With the widest grin imaginable, Discord, the Lord of Chaos, blinked into the heavenly realm of Justice, the Lord of Order. The massive hall looked to stretch on for miles in all directions, nature dominating the floor, walls, and ceiling of the space. Lush fauna and flora covered every inch as far as the eye could see. Sparkling lakes and tall waterfalls that seemed to flow from thin air were sprinkled about as well.
With Twilight Sparkle's victory over Kismet came an intense satisfaction to the draconequus.
Perhaps after all this time, something will finally change.
As the Lord of Chaos floated toward his destination he couldn't help but feel a bit giddy at that possibilty.
His cohorts were already here, though that was to be expected, at least of the Lord of Order. Much like all others, it was her realm, after all. Justice, the flawless snow-white alicorn sat atop her throne, listening intently to the Lord of Fate standing before her. The alicorn was almost a carbon copy of Celestia... or more accurately, vice-versa. Which made sense considering the former had made the latter in her own image.
The primary differences between the god and the princess were their manes and tails. While Celestia's were both a beautiful twinkling rainbow in hue, Justice's were a shade of carmine or shimmering maroon. The Lord of Order bore no cutie mark, the images being a concept she'd created specifically for her ponies, to aid them in their journey through life. Justice had never had to discover her own purpose. She had always been who she was and would always be... life itself.
The Lord of Fate standing impatiently in front of her, Kismet, had their arms crossed in front of themself. Their face was twisted in a disrespectful sneer, clearly annoyed at having to be in the presence of their self-perceived foe.
"...finally got your porcelain little hooves dirty. I didn't think you had it in you, Justice." Kismet's voice was rife with venom and hatred. Discord had arrived fashionably late and so, didn't really have any clue what their current conversation was about. Neither of the other lords acknowledged him or even seemed to notice his presence. Although, one of the benefits of being chaos embodied was not being noticed if you wished not to be. The other gods seemed much too preoccupied with their own business.
"If you'd have left my creation to itself, I wouldn't have been forced to intervene, Met." Justice was as tranquil as a secluded lake on a moonlit night as she spoke of the near destruction of all she'd made. There wasn't a hint of malice or aggression in her statement or in her demeanor, yet her very being enraged the Lord of Fate.
"Oh, but how could I not toy with them, Justice? With Discord gone, I finally had the opportunity to try to tear out that black heart of yours." Met had complete control of the body currently and he was using his time to try to push Justice into a fury. He frustratedly tapped his leg with the head of his cane, arms remaining crossed uncomfortably. "We were so close too, what a shame it is. It was almost all gone," he snapped his fingers in an "aw shucks" manner, the mocking smirk on his face dripping with arrogance.
"How long will you hold onto this senseless grudge, Met?" Justice sighed, her countenance falling. The alicorn looked genuinely heartbroken because of her hate-filled creation. "I have never-"
"I will bear this animosity forever, Justice," the lupine's grin disappeared immediately as he snarled at the being he loathed over all else. "And even after that!" he spat. Justice's reaction was to merely shake her head slowly. There would be no getting through to him, that much was more than clear to the alicorn.
"Excuse me, Met, but I had no intention of ruining your fun," Discord finally made himself known as he approached Justice's throne. "I never intended to stay away for so long, either. Like Justice, it wasn't until you overstepped your bounds that I decided to make my triumphant return."
"So now you openly oppose me as well, Chaos?" Met's expression of disgust was now directed at the draconequus. "You fled with your tail between your legs as soon as that yellow pegasus expired and now you show up as if anyone wished for your return? You should have stayed in the hole you crawled out of, worm."
"Touchy, touchy, Met. Who spit in your corn flakes?" If Met's insults had any effect on the draconequus, Discord didn't show it, going so far as to snap his fingers to manifest a "Justice is #1" shirt on the Lord of Fate. Though it only lasted there a second before it was torn to shreds and thrown to the floor. It was obvious the attire had rubbed Met the exact way the Lord of Chaos had intended. "Speaking negatively of Fluttershy won't get to me, if that's what your intentions really are," Discord smirked, unconcerned. "You're better off trying to best me in a game of..." he examined the wolf, horns to claws. "Well, any game to be honest. You're not a very fun hombre, Met."
"I had forgotten how soft you have become, Discord." Met rolled his eyes at the slight to his character, or at least what could have been perceived as a slight. "Justice's pathetic little lackeys really got to you too, didn't they?"
