Chapter 12
Celestia’s eye cracked open, scanning her room. The gold-and-white themed room shone with royal opulence. Small comforts that she had collected over millennia that built up to a rather impressive collection. The sun had woken her, letting her know now was the time to raise it.
She blinked slowly, groaned, and rolled over in her bed.
It was going to be one of those days again.
They happened every century or so, and Celestia had been through enough of them to know exactly what she was in for. Depression, regret, jealousy, longing...
Longing for him...the one that so many more have met before she had the chance to embrace him.
Celestia sighed. It started already.
Dragging herself out of bed by her forehooves, she briefly toyed with the idea of letting Luna have her day of night. This would, of course, make it unbearably cold, create winds so strong that they would disintegrate buildings, kill crops, and doom life on earth. Unless somepony had an underground farm they were tending to at the precise moment it all happened.
No, better go raise it.
Reaching out with her magical power, Celestia immediately found the link between herself and her star. With a mighty, magical heave, she gave the sun another push.
She smirked. "Yes, I know you're tired, but it's time to get up," she mentally called to her charge.
Her smirk fell though as the sound of hooves behind her door brought her attention to her daily activities.
She would be dressed in the Royal Regalia, sit in court, nod her way through meetings, bore herself with her counselors, and generally have as much fun as she does whenever she visited the dentist.
“You need to stop eating so much cake, Princess,” she said, deepening her tone to mimic her dentist, “it’ll rot your teeth to the gums!” Of course, his father had said the same thing, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and so on, and so on to the very beginning of time.
Her head dropped as her servants entered the room, each a volunteer, and each eager to help the Princess get ready for her busy morning.
Their smiles died when they saw Celestia’s grim face.
The Princess’s silence didn’t encourage them any.
“Princess?” one of the braver mares asked, a golden yellow pegasus by the name Sunny Rays.
Or was Sunny Rays her great grandmother?
Celestia did her best to quickly run through the names of her current staff, a list she had updated every 20 years or so, before realizing that this mare was actually named Golden Days, a fourth generation servant in the house of the Sun.
“Yes, Miss Days?”
“Are you alright?” the pegasus asked.
“Yes,” Celestia quickly replied, sending her a soft smile. “I am just thinking.”
“May we question as to what?”
About how if I were to blink I could be staring at your great-great-great granddaughter.
Well, not literally...
Celestia still had the same 24 hour day that anypony else had. It’s just that years didn’t seem like they were 365 days, it seemed like years passed in a month on good years...
“The joys of Life, Miss Days,” she answered, millennia of dealing with politicians had given her an almost subconscious way of speaking.
“Joys of life my Royal flank. All I want to do is die, is that too much to ask?” She supposed it would a morbid thought for many. But really, when you had lived as long as she had...when you had seen so many ponies get killed by the hand of time...when you had seen as many wars, as many tragedies, as many broken dreams, failed schemes, as much pain, as much fear, as much hatred as she had, then everypony would probably be forming a line to jump off Canterlot’s tallest tower.
Not Celestia, though. “No, I have to wait.” For all of those who have hailed them as immortals, for all of the wizards and scientists who looked to them for the secret of eternal youth, neither she nor her sister were immortal. They would die.
Eventually.
And Celestia was thankful for it.
Anypony who wanted to live forever was a fool. She, the one who raised the sun each day, could hardly take her incredibly long life, and she had Luna with her, and well...
The ponies had finished dressing her, moving with such skilled hooves that Celestia had hardly noticed the extra weight fall across her shoulders and hooves. She glanced down at her gold-shod hooves, pawing at the ground.
It was funny, really, those who die want eternal life, but those who live want death.
Days coughed.
Celestia looked up at them, and blinked.
Right, these one didn’t leave unless she dismissed them.
“Thank you, ladies, you may go.”
They nodded collectively, sliding out of the room, leaving the Princess to her thoughts.
She sighed, mentally berating herself, “Did you just call them ‘these ones?’”
She didn’t bother defending herself as her conscience ripped at her, “They have names, Celestia, they’re ponies. Your servants. Your subjects. They deserve respect.”
“Yes, my servants, amongst the millions I’ve had. I know each one of them by name, and each passing has ripped my heart to shreds.”
“I’m a masochist,” she mumbled.
The temperature in the room dropped by a few degrees, and she heard a voice behind her. “Now, now Celly, I highly doubt that.”
Her heart jumped to her throat when she heard that voice, her head snapping up, and turning towards the figure that sat in the shadows.
The raven that sat on his black shoulder cawed.
“Dust,” he spoke again, his deep, grave voice echoing in the room that seemed to grow ever smaller as it was filled with his presence, “don’t speak unless spoken to, it’s rude.”
The raven cawed again before jumping off of his shoulder, probably off to find Philomena.
He was here, in her room, alone...
But he’s here...
“Business?” She asked, the cynical tone in her voice just winning over the excitement.
He said nothing, his black coat and wings perfectly preened, his horn glowing with a white shimmer as two glasses of wine hovered next to him.
She sighed, “I love to see you, Death, but you always come on business. Someone always has to die.”
The wine glass floated over to her. “Not today, dear,” he said, his green eyes softening as he stepped out of the shadows. He was only a little taller than her, but he looked thinner, almost hideously gaunt. He stood like a shadow, physical but ethereal and other than the simple wooden boat on his flank, his coat was perfectly ebony. His bone-white hooves glinted in the early morning light. “I’m not here to take anyone today.”
The outstretched glass was sheathed in gold as the solar sister took it. “Then why are you here? You never come to see me, it’s always business with you, work, work, work.”
“Celly...” he said, sitting next to the white Princess. “You know I can’t stay, you know I can’t come as often as I like.”
She sighed, sipping the wine, which tasted like orange juice for her newly-awoken stomach. “I know...it’s just...it’s just I want us to be together, but...but I just can’t die.”
Death frowned, draping his forehoof around her shoulder and giving her a gentle squeeze. “Everyone has their turn to die, Celly. Yours will come.”
She nodded before wiping away a tear, “So...anyway, what brought you here?”
“Two things,” The black alicorn answered. “First, your beauty.”
