//------------------------------//
// Responsibilities and Chocolate Milk  
// Story: I'm Afraid I Haven't Told You Everything... 
// by Teyeson Bee 
//------------------------------//

	Though we started out slow, it didn't take long for Discord and I to really connect. The first step was making him feel comfortable. Though others in the castle, especially Royal Scroll, flinched in fear or disgust when they saw him, I reassured Discord that they would warm up to him. It seemed that for the longest while, the only ones who didn't see Discord for his looks were Luna, Father, and myself. Everyday, he would wait in his room while I went through my Princess Etiquette lessons, and afterwards, I would visit him, and we would talk. He wasn't much of a talker at first, so for the first week, I did the talking. I told of how my father and mother were the rulers of the sun and the moon, responsible for the rising and setting of them. How that skill is passed down through the royal line. I explained that when the time would come for my father to pass, not only would I be in charge of raising and setting the sun, but I would also be in charge of ALL of Equestria. It was a difficult job, but I didn't worry too much, seeing how alicorns live such an awfully long time. As Discord listened to my conversations, he would just smile and laugh at the silly remarks.

After he had gotten more comfortable, he started talking about himself. He told me that his species was something called a draconequus, which was a super hybrid between a pony and, well, everything else. He told me how he once had a big family. A father, mother, and three brothers. He told how his species came from a faraway land, far outside of the kingdom. He also told me of the tragic tale of how he lost them. Apparently, there was a big storm that came through the land, a storm that not even the draconequus could control. His mother told him and his brothers to run, which they did. However, the parents never made it out of the storm. After that, he and his brothers traveled around, searching for somewhere to go. They were finally able to find a village and thought they could rest there. They were sadly mistaken.

When the villagers saw the draconequus boys, they were frightened beyond belief. They assumed that they were all demons, sent from Tartarus to ravage the land. The villagers took up arms and attacked the frightened children. Though Discord managed to get away, his brothers, however, were beaten to death by the frightened villagers. Discord never tried another village after that, too afraid of sharing his brothers' fate. He traveled alone after that, roaming over different mountains to find places to stay. Every time he was spotted by a pony, they would either run away in fear, or throw rocks at him, yelling at him to go away, and calling him a monster. Finally, after traveling for weeks, he stumbled across my father's kingdom. Too afraid to go to the town, he hid in the caves, and that's when I found him. I was literally in tears after he told me the story. I couldn't imagine a more tragic backstory! After he had finished, I gave him the most comforting hug I could summon. He hugged me back, and, well, we both cried.





<HONK!>

The others looked over to see Pinkie Pie blowing her muzzle loudly into a tissue, tears gushing from her eyes. "So sad!" she said as she continued to cry, "Poor Discord! I should've given him a hug when I had the chance! The poor unfortunate-" She soon stopped as she saw the other ponies looking at her again. "Sorry. Continue."





After that, it seemed that Discord had gotten more comfortable. He started to actually come to the Great Hall for meals, trying not to notice how the others looked at him. He always sat beside me of course. He even became more open over time, and I had finally seen Discord for what he was good at; fun and playful mischief. Once during breakfast, Discord got a little idea to play a prank on Scroll. He rigged his goblet so that the drink would spill out before it reached his mouth. An old trick today, but back then, it was quite new. As soon as the drink spilled all over Scroll, I couldn't contain my laughter. I laughed so hard, I actually snorted. Scroll looked furious, but my father saw it as harmless child's play. After that, Discord started to use his magic more often as well. All he could do at that age was cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain, but it made Luna and I happy. However, Royal Scroll started to accuse Discord of using Black Magic, and that made the guards and servants fear him even more.

There was ONE pony who saw Discord's powers interesting; Starswirl the Bearded. At that time, he was a member of the Royal Magic Council, as well as Luna and I's magic teacher. Though he was still rather young, 30 years give or take, he was still one of the most powerful unicorns in all Equestria. Once he saw Discord's powers, he was intrigued, and even volunteered to try and train Discord into controlling his abilities, hoping to unlock some more of his yet-to-be-discovered magical abilities. Though hesitant at first, Discord soon agreed, and to all of our surprise, he started to get control of his magic. It wasn't long before he could just snap his fingers and the magic would happen. After some more training, he was even able to expand his magic passed cotton candy and chocolate milk. Though he didn't just get it right away. I still laugh when I think of how many times he accidentally turned Starswirl's hat into a balloon, or how he was able replace Starswirl's hooves with glue. The more confident Discord got with his magic, the more confident he got with his personality. 

