> My Chaotic Brother > by Fizzyberries302 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > How we met > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A young filly skipped down a woodland path. She often went for walks in the trees, that might seem dangerous for a small filly but she wasn't any normal filly. She was a born alicorn. She was around three or four years old, with a pearl white coat and light blue curly mane that stopped at her chin. "La la la la," she sung as she skipped down the pathway. A rustle in the nearby trees caused her to stop in her tracks and look in the direction. In the shadows of the trees, crouched a tall figure. What was strange about it was the fact that the figure was made up of different animal parts. It's head turned into the filly's direction, revealing eyes that were gold with red pupils. It gave a male gasp and hurried away further into the trees. Curious, the filly ran after the figure. "Hey wait! Wait!" She kept running after the thing. Normally a filly of her age would have run screaming home to her mom, but this filly was used to dark and scary elements. And her mother was no ordinary pony. The filly kept sprinting after the creature, when a foul stench reached her nostrils. She stopped running and screamed when she saw several Timberwolves coming in from all directions. She was surrounded. The nearest Timberwolf prowled closer to her and got ready to pounce. The filly could do nothing as she was to scared to spread her wings and her magic hadn't fully developed yet. Instead she coward on the ground and covered her eyes, waiting for the feeling of sharp teeth pierce her skin and kill her. But it never came, instead she heard a loud pop and something was standing over her. She took a peak and saw the same gold and red eyes as the creature she saw earlier. It was standing over her, like a mother animal protecting it's baby. Her ears perked up when the creature spoke. "Don't. You. Dare. Touch. Her!" it said aggressively. The wolves were surprised and howled, but the creature roared at a volume that could only be matched with Godzilla's howl. The filly had to cover her ears to avoid going deaf. "Why don't you go pick on somepony else!" The filly gasped when the creature snapped it's fingers and the Timberwolves were shrunk down to the size of mice. The pack of wolves saw the sudden change and ran away yelping. Only when the wolves were long gone, did the creature step away from the filly. The filly was still terrified from the event and seeing the creature made it worse. It had a long brown body, grey head of a pony and long neck, black mane, bushy white eyebrows and beard, lions paw, eagle claw, goats leg, lizard leg, bat wing, blue pegasus wing, red snake tail with a white tuft on the end and a single long fang sticking out his mouth. It held out it's lions paw. "Are you okay?" he asked. The filly's eyes were filled with terror. The creature knelt down to her level. "It's okay," he said, tenderly stroking her mane. "I won't hurt you." Now the filly had a sixth sense. She could tell when to trust someone and if someone was lying or not. And her sense told her that the creature meant her no harm and she was safe. She felt the same warmth in the creature's touch as her mothers embrace. She slowly stood up and stared at the creature. "Thank you," she murmured. "Don't mention it, why are you out here by yourself? Where are your parents?" he asked. "Back home, I don't live very far from here. And I come out here often." The creature then got a better look at her. "You're an alicorn!" The filly beamed. "Yep! What about you? I've never seen anyone like you before." The creature rubbed his shoulder. "I'm a draconequus. My names Discord, what's yours." "Princess Mi Estrella Songbird, but Songbird's just fine." Discord stared at her. "You're a Princess!" Songbird nodded. "Why did you run away from me?" Discord bit his lip. "Your kind and mine, don't...get along very well." "Why not?" "It's grown up stuff, you wouldn't understand. But I can tell you that I'm the last of my kind." Songbird gasped. "What happened?" Discord gulped and turned away from her. "I'd rather not talk about it." "Please?" She whined, giving him a puppy face. Discord sighed and sat down on the ground. "I think I was around a few years older then you. I came from a land full of draconequi. My parents had taken me out to practice my magic, when it happened." "When what happened?" "It's all a blur, but I do remember this big blizzard. At some point I got separated from my parents and found myself in a cave," he paused and looked around. "Actually it's in this very forest, anyway I hid down the furthest end of the cave because thats where it was warmest. I survived on Chocolate Milk and Cotton Candy," "Chocolate Milk and Cotton Candy! How did you get that?!" Songbird gasped. Discord grinned. "Like this," he snapped his fingers and a pink cloud appeared dripping chocolate milk. He snapped again and a kiddie glass appeared in his paw and he he filled it up with the brown liquid. He handed it to Songbird. "I didn't poison it," he reassured her. Songbird smiled and took a sip. Her eyes widened. "This is Chocolate Milk! How did you do that?!" "My species had a very special kind of magic, so special it can bend reality. Anything that ponies say is impossible, I can do." Songbird's eyes gleamed. "Can you show me?" Discord looked around. "I think you should be getting home, your parents must be worried sick. Come back tomorrow, then I'll show you." Songbird stood back up, shaking her head. "I only have Mommy and her sister Princess Celestia, but I call her Auntie Tia." "Okay then, well I'll see you tomorrow. Oh by the way, don't tell your family that you saw me, I think it's best if this stays a secret." he explained. Songbird nodded. "I promise." She was about to fly away when Discord stopped her. "Are you sure you can find your way back? How old are you?" "Three and a half," Discord was shocked. "And your aunt and mother allow you to go out here by yourself?" Songbird hung her head. "They...don't know that I come out here..." Discord grinned. "Three years old and already a rebel," He ruffled her mane. "Atta girl, but seriously be safe when you're out here, if I hadn't been here to save you, you could have been lunch to those wolves." "How old are you Discord?" "Well, I was around seven or eight when by parents died, that was over ten years ago so I must be around seventeen or eighteen." he said, doing the math in his head. Songbird raised an eyebrow. "Then why do you have a beard?" "All draconequui colts get beards at this age." he explained. "Now shoo, your mother will be wondering where you are." he said, pushing Songbird back to the path. The filly flashed him a cheeky smile and flew into the air. When she was gone, Discord teleported himself back to his cave and lay out on his bed talking to himself. "She was so scared when the Timberwolves attacked her, goodness knows what could have happened to her had I not been there," he rolled over so he was facing the entrance to the cave. In the