Discord lounged in his pool chair, frowning, as Twilight lay huddled in a ball in the corner.
Okay, seriously. When is this mare going to get back up? I do happen to have some idea of what she's going through, here, but she hasn't moved for a good twenty minutes!
Discord checked his watch, which then detached itself and flew away. He glared after it for a moment, then jumped out of his chair.
"Twenty-two and a half minutes! That's it, missy!" He roughly grabbed Twilight by the shoulders, and shook her. "You need to get up! Do you want this to be the end?!"
Twilight looked him in the eyes, her own glazed over and unfocused, and hung her head.
"What's the point? If Celestia has really gone bad... then what's left?"
Discord scowled.
"Listen up, you! You're not allowed to be crestfallen! That's some other pony's job! You're supposed to be the main character of this crossover!"
Twilight's eyes regained some of their color at the strange statement.
"Wait, what?"
"Nevermind. And besides, I never said Celestia was unstoppable."
Twilight perked back up, her eyes refocusing on the draconequus.
"What do you mean?"
He put the purple mare down, and sat back down on the edge of his pool chair.
"What I mean is, she is only exceptionally powerful, not invincible. She can be stopped, given someone powerful enough."
Twilight rolled her eyes.
"Yeah? So who did you happen to have in mind for this?" Her voice began to rise in volume from her fear at the hopelessness of the situation. "The only ones with enough power to pull that off are you, Luna, and Cadence. But all of you are stuck in place, so that's not an option. So unless you have some other Primordial Being in mind, or some secret failsafe somewhere to let you all out, I don't see any way of stopping this!" She stared at the Lord of Chaos with tears beginning to form in her eyes again.
Discord crossed his arms and grinned smugly.
"You don't, but I do. In fact, I'm looking at her right now."
Twilight looked around in confusion.
"But, there isn't anyone else here."
"Imagine that."
Twilight's eyes widened with realization, and she shook her head as she started backing up, back towards her corner.
"No, nonononono. No way. I can't beat Celestia! She's far too powerful! And besides, she's my teacher! I just... I can't do it! I won't do it! There is no way that-"
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE."
She looked up and froze. Discord had barely whispered, but the sound of her name echoed around the room and in her skull almost deafeningly. His eyes now glowed white, and she suddenly understood why so many ponies had feared him for so long. He no longer seemed to be nothing more than a mischievous spirit. She was in the presence of a Lord of Power. And she could feel how powerless she was compared to him. A wind began to swirl around them, and she squinted against the cold sting on her eyes.
"This is not a debate. This is not simply one option. It is the only option. I have used my powers to scour the entire country, and there is no other with the potential you have. If you do not do this, it is not just possible, but probable, that no one else will ever be able to. If you do not do this yourself, you doom the entire pony species to a slow, steady, painful descent into Dark, from which there is no relief. No escape. No light. No hope. You must do this, Twilight. You are the only one who can." Discord allowed his power to abate, and Twilight looked up again. He was no longer terrifying, but the serious expression he wore shook Twilight to her core.
"But, I'm still not strong enough! I would need to be an alicorn to even have a chance!"
Discord nodded.
"Indeed, under normal circumstances, you would. But these are not normal circumstances, and for all its horror, the Darksign is, in fact, your greatest asset in this endeavor."
"How?! How can it possibly be helpful in this situation!?"
"Well, for starters, you aren't done if you get killed. Which will happen. A lot. But beyond that, there is another effect. One connected to your consumption of souls."
Twilight raised an eyebrow.
"Which is?"
"Every time you consume souls, you feel better, right? But if you go to a bonfire, it is entirely possible to more thoroughly assimilate them. You see, the soul is the essence of life, and all aspects of life are part of the soul. Including memories. And therefore, abilities."
Twilight's jaw went slack at the implications.
"That's right, my little pony. You can gain anyone's strengths and skills, simply by absorbing their souls."
"But, that would mean...."
"Yes, you would have to kill them for it. But now, in this Equestria, that is what is necessary. Otherwise, you will not be strong enough for the challenges you will face. That is not to say, of course, that you will be alone. There are others who wander the countryside, and many of them will be more than happy to lend their aid. And of course, you have my aid, as well."
"How do you mean?"
"The bonfires, first of all. One of my 'failsafes' you mentioned earlier. They are the most obvious, but there are others. And, obviously, Luna and Cadence have theirs, as well. But beyond simply restoring any who rest near them, the bonfires also have another function. They are each linked to the others, and so long as it is burning, a bonfire can teleport you to any other lit bonfire. Simply touch the hilt of the sword, and you'll figure out the rest."
Twilight decided to skip the reasons for the use of pony bones in the bonfires for the moment, in favor of a much more important question.
