> I'm not a fan of Puppeteers
>  by Fret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Talk
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Celestia lay on her bed next to the crackling fire, while taking yet another sip of her tea. Her hooves crossed, she scanned her eyes over one of the many reports that she had received recently on the aftermath on the whole Tirek ordeal. If she had to be honest with herself, it was admittedly getting old after only a single day.

Then again, she didn't necessarily need to take responsibility for the last few letters that she had read. All the princess was doing was purposely wasting time by reading her sister's half of reports.

Mainly because she wished this night was over with.

Discord had sent her a letter that morning, saying that he wanted to speak with her around this time. Though he didn't specify what it was that he wanted to talk about, Celestia could guess. And she hoped that it could fly by as quick as it could.

The stress was biting her at the edges of her hooves. Where was he? She had already lowered the sun - her shift had technically ended. If he desires to speak with her, why couldn't he just do it and get it over with?

She gave a frustrated sigh as the words on the scroll ran out. The alicorn had not even realized she had taken nothing in from the report - she was just moving her eyes from left to right as she was lost in her thoughts. Instead of completing the job, however, she pushed it onto the pile of already-read letters.

With nothing else to do, she sat still, swallowing the last few drops of her tea. For a few more moments, she was in a room of tedious silence.

Then a bright flash sparked a few feet in front of her.

Both relief and concern flooded Celestia as a familiar draconequus appeared in front of her. Despite her worry, though, she kept her tone calm and collected.

"Hello, Discord," she greeted him, "you wished to speak with me?"

Discord folded his two front limbs. "I did indeed, Princess." He answered.

"Well, make it quick," she urged, "it won't be long until my sister takes over my duties."

He pursed his lips. "Oh dear, I promise you now, Celestia, I would if I could."

Her heart dropped. So much for this being quick. "Is that so? Well... proceed." She ordered regretfully.

He broke eye contact with her, instead looked up at the ceiling and raised a brow as he opened his mouth. "Twilight Sparkle told me about what you did about Tirek - your plan and all."

"Why would she do that?" she asked, only to get two yellow eyes narrowed at her. "Not that I think she shouldn't have - I'm just curious why it would need to be shared."

He gave a scoff, "I was curious to why you would give up your magic in the first place."

She tilted her head. "You were there when Tirek discovered we had hidden our magic. Surely you worked it out?"

He tapped his chin. "I did. And it stumped me," he squinted, "were you trying to hide your magic, or buy time?"

Celestia blinked, and flattened her ears. She had to pick her words carefully. "I was trying to hide it."

The draconequus perked an ear at this. "And yet it was on your mind the whole time that I knew about Twilight?"

The alicorn began to tap her hoof nervously on the mattress that she lay on. "It... it slipped my mind."

Discord rolled his red pupils. "As if. Twilight told me even she was unconvinced that you 'forgot'. Apparently you explained my betrayal seconds before you transferred your magic," he leaned his head forward, giving a pout.

Celestia stared at the ground. "It was a last minute plan. I was desperate."

"Were you now? That explains why you sent me without any backup," a chuckle escaped his throat, "let's be honest here, Celestia. That wasn't the wisest thing you've done."

She scrunched her nose, beginning to get impatient. "I found sending other ponies after a being who steals magic irresponsible."

Watching from the corner of her eye, Celestia tried to ignore the draconequus as he began to circle her. "Then why not send yourself?"

Reaching her breaking point, the alicorn swung her head around to face him. "I didn't want to take the risk of him stealing any powerful magic!" She snapped, only to give him the satisfaction. Smirking, he continued.

"So what did you expect Twilight to do after she possessed the alicorn magic? Because you practically had two options. One; make her hide away for the rest of her life and not make any difference to Tirek taking over, or two; attempt to defeat Tirek with her magic... despite you telling her to hide, and that apparently being your plan."

She froze. "I..."

"Tick tock, which one is it?"

Celestia bit her lip. "Neither... I wanted Twilight to act, however I told her to hide away from him."

"...So basically...?"

"I left it to her. I didn't know what she'd do next."

"Which brings me to my next question." He raised a brow. "Why did you tell Twilight not to share her powers with her friends?"

Her mouth quivered. "I didn't want to put them at risk..."

