> Okage: In the Shadow of Discord
>  by Final Resistance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Boy Meets the King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Boy Meets the King



“Hmm hmm hmm…Da da da.” An earth mare sings in her kitchen while watching a pot of water boil. “I am a super mom and a wonderful wife.” She sways back and forth to her tune, adding ingredients as she goes. She moves from the pot to a cutting board. With quick swings of her knife, she slices through bundles of hay in front of her.

Suddenly the door to the kitchen opens, revealing a young mare of about 13 years. Her fur a light pink and a mane with messy pink curls. She bounces into the kitchen with a huge smile on her face and a question in her head. “Hey mom! What’s for dinner?”

The mother stops her tune to look at her young daughter bouncing around. She giggles before answering her daughter’s question. “Pinkie, we just had lunch. You will burst your small frame if you keep eating like that.”

Pinkie’s bouncing stops as she looks to her mother. “Oh come on, Mom. It smells so good. Please tell me tell me. Me and Ari are both hungry.”

The door opens again to reveal a stallion of 16 years of age. His fur the color of wheat and well-kept mane sways with his movements.. He walks in much more calmly then his sister and looks to their mother. 


…As you will see,
This story begins with an ordinary conversation of an ordinary family
and… an inconspicuous boy who appears behind his little sister.
Unexpected as it may be, this unassuming boy is the hero.
of this peculiar story we are about to see.


“I tried to stop her, mom. I know you are busy with dinner.”

Pinkie’s frustration begins to slip to the surface. “Come on, Mom. Can you just please tell us what we are having? Is it stew? Is it hayburgers?”

The mother puts her hand to her chin as she thinks about what to say. She could tell them exactly what they are having but that would be too easy. A mischievous smile crosses her face. She looks to her son. “Well, what do you think dinner is, Ari?”

“Uhh…” Ari starts to weigh the options his sister put out and looks around the room. There is a pot sitting on the stove, so stew is a good possibility. However, she is cutting hay over on the cutting board so she could be making hayburgers too. He looks to his mother for help but only sees her smiling face. “I’m saying…stew.”

The mother’s smile never falters as she looks to her children. “Well…” She pauses to build up the suspense for the two children. Both were leaning in close to hear her reply: the girl, to hear what she will be eating later, and the boy, to see if he had guessed correctly. “It’s a secret!”

“Oh come on, Mom!” Pinkie throws her hands up in frustration from being tricked so easily. Ari breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that even though he may not have guessed right, it would be revealed later and by then, most will have forgotten.

Suddenly, the mother’s ears perk up. “Oh, Ari. I almost forgot. Your father brought home a strange bottle last night. We set it over there on the table.” She points to a pink and green bottle sitting on the kitchen table. Both children approach the bottle and begin to examine it. The bottle has a thin neck but the body of it is wide. It has jewels set in the side of it and two handles on each side. “We tried to get the cap off, but no matter how hard we pulled, it just wouldn’t give.” 

Ari examines the cap on the bottle. The cap looks about the same as the rest of the bottle and doesn’t have any special seals to hold it in place. He picks up the bottle and starts to pull slightly on the cap. It doesn’t budge, so he starts pull with all his strength. The cap still doesn’t yield and stays firmly on top of the bottle. Ari places it back on the table.

“See? It’s just so strange to see a bottle like this.” The mother becomes lost in her own thoughts.

“Mom!” Pinkie yells, bringing the mother back to reality. “It’s pointless to have a bottle we can’t open! We should just throw it away!”

“Hmm…what should we do?” The mother starts to think of the options she has. Suddenly she claps her hands together. “Oh, that reminds me! I forgot to pick up bread in town! I can’t leave—I’m busy cooking.”

Ari slowly raises his hand. “Well I could…”

“I would, Mom, but darn it—I have a test in school tomorrow. I can’t go and sacrifice my education, now, can I?” Pinkie interrupts.

“I suppose you shouldn’t throw away your education.” She looks to Ari and his hand, slightly in the air. “Ok Ari, I need you to pick up bread for me at the bakery in the village. They will just put it on our tab so all you have to do is pick it up. Thank you.” With that she returns to the pot on the stove.

Ari leaves the kitchen and makes his way towards the front door. Before he reaches it, though, a voice calls out to him. “Ari!” He turns and sees his grandparents sitting in the living room together. His grandfather waves him over and Ari approaches the old stallion. “’Afternoon, Ari. Where are you going on such a nice day?” His grandfather asks with a smile.

Ari returns the smile before answering. “Mom forgot bread, so she is sending me to pick it up.”

The grandfather chuckles and shakes his head. “Oh, your mother can be quite an air head sometimes. She always just acts on the moment. She went on an adventure when she was young and met your father. They both traveled around and saw the world before returning here.” 

The grandfather looks Ari in the eyes. Those old eyes have seen so many things and are still filled with so much life. “I also went on adventure when I was young. It’s how I met your grandmother.” He slides his hand into the hand of his lifelong partner. “Adventuring is in our blood, Ari. Never forget that. Now you better get off to town before dinner is done.”

Ari nods his head. “Ok Grandpa. I’ll see you two later!” Ari races out of the house. His Grandparents watch him as he leaves.

The grandmother decides to speak up. “He’s a good kid.”


********


Ari exits the house and enters the warm embrace of the sun on a nice day. He looks around and sees the old fountain out front. He remembers many good times with that fountain. Now it sits there without any water. He turns and makes his way towards some steps when he runs into his sister.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Ari shakes his head. “Aww!! Come on, tell me!”

“What happened to your homework, Pinkie?” Ari asks.

“Homework?” She asks with confusion. Then she suddenly jumps. “Whoops, never mind. I better finish it soon. I have a twilight date with Snowflake before dinner.” She runs her fingers through her curly hair to break any tangles. “To polish my feminine airs, I have to build up experience while I am young. Well, at least that’s what the book said…” Pinkie starts to rub her chin in thought.

Ari raises an eyebrow to this. “What kind of book says that?”

“It’s Mom’s book. I think the name was…Controlling Guys Made Easy.” She starts to bounce away. “Enjoy your errand, Ari! La da da, hmm hmm hmm,” she sings, as she bounces toward the house.

Ari just shakes his head and makes his way down the stone steps. At the bottom is a huge set of gates leading to the road. His father put a spell on the gates to open whenever a family member walks up to them. So as Ari approaches, the gates begin to squeak and creak as they open. The old hinges grind, begging to be oiled and cleaned. After opening, Ari steps out on the road and makes his way to the town. 

The town was founded inside the Everfree Forest. The place is known to have monsters but nothing comes near the town, making it a nice place to live. As Ari reaches the town gates, he sees two boys from the town standing there: Snips and his best friend, Snails. They both seem to be in thought as Ari approaches them. “Hmm…Applebloom, Sweetiebelle, or Scootaloo?” Snips says to himself.

Ari decides to speak up. “What’s wrong?” Voicing his question towards Snips. He is the brighter of the two.

Snips jumps in surprise. “WA?! Oh, it’s you Ari. When did you show up? I didn’t even notice you.” Snips says while clutching his chest.

“Ari, you look real gloomy. Did you hear the circus is coming to the field close to town tomorrow night?” Snails says in his dull voice.

Ari looks at the nearby field and can see several tents being put up. A smile creeps onto his face seeing all the strange characters the circus has to offer. “Sounds like fun!”

“I-I-I’m definitely gonna ask Trixie out this time! I-I-I will do it! Trixie and I will go out on a romantic date and everything!” Snails stutters as he speaks. He pumps his fist into the air to emphasize his point.

“I’m just struggling with who I should ask out. Ari, why don’t you ask somepony out too? It’s the circus, after all!” Snips says.

Ari nods. “Just gotta narrow down my list.” Ari says, with sarcasm.

Snails decides to mock Ari not noticing the sarcasm. “HA! I bet he doesn’t have the guts to ask a girl out. Ha ha ha, chicken!” Snips decides to join in on his friend’s laughter.

Ari just shakes his head and continues into the town. Leaving the two laughing colts to their fun. As he enters, he sees a sign that has been there as long as he can remember. The paint has worn away with time but its greeting is still loud and clear. Whenever somepony visits the town they always get a picture with it.


Welcome to Ponyville


Near the sign, a familiar face greets him. A childhood friend who always stood out and made sure she did. She wore clothing that made her the center of attention whenever she entered a room. Ari decides to greet her. 

“Hi Trixie!” His voice full of enthusiasm.

The unicorn continues to stare off into the sky. No acknowledgement of his existence. Her face is blank and her eyes glazed over.

“Trixie? Are you all right?” He asks with concern.

Again, no response, just more staring. Ari reaches to touch her shoulder when her head snaps down and her eyes meet his. “Oh, hello Ari. Sorry, Trixie was just daydreaming. Hey, did you know the circus is coming to town?”

Ari nods. “Yeah, just found out, actually.”

Then there is a silence between the two before Trixie speaks up. “…well? Aren’t you going to ask The Great and Powerful Trixie to go with you?” She asks with annoyance.

“Oh yeah sorry.” Ari rubs the back of his head. “So…wanna go to the circus with me, Trixie?”

Trixie sighs and shakes her head. “Sorry. Somepony else already asked me. If you had asked earlier…um…sometime soon, I…I need to tell you something important…uh…I have to go. Trixie shall see you later.” Trixie runs away and Ari can see a blush on her face.

Ari sighs in defeat and makes his way to the bakery. As he walks through the town, he can see many stores have closed for the day. The water has disappeared recently, so not many places can stay open without the water supply. He hears whispers from the people he passes talking about ghosts and the water problems being related to one another. 
Ari puts the problems in the back of his mind. He can’t bring the water back or deal with ghosts. He just wants to get the bread for his mother and head home quickly. Ari reaches the bakery and opens the door. The smell of fresh bread rushes into his nose. Behind the counter sits a pudgy earth mare. Her light blue coat contrasts with her wild pink mane. 

“Lalalalalalalalala, lalalalalalalala.” She sings behind the counter.

“Excuse me.” Ari tries to get her attention.

“lalalalalalalalala, lalalalalalalala.” The mare continues to sing behind the counter.

“Hello?” Ari asks slightly louder this time.

The mare whips around startling Ari. “Huh? Oh it’s you, Ari.” She starts to shake a large wooden spoon at his face. “Don’t I always tell you? A stallion should speak up!”

Ari nods, never taking his eyes off the spoon in front of him. “Yes ma’am.”

“Good boy. You’re here to pick up the bread, right?” She reaches under the counter and pulls out a loaf of fresh bread. “Here you are!” She hands Ari the bread and he takes it.

With Trixie’s words still floating around inside his head, he only manages a half-hearted “Thank you.”

