The 6 ponies who wield the elements of harmony have been captured by Discord! Can anyone oppose him?
The Mane 6 have been captured by Discord, after breaking free from the spell that had trapped him in the royal garden. The elements of Harmony are trapped, and Discords reign is only getting started.
Thomas is a high school graduate. While renting a place for him to live, he is rudely awoken by an intruder in the kitchen! But somebody better explain why this "Princess Luna" is talking, and we he must go with her to stop this "Discord."
Equestria and Earth are two entirely different places, that will never be the same again.
"Come on Fluttershy! Its not so bad!" a pink pony said, dancing to a yellow pony with a pink mane, who was curled up in a ball, sobbing.
"Let us out! You're taking the wrong ponies!" the cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane screamed at the guards who had imprisoned her, and 5 others. "I'm telling you! You need to let us out or Equestria isn't going to make it another week!"
The white one sobbed. "Rainbow, we've been locked in this hideous cell for 3 days with no chance of escape, and some of the worst hay I've ever eaten." She says. "Even Twilight has had no luck with the lock, let alone the guards under his spell, and she knows more spells than I daresay Princess Celestia does"
"Now wait just a second!" an orange pony piped up, "I don't care who you are, or what element you represent. We gotta remain strong for our Princess. She's our final hope now." There was a small hint in her voice that she'd given up, but she did her best not to show it. It seemed to work.
"I hope you're right girls," the lavender pony said, almost dejectedly, "I really hope you're right."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*CLANG!* *CLUNK!* *CLINK!*
Thomas woke up with a start. Was that a thief? In HIS apartment? The nerve of some people. He got out of bed slowly, not wanting to make a sound, and grabbed the nearest blunt object he could find in the darkness.
*CLUNK!* *CLING!* "Ahh! *THUD!*
Thomas didn't wait for a second opportunity. If this thief had fallen, this was his chance to get payback for breaking and entering, and possibly stealing. He wasn't the worlds most muscular 18 year old, but he wasn't a stick. He headed down the stairs and turned on the light, ready to attack at the first sign of aggression.
He didn't expect a pony to be in his home.
"HALT!" yelled the pony, who had been the reason for the noise. She was a dark blue in colour, with a picture of a moon on her flank, surrounded by black, sprawled out all over his kitchen floor, with a couple of saucepans stuck on her feet. If not for being an insane animal lover, this would be the funniest thing in the world to Thomas. And did it just tell him to halt?
Thomas couldn't believe his eyes. Or his ears. A talking pony. He could make a fortune! He was rich! He was...
"THESE TRAPS ARE VERY IRRITATING AND LOUD!" she yelled, once again. "IS THIS HOW THOU TREATS ROYA--" she looked up at him, and stopped. What in the hay was this thing? It was unlike anything else she'd ever seen in Equestria. In fact, was she even IN Equestria? All her sister told her to do was to get help, and after giving her some parchment with instructions, sent her off to Noponys land.
"Tra... irrita... whatta... huh?" Thomas was amazed. It WAS a talking pony. But not just any old pony, it was a Unicorn! At the same time, it was a Pegasus! It was a.... Unisus? Pegacorn? Some other word that is actually correct?
"WHAT IS THY NAME?" She asked him.
Thomas' ears were now ringing from the yelling at point blank distance. "M-My name is Thomas..." He said. "And please, keep your voice down. My neighbours are attempting to sleep."
"YOU HA- oh. Ahem. You have neighbours? How wonderful! Maybe we are in Equestria! But I've nev-"
"Equi-what?"
The pony sighed. "This is going to be a long night for everypony..." she said.
"So, let me get this straight," Thomas started. "You're a pony princess named Luna, who was sent here by your sister Celestia, also a princess, who is fighting a guy called 'Discord' as we speak. Your warriors wield the 'Elements of Harmony,' which are the only thing that can beat this guy, have been trapped in a dungeon because Discord played a trick on them?"
"Yes."
"And where do I fit in this, again?"
"I don't know," Princess Luna admitted, "But if my sister sent me to you, then surely you must know of something that can help?"
Thomas sighed. "I've never even heard of talking ponies, except on a girls show. And even then, They're not real, so then-"
"Are you saying I do not exist?" Princess Luna asked, taken aback by the statement.
"No no! Absolutely not!" Thomas exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, You woke me up because you were in the kitchen with my saucepans stuck on your feet, I mean, hooves. And now we're in my lounge room, having a chat on how we're going to stop a half pony, half goat, half snake, half lion, half eagle monster?"
"I do believe there are too many halves in your description of Discord, Thomas." Luna pointed out.
"Yeah well, I apologize, your highness, but I'm sorry. I just graduated from high school, I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed. You're better off finding somebody else."
"Tool in the shed? Somebody?" Luna was very confused at these words.
"Its a saying that we have. and somebody, as in, a person. Some other person."
"You humans and your strange language..." Luna commented.
Thomas sighed. "You're waiting for me to say 'Yes,' aren't you, Princess?"
Luna simply nodded. "Time is short. And I was told not to leave until you agreed to come with me, to Equestria."
"Well, I'll go get ready then. I'm not going to some strange land in my nightwear. And who knows how long it'll be before I'm back."
Princess Luna stayed quiet
"...I will be coming home again, right Luna?"
"Oh, of course. Once Discord is taken care of, we can send you back." she said.
Thomas heard the uncertainty in Princess Lunas voice. But she was a princess after all. Its not like you can just turn down royalty! How cold and heartless could Thomas be, to disregard a Princess' pleas for help.