She giggled, smiling at that.
Death then frowned, “Second, I have some bad news about my brother.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
“Cotton Candy Clouds? Chocolate Rain? Popped Corn on the Cob? Oversized Apples? Bunny Gazelles? Failing Fail Safes? What in the hay is going on here?” Alan asked, his duster getting soaked by the falling drops of milk. He knew his duster was waterproof, but he wasn’t so sure about milk proof.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it?” Twi asked, watching as the animals nibbled away at the corralled candy.
“I wouldn’t be that fast, Twi. This sounds like a story plot.”
“Oh, Alan,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “So far you’ve said everything is a story plot.”
“Not everything.”
“You were convinced Pinkie’s toothache was the ‘Season Premiere.’”
“Ok, the toothache was a bit of a stretch, but—” he was suddenly interrupted by a jet of green flame as letter from the Princess materialized.
Twilight, ever quick, got the letter before it even touched the ground, magically unrolling it. Her eyes quickly scanned the letter before she gasped. “Girls! We need to get to Canterlot. The Princess wants to see us now.”
“That doesn’t sound good,” Alan remarked before escorting the girls to the train.
<<<|Ω|>>>
They had taken an emergency train, one that went much faster than the other steam-powered locomotives that filled the stations, and they had arrived in Canterlot within the space of an hour. They were then escorted up to the castle foyer by three guards, two escorts, and then a courier to get people out of the way.
Opening the doors, the six ponies and human caught the Princess mid-pace. “We came as soon as we could, Princess.”
“Thank you,” she replied simply. “Thank you all.”
“Is this about the weather, and the animals’ weird behavior?” Twilight asked. “What’s going on out there? Why didn’t my fail safe work? Is there -”
She was cut off by a raised hoof. “Follow me,” was all the Princess said.
The small crowd followed their ruler down several long hallways, and around a few corners, before leading them to one of the towers.
The room had several large stained glass windows, Alan had noticed, each starring a creature that was an absolute mish mash of parts from other species. “I have called you here for a matter of great importance,” Celestia said. “It seems an old foe of mine, someone I had defeated long ago had returned. His name is Discord,” she turned and faced them. “Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in an eternal state of unrest and unhappiness.”
Her gaze floated to one of the nearby windows depicting three figures, one for each pony race. Each being tormented by a fourth figure, the creature. “Luna and I saw how miserable life was for Earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike. After discovering the Elements of Harmony, we combined our powers and rose up against him, turning him to stone.”
“Alright, Princess!” Dash cheered.
Celestia ignored it and continued, “I thought that the spell we cast would contain him forever, but since Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements, the spell has been broken.”
“No longer connected?” Twilight asked.
“That does not seem to be the major issue, Twi,” Alan said.
“This is Canterlot Tower, where the Elements of Harmony have been kept safe since you recovered them. I need you six to wield them once again, and stop Discord, before he thrusts all of Equestria into eternal chaos.”
“But why us? Why don’t you—” Twi began, only to be interrupted by Pinkie, who was standing in front of the only window that didn’t feature Discord.
“Hey, look, we’re famous!” Sure enough, there were six, rather familiar ponies, each with a piece of golden jewelry. Each pony seemed to be firing a beam of pure light, striking the navy blue alicorn at the top of the window. Nightmare Moon.
“You six showed the full potential of the Elements by harnessing the power of your friendship to beat a mighty foe.” She brought her head down to her student, so they saw eye to eye. “Although Luna and I once wielded the Elements, it is you who now control their power, and it is you who must defeat Discord.”
It took a second before Twilight answered. “Princess Celestia, you can count on—”
She was interrupted by Pinkie again. “Hold on a second!” she said, raising her hoof like a schoolfilly. “Eternal Chaos comes with chocolate rain you guys! Chocolate Rain!”
Alan smirked, shaking his head. “I think the problem is more like chocolate rain comes with Eternal Chaos, Pinkie.”
“Aww...”
Twilight blinked before continuing. “We’d be honored to use the Elements of Harmony again.”
Celestia nodded, turning to the vault door. Using her horn as if it were a key, she unlocked it.
With a burst of light the door opened, and a wooden case decorated with jewels was revealed.
“Ooooh,” Rarity moaned, “you can keep the Elements, I’ll take that case.”
“Have no fear, My Little Ponies,” Celestia said. “I have total confidence that you will be able to defeat Discord, with these,” she said, opening the case to reveal six...pieces of...
Nothing?
There was a gasp, and then silence as Celestia dropped the case in shock.
“Th-that chamber,” Celestia stammered, “it’s protected by a spell that only I can break. This doesn’t make sense!”
A laugh echoed in the hall, “Make sense?” he chuckled again. “What fun is there in making sense?”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed to slits as she growled the name, “Discord.”
There was the sound of ringing metal as Judgement flew from his sheath. “Show yourself.”
He laughed again, and both the Princess and the human scanned the windows.
“Did you miss me, Celestia?” He asked, one of his figures in the window coming to life, “Because I missed you,” his figure flew to the next stained glass window, skipping the blank one between them. “It’s been what? Four? Five thousand years?”
“Not long enough,” The Princess answered.
Alan smirked, “You’re that old, Discord? No wonder you’re so ugly.”
“Best watch yourself human. Dear Celly here is older than I am.”
Celestia growled, “Don’t call me that.”
“Call you what? Celly? Then how about Tia, or Celest maybe?”
“Enough!” she said, her wings flaring with anger. “What did you do with the Elements of Harmony?”
The Draconequus smirked, playing around in the window world. “Oh I just borrowed them for teensy little while,” he said, snapping his fingers and making a representation of said elements disappear.
“You will never get away with this, Discord,” she said, pawing the ground, her eyes glaring daggers at the smug spirit.
Discord sighed, “Oh, I’ve forgotten how grim you could be Celestia, it’s really quite boring.”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash yelled. “Nopony insults the Princess!” Dashie then charged the window, eager to smack the grin off the chaotic creature’s face, only to fly straight into the window.
“Where are they, Discord?” Celestia demanded.
“I’m sorry,” he said, appearing in the window behind her. “What were we talking about again, Celly?”
