Chapter 0 – Chaos
The alicorn of the night wandered through the great marble halls of her Canterlot Palace. The years had been tough on her. Nightmare Night was still insulting to her, she hadn’t brought herself to admit it but she knew that it still hurt her inside. Every Nightmare Night she would put on a fake smile. She felt as if she was just a joke to them as they laughed and the doubt built up as she realized she hadn’t done anything to help rule Equestria alongside her sister.
The alicorn of the sun stood on the balcony, overlooking all of Equestria. The pretty lights of Manehattan and Fillydelphia twinkled like stars in the distance and she looked up to the creation of her sister. The midnight sky glowed purple as the blue and white stars sparkled. The nights weren’t as beautiful when she had banished her sister to the moon. Celestia smiled to herself as she could hear the light clatter of her sister’s trotting from behind.
“Tia,” Luna sighed, thoughts clouding her perception, “I feel that I need to rule right by your side again. It’s the way it should be, the way it was.”
Celestia chuckled softly and placed a hoof on Luna’s forehead. She gave a long hum of thought before smiling and poking her sister on the nose.
“Are you alright?” Celestia asked, “are you sick? You look awfully tired.”
Luna stamped her forelegs. “Enough, Tia! I’m not a foal!”
“No,” Celestia said, getting serious, “you aren’t but you’ve been gone for years and-”
“Whose fault is that, Tia? NOT MINE. It’s been two years now and I think I deserve to be a ruler too.” Luna stamped her hooves some more, anger flaring within her.
“Luna, watch your tone with me young lady,” Celestia said.
“You’re not Mother,” Luna whispered in spite.
The alicorn of the night stormed out of her sister’s quarters with tears streaming down her face. Celestia’s heart sank into the pits of her stomach and followed after her. Luna stopped, Celestia stopped. Luna turned around to glare at Celestia, hate flaring in her eyes. Celestia remembered that look so well, the same look that Nightmare Moon gave just before the great battle. Celestia backed away slowly, careful as to not reignite the darkness within her own sister.
Celestia stepped outside onto the balcony again. Staring up at the sky, she noticed the stars weren’t sparkling as bright as they were before and the majestic purple canvas that was the sky had turned into black. Plain, pitch black.
* * *
Luna hadn’t slept at all and the sun began to rise. Her resent sparkled at first light and stayed there. She was afraid, Luna, afraid that the darkness was consuming her once again. Celestia entered and Luna glared at her. Celestia began to back away but froze mid-step. She furrowed her brows and began to march forward. Luna felt threatened and darted towards the balcony. Celestia galloped after her and the two alicorns took flight into the bright skies.
“Luna!” Celestia cried out from behind her, “stop this right now!”
Luna left behind a trail of glittering smoke which oddly looked like the night sky being painted by her own back hooves. Celestia flew above her, trying to catch up. Luna’s thoughts cleared for a moment, allowing her to stop and recollect. Celestia rammed into Luna and they both began to hurdle towards the ground. Had her own sister tackled her towards the ground?
Twilight set in, it was meant to be early morning though. The stars were visible as the sun fell below the horizon, leaving a soft glow. Celestia stood up and extended a hoof out to help Luna up. Luna shook her head, getting up on her own shaky legs.
“You tackled me,” Luna accused.
Celestia was taken aback.
Ponies began to crowd around the crater they had created outside of Canterlot. There was a boom of thunder as Luna stamped her hooves.
“I did nothing of the sort!” Celestia yelled.
“Yes you did!” a pony from the crowd yelled.
“She didn’t!” another pony yelled.
The crowd began to fight with each other and Celestia watched in horror as the crowd turned into a riot. Celestia’s royal guards and Luna’s royal guards were also among the riot and there was another boom of thunder in the twilight. Celestia couldn’t bring herself to raise the sun again. The sisters glared at each other.
“Luna…” Celestia gave a heavy sigh, “you will stop.”
“NO!” Luna yelled with another boom of thunder, “you will stop. We were meant to rule together, I was nothing but a baby to you though. You never appreciated me.”
Celestia gasped, “No, of course I did, you’re my sister!”
There was a dissonance of cheers and boos from the riot. Luna’s royal guards assembled behind her and Celestia’s royal guards began to do the same behind her.
“We can talk about this,” Celestia said softly, approaching Luna.
There was a sparkle in Luna’s right eye as a tear fell but she quickly brushed it away with a hasty hoof and grimaced. Luna turned away, flying towards the mountains with her royal guards.
* * *
The palace was quiet without Luna. Celestia knew that Luna was stubborn but now she was overreacting, she had left with her own army. Some of the ponies in Canterlot even set out to follow her. Celestia’s heart sank again and her grief turned to worry as she remembered Nightmare Moon.
Canterlot was filled with protestors and riots but Celestia thought nothing of it. She only thought of her sister, she dreaded the thought of another banish. Celestia was restless throughout the day, watching as Canterlot began to tear itself apart. She saw smoke in the town square and set off towards the source.
