Princess Celestia and Discord converse about the true nature of chaos. AU-ish. Set some time after Discord's imprisonment for the first time
After Princess Celestia's decision to banish her sister to the moon, she's come to realize that her power is diminishing. There is an unbalance of power and the Elements of Harmony are lost to her. Discord is her only hope to help put it right, but at a price.
A/N: Just wanna say that I'm not a fan of the show and even less of a brony. That being said, many might wonder why I wrote this in the first place. The answer is simply this: I'm bored. Anyway, please don't hesitate to leave any comments, praise, suggestions, corrections, death threats etc. since this is my first time writing in this fandom and I'd sure appreciate the help to improve my writing. I hope you enjoy.
Setting: This takes place sometime after Discord (and after Princess Luna's banishment) is imprisoned for the first time. So, Twilight Sparkle and the gang will not be making an appearance. Sorry.
Warnings: Not sure where I'm going with this or if I even want to make this more than a one-shot so for now, I'll keep it T for language and some mention of darker/adult themes in the (maybe) future.
It started innocently enough at first, like most things often do, with an occasional passing glance out her window. Just to make sure he's still there, of course.
Her eyes would sweep over the gardens and pause for just a fraction of a second longer on him before going on her way. Hours or maybe even days would pass, he couldn't be sure, before her eyes would search him out again. It wasn't an intentional gaze. Not at first. More like her eyes couldn't help being drawn to his still form like an interesting curio; foreign and disfiguring the beauty of her gardens.
Discord lived for those moments... and hated them with a passion. It was infuriating, frustrating and... and frusfuriating is what it was.
Whether intentionally placed there or not, since he wouldn't put it past her to add insult to injury, he had the perfect view of her balcony. Placed just far enough away to see into the flickering firelight of her study at night, but close enough to see the casual glance of her eyes whenever they landed on him. Since Discord couldn't fix his gaze elsewhere, he watched his only jailor night and day like a sentinel gargoyle.
Well played, of course. There he was, the very embodiment of chaos imprisoned in stone, surrounded by perfectly trimmed hedges like a cheesy lawn ornament and ogled at by any passing pony. A punishment he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies. He wouldn't have ever pegged her to have such a vindictive sense of humor.
Time passed. Days turned into weeks, and weeks stretched into months until he could no longer recall just how long he had been imprisoned and only noticed the passing of time with the seasons. The leaves turned colors, withered away and died. The gardens slept under blankets of shimmering snow, only to be reborn again with the spring. A never ending, weary cycle he longed to break and make his own. And all this sped past in mere moments, for years are nothing but a blink of an eye to an immortal such as himself, but whenever her eyes would catch his... time slowed to a crawl; an everlasting eternity where time pierced his soul with a painful clarity. He often wondered if it was all her doing.
Since he had little else to do with his time other than grow mold and collect bird droppings, he watched her. Her comings and goings, the few visitors she invites up to her study, the long hours she spends reading by candle light. Just... watched her. Waiting for that everlasting moment and see if he could see the trick to it. But there were no strings behind that magic. Nothing. Just the lonely, daily routine of her life, broken occasionally with a glance out the window. He thought that would be as far as it went, her eyes searching for his. Those small moments to wake him from the passing years... but he wouldn't be so lucky.
Apple blossoms littered the neat gravel pathways in the garden, marking the beginnings of spring when it happened. One moment he was barely aware of the world, lost deep within the stone, and the next moment she was there, looking quietly up at him. She didn't say a word, merely dragged her eyes over his still form before they settled on his. Again the aching torture of time settled into his heart and the world slowed to a stop. Blossoms hung in the air. All sound of the wildlife around them dulled, like music from another room; soft and distant.
It was at that moment he realized, she knew he was aware; alive and kicking with a thousand year long itch, restlessly churning his power beneath the bonds of stone. Perhaps she's always known... or maybe it was her intention all along since she did have a thing for doing away and imprisoning those who displeased her. He, forced to watch the orderly way of the world go on around him – Princess Luna trapped within her namesake, far away from the world she longed to be apart of. Celestia sure was making a regular old habit out of it. Her cruel twist of irony was almost admirable.
