//------------------------------//
// When the Moon Burns and Twilight Whispers at the Edge of Night 
// Story: Rip Off the Wings of a Butterfly 
// by LA Knight 
//------------------------------//

"The changelings had Eris because they had Rosedust…and because they'd captured me."

"Because they'd captured you?" Utterly baffled, Luna shook her head. "I do not understand. Were you and Rosedust bait with which to trap Eris?" Discord shook his head, looking exasperated. "Discord, I don't understand. Explain it to me, please."

But Discord merely shook his head again. "You're out of questions, little moon, and you gave me your word you would leave me in peace. Go now."

"Discord—"

He bit out from between clenched fangs, "Get. Out."

Instinct told Luna that pushing Discord now would be a very bad idea. There was a brittle tension in him that the princess could sense, even though Discord held himself stiff and aloof from Luna. So the Night Princess inclined her head in acquiescence, even though everything in her clamored to stay with the chaos lord, and Luna left the dungeons. She had much to think about…and just perhaps, a plan to set in motion.


.


The sun rose and set at least three dozen times without any more progress being made regarding discovering the story of Discord, Rosedust, and the foal known as Eris. As before, when Discord sensed Luna's presence he would stop whatever he was doing and either sit at the table or lie down on his cot and stare at the ceiling until the midnight blue alicorn went away again. He hardly responded to any of Luna's questions or promptings, except a few times when the princess came to see him late in the night, when her duties as the Guardian of Dreams allowed it. Sometimes then, Luna would speak to Discord for hours at a time, only to receive a small bit of information in return.

"Did you know anything about her family?" Luna might ask near the end of the night.

"Her mother is a gardener," Discord would say. "Her blood-father was a brute and a fool that abandoned Rosedust, her mother, and her siblings in his heart when he grew to old and worn-down by mortality to work in his pathetic factory anymore."

"What did she look like?"

"You've never seen someone so lovely."

"How old was she?" Luna might ask.

"Too young to die so brutally," Discord would reply, tone arctic, cutting Luna to the bone. "Too young to be caged in the dark and then murdered thanks to the treachery of a supposed friend."

But these exchanges were brief and rare. Through them all ran one common vein, however—Discord would, no matter the cost, deliver swift and brutal justice to the changeling ruler, Chrysalis, for what she'd done to Rosedust and Eris after he was released from the Equestrian prison. And because of that, Luna at last had something to bargain with. She merely needed her sister to agree.


.


"Absolutely not," Twilight Sparkle snapped.

Luna gritted her teeth, but didn't lash out under the influence of the hot frustration boiling in her blood. She'd learned her lesson after that difficult Nightmare Night her first year returned from her lunar prison. So instead of snapping back at her sister’s protégé, she drew a deep breath and fought for calm.

It had been nearly two months since that last full conversation with Discord. Luna chafed under the need to know more of his story. Something, some instinct, told her that time was of the essence. Now she, her sister, and Twilight Sparkle sat alone in Celestia’s solarium, discussing the matter. Rather, Luna was petitioning Celestia for help.

"Twilight Sparkle…if Discord is telling the truth…if the changelings did what I suspect—imprisoning him, torturing him, and then killing the mare he loved and a foal he cared for—do we not owe it to him, and to them, to see them avenged?"

"You should know Discord isn’t capable of telling the truth! He's manipulating you. He would never fall in love with a mortal. He called us puny, pathetic, insignificant. Does that sound like somepony in love? Does that sound like somepony being forced to betray his friends? He wanted to take over Canterlot, not save it. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Certainly not this Rosedust or this foal. Luna, don’t fall for this! He’ll only hurt us all again!"

But the princess shook her head. "Twilight, I'm telling you—he spoke with real sincerity! Whoever Rosedust was, he loved her, and the changeling ruler murdered her. I think they were forcing him to lead the invasion by threatening her and then…" And then she'd gotten in his way. The Night Princess couldn't regret saving the ponies of Canterlot …but if she'd known about the mare Discord clearly loved, how would it have changed things? "I believe the changelings blackmailed Discord somehow, using Rosedust and perhaps Eris."