The mare puts a hand on Ari’s shoulder. “Anything bothering you?” Ari shakes his head and puts on a fake smile. “Come on; keep your chin up, boy. Girls like the assertive ones, you know!” She turns around and goes back to her previous task.

Ari makes his way towards the door before he is cut off by the baker’s husband. He is tall and skinny but has a heart of gold. “Don’t worry too much about what she said, Ari. She has a sharp tongue but she really does care about you.” Ari looks up and puts on a genuine smile. “There we go.” He walks away and Ari leaves the bakery.

The sun was starting to set when Ari left the bakery and ran into Pinkie. “Hey, Ari! Are you done with those errands?” Ari nods. “Okay, then let’s go home! I think dinner should be ready about now.”

Pinkie notices the sad expression on her brother’s face. “What’s wrong? Did the bakery mare give you another lecture?”

“No, not really…” Ari says.

Pinkie sighs. “Ari, you’re the type that…blends into someone else’s shadow. At least there is someone that sees some good in you.” Pinkie leans in close to Ari’s ear. “For instance…Trixie.” The name causes Ari’s face to flash red. Pinkie giggles at her brother’s response and pokes his shoulder. “You lucky stallion!”


Brother and sister walk side by side and make their way home.
Thus Ari,
being teased by Pinkie, 
made his way home.
And the next night…


All of the family was gathered in the living room around the strange bottle the father had brought home. The grandparents sat on the couch enjoying the family time while everyone else looked at the bottle.

The father was the one examining it the most. He was a light brown unicorn and had a fascination with strange objects. He picks up the bottle rotating it to examine each of its features. “Hmm… this crest, if I remember correctly…”

The mother giggled at his actions. “Your father is crazy about that bottle! He really loves antiques.” She goes back to watching her husband drool over the object if front of him. She claps her hands together. “Oh, I remember something! The circus is in the field outside the village tonight!” She looks to her children. “Why don’t you two go and have some fun?”

Pinkie jumps up and down with excitement. “All right, Ma, see you later!” She makes a move to leave when her mother stops her.

“Pinkie, you shouldn’t go out at night alone. Go with your brother.” Her voice is full of concern.

“Don’t worry! Snowflake is picking me up!” She continues to bounce in a circle, singing to herself. “La di da, I have a date tonight!”

Pinkie races out of the room. “Oh Pinkie…a boy is picking you up?” Her mother calls after quietly. “You’ve grown up so much. I’m so happy for her.” She gushes.

Ari makes a move to leave when his father calls to him. “Ari, my son. Let’s talk for a bit.”

Ari is shaken at a prospect of a talk with his father. He knows how long his father draws on a conversation.

“Ari look at this symbol on the top here. If my theory is correct is the symbol of the rainbow tailed rat that only comes out on certain full moons…” The father says as he looks over the bottle.

“Uh dad?” Ari tries to interrupt.

“All we need to do is…then we find a rare flower…then a sword that went missing 200 years ago…” His father is now lost in thought.

“Dad?” Ari tries again but his father rambles on and on. Ari decides the best thing to do is wait it out.


Two hours later…


“Then it’s just simple quantum mechanics. Did you get all that, Ari?” His father finally finished with his explanation.

Ari had stopped listening hours ago but nods his head. “Yeah, Dad, I got it.”

His father smiles in approval. “That’s my boy. Oh, the circus is in town right? Go have some fun!” Ari doesn’t wait for another word. He dashes out the front door and races down the steps. He follows the road to the field.

Both Snails and Trixie leave the big circus tent. As they approach, Snails waves to Ari. “Hey Ari, you missed the whole show. It was awesome! There was fire, clowns, and all types of wild animals. You’re such a dork for missing out.” 

Trixie doesn’t say a word and just stares at Ari. 

Snail decides to move onto the next phase of his plan. “Hey Trixie, I know a play with a great view. Let’s go.”

Both walk off, but Trixie looks over her shoulder to Ari, standing in defeat.

Ari decides to walk up to the pudgy stallion standing at the opening of the tent. “Ahh, time for a nice drink after a successful show.” He notices Ari walking up. “Sorry kid, the show’s over.” The man studies Ari. “Anypony ever tell you that you have an overshadowed personality?”

Ari rolls his eyes. “Thank you bringing that up.”

The stallion put up his hands. “All right, I was just messing with you. Seriously though, watch out for ghosts around here this time of night. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a nice bottle of wine calling my name.” The stallion walked off to a nearby trailer.

Ari rubs the back of his head and stretches. “Well, guess I can’t do anything now. Might as well head back.” Ari follows the road home and notices two ponies talking ahead. One he could see was his sister and the other was her, date Snowflake. They seem to be arguing, so Ari decides to sneak closer and listen in. 

As he approaches, he hears his sister scream. “Omigod!!”

“Oh noooooooo! It-it-it’s a ghost! It’s a ghost!” Snowflake screams as he runs away.

“Coward,” Ari says under his breath as he rushes to his sister’s aid. She is lying on the ground with the ghost close by. As Ari rushes forward, the ghost becomes frightened and makes a break for it down the path. 

Ari’s father appears at the end of the path causing the ghost to make its way through the woods instead. The father rushes to his children’s side. “What’s wrong?! What’s going on?!” He sees Pinkie lying on the ground. “Pinkie? Pinkie! Open your eyes, Pinkie!”


Thus on the night of the circus…
This happy family fell on serious misfortune.


It has been a few hours since the attack on Pinkie. She had been moved to her bed and a doctor had been called to treat her wounds. He worked fast and told us the wounds are not too bad. The real problem was Pinkie was cursed by the ghost. Ari was waiting in the living room while the doctor tended to his little sister.

“I should have been there. I’m her big brother, and I let her down,” Ari whispered to himself. He hears a door close upstairs and sees the doctor leaving. “Doctor, is my sister going to be alright?”

He sighs and speaks slowly. “I have done all I can. The wounds aren’t the problem but something else the ghost did.”

“What did it do?”

“It’s best you hear it from your parents.” The doctor gave Ari a pat on the shoulder and left. Ari slowly makes his way up the stairs thinking about what a ghost could have done to his little sister. He entered the room to find the rest of the family had already gathered.

His father looks to see who has entered and waves his hand to bring Ari in. “Son…Pinkie is…she’s.”

“Oh, Pinkie, my poor baby girl,” Mother says in a sad tone.

“My granddaughter…my granddaughter,” says Grandpa. Grandma just stood next to him silently.

Ari approaches the bed to see his sister. She looks about the same as any other time but something felt off. Suddenly, Pinkie spoke. “…Atwhay appenedhay otay emay?”

Ari draws back. “Wa…what happed to her?”

Grandpa answers, “Pinkie is —she’s…under the curse of pig Latin!”

“What is that?” Ari asks.

“It’s a dreadful curse in which you can only speak in pig Latin.” Grandpa answers. “The victim skips the first consonant of a word and adds it to the end with an ‘ay’!!' Oh Pinkie, you poor little thing!”

Pinkie speaks again in the strange language. “I, asway tackeday ybay a hostgay! Rotherbay, elphay, emay! I amay alkingtay llay eirdway!”

Father shakes his head. “The pig Latin curse…I use to play it often for fun when I was little.”

Grandpa perks up. “Oh me too, I used to speak in pig Latin. Like, oodgay orningmay.”

“Guys, Pinkie is in trouble!” Ari practically shouts.

“Ari is right everypony! If we don’t do something soon, Pinkie will become some comic relief girl, not a precocious pretty princess! This is horrible!” Mother wails.

Pinkie tries to sit up. “I ontday antway otay ebay a omiccay eliefray irlgay!”

“What should we do? How can we break the ghost’s curse?” Grandpa asks.

“We need to figure something out. My little Pinkie will become comic relief…Oh no, what a tragedy!” Mother is almost crying.

Father walks forward, shaking his head. “Even the doctor condemned her…as incurable. Damn…there is only one thing we can do!” Father makes his way to the door before calling the rest to follow. “Everypony, follow me! I have an idea.”

“Where are we going?” Grandpa asks.

“To the basement, Father. The key to saving Pinkie is there. I just know it.” Father turns to Ari. “Ari, help us out, ok?”

Ari nods. “Yes, Dad.”

His father looks to him with a serious expression. “To save your dearest sister, are you willing to put your body and soul on the line?”

Ari nods again. “Yes, Dad.”

Mother decided to speak up this time. “Honey, the doctor said that it won’t endanger Pinkie’s life.”

Father looks to her. “Oh yeah? Well, you’ll do it anyway, Son! For your sister! You will bear anything even if it is hard, painful, or unbearable, won’t you?”

Ari lets the pride of a big brother drive his decision. “Yes I will!”

Father looks surprised. “Huh? Good, excellent! That’s the spirit, my boy! I found something really amazing the other day, so everypony, follow me!”


********


Everyone is now standing in the basement. They stand in a circle around the bottle Ari’s father found the previous day. It sits in the middle of a magic circle that has been drawn on the floor.

Ari’s father speaks up. “Now that everypony is here, I can explain. This bottle I found the other day…it hold the power to change destinies.” He point to the bottle dramatically. “Behold the legendary vessel! It’s Pollack’s Bottle, I’m sure of it! Isn’t it amazing?”

Ari looks at the bottle in amazement. “Wow…”

“Wow! What do I get to wish for?” Mother begins to ponder what she wants.

“Pollack was a person who existed several hundreds of years ago. Legends say that he obtained the power to change a pony’s fate and hid it in this bottle.” Father explained.

Ari is amazed again by the story.

Grandpa decides to voice his suspicions. “Son, I hate to say this but this sounds very suspicious.”

Father claps his hands together and looks to grandpa. “Well father, seeing is believing! I knew something like this would happen, so I drew my own magic circle a while ago. I will call upon that great power that changes fates.”

They give each other skeptical looks but move to the edges of the room. “Now we begin.” Father gets into position and starts to perform a strange dance. “We call upon a power forlorn, to issue forth and be reborn. We beckon you our honored guest, To be present and grant us our request. We before your majesty kneel. Grace us now, your true self reveal!” Father sings. In the back of his mind, though, he questions if he remembered the chant correctly.

After he performs the last of the moves, he moves to the side of the room and watches the bottle. For several seconds the family waits and stares at the bottle. Then a bright light appears in the circle, blinding everypony in the room.

As the light dims, they slowly open their eyes to see a strange sight. A small dragon standing in the center of the room. He wears a suit similar to a butler. He adjusts his tie before addressing everypony in the room. “Oh, at last, at last! The time has come for my great master to revive!” He looks at each member of the family before giving a small bow. “I am his chaos butler. The name is Spike. Nice to meet you, everypony! Now let me do the introductions!” He steps to the side of the bottle and clears his throat. He holds out a hand addressing the bottle.

