I had strange dreams. I was flying, using elemental powers to destroy shadows of strange creatures, teleporting... fighting a dark version of myself, with glowing white eyes... It felt so real; like I was learning how to use my powers that Discord gave me.
And then I saw him.
"Don't forget what I brought you here for,
Set me free, and we'll settle the score.
The Sculpture Garden is where you must go,
I'll be back in power, and you'll rule also."
I suddenly woke up. I checked my watch--that's right, even as an Equestrian, I had a watch.
11:46. Right on time. I quickly got up and ran downstairs. On my way out, I saw a note on The Doctor's desk, adressed to me. I opened it--even as an Equestrian, I could do things I thought only beings with opposable thumbs could do-- and started to read.
Sterling,
I apologize that I had to leave on such short notice. I have an important errand to attend to, and I had to leave immediately. I probably won't be back until tomorrow evening, so the museum will be closed until then. Since you need to go meet Luna at Midnight, you'll have to go out the back door. Use my spare key to lock the door behind you. I'll try to get back as soon as possible.
The Doctor
I took the keys, put the note in my coat pocket, and headed out the back door. I had to meet Luna in less than fifteen minutes at the outskirts of Ponyville, so I'd better get going.
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Meanwhile, Luna was already at the edge of the Everfree Forest. It was almost midnight, but she had already been waiting for ten minutes. What if Sterling was early?
She waited, pacing nervously. Would Sterling actually come? What if he was still sleeping? Did he just say he'd come as to not hurt her feelings? It's been 1000 years since Luna had an opportunity to possibly have friends again. She remembered when Celestia told her about the magic of friendship; that with it, you could overcome anything. Maybe she and Sterling could become friends. Sure, customs and traditions have changed over the course of a millenia, but Luna had been watching others make friends in the past year; most notably, Twilight Sparkle. Every week, when Twilight would send Celestia her report on the magic of friendship, Luna would ask to read the report as well. Twilight knew this, and would constantly ask Celestia to get Luna to visit Ponyville, but she would always say that Luna didn't feel like she was ready. Not for big crowds that would indefinately follow her in Ponyville.
But Sterling... A possible friendship with him could be a stepping stone towards being more confident around other ponies again. But am I ready? Luna thought. I mean, from what Celestia told me, Sterling might not even be a pony. He could be... Something more... Possibly a force for chaos like Discord was.
But it was too late to ponder that further. Celestia still wanted Luna to come and meet Sterling tonight. It would be like a reconnaisance mission: Find out as much about Sterling Smoulder as possible. If Sterling began to act hostile, possibly even attack her, Luna would teleport to Canterlot immediately, tell her sister, and the two of them would confront Sterling.
Luna just hoped that Sterling wasn't here to take over Equestria, which was what her sister feared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was at the mouth of the forest now. I thought of what I might say to Luna, what I might ask about Equestria--the name of this forest, for starters--and whether or not I should tell her the truth about who I really was. I noticed that for some reason, my coat had disappeared. It probably materializes when I'm in danger, or when I need to put something in my pocket, I thought. Besides, it's not like anypony here wears a coat like myself.
But I felt that something was missing... Something everypony else had, but my Equestrian form lacked. Oh, well. It couldn't be that important if I couldn't figure it out. Besides, Luna's waiting for me.
I walked into the forest and looked around. I couldn't see her anywhere. Perhaps she was further down the path. I started walking when I heard hoofsteps from behind me.
"Oh, great! You actually came!"
It was Luna. I turned around. "Oh, there you are! I thought you were one of the ponies from Ponyville, a pink one who seemed so eager to meet me earlier today." I said.
"No, it's me," Luna assured me. "Anyways, I'm glad that you actually showed up. I was afraid that you wouldn't come. After what I told you about who I was before..."
"Luna, I told you before," I said, "If your sister forgave you, that's good enough for me. I'm actually really interested in meeting Celestia. Perhaps you could...?"
"Actually, I already told her about you, and she would like to meet you as well." Luna told me.
"Alright. But first, I have some questions about Equestria. This is the second time I've been in this forest, and I don't even know its name. What is this place?"
"This is the Everfree Forest," Luna explained. "Once, a very long time ago, it was the site of our first castle, as you already know, but something--rather someone--caused this place to become a forest that was different from the rest of Equestria. In case you haven't noticed, the Pegasi are mostly in charge of weather control. We always know when there will be a storm, or snow, or anything like that. As well, animals are usually passive, never attacking any of the other animals or ponies. But here in the Everfree Forest, the weather can't be controlled, and animals fend for themselves. Nopony can control anything here."
"Then how were you and Celestia able to build a castle here?" I asked.
