The Vow

by The Princess Rarity

Please don't look away when the morning breaks us.

"Please don't look away when the morning breaks us."

The world was being shook, literally. Equestria had always been a peaceful nation, but now, everything was completely out of whack. It wasn't heartbreaking news or war rampaging throughout the land. No, it was something so much worse.

Chaos, and disharmony.

It was pouring endless fear into the citizens of the land, who had run off to the farthest corners of Equestria to escape the storm.

But alas, no pony was safe.

Despite the Sisters' efforts to calm their nation down, nothing was working. Rebellion had struck, everypony had tried to fight, but this was one battle that not a single soul could fight, not even Celestia or Luna. After all, how could anypony fight a mysterious magic that was developing rapidly at each and every moment?

"Fix this!" Luna shrieked, as she barricaded the Castle balcony with a magic shield.

Celestia hesitated, and blinked slowly. "How?" she rasped.

Luna frowned. "You know him best," she argued. "Surely, there must something, anything, you could do to stop him." She took note of her sister's distraught expression and she frowned. "Are you the reason for this? Is he upset with you?"

"Of course not!" Celestia defended. "It has nothing to do with me whatsoever. He's gone mad and we both know it. I... I just don't know why."

A streak of rainbow colored lightning danced across the sky and exploded, turning everything within a one hundred mile radius into a colorful mess. Almost as if somepony dropped buckets of paint onto the outlands. And this wasn't the only thing - hybrid animals ran wild, screeching and attacking everything in sight. The clouds had been replaced with burly black blobs covered in thorns. The only thing that seemed in order was the sun, up at it's highest peak in the sky.

In the middle of this mess, was someone completely unexpected.

Always known as playful, kind, a goof, but more or less a child stuck in an adult's body...

"You will talk to him," Luna demanded. "This has gone too long."

"But-"

"Celestia, we could use the Elements we found. You have a choice - talk or violence."

Releasing an uneven breath, Celestia nodded. "Alright," she muttered.

She had many of the tales about the Elements of Harmony when she was a foal, but just now did she and Luna find them. They were meant for desperate measures only, and while this certainly did seem like the case, there was always a second chance, wasn't there?

Luna let out a sigh. "Good luck, my sister," she said softly. "You're going to need it."

Celestia's expression was frozen as she gave a small nod, and flew off of the balcony, heading for the highest mountain top in Equestria, where all of this chaos was coming from.

She couldn't believe she was doing this... nor did she want to.

In her heart, it didn't feel right, yet her conscience was about to bust down the door and take over. This was how it had to be, and she would simply have to deal with it.

Preparing herself, Celestia elegantly landed on the cliff, and looked up, horrified at what she saw.

Nothing in a thousand years could have made her ready for this.

"Oh, hello, 'Tia!" Discord laughed. "I must say, it's about time you joined me." He snapped his talons and a watch with a sundial instead of a clockface appeared on his wrist. "I would say you're late, but then again, you are a Princess, so I'll pardon you. So, what would you like to do fi-"

"-What's happened to you?" Celestia demanded. "You are not Discord."

A moment of silence passed, only before a wicked grin spread across his expression and he let out a chuckle that almost seemed dark.

He shook his head. "Don't you know, my dear?" he said. "This is me. Always has been. It's finally cracked. I held it in a cage for so long, but I am an animal. I can't be tamed, no matter how long you try to teach me how to roll over and keep me behind bars."

"No, it can't-"

"-yes, it can," Discord continued. "I am the living embodiment of disharmony, you of all ponies should know this well enough. I was not born, I was created. Or perhaps you forget that story? I highly doubt it, you know. You're quite an intelligent mare."

"I know your story," Celestia stammered. "You have no parents. Mine took you in. You were created due to the arguing between the three pony tribes on the first Hearth's Warming."

Discord snapped his talons and smiled. "Give the filly a prize!" he announced.

With a quick flash of light, her elegant golden regalia turned black and silver. Celestia felt so strange wearing it, a light shudder actually slipped out from her lips.

