A student, two teachers, romance, a forbidden transformation, betrayl, and a little chaos
“That is the reason why I summoned you here, Twilight. There is a certain student that I want to tell you about, although you have met him before. He was not like what you have seen. He was a pony just like you, full of energy and promise. But then something happened.”
The pages stopped fluttering and Twilight gazed at the open page. There was a picture of a grey unicorn stallion about her age.
“Twist,” Twilight said as she read the name under the picture.
Twilight galloped through the castle gates, her face locked in a determined look. The guards she passed by made no objection to the unicorn passing through. She was, after all Princess Celestia’s personal student. Although her face was focused, deep down there was a growing sense of worry bubbling up from within the mare.
She remembered the past morning at her home in Ponyville. Everything was calm and peaceful, a perfect time to catch up on some of her neglected studies. Just when she was about to dive into the first book, she heard the telltale belch from her assistant, Spike. This meant that a letter had arrived. She didn’t expect a letter today, which gave her the first worry.
Spike entered the room holding the sealed scroll. Twilight in her anticipation yanked the scroll away, almost taking the poor dragon with it if he didn’t have the presence of mind to let go. She opened the scroll and read the note. It was simple, direct, and full of mystery.
“To My Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle,
Please come to the castle in Canterlot this afternoon. There is an important matter that I wish to discuss with you.
Sincerely, Princess Celestia”
“What did the letter stay, Twilight,” Spike asked as he saw the look of concern on her fact. “No time to talk, Spike,” Twilight said as she gathered her saddlebags, “Princess Celestia asked me to got to the castle. I have to get to the train for Canterlot. Can you watch the library for me while I’m gone?”
“I’m not called the Number one Assistant for nothing,” Spike said with a salute.
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight said as she gave the dragon a hug before galloping off to the train station.
Now as Twilight entered the castle, her mind was fixated on the letter. She wondered what was so important that Princess Celestia couldn’t put into a latter. A multitude of scenarios flashed through her head, and many weren’t good.
She then entered the throne room where she saw Princess Celestia sitting, waiting patiently for her. What made matters even more interesting was that Luna was there as well with a solemn look. Usually the Princess of the Night was asleep during the day and awake at night. With her awake now, it must be important.
“Princess Luna. Princess Celestia,” Twilight said, stopping and giving a little bow as a sign of respect, “Is Ponyville in danger? Is Equestria in danger? Do I need to get the other Elements of Harmony?”
Princess Celestia held up a hoof to calm the worried unicorn.
“Twilight, there is no threat to Equestria, otherwise I would tell you to bring all your friends. I summoned… actually both Luna and I summoned you here because we wanted to share with you something.”
“What is it,” Twilight said, her knowledge craving mind yearning to know.
“Follow us,” the Princess on the Sun said as she left the throne room with her sister.
The three weaved their way through several hallways in the castle. Some of the areas Twilight saw were familiar to her, especially when she was a filly. But other places were very new. It was no wonder as the castle was a massive maze like structure.
Finally the group came to a stop at a door and with a burst of magic Princess Celestia opened it. The room was cozy and was lined with bookshelves. There was a small desk in the center with writing materials and a few comfy chairs.
“Princess, I’ve never been in this room. What are all these books for?”
“These are Books of Memories,” Princess Celestia said as she walked to a shelf and began scanning it for a particular tome, “each contain information about the students I have taught during me reign.”
She then levitated off the shelf a book and placed it on the desk. She then began to leaf through the book, words and pictures moving past her.
“That is the reason why I summoned you here, Twilight. There is a certain student that I want to tell you about, although you have met him before. He was not like what you have seen. He was a pony just like you, full of energy and promise. But then something happened.”
The pages stopped fluttering and Twilight gazed at the open page. There was a picture of a grey unicorn stallion about her age.
“Twist,” Twilight said as she read the name under the picture.
“Yes, but you know him by another name: Discord.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide as her mind reflected back to the time when she and her friends were tortured into splitting up through the creature’s power.
“You taught this pony who would soon be Discord, Princess Celestia?”
“No Twilight,” Princess Luna’s voice was heard, “It was I. I was his teacher.”
