2: Those Left Behind
Chapter 2: Those Left Behind
"She's dead?" Discord blurted out, unable to contain his look of utter disbelief and fallen chin. "What do you mean, she's dead?!"
"It means exactly what it means," Celestia replied matter-of-factly. She was sitting at an ornate wooden desk with the sun shining on her back, reading and signing a large stack of papers. Her eyes never left the documents, as she asked in an emotionless voice, "Now, tell me. How did the negotiations with the Fey delegates to the East go?"
"The- The Fey? The Fey??" Discord stammered in stupor. "Hang the Fey! Nuts to them! What about Luna?" the enraged draconequus exploded. His eyes were wide with a mix of shock and rage, swirling venomously in his entire expression.
However, Celestia refused to back down as well. Standing up from her chair, she turned to face the draconequus at full stature. Even Celestia's massive form didn't come close to Discord's full size, but she still managed to hold an aura of intimidation, with her tone as cold as her eyes. "Discord, I sent you to the summit because I thought someone like you could understand the ways of the Fey and establish a good relationship between our countries. If you wish to withdraw from the position of Equestrian emissary, I will be more than happy to strip you of your title. But first, report to me. How. Did the negotiations. Go."
Discord snarled his fangs. "Celestia, this is hardly as important as—"
"—I have a country to run, and a nation to protect. Discord, the Fey," Celestia demanded icily.
Discord's rage turned to incredulity as he stood still and speechless, looking for a sign in Celestia's eyes that told him she was being serious.
"Discord—" Celestia began after a moment of silent stalemate.
"—The negotiations went swimmingly, Celestia," Discord spat, neither able or willing to contain the contempt dripping from his words. "Now, what about Luna?" he asked slowly.
"She's dead," Celestia said curtly.
Discord grit his teeth in vexed hatred of the reply. "Yes, Celestia. I know that, but—"
"—But what?" Celestia interrupted sharply. "There's no but about it. She's dead, Discord. Luna's dead. So what do you want me to do about it, hmm? Bring her back to life? Not even you or I can do something like that. She's gone, and that's that. End of story."
Discord turned absolutely livid at Celestia's words. The veins in his forehead throbbed as his features twisted into a dark, enraged scowl. His outstretched arm twitched, eagle's talons curled open. For a moment, it looked as if he were to snap both figuratively and literally, invoking his magic of chaos to blow the place to smithereens. However, the rage faded as fast as it had come, and Discord lowered his arm.
Yet when he spoke, his eyes and tongue were still filled with contempt. "You know, I'm actually glad that that's how you think, Celestia," he sneered. "I could never stand a hypocrite. You never cared about Luna when she was alive. It would be an insult to her to pretend to care about her after her death."
Celestia offered no response as Discord stormed out of her study, exiting the castle's main gates and slithering off into the sky. Instead, she simply waved her horn to shut the door, sat back down, picked up a quill, and returned to the mountain of paperwork still remaining on her desk.
The funeral had been short lived; Even for a normal funeral, much less one for a diarch of Equestria. With only Princess Celestia and Captain Artemis of the night guard giving a short eulogy about the night princess’ life, the reception ended up being longer than the actual funeral service itself. Those that had shown up out of obligation far outnumbered guests who genuinely knew the princess, as the familiar faces of Twilight’s friends, a handful of the night guard, and Princess Celestia herself were drowned out by a sea of Canterlot nobles, unable to hide the indifference from their faces.
Of course, the nation mourned for the loss of their second princess, gone too soon after her return. The front page of every newspaper in Equestria was covered by the same headlines and the same pictures for a good few days while the public went into mass hysteria at Luna’s death, until they realized, that it didn't really affect them. To them, Princess Luna could hardly be considered close to their hearts. Sure, they'd seen her face in the papers or at Canterlot once or twice, but to most ponies, they hadn't even known that such a mare had existed before the Elements of Harmony had cleansed her of Nightmare Moon, who was also widely known only as an old pony's tale. The sad truth was, nopony was actually interested in Luna. She'd come out of nowhere, from what had once been considered a bedtime story for children, and she'd disappeared too fast to leave an impression on ponies.
