Chapter 1
Dark Shadows

Discord, also know as the master of chaos and mischief, was Alexei's right hand man during the Dark Ages 10,000 ago in Equestria. Alexei didn't trust anyone except for Discord. Even the Elemental Warriors had trouble dealing with him, but thanks to Princess Estellise, they were eventually able to perform a seal called the Hexagon Seal Formation, and turned Discord into a stone statue. Unfortunately, the seal wasn't perfect and a small crack could be seen in Discord's chest, but they didn't have time to worry about it since they had their sights set on Alexei. Luckily, when they preformed it on Alexei, the seal was perfect. As an extra precaution, Nova used his fire magic to put a lock on Alexei's seal and only he could unlock it. It had seemed at the time that Alexei would never be revived, but that would soon be proven wrong. It all began one day in present Equestria. During a calm, peaceful night in Canterlot, Discord's statue was seen resting in the garden near Canterlot Castle as it always has been for the last 10,000 years. Suddenly, the crack on the statue began to glow, and soon after, Discord's right claw broke free as he clenched his fist. Later on, in Golden Oak Library, Flareon was enjoying a peaceful sleep when suddenly, he heard someone call his name. As Flareon got up, he looked around the room. Twilight was smiling and sleeping as normal, Spike was laying his head on the bed while drooling, and Owlowiscious was sleeping on her perch. As Flareon laid his head back on the pillow attempting to go back to sleep, he heard the same voice again call his name. As Flareon got out of bed slowly, he decided not to bother Twilight or Spike, and quickly left the house. He then flew into the air and began to follow the voice trying to figure out where it was coming from. Eventually, Flareon followed the voice all the way to Canterlot. He then flew to the garden near Canterlot Castle. To his surprise, there was a dragon standing in front of a maze. When Flareon landed on the ground and walked closer, he noticed the dragon was made out of different animal parts, almost like a dragon Frankenstein. As the dragon noticed Flareon walking towards him, he began to claps his hands and said, "Well...it's about time you showed up. I've been waiting ages and my back was starting to ache already."

As Flareon stopped, he replied, "Who are you? More importantly...what are you? A dragon-goat-lion-deer-snake-thing?"

The dragon was taken aback by Flareon's words. "How dare you! You don't even know who I am? I'm absolutely appalled. Come on! The Master of Chaos? The King of Mischief? The Mischievous Delinquent?" As Flareon just stared at him blankly, the dragon let out a disappointed sigh. "At least Nova knew my name."

Flareon was completely shocked. How did Nova know who the dragon was? The Elemental Warrior leader was alive a long time ago. There was no way Nova could have known this dragon. "That can't be true! Nova lived in Equestria 10,000 years ago...who are you?!"

The dragon began to laugh. As he wiped a tear of joy from his eye, the dragon said with a smile as he took a bow, "My name is Discord...at your service!"

At that moment, alarm bells began to ring in Flareon's head. This was that Discord? The dragon that was at Alexei's side during the Dark Ages? How was this possible? Discord was sealed as a stone statue by the Elemental Warriors. How did he escape? "Wait a minute...that's impossible. How are you alive? You should be a statue!" Flareon yelled.

Discord stroked his beard and shrugged. "I don't know, I just happened to be break free. I can't really explain how or why, but who cares? I'm finally free to unleash chaos once again, but first I need to release Lord Alexei from his seal. His statue is said to be in the middle of this maze here."

Right away, Flareon knew he had to defeat Discord before he revived Alexei. " Sorry, but that's not going to happen! I'm going to defeat you right here and now!"

Discord began to laugh and said, "Oh yes...there's that spirit and passion I remember from Nova. You are most defiantly very similar to him, almost identical twins I would say. How about for old times sake, we play a game, shall we?" As he snapped his fingers, Flareon's horn and wings suddenly disappeared.

As Flareon tried to figure out where his horn and wings had gone, he turned to face Discord and yelled, "Give those back you bastard!"

Discord then began to prance into the garden maze while laughing. "Catch me if you can!" he said happily. Soon after, Flareon began to run inside the maze after him. He couldn't let Discord revive Alexei, no matter what. This was his mission and failure wasn't an option. It didn't take long before Flareon lost Discord in the maze. As he frantically began to search for him, Discord began to laugh again, but it seemed to be coming from every direction. Flareon couldn't tell where he was. "What's the matter chosen one? Are you having trouble with little old me? Do you really believe that you can beat Alexei?"

Flareon was beginning to lose his patience. "I'm going to defeat Alexei, but not before I kick your dragon behind all across Equestria!" he yelled.

