DISCORD'S REIGN
Chapter 6-The What If Mare
"Ah, my faithful student Twilight Sparkle! How nice of you to visit your princess." He said facetiously. "My dear you look wonderful! I hope I wasn't interrupting anything by having the guards retrieve you."
"But you do appear to have a few bags under your eyes. Tell me, how have you been sleeping?" he said emphasizing the last word. It was him responsible for her nightmare, but why? Since the guards and even princess Luna seemed calm, she assumed everyone else saw Princess Celestia, and withheld any attempt to resist, not that she could use her magic with the shackles around her forelegs.
"What's this? Guards, remove those bonds!" he ordered as they obediently acted, stepping back from the unicorn as she continued to put on a brave expression in the face of her nightmare scenario.
"There, much better yes? I trust you won't be using any magic in here." he said walking from the throne down to his prisoner. She merely glared at him, she had prayed that her dream was not prophetic, but all signs were pointing in the other direction.
"Enjoying your charade Discord?" she asked as the royal court behind her gasped in shock.
"Twilight Sparkle! How dare you insult my sister in her own court!" Luna snapped in disbelief from behind the chimera, Discord only grinning in glee as he held up a paw to silence her.
"Please dear sister, allow me to handle this." he ordered, Luna nodding and softening her angry expression.
"Discord? Me? You surprise me Twilight. You know slander of the Princess is punishable by imprisonment. But I'll make a deal with you. Bow to me, and I'll let you go."
Twilight was stunned. He had her in the palm of his paw and now he was just going to let her go? It didn't make sense, but it was Discord she was dealing with, so things seldom did.
"All I have to do is bow?" she repeated, her voice revealing the fear hiding just beneath the surface.
"Thats right." he sneered smugly, feeling himself to have bested the element of magic. "Bow to your ruler."
"Never." she shot back, a burst of confidence shining through her formerly scared demeanor. "I'll never bow to you."
An audible gasp followed by murmurs flooded the throne room as the rest of the royal court reacted in surprise. The element of magic, refusing to bow to the ruler of Equestria? Such action was unheard of. A quick scowl crossed Discord's face, but it was soon replaced by his ever present mischievous smile.
"Very well. Guards! Take her to the dungeons." Luna's eyes widened with surprise at her sisters command. The dungeons were only for the worst of the worst! Twilight's offense had been an insult, but surely it didn't warrant such harsh retribution.
"Sister, the dungeon is only for the most heinous of villains! Surely Twilight realizes her mistake!" she pled with her, not forgetting how she had helped her overcome her social problems in Ponyville on nightmare night. Luna's eyes conveyed an apologize-if-you-want-to-live stare into Twilights own. The guards affixed her shackles and she looked to Luna and by gaze alone, thanked her for trying.
She was led out of the throne room and down around the back of the castle without a struggle. Her chains glistened in the pale moonlight as a basement door opened, the stench rising out of it almost enough to push her back onto her flanks as she hesitated. The guards gave a quick yank on her binds and she was forced to keep moving down a long flight of stone steps, the darkness of the dank dungeon only broken up by seemingly random torches mounted on the wall. As she walked, the other prisoners called to her, calling her every name in the book, and some describing in graphic detail what they'd do to her if she was their cellmate.
She took a deep breath of the putrid air to try and calm herself, but it didn't work. This was easily the most frightening place she had ever been. After what felt like miles of walking, they arrived at an empty cell, much to her relief. They opened the door and gave her a quick nudge inside, at least treating her like she was a pony and not a hardened criminal or a lunatic.
As soon as she heard the iron door slam behind her, she gritted her teeth to keep herself from breaking down. Unfortunately, her strength was short lived. A line of tears flushed down her cheek as she thought of what would become of Ponyville, her friends, and the rest of Equestria under Discord's reign. On top of that, she was now locked in a dungeon below Canterlot, with no one but Princess Luna and Discord aware of her fate.
For the first time in her life, the bright unicorn was out of moves, out of options, and out of ideas. She slumped against the wall of the empty cell onto her flanks and couldn't help but think of what should could have been doing right now. Sure, she found it somewhat shallow that while the real Princess Celestia is probably on the moon, and her civilization about to be destroyed, all she could think about was how crushed Big MacIntosh must be feeling knowing she stood him up. Not by choice, but it still pulled at her conscience. The night wore on as Twilight's usually unshakeable resolve slowly withered away in the horrid darkness of a place she never thought she would find herself.
Applejack sat quietly as Applebloom brushed her mane while wearing her hat, glad to help her sister prepare for whoever it was she was going to see tonight. Which reminded the curious filly...
