Prologue and Chapter I: Divine Intentions
Chaos Acknowledged
Prologue
There was something he really did not understand here, something quite extraordinary. It was unlike anything from the way things usually went when he was around. And the thing really bothering him was not the thing itself, but the fact that there seemed to be no way he could grasp it, figure it out, or change it.
This terrified him more than anything ever had.
…But only for a time so brief it mattered not, compared to the joy this pure feeling of fear and horror brought him. To be able to feel these emotions washing over him like an unstoppable tide. Truly, he knew the terror brought by fear so deep even chaos itself froze in a state of utter immobility and oh how he hated immobility, the cold that was the essence of it, how he despised it. For there was nothing more vile to him than the clear order and emptiness of the cold, he himself being a creature of movement, of warmth, of fire, of inferno.
And then it had happened.
He was captured.
In stone.
Forever.
The state of oblivion, now destined to him, was mostly what somepony would call boring, dull and tiresome in its lack of activity, the only company being the void itself, the cold. Indeed, if he had been somepony instead of being a nopony, he might have gotten quite mad trapped there in the stone, in the cold, in himself – but he found a cure. In the deepest depths of cold and of himself he found his cure for this cage of oblivion he was condemned to. Well, a salvation more like, and this was really quite something new to him, something he had not thought about before, truly could not have thought before, because before, he did not know how to think in the first place. That is only to say, in the darkest and coldest of all prisons, he found himself a consciousness. And with this consciousness, he found a gift even stranger to him, which was memory, a series of pictures and feelings that were not real but once had been, all of a sudden they filled his new consciousness and all his senses with riches he did not know could lie therein, in himself. For a time he was content with these two gifts, these two brilliant talents he had come up with all by himself – they gave him the power to live in his memories instead of dying in that lack of outside stimuli, they let him dwell again in the world he had once had.
Before it happened. Before the judgment. Before the imprisonment.
And so, after “for a time” was not enough for him anymore (and how could it be, for a creature such as he was?), he gave himself yet another gift, given by this consciousness he had come accustomed to call – and oh he loved calling things things, naming them. He loved this power as he loved the many others this new awareness had brought him, the gift being that of imagination, the greatest gift of them all, as he would soon find out, for to say he could imagine things was to say that water could make ponies wet. And there was one particular thought his memory could not have come up with, since it was not there to be found. Because it had not happened, but instead it could be imagined, a thought he found most intriguing.
And so he imagined an escape.
And more importantly, a Vengeance.
Princess Celestia, I will give you a Gift. An image. I will give you – and for all the ponies that swear their loyalty to you, for all of Equestria, I will give you the image much deeper than fear, than cold, than oblivion. For all of you I will give the image of Despair.
And with these thoughts set in his new mind, Discord, the avatar of chaos itself, escaped from the prison made for him by Princess Celestia of Equestria.
Chapter One: Divine Intentions
It was not so often anymore that Princess Celestia found herself watching silently the great glass window of her castle's throne room, the time for these peaceful moments growing scarcer and scarcer by the year. This was mainly due to the increasing amount of work her kingdom demanded of her or, more precisely, what she made her kingdom to do for itself. Especially the educational system needed a great renovation and a project of unification, for it would not do that ponies just a few hundred miles apart from each other learned to read, count and study history in completely different ways, depending on the interests of their teachers and of themselves. A unified curriculum ought to be created before the year was at an end so its implementation could be started before the spring, when most of the countryside would be burdened by the sowing. On top of that Saddle-Arabia had recently inquired, in a manner most subtle, about the possible marriage between Princess Cadence and a member of their royal family. That option was now ruled out, as politically wise as that would be, since Princess Cadence was clearly having some sort of an affair with the captain of the royal guard.The couple had gone to great lengths to hide this, though, fearing her disapproval. The annoyance about their affair was only slightly dimmed by the fact that the couple would really think her such a fool, as not to notice a member of her own house having an affair under her own roof. Although, both of these thoughts were dismissed because they at least were willing to respect her enough, were even willing to consider her opinion on the matter, and seriously at that. She would let them continue with this play, pretend surprised even if they revealed their intentions publicly, and finally approve of a possible marriage. A showcase of power would not be needed, if the gratitude following would bind the two to her even more tightly. And as to Saddle-Arabia… They would more likely than not be content with a marriage of a member lesser in rank than Cadence, though they would remember that afterwards.
As it was, though, none of these things cast their shadow on Celestia's mind at the moment, since her thoughts were on matters much more pressing. They were on an emotion somepony might call doubt, if they in their ignorance did not know that Celestia did not doubt her own intentions and actions. But something was burdening her soul even if she wouldn’t admit it to anypony, ever.