"But again." Discord was quick to answer. "What about me? I knew. I knew how to help Tirek get her magic. Telling them would only keep them safer... instead they just ran into my arms, unaware of my betrayal." His tone became more firm.

"I said I didn't want her to tell her about her magic." She stood up on her hooves and glared at him. "I did not say to keep your betrayal a secret."

Then it appeared again. That smirk.

"Tell me, Celestia. What did you think Twilight would do after you gave her your magic?" He shoved his face up to hers.

"I already told you I didn't know what she'd do."

"I know, but what did you imagine she'd do?"

She paused again. Nerves made her rub her leg with a hoof. "I... I imagined she'd tell her friends anyway."

Discord tilted his head. "And why would that be?" When the alicorn didn't reply, he decided to conjure up a stool that stayed afloat in midair and a mug of coffee in his talon. Celestia could only guess this was his attempt to lighten the mood for her; it wasn't working. Still, he continued to speak. "Do speak up, Princess. I'm asking because I'm curious."

Celestia rolled her eyes and gave a snort, "Of course it is."

The draconequus widened his eyes. "Are you accusing me of being a liar?" He dropped his mug onto the carpet dramatically. It smashed - though no liquid spilled over, instead it stayed in place as if it were still being held by the thick glass. "My dear Celestia, don't you think that's a little bit hypocritical?"

"Shut up!" she spat, splaying her wings out in frustration and anger. Discord stared back in her fiery magenta eyes, keeping a mild expression, but covering up any signs of gladness in her irritation. The two of them stood still for a while longer, neither one daring to loose sight of the other.

"So you know what I'm getting at," Discord whispered. Celestia gave no reply. However, she did break eye contact, letting her lids cover her sight and lowering her head. Finally, she spoke.

"I knew ever since you requested to speak with me." Her tone was flat, her voice hoarse.

"This means that my suspicions are correct," the draconequus confirmed, not a hint of doubt in his voice. She slowly nodded, finally looking back up at him.

"I admit it." She growled. "I planned all of it. I knew you'd betray us, and I knew that you would trap Twilight's friends to use them as bait." Her eyes narrowed as she carried on. "And I knew you'd be betrayed."

Discord remained deadpanned. "There's more."

Unable to face her former-enemy anymore, she turned her back to him and stared at the spitting fire in front of her. "I wanted you to be betrayed."

The silence seemed like a signal for her to continue, despite how much she desired not to. "I sent you alone so that you would make your own choice. I knew from the start that Tirek had a silver tongue." Still no reply. She carried on. "I knew you'd betray us, and I had one weapon against that."

"...And what was that?" Discord asked, though it sounded as if he already knew the answer.

"Yourself," Celestia replied mildly, still staring into the flames. "You would be betrayed, and you would feel guilt - I was right."

"Why would you make me feel guilt though?" he urged.

Her eyes began to ache from the brightness piercing into her eyes, so she had no choice but to shut the light out. "I wanted to see that the guilt would lead to a stronger friendship..." She breathed in. 

"I wanted to know that you cared..." Finally she found the strength to turn back around to face him. He still stood in the same place as before, however he held something that wasn't always there.

In his talon, he held a familiar bouquet of flowers.

Celestia blinked. And he spoke.

"Here's your proof."

"I know."

His eyebrows dropped. His hind limbs carried himself closer to her. "I meant, here's your proof that I care." The flowers were thrust right up to her. She tilted her head in confusion.

"I know you do... You've proven that." Even so, she took the flowers into her own hooves.

Discord folded his arms, his ears drooping. "The flowers are my proof. I gave them to you."

Celestia raised a brow at him, then she moved her gaze to the flowers, which notably shared the colours of Twilight and her friends. For moments more, she didn't move her eyes away. However, that didn't mean that she could block his voice from her ears.

"You planned every single move that I made. You wished for all of it to happen, and it did." His wings began to flap, and his body was lifted into the air. The draconequus slithered towards her, his face less than an inch away from her own as she slowly lifted her head up to meet him. She squinted as his breath repeatedly collided with her eyes, however she did not move from her place.

"You pulled the strings, and I became your puppet."

Celestia couldn't break out of his gaze. He wasn't done yet.

