Don't you remember back when you used to play, as children? When you were carefree? When you loved her? Can't you still feel her with you? Don't you miss her anymore? She misses you...
You were in the fields that day. The fields outside where you lived. You always loved the fields... They were yours. You could play there all day without a care in the world. Do you remember the day you met her? She was in the fields, the fields you would call your own. You were outraged, as any little child would be after finding their toy being played with by another child. You were prepared to go up there and fight tooth and claw with the filly that was wandering about. Your little wings stiffened, and you strode up there about to throw a tantrum when you caught sight of her up close.
She was beautiful. She always would be to you. She didn't see you, her flowing mane was covering her eyes. She was smiling and laughing as she jumped around after a butterfly. You couldn't go up to her now, of course. You were meant to be feared, your parents always told you so. You would either crush or be crushed. It wasn't possible to you to go up and talk to her now... you never really had any friends. Whenever you asked if you could play with the fillies and foals from the town, your dad would always say 'Friends? What use are friends to you? You're an enemy to all ponykind, son. Act like one!'.
You backed away and hid in the bushes. You lived in the Everfree forest at that point in time. Getting dirty didn't bother you. You just sat there and watched her for a while. She chased the butterfly round the open green expanse of the fields. It landed on her nose, and she just looked at it. Her lips moved as if she was talking to it, but you were too far away to hear her. The butterfly flew up again, drifting about in no particular direction, before slowly making it's way towards the forest. The filly began to follow it, and you feared for her. She was just a pony, she could easily get in trouble, walk straight into danger. When you saw her enter the forest, you went after her. You kept yourself out of sight, following her in the shadows, making sure she was safe.
The filly seemed to have lost track of the butterfly now. She just sat down on the forest floor, gazing around at the peculiar plants and listening to the bird calls. You noticed something strange about the filly then. She was a pegasus... and she had a horn, like a unicorn? She wasn't just any pony. In that way, you felt you could relate to her. She was different, as were you. You felt at the point you might be able to approach her, but decided against it as she would realize you had followed her. You were pulled from your thoughts by a sharp scream, and you quickly turned you head around to where the filly was standing. In front of her was a cockatrice, hovering at eye level and growling menacingly.
From then on. you acted without thinking. You leaped from the bushes, placing yourself between the the girl and the snake-creature. You glared the cockatrice right in the eye and roared at it. You were still a child, but scary enough to make that cockatrice retreat with it's tail between it's legs. You turned around to the filly and smiled, but she just looked at you in horror and screamed again. As she ran away, you felt your heart wrench from your chest as you were plunged into a deep depression. The transition from being so proud that you scared away a cockatrice to the sadness that you had also scared away the one you were trying to help was horrible. Your father was right. You would never have any friends.
You dragged your feet all the way back to your home that night. As you settled down on the grass, you felt your eyes well up with tears. You cried yourself to sleep that night, realizing you were probably the monster your father had always made you out to be before him and your mother left you in the forest to fend for yourself.
The next morning when you woke, your coat was stained with the tears from the night before. You went back out to your field, although even that wouldn't be able to make you feel any better. You dug a shallow dip by rubbing the loose dirt away with your paw, and laid down in it, burying your face in the grass. You didn't want to see anyone. Even the animals in the field that you would normally play with kept out of your way, sensing your misery. Though worse things were to come for you, in your life you had never felt so miserable. Your sadness had taken a lot of energy out of you, and once again you fell asleep.
When you woke up this time, something was tickling your nose. You blinked your eyes open and looked down at what had awoken you, it was the butterfly from the day before. You studied it as it glimmered in the sun, watching the pinks, greens and golds morph and meld against each other. The butterfly lifted your spirits a little bit. It slowly fluttered it's wings before picking up and flying away. You watched it, as it floated up and across the field before reaching a small filly; the same one as the day before. She was more cautious this time, keeping her distance from the edge of the forest.
You began to panic. If she saw you again, she would scream more. Some one would come and find you and take you away. They... They might kill you. Jumping out of the ditch now would be stupid, she would think you were attacking her. She was wandering closer, and you didn't have any clue of how to get away. So what did you do? You curled up into a little ball and tried to hide. Unfortunately, she was headed completely your way, and as you were half-buried, she trod on you.
You whimpered, and she quickly stepped off you. 'Oh my gosh!' She squealed, mistaking you for a curled-up deer fawn. 'I'm sorry, little deer. Are you okay?' You slowly untucked your head and looked up at her. She obviously recognized you, as you did her. Now she was closer, you could really see how beautiful she was. Her pink irises glittered in the same way the butterfly's wings did. Her hair was soft and flowing. The scent wafting from her mane as it blew about was roses. Her expression- well, her expression had been serene, but now she looked as if she was about to scream.
She took in a deep lungful of air, but before she could make any noise, you interrupted. 'No..... please don't scream..... I wont hurt you....' Your words were hushed, and you sank lower into the ground. The filly looked at you, puzzled. 'Why did you try and eat me in the forest, then?' She spoke softly, but her words cut through you like a knife. 'I didn't, I..... I was trying to get rid of the cockatrice... I'm.... I'm sorry, I'll go now...' You got up to leave, but felt something tugging at your tail. You turned around to see the little white filly staring at you. 'Don't go... Thank you for saving me from the Cockatrice.' Your heart melted slightly at her words. 'My name's Celestia,' She said with a smile. 'What's your name?' You returned her smile. 'Discord,' You grinned. 'My name's Discord.'
'Discord? That's a funny name, but I suppose mine is as well. I know! We'll give each other nicknames!' Celestia bounced up and down with glee. 'Okay, you can call me Tia, and I'll call you.... hmmm.....' You had waited in anticipation as she thought for a moment. 'Well... I don't know. I guess we'll have to come up with a nickname for you later,' She laughed. 'There's not much I can do with Discord,' You nodded in agreement with her. You didn't really care about a nickname right then, you were lost in her eyes. They glittered with joy and enthusiasm. You hadn't realized you were staring until she waved a hoof in front of you. 'Ummm... hello?' She giggled, and snapping back into reality, you had laughed too. This would be the first laugh you shared together, out of many over the years.
The rest of the day you played together in the field, laughing and jumping about with your first and only friend. You introduced her to all the animals that lived on the outskirts of the forest, the bunnies and the birds. They loved her too, not in the way that you did, but of course no one could. You ran about together for hours on end, until you were eventually so tired you crashed out on the grass, both laying down and panting. The young Celestia and you rolled onto your backs and just gazed at the sky for a moment. 'Do you ever wish it would rain chocolate milk?' Celestia asked, turning to face you. You thought for a bit before grinning widely. 'That would be great... and the clouds would be made of cotton candy!' You pondered. Tia laughed. You both continued to think up these ridiculous scenarios until the sun began to go down.
'You know how the sun goes down every night and the moon comes up to replace it?' Celestia moved closer to you. You could feel her warmth seeping through your coat. 'Yeah?' 'My mom is the one who moves it.' Celestia grinned. Her face confused you. You couldn't tell if she was being sincere or not. 'No way! One pony can't move something as big as the sun!' You laughed at the time, sure she was joking. Her expression changed to defensive. 'No, seriously! She does! My daddy moves the moon, as well!' Tia sat up, and looked you firmly in the eye. Somehow her anger made her even cuter to you. In the moonlight, her mane glowed iridescently. You were gazing at her again, and almost forgot she was waiting for a response. 'But how can just a unicorn move and entire planet?' You had questioned, not really caring about the answer, just buying more time with her. 'They're not unicorns, they're like me, and so is my little sister. We're alicorns, we're... well we're different. Alicorns have the magical power of ten unicorns!' 'Wow.... my mom and dad have a lot of magic too, well at least they did when I knew them...' 'Discord?' 'Yes?' You answered, deep in thought. 'Where are your mom and dad?'
'Repeat to me what I have just said to you son,' Your dad frowned down at you. 'Umm... Don't eat what you don't know...... Stay away from townspeople... Don't leave the forest..... and be fierce.' You mimicked. 'And don't get any more stupid ideas of making 'friends' with ponies. You hate them, remember that! You're a monster, you have to be feared!' 'O-okay dad....' You shuddered. Your dad always scared you and you were almost glad he was leaving. Your mom approached you, and she wasn't much better. 'Live up to our name, son. Maybe one day you'll make us proud.' You mom's voice was empty, knowing you weren't the son she had ever wished for. Her wings began to flap, cutting through the air as she began her journey, never to see you again. Your father shortly followed her. You were still very much a child, but you were left alone in a forest you didn't know to fend for yourself. You had never felt so abandoned in your life than that day.
'Oh that's terrible!' Tia's eyes welled up. 'I don't know what I would do without my parents,' 'No, It's okay, my species are always left alone at an early age.' You said nervously, not wanting to make Celestia cry. It was pretty awful what had happened to you, but It couldn't compare to the feeling of knowing you made your only friend upset. She didn't cry. Instead she looked right at you, looking deep into your eyes. 'Discord?' She whispered. 'What species are you?' You were about to answer her when a voice pierced through the darkness. 'Celestia? Celestia! Where are you?' Tia gasped, realizing it was long past the time she should be home. 'That's my mom! Oh my gosh, she's going to kill me! I've... I've got to go....' Your face fell when you realized you might not see her again, but then she said something that picked you up a little bit. 'Same time tomorrow?' You grinned and nodded before she galloped off to her mom in the distance. You watched her tail flow behind her as she ran.
That night, something strange happened. You had a dream. You'd never had a dream before, and it was strange to you. As soon as you were asleep, she was there with you. You were playing together, and she fell over. She'd cut her knee, and you placed your paw on it to soothe her. You wiped away her tears and her beautiful smile shone through. She wrapped her forelegs around you in a hug, and you returned it. You had never felt bliss like that before, knowing you were completely in love with this filly you met only a day ago. When you first woke up, you were confused as to what had happened. You didn't know what dreams were, and couldn't understand why you had woken up from being awake. You make your way to the field, thinking over what had happened. You waited for the sun to rotate it's way through the sky, and as it was beginning to sink, you knew it wouldn't be long before she would appear.
There she was in the distance. You ran up to her and looked her all over. 'Are you okay? How's your knee?' You asked, desperate to know how she was. 'I... what? My... knee?' She looked down at her foreleg, just to see her pristine white coat glint back. 'We were in the fields, and you fell over and scraped your knee... and then I woke up?' You were so confused. 'You... oh, you had a dream,' Celestia smiled. 'A what?' 'Sometimes, when we got to sleep, we imagine things in our head and create dreams. They can be of anything you wish, but you can't control them. They are controlled by your heart and your emotions...' 'Tia... Do you get dreams, too?' 'Sometimes,' She thought for a while. 'One time, I had a dream I was flying. It was amazing.... I mean, I know I have wings, but they're not strong enough to fly yet. I felt every emotion, I felt the clouds against my wings... it couldn't describe it...' 'I could teach you to fly! I know a little bit how to.' To demonstrate, you flapped your wings a little and lifted yourself a foot in the air. 'We could learn together!' 'That's a great idea! You teach me what you know and I'll teach you what my parents taught me!' Tia's face lit up.
For the next few hours, you both practiced different methods of how to fly. In the end, Celestia seemed to have learned a lot, and stretched her wings out a little bit. She needed to practice flapping them a bit, but she was getting there. 'Thanks Discord... you're so great. I've never had a friend like you before... the only other kid that talks to me is my sister...' You blushed a little bit, but she didn't seem to notice. 'Oh my gosh! I've just had a great idea!' She hopped up and down in excitement. 'Why don't you come round my house tomorrow?' You were so happy at the thought of going around her house, but the thought of your dad slowly seeped into your mind.
'Stay away from the town's people, and stay in the forest. You are an enemy to all ponies son, act like one!'
'I....I don't know....' You stammered. 'Please?' The moon was slowly sliding into view behind her, and it basked her in a pure white light. You looked into her eyes and knew you couldn't say no. 'Okay, I'll come.' 'YES! This is gonna be so great, I can't wait to think of all the things we'll do together!' It was getting late, and she trotted off into the distance, back to her home. You also turned back to where you slept. You went to sleep happy, anticipating tomorrow and excited to have more dreams.
-------Author's note----- OH HAI THERE, thank you for reading my story so far. I just want to make a note saying although I posted these two chapters consecutively, the rest will not be so frequent. I'm also working on my other story, 'Alone in Space' right now, and I have some GSCE exams coming up, but I will continue writing in my spare time. I wanted to do something with Celestia and Discord's past, so here it is. I enjoy reading your feedback, and I welcome criticism. And that's all!
'Discord! Discord?' You heard Celestia's voice echoing. 'Discord? Wake up, wake up!' Your eyes fluttered open to see the object of your affections nudging you awake. 'You ready to come around mine today? Celestia smiled. You had forgotten about today, and you were slightly unprepared for it, but still you were trembling in anticipation. 'I can't wait!' You returned the smile and Tia's face lit up. She giggled a little, and then fell to the floor laughing. You looked around behind you to try and see what she was laughing at. 'Wha... what's funny?' You asked. Celestia wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. 'Your smile! You have a little tooth sticking out, it's so funny!' You knew that some ponies would take that as an insult, but you couldn't be offended when you saw her smiling. 'Yeah... it is kinda funny, isn't it?' You laughed. Celestia's face suddenly changed, and she gasped loudly. 'I'VE GOT IT!' She exclaimed. 'Huh?' You asked. 'Got what?' 'Your nickname!' She laughed, 'Remember? A few days ago. You call me Tia, and we didn't make up a nickname for you!' 'Oh yeah! Umm... so what is it?' 'Well, you're made up from lots of different animals, like a zoo, right?' 'Ummm... sorta?' 'And my favorite zoo is in Trottingham.' '.....Okay?' 'And there they have the most amazing strawberry-picking fields!' 'Um, where are you going with this, Tia?' 'Strawberries are red, and so are rubies, apples, cherries and jam.... SO therefore your new nickname is....' You lent forward in anticipation of your new nickname. 'TOM!' '....Tom?' You looked at her, puzzled at this new name. 'TOM! Ohmygosh, we'll be Tia and Tom!' '.......Tom?' 'Yeah, you wanna test it out?' '......................Tom.' You looked at her strangely. First, this was a name that had never been heard in the history of Equestria, and had somehow been deduced from jam. Second, you really didn't like it. It shouldn't even be used to name a rock. '....hmmmm. Maybe that isn't the right nickname for you.... In fact, do you even need a nickname? I've kinda gotten to like Discord....' You blushed, but she didn't notice. She really liked your name! 'Hey, you don't mind if we don't change your name, do you?' Celestia's voice changed from bubbly to apologetic. You didn't mind though. It would have been nice to have a nickname, but you certainly didn't want to be called 'Tom'. 'It's fine, I don't mind at all,' You laughed, glad the possibility of being called by that hideous name was over. 'Great! Now come on, let's go to my house!'