As soon as that everlasting moment began, it was over with a blink of her eyes. She stepped past his line of sight and sat down in the soft grass and it wasn't until he heard the familiar, rustling sound of parchment, did he realize she was reading a book beneath his shadow. The nerve.
He spent hour after torturous hour listening to each turn of a page and wasn't given the privilege to watch her. Instead, he imagined the face knows perfectly by now since he's spent far too much time watching her and too little time doing anything else. He pictured the way her brow furrowed and shadowed her face in the dim firelight at night while she read. The pensive worry that falls over her eyes like a veil when she returns from court. The countless façades she hangs by the door. Too often is she made to harden her face with a calm mask of serenity and false smiles over the loneliness that licks at the surface.
And she was lonely. Lonely in every way imaginable for that's the price immortals must pay. They're both imprisoned in a sense, he muses. The only difference is that only he can see the bars.
The sun sank below the horizon and the ceaseless turning of pages finally relented. Her hoofs clattered softly on the gravel and she stood before him. Again time stopped. Eternities might have passed; stars born and blowing out their final, fiery deaths a million times over in the stillness of the night.
Be at peace.
Her words reached through the stone although she hadn't uttered a sound. There was no anger in her eyes. No nostalgia of all those years ago before their last battle. Only a weary sort of sadness that bordered on pity. And that would not do. He would not be pitied.
What a laughable contradiction, telling chaos personified to be at peace. You can't wish for peace if you've never known chaos. It's foolish to even try, Princess.
“You're wrong, Discord,” Celestia spoke aloud to the empty garden. “I too, know chaos.”
And with that, she left and time continued on as if it hadn't hiccuped at all, sprinting twice as fast to pick up the slack. Discord watched her go and wished the gravel path would respond to his power, slither up like snakes and devour her whole. What does she know. He could show her true chaos... now wouldn't that be fun?
Time passed from their not-quite exchange and he hoped it would be the last of it. That she'll never bother him again and leave him to his imprisonment... but he wouldn't be so lucky.
A/N: If you've read this far, that means you've suffered through my writing! Congratulations. Thanks for reading and drop me a review and lemme know what you think.
AN: I've been thinking a lot over the balance and rule of power/magic in the series. Since there's no solid cannon answer, I've come up with my own sorta 'head cannon' for it. I hope it's believable, if not, this is still for my own amusement and you're welcome to flame me for it if it makes you feel better. Suddenly, what I had originally mapped out to be a chapter or so looking into character motivations, has turned into something of a real plot in my head that's gonna be pretty much AU. So... I'mma do that and hope for the best. As always – comments, praise, suggestions, corrections, death threats etc. are appreciated.
Discord was sure she was plotting something. She had to be. It was the only explanation. Oh, she might have fooled anypony else. But not him; he knew her so well. It was a conspiracy. It had to be.
There was no other way to explain the lingering hold of her eyes. The longer moments she spent on her balcony, no longer pretending to glance past him. Intentional and not quite as indifferent as before. How the brief moment when their eyes met gradually lengthened and how he was starting look forward to it. His own wants wasn't what bothered him; unsurprising considering the fact that he was very much alone and she his only company in a strange sort of way... but rather it was was her eyes that got him.
Celestia was thinking. Taking her time about it too like she always does; the tiny flicker behind her eyes kindle stronger every time he saw her. It's a dangerous thing when immortals think of future plans. It might take centuries; every pawn and step mapped out with color coded strings and notes to fill a whole library – very tedious – but worrisome. And Princess Celestia was very worrisome. That much he's learned.
And so, since harmony is so predictable in it's nature, it didn't come as a surprise when he heard the soft crunch of snow in the gardens late one winters night. Her steps slowed as she approached him, coat glowing in the moonlight so bright, it seemed to dull the snow around her in comparison. Simply beautiful. He imagined the night air to be crisp and forgiving by the clothes she wore; still light and not too smothering. An evening gown perhaps, dressed to entertain her subjects on the rare occasions she has a mind to do so. She always threw such boring parties.
“Good evening, old friend,” she said evenly, pleasantly even. Friend indeed. If he was her friend in this state, he's glad he isn't her enemy. “But where are my manners,” she continued as her horn glowed, imbued with her power. “You may speak.”
