• Published 18th Mar 2012
  • 2,373 Views, 75 Comments

Breaking Free - Nrdygrl



Celestia's memories tell an untold story of how she loved him, and how he became a monster

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The Return of Disharmony

Author’s Note: MY PEOPLE. I HATH RETURNED. *dramatic music* Tis I, your favorite author, no jk, but maybe I am I dunno lol. In the spirit of upcoming Hearts and Hooves Day, I have updated. :3 (I hate the human holiday of which I shall not say the name, most likely because Nrdygrl does not have a Very Special Somepony. *FOREVERALONE* *sniff* *sniff* *tear*) But I’m all for pony Hearts…and Hooves…and cute things such as this. Lol. So yes indeedy, I’ve updated my angsty, tragicly awfully sobbingly heart-wrenching story of Dislestia madness in the spirit of HHD! YAY! Lol. xD <3 Wow, I have just realized how deliciously stone-hearted and evil I am. I think I love myself sometimes. Now there’s irony. Hates love and loves self. Hm. ;D (jk lol) Sorry. I had caffeine today. This is what you get, people. ANYWHO…thanks for appreciating my random weirdness. Now…to DA CHAPTAR! MWHAHA. Let the pain flow through you. >:)
Oh and DO NOT WORRY about “Keep Calm and Flutter On.” I plan to stick to the episode. And yes…I know there was a certain line in that that may have…shot a very large bullet into my headcannon causing me to writhe around in the corner, talking to rocks for a few days, very much convinced that Discord was eating “Breaking Free” and not those reformation spells.
BUT…never fear, because Nrdygrl does have a plan. Just Keep Calm, my followers. I shant fail. Trust me. :) All right…now read!





Chapter Twenty-Two

“The Return of Disharmony”






"It's not Chaos, you Dodo!"

"Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of! And it is too Chaos!"

"Is not!"

"You're both wrong!"

The sounds of a quarrel and little voices engaged in a debate penetrated the walls of lonely, cold stone. Discord felt the vibrations of their tiny hooves stomping on the ground as they brawled and scuffled in front of the pedestal, all just to decide what he was. He let a smile curl across his numb features. His first smile in...gods and goddesses knew how long. Sweet disharmony. Represented by mere foals. He was represented here. His enjoyment by this little scuffle was short lived, as another pony broke up the fight and let them know what in fact the creature was.

"This statue represents 'Discord,' which means a lack of harmony among ponies," she said in a bubbly voice.

'So...some ponies out there know of what I am. But, Celestia, the true story is still a secret, I presume. They look at this statue and they see a freak of nature. And they can only wonder. Little do they know of my true power. Soon they'll gaze in awe, though. I can't keep them waiting too much longer, now can I? I do wish this stone would crack faster. Oh well. I have to admit...it's nice to hear other voices...other than yours, Celestia. Gets quite boring after a while.'

He continued to listen as the teacher pony reprimanded the young ones for fighting and led the group away. A slight pang of cool air reached his chest as the stone began to wither around him. He let out a chuckle that made the walls tremble. Oh what it would be like...to breathe, to feel, to touch again. Oh, chains be lifted. Chains that tried to bind the Son of Chaos but failed. Spells thought so strong in the arrogant minds of equines. The spells of Harmony... thought to be his defeat and demise. Not demise in the physical sense, no. The demise of himself. The death of his power and rein on this land. That's what they thought. They never thought he'd come back, did they? Those ponies from a millennia ago only had hope and trust in their princesses and the Elements. They would all turn over in their graves if they knew. If they could see what was going to happen.

And oh, those thousand years of mostly never-satisfying sleep and lonely meditation were accompanied by the occasional spirit-lifting tempo of hoof beets outside. It didn't even matter who they belonged to. The sensations of the sweet vibrations in the ground because of movement and the slightly muffled voices of ponies or chattering of creatures reminded him he wasn't alone. He could always recognize her step, though. When she'd come, she was always alone and almost never said anything. Today was so much different. For, she had stopped coming for a long time. But today she knew what would be.

