//------------------------------// // What Chaos Creates // Story: Harmony at Heart // by AMinorDisChord //------------------------------// Shimmering was sitting patiently as Celestia finished casting her spell. He wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he knew it was best to be patient and not interrupt her. Better safe than in pain regretting whatever you've done while slowly decaying in a dungeon, he chanted in his head. He severely doubted Celestia would do any such thing, but he wasn't one to tempt his own fate when it was only him in danger. But what about when you threatened Discord? he argued with himself. My life was not the only one in danger, he countered. He found fighting with himself was often weird, but it was necessary and, at times, useful. The princesses wanted to be left alone with him, and I am still against it, despite it already happening. Why do you hold such animosity towards him? He is a monster. Of what sort? The one of the heart and mind. And physically, of course. Right. WRONG!! his anti-self was practically yelling at this point. How dare you, of all ponies, think that a creature is a monster because of appearance? But you said- Forget what I said, I was trying to make a point! And what would that be? We both know the answer, The persona he was thinking to used what seemed to be an icy tone, sending shivers down his spine. I, see, he tried to surrender, but his counterpart wouldn't have it. No, I really don't think you do. You just admitted to breaking one of our most important rules. You just said that he was a monster BASED ON WHAT HE IS! We swore never to think like that! How could you even imagine that he was a monster, just by how he looked? What keeps you from being a sick, demented being by doing what you have done? But what about the other reasons? If you are blinded by the image of him being a monster, can you truly see what he is? the voice spoke more calmly. What if ponies just saw him as a monster, and started attacking? What if he had to pretend he was crazy to get ponies like you to leave him alone? What if the only way he saw to survive was to be tyrannical? What if when he came back, he thought that it was the same as before? He said it himself, he never had a friend before. Can you honestly believe that you would be the same pony you are if you didn't have friends? No. Then maybe you should stop walking so blindly and look for the right path. What are you suggesting? This is your life, so I can't tell you what to do, necessarily, but if I were you, when you're done talking to Celestia, don't be attacking towards Discord, try to understand him. Be his friend. But might being his friend cloud my judgement? Wouldn't being his enemy? Try to do what could actually help everyone. Who knows? Maybe a friend is something that will keep him from doing the worst things. Have you ever asked yourself this, If you are a monster inside? It doesn't matter what your coat is, If your heart has shriveled and died. But have you looked into their eyes, And see the soul that lies within? I've seen the chaos he creates, All he is is a creature of sin. What!? Is that what you truly believe? Or are you afraid you may have been deceived? There is nothing that clouds my mind to see, With how he has made hell, that heartless beast. Who are you to say such thoughts so crass, If all you have is your own past? Isn't reality being harassed, Something to think en masse? Wow. Close your eyes, From what you think you see. Open your mind, To possibilities. You have a world out here, Don't blind and bind to things you fear. If you hold life so dear, Then show me your path is clear. Find the truth, In shadows of my soul, Try to soothe, The fears it always holds. I have a place to be, I have to make sure I believe, That everything is just perceived, Just as we want it to be. Finishing the conversation, he reopened his mind to the physical plane. When he opened his eyes, he saw Celestia's magenta eyes staring powerfully into his own. "Did you, uh, hear what I was thinking, um, in my mind?" He asked uncomfortably. "That would not be my way to rule a kingdom," she stated nonchalantly. "Besides, I wouldn't have had to read your mind. your magic has been spitting the words out spatially like heated corn kernels." "Ouch... So do you think I should, you know, talk with Discord?" He inquired. "Hmm," she hummed aloud, with a soft smile touching her face. "Let me tell you about who he really is, and you can decide for yourself." "Yeah, that might help, you said something about his chaotic nature being a lie, and something about three thousand years ago. Then you said you needed to focus on a spell." "I did, and it's currently a finished spell, so now you can see my memories as if looking through a window with sound." "Odd way to put it, but I'll dig." "Okay, all you have to do is walk through the enchanted sheet." "You mean the magicked carpet, right?" "A whole new world!" Pinkie Pie sang as