Princess Celestia stood on the highest balcony of the Canterlot castle, looking over the landscape that was just now being lit up by the sun’s first rays. She focused on the sun, and with a great show of concentration, pulled it above the horizon for all of her subjects to enjoy. Slightly exhausted, she returned to her bed chamber and continued through it into the throne room. The high set ceiling complimented the extremely long red carpet that led from the twin thrones to the doors that marked the antechamber. Celestia took a seat in the taller of the two and started to take stock of the duties she had to do that day. She was so focused on planning her day out that she didn’t notice her sister enter from the opposite side of the room that she had entered from until Luna plopped down in the other throne. “Oh, hello, Luna. Did you get a good night sleep?”
Luna shifted around in the glorified chair until she was in a better position before answering. “Yes, I slept fine.” Luna looked away from Celestia, and her older sister sensed that something was bothering her.
“Are you sure? You seem distressed.”
Luna was silently still for a few seconds, then slowly turned to face her sister. “I slept well, but I just don’t feel well. It just seems that today will be… bad.” A slight frown formed on Celestia’s lips as Luna confessed her worries. “I can’t really explain it, but I just have a bad feeling about today.” Luna hung her head and again lost her voice. Celestia consoled her sister by wrapping one of her wings around her.
“Don’t worry, Luna, I’m sure today will be just fine.” Celestia gave her sister a reassuring smile, but behind it lurked Celestia’s own uneasy feelings. Celestia had also woken up with a presumption that the day would hold a few nasty surprises. She wouldn’t admit it to her sister, seeing as how Luna was feeling the same, but knowing that they both felt this way had sent a shiver of panic through her. When two omnipotent beings both felt that there was cause to worry, nothing good would come of the situation. “Let’s just focus on taking things one step at a time, and the day will be done before we know it. Besides, I’m sure that there’s nothing to worry about. We both know better than to worry about some silly feelings more fit for fillies, don’t we?”
Luna gave her an uneasy smile. “Yes, I suppose we do.” The two relaxed, having put their minds somewhat to rest. They sat higher in their thrones, hoping that the peace of the morning would continue throughout the day.
It was not to be, as a royal guard charged into the throne room, his exasperated voice echoing inside the empty chamber. “My Princesses, there have been troubling reports coming in from all over Equestria, but no pony can make heads or tails of them!” He produced a scroll and began reading down the list of bizarre occurrences that had been spotted. “There have been sightings of flying vegetables, blue trees that are growing potatoes, and creatures with the limbs and appendages of at least ten different animals!” Celestia had become increasingly taut as the list went on, and Luna had to prod her roughly to get her to respond to the anxious guard.
“Thank you for the report. Tell your men to contain the situation as best and as quickly as possible.” The guard gave a hasty salute and hurried back out of the throne room.
“Celestia, you don’t think-“
“We cannot take the chance. Stay here and deal with anyone else who comes in.” She noticed Luna’s apprehensive face. “Don’t worry, I’ll only be gone for a few minutes. I just need to send a letter.”
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Celestia closed the door to her chambers and locked it. The last thing she needed was a particularly curious younger sister poking around her room as she went about her business. She turned her attention towards a lonely bookcase and magically manipulated it to get at the ink and parchment she kept on it. She wrote a quick letter to her prodigy Twilight Sparkle, requesting that she come to the castle with the other Elements of Harmony as soon as possible and sent it away, the letter disappearing with a small ‘poof.’ She then enveloped the bookcase with a soft white glow and pushed it aside, revealing a portion of the wall. She tapped the wall in a very specific manner, and the wall magically receded, showing its true purpose as a hidden door. It revealed a dark passage that led deep into the castle’s depths. She lit the tip of her horn with magic and braved the darkness of the tunnel. The stone walls were covered in grim, but the princess took no notice. This was a passage she had hoped she would never have to use again, and as such wasn’t concerned with its cleanliness. She came upon a set of stairs that led down into pitch blackness, and with a gulp took the plunge down into the foreboding darkness. The stairs eventually leveled out, and after walking for a few more moments she came upon a simple door. It was made of the same brick that the walls were made of, and in the center was a small hole. Celestia tilted her head forward and pushed her horn inside, withdrawing as she heard a click. Each side of the door swung open, allowing her to step inside the small room that had been opened up. With a flick of her head, she lit two candles that were hanging on the walls of the small chamber, and the resulting light cast its glare on her objective.
