Heart of War- Act I (part 2)

>You sat there, dazed and confused.
>This can’t be happening.
>It has to be a dream, or a trick.
>Something, anything!
>She was approaching you, blood trickling onto the floor.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>What’s wrong with Mom?
>Why would she do this?
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>Is- is Uncle Anon okay?
>You don’t see him moving.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>This can’t be real.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>It isn’t happening.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>This can’t be real.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>It isn’t happening.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>This can’t be real.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>It isn’t happening.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>This can’t be real.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>It isn’t happening.
>Drip.
>Step, step, step.
>You see your mother standing over you.
>Anon’s blood still dripping off of her horn, impacting the floor next to you.
>Her horn starts to glow.
>This is real.
>It is happening.
“NO!”
>The anger and confusion fuels your rage.
>It felt so sickening, how you could feel so outraged anything.
>It was hard to explain.
>You never focused anything; it just built up and up.
>A light emanates in the room.
>From you, not Mom.
>It all happened so fast.
>First she was standing over you, getting ready to attack.
>Then you blinked.
>And she was being shot across the room as your magic threw her away, into the wall.
>Then you blinked.
>And she was lying on the floor, unmoving.
>Then everything was dark.

>Everything is soft, but your back aches.
>So does your head.
“Ugggggg.”
>Your eyes slowly open to reveal a different room around you.
>Sterile white surroundings, a curtain blocking off half of the room, a steady beeping behind said curtain.
>You’re in a hospital.
>Your throat is dry, and you start coughing.
>A female voice from the hall calls out.
>”She’s awake, get one of the soldiers.”
>The source of the voice then hurries into the room, the nurse asks you:
>”Oh, are you alright sugar?”
>Between coughs you get a word out.
“Water.”
>She hurries over to a nearby table and pours a glass of water.
>Coming to your side, she holds the cup as she helps you drink.
>As you finish drinking you clear your throat.
“What happened?”
>”Everything is ok; you’ve just got a minor concussion. A good night of sleep and you’ll be good to go.”
“I mean in the throne room, are the others okay?”
>A different voice cuts in before the nurse could answer.
>”I think I can answer that Ma’am.”
“Sergeant Thunder? What happened, how did I get here?”
>”When the doors slammed behind you two, no pony could get through. After a second flash of light the doors just opened. All of you were unconscious; some men locked Princess Cadence in a magic dampening cell, while you and the Field Marshal were sent here.”
“Is Anon okay?”
>”They took him into surgery for a few hours, he just got out. Soon after that the nurse called- saying you were awake, I was the closest soldier, I ran over here, and you know the rest.”
“Where is he?”
>The nurse pulls back the curtain, showing Anon laying on a hospital bed, hooked up to a dozen different tubes and machines.
>”I’m so sorry.” The nurse starts. “More than a few bones got bruised, one or two of them cracked. On top of that he lost a lot of blood that we can’t exactly replace. For now he’s stable, but he’s fallen into a comatose state.”

>”Ma’am, until the Field Marshal wakes up, we’ll need a leader. The officers held a conference, and to be honest, most of the men here agree with it. News of the decision was taken to the local politicians, and they unanimously voted to accept it. The Old Guard and the Crystal Empire are at your command if you’ll have them.”
>You suppose that you’d have to do this sooner or later anyway.
“I accept.”
>”Thank you, your highness.”
>”Oh do you really have to set all of this on the poor mare now? She just woke up.”
“No, it’s alright. I’m feeling better already.”
>Slightly better at least.
>”Sure you are.” The nurse says, seeing through your understatement. “But you’re staying overnight. It’s almost sundown, so you won’t be missing anything. You may be a Princess, but when you’re sitting in that bed doctors out rank you.”
“Alright.”
>How’d she know that you were going to insist on checking out early?
“If it’s okay with you both, I’m going to try and get some rest. I’m still pretty exhausted from earlier.”
>”If you need anything at all, just call.” The nurse tells you before heading out.
>Sergeant Thunder salutes.
>”Ma’am.” Leaving the room, you hear him say before the door closes. “So nurse, I was wondering if you’re not doing anything tomorrow-“
>Go get her tiger.
>For once you’re not going to sneak out when told to stay put.
>You actually are still pretty tired.
>You just laid there in bed, listening to the beeping of the machines hooked up to your Uncle.
>If he doesn’t wake up soon then the entire defensive plans could fall apart.
>If he wakes up at all.
>No, don’t think like that.
>He’ll be fine, he always is.
>Mom will be too.
>What was wrong with her?
>And the other Princesses for that matter.
>Questions like this danced in your head before soon drifting off to sleep.

