If you were giving a chance at redemption wouldnt you take it? Discord has that chance but is any road to redemption without strife? Follow Discord as he battles an ancient evil far older than time itself. As well as trying to accept that he has feelings for a certain princess. Starts off slow but picks up momentum soon. First Fic that ive POSTED online. Constructive criticism is welcome. Yes i know the format for the first chapter sucks so bear with me. it slowly gets better.
It hurt. The darkness, the emptiness, and the thought of never causing chaos again. After all these years he still messed up. It wasn't his fault that he that he was the embodiment of chao and disharmony. Discord couldn't help but ponder as to why he said "That'. Try as he might he couldn't help but hear the statement play back in his head "Did you miss me Celestia, I missed you." Why did he say that? The answer was so plainly obvious but Discord never gave it a chance.
"Well Lady luck never favored us much so why think about it?" Discord couldn't help but put on a half-hearted smile as he reminisced over the good old days when he ruled. No pony ever got hurt and no one dared to attack or declare war as long as Discord ruled. Then all that changed when to peculiar beings or in this case Alicorns challenged his authority. Although it never showed Discord was happy that his ponies were finally standing up for themselves even it was against him. He knew his little ponies would be okay in good hoofs.
"But they still don't appreciate you. Even after all you have done for them, after all you sacrificed they still don't understand." Whispered a cool calm quiet voice seemingly from nowhere. As calm as the voice sounded Discord could pick up the faint traces of hate in that voice. The voice continued "Make them suffer, make them hurt, make them feel the pain you fel,." The voice coaxed.
Discord had had enough and simply growled "No."
Discord felt the voice flinch at the simple answer before speaking again "What do you mean, they labeled you a monster and nothing more." the voice spat.
Discord smiled a bit before replying "And I don't blame them, you would be called a monster too if you were handsome as i was. But so what, as long as my ponies are safe I can rest easy. Yeah sure i wanted to spice up their life a bit with a touch of chaos here and there but not enough to harm them."
Discord waited patiently for the Voice to continue its "persuading" but it seemed as if the voice disappeared completely. Discord shrugged off the Voice as another case of insanity and began pondering on new ideas of chaos.
"How about doing something you have not tried yet?" this time a different voice spoke. "What is this a convention for voices in my head debating about my life?" Discord asked although he was just a little interested about "doing something he's never done before. "Stay with me on this one, think about it. You've been a bit repetitious lately, as soon as your released you cause a bit of chaos and than you get turned into stone. Sounds a bit "Order" like to me.
Discord was at a loss for words and struggled before finally speaking "Very well Voice number 2 so what do you propose i do than?" Voice number 2 paused before saying "Simple really, save them." Again Discord was at a loss of words. Before he could muster up any words voice number 2 spoke "There is a ancient evil rising, slowly but surely and gaining power as we speak. Even now It begins to influence the beasts of the EverFree forest. I fear the Princesses will not be able to stop It."
Discord was quiet contemplating about this new information. On one hand he could protect His ponies and even show up the Elements of Harmony. But than again the very ponies he would be saving would still and always view him as a monster. Then there was the princesses of course. Help them and show that he truly wasn't evil. "What do you know about this ancient evil?" Discord spoke after a few minutes of silent thinking. "It is pure Evil at its worst. It will kill every being it meets and that's if they're lucky. Any survivors will either be tortured or made into slaves." Discord was grim, this Evil must be pretty bad. "That really sucks but what can i do, trapped in stone if you haven't noticed, hell how do i even know if your not just some hallucination from my mind finally snapping?!" Voice number 2 was quiet before replying "Would you save everyone if given the chance?" "Well obviously, they are still MY ponies even if it may not seem like it. I've protected them countless time from those who would wish to hurt them. Just because I am not recognized for it doesn't mean i should stop." Discord said huffily.
"Nice answer." was all Voice number 2 said before a blinding flash emitted seemingly out of nowhere. When the light finally faded Discord was surrounded by trees and a constant noise of life going about their days. "WAIT I SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SEE!" Discord was in a slight panic and kept expecting Twilight and her friends to attack him with the Elements of Harmony. Before Discord could panic any more a very familiar voice spoke in his even more than usual chaotic head. "Calm your self Discord, it is unfit for you who i have chosen as this Worlds savior to be acting like a scared little foal."
Discord immediately stopped panicking "Who the hell are you and why am i not in stone?!" Discord swore he heard the blasted Voice chuckle. "Simple, your going to save this World because your the only one who can and i feel you will make an excellent savior. And i am not taking no for an answer by the way." Voice number 2 said quite smugly. Discord began to slowly rub his goatee and looked for any loophole that could be found but alas there was none. "Very well oh glorious voice in my head but are you even real? Do you indeed need my assistance in your plight or is this just some sick joke from Celestia hm?" Voice number 2 chuckled and Discord became slightly wary "Very well than Draconequus I will show you what i look like."
A blinding flash temporarily filled the area that Discord currently occupied at the moment. When Discord's vision finally returned a proud looking male Pegasus stood before him. The Pegasus was tall almost as tall as Celestia and Luna and wore a horizontal scar that ran across his muzzle. He also wore regal looking armor with what looked like a drawing of the universe. His cutie mark which was barely visible resembled a wind wave slicing through the plains. His coat was a simple tan and his mane was a unique color of whit and black. As Discord was finished giving this Pegasus a once over he notice the Pegasus wearing a smirk. "Surprised much yeah? Well i don't blame you since all that have seen me are in the afterlife." The tan Pegasus said with a sad smile. Discord picked up his jaw that had literally dropped. After dusting it off and reattaching it Discord finally spoke "So your Voice number 2 huh, well your whole lot different than i expected. So you indeed do exist and aren't some figment of my brilliant mind but you could still be a sick joke all created by Celestia." The Pegasus roared with laughter "That's a good one Voice number 2 ha ha ha, but no i am not a sick joke sent by your crush and my name is Galewing."
Discord was shocked yet again by this Pegasus. Galewing wore a smirk as Discord Simply stared trying to comprehend
his day. "Ahem yes um Galewing was it, what was that thing about the worlds destruction again." Discord asked choosing to believe the Pegasus's word. "Finally came to huh, guess you do have a bit of sanity in that head of yours."
Galewing said gruffly. Discord snorted at that comment and replied "Every genius has a touch of madness." said Discord indigently. Galewing chuckled slightly at that agreeing with that statement. "Yes about the worlds destruction, an
old enemy of mine has begun to rise once again and thanks to our last fight i can't intervene but merely choose a champion to fight in my stead. You Discord are going to be my champion and save this world and everyone in it. After all if
you choose not to than those you hold dear will suffer because of your decision." Galewing said all of this calmly and patiently waited for Discord to choose. Discord rubbed his chin with a talon before smirking and finally gave his reply
"I like the way you play Galewing, i don't have much of a choice in the matter so oh hay might as well go out with a bang right? But what happens after, no doubt Celestia and Luna will use the Elements of Harmony on me."
Discord sighed at that last part knowing that he would still be viewed as a monster by everypony. Gale wing nodded in understanding and simply said "Leave that to me, I will make sure that wont happen to MY champion of course."
Discord felt slightly better at that statement and stood a little straighter. "Now down to business, you'll need to keep the Elements of Harmony same mostly for moral support so the ponies wont panic as much. They'll need someone to lead them other than the princesses. The evil has a army i simply called "The Mangled". They are a nasty bunch made up of Demons and creatures from myths and nightmares. In a way they are nightmares. They will gladly kill anypony and anyone. I suggest that when combating them that you fight to kill."
Discord nodded with a grim look but not because of the thought of killing but the thought of these "Mangled" trying to harm his ponies. The simple thought enraged him greatly but quickly suppressed his anger. After regaining his composure Discord looked at Galewing "How long till they come?"
Galewing sighed before answering "At least a month, I have already slowed them down destroying their portals to here. The rest is up to you, but don't think i will just leave you by yourself. I will aid you as much as i can on your plight."
Discord merely nodded at the seriousness of the situation at hand slightly frowning before asking "Can i at least have allies?" Galewing thought for a moment and nodded "Aye you can but as long as they realize the importance of this war to come."
Discord acknowledged this with a grunt before again speaking up "What am i to do for the time being?"
"You will protect the Element bearers and make sure no harm comes to them. They will play a key role in this war as will a few others that i am sure you will recognize their talents and skill as well will, Good luck Discord i need to rest now but remember i will always be there for you when you need me most."
With yet another blinding flash Galewing was gone. As Discord began to rub his eyes while muttering showoff he realized that he was in the Everfree forest and sice he was close to Fluttershy's home he should check on her first. He began to make his way through the undergrowth when a thought struck him, why hadn't Celestia noticed his absence.
"I put a double with a copy of your presence in the gardens and casted a spell that hides your chaos magic so well its as if it doesn't even exist. So yes you can use your magic." replied a slightly tired Galewing in his head.
