//------------------------------// // Reunited // Story: Of Nightmares and Chaotic Love // by Snow Quill //------------------------------// Resentment. Hatred. Jealousy. A scream of rage so loud it shook us to our very core. Overwhelming darkness. We have floated here for so long, who even are we? We sigh, the thought echoing loudly, yet whispered so softly. A great crack of thunder echoes from...outside? We blink and look around, wondering what is happening. Another crack and then blinding light. An echo of the scream. What is happe- ~~ We groan, our head is pounding and the light stings our eyes. We hear voices, unfamiliar to our ears. But one breaks through. Is that… “T-tia?” We croak, coughing as our eyes slowly flutter open, slowly adjusting to the light. A white muzzle, stained with tears fills my vision. We are hugged tightly, “Oh Luna, Luna!” “T-Tia!” We push into the embrace and hug back tightly, burying ourself into her, memories rushing in. “Oh sister, w-we are so sorry, Tia please forgive us, forgive us…” “Shh, hush now Luna, it’s okay.” We remain in her embrace for a few minutes, fearing if we let go we would wake to find this all a dream. Finally, we sniffle and raise our heads to look around, seeing a group of ponies. We sense great magic in them and gasp upon seeing the elements of harmony adorning them. “Sister, the elements…” Celestia nuzzles me affectionately and stood up, offering us a hoof. “Oh, yes. Sister, this is my personal student Twilight Sparkle and her friends.” We stand and look upon the group, more tears falling down our face as we bow to them. “Ponies, thou hast saved us. We are eternally grateful.” The purple one, Twilight we believe sister said, coughs and blushes. “O-oh um, Princess...Luna, there is no need. Um, we just uh…” “Totally saved the day we did! Boo yah! We’re awesome, we’re awesome!” We smile and look up to see a cyan Pegasus with rainbow mane doing a peculiar dance while flying. “Rainbow Dash! Show some decorum, we are in front of a princess.” Our gaze shifts to a white unicorn with purple mane, looking disdainfully at the apparently celebrating Pegasus. “Oh come on Rarity, this is a cause for celebration! We just saved a princess! Hi Princess Luna! Great to meet you, well now it is cause you aren’t all evil and scary and like ‘MWUAHAHAHAHA I’M GONNA RAISE THE MOON AND KEEP IT UP FOREVER!’...Oh hey, what was it like on the moon? Is it really made of cheese? Is that how you survived? What kind of cheese? Gouda? Pepper jack? Cheddar? Parmesan? Swiss? Mmm...cheeeeeeese…” A pink mare was bouncing about, teetering in front of us on her front hooves before slumping to the ground and drooling, muttering out various cheeses. We chuckle as an orange earth mare comes over to drag the pink one away, bowing her head. “Ah’m real sorry bout her yer highness, she’s real excitable.” Our smile slowly diminishes as we look around, the ponies looking so happy to be together. Our ears flatten as we realize what we almost did. To destroy something so beautiful and powerful as friendship? We truly deserved punishment. We took a step back and sighed, startled with a wing laying across our back. Celestia smiled at me. “Come Luna, let us go and celebrate with our subjects.” We gulped softly and nodded hesitantly. Celestia beamed, “Come Twilight, let us return to Ponyville with your friends, a celebration is indeed in order.” The pink pony shrieked in happiness and left at an impossible speed, leaving the others to laugh and trot after her. We slowly follow behind, heart and thoughts heavy. ‘Oh Luna, what have we done?’ ~~ “-And then there was a giant RAINBOW that exploded from us! It wrapped around her and then she was no longer big and meanie scary Nightmare Moon but Luna! And then we came back here to celebrate and that’s how this entire day has gone up until this very moment!” The voice of the pink mare, aptly named Pinkie Pie, rang out across the quaint bakery. It seemed the entire town was bustling around, Pinkie moving through the crowd with an amount of grace we didn’t think possible. We also learned the names of the others who helped save us. There was Rarity, the white unicorn who scolded the pegasus Rainbow Dash. Applejack was the earth pony who dragged Pinkie away earlier. Then there was Twilight, who was absolutely taken with us, prodding us with all sorts of academic and magical questions. Last but