//------------------------------//
// Chapter 48- Answers 
// Story: Of Heaven and Earth 
// by Garuda IV 
//------------------------------//

Eris couldn't help but find it adorable how Sol had reacted to her sudden appearance. Even after over a thousand years, Sol was just the same as she remembered him; easy for her to fluster, and still trying to get Discord.

"How- why are you here?"

Eris smirked. "I was looking for you, duh."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously. I was sleeping just fine up in the mountains in Griffonstone until I felt your magic surge last year."

Last year? Sol thought to himself as he thought it over. But... that would've been back during my visit to the Dragon Lands. She was looking for me all that time?

"You're talking about over six months ago," Sol said. "How could it have taken you that long to find me?"

Eris rolled her eyes. "Well, you aren't exactly easy to find when you don't want to be."

"What about reading the newspapers? I know I've been in at least a few of them... and on the front page, no less."

"Don't read 'em," she shrugged.

"... and what about mother? You could have easily gone to Canterlot and asked her about it."

Eris scoffed. "Oh, sure. What a great idea. I'll just go to my ex's mom, the same pony who imprisoned my dad, and ask her."

"Ahem!"

Earing the unfamiliar voice, Eris looked over to her right. When she did, she saw a group of mares and a male dragon looking at her with varying levels of shock. That is, except for the purple alicorn standing at the front who was currently glaring at her with a visible eye twitch.

"Excuse me," she strained, "but just who exactly are you?"

Eris blinked in surprise at the underline hostility in the new mare's voice.

"What's it to you?"

"Easy, you two," Sol said, melding into the ground to escape Eris and popping up from beside Twilight. "It's alright, Twilight."

"Sol, who is this and why does she look like a female version of Discord?"

At the mention of his name, Sol remembered Discord being there and turned his attention back to him. However, before he could do anything, Sol saw that Fluttershy was already over there, helping Discord up and letting him lean on her for support.

"... Twilight," Sol began with a forced, even tone, "what is Fluttershy doing?"

Twilight took a calming breath before answering. "Remember when I told you that Fluttershy had a coltfriend?"

"I do. Why?"

"Well... the truth is that her coltfriend is Discord."

Sol stared blankly at Twilight. "You're joking."

"No she's not," Fluttershy said, glaring at Sol with tearstained eyes. "Discord and I have been together for a long time now, and during that time, he's been nothing but a gentlecolt to me. Sure he can still be a bit chaotic at times, but that's just a part of who he is, and I would never ask him to change."

"They are right, my son."

Ears perked up, Sol spun around and saw Celestia and Luna, both with not-so-happy looks on them.

"Mother?"

Celestia nodded and looked around at the damage that had been done. Apart from the now dormant volcano, the rest of the field was covered in craters, scorched patches, and missing chunks of dirt. After assessing the damage, Celestia looked over the group before her, starting from Sol and Twilight, to their friends, to Fluttershy and the injured Discord, and lastly, Eris.

"Eris. It's has been a long time," Celestia said, causing the young draconequus to cringe.

"Uhm... yeah... it has."

Seeing how nervous she was and how she was avoiding eye-contact with her, Celestia walked up to Eris and gently raised her head up with a hoof.

"Eris, I'm not mad with you."

Eris blinked. "You're not?"

"No. I know it wasn't your fault for what happened, so you can relax. Luna and I will not harm you in any way, if that's what you're afraid of."

"Indeed," Luna said as she joined them. "The sins of the parent should not be reflected on their children."

"Speaking of Discord," Sol grumbled, regaining their attention, "why is he out here and not back in his stone prison where he should be?"

Celestia sighed and shook her head. "We should go inside and sit down for that. There are a few things that we need to tell you."	

"Like who she is and why she seems to be so close to Sol?" Twilight asked, pointing a hoof at Eris.

"That too. But first, Sol is going to clean up this mess he made."

"What?! But-" Sol cut himself off at Celestia's motherly glare. "... yes, mother."

"Good. Now the rest of you come with us. You too, Discord. We can heal you up while we talk."

"Good, because I'm pretty sure that I'll need it at this point," Discord agreed, hobbling for a moment alongside Fluttershy before Eris picked him up with her chaotic magic.

