The Harmony War

by Ten Speed

Chapter 6: Hook, Line, and Sinker

In war... Innocence is always the first casualty.

“Do you understand now,” asked Twilight shakily while looking up at me with puffy eyes. “After Princess Celestia rescued me she spent over a month healing my injuries. She used the memory spell to break Discords magic on me. Unfortunately she didn't have a close enough relationship with anypony else for the memory spell to work.”

What could say? I had been absolutely horrible since I arrived here. “I... I'm so sorry, I didn't know,” I choked out. What had I been doing for the last four years? How could I have been so selfish? God I was fool.

“I don't...” Twilight sighed, “I don't blame you.”

“where were we headed again?” I asked trying to divert the subject.

“Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest,” she replied.

“She's been helping you all this time? Why didn't she come to Canterlot with you?” I asked.

“Was... She was helping me, but now she's gone now too. We... I still use her hut. Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo... They're all gone now.” Twilight's voice trailed off as she hung her head.

“Wait, I thought you said everyone... everypony in Ponyville had been taken that first day,” I asked wondering if I had missed something.

“Everypony was taken. They were at their clubhouse in a secluded part of Sweet Apple Acres when Discord invaded. They escaped whatever fate befell Ponyville only to have to suffer this wretched war.” Twilight paused. She looked like she wanted to cry but she was well past the need for mourning. “One by one they all fell victim to Discord and his infinite cruelty...” she trailed off again.

“What about your brother or Princess cadence? You never mentioned them,” I asked. I immediately regretted the question.

“While the princess was treating my injuries they went after Discord head on.” Twilight started to choke on her words. “He... He killed them with their love!” She broke down crying again.

“Oh Twilight, that's quite the depressing tale you've spun,” a mocking voice resonated from the dark forsaken trees surrounding us. It was everywhere, and nowhere all at once. I shivered as the repulsive tone touched my mind. The air had become unnaturally still as the silence that followed became almost maddening.

“You know nothing of what I've endured!” Twilight shouted back into the pitch black wiping the tears that had sprung from her eyes.

“Endured?” Came an indignant reply. “You haven't been encased in stone for a thousand years. Kept as a trophy by that old hag in her personal garden and left to the mercy of avian bombers using you for their personal outhouse. Do you have any idea how undignified that is for a being such as myself?” The ground had become illuminated and assumed a pattern akin to that of stained glass. Discord's visage fillings its frame as he spoke. The trees moaned and became warped and contorted seemingly in an attempt to cower from his presence.

“Don't you dare speak of the Princess like that!” Twilight screamed as she trembled with fury.

“Hell hath no fury...” I thought to myself.

“Must you hold this all against me?” Discord sighed. “After all you're the one who killed her,” Discord said accusingly. “That's right Twilight Sparkle. I watched your little escapade in the library. Not the first I might add. Tell me, who do you think created those spells?” The implication was unsettling.

“A stroke of pure genius if I must say so myself,”Discord continued. “A way for any pony to wield magic. Simply a question of whether ones desires were worth the sacrifice. Oh, you should have seen the pandemonium before Celestia and Luna sealed me, and my spells, away for a millennia.” His tone became more sinister. “And you're friend Trixie?” She needlessly threw her life away to destroy something that was never there.”

Discord faded from the windowed floor he occupied as images of the library took his place. It was like watching a silent movie. We looked on as two figures toiled in the darkness. It was Twilight and Celestia drawing circles in the ground. When they finished a demonic rune had taken shape on the floor and it seemed as though they were arguing over something. It was impossible to discern over what at first. Twilight moved to a smaller circle tethered to the rune Celestia sat in which appeared to be the centerpiece of whatever ritual they were about to perform.

I tore my sight away from the mesmerizing portrait and shot a concerned glance towards Twilight. She never noticed as her gaze was transfixed on events replaying before us. Her lips quivered as she blinked a tear from her eye. I couldn't imagine how she felt reliving this. I truly felt sorry for that sad purple mare.

