//------------------------------//
// ascention 
// Story: Born of chaos and heartbreak 
// by Slick Dash 
//------------------------------//

“Disc! I’m sorry I didn’t tell you!” She cried the second the door slammed shut behind them. Disc’s stomach twisted horribly, what was going on? 
“Tell me what?” Disk demanded, Tia looked miserable. “Tia what’s going on that I don’t know about?” 
“I’m ascending...” She said miserably. The words meant nothing to Disc.
“What?”
“I’m ascending, it’s the final form of an alicorn, and then I’m going to be on the throne of Canterlot, I’m... going to be queen.” Disc’s jaw dropped. 
“What?! That’s...that’s fantastic! Wonderful!” Tia gave a little smile at his words. “But...” Disc began, realising something ominous. “There... there’ve been no preparations for a coronation or anything. A ceremony like that would take months of planning.”

Tia sighed, finally she looked up from the ground. “Queens don’t have coronations only the king’s do.” 
“I...see...” Said Disc, not understanding why. “So... why are you so upset?” he asked, advancing on Tia, wanting to hold her close in her time of need, to show her this was a good thing! Tia fell into his waiting forelegs, letting him hold her close. 
“I...I can’t...” the alicorn stuttered. Disc soothed her, stroking her flowing mane lovingly. Tia’s forelegs were both against Disc’s chest, one crept up his body towards his face. Taking hold gently, she brought his eyes down to her level. “K-kiss me. Please, kiss me.” she whimpered. Disc obliged her, kissing her lovingly.

When Disc pulled away, Tia seemed less nervous. With a nervous gulp, she pushed away from her lover and stood up again. Without a word, she turned and headed for the door. “Tia?” Disc asked, still stood where he had held her. The princess’s shoulder’s sagged at the sound of his voice. She glanced over her shoulder, and with eyes filled with sorrow. She whispered in a cracking voice. 
“It’s time for me to see my father Disc.”

.........................................

The opening of the door’s echoed throughout the cavernous throne room, the hinges creaked as they held the weight of the mighty wooden panels. Silently, Disc and Tia entered the room. As soon as they had passed, the doors swung shut behind them, the bang of their closing made Disc jump. What was wrong? There was something in this room, the atmosphere had immediately taken a hold on him. Was this why Tia was so upset? This...tension that Disc had come to associate with...death.

At the far end of the long cavernous hall, stood the two thrones. The solar and lunar seats of power were dazzling to behold, one made of what seemed to be flowing gold, and the other of some dark black material embedded with onyx gems. Upon this darker throne, sat the king. His black fur made him seem one with his throne, showing how he belonged there and nowhere else. 

As the two approached with the silent and miserable Tia in the lead, Disc could see he king’s eyes were closed. Only when Tia came to a halt, did Disk. And when the movement of hooves died to silence; the king spoke. He didn’t open his eyes; he only addressed the blackness of the inside of his lids. “My daughter! Happy birthday my dear.” 

“Thank  you father.” Tia bowed down at the kings words, as did Disc, slightly nervously. 
“Captain... Is something wrong?” Asked the king, disc couldn’t understand how he could tell he was there if he hadn’t opened his eyes. 
“N-no! My king!” He blurted out. 
“Then why do you stand before us, I sent you to bring my daughter, and now you have, you may leave.” Disc looked to Tia beside him, who raised her head without glancing at the stallion. 
“Father!” The king’s head tilted towards his daughter, his eyes still closed. “I wish for Disc to stay.” She requested.

The king’s eyes opened.

Filled with the shining brilliance of every star in the night sky that he had once controlled, the eyes stared down at the determined face of the princess. Then they glanced at Disc. Immediately the gaze sent shivers up the captain’s spine, not out of fear, but of awe. Even through his glance, the king’s magical power radiated from him and seeped into every pour of the earth pony captain.