"Come on, dad," she said, not bothering to look at him.

"Thank you, sweetie."

Eris shot a glare back at Discord. "Don't think this changes anything. I'm still mad at you for all those things you did, and for causing Sol to break up with me."

Though a little disheartened by her reply, Discord nodded regardless, knowing that he had this coming.

"Oh... then why did you stop Sol?"

"Because you're still my dad, and I would prefer to not see you get killed... that, and I needed to get Sol's attention."

"Fair enough."





While Sol was busy cleaning up the mess he'd made, the others all moved to the lounge in Twilight's castle. As they waited, Celestia used her magic to help heal Discord, while Luna began questioning Discord on what had happened before they had arrived. In the meantime, Eris sat down with Twilight and her friends as she explained to them who she was and how she was connected to Sol.

"So let me get this straight," Twilight began, frowning at the female draconequus in front of her, "you are Discord's daughter."

"Mhmm," Eris hummed, sipping on a chocolate milkshake that Pinkie had provided for her, along with a crazy straw.

"And you used to date Sol."

"Over a thousand years ago, yes."

"And you're here now because...?"

"Because I felt Sol's magic spike last year and it woke me up."

Twilight's eyes narrowed on Eris. "... and now that you've found him, what are your plans for him?"

Eris raised an eyebrow. "Relax, little-miss-jealousy, before you turn green," she said, earning her a snicker from Rainbow and Pinkie. "Don't worry, I'm not going to steal him back from you."

"... really?" Twilight skeptically questioned.

"Yes, really. Look, I'll admit that I do like Sol. He's a really nice guy, it's easy to get him all flustered, and he's got a cute flank, but I doubt that we could ever get back together after what my dad did."

Twilight, after hearing her words and ignoring her comment about Sol's admittedly cute flanks, looked back to Applejack, who gave a nod that confirmed to Twilight that Eris was telling the truth.

"That's good to hear, but you still haven't answered my question about your plans with Sol."

Eris shrugged. "I'm just hoping that we can still be friends. I know my dad has ruined our relationship and any chances of it ever happening again-"

"I said I was sorry!" Discord called from the other side of the room, having apparently overheard them.

"-but I know that Sol is a reasonable guy. He knows that our breakup wasn't either of our fault, so there shouldn't be any hard feelings between us. I mean, Celestia and Luna seem to be alright with me, so I'm sure Sol will be as well."

"You, yes," Luna agreed, walking over and joining them, "but as for Discord..."

"Yeah. That's a big fat no," Rainbow scoffed. "After what we just saw, I doubt Sol will ever give him a chance, even after all of this."

"Which is really too bad," Fluttershy said. "Discord is so much nicer than he was before. He's sweet, kind, gentle, always willing to help whenever I would need him, and he's also very protective of me."

Eris tapped her chin and hummed in thought as she looked at Fluttershy.

"... so you like my dad, huh?"

"Oh, yes. Very much."

As Eris continued to stare at Fluttershy, a small grin began to from.

"So, does that mean that you're going to be my new mom?"

Fluttershy's face erupted in a fierce blush while the other were taken back in surprise by Eris' question. Even Rainbow and Pinkie were both stunned silent.

"W-What?!" Fluttershy squeaked.

"Well, you like dad, dad likes you. And from the sounds of things, you two have been together for quite a while now, so it's possible, right?"

"You mean you're okay with this?" Rainbow questioned.

"Why shouldn't I be? I mean, Sol was the result of an interspecies relationship, and I was just fine with him. Besides, I've never had a mom before, so it would be kinda nice to have one... although," Eris leaned in closer, "are you sure you can handle my dad? He is the Lord of Chaos after all. Do you think you can tame him?"

"I would be careful if I were you, Eris!" Discord warned. "Fluttershy may look cute and innocent, but she can be chaotic and scary whenever she wants to be!"

Fluttershy shot Discord a warning glare, one that he instantly recognized and proceeded to zip his lips closed with a zipper.

"Never mind. I'm going to like you," Eris smirked.

"Speaking of moms, I'm still a bit confused," Pinkie said, scratching her head in confusion. "How can Eris be Discord's daughter when she didn't have a mommy? This makes no sense, even for Discord and, well, you too I guess."

