//------------------------------// // Chaos Reigns // Story: The Choices We Make // by Rainbow Sparkle //------------------------------// The Elements of Harmony have been broken, one by one, twisted into the their polar opposites. Princess Celestia, ruler and guardian of Equestria, tried desperately to break Discord's spell on her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. But Discord would not let her get in his way. No, he would not be stopped this time, for he had waited far too long and endured more than a millennia of pain inside his stone prison. And so, with a simple wave of his paw, Discord removed that which was Celestia’s last hope for beating the Draconequus... or did he? There is still one who can save the world from his eternal reign of disharmony, and restore the balance between Order and Chaos. The only question is, how will she do it? And will she come to regret the choices she makes? -*- The Choices We Make -*- Chapter 1 As Discord lorded his victory over the broken and defeated form of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna was only now just beginning to stir from her sleep, her head slowly lifting itself from her desk as she tried to blink the sleep away and stifle a yawn. I guess I fell asleep again… Sister is right, maybe I am studying too much. She thought to herself as she stretched, working out all the kinks that came from falling asleep in front of a desk. A quick glance at the clock sitting nearby informed her that she had woken up just in time to end her sister’s day and begin her beautiful night. It was such a simple feat, yet it always brought her such joy. To be able to raise the night for her subjects once again... it was her dream come true. It was also a perfect way to wake herself up after her unintended nap. With that thought in mind, she got up from her desk and turned towards the archway leading to the Lunar Balcony. The walk helped in clearing the fog from her mind, and she brushed aside the dark silk curtains as she stepped onto the balcony, ready to raise the moon and bring forth the stars of the night. But instead of seeing the sky in its wonderful colors of twilight, she was startled to find it a sickly green, the clouds a bright pink, and the land covered in various multi-colored patterns. And that was only the beginning. The city of Canterlot below had been turned upside down -literally in some places- with towers and homes and the lands they were attached to floating upside-down here and there. A loud croak startled Luna, and she looked up to see a rabbit floating in the air above her. It let out another croak, and opened its mouth before whipping out its tongue, snagging it on a head of lettuce floating nearby. The strange animal happily munched on its lunch before belching in Luna’s face and swimming away. For a moment, Luna just sat there, too stunned by what she had just seen and witnessed to move. But then, her mind caught up as two very important facts became clear to her; that she was now wide awake... and that Discord had returned. “Celestia...” She murmured, a feeling of worry flowing through her as she turned and galloped back into her room. As soon as she reentered the abode, she swiveled her head swiftly to the right and left as she searched for the crystal they used to speak with each other when they were separated from each other by their duties. She quickly found it resting on her desk, and chastised herself for forgetting it was there. Her horn lit up with a dark blue aura as she grasped the crystal with her magic, but just as it was beginning to rise off the desk, her own aura was suddenly replaced by a new, golden light, and she heard a soft giggle coming from the direction of the door. Luna turned her head to the entry, seeing the tip of a long white horn poking past the threshold, as well as the tip of a snow white muzzle. “Sister! Thank goodness you’re alright!” She cried out, her focus moving away from the crystal completely, allowing the gold aura of her sibling's magic to encircle the crystal and bring it towards the door. Luna watched in confusion as it floated next to her sister, who plucked it from the air with her mouth and turned away, galloping further into the hall outside her room. “Wait!! Come back!” She called out, dashing after her sister into the darkened hallway. Discord's influence could be seen here as well, but she had no time to reflect on the changes as she saw her sister’s tail disappear around a corner. Breaking into a gallop as she gave chase, she frowned, murmuring “What’s going on? Doesn’t she realize that Discord’s on the loose?” The chase went on for some time, as every moment that Luna would catch up to her sister, she would vanish around a corner and then reappear down the other end of a corridor, or inside of a nearby room. The chase was beginning to annoy Luna, but her irritation was beginning to be overtaken by something else. Each time she had gotten close to her sister, she had noticed that something was off about her. Celestia's normally pristine and white coat seemed duller, and her flowing mane had changed, reverting back to the bright pink shade it had been in the days before she had used the Elements of Harmony against her sibling's darker self. Something was wrong with Luna's sister, and she was going to find out what it was... if she could just catch her! After what felt like an hour (but with the chaos present it could have been a week for all she knew), she finally cornered her sister in front of the doors to the throne