//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Love or Power? Which Will You Choose? // by atomicpuffin //------------------------------// Princess Twilight Sparkle stared out the window of her family carriage and sighed again. She heard her mother clear her throat and turned her attention back to the white alicorn. Queen Celestia was the ruler of Canterlot and considered the most beautiful mare in the land, with her smooth white coat and flowing mane. Twilight wished she had inherited more from her mother than just being an alicorn. "We will be arriving soon Twilight. Do you know what we are to do?" Queen Celestia asked her daughter for what felt like the hundredth time. Twilight sighed again and turned to stare back out the window. She knew exactly what this trip was for and the duties expected of her. The very recluse, King of Draconia, has finally announced that he is searching for a queen and has sent invitations to all the princesses across the lands. The kingdom was rumored to be the riches in the lands. Their mountains were supposed to be filled with jewels and other precious metals. Twilight's mother, just like all the older rulers, wanted their daughter to be the one picked as queen so those riches could be used for their own kingdoms. It felt like she was being sold off to the highest bidder, but if it meant protecting her subjects she would. There was a happy note however, she would get to see her friends. She glanced over at Fluttershy, her lady's maid. The shy, yellow pegasus had been Twilight's best friend for years. Even though she was a servant in the castle, the two had bonded instantly and Twilight was so grateful that she would have somepony on her side. Since all the princesses had been invited she would also get to see her two cousins, Mi Amore Cadenza (even though they all called her Cadence) and Rarity. Both daughters of her Aunt Luna. "Twilight have you heard anything I've said?" Her mother sighed and Twilight blushed. She had been so deep in thought she hadn't been paying attention. She gave a small smile and said, "Forgive me mother...I was simply staring out at the lands, Draconia is a fascinating place. We have never been this far." Celestia smiled at her daughter and nodded, looking out the window herself now. "Indeed. This will be the first time for any of us. Draconia has been secluded for the last thousand years. Preferring to keep within its own bounds and relying solely on its own resources." She cleared her throat and turned back to Twilight. "Twilight. I know this is asking a lot of you...but it is very important that you make the best impression upon the king. His wealth could do a lot of good for our subjects...and although I enjoy it when you...let's just try to keep the conversations short and sweet." Twilight blushed again. She was a complete bookworm and her mother didn't want her startling off another suitor with her vast intelligence. Most princes didn't like to meet a mare that knew more than they did and she had scared off several with her ramblings. Celestia hadn't seen any problems with her daughter being a devoted student, until it became clear that stallions weren't looking for brains. Probably why she wasn't much sought after and was being taken to this king. "I'll do my best to keep my rambling to a minimum, I promise." She smiled at her mother and the older alicorn chuckled. She looked up and smiled. "Ah we're here." Twilight turned and sure enough they were turning a corner and entering a set of iron gates. At the end of the lane was a giant castle. It was taller than any she had ever seen and it was beautiful, she could swear it was sparkling in the sunlight. Almost like her Aunt Luna's castle in the Crystal Empire, but this was clearly not made of crystal. Maybe it was just the glow about the castle that made it seem so inviting, but Twilight wasn't as nervous as she had been before. She followed her mother down the steps, leaving the carriage, Fluttershy following close behind. She looked around and noticed several other carriages. She spotted one in particular that made her smile. It was pure crystal and out stepped a blue alicorn with a matching, flowing mane. Queen Luna, younger sister to Queen Celestia and ruler of the Crystal Empire. Following her was her older daughter, Princess Cadence and her younger daughter Princess Rarity. Behind the princesses were their lady's maids, Twilight was also fond of the two earth ponies. Applejack was kind and always gave the best advice. Pinkie Pie was so energetic and could always make those around her laugh no matter how they were feeling. "Sister…" Luna said as she returned Celestia's bow. The princesses followed suit and bowed to each other. Then the three mares embraced, laughing. It had been far too long since they had seen one another and they began to talk in a circle while their mothers talked over other matters. "Oh Cadence, Rarity, AJ, Pinkie...it's so good to see you again. I'm so glad we'll get to spend some time together while we're here!" Twilight smiled and the others returned her smile. Rarity flipped her mane and looked up with sparkling eyes, "Oh I hope that my visit isn't short at all!" She sighed dreamily and the other two princesses didn't follow in her enthusiasm. Twilight noticed Cadence looked really upset by the statement and whispered to the pink alicorn, "Are you okay?" "I'm fine...don't worry about me." Cadence smiled, but Twilight wasn't completely convinced and was about to comment when Rarity gasped and glared at something over their shoulders. "What is she doing here?" The unicorn looked very upset and it caused all the other heads