A New Dawn
Twilight Sparkle
“What do you mean, Equestria is going to end?” Twilight Sparkle twisted about in a panic. “That doesn't make any sense. Why would you do such a thing?”
She looked to Celestia, hoping for an answer, some justification, some grand plan that would return things to the way they were. Some way to make everything okay. You were the one that we all were waiting for. And yet you say you have doomed us all. Say something, Princess! Please...
Princess Celestia hung her head and met Twilight's gaze. “I made a terrible mistake,” she whispered. “I thought it was the best course of action. Now a great evil falling over the ponies of Canterlot, unchecked. The changelings come for them in unfathomable numbers. And no hope remains...”
A mistake, thought Twilight, studying her mentor. We thought that you would save us. We thought that you were infallible. But for all of your power and wisdom... maybe you're more like us than we thought. Maybe I was wrong, Celestia. She squeezed her eyes shut. Maybe I believed in you just a little too much.
“Ah, but you are wrong, Princess,” Discord chimed in at last. “They still fight.”
The princesses looked up and glared. “As if your words ever bore any truth,” said Celestia. “How would you know this?”
“Because I am connected to all strife and conflict in this world,” said Discord. He spun in the air and laughed. “The fires of war glow in the minds of peaceful ponies, and they do not easily lift their hooves to do harm. But they do what they must. Even the most trained fighter struggles with themselves. And they all struggle with the forces of the changeling queen.” He tapped his finger against a nearby stone. “I can show you.”
Every pony looked on as the draconequus stretched his arms wide and drew an ebony line across where the wall once stood. He filled in the shape of a window with a space of emptiness. And then he tapped it a few times with his claws, swishing them, as if threading something through the magical void. Little lights lit up the panel. And then the shapes of castle parapets and buildings in the city of Canterlot. The portal opened up a window and allowed them to look upon the war as it unfolded.
The changelings fought with all of their ferocity and their desire to conquer, all in greater number. The ponies fought with determination to protect their loved ones and their home. Time after time the ponies prevailed, though it left them battered and scarred.
Princess Cadence's wings shivered. “They can win,” she said. “But what about this spell? Is there any way to stop it?”
Princess Celestia shook her head. “It took all of the power in this place to begin it,” she said. “Stopping it would require a power even greater. If we could harness the magic of Harmony, perhaps... but it lies broken. There is no hope.”
Twilight paced over to the broken obelisk and kicked one of the darkened shards across the floor. “There has to be more to it than that,” she said. “I've seen the elements shattered before. It doesn't mean that they're lost!”
“There is no harmony in Equestria today,” said Nightmare Moon, gesturing a wing towards the portal.
“I don't care!” Twilight's wings shot open. “Stop moping around and think of something, or we're going to lose it all. Think. What can we do to stall the process? What about you?” Twilight paced over and put a hoof on Discord's chest. “You brought me back to life. Surely there's something you can do to undo Celestia's spell.”
Discord wrenched a claw and strained. “There's nothing to undo,” he said. “Nothing to grasp. I reach out and I only see emptiness. Every star, every body in space slips away before I can reach it.” He shook his head and looked at Twilight.
Twilight turned away. “I shouldn't have expected much from you, of everypony here...”
“I want to help!” Discord waved his claws. “Tell me what to do! Use that stupid over-thinking brain of yours and point me at something.”
Nightmare Moon grit her teeth. “You want to help? I have a hard time believing that. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?”
Discord stopped and glared at her. “You simmering foal,” he growled. “This? Everything around you? Look at it! It's nothing but waste!” He swept a circle over the throne room and waved frantically over the rubble. “There's no life here. Nothing! It's empty. It's boring. It's terrifying!”
Terrifying? Twilight stopped and looked back at him. Discord... is that what you fear? Yes, I think that's it...
“So tell me. Any of you.” Discord landed and spread his arms wide. “Anything from the two-ton moon? The brats? No?”
Princess Celestia rose and touched a wingtip to the broken obelisk. “Harmony must be restored,” she said. “That is the only way. But I fear it is too late. It's happening even as we speak.”
They all turned back to the portal. The vision of the fight had shifted again, to the palace's upper terraces, in a place mirroring the ruined balcony beyond.
