Reflection.
A pass-time that Twilight Sparkle had grown progressively more attached to.
Taking, finding or, otherwise, wasting the time for such things had become somewhat of a mental reliquary for her.
On this particular occasion, the horizon that adorned a spectacular view of the Equestrian Kingdom, aided her reflection.
And with her deeply disturbed mind, she needed all the help she could get.
She new not how long she had been sitting in her spot. The beauty and majesty of the Canterlot Palace's summit had a way of erasing the illusion of time from one's mind.
As Twilight watched the sun run its slow, steady course amidst the Great Blue, her troubled mind followed; echoing with a voice that had rumbled into her memory.
You cannot hope to grasp the nature... of our existence.
Sovereign. A creature of unparalleled mystery. What was it? Where did it come from? How many others like it could there have possibly been.
We are Legion. The time of our return is coming.
Was it truly connected to the disappearance of the Humans? Was it truly responsible for their extinction? For the purge of their culture? Their legacy?
The humans were not the first. And they will not be the last.
What if there was a terrible truth to those words? What if, after 50,000 years of evolution and rise to grace, it was this civilization which was the next to fall? Her civilization...
The cycle cannot be broken.
"I just... don't understand.", Twilight whispered in quiet despair.
In a matter of speaking, Twilight's reflection had taken a very bad turn.
Instead of new and refreshing insight, she was fraught with nothing but chest tightening dread. Instead of relief and security, she wallowed in fear and uncertainty. It was a bad scene for her. She knew that all too well.
And so did her very best friends.
The lavender unicorn's ears buzzed at the sound of her name. Her friends approached her with open hearts and hooves.
"You alright there, Sugar-cube?", Applejack softly stroked her friend's shoulder.
"Yeah, Twilight. You haven't seemed like yourself since... well...", Rainbow Dash trailed off.
Twilight's eyes never left the big blue sky.
"No, you guys. No, I'm far from alright.", she admitted with apparent ease.
"Listen, Dear. You simply must understand that what we saw in there was just an image. An illusion, perhaps.", Rarity attempted to console.
Twilight nearly scoffed at such a short-sighted inquiry.
"That's not true, Rarity. A simple illusion couldn't answer questions so directly.", she clarified, "When I spoke to it... it was almost like it was looking right through me."
The sheer remembrance of Sovereign's empty, unreadable leer assaulted Twilight's memory. She feared that she wouldn't be forgetting such a soul-gaping stare anytime soon.
"Oh, Twi. What we saw in that room, came from that dusty old thing you've had your brain stuck to all week. Ya said it was older than dirt, yeah?", Applejack began, "So whats sayin' that this whole thing ain't just some old custom-type deal from the olden days?"
At this, Pinkie Pie's mane popped off, flipped through the air, and landed back where it was.
"And that is just plain OOOOooold! I mean, we're talkin' super, over-the-top, mega-galactic, protective-of-the-herniated-scrotum-of-an-older-gentlecolt kind of old! Hey! I wonder what kind of parties they had in those days?! Ooh! I bet they were the most awesome, spectacular, wonderful, stupendous, gregarious, supercalifragilisticex-pelmph!"
Much to Twilight's unmentioned delight, Pinkie's rant was silence by a cyan hoof to the mouth, courtesy of Rainbow Dash.
"What Pinkie means to say, is that there's no telling what that over-sized soda can is supposed to do. For all anypony knows, its just some big scare-tactic.", the polychromatic pony suggested, "I mean come on. A race of immortal, all-powerful cuttlefish hell-bent on killing us all? Gimme a break!"
Oddly enough, Twilight found herself taking these reasonable possibilities into consideration.
Though her mind sifted through the variables, her heart continued to ache with worry. And it showed, much to her friends' dismay.
Thankfully, they weren't ignorant to Twilight's ever-present need to assess mind boggling situations.
"Twilight, the Renaissance will resume for the next two days, if you recall.", Rarity tactfully mentioned, "We don't want you to part-take in anything if you're not ready to, Darling."
Applejack chimed eagerly to this.