“Stop calling me that!” She roared, smoke rising from her mane.
“Temper temper, dear. Remember, we have company,” Discord scolded, “and what company at that! Just look at these ponies here!” He flashed, appearing in another window. “Twilight Sparkle, bearer of the Element of Magic, and easily one of the most powerful ponies in this room.” He flashed again, this time to the window that Dash had just crashed into. “Rainbow Dash, bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Next to her, the lovely Miss Rarity, bearer of the Element of Generosity.” He flashed again, causing the yellow pegasus to "eep" as she heard his voice echo behind her. “The sweet and soft spoken Fluttershy, bearer of the Element of Kindness.” He flashed again. “Applejack, bearer of the Elements of Honesty. The Party Pony, Pinkie Pie, bearer of my personal favorite, the Element of Laughter,” another flash, this time his whole, physical form right in front of Alan, “and finally you.”
Now Alan got a really good look at him, he saw the head of a grey pony, with a single fang protruding over his lip, two wild, yellow tinted eyes staring at him. He had two antlers, one of a deer, and the other was a goat’s horn. His long, serpentine body was covered in brown feathers which also covered his left shoulder. The feathers ended at a long, scaled eagle’s claw, and at the shoulder of his right arm, which was a lion’s paw. His right leg was covered in green scales, ending in three white, claw-like toes, while his left leg was a goat’s, ending in a split hoof. His tail, a red-scaled dragon’s tail ended in a white tuft of hair, and against his back were two wings, one black, bat-like wing, the other a dark blue pegasus wing.
“Yes, you,” Discord said, revealing the forked snake tongue between his teeth. “Sir Alan Williams of Earth, and I have to say, I am impressed with your work Al.”
Celestia was visibly shaking with rage as the chaotic chimera walked before her.
“You single handedly turned Celestia’s composed throne room into the biggest mess I’ve seen in years. In mere minutes you turned Canterlot on its head when you called The Princess to Appleloosa. Then of course how could I forget you leading out the Parasprites to the Blues Brothers? I honestly laughed. Or would have if I hadn't been stone at the time. Honestly, you’re a, well, man after my own heart.”
“Stop playing around Discord!” Celestia literally fumed. “Where are the Elements?”
“Playing around?” he said, his head making a 180 degree turn while his body continued to face forward. “That is an excellent idea! Let’s play a game.”
The edges of Celestia’s mane began to smolder, sparks crackling as tiny flames shot in the air.
“I’ve hidden the Elements. If you find them, you win. I’ll walk myself out in front of the firing line, and await my fate,” He gave a dramatic flourish, his hand coming to his forehead in mock despair. “But if you don’t find them then, well...let’s just say I’m going to have a little fun.”
He snapped his fingers, reappearing in the window with a flash of light. “I will leave you with a hint to get you started.
In twists and turns green and odd,
You will be searching for your thieves,
And finally when you’ve seen your logic is flawed,
You’ll return to the home of leaves.”
With those final words, the Draconequus left them in another flash.
“In twists and turns green and odd?” Rainbow Dash wondered aloud. “What do you think that means?”
Twilight had already begun her search, and it wasn’t long before her gaze was drawn to the window.
The sprawling view of the Canterlot Gardens met her, and more importantly...
“The Hedge Maze! He must have hidden them there!”
Celestia nodded. It made sense. “Good luck my little ponies, the fate of Equestria is in your hooves.”
Alan smirked, spinning Judgement around. “Alright, let’s go kick some chaotic flank!”
“No, Alan,” Celestia said. “I cannot allow you to go.”
“What?” the small crowd asked.
“Alan does not have a connection to the Elements,” Celestia explained. “He above all of you here would be most susceptible to Discord's magic. You have to stay.”
Alan didn’t respond, simply staring between the Princess and the six ponies he had come with.
Pinkie leapt at him, smiling. “Don’t worry, we’ll give you a play by play when we come back!”
Smiling a little, he sheathed his blade before gathering the six ponies in a hug. “Good luck, guys.”
“Thanks Alan,” Twi said, before leading the six ponies forward to the maze.
As the door closed behind them, Alan turned to the royal, “Will they be alright?” he asked.
“I hope so, Alan. I hope so.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
It felt so wrong.
Twilight and the others were all out there dealing with the god of chaos, and he was here sipping tea with the Princess. He should be there with them, he should be helping them, he should be protecting them.
He set his four-hundred-year-old porcelain tea cup down, probably with more force than was necessary, and squeezed the handle of Judgement.
Celestia sighed, lowering her own cup, “Sir Alan, I realize you are worried for your friends, but had you gone things would probably have gone bad.”
“I-I just don’t feel right doing nothing.”
The Princess nodded. “I understand your feelings, Alan. I do not like risking the well being of my subjects on the performance of others, regardless of how much I trust them. I prefer to deal with threats to the kingdom myself. It is my responsibility, and I should not have to rely on my subjects to aid me in it.”
“Then why are we still sitting here, and not out there?” Alan asked, doing his best to stifle his anger.
Celestia gave him a look. “I have more magical power than you could dream, Alan. Over the years, the brightest minds of Equestria have tried taking guesses, most picking astronomical features that border on ridiculous,” she looked him straight in the eyes. “They’re not even close. If I wished, I could move all of Equestria to a different planet.
“Now, I am telling you this so that you understand what I mean when I say that Discord is stronger than I am.”
Alan didn’t reply.
“If I could do something I would,” she said. “However, Discord’s only true weakness is the Elements. He could crush me if he wanted to, or worse.”
Alan sighed, “That doesn’t really help.”
Celestia set down her own teacup, “I know, Alan. I know.”
“Where did he even come from?” Alan asked, “He just seems so...” He threw his hands in front of him, unable to find the word he was searching for.
Celestia regarded him for a second. “That is a very long story, Sir Alan. One that dates back to the very beginning of this world.”
Alan blinked. “He’s been around since the beginning?”
“Discord? No,” Celestia answered. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
Alan smirked, “I have time.”
Celestia gave him another look and then began to speak, “In the beginning, there was nothing. No order, no chaos, simply nothing. Nothing except for her.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
She looked over the darkness, the empty black space.
