The six mares stood in stunned silence as Luna walked over too her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled out a large, round, black and white gem. She smiled, her comment had done exactly what she had meant it too, catch them off guard. She walked back to the middle of the group, holding the gem in her magic. “This is the Gem of Memories, it will allow you to experience the memories Celestia and myself have stored within.”
“Okay, but why not just tell us what happened?” asked Twilight being the first to recover from her stupor “That may be easier and quicker.”
“True, but for much of the story, I only have second hand knowledge of most of the events. With this I can show you everything as it happened.” responded Luna “Also, it spares me the pressure of getting every detail correct. Now if you would just all take a seat.”
“Alright, let’s get this goin’” said Applejack, her friends gathering in the nearby chairs. She pulled Luna aside and whispered “Ah’m sorry princess, Me, Pinkie and Rainbow saw yer sketchbook”
“You…!” a look of panic washed over the princess’s face but quickly subsided “No matter, you and your friends will see that memory anyway”
Once Luna and Applejack joined the group, everypony’s vision faded to white.
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A young white alicorn sat straight up in her bed, the walls of her room were shaking but that was not what awoke her. She dashed over to the crib in the room where a very young midnight blue filly lay crying. “Hush Woona, we are here. Thou hast nothing to fear sister. We know not what is happening but Mother and father would never allow harm to come to us.” The white alicorn lifted her sister with magic and held her close softly repeating “Mother and father would never allow harm to come to us.”
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“Awe” squealed Pinkie “You two were adorable!”
“Interruptions already?” responded Luna “At this rate we well still be explaining when my sister returns”
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Just then a grey coated alicorn burst into the room, out of breath. “Celestia, take thy sister and come with us!” he shouted with fear seeping into his voice.
“Father, what is happening?” the white alicorn asked. She was worried; she had never scene their father afraid.
“There is no time, come with us…” He said with urgency “…and what ever you do, DO NOT look out side”
Celestia followed their father towards the basement of the castle. Only now did she see he was wounded, a large bleeding gash in his left wing. She wanted to ask her father what had happened but she was too afraid too do so. When the reached the basement her father collapsed from exhaustion.
Celestia was so afraid she nearly dropped her sister. She moved to help her father up. His horn began to glow with a bright white light that pushed though the darkness until it hit the seal on the far wall. The seal began to glow and with a low rumble the emblem of the sun and moon opened, revealing a hidden chamber.
“Go our daughters, you will be safe in there” he said wearily, he let out a cough turning his head so his daughters couldn’t see the blood that cane out.
“Father come with us, we’re scared” Celestia cried “We need you”
The stallion looked sadly at his daughter closed his eyes solemnly “My daughters, my Sun, my Moon. I love you both very much. But this door can only be closed from the outside.” He used his magic to lift a small stuffed doll shared a remarkable resemblance to himself and game it to has daughter “This door will open by itself when it is safe. I’ll always be in your heart” With that last word he shut the door quickly.
Celestia looked at her younger sister with tears in her eyes. She saw the alicorn foul playing with the stuffed toy their father had given them. She envied they filly, not a care in the world, simply happy to have a toy and to be up passed her bedtime. Celestia bent down and nuzzled her sister and said “Luna, no matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe”
At that moment the doors to the safe house slid open. Celestia’s joy turned to terror when she saw the way out blocked by rubble. She wanted to bust into tears, but she had to be brave for Luna. She focused all of her magic on trying to push the rubble to no avail. She continued to try until suddenly the weight she was pushing became lessened to the point that she nearly threw it into the face of their would-be rescuer. The silhouette called out to her “Is somepony down there? Are you hurt?”
Celestia looked up to see an alicorn stallion with a deep green coat and lighter green unkempt short mane. With the help of the green alicorn Celestia carried Luna as she climbed out of the rubble. Once the two fillies were out, the mysterious alicorn passed out exhausted.
Celestia was bewildered at the sight of her kingdom, the castle was rubble. The city, as far as the eye could see, was engulfed in flames. She knew something had attacked, but what could have done all this.
