Remember When You Met Discord?
Princess Celestia looked as regal as ever atop her throne. The empty one next to her was a reminder of her failure to pay attention to her sister's needs.
She glanced at it every now and then as Prince Storm spoke. It made her feel uncomfortable. Maybe I should go back to hiding in the library.
"...and that, my dear aunt, is why we need to change the Grand Galloping Gala's official colors from gold to silver. I think it would look much more elegant that way, correct?"
"Yes, yes, of course. It's your gala, do what you'd like." The princess wasn't looking at Storm, or the chair, or really anything in particular. She was simply staring at an empty spot in the room, her eyes void of emotion.
"I think that's ridiculous!" The same mare who had shouted "Oh, my word!" at Celestia was now rebutting the gallant prince. The alicorn's eyes shifted from the air to the mare, a slight scowl forming on her face. "After all, gold has been the official color of royalty for as long as I can remember."
"Not all traditions are to be upheld," Storm replied. "After all, I've done my research. Silver was preferred over gold by the first equine monarchs, as it was easier to find but just as beautiful in the eyes of most. In fact, I remember reading a tidbit where their youngest daughter had been the first to use silver, making crude tiaras for her and her sister. Ever since then-"
"You're contradicting yourself!" She tossed her head, her golden mane striking a nearby gentlecolt in the face. "Silver was a tradition. That tradition was broken and gold was instituted instead. Now you want to go back to the old tradition!"
"For the sake of the stars, Metal Rays, stop your fussing! You just don't like silver because you don't have any grey on you." A younger, much nicer looking mare was glaring at the mare, who glared right back.
"This has nothing to do with me," Metal Rays growled. "Gold is far more precious than silver!"
"I like silver," Celestia interrupted. "It reminds me of Luna. Let's use that."
Storm smiled triumphantly. Metal Rays looked like she wanted to reply, but the memory of the princess' strike was fresh in her mind. She simply lowered her head.
"Now, let's have some tea. I want to discuss your outfit for the gala." The prince clapped his hooves. A colt and filly, each older than a schoolfoal but not quite old enough to be considered adults, zipped over, the filly holding the teapot while the colt held two cups. The group of socialites that had surrounded Storm dispersed, some criticizing the servants' dress while the others chose to gossip about Celestia.
Celestia nodded and stepped down from the throne. "Let's discuss this outside, shall we?"
"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. I had a nasty storm scheduled for today, and it should be starting at any moment! My dear, I have to tell you about the new storm making method I came up with! It's so much more efficient! Oh, but first things first, we must talk of your outfit. Where should I sit?"
"On the ground is fine. If you need a cushion, you may fetch it yourself." The princess sat on the ground and held out the empty cup to the filly. She smiled and poured in a little too much, the chestnut-colored liquid staining Celestia's coat. Horrified, she searched for a napkin to clean it up with, but the monarch shook her head and motioned towards her nephew's cup.
Storm waited patiently for the filly to finish carefully pouring the tea into his cup, then began. "I think the main color of the dress should match the pink in your mane. It should have silver ruffles around the sleeves and lining the train. This brings us to the length of the train, which should be long enough to maximize elegance, but not so long that everypony in town is tripping over it when you shift to the left. I was thinking around thirty centimeters or so... Celestia?"
"What's that stallion doing?" Celestia was staring out a window facing the shortest tower. Somepony was flying in and out of it, going in with nothing and coming out with something. He'd drop to the ground, out of Celestia's sight, then return a few seconds later with empty forelegs.
"Would you like to discuss this later? I'm sorry if I seem harsh, but I do have things to do, and if you feel like you cannot concentrate, I'll happily come by some other time." Storm seemed genuinely concerned.
"Hm? Oh, no, I'm terribly sorry about that. Why don't you come up with a sketch, and I'll look it over and tell you how I feel. I'm not picky. You know that."
The prince grinned, his cobalt blue eyes shining. "I love drawing!" His face turned bright red for a moment. "Er, uh, I mean, I'll have the sketch ready in a day or two. I'll... ah... hire a skilled tailor to do it. Yes."
Celestia ruffled his mane, then smoothed it back into place. "Wouldn't want to make you look bad in front of your marefriend," she teased.
"H-how did you...? Celestia, you're just being awful today!" He rose to his hooves and darted away, his wings carrying him farther than his hooves.
She snickered and trotted off to the kitchen. She was hungry. It was time for cake.
