> Power of Discord > by Jesusophile > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Sprial > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The days seemed to pass by in seconds. His determination kept his mind off life, the world, his sorrow. His memories were blank and his hooves stained with mud and black. He was a husk, a sad reminder of the Unicorn he once was and now he was a tool of chaos and murder. He limped on, knowing his next destination but not realizing how low he has been brought down. > The Bargain > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The times of old were drawing to a close. The ponies, led by Princess Celestia and her sister Luna, have founded the nation of Equastria. Indeed, a new era dawned but outside the peaceful land, was the domain of a demon. Banished by the princess of the day and the lady of night, he sought his own kingdom to shape as he saw fit. A lone pony could be seen traveling through the domain of chaos. He sought the power to obtain order in his existence and for his love. He knew his destination and the power that was inside it. Order is born from control and control comes from chaos and he knew this. He was young and handsome with a light gray coat, a very long black mane that hung in strands, and a horn that was barely visible. He had green eyes and looked very fit. A cloak covered his back and his cutie mark but he did not have his hood on. A feeling of sorrow hung around him like a shroud. He had nothing but his journey ahead, he had nothing behind. He walked on. He traveled the old roads; paths long forgotten and have slid into decadence. The evergreen trees that once filled the lands were now scattered stumps and layers of ash. He passed by fields of lava, the darkness of shadows, valleys of rainbow colored boulders that looked ridiculous. However they were still dangerous as one fell and nearly crushed him. The land varied from looking like a children’s book to something out of a horror movie and never the same thing twice. It was a land that resembled a checker board but with no repeated colors. Dragons occasionally flew overhead though they never stopped flying. The pony approached steps. He could not see the end of the upward climb. Without hesitation, he moved forward. After a tedious climb, he reached a summit. Beyond him was a temple. Craved into stone, it was a sight like no other. Great pillars stood high above, each with a shape and pattern unlike the others. The pillars held an arch which stretched across the sky blocking the sun. He ventured into the entrance hall in which the only light was a small candle further in. The candle was only a few steps away and the light that came from it was the only refuge from the dark. He trotted forward, his hooves making a small noise that turned into loud acoustic echoes. "Well, what do we have here?" Beams of light sprang from every corner shining towards an fountain. The fountain was surrounded by walls, forming an enclave. Eight statues of varies creatures stood against the walls, pointing inward towards the fountain. The pony walked forward without fear. “Step right up, don’t worry. I won’t bite.” A shapeless vapor appeared, hovering slowly above the fountain. It’s voice was piercing and made it seem as if he mocking his “guest”. “Would you care for refreshments? How about some wine?” Dark red liquid poured out of the fountain. The unicorn, emotionless, watched on. “No? Would you like some chocolate milk? A milky brown fluid started to flow from the fountain. Still, the unicorn stayed silent. “What’s the matter? You ignore my hospitality but I have not yet introduced myself. I am Discord. May I ask for your name?” After a brief pause, the unicorn spoke. “My name is Wander and I have come for your help.” Discord paused then laughed, “But we just met; we should spend some time together first. Maybe we could play hopscotch or tag.” “I have been told that you have great power.” At the end of the word power, the mist turned red. “I once had power but those fools cast me down!” The vapor’s sudden anger startled Wander but he did not change his expression. “I have little strength now. As for helping you, I would if I could but I can’t.” Wander said nothing. “Uh you are an absolute bore.” The vapor lazily moved towards Wander’s left side. “You know what; if you help me then maybe I will help you.” To which Wander automatically responded as if he knew what to say before he said it “What do you need?” The vapor hovered back to its original position. “I have some errands that need to be run and since you’re here, you can do them. Don’t worry, they’re not hard. Well actually, they are hard but that’s beside the point. If you do them, I might be able to help you but before you go. What is your request?” Wander paused, and then said. “I want to have order” Discord Laughed “You mean you want freedom from disorder. Well that is something I could help with after all, I am the expert.” Discord hovered closer, the mist turning blue. “Now, there are ten titans scattered throughout my domain. I want you to kill them.” At the word kill, Wander flinched. It was a very subtle show of emotion that no pony would have seen. However, Discord was more wise, more observant and powerful than ponies. “Well are you going to help me” inquired Discord. Though he already knew the answer before Wander spoke it. “I will” At that moment, Discord let out a loud obnoxious laugh that seemed to have shaken the very foundations