Even she never got a chance to know the mare properly, Twilight thought, as she decided to take a walk around the gardens to calm her mind. Her friends had already visited and left, after paying their respects and saying a few comforting phrases to Twilight and Princess Celestia. A crown of daisies lined the brow of the marble statue erected in Luna's image, as it gently smiled at anyone who passed by. A toy spider, a blue feather, a jewel-encrusted ribbon, and a brown cowboy hat lay at its feet. During the funeral, Twilight had wished that sompony, anypony could have stepped up after Celestia and said a few words about Luna. She was about to go up and say the words herself, when she realized that there was nothing to say. Twilight had seen Luna what, maybe three, four times? And the only time she ever held a proper conversation with her had been on Nightmare Night, out of pity and sympathy when others had refused to even try to talk to her. There was nothing more to be said, she realized. The only pony who had truly spent time and gotten to know her was Princess Celestia.
Then, something beside Luna's snowy statue caught her eye. When she reexamined it, she could see a glass filled with a milky, brown liquid sitting beside her friend's trinkets. Twilight heard a soft sigh, coming from a little ways off from where she was standing. Taken off guard by the fact that she was not alone in the gardens, Twilight blinked twice.
"Who's there?" she called out. The gardens were supposed to be private property. Even if they weren't, she would have assumed that most ponies would have returned to their homes after the funeral.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't princess Twilight. How nice to see you again," a tired but familiar voice replied back.
"Is that… Discord?" Twilight asked doubtfully. The spirit of chaos had no reason to be here that she knew of.
Yet nonetheless, as the incredulous mare turned the corner, there he was. The draconequus was lying down on his back on his old pedestal, where he had been imprisoned in stone after being defeated by the Elements of Harmony.
"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, walking closer.
"…Who knows?" was all Discord said. He sounded almost bored, looking up at the sky, but his eyes said otherwise. The normally playful trickster's eyes had a downcast sheen to them, glazed over and made dull.
"…You're not here to try doing anything funny, are you?" Twilight asked skeptically.
"Humph," Discord harrumphed, with a smile that never reached his eyes. "I may be immature and tactless, Twilight, but even I can't be that immature and tactless… well, yes I can, actually, but that's besides the point. Today, I've decided not to be."
Twilight didn't understand, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, nobody ever understood Discord. "I…see."
"…So when did you find out?" Discord asked after a moment of silence. Even without looking at his face, Twilight could tell he was feeling less than great today.
She took a moment to think about her answer. "About a week ago. I helped plan for the funeral."
"…I see," Discord replied, still staring at the clouds pass by overhead. "So I was the only one left in the dark about it."
"You mean you didn't know?" said Twilight, surprised by this new development.
"That's right," Discord breathed. "I had no idea. Instead, I was off in foreign lands, discussing international trade and peace with a bunch of old diplomats."
"Oh, right, you went away for a few weeks," Twilight said. "I heard about it from Fluttershy. The land of the Fey, was it?"
"Mmmhmm," Discord nodded. "The Fey. Tiny little things, but the little tricksters certainly know how to have fun," he added, with a small but genuine smile this time. That too, however, soon faded. "…I just can't believe she's actually gone," he whispered softly.
"Yeah, I agree," Twilight said, taking a seat next to Discord on his pedestal. He may have noticed, but he didn't seem to care much. There was more than enough room for both of them on the marble foundation.
Instead, Discord took it as an invitation to talk. Twilight didn't really mind, either. "When I first properly met Luna, after Fluttershy and you lot managed to convince me that I didn't have to wreak havoc through Equestria, things were… strange in my life, I must admit. It turns out that Luna was actually the one who'd suggested that I be freed and to have the element users talk me into working for Equestria. To Celestia, I was just a monster. With good reason, too. I'd turned the entire country upside down, quite literally, within hours of my freedom, and ruled with a chaotic iron fist before they first overthrew me. But Luna saw something different in me."
"What did she see?" Twilight asked.
"She saw someone who was misunderstood. She saw someone who was different from everypony else, and was shunned by them because of it. She saw someone who just couldn't take it anymore, and finally snapped, filled with confusion, anger, and a desire for revenge. She saw… herself," Discord finished, after a pause.