It was Spike, Twilight’s attaché, who frowned, looking deeply troubled. "How? Who was the foal? Was she Discord’s?"

Luna shook her head. "I don't see how she could be; she was too old in the illusion he conjured. But he does care for her. I could see that plainly in how he spoke to her. Somehow he allowed himself to soften towards this foal and this mare."

Leaning back in her chair, she turned to Celestia, who sat beside her, quiet and somber in her navy blue evening gown. Luna bit back a frown. Her sister had yet to change out of such dark colors, even now that they'd captured Discord and begun talking to him again. Where the strain of Discord's treachery had manifested in Twilight as stress and anger and protective instincts brought to the fore, it had unfolded in the high princess as melancholy impervious to everything Luna and the rest of them attempted to raise her spirits.

Celestia brushed her mane back, tucking a stray rainbow lock behind her ear. "Luna…I want to believe Discord can be…helped, just as much you do. But what you're proposing is madness. It could spell ruin for the entire kingdom, perhaps all of Equus. Discord cannot be trusted as yet."

"Celestia, we know him. I know him. Let me try this. Let me attempt to bargain with him. After all, he is the one who must convince the Council of Princesses that he is trustworthy. I'll make certain he understands that. Please, Sister…I truly believe that this will work. Won't you let me try? "

The Princess of the Sun and her protégé exchanged uncertain glances, then Celestia turned back to her sister. The violet eyes roved over Luna's features as if searching for some sign. The princess didn't know what her  sister sought; she only gazed back, face regal and gaze beseeching, hoping with all her heart that Celestia would trust her in this. If Discord was telling the truth…it changed many things. Not everything, but a great deal.

At last Celestia sighed. "Even if you are right, Sister, even if Discord was blackmailed regarding the changeling invasion…what of his betrayal before, in Tartarus, when we stayed his hand to prevent a slaughter? What of his attack against you afterward? He sent raw chaos magic to kill you, attempted to slaughter the original Guardians of Harmony. Has he made some excuse about that?"

"No, but I can speak to him about it. My instincts tell me there is more there than any of us know yet. I feel…" Luna lifted her hooves as if she could grasp the words from the air. "Sister, I feel there is more to all of this than we know."

"And you believe you can convince Discord to give up his secrets so easily?"

"Not easily," Luna contradicted. "But he thirsts for vengeance against Chrysalis and her changelings. It burns in him, Sister. I can see it. We can use that to our advantage."

Silence stretched between the Sun Princess and her sister as they regarded each other. Luna couldn't read Celestia’s expression. Would Celestia understand that Luna could feel something, some small part of Discord, reaching out to her? Like a drowning creature desperately reaching for a safe shore, Luna's old friend strained toward her, even while his grief-fueled, half-mad rage held him back as surely as iron chains. How to convince Celestia of this? Without the full story of what had happened after Discord disappeared from Ponyville, Luna didn't think there was a way to make her sister believe.

But finally, the princess of all of Equestria nodded once. "All right. Offer him your bargain. We shall see what happens."


.


More than a fortnight went by without response from Discord; whenever Luna was there, Discord seemed to be sleeping. The princess suspected him of faking it, but couldn't be certain. There was a wall around Discord’s mind, perhaps forged of his innate chaos magic, that prevented her from touching his dreams.

Yet on the fifth day of the third week, Luna felt something ice-cold and piercing the moment she stepped into the dungeons. Magic, sparking and buzzing with raw power, rippled through the air and hummed along the corridor leading toward Discord's cell. A fleeting panic lanced the princess, but she suppressed it. Last time she'd felt such power from his prison, it had been because Discord was summoning the illusion of Eris. It had been weeks since Discord had attempted such a thing, though. Uneasy, the princess picked up his pace, approaching his cell with caution. She halted just out of Discord's line of sight, so that she could observe the draconequus without being seen.

