A song as old as rhyme. Be my guest on a story of friendship, of magic, and of romance. (A re-imagining of Disney's Beauty & the Beast)
A quiet little village on the edge of a forest. An inventor's daughter who wonders if there is more to life. A hunter who seeks her hand in marriage.
A castle in the heart of a forest. Its inhabitants cursed by an enchantress into forms not their own. A magical item, to which the curse is bound, coveted by a beastly royal.
When fate draws the daughter and the royal together, a tale of friendship, magic, and romance takes shape. A tale as old as time.
A Disney animated classic re-imagined with themes, locations, and characters from MLP/Equestria Girls. (That does not mean it will be the same plot. Elements of the plot will be the same, but a majority of it will be different/new)
(WARNING: This fic will contain generous amounts of Disney references.)
Cover Art is by WubcakeVA on DeviantArt. Used with permission.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, there was a sleepy little village on the outskirts of a vast forest. The village’s name was Ponyville, and the forest’s name was the Everfree. Ponyville was a very traditional town, with a close knit community. Very few traders and merchants passed through Ponyville, but those that did found that it was a self-sufficient town. Aside from merchants and traders, on the rare occasion a noble’s carriage would pass through, heading into the Everfree. The villagers never wondered where the carriages were heading, nor did they care. But to those residing in the carriages, their destination was of great interest. For those carriages were heading to a castle.
Castle Everfree, as it was called, was located only a half-dozen miles from Ponyville, and yet the inhabitants of both have never met. The castle was inhabited by a beautiful Princess. Her unblemished amber-orange skin was complemented by her long, flowing crimson and gold hair, which cascaded down her back like a river of fire. Her eyes were an alluring aqua color, and filled with a warmth only matched by her personality. This Princess was not smug, or pompous. She did not see herself as superior to the “common folk”. No, she was a kind, generous, honest and loyal Princess, with a perpetual smile on her face and a laugh that compelled one to join in. She did not see her servants the way other nobles might; she viewed them as her friends first, and her servants second. She had everything she could ask for, but she always felt she was missing… something. She could not place the feeling. Her friends were unsure how to help her, until one of them suggested she might be wanting for more than just a friend, but rather a lover.
At this implication, the Princess became distraught, for she had no experience with matters of the heart. Her friends promised that they would help her find a suitable individual, no matter how long it took. Over several months, the Princess met with various suitors, be they a Lord, Duke, or Prince… the Princess rejected them all. She and her friends were running out of options, until there was only one prospective suitor left. A Prince of distinguished lineage, with flawless white skin, perfectly combed blond hair, and deep, blue eyes.
The night of the Prince’s visit, a dark and mighty storm descended upon the castle. The Princess and Prince were eating dinner by candlelight, when a loud knocking was heard on the castle doors. Intrigued as to who could be outside in the storm, the Princess and Prince walked to the entrance hall, where the Princess’ friends had gathered, waiting. When they opened the door, they saw a hunched over figure, cloaked and frail, but undeniably feminine. Upon seeing the Princess and Prince, the hunched figure spoke in a wheezing voice
“Please, please give me shelter. I was traveling home when this storm hit, and the horses pulling my carriage were spooked by the lightning. Their thrashing and wild running broke their harnesses, and the carriage crashed. I noticed this castle, and have come here seeking shelter until the storm has passed.”
The Princess immediately took pity on the cloaked woman, but as she moved to welcome her in, the Prince grabbed her arm, pulling the Princess inside and saying to her “My dear, you cannot seriously be meaning to let her in. Look at her, her cloak is little more than rags. I doubt she was capable of paying for a carriage in the first place. No, she is more likely a thief than a lost traveler. I say send her away, never to return.”
The Princess’ response was less than pleased “I cannot in good conscience send her away when she may be in need of help. It would go against how I was raised and what I was taught.”
“Well, if you insist on bringing her inside, then I will take my leave. I will not share shelter with one like her.” Was the Prince’s reply.
At this the Princess became conflicted. Should she let the woman in and stay true to herself, at the cost of her potential love? Or should she turn her away and resume her evening with the Prince, at the cost of her morals? She decided to let her heart make the choice for her.
“I am deeply sorry miss, but I am afraid I cannot give you shelter, I wish you luck on your journey home.”
