Old Mare Luna

by Leondude

Chapter 22 - Let The Games Begin

Everypony stared at the corrupted Flurry Heart, now known as Heartless Maelstrom, and her flunkies before them. While Discord, Luna and Settler knew how she came to be, everypony else was in shock as to how such an innocent foal like Flurry Heart could turn into the monster before them.

"Here's the deal, everypony," Maelstrom said, "Grogar wants specifically Discord this time. If you surrender him to us, we will grant you a quick and merciful death."

"What does Grogar want me for?" Discord asked.

"I didn't ask. Grogar simply trotted up to me while I was enjoying my rule of what was once Chrysalis' territory and, when he asked if I was willing to bring my honorary uncle to him, I was all too happy to oblige."

Sunburst looked at Discord with anger in his eyes.

"Okay," Discord said to Sunburst and the other resistance members, "I knew my relationship with Flurry Heart was a bit strained but how was I suppose to know it would be enough for her to go Nightmare?! I thought she would have inherited her mother's love!"

Luna looked at the dark Wonderbolts before her, for they reminded her of her time as Nightmare Moon and how she nearly tricked Rainbow Dash into abandoning her friends.

"I suppose it is fitting of you to have dark reflections of the Wonderbolts at your side," Luna said.

"Well, it's not like we're into some dusty old relics like Grogar is!" the pony-tailed unicorn said "We're the Shadowbolts!"

Luna put a forehoof to her head, since that was the same name she gave the dark Wonderbolt illusions all those centuries ago. "Please tell me the ponies you brought with you are mere illusions," she said.

"Nope, we're totally real," the unicorn said.

"Wait, who are the Wonderbolts?" the pegasus asked.

"You insult the memory of the heroes who wore the uniforms before you and you do not even know who they were?!"

"Like I said," the unicorn spat, "We're not into dusty old relics."

Maelstrom stepped in front of her cohorts. "Alright, we're getting off track here, everypony. So, either you surrender Discord to us or we make things...less than pleasant."

"And why should we cower before you?" Luna asked, "You and your gang of bullies are inexperienced in comparison to us who have spent centuries honing our craft."

Luna pointed towards Rockhoof and Discord. Discord smiled, believing Luna has truly gotten her fighting spirit back.

Maelstrom and the Shadowbolts gave menacing smirks at Luna.

"Good. That will make me and the Shadowbolts defeating you that much more satisfying."

Maelstrom pawed at the ground and charged at Luna, with Luna quickly dodging the attack and throwing Maelstrom into one of the crystalline walls. Luna trotted backwards out of the cave and flew upwards, with Maelstrom charging at her again like a bullet. The Shadowbolts rammed themselves into the other resistance members, in which they fought back in return. Rockhoof turned away from Discord and charged in at the false Wonderbolts, shovel in mouth. The Shadowbolts went down like a line of bowling pins, but they weren't down for long. Three of the Shadowbolts cornered the Dazzlings, only to be hit on the head by a staff-wielding Sunburst. The rest of the Shadowbolts charged at Sunburst, to which he rendered them unconscious by swinging his staff around while making kung-fu noises. As everypony was getting into the fight, Discord looked at the crystals still attached to him.

"Well then, it appears I will have to get these off myself." Discord grabbed one of the crystals and tried with all his might to pull it off, but to no avail.

Suddenly, a portal appeared underneath him, causing him to fall into the unknown and land on his head. The landing instantly rendered him unconscious.

---

Discord woke up with a massive headache.

"Uugh. Have I been drinking again and was everything I experienced beforehand an alcohol-induced hallucination?"

Discord observed his new surroundings. Seeing the cabinet containing all of Grogar's "trophies", he realized he had been teleported back to Grogar's lair.

"Nope, it was all real," Discord said bluntly to himself.

Discord heard hoofsteps coming from behind him. In the corner of his eye was a shadow belonging to an all-too-familiar ram. The shadow grew bigger until Grogar himself appeared just under it. The ram turned his head towards Discord and smiled menacingly at him.

"Discord," Grogar said, "Darling."

Discord tilted his head in confusion of that last bit. Grogar looked down at his hooves and chuckled in a voice that was a mix of his own and a feminine voice that Discord hoped he would never have to hear again.

"Oh deary me, I'm still wearing the Halloween costume."

Grogar let out another demonic laugh as he morphed into something far more monstrous. He grew taller and more slender. His hooves split into a pair of blue clawed hands that would have belonged to a dragon. His teeth grew sharper and his head became more pony-like. His horns shrank and formed into a pair of antelope antlers. Discord stared at the monstrous she-devil Grogar had transformed into, who finished laughing and licked her lips in a lecherous manner.

"So much better, wouldn't you agree, dearie?"