As he had that first time, Discord hunched against the plain white wall of his prison, knees drawn up to his feathered chest. But this time both talon and paw were stretched palm-out before him, shaking with some terrible strain. Chords of muscle strained against the patchy, dun-colored fur and dusty-gold scales. Sweat streamed down the mold-gray brow, plastering strands of ebony mane to temples, cheeks, and neck. A terrible light burned in the amber depths of his gaze as he watched the twining shadows and wisps of plaid-colored light twist together to form the familiar illusion of the burgundy-haired foal Discord called Eris.

Discord's breath whistled between his clenched fangs as he struggled against the bonds of his prison. The magic that Celestia and Twilight Sparkle had placed around the prison and laced throughout the room vibrated and hummed as Discord fought to bring his spell to fruition. The ensorcelled iron bars rattled in their casement with the force of the magic battering at them, but Discord ignored it as he twisted his claws back and forth, as if weaving the magic of the illusion. A thin trickle of blood leaked from both nostrils as Discord leaned forward, brow furrowing in fierce concentration. Wrinkles snarled across Discord's forehead and between his eyebrows.

"I have to," Discord whispered, eyes narrowing. "To avoid it is…I’m no coward. I have to do this." Taking a deep breath, the chaos lord stretched his claws out toward the foal and seemed almost to smooth down the air in front of it. As Luna watched, the illusion began to shrink.

No, Luna realized. Not shrink. The foal was getting younger. The burgundy curls shortened, the foal's body slimmed out and shrunk down as the limbs grew shorter, spindlier. Discord's entire body was shaking violently as this point. His breath came in ragged gasps and his chest heaved with the effort of manipulating the illusion. Wetness gleamed in his golden eyes. Anguish twisted the mismatched features. Luna frowned. What was he doing? And why?

When the illusion showed a foal of perhaps two years of age, suddenly Discord jerked his claws back with a sharp intake of breath that was almost a sob. Clutching his arms to his chest as if wounded, he whispered, "I can’t…I can’t. Rosedust, I’m so sorry, I can’t stand to…"

Somehow the illusion held—though Discord shuddered and sweated—an illusion of a two-year-old pegasus foal with wisps of baby-fine blood-burgundy mane. The stuffed manticore had made a return, as well, clutched now at the little foal’s side, shielded by one cream-yellow wing. The foal's small head was bent over the toy so that Luna couldn't see her eyes or any real features, and she was angled so that her emblem was hidden.

Why had Discord made her younger? Was he trying to remember a time before the changelings? But no, he'd met Eris after being taken prisoner by the changelings, he'd said. Unless he'd been lying. Why was he changing the illusion?

In a voice choked with grief, Discord whispered, "Oh, Eris…you look so much like her. Like your mama. I always wondered if…wondered…Little one, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what they did to you. I'm so sorry."

The illusion lifted her head, but the fall of dark red curl and the angle still prevented Luna from seeing anything but the chubby roundness of Eris's cheek and the delicate curve of her ear. She must have done something, however, because a look of intense pain flashed across Discord's face and he reached out his trembling paw to her. His clawtips touched her cheek before he lifted his paw and laid it atop her head. The thin lips formed a trembling smile and to Luna's astonishment, a tear welled up from the wet golden eyes and spilled down Discord's cheek.

"You would’ve been so beautiful when you grew up," he whispered. "Just like your mama. I'm so, so sorry, my little abomination. I'm so sorry."

He slumped back against the wall as the vision faded and closed his eyes. Luna watched in heartbroken silence as Discord, who always tried to appear so strong, so sly, so indifferent, quietly fell to pieces. A few silent tears slid down his cheeks before he dropped his face into his claws and merely sat there, silent and still save for the occasional shudder racking his long, lean frame. At last he dropped his head back and heaved a sigh.

"I'm sorry, my Rosedust," Discord murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "I couldn't do it. I can’t look at her as…as she…I can’t do it. I’m so sorry."