distance, he could see a tall castle and a small white dot flying up to the gates. "The first pony to accept me for what I really am, maybe I'm not a monster like I thought. But she was scared of me, I would never dream of hurting her in any way." he said before falling into sleep. > Building a Friendship > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When morning came, Songbird skipped happily down to breakfast. Overjoyed that she had made a new friend, she hummed as she trotted up to her seat at the dining table. "Well you seem happy today," Celestia said as her niece sat down. "Good Morning Auntie Tia," she turned to her mother sitting next to her. "Good Morning Mommy," she said, giving her a hug. "Good morning to you too, my little starlight." said Luna, returning her daughters hug. The doors to the kitchen opened and three unicorn butlers came out, each levitating a silver tray covered by a lid of the same colour. They levitated the trays over to each princess and lifted the lid off, revealing a plate of pancakes, maple syrup, scrambled eggs and buttered toast. A unicorn holding a jug of juice filled up the princesses goblets. Celestia nodded in respect to the butlers. "Thank you, you may go now." The unicorns bowed and walked back to the kitchen. Songbird started to stuff her breakfast down her throat. "Settle petal, eat slowly or you'll get a tummy ache." Celestia said, patting Songbird's back. "You seem eager to get going, what's the hurry?" Luna asked, wiping her daughters mouth. "Nothing," she piped, giving the sisters an innocent angel look. Luna rolled her eyes, smiling. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After breakfast, Celestia and Luna had to go to a meeting with the council. Luna spotted her daughter heading towards the door, carrying her doll Pixie Starlight. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Exploring." Songbird explained, remembering what Discord told her. "Okay, but don't go too far and no straying into the forest." Luna said. "Okay Mommy," Songbird hugged her mother around her legs. "I love you," Luna smiled and returned the hug. "I love you too," She pushed her daughter towards the door. "Now run along and be back by sundown," -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Songbird trotted out the door and once it had closed, she spread her wings and flew off in the direction of the forest. She was able to find the cave easily as it had red curtains covering the entrance. Songbird pulled back the curtains and peeked inside. She could see the walls were decorated purple, red and black checkered patterns and a single bed with a quilt of the same colours and pattern was sitting down the back. Lying on the bed was a familiar figure, making a group of small pink clouds swirl around. "Discord?" The draconequus sat up and saw the filly standing at the curtains. He smiled. "Songbird! Come on in," he offered. The filly smiled and trotted up to him and hopped onto his lap. "How are you this morning?" he asked. "Great, I told Mommy I was going exploring." she piped. He looked down at her. "I didn't think you were going to come, I mean we only met yesterday and how are you trusting me so easily." "Mommy said I have a sixth sense that tells me when it's right to trust some pony. After you saved me yesterday, I trust you." Discord stared at her in shock. "I...I...I thought you were scared of me. I thought you thought I was a monster." Songbird raised an eyebrow. "Monster? You're not a monster. How could a monster have such amazing magic. Chocolate Rain from Cotton Candy clouds?! Everyone should have your magic, Discord." Discord looked away from her. "My...my magic...isn't exactly...useful..." "Why not?" "Well...the draconequui might have been there to keep the balance...but we were the bad side of balance...my powers cause chaos and disharmony, which is what my name means...you ponies have beautiful magic that the land uses and brings happiness and joy...but my magic does nothing but give ponies a headache -Ow! Geez kid, what was that for?!" he cried as Songbird had slapped his paw. "How dare you say your powers are worthless! How dare you say they cause nothing but chaos and disharmony!" she shouted at him. Discord just stared at her. She was only three years old, yet she was acting like she was thirteen. Songbird's expression softened and she gave him a look of pure concern. She put her hoof on his paw and looked him in the eyes. "Your powers do cause joy Discord. Any colt or filly would love it if it was raining chocolate milk. Take me for example, I love your magic and it's special. You said so yourself and now your saying your powers are worthless. Mommy told me that no pony is useless." "I'm not a pony," "Your more of a pony than anyone could ever be," Songbird said, smiling at him. Discord smiled back and stroked her mane. "You remind me so much of my mother." "What was she like?" Discord looked away and stared at the floor. "I can't quite remember, but I do remember she had long golden hair that flowed down her back." "She sounds beautiful," Songbird said. "Thanks, what's your mother like?" "Mommy is the Princess of the Night. She has this beautiful dark blue coat, her mane is like the night sky and it defies gravity, she raises the moon and her eyes are a beautiful turquoise colour. She's also the sweetest, kindest pony in the world." "What about your aunt?" "Oh she's Mommy's older sister. She's the supreme ruler of Equestria and is also beautiful. Her mane defies gravity, but it has stripes of blue, green, teal and pink and her coat is pure white like mine. Auntie Tia is so wise and knows just what to do when theres a problem." "They sound amazing, but what about your Dad?" Songbird looked at him. "I was born from a star," "Pardon?" "Mommy told me that she had always longed for a child, so one night she cried out a wish to Lord Polaris, the North Star. He's technically my father, because he gave Mommy a special Star Fruit that would grant one's dearest wish. Then she had me," "So your a star's daughter?" Discord asked, intrigued by her stories. "I guess I am, I've never seen him though so I really don't know." Songbird explained. "You have such a nice family and I don't have anyone," "You have me," Songbird chirped. Discord's ears perked up when she said this. "I'm sorry?" "You know, I'm an only child. Mommy said that Polaris could only grant her one child and she's often in meetings. I always wanted a brother though," She turned around to face Discord, smiling. Discord smiled back and hugged her. "I did always want a little sister." Songbird smiled and squeezed him tight around his middle. Discord hugged her back, feeling like he had family again. When they pulled away, Discord nodded towards the entrance. "Why don't we go play outside," he offered. Songbird grinned and followed him outside into the forest. They found a large field and Discord began to do tricks with his magic, while Songbird was laughing and encouraging him to continue the show. "I guess she's right, look at her, she loves my powers. Maybe I was wrong about how my powers do nothing but cause chaos. They do earn joy. They played all day in the field and when the sun started to set, Songbird said she had to go home. Discord snapped his fingers and a cotton candy cloud appeared, dripping chocolate milk. "Here, this is for you...little sister," Songbird took the cloud in her hooves and looked up at Discord. "Thank you, big brother," she said grinning. > Discord, what have they done to you? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the span of two months, Songbird would go play with her new honorary big brother. Together they would play games that was indicative of young girls to play with friends; tea parties, dollies, pirates and many other games. But her favourite game was watching Discord experiment with his magic. The cotton candy cloud was kept in a metal box under Songbird's bed, so whenever she needed a midnight snack, she could just reach under the bed, grab the box and have a bite of the cloud or drink some of the milk. In that time, Songbird had kept her friendship with Discord a secret from her folks, her naive three-year-old mind thought that it would stay that way forever, that is until that day in the middle of summer. "...97, 98, 99, 100! Coming, ready or not!" Discord cried, looking around. Songbird was giggling from her hiding place as she watched Discord looking for her. Songbird covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, but that caused a rustle of leaves from the bush she was hiding behind. Discord's sharp hearing picked up on the faint sound and turned in the direction of the bush. Songbird froze and tried to remain still. Suddenly, all was quiet. Songbird decided to take a peak over the bush to see if he was still there. She did and Discord was gone. "Huh?" she said, tilting her head to one side. She sat back down and turned her head, only to see a pair of yellow and red eyes staring at her. "Gotcha!" Discord cried and grabbed her around the middle. Songbird shrieked and tried to squirm away, laughing. The draconequus held her upside down by her back legs and tickled her. The filly squealed from the delightful torture. She finally managed to wriggle away from his grasp and tried to scamper away, but Discord grabbed her tail and continued tickling her. "D-D-Discord! S-Stop it!" she cried. The daconequus stopped when a shrill cry was heard. "SONGBIRD!" The filly looked at Discord, giving him an apologetic look. "That's my Mommy, I guess she wants me home now." The draconequus chuckled and released her. "See you tomorrow then," he said, smiling. "See you," she said, hugging him around his middle. Discord returned the hug and watched as the filly flew away back to her home. He then decided to surprise Songbird and set to work making a field of chaos that she loved so much. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Songbird had entered the foyer of the castle, her cheeks stained with tears from laughing so much. Suddenly, she was scooped up by a familiar dark blue pony. "Songbird! Are you okay?!" she demanded. Songbird gave her mother a look and saw her expression was that of anger, fear and relief. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Luna didn't listen and called for her sister to get the Elements while she rushed Songbird upstairs to her room. "Mommy! I'm fine!" Songbird cried. "You are not fine, now Stay. Here. No arguments!" The night princess snapped, shoving her filly into her room and locking the door. Instantly, the filly started banging on the door, screaming. "MOMMY! LET ME OUT!" She tried ramming the door, but that only ended with a sore shoulder. She zipped over to the window and saw her folks flying in the direction of the field that she and Discord were playing in earlier. Then it hit her like a bag of bricks. Somehow, her mother or maybe her aunt must have seen her playing with Discord and misunderstood what they were seeing. They must of thought he was doing bad things to her, but that was far from the truth. Now she knew what her mother meant when she yelled for her sister to get the Elements. They were going to hurt Discord! She had to warn him, but how? Her bedroom windows were tall and skinny, too skinny for her to fit through. She tried looking around her room for something to pry the door open, but to no avail. Eventually, she started bashing on the window glass, but being only three-years-old she wasn't very strong and hardly managed to crack the glass. A large flash of rainbow light appeared in the sky and a loud painful cry was echoing around the countryside. Songbird started to wail uncontrollably and sobbed into the window glass as she recognised the voice to be Discord's. She had lost her big brother. The filly collapsed helplessly into her bed and sobbed into the silk pillow. She like that for an hour before her mother came back and unlocked the door. "Sweetheart, it's alright. That monster won't hurt you anymore." The filly just sobbed. Luna knew better then to get on a toddlers bad side so she left the room. Once Songbird was sure she was gone, she snuck out her door and out into the gardens. It was the quickest way to the field and she wanted to see if Discord was alright, but then she stopped when she saw a statue. When she saw what the statue was, made her blood run cold. The statue was of a creature with a long body, four different limbs, two different wings, a snake tail, two different horns and his mouth was open in a screaming motion, eyes closed and right arm in the air, as if he was trying to get away. "Discord!" Songbird ran straight up to the statue of her friend and placed a hoof on his stone arm. He was cold and rough, not the gentle soft fur that she was used to. Her heart snapped in two as she flung her arms around him, hugging his stone body. "I'm so sorry Discord, I tried to warn you but I couldn't. I don't know if you can't hear me, but I just want you to know that you will forever be my big brother. I still have that cloud you gave me, so I will always remember the funs times we spent together. I hope that one day, they will let you out and we can play together again. I will still visit you every night so you won't be lonely. I love you, Discord forever and always..." She broke away and flew back to her room before anyone could see her. No pony was around to see a drop of moisture fall from the statues eye. Could it have been dew...or maybe a tear....... > He's Back > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Songbird woke up to her aunts sun shining threw her bedroom window. Throwing off the covers and trotted over to the vanity mirror. She clipped her Element of Forgiveness around her neck and reach down for her hairbrush. Brushing her mane into the curls that she loved so dearly because they reminded her of her friend Rarity, who lived in Ponyville with her other friends; Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and her best friend, Twilight Sparkle. They had all helped reunite her with her mother, Princess Luna who had been banished for a thousand years. But now her mother was home again, she was able to