“The chaos king who presides wickedly over all chaos and malevolence everywhere…Lord Discord Chaos Disorderly XIV!” Spike announces.

“C-chaos King?” Mother’s voice shakes.

“Huh? This is strange” Father says as he scratches his head.

The bottle suddenly starts to bounce up and down. A voice begins to speak from inside. “Ahem! You may call me Chaos King, Discord! I am pure Chaos! Let my malevolence and sheer chaos awe and terrify you!” The family members shake a little at the voice coming from the bottle.

“Now, foolish ponies, answer me! Why have you summoned me?!” The voice demands.

No one speaks in the room; all were trembling with fear. Ari takes it upon himself to answer. “W-We need a favor from you.”

Father steps up quickly to elaborate on his son’s statement. “Let me explain as the family head. We have a favor to ask. We want you to save the life of my child! My daughter Pinkie…is under the curse of a ghost and is on her death bed!”

“Um, there’s nothing wrong with her life, though…” Grandpa says.

“Anyway, we would like you to break the ghost’s curse on my daughter!” Mother shouts.

The voice in the bottle answers them. “A ghost? Oh, one of those lower-class chaos beings. That’s all? Fine, that’s easy. But you must know, in order to benefit from me, the chaos king…one of you must make a chaos agreement with me…and serve as my slave, servant, and follower.”

“Is that true?” Father asks.

“Oh so very true.” The voice from the bottle mocks.

The whole family sits in silence staring at the bottle. Father clears his throat before speaking. “All right. If that’s what we need to do…to save my baby girl, I can…I will sell my soul ten times over!”

“Well, I…I’ll sell mine, too!” Mother adds.

“Yep mine too!” Grandpa shouts. Grandma nods her approval. All eyes turn to Ari.

“Well son?” Father asks.

Ari puts a hand to his chest and shouts. “I will too!”

Everypony smiles at him. “Excellent! You’re a brave boy, son! You going to embark on such an interesting…I mean a difficult and honorable burden! God, I’m so proud to have a brave son!”

Spike claps his claws together to get everponies attention. “Okay! It seems we have all come to an agreement! Now, everypony, could you stand in line here?” He points to wall. “We are going to judge everpony’s shadow.”

We all line up against the wall before Spike continues. “…Three-hundred years ago, the great chaos king Gohma destroyed half the world; however, he was defeated by a hero. Lord Discord, who graces us with his chaos presence today…is the reincarnation of and the successor to the Great Chaos King Gohma!”

The bottle bounces again and the voice inside is filled with glee. “Yes, I have waited in this bottle for 300 years due to some deplorable error. At last, my powers of revival have been accumulated! All due to my endurance and effort! Oh, how great am I!” A mocking laugh erupts from the bottle.

Spike claps his hands together in applause and urges us to do the same. “That’s my master! However, master’s power is only a fraction of what it once was. Until his revival is complete, he must borrow a pony shadow. Since it will be Master haunting it, the shadow must be top class. Only the best for my master.”

With a snap of his fingers, two ghosts appear. “I invited two shadow experts to help with the judging.” With another snap of his fingers, a microphone appears. “We are about to begin, the first Discord Cup Shadow Contest! Stallions and Mares…Start casting!”


And…
Suddenly a peculiar contest has begun.


Each family member is put in front of the ghosts to be judged. Each is judged to be unfit by the ghosts and stands aside for another to take their place. It is now Ari’s mom’s turn.

The ghosts go up and down, back and forth, and give their verdict to Spike.

“Oh, madam, it’s a near miss! There seems to be a slight problem with your figure. The judges apologize. You would have been perfect 5 years ago.” He bows slightly. “Personally, I believe you are perfect!”

The mother steps out of the judging circle breathing a sigh of relief for not being chosen. Spike holds the microphone to his mouth as he announces the next contestant. “And now let me introduce the son, Ari!”

Ari takes a deep breath as he enters the circle. The ghosts begin their inspection of his shadow with great haste. They go over every detail looking for any flaws. For several minutes, they inspect the shadow before giving their verdict to Spike. “Wow! It’s-It’s a surprise! Ari has won over all of the judges! They have given him excellent marks! He has a perfect score!” Spike turns to the “crowd”.

“The first Discord Shadow Cup victory goes to…Ari! Congratulations! Congratulations!” Spike and all family members begin to clap for Ari.

“You did it!” His mother shouted.

“I am so proud of you, boy!” His grandfather exclaimed.

“Well done Ari! I always believed in you!” The Father was jumping with excitement.


Despite the blessings of his family…
somehow, Ari could not share in their warm sentiments.


Out of the bottle rises a dark ball of energy. It floats in front of Ari for several seconds before slamming into the boy’s shadow. The shadow becomes darker than before and the shadow begins to crawl into the air. As it stretches, it starts to take shape. Mismatched horns extend from the top along with two ears. Ari falls onto his flank as two miss matched yellow eyes open up and stare at him. A toothy grin spreads across the shadow’s face as two arms extend from either side. The new shadow creature stretches and inspects its new form.

The shadow begins to laugh. “Oh yes, this is indeed an impressive shadow. Yes, this will do very nicely.” His gaze shifts to the young stallion in front of him. He reaches out with one of his hands and causes Ari to flinch. The creatures hand hovers over Ari’s head and come down slowly to pat him. “Hmm, your name was Ari right? Well, from now on, you will be my servant and subordinate!”

The shadow pumps a hand into the air. “Are you ready?”

Before Discord can continue, Father interrupts. “Enough about that. What about my daughter, Pinkie??”

Discord lifts a hand to his chin and scratches. “Oh, I almost forgot about that.” He removes his hand from his chin and raises it into the air. “Now let me show you the power of Chaos King Discord! Take me to her.”

Everypony and creature leaves the basement and heads up to Pinkie’s room. The door is opened to reveal the mare still sleeping in her bed. Ari approaches and Discord examines her. “Hmm…this curse should be easy enough to remove. Stand back, everypony.” Discord raises a hand into the air and snaps his fingers. A trail of energy leaves his finger tips and makes its way to the sleeping Pinkie. 

The magic slowly moves down her body, covering her in a soft glow. Dark spots appear on her skin and are enveloped by Discord’s energy. One by one, each spot disappears, leaving behind nothing more than the soft glow of magic. Soon, all spots are gone and the glow disappears from Pinkie.

“Well, that’s all. Wake up, mare!” Discord commands.

Pinkie’s eyes slowly open and gaze at everypony in the room. She slowly rises from her bed and stands in front of her entire family. “What happened to me?” Suddenly realization struck her. “Oh my god, I’m cured! I can speak like a normal pony again!” She began to bounce around with joy.

Mother has tears streaming down her face. “Pinkie, I’m so glad you’re all right!”

Father has tears streaming down his face, as well. “Oh Pinkie! Ha ha ha, I’m so glad!”

Grandpa steps forward. “Are you alright, Pinkie?” His gaze slowly moves down to see a strange sight. “Pinkie, your shadow…”

Pinkie’s bouncing stops at her Grandfather’s words. “My shadow? What about it?” Pinkie looks down and sees a horrible sight. “My shadow turned pink! I can’t believe it!”

Discord laughs uneasily. “Whoops, it appears I made a slight miscalculation.”

Pinkie throws her arms into the air. “I can’t go outside with a shadow like this! I’ll never get married! What am I supposed to do!”

Discord is fed up with Pinkie’s whining. “Shut up. As promised, I broke the curse. I never said I wouldn’t turn your shadow pink!”

Spike claps his hands for Discord. “That’s my master! Your logic is wonderfully chaotic! Oh I’m so proud to serve such a master of Chaos!”

Pinkie grabs her head and begins shaking it violently. “Why me? Why my shadow? Oh noooooooooo!”


And so the commotion at Ari’s house continued well into midnight.



********


Ari is running and running through darkness trying to escape the mocking laughter behind him, each step taking him closer and closer to salvation. Until the shadowy face of Discord pops up, stopping Ari in his tracks. The shadow laughs at him and closes in. Ari tries to get away and find himself falling.

*CRASH!*

“Ow.” Ari had fallen from his bed to the floor, waking him from his nightmare. He looks at the shadow on the ground. He stomps it a few times but gets no reaction. He begins to dance, but still nothing from the shadow. He shrugs his shoulders and heads down to the kitchen. He finds his mother singing to herself.

“Oh, good morning, Ari. Would you like some breakfast?” Her smile drops when she sees her son’s face. “You look pale, honey.”

“Yeah, I had a nightmare last night.” Ari said.

“Oh, poor baby. It’s a nice day outside today. Put that nightmare behind you and go outside.” She returns to her singing.

Ari takes her words to heart and steps out the front door. He walks into the sun light and stretches as far as he can. His muscles release their tension and his bones pop. “Hmm…that felt good.”

He looks up at the clear blue sky and laughs at himself. “Silly nightmare.”

A mysterious voice speaks. “Well, it was just a nightmare. I am the same ordinary pony I have always been. What a relief! That’s what you’re thinking isn’t it? Hahahahahahahaha.” The voice mocks, “Too bad!”

Ari’s shadow pops up to reveal Discord. “This is reality, kid. You are now the servant of the great Chaos king Discord, forever!” He begins to laugh at Ari’s shocked expression. “We’ll be together a long time, so get used to it.” More laughter follows.

Suddenly, Spike appears in front of Discord and Ari. “Oh, master Discord. Such a beautiful day, don’t you think? How about breakfast, master? Madam’s omelets are the best.”

Discord crosses his arms. “Spike, we have no time for breakfast. From now on I will use this boy to spread chaos across the world.” He pinches Ari’s cheek. “To begin, we will drive the nearby town of Ponyville into chaos! Hahahahahahahaha!”

Spike bows. “I’m so proud of you, master Discord. So proud to be in the service of one so chaotic.” Spike stands up. “Your Spike is always at your side with passionate devotion. At least, after I finish my omelet.” The drake smacks his slips thinking of the delicious breakfast.

Discord nods. “Off to the village, boy! We have chaos to spread!” With that, Discord disappears into Ari’s shadow.

Spike starts to clap. “Hurrah for master! Good luck, master!” Spike disappears to leaving Ari alone once again.

Ari sighs in defeat. “What have I gotten myself into?” Ari makes his way towards Ponyville.

As Ari makes his way towards town, a stallion flags him down. “Ari! I heard you learned a new trick. Can I see it? Your dad is running all over the village, telling everypony about it.”

Before Ari can speak, Discord appears. “What trick are you talking about?”

The pony begins to laugh. “Oh man, that is so cool, Ari!”

Discord scratches his head. “Ponies are complicated.” Ari just shrugs and continues towards town but is flagged down by another pony. This time an old mare who looks quite distraught. 

