And Punishment
Celestia had just finished for the day and was waiting on one last appointment. Luna sat next to her, waiting to go to the dining hall with Celestia. “Just one last piece of business, Luna. Then we can go eat.”
The throne room’s door opened softly before a voice drifted through. “Celestia? You called for me?” Discord stepped through, obviously tense.
“Yes I did, Discord. I trust you have a grasp on the reason why?” Celestia spoke, her tone formal. She had to be, for the events about to happen. Luna sat next to her, just as stone-faced as her sister.
Discord’s ears sagged. “I may… is this about the whole thing with Tirek?”
Celestia nodded. “Among other things, yes.”
Discord moved closer, crossing the room quickly, and asked, “Did you like those flowers I gave you?”
“They were pretty, yes.” Celestia’s face was at odds with her tone. A small, warm smile graced her face, but her tone was anything but happy.
“Good! I thought you might like them.” He seemed relieved to hear that.
Celestia’s face returned to it’s slight frown. “Discord, off the top of your head, how many times have you stood against us?” Luna quirked an eyebrow at her sister.
His face paled. “T-Three times, Celestia. The first time, when you turned me to stone, then when I originally broke free and was turned to stone by Twilight and her friends, and just earlier today with Tirek.”
Celestia tisked as she stood up. She motioned for Luna to follow her down the steps. “You’re almost right, but you missed one.” Her horn lit as she cast a simple spell. It washed over the throne room and a picture coalesced in front of her. “The vines attacking the Tree of Harmony.”
He backed away slightly. “That shouldn’t count! I originally sowed those seeds of discord before our original confrontation!”
Luna looked to her sister again and spoke softly, “He’s kind of right, ‘Tia.”
“And yet, he never revealed their continued existence until it was too late for us to deal with them. Twilight and her friends had to deal with them.” Celestia’s frown deepened.
Celestia looked to Luna and asked, “Be that as it may, how many of the four times could be considered betrayals?”
Luna’s face looked shocked before she answered softly, “Two of them.” Her mind raced to find where the train of questioning ended. From her preliminary thoughts, this conversation wouldn't end well.
“Discord, I only want to ask you one question. Why do you feel the need to continuously betray myself, my sister, and my little ponies?”
Discord shrunk back as Celestia took a step forward. He spoke quickly, “I-I can’t really answer that, Celestia.”
“Since you ‘declared’ yourself reformed, you’ve done little else other than cause mischief and strife among ponykind.” She stalked forward one more step and Discord tripped stepped backward, landing on his back.
He stared up at Celestia as he asked, “W-What are you saying, Celestia?”
Her frown deepened. “Since you love your riddles so much, I’ll give you one. Why is there the saying, ‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull colt’?”
“W-What?”
She continued, “Because all play and no work makes Jack a stupid colt!” She stomped a hoof and raised her voice, “Discord, you’ve done nothing but mess around since you got here. You’ve not helped in any meaningful way, and you’ve betrayed Equestria twice now. You are a liability and a problem waiting to strike again.”
Scowling, she stalked forward and pressed her nose against Discord’s. “You are a recurring problem, one I now fully intend to remove.”
Discord turned stark white and tried to scramble back. “N-No! Please, Celestia! Just one more chance! I swear I’ll do better!”
Luna looked on, torn. On one hoof, Discord was a pain. On the other, some of his jokes were funny. “‘Tia?”
Celestia stepped back and looked to her sister, a pleasant smile on her face. “Yes?”
“Why don’t we give him one more chance to prove himself?” Luna asked. The scared-witless draconequus took the distraction to start to scramble away.
With a smile she answered Luna’s question, “Luna, since we met him, he’s been nothing but a pest, a warmonger and a traitor.” She shook her head. “I gave him these chances to redeem himself, to be able to live among the rest of the world without strife, and he’s proven that he’s a lost cause. That’s why I’m not going to give him another chance.”
At that, she turned around and her horn not only lit, but shone with the sun’s intensity.
“No! Please, no, Celestia! I’m sorry!”