"That's because dad skipped the whole 'mommy daddy dance' with me," Eris replied, causing most of the mares and Spike to blush. "To put it short, my dad used his chaotic magic to split himself into two separate beings. After that he used his magic to turn his clone into an infant, and then alter it from a male to a female. And that's how I was born... or made. Either way, I'm here. I am both a part of him, and yet a completely separate being."

"It's true," Discord said, floating over to them and sitting down with a pained groan. He then smiled when Fluttershy came over and sat down by his side, gently rubbing a hoof over his sore spot. "I did create Eris."

Twilight's eyes bulged. "But how?! How could you create a clone of yourself and-"

"Chaos, Twilight. Pure, unadulterated, chaos. Really now, I don't see why you are so surprised by this. You should really be used to this sort of thing with me by now."

Don't even know why I even try sometimes, Twilight mentally sighed. "Okay then, why did you do it? Surely you had a reason to besides just feeling like it?"

Discord's eyes briefly fell on Celestia, who had followed him and joined the others.

"... I suppose you could say I was jealous at the time."

Twilight and her friends all gave a confused, "Huh?"

"Back then, I was good friends with Celestia, Luna, and the Scaleless Dragons. As nigh-immortal beings, I fit right in with them, and they actually enjoyed my chaos... well, most of them did. Anyways, over time, I saw how close Celestia and Fissure became, and eventually, saw Sol for the very first time."

"You mean you were there when Sol was born?" Rarity asked.

"No. Discord was waiting in a separate room with the others," Celestia answered her.

"Yes, what she said. Still, I was one of the few who first got to meet Sol, and after a few months of watching how happy Celestia and Fissure were with him..."

"You started ta feel lonely, didn't ya?" Applejack figured, getting a nod from Discord.

"Yes. I did," he admitted. "As I continued to watch them, I began to wonder what it would be like to have a kid of my very own to love and raise. But, with my unique appearance and being the Lord of Chaos, nopony really wanted much to do with me. So you can understand how difficult it was for me to find somepony who would actually like me enough to eventually have a kid with. Well, after a few more months of watching Celestia and Fissure with Sol, I decided that if nopony would help me make a kid, then I would do it myself. So, I used my chaotic magic to split a piece of me apart, and shaped it into what would later become Eris."

"I see." Twilight looked between Discord, Celestia, and Eris. "... and what about Eris and Sol getting together? Was that planned?"

"Oh, no. That was their own doing. We had nothing to do with it."

"I will admit, it was a bit of a surprise when Sol first told me about it," Celestia added, "but I was still happy for them."

"Although, I suppose we should have seen it coming, considering they were practically raised together."

"Okay, I get it," Twilight huffed.

Discord smirked. "My, my, Twilight. Is that the sound of jealousy I hear in your-"

Without warning, Discord suddenly found his words cut short by four crystalline chains that shot up from the ground, two wrapping tightly around his mouth while the other two restrained his arms and pulled them to the ground.

"That's enough, Discord," Sol warned, slowly emerging out from the crystal floor.

"Sol, behave yourself and let Discord go," Celestia scolded.

Surprised by his mother, Sol retraced the chains back into the ground and freeing Discord.

"What is going on here, mother?" Sol questioned. "After all that he's done to our family and Equestria, why do you defend him so?"

"Sol, please sit down." Grumbling, Sol listened to Celestia and sat himself down. "Thank you. Now, I believe that you have some questions."

Sol shot a glare at Discord. "One could say that."

"Alright. Now, before we begin, let me assure you that I have not forgotten what Discord has done. Even now, after over a thousand years have passed, I still miss your father very much and would love to have him back. Still, those thousand years gave me time to think about things, one of them being Discord's betrayal... yes, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy lowered her hoof once Celestia called on her. "Excuse me for interrupting, but what did Discord do exactly?"

"Yeah," Rainbow agreed. "All we've gotten so far were vague hints about this and that, but nopony's actually told us anything solid yet."

Surprisingly, it was Discord who spoke next. "I suppose I should be the one to tell you all, since this was my fault. But, I ask that nopony interrupt me while I'm telling this. That includes verbal interruptions or any and all acts of aggression."

