//------------------------------//
// Continuum 
// Story: The Alicorn General 
// by tosety 
//------------------------------//


Continuum


An ominously familiar voice filled the room
“Tia, Tia, Tia. Are you really going to send her in that condition?”
Everypony, including Celestia jumped up and began searching for the source of the voice.
“Show yourself, Discord!” Celestia challenged
“Whoa, calm down.” Discord soothed, appearing in the middle of the room.
“I come in peace, with absolutely no chaos. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye”
His Pinkie Promise was slightly less believable due to the big red X on his chest, enlarged wings, and actual cupcake he literally stuck into his eye socket.
“Explain why you have come.” Celestia challenged, lowering her horn threateningly.
“Okay, I deserve that. I’ll drop the fun for now, but please give Twilight The Book.”
Celestia stopped for a second, then called in a guard and whispered to him.
“Yes, princess, right away.” he stated, eyeing Discord with obvious concern
Discord sat down slowly in front of everypony.
“So you all know most of my story, but I’d like to clarify a few points as I plan on visiting occasionally and would like you to know that you have no need to fear me anymore. Not that I ever expect your forgiveness or friendship.” Discord looked away as he said this.
In Pinkie Pie style, his mood suddenly lightened.
“Well, on with the story.” he said rubbing his claws together.
“You were completely right about the effect of Philly’s Element. I went completely nutso (though I don’t regret this new look). I knew how dangerous it was for anyone-”
“Any ONE?” Pinkie asked
“Sorry, that’s how they talk where I’ve been staying for the past thousand years. As I was saying, I knew how dangerous it was for any pony to control more than one element, but once I tasted all the laughter Philly had imbued it with, I was obsessed with getting the others. I sought out Chrysalis and demanded she return to me the Element of Generosity. Of course she refused, but I convinced myself that it was mine by right and that she’d be less damaged than Philly Pie because she would hold onto her own generosity. Even after her coat started turning grey, I assured myself that she’d return to her former beauty when the shock of it faded. I was never truly serious about changing her form. Greed had corrupted my Laughter.”
Discord looked away from Celestia and Luna before continuing.
“When I saw the holes forming, I realized the true extent of the damage I had done, and how much of a monster I had become. That was when I let go and teleported away. Thinking long and hard, I realized what must be done. I dried my eyes and set about planning my exile.”
“Why exile?” Fluttershy asked in her usual whisper.
“Because, you see, Celestia and Luna were so loyal and kind that I knew they’d forgive me and couldn’t bear to leave me unrestored. I knew I had to be defeated and prepared a statue to swap with when I teleported away. After calling you with the sky, and enraging you with my treatment of Marington, I launched my fake offensive. I’m not sure whether to say thankfully or regrettably, Starswirl was too clever. Her blast combined with my teleport spell, knocked me into a different realm.”
Twilight’s eyes widened
“A different realm? What was it like?”
“Well, it was almost pure magic. Compared to the creatures there, I had as much magic as an earthpony foal.”
“No, what was the world like?”
“We don’t have the words to describe it, but the closest I can come is to say it taught me that chaos and harmony aren’t opposites. They can actually coexist if the harmony is strong enough...”
Glancing around the room, he came back to Twilight and asked her
“Do you want me to show you?”
After glancing at Applejack, who nodded, Twilight stepped forward. Discord touched her horn and her eyes shrank to pinpricks.
For several seconds she stood transfixed, then, shaking herself awake, murmured “Wow...just....wow.”
After shaking herself a second time, a thought occurred to her.
“Why did you come back and try to take over Equestria?”
“Well, after they healed me, I was kinda like their pet. It was a real nice experience, and they even had me impersonate one of them to guide and torment a few key beings in a different reality (much less magic that even here, but some interesting beings... I think they might even have been related to the bipeds that we deposed). That left me missing my friends and I popped back here for a spell and decided you were taking too long gaining the mastery of the Elements needed to heal the harm I had caused. I figured a nice evil mastermind would give you the kick in the pants... uhm flank, that you needed.”
Discord gave an evil laugh and added
“Well, I have a couch back home to get scolded for lying on, so ta ta for now, Tia.”
With that, he disappeared with a pop.
“Wait!” Celestia and Luna called half a second too late.
As they sat there processing this new information, the guard Celestia had talked to returned with a book set with six gems in the cover.
Celestia took the book and passed it to Twilight who opened it reverentially and started reading. After a few seconds, she looked up.
“Thank you, this is a great treasure.”
Twilight was overwhelmed with the knowledge in front of her. In her hooves, she held the true story of Equestria along with countless high level spells. There was nothing, absolutely nothing in all of Equestria that would rival one page of this book.... except...
Tearing her eyes away and closing the book, she looked at her friends and mentor.
“You need us to do something, and if I understand things correctly, you will be sending us to heal one of your oldest friends.”
“Yes, My most faithful student, I am sending you to the Sage’s Tower so that you can talk to and, hopefully, heal Starswirl, but before you go, I think what Discord wanted was for you to use one of the spells in this book.”
“I agree, and I even think I know the one, but the only way to find it is to start reading, and I know I will be stuck reading and rereading the first page for days.”
Twilight caressed the cover with her hoof.
“There may yet be another way,” Celestia said, admiring her student’s self-awareness, “Nopony but you can open that book or even read those pages. They are blank even to my eyes. I believe that the book itself will know what you need to read.”
With a glint of understanding, Twilight touched her horn to the center gem on the cover and all six gems started pulsing with magic. Immediately, the book opened and the pages fluttered to a spot near the beginning.



On the modification of the Equine Form

I am deeply impressed by the newly awakened creatures that call 
themselves Ponies. They are a race that consistently value the six traits 
required for harmonious society.
These being:
Honesty- valuing truth and the willingness to convince rather than force 
obedience.
Kindness- valuing compassion and the willingness to place others’ feelings 
before one’s own.
Laughter- recognizing the power of humor and knowing that a smile is one 
of the greatest sources of healing there is.
Generosity- recognizing the power of self sacrifice.
Loyalty- holding friends and allies close to your heart, knowing they are your 
greatest weapons and strongest defenses.
Friendship- holding all five qualities in balance and knowing that a single 
action does not a personality make.
I have decided to give these little ponies the abilities they need to take this 
world from its previous masters, as that race has grown cruel not only 
towards the lesser creatures, but even to each other.
I will be giving the wisest among them a horn with the power to consciously 
channel the magics that have flooded this world. To the bravest, I will be 
giving the power of flight and a speed to rival the previous masters of the 
skies. The rest will gain a strength of body and mind to make them fully 
equal with their brothers and sisters. These gifts of mind and body are 
inherent in their nature and will only need the proper stimulus to express. I 
have also found five who are able to gain the full power of all three tribes.
The spell I used to bring these physical forms forth is....”

Twilight tore her eyes from the page and stared at Celestia as Rarity tackled her.
“You’re going to be an alicorn! 
I 
Am
So
Jealous!”
With that, she squeed with a maniacally happy smile.
“”I’m going to need help. This is an extremely complicated and power intensive spell.”
“We will all help, my dearest student.” Celestia responded
As they gathered around Twilight, her horn began to glow, followed by the elements which lifted themselves out of the box and alighted in their proper places on each pony. Celestia and Luna touched their horns to Twilight’s and Celestia intoned “I stand here among the protectors of Equestria to proclaim that just as Harmony appointed me as his general, I Princess Celestia appoint you, Twilight Sparkle to become my Alicorn General.”
A blinding light filled the room as the purple glow that was Twilight grew, reshaped itself, and coalesced into her new form.