“No, Discord. I’m sorry. For thinking I could trust you.” She stalked forward, her head low as heat radiated from the solar alicorn.
He scrambled back before turning around and clawing at the carpet he stood on in his attempt to reach the door.
“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, Discord. Either way, I will protect my country, my sister, my ponies from you, once and for all. Submit to your punishment, and it will be as painless as I can make it.”
Tears started falling from Celestia’s eyes, evaporating before they hit the carpet. “I thought you could be trusted, and this is how you prove you can?” She stomped her hoof once, the carpet starting to catch fire under her hooves. “You thought my nearly-infinite patience would keep my wrath from you when you threaten my little ponies?”
Luna backed away from Celestia, the heat becoming unbearable.
She switched to the Royal Canterlot Voice as he ran to the door, “You thought you could steal my country, my ponies, and my power from me and not suffer the consequences? You thought you could side with Tirek to take over Equus? Give me one good reason I shouldn’t incinerate you on the spot!”
“N-No Celestia!” His tone turned desperate. “I sided with Tirek because I thought if I defeated him myself, then you might see me as something other than a monster! I… I thought if I defeated Tirek alone, you might… you might like me.” Placing his back to the door, he sat down dejectedly. “There… now you have the truth, Celestia. I’ve had a crush on you, and was hoping you might have agreed to go out with me. I just never thought it would turn out this way.”
Her rage faltered for a minute, before her mane and tail turned bright orange, billowing in gale-force winds. “A CRUSH? You caused all of this strife over A CRUSH?”
He nodded, tears falling freely now. “Whatever you’re going to do, just get it over with.” He stared into her eyes and silently thought, ‘It’s not worth me fighting back. I screwed up big time. She’s probably going to kill me.’
Luna called out, “No ‘Tia. Calm yourself!”
Celestia’s face returned to a more neutral scowl as she spoke once more, “Discord, you stand accused on multiple accounts of treason. As one of the ruling diarchs of Equestria, I am prepared to pass judgement on to you. How do you plead?” Her mane and tail continued to whip about wildly as the carpet below burned freely.
He looked down solemnly. “Guilty, Your Majesty.” ‘Well, here it comes…’
She nodded once and turned to Luna, “Princess Luna, as a ruling diarch of Equestria, will you bear witness to the punishment I deliver unto the guilty?”
Luna, from the throne dais, responded, “I… I will, Princess Celestia. I will bear witness to the punishment delivered unto the guilty.” She quietly added, “Though, I wish I did not have to…”
“Very well. I, Princess Celestia, Diarch of Equestria, witnessed by Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, hereby pass judgement. For aiding Lord Tirek in his invasion and hostile takeover of Equestria, for betraying Equestria and attempting regicide on not only myself, and my sister, but on the newly crowned Princess Twilight you shall be turned to stone forevermore. Should, perchance, you escape from your prison of stone, you shall be put to death.”
Discord sobbed openly. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I just…” His words faded to gibberish as Celestia strode forward once more.
She cast a binding spell on him, physically restraining him. “Do you have any final words for the record, Discord?”
He looked up, his eyes determined. “I do. I want it on record that I now realize how stupid I was and how badly I screwed up.” He smiled as he continued, “I love you, Celestia. Even as you’re about to condemn me to death, I can’t say I don’t love you.”
She touched her horn to his forehead. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, “I’m sorry Discord. I thought I could trust you. You’ve proven to me now that you can’t be trusted. I wish things had turned out differently, honestly. I might lift your sentence in several thousand years, if you’ve been good and haven’t tried to escape.”
Discord nodded, a glimmer of hope on the horizon. “Thank you, Celestia. I wish I’d realized how stupid I’d been earlier than now.”
She stood up, telekinetically lifting him to his feet and releasing his restraints. “Assume the position you wish to take for the rest of eternity.”
He struck a pose, standing straight with his arms crossed across his chest, and his head bowed.
Discord knew no more as Celestia cast her spell, sealing the draconequus in his own flesh turned to stone.