Inside, she found half a dozen ponies she'd never seen before, all wearing black, all buzzing about preparing some sort of soup. Every now and then a pony would stop, pull out a handkerchief, and blow into it. All twelve eyes were rimmed with red. They had been crying.
"What's going on?"
"Oh!" A fat stallion who had been tasting a soup dropped the ladle. He stared at the abnormally tall pony for a long time before falling to his knees and covering his face with his hooves. "I-I'm so sorry, Your Highness, we had no idea that you'd need the kitchen!"
She paused for a moment, then asked again, "What's going on?"
A mare who was as thin as the stallion was fat murmured something under her breath. nearby pony gently poked her foreleg and mumbled something back.
In a clear voice, she announced, "Somepony died. We're catering for the funeral."
Celestia's jaw dropped. "Who died?"
The mare and her friend exchanged glances. The fat stallion said, "M-Minister Pennyworth."
The powerful princess wasn't sure if she should be happy because it was some grumpy old stallion who had been begging at death's door for years, or sad because she'd been there when he was a happy and vibrant colt who wanted to be a soldier. She simply turned and trotted away, her face betraying her confusion.
As she was trotting to nowhere in particular, her stomach rumbled, reminding her of why she went to the kitchen in the first place. Usually, she never called for servants to bring her everyday things such as cake and tea. Today was not a usual day.
"Bronze Leaf, please fetch me some cake," she said as the dull-colored stallion briskly trotted by. He nodded and began to gallop in the same odd fashion he was known for: forelegs going so fast his hind legs had to skip a few steps, resulting in a motion that looked similar to skipping. Celestia almost snickered as she thought of his hatred towards the act of skipping and the similarity between that and his running.
Now she was stuck for a moment: the last time she had asked for a servant to bring her something, she had stayed in one place for the whole time. The hallway was narrow and she didn't really feel like staying there, but she didn't have much of a choice. Annoyed, she sat down, two halves of her brain fighting over what to do next.
"Here you are, m'lady. Do you have a moment to speak? I have something to tell you."
Celestia shoved a hooful of cake into her mouth. "Mif mt's bout Pennyworf, I alrenny know."
"Er... the local colts from the orphanage. They're complaining about May Flower again."
She rolled her eyes and swallowed. "As usual. I swear, that mare has been trouble since day one. Does she have any friends?"
"She never really talks unless she's ordered to do something. Terra Cotta talks to her a lot, though, and she replies every now and then." Bronze sat down, apparently rather comfortable around the princess. "I think she doesn't like being a servant. She can be really nice, though. A couple months ago, I told her it was my birthday and she gave me a cupcake!"
"Was it poisoned?" Celestia's tone was somewhat amused, but her face told a different story entirely.
"Uh... no. It was really good. Terra says she wants to be a chef, but every time she tries to apply for a job something bad happens. In fact, yesterday she was going to become a chef at some fancy restaurant, but they turned her down because somepony messed up her dishes when she wasn't looking."
Wet, mushy bits of cake ended up on the stallion's face as the regal princess spat out every bit of the confection in one try. "Th-that was... I ruined it! I ruined it! Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" She got up and began teleporting to places where May Flower was normally found.
Not in the kitchen!
Not in the throne room!
Not in the servants' quarters!
Not in the foyer!
Not in the garden!
Desperate, Celestia began to gallop around the castle as quickly as possible, skidding to a stop every time she thought she saw the grouchy mare.
After what felt like hours of searching(in reality, it had only been ten minutes), the panting pony princess peered out a window. May Flower was shouting at some of the orphan colts. The colts were scowling and a few had sticks in their hooves. Without warning, one of them leapt forward and hit her with it. In a fit of rage, the magenta mare picked him up and threw him, then grabbed his stick and shook it at the others while spewing some nasty curses.
With a fearsome howl, she hurled the wood at them and stomped away. All Celestia could do was stare as May approached her and screeched, "I quit!" I can't stand this any longer! I'm tired of having my efforts sabotaged by a whiny royal and some malicious foals! I don't care if I never see another bite of food in my life, I will never, ever, ever come back here! Good day!"
With that, she turned away and began trotting. It took her a moment before she realized that she wasn't going anywhere.
Celestia was holding her in place, the yellow aura enveloping her completely. The "whiny royal" flipped her around. "What do you mean, malicious foals?"