It was a stone statue, one like no other. The pose the draconequus was in was the same pose it had taken when the Elements of Harmony had vanquished it. Celestia was both relieved and befuddled, as she had been expecting the statue to be gone. She slowly walked towards it until she was face to face with the compilation of animal parts that passed for its head. “You’re still here…” Celestia muttered to herself, tapping her chin with a hoof, unable to comprehend how the situation in Equestria was possible when Discord was still imprisoned. She was still deep in thought when a whisper quietly echoed through the chamber.
Celestia…
She flinched, startled by the sound and felt as though a pair of eyes were watching her. She had only halfheartedly meant that last thought, but as she gazed into the wide open eyes of her enemy, she felt a sudden, serious change in the gravity of the situation. “I must get control of myself… hearing voices in my head…”
Quite, Celestia. Voices in your head are the first signs of madness…
Her eyes widened, and she quickly backed away from the statue. “Discord!? Show yourself!” She eyed the statue, waiting for any sudden movements, but it stayed frozen.
Come now, Celestia, you really shouldn’t be talking to inanimate objects. Someone might think you’re… insane.
Celestia was shocked, unbelieving that the voice she was hearing was actually there. She pressed on, trying to figure out what exactly was happening. “You’re not here, Discord. You can’t be. You’ve been banished!”
Ugh, you are so droll Celestia, you really are. Here I am, trying to have a nice conversation with you inside your head, and you can’t even acknowledge my presence! Oh well, no matter. You’re not the one who needs to do the talking, anyways. You just have to listen to what I have to say.
“Fine, Discord. I’ll play your little game.” She was still unsure of the voice, but the more she thought about it, the more something like this made sense. At least, it did when Discord was concerned.
Good. Now, I’m no doubt sure you’ve seen my handiwork up above. The nice blue sky, the fragile plants, even your shining sun all complimented by the chaotic little creations running around! Beautiful, isn’t it? Well I’m sure you’d like to know how I did it.
Celestia perked up her ears at the last sentence. Any explanation, even one coming from the disembodied voice of Discord was welcome at this point.
I’ve been planning this day ever since your little student and her precious friends stopped my fun last time. You see, you may have trapped my physical body, but I am the spirit of chaos! I couldn’t just let you win that easily, could I? No, of course I couldn’t, especially not since I still have so much fun planned out for Equestria!
“That still doesn’t explain how you could just conjure your chaos in the physical world!”
Have patience, my dear. I was just getting to that part. I have to give you credit where credit is due. You and your sister did an excellent job of trapping me in stone all those years ago, and you’ve certainly taught your pupil well. I couldn’t use my magic to influence anything under the protection of your magic, nor could I do anything while the Elements of Harmony still held strong. I was in a bind.
“How does that affect what your magic can and can’t do?”
Once again you’ve interrupted me! Honestly, once I’m free, I’m going to zip that mouth of yours shut. You see, the chaotic nature of my magic is balanced out by the goody two shoes nature of yours. Chaos and order must exist with each other, and for a reason I still can’t understand our universe has decided that order should take priority over my glorious chaos. That’s why I can’t simply break my bonds and go about reeking disorder. Your magic has been blocking mine for the past thousand years, ever since you and your sister imprisoned me. It just so happened that the disorder caused by the ponies you so preciously protect tipped the balance in my favor, and I was finally free to reign over my rightful subjects once again! Of course, my fun came to a conclusion when those six ponies trapped me in the same manner you had. Now their magic is blocking me, instead of you and Luna’s magic.
Celestia was trying to keep track of what Discord was saying, though she wasn’t having much success. She had heard theories about the temperamental nature of magic, but it was all pure speculation. Magic was still one of the great mysteries of pony life, even to an alicorn like her. “So you’re saying that my friends and I have been blocking you from using your magic.”
In layman’s terms, yes. But again, back to the chaotic nature of your ponies. They aren’t perfect, as much as you’d like them to be, and their little misadventures have supplied me with enough chaos to influence events, though I’m still stuck in this rather unflattering position.
“But you said that our magic was blocking you from using yours!”
Why yes, yes I did. And it still is.
“Then how can all of this be happening?”
Simple, Celestia. Since I can’t influence events that are protected by your magic, I’ve simply gone to places where you and your little ponies weren’t around to stop me!