Though with all that was happening, Discord and I always made time together. As the years passed, our friendship only grew even more than before. I remember how we would take nice walks through the gardens, talking about our day, and even him playing pranks on me. One particular day, he and I were walking and talking, when I turn away for a second, and he's gone the next.

"Discord?" I called as I walked through the maze of plants and statues, "Discord? Where are you?" I walked into a clearing of the garden where the big fountain was, and I noticed that the statue looked a bit...different. Normally it was an alicorn, but this time, it looked like a dragon. I didn't recall any other fountains in the garden, so I slowly trotted up to it and closely examined it. Suddenly, the statue came to life and looked at me, looking as if it was going to pounce. I was so startled, my first instinct was to shoot a simple beam from my horn. As I hit the statue square in the head, it fell backwards into the water with a loud, "OW!" Instantly, I knew whose voice that was. I took a few steps around the fountain to see Discord, turning himself back to normal while rubbing his forehead.

"Geez 'Lestia," he grunted as he got out of the fountain, "I try and just startle you, and you shoot me with a laser? What the hay?"

"I'm sorry," I answered teasingly serious, "But that's what you get for trying to startle a princess."

"What do you mean try?" Discord asked, "You WERE startled!"

"No I wasn't," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was!"

I stopped and grunted in defeat as soon as I realized what I had said. Discord started to laugh as I just looked at him and shook my head with a smirk on my face. He was always able to get me with word play. He was quite skilled with it. Another thing about Discord was that he could always make me smile. Even with all of his pranks, I could never truly be mad at him. I was just happy to see HIM happy. The years went by so fast, but every minute was enjoyable, for as long as Discord was with me, I was happy.





"Ok," Rainbow interrupted, "where's the sad part?"

"Rainbow!" Twilight scolded.

"What? All this happy talk is just asking for something sad to happen!" Rainbow responded.

"She has a point," Applejack mumbled to Rarity.

"Girls!" Twilight snapped. "Just because something good is being described in a story, it doesn't automatically mean that something sad is going to-"

"Actually," Celestia interrupted, "something DOES happen."

"Called it!" Rainbow said. Twilight glared at her and she hastily closed her mouth and turned back to the princess.

"Something DID happen, like I said," Celestia continued. "Something nopony could ever predict. Something that changed my life forever. When I was 16, my father grew incredibly ill. Not even immortal alicorns were resistant to disease and illness. The royal physicians did all they could, but no magical remedy could cure him. They tried basic treatment, but that didn't work either. With weeks gone by and no signs of him getting better, the end result was announced."

"My father was dying."





I stood there with Luna beside my father's deathbed with tears forming in my eyes. Luna was crying as well as she held onto me. As I looked at my dying father, he looked so...peaceful. Even at death's door, he still looked as magnificent and strong. The nursemaids were scattered around him and Royal Scroll was standing beside us. Even though he wasn't the most charming pony around, it still showed that he cared...enough at least. 

"C-Celestia," Father said in a weak voice. I leaned towards him to hear him better. "I-I am so proud of you and Luna. You're going to make fine p-princesses of the sky. Y-your mother is smiling right now."

"Daddy!" Luna cried as she leaned towards him. "You can't go! You just can't! It's not fair!"

"Everything must pass at some point my dear," my father responded with a smile. "Even alicorns." He then turned to Scroll. "S-Scroll. I want you to look after my daughters."

"Of course your Majesty," Scroll responded calmly.

Father then turned towards me. "Celestia. Look after your sister. Be there for her, be strong for her, and p-protect her."

"Yes Father," I tearfully replied.

Father then took my hoof and leaned me in towards him further, until our horns touched. "And now," he said, "like my father before me, I will pass on the power of the sky to you." His horn began to glow as it connected with mine. It caused my horn to glow as he transferred the magic. A sudden warm sensation filled me as this happened, as if somepony had shined a warm light on me that covered my whole body. After the transfer was complete, I lifted my head to see him smiling at me. "N-now you have the power of the sun and the moon. When L-Luna is old enough, I want you to transfer the moon power to her, for it is HER destiny, as it is yours to rule the sun."

"Yes Father," I said. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," he said even more weakly. My father leaned back as everypony saw him start to fade. That's what happens when an alicorn dies. They fade into their element. "I w-will be with your mother soon," he whispered as his torso disappeared. With his eyes closed and his head fading into nothing, his last words were, "I love you both so much." Then he was gone. Everypony hung their heads in respect as Luna and I hugged each other. Tears were flowing from Luna as she grieved over Father's death. I wasn't completely crying, but tears had appeared in my eyes. I promised Father that I would be strong for my sister, and I was going to. 

