Gray. That is all I saw as I lay on my bed. It had been three days since my defeat at the hands of Discord, and he was not kidding when he said he was going to turn the kingdom into the chaos capital of the world. Outside my window, the sun and moon were going mad, buildings were upside-down, the clouds were pink, and the streets were covered with soap. Ponies were running all around, sometimes from being chased by a flying wagon with fangs. Chaos had taken over completely. At that point though, I just didn't care. Through those three days, all I did was lay in my room and do nothing but sulk. I didn't care about anything. I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't even cry anymore. All I could do was repeatedly think about how I had failed Equestria. I was completely drained, physically and mentally. It was as if somepony had replaced all of my energy and spirit with a lead weight that was filled with guilt, and it was pinning me down. Discord's last words to me were still boring into my mind like a drill. How he said that I had caused everything to happen. How my actions all those years ago had caused the greatest calamity in all of history. And the thing was, I had accepted it.
I kept thinking how it was all my fault. If I would've just been a good friend to Discord and not think about myself, things would've been so different. But there was nothing I could do. Nothing that I could say to help Discord anymore. I had done too much damage, and I was paying for it. I kept telling myself how I was not fit to be the ruler of Equestria. How I had failed all the ponies who had looked up to me, Luna, and my father. I had promised him to take care of everypony and to look after my sister, and because of one action of mine, I had broken that promise. I couldn't even begin to imagine what my father would say if he saw how I ended up, though some thoughts did come to me. I imagined him looking down at me with a face of utter disappointment and telling me how I had failed and how he had made a mistake in leaving me with the kingdom. My crown wouldn't have been in the garbage bin if I wasn't serious about it. The guilt had completely overtaken me, and for three days, I did nothing but bring myself down. Then, on the fourth day...
BOOM!
I looked up to my bedroom door as it burst open. Standing in the doorway was Luna. She looked so tired and her body was dirty from head to hoof. I remember her telling me that during the time I was sulking, she would challenge Discord for the retaking of the kingdom each day. Unfortunately, it would always end with her losing horribly. She would sometimes try more than once in a day, but her tenacity wasn't enough to go against Discord's power. She had finally had enough with me moping and had to do something about it. As she stomped into my room with a glare of angry determination on her face, I just acknowledged she was there, and immediately started to mope again.
"Celestia, this has gone on FAR ENOUGH!" Luna barked. "I have tried to give you time to get your head together, but clearly, that's not going to happen on its own. It's time for you to get back into the metaphorical saddle and be the princess the kingdom needs you to be!"
"It doesn't matter anymore," I said glumly. "I have failed this kingdom. It doesn't need me."
"Of course it does!" Luna retorted, levitating my crown from the trash and placing in on the dresser beside me. "You are the shining beacon of hope to it. The ponies look up to you. They need you more than ever."
"Some beacon of hope," I sighed. "My actions have led to this disaster."
Luna drew closer to me as she spoke softer. "Sister, please! This isn't your fault!"
"Yes it is."
"No it isn't."
"I'm a failure."
"You're not a failure."
"I can't help anypony."
"Yes you-"
"ENOUGH!"
Luna stepped back a bit as I straightened up. I turned to her and looked into her eyes intently. "Sister, I have caused the greatest calamity in all of the history of Equestria because of my selfishness! I can't afford to try anymore. I will not put the citizens at risk anymore. I have failed this kingdom, I have failed Discord, and I have failed YOU!" Luna lowered her face to the ground as I continued to shout. "I can't go on like this anymore! The kingdom doesn't need a princess who puts its citizen, no, the entire WORLD at risk of pure chaos! The kingdom doesn't need me. The world doesn't need me. You don't even need me! I'm. A. Complete. Waste. Of-"
SMACK!!
My cheek instantly started to turn red with pain from the strike. It silenced me in an instant. I was so taken aback, I couldn't even comprehend what had happened. My sister had never laid a hoof on me violently before. In any case, it got my attention. I put my hoof up to my cheek as I turned back to face Luna. When I looked at her, her face was still pointed at the ground, but her hoof was still raised from the strike. She then lifted her head and looked me dead in the eyes, her own eyes glistening fresh tears.
"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT AGAIN CELESTIA!!" she shouted, tears continuously flowing. "Of course I need you! I have always needed you, and will ALWAYS need you! You're my sister, and my love for you is unconditional! You're my hero. My best friend. You mean everything to me. Don't you DARE say that I don't need you or that you are a waste! You're the most important pony in my life, and I would rather DIE than be without you!"