There was a bonfire and Celestia was greeted with a mixed reception of happiness and anger. She put the fire out with a gust from her mouth and was about to put on a speech before a can hit her in the flank. More cans were sent out from the Luna supporters and Celestia was horrified, her own subjects were turning against her. She left as quickly as she had arrived and concealed herself behind the castle walls.
* * *
Nightmare Moon was coming back; Luna could feel the transformation as the hate grew stronger. Ponies from Canterlot had followed her and she blessed them. She overheard some of the ponies insulting Celestia and she took joy in it. Luna knew that Nightmare Moon would be back and she began to weep in her private cave. Not long ago she was just a filly learning what had changed in a thousand years. She was surprised at how quick she had turned against her sister over a possible misunderstanding. The more Luna mulled it over, the more reason she began to receive, but it was too late to turn back. Nightmare Moon had consumed her.
* * *
With an army at her disposal, Nightmare Moon set off for Canterlot. She ignored her mixed response from her subjects as she approached the castle with her royal guards and supporters following behind her. Celestia was on her balcony, looking down in shame as she realized that Nightmare Moon was back.
“Think about this, Luna,” Celestia said, descending from her balcony.
“Enough, Celestia. Our conflict goes beyond the act of reasoning now,” Nightmare Moon said.
“There never was any reason, I tried but your actions were clouded by anger,” Celestia said.
Nightmare Moon froze, her heart sank but she hid her sorrow with more anger.
“It’s war,” she said.
Celestia let the tears fall this time, she hadn’t cried for over a thousand years and now the tears were coming back to haunt her. She nodded in acknowledgement and turned for the palace.
* * *
The war started over a tiff between sisters which lasted for three days and Celestia felt the chaos abound. The disharmony from Canterlot expanded over Equestria like a pandemic. It was a few months before the war commenced. Nightmare Moon was marching her troops down the mountains, Celestia was marching hers out of Canterlot. Both armies stood in front of each other, then Celestia felt the tingle along her spine, Nightmare Moon felt it too.
Somewhere within the Everfree Forest, the statue of Discord began to crack again. They had tossed it there to forget about it, but tossing something out of one’s mind doesn’t mean it’s gone forever. The God of Disharmony immerged from the forest and took to the skies, eager to watch the war.
The battle had already started. The armies tore at each other with magic and physical attacks. The flurry of magical spells created a storm of magic above the battlefield. The lightening that struck the ground scarred parts of Equestria with its extreme power. Windigoes began to form around them and the magical storm turned into a magical blizzard which slowly engulfed Equestria in its deathly grasp.
The sisters charged at each other, ready for the final confrontation. Their clash left a vast explosion of magic, adding more ferocity into the blizzard. Each army began to dwindle, not from each other, but from the blizzard. The sisters clashed again and another sonic boom of magic boomed across Equestria. Ponies from all over began to suffer from the effects. The sisters crashed into the ground, sending another ultra pulse of magic to scar Equestria.
The Draconequus towered over the two weak sisters. Both sisters gasped in surprise as they lifted their heads to see Discord. Celestia looked at Nightmare Moon.
“We must work together,” Celestia said heavily, “we must rid Equestria of Discord once and for all.”
Nightmare Moon struggled in her mind. Luna had been battling within the body, she knew the war was pointless, she knew it was caused by her own jealousy and she succumbed to the darkness again, the same one which had taken her soul a thousand years ago.
“I- I can’t,” Luna uttered through the voice of Nightmare Moon.
“This is what you want,” Nightmare Moon wailed, “you want redemption for the both of us!”
Nightmare Moon won the battle over Luna and turned her attention back to Celestia.
Discord simply laughed as the two alicorns came together. As the final magical blast echoed through Equestria, Discord intervened. The two alicorns were both lying next to each other with labored breaths and dying strength. Nightmare Moon was no more, lying there was the small frame of Luna.
The last thing Luna could remember was the forgiving eyes of her sister before it all went dark.
* * *
And so the rule of Discord began.
He declared Ponyville the new Capital of Chaos and called the Elements of Harmony fourth. He presented them with a proposal, do as he says or be punished severely. Everypony valued their lives and the lives of their own family so they complied. He set them off to work and sat atop the town hall, claiming it as his throne.
Zebras flocked from all over to work for his Chaotic Commune. Ponies which had lost their moral compass demanded Discord’s approval as they praised him. They were known as the Lost Ones. Discord had no use for them, he only liked the attention and chaos they were causing to their own kind and everypony who wasn’t one of them hated their existence.
Discord was finally the ruler of Equestria again with nothing to fear.
His reign continued for two years and a couple of months without disturbance and he began to feel bored. Everything was bland and boring. There had been times where ponies would try to stand up against him but rarely did they ever provide a fun challenge. He yearned for ponies to partake in a revolution to overthrow him, which of course led to a grand battle in which he would dominate.
Somewhere out there was a revolution being planned. Somewhere out there Discord would finally get some fun. It was only a matter of time.