A Wish Your Heart Makes

by SvenFoxx

1. The Wishing Ruby

The Everfree Forest. Home to many secrets and ancient magic. Many an adventurer have dared this forest, and few return from said trip unchanged. Some enter the forest to try and map it, only to exit the forest half-mad and unsure what had happened while inside. Some enter the forest to study the plant life, and, with the exception of a special few, they are violently ejected. Some enter the forest to try and tame it, by any means necessary.

They never left.

It got so bad that Princess Celestia eventually placed a ban on entering the forest. All who do so are throwing away any and all expectation of help from Equestria, as the forest clearly wants to be left alone. Enter, and you are responsible for what happens to you within the forest.

But, once in very great while, there is a soul that will find themselves entering the forest not to plunder its riches, or to force it to change, or to even harm it. Some just want to escape from the harsh reality that is outside of the border of the Everfree, so much so that they believe it worth the potential insanity and/or death that may follow their intrusion.

These souls, there poor, unfortunate souls seeking a home and peace, the Everfree welcomes into her protection, guiding them where they need to be.

Very rarely do one of these souls exit the forest, and whenever they do they are always different. They enter scared, meek, and afraid, but when they leave… they are strong, brave, bold, and ready to show the world they matter. One thing these souls always share in common is the act of referring to the forest as Mother Everfree.

Whatever the Everfree Forest is, it is clearly not malicious. Perhaps not entirely benevolent, but not evil by any means.

Today, we speak of the tale of a single pony who entered the Everfree Forest with greed in her heart. In the end, she acquired something greater than treasure.

---

The pony, a tan colored Earth-Pony mare with gleaming yellow eyes and a black mane and tail, galloped through the forest. Blood leaked down her forehead, forcing her to close one eye to protect it. She wore a set of saddlebags, one side bulging with something within.

Arrows and spears flew past her or landed around her. One arrow was already sticking out of her barrel. She ran regardless, knowing that to stop and tend to her wounds would be met with immediately and painful death.

Chasing her were more Earth-Ponies wearing tribal clothing with mud painted in patterns all over them. They were clearly infuriated, despite the fact that the language they were shouting in was something the Earth-Pony mare did not understand.

“I am never taking advice from that lizard again!” the mare, Star Blight, shouted as she narrowly avoided acquiring a new piercing via spear.

...left...

Panicked, fueled by adrenaline more than anything, and desperate to get away, the mare questioned nothing as she veered left… and founding herself standing at the edge of a waterfall that led into a misty abyss down below.

Many years later, Star would claim that she still has no idea what was going through her head when she, without reservation, took a flying leap off the edge.

---

...soon…

...calm…

...ease...

“Breathe!”

With a gasp, Star broke the surface of the river and inhaled great gulps of precious oxygen. Knowing she wasn’t out of the woods yet (literally) she painfully dragged her battered body to the shore. She absently noted how the river ran red with her blood.

‘The gem,’ she thought, staggering as she tried to stand. She groaned from the sand and weakly reached for her saddlebags. ‘Not much time. Need help.’

Once the flap for the bag was open, an object tumbled out. It was a large ruby in the shape of a heart. With difficulty, Star grasped the gem and held it close to her. Then, sending prayers to every god, goddess, deity, and demi-god she could think of…

She rubbed it.

At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, as her sight grew hazy, she realized someone was there. Standing over her was a creature of mismatched body parts. A lizard arm, a lion arm, one antler from a deer, a horn from a dragon, the torso and leg of a griffon, a leg of a chicken, and finally a tail of a lizard. He wore a lot of gold jewelry, Star noted. Gold bracelets that nearly covered his forearms, two gold necklaces, a gold earring in one ear, and a choker of solid gold. ‘Someone thinks awfully high of themselves,’ she thought to herself.

Then she finally lost the battle with the blackness, and her body went limp.

“Ain’t a choice, kiddo,” the creature said, kneeling next to her and eying her with his red and yellow eyes. He whistled slightly. “Wow. They really did a number on you, didn’t they?”

He paused, staring at the ruby loosely grasped in the dying pony’s arms. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and snapped his fingers. In a flash of slightly off white light, the pony was suddenly the picture of good health. She was no longer injured in any way, shape, or form.

With a gasp, she pushed herself up. Amazed at how the act hadn’t hurt, she began patting herself down. “I’m… alive?” she asked, before looking at the strange creature. “Hey, thanks! I didn’t think-eek!”

The creature snarled and got in her face. “For your information, that was all three of your wishes right there!” he snapped, poking her in the chest.