of the earth. Suddenly, the mist rushed into Wander, sinking into his skin, knocking him back. “Excellent, we should celebrate.” At that moment, a tree sprouted from the stone. Squids hung from every branch. It was a strange sight to behold. “Enough of your petty games” shouted Wander. Discord, taken back by this outburst, quickly removed the trees. The tree shot up, smacking into the ceiling. When they hit, they transformed into a green liquid that painted the ceiling. The squids started to fall but, in a wisp of smoke, turned into cheeries. The cheeries landed in the fountain, each making a small plop. “Now, to the business at hand, the titans” Discord exclaimed in a regal manor. “Thy first foe lies in stones that are among the plains of brown grass, got that?” Wander simply nodded yes and turned around. "Remember. You need to kill it." Discord yelled but then muttered to himself "fool". The sunlight hit Wander like a sword. As he started down the stairs, he thought nothing of what could happen, only what must happen. He could see hundreds of miles around him but the beauty of the land did not matter to him. Nothing but his task was on his mind. > Vermis > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The fields stretched on for miles. No wind, no life: there was nothing to be found among the grass. Not that Wander could see anything, the grass was brown. Wander moved along the plains very carefully. He didn’t want to disturb anything. After hours of searching, Wander stopped to rest. Night was coming and it would be impossible to look during the dark. He couldn’t be tired for the trials. For many, sleep is an escape. It is a tool used for the afflicted to forget. It was indeed, a warm place. As with all good things, it has to come to an end. Wander slept, he didn’t dream, he didn’t feel. That did not last. A mighty storm was born. Like the land that it now terrorized, it was not “normal”. Yellow rain came down flooding the land. Wander, who had just awoken, ran to escape the flood that was destroying the land. He found asylum on a large hill. The grassy fields were now gone, replaced by a yellow lake. The water level was rising as the rain came crashing down. By the time the storm blew over, the hilltop that Wander was on was almost at the water’s level. “There, I helped you out” a voice whispered in ears. Discord’s voice came from nowhere and Wander did not know what he meant by that. He found out about ten seconds later. A huge explosion suddenly erupted behind him. Water showered down on him, blinding him. A whirlpool was forming in the water. The ground shook as another explosion of water came from the center of the vortex. Through the upward jet of water came a worm. It was gigantic in proportion to Wander. In the front of the creature was its jaw. The front spilt open so as it flew through the air, it would close and open as if it propelled the monster forward. Teeth lined the inside of the front flaps and the eyes lay on the top. The body had massive spikes covering it, each pointed diagonally from their perspective side. The end looked like a fin as it was also split in two. It flew through the air, each flap of its jaw made a howl. It turned around and dived into the water directly in front of him with another large splash. Wander watched the water carefully, not knowing when the creature would next appear. He trotted around his small little platform waiting. He did not have to wait long. Another whirlpool was forming. Wander moved over to the closest possible distance. “Hur, Hur, Hur” erupted from the whirlpool as the beast appeared. Its head stuck over the water and look downward toward Wander. Both the titan and Wander stared at each other. Silence covered the lake. Maybe the creature was taken aback by the fearlessness of his opponent. Maybe Wander could not express fear he might have felt. This moment of peace was erupted by the smash of ground and clash of jaws. The beast had made the first move. The creature opened its jaw and it thrust forward, trying to kill Wander. Wander was able to dodge to the side and the creature’s front passed by and snapped closed. In an incredible show of athleticism, Wander jumped on the creature’s back, bounded up to the top of it and slammed his hoof down into the creature’s eye. Taken by surprise and blinded by pain, it threw its body backward trying to dislodge Wander. Wander held on by biting onto its scales. It flew up in the air hoping to get away but without realizing that its assailant was still there. Wander took the initiative and ran up and used his hoof to pierce the already hurt eye. Blood pour out staining his hooves. The blood was black and at first Wander didn’t know what it was at first. His loss of concentration amounted to him being thrown backward when the beast writhed in pain. He tumbled along the creature’s spine and fell from the back, only to be saved by clamping onto the very end of the monster with his teeth. The titan was now losing attitude and was now flying over dry land. Wander let go at the very last second before it crash landed. He landed and flipped over a couple of times on the grass. As he stood up, there was an enormous boom nearby. Wander ran to catch up to the beast. The titan landed on the other side of a group of hills. Before Wander saw the beast, there was a faint noise “Hur…hur…hur”. The beast was hurt. It was on the ground, black blood pouring from its cut eye. As soon as it saw Wander, it snapped its jaws at