"Thank you Galewing i appreciate that very much." "No problem." was his only reply. Well than Discord though might as well make use of his power. *Snap* Discord appeared just a few feet away from Fluttershy's cottage. Discord quickly located her, she was feeding her chickens with a impatient looking white rabbit. Discord quietly looked around before spotting a tree slightly taller than the others "Excellent."
Discord quietly made his way to the tree and quickly scaled it before resting on a fairly thick branch. He had a good vantage point and was able to survey Fluttershy's cottage and her. "Might as well as get comfortable huh?" with a snap of a talon a tall cool glass of chocolate with a pink and white striped bendy straw.
He absently sipped on his drink while watching Fluttershy's activities which in truth wasn't much. All day she just would walk around her cottage tending to her animals and taking care of those that were injured. Discord yawned as Celestia lowered her sun and Luna raised her luminescent moon and her twinkling stars that shined just as brightly as the moon itself. Discord could see a light on in Fluttershy's cottage so he assumed she was still awake maybe eating dinner.
Just than Discord heard the crunch of leaves as if something was putting pressure on them. Discord immediately located the source of noise, a clump of bushes roughly about 20 feet away from her cottage. Whatever it was it seemed very hostile Discord thought as he could feel the killing intent from whatever it was.
Just as that moment a a cloud shifted against the winds letting the moon shine through into the area lighting up the area around Fluttershy's cottage. Three very large bloodthirsty looking timber wolves stepped into the clearing with a stream of saliva running over its knife like teeth. Their yellow eyes held so much killing intent. Discord felt a familiar rage well up in his chest, how dare they try to take HIS ponies life and in front of him nevertheless.
They will die and painfully too, very painfully indeed Discord thought darkly. "Fucking termite food" Discord than smiled sadistically as he had an idea on how to deal with these pests. With an audible snap vicious termites were teleported inside the timber wolves. With another pop a sound proof spell was cast over them. The wolves advanced towards the cottage slowly before stopping and than began howling silently in pain.
The largest of the trios eyes began to bleed as termites began to tear them up from the inside.
The second largest watched in terror as his limbs began to be tore up from the inside before stumps were left of his once forelimbs and blood quickly began to spray all over his comrades as he fell backwards with a silent thump.
The third was perhaps the unluckiest of the three as his stomach began to vibrate as if a beehive was lodged in his stomach. He wore a pained expression before his stomach finally ripped open from the termites excessive shredding of the stomach began to take its toll. His innards and organs began to spill mingling with his and comrades blood and stomach acid as well as insides.
The termites from all three bodies began to quickly eat what was left of the timber wolves leaving only blood, organs, bones, and stomach acid. Satisfied with his handy work Discord snapped his talon's yet again and the remains and termites vanished as if they were never there in the first place.
Discord turned his head to Fluttershy's cottage noticing that her light was now finally off. With a sigh Discord conjured up a very comfortable beanbag bed on the branch was some how wide enough for it. Discord curled up on the beanbag with a relaxing sigh and slowly closed his eyes after muttering quietly to no one in particular "Goodnight.".
Unknown to him though a quiet and slightly terrified voice was able to squeak out a timid "Goodnight." before Fluttershy to went to a fitful slumber.
Fluttershy had a fitful sleep as last nights event kept playing in her head. Why was Discord back and why did he kill those Timber wolves, was he good or was back to his old ways? These questions kept plaguing her the more she tried to understand. After another 10 minutes of a fitful sleep did she finally slip into a calm slumber.
Ever so slowly Celestia's sun made its way into the sky just as slowly waking the citizens of Equestria. Fluttershy was no exception as the sunlight began to peak through her window and into her face. With an adorable yawn Fluttershy slowly rose, stretching her limbs as she began to scan her small yet comfy room.
"Morning Angel."
Fluttershy squeaked warmly to a small figure that was curled into a ball under a small blanket at the hoof of her bed. Angel remained asleep and Fluttershy decided that she would let him sleep just a tad bit longer. She carefully made her way out of bed as not to disturb Angel and quietly closed the door to her room. With a satisfied sigh she quietly made her way downstairs. As Fluttershy settled down on a rocking chair last night's event was quickly remembered.
"Oh my."
Fluttershy could only mumble as the thought of Discord being back made her shiver visibly. Before she could run off to Twilight though the memory of the Timber wolves flashed in her head stopping her in her tracks.
"Why?" was all she could think.
Discord was really back but he saved her from the Timber wolves sparing her from a grim fate. Discord is supposed to be evil yet he saved when he could of just let me die and get rid of one of the Elements to increase his chance of winning. So why did he protect me? There was only one answer and Fluttershy hoped that it was true, that Discord had changed for the better. She decided to refrain from telling the other this newly acquired information till she absolutely had to, Fluttershy blushed as she remembered what she said to Discord before going to sleep.
If she had not heard the sound of something moving out there she would have never seen Discord protecting her from those feral Timber wolves. It struck her as odd though that they were so close to her home. Fluttershy shuddered as she remembered the killing intent that she felt alone from their presence. She was glad that Discord was there when he was or she would have been in a lot of trouble and for that she would thank him when she got the chance.
For now Fluttershy began to attend to her daily chores and duties. She fed her animals and nurtured the ones that needed nurturing.
It was the late afternoon and Fluttershy began to feed her chickens. Around this time an unexpected visitor made her way to Fluttershy's cottage.
As Fluttershy began to put the feed away and shooed her chicken into their coop a voice called for her attention in a sing song voice.
"Fluttershy, Fluttershy darling are you here?"
Fluttershy squeaked in surprise before smiling as she recognized the voice.
"Oh..hey..Rarity..it's nice to see you." Fluttershy quietly said.
"Fluttershy deary I still can't believe that you would want to live so close to this ghastly forest."
"Oh well its close to the animals and I kinda like the forest.."
"Well dear everybody has their prefinances."
"Um..if..its..okay.. Can i ask why your here...that is if you don't mind.."
"Of course darling I was wondering if you'd like to have brunch with me and the girls if that's alright with you?"
"Well of course, I would love to have brunch with you and the girls Rarity. Thank you for inviting me."
"Think nothing of it dear, we have been through a lot and we're all close friends. On that note i have to head into town to let Rainbow Dash know so tootles Fluttershy"
With that Rarity was off walking at a mild pace careful not to step in any mud to soil her clothes and well manicured hooves.
Fluttershy waved till Rarity could no longer be seen before getting back to work. As she finished up the rest of her chores she looked up into the sky taking note that the sun was starting to set. As she scanned her yard for anything that needed taking care of. She quickly noticed a tree that was slightly taller than the others and remembered seeing Discord on one of the branches. The tree was her favorite for it was the oldest tree around. A tall and old Red wood tree with very thick branches round as her.
She stood there scanning the branches for him or at least a sign that he was there. Her eyes fell on a fairly thick branch and for some reason she felt his mismatched eyes watching her. She didn't shudder or show any signs of discomfort. She stared for a few seconds before smiling sweetly and nodding slightly. To top it off she mouthed two words.
"Thank you"
Before turning around and making her way towards her cottage with a content smile.
Discord rose as Celestia's sun began its ascend into the partly cloudy sky. As Discord began to stretch and smack his lips careful not to cut himself on his fang and not to fall off the branch. He sighed at the audible cracks of his joints coming from his back, a tree branch was not the most comfortable place to nap.
With a snap of his talons a nice tall cold glass of chocolate milk appeared in his paw. With a very content sigh he brought the smooth glass to his lips and drank what he could only describe as ambrosia. As he finished his drink he began to munch on the glass as if it were rock candy. Now that his hunger was put off for a time he scanned the surrounding area making sure that their were no predators in the area that would dare harm Fluttershy as she rested.
"So far so good which means something bad is just right around the corner." he mumbled dramatically.
When his yellow eyes fell on Fluttershy's cottage he noticed movement through the windows and assumed she had awoken as well most likely attending to her animals. He could not help but smile at her dedication to her beloved animals.
"There goes a mare worth protecting." he said to nobody in particular but smiled all the same.
His train of thought was again derailed these past few days as Fluttershy stepped out of her quaint cottage. She immediately began to attend to her animals that stayed outside and did any chores that needed to be done. He especially took notice on how kind he was to her animals. She treated them as if they were family, it was adorable Discord had to admit. As Discord watched the kind mare care for animals he noticed somepony approaching the cottage and relaxed as he realized it was only the Element of Generosity, Rarity.
Discord relaxed and simply watched the two mares chat. He could perfectly hear what they were saying and noted that the Elements were going to have a get together tomorrow around noon.
"Definitely would be easier to watch over them if they're together." he quietly sad to himself.
The only problem would be detection and Discord had an idea for that. He watched as Rarity begin to trot off while waving and couldn't help but notice that she was wearing a nice looking evening dress. A playful smile made its way onto his face and with a snap and a pop an almost invisible puddle of mud appeared just out of Fluttershy's view and far enough were she would not here and girly screams. He smothered his laugh as his sensitive ears caught an overly dramatic shriek.
