The sound of small yet hurried hooves clashing with the marble floor rang through the halls. The young mare in flight had a concentrated look upon her face as she banked around a corner, her long, nearly translucent pink mane flowing around her in the swift motion. Between each beat of her hooves, she could hear the faint pattering of feet and talons behind her, their frequency increasing as they became gradually louder. The mare turned her head as she ran, her magneta eyes managing to focus on her pursuer despite the adrenaline pumping through her to combat the fatique. She couldn't help but smirk at the sight behind her. The long, serpentine body behind her struggled to avoid wildly swaying side to side, as it would surely spiral out of control if not maintained by it's owner, who awkardly ran on all four of his mismatched limbs. Satisfied by her opponent's battle to keep up, she turned her attention back to her path and proceeded to accelerate.
Noticing the young alicorn's amusement at his predicament, and her unrelenting pace which outmatched his own, the creature behind her decided that he wasn't getting anywhere by following her rules. No flying, and no magic. But these rules weren't very fun. Not for him in the least. They were too confining, and since he possessed near limitless power, he felt that they were made for him to break. With a skidding halt, he rested as he watched his alicorn contender dart off into the distance to disappear around another corner. An idea popped into the creature's head, and with a mischievious smirk, he snapped the taloned fingers he possessed on his left hand, and in a flash, he was gone.
She was on her last lap, confident more than ever that she would come in first place. She even dared to take another glance back after noticing the lack of pattering feet behind her. He was nowhere to be seen. She had left him in the dust. With this in mind, she turned the last corner to meet the agreed finishing line. To her shock, he was already there, leaning against the bust that served as their marker, with a quite possibly feigned look of boredom upon his face. "Discord!" she shouted accusingly with a pout. "You used magic didn't you? We agreed not to!"
Discord contemplatively looked up to the ceiling while placing a talon on his bare chin. "I don't recall such a thing." he replied with as much innocence as he could muster. He glanced at her to see that look in her eyes, which he knew from experience meant she wasn't buying it. So he nonchalantly walked over to her and examined her horn, going as far as to tap the point of it repeatedly. "Celestia.." he inquired playfully, "are you sure that you didn't zap me here? Maybe you were the one cheating, but it backfired."
Celestia gave him a stern look, and he returned it, which locked to twos' eyes for a moment. But his unbalanced pupils suddenly shifted to the sides, resulting in the quivering of Celestia's muzzle. Discord continued to put on a goofy smirk, which then plunged Celestia into hysterics. She hung her head low and stomped the ground with her left forehoof as she laughed. Discord joined her, rolling on his back comically as he cackled. Lasting for a good minute or so, the two regained their composure, with only a slight smile remaining on their faces. "Alright, you're a good sport," Discord teased as he wrapped an arm around Celestia's neck. "and you were without a doubt winning, so I'll give that one to you." Content with such a victory, she nuzzled her head against him and smiled.
Discord returned a warm smile, but it soon twisted into a smirk. "You should enjoy it while it lasts, because one day I'll defeat you!" he proclaimed arrogantly, instantly breaking the moment of comfort and peace between them.Celestia pushed herself away and ran off, snickering. "We'll see about that!"
The two returned to running around after each other, no goal, no race, just playful glee guiding them. Celestia looked back as she ran and teased "You can't catch me!" to the again struggling to keep on his feet Discord. Just as she returned her attention to her path, she collided with a tall and broad alicorn, who's crimson mane was flowing upright, as if it were a raging fire against his jet black coat. Looking up from her slouch, her eyes widened upon recognition of her obstacle, and she promptly sprang to her feet. "Father, please forgive me. I'll be more careful next time."
The stallion that towered over her gazed at her, his eyes betraying a hint of contempt. But his gaze soon softened, and he smiled. "You're exuberant, just like your mother. That's good." were the only words out of his mouth. Celestia expected as much, King Canicula wasn't one to waste words. Even his praise was laden with cold calculation. She knew he meant well, but it was unnerving how he extended the same personality to his family. She had to wonder if the old stallion ever just relaxed. But the serious and orderly king could change in an instant, becoming overtly aggressive and intolerant when things did not go as he had planned. Celestia had the misfortune of spotting him like this once while he was negotiating with delegates from Phillydelphia.
