//------------------------------// // Ch. 10: Royal Chaos // Story: Surrender // by Saekwaka //------------------------------// "Sister." An elegant horse of a white-starred design plastered on her blue-black mane speaks softly, so softly, that only her older, slightly taller sister is able to make out this simple, gloomy word.  "What ails you?" Celestia states instantly, not breaking in her stride down the long, castle corridor, but not betraying the slightest notion of disregard for her sister's emotions. Canterlot Castle guards salute, in a wave, Celestia and Luna as they pass. "I have news from Manehattan; news of ill-fortune." "What devistation befalls them?" Celestia halts in her tracks upon arrival of her royal throne. "Night-screechers have burned down homes, targeting every square inch of poverty-stricken neighborhoods."  "You are guardian of the night! The moon rises and falls at your behest, Luna. Why are your nightmare villians not taken care of?" "I am unable to control them." "For what purpose did you conjure them?" Luna's temper flares. Instinctively, she snarls at her elder, "They are not conjured by will, Sister. They are the very beings of fear and devistation, and they breathe for no master. The night is my duty and my control. As for the horrors within, that is beyond my reach. Though I can restrain evening's hauntings, these beings are loose under no reins except the desire to destroy. They are, as history's records so often state, under the control of control itself, driven only by the desire to conquer and feed off of misfortune. If you think I willingly sought this chaos, you are deeply mistaken." Celestia does not chance a blink at her words. "Nightmare Moon brought upon a darkened day. How do I know this cursed night is not your doing as well?" "Over the many thousands of years you and I have ruled, had you not the will to observe their actions? When I was banished to the moon, did they not bother to return once my nightmares began? If not, why have you not taken the time to examine our history of beasts? How dare you accuse me of such destruction!" The dozens of guards coated in plated armor in the room now turn their heads slightly in the princesses' direction, both curious and anxious to hear an arguement between two usually level-headed rulers. "Luna, you are, as I've said, guardian of the night. Why are your nightmares tainting this land?" "I did not conjure them." "Nightmares, Luna; they are spawns of your fears and distress. I will ask again: what ails you?" "They are not mine, they are of alien markings. They look different than mine..." Luna shakes her head, oblivious to her elder's annoyance. "I cannot figure who they may belong to..." Celestia's eyebrows furrow, suddenly understanding what her sister has been trying to tell her. Within the silence, majestic Luna continues, "Sister, this kingdom is not yours or mine alone. We are two rulers in the midst of varying waves of chaos, and of harmony. I may guard the night the way you guard day, but here, we rule as one. Here, we stand as a single force of power and dignity. Do not deny me my very pride by accusing me of such blasphemy. These night-screechers, as impossible as the circumstances may seem, are not of my creation, and therefore, are out of my control. I am asking for your assistance as a sister in need, not as a ruler incapable." The tall, pure-white mare bows her head in shame. "Forgive me, Luna; I have betrayed you in trust. You are right to be upset; though, if what you say is true, we must proceed with haste. Tell me: what alien markings do you speak of?"  "They... Do not have the crescent moon mark on them. Instead, they have what seems to be visible, dark-red veins. What's more, I am not the only mare to witness these creatures. They were visible to all eyes that focused on the sky." Celestia's previous, stone-cold demeanor breaks, replacing it with a look of unflinching horror. Hesitantly, the flowing-maned ruler speaks. "Proceed with me to the Statue of Discord." Both sisters nod in a unison of understanding, and disappear in a bright collision of blue and white flashes. The Void Laughter is the only friend the being of Chaos and Destruction can hold when caught between his own stone state, and a world of control. His dreams are his solace, the only world he truly desires. In his dreams, he seeks misfortune like an old friend, but cannot find her because she's beyond his reach. So instead, he holds close to laughter, both sick and beautiful, like a child clings to his mother. Somber dreams have never been Discord's preference, no. Discord prefers a more optimistic approach to every dark corner of his imaginary land. Cackling maliciously in his dream, he thinks of Pinkie Pie, then curls his claws outward, then inward.  Such a sweet mare. Oh, how she'd just love my creations of despair. Why, I daresay we could even share a laugh! Curling his lips, he ascends to the very peak of his own Mt. Lightning, where blue sparks of misery strike upwards in varying patterns, and where the thunder roars just in the back of one's ears. Under his feet, Discord relishes in this miserable symphony of sparks that rise up to electrify his entire being. Where the thunder roars close to him, his laughter crescendos, adding to the orchestra of evil. "Thunder, hear me now: upon my word, I have wreaked havoc into a world of visionary beauty. Is there not beauty in my world as well? Shall we not fairly play?" Lightning curls upward, outlining the draconaquis's hoofed foot. Discord lashes his snake tail; the sound of a whip emenates from this action, adding to the chorus of a malevolent song. Love is a mystery, but hate is a curse. Lord of Confusion, let Disharmony disperse. "I swear by Celestia's name, I will have my day; a day in which no pony can stop my unrelenting, unhindered chaos!" Thunder rolls, thunder cries, thunder screams malice in Discord's wasteland of mixed dreams. His red eyes glint with pleasure as he sees a gray, unassuming rat scurry across the top, then be struck down by a rising lightning bolt.  Chaos gleams, Discord rises again. The sun will shine once the reckoning has come to an end. "They shun me like a rodent among them, but they are mistaken, for it is I who holds true power. I sleep within an icy, stone stage, but in time, they'll know of true hate, they'll soon realize their mistake!" Keeping the beat, Discord stomps his reptillian foot, grinning with devious madness. Look back into the past, find me in your wake. Yes, you'll all soon realize what a great blunder you have made. "Elements of Harmony, you will all pay!" Die with me, lie with me, you ravenous foals. I'll show you a hungering never been told. Discord, Lord of Unholy Chaos and Destruction, ends his speech with only the thunder's cries and his mad, booming laughter. Discord, Bringer of Misery, does not cease his cackling. Without warning, the rest of his world shatters in a vast void of shadows. "What's this?" He ponders aloud. Shadows are the death of a beauty so bright. Discord, I'm afraid your shadows have come tonight. Had he the time, he would have cursed Luna, but at that moment, the void swallowed his mountain hole, banishing him into an endless space of black darkness.