//------------------------------// // 2 The Two Meetings // Story: Chaos and Corruption, Sun and Moon // by LunaToTheMoon //------------------------------// "But I'll miss you! You can't go," Celestia cooed the words sweetly. "Please stay." "I have to go, but I promise I'll be back tomorrow. I'll miss you, my love," Discord replied, before flying out Celestia's window. He didn't know why he was leaving her; it was just a note. It couldn't mean anything; he didn't even know who it was from. It would be dangerous to just follow it, but still.... Earlier that day, Discord had revieced a note from a mysterious pony. He didn't know who it was from or why he had it, but it rubbed him the wrong way. He felt like he needed to follow the note's strange instructions, like it was somehow linked to his destiny. He stopped flying for a second and pulled out the note to read it's strange writings. They were written in black ink, as most things were, but there was something strange about it. Discord could feel it, but he didn't understand his strange ability to sense powerful magic, at least, not then. The note was written in enchanted ink which was, perhaps, the reason he wanted to follow it in the first place. Nopony had dropped it off or anything; it had just found it's way to him. It read: Destiny and fate They'll pay the price Creature of chaos Does not realize The power he has Is bound in crystal Still yet to be freed By a corrupted missile. The bonds will break The family turn For each other's love They will no longer yearn. The night is sad The day is strong Let us strike now And break the bond. A new power born All hopes are shattered All of the harmony Left broken and tattered. The note did not tell him where to go, but Discord found his own wings carrying him further and further until he was completely lost. Still, he kept going until he landed and sat for a second before he heard a raspy voice behind him. "Discord," It growled and hissed. The words that came out of its mouth were rough and abrasive. Still, they pulled him in somehow..... "I see you've come. A wise creature you are." "What?"Discord asked, turning around. "Who's there?" All he could see was a large pungent cloud of black smoke, with wisps of green magic flowing through. "Important opportunities are here, for both a creature of chaos and a pony of darkness." The cloud solidified until the shape of the creature was distinguishable, and then the face was recognizable. Discord gasped. *** Luna hummed lightheartedly and giggled to herself. She couldn't believe that she was going to meet a prince! It was all so exciting! She had watched Discord and Celesta all day, and they were still outside now, as it was only late afternoon. Luna was prepping to fly to the Crystal Empire. She considered taking a chariot, but then, it was too formal. She had never been one for formality, perhaps the reason she was hated by everypony around her, but, tonight was not the time to think about that. She looked at herself in the mirror one more time before opening her window and flying out. The late afternoon breeze hit her face, and she sighed contentedly. "This will be the best night of my life!" She cried out, not caring if anypony heard her. After flying for a while, Luna ended at the entrance to the Empire. She was instantly impressed. The streets were grand and sparkled in the most beautiful and grandiose fashion she had ever seen. The coats of the ponies sparkled like there were thousands of diamonds laced through their them, and they, in some ways, seemed to appear transparent. She trotted down the street, holding her head high, expecting somepony to scream and run away from the princess of the night, but nopony did. Instead, she heard some excited whispers from ponies around her. "Is that Princess Luna?" "How amazing. I don't think I've ever seen a more lovely pony." "I heard that Prince Sombra invited her here." "Really? That's so adorable!" Luna blushed, but still followed the streets all the way to the Crystal Castle. There, she knocked on the large doors, which were opened by a crystal guard. He smiled when he saw her and beckoned her inside. By the time she reached the main throne room, Luna was trembling with excitement. "Your highness, Princess Luna has come to visit you," The guard told the prince, bowing before him. "Thank you, Stone Grind, you are dismissed." The guard nodded and left. Luna looked at the stallion before her. His coat was dark gray, and sparkled with the same magic that all of the other ponies' coats did. He had a black mane which flowed majestically behind him. He stood up and walked toward her. He was very tall, actually, just slightly taller than she was, which was something she didn't find very often. He was a unicorn, with a beautiful horn that started the dark gray color of his coat and progressed up his horn to be a beautiful red color. His eyes were also this red color, and they seemed to sparkle with compassion. "Princess, what an honor it is to meet you," He said, bowing before her. His voice was low and almost scratchy, but also very charming. Luna tried to figure out what to say. "You know, I've wanted to write a letter to you for a while, and I finally got the courage to do so. You see, I have always respected you just for what you do, but I feel bad for you as well." Luna was charmed but also somewhat insulted. "What do you mean, you feel bad for me? I am perfectly fine as I am." She knew that was a lie. "Oh...I apologize if that came off incorrectly. You see, the thing is, I have tried to marvel at your night with other ponies, but they all reject it. I think it's beautiful when they only see evil and darkness. I feel like that must be painful, as I have gone through a situation very close to yours.....but maybe you are just much stronger than I am...." "You have? What are you talking about? You're so....wonderful. How could you possibly know what I feel inside? I'm sure you're much more respected now than I ever will be." "I'll tell you my