Secrets and Lies

by Metaphor

Chapter 10

The wind barely rustled the trees of the Everfree Forest as a flash of light lit up a small clearing in the undergrowth. It faded quickly to reveal a party of five ponies, a small dragon and a draconequus, the latter being the only one who didn’t start looking around frantically.

“…wait we can’t…” cried Fluttershy, seemingly being transported mid-sentence before she realised where she was.

She quickly fell silent as she looked around, whimpering slightly at the dense forest that surrounded them. Pinkie Pie and Rarity seemed content to just look around before sighing deeply in a mournful tone. Applejack meanwhile was anything but mournful.

In a second she rounded on Discord, the rage inside her finally finding an outlet she could use to release it…if it was justified or not. Discord seemed sluggish, or at least he wasn’t expecting such actions, and Applejack’s front hooves connected squarely with the draconequues’ face. In true Discord style though the blow was quickly rendered mute as Discord’s head simply popped free from his body and rolled to the ground a few paces away.

As Applejack stood in complete shock Discord looked back at her with a small frown, “Really now Applejack, did you really think this would solve all your problems?”

Applejack just stammered slightly as Discord’s body wobbled over to his head and picked it up.

“I can understand you’re not exactly the happiest pony in Equestria right now but do you think de-heading your rescuer would make an improvement?” he asked slowly as he reattached his head and frowned at her.

Applejack’s lower lip was trembling like a leaf in the wind as she stared back at him, “What gives you the right to be so cocky?! Have you seen what’s been happening?! Don’t you dare try to make this into a joke! Why didn’t you rescue Celestia?! What did you do? What’s going on?!”

“Still think I have something to do with all this?” Discord sighed, “I can’t blame you I suppose but this time you really shouldn’t be looking at me.”

Applejack growled slightly but Fluttershy suddenly stepped forward and placed herself between the arguing pair.

“P-Please, don’t fight...we’re all really scared and nopony knows what’s really going on,” she said, her words firm but obviously hard for her to say, “Discord did save us…”

“Thank you Fluttershy…” started Discord before Fluttershy shot a glance in his direction.

“…but that doesn’t explain what is going on,” she finished with a slight bite to her words that made Discord flinch slightly.

“Very well, I’ll try and explain but you really should save your questions for that zebra friend of yours,” he replied with a short sigh.

“Zecora?” questioned Rarity, “What would she know about all this?”

“More than you can imagine,” teased Discord as he turned and began to walk away.

The others set off after him although Rainbow took some encouragement before she began to move herself. For a short while a silence descended over them, Discord looking uncharacteristically sombre.

“Well?” pushed Applejack at length, the earth pony still not convinced about everything that Discord had said.

“Your patience is not one of your best qualities,” snapped Discord, “Still, for someone as young as yourself I suppose it’s a quality that you just haven’t developed yet.”

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” replied Applejack.

“I’ve lived for more than my fair share of millennia my dear little pony. I’ve lived through many different times and let me tell you that you don’t retain a hold on your sanity without learning the value of patience.”

“Sanity? From you, that’s rich!”

“I will give you that one, sanity was never something I truly valued. No I’m certainly more entertained by insanity you could say…but have you ever thought why?”

Everypony stopped for a moment. It was true that they all knew what Discord was but why he was like he was was not a question that they had asked. Discord gave a small snort.

“I suppose it’s no surprise, you defeat the bad guy and go home, no point on dwelling on the matter,” he said flatly.

“…I’m sorry Discord,” murmured Fluttershy quietly.

“Oh it’s alright Fluttershy, after all you were the first one to really believe that I wasn’t all bad unlike some ponies I could mention,” he let out a small sigh, “I suppose it’s just become a habit of mine, after all when you’ve been forced to dance back and forth at the whim of an evil overlord for their amusement you just accept that what you do is perfectly normal.”

“What do you m…” started Fluttershy quietly.

“I’ll let her explain, frankly I don’t enjoy talking about it,” interrupted Discord as he pointed ahead.

The short walk hadn’t taken long and as Discord pointed the hut of Zecora came into view. Outside the zebra was sat watching the jungle with a furrowed brow although her expression lightened as she saw the approaching group.

