Chapter 1
The Princess and the Frog
All good stories begin long before the official beginning. In this case, the story did not begin when Discord took control of Equestria. It began long before that, when those involved were nothing more than foals. Discord was different from all of his peers. Well, perhaps that it a bit of an understatement. Discord was a Draconaquis and only barely resembled the ponies he lived among. He was the only creature of his kind and was thus all alone in a world he did not understand. He could not relate to the ponies, so he could not befriend them. Instead he watched from afar, wishing he could join in their fun, but truly not knowing how.
Then there was Celestia. Perfect, beautiful Princess Celestia. She was a young filly, but she was intelligent, if, perhaps, a little mischievous. She had an open heart, a steady mind, and quite an affinity for prank playing. Discord watched the young princess play with her little sister, Luna, from afar, wishing that he could join. The Princess’s jovial nature was something he was drawn too. The charming twinkle of her laugh filled him with a sense of belonging that he’d never had before. So he watched from the bushes, pretending to be with her. Currently the girls were contemplating sneaking off palace grounds and exploring the world beyond the confined life of the court. Celestia, the braver and bolder heart, was encouraging her sister to take a leap of faith while, Luna, the more sensible of the pair, was cautious and wary of the adventure. Well… something of that nature.
“Luna, don’t be a wimp,” Celestia was coaxing. “It will be an adventure!”
“We’re sure to be caught, Tia,” Luna replied with a shake of her head. “I’m staying right here.” She stomped her hoof deftly and raised her nose into the air.
Celestia rolled her eyes. “You’re too careful, Luna. Sometimes you simply MUST takes risks! How else might you live your life to its fullest?”
Luna looked at her older sister through her soft blue mane. “But big sister… there is time for risk and there is time for caution. The land beyond Canterlot is a dangerous place.”
The warnings of the world beyond the city of Canterlot were indeed the tales they had been raised upon. In the city everything was as it should be. The ponies lived in harmony and celebrated King’s, namely their father’s, raising of the sun and moon each day and night. There was peace and happiness. But beyond the city’s walls lay a dangerous world where the sun rose of its own accord and the clouds moved without a guiding wing. The weather was unpredictable and the creatures were violent and dangerous. This land was known as Everfree and ponies were cautioned against entering it. Celestia and Luna, being royalty and thus the most precious and valuable ponies in the land, were forbidden to do so.
“Little sister, we will one day rule this land of Equestria. It may not be much yet, but I want to expand the land beyond this capital city of Canterlot! Little sister, can you not see it! Everfree is an Equestrian territory by law! Perhaps we can tame it and allow ponies and others to settle the land! We can extend the greatness of Equestria much further!”
This was too much for Discord. Tame Everfree? Tame his home? His laugh started as a slight snicker, then developed into a steady chortle. Before long he was doubled over in his hiding place with whoops of mirth. Even when the sisters looked directly toward him in alarm he could not stifle his hysterics.
“There is somepony in that bush over there,” Celestia said, sounding more excited than frightened.
Luna, however, looked unnerved. “I don’t see anything!”
“We know of your presence!” Celestia announced boldly. “Show yourself!”
Discord giggled. “Ahh, but that would defeat the purpose of the game, would it not?”
“What game?”
“The one where you must find me, of course!”
Celestia laughed. Her laugh reverberated off the walls and brought warmth to the whole court yard. “Well, that will be easy. I know exactly where you are!”
“Oh, really?” said Discord. “Why don’t you take a look?”
Celestia trotted confidently over to the bush the Discord had been in moments before. She pushed apart the leaves. “Gotcha… huh?” He was gone. He laughed, his laughing mingling eerily with what remained of Celestia’s.
“Try again, Princess. You will have to do better than that to win my game!”
“So you have magic, then?” Celestia surmised.
“Very good, Princess… you are very sharp indeed… but not quite there yet. Keep looking!”
Celestia laughed. “My guess is that you are simply teleporting around the courtyard. A simple revelation spell should make you show yourself in no time.”
“Do you think so?” Discord asked. “Why don’t you try it? We shall see.”
Celestia closed her eyes. Her horn began to glow brightly. She did not have the look of concentration that most unicorns had when they practiced difficult magic. Her magic was spreading over a large space and it was not something that she should have been able to accomplish at her young age. But not only did she succeed in engulfing the entire space in her spell, but she did so with ease. Discord, however, was stronger. He was not fully pony. He was a magical spirit and could not be effected by simple unicorn magic. He remained hidden. The look of utter bewilderment on Princess Celestia’s face caused him to laugh once more.