"Well," Luna replied, "It wasn't always like this. Like I said, someone made the forest this way. He was a force of Chaos now known as Discord. He ruled Equestria as a bringer of unrest and disharmony. Just before I tried to wrest power from Celestia, the two of us were looking for the Elements of Harmony. You see Sterling, Equestria was once divided into six parts. We thought that the Elements would both unite this land and defeat Discord. It did do both, but not before Discord was able to cause the castle to become what is now the Everfree Forest.
"Of course, it didn't happen all at once. At first, nothing happened. Celestia and I ruled the now-united Equestria from Everfree Castle. It wasn't until I became jealous of Celestia that things began to change. The more I turned against my sister, the more out of control the foilage around the castle became. Discord had put a spell on the area to start this, somehow knowing that I would rebel against Celestia. By the time I was imprisoned in the moon, the castle was falling apart. Celestia hid the Elements of Harmony in what was left of Everfree Castle, since she couldn't control them as she used to with me. She then started plans to make the new castle at her mountain retreat, Canterlot.
"Oh, sorry Sterling..." Luna apologized. "I'm practically giving you a complete history of Equestria. You would probably be able to get that from the museum."
"No, it's okay!" I assured her. "I'm actually interested in this. You see, I was able to learn a bit about Discord from The Doctor. But even he didn't tell me much, other than the fact that he's now trapped in stone somewhere in Canterlot. I think he's in the Sculpture Garden."
"Alright then," Luna said. "Then I'll tell you about how he became ruler of Equestria before Celestia and I. I'm suprised you don't know much about him; he is from the Northern Continent, after all. Anyways, Discord wasn't always--wait a moment," Luna turned around to look at my rear end. "You don't have a Cutie Mark. I couldn't tell what kind of Cutie Mark you had with your coat on, but now..."
"My what now?" I asked. "What are you talking about, Luna?"
She turned to look at me again. "Everypony has a Cutie Mark. It's something that appears when a pony discovers their special talent. Only the smallest fillies don't have one at first..." She backed away. "Even ponies from other lands have Cutie Marks. Who are you, really?"
"I..." I started to back away from Luna. Of course! Everypony I saw in Ponyville had what Luna called a Cutie Mark--even The Doctor. That's what was missing.
Well, there goes my cover.
Immediately, my coat materialized. I could see Luna was about to flee.
"Luna, wait!" I pleaded. "I can explain everything." Luna paused. "Please don't run away from me. You owe me at least that much."
Luna cautiously came back. "You're right..." she said. "But who are you?"
"To be honest, I'm not so sure myself." I replied. "I can only show you, but please don't tell anypony. If you have to, you can tell Celestia, but The Doctor already knows this..." I then changed my form back into a human. "This is who I really am."
Luna's eyes widened. "How did you--?"
"Discord." I simply said. "He pulled me into this world. I don't know how he did it, in the position he's in now, but he did. He wants me to break him out. He gave me some abilities--changing my form, flying, teleporting, elemental power, etc.--in order to do this. But I'm not sure who to trust. Discord says that you and Celestia are the enemy, but I don't really think that's true anymore."
"Well, then where are you really from?" Luna asked.
"To be honest," I replied, "I have no idea. Discord wiped all of my memories when I arrived last night."
"So that thing that fell from the sky...?"
"That was me." I confirmed. "For some reason, Discord decided to dump me here from what I thought was the atmosphere of this world. I guess that was his idea of a joke."
"Probably," Luna agreed. "That would be like him. At least, from what I remember. I'm not sure; it's been so long..."
"Anyways," I continued, "That's what happened. I know I don't belong here, and I just want to go home and forget all of this. Maybe if The Doctor can get the TARDIS working again, I'll tag along with him for a bit."
"Well," Luna said. "The Doctor is in Canterlot right now, as we speak. He's talking to Celestia about you; that you might not be from this world. Of course, what you just said confirms that, though. They'll also be talking about how Discord will be able to break free. It's like he was anticipating this... His defeat, my rebellion... You showing up." She pointed at me. "This is bad, Sterling. He's been planning his return for over 1000 years. At least, that's what Celestia says. The Elements of Harmony were supposed to keep him trapped forever, but something was missing. Not only are Celestia and I no longer connected to the Elements, but that wasn't the only problem... There is another--"
All of a sudden, a bright light appeared, as radiant as the sun itself. I could see a figure emerge from the light... An Alicorn, much like Luna, but taller, and white with a flowing multicolored mane.
Celestia.
I was still in my human form, so I jumped into some bushes. Mostly out of instinct.
"Luna," Celestia said. "The Doctor and I have discovered something about Discord. Meet me back in Canterlot immediately. And bring Sterling as well. He needs to know this as well." And just as suddenly as she appeared, she was gone.
I walked out of my hiding place. "What do you think Celestia and The Doctor found out?" I asked Luna.
"Beats me," she replied. "Why did you hide?"
