You look around the throne room from your seat, the pressure of guild feels like an iron claw around your heart. You hate standing around like decoration in the room when you could be doing research on that spell.
You turn you head right to Applejack, she looks almost as bad as you feel. All the make-up in Canterlot couldn’t hide the rings under her eyes. She is biting her lip while her eyes dart around the room. She whispers to herself under her breath. “There is Upper Crust. I should have send her the dress she ordered two days ago. And that’s Cotton Binder, I still have to pay him for the delivery of fabrics from last week. Oh, I hope I don’t have to sell the boutique to pay him...”
You do not understand much more of her mutterings but what little you have adds to your guilty conscience. Why did this have to happen? You knew that the Elements of Harmony would be part of the ceremony for granting Discord citizenship in Equestria. But Noo, you had to try the unfinished spell in Starswirl’s grimoire right on the first read. Because that has worked so well the last dozen or so times.
And now Fluttershy stands over there next to the Draconequus as he repeats the oath to respect the ways of harmony and to follow the Princesses. At least he cheered the former Element of Kindness up. “Oh Fluttershy, a whoopee cushion! That's classic!” had calmed the pegasus pony down, finally someone who appreciated her efforts in humor. Even if that someone was a slightly crazy chimera... But you just know he has noticed that something is off. He even said that he is hardly needed anymore, with you and your friends doing such a great job. Even Celestia laughed at that. You wonder if she noticed something too.
Pinkie Pie on your left has her eyes glued to the clock. She told you that she has to fix the irrigation system or the orchards will be in big trouble. And judging by the look of her hair she is just about at her wit’s end. You throw her a smile and she tries to smile back. But it turns into some grimace, the smile never touches her eyes and you feel a stab in your heart comparing that face to a real Pinkie Pie smile.
Rarity didn’t even pretend to pay attention to the ceremony. She had left her seat as the national anthem’s last note was still in the air and you can see her at a window staring over to Ponyville where the wind has already started to disperse the patterns she had created in the sky.
The only pony that seems to be happy to be here is Rainbow Dash. When you picked her up this morning she was not leaving, she was fleeing the cottage and the critters. You hope that you can fix this mess before her inexperience puts any of Fluttershy’s critters in danger. You could never live with yourself otherwise.
You return your attention to the ceremony. Discord is next in line to receive his document of citizenship as you hear a chant starting among the ponies in the room.
“Harmony, harmony, harmony, harmony.”
What is happening here? That was not in the script the Princess gave you. A white unicorn stallion steps forward, you can see in Celestia’s careful neutral countenance that she isn’t exactly fond of this.
“Prince Blueblood, do enlighten us about this display of civil disobedience.” Even your meager experience in court is enough to decipher “What do you and your lackeys want?”
The Prince coughs and then says in a stage whisper “Your Highness, maybe a demonstration is in order? If this ... being is really loyal to the crown and no longer a threat to us there should be a way to prove that.”
You don’t like where that is headed, not one bit. And your fears come true.
“The Elements of Harmony are in attendance today, their power should not harm him if he has actually renounced Chaos,” the Prince shouts to be heard even in the last corner of the large hall.
You can only watch as the Princess looks at Discord, he shrugs, then she sighs and raises her voice. “I call the Elements of Harmony!” Your heart races, ideas flash through the back of your head, one crazier and more reckless than the next. But your legs have already taken you to the front of the throne room along with your friends.
You look up to Celestia. “Princess, we have no idea how the Elements will react to a him. It might even be dangerous to call them down on someone who is already in tune with harmony.” As you say it you notice that a certain white unicorn noble retreats to the back of the crowd.
But Discord preempts Celestia, his voice booms through the room. “I will never be truly in tune with harmony, Twilight Sparkle. But thanks for your concerns. Still I’m confident that the Elements will not harm me.” His lion paw points to his chest. “Fire at will, ladies!”
You swallow hard. Your only idea to get out of this has backfired. You huddle down with your friends.
“Let’s do this girls. Just remember our friendship and this will work out,” you try to inspire some confidence in them.
Your friends form a half-circle as you face the draconequus. He smiles a lopsided grin, nods and suddenly wears a pair of sunglasses. You close your eyes too and you can feel the others around you. But their power is weaker than the other times you have felt their presence. Instead of the glowing streams of blinding light only a small trickle of power waves around you. Instead of burning magic only a spark glows in your eyes. You can feel as tendrils of Harmony reach towards Discord, but the rainbow of light that freed Luna and imprisoned Discord the first time doesn’t even reach him and disperses in the air. Then a similar rainbow, weak and half translucent rises from the draconequus’ chest and crawls almost painfully slow to the frayed end of your’s. As they connect you can hear Discord’s voice in your head.
“I have no idea what you are doing there, but I’ll give you this as a token of my goodwill. Let’s not embarrass Celestia, Twilight Sparkle. The old girl has enough on her plate as it is.”
You nod and the rainbow rises into a majestic display of beauty, then disappears into a shower of prismatic motes. After a great round of applause you return to your seats and the rest of the ceremony is incredibly boring again.
Just as you and your friends are about to leave, Celestia waves for you and although you don’t feel too good about it you walk up to her.
“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. Thank you for your help just now. But you seem distressed, is there anything else you need help with?”
You realize that she offers help with Starswirl’s spell, but you don’t feel ready to confess just yet, there has to be something you can still try.
“No Princess, there have been problems, but I want to do this with my friends.”