"I'm going upstairs to get changed. I don't know whether you wear clothes where you're from, but as a person, we tend to keep our bodies hidden mostly." he instructed.
"Are humans that embarrassed of their own bodies?" Luna asked.
"No, its just etiquette for us not to walk around town naked." Thomas replied. "Stay down here. If you can figure out how to work the TV, feel free to use it, but remember, keep it quiet. My neighbours would still be asleep."
And with that, he dashed upstairs.
"Oh, one more thing!" Luna called out, "You can't enter Equestria as a human! You'll be too obvious! So..."
Lunas horn began to glow with a mystical light, and soon enough, a red smoke began to move from Lunas horn, upstairs, straight to Thomas' Room. He breathed it in, not seeming to notice any change in smell or even see the smoke. He'd just finished taking off his pants when he noticed that his back was starting to feel a little bit itchy. Intrigued, he took off his shirt to see what was going on.
There was a pattern of feathers on his sides. He panicked. "Luna? LUNA!? Help! Please!" There was no answer. Then....Pop! Pop! poppoppoppop! All of a sudden, the feathers popped out of his flesh. He imagined that normally something like that would hurt a lot, but evidently, something was holding the pain away. It was nothing more than numb. Sure, he felt the feathers coming out of him, but if anything, it was soothing. Like a cool summer breeze. He looked at the rest of his body. And it was a strange sight. He felt something tingling on his lower back, and upon investigation, a red ponies' tail began to grow. It grew, and grew, to go with the brand new pegasus wings that had just... grown... from his back. There was a sickeningly loud SNAP! and sure enough, Thomas' face began to bulge out to reflect a ponys face. Again, you'd expect bones breaking to be excruciatingly painful, but Lunas spell seemed to remove the entire pain feeling. Didn't stop the feeling that it should though, and to Thomas, that just felt awkward. There was a lot of awkwardness about the entire situation that he was in. Not just his face breaking, or the fact that he was getting a little shorter, and his ears moving up the side of his face. His questions weren't yet answered. Why would a pony princess with a horn and wings go after him specifically. If her sister is the one that sent her, why didn't she go instead of making her sister do it? And what DO you call a unisus pegacorn thing? That last one was an easy ask, but the rest just felt wrong.
Thomas felt that his change was over. Slowly, he walked over to a mirror, and couldn't believe what he saw in the reflection. He was a remarkable orange-to-red colour, with a slightly darker shade of red on his mane and tail. He tried to stretch out his wings, and noticed a tattoo style item on his flank. He turned to look at it. It was a Heart, that appeared to be standing in front of something else, as if defending it. Another heart, perhaps? He couldn't make it out.
Soon enough, the bedroom door opened, and Princess Luna stood in the doorway. "You humans have many strange rooms. I simply must come back one day to try some of the things inside!"
Thomas shook in fright, and anger. "What... What did you DO TO ME!?" He yelled, jumping at the princess. Soon enough, he realised he was trapped in the air, unable to move.
"Calm down, and I'll let you go." Princess Luna replied, rather calm. "We don't have too much time to talk. We need to move."
"And WHERE do you plan on taking me? To your Equestria? Need I remind you that I'm not a pony, and that I still think that I like my clothes and wallet? Two things a person should never leave home without!"
All of a sudden, there was a loud crash, coming from lounge. "He's here!" Princess Luna exclaimed, before taking a piece of parchment out. She began reading it intensely, dropping Thomas on the ground, in a mess of feathers.
He got up. "Who's here?" He said, half asking, half demanding.
"Oh my, It looks like the darker half of the two got to the human first! What a bother! I still won't let you get away from here you know!" Said a rather smuglike voice, coming from downstairs.
"Theres no time to explain, Thomas! We need to go. Now!"
Thomas picked up his wallet from the floor. If he was going to go naked, that would have to do, if where he was going didn't wear any, but theres no way in hell that he was going to leave without that wallet. "mmkah" He said, with the wallet in his mouth.
Princess Luna moved up to Thomas, placing a hoof on his back. Soon enough, Thomas felt as if he was floating. He took one more look around his room. In the corner, his laptop was left on, with a picture of his family as the desktop. Over there on his dresser was the last thing he ever received from his father, a letter telling Thomas how much he wished he would do something with his life. It was certainly one of the worst things that a father could give a son, but to Thomas, it was one of the things that he treasured the most. And by the door, a half pony, half goat, half snake, half lion, half eagle monster.
He looked straight at Thomas with pure hatred, before Luna had taken him far away from this place.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The pink pony was getting a little worse for wear, with all her dancing. Her mane had slowly deflated to about half of what it was, and she was looking a little bit sadder than her complete upbeat attitude earlier on. The cyan rainbow pony had stopped yelling at the guards, and instead glared at them with deep contempt. Fluttershy had started to mumble through her tears, and were barely audible. The lavender unicorn had gotten up from where she was before, and for the twentieth time, tried to pick the lock with her magic, this time, with support from the white one.
...click...
Instantly, hope began to fill up inside these ponies. The orange one got up, whilst the others got out of their way, and even Fluttershy moved. Then came the strongest kick that could ever have been made from a tired, famished, and very determined pony. The force of the kick knocked the guard ponies off their hooves, and knocked them out.
"Quick, Rainbow, You put that one in the cell, and I'll work on the other one." The lavender pony said to the cyan pony, as she levitated one of the two unconscious.