>As you awake, you still feel your bones ache.
>At least the headache has died down.
>Anon still lies in the bed next to your own.
>The beeping ever steady.
>You head out of bed, and go to hold his hand for a moment before setting out for your day.
“Hang in there Uncle.”
>As you leave your room in the hospital, you see four soldiers waiting to accompany you.
“No escort, that’s an order.”
>”But Your highness-”
“Understood?”
>”Yes Ma’am.”
>You’re almost going to miss having to ditch your entourage whenever you can.
>Almost.
>As you exit the hospital, the sun catches you off guard.
>After taking a second to adjust, you head towards the tower.
>You see ponies in the street wave towards you as you pass.
>Children are playing, ponies look happy, and the soldiers are relaxing.
>Home hasn’t changed that much.
>Sure some of the buildings are taller and there are more ponies, but it’s still the city you remember.
>Watching the city go past, you wouldn’t know that there was war going on.
>As you pass a café, you notice Sergeant Thunder having coffee with your nurse.
>What was her name?
>Winter Gem maybe?
>It just now strikes you that almost every nurse in Equestria has a white coat and red mane.
>Curious.
>But that’s neither here nor there.
>You were going to the tower to address the city.
>…
>So… Many… Stairs.
>Wait… you have wings.
>You can’t explain how happy you are that no pony saw that realization.
>Soon you reach a good balcony overlooking the city.

>You flip the switch, and then tap on a microphone resting on the side of a guard rail.
“Hello? Is this thing on? Oh cool! Eeeccchhhooo. Right, sorry.”
>You clear your throat.
“Hello fellow Equestrians. I think I just lost any semblance of having a completely serious speech, so I’ll keep things succinct. I know that things have been tough the past few years, but that is all over now. Taxes will be lowered to more reasonable levels, political imprisonment will end, and the press will become free once again. My mother isn’t… well, but she won’t be able to hurt you anymore. We may have driven the yaks away for now, but invaders plague the rest of Equestria as well. I won’t force any of you to leave your home, but if you do wish to help protect our brothers and sisters in the south, then talk with any of the soldiers you see around the city. Only together can we return Equestria to how it was before the wars of the last generation. If we unite as one people, then I promise to all of you that peace will reign in our time.”
>You pause a moment to think if there is anything you missed.
“Thank you, this is Princess Flurry Heart signing off.”
>Cheers can be heard across the city.
>So far so good.
>But there’s a lot more to ruling than giving a speech here and there.
>Before anything else happens, you want to check on your Mom.
>You need to find out what’s wrong with her.
>Yesterday you heard her manage to overcome whatever it was, at least temporarily.
>There has to be a way to break through to her.
>You begin to descend down into the depths of the tower.

>The room your mother is in is a dimly lit solid stone room.
>Around the square perimeter, there is a five foot gap around the cell.
>A pair of guards constantly patrols around it.
>The cell is ten square feet.
>On each corner of it lays a stone pillar that reaches to the ceiling.
>The cell walls are comprised of horizontal metal bars resting a foot above the one below it.
>Each bar is also a foot deep, and a single vertical support bar runs equidistant from the corners on each side.
>As you enter the room, your mother shoots out a magical bolt at you.
>It harmlessly is absorbed by a light cyan force field that lies on the interior of the cell.
>As the spell dissipates, the shield goes back to its fully transparent state.
>You tell the guards.
“Give me a minute alone.”
>They filter out of the room and wait at attention.
>You approach the cell.
“You in there Mom?”
>Her head looks almost as if it’s going to twitch.
>”Fool.”
“Come on Mom fight it!”
>”Insolent usurper. This cage will not hold me forever, and when I break free… you will die.”
“I know that you’re still the pony I remember, you can break through.”
>”The only thing I’ll be breaking is your bones.”
>You’re getting nowhere.
“You know what? I’m going to let you sit in time out until you’re ready to apologize. Tell me when you’re over the doom and gloom phase, get well soon.”
>”You will pay for this child.”
>You had already turned your back.
“We’ll see. Guards!”
>The guards enter and resume their patrol.
>You leave the room and start heading for the stairs at the end of the hallway.
>Reaching them, you open the door and go through.
>As you blink, you find yourself in an empty field.
“What?”
>You turn around, only to see more of the grassy field.
>Is this a dream?