"Take as much time as you need to clear things up in that noggin o' yours, Hon.", the orange farm pony said with a light ruffle to Twilight's mane.
Pinkie Pie promptly removed Rainbow Dash's hoof from her mouth.
"Enough talk! Gotta get to those snackies before those greedy little ponies take it all for themSELVES!", she exclaimed before zipping off of the seen with her infamous 'Pinke-dash'.
Smiling hopelessly after the hyperactive mare, the remainder of Twilight's friends began to depart.
"Remember, Twilight. If anything happens, you'll always have us. Whatever ya decide, we're with ya 'till the end.", Applejack reassured with a confident wink.
As the green-eyed mare turned to resume the Celebration, she caught a glimpse of Fluttershy staring worriedly at Twilight.
"Come on, Fluttershy. Twi's got some thinkin' to do.", Applejack said.
"Oh. O-Okay... I'm coming.", Fluttershy soflty responded; never taking her eyes off the troubled unicorn.
The saffron pegasus just couldn't help but stare.
It was strange, but it almost seemed like she knew exactly what Twilight was thinking.
Could she have felt something too? Was Fluttershy not the only one who felt a wave of terror drown her as Sovereign spoke? Did Twilight share her dread of horrors to come?
"Twilight... I...", was about all Fluttershy could think before turning to leave her friend to her deeply troubled thoughts.
And there it was, at long last: tears of anguish.
As the last of her friends left, Twilight was suddenly over come with a blinding rush of sorrow. She couldn't bare the thought of what could happen if prior events were more than just an elaborate scare-tactic.
Her home. Her Family. Her best friends in the whole world. What would happen to them? What would become of the countless families in their stead?
What would become of the millions of foals that had never lived? The generations lost to the maws of extinction?
You cannot escape... your doom.
"NO!", Twilight screamed aloud as she held her head in her hooves, "NOOO!"
It just couldn't have been true. Sovereign's words had to be as hollow as the image that shaped it. It had to be a lie. A cruel, sick joke. But in the light of such hope, only lied despair. And along with it, a heart-wrenching realization of proportions, unimaginable.
Something terrible was going to happen.
"No! No, I can't let this happen!", Twilight shouted to the skies, "I... I have to figure something out! I have to stop this!"
A small part of her wished that the skies would have her answer. A way to prevent such a disaster. Or, at the very least, provide her with some type of solace.
Alas, she received only silence. Painful, meaningless, unsatisfying silence. It was then, and only then, did Twilight's mind begin to churn.
The details she had become aware of during the passed week, suddenly flooded back into her memory.
Equestrian History. An ancient civilization. The Grimoire of the Lost. Discord's Archive... Discord.
"Discord.", Twilight whispered.
The wily draconequus began to occupy her mind for the first time in nearly a year. Never had she encountered a being such as he.
The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, a title he proudly held, submerged her home into Chaos, the likes of which has not been seen for almost 1,000 years. His visage was that of cruelty. A true cypher of anarchy and mayhem.
Twilight was relieved that such a beast was vanquished and not adding to the dilemma she found herself in at the time.
But then, as though her own mind was collapsing in on itself, a sickening revelation dawned on her.
"No. There can't possibly-... There's no way. Discord. He-..."
Doubt began to eat away at the young unicorn's conscience. But as she wrestled with her emotions, streams of cold-hard facts poured onto her.
He was a Spirit of Old. One of the Almighty Three that ruled over Equestria. A being of near unparalleled knowledge and wisdom. Holder of many secrets. Hundreds. Maybe even thousands.
A being who used an archive housing the Grimoire of the Lost: the last remaining heirloom of a forsaken legacy.
If there was anypony in all of Equestria who had unsurpassed knowledge of the Humans and what could have truly happened, it was-...
"What in the name of all that's pure and sacred am I THINKING?!", Twilight howled to the sky, "How could I possibly be considering that?! It would be a betrayal to the Princesses! A betrayal to my friends and everything we stand for! I... I can't!"