And how he could almost taste her fear, her sorrows, down to the last fading memories of her quivering heart. That familiar bittersweet taste of having everything and loosing everything at the same time. It all played out before him once again. He'd let the fear in...let the love slip back into the cracks of his frozen heart. As much as Celestia believed otherwise deep down, even now, amidst the clouds that were shading her optimism, Discord told himself now that, that was one part of him that would never be breaking free. No. His heart would remain hardened and locked in this prison forevermore. Never redemption. Not for this one. Perhaps he'd left a mark here...but only one as an effigy long forgotten. And perhaps now was his chance to again leave a footprint in the sands of time and a dent in the dull scripts of Order. And this time would be different.

'Let us write a new story,' he thought smiling again.

"And let all Equestria read it..." said that voice. That same voice that accompanied him all this time. The voice of that shadowy extension of himself. His only companion now. And...having swam in a sea of shadows for so long, when the cracks of white light seeped into the prison, Discord's eyes were nearly blinded in the sweetest way. The rush of cold, stabbing air penetrated his features, creating a stabbing sensation, removing the numbness. He could almost feel like he was being put back together bit by bit. Little by little, he no longer felt like a spirit floating in a dark abyss, but an impatient baby dragon trying to break from its eggshell.

At last, after what felt like a thousand more years, it all fell apart and seemed to just disintegrated into nothing. The stone was gone. And it was only him. It took him a second to realize it. He breathed in deeply, savoring his first true breath of air in so long. He opened his eyes and saw only light. He squinted and looked around. His vision was a field of bright white with odd shapes around him. However, after blinking a bit, he adjusted to it all. The world felt so cold and sharp. The breeze felt like a knife cutting into his wheezing lungs. He shivered only slightly and stretched his numb muscles. His arms wobbled and his knees quivered in shock. They hadn't had mobility in a thousand years. The stiffness had become a norm. After a while of adjusting, Discord knew immediately his plan of action. First, set some chaotic chain reactions. Like time bombs. Little by little, they'd all go off.

He vanished into a floating, invisible spirit form, a much better adjustment, and looked down on the different Equestria. There was a new village with windmills and little thatched houses. It sat next to Everfree. He'd only known this as untouched countryside before. A lot had changed. In the distance there was a cloud city floating above it. As he continued to fly and listen in on the ponies and dig into their minds and memories of these places, he understood their purposes and origins.

'So, Cloudsdale and Ponyville, hmm?' he thought. 'Not very creative names if you ask me...' Looking down, Discord saw a blue pegasus flying by with a streak of rainbow colors behind her. A good time to add some chaos. Besides, there was something about this pegasus... He made a cotton candy cloud appear and she began chasing it in annoyance. He almost burst out laughing when he made it rain on her. He yawned and floated up higher, looking down on virtually all of Equestria. From his spirit point of view, it looked like a map.

"Let's see...frozen yogurt blizzard over here, cola storm in Cloudsdale. Mmm yes and ice cream flooding over in the deserts lands. As for here...I'll save this...Ponyville for my best works of art," he said. However much he attempted to enjoy himself with all this, that blue pegasus gave him an uneasy feeling. After he set off more "chaos bombs" to go off, he floated back down and followed that blue and rainbow pony around. When she met up with a few other ponies, that uneasy feeling turned into recognition. This feeling was the same feeling he had when the Princesses had the Elements of Harmony. Strange it was...somehow connected to these ponies now. Unless Celestia and Luna's magic were no longer connected to the Element magic and it found six different hosts for the spirits to reside. An interesting theory. Of course he had to find out if it was true. Better to be safe than sorry. After all, he couldn't lose this time. He began floating towards Canterlot and saw the full castle, beautiful and unchanged. He felt his weightless body move toward his former home with a slight bitter hesitation but also some sort of reminiscent affection. After all it was indeed the only true home he'd ever known.

