• Published 22nd Jul 2012
  • 26,777 Views, 1,146 Comments

A Dream of Dawn - Starsong



What if Luna won against Twilight? What happens when Discord comes back?

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Nightmare

Discord

String after string lodged itself within Discord's hooves. Tiny threads of fate connected to every living thing in every time twined through his body, pony or not, and into his core. The cosmos was his to play with, the creatures living within it his puppets, and he the puppet master. But the strings were many, and with each one that came into being their grip on him grew tighter.

“What in pony Tartaros is this?” he gasped. The thousands of lines glinted and then twisted, coiling his body within them. They tightened until he could feel his heart pounding in every inch of himself and they bit at his flesh, lifting him into the air.

“Now this just isn't fair!” he huffed. “Is this another one of those stupid pony dreams? Because it isn't funny. Now let me down this instant!”

There was no one to hear his protests. He hung suspended from nothingness over the grassy plains, only a stripe of purple light on the horizon. He tried to reach into the chaos and break his cage, but doing so only caused the strings to bite harder. Blood trickled onto the grass and hung on the bent blades. The strings tugged again.

Why can't I just wake up already? He closed his eyes and started to count. One... five... pi... e-negative... confound it. It's just a dream. Just a dream!

It did not make the pull of the threads of fate feel any less real. He groaned out as they constricted his throat. It seemed as if they intended to very slowly pull him apart, his muscles tightening a little with each passing moment, each new string whipping around his body.

He turned his gaze to the moon, the bright eye of the sky watching him in silence. He found the one thread that lead to that place and pulled. The wires around him weaved red lines into his coat, but still he managed to get her attention. The silhouette of Princess Luna appeared as fluid shadow upon the side of the moon.

“Are you the one responsible for this?” Discord growled. “Release me at once!”

Princess Luna laughed and tapped the face of the moon, causing the air between them to ripple. “I couldn't if I wanted to,” she said. “My power has passed into its darkest phase and I could not interfere if I wanted to. This dream is of your own making." She tilted her head. "Though now that you can dream, I am quite curious what it is that the embodiment of disharmony fears.”

“You ponies sure love to talk about me like I'm just a thing,” grumbled Discord, squeaking suddenly at a tightness around his throat. “If you're so smart then, what is this supposed to be?”

“You fancy yourself a master of puppets, but there are many strings that you pull,” she said. “Take too many and you find their combined strength is enough to overpower you. The very chaos you think you control twists about you, threatening to destroy you. It traps you.”

Discord stuck out his tongue, though not entirely voluntarily, as another string gripped his skull. “Really? I was expecting something a little more cryptic.”

Princess Luna sighed and tossed her mane. “I do not have time to play games,” she said. “My will is fading. Even in dreams my vision grows dark, but I will give you this warning: think about what it is you truly fear. And for pony's sake, own up to it.” She began to fade and she looked up at Discord one last time. “Go and save her before it is too late.”

“Save who?” said Discord. “Your stupid sister? Because I plan on it. I plan on doing it and rubbing it in her smug little face when I show her my Equestria.”

The princess of the night vanished, though, before she could reply. Discord twisted and tugged at his bonds. He did not wake. He only grew more restless and more familiar with the pony concept of physical pain. The cutting strands did not yield.

“At least ponies don't die in their dreams...” he groaned. The shining wire seemed to bite into his fur as he said so and he yelped out. The dream seemed like it would never end.

Then a there came a flicker of purple magic and one by one the threads began to snap. The rest slackened and let his wounded body slump, though they did not release him. Twilight Sparkle reached towards him with a hoof but could not seem to quite close the distance.

“Now what are you doing here?” he asked, unaware that he was crying a little. “Don't you have any sense of privacy?”

“I thought this was my dream,” explained Twilight Sparkle. “I'm not so sure anymore. Something strange is going on.” She worked to free him, but the threads seemed to be countless. No matter how many she cut, there were always more. But she did not give up.

“That's the understatement of the eon.” Discord groaned and popped his shoulders, rolling them. “All of this is supposed to get me in touch with my inner feelings? Blech.”