"How come you're gettin' all brushed up tonight Applejack?" she asked as she looked at her little sister in the mirror.
"Ah'm showin' Rainbow Dash around the farm." she answered calmly.
"Rainbow Dash? But she's been here a million times! What else could you want to show her?" she asked innocently.
"Shes wantin' to help me keep an eye out for apple rustlers is all." she countered, tip-hoofing around the delicate subject matter.
"Oh...but how come you wanted me ta brush your mane? You never brush your mane before ya go out on watch!" the observant filly stated as Applejack decided her mane had been brushed enough.
"Because! There ain't no law against lookin' pretty is there?" she half snapped at her little sister, causing her to recoil slightly in fear.
'Good lord I sound like Rarity.' she thought feeling a pang of guilt in her stomach.
"I'm sorry Applebloom. Ah'm just gettin' tired. Thank ya for helpin' me comb my mane, now get ta bed. You got school tomorrow."
"Aw, can't I have five more minutes?" the filly begged, trying her puppy dog eyes on her sister in desperation.
"No ma'am. Get to bed. Granny Smith would have a fit if she knew I let you stay up this late." she insisted as her little sister hung her head and retreated to her room.
"Goodnight Applebloom."
"Night Applejack..."
With that, the earth pony set out of the farmhouse and into the moonlit apple fields as she waited under the agreed tree. After a few minutes, she spotted her significant other on a low approach over the orchard. She flared her wings in front of her and softly landed on the grass, a sly smile across her cyan lips.
"Well hello there hot shot." Applejack said quietly as Rainbow Dash stepped toward her to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey cowgirl. How's your day?" she asked as they began their walk around the fields.
"Same ol' same ol'. Big MacIntosh is on a date with Twilight, Granny Smith and Applebloom are in bed...we got the whole farm to ourselves till he gets back." she said, Rainbow Dash's face brightening a bit, relieved that they wouldn't have to sneak around.
"That's a relief. So what do you do out here by yourself anyway?"
"I tell Applebloom I'm lookin' out for apple rustlers."
Rainbow couldn't help but laugh at the idea.
"Apple rustlers? Seriously?"
"Better than the truth." she said joining in her laughter.
"Which is?"
"Mostly I'm just out here alone with my thoughts...but sometimes I catch a few colts and fillies out here in the fields, doin' all sorts a things." she went on as they continued their stroll around the grounds. Rainbow Dash normally hated walking, but given the present company, she didn't mind.
"All sorts a things huh?" Dash said flirtatiously, draping a wing over Applejacks back as she nuzzled her rainbow mane affectionately.
"Yup." she said back softly, enjoying each other's embrace as they continued their patrol. Though in truth, every apple in the field could have been stolen and neither would have cared. They walked around the fields in silence as it was Rainbows turn to get leaned on. Once they made their rounds they ended up at the barn, the bales of hay scattered in a large pile on the floor from having fell from the loft.
"C'mon, I'll show you my favorite place to relax after a good walk." she said, leading her winged love interest up the ramp to the hey loft. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but watch her flanks bob as she walked up, holding her stare for just a touch too long.
"See somethin' you like back there?" Applejack asked casting a flirtatious gaze back at her. She turned bright red as she looked away startled.
"Uh, no...I mean yeah...just keep movin'." she said as Applejack laughed at her normally confident friend's moment of embarrassment. She stopped at a rather large pile of hay with one side flattened down as if somepony had been laying on it regularly. Applejack walked over to it and laid down on her back, crossing her hind legs as she patted the spot beside her. The open loft door let the moonlight shine onto the waiting farmer's daughter, her emerald eyes alone beckoning Dash closer.
"It doesn't look very comfortable..." Rainbow Dash admitted casting unsure eyes at her partner.
"Well, I reckon it ain't as nice as clouds, but us earth ponies have ta make do with what we got." she said as the pegasus shuffled over and laid down beside her, snuggling up close, closing her eyes and taking in her mates intoxicating scent. She slid a hoof behind her back and nuzzled her blond mane with her nose as Applejack put a hoof around her shoulder, pulling her in tight.
'Perfect.' AJ thought, staring up at the moon she had seen so many times before alone in the hay loft, indescribably happy after finally finding the one pony with which she had been longing to share these moments.
After a few seconds of quiet embrace, Applejack felt Rainbows lips on her cheek, then slowly moving down to her neck as she continued, throwing her free foreleg over her chest. She felt the pressure of Dash's lips tugging on her neck gently, eliciting a soft giggle and a shift in the hay as the cyan pegasus shifted from her back onto her belly, still tenderly kissing her neck.