A funeral for my father was held the next evening in the Great Hall, with all of his advisers and ponies who knew him personally giving speeches. The whole kingdom was there to pay tribute, which made me see how much my father was loved. The funeral was a peaceful one, with the speeches being about how much my father changed lives and how he was cared for. I never left Luna's side, seeing how she needed somepony to be strong for her. I had only wished that Discord could've come and given a speech. My father had helped him too. But he was afraid that he would cause a feared riot and then Scroll would throw a fit. I could see where he was coming from, so I didn't force him to come. Though, during the speeches, I DID spot him disguising himself as a statue by the window to get a view of the service. I knew it was him because the statue yawned at one point.

At the final moments of the funeral, Luna and I got up in front of the crowd to thank them for coming. As Luna and I stood up, Scroll was just finishing up his speech. "King Solaris's legacy will live on in our hearts for all eternity and beyond. With him gone, there is another matter at hoof. The new ruler of Equestria." The crowd started to murmur as Luna and I looked at each other. With Father passing, we had forgotten all about who would rule next. "Never fret ponies of Equestria!" Scroll continued, "We will NOT be without a ruler for long. In fact, we will have them today! King Solaris did not leave us without an heir to the throne. I present to you, the next ruler of Equestria...Princess Celestia!"

My whole body froze. My mind had stopped working. The crowd began to cheer as Scroll grabbed my leg and lightly pulled me up to the front of the crowd. My mind was still a blank. I was...the next ruler? I knew that I would have to take the title someday, but I never expected it to be that early. I was only 16; still a child. I had just lost my father, given an enormous amount of power, combined with the new responsibility to control the sun AND moon, and NOW I had to worry about ruling over ALL of Equestria? My legs started to get wobbly as my vision started to get fuzzy. The pressures of everything that had happened were too much for me to take at once. 

"Your Majesty?" I shook my head to clear my vision and looked at Scroll. "Is everything alright?" I looked out at the millions of eyes looking at me. Looking to me to guide them and to rule them. Millions of ponies, scattered out all across Equestria, would be looking to me to make all the right decisions. I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure was so much for me, I ran out of the room without saying a word. As I ran, I could hear more murmurs, as well as Scroll's booming voice announcing, "It's alright! She's just shy is all! As per tradition, a proper coronation ceremony will take place when the Princess turns 21!" Five years? It might as well have been five days. I galloped as fast as I could outside to the gardens. It was the only place nopony would look for me. When I got to the open fountain area, my legs finally gave way, and I dropped down and started to cry. It was all too much for me. It was all too frustrating. I had never felt a bigger combination of sorrow, grief, fear, and frustration in my life. I took off my tiara and threw it to the side as I cried. I didn't want to think about anything that had to do with my "royal duties." I must've sat and cried for ten minutes, just hoping that it was all a dream, and that I would wake up at some point.

"Celestia?"

My head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. I quickly wiped my eyes and looked around to see Discord, holding my tiara with a concerned look on his face. "Discord! I...I..." I stammered as I levitated the tiara onto my head. "I was looking for that! Thank you for finding it!" Discord didn't seem fooled at all. He walked over and sat down next to me.

"Celestia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" I quickly answered, "I was just going for a stroll, and then I lost my tiara, and-" I looked at Discord, who in turn, gave me a serious look. He WASN'T fooled. There was no getting around it. I sighed deeply and said, "I'm sorry Discord. I just don't know what to say to all of this. I feel like my world has just been putting on more weight from the rest of the world. First I lose my father, then I'm given the responsibility of staying strong for my sister, then I'm given the responsibility of moving the sun and moon, and NOW I'm supposed to rule over all of Equestria? Ponies all over will be looking to me for guidance and support. Ponies will want me to be just like my father! It's like I'm told if I make one mistake, the whole kingdom will collapse!"

Discord put an arm around my shoulder as he looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "All that responsibility pushed onto you. It stinks doesn't it?"

I don't know if it was just that line, or me breaking apart again, but when he said that in the tone he did, I felt the tears starting to come again as I said, "Y-yeah. IT DOES STINK!" At that point, all dignity was forgotten as I started to bawl harder than before. Discord took his other arm and wrapped me in a comforting hug as I let the tears flow like a raging river. He rocked me back and forth as he whispered, "Shhhhhh." I felt such comfort as he held me, like all the pressure was gradually slipping off of me. Pretty soon, my crying died down, and we broke the hug as he looked at my red, puffy, tear-filled face.