"Gotcha, Twilight!" she replied, dragging the remaining guard into the cell, and prompty shutting the door as she finished.
"Alright. Thats step one. The next step, Find Princess Celestia, and stop Discord!" Twilight said. an almighty "YEAH!" was heard soon after.
"Oh, thats so sweet. Looking for your precious Princess are you?" said a rather mocking voice.
"Discord!" Rainbow yelled.
"Oh, calm down, I just wanted to tell you that a certain Red pegasus was seen with Princess Luna. And if you want to see your precious Princess Celestia, I suggest you bring that pegasus to me, and I'll give full control to Princess Celestia again."
"Ah' know when someones lyin' and I gotta say thats gotta be the worst lie ah' heard anypony say!" Said the orange pony.
"Oh, Applejack, I don't think you realise what situation you're in. You represent the elements, but I have the elements. Even if I were to lie to you, this is the best option you have. Besides, I'm not the one you're after."
"And what makes you say that!?" Demanded Rainbow.
"Rainbow Dash, you simply must calm down. I'm warning you, this pony is much worse than I am. He doesn't belong here. He lived in a world full of chaos and now he's in your perfect world of Equestria. In fact, miss Fluttershy, I've not not mistaken, he's from a place where they kill animals and eat them, as pure recreational activity.
"He... He..." Fluttershy just sobbed at the thought of a pony deliberately harming another animal. Ponies aren't carnivores, so why would he eat them!? Thats just sickening!
"And Rarity, Dearest Rarity. This pegasus comes from a place where they simply must wear clothing. A most wonderous thing, so answer this question: Why would he come to Equestria without any clothing? Food for thought?"
"A place where they must wear clothes?" The white unicorn asked herself. "Well, I must say it does sound a little bit odd."
"Oh, Pinkie Pie, I might let you know, they also have a lot of parties over in that world of his, but would you believe me if they celebrated someponys death?"
Pinkie said nothing.
"Applejack, would you believe me if I said that some of the beings in that Pegasi's world make a living through lies and deceit? They have medicines that make people worse, and beings in that world make a living from it! Pure madness, and it just goes to show that you can't trust a word this pony says to you."
"Ah' can't believe that, Discord. How could anypony be so cruel to...." she fell silent.
"Oh and the marvelous Twilight Sparkle..." With those words, Discord finally revealed himself, "Would you believe me if I said he comes from a world without magic? They destroy the world to make things like moving photos that talk! They even have some that fit in your hoof! And if you touch it, it changes! All of it, without magic!"
"Well, it sounds a lot like magic, but there has to be a logical explanation for it all." Twilight replied. "You're forgetting one thing Discord. This pegasus is from another world. So obviously their world would be different to ours..."
"Twilight, its unlike you to forget the most important thing I've just said here. He's a Pegasus. He's nothing more than a pony like you. Clearly everypony else realises this fact as well."
"Well...."
"Look, just give it some thought. Tell you what! I'll even let Princess Celestia have control over Equestria for a few weeks. And look!" Discord clapped is hands, and the six Elements of Harmony fell at his feet. "Don't say I didn't do anything for you. All I ask, is for something in return. Capture this Pegasus for me in the same spell you used to trap me in, and I'll be out of your hooves forever."
"Ugh... where... where am I?" Thomas asked, a little dizzy from the spell. He'd thought he'd be used to all this magic now, with two teleports and a transformation into a... well... a pony! He got up of the ground and attempted to dust himself off with his newfound hooves. Those were going to take some getting used to.
"What is going on here?" said Luna, in a mix of uncertainty and worry, "My sister was fighting Discord, and the one who wield the elements of harmony were trapped in the cells below my castle! This doesn't make any sense, did they beat them?"
"Oh, I expect better from you, Princess. You should know that I don't make sense." As if called by name, Discord appeared right in front of Thomas and Luna. Having seen the monster enough times to know he was trouble, Thomas simply glared at him. "Oh! And I see you've brought the human with you. Clever disguise too, but you should know the laws against this sort of thing."
"Don't tell me about our laws, Draconequus. My sister and I took Equestria off you a millennia ago!" Luna said, matter-of-factly, as she fired a spell hurtling towards Discord.
He deflected it with a single claw, shooing it away as if it were a fly. "Luna, you were never as good at magic as your sister. What makes you think you can fight me if 'Little Miss High and Mighty Princess Celestia' failed to bring me down? You're incredibly out of your league." Discord said, "And so are you." He added, directed straight to Thomas.
"Thomas, you need to flee from here. I'll hold him off, "said Luna. "Find Twilight Sparkle. She lives in the town library. She'll be able to help you. And don't tell anypony that you're human, except for her. Otherwise, You'll be in worse trouble than you already are. Now run!"
Thomas nodded, he picked up with wallet, and fled the scene.
"CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!" Luna yelled, "ENTER THY HOMES AND STAY INDOORS FOR 2 HOURS! IF THOU COMES OUT, THOU SHALT BE IN DANGER!"
"Oh, I love your Royal Canterlot Voice." Mocked Discord. "Its the perfect scare-tactic. Able to be heard for miles! And all its good for, is barking orders."
"You dare insult the Royal Canterlot Voice!?" Demanded Luna, firing a stronger blast from her horn.
Discord deflected spell after wasted spell, and he could tell Luna was starting to get tired. It wouldn't be long now. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Nightmare Moon."