“Ponies!” she exclaimed loudly, “It warms the heart to see you here, I am so glad I no longer have to fear.”

“Zecora!” came a relieved reply from the group each of them looking happy to see a friendly face.

“Come inside and I’ll fix some tea, you must be tired after your fraught journey.”

Before long the group was sat round a small fire in Zecora’s hut sipping thankfully on a selection of herbal drinks the zebra had prepared. For each of them the events of the day seemed to slip away as the warmth of the fire and tea gently relaxed them. Even Applejack looked calmer and sullen mood of Rainbow Dash seemed to brighten ever so slightly. Still even a couple of creature comforts could not make them forget what had happened. The look on Twilight’s face, the word’s she had said…the deeds she had committed. There was a silence in the room but all eyes were on Zecora as she finally sat down with them.

“Many questions you have for me, but the answers you seek may not agree,” she said slowly.

“I don’t care one bit, what the hay is going on?!” insisted Applejack as each of her friends gave their own nervous nod.

“Very well I will explain, but if it hurts I am not to blame…”

Reaching to her side Zecora pulled out a small pouch and drew out a small pile of fine green dust. Slowly she murmured a few incomprehensible words under her breath and then cast the powder onto the fire. There was a burst of flame, the shock causing everypony to withdraw slightly, but then a series of images began to swirl into view.

“Our tale begins in a time long ago, back before any of us could ever know. The land was dark with dread and fear, for the grim spectre of death was always near.”

The swirling mist reshaped, figures moving back and forth like ripples on a lake but each one made the ponies shudder.

“This land was ruled by a pair you know, far darker they were and evil although.”

“Who?” asked Rarity quizzically.

“The Royal Princesses,” replied Discord from his hammock perch in the corner of the room.

“Bull!” snapped Applejack quickly.

“I assure you much Miss Applejack, Discord is quite correct in this flash back,” insisted Zecora.

As if in answer to her words the green flames changed shape once more, forming into the faces of Celestia and Luna.

“But that can’t be…” continued Applejack as she looked back at Zecora.

“I said your questions may bring pain, they brought much during their reign,” continued Zecora, “But perhaps it would be best for him to explain, but please do not spread too much disdain.”

Zecora looked across at Discord, the Draconequus not looking thrilled about the prospect. He gave a gruff sigh though and simply nodded.

“As I said before I do not like discussing these events but I suppose I do know them better than anypony else,” he replied as he snapped his fingers turning his hammock into a comfy looking armchair, “Many millennia ago the land you know as Equestria was ruled by the Cosmic Empire, a dominion so powerful that it spanned the entirety of the known world. As Zecora has already mentioned the rulers of this empire were Celestia and Luna…although back then they were known as Solar Flare and…Nightmare Moon.”

A gasp flashed around the group, Fluttershy turning a little white even.

“Nightmare Moon?! But…wasn’t that just…” began Rarity.

“Jealousy turning her evil?” interrupted Discord, “Really, how do you ponies call yourself mares when you’ll believe such a foal like story. If it was true we’d have a million little nightmares roaming around all over, I dare say that even in this perfect kingdom jealousy exists all over. In fact I know it does.”

Rarity paused, mulling his words for a moment. It was indeed true that jealousy was present in Equestria…especially in Canterlot. Discord gave a brief nod and continued.

“They ruled with an iron fist and anypony or indeed anything that stepped out of line was quickly disposed of. I don’t know how long their empire stretched back, it certainly lasted several thousands of years after I was created.”

“Created?” came a chorus of shocked calls.

“Yes created,” replied Discord as he glared menacingly at one of the masks on the wall, “You see Celestia and Luna eventually became bored of their normal entertainment, seen one pony beg for their life before being executed, seen them all. So they decided they needed something different and thus they created me by combining part of their magic.”

Discord shifted uncomfortably as if the memories made him feel uncomfortable.

“I was supposed to be their court jester, a play thing to amuse them whenever they commanded it. The more evil and unusual the trick I performed the more they enjoyed it. They never seemed to grow tired of the ways in which I would torment other ponies for their amusement.”

It may have been lost to the others but in that moment Fluttershy felt something. It washed across Discord’s face in a second, not lingering or returning but it was there. A show of regret, to Fluttershy it was like a beacon of light and she couldn’t help but shed a tear.