to turn and look. Stepping out of an elegant carriage, head held high was Princess Fleur de Lis. She was elegant, beautiful, sophisticated, and a complete stuck up. All of them greatly disliked the princess. She and her brother, King Blueblood, treated all those below them in status as little more than dirt. Twilight should have known she'd also be here as she was the only other unmarried princess in Equestria. Her kingdom was little more than a few towns and had little to its name. In fact Fluttershy had come from one such town, Ponyville. She had told Twilight first hoof how bad the conditions of the kingdom were, the two siblings focused more on their appearances than the treatment of their lands. Fleur and Blueblood walked right past them, heads in the air, without so much as a greeting. Cadence snorted at the pair and made a gagging face, "Can you believe that made an offer for my sister Rarity?" Rarity shivered and placed her hoof against her forehead. "Oh please~ do not remind me of that horrid occasion! I'm so glad mother was wise enough to deny his proposal...I was so taken with his looks that I failed to see how horrible he really is…but that's what sisters are for." The two smiled at each other and the others laughed again. Twilight noticed her mother trying to get their attentions. She sighed, it was time… Every royal was walking into the grand entrance of the castle. Waiting for them was an orange pegasus wearing gold armor. Twilight met his bright, blue eyes and felt herself blush suddenly. She turned her gaze away first and she heard Pinkie and Applejack giggle, having noticed the blush. The guard bowed to all of them and said, "Greetings your royal Highnesses. If you would all be so kind as to follow me, I will escort you to the throne room." He smiled at all of them and Twilight found herself returning the smile. His eyes fell on her again and his eyes sparkled. He turned away and Twilight then noticed the two captains following him. One was Rainbow Dash, captain of Queen Celestia's royal guard and the other was Shining Armor, captain of Queen Luna's. Twilight glanced at Cadence, who was secretly looking at Shining and it dawned on Twilight why her cousin was so upset. The princess had confessed her crush on the captain the last time they saw each other...it seems the feelings hadn't weakened over the last few years. The large group entered the throne room and every mouth was hanging open. The room was large and made of pure marble. It was so bright and cheerful and everything was so clean in glinted in the sun's light. The stallion leading them stopped, standing on the right of the empty throne. Twilight looked around the throne room and knew the others were as well. Why wasn't the king there to greet them? It seemed rather odd, even for such a recluse... "Presenting…" The stallion's voice brought all their attentions to him. "His royal highness...King of Draconia…" As he said this there was a bright glow forming in front of the throne and as it grew brighter, they had to cover their eyes. "King Discord!" The flash faded and standing in front of her was the most horrifying creature Twilight had ever seen. It wasn't a pony, even though his head looked like one. He smiled at all of them and showed off his sharpened teeth. Most in attendance screamed and Fleur even fainted into her brothers arms. Rarity was still screaming, Cadence and Twilight were staring stunned, and she felt her friend Fluttershy shrink down behind her in fear. The king laughed and it shocked all of them even more. Fleur was recovering and glared at him when she realized he was laughing at her. "Oh that was hilarious! You should have seen your faces! I'm so sorry to scare you my dear princesses, but I couldn't help it. I am the master of grand entrances...Welcome to Draconia, I look forward to getting to know all of you." Discord purred the last part and flashed himself closer to the group. He grabbed Princess Fleur's hoof and placed a gentle kiss on it. She pulled it back as if burned and glared at the creature, her snout pulled back in a sneer. "What kind of joke is this?" She hissed. Her brother stepped between her and the creature, also glaring. "No joke my dear. I have invited all of you in order to get to know you better and...hopefully find my queen among you." Discord said as he winked at Twilight. She blushed and frowned at him. She heard Rarity whisper to Applejack, "I changed my mind...I don't want to stay here with this...thing…" Discord's ear twitched and his grin faltered for a split second, however none of them noticed. Twilight couldn't help but feel the same way. She felt Fluttershy finally stand herself up and she walked next to Twilight and looked at the king. Twilight noticed that she didn't seem as afraid as before and wondered why. "Shall I give you a tour ladies?" He asked as he bowed to the group. He held his claw out to Cadence and smiled as he said, "Please allow me to escort you about…" Cadence froze, she didn't know how to respond and was saved when Luna stepped between Discord and her daughter. She looked at the king with her cold stare that was known to intimidate anypony it fell on. "Thank you for the kind offer your highness...however the trip here was long and my daughters need to rest. Please allow us time to recover from...recent events. We shall join you for dinner." Discord stood up again and placed his hands behind his back smiling. "Of course, how rude of me. Please...Captain…" He said over his shoulder and the same orange pegasus walked forward and bowed. "Yes my liege?" "Please escort these lovely ladies to their chambers. Make sure they