“Keep watching, this is where it gets juicy,” Discord's voice prompted.

Obediently I turned my attention back to the living mural sprawled across the ground. Twilight appeared to be reading a scroll and the runes began to glow. A quick flicker of light drew my attention to Celestia's figure. In her mouth she held a a crude makeshift dagger. She lifted a front hoof and with the flick of her head she made a cut in her leg. Rivulets of blood flowed down her leg. As they made contact with the floor the room erupted with an unholy light. Following suit Twilight made an incision in her own leg. As the trickle of blood reached the floor a spark raced along a line that tied the the two circles together.

I pried my eyes away once again and examined Twilight. Dried blood had caked around the bottom of her right fore hoof. How had I not noticed a fresh cut on her leg? How did I not see the circles etched into the floor? Another burst of light brought me back to the window on ground.

I appeared in a second small circle tethered to the large rune. It was my arrival here. My brief introduction, or lack of one, with Twilight played out before we slunk into the shadows and into the hallway. The exchange between Twilight and Trixie was next and as we fled down that foreboding corridor this visual stayed fixed on Trixie as she charged her spell. A half dozen pale figures came into view just as Trixie unleashed her magic and they dissipated like they were made of smoke before the window we had been watching through whited out and shattered.

I blinked my eyes trying to recover from light that had just blinded me and when I could see again Discord was reclining in a chaise lounge sipping a glass of chocolate milk. Literally drinking the glass.

“You see. The Great and Powerful Trixie obliterated half the library fighting an apparition. A mere figment of your imaginations,” Discord said with an evil grin that could froze the blood in my veins.

Twilight opened her mouth to respond but I beat her to the punch. “You son of a-”

“Now, now. Temper, temper. I didn't bring the building down on top of her,” Discord interrupted calmly.

When he finished his drink he threw what remained towards us. I dove on the ground and covered my head with my hands as I recalled the explosion that occurred in the show. But there was no explosion. I opened my eyes and recovered, rising to my feet. Instead it created a small puddle like one would normally expect. Even that normality was brief as the puddle rippled and revealed images of Ponyville; the library, town hall, sugarcube corner...

“Seeing as you've finally managed to pique my interest again I'd like to extend to you an invitation to visit me in Ponyville so that we might settle our differences.” Discord said as he stood up. Walking over he lowered himself to be eye level with me. “Besides I have something that may be of interest to you human... Something you've lost perhaps?”

My eyes widened and I immediately began rifling through my pockets in a frantic search. “Where is it!?” My mind was racing. “When did I lose it!? Where could I have dropped it!? Where's my letter!?”

“You know where to find me,” Discord laughed as he disappeared.

Again Twilight had opened her mouth to offer a rebuttal but he was gone before she could.

“Dammit! How could I be so damn stupid!?” I cursed at myself.

“It's not your fault...” Twilight began in an attempt to comfort me.

“It is my fault! I need to get that letter back,” I lashed out.

“It's a trap, it's exactly what he wants us to do! We can't.” Twilight stated flatly.

She was right. I knew it was a trap but I didn't care. I needed to get that letter back. “I'm sorry Twilight but I'm going after him. You brought me here to fight? Well I promise you that's one thing I can certainly do. I'm gonna beat the that smug look right off his face!”

“If it were that easy don't you think somepony would have done that by now?” argued Twilight.

I ignored her as I turned and began walking along the brick road that had appeared. The path offered a faint yellow glow to guide me.

“Then I'm coming with you, you can't face him alone,” Twilight spoke up as she trotted to catch up to me.

I glanced down at her and we made eye contact. Those intense violet windows into her soul reflected a resolve that could move mountains.

“What can we expect when we get there?” I asked.

“If you've watched us then you should know how Discord works. He's Enigmatic at best. Be ready for anything...” Came Twilight's calculated response.

I nodded and without another word we were on our way to end this nightmare, one way or another.