“But what happened? How did you teach him? How did he become Discord?” “My sister and I knew that after your encounter with him that you would have questions,” Princess Celestia said, “You were always the inquisitive pony. We felt that now was the right time to tell you about this.”
“Sister, I wish to tell Twilight Sparkle this story,” Princess Luna said.
“Are you sure? I can tell her?”
“No, I had just as much a part in this as you, even greater. I wish to tell this tale.”
Celestia gave her younger sister a nod and directed Twilight to the center of the room.
“Now at first I thought that telling you what happened would suffice. However I feel that in this case a mere story will not do justice. So, instead I am going to show you what happened.”
“How,” Twilight asked.
“By using a Memory Reflection Spell.”
“I never heard of this spell.”
“I didn’t think you would,” Luna said, “it’s a very powerful spell, one that no ordinary unicorn has learned. It allows a pony or ponies to see into the past memories of the caster, making them actually there as the event was taking place. It is merely an illusion, so nothing can harm you.”
“I’d like to learn that one day,” the unicorn said.
“Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, “While it’s fine to occasionally reflect on one’s past memories, you should not dwell on them. What matters is what happens in the present and the near future.”
“I understand,” Twilight said, remembering when her “future self” visited her, making her upset that something was going to happen.
“Now if we are all ready,” Luna said, “please gather close.”
The two princesses and the unicorn grouped close together. Luna then activated her magic, forming a blue dome of energy around the three. Twilight watched as the room they were in slowly started to fade away until there was nothing but blackness all around them.
The blackness was all around the two princesses and the unicorn. Then, like a picture coming into focus, Twilight began to see objects. At first they were blurry, a wash of colors smearing with each other, but gradually the image became clearer and the colors brighter. Twilight could see that she was standing in front of a castle, similar to the one in Canterlot, made of a white stone and adorned with turrets and columns. Yet it was different than the castle she knew as there were motifs of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna adorning the castle.
“There are a few things that you must know about that time, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said standing next to her, “This happened a long time ago, back before Ponyville was founded, back before many of the places you knew were founded.”
“Even Canterlot?” the purple unicorn questioned.
“Yes, even before Canterlot,” Luna said continuing, “The nation of Equestria was in its infancy, having just been formed when the three kingdoms reconciled their differences and created this nation. You remember the Hearth’s Warming Eve Pageant, right?”
Twilight nodded in agreement. She remembered the story about how the three kingdoms, each made up of a different pony type, were arguing. Facing a strange winter, they chose to find another place. Through reconciling their differences, Equestria was formed.
“After Equestria was founded, a city was built within the forest you know as the Everfree Forest. Then, the forest wasn’t as wild and untamed as you currently know it to be. It was a paradise, a place where ponies could settle without fear. This is why it was called Ponytopia.”
“Ponytopia?” Twilight said confused, “I’ve never heard such of a place. No book I have ever read mentioned it.”
“I doubt that it would,” Luna said looking over at her sister, “That city has been gone for such a long time that now, not even history remembers it. It’s funny how history remembers some things in detail while others are just footnotes in a sage’s book. And given the circumstances for the city’s eventual collapse, it is no wonder why it is not remembered. But I digress.
Ponytopia was a large city, about the size of Canterlot. It was situated in a circle around a beautiful castle. You and your friends have been to this castle, Twilight. It was called the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, and it was where you freed me from being Nightmare Moon. After the city was built, it was decided by its founders that the rule of this new nation shouldn’t be placed in the hooves of any ordinary pony. Even when there was talk of establishing a council containing each pony type, there was fear that there would be infighting among the groups. After the quarrels that happened before Equestria was founded – the bickering and distrust between the three pony types -- well, you could understand their fears.”
The castle exterior scene faded from view, plunging the three back into the darkness. Then the next scene from Luna’s memory came into view. Twilight now found herself in a large sitting room, reminiscent of the one in Canterlot where Princess Celestia would teach her, but again having many differences. There were two high backed wooden chairs, one bearing Celestia’s mark and the other bearing Luna’s, and two young Alicorns seated upon them. Twilight walked across the room and looked closely at the two winged unicorns.