>A voice falls over the area.
>”Oh this most certainly isn’t a dream young Padawan.”
>You look around, seeing not a soul as far as the eye can see.
“Who are you?”
>”Search your feelings young one. I thought you knew your history.”
>The fields start to fold up, raising high into the sky before crashing down.
>You close your eyes from the impending collision.
>But nothing happens.
>When you open them, you’re standing in the middle of a small wooden room.
>No doors, no windows, and no lights.
>But it’s perfectly lit.
>The room is empty, save for a table and two chairs.
>the one closer to you, but the far one is occupied.
>By a… mix match of various creatures.
>He’s sitting lazily in the chair, leaning back and has his different fingers linked together and raised to just under his bearded chin.
>You remember seeing a picture of him in one of the magical theory books you’ve been reading.
>Some of Aunt Twilight’s old stories and journal excerpts are coming back as well.
“…Discord?”
>”The one and only! Tea and muffins?”
>He snaps his lion’s fingers together, and a tea set materializes on the table.
>Grabbing the kettle, he pours into a cup.
>And tiny muffins come out of the spout, filling the tea cup.
>Snapping his other hand a large bowl full of tea appears next to the kettle.
“What am I doing here?!”
>”Oh let’s just say I’m fulfilling an old promise to your dearest auntie… or was it because I lost a bet to Herr Generalfeldmarschall?
“Wait, how do you know my Uncle?”
>”Because the Author says so, of course!”
“What?”
>What?
>”What?”
“Never mind, just tell me. Why am I here?”
>”It’s one of life’s greatest mysteries isn’t it? Why are we here?”
“Stop dogging the question.”
>”Oh you’re no fun.”
“Just. Answer. The. Question.”

>”Take a seat and I will.”
>You humor him.
>”Now that we’re being civilized.” He reaches out his paw. “Discord: Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, at your service.”
>You refuse his hand.
>”Oh come now, it’s only the polite thing to do.”
>Hesitantly you reach out your hoof and shake his hand.
>”Now, we can get down to business.”
>He pulls out a stack of papers, and begins to flip through them.
>”Ah, here’s the scene.”
>He clears his throat and dons a pair of glasses. Sunglasses.
>”I’m here to tell you…” He begins skimming the sheet. “Right!”
>He balls up the paper and places it in his mouth, chewing twice before swallowing.
>The Sunglasses break up into a dozen butterflies that fly away.
>”You see, despite what you’re probably thinking right now, I am not to blame for your Princesses being three fries short of a happy meal. It’s hilarious, but not me.”
“Then what is it?”
>”Oh I know exactly what it is.”
>…
“I’m waiting.”
>”Oh, I’m not allowed to tell you that until Act II.”
>You’ve had enough of this.
>You reach over the table and give him a right hook to his face.
>He falls backwards, still seated.
>”Twilight never hit me.”
“Well I’m not Twilight!”
>He works his way to his feet- err, hands.
>He’s standing upside down.
>He reaches his hoof down.
>”Grab it.”
“NO!”
>”Fine.”
>You hear his hand snap below the table.
>And you’re standing on the top of the spire in the Crystal Empire.
>As he cartwheels back to his feet, he sternly says to you.
>”You know, you should really knock it off with those negative waves. It’s bad for your… sanity.”
“How so?”
>”Fine, I’ll give you a hint: You’ve got what your dear mommy has.”
“WHAT?!?”
>”Ta-ta!”
>He materializes an umbrella, that he expands and points in the air.
>He begins flying upwards with it.

>After getting a few feet off of the ground he disappears, leaving behind a scrap of paper that you grab with magic.
>You unfold it.
>’P.S.- ask Herr Generalfeldmarschall about the w-‘
>The paper disintegrates into dust before you could finish reading.
>Ask him about what?
>What did any of that just mean?
>’Negative waves’?
>You have what Mom has?
>So it is some sort of illness?
>Did he have to be so cryptic?
>And so annoying!
>You feel your eye twitch.
>What?
>Wait…
>What?
>You gulp.
>Negative waves bad. Understood.
>Or he’s just being subversive.
>That’s just as likely, but you might want to avoid any undue stress. Just in case.
>You stood there on top of the spire for a while.
>Nothing’s ever simple, is it?
>Soon you decided that you shouldn’t brood too much on Discord.
>The self-proclaimed spirit of chaos and disharmony of course will lie.
>And none of the encounter changes anything.
>You have the Crystal Empire to run, and an army to lead.
>Until Anon wakes up that is.
>No pressure.
>Just the fate of all Equestria on your shoulders.
>What can possibly go wrong?
>You should head down to the throne room.
>You’re in charge, and no doubt you’ll have official duties to perform.
>You take a last look outwards over the Crystal Empire.
>It is beautiful.
>Then you stretch your wings, and head for lower ground.
>As you reach the throne, you see a crowd of ponies waiting for you in the throne room.
>You have a job to do.