The silence that followed the outburst was deafening. I couldn't even hear the chaos outside my window. My ears were still ringing with the echo of Luna's words. I had always known that Luna loved and cared about me as sisters tend to do, but she had never said that I meant so much to her, that she would rather die than be without me. She cared about me that much. And as we stared at each other, the tension of the moment combined with her kind words had broken through to me. So much so, that I lowered my head, and started to cry again. I then felt Luna's arms wrap around me in a comforting hug that made me sob even harder.
"Sister," Luna gently said as she held me, "I know what this is about. You feel like your actions have led Discord to embracing a chaotic personality and in turn, brought chaos upon Equestria. You feel like this is all your fault. But that is not true. You had done what you thought was right at the time!"
I slowly raised my head to look at Luna as she continued. "Tell me something sister; why did you banish Discord?"
"I-I wanted to protect him," I sniffled.
"Exactly!" Luna said. "It wasn't because you were trying to be selfish! You wanted to protect him from Scroll and his threat to turn the citizens into an angry mob." I looked at Luna with surprise that she knew the full story. Luna noticed my face and smiled softly. "I know. I heard what he said. It was horrible, and it put you in a horrible position. You did what you had to do to protect him. As heartbreaking as it was, you had to do it. And in my book, that makes you a very, VERY caring princess. Even if Discord didn't see it, it doesn't take away from that fact. The point is that your action shows that you are a princess who is strong, and who cares about its kingdom and everypony in it. A pony who cares is NOT a failure."
I wiped my eyes as I looked at Luna's smiling face. Such a young age, and yet, she seemed so wise at that moment. Luna then stood both of us up and pointed me towards the window, showing the chaos as it reigned down.
"The kingdom is in turmoil Celestia. It needs both its rulers. I can't do this without you. We all need you now more than ever." She then levitated my tiara over to in front of me, and I took it with my magic, and looked at it. My reflection showed just how fragile I let myself get, with the gray tone of my entire body and almost lifeless eyes.
"And he may not know it," Luna continued, "but Discord needs you too. I know how much you love him."
I instantly felt my cheeks get hot with a blush as I glanced at Luna, my eyes as wide as plates, before turning away again.
"Whether that is romantic love or family love, that it up to you to decide," Luna said, "but Discord needs his best friend. He needs to be saved from himself. For the hope that maybe one day, things might be as they once were." Luna then placed a comforting hoof on my shoulder and spoke with the utmost respect.
"It's time for the Princess of the Sun to shine again."
And at that moment, with those last few words spoken, it was as if a light had just flickered inside my heart. A new, determined light that told me that it was time to protect those I loved. Luna was right, and had opened me to the truth. My kingdom and family needed me more than ever, and I had to stop beating myself up, stop thinking of the past, and look towards the future. As I proudly placed the crown onto my head again, all color, as well as emotion, returned to my body. I turned to Luna, who stood there smiling even bigger than before, and said, "Thank you sister. I need you too." With happy tears glistening in her eyes, we embraced once again.
As we broke the hug, I realized that the mission was clear. "We have to stop Discord," I said as I looked out the window. "But I will NOT hurt him. There has to be some way we can detain him."
"How?" Luna asked. "Even teamed up, our power isn't enough to even touch him. So what can we do to detain him?"
I started pacing the room as I thought intently. It was true that we could not touch him with our regular magic, but if there was a way to increase our magic, maybe there would be a chance. "Increase our magic," I thought to myself, "or bring an outside source..."
Suddenly, an idea came to my head. It was a stretch, but at that point, I was willing to try anything. I turned to Luna who straightened up to attention. "Sister, do you remember when we were kids? I showed you the place that held the source of protection to all of Equestria." Luna looked confused at first, but I could see that the gears were turning in her head. Then, eyes widened as she realized what I was talking about.
"You don't mean..." she said.
"It could be our only chance," I replied. "Come sister! We must hurry!"
Luna and I hastily flew out the window and into the mayhem that lived outside. After dodging some flying pigs and raining dogs, we finally arrived at the staircase that led to the Tree of Harmony. The Elements were our last resort. If they couldn't help detain Discord, then nothing could. Though Luna was concerned about removing the Elements from the Tree, I reassured her that the magic that resided within the Tree would still flow throughout Equestria. We grabbed the Elements, tucked them into the saddle bags we brought along, and quickly started to make it back to Discord. As we neared the kingdom again, my heart continued to race. Facing Discord again was something I never wanted to do. I was afraid that it would mess with my mind again, and my feelings would get in the way again. Luna must've noticed my thoughts because she called me out on it.
"Celestia," she said calmly, "I know it's going to be hard. I know you care about him, but that's why we're doing this. This isn't just for the sake of the kingdom, but for him as well. Maybe one day Discord will fit into this world, but for now, we have to do what needs to be done. You CAN'T let your feelings hold you back."
