A Walk in Their Shoes: Prologue

        Stepping down from the carriage of your escort, you help the six mares down one by one, making sure they don’t dirty their dresses. This event only came once a year, so it would be best for them to look as presentable as possible. This, of course, was quite a chore with Pinkie Pie hopping around.

       

Rarity did not hesitate to make garments for you all for this event. They called it the ‘Grand Galloping Gala’. Apparently, Princess Celestia held this shindig every year and had a very strict ‘invite only’ policy. She invited you this year, along with the Mane Six. Twilight said something about you being the human ambassador for the party, which was stupid because you were the only human in Equestria. The others weren’t exactly too enthralled about being there either; the last time they went, they nearly flipped the castle with their shenanigans. They were there merely for publicity.

       

“Darling, your tie is crooked! Let me get that for you,” Rarity nags, using her magic to take a hold of your slightly skewed bowtie.

       

“Come on Rarity, I’m not a child. I can take care of myself.” After a bit of fidgeting around, she finally stops her little charade and gives a smile before making her way towards the castle. Following behind them, you slowly walk towards the giant doorway where sounds of laughter and chatter can be heard. Twilight waits for you, a look of impatience on her face.

       

“Anon, pick up the pace, please. We don’t want to keep the princess waiting.” You roll your eyes as you speed up, catching up to her. Many ponies stop what they’re doing to look at you as you pass them by. Not a lot of them were used to seeing you, and being that you weren’t from this world didn’t help calm them either. As you hand your invitation to the doorman, the feel of cold stares pierces your skin. Ponies cut their conversations to look at you, only to start new ones about you.

 

It’s not like you weren’t used to this. Every time you went off to a new place this would happen, so acknowledging it would only intensify it. Shrugging off the feeling, you follow Twilight towards a staircase where a line was formed. At the top sat Princess Celestia, who was shaking hooves and conversing with all the ponies at the front of the line.

 

“So what exactly are we waiting for?” you groan, turning to Twilight. “Can’t we just skip to the front of line? I mean, you are an Element of Harmony.” Twilight shakes head and sighs.

 

“That would be rude, Anon. If we were to do that, imagine all the ponies here in line that would get upset!”

 

“Then forget about it. Tell the Princess I give her my thanks for the invite,” you mutter as you walk away, leaving Twilight behind. There was no way you were standing in a line that had you waiting to talk with someone you didn’t really care about. Twilight calls out to you, but you ignore her, making your way towards the food table. It was covered with an assortment of fancy appetizers, but nothing really seemed appealing. Maybe you weren’t hungry enough for this, or maybe it was because there was nothing but food a pony would eat. Feeling let down, you head towards the ballroom.

 

The room was large and circular, covered from floor to ceiling in marble. A very soft melody emitted from the band on the stage across the room, allowing the ponies to commit to their slow dancing. Pinkie bounces up to you and drags you on to the dance floor.

 

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” you cry, bumping into the couple who were dancing.

 

“What does it look like, ‘Nonny? We’re gonna dance our booties off!” Pushing her off, you give her a scolding look.

 

“No Pinkie. I don’t want to dance.” Her eyes begin to widen as she puts out a signature pout. You give her a deadpan look and shake your head.

 

“That isn’t going to work on me, Pinkie. I’m outta here.” Turning around, you make your way for the door, only to be stopped by the pink menace.

 

“Come on Anon! Just one dance?” She tries the pout once more, only to have her face shoved aside. You utter a simple, “No,” and continue your way out towards the main hall again. A familiar blur of colors catches your eye from the opposite end. It seemed like Rainbow Dash was trying to talk to a few ponies in spandex, most likely the Wonderbolts she always talked about. Maybe it was time you followed her example and tried talking to some of the ponies as well.

 

Walking over to the punch bowl, you begin to pour yourself a glass, making sure to take a long time doing so. A stallion dressed in a fancy suit and top hat stands besides you, waiting for his turn. Grabbing the ladle, you begin to pour him a glass.

 

“Ah, thank you, sir,” he booms. He takes a bit from his pocket and places it into yours. Normally you weren’t the one to complain about free money, but that wasn’t the initial plan. For him to think of you as a server kind of grinds your gears. Downing the punch in a single gulp, you crush the paper cup and leave it on the ground, not giving a single regard for manners anymore.

 

Walking up to a group of mares, you attempt to make small talk.

 

“How are you lovely ladies tonight?” They all stop their conversations and stare at you with snide looks on their faces. Completely ignoring you, they continue their conversations as if you didn’t even exist. “Whatever,” you grunt, “bunch of stuck up cunts anyway.” You head towards a group of stallions who are conversing about their businesses. Basically a circle jerk of ‘who has the most money with least effort’ contest. Not being your cup of tea, you immediately turn around and walk away.

 

This social gathering was really starting to drive your patience to the ground. Nothing here was entertaining, the ponies are boring and/or snobby to say the least, and you weren’t having a good time at all.

 

“Maybe some air will cool my head,” you mutter to yourself, heading towards the doorway leading to the garden. As you exit the castle, a cool breeze splashes against your face, giving you a sudden chill. It was starting to turn winter soon, but it wasn’t quite here yet. Buttoning up your sports jacket, you make your way towards the hedge maze.

 

You had been here once before, when Rarity hired you to help her for a fashion show. All was good and you ended up staying in Canterlot for a few days, free of charge, and were shown around the castle grounds. The hedge maze really stuck out to you; something about puzzles always intrigued you since you were young.