It was perfect.
Well, not really.
It was the perfect canvas.
With a faint, red glow, she picked up her quill and carefully dipped it into the inkwell.
Perfectly empty.
Then she began to write about something.
Planets, stars, galaxies, trees, sound, light, air, energy, she wrote all of it. And as she wrote, the blackness was filled with it.
This was good.
Somethings were everywhere, a world had been made. Carved by the nib of her quill, and filled with her ink.
It was ready for a Someone.
She wrote again, describing her first someone, a pony, she decided, a white coat, purple eyes, a Pink mane to start, she may change that though. That was too normal, though. This Someone had to be special. Wings were good, but a horn was good too. Maybe both? Yes, that would be very special. This Someone would be polite, and she quickly picked a voice for her first Someone.
“Um...excuse me...”
She turned to see a small foal, a filly, with wide eyes and a pink mane.
“Where am I?”
She smiled, putting down her quill. “You are in your world.”
The filly looked at it with wide eyes. “It’s big.”
She smiled again, “Did you want a name for yourself?”
The filly shook her head, “I don’t know what to pick.”
“Can I pick for you?”
The filly nodded “Yes, please.”
She smiled, “I’ll name you Celestia, my first Someone for this place.”
“Ooh, that sounds great!” Celestia said.
“I’m glad you think so, Celestia.”
“But, Miss, what’s your name?”
“My little pony, my name is Faust, but you can call me Mom.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
“She made four of us,” Celestia said, “myself, Luna, Death, and Harmony. Us, sisters, they brothers. We each had our own charges, I was tasked with the sun and the Kingdom, while Luna had dominion over the night sky and dreams. Likewise, Death was charged with the gates of Tartarus, and shepherding souls while Harmony worked with the flow of nature, and was the Prophet of Faust."
She looked up, at one of the windows of her room, “Death always worked in the night, leading souls away to Faust’s home in the darkness, taking them across the river. Harmony, however, worked in the day, balancing the seasons, giving Faust's guidence, establishing his namesake wherever he went.” She gave a soft smile, “It’s ironic, actually, that Luna fell for him.”
She looked back down at the human, “It was a grand romance the two had. They each stayed up for as long as they could, meeting each other in the twilight hours. They loved each other dearly.
“But Harmony couldn’t take it,” Celestia continued. “Those few hours were not enough for him, so he began to search for a way to ease her burden to take care of her duties. He looked for a way to take care of mine as well, so as to allow me time to be...well, anyway...He shut himself away for three years searching for the answer, and when he finally came out, he was the creature you saw today.
“I...” she hesitated. “I’m still not sure what happened in that room, how his innocent notes and research turned as dark as it did. He was different when he came out, not just in physical appearance.
“At first, we suspected nothing. Harmony’s work seemed to be innocent, and once he took over the sun and moon for us, we were able to spend some more time with each other as well as our subjects.” She paused, closing her eyes, “I dread to think about what would have happened if we had not.”
“What do you mean by that?” Alan asked.
“If we had not been with our subjects, we could have missed it. If we had not been paying attention, then Discord may still have control,” She stood, walking over to one of the windows. “We began to notice that harvests that should have been plentiful were falling short. Rivers were changing course, seasons were coming out of order, clouds turned to stone, stones became intangible, rain fell on cloudless days and snow fell in the middle of summer. Magic would do the opposite of its intent, wings would ground a pegasi, hooves would stand on nothing but wooden walls and ceilings. It was chaos, and getting worse.”
Celestia sighed, “That was when Discord was truly born, from the body and mind of Harmony. He wasn’t himself anymore, Luna saw that first, and it nearly broke her.”
She hung her head, “It was sad to see Harmony go. He was a good friend, strong, courageous, loyal. He single-hoofedly represented every single Element. The Elements, in fact, were his own creation. An attempt in his three year search. I was only able to discover them because Luna was distracting him, keeping his eyes elsewhere while I searched for a way to reverse what had happened.”
She turned back to him. “There was none, and our only option was to stop him.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
“And that, My Queen,” The Draconequus said, standing next to Luna, a glass of chocolate milk in his hand, “is why Sum-ter is my favorite season.”
Luna nodded, a poorly hidden frown on her face.
“Is something wrong, my dear?”
She looked at him, her eyes on the verge of tears. She would give him this one chance, this very last chance. “H-Harmony...why...why are you doing these things?”
A look of confusion spread across his face, “I-I’m doing this for you. You-you don’t like this?”
“You’re hurting ponies, Harmony. They can’t take this. Celestia doesn't like what you’re doing, and neither do I. Stop hurting them, Harmony.”
“But...” Harmony said, his face twisting in confusion, “But...we’re together...that’s...” his eyes bulged and shrunk as a twisted grin spread across his face. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
A tear fell to the ground between Luna’s hoof and Harmony’s foot, “Yes, but...but not like this. Not with all of this pain for them.”
“Who cares about them!?” Harmony asked, throwing his hands into the air. “This is about us! You, me, no one else!” The grin on his face turned manic. “We have that now, all the time on our near immortal lives to be together. We don’t have to let anything trouble us anymore. It’s just me and you.”
“No,” Luna said. “It’s not just me and you. It’s everypony. You’re Harmony, you should know that better than anyone.”
Harmony frowned. His eye twitched. “Well...well then, I guess I’m not Harmony any more.”
Suddenly, Celestia,carrying three jewels around her, one blue, one purple and one green, laughter, magic, and kindness, landed behind him. “Enough, Harmony, let our subjects go, or we’ll make you let them go.”
“Oh, didn’t you hear, Tia?” He said, twisting his head. “I’m not Harmony. My name is Discord, and we both know you alone don’t have the power to stop me, not like this.”
“She’s not alone,” Luna said, pulling a second set of jewels from her saddlebag. The gems on this one were magenta, red, and yellow; generosity, loyalty, and honesty.
“You’re going to try and stop me, Lu?” Discord asked, a hint of hurt in his eyes.
“You’ve said it yourself,” She answered, tears streaming down her grim, determined face. “You’re not Harmony anymore.”