"You believed those idiots' every word! What really happened wasn't that I forced them to do things for me; I just wouldn't let them try any of my dishes! Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to be a chef? I mean, do you really think I got this nasturtium and daisy on my flank because I'm meant to be a servant? But no, they have to trip me, fling stones at the food, take bites when I'm not looking, and then what? They tell lies about me to the ever-gullible princess! And now you're in on the game, making me do petty tasks while crushing my dreams! I thought you wanted me out of here! Why are you hindering my every effort to escape?!"
"Tell me the name of the place you want to work the most."
"Crystal Lakes. That was the one I would've been able to work at had you not ruined it."
She released the mare from her magical grasp. "How did you know it was me?"
"I had a hunch, and even Terra suspected it." She sighed and headed for the door.
Celestia beat her to it.
"Well, hello, May Flower!" Salty Summers, the needle-thin stallion who owned Crystal lakes, greeted the confused pegasus at the door. "Celestia tells me you're quite the cook. I believe she also muttered something about ruining your chances, so if anypony here has a grudge against you for something, it won't be counted. Let's see what you've got, my dear!"
An hour or so later, May Flower had prepared a rosemary omelet with duck eggs; a cake with fondant that didn't taste like sugary paper, topped with sugared flower petals and a piece of brittle candy; a head of romaine lettuce, grilled, then stuffed with vegetables; and a crème brulee.
There were three judges: Salty himself, then a stern-faced mare May didn't quite recognize, and a very tall alicorn princess.
As she watched the judges test each dish, she never looked in Celestia's direction. Even when the princess had a question, she kept her eyes on the half-eaten omelet as she gave her answer.
The female judge, a petite unicorn with narrow green eyes and a mane to match, whispered to Celestia, "I think she might dislike you." She was obviously being silly, but it made the princess feel even worse.
In an attempt to be lighthearted, she replied, "Whatever gave you that idea?"
Salty Summers ignored the both of them and went off on a rant about how great the food was, save for the types of flowers used on the cake. She got the job and would be starting tomorrow.
The unicorn mare introduced herself as Rusted Key and said it all tasted fine to her, but nothing stood out besides the cake.
Celestia said nothing, only nodding in acknowledgement when May mouthed "thank you" on her way out.
Somewhat unhappy, Celestia returned to the castle. Despite the silent thanks, she felt unappreciated. If I hadn't gone in there and told him...
Her anger was interrupted by a piece of paper similar to Luna's letter. She hastily opened it and began to read.
Dear Celestia,
You speak of despise towards our original manner of speaking, but that is what my mind is beginning to favor. I address thou constantly in my mind, and I simply cannot stop myself from doing so. Please forgive the occasional "thee" or "thou" or whatever. I will, however, write all dialogue as the way it would've been at that time. Seeing our conversation "modernized" brings shivers down my spine, something far worse than watching the darkness around me.
That being said, I have a particular memory that will almost certainly bring tears to your eyes.
This was some time after the pregnancy incident, but before The Great Ending War. We were off on some adventure that consisted of me jumping behind every bush to see if anything was there.
"I implore thee, Celestia, that thou might join me in this merriment!" I grinned and smote the dirt behind a bush with my wooden sword.
"Ah, Luna, 'tis nothing besides a possum that will catch my attention. Stop this silliness and let me enjoy a quiet walk. Didst not Mother tell thee to stay quiet, as I did not want thee to come with?" You looked down at me, your face as stern as ever. In return, I mad the puppy-dog eyes you were never able to resist. Perhaps if I had made them as I was corrupted, I would be upon the throne and not thou!
I just grinned and struck behind another bush, shouting for any creature that was hidden to reveal itself.
You eventually gave in and began to play, tapping behind bushes gently, then moving on. Efficient? Yes. Fun? No!
I told you- nay, I demanded that you hit the ground behind the next bush with enough force to split the world in half! Not wanting to agitate me further, you sort of did as you were told: a strike almost as hard as how Mother spanked us when we disobeyed. It was enough to hurt somepony, but not that much.
And hurt somepony you did. Or maybe some creature would be a better term.
Rising quickly from behind the bush, a tall yet buff creature made of all sorts of animals stared at you, pure fear and hurt on his face. In a quiet voice, he asked why you did that.
Your face turned bright red as you tried to explain. I hopped onto your back and declared, "We are The Mighty Forest Patrol! If thou art hiding thyself, thou must be hiding something else! Something that is EVIL! Show what it is, vagrant, and mayhaps we shall show mercy!"