not least was a shy pegasus, who we were told was named Fluttershy. We had not spoken but exchanged nervous smiles; we found relief in not being the only one awkward at the party. We appreciated the celebration, but felt like a centerpiece at a fancy ball. Everypony gawked at me with fear and suspicion clear in their eyes, though it appeared the presence of sister kept them cordial. As we looked around, our heart panged for the face of our love. “Tia? Where is Discord?” She froze for a moment, a quick clenching of her jaw and flare of her nostrils before returning to the calm and suave face of a ruler. “Let us not discuss such dour matters at the celebration of your return sister.” “Dour matters? What dour matters are there with our beloved?” We stood up, our wings flaring from our sides as we stared at sister. “Tell us what has happened to Discord.” “Not.now. Luna please, you have been gone 1,000 years, let me have some time with you.” She softens at the look in our eyes and sighs, standing up. Immediately the room falls silent, all eyes on her. “This has been an absolutely lovely celebration, but it is time for me and Luna to return to Canterlot. Twilight, I look forward to hearing of your continuing studies of friendship here in Ponyville.” Everypony bowed as we left, though we couldn’t shake the feeling it was done for her alone. We rode in a carriage pulled by Pegasi, apprehension boiling in our chest as we approached our new home. “Sister… I pray you will not be upset with me. But shortly after you...Discord became...unstable. He started to spread chaos about the land, throwing the land into disharmony. I summoned him and pleaded he stopped, but he would not listen to reason! It took Queen Azure to banish him on my part when he…left me unable too.” We gasp at her implication, “Discord would never hurt thou, what are these lies thou speaks against our beloved.” She winced at my growl, looking at us in pleading. “Sister, I fear I do not lie. I am truly sorry, but he is not allowed back in Equestria or the Hippogriff kingdom.” We look to the side, our limbs beginning to shake as the information crashes over us. We had regained our sister, but had we lost our love? The one who understood us and tried to keep us from the dark? We close our eyes, tears threatening to spill as memories of that night come to the forefront of our thoughts. We remember how he looked, the pain in his eyes as we cast him aside. A sob chokes us as we land in the castle courtyard, Celestia quickly thanking the guards and lighting her horn, transporting us somewhere. We open our eyes to find us in a bedroom, decorated like our old one, though obviously updated to these modern times. “Today has been very eventful, I shall leave you to rest Luna. Please sleep, and we shall speak more tomorrow.” We do not look at sister, rather straight to our bed. We shuffle our hooves and collapse upon it, barely hearing the sigh and soft ‘whoosh’ of a teleportation spell. We lay there, trying to will tears to come and fall, but there are no more. We are left empty, with a deeply penetrating ache in our heart. ‘She cannot be telling the truth. Discord? He would never…’ We roll onto our backs. ‘We thought we would never hurt our subjects...Maybe it is possible he would experience his own downfall.’ A deep sigh rolls out of our muzzle as we summon the covers over us, curling up and trying to remember the feel of him, faded whispers of his scent and presence soon bringing comfort, and with it, the escape of sleep. ~~ “What dost thou mean he cannot he found? A tracking spell was placed on him was it not?” Celestia bit her lip, looking away from us. It was the following evening and we had awoken only an hour ago. We had found Tia and demanded Discord be given another chance. After all, if we could be saved, whom was to say he could not? “Well, it wasn’t my spell, it was Queen Azure’s. And it was only meant to alert us if he crossed the borders, not constantly keep track of him.” “Then find a way to modify it! There must be some relic or spell that can find him.” “...” “Please sister, he was, is, the only one for us. Please.” She sighed before reluctantly nodding her head. “Perhaps I’ll send a letter to Twilight. She’s as well read as you or I and maybe a fresh mind could see something we cannot.” “Very well sister, make the arrangements. Until then, we shall be in the library doing