"Friendship and Love have a habit of changing one's nature," Justice spoke up, a satisfied smile on her face. "You are no different, Met. I can already see the seeds you mistakenly planted within growing deep inside of you."
If Met had been somewhat angry before, he was now a blazing inferno of rage. While the lupine was normally a pillar of self-control, his recent failures had put him on edge and Justice's comments had just sent him tumbling off.
"YOUR..." he grabbed at his own head, his face contorting in a blend of pain and fury. Justice's expression softened slightly at the distress Met was clearly in. No matter how he may have felt about her, he was still one of her precious creations. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, he expelled a long breath through his clenched teeth. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?" he growled. Even though he was managing to rein in his emotions, some of the anger spilled out.
"She's not omniscient, Met," Discord scoffed. "how could she have-"
"SHUT UP, DISCORD!!!" The glare the Lord of Fate gave the draconequus was enough to get him to both literally and figuratively zip his lips. "I ASKED YOU A QUESTION, JUSTICE!" The canine roared, turning his wrath back on the alicorn. Justice raised a displeased brow at the sudden outburst.
"Calm yourself, Met." Her words were softly spoken, but had enough authority to shake the god to his very core. Met growled openly in reply, baring his fangs at Justice, but not doing much else. Justice was absolute. If she so wished it, he would be dust with a mere thought. "I bestowed my greatest form of love unto Cadenza, Met. Flurry Heart is... special due to that," she confessed, drawing more ire from Met. "but I could not fathom you'd go so far as you did to try to steal her special talent. That was your folly, not mine."
"You wanted it though, did you not!?" he pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You are glad I- glad Kis changed!" he gripped his head with a claw yet again causing Justice to lean forward with genuine concern. "Our misery brings you nothing but joy..."
"That's not true, Met. That's never been true." Justice's wings had unfurled at her sides, the alicorn visibly stirred by the allegation. "I've only ever wanted-"
"Enough," Met's fury was gone, his voice now barely above a whisper. "With Discord here, you have no need of my consent to restart the cycle." With tired eyes he stared up at the Lord of Order. "Why have you summoned me here?"
"I..." Justice's entire body slumped. Discord also noted that the alicorn had grown much more sorrowful as the conversation carried on. "After all that's happened, I was hoping we might finally be able to reconcile," she extended an olive branch to the canine, harmony her only desire. She received a derisive scoff in return for her kindness.
"Not a chance," his gaze pierced through her, an indication that his declaration would never change. Justice's foreleg fell, her despair palpable. And then the Lord of Fate had changed, his other half emerging and taking full control of the body.
"I think... I think it's my turn to talk." Kis' more slender frame replaced Met's larger body, her feminine voice surprising both Discord and Justice.
"K-KIS?!" Discord was the first to vocally express his shock.
"I've never seen you take control without Met's permission." Justice was legitimately stunned by Kis' actions as well, her demeanor betraying true astonishment.
"I never have, bu-" Kis cut herself off, closing her eyes. "You know I'm not, Met," she waited, listening intently to her other half's response. "Am I not allowed to express my own thoughts?" Again silence prevailed. "Then shouldn't you feel at least a little bit like I do?" A dreadfully long quiet followed that question.
When Kis finally opened her eyes again she looked severely disappointed.
"I'm guessing that didn't go well?" Discord sighed. He too found the strife between the alicorn and the canine to be particularly distasteful.
"No, Discord," Kis sighed. "no, it did not," she turned her attention to the alicorn. "Justice, you already know what Met wants. You've known since you first created him... It's the same thing I've wanted since I ..."
"Kis," Justice moved off of her throne, walking right up to the Lord of Fate. "This episode may have soured my feelings a bit, but I've never held ill will toward you," she laid a cautious hoof on Kis' shoulder. It was quite the gamble, Kis being the far more destructive side of Kismet, however Justice had seen the change Twilight Sparkle had made in the vulpine. She just prayed it was enough to make a real difference. It had been far too long since she could recall any semblance of peace between the three of them. "Either of you," she emphasized her point with a brilliant smile.