she appeared from the base of the chandelier. "Um, as I was saying, yes, if you really want to put it that way. Just walk through there, and you'll feel like Al- fire is-" "Like fire?" "Al- fire," Celestia corrected. "This-" "Burning in my skin!" Pinkie continued. "Miss pie, please," Celestia begged. "Anyway, Al- fire is short for aluminum di-flourine tetra-iodine tri-rhenium. It's a silky, albeit very itchy, powder. Anyway, it feels as if it is covering your body, which is quite relaxing once you're used to it, minus the itchiness." "Anything else?" "If there is, I don't remember it?" "This will so hurt." "Why? You don't trust me?" Her voice began to falter. "No, it's not that!" "Why deny it?" "It's too cliché-" "I won't say I'm in love!" Pinkie yet again, found an opportunity to sing. "Pinkie Pie!" Both Shimmering and Celestia came close to yelling. "Ahem, like I was saying, it's a bit cliché, where the pony goes though, and he isn't warned until it's too late, and he ends up in agony." "If that happens, I'll take full responsibility," Celestia countered. "Well, before I hear another song, lets get-" "Together, yeah yeah yeah!" "Too late," Celestia said dryly. "Let's just get this over with," Shimmering muttered. He stepped through the sheet, and found himself in the air. He had prepared himself for anything odd, so he didn't even react as he looked down to see the ground a few feet away. "So, I'm looking into Celestia's past, not entirely sure why, and I might try to be Discord's friend after this. I thought this was going to be a normal day," he complained aloud, thinking no pony heard him. "That's the short gist of it," Celestia breathed as she materialized beside him. "Wait, how are you here?" He asked flatly. "I walked through the magic field." "But this is your own memory." "And?" "Won't that cause some problems?" "We can't interact with the things that go on." "And why am I getting to see this in third person? Because I'm pretty sure that's you right over- OH MY SWEET CELESTIA YOU HAD A PERM??" He was screaming the last part out in sheer surprise. "You should have seen what the other upperclass were doing." "Am I about to?" "Yes." "I'm worried." "You should be." "That's comforting," Glimmering complained sarcastically. "Anyway, how are we seeing this in third person?" "Magic." "... Is that honestly the only excuse you have?" "It is the only one I need." "Fair enough." The two continued to look at the landscape in silence. It was a simple green field, no trees or bushes to obscure their view. There was a long dirt path that stretched across the grass. The Celestia and Luna from the past were walking along said path. "So, you and your sister haven't seemed to age a bit," Shimmering stated. "That's pretty cool." "Looks aren't anything." She replied tiredly. "Never thought they were." "Luna certainly has changed over the years," Celestia reminisced. "She was so lonely, and she would beg to spend as much time with me as possible." In the distance, they got a view of the Princess of the Moon prancing happily around her sister, like a puppy on a walk. "I can see that," the stallion said flatly. "Good thing that's about to change." "I'm going to take a guess and say it's-" Glimmering tried to finish, but by the time he would have, the creature he recognized as something he had to worry about. "Get ready to meet the real 'Discord'," Celestia whispered ominously, putting an emphasis on the name. The form of the draconequus was walking calmly on the sidewalk before he saw the two ponies. As he noticed them, he flew up into the sky, hoping to use the clouds as cover, Shimmering guessed. The princesses noticed there was a slight disturbance, and flew up in the air to take a look. "Hi there!" Luna gave Discord a start as she let her extroversive persona take over her. "What's your name? Why are you hiding up in the clouds? Are you afraid we'll hurt you? Can you speak? Oh wait, you're a draconequus, of course you can talk. Why are you here? Oh, do you have family or friends in Canterlot? Maybe we can tell you where they are! Ooh, I'd love to show you around - mff mff mff." Unfortunately for Luna, Celestia used her foreleg to keep her from continuing her Pinkie-Pie like rant. Discord seemed to look thoughtful for a minute before he answered. "In order, hi, I don't know, I thought I stepped into a patch of poison joke, no, yes, obviously, because I want to be, I don't really have friends anywhere, I'd love to be shown around here! What's your name?" He spoke in a manner similar to Luna's. The princesses' eyes widened, and their jaws dropped, leaving them stunned in shock for a few seconds. Luna's face suddenly twisted into a huge, almost impish grin, before she suddenly processed what he told her. "You, don't know your own name?" She whimpered tearfully. "If I ever even had one," Discord answered. "Then what do I call you?" "I asked you." "I asked you first." "You already have an answer." "And I won't give you