It took a little while getting there, but you managed to follow the bouncing filly to her 'house'. If you could call it a house. Do you remember the first day you saw it? The majesty and wonder of Canterlot tower.
'This... this is your house?' You squeaked, a bit scared of the sheer size of it. 'Don't you love it?! There's so much space it can sometimes get a bit lonely, but now I have someone to play in it with!' Tia jumped up and down with excitement. Her giggles resonated through the air, bouncing off the high steeples and hollow domes in the roof. It was then that you noticed how quiet it was. You looked around, searching for anypony, but there was neither mare nor stallion or colt or filly about anywhere, except Celestia. Even the royal guard which would normally fill the training yard out front of the castle had vanished. Tia failed to recognize the absence of every single pony in Canterlot, and instead trotted up to the front door and pressed the bell with her nose. The door creaked open slightly and the white muzzle of a royal guard poked out. 'Who... who is it?' He stammered. Tia giggled. She turned back to you. 'Watch this.' She whispered, before screaming in her best royal Canterlot voice: 'IT IS I, PRINCESS CELESTIA OF EQUESTRIA. I HAVE RETURNED FROM MY VISIT TO PONYVILLE. PREPARE THE ROYAL GREETING.' You were slightly taken back by the sudden change in her voice, but when she smiled you couldn't help stifle a laugh. 'Of... of course Princess,' The guard said, before the door swung open, revealing rows of guards bowing before the little white filly. Sitting at the back on a raised platform were two alicorns, one male and one female. It was obvious by their cutie marks that these were the parents that Tia had told you about. 'Mom! Dad! I'm home!' She yelled. 'Oh thank goodness Celestia, we were so worried. There's been rumors that there's... AAAAAAHHHHHHGHH!' The mare screamed as she caught sight of you. Immediately the royal guard swooped in and picked up the tiny princess. You recoiled in fear as several white pegasi began to surround you. You began to beat your little wings but you weren't strong enough to escape. You were pinned down by your tail as a guard stood on it. You whimpered helplessly. Celestia's mother took her off the guard. 'Are you okay?! He didn't hurt you did he? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god....' She began to hyperventilate. 'What? Mom...' Tia's face was riddled with confusion. 'HOW DARE YOU COME HERE!' The alicorn stallion screamed at you. He flew over to where you were held. The ground cracked as he stomped down on the white marble in front of you. 'YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE, BEAST. THE BOUNDARIES OF EQUESTRIA STOP AT THE EVERFREE FOREST. YOU MAY NOT PASS THAT BOUNDARY. YOU MAY NOT ENTER THE ROYAL CITY. AND YOU MUST CERTAINLY. NOT. GO. NEAR. MY. DAUGHTER. IS THIS UNDERSTOOD?!' He bellowed. Now you were crying on the floor. The guard stepping on your tail was really hurting now, and you were scared by the huge dark blue alicorn bearing down on you. 'Wait, daddy, he's my friend...' Tia whimpered. She also seemed to be scared by her father. 'THIS? THIS IS YOUR FRIEND? NO, CELESTIA. THIS IS A DANGEROUS ANIMAL. THIS IS A CHIMERA. REMEMBER? THAT MONSTER FROM YOUR BOOKS? THIS IS IT.' 'No, he's different, he's nice....' She was also crying now. 'Tia, listen to your father! He would kill you without hesitation! This is not your friend!' Her mother chided. You couldn't believe what you were hearing. You were worried about meeting Tia's parents, but you never imagined it could go this badly. 'YOU. GET OUT OF HERE NOW. IF YOU COME BACK HERE, I WILL KILL YOU. I WILL MAKE IT LONG AND PAINFUL. YOU GOT THAT?' He screamed. You nodded feebly. 'AND ONE MORE THING. STAY. AWAY. FROM. CELESTIA.' You felt the pressure on your tail released, and you ran for all you were worth. You ran back through the streets of Canterlot, where ponies had begun to come out of their houses to jeer at you. 'GET OUT OF HERE, MONSTER!' 'YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!' 'LEAVE OUR TOWN!' You felt the words cut into your heart as you went, running as fast as you could back to your safe place. Back to the forest, where you belonged, with all the other monsters. You curled up in the hole you had dug, before looking at your tail. It was bloody, and scales were sticking out at all angles. It hung limply on your flank. You tried to move it, but cried out as the pain rippled through your body. It was broken. You couldn't take the pain any longer, and you blacked out.
When you came to, you were laying in the open part of the field. It appeared you had been dragged there, since there was a faint trail of blood staining the glass. You had obviously lost a lot since... well, since your tail had been crushed by a Royal Guard. You winced in pain at the memory, before turning back round to inspect it. To your surprise, it was bound in cloth and a plaster-like substance.
'CAREFUL! Child, it is still wet! You must stay here until it is set.' You looked up and saw looming over you a black and white striped pony. You didn't even listen to what she said before you panicked and ran away into the forest. Where you belonged. 'CHILD, COME BACK! You are not well! You tail could snap, who can tell?' She called out, but you were too scared to listen. That is, until you heard the voice of some-one you could trust.
'Discord? Please, come back! She won't hurt you!' Came a sweet voice you knew so well. You peered out of the bushes to make sure it was who you suspected. The little white filly had fear spread across her face, not just for your well-being, but also for the fact she might not see you again. Not that you knew. You couldn't say no to Celestia, and you cautiously re-entered the field. 'It's okay... Zecora is a friend of mine. And has been a friend to the family for centuries.' 'Centuries?' You mused. She looked so young. 'It is true, my little dear. I am much older than I appear.' She said in a voice thick with an unfamiliar accent. 'How... how did you find me?' 'I just came back to where I found you the first day. When I saw you, you'd collapsed and you were in a pool of...' Celestia gulped, obviously still shaken, 'A pool of your own blood. I didn't know what to do, so I tied a tourniquet around your tail and...' 'A mighty good one I might add, my dear. Without it, he would have lost his tail, I fear.' Zecora cut in. Celestia blushed slightly before continuing. 'I was panicking, so I went and found Zecora... She cleaned the blood up... Before coming to the conclusion your tail was broken.... In eight places......' You flinched at her words. It was clear now your tail would not be healed for a long time. 'She put your tail in a cast, with a splint to keep it straight. It... it might take a while, but it should heal without any problems.' You looked at her, gazing deeply into her violet eyes, and one question struck out at you. It burned away at your soul, desperate to escape. Eventually you choked it up through tears. '....Why?' You sniffed. 'What?' Celestia gasped. 'Why would you do this for me?' Your voice was laced with agony. Zecora could see that this was not a good time to be around, and so made her excuses and galloped back into the woods. You stood there, weeping, waiting for your answer. 'Discord... I... I don't know what you mean....' 'Yes, you do. I'm a monster, Tia. Your father said it himself, he- oh my god!' You remembered something terrible. 'What, what's wrong?' 'You- you can't be here! Your father will murder you if he finds out, he told me to stay away from you!' 'I don't care. You don't just abandon your friends because your family doesn't approve. That's not true friendship.' You were astounded by her selflessness. 'I'm... I'm your friend? Even after you finding out what I am?' You stuttered. She looked at you and nodded. 'You can be whatever you want, Discord. But you will always be my friend.' Her words melted your heart. 'Oh, Celestia!' You cried as you threw your forelegs around her. You were held there, in an embrace, a bond so strong yet so fragile. You took in her scent as her hair rippled in the wind. 'Forever.' She whispered.
She wiped away your tears and looked you deep in the eye. 'Now, let's finish our flying lessons, shall we?' You smiled and nodded. And so that's what you did for the rest of the day. You were a bit off-balance because of the cast, but you could still manage.
'Okay, Discord... 3....2....1!' On her count, you both pulled yourself off the ground with your little wings, beating them for all they were worth. You both gasped when you realized, even though you were barely two feet off the ground, you were flying. 'This is amazing!' You whispered. 'I- aa-aa-aaachooo!' You sneezed, knocking your wings out of motion and sending yourself tumbling down onto the ground. Celestia flew down beside you and you both began to laugh. She halted, and looked at you more seriously for a moment. Your giggling stopped.
'D-Discord....' She shuddered, visibly cold. You wrapped your arms around her to keep her warm. 'Yes?' 'I have to tell you something..' You turned to face her as she obviously had something important to say. 'I'm going away for a while, Discord.' Her voice seemed full of regret. 'Away?' You asked. You were a little upset, but you had no idea how upset she was. She was very good at hiding emotions. You also had no idea how much the little filly had sacrificed for you. 'Yes... You remember last night, don't you?' You flinched at the memory of Celestia's father, but nodded regardless. 'Well, daddy didn't want me to come after you, but I screamed at him. I said about how friendship isn't about species... It's about honesty. So I was being honest to him about how you were my friend. It's also about kindness... I couldn't leave you scared on your own. It's about laughter, too. The laughter we share together... And generosity. Like when you came into town with me even though you knew you shouldn't. You were so generous, Discord. I shouldn't have been so selfish.' She tried to hold back a sob, but tears cracked through. She fought past them, desperate to finish what she was saying. 'Finally, it's about loyalty. I told him that, and that was why I had to go and find you. He said I had one day, and then I had to break all connections with you.' You felt sadness well up inside you. 'But of course I said no.' Your eyes widened with shock. 'You... You what?' 'He said you were a monster, but I told him 'Sticks and Stones'. Then he got angry. Really angry.' She withdrew slightly. 'Oh my god, he... He didn't hurt you, did he?' You gasped. 'No, no he didn't. But... tomorrow I'm being sent to Trottingham.' 'TROTTINGHAM?!' 'Yes... There's a magic school there. I'm going to stay there until my father lets me back. He said... Five years.' She said, sorrow evident in her voice. 'But...' You began, but she didn't let you finish. 'I'm so sorry, Discord. I never...' She wanted to say more, but decided to leave it at that, and simply wrapped her forelegs around you. A tear ran down your face as you took in her scent one last time. 'I.....I have to go,' Your heart ached as you nodded, unable to speak a word. 'Bye, Discord. I'll see you again, some day...' With that, she left you alone in the forest.
Years went by with no contact from anypony, save for the occasional visit from Zecora. You matured, but you never lost memory of that filly from your childhood, and the short but blissful time you spent together. Your tail healed and your wings broadened, as well as beginning to develop magic. Every day was looking the same, until one day you heard something dreadful. A voice you always hoped never to hear again.
You looked up at the enormous Chimera leaning over you. Whilst you had grown in the years you had not seen him, you were still dwarfed by his immense size. 'D-dad?' You gasped, horrified by his return. The visit was made worse when another huge beast swooped down and landed on the ground next to him. Your mother. 'Pleased to see us, son?' Your dad laughed grimly in his deep, scraping voice. 'What... What are you doing here?' All the malice in your voice was intended. Whilst it wasn't in your nature to be aggressive, you knew if your parents were back, it wasn't good. 'My, my!' Your mother cackled. 'Our boy is finally toughening up! Or he would be, had he not DISGRACED our name!' 'What are you talking about?' You growled. 'We're talking about when you disobeyed my direct order of staying in the forest, skipped around town with some FILLY, and then allowed yourself to get beaten up by a PONY!' Your father screamed in his gravelly voice. There was no point hiding it, your were scared. 'That was f-four years ago dad... I-it doesn't matter-r anymore...' 'DOESN'T MATTER?! YOUR COWARDICE IS WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT!!' His voice lowered to quiet but deadly tone. It was one you had feared since you were a child. 'We gave you four years to correct your mistake... But it is clear now we need to intervene....' He began to beat his enormous wings, battering nearby trees and lifting himself up from the forest floor. Your mother followed him, tearing up plants in the miniature whirlwind she created. 'What's going on? Where are you headed?' You questioned, impatience overwhelming you and taking control of your tongue. 'Isn't it obvious? We just had to wait until the filly returned from Trottingham to fix this. We're going to Canterlot castle.' 'N-no! You can't do this, it wasn't her fault, I-' You were cut off by a forcible smack around your face, originating from your mother's tail. The sudden sting brought tears to your eyes. 'Silence, child!' She howled. 'You should be thanking us for doing what you were too WEAK to do...' With her words ringing in your ears, and your eyes blurred by the liquid brimming in them, they left you there once again on your own. You didn't sit there for long, however. You thought about what your father had said. 'We had to wait until the filly had returned from Trottingham'. Did... Did this mean Celestia was back? Oh, no. You knew something needed to be done, and fast. You had to get to Canterlot, but there was the problem of how.
Ever since Celestia left, you found you couldn't... You couldn't fly anymore. Flying was what you and her learned together, and without Tia it just didn't seem right. Whenever you tried, your wings didn't budge. You couldn't exactly walk to Canterlot, half the ponies would come after you waving their pitchforks and torches, What could you do? Unwittingly, by now, you had wandered out into the fields. You were still thinking of how to get to Canterlot when you noticed a tall, cloaked figure out in the open. You ducked into some bushes nearby, analyzing the shadow in the distance.
The cloak was something similar to what Zecora would wear, but the figure was far too tall to be the rhyming medicinal zebra. With a flick of her head, the shadowed figure knocked back the hood, revealing a spiraled horn and a long flowing mane. With magic, she unbuckled the clasp at the front of the cloak. She threw it off and outstretched her wings. Her pure white coat shimmered in the moonlight. It was her.
