open Shifted

[Legendary Emerald 622]

Serah watched as Discord and Silver argued, not sure what to do. Then Discord touched Silver's forehead with a sharp claw, and the pony crumpled to the ground with a wimper. Fire danced in Serah's eyes.

 

“What did you do to him?” she asked, instinctively standing up on two legs and entering her fighting stance.

 

“Oh please, my dear; don't pretend to actually care about these pony-people.” Discord waved off her question. “Admit it. You're only here for a fight. That's all you care about. You're so pathetically SIMPLE, my dear.”

 

Serah punched towards Discord, sending a bolt of flame in his direction, just as she'd done in her dream. True to his word back then, Discord swatted the fire away with a disinterested wave of his tail.

 

“You're only proving my point, you know.” the demigod deadpanned. “Besides, didn't I tell you before that you're little firebug routine won't work against me in the real world? Or is this the real world? Maybe you're still sleeping. Can your tiny little mind even tell the difference anymore?”

 

“Shut up!” Serah shouted, launching three fireballs in rapid succession at her insulter. Discord weaved through her attacks like a snake through the grass. He opened his mouth to say something else, and ended up swallowing a fourth ball of flame that had weaved around his back and back in front of him. Discord chocked as if he had swallowed a bug, and started to laugh as soon as he was able to breath again.

 

“Hmm hmm hmm, impressive!” he sounded genuinely impressed. “You might actually be the most powerful of the humans I brought here. I wonder, why did Princess Celestia choose Artsy as her hero as opposed to you?”

 

“The hell if I know. But I don't care. Whatever it takes to stop you.” Serah spat out short sentences in rapid succession.

 

“Oh, but I think it does bother you. You want to fight; you want to lead the charge. How does the old saying go? If you're not the lead pony, the view never changes? Do you enjoy staring at the backsides of these miniature horses? Tell me, do you have a fetish I don't know about?”

 

Serah roared in anger as she lifted herself off the ground with her fiery levitation spell. She launched herself in the air towards Discord like a comet, fire surrounding her entire being.

 

He stopped her by placing a single claw on her forehead.

 

“I think I like you more when you're asleep...” he said. And the world went black.

 

 

Serah was in a dark church. The only lighting came from the hundreds upon hundreds of candles situated around the alter she stood upon.

 

She was back in her human body, wearing a rich red robe that covered her from head to toe. A man or womanstood in front of her, similarly dressed; their face was shrouded completely underneath the shadow of the hood . In fact, all around the two, sitting in pews, were identical persons all dressed exactly the same way.

 

A voice behind her spoke, in Greek.

 

“We gather here today to perform the final rite of passage for Celosia Anastos. Today, she becomes one with the body of Balrog.” the priestly voiced explained. The owner's gnarled hand produced a wooden plate filled with a strong smelling liquid, and handed it to the person in front of Serah. The priest then took out a match, dropping it into the liquid and setting it on fire.

 

“And now, your blood will mix with the eternal flames of our god.” the priest continued, and then held out an ornate knife to her. “Take, and bleed.”

 

“This feels... so familiar...”

 

Serah numbly took the knife in her hand. She raised her wrist above the plate of fire, and poised the knife above her wrist. She hesitated.

 

“My blood... into the plate...”

 

The man holding the plate whispered to her upon seeing her hesitation.

 

“Go one, Celosia. Do not disappoint your father.”

 

“That voice... my... father?”

 

She looked around at the crowd gathered, unable to see their faces but knowing they must be expectant. This... was expected of her. She had been born into the House of Balrog. She would live her life as an servant of Balrog. She would die, in the House of Balrog.

 

“No...” Serah whispered; in the hushed room, her voice was carried throughout the entire room. Serah's father's hands began to shake, nearly dropping the plate.

 

“What did you say?” the voice of the priest asked, low and sinister. Serah turned and faced the faceless man.

 

“No. I choose my freedom!” she answered forcefully. The entire congregation gasped; she heard the plate of wine and gasoline fall to the ground behind her.

 

The priest sighed heavily, and shook his head. Two deformed hands reached up and removed his hood.

 

“That... was the wrong choice.” Discord smiled under half-lidded eyes. He snapped his finger, and disappeared.

 

Serah turned around to face her father. He was kneeled down on the ground in shame.

 

“Father, I... I am sorry...” she began to say. But her father stood back up to full height. He, and the rest of the congregation, removed their hoods; they all had the heads of ponies.

 

“If you refuse to join the legion of Discord...” Serah's father warned, reaching into his robe. His pony-head still contained some of his most recognizable features.

 

“Legion of Discord?”

 

“Then you will not be suffered to live.” her father produced a dagger from his cloak, holding it in human hands, and began to advance upon her. She backed up, knocking over a candle stand in her haste. As the candles clattered to the ground, the rest of the congregation sat up and took out their own daggers.

 

“Father, please, don't make me fight you...” she pleaded, backing herself up against the wall. The entire congregation was coming after her, dead-eyed ponies with human torsos and four hooves.

 

“You can't fight us. You are too weak.” her father's words cut into her sharper than any knife ever could.

 

“No! I am strong! Stronger than you or the House of Balrog... Discord, will ever be!” she answered. She was back in her pony body, several feat shorter than the hybrids who were coming for her life. Her father raised the knife above her.

 

“You are stupid and weak!” her father's voice shouted, it's tone mixed with that of Discord's. Serah's eyes went wide; this wasn't real. It had basis in reality, but this was still a dream. She could still...

 

Her father's blade came down upon her head.

 

The blade melted as it touched her flesh, until nothing but the hilt was left.

 

Serah looked up at her father, anger and tears in her eyes.