Discord had sat in silence for several long minutes before Luna had the courage to step out of the shadows and call his name. Discord didn't look toward her; merely closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm not in the mood today, Luna. Go away."

"I've come to make a bargain with you," the princess said, as if ahe hadn't seen him weeping over the changed illusion of a little foal only moments before. "I want to know what happened to you after you disappeared from Ponyville."

Without his customary sneer, Discord murmured, "Don't you know it's unhealthy to get everything you want?"

Coming to a stop just at the window, Luna said, "We can both have what we want. I have spoken to Celestia, and she’s willing to obey the conditions of this bargain. If you tell me what happened to you—the entire truth, all of it, and you can convince Celestia and the other princesses, all of them—then we will help you get your revenge on Chrysalis."

If he had to convince all of them—all six of them: Celestia, the Princess of the Day; Luna, the Princess of the Night; Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love; Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Magic; Starlight Glimmer, the Princess of Connection; and Sunset Shimmer, the Princess of Song, who had been called back from the Other Realm because of the approaching changeling threat—then the decision would be unbiased. Sunset Shimmer and Starlight had little personally invested in the situation. That, combined with Twilight and Cadence’s suspicion and anger, would balance out Luna and Celestia’s desire to save Discord.

Now Discord looked at Luna, brows slightly furrowed, mild incredulity on his face. Dark shadows circled his eyes; Luna thought he looked a bit like he had in Canterlot after the changelings had sent him there. How had she not noticed how sick Discord had looked then? Well, other than because she'd been preoccupied with stopping him from slaughtering the ponies of Canterlot.

"You will…help me…kill Chrysalis," Discord said. Luna nodded, never taking her eyes from his face. Discord shook his head slowly, obviously puzzlement twisting his features. "Why would you do that?"

"To kill the villain who murdered the mare my friend and foster brother loved."

Closing his eyes, Discord turned his face away. "What do you know about it? Nothing. I never said I loved her. And I doubt Celestia and the other princesses are going to let me out just so I can seek my revenge."

Luna shrugged. "She has sworn it to me and Twilight Sparkle and Cadence have sworn to abide by it. Starlight and Sunset Shimmer have no reason to defy Celestia. Why would you doubt them?"

The sardonic look Discord hit her with could have drawn blood from a stone. "Forgive me, little moon, but that is a very stupid question. I wouldn't trust Twilight Sparkle as far as I could throw her. And she hates me."

"Then trust me, Brother. Have I ever deceived you?" When Discord said nothing, Luna tossed the starry waterfall of her mane over her shoulder and tried to think. Sometimes when he was being particularly obstinate, she could get Discord talking by changing the subject a little. Asking a different question. But what question? There were so many she still had…but one, Luna thought, that she really should have asked a while ago.

She had a choice, the princess realized. She could satisfy her own curiosity, or she could ensure that the changelings weren't as much of a threat as they all feared. That was, of course, assuming Discord was telling the truth…and assuming the six princesses believed whatever he said, truth or not. That was why Luna had made the princesses’ belief a hinge-point for Discord's plans for revenge.

"Tell me, Discord…could Rosedust truly destroy an entire realm with merely a wave of her hoof?"

To her surprise, Discord threw back his head and laughed. There was just the faintest mocking edge to the chaos lord's amusement, but Luna ignored it. When he'd finally stopped laughing, the draconequus said, "You really are a fool, Luna. Of course she couldn't. No pony I know of possesses that much power. Even Celestia can’t do that without harnessing the power of the Elements from the Tree of Harmony. You'll believe anything, won't you?"

Bratling, Luna thought, but didn't say aloud. Now wasn't the time to indulge in insults. Instead, glaring, Luna demanded, "Had she any power at all?"