“Oh, Princess! You are strong, but not strong enough! You’re alicorn magic will not disclose my position. You must find me another way!”
Rather than losing heart, Celestia looked excited. “You are a tricky player, sir, but you are battling the best at the art of trickery! I’ll find you. Luna,” she said, turning to her sister, who was looking around, trying to locate the source of the voice, “help me!”
Luna glanced over at her sister. “If he is a creature that cannot be affected by your magic, Tia, I don’t think I want anything to with him. He is probably a spirit of some sort.”
A wide grin spread across Celestia’s face. “A spirit! This is getting better and better! Now, if I were a spirit, where would I hide…”
Celestia began to pace around the courtyard, contemplating her options. Discord snickered as he watched her from his hide out in the branches of the tall tree at stood at the center of the area. Celestia stopped and looked over her shoulder at her sister. “Luna!” she said loudly. “Go check the stream! I’ve heard spirits like to hang out in water to hide from ponies that cannot survive in it! I’ll check over here in the rosebushes!” Discord began to laugh quietly. She wasn’t even close! It was amazing how near sighted ponies could be, confined to their little world with its perfect order.
Amused as he was, Discord was shocked when the tree he was in began to shake. He glanced down to see Celestia kicking hard with her back legs. He had no time to teleport away before he came plummeting out of the branches and hit the ground with the thud. He rubbed his head and looked up into Princess Celestia’s triumphant purple eyes. “Gotcha!” she repeated, grinning.
“Nice one, Princess Celestia,” he complimented. “I’m surprised. I didn’t think that you could accomplish such a feat. Ponies are notoriously bad at mind games.”
“I’m not just anypony, sir,” Celestia said proudly. “I am Princess Celestia and you would do well to remember it!” She patted Discord lightly on the head with her hoof.
Discord laughed. “I’ll try not to, Celestia. May I ask how you figured me out.”
“It was simple. Once I knew you were a spirit I knew you would hide out above my head. Spirits like to surround ponies and make them feel small. But I could tell from your voice that you were a young spirit, so I didn’t think you would be hiding in pictures or windows just yet. The tree is the highest structure in the courtyard.”
Discord smiled. “You are very intelligent, Princess Celestia.”
“Who are you?” Luna suddenly asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Her face was filled his distrust and worry.
“My apologies! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Discord. Discord the Draconaquis, hailing from the vast forests of Everfree!”
Both Princesses cocked their heads. “I’ve never heard of one of those,” Celestia said.
“Neither have I. He is very unusual looking, isn’t he, sister?”
“Very much so, little sister… Perhaps he had been transformed into this shape by wicked sorcery and has come to us to free him.”
Luna giggled. “Like in that story The Princess and the Frog?”
“Precisely!”
Discord laughed and floated up above the two Princesses. “No, no, nothing of that sort. This is my true form! I am not a pony, as you have gathered. I am many things! All things and nothing all at once!”
Celestia flew up to join him in the air. Her curly pink mane rippled in the wind. “I see. Well in that case, I am sure you look perfectly normal to your kind.”
Discord shook his head. For the first time his smile faltered as he thought of his life in Everfree. No one. There was no one like him. Nothing in the forest wanted anything to do with him. Even the most fearsome creatures ran from him in fear. “Alas, no… I am the only of the kind. There is nothing to compare me to!”
Celestia looked at him with concern. “That is very sad, to have no family. I don’t know what I’d do without my sister.”
“No family, no friends… It is rather sad, isn’t it?”
Celestia frowned, then brightened again. “But you can be OUR friend, right Luna?”
Luna flew up to join the pair fluttering around the sky. “Of course! There is nothing wrong with showing a poor creature a little kindness!”
Discord raised an eyebrow. “That is very nice of the both of you, but I really mustn’t! It would be so much trouble!”
Luna glanced away. “Well, I will not tell a lie, it would be very difficult to explain who you are to our father…”
Celestia waved her hoof dismissively. “We will cross that bridge when we come to it! You must spend time with us, Discord! Being a sun pony I can show you all the wonders of the day that you could never understand living in a wild, untame place such as Everfree! And Luna can show you the beauty of the night!”
Discord smiled. “I would be happy to accept your generous offer, my friend. But I must tell you, there is a dangerous beauty to the things you cannot control. You really should enter Everfree sometime, my dear. Sometimes a little wildness… a little danger… a little chaos… that’s all anypony really needs.”