Pinkie Pie finally came to a screeching halt in one of the upper hallways of the castle, not far from the storage room that housed the Elements. “He’s right around the corner, but I’d watch out, Princess… He’s not acting anything like his usual self…”
“Thank you, Pinkie Pie. But I’m sure I can handle it.” Celestia gave her a weak smile, not even convincing herself that her statement was true. Taking a sharp breath, she turned the corner, her confidence immediately draining as she looked upon the disastrous scene.
The walls were no longer their bright white selves; instead they were scorched and blasted in a dark black that stained every part of the hallway. Luna was laid out on the ground, panting, and her body was covered in bruises and blast marks. She looked visually exhausted as she struggled to even stand. Discord was hovering over her with a malicious grin.
“I told you that you couldn’t beat me Luna. I was always the stronger one, after all.”
“I… I can still… fight…” Luna whimpered as she heaved herself up; her stance so shaky and unbalanced that a breeze could probably knock her over.
“No, you can’t. Now just admit defeat before you die of a heart attack.” Discord chuckled as he continued to watch her, still completely clueless as to his wife’s sudden appearance.
“Discord, stop this right now!” Celestia snapped in the stern tone she so often used on the Draconequus. He glanced up to see her, his grin quickly twisting into an inane scowl.
“And there’s the other annoying royal sister… I was wondering when you’d show up…”
“Discord, do you even see what you’re doing here? My sister’s lying in an exhausted heap in front of you!”
“So? She deserves it; it’s more than equal payback for what she did to me…”
The Princess stared at him for a few quiet moments, trying to see even a shred of the previous Discord in this new, twisted monster. “Discord, how could you do this?”
While the two immortals conversed, Twilight and Pinkie Pie stood back, watching them with caution. “I say we run at the first sign of trouble… This new Discord isn’t joking!” Pinkie Pie urged her friend with great caution.
“And just leave the Princesses? No way! The Princess will come through. If anypony can stop Discord from being so angry, it’s her!” Twilight lectured back, not having a shred of disbelief in her wise teacher.
“How could I?” The Draconequus repeated, his voice turning to a bitter chill tone that sent shivers down her spine. “I finally get free from a lifetime of solitude, and you expect me to just give up all my lost chaotic fun? It’s only been a few months since I’ve been released; it’s far too soon to just give it all up!”
Celestia continued to stare at him, her intense magenta eyes pleading with him in worry and concern. “But I’m your wife, Discord! Remember? I’m not saying you have to give it all up, but just ease off it for a little bit while we raise the baby. I can’t do this alone. I need you.”
Now it was Discord’s turn to stare as he gazed at her serious expression. “But… but… I’m not ready, Celestia! It’s just too much too soon!”
“But that’s life, Discord; you just have to put up with it! Getting all angry and breaking things won’t stop you from being a father. The best thing you can do is accept it and support your wife… Me, Discord… Remember what we promised each other? How we would love, comfort and honor each other as long as we live?”
As Discord looked down to the floor, everypony in the room could tell that his temper had faded. His angry, freighting expression had turned to one of regret. The fire that had seemed to burn endlessly in his eyes had burned out. After a long moment of silence, he finally spoke. “I… I need some time to think…” Was all he said as he teleported away, leaving four stunned ponies in his wake.
Luna was the first to speak. “Well… Thank you, sister. Your timing was most precise. Discord has seemed to calm down, and if Twilight is right, then he should move into the next stage. What was it again?”
“Bargaining.” The lavender unicorn replied rather simply.
“Will it be as intense?” Celestia asked with a slight hint of worry.
“It shouldn’t be. I don’t see how it could be more intense then that…” Twilight stated as she glanced again at the various scorch marks.