Now that, Discord, hadn't expected. He couldn't remember the last words he spoke before the stone encased his body. Perhaps a dramatic 'Noo!' or something of the like. Maybe even a venomous threat to one day return since he can admit to being a tad bit too theatrical. One thing was for certain, is that he couldn't recall what his voice sounded like spoken out loud. That's how long he's been imprisoned. As such, he was at a loss for words.
“Nothing to say?”
“I'm having a moment of silence for the boredom your ponies are subjected to,” came his swift reply. Despite his cutting words, he was grateful for the chance to say them out loud. Celestia must be in an unusually good mood to grant him such a mercy. “You should have invited me. I'm riot at parties.”
She sighed, her teasing air dropped. “For once... I think you may be right.”
“Oh?” He prodded, curious to be spoken to so candidly.
“Yes,” she agreed. “Maybe we wouldn't be here now if I had invited you to more parties.”
So it's come to this. What-ifs and maybes. So tiresome. What if, perhaps – maybe – she had indulged him? Recognized and worked harmoniously with him so that maybe – perhaps – things wouldn't have gotten out of hand. All he ever wanted was a bit of fun after all. If he had known this conversation would lead down this path, he would've stayed silent just to spite her.
“Is this why you've snuck away from your ponies, Princess? To talk of parties and mock me further?” He drawled, bored.
“If only it were that,” she sighed and turned her gaze on the moon above. He hoped, with some venom, that she missed her sister.
His patience was wearing thin. “Then what is it? I'm a very busy --”
“The Elements of Harmony are lost to me, Discord. Do you know what this means?”
There was a lasting silence as those words internally stunned him. He would have laughed if he could.
The Elements of Harmony are six for a reason. One could never dominate the other and so the majority often ruled. There was ambivalence with six, where perpetual chaos would come of there, equality with two, and stagnation with one. And six was the perfect number for no opposition. Each contrasting; contradicting each other in every way imaginable and yet... in an intricate and oh so very delicate balance. Any more would split the world too far and any less was simply dangerous. And that is why she can not erase him from Equestria. Why her sister still lives. The very Order the sisters tried so very hard to create, was now crumbling at the foundation. Lost and hidden away since it would not be governed by one. Celestia had upset that balance, perhaps by banishing her counterweight – her sister – and Harmony reaped it's payment.
The irony was exquisite.
“So after all this time, the curtain's drawn and the players are still playing, is it?” He said, now very much entertained. “You played your part, I botched mine, and you've condemned us all with your greed for power.”
Celestia stomped her hoof upon the ground. “Spare me your theatrics! Everything I've done, I've done for Equestria. Not for personal gain.”
“But you rule nonetheless, at the top of the food chain. How very convenient.”
“I have not come for petty arguments,” she tossed her mane irritably. “Like it or not, you are the only one I can speak to, Discord.”
Her breath fogged the air between them, catching the faint light filtering through the high windows of the castle and for a moment, she almost looked like the goddess she once was. Now, she lived amongst them, although no less worshiped but it's still there; that immortal division between her and her subjects. He wondered, not for the first time, why she troubled herself with the short, bothersome lives of ponies. They were beneath her beauty, her grace, her... everything. Her quiet understanding and patience for them confused him to no ends. She -- confuses him.
He's yet to decide if that was a good thing or not.
“How very touching,” he said dryly. “So your efforts were for nothing. Sometimes when you win, you lose – big deal. What does that have to do with me?”
“My power has grown sporadic at times. Unpredictable. Perhaps even waning.” Ah, to the meat of the matter. It always comes down to power. “Ever since my sister... I could no longer call upon the Elements of Harmony. And I've not the power to release her from her prison to balance it.”
“So you hope that I should be your counterweight?” He laughed at the absurdity. “Chaos held on a short leash by Order? I fail to see what I could possibly gain from that arrangement.”
“Don't you see? Without Order and Harmony to balance Chaos, Equestria will slowly decay. And you, Discord... will be alone.”