"The only reason I was tainted was because of you!" Luna yelled, firing a stronger blast than before. It spun around, and hit Discord in the back of the head, jolting him a little, and staggering him slightly forward. "Hah! I was getting worried for a moment."
Discord just rubbed his head. "Oh dear, you've given me a headache. Well, I suppose I'd better return one in kind." He smiled, teleporting onto Lunas back. "Your precious elements are working for me. I've tricked them yet again! I am unstoppable, and your foolish prophecies won't work this time."
Luna bucked him off. "Y-you dare get onto MY back?" She exclaimed, furiously.
Discord teleported again, this time making himself a lot smaller. "Oh dear, Am I getting in your hair?" He said, before teleporting out of there. "I've had enough games. I won't be so lenient as your sister. This time, you broke a law, and I think its time for an adequate punishment. Perhaps eternity on the moon?"
"You wouldn't!" Luna cried.
Discord laughed. "Wouldn't I? You know how much I love ironic punishment" He smirked, before clicking his fingers. "Arrivederci. If you get close to the Sun, say hi to Celestia for me." And with that, he was gone, laughing.
"No! No! No no no no NO NO NONONONONOOOOOOO!" Luna screamed, as Discords magic spiralled around her, picking up pace and slowly lifting her up, up and away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thomas slowed down to a trot. Lunas scream would forever haunt him. What pers... pony... wouldn't? Tears began to well in his eyes, as he realised the most important thing since he arrived in Equestria.
He'd lost his only friend to a being he was meant to help defeat.
He regained composure half a minute later. This was no time to cry and feel sorry for himself. Princess Luna sacrificed herself for him. He had to repay his debt. No matter the cost.
Suddenly, a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane flew down to the ground. "What are YOU doing here huh? And why didn't you listen to Princess Luna and go inside your home, HUH?" she yelled.
Thomas was taken aback by the yells, and dropped his wallet once again. This pony could do well in learning manners. "I'm sorry. I was told to find a pony for Princess Luna. Her names Twilight Sparkle. Do you know her?" Thomas asked.
She huffed. "Sure, I know Twilight, but I ain't taking YOU to her." She said, walking up to him
Thomas took a step back, with every step that this new pony took. "Its really important that I see her. I haven't been told much, and I was told to seek her out an-"
"SEEK HER OUT?" The pegasus yelled. "YOU'RE NOT 'SEEKING OUT' ANYONE. ESPECIALLY NOT ANY OF MY FRIENDS."
"W-what?"
"You heard me. You have two choices, go home, or we'll make sure you go home." she growled.
"I can't go home."
"And why can't you?"
Thomas gulped. He knew his only chance was to tell this pegasus, but then he'd be disobeying a Princess.
He looked down at the ground. "I... I can't tell you. I'm only allowed to tell Twilight Sparkle. Princess Luna told me not to trust anybody except her."
"Anybody?" The pony asked.
"Oh. Umm. Anypony. Sorry, I'm new to town."
"And you're NOT welcome here." she growled, before flying away.
"H-Hey!" Thomas called out, but she was flying pretty fast.
Well, It was certainly not the best way to start his flying lessons, but this pegasus knew Twilight, and she was his only chance. He picked up his wallet from the ground, making a metal note to try and invent some kind of dustproof leather when he got home, and took off.
Oh man. This was hard! Not only was he fighting the wind, but this was his first time flying! It did feel pretty good, to be up in the sky though. But enjoying the thermals and the feeling of freedom would have to wait. He had to catch this cyan pegasus!
She looked back. "Oh, So you can fly? I thought those wings were painted on. Lets see how fast you can REALLY go!" She yelled, picking up the pace.
Thomas was taken aback. Shes FAST! But he had to be faster. He flapped harder and harder, dodging clouds and keeping an eye on her the entire time. But soon came to a conclusion. She was too fast, but she was focusing too much on speed. if he could somehow get her close to something, she'd be a mess of tangled wings and mane. He slowed down just a little, and kept an eye on her.
She turned her head. "Whats the matter? Too fast fo- Argh!"
Not paying any attention to where she was going, she went headfirst into a signpost.
"Are you okay??" Thomas asked, flying as fast as he could to the pegasus. "Hey, wake up!"
The pegasus had knocked herself out cold.
"Well... horseapples." Thomas said, trying to sound like one of these other ponies. the replacement for coarse language sounded right. Now he just had to remember to replace the word "body" with "pony" and he should he okay.
Thomas kneeled down and lifted the pegasus onto his back. "If this doesn't earn your respect, I don't know what will" Thomas said to himself. He headed for the first building he saw, which was... a tree? Thomas didn't even bother questioning it anymore. He'd seen mutants, pegasi, ponies, unicorns, and magic. Magic! He knocked on the door. "Hey, I wonder if a dragon will answer," Thomas spoke to the pegasus, which didn't respond for obvious reasons.
The door opened, and Thomas actually didn't expect a dragon to open the door. "Hi ther- Is that Rainbow Dash?" He exclaimed.
"Who?" Thomas asked, then it hit him. Rainbow mane. Very fast flier. Duh. "Oh! I guess so. She didn't tell me. If anything, she was quite rude."
"Yeah, thats the element of Loyalty for you. She thinks she's a threat, she'll go for your throat." The dragon responded.
"A... threat?" Thomas wondered aloud. Why would he be a threat to anypony? Something didn't add up. "Oh, I guess so. I mean, I'm new to town, and I was asked by Princess Luna to speak to a pony called Twilight Sparkle."