 

But something was different tonight. The sound of snapping catches your attention. You begin to follow the sound, making your way around the borders of the maze. As you round the corner, a figure catches your eye. It sat on a bench, snapping its fingers, which seemed to be changing a little squirrel who was attempting to run away. It would suddenly grow an extra head or change shape completely. The creature chuckles as the squirrel turns around, angrily shakes its small fist in the air in protest. You begin to giggle at the scene before you, catching the attention of the creature. It scrutinizes you and smiles.

 

“Any requests?” it asks. Its gender seemed male by the sound of its voice.

 

“You should turn it invisible and place it inside the castle. I’d say it would make a great addition to the party.” His smile extends further as your words enter his ears.

 

“I have the perfect candidate to meet our furry little friend here.” With a snap of his fingers, the critter disappears from view. The grass begins to fold as the unseen figure scurries across it, making angry sounds as it heads for a tree. The creature stands up and turns around to face the castle’s exit. You follow in turn and watch as he snaps his fingers again. A short moment of silence rings throughout the night sky until a eerie shriek booms from the castle.

 

A large unicorn stallion with a bright white coat and blonde hair comes running out into the yard, screaming like mad. Scratches begin to etch across his face as if from thin air as he runs around. He swings his hooves around like a madman, trying to rid of the invisible assailant. Throughout the entire scene, the only thing playing in your head is the Benny Hill theme, making the moment a hundred times funnier. The unicorn continues swinging until he eventually falls into the fountain, cursing to the sky.

 

Both you and the creature can’t help but laugh at his expense; it was something you had to laugh at. He retakes his place on the bench, holding his belly in an effort to contain his laughter. You take a seat next to him and look up to the sky.

       

“I haven’t laughed like that in a long time,” you breathe. The creature looks over at you and nods.

       

“I can say the same thing. It’s been awhile since I’ve run into someone with a sense of humor like mine.” With another snap of his finger, he materializes a glass of what looks like orange juice and drinks it. He releasing a blech, causing a ball of fire shoots into the air which lights the surround area.

       

“I presume you’re the all important human that Celestia is always talking about?” he asks, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. You give him a nod and shrug.

       

“Not much to talk about. I’m basically just a normal, sentient being. No magic, no flying, no super strength; basically boring if it weren’t for this,” you add, pointing at your noggin. He raises his eyebrow to your statement before you continue. “The human mind is too imaginative for its own good. We didn’t have magic in my world, so we used machines to make up for it. We had inventions that allowed us to fly to places across the world and ever out in space.” You continue on about human society as he leans in towards you, intrigued by your stories.

       

“The human race seems like quite an interesting species,” he tells, rubbing in chin. “Such a chaotic bunch with an over the edge imagination. I love it!” Giving him a shrug, you nod your head and sigh.

       

“Can’t say I’m too proud of them, but they have their moments. Oh, where are my manners?” You extend your hand out for a shake. “The name’s Anonymous.” He grabs it and gives a firm shake.

       

“Discord, lord and master of chaos.” The name repeated in your head until it finally clicked.

       

“I’ve heard about you! You’re that guy who broke out of his statue and tried to take over again. Apparently they’re trying to reform you again or something right? Let me ask you...” you lean in closely and drop your voice down to a whisper. “...It’s all part of a ruse, right? You plan to get on everyone’s good side and then one day snap and take over.” He shakes his head in disagreement.

       

“No, those days are past me. I do enjoy a good amount of disharmony, but I’ve learned to use it in moderation.” He places his hand out and snaps his fingers, revealing a very aggravated squirrel. It leaps from his hand and runs off to its tree. Crossing your arms, you shake your head.

       

“What is it with you villians? You guys make the most obvious mistakes and never end up winning against such easy opposition.” He turns back to you with a disgruntled look on his face.

       

“Who are you to say anything at all? You weren’t in our positions and you most definitely wouldn’t have known what to do!” Shaking your head, you crack a smile.

       

“Even so, I was told enough to know where you guys messed up. Your major downfall was your overconfidence and expecting Celestia not to meddle in your plans. That Nightmare lady messed up by letting Twilight stay with her friends. Even if Twilight had the Elements of Harmony, they would have been useless without her five compadres. Cheeselegs dun goofed when she underestimated the real power of love and let Princess Cadance near her husband. And don’t get me started on that Sombre dude. Face it,” you smugly say, “you guys could have done better.”

       

Discord drops his grimace of annoyance and puts on a sly smile. “How about you put your money where your mouth is then?” You cross your arms and give an exaggerated sigh.

       

“I don’t have any powers to help me out, remember? Besides, what reason would I have to take over. It’s too much work for nothing special.” Discord rolls his eyes and shakes his head in dismay.

       

“What I’m trying to present to you is a challenge. The game is simple,” he says, bringing himself to his feet, “I set you up as the previous villains, give you their powers and weaknesses, and all you have to do it complete the villain’s objective.” Standing up, you look him dead in the eyes.

       

“And what’s in it for me?” Discord rubs his claw against the bottom of his chin, stroking his beard. A devilish grin stretches across his face as the idea is implanted into his mind.

       

“If you successfully complete each villain’s task, I will grant you your own powers to do what you wish.” The smirk on his face was making his ‘promise’ feel like there were some extra strings attached.

       

“What’s the catch?”

       

“Oh, no catch. You’ll get your powers just like the others for you to use as your own. However, there are a few rules I want to establish.” With the snap of a finger, he completely changes his outfit to that of a teacher and creates a blackboard from thin air. “Rule number one: You are not to kill anyone. If they are to die according to an incident pertaining to your plan that isn’t directly your fault, then it’s fair game.” A piece of chalk floats up and writes the rule on the board.

       

“Rule number two: You are limited to the powers and weaknesses that the villains had and cannot use anything that they wouldn’t use. That includes bringing in outside powers to assist you. You may only use the resources provided to the villain at the time.”