He tried to picture it. An empty land with no ponies to amuse him. No one to appreciate his art, for it was art. It wasn't easy thinking up new seasons and creatures at a drop of a hat. Shame not many appreciated his creativity, but that never stopped him before. Discord could live with that. It was freedom in it's most basic form.
But the unsettling thing about it wasn't the dead landscape or the lack of ponies to toy with, no. It was something much more tangible then that. It was the fact that if Chaos ruled supreme, an albeit appealing prospect, there would no Order to keep it company. It would wither away without Harmony. It would mean the end of Princess Celestia. And the thought shook him in ways he couldn't even begin to describe.
“I'll want my own castle,” he said finally, more serious than he cared to admit.
Celestia sighed in relief. “That could be arranged.”
Never would she give in to his demands so easily. It was a conspiracy. It had to be. “A castle with legs.”
AN: Still short, but eh. I write better with short chapters. Too much throws off my pacing and that's questionable enough already. Thanks for reading. I'll update... soon. Maybe next year.
A/N: Surprise chapter! And yes, it's short again. Bad me. But if it's any consolation, I hadn't expected to update again this year. So there you go. Thanks for the reviews! They keep me thinking and writing. Seriously, I keep a tab open to track the hits this thing makes just to keep me going. As always, speak your mind in the reviews!
Celestia did not appear at her balcony for three days, nine hours, and seven minutes after their late night conversation. She mentioned she would have to ready her remaining strength, but this was ridiculous. True, it had taken the combined powers of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia and Luna to imprison him, and yes, Celestia's powers were diminishing... but never in all of Discord's existence had time moved so slowly.
And it wasn't the dull, average day to day boredom of the gardens that got to him, no. Not the usual passing pony, shoveling the snow into neat pathways or the exact scenery he's memorized over the hundreds of years he's stood there. It was far worse than that. As the hours passed, a slow realization awakened in a deep secluded corner of his mind that she was the cause for his impatience. She had broken his routine. Absent for those moments he's come to look forward to.
The thought was troubling to say the least.
In the first few years, cut off from all feeling within the stone... he used to shudder at the thought that she might break him. Change him. Save him, rehabilitate or recycle him. Whatever justification self righteous ponies use when they want to make somepony into something they don't really want to be. Silly, really. It was like watching a hamster in a wheel, all that tireless futility. But now that his freedom is so close... he's found himself shuddering at the thought of what he'll do when she's no longer apart of his life; watching him from her balcony.
Discord decided right then, to look into picking up a few new hobbies.
Start a rock garden, maybe. No... a cheese garden. That would be wonderful! And delicious! Who doesn't like cheese?
And so, the hours passed as Discord entertained himself with thoughts of his future cheese garden; fondue rivers and tortilla chip trees occasionally dotting the landscape. At length, it no longer became a garden, but a little hamlet up the coast complete with a Mayor to run the place for him while he's off on vacation. Cheesington would be the envy of the world, no doubt, if it wasn't for the salsa spewing dragons who wreaked havoc upon the gouda citizens, but no matter. That's what makes it fun!
So wrapped up in his plans, picturing what the tourist attractions would be like for a town he'll most likely forget about later, Discord hadn't noticed a quartet of royal pony guards approaching him until they surrounded him.
“This is the one?” A guard inquired the others.
There was a collective nod in the group before another spoke. “Any reason why our Highness wants this thing in the dungeons?” This 'thing'. Really?
“We don't question our orders,” another said peevishly. “If Princess Celestia would like it moved, it'll be done. Personally, I've always thought it's been a bit of an eyesore.”
Revenge, Discord decided as they strapped a harness to his stony body, will be sweet and slow as molasses.
But at the moment, he contented himself with the strain the ponies were going through just to move him. The move... well it was slow, but the best ride of his imprisonment. He briefly recalled watching some of Canterlot's construction but had never actually been inside the castle. It's a curious feeling, watching the world turn and grow and never apart of it. It was like watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly under a magnifying glass; distant and yet so close at the same time. And the castle was a butterfly, beautiful in an ordinary sort of way you'd expect castles to be; regal and a bit too boring for his tastes. Still, any view over the garden hedges was appreciated greatly.