Twilight gasped in astonishment, for the two princesses were much younger looking, having about the same appearance of age as Twilight, although the unicorn knew that even then, the two were probably older. The younger Celestia had a solid pink mane and tail, both of which hung down normally like a regular pony. The younger Luna had a similar type of mane and tail, except hers was blue.
“And that is when my sister and I came along,” Luna said as she and her sister joined Twilight, “The ponies of Equestria sought us out to be their leaders, as we embodied the spirit of each pony type. As such, they felt that we would be best suited to be impartial judges to all of the ponies’ needs. And so, we lived in the castle for many years, helping Equestria to grow in peace and prosperity. We were so young at that time, my sister and I--barely mares. In our naivety, we never realized the danger we would soon face.”
“Celestia,” the younger Luna said.
“Yes, Luna,” the younger Celestia replied.
“I’ve been giving this some thought, but I want to teach a pony.”
“Oh? Why do you suddenly want to do this?”
“I feel like I want to spread my knowledge to others. Just a single pony at first, though”
“Luna, we must be careful to whom we impart our knowledge. Too much power can corrupt the most innocent of ponies. But I don’t think it will hurt you teaching another pony. Who will you choose as your first student?”
“I want to teach a young pony, one who is not already set in their ways, and eager to learn,” the younger Luna replied after giving it much thought. “That way, they will be more accepting of new information. Of course, I’d like it if the pony I choose is a unicorn, so I could teach them magic.”
“Have you considered teaching a pony who is less fortunate than others, such as one who may not have much to begin with?”
“That makes sense. Then I can teach one who needs it the most. Can you think of a place to find a pony like that, sis?”
“Indeed I can, and tomorrow we shall go to that place. And of course I will help you, should you need any assistance teaching the pony.”
“Oh thank you, sis,” the younger Luna said as she hugged the younger Celestia.
“That’s what sisters are for,” Celestia replied with a smile.
The sitting room scene faded from view, leaving Twilight, Luna, and Celestia in the dark again.
“So, my plan was set into motion to find a student to teach,” Luna said, “Now I will show you how exactly I found Twist.”
A new scene appeared, this time of a busy city street. Suddenly Twilight saw a cart coming right at her without enough time to move or teleport away. Luckily, the cart passed harmlessly through her, distorting for a moment before reforming.
“Oh, I forgot. This is an illusion.”
Twilight followed as Luna led the way to a simple building in the distance with a sign which read: Ponytopia Orphanage. As the three spectators approached closer, she noticed that there was a gilded carriage that was stopped outside the building, signaling that the younger princesses had already arrived. Twilight entered the building, amazed at the stark contrasts it had. It was a place of both happiness and sadness. There was the laughter of foals playing, but also tears and sadness at the fact that these ponies, for whatever reason, had no parents to be cared for or loved.
“Such a sad place,” Twilight commented as she proceeded through the halls to locate the images of the younger princesses with the current counterparts.
“Yes, it is sad that a place should exist in such a prosperous place like Ponytopia,” Luna replied. “Yet there are cases where, even today, ponies are without parents. This place, therefore, was a necessity, a haven for these poor ponies.”
The three found the younger Princess Luna and Princess Celestia as they were speaking with several fillies and colts. All seemed excited to see the princesses there, yet none seemed to fit what the younger Luna saw as a student. Then the two stopped at a room and looked in. There, sitting on a bed, was a grey unicorn colt with a short black mane and tail and blue eyes. He had a cutie mark that looked like a spiral, a strange mark indeed. He sat aloof in his room, not venturing out at all when the two arrived. It was like he didn’t even care that visitors, let alone royalty, was there.
“His name is Twist, Your Majesties,” the Headmistress of the orphanage said. She was an older mare with a personality that was kind yet strict when it was warranted. “The poor pony has suffered so much. He arrived here when he was barely a few weeks old in a basket. His only possessions were a blanket that he was wrapped in and a note which simply had his name on it. We have tried to care for him and love him as much as we can, but he always seem so isolated, so cut off from the rest of the other ponies. It’s like he is in his own little world. Since his arrival, no pony has considered adopting him, no matter how hard we have tried. Then there is the matter of his magic, Your Highnesses. It’s so wild, so strange so… chaotic. I think it makes the others afraid of him.”