I shrugged. "Guilt, I guess. I'm still not entirely convinced that Discord is really the enemy. Although, I'm willing to listen to both sides. Let's go."
"You said you can teleport, right?" Luna asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "But only to places I've been to. Could you teleport me to Canterlot?"
"Alright." Luna walked up towards me. "Hold on..."
And with that, an indigo light surrounded us, and next thing I knew, we were standing before Celestia in Canterlot.
That's when I realized I was still in my human form. Immediately, I had about six guards surround me. I raised my hands, to show that I wasn't going to attack all of a sudden.
"Looks like the cat's out of the bag now," I muttered. Then again, Celestia probably already knew who I really was, after talking with The Doctor.
Celestia adressed the guards. "It's alright. I have been expecting him. Leave him be."
They backed off, still wary of my appearance. I don't blame them; I mean, how many humans did you see in this world?
"This is it, Sterling," Discord was talking to me again. "Don't take anything Celestia says seriously, and don't do anything too brash. Save that for when you free me."
I knelt before Celestia, knowing that she was the one who was really ruling over Equestria. "You wanted us, Your Majesty?"
I looked up. I was suprised to see that Celestia looked like she didn't expect me to address her in this way.
"Yes, Sterling Smoulder," she said, "I had. I have been talking to The Doctor about the events of the past few days--Your arrival and the spell keeping Discord at bay starting to wear off, in particular. Is there anything you could tell us about Discord? What has he told you about Luna and I? You have to understand something, Sterling: Discord is a master of trickery. He could bend anyone to do his bidding. I have seen it with my own eyes, and believe me..." She looked at Luna. "...You don't want that to happen to the ones you love, let alone your subjects."
I could tell that Luna's rebellion against her sister probably had something to do with Discord, and she didn't tell me. She didn't try to blame anyone other than herself for her actions.
I was about to tell Celestia everything Discord told me, when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of my head, as if my mind was being reconfigured. I couldn't move at all, and it looked like nopony noticed that I was in excruciating pain because my muscles were still in a neutral position.
It felt like minutes passed, but only about two seconds elapsed before I was able to control my body again. But I didn't show any reaction. I had to remember, Celestia was the enemy. I mean, who would encase a being in stone?
"I don't know anything," I replied. "Other than the fact that neither of you are to be trusted. Looks like I'm stuck between choosing one side or the other, and I'm not too sure which one I'd choose."
Luna looked at me in surprise. Even The Doctor--Who was in his Equestrian form--looked taken aback.
"I just... find it confusing," I continued. "I mean, did you and Luna really turn Discord into stone?"
"We had no choice," Celestia replied. "I tried to reason with him, but to no avail. And I didn't want to kill him... I didn't even think it was possible, so--"
"So you petrified him," I interrupted. "Did he ever do that to your subjects?"
Luna was starting to back away from me, suprised at my sudden hostility. The guards began to draw near to me.
"No, don't attack him," Celestia said to her guards. "Sterling deserves to know the truth. Luna, Doctor, stay here with Sterling and I; the rest of you, wait outside." The guards obeyed, leaving us alone in the chamber.
Celestia turned towards me. "I understand how you feel, Sterling Smoulder. I, too, once thought that Discord could be trusted. In fact, he was originally from the place you claimed to hail from--the Northern Continent." Of course, Luna already told me this, but I chose not to interrupt Celestia again.
She continued, "Discord wasn't always the force of Chaos he's known as now. In fact, he was quite the opposite. It was the place he came fron which was constantly in a state of unrest.
"You see, The Northern Continent was home to many who were like Discord before Luna and I defeated him. Each of them had a different appearance, as well as different ailities. Mind control. Elementals. Immortality. Reshaping the very environment itself.
"This meant that some were more powerful than others; and the weaker Northerners would often be forced to do slave labor for the more powerful ones. None of them were able to control all the powers each of them had. But then there was Discord... From what I remember, he was able to harness god-like powers, making him the strongest of all the Northerners.
While many Northerners wanted to make the weaker an official slave race, Discord was one of the very few--perhaps the only one--who was against it from the very beginning. He always said that 'freedom was the right of all sentient beings.' And since he was the most powerful of all Northerners, he was almost listened to.
"While some started to agree--mainly the weaker ones--others branded Discord as a traitor to the Northern Continent, and found a way to banish him. Not wanting to fight back, in fear that he would become like those who persecuted him, he didn't fight back. Instead, he searched most of the known world to find something that would unite his people. He knew not what exactly he was looking for, but he didn't find it... He found us, Luna and I.
"We, too, were looking for some arifact of power that would unite what would eventually become Equestria. We crossed paths one day, and he told me about his plight. Luna was too young to come along with us, and wouldn't remember what happened if she did.