The unicorn tilted her head. “Discord?”

“Yes, Twilight?”

“You keep having nightmares,” she said. “Every night. What's scaring you so much?”

Discord laughed dryly. He shook his head at the filly and tried to think of a clever retort. Seeing her there though, her young amethyst eyes filled with innocence and curiosity, wildness and power, made him realize something. For all of her inane pony mannerisms and thoughts, her dedication to Celestia and Harmony, he liked having her there. Maybe because she was an imperfect, impulsive, insatiable little creature. Maybe he wanted to see her for the same reasons he wanted to see Celestia again. No matter what it was, he knew he didn't want to lose her.

“Twilight!” he said, and his heart skipped a beat.

“What is it?” she asked.

He swallowed and stared at her. I should have told her sooner. I shouldn't have been so stupid! What did I think was going to happen? If only she can understand me...

“Don't trust Rainbow Dash!” he yelled. “She's a changeling! I should have told you sooner, but I...”

He glanced around at the empty field around him.

“Twilight Sparkle?”

The strings snapped taut around him again, making him cry out in pain. When he tried to force himself awake again, a flash of green filled his vision and a dark, chitinous face smiled at him from somewhere in the void. His body was paralyzed in sleep, and every time he stripped off a layer of the dream he found another one waiting above it. The waking world seemed to be a million miles away.

Twilight Sparkle

Dawn greeted Twilight Sparkle along with the tickle of clouds beneath her. She stirred and rubbed her eyes. Waking up in the golden lands was always a soothing experience, so much so that it could be difficult to coax herself into full consciousness. The strangeness of her dream, though, brought her to her hooves, and then her wings, and then the cloud that held Discord.

Rainbow Dash stood above Discord, so intent on studying his face that she hardly notice when Twilight set down on the clouds beside her.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like you to be the first pony up."

"I still don't trust him," said Rainbow Dash, frowning. She rubbed something out of her eyes and stepped back. "He's talking in his sleep."

"He does that," explained Twilight, leaning down to listen to Discord. "It's just nonsense. Which is completely normal for him. I wouldn't worry about it."

"I just want to make sure you're safe," said Rainbow Dash, turning away with a flick of her tail.

That's strange thought Twilight. She gave Discord a gentle nudge, but he continued to sleep soundly. He didn't seem to be having the fits that he normally did while sleeping. Must have finally calmed down.

The first hungers of the day greeted her next, her stomach churning up an angry growl. She glanced at the sky around her and frowned.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Let's go to the ground,” she said. "We can't exactly eat the clouds. I mean, we could, but it wouldn't be very filling."

Twilight Sparkle looked down at the vast fields beneath them and sighed. “Should we wait for Discord?”

"He's not going to get lost," said Rainbow Dash. "Come on. He'll join us when he's ready."

Twilight nodded. She slipped from the cloud and felt the air rushing by her as she fell into freefall. As a unicorn, the vertigo of falling even a small distance filled her with panic and a little bit of nausea. The little bit of pegasus that Discord had instilled in her reveled in it, though, and she sped towards the ground, waiting seconds before impact before flapping her wings and drifting to the side. The sudden friction of the air grappled her and sent her into a spin, but she managed to at least slow her descent before tumbling across the grass. Rainbow Dash landed without so much as a thump nearby and helped her to her hooves, but not without her fair share of laughter.

“I'd like to see you get a spell right on your first try,” she muttered and chomped indignantly on a mouthful of grass. Every nibble still filled her mouth with flavor and sustenance. Once they'd grazed their fill, the two of them went to the nearest brook together and drank.

The rainbow pegasus dunked her head in the icy water and then pulled up, letting out a sharp breath. “Ah, much better.” She shivered from her head all the way down to her wingtips. “It could be hours before Discord wakes up. Why don't we just move on without him?”

“We can't do that!” Twilight's wings shot up, giving away her emotions completely. “It wouldn't be right.”

