Discord watched with boredom as the ponies passed by, not taking a single glance at him. They all regarded him as merely a stone statue. A memory of a time long ago. An ornament to decorate their gardens.
He despised them. Every last one of them. They were the ones responsible for this. All he ever wanted to do was bring a little fun and happiness to an otherwise oppressive world. But they wouldn’t even let him have that. Instead, Celestia had banished him to this stone prison alone.
Some of them smiled and hummed to themselves as they walked by, enjoying the warmth of the evening sun. Discord didn’t feel the heat. He felt nothing. Nothing except hatred for the one responsible for all of this. He envied all of them, having the freedom to move about, to talk, to laugh…
Who truly was the monster here? Himself, for inflicting the joys of life and happiness on these poor ponies? Or Celestia, for making their lives the same thing over and over again, boring and repetitive. She was the one who had encased him in this banishment, to lay dormant and alone. He had never done that to any pony. The mere thought of things being the same forever would have made his spine curl. It was a fate he would never wish upon any pony. Not even Celestia herself.
As bored as ever with the same ponies passing him, his thoughts drifted to a time long ago, when he was in power. Celestia had sprouted that ponies were “oppressed” during his rule, and that it was a time of turmoil for everypony. Was that truly what it was? The ponies were happy during his rule. True, some resisted him. But some ponies enjoyed his reign, happy that their lives weren’t so predictable.
But then Celestia and her brat of a sister came along. They destroyed his kingdom and banished him. Brought “order” to his perfect, chaotic world. They preached that they had “liberated” the ponies, and then they sealed him in stone for having fun.
Oh, how those memories made his blood boil, recalling the many years of loneliness he had experienced. It finally ended when he was released, prompting his second reign of Equestria. Celestia and Luna were powerless to stop him this time; he had stolen the elements and broken the bearers. Oh, the delight he took in breaking up their precious friendship! The memories of it almost made him happy.
But even that ended. The bearers of harmony restored their friendship and stood up against him, banishing him yet again. Now he stood alone in the Canterlot gardens for possibly all of time.
He hated Celestia with all of his heart. She was responsible for all of this. For all his misery. She was the one who rejected him, the one who turned him into the brutal “monster” that he was. Perhaps for a time he loved her, but that was long ago. Before she imprisoned him.
So, alone, he stood and waited, observing the ponies as he did every day. He remembered their faces; their daily activities and movements. He knew the name of everypony that walked by, and he hated them all.
Day turned to night as it always did, and very soon he was completely alone. The beauty of the gardens was awe-inspiring at this time of night. Small lanterns cast their magical blue flames upon the plants and trees, illuminating them in a beautiful light. The tranquility and quietness of the night in an otherwise bustling city, and the many ornate statues that decorated the grounds were gorgeous. All that could be heard was the soft dripping of water as rain rolled off the tallest trees. He was, of course, bored of it now. He’d seen it a million times, and they had no effect on him. Instead of taking in its beauty as he always did, he waited.
Suddenly, the sound of hooves filled the night air. Somepony was taking a midnight stroll through the gardens. He found it odd as he couldn’t remember the last time he saw a pony at this time of night. The footsteps continued, and from behind a bush came a pony he didn’t expect; somepony that made hatred brew in his heart.
“Discord…” The white Alicorn walked up to him, looking his hideous form up and down. It was the first time in a long while anypony had really noticed him, or had regarded him as a mere decoration. He had expected that she came to mock him, or laugh at his misfortune.
However, a look crossed her face that caught him off guard. Celestia frowned. “Discord… I never wanted this…”
What? Confusion raced across his mind. What was the meaning of this? This was not the same Celestia that he had met before; this was not the Celestia that had banished him. What kind of cruel game was she playing?
“Discord, all you wanted was chaos. You never saw anything else in life, and you hated order and organization. But still, I felt there was a part of you that was different; that cared for ponies. I thought maybe the elements could see this, and make you see the light, just as they did with my dearest sister, Luna.”
What was she babbling about? Was she saying she cared for him; that perhaps there could have been something between them?
“I suppose I was wrong though. The elements turned you to stone, and I’m so sorry about it… I can’t imagine what it must be like in there, alone for all eternity.” He watched now with curiosity as tears ran from her eyes, and her lip curled as she spoke.
“…And then you were free, and I felt happy for you. I thought that maybe your banishment had changed you, and maybe we could have lived in harmony. But yet again I was wrong… Instead, you hated me, and wanted revenge. I was forced to turn you into stone again; something that hurt me more than you could possibly imagine.”