Once the process was complete, she dropped to her knees, her power flowing away. Luna doused the surrounding flames as she ran up to her sister, before helping her back to her hooves.
Panting, Celestia spoke, “It is done, Luna. He will trouble us no longer.”
Luna replied, “Did he really have to be sealed in stone for eternity, sister?”
“It was either that or incinerating him where he stood.” Celestia hummed thoughtfully. “Even now, I’m merciful to a traitor. We shall see if he’s worth trusting in a few thousand years, Luna.”
Celestia lit her horn and telekinetically lifted Discord. “Come, let us find a suitable spot for him to keep watch over Equestria. Maybe watching our country grow will inspire some goodness in him.”
Luna nodded and they made their way out of the throne room. “That sounds like a wonderful thought, sister.” She looked to Celestia and noticed something odd. “Sister, you’re crying.”
Celestia lifted a hoof to her cheek, it came away damp. “So I am.” Her expression turned philosophical. “Luna, am I a monster for what I’ve just done?”
Luna shot her sister a quizzical look. She took a big breath and spoke comfortingly, “I know you are not a monster ‘Tia. A monster would have just killed him. Not explained to him what he had done wrong and helped him see the error of his ways. It is too bad he learned too late what he had done wrong, but like you said, in several thousand years, he may be ready to try again. I just hope he is sincere if we do let him out.”
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- naturalbornderpy · 118k words · 184 7 · 3.4k views
- Gravitiaxis · 57k words · 358 25 · 13k views
- ultrapoknee · 97k words · 506 42 · 11k views
- alarajrogers · 25k words · 80 2 · 1.9k views
- Eventide Indigo · 12k words · 69 3 · 1.8k views
- RainbowBob · 25k words · 177 17 · 3.1k views
- TheManWithTwoNames · 42k words · 157 16 · 4.1k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.107 seconds
Total duration
1,085 users online
2,431,041 hits today, 2,328,677 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Interesting. Another story to the read later pile! I hope to get to Badflanks sometime soon as well.
I kinda gotta agree with Discord on the whole Plunder Vines thing. He was locked in stone for a long time, for all he knew the seeds either sprouted and failed before he could be freed, or were caught in the same blast as he was and destroyed when he was turned to stone. Yeah, it was a dick move not telling Twilight, but by then Celestia and Luna were already taken and, in a roundabout way, he did take care of things by guiding Twilight into it.
That still leaves one betrayal with Tirek, but that's the one.
I have this headcanon that the reason why Discord does these kinds of things is because of the chaotic magic that swirls inside of him. You saw how after Tirek stripped him of his energy he became much more passive.
If there was a story that can illustrate this idea, it's More Than Trust's chapter Three.
Personally I woulda preferred death.over that stone prison. He can hear in there. He can notice the world around him in there. He is going to go insane once again. Now if you ask how can he. He said so himself in that reformation episode.
But that is me. I'd hate to be so cut off. To be able to hear but not interact. No entertainment but insanity. Oh the fun times. This is dark.
Can't help but feel Celestia made the wrong call here. Someone with that much power, you don't lock them away in sensory deprivation to go insane unless you are certain they'll never be able to break free. Kill him, neutralize his power somehow, or bind him emotionally. The fact that he broke down, accepted his guilt and was prepared to take whatever punishment she was going to dish out suggests there are a lot more creative things she could have done -- since she had Discord's cooperation, at least for the moment, she could probably have used a reforming spell or some means of binding his power that's based on his own consent. If none of those things were an option -- well, then there are no good options. Because the fact that Twilight wouldn't leave him to Tirek after he betrayed them means that Twilight, and very likely Fluttershy, would have had a strong negative reaction if Celestia killed him, and right now, with the six of them bonded to their elements, Celestia does not want to do something that sets them against her.