“Oh, my hat is up in that tree. I can’t get it, and it was a gift from my late husband. What will I do?” She wails.

Discord appears again. “Hahahahaha, feeble ponies. So little power. Here, let me show you mine.” Discord stretches up into the tree with little effort and plucks the hat from high above. “It is a trivial task to retrieve your hat.” Discord hands it to Ari who then holds it out to the old mare.

She claps her hands together. “Oh, thank you, young man! You must have been sent from heaven!”

Ari blushes at the compliment. “Oh, it was nothing really.”

Discord, however, didn’t like her compliment. “Hey, you old bag! I am chaos through and through. Fear me and grovel.”  

The old lady smiles at both Discord and Ari. “Thank you God…”

“No, not like that!” Discord shouts in frustration before disappearing again.

Several other children stopped Ari on his way to the town and each asked for a chance to see his shadow “trick”. Discord was happy to make appearances, but each time was met with nothing but laughter instead of fear.  As they reach the town gate, Discord appears again, but this time, to speak with Ari. “Strange, according to my plan, as soon as I reappear in this world, ponies should be terrified and running for their lives. While quaking with fight, they are supposed to swear their undying obedience to me!” Discord begins to shake. “But look at their reactions!”

Ari takes in all he has seen this morning before answering Discord. “That is strange.” Playing to the ego of the chaos king.

“Yes, so now I must show them my power through a display of chaos! Then they shall see the terror I can create.” Discord disappears into the shadow as they enter the village. 
As they enter, Ari can hear Discord’s voice. “This is no job for a vessel of pure chaos such as myself. But hey, I might as well do it, ha ha! Ask ponies in this village if the is anything around here I can mess with. Information is an important part of subjugation, Ari. Remember that.”

“Yes sir.” Ari replies and approaches a stallion on the street.

“Oh Ari, there is terrible terrible news.” Discord springs up at the sound of trouble.

“Oh I knew my return would spread quickly. Fear me, mortals, and bow to me.” Discord strikes a pose.

The stallion looks at the shadow before returning his attention back to Ari. “Hey, nice trick. Anyway there is a ghost in the church!!”

“Hey!!” Discord screams. “You’re scared of some low level being but aren’t scared of me?! Foolish pony!”

“The ghost must be eyeing the treasure in the church’s basement.” The stallion continues.

“Don’t ignore me, pony. I am the chaos king Discord!” Discord yells before some news reaches his ears. “Treasure? What treasure?”

The stallion hangs his head. “They say if we ever lost it, our village would be finished.”

Discord turns Ari around to speak with him. “Hee hee, did you hear that, Ari? We will get that treasure and laugh as they wallow in misery.” Discord rubs his hands together. “The treasure might even enhance my chaos powers.” Discord disappears. 

Ari makes his way to the church at the other end of the village. As he approaches the steps leading to the church, a stallion stops him. “Are you going to the church, Ari?”

“Um…yes?” Ari replies.

The stallion looks shocked by Ari’s answer. “There’s a ghost in there. You could be killed and besides you need to get permission from the town office to gain entry.” With that said, the stallion walks off.

“Well it’s a good thing they’re right next to each other,” Ari says before ascending the steps. The hill is steep and takes some time for Ari to reach the top, but when he does, he is greeted with the sight of the village office. It is the building his father works in as the assistant mayor. Ari walks inside and is greeted with the smiling face of his father.

“Hey son, come to see your dad at his cool job? I’m so proud of you.” Father gushes.

Discord jumps up and slams a hand on the desk. “Fool, open the door to Church!”

Father’s smile never falters. “Oh, hello, Discord. What business do you have inside?”

Ari decides to answer. “No use in arguing. Dad. Just open the door, please.”

Father nods his head. “Sure, son. This is going to be interesting.” A flash from his father’s horn and the door to the church was open for Discord and Ari to enter. 

Ari leaves the offices to enter the Church next door. As he reaches the door, Discord begins to speak. “Let’s go and show this village what true chaos is!”

“Oh please wait, master!” A voice calls out. Ari turns to see Spike materialize. “Master, your plan is brilliant and truly inspired. However you, Ari, are nothing more than a rookie, so try not to get in Master’s way. So long.” Spike disappears.

Ari opens the church door slowly and peeks inside. “No sign of the ghost in the main area. Probably down below, then.” Ari enters the church, closing the door behind him. The church is fairly small for such a community but has large stained glass windows to let in a dazzling display of colors. Ari turns his attention to the door leading to the basement. 

The door creaks open with a small tug and Ari looks below. It is filled with cobwebs and other things, but no ghost. He descends slowly, listening for any noises that would give him an idea of where it might be. When he reaches the bottom, Ari notices a fountain that has a lion’s head as its spout. “The water has been off for several days. In the room next door, there should be a valve I can turn to restore the flow of water.” 

As he approaches the door to the next room, Ari starts to hear noises from the other side. He can hear the low growl of a creature and a chill runs down his spine. “Well? What are you waiting for, Ari? Open the door and let’s get that treasure.”

Ari obeys and opens the door to the next room. Inside is a ghost with long, skinny arms. It’s wandering back and forth. Discord appears before the ghost. “So you’re the third rate creature trying to steal my thunder! Surrender and pledge your allegiance to me!”

The ghost stares at Discord before its gaze slowly drifts to Ari. Its mouth hangs open and drool begins to drip to the ground. Ari feels a chill down his spine and looks around for a weapon of some kind. He finds his saving grace in the form of a large stick. He picks it up and holds the make shift weapon like a sword. “Look at him, Ari. He quivers with fear at my pure power.”

The ghost springs into action a reaches for Ari. Ari doges to the side and takes a swing at the ghost. The branch makes contact and the ghost recoils in pain. “Yes!” Ari cheers.

His happiness quickly disperses when the ghost come back for another attack. Ari dodges again and makes another attempt at striking the ghost. This time, however, the ghost is ready and parries Ari’s attack. The stick flies from his hands and clatters against the far wall. The ghost picks Ari up and slams him into a wall. The ghost opens its mouth wide and prepares to swallow its meal.

“I have had enough of this.” Discord’s hand shoots from the shadow, piercing the ghost. It drops Ari and wails in pain before slowly disappearing. “Well, that was odd. Oh well, I got rid of that floor-scrubbing demon who betrayed me.”

“Yeah, thanks for the save by the way.” Ari says.

Discord pats his head. “Oh, my dear little Ari. If you die, I die. So it is a simple reason to keep you alive. Now, gather your weapon.”

Ari picks up his stick by the far wall and is surprised to see it still in one piece. A glint of metal catches his eyes and his attention becomes focused on a small chest.

“That must be the treasure the villages were talking about! Quickly, gather the goods inside!” Discord says with glee.

Ari picks up the small chest and opens it. All that is inside is an odd glass tube. “What is his? It’s just a piece to a broken machine! They tricked! They will feel my anger. I will have revenge, boy!” Discord disappears.

Before Ari leaves, he approaches a large valve that controls the water flow in town. It is large and rusty but with a few tugs, Ari is able to restore the flow of water. With his task complete, Ari makes his way out of the Church.


********


As Ari steps outside he is greeted with the cheering of the village residences. They cheer and call out congratulations to him. He blushes from so much attention. Ponies were asking him for his tale of getting rid of the ghost to wanting a picture with him.

Discord’s rage is boiling by this point. “Fools, they have it all wrong. It was all my doing. You should be praising me! Oh, well with everypony assembled here, it just makes this easier for me. I shall show them the face they should fear!” Discord shoots out from the shadow in a display of sheer power. “Listen well, ponies! I am the Chaos King Discord!”

The villagers are shocked by the display before their eyes. Each startled face fuels Discord’s ego, and he continues with his speech. “Now that I have returned to this world, all that walk, fly, or crawl shall by my subjects! As a reward for your willing subjugation, I shall grant you insects a long, delightful purgatory! I hereby declare, that I will saturate this land with a black cloud of astounding chaos! My plague of chaos will infect every corner of this world! Bow before your lord and master, Chaos King Discord!” Discord stretches high above everypony to give them a good look at their new leader.

None of the villagers speak and just stare in amazement at Discord. “Aha! Look Ari, they’re speechless!!”

All of the villagers remain silent. Then one starts to laugh. Then another starts to laugh as well. Soon, all who are present are in an uproar of laughter. There were cries of an encore and others just shouting their praises to Ari’s cleverness for coming up with something so funny. What stuck out, though, was everypony calling Discord a shadow trick.

“Wa-What are you peasants laughing at?! My decree is to be taken seriously!” He points to an individual in the crowd. “You there, stop that laughing this instant!”

The laughter returns stronger than before. They plead for Ari to stop because they are laughing too hard. 


Thus Ponyville was filled with joy and laughter


“Why? Aghh! I don’t understand!! Why?!” the baffled king screams. “I am the chaos king! A harbinger of impending doom!! Yet the ponies mock me! They even laugh at me! Me!! They should fear and grovel at my feet! I’m so humiliated! What am I supposed to do to earn their fear? Am I a failure as a chaos king? Am I a hopeless chaos king? Aggghhh!”

Ari decides to comfort the hopeless chaos king. “You’re not hopeless, Discord.”

Discord gives Ari an icy glare. “I don’t need pity from you, boy. I’m tired, so I will rest awhile…” Discord disappears with a defeated expression. Ari makes his way to the village gate when he is stopped by one of the stallions of the village.

“This is scary! Nothing could be scarier than this. In spots all over the world, Chaos kings have started to pop up!” He blubbers.

Discord reappears with an ice pack on his head. “Bah! Enough with the whimpering! I’m tired and mentally wounded. And now I have to put up with this rubbish from you?! Listen up, the chaos king is the chaos king! A king is a king! Meaning there is only one! Not two or three, but one! Moi!!”

The stallion shakes his head. “No, I’m not making this up! The pudgy pony in the bar said so. The word is that in certain places, copies of the Map o’Chaos Kings are out and about. It tells the location of the chaos kings. It’s just so scary.” The stallion quivers in fear.

“Hogwash!! Map o’Chaos Kings!? Are you kidding?” Discord spits back. “Ari! Find the lunatic spreading these lies! He will pay for his crime against me!”

Ari nods. “Alright, Discord.” Ari makes his way to the bar. Under his breath, he whispers. “How did I get myself into this?” Ari enters the bar and looks around. It is empty, except for two individuals. The stallion that runs the place and a pudgy stallion. Ari walks up to the stallion at the table.

“Stupid troops…packing up and leaving me behind…I’m the ringmaster, for crying out loud!” He sputters, clearly drunk.