 

“You are not my father. I denounced you on the day I left this godawful place. You will never have control of me. Not you, or Balrog, or Discord! No one will control me!” Serah's rage exploded. So did the church, and everything and everyone in it.

 

 

Serah's eyes shot back open as she gasped. She looked around hurriedly; she was back in Discords realm, outside of the inn. Above her, Silver was being levitated in the air by Discord. Meanwhile, the ponies known as Peach and Artsy were fighting each other.

 

“F*ck, what is she doing here now too? She was supposed to stay back at the inn!”

 

Not knowing which side of the fight she should be on, she decided to help Silver out first. Discord still hadn't noticed her awakening from his spell; she took the opportunity to take several steps backwards before running and launching herself into the air. She tackled Silver and landed on the ground with him in a heap; Discord didn't even notice. The magic surrounding Silver's body disappeared, but he still looked unconscious.

 

“I hope he'll be fine... but now I need to stop those two...”

 

Serah moved to get in-between Peach and Artsy, and saw that Lionhart was watching the battle as well. This distracted her just long enough to hear what Artsy had to say next; her words were directed at both Peach and Discord.

 

"Why don't you shut... UP?!" Artsy forced her hooves into the ground as she let out a mighty push, going on the offensive. "There's nothing.. ugh... you can say to me. I am immune to all of... of... your doubt. You really think... some silly words of yours can hurt me more than I've hurt myself?! You don't know me at all. Not you, and definitely not that pathetic creature that's controlling you! You really are enjoying being his little pet, aren't you? Just for that monster to manipulate your actions... you're the one who's weak! Just a pathetic puppet to him now! We CAN and we WILL win. Just as soon as I knock some sense into your crazy mooded head! I'm going home... and you... hey you up there, you're going back to the hell... that you came from!"

 

Well that explained part of what was going on, but not the whole story. Serah decided to it might be best for those two to settle things by themselves for the moment, at least until she had a fuller picture of the events transpiring. She lifted Silver's comatose body onto her back and headed over to Lionhart.

 

“Here, take him back to the inn. He's hurt. Again.” Serah tried not to sound too annoyed with the damage prone pony, but she had a feeling Lionhart got the implication anyways. Serah watched as Discord ate popcorn, viewing the two battling ponies with pleasure. “I'll stay here and try to bring these two back once they're done with their female bonding exercise.”

 

Not wanting to risk being spotted by Discord, Serah dashed behind the demigod and watched the rest of the fight unfold between Peach and Artsy. The chosen one of Celestia had just summoned a transparent dragon to fight for her; this was sure to be interesting.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Legendary Emerald

[Trixies Apprentice L 493]

Lionheart heard Artsy shouting and her very inspiring speech. At that moment something snapped in him. He watched as she tried her best to win the fight and there he was minding his own miser. That wasn't like him at all. "What I am doing. I need to pull myself together. This is a once in a lifetime opportunituy and whatever it happens in the end it bounds to be interesting." He finished his though as he quickly rose up and looked at the fight once more.

 

Suddenly Serah talked to him bringing Silver. "Why I would but as you can see-Point with his hoof at the way they came-I cannot." And it was true the position that the door once was was now gone, a vortex taking it's place. "It seems He wants us stuck here fighting. But I think I can do something else I have a certain feeling." He said as he approached silver and his horn lit. A golden transparent box appeared around Silver like a barrier. "I have this feeling that this is some sort of barrier. I believe he will be safe in there from normal magic and stuff at least until Discord steps in." His tone was a bit softer than before since he was starting to see the errors of his previous way. Discord couldn't be controlled and him speaking honestly what he believed only made things worse and more confusing.

 

Lionheart started walking toward the spot Serah was now. "I should have kept my mouth shut." He though out loud as he turned to Serah. "Hey we need to do something those two will kill themselves and I can guess that what Discord wants." He was borderline wispering hoping that Discord didn't hear though he had that odd feeling that he could sense everything that was happening in this building.

[PeachPalette 1,000]

Peach felt the dragon that Artsy conjured nearing her and looked up in time to see a blast coming at her. The dragon that once appeared to pose no threat now to look quite the opposite. A twinge of fear surged through her being, throwing her odd balance. With a final mighty push from Artsy's forehead she lost her footing and tumbled backwards, skidding along the soft powdered dirt.

 

She looked up in time to see the dragons blast cause no interruption to the dirt in which she stood. Her teeth ground together as she pushed herself back to her hooves. "You fool! You fight the inevitable!" She yelled out, her eyes appearing to turn red. Discord had his eyes on her now and seemed less and less like he was having fun. He was...concentrating. Peach faltered for a moment as if she was dizzy. Just as quickly she snapped back. "ARGH!" She cried out in rage as she made a powerful gallop towards Artsy again, her horn glowing and sparking with more fury than before. Discord's left eye seemed to twitch with the move she made.

[Deshi Bashara 6]

Cole arrived just in time to see Artsy and Peach fighting each other. Discord was there as well, eating popcorn. Serah was right behind the demigod, watching the battle. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lionhart putting Silver into some kind of magic barrier. Again? he couldn't help but think bitterly. What's with him getting hurt all the time?

 

He blinked at Artsy's words in surprise. Damn, she's pretty angry.

 

No, really? How long was it going to take you to figure that out, Cole? a quiet, angry voice responded.

 

Cole blinked once again. Discord? he asked uncertainly.

 

No, I'm not with that freak.

 

Then who and what are you?

 

The voice didn't respond for a few seconds. Finally, it sighed. My name...is Misery. it admitted. As for what I am, it's a long story. But I'll tell you.