I have a suspicion that realpolitik is going to set in, and within a month or two Celestia's going to give him another chance, after scaring the shit out of him and making him believe it was going to be thousands of years... because she hasn't got a lot of choices. Can't kill him and keep Twilight and Fluttershy loyal (Celestia plays the long game; it's not that Twi and Fluttershy would turn on her for killing Discord, it's that they would lose respect for her, because "we don't kill" is such a core value of theirs... down the road, that would be a problem). Can't leave him in stone forever, he'll go insane, totally forget why he ever accepted his own guilt in the first place, and break loose. I mean, she's not even using the Elements to bind him; he can probably break her spell within decades if he tries (which is why telling him that good behavior may allow him a hope of release was important... but probably not sufficient to last thousands of years.) Her choices are, let him out, and use the gratitude he'll feel at her mercy to persuade him to allow himself to be fettered somehow, to limit his power; or kill him and don't let anyone know she did it, which will be hard because Luna knows and doesn't really approve.
(It would very much fit with my Celestia headcanon if she broke him down emotionally by making him think she intends to kill him, then pulling the punch with "eternal petrification", then releasing him in a couple of months in order to break down his defenses so thoroughly that she can enact some more permanent solution that would require his voluntary cooperation. Celestia is a manipulator, albeit generally in a good cause; I see her as more likely to use her anger as a weapon to get what she wants from somepony than to actually base her actions in anger.)
I think Celestia made the wrong choice
Yeah, Discord's an idiot, but I almost get the feeling that he doesn't really know better. He's just learned self control, and you're bound to make some mistakes. Also, Discord hasn't even been released from stone a year. It's probably been the span of weeks, or a month at best. Old habits die hard, and chaotic creature who has lived thousands of years will probably need more than a fraction of the year to learn from his mistakes that span throughout the ages.
Also, what would Fluttershy say?
Not bad but I want to see the aftermath of this like fluttershys reaction would no doubt be hatetred maybe the same for the others
Discord has absolutely no right to be called out for siding with Tirek. I don't why fanfics like these are still written. Everyone should know that it was the Mane 6, save Fluttershy, who "betrayed" him, not the other way around. Think about it. He gets befriended in Season 3 only to be given less than a sideways glance in Season 4. It's also why nothing in "Twilight's Kingdom" makes any sense and the characters are all morons. The Mane 6 who claim to value friendship are constantly being mean and horrible to him in Season 4 and I hear they're still doing it in Season 5. So he should never, EVER have to be chewed out for going back to being an antagonist. In fact, I personally think Discord should go back to being a bad guy once more.
This fanfic sucks.
If I was Discord, I would teleport away to some random dimension, and live out the rest of my years in peace. I would also VERY much question my taste in mares.
6127043
You might want to check the date on this, guy. I wrote this last year.
And? No constructive criticism? The paragraph before that is you just bitching about how the canon characters acted in the finale and completely disregarding the entire value they taught, including the deus ex machina to beat Tirek. This entire fic was written because of my hatred of Dislestia. Nothing more, nothing less. Just something to flush my emotions.
That said, why should I care about your opinion? If you think it sucks, move on! If you have actual legitimate concerns that aren't an opinion, then please, bring them up. There are plenty of other fics out there for you to enjoy. Here's another tip, I wrote this entire thing, start to publish, in three hours. If you're gonna get so worked up over something like this, then I'd love to see your take on something with meat on it, like any of the Fallout Equestria fics.
6128193
I said I disliked this fanfic because it chews out Discord unnecessarily. And you wrote this fanfic because of your hatred towards a headcanon shipping of Discord and Celestia that doesn't really exist? Wow, you have problems.
6129349
I have problems, guy? You know what? I probably do. At least I admit that. You, on the other hand, completely disregard others as people entirely, trying to force the world to revolve around yourself. Guy, here's a life lesson: It doesn't.
I took a look at your userpage, and y'know what? You're not even worth my time. Your entitlement is so strong you could build a castle to rival Canterlot's on it. I've been referred to as 'The Great Salty One' before, but you make me look like nothing but a saltshaker. Congratulations, you're an asshole, now, get over yourself.
Now, if you've got nothing legitimately constructive to say, we're done here. If you actually do, then bring that up.