"Ooh, my, you look absolutely ravishing in that," he crooned, as his eyes raked over her.

Normally, Celestia would have blushed at that sort of comment from him, but now was not the time to fall victim to this sort of thing. This was not the Discord she knew and loved all these years.

But she couldn't dare believe what he said.

The Discord she knew wasn't an animal - he never had been, and he never would be...

...would he?

"Enough games, Discord," she declared, looking up and staring at him sternly.

For a minute, he looked genuinely frightened - but it didn't last long - and he quickly burst into laughter. "What are you going to do to me, Celestia?" he teased. "I have more power than you and Lulu combined. Nothing you two could conjure up would ever defeat me."

"We have the Elements of Harmony," Celestia announced.

Discord scoffed. "Oh, sure, when pigs fly," he said. "Actually-"

With a wave of his paw, a pig suddenly appeared in midair, and it sprouted wings, fluttering off.

"Now that's amusing," he chuckled. "But in all seriousness, you really think I'm a big enough fool to fall for an old mare's tale?"

"I wouldn't joke about something as serious as that," Celestia argued. "Now, surrender. Please."

"Did you really just use manners? Towards me?" Discord guffawed. "Oh, wow, you really are the perfect Princess, aren't you, 'Tia?" He let out a soft hum, and nodded thoughtfully. "I'm guessing you don't care for me like you used to, what with my whole taking over the world gig and all."

Celestia swallowed, and found the will to breath normally again. "I still care about you," she admitted. "I always have. And whatever is going on, I will not be hesitant to help you. But I beg of you, stop the act."

"I always wanted you to beg me for something," he mused. "Not this, mind you, but-" He noticed her blush and smirked. "Alright. Since you're pretty, and I'm feeling nice, I'll make you a deal."

"I appreciate it," Celestia replied. "So, what is it you want? A part of Equestria to rule on your own? Chests full of jewels? Or perhaps-"

Discord chuckled, and shook his head. "Well, they all sound very tempting, my dear, I will have to decline on all of those offers," he said. "Besides, this is my deal, not yours. I pick and choose, you take it or leave it."

Her body went rigid as she blinked slowly.

Before, she would never be afraid, but now... she wasn't so sure.

"Of course," Celestia murmured, with a somber nod.

"So, something I want," Discord said, as he stroked his beard in thought. "I have the ability to whip up the rarest of gems with a snap of my talons, and I've already taken over Equestria, so there's that. I can't really think of anything else I could need - and if I desire it sometime, I can always get it with my magic."

He looked all around, to his stolen land, and down to the vulnerable Princess before him.

A dark chuckle slipped past his lips as he slithered off of his throne, becoming face-to-face with Celestia, who was trying not to show her fear.

Discord held her beautiful face in his mismatched grasp, and his smirk was spine-chilling.

"Oh, but you are the perfect prize," he hissed.

"What are you going on about?" Celestia asked hesitantly.

He tapped her on the nose with a talon, and laughed. "Why didn't I think of it before?" he exclaimed. "Yes, I've got the whole world in my paw, but what good is it if I have nopony to share it with? And seeing how you care for this precious nation so much, I'll give us the best of both worlds, how's that?"

Celestia blinked slowly. "What are you implying?" she pressed.

"I'm not implying anything, 'Tia," Discord defended. "I'm making my deal. You let me rule with this wonderful chaos and in exchange, I'll give you your throne back, on one condition."

"And what might that be?"

His red-eyed gaze burned deep into her enchanting mauve eyes. "Princess is such an immature title for somepony like you," he said. "How about we take Equestria as ours? No longer will you have such a simple and petty title, but instead, this nation will be ruled by King Discord and Queen Celestia. Your little sister can be our court jester, how's that? We'll have our own little patch of heaven and I'll let you keep the ponies safe, but the land is all mine for the taking."

Celestia went pale - if that was possible.

Her expression was like a blank canvas, but it slowly contorted into pure horror.

"You must be joking," she muttered.