"You better quit..." she teased.
"Don't pretend you don't like it." Rainbow whispered returning her soft laugh.
"It's not that...How'm I s'posed ta explain a hickey?"
"I dunno, that's your problem." she smiled at her before getting back to what she was doing. She was kind of worried how she would play it off, but Rainbow was right, she couldn't pretend she didn't like it. She stroked Rainbows mane with the hoof she held around her shoulders, beginning to feel her wings start to straighten out. After a few minutes more, R.D. gave her neck a good lick, admiring the purple mark she had left on Applejack in the moonlight as she rubbed her cheek against her chest lovingly.
"All done?" Applejack asked sarcastically. Rainbow's wings spread wide, one draped over her stomach just in time to block a cool summers breeze that came rolling through the fields. A short 'hm' was her response as her rainbow maned partner asked her a rather innocuous question.
"Who's your 'what if' mare?"
Applejack turned her gaze away from the moon and into Rainbow's waiting magenta eyes.
"My who?"
"You don't have a 'what if' mare?"
"What in the hay is a 'what if' mare?" she asked in confusion as Rainbow propped herself up on her elbows.
"You know...what if you could get any mare you wanted, famous or whatever, who would it be?"
She had never considered anyone else but Rainbow...in the back of her mind, she felt kind of hurt that her unbridled affection wasn't one hundred percent returned. She shook these thoughts from her head, knowing it was unrealistic to expect two ponies to immediately fall for each other right off the bat. Applejack decided to play along, not wanting to be a stick in the mud.
"Uhm...I've never thought 'bout it really. If Pinkie Pie would shut her trap for longer than five seconds she might be one...Fluttershy's always been kinda cute to me, then Twilight-" she was cut off by Rainbow's laughter.
"Twilight? Ms. 'I've read every book on romance, but have never had a coltfriend ever'?" she laughed as Applejack looked somewhat offended.
"Some ponies happen to think smarts are sexy." she said defensively, sitting up on her flanks against the hay pile. After R.D. had controlled her laughter she felt she needed to clarify the rules.
"No, no, you're supposed to pick ponies you wouldn't probably ever have a shot with. Now besides having the hots for almost all of our friends, which celebrity would you pick?" she asked laying her head across Applejack's lap.
"I do not have the hots fer!...Anyway, princess Luna I guess." she said just throwing a name out, having embarrassed herself in front of Rainbow enough for one night.
"Ohh, attracted to power huh?" she teased as Applejack put a hoof on her head and resumed softly stroking her mane.
"How about you hot shot? Who's your 'what if' mare?"
"Spitfire." Dash answered, almost before she finished asking the question; taking her somewhat by surprise.
"Didn't have to think long about that did ya?" she fired back.
"I thought about her a lot more often before we got together. Mostly at night..." she said suggestively, trying to get a rise out of her equally competitive companion. Applejack saw right through her ploy and shrugged it off with a grin, bending her hind legs to raise Rainbow's head up toward hers.
"It's a good thing you're cute ya know that?" she whispered, placing her lips on the eagerly waiting pegasus, a spark feeling like it arced from both their mouths and energized them as they lost themselves in a moment that Rainbow Dash was so thankful for. She no longer felt like something she couldn't put her hoof on was missing from her life. She was melting on her mare's lap, and couldn't care less if the world ended tomorrow, because all she needed was tonight.
A sound from below the barn startled Applejack out of her kiss as Rainbow's magenta eyes looked up at her with concern.
"What's wrong?"
"I heard somethin' downstairs. Big MacIntosh ain't 'sposed to be home for three hours!" she whispered worriedly as she got up from under Rainbow and crept toward the hay loft door facing the front of the barn. Rainbow stood up and shook the hay from her mane as she quietly walked over to join her.
"Somepony's in the barn!" Applejack whispered.
"Think it's apple rustlers?" Rainbow teased, suppressing a giggle as Applejack turned her head towards her.
"I'm gonna slide down the rope and surprise 'em, you..."
"Better take care of those." she said noticing the straight out state of her wings.
"You may have to give me a minute for them to soften up..." she laughed nervously, her cheeks now brick red.
"Meet ya down there!" she said jumping from the loft and grabbing the rope in her teeth as she slid to the ground.
"Freeze you no good theivin'...Mac?"
Her brother stood in the barn, tying himself to the plow.
"What are you doin back this early? I thought you had a date with Twilight?" she asked as her brother put his yoke back on, a dejection on his face the likes of which she had never seen before.