The creature shook its head. "I am Discord. A creature made to wreak havoc, a child of Echidna and Typhon. My mother hath cast me out, for I do not wish to destroy ponies as much as she does. Yea, she hath even scratched me out of the family records, so that none may know I am of her spawn!"
My eyes went wide. "What powers have thou?"
With a grin, Discord reached into my mane and pulled out a bouquet of flowers. He gave them to you, making your face turn redder. "Anything that deals with breaking the rules, I can do it!"
"Yea, then break the rules of life and bring Drop Spindle back to full health!" I glared at him; despite his parlor trick, I was suspicious. Mother and father had quite a few enemies; Echidna was one among many. Who knew what that abomination had told the boy before banishing him?
He complied. "Where is it? He? She? Hermaphrodite?"
"Herma?... Celestia, what is a... hermit-fo-dye?"
You gave no reply.
As we trotted back towards the makeshift castle, Discord began to show off his abilities. The dirt trail became bubblegum. Already chewed, as I later learned, but still delicious. He then turned himself into a pony, but not an alicorn. Just a simple Earth pony. I don't remember his colors, but I do remember that his eyes were the same size. He also got hungry and took a bite of his own hoof as if it were nothing. Without waiting for his consent, I tried some; if I remember correctly, it tasted like chocolate. Delicious, delicious chocolate. I then grabbed what was left of it, broke it off, and shoved it in your face. You ate it up and spit it out, saying it tasted like white chocolate. Absolutely ridiculous. Centuries will not change my utter disappointment towards your lack of good taste. He turned back into a draconequus after that.
When we got there, Mother and Father were in quite the hurry. Apparently some baddie had been freed and was trying to wage war on us. First they wanted their house, then they would control what few but powerful followers they had amassed. They were trying to send out battle plans.
We hurried upstairs and found poor old Drop Spindle, our grandmother who had been delighted to find her daughter was an alicorn. She was having a nasty coughing fit, and we watched Discord's smile disappear. He couldn't fix it. Nopony could.
But that didn't stop him from trying.
First, he wondered if her eyes were the problem. He pulled out his own and offered them to her. She declined. He put them back and tested her reflexes with a small mallet. She slapped him for that, but it wasn't a hard one. She was simply playing around. Grandmother had come to accept him as a third grandchild.
Discord turned around and asked rather loudly if we knew what was wrong with her. She said rather loudly that she was an old pony who was going to die.
"Not if I can help it!" Discord stamped his hoof. "I shall make thee younger; mayhaps you shall have more years to live!" He then snapped his talons and turned Drop Spindle into a filly.
It was a sight to behold: she was a filly, yes, but a filly with tiny iron-frame glasses that made her eyes a bajillion times bigger. She opened her mouth to speak and said, "Child, thou would do well to change me back!" in the voice of a tiny foal. It was hilarious!
Discord succeeded in changing her back, then asked if he could stay the night. You said yes, which is strange, since you typically insist on getting our parents' permission. Methinks you were fond of him. Are you still in love with him?
I am teasing you! Don't get your mane in a knot! I'm sure you have bigger fish to fry, especially without me hogging the spotlight.
The dark forces surrounding me are confused by my laughter. I can see your face now: you're red as a tomato! Even your mane is red! Oh, sister, how I wish we could exchange these memories face-to-face.
Ah, I am off on one of your rabbit trails. Please pardon me.
We all went downstairs. I offered him all of my blankets so you could make a mattress on the ground. He thanked me, but said he'd rather sleep on grass and wanted to go and gather some. He teleported away quite quickly.
That was when the bees came out.
The bouquet in your hooves that you had been carrying ever since he gave it to you had been full of bees, and now with Discord's disappearance they came out. They attacked your face, prompting you to scream and run in horror as they stung you everywhere. Interestingly enough, it wasn't venom they injected you with, but blackberry preserves. As I learned later when I got too close and was stung, it didn't really sting. You were just being a bit of a whiner.
When Discord returned with his grassy mattress, you were covered in preserve-oozing welts. You sat on your bed, forelegs crossed, a nasty scowl on your face. Discord acted as if nothing was wrong and set his mattress down on the ground. "How art thou, miss...?"
"Celestia. Thou shalt always refer to me as Celestia."
"My name is Luna!" I hopped onto him and put my forelegs around his neck. "Celestia was in love with thee until the bees came out!"
"Excellent!" The draconequus clapped his talon and paw together. "There is nothing worse than some colt-meets-filly story!"