room. Unless her sister felt like breaking a window, there was nowhere else to run. “Celestia, what is going on? Why do you keep running from me? Can’t you see what’s happening?” She asked, keeping a short distance between herself and her sister. Celestia simply giggled as she dropped the crystal from her mouth and replied, “Oh Lulu, I’m so glad you followed me! I’ve got something really fun I want to show you!” “Fun? Sister, stop this nonsense at once! We must gather the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. Discord’s broken free and we-” Celestia laughed and flashed Luna a very cheerful smile, but as Luna looked at her sisters eyes, any thought that her sister was ‘happy’ began to vanish. “You silly filly! We don’t need those silly necklaces or those... ponies... anymore. Just follow me in here and you’ll know that everything is going to be fine!” Before Luna could say anything further, Celestia turned and pushed the doors to the throne room wide open, bouncing in with a wide smile. Luna however, could only look inside with shock. If it had been crazy outside, and just plain weird inside, the throne room was now the very picture of chaos. Several pink rain clouds floated in the room, raining chocolate milk on the floor, which had changed from its polished marble to... well, too many things to name. At the center of it all, sitting in what had once been their throne, was none other than Discord himself. He turned an eye towards them when the doors opened, and a twisted smile lit up his face as he slithered over to the bouncing form of Celestia. “Well done, Celly dear. I knew you’d be able to bring her to me. Here’s the lollipop I promised you for being such a good little princess.” He reached into the air and pulled out a bright yellow, sun-shaped lollipop. Celestia clopped her hooves together with glee, taking the offered sweet with a smile and giving it a lick, her face becoming one of pure bliss. She walked over to the draconequus and gave him a hug as she replied, “Thank you daddy Discord, it’s delicious! Can Lulu come play with me once you two are done talking?” Discord’s dark smile widened further, and he pet Celestia on the head. His gaze turned to Luna as he spoke. “Of course Celly! After all, you two can do whatever you want now. But first, I need to have that chat with your sister, so why don’t you run along now.” Celestia nodded, and waved to Luna (whom, in her shocked state, simply waved back), before taking to the air, exiting the throne room via a hole that now sat in the ceiling. Luna stared at the spot where her sister had exited, her mind reeling as it tried to comprehend what had just happened. “Confused, Lulu?” A voice rang out, and Luna turned to see Discord floating near one of the windows, his eyes roaming across the castle courtyard. One eye turned its attention to her, and she could feel the anger and rage rising up within her as he smirked at her. “I thought you might be. You really did pick the wrong time to take a nap my dear.” Luna gritted her teeth, an urge to lash out at the spirit gnawing at her mind. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the memory of their last fight ages ago. She knew her magic wasn’t powerful enough to hurt the spirit, so she settled for interrogating him instead. “What did you do to my sister Discord? And how did you manage to escape the prison we put you in?” “Hmm... where should I begin? Oh, I know! Let’s start with one year ago. Today, in fact. Well, technically tomorrow since I’ve reversed the positions of the sun and moon...” He replied, rambling for a moment before continuing. “You see, dear Lulu...” “Don’t call me that you monster. Only my sister can call me that.” Luna said, sending him a glare that would have killed if it could. Discord merely chuckled, and with a snap of his fingers, there was a brief flash above Luna's head. Looking up, she saw a floating nametag above her reading, ‘Hi, I’m Lulu’. Scowling, she used her magic to throw it in Discord’s general direction, but he simply skipped out of the way with a laugh. “Guahahah! Oh, how I have missed you too Lulu. Your temper is still the same as ever I see.” He chuckled again, grabbing a stray cookie that had floated into the room. “Now, where was I? Oh yes. You see, one year ago when you returned to Equestria as Nightmare Moon, your precious Elements of Harmony gained new bearers. This in turn, broke the connection you and Celestia had possessed when you used them on me. With that out of the way, all I had to do was simply wait for some discord to come my way. And thanks to three little schoolfillies, I finally had all I needed to break out of that barbaric stone prison you two placed me in.” That made sense to Luna, with what she knew of the Elements of Harmony. Despite her transformation into Nightmare Moon and having the Element's power used against her, the spell she and Celestia had used to bind Discord to stone had remained. But with new wielders, it would require a renewal of the spell to maintain the prison. Looking back, she wondered why her sister hadn’t instructed the new bearers to do so after she had been freed. But there was no time for that now. She needed to know what he had done to her sister, and to the Elements themselves. “What about my sister Discord? Your magic isn’t supposed to be able to affect us directly, just as our own cannot affect you.” “Ohahahoh, yes! My crowning achievement, I must say. Watching her will break was most enjoyable. But I think I’ll show you the answer, rather than