"What?!" The pony exclaimed, shocked. "B-But, I didn't even get to make any wishes!" she tried to argue.

The creature growled. "I snatched you from Luna's grasp just before she could have you! Even though I am expressly forbidden to play God with my powers, I defied one of the seven that shackled me to that gem in the first place! There are going to be severe consequences to this, so I think only taking your wishes and not leaving you to die is a fair price!"

Slowly, the mare's surprise became sadness and she sighed. "Oh... I'm sorry," she said with a sigh.

The creature blinked. "Eh?" he uttered, caught off guard. He had been expecting an argument.

"It's normal," Star said, getting to her hooves and shaking herself of water and blood. "No," she shook her head. "That's not true. If it was normal, I would be dead... Still dead," she corrected herself, before looking at the gem in the sand. She picked it up. "Do you... want me to take you somewhere? As an apology for wasting your time, and getting you in trouble. I can take you to a few ponies I know that won't treat you badly, if you w-mph!."

The creature closed his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. "Wait a minute, back up. What was that about normal?" he asked. He had felt... something... when she had said that. It was subtle though. While subtle was something he could do, and do well, it had been a long time since he had to.

"Mphhmhm!"

The pony tried to speak, and then glared lightly at the creature. He took his hand off her mouth with a sheepish look. "Sorry," he muttered.

"I said that it's normal. I'm used to this," she explained.

He frowned. "Used to what?" It was... familiar, whatever it was. Some kind of fog on the edge of his senses. Perceivable, but futile to try and grasp.

She shrugged and slipped the gem into her saddlebags, before strapping the bags to herself. "I'm used to my luck failing me in the worst ways possible at the worst of times. I think the only reason I'm not dead right now is because you decided to save me despite not being able to make the wish."

"Luck...?" the creature whispered in consideration. Then he snapped his fingers, and Star suddenly found herself strapped to a table has the creature examined her head with a magnifying glass.

"Huh? H-hey! Wait a sec! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"Hush," the creature said, making her lips literally zip themselves shut. He continued to study her.

After a bout three minutes, Star was suddenly on her hooves again with the creature looking a bit... forlorn? He shook his head with a sigh. "Oh Luna, what have you done?"

"Luna? Who is that?" she asked.

The creature looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't know?" He frowned. "Hey, what year is it anyways? It's not exactly easy to keep track of time when you have nothing better to do than sleep for millennia."

"It's year 999 of Her Royal Highness Celestia's rule. Why?"

The creature became pensive. "Tia? Ruling alone? That's not right. Did I miss something important?" He nodded and snapped his fingers.

In a flash of white light, Star Blight was shocked to find herself sudeenly standing in the most famous room in Equestria. The Throne Room of Canterlot Castle. And seated at her throne was none other than Celestia, who was staring at them in shock.

"Wha... Discord!" She suddenly esclaimed, her surprised turning into a glare at the mismatched creature. "How are you free? How did you escape..." Her eyes fell on the shell-shocked Star Blight. Or, more specifically the red gem poking from her saddlebags. "I see," she said with a relieved sigh. "You aren't free. I imagine you came here at the behest of your current master. Why?" she asked.

The creature, Discord, stared at Celestia. Then, slowly, he looked at the space next to her throne. With a serious expression that seeme dto surprise the Princess, Star noted, he asked, "What happened, Tia? Where's Lulu?"

Celestia grimaced. "That... is a long story."

Discord conjured some chairs for himself and Star Blight. "I have time."

Celestia eyed Star. "Does your master?"

Discord scoffed. "She's not my master, Tia. She used up her wishes just earlier today when I saved her life."

Celestia scowled. "You forget who forged the shackles imprisoning you. I can see the bonds that form the wishes now, and you are still very much bound to her. She still has... four wishes?" she asked in surprise, only just now realizing something.

"Four?"

"Four...?"

Star decided at that time as she mirrored Discord's question that it was time to pass out in shock. Too many nasty surprised had finally taken their toll on the mare. Her eyes rolled up and she hit the floor with a thud.

Author's Note:

Here we go, the beginning of Discord the Genie!

Star Blight's appearance is based on the YouTuber Epic V's OC pony, though Star's mane is not two-toned like V's.

Comments

[badninja]

Wait how did she get four wishes?!

[SvenFoxx]

8609397
It ties into the "normal" thing that pinged Discord's "weird shit-o-meter", the Everfree Forest, and Luna. Now... can you guess where I'm going with it?

Hint: It has nothing the due With Chaos Magic. Not directly at least.