Shadows in the dark

Chapter 27

Before anypony had a chance to stop her, Rainbow Dash bolted over to Discord and sock him the hardest punch she's ever given, and knocked him to the ground.

"Stop this IMMEDIATELY!" Cadence yelled, using her magic to pull the blue pegasus away from the fallen Draconequus.

Discord made a low groan as he rubbed the side of his head. "Geeze. I guess that's the thanks I get for saving the Princess's life." he said. Glaring at Rainbow Dash.

"Are you out of your MIND, Cadence?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "That's Discord! Discord!"

"Yes. I am aware of that, Rainbow Dash." Cadence said.

"WE CAN'T TRUST HIM!"

"Whether we can trust him or not is something that will be determined in the future. Sombra's attack on Canterlot is a clear declaration of war." Cadence added ominously. "And it appears that the Changelings have formed an alliance with him as well. The attack on both Ponyville and Canterlot isn't a simple coincidence."

"But how are we going to defeat him now that Elements of Harmony are gone?" Pinkie Pie asked mournfully.

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that, Pinkie Pie." Cadence replied sadly. "And with the Crystal Heart having been destroyed, I'm afraid there is no way of officially stopping him. We can wound him all we want, but killing him is going to be a rather challenging task."

"But there must be a way!" Rarity said. "Even without having to use the Elements or the Crystal Heart."

"Actually..." Discord chimed in, "There is a way."

The mares looked over to the Draconequus with confused expressions. "How so?" Rainbow Dash asked. Her eyes fixed on his to make sure he isn't lying or trying to pull something off.

"What if I told you that there weren't six Elements of Harmony in the beginning, but twelve?"

"If this is another one of your tricks, Discord, then I'm going to kick your ass." Applejack snapped.

"I'm not." Discord replied in a serious tone. Something they thought they wouldn't hear from the Draconequus. "In the beginning there twelve Elements of Harmony. The Elements of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, and Magic are the ones Luna and Celestia chose to wield while they hid the six other Elements by scattering them all over Equestria. Said elements are Trust, Sincerity, Patience, Love, Sanity, and Leadership."

"But why didn't they keep all twelve?" Pinkie Pie asked. Even though she didn't believe him entirely.

"It was too much power for the both of them to handle." Discord replied. "So they kept the ones they saw necessary and scattered the others to six different locations in Equestria. But said locations are a mystery."

Silence filled the throne room once Discord had finished. The six mares, plus Cadence, looked up at the Draconequus with blank expressions before they suddenly burst into hard fits of laughter. All but Fluttershy.

"Wow, Discord. That was actually a good story." Applejack said as she wiped a tear away.

"You almost had me going there." Rarity added.

"Twelve Elements of Harmony." Pinkie Pie laughed, "That's just unbelievable!"

Even Cadence couldn't help but laugh softly. Finding it rather hard to believe. "My aunts never said anything about twelve Elements of Harmony." she said, "They always told me that there were only six."

Discord's eyes narrowed and he stomped his lizard foot on the ground in frustration. "I'm not even joking this time! What I'm saying is the truth! I may have pulled off a lot of pranks and told many lies in my time, but this one is for real!" To his dismay, the ponies only laughed harder. Fluttershy, however, only continued to look up at him. What happened next would forever change his life.