“Haven’t seen you so serious since you grounded me on the moon, sister.”
Hoof steps of Princess Luna were soft as velvet, even against the hard marble floor of the room. Her mane and tail were flowing around her with a life of their own in the way her sister's did, although whereas Celestia's hair glowed a clear spectrum of purple, teal and green, Luna's was a vexing mix between the shades of blue, evening black, and shady violet, turning towards the night's darkness around the fringes. Her beauty and grace were only comparable to that silky deep voice that echoed slightly off the walls before sinking into them. Luna strode with long ponderous steps to her big sister's side, still waiting for an answer to her tacit question. It took awhile for Celestia to answer, her eyes revealing nothing beside the glimmering power of the sun that they held within.
“Am I to understand that as an attempt to probe my feelings on the matter of your “grounding” as you called it, or as a meaningless phrase to start up a conversation?”
As so often before, Celestia exercised her habit of answering a question with another question, though her tone obviously told a tale of her tenseness. Now that was interesting, wasn’t it?
“Oh, I know your feelings on the matter well enough.”
“It would seem to me that you do not, noting that bitter tone of your’s” Celestia replied.
“In the event I was indeed bitter about the thing, would you really call that unjustified?” Luna’s reply came out a bit sharper than she had intended. She did not feel sorry about it, though.
“It was your actions that forced my hoof against my will. You have no right to play wounded in this matter.” Celestia’s tone, on the other hoof, gave away nothing but calm determination.
It was a conversation they had had before, which again loomed before them, and Luna was not in the mood to talk about it, although it still riled her that Celestia would use such a mild word, “wounded”, to describe Luna's feelings after a 1000-year exile on some rock. Still, she knew she would lose this battle, and anyway, this was taking them away from the actual topic she was interested in.
“It is your wounds that interest me now, sister. I’m yet to know why you are so keen to study that glass window of yours.”
The silence in the room was something you could bend a sword around, although Luna had learned to deal with silence well enough. She decided to proceed with an educated guess.
“I think I just saw Cadence and Shining Armor slip into the woods alone.”
“Their affair is noted and in accordance with my wishes, though I’d appreciate if they would maintain some degree of modesty in their actions.”
“Oh, is it the slight lack of chastity that’s bothering you so? I could have hardly guessed, remembering your younger self better than you, it would seem.”
“That would indeed be the least of my concerns, although your memoirs of my younger self might not be.”
“As if I would ever say a word against your divine image, seeing how precious it is to you and your little kingdom.”
“That little kingdom is all that my divinity stands for and vice versa. So it would be for you too, were it not for your arrogance and impatience.”
Rather than prove her right and be upset about the notion, Luna tried yet again a different route to the answer she sought.
“Anyway, it’s hardly the paintwork that worries you here. I am your sister, would you not trust me in this, whatever it is?”
“It is not, as you might think, a matter of trust but of teaching. I have full trust in you and your actions now but that doesn’t mean I can’t teach you anything. On the contrary, that I must do.”
Luna knew a thing or two about teaching alright, at least when it came to the style Celestia was practicing. Take that pony Twilight Sparkle and you’d see a well tamed and utterly loyal – even to the brink of being fanatical about it – subject recruited with not so much as a smile and a few gentle words. The girl practically had strings on her hooves, which made Luna think what really separated Celestia's use of control from that of Nightmare Moon’s, save the effectiveness of it. That would be an analogy most unwise to make in her presence, though.
“What is it then that you wish me to learn?” She asked humbly.
”Some patience would be a good start, some understanding of ruling a valid second. To practice these themes in action, let me ask you a few questions in return.”
”I'm all ears.” She really meant it.
”How do you think Discord is doing right now?”
For a second Luna's mind stopped working, this question hitting her like a lightning bolt from a clear sky. After the initial shock she was simply confused, then assured that she had misheard somehow and finally decided that her sister was playing some kind of game with her – and she didn't know the rules.
”I would... Regard its state as... Stony?” There was something deeper to this than that, clearly, but for now Luna decided to play along, giving predictable and simple answers, until she could figure out what her sister was really playing at. It couldn't really be about Discord, could it?
”Oh, but that would be as far from the truth as it could be, dear sister. Try again.”
A more direct route might be more appropriate, then.
”What is it that you are seeking with these questions concerning the state of Discord? The thing is locked in stone for good, as we both know. Is it that you think someone might free it to use its powers?”