“So this is the lowlife who’s spreading that swill. Hey you, I hear you’re the one spreading that tall tale of there being more than one chaos king!” Discord says with authority.

The ringmaster turns around to reveal himself to be the same one from yesterday that turned Ari away from the circus tent. “Wa-what? You’re the kid from the other night. The one with that shadow!”

“Yeah, at the circus.” Ari says.

“Yep, that’s right. I’m the ringmaster. Now that I can get a better look, you really have an interesting shadow you’re carrying with ya there, kid.”

Discord sputters. “In-interesting? Carrying with him? Just you remember, husky one. If a guy like you speaks of rubbish like a Map o’Chaos Kings, I will shut your mouth permanently!”

The ringmaster perks up at the mention of the map. “Oh? You want this Map o’Chaos Kings? Sure, you can have it.” The ringmaster reaches into his jacket and pulls out a folded piece of paper and hands it to Ari. “Lately, they say in Madril Neighdril, a fearful chaos king has appeared.” He looks to Discord. “So what are you going to do about it, Shadow chaos king?”

Discord draws back. “Curses!!! You just revealed who I…Who are you, shaggy one!?”

The ringmaster grabs his gut. “I think I’m gonna…barf…too much fun last night. Hic.” The drunk lays his head down on the table and passes out. 

“Alright, boy, let’s take a look at that map.” Ari unfolds the paper to reveal several circled locations where chaos kings lie. “One, two…there are more chaos kings than myself? To top it all off, my name isn’t even on this list! Spike! Spike, where are you?!”

Spike appears in front of Ari and Discord and gives a quick bow. “Oh, master. How might I serve you?”

Discord squeezes the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes. “Spike, straighten this out, will you? Am I not the one and only lord of chaos? The successor of the great chaos king Gohma? Answer me, Spike! Who else could I be? And all these other chaos kings, who are they?”

Spike studies his master’s temper and decides to quench the growing fires of rage. “Well, master I will tell you. All these other ‘chaos kings’ are imposters—encroachers—chaos kings, only, in name. While you were inside the bottle, Master, they must have stolen your magical power and went about claiming to be ‘chaos kings.’ Yes, that must be it!”

Discord takes Spike’s words to heart and thinks. “Hmm…I see. I knew something was wrong. The villagers called me a…” the shadow shudders at the thought, “…a nice guy! Naturally, if my power was at its peak, they would have wept and groveled before my might. Yes, that must be it!” Discord turns his attention back to the map and studies it. “So it was all the fault of the false chaos kings. They were stealing my magical powers while I was trapped!”

Ari looks over the map. “Yeah, that has to be the case, Discord. These false chaos kings must be the cause of all of this.”

Discord nods in agreement. “Hmm… there is just one thing to do.”

Spike stands and claps his hands together in realization. “Master, that means…of course, of course!”

“Indeed! We are going to take those fake chaos kings down and retrieve all of my magical power. Then the whole world will tremble before me like they should! Ari, let’s do this! Time for an expedition of conquest!” Discord shouts.

Ari pumps his fist into the air but slowly lowers it as a thought crosses his mind. “But there’s this mare, Trixie...”

Discord stares at Ari. “What kind of answer is that!?”

Spike tries to calm Discord. “Take it easy now master. There is this pony, Trixie, who has a bit of a crush on Ari. For a kid as uncool as you, this could be your last shot at romance. I believe that is what you are thinking?”

Ari looks to the young dragon. “Uhh…yes?”

Discord pulls out a tissue and wipes away false tears. “Touching, but you’re stuck with me, kid. Hahahaha! Now let’s head for your house and pack for the journey ahead. Let’s go, Ari. Take good care of the map. Even though I hate it, it should keep us on the right path to find those imposters.” Discord points dramatically. “To your house!”

Spike bows and disappears along with Discord. Ari leaves the bar and heads to the main gate. There, he sees Trixie standing in front of it. Ari feels a blush come over his face as he approaches the beautiful mare. She gives him no greetings and just stares at him. Ari makes a move to say something when Trixie hold up a hand to stop him.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has something to tell you,” she says quietly.

Ari stands in silence. Trixie walks past him and stops a few feet behind him. “Trixie liked you.”

Ari spins around and sees she has her back to him. He is still speechless and approaches her. She turns to look at Ari. “…But…You’re serious, honest, and quiet. The kind that becomes a husband who’d eat cold mashed potatoes without complaining…Or lets me go on rampant impulse shopping sprees without complaining. That’s what Trixie liked about you…” Her eyes fill with tears. “But I can’t be with a person who does tricks with his shadow. You would embarrass me in public. They would mock me and my family by having you in it. Trixie just doesn’t want to be dragged down by your silly tricks. Good-bye!” Trixie dashes off into town leaving Ari in her dust.


Ari simply stood there dumb-struck.
And the next morning…


Ari’s mother stood outside his door calling to her heart-broken son. “…Ari. Come on, it’s time to get up.” She enters the room and finds Ari all packed up and ready to go. “Everypony is waiting for you downstairs.”

“Okay.” Ari replies.

“Both your dad and Grandpa are preparing something for you. Come down as soon as possible.” She leaves the room. Ari quickly gathers his remaining things before heading downstairs to see his family.

“Ari! Finally the time for you to depart has come.” Father greets his son at the bottom of the stairs.

Ari looks around the room at his gathered family members. “Uh, what’s going on?”

His father throws an arm around his son’s neck. “I’m so proud of you, son. I was surprised when Spike first told us you were going on a journey. A journey to subjugate the fake chaos kings and conquer the world! It sounds so wonderful, son. I couldn’t help but agree.”

Discord pops up. “Hey, Sir Talksalot. The boy seems confused.”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s right. I forgot to tell him. My mistake.” His father laughs it off.

“Let me update you, Ari. There are many false kings around the world claiming to be lords of chaos. You and I are going on a journey to deal with these imposters. And I thought we might as well conquer the world while we are at it. Are you ready? Don’t dally now. Let’s be gone, now!”

Father stops Ari from leaving. “Ari, you need to say goodbye to everyone before you leave.”

Ari walks over to his grandfather. “Ari, that glass tube you found in town is part of an ancient device. They say it holds great power, so while you are out and about, you might as well search for the rest of the pieces. Good luck and come home soon.”

Next was his grandmother. “Oh Ari. Are you heading into town on errands? Come back before dark honey. I don’t want to see my grandchild hurt.”

Next was his mother. “Oh Ari I’m so excited for you. Here, take this.” Ari’s mother hands him an old music box. “It’s very old but it still plays a beautiful tune. You father gave it to me when he proposed. Find your special somepony and give it to her. Just keep pushing, honey, and never let go.”

Next was Pinkie. “Sorry, this all started because of me. Thanks, big brother, you’re the best. I kind of like my pink shadow, it’s cute. Go, Ari, yay!” The bubbly pink mare jumps up and down cheering her brother’s name.

Finally, Spike. He spoke while holding back a flood of tears. “Oh, master. I’m so happy to see this. You’re going to go out and conquer the world, and I get to bear witness. I can say there has never been a happier butler. I, Spike, will be waiting for your call, my master.”

Ari turns his attention back to his father. “Son, an adventure will make you shine and stand above the rest.” 

“Yes, your father in his adventuring days was very handsome.” Mother added.

Father blushed. “Stop it, honey…Well, is there anything left?”

Ari looked to his Father and stuck out his hand. “My allowance?”

His father gave him a confused look. “Allowance? Oh yes, your allowance. Well to be honest I spent my bonus the other day.”

“Look at this wooden doll. Isn’t it cute? It was pretty pricey.” Mother said.

“Since you’re going to be an adventurer you can make money on your journey. You can do jobs for people and earn your living that way.” His Father laughed and missed Ari’s gloomy look.

Discord’s patience was running thin by this point. “Ari, your chattering is driving me crazy. We need to leave now!”

Ari turns to leave when his grandfather calls out. “It is time for the youth to leave. Everypony ready? One, two, and three…” 

“Good luck!” Every family member shouts. A smile spreads across Ari’s face and he hides the single tear rolling down his cheek. He opens the door and steps out. 

Ari’s journey has begun.

 
And thus…
Ari left his home to begin his peculiar quest
And always with him, the malevolent Chaos King Discord looms in his shadow.
What manner or travails and perils await Ari on his journey?

> Enter the Rainbow Hero and Her Parasol
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Enter the Rainbow Hero and Her Parasol


“Why is…the Everfree…so big?” Ari huffs and pants as he climbs over another fallen tree in his path. For several hours the young stallion has moved through trees and followed trails, all leading to either a drop off or an impassable river. The high spirit of the colt has come crashing down with each path he has to retrace and now he just wants to go home. Back to his simple life where his family is carefree and his life made sense. Now he’s lost, confused, and a rain cloud of cotton candy is sprinkling chocolate milk all over his head.

“Oh come on Ari. Put a smile on!” Discord pulls Ari’s cheeks to force a smile. “See? A smile makes everything better.”

Ari turns to the Chaotic being and gives him an icy glare. Discord draws back and feigns being hurt. “How could you look at me that way?” He throws his head back in a dramatic fashion. “How can I go on when my vessel hates me so?”

Ari sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Very funny Discord. If you haven’t noticed we are lost in the middle of the Everfree.” Ari sweeps his hand to emphasize his point. Discord creates a periscope to see over the treetops.

“Don’t worry me harty. Captain Discord will find the way!” Discord turns the periscope in several sweeping motions, taking in the whole of the landscape. He points in a direction after several turns. “That way matty!”

Ari looked to where he was pointing and eyed the path with skepticism. Looking back to the grinning shadow only increased his paranoia. “You’re going to walk me into another bush filled with thorns, aren’t you?”

Discord’s smile only increased in intensity. “Now what would make you say that?”

Ari crosses his arms. “The fact that the last two times you’ve ‘helped’ me, I ended up in a world of pain.”

Discord just waves his hand in front of his face dismissively. “Now Ari, I wouldn’t do that to you a third time. In fact, I would like to get out of here and hot on the trail of those fake Chaos Kings.”

“You promise?” Ari questions the grinning chaotic shadow.

Discord nods and Ari shrugs. “All right then. Let’s get going.” Both head in the direction Discord indicated.


********


“YOU GODDAMN LYING SHADOW!!!” Ari screams as he exits a patch of thorn bushes.

Discord couldn’t contain the laughter as he watched his host struggle through the thorns. “It’s just so easy to mess with you, Ari!”

Ari groans at Discord’s actions but is relieved to find that they were at least out of the Everfree. There is a bridge that spans a river on the edge of the forest. It was built long ago but constant maintenance keeps the bridge sturdy. After crossing it, both would be on their way to the town of Neighdril. Ari starts to cross the bridge when he notices something on the other side. He moves closer for a better look. It turns and reveals itself to be a monster from the forest. The creature itself is not the biggest but it can still kill a pony if they are unprepared. Ari turns to run from it but another one of the creatures is standing at the other side of the bridge. 