have whatever they need." The captain nodded and indicated for them to follow. The group filed past a now bowing King Discord. None failed to notice that Celestia and Luna made sure to stay between him and their daughters. One yellow pegasus turned back as they left and caught the king's saddened expression and lowered ears before he disappeared in a flash. They were being led to their individual apartments inside the castle. Which was proving to be something of a maze, it was definitely bigger than any of their castles combined. No wonder Draconia was said to be the richest kingdom, and no wonder its ruler chose to hide himself away inside these walls. They continued to follow the captain as he showed them where they would be staying. Thankfully the first to be dropped off were Fleur and Blueblood. Both had walked past the captain, noses in the air. They had begun complaining as soon as they entered the joined apartments and slammed the door behind them. Twilight looked over to her mother and aunt who were whispering, heads close together so none could overhear them. She sighed and wondered if they would be packing tonight or tomorrow? "Did you see his eyes! They were yellow and red! Red!" Rarity exclaimed as they walked along the hall. "I don't know? I think he was kinda funny looking and the way he just appeared was neat!" Pinkie said while bouncing behind the group. "I have to admit though...he was not at all what I was expecting...and it was a bit...frightening." Cadence said as she glanced over at Shining again, who was conversing with Rainbow over safety measures. Fluttershy said in a small voice, "I think we hurt his feelings…" Twilight looked over at her and frowned, "Hurt him? How did he expect us to react when he sprung himself on us like that?" Fluttershy turned her face away, hiding it behind her pink mane. Twilight wanted to tell her she was sorry, but it had been the truth. "Well now that I know what he looks like...I'm not so sure I want to stay here. Imagine being married to something like that!" Rarity shivered, Cadence and Twilight nodded in response. "Princess...if I may...it's not nice to talk about some pony behind their backs…" Applejack said. Rarity frowned and scrunched up her nose. "That is no pony...I don't know what he is...but he looks like a-" "These will be yours and your daughters' apartments my queen. They are all connected." The captain cut off Rarity, bowing to Queen Luna and Twilight caught the hint of annoyance in his voice. She blushed brighter as did her cousins. They had forgotten about the captain momentarily, of course he would be upset about them insulting his king. Especially since they all knew the word Rarity had been about to use. "Thank you sir, come girls there is much to be done before dinner." Luna said as she walked into the room and the four mares followed behind. Shining Armor stood stationed outside the door nodding at the other captains. "If you'll follow me just a little further your Highnesses, your rooms are over here." They followed him further down the hall until he stopped and bowed next to another door. Celestia nodded and walked into the room without another word. Fluttershy followed and Twilight was about to enter when she thought of something. She turned back to see the captain walking back down the hallway. She peeked in on her mother and trotted after him calling out, "Hold on a minute please." The stallion stopped, turned and bowed to her. "Yes princess?" He asked before standing back up to meet her eyes. She forgot what she had been about to say. His eyes were the deepest blue and she felt her cheeks warm. "Uh...I...I didn't catch your name earlier…" She felt the blush deepen when his smile widened and it made his eyes sparkle. She wasn't sure if he was amused at her question or happy that she had asked. "You didn't miss it, I never said it your highness." He bowed low again and said, "Flash Sentry at your service...please if there is anything you need, feel free to come find me princess." He smiled and turned to walk back down the hall. Twilight found herself taking a step after him when she heard her mother call her name. She shook her head and went back into the room. Her mother was staring out the window a slight frown on her face. "Y-yes mother?" Twilight stuttered, still a little shaken from talking to the captain. Celestia turned to her daughter and raised an eyebrow at the shaking voice. Twilight felt a tell-tale blush creep along her cheeks. "We have much to talk about my darling...I'm afraid that while things are not...all that we hoped…" Celestia stopped and frowned again. She sighed and walked over to her daughter and pulled her into a tight embrace. "My darling daughter...you know I love you more than the sun's light...you are my life and my heart...but...but nothing has changed." Celestia whispered and Twilight felt herself shiver again, but this time in apprehension. Her mother tightened her hold and whispered, "It is still vital that you marry the king...our subjects are depending on what this kingdom could do with an alliance between our realms. I'm sorry to ask this of you my daughter but…" "I understand mother. I know what my duty is and will continue to do so...but...but what about my cousins? Will Aunt Luna also be staying?" Twilight didn't want to be left alone without her friends as support. Her mother shook her head and pulled back from the hug. She looked sadly down at her only child and felt a stab of guilt at what she was expecting the young mare to do. "They will be staying with us at my request, we wouldn't want to offend the king in anyway...however...Luna will no longer