//------------------------------//
// 7: Discord 
// Story: For the Good of Equestria: Shadows 
// by brokenimage321 
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Gradually, things begin to settle down. Luna is still hard to deal with, but she's making obvious effort; Cadance continues to be distant, to both Luna and Celestia, though she spends more and more time with Shining Armor; while Celestia basically begins to live vicariously through Twilight's letters. 

Though she hadn't assigned Twilight a specific schedule, Twilight sends her a new Friendship Report promptly each week, and it's always the highlight of Celestia's day. She reads and re-reads each one, coming to know her favorite Student much better, and laughing and crying along with each of her adventures. When she's done, she carefully files away Twilight's letter in a crate she keeps in her bedroom.

Twilight, of course, continues to try too hard. For example, when Celestia accidentally sent her two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, rather than the six she'd intended, Twilight interpreted it as a test and acted accordingly, and when Celestia sent Twilight on a scouting mission to a nearby dragon cave, Twilight took it upon herself to single-hoofedly scare the dragon away. And yet, Celestia can't help but smile at her efforts to please her, irritating though they may sometimes be.

Celestia also comes to know Twilight's friends through her letters, almost better than some of her current-day friends. They're all rather young, and within a couple years of each other; the oldest is Rarity, who is just starting her own business, while Twilight is tied with Pinkie for the youngest. [Link to my breakdown, which assumes a slightly older Twilight]. Nevertheless, Twilight comes to "lead" the group, if it can be said to have a leader: though she's still a little shy in many situations, she comes to speak for the group as a whole, and often finds herself mediating intra-group conflicts. 

Things continue more-or-less in this vein for several months--until, without warning, a great many magical disturbances spring up all over Equestria, basically all at once. Often, these disturbances are, well, disturbing--unnatural weather patterns, sudden mutations of plants and animals, and unusual patterns in the stars and sky. Celestia summons several of her Students, including Twilight and friends, to try and figure things out. Just as Twilight and her friends arrive, though, things become completely clear--because Discord decides to finally make an appearance.

The image of Discord, god of chaos, appears in Canterlot's stained-glass windows, and taunts Celestia and, by extension, the mane 6. He tells them, that, this time, he won't underestimate them: he's hidden the Elements, the weapons that were used to defeat them last time, and drops cryptic hints about where they can be found. But then he drops another bombshell: Discord has broken open Tartarus, and unleashed the monsters inside on Equestria. He presents Celestia with the choice: protect her people, or try to defeat him again.

Discord disappears, and Celestia dismisses her Students, including Twilight and Co. They leave, but Twilight soon returns, and declares her intention to go find the Elements. However, Celestia cuts her off and orders her and her friends to go home. Discord is crafty, and wouldn't just give them a clue like that, not unless he had something up his sleeve. She tells her, from experience, that the only way to win against Discord is to not play his games--and, furthermore, Celestia doesn't want any of them to get hurt. Celestia again orders Twilight to leave, and she reluctantly does. Celestia goes to her chambers to prepare for war, but, before she leaves, she hesitates. Suddenly, she grabs the crate of letters, then throws the whole thing on the fire, and watches as they, one by one, turn to smoke and fly away. Though the letters are perhaps her dearest possession, she wants Twilight to know that she really, truly cares for her, and is sending her home to keep her safe, not because she thinks she's weak, or fragile, or otherwise doesn't want her help. Celestia doesn't have time for a personal note, but hopes that the letters will spark Twilight's memories of better times. 

Celestia quickly rallies all the armed forces she can--the monster hunters, the palace guard, the Equestrian Militia--and brings them all to Fort Charon, the fortress that stands guard over Tartarus. As Discord said, the gates have been flung wide, and monsters are already laying siege to the fortress. 

Celestia and the monsters fight a pitched battle, with enormous Equestrian casualties. Just as things are starting to get truly desperate, the monster lines break. Celestia has no idea what's happened, but isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, and, after several more hours, is able to push the monsters back and re-seal the prison.