At first you didn't know what to do, but you quickly settled on the idea of speeding towards her. You had, of course, forgotten about your increase in size, and you could hardly blame Tia for assuming it was an attack. However, you hadn't anticipated her spinning around on her forelegs and bucking you in the face.You blacked out as the second hoof hit your cheek.
When you came to, a very worried Celestia was standing over you. In a split second, you took in everything you could about her. She had grown very tall, she was just a few inches smaller than you when you were on all fours.Her coat was no longer fluffy, but instead a pure, sleek white. She was much older than when you last met, but so were you. The curious thing was she had no cutie mark. Her flank was as blank as four years ago. This barely even crossed your mind as strange at that moment because you were caught in her eyes. You looked at her face. Her features had matured, and even though they showed nothing but concern, she was beautiful.
'Oh my god... are you okay?' She whispered. You rose to all fours. 'Umm.... yeah, I guess...' You rubbed your eye, but your paw was quickly pushed aside when she jumped on you, wrapping her forelegs around you in an embrace. You took in her smell. Her hair filled your nose with the scent of flowers. When she finally let go, you were still too dazed to remember what your parents were currently doing. You shook your head, and your thoughts cleared a bit. 'Wait... are we... are we meant to be some-where?' You mused, trying to shake the fog from your mind. 'Ummm... I don't think so... are you sure you're okay?' You hadn't really thought about who you were with until now. It felt as though no time had passed since you played together as children. 'Oh my god...' You gasped. 'It's really you..' 'Of course it's me, Discord!' She giggled. 'I missed you so much...' She pulled you into another hug and nuzzled your ear. 'I.. I missed you too.' You whispered in her ear. No words you had ever said were as true as these. You hardly stopped thinking about her in all the time she was in Trottingham. You even thought about once again entering the boundaries of Equestria, but realized that would have been more than foolish, just asking for trouble. And.. and now she was here? It felt like a dream. You missed her more than you had ever missed anyone before. 'You... you've gotten so big,' She laughed as she let go of you. She circled you several times. 'What are you doing?' You asked, watching her as she continued walking round and round. 'I'm sorry, it's just I've forgotten what all of you looked like.' She giggled, playing with your tail. You smiled as you watched her spring around in glee. You were older, but you were both still children at heart. Nothing could spoil this moment. Or so you thought.
You quickly withdrew your tail from her when you remembered why you came to the field in the first place. She was shocked as you pulled away so quickly. 'What's the matter?' She said in a worried tone. You panicked. Should you tell her? You knew what you had to do. 'I'm so sorry....' You turned to leave, desperate to try and fly away, but your wings clamped against your body like they normally would. You strained as you desperately tried to unfurl them, but you muscles were ablaze with pain. You gasped sharply, and collapsed on the floor. 'Discord... tell me what is going on.' She crouched down so she was face-to-face with you. You gave in to her. 'My parents...' You winced. 'They're going to Canterlot Tower to...' You faded towards the end of the sentence. 'To what?' She asked. You tried desperately to force your voice out of your mouth. 'I.... I don't know... but no good is going to come from it...' You whispered. 'They want revenge, and when Chimeras as ruthless as them want revenge only destruction is left in their path.' Celestia gasped. 'What... what are we going to do?' 'We need to get to Canterlot, but... I can't fly.' You grimaced. 'And we can hardly walk through the streets....' 'Why do they want revenge?' Tia asked. 'Well... I 'disgraced' the family name when I... when my....' You twitched you tail as if to make a point. 'I see.' She said, her voice as composed as ever. 'I know a spell that can get us there. You might want to brace yourself... It can nauseate you the first time...' You stiffened, preparing as Celestia's horn lit up the dark field. You were both enveloped in a bright, blinding light. When the light faded, you were in a different place. You realized this was the place that just four years ago you had your tail broken at. Canterlot tower.
A sharp scream roused you from your thoughts. You turned around to see a scene that would have reduced any royalty-loving pony to tears. The bodies of the late rulers of Equestria, encased in stone. They were both stood tall, proud to their last moments. Not a single tear broke through the fortress of their eyes. As much as you hated them, you couldn't help but feel saddened, yet amazed that they could be so strong in such dark times. You glanced across from them, and you saw something terrible. Celestia saw it too. 'No!' She screamed.
It was your parents, growling horribly and cornering a little pony. A deep blue baby alicorn was sat, whimpering, unable to escape from their wall of wings and fur.
You acted without thinking, jumping between them. It was like the first day you saw Celestia, except this time it wasn't just a cockatrice. This time you weren't certain you would win. Your parents look down on you in disgust. 'What. Are. You. DOING?!' Your father snarled through his jagged teeth. 'Son... It's not as if we aren't disappointed enough in you already....' Your mother growled. 'But if you don't move out of the way, you are going to make things a lot worse for yourself....' You were terrified, but you would not allow yourself to show it. Celestia was watching in horror from the corner of the room, out of sight. You would not stand for this. You wouldn't let your parents hurt the little filly who was barely even two years old at the time of the 'incident' with your tail. 'I'm not moving.' You whispered. 'What?' Your mother's voice was quiet, but grated through her throat like claws on a chalkboard. 'I SAID I'M NOT MOVING!' You screamed, flaring out you wings to protect the little blue alicorn. Celestia couldn't bear to watch the scene, and covered her mouth to stifle the whimpers escaping from it.
Your parents were furious, naturally. Your father was visibly teeming with rage. 'Look here, you FOAL. You are going to give us that filly now, and then you are going to tell us where the white one is.' His eyes burned into your soul, but you would not give in to him. 'No, dad. I'm not going to do that.' 'That's fine then.' He laughed. 'What?' You gasped. 'You're going to let them go?' 'No.' Your mother cackled. 'Then what?' 'We're going to kill you.' You father laughed hysterically. He was going to enjoy this. He raised his enormous paw, swiping you aside like nothing. You crashed into the tiled wall, but you weren't worried about yourself. You feared for the little filly that was now exposed to the fury of your parents. Your father, assuming you were dead or at least dying from the enormous blow you had just endured, began to circle the baby alicorn. It started to cry. Celestia couldn't stand it any more, and cried out when she saw you crumpled in the corner of the room.
'LEAVE HER ALONE!' She howled, tears streaming from her eyes. A flash of white light erupted from her horn, blinding the two grown chimeras. She teleported in front of her little sister. An evil smile spread across your father's face. 'Oh good. We were wondering when you would arrive.' He laughed. 'Now we can kill two birds with one stone! Or... two alicorns.' He grinned horribly. 'You'll... you'll do no such thing...' You choked, dragging yourself across the room and once again flaring your now broken wings to protect the two sisters. Your father let out a furious laugh, your mother cackling along with him. 'OH... MY.... GOD....!' Your mother wiped a tear away from her eye. 'They think they're going to win! They think they have a chance! This is priceless!' Your father's face suddenly took a more serious expression. 'Lets do this.' He bellowed. Celestia could have teleported the three of them out of there that instant but she knew that the Chimeras would just come after them again. It had to end there, or she would endanger the lives of citizens.
An orb of magic formed in his hand, growing larger until it burst into flame. The fiery ball floated an inch above his hand. 'Step aside now, son, or face the consequences.' Your father threatened. 'You know I can't do that.' You wheezed, still not fully recovered from the attack earlier. Your father didn't hesitate throwing the ball of fire at you, which hit you squarely in the face. You screamed in pain but kept up your wings, protecting the princesses. You were blinded from the flames, but still did not give up. Celestia leant forward and whispered in your ear. 'Go. Save yourself.' You couldn't see her, but you felt her hot tears roll down and hit your shoulder. 'I'm not leaving you.' Your parents continued with their onslaught of fireballs. One slipped through your battered wings and hit the flank of the little filly. She shrieked as her older sister patted out the fire. You were furious. 'How dare you...' You whispered, before drastically raising your voice. 'HOW DARE YOU!' The two grown chimeras paused briefly to hear what you had to say. 'ARE YOU STUPID? OR ARE YOU JUST CRUEL?' You screamed. 'You would kill CHILDREN just to protect your HONOR? You would GLADLY burn up a little filly just so you could sound better? Well, you are the LOWEST OF THE LOW IF YOU THINK THAT'S OKAY. This isn't brave, dad. Its murder. Cold-blooded, heartless MURDER. And you're a coward if you think it's okay.'
Your sight had returned in one eye now, allowing you to see a mad smile spreading across your father's face. As he raised his claw to deliver a finishing blow to you, something strange happened. A chain at the side of hall suddenly began to glow in a white aura. It tautened, and then snapped, causing a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling to loosen and fall. It crashed down, landing on your father and killing him. Your mother gasped, not because she cared that her partner was dead, but because her chances of winning had diminished greatly. To make matters worse for her, the guards (who normally were not allowed in the hall in the evenings) were roused by the sudden noise of the falling chandelier. They burst in the doors only to be confronted with the horrible scene: the late rulers of Equestria encased in stone, a dead chimera crushed on the floor, two live chimeras (the younger badly burnt) and the princesses cowering in the corner. Your mother knew she wouldn't have a chance against an army and crashed through a window, flying off into the distance.
The guards did what they were trained to do- immobilize any potential threats. As they flew down around you, you felt completely helpless. You had no strength left to escape. A white figure appeared in front of you in a flash. It was strange how for once she was protecting you; her white downy feathers tickled your nose. 'Leave him be! Don't touch him!' She shrieked desperately. The guards immediately halted at her command.
She turned around and looked at you- you were in a very bad condition. She turned back to the guards. 'Go and get Zecora. QUICKLY!'
'How bad is it?' The white alicorn looked Zecora in the eye. 'You don't need to sugarcoat anything. I need you to be honest with me.' Celestia anticipated news of her friend. 'His leg is broken, I am afraid, but it should fix soon, with my aid. As you saw, his eye took a bad hit. I'm sorry to say I could not help it. His pupil can no longer dilate; his eyes are uneven, as of late.' The zebra sighed, wondering if Celestia would receive the news badly. She took a lot better than the striped pony expected. 'And... his wings?' She asked through a fake facade to hide her despair. 'His wings are fine, my little dear. What is giving you this fear?' Zecora's melodic voice chimed. 'What? No, they were broken! They...' The Princess paused, feeling slightly woozy at the memory of your mangled wings. 'Don't hide things from me.' Her voice took an uncharacteristic serious, almost angry tone. 'I wish to see him.' 'He is resting, it is unwise-' Zecora was cut off before she could even finish the rhyme. 'LET ME SEE HIM!' The alicorn's powerful voice echoed through the vaulted ceiling, causing the zebra to recoil in fear. 'Very well. Come with me.' Zecora sighed. 'Do not be upset at what you see.' The small zebra turned and lead Celestia into another room. You were asleep on a bed in the center. The bed was no short of what would be expected in Canterlot Castle; it was large, draped with a purple canopy. The sheets were silk, the pillows were velvet. Beautiful gems glistened, making patterns on the exquisite woodwork. It was truly fit for royalty.
Celestia wasted no time, immediately making her way over to your side. She pushed back the cloth separating you from her, and looked at your limp, broken body. She gently grasped the base of your feathered wing. It was odd... it wasn't broken in any way, when just a few hours ago it was clearly shattered. The plumage wasn't even singed... it was fluffy, like it was just newly grown. The white alicorn turned to face the medical zebra. 'This isn't possible... Look, they're not even blackened from the flames.... His father threw him against the wall. You saw the body of that thing! The tiles where he landed cracked from the impact! I saw... I saw his wings. They were broken...' She trailed off as Zecora came nearer. She leaned in and looked at the wing Tia was holding. 'This is strange. This is not right. His feathers are new; fluffy and bright. Are you sure his wings were harmed? There could be reason to be alarmed.' Celestia furrowed her brow in confusion as she tried to figure out what could possibly have happened. It couldn't have been that chimeras heal quickly; his tail took normal time to fix after the incident with the guard. Zecora's face suddenly became thoughtful.
'What is it?' The alicorn asked. 'It seems that they are newly healed. The reason why is yet to be revealed... Tell me, did your tears flow? And in which direction did they go?' The zebra's riddle confused Tia slightly. 'You mean did I cry?' The royal sister became slightly embarrassed as Zecora nodded at her question. 'Um.. Yes, yes I did...' She murmured. 'And I think the only places my tears went was on me... Although, a few might have hit Discord's back... Anyway, was has this got to do with his wings healing so quickly?' 'Do not fear, my little flower. It is said alicorn tears have mysterious powers.' Celestia stopped and looked at Zecora, unable to tell if she was joking or not. 'Wait. So you're saying.... my tears just fixed his wings?' Zecora smiled at the young princess and nodded. 'So you're saying... when things go wrong, or somepony gets hurt, I can just cry and make it all better?' Zecora's smile turned into a frown. 'Your tears are much more powerful than you think. You should not just use them in a wink! You will not realize, but you are drained. You should rest, do not strain. Your parents did not cry, you see; they knew how dangerous tears could be!' Celestia became worried at the sudden seriousness of the issue. She didn't realize crying could be so harmful. She would have asked Zecora more about it had you not started to stir. Celestia realized she was still holding onto your wing and quickly let go.
As you blinked your eyes open, the first sight you saw was her beautiful face. You sprang up out of the bed when you remembered where you were and what had just happened. 'Oh my god! Are you okay?' You frantically circled her (hobbling slightly with the cast on your leg) trying to find any sign of injury. In your haste, you actually reached out and picked her up. You were surprised at how light she was, and held her up for a few seconds before replacing her on the floor, noticing the odd looks you were getting from the guards. You didn't know, but in the seconds you were holding her, her heart beat quickened.
She looked at you, gazing in your eyes. You became slightly unnerved and could not hold her gaze. She realized she was staring and quickly broke eye contact, but you knew something was wrong. 'What's the matter?' You asked. She began to walk away, over to the other side of the room. You sat down on the edge of the bed sadly, thinking she might be upset with you about her parents. You looked at the floor wondering how to fix this, when you felt a slight tapping on you shoulder. It was Celestia, holding a small ornate mirror in her mouth. You took hold of it and looked into it, quickly realizing what she had been staring at.