Discord was barely able to keep himself from laughing and replied, "How does it feel to be Princess Celestia's tool? Do you really believe those ponies are you friends? Once you defeat Alexei, they're going to toss you into the trash. You're simply a tool to them, nothing more, nothing less. They've been lying to you this entire time."

As Flareon continued to run through the maze, he yelled, "Shut up Discord!"

Unfortunately, Discord continued to taunt him. "Let's see...here it is! You're lonely aren't you? You feel that you're all alone in this world. You want to go home because you feel you don't belong." As this laughter echoed throughout the maze, Discord said, "You're so pathetic! You are simply a weak little pony that wants to go back home because you are scared of being rejected in this world."

Flareon was furious with rage as he was letting his anger consume him. At the same time though, he was trying to figure out how Discord knew so much about him. "How do you know all this? Quit playing game with me!"

Discord began to laugh again. "Yes that's right! I know everything about you. It's actually quite easy really. I just simply go deep inside your mind until I get to all the juicy secrets that you're keeping locked away. I have to say, they're all very interesting."

Just as Flareon began to yell at Discord again, he suddenly spotted him standing in front of an open area. "I've got you now bastard. You can't run away this time!" Unfortunately, as Flareon chased him into the area, everything suddenly went dark. As he walked around, Flareon couldn't see anything except himself. Discord was also nowhere to be seen. "Where am I? I'm still in the maze...right?" Flareon asked. As he began to hear Discord's menacing laugh again, Flareon began to frantically search everywhere in the black void for him. "Where are you Discord? Come on out and fight me you coward!" Suddenly, six figure's appeared before Flareon. It seemed to be Twilight and his friends. As he began to run to them, they turned around to face him. Unfortunately, something seemed wrong as they all had a blank stare on their faces. "Twilight, Rainbow Dash, everyone! How did you get here?"

It was Pinkie Pie who began to speak first. "You think we're your friends? Why would we be friends with a selfish jerk?" As Flareon was in complete shock about what he just heard her say, Rarity began to speak next."

"You're not a real pony, you're just a human posing as one. I could never stand being around you. Everyone is always giving me looks of disgust when I'm with you. It's no wonder ever since you arrived I've been getting fewer customers," she said.

Soon after, Applejack replied, "You think we need you to defeat Alexei? We can handle him ourselves. We don't need you getting in our way. Why can you just leave us alone already?" Next was Fluttershy.

"I always like meeting new ponies, but you're one I wish I never met. You're loud, impolite, immature, and mean. Even Angel and my animals hate you," Fluttershy said.

As Rainbow Dash looked at him, she laughed. "I can't believe a weakling like you think's you're my rival. I don't even know why I bother to hang out with you. I can't stand to be around as loser like you!"

Flareon was at a loss for words. So this was how everyone felt about him. Unfortunately, he couldn't argue with anything they had said. They were right about everything. There was no doubt about it, but he knew Twilight was different. She was the one pony that has always been by his side since he arrived in Equestria nine months ago. What happened next was something Flareon never expected Twilight to say to him.

"I never loved you. The only reason I married you is because I wanted to finally be popular, that's it. After I have my baby, I'm dumping you and marrying real stallion. Once you defeat Alexei, we won't having any use for you anymore. You are just a tool as you've always been and that will not change," Twilight said with no emotion at all. At that moment, he could feel his heart being broken into a million pieces. Flareon couldn't believe it. All that love between them was fake all along? Twilight never really love him did she? It was all just an act all along. As Flareon was nearly in tears, Twilight and the others suddenly disappeared, and soon after, he was surround by a large group of ponies that were smiling and laughing at him while saying, "Loser, freak, weirdo, useless, tool, garbage, weakling, dofus, stupid, dumb, idiot, moron," over and over again. It didn't take long before Flareon had fallen to the ground crying while putting his hooves over his ear trying to block out the sound of their ridicule. A couple of minutes later, Flareon felt someone touch his shoulder. When he looked up, Flareon noticed that the group of ponies had disappeared, and instead he saw Discord smiling at him.

As he wiped the tears from his eyes, Flareon said, "You're right Discord, I don't belong here. I'm just a tool to them. They don't care about me at all. I just...want to go back home."

After Discord help him back up, he snapped his fingers and returned Flareon's horn and wings. "Allow me to help you with that." As Discord clapped his hands, a door with a lock on it suddenly appeared before them. "All you have to do is use your fire magic to melt the lock on that door, and after that's done, you will be able to go through it, and return home to your world." As Flareon nodded his head, he then turned to face the door and began to use his fire magic on the lock. As it slowly began to melt, everything suddenly went white. As Flareon looked around, he couldn't see anything in the white void, except for his body. Soon after, a bright figure appeared before him. Unfortunately, it was so bright Flareon couldn't tell who or what it was.

