Celestia woke up the next morning in her bedchamber. She stretched her hooves out and rubbed her eyes, the sun was out, the residual magic from Mystery still changing the positions of the celestial bodies. Celestia stirred slightly in her bed, twisting around to get her hooves under her. Celestia bumped against another object in her bed, startling her slightly. She turned to face the guard, Star Bolt, who was sound asleep in her bed.
"Long night," she whispered to herself, still rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She leaned down and nuzzled her comforter, who began to stir. Not wanting to wake him up, Celestia slowly and carefully slid out of her bed, and onto the floor. Star Bolt shuffled around in the bed but quickly went back to sleep. Celestia walked outside her room and past the lone guard at her doorway.
"Good Morning, Your Majesty," the guard's customary greeting rang out, before the guard realized his mistake and started to correct himself.
"It is most certainly a good morning," Celestia said, covering her sadness, Celestia knew that the moral of the guards was based upon how she carried herself. How could she hold her guards to keep a pleasant and happy demeanor if she herself was crying like a newborn foal.
Celestia walked through her castle until she came across one of the royal dining areas. Walking inside she had the chef on duty to make her a simple breakfast, and a second one for Star Bolt. She told one of the guards to bring the food to her bedchamber and place it on the desk inside. As the soldier left she remembered Luna, sitting in the dining room alone.
Celestia continued to walk throughout the castle, greeting all the guards in much the same way. When she finally reached her intended destination, the dining room, she found Luna, still sitting in the same place as before, with a guard attempting to entice some sort of response from her. Celestia walked to the guard and put a hoof on his shoulder. She shook her head when he turned around to face her, he looked depressed as he walked back to his post. After a few moments Celestia leaned down to whisper to her sister.
"Luna" she said, sighing before she spoke again, "I'm so sorry, I really am, but I need you to talk to me. I cannot do this alone."
Luna's eyes and head slowly moved so she could look at her sister. Her dark blue eyes began to tear. She slowly said one word, one word that carried so much power and meaning with it that even Celestia could not respond.
"Why?"
With that one word she brought Celestia to tears again. Celestia grabbed onto Luna, "I don't know. I just don't know."
The two sisters sat there together, holding each other, for mere minutes before Star Bolt arrived, having been awoken by the arrival of the food. As a guard he did not require food as often as ordinary ponies, but he appreciated the gesture. Instead he asked where Celestia had left off to. Upon seeing Celestia and Luna on the floor, he stood back for a few seconds before trotting slowly over to comfort them again. His instincts told him to protect the princesses, from any type of harm, even emotional. The trio sat together, Celestia holding onto Star Bolt, and Luna to Celestia, for several hours before anypony moved.
A few days had passed since the death of the queen. A memorial service was held. Nothing fancy, the Queen had requested a small service for herself. Of course, when dealing with the death of a Royal, nothing is ever small.
Celestia had relieved Star Bolt of his duties as a guard, she instead had him be a personal bodyguard, a position not without perks. Celestia insisted Star, as he liked to be called, sleep with her, in separate beds. Even though the beds were separated, often one or the two, most often Celestia, would move themselves over into the other's bed, all in the name of comfort.
After a week had past, the days and nights were growing increasingly longer as Mystery's power faded. Discord had perceived that his time had come.
His "attack" came swiftly. Before anypony could sound an alarm. His chaos ripped through the castle like it was a paper bag. The sisters were caught off guard by the sudden appearance in the throne room.
"I take it you are Celestia?" Discord said in mock ignorance and politeness. After a few seconds he acted like he noticed Luna's tears.
"Oh, you poor thing, let me dry your eyes," he said, summoning a handkerchief from thin air and levitating it over to luna
"Discord, Is it?" Celestia said, anger threaded through her words. Luna was seated next to her, silent.
"Oh I'm surprised you recognize me." Discord was playing games with Celestia, just to see how far he could take this charade.
"We are not in the mood for games, Discord. Leave now." Luna had finally spoken up, tossing the handkerchief to the ground where it evaporated into a thin smoke.
"Oh, but the fun has just begun" Discord replied narrowing his eyes and chuckling.
Discord snapped the fingers on his clawed hand. The three of them were suddenly teleported to the gardens outside.
"i have been watching you girls for a very long time. And now, you dont have your mother to protect you from me." Discord's paws began to glow, power unimaginable coursing through them. Celestia quickly began to summon her own, now highly enhanced, magics to defend them. Her horn glowed brightly and a flash of light erupted from her striking Discord. Discord did not even flinch.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he smiled and began to focus his power on destroying the two entirely. As he reached out with his magic he felt something preventing his power. In her wisdom Mystery had shielded her young foals with an ancient magik. Nothing Discord could do would penetrate it.
"Curse that wretched old hag." he whispered to himself.
Turning his attention back to the sisters, he smiled again. "No matter, Just because I cannot destroy you, I can still banish you from MY kingdom forever." snapping his fingers again he surrounded the ponies with a bubble shield.
"But before you go, Somepony wants to say 'hi'", snapping his fingers, Discord summoned Star Bolt along. Celestia's eyes widened at the sight of her lover.
"No!" she screamed, " Don't do this!" what exactly "this" was she was not sure, but she knew it could not be a good thing.
"Oh, but it's so much fun" cackled Discord.
"Discord" spat Star Bolt, "You no good snake"
"Mon capitán. Flattery will get you nowhere with me." Discord replied saluting Star in a show of rudeness. After mulling it over in his mind, Discord decided on his next action. Snapping his fingers once again, a flash of white light enveloped Star Bolt. When it had dissipated, it revealed Star Bolt, frozen in stone.
Discord turned and looked at his handiwork.
"NO!" Celestia screamed, anger and rage burning inside of her, "I will kill you for this." At this Discord simply chuckled.
"You cannot kill me, you cannot even break out of my simple prison."Discord replied picking up his newly made statue.
He then turned around to face his captives, holding Star Bolt in his paw "Your in no position to do anything my little pony. As of this day, remember that you were defeated by Discord, The God of Chaos and Disharmony." laughing manically he snapped his fingers one last time before sending the two careening uncontrollably to wherever they might end up. Looking at the statue, his smile faded, "I'm cruel, but not THAT cruel. I don't turn ponies to stone. Go to your...lover" He shuddered out of disgust just thinking about Celestia having a lover. Discord undid his actions to Star Bolt and sent him flying to follow the Ex-princesses.
"Upon this day, I seized Equestria, and let this world become its best chaotic self." Discord cackled, summoning a brown fedora on his head.
Onto his head. He glanced at Mystery's memorial, an doffed his recently summoned hat.
Discord summoned a chessboard out from nowhere, the pieces already moved from their starting positions. He moved his queen to a particular space and smiled.
"Checkmate Mystery, Checkmate."