At this, not only was the cloaked woman shocked, but so were the Princess’ friends, though theirs was quickly replaced by looks of hurt. The woman pleaded once more
“Please, miss, reconsider. My old bones will not survive the journey home in this weather. If you wish for compensation, I have this crown, a family heirloom.” At this, the woman pulled from within the folds of her cloak a beautiful golden crown, adorned with a magenta, six-pointed star at the top. The Princess hesitated, the crown was beautiful, and obviously worth something to the woman, given its near pristine condition. But before she could respond, the Prince pushed past her.
“I knew she wasn’t an ordinary traveler. The whole story with the carriage was probably false, or at least not the whole truth. She must have taken this crown from the true occupant of the carriage, and came here seeking a place to hide. Begone with you, wretch! Never return!”
While he was saying this, the Prince had wrested the crown from the cloaked woman, shoving her to the ground in the process. As he was closing the door, however, the woman’s hands stopped the doors. This surprised the Prince, but not as much as what happened next. Suddenly, the doors were thrown open by an invisible force, and the woman walked into the hall, her cloak dropping away as she did. What was revealed was not a frail, old woman, but instead a tall, regal Enchantress with an intimidating presence. At her full height, she stood a full head taller than the Prince, and her gleaming alabaster skin was covered in a long, flowing dress of the same color. Adorning her wrist were a pair of golden cuffs, and around her neck was a golden necklace with a blue-ish purple jewel in the center, and an intricate pattern going up to the clasp at the back. Atop her head was a golden crown, with three points sticking up from the center, and set into it was a gem matching the one in her necklace. Her hair was long, reaching to her waist, its three colors of pink, blue, and green blowing as if in an ethereal wind. Everyone present was shocked at the transformation, and when the woman spoke, it was with a voice filled with power and disappointment
“I am saddened to receive such disrespect because I came before you in such a humble manner. Prince, you judged me based on my appearance, and came to your own reasons for my being here. You assumed I meant no good, and saw me as beneath your station and time. Therefore, your punishment shall be: Every moment you spend among allies, you will spend in fear of their motives. A fear that at any moment they will turn on you, in order to take your power for their own. And in every moment you spend amongst your subjects, you will be the object of attention. Women will throw themselves at you, eager to be your wife, regardless of their age. And every man will look at you out of jealousy and scorn, refusing you service of any kind. Such shall be your curse.”
Upon hearing this, the Prince’s eyes grew wide with fear, but he did not leave. He could not leave, for he felt some force compelling him to stay. The Enchantress then turned to the Princess, and looked upon her not with rage, but pity. Her next words were
“And you, Princess of Castle Everfree, while not directly responsible for this outrage, are not without blame. You are a kind, generous, honest, loyal, and happy soul. And yet, when you gave me your response, you were not honest with yourself. You acted out of selfish love. You betrayed your morals, and in doing so, cruelly took away the smiles and happiness of your friends. Therefore, your punishment shall be: For the rest of your days, you will feel only anger, will never trust another, will never tell the whole truth, will never act without something to gain, will never treat another without cruelty. Your form will become that of a creature more befitting your new self, and your servants shall take forms more fitting of their stations. But, I am not without mercy.”
At this, the Enchantress summoned the crown once more, levitating it so all could see, as she said
“I saw your doubts when I offered this crown, and as such, shall give you a chance to redeem yourself. This crown is magical in nature, and as such your curse shall be bound to it. Should you find someone that can teach you to be the individual you once were, before the light from the gem fades away completely, then your curse shall be broken. Should you fail, however, then your curse shall be permanent. So shall be your curse.”
As the Enchantress spoke these words, the star-shaped gem increased in its brightness, until it was almost blinding. Once the Enchantress had finished, a pulse of magical energy burst from the crown, encompassing the entire hall. As the pulse passed through the servants, they began to change, as did the Princess.
The first thing to change were her eyes, as where once there was white, there was now only black. Her ears extended, becoming pointed and sharp, and her teeth changed to fangs. Her hands and feet became clawed, and her skin changed from amber-orange to blood-red. She hunched over in pain, as from her back sprouted demonic, bat-like wings, and from the base of her spine sprouted a tail, the same colors as the hair upon her head, which was now styled upwards to look like a flame. Her knee-length dress changed as well, becoming the same color as her hair and tail, and adopting a pattern similar to swirling flames.