"Don't let yourself be fooled!" it yelled, "See through the lies and deceit!" A few seconds later, the figure unleashed a bright flash of light, and soon after, Flareon found himself back in the maze and quickly discovered that instead of a locked door, he was using his fire magic on Alexei's statue. Also, Discord's smile wasn't that of a happy one, it was that of an evil, mischievous one. As Flareon stopped using his magic on the statue, he turned to face Discord and shot a fireball directly at him, sending Discord flying into the maze wall.

"Too bad Discord, looks like your plan failed! You lose!" he yelled happily as Discord was in disbelief about how Flareon managed snap out of his trance. Unfortunately, Discord began to smile. "What's so funny? You have finally realized your failure?"

Suddenly, Discord pointed to his right and replied, "Sorry Flareon, looks like you were too late!" As Flareon turned to his right, he noticed glowing cracks appearing all over Alexei's statue, and a few seconds later, it exploded as black flames quickly engulfed the area. After the flames dispersed, a large dragon was seen standing before them. It soon began to look at its body and started to flex its legs, arms, and wings. As the dragon looked around, he first spotted Discord on his right.

"Why if it isn't my dear old friend Discord? How long has it been since we last met?" the dragon asked.

"It's been about 10,000 years Lord Alexei," Discord replied.

"I see...so I'm guessing those pesky Elemental Warriors have been dead for quite some time? That's good to hear. It looks like my domination of Equestria will likely continue without any problems," Alexei said. As he looked around, Alexei couldn't believe his eyes as he spotted a familiar pony standing before him. "Nova! Are you here to stop me once again?!" After closer inspection, Alexei realized that this pony was not his arch nemesis Nova. "No...wait, you're not him. Who are you?" As Alexei closed his eyes and pressed down on his temple, he said, "Discord...who is this and why do I sense the same, fowl magic I remember sensing from Nova?"

As Discord took a few steps closer to Alexei, he replied, "That pony is the chosen one Flareon. He has the same type of fire magic as Nova did. Also, Flareon was once a human that was brought into this world to defeat you."

Unfortunately, Alexei wasn't able to respond as Flareon quickly flew into the air. "I'm not letting you get away...prepare to die Alexei!" Flareon yelled as he quickly began to shot fireballs at Alexei until he was completely consumed in fire. "I can't believe I did it...I defeated Alexei." Soon after, a claw come out of the fire and quickly grabbed hold of Flareon. A few seconds later, as the smoke from fire slowly disappeared, he saw Alexei smiling menacingly at him. There was not a single scratch on his body even after Flareon's barrage of fireballs.

Alexei began to shake his head in disappointment. "Was that really the best you could do? You may look like him and have the same power as him, but your not as strong as Nova was, not even close. The chosen one? You don't deserve that title after that pathetic attempt to kill me." Even though things were looking bad, Flareon refused to give up and shot another barrage of fireballs directly at Alexei's face. Sadly for Flareon, nothing had changed as Alexei's was still unfazed by his attacks. "That wasn't very nice...was it? Let me show you what true power really is!"

Soon after, Alexei's grip on him tightened as black flames began to emit from his fist engulfing Flareon. As he screamed in agony, Flareon felt every inch of his body being burned, including his bones, and even his very soul. The pain Flareon was feeling was nothing like he ever experienced in his life. Flareon was soon beginning to lose consciousness. Was he going to die here? Would he ever see Twilight's smile again?

Suddenly, the black flames stopped. "So...this is all the power I have now? It seems being sealed for 10,000 years has also dulled my power. Curse those darn Elemental Warriors!" Alexei yelled, but then he began to smile. "No matter though, I will conquer Equestria one day and no one, not even this weak little Nova clone, will be able to stop me!" Alexei proclaimed as he tossed Flareon into the air and laughed as he landed on the ground before him. "Do me a favor Flareon...please don't die before I regain all my power. I want to personally enjoy breaking every bone in your body as all your friends watch you die by my hands. Hopefully by then you will be a worthy enough challenge for me as Nova once was." He then turned to face Discord and said, "I think it's about time we returned home. There nothing left to do here...come Discord, let us depart." Flareon was barely awake as he could only watch as Alexei and Discord stepped into a black portal Alexei has summoned, and soon after, they disappeared. A few seconds later, Flareon finally lost consciousness and fainted. Meanwhile in another location, a black portal appeared and Alexei and Discord stepped out. As Alexei began to admire the scenery around him, he smiled and said, "It's good to be back home. Even after 10,000 years Death Valley looks as great as I remember it." Death Valley, also nicknamed the 'Land of Death', was once the home of Alexei and his army, including Discord, during the Dark Ages. It is located directly east from Canterlot, which during the Dark Ages, was the home of the Elemental Warriors, Princess Estellise, and their army of ponies. Soon after, Alexei and Discord went into a nearby cave, and as they walked inside, Alexei looked up and smiled at the full moon in the night sky. As they reached a giant stone throne, Alexei quickly sat down in it. "Even after all this time, my throne remains as perfect as I remember."