 

Cole felt himself phase through the ceiling and rocket into the sky. "Hey, hey, hey!" he frantically yelped. Finally, he was at a point high above Ponyville. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded.

 

So a certain somepony wouldn't eavesdrop. Now do you want to hear this or not?

 

"...Yes."

 

After another silence, a series of images flashed into his mind.

 

- - - - - - -

 

A very long time ago, I was one of what was known as the Elements of Disharmony. There were six of us: Discord, Deceit, Betrayal, Cruelty, Greed, and myself. We each had a part of Equestria to rule over, but there was a problem: We all hated each other terribly. Greed kept trying to invade Deceit's portion, but he always failed. Betrayal and Cruelty kept forming and breaking alliances at will. And I....

 

I was alone. I mostly kept out of their little wars, unless one or two of them tried to gang up on me. At first, I took pride in my job. It was so fun to make everypony miserable back then. But soon, everything changed. Discord started getting more and more violent in his takeover of other lands. Ponies were dying left and right: Sucked into black holes, teleported into lava and burned to a crisp...

 

And so we decided to rebel. We had never been a bunch of goody-goody two hooves, but if there was one thing we could agree on, it was that Discord had finally crossed the line. So we invaded his castle one night. We confronted him in his throne room, confident we could beat him easily.

 

We were wrong.

 

He made Deceit lose his mind out of sheer paranoia. Greed was swarmed by what your kind would probably call 'Scarab beetles' and eaten alive instantly. Cruelty was paralyzed and tossed out of the window. And Betrayal...well, I'd rather not get into what he did to him. It was just me and Discord left when they came. The door blew open, and two alicorns inadvertantly saved me from a painful death. I was almost unconscious, panting in pain on the ground, so I can't say what was real and what was a hallucination. But I saw them turn Discord into stone. The last thing I remember was him screaming in fear. I'll never forget it.

 

Their job almost done, the two princesses turned to my broken body and discussed what to do with me. I begged them to send me somewhere else but here. I didn't care if I ended up on the moon. I just wanted to leave this place and never return.

 

So they cast me into a swirling portal, and I transformed into some kind of energy. I fell through space and time until I finally arrived on Earth.

 

- - - - - - -

 

When the story was done, Cole was at a loss for words. "But why me?" he managed to ask.

 

You were the only suitable host I could find in the area. Misery explained. Also, I...kind of took a liking to you.

 

"Care to elaborate on that?"

 

Later. Right now, you still have to deal with Discord.

 

Cole blinked once again. "So can we go back down? Artsy and Peach are..." he reminded the body-less being.

 

Right, of course. Hold on!

 

Cole felt himself slam back into his body, still looking at the fight. Everything was the same as usual, except Lionhart was talking to Serah. He quietly trotted over to the two of them, careful not to attract Discord's attention. "Does anyone have a plan?" he asked Lionhart.

Edited March 27, 2012 by Deshi Bashara

[Nathan Fink 22]

He turned to the two slowly, his anger somewhat lessening. He looked at them, his thoughts full of conspiracy theory and accusation. The voice mad sense, they were working with Discord surely. They wanted to stop him from learning, why else would they do such a thing? "What do you mean you didn't do anything? I had the source of all knowledge at my hoofs and you did something to take it away, teleported me here to your prison where i cant harm your master!"

[Electrobolt 2,069]

Electrobolt had a confused look on his face as he looked at SiFi. "What... What are you talking about?" he asked. "What do you mean by 'Where I can't harm your master'?" He was filled with confusion and concern, as something was definitely not right here. SiFi was different than before. His attitude and his coat color both were different than what he had seen before.

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

It had felt like it was just about the limit for her body. Already, Artsy was ready for this fight to be over. She merely stood there panting heavily as Peach charged towards her, her draconic image fading in intensity. But this had proven it. She was powerful enough for the task. After all, she had pushed Peach back... and she could feel that her and the monster were running out of words. They were weakening. Now, it was just a battle of attrition.

 

And this was the kind of battle that Artsy was the best at. Though she had to admit she found the red eyes intimidating, she thought to herself: "This is just another scare tactic... they're pulling out all they've got now. Because they're scared of me. They know I can stop them."

 

"I can stop them!"

 

She took a deep breath and willed her short legs to gallop out of Peach's way. If she took another hit now, even with her willpower, her body would crumple. Artsy needed all of the energy she could get.

 

"Nothing is inevitable! If... if it were... then... chaos would not exist... for something to be so stiff and immovable means it is part of ORDER! Do you mean to tell me... that you... like order?" The mare laughed wheezily at the pair of them, ignoring the waves of aching pain going up and down her tired legs.

[Dexterity 3]

Shaking her crimson mane, Dex sighed and looked into the now grey pony's eyes. "I have no master and I didn't teleport you anywhere. I think you were hallucinating. Think about it. I have no reason to harm you. I don't even know you. I just woke up from a nap and you ponies were here at the inn. If anything, I have more reason to believe that you came here to harm me. But I won't think that. I was raised to believe that everypony is inherently good inside. I'm just trying to be your friend, but if you still think I'm here to hurt you, I'll just leave you alone. You just have to say so."

 

She turned to the neon green pony and looked at him sadly. Dexterity had never come across any situation like this and was baffled at what to do.

[Legendary Emerald 622]

"Hey we need to do something those two will kill themselves and I can guess that what Discord wants."

Serah ignored Lionharts suggestion; she was completely wrapped up in watching the battle. Then another pony who Serah didn't recognize as easily asked if there was a plan of action. Serah shook her head.

 

"This is Artsy's fight; I wouldn't take this moment away from her without good reason. If she is Celestia's chosen, she should be fine. If things get out of hand, then I'll jump in." Serah finally responded, her eyes not leaving the battle. "I'd suggest one of you try to dispel the spell on the inn door though; we need to regroup with everyone else. They might be in danger."