<<<|Ω|>>>
“Luna didn’t take it well,” Celestia said.
“Sounds brutal,” Alan said.
“But Discord’s treachery did not end there. He has a long reach for such a short tongue. At first, I thought perhaps it was the loss of Harmony, but soon it became apparent—”
“He had gotten to me,” a new voice interrupted.
Both turned to see Luna standing there, tears from the fresh memories in her eyes. “Discord had left his impression,” she continued, “and I became restless, and easily irritable. Also, apparently, easily jealous.”
Alan’s eyes widened a touch. “Discord...he was behind...” he trailed off, wondering if mentioning her name was a good thing to do.
“Nightmare Moon, yes,” Luna finished. “It’s how he functions...”
<<<|Ω|>>>
Come now, Applejack, lying will save your friends.
But Honesty is a sign of trust between friends.
Lies are so much easier to take, besides...just one won’t hurt.
T-the truth is kinda harsh...
<<<|Ω|>>>
“...He worms his way into the minds of his victims...”
<<<|Ω|>>>
Laughter is fun...
Until they laugh at you.
Why would they laugh at me?
Because you’re just too much sometimes Pinkie, you’ve said it yourself.
Well...well...well then they won’t laugh at me anymore.
<<<|Ω|>>>
“...He preys on their fears and insecurities...”
<<<|Ω|>>>
But Generosity is a gift.
To others, sure, but what about you? Don’t you deserve something nice after all the things you’ve done?
Well...yes, but...
Besides, which one of your friends would honestly want a diamond?
Well...
Whose diamond is it, Rarity?
Well...mine...I suppose.
Whose?
Mine.
<<<|Ω|>>>
“...He finds their weak spot and drives at it, forcing them to face his decision...”
<<<|Ω|>>>
Kindness warms the hearts of others.
Yes, that’s why Alan took all the blame himself, because your friends definitely wouldn’t have blamed you.
I never said they wouldn’t I just...um...I don’t think they would have -
Would have what, Fluttershy? You saw the way your friends treated Alan, and the only reason he got off so easy is because he was being “Helpful.” They would have ripped you to shreds.
But I...
They need someone stronger, Fluttershy. Not some doormat.
I...I...
Show us some cruelty, dear, show us some strength.
They're...they're...they're all foals...
<<<|Ω|>>>
“...And then he manipulates them over the edge until they aren’t themselves anymore...”
<<<|Ω|>>>
But...but my friends need me.
But Clousdale needs you too, after all, it’s your home...
But...my friends.
You have a duty to Clousdale.
But...but...
Just think of all those ponies who could get hurt if you’re not there...
C-Clousdale...needs me...more...
<<<|Ω|>>>
“...That’s how he fights, and that is how he wins,” Luna finished sobbing, wiping a tear from her eye.
Celestia stood, before giving her sister the best hug she could.
The younger princess cried into the older’s coat, as she was flooded with the images of her greatest mistake.
“Sir Alan,” Celestia said. “Go to Ponyville. I fear your friends may need your help yet.”
Alan nodded, before standing. “As you wish,” he said, before jogging out of the room.
“I fear I may have sent him to his doom.”
--------------------------------
Hey guys...
Um...Pinkie couldn’t make it today...
She left a note for you...
“Dear Readers.
Thanks bunches for all of the faves and comments, you’ve really made Miner happy, especially when he found out he was featured. You should have seen his smile! It was even bigger when he saw his faves double in two days! He’s promised to make the next chapters really good, and he hopes you’ll like them. Thanks for reading as always, Bye!”
Yeah, thanks, guys, it means a lot to me. Comment if you want...bye
…
…
It’s so quiet in here...
Where is Pinkie Pie? She is my favouritist pony THOU SHALT TELL ME OR SUFFER MINE INFINITE WRATH
*pin drop*
Faust....I can't believe you actually went there. Meh oh well, this is an awesome chapter though. A little sadder and darker then usual but you captured Discord in all his truly dark and wickedly chaotic glory. As weird as it sounds, this chapter needs a theme song. A big long awesome dark sounding theme song. Nothing says Awesome Cliffhanger better than a good Dun-Dun Duuuuunnn song.
This is the best I can come up with for right now.
Nice chapter. I almost expected Alan to react in some way to the mention of Faust. I was kind of surprised that he didn't.
1119896
Pinkie was discorded...she'll be back though...I hope...
1120735
Well who else would have made the world?
1119973
Good pin drop, or bad?
1121532
As I recall, he didn't mention the type of sword until the chapter _after_ I posted that review.
1121458
True, I just meant kind of in a way like, Celestia actually named her as Faust, instead of a name that for all he knew, might have been different for them. (Easiest comparison I can think of to give a clear picture is how Christians simply call the person they believe to be Humanity's creator God, but another religion calls that same god something different.)
Either way, not an important detail, I just realized the way I said it wasn't totally clear
Hrm. Okay, this is awkward. I'm afraid I can't really approve of the changes you have made to this episode.
The riddle, for example. Whilst it may not necessarily refer to the library in Ponyville, it most certainly does _not_ refer in any way, shape or form to the maze. I mean, come on, 'eaves' is an architectural term - the possibility of it referring to something _other_ than a building is minimal. Even if it doesn't, it _always_ refers to something overhead - What is overhead in the maze? Possibly there is a gazebo in the center of it, but then the line 'home of leaves' is being completely discounted.
I reckon that the original riddle worked much better. Even if you don't want the Elements in the same place (and I can't fathom why not - Alan's presence isn't _that_ fundamentally altering), the line 'back where you began' is sufficiently vague as to refer to _any_ place that could count as an important beginning for the M6 - from the ruined castle, to the Cloudsdale racetrack, to _the maternity unit where they were born_.
Then, the corruption scenes.Admittedly, the format you went with to try and convey them just doesn't work, to begin with. This is a major event - it cannot be glossed over and still convey the full depth of what happened. Look at the show. They had about forty minutes of airtime to work with, and they chose to spend a full ten minutes on the Discording of the M6. That you were attempting to illustrate the Princess' point _could_ have made it work, if the bits you had chosen to illustrate with had been identical to the show - the imagination of the readers would have filled in the blanks with the appropriate scene, thereby doing a good portion of your work for you.
