Disclaimer: Still don't own 95% of what you read. Remaining 5% is mine. Enjoy!
Edit: Woo! My new 4th longest story! And has more hits than the "original" Rangers of the Elements…which has nothing to do with Rangers of Equestria.
Chapter 11: Long, Long Ago…
Applejack looked to the Princess quizzically. Discord being free seemed like a bad thing, but who was Discord and why were the Princess and Billy acting so strangely? She was about to ask the question, when Billy raced to one of the consoles, pressed a button and spoke aloud.
"Rangers, teleport to the Command Tower. This is an emergency."
Fluttershy heard the graveness in Billy's voice and gulped nervously. As an extremely non-violent Pegasus, she was the most apprehensive about the whole "Power Ranger" business. The first battle had been all right as she had been working off the collective excitement but now…now it just seemed like everything was crashing on them at once.
Four beams of light entered the Command Tower and coalesced into the remaining Rangers. Billy cast a critical eye over them and checked them for signs of…well, to be honest he wasn't really sure what. Everything seemed to check out and he nodded once to the Princess, a sign for her to start explaining.
"Thank you all for coming here everypony. The day I have feared gravely has come to pass. An ancient evil known as Discord has broken free from his prison."
Twilight looked from Celestia to Billy. Both had extremely grave and serious expressions and the Princess seemed to be…scared? In a curious voice, she asked who Discord was. Blinking once, Princess Celestia trotted over to one of the covered windows, inhaled deeply and drew back the curtains that shrouded it from view. The image that was forever preserved left all the Rangers stunned speechless.
A black alicorn was rearing up on its hind legs with both wings splayed wide and wreathed in flames. Around it were images of terrifying chaos and horrendous violence. The ground under the hooves of the alicorn seemed to be splattered with blood. On the edges of the image were more flames and hints of lightning. Princess Celestia inhaled deeply as she saw the image once more and began speaking.
"No one knows how Discord came to be. Most historical texts regard him as a unicorn that possessed the ability to control the minds of others with one word. Somewhere along the line, he gained wings and much more. He rose up against me right after I had banished Nightmare Moon but I defeated him then. He waited and gathered his strength for one hundred years, somehow amassing enough energy to extend his lifespan indefinitely…and gaining the ability to walk on his hind legs."
Billy nodded absentmindedly as he processed the information. He knew the Princess had omitted the first uprising during her tale, but that was neither here nor there. If Discord was free, then there was only one guess as to who had freed him – Zedd. There was no doubt in his mind that Zedd had freed Discord to swell his ranks. Edward Steel had informed him before he left that Zedd's power was dependant on his followers and the size of his army. There was also some dependence on the power that the general possessed…which answered his question of why he spiralled downward after accepting Goldar into his Empire. As he processed the information, he kept listening to Celestia's information.
"One hundred years to the day that I had defeated him, he attacked Canterlot with his army. The battle was fierce and raged on for many days. I only had enough time to gather up the Elements of Harmony and escape into the Everfree Forest. Discord won and positioned himself as Head of the Body of Equestria."
Fluttershy chuckled nervously but squashed her growing fear. Discord sounded much worse than Nightmare Moon. To overthrow Princess Celestia was one thing, but to send her fleeing Canterlot in fear was another thing altogether. Silently, she crept behind Applejack and hid behind her, while listening for information.
"Discord ruled all of Equestria for six months. During that time, he saw all with his Eyes of Discord which were highly valued members of his inner circle known for their loyalty and trustworthiness. To many ponies born under his chaotic rule, he was known as the Sanity Devourer as it was said that he devoured sanity from every pony he touched. Indeed, many ponies killed themselves soon after he left Canterlot."
Twilight Sparkle blinked and shook her head in astonishment. An alicorn that had the power to seemingly drink sanity from ponies seemed like something from fiction, but judging from the grave expression on her mentor's face, it was anything but. She was about to ask why six months were enough for Discord to cement himself as Supreme Leader, but Princess Celestia's words let the question die unasked.
"Discord had another strange ability besides his silver tongue. He had the ability to slow time down all over Equestria…except in the Everfree Forest. No one knows why the Everfree Forest was exempt, but I'm glad it was. Most fortuitously, it seems that ability was stripped from him during his imprisonment. The question is – who freed him? He couldn't have broken out on his own?"
"Zedd."
Billy's sharp voice made all heads turn to him. Even if Zedd had made landfall a few days ago, he would be strong enough to break someone out of an impenetrable stone prison. Doing that would be mere child's play to one as powerful as him. Sensing that the Princess was waiting for more explanation, he sighed internally.
"When he first arrived on Earth, Lord Zedd wasted no time in displaying his massive power by way of stripping the Morphin energy from our Dinozords and casting them into a pit of magma. Later, he created a monster to completely drain the powers of the Green Ranger. He left Earth after the Machine Empire arrived, but he continued his destruction in other places. He has boundless raw magical energy at his disposal and should not be confronted until you are ready."
From her position behind Applejack's rump, Fluttershy squeaked nervously. She didn't know what Dinozords or the Machine Empire, but she did know how powerful being morphed felt. If this Zedd could create a monster to drain ones powers…she started shaking nervously. Taking a quick glance behind her, Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes at the nervous Pegasus. As Billy continued, she shared a glance with Rainbow Dash before returning her attention to the human.
"The only Ranger to ever face off against Zedd and come away somewhat victoriously was our White Ranger – Tommy Oliver. He used his enchanted blade to break Zedd's staff, but he was extremely lucky. I would not go up against Zedd himself unless I had no other choice."
Location Unknown
"Discord, it is time for you to make yourself known. Revisit your old stomping grounds in Canterlot and leave no one alive."
Discord grimaced but bowed at his master's voice. He rubbed a hand over the sealed hole where his horn was and growled. He would do as the flesh man commanded for now. Striding off, he felt a tingle of energy enter his body and he paused. Squinting in the dim light, he could almost see his body…growing? With another few steps, he was free of the cave but had grown as tall as the canopy overhead. Glancing back at his master, he saw the dark Lord was glowing darkly. One final burst of power and he was almost as tall as Canterlot Tower. A murderous grin wormed its way across Discord's face as he spied Canterlot in the distance.
This was going to be fun…
TBC…