The amusement on Discord's face vanished like night mist in the morning sun, to be replaced by something betwixt wistful pain and awe. "Oh, yes. Hers was the wonder of dreams brought to fruition, the power to make memories live again, the magic of illusion as real as life." He held up his claws, curled into a fist, then snapped open his long fingers, flexing them. Staring at his empty palm, Discord murmured, "That was her gift, when combined with mine, and the changelings desired to study our combined powers once they saw what it could do in battle, how I could work off of her own emblem talents." Shaking himself as if from a dream, the chaos lord said coolly to the princess, "But I'm a bit busy at the moment, little moon, so could you be a decent pony and leave me alone? Go sink the sun or something."

A muscle twitched in Luna's jaw. Would he never cease mocking her over what she’d done as Nightmare Moon? But instead of snapping, Luna said, "One last question. A simple one."

"Erm…no."

"It's a very simple question, Discord, it will cost you nothing. In the illusion of Eris, she held a stuffed manticore; where did she get it?" When Discord hesitated, eyeing Luna warily, the princess shrugged. "A simple enough question, is it not?"

A blatant challenge, that. One Discord could not back down from—his pride wouldn't allow it.

After an excruciating silence, broken only by the crackle of flames and Discord's increasingly harsh breathing, the draconequus said tersely, "I made it for her…but I never had the chance to gift her with it." Seeing Luna's expression, he added in a voice sharp with accusation, "She was murdered before I had that chance."

And Luna thought of him weeping silently for the dead foal, and felt something twist savagely in her heart. "I am sorry, Discord."

Discord sneered. Viciousness twisted his features and that icy hatred, which Luna had hoped she wouldn't see today—it had been absent until now—filled his gaze like abyssal fire. "Oh, you're sorry. Tell me, Luna, what do you dream of these days? Is it still the glories of war, the beauty of the night, and the pleasure of those stallions who serve in your Night Guard?" Before Luna could reply, he spat, "Do you know what I dream, little moon? Do you know what fills my slumber?" Numbly the princess shook her head. "A mare's screams and the sound of a…" Suddenly Discord frowned. Something that might've been horror flickered in his eyes before vanishing. "What is that?"

Puzzled, Luna scanned the corridor, but saw nothing. All was emptiness and shadows dancing across the walls. She turned back to Discord. "What's what?"

"That sound…don't you hear it?"

Luna listened, but there was only the steady drum of her heart and her breathing mingled with his. "I hear nothing. What is it?"

But he shook his head. "Nothing. My imagination, I suppose." But Luna knew Discord was lying, even as he said, "It doesn't matter. Go away, Luna. You've used up my patience; now you're boring me."

"Tell me what happened," Luna said softly. "What happened when you disappeared? If you tell me, I can help you avenge them. Tell me."

"I owe you no answers."

"Discord, I'm trying to help you! I'm trying to understand! Why do you fight me? Why won't you let me help you?"

In a voice that was a mere thread of sound, a thread that threatened to strangle Luna, he said, "You can't help me, Luna. Every time I look at you I see my Rosedust's blood on your hooves. I see Eris…my little Eris…her blood…she never even had the chance to…and it was your fault! Your fault they killed her! Your fault she's dead!"

"You didn't tell me! How was I to know?"

"Because you should have known me! You should have trusted me! Why would I butcher innocent ponies? Why would I invade Canterlot, launch an attack on them, without good reason? You should have known there was a reason! When I took control before, I offered no true harm to anyone except those you sent against me! You should have left me alone to do what needed to be done instead of interfering!"

Swallowing back sudden rage, Luna demanded, "How was I to know? You tried to kill me, Discord. You tried to take the throne—"

"Not true!" Discord snapped, surging to his feet. "I never wanted the throne! I only took it as a game, to see if you’d fight me for it! It was only a game—"

"What about the chaos spell?" Luna demanded coolly.

Discord snarled an obscenity under his breath. "We have been over this. What do you want me to say?"

"Explain why you sent it to kill me."

"I didn't," Discord snapped. "I've said this before, if you'd been paying attention. I told it to make sure you didn't come back to the Palace of the Sun and Moon because if you had, you would have ruined everything."