“Oh look, more pathetic creatures for me to crush. But you should really improve your skills Ari.” Discord points dramatically. “Charge forth Ari! If you truly want to help take over the world then these creatures should be nothing to you!” Discord escapes back into Ari’s shadow. Leaving the poor fool in way over his head.

Ari puts his fist up, ready to box the two monsters into submission. Both creatures creep closer to the stallion. With each step bringing his opponents closer, Ari decides to try a friendly approach to avoid certain death. Ari waves to the creature to his front. “Hi.”

The creature cocks its head like a dog. Confused by Ari, it is confused by the stallion’s actions. Soon the creature’s stomach rumbles and it starts to close in again. Ari’s head starts to run wild with memories of his life.

“WAIT A MINUTE!!!” A voice screams out. A cyan mare carrying a rainbow colored parasol dashes towards the bridge. In her right hand she wields a simple rapier. She dashes across the bridge with incredible speed, slicing the first creature to bits. As she closes in on the second, she knocks Ari down to avoid hurting him. The monster makes an attempt to protect itself but is unable to defend against the speed of his attacker. He soon falls to the mysterious mare’s rapier.

The mare flicks the rapier to remove the blood before placing it back in its sheath. Ari stares in amazement at the new arrival. She took care of those two like they were nothing. He stands and walks towards the mare.

“Well? Aren’t you going to thank me?” The mare says, without looking at Ari.

“Huh?”

The mare turns and faces Ari. “I said aren’t you going to thank me?” She asks a little annoyed with having to repeat herself.

Ari now has a chance to look over the mare. She was a Pegasus and her wings were clearly visible. She wears a white sleeveless jacket that extends past her hips. The jacket has a few additions to make the wearer stand out a little more in a crowd. She wears a large belt wrapped around her waist. The belt is only tight enough to not fall off her body. The blade is securely fastened to the belt for easy access. A pair of blue shorts poke out from underneath the jacket and clings close to her fur. Her hair is more than enough to make her stand out from others. It contains all the colors of the rainbow. Her bangs reach down and cover her right eye. Around her forehead is another belt that keeps her hair in place during combat. In her left hand is a parasol that is colored the same as her hair.

Ari continues to scan the mare. She gets annoyed with his constant staring and snaps her fingers in his face. “Hey! Eyes up here, buddy.” She points her fingers towards her magenta eyes.

Ari’s face turns a bright red. “Oh, uh, sorry. That was amazing.”

The mare puffs out her chest. “Yeah, I am pretty awesome.” She boasts. She takes this chance to look over Ari. As she moves up his body Ari’s blushes increases. No mare has ever really stared at him like this as far as he knows. “I can’t believe it. You aren’t even carrying a weapon.” She reaches behind her back and Ari hears the sound of a button snapping. She pulls out a sword that is barely over two feet long. “Here, you can have this.”

Ari takes the sword from her hands and looks over it. The black has knicks in it, obviously from use, and the blade is not very sharp. It could still do some damage and he would be better off with it than a stick. She hands Ari a sheath and he straps it to the belt on his pants. With a final look at his new blade, he slides it into the sheath with a satisfying click as the hilt reaches the top of the sheath.

The mare whistles. “Now you look ready for a fight. You’re a stallion so you shouldn’t be such a sissy with that at your side.”

Ari nods. “Thank you for the sword. I’ll put it to good use.” The mare returns the smile. She looks up to the sky and her face turns to horror.

“Oh no, I have to get to him before it’s too late!” She starts to jog in place. She points a Finger at Ari. “Pull yourself together and stay alive. See ya!” With that, she races off leaving the young stallion starstruck.

“Well, well. Looks like you found a new love interest.” Discord says. He reappears from the depths of Ari’s shadow with a nightcap on and a teddy bear tucked under his arm.

Ari groans. “Where were you back there? I could have been killed.”

“I was taking a nap. It takes a lot of beauty sleep to look this good.” Discord strikes a pose.

“Well I’m glad she showed up when she did. I would be dead if it wasn’t for her.” Ari says. He looks at the direction she raced off to and sighs.

Discord nudges him in the side. “Miss her already?”

Ari pushes him away and his face flashes red. “It’s not like that!”

Discord laughs. “Ah, young love. Such a beautiful thing.”

“Shut up!” Ari yells. This just sends Discord into a fit of laughter and he disappears once again.

Ari groans and continues on towards his first stop on what looks like a long journey.


********


Ari comes to another bridge over a river. As he crosses it, this time, something is standing at the other side again blocking his path. He starts to reach for his sword until he sees that the thing is another pony. He relaxes and approaches the pony. As he approaches though the stranger pays no attention to him. The pony just keeps staring off into space.

“Excuse me?” Ari says, trying to grab the stranger’s attention. The horse doesn’t flinch. “Hello?”

“Hmm? Not now, I’m running a very important experiment,”  They say.

This time Ari taps the stranger’s shoulder. The pony starts to scratch their own head furiously. “Argh! My calculations say my last calculations should be right! How can the experiment fail?!” The pony whips around to stare at Ari. “Did you need something?”

“I just need to get b-“ Ari is interrupted by the pony.

“The names Twilight, kid. I am an expert on monsters, places, stars, and just about anything you can think of! My hobby is reading and learning as much as possible!” Twilight says. Her mane was a mess of tangles and hair going any and whichever way. It was mostly purple, except for a single strand of pink. Her horn is barely visible in the mess of hair. She wore a white lab coat with pocket filled with writing utensils. She had a low cut shirt on that showed a little of her cleavage. The shirt was a dark purple that was a little darker than her hair. She wore two ties, one purple and the other pink. She wore a pair of striped leggings and shorts. Her tail was just as messy as her mane.

Before Ari can speak, Discord appears. “Pretty bold of you to say your name in my presence. I am Chaos King Discord. My hobbies are world conquest, chaos making, and harassment of fake Chaos Kings.”

“Oooh what an interesting shadow you have there. Is it some sort of trick or perhaps your shadow is alive? Maybe some experiments will  tell me what I want to know. Now I need my papers on monsters, my research notes on ghosts, my books on experimental  theories, my checklist on starting an in depth experiment...” Twilight went on and on. Ari’s head was spinning with the long list of material and ingredients to run the tests. He was reminded of his conversations with his father and how they left him with a headache.

Discord rubs his temples, trying to sooth the increasing headache now forming. “My dear sweet scientist  why must you be such a bore? Here have a cotton candy cloud.” he shadow wave a claw and a cotton candy cloud appears with chocolate rain pouring from underneath.

Twilight stops to stare at the cotton candy cloud. She pulls out a magnifying glass and starts to examine the cloud thoroughly. 

Discord starts to slowly pull away from the crazy looking mare. At a snail's pace he pulls his claw away but twilight keeps up with him and continues her examination. She pulls out a notepad starts to write down her thoughts. “Interesting...your shadow has the ability to alter the natural world.  This shouldn’t be possible for a creature. This requires further investigation! Don’t move, Dr. Twilight will be back with the tools she needs to figure out your role in this world. Should only hurt a little...or alot. Just remember it’s all in the name of science.” Twilight races of grinning like a maniac at her chance to discover something new.

Ari and Discord look at eachother, then to the retreating mare. Both silently agree to get out of there before the crazy scientist returns.


********


The gates to the town of Neighdril are unique. Two giant gears that turn to reveal an opening to any traveler. As Ari steps through the opening, he gets a good look at the town. The city is more advanced than Ponyville. Just about every house has a giant gear built into it. The town is powered by steam, so it has the most advanced tools and some of the best scientists in the world.

“So this is Neighdril? What an interesting little town they have here. I can feel a strange mood in this town. Ari, let’s go get some information,” Discord shouts.

Ari nods and makes his way towards a group. There are two ponies in the group and one griffon. As he approaches, the three whisper to each other about recent events in the town.

“Did you hear that it happened in the town nearby?” The mare of the group says.

“Yeah, I came from there the other day,” the griffon replies.

“Wonder what’s going to happen to us,” says the stallion of the group.

“Um, excuse me?” Ari says interrupting their conversation.

“Hmm? What do you need, kid?” The griffon asks.

“Oh I was just wondering what has happened to this town recently.”

The stallion places a hand on Ari’s shoulder. “Nothing for you to worry about. Go play with your friends and leave this to the adults.” The stallion turns his attention back to the others and Ari walks off.

“Ooh harsh. They just shot you down, Ari. Perhaps a little chaos thrown their way will teach them a lesson about judging others by appearance,” Discord says as a shadowy hand rises from the shadow.

Ari quickly grabs the wrist of the hand. “No, leave them alone. They don’t know we are here to help.”

“Newsflash kid, we plan to take over the world after we defeat the Chaos Kings. Don’t think they would enjoy that news either.” Discord retracts his shadow hand. “Let’s just find this fake and move on. Hey what’s that?” 

Ari looks to see a flyer stuck to the side of the elevator. Curious about what it says, he approaches the piece of paper. 


Sewer Chaos King looking for loyal soldier.

Must enjoy rock music, cool haircuts, and have a thirst for taking over the world.

Apply in the Sewers below Neighdril.


“So this Chaos King is still looking for soldiers huh? We must strike quickly before more join his cause.” Ari says.

“Blah blah blah, let’s just go down there and beat this faker to a pulp.” Discord slams a fist into his hand.

Ari reaches for the button to call the elevator until he sees another piece of paper covering it.

Out of service until Chaos King Situation is resolved.

“Argh! Curse these pathetic ponies! Always impeding my path to regaining my lost power. Quickly, Ari, to the town hall.” Discord disappears back into the shadow and Ari races off to the town hall. Hoping to find an easy way to get to the sewers.


********


“I’m sorry, kid. Until the Chaos King is dealt with, you need to stay up here,” a stallion behind the counter tells the distraught Ari.

“I want to resolve the Chaos King problem. If you just let me down there I can take care of it no problem,” Ari pleads.

The stallion just shakes his head. “No-can-do, kid. Now go home and let the hero’s guild deal with this pest.” The stallion shoos Ari away. Ari hangs his head and walks away in defeat.

“Great, now what do we do?” Ari says to himself.

“What do you mean, I got here too late?! Do you have any idea how far I had to travel to get here? You better let me in!” A familiar voice perks Ari’s interest. He turns and sees a familiar mare arguing with a guard.

“Look, I’m sorry miss but the hero’s guild isn’t accepting anymore applicants.” The guard says with his hands readied on his spear in case the mare gets out of control.