him. Wander again jumped to the side and ran around it to the tail. It did not see where he went and it turned to the opposite side of which Wander was running. Its tail swung towards Wander and he jumped back on the rotating tail and once again sprinted upward. The beast threw its head to the side but once again, Wander bit into its scales to hold on. Wander than jumped to the top of the head and brought his head down the eye. Wander clamped his teeth into the titan’s eye and pulled. The ripping of flesh could be heard followed by the howling, roaring and the strange crying of what now was dead. Wander did not notice he was covered in blood as he stepped down. The beast flinched for a few moments before becoming still. Wander stopped and looked at his handiwork but something was not right. The beast was dissolving into shadow. The shadow blanketed the ground before merging together in a strange movement. Wander watched it dance across the ground before he was taken by surprise. The shadow shot into Wander, absorbing into him. Wander fell to the ground feeling extreme pain, then nothing. “Well, you seem to be very capable of the task I gave you” Wander opened his eyes. Confused; he stood up. Then he realized that he was back in the temple. At that moment, one of the statues started to crack. It was a statue of the creature he killed, “You seem to be tired, you should rest. Why don’t you take a load off and eat.” A table appeared in front of Wander that held bowls of apples, oranges, grapes and very startled and confused, miniature sperm whale. Wander looked upon the food and turned his head back to look at the remaining statues. One collapsed but seven remained. “Where do I go next?” Discord laughed “You seem to be all business but I forgive you.” The mist that called itself Discord moved itself above Wander. “Thy next enemy hides itself within rainbow colored boulders.” Discord pause, then added. “I think you know the way”. Wander said nothing just turned around and left the temple. He had no time to spend resting. Indeed he knew the way as once again, he descended from the mountain top. > Lacerta > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The rainbow colored boulders were a sight like no other. They constantly were being pushed further and further by newly formed ones. Their round shapes allowed Wander to navigate through the area. He searched through the maze for days. At night he would rest, only to be kept awake by his thoughts. He would keep muttering, “goddamn this noise inside my head”. His sleepless nights were only made worse by the silence that hung over the area. It just made his thoughts louder. He pushed onward in the hope of finding the titan soon. The sooner he could kill it, the sooner he could leave. He walked into a large circular arena. The boulders formed misshaped walls around an enclosed space. In the center was nothing but a small pond. Wander stepped in it and watched the ripples. It was memorizing and he felt his mind drift. He stepped in it once more and the miniature waves spread across the small pond. He continued to stare into it. A sudden scratching sound broke his concentration. The sunlight showed everything but he saw nothing but the rainbow colored rocks. He looked back into the pond and it seemed to be staring back at him. Yellow eyes looked at him through the water’s reflection. Wander sprinted past the pond and turned. A large rainbow colored mass was staring at him. It took him a few seconds to realize what it was. It was a large lizard but before he could get a better look. It was gone. It camouflaged into the walls of the arena. Wander could not see it but he knew it was there. He walked along the pond, trying to entice it out. He had to find a way to kill it. He thought he could lure it out by going into the water. That’s what brought it out last time. He scanned the walls for movement once more before stepping in. It worked. Wander turned around and saw it leaping toward him. He tried to get away but it was too late. The lizard grabbed him, jumped onto the walls and carried him over the top. Wander was being crushed. The creature was tightening its grip and he couldn’t escape. He couldn’t scream, he couldn’t breathe. Everything started to blur as his vision failed. “I can’t die, I will not die, and I’ll never die.” Using his last ounce of strength, Wander kicked. The lizard didn’t seem to expect it and it dropped Wander in between the boulders. Wander hit the ground hard. He was hurt but he ignored the pain. This gave Wander a chance to regain his breath. He ran out into the open, trying to catch up. He went the same direction the titan was carrying him but still could not see it. He couldn’t look over the boulders and there was no way to look straight ahead. He stopped when the sun started to set. The moon provided the only light and most of time, it was blocked. He laid down to rest against the stone. In the last few nights, he couldn’t sleep because of his thoughts, now the thought of that creature nearby kept him awake. The night seemed to drag on forever and his strength was beginning to wane. He had to find and kill it quickly. At the first crack of sunlight, he resumed his search. The rainbows made it hard to tell where the rocks begin and end. His luck finally changed when he saw a massive boulder. It was on a large incline and it towered over the landscape. Rocks, both large and small, were formed and rolled down from it. They pushed the boulders