"Nightmare Moon…" Twilight whispered.
"Indeed," Discord concurred. "Luna knew what it was like to be an outcast. What it meant to mean so little to so many, and mean even less than nothing to others. She was Luna, both in body and in heart, but some spiteful ponies out there still saw her as nothing more than Nightmare Moon, the one who had tried to blot out the sky. She realized and empathized with my pent up feelings, and saw the bad path laid out before me if I continued to make myself a slave to them, as she had done in her own past. And so, she sought to fix it. She sent me off to you, Fluttershy, and the rest of your friends. She taught me the ways of the world, and how to get along with the ponies here without turning their minds to mush and controlling them as my puppets. Luna cleaned me up, set me right, and allowed me to live my life more happily than I ever had before, without the condemnation and with a sense of belonging. She gave me a home to live in, she gave me friends and taught me what it meant to interact with ponies. And at some point, I saw her as a… friend, as well."
The way Discord said it made Twilight wonder if 'friend' had been the word he'd really been looking for, but she decided to let it slide.
"Some friend I turned out to be, huh?" Discord gave a bitter smile. "I didn't even know she died until the day of her funeral."
"Discord…" Twilight's voice trailed off. "I'm… I'm so sorry." She never did know what to say at times like this.
"Don't feel too bad, Sparkle," Discord said, his bitterness vanishing. "Luna had a good run, if nothing more. She laughed, she cried. She loved, she hated. She worked, she played. She lived, and now… she died," Discord concluded simply. "Luna lived quite a full life, regardless of all those around her that feared and hated her. I'm slightly envious of her for that."
The draconequus' voice died out, and the air lingered with a thoughtful silence in the absence of Twilight's response. Twilight stayed still, her eyes fixated on Discord's expressionless visage, trying to make out if he was being sincere. Discord felt her gaze, but did nothing to stop her. In fact, he did nothing at all.
"…You've changed," Twilight said, after a long pause.
Discord sat up without warning, abruptly meeting her eyes for the first time during their conversation. "Do you think that's a good thing?"
"I don't know," replied Twilight.
"Then, do you think it's a bad thing?" Discord asked once more.
"…I don't know," was the only thing Twilight could say.
Discord took a breath, letting out a soft sigh. "Let me tell you something, Twilight. Whether it's for better or for worse, only a fool fears change. And only an even bigger fool tries to deny it."
"Only a fool fears change…?" Twilight repeated carefully.
"Exactly," Discord nodded. "Luna was the one who taught me that."
"Princess Luna said that?"
"She did indeed," Discord confirmed. "Luna was wise. Maybe not as intelligent or as skilled as her sister in governing the country, but she was very wise. Before her jealousy got the best of her and she turned into who you lot call Nightmare Moon, Celestia would come to Luna for advice on every major decision she made for Equestria, right here, in this very garden."
"She would?" Twilight asked. She couldn't imagine her old mentor coming to someone as carefree as Princess Luna for advice. Then, another thought crossed her mind. "Wait, how would you know about that?"
Discord rolled his eyes. "Please, Twilight. I was trapped in stone, not unconscious. When the elements hit you, you don't die or actually turn to stone. There would be no way to bring you back, then. You just sort of, have your body encased as your mind floats around in an endless, timeless, limbo state until you're let out again. But enough about me, let's get back to our main topic."
Twilight grimaced, thinking how horrible going through something like that must have been for both Discord and for Luna, who'd no doubt experienced something similar. "Okay…" she agreed meekly.
"You see, my point is, Celestia doesn't accept this yet." Discord said, looking straight at Twilight. "Have you spoken to her recently, or even just exchanged pleasantries?" he asked.
"I spoke to her yesterday," Twilight answered.
"Mmmhmm, and how was it? Wasn't there anything… off about her?" Discord inquired, raising a single eyebrow.
Twilight bit her lip. "I… hate to admit it, but she seemed… apathetic."
"Broken." Discord corrected.
"Excuse me?"