carry on with her life as normal, or so she had hoped. Recently, she had been having these strange visions that she hadn't thought of for years. They were off her first friendship, with someone very unlikely. Discord, the Lord of Chaos. At least that's what her mother and aunt called him after they imprisoned him in stone. To this day, Songbird had no idea why they did so. They never told her at that age, and even when she was in her teens her aunt never spoke to her about it. It confused the mare to why they did that and what her childhood friend did to earn such a fate. Once her hair was curled she walked over to her bed and peeked underneath. Using her magic, she pulled out a small tin box. Inside, was a small pink cloud, dripping chocolate milk to the bottom of the box. Songbird tilted the box up and let the sweet brown liquid pour down her throat. The taste of chocolate alone was enough to make her heart snap in two pieces. She missed him, as he was what she was think of as a big brother, despite the guy being 14 years her senior. She loved his magic and this cloud was all she had left of his magic and after a thousand years, it to was disappearing. She closed the lid and set the box back under her bed, before waking out onto the balcony. The cool morning breeze and radiant sun made her mane sparkle and her coat shine. Out in the gardens, she could see the statues of so many heroes of the past, but there was one who stood out above the rest. A creature made up of different animal parts was standing on a small pillar. Discord's statue. On dark nights ever since that day she lost him, she would visit his statue in hopes that he would be set free, but it never happened. After the banishment of her mother, she had learned to never give up hope or label someone as being all bad. From the balcony she started to sing as her childhood memories came flooding back. Song 'Think of Me' Think of me, think of me fondly When we've said goodbye Remember me, once in a while Please, promise me you'll try When you find that once again you long To take your heart back and be free If you ever find a moment Spare a thought for me We never said "our love was evergreen" Or "as unchanging as the sea" But if you can still remember, Stop and think of me Think of all the things We've shared and seen Don't think about the Things which might have been Think of me, think of me waking Silent and resigned Imagine me trying too hard To put you from my mind Recall those days, look back on all those times Think of the things we'll never do There will never be a day That I won't think of you Somewhere in the gardens, from the statues soul, came the voice. Can it be? Can it be Songbird? Bravo! Long ago! It seems so long ago, how young and innocent you were She may not remember me, But I remember her Songbird never heard the voice as she was too caught up in her song. Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade They have their seasons so do we But please promise me that sometimes You will think Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah Of me! On that final note she opened her wings and pushed herself up onto the railing as a gush of wing blew her mane around, carrying her voice with it. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she inhaled big breaths of air. "Songbird, how did you learn to sing like that," asked a voice from behind her. The mare jumped and spun around, seeing her mother, Princess Luna standing there. "Mom, you startled me." "Sorry darling, but I couldn't help but overhear your beautiful voice. How did you..." "I'm the Princess of Music, mother. Also I've had a lot of practice over the span of a thousand years." Luna smiled. "You really do live up to your name, now come along my dear. You must be hungry." "Na, I'm good." "Okay then, anyway I just came up to tell you that Twilight wishes to see you in Ponyville today." Songbird beamed. Ever since her mother returned, Twilight had moved to the Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville, while Songbird stayed in Canterlot as a princess. Twilight had been her best friend for a few years now and they hardly saw each other anymore. This was a rare opportunity to see her and Spike, her dragon assistent. "I haven't seen Twilight since you came home. When do I leave?" "Very soon, now here's some breakfast for you," Luna said, handing her a paper bag with a fruit salad, pancakes and grape juice. "Oh by the way, the school from Ponyville are coming here to look at the statue garden later on today." "That's cool, now I'd better fly or I'll miss out on seeing the girls." Songbird said, hugging her mother a hug. The princess spread her wings and took to the skies. Luna watched as her little girl became nothing more than a speck of white in the distance. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "It's been so long since I've seen you Song," Twilight said, using her magic to pour her some tea. "Thanks, things have been going great back in Canterlot, Mom has decided that even if ponies don't appreciate her night, she will always have me to love it. But guess what, ponies have realised how much pain she went through in her banishment and now they've learned how to appreciate the night, sure theres still ponies that frown at her presence, but other than that alls well and good." "That's great Songbird, I can only imagine what you went through without your mother around." "Yeah, it was tough. I wish she'd stop babying me though," she cringed. The mares jerked their heads towards the window when they heard a scream. "Goodness! What's happening out there?" Songbird asked to no one in particular. "I don't know, but it sound like it was coming from Sweet Apple Acres." Spike said. "Then why are we sitting around doing nothing, lets go see whats happening." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oh boy there was something up alright. The cornfields of the farm looked more like a giant popcorn machine. The clouds were also pink and it was raining a brown liquid. Songbird stared in disbelief. There was only one person who could create such things. She shook her head. No, it couldn't be. She looked around at the farmyard. Could it? "What is happening here?!" Twilight cried. "I don't know! But there's cotton candy clouds flying everywhere, it's raining chocolate milk and Applejack's corn as been turned into popcorn!" Rainbow cried, trying to unstick the sugary pink goo from her body. \ Pinkie Pie popped up from a pile of popcorn. "I don't see what the big deal is, this is a dream come true!" She did a nose dive into the pile and disappeared. Rarity didn't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation and watched from under her umbrella. Fluttershy zipped past, trying to catch a herd of long legged rabbits. "Please come back here," she cried. Everyone turned when Spike burped up a scroll and Twilight unravelled it. The unicorn read the letter and look at her befuddled friends. "Princess Celestia wants us all in Canterlot immediately." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Mane Six galloped into the throne room, where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were pacing. "Princess Celestia, we came as fast as we could!" Twilight gasped. When Luna saw her daughter, she ran up to her and hugged her as she had been in a life and death situation. "Mom! What are you doing?!" Songbird demanded. "Not now honey," she turned to two unicorn guards. "You two, take Princess Songbird up to her room and make sure she doesn't escape!" The guards grabbed Songbird's hoof and led her upstairs. "Mom! What are you doing? I'm not a kid anymore!" she cried. The remaining six watched in confusion as the princess was led up to her room. The sisters approached Twilight and her friends. "Princess, what's going on? Is this about the weather? And the animals weird behaviour? Why is Songbird being sent to her room?" Celestia raised her hoof to silence her. "Follow me," ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Celestia and Luna led the six to a long hallway of stain glass windows. "We've called you hear for a matter of importance. It seems an old foe of ours has returned. His name, is Discord. Discord is the mischievous spirit of chaos, it is him who's causing all the destruction." Celestia explained. "But why did you send Songbird to her room?" Twilight asked. The sisters shared a worried glance. Luna stepped forward. "You see, a thousand years ago Discord was free. My daughter was only three at the time and..." she shuddered. "Let's say that Discord had a very...unhealthily appreciation for my daughter." A gasp rose from the ponies as they caught on to what Luna was implying. "Princess, you're not saying he-" Twilight began. "From what the evidence tells me, Songbird was out playing when she stumbled upon Discord, using his magic he lured my daughter into a clearing and he apparently molested her there. She came home sobbing with tear stained cheeks. Motherly instinct took over and Celestia and I when out to turn him to stone, when I came back to check on her, she was crying. Understandable, because such an event must have traumatised her," The princess shuddered and a tear fell down her right cheek. The Mane Six stared at her in shock and sorrow for what had happened to their friend. "Now that he's back, he's going to finish what he started. I lost Songbird once, I'm not going to lose her again!" Celestia took over where her sister left off. "But since we are not connected to the Elements anymore, he broke free," She stopped at the door to a room. "This is Canterlot Tower, where the Elements of Harmony are kept. And since you welded the Elements before, we need you to weld them again and stop Discord!" The sun princess inserted her horn into a keyhole and the door glowed. It opened up and a case was sitting there. Celestia levitated the case over and opened it up, revealing there to be nothing there. A gasp rose around the room as Celestia dropped the empty case in shock. "That chamber is protected by a spell that only i can break, this doesn't make sense." They snapped back into reality when a low, male chuckle echoed around the hall. "Oh but what fun is making sense," Lying on the rafters above them was a creature with the head of a pony and a body of many different animal parts. "Discord!" Celestia cried. The creature smirked. "Aren't you happy to see me Tia, it's quite boring been put into stone and but what would you know, I don't turn ponies to stone." "Enough! What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?" Luna cried. Discord looked down and saw the moon princess glaring at him. "Hello Lulu, been a while," he looked around. "Where is that daughter of yours?" Luna would have flown up and strangled him, but Celestia held her back. "You kept your disgusting claws away from my daughter!" she cried in full motherly protection. Discord was confused as to where Songbird was. He saw the glares he was receiving from the ponies. But where was Songbird. His honorary little sister. He felt his heart snap when he came to the conclusion that she had forgotten him. No, she couldn't have. She vowed that she loved him and would never forget him, but she was only three years old then and she... She would have been all grown up by then. But I heard her singing! said the little voice in his head. It could have been some pony else. said the logical part of him. His breathing became rapid and he was starting to fight the urge to cry. Out of panic he snapped his fingers and disappeared. The ponies screamed and shouted to try and get him to come back. Outside, he had teleported himself to the Canterlot Maze. "No, no, no," he cried. "Have I really been forgotten?" he asked himself. He snapped his fingers and the Elements of Harmony appeared in his lap. He had stolen them as an act of revenge for the Princesses putting him in stone. But now he had a much better reason to steal them. Anger swelled up in his heart as he gritted his fists together. Those ponies had made her forget him somehow, that had to be it. They had to have made her forget him over the years and sent her away so she wouldn't be around to see him. He grinned and snapped the Elements back to there hiding spot. "Very well Princess, how bout we play a little game with those little ponies." > Terms of Chaotic Harmony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord snapped his fingers and reappeared in front of the ponies. Celestia was fuming. "Enough stalling Discord! What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?!" Discord chuckled. This'll be fun. "Fine, now lets play a game. I'll tell you a riddle that will lead you to the Elements." He snapped his fingers and disappeared again. His hollow voice echoed through the hallway. "Twists and turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began... " The halls grew silent as the voice faded away. Celestia and Luna looked at each other. "Can we go home now?" Fluttershy pleaded. "What do ya think he meant by 'twists and turns and then to back where we started'?" Applejack asked. Twilight pondered for a little while. Suddenly she gasped and pressed her face to the window looking over at the maze. "I got it! He must mean the Canterlot Maze!" Celestia smiled. "Good luck girls," Twilight and the girls bolted down the hallway and out of sight. Luna glanced at her sister. "Tia, do you think Songbird will be safe?" "I'm sure she will, but she's not a filly anymore Luna and you know that." Luna hung her head. "I...I just wish I hadn't turned to the dark side. I lost my baby girl, I never got to see her grow up," Celestia wrapped a wing around her sister. "I know Luna, everyone makes mistakes. Even if you left her, she loves you the same." Luna nodded with a little tear in her eye. "That was my deepest regret though, there are so many things I never got to see; her school days, sweet 16th, her 18th! Tia, I missed so many birthdays, so many times where I could have celebrated the day she came into my life. I wish I had listened to Polaris that night, he told me that if I committed a selfish deed, I would lose her," "Luna-" "Tia, just...I need to go," Luna walked