"From imprisoning me into stone, to freeing me, to this." He reached out a talon and settled it around the bouquet, though he refused to remove it from her hoof. She barely even noticed him doing anything.

"Once Equestria was my puppet, and now you're my puppeteer." He murmured, his yellow eyes narrowing. "You got your revenge, whether you wished to or not."

Discord took a step back, letting go of the bouquet. But instead of holding Celestia's magenta eyes in his gaze, he glanced at the flowers she held. Her irises followed his.

"But sometimes... revenge can be sweet."

The princess continued to focus on the flowers, until an absence suddenly hit her. Her head flinched up, her eyes searching desperately for Discord, but he was nowhere in sight. An emptiness entered her gut as loneliness lingered in the room yet again. The flowers she held stole her attention again.

Revenge can be sweet... Discord's words echoed in her mind. Her horn then lit up, as did the bouquet. Glowing with a yellow aura, the flowers floated across the room towards her desk. They then dropped into a glass vars, drops of water escaping into the air as a splash was heard.

Celestia then shuffled back onto her mattress, and dropped onto her hooves. She levitated the papers she had forgotten about out of the way so that she could stretch out her hind legs across the soft surface. Her head began to sink into the plush pillow it was rested on, and her eyes began to droop shut. Just before her consciousness slipped away, she heard a sentence echo in her head.

Once Equestria was my puppet, and now you're my puppeteer...


> Epilogue
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Discord sat under the night sky, looking out over the recovering land below him. It had been a few days since the whole event, yet he still felt a pang a guilt for his actions, and what they had led to.

But should he? If Celestia had been the one manipulating him, should he really be the one feeling regret?

It didn't matter. What he had done was his choice, and he knew that. Nor would he ever let it go.

It wasn't often he found a comfortable space in Canterlot - the patch of grass he had found was a lucky find. And, as much as he preferred his own creations, he had to admit that the sight of a weakly lit Ponyville offered a rather... relaxing feel.

These past few days, he hadn't spoken to anyone. Not even Fluttershy. Well - ever since he had confronted Celestia about his suspicions of her recent actions, he wasn't sure what to say to a single pony. It wasn't because he felt guilty, however, it was because he felt... betrayed.

He probably had the right to, but if Celestia hadn't done what she did, would he actually do any of those things?

The draconequus was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the rustling of grass behind him, as a sign of someone approaching. It was actually when the sound stopped that he swung his head around, only to meet the last pony he wanted to see right now.

"Didn't expect to see you here." He snorted, turning his head away from her to stare back at Ponyville in the distance. His tone didn't stop her from trotting up to his side and sitting next to him.

A few moments of silence passed, when Discord decided to speak again. "So, what exactly brings you here?" He asked without even glancing in her direction.

"I couldn't sleep." She replied distantly.

The corner of the chaos embodiment's lip perked up slightly. "Oh my, I wonder why that would be."

Her giving a huff of amusement was a bit of a surprise to him. "Is it becoming obvious at this point?"

Discord gave a roll of his eyes. "You've always been a predictable mare, Celestia."

From the corner of his eye, the draconequus saw her look up at him. "Even when something like this happens... you can still guess what's going on."

He finally found the strength to face her, though he was careful not to show any other emotion but anger, perhaps even mixed with disappointment. "There's one more question I forgot to ask you yesterday, Celestia."

Her expression remained neutral, as she awaited for him to speak.

"Why did you do it?"

The alicorn's eyes glimmered under the moonlight as she thought up an answer. "It's like I said... I wanted to know you cared."

However, Discord shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I'm not talking about recent events alone, I mean... ever since you freed me. Why did you even consider such a thing?" He again, stared off into the distance.

Celestia seemed taken aback by his statement. She stared at the ground, as if it would answer for her, then looked up at him again. "You needed a chance, Discord. Yet, I knew very well that I was not at all the pony to do so. I hate how I brushed you off my shoulder and made you somepony else's problem, but let's face it." She followed his gaze towards the dim-lighted town below. "I couldn't have done it, at least not personally. Though, I did think of something else, but I never wanted you to find out. Unfortunately, you did..."