Edited March 27, 2012 by Legendary Emerald

[Marcato 2,144]

Silver's eyes snapped open. The first thing he saw was Artsy fighting... Peach? This confused him, but suddenly his head throbbed, and he was struck by a powerful headache. The events of just a moment ago slowly faded back in. Him talking with Discord, and Discord... he had done something to him... but what was it... all of a sudden he felt like a spike had been driven into his head as he remembered everything that happened after that. All his memories refreshed. The thoughts processing in his head, he attempted to get up, but he found he had no energy at all. He noticed some gold barrier around him, but he didn'gt pay much attention to it. He could just lay there and watch. (Darn it...) he thought to himself.

[Wolfe 71]

Brave saw as the others couldn't stand to stay still. They started to take action despite his and Artsy's order. NO! C'mon guys! What are you doing?!... *sigh* Never was a leader myself. Preferred to stick alone..... NO! I gotta stay positive... *...resist...* I need to help prevent disorder... Brave walked over to the doorway himself and saw the ensuing battle between Artsy and Peach. He was confused, but only briefly until he saw Discord behind them. He guessed that Discord changed Peach somehow and Artsy is doing her best to bring her back. This was her fight. He wasn't going to interfere. He looked for something to do, but nothing seemed to pop out. He could try and distract Discord, but he wasn't sure he could go against some demi-god. He tried again to get everyone's attention back into the inn.

 

Everyone! Get back inside! Artsy's got this covered and we don't need more trouble for her if we stay out there! He had a serious face as he yelled it out to everyone. Brave didn't want any more targets to get to. He thought that the outside of the inn was his space, his territory, and his upper ground. He didn't want anyone being turned to Discord's will.

[PeachPalette 1,000]

Peach leaped past her just as Artsy moved out of the way. Her hooves landing and skidding as she spun around. The dust pillowing into the air around her. Peach's back was heaving with deep heavy breaths. Her furious gaze falling back onto Artsy as she snorted aloud. "ORDER?!" She spat the word. Discord's eyes seeming to match Peach's perfectly as they widened in chaotic, angry stare.

 

Just then, her head jerked in the direction of the human/pony, Brave, as he called out to the others. The coarse fur along her shoulders rose up as her grin widened. "Inn? What inn?" She cooed.

 

She closed her eyes tightly, sparks shooting from the horn as the inn began to lift into the air rather slowly. The yellow glow engulfed it completely as it spun until it finally zapped itself into nothingness and out of their sights. "HAHAHA!" Peach hunched over, breathing heavily from her feat and laughed, Discord laughing in perfect unison with her.

 

"Together they stand. Divided they WILL fall," Discord chimed in, placing a paw upon his puffed chest as if to nobly recite the lines. "Tell me, what will you do now?" He asked as a gold chain appeared around his neck, a rather large clock as it's charm. An obvious nod to the humans' home world. "Time is running out" The clock seemed to speed up as his framed it with his paw and talons.

 

The ground tremored worse than before, almost making it impossible to stand. Peach fell to her side as she looked up at Discord a bit of concern on her face. The screen of the panicking ponies in Ponyville still reminded them of the horror that was happening back in the real world...or...the ponys' world anyway. The crack in the sky expanding, the dark vortex creating a dreading shadow over the land, only being light by the fierce glow of the attacking lightning.

 

Peach, for a moment, seemed to look on the display with a bit of urgency and worry. Discord focused on her again, and immediately she shook her head and popped back onto her hooves, though still found it hard to stand upon the shaking ground. Her expression reverted back to one of the deviant.

Edited March 28, 2012 by PeachPalette

[Aureity 3,055]

(Erm...so where does everyone still in the inn go? I'll improvise, I guess)

 

Crystal Flame opened the door. The few seconds he took to yank the knife out of the floor-it was wedged in pretty tightly-gave time for Brave to barge right out past him as he worked to free the knife. Finally managing to yank if free out of the ground, he turned and followed Brave out the door. He paused, a hoofstep on the ground outside, as Brave's yell startled him, checking his movement and causing him to pause.

 

Was there...a battle going on? He saw two ponies viciously fighting each other. Was that Artsy and Peach? He couldn't tell, nor did he care, for at that exact moment, he had better things to be worried about, as Peach turned, and shot sparks of magic towards the inn. He felt the ground lurch away beneath his feet. He almost lost his balance, and would have fallen out of the inn facedown onto the ground below, but a quick-reflex wing-flapping kept him steady. Apparently, the inn was...rising? Almost as if gravity didn't exist. Dismayed, he peered out the doorway-the ponies down below were getting smaller and smaller. He flapped his wings, ready to jump out and land on the ground, when he remembered the ponies still inside the inn. Not everypony could fly...

 

Leave them, Discord sighed in his mind, casuing Crystal's head to throb painfully. Remember what happened the last two times you ever tried to do something for them. Crystal frowned. It was true, but at the same time...they could DIE. They better thank me for this. Turning to find the other ponies who were still inside, he was unceremoniously hurled across the room into a wall as the inn started spinning, gaining speed as it spun. He was thrown into another wall. And another. And another. It was all he could do to grab onto the nearest surface as the world around him became a blur, the inn spinning so quickly that it remminded him of an out-of-control ferris wheel.

 

Oh dear god. At least I ddn't have dinner yet. He tried to blank out his thoughts and wait for the spinning to stop. The world was still blurring before his eyes, rendering him incapable of discerning anything. But he could have sworn that it was begining to turn...yellow. And brighter. And brighter. And...suddenly the blinding yellow glow was too much for him. He let go of the object he was holding onto, and was instantly thrown at a wall. Just before impact, he had a terrible feeling of weightlessness, almost as if he had been riding on a roller-coaster and was just about to drop. The the entire inn-and he along with it-vanished.