"She's not apathetic, she's broken. Hurt. Traumatized. Bitter. No one is truly apathetic, they're simply broken. Broken from pain, trauma, mental disorder, you name it. But you can't simply not care. Not only is it morally wrong, it's just not possible. it goes against every single thought in nature and everything that life in general stands for. You can never not care, because you're always doing something that you care about. You do chores because you care about cleanliness. You help friends because you care about relationships. You study because you care about knowledge and academics," the draconequus explained.
"But you can not care," Twilight interjected. "Ponies don't care about countless things. Foreign politics, agriculture history, third grade mathematics."
"Yes, you're right. You can be apathetic about and towards things. However, total apathy isn't real. It's a myth. An ideal. A theory. Because once you don't care about anything, you simply stop doing anything. Think about it. Everyone you know cared about something constantly throughout their lives, even in darker moments. Nightmare Moon cared about recognition and respect for her night. I cared about revenge and having fun when I was still wreaking chaos on this land. Celestia cared about her sister. And that's why we did what we did, and how we were able to keep doing it," Discord continued. "Do you see how this connects to our current situation?"
"To be honest, not really," Twilight said, a confused look on her face. "How does this even relate to what we were talking about before?"
Discord waved an impatient finger. "Pay attention, Twilight Sparkle. I expect more from somepony of your intellectual status. Celestia cared about Luna, immensely so. To an alicorn like Celestia, another of her kin is the only lifelong companion. Not even dragons live for over a thousand years. To her, Luna was a mare who understood her the most. She'd been with her since their childhoods. They'd played, talked, laughed, cried, and poured our their hearts to each other countless times. Can you imagine what it's like to lose someone like that, Twilight? Someone you hold closer than even family?"
"It must have been brutal for her…" Twilight winced, thinking of what her old mentor went through during her darkest hours.
"After she banished Luna to the moon, every night for ten years, Celestia would open her window, and stare out into the night sky. Her eyes would be filled with longing, sorrow, regret. I would assume that she felt guilty. Guilty that she wasn't able to stop her sister. Guilty about what she'd had to do to protect Equestria. Guilty that she was part of the cause of her sister's corruption. And out of that guilt, Celestia felt a sense of responsibility to Equestria, for her sister's sake. That's why she works so hard. That's why she does anything and everything for this country, willing to sacrifice anything," Discord explained. "But now…"
"Now Princess Luna is gone," Twilight finished.
"So why does Celestia work even harder than before?" Discord asked. "All she does now is stay cooped up in that tiny little study of hers, writing piles upon piles of paperwork on Equestria's laws and by-laws, and moving onto international affairs when she's done. At this rate, that mare's going to work herself to death and follow Luna's footsteps too soon," the draconequus grumbled. "Do you remember what I said about why anyone does anything? It's because they have something they care about."
"And you also said that Princess Celestia did her work because of a sense of obligation to her sister, right? But, if her sister's gone, and she works even harder than before…" Twilight pondered, then was struck with realization. "…then that means her motivation's not gone. It's gotten stronger."
Discord nodded. "Although Luna herself may have been removed from the equation, Celestia still feels responsible for her death. That's why she feels so compelled to work herself to the bone, to atone for her sins, in a sense."
Turning his back to the purple mare, the draconequus sighed. "Nothing lasts forever, Twilight. Even Celestia, Luna, and I are no exceptions. Recent events have made that an undeniable fact. We all come into this world, starting out with a whole slew of different circumstances. We live our lives, we leave our marks, and at last, we leave this world, so that others may enter, and new lives may begin," Discord said. "Everything has a beginning, and everything has an end."
"Are you saying that Princess Celestia hasn't accepted that?" Twilight asked.
"I'm telling you that she needs to be reminded of it," Discord replied. "Because no matter who we are, we all make our mistakes, we all trip and fall from time to time. It's a part of what makes up our personalities. Our experiences. Our individuality. Celestia's been acting as the perfect 'Princess' for so long, she's forgotten what that feels like."
"You seem to understand a lot about how the Princess thinks," noted Twilight.
"Oh, please." Discord gave a short, humored laugh. "Twilight, I used to take ponies and turn their entire personalities upside down with the touch of a chaotic finger. You can't rewire a clock without knowing how its gears tick."