“Just let me in!” She yells and gives the guard a menacing glare. The glare weakens the guards resolve to guard the door with each passing second. Sweat pours from his face as his will begins to break and her glare only increases in intensity.

The guard’s knees are shaking from the intimidating mare.  He swallows a gulp of air before speaking. “Of course, ma’am. But I need you to hand over your parasol-“ The mare didn’t wait for him to finish. She bolts through the doorway and into the hero’s guild. “Damn, she’s fast.” The guard brushes himself off and takes up position in front of the door again.

Ari moves toward the door but the guard puts up a hand to stop him. “Halt. This is the Hero’s Guild. I would normally let you in but it’s crazy in there right now. With so many heroes trying to be the best in the world no one is really sure which one to turn to in times of need.”

Discord pops up from the shadow. “What do you mean so many heroes? There can only be one hero and that’s the way it is. You can’t have a world full of them!”

The guard stares at Discord before returning his attention to Ari. “Kid you’re not gonna make me move that easily and certainly not with such a lame shadow trick like that.” Ari holds his ground as Discord gives the guard a glare of his own. Just like before the guard starts to fall apart under the pressure and gaze of another. The guard’s eyes shift back and forth between the two before  sighing in defeat. “All right, go on in but it’s crazy so be careful.” The guard steps aside  holding an arm out to signal Ari to enter.

Ari steps through and is greeted with the sight of the Rainbow hero arguing with a stallion. Their conversation looks heated and before Ari can listen in a unicorn stallion stops him. “Look at that hero there. The one with the parasol. She’s the laughing stock of the town,” He says between giggle and suppressed laughter. 

“What do you mean?” Ari asks. The unicorn continues to laugh into his hand and shakes his head.

Ari turns his attention back to the arguing pair and listens in. “Like I said, I will make an exception and give you a number but you must wait till your turn like everypony else.” The stallion says.

“How many times do I have to explain it to you before it gets through your thick skull? Let me pass through the Management Office NOW!” She yells at the stallion.

The stallion wipes away some spit that hit his face from her yelling. “You should be grateful I’m giving you a number at all. You shouldn’t even have your umbrella opened in here.”

“Well that’s b-because…” She stammers.

A smirk appears on the stallion’s face. “Of course, I understand why it bothers you so much.” He suppresses his laughter. “Everypony knows your shadow is p…” He didn’t get a chance to finish before the mare punches him square in the jaw. He spins in several circles before collapsing to the ground unconscious. The mare fumes and stomps out of the guild.

Several heroes and Ari gather around the stallion and he slowly comes to. “What happened?”

“You got punched by a mare, dude.” A hero says.

“Ow…that really hurts,” the stallion says.

Ari looks out the door and doesn’t see the mare. “Hey, did you know who that mare was?”

“I believe her name is Rainbow Dash. It’s said that she’s a really good hero but when she closes her parasol…heh heh heh.” All the heroes in the room burst out laughing, leaving Ari feeling out of place. Ari decides to leave the crazy ponies to their laughing fits.


********


“Unacceptable! I won’t have it. He’s just some phony called the ‘Sewer Chaos King’ or something like that. Why are all the heroes going after him and not the true Chaos King me?! This is the biggest insult to my pride.” Discord rages outside the city hall. He snaps his fingers creating a glass of chocolate milk he chugs down.

“You actually want heroes to come after you?” Ari asks trying to calm the Chaos King.

“Of course I do! I will give them all a taste of my backhand and they will see who is truly superior! Anyway it is I who will defeat this fake king! I will show everyone who the true Chaos King is! Ari, let’s begin our search!” Discord disappears. Ari sighs and begins his search for the mare called Rainbow Dash when he sees a colt eyeing him suspiciously. The colt waves him over.

“Hey, you wanna know where that hero went?” He asks in a hushed tone. Ari nods and the colt smiles. “It’s gonna cost ya. I think fifty bits is fair, don’t you?”

“Nah, I’ll find her myself, kid.” Ari starts to walk off.

“You’ll never find her. She went down a passage over by the city hall and-“ The colt slams his hands over his mouth and his eyes are as wide as dinner plates.

Ari smiles and makes his way back to city hall. From behind, he can hear the colt shout about how stupid he is about spilling such information. To the right of the building, Ari sees some pipe work that leads to the other side of town where they were letting the heroes travel in to defeat the Sewer Chaos King. Ari tiptoes across the pipes, watching each step so he doesn’t fall to his death.

Reaching the other side, he looks to see a line of heroes standing at the entrance to the sewer. Each one had a type of armor and weapon ready to face the Chaos King. In the back of the line he sees the mare he was looking for. She was drumming her fingers on her sword impatiently waiting for her turn.

“Hi,” Ari says with a smile.

She turns to Ari with a look of anger. “What are you staring at? Go away!” She gripped her rapier and was ready to draw the blade from its sheath.

“I-I just wanted to thank you f-for saving me.” Ari stammers and backs away from the obviously pissed off mare.

Rainbow relaxes at his words and releases her grip on the sword. “Did we meet before? I save a lot of ponies, kid, so I don’t remember all of them. Sorry, I don’t remember you.” She turns back and faces the line.

Ari just continues to stare at the beautiful mare in front of him. His eyes travel up and down her body. When he reaches her wings he can see they are starting to extend. You can tell how a Pegasus feels based on what their wings are doing and extending wings are a sign of embarrassment.

“Stop looking at me!” She shouts and her face has a slight blush.

Ari decides to cover his tracks. “I uh just wanted to know where you got your parasol from. It’s very colorful and matches your hair.”

“Where did I get my umbrella? Do you think I’m stupid or something?!” Her fury rises to the surface.

“AH! I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry!” Ari raises his hands to defend his head.

Rainbow Dash calms down realizing her mistake. “Oh no no no I’m sorry. I usually don’t get this mad. I have always been a bit on-edge ever since my days as an elite hero at the Hero’s University.” She gazes off into the sky, remembering all the good days at the university. All her friends and comrades she grew so close to in her short time there. Suddenly, she punches the wall next to her and starts to shake with rage. “Yeah, my life was going great until the horrible incident! Ever since then I’ve been looking for the guy who ruined my life. It has been a long journey and you can’t blame me for losing my cool every now and then.”

“Can’t really blame you for losing your cool if your life was turned upside-down by this guy,” Ari says to calm the mare.

A wicked smile spreads across Rainbow’s face. “Yeah, so now I finally found him. This sewer Chaos king must be the Chaos king that ruined my life! I can’t just sit here and wait for my turn, I need to get in there and deal with him now! There has to be a back route into the sewer somewhere in this town! Yes, there has to be! You must find it Rainbow! What am I waiting for? Let’s go!!” Rainbow races off into town.

Ari just stares after her. After several seconds he sighs. 

“She’s full of pep. I like her!” Discord’s voice startles Ari. He looks back to see the Chaos king with a megaphone. “Go get her, Ari! You can do it! You can get the mare! Give me an A! Give me an R! Give me an I! What’s that spell? ARI YAY!” Throwing confetti into the air, Discord disappears once again leaving an embarrassed pony behind.

> The Chaos Sewer King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Chaos Sewer King


“I told you we should have taken a left back there.” Discord is holding a map upside-down while he wears bottlecap sunglasses.

“Don’t you start that shit with me! This is your fault in the first place!” Ari shouts to his companion. They barrel through the sewers trying to avoid the minions of the sewer chaos king. Ari peeks over his shoulder to see the sizable rats closing in. His head whips forward and kicks it into high gear. “Why does this happen to me?”


-An hour earlier-


“I don’t see her, Discord.” Ari and Discord have been searching high and low for Rainbow Dash for the better part of an hour. “Any luck?”

Discord retracts from the sky. “Not even a feather. You sure this girl is worth all this trouble? You know we’re here to defeat the Chaos Sewer King and get my powers back, right?”

“I just want to thank her properly. You know, like some kind of reward?” Ari lifts a trash can lid and peers inside. He is greeted with the smell of rotting fruits and old baby diapers. He quickly closes the lids when he feels his last meal wanting to make a second appearance. “Ugh.”

“You already said thanks, what more could you do?” Discord summons up a shadowy easy chair.

“Well I don’t really have anything I can give her, so I guess, a meal.”

“Well good luck to you my scrawny friend, but first we have to-“

“Hey you!” A young voice calls out.

Ari looks around but sees nothing. “Did you hear something?”

With a snap of his talons a book appears in Discord’s hands. “Yeah, it sounded annoying. Let’s ignore it.” Ari continues his search, but the voice calls out again.

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” The voice calls out again.

With a sigh Ari turns to look for the owner of that voice. In front of him stood a small colt Pegasus with dark hair and a light gray coat. Next to him, another Pegasus--this one much skinnier, and around his neck sat a camera. “Can I help you two?” Ari asks.

“The names Rumble and this here is Featherweight. We were watching you look for something and we think we can help. Of course, we need something done in return.” Rumble offers.

“What exactly do you want?”

“Well as you know in this town there are two levels: upper and lower. I run the gang on the bottom level but those snobs on top made a gang in retaliation. We always have territorial wars with them, but they have taken it too far this time. They have started to sneak into our turf and have been putting up their marks all around.” Rumble explains.

“Where do I come in?” Ari asks.

“Simple, I want you to be a member of my gang and help us get them off our ground.” Rumble sticks out his hand.

Ari shakes his head. “Thanks but no thanks. I’ll find another way.” He turns to leave.

Featherweight gives Rumble a concerned look. “What do we do now, boss? The upper class has a new member and we don’t stand a chance against her. She’ll hit us with that umbrella if we get too close.”

Ari stops in his tracks. “Did you say umbrella?”

“Yeah, a rainbow colored umbrella. Don’t know why she’s carrying one--it’s not hot out today.” Rumble answers.

Ari spins around. “You know what, I changed my mind. I will help you with your problem.”

Rumble gives a questioning look. “What’s with the sudden change of heart?”

“Well if they got a new member then you guys need a new one too. It’s only fair.” Ari uses kindergarten logic.

“Hmmm…all right then let’s go!” Rumble motions for his two companions to follow.

“You dragged us into another annoying situation.” A voice hisses from Ari’s shadow. Ari just smiles and keeps on walking.


********


In an old warehouse Rumble gathers the members of his gang and plan how to take back their turf from the upper gang. Rumble stands on a makeshift stage with Ari behind curtains to hide his presence. “All right, ponies, time to get serious. The upper class has been coming down here putting up graffiti to cover ours and a new member is on their side. The new girl looks strong but we have a new member of our own. Please, let’s welcome Ari!”

Applause erupts as Ari walks out of the shadows to reveal himself. The room is filled with colts and fillies from all across the bottom level.

