy
It will help explain the concept of Anarchy and the Shards ^_^
Whoa, so the Shards of Anarchy turned into the Elements of Harmony?
That's what I'm guessing since they absorbed the love from the ponies.
Carry on.
EDIT: I spelled "from" wrong.
879397
sounds good. I be sure to read it.
okay I now I understand your other post
879397
Sorry I'm still getting use to the way people type online
880493
No need. It was my fault for not using proper grammar with that post
When I re-read it, I was like "Oh lord, did I really type it like that?" 
I'm not enjoying the phrasing you use for dialogue in the story. Ideally transcribing an accent or a manner of speaking would give the reader some sense of how a character sounds or hints about the setting, but here it just reads as though you wrote the dialogue normally and then used Find+Replace for things like "is" > "tis", "you" > "thou", and so on. Plus the overlap between Prism's accent ("nae", etc.) and the overall Shakespearean English is just confusing.
Your concepts are interesting, though- the idea that the Elements of Harmony are ancient relics of nonpony origin which have absorbed the goodness of ponies over time is pretty neat, even if I do prefer their "shattered Rainbow of Light" origin from the Pony POV series.
Still wondering how this quest to save ponykind is ever going to tell us what's so scary about Princess Celestia, though. If it's the main thrust of the story (in this story and/or in the book Twilight is reading) shouldn't it be mentioned sooner than this?
883239
Patience ^_^ all will be explained in time.