As Discord calmed down he noticed that Fluttershy had finished her activities for the day and was looking around. Discord grew a little uncomfortable as he noticed how intense her stare was. It was like she was looking for something and he hoped she found it before her line of sight came near the tree he was currently resting. As fate would have it her eyes met with his.
"Fuck you too lady luck." he muttered darkly.
He hoped she wouldn't notice him and ceased moving even a inch. What happened next shocked Discord and worried him. Fluttershy looked straight at him and mouthed the words "Thank you".
Discord layed there shocked before a smile creeped on his face and slowly shook his head while quietly laughing. All he could think was that Fluttershy was probably the nicest mare he has ever met. He watched her smile and slowly turn as she made her way to her cottage probably to eat some dinner and head off to sleep. For Discord he had to watch over her now that she knew she was being protected. Discord swore he wouldn't let any harm befall her as long as she was under his watch.
As Celestia's warming sun began to descend Luna's always calming beautiful moon began to ascend. Soon the land was embraced in Luna's moonlight embrace and Discord felt a sense of calmness wash over him. He stroked his goatee and began to contemplate on his disguise for tomorrows event. He decided on going as a unicorn so he could still use his powers when needed in case something were to happen he could still so something about it. He would have to be careful around Twilight and Pinkie Pie. The rest should be a breeze to fool but Fluttershy wouldn't be much of a trouble.
He sighed as he looked up to Luna's dark jeweled night and began to ponder about his future and past. He missed the days when things were so much simpler and when the Princesses weren't always after him. He remembered why he was seen as a monster and who made him into the monster. He had forgiven her as much as he would like to keep the grudge he just couldn't. He loved her too much to do that. He sighed and chuckled at the thought of him trying to rekindle their relationship. Discord did not hear the beat of wings and jumped when a voice he had not heard in a while say his name.
"Greetings Discord, has it not been a long time since we last spoke?" said a strangely calm Luna.
"Ah Luna my dear i see your speech has gotten better and indeed it has been a long time since we have spoken well if you want to count the time when you and your dear sister turned me to stone." he said just as calmly.
"Yes and I wish it did not have to come to that but enough chit chat why are you here? Is it to wreak havoc upon Equestria once again because if so i will stop you." she emphasized her words by pointing her horn at him.
Discord held up his mismatched limbs trying to show that he meant no harm.
"Parlay Luna i do not wish to harm anypony and in fact i seek to protect them. I truly wish to just protect the ponies of Equestria as you and your sister do."
Luna slowly lowered her horn before giving Discord a suspicious look. " Why should i trust you?"
"Do you notice anything strange?" Discord asked. Now that Luna thought about it the night was going as should always be.
"No I in fact do not notice anything strange which is also strange." Luna now had sat down on her haunches with her head slightly tilted with eyes that demanded an answer.
"Simple really, i am just not evil as you ponies like to portray me. In fact I have saved the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy's life just last night from a group of Timber wolves. Look Luna I know it's hard to believe but please believe me when i say i mean no harm to you or anypony." Discord said with calm voice that held no ill intent what so ever.
Luna stared into Discords eyes searching for any sign of deceit but alas did not find any,
"Very well Discord I will believe you but pray tell how did you escape your stone prison?"
"I was released my dear Lulu by a Pegasus who is older than me, you, and your sister. Luna there is evil, a real pure evil that threatens all of Equestria and i have been chosen to fight it and its ever growing army."
"Then why are you here by kind Fluttershy's home?
"The Pegasus, Galewing said it was important that the Elements were safe. They're supposed to be a back up plan in case I fail and I wont."
"Why is that Discord?"
"A certain mare has convinced me that we all need something to protect."
"And what is it exactly that your protecting?"
"Why the ponies of Equestria that's what."
Luna was silent wondering if Discord had really changed. His answer on what he was protecting finally convinced her that Discord was indeed on their side.
"Celestia will be happy to hear that you have finally come around. She has really missed you Discord."
"What are you talking about Luna? I was pretty sure that Sunshine didn't care, don't you remember what she called me?" asked Discord bitterly.
Luna could only nod somberly as she did in fact remember.
"You know she didn't mean that Discord. It was just stress from being practically forced to rule Equestria."
"That may be but she didn't hesitate to banish you to the moon when you were deemed a threat Luna."
"I would of done the same if i were in her hoof guards." Luna retorted.
Discord sighed and looked up at the moon as did Luna. He couldn't help but feel slightly betrayed by Celestia but knew it was the stress in the end but it still hurt.
"Very well Luna but don't tell Celestia just yet. We have a month before the "Mangled" arrive."
"The Mangled?" asked a confused Luna.
"The name of the army that wishes the destruction of all of Equestria."
"I will have to tell Celestia soon so we can prepare for war Discord. I am sorry buy we need time to prepare are soldiers for the battle."
With a small sigh Discord nodded his head and looked at Luna.
"One week is all I ask Luna. I can probably stall the Mangled for another month with a little help from Galewing but first i need to gain the trust of the Elements first. I have gained the Elements of Kindness's trust and the other fives I should gain within the week." Luna nodded with understanding before stretching her wings for flight.
"Very well Discord and please hurry. Now if you will please excuse me but i have night court to attend to."
"Wait Luna before you go can you at least tell me how you found me?"
Luna smiled and replied "Do you not remember what I am the princess of?" and with that she was off soaring towards Canterlot.
Discord began to chuckle at his ignorance and sat down pondering on how to gain the trust of the five other Elements.
"Hey Discord are you sure you want to stall the Mangled for another month?" Discord quickly identified the voice as Galewing's.
"Yeah I am sure because honestly most of the royal guard hasn't seen a real war since the Griffin war. They're gonna need all the training they can get."
"I'll be honest Discord but it's gonna be pain in the flank to stall them another month. We're gonna have to kill their portal masters."
"Uh what exactly are the "Portal masters"?
"A real nasty bunch really. Tall skinny fellas completely void of emotions with dark tendrils on their backs and hard to kill too. You have to charge them with magic and make them implode."
"What do they look like exactly?"
"For some odd reason they like to wear a suit almost like a tailor."
"Why are they with the Mangled?"
"The Evil has promised them that they can harvest all the Unicorns magic. That's all they crave. That's all they want."
"Well go in a few days than."
Discord yawned and since Fluttershy knew he was here he might as well get comfy. With a small snap a fairly large beanbag winked into existence on the branch barely fitting. With a tired sigh Discord curled up on it and slowly closed his eyes and falling into a dream filled with a cotton candy cloud that had the colors of the Aurora lights.
Authors note:Leave a comment on what you think so far please.
Celestia's sun ever so slowly made its rise in the partly cloudy sky. Discord quietly muttered in his sleep as the sun's rays began to shine ever so brightly.
"Curse the sun and its brightness." Discord murmured quietly to nopony in particular. He began what he preferred to be known as a daily ritual and arched his serpent like body with audible pops along his spine. With that done he silently scratched at his goatee before yawning and snapping his talons. Instantly a mug of steaming coffee popped into existence in his lion paw.
With a content sigh he lifted the dark brew to his lips and took a small sip letting himself slowly warm up. He looked down from his perch and noted that Fluttershy was still sleeping and smiled faintly but warmly as he remembered yesterdays events.
"Nice mare, I'll have to apologize about the earlier incident." He gently murmured. He quickly disposed of the now empty mug by simply popping it into his mouth and quietly crunched on it.
He quietly surveyed the surrounding area making sure it was safe before he carefully made his way down the tree. When he finally reached the bottom after a few minutes he slowly strode to Fluttershy's quaint cottage. When he reached the front door he gave it three simple knocks before stepping back a bit waiting patiently for her to answer.
With a barely audible creak the door gently swayed open revealing a timid looking pegasus slightly looking down with a small smile.
"Why hello there kind Fluttershy, I believe we have much to discuss." "Um hello Discord.. I would like to give you my thanks for protecting me the other night. Would you like to come in..if that's okay with you that is.." "I would be honored Fluttershy."
Fluttershy stepped back to let Discord in and quietly walked towards the living room as Discord gently closed the door to not wake the animals that were still asleep. Fluttershy quietly sat on a medium sized couch and motioned for Discord to sit next to her which he did.
"Let me get us some tea..if that alright with you.."
Discord raised a paw stopping the shy pegasus and simply stated "Please allow me." and with a quick snap of his talons a tray and some delicious smelling tea appeared on a small ivory coffee table that also winked into existence.
"Would you like any sweets as well?" He offered in warm voice. "No thank you, this is just fine." she replied in a hushed voice.
Discord smiled a little before carefully reaching over and pouring first her and than himself a cup of tea, gently handing it to her.
They drank in silence before Discord gently put his cup down and said "So i guess you'd like to know about whats currently happening huh?" "If you don't mind that is..."
Discord sighed quietly and slowly but clearly began his story.
"Well after being trapped in stone for a while i slowly began to go insane, but just before the insanity could take over completely a voice spoke to me. It said that Equestria was in danger of being razed to the ground. Now honestly a lot of ponies out there think I'm out to destroy Equestria myself but that's not quite true. You still with me here Fluttershy?"