As Alexei was getting comfortable, Discord asked, "My lord...you mentioned before that your power has been dulled. How long will it take for you to regain all your power back?"

Alexei began to stroke his chin. "It may take about 5 years or so for me to return to full power, but do not fret my friend, I'm in no hurry. This world will soon know the terrifying darkness once again!" Alexei laughed as he and Discord decided to celebrate being revived with a bountiful feast.

Later on, Flareon was walking in a white void trying to figure out where he was. "What is this place? Wait...wasn't I here before when that bright figure that was speaking to me?" At that moment, the same bright figure appeared before him, but the brightness from it quickly dulled as Flareon was finally able to see the figure really was. It was a female alicorn.

Soon after, it began to speak to him. "The dragon of darkness has finally been revived, but I believe you will be able to defeat him. In time, you will gain new powers which will help you in your battle against Alexei and the trials he will send to test you. I have absolute confidence that you will succeed. Good luck Flareon!" the alicorn proclaimed as it suddenly began to glow brightly.

Flareon quickly used his right hoof to shield his face from the brightness as the white void around him began to waver. He could feel himself slowly begin to lose consciousness. "Wait...who are you? How do you know my name?!"

The alicorn simply smiled and replied, "Everything will be reveled when the time is right." Unfortunately, Flareon was unable to say anything else as the alicorn disappeared and soon after, he lost consciousness again. Suddenly, Flareon began to hear voices. It seemed they were talking about him. When he opened his eyes, and got up, Flareon saw Twilight, Spike, and even Princess Celestia standing near his bed. When he looked around, Flareon noticed he was in the Ponyville Hospital.

Suddenly, Twilight ran over and began to hug him desperately. She quickly began to cry deeply. "Thank goodness you're ok! I was worried that...you would never wake up again."

As Flareon patted her on the head, he asked, "How long have I been out?"

Princess Celestia replied, "You've been asleep for three days. I'm relieved that you're ok...everyone has been worried about you." She then pointed to the wall and Flareon saw that he had apparently received get-well gifts from almost everyone in Ponyville. Unfortunately, Flareon's chest tightened as he began to remember what had happened to him.

"Everyone...I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I let Discord trick me into unlocking the seal on Alexei's statue and I wasn't able to defeat Alexei as they managed to escape. I understand if you don't want me around anymore...I failed. I'm just a useless pony that doesn't deserve to be called the chosen one."

Before he was able to say anything else, Celestia interrupted him and replied, "Flareon...you don't need to worry. What happened, has happened, and we must move on. Even if you would have stopped Discord, Alexei was going to be revived at some point anyway. The prophecy has foretold that Alexei would return and that you would defeat him. There is no doubt about it...you will defiantly be able to accomplish that. We all believe in you!"

Rainbow Dash smiled and said, "We're you friends Flareon. We've got your back. You can count on us!" As everyone cheered in agreement, Flareon broke down in tears.

"Everyone...you're the best friends I could ever ask for...thank you, so much...for everything!" Flareon replied as he wiped away the tears from his eyes.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash held out her right hoof in the middle of the group, and soon after, everyone joined in, including Flareon. "On the count of three, let's yell out...never give up!" she said.

Rainbow Dash counted down and everyone yelled out together, "Never give up!" Suddenly, Flareon's body began to emit small flames, and soon after, a soft shockwave come out of him, dispersing the flames.

Flareon smiled as he flexed his hooves. "My fire magic has become more powerful. She was right...I'm going to get stronger."

Everyone was completely confused as to what happened. "Who are you talking about Flareon? What just happened...what was that all about?" Twilight asked.

As Flareon laid his back on the pillow, he closed his eyes and smiled. "Don't worry Twilight...it's ok. Let's just say that everything is going to be just fine." It didn't take long before Flareon fell back asleep. Even though Alexei and Discord had been revived, Flareon wasn't worried. He had his friends and that's what truly mattered.