"So, we had a lead that six relics, what are now known as the Elements of Harmony, were hidden in the six provinces of modern Equestria. Once we found the Elements--"
Suddenly I felt another sharp pain, more intense than the last. Except this time, I was able to react. I yelled from the sudden shock, knowing that Discord was behind it.
"Really, Celestia. Spare us the PBS special," Discord said, although I was the only one to hear it. "She's lying, Sterling. While she was taking care of her little sister, I alone found the elements. Although I didn't even know about the fact that my home was destroyed, I was never banished. But I was as powerful as she said I was."
I quickly recovered. "I know this story, Celestia." I lied. "In fact, Discord already told me everything, and what you've told me so far just doesn't add up." Discord was putting words in my mouth now. "You're the one who betrayed HIM, according to what I was told. Alright; so I lied that Discord didn't tell me much. But I knew that you were going to have a different story."
I clenched my fists. "I still don't understand why ANYONE would turn one into stone. I mean, why not just finish him off?"
"Sterling," Luna said, with more than a bit of alarm in her voice. "Why are you--"
I cut her off. "Discord said that you and Luna were responsible for his defeat. Looks like Luna wasn't too young to do that."
Now it was The Doctor's turn to speak up. "Sterling, don't you even know what the word 'Discord' means???"
"Of course!" I said--although I didn't feel like it was truly my words that were being said. "I also know that isn't his real name. It was a title Celestia gave him just before she did that inhumane thing to him. Although he never did give me his true name...
"But it doesn't matter!" I cried. "It was all a plan to cover up Celestia's tracks." I could now tell that everyone present weren't following me. That was their problem.
"It appears that I've baffled everyone here, so I won't waste your time any further..." I streched my hand towards an empty space in the chamber, summoning a portal to take me elsewhere. A Dark Corridor, I decided to call it.
I turned back to take one last glance at who I understood to be the enemy. The Doctor was completely speechless. Celestia just stodd there, neither shocked or passive.
And Luna... She was the most affected. She looked crushed; almost to the point of tears. I quickly turned away. I completely betrayed her. But she has chosen her side. I guess everyone's entitled to their opinion, even if it's wrong.
I put up my hood and walked into the Dark Corridor, leaving my enemies behind. I had work to do , and It was almost dawn. I would wait a few hours, and return to the Sculpture Garden, which was just outside the castle. I'd look for Discord and release him. Somehow, I knew exactly how I'd do this: Plunge my blade into the statue's base.
But first, I would have to hide. My best bet would be in the Everfree Forest, so I emerged from the Dark Corridor there.
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Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, everyone was still recovering from Sterling Smoulder's sudden change of face.
Celestia walked up to her sister to comfort her. "This wasn't Sterling's idea, Luna." She said. "I could tell. Discord has been lying to him. Sterling hasn't been told everything about him. And even now, he wouldn't listen. Discord has confused him about whom he should be loyal to."
"...and you just let him go?" Luna asked.
"If I didn't," her sister replied, "I would have been no better than the one who is confusing Sterling. He has to discover the truth himself, I'm afraid. But, I think he'll figure it out soon, once he's no longer useful to Discord."
"I should get back to the museum," The Doctor decided, "In case Sterling shows up there."
"I'll take you there." Luna volunteered. "You'll probably need to get there quickly, in case he did return t othe museum."
Just before Luna teleported him back, Celestia warned them both: "Remember, whatever you do, do not force Sterling to see things our way, or else he'll never see the truth that's hidden right in front of him."
And with that, the two of them were gone, leaving Celestia alone. She recalled what Sterling said about Discord's real name--Did he know what it was? Shortly before Celestia and Luna defeated Discord, both of them forgot his real name, as if he didn't want anyone to remember it.
But one thing was certian: Celestia could have killed Discord. She could have killed her sister as well, after her transformation into Nightmare Moon, but Celestia loved her too much to destroy her. She wanted Luna to realize the errors of her ways.
And... Celestia almost regretted this... Discord was the same. They were friends, once upon a time, perhaps more. Once, Discord shared Celestia's ideas of peace.
But those days were long gone. Celestia knew something happened to Discord, but she couldn't figure it out. So she turned him into stone, to have time to think about how she could get Discord to see that "truth that's hidden right in front of him."
Maybe the Elements of Harmony would fix what was somehow broken inside Discord. But only time would tell...
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Alright, I've been getting a lot of feedback on other sites about how Luna doesn't speak in "THE TRADITIONAL ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE", but really; In the second episode of the first season, she didn't speak like that as Nightmare Moon. On top of that, after the Elements of Harmony were used on her, she still spoke regular English. Don't fret, Bronies, I still have a plan to have Luna speak a bit more... TRADITIONALLY. Just wait and see...
P.S. I wrote the last third of the story while I was sick... And as of this writing, I’m STILL sick. So please bear with me on any awkward phrasing or typos you may find.