The Prince, upon seeing what was happening to those around him, fled. He ran from the castle grounds and into the forest, completely uncaring for the beasts that may lurk within. The last things he heard were the Princess' roars of pain. As the final changes occurred to the Princess and her once-friends, the Enchantress also left, but she did so in a flash of light that took all light in the room with it, plunging the hall into darkness. Where once there was a Princess, there was now nothing but a Demon.
Two years passed, and the castle grounds became overgrown, the exterior fell into disrepair, and what once felt inviting and warm was replaced with a feeling of dread and cold. Ponyville, completely unaware of these events, went on like nothing happened. And nothing did happen, until an eccentric inventor by the name of Night Light moved to Ponyville, accompanied by his bookish and scientifically-minded daughter, Twilight Sparkle. It is with her that this story truly begins.
The sun started to rise over the sleepy little town of Ponyville. As its light washed over a small, two-story cottage on the outskirts of town, the door opened, and out walked a young woman named Twilight Sparkle. Twilight had vibrant purple skin, with dark indigo hair tied into a bun, and adjacent streaks of pink and purple hair towards the center of her forehead. She wore a simple, white shirt with sleeves that stopped just above her elbows and a few buttons going down from the collar, a dark violet skirt that reached just above her knees, white ankle socks and light indigo walking shoes. A plain, beige messenger bag was hanging at her right side, its strap atop her opposite shoulder.
“Alright Twilight. It’s your second week in Ponyville, hopefully you remember where the places you need groceries from are located. If not, you have a map! It was nice of the couple that lived here previously to leave us a map of town when they moved out. I wonder what their real reason for doing so was. I mean, they told us it was because they didn’t have enough room for their dogs’ puppies, but how could one female dog have 101 puppies in such a short period of time? It just wouldn’t be scientifically possible. The average number of- No! Focus Twilight! What is the first place I need to go on the list?”
Twilight took a list out of her bag, and after looking over it three times, she set out towards Ponyville proper. As she was walking she felt some urge to sing. If there was one thing Twilight was still unsure about after living in Ponyville for a week, it was why the Ponyvillians could break into spontaneous, synchronized song, with little to no provocation or warning. After the third time it happened, she vowed to discover how such a thing was scientifically possible. She had no conclusive data yet, and despite how much she tried to resist the urge that now gripped her, she was unable to. So, just as she reached first buildings in town, she started to sing
~ Little town It's a quiet village Every day Like the one before Little town Full of little people Waking up to say: ~
“Quiet! Too loud! The sun isn’t even fully up!” Twilight blushed as she heard these and other comments from the various houses in her vicinity. “Guess even the people of Ponyville have a tolerance limit for on the spot musical numbers. Filing that data away for later.”
As Twilight continued towards Ponyville’s Market Square, with noticeably less singing, she passed by Sugarcube Corner, where one of the owners, Carrot Cake, if she was remembering his name right, was yelling inside to his wife, Cup Cake, asking how long until the first batch of pastries was ready. She also passed by Berry Punch’s tavern, walking under its sign proclaiming the name of the establishment as ‘The Drunken Nightmare’, with an almost cartoonish depiction of a black horse with a mane and tail that, oddly enough, resembled a starry night sky, chugging down a mug of beer. She could hear Berry Punch cleaning up the remnants of last evening’s business, in addition to her trying to wake up those patrons who had drunk themselves unconscious the previous night. She saw the town mailwoman on her rounds, her blond hair flowing behind her as she rushed to the next stop on her route.
As Twilight entered the Square, she immediately spotted the first stop on her list. Walking up to the apple stall, she saw that today it was being run by the younger sibling. She could tell by the light yellow skin and waist-length red hair tied together by a pink bow on top of her head. She was also wearing a flannel shirt, a pair of overalls that seemed one size too big, and a pair of muddy brown boots. As Twilight got closer, the young girl greeted her with a smile
“Howdy, Miss Twilight! How are ya doin’ this morning?”
“Pretty good, Apple Bloom. Just doing the morning grocery run. I don’t mean to be rude, but isn’t your brother usually the one who runs the stall? Did something happen?”
“Naw, nothing bad. Today’s just the anniversary of the day mah big sis’ went into the Everfree tah’ see if she could find some castle or something she heard ‘bout in one of Granny’s old stories. At least, that’s what Big Mac tells me. Ah don’t remember mah big sis much.”
“You don’t remember her much? How long ago did she leave, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Don’t mind none at all. Well, let’s see.” At this Apple Bloom’s face turned up in thought, “Ah turned 11 last month, and Mac says ah was 5 when she left, so ah guess tha’ would make it 6 years today.”