The Battle of Canterlot ceased the moment the stars went out. Everypony gathered on the balcony squirmed in darkness as Shining Armor threw up his shield and protected them from the destruction coming at all sides.
The changeling queen gathered her strength and smiled, her one good fang showing. She fired another signal into the air. And then she sprung forward and struck her horn against Shining Armor's. The shield flickered.
“What are you doing?” he raised his hoof against her, but could muster no other defense. His attention was fully focused on the shield. “This is the only thing keeping us alive right now.”
The other ponies began to advance on Chrysalis, but she waved a holey hoof and sighed. “Yes,” she said, “and you're not going to be able to keep it up on your own.”
Shining Armor kicked the ground. “I'd rather die than let you help me.”
Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “And would you let every last pony in Canterlot die to settle your grudge? I think not. Now let me help you before we all end up obliterated.”
The unicorn said nothing. All watched uneasily as she stood beside Shining Armor and lifted her horn to his. A little emerald magic flickered over it, and then their magic merged. The shield shimmered and strengthened. All around Canterlot, the changelings ceased their assault. An uneasy truce rose between the races as they all waited and watched the shield shimmer and tremble.
Princess Cadence folded her wings down and muttered. “I can't believe that witch is helping him. I can't believe any of this is happening. It's just... too much.”
Twilight galloped toward the portal and stopped just before her snout touched it. “Wait, look.”
On the other side of the vision, Rarity produced the recovered Elements of Harmony. She and Spike rolled them out onto the ground and everypony looked at them in confusion. Spike poked at the Element of Generosity with a claw and puffed it with a bit of dragonfire. Nothing happened.
Twilight turned to Discord. “She must have gathered them while we were out here,” she said.
“So?” Discord sighed. “They're a world away.”
“But you said you're connected to everything,” said Twilight. “Connect me to them. Let me in. Send me to my friends. Please.”
Discord chewed on his fingertip. “If I do... maybe you'll believe me,” he said. “Whether that's a good idea or not, we'll see. But just for now... well, this will be fun, anyway. You may feel a slight tingling sensation behind your horn.”
Twilight squeaked. Tingling was a gross understatement. The moment his influence reached into her, the floor seemed to reel. The world whisked around at gale forces and the sky became a blur. Then it didn't seem like the sky at all, but the ocean. And then dark taffy. And then she felt her soul stretched painfully, her existence running in thin lines through the corners of that realm and beyond. Then she was in five places at once, and in each one she could see clearly. Even from beyond the edge of the world, she could feel each of her friends like a flickering flame, and they could feel her, even if they could not see her.
As the fighting came to a stop, so did the singing of Pinkie Pie and the children. They huddled together In the dim light of the cellar. But even in the midst of war they still found happiness in each other's company. Pinkie Pie thumped her hooves and laughed.
“I don't know why, but somehow I know you're watching, Twilight,” she said. “We'll make sure that Equestria is a happy place when you return! I'll make sure there's a big party and everything. So don't be long, okay?”
And in another part of Canterlot, Applejack gathered together ponies and gave weary space to the changelings nearby. The fighting had ceased. She waved the attention of the other ponies back from the shield and the blackness beyond.
“To tell you the truth, we might not make it,” she said. “But we have to try until the very last. If it does come to this... I'm happy to have lived and fought with each and every one of you. I'm happy to have been a part of your family and a part of Ponyville.”
The ponies hurrahed and embraced. They were shaken but not broken. Applejack looked up to the sky and tugged her hat from her head.
“Twilight... whatever's happening here must be awful worse out there. If I can help in any way... you just say the word, alright, sugarcube?”
Fluttershy pulled herself ahead of her pack of beasts, many of which helped carry the ponies that they had pulled out of the dungeons. They gathered in the safety of the castle halls and the guards that were not too addled to move brought the others water and spoke to them softly. Any changelings that they had met in the hall had quickly surrendered and let themselves be held in the corners rather than face their end by tooth and claw.
Fluttershy looked up from tending a wounded pony. “It seems like everypony is struggling so much. I'm trying my best... you are too, aren't you, Twilight? It's not easy, but if we all help each other, I think we can make it through this.”