out the hallway, while Celestia watched as she left. Now, she was alone in the long hallway. Celestia walked slowly along the tiled floor, her golden shoes clacking against the marble. She stopped in front of a certain stained glass window. In the centre was a familiar black and blue alicorn, herself and a small white and blue filly. "Oh Lulu, I regretted that day so much, I am partly to blame. I was the one who wielded the Elements against you and drove you from your daughter. If only I could turn back the time and stop it from happening." No pony was around to see a single tear drip from the princess's eye. Discord rubbed his hands together as he watched the six ponies scamper threw the maze. This was going to be fun. He hadn't had this much fun since he met...Songbird... That filly brought joy to his lonely life of solitude. At only three years old, she did so much. Now...after a thousand years she had forgotten him. He clenched his fist, trying to control his anger. He had saved her from that Timberwolf and this was the thanks he got! "Hmph," he said. "I can't believe this, she meant so much to me. I thought I finally found somepony who cared about me, but I guess you can't trust anyone," He looked down and spotted Applejack. He grinned as he thought of something. "She has replaced me with this six ponies. Maybe I should change them a little bit, starting with you Applejack," he snapped his fingers and snapped up three large piles of apples. Applejack looked around the clearing in the maze. "Where am I?" she wondered. Her eyes caught sight of three piles of apples rolling towards her. "Who are you?" she asked, slightly scared. "The keepers of the grove," said the deep red one. "You may ask us-" "One question?" said the lighter red one. "Past, future or present," said the green one. "But be warned, that the truth may not always be pleasant." they all said, while circling her. "Alright, I got a bad feeling about this Discord. What's gonna become of us when we get outta this place?" The 'keepers' led her over to a small pool. "The answer you seek, go ahead and take a peek," said the green one. Applejack peaked into the water and was shocked to see her and her friends arguing. "No, our friendship...over?" Above her, Discord was pulling on the puppet strings that controlled the 'keepers', chuckling to himself. "No, it can't be true. It just can't!" Applejack wailed. "Well the truth is what can make the heart ache," said the green one as it faded into Discord's voice. "Sometimes a lie is easier to take," he said as Applejacks eyes turned spiral and her colour dulled. The 'keepers' disappeared and part of the hedge opened up, revealing Twilight standing there. "Applejack!" she cried, running to her friend. "I thought I heard voices over here, who were you talking to?" "I was talking to no pony!" Applejack snapped. "Come on, we best get going," Twilight watched in confusion. "Did Applejack just...lie?" Watching from above, Discord grinned. "Soon they'll all know how I feel," Pinkie bounced down through the maze, not grasping the seriousness of the situation. She stopped when she saw a clearing full of balloons with faces on them. They were laughing at something. Pinkie squealed at the sight and bounced around. "This is amazing!" She let out a gasp as she fell into a mud puddle. The laughter increased, directly at her. "Hey what gives?!" she snapped. In a flash of light, Discord appeared above her. "What's the matter Pinkie Pie, I thought you liked laughter?" "It's different, they're laughing at me," "It's hard to be different, your friends laugh at you all the the time," Pinkie stood up and shook off the mess from her coat. "My friends laugh with me, not at me," she explained with a smile. "Is that so," Discord said as the laughter started again, louder this time. Pinkie trie her best to shut out the noise. "No! Stop laughing at me!" "Oh poor Pinkie Pie, and I thought laughter made you happy," Discord murmured as Pinkie's eyes turned into spirals and her coat dulled. "Happy, I don't think so," she growled. The balloons disappeared and Discord watched from a safe distance. "I used to laugh all the time with Songbird, too bad she replaced me with you Pinkie," he scoffed. "I was expecting an audience with the princess, not outdoor sport-" Rarity was cut off as she bumped into something. Her eyes adjusted to see three diamonds in the centre of a huge stone. "Oh my," she uttered. Discord's face appeared in the diamonds. "Welcome to your lucky day Rarity, you have found the one thing in Equestria that could rival true beauty." Rarity's eyes instantly turned to spirals. "What do you think?" Discord asked in a mock tone. "It's beautiful," Rarity shook her head. "No, I must get to the centre to meet the others. Oh who am I kidding!" she then started digging away that the rock, as her coat turned grey. Once the rock was cleared away, Rarity marvelled at the humongous diamond she had uncovered. But in reality she had was carrying a humongous boulder. Discord watched as Rarity heaved the hunk of rock around. "I once had something as precious as a diamond, now she has forgotten me," Fluttershy jumped out from the hedge she had been hiding in. "Okay I can do this, I can-" she screamed as three butterflies appeared. She was about to run and hide again when realised what they were. "Wait little butterflies, don't leave me!" Fluttershy followed them into an empty clearing. She turned around when one of them spoke. "Fluttershy, looks like you've been left behind by your so called friends?" Fluttershy shook her head. "Oh no, I'm sure they are doing what ever they can to find me," The butterflies were in actual fact Discord. He was confused as to why this pony was being so difficult. She's kinda cute though... No, no! Stop it! Keep it together Discord. "Well it must be so upsetting to know how weak and helpless they think you are," "Not at all, I am weak and helpless and I appreciate they're understanding." "But they're always pointing out your flaws aren't they?" "Not really, in fact I think I'm awfully lucky to have friends who want me to be the best I can be," Finally, Discord had had enough. "Oh that's it! You've been kind for far to long my dear, time to be cruel," he tapped her on the forehead and she instantly turned grey. Rainbow Dash was determined to find Discord. She didn't have far to look as she quickly found him lounging out on a piece of cloud. "I can see why you like these clouds so much, very comfy." "Get off there and put them up!" Rainbow snapped, holding up her front hooves. "Hey, I'm here to deliver a message." "I've got a message for you, punk!" "Listen closely, this is important," he teleported himself next to her. "All theses choices you shall make, the right one or a big mistake. If the wrong choice you choose to pursue, the foundations around you shall crumble down." Rainbow's eyes turned spiral as she saw a vision of Cloudstale crumbling down. "Noooo!" she cried. A present appeared in front of her. "Your wings are in there, you can either choose to stay and play or leave the game, your choice." Rainbow's eyes turned back to normal as she snatched up the box. Her wings appeared on her back as she made her choice. "To Cloudstale!" she cried. Discord watched the pegasus fly away. His heart ached as he remembered the little filly who he had loved long ago. "Loyalty my hoof! Songbird forgot me and replaced me with these ponies." He snapped his fingers and the Maze disappeared. The five ponies now stood in the middle of a dirt crater. "Well well, how does it feel to not find your precious Elements?" "Looks like we might be in for a storm of Chaos!" he said, as lighting struck out of nowhere. He let out a frightening laugh as clouds of cotton candy appeared in the sky. "Stop it Discord! You're not placing fair!" Twilight snapped. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you don't get do you. I'm Discord, the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony." "How are we suppose to find the Elements when you took away the maze?!" Twilight asked. Discord scoffed. "Wait, did you actually think the Elements were in the Maze," He chuckled. "Remember what I said; Twists and Turns are my master plan, then find the Elements back where you began," "They were never in the Maze!" Twilight cried. "Absolutely, now if you don't mind, I have some chaos to spread!" Discord said as he teleported himself away. Twilight tried to think, but with all her friends fighting, it was hard to. "Think Twilight think!" She gasped as a realisation hit her. "'Back where you began'?! They must be in Ponyville!" Songbird felt numb. There were too many emotions in her head right now. She was happy that her childhood friend was back, but at the same time she was a sitting duck locked in her room with two guards out front. She had given up trying to bribe them to let her out, for they were two of her mothers bat-pony guards and they only took orders from their mistress. Sobbing, though no tears came out, she reached under her bed and brought out the box that contained the cotton candy cloud. She was a strong mare, after losing two beings that she loved, she had learned not to let anyone go from her heart. After her mother returned, she had learned not to label ponies as being evil to core. Her own mother was living proof of that and with luck, Discord could join that list. She had to get out of this prison cell. Yes, it was her room, but in the situation she was in now, it was a prison cell. Her eyes lit up as she remembered a skill she had obtained. While Rainbow had the Sonic Rainboom, Songbird possessed the Sonic Scream. The Sonic Scream was one of the skills that Songbird could do with her voice. The Scream was so loud and so powerful, that it could smash brick walls that were three feet thick to pieces and knock a pony out cold. It was this skill that she had obtained herself and no pony else could do. Her other talents were The Siren Voice, where she could hypnotise ponies, though she only ever used it for emergencies. The third skill was her favourite, the ability to heal the sick and injured by singing a special song she had wrote herself. Even if the pony was at deaths door, it could bring new life into them. The Sonic Scream however, was her most powerful gift. She grinned, knowing that her balcony doors were made of glass. With the Sonic Scream, she could smash the glass as if it was flour. It was perfect. Why hadn't she thought of that before?! She practically kept of the bed, which she had been sitting on and stood in front of the glass balcony doors. Quickly, she grabbed her saddle-bag and placed the box inside. For the Scream to work, she had to get it exactly right... She stood tall, her front left leg stepped in forward and her back right leg stood back. She closed her eyes, sucked in a huge breath of air, aimed and let it out, her eyes turning white. The sound waves were practically visible as they caused a majority of items to fall from the shelves. Outside, the two guards were blasted into the opposite wall, knocking them cold. Luna shot her head up when she heard the scream and assumed the worse, worried for her baby girl she galloped up stairs. With the amount of intense pressure on the glass, the doors shattered into millions of pieces and the rest of the door was blown off it's hinges and sent flying somewhere in horizon. Songbird finally relaxed and breathed in a huge breath of air, her lungs weren't on fire as she had plenty of practice over the years. The sound of fast hoof steps coming towards her bedroom door meant that she had only a few second to leave the room. Songbird spread her wings and took off at a speed that could be matched by Rainbow Dash. Discord and her friends were no longer in the Maze anymore, meaning that they could only be in one place. Ponyville. Her heart sank as she saw that amount of chaos around the landscape. The chaos that she had loved so much as a child, was now destroying her home. There was only one thing on her mind then. Get to Ponyville as fast as possible. Songbird landed in what she assumed was the town square. It was hard to tell as a large number of houses and shops were floating in a sky of pink. Songbird felt a single tear drip down her cheek. What happened to the Discord she treated as a brother. She loved him for his chaos, but...this was not the chaos she loved. She felt her heart break in two at the state of Ponyville. Where were her friends? Her ears picked up on a few voices. Familiar voices. "Twilight!" she cried, racing in the direction of the voice. She gasped when she saw Discord sitting on a throne, her friends standing there with their Elements. She watched as Twilight's horn lit up and the Elements started to spark. NO! SHE WAS NOT GOING TO LOSE HIM AGAIN! Summoning all her strength she sprinted towards them. She could see the fear in his eyes. Firing up her own Element, she jumped in front of him and let out one final. "STOP!" > Brother and Sister > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "STOP!" Songbird cried. The Element of Forgiveness created a blue bubble in front of her as a protection shield. Discord gasped as a strange white alicorn jumped in front of him. At first he thought it was Celestia, but then he realised that she had a shiny blue mane curled into a shorter, but similar style to Rarity's. Somehow, this mare seemed familiar. Twilight stopped her spell and the Elements died down. "Songbird? What are you doing! Get away from him!" "Twilight, every pony stop it!" Songbird snapped as the light died down. "Why are you doing this?" Twilight was stunned speechless. "Wh-why are we doing this? Songbird he's causing chaos everywhere, why are you defending him?!" "Yeah!" The others demanded. Songbird felt hit tears well up in her eyes. "Because he was never evil!" The Mane Six gapped at her. None of this made sense and they were getting sick of things not making sense. "What are you talking about?!" Discord stared at the alicorn mare in front of him. "S-Songbird?" Songbird turned around and looked him in the eyes, hers were now wet with tears. "Hello...brother," "Brother?!" "Y-you...I-I-I thought you had