Sol gritted his fangs, knowing that that last part was directed at him, but remained silent.

"Thank you. Now, I suppose that I should start at the beginning, back when I made a deal with a creature named Nil-"

Without any warning, a draconic claw made of crystal shot up from the ground in front of Discord and pinned him by his neck to the wall.

"You damned fool! What were you thinking?!" Sol shouted, his eyes filled with rage and his claw outreached, mimicking the crystalline claw holding Discord.

"Sol! Control yourself right now and let Discord go-"

"Mother, have you forgotten who Nil is?!"

With a retort on her tongue, Celestia was about to scold Sol for his actions, but found herself pausing when asked about the name. However, while Celestia didn't appear to remember it right off the bat, Luna did, and she wasn't pleased about it.

"Sol, let Discord go."

"But Aunt Luna-"

"No buts. Let him go so he may speak."

Giving a growl, Sol begrudgingly released the spell and let go of Discord's throat, leaving him slumped against the wall as he gasped for air. With Sol now back in his spot and Discord free to speak, Luna waited a moment for Discord to catch his breath before speaking again.

"Discord," Luna began in a steely tone, "tell us you did not make a deal the likes of him."

Discord coughed as he retook his spot. "Sadly, and regrettably, I did."

"Excuse me, but who's Nil?" Starlight asked.

"Nil," Sol spat, "is as his name suggests. He is the Lord of Nothing."

"... I don't get it," Pinkie said. "How can he be a lord of nothing?"

"Because the word 'nil' literally means nothing," Twilight explained, earning a nod from Sol.

"Correct. Nil is the Lord of Nothing, and is intending on bringing an end to everything, erasing it from existence. His purpose is the complete opposite of the Scaleless Dragons. Where they bring a sense of life and balance with them, Nil brings to an end. He's been at war with my grandmother, Tempus, the Lady of Time, and my grandfather, Locus, the Lord of Space, for over a millennium, and by extent, my father, aunts, and uncles as well. According to father, after suffering a defeat that nearly ended him for good, Nil went into hiding and started moving between worlds, making it difficult for them to track him." Sol turned his attention back to Discord. "And you found him and made a deal with him!"

Fluttershy, who had gone over to help Discord up, wilted against his side.

"Is this thing still here?" she nervously asked.

Discord placed a comforting paw on Fluttershy's back and shook his head.

"No, Fluttershy, he's not. Not anymore," he said.

Sol glared at him. "And how do you know?"

"After I made the deal with him, watched Nil leave our world before he could be tracked, leaving us to do his work for him. And before you ask, no, I don't know which world he went to and I have no way of tracking him."

"At least now we know why you turned on us as quickly as you did," Luna commented. "You were under the influence of Nil that whole time."

Discord let out a sigh. "Yes. I was."

Celestia frowned as she noticed something he'd said. "Before you said 'us'. Just how many others has Nil made this deal with?"

"There were three others, all of which I'm sure you are familiar with."

"Names, Discord," Luna urged.

"Okay, okay. Keep your pony tails on. I was going to tell you anyway. The others who made a deal with Nil were King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and Lord Tirek."

"Well, King Sombra got blown up by the Crystal Heart, so I don't think he'll be a problem anymore," Pinkie said with a shrug.

"And we sent Tirek back to Tartarus," Twilight added.

"Which just leaves us with Chrysalis," Starlight finished.

"... maybe," Sol skeptically said, his eyes having never left Discord. "How do we know that Discord isn't playing innocent with everypony to make it look like he's on our side?"

Discord raised his talon and paw in surrender. "Trust me, Sol, I'm no longer working for Nil."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Because, after being blasted by the Elements of Harmony three times, the feather that Nil planted in me became purified and freed me of his influence."

"Wait. 'Three times'?" Twilight questioned. "You were only hit by the Elements twice."

"No, three times. The first was when Celestia and Luna used them to turn me to stone the first time, the second was when you and your friends used them to turn me back to stone after I escaped, and the third time was when you and your friends freed me so that Fluttershy could reform me."

"... oh."

