//------------------------------// // Chaos' True Form // Story: Lullaby for a Princess // by Scourgeous //------------------------------// "What reason do you have for taking advantage of our capital?" Celestia roared, standing ground on the roof, listening to the ponies fleeing towards the light that was growing behind her. He snorted, batting his wings a few times to he could hover in the air. "There is no real reason, my little mint humbug. The throne of Canterlot will be mine, and soon enough this city will be the chaos capital of the world!" She glowered at her, lips drawn back in a snarl. "Your chaos is overrated, Discord. All you can do is turn things into edible treats. You will be undermined by myself, Solaris and Artemis." Nightmare Moon watched carefully, hissing at the light that was stretching from the heart of Canterlot castle out on the city. Her mane billowed around her, a starry contrast to the mixture of warm and cold colors blended into Celestia's. She beat her wings lightly, glancing up at Discord, then back at her sister, or Luna's sister. "Now, deary, I have a castle to send into eternal darkness." He laughed sadistically, waving a paw at Nightmare Moon. "We have a kingdom to rule, my love." She nodded, glaring at Celestia, who snickered and stomped a hoof. Glaring down her snout at the princess of the sun, she turned away and spread her wings right out until she could hear the feathers rustling, then she let out a long, loud cackle, and threw herself from the roof, gliding up from the ground and beating them powerfully. Discord snaked after her, echoing her laugh with a darker, more sinister chuckle. Celestia reared up and spread her wide white wings, horn glowing. She sent a bolt of light high up into the sky, where it exploded like a firework and send streamers of light of the city and the neighboring forest. Beating her wings, she thundered across the the roof before taking to the skies, soaring after her sister and the draconequus she had once shared her heart with. The whole of Canterlot castle was plunged into chaos. The walls were polka dotted, and the marble tiles continuously moved and shifted position. The guard's eyes were stuck cross eyed, leaving them staring at their noses as they tried to take formation and help the king and queen. Said ponies were facing Discord and Nightmare Moon in the main ballroom, standing by their thrones and staring down at the villains that had charged in through the tall double doors. King Artemis stood defensively in front of Queen Solaris, eyes glowing brightly. The white mare shivered and cowered behind him, peering out with glazed, tired eyes. Her wings drooped at her sides, and she pressed her ears flat against the back of her skull in fear. "Well, well, well," Artemis growled. "That's three holes in the ground." Discord laughed aloud. The king roared with anger and slammed his hooves down on the marble. "You have underestimated the power of the royal family! The chaos of the draconequus will never reign over Equestria!" Discord took a few challenging steps forward, narrowing his eyes to bright yellow slits. Nightmare Moon flanked him, blinking her cat like eyes a few times as she adjusted to the daylight in the castle. Her powers were weakened as long as Celestia held the spell on the palace. She pointed her horn at Solaris letting out a bellowing laugh. "Ponies will never see your precious sun again, mother!" Artemis hissed, leaning back with shock. "Luna? You can't be Luna, you look nothing like my daughter! Sure, Luna did not understand the importance of the balance between the moon and the sun, but she would never go as far as to fuse an alliance with Discord!" The draconequus chuckled darkly, and with a plume of smoke he appeared beside Artemis on a very dark gray cloud. "Are you sure about that? From day one your pretty little princess has been on my side, ever since the spoilt one decided that harmony was more important." "More important than what? Chaos?" He growled, turning towards him and swiping his horn back and forth. "You are so shallow minded, Artemis." He grunted, kicking the cloud so a bolt of lightning struck the ground with a deafening crack. "The moon and sun must have a balance, and so must harmony and chaos. After all these years of you blocking out chaos completely, it's time it makes an uprising." He clicked his taloned fingers, and there was a roar of thunder from outside, and lightning flashed across the sky and illuminated the room as it gleamed in the stain glass windows. He clicked them again, and sent Artemis and Solaris flying backwards into the far wall with a gust of wind and sputtering rain. The cloud beneath began to unfold and spread out like a choking mist. Nightmare Moon flew up beside him, dark magic glowing around her horn. She began to drive back the light in the room, pulling the strength of the night back, filling her with power as if she was drinking