The pegasi soared near the top of the dome. Each wing circled the perimeter, searching for some danger, some opportunity to give aid to the ponies below. As they dropped off towards the streets, Rainbow Dash paused and looked back, somehow meeting Twilight's eyes.
“It's so weird... it's like you're right here with me. And I know you would if you could be. I used to think that not being there and fighting meant you were running away. But now I understand that there's more to taking care of your loved ones than that. You've been fighting for us this entire time, too... and I'll keep fighting for you. So hang in there, Twilight. I just know you're going to save the day.”
On the upper terrace, Rarity strained her magic trying to connect to the Elements. As soon as Twilight's presence locked into her head, she looked up and towards her.
“Is that you? Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried. So much has happened... and I won't lie, it's been an amazing adventure. But the fact of the matter is, I would give it all up in an instant if it meant just having you back with us in Ponyville. I would give anything...”
Spike glanced between Rarity and the hazy visage of Twilight. “What are you doing? Twilight's not here. But if she were, she'd probably have some brainy solution. She always does.”
The pain of being extended ebbed away. Instead Twilight couldn't help but smile. Even in the worst possible of situations, she was still with all of her friends. They were connected. That brought little shades and colors of them through the darkness and to the very edge of Equestria. The Elements of Harmony, inert for so long, began to sparkle.
It's not just the six of us, Twilight realized. Every pony is connected, even if just by one little thread. All through Harmony. I can feel them reaching out. And if it's enough...
The Elements of Harmony sprung to life, exploding from their stone form and into radiant light. Each traveled to its respective bearer, no matter how distant or impossible to reach. Her five friends looked down in surprise as the necklaces formed about their neck.
The broken tiara fell from Twilight's head, replaced by the Element of Magic. She felt it lifting her into the air, the magic working through her and through her feelings alone. No matter how brief, she'd become lifelong friends with the other bearers of Harmony. And they in turn made their own friends, and touched the lives of countless ponies. Alone they had only a little power to give. But each and every one of them reached out from within. Twilight took every last drop and became its conduit. Her body glowed white as the prismatic magic shot from all corners of the realm into her, and she focused them on the broken obelisk.
“Twilight Sparkle...” Princess Celestia stared. “It can't be.”
Everypony watched in awe as the black stone turned white and formed into a single spire. The lights that hit Twilight split into a rainbow and then swirled about the stone, seating itself just above the tip. The magic was not merely a rainbow. It was every magic. It was every color at once, brilliant and beautiful and inconceivable.
Twilight shuddered beneath the weight of the power. “I want nothing more than to see our Equestria again,” she said. “To be in a world where we can all know each other, and learn and grow together. And I'll do anything it takes to make that happen.”
Discord
It didn't seem possible for all of the fighting and all of the anger and betrayal to come to a sudden stop. Yet it had. The ponies still shone within the darkness, and even with the changelings on their doorstep, they all united to a single purpose.
How utterly droll, he thought. All of that chaos and this is where it ends?
But as he wound Twilight through the threads of reality and into the hearts of other ponies, he began to feel it too. A single thread of warmth that bound him to her. And then the others, like threads of spider silk—so small, almost invisible. He had turned so many ponies' lives on their head. But he had also brought some of them joy and comfort. He'd given Twilight hope.
I've been a fool... I mean, I am a fool. But not the kind I'd prefer to be.
The magic around Twilight settled and she slumped to the floor in a heap. The three princesses and the children all gathered around her, offering her support. She accepted their wings and rose again.
“I didn't know if that would work,” she said, “but it did. What now?”
Princess Celestia closed her eyes tight. “I don't know,” she said. “We can try to stop the spell. I do not think that we can undo the damage that has been done.”
Discord chuckled and pushed his way through them. “That's because you're too used to playing by the rules,” he said. “Leave it to a professional. I'll unscramble every little error you made, princess.”
Nightmare Moon and Celestia put themselves between him and the light of Harmony.
“That's ridiculous,” said Nightmare Moon. “To think that we would allow you anywhere near this power.”
