//------------------------------// // His decision // Story: Discords renascent // by Vidhwansak //------------------------------// His decision (Well, I suppose this is the chapter that makes or breaks this story, seeing as I really don't like this chapter, mainly for the reason that I don't think I can really write a good Discord, personality-wise. I probably should have checked myself for this, but, too late now! I guess I'll just have to wing it. Any advice would be welcome in shaping out his personality! I'm honestly thinking about rewriting this chapter at some point, but we'll see as this story goes on.) Discord was surprised. He never expected his sisters to have prepared an offer for him. What could this mean for him? He continued chewing on his fried cupcake, thinking about the possibilities that his sisters could ask of him. Celestia called him the former Alicorn of neutrality. It was a title he hadn’t heard himself be named as since…Well, the beginning of this world, when ponykind had it’s first unsteady hoofsteps into the world. He didn't expect to ever be called that title again. Hearing his sister call him by that name intrigued him; however, he knew he had to step carefully into this game, in which he didn’t know the rules to. No pony, or, in his case, draconequus, should ever break the rules to a game. (He purposefully pushed the memory of bending the rules with the six mares however long ago it was with them away) After all, he could just as easily be turned back into stone, looking with distaste at the Elements of Harmony scattered around him in a circle of sorts. Tossing away his half-eaten fried cupcake, which, as soon as it hit the floor, blossomed into a rose that when Luna leaned in to sniff, smelled like a muffin. Yawning, Discord stood up, placed on a pair of shades, and smiled at his sisters, giving them his utmost attention. “Very well, my sisters, you have intrigued me with your words! However,” he said warningly, “Do not think you can fool me with your games, I’m onto you, sisters!” If things turned for the worst, Discord was not about to be turned back into stone again without a fight. With that, he finally shook Celestia’s outstretched hoof slowly and cautiously. Rolling her eyes, Celestia withdrew her hoof, and got rather quickly to the point, not wanting to be out in the cold any longer. “Discord, brother, what I’m offering to you isn’t something I would just casually offer to somepo…Someone like you, especially after being set in stone twice. You would and should still be in stone, however, a recent discussion with Luna has shown me to look at you in a different light, and so, if you do decide to accept my offer, you have her to thank.” Discord’s curiosity was very much peaked at this point. What could they have to offer to him? He could get anything he needed, wanted, or didn’t even know he wanted or needed, and he doubted that they could actually change him back into an Alicorn. There wasn’t much they could have offered him, and he guessed quite inaccurately at what he thought his sisters were offering. This was probably a joke that the two sisters thought out very badly of, and it was something he detested. A bad joke should never exist, and yet, they still did. He gave a dramatic sigh, and gave his swift denial in mocking tones. “What, me, rule jointly with you in…Harmony, sister? Even I think such an idea is chaotic, and I’m its very embodiment! Whatever hit you on the head hard enough to make you consider it seriously? I must know!” Celestia frowned. She had hoped that Discord would’ve taken this a little more seriously, or at the very least, pretend to humor her, but one couldn’t wish for all the things in life. It still didn't make her job of convincing Discord any easier, though. “In a way, yes, I’m offering joint rule between all of us, Discord, but that’s not the only offer I have for you. I’m also offering you a chance to become an Alicorn again.” She inwardly winced as she said the words. Was she seriously offering this to Discord? It was the epitome of madness, and she knew she was going to regret ever saying these words for years to come. Still, now that she already said the words, she couldn’t go back on them now, no matter how willingly she wanted time to turn back, and so, she waited for his reaction to such news. As it was, Discord's reaction was being amused. Surely his sisters could’ve thought of a better joke to surprise him with, after such long years of planning? Oh, if only they had the proper training to such things! Making a joke wasn't all that easy, as his sister might have thought of. Shaking his head in disappointment, he sighed and gave a half-hearted smile at Celestia and Luna. “My sisters, after all these years, could you not think of a good joke to play on me? Such news is disheartening to me! But, never fear, you have the master trickster as your brother here!” Discord then snapped his talons, and an anvil appeared on top of Luna’s head. Celestia yelled some very unroyal-like profanity as the anvil dropped on a confused Luna’s horn. “Celly, what’s wrong?” Celestia, now as thoroughly confused as her sister, looked at Discord, who was in fits of laughter. He pointed a talon at the anvil, which, with a magical poof, turned into a feather. A very, very big feather. Noticing that Discord was pointing at something on her horn, Luna shook her head in an attempt to remove the offending object, which seemed to be stuck to the top of Luna’s