back and replaced them, forever changing the landscape. Wander ran out onto the hill, moving back and forth to avoid the rolling stones. The titan couldn’t restrain itself. As soon as Wander heard the hissing, he jumped to the side, to see it fly by. It turned around and gave chase to Wander. They both weaved around the rocks in what looked like an elaborate dance. Wander may not be as fast as it was but he was agile. He led it around the center. Wander didn’t lose speed as he maneuvered but the lizard did. This kept them at a steady distance and pace. In a bold move, Wander turned around and headed directly towards the monster. Surprised but hungry, it leaped at him. The titan did not see the rock. It hit the creature midflight. It was thrown to the ground, and that allowed the boulder to crush him. A steady stream of rocks rolled onto it, each adding pressure to the increasingly heavy load. They started to push him down the hill into the already accumulated boulders. Wander ran down to the now mangled titan. Its tail detached while it rolled downward and now was on the ground next to it. Both the rocks and the lizard were rainbow but the blood wasn’t. It was spreading across the ground, painting Wander’s hooves black. As it was before, the titan’s lifeless corpse dissolved into shadow. Wander closed his eyes and felt that familiar pain as it ran through him. “Now you don’t look so good. Are you tired?” Wander slowly stood up, the mist was floating in circles around him. “You have to slow down; didn’t your mommy ever teach you patience?” Wander said nothing. All he heard was the sound of a collapsing statue. “Where do I go next?” Discord looked on with amusement, not that Wander could tell. “Thy next enemy is to the east, standing on the cold summit.” Wander silently left without another word. Discord did not completely understand him. That was a new sensation because he understood mortals and their flaws. He decided to keep a closer eye on him from that point. The candle’s light faded and then extinguished. It was dark now. > Roudan > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was cold and the snow and wind only made it worse. A lone hooded figure could be seen against the might of the wind. His grey coat was hidden from sight, not that anyone would be able to see it. It took him days to ascend to the summit. The only good thing about this journey was that he could finally sleep. The mountain seemed normal or at least it wasn’t raining squids. The bitter cold was now his adversary and it could easily kill him. He was almost to the summit and to his task. There was a large crater at the top, filled with ice. It was once a warm spring but that was centuries ago. Wander put his hooves down on the ice. It seemed stable enough to hold his weight. The wind and snow seemed to originate from the center of the lake. That must be his destination. There was a large stone monument at the center. It was a statue of a winged goat. The wind was blowing out of its open mouth. Three ponies hung from the teeth like puppets. That sent chills down Wander’s spine. The ice covered most of the statue but Wander could see the word Damnatorum craved into it. He rested his hooves against the stone. Something happened. Wander could hear the ice cracking but saw nothing. The wind stopped flowing from the statue and it began to shake. Its eyes turned bright red and the ice began to melt off. “Rhhhhhh” Wander started to back away from it. The statue began to rise higher and higher into the sky. Finally it regained its mobility. It looked down at Wander and turned around. The titan started walking to the very peak of the mountain and sat down. It looked back at Wander and faced down towards the ice. He blew into the lake, refreezing the melted ice. As it sat back, the light faded from its eyes. Once it stopped moving, Wander approached it again but it was now out of reach. There was cracking noise. The ponies hanging were now moving. Their heads made snapping noises as the swung back and forth from the teeth. They jumped down, landing on the ice. They stood up, looked at Wander and then to move towards him. Wander was scared but didn’t show it. These weren’t titans but they were much more terrifying. In unison, the two on the sides stopped and the one in the middle continued. Wander headed forward to meet its challenge. They got within three feet of each other before stopping. The thing looked up at him. It was a pony, or once was. Its coat was torn off leaving nothing but bone. It had no eyes, its neck was broke and its head hung to the side. For a second, no one moved. It let out a blood curdling scream before charging. They were too close. It slammed Wander to the ground and started to bite him. Wander was startled but did not panic. He kicked it back and charged at it. He tackled it and in a reversal, started hitting and tearing it with his teeth. After a minute of attacking, it stopped moving. The stone titan let out a roar and Wander looked up. He saw another one of those things running at him. He sprinted towards it. At the last moment before they collided; he slid past it on the ice. He ran up to the one lying dormant and attacked. By the time the other turned around, the one was dead and Wander stood facing it. The titan let out another roar and its eyes turned red once again. There was a huge grinding noise as it stood up. It slammed its foot down, splintering the ice. Cracks separated Wander from the decayed corpse. It