"Everything? What is everything? What were you trying to do? Slaughter the ponies of my kingdom? Because yes, Discord, I would have 'ruined' your attempt to murder everypony in this kingdom."

Discord thumped his fist against the bars. "How dare you? I was forced to take drastic action in order to clean up your mess."

Luna stared at him, jaw slightly slack. Discord glared back, eyes blazing with that odd mix of amber and cerulean-green again. "What?" Luna mumbled. "You…my mess?"

"I told you not to try to wrest control from your sister all those centuries ago. I told you never to create the tantebus, I told you to embrace your anger and your dark feelings and work through them, but you—wouldn't—listen. You were the one who sparked every war Equestria has ever fought, remember? Not me. You and your damned temper were the problem, always! I did what I had to do in order to protect Equestria. When I found out you were back, that you were feeding that creature with your darkness…"

Blinking, flabbergasted, Luna demanded, "That is why you did all of that? To stop me? But why attack Ponyville?"

Discord scoffed. "How else did you expect me to stop you? I’d fought you before, little moon. I knew what you were capable of. And now you had protectors; the Guardians of Harmony were back. And I’d learned long ago I couldn't trust any of the courtiers here," the smooth voice deepened into an infuriated snarl, "couldn't trust Celestia or Star Swirl or Mistmane or Meadowbrook. My so-called friends. How was I to win a new war, if it came to that, without soldiers I could trust? And I couldn't trust these new Guardians because you and Celestia were the ones they wanted! You were the ones everypony loved, everypony’s favorites! You left me no choice! If I was going to stop you from growing so strong that even I couldn’t defeat you, I had to take away the ones who protected you first."

Unable to shake off her astonishment, Luna said, "Discord…why…but you never said any of this. If this is true, why did you not explain?"

"'If this is true?' Of course you don't believe me," Discord hissed. "I’m not an idiot, Luna. I know you’re trying to pry my secrets from me in the hopes of finding some weapon to use against me. You can tell Celestia and those sparkly little princesses what they can do with their little bargain."

"Discord, please," Luna pleaded, leaning in. "Please. I'm trying to help you. I…I have to know what happened. Tell me, and I will help you get your vengeance. I swear it. But I must know what happened. You say there is blood on my hooves," she added softly. "The blood of the mare you loved and the foal you cared for." There was an almost imperceptible flinch from Discord. "I must know how it went, Discord. You must tell me."

For a long moment, Luna didn't know if Discord had even heard her. He didn't react to Luna's words, didn't so much as bat an eye. But then the golden eyes focused on the princess's face. A savage, mad hatred flared to life in the depths of Discord's gaze. Unease shivered through Luna as that icy loathing filled his eyes and suffused his face, turning it into a hideous mask.

"You must know?" Discord echoed, voice a mere breath saturated with black rage. "Oh, yes, you must know. You need to know the purity and beauty of the lives you snuffed out. You need to know the depths of your sins. Yes, little moon, I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I met my gentle Rosedust…and how you killed her. And when it's over, you will help me hunt Chrysalis and put an end to her. Then I'll give you the knife and let you cut your own throat as penance for what you’ve done."

Blankness descended over Discord's face, erasing hatred and its underpinnings of grief or loss or regret or manipulation. He moved to the table and sank down into the chair, never taking his eyes from Luna.

"When you let the Guardians rip me from my stone cage, they made a mistake. They didn’t pull me into their reality all the way before Chrysalis sensed my awakening and grabbed me with a spell. I tumbled through the void of between-space, hooked by Chrysalis’s power, through the between’s deathly cold and its star-spangled blackness until at last I plummeted through noxious silver-gray miasma. At last I hit solid earth. The impact jarred my skull, shattered several bones. Only luck kept me from breaking my neck."

Luna's eyes widened, but Discord seemed not to notice.

"For what felt like an eternity I couldn’t do anything but lie there, racked by the pain of my injuries, my magic in fragments," he continued tonelessly. "What your Guardians did to me was nothing compared to that time. My blood soaked the sand and stones beneath my body and your precious, vicious moon burned white against my eyelids until I saw it always, sleeping and waking. I see it still when I close my eyes. And then they found me."