She was absolutely right. And thankfully, with the thought that I was helping Discord by doing this, I felt more confident. I turned to Luna and nodded as we made our way down the checkerboard landscape and a throne on a hill, facing the opposite direction of us. And on that throne sat my old friend Discord. My stomach started to churn again, but I kept thinking, "It's for Discord's good," and it helped. I was about to say something, but Discord must've sensed us, because he turned around right away, laughing insanely.
"Oh-ho! This is SOOO much fun!" he chuckled. "How 'bout a game of Pin the Tail on the Pony?" He then held up my tail, making me gasp as I looked at my flank to see it was actually gone. I quickly shook it off though as we approached him closer.
"Playtime is over for you Discord!" I sternly said. Discord didn't seem to care though. In fact, he was just casually eating from a bag of something that looked like seeds.
"Oh I seriously doubt that," he said as he popped another seed in his mouth. "Hungry?" He threw a few seeds at us playfully, but we payed it no mind. When we didn't answer, Discord just shrugged and said, "Suit yourself."
It was time to act. It was now or never. Luna and I opened our bags and pulled out the six Elements, forming them around us. Discord noticed this and mockingly said, "Oh! What have you got there?"
"The Elements of Harmony!" I announced.
"With them, we shall defeat you!" Luna added as the Elements began to spin around us, creating a magical barrier of power.
Discord, however, did NOT seem phased. In fact, he hunched over his throne laughing. "You should see yourselves right now!" he cackled. "The expressions on your faces. So intense! So sure of yourselves! Hilarious!"
Not wasting anymore time, Luna and I looked to each other, nodded, and touched horns. In a second, a jet of rainbow light came soaring out of the barrier and shot straight for Discord, who was too busy laughing to notice. And before the beam touched him, I closed my eyes, and the last thought I had was, "I'm sorry old friend."
When I opened my eyes again, the beam was gone, and in front of us stood a unmoving Discord, turned completely into stone, in a pose that showed him howling with laughter. Then, in another flash of light, the kingdom was completely returned to normal. From all around, ponies started to realize the nightmare was over, and they gathered around their two princesses and cheered. Luna and I smiled at each other and locked hooves as the citizens cheered our names. It was good to see the kingdom normal again, and its citizens safe. The threat of the Spirit of Chaos was over.
With everything returned to how it was, there was only one thing left to do. What to do with Discord? After some debate, Luna and I decided to place him in the castle's stone gardens as a symbol of disharmony and to inspire ponies who saw it to strive for peace. Or at least, that is what we told everypony. The real reason was because, to be honest, I wanted it to be a symbol of hope. Hope that someday, things could be as they once were between the two of us.
As Luna and I looked at the laughing Discord statue, the majority of the time was silence and reflecting. Both of us had been through so much change from the whole experience, both good and bad. We both realized that things weren't going to be the same for a long time, but for the time being, that didn't seem like such a bad thing.
"It's kind of sad," Luna finally said as she turned to me. "All who look at this statue will just see a monster on the outside, and how disharmonious he was. They'll never know the whole story."
I nodded slightly as I looked to her. "We'll know," I replied with a smile. Luna smiled back and we embraced again. I just felt so lucky having a sister that cared about me so much. I felt like I didn't deserve her. After a minute, we broke the hug and Luna started to head back to the castle.
"Come sister," she called. "The citizens have prepared a celebration for us."
"You go ahead," I called back. "I'll be there in a minute." Luna nodded respectfully and headed off.
As soon as she was gone, I trotted closer to Discord. He looked so wild with his pose. It fit his personality so well. With everything that he had done, it still showed his crazy personality. I stopped right in front of him and sighed as I looked up at his still face, and spoke to him, just like the old times.
"Discord? I don't know if you can hear me, but...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry how this had to happen. I know I hurt you all those years ago, and I'm truly sorry for it, but, to be honest, I don't blame myself anymore. I just wish things could've gone differently than this. But this had to be done for your own good. Don't worry though. This isn't permanent. I will not give up hope. A day will come when you can return, and things will be as they once were. The good days, where you and me were together, happy. You just have to be patient ok? I will not give up on you Discord. And I'll come visit you every day. After all, you're the best friend I ever had." I felt pretty silly talking to a statue, but at that moment, I didn't care. He was my friend, and he was worth it. "I should get going now. You just keep your head up, as I will do with mine, and hopefully, I'll see you soon. Goodbye for now, my friend."
And with that, I walked back to the castle, filled with a new hope for the future for me and my friend, Discord.