The voice started to crack up, and Celestia got the feeling that it was laughing at the expression of utter bewilderment that had come over her face. “This doesn’t make any sense…”
Oh, no one ever had any fun by making sense, Celestia! That’s one lesson you really need to learn.
“How? Just how can this be happening? Everything you’ve said is contradicting what’s happening!”
There’s one bit of information you’re missing. You see…
I didn’t directly create this chaos.
Celestia had been toyed with enough, and she was at her breaking point. Discord was certainly living up to his name, and the princess couldn’t take his mind bending explanations any longer. She fell to the floor, racking her brain, trying to come up with some sense of rationality that would put her disorganized mind at rest. Discord had broken back into guffaws, explaining what he meant when he was finally able to catch his breath.
What’s happening right now are the results of the past! I’ve shaped events in the history of Equestria, events that took place long before your birth! Without your magic around to stop me, I could bend the timeline to my will, and the aftereffects have changed the very reality of Equestria! The past, the present, even the future of your precious lands have now become one giant playground of utter insanity, courtesy of yours truly! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Celestia couldn’t believe what she was hearing. If what this mad creature had just said was true, then the entire timeline of Equestria had been changed. Everything anypony thought they knew about the land they inhabited was now tossed out the window in favor of Discord’s new world. She noticed that he had stopped laughing.
But that’s not even the best part. With the Equestrian timeline in full out chaos, I’m going to have enough power to break out, even with your pupil’s magic holding me back. And once I’m free, there’s no possible way you can stop me again. But, I am nothing if not fair, and a fair game makes victory all the better. That’s why I’m giving you a chance to fix the damage I’ve caused. You see, there are three key points in this new timeline that are causing the most chaos. One point in the past, one point in the present, and one point in the future. Each point in time is giving me power, fueling me with its delicious absurdity. If these three points were ever corrected, well, I just might lose all my power. What you have to do is send the Elements of Harmony to each point, and leave it up to them to correct what I’ve done. Of course, they won’t succeed, but do you have any idea how much fun it’ll be to watch them try?
“You’re a monster…”
And you’re a stuck up little pony who doesn’t know how to have any fun. I must say, I’ve grown quite tired of our little conversation. I need my rest if I’m going to be in top shape for my return, but before I go, I’ll show you just how far along I’ve come.
With that, the eyes of the statue somehow moved, locking eyes with the princess. With a final, echoing cackle, Discord released himself from her mind, leaving the exhausted princess panting on the floor of the chamber. She got up on shaky hooves and slowly walked into the tunnel connected to the chamber, magically putting the candles out. As she reached the stairs, she heard the door sliding shut, and made her way back to her bed chambers. She levitated the bookcase back into position and heard the secret door grind its way back into the wall. She stumbled over to the door leading to the throne room and unlocked it, pushing her way past it. She was greeted with six ponies who all stared at her with nervous eyes as soon as she entered. Without a word, she motioned for all of them to follow her, leading them towards the castle’s archives.
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Celestia, Luna and the six mares that were the embodiments of the Elements of Harmony all stood inside the Star Swirl area of the castle archives. They stood in a circle, surrounding the huge hourglass that was the main attraction of the archive. Celestia had given them the details of their mission on the way over, and they had all been in a still hush as they processed what they had been told. Twilight Sparkle was the first of them to speak up. “So Discord’s escaped and changed Equestria’s history to what he wants it to be?”
Celestia gave a solemn nod. "He hasn’t escaped from the stone yet, but if we don’t act soon, there will be too much chaos for us to handle. That’s why it’s imperative that you all complete your missions as soon as possible.”
Twilight still had her doubts. “I’m just having trouble wrapping my head around this whole situation… I mean, it’s obvious Discord has done something. When we left Ponyville, there were carriage sized muffins flying around.
Pinkie Pie decided to chime in, obviously excited by the events of the day. “Yeah, and they looked like good muffins, too! I bet Derpy’s chowing down on them while I’m stuck here.” She made a small ‘hmmph’ sound and gave no one in particular a surly look.
“We have much larger things to worry about, Pinkie. Try to stay focused.” After the chiding, Twilight turned her focus back to Celestia. “So we have to travel to points in Equestria’s history where Discord has affected the timeline the most, and stop whatever he did.” Another nod. “Alright, this shouldn’t be too hard with the six of us working together.”
The six friends were all looking willing and eager, (Well, five of them. Fluttershy had been slowly backing away from the hourglass.), when Celestia brought them back down to the ground. “I’m sorry, but you cannot all go with each other.”