The walls were quiet. Empty. The light breaking through the stained glass imagery shot beams of memories and feelings into the cracks of his heart; that made his chest tighten. And as best as he tried to ignore it, it only grew worse when his eyes gazed at the pictures before him. They were all ghosts to him now. Discord's past was hidden now...and was replaced by his victory and fall a thousand years ago. The stained glass images of Eris and the castle, all of that was gone now. Ripped from the walls. And all that was left was a cruel depiction of him...a one sided depiction obviously created by none other than Dear Tia herself. From new images before him, Discord could gather there had been a falling out between her and Luna at one point. Luna had become a dark version of herself and apparently was banished to the moon. However, one window caught him off guard. It was Luna surrounded by six ponies and those orbs of light. A shiver went up his spine. So his suspicions were correct. This falling out from the two caused a break in the Elements. The connection was broken. So these mere ponies were their new vessels. No matter. He'd read them all like books and find ways to crack them. And he'd have to find the Elements' corporal forms as well so he could hide them away. A lot to think about, but entertaining in the least. Why wouldn't this would be a fun little game for Discord, spirit of Chaos and disharmony alone? But then...everything changed slightly when those doors creaked open. All that sharpness returned to the epicenter of his chest. He almost thought he was trapped in stone again. He almost forgot he was invisible. He almost felt all that pressure erupt into his throat. He almost felt the backs of eyes fail to hold back the sudden deluge. He almost cried. When he saw her.



________________________



The sun had indeed grown paler. The once radiant, golden light that shown through those windows years ago was now replaced by the white bleak glow of her heart's slow decay in this hour. The princess of Equestria let her hooves slowly float across the red carpet. She floated like a lonely spirit, concern and nausea twisting her stomach in knots and a torpid daze washing the violet hue out of her eyes. It was already happening. The world felt smaller and empty. Cold icy sensations riveted her spine as she paced the floor. A lump surfaced in her throat as her nerves began tingling in paranoia. There was something in the air...no maybe even right here in this room that didn't feel right. Perhaps it was the way the windows stared down at her...his glass image and the way it seemed to stare at her. And just the realization and knowledge that Discord was free and out there somewhere reeking havoc made it worse. Celestia sighed and stopped in front of the window of Discord causing chaos. She let her eyelids fall shut and bent her head down in a moment of worry and defeat. How could her faith in Twilight, the one she chose to be her student, and destined for greatness just diminish in this hour. She and her friends worked a miracle with Luna. Even after everything...after the stars had betrayed them. It was, after all that bargain made on that mountain top that unleashed Nightmare Moon....

'I wish I'd never made that deal with them,' she thought. 'I should've known they wanted something I could not foresee. They would never betray their Princess of the Night. Not even when the darkness and the shadows consumed her.' That old prophecy written long ago by Star Swirl...a revelation and vision granted to him by the gods that she wished she paid attention to up until when she first noticed the signs...It rang in her mind.

"On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal."

Yes indeed. They could never see her trapped in the moon forever. That was their side of the bargain. How ironic a trade. They granted her a power that would not only contain Discord, but would one day send their own ruler to a lunar prison of night and then...they would not see the justification in such a punishment for all time. The past present and future was theirs, and it was said, ponies born under certain constellations where given great destinies. The stars cared not of what Luna would do, for perhaps, in their balance of things, the Elements would save her anyway. It was a twisted deal that angered Celestia when the truth was revealed and when she realized the stars would betray Equestria for Nightmare Moon, going against Celestia's better judgment for the kingdom. Even if it meant sealing away the one last bit of her that was still lingering near her-her very sister.

And now, after that last sacrifice, after the tears shed and years slipped away into the sands of time, she stood here in the spotlight, the rays of the pure white shadow of herself gleaming through the window. She almost wanted to crash her head against the glass. How could she think such selfish things? If that deal with the stars never took place, The Elements never would have been granted to them. The stars were loyal to the night until the bitter end, which very well explained why she despised them now. No matter how much the Elements' origins angered her, The only hope she had now were Twilight and her friends, the corporeal forms of Harmony. How could she doubt them? Well, they would be here soon. She opened her eyes as the room seemed to grow colder. She shivered slightly and swallowed. A gut-wrenching feeling told her she was being watched. There was no one there, but it felt almost spectral. As if...the ghost of everything she let herself relive earlier that morning was about to take a form and presence in the room and haunt her even more. Of course it must've been him. For what puffs of air, breathing, could make her cheeks feel warm while the rest of her was ice cold? And yet there was emptiness. That is what probably frightened her the most. Yes, she was afraid of him. Celestia felt like such a foolish coward when she called for the guards outside the door to the hall. They assured her there was nothing in the room, of course. They wanted to escort her to any other room If she wished, of course. She rejected the idea. If it truly was him there, she wanted to show no fear, even if she felt it. Guards on either side of her would be the image of a coward, hiding behind them.

