Chapter 1: Discord's Deal with the Devil
CRRRRRKK.
The pale, stone statue that housed the body and soul of Discord began to wobble and tremble furiously. All over its surface, deep cracks started to spread, and with each one the tremor from inside grew more and more powerful. Finally, in an explosion of sheer force and will, the stone prison shattered entirely, revealing the monstrous entity that was Discord in the flesh. He snarled proudly and bellowed out in laughter, throwing his fists into the air in triumph.
"BWAHAHAHA! Discord's back, baby!!"
"KEEP IT DOWN, WILL YA?!"
"B-huh..?" The angry voice startled Discord out of his celebration, and he blinked several times trying to make sense of things, his mouth hanging agape. Everywhere he looked, creatures as disgusting and monstrous as he, some even more so, sat grumpily. Every now and then, fire or steam would billow from one of the many vents in the red, stony walls. The large, crowded cave was well lit by hundreds of wooden torches, and he'd only just begun to realize how unbearably sweltering it was. He rubbed his neck and shook his head, walking humbly into the large room, mumbling to himself.
"It wasn't enough to lock me up in stone, they had to throw me into Tartarus too, huh?" He sighed and rested his elbow onto the counter of what he presumed was a bar carved into the stone wall. Behind the counter, a placid looking horned beast polished a stone mug with a tattered, ashy cloth. "Only Celestia could be that cruel."
Discord rested his head on his lion's paw glumly and looked around at the place. For hell, it was far more developed than he thought it would be. There were numerous tables and chairs carved into the stone, and there even appeared to be numerous bars and shops etched into its walls. It was a surprisingly lively place, humming with the broken and growling voices of its hundreds of inhabitants, and most of them seemed to be handling themselves particularly well; some were even laughing and smiling. Discord sighed and spoke gloomily to the barkeeper without bothering to look at him.
"So what do you guys do for fun around here..?"
The barkeeper grunted. "Uh, fun?"
Discord turned to him. "Well, I mean, you know. How do you pass the time?"
The barkeeper shrugged and spit into the mug, rubbing it in with the cloth, at which Discord couldn't help but cringe.
"Just look and see for y'rself. Some guys play cards. Some guys fight each other. Some guys carve. Some guys trade around whatever trinkets and what have ya that they managed to bring from the outside. Y'know, ya do whatever ya can."
Discord nodded and observed the others some more. "Alotta guys just spend all of their time here diggin'," the barkeeper added. "But it ain't like they're going anywhere anyways."
With a quick stretch, Discord decided he would go have a look around for himself. He was about to leave when the bartender stopped him.
"'Ey! Ya want somethin' to drink?"
Discord was hesitant. "What do you have..?"
The bartender picked up on his suspicions, which weren't entirely unfounded. "Uh, we got, uh... Blood, 'n some salt water that sometimes drips off tha ceilin'. It actually ain't too bad if you mix tha two."
Discord shook his head and sighed once again. "No thanks. I think I'll be fine."
The bartender nodded understandingly and Discord made his way to the bustling center of the pit. At first, he took special care to avoid walking into the other monsters sulking around him, but it seemed like they were trying to hit him. It was as though they had no respect for the god-like being that he was. Then again, he didn't have much respect for himself in this place. He wandered aimlessly into the mass, looking for anything to distract himself from his current predicament. Despite being taller than any pony, most of the creatures here were as tall as he was, so he had to stand on the tips of his toes to see over their heads, trying to peer into any of the many shops that lined the walls. One shop sold thick stone playing cards, another sold clubs and other weapons made of bones. There even seemed to be an art shop where they sold slabs of stone painted with blood.
Most of it disgusted him, but one shop in particular piqued his interest, mostly because he had no idea what was inside. It had by far the longest line of any of the shops, and every now and then bursts of random colors would shoot out of the makeshift animal hide curtain hanging inside. Discord, realizing that he had nothing better to do, decided to wait in the line, if only to see what the shop offered.
The line moved incredibly slowly, only speeding up every once in a while when someone was violently kicked out of the shop, presumably for not having enough to purchase whatever was inside. Several times one of the monsters would try to kick Discord out of his spot in line, but he stood his ground, using his cunning to easily outsmart the dimwitted criminals. After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally next in line. He eagerly tried to peer through the ragged skin curtain, but was only greeted by the same bright flashes of color. He huffed grumpily and feigned patience until it was finally his turn to enter.