Her wondering would have to wait; she began digging through the debris. She found a few blankets in manageable condition and draped them over the sleeping stallion. He was massive, even by alicorn standards. He father was the tallest alicorn she had ever scene, yet he still towered over him by at least a foot. She returned to digging, hoping to find her father, but to no avail. Se sat in silence watching the horizon.
Much later the green alicorn woke, and saw Celestia staring east. He stood and waked over too her. When she noticed, she turned to him and said “Oh, Mr. Smith, you’re finally awake. We were starting to get worried. You were asleep for at least twelve hours” as she looked up at him expectantly.
“Twelve hours, it was the middle of the night when I passed out. Shouldn’t the sun have come up by now?” he looked down to see the young alicorn tearing up “What’s wrong, are you alright?
“My father should have raised the sun by now, he always raised it no matter how sick or hurt he was. He must have…” the sentence fell apart into sobs and moans. She reached up to the green Alicorn and hugged him tight. She normally would have never hugged someone she didn’t know, but her grief clouded he mind and he felt strong like her father.
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“Wait, I thought we were starting at the beginning?” asked Twilight “I think we skipped a few things”
“As much as I hate to admit it, I never met my true father” said Luna with a frown “When I said father, I had meant the stallion that raised me, not the one who caused my birth”
“I’m sorry, please continue” Twilight said feeling guilty
“Fear not Twilight” Luna’s face returning to a smile “I expect several of these interruptions, but let us try to keep them to a minimum”
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“Hey kiddo, everything’s going to be fine, you and the other little one are safe, your parent’s would be happy at that. Now what’s your name little one?” He spoke so soft and reassuringly that the white alicorn below him came back to he senses and stepped back in embarrassment.
“Our name is Princess Celestia; the filly over there is our sister Princess Luna. We never formally thanked you for saving our lives. You have our deepest gratitude” she said with a deep bow. The change in demeanor was so quick it almost gave the green alicorn whiplash. The child before him just went from sobbing wreck to dignified royalty in less than a second.
“A moment ago you called me Smith, why was that” the green alicorn asked slightly confused. He had never given a name, true. But why settle on smith.
“Because of your cutie mark, a red sword lying on an anvil as a hovers hammer above it. So by extension you must be a smith.” She said matter-of-factly. This just confused the green alicorn even more. She pointed at his flank, he hadn’t noticed before but it was there. He glanced at her flank only to see a blank space.
“Why is it that I have one, but you do not? You knew to check it immediately, so that must mean that most ponies have them. What is this…” he asked, letting out a grown before continuing “…cutie mark?”
“What do you mean? You act as if you do not remember earning your mark. The moment you discover your special talent, it appears as a badge of honor. It’s the happiest day in most pony’s lives… and you FORGOT yours!?” Celestia said indignantly.
“Yes, that is exactly it” he said as the filly’s face changed from annoyance to concern “You see, when those creatures attacked, I ended up caught beneath a collapsed building. I took a blow to the head and can’t remember random bit’s of information. I’m sorry for not mentioning it earlier” she looked so distraught, like she wanted to apologize but couldn’t bring herself to do so. “It’s not so bad, I can’t miss what I don’t remember, so that’d be name and history, but other things seemed to slip out too like basic information that all would know, like the cutie mark thing. By the way, Smith is a fine name until I remember my true one.”
“Well Mr. Smith, We’re sorry for our uncouth behavior, we should not have jump to a conclusion with out all of the information.” sighed Celestia, the last part of his explanation made her feel slightly less guilty. She cheered up slightly and explained “One’s cutie mark is the outward representing of their special talent. Yours must have something to do with metal-work or forging. We have not yet found our talent so we do not yet have a cutie mark. They are all related to what a pony can do, a baker may have an oven, a knight may have a shield or sword, our father has…had…” her voice trailed off at the thought of her father. She held in her tears, if just barely.
“I may not remember much, but I do remember the feeling of loss. That pain will never truly leave you, but it will be eased by remembering the good.” Smith spoke in a somber tone, remembering the guilt of the past once more. “Now, help keep your memories strong, what was his mark? What was he like?”