Discord shook his head. "I'm serious as a creator of chaos could be," he assured.

Her heart fell into her hooves.

This wasn't her Discord. This was not the sweet, shy and klutzy creature she had found outside the Castle all those years ago. Discord had grown up to become a lovable, kind, likable soul who made everypony laugh with his silly antics. Throughout all these years, Celestia felt a connection with him...

...but now, that bridge seemed to have burned down.

"Well, if it hasn't gotten through your head yet, I'll put it this way," Discord spoke up. "You and me could be living the fairytale life. Happy Ending for the Princess, yes? Now do you understand?"

Tears formed in Celestia's eyes, blurring her vision as she looked down to the ground.

Her normally iron will had crumbled, and she shook her head. "No," she mumbled.

Discord let out a groan. "Oh, for goodness' sake, 'Tia, I know how smart you are, just figure it out!" he argued. "Now, if you refuse my deal, just say so!" He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, females."

"I will not accept your so-called compromise," she spat.

He gave a wave of his lion's paw. "Your loss," he said breezily. "Now, I'm off to create a bit more chaos. Sayonara!" Then, with a snap of his talons, in a flash of light, Discord was gone.

Celestia was now alone up on the mountain top, and she let out an uneasy breath before she flapped her wings and began flying off to the Castle.

The sound of the Castle's front doors creaked open slowly, alerting the only soul inside the residence that a certain somepony had returned after so long.

"Celestia?" Luna said hesitantly.

The Sun Princess staggered along the hall, only before her knees buckled and she fell down onto the floor in a defeated heap. She was shaking with every breath, which summoned her sister to immediately rush over to her side.

"Celestia! Are you alright? What is it?"

There was no response, just a loud wail escaping from Celestia's lips.

It was a cry like no other, one of a pain that she had never experienced before...

...heartbreak.

Her feelings had been shattered, her emotion of love was broken and it felt as if somepony had taken out her heart and crushed it right before her own eyes.

Luna let out a sigh, and wrapped her forelegs around her sister, attempting to comfort her.

"Oh, Tia," she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Celestia choked out. "I was dancing with the devil, it was only a matter of time before I fell down." She screwed her eyes shut and returned the embrace, continuing to cry.

Fury went ablaze in Luna's blue eyes. "He hurt you?! That monster," she hissed.

Celestia shook her head. "Not intentionally," she muttered. "I hurt myself, more or less. Discord did nothing. He used to love me, that is the only problem. If we hadn't been so close-" Her words fumbled around, and all that came out was another soft sob. "If only."

That night, the only thing that could be heard in the Castle was the anguished cries of a Princess.

-- PRESENT DAY --

"I locked myself in my room for days," Celestia muttered. "All I could do was cry and hope that you would return back to the way I knew you, but-"

Discord frowned. They both knew the answer to that question.

He swallowed, and placed a kiss on her forehead, gently twirling one of her voluminous curls around his talons. "I immediately regretted it all after you turned me to stone," he said softly.

"You saw it all, didn't you?" she rasped.

She knew that just because he was encased in stone didn't mean anything. He could hear and see all that was around him, and on that fateful night when everything had finally fallen apart for the both of them, heartbreak had overcome Celestia once more.

Never did Discord ever think he would see her cry like that - especially over him...

The second he was in his prison, the sound of her hysterical sobbing hurt more than the granite covering his mismatched form. It was then he wished that he could turn back time.

"I never thought you would forgive me, you know," he mused.

Celestia's smile was bittersweet. "I didn't think so either," she sighed.

With that said, the memory of his reformation from not so long ago suddenly filled their minds...

Author's Note:

Oh, you guys thought it was over now? ...yeah, nope. We still have a few more events to go through before it all comes to a conclusion! These two deserve a properly written Happily Ever After, so I'm going to be sure to give it to them ;3.

Comments

[Starlight Shadow]

This is why I follow you.

[TheOneBehindYou]

Its so cute and just kjsdhkasdhja

I want moar pl0x ;w;