Princess Celestia shook her head. “It's useless. You're the very antithesis of Harmony, Discord. Even if we let you near it, it would be useless to you.”
“Do you have so little faith in me?” Discord scoffed. “Then have some faith in your stupid Harmony. And unless you have some other plan to bring back your precious Equestria, I suggest moving out of the way.”
Twilight Sparkle reached up and almost touched the light with a hoof. “He's right,” she said. “It will just turn him to stone, anyway. So why not let him?”
Discord flinched. He turned away so that she could not see his face. You stupid filly. I'm trying to save you. I've always tried to save you. Maybe if I do this, then you'll finally believe me.
The princesses turned to Twilight. “Are you sure?” said Celestia. “It was you who brought it back. If you think we should take this risk...”
“Do it,” said Twilight.
Discord creased a smile. “As you wish, your highness.”
There were no words of encouragement for him. No hopes except maybe those that he would turn to stone when he came into contact with the light. It might happen, he thought. I might be turned to stone. And they might leave me here forever. But I can't let that get me down.
Nightmare Moon and Celestia parted as he drifted between them. He raised his claws towards the light and braced himself.
If I am truly 'part pony,' then maybe there's a chance...
The magic of Harmony snapped at his claw like dragon's fangs. He yowled in pain and jerked back, but it seemed to be holding him in place. As he reached to exert his will on the power, it transformed his clawtips into stone.
“You can't steal that power,” said Twilight. “You can't twist it. But how could you use it? Is there anyone at all you would call a friend?”
Discord stopped struggling against the petrification, which crept up the scales of his eagle's claw, and smiled at her. “Just one, Twilight. You.”
The unicorn's eyes widened. She tried to speak but couldn't. He'd hurt her, he knew. But he did consider her to be a friend. And if just a little, if for just a moment she placed even a shred of trust, even a drop of love in him...
There.
Harmony opened up to him. And all at once he could comprehend harmony and unity. Even if it was not a part of him, he still had a deep connection to it. The stone continued to eat away at his arms, but now he could feel everything. All of Equestria, even the parts buried beneath darkness and cold. Every creature frozen in darkness and every last one struggling to stay on that planet just a little longer.
“You were wrong, Celestia,” said Discord. “Chaos isn't about destruction. It's just as important as order. From the day they are born, a pony meets chaos in all of its forms... from simple curiosity to all-out war. And when they meet that chaos, they change and they grow. Ponies need both of these to truly resonate. To truly connect with one another.”
His feet petrified next, and then his tail, trapping him in place. It occurred to him that he could try to escape, try to burst away, but then he would lose his connection to Harmony. Possibly for good.
And why would he back away? He felt bigger than he ever had before. He possessed the strings to every aspect of the universe. Whatever he wanted it to be, he could make it so. The power there was so great.
There could be a new world, he thought. My Equestria. Rebuilt so that these ponies would love and live under me. A never ending realm of chaos, and no one to take me from my throne. His attention turned to Twilight. Would she like it? For that matter... how do I know that I would love it?
The potential lay within the ultimate power of Harmony. Once it had offered Nightmare Moon a choice, and she chose to continue her path of madness. Discord faced his own choice: a new world of his own designs, or Equestria as it was.
There really isn't a choice, is there? he thought. There is only the way that things are, and the way that things will be. Tricky little thing, aren't you...?
He sought out the furthest reaches of the cosmos and began to make them churn and crackle with chaos. The celestial bodies that once slipped into the void returned, the time and the energy of the final spell twisting in on itself. Harmony bent through him and he began to shape the heavens again.
“You must know how it all began,” he said. “Countless particles smashing and crashing into one another. Numerous elements fusing and breaking a part. The whole of space and time lit up with a beautiful symphony of chaos.”
“Chaos becoming order,” Celestia muttered.
“But chaos nonetheless!” Discord laughed. “And if we follow this spell of yours backwards... time and space coalesce all the same. It's mere foal's play.”
The task itself tore his mind to the point of breaking, in truth. But he wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of knowing that. And all of his concentration was still threatened by the stone that now eclipsed his legs and worked its way up his lower trunk. He pushed the part of his mind screaming in fear away and filled his head with stars.