 

---

 

Crystal Flame groggily opened his eyes, then closed them again weaarily. His head was hurting like there was no tommorrow, and all he wanted was to sink back down and go to sleep. The screaming around him rendered that quite impossible, unfortunately. Wait, what? His eyes shot open again. Screaming ponies were running around everywhere. Buildings seemed to be on fire, and most of the place seemed to have darkened, like a huge object had been placed over the sun. Is this...Ponyville? Although he hadn't exactly stayed to sightsee the first time he had come here, he thought he recognized that cupcake shop...and that library. Yes, it was Ponyville, alright.

 

The second thing he noticed was six inches of steel, barely a half-foot away from his face. The quivering knife stood, face down, buried in the soft dirt road. Ugh...the hay? Dizzily he reached out and grabbed it again. It took him all the strength he had to yank it free from the ground. Yep...the exact same one that had distracted him just moments ago. Or so it looked, anyway. Taking a deep breath, Crystal Flame staggered to his hooves as the screaming all around him intensified. A frantic Ponyville citizen nearly trampled him as he tried to collect his thoughts. Right...there were others in the inn too. Where did they go? He took an uncertain step forward, his eyes searching for any other survivors of...whatever it was that just happened.

 

(Sorry, Firefox doesn't spellcheck for some reason, so I'll probably have typos...)

Edited March 28, 2012 by Auroreita Borealis

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

"Oh goddammit." She flipped her mane with exasperation, as she saw Peach... lifting up the entire inn with her magic. This couldn't be real. Could it? Did unicorns really have that sort of power? Or was it that monster that was making her do this? At this point, Artsy was confused as to what was real and what wasn't. There was a crack in the sky and screams of agony. But then she remembered what the Princess had said...

 

She attempted to use her magic, focusing all of it into her horn to power up the draconic illusion. But it had faded away silently into the sky. It seemed she was out of power for the moment, and quickly losing energy. For a moment, she saw a flicker of a personality change in her eyes as she looked upon the chaos of Ponyville. The monster's hold on Peach was fading and she was going to change personalities again. It was losing its grip. All she had to do was snap her back to it.

 

So she decided the most simple way to do things.

 

Trying for a second wind, she galloped up to Peach, and turned around. The unicorn aimed a good solid kick at Peach's deviant face, bucking straight at her. After all, she had always said in jest: If something isn't working, punch it away until it's over with. And since she lacked fists, this was the best alternative. Of course, that might not be enough, so she added a few more choice words. They appeared to be irritating the monster and Peach...

 

"Snap out of it! Why don't you see what's really going on?! Look at what that monster wants to do to the place were you came from! You're really going to take that standing up? Pathetic. Chaos?! Ha, chaos! This isn't chaos, it's all mind games! And I can see your mind games for what they really are. None of this... is real!"

Edited March 28, 2012 by Arylett Dawnsborough

[Flow 1,651]

"No, I'm not going back," Arty said, "I want to fight, I will not run away," He saw Peach and Artsy fighting each other, he wondered why, then he noticed that Peach was slightly discolored, while Artsy stayed the same, after seeing what Artsy is trying to do, he joined her in the fight, first he made a full body tackle on Peach, and after she got up, her rage fired up against him, "I wanna join the fight, I want to set things right, even if it means my life, Artsy, please let me help you, I can see how much the toll has taken on you,"

 

"Well well, another one decides to fight too! Yes, let it take it's toll on him!" Discord said, delighted that Arty joined the fight, knowing it would wear him out, "Fight all you want, I'm sure you can't beat her either, your cause is pointless!" Followed by his notorious laugh.

[Legendary Emerald 622]

Peach was lifting the inn. By sheer mental might. Meanwhile, nearly every other pony and pony-human that had been inside the inn were now outside of it and watching the battle between Artsy and Peach continue.

 

Serah took the largest, hardest drag on her cigarette that she had even taken in her entire life.

 

"I don't know where these smokes keeps coming from, but I really need it right now."

 

Arty tackled Peach to the ground, interrupting the fight. Smoke blew out Serah's nostrils.

 

"Well, someone had to go and cut in during the tango."

 

Serah took a step forward, but didn't go near the fighters. She spit out her cigarette.

 

"What do you think you're doing?! This is Artsy's fight! Stay out of it unless she calls for you." she loudly warned, not caring if Discord heard her. "A fight like this is something to be cherished. You taint it with your presence, just as Discord has tainted Peach."

Edited March 28, 2012 by Legendary Emerald

[Marcato 2,144]

Silver shuddered at all that was going on around him. And he was even more angry with himself, just lying there unable to even do anything. He suddenly realized however there was one thing he could do. Last time he ended up in a position like this it worked, so lets try it once more. Silver summed up all the energy he had. His horn began to glow a green colour, and he could feel the blood in his ears rushing. (Control...) he continued to speek in his mind.

 

Discord seemed to focused on the others to notice Silver, so he continued what he was doing. Slowly, ever so slowly, Silver built up energy. A memory flashed into his head, and he almost lost his control, but managed to stay focused. "Peach! Listen to me! This isn't who you are!" He cried out. "You are better then this. Even if i have only known you for a few hours, a few days, or however long we have been here. I can tell this is not like you."