But, whilst that is an area of improvement, it is not _wrong_. What you did to Fluttershy is.
Canonically, she resists Discord's subtle manipulations, even pointing out that it is a _good thing_ for people to point out her flaws, because then she can fix them. This defense works against the first half of his argument - the second half of his argument is odd in that it appears disconnected. Where is the step going from 'they would rip you to shreds' to 'they don't need a doormat', and finally to 'show us some cruelty'? How do those points even build of each other?
Besides which, the canonical version subtly demonstrates something.Discord _can do anything_. He doesn't _need_ ponies to 'open their minds' to his point of view to make an opening for him to exploit - he can make them change their minds regardless. The winning an argument and destroying a pony's world view is simply a nice little bonus. By removing it, you remove one of his defining moments.
Finally, Celestia's decision regarding Alan. She is inconsistent. If she deems him safer in the Palace (by dint of not attracting Discord's attention), and for this reason refuses to allow him to go aid the M6, then it makes no sense for her to reverse her decision by sending him to Ponyville.
I admit, however, that I may be viewing her through rose tinted glasses here. Despite her deific powers, she is still a pony, and therefore fallible. That making mistakes is uncharacteristic of her simply means that those she does make will be larger. That much I got from the opening scene.
I apologise if it looks like I'm being mean, that isn't my intention at all, but if I perceive there to be a weakness in a good story, then it would be remiss of me to not point it out, would it not?
1121622
Alright, I have a few reasons for doing what I did. First the riddle. When I first heard the riddle, I was able to figure out that they wouldn't need to go into the maze. The back where you began line told me that it would have been at the entrance, and I'm sure that's what Alan would have thought too, so I had to make the riddle more confusing.
Second, the corruptions, more specifically Fluttershy. When I saw the episodes, I got the impression that they had to give in to be truly discorded. With the exception of Fluttershy, which I felt didn't fit with what they had been doing. He made Applejack fear the truth's harsh edge, he played on Pinkie's insecurities, he distracted Rarity, who fought the hardest, and he forced Rainbow Dash between her duties. Fluttershy was the only one where he just forced it, and I didn't really like that.
Third, Celestia. At first, she was trying to keep Alan safe. He doesn't have a connection to the Elements, and would be more vulnerable. Then she was reminded that even one of the bearers of the Elements (namely Luna) could fall, and she began to worry about them. Alan was the only one left, the only one who could save them, so she really has no choice but to send him.
Fourth, the formatting, what I really wanted to do, was grasp the internal struggle between Discord's hypnotism, and the Mane 6, the mental debate rather than the physical changing. It was an attempt to make it a deeper change.
1121799
Maybe. In order of appearance, yes, chronologically, maybe?
1121665
Okay, the other three points I can see are personal differences.
Fluttershy, on the other hand...
There are two problems I can see with that. The first is that you seem to be changing the source material simply because it doesn't fit with your theory of how the show works. Feel free to dispute the validity of out-of-universe information (For example, the idea that Blueblood is a distant relation 'on their mothers side'), but changing established canon just to fit personal theoy seems kind of...well, wrong.
Secondly, I feel like you've kind of missed the purpose of that technique. When trying to make your villain sound all-powerful to your audience, outright stating that X is how he works, and then having him ignore X simply sounds inconsistent. However, by having the character act in a certain way, thereby encouraging the audience to think that that is how he _must_ work, only for him to demonstrate that it is no problem for him to work in other ways, you get a much stronger 'Oh snap' reaction.
Besides which, you're forgetting one crucial thing about Discord - above all else, he wants to have 'fun'. Winning debates is fun. By that token, shattering people's world view is also 'fun'. But trying to debate with a person whose responses leaves no room for a rebuttal? Not fun at all. Losing a debate to such a person? Even less so. Hence the only time we see he him genuinely upset.
1121857
You make excellent points, sir. Except for one.
You're arguing that Discord is inconsistent.
I think that's kinda the point...
Chaos is by nature, random. Unexpected, if you will.
How then, is someone with a set of rules, ever going to be unexpected? By breaking the rules, of course. But he can't break all of the rules, because then he becomes predictable. I.e. tell him not to eat the smore, he'll eat it because he's breaking the rules.
Discord has two major rules to follow.
Rule 1: Follow all rules. Rule 2: Break all rules.
... Are you trying to justify altering the canon to fit the 'rules' you created by claiming that Discord has the capacity to ignore the rules?
That makes no sense whatsoever! If you're not trying to claim that, then I apologise, but I have no idea what you are referring to.
And as interesting as a debate into the nature of Discord would be, I still fail to see how it justifies that particular divergence from the canon.
Unless you are also applying that statement to fourth wall sensitivity. In which case it would sort of make sense that he's doing things differently (copying others/yourself is boring), except he does seem to be following the old formula rather closely for that...
And even so, if he is aware of being in a fanfic, you kind of need to clarify that.
1122083
...you were saying?
1122083
My point is this. Discord is Discord, he can do whatever he wants, however he wants, with whatever rules he wants. If it doesn't make sense, then that's all the better. He will set up his own rules and limitations only to break them, which doesn't make sense, but then again, what fun is there in making sense?
If it doesn't seem like this is something he should do, then it is what he must do. Unless you're expecting him to do that...and the circular argument begins anew.
Besides, what he's doing here is that much different than what he did in the episode. You're assuming that because that's how he does things, that how he must do things (He forces ponies to his will by their choice not because he must, but because he loves doing that.) The main reason he was successful here was because of Alan's intervention. Because Alan carried her up the mountain, she was more easily swayed.
Essentially, since Alan was there, he made it worse.
1122230
My point exactly.
>>>Anypony who wanted to live forever was a fool. She, the one who raised the sun each day, could hardly take her incredibly long life, and she had Luna with her, and well...>>>
>>> It was funny, really, those who die want eternal life, but those who live want death.>>>
*sighs and head-desks so hard he punches through the desk, through his floor, through several floors below his, through the parking garage, then the bedrock, all the way through the crust and into the semi-molten mantle* You went there, and now I must yet again start debating. To everyone who thinks immortality sucks, why don't you GO FIND SOMEONE WHO IS ACTUALLY IMMORTAL and find out how they feel about it. Heck, find someone who can even manage to hit 200! Until you actually have a sample, it is impossible to accurately describe the mental condition resulting from a state of being you can scarcely comprehend.