replaced me, for these ponies." Songbird cocked an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, I never forgot you," She then started singing again. "Think of me, think of me fondly When we've said goodbye Remember me, once in a while Please, promise me you'll try When you find that once again you long To take your heart back and be free If you ever find a moment Spare a thought for me." Discord gasped as he remembered the song he heard. "That was you!" Without another word he flung his arms around her in a warm embrace. The six ponies looked in shock. Twilight was fuming. "Stay way from her!" she cried. "Why, we were only hugging?" Songbird said. "Yeah, but that could lead him to finishing what he started!" Twilight snapped. Discord stared at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?" "Don't play dumb with us Discord, you've done that plenty of times today. We know that you molested her as a child!" Discord and Songbird gasped in surprise. Discord was the most shocked. "Wait...you thought I...ugh," he said, making a face. "Jeez Twilight, I may be the God of Chaos, but you think I would do such a thing," he gagged at the very thought. "Who is Tartarus told you that?!" Songbird demanded. "Ah...your...mother did," "MY MOTHER!" Songbird shrieked. Applejack stepped up. "Yeah, she told us that when you were three, you went out playing in the woods and then Discord found, lured you away and-" "Ugh! Your making me feel sick!" Discord gagged, his face turning bright green. "I would never do that to anypony!" Songbird stepped forward. "I don't know why my mother would say such things, but what she told you did not happen. Discord never harmed me, or molested me as a filly. In fact, we were friends, so close we were like brother and sister." "So...he never harmed you," "Not once," Twilight shrank back. "I...but why would your mother lie to us?" "Err, why don't we ask her ourselves," Rarity said, pointing to the sky. Coming towards them was a golden chariot. Riding the chariot was Celestia and Luna, looking very cross. "Songbird!" Luna cried, jumping off the chariot. "Mom? What are you doing here?!" Songbird demanded, even though she had a good idea what is was. "We're here to rescue you," Celestia said, "Guards! Seize him, he's done enough damage for one day." Three guards ran forward and grabbed Discord. Luna pulled her daughter to the chariot. "Come on Songbird, we're going home." Songbird was fed up with this. "Get off me!" she snapped, pushing her mother off her. Songbird could see the hurt look in her mothers eyes. "Songbird, what's gotten into you?" she asked. "Mom this has to stop, you don't know the full story. I have just explained to Twilight and the others. But would you care to explain what gave you the idea that Discord molested me?" she said, slightly annoyed. Luna was stunned. "I...that is...I was flying around the area and spotted you struggling in Discord's grasp, when you came home in tears...I...I just thought..." Songbird put a hoof to her shoulder. "Mom, he never did anything I didn't want to do. He was my friend, he still is. I never met my father, Polaris. I never had a father figure in my life, so when I met him I befriended him. Discord played the fatherly role I never had. I see him as an older brother." "But...but what about the touching, the struggling!" "The day you turned him to stone, we were playing Hide 'n' Seek. He caught me and the struggling was just him tickling me," "And...the tears?" "Tears of laughter, not pain," Luna slumped to the ground. Songbird crouched down with her and wrapped her hooves around her. "I've done it again haven't I?" "It's okay Mom, you're a mother. You do what you think is right to protect her child, I forgive you," "So this was all just a big misunderstanding," Celestia exclaimed. "But what about turning us into the opposites of ourselves?!" Twilight demanded. "And he tried to break apart our friendship!" Rainbow snapped. Songbird turned around to look at Discord. "You did what?" "I...I only did it because I felt betrayed. I thought you replaced me for these ponies, so I took my anger out on them," Discord explained. Twilight stared at him. "So...that game was just because you were hurt?" Discord nodded. "That don't change what you did!" Applejack snapped. "Yeah!" The four ponies snapped. Fluttershy didn't say a word. "Girls, it was just misunderstanding. Everypony makes mistakes once in a while. Besides, no fight lasts forever. Can we all just forget the past and move on?" Songbird said, with a stern look. "We can't let him go so easily, he can still harm ponies with his magic. Creatures like him can never change!" One of the guards said. Songbird stepped forward. "My mother did, she made a mistake in believing that she had to destroy Equestria to gain respect. As punishment, she was banished to the moon. In reality, we need both night and day in our world. Day helps the plants and animals grow, while the night gives the land time to rest. Without the night, the world would get so hot it would become a lifeless desert. I understand that you may think that monsters can't change, but monsters are made, not born. No pony is born evil, its the mistakes they made in the past that make them this way. My mother, Princess Luna of the Night is living proof that ponies can change if given the chance." Everyone was stunned silent. As much as they didn't want to admit it, Songbird...was right. Celestia smiled and turned to the guards. "Let him go," The guards did as they were told and Songbird rushed to embrace him. Discord started sobbing into her mane. "I'm sorry Songbird, I never should have doubted you for anything." "I think you need to apologise to them," Songbird said, pointing to the six ponies and the princesses. Discord stepped forward. "I'm sorry for what I did to you girls, I never wanted to harm anyone. I just thought that Songbird replaced me for you all, so I took it out on you all." Twilight stepped forward. "It's okay, I understand what it feels like to feel abandoned." The other ponies nodded their heads in agreement. The two royal sisters stepped forward. "Discord, please forgive me for judging you without knowing the full story. We're sorry for putting you in stone," Luna said. "Hey, all you thought about was protecting your daughter," he gave her a warm smile. "My mother would have done the same for me, bless her soul. You're both forgiven." Everyone turned to see the pendant around Songbird's neck, start to glow. "What's that?" Discord asked. "The Element of Forgiveness," Songbird explained. Discord raised an eyebrow. "But I thought there were six Elements, not seven." "That's because it's a new Element," "A new Element?" "Long story, now how about you turn everything back now," Discord rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Oh...right," He snapped his fingers and everything was turned back to normal in a flash of light. Songbird hugged him again. "Thank you, Discord." "Hey! You know what this calls for?!" Pinkie cried. Everypony laughed. "Yes Pinkie, we certainly do," Songbird said, smiling.