“A…jester…?” asked Rarity slowly.

“Trust me Rarity I didn’t enjoy it but I obeyed, even I wasn’t immune to the wrath of those two during that time, nopony was at all,” replied Discord, “But that time didn’t last forever.”

“Indeed it did not, for there is one event that must not be forgot,” added Zecora as she blew a new pile of dust into the fire, “When exactly it happened only few can say, but we must all be thankful for that day.”

The images changed, displaying the face of a young foal barely older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“A child she was but strong of heart, and yet she did what she must and played her part.”

“Ah yes, that is one thing you truly can’t forget,” cut in Discord, “She was most remarkable.”

“Who? What did she do?” asked Applejack curiously, the earth pony starting to settle into the tale.

“Well you see the princesses regularly held audiences for their subject where they could come and ask for help, beg for forgiveness or amuse them in some other way. No pony that ever stood before them got what they wanted of course, it was all a game,” continued Discord, “That is until this little thing came to them. I suspect she was allowed in due to her parents being arrested and it was assumed she would probably beg for her parent’s lives but it didn’t exactly happen that way.”

“She did not beg or cry or resent, instead she offered the princesses a present,” smiled Zecora.

“A what?” gasped Pinkie, her ears suddenly coming alive at the mention of presents.

Discord gave a small laugh, “She brought them a present! It wasn’t much, a simple hoof drawn picture of the two princesses but I must say it completely flummoxed those two. She just thanked them for being good leaders and said that if her parents had done something wrong the princesses would do what needed to be done. She didn’t look sad or anything! Truthfully even I found the situation rather bizarre and it was my job to create chaos! If I could have created as much chaos as that young foal did I would have been able to retire!”

“What happened next?” asked Rarity.

“Well it was slow at first but having been around the princesses for so long I could make out the changes in their personalities. They actually started ignoring some minor ‘crimes’, letting ponies off with only a vicious warning. They even released the foal’s parents amazingly. That said the sudden change did cause problems. They started to argue over how things should be done, Luna was always slightly more aggressive in such matters and it began to anger her that her sister was becoming, in her eyes, weak.”

“It came to a head on one fated day, the turning point of our history you may say,” added Zecora as she waved a hoof through the flickering flames.

The scene changes the flames dancing back and forth in a display of green fireworks. The ponies watched as pops and snaps rang through the fire accompanied by flowing trails of yellow.

“What’s all that about?” asked Applejack just before the flames gave a sudden swirl and exploded outwards in a shower of sparks before dying down to almost nothing.

Everypony flinched and looked away but as they looked back Zecora was looking deadly serious.

“A battle there was between the sisters of old, one that took from Equestria more than can ever be told,” she said sullenly as she glanced at Discord.

“It was inevitable I suppose,” continued Discord, “Two powers of equal mass arguing about how things should be done. It was quite sudden when it happened and I would say it was possibly the bloodiest battle in all of Equestrian history. The capital was razed to the ground and I barely managed to escape with my hide intact; others were not so lucky. I don’t honestly know if anypony made it out alive during the chaos but at that time all I was interested in was escape.”

“What happened after?” questioned Rarity, the unicorn taking the most interest in the story as it was told.

“The sisters vanished! Poof! Gone! I frankly don’t know where they went but it was a lousy time to take a vacation,” scoffed Discord with a small laugh, “With their magic removed from the world the normal ponies had to learn to survive on their own and that was not a pretty thing. None of them could control the sun, the moon or even the weather. Snow and ice battered the land only to be suddenly replaced by blistering heat or period of complete darkness. It was only once the ponies finally learned to control these elements that life began to become possible for them but even so the different tribes began to argue amongst themselves and more conflict seemed inevitable.”

“And what were you doing whilst all this was happening?” asked Applejack suspiciously.

“Resting my dear Applejack, I was made from the princesses’ magic after all. When they suddenly vanished I found myself in a very weak and frail state. However, it did mean that when they returned I was able to feel it…”

Discord scowled so harshly that Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep’.