At long last of the awful feeling penetrating her, she exited the room and headed for the throne room where Twilight and her friends would meet her. She'd have to go back to the hall. Perhaps he'd reveal himself the second time. It angered her...being watched like that. It turned her stomach. She'd make him turn visible if he was certainly there the next time. She'd have none of his games here. Celestia sighed and cooled her boiling blood. A smile did manage across her face. Luna was asleep. So, she'd thankfully no none of this. It wouldn't be right to wake her. She couldn't let her witness it...again...all the chaos. So, all that was left to do now, was wait for The Elements of Harmony to arrive and stop him. And as much as she hated to admit it, her faith in Twilight and the others was stronger than the faith she had in Discord. And that hurt her.




__________________________




In some odd way, he found elation in seeing her walk into the room. But of course mixed with pangs of hate. Why such an agonizing inferno was set ablaze inside him? A labyrinth he could never solve. All he should ever feel for her now is strong hatred. Seeing her now made things so strange though. Discord floated down closer to her. She was pacing around, looking so uneasy. At this point, when they were a couple, he would've done something to have cheered her up or made her laugh. Now, he just watched from above. He remembered walking down this hall with Celestia long ago and appearing in the window. Maybe he'd do that again. Or...maybe right now...he could just keep watching her, not reveal himself just yet. Maybe scare her a little. After all, spirits made rooms...cold, didn't they? He smiled and floated near her when she stopped walking. He floated in place, directly in front of her, only inches from her pale face. Celestia opened her eyes and looked around in fear. She could sense he was there. Her dewy eyes glistened in the sunlight. She was looking right at him and didn't even know it. Discord felt his heart beat faster. His emotions were rushing like when he first knew years ago that he was in love with her.

'You're my curse,' he thought. 'My curse is tied forever to you. And it can never be broken, can it?'

His eyelids fluttered. His lips were only inches from hers. Perhaps his breath was tickling her nose, for she turned her head away quickly and walked the other way. Discord sighed and hung his head. He pinned his ears back and felt a knot in his chest.

"Guards!" Celestia called. The guards came into the hall.

"Yes, Princess? What's wrong?" they asked.

"I think...he's here," Celestia replied. "Search for me?"

Discord smirked and darted up onto the ceiling. He twisted his body around the chandelier and gazed down at them. After a while, the guards approached Celestia.

"There's nopony here that we can see, Your Highness, but if you're certain, we can escort you around the castle for your safety."

Haha. Yes. Say yes, Celestia. Show me just how vulnerable you really are, Discord thought.

"No. That won't be necessary," she replied. "Please guard this room. He can't get hold of the Elements. Twilight and others will be here soon. I must inform them on this dire situation. I ask the protection remain here only, though. Understood?"

"Yes Your Highness."

"Good."

The guards left the room to guard it and Celestia slowly followed them with heavy steps. Discord noticed how slow and cautiously she walked. The fear was deliciously palpable. He could only grin at the thought of striking such feeling into the princess's heart. However, so much pain followed it. Discord himself couldn't ignore the whirlwind of emotion that was already keeping him off task. No matter. First thing to do, was see about these Elements. Two forms. Stealing them both...would be easy for the Son of Chaos.




_________________________



“Princess Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice rang out and echoed in the throne room as the big door opened to let the six ponies in. Her purple hooves ran across the red carpeting as she approached the steps. Celestia turned to her student, looking down at the young unicorn’s wide dark purple eyes. “We came as fast as we could!” she said out of breath, stopping at the foot of the platform.

“Thank you, Twilight. Thank you all,” Celestia said in a strained voice. She glanced down at the floor and bit her lip as she prepared herself for what she was going to say.

“Is this about the weather? And the animals’ weird behavior?” Twilight asked nervously. “What’s happening out there? Why isn’t my magic working? Is there…?” Celestia calmly put her hoof up to stop Twilight’s rapid questions. As much as she didn’t want to return to that hall, the best way to explain everything to them, was to show them.