As Celestia surveyed the battle-ridden hallway, she caught sight of six sparkling gems hidden in some wreckage. Walking over to them, she realized they were indeed the Elements of Harmony, with not a single scratch visible on their flawless complexions. The sight of them only made her more worried, as her mind began to question just how far over the edge the Draconequus had gone. “Well, we should probably get this cleaned up…”
“Right! And I need a nice long nap… I for one think I deserve it…” Luna groaned as she made her way down the hall, disappearing from sight as she turned the corner.
Twilight hurried over to her teacher and shot her a gleeful smile. “I knew you could do it, Princess! I never doubted you for a second!”
“Thank you, Twilight…” Celestia replied as she looked into her student’s happy expression. “Let’s just hope this all works out in the end…”
It was now approximately two weeks since the incident that had practically destroyed half of Canterlot Castle. The servants had done their best to clean up the mess, and many craftsponies and artists were still painstakingly working to restore the former glory of the royal home.
Celestia let out a heavy sigh as she finished re-reading the newest letter from her husband. He still kept in relative contact, most likely to keep his wife from flying off the deep end in worry. The latest installment informed her that he would be coming back soon and that, thanks to his solitary thinking, he had come to grips with the situation. The Princess questioned his attitude, but was still happy to see that, perhaps, the worst was finally over.
In honor of the event, and to help if the Draconequus had another breakdown, she invited Twilight and the rest of her friends to stay the night. The thought struck a chord in her mind, and she quickly glanced up from the parchment to gaze out her window. The distant clock tower struck midday as a loud ringing filled the city. Upon noticing it was noon, Celestia placed the scroll in a pile of identical letters and left her study. What would have normally been a peaceful stroll through the castle was suddenly ruined when Luna flew around the corner, looking rather distressed.
“Sister! Please tell me, is it true that Discord’s coming back?!” She hastily muttered, taking no time to get out of the alicorn’s way.
“Yes, is that worrying you?” Celestia chuckled slightly as she tried to push past her sister, only to be shoved back as Luna purposely blocked her path.
“Of course! Have you forgotten what that idiot did a mere two weeks ago? The servants are still trying to clean the blast marks from the walls!”
Celestia sighed as she gave her sister a serious expression. “Discord’s gotten over his anger, remember? He says he’s finally accepted me being pregnant, so hopefully everything will go back to normal now… Is that all?”
Luna merely stared back, not understanding how her sister remained so calm in such a dire situation. “But what about the next stage? Or what if he doesn’t even move on and just goes back to anger! You didn’t see him like I did, sister; you didn’t hear what he said to me…”
Upon seeing her sister’s tone and expression change to one of genuine fear, she began taking her seriously. She did recall Luna being very shaken the few days after the Draconequus’s breakdown, so perhaps she had seen a side of Discord that she hadn’t recognized herself. “Now I know Discord’s been very… unstable, for the past few weeks, but I really think he’s finally come around. Twilight said some people just skip entire stages, so it might already be over!”
Her sister’s words comforted her slightly, and after a few moments she finally moved from her way. “Alright. sister… I’ll trust you. But do you really think this is over? This is Discord we’re talking about here!”
“Yes… But what more can we do?” Celestia shrugged as she pushed past Luna and continued down the hallway. She turned back to give her sister a glance. “Oh, and would you please meet Twilight and I in the throne room in an hour? Discord said he would appear there and I really think you should be there when he comes back. Who knows, he might even apologize to you!”
Celestia giggled to herself as she left, leaving the dark blue alicorn to think to herself. While her sister’s words eased her worry slightly, she still had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. Well, at least one of us will be ready if Discord tries anything…
As she too paced down the luxurious hallway, the terrifying image of the furious Draconequus was still etched in her mind. No matter how hard she tried to dispel the picture, it still remained, as if his inane, scorching eyes were seared into her head permanently.
Twilight stood as patient and quiet as ever next to her judicious teacher. Currently, her friends were all out enjoying the sights of Canterlot, as the Princess suggested it would be better for just them to meet the Draconequus. Even though she felt somewhat uneasy about the situation, this was completely overshadowed by her complete respect and confidence in her teacher.