“They just came waltzing back as if nothing had happened only now they were as you know them. The ponies didn’t know who they were, they were indistinguishable from their previous forms but I could tell without even looking at them. They united the pony tribes and founded Equestria as we know it now. They even had the nerve to rewrite history to make it look as if they had been the saviours!”

“Hang on! What about Hearth’s Warming Eve?” asked Applejack, “Equestria was founded by us ponies working together!”

“Oh Applejack didn’t I just say they rewrote history?” replied Discord, “They created that event so that nopony would question their rule or try to discover what happened before. They destroyed every record of their old realm they could find and anypony who tried to question it mysteriously vanished. They may have changed their outward appearance and actions but I could still sense the same magic and darkness within them that I had seen before.”

“For many centuries I simply watched and waited. I knew that if I acted too quickly I wouldn’t be able to stop them. When my time came the sisters were ill prepared at first. I plunged the land into chaos and threatened to unravel every lie the princesses’ had woven. That is of course until they revealed their all-powerful magical Elements of Harmony! I’m sure you can fill in the rest of the blanks yourself; they couldn’t let me live yet they didn’t have the power to destroy me any more so they just turned me to stone for a thousand years. An act you ponies repeated on me before I finally agreed to let everything slide…”

“D-Does this mean that our friendship really is…fake…?” whimpered Fluttershy quietly.

“Oh don’t worry my dear Fluttershy,” replied Discord with a smile, “Whilst I might still despise the royal pair it was refreshing to actually feel wanted and loved.”

Fluttershy smiled softly, content with the answer she had received.

“Now wait just a minute,” interrupted Applejack, “If all this is true just where did the princesses go? What changed them? Where did they even get those Elements of Harmony? They came from the Tree of Harmony I know but where did that even come from, magic trees aren’t that common you know.”

“Ah a good question indeed, one I shall answer from the lore of my creed,” replied Zecora as she reached for a large book.

Opening the pages she flicked through a few and then looked up, “Zebra lore has recorded much, most of it was hidden from destruction as such. Our stories tell of a battle most fierce, so brash and loud even the heavens it did pierce. When the fighting ended they sought to rest, tired and wounded they were drained of their best. Perhaps it was fate that they were found, rescued from their demise yet it was most profound. The ones that found them you see, were the filly’s parents who they had set free.”

“Woah woah woah!” interrupted Applejack with a wave of her hoof, “You mean to tell me that the parents of that foal who had started everything rescued the princesses?”

“Whilst this story seems to be phony, I can assure you it is most true my little pony,” continued Zecora, the zebra seemingly unaffected by Applejack’s outburst, “For many nights they toiled away, helping the princesses where they lay. Until at last they came around, and saw for themselves the kindness abound. At length they asked why they had done such a thing, pain and suffering was all they bring. To that the parents did offer a clue, it was what their girl would do.”

“They asked to see the filly but alas this was not to be, fore the filly had died on her escape from the city. Saddened by this loss they were, the next few weeks became a blur. When at last they were fully healed, they went at once to where the girl was sealed. Atop her grave they lay a seed, an apology for their ferocious greed. Soon they left to find a life anew, but what they left behind grew and grew. The tree they planted dug its roots deep, and into its branches did the young filly’s dreams seep. The tree did prosper for many years, and upon its branches grew the solution to our fears. This tree you all know well and good, it has saved us before as well it should.”

“Zecora…what was that filly’s name?”

Everypony jumped at the voice, each of them turning to face who had spoken. Rainbow Dash sat looking at them, her gaze fixed on Zecora but the faint glimmer of renewed hope glimmering in her eyes.

“Harmony,” replied Zecora as she closed her book and set it aside.

“The Tree of Harmony!” exclaimed Rarity.

“So that’s where it came from,” added Applejack before frowning slightly, “This is all well and good knowing how all this came about but how do we go about fixing it? Can we really save Twilight?”

Zecora gave a small smile to herself but if she was going to answer it was interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps outside.

“Ah it seems they have arrived at last, although we will still have to move very fast,” she said as she hoisted herself to her feet and looked towards the door.

The other all followed her gaze, waiting as the door swung open slowly.

Comments

[Kuunlehti]

More?

[Kuunlehti]

Nay?

[Delighted Delirium]

Oh, lovely. More abandoned work. I wish the Recommendations remembered to give me finished work only