“My sister and I will speak to him,” the younger Luna said to the Headmistress as the two entered his room.
“Hello,” the white princess said softly to the colt, “I am Princess Celestia and this is my sister Princess Luna. You are Twist, is that correct?”
“Yes, your Majesties,” he said in a soft yet confident voice.
“I heard that you can do some magic,” younger Luna said with interest, “Can you show some to me?”
“I can change things, make them different than they are,” he said. Then his horn glowed as he focused on a dresser in his room. Suddenly the dresser disappeared and was replaced by a potted plant. He then changed it into a bowl of oranges and then a bed of flowers before reverting it back to the dresser.
“That is an interesting magic you have,” Celestia remarked.
“Ponies are afraid of it,” he said candidly.
“Why,” the younger Luna asked.
“I was being bullied by some ponies when suddenly I used my magic. I changed them into scary things like snakes and spiders. I only wanted to frighten those bullying me, but I couldn’t change them back. Everypony saw what happened, and they were afraid I’d do something like that to them.”
Twilight watched as the two younger princesses took pity on the young colt, who seemed on the verge of tears, and her own heart melted to his plight. “Your magic is a special gift,” the young Luna said to him, “Never forget that. It just lacks the training and focus to use it to its utmost. I can teach you that focus, if you allow me to do so. You can be my student, and stay at the castle as you learn. Would this be acceptable to you?”
The colt looked up at the young princess as a smile slowly formed on his face. “Yes, please, I would like that. I would like that very much.”
“Very well,” Luna said, “I will speak with the Headmistress, and will have a carriage come for you in the morning.”
The colt then gave the princesses an unexpected hug. With a wave goodbye, the two exited the room, heading for the Headmistress’s office to sign the papers and begin Luna’s life as a teacher for Twist.
“Did you know then?” Twilight Sparkle asked as the three stood in the darkness as the Princess of the Night took a break before playing another memory.
“That this young, orphaned pony named Twist would one day become the most feared creature in all of Equestria?” Celestia said, “No, Twilight. Although we have been blessed with many powers, the one that none of us possess is being able to look into the future. I believe that such an ability would be too great a gift.”
“I think it would be nice to know in advance of something happening,” the unicorn said.
“But what if you did have this ability, Twilight?” Luna interjected curtly, “What if you could see the future and know something bad was going to happen? You would be driven insane with worry as to when and how and why it would happen. Not to mention the overwhelming stress of trying to plan how to avert the event.”
Twilight thought back to the time when her “future self” visited her and how she became upset over what was actually a misunderstanding.
“I guess you’re right about it being an added worry if I were able to discern the future,” she said.
“Now you know, Twilight,” Luna continued, “just how my sister and I first discovered the colt that would become Discord. It is an irony I chose that particular pony to teach. Perhaps it was that his magical ability was so rare, or perhaps the poor colt looked so downtrodden with the life he had been given. I felt that perhaps somehow, as he aged, this colt would use his powers to change Equestria. Little did I realize how right I was, how he changed things -- but not in the way I hoped or imagined.”
“I remember the next day when my sister and I arrived with a royal carriage at the orphanage. The look on Twist’s face was utter joy. Stepping into that carriage with two princesses must have made him feel like he was a royal pony too. As we made our way through the streets of Ponytopia, Twist decided to give his brief fame a try. He would smile and wave to the ponies that passed by, some of them waving back. My sister and I couldn’t help but giggle at the colt’s antics. It was like the world was his oyster. and he could now have anything he wanted.”
Luna then reactivated the Memory Spell and brought forth a scene of the castle. Twilight watched as the carriage carrying the trio pulled up to the entrance, and two guards appeared to escort the two young Princesses and Twist.
“Welcome to your new home, Twist,” the younger Celestia said as, with a flash of her magic, she opened up the massive wooden doors. She and the younger Princess Luna stood back and motioned for the colt to go first. Twist’s face was frozen in wonder as he looked up at the massive structure. It was as if he were a pony waking up on Hearth’s Warming Day to a mountain of presents. He gazed at the grand foyer with sweeping curved staircases in awe.