After what could have only been hours of waiting, although, admittedly, there was no way to tell, the curtain opened up, and the customer before him walked out of the shop, grinning to himself. It was finally his turn. Discord was almost giddy with anticipation. A large, angry looking demon stepped out.
"Madame Serpiente will see you now."
Discord stepped forth, and followed the demon's lead into the dark room.
Madame Serpiente? he thought. Great, Discord, you've been here one day and you've managed to find yourself in the only brothel in hell. You're certainly making progress.
As soon as he stepped in, the demon stepped outside and hurriedly slid closed the thick curtain. In the following instant, at least forty candles lit up simultaneously, lighting up the surprisingly ornately decorated shop. Lining the walls were jars, vials, and bottles of various colors of bright liquids. There were also mysterious paintings and etchings hanging around him. And, as he could have guessed there would be, a large cauldron filled the center of the room. Discord was startled out of appreciation of the shop by a loud hiss.
"Ahh, Dissssscord. How could a being as powerful as you find himself in my shop..?"
Perhaps the most gaudily decorated part of the room was its host. There sitting in a bone chair was a sort of snake creature. Her eyelashes were exaggeratedly long, her lips thick with blood-colored lipstick, and her clothes were brightly colored and free flowing, far different from anything else he'd seen in Tartarus. Her arms were skinny and covered in bangles up to her elbows. Her nails were just as vividly painted as her lips, and on almost all of her fingers was a beautiful ring. She certainly wasn't ugly - if maybe a bit overdone - which struck him as odd based on everything else he'd seen there. He had several theories as to why she was so popular among the other monsters.
Discord smirked and slowly took the chair in front of her, immediately struck by how uncomfortable it was but still trying to retain his slyness. "So, you know me, do you..?"
"Why of courssssse I do," she answered, leaning in to rest her snaky elbows on the rim of the cauldron, resting her chin in her hands while she looked at him. "You're something of a perssssssonal hero of mine..."
He was extremely attracted to her flirtatious demeanor, even given the current circumstances. "Well, then," he said, leaning in similarly. "It's such a shame that we have to meet in a place like this..."
She reached out a claw and grazed her sharp nails against his cheek. "Mmmhmm..." Before he could lean against her touch, she slid back into her chair and pressed her fingertips together, looking at him with more determination than attraction.
"But, sadly," she began, almost sighing. "I'm here to run a business, of course, and that hoard of ghastly beasts behind you wouldn't be too happy if you and I sat back here all night admiring each other." Discord gulped embarrassedly and nodded in agreement.
"Y-yes, yes, of course."
"Ssssssso..." she said, starting to get more comfortable again. "What is it that I can do for you, dear..?"
Discord shifted uneasily in his chair, forcing a grin. "Well, you see, I came here not exactly knowing exactly it is that you do..."
Madame Serpiente grinned at the unfamiliar thrill of having a new customer. She reached a claw forward again and scratched teasingly under his chin. "I can do a lot of things..." She eased away again and dipped her finger into the cold water of the cauldron, swirling her finger in circles to create a gentle whirlpool in the mystic water. "Charms, spells, potions... curses..." She playfully flicked some water at his face and sat back in her chair again. "All you have to do is pick your poison..."
Discord was still just as unsure as he was when he walked into the room. He had always been used to conjuring his own magic and spells. He couldn't imagine what he would need any of that for down here. Unless she had a potion for teleporting back to the outside, he was having a hard time thinking of something he wanted. She picked up on his pondering and flicked her long forked tongue.
"There's got to ssssssomething you're craving... Like..." she batted her eyelashes alluringly. "Love..?" Assuming this was just a tactic she used on all of her customers, he stared back at her dryly, unmoved. She hissed slightly and continued her pitch. "Or, maybe..." she looked up at him again. "Revenge..?"
Discord brightened up at the sound of the word. Yes! he thought. Revenge! If it weren't for those ponies I wouldn't be in this miserable pit!! I should be at my rightful place ruling Equestria! Not sweltering in a run down potion shop! He tried to keep himself reserved, not wanting to give away his powerful craving for vengeance.
"It depends," he teased. "What did you have in mind?"
The sorceress perked up, smirking, knowing she hit a nerve. "Oh, I'm sure I've got something for you lying around here," she said, slithering herself up from her chair to sift through the packed shelves. "Give me a sssssssssecond..."