Celestia struggled with the words but soon she spoke again “Our…My father King Solaris, master of the sky, had emblazed upon his flank a solar eclipse. It represented his duty to control the day and night, but it also showed that even in the darkest of times his warmth would shine through.” She allowed a smile to her face once more “We feel a little better, thank you for your help Mr. Smith”
“I’d love to hear more if you would be willing too share” prompted Smith to helping her recover from her traumatic loss. “Your father sounds like a truly great stallion.”
The filly spoke for hours, telling stories of how her father lead the peace talks between the griffons and pegasi years earlier, how he fought back a dragon single-hoofedly, how he helped Celestia rediscover happiness after the sudden death of her mother during the birth of her sister. Her voice trailed off as she fell asleep.
Celestia’s sleep was filled with nightmares, horrid creatures she could not describe. They descended upon the castle killing everypony they met. She awoke violently, sitting bolt upright.
Her fear turned to joy when she saw the green alicorn in a state of complete focus. The magic radiating off of him was nearly strong enough to push her back. The green glow radiated from his entire body. Darkness began to fade as a dim light emerged from the horizon. The moment the sunlight hit, the stallion collapsed. Celestia moved closer as he muttered to himself “It’s a start, the world can survive in eternal dawn, for now.”
“That was amazing Mr. Smith” gawked Celestia “all that magic, it was breathtaking”
“That, I only wish I could have finished, even with that twelve hour nap, I’m still exhausted” Smith turned his head to look at the snow-white filly “Oh I forgot to ask, what are you going to do to get your cutie mark”
“Oh, you don’t choose what you do.” Celestia giggled “it just happens when you find your special talent.”
“Really, because it sounds like, if you work hard enough, you could decide your special talent” he said with a warm smile as he rolled over. Before Celestia could respond, he had gone back to sleep.
She had always dreamed of raising the sun, but her father always said she wasn’t ready. She looked to the dawn, she knew how to do it in theory, but did she have the magic?
Focusing all her magic, she began to attempt the impossible. Her head spun, her knees shook, the magic she was channeling was outstripping the most powerful mages she ever met. Against all odds the sun continued to move. She finished the spell, locking the sun into its daily path. She let out a sigh as she noticed a bright glow from behind her.
She looked back as the light faded to see her flank adorned with a golden, stylized sun. She did it, she raised the sun, she got her cutie mark. She looked the sky with a smile, he father would have been proud. The tears rolled down her eyes as the image slowly faded to white.
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The only Rainbow had been left completely dry eyed, the rest ranged from tearing up to full blown crying. Once the memory faded, they all attempted to dry their eyes.
“That was so sweet” squealed Pinkie “I just wanted to reach in and hug little Princess Celestia and tell her everything would be okay”
“That was a truly beautiful memory princess, but” Twilight said nervously “it didn’t have anything to do with the elements”
“I know, but without seeing this memory, the others I must show you would make no sense.” Sighed Luna “And it was nice for me to see him again in a happy memory.”
“I’m sorry princess, I shouldn’t have doubted you” Twilight frowned “How many memories are we going to watch?”
“Four, I believe.” replied Luna “The next one is about 50 years later, we had been traveling, Mr. Smith said it was important for Celestia to connect with her subjects. But now, it was time for us to stop and establish a new capital. Are you all ready?”
The girls nodded and their vision faded once more
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Celestia sat looking to the sky, a determined look on her face. She stared, unmoving, until a midnight blue blur practically tackled here.
“TIA, TIA!” shirked the filly, tears filling her eyes, still holding the now tattered alicorn doll “MR. SAYS HE’S LEAVING!”
Celestia stood straight up in surprise, the emerald alicorn had been with them for what seemed like and eternity. Surely he wouldn’t abandon them now. Just then the green alicorn stepped into view. He had a slight frown as he said “I suppose Lulu told you what she overheard?”
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“Lulu, Tia…” Rainbow Dash chuckled as the moon princess’s deep blue face gained a slightly red tint.
“Oh, please. Like yer one ta talk, Dashie.” Smirked Applejack as the room erupted into laughter.”
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“I-it’s not true…is it” Celestia said as she fought back a rush of tears.
“No, at least, not this moment.” sighed the massive alicorn “I swore to protect you both, and I intend to live by that promise. But soon you will be establishing your kingdom, and won’t need me around. That is when intend to leave.”
“Why?” Celestia asked as she walked up and hugged him “Why can’t you just stay with us?”