Her mind demanded, nay, screamed in protest of her weighty options. But as she began to settle into the ideas, her heart and soul commanded obedience.
Deep down inside, Twilight Sparkle knew that there was no other way. No matter how much it hurt. No matter how wrong it was. No matter how much she'd be responsible for.
She knew there was nopony else. Nopony.
No longer able to see another option, Twilight's woeful eyes drifted from the sky and settled to the Canterlot Gardens down below. Where the stone-enhanced draconequus stood cold.
Night descended upon Equestria as Princess Luna raised her moon.
The hour had drifted onward, and beckoned ponies everywhere to their slumber and dreams. The last remnants of the Cultural Renaissance had at last been snuffed for a time; everypony at last retiring to their tents and the like.
This warranted the perfect opportunity.
Twilight Sparkle, deftly defeated and drained by her inner struggle, had arrived at the Canterlot Garden, home to many a statue.
Not a soul was stirring within the Garden, save for the book-smart unicorn herself. Once Twilight's short journey came to an end, she glared menacingly at the object of her new found troubles.
The petrified draconequus himself, an awkward expression of horror permeated his features.
"Discord. I can never forgive you for what you've done.", she whispered disdainfully.
Though she knew she would receive an empty response, she could only growl in anger.
"You turned my home into a cesspool of anarchy. You turned me and my friends against one another. You tormented the lives of everypony you ever came across. You're a manipulator. A deceiver. A blight upon Equestria and all of its beauty. And... And I have no one else to turn to."
The desperate unicorn's horn glowed brightly. In time, the golden tiara, her Element of Magic, appeared on her head.
"Princess Celestia. Princess Luna. Everypony, please... forgive me."
Upon that solemn plea, Twilight's eyes began to glow.
"The Spirit of Chaos, Brave and Bold,
Defiler of truth and the virtues of Old.
A visage of muddle, ancient and wise,
A being that corrupts through Schemes and Lies.
Hear my call, as I beckon for thee,
The fallen one of the Almighty Three.
By your name and title I summon you forth,
He who ignites Anarchy's Torch!
DISCORD! SPIRIT OF CHAOS AND DISHARMONY!"
The incantation surged an alien energy through Twilight's body, as she witnessed the stone statue shake and shutter.
Whatever doubts that plagued the unicorns thoughts were now irrelevant as she saw what her actions had caused, first-hand.
Her eyes lost their white glow and she collapsed to the ground in an exhausted heap.
Beams of multicolored light shot from the statue one by one; expelling a foggy mist around Canterlot garden.
Twilight gasped as she saw the statue begin to crack, and finally shatter; engulfing the Garden in a thick veil of mist.
The lavender mare picked herself up from the ground with shaky legs and a sudden headache. She took but a moment to gather her senses and remember exactly what was going on.
She glanced at her surroundings, and noted the eerie vibe that the mist granted it. Despite her hesitance, in fear of what she had done, Twilight slowly lifted her head to where the statue had once stood.
And in it's place, stood an old foe.
"Well! What a pleasantly revolting surprise! Twilight Sparkle, if memory serves!", Discord beamed with a polite bow.
Stoically shocked that the incantation actually worked, Twilight stood firmly before the Spirit. Discord peered around the garden to observe his surroundings.
"Blek! Night time? Oh, this is just plain disheartening. Last time it was nice and sunny!", he complained before sighing in resignation, "Oh well. Say, Twilight Sparkle. Be a dear and indulge me as to what's going on before I continue where I left off, would you?"
A twinge of absolute dread yanked at Twilight's conscience as she heard those words, but was VERY careful not to let her old enemy know that.
"Its as simple as this, Discord.", she hissed with distaste, "I freed you."
The mismatched draconequus cranked his neck in a very awkward bend as his gray bushy brows cocked.
"Wait. What?! Are you seri-Ohhhahahaha! Oh, wow! So it seems Celestia has put more than just a little extra faith in her overrated student!", he bellowed with amusement, "She even gave you that old incantation? This is too rich!"
Twilight's form remained unmoved. Impassive to Discord's taunts.
