• Story: Variables

    by

    [Normal]

    Author: The Descendant
    Description: After his defeat at the hooves of the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony the stony figure of Discord was dragged far, far, far out of Ponyville where the good ponies could eventually forget the name of their tormentor...

    ...again.

    But, it seems, as the months have passed some creature in Ponyville has not been able to put aside what had happened. Now, that creature approaches, and it seems as though he'd like a word with the immortal spirit of chaos...

    Variables

    Additional Tags:     Spike talks to a rock.
    Saturday, October 1, 2011 op
    Labels: , , , , , , ,
    Open in app
    Share This! Facebook Share Twitter Share

    42 comments:

    1. Joey the JoeyOctober 1, 2011 at 2:02 PM

      That is a badass Spike pic. *Gets to reading~

      ReplyDelete
    2. wackyponyOctober 1, 2011 at 2:02 PM

      "Spike talks to a rock. "

      Great tags. >_>b

      ReplyDelete
    3. Emil BjörnfotOctober 1, 2011 at 2:05 PM

      Aww, I was expecting something about programming...

      ReplyDelete
    4. TuucOctober 1, 2011 at 2:05 PM

      Quite lenghty for my tastes, but not a bad piece of fan fiction at all. The idea is quite interesting.

      ReplyDelete
    5. 11monkeysOctober 1, 2011 at 2:32 PM

      Badass intro...
      TL;DR: Spike talkes to a rock.
      I lol'd

      ReplyDelete
    6. Streek471October 1, 2011 at 2:32 PM

      This...was really, REALLY good.

      ReplyDelete
    7. BooOctober 1, 2011 at 2:33 PM

      Badass spike there in the picture.
      Also the fanfic was nice imo.

      ReplyDelete
    8. ShadowsPonyOctober 1, 2011 at 2:33 PM

      Wow, that was... Deep.

      ReplyDelete
    9. Angelo27October 1, 2011 at 2:33 PM

      A bit too long, but its worth it if only for the philosophical argument that takes place. The way the author describes the environment isn't half bad.

      ReplyDelete
    10. MuffinsforeverOctober 1, 2011 at 2:34 PM

      Whoa...

      ReplyDelete
    11. Party FavorsOctober 1, 2011 at 2:35 PM

      ...
      Well, I'm going to be contemplating the depths of this piece for a while. And here I was planning to work on my fanfic.

      ReplyDelete
    12. Streek471October 1, 2011 at 2:37 PM

      And looking at what else you wrote...I think i'm going to keep my eye on any story by The Descendant

      ReplyDelete
    13. BlackbeltOctober 1, 2011 at 2:45 PM

      And thus, Discord pisses himself at every creature that comes along for a next millenia or so.

      that's kinda harsh.

      ReplyDelete
    14. Offbeat SoulOctober 1, 2011 at 2:51 PM

      Very interesting subject and execution. I was quite impressed.

      ReplyDelete
    15. Cador_2004October 1, 2011 at 2:53 PM

      Can I get an explanation of what the hammer is? I keep thinking that it has something to do with previous generations of MLP but I'm not sure.

      ReplyDelete
    16. HA_BISKYOctober 1, 2011 at 2:55 PM

      Just finished reading. Incredible story...

      ReplyDelete
    17. John PerryOctober 1, 2011 at 3:36 PM

      Whoa. This...this one is deep. The descriptions are wonderful and the ending is so chilling...I love it.

      ReplyDelete
    18. SebialeOctober 1, 2011 at 3:40 PM

      I liked it, except for the ending. Spike basically leaves a threat of death. That's a bit harsh.
      We all love the ponies, but this is like trying to get a death sentence for the person that trashed your house. Fear and anger are no excuse. If Discord really is killed by someone who comes along, it is Spike who's directly responsible, especially since the hammer was left there for that purpose.
      On a certain level this makes Spike a more believable character, but not a character I can really get behind or empathize with.

      ReplyDelete
    19. ArtiSHOKOctober 1, 2011 at 3:43 PM

      Good fic, but still...
      Spike left owerpowered hammer in the hands of chaos god somewhere in the woods?
      No, realy that could be dangerous.

      ReplyDelete
    20. Joey the JoeyOctober 1, 2011 at 3:47 PM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

      ReplyDelete
    21. Joey the JoeyOctober 1, 2011 at 3:50 PM

      Just finished it.

      Wow... I wasn't expecting that at all. Serious Spike was intensely serious. I feel sorry for him; that's a lot of inner turmoil, yo.

      ReplyDelete
    22. ChrisOctober 1, 2011 at 4:08 PM

      I almost stopped reading near the beginning because the slow pace didn't immediately draw me in (don't judge me, I don't have time to read every single fic posted on this site!). I'm very glad I didn't. Stories that really make you think are rare enough, let alone fanfics. The ending of this story gave me pause; it was anticlimactic in the best possible way, leaving crucial questions unfulfilled and to be pondered over by the readers, without ever forcing a complete narrative or philosophy upon them. I know that you've given me a lot to think about with this story. Thank you.

      ReplyDelete
    23. SprintFOctober 1, 2011 at 4:35 PM

      I've said it before: Spike is the best pony.

      ReplyDelete
    24. AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 4:57 PM

      I liked the story a lot, especially the ending. Well done, poetic justice for Discord.

      ReplyDelete
    25. Cold in GardezOctober 1, 2011 at 6:55 PM

      This was a really outstanding story. There are a few little bits of polish missing in places, mostly word choice or word repetition, but the overall concept and theme is one of the deepest and most thought-provoking I've seen in any short fic on EqD.