horn. Celestia sighed as Luna tried in vain everything she could to get the feather off of her horn. "The feather is still on your horn, Luna. And it's winning." “Celly! Don't just sit there, get the feather off my horn!” Her sister shot a glare at Discord, who stared back at her innocently. Celestia moved back towards her sister, and tried to remove the feather from the tip of Luna’s horn. She couldn’t. Celestia swore once again, and got up in Discord’s face, mere inches away. “Remove the feather from her horn. Now.” Discord rolled his eyes, and pointed again at the feather, which dropped onto the grass, where it happened to vanish in a cloud of smoke. Sighing, Celestia sat back down next to a now annoyed Luna, who blinked at her sister. Seeing as she failed, Luna may as well try to convince Discord that what they were saying was the truth. Celestia nodded, and Luna stepped up to Discord, wondering if she would have any success in where her sister failed. Probably not, but it was worth a try anyway, and she'd at least have the satisfaction of seeing him turned back into stone again if he refused. “’Tia isn’t lying, Discord. We really will be able to turn you back into an Alicorn, but, the question is, do you want to?” Discord sighed. Were they still going at this terrible joke? It wasn't something that should be joked about, and it was bothering him somewhat. However terrible the joke was, though, he couldn't help but admire that they would still try and go through with it. Not many ponies would've continued a dead joke that was seen through. "Ah, sisters...I know it must have sounded like a good joke between you two, but it simply isn't! Here, let me show you a much better joke. Now, this joke, while old, is always a classic..." He pointed a talon at Celestia, and a banana cream pie, previously conjured earlier by Discord (Of which he had no memory of) smashed into Celestia's face. Luna, upon hearing the sound, slowly turned around to look at her sister. She placed a hoof to her mouth, trying to force down her laughter as Celestia sat there with a dumbfounded look, pie having caked her face and mane. Discord gave a hearty chuckle at the results of the classic 'pie to the face'. Celestia was fed up by now. With the aid of magic, she, for the most part, got the pie off her face and mane. She glared at Discord, and spoke in a dangerously quiet voice, the kind that signified that somepony was very close to doing something very, very bad. Luna wisely decided to shy away from Celestia, in the event that she snapped. "Discord...I am asking for the third and final time. This is not a joke, and if you do not accept, I will not only imprison you back in stone, but so Equestria help me I will punt your cursed, stoned form to the farthest reaches of outer space and make your imprisonment permanent! So do not waste my time any longer, brother!" Discord paused, and decided that now wasn't the time to rile his sister up anymore, and start to think seriously about what she said. Drifting off in space forever wasn't something he wanted to happen to him, in the event that he failed at escaping his sisters. A chance to revert himself back into an Alicorn? Such a thing would most likely prove disastrous. A spell like that also most likely didn't exist. However, he was so sure that they were joking that he didn't consider that maybe, just maybe, they were telling the truth. But, what motive did they have in doing so? There wasn't much to gain from him being an Alicorn again, aside from handling the aristocracy. It was amusing, really, watching those ponies swarming Celestia about the chaos that happened in Ponyville, wondering if it would arrive at Canterlot, and demanding her to put an end to him 'once and for all'. Seeing the look on his sister's face, however, Discord decided that now wasn't the time to remember things like that, and he shook his head to clear away the memory. He then spoke his question. "Assuming...What you say is true, sister, what's in your benefit? I see nothing that would benefit you in any way, shape or form." Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly, and Luna coughed. They exchanged a short glance, one that Discord easily saw. That was something they hadn't prepared themselves on answering. What benefit would they have in returning Discord back to his former self? Little wonder he considered it a complete joke. Luna spoke up, hesitantly, after mulling the question over a bit. "We...Miss you, Neutrality?" Discord stiffened slightly. Neutrality. His...Former name, at least when he was an Alicorn. Being named after the very thing you were known for was laughable, but at least he had a name at the time. Sighing, he supposed that they weren't lying to him as a joke. They really did have a spell to return him back to his former self, and they were asking him his permission to use this spell. They wouldn't have used his former name if they weren't sure that they could change him back into an Alicorn. It was something he long awaited for, but did he truly want to become an Alicorn again? Nagging doubts filled his head. They were telling him that it was a lie, that Celestia and Luna played this out as a cruel joke on him. Would his sisters do that? Would they, really, his sisters? Time seemed to crawl as Celestia and Luna impatiently waited for Discord to answer. Finally, sighing, Discord looked them both in their eyes, and spoke softly. "You have my permission to turn me back into an Alicorn, sisters."