Harmony? Could he and Celestia perhaps have lived together in harmony? The mere thought would have made him laugh back then, but now… No. he told himself firmly. She destroyed you; she ruined your life. Because of what she did, you could never love her.
“Now, whenever I look at you, I grow a hatred for myself. Remorse that maybe you could have been saved. I blame myself for what’s happened to you, and although you may have been a monster; although you may have wanted chaos… Maybe, just maybe, I….”
Her voice trailed off and Discord listened attentively. What could she possibly see in him? Could she perhaps have shared the feeling that he had felt so long ago? No! She's tricking you. She only ever wanted to hurt you... Her words mean nothing, they're all lies! Bit by bit, her words eroded his mind, breaking away at the hate he felt for her.
“I…” Tears were now pouring from her face, and it took all her strength to keep from falling to the ground in a sobbing fit. “…Loved you…”
The words struck him like a hammer. His heart, which had been dark with pure hatred and loathing, changed. It shattered like a mirror, and the hatred that once filled his entire body disappeared. He didn’t blame her for this; she had only wanted to help him. If he was alive, tears would be streaming from his eyes. Instead only his heart wept.
“I doubt you can even hear me right now… Even if you could, I doubt you would care. You probably still have the same burning hatred for me. I don’t blame you; it’s my fault you’re in there. I should be the one encased in stone…” Celestia looked deep into his vacant, empty eyes. “I’m sorry, Discord…” With that, she turned and promptly left, taking one last look at him before leaving.
He didn’t know what to think. He felt sorry that Celestia was so wracked with guilt over his punishment. He wished that the elements could have seen a glimmer of hope in him. Maybe enough hope to save him.
But instead, here he was, alone, wishing that he could be with Celestia. He wished that he could have at least said something to her, and so for the first time in a long while he did not blame Celestia. Instead, he blamed himself. When she didn’t love him, he became the monster that he was; spreading chaos and disharmony across the land. And even in this conflict Celestia still saw the good in him that lay deep down. She tried to save him, and failed.
So, in the darkness of the Canterlot gardens, Discord waited alone. Wishing that things could have gone differently. Soon, he began to see that maybe order could be good and fun… if you had someone to share it with…
This dynamic between Discord and Celestia interests me greatly. I usually write it as hatred, but it works both ways. Well done.
That...was sad. And depressing. But, in thus being sad and depressing, it was also really lovely. Short and simple; too bad it says it's complete. Personally, I would love to see more. Discord and Celestia always intrigue me, since the two seemed to have SOME kind of hidden connection that was never focused on. This made me want to cry; how can you NOT feel sorry for Discord? The horrified way he looked when he was imprisoned...the fact that he showed anger when he called out Celestia and said that "he didn't put ponies into stone" or whatever he said...the way that he wasn't really "evil" as more as he was just a guy who loved to have extreme fun...it's just so sad.
beautifully written.... we need a decent discord celstia shipping thats a few chapters long
THANKS FOR FUCKING UP MY NIGHT! And right before I sleep as well... good fucking job on the story by the way, really sad and depressing and it almost made me shed a manly tear.....FUCK.....Discord is so misunderstood.
oh discord...so misunderstood.
I NEED A SEQUEL FOR THIS!! one where discord is freed again. maybe like...after a hundred years or whatever. and then he and celest form..discolestia!!!
or another idea is that he's freed the moment he stops hating and shit and then he and celestia get together and it freaks everypony out
Poor discord... I can partially relate with his desire for fun, regardless of what others thought.
Please wright another chapter!!!!
I agree with hiy:
we need a sequel some time in the distant future where he escapes.
I humbly request a sequel!
sequels are a good thing. i think you should do one
I love this pairing!
Sequel, please. This deserves one.
There better be more of this or I will kill you and then bring you back 2 life so I can kill you again!
please keep up the awesome work and do please make more
Hm...Short and sweet.
It seems a bit unlikely that Discord would have never realized that Celestia might feel anything but hate for him. I guess I could imagine it, if they never really met before they were banished. I was under the impression they had, though, and if they did, Discord changing his mind so suddenly or being so surprised doesn't make much sense.
WOW, I was not expecting this much popularity
I thank all of you who read and commented on it, and about a sequel....
I wasn't originally planing it, but I'm starting to think I don't have a choice...
I'll get one out as early as possible, so keep on the watch
this totally puts the bad characters into a good light, it was sad, and yet it was awesome, thank you for writing this :3
And now I'm sad face all over. This was amazing I can't for a sequel :D
Need..sequel...