She quietly nodded after taking a drink from her cup of tea.
"Good, where was I ah yes ponies thinking I'm the big bad wolf out to destroy everything. I know its hard to believe but i want to protect you all. Yes i know at times I do get a tad bit out of line, but i was given a chance at redemption which i gladly took.
Discord sighed as he summed up most of the story and took an impossiably long drink from his tea.
Fluttershy was quiet as her mind digested this newfound information and gently set her cup down. She looked up at him and smiled bashfully and said "I believe you Discord. I believe that you really do mean well even if you have a weird way of showing it." She said with a slightly teasing tone.
Discord took an overly dramatic expression and posture before replying "Me weird, oh please I'm a one of kind."
Fluttershy giggled a little before adopting a concerned expression and leaned just a little bit forward before asking "Whats going to happen now?"
Discord sighed a little before and said in a serious tone "War. Equestria is going to war against an army called the "Mangled" and a certain third party has decided i should be this lands savior. Ironic isn't it, I'm saving the ponies who are so sure that I'm out to hurt them. Fate has always been cruel to me but i can't say that some times it's been bittersweet.
Fluttershy was silent before she reached over and put a comforting hoof on his lion paw.
"I believe you'll save us Discord. You saved me not too long ago."
Discord smiled warmly and quipped "I see your not mumbling anymore, I guess my chaotic charms finally got to you huh?" Fluttershy looked down using her bubble gum pink hair to act as a veil to cover her face. Discord couldn't help but crack a smile at the adorableness.
"I'm just teasing." "Um..Discord..why were you there when those Timber wolves were getting ready to attack..if you don"t mind me asking" "Remember that voice I told you about? Well the voice turned out to be a very old but strong pegasus named Galewing. He said that the Elements of Harmony were to be protected. Good thing too, seems you and the others are targets." "Thank you Discord..for protecting me.." "Don't worry about it and I owe you and the others an apology." "For what?" "For trying to break you and your friends up not too long ago." "That's in the past and whats in the past stays in the past."
Discord stared at the timid pegasus and let out a hearty chuckle before bringing his lion paw to ruffle up her pink mane.
"Such wise words from such a young mare." "Its not always about age, sometimes its about what we go through in life that matters." "Again you surprise me with such wise words."
Fluttershy blushed at Discord's comment and hid behind the coverage of her mane mumbling weak excuses.
Discord just smiled and snapped his talons and the tea and table vanished winked out existence. With the mess cleaned up Discord got up and stretched his serpent like body.
"I'm sorry to say Fluttershy but I must go and check on the others and ensure their safety." "Don't be sorry, I thoroughly enjoyed your presence and so did my animals. They felt safe with you around, but are you sure I'll be safe?" "I'll create some familiars for you to act as bodyguards before I leave, is that okay with you?" "Yes, that will be just fine.."
Discord stood up with a sigh and looked outside and noted that it appeared to be just past noon.
"If you'll excuse me kind Fluttershy i must go and attend to the others. Farewell."
With that he made his way to the front door quietly exiting and just as quietly closed it. Discord closed his eyes for a moment and than opened them with a smile growing on his face. He quickly snapped his talons and two shadows from nearby trees sprung to life shaping themselves in Wolves easily twice the size of Timber wolves and with enough strength to take on a Hydra.
"Your job is to protect Fluttershy from anything or one that wishes to harm her. Whatever she needs she gets and do not hesitate to kill unless she says so otherwise."
With a mute nod the Shadow wolf duo took up positions on either side of Fluttershy's cottage. With his back to the cottage he snapped his talons and with a pop he teleported to the outskirts of Ponyville. He rubbed his chin in contemplation as wondered on going about Ponyville unnoticed. With a literal light bulb appearing above his head he snapped his talons together and his appearance changed almost instantly. His new coat was a sharp gray and his mane a deep black. He had a horn so he could still use his magic without causing a uproar even if that would be really funny. It was long and sharp looking and white as the moon. He was slightly taller than most ponies in this form and probably came up to the Princesses throat. He closed his eyes and his horn began to glow blood red and with a pop a mirror was in front of him.
"Not the same as snapping but still good enough."
As he looked himself over he couldn't help but say just a tad smug "Looking good Discord."
With a chuckle he made his way towards Ponyville with a calm facade walking over the little bridge passing ponies here and there. As he made his way through town he stumbled upon the farmers market and his stomach decided to announce it self with a growl. With a silent curse he made his way into an alley and his horn glowed once before a familiar pop was heard and a black cloak with two medium sized pockets draped it self on his frame. Again his horn glowed and a pouch with 80 bits popped into existence in one his pockets. He quietly made his way out of the alley and began to walk around the market looking for something to snack on. His seemingly normal looking hazel eyes spotted a wooden sign decorated with three large looking apples. He made his towards it careful to not bump into anybody. When he reached the stall he notice a small tan caramel looking filly with a red bow in her her was currently working the stall. She quickly noticed him and asked in a enthusiastic voice "Well howdy mister, care ta buy some apples?"
"I'd love to buy four apple please." Discord smiled at the little filly's enthusiasm.
"That'll be 16 bits." She said with a sweet smile.
Discord's horn glowed red and 24 gold bits floated carefully onto the counters stall.
The filly's eyebrows went up in confusion as she silently counted and looked up with a slight frown.
"Mister I said 16 bits not 24." "I know but think of it as a tip since your such a hard worker and have such enthusiasm." "Oh um thank you Mister..." "You can call me Dissy." "That's a weird name.""Indeed it is but I like it." "Ma name's Applebloom. And its ah pleasure to meet ya." "The pleasure is all mine Applebloom my dear." "I haven't seen you before in Ponyville. Are you new here?" "Not necessarily no. I've been here before but I had to leave due to certain circumstances." "Ah shucks that's sad. Can I ask you a quick question?" "By all means ask away Applebloom." "Why don't you have a Cutiemark?"
Discord looked at his exposed blank flank and simply smiled. "I don't need a mark to tell me what I'm good at. That's what my heart is for."
Discord emphasized the last sentence by placing a hoof against his chest and smiling gently down at the filly.
"But what if other ponies call you a blank flank?" "They're fools because they don't know what you can and could do. You can have a unique talent that no other pony has and still not have a Cutiemark such as myself. Who knows, you just might get your Cutiemark tomorrow for all you know."
Applebloom looked down in contemplation before looking up with a smile.
"Your right Dissy, I shouldn't be concerned if others call me and ma friends blank flanks. What matters is me and ma friends happiness."
Discord smiled and gently patted Applebloom's head.
"Your right, what others say doesn't matter after all they're just words." "You should meet ma friends some time Dissy." "I'd love to meet your friends Applebloom. Next time you see me I'll gladly play with you and your friends. But for now I need to go find a place to stay." "Will do Dissy, see ya next time."
Discord waved to Applebloom as she waved bye and Discord laughed a little to himself as he used his magic to carry the apples munching on one thoughtfully.
"Nice filly, wonder if her friends are sweet as her."
Discord shrugged off the thought and began to make his way around town. While finishing his apples. He finally stopped at a cozy looking inn called the "Stable". It looked cozy enough and the owner seemed decent enough, a male Earth pony with a brown coat and a blond short mane. Lodgings were only 30 bits a day and Discord could always create some more bits when he needed them. For now things were taken care of and the sun was on its way towards the horizon. He made his way into the "Stable" nodding towards the owner and entered his room which was small yet comfortable at the same time. A simple bed with a few drawers and one desk and a medium sized bathroom. It also had one window that had a clear view of most the town.
With a sigh Discord flopped onto the bed and his horn glowed making a small pop as a alarm clock appeared on the drawer next to the bed set to go off at 8:00 sharp. The clock read 6:00 and Discord closed his eyes dozing off into a dreamless sleep.
Discord's dreamless sleep was interrupted by shrill ringing echoing right next to his face. A hoof slammed over the wicked contraption silencing it indefinably. With a yawn Discord slowly got off the bed and arched his back and audible pops were heard.
"That's much better" Discord sighed.
Discord looked through the window and noted that it was nightfall and there were few ponies out doing last minute shopping or just enjoying a night stroll.
"Better head over to Sweet Apple Acres and put up some wards." Discord said to nobody in particular.
He quietly made his way out of the inn and navigated his way through the dark streets. It wasn't long before he could see the outline of Sweet Apple Acres and began to head in that direction. After a few minutes of peaceful walking Discord finally said aloud "Hey Galewing."
A moment later Discord felt a presence take up residence in his mind.
"You called, Discord?" "When am I supposed to take care of the Portal masters?" "Hmm we'll take care of them later tonight after you put up some wards around town." "Alright but how are we going to get to them?" "Simple, we're going to Hell." ".......Hell?" "Yes Hell, that's where their camp is." "So Equestria is going to war with Hell, that's just wonderful." "We're are not fighting Hell, just some of its Residences." "Oh that''s just peachy." "I know right." "I was being sarcastic." "I know." "Your so funny." "Thank you, I try." "I wanna hit you now." "I love you too Dissy."