from a fountain of youth. As the cold gray power of Discord seeped into her, it began to take over the Luna inside of her too, pulling words deep up from her soul, the volume of her voice shaking the pillars of the castle. "Forever night will rule Equestria, and the harmony you once seeked will be forgotten, FOREVER!" There was an explosion of heat, and the towering window behind the thrones suddenly smashing, shards of glass spraying forward into the room, showering over their bodies. It crackled as it rained down on the ground, the colored pieces twirling across the chipped marble. An orange light as bright as the sun beamed through, and Celestia landed between the thrones, horn and cutie mark glowing. "Step back Discord! I, Celestia of Equestria, have the power of the sun and the moon!" She soared across the room and landed heavily in front of her parents, shielding them with her wings. "Not only do I have my parents by my side, but they have blessed me with the powers of both myself and Luna!" Discord hissed like a cat and lunged forward, throwing himself at her. She reared up again and cried a battle cry, swiping her hooves at him as he landed on her, driving her back. Magic glowed around her horn as she picked him up and cast him across the room. He hit the stairs leading up the thrones and slid across them, glass catching on his fur, leaving trails of blood on the marble. Nightmare Moon screeched, tossing her head back. "Don't you dare hurt him!" The Luna within her spoke again, taking command of her voice. She threw herself from the cloud and onto the ground, swiping her hooves at Celestia's height, advancing towards her. Solaris looked up weakly, eyes brimmed with tears. "You don't have to do this, Luna! I am already too frail to raise the sun anymore, and soon Artemis will hand in his duty of the moon to you! We can still rule Equestria together, just give us a chance!" "You wasted your chances!" She yelled, her eyes glowing bright white as she snarled, her sharp teeth bared. Discord lifted himself up weakly, blood trickling from his skin. His eyes flashed dangerously, and he panted. Nightmare Moon lunged at Celestia, dodging her stabbing horn and sinking her teeth deep into her sisters flesh. Her mouth was full of hot sweaty fur and skin, and soon blood began to run across her tongue. Celestia screamed and kicked feebly at her, trying to use her magic to pull her enchanted sister away. "Discord is controlling you, Luna! He doesn't love you! He's using you as a tool!" She tried to yelled, but the princess of the night pushed her away against the wall her parents had slumped against. "Me and Discord will be king and queen of Equestria!" She bellowed. "You just regret giving him up!" "I gave him up because he Discorded me too! I did not approve of him using me to his advan-" She screeched as Nightmare Moon reared at her again, eyes blazing with anger. Solaris wailed, tears running down her cheeks. "As long as I live, I will protect you Luna! Please!" There was a low chuckle from across the room, and Discord raised his paw, staring across the room. "As long as you live? Taste chaos, Queen of the Sun!" He clicked his fingers and his eyes flashed, and Solaris opened her mouth to cry out, but she just slumped against the ground, all life draining from her body. Celestia screamed, throwing herself across the room and sliding in beside her mother, jaw gaping, eyes wide with grief. She screeched to the sky, leaning over her mother's scrap of a body, shaking all over. Her tears ran down and splashed onto the Queen's coat and dribbled to the floor. Artemis leaned against her, staring at his wife with terror and misery struck across his face. "What have you done..." Celestia choked, turning to face Discord. He hissed, floating back up onto his cloud. "I don't just create chaos of the annoying kind, deary. If you had given in long ago, you would have been lucky to see me do nothing but turn clouds to candy floss and shower the topsy turvy world in chocolate rain. But if you resist, my chaos gets violent." "You've won for now, Discord. But I will stop you, if it's the last thing I do." She hissed dangerously, then pressed her side against Solaris, and Artemis pressed on the other, and they dragged her to the window, then, supporting her between them, took off into the sky. Discord lowered himself to the ground, his cloud fading away. He glanced at Nightmare Moon, who was spitting Celestia's blood onto the ground. He snaked towards her and smiled, kissing her cheek. "This will be our empire, soon enough." He said, letting the gray state over her fade. She slumped tiredly against him, only remembering snippets of the fight from when the Luna within had woken. "I love you..." She breathed. He stared at her for a long moment, glancing at the shattered window and the debris across the floor. He said nothing, holding his gaze on the nightly sky. I love Luna, not Nightmare Moon.