support a match between the king and her daughters which means...if she remains as well…" "It will only be between me and Princess Fleur…" Twiligh murmured and her mother nodded. There was no doubt to Twilight that she would stay behind, Fleur and her brother were incredibly greedy. No matter what the king looked like or how he clearly disgusted Fleur, she would do everything to catch the stallion in order to obtain his wealth. No matter how she felt about the king, being married to Fleur de Lis was a fate she would wish on no pony. Twilight had a duty to do, a responsibility to her kingdom and to her mother. She nodded and said, "I will make sure I do all that I can to protect the ponies of our kingdom mother...I...I won't disappoint you." Celestia chuckled and lifted her daughter's chin, "You could never disappoint me...no matter what you do, it always bring the utmost pride to my heart." Twilight smiled up at her mother and threw her arms around her neck in a tight hug, which Celestia returned. However, no matter the word Twilight had said out loud...when she closed her eyes it wasn't red she saw. But a pair of bright blue staring back… Flash didn't bother going back to the throne room knowing exactly where he would be. He walked out into the garden and made his way to the largest tree sitting in the center. The tree had purple leaves instead of green and it's trunk was red, Flash sat beneath the tree not saying anything at first. He looked around the serenity of the garden, but he could feel the sadness radiating off his friend. "Are you okay?" Flash whispered. He heard a grunt above him and waited patiently for a real response. Finally Discord sighed and lowered himself to a branch that was right above Flash. He frowned and his ears were laid against his head. "I guess...I'm used to those reactions by now...I shouldn't be surprised they are all terrified of the monster I am." "I have expressed my dislike of that word old friend…" Flash said as he removed his helmet and frowned up at the draconequus. He got a snort in response and Discord's eyes turned to the castle, not responding. Flash and Discord had known each other for years and the two were more like brothers. They did not view each other as master and servant, as was their true relationship. They had grown an unlikely friendship between the two, despite being polar opposites. There was still enough similarities to keep the two glued together in kinship. "It was your idea to jump out at them like that...I advised that it wouldn't turn out well...although I will admit. Watching that one princess faint was really funny." Flash smiled up at his friend and noticed a reluctant smile pulling at Discord's lips. He knew the chimera couldn't help but laugh, so he continued. "I thought for sure she would do so again when you held her hoof...I was actually disappointed when she didn't." This earned him a chuckle from above. Discord looked back down to meet Flash's eyes. "Indeed, of all the princesses she was the most fun to play with. I bet by now they have all packed their things...I'm sorry I ruined things with my games...again…" Discord once more looked saddened and Flash sighed. This was a side no pony, but him ever saw in Discord. He pretended that the words didn't bother him, but each harsh judgment cut at the stallion's heart. Discord had told Flash, right before this plan of theirs. "This is going to be so much fun! I can't wait to mess with all those princesses!" Discord laughed. "Just think, you may find a beautiful mare to share a love with…" Flash had said and Discord had snorted. Before getting a sad look in his eyes and whispering, "No mare will ever love me…" Discord truly believed it too. Nothing said to him ever changed his mind and the princesses' reactions to him hadn't helped. By now Discord would be convinced that it was hopeless for him to find love, much as Flash believed for himself… "They haven't left yet so there is still hope to find the perfect queen...one who sees past all the jewels to the heart beneath." "Yeah right...I bet not one of those mares said anything pleasant-" "You'd lose that bet friend…" Flash interrupted him and smiled at the shocked look on Discord's face. He swung down, only hanging from the branch by his tail now staring at Flash. He was still looking suspicious and his voice dripped with sarcasm as he said, "Oh really? Did one of the princesses remark about how handsome I am? Or maybe that I'm not as horrifying as I seemed...Oh I know they said they were already head over hooves in love right! That's it I bet that-" Flash placed his hoof over the others mouth glaring. He said, "No...and it wasn't any of the princesses...It was the little, yellow pegasus. She said that she felt bad for hurting your feelings." This made Discord freeze and his eyes widen in shock. He had nothing to respond to that, not realizing any had noticed the hurt look cross his face before. Flash smiled and said, "See, so not all hope is lost...there may be hope that a mare could love you…" Discord only snorted at this again, but also found himself nodding. He sighed and slid out of the tree to sit beside Flash. He looked up at the castle and whispered, "Do you think any of them will ever see past the power, the wealth...the looks...to see the heart that beats beneath?" Flash looked up at his friend and thought of everything he had heard in the hallway. Although most had been unpleasant and he didn't wish to add to Discord's depression, he couldn't help but remember one set of purple eyes. How she had smiled at him and how her pretty cheeks had flushed. "Maybe...you can't give up hope old friend."