 

He summed up all the energy he had gathered and focused it on Peach. He could see her personality was wavering, and now it was at the breaking point. He said something only she could hear. "Do you know what my world is like? Discord made one mistake in showing me my memories. He revealed to me something you should know, before you even THINK about choosing sides." He forced his own "memories" into Peaches mind, to show her just what kind of world she would be dealing with if Discord succeded. "Now... you don't really want... that do you?" He struggled. "Do you hear me Discord? I won't let you control us like this. I am going to stop you from doing this... if its the... last... thing I... do."

 

He forced every last ounce of energy he had into one last thing. "Artsy! Get everyone out of there! NOW!" He cried out. He sent all of the energy in him launching at Discord. Naturally Discord tried to deflect it, but only a moment before he struck it, the energy split into multiple fireballs, going haywire everywhere. Striking the ground, trying to strike Discord and avoiding al the ponies. It was just what Discord wanted. Chaos.

 

(I just hope they can get away... damn, you've gone too far again Silver...) he chuckled faintly to himself. (You seem to... have a habbit, of using too much energy...) that was his biggest flaw. His adrenaline wasnnt as strong as others, and his endurance wasnnt very tough. He was a strategist, not a fighter. (Well thats quite foolish... to try being something, or some one you're not. Heh, well live and learn.) He said to himself, before pathetically slipping out of consciousness again. He knew before he went out again he wouldn't be back for a while.

[Aureity 3,055]

Crystal Flame ducked as a large flaming plank of wood soared over his head, slamming into the ground a few feet behind him. All around him, the screaming continued. Was it getting quieter or louder? His ears were ringing so hard that he couldn't tell. The air around him was choked with smoke, and every so often something strange...one could say chaotic...would happen. A building would vanish in thin air. Windows would shatter randomly. The fountain in the middle of Ponyville exploded into a thousand demonic little parasprites. This is insanity. He tried vainly to call for anyone who might have ended up in the same place as he did, but his voice was lost in the cacophony. He gave up as a large white poster blew into his face. He angrily swatted it aside, and it fell to the ground, revealing a white mare with a horn, wings, and a crown. Princess Celestia, of Canterlot was printed at the bottom, followed by some news article that he didn't have time for.

 

Celestia? he thought quizzically. Even though he hadn't been paying attention to that Artsy pony, he did remember her saying something about a pony with wings and a horn. He had thought it ridiculous at the time, but here was solid proof that they existed. Think, you idiot. What did she say about the pony? For the life of him, he couldn't remember. This is what I get or never paying attention to anybody. Even still, he was pretty sure he knew where Canterlot was...right up that mountainside.

 

A boulder of some sort whizzed right past his face, snapping him back to reality. Crap, I can't stay here. I'm going to get murdered by something. Tracing an imaginary flight path across the sky from his location to Canterlot, he sighed and closed his eyes. He hadn't flown that far before. Ever, really. I hear adrenaline does wonders. We'll see. Flapping his wings, he launched himself into the sky, as a shower of sparks landed on the ground right where he had been standing a second ago. He soared across the burning town, his eyes never leaving that one spot on the horizon-Canterlot.

[Wolfe 71]

Brave saw the inn float away. Things were getting more haywire than he had hoped. He was only aiming for Artsy clearing Peach's mind and somehow stopping Discord, if only temporarily. As he went closer to the combat that both ponies were having, he noticed that Silver was concentrating deeply. His horn was glowing and Brave assumed he was going to shoot out a blast of some sort. He was trying to stop Discord. Once the blast fired, Discord tried to deflect it, but it had split into multiple fireballs! Whoa! That's going to cause some damage...--Huh?!

 

One of the fireballs was aiming straight for Peach and Artsy. With their condition, it could be fatal, and Artsy needed to survive. Be brave... be brave... be brave... Brave made a huge dash toward the two and leaped into the air... colliding with the fireball. The blast knocked his right side and he was sent flying over Peach and Artsy. He landed on his left side and was pushed along for a good 15 feet. His right side was charred and there were marks of blood seeping out.

 

"UURRRRGGGHHH..... Get up get up get up get up get up...They all need me..." He was shaking furiously as he brought himself up from the ground. I don't blame you Silver. It was a good effort. I don't even care that you hurt me, even if it wasn't planned. I just need to stay up... A weird, faint, blue glow came from Brave's eyes, but at this time, he doesn't realize. The blast Brave took would seemed to have knocked out any other, or potentially kill them, but Brave... resisted. He is hurt no doubt, but there he stands. Watching. Waiting. Stay up. You've got to continue on... *step* Two worlds are resting on us... *step* You got to keep up, Brave... *step* I...I think everyone here needs you... *step* Discord can't keep going on like this. *step step* Prove to everyone that you're not just a blank flank... *step step* Prove to Discord that you're not weak... *step step* Prove to everyone that YOU. ARE. BRAVE!

 

Brave launched into a full gallop. Even with the pain he is in, he charges. A faint blue glow fills his white sclera. Tiny drops of blood fall to the ground every so often, mimicking his path toward Discord. He drives closer and has the drive not to fight, but to defend. With Discord in proximity, he leaps and winces in pain, but aims for a roundhouse with his right back leg right toward Discord's chest and letting out: KIIAAAAAAA!!!

 

Discord easily stepped back and avoided the kick. Brave flew back down and grunted from the missed effort and of his charred right side.

 

Try harder next time, weakling. You can't do anything to help anyone...