"Coming!" Said a voice upstairs, as if called.
"Come on in, mister." Said the dragon.
"Thank you." replied Thomas, before entering the home.
The dragon closed the door behind him, seemingly a little bit afraid.
Thomas had a look around the home. Well, to be honest, it wasn't a home at all. This was most definitely a library. Books upon books upon books lay in boofshelves, all recently dusted and looked after. Not a single scratch on any of the spines.
"Do you mind if I take a look?" Asked Thomas.
"Go ahead," replied the dragon. "Just don't mess up the order. I spent all morning on those."
"I'll bare that in mind. Thank you."
Thomas walked over to the bookshelf. The names of the books were amazing. "How a cockatrice works," "Mare in the Moon" "Celestia Vs The Draconequus." Thomas took the book out, which was a pain considering he now had hooves, and began to read, before it was levitated up and back onto the shelf.
"I thought you'd show up here." Twilight said. "And to think you'd hurt my friends just to find me. You won't get away with this."
"Wh-what?"
"I heard all about you from Discord. All about your kind. You're a disgrace."
"Discord?"
"The others will be here soon, we'll make sure Equestria is safe again."
"I-I didn't do anything! Rainbow crashed into a sign! I was told to find you by Princess Luna!"
"And what proof do you have, that you were sent by the princess?"
"To be honest, I have none. But I can tell you more about me and where I'm from, if you believe me."
Twilight looked deep into Thomas eyes. She was beautiful, Thomas thought, but she was a pony, and he was a human trapped in a pegasi body."
Twilight stopped her glare. "You've got 10 minutes to tell me everything. Don't do anything in that time" she said.
There was a fair bit of aggression in her voice. Thomas knew this was his only chance to explain himself.
"Well, first things first." Thomas started, "My name is Thomas, and I'm a human from Earth."
When Thomas had finished, there were mountains of paper, empty ink bottles, and broken quills. And through it all, there was one thing that could be seen from a mile away.
"I can't BELIEVE Discord tricked us! Again! He tricked us, once, and now he's done it again! He's tricked us again!" Twilight exclaimed, in total disbelief.
"I got it the first time." Thomas replied. "He tricked you. But I have questions I'd like answered myself. In case you forgot those photos in my wallet, I'm not a pegasus. I don't know your world."
"Oh. Umm, sure. Go ahead." said a rather sheepish Twilight.
"Well, I'm going to start with the most important question I have; Why am I here?"
"Well, thats an easy one!" Said Twilight, "Princess Luna teleported you here!"
"Thats not what I meant, and you know it."
"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood. I should leave that to Pinkie, I guess..."
"You're getting sidetracked."
"Sorry."
Twilight got up and looked through her shelves. Thomas seized this opportunity to get the book that Twilight took away from him earlier. "Mind if I try and help?"
"Feel free."
Thomas opened the book to the first page.
Before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled Equestria, there was one Draconequus that loved the feeling of Disharmony, and saw it as a perfect world. Pegasi swam in water, Earth ponies walked on clouds, and Unicorns didn't even know what magic was. It was truly a world that made no sense. The being of Disharmony was named Discord.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, the last remaining Alicorns in all of Equestria, created the strongest magic known to ponykind, the Elements of Harmony, to seal Discord in stone. This would only last as long as either princess was in complete control of the elements, before Discord would be able to escape.
"Well, that explains the 'What is Princess Luna' question I had. An Alicorn, huh?" Thomas thought to himself.
Obviously, he'd been reading and pondering aloud, because Twilight was just staring at him. "You have an amazing reading voice." She said.
Thomas blushed. "Well, I do pride myself in my English. I got full marks in my final exam for it."
"Oh. Thats right. You humans and your exams. So different to ours."
"We live in completely different worlds. There is bound to be differences." Thomas pointed out.
"Oh, Yes. Of course." Twilight said. "Oh yeah! I found this while you were reading that book. Perhaps you'd be VERY interested in it" she added, using her magic to levitate a book over to Thomas.
"...The legend of the Bravehearts?" Thomas asked.
"Its an old ponytale," Twilight admitted, "But we learnt that sometimes ponytales can be true. I know I learnt that when we had to fight Nightmare Moon."
"Well, if you think it'll help, I'll take a lo-"
Suddenly, the front door opened, and 4 ponies jumped right onto Thomas, flinging the book away.
"Girls!" Twilight shouted.
"What'd you do to ah' friend, ya' lyin brute?!" The orange pony demanded.
"Why would you party over somepony dyin' huh?" The pink pony followed suit
"How c-could you k-kill and e-eat animals?" asked the very timid yellow pegasus
"Where are your clothes, you ruffian!?" Demanded the white one.
"GIRLS! Get off of him! Discord lied to us!" Twilight exclaimed
"No, Twilight. Ah' saw 'im chasin' Rainbow around tha' sky. I saw 'im take her somewhere too."
"Applejack, He brought Rainbow Dash here. He helped her after she passed out!"
"T-then why would he throw a party when somepony goes away?"
"Pinkie, They're not parties to celebrate death. They're parties to celebrate their life!"
"And his clothes, Twilight? You can't explain everything, you know."
Thomas piped up, "Actually, I do have my leather wallet just sitting over there. Its not much, but its at least some kind of clothing, I guess."
"And killing animals? T-Thats WRONG!" The yellow pegasus stared straight into Thomas' eyes, and he felt so cold, so alone, so terrified. He broke out into a cold sweat, and started to shake out of pure fear and adrenaline, though he couldn't move an inch. Who knew that eyes were capable of murder?