”What I ultimately seek is nothing more than the good of all Equestria, for now a little patience from your direction would suffice, though. There is a meaning in every word, in every movement there is, and it takes time to know how to read them.”
”So you do think someone is trying to free the creature called Discord?”
”No, I do not think that, for the spell we used to capture him into stone with should cease to exist in a few days from now, thereby making the act of freeing him quite unnecessary.”
Luna's eyes widened half an inch upon hearing that.
”And here you are, still studying that window like there was no tomorrow! And for all we know, there may indeed not be one if discord should ever be free again.”
”I see that lesson of patience has found a formidable enemy in you.” Celestia’s voice calm to the point of being aggressive.
”This is not a question of patience but of reason – how could you let a spell that important grow old?”
”Because, dear sister, I want Discord to be free again.”
Now Celestia had turned to face Luna eye to eye, although she towered a few feet over her younger sister. The calm but strong glimmering in her eyes was reflected on the deep midnight blue of Luna's iris, the air shimmering between the two. It came as a bit of a surprise to Luna to realize that Celestia was prepared to be challenged in this way, a notion that sent cold shivers up her spine. It was too late to back off, though.
”I suppose you have a valid reason for this action, then?” Luna replied, with a mild confrontational tone in her voice.
The smile that crept on Celestia's lips somewhat lightened the mood, although Luna knew not to trust that smile as eagerly as somepony else might – she knew her sister better than most.
”Of course I do. I mean to achieve two goals with this plan, one consisting of linking Twilight Sparkle and her friends more closely to the Elements of Harmony, the other revolving around the powers of Discord – and how to tame them for the good of all Equestria.”
This time Luna took her time to consider these thoughts, not only to show her sister that she could be able of such a feat but to get an excuse to turn her eyes from those sharp rays Celestia's gaze seemed to radiate. When she spoke her voice was quieter, although still dubious.
”I think I understand the first goal, though I admit it sounds queer to me. The second completely escapes my understanding.”
”It is good you took your time to consider my words this time. I expected you might think the Elements of Harmony were perfectly under Twilight's and her friends' control, remembering how they showed that to you. But alas, they are not yet united in the way I need them to be, and so an exercise is required, maybe even an extreme one.”
”I admit, Discord is an extreme opponent... And I see the wisdom in choosing someone we know how to beat as a practice opponent. If even half of the faith you put on this pony Twilight Sparkle is justified, then Discord should offer her no problems at all, although some collateral damage might occur, don't you think?”
”That is a risk we must always take to make progress in the first place. As to your reconstruction of my reasoning, yes I put my entire trust in Twilight and no, Discord is not the same enemy we fought before – he has a consciousness now. Therefore it might be appropriate that you referred to Discord as”him”, not “it”.
Suddenly Luna took a few hasty steps back from her sister, obviously to Celestia's disappointment, while her eyes seemed to be looking at a complete stranger now.
”What have you done?” She asked quietly, her voice trembling slightly.
Celestia seemed not to notice her sister's distress in the slightest, although her smile had grown a bit more sympathetic in the face of this dismay her sister showed. Or perhaps it was a sign of amusement caused by her sister's reaction to actions she knew were not only necessary, but essential as well, for the greater plan she was devising, had devised, for longer than anypony could comprehend. Whatever was the case, Luna obviously needed a bit more convincing on the matter.
”Dear sister,” Celestia started with a voice radiating calmness and understanding, ”Would you really even in your wildest dreams think that I, if I knew this deed was dangerous to us or the ponies of Equestria, would let it happen? The mere thought of it makes me sad, truly so.”
”I know you wouldn't risk anything that might threaten your seat as the ruler of Equestria, even if it meant sending one of your own blood to exile.” The trembling in Luna’s voice was now replaced by sharpness you could have cut through diamonds with – and Celestia was not keen to see that happen in her palace. Part of it was build of those precious gems.
”Should you again succumb to the selfish claims I thought had abandoned you”, Celestia replied, “would my duty still be to remind you, dear sister, that your exile was self imposed and it ultimately followed from your own actions. I was merely an instrument - ”
”An instrument?!” Luna’s voice cut off Celestia’s sentence. “ You dare name yourself as an instrument after executing both the judgement and the imprisonment? And the ideals you claim stood behind you merely used you as a vessel?”
”You brought eternal darkness for the ponies of Equestria.”
”And you an eternal light, right? I wanted nothing more than what you took for granted, adoring, praise and love from those I protected! Why would day be so much finer than night that the sister who happened to be born to the latter should forever stay in the shadow of the former?”