“Why not?” said Rainbow Dash. “It's Discord. He's like, the baddest guy on the planet. Besides. Super powerful being? Probably can take care of himself. It's more important that we find the princess, don't you think?”

Twilight looked at her reflection in the water. The wings, the horn, the bent crown seemed all out of place on her. A purple princess in all but name. And power. “It just doesn't feel right,” she said. “We left together. Maybe if you've come to know him the way I have, you'd understand.”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I think I understand,” she said. “You really do like him.”

“Well, yes,” said Twilight, blushing. “But not in that way. I don't think so, anyway. I mean... he's not a bad guy. Not completely. He's... a draconequus. He's complicated.”

Rainbow Dash preened at one of her wings. “I guess if you think he's okay, then that's that.” she paused. “You think you're a pretty good judge of character, huh?”

Twilight Sparkle blinked. “I know who I can trust,” she said. “Celestia... you and our friends. And I know I can trust him.”

“Maybe you should take a good look at yourself.” Rainbow Dash shook her head and pointed to the stream. “Do you even see what he's turning you into?”

“What's that supposed to mean?” Twilight flapped her wings.

“Just look,” said Rainbow Dash, "and try to see what I see."

Twilight Sparkle sighed and sagged over the water. “Fine,” she said.

She took another drink of water and studied her reflection more intently. She couldn't remember the last time she'd let herself fall completely into the solace of her thoughts, and how long it'd been since her thoughts strayed back to Equestria. My friends have never really let me down, she thought. Maybe I am making a mistake with Discord. But he's trying so hard to be more than just a devil. I want to help him, if I can... it's the right thing to do.

Rainbow Dash laughed and she heard the sound of the pegasus' wings beating. Twilight Sparkle looked up from the water as she felt a rush of motion. She caught an eyeful of clear blue sky as something cold and sick shot clean through her and out the other side. One moment her light was bright and alive, and the next it had been snuffed out. Twilight Sparkle's body fell in a heap on the shore.

Discord

Discord changed. One wing snapped from pegasus to bat and his muzzle grew long and fanged as the beast within him won out. He bit his way through the threads and the emerald enchantment forcing him into sleep. He awoke with a snap and sniffed the air. It was distant, but he could smell it. Ponies. Chaos. Blood. And death.

He cut through the air and slipped through a crack in the fabric of space, leaving ripples and tears to ache in his wake. The endless fields of the golden lands met him on the other side of the gap. Twilight lay crumpled in a heap and the changeling, still wearing Rainbow Dash's colors, save for a wicked crag of a horn upon her head, stood laughing over her.

“Twilight?” Discord knelt over her and put his hooves around her. Her body had not grown to chill but her weight fell completely against him. “I can't feel her heart.”

“Well, what did you expect?” The changeling flicked her wings and shed her pony-like form. But Discord could not hear the creature. It was insignificant, impossibly small, a mere thing. And Twilight wasn't breathing.

“She's not laughing or making those lovely little irritated grunts when I do something amusing," he said. "Come on. This can't be right.”

“Are you really that daft?” The changeling sighed and trudged past. “She's done. Gone. Went off to...” she paused and looked around. “Well, somewhere around here, I imagine.”

Discord gave Twilight a shake, as if doing so might rouse her from her state. It has to be wrong. This can't be... he squeezed back a tear and groaned at the feeling of a sob clenching in his throat. This isn't what I wanted at all.

The changeling turned her back and made to leave them there. He broke from Twilight and in a sudden sprint he tackled the changeling, pinning her to the ground. His red pupils widened with fury as he pinned the creature's neck beneath him.

“You did this.”

The changeling croaked and laughed again. “Of course I did! And what about you? You knew what I was from the very start. What did you expect me to do?”

“Fun and games,” said Discord, tightening his pressure on her windpipe. “That's all it was! She was going to find out eventually, and you would break her heart, or trick her, and it was supposed to be an exciting diversion. But you... you took her away!”