'Oh. Well that's new.' You inspected the recent changes to your eye. One seemed slightly larger than the other.You were about to look closer, when a sudden light shone in your face. It was Tia, holding a torch in her telekinetic grip. 'It doesn't dilate, see? When you took that fireball to your eyes, this one was damaged. It doesn't adjust in light like the other one does.' She was right. You watched the other pupil change, growing smaller in the light. The other pupil remained the same size. 'Great.' You laughed. 'It matches the rest of me. Ugly as sin.' You grimaced. You turned to Celestia, expecting her to laugh with you, but she had a serious look on her face. 'You're not ugly.' She said in a very sincere voice. 'Um... what? Tia, look at me. I'm a freak. Nature's Frankenstein.' You groaned. 'No, you're not, Discord.' Her voice was firm, but caring. 'You're perfect the way you are, and I wouldn't change a thing about you for the world. I like you as you.' I love you as you. She longed to say those words, but knew you couldn't possibly feel the same way. You were different species, I mean, that just didn't happen. She didn't want to scare you off. As she turned to walk away, you called after her. 'Hey, Tia.' She turned around. 'Thanks.' She smiled and continued walking, feeling the sisterly urge to go and check on Luna. It was going to be a long night. Literally.
The next time you saw Celestia, she was walking down the halls with her little sister. You had excused yourself from the bedchambers, desperate to get away from the judgmental glares of the Canterlot guards. The filly's attitude was pretty much back to normal; she was too young to fully understand the weight of the situation. For all everypony knew, Equestria was stuck in eternal night. No-one knew exactly how to change the world back into day, and if no-one could figure it out, all life would surely perish. The blue alicorn child was skipping around happily, but something was different about her. When a fireball had hit her flanks, she was badly burned. The burn left scars on her flank, which had newly re-grown it's fur with the help of Zecora's potions. The fur that regrew over the scars was dark, deep blue, like midnight itself. You couldn't help but feel anguish and guilt that you let that one fireball slip through.
'Discord?' The white goddess called. 'What are you doing up? You should be resting!' 'It's kinda hard with a whole battalion of soldiers glaring at you.' You retorted, but made it clear in your voice you were joking. Celestia frowned. She knew you were a free spirit, and didn't much like being indoors. 'Fine, but you're staying here until you get better. I don't want you going back to the forest, especially in this weather.' You barely even heard her, as you were too transfixed on the sudden change of Luna's attitude. As soon as she saw you, she stopped skipping and hid behind her sister's legs. Tia noticed it too. 'Luna, stop hiding. Look, come out and meet Discord.' The white alicorn hooked a hoof behind her little sister and pushed her forward. The little blue filly shied away from you and refused to make eye contact. 'No, it's okay. I can understand why she would be scared. Uh, I'm just gonna go for a walk outside.' You backed out of the room, trying to avoid any more awkwardness. The cast on your leg made movement harder, but you continued nonetheless. You just got out of sight when you heard Tia scolding her sister. 'You shouldn't be so rude to him! He saved your life.' She hissed. 'I... don't like.... it....' You heard a childish voice echo down the hall. 'It'. She called you 'it'. 'It's scaryyy.' You could hardly blame her for acting this way, but in that split second, you could not have hated yourself more. You quickened your pace, searching for an exit. The last thing you heard was Celestia telling her little sister to go to bed.
You finally found a door leading to the grounds and opened it. A wall of cold air hit your face and ruffled your feathers, but you didn't mind. You slipped out and disappeared into the darkness of midnight. You walked around for a while, through open pastures and closed flower gardens. There were odd designs in the flowers, in some cases. There was a patch of dark blue roses growing, mixed in with white tulips. The different flowers were arranged so that they swirled together, and in the center there was a single flower that was neither rose or tulip. It appeared to be a cross-breed of some kind. The flower itself was beautiful. The petals swooped around at the base, curling outwards towards the top. The flower was white, but the tips of each petal were blue. You wondered for a moment if it represented something, but continued on past it without another thought. You noticed something new. A labyrinth.
Before you knew it, you had started walking into the maze. Before you knew it, you were deep within the walls of the maze. Before you knew it, you were hopelessly lost in the maze.
Meanwhile, back at the castle, Celestia was pulling her mane out worrying about you. You had been gone for hours, and no-one knew where you were. She thought you might have run away because of how Luna acted, but she soon disregarded that as nonsense. She came to the conclusion that you must have gotten lost. It was dark, and the grounds were immense. She knew you couldn't have gotten far with your broken leg. As she glanced out the window, her attention couldn't help being drawn towards the palace labyrinth. It had been known to lose ponies for days. The maze seemed to have a way of drawing you in. Normally she stayed away from it. A noise, however, changed her mind.
'GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
She recognized it as your voice, sighed, and flew out of the window. She passed over the labyrinth, looking in, trying to find you. She came over a particularly dark patch, and attempted to land. She soon found out why the patch was darker than the rest; it was about eight feet deeper than she expected. She tumbled down, but luckily, something broke her fall. Something soft. Something warm. Something breathing. The something groaned slightly as she landed on it. 'Owww.' It winced. 'AHH! Who's there?' She screamed, immediately springing back into the air. 'Celestia? It's me.' You laughed. 'Oh, right. Ummm... what are you doing in a hole?' She giggled, landing on the edge. 'I fell in.' You said in a deadpan voice. 'And why didn't you just fly out?' She asked, swooping in and picking you up, placing you on the dirt floor of the maze. 'Ummmm...' You quickly searched your mind for an answer. 'Because... that would be cheating? I mean, I assume the hole is a significant part of the maze.' You blurted. Celestia laughed. 'Now what's the real reason?' She leaned in close to you, trying to force the answer from you. 'Uh.... Zecora said to... not fly for.... health reasons?' You were terrible at lying. Celestia put on a serious face. 'No, you said you couldn't fly before, remember? Just outside the Everfree. I teleported us to the castle.' 'Uhhh...' You were stuck. There was no backing out of this one. You took a deep breath before finally telling her. 'I... I just can't. Ever since you left I just... haven't been able to. Flying was our thing, you know? And when you left, I felt I couldn't without you.' 'Discord...' She said. 'Yeah?' 'But I came back. I'm here, now.' 'I guess I just don't feel like this is real. I don't feel like you're staying.' She leaned in closer. You felt her hot breath tickle the inside of your ear. 'I'm not going anywhere.' She whispered.
In that split second, as soon as the last word had left her mouth, your wings sprung up in the most glorious fashion, spreading out to an enormous span of nine feet. Celestia bit on her foreleg to stop any giggles escaping, but soon fell to the floor laughing. Crimson flooded your cheeks as tucked your wings back to your body. 'Oh.. well I guess that works again now...' You mumbled, as the new ruler of Equestria fought for breath through the cacophony of laughter pouring out of her.
Do you remember, chalk hearts melting on the playground wall? Do you remember, dawn escaped from moonwashed college halls? Do you remember, the cherry blossom in the market square? Do you remember? I thought it was confetti in our hair.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When Celestia finally stopped laughing, and you had given your now under-control wings a few test flaps, you flew back to the castle. As you had a bit of time on your paws, you though it might be time to ask Celestia about her blank flank. 'So uh... not that I've been looking, or anything, but... I mean, since you asked me about my wings, I..... I was wondering if I could ask you a question.' You rambled nervously. 'Yes?' She grinned at your incoherence. 'Umm... how come you've got no cutie mark?' You asked nervously. You didn't exactly get an answer, as before Tia could give you one something strange happened. Her horn started to glow, but not just normal glow, a blinding, bright glow. It shocked you, and it seemed to shock her just as much. So much, in fact, that she stopped flying. She was just suspended there, mid air. Her eyes began to shine bright white, as some powerful instinct ingrained in her blood awoke. The night was pierced by the sudden rise of the sun on the horizon. It peeked just above the hills, shading the clouds pink, like cotton candy. Celestia's magic stopped as quickly as it started. Her eyes returned to normal as she powered down, like a mechanical toy. Before you knew it, she was plummeting fast towards the ground.
You kicked into action as you sped after her. You were sure that you wouldn't make it, but you managed to catch her just before she hit the grassy floor. You landed on your back legs, holding her in your front paws. She was drifting out of consciousness and was clearly magically and physically drained. Despite all of this, she gave you a weak grin and managed to whisper a few words. 'What do you mean? No.... cutie.... mark...' She gasped breathlessly, before passing out in your arms. You glanced down at her flank, and as sure as anything, a cutie mark was there. A bright shining sun, swirling out on her white coat. A golden embellishment, sparkling like nothing else witnessed before by pony eyes... You were quite stunned. In fact, it took a few moments for you to realize that your eyes were not, perhaps, were a gentleman's eyes should be.
Averting your gaze away from her flank, it suddenly hit you that there was most likely, well, almost certainly something not good going on when a pony passes out mid-flight for no apparent reason. It had not occurred to you that Celestia's cutie mark, the rising of the sun and her freakishly powerful surge of magic were linked. To say you panicked would be an understatement. In fact, you were pretty sure you were going to pass out with her, and you probably would have if a powerful emotion had not overtaken you.
That emotion was a curious one. An emotion that many poets had tried to pin down with words, but never quite succeeded. An emotion that could not be controlled. At the time you thought it was just sheer terror that if you did not do something quickly you would lose her, but it was not. It was the strongest, most powerful form of love that had ever occurred in the history of Equestria. Thinking about it, the pain you must have felt in some later parts of your life must have been excruciating; having that emotion ripped from you by the one you loved so dearly. That is yet to come.
As you stood there holding her limp body, fueled by feeling, you knew something had to be done quick. You tore from the ground, allowing no obstacle to hinder your journey. You were at the castle soon, crashing through a stained glass window into the courtroom. The whole royal guard turned to stare at you. Only two words were needed at that moment. 'Get..... Zecora....' You gasped for breath, placing the unconscious body of the Princess down on the elegant red carpeting. Red seemed fitting for that moment, as it was all you felt. Red. Others might not understand how that made sense, but to you, it most definitely had been a red day. Sometimes things just didn't have to make sense in your mind.
A few of the 'higher-up' looking royal guards had started to whisper among themselves. You saw out of the corner of your eye a few ponies running out of the room, most likely to fetch the healing zebra. You reached out with your paw and gently stroked the side of the alicorn's face, hoping it might wake her. It did not. A highly-decorated member of the guard, a white unicorn, stepped forward and used his magic to remove your paw from her cheek. 'I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the Princess, sir.' He spoke politely, which you found quite surprising. 'No.' You replied, perhaps a touch too firmly. You needed to know she was okay. A few of the pegasus guard were roused at your response, stiffening, as if preparing to attack. The white unicorn raised a hoof, gesturing for them to remain where they were. 'I'm sure you're probably thinking I'm asking you to move away because of your... uh, species.' The unicorn stepped forward. You wondered if you should have been offended by that remark. 'Oh?' You gave a skeptical look to the unicorn. 'I'm not. I just think we should give her some air. Wait for Zecora to arrive.' The unicorn's voice was kind. You could tell he wasn't like the rest of the brutish guard. You slowly moved away from Tia, glancing at the guard, just in case his kindness was a fake facade and he was planning an attack. He wasn't: in fact, that unicorn was the only guard in the room that wasn't, but the others would not move without his command, unless they wanted a court-martial.
The ornate wooden doors at the front of the room swung open as Zecora burst in, rather unprepared for the sight she would meet. The zebra's eyes widened in horror as she saw the Princess's crumpled body. 'Oh what am I going to do with you?' The striped pony gasped. 'What trouble have you gotten into?' Zecora ran to Celestia's side. Unsurprisingly, the first thing she noticed was the shining addition to Tia's flank. 'Oh my stars... She raised the sun?' Her voiced was laced with terror. 'This will not end well for anyone...' You walked as quickly as you could over to Zecora, hobbling slightly with the cast on your leg. 'What happened to her? Aren't her species built for controlling the sun and moon?' Your voice was grim. Zecora turned to the white unicorn guard. 'To Princess Luna, you must go.' She faced you again. 'Discord, tell me all you know.'
Author's note ~ Hey guys, thanks for reading my story so far. I'm really sorry this chapter took so long to come out, but I've had a load of stuff happening recently and I haven't had much spare time. Also, I know this chapter is pretty short and might feel a bit like a filler but I'm trying to build up to something and I will try and make it up to you guys soon. Anyway, love you all!
She laid there on the bed, still sleeping. You hadn't been able to leave her side. For a while, Zecora stayed with you, monitoring the Princess while she rested. 'It was the tears, her crying drained her power,' The zebra said softly. 'She must wake before the sundown hour.' 'What does it all mean?' You couldn't understand why crying would affect the Princess. 'We've been here for a while; let us walk. On the way, we may talk.' Zecora led you out of the room. And so, Zecora explained everything. About just how powerful the tears of an alicorn are. About how Luna was unaffected, as while she lowered the moon, she was too young for her tears to have developed powers. About how it was in the blood of an alicorn to serve the sun and moon, so they understood how to move the celestial bodies without knocking the world out of orbit. An hour or two passed while you spoke, and you realized you should probably go and check on the Princess. As the two of you entered the bedchambers again, you were met by the kind white unicorn from earlier.
As he saw you both, you could have sworn a fleeting look of panic passed his face. He wasted no time in running up to you. 'Ah! Um, allow me to introduce myself.' The unicorn removed his helmet, revealing a tousled blue mane that matched his mustache. 'My name is General S. Pants, I am the leader of the royal guard. I have heard many great things about you, Miss Zecora.' The zebra blushed. 'And as a filly, the Princess told me wonderful things about you, Sir Discord.' You raised an eyebrow at the moustachioed unicorn. 'Actually, it's just Discord.' Your voice took on a skeptical tone. 'And what might the 'S' in your name stand for, Sir Pants?' 'Um, Smarty. It stands for Smarty Pants.' His rather thick Canterlot accent made you not want to trust him; generally ponies from that town were not the kindest to your type. 'Okay, Marty.' 'No, it's 'Smarty',' You gave a rather un-called for glare to the unicorn. 'Uh, fine. You were saying?' 'Where's Tia?' You tried to walk over to the bed, but General Pants blocked your way. He was surprisingly muscular. However, you weren't going to let him stop you from getting to her. You simply flew over him and landed a few feet away from the bed. A white light flashed in front of you as the General teleported in front of you. 'Woah, that was pretty awesome Marty.' The white unicorn winced at his apparent new nickname. 'You'll have to teach me sometime. Now let me see her.' You growled. It never became clear to you why you were so outwardly angry towards 'Marty' when you first met him. He was one of the nicest ponies you had the pleasure of knowing. You just didn't see that at first. 'She's not here.' The General blurted. 'When the room was left unguarded she must have woken and run off. We've checked the grounds, but nopony has been able to find her.' Zecora gasped, and you all turned to face her. She pointed a hoof toward a clock on the mantle.