“She left 6 years ago?” Twilight asked with surprise on her face, “Didn’t your parents try to stop her?” Almost immediately Twilight regretted asking, as Apple Bloom’s face became downcast.
“Mac tells me our Ma and Pa passed a couple years after ah was born, so ah remember them even less than mah sister.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t kn-”
“It’s fine, Miss Twilight. You and yer Pa are still new to Ponyville, so you couldn’t have known. From what Granny and Mac have told me, mah parents and sis were some of the nicest folks in town.” Apple Bloom’s face regained its smile from moments ago, “Anyways, Mac wanted to use today to search some of the Everfree for any trace of our sis. He said tha’ she took one of our Pa’s most treasured items, a gold pocket watch with a ruby cut into the shape of an apple on the lid, with her when she left. He’s hoping to find it.”
“Well I hope he does find something. Now, I should be getting along with my groceries. Three apples, please?” After receiving her purchase, Twilight said goodbye to Apple Bloom and went to get the rest of the items on her list.
“Let’s see. Eggs, check. Produce, check. Bread, check. That’s all the groceries we should need for the week. I wonder if the library has any new books in? It wouldn’t hurt to check before I head home. I also need to return the ones I borrowed from last time.”
At the thought of reading something new, Twilight quickened her pace, heading towards the center of town, and the chapel located there. The Ponyville Chapel was a peculiar structure compared to the architecture used throughout the rest of town. Instead of the stone, brick and thatch common in the houses and businesses of Ponyville, the chapel seemed to be comprised entirely out of blue-ish purple crystal, with gold-colored steps leading up to a pair of big, oak doors. Twilight had not yet been inside Ponyville’s place of worship, but she had met Ponyville’s resident man of faith, as he lived in and also ran the library right next to the chapel. He was. . . an interesting individual to be sure. Definitely not the kind of person you’d expect to be leading a congregation in prayer.
Twilight soon arrived at the doors of the Golden Oaks Library. After mentally readying herself, she entered the tree-shaped place of knowledge. Upon doing so, she looked around, seeing that no one else was in the room. She also noticed that, like always, the shelves were a chaotic mish-mash of various books of every genre, author, size and shape, with no order or pattern to it. Twilight had offered to organize the library and create a filing system that made sense, but the man was quick to dismiss her offer, saying
“My dear, what fun is there in making sense?”
Twilight jumped from the sudden voice directly to her right, where, seated in a chair she was certainwas not occupied a moment ago, Father Discord had spoken those same words she was thinking. Discord had greyish-green skin, yellow pupils with red irises, and a rat’s nest of white and black hair on his head. He was dressed in a mismatch of clothing, seemingly comprised of clothing for any occasion and season, and in almost every color of the rainbow. He was wearing a red winter scarf, indigo sandals, orange trench coat, yellow jeans, and a pair of skin-tight gloves, the left looked like an eagle’s talon and the right looked like a lion’s paw. Twilight had yet to figure out how he held anything with them, but didn’t want to seem rude by asking.
“Sorry for startling you, my dear Twilight, but I couldn’t help repeating my words from the first time you offered. At least, I assume that was the reason for the disappointed look you were giving your favorite source of entertainment. Regardless, what can I do for you this fine morning?”
While he was talking, Discord had gotten out of the chair and made his way to in front of Twilight, who, having regained her composure, reached into her bag, making sure to be gentle with her groceries, and pulled out a couple of books. Both were fairly thick, and were titled A Study of Physics in Engineering: Volume 1/Volume 2. Twilight had borrowed them the first day they arrived in Ponyville, and had already read through both twice.
“I was hoping to return both of these, and was wondering if you had received any new books since I was last here?”
“Ah, well you can certainly return those two, but I wasn’t expecting you to have finished them already. As for the second thing, sadly I have not, and probably will not for some time. Ponyville doesn’t exactly get much traffic, so I usually have to trade with any merchants that pass through town for new stock. My apologies.” Upon seeing Twilight’s less than enthusiastic response, Discord quickly added “But let me see if I can find something that strikes your fancy. Maybe something of the Fantasy or Fictional variety? One of my personal favorites involves a little island girl making friends with a multi-limbed, alien dog-thing.”
“That’s alright, Father Discord, but I don’t feel interested in the make believe, like magic and aliens. Do you have any other books related to the Sciences or maybe Philosophy?”