This caught the Spirits attention in earnest, as he made a very keen observation. He sat upon the pedestal that was once his home and studied the unicorn's features.
"No... No, this visit is very much unsanctioned.", he hummed in a low, contemplating growl, "In fact... Hmhmhehehehe... Nopony knows you're here."
It was uncanny for anypony to narrow the details down on that level. But Discord was a cruel reminder of such irony. Twilight glared on; not budging an inch.
"You're right, Discord. Not a soul... Not even the Princesses.", she hesitated.
The wily Spirit thoughtfully stroked his goatee, and studied the situation.
"Hmmm... What an odd turn of events. Didn't think things would be this interesting right off the bat. I wonder why she's here."
"I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here.", Twilight said.
"Oh, she is good..."
"I'm gonna give it to you straight, Discord. I hate you. For all rights and intentions, you disgust me to the highest level of sickening discomfort. I hate you so much, I can't even believe I'm here. But... I need your help.", the distraught unicorn managed to squeeze out.
Discord playfully stuck a finger from his lion paw into his cheek.
"Charmed.", he teased, "But you see, last thing I seem to recall is you and your, no doubt bi-curious friends, enhancing me in stone with the Hellements of Armony. I don't exactly see how (ahem) helping you will benefit me, Twilight Sparkle.
That was it. That was the tone right there that drove Twilight to grit her teeth.
For the most part, she she full-well that Discord wouldn't be persuaded so easily. But that didn't make it any easier.
"If anything, its you, my dear, who should help me. You know, to make it up to me, and what not?", Discord said as he stared at his eagle talons.
Twilight's glare deepened, and her next words were not chosen carefully.
"Listen here, you twisted, abominable freak-show! I didn't tear through hundreds of variables and scenarios before freeing you, JUST so you can say 'no' to me!", she yelled in irritation, "When I say 'I need your help', I'm not ASKING!"
Discord paused for but a few seconds before sucking his teeth as he inhaled a quiet breath.
"So let me wrap my head around this. You thwart my plans, and enhance me in stone for the second time. Then you release me for reasons that you so devilishly conceal. You perform said action alone and unassisted with only one Element at your disposal... and your making demands?", the Spirit question with a flat and audibly annoyed tone.
At this point, Twilight's mouth outran her brain.
"Do I need to spell it out for you?! You're gonna help me, and that's all there is to it!"
It was upon those foolish, foolish words did the articulate mare regret ever uttering them.
With the reflexes of a cobra, Discord snapped his body at Twilight and swiftly clasped his razor-sharp talons unto her neck.
He hoisted the choking mare high into the air as he glared daggers into her very soul.
"You insolent whelp! Did you forget who you're talking to?!", he barked in a voice that once instilled terror into the hearts of all, "I am Discord! Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! My powers are like that unto a GOD! I could phase your bones out of this pathetic frame of yours with a snap of my FINGERS!"
Oh, now she was scared.
She dared to believe that she hadn't been more terrified in her entire life. No single moment, in all that was her existence, had prepared her for such heart-stopping, blood-freezing, mind-destroying terror.
She wanted to cry. She wanted to take back what she said and beg for mercy. To throw herself beneath him and hope for his forgiveness.
But that wouldn't garner his help. That wouldn't stop Sovereign. So she did the only thing that seemed necessary, and bluffed.
"Then-! Argh! Then whats-... stopping you?!"
At this, Discord's face contorted into a wicked smile that would give the Devil goosebumps.
He brutally slammed the helpless Twilight into the grass and tightened his deadly grip. His talons began driving into her neck, and her tongue hung from her mouth.
"You know that's a good question, Twilight Sparkle! Maybe if I tear out your voice-box, I'll be able to think clearer! Totally gonna yell 'SUCK IT HARMONY' when I do it ,too! I can see all now... (fantasizes dumbly)... Fan-buckin-tastic!"
Black, grueling claws shot from Discord's lion-paw as his throat rumbled a beastly growl at Twilight.
The trembling unicorn somehow managed to restore her glare; leering into the eyes of her would-be executioner. She regained just enough of herself to retract her loose tongue, and clench her teeth.
