//------------------------------// // Chapter Five: Prerequisite // Story: When You Were Young // by Art Inspired //------------------------------// Prerequisite The castle remained floating for a time with the two below, just standing there in the dust. Luna turned to her sister, and asked, “Now what? Discord’s returned, and… Mother, where’s mother?” Celestia felt a sudden tear dampen her cheek, and turned to face her sister. “I can't feel her presence... I believe she is no longer amongst this world. Give me my saddlebag, and do you have the elements?” Suddenly, the castle tower behind them, while being ripped apart shook violently, but if only momentarily. Celestia and Luna both decided to get to safety before doing anything else, and teleported some distance away simultaneously. The darkness approached Celestia, and she saw a familiar figure with her back showing. The princess stood amongst wet rocks and shady, rounded walls only to be blinded by a magnificent sight. Just before her, she could make out her mother, and a tree. The mother turned slowly, her ear perking up in her daughter’s direction, and she said, “The Tree of Harmony… Under the castle, you and your sister will find it. Do you remember visiting it?” Celestia nodded, and even went as far as to say, “Y-yes, I do!” “Then come… and refill the elements, just as I’ve shown you in my study, for these are the forces in which you shall use to stop Discord.” Then, with her foggy sky-blue eyes showing ever so slightly, she said, “I leave the Elements of Harmony in your capable hooves.” Celestia awoke outside the castle grounds, where the moat once was. Now, all the water just floats in the air. In front of her was the tree of harmony, and next to her was Princess Luna, a worried concern crossing her face. Shakily, Celestia stood from her daze while assuring Luna, “I’m alright… I know what we must do… Please tell me you’ve got the Elements of Harmony with you!” Without wasting much time, Luna got the three out from her satch, and then the next set from Celestia’s. The next part was simple. “All we have to do is recharge them using mother’s tree…” She approached and stared at the humming specimen while moving some of her moonlit mane out from her eyes. Celestia grabbed three of the gems with her magic and placed the Elements inside the Tree of Harmony, and waited a moment. While she and Luna resumed their approach, Luna gasped, “The Tree of Harmony…” Crystal-like material only found within the Crystal Empire, oddly shaped chambers resembling hexagons; it didn’t make any sense to the two. All they could make out was the five symbols circling the center star, or as their late mother would’ve put it, the heart of the tree. Celestia flew up, taking initiative. With her well practiced alicorn magic, she began picking the locks. “Are you sure,” Luna questioned hesitantly, and then glided up to join her sister. “We have managed to discover the only means by which we can defeat Discord, and free the citizens of Equestria! Even without these elements,” she resumed while removing the red hexagon. “The Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic.” As the remaining five Elements of Harmony circled the two, they slowly started to float down to the floor once more. Just before landing, Celestia finished, “As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here.” The two alicorns trotted along, annoyed by the state of their kingdom. It would undoubtedly take a lot of might to return things back to normal once their foe was felled. Until then, gold fish swam freely, buffalo swarmed, and ponies everywhere suffered Discord’s wrath. The only ones not affected by his tyranny were the sisters. They’d used a portion of their powers to shield themselves from the world’s chaotic influence. Though, that only assisted Discord in sniffing them out even before they walked along the lines of green, blue and black fish. Still, his motive was to allow them a few more minutes in this world before he banished them to Oblivion forever. He sat patiently atop his throne, waiting for them to arrive. Once they finally came to a complete halt, scowling at him every second of the way, he whirled around, almost appearing overjoyed by their intrusion. “Do, ho!” he laughed aloud. “This is so much fun! How about a game of pin the tail on the pony?!” Celestia noted his amusement hastily, mostly due to him waving her own tail at her. Fed up with his mockery, the Princess ordered, “Play time is over for you, Discord!” The draconequus’s reaction was anything but threatened. In fact, instead of seeming the least bit intimidated, he simply swished his claw to the right, spilling the seeds he ate as he did. “Oh, I doubt that,” he remarked rudely before stuffing his face full of those black snacks. Then, he somewhat kindly offered, “Hungry?” The seeds bounced off of the two’s foreheads, each time triggering a small twitch from them upon impact. “... Suit yourselves,” Discord resumed, carefree. With more and more little, shady beads dropping to the soil below, Celestia and Luna both presented their sets of Elements together, not even saying a word until hearing Discord ask with cockiness, “Oh… What have you got there?” Watching the bagful of seeds scatter to the gravel around Discord’s stool, Celestia confidently answered, "The Elements of Harmony!” Luna chimed in, “With them, we shall defeat you!” Once in full speed, the elements then crafted its mesmerising orb around the siblings. As for Discord, he mistakenly misjudged the capabilities of his once close friends, and bellowed, “Haha! You should see yourselves right now. The expressions on your face! So intense, so sure of yourselves! Ah, haha!” With that, their horns touched. A harmonious ray of rainbows engulfed Discord, and just as he was saying, “Hilarious,” his sentence was cut off by his gums turning to stone, ceasing his egotistical banter. As he stood there before his throne, Celestia and Luna huffed, but noticed him leaning. They quickly caught him with their magic just before he had the chance to hit the rock hard ground. Resiliently, they settled him down in standing position, and observed his being. No longer the friend they once knew so long ago, the creature would now take the definition of chaos. His name would be spoken whenever the thought of disharmony occurred. Along with the clouds returning to normal, and the world restoring to harmony, the note left by their mother glided down from the balcony. Celestia and Luna would eventually return to fatefully find it, read it, and understand that all this could have been prevented if they’d just simply knew about this little detail when they were younger. It was, of course too late to change things now, but the fact still remained that they would someday have to attempt returning his mentality to a peaceful state.