“Where is Luna? Discord’s going to be here any minute and she’s nowhere to be found…” Celestia mumbled as she glanced around the throne room with weary eyes. Discord’s little rampage had done quite a lot of damage to the room and the servants were still trying their best to repair the easily visible scars. Of course, Celestia put a hold on the construction, as she didn’t want any ponies getting in the way of this crucial meeting.
After a few more minutes of quiet waiting, Luna pushed open one of the large doors and stormed into the room. The alicorn didn’t look much better then when she had talked to her a mere hour ago, but seeing that the Draconequus was about to arrive, she didn’t bother to say anything. She simply paced over to her sister and stood in silence.
Ten minutes past, and Celestia couldn’t help but look around in confusion. As she worried about her husband, questions and doubts suddenly came rushing into her mind like a typhoon. What if he was lying? What if he wasn’t coming back and that she would have to raise their foal on her own?
These questions were immediately silenced as they all leaped back when a flash filled the room. Sure enough, the Draconequus was levitating in front of them, the same old happy grin plastered on his face. “Celestia! Luna! Twilight! It’s great to see all of you girls!”
Celestia ignored the greeting as she was much more curious about his new attire. “Uh Discord, what are you wearing?!”
Discord was dressed in a typical yellow Hawaiian shirt, its soft texture adorned with majestic, swaying palm trees and brilliant flowers of orange. He had a pair of black sunglasses above his eyes, and around his long slender neck was a traditional wreath of flowers. “Oh this? Well I just needed to relax a bit while I thought about all this.”
“But where were you?! It looks like you just came back from a relaxing vacation!” Celestia questioned, baffled that the Draconequus had been having a tranquil holiday while she worried to death about him.
“Well, I guess you could call it that…” Discord chuckled with a shrug of his shoulders. “It was great really! No annoying ponies to prattle on and on, no royal duties to attend to… You know, I thought about staying for another week, but I thought you’d probably worry about me too much.”
“Oh, how completely unselfish of you…” Celestia rolled her eyes as a frown passed her lips.
“I know! I’m such a saint!” Discord grinned as he hovered over to his wife and draped an arm around her back. “Now, I really should tell you about my plan… It’s full proof!”
Luna stood dumfounded as she stared at the Draconquus. Of all the things she had imagined in her frightened terror, this was by far the most surprising. The calm, relaxed Discord set her off guard and she could do nothing but gaze at him with her jaw open.
Walking to the side of the room with his wife he continued to smile. “You see, I’ve thought of an idea that’s completely fair! You take care of the foal for a couple hundred years or so while I have my fun, then I’ll take over from there!”
Celestia jaw dropped as he finished his proposal. “You can’t actually be serious?! THAT’S YOUR PLAN?! I though you accepted that I was pregnant?!”
“I did, but that doesn’t mean I have to take care of the baby right away. Now come on Celestia, it’s a brilliant idea! In the long run I’d be taking care of the baby longer!”
Quickly pushing his arm off of her back, she growled at him, then returned to the other side of the room with her student and sister. “I can’t believe you! I worry about you for two weeks because you had a temper tantrum, and then you come back like this! I thought you were finally over this, but it looks like I was wrong!”
Discord looked at her, wounded; hardly believing that she was able to refuse his generous offer. “O-okay, we can still work this out! What if you only look after it for a hundred years?”
“NO! And it’s a girl, by the way. Not that you would even care…”
“Of course I care! How could you even say that? Just not for the first hundred years…”
Celestia let out a heavy sigh and stormed out of the room, finally having enough of the Draconequus.
As he watched her leave, Discord continued to yell after her. “How about 80 years? 70? 60?! Come on, Celestia! Work with me here!”
As the Draconequus teleported out of the room, Luna looked down at Twilight with a frown. “Methinks he’s moved onto the next stage.”
“Yeah, but at least it’s not worse than anger!” Twilight shrugged as they followed the Princess down the hallway.