"Fluttershy, He has never killed anything! Please, stop with your stare. You know how powerful that is. Remind me to run some tests on that one day" Twilight added.
"Oh, dear! I'm so sorry. I was just so angry that I didn't realise. I'm glad I know the truth. I'm so sorry." Fluttershy said, apologising again and again.
"Its fine. Don't worry. I can promise you, I've never killed an animal, nor wanted to!" Thomas said. Never mind the fact he LOVED a medium to well-done steak every now and again, and chicken breast. That was NOT the thing to bring up around herbivores. "I guess the only pony I need to win the trust of now is Rainbow Dash, right?"
Applejack nodded. "Ah' wish ya' luck. She ain't the most trustin' o' ponies 'round these parts."
"She'll come around, and then we can throw a welcoming party! Oh! Oh! And an apology party! A Double party!"
"Erm... Pinkie," Thomas interrupted, but the others shook their heads. "I'd... love to join in on one of your parties?"
Soon, an evil cackle was heard around the room. "Aww, I love parties! Can I join in too?"
"Discord!" Thomas and Twilight said in unison.
As if being called, he magically appeared in the library. "Oh, look at the lovebirds!! I'm so glad that you've been brought up to speed. At least now I'll be able to have some fun. although I'm still very saddened by your betrayal, Twilight and co."
"Betrayal?" Thomas asked.
"Oh? You didn't know? Well, allow me to enlighten you. They were to bring you to me. And look! Here they are! Here I am!"
Twilight walked up to Discord. "You're forgetting what you just said. You said that you were upset that we betrayed you."
"Tha's right! Don't you use your words to mutter this issue, Ya hear?"
The other ponies were sticking up for Thomas, and he couldn't believe it. Until minutes ago, they were going to give him to this thing.
"Aww, isn't this a touching sight? The group of big, scary girls defending a poor, defenseless little boy. Well, I see that I'm not going to get that human the way I intended, so I guess I'm left with no other choice."
With a click of his fingers, Rainbow Dash appeared, floating in her sleep, being held up by magic.
"This is your final chance, ponies. I'm not going to tolerate this any more. You have one week to give this human to me."
"Or else what? Whaddaya goin' to do with Rainbow?" Applejack asked.
Discord laughed. He laughed for a good two to three minutes, and then his face became serious, for this first time in a millennia.
"I'll kill her."
And with a click of his fingers, both he, and Rainbow Dash, had disappeared.
The library was quiet. Nopony had any idea what to do. And even Pinkie was at a complete standstill. Something that Twilight assured Thomas was thought of never being possible.
Thomas got up. "I'll do it." he said, grimly. "I'll give myself to Discord."
"Sugarcube, that ain't gon' help nothin'" Said Applejack. "This is Discord. He ain't gon' give Rainbow back if you give ya'self to 'im."
"Darling, I appreciate the gesture, and I'm sure Rainbow would too, but he plays by his rules." Rarity added.
Thomas sighed. Was this it? Had they truly lost? Rainbow was the Element of Loyalty, and without her, the remaining 5 elements would cease to work.
"I... I'm going for a walk, said Thomas, walking outside. Nopony seemed to notice that he'd taken his wallet with him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Rainbow... Raaaainbowwww... Wake up, Rainbowww..."
A very groggy Rainbow Dash barely opened her eyes. "Ugh... wh-where am I?" She asked, rubbing her head.
"Aww, Rainbow doesn't know where she is?"
Suddenly, Discord appeared, holding a bowl of chickpea soup, and offered it to Rainbow. He was tearing up a little bit, and sniffling every so often.
"Discord?"
"I-I'm sorry Rainbow. You were the only one I could save before he got to the Library. He left you lying out there, with such an awful bump."
"S-save? What'd that guy do to my friends!?"
"Not just your friends... but... A-ALL OF PONYVI-HI-HILLLLE!!!" Discord broke into tears, and appeared to be absolutely hysterical.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Easy, big guy. What did that pegasus do? Tell me!"
"V-very well..." said discord, in the midst of sniffling and crying, as he clicked his fingers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Discord and Rainbow appeared over a devastated Ponyville. The library was burnt down, the Carousel Boutique was nearing collapse, Fluttershys Cottage was in ruins, and what looked like...
"No... No..." Rainbow said, walking over to Twilight.
Bites and hoofmarks were visible all over her body. She was barely breathing, and was struggling to get up.
"C'mon Twilight, I'll help you." Said Rainbow, as she tried to nuzzle herself underneath Twilights belly, but just went straight through her.
"Rainbow," said Discord, "I'm sorry, but this is just after I saved you. I couldn't do anything for her."
Soon, a red pegasus appeared, with deep red eyes, and an evil grin.
"I don't want to see this again!" Cried Discord, shielding his eyes.
Rainbow stepped back, and glared at the pegasus, which took no notice of her. He walked straight over to Twilight, and whispered in her ear. What? What'd he say? But it wasn't important now. He got up onto his hind hooves, and came straight down again.
"T-Twilight..." sobbed Rainbow. "No..."
He looked down at Twilight, and laughed. Then, he turned around, and laughed even harder. The next place he was headed to? Sugarcube Corner.
"I... I'm so sorry, Twilight" cried Rainbow. She moved close to her again, and sobbed on her lifeless Unicorn body. "I'm so sorry, Twilight!"