 

Brave looked at Discord with a glare that even made himself wince, due to his current pain.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Wolfe

[Flow 1,651]

After hearing Serah and Silver, the white unicorn said "I'm sorry, I'm so stupid....." then he fled the scene, but got hit by Silver's fireballs deflected by Discord, sending him flying off the ground and landing on an abandoned cart, breaking it apart "AHHHHH!" grunting on the ground, he tried to stand up, then the grey draconequus appears before him, "Wonderful! The idiot decided to butt in into the fight only to exhibit such bravado by fleeing afterwards, and now he got fireballed onto a cart, the perfect definition of an idiot!" he exclaimed, still trying to stand "I-I...." grunted Arty, in terrible pain,

 

"You see, your actually spoiling my fun watching these two fight, stay out of it, I have something for you," Discord touches Arty's head, creating a vision of horror in his mind, "Enjoy, Muhuhuhahahah!"

 

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It was in the human world where cities where in chaos, there were people protesting against their country's rulers, massacres and violence happened everywhere, nobody was safe, it was the scene of chaos, and what started this, is a manifesto that persuaded people to rebel against their rulers, seeing them as corrupt, and encouraging them to create a new system, this was the work of a man named Eric Valdez, who embraced the idea of absolute freedom.

 

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"W-w-who's Eric Va-Valdez? M-m-me? I wouldn't write such a thing!" Arty shrieked but Discord said "But you did, thank you for introducing the idea of chaos to your world, you've saved so much time for me, because of that, you will join me," Then his talon made a sinister glow,"N-No, No!" he was about touch Arty's head again, till he teleported to evade a beam uncertain who shot it.

 

He materialized 3 feet away from Arty, "Great, what now? I was about to make a new friend."

Edited March 28, 2012 by Narutardedscum

[PeachPalette 1,000]

Pain shot through her jaw as she was sent flying backwards by Artsy's mighty kick. Her body landed on the soft powder and swirled to a stop as she lay on her stomach. Her eyes slowly began to open only to feel a bit of pressure upon her back. She was dizzy. She could not tell who it was and for a moment forgot where she was. The pressure certainly did not help the throbbing that now invaded her skull.

 

She was a little relieved to feel the pressure leave her through some will of the divine intervention. Good. And then it hit her. The words that seemed to hover on air just long enough for her world to stop spinning.

 

"Snap out of it! Why don't you see what's really going on?! Look at what that monster wants to do to the place were you came from! You're really going to take that standing up? Pathetic. Chaos?! Ha, chaos! This isn't chaos, it's all mind games! And I can see your mind games for what they really are. None of this... is real!"

 

Her yellow irises listed to the scene that still played for them. The destruction of Ponyville. Peach gasped and pulled herself to standing. She swayed a bit, having been kicked in the head a little too hard. She looked up higher to see Discord distracted from her, though the hold was still there, still lingering. She wanted to yell out that Artsy was right, but he had her vocal cords and much of her movement still in his grasp. Was her magic his as well? She tried to focus on the screen, to erase it out of the sky. Her horn began to glow as she closed her eyes tightly.

 

Discord's head whipped towards Peach, sensing her unordered use of her magic. He held out a paw, "No!" He called out to her. "You're mine!" With a snap of his talons, he was floating above her. His taloned arm curling around her head and pushing her cheek to cheek with him. Her eyes froze. She froze. The glow of her horn was no more. She stood there looking like an empty shell with no soul to steer it, her black eyes starring in Artsy's direction. Discord had his eyes on her as well.

 

"No, no, no! Celestia chose you! I get this lovely peach," Discord said running his paw under her chin as if to showcase her face. He leaned into Peach's ear and began to whisper something, the only couple sentences that were vaguely audible appeared to sound like, "They killed him, Peach. How does that make you feel?"

 

Peach's irises morphed into red again, but flickered in between red and yellow like white noise on a human television set.

Edited March 28, 2012 by PeachPalette

[Arylett Charnoa 4,919]

It was at this moment that Artsy had begun to feel sympathy for Peach, who was so firmly in Discord's grasp, yet wavering. Maybe she shouldn't have kicked her that hard... but it seemed that and the words were doing something. Before she had time to react in any way though, several things happened.

 

First, there was an energy burst aimed at Discord that had gone awry by Silver, who had shouted at her to get everyone out of there. She saw that Brave had been thrown in their direction by taking the hit. Then he had aimed some sort of kick at the monster, agonizing over every bit of energy he could squeeze out of his body. His display was truly awe-inspiring and befitting of his name. He was trying his best to fight the monster... and he had taken more damage. But here she was, being extremely exhausted from a minor scuffle.

 

All of this, it was a lot of noise, and chaos. And that's exactly what it wanted.

 

Artsy couldn't help herself. She shed more tears at Brave's display, being incredibly moved... and feeling a sort of warmth within her heart. The warmth... of caring. Seeing them fight so vigorously, Brave and Silver, with all of their might... it was almost as if... Artsy could call them her... friends.

 

It spread outside of her body, this warmth, threatening to burst. She could feel it in waves as rose into her horn, igniting a power that she had never felt before. This power was beyond anything she had known, but the feelings were familiar enough. It was caring... and friendship. These feelings that had given her the strength to defeat the other monster inside of her. It was then that she thought back to her goal... to get everyone together. Everyone had a part to play in this story, not just her.

 

The power expressed itself through a warm fiery red glow bathing her horn and her entire body. She opened her eyes widely as they glowed with this never-ceasing light. A beacon in the darkness... her body was moved by this strange magic up into the air. But it felt good... and right. Artsy knew this was what was supposed to happen. This would be the way to beat the monster...

 

A disembodied voice echoed throughout the corners of her mind, trying to reach out from the light into the darkness. She had known that voice. It was the Princess. The unicorn opened her mouth at the precise moment that this pony of royalty had spoken into her mind, relaying her message to the others in a voice that sounded quite unlike her own. It was deeper and more mature... almost ethereal as it echoed throughout all of the corners of the realm.