“I did,” said the changeling, the shell around her throat doubling up and hardening against Discord's hooves. Her body rose and fell with a quickening breath. “And I loved it. She cared so deeply for her friends and I felt that pure, innocent emotion snuff out beneath me. I wish I could have felt her shock and her pain, but I needed to get the job done.” She smiled and bared her fangs. “Your hatred, on the other hand... there's nothing more delicious.”

Discord's eyes widened with fury. His body trembled and contorted. His hoof twisted and his eagle claw formed. He grasped the creature by the neck and lifted her into the air. He no longer cared to conceal himself and swelled to full height as a draconequus once more. The changeling kicked her legs and dangled from his claws.

“You wouldn't do anything to hurt me, would you?” it said, and in a flash assumed the form of Twilight.

And just as quickly as it had changed, Discord ripped into the body and spirit of the creature and forced her back into her original state as she squealed in pain. “Don't you dare wear her face. I am going to make you regret ever having hurt my friend.”

The changeling laughed maniacally and threw her head back. “Your friend? Really! The mighty Discord in love with a mere pony.” She shook like a ragdoll before him. “My work for my hive is done. You can kill me, but the only regret I will ever feel is yours. It's delicious.”

Discord narrowed his eyes and bent her wings back. “No,” he said. “Death is too good for you. I will not give you the pleasure of watching me inflict the pain you did...”

“So you're just going to forgive and forget? Turn the other fat pony cheek?” The changeling stuck her tongue out.

The raw power of chaos and the thickness of the magic in the realm crackled through Discord's being. He felt the spark and crackle of energy all around him, and the spin of light and life that made up the foul creature he held in his claws.

“No,” he whispered. “Your fate will be far worse.”

The changeling continued to laugh and lash about in his grip. The fear did not overtake her until the feeling left her hooves and a sudden weight overtook her. She looked down to find her own form petrifying.

She screamed in a metallic, wild screech and cried while he did it. He forced the very nature of her body to change, her transformative magic turning on itself, forcing her cells to harden into stone. He stared into her eyes as the transformation neared its completion. He made himself watch as he punished the creature who he had let destroy Twilight Sparkle.

“There will be no release for you,” he said, once her tongue had hardened to stone and she could scream no more. “You will be forgotten, separated from your hive, and lost forever in a land that does not belong to you. You will be an icon of your own wickedness to be witnessed by the spirits of this land. And you will know no rest forever more.”

She could not reply, for she was nothing more than a statue of a changeling. He threw her upon the ground and left her there by the brook.

“Twilight...” he uttered as he picked up her body and held her in his arms. “I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to come to this.”

A light that felt as if it belonged to the coldest winter's day shone upon Discord. The Pale Mare stood before him, as if she had stood there the entire time, her eyes empty but somehow sad at the same time. She shook her head.

“You knew at the beginning of your journey that something like this may have come to pass,” she said. “And so it has. Twilight Sparkle lives no more.”

Discord looked down and brushed the purple mane from Twilight's face. Were she breathing she may well have appeared to be sleeping. “It's not fair.”

“It is not a question of fairness,” said the Pale Mare. “It was simply her time. You have seen only a glimpse of what awaits her here, and beyond. Will you lament her finding peace? Would you deny her the journey that she and all of her kind must take?”

I don't care, thought Discord. It was my fault. And I know this wasn't supposed to happen. She wants to meet Celestia again. And so do I. And I want her to be here, with me... then there's only one thing I can do.

“I'm going to bring her back.”

The Pale Mare frowned and her mane twisted as if caught up in a sudden furious gale. She lifted a hoof. “It is impossible,” she said. “Even for you. Even for me. Your power might be able to put the energy of life back into her body, but her soul has already departed. It is against every law of the universe. It cannot be done.”

Discord chuckled and laid Twilight Sparkle's body against the ground. He cracked his knuckles and spread his palms to the sky. “Then it falls to me. I am the master of the impossible. There is no rule that I cannot break. And I will tear this world apart before I let you stop me.”

But the Pale Mare did not move to stop him. She simply watched and shook her head as the cosmos twisted furiously about him. “It is futile,” she whispered.