Beneath The Ice

by Murdock

Prologue - Sowing The Seeds

He had done it; he had broken the elements of harmony. Ponyville was the first conquest, and the rest of Equestria would soon follow.

“First Ponyville, then Manehatten, then Fillydelphia… oh and Canterlot… oh, yes… I am saving you for last. Princess, you will have the pleasure to see your entire world crumble around you.. all awhile waiting to experience your own inevitable doom. Oh, I will enjoy every moment of this!”

It had been over a thousand years since Discord had flown over Equestria, the realm that used to be his paradise of chaos. Cities and towns were scattered across the land in different places, but the main features were all the same.

“Self, please remind myself to check the Crystal Mountains, the Badlands, and Smokey Mountain to see if any signs of them remain. If I couldn’t make my day, I could always count on them to!”

As day turned to night, he moved westward from Canterlot towards Smokey Mountain. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a small orange light along the southern base of the Unicorn Range. Above the light was a thin spiral of smoke moving upwards into the twilight sky.

“Nopony ever lived this far into the Smokey Forest during my days. What crazy loon would actually live this far out here?”

He halted his monologue to think for a short moment. “Crazy, huh? Oh, I have to meet this pony.”

Discord quickly descended towards the light and saw the silhouette of a small farm house slowly come come into view. He slithered down along a line of jagged rocks behind the cottage, grabbed an edge of the roof, and glanced out towards the front of the house. A large bonfire pit sat there along the crest of a small ridge, peering over the canopy of the Smokey Forest. Dense trees lay as far as the eye could see, spare a few small towns along railroad routes to the south. Canterlot was barely visible to the east.

At the edge of the fire pit was a blue unicorn.

“Heavier build...” Discord thought to himself. “Must be a stallion. Oh, and what is this?”

He looked down along the stallion’s back to spy his cutie mark: the outline of an open book, with two crossed scrolls placed behind it.

“If you want to be stealthy, you may want to be a little quieter.”

Discord jerked back in shock as the stallion made first contact. Apparently he hadn’t been thinking to himself. With his covert recon foiled by carelessness, Discord glided down towards the fire and sat down next to the unicorn.

The blue pony slowly elevated his eyes from the fire to view the intruder. His face took on alternating expressions of curiosity and confusion as he beheld Discord’s physical appearance. After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke again.

“You must have something to do with what I saw over in Ponyville earlier today.”

Discord’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You can see Ponyville from here? Oh, I’d love to take a look at it from a distance!” His joy quickly faded once he understood the comment. “How did you figure that out already?”

The stallion pointed out into the distance before turning his attention towards his guest. “Pink clouds, floating trees, and fields of checkerboard as far as the eye can see. Part pony, part dragon, part lizard, part bird… the association wasn’t that hard to make. So, are you the architect or are you part of the package?”

“Oh, I assure you, that is my beautiful handiwork. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos.” He paused before continuing to speak. “And who might you be?”

“I do not share my name with anypony I meet. If you prefer something other than “pony”, you may call me… Scribe.”

“Scribe, hmm? Well, you seem to be a… smart one… if you were able to put all of that together so quickly.”

“I have a lot of time to think.”

“And you don’t fear me?" Discord asked with a sense of disbelief. "You don’t think I’m here to, I don’t know, eat your soul or whatever?”

“If you were here to end my existence, you would have already made your move.”

“Oh, you’re fun.”

Discord always enjoyed banter with friends and enemies alike, but as a foe Celestia was always three things: dull, predictable, and dull again. The new hosts of the elements lacked her centuries of experience and were essentially children to him; breaking their spirits was almost too easy. This “Scribe”, however, could have made a fantastic opponent. Or maybe…

“So, Scribe, I happened to be flying over the mountains trying to figure out what part of Equestria I should next turn into a sugary confection, and I see you all alone out here in the middle of nowhere. I have to know… why are you here?”

“I seek the knowledge of the land, so I may find my role and my place in the world.”

“Oh, you seek purpose? How lovely.” And fortunate.

The spirit continued. “Wouldn’t that be easier for you to find if you were in Canterlot rummaging through the royal libraries rather than sitting out here in the wilderness? How do you survive without access to the basic necessities of life? How can you quench your desire for information? In times long past, I had an acquaintance who, at one time, was very much like you. He was obsessed with magic and the potential for transcendent awareness that it held.”

The stallion’s muzzle wrinkled at the mention of the capitol. “The ponizens in Canterlot created more problems for me than they ever solved. I travel into town for a few supplies from time to time, but I am largely sufficient here in my stead. The ponies around here don’t bother or pester me. If I was back in Canterlot, the situation would be very different. I’ve been there enough to last the rest of my lifetime.”

“I… see… how long have you been out here?”

“Over three years.”

“Well, it seems I might have found somepony as crazy as I am!”

This pony was hiding something significant and it had to do with Canterlot. Discord was getting close to what he wanted and he could feel it. Tearing down Celestia’s castle would be a pleasure long awaited, but how suitable would it be if he had a pony do it for him? From the inside, no less? It would be glorious!

“Perhaps… I can help you find your way…”

The stallion held up a hoof to signal Discord to stop. “I am a patient pony.” His voice quickly turned gruff. “As for you, chaos is the natural counterbalance to harmony. You have your role to play in this world. You cannot bring me what I seek. You cannot help me.”

Discord put his head down in disappointment. What a waste, he thought. He could forcefully turn Scribe if he wanted, like he had turned the elements, but the stallion would lose many of the qualities that he found endearing and, more importantly, entertaining.

Then, a different thought came to his mind: a brilliant and sinister thought. A smile slowly crept up along the edges of Discord’s warped face.

“Well, just so you know, I’m not the only spirit that still rests in this land…”

Author's Note:

Takes place during "Return of Harmony". Subsequent chapters take place during early-mid Season 3.