And Galewing's presence disappeared leaving a disgruntled Discord to attend to placing wards around Ponyville. Discord finally made it to Sweet Apple Acres and made his way quietly towards the far back that was just a few feet away from the Everfree. His horn began to glow and a rune appeared just in front of him and glowed a deep purple before fading away.
"That should repel anything that's been tainted with darkness." Discord than began to make his to the left going in a circle around Ponyville casting wards all around the town. Discord than quietly made his way to the outskirts of the town and sat down. He began to ponder on how to fight the Portal masters heck on how to even get in and out of Hell alive. That was definitely going to be a wild ride. He also still had too recruit some allies. Even worst he had to convince Celestia that he was on their side. All in all it was going to be a long week and hectic at that. Discord hated to admit it but he was slightly excited for his little "Visit" to Hell. It had been a while since Discord went to battle and got to use his full power. After a while of resting he called Galewing silently and waited. After a few seconds of wait he felt the familiar presence.
"You ready Discord?" "Sadly yes." "Good lets start than shall we. First off what do you know about portal traveling through realities and different dimensions?" "I know more than almost every being alive on this world save for Starswirl The Bearded." "How about visiting the areas in Hell?" "Not much honestly, I haven't needed a reason to." "Okay I want you to focus on the air in front of you and use a simple vision enhancement spell." "Okay seems simple enough." And Discords horn began to grow a familiar blood red.
"Now imagine a crack in the air, a visible crack."
Discord focused intently and slowly a crack began to grow in the air. "Okay what now?"
"I want you you to make the crack make a circle just a bit taller than you." "Seems easy enough." and with that Discord concentrated and slowly the crack began to form an almost perfect circle that was just a foot taller than him.
"Done" "Good now I want you to put an upside down star in it." "Alright but I i don't see why this symbol is so important." "This symbol is the mark for Hell. Each dimension has a certain door so thus it would require a key. That's what this symbol is, a key. Your used to hopping through realities and parallel worlds, but dimensions are a whole different game. They exist in each world and are absolute. Hell is a good example because every world and reality had a concept of Hell. It's where the bad go and where the things that go bump in the night reside. Understand now?" "Well I got the gist of it and that's good enough. Think you could tell me about these other dimensions out there?" "When this is all over I'll tell you some stories of what I know." "Hmm seems fair enough." "Good now your gonna have to draw some blood and put it on the Door."
Discord grumbled a little and with a pop a knife winked into existence in front of him. With a small sigh he picked it up a hoof and placed it over his forearm. With a quick slice and a small wince the deed was done and Discord carefully wiped his forearm now flowing red with his blood onto the now solid Door leaving a deep dark stain. With another pop the knife disappeared from reality ensuring that nopony found it.
The now pulsating Door began to radiate heat and slowly caught fire. Discord watched with interest as the fire filled the cracks and licked at his blood greedily as if it were alive and had not been fed.
"Hey Discord." A mildly concerned Galewing called. "Yeah?" "You should probably heal that arm of yours before you bleed to death in a pool of your own blood.
Discord quickly looked down and confirmed there was a growing pool of crimson liquid.
"Fuck fuck fuck." Discord muttered and quickly began to patch up his wounds and casting a spell that would help his blood cells multiply faster. Yes Discord was immortal but that doesn't mean he can't feel pain and almost bleeding out could be quite painful.
"Nice moves slick." said a chuckling Galewing. "Shut up, I was just preoccupied." "Where did you learn the word Fuck from?" " A little quaint parallel world called Earth, very chaotic place indeed but just didn't feel right when most of the chaos was caused by them and not me., Ever been there?" "Once and it is indeed a quaint world but kinda boring if you ask me." "True but what about the portal?" "Take a look and tell me what you see."
Discord turned his head and looked at the Door that now was a portal enshrouded by flames.
"It looks like an actual portal." "Indeed and don't worry about the flames they won't hurt you. So then shall we enter this humble abode known as Hell?" "Sure it's not like I want kids or anything." "That's the spirit Dissy."
Discord grumbled under his breath and slowly began to walk towards the flaming portal and only one this was running through his head. "I better get a damn thank you after this from the Ponies" he thought as he grudgingly made his through the flaming portal. After a few seconds of entering the portal flickered once than twice than turned to wisps of smoke that slowly vanished from thin air as if it never existed.
On the other side of the portal was a Ponies worst nightmare and a twisted Ponies sweetest dream. Discord was finally in Hell and he couldn't help but laugh a little now as he could literally say he'd been to Hell but getting back was going to be a challenge.
"But you like challenges right?" "Can't you give me a bit of privacy in my own mind?" "It's not my fault you have such an interesting mind and by the way you have some really weird dreams.""And you even peep on my dreams you old pervert." "Normally I would deny that but your dreams are just really funny and slightly innocent. All I can say is good luck." "Thanks because I'm really gonna need it later on." "More than you know but enough chit chat we have some damn demons to kill."
Discord silently agreed and carefully surveyed his surroundings. It could have been a normal world if it weren't for the the fire that seemed to go on and on and not to mention the wails and cries of those being subjugated to torture and the cackling from the ones giving it. Discord shuddered as he saw a group of forsaken souls get swallowed whole by a undead dragon bigger than Ponyville. Thankfully it didn't notice him and continued its hunt for more souls to devour.
"Hey Galewing directions to the encampment would be really useful." "Look for a particularly tall mountain. The Mangled are currently camping at its base."
Discord craned his neck and thanks to the vision enhancement spell that was still active he was able to locate it pretty quickly. It was indeed a tall mountain and easily towered over Canterlot. The mountain itself looked evil even with all the malice in the air from the creatures of Hell Discord could distinctively feel the mountains. Something was in there and it was angry, very angry.
With a tired sigh Discord began to carefully make his way towards the mountain. It wasn't long before he began to see other creatures that would make most ponies go insane. He noticed a few species of creatures that didn't belong in Hell as well such as a few Werewolves. There was about five of them and they all seemed to be male with black fur. Lean and muscular looking creatures with sharp glinting claws. The odd thing was that they just stared at him with neither hostile nor friendly just calm analyzing hazel eyes. Discord tentaively waved a hoof and the tallest one who had a white tear drop patch of fur just under his left eye who he assumed was the leader of the five. He calmly waved back.
Discord was interested in the Werewolves behaviour and decided to make some new friends.
"Hello." Discord calmly called towards the bipedal wolves. It was a long shot but Discord could use some back up in a place like this. He waited patiently for the Werewolves to reply in anyway. He was not expecting them to actually say anything back but optimism builds character yes?
The Werewolves looked back at Discord before looking to their leader. The leader took a step forward and replied in a calm deep voice "Greetings Unicorn."
Discord was amazed that his plan actually worked and decided to have some fun.
"I'm not a Unicorn." "You are lying, you are a pony and have a horn. So therefore you are a Unicorn." "Six bits your wrong." Discord said teasingly. "Try me."
With a small chuckle Discord released his glamour and threw his cloak off revealing his patchwork body and smug grin with his body casting eerie glinting from Hell's everlasting inferno.
"So I belive you owe me six bits." he said to five shocked Werewolves. "What are you?" the leader of the pack asked curiously "Discord, the embodiment of Chaos, you?""I am Shade Fang, son of Crimson Fang leader of the Night Werewolves in Northern Equestria. "What is the son of a powerful Werewolf doing in Hell?" "While on a hunting trip with my pack mates we were attacked by a Demon and it pulled one last trick before dying, trapping us here." "That's a trick indeed.""It was, so tell me Discord, what is the God of Chaos doing in Hell?" "Oh you know simple stuff like trying to delay an invasion from Hell that seeks to destroy Equestria and practically kill every living being."
Shade's ears splayed back and his muzzle worked into a snarl "What do you mean?" He asked with a calm cold voice.
Discord merely rubbed his lion paw against his chest and replied "I'm currently heading towards an encampment that is filled with Demons and other creatures far worst that want to destroy Equestria."
Shade Fang looked at his fellow pack mates and they all nodded with determined looks on their faces.
"Your taking us with you." "Very well but you must know that we are not launching a full scale attack on them." "Than what are we doing?" "We can only delay them do to their strength in numbers and just overall strength. So the plan is to kill their portal masters and go back to Equestria to prepare an army." "How long will they be Delayed?" "At least for a month and a half. That should give me enough time to get the preparations needed done."
Shade Fang nodded silently and he and his pack began to walk over to Discord. At a closer distance Discord noted that the Werewolves were wearing armor that was just as dark as their fur. They also had some very sharp looking double edged swords. Two of the smaller Werewolves had cross bows and small but deadly looking throwing knives.
"I'm going to need a distraction, how good are you two with those cross bows?" "These two are our best shooters, they're known as the Falcon brothers due to their keen eyesight. Their real names are Creaking Brooke and Silent Brooke. The tall one being Creaking Brooke but he prefers Creak and the smaller one being Silent Brooke, very quiet and shy he prefers to be called Sil. The other two big guys are Magnus Valiant and Gar Whitewind, Magnus doesn't mind what you call him and Gar is pretty laid back."