“I think that we should give you a tour of your new home,” the younger Luna said. The two younger Alicorns brought the colt first to the throne room, replete with massive, high arched ceilings and stained glass windows. He approached the two thrones sitting on a raised platform. One was white and bore the symbol of the sun while the other was black and had the moon carved upon it. He spent several moments examining the thrones, then paused before turning around to face the Princesses.
“Can I… sit on them?”
The two Princesses looked at him, and then at each other, then both gave a nod to the pony in acceptance. The colt happily jumped up on the platform and climbed into Luna’s throne, a smile on his face at how comfortable it was. He then tried Celestia’s throne and was just as satisfied with the way it felt.
“Are you ready to see the rest of the castle?” the younger Luna asked.
“Yes,” Twist said as he left the throne and joined the Princesses. The three then toured other places like the ballroom, living quarters, dining halls and kitchens. Each room was more exciting than the last, though each differed in size and grandeur. It was clear that the reality that this was to be his new home hadn’t quite settled in. It was more like the young pony was touring a museum.
One room he was amazed at was the Princesses’ private study. As Twilight watched the scene, she too was amazed at the room. It was a large room with a fireplace with floor to ceiling shelves filled with books that wrapped around the entire perimeter. Although there were only a fraction of the books found in present-day Canterlot due to how new Equestria was, it was nonetheless an impressive sight. In the center were several tables and chairs.
“This is where I will be teaching you the non-magical studies,” the younger Princess Celestia remarked, “such as reading, math, and history.”
“You mean, both of you are teaching me?”
“Yes,” the younger Luna replied,” I at first had the idea to teach you everything, but then we decided that it was best that we co-teach. We rule together and we will teach together. That way, you will benefit from the knowledge and perspective of not one but two princesses.”
The thought that he would be taught by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna awed Twist.
“So, can I read all these books?” he asked,
“Yes, Twist,” Celestia replied, “the castle is now as much your home as it is my sister’s and I, so you are free to study any of these books that you wish. I encourage you to expand your knowledge.”
The three then proceeded to another room that was unlike the study -- very open and sparsely furnished save for a few tables with an assortment of objects, books, and scrolls. “Here is where you will be learning magic from me,” the younger Luna explained.
The group then arrived at the last stop on the tour. “And these quarters are yours, Twist,” Luna said as she opened the door, “it’s just a guest suite, but you can decorate it as you wish.”
For ‘just’ a guest suite, it was enormous, with a huge bed and wooden furniture well padded with pillows and cushions, as well as a dressing room and garderobe. When Twist was told it was his, he started crying.
“Why are you crying?” the younger Princess Celestia asked him, “Is something wrong?”
“N-No, nothing’s wrong,” Twist replied, “I just never had a room all to myself, and never one as nice as this.” It was touching to see how a pony that had literally nothing was so excited and grateful about everything. The two Princesses, overcome by his overwhelming joy, gave him a comforting hug.
“The first few days were spent for him getting used to the castle and to us,” Princess Luna said as the scene faded out again, “I didn’t want to thrust him into his studies while he was still trying to find where things were. Celestia and I would take turns spending time with him during our busy schedule. Being that he was a colt, he didn’t need too much help doing things, but knowing that his entire life was without those to care for him save the staff at the orphanage, we felt that we owed him our time. Of course, by getting to know him, we hoped to establish a trust which would aid in his studies.
“Meal times were the most interesting times for us. Usually this time was reserved for Celestia and I to take a break from the rigors of royalty and talk about our day. We wanted to be sure that no matter what happened in Ponytopia or Equestria, our sisterly bond would remain. Even with Twist there, we still used that time to talk about our day. He didn’t mind. In fact, he liked just listening to the two of us talk and laugh. It made him realize that we were sisters first and princesses second when he saw us converse. This was how we hope all ponies, even today, would see us as.