"Nope." he said in what she thought was his normal tone, but detected a tinge of hurt behind his words.
"What happened?" she asked earnestly.
"Nothin'... I'm gonna get a head start on my work. Eeyup." he answered shortly as Applejack walked up to him and untied him from the plow.
"You cain't work in the dark. Now what happened between you and Twilight?" she demanded, taking a sharp tone as the Apple family fire began to rise inside her. She knew when her brother was upset he would shut down (more so than usual) and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. He looked at the intense stare his sister was giving him and knew she wouldn't quit pestering him until he came out with it.
"She stood me up. Ah went by the library when Ah told her Ah was goin' ta pick her up, and she weren't there. Spike said she went to Canterlot on business and that she was sorry, but Ah knew better..."
Applejacks normally soft green eyes narrowed into a furious glare as she processed the hurt on her brother's face as well as the news of what Twilight had supposedly done.
"Sorry?! Ah'll show that low down snake in the grass sorry!" she said taking off in the direction of the library followed quickly by Rainbow Dash as she cut her off at the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres.
"Hang on there cowgirl, where do you think you're goin'?"
'Never thought I'd have to say that.' Dash thought as Applejack held her angry glare.
"This ain't none of your concern Rainbow! Get outta the way!"
"Firstly, if it's your concern, it's my concern. Secondly what are you gonna to do? Beat Twilight up? You know she'd never hurt anypony on purpose! Especially not somepony she likes."
"Likes?! Do you stand up ponies you like?" she snapped, her rage still blocking any attempt at reason.
"Look, I'll go over there with you, but you aren't gonna get any answers from anypony by being all worked up like this. You need to chill." she said, the irony of herself talking somepony else out of acting irrationally not lost on her.
Applejack growled as her angry expression broke, though she held her glare.
"Fine." she spat, "But she better have a damn good reason for breakin' my brother's heart." Rainbow finally stepped beside her and they began their walk toward the library.
Twilight did nothing but stare at the wall across from her. She had long since run out of tears, but still felt just as hopeless as when she had first been tossed in here. Sleep was an impossibility, as the constant noise and shouts of the other prisoners permeated the heavy air. She had no idea how long she had been there as there were no windows, and the door was so far away from her cell she wasn't able to see when it opened, not that it mattered, as it rarely ever did.
A chute in the ceiling occasionally dropped dry hay for her to eat, as well as a splash of water following it as if they just poured it down the hole after the food. If you weren't quick enough or your aim was off, you would miss it, and have to wait until the next randomly assigned feeding time to get a drink. She couldn't believe such a hellish place could exist in Equestria, under the Princesses castle no less! This certainly undermined her preconceived notions of Princess Celestia. The real one anyway.
She heard the distant creak of rusted metal down the dark hallway. She normally would pay no attention to it except that she heard hoofbeats approaching her door. The shining hooves of the royal guards stopped outside her cell as the tortured metal creaked open, revealing a unicorn and a pegasus in gold and white armor respectively. The torches reflected brilliantly off their gleaming metal plates, a stark contrast to the otherwise dark and moldy dungeon.
"Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia requires your presence in her chambers at once." the pegasus stated bluntly.
She didn't hesitate as she sprang to her hooves and gladly followed the guards out of the dungeon. She didn't know what Discord wanted, but she didn't care. Just as long as she was out of here and able to see the sun again.
The guards led her up out of the dungeon as the catcalls of the other prisoners fell on deaf ears. She couldn't climb the stairs out of the dungeon fast enough as she drank in the calm night air like so much apple cider.
'At least I wasn't down there too long...it's still night out' she thought as they led her inside the castle and up through Canterlot tower to the Princesses chambers.
Two more guards were posted outside the door as the two escorting her knocked.
"Princess, we have the prisoner you requested."
"Yes, bring her in." she heard Discord call from within. Twilight steeled herself for what could possibly be waiting for her behind those doors. They opened the heavy wooden monoliths to her room and she gasped at what she saw. Discord sat on the ceiling, while a pile of ice cubes burned in the fireplace without melting. A bookshelf made of playing cards appeared to be attempting to eat a desk covered in fur while it rained snakes in the corner of the room, only to have them vaporize on contact with the ground and float back up to the cloud to repeat the process endlessly.
"Neither of you are seeing this are you?" Twilight asked, already knowing they didn't, but wanted to humor herself. They both shot quick glares at her before Discord dismissed them.
"Welcome to my sanctuary Twilight! Please pardon the mess, it's quite difficult to keep all my illogical energy cooped up in this one room all day." he said descending from the ceiling.