"Kill me, and you put a name under your plaque. Help me, and for once in your pathetic life, you'll have purpose!", she choked out; inwardly crying and wishing all of her love to family and friends.
The frightened mare closed her eyes, and waited to be maimed. Her breaths were shallow and erratic. Moments of her life that she had long forgotten were flooding back to her in earnest.
As she prepared for the worst, however, the blow never came.
Though she was almost too frightened to look, Twilight opened her eyes to see why her death was postponed.
She was more than a little surprised to see the draconequus staring at her in disbelief.
Without rhyme or reason, Discord released his death-grip, and stood up straight; allowing Twilight much needed oxygen.
Again, he observed the situation, and began thinking aloud.
"Isn't that curious? You're not concerned for your safety. An unusual occurrence, perhaps due to adrenaline? Hmm. Unlikely. Pheromones suggest that your terror reached a fever-pitch. Either that or you had discreet sexual activity before arriving here... Scratch that. Not feasible. You'll probably die a virgin. Could be another reason. Endless possibilities are present. Forward, aggressive; caring little about personal gain. Explains your lack of tactful approach. Beckoning for help derived from something else. Ulterior motive for releasing me is painfully obvious. Must be related to something presumed more dangerous than I. No other option. But that leaves questions. Why do this alone? Why not ask for help? Must be something big. Enough to detour you from trusting your dearest friends. Even acted without Royal assistance. Couldn't be so big that it called for such secrecy. A monstrous issue of epic proportions? Yes! No... Maybe. But what?... ... Ahhhhhhhhh. Now I get it."
Twilight stared at Discord in sheer awe, unaware of her mouth agape. There was no way.
How could anyone pick apart somepony's motives like that, without even so much as a bat of an eye-lash?
It was impossible. It was improbable. It was madness!
"It's definitely Discord."
The mismatched Spirit turned his back to Twilight as he folded his arms in a thoughtful pause.
"Indeed, you do have much bigger problems, my little pony. So... It has finally come to pass.", he said cryptically.
Twilight lifted herself to sit on her haunches; staring at Discord with wild curiosity.
"What? What are you talking about? What do you know?!", she demanded.
Discord remained as he was, and sighed with frustration.
"I know many things, Twilight Sparkle. And I know, for a fact, that you won't be able to stop Sovereign without help.", he explained.
Twilight's jaw felt as though it would fall off of her head when Discord uttered those words.
"You... You knew the whole time, didn't you? You knew this would happen?", she asked incredulously.
Again, Discord sighed.
"As I told you, I know many things. Many, many things. Now I have questions for you."
The red eyed Spirit turned to Twilight and curled his eagle talons; causing the unicorn to lift off the ground and hover before him. Again, Twilight's heart jump in fear.
"You've obviously seen the Artifact. You saw the visions. What did Sovereign tell you?", he postulated in a way that commanded authority.
By now, Twilight was no longer able to keep her brave facade.
"It... It spoke of genocide. A cycle of Death. A-And an imminent return.", she explained as plainly and bravely as she could.
Discord gave another thoughtful pause.
"So you are telling the truth.", he said as he stroked his goatee, "And exactly what are you, a lowly book-worm unicorn, planning to do about it?"
The last question hit her like a ton of bricks.
Although, deep down, she asked that question herself, it still caught her off guard. It is what drove her to tears on top of Canterlot Palace. It is what drove her to make hasty decisions.
And even though Twilight had already freed Discord and made it this far...
She had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
"I-I... I don't know, Discord. I just don't know!", she cried out, "I just... I have to find a way to stop this! Nopony else believes this is real! The Princesses know too little about whats going on to make any decisions! Its so frustrating!"
"Of course, nopony believes it, Twilight Sparkle. Did you honestly expect anypony, friends or not, to accept that they're doomed? To accept that, after hundreds of generations and eras, they would be wiped out by creatures they know nothing about?"
When put in that light, Twilight's ears lowered in sour recollection.