couldn’t reach him so he turned his attention to the titan. He ran towards it, jumping from ice plate to ice plate. It moved its head back then blew its frozen breath at Wander but it was too late. Wander propelled himself off the ice and wrapped around its legs with his hooves. It tried swiping at him but he jumped off. It slowly turned around but Wander was gone. The titan scanned the area but saw nothing. It sat back down on its icy throne. That’s when Wander struck. He climbed the summit and jumped on the head of the titan. The titan stood up in confusion and shook his head back and forth trying to dislodge its assailant. That was a mistake. It stepped on fresh ice it created not too long ago. It tried to regain its foothold but that caused the titan to come crashing down. It hit the edge and tilted downward. Wander climbed onto the face and brought hoof down on its stone eye. The titan quickly moved its hands and tried to hit Wander. He was able to jump and grabbed hold of its ear. The force of its hand caused it to tilt even further downward and finally, it fell over the edge. Wander was on top, holding on as it sped down the side of the mountain. Trees and rocks were crushed in its mighty path. Wander struggled to regain his footing only to hear a snapping sound next to him. The corpse was behind him. It looked at Wander before screeching. Wander ran up the legs of the titan trying to evade it but the thing followed him and grabbed on to his leg. Wander kick at it but it held on. The slope was getting steeper as the titan picked up speed. Wander held on even with the creature hanging off his hoof. Wander had no control over the titan’s direction. It smashed into a rock and it ripped off its legs and left arm. Wander was on the leg as they tore off. The legs were heading down even faster now. Wander made a quick decision. He let go. He flew behind the speeding stones and landed in the snow and stumbled downward. He stood up and saw that the creature jumped off after him. He slowly got up just to see it heading towards him. It pounced on him and began ripping at Wander’s neck with its fangs. Wander kicked it and it fell backward, with flesh dangling from its mouth. He got up and jumped on top of it. Wander tore at it, again and again, with his teeth. When it stopped struggling, Wander looked up. Blood covered his face and cloak. His neck was bleeding profusely and dead skin hung from the corners of his mouth. Some of his mane was ripped and there were pieces of bone embedded in his teeth. He looked down on the once more deceased monster. He took two steps forward before collapsing. His body rolled down and a tree caught him. He wasn’t moving. Wander woke up in a place all too familiar. The entrance hall was deserted and Discord was nowhere to be found. His body ached but he seemed to stop bleeding. He walked up to the fountain and looked down. There was a piece of parchment with picture of an antler on the cover. Hey, If you are reading this, that means you are not brain dead and or a zombie. I have decided to take a vacation. Let’s play a guessing game. If you can guess where I am, I will tell you the next titan’s location. Okay guess. If you said on the sun, then you are wrong, If you said I’m in the intestines of a polar bear or Eskimo, then you a wrong. If you guessed I’m learning ninjitsu to fight off dubstep then you are right. Just kidding. YOU ARE WRONG!!! If you have guessed I’m somewhere, then you are right. For solving the puzzle, there is an intestine of an Eskimo now outside the temple. Well anyway, thy next enemy is within time. Head to the lone tree stump in the forest, it is waiting for you. Well got to go Love Daddy Discord X.O.X.O P.S. Don’t forget the intestine. Wander was bruised, he was hurt but had to continue. He walked out of the hall. The Eskimo intestines were looped into the shape of a heart outside the door. Wander didn’t care. He started down towards his next goal because he needed to. > Saecula > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although there was a full moon out, Wander could not see a thing for the trees blocked the moonlight. Even during the day he could not see the path because the vegetation was so thick in the forest. After days of traveling, Wander stumbled into a clearing. In the middle was a lone tree stump but unlike the other trees it was completely black. Behind it, stood a statue of a creature unlike any he has seen before. It stood horizontally on its hind legs and the body was shaped like an hourglass. It hooves seem to be cut apart and laid flat. Its front legs hung from its body and at the end were claws instead of hoofs. It had a long neck and its head was shaped like a sphere. Its ears were long and pointed and it had little slits for eyes. On the ground in front of it, laid a sword about two meters in length. Wander approached the stump and looked down. The rings on the top were in perfect circles but barely noticeable. Wander put his hooves down on it and almost immediately the statue jumped back. It looked at Wander and then spoke. “I am Saecula. What is your business here?” Wander said nothing. “I know why you’re here I could see it in your eyes. Tell me this do you really think you could defeat me?” Wander stayed silent. Saecula picked up the sword. “I will only say this once, leave now and I won’t kill you.” Wander remained defiant. “Okay I tried being civil about this. Let’s see if you can match my power.” Saecula raised the