As you sat and sulked on your bed, Discord and I became friends. Not good friends, mind you, for he messed up all of my dolls.
As it turned out, he was all for our parents becoming the supreme rulers of the new nation being created. Ever since the three types of ponies had finally merged, there had been talk of a new united pony land, but he was so excited to hear that there were ponies- powerful ponies- who were actually doing something about it.
That next morning, you were the first to wake up. Discord and I were half on my bed, half on the ground. If I remember correctly, I had my dolls all around me because I thought he'd wake up and destroy all of them.
I don't know what happened with you next. You never told me.
I did, however, hear the piercing scream that echoed throughout the house minutes after you uttered it.
Discord woke up and rushed to your aid. I took my time, but when I caught up with you two, I wished that I hadn't taken so long.
Drop Spindle's eyes were practically glazed over. Her breathing was obviously forced, as if she were struggling to get the last bits out before she collapsed into a pile of dust.
You and I sat there and hugged each other, sobbing as we watched our grandmother slowly die in front of us.
Discord didn't cry. In fact, he was smiling. Smiling! That thing, that terror, that toy-mutilator, now had the audacity to smile as our grandmother painfully began to pass away!
I wanted to kill him, but then he reached out to Drop Spindle. He slowly took her hoof in his paw, squeezed it, and then something wonderful happened.
Her breathing was no longer forced. Her eyes were full of life. Somehow, some way, he had given her back to us. For how long a time, we did not know, but we had her back.
In exchange, he was now rather sickly-looking. What was once sturdy was now limp. He had lost some of his physical strength and charm. This, however, did not stop you from falling in love all over again.
And no, Ce-Ce I shall never cease my teasing. Ever.
We thanked him, not with words, but with cries of joy and hugs. Lots and lots of very tight hugs. He seemed to get very uncomfortable after a while and decided to explode. Literally.
He came back together a few meters away from us. "I beg of thee, no more hugs. I am now weak, and I cannot stand such an assault!"
You sniffled and wiped a tear from your eye. "We are forever grateful to thee, Discord."
"I promise thee that you will always be welcome here!" I grinned and galloped to him to hug his leg. Just a little hug, nothing awful.
I am crying a little right now, but I have the common sense to keep my tears away from the paper. If only thou didst the same.
I pray this finds you in good health. I myself am not feeling wonderful, but I hope it shall pass. I eagerly await the next letter, especially if it's the one that lets me come home.
Your little sister who misses you dearly,
Luna
Celestia blew her nose and set the handkerchief down. The memory was fresh in her mind. Embarrassment, sadness, even a little anger swirled inside her, but as she re-read the short closing, one feeling came up that trumped them all: Happiness. Luna was complying wonderfully.
I wonder how much longer I need to do this. She rolled the letter up and set it next to the first one. She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking of what to write next.
"Knock, knock!"
"Come in!"
A gleeful Terra Cotta trotted in with a giant grin and a giant stomach. "My husband found a job, and just in time! Do you have any idea how hard it is to serve a ten-course meal with this thing on me?!" She pointed to the bump that concealed a foal. "Is it okay if I leave today?"
"Oh, of course! In fact, you must tell me when the foal is born. You must!" Celestia beamed at her.
"Certainly, Your Highness! It's so nice to see you in a good mood!" The pudgy mare waved to her princess, then trotted away.
The princess sighed and thought for a moment. What am I going to do when the baby comes?
Get it a gift worthy of royalty, of course!
The letter could wait, couldn't it? After all, Luna would understand. She had always loved foalsitting, and surely this would give Celestia some inspiration.
With a grin on her face to rival the frown she wore yesterday, she got to work on a toy. A fabulous toy, a beautiful toy, one that would be cherished no matter how old the foal got.
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I'd love to see something like "remember when you accidentally destroyed a small town" or "accidentally set the palace on fire"... Those are bit destructive... Maybe a surprise birthday party that went wrong or something. Just some ideas
5320321 Great, now the next chapter is going to be called "Remember When You Burnt Our House Down?" all because of YOU! Or... second-next. I think.
5320359 yay!
Cool! I look forward to it 
try recounting the story of the crystal empire
seeing as celestias older you can have her taking care of baby luna
try writing about maybe her becoming princesses, or the first times they raised there celestial body
maybee the first loves they had or their first hearths warming
5320773 Yes, it is. Should I try to clarify that in the author's notes?