”Your actions terrified and caused anguish to the common ponies.” Celestia's voice had lost the warm temper of sun and day, and it was replaced now by the dimming light of afternoon that almost felt cold when one remembered the heat that had preceded it.
”Change always causes anguish among the simple-minded, a phrase I recall you have used a number of times. They would have survived and endured, flourished even after they learned to cherish the silent beauty of the night, the stars and the moon. But you used their temporary confusion and childish fear to create a myth of an evil pony who wanted all the sunshine to die. You used their fear and hate against me to power the elements of harmony, so you could use them against me, your own blood. You created the Nightmare Moon from the loneliness you forced me into, from the bitterness you made me swallow.”
Celestia studied her sister, who was now breathing heavily, with calm cool eyes of the evening sun, making a note of how her mane grew darker in the middle when she spoke. If anything this conversation was leading them to paths probably neither really wished to follow, although straying from them was obviously too late by now. The only thing left to do, for reasonable being such as Celestia, was to try and end the conflict before too much could be said.
“I apologise to you.” Celestia said, bowing her head towards the floor, eyes cast down. The gesture left Luna stunned for the third time during the conversation, although this time there was no anger involved in the aftermath of the feelings washing over her – only a slight sense of shame, as weird as that sounded.
“I, well… You… I accept your apology, sister.” Luna finally said, still wondering if she should feel better about this change of events or not. Meanwhile, Celestia rouse again to her full length, the warm and understanding shining having returned to her eyes. She too seemed a bit ashamed, that being the strangest thing having happened this evening.
“You are right about the fact that night and day differ from each other in value not the slightest, yet so much more credit is given for the sister who dwells in the latter as opposed to the former by those who truly understand neither. What they understand, however, is balance between the two, a relation you broke when you extended night over day, for nopony can live in an eternal state of sunlight nor moonlight – but only in between the balance of the two, although they do not always realize this.”
“I… I understand that now.” Luna replied with still mixed feelings moving inside her, feelings of shame, confusion and a slight taste of bitterness. There was still something she had to know.
“But why would you arrest me for so long, only to let me try and conquer Equestria all over again? Why not tell me about this balance before?”
The smile on Celestia’s face didn’t change, yet she took her time to answer, giving the impression that she was contemplating something.
“It was something Mother and Father would have wanted me to do. As your elder I was given the task to watch over you, teach you, and even punish you if need arose.”
This was an explanation Luna had heard before, although the “punishing” part was somewhat new to her. In any case, she recognized the mention of their parents, whom they never spoke much about, as a sign to move on with the conversation, although the response had given her the nasty feeling that something was left to be said here.
“What was the meaning of that lesson, then?” Luna asked with a voice quite casual, giving what they had just talked about.
“It was a lesson meant not only for you but for Twilight Sparkle also, to introduce her to the Elements of Harmony and their use. Mainly I took it as an opportunity to show the true power of the Elements of Harmony to you, for like you remember, even in the hooves of a novice magician their power proved to be immense. Actually, the Elements represent power greater than that of yours and mine combined.”
That was a lot to digest at one swallow, the mixture giving Luna’s hair again a shade darker than second ago, yet she fought against her urge to start fighting again, settling to inquire a matter that had bewildered her for quite some time now.
“What are the Elements of Harmony in the first place?” She asked. Celestia again took her time to answer.
“The Elements… Are something quite hard to explain in short time, and time, I’m afraid, is something we don’t have now. There are still matters I must tend to today, for you too tonight. I will try to find time so we can talk about them some other time.”
As clear of a dodge as there could be, thought Luna, or at least something close enough to make her really remember the thing afterwards. There might also be some books in the library she might be able to get a clue about the matter. She moved aside as Celestia started to walk off the throne room, graceful as ever. Luna was yet surprised when she stopped at the main entrance to talk.
“One more thing, sister. When Discord is released, do not try to interfere with the confrontation following, not unless lives are endangered. I wish to see how Twilight manages the situation with her friends alone.”
Having almost, almost that is, forgotten about Discord, Luna felt a cold shivering move through her even at the thought of that creature. There were so many questions she wanted answers for, but only one was able to flee her lips and reach Celestia before she vanished though the great doors.
“What it is you want from that thi- I mean him, anyway?” Luna asked.
“Why, the same I want from the Elements. To use them.” Celestia answered.
And the doors shut down with a wooden creak.
Leaving Luna alone in the throne room, alone with the throne itself, cold marble… And the glass painting she now looked upon for the first time that day.
She couldn’t be sure… But wasn’t the image of Discord facing the other way before?
Now it seemed to stare right back at you.