“The Lord of Light? What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow Dash blurted, rising into the air to meet Celestia’s gaze evenly. “We’ve waited long enough, now spill it!”
“Rainbow, shhhh!” Rarity hushed her, pulling her back down by her tail and kneeling alongside Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
The stubborn pegasus rolled her eyes and knelt briefly before gazing firmly at Celestia. Twilight was quick to try to disarm Rainbow Dash’s hostility. She knew her friend was only worried about her. Rainbow’s inherent loyalty demanded that she do something when her friends were in trouble, and not being able to do anything was obviously stressing her more than a little. Holding up her hoof to Rainbow Dash she said calmly, “That book I was reading when I passed out, on the first page it had a few lines that mentioned Seven Lords and a Sleeping King. If I had to guess from just those lines, I’d say they are the oldest and most powerful dragons that ever existed.”
Celestia’s head dipped, confirming Twilight’s assumption, “That’s correct Twilight, as expected of my best student, even with so little information.” Looking to each of the ponies in turn, starting with Applejack and ending with Twilight, she gave them all a small, soothing smile. That smile faded to a look of regal composure that was unreadable as she addressed them more seriously, “The Seven Lords and the Sleeping King were dragons that existed since the time of our world’s birth. They were created along with our world and exist between Harmony and Chaos, embodying both as purely as the Elements of Harmony and Discord themselves do. In ages past, they, and all dragons that existed under them were pure and primal beings. They had a level of intelligence, but had no language or culture, they simply were. Their existence is fundamental to the life of our world.”
Hold on, Twilight, I’m coming.
Twilight blinked, her thoughts temporarily distracted before returning her focus to the conversation.
“Oh my, they sound powerful, and dangerous. How could nopony have heard of them before?” Fluttershy interjected softly, huddled down in apparent fear of the idea of such creatures. “And where have they been this whole time? Banished?”
“That is partly mine and my sister’s doing, Fluttershy. Three thousand years ago we made sure to dissolve as much history related to the dragons as possible, after their power had been sealed away. While they are an irremovable part of our world, it was possible under special circumstances for their power to be extracted and placed in hiding. This way, they could continue to support nature with their magic, but their magic could not be used by those with ill intent.”
“Then why are they back all of the sudden? Sounds like some pretty darn powerful magic was used to seal them up, so what in tarnation could let them out? And why did Spike turn into one of them Lords?” Applejack inquired, grabbing her hat from the bedpost and securing it on her head.
Celestia’s look turned sour, a change that unsettled the ponies around her. It was a look Twilight had only seen once before when Discord was freed from his prison the first time. “That’s-“
“Allow me to answer that question for you, Applejack,” an all-too familiar, slinking voice called from the hallway. In a dramatic rush, a serpentine form cut through the air, passing through the doorway and stretching out dramatically. The hodgepodge draconequus spread his arms wide with a goofy grin on his face, declaring proudly, “It was none other than yours truly that set free the souls of the ancient dragons!”
The look on Celestia’s face hardened, an intense look in her eyes that could only be described as… analyzing? Twilight turned her attention from her mentor to the rogue draconequus, her horn glowing with magic even as she laid in her bed, aiming a spell at Discord. “What?! What would possess you to do something like that?! You’ve done something awful to Spike, and he hurt Applejack too! I thought you were reformed!”
Turning to Rainbow Dash, she quickly commanded, “Quick, Rainbow, go get the Elements from my library. It looks like we’re going to be turning him to sto-”
“Don’t, Rainbow Dash, that won’t be necessary.”
Twilight turned back in shock to look at her mentor. How could she say that with all that was happening? “Celestia, why not?! He’s just admitted to releasing a dangerous magic onto the world!”
“It’s quite simple, Twilight, it’s because you need me,” Discord declared with a mischievous smirk.
Twilight’s eyes narrowed, her horn glowing threateningly, “What do you mean?” She glanced over towards Celestia, whose expression hadn’t changed, her own eyes fixed on Discord unblinkingly. Twilight had a bad feeling in her stomach when she realized that the Princess was not denying Discord’s claim.
“It wasn’t just the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses that sealed up the Spirits those millennia ago. The dragons’ magic embodies both Chaos and Harmony, and as such, they can only be sealed when the Elements and I work together. So you can’t seal me away if you ever hope to put them away again,” Discord explained smugly, glancing at his wrist in a display of casual condescension.
Still no counter argument from Celestia, as much as Twilight didn’t want to think so, her silence gave all indications that Discord was telling the truth. The light from her horn faded away, though her glare was no less intense. She was vividly imagining drilling a beam straight through the draconequus’ fore-
Whoa, where did a thought like that come from?
Snaking his way through the air, Discord moved over to Applejack’s bed, glancing over her without so much as a care for the glares of the ponies around him. The expression on his face was unreadable as with a click of his fingers, her sides were surrounded by magic, and the bandages quickly unraveled. When the gauze and tape moved aside, her wounds were completely gone. The looks on all faces, save Celestia’s, changed from disdain to complete confusion. What was going on in Discord’s head? Twilight couldn’t even begin to guess.