But, to assume that immortality would be terribly boring is to ignore the drastic limits of your own experience. Most of your aren't even 40 yet. Most have hardly ever left their own country. None have read more than a tiny fraction of the books written. None have more than a smidgen of the entire accumulated knowledge of the human race. How can you then fathom the mind of an immortal, who has had the time to learn all that is learnable, and then devise applications based upon this vast mental database? Our entire lives, our entire way of thinking is poisoned by the knowledge that our bodies will wither and die. Take that out of the equation (and take some Prozac), and then open yourself up to the sheer size and scope of the universe where a trillion trillion worlds await.
To understand what it means to be immortal, you must first rid yourself of the weaknesses of mortality. Expunge every limitation from your conjecture, embrace the whole of the cosmos and the full breadth of time and space. Only then do you get the first faint glimpses of the astonishing possibilities.
If you personally don't want immortality, don't worry, no one is going to force it upon you. For those of us who are limitlessly creative and atually have a notion of how much there is to see and do in the universe, this constant whining about how awful eternal life would be is beyond absurd, because we have already made plans for this world alone that will span a billion years.
Here's a hint: modern philosophers with almost no exception were all clinically depressed. How much can you count on the accuracy of the words of someone who was neurochemically imbalanced? Happiness and satisfaction are states of mind which can change quite drastically depending on ones' particular biochemistry. Mine happens to be quite balanced.
And finally, I must take issue with Discord arising from Harmony. I have never liked these sorts of origin stories, as they harken back to the old Greeco-Roman themes, which to me were always hyper-simplistic and served only to bring the 'gods' down to human level for the purpose of crafting mythical lore and amusing stories rather than to actually delve into the reality of such a being. And too, Discord is merely using chaos as a tool rather than truly incorporating in himself. Were he to do so, he would cease to exist. Pure chaos cannot take a solid form, and it cannot have a mind, as both those things require order.
The story is going down the path I have seen already over 100 take, and as yet it has never failed to disappoint me.
1122230
There is a difference between the character 'Discord', and a writer using him as a plot device. When discussing qualities of a story, one cannot justify flaws in literary technique with a vacuous explanation somehow involving the qualities of a character within the story.
1122237
For your argument regarding the rules - see above.
Next - yes. I have made the assumption that Discord does what he wants, how he wants, because it amuses him. The difference, however, is that there is nothing within the source material to contradict this view. At least - not directly (variable interpretations and all that). If you prefer him to be some sort of 'higher plane' rules lawyer, that's fine - don't contradict the canon and I won't have any complaints.
"The main reason he was successful here was because of Alan's intervention. Because Alan carried her up the mountain, she was more easily swayed.
Essentially, since Alan was there, he made it worse."
Now _this_, on the other hand, is a solid defence. By referencing something that happened earlier, it actually makes sense that Fluttershy might be ... 'weaker' (Not sure how that would have affected her character development, but meh. Butterfly Effect).
Still doesn't explain why he changed his 'speeches', but my major issue with the corruption scenes was that Fluttershy got 'voluntarily' Discorded - not the precise wording. So I'll chalk that up to the Butterfly Effect, too.
1122507
Hit a nerve, did I?
Sorry.
Look, Celestia is normally very happy, that should be obvious enough since she has bothered to drop down to the mortal level. It was just one of those days for her. But honestly, imagining what being immortal would be like, in a world where no one else would be would terrify me. Watching a love one grow old and die, and then your children, and then their children, and so on until they are hardly related to you anymore would be terrible.
As for the Discord origin, you are right in pointing out that he is not actually an anthropomorphic (or equinepomorphic) representation, but rather a conduit. I believe this is honestly the case for all of the ultra-powerful beings. Celestia is not the sun, she is in control of the sun. Luna is not the moon, she is in control of the moon, Discord is not actually chaos, he merely channels it.
If you're afraid I'll disappoint, then go ahead and stop reading.
I'd suggest you stick around though, I have some things in mind yet.
1122237 1122569
Quite frankly I do not see any point to debate, I mean, we already do understand that Discord is exactly as his names implies, the very personification of chaos and nonsense. Dreamer, unless I am mistaken, you are heavily implying that the Spirit of Chaos is not described/portrayed correctly.
But can Chaos truly be described? Miner is completely accurate- he does what he want regardless of it being good, evil, sensible or foolish. He simply does it. Why? Because it is fun, and because it does not make any sense whatsoever. There is nothing to debate. Discord 'rules' how ever he wants. Wether it is being kind, or bad.
1122691
I'm pretty sure we cleared everything up, but thank you for your help.
1122695
Great then. Would hate to have a beautiful story tainted with an argument.
No problem at all, darling.
And oh, 1122569 , I do not hate you, just so that is said.(just to be certain)
Good luck on, you Miner with things in general and Dreamer in life.
1122695
Also, I really have to commend you on your reply speed.
1122757
Thank you!
1122760
You are very welcome.
1122734
No worries - it's all good.
1122857
Then that is very excellent.
As the fair pink insanity states, 'You should all be friends!'
1121577
actualy it was mantioned when he first got the sword in chapter 3
“This was the sword he had us make him,” Celestia said, lifting the first item. The Sheath magically removed itself and the steel grey blade of the hand-and-a-half sword shone in the morning light. “On one side it reads ‘Mercy’ so that the blade would never be raised needlessly, and the other reads ‘Justice’ so that the blade would never let wrongs go un-righted.” The sword was sheathed, and the second item floated up. “This is Arthur’s horn, cut from a griffon general’s own hand, this single claw was carefully carved and magically sealed so that anyone with intentions against it would feel fear, while its allies would be inspired towards bravery.”
1122952
Huh - guess I missed that.