 

"The new balance... the new Order... we must create the new Elements of Harmony. To temporarily... stave Discord off. It is not the solution, but a temporary remedy... to the chaos... everypony... you must rise up. Artsy... is the element of Determination. The rest of you... realize the element inside of you! Realize it... and let's defeat this monster once and for all..." She let out a loud gasp of breath as her entire body was emanating a brilliant burst of crimson light, which had shone so brightly and blindingly that it was starting to turn ivory in intensity. Her glowing eyes focused onto PeachPalette, and she spoke with her own thoughts this time instead of a mangled mess of her message and the Princess'.

 

"You must... snap out of this, Peach. Please. I'm sorry I distrusted you earlier... I can see you're trying to fight this... please... please join us... and accept... my friendship..."

[Trixies Apprentice L 493]

Lionheart watched at the fight. It was indeed the most heated thing he had ever seen in his life. He was just stood there staring speechless at all this unfolding. From the fight between the Artsy and Peach to the attempts Brave and Silver were doing.

 

"I wonder..." He started speaking but then something magnificent happened. Artsy's eyes lit up, energy literaly coming out of her."Wow." Was all that came out of his mouth. He then heard the voice speaking about the elements and order [it]"New elements ? Find our elements ? What kind of element." [/i] He started thinking He never had any special talent apart from being good at finding things which frankly was kinda useless right now and didn't really fit with the whole elements of harmony thing.

 

Once more being lost in his though he stayed silent watching the fight and trying to find out what this thing about elements meant.

 

(OOC: Crappy post is crappy sorry )

[PeachPalette 1,000]

Peach heard the echoing words of her princess...so faint. The beloved princess's plea was so pure. Trustworthy. It did not take long for Discord's lie to fly out of the window. She wanted to break through and scream, yet she could not move. She could not speak. She could barely think for herself.

 

<Friends?> Peach's eyes slowly began to widen at Artsy's lines. They seemed to reach her the most, after all, friendship was important to a pony. Especially all of the elements that went into that friendship. In fact, it wasn't only important but a way of life for her kind.

 

Discord grimaced feeling his hold on the pony fading. He was trying to control a personality that was no longer deviant of nature. It seemed to have switched on him in the midst of controlling her. "Shut up!" He yelled at Artsy. She was ruining everything!

 

He moved from Peach's side and approached Artsy, his tall body seeming to grow taller just for an over exaggerating effect. "Chaos WILL rein over these worlds! I have been defeated for the last time, and I surely not be defeated by a human! Why, they are the evilest of all the creatures I've seen! I am a GOD!" He growled. His tone with her indicating that this was no longer fun for him. His hands framed the clock that hung around his neck. "I've had enough fun and games. It's time for Chaos!"

 

Discord froze for a moment, his eyes wide. A yellow glow blanketed him. "What? W-what is this?!" He exclaimed. His eyes trailed behind him as best as they could.

 

Peach stood there, her eyes shut tightly, her horn was glowing. The magic seemed to spew from it like embers from molten steel. "W-we are still connected," she growled through her teeth. One eye opened looking up at Artsy. "Quickly....I...I cannot hold him for long...ugh!"

[Legendary Emerald 622]

Serah saw a large orb of flame heading towards Discord.

 

"That's... not mine. Which means..."

 

Serah first looked at Silver, who was in deep concentrate, enclosed inside the shield Lionhart had placed over him. Then she looked at Discard, who batted the fire away like a tennis ball, splitting it into multiple pieces in the process. The pony who'd tried to interject himself into the fight was sent flying when one of the heated orbs collided with him.

 

A second aspect of the attack headed straight for Serah. There was no way to dodge it. She could only accept it.

 

She jumped forward, intercepting the fire before it could explode against both her and Lionhart. But rather than exploding, the energy melted into her body with a bright glow. When she hit the ground, her coat glowed with a molten gold light, as if she had just taken a bath inside of a volcano.

 

"This... power..."

 

Serah was snapped out of her reverie when a foreign voice came from Artsy's mouth.

 

"The new balance... the new Order... we must create the new Elements of Harmony. To temporarily... stave Discord off. It is not the solution, but a temporary remedy... to the chaos... everypony... you must rise up. Artsy... is the element of Determination. The rest of you... realize the element inside of you! Realize it... and let's defeat this monster once and for all..." She let out a loud gasp of breath as her entire body was emanating a brilliant burst of crimson light, which had shone so brightly and blindingly that it was starting to turn ivory in intensity. Her glowing eyes focused onto PeachPalette, and she spoke with her own thoughts this time instead of a mangled mess of her message and the Princess'.

 

"You must... snap out of this, Peach. Please. I'm sorry I distrusted you earlier... I can see you're trying to fight this... please... please join us... and accept... my friendship..."

 

Suddenly, Serah's thoughts and understanding was as clear as day.

 

"We can't fight each other. Discord wants that, because we are... elements. And I..."

 

She could see that Peach had been shocked into a state of lucidness by Artsy's words. Peach's horn began to glow, with the effect being that Discord was frozen in place. Perfect.

 

Serah stood up on her hind legs, curling her front hooves as if she were lifting a heavy object. The golden glow that surrounded her body flowed upwards and into her horn, until it was blindingly bright. From underneath Discord, the ground heated up and turned dark red.

 

"I am the element of power!"

 

She threw her hooves up into the sky, and the ground beneath Discord erupted. A concentrated stream of fire bellowed forth, scorching the god of chaos and actually managing to make him scream out in pain. With the barrier Peach had placed him in, he couldn't even teleport out the attack's range

 

"I can't keep this up forever!" Serah shouted, voice strained by the powers she was controlling. "Make this moment count, while Discord is at bay!"

Edited March 28, 2012 by Legendary Emerald