“Do you know? Captain? What will happen here today?” the king asked. 
“Yes my king! Tia-Princess Celes”-
“Let us not pretend that you are so formal with my daughter Disc.” interrupted the king, finally showing a small smile for the first time in this meeting. Disc blushed scarlet, what did he mean? Surely he didn’t know about him and Tia? Or was he just referring to their friendship? “Yes, My daughter is to ascend today, and become the queen of Equestria like her mother before her.” The king gave a smile to his daughter, who did not return it out of silent misery.

“It’s fitting...” mused the monarch. “You saved my daughter’s life that day so long ago. You saved her before she could reach her current state as an alicorn.” 
“I saved somepony who needed help sire, nothing more.” explained Disc, trying to sound slightly humble. 
“Yes, most certainly you did, but with her horn not yet manifested, she would have surely died if you had not come to her aid.” The King stood, slowly descending the marble steps from his throne. “So I say again, it is fitting. For you, the stallion who helped reach her last stage of evolution, to witness this next stage, the greatest stage.” 

Disc wasn’t sure he liked all of this talk about evolution, what was he talking about? What was going to happen to Tia for her to become Queen? The king’s hooves echoed as he came down to their level and approached his daughter. “Tia?” he asked, Disc had never heard his king call the princess that before. Tia looked into the shining eyes of her father. “Have you spoken with Luna?” he asked of his other daughter, the one who had taken the role of the night watcher from him. 
“Yes father.” 
“And?” 
“She said she hopes to see me soon.” 

What?! Where was she going?! Disc stared horrified at the exchange going on before him, where was Tia going? “Is there anypony else?” the king questioned. Tia’s eyes shot to Disc, but pulled back as she realised what she was doing. Disc noticed the movement, so surely the king would. Surely enough, the black furred and mane’d king glanced at the captain. “You wish to say goodbye to your friend... that is fair enough.” GOODBYE?! Disc’s mind was reeling with questions, but his shock froze his lips and stopped his lungs from pushing out a single sound. 

“I already have father.” explained the princess. No she hadn’t! She’d just...kissed him. Disc realised, that had been her way, her way of saying goodbye to him. No! He needed to know what was happening, now! He opened his mouth to speak, but the king of Equestria cut him off. 
“Very well my daughter, please kneel.” Tia did as she was asked. ‘No! Wait!’ Disc’s mind screamed at him to stop this, whatever this was! 

“With the powers of the sun, the moon and the stars, by the power of the alicorn race, the heavens above and the valleys below. I bestow upon you my daughter, the final stage, to re-unite you with your mother, to give you the power to govern us all in your own way.” The tip of the king’s horn began to glow. Small bolts of blue electricity jumped from his skull to the tip of his horn and mixed with the quickly growing ball of florescent green energy. With these words, Tia raised her head, revealing her chest to the king, while he lowered his point at her exposed breast.

“NO!” cried Disc. He threw himself between the alicorns, glaring at the king, who for the first time showed emotion. His face exploded into shock at his captains actions. “Sire! You’ll kill her!” the grey stallion protested. The king looked from his captain, to his daughter just behind him, who now whimpered. 
“Disc, please, this has to be done!” 
“What?!” screamed Disc in utter disbelief. “You’ll let him kill you Tia?” 
“He’s isn’t killing me, he’s allowing me to ascend.” She explained.

“Looks a lot like DEATH to me!” growled the captain, turning back to the king. “Why sire? Why are you doing this?” he pleaded with his monarch. Who sighed, and allowed the magic to subside. 
“Tia, please.” He said sadly. Disc felt himself being picked up by magic; he recognised the tingle of Tia’s cloud against his fur. “What?! Tia! Put me down!” The Princess did not oblige him. Slowly walking through the throne room, her eyes filled with tears at the sound of her love fighting so desperately against her. “TIA! I’m trying to save you! Put me down Tia!”

Finally they reached the doors to the hall beyond. Yet again they creaked open by some unseen force, allowing the princess and her prisoner of magic to pass through to the hall. Yet again the approached the abandoned room they had been in before. Only when the door was shut, did Tia finally let Disc back onto the ground.