Explosions of light tore across the sky. As his body became more still, his mind became more wild, racing about the cosmos. The very nature of time and existence unwound and reformed at his bidding. Every pony could see as he once more filled the sky with stars and nebulas and distant worlds.
The sun returned to Equestria in a wave of light. Its mirror flashed beyond the horizon in the far realm, and lavender and pink lights surged onto the skyline.
Now the stone had reached to his chest and it made him grunt and strain within it. Twilight leapt up and grabbed onto his tail, tugging.
“That's enough,” she said. “Let go! Stop! I'm sorry for doubting you. You've done enough, so... stop...”
Discord laughed. “Thank you for saying that,” he said. “But there's still something else.”
She probably didn't let herself realize it, he thought, but we all knew. The shield was only around Canterlot. The rest of Equestria... is filled with such emptiness. No. My Equestria will not be this empty.
Alone, he was powerless to overcome death. But every soul was connected to Harmony. And he could lead them all back, just as Cadence had led Twilight back to life.
Light came back to Equestria and the world over. In one brilliant rush he brought back every blade of grass, every flower, every tadpole and tiny speck of a germ. He brought back every pony and brought time back—all the way back to the beginning of the spell that Celestia had begun.
And that was the trick. He could undo all that the magic had caused. But those that had fallen in the war, and anything else lost in the world... Harmony would not allow it.
Very well, then, he thought. It's a little bittersweet. But it's my Equestria.
Twilight cried and tried to pull him away with her magic, her hooves, anything she could muster. It was too late. He was almost entirely encased in stone, and his work was done.
“You can't go,” she sobbed. “Please, stay with us...”
“I'm not going anywhere.” Discord chuckled and tried to flex his stony muscles. “As long as Equestria exists, then so will I. And there will come a time when I rise to power again.” He turned his attention to Celestia and showed a fangy grin. “Maybe things will be different now that I've saved your little world.”
“Discord...”
Celestia encircled Twilight in a wing and they all watched solemnly as Discord drew back from the pillar of light. He drew all of his power into twisting his petrified form, spiraling the white stone upward, his hand raised and his head held high. If he had to make an exit, there was really only one way to do it: in song.
To this fool there is one beauty,
A horned lass with a heart of gold
And ah, for this very filly
there's not one thing I wouldn't do
And though you find it rather silly
I've loved her greater--
And before he could sing another note, he completely turned to stone.
Nightmare Moon
Nightmare Moon blinked her eyes. She did not know why she felt sad at the imprisonment of the beast. Yet wasn't I once as awful as he? Perhaps in the middle of that madness there is someone lost within themselves, just waiting to be brought out into the light.
“What just happened?” said Apple Bloom, scratching her head. “Is it over?”
Nightmare Moon looked at her sister and smiled. “It is over,” she said. “At long last.”
Scootaloo flitted about and sighed. “Great,” she said. “Can we go home now?”
Nightmare Moon nodded. She reached up and pulled the helmet from her head, letting her mane flow freely. She threw off her armor with a spell and let her form change. Her coat lightened from black to the blue of night and her eyes softened.
I am the nightmare no longer.
She took a deep breath and walked over to her sister.
“Yes,” she said. “I think we can.”
Though it may be a bit of a trip, she thought. As she did, though, the Seat of Harmony began to change. The ruins dissolved before their eyes leaving behind a pure white light. And then some echo, some slip of chaos surrounded them all. The golden lands went away in a rush of light.
When next they knew, they were standing amidst a crowd of ponies and changelings on the top tier of Canterlot Castle. Everypony gasped and took a step back as they materialized out of nowhere. Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon, reformed again as Princess Luna, the children, Twilight, the statue of Discord, and Princess Cadence all stumbled as they fell into the gravity of the natural world.
“Twilight?” Rarity looked up from the crowd and trotted forward. Then she set eyes on Sweetie Belle. “Sister! You're alright!”
“Rarity!” squeaked Sweetie Belle. They forgot all else and leapt into each other's embrace.
Shining Armor turned towards Cadence and rubbed his eyes. Then he raced towards her. For just a moment he looked about to strike, but there was something in her eyes that he knew. They were real. They were all real, and the sun in the sky was proof of that.
