The Sides We Choose

by Frost Bear

Decent into Madness

“WHERE IS HE?!” Celestia roared through the Castle, “WHERE IS THAT SNIVELING WORM WHOM CLAIMS SOVEREIGNTY OVER MADNESS?”

A pair of guards flinched away from the door before the Empress bursted through it.

Celestia seethed with rage. She just heard news of what transpired in Cloudsdale. Support for the Republic sky rocketed after that! The Empire had small numbers before, now they’re even smaller! She knew she should have never trusted Discord. If she’d just sent her army things would’ve been different. No, it wasn’t her fault, Discord forced this to happen. Discord loves chaos! Of course he would strive to make the war worse! What ever he did to those poor ponies is inexcusable. Celestia’s Empire took a dramatic blow. There were some supporters in Cloudsdale she could’ve recruited for her army. Now those ponies are lost. The only thing Discord did right was getting rid of those pesky Republic supporters.

Only for a thousand more to replace them!

“Oh Celestia, my dear, you seem troubled,” Discord hissed in her ear.

Celestia jumped back, “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”

Discord merely chuckled, “I did as I was told.”

Celestia growled as her eye twitched. She noticed the guards pull up their shields for protection. Discord treated the moment as casual as possible. Silently mocking Celestia.

“Why?” she asked.

“Why? Why what? Why do I like chaos?”

Celestia sighed, “No. Why did you destroy Cloudsdale?”

“It was fun.”

“Fun? FUN?!” she slammed her hooves on top of Discord, “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT MADNESS YOU HAVE CAUSED?”

Discord smiled.

Celestia released her grip, “Of course you do,” she mumbled bitterly, “I suppose I can make insurance mandatory for everyone.”

Discord slithered to the wall and above the window Celestia decided to look out of. He reached down and pulled up her face.

“Celestia, I have something important to ask you…”

Celestia glared at him.

“Celestia… Are you… mad?”

An arcane blast blew Discord’s face off… it landed on the stain glass window.

“Hmm… I still can’t tell…”

“YES! YES, I’M MAD! YOU CAUSED THE EMPIRE TO LOOSE SUPPORT AND ELIMINATED WEATHER CONTROL!”

“What about the pegasi population?”

“What about the pegasi?” Celestia gritted her teeth.

“Aren’t you worried about how they’ll live in your Empire?” Discord’s face tiled on a stain glass Twilight.

“I have more important matters to attend to,” she waved her hoof.

Discord’s body rubbed the stain glass Twilight’s chin, “Seems you lost all sense of compassion since this war started… Celestia, I’m worried about you.”

Celestia turned with a disgusted look.

“What? I am!” Discord cried, “Ever since this war started you’ve become more and more tyrannical. Now you don’t even care for your subjects.”

“What have my subjects done for me?” Celestia scoffed, “They should be thankful for what I brought them.”

Discord crawled up and tapped on Celestia’s head, “Are you certain you’re not possessed?”

“I am quite certain I’m not…”

“Right… I must be mistaking you for Blueblood.”

Celestia sighed, “I don’t understand the reputation he has. He’s a respectable member of the Empire. More ponies should be like him.”

“A stuck up nobel who never worked a day in his life?”

“His family earned that money!”

“In what way?”

Celestia remained silent. She looked away and focused her attention on the guards.

“Nothing? I thought so,” Discord folded his arms, “You generously give mountains of bits to anyone you like and forget about the rest. Now that I think about it, all nobles are unicorns. There some sort of favoritism there, Celestia?”

Celestia turned to smile, “Of course, unicorns are more civilized and orderly. That makes them perfect for nobility. Pegasi are brutes with no class so it only makes sense to use them as soldiers,” the two guards stared at each other, “Then there’s the earth ponies… they can grow food I suppose.”

Discord frowned, “I’m still convinced you’re possessed. Luna didn’t even behave like this when she was possessed.”

“That’s because Luna is a jealous twat who is unfit to rule an ant farm,” Celestia giggled.

Discord literally vomited.