“I have work to do, and I found the perfect place to begin” He turned to the mountain range behind him “These mountains are like no others in Equestria. I’ll have all the raw materials I need and, more importantly, look at that one in the center.”
Celestia stared out at the tallest mountain; smoke billowed from its peek. Celestia looked puzzled “It is a volcano. We do not see why that matters.”
“That volcano is the only place hot enough for me to begin my forge.” His frowned grew “As much as I wish to see you two grow into fine mares, I have other work that must be done.”
Celestia looked confused, her protector, her friend, her surrogate parent, was leaving. She knew it would happen eventually, but so soon. She could tell that once he left, they would never see him again. She thought quickly trying to keep this strage family together.
“We understand, you must go where you are needed and so must we.” Sighed Celestia “We have been looking for a place to set up the capital.”
“Really, already?” small frown broke into his stoic expression “That’s great, where did you decide?”
“We wanted a place high up so we can overlook our kingdom, someplace with a great deal of empty space so it can expand” Celestia said with a smile “We think that…” she raised he hoof to point at the mountains “there should do nicely”
Smith closed his eyes, and sighed “I thought I taught you better, you cannot such decisions selfishly, what you say here will affect your entire kingdom for millennia.”
“If you can give us one good reason not to put the capital there…” chirped Celestia victoriously, she had already considered every argument, she knew that the mountain wasn’t the perfect place for the capital but not the worst either. “…then we shall reconsider, but if you cannot, you shall not be getting away from us that easily”
The green alicorn was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to be cornered by the filly. She was right, there was nothing that would make the mountains a bad capital. He thought to himself “Perhaps I taught her too well.”
The two young princesses looked up at him with their eyes wide and bottom lip curled down. Finally, Mr. Smith caved “Fine” The young fillies jumped for joy. “But, we have a great deal of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it. Shall we begin your highness?”
He bowed low. Celestia and Luna laughed. The scene faded.
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“We began work immediately. Tia and I began constructing an underground castle.” Luna said with a cheerful smile “And Smith started his forge.”
“Why underground” asked Rainbow, saying what the rest thought
“It was silly really” Luna giggled “Mr. Smith, for better of worse, had a flair for the dramatic. He said once we were ready to take our place as the rulers of Equestria, he would raise the castle from the depths and place it at the peak.”
“But what happened to the other mountains?” asked Twilight “From what I’ve read, those mountains just vanish.”
“Mr. Smith, over the course of a century, used them as materials in his forge” replied Luna
“Whole mountains?” asked Applejack “What in tar’nation did he need all that fer?”
“He made, among other things,” Luna paused for dramatic effect (He would want it this way she thought to herself) “The six Elements of Harmony”
It took all of Luna’s will not to ruin the reveal by chuckling. The six element wielders stood stunned, jaws hanging somewhere near the floor. She finally said “I don’t know why you are so surprised. I had told you the he made them.”
“But…why” asked Twilight
“What do you mean?” responded Luna with a confused look.
“Does that mean that he started the Elements before Discord?” asked Twilight “I always thought that the Elements were made to defeat him.”
“No, I don’t actually know their true purpose.” Responded Luna with a frown “But if I remember correctly, he had completed the Elements of Magic, Kindness and Honesty, all before all before Discord made his presence known.”
“D…dose that mean…” squeaked Fluttershy “we need to see *gulp* him?”
“Yes” said Luna “about two centuries after we began our work, chaos began to warp the entire world. The only safe haven was that mountain.”
“Why?” asked Pinkie
“It was protected” responded Luna with a soft smile
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Deep brown rain hammered against the mane of the viridian alicorn as he stood looking out at the world beyond his protection. He saw the forests bend and crash under the weight of bowling ball-sized apples only to be devoured by flying seven-headed rabbits. Bits of the ground spun in midair, ripping any bright-ping rainclouds to shreds. In the cent of the chaos he saw a single strange being made from an amalgam of different creature parts. He flew unevenly with, one wing of a pegasus, the other of a bat, his long snakelike body undulating as he neared. He touched down his lizard leg and hoofed leg giving him an unnatural gait, made worse by the size difference between his right lion-like arm and his left eagle claw. He vanished, appearing only a few hoof-lengths from Smith’s unflinching gaze.