Whatever warmth and love he was displaying now was instantly distinquished when he took notice of Discord. He made no attempts to hide his scowl and contempt as he gazed upon the creature, which he then carried on to Celestia. "I thought I told you to not to go near him. You've been playing again haven't you?" This wasn't so much a question as it was a demand. It always was when he was addressing political matters.. or Discord. The tone of his voice made that very clear. Celestia couldn't bare to look at him when he was like this, she could only look down to her hooves and feel his wrath wash over her. This wasn't her and Discord's first offense, and she felt certain King Canicula would only get harder on them as time went on. She didn't fear for herself so much as she did for Discord. By her father's royal decree, he was to be confined in a chamber made specially for him. It was in a tower seperate from the rest of the castle, far from the living spaces of even the guards. The only company he usually got was when vital supplies were delivered each day, and of course, from the frequently rotated guards that stood outside his chamber. It was no secret that this chamber was not so much his home as it was his prison.
But whatever attention the guards gave him, or whatever spell was cast upon his chamber to prevent his escape, he always found a way out, and always it was to spend time with his two favorite princesses. He couldn't remember much of his life before meeting them, but his most prominent childhood memories were of them. He knew them since they were fillies, and he suspected they knew him for longer than that. Whenever he would ask of where he came from, he was only given skewed answers. Queen Portia could only give promises that one day Discord would know all he could desire about his past, and each time she was asked, her eyes betrayed an ever growing sense of guilt. To be merciful to the gentle queen, Discord has long since ceased to ask her. To this effect, Discord increasingly felt unwelcome in his own home. Everypony looked at him with either contempt or indifference. He'd roam the castle, try to make new friends, but always he was rejected, and then escorted back to his chamber when word got out that he was free. Celestia and Luna were the only ones that cared, his only real friends.
"You, beast, return to your chambers, NOW." King Canicula bellowed. As if on cue, several guards rushed into the hall and set their sights on the small and lanky creature who could only look to Celestia for comfort. But little comfort was found in her sorrowful eyes. "If you will not comply, you will be force." Canicula pressured as the guards closed in. Discord sighed, and brought his gaze up from Celestia to look Canicula in the eyes. His stare pierced like daggers into Discord's boastful confidence. But with a gulp, he worked up the courage to say something he had wanted to say for a long time.
"No." The word slipped cautiously from Discord's lips. It was but a whisper. Whatever protests Celestia would have made were extinquished. She was deathly silent as she looked in disbelief from Discord to her father, and back.
"Excuse me?" King Canicula inquired with utmost ridicule and frustration.
"No." Discord stated more firmly. The growl that eminated from King Canicula was the only thing the guards needed to hear to begin apprehending the pitiful creature before them. Out of respect for Celestia and her family, he normally would not fight, but today he had decided he had enough of being torn away from his only friends. With a burst of magical energy, the guards were repelled, and Discord took the opportunity to grab hold of Celestia. With his free hand, he began to snap. But there was no effect. He tried again. Nothing. He and Celestia could feel the hot breath of Canicula over them. They turned to see him looking down on them, his horn glowing with a strange red energy. Looking down on himself, Discord frowned in realization that he was enveloped with the same energy. He back up to meet Canicula's eyes. His defiance had died as Canicula cruelly smirked.
Discord was dragged away, bound in chains. Struggle as he might, he could not halt the growing distance between him and Celestia. She stood by her father's side, looking down to her side in regret. He wanted her to do something, anything. He knew she wanted to. Yet he knew she couldn't, as no pony opposed the will of the king. Not even his daughters had a say in the matter of his rule. Taking in one last sight of the princess, he stopped struggling as the doors to the hall closed in front of him. Somehow this time felt different. He felt broken. Perhaps it was because he learned he had no power over Canicula, and no way to reach out to Celestia. One day, I'll be strong enough. I swear.
It was hard for him to believe in himself though, when it came to being thrown back into his chamber. He knew the sounds by heart, of magic being used to hopefully seal him inside. It wasn't the spells that bothered him, he could bypass those easily enough when it came time that he could no longer bear to be away from the princesses. No, it was what came after each incident, something that he vowed he would never tell the princesses, as he felt the burden to be too heavy. It occured each time he had the audacity to spend time with the mares he cherished. Especially with the one that made his heart flutter. Canicula must have felt disgraced and disgusted by the concept of this 'foul creature' ever having feelings for his daughter of sun. And it was because of this that Discord believed the king to bring a masked guard to his chamber. Why he would give the guard a contemptful nod, leading to the guard entering Discord's chamber and closing the door behind him. Discord had grown familiar with the energy the lash would be enveloped with. And what it felt like colliding with his flesh. Discord could only grit his teeth and dream of Celestia.