"C-Cosmos?!"

---

Sunburst and the rest of the resistance members watched in awe and suspense as Luna faced off against Maelstrom. They were surrounded by the unconscious Shadowbolts. Both Luna and Maelstrom were flying in the air, with Luna soaring ever so slightly higher than Maelstrom. Maelstrom fired a blast from her horn at Luna's direction, to which Luna dodged swiftly, and glided down before flying back up. Maelstrom followed suit and fired bolts of magical energy in Luna's direction, missing her every time except one. The last shot hit Luna straight in the chest, causing her to violently spiral back onto the floor.

"Luna!" Sunburst cried out.

Maelstrom flew up into the air and laughed maliciously. As Maelstrom was distracted by her own hubris, the Dazzlings quickly trotted towards the wounded Luna and helped her up. They carried her back into the cave. Sunburst levitated six vials of the potion towards Luna and the other resistance members. When he tried to give one to Discord, he noticed that Discord wasn't there.

"Uh, guys?" Sunburst asked, "Have any of you seen Discord?"

Luna looked around, observing the unconscious Shadowbolts on the ground and the maniacal alicorn in the sky.

"Grogar must have used Maelstrom and the Shadowbolts as a distraction so that we would leave Discord defenceless and his for the taking," Luna realized.

"Oh no!" Sunburst said, "Well, if there's any time to find out if this potion works, this is it."

Sunburst gave Luna one of the vials, which Luna steadily drank. The taste was surprisingly bitter but it didn't matter. She struggled to fully get back on her own four hooves in her wounded state but she managed to do it. She and the other resistance members trotted towards Maelstrom and, using the power of the Elements, floated towards her. The power of the Elements surrounded them in a light rainbow coloured aura. Maelstrom snarled at them and charged up her horn, ready to attack them. She fired at them, with the resistance firing a massive rainbow coloured blast in retaliation. Maelstrom tried to struggle against it, but she was quickly overpowered.

"What! No!" Maelstrom cried out as she was quickly engulfed in the rainbow.

A rainbow-coloured explosion surrounded the area as the resistance floated back down onto the ground. Floating down in front of them like an alicorn from the stars above was a little baby alicorn. No longer was she the hate-filled beast known as Heartless Maelstrom, but was instead the cute baby filly known as Flurry Heart. Luna levitated the de-aged Flurry Heart towards her. Gone was the cynical look in her eyes, instead they have returned to a look of curiosity. Flurry Heart stretched out her forehooves and giggled happily at Luna, which was enough for Luna to give a little smile back.

Jade always wanted a little sister, Luna thought to herself, Perhaps I could do a better job at raising Flurry Heart than Discord did.

Settler trotted up next to Luna.

"Aw, she's adorable!" Settler said, "How in the hay did a cute little thing turn into the monster we fought beforehand?"

Flurry Heart grabbed on the Settler's beard, much to his discomfort, and placed it in her mouth.

"You know, Luna. I think you can have this one."

Luna and Settler shared a lighthearted chuckle. Skystar flew right next to the two ponies.

"Hey, what's happen-Oh my gosh! That is the most adorable little filly I have ever seen!"

Adagio stood behind Luna, Settler and Skystar and cleared her throat, which immediately got their attention.

"I hate to break up the baby shower but we still got an evil overlord to kill," Adagio said.

Author's Note:

Surprise! Grogar was Cosmos the whole time!

Since that it turned out Discord was pretending to be Grogar in canon but, in this story, he and Grogar are two very different individuals and Cosmos is Discord's ex-girlfriend in the comics, I figured it would make for a neat twist.

Anyway, three more chapters to go so stay tuned.

Comments

[DmitriTheWriter]

Oh, that is a twist. Very twisty indeed, sir.

I don't read the comics, so I still don't really know who Cosmos is...

[Leondude]

10052054
This gal right here:

1.bp.blogspot.com/-4IWbyJTVU_Q/XMi_u31yqyI/AAAAAAAAh68/zflhba64EhgRS1Gej4c-ncju9auRwMYdgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/cosmos_restored.png

You thought Discord pre-redemption was bad. He ain't got nothing on his ex.

That said, the Cosmos arc wasn't really that good, from what I heard.

[DmitriTheWriter]

10052057

https://i.giphy.com/media/2uIcChAkMZWRNQJru1/giphy.webp

[Starlight Nova]

So... Who's going to be X-23?

[toshibafox]

first it was sombra's awesome back story now it was discord having an ex-girl friend, the more I heard of the comic version of mlp the more I want to read it.

[Leondude]

10054122
Yeah, the comics are pretty damn cool.

[Nightflight406]

Always beware the ex!

[Leondude]

10063323
Hell hath no fury!

Or Tartarus hath no fury in this case.