it until you give me something to call you!" The two appeared to be enjoy their repartee immensely, going off on each others words in an instant. Celestia was still flying silently out of the way of the hyperactive entities, quite clearly dumbfounded. "I was thinking that my sister had finally found someone to bother other than me," the Celestia of the future admitted. "It was such a cruel and wrong thing to think, but I thought it anyway. I thought there would finally be a way to escape her constant need of attention. You see, every pony that she talked to seemed to eventually get sick of hearing her constantly prattle. I hate myself for thinking in such a way, but here I was, hoping relief from her desire of company would finally be upon me." "I don't disbelieve you," Shimmering replied. "Her bouncy attitude could get very tiring." "Still, I was her sister. And it wasn't just that which bothered me." "What do you mean?" "She is incredibly brilliant, and her quips were, and are, annoying to say the least. Discord was able to match her at that, partially because he was just as smart, but he had, an effect, on her as well." "Did she have a crush on him?" "It started out that way." "Was that all that bothered you? Her constant need for attention, and her seemingly boundless supply of energy?" "Mostly." "Then why didn't you ask for some personal space?" "She was such a lonely pony, so I knew I couldn't just leave her alone. She felt that no pony cared for her, or her nights. Why are you asking anyway? You know I can't change the past." "I'm trying to be a friend and understand what it is you had to go through," his eyes darted away from the princess to realize the memory was frozen in place. "You stopped it for us to talk, didn't you?" "As if you had to ask," she replied in a manner similar to an upperclass pony. "Just wanted to make sure there wasn't a glitch in the spell. I don't want be stuck in some sort of mental time loop because I didn't see a problem in the spell, or that I held back because of it." "Your worries are for naught. Anyways, let's get back to it," she said as a small spark emanated from her horn. "Well," Discord was appearing to be in deep thought. "If you must call me something, how about, hm, Myriado?" "Myriad in Greek?" Luna questioned hotly. "I don't think so." "Hospes?" "Friend in Latin? No." "Hirvio?" "How dare you think I will call you that!?" Luna shrieked. She was very agitated, and looked as if she was ready to tear though a horde of timber wolves if put up to the challenge . "I will never call my friends something so horrible. Very well, I must think of a name myself. How about Suda Valvur?" "Heart Guard in Estallionan? I like the name, but why would that fit my-" "That is your name, and mine is Luna," Luna said with a tone that would deny all arguments. She stared him down, as if begging for some sort of retort against it. "Fine, my name will now be, by popular demand, meaning yours, Suda Valvur. Your name is Luna? Interesting. The Moon? I should have guessed by your cutie mark. And in Latin too? Vos facite vestra regnum de nocte in Caelum." "Ooh, what other languages can you praise the time of night?" "Call it." "Swedish." "Havet av en mork timme floden som liv brand." "Chinese." "Canternese or mandarwhinnie?" "Either one." Xingxing shanyao xihuan long de linpian. Ni de yueliang shi zui hao de guang zoulu he fangshai." "Seahorse." "Shoo be doo." "You missed a conjugation there." "Correction then. Shoo be doo." "Thank you." "Anytime, princess." "Wait, how did you know that?" "Crown, alicorn, vest, hoof shoes, hair, height, knowledge, where do you want me to start?" "You know," the Celestia in the future began. "If there was any creature able to take my sister's heart, Suda Valvur was it." "You mean Discord?" "From this point on, in private, refer to him as Suda. It will help you accept things." "Did he, you know, get Luna?" "Wait and see." Suddenly, the world started to spin as flashes of what later happened flew past. "Oh Tartarus, I can't watch!" Shimmering cried out as he shielded his eyes from the sight of the upperclass hairstyles. Unfortunately, the images he did see scarred his mind, permanently. "I tried to warn you," Celestia scoffed. "Is it over?" "Yes." "Alright. So what happened after that?" "We let him stay at the castle. Luna wanted to spend every second she could with him, being reigned back only by royal duties. The second she was done, she would rush over to see him." "And he was okay with this?" "He told me in private that he loved it. No pony has really liked him in the past, not many would even consider him something other than target practice. He loved how some pony actually cared for him, although he didn't know how much Luna liked him." "What was he like?" "He didn't change at all from the centuries, although my tale completely lied about who he was. He was as smart as Luna, one of the most caring creatures of the world, very dramatic, and, most