'It is nearly time for the sun to set. She is not strong enough to do it yet! If she attempts the setting on her own, the pattern of the planets will be thrown. Equestria will plunge into fire and flame; the world will never be the same!' The zebra's tail swished as she spoke, like a metronome. You turned back to the General. 'You said you checked the grounds, huh?' You said. 'Yes, we thought she might have gone back there to find you. I mean, she didn't know where you were and-' 'And you thought she assumed I was kicked out of the castle by the Royal Guard.' 'Well, uh, yes.' 'And you only checked the grounds?' 'Yes.' 'And you didn't think of checking the castle?' 'Umm, no.' 'And it didn't occur to you she might still be here. You just guessed 'Oh, she must have run off after the freak.' Huh?' 'Uh-' 'That's the only answer I needed.' You beat your enormous wings, flicking the General with your tail as you turned and flew out of the room. You sped through the corridors, passing ornate glass windows and decorated doors until you reached where you knew you had to be.
The hall was an absolute wreck, still in the condition it was after the fight. The floor was stained red in some places, no doubt from your father's blood as they dragged his corpse away. Your eye searched the room until they found her. Celestia sat with her back to you, looking up at the frozen faces of her parents. Knowing this was probably going to be a delicate moment, you approached slowly. As you got closer, she heard your footsteps and turned around. Her cheeks were matted with tears. She wasted no time in throwing her forelegs around you in an embrace. You gently stroked her mane with your paw. 'You know...' You whispered. 'You shouldn't cry. You're gonna harm yourself.' You pulled back out of the hug and looked at her soft pink eyes. 'Anyway... we might be able to turn them back to normal...' 'No, we won't.' She sniffed. 'Both of the beings that cast the spell have to be the ones that remove it. Since your father is dead, and your mother is hidden, there is no chance of it being undone.' She wiped her eyes with her hoof. It sparkled as the tears sank into her fur. 'And even if there was a way, they would still be dead.' 'How so?' You asked. 'When an alicorn passes on their cutie mark to another, it is time for them to die. They must have cast a spell before they were frozen that meant Luna and myself would move the sun and moon today and become the new rulers of Equestria.' Her face was riddled with anguish. You knew nothing else could be done at this moment to help her except comforting her. You held her closely as she sobbed over your shoulder. The tears ran down your back and seeped into your fur. The magic in them took hold again as one dripped into the cast on your leg and the bones started to heal. You barely noticed, too caught up in the moment. Celestia took her head off your shoulder, instead just looking you in the eyes. You held onto her front hooves as you both stood on your back legs. Her face was just a few inches away from yours. A brief look of conflicting emotions passed her face, but it seemed clear what she wanted to do. She started to lean in closer, and your heartbeat quickened. Was she going to...? You prepared yourself for what surely was about to happen. Her eyes closed as the gap between you shrank.
However, instead of the moment you wished for, Tia had collapsed again. The tears had taken it out of her and she couldn't go on any longer. You caught her in your arms. The entrance to the hall creaked open as Zecora and the General entered. 'What happened? Did you find her like this?' Marty ran up to you, followed by the medicinal zebra. 'No, she was fine a minute ago... she just...' You stopped as Zecora came closer, looking at the Princess's face. 'Tears stain her face. Oh, what can be done?' The zebra paused, turning to face you. Her tone became very serious. 'Discord. You will have to lower the sun.'
Author's Note Again, sorry about another short chapter, and also for all the drama. This long stretch of drama is nearly over however, and there will be some d'awww chapters before, well, a heckload more drama. But C'est la Vie! Also, chapters will not be as frequent as this in the future, I just had a little spare time on my hands today.
'WHAT?!' You shrieked. 'I can't lower the sun; I barely know how to even use my magic yet! Anyway, it's Celestia's duty, it's not my right to!' You started to panic as Zecora's brow furrowed and the General gave you a pleading look. 'She can hardly do it now.' Marty pointed out. 'If you don't move the sun, the citizens of Equestria will panic. Hay, they don't even know about what happened to King Neptune and Queen Venus yet! You have to do it, or the whole country will descend into chaos!' 'I..... No! I can't do it! I don't know how!' You pleaded in vain. 'Listen, Discord. This must be done!' Zecora ordered. 'Only you have the power to lower the sun!' 'But I don't know how to tap into that power yet! I was never taught!' You bordered on the edge of screaming. 'Maybe I can help.' The General offered. 'I know a thing or two about magic!' He gestured to his flank, showing a cutie mark of a shining blue six-pointed star. You glanced at him sceptically, seeing from the corner of your eye Zecora kneeling down by the unconscious princess. 'What are you doing?' You asked. 'I will take Celestia to her chambers for rest. You've got to try and do your best! General Pants, try and guide him too. The fate of Equestria rests with you.' Zecora's voice echoed through the hall as she left the room, carrying the princess on her back. You glanced back to the General who gave you a nervous grin. 'Let's get this over with.' You sighed, defeated.
'Okay, so first you need to channel the energy in your body to your... uh, horn?' 'No, chimeras use their claws.' You corrected. 'Huh... fascinating.' The general said, genuinely intrigued. He shook his head rapidly, focusing again. 'Sorry, where were we? Oh yes. There is no actual one way to activate your magic. It is said to differ with everypony, uh, or 'every-chimera', I suppose.' Marty cringed under your unenthusiastic glare. 'However,' The white unicorn continued. 'It is still based on one basic principle, which is channeling the energy you create through that one specific appendage.' 'And how exactly am I supposed to do that?' You sighed. The general had proved of no use to you so far. 'Well, it's not hard to explain. Basically, you think of something that, uh, makes you happy.' 'Okay. So what do you think of?' You asked. 'Uh, well... I don't think I should say....' You noticed something off about the white unicorn. A faint blush broke across his cheeks. You jumped at this opportunity to guilt him into telling you. 'Oh yeah? But if you don't tell me, then I'll have no idea what to do... And the whole of Equestria will perish!' You put on your best dramatic voice, falling to the floor with an arm across your face at the word 'perish'. 'Uh...' Smarty Pants hesitated. 'PERISHHHHHHHHH!' You wailed, flailing your legs in the air as you laid on the floor. 'FINE! I think about her!' He cried. Upon hearing this, you stopped flailing and got back up again.
'And by that you mean...' You coaxed, desperate to know that it was not your Tia that the General was talking about. 'Zecora. Who else?' He sighed. You let out a gasp of relief. 'Wo-ah, Marty! I had no idea. So you want a piece of that, huh?' You winked. 'It's not like that!' The General squealed indignantly. 'She's.... I don't know.... different. And I like that.' 'I didn't even know you'd met her before.' 'Well, you know... I'd heard about her from the Princess and seen her a few times when she's visited the castle. She's just so.. adventurous and wild, living in that forest and all.' The white unicorn began blushing furiously. 'Hey, I live in that forest! Is this your way of confessing your feelings for me?' You laughed. 'Obviously. Oh, Discord, take me back to your love den!' Smarty Pants said with mock adoration. 'Oh, I don't know, Marty. What would my mother say?' You clutched your lion paw to your heart, fluttering your eyelids at the white unicorn. You were able to hold that pose for about two seconds before you both fell to the floor, clutching your sides. You wiped a tear from your eye. 'Hey, Marty?' You chuckled. 'Yeah?' 'You're all right.'
About forty minutes passed before Zecora returned to the great hall where you and Marty were practicing. 'It is time for the moon to come out. Are you ready without a doubt?' The rhyming zebra chimed. 'Well, we've made a lot of progress... and found out some things.' You laughed at your inside joke as Marty blushed, still not taking his eyes off the medicinal pony. 'It is time for the deed to be done. Discord, it is now that you must lower the sun.' You were nervous, and glanced back at the General. He nodded in encouragement, and the three of you walked to the balcony at the side of the room. You started to focus your energy, and held on to the memory that powered your magic. The memory of her. Her beautiful face, framed perfectly by her soft flowing mane that tumbled down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her pristine white coat that shone with the light of the sun itself. The memory of the times you spent together. As children. In the castle. In the maze. She was all you needed to think about for the spark of magic to ignite inside you.
Your claw began to glow with a golden aura as you concentrated your power into one place. When you felt that power in you beginning to come to a crescendo, a beam of pure energy shot out from you, reaching high up through the clouds, past the planet's atmosphere, through the vacuum of space, and finally, to your target. A lot of things happened in that split second when your magic reached the sun.
As soon as the golden aura that reached through the skies from you like a tendril came into contact with the fiery surface, something happened in you. You felt the gates of your mind blow open as everything in the past that you were hindered by made sense. You understood all. You knew all. You felt all. Your magical capabilities were unlocked; in you, you had the power to re-write the order of the universe itself. You became omnipotent. You had the power in one talon that could blow away battalions of soldiers, create new matter and allow you to become the master of anything you put yourself to. You could create chaos.
Some ponies might have jumped at the opportunity to become the ruler of everything, but you didn't. You were pure in your heart and felt no need to cause misery to others. Yet. No, instead of using this new-found power for bad, you simply plucked the sun from it's resting place, slid it beneath the horizon and rose the moon in its place. You looked down from the sky and saw Zecora and Marty smiling at you. You noticed they were standing closer together than they were a moment ago. 'Marty, you dog.' You thought to yourself, grinning as he unwrapped his foreleg from around her.
'Well, I'd say that went well.' Marty laughed. 'Champagne, anyone?'
The three of you left the great hall, making your way back to Celestia's chambers. When the three of you arrived there were two members of the royal guard waiting by the door. 'Private Stormwing. Private Cloudhoof. You are both dismissed from this post until tommorrow afternoon.' The General ordered. 'Uh, then where do we go?' Stormwing asked. 'Go home and spend the night with your families. I'm sure you haven't seen them in a while.' 'Really? Thank you, General!' Cloudhoof said gleefully, before saluting and leaving. You found it odd that two guards with such a fearsome appearance could be so happy at the prospect of leaving the castle to go home. 'She is probably awake now, slumber free. Discord, you should be the first she will see.' Zecora's voice chimed, indicating for you to go in. 'I agree. You are her closest friend after all.' Marty added. 'And in the meantime, perhaps Miss Zecora will accompany me for a late night walk in the gardens?' The medicinal zebra blushed and wrapped her foreleg around his. As the two wandered off down the hall, you couldn't help but think how great they were for each other. You turned and pushed open the ornate wooden door leading to Celestia's room.
----Author's note------ Sorry everypony about this chapter. I felt it seem a bit sub-par, but it's necessary for the rest of the story to make sense. Thanks for putting up with me. <3
Celestia's chambers were as elaborate as the rest of the palace; they had the same velvet curtains, plush red carpeting, gem-studded decor and ornate furnishings. However, something about them seemed more personal. There were some paintings of what appeared to be friends and family members hung on the walls. There was a hairbrush on an armoire opposite the bed, with a few strands of pinky-green hair sticking out of it. The golden horseshoes that the princess normally wore were kicked across the floor. The bed was unmade, and curled up in it was a ball of- Celestia. She snored gently as you approached. The candlelight splashed across her angelic face as- 'GOT YOU!' Celestia shouted as she leaped out of bed. You screamed, dropping the candle on the floor and causing it to extinguish. You heard a faint, maniacal giggle through the darkness. 'I scared youuuu.' Celestia teased as your heart rate returned to normal. 'I see somepony is feeling better.'
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'Uh, so where exactly are we going?' You asked as you followed Tia down one of the castle's many twisting hallways. 'It has been two days since my parents' demise and even though I am certain she will already know of it, we must tell her.' Celestia answered. 'Tell who?' 'My Grandmother. The oracle of Equestria.' 'The what of Equestria?' 'Oracle. She is said to be the guardian of the land. She has prophetic visions and can foretell the fate of anypony she chooses to, but rarely does. Few people know about her nowadays, as in her time she would have thousands of ponies throwing themselves at her hooves begging to know their future.' 'Oh. So no chance of finding out who will win the Canterlot rodeo this year?' You asked playfully. You received a hoof to the chin for your suggestion. Rubbing your jaw, you flew after Celestia until you reached an old, cracked wooden door. It was a sudden contrast to the rest of the castle. Celestia pushed open the creaky door and stepped inside. The room was dark and dusty, with cobwebs decorating every corner and crevice. Huge shelves towered above you, lined to the brim with crystal balls, all different sizes and various tints. You followed Tia down row by row of shelves until she turned to face you. 'Wait here.' She whispered. You nodded back to her. She turned round the corner of the shelf. You heard her hoofsteps go ahead and then stop. 'Hello, Celestia.' You heard an old mare's voice echo. 'Hello Oracle. Tell me, has news reached you of the King and Queen yet?' Celestia asked gravely. 'We knew on the very night thou did return from Trottingham.' The Oracle's voice was cracked like the old wooden door you came to this room through. 'And you thought not to alert anypony of this?' Celestia's brow furrowed. 'Some things are meant to be, child.' The Oracle replied serenely. You peered around the corner to see her. On a dilapidated wooden throne sat an old grey-coated alicorn mare. Her mane, however, showed no age. It was golden and flowing like molten sunbeams. The Oracle's eyes were glazed over with a white sheen. It was clear she was blind. Her flank showed the picture of several crystal balls, reflecting her talent for divination. As you peered further around the corner, you knocked the shelf. A single crystal ball hit the floor with a clatter, but did not break. You watched in horror as the Oracle turned her head in your direction. 'It doth appear we hath a visitor.' Celestia shot you a look that said nothing other than 'I'm going to kill you if this goes badly.' 'Come forth, child of the forest. Everfree, if we are not mistaken.' 'Indeed, you are not mistaken.' You said confidently as you approached the old grey mare. As you got closer, the mare stiffened. 'But you are not of Equine blood. What beastie art thou?' 'Beastie?!' You whispered indignantly. 'Thou art of Chimera blood, is thou not?' The Oracle's voice surprised you. It was not the tone she used, but instead of speaking in Equestrian she spoke in ancient Draconian. You understood as your parents believed it was important to be taught about your heritage, and even though the tongue was dead and you spoke Equestrian you still were made to learn it.