Discord let out a scoff. "So you claim that planning out every step of my path to becoming a 'good guy' is a contribution to my reformation? I'm afraid I can't put your name in the credits, Celestia."

The princess breathed in, attempting to keep her patience. "I know. It was wrong, but I just had to make sure. Please believe me when I say, I was not at all trying to get revenge for your evil doings in the past. I am not one for revenge." He could merely feel her magenta eyes land on him again. "I'm one for forgiveness, but forgiveness is a difficult thing to do - especially when it's your arch nemesis."

"Yes, Celestia. Your arch nemesis is someone who makes it rain chocolate from cotton candy clouds, while changing the colour of the ground and sky. What a nightmare." When she raised a brow, he then added on, "...and completely erasing the laws of physics. But I still stand by my point."

A quiet giggle escaped the alicorn. "Alright, I admit it. What you did wasn't all that... 'evil'. It's just... how you went about it." Her ears drooped. "It drove you mad. In all honesty, I wasn't sure how to go about your reformation."

"Oh really?" Discord flicked his ear.

"No, I didn't. Again, I feel bad that I left it all to Fluttershy. Then again, you two share a strong bond, which is rather heartwarming to know. She had all of her faith that you would defeat Tirek as planned. As you know, I did not."

"No. You didn't." He bluntly agreed.

The princess remained unphased. "I didn't originally plan any of that, until it actually happened. I wanted to give you a chance to prove yourself, but when you failed..." She noticed that he was only half listening, so she nudged his shoulder with her wing. "Discord, I could've just dealt with you myself, but I didn't. I decided to go along with it." His attention almost fully caught, Celestia lay a hoof on his shoulder. "I didn't give up on you."

Discord just blinked. For once, he was unsure how to respond. Luckily, Celestia did that for him.

"Look, I'm sorry for how misleading my actions were. They even mislead myself - it took me a whole sleepless night to be able to put this all into words." Her lids fell over her eyes. "I never wanted to manipulate you, I was just trying to keep you from a life of chaos. Not that I'm completely against chaos - but having too much of one thing leaves too little of another."

Her head drooped, as she took a step back from him. Her horn then glowed as she pulled out a familiar object out from behind her.The draconequus looked in confusion at the bouquet of flowers she held in front of her.

"You've shown me that you understand the importance of friendship. You've shown me that you care for those who care for you." She brushed a hoof over the flowers., sitting back down on her rump again."I don't think I necessarily need to keep a close eye on you anymore... for the most part." Her tone became more loose on that last sentence, a slight smirk appearing on her lips.

Discord returned his own grin. "Wise choice in words. Though, why test your own trust towards me with such a serious matter?"

"Discord... I put an entire empire in danger by sending my student with five of her seventeen to twenty year old friends, all so that she could learn a lesson about self sacrifice." Celestia said flatly. "However, I would have jumped into action if I was needed. With Tirek... I couldn't."

The draconequus gave a casual shrug. "Well maybe, but you were preparing your student to be a princess." 

The mare gave a sly smile. "Who says that I have nothing in store for you?"

The chaos embodiment widened his eyes over-dramatically. He let out a gasp and covered his mouth with his hands. "No, Celestia! Please! Anything but that!" He reached out his lion paw to grab something, but there was nothing to grab on to. He let out a frustrated groan. "Ugh... Rarity's always using her fainting couch! I though her element was generosity!"

Celestia couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry. Not in my lifetime would I even consider giving you a coronation."

"That's a very long lifetime then."

She gave a gasp, but it was only half serious. "Excuse you! You've lived just as long as I have."

"...I'm a year younger than you." He mocked, before he suddenly calmed. "...Well, this is a surprise."

Celestia tilted her head. "What is?"

"This conversation changed drastically." He stated.

She paused, then gave a shrug, which wasn't something she would usually do. "Like I said - you know just what path you want to to take. If that's the case, I cannot continue to treat you like an outcast." She glanced at the flowers she still held in her hooves, then stood up, and began trotting back to the castle - which was rather far from where they were sat - which raised another question for Discord.

"Why were you all the way out here, Celestia?" He asked, making her stop for a moment. She turned her head, keeping a blank expression.

"I could ask you the same thing..." She simply replied, before spreading her wings  and flying off into the night.