“So, you’re the one disrupting my deluxe disarray, denouncing my devious direction” spoke the creature in a refined voice, unfit for one with such a horrifying visage.
“I am” said Smith as the creature slithered around him, hovering only inches from the alicorn’s body. “And you will leave this place, I have not the strength to stop your madness across the rest of this planet, but here, harmony reigns supreme.”
The monstrosity’s yellow eyes widened as, what one could only assume was fear crept across its equine face. The abomination leapt back, regaining his former composure. He let out a deep laugh that sent chills up the spines of all who could hear it “Oh really? You openly admit you can’t stop me, yet you think you can tell ME what I can or can’t do, and where I can or can’t do it?”
“You catch on quick” spoke the regale alicorn, a smirk appearing on his face “Perhaps you’re not a stupid as you are ugly.”
Faster then any could see, the powerful lion claw, no longer attached to its owner, had embedded itself in Smith’s neck. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are we still trading insults or has the fight begun?”
“Cheep trick, Draconequus” replied calmly Smith, smirk still in place “but if that’s the best you can do, this fight is already over.”
Rage gripped the creature as he rushed forward wrapping his serpentine body around his would-be opponent. The sharp eagle talons ripped easily into the underside of the stallion. His tail constricted tightly around the unmoving alicorn’s neck “Tough talk, but how will you make your empty threats now?” He tightened his grip “I have seen the farthest reaches of the multivese, a concept your primitive pony brain can’t even begin to comprehend. I have caused the deaths of gods, toppled empires, and decimated galaxies. I am chaos incarnate, I am anarchy, I AM DISCORD!”
“You are as predictable as you have always been” said smiths vice coming from behind Discord. The aggressor was now being entrapped by living wood growing from what he once thought was a pony. He ripped out sending splinters flying in all directions. Mr. Smith stepped stoically from the interior of a nearby tree. “You take me for some ignorant blind boy or a strict, by-the-book starship captain, but I am well versed in deceit and chaos. In short, I play dirty.”
Discord was stunned, he had been outthought, outmaneuvered and, worst of all, caught off guard. He face writhed with anger “You…you know of my deeds? You’re not of this world either, are you? Sorry, but there is only room for one god on this plane.”
“I disagree, there will be two!” Smith’s head lowered as his horn began to glow. The heat radiating from the alicorns body began to melt the stone around him. Molten stone gathered around is horn forming into the unmistakable shape of a dragon head. As a jet of flames shot from the stone dragon’s mouth, aimed straight at the vile tyrant, Mr. Smith roared “And they won’t be either of us!”
“How boring. And just a second ago, you sounded so interesting” Discord snapped his fingers. The burning blast hurled the draconequus into the stone cliff face, drilling and searing. The smell of burning flesh, hair and feathers filled the air. Discord’s shape could barely be made out beneath the glowing lava that incased him. With one decisive strike, the fight had ended.
With great effort, Discord pulled himself from his glowing-red prison. Despite his near-infinite magic, his teleportation had failed. His coat had been burnt beyond recognition, singed feathers made him land-locked; his body was covered in welts and obsidian, but what hurt most of all was his, now deflated, ego. One word left his mouth. “How!”
“Dimensional anchor spell with the wood splinters” Mr. Smith chuckled, his eyes cold a glaciers fixed upon his battered opponent “I lied earlier, but you can see that now, can’t you? There is nothing you can do to save yourself now. Surrender and I promise you a quick but painful death.” Smith stepped closer now brandishing a glowing white sword.
“I took you too lightly, I underestimated you! PLEASE, spare me!” whimpered the fallen demon, who had curled into the fettle position “I don’t want to die!”
“Again!” The alicorn shouted bearing down on the wounded creature “I want to hear you beg for mercy! AGAIN!”
“MERCY” shrieked Discord. Smith swung his sword at Discord’s neck. He stopped in the nick of time to avoid cleaving Luna in two. Discord’s disembodied eagle claw hung in midair grasping the young princess’s neck. Tears streaked down Luna’s face, she had been wrenched out of her bed, into the path of her guardian’s sword. Discord let out a malevolent laugh “You’re not the only one who plays dirty”
“Smith…what’s going on?” asked Luna, shaking uncontrollably “W…we’re sc…scared.”