"I... No. I guess not.", she murmured, "Discord. Please... I beg you."
The draconequus' face twisted into a confused stare. Was she... begging?
"Please? I... I have nopony else. Only you. You're the one who knows more about the humans than anypony. The only one who could have even the slightest idea of what really happened. It was you who used the abandoned Archive at the Palace. You have to help me. You just... Please?", she besought stronger.
At this, Discord abruptly released his hold on Twilight; promptly dropping her back onto her haunches. He turned his back again, thinking.
"You've read The Grimoire of the Lost, haven't you?"
Though she knew Discord couldn't see her, Twilight nodded. She knew he would get it.
"Huh. Well, I'll be damned, Twilight Sparkle. Your determination is unparalleled. You drive yourself to attain knowledge that is out of anypony's reach. You seek answers that all others give up searching for. And best of all... you want to live. You would resist an ill fate."
The lavender mare was silent as she listened to Discord, somehow enticed by his words.
"But one has to wonder; how far are you willing to go to stop the Cycle from repeating itself? How much are you willing to sacrifice, Element of Magic? You'd already cast Harmony to the way-side when you freed me. The incantation would not have worked otherwise. You had viciously lied to your friends to ensure that a greater cause could be achieved."
Twilight's shame was written all over her face. Even Discord knew of her two-faced deception. The fact that she didn't tell her friends she would free Discord, of all things, only added to her shame.
"I... I couldn't see any other way.", she whispered; knowing full damn well how bad an excuse that was.
"But I approve. I recognize acts of nobility when I see them. And nobility I can respect, Twilight Sparkle. But are you willing to sacrifice your ideals and beliefs for the cause? Are you willing to forsake all that you are, and more, to achieve the salvation and continuity of life as you know it?"
Discord's words cut deeper than any blade ever could. Every syllable, a blow to Twilight's soul.
But as much as it hurt, these questions held golden meaning to them. The young unicorn saw Discord staring eagerly upon her, as though waiting for her answer.
It all came down to only one, an answer that Discord wasn't expecting at all.
"Never..."
If the Spirit had been drinking anything, he'd have spayed it all over the place.
"Come again?"
"Discord. I can't. I won't! I'll never lose sight of what I am! I'll never lose sight of what I stand for! I am a citizen of Equestria. I'm a protector. A learner! Everything I aspire to is in my Nature. My purpose. To lose even a trace of that would be-... I'd be better off dead."
The mismatched draconequus looked hard at Twilight. Though she was young, her words were those of a mare that had achieved a rarity of wisdom. A pony that, for better or for worse, knew what it meant to sacrifice when it counted.
Only time would tell, however, if her words were more than just words.
"Hmm. That... Heh... That's acceptable.", Discord chuckled at the irony, "Very well, Twilight Sparkle."
Did her ears deceive her? Was she dreaming? Did her sworn enemy really just...?
"Discord? What do you mean? Are you... saying...?", her words hung dry, far too eager to hear the Spirit's clarification.
"The Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony is at your service.", he declared with a noble bow.
"You mean it?", Twilight chimed a little brighter than she had intended, "You'll really help me?"
"But of course, my dear.", Discord grinned before detecting a distant rustle in the distance, "We haven't a moment to lose now. Do we?"
Hearing the distant noise as well, Twilight was prone to panic. If anypony had seen her before the Spirit himself, that would surely have... severe repercussions.
However, as though reading her thoughts, Discord held out his lion paw for her.
"Come, Twilight Sparkle. I have much to teach you."
There was no time to deliberate or protest the sudden offer. Twilight knew that her
best chance at keeping her secret was to trust Discord.
"Hold on. How will you-"
"Replacement statue."
"Figures..."
Hesitating no longer, Twilight lifted her hoof into the draconequus' paw and prepared for anything. But then, from out of nowhere, her eye twitched madly.
"Wait! What you MEAN I'll die a virgin?!"
"Time to go, Dear!", Discord beamed before snapping his eagle talons.
And with that, they were gone without a trace. And Twilight's campaign of reckoning, had begun.