“What is your game, Discord? Why are you doing all of this now of all times?” Celestia demanded in an admirably even tone, though Twilight could see the fire smoldering behind her eyes.
“My dear Tia, because now is the best time,” Discord chuckled, grinning like a fool. With a click of his claw he appeared directly behind Celestia, his body woven loosely around her flowing, ethereal tail. “And you really didn’t think you’d gotten me to forget everything that happened, did you? Your magic may be strong, but you can’t so easily mess with a mind that’s already as scrambled as mine.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed into a glare that could wither a manticore into a helpless kitten, but Discord remained completely unfazed at the display of hostility. He continued, coiling his claw through his goatee, “I remember everything, and as such, I have a deal to propose. The rules are simple: If you manage to gather all eight Dragoon Spirits to your side, then I will relent, and agree to lend my power to you; if, however, you fail to bring them all together, and the Dragoons instead are those of malicious hearts, then you will have to finally give me what I want.”
Twilight’s eyebrow crooked. Dragoon Spirits? She had read the term Dragoon on the cover of the book, but what relationship could they have to the Lords and the King?
“We have no reason to believe you’ll honor that promise, Discord!” Rainbow Dash growled, flapping up into the air and pressing her hoof against his smug snout threateningly. “You’ve lied to us so many times. Why should we agree to this stupid game you made up? You’ve completely betrayed your friend Fluttershy too!”
Fluttershy watched the argument progress, the look on her face a heartbreaking mix of confusion and betrayed pain.
“It’s simple, Rainbow Dash, he’s proposing a binding magical oath. That way we will both be bound by unbreakable bonds to hold up our ends of this wager. He knows how valuable his role is, and that’s his assurance that I’ll agree,” Celestia explained simply. Lowering her horn, the soft yellow glow of her magic spread out of it slowly, reaching halfway towards Discord. “I’ll make the oath. And Equestria will prevail in the war to come.”
“War?!” the Elements of Harmony gasped in unison.
“Come now, Celestia, there’s no need for you to be so stiff,” Discord chuckled, holding his claw out and grasping the tendril of magic, his own colorless magic flowing around his claw and melding with Celestia’s. “I’ve been forced to watch for thousands of years while you stack things in your favor. I’ve had but a few months to prepare myself for this, so I may as well take every advantage I can get.”
As Discord’s hand left the glow of magic, his claw suddenly burst into flame, the roiling tongues coiling around his claws and solidifying slowly, extending out from his claw in a long, brilliant trail. The flames coalesced together, becoming solid, taking the shape of a glowing infernal rapier.
“As such, I’ll be taking the Dragon Buster that you’ve been so kind to hang onto all these years.”
That bastard!
Celestia’s eyes snapped wide, her horn bursting with golden light as a brilliant beam shot from the tip. Discord’s body weaved through the air, letting the magical attack slip right by and blow a hole the size of a large stallion in the wall behind him. Discord simply clicked his tongue, chiding the Princess. The strange weapon in his claw disappeared in a brief wink of light. “What did I say about being such a bad sport? If you try to do anything more, then you’ll be breaking the terms of our contract. I would hate for the game to be over before it even begins.”
Celestia’s jaw clenched in livid frustration, but her gaze never moved from the embodiment of Chaos.
Uncaring and undisturbed, Discord slithered through the air, making his way to the door he had come through. “I’ll leave you to figure out your next move, Celestia. I’m sure you have many pawns to move around, and many countermeasures to prepare now that this war is about to start again.” Turning back at the doorway to look at the six ponies representing Harmony, he rested his eyes directly on Twilight. With a playful smirk he knocked his claw once on the frame of the doorway and called behind him, “You can come in now, I’m done here.”
Without anything further said, Discord vanished unceremoniously in his customary flash of magic. All eyes then peered into the doorway as the sounds of heavy steps got closer. Within the doorway, an angular head appeared, followed by a long slender neck, and a body as broad as the bulkiest stallion. Moving through the doorway, a dragon of exquisite beauty came into the room, walking on all fours. Its brilliant white scales shone even in the plain light of the hospital room. Along its back ran a line of silver spines, from the crest of its head to the tip of its tail, ending in a single flat arrowhead tip. On either side of its spines were marvelous, powerful, leathery wings with webbing that shimmered translucent and colorless in the light. From the brow of the dragon’s head sprouted two spiraled horns, each sprouting straight up only about two inches before shifting forward to run parallel, ending just above the tip of its pointed snout. The only outward remnants of the dragon it had once been now popped against its otherwise two-tone appearance. The base of each of its spines bore a deep emerald tint. The deadly curved nails sprouting from its claws shimmered with a opalescent purple sheen, and its soft emerald eyes were rimmed with deep purple scales.
Eyes only on Twilight, the dragon padded into the room, and then sat back on its haunches. “I’m glad you’re okay, Twilight,” the dragon spoke, the same voice that had been echoing in Twilight’s head ever since she woke up. The voice was all too familiar now that she was really hearing it, though deeper and more mature than what it had once been.
Twilight’s eyes were as wide a dinner plates. There was no way. This grand and majestic creature looked nothing like him, but everything in her told her it was. “Spike?”