A flash of light, the sword vanished; Smith glared at Discord “You bastard. Release her, NOW!”
“Oh, who’s in control now?” Discord grinned widely, his claw reattaching to his arm. “You could easily strike me down now but, this silly filly would die in the process. One life to save millions, which is it? I’m DIEING to know?”
Smith shuttered with rage, but he saw little Luna, helpless. He thought to himself, one life for millions, it didn’t need thought. I had sacrificed more to save fewer in the past. I must act. But why, why am I hesitating? “Why!?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s the pain I cause? Maybe the look when somepony truly thinks they’ve beaten me?” Discord rambled “It could be that my head isn’t screwed on right, it could be, perhaps, that my shoes are too tight.”
“My original offer. Leave this mountain and never return; you’ll have the rest of the planet to rule.” Mr. Smith said, defeated “I swear on my life, I shall never rise against you again. Just let her go.”
Discord ran the offer through his head; he knew that the alicorn before him eclipsed his own power tenfold. As much as he hated the thought, this was a fight he could not win. He looked at the midnight blue filly in his hand, if he killed her; there would be no escape, no where he could run. “I want more than your word”
A roll of paper, tied by fire, materialized in front of Smith. It unrolled revealing a long contract. Smith’s blade reappeared and sliced into his own wrist, pouring blood onto the contract. The paper floated to Discord now, he rubbed his bleeding arm onto the contract and vanished along with the contract. A weeping Luna galloped to Mr. Smith as fast as she could.
“Luna, I swore I’d protect you and your sister with my life” he nuzzled her and lifted her onto his back “I failed you, I am so sorry.”
The silence weighed heavy on his heart, even this child couldn’t forgive what he had done. He heard a sharp snore; he turned his head to see the filly had fallen asleep already. With a chuckle he teleported into the deep recesses of the mountain, where their subterranean castle stood, waiting for the day it could shine. He quietly walked up the stairs to Luna’s bedroom, and placed her gently under the covers.
“Sleep well, my little pony” he whispered, floating her ragged alicorn doll (now devoid of wings and horn from hundreds of years of play) within reach. Still asleep Luna reached out and grabbed the doll. “I swear this night, once I complete my work, I will find a way to help you take your birth right back.” He left the room and closed the door.
In the hall he saw Celestia, her eyes dipping with tears. “W-Where were you two, I was worried sick” she cried, pulling the tall alicorn into a hug.
“I faced discord and…” he paused, Celestia didn’t need to know here sister had been used as a hostage “Tia, I failed, I lost your kingdom, but we are safe here. I made it so he could never return to this mountain again.”
A smile came to the young pony’s face “Then this will be the kingdom”
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“Over the next four centuries, millions of ponies trekked across Discord’s realm” Luna explained “hoping to find safe haven within the mountain walls.”
"That city," said Twilight "It looked like it could have held all of Equestria."
"Yes" replied Luna failing to hie the sadness in her voice "His magic protected us from Discord's chaos, and his raw power protected us from the monster himself. The people acknowledged us as their rulers, but looked to him as a god."
“Well yeah, I probably would too, i mean, he nearly killed Discord!” shouted Rainbow “Not even both princesses could do that!”
“Rainbow, really” said Rarity “The princesses were trying to stop Discord, not kill him. I’m sure they could have done so had their hooves not been tied”
A silence permeated the room; Luna looked down to avoid eye contact with anypony and said “We were trying our best to end that demon’s life.”
“Princess? I…” Twilight began before she was cut off.
“It was necessary, for 400 years, his chaos claimed the lives of countless ponies.” said Luna “But we were unable to even scratch him.”
“I was going to say, I understand” finished Twilight “Discord’s reign couldn't be allowed to continue, even if it meant killing him.”
“But WOWIE-ZOWIE! Mr. Smiths magic is STRONG” squealed Pinkie “Who’d a’ thought that he could do that!”
“Yes, his power was unrivaled.” spoke Luna in a hushed tone “That’s why…” Luna took a long pause, looking away from the others. “…why what came next was such a shock