In reference to the rest of your post, a hand and a half sword may be called a bastard sword, but that term was originally used to include a large number of longswords - that could have up to a four foot blade. A hand and a half sword, however, refers to a weapon of between three feet and 3'4", roughly. I never really pay attention to the length of the hilt.
1122607 Oh, I shall keep reading. I simply don't see Celestia having such feelings. I'm hoping you'll have somepony with their head screwed on straight smack some sense into her if she starts going all emo.
Luna is a far better candidate, given her history of emotional turmoil. Celestia is the strong, stable, sensible one, who has long since worked out her way of thinking and her place in the universe.
It also tends to temper ones mind when one has spoken directly to ones' creator, as you have had her do in this chapter. Think of how it would affect us if some all-powerful being came down in a pillar of light and was all like: HUMAN!! I HATH MADE THEE TO DO SUCH AND SUCH!! NO GO AND DO LEST I SMITE THEE WITH FLATULENCE AND LEECHES!!
1123741
I will repeat myself, it was just one of those days. She is usually herself, but every place has a cloudy day. They never last long.
1122998
i found the information for that post here(i use it just for info) and you have to pay attention to the hilt, if it wasnt so long you'd just be holding a glorified longsword
I'll just leave this here.
25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz8vmqHWUp1qzndtio1_500.jpg
why do i feel that alan is gonna git a huge shot of longevity sometime soon
1124664
I have no idea.
1124676 not sure if retorical answer or
dont really know
1124396
By 'not pay attention to the hilt' I meant more along the lines of exact length. Provided I can wrap most of two hands around it, is fine.
As for the blade - Should be the third one down.
The smith recommended to me
IIRC 95 cm translates to just over three foot. Although you would be right about the handle.
Indeed, all of the hand and a half swords I am familiar with have a blade length of between that you would expect for a single handed sword, and that of a two handed sword. So, between about 2'9" and 3'6". The fact that searching 'hand and a half sword' and 'bastard sword' take you to the wikipedia entry for 'longsword' would also indicate that the length of your standard bastard sword is longer than that of a single handed one.
What I do find difficult to believe, however, is that the sword you have taken your stats from is, in fact, roughly 4 inches shorter than a single handed weapon from about three centuries earlier The more recommended smith
Swords had a tendency to evolve towards longer and pointier, did they not?
Assuming that your source is correct, this would indicate that the term 'hand and a half' sword is so vacuous a descriptor as to not tell us what the sword actually looks like.
1124073 She must get herself a Prozac prescription for those days then.
I've honestly never had 'one of those days', so I don't understand it. I see things in such broad scope that daily troubles just have no meaning. Now, living forever in pain would suck. Then I could understand wanting to die. Like the Greek god dude who had his liver eaten out by a vulture every day, and then it would regrow for the next day. I think that was Prometheus, and it was his punishment for giving mankind fire. I would totally want to die after a few years of that.
1140514
Thank you, I will take care of those immeadiately.
1121458 Ahh, don't worry mate! She'll be fine after they take care of Discord. Can't wait to see how its done this time around with the new factor of Alan in there. Should be quite interesting.
~With Regards, the Current Student of the Second True Magic.
1141728
Was just going over this again when I came across this. It would be "they're" here, I believe. Honestly no idea why I didn't see it before.
Where all the "Star Trek" references at? I am dissapoint.
When I heard the name "Faust" I was like this:
Then I was like this:
He meant 'leaves' as in pages, didn't he?
Celestia still had the same 24 hour day that anypony else had. It’s just that years didn’t seem like they were 356 days, it seemed like years passed in a month on good years...
Did you mean 365, or are there really only 356 days in an Equestrian year?
I'm rather enjoying this story.
But one thing doesn't make sense to me.
If Faust created this universe, how is it that Time Turner said that our world receives transmissions from other universes as dreams or imagination? Or does this get explained in a chapter that I haven't read yet?
She smirked. It was funny, kinda. The sun was so stuck where it was that the whole planet, rather than the sun, moved at her push.
Sorry. that wouldn't work.
Equestria has to be geocentric. Spinning the planet around like that.... well, let's put it this way; the earth is rotating at about a thousand miles an hour at the equator. If the earth were to suddenly STOP rotating, it would create instant west-to-east winds that would literally scour the life off the planet instantaneously from pole to pole, clear down to the bedrock. THEN, the oceans would rush Eastward out of their beds in incomprehensibly huge tidal waves, drowning entire continents. If Celestia really was turning the earth from night to day, even a brief, momentary acceleration of the earth would turn the entire planet into a hurricane. And as fast as she's made the sun rise on occasion--- well, review the scenario above.
Furthermore, a bunch of unicorns managed to raise the sun and moon on a regular basis in Equestrian prehistory. Even a city full of unicorns is far from god-tier. Ergo, the sun is smaller--- far smaller--- than Equestria.*
(I get rather irritated with this obsession to give Celestia and Luna solar-system-shattering omnipotence. Discord kicked Celestia and Luna's ass. The elements kicked Luna's ass. Chrysalis, an overgrown BUG, kicked Celestia's ass. Really, people, rein it in , you're turning them into God Mode Sues.)
*Added proof of a small sun: Sonic Rainboom. Rarity was actually able to *fly closer to the sun.* A mere altitude change on an Earth-like planet would not raise her temperature enough to make her sweat, or to singe her wings to ash.
his father had said the same thing, and his father before him, and his father before him, and his father before him, and so on, and so on to the very beginning of time.
Hearthswarming Eve Pageant has established as canon that Ponies, Equestria, the sun, the moon, et al, existed long before Celestia and Luna or even Discord. So "the very beginning of time" is definitely incorrect.
Anypony who wanted to live forever was a fool.
Anyone who thinks THAT is an even bigger one.
2386982
"MAGIC" it kinda explains everyting all in one word doesn't it? Especially since it's already been mentioned that this universe operates in a different way then ours does.
How strange; normally it bugs me when writers do the whole "me and the character" bit with the author notes, yet it actually feels wrong NOT having Pinkie around for them.
1363401
Oh, my god. That first one was just beautiful. That's going to be my go-to response for the internet from now, on. As for the second, I can only question why I felt the need to watch the whole damn thing.