“After spending a few days getting acclimated to the castle, it was time to start teaching him. The first week, my sister and I decided to run some tests to see where he was, both in his general knowledge and magical ability. We found that he had a good general knowledge of subjects thanks to the teachers at the orphanage. Magically he had the power, but we found that it was uncontrolled, even should I say, chaotic. We believed that this was due to not having a pony to adequately teach him. You see, Twilight, magic is raw power that is harnessed to a particular need. Without a mentor like a parent or in your case, Princess Celestia, to guide a unicorn in controlling their magic, they can either have ineffective spells, or worse, spells that can backfire. This was the goal of deciding to teach him, so that he could learn to expand his abilities while controlling them.”
“I will now show you my first time teaching Twist magic. You have to realize that there was no school, no classes, no way to assess progress, and only a few books available about magic theory and technique. Basically, it was just me teaching him based on what I knew and my sister’s insight into magic. The first class was about magic itself.”
A new scene appeared before the two Princesses and Twilight. They were back in the room set aside for Luna’s magical training. Twist was sitting on a chair while the younger Luna was standing next to a chalkboard. Twilight noticed that Twist had a focus on Luna’s studies that reminded her of when she first was being tutored by Princess Celestia. The similarities were so uncanny it made her shiver, knowing that this seemingly innocent pony in this memory studying under Luna would one day become Discord.
“Now, magic is made up of three parts: the intent, the desire, and the energy.”
To add emphasis, she levitated a piece of chalk and wrote the three words on the blackboard.
“The intent is what you want the spell to do. This is achieved through studying a spell and through concentration. When using a spell, you must clear your mind of anything else and have a clear goal in mind. If ones mind is flooded by too many thoughts, the spell will not work.”
“The desire is putting your entire will, heart, and passion into the spell. If a pony only half wishes for a spell to happen, he or she will either not get the results they wanted or the spell might not work at all.”
“Lastly you have the energy. Magical energy is within us all and it is found throughout nature. When we cast a spell, we tap into this arcane energy. This can also be said for Pegasus ponies with the weather or earth ponies with the land.”
Luna’s face then turned serious as she erased the board with vigorous strokes using the eraser.
“Now there is something else that is very important that I must tell you before you cast a single spell. That is magic is neither good nor evil but neutral. How a pony uses magic is what determines its alignment. It can be likened to fire. Fire can be used to provide light and warmth, but it can also be used to destroy and harm. A pony must therefore be mindful when casting a spell of both who is affected and how it will affect them. They must also be ready to accept the consequences of their actions. The main thing is for everypony, whether they are a unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony, is to strive for harmony as much as possible. Do you understand what I have told you?”
“Yes, Princess Luna,” replied Twist..
“Twist, you’re my student,” the younger Luna said with a smile, “you don’t have to call me Princess. Luna will suffice.”
“Ok Princess… I mean Luna,” Twist said.
“Now you seem to possess the raw energy to cast magic, so I think if my sister and I can hone that magic with control, then we can help to then increase your abilities. Now, let’s try a test of control.”
The younger princess then moved the blackboard and other furniture to the far wall, leaving only her, Twist, and a wooden ball in the middle of the room.
“Now I’m going to stand at one end of the room, and you’ll stand at the other. I’m going to toss the ball to you with my magic and then you’ll catch it with your magic and toss it back.”
Twist nodded and headed towards the one side while Luna made her way to the opposite end, the ball floating by her.
“Ok,” she said, “We will start slow and then pick the speed up as we go. Are you ready?”
“Ready,” Twist said with a smile, eager to play this magical game of catch.
The younger Luna the sent the ball towards Twist which he stopped with his magic a few feet from his face before tossing it back to Luna. After a couple of times passing the ball, the speed was increased gradually. Soon Twist was able to send the ball back without having to catch and hold it for a long period of time.
Suddenly, Twist wasn’t watching where he was going when Luna threw the ball at him.
“Twist! Look out!”
She tried slowing it, but the wooden ball at that speed would still do some damage to him if it hit him. Twist quickly turned and without thinking his magic activated and the ball turned into a pillow right before hitting him in the face. The force of the impact however took him by surprise and sent him and the pillow crashing against the wall.
“Twist,” the younger Luna shouted as she ran to the other end of the room, “Are you ok?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” the colt said as he removed the pillow.