Discord grinned to himself and rubbed his hands together unconsciously as he thought about the beauty of his revenge. This will show those goodie little ponies what it means to take on the spirit of chaos!
Madame Serpiente turned her attention from the shelves to one of several trunks littered around her shop, opening it up and sifting through his contents. Discord looked around placidly and patiently, studying anything that caught his eye. After looking at some of the trinkets curiously, his eyes finally met with a small display set aside from the others. Lined up perfectly side by side were seven small vials, each filled with a differently colored, thick, vivid liquid, and below each was a label scribbled in parchment: superbia, avaritia, invidia, gula, acedia, ira, and luxuria. Discord squinted his eyes to study them more.
"What about these?" he said, pointing to the vials. Madame Serpiente looked up from the large chest to see what he was talking about.
"Oh, no, darling, don't worry about those," she dismissed, turning her attention back to the chest, still sifting through its contents. "Those are merely purified sins. More of a display piece, actually, consssidering nearly every breathing creature that has ever lived harbors at least one of those vices."
Discord snicked evilly, reaching to pluck the blue vial from the display, the one marked superbia. "Oh, you don't understand," he said, looking into it eagerly. "These ponies I had in mind... They're as pure as it gets." The sorceress closed and locked the trunk, hissing slightly as she stood up again, moving toward him. "Even I couldn't corrupt them..."
Madame Serpiente took the vial from him and stared at it herself, almost starting to match his excitement for the scheme. "That'ssssss the beauty of these particular curses... they don't corrupt from the outside... But unlock the corrupt desires from the insssside..."
Discord chuckled gleefully. "BAH-HAH! It's perfect!"
Serpiente grinned at the excitement of her customer, plucking up each of the vials carefully in her long fingers. She sat down in her chair and looked up at Discord, the familiar seductive look in her eyes.
"But, naturally, before we begin," she mumbled. "There issss the matter of your payment..."
Discord grumbled and patted his chest and sides, trying to find some gem or bit tucked away somewhere.
"I... can't say that I have anything on me at the moment, but..."
The sorceress shushed him and shook her head, setting the vials aside to grab some empty jars from another chest.
"Don't worry about it, dear... let'ssssss just leave your first purchase as an I.O.U., hm..?"
"Yes!" Discord delighted. "Deal!"
Serpiente snickered to herself before lining up a few jars. "Ssssssso, how many ponies are on the agenda..?"
"Six," Discord snarled. "Each one as annoying as the last."
"Six will do just fine," she said, arranging six jars, once again looking at Discord. "I'm... assssssuming you know their cutie marks..?"
"Yes!" asserted Discord. He pressed a claw to his chin as he fought to remember. "Let's see.. There's Applejack, whose cutie mark is three apples. Easy enough, right?” Serpiente obediently took a vial labeled "cyanide", dumping some of the powder into one of the jars. Apparently catching Discord's skeptical stare, she explained herself.
"Made from apple sssseeds," she explained.
"Ah, yes, right. Okay, so... Then there's Fluttershy, whose cutie mark is three butterflies..." Serpiente slipped a few of what appeared to be butterfly's wings from a bowl and crumbled them into another jar.
"Good... Now we have Rainbow Dash, whose cutie mark is a rainbow lightning bolt shooting out of a cloud..." The sorceress sighed and grabbed a pot beside the cauldron, pouring some of its pure water into it.
"To represent the cloud," she said, letting a few drops fill the bottom of the jar. "And for the lightning..." she took a sharp metal pin from her trunk and licked the tip of it before letting some of her acidic venom drip onto it. She struck it violently against the stone wall of the room before dipping it into the water, creating a short-lived but strong spark. Discord was clearly impressed.
"Yes, yes," he offered, growing more and more excited. "Then there's Rarity, whose cutie mark is diamonds..." Serpiente carefully plucked a pinch of shattered diamonds from a different trunk and sprinkled them into a jar. "Go on..."
"Perfect! After that we have Pinkie Pie, whose cutie mark is balloons..."
Serpiente stopped short.
"Balloons..?"
"Heh, could I make something like that up?
She sighed and tossed a thin string into one of the jars, before taking a knife to scrape at her wooden staff. For once the heat came in handy, and as soon as she pierced deep enough into it, a small drop of sap oozed onto the blade. She slid it off into the jar and mumbled.