importantly, our friend. He didn't care that we were princesses. He did what he could to make us happy if we were sad. He found out that the stuff around the palace could be used as architecture. He could fold the curtains to make lifelike creatures, or tables into patterns of art when viewed from the air." "Do you like him?" "Not to Luna's extent, but he was like a brother to me. One that could be my sisters equal, although it was horrible when the two would team up to prank me." "Speaking of Luna, did she and Suda-" "Here we go!" Celestia interrupted. They were at the top of the maze, with Luna crying, and Suda sitting in front of her. The past Celestia was listening from behind a bush. The onlookers were too far away to hear what was going on. "I guess not." Shimmering said sadly. Suddenly, Luna's head snapped up, and Suda said a few, incomprehensible words. Luna screamed with so much happiness that it nearly broke Shimmering's ears, jumped on top of Suda, and kissing him deeply. "You guessed wrong." Celestia replied. "Are they still together?" "Yes." "So then why did Discord, I mean Suda, go nuts and Luna went all Nightmare Moon?" The spell had ended, and the two were sitting in the throne room once more. "The Elements." "What about them?" "We needed to ensure that their bond would remain strong, as well as their belief in each other and in themselves. So Suda would first have to act crazy and split them apart just enough to bring them even closer together in the end. The second time, Fluttershy, who many, including herself, thought to be the weakest of the ponies, needed confidence. We had to show to herself that she has the ability to show kindness to all." "What?" "Well, I imagine you would feel quite confident in your abilities of making friends if you made one of an enemy." "I got that, but why Suda?" "Suda, you see, was the only creature that I knew that could, one, be trusted, two, survive time in stone, three, look the part, and four, use his kind of magic. I hated that he had to go through the things he did, his mind still constantly working while he was locked inside the stone. It should have forced him to go mad." "How did he avoid it?" "He never said, but I can take a guess. I think he thought of Luna the entire time he was trapped in stone." "She was that special to him?" "They were together for two thousand years. They were willing to spend every free second of the day with each other, and even when they fought, it wasn't even so much of a fight as a conversation between two sides of the same mind. They would talk it out and both sides would avoid insulting the other as much as possible, because it would hurt them to see the other in any pain what so ever, agreeing to change if it would make the other happy. Their arguments, if you can call them that, didn't even happen more often than four or five times per century, and they stuck to their promises to one another. It was likely among the best relationships that any being could have." "Sorry to change the emotion of this conversation, but how did the tale of The Discordant Reign come about?" "We had to give off the idea that he was insane. It was actually Suda's plan." "And Nightmare Moon?" "Luna was devastated without Suda. she wouldn't want to eat or drink because she missed him so much. And we couldn't really let him out of the stone or else the other ponies would notice and panic. It was the worst depression I had seen in any pony, and Suda hated that he had to be in stone for such a long time, not for his sake, but because he knew how much it would hurt the mare he would give every waking second of his time to. Luna couldn't take being without the one she so deeply loved for a thousand years. She became Nightmare Moon within the week that Suda got locked up." "And she came back to this realm-" "Nightmare Moon instinctively came here on that day. She didn't know that Luna and I chose to rewrite her Nightmare self to only come on the day when the elements would be found. I saw how much pain it was causing her, so we agreed to add another myth into the tale. We knew that the elements would come out on a specific date, so we made Nightmare believe that the stars would aid her in her travels. She could actually have left if she tried, but we made sure she wouldn't until the summer sun celebration that Twilight and the other Elements had met." "How did you know this would turn out well in the end?" "I had to take the risks. If I didn't, the chance of surviving threats even worse than Sombra and Chrysalis combined wold be slim to none. I knew how strong Twilight and the others were. I had my eyes on them all of the time." "You have to make hard decisions as a leader. I'm just glad you made the right one." "Speaking of decisions, what will you be doing about Suda?" "The correct choice, I'm pretty sure." He opened his mouth, and let a light harmony fill the room. I've seen shadows walking on their own I felt fire burn with only cold But with all