"Impressive," Twilight admitted. "But what I still don't understand is, why tell me all this? You're always at odds with Princess Celestia. Why tell me all these things about her?"
"Oh, I don't know… perhaps I'm just bored, and I needed something to talk about. Perhaps I'm feeling a little down after Luna left without a word. Or perhaps…" Discord gave a mischievous grin. "Perhaps I'm interested in what you'll do with the information, Twilight Sparkle. Will you use it to comfort Celestia, or will you let her decay in her agony, and try to overtake the throne, once she is no longer fit to rule?"
"I — I would never do something like that!" Twilight exclaimed, taken aback at even the thought of such an act.
"Never, Twilight? Never is a dangerous word to use. Never is absolute. Do not deal with absolutes about anything until you've seen all there is to see about it, and you've heard all there is to hear about it," Discord advised.
"Still, I wouldn't do something like that… would I?" Twilight asked doubtfully, thinking back to the stories of Nightmare Moon and Discord.
Discord chuckled softly, the wicked glint in his eyes turning to playfulness. "Fret not, Sparkle, I'm only teasing," he said jokingly. "Maybe if you'd been tormented with grief and ostracized all your life, but I don't believe you're in a state to do so right now. You're the voice of reason. Celestia's lost someone who was close to her, closer than anyone else ever was. Right now, you're the next best thing. If any other pony goes and tells her these things, there isn't a chance in Tartarus that she'll be willing to accept her flaws. If I went and did it, it would be even worse. Rather than convince her, I think I'd lose my temper and blow up half the country and be sealed back in stone by the Elements before I could get my point across to her. You've been with Celestia for a while now, haven't you? Right now, I think you're the only pony she'd be willing to open up to. And don't tell her I said this, but she could really use the help."
"Why do you want me to help Princess Celestia so much? I thought you despised her," Twilight asked again.
"Oh, I do. I loathe the very nature of that mare, in all her seriousness and discipline. And she hates me back. We're complete polar opposites. North and South. Up and down. Ice and fire. Hero… and Monster." Discord sighed. "Or at least, it used to be that way, way back when we were still, quite literally, tearing at each other's throats, but I like to think that things between us aren't so bad anymore. Of course, things aren't that good between us, either. We never did get along," Discord mused. "The most we've had between us was a partnership and a mutual sense of respect, and I doubt that'll change anytime soon."
The draconequus turned once more, looking up at the sky again. The sun was beginning to set, and a red glow tinged the clouds overhead. From the other end of the horizon, the blanket of night had already started to sweep over. "But…" He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "It's what she would have wanted," he replied simply.
Twilight couldn't help but give a gentle smile. "You really have changed, Discord. You know that?"
"Do you think that's a good thing?" Discord asked one more time.
"I don't know," Twilight smirked. "Do you?"
Discord flashed a toothy grin of his own. "Twilight Sparkle, I think it's the best thing that ever happened to me."
End of Chapter 2
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Wow, wasn't expecting Discord's emotional connection with Luna there. Still, I think it adds a lot to the story you're telling here, so that's good. Also, isn't Twilight a princess, now? So shouldn't she be helping Celestia out with some of the gov't stuff? Or at least preparing to.
3366341 Discord is probably my favourite FiM villain. I try to incorporate him in every story that I write, even if I put him in extremely minor roles. Also, I pictured this story to happen not too long after Twilight became a princess, so she's still learning the ropes before helping with the legal issues for the moment.
3366413 I see!
Simply put:
This is beautiful.
3366364 being honest, Luna is my least favorite princess because everyone and their great great grandma seems to love her and hate celestia (and yes, it's possible that I'm one of those kinds of people). but I hate how well you've written her death, especially because you wrote it so that the reader feels what Celestia feels. you made me feel her uncertainty and denial, I almost started crying her tears and screaming for Luna to stay. and it's even more heart rending when shown against Luna's acceptance of her death, though I think it might be more accurate to say that she faded. you broke her down and made me, as a reader, feel every crack as it was made. you wrote that scene just so well, and I want to hunt you down, cut off your head, and place it on a pike because of it (anger and violence seem to be what i reach for most as I express myself, it's something I need to work on)
3366364
stream1.gifsoup.com/view1/1151990/brandon-s-shrug-o.gif
Eh, not all the time.