      Out of curiosity, though, why Spike? This story would make an interesting character study, to see how each of the mane 6 would do in his place.

      ReplyDelete
    26. pmcollectorboyOctober 1, 2011 at 6:56 PM

      Hammerspace in Equestria. Yeah it exists.

      ReplyDelete
    27. TrivialBoyOctober 1, 2011 at 7:25 PM

      Fantastic!

      ReplyDelete
    28. AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 7:37 PM

      mm, in my opinion, Spike would still be responsible if someone comes along and uses the hammer to smash the statue, because he provided the opportunity.
      So yes, I can understand WHY he did it (and would also had understand if he smashed the statue himself), but I can not approve it or think that "leaving the hammer there" was realy a better option.

      ReplyDelete
    29. shibbolethOctober 1, 2011 at 7:49 PM

      Mmm... the first story with the new 'Discord' tag on Equestria Daily has no actual dialogue from everyone's favorite reality-warper.

      Blasphemy!

      ...

      Seriously, though, great story. Loved the metaphor.

      ReplyDelete
    30. TwadOctober 1, 2011 at 8:21 PM

      Oh i love the ending. So fitting and clever!

      ReplyDelete
    31. psychicscubadiverOctober 1, 2011 at 8:22 PM

      Well done. Was the hammer a reference to something or just made for this story? A good device regardless, but I'm curious. An interesting philosophical argument. I would disagree with anyone who says Spike holds the ultimate responsibly. Smith and Wesson isn't responsible for what people do with their guns, and Spike isn't even giving the hammer to anyepony. He just leaves it to random chance; a very fitting conclusion. Once more a very well written fic. Kudos good sir.

      ReplyDelete
    32. AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 8:44 PM

      @psychicscubadiver
      If you let a Smith and Wesson lieing at some place where everybody can take it and use it, you are responsible (in a sense that a judge will punish you if the police find you it was you). Spike didn't manufactured the hammer and gave it to someone unknowingly what he/she would do with it (that would be ok), but he put the hammer to the statue.

      ReplyDelete
    33. AspenOnFireOctober 2, 2011 at 1:29 AM

      Good shit right here.

      ReplyDelete
    34. WierdplatformerOctober 2, 2011 at 11:27 PM

      Very artistic and deep. It makes my mind chaotic.

      ReplyDelete
    35. BareeOctober 3, 2011 at 2:51 AM

      I just love the way you take the reader through Spike's thoughts and considerations. The very slow pace works very well. Loved every minute of it.

      ReplyDelete
    36. DPV111October 6, 2011 at 7:53 PM

      Creepy as fuck, but really really good too.

      ReplyDelete
    37. TundraOctober 7, 2011 at 9:42 PM

      Payback's a *bleep*, isn't it Discord?

      You brought this upon yourself.

      ReplyDelete
    38. TenchiFreak5October 9, 2011 at 1:23 PM

      The Pacific Ocean isn't even as deep as this story. Fantastic.

      ReplyDelete
    39. RoxorOctober 10, 2011 at 3:02 AM

      I don't know whether I should feel sorry for Discord or not.

      On one hand, he's a dangerous character. On the other, the perpetual uncertainty about whether or not he'll be smashed sounds like it could be rather traumatising.

      ReplyDelete
    40. AnonymousOctober 12, 2011 at 7:43 PM

      This was good. Kind of strange, but really good. Nice job :D

      ReplyDelete
    41. infohippieNovember 3, 2011 at 10:42 PM

      @Roxor
      Discord made Twilight cry, then laughed about it. I'm not going to feel sorry for him.

      ReplyDelete
    42. richfilesJanuary 16, 2012 at 5:23 AM

      Well... I don't know what to say. I read this story AGES ago. I'm not certain why I never commented. This story was one of the great stories... One of the ones that I can remember off the top of my head, even months later. It's deep enough to leave that degree of an impression.

      Discord could never learn from any form of traditional punishment. He's not capable. He has too much power to ever willingly submit to anything short of the Elements of Harmony... This decision of Spike... To leave the fate of Discord entirely reliant on chaos... Whether Discord lives or dies, whether he is allowed to exist whole, or be disfigured... This is the most perfect, most fitting fate for the creature.

      Discord was never evil per say... just chaos incarnate. He chooses to create chaos and discord because it's what he loves. He has lost his purpose. chaos is the spice of life. life would not be worth living if it were perfectly unchaotic. Chaos invites surprise into life, and this, is at it's essence, what Discord SHOULD be responsible for.

      He has shirked his duty, and instead desires to mess with the inhabitants of the world directly, effectively tormenting and twisting them into bastardizations of themselves, unselves. He has abandoned his reason for existence to such a degree, I suspect it may be the REASON that the world requires manual intervention to function.

      I suspect that this throwing off of his duties led to the discord between the three races, before the founding of Equestria. That Discord fascinated him, and he likely enjoyed watching it. When the discord vanished from the newly united nation of Equestria, he decided to first manifest himself in the form he's known, to reintroduce discord and chaos into the world. At least that's what I imagine to be the case.

      Experiencing the torment of unbridled chaos... being unable to control ones fate... That incessant fear of not knowing... being at the whims of everything but yourself...

      Spike single handedly generated the ONLY possible scenario that can teach Discord the hell of what it was like to be under his chaotic control, and why Discord would do well to return to his benign form or random natural chaos, should he survive, and ever escape his prison.

      READ this story if you have not yet read it.

      It is as deep as any I have ever read.

      ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)