Princess Luna blinked twice when they embraced, and Cadence herself seemed shocked. Shining Armor tilted his head in confusion, and then pulled a small slip of parchment from her back.
“What is it?” said Cadence.
“It's a note.” Shining Armor turned it over. “It says, 'Balance schmalance. You're welcome.' What do you think that--”
He didn't finished his sentence before Cadence pounced him to the ground and snuggled into his hooves with wild abandon. Each and everyone one of them was so relieved to be alive and to see Equestria again. Even Luna couldn't help but smile. She slipped her way over to Twilight, who was still kneeling before the statue of Discord.
“I cannot help but feel responsible for what happened,” she said, lowering a wing onto Twilight's shoulder. “So if there's anything I can do...”
Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “It was all of us,” she said. “We were all just caught up in the tides of our own lives. If anything, you could say it was his fault. For what he is. For what he does. But I don't think that's true.” She reached up and touched the statue. “I didn't think it was possible, but... I think in the end, he was my friend.”
“He still is,” said Luna, looking upwards. “And you will meet again, I am sure of it. As long as you both wish it.”
The time of fighting and struggle had ended. All of their troubles ended in a moment of stillness and sureness that held over all of Equestria. The ponies that had journeyed far and wide had returned. In time they would reflect on all that had come to pass, but for the moment they were satisfied with being home.
All turned to watch as Celestia took to the sky and every unicorn could feel her touch as she reunited with the sun. As she rose higher, so did the light, and a new dawn rose upon Canterlot.
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It seems like sacrifices are always made by the ones that deserve to live in the world they helped make.
Discord working with Harmony to restore Equestria.
It has such a... poetic sense to it.
SADNESS!! Discord you heroic fool. Why must you be so awesome and get shafted so much!
There are parts of this chapter I'm not particularly happy with. Specifically Twilight's appearing to the rest of the mane cast - it felt hokey rather than moving.
This chapter also made me feel the stars going out should have been introduced a lot earlier. Like even before Twilight and Discord entered the elysian fields. As it is, its not quite a Deus Ex Machina (since it doesn't actually resolve the plot on its own), but it does force a resolution to several significant subplots (ie, the changeling battle for one) and it is sprung on the reader pretty last minute to become the big crisis. I guess it made like 90% of the story a red herring, and that annoyed me. I also think the Elements of Harmony could have been better foreshadowed (yeah, we knew Rarity had them, but we'd seen no evidence they could do anything at all before the end). Basically, everything that permitted a resolution was pulled out of almost nowhere. The only thing that sort of worked was Discord's role, and even then only sort of.
Also: Cadence getting to be alive? Bah. Did not like.
Awww man, Discords fate is such a freaking bummer, at least his last note was properly awesome.
That was AWESOME
Now a great evil falling over the ponies of Canterlot, unchecked
All around Canterlot, the changeling ceased their assault
1. Hmm... Is this sentence missing a word perhaps?
2. Changelings.
Hah! Thank you Discord!
24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lscarnPMQH1r3k1m8o1_500.png
That is all.
1985027 I raise you:
Discord got his dramatic pose ... he wont have to spend the next thousand years scratching his butt
Bye Discord. See you next time.
Ah, someone who understands that order is just another aspect of chaos.
Bah! Not being able to undo death?
What kind of half-assed gods are these? Sheesh!
My God can totally kick your gods' asses! Nyah-nyah! And you're poopie head too! With cooties!
Discord is one of my favorite characters because shenanigans.
The color of magic :P
Also: all those feels
1984497 Good story! I`m almost crying right now!
Dude, You`re awesome)
Like I said before, discord in the universe is the REASON we have matter and life and energy. If everything was in harmony, we would encounter heat death and witness the deletion of everything. You gotta love science destroying stories morals.
My God. YOU ARE AMAZING! wow, the emotion, the epicness... phew! Thank you... so much!
You know, this won't ever be answered, but I have to ask.
If Discord understood and accepted Harmony, why did it turn him to stone?
11260165
He didn't become a Harmony because he was a creature of chaos.
It didn't mean that Harmony would work for him, it just meant that he accepted it.