Discord simply nodded, taking in this newfound information while stroking his chin with his eagle talon. He motioned for the Werewolves to follow him as he began walking quietly towards the Mangled encampment. They were currently making their way through an eerie forest. After traveling in a slightly comfortable silence the enemy's camp became visible. There were assortments of nasty and just plain evil creatures from the simple goblin to towering Jotnars. If these creatures made it to Equestria it'd be a massacre. Discord knew they had to kill the portal masters before they invaded. After scanning the beasts he found them. Tall, very tall creatures with a sack over their face. They were wearing tailor suits and had long deadly black tendrils slithering about in the air as if waiting for some poor soul to get close within range.
The creatures were camped to the very far left which meant a distraction was needed on the far right. As Discord looked to his right he noticed a squad of goblins pulling a cart full of barreled gunpowder towards a makeshift armory. Discord motioned for the Brooke brothers to come closer. When they came to his side he asked in a questioning voice "How many bolts do you have on you?"
Creak answered in a hushed but firm tone "All together we have about 120 steel tipped bolts."
Discord nodded and a plan began to form in his chaotic mind. "Let me see a few of your bolts."
The brothers only nodded and handed Discord six of their bolts over to him. Discord merely layed these bolts on the ground and casted a explode on contact spell on the bolts. The bolts glowed once with a small rune on the tips and faded just as quickly as it appeared.
Discord picked up two of these bolts and carefully handed them to the brothers who just as carefully took them from Discord's talons.
"These bolts have a small explosive spell placed on them meaning as soon as the tips hit something solid they will create a small concentrated explosion. I want you to fire two bolts at the armories on the right, they're filled with gunpowder. That should cause the distraction I'll need to kill the Portal Masters. You'll need to cover us and make sure nothing walks in on us. After I've taken care of them we'll need to haul ass so after I give the signal I want you to rain steel on these bastards. After we've made it to a safer location I'll open a portal to get us out of here, any questions?" "When do we start and what's the signal?" asked Sil.
Discord only grinned and looked at Shade "I like this guy." he said while pointing at Sil.
"You two should find some high vantage points to do some sniping and you'll know the signal when you see it." Discord said with a wink.
The brothers nodded once and carefully picked up the enchanted bolts and carefully but quickly made their way to a small cliff just over looking the encampment. After setting up and laying flat against the ground, they carefully nocked their crossbows and took aim. Discord nodded towards the brothers and turned towards the other three Werewolves.
Discord clapped his mismatched hands together and said in his smug voice "So you pups ready to kill some powerful demons?"
The Werewolves gave Discord a flat look but Discord took it in stride and began to make his way towards the right of the encampment. The three Werewolves looked at each other and Shade just shrugged and began to follow Discord. The other two silently followed softly fingering their sheathed blades.
Discord smirked as he heard the soft padding of their foot steps and began in a hushed voice "Get ready boys, I'm going to give the signal when we reach the tree line just directly across from the Demons we're after. You three are my back up if things get a little rough."
Shade nodded once and asked "What exactly is the signal?"
Discord let out a small chuckle as they reached the edge of the woods and answered "This."
With a snap of his eagle talon a pink cloud winked into existence but no this just wasn't any pink cloud. It was a special kind of cloud, a cotton candy, but this cloud had a more sinister purpose. The Mangled looked up in confusion and a few of the Jotnars tried to swat it down, but it was to high for them to touch. After a second of floating motionless the cloud began to rain, but this rain wasn't normal,it was glass. Razor edged glass sliced through the air towards the unsuspecting creatures. It wasn't long before the glass reached the Demons and other nasty things on the ground. The glass harmlessly cut the Jotnars causing minor damage, but the same couldn't be said about the more smaller creatures. Any creature under the cloud was cut up and had their flesh flayed.
Moments later their wails of agony were silenced from a deafening explosion about 200 yards to their right sending debris and the limbs of anything caught in the explosion. The encampment was in complete disarray with most of the soldiers heading towards what was left of the armory while the rest only stared in shock. Discord noted that a few goblins had spears embedded in their stomachs while one minor troll had one spear stuck in his eye. Weapons were scattered everywhere from the blast creating an even deadlier form of shrapnel. The blast was so intense that a few swords were shot into the sky hitting two harpies in the wings that were doing a fly over.
When Discord turned his head towards the three Werewolves behind him he let out a small laugh at their faces. Shade had a wonderful What The Fuck face while Mag had a lovely Poker face, and Gar had a beautiful I Don't Even Know face. It was a beautiful moment that discord brought his lion paw and eagle talons together making a square.
"Say cheese~" Discord said cheerfully and a small flash was emitted making a small whirring noise. A picture of the three Werewolves confused faces were in perfect sync that made Discord let out an even bigger chuckle.
Discord carefully slipped the photo into a nonexistent pocket and clapped his mismatched hands together. The Werewolves shook their heads, the memory of just what the Draconequus did and wondered what else he could do.
Discord cleared his throat gaining the attention of the Werewolves and spoke in a serious tone "Now that most of the attention has been diverted towards their armory we can make our way towards our targets."
Shade nodded once and the other two simply steeled themselves for the soon to be battle. Discord gave a toothy grin and began to make his way towards the Portal Masters who seemed as if the explosion never happened. They just stood there staring at a fire that stood in front of were they were currently set up.
Discord brought up a paw and made a series of hand gestures towards the Werewolves and to the silent creatures who fortunately had their backs turned to the four. Shade only gave Discord a flat look to which Discord returned with a silent sigh. Discord grabbed Shades arm and before Shade could question Discord he heard the chaotic creature's voice in his head.
"Watch my back while I take on the pricks. Make sure nothing tries to kill me from behind."
Shade nodded once and caught the attention and relayed Discord's message to them. They nodded once and carefully made their way around the creatures camp, giving enough room for Discord to move around for his fight. The Werewolves dispatched of any creature unlucky enough to even come near Discord and the Portal Masters with Sword or claw and sometimes both.
Discord quietly thought to himself on how to kill the creatures in front of him. It definitively was going to be a bit of trouble due to there being seven of them and almost as tall as himself. As Discord began to mutter to himself about explosive clouds filled with acid a certain voice spoke up inside his head "Hit them with a concentrated amount of Chaos magic, that should cause them to explode. They can't handle to much magic at once or else they become extremely unstable. The hit must be direct and solid as well. I won't wish you luck because I don't think you need it."
Galewing's voice faded out and left Discord feeling determined. Discord nodded his head once and quietly began conjured up a small cotton candy cloud and filled it with some of his chaotic energy. He carefully and quietly guided it into the sky and lowered it down to waist level in front of the now confused Portal Masters. With a smirk he snapped his talons and the small and delicious but deadly cloud exploded. Combined with the shockwave and the chaotic energy was able to enter two of the unfortunate Portal Masters causing their body to shudder before exploding, sending meat,bone fragments, and limbs all around. The other four were flung towards Discord who was waiting with a bat made entirely from Chaos.
Discord readied the bat while wearing a baseball helmet while grinning like a madman. Just before he swung the bat he said in a jolly tone "This ones going out of the Ballpark~" before swinging as hard as he could making use of his momentum by swinging his hips forward. The Chaos bat made contact with the unfortunate creature's face sending it sailing through the crimson sky in a arch whilst Discord watched and said "Going, going, going, gone," as the creature began to plummet and finally landed just past the destroyed armory. Where the unlucky Portal Master landed there was an explosion and Discord could see a leg fly high up in the air.
Discord turned towards the remaining four who were now standing but bleeding black blood from various wounds on their body. One of them was missing most of its tendrils while the rest were barely staying put. They began to hiss at Discord as rested the bat on his shoulder as he eyed the battered Portal Masters and gave a toothy grin. With one paw he motioned for the remaining Portal Masters to come at him. Two of the remaining four Portal Masters gave furious hisses before charging at Discord.
Discord only smiled as he cocked the bat in readied position and waited patiently as they neared him. As soon as one of them was in striking range Discord instead of swinging the bat sideways he slammed it straight down onto its skull smashing the Portal Master straight into the ground. Before it could explode Discord leap backwards leaving the bleeding Portal Master to explode into a gory mess. The second Portal Master leap over what was left of its comrade towards Discord with its Tendrils out in front, ready to impale Discord.
Discord only chuckled as a familiar cloud materialized in front of Discord. Instead of crashing through the cloud as the Portal Master had first thought, instead it became stuck and soon the cloud began to encase the creature into a cocoon of deadly and delicious cotton candy, cotton candy that had Chaos energy running through it that is. There was a muffled explosion and slowly the cloud began to turn black with the very unfortunate Portal Master's blood and what was left of him. Discord simply flicked his paw and the now black cloud winked out of existence.