'This language is dead. How did you come to know it?' You asked in your motherland's tongue. 'We learned it when it was still alive, beastie. We are as old as time.' The old grey mare's brow furrowed. 'Normally we would hunt thou's kind, but as thou saved the Princesses we are willing to overlook this.' The alicorn stated. 'However, we beseech thou to leave this place.' You snorted. 'Oh yeah? And why might that be?' 'There is something we find unsettling about thou. Something waiting inside thou... Or something that should be waiting inside thou, but is instead lacking.Thou art unlike the rest of thine species for now, beastie. But we sense change in thine future.' The grey alicorn's horn lit up golden as a sparkling wisp of magic formed. It tightened into a ball and then dissipated, leaving in it's place a tarot card. The Oracle gripped the card with her telekinetic hold and floated it toward you. You took it and turned it over, revealing the image. A skeletal horse hooded in a dark cloak with sickle resting on it's shoulder. Underneath, one word was written in bold script.
'Death.'
Celestia, not understanding the conversation going on in front of her, leaned in to look at the card you held in your paw. Before she saw what was depicted on it, it disintegrated into a shimmering gold power. 'Now leave this place, before your fate befalls you too soon.'
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You left that room as quickly as you could, Celestia following at your heels. You turned down the hallway as she caught up. 'What did she say? What was on that card?' She asked. 'It doesn't matter.' You said dismissively. 'Of course it does! Tell me.' She said, fluttering her eyelids. 'No.' You stopped moving and turned to face her. 'Please. Just drop this, okay?' Celestia looked thoughtful for a few moments. 'Fine...' She said miserably. You hated seeing her like that. 'Uh...' You mumbled, searching for a way to rid of the awkwardness between you. 'Oh, hey, did you hear? Marty's got a thing for the striped lass.' Celestia's face brightened. 'Oh my stars! Really? The General and Zecora?' She burst into a fit of giggles. You smiled at her. 'Yeah, they've gone for a midnight stroll as we speak.' You laughed. 'A midnight- what?' She ran over to the window and peered out to see the moon winking back at her. 'It's dark! But... I never lowered the sun! How...' She turned back to you to see a stupid grin plastered on your face. You shook it off and inspected your claws nonchalantly. 'Oh, that? Yeah, you were having a nap and all so I just went and did it for you.... it was no trouble...' You found it hard to keep a straight face as Celestia's jaw hit the ground. 'What? Howdidyou- When? WHY?' Celestia babbled. 'I lowered the sun, using magic, when you were passed out, so Equestria didn't plunge into chaos?' You answered. 'Oh.' The Princess answered simply. 'Now, do you wanna go have some fun with those two?' Tia shook a dazed look of her face and grinned at you. 'I thought you'd never ask.'
'I say, Miss Zecora. You certainly do look radiant in the moonlight.' The striped zebra blushed as the General led her up the grassy slope of stargazer hill. 'Oh General, you are flattering me. I am nothing special, you can see.' Zecora replied. 'Nonsense, my dear. It makes me wonder how such a radiant beauty like you can live in that forest without being swept away by whatever creatures live there. And the way you speak in rhyme is positively charming.' Zecora blushed an even deeper shade of red. The General gave her his hoof and pulled her up the last part of the slope to the top of the hill. The zebra gasped in astonishment. 'I know. The stars are simply magnificent this time or year, are they n- HUH?' The General turned and caught sight of what the zebra was looking at. It was the stars, but she was most certainly not gasping at their beauty. The zebra fell down laughing at the sight. Just before the two had reached the summit of the hill, you and Celestia re-arranged them a bit. The stars, instead of forming their appropriate constellations, formed something.. rather different.
Finally, Private Stormwing and Private Cloudhoof, the two guards that General Pants had dismissed from their post earlier, reached a cottage on the outskirts of Canterlot. 'Goodnight, Cloudy.' Stormwing nuzzled his other half goodbye. 'Bye, Stormy.' Cloudhoof returned the gesture. Suddenly, something glinting in the sky caught the couple's notice. They both turned and saw a sight they would always remember. Forged in the stars was the image of their boss, the General, with the body of a chicken.
The general gaped in shock at the sight before him while Zecora rolled on the grass in fits of laughter. Over in the bushes, a faint rustling and stifled giggles could be heard. The giggles did not remain stifled for long as a cacophony of laughter erupted from the mysterious beings hiding in the leaves. Their identities were soon revealed as the General watched a mythical monster and the ruler of all Equestria roll out of the bushes, clutching their sides and tearing up with laughter. An angry snort was heard from the white unicorn as he pawed at the ground with his front hoof. 'What's the matter Marty?' You asked, trying to suppress laughter. 'Don't.... don't ruffle your feathers!' 'I'M GONNA KILL YOU, DISCORD!'
After being chased by and slightly beaten by Marty, you re-arranged the stars to their correct places and returned to the castle at about one o'clock. It was only then that you realized how tired you actually were. You also caught Celestia yawning from the corner of your eye. She took your paw and tugged on it gently. 'I'm sleepy...' She mumbled, half-awake. 'Let's get some rest...' 'Indeed.' Agreed the General. 'Get some rest, you two. I shall accompany Zecora back to her establishment.' 'I'm sure she's enough protection for herself, Marty, but if you're still trying to get with her, go ahead!' You laughed. Marty shot you a glare that could kill a dragon while Zecora just blushed profusely. As they began to leave, the General stopped and turned to face Zecora. He looked conflicted from a moment. 'Welp, you already know, so to hell with it!' He exclaimed, before sweeping Zecora off all four hooves and kissing her. Her eyes widened before she sank into it, melting in his embrace. When they finally parted, Zecora let out a dizzy giggle and the two skipped off into the night. Meanwhile, Celestia looked like she was going to collapse from exhaustion. 'No, you're not passing out on me again Tia!' You laughed, before she tugged at your paw again and started to lead you down the hallway.
After about two minutes of following Celestia you reached a door that you recognized; her chamber door. You thought this might be your cue to leave, but as you turned, the Princess gave you an odd look. 'Where are you- No, silly. You're staying in my room.' She murmured sleepily. You began to panic. She wasn't- was she? She pushed open the door and gestured for you to follow. Again, she kicked off her golden shoes before collapsing on the bed. You made your way over to the sofa and sat down. She caught sight of you and patted the bed next to her. 'Nuh-uh.' She said. 'I'm not letting any guest of mine sleep on a sofa! C'mon, we can share.' Again she motioned for you to come over, so you did as you were told. You sat down awkwardly on the bed next to her. 'Well, get in!' She laughed. 'I'll be back in a minute.' The Princess left the room and went into the en-suite. Two thoughts crossed your mind. You could stay here, get in bed and see what happens. Or you could run for the hills. Reluctantly, you got in bed. It was fine. Nothing would happen. She didn't feel the same way- OH SWEET HEAVENS ABOVE, IS SHE WEARING SOCKS?
Celestia made her way over to you, drunk with sleepiness. She pulled up the red satin covers and got in bed next to you. You felt her warmth seep in through your thick coat as she snuggled up to you. 'Discord?' She said softly. 'Yeah?' 'I love you. You're my best friend.' She mumbled as she drifted off. Of all the things in the world you could think about right now, only one thought filled your head. 'What the HAY just happened?'
After a rather sleepless few hours, you slipped out of bed at about four in the morning. You moved carefully making sure not to disturb the sleeping Princess. The door creaked a little as it opened and Tia began to stir, but she eventually resettled. You tiptoed out the door, shut it behind you and let out a deep breath. You flew down the hall as fast as you could. So fast, in fact, that you did not see the royal guard standing around the corner and collided with him at quite a speed. 'Ugh...' You groaned. 'Whoa. You okay?' The royal guard removed his helmet, revealing a familiar crop of blue hair. 'Oh, better than you might think, comrade!' You grinned back at the General. 'But, unfortunately for you, that still doesn't mean I'm not gonna kill you for embarrassing me like that. Again.' 'Whoa, whoa. Um, okay, would you feel better if I gave you a hug?' 'Oh, Discord, you certainly know how to please a stallion.' 'Well, how did it go?' 'Not only did I accompany Miss Zecora to her establishments, but I also will be meeting her tomorrow at The Golden Haystack.' 'The Golden Haystack! I guess a general gets a lot of pay, huh?' 'Well, you know. And how are things going with you and the Princess?' You nearly choked as the last word left his mouth. 'Huh? Wha- we're.. We're not together, Marty!' You gushed somewhat indignantly. 'Yeah, but you wanna be, don't you?' The General said knowingly. 'I-I don't know what you're talking about.' 'Oh, come on, Discord! I've seen the way you look at her! You're dying for it.' 'How... how did you know?' 'I didn't, but you just confirmed it.' Marty said with a loud guffaw. 'Oh, I'm sooo gonna get you back for the chicken thi-' The General was cut off as your paw wrapped around his muzzle, clamping it shut. 'SHHHH! Marty, this is serious. She can't know! This is the ruler of Equestria we're talking about, not some random zebra.' You whispered urgently. 'Anyway, she doesn't feel the same way.' 'How can you be so sure?' 'I- I don't know... She keeps giving me mixed signals.' You sighed. 'Like?' Asked Marty. 'Well, when I went to leave earlier she said she wanted me staying in her room.' 'That's good.' 'And when I tried to sleep on the couch, she said that she wanted me to share the bed with her.' 'Very gooood.' 'And she went to the bathroom, but when she came back she was wearing socks.' 'WOAH. The Princess? Do I wanna hear the rest of this? I thought I told you to get some rest!' Marty gave you a sly grin. 'Shut up, fool.' 'Sorry.' 'And then she got in next to me and said she loved me.' There was a brief pause as Marty looked confused. 'How the buck is that mixed signals?' He asked. 'After she said she loved me, she called me her best friend.' 'OUCHHH. Oh, that's not fun.' Marty pulled a pained expression. 'Wait, what? So none of that stuff I said before counts?' You asked, flustered. 'Hehe.... Socks......' The General looked distant. 'MARTY, FOCUS!' 'Huh? Oh yeah. No, it's not good at all. Unless she's playing hard to get, but as far as I know the Princess it just doesn't seem like something she'd do.' The General sighed. 'Oh well. At least you got to see her in socks.' 'Marty, I'm serious here. This isn't just a physical attraction. I've liked Celestia since I saw her. I'm starting to think it might be lo-' 'HEY NOW.' Marty interjected. 'We don't just go throwing that word around the place. How long have you known this mare?' 'Since I was a kid.' You sighed. 'And you don't think she's maybe a bit out of your league?' You screwed up your face at this comment. 'You got your zebra didn't you?' You frowned. 'Zecora isn't the ruler of all Equestria.' Marty pointed out. 'So you don't think my devilish good looks will have caught her?' You joked. 'You got me, didn't you?' Marty laughed.
----------Author's Note--------- Sorry about the short chapter, my computer borked and I had to write the whole thing on my IPod. So, let me know about any derps you see!
Deep inside the castle, something stirred. It made soft grunting noises as it tossed and turned, struggling in its sleep. A single leg thrashed in the space next to it, searching for something, or rather some-one. As it realized the absence of what it was searching for, its pink eyes snapped open.
'So tell me something. If you were in bed with the Princess, why did you leave?' The white unicorn asked. 'I couldn't sleep.' You lied. Well, it was partly true. 'So I decided to go for a walk. Say, you don't know if there's a library around here, do you?' You asked anxiously. 'Of course there is. The biggest in Equestria!' Marty replied. 'Why do you ask?' 'Uh, no reason. I just wanted to.. check out a book. Now, where might I find this library?' 'Go down this hall, turn left and it's the third door on your right.' The General looked at you strangely. 'Are you okay?' You had started to shake nervously a bit as you remembered the tarot card you had shoved in your face earlier. 'Yes! Of course- I mean, why wouldn't I be?' You let out a nervous laugh. 'Okay, gotta go, bye!' You gushed before speeding off down the hallway. The white unicorn gave you another odd look as you dashed away. He shrugged and then turned back to resume his night patrol.
You skidded to a halt as you came to the door of the library. You pushed open the heavy door and peered in. Thousands of bookcases were arranged in rows down the center of the room, and more were lined against the walls, each brimming with ancient tomes. Your jaw dropped at the immense number of books in front of you. It would take a long time before you would find the one you were looking for. 'I guess I'll start at 'A'.' You quietly said to yourself.
A single cotton-sheathed hoof touched the thickly carpeted floor as Celestia stepped out of bed. She rubbed her head with a forelock. 'Oh horsefeathers... What happened last night?' She mumbled to herself. It one split second, it all came back to her. Making Discord share her bed. Putting on socks to try and impress him. Attempting to tell him her feelings. Chickening out of it. The Princess walked over to her desk and promptly thumped her head against it. 'Stupid-stupid-stupid!' She whispered between thumps. She took her head up off the desk and threw herself back on the bed. It was then that she realized that he was no longer in the room. 'Oh no.' Celestia panicked, no longer worrying about the loudness of her voice. 'Ughhhh, I scared him off, didn't I? Nice one, Tia. At least you saved your dignity.' She sighed and glanced down at the offending objects on her hooves. 'Unless.... Maybe he just went for a walk!' The Princess attempted to reason with herself. 'I better go find him.'