"But, yes. Thanks to Celestia, Luna, and you six, I am free of Nil's control."

"Wait a second. What was that thing about freeing you?" Sol slowly asked.

"About how I'm no longer working for Nil?"

"No, the other thing."

"Oh, you mean how Twilight and her friends were asked by Celestia to free me so they could reform me?"

Not believing his words, Sol looked over at Celestia. "He's lying, right, mother? You didn't order Discord to be freed."

"I'm sorry, Sol, but Discord is telling the truth," Celestia said, her voice reflecting the shame on her face.

This was not the answer Sol was expecting. He had figured that Discord had freed himself on his own, not by somepony else's doing. Realizing what that meant, Sol turned his attention to Twilight and their friends, all bearing the same shameful expression as Celestia. Afraid of their expressions, Sol tentatively walked over to Twilight, who kept her face low and hidden from him.

"... Twilight... you freed Discord?"

Too ashamed to answer or even look at him, Twilight, with watery eyes, could only nod as she couldn't find it to speak.

"... why? Why did you keep this from me?"

"That would be my fault, Sol," Celestia said, standing up and walking over to him.

"What?"

"I knew that you would hunt Discord to get revenge for Fissure and the others as soon as you found out about him, so I asked Twilight and her friends to keep the truth about Discord from you. At least, until we could find a way to gently break the news to you."

Sol's head fell. "... so you knew. All of you knew this whole time."

"I'm sorry, Sol."

"... and the statue of Discord in the Canterlot Gardens?"

"A replica I had made after you returned."

"... why, mother? Why would you trust Discord again?"

Celestia let out a sad, quiet sigh. "I've had a lot of time to think about what Discord did over these past thousand years, Sol. While the wound was still fresh during those first few hundred years, as the centuries continued to pass by, I realized that holding on to this anger for Discord wasn't going to bring back my beloved, or the rest of the Scaleless Dragons. So, as time passed, I eventually found it in myself to forgive Discord, and later became friends with him again."

Sol raised his head to look Celestia in the eyes. "If he's such a good friend, then why hasn't he reverted what he did to father?"

"Because I can't," Discord replied.

"Excuse me?"

"I wasn't the one who did that to them. It was Inferno."

Sol's eyes narrowed. "You mean Dragon Lord Inferno?"

"Yes. But remember, this all happened after I became Nil's puppet, not before. You see, Inferno wanted the Scaleless Dragons out of his way, but he lacked the strength to do it on his own. Fortunately for him, I just happened to be nearby."

"Let me guess; he made a deal with you?"

"He did. I infused him with my chaotic magic which, apart from giving him one heck of a size and power boost, allowed him to go toe-to-toe with all six of the Scaleless Dragons. Eventually, it got to the point where Inferno's temper got the better of him, so he used his new magic to seal the Scaleless Dragons away in stone. That's why I can't undo what's happened to them. Apart from not even knowing where they all are right now, I wasn't the one who did that to them, Inferno was, and only he can undo it in terms of magic."

Sol nervously gulped. "... and what became of Inferno?"

Discord frowned and looked away. "When I gave him my magic, I added a little something extra without him knowing. As a cruel, twisted joke, as soon as Inferno achieved his goal, my magic turned him into a newt. It was actually pretty funny how high-pitched his voice became when he started cursing at me. Too bad an eagle came by and swooped him up in its talons. That I did not expect to happen. But still, it was kinda funny how one moment he was this big, powerful Dragon Lord, and the next he became this tiny lizard that got eaten by a bird."

Silence followed. For the next few minutes, nopony spoke or moved an inch as they processed all of this information. While the news about what happened to Sol's family and Inferno was surprising, none of them took it harder than Sol. By the time four minutes had passed, Sol wordlessly began walking out of the room.

"Sol?" Sol paused when he heard Twilight's saddened voice. "Where are you going?"

"... I need some time to myself. Excuse me."

Not looking back, Sol left the room to find a quiet place to be alone. He didn't want to be in the castle at the moment, nor did he fell like going to his room up in Canterlot Castle. With those two out of the question, that left Sol with a few other options, but only one of them would provide the most privacy. His destination in mind, Sol went outside and burrowed off to his safe haven deep underground.