3366443 I will take that as a compliment.
A story dealing with the aftermath of Luna's death... interesting. This is going to be a very trying story to read, but all the more rewarding if it's done correctly...
Well, Author, congratulations on being featured.
assets0.ordienetworks.com/images/GifGuide/clapping/busey_clapping.gif
3366597 No. Way. That is awesome!
3366559 All I'm going to promise is that I've tried my best writing this.
3366524 I've always been under the assumption that Equestria had slightly different physics to our universe, which is the most sensible way to explain how Celestia and Luna "raise" the sun and the moon, and maybe even magic itself. (it also makes for great loopholes in case you make scientific errors due to lack of knowledge.)
When I read your first chapter, I had my reservations. They have since been dismissed. I see that you're serious with this story; you shall not be wallowing in sorrow for sake of wallowing in sorrow.
A technical question: You originally planned to give this story four chapters. What changed those plans?
3366627
I always though of it as Celestia and Luna using dark energy (I'm stretching dark energy's hypothetical properties a bit) to counteract the pulling force of super massive objects and then subjugate the objects to their will, but that's just theory
For all we know, they're just deities who love to mess around a lot...
Haha, reminds me of a mistake I once made in applying classical mechanics to particles moving at a large fraction of the speed of light. Spoiler alert: that's scientifically incorrect because good 'ole Einstein's relativity-based mathematics begin showing up. Let's just say the relativistic-equation-lovers practically crucified me for my shameful mistake, and I vowed never to do something like that again... good times, good times....
3366673 Thank you for your kind words. However, I don 't think that I ever planned to make this into a four chapter story. It started off as a oneshot with a slightly tweaked chapter 1 only, but upon further consideration from myself and fellow users, I decided to extend it into a three-part short story.
Needless to say, science isn't my strong point.
3366758 I guess I can't please everyone, but thanks for telling me what you didn't like about my writing. I will strive to improve these aspects in my future works.
3366760 I'm... sorry. You lost me somewhere at the start of the second paragraph.
I liked this better than part 1. I guess that bodes well for part 3!
3366897
Haha, I used to be in that boat back when I was in Elementary School. Come High School, I had a gift for all the sciences and the maths, and now it's what I do best.
Also, if you ever want to make interesting sci-fi scenarios, find some highly theoretical fields like quantum theory and/or the universe as a whole and make your own crazy theory about it-- even if it's complete illogical, there's always that chance it might be true, and it also serves as food for thought (seriously, giant spaghetti monster at the center of the universe is totally legitimate >:3). Also, going through Scientific American or scientific journals can give you a decent insight on scientific terminology and the newest idea of what builds up what in the atomic world.
What if Schrodinger had a cat that was alive AND dead? That'd be a great horror story right there, huehuehue....
3366897
Also, videos like this one are really cool:
And if you need really abstract ideas, Cyriak's videos are great for that
(spoiler alert: they're very weird)
I worried at the start, i started to tear up,i kept reading, I cried, i kept reading, i cried more,kept reading, i blew my nose, i moved more to read, i cried again and sniffing at the climax, i stopped reading and just said "Oh my god i....*sniff* just no....life...shit *sniff* fuck i'm done...." and was able to finish it without crying a bucket load of tears. I wish i could just see the end already....
Not bad so far...
Discord seems off as well, but I can kinda see it.
Also, saying Luna was the book smart one is something I can EASILY see, too.
I'll follow along for this. See what you do with it.
~Skeeter The Lurker
3367088 Guy, guy, guy, hold on I have to say one word and one word only... Fiction. You know what make it two words Fan Fiction.
3366897
Oh? I thought I originally saw a 1/4 above your first chapter. Mayhaps I'm thinking of a different story. I've read several short ones this day.
I believe that one of the hardest things that any one human can come to terms with is the undeniable fact that they will die.
Not the, "Oh, eventually." but the full on understanding that there will be no superpower, no Doctor in a Tardis, no becoming an alicorn or one with the force. The brutally honest truth that there will be a day when you cease to exist, and that, in time, you will be forgotten.