"I know that... I mean, now I do. It's just..." Kis was obviously still struggling with expressing how she really felt. "It's just, before I..." she didn't want to say anything further, but knew she had to. "Before I could feel their love, before Twilight reached out to me... before Cadance... I couldn't feel anything like it. It was all... distorted, like my head was filled with static," she sighed. "I think that's how Met still feels."
"What can I do to remedy that, Kis?" Justice wanted nothing more than for the pitiable lupine to be set free from his terrible shackles, but there was no way she could see to resolve the issue.
"I... don't know," Kis replied bluntly. "If you'd have asked me a few days ago how to get through to me I wouldn't have had an answer for you then either." While Justice was displeased with the response, she was happy that at least Kis was being reasonable. It wasn't how she normally carried herself, but it was definitely a welcome change.
"You're... so very different," Justice remarked with a giddy smile. "I really am glad."
"Thank Twilight Sparkle," Kis smiled brightly to herself, placing a hand over her heart. "That girl really is something special. I'm happy to have the honor to be able to call her my friend."
"I never thought I'd hear you say anything like that," Discord smirked.
"To be fair, I never thought I'd say something like that," Kis chuckled. "I can see how they managed to change you, Discord. It's pretty hard to fight such... raw emotions."
"Now imagine them all together spouting their 'friendship is magic' philosophy," Discord said using his fingers to make air quotes. "Trust me, It's impossible to resist. Especially when Fluttershy is the one making puppy dog eyes at you," he added that last bit much quieter than the rest.
"I can imagine," Kis laughed, an action fully filled with mirth in contrast to her usual psychotic chortling. "WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! What's wrong, Justice!?" Kis grabbed the white alicorn by her shoulders in a panic. Tears poured down the Lord of Order's cheeks, however her face was one of pure elation.
"I-i'm sorry," she wiped the tears away with the back of her foreleg. "It's just, I'm so very happy." Kis let out a relieved breath as a smile came to her lips.
"You really do just want us all to be happy... don't you?" the fox moved forward, embracing the alicorn in a gentle hug. The sudden affection caught the creator off guard, widened eyes and a torrent of tears all she could seem to produce. Discord was positively glowing as he offered her two thumbs up and a glowing smile.
"It's all I've ever wanted, Kis." Justice recovered enough to wrap a foreleg around the vulpine. "One day I hope to hold Met like this," she sniffled. "When he's ready." With one final tight squeeze Kis withdrew from Justice.
"You will," Kis grinned confidently. "I'll do all I can to make him see the light too, I swear." Out of the blue Discord lifted Kis into the air and gave her a hug.
"Great to have you, Kis!" Discord nuzzled his cheek into hers.
"Right, right. It's a pleasure to be here," she pushed his face away from hers as he placed her back on the ground. "Now, what are we thinking about starting this cycle over?"
"You want... to!?" Discord covered his mouth with his claw.
"You wish to..." Justice was dumbfounded once again. Not one time in all of history had either half of Kismet ever wanted to discuss the future. Typically, they'd simply wait until the die was cast and go against whatever Justice willed.
"Let's be honest, that wasn't the best ending our friends deserve." Kis looked first at Discord and then at Justice. "Not exactly my finest work, in my opinion at least... what do you guys think?"
"Maybe... but..." Discord stroked his beard. The Lord of Fate and the Lord of Chaos looked at the Lord of Order with anticipation painting their features. Justice's face scrunched up in contemplation.
"I'm not sure... This is the longest and most prosperous cycle in... well, ever. My world is in chaos right now..." she tapped her chin with a hoof. "You would still pursue destruction, would you not, Met?" she asked the lupine.
Kis closed her eyes for a moment before opening them back up and lifting her claws with a shrug.
"Preeeetty sure you already know the answer... just throw in a few expletives for good measure," she chuckled uncomfortably.
"As I thought," Justice summoned a screen that displayed an image of Celestia and Luna speaking to the citizens of the Crystal Empire. She stared at her "daughter's", a longing expression coming to her face. "Do we risk a different outcome? Thousands more years of suffering for what could end up being even worse than this?"
"Well, when you put it like that," Kis ran a claw through her hair before scratching the back of her head. "I know..." the canine took a deep breath. "I know that this cycle is going to get really hard from here on out... at least for Cel and Lu... Are you willing to put them through that, Justice?"
Discord noticed the twang of pain that the alicorn got from the question. Restarting the cycle meant building up everything from scratch again. Celestia and Luna were the creation that enabled the world to continue. They would be forced to start from square one as well, back to the darkest ages. For them, it would be the most difficult.