“I can certainly take a look, my dear. Give me a few moments.” Discord then proceeded to search through the many shelves, at times pulling out a title, only to moments later shake his head, mutter something inaudible to Twilight, and push the book back in. Twilight took this opportunity to look through the assortment of literature herself. After a few minutes, Discord spoke up, startling Twilight, saying “You are certainly a strange one, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Most young ladies your age are looking for romance, not scientific answers to the world around them. Not to mention that I have heard gossip around town, all of it harmless things, but most of it directed towards your father. His profession isn’t very common around here. It wouldn’t take much for the rest of Ponyville to label him as the town kook.”
Twilight’s startled mind quickly became confused. “My father, labelled a kook? Why?” Twilight turned towards Discord with the intent to ask this question, but before she could open her mouth, Discord spoke again
“And don’t bother asking me why. I stopped trying to understand Ponyvillians after my first couple months in town. You wouldn’t know, but before you and your father came to town, I was the most eccentric individual in Ponyville. Even after I took over for their previous pastor, I was still regarded as strange, on account of my… condition, yet they still trusted me to keep their confessions secret!”
The confusion in Twilight’s mind now made its way onto her face. “Condition? Does it have anything to do with why you wear those gloves all the time?” Discord chuckled, responding
“It has everything to do with my ‘gloves’. I suppose you want an explanation. It would be easiest to explain it if I told you how I became a pastor in the first place.” Discord took a couple books off of a shelf, and walked over to the chair he was sitting in earlier. He motioned for Twilight to sit in the chair across from him, to which she did. Discord then began
“When I was young, I never believed I would become a man of the cloth. I always dreamed I would travel the land as a bard or entertainer of sorts. Unfortunately, I suffered from a very rare condition, one that was common in my Father’s ancestors, but hadn’t showed itself for a good number of generations. This condition caused my arms to grow differently. And by differently, I mean they grew into limbs that no human should naturally have. My left arm from my hand to halfway between my elbow and shoulder mutated into an eagle’s talon, while my right arm from my hand up to just below my shoulder took the appearance of a lion’s limb and paw.”
As he said this, he took off his trench coat, revealing that he was wearing a woolly, sky blue turtleneck underneath. He rolled up the sleeves past the shoulder, showing Twilight that what she first took for gloves were in fact an eagle’s talon and lion’s paw, exactly as Discord described. Upon seeing this, her jaw dropped as her brain tried to scientifically process the mutation.
“I’d close that mouth of yours, you could catch flies like that!” Discord joked as he rolled the sleeves back down. “Now, where was I? Oh yes!”
“I was constantly teased about it by the other children, and their parents and the other adults would have nothing to do with me, if they weren’t outright encouraging the kids. My parents ran one of the most popular taverns in the city, but once word spread of my condition, their business suffered. My parents were a superstitious lot, and so they saw me as being cursed, and the cause of their troubles. So they kicked me out onto the streets. Luckily, one of the church’s priests was passing by when this happened, and upon seeing my distress, offered to let me live with him. To make a long story short, he was the reason I chose to become a clergyman. Shortly after becoming a pastor, Ponyville’s previous one requested me to travel to this town in order to get the town familiar with my presence before I succeeded him. Fast-forward to now, and that’s pretty much my tale.”
The entire time Discord told his tale, Twilight was enraptured by his words. His explanation had answered some questions she had had ever since meeting Discord. A new one then presented itself to Twilight. “Why tell me this?”
“Pardon? I’m not quite sure I understand your question.”
“Why did you tell me about your past, and about your condition? What relevance does that have with myself and my father in relation to Ponyville’s population?”
At this, Discord smirked, “My dear Twilight, I told you about my past in order to give you advice. That advice is to make an effort to get to know the people around you. The more comfortable they feel around you, the easier it is for them to accept who you are and the things you like. You’ve been in Ponyville, what, little more than a week? And how many people have you made an effort to get to know?”
Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and looked down at her lap as she thought about Discord’s words.
“Well, that’s enough surprisingly serious stuff for now. I expect you have to get back home before your father leaves this evening, right? I shouldn’t take up any more of your time. But, think about what I said, alright? I’d hate for you to become the town pariah.”
At this, both Discord and Twilight got up from their chairs, Discord handed Twilight the books he picked out for her, and she bid him good day as she left the library.