Their spirits seemed to drain, and Rainbow Dash took flight as she criticized Celestia. “What do you mean we can’t go with each other!? Have you forgotten who we are? How are we supposed to kick Discord’s flank if we can’t do it together?”
Celestia had been expecting this, but it wouldn’t make it any easier having to explain to them. “I know you want to stay together, and I don’t want to do this anymore than you do. But we’re running out of time, my little ponies, time we never had in the first place.” All eyes were on her, a wide variety of emotions on each of their faces. “You have to split up into three groups, one for each of the time periods that are under Discord’s rule. How you split up is up to you, but I need you to hurry.”
The mares trotted over to a corner of the archive while the two alicorns awaited their decision. Rainbow Dash took charge of the discussion. “This stinks! We can’t just split up! I still say we just go together and fix whatever Discord’s done to Equestria!”
Applejack reprimanded her rash thinking. “That ain’t gonna work, Rainbow. Ah don’ know what y’all have seen, but mah apple trees were dancin’ around and had blue leaves, not to mention the potatoes they left behind. That kind of stuff only happened when Discord was at his full power, and we ain’t got the time to be foolin’ around with shenanigans like that.”
Twilight agreed with her. “She’s right. Discord already has a head start on us, and if we stay together, we won’t be able to stop him in time.” Rainbow crossed her front legs, but seemed to accept that she had been beaten. “Now that it’s been decided, we have to figure out how we’re going to split up.” She stared vacantly at the ground with a wrinkled brow, deep in thought until she was struck with inspiration. “I’ve got it. Three teams, each with one unicorn. Each team will need a unicorn because, well, I wouldn’t want any of you to be stuck without magic.”
Rarity saw a flaw in her plan. “Dear, the only unicorns are you and I. That means only two teams will have magic at their disposal, and in case you didn’t notice, I’m a lady, not a fighter. I only know basic spells, like levitation. And my gem finding spell, if you can count that.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already thought of that. You see, you and I will most definitely be going to the past and future because there are already plenty of unicorns that we can count on here in the present. We don’t know anything about how the other time periods have been affected by Discord’s tampering, so we have to go by what we know as fact. And having some magic is better than no magic at all.”
Twilight was feeling quite proud of herself and her plan as Pinkie Pie spoke up. “But what about a pegasus? Their flying could come in super-duper handy!”
“Well, there’s a problem with that.” She gestured towards the corner of a bookcase, and the four of them followed her hoof. A pink tail was sticking out, shivering slightly. Rainbow groaned and hovered over to it, tugging on it and pulling out a yellow pegasus who was covering her face with her hooves. She raised one tentatively and quickly put it back, making a quiet ‘meep’ sound as she did so. “Fluttershy, it’s okay. You can stay here in the present with the others.” Fluttershy nodded, her face still hidden. “Now, I think I should be one of the two to go into the past. My knowledge of ancient Equestria should at least be somewhat helpful, even with the changes Discord’s made. Rainbow Dash, you’re fearless. You should go to the future. I have no idea what to expect from it, so I need someone who won’t be afraid of whatever’s waiting for them.” She raised her hoof to her head in a salute as Twilight continued. “Rarity, since I’m going to the past, you need to accompany Rainbow.”
“Me? With her? Not that I have anything against you, Rainbow, but do you really think we’re a good match for each other?”
“You’re calculating, she’s dashing and courageous. You can keep each other in check.”
“Alright, if you say so, Twilight.”
“Now, that just leaves the two of you.” She said, looking at Applejack and Pinkie Pie. “Honestly, I don’t know where to put either of you. We’ve got the future covered, so it comes down to whether you want to go with Fluttershy or me.”
Applejack answered her. “Shoot, when ya put it like that, it sounds as though we’re choosin’ which one of you we like better. Ah’m fine with either of ya, whether it’s the past or present we’re goin’ to.”
Pinkie Pie was consoling Fluttershy, trying to get her to relax, but that didn’t stop her from throwing in her two bits. “I want to stay here with Fluttershy. I’m sure I can get her to cheer up, and besides, I still have to pay those huge muffins a visit!” Twilight made a mental note to call on Pinkie Pie whenever there were killer muffins on the loose.
“Then it’s settled. Applejack, you and I will fix whatever Discord’s done to the past, Rainbow Dash and Rarity will head to the future, and Pinkie and Fluttershy will help out here.” They all nodded in agreement and made their way back to the anxious princesses.