She was almost afraid to interject, but Discord fell quiet and did not speak for so long that Luna had to ask, "Rosedust and Eris?"

Discord shook his head. "No. That would be too easy for you. No, I did not meet my dear Rosedust for some time after that and as for…as for Eris…"

Though his face remained empty of expression, though his tone was as hollow as that of a dead stallion speaking in a dream, a terrible agony filled his eyes. For Luna, it was as if looking into his gaze was like being raked with poisoned golden talons that burned like acid. It was the same agony she'd seen when Discord had wept over the illusion of a younger Eris.

"As for Eris," Discord somehow managed to continue, though his voice shook and his eyes gleamed as if wet. "I did not…I never…I was never allowed…never truly…"

The thin lips quivered and Discord covered his mouth with one shaking paw, looking away. Luna wondered what could possibly crack Discord's composure so. Who was Eris, that she affected the golden-eyed creature so dramatically?

At last, he spoke again, his voice somewhat steadier. "No, it was not my Rosedust who found me, but the changelings. They brought me to their fortress and healed my wounds. Throughout the weeks it took for my bones to knit and my injuries to mend, the second-in-command of the changeling armies, Lord Pharynx, came to me constantly with an offer—a command couched in pretty words. I was to join their ranks; they wanted my power, my chaos. They wanted Equestria, they wanted all of Equus, and they wanted my help in conquering them. If I agreed, I could become king of my own country, and win glory for the mighty changeling Empire.” He scoffed. Scratched absently at a horn. “If I refused…well, one does not refuse Chrysalis for long."

But Luna knew Discord, and knew that receiving an order like that would have been tantamount to a slap in the face. As proud as draconequui naturally were—as proud as Discord had always been—there was no chance the chaos lord had accepted such an offer, threats or no.

"So they imprisoned you."

A regal cant of the head acknowledged Luna's words. "And though I was left to die if I didn’t give in, though it was as if I'd been stuffed into a coffin and left to rot in the wet dark earth like a moldering corpse, I didn’t give into their pathetic demands. I refused to take part in their invasion of Equestria."

A chill settled in the pit of Luna's stomach. She knew the changelings hadn't all been killed during their second invasion of Canterlot, merely thwarted again. She knew they could return at any time…or turn their sights somewhere else. If it came to war, Equestria would—

"They locked me away in the darkness," Discord whispered. Luna's attention snapped back to him; he stared unblinking and unseeing into the hearth fire. His throat worked convulsively for a moment. Then he said, almost as if he were speaking to himself, "The darkness has eyes and teeth, claws to rake and fangs to bite. It presses against your eyes until there is only blackness slithering into your skull to devour your mind. Silence deafens, darkness blinds. Hunger gnaws and thirst burns. They gave me just enough to keep me alive, just enough to keep the pain sharp in my throat and in my belly. I thought I would go mad in the dark. I thought I would shatter under the silence. It was all so ordered, so empty, so much the same day after day, night after night. And then…"

Those sightless eyes suddenly focused again, coming to rest on Luna's frozen countenance. Some of the hollow sickness festering in that gaze faded, to be replaced with a dull sort of agony. Somehow Luna knew just what he would say next.

"Then I heard her voice, muffled by the stone wall. It had been so long since I'd heard another being speak. So long. I'd lost count of the days, the weeks…the months. I heard her as she raged at the changelings, demanding to know what they wanted. She shouted that her friends would come after them, would make them pay if she wasn't released…and then she said something interesting. She said that she would never, ever, so long as she lived, use her powers for Chrysalis."

Luna's brow furrowed. "She knew of Chrysalis?" Luna asked, eyeing him. Was that the smallest quirk of a smile curving the corner of Discord's mouth? "How?"

Discord arched a brow. "Don’t you know? From your precious Twilight Sparkle, of course."