“Follow me,” she said. The six ponies followed behind her with quizzical looks on their faces until they entered that hallway with the stained glass windows. Now, there was the matter of how to tell them the story. There was no easy way of doing this, but Celestia could not tell them the whole truth. Not the story surrounding her and Discord’s relationship. Just the idea of confessing the past to anypony, let alone her prized student and the other Elements made her cheeks blush with embarrassment. If they met Discord now, they could never understand how good he once was. How much she loved him at one time. How much she was willing to fight for him… “I’ve called you all here for a matter of great importance,” she began. “It seems an old foe of mine…someone I thought I had defeated long ago, has returned. His name…is Discord.” She then proceeded to tell them how he ruled Equestria and how she and Luna defeated them. Stretching the truth slightly? Calling him her foe? Yes. But it was true. What was he to her now? It pained her heart to say it…that she didn’t know what to call him now. Love? No. Friend? …no. So perhaps just foe was all that was left. He was merely somepony she used to know, and now….she only could see the shadows that clouded him from her.

After she explained this tale, she approached the door with the Element necklaces inside. She used her horn on the door, unlocking the chamber and levitating the chest over to the six ponies. Shock on horror was clearly written on all their faces when the chest was clearly empty. The room grew deathly quiet for a split second. After it was quite obvious that the Elemental necklaces were gone, Celestia turned and looked around the room, confusion setting in.

“That chamber is protected by a powerful spell that only I can break,” she said, half to herself. “This doesn’t make sense…” A wave of cold swept over the room and the echoing laughter made her shiver.

“Make sense? Oh, what fun is there in making sense?” Celestia’s eyes grew wide as she heard him echoing the words of his mother. Eris said those exact words on that cliff side years ago.

“Discord! Show yourself!” Celestia yelled angrily, her eyes narrowing as they darted around the room. She caught a spectral image out of the corner of her eye dart from one side of the room to another. Her heart began to race.


“Did you miss me, Celestia?” The voice echoed all around her. Her eyes glanced at the window for a split second as a flash of light appeared within it. Just like when they were young. Appearing in the window again. Her blood began to rush in anger. Her knees locked as she watched his image come to life. “I missed you. It’s quite lonely being encased in stone, but you wouldn’t know that would you, because I don’t turn ponies into stone,” Discord said, his picture floating from one window to another. He taunted her more by knocking his fist on one of the glass pictures of the Element stones.

'Guilt me if you will,' she thought, swallowing hard. 'It won’t work. I can’t regret what I did. As princess, I can’t. I may as your friend…as…whatever we once were, but now, you are nothing more than my enemy. So, I can’t regret. So your tricks won’t work on me!'

“Enough!” she shouted aloud, her blood boiling. She saw Twilight jump out of the corner of her eye. For, her student probably had never seen her mad like this. As much as she hated to show anger in front of her subjects, or ponies important to her, like Twilight, who was much more than her prized pupil, more like a sister to her, now was a time to let Discord now she was not about to take any of his trickery or chaotic ways. Not now. Not again. The shadow in her, the one that surfaced years ago when he first took over, could not come back now, for she never wanted to become dark like Luna. So…she had taken care of that part of her so it could never happen again. “What have you done with the Elements, Discord?”

“Oh I just barrowed them for a teensy little while…” he replied, obviously enjoying this.

“You’ll never get away with this, Discord,” Celestia replied stomping her hoof on the ground. Her veins pulsated and she clenched her teeth, trying her best to remain calm in front of the others. Besides, he was probably just bursting with delight inside over her palpable fury and the building tension in the room.

“Oh, I’ve forgotten how grim you can be, Celestia. It’s really quite boring,” he said looking down at his paw. Celestia glared at him, as he was clearly reminding her of when he told her she was “too grim” back when they first came into this room when they were young. And at this point, she almost wanted to smash the window in with some magic.

'Come on out here then…and look me in the eye if I’m so boring, Discord,' she thought. 'Quite hiding behind the glass, Son of Chaos.' Rainbow Dash darted up to the window, defending her for that insult, but then hit the window as Discord vanished and then began to be read by him when he appeared again. Celestia stood by and watched fearfully as he read all of Twilight’s friends. Their strengths, weaknesses, what Element they represented. Her fear quickly returned. If he could mind read like Eris could, he would know just how to make them weak, how to break the friendships apart. She could only hope with Twilight at the lead, all would be successful in the end. However, with power like Discord’s, her worry caused her fall silent for a few moments. Then, Discord proceeded to dance quite mockingly on top of window Twilight’s head. Pinkie Pie laughed at him and Twilight said her name and glared at her.