"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, the initial fear of him now less of a factor in her mood because at this point she was more fed up with his nonsense than scared.
"Why do you ask? Would you rather be back in the dungeon? I could arrange for you to have a cell mate if you get lonely-"
"No!" she shouted, surprising even herself at how loud she yelled.
"As I suspected. Now, you didn't think I'd just let you rot down there with the cretins did you? No. Plus, refusing to bow is technically treason, so I could have had you killed! But I never found any use for murder. Misery is much more powerful than death could ever be."
"Just answer me Discord! It's the least you could do after everything you've done to me!"
"I'VE DONE TO YOU?!" he shouted at her, his eyes flaring bright red with rage, though only losing his cool for a second before he regained his composure.
"Hmhm, oh Twilight. You have no idea what it means to truly suffer. Take a seat won't you?"
With a snap a chair appeared out of the ground, seating her in it and wrapping it's arms around her to prevent escape.
"Now you may be asking yourself, why did I capture you, throw you in a dungeon and then bring you back up here with me? Well the first reason was to feed you. I know what passes for nourishment down there. Guards!" he commanded as a pegasus came through the door pushing a huge cart of food of every kind, still hot as steam rose off most of it. He stopped the cart in front of her and saluted Discord before departing.
"I replaced the bow with the salute. A little militant for my tastes but I must admit it adds a certain snap." he mused making a teacup appear and slowly taking sips of the glass as the tea remained shaped as if it were still there. Twilight was starving, the food in front of her looked absolutely delectable. She glared up at him, suspecting he had poisoned it or cursed it somehow.
"Weren't you listening earlier? If I wanted you dead, I would have sent you to the gallows as soon as you refused to bow! Now please, I know you're hungry." he said standing smugly in front of her. Her stomach protested loudly not giving her much of a choice.
"This means nothing!" she snapped before digging into the food before her like she hadn't eaten in days, a slice of watermelon at noon being the last thing she ate.
"Thats right, eat up. You'll need the energy if you're going to listen to the true tale of your beloved Princess."
After Twilight had eaten, Discord summoned the guard again to retrieve the cart.
"Now then, back to why I brought you here. How much do you know about Princess Celestia Twilight?" he asked.
"Lots. She rules Equestria with fairness and equality, she banished you to stone for a thousand years...I could go on." she quipped, still strapped uncomfortably to the chair.
"No, that's current Celestia. You had access to the entirety of the royal library while you lived here in Canterlot yes?" he asked, stepping onto the balcony as the chair followed him outside.
"Yes. So?" she answered. Truthfully, the Canterlot library was one of her favorite places in all of Equestria. She would literally spend hours reading the countless volumes and first, second and third editions of books so rare they could only be found there.
"Tell me, have you ever run across any books about the Pre-Celestia period?" he asked producing a pipe with a snap and lighting it with a match, only to have bubbles rise out of it.
"Yeah, there are a few."
"Ones that weren't written by Princess Celestia?" he clarified.
"...No."
He glanced back at her with a satisfied smile as he took a long inhale from his pipe before he continued.
"Ever wondered why that is?" he asked leading her.
He turned completely around and faced her, leaning against the stone railing of the balcony.
"No...but you're going to tell me aren't you?"
"Now you're getting it. Your benevolent princess wasn't always the shining beacon of hope and protection everypony in this kingdom sees her as. No, there was a time when she was quite...different. Before I begin down that path, let me ask you one more question. Have you ever wondered why I look like this? Why I'm so many different animals seemingly thrown together at random? Or why there is only one of me?"
"You're the spirit of disharmony. Many different parts that don't match on one body. It kind of made sense I guess." she concluded, still not sure why he was asking her all this.
"You've learned your propaganda well my dear! Celestia would be proud! Now, I could tell you her story, but a picture is worth a thousand words, so I think I'll just...show you." he said snapping his fingers as the room started to melt again just as it did in her nightmare. This time however, Discord stayed right in front of her as the chair she was sitting in also melted away, freeing her to stand, though her magic absorbing shackles remained in place. Her expression shifted to one of fear as she prepared herself for whatever unholy visions he was planning to confront her with.
"Oh, there's no need to make that face Twilight. Last time was just a fantasy! I assure you the truth, is often times much more frightening."
Thanks to all my readers, raters, commenters and lurkers! I love feedback, so if there is anything you liked, hated, or otherwise feel free to critique! It's the only way one can get better! Thank you all again for the high ratings and nice comments! You guys/girls are the best!