"I..." Justice faltered. While she adored all of her creation, Celestia and Luna were particularly dear to her. The pair were crafted from the sun and the moon, yes, but also directly from her very own being. None of her other creations shared in that connection with her and so, to her, they were even more like her own kin. "I don't know." To condemn them to a life of even more death and sorrow was completely against her nature, but restarting the cycle would prove to be just as arduous for the duo.
"It's a tough choice..." Discord laid a claw on Justice's shoulder. The alicorn didn't budge, her gaze locked on the goings on of her creation. "Maybe... you should talk to them about it?"
"You know I'd like to, but...." Justice sighed, waving a hoof and causing the screen to dissipate from before them.
"The laws..." Discord sighed.
"Laws schmaws. Not like they've ever stopped me before," Kis snapped her fingers drawing the stunned gazes of both other Lords.
Celestia and Luna both stood in the Hall of Order, both looking much like deer caught in headlights. Both of their gazes floated around their surroundings before the elder sister spoke.
"Wha... what just hap- D-DISCORD!?" Celestia stared wide-eyed at the draconequus.
"KIS!?" Luna blared as she took up a protective stance in front of her older sister. As she attempted to pour mana into her horn nothing happened. She looked up at the cone in confused irritation. "I do not intend to alarm you, Tia, but I cannot seem to mold any mana," the dark alicorn looked back at the Princess of the Sun.
"Don't freak out," Kis walked over to the siblings with a smile on her face. "Nobody can, 'cept us," she pointed a thumb at the other two lords and herself. The Immortal Sisters shifted their gaze, first from Discord then to the white alicorn.
Celestia felt a pang of familiarity as her eyes met with her creator's. Her legs began to wobble as if she had just come face to face with a long lost friend. She took a slow, cautious step toward the god, her heart hammering within her.
"M- MOTHER!!!" Luna did not share the same hesitation as her sister. The Princess of the Night launched herself at Justice, coming to a screeching halt directly in front of the Lord of Order. A look of complete embarrassment overtaking the younger sister when she'd realized her actions were... less than proper etiquette. She immediately bowed low, prostrating herself to her parent. "Forgive my lack of-"
"LULU!!!" Justice grabbed her daughter without hesitation, drawing her into the tightest of embraces. "I've wanted to do this for so long, my dearest."
"M- MOMMA!!!" Luna sobbed into Justice's coat, unable to even return the creator's gesture. Celestia continued to act as if she were a curious filly, still sheepishly standing afar off.
"She's not gonna bite you, Celestia." Discord had moved next to the Sun Princess, nudging her forward with an elbow.
"I know that!" Celestia snapped in annoyance. "That's..." In her heart she was aware. The presence of authority was different than before, but she knew exactly who it was.
"Tia?" Justice was beside herself with elation as she extended a hoof to her elder daughter, but never letting go of the bawling younger sister.
"J-Justice?" Celestia gradually walked over to the alicorn. Part of her unsurety came from the fact that they looked so similar. It was almost like looking into a mirror for the Princess of the Sun. Justice simply nodded in confirmation.
"It's good to see you, my lovely little light." As the tears collected and spilled from the eyes of the Lord of Order, Celestia joined her sister, her own emotions spilling forth. The three alicorns held one another closely, each experiencing a level of jubilance beyond any they had experienced before.
"Such a touching reunion," Discord wiped a faux tear with a handkerchief he'd pulled out of thin air. "Wouldn't you agree?" the draconequus was now next to Kis as he moved his head down to her level.
"Pretty gross, to be honest," Kis laughed as she playfully shoved his face away yet again. "She does look really happy, though," Kis' smile grew. The vulpine felt... strange. Conflicted.
While she'd never felt better, she also never felt worse. She was ecstatic that the Lord of Order was getting to experience such a pleasant moment, but... there was a twinge of pain within her.
It was deep in her gut, deep down past any other feelings or desires. Still, she could feel it. Like a creeping disease that threatened to overtake and consume her. It hungered for Justice's downfall, for her ruin... for her death. It was Met and no matter what she did, it was her.
As her own tears began to silently fall she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. No matter what happened next, if they restarted the cycle or not, she would do all she could to help them... and she... they... Kismet knew... they would remain their nemesis.