Celestia returns home late at night, and, exhausted, just wants to fall into bed and go to sleep. However, a servant informs her that her guests are waiting in the throne room, and, confused, Celestia pokes her head in. There, she finds Twilight and her friends, still wearing their Elements of Harmony, dead asleep. Celestia accidentally wakes Twilight, who shrieks eagerly; her scream wakes the others, and all of them swarm Celestia, talking excitedly. Celestia is overwhelmed, and can't understand any one of them--until she suddenly catches Discord's name. 

"What did you do?" she snarls--and all six of them fall silent.

Twilight sets her jaw, then steps forward and speaks for the six of them. She, in direct contradiction to Celestia's orders, had told her friends that Celestia asked them to follow Discord's clues, and to try and bring him down. Her friends, never questioning her, did. Though Discord was, in fact, cleverer than they could have imagined, they were able to defeat him through determination and dumb luck--at the exact moment that the battle at Fort Charon turned. 

Twilight expects Celestia's approval, but Celestia is furious. She tells the six they're welcome to stay the night, but she will write their parents and have them come pick them up in the morning. And, when the Sparkles arrive, Celestia adds viciously, they're going to have a talk about Twilight's continued tutelage. 

Celestia tries to get some work done that night, but finds that she can't concentrate. Her thoughts are filled with visions of what could have happened to those six little fillies--and, more than a little, by the image of the sorrow and betrayal on Twilight's face when she told her she would be speaking to her parents.

The next morning, Celestia watches through the palace window as the various groups of parents arrive to take their daughters home (though a few of them, especially Rarity and Applejack, are legal adults, and leave on their own). Just as Celestia spots Twilight's parents coming up the walk, the Cakes arrive. Twilight gives Pinkie a big hug, then turns away. Celestia sees that she's been weeping--and realizes, suddenly, that she has made a terrible mistake.

Celestia charges onto the front walk just as the Sparkles arrive. Celestia hesitates, then pulls Twilight in for a hug, which makes her break down completely. Celestia silently comforts her, then, when her crying has slackened a little, she apologizes, deeply and repeatedly. Celestia admits that she's scared of losing Twilight--that Twilight means so much to her [AS A FRIEND] that the thought of losing her was almost too much. Celestia asks her forgiveness (which she freely gives), then promises that she'll make it up to her and her friends, in a way they truly deserve. Twilight, sniffling, asks whether she can keep attending Celestia's school, to which Celestia responds that of course she can. Twilight squeals for joy, then pulls her Mom and Dad in for a group hug.

As the four of them break apart and go their separate ways, Celestia notices that Luna is watching her from a high window. She thinks nothing of it until later that night, when Luna approaches her. Luna (in her now-normal, rather forceful way) asks Celestia to follow her to the library. There, wandering among the bookshelves, Luna begins to ask Celestia about Starswirl, especially about his research. Celestia, confused, answers what she can, but admits that she never figured out what he was working on; Luna replies that she's spent a lot of time in the library lately, especially among Starswirl's writings (which are easier for her to read than modern-day literature), and says that she might have an answer. 

Starswirl's research mostly involved time--especially the ability to reverse or to change it, perhaps in an effort to undo something he regretted (Celestia thinks, to herself, that he probably wanted to go back and save the Empire--if not from Sombra, then from herself). Apparently, he never really found what he was looking for... which is why he spent the last several years of his life working on this. Luna passes an ancient journal to Celestia, who begins to flip through it. His writings make little sense to her--until, suddenly, it all falls into place. He was trying to make himself immortal--by making himself an Alicorn.

Celestia lowers the book to find Luna staring at her. Luna says, quietly, that, with those notes, that an especially talented magical researcher might be able to complete the spell. That is, it might be possible for a clever, powerful unicorn to turn herself into an Alicorn. "That is," she says, "It's possible that you might never have to say goodbye to Twilight."

Celestia swallows, hard. She looks down at the book, both overjoyed beyond words, and terrified to the very marrow of her bones.