Celestia tumbled out of the door into the hallway, a ball of wings and fur. Smarty Pants, who was patrolling the hallway, raced over to help her up. When she was back on all four hooves, only then did the General notice something that, while he had been told about it, was not prepared for in person. His face went a shade of deep red and he backed away a few steps. The Princess noticed this and gave him an odd look. 'Huh?' She suddenly remembered the items of clothing on her hooves. 'Really, Marty? When will you stop being so white bread?' The Princess said before pulling the socks off with her teeth and throwing them back into her room. 'I'm looking for a certain draconequus. Seen one?' 'Uh, yes Princess. He went in search of the royal library.' The General replied as formally as he could after the sight he had just seen. Tia took little to no interest in the General's tone, and instead raced toward the castle's library. Celestia stopped outside the large wooden door leading to the library. Just as she was about to push it open, she heard a small scream from within. Seconds later, the door swung open and a lavender blur crashed into the Princess. Tia looked down to see her librarian clinging to her leg. 'Help! It's horrible!' The purple unicorn trembled. 'Seriously? I'm right here, I can hear you!' echoed a voice from within the room. 'Has... has it come to take over Equestria?' whispered the shaking bookworm. 'YES. RAWR!' came the same voice as before. The librarian squeaked and ran off down the twisting hallway, screaming something about anarchy. The Princess sighed and entered the room. The sight she was met with was an odd one. You were sitting atop a mountain of books, thumbing through an old tome with red glasses perched on your nose. You barely even noticed when she entered. 'Discord?' You jumped, roused by Tia's voice. You quickly snapped shut the book and attempted to hide it. 'Huh? Oh... Hi there! Um, shouldn't you be asleep?' You said with a nervous laugh. 'Shouldn't you?' She retorted. 'What is the meaning of this? What are all these books?' She grasped a few with her magic. 'The art of Divination? How to read your tea leaves? The ultimate guide to predicting your death? Wha- is this about your meeting with the Oracle earlier?' She asked. You gave her a weak grin. 'The largest library in all of Equestria and not a single book on tarot.' You sighed. 'Oh, really? I should get some in... Wait. So this is about the Oracle?' She frowned as you descended from your book throne. 'What the hay was on that card that made you panic so much?' Your expression darkened as a silence grew between the two of you. 'Look, my grandma taught me a thing or two about tarot when I was a filly. Maybe I can help?' She took a step nearer to you and wrapped a wing around your defeated form. You sighed. 'Fine. The card was death.' Your voice became panicked again. 'So when will it happen? How am I going to be killed? Why-' You were cut off by the sound of Tia's laughter. 'What?' You said, annoyed. 'Was this all a prank?' Celestia wiped a tear from her eye. 'No, of course not! The Oracle's predictions are always correct.' She said. Your expression dropped. 'Then why are you laughing? I'm gonna die!' You screamed, feeling completely helpless. 'No you're not!' She giggled. 'Common misconception, Discord. The 'Death' card doesn't actually mean death. It just means a stop to something; a transformation in your life. Not that you're going to die.' You let go of a breath you'd been holding on to. 'You should've seen the look on your face! Priceless!' Celestia poked your shoulder with her hoof. 'Hey, I was really worried!' You sulked. You felt a hoof under your chin as Celestia pulled you to face her. 'I'm sorry.' She said, stifling laughter. You gave her a skeptical glare. 'I.....really.....mean it.' She tried to be serious, but a few giggles escaped through her iron facade. Just looking at her, you couldn't keep a straight face. You snorted as a single laugh erupted from your throat and the two of you burst out into shrieking fits of mirth. When you finally were all chortled out, Celestia hugged you from the side as you lay on the floor. You wrapped your paw around her. 'There's still four hours until we have to raise the sun. What should we do?' Celestia asked. You thought for a moment. 'Prank Marty?' You suggested 'Prank Marty.' She agreed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
General Smarty Pants was patrolling the dark corridors in the west wing of the castle. His breastplate shining in the moonlight that crept through the window, his helmet perched on his head like a bird of prey, his nine medals lined on his chest, his magnificent mustache sitting atop his lip like a blue bristling mountain lion. He walked confidently down the silent, midnight-black halls. He stopped at the end of the hallway and leaned on the windowsill, staring out in the night. The crisp north wind blew in his face, causing his tousled mane to blow back out of his face. He shut his eyes and enjoyed the moment. Something, however, caused a crack in the piece of calm the General had found. Behind him, a floorboard creaked. He turned around sharply. 'Who's there?' He asked boldly. Nothing replied. Suddenly, from behind the General, the window slammed shut. 'I will ask once more. Who is there?' He said, somewhat less boldly. There was something unsettling about the corridors at night; everything was devoid of life and the darkness made the General nervous. More floorboards creaked around him. An eerie voice came softly wailing down the hallway, causing the hairs on the back of Marty's neck to prick up. 'General........... General Smarty Pants...........' the voice said. 'Y-yes?' the General stuttered. Damn it, Smarty. Don't talk to the ghost! he thought to himself. 'It's your fault, Smarty Pants....... You did this to me..........' the voice wailed. 'D-did wh-what?' The General's heart was racing. 'You made my father leave when he was snoring smoke over Equestria...... You made him leave his son....... You killed me..............' came the voice. 'And now....... now I want to make you suffer.........' At the end of the hallway, a green glowing image of a dragon appeared. 'I'm.... I'm sorry! I didn't know! Please don't hurt me! HELP!' The General screamed as the image of the dragon grew larger, until it's jaws filled the width of the hallway. It then raced towards him, ready to swallow the General in its gaping maw. He screamed as it got closer and closer until the image hit him and dissipated into dust. When he stopped cowering and opened his eyes, in front of him stood two figures. Their identity evaded him until he heard a single female voice. 'C-chicken, Marty?' She giggled, before running away with the draconequus-shaped figure. 'Oh I'm going to get them.'
You both ran for your lives until you reached the Princess's room. You dashed through the door and slammed it behind you, bolting it to make sure no guards filled with murderous rage got in. You let out a breath you'd been holding onto before you both descended into laughter once again, rolling on the floor. 'Discord?' Celestia called through the darkness. 'Yeah?' You replied. There was a short pause. 'You know I don't normally wear socks, right?'
After a short while, you and Celestia came to the mutual agreement to sleep for the next few hours until the sun needed to be risen. The door remained locked, just in case Marty decided to attack you when you were sleeping. You yawned. 'Uh, Discord?' Celestia said quietly. 'You know, you don't have to share the bed with me if you don't want to.' Through the darkness, your paw reached out and found the Princess's hoof. 'But I want to.' You whispered. You heard her giggle as you both rose and headed for the enormous four-poster bed. You climbed in and Celestia curled up next to you. She wrapped her front hooves around you, sharing in your warmth. It wasn't long before she was asleep, dreaming happy dreams. You followed shortly, but not before thinking for a while. 'What does this mean? Does she want to be more than friends?' You sighed, concluding that she was merely being nice to you and that you were destined to be apart. You were so close, but you were so far. With that final thought, you let your hurt soul enter a welcome sleep.
The next day, you woke before the Princess did. You sidled cautiously out of the bed and made your way over to the balcony at the side of the room. You looked back at Tia. She seemed so peaceful, and you hadn't the heart to wake her. Instead, you rose the sun for her. The glowing orb peeked over the horizon, casting a glowing yellow light on the land. The sight could have warmed the coldest of hearts. 'Very well done, Discord.' You heard a voice from behind you. You jumped. The rising of the sun had woken Tia. 'Oh, I didn't mean to wake you up.' You apologized. 'Wow.' You thought. 'She even looks radiant in the morning.' Celestia shook her mane, allowing it to cascade down her neck in a waterfall of colors. She trotted over to where you were standing and once again wrapped her forelegs around you in an embrace. You stroked her mane with your paw and she nuzzled into your chest. 'I don't want today to happen...' She mumbled, still half-asleep. You laughed. 'And why might that be?' You whispered. 'There's so much to do.....' She trailed off. 'I've got to make a public announcement about the deaths of the King and Queen.... I'm not looking forward to it.' Your face fell, and you hugged her tighter. 'I wish you could be there with me...' You froze. 'You know that can't happen, Tia.' You said softly. 'They're hardly going to take well to their leaders being killed by chimeras anyway, let alone if there's one standing up there with you.' 'I know....' She mumbled. 'I'm hungry....' Her stomach growled. She let go of you and unlocked the door to her room. When she opened it, she discovered a white unicorn stallion standing on the other side. 'Good morning Princess!' General Pants said cheerily. Too cheerily. 'Might I just congratulate you on that spectacular prank last night?' He laughed unenthusiastically. 'You really got me!' He extended his hoof for Tia to shake. 'Nice try, Marty.' she said, grasping his hoof with her magic and turning it over, revealing a small device strapped to it. 'Joy buzzer. How basic can you get?' She laughed, before walking past him. You followed, giving Marty a cheeky grin as you passed. You leaned in close to his ear and made a soft chicken noise before dashing down the hallway.
The royal kitchens were a sight for sore eyes. The delicious scent of cooking wafted out of the doorway, drawing in anypony who came near. The shelves were stacked with herbs and spices and the cupboards were stocked with exotic fruits and vegetables. Bundles of fresh flowers were lined along the center table waiting to be prepared. The larder was the most magnificent part of it all; it alone held forty-eight different types of hay. Forty-eight. Celestia started opening up cupboards and pulling out ingredients. 'Oh. You would have thought a castle like this would have chefs.' You thought out loud. 'We do, silly.' Celestia laughed. 'But I do believe my librarian warned them of an oncoming horror and they fled with the rest of my staff.' 'An oncoming horror?' You pondered. 'Oh, would that be the same librarian I-' 'Yup.' 'Oh.' 'Anyway, we don't need them. What I am about to make you will blow you away.' Celestia skipped over to a device standing on the side of the counter. She pressed a button on it, resulting in a loud noise erupting from it. You jumped and shied away from the torrent of pain on your eardrums. 'Whoopsie!' She said, before turning a dial on the side causing the noise to quieten. You were still shaken from it. 'What is that thing?' You asked. 'This? It's a radio. It's so you can listen to music without having to have a marching band with you.' She laughed. 'Music?' The term was unfamiliar to you. 'Yeah, you know. Music.' She sprung over to another counter and started to clatter some pots and pans. 'Music...' You tested the word on your tongue. The radio was at a bearable noise level now, and you leaned in to listen to it. A steady drum beat came through it, overlapped with the riffs of an electric and bass guitar. A sole male was singing over the top of the sound. 'Aha!' Celestia cried out from the corner. 'Found it!' She trotted over to you and presented you with a jar. The jar was filled with a thick brown spread. On the front, the label read 'Nutella'. 'This, my friend, will blow your mind.' She smiled as she used her magic to twist off the lid. The smell immediately hit you, the thick chocolatey scent causing you to salivate wildly. Celestia took out a butter knife and started to sing along with the radio. 'I want to break free! I want to breeeeakk freee!' She chimed. 'I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied, I don't neeeeed youuuuuu.' Her voice intertwined perfectly with the voice of the stallion of the radio. She laughed as you watched her skip about. 'Nothing like a bit of Freddie in the morning.' She giggled as she took out a loaf of bread, taking two slices and spreading them with the heavenly-smelling goo. She passed one over to you and took one herself. You took a small bite to test it, before ravenously scarfing down the rest. You looked up at Tia to see she too had devoured hers, a small amount of spread smeared on her cheek. 'Please, sir. Can I have some more?' You asked, batting your eyelids at the Princess.
After several more helpings of chocolatey goodness, you and Celestia left the kitchens and made your way down one of the elaborately-decorated hallways. 'So, tell me more about this music.' You asked the Princess, genuinely fascinated. 'Oh, music is great. I'm surprised you'd never heard about it before! Ooh, you haven't found out your music taste yet. We need to do that soon!' She turned down the end of the hallway. 'Taste?' You asked, following her. 'What kind of music you like.' Celestia clarified. 'Well, what you were listening to sounded good.' You suggested. Celestia turned around sharply and pressed her nose to yours aggressively. 'That's because it was, unlike some filth!' She growled. You edged backwards, but she had you cornered. She shook her head and the fury in her eyes dispersed. 'Oh, sorry! I- uh, ponies can get very passionate about music sometimes. I get a little angry when I think about some awful bands with too much credit....' She trailed off. She turned back and continued walking. You discovered something then. You discovered that angry Celestia was adorable.
As you followed her, you thought you heard a small sound. She heard it too. The sound was slowly growing as it seemed to be getting nearer and nearer. Suddenly, the sound filled the hallway and a blue blur rammed into you at a ridiculous speed. The sound was apparently some sort of war-cry. The sky-blue pegasus mare pinned you down on the floor, and was just about to beat the stuffing out of you when she was seized in a glowing aura. 'Victory Dash. What in Equestria do you think you're doing?' Celestia's voice sounded harsh as she floated the pegasus off you. You got up and brushed yourself off. 'Defending you, Princess! There is a monster following you!' The blue mare struggled in the Princess's hold, attempting to land a punch on you. 'Monster?' You said indignantly. 'Do I even know you?' The pegasus took no notice of your words. 'Actually, Victory, this is a friend of mine.' Celestia let the aura dissipate and you braced for another attack. However, when nothing came, you opened your eyes and saw that the mare was outstretching a hoof toward you. You took it. 'A friend of the Princess is a friend of mine, uh...' She gave you a cue to tell her your name. 'Discord.' 'Discord. Welcome to the castle.' The pegasus smiled. 'Good.' Joined the Princess. 'Now, Victory. Please call together court and notify them that I will be making a public announcement of the King and Queen's deaths in an hour.' 'Yes, Maam!' The pegasus bolted off down the hall as fast as she came. Celestia sighed. 'Sorry about that. Sometimes I wonder if we over-train the royal airforce...'