"Celestia," he said softly, "your father was a great king and a great stallion! I owe him big time, and I'll always be grateful to him. He will live on in our hearts, and you WILL see him again. As for the princess role, I can honestly say that I think that you will be a terrific princess." I lifted my head a bit as he spoke. "For the years that I've known you, I've noticed excellent princess traits within you. You're kind, caring, compassionate, and brave to a T! I can only say that in the future, you're gonna get even more kind, caring, compassionate, and brave! You don't have to be your father, and everypony will realize that soon enough! All you have to do is be yourself, and they will love you! Because there is no pony better at being you than you!"

"Thank you Discord," I said with a smile as I wiped my tears. "I'm just a bit overwhelmed by all of this. I just want a way to feel like a regular pony for a while. To be free from my responsibilities." A moment of silence passed as Discord started to rub his chin and think. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but after a while, a smile came across his face.

"Come on!" he said as he stood us both up. He grabbed my hoof and started to lead me out of the garden.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he led me.

"You'll see!" Discord responded. He soon led me to the wide field at the corner outside the town walls. The field was vast and flat. Quite spacious for any occasion. As soon as we arrived. He stopped and said, "Alright. Close your eyes." I looked at him curiously. "It's a surprise!" I sighed a bit and closed them. I didn't know what he was up to, but I didn't think he would do anything to hurt or scare me. Suddenly, I started to hear snapping sounds and a low rumbling, like thunder. I was tempted to peek, but I trusted Discord with anything. After a minute, Discord finally said, "You can look now." I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of me with a smile. At first I didn't notice anything different until I noticed that the sky, as dark as it was, had turned a shade of pink. I looked up to see, just in time for a chocolate milk rain droplet to land on my muzzle. Soon another drop fell, and then another. Soon, it was an entire onslaught of chocolate rain drops. Discord had created a chocolate rain storm.

I stared at the sky in awe as the rain came down. I couldn't help myself. I started to laugh. I opened my mouth wide as I took in the sweet-tasting drops. I then looked down and saw that puddles were being formed. Before I knew it, I was jumping through the puddles, laughing like a little filly. Discord had done this so that I could forget for a while. Forget about being a Princess and just be me. And it was working perfectly! I continued to splash around and run in the rain with my mouth open wide. Suddenly, I heard another noise. A fast-paced folk song. I looked over at Discord, who had produced a self-playing fiddle that was performing a catchy folk tune. He walked over to me and bowed. "Might I have this dance m'lady?" I giggled and bowed myself.

"Why of course you may!" I answered in a proper tone. Discord and I took each other by the hooves and paws and started to dance. The tune was upbeat and fun, perfect for the scenery. We spun and twirled and kicked and slid all around the field that night. We danced, splashed, sang, and laughed all through the evening, not caring about the worries around us. My luscious pink mane had been matted down by the rain, but I didn't care at all. For once, I felt...free!

After Discord cleared out the sky and dried us both off, we just said on a hill, overlooking the billions of stars in the sky, without a care in the world. I didn't want it to ever end, and I knew he didn't either. 

"Discord?" I said. He looked at me with a smile. "Thank you. I really needed this. I don't feel so...afraid anymore. Maybe I will be a good princess."

"I KNOW you will," Discord said. I giggled slightly as I continued to look at the sky. Suddenly, an idea came to my head.

"Hey Discord! How about you become one of my advisers?"

Discord chuckled a bit. "Nice offer, but no thanks. I don't think the ponies of Equestria would appreciate their Princess having a monster as her advice-giver."

"Discord, you're not a-"

"I know what you're going to say," Discord interrupted in a serious tone, "but there's no denying it. To Equestria, I will be nothing more than a monster."

"Well I don't think so," I said with a smile, "and neither does Luna. Nor Starswirl."

"Yes, but for how long?" Discord asked. "What if they all change their minds about me? What if...you..."

"Now stop right there Discord!" I said sternly. "I will NEVER see you as a monster! I promise, as a Princess of Equestria, that I will NEVER see you as a monster or treat you like one. You have my word!" Discord looked at me and smiled. "After all, you're the best friend I've ever had!"

"You're mine too!" Discord said back. We shared another warm hug before realizing how late it must've been and happily headed back to the castle, my hoof in his paw. I may have not known it at that point, but that night would change everything for me and Discord. 

In given time.