“Discord! We just got the blood stains out of that carpet!”

“Blood stains?”

“Crystal pony massacre, remember?”

Discord inspected the rug, “Oh,” his vomit poured back into his stomach.

“I wish I did not witness that,” the guards nodded in agreement.

Discord slithered between the two guards, “I never understood why the guards look exactly alike,” he took their helmets off, “Is it a spell? An enchantment?”

“They’re clones,” Celestia levitated the guard’s armor to reveal his cutie mark.

A red ouroboros was planted on his flank. Celestia revealed the other guard’s mark to show the exact same mark. Discord raised an eyebrow and looked at Celestia with critical eyes.

“Isn’t cloning a crime against nature?”

Celestia nodded.

“Then why do it?”

“It was to keep my little ponies safe. I did not want them to be harmed by the dangers of the world.”

“Isn’t the main ingredient to cloning gold?”

Celestia nodded, “I have been taking out of the royal treasury for the sole sake of protecting my little ponies. Safety is more important than gold.”

“And what happens when the gold runs out?”

“We make more! Alchemy ensures we have a steady supply. My Empire will stay rich for centuries!”

“I highly doubt that’s how economy works,” Discord rubbed his head.

Celestia scoffed, “If I need your advice I’ll hit myself with a mallet.”

Discord gave a toothy smirk.

“That was, in no way, an invitation,” Celestia glared at him, “We’re running thin on guards but there’s still enough in the castle to ensure the safety of the capital.”

“You cuddled your ponies to the point they are dependent on you,” Discord observed, “Now that this war showed them what’s really out there…”

“They no longer matter to me.”

Discord flinched, “Harsh. How could you say something like that?”

“Over 1000 years I had struggled to rule over this land and turn it into a utopia all other kingdoms were jealous of. I suppose absolute security wasn’t enough for my little ponies,” she spat with venom.

“Most creatures don’t enjoy being locked in a cage their entire life. You ponies only started expanding away from Canterlot… what was it? 100? 200 years ago?”

“First they wanted land to grow food, then safety from predators and monsters, and now they want some false idea of freedom. I can’t understand them. We were all much safer in one place.”

Discord hummed, “Perhaps all your cuddling encouraged them to want to leave the nest, sort of speak.”

Celestia walked out on a balcony. She flared her wings and basket in the sun. Below her was a disease ridden Canterlot. Crime ran rampant in the streets, filth littered every block, and various nefarious actions took place behind dark alleys. Discord took in the sites, noting Celestia’s oblivious expression. His concern for her well being grew larger the longer he stared at her.

Celestia laughed, “Who could possibly want to leave this wonderful Empire?”

“There may be a way for you to redeem yourself, Discord,” Celestia smirked.

She pointed directly to Ponyville, “I command you to ensure the delegates do not leave Ponyville, eradicate all Republic supporters, and make sure Twilight executes my plans perfectly!”

“Execute your plans?”

“Yes! She knows what I want her to do. She should be completing her tasks as we speak!”

Discord figuratively rolled his eyes, “Very well… Looks like Ponyville is going to have a second massacre this year.”

Celestia walked away to her throne.

“Um… Celestia, aren’t you forgetting something?”

Celestia put a hoof to her chin, “No, I don’t believe I am.”

Discord face palmed, “Look at the time, Celestia.”

“Now Discord… It’s only half past-“ Celestia’s eyes shot open, “ShitshitshitshitshitshitshitshtiSHIT!”

She hastily used her magic to lower the sun as quickly as she could. She should’ve noticed when the moon was up. How did she forget about the most important duty she had?! Discord laughed at her.

Celestia blushed, “Never speak of this. That’s an order.”

One of the guards chuckled under his breath. Celestia narrowed her eyes at him. Both guards shivered and hugged their shields closer to them. The room was noticeably hotter than usual.

Discord nodded between his snickering. Celestia walked away with a hoof on her face.

Discord gazed at the now smoldering town of Ponyville, “I’m happy you’re safe, Fluttershy,” he whispered before disappearing.