"That's the best I can do to mimic something like... balloonssss."
"That should do nicely," Discord remarked happily. "Now, who's last... Ah, yes, of course! Twilight Sparkle! The most troublesome of them all. Her cutie mark is, well... A magical sparkle."
Serpiente couldn't help but sigh again. "These ponies you've got really are quite... Botherssssome..." She sprinkled some glittery powder into the last jar, something she said was made from ground unicorn's horn. Delighted, Discord clapped his hands together.
"That's the last of them!" he said eagerly. "Let's get started!"
Serpiente exhaled in relief and motioned for him to move closer, handing him the vials as he stretched over the cauldron.
"As you pour the contents of each vial, you must say the name of whomever you want to be cursed. Whatever sins you pour into the jar will manifest themselves in the hearts of the pony, growing more and more powerful as time goesssss by."
Discord almost squealed in excitement while he flipped the cork off the blue vial with his thumb and studied the jars, wondering who he wanted to inflict first.
"Sssssuperbia," she said, "or the vice of pride."
"Hmm..." he pondered. "Aha! You, Pinkie Pie. You've spent far too much time trying to make other people smile... Let's see what people think when you start caring only for yourself! BAHAHAHA!" with that he dumped every drop of the blue liquid into the jar, wasting no time in grabbing the next one, which was green.
"Invidia. Envy."
"Ah, of course," Discord said, once again studying the jars. "Hmm... Yes! You, Rainbow Dash!" he poured all of the green liquid into the jar. "Your pride has always been your biggest downfall! Let's see how you handle yourself when all you can feel is jealousy?! AHA! This is absolutely delightful!" Serpiente chuckled quietly, not expecting that kind of reaction. Discord eagerly picked up the red vial.
"Ira," Serpiente explained, "or, 'wrath.'"
"Ah! Easy," Discord said, dumping the vial's sanguine contents into another jar. "Fluttershy was always the embodiment of kindness... Oh, how it will turn her world upside down to be consumed by anger!" He smirked and picked up the yellow vial.
"Avaritia. Greed."
"Well," Discord offered, dumping the vial into one of the jars. "Applejack has always been rather selfless with everything she gets... Hoho, Granny Smith will have a hard time getting a new hip when Applejack starts grabbing every bit she sees for herself!" He tossed the empty vial aside and grabbed the orange one.
"Gula. Gluttony."
Discord laughed to himself and almost squealed in his perceived cleverness. "Bahaha, it's perfect! Rarity has always cared the most about her figure, and not only that, but she represents the spirit of generosity. Well, Rarity, why don't you start enjoying things a little more for yourself, hmm..?" Next they arrived at a bright purple vial.
"This one is acedia, meaning 'sloth.'"
Discord snickered. "Of course it is! Meaning it would be perfect for you, wouldn't it, Twilight? Bahaha, that busy body control freak always has to be doing or planning something! Let's change that, shall we..?" With a chuckle Discord dumped the purple liquid into Twilight's jar. He clapped his hands eagerly and bit his lip triumphantly, grinning more.
"And that's the last of them!"
"Well, there isssssssss one more vial..." Serpiente handed him the vibrant pink vial. "The most powerful of them all..." She finally found her seductive attitude again while she whispered to Discord.
"Luxuria... Lussssst..."
Discord took the vial and bit his lip harder, looking at each of the jars, then back to the vial, finding it hard to choose his target. He shrugged and popped off the cork, pouring some of the pink liquid into each one of the jars until it was empty, tossing the empty vial aside. "Well, if it's so powerful, why don't we just put a little bit in each..?" He chuckled once again to himself.
"BAHAHA, I can't even imagine how those prudish ponies will react to being filled with lust, hahaha! It's brilliant!"
Serpiente, though thoroughly exhausted by Discord's antics, was clearly satisfied with their work, and she screwed on the rusty lids to each jar and submerged them into the cauldron's sparkling water, and with each one a bright flash of the same color as the liquid filled the shop until they all bubbled furiously at the bottom of the cauldron. Serpiente sat back smugly in her chair, while Discord's excitement was starting to peter out slightly.
"So... What now..?"
"What now? It issssssss done..."
"That's it??" Discord said, clearly dissatisfied. "Don't we get to, I don't know, watch or something?!"
Serpiente grinned, winking alluringly. "Watching cossssts extra..."