O.O..........*stands up and starts to clap* this is awesome , amazing , well written, buitefuly described..... i found it amazing bravo for my good sir bravo for u ........... u better make a seqel or me and meh army *waves hands and armys of elites humans demions magicians and dwarfs* will acend upon u
i relay enjoyed reading this, good story and writing, to bad it was only a short story
hope you make a sequel, you have alto to work whit and many directions you can go in.
I who'd easily read it the second it came out´
fantastically written and a brilliant portrayal of my favorite villain.
BRAVO GOOD SIR!
(also please write a chapter two. the ending seems to have the faintest hint of a clifhanger on it for you)
I may not have read the whole thing yet, but DANG THIS IS SOME GOOD STUFF!
THIS IS really good, I liked it
Don't write a sequel!
'Cuz then I might miss it.
Another chapter will do just fine!
78569
Ya know, that does sound like a much better idea. With the amount of people who have tracked this, might as well.
Changing status to incomplete for now.
This was very...well, interesting to say the least. If you continue it, I'd definitely consider reading.
Just a question, is this based off of the story "Discordantly"? There are some similar details shared in both, and just kind of made me wonder.
To those who haven't seen it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9o45SCnPXmY&list=FL2zImGdQH58wh6k6VCAhKyw&index=9&feature=plpp_video
I absolutely recommend that you do.
Other than that, absolutely amazing!
78627
Yes, this was inspired by "Discordantly" I love that story, one of the best DiscordXCelestia stories out there.
If you do make a sequel please don't make it like a future fic, I couldn't bear the though knowing that none of the Mane 6 or anyone else we know for that matter aren't alive anymore (Except Celestia, Luna, and Discord obviously)
Other then that I loved this story.
78027 You better hope to Celestia that your sequel does well dude.
Otherwise.... I think some bronies here will attempt to go Cupcakes on you...
Or worse. Then again, nobody knows where you live, so you should be safe.
: continue dood! it so greaT!
I've seen a lot of sad stuff, and it takes a lot to actually move me.
You have done that. I humbly yet eagerly wait for the next chapter.
Yeeey! Discolove!
More, for the love of all that is good in this world, more.
Another chance?
The elements setting him free?
...magic?
*sobs self to sleep*
Aw man. I wanted to write a quasi-shipfic between Celestia and Discord, but you beat me to it.
You won't get upset when I finally got around to writing that, would you?
BETS OF THE BEST!
I like is story, tracking it. I like how it is based on "Discordantly". However i found out one mistake, in this line.
"“Discord…” The white Alicorn walked up to him, looking his hideous form up and down."
I think you meant "looking at his hideous form" Otherwise it is great!
Interesting. Tracked and left unrated for now.
You will recieve an arrow to the knee if I don't see a second chapter soon.
You've taken a strange approach to the two characters and I really like it.Keep up the good work!
79233
Why would I? The more CelestiaXDiscord fics out there the better! Spread the love!
Annnnd I read this JUST before reading the "Discorded ponies" series, Discord breaking Trixie and the horrifying epilogue included.
Wow. Its kind of funny that Pinkie in the follow-up series "Reharmonized" by the same author whines about the prevalence of "Cupcakes" on the web. She had least has a reputation as a round, sensitive character in the show to shield her from that trouble.
Discord doesn't have any wide-spread defenses against that story....
79427
No, the way he had it was perfectly fine. See, this is something you learn about writing very quickly if you want to succeed. You have to learn how writing works, and how to exploit grammar. The way he wrote it was completely correct.
i.imgur.com/JdpYT.gif
i.imgur.com/JdpYT.gif
In my head I can see a possible second chapter that I would do, but who knows, you will most likely do something completely different, but just as great.
... Okay, I can tell already, that this is going to be good. Not 5 paragraphs into it yet, and I'm reading it as if it's Q talking, using his inflections and everything! XD (Also, the 'past' right at the beginning? Should be passed. Just trying to help!^^)
*Goes back to reading*
~ Moonstone, Minstrel of Equestria
77458 Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck. Has it been said enough?
YES!!! Finally somebody labels discord as misunderstood, not evil.
I can't say I was a very big fan of this one. The premise was alright, but you made that jump far too fast. There's no characterization. Just a one-sided conversation from Celestia, with Discord reflecting on those thoughts. You give no explanation to "Why now". Surely you can't be suggesting that a single heart to heart conversation would have solved all of these issues in the first place. In short, the story was far too rushed, and in my opinion requires multiple chapters, conversations, and events for someone with the type of burning hatred you characterize in Discord to turn around the way you show.
Basically, you had a good beginning, and a good ending, but you completely skipped having a middle to the story.