Discord turned away from Rainbow, and laughed silently to himself. This was his best prank yet! Nopony could have mistaken that for one of his famous illusions.
Rainbow got up again. She'd stopped crying. "I'm going to Ponyville." She said.
"R-Rainbow!" exclaimed Discord, putting his poker face back on, "You can't! He's still there!"
"Then thats even more of a reason to go." She said. "I'm the Element of Loyalty, and I'll remain true to that. I want my revenge. For Twilight, For Pinkie, For Scootaloo, Everypony."
"B-but he's too strong, Rainbow! At least wait."
"And why should I wait?" Rainbow said, angrily. "He's a monster! He'll stop at nothing until Equestria is just like where he's from. You said it yourself. He kills for fun."
This was backfiring on Discord fast. He had to think. Think! And then...
"So I can train you in my ways. He's too strong for me, but if it was you and me..."
Discord clicked his fingers, and a Rainbow coloured horn mysteriously appeared on Rainbows head. Instantly, Rainbow howled in what sounded like pain, but instead, it was knowledge. Discord was teaching Rainbow Dash everything he knew, in seconds.
And finally, Rainbow stopped. And she laughed.
"If its you and me, Discord," She said, "we just might win."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Without either princess, the day had lasted for 3 times as long as it should've. And now, everypony was taking notice. Some had even wondered what connection Thomas had to it all. He was the newest member of the town, and the moment he arrived, was when everything turned sour.
But Thomas didn't care. All he wanted right there and then, was isolation. And thats exactly where he was headed. Without a second thought, he walked straight into the Everfree Forest, and instantly, he was reminded of home. Looking directly up, the clouds moved freely, and he could actually hear thunder. He stopped. There was nobody near him, so he opened his wallet, and looked for one photo. With a little bit of trouble, thanks to his hooves, he finally got it out.
"Dad, you were right," He said, "I am a failure. Not only did I fail you, and mum, but now I've even failed my new friends. I'm a disgrace."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An 8 year old Thomas sat with his aunt, in the cemetery. Two coffins were wheeled in. Nobody needed to say anything. They knew who was in there. No one more than Thomas himself.
Once everyone had been seated, one person came up to the stand.
"Good evening everybody. My name is Terry, and I will be in charge of these proceedings this evening," They began.
"We are gathered here, to not only mourn the loss of Mr and Mrs Heart, but to remember and celebrate their life, and to look after who they left behind. As Mr Heart frequently said, "Today is not the last day we see each other, and a reunion will always happen in the end." Let us take a brief moment, so let these words sink in."
There was a deafeningly loud silence, as everyone looked down. It lasted for an eternity, but it lasted even longer for Thomas.
"As shocking as it is, their son was a witness in the unfortunate tragedy that claimed their lives. No. He is no longer a witness. He is a victim of the dangers of alcohol, and how it claimed both parents. Their new stationwagon was unrecognisable after it was wrapped around the tree, and it was a miracle that young Thomas survived that wreck."
"Since the police have released their statement, I'm sure you know that the reason for their deaths was due to Mr. Hearts Blood-alcohol limit being a staggering nine times over the legal limit, as well as the speed that he was driving at. Let this be a reminder to everybody, that speed and alcohol doesn't mix, and can cause a lifetime of pain and suffering for not just those directly involved, but those indirectly involved."
"Would anybody like to speak up, and say a few words?" Terry asked those in attendance. One man stood up, and made his way to the stand.
"Good evening everyone. I was Roys brother, and first on the scene when I heard the news."
"We all know that Roy loved a drink. But we also know how he let it consume him, just as much as he consumed it. He eventually because a puppet to the drink. Becoming nothing more than a shell. I won't tell you about the scars he has brought upon his wife and child, but I will tell you that he never listened to doctors. I mean, They were only doctors, what did they know?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm so sorry, mum. I'm so sorry, dad." Thomas sobbed.
"I had no idea, Thomas. I'm so sorry." Said a voice from behind.
Thomas turned around, and rubbed his eyes. "T-Twilight...?"
She walked up to him, and nuzzled him, in a bid to comfort him. "I don't know how you could've survived without your parents as a filly. It must have been hard."
Thomas merely nodded. "I-It wasn't the easiest thing." He admitted. He hated the fact that Twilight felt sorry for him, but at the same time, he was grateful. "My aunt and uncle didn't really do much for me. They took me in, and they fed me, but it was hard work, on the farm."
"You used to live on a farm?"
"Yeah, until recently. I'd only just started renting out a small apartment, before Princess Luna came and brought me here."
Twilight nuzzled closer again to him. His heart skipped a beat, but something was wrong. First off, he wasn't a pegasus. He was a human being! Twilight was born here. He wasn't. It would never work. His father would be ashamed. He got up.
"Sorry, I'm just feeling a little bit uncomfortable." He said. It was the truth, yet he had also lied. It was a strange feeling, to be so truthful, and such a blatant liar, all in one sentence.
Twilight nodded, as if she understood. "Lets head back to the library," she suggested. "Why don't you tell me more about your family on the way?"
Thomas didn't feel like going anywhere, but he still felt safe around Twilight, so he relunctantly agreed. However, nothing was said during the walk back.
Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who has given critiques, or praised this fiction. Truly, The support is overwhelming. I love you guys, and while I know its only a couple of people, its that couple of people more than normal who appreciate it. And that makes me happy as a person. I know I'm not the best writer, but you're helping me get better, and thats definitely the best gift of all; and its near Christmas! Which reminds me, Merry Christmas to all. (Note End)
It had been 24 hours since Rainbow was taken by Discord. There was still nothing that could be said. Still nothing that could be explained. Nothing made sense, and everything outside was slowly becoming chaotic. Discord had changed all the dirt paths into sap, all the trees had been petrified, and he'd finally taken control of the Sun and Moon, much to everyponys dismay.
Thomas, Twilight, and the rest of the group walked outside, and watched as Discord toyed with the Sun and Moon. They gulped, as the Sun fell, and then rose.
And fell.
And rose.
And fell again.
And then rose once more.
"Times up, my little ponies..." the familiar voice echoed, as Discord appeared in front of them. "...What do you plan on doing now? Are you going to give up the human, or are you going to be disloyal to the Element of Loyalty?" He sneered.
"We'll never let you have 'i-"
"I give in." Thomas interrupted Applejack. "I won't let Discord take Rainbow. His threats are inhumane and wrong, but you've known Rainbow Dash for a lot longer than you've known me." He took a couple of steps forward. "I let my parents down, but I won't let my new family down." He turned back and smiled at them all. "I'll miss you all, And thanks for everything, Twilight Sparkle." He smiled, knowing full well, he may never see these ponies, or home, ever again. A tear formed in his eye, and it eventually fell, as if time stood still around it.
The girls said nothing. Nothing could be said. Discord had won. They had lost. Equestria had lost. So why was Thomas grinning from ear to ear? Had he gone mad?
Nothing else could be said or thought about, because just a few seconds later, Discord took himself, and Thomas, far away...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow Dash, or whoever that pony was, paced in a room, waiting for Discord to show up. Her heart wasn't pure anymore, and one thing was for sure, she was in the deepest spell that had ever been cast upon her. Discords trickery made Rainbow a very cold pony, and to whoever had her, a great and powerful ally. Normally she'd be flying around and working on some new trick to show off to the Wonderbolts, but not now. She had one thing on her mind. And one thing only.
Revenge.
Discord appeared a few minutes later, giving Rainbow more time to think about just how this Pegasus would get his Just Desserts. "So, when can I show Twilight my thanks?" she said, coolly.
Discord shivered. He'd created a monster that was just as powerful, if not more powerful, than he was. "When would you like him? He's my gift to you, in honour of our new partnership."
Rainbow turned to Discord. "We're not partners." She hissed. "I don't want anything to do with you. This isn't for you: This is for Twilight. For Rarity. For everypony. The whole of Equestria."
Discord sweated a little. Rainbow was still as loyal to Equestria and her friends as ever before, if not moreso since he played his trick. It was backfiring fast, and he knew he had no control over this snowball of a plan. Nor any way to fix it. All he had, was to hope that the human could fix this. But then he'd come after him! But if she succeeded in defeating him, she'd find out about his lies and deceit, and then she'd be after him too! This was worse than stone imprisonment. He was forced into stone imprisonment. He's put himself in stone this time. And this time, there would be no breaking out.
Rainbow turned her back on Discord. "I want him now. Let him fall victim to a few pranks before I make him relive what he has forced everypony else to endure."
"O-of course. Expect him in a few moments." Discord said, before teleporting out.
Rainbow looked outside a Canterlot castle window and sighed. She knew this wasn't what anypony would want her to do, but what choice did she have? The answer was simple: none. She was backed against a wall.
"He will not stop." she said to herself, softly. "He'll keep going on his rampage. Only Discord and I can stop him."
Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding light, and Rainbow turned to look.
There was one pony looking straight at her. A pony she thought she'd never see again.
"T-Twilight...?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Wake up. Now." Discord said, shaking the cage.
Thomas opened his eyes to find himself suspended in midair and surrounded by metal bars. He tried to get up, but found there was not enough room for this. He sat back down and just glared at Discord. "Remind me when I beat you, to never eat caged chickens eggs when I get home."
Discord snickered. "I love how determined you are. But its too late for you now. Rainbow is going to have so much FUN with you, and I can't WAIT to hear what she does" he said, smiling.
Thomas gulped. He had no idea what could happen, but he remembered the one thing that Applejack told him. "This is Discord, An' e plays his own rules." One thing was for sure. He was NOT going to like what was going to happen next.
Discord laughed. "Lets not keep the future ruler of equestria waiting!"
and with that, he took himself and Thomas away once more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainbow sat, eating a cupcake. She knew the plan. But she had to play along. Just wait for Discord to show up.
Just. Had. To wait.
"Whats taking him to long!?" Rainbow demanded to herself.
"A-apologies!" Came a voice from behind. "Somepony didn't want to come quietly!"
Rainbow looked down at the pegasus with a smirk. "Hello there. Remember me? I think you do. Oh? This thing on my head? Its just the bump you caused me. But trust me, you'll wish you had this by the time I'm done..."
Thomas could do nothing. He was trapped in a cage. He just stared. "I-I don't want to hurt anypony" he sobbed. Wait, did he just say 'anypony'?
Rainbow Dash picked up on the wording too. But she stayed in character. She had to. She turned to Discord. "Leave us," She ordered, "I don't want you do see what I do to him..."
Discord smiled, in both happiness and fear. He nodded, and soon teleported, his infamous laugh rang though the castle, before finally becoming silent.
Without any warning, Rainbow used her newfound horn for the first time, and removed the cage, allowing Thomas the freedom to move around. "I don't have too much time to tell you anything, but first things first," she said,