6127175
Never mind a faraway dimension: Ponyville. He can dare the Sun and Moon Goddesses to come pry him away from his newly rainbow-imbued friends. There'd be some 'asplaining to do and I kind of doubt that Luna wants to be opening up a discussion who may or may not have been committing treason or how many times, let alone what the appropriate punishment might be.
Once before being sent to the moon and once after coming back.
Wowowow! Hang on a second! You actually took a look at somones userpage and mock him about it, just because he told you a truth you don't want to hear (read) ?! WTFOMG ?!
Man, sireously you do have problems!!!
6134491
When I mentioned that comment over one of my regular skype groups, they told me to check his userpage, and I did. I found all I needed to know about him.
Might as well check your page, just to satisfy my own curiosity since you decided to comment on that. All the comments on your userpage, barring the very first one are deleted, and you have only one favorite since your account's creation. You're in three groups, two of which I'm pretty sure this story, as well as myself, are very much against. I will not begrudge you staying in them, as that's your choice.
Very strange why you'd be here, commenting on this story. It's not marked Dislestia, nor is it any kind of shipping at all between them. I wonder, did this perhaps get troll-added to one of those groups?
6135968 Do you have a problem with straight shipping
?
6136717 Dislestia=all of straight shipping?
6136717
I do not. I just have a bone to pick with how impossible the pairing is, based on the show's canon and the IDW comics.
6137178
Apparently.
I'm sorry, I just thought I'd help get your story some more attention, but it looks like I just made things worse with all the extra nonsense you've had to put up with.
Do you want me to remove it from AFC?
6182878
Nah. I just would've liked a notification that it was added to a group. That's apparently not a thing that happens if you aren't part of the group(s) it's added to.
6183396 I'm sorry, I didn't realize that, either.
6183403
No worries, you didn't know.
The thing is Discord is chaos, pure and simple. Did they really think they could change who and what he is?
CELESTIA I GODAM HATE YOU!!!! YOU ARE SO DEAD TO ME!!!!!! HOW COULD YOU HE'S STILL LEARNING!! YOU JUST SEALED MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IN STONE!!! WHY YOU EVIL F*****G B***H!!!!
Great work on the fanfic though I probably will now forever hate Princess Sunbutt
Could I do a sequel when I get a chance to because of other stories first?
8334583
I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.
8334658
Well since Fluttershy has already Forgiven discord she could do something maybe even becoming a villain as well because of that. Maybe discord knew what the keys were and without his betrayal they would still be magicalless and under Tiracs rule. Fluttershy has that special thing that you don't want to make her angry. You seen the bear mesage? If that nice I don't want to see super angry Fluttershy. Basically a Fluttershy reaction story
8334702
So, you want to write a sequel to a story I wrote in rage of the possibility at a canon Dislestia pairing that involves Flutters attempting regicide? Simple age, experience and just numbets I would think means the attempt alone would be suicide.
I'm not going to stop you, but the question is burning at me, so I have to ask. Why does this story in particular make you want to write a reaction piece?
8336499
We'll Celestia know Fluttershy is a key part to protect Equestria so Celestia can't do much about an angry Fluttershy because Discord is the reason she's more out going now. I bet if discord does betray them again Fluttershy would fight to the tooth and nail, for Discord. After all Friendship is Magic. And it would be cool to see one of the timidness characters goes up against the most powerful characters. Troop I'll be using is: It's always the quiet ones
8336499
I read a story just like yours except Fluttershy use the stare to stop Celestia from turning discord to stone his punishment was to be stripped of his magic until he could be trusted
Yeah, problem is - you can't reform a concept. God of war can not bring peace. Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony cannot do Order and Harmony. I am pissed off how he dissapears when he does Order, but he does NOT dissapear when he does Harmony. Discord literally means an argument, disagreement. "Apple of discord", anyone heard? Discord, chaos, disharmony. He never should have been redeemed.
4444802
Problem here being is that he REPEATEDLY lied about it when DIRECTLY asked. He literally said: I don't have anything to do with black vines. Later, when Twilight saw that it WAS him, he refused to HELP. "Yeah, it was me all along. Now how are you gonna deal with it?"