the things I have seen I don't know if I can believe The thing that my eyes are shown I've known nightmares that no pony fears There are eyes that never form a tear But despite every time I look in impossibles eye I doubt this one thing that I hear If this could be Reality Others trust could fully heal I can't foresee If anything Is beyond what I feel I want to plea I'm imagining But I know this is real So within me I have to see It not concealed There's no limit if there is too much Empty air at times is all you clutch But these impossible acts That leave our physics intact Your proposal lost its touch There are problems that we haven't faced Even atoms that have gone to waste With these designs of our lives And holes filled over the sides Why must your query lose its taste? If this could be Reality Others trust could fully heal I can't foresee If anything Is beyond what I feel I want to plea I'm imagining But I know this is real So within me I have to see It not concealed With that, Luna and who Shimmering now knew as Suda Valvur walked through the doors. Luna looked worriedly at Celestia, who gave a slight nod in their direction. Suda looked expectingly and Shimmering, who had started to trot in their direction. "Suda," Shimmering began, but was cut off by a wave of a paw. "Don't bother," Suda said calmly. "You didn't know, I don't hold grudges, and it seems that I guessed right when I asked you to talk with Tia. Speaking of which," he turned his attention to Celestia. "Luna and I want to see if we can get our relationship out in the open. We want to start by telling the Elements, but we think it would be best if you assisted in the matter." "This is sudden, we know," Luna continued. "But we are getting tired of hiding this hiding. We also think you should put in your opinion for this, since we will need help proving that what we have is real, and not some chaos made by him." "Um, before you continue, may I interject?" Shimmering asked. "Of course," Celestia replied as if letting a student speak in front of the class. "This relationship will not be taken well." Shimmering stated. "Not immediately, anyway. You saw how I treated you when I didn't know what you were actually like, Suda, and even though I do know now it is still shocking to me. And the relationship will make matters that much worse. How will ponies react if the 'god of chaos' is dating a princess? And they will later think that this specific princess was also Nightmare Moon. Hold on a second." He went through the motions for a Pinkie Promise. A pink head hopped up from behind the chandelier. "Forerver!" She moaned hauntingly. "Pinkie, can I ask you something?" Shimmering asked calmly while the other three beings were in shock at Pinkie's intrusion. "Okie-dokie-Loki!" She replied happily. "Pop quiz on how ponies would react. How would they react if Spike confessed to Rarity, and she chose to date him?" "Not very surprised at all. She knows he likes her, and everyone knows, even if she doesn't, that she likes him back." "What if Fluttershy became a tree?" "They would try to turn her back, as the DNA strands would not be able to hold their integrity for very long before she became unstable. Unless she used her RNA strands as the genetic code, in which case she would be fine," she replied just as quickly. "And if Discord and Luna started dating?" "Several would be okay with it, some wouldn't even care, but it all depends on how they would break out the truth." "What if the Elements helped explain it." "It would go over pretty well. I know every pony in Ponyville, and I am certain none would mind if we explained it." "Thank you for your cooperation. For that, you get a cupcake," his horn sparked, and in front of him stood, as promised, a sugary, home-made frosting-covered treat. "Ooh, thank you," she suddenly switched to her creepy voice. "Forever!" And disappeared behind the throne. "How- how did you know that would work?" Celestia stuttered. "I Pinkie Promised myself that I would get Pinkie Pie here. It was her logic, so I figured it would work. Who else would be willing to guarantee all promises were kept and were able to break laws of time and space? Aside from you Suda, no offense." "None taken. And what about the cupcake?" "From my fridge." "Remind me never to underestimate your abilities," Suda said worriedly. "Wow," was all Luna could say. "In any case, we should wait about an hour before talking to the Elements, lest Pinkie believes the rest of the things I said were true." "Dude, have you been planning this?" Suda asked incredulously. "Dude?" Shimmering was confused by the word, but let it slide. "No, but it was the first reasonable idea I could think of when you guys said you wanted to be public." "Wow," Luna repeated. "So, what do we do in the mean time?" Shimmering inquired. "Race you to the pool?" Suda spoke nervously. The other three creatures shrugged and ran out of the room. "Hey!" Suda yelled as he charged after the ponies.