story in a little while, but do you mind if we get out of this stuffy castle. I know of a beautiful hilltop just perfect for viewing the stars." *** The hilltop Sombra was talking about was covered in snow. Once the moon had been raised, the soft powder sparkled in the glow of the moon. Luna and Sombra sat comfortably next to each other, and, finally, Sombra began to explain his story. "You see," He began, "Growing up in the Crystal Empire, there are expectations on you. I, like you, was a younger brother. My older brother, Crystalia, was my mother and father's pride and joy. He had my mother's stunning white coat, which absolutely sparkled when crystallized, and he had my father's blue and light gray mane. The little family of three was content until news of another came along. My parents didn't want another foal. They thought a younger foal was just a weakness; he wasn't meant to do anything. After all, if a younger isn't meant to rule, he is just a financial burden to his kingdom. But, of course, I came anyway, and my parents thought my dark coat and mane colors and strangely colored horn were terrifying. They named me Sombra, meaning "shadow" because they thought I was a dark shadow compared to the rest of my family. I grew up as the outcast in my family who didn't belong anywhere. I was awkward too. I didn't care about being a royal, but I also didn't fit in with the ponies around me. I was just stuck in the middle somewhere.... Every night, the stars gave me hope. It let me know there was beauty in darkness, and for that, Princess, I will always be grateful to you." Sombra nodded at Luna and she smiled. Then, he continued on, "For a while, the family just worked that way. I was sad but decided it was best to just deal with the pain and hope that something good would come to me eventually. Sadly, I was due for more tragedy in my life. A terrible group of draconequui raided the Crystal Empire when I was still rather young. They attacked and killed my mother first, who tried to fight back but had never been very strong. My father, who was all the way across the castle, couldn't get there in time to fight for her. Once my father reached the room in the castle the draconequui were in, he leaped into action, attacking the draconequui with my brother at his side. The problem is, they didn't understand combat magic, at least, not like I did. I had been studying all sorts of magic in my spare time, and I was pretty good at it. I ran in and shot a blow at one of the draconequui, who was taken by surprise. He fell backwards and I continued to fight him, but, there were just too many of them. My brother went down next, getting hit into a wall and being unable to get back up again. I ran to him, but he was dead before he could even give me his last words. This angered me entirely. Sure, my family didn't like me very much, but I still loved them. I did the best I could to fight, and, together, my father and I fought them all off. The last one to run, however, still wanted us dead, and he flicked his tail at a chandelier hanging overhead. It fell to the ground and shattered. Many pieces fell onto my father, piecing him. Right before he bled to death completely, he managed to choke out, 'Son, take care of the empire. Don't let us down.'" Luna wrapped her wing around Sombra, trying to comfort him as he sniffed. "I can't believe they died without you ever knowing if they loved you." Sombra looked into her eyes. "I want you to feel loved, Luna. I don't want you to go through what I had to go through. I want to be there for you, even if others aren't." Luna smiled and nestled up against him. "I....feel loved. I've been waiting for this and...it's finally happening. I feel loved." *** Discord knew very well who the pony was. "Sombra, it's been a while. I most certainly miss my parents and species. Thanks for destroying the only ones left and then covering the whole place in ice," He spat bitterly. "Oh, Discord, I was doing you such a favor. It looks like it paid off. You're dating the princess of Equestria. I wish I had thought of that first. It's absolutely genius!" "I'm with Celestia because I love her. I don't want whatever foolish thing you are going to offer me." "Oh really," Sombra asked slickly. "I'm offering a creature of chaos the opportunity to cause chaos all over Equestria, but, if that doesn't appeal to you, I suppose that's fine too...." "I....can't...." Discord tried to choke out. He tried to do the right thing and say no, but it was just too tempting. He loved chaos, and, honestly, he missed it. "No! I can't. I promised Celestia I wouldn't practice chaos anymore." "Ha!" Sombra laughed. "You fool! She is trying to destroy your true nature." "If I'm chaotic, we can't be together," Discord reasoned. "What does that matter?!" Sombra reasoned. "Look at your future with her. Look at Equestria!" All of a sudden, Discord's nightmare was reflected before his eyes. His entire life was without chaos. Everything was orderly and neat, nothing was home to him. He was stuck inside of a castle. Celestia sat on a throne, making sure everything around them stayed perfectly organized. He sat beside her with a bored and glazed over look on his face. "Doesn't that sound nice, dear?" Celestia asked him. "We finally found a spell to turn you into a pony; you'll be just like the rest of us." "Yes," Discord nodded, seemingly hypnotized. The vision terrified Discord, but he couldn't pull away. After a little while, the vision faded, and he was back to his conversation with Sombra. "Do you promise that all of Equestria could be covered in chaos?" Discord asked. "Of course," Sombra replied. "Then what do I have to do?" "Equestria's royal sisters are only strong together and the are built on harmony. If we can break the bonds, we can defeat them. You must spend as much time with Celestia as you can, slowly and subtly turning her against her sister. I'll do the same with Luna. Once they crack, we'll destroy them!" "Alright," Discord replied. "I'll do it."