"Why are you helping me? For that matter, why are you helping anyone? Shouldn't you be happy as can be, with how chaotic everything has become?"
Discord shook his head.
"No. My Chaos is a form of life, strange as it may be to you, a creature of logic. Were I to have free run with my powers, life would still exist. There would be casualties, no doubt, but there would be enough left for them to adapt and rebuild. This, though? This is not a survivable situation. Everything will die, if Celestia is not dethroned. And when the last light of life is extinguished, the world will fade. Perhaps, from the smallest specks of bacteria, new life will re-inhabit the planet, but not for millions, if not billions, of years. And by then, I'll be long gone. Besides, you were next in line. Might as well keep to the original plan, right?"
Twilight shook her head rapidly in surprise at the last sentence.
"What do you mean, I was next in line? And why explain all this to me yourself? Why not just give me back my memories?"
"I mean, you were going to be Celestia's replacement. But, she decided at the last minute that you weren't ready, and everything went downhill from there. But that's something best left unsaid, for the moment. As for your memories, I can't do anything about that. Celestia was still significantly more powerful than I when she blocked them off, and I don't even know where to start, since it wasn't an intentional effect. I'd rather get you on your way sooner than later, anyway. When you leave, though, check under the bridge. There should be a loose stone. I'm sure you can figure out the rest." He plopped down on his pool chair, and yawned. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to recuperate from flinging around my power after so long. I really should practice more." He quickly started snoring, and Twilight went back downstairs.
In the living room, Fluttershy was sitting at her table, sipping at a cup of tea. She looked up as soon as she heard Twilight's hoofsteps coming down the stairs, and set her cup down on its saucer. As Twilight entered the room, Fluttershy could see the stress lines and marks of worry on her face.
"Twilight," she called softly. The other mare turned to her quizzically. "How about some tea? It always helps me relax."
Twilight looked from her friend to the teapot, then back to her friend, and shrugged.
"Sure. Why not? It's worth a shot." She meandered over to the table, and sat down opposite Fluttershy, who poured another cup of tea and slid it across to her. Twilight gently grabbed the cup with both hooves, and lifted it to her lips, letting the still-hot liquid slide down her throat and warm her insides. She set the cup back down, and looked around the room.
Little knick-knacks littered the shelves, most of them made by hoof, and all of them obviously important to their owner. She recognized a few, gifts from their friends, or souvenirs from their travels. She heard the strike of a match, and turned to see Fluttershy lighting a stick of incense. At her questioning look, Fluttershy smiled.
"This should help, at least to clear up some questions you may have."
"What is it?"
"Something I discovered early on. Just breathe deeply. It will do the rest."
Twilight swallowed a nervous lump that had formed in her throat, and nodded. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing. The smell of the incense quickly began overpowering her nose, but she kept her pace, and soon she could feel a fog lifting from her mind.
"Celestia. It's time."
"I know."
That's Discord's voice. Is this what he was talking about?
"Now, it is time to give up the throne, Celestia."
"No."
Celestia... really did refuse?
"They're not ready!"
"It doesn't matter! Your time has already gone longer than it should have! You need to step down!"
"Please, sister! Listen to reason!"
"NO! I have ruled for over a thousand years! And if I must rule for another thousand to protect my subjects, I will! And to Tartarus with all of you!"
Twilight's mind cleared as the incense wore off, and she opened her eyes to see Fluttershy's worried face looking back at her. She blinked, and noticed she had been crying again.
"I guess... I still hoped Discord was lying. But I guess not. Fluttershy, I'm going to need your help. Would you mind coming with me back to the library for a little bit?"
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully, and looked around in worry.
"Oh, um.... I guess I could, for a little while. I would need to come back soon, though, or the animals might become restless."
"It'll only be a little while, yeah. I just need to do some organizing."
Within a few minutes, Fluttershy had put away her things, and Twilight was standing outside as her friend gave a few last-minute instructions to her guard wolf.
"Now, you make sure everyone behaves while I'm gone, okay? It won't be long, but you know how some of them can get." Gale sat straight up, staring perfectly ahead. "Good boy. Ready, Twilight?"
"Just about. Only one thing left." She walked down into the creek bed, and looked around under the bridge. Sure enough, there was a single stone protruding from the support on one end. She pushed it in, and the wall slid down into the ground to reveal a secret room. Inside, she found a chest. She heaved it open, and looked inside to find two scrolls, and a longsword with a scabbard.
I guess he really does want to help.
She put the scrolls in her bag, and hooked the longsword's scabbard onto her belt as she exited the room. She walked back up to Fluttershy, who had crossed the bridge, and nodded.
"Alright, let's go."