“He may not look as strong as the new girl, but I feel he will still be useful.” Rumble says, crushing some of the confidence Ari felt. The back door to the warehouse flies open, revealing two young earth fillies. One had a pink fur and a tiara sitting on top of her head, she was clearly the leader. The other has glasses and silver hair. Around her neck sit some pearls.

“Another strategy meeting, Rumble? Aren’t you tired of losing to me?” The pink filly says.

“Diamond Tiara and Silver spoon? What are you doing in here?” Rumble demands.

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re here to claim it for the upper gang. Now all you need to do is surrender.” Diamond Tiara offers.

Rumble slams a fist on his podium. “Never! The bottom gang will never surrender to you upper snobs!” Rumble raises a fist and all members of the gang cheer him on. All except Ari who does not like where this is going.

“Humph very well then, you leave me no choice but to bring out our newest member. Come on out newbie!” Diamond motions the shadows. Out steps a very depressed looking Rainbow Dash. Her shoulders are slumped and her fiery spirit seems to be cold.

“Did you need something boss?” Rainbow asks dejectedly.

“Yes I want you to show these low lives whose boss.” Diamond says and points to the bottom gang. Rainbow looks out at all the children looking at her. Her pride as a hero would never allow her to hurt children even if it helps her further her goal.

“Dream on Diamond Tiara! I have a new member of my own!” Rumble shoves Ari to emphasize his point. Ari is lost in a daze staring at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow’s eyes land on Ari and she remembers him well. She might have saved him before but now he stands in her way and he is not a child. She smiles at Ari.

Ari returns her smile unaware that in her head she has decided if they fight she will take him down.

“Then the challenge is accepted! May the sacred art of our fore fathers begin!” Tiara shouts. Rainbow cracks her knuckles and Ari’s eyes widen with the realization he has to fight Rainbow. He brings his fists up in a poor attempt to defend himself.

“Ready?” Rumble says. Rainbow gets ready to tackle Ari.

“Set?” Tiara replies. Ari shift his legs ready for impact.

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!!!” They shout in unison. Rainbow trips over her feet, and Ari falls to the ground in relief. Rainbow grumbles something about wanting a fight. Both approach each other and stick out both hands. They each form a fist and place the other hand underneath with a flat palm. They stare into each other’s eyes before bringing their fists down on their palms in the first of three blows. They chant the first word of the ritual as the fists make contact. The first hit stings as the blood rushes to the area, but without a second thought, the fists rise once more to the height they were before. They come crashing down on the palms, still recovering from the first blow. The palm begins to numb the pain to keep the battle going. The second word is chanted before the fists rise one more time into the air for the final strike. Each pony has made their decision on which form their fists will take in this final impact. A second later the fists come down for the last time. Rainbow sticks out two fingers to take the form of her choice. Confidence swells inside her before she notices what her opponent has chosen. In his palm rests the form she feared most of all, the only one who could possible defeat her choice. His fist sits there without taking another shape signifying his choice and it is the correct one. He raises his fist and taps her hand to show he has one. The battle is over and its victor chosen. It only lasts a few seconds so here it is in real time.

“Rock, paper, scissors!” Rainbow chooses scissors and Ari chooses rock.

“Way to go, new guy!” Featherweight shouts from the crowd of cheering ponies. Tiara and Spoon looked shocked at the defeat. Ari and Rainbow stand there awkwardly, as the little ponies cheer around them over the amazing battle they just witnessed.

“This isn’t over, Rumble! Come on, new girl!” Tiara and Spoon run out of the room while a very dejected Rainbow Dash plods after.

“Oh no you don’t! After them, new guy!” Rumble and Featherweight give chase, and a very confused Ari follows.


********


“How far have I fallen as a hero to do this?” Rainbow Dash shoves another box into place. She looks at her handiwork before returning to the room where her two associates wait. Air and his two companions enter the room.

“Curses! They used the box maze on us! We’ll never catch them now!” Rumble shouts.

Ari looks at the simplicity of the maze. Just by pushing one box, he could easily make a path. He walks over to the box in question and with a simple shoe, moves the box, revealing a path. “There, let’s go.” Ari dashes to the next room. Rumble and Featherweight stare in amazement of his ability to get through the daunting maze.

Ari bursts into the next room where the three girls try to get through a window. It seems they tried to get through the window all at once because all three were stuck in the frame.

“Move it, new girl!” Tiara shouts.

“Outta our way!” Spoon agrees.

“Tell me where the entrance is and I would be happy to let you go!” Rainbow fires back.

Ari stands there silently chuckling over the strange situation the hero and gang members have gotten themselves into. Ari then notices Rainbow’s jackets is up enough he can get a good look at the shorts clinging tightly to Rainbow’s butt. Her tail thrashes frantically and her wings flare in irritation unaware she has a stallion looking at her in a way she hates.

Rumble and Featherweight enter the room. They look around the room ready to fight when they notice the situation. The both clamp their hands over their mouths to try and mask their presence. They enjoy this scene for a few moments more before they can no longer contain their enjoyment. They fall on the floor laughing and tears roll down their faces.

“WHO’S THERE?!” All three girls demand.

“Oh don’t mind us. You girls are putting on quite a show.” Ari says. Rainbow Dash thrashes even harder than before and shakes herself loose. She plops to the ground kicking up a small cloud of dust. She spins and glares at Ari, who now regrets ever speaking up. The two others brush the dirt from their clothing.

“It’s over, Diamond Tiara. We won fair and square.” Rumble says. The smile never vanishes from his face and seeing the girls covered in dust makes his lips quiver with the threat of another round of giggles.

Tiara looks like she’s about to cry. Her eyes become misty. “Why are you so mean Rumble? We played all the time before but now all we do is fight.”

Rumble looks confused by her words. His speech becomes fast and stuttering. “Wa? I-I thought th-that…you challenged me! I-I-I won fair and square! Now you owe me territory!”

Tiara’s tears now spill out of her eyes and down her face, staining her dress. “You can be-be such an idiot!” she runs past the boys and out of the room with Spoon close behind. Ari and Rainbow stare after the poor girl with her heart broken by the thick head of a young male.

“Yeah, we sure showed them, huh new guy?” Rumble says elbowing Ari. Ari just looks down at the young fool unaware of what he has done. Ari is about to say something before Rainbow Dash walks up to Rumble. She smacks Rumble across the face. “OW! Hey, what are you doing?”

“You little idiot! How dare you treat a young girl like that! You should be ashamed!” She shouts her hands shaking with rage.

“Bu-bu-“ Rumble is cut off by Ari.

“You need to go apologize to her, Rumble. It’s not ok to hurt someone like that.” Rumble’s face contorts to a look of pain and he rushes out of the room after Tiara. Featherweight starts to follow but is stopped by Ari’s hand on his shoulder. “You promised me an entrance.”

“Oh, right. In the previous room, there’s a door that leads to the underground. Follow that path for a little while and you will find another door. Go through that and you will find stairs leading to the sewer.” Featherweight chases after his friend.


********


Ari follows Featherweight’s instructions and soon finds himself in the sewers of Neighdrill. “Ooooooo spooky.” The King of Chaos spoke after such a long nap.

“Nice of you to join me. Where were you back there?” Ari hisses.

“Oh you know, watching and taking notes on your actions followed by a nap. So, got a good view of her behind huh?” The shadow says and nudges Ari’s shoulder. Ari swings his body away.

“Knock it off. Let’s just get this guy and get your power back.” Ari peeks around another corner looking for their target.

“Ah don’t be such a spoilsport. I’m sure you earned a few brownie points back there.”

“Shut up. Are you even helping me look?”

“Of course I am. I’m making a map so we know where we have been. By the way, you’ve come this way three times already.” Discord says looking over his map made of squiggles.

“What? Why haven’t you told me?”

“You didn’t ask.” Discord replies with a toothy grin.


********


In the depths of the sewer was a makeshift door leading into a maintenance room. Inside was a collection of junk to make a habitable room. The room had large and small rats scurrying across the ground, carrying out the tasks they have been assigned. They will gather garbage to make furniture, or steal food to feed the entire group. On an old beat-up couch sits a young griffon girl. She plays with her wings while waiting for the next candidate for her army to show up, or at least her first one.

“Gah I’m so bored! Why isn’t anyone coming down here to join my army?” She shouts in frustration. For hours she has sat in her armor made from scrap metal, hoping to gather a sizeable force to start conquering the town above her, but so far, no one has approached her base. She is starting to lose her patience and her temper begins to flare. A rat approaches his master.

“Madam please be patient. I’m sure plenty of creatures want to join your powerful army but they just can’t find our base.” He explains. She glares at him.

“Why can’t they find it? I believe I told you to lead those who want to join to our base so they could sign up.” She shot back.

“Well I uh…” The rat began to fade back into the crowd of rats.

“Well something interesting better happen soon, or I’m gonna have to start making my own fun.” She leans back on her couch.

“AHHHHHHH!!!” A scream comes out of the sewer. At first, the griffon is shocked by the scream but then a smile appears on her face. Finally, something interesting is happening. She stands from her couch and strikes a pose. 

“All right, minions. Time to go to work. Go out and bring me whoever screamed.” The rats salute and leave the room to find the source of the scream.


********


Rainbow Dash turns another corner hoping she will find the Sewer Chaos king but is sadly disappointed when she just finds more pipes. “Well this is just great. I follow that guy into the sewer and I lose sight of him almost immediately. Now I’m just wandering in circles, trying to find my way. This is so not awesome!”

“AHHHHHHH!!!” A scream from within the sewer causes Rainbow’s fur to stand on end. Her knees shake a little, but soon she draws her sword. Her hero’s oath ringing loudly in her head, she rushes to the source of the noise.


********


“You got a nice set of lungs there, kid,” Discord says as he cleans one ear with his claw and it sticks out the other. Ari just continues to stop his way through the sewer, silently cursing his partner for his crazy personality and his own stupidity for agreeing to any of this in the first place. “Ah, come on, don’t be like that. Snow cone?”

Ari is about to tell off Discord when he notices a small movement in a shadow ahead. “Did you see that?”

“See what?”

“There was something ahead of us.” Ari points to the shadow where he saw the movement. Discord focuses on the spot where Ari points but doesn’t see anything.

“Probably just seeing things.” Discord looks back and sees a sight that makes him speechless. Ari still keeps focusing on the spot in front of them.

“I know something was there--I just know it. We should be careful anyways, never know when the Chaos King or his minions will show up.” Discord places a paw on Ari’s head and turns him to see behind him.

“Hello there, pony. You lost?” Says a large rat and behind him stands a huge mass of rats of various sizes staring at Ari and Discord. Ari motions Discord to lean down and he does.

“Run?” Ari whispers.

Discord nods. “Run.”

Off they go.