“Stop staling Discord,” said Celestia in annoyance. “What have you done with the Elements of Harmony?”

“Oh, so boring, Celestia,” said Discord half sighing in exasperation. “Really? Fine, I'll tell you, but I'll only tell you my way.” This could only mean some kind of riddle. Celestia knew him too well. He disappeared from the window and his picture grew larger. It floated all around the room from window to window, his voice echoing the strange rhyme. “To retrieve your missing Elements just make sense of this change of events. Twists and turns are my master plan. Then find the Elements back where you began.” He then returned to the window of him floating above ponies, causing chaos and his image returned to a simple stationary picture. His laughing voice faded away.

After confusion, Twilight and her friends talked about what the riddle could’ve meant. Twilight ventured to a window, saw the palace maze and concluded he hid the Elements there. Celestia nodded in agreement. It would make sense for Discord to hide them in a chaotic place he created. It was that last birthday present he gave her. She always kept there. More or less turned it into a sculpture garden so his statue would not be a solitary one, but one of many. And now the Elemental ponies would venture into it. She would go with them, of course, but what could she do? Her magic would be useless against him. Besides, the Elements were the only things that could contain him. There was nothing more she could do, as much as she hated that.

“Good luck, my little ponies,” she said, giving Twilight a knighting gesturing with her horn, as an act of encouragement. “The fate of Equestria is in your hooves.” As she watched them run out of the room, she heard Discord laugh again. It echoed off the ceiling, almost like it came from the chandelier. She looked up, but didn’t see anything. Slowly, she exited the room, finding the castle surprisingly empty and so deathly quiet. She passed a mirror down one hall and glanced at it out of the corner of her eye. Bipedal goat-like legs were standing behind her. She jumped and gasped, whirling around. Nopony was there. She angrily turned back to the mirror, finding it was only her reflection. He was probably laughing his head off at the moment. She was about to turn away, when she saw her reflection’s eyes turn yellow and red and smiling at her. She jerked her head back and glared at the mirror, finding it normal again.

“Stop that!” she growled. She paused and waited. Nothing happened. “I’m not crazy,” she said, half to herself. “I’m not just seeing you everywhere, just because…maybe I do feel guilty…maybe I don’t want to call you my foe…and maybe…maybe….” Tears formed in her eyes. “….I’ve missed you…” she whispered, hanging her head and drooping her ears. She slowly walked to her chambers, her wings falling to her sides, the white feathers dragging on the ground. She looked like a lonely white cloud, floating alone. Meanwhile, the face in the mirror formed into the figure of Discord. He stepped out of the mirror as if it were a sideways pool and watched her walk down the hall. He dropped his ears slightly, turned and disappeared.

“Maybe I miss you too…Tia…” he uttered before the light made him vanish. “But…I just want to forget…” The hall was empty.

Somewhere, a dark cloud loomed, casting its shadow over the earth. Chaos smiled and vanished.




TO BE CONTINUED…



Continued Author’s Note: Instead of writing these random things, I should just say… sup. New chap. Yeah. That’s wassup. I’m Nrdygrl. Yeah. Deal with it. Lol ^_^
ANNOUNCEMENT: Me and my pony OC, Wordy (who is just as diabolical and sarcastic as me, if not more,) is NOW ON INSTAGRAM. FOLLOW MEEEEEE THEEEREEEEE. Pwease? :3 I shall post fanart and OC art there, along with picture updates if a new chapter is posted. Sound good? My username on there is #Nrdygrl_Wordy :) K?
Sorry for slow updates. Life is crazy. Blahh. Next one may be slower than usual. I may be moving to [an undisclosed location lol]. So I plead the “parents are making me pack stuff up” amendment. Lol. Sheeya Laytaaa, Ppl!
BTW: HOW ABOUT THAT UPCOMING FINALE? I made a video about it. O.o I…just…don’t…know… uggghhhhhh…. O.O
Peace