During the hesitant process of navigating him safely down the stairs, Discord wondered what Celestia had in store for him in the dungeons. She had been vague about what had to be done and their conversation short; grim and mysterious as always. They both knew his prison was a mortal one and it wouldn't hold him forever, but breaking it could still be costly. And like all magics, a price must be paid. He only hoped that Celestia was still up to the task.
“Here should be fine,” a guard interrupted his thoughts and with a relieved sigh, unceremoniously dropped his pedestal on the ground.
Oh, yes. Revenge for him too. Revenge just seems to keep piling up today. He'll soon need to make a to-do list to keep track of it all.
The dungeon was pretty typical when it comes to dungeons, damp and a bit dark with coarse stone walls and dirt floors. Discord noted it must not get many visitors and was probably built mainly for show since how many evil doers would there be in a land of peace and harmony? Such a shame. All this wasted space. If anything, they could have used it as a rec room for table tennis at the very least. It was certainly spacious enough, that's for sure.
“I'll inform the Princess --”
“No need,” came Celestia's voice from behind Discord's line of sight. At three days, fifteen hours and seventeen minutes, her voice was like a caress. Finally. He could stop counting. “Thank you very much, my ponies. Now, please leave me and lock the door.”
The door creaked shut with a resounding finality and Discord sensed rather than heard Celestia approach him, still just barely at the corner of his vision. “Speak.”
“A dungeon, Princess? If I didn't know any better, it looks as if you plan to release me into another prison.”
“Only a precaution,” Celestia said patiently. “I am not sure if this will work and my chambers aren't suitable for experimentation.” Celestia stepped into view; a worried expression dusting her features. “In fact, I do not trust myself and the results could be... dangerous. It is safer down here should anything go wrong.”
“Let's get to it, Princess. I've got centuries worth of pent up ideas to get started on.”
“For this to work, a small piece of your power must be freely given,” Celestia continued as if he hadn't spoken. “And so will mine, the little there is left. An exchange. A bond. So that through our unity, there could be a semblance of Harmony. In time, the Elements could be restored, although I don't think I shall ever be able to wield them again.”
Discord believed that there are a fixed set of explanations most ponies apply to situations, and if one of those easy explanations doesn’t fit they either push harder to make it fit or they ignore the whole damn thing and learn a few card tricks instead. Celestia was not like most ponies in this regard and rather manipulated others so that everything fit smoothly without getting her hooves dirty. And this new bit of information rank of it; like a contract where the fine print blurs into miniscule dots, impossible to read. Restriction and compromise. Rules of a game he didn't create.
“Do you agree to this exchange?”
“Sounds like you're asking for my paw in marriage, Princess,” he stalled as he tried to make sense of it all. “I'm so sorry, but I'm still in my prime and I'd like to play the field. It's not that you aren't lovely or anything – ”
“Do not test my patience. Answer or I shall leave you here, in the dark, until you do.” He's figured as much, moving him down here had to have been a bargaining maneuver. What a manipulative nag. “Do you trust me, Discord?” She asked and her horn glowed, humming with magic.
In truth, Celestia didn't have anything to bargain with other than his freedom and they both knew he would one day break free from her weakening spell, all he had to do was wait it out. He didn't care for uncertain future of Equestria and it's many faceless ponies. Living alone in a world consumed by chaos was simpler that way; denying the world he once would've embraced. The talk of binding should grind his desire for freedom into nonexistence; play it safe and metaphorically spit in her eye. But it doesn't. It does the complete opposite. There was something about the way she looked at him, that got to him. Bored in claws deeper with every glance she took. Maybe it was her tired eyes or just her plain stubborn hope that things could be perfect, but he couldn't picture an eternity where he couldn't bug her at least once a day and twice on Sundays.
“I trust your nature, Celestia,” he said finally and that much was true. He could trust in Order to do it's thing like it always does. He could trust in her honor, her loyalty, honesty. But Order has a way of stepping it's boundaries until it becomes stiffing control, full of loopholes and half-truths. “But I do not trust you.”
Celestia smiled wanly, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking and wouldn't blame him in the least. “That would have to do.”
Her horn glowed a blinding white and the last thing he saw was her eyes.