Chapter Seven: Fallen
Every day was the same, I wake up, curled up in Discord’s coils, sneak out of the bedroom to prepare Discord a breakfast of paper and make myself an oat sandwich while Discord wakes up and comes downstairs. Then, I inspect the Chaos Capital of the World, Ponyville, now renamed Pandemonium, from the safety of my new cloud home with Discord. After that, I sit next to Discord on my throne and do whatever he asks of me, whether it be keep a pony alive or kill a dissenter. All this I do with the same, unfeeling, blank stare.
The only day I got any reprieve was the day I saw a unicorn pony that reminded me of my brother. With a black coat and white mane and tail, I thought I was seeing a ghost. I approached him to ask him who he was when I saw his cutie mark, a white crescent. I knew he wasn’t my brother, but I was beginning to break the spell Discord had cast. Then, Discord had appeared and taken me back to the castle, reinstating the spell and adding an early warning system should I ever seem to be breaking the spell again. That moment haunts me still, Discord’s eyes seemed to glow and…
“Rosie, are you alright?” I turn to look at Discord and the memory fades, his spell strengthening its hold and blinding me to the world around me. “Why don’t you take some food down to dear Celestia, sweetheart,” Discord claw lifts my chin up before dropping it as I nod emotionlessly.
Stopping in the kitchen to grab a tray with a loaf of old bread and a pitcher of dusty water I walk into the dungeons of the cloud palace. Looking out one of the windows on the staircase I see the massive scar in the earth that used to be Canterlot up on a large mountain. Levitating the tray in front of me I continue on my path down to Celestia’s cell. Entering, I place the tray on the ground and watch Celestia rouse herself from the pile of rags she was sleeping in.
“Broken Rose, is that you again?” Celestia’s bleary eyes stare up at me as I place the tray in front of the wingless and hornless mare. Her white coat had been turned brown and gray from the many weeks she had spent imprisoned. She sees the food and drags herself up to eat it ravenously.
“Broken Rose, why are you doing this? Why are you helping Discord.” Celestia stares at me, at my dull, red eyes. “No, Discord is brainwashing you again, isn’t he.” My face holds no emotion, no reaction. I can no longer feel anything but loyalty towards Discord. Of course, I can no longer talk unless Discord permits me to.
“Rosie, what’s taking so long? Come back,” Discord’s voice echoes down the stairwell, I levitate the half-eaten tray towards me, Celestia makes a desperate dive towards it, managing to knock the remainder of the bread and break the pitcher of water. Leaning down she licks the food off the ground, I do not seem to notice. Locking the cell door behind me I slowly walk up the stairs towards the impatient draconequus.
“Ahh, Rosie, I was worried something had happened to you.” Discord picks me up playfully in his arms and rubs my mane with his lion paw. The only reaction I give is to drop the tray and settle comfortably into his grip. Discord snarls unhappily, “Why don’t you do anything anymore? You just sit there and do anything I tell you to!”
I blink once slowly and then drop to the floor in front of Discord. I begin to bend into a compliant crouch. ‘Why are you kneeling to a creature like that? He just told you to do something other than just standing there!’ A new and yet, familiar, voice interrupted my thinking. I stared around in confusion. Discord stared at me and took a step closer to me.
“Rose, are you okay?” Discord reached his lion paw out to tap me on the horn.
‘Are you just going to let him do that to you? How sad. You should have listened to me when I tried to make you an offer. Now, come with me.’ I hear a loud thud and look behind me. I scream, but Discord makes no reaction, because I am no more than a ghost, floating over my collapsed form.
“What, I… who?!” I stare around wildly before noticing her. It was the mimic, she was just sitting on air, staring at me. “How… I killed thee. Thou should be dead!”
The mimic laughs, it reminds me of horrible things, that sound. “Didn’t you know little Rosie? I told you, didn’t I. You can’t kill me.”
“Thou wert lying, I turned thee into black ooze and squashed thee beneath mine hoof. Thou art dead!” I am screaming, clutching at my head as tears wrench their way out of my eyes.
The mimic walks up to me, putting her hoof on my head, she gently strokes my mane. I stare up at her in horror. “The only way you could kill me now is if you, yourself died.”
I stand, shoving the mimics hoof off my head and backing away from her, “How did you survive, creature?”
She stops and thinks for a moment, “You know, we really should be on first name basis. How about you call me, Melinoe. Did you know, in old times she was revered as a goddess of ghosts?”
“I remember, she was but another name for me.”
“Us, another name for us. We’re one and the same you know. Anyways,” Melinoe continues, oblivious to my indignation, “the answer to your question, I slipped in through the cut on your foreleg. Honestly, you’d think the pony that invented that idea would know about it.”
Memories from another time bombard my brain, I snarl in veiled frustration. “Why didst thou bring me here? What is it thou wants?”
Melinoe chuckles, “I wanted to warn you. Discord’s manipulated you into thinking he’s such a great guy. I mean, really, would you normally bow to anypony?”
“I guess not. But if he is then, how do I stop it?”
“You’re waking up, gotta go. Just do the same thing to Discord that you did to poor, sweet, little Luna.”
My vision faded back into reality as I watched Discord pick me up off the ground. I shook him off and glared at him.
“Discord, thou hast lied to me for the last time.” I stare at Discord and whisper to him.
“Rosie, what are you talking about? No, no… Rosie! NOOOOOOO!!” My horn drips blood one more time as I prepare the same spell that sent Luna to the moon.
“I am sorry, Discord.” I lower my horn and rest it on his chest. White marble spreads from where my horn touched him and grows to cover his entire body. The marble is slowly stained dark as I curl up beside the fallen statue of Discord and cry. Cry for the times that could have been, the times that were lost. I cry, remembering what Discord had been like before he turned evil. Before he saw what evils the Elements of Harmony were capable of.
I stand and step slowly over Discord to stare out at the night sky. Blood now coats my horn and leaves a trail along the floor as I cast the mimic spell once more, vowing that I will never do so again. I see the moon flash once brightly before a black figure comes crashing out of the sky and Celestia gallops up the stairwell with her horn and wings restored.
“Broken Rose, what happened? How did… LUNA!!” Celestia’s focus vanishes from me and becomes solely revolving around her little sister. I smile and stare at the sisterly love of the two alicorns. Celestia then turns to me, her wing over the smaller alicorn, “Tell me everything.” And so I do, starting from the first time Discord approached me in the Everfree Forest and watch as Luna conjures a scroll of paper and a quill and writes down every word I say.
“You do realize that ponies will want justice for the things you did. You will be sent to court and tried. And Discord, he will be turned to dust.” Luna gasps at Celestia’s cruel words.
“Nay! Thou shalt not destroy him! He has done nothing wrong, not really.” I do not know why I say these crazy things, but I do. The only thing I know, is that Discord’s statue cannot be turned to dust. “He was overwhelmed by the Elements power, just as Luna was, just as Sombre was. Thou did not kill thy sister, thou shalt not kill Discord.” Celestia’s eyes remain cold, emotionless, “Please, Celestia.”
“We will see,” is all she says before turning to the window and raising the sun, causing cheers to undoubtedly erupt across all of Equestria. I stare at Luna as she follows her older sisters example and flies back to Canterlot Castle. I give one last, longing look at Discord and follow them. To Canterlot, and to undoubted exile into the Badlands on the edges of the fertile land of Equestria.