our own research. We shall see thee at dawn.” “Of course Luna, goodnight.” “Goodnight sister…” We stop. “...Tia?” “Yes Luna?” “...We love thou and have missed thee.” Without another word exchanged we nodded and left to the library. ~~ It was a clear night, Discord and mine taking a stroll through the royal garden. “Discord, has thou always loved the night?” “Hmm, honestly no. When I was young I was quite terrified of it. But when I was found by my mother I began to love it. Nights in the hippogriff kingdom were so...alive. Nearly everyone went out to celebrate every night, especially in the summers when it was warm. There was just enough lanterns lit to help see, but for the most part we walked by the light of the moon.” “That sounds lovely. Maybe we should ask sister about arranging a few night festivals. Maybe then our subjects would appreciate us more…” “Luna…” We did not look at him, wincing back at the pity in his voice. “Do not speak to us like that Discord, we do not enjoy it.” He didn’t respond and when we lifted our head to look at him we found ourselves swept into his arms. A very unroyal shriek escapes our muzzle, only to be silenced by his lips. “Luna darling I love you. I promise everypony in Equestria loves you as well. Let me tell you, Celestia wouldn’t be able to remember every star and their names, she probably couldn’t even tell you the name of every subject. But you...you know them all, you visit their dreams and help guide them to restful sleep. You are amazing my love, don’t ever forget it.” ~~ “Sister!” We gasp awake, looking around to find some indication of the time passed. We see Celestia trotting towards us with a conflicted look on her face. “Twilight and I have found something but…” “But what Sister?” “Are you absolutely sure you wish to find him? For all we know he could already have passed, or he may be too far into his own selfishness that he will not see reason.” We growl and stomp our hoof, a crack echoing through the library. “Discord is alive and we shall bring him back. He is our love, the stars and moon cannot compare to the comfort we find in his presence. Sister, do not demean us or our feelings.” She nodded with a defeated look before turning it into a loving and smiling one. “Of course sister. I wish only for you to be happy. Come then, this will require both of our magic.” We stand and follow, listening as Celestia explained the spell. “We did find a way to modify it with this seekers orb. I cast a similar spell to what Queen Azure did onto it, now all that’s left is for you to activate it. You were closest to Discord, all you need do is hold it and channel your thoughts and feelings of him. It will then illuminate a path for us to take to find him.” We take the orb and smile softly as we close our eyes. “Thank you Sister.” The orb began to glow. “Let us go find our love.” ~~ Sister and mine flew south, past Ponyville and even past a town named Appleloosa. We flew until we had reached the swamplands and even further still. It was nearing dawn when the orb indicated we were close. “Discord? Discord our love, are thee here?” We called out once landed, looking all around through the thick trees and fog. ~~ I groaned weakly, my ears flicking at the sound of someone calling my name. Her voice seemed familiar and I clutched my head with my claw, growling at my mind playing yet another cruel trick on me. It’d been 1,000 years since I’d heard that voice and I had long accepted I would never hear it again. “Why, why now? Just let me die in peace…” ~~ “Discord!” We gasp upon seeing him. He was lazily draped in a tree, looking a sickly shade. “Oh Discord!” We rush upon him and hold him close, tears slipping down our face. “Oh our love, please look at us, do not die, we beg of you.” ~~ My eyes slowly open. “L-Luna...? How?” My eyes look behind her and I see white fur and a colored mane. With a weak growl I cough out, “Celestia.” Luna sighed and forced me to look back at her. “Hush our love, please, lay to rest any negative feelings with sister and come back with us.” I chuckle, though it is more of a coughing wheeze. “W-will She a-allow me t-t-t...” I dissolve into a coughing fit, much to my annoyance. I imagined Celestia was quite enjoying seeing me so low, though I couldn’t quite see her face. Everything was starting to become hazy. I groan weakly as my eyes flutter. Muffled voices. A scream. Silence.