sword and thrust it into the tree stump. Purple light shot up and spread across the area. It formed a bubble around Wander and the titan. The forest shook and trees began to fall. With a huge flash of white, they disappeared. In the bubble, Saecula charge at Wander, but missed by inches. Wander ran up and tackled him. He hit against Saecula with his hoof but to no avail for Saecula was made out of a metal unknown to this world. He propelled himself off and they both stared at each other. With thunderous claps, the bubble disappeared. They now stood in a large field with many bushes scattered around. Saecula swung his sword at Wander but once again missed. Wander ran from him, running from cover to cover, trying to stay hidden. There was no way he could defeat him by conventional means, he had to think of something else. “Are you really trying to hide from me? Come out and face me.” Wander knew better than go out in the open. Saecula was smashing each individual bush trying to flush him out. “Come out and end this game of hide and face me” he shouted. It marched up to where Wander was hiding, destroying everything in its path. Wander waited until the last moment before striking. He jumped out, tackling the Titan. Saecula was taken by surprise and fell, dropping his sword in the process. Wander kicked it up and grabbed it using his teeth. He threw his head up and quickly slashed the sword at Saecula. The sword tore through the metal and severed one of its arms. It quickly kicked Wander back and grabbed the sword with its remaining hand. It stood up, raised the sword and brought it down into the stump. Once again the purple light shot up and enclosed both of him in the bubble. With another flash of white, they appeared on the same plain as before. This time instead of grass and vegetation, there was dirt and mud. Wander did not see any wildlife or plants; all he saw was barren earth. Saecula started towards him, even more viciously than before. It jumped up and brought the sword stabbing down in an attempt to kill. Wander jumped out a way and without pause ran behind it and jumped onto its back. It screamed “Get off me you piece of filth!” Using its remaining hand it swiped at Wander knocking them off. It turned around in punched him as he was on the ground. Wander was crushed; it hit him on the side and knocked the wind out of him. He could hardly breathe and it looked like one of his ribs was broke. He managed to roll out of the way before he was hit again and retreat in an attempt to recover. Saecula approached once again “Well this has been fun but I’m afraid it’s time for you to rest.” It raised its sword and brought it down into the stump once more. The light shot up and surrounded them once again. They appeared on a platform made out of molten black dirt. There was so much smoke and steam that Wander could barely breathe. Lava was cascading into water creating new land from two forces of destruction. What they stood on was soft new earth that was floating on top of a river of lava. Wander was suffocating he had to act fast before was too late. Saecula walked up to him it “I’ll give you two choices. I will leave you to die right now or I will put this sword through your skull. What is your choice?” Wander looked up in and backed away from it. “I’m just going to kill you now” Saecula. It pulled the sword of the ground and turned to Wander. As it raised the sword to strike, Wander saw his chance. With his last bit of strength, he ran up and head butted it. Although he was heavily disoriented, he grabbed the sword raised it up and stabbed the titan. Saecula let out a roar and started to pull the sword out. All of the sudden, Saecula started to sink. The ground where the sword struck was splitting open. Saecula stood up and threw the sword to the side. It started to run towards Wander but the ground collapsed beneath its feet. It sank down into the lava and without a word, disappeared under the fiery waves. Wander was choking; he was running out of air and had seconds left. He grabbed his sword and brought it down in into the stump for one last time. The ground was collapsing as the light shot up and covered him. With a flash, Wander appeared in the forest clearing. He gasped for air. He was hurt, his ribs were crushed and he was covered in soot. In a flash of light, he appeared in Discord’s temple once again. “Welcome back. Did you miss me?” asked Discord. “You’re doing a good job and I’m impressed.” He let out a laugh, which was grandiose in nature. “I know you don’t like talking or socializing or affection so I’ll just let you know where you need to go next. I mean, I’m pretty tired of being a floating cloud. All right, thy next enemy lies below us in the base of the mountain. Just head down the steps and going to a cave, any old cave would do.” Wander just nodded and limped out, passing by the newly collapsed statue. “Bye-bye” exclaimed Discord as he walked out the door. > Corruption > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wander couldn’t sleep again. It was dark and the ground seemed jagged. He was physically hurt and his mind was killing him. This pattern of thoughts never troubled him before. He didn’t know why this was happening. This voice inside his head was like a machine. “I am the lie that you believe; I am the truth from which you run.” Something inside him kept saying those words. This voice was haunting him. Wander tried to block it out but with no success. It was almost dawn now.