Twilight explained the plan, and Celestia approved. “I’m sorry you have to be separated like this, but it really is the only option we have.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure we can handle ourselves out there. It’s not like any of us are going alone.”
Celestia gave them all a soft smile and endearing look. “I’m so proud of you, all of you. The Elements of Harmony couldn’t be in better hooves.” Her accolade seemed to energize the six, and they were now as ready as they were ever going to be. Celestia directed Twilight and Applejack to one side of the hourglass and did the same for Rainbow Dash and Rarity, putting them on the opposite side. She, Luna, Pinkie and Fluttershy stepped back from the huge time keeper as Celestia instructed them on what was about to happen. “This hourglass isn’t just for show. It’s actually one of the most advanced magical items in all of Equestria, created by Star Swirl the Bearded himself. It can transport the user to any point in time. This device has detected the chaotic changes Discord has made, and it’s pinpointed where each of the anomalies are. However, even though it can detect when and where Discord changed history, it cannot detect how. I have no idea what to expect, and neither will you. Be careful, for anything is possible now that Discord has taken control.”
With that final cryptic warning, Celestia activated the hourglass. The sand inside started to swirl around the figure, gradually gaining speed as the seconds passed. The four ponies standing next to it began to worry as a vortex formed inside the glass, the sand now encompassing the entire space inside it. Sparks of magical light began to envelope the outside of the hourglass, and a sudden flash of light similar to lightning struck out at Twilight and Applejack. They didn’t even have time to react before they were hit, and in a bright flash were gone, nothing left to indicate that they had been standing there just a few seconds earlier. Rarity and Rainbow had the misfortune to see what was about to happen to them, but before they could take any preventative measures, the light flashed once more, sending them into the uncertain future of a chaotic Equestria.
It’s objective complete, the hourglass began to wind down, the sands inside returning to their dormant state. The four remaining ponies were shocked by the spectacle they had just been witnesses to. Celestia had never actually used the hourglass before since the scrolls in the archives had always been enough to take care of any time troubles she had come across before. The shock wore off as she remembered that there was still work to be done. “Pinkie, Fluttershy, are you ready?” Fluttershy was doing her best impression of the statue that housed Discord, but Pinkie had regained her senses and was bouncing around the room.
“Where’d they go!? Are they okay!? Tell me, tell me, tell me!!”
She nearly bounded into Celestia, but was held back by a dark blue aura that had surrounded her. Luna had been lurking by herself since they had entered the archive, but she had finally taken action when she saw that her sister was about to be assaulted by the frantic pink pony. “Pinkie Pie, calm yourself. They’re fine. This great device was created by one of the finest minds Equestria has ever seen. No detail would be overlooked by such a great pony.” She released Pinkie. “They can take care of themselves, but you and your friend also have much work to do.”
Pinkie calmed down and hung her head, making her way over to Fluttershy. Luna was concerned that she had been a bit too harsh and walked over to the two, trying to improve their depositions. “Please, you two mustn’t be discouraged. We’re counting on you, the ponies of Equestria are counting on you. Your friends are counting on you.” At the word ‘friends’, Fluttershy snapped out of her catatonic state, and she was suddenly overcome by anger.
“I’m not going to let my friends down, no matter what. We’re going to stop that meanie Discord if it’s the last thing we do!” She suddenly flew up and rushed out of the room, heading off to stop the chaos which now threatened her friends. She was so pumped up that she was going to fight it even though she had no idea where to find it. Pinkie Pie rushed after her, leaving Celestia and Luna in a confused silence.
Celestia was the first to regain her voice. “Luna, I want you to follow them. Make sure they get to Manehattan, for that’s where the hourglass pinpointed the center of the chaos in the present. Watch after them and make sure that they don’t get in too much trouble, for my sake.” Luna gave her a quick nod and hurried after the two. Celestia was now alone in the archive, having just sent her sister and six of the brightest mares she had ever known on the quest of their lives. The fate of Equestria, a fate they had previously bore, had been escalated to include the fate of not only the ponies of their own time, but the fate of every pony that had ever lived, was living, and ever would live. She was so overcome with the notion that she didn’t even notice the books of the archive snap open. She only noticed them when they started to spray ink everywhere. Under the shield she quickly casted, she thought back to the morning when she and Luna had shared a bad feeling of the day ahead of them.
I hate being right…