Title:           Discord Quest 1
Author:          Phobetor
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/D3kjf6XV
First Edit:      Tuesday 7th of February 2012 08:39:04 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Tuesday 7th of February 2012 08:39:04 PM CDT

You awaken in a clearing just inside the Everfree Forest. Blinking against the sudden sunlight, you rise to your feet and stretch your limbs. Gazing down at your body you silently bemoan your reduced size. No larger than an average earth pony, your thoughts turn to how this had happened.
It was just before they sealed you away again. Anyone could see that they had broken free of your enchantments, but it was already too late to save yourself. In a burst of quick thinking, you split off a portion of your mind and power through a glass of chocolate rain and cast it away. Months later, that plan has finally come to fruition.
Your power may be greatly reduced, but an array of abilities is still available, not the least of which is your own cunning. From this point on, your mind reels with possibilities. The six that defeated you will need dealing with, but how best to take care of them? And what of that strange longing sensation pulling you towards Canterlot and the rest of your power? Not to mention the celestial sisters who guard it.
What will you do?
Here is a list of your abilities:
Shape shifting and voice alteration (This includes changing into other, like sized species)
Magic on par with an average unicorn
Limited reality bending, only usable on small objects and changing them in small ways. Can't affect living creatures with it
Enhanced persuasion and influencing emotions
Invisibility/stealth/noise canceling and small scale illusion
 
Turning towards the edge of the forest, you pluck a wild apple from a nearby tree and munch on it while making your way to the tree line. Once there, you find yourself with a clear view of Ponyville. The sun is just barely making itself known over the horizon; it is very likely most of the town is still asleep or just getting up.
Taking to the air several feet above the ground, you shiver with excitement as the cool tingling sensation of invisibility falls over you. Gliding silently through the sky, you observe Ponyville and its citizens.
 
The ponies may just be waking up, but it seems like life got back to normal surprisingly quickly after your little romp. Shops are open, smells of delicious pastries wafting up from the bakery and neighbors chatting idly as they ran into each other on the streets.
 
One word seemed to be on everypony's mind today. Cider. It seemed some new unicorns had arrived the other day with a fancy machine and that the Apples had been challenged to a competition of sorts, with the farm on the line. It's certainly something that sounds like a good opportunity.
Curious, you make your way over to Sweet Apple Acres where you find a large crowd of ponies gathered facing a large, train-like machine topped by two unicorns with candy-cane manes and sickly yellow coats.
 
Across from them you spot the Apple family setting up their traditional cider equipment. It seems the contest is about to get underway and even without your interference, it would appear the Apple family is incredibly out matched.
You watch as the competition heats up. The Flim Flam brothers clearly seem to have an advantage with their ingenious machine.
 
Then an idea occurs to you. Hovering just over Twilight, you sway her emotions and plant the idea of honorary family members helping in the competition in her head. Following suit as if speaking from a script, she makes the suggestions. Assuaging the confidence and egos of the brothers was a simple task and they allowed the rest of those contemptible ponies enter on behalf of their friend.
 
After that things played out brilliantly, with the brothers sabotaging themselves in the end and the Apples being allowed to keep the farm. With a final touch of your power, you age the barreled cider straight from fresh off the tree to a perfect level of fermentation, masking the burning taste of the alcohol with that of regular fresh cider.
 
Within hours, the entire town is drunk and more accessible to your plans.
 
You take the form of a light brown pegasus with an orange-cream coat and dark blue mane, a golden apple adorning your flank.
 
You figure now that you're here, you might as well have some fun. Gulping down several mugs of cider, you make your into town with the rest of the ponies. You can see the six ponies who imprisoned you walking slightly ahead of you, their gaits unsteady from the effects of the alcohol.
Grabbing a few tankards of cider and carefully balancing them on your head and wings, you walk up to Twilight and her friends and smile, offering them the drinks and increasing their potency as you did so.
 
Applejack and Rarity politely accepted, trying to rub the blurriness from their vision as they accepted the mugs. Pinkie pie giggled and snorted downing hers ina single gulp while Fluttershy declined hers with a sleepy shake of the head. Twilight sparkle grabbed hers angrily via magic and began taking occasional sips, muttering angrily under her breath about some nonsense or another. Rainbow Dash had passed out but her wings still beat the air, keeping her afloat. Applejack had tethered the blue pegasus to her tail to keep her from drifting.
 
"Hey..." Pinkie Pie half said, half giggled. "I've never seen a Pegasus like YOU around here before. What's your name?"
"Lighting Rod." The lie comes easily to your lips and rolls out with a smile. Leaning in towards the purple unicorn, you ask her if anything is wrong.
 
"Everything is wrong," she growled. "Anything is wrong! This whole bucking country is wrong!" Twilight is getting louder. "In what kind of world can you have exclusive control over a luxury product and NOT be rolling in bits? Or pay servitude to somepony just because they claim to have power over the sun? Breaking news, the sun will keep on spinning whether we make it or not."
 
Rarity shushed Twilight and gave her a hard nudge, nearly toppling the both of them. "Oh shush, dear. That's just the cider talking. Oh heaven's, Applejack. What DID you put in it this year?"
 
The orange earth pony shook her head. "Why, we didn't add nothing but apples and hard work."
"But doesn't Celestia raise the sun? What would we do without her?" At last, something you could use!
 
Rarity gives you a dirty look for drawing the conversation back to Twilight's drunken delusions, but the purple unicorn takes no notice and continues on her rant.
 
"She doesn't do it herself, you know. She's got these... tiny hamsters up there, all in wheels and manure. Running around all bucking day long, making the sun go round. Thousands of the little bastards."
 
Fluttershy blanched a little at the thought. "Twilight, I don't think Celesta would-"
 
"But I've seen em!" Twilight practically shouts, fire lighting in her eyes. "I swear I've seen the little rats!"
"But what about the food?" you press. "Surely they have to stay fed."
 
Twilight lowers her head and drops her volume back down to a mutter. "Bucking magic... how does it work?"
 
Rarity sighs and steps between you and Twilight. "Honestly, stop encouraging her. Can't you see she's more than a little tipsy? And it's not even noon yet!" She seems more than a little oblivious to her own drunkenness.