By the time of the announcement, a crowd of worried and angry-looking ponies had gathered in the plaza under the royal balcony. They had been waiting for quite some time. On the balcony stood two guards, a white unicorn stallion and a blue pegasus mare. Both were fully-clad in the appropriate armor and their faces remained expressionless. Behind the curtains leading to the balcony, a very nervous princess stood. 'Discord, please come out there with me. I can't face that crowd alone. Please.' Celestia's expression darkened. You held onto her hoof and stroked it to comfort her. 'I can't.' You said quietly. 'I'll be right here. If anything goes wrong, you can just come back inside and I'll be waiting.' The Princess nodded, before heading outside to face the crowd. She was greeted with jeers and booing, something which was not uncommon for Celestia. 'What is she doing out here?' a green mare whispered. 'Kid, go and get your mommy and daddy, okay?' A blue unicorn stallion called out. The crowd murmured in agreement. 'Hey, nopony insults the Princess!' Victory rose into the air, but Celestia bit onto her rose-colored tail and pulled her back down. 'Let me handle this.' she whispered. 'WE DEMAND SILENCE!' Celestia boomed, letting her true royal Canterlot voice erupt forth. However, her plan was feeble and only resulted in more jeering from the crowd. 'You're just a young mare! Why should we listen to you?' another stallion called out. 'We only answer to the King and Queen! Who put you in charge?' an orange mare yelled. 'Actually, my parents were killed. And I am in charge. SO YOU WILL OBEY!' the Princess held back no fury in her voice. The crowd realized that she was now the new ruler of Equestria, and immediately hushed. However, the Princess was not done. 'WE MAY NOT BE A KING OR QUEEN, BUT ARE A PRINCESS. WE DESERVE TO BE TREATED AS SUCH, AND WE DEMAND THE SAME RESPECT YOU WOULD SHOW MY PARENTS. WE HAVE THE POWER IN ONE HOOF THAT MATCHES THE POWER OF THIS CROWD, AND WE COULD BANISH YOU IN AN INSTANT. ARE WE CLEAR?' The crowd understood, and the rows of ponies bowed down before their new ruler. You were horrified. How could a crowd be so easily controlled just by who was in charge? How could they change so quickly when they found out Celestia was the new ruler? How could she act so grim?
The rage on Celestia's face evaporated and her voice returned to its normal serene tone. 'As I was saying.' She continued. 'A pair of rogue draconequus gained entry to the castle and used the cockatrice spell on the King and the Queen. Before they were cast in stone, they set up a spell that would cause myself and Luna to move the sun and moon that night. We now hold the power of the celestial bodies, and are now the new rulers of Equestria.' The green unicorn mare from earlier raised her hoof. 'Uh, your royal highness, does this mean there are still two draconequus on the loose?' She said weakly. 'No, one was killed, but the other got away. However, I can assure you it will not be returning anytime soon.' The crowd sighed in relief. As you watched, you couldn't help but pity the crowd outside. They were all snobby Canterlot ponies, mainly, only sucking up to whoever was in charge. They were shallow, heartless creatures in your eyes. And for all you cared, they could- 'AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!' You were pulled from your thoughts by a sharp scream from behind you. You turned around to see Luna, Celestia's little sister, cowering at your sight. 'MONSTERRRRRRR!' She cried in her squeaky little voice. Almost immediately, two of the royal guard burst in through the door. They glared at you menacingly, and slowly started to approach you. You backed away as they advanced, cornering you and pushing you out on the balcony.
Naturally, when the crowd saw you, panic spread quickly. Some ponies even burst out screaming, whilst others started to pick up things nearby like sticks and stones, preparing to attack. 'Oh hay.' You cursed quietly. 'STOP!' The Princess echoed, causing the advancing guards and crowd to halt. 'Uh- if.... if you touch it, you'll die!' she lied. 'Only alicorns can defeat them!' The crowd started to stir again. 'Do something, Princess!' 'Save us!' Your eyes widened as Celestia threw you an evil glare and snarled. 'WHY HAST THOU RETURNED, BEAST?' Tia's expression briefly changed to one that told you to play along, before changing back into a sneer. 'Uh.... I HAVE RETURNED TO... TAKE OVER EQUESTRIA!' You yelled, causing the crowd to gasp in horror. 'Well, beast, I shall just have to show you your place!' And with that, Celestia leapt on top of you. The crowd cheered as you bobbed out of sight behind the balcony. Tia started to stomp on the marble floor around you to make noises of impact. 'Take that, fiend!' She snarled, before leaning right close into your face. 'Go to the fields.' She whispered. A few of the pegasi from the crowd had flown up to get a better view and the Princess suddenly realized they could see you. Without thinking, she bit down on your ear before rolling off you and back into a fighting stance. You yelped from pain before taking to the air and heading to the place where you played as children. You felt small amounts of blood bead where Tia's teeth punctured your skin. 'You won't win, beast!' Celestia followed hot on your trail. She turned briefly back to the crowd. 'Uh, don't follow.... It might be, um, dangerous.' She flashed them a quick grin before speeding off after you.
You tumbled out of the sky onto the grass, still not perfect at flying long distances. Celestia arrived shortly, landing delicately next to you sprawled out on the ground. She helped you up onto all fours. 'Well, I suppose you were right about not going out there with me,' She laughed. 'Oh, and sorry about biting you. Here, let me take a look.' She leaned in close and inspected your ear. 'Heh, I really bit hard, didn't I?' 'It's fine. Better than being stoned to death by a crowd.' You laughed nervously, trying to make light of the situation. You heard a small rustle behind you. You turned to discover a baby bunny wandering out of the bushes and looking rather lost. It hopped over to you and Celestia squealed in delight. 'Hey there little bunny!' You cooed, scooping up the ball of fluff in your paw. It looked up at you with big bright eyes. 'Are you lost?' 'It's so cuuuute!' Celestia whispered, trying not to scare it. It seemed perfectly at ease with you, as most animals did. After growing up around you they seemed to trust you by instinct. 'How are you so great with animals?' 'I don't know.' You said modestly. 'I guess I jus-' You were cut off when Celestia jumped on you, causing the bunny to fly out of your paw onto the grass. Upon landing, it dashed away toward the forest again.
'There's a pony over there by the trees, watching us.' She whispered. 'We have to pretend to fight again.' She hit you across the cheek with a hoof before springing into the air. A glowing aura tugged on your tail, causing you to be sent sprawling again. 'GAH!' You screamed as Celestia continued to assault you. You glanced over to the treeline, where the cloaked pony stood. The bunny that you dropped had ran over to the figure and was resting on her shoulder. It was strange; the animals normally only trusted others that lived in the forest with them. The identity of the hooded mare then hit you. 'Wait-' a hoof connected with your chin. 'Come on, Discord! Fight back!' She whispered. 'No-' She kicked you in the side with a back hoof. Those tiny gold horseshoes hurt! 'That's Z-' she bit down on your tail, causing you to wince. '-ecora!' Celestia stopped attacking you, and turned back to look at the cloaked pony. The hood fell back, revealing a rather stunned-looking zebra. 'Oh.' Celestia said, muffled by the fact your tail was still in her mouth. She dropped it as Zecora cautiously approached. 'Celestia, why are you attacking Discord?' Zecora's sweet harmonic voice flowed. 'You are wasting time we cannot afford.' 'Wasting time?' Tia asked. 'Yes, I'm afraid I have to tell you. Now listen, what I say is true. There is talk of a monster loose. The citizens want it dead, no excuse. Princess, you need to kill the beast. If it finds ponies, it will feast!' Zecora finished her warning. It was not met with the response she had hoped. In fact, she was horrified to find the pair of you stifling laughter at the peril of the nation. After a few seconds of contained giggles, Celestia let out a snort leading to riotous fits of mirth from the both of you. The bunny resting on Zecora's back pulled down its ears to block out the sound. 'Oh no! Discord, please, have mercy on Equestria!' The Princess threw herself at your feet. 'Never!' You gave an evil laugh, before scooping her up in your arms. 'Now, I will feast!' You nibbled on her ear, causing more laughter to erupt from the Princess. 'Oh- stop! It -HAHA- tickles!' She giggled. Zecora raised an eyebrow at the sight. You placed Tia back on the ground were she collapsed, still laughing. When she finally composed herself, she got up and faced the zebra. 'If you haven't guessed, the 'monster' they're talking about is Discord.' Zecora sighed and turned away, walking back into the forest.
------Author's Note------ Wooooo. Sorry this chapter took a while guys, but my body would not let me write until I had nutella in my bloodstream. Also, I'm sorry to say that my chapters might start to become a little less frequent. For more on that, read my latest blog post. I think I titled it something about naan bread...
'Hey, Zecora. Wait!' You called as you both chased after the zebra. Celestia jumped in front of her and skidded to a halt. She looked up at the zebra with big, adorable eyes. 'We're sorry.' She stuck out her bottom lip. 'Forgive us?' Zecora rolled her eyes. 'I am not upset, you can see. I want to get this bunny to it's family.' She motioned to the grey ball of fluff resting in her hood. 'Oh okay. Mind if we come along?' Celestia asked. 'Just to clarify, we're going even if you say no.' You added. The zebra sighed and continued walking.
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As you followed Zecora into the trees, you realized you were entering a part of the forest you had never been in before. You normally stayed in the area surrounding the fields; you had no need to go any deeper into the Everfree. You exited the thick tree cover and came into an open patch. The area was deep in the forest and surrounded by trees. The ground was heavily overgrown with tall grass and other odd plants and weeds. A towering structure loomed over you, casting twisted shadows that stretched across the open pasture. The identity of the structure was masked by a thick layer of ivy that wove in and out of the framework. As you and Celestia gazed up at the eerie structure, Zecora strode over to the bushes on the far side of the field. 'Discord...' Celestia whispered, still not peeling here eyes away from the ivy-covered mystery. 'What is that?' 'I don't know...' You flew up closer to it. You reached out with your paw and pushed away some of the plants covering the side. As the ivy fell away, a painted red board was revealed. A swirling golden pattern was embossed on the wood. As you moved more leaves, it became clear that the wooden object was a carriage hanging on the metal framework of the enormous circle. 'It's.... It's a ferris wheel.' You were confused. 'What in Equestria is it doing out here?'
'This used to be a joyful place.' You jumped as Zecora spoke. 'It could put a smile on anyone's face.' 'Why is this ferris wheel out here?' She looked around, spotting other ivy-covered structures, no doubt other forgotten rides. 'What caused this park to close?' Celestia asked. 'A tragedy, my little dear. Let me tell you what happened here.' Zecora reached into a pouch sewn on her cloak. When she withdrew her hoof, a small pile of shimmering green powder rested on it. You watched intently as it glittered in the sunlight passing through the trees. The zebra took in a breath before exhaling sharply and blowing the powder off her hoof. It filled the air, creating a cloak that covered the ground and formed a fog that impaired your vision. You felt a hoof on your shoulder as Celestia blindly felt around. You wrapped your paw around her. The green fog started to swirl and create shapes in the air. Something was forming.... a blurry outline appeared. Hooves, legs, a tail, a mane. Eyes. A mare. An incredibly life-like mare. She was smiling and wandering happily around. The top half of her face was covered by an elaborate mask. Suddenly, out of the swirling mist, other ponies formed, again, all masked. Most were dressed in fancy clothes. They were all smiling.
'Years ago, masquerades were a happy affair. This one, however, caused only despair.' Zecora's voice echoed through the fog. The mare skipped through the party, weaving in and out of other ponies. Every few feet, she would stop and talk to one of them. Her lips moved, but no sound came out. It looked as though she was asking a question. The pony she asked would shake their head, but she would move on, unfazed. 'This mare you see here is the unlucky one. She was always so happy, always having fun....' Zecora's voice was full of regret. The mare continued to walk about through the party, asking the question to more masked ponies, only to receive the same answer. Again, the mare continued, joyful as ever. 'Her happiness she showed and was proud of. She had reason; this mare was in love.' You and Celestia watched intently as the mare continued to go about with her question. After two more tries, she got the answer she was looking for. The pony she asked nodded and slowly raised a hoof, pointing behind the mare. The mare turned with a euphoric expression, that remained for mere moments before it was shattered into pieces. 'Her love, however, was not faithful to her. Another girl's riches he did prefer.' In front of the mare stood a stallion, no doubt her love, kissing an elaborately-dressed stranger. The mask dropped from the first mare, as did her happy expression. As did her will to live. She approached the stallion, and mouthed three words. The brute turned to her and pushed her away, shouting silent swears as he cornered her. A hoof lashed out, marking the cheek of the broken mare. She ran away, tears falling from her eyes. 'She searched for something to make the pain stop. The closest she could find was a sudden drop.' You watched in horror as the silhouette of a pony boarded the bottom carriage attached to the ferris wheel. As the wooden box reached the top of the wheel, you understood what was going to happen. The mare threw herself off the carriage, sending her plummeting toward the ground. The dust dissipated as the mare's body hit the grass. As the green fog lifted, you were returned to normal sight. The ferris wheel that moments ago was proud and glittering stood dilapidated in the center of the open pasture. 'The park was abandoned, buried in time's sand. The forest grew up and reclaimed the land.' Zecora slowly walked over to a patch of long grass. She pushed it away and revealed a grey gravemarker. The granite was inscribed with a message. 'Cheery Pie. The happiest mare in all of Equestria.' 'And as the park was forgotten, so was she. The pony who filled lives with glee.' You turned to see Celestia quivering beside you. She was on the verge of tears. You pulled her into a hug. 'Don't cry.' You whispered. 'You'll get ill.' The Princess nodded as you let go of her. 'Doesn't anyone come out here to visit the grave? Didn't she have any family?' Celestia asked with a cracked voice. 'Only one member I knew, her baby filly. For a child to risk the forest would have been silly. Instead, I bring flowers to her grave. I fear not this forest, I try to stay brave.' 'What happened to the child?' You asked. 'Is she okay?' 'Hardly a child, she is a grown mare now. Cheery's brother's family made a vow- To look after young Pinkie until she was grown. She is no longer on her own!' Zecora finished, but Celestia needed to know more. 'Wait, Pinkie? Pinkie Pie?' The Princess questioned. Zecora nodded. 'Do you know her?' You asked. 'She's my chef!' Celestia exclaimed. 'Do I know her? Was she the purple one?' You rubbed your chin as you tried to remember. 'No. Believe me, if you'd met Pinkie, you'd know it.'