With that taken care of, Discord turned towards the remaining two and smiled menacingly. With a small flick of his lion paw a marble made of chaos winked into existence and hovered in the air before shooting towards the remaining Portal Masters before expanding into a giant sphere that quickly enshrouded the last two Portal Masters. Soon they couldn't even be seen but slowly the multicolored sphere began to shrink before completely disappearing. What was left wasn't really much, a few limbs, splatters of blood, and what looked like some organs.
Discord merely turned around and began to make his way to where Shade headed. He soon found Shade and the other two Werewolves resting on dead troll while cleaning the blood off their swords. Their muzzles were specked with blood and when they noticed Discord walking towards them, they smiled and waved showing that their fangs were red with blood.
"I see you three didn't have any trouble here," Discord said with a smirk.
With a small flick of the wrist their was a small and brief flash of light before leaving Sil and Creak still in prone position with their crossbow's at the ready. When they noticed their surroundings they stood up and began dusting the dirt off their fur.
"So you five ready to blow this Popsicle stand?" asked Discord.
Shade nodded and said "Whenever your ready Discord."
Discord nodded and flicked his wrist one more time and the five Werewolves plus one Draconequus were covered in bright light before being teleported into the Everfree forest.
Shade turned towards Discord and bowed his head in thanks as he relished the feeling of being back in Equestria. "Discord, how long did you say we have before the Mangled attack?" he asked calmly.
Discord rubbed at his chin before replying "We have at least another month or two at the most."
Shade only nodded and muttered quietly "That should give us enough time." Discord only tilted his head and gave a questioning look to which Shade answered with "I'm going to bring the Werewolves to aid you in your battle against the Mangled."
Discord only chuckled and said "I appreciate your help Shade," and stuck his paw out as did Shade and they gave each other a firm handshake. "Do you want me to open up a portal that will take you to your clan?"
Shade shook his head and politely declined "I think we'll be just fine on our own but thank you for offering," and turned around and began to walk towards Northern Equestria. The other four Werewolves looked at Discord before simply nodding and giving a small smile before following their pack leader and friend.
Discord watched as the five Werewolves made their way home before pulling out the picture of Shade, Gar, and Mag with their amusing expressions. He gave a hearty laugh before simply saying "I'm definitely making copies," before turning around and began to head towards Fluttershy's quaint and cozy cottage.
The walk to Fluttershy's was quite uneventful save for the few meetings with the residents of the Everfree. A few Timber wolves here and some Bitterweavers there, they only stared at Discord before continuing with current tasks. Discord gave the inside of the forest a once over and smiled because this was one of the few places in Equestria that he could just relax and enjoy his surroundings. In fact sometimes Discord really felt like the Everfree was alive in a sense, as if the forest was a living entity and only sought to give refugee to the misunderstood and those who would be shunned by society.
Discord quietly played with this thought and noted that he would be at Fluttershy's cottage in a few minutes. When he reached the edge of the Everfree he could see her cottage and noted that she was safe and was busy feeding her animals. His shadow familiars were doing their job of protecting Fluttershy and keeping a sharp eye out for anything baring hostility towards her. One of them was currently situated in a tree while another was placed directly in front of her cottage simply watching for any signs of trouble.
When they caught sight of Discord they merely nodded their heads signaling nothing had happened and all was well. Discord nodded in acknowledgment and made his way towards Fluttershy who was unaware that the Draconequus was now behind her. He only smiled as she busied herself putting out the food for her furry little friends. Discord only chuckled silently and poked her shoulder and moved in front of her when she looked behind her to see nothing but the air. When she turned her head back to the front she was staring into a pair of mismatched crimson eyes surrounded by yellow.
She let out an incoherent squeak and did what any scared mare would do, she slammed her head forwards and knocked Discord flat on ass with a dazed look. When she realized it was only Discord, she let out a small sigh of relief and than she realized that she had just headbutted the Spirit of Chaos and friend. She immediately leaned down and helped him up while repeatedly saying in a very apologetic tone "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Discord only smiled and raised a paw to halt her apologies "No my dear Fluttershy, its my fault for giving you a scare and must say you have quite the headbutt," he said in a cheerful tone, the pain in his head already receding. He carefully stood up and dusted himself off before putting a paw gently on Fluttershy's mane in a comforting manner. She looked up with worry in her eyes to which Discord gave a soft smile. Fluttershy visibly calmed down and finally asked Discord "Where have you been, if you don't mind me asking..." she said in soft tone.
Discord only rubbed his talons against his chest and said in nonchalant tone "Oh no where in particular, just around."
Fluttershy only continued to look at Discord expectantly and Discord only sighed in resignation before finally saying "If must know I went to Hell, made some Werewolf friends, and killed some really powerful demons by causing them to explode." he said in a bored voice.
Fluttershy shot Discord a worried glance and immediately began to look for an injury on Discord that she might of missed. Discord only wave a paw in dismissal saying "Don't worry Fluttershy, I'm a God remember, takes more then a bunch of weak demons to harm me."
Fluttershy only nodded slowly still looking for an injury before finally deciding that Discord was okay and was indeed unharmed. She sighed in relief and began to finish up with her chores.
"Need any help there?" asked Discord.
Fluttershy only gave a small smile and shook her head lightly "No its alright Discord, I'm almost done anyways.."
Discord nodded and stuck his hands in imaginary pockets and looked up into the sky and gave a small smile as noted the clouds that were beginning to block out the sky. Judging by the dark clouds and distant rumbling, Ponyville was going to have a scheduled Thunderstorm. Fluttershy saw that Discord was looking up and also looked up and saw the dark clouds.
"Umm Discord, would you like to stay in my cottage with me till the storm passes...if that's alright with.." Fluttershy asked meekly behind a veil of light-pink hair.
Discord only shook his head slowly with the same small smile still plastered on his face. "I'm sorry but I'm going to have decline that kind offer, I enjoy a good Thunderstorm and I have some other things to attend to as well," he said calmly.
Fluttershy only looked worry but Discord only waved it off with smile "Don't worry to much, I'll be fine."
Fluttershy nodded slightly in reluctance and said in a stern voice "If you get struck by Lightning mister, your going to be in so much trouble," causing Discord to slightly flinch back.
Discord nodded in acknowledgment and began to push the petite mare into her home as the first drops of rain began to fall. She went in without a peep and Discord only winked as he snapped his talons causing a tray with a cup of hot chocolate and some sweets on the side popped into reality on her coffee table.
Discord shut the door before Fluttershy could say thanks and with a flick of the wrist he used a simple Polymorph spell causing his form to ripple once changing it back to the form the Unicorn form he wore earlier. With a flick of the horn a black hooded cloak settled itself onto his body. Satisfied with the color, Discord began to make his way down the path towards Ponyville while the rain began to come down at a quicker pace. Discord didn't care though, he enjoyed the rain and it would soothe his mind. His walk towards Ponyville was quite uneventful save for the few encounters with animals and Ponies alike trying to escape the weather. Discord didn't pay any attention to them and silently walker over the red bridge watching for any trouble. Satisfied with the outside of Ponyville being safe, he made his way towards the center. He passed closed shops and lit homes with families enjoying the cold weather with their fireplaces lit and enjoying hot chocolate together.
Discord wasn't envious of them, he would never envy those he would not want harmed. Seeing them happy, carefree, and just enjoying life to its fullest was good enough for him. Sure he liked to prank them every now and than but he never really meant any harm. That didn't matter though, right now he had a job to do. As he was passing an alley he swore he heard grunt of pain. He stopped and strained his ears, trying to hear if there was indeed someone that needed help. He heard it again but this time it was more like a hiss of pain so Discord only did the right thing. He used a simple spell that created a small sphere of light that floated besides him.
He called out into the poorly lit alley "Is there anypony there, if you need help just say so."
Discord waited patiently and after a minute of silence a strained voice called out "Um yes, I am actually in a need of assistance. I'd be very grateful indeed if you would help a chap."
Discord began to walk into the alley searching for the voice that reminded him of Trotingham. It didn't take long till he spotted the one who needed help, a chestnut coated Earth Pony stallion with a brown mohawk mane and he was wearing a green tie around his neck. He was laying on his side and he had a nasty burn mark. What looked like a silver pen layed at his side and he was wearing a snazzy looking green tie.
"Oh great, the one who comes to my rescue is a Spirit of Chaos in disguise. First the Daleks and now the Spirit of Chaos, can this day get any better?"
"Um actuall-" Discord began but was cut off by the strange stallion waving his hooves. "Don't answer that."
Discord just looked at the strange stallion with amusement as the stallion wore a look of annoyance and amusement. They stared at each other for a few minutes longer before Discord simply asked "Do you want my help?"
The stallion was silent before finally sighing in defeat "Oh alright then but no tricks," he said.
Discord nodded and said "Scouts honor," and flicked his horn, a light glow surrounded the burn. The stallion hissed in pain but soon visibly relaxed as the burn began to disappear. Just as quickly as he started it was over and the chestnut stallion shakily got up on his hooves. After brushing his coat off and slipping the small peculiar pen like device under his tie.