3367482 Well aren't you just crapping out sunshine and daisies to rest of us.
Oh my god this is soooooooooooooo good.
at first I thought discord was playing a joke on celestia but then I read further and I was like never mind i cried when Luna died
this story is so good cant wait until chapter 3 comes out 
!!!
3366975 There is actually a story about Schrödinger's cat. Apparently when the characters or anything remotely sentient are not looking at it it will switch randomly between alive and dead. Kind of creepy, actually.
interesting story, i really like the discord conversation in it.
nice work this is a good story.
I'm going to be thoroughly butthurt if this makes me cry.
3366627
I'm not going to read this story, because I legitimately cannot handle the extreme unfairness of genuine tragedy. But I was reading through the comments to see if I could find any hints that this isn't actually a tragedy (some people don't seem to understand that it's not really tragedy if the tragic events are miraculously undone somehow), and I saw this comment about physics and space-stuff and just wanted to chime in with my 2 cents.
Most people seem to take the stance that Equestria's cosmology is similar to real-life's, with some exceptions, and that Luna and especially Celestia must be unimaginably powerful to be able to control the motions of the moon, stars, and sun. I much prefer something closer to the Greek-based concept of the celestial spheres (wikipedia link) for Equestria. It makes a lot more sense in the context of the rest of the fiction, especially considering that a lot of FiM is already inspired by Greek mythology, architecture, etc., and the potential explanations for things in FiM using the celestial spheres are much more interesting in my mind. Like the Star Beasts e.g. Ursa Minor and Major. Perhaps they originally lived one of Luna's two spheres, the star sphere, but ended up falling to Equestria through a great hole pierced in the sphere by Nightmare Moon during the war a thousand years ago? Stuff like that just isn't as interesting if you try to have the stars floating in conventional space.
I absolutely love the clock analogy. It's so perfect for Discord! And I don't know if it's intentional or not, but the clash between the rewiring (electronic) and gears (clockwork) is so brilliantly 'chaotic' I had to stop reading for a minute to calm down. Have a fe moustaches
Why does everyone forget that Twilight HAS been turned to stone before...
Hmm, for some reason I had this playing in my head at the funeral:
3368218
I knew it'd made a great horror story, lel.
3368553 Because it's a convenient excuse for the author to insert a quick bit of direct exposition, and because in the episode it was brief and overshadowed by Fluttershy's success.
3368553 3368822 Actually, in this context, it doesn't have any importance in the story. Twilight may have been turned to stone by a cockatrice, but she doesn't remember anything about it after Fluttershy helped free her. Discord and NMM were both defeated by the Elements of Harmony, and they had to have known exactly what was going on around them, because they both broke out of their prisons consciously, by themselves (and a little bit of help from the stars/the CMC), and were quite aware of what they were doing right after they broke free.
Sweet buttery Jesus this is deep. Now to go cry myself to sleep while listening to Wrong Side of Heaven
3367559 That's why we should strive to be our best, that we may, in some way or another, positively influence someone who may do the same in turn.
Oh
i couldn't help laughing a bit when discord said luna saw nightmare moon when she looked at him.
the original name for nightmare moon WAS discord
3373482 Wait, really? Can you link me to some evidence. I want to see this amazing fact for myself. And how did you know that anyway? Still, it's cool to know.
Just, how? I would like to ask just how do you create such feelings through words of these?
You are an amazing writer and I'll check your other works out. It is inspiring as well as jealous making, how this story could create the feels. I know how difficult it is to do so and applaud you for your amazing work. 
Sincerely,
Soulyman
*sniff* okay I think I'm feeling a bit better after reading this chaper
And by the way GREAT story! Very VERY interesting 
Oh!
3373482 Wait,how?TELL ME!
This might be the wisest chapter I might've read on Fimfiction.
And it torments me that I do not have the ability to write such a beautiful language.
Overall, it reminds me of [Come along with me], the grand finale of [Adventure Time].
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Agreed, the level of wisdom is astounding, a look from a different angle, so inspiring.
Life changing even, though I can hardly be serious about that last one since it's already fading from my memory in the same horrible 'gone in 3 hours' way as most motivational speeches, sad but true