bore you with more unnecessary drivel.” With a snap of his fingers, the throne room around them vanished, and they were inside Celestia’s study. She saw her sister talking with Discord, watched as he showed her each of the corrupted bearers of the Elements, and watched as her sister began sending off all of the friendship reports her pupil Twilight had sent her. The scene shifted, and the two of them were standing in a small bedroom. A faded purple unicorn was writing something on a scroll, and when she finished, they followed her outside to find what had once been Ponyville, now twisted and changed by Discords magic. She watched as a small dragon burst the scroll into flames, sending it off towards Canterlot. The scene shifted once more, returning them to Celestia’s study. “Now watch... as harmony dies...” Discord whispered to her. And watch she did, as she saw her sister’s heart break, her will to fight vanishing as she read the letter that appeared. Luna could feel her eyes tearing up as she felt the pain her sister was going through. She wanted to reach out to her, tell her there was still hope, still a way to beat him, but she knew that she couldn’t. Not in this vision Discord was showing her. Even though she wished dearly to believe this was all a lie on the Draconequus' part, she knew it wasn’t, simply from having already witnessed his influence spread throughout Canterlot, and from what he had done to her sister. The study faded, and they were back in the throne room, standing next to the windows. Luna watched through them as her sister played outside, jumping up and down on a pond of gelatin. “So you see, Lulu, there is nothing you can do. The Elements of Harmony have been broken, your sister has been broken, and all that’s left is you, my dear. Resisting will only make the pain worse, you know.” Discord said, resting his talons on her back in a soothing manner. “Just forget about your duties, your responsibilities, and you and your sister can spend the rest of eternity doing whatever it is you want... just the two of you... without a care in the world. I know how much you miss those days, back before you two became princesses, and had to start following all those rules and regulations. They can be all yours again... if you just forget.” “Forget...” She murmured, repeating it to herself. How easy it would be to just forget about Equestria, about responsibility. She wouldn’t have to worry about all the pain and damage Discord was causing. She could just go right out there and play with her sister, laughing and playing like the fillies they had been so many ages ago. After all, he was right, wasn’t he? She was alone now. There was no one who could help her defeat him. The elements were gone, her sister discorded, and Equestria descended into chaos. Hope was lost... There is always hope, my dearest child. Luna’s eyes widened as a soothing, warm presence slipped into her mind, banishing her doubts and fears, shedding light on Discord’s words. As it worked its way through her, filling her with a sense of purpose, she saw Celestia turn towards her, a silly grin plastered across her face as she waved at her. Luna waved back, but as she did so, she looked straight at her sister’s eyes. They were glazed, looking as if any hope or happiness had been sucked dry from them. But deep down, in a place where Discord’s magic could not reach, she could feel it. Her sister was counting on her, and all of Equestria was as well. It was a heavy burden, but she had already spent 1000 years with the burden of her sins. She could carry this one as well. “You’re wrong Discord... there is something I can do. And I don’t care if it takes me till the end of time, I will find a way to beat you at your game.” She said, turning away and glaring at him, a smirk crossing her lips as she saw his look of surprise. But his surprise did not last long, as he smirked back, chuckling at her defiance. “Well Lulu, if you wish to play it that way then by all means, go ahead and try. I assure you that you're only making this harder for yourself. If you wish to drag things out, it will only make the game more fun for me. But, if I may make one suggestion…” He laughed, pointing a talon at the window, “Perhaps you may wish to entertain your sister for a bit, before she starts thinking you don’t care about her. You wouldn’t want to break her anymore than she already is, after all! Guahahaha! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a duck shower over Trottingham. It should be fun watching everypony run around like chickens with their heads cut off.” He vanished, leaving Luna all by herself in the throne room. As much as she believed what she had told him, she did not look forward to the idea of spending the rest of eternity trying to stop him. But if that was what it took to bring her sister’s real smile back, and to save the land she called home, than she would spend that eternity doing so. So long as she held hope in her heart, Equestria would live on. A slight tapping noise drew her thoughts back to reality, and she saw her sister tapping on the window. With a heavy sigh, Luna gave her sister a warm smile and nodded to her, spreading her wings out as she took off and made her way outside towards her sister. As she landed on the ground next to her, she cast a glance up at the sky and made a solemn vow to herself, to her sister, and all of Equestria. I’ll play your game for now, Discord. But all games must come to a stop eventually. And someday, I’ll bring your reign of chaos to an end.