The stallion walked over to Discord and stuck a hoof out "I'm the Doctor and who might you be?" he said in a cheerful voice
Discord chuckled and stuck his hoof out giving the strange stallion's hoof "The names Discord, Spirit of Chaos."
"Oh another Draconequus, been a while since I've met one of your kind. Although the ones I met weren't as powerful as you." "That's because I'm the literal Spirit of Chaos, which brings me to the question, how do you know about the Draconequus?" "Oh simple really, I'm just like you, the last of my kind, I'm a Time Lord." "That's impossible, the Time Lords died out centuries ago." "Well that's me, doing the impossible whenever I get the chance." "If your a Time Lord then what are you doing here, you have the ability to travel through time and space." "I use to be Homeless ever since I got caught in a Solar storm that shot me into a wormhole. I can travel through time and space in this Universe but I can't leave this Parallel Universe. I'm stuck here but I must confess, I couldn't be happier. I've made great friends and found a new home." "Well what if I told you theres going to be another war that could end up as genocide for this world and maybe Universe. "I will defend this world with my very life." "Good, I'm currently in the middle of creating an army to fight the oncoming Storm." "Well you can count me in Discord but I have a small favor to ask." "Oh and what would that be?" "Think you could bring some Fish Fingers and Custard into reality?"
Discord was currently sitting in a blue box that was Much bigger on the inside then the outside but this didn't phase him in the least. It was simple Time Lord science, Bigger on the inside. The Doctor was currently sitting down happily eating a bowl of Fish Fingers and Custard. After licking the bowl clean he fixed his tie and stood up and turned to Discord who currently was fiddling with things he shouldn't. The Doctor cleared his throat and said in amusing voice "Please try not to break my TARDIS, She's been a very dear friend to me for a very long time."
Discord coughed awkwardly and pulled hoof back from the knobs he was tinkering with and rubbed against his chest "You said She, does that mean what I think it does?"
The last Time Lord only smiled "Her name's Sexy and she's my TARDIS, my oldest friend in all the Universes," he said proudly and ran a hoof over the console whilst giving the interior a loving glance.
"Did you wish really hard?" Discord said in a very serious tone.
"Oh shut up," was the Doctors reply and he gave the last Draconequus a firm punch to the shoulder only causing Discord to let out a laugh. The Doctor began to walk around the console while slowly dragging a hoof on the console while wearing a serious look on his face. Discord was silent as he watched the Time Lord's actions knowing that a serious fight was happening within his head.
The Doctor stopped and only smiled as he said to nobody in particular "So the Predator is needed once again," and only waved a hoof at Discord's slightly worried face. "When will you need me?" he simply asked.
Discord sighed and rubbed his chin and said "A few weeks time, maybe a month if we're lucky," The Doctor nodded and said "Well it won't be the first time I've gone to war."
Discord nodded solemnly and gave The Doctor a comforting pat on the shoulder before making his way to the exit. "Be ready," was all Discord said before exiting the TARDIS and gently closed the door. He payed no heed towards the still pouring rain and lightning that danced across the sky and made his way past a peculiar house that was in the shape of a Mailbox.
His black cloak clung to him like a second skin and Discord only carried on with his walk around Ponyville making sure all was well. He passed lit homes occupied with families and couples keeping each other warm while playing family games. He looked up at the still dark sky that continued to pour it's rain mercilessly down soaking everything. Every so often the sound of sounder could be heard as if explosions were filling the sky. Discord guessed that it was just a few hours from midnight and began to make his towards the Stable. He walked in silence still watching for any signs of trouble, he found none and was just a few streets away from his destination but saw that a certain Sugary decorated building was still open and decided to grab a quick snack.
He opened the door and shook the rain off him and made his way towards the register. A pink pony was currently in charge, a pink pony that Discord knew. The Element of Laughter known as Pinkie Pie was currently behind the register and when she noticed the cloaked stallion in front of her she smiled brightly and asked in her cheery voice "What can I get you sir?"
Discord smiled at the pink mare and asked in a calm voice "I'd like an order of six cupcakes please."
She smiled and said "Okie Dokie Lokie," and went in the back room. She came out a few seconds later with a small box with the delicious treats. "That'll be 13 bits," she said cheerfully.
Discord reached into his pockets with his magic and pulled out the correct amount of bits and placed them on the counter. Pinkie placed the box on the counter and put the bits in the register. Discord picked up the box with his magic and said "Have a nice night Miss," and began to walk to the door but was stopped by the pink mare.
"Won't you stay awhile Discord?" she asked in her still cheery voice. Discord turned around and gave Pinkie a pointed look and asked "Fourth Wall?"
She only smiled and shook her head "I never forget anypony I meet, never," she said calmly. Discord sighed but smiled all the same and made his way to the nearest table and sat down, placing the box on the table and took a cupcake out. He motioned for Pinkie to come over to which she happily obliged and went around the counter. She took a seat across from him and smiled at him, not suspiciously nor with any hostility, just calmly as if she were talking to an old friend.
Discord motioned for Pinkie to have a cupcake and took a bite out of him savoring the taste of the sugary treat that made his tastebud dance with bliss. Pinkie nodded in thanks and took a cupcake and popped the whole thing in her mouth and it almost looked like she didn't even chew. When she noticed Discord staring at her she smiled sheepishly and rubbed her mane causing Discord to let out a chuckle.
"So Discord, why are you back?" she asked bluntly. Discord smiled at her blunt question and answered "I guess you could call it business really, just some really cliche stuff. The fallen villain gets a chance to redeem himself by saving the ones he sought out to control basically. Very cliche really but I like cliches, they never get old."
Pinkie nodded sagely and asked "What exactly are you saving us from?"
"Just some Demons, Daemons, Monsters, and anything that can and will kill a pony if giving the chance. Oh but don't worry, I've been tasked with saving Equestria by a higher power." "Your right that really is a cliche," she said while giggling.
Discord smiled wryly and let out a small chuckle and asked "So are you going to let the others know?"
Pinkie rubbed her chin thoughtfully and said "Nope," in a cheerful voice. "I don't see a reason to, if they need to know I'm sure you'll tell them yourselves, but have you told the princesses yet?"
Discord rubbed his face and said "I told one of the Princesses, Luna. I'll tell Sunshine probably tomorrow." He looked at his half eaten cupcake and tossed the rest inside his mouth and flicked his horn causing two tall glasses of chocolate milk to pop into existence. He pushed one of the glasses to Pinkie who gratefully and eagerly guzzled down the chocolate delight. Discord sipped his calmly but smiled softly watching the pink mare practically inhale her drink in mere seconds.
She reminded him of somepony when he was younger, back when things were so simple. She acted like this Pink mare back when he was still in his first few hundreds, carefree, charismatic, fun, and always laughing. Those were the old days back when life was so much simpler.
Pinkie noticed Discord staring at her in thought and asked "Do I have a chocolate milk mustache or something? while crossing her eyes trying to spot it. The sight was hilarious to Discord and he waved a paw "Theres that and I was just thinking how you remind me of someone I knew back in my younger years."
Pinkie tilted her head in confusion and asked "What happened to her?"
Discord smiled sadly and said "Time, Time and Society happened. She began to care what others said and started to treat me differently and before I knew it we were fighting. That fight became one of the biggest fights in Equestrian History. It took her and her sister to defeat me and soon I was forgotten in the sands of time. Nothing but a lawn decoration, no better then a lawn gnome."
Pinkie frowned and said "Are you talking about who I think you are?"
Discord nodded once "With your genius mind, most likely. Yes Celestia, Princess of the Sun was somepony very special to me but what ponies thought were more important to her then her friends and family."
Pinkie's ear dropped in sadness causing Discord to smile. He placed a paw on her crazy pink cotton candy looking mane and patted it. "Don't worry about it, that was the past and what happens in the past stays in the past."
Pinkie smiled once more and nodded not in agreement but as if she had made a promise to herself "Discord, after this is all done I'm going to throw the biggest party I've ever thrown just for you and when you and Celestia make up." she said with vigor and giddiness.
Discord raised an eyebrow in and asked "How do you know if Celestia and I will make up?"
Pinkie just looked at him and said triumphantly "Pinkie sense."
Discord looked at her with a blank look before bursting with laughter "Haha Pinkie I can't wait for what will become a party told throughout time." Pinkie smiled and said "Me too."
Discord looked out a nearby window and noticed that the rain was beginning to slow. Discord stood up and tossed Pinkie another cupcake from the box and picked up the box with his magic "Its time for me to head out now Pinkie, till next time."
Pinkie smiled and simply waved a hoof and said "See you later Discord," before devouring the cupcake with ease and walked towards the door that Discord had just walked out of and flipped the sign that now read closed. She turned and walked towards the backroom that had a set of stairs that led towards her bedroom. She passed up the Cakes room and and the Cake twin's softly murmuring a "Goodnight." She reached her room and got into bed with Gummy who was already asleep on one of her pillows. He let out a quiet chirp and pinkie replied "Goodnight too Gummy," before drifting off to sleep into the land of dreams where she was always happy.