“Sorry about throwing the ball too hard.”
“That’s ok,” Twist said getting up, “sorry for not paying attention.”
“Well, I think that’s enough practicing for today. Let’s go to lunch then, and after you will be meeting my sister for her lessons.”
“Ok then,” Twist said as the two exited the room and the scene dissolved into blackness.
“So now you have seen how Twist interacted with Luna,” Princess Celestia said, “but you need to see how he interacted with me. There is a reason for this, as my part in Twist’s life and his fate was just as prominent.”
The blackness around the three brightened into the familiar study area where Twist noted all of the books. Twist was seated at a desk while the younger Celestia stood at a podium next to a blackboard filled with notes.”
“…and so, it was due to the three pony types prejudices and hatreds that almost caused their own destruction, but it was through their new-found friendship that ultimately united the three tribes and created Equestria as we know it today. Do you have any questions about this, Twist?”
“Princess Celestia, can I ask you a question that’s sort of related to what you were telling about the three pony types?”
“Certainly, Twist,” the younger Celestia said, “What is your question?”
“Are some ponies born bad?”
Celestia looked in surprise at Twist as he asked the question, not expecting such a query to come from the colt. Most fillies and colts she had seen were concerned with only basic things, like having fun and making. Although elementary, these were the foundations upon which the rest of their life would be built. Very rarely did the Princess of the Sun see a pony as young as Twist so introspective about themselves and how they fit in into the world.
“Why do you ask such a question?”
“Well, when I was in the orphanage and my magic started happening, there were many ponies who were afraid of me. A few even called me bad. I’m not bad, Princess Celestia, am I?”
Celestia’s face was marked with pity for the young colt. To think that a pony that had nothing to begin with had to endure the added hardship of facing unkind ponies.
“Twist, first of all a pony isn’t born good or bad. They are born essentially like a book with no words. Then as you go through life meeting other ponies and experiencing things, you begin to fill your book with your experiences. It’s these experiences that shape who you are, but it’s also how you choose to react to them that more importantly determines your character. Then and only then you can say you’re either good or bad.”
“As for you being bad, I can say that I do not believe you to be bad. And if anypony says otherwise, you can tell them that you have a princess’s word. Remember Twist, you deserve as much happiness as any other pony in Ponytopia, even in Equestria. All you need to do is seek out that happiness, and once you have it, never let it go. And most importantly, don’t let anypony tell you that you’re not as good as them. Understand, Twist?”
“Thanks, Princess Celestia,” Twist.
“Please, call me Celestia. There’s no need for royal formalities, as you are the student of my sister and I.”
“Ok then, Celestia.”
“Now, let us resume our studies with some mathematics.”
The scene dissolved back into blackness and then into the familiar setting of the study room in the Canterlot Castle. Twilight looked around to get her bearings, wondering for a moment if where she was seeing was still the memory of one of the princesses or for real.
“So, now you know how my sister and I interacted with Twist earlier on,” Luna said, “We both taught and nurtured this pony. We both had a place in the life of this pony, and we both assumed that he was normal, save for his ability. But I can assure you that we would take the same course of action that we did then to help a pony in despair.”
“So, then how did Twist become Discord?” Twilight asked, “He seemed so nice and calm. Was it an accident or did he change on purpose?”
“Ah, Twilight,” Celestia said, “I knew you would have more questions. I can assure you that all will be revealed in time. For now it is getting late and I think this is a good place in the story to stop. I have arranged a private room in the castle for you to stay at. This will save you from journeying to and from Canterlot every day.”
“What about Spike?”
“I will send a letter to Spike telling him where you are and that you are safe. Now, it is getting close to dinner time. How about we catch up on your adventures in Ponyville while we dine.”
“That would be nice,” Twilight said, happily accepting the chance to speak to the two princesses and to then look forward to the rest of the story of Twist.
The next day, Twilight got up early, eager to learn about the next part in the story. She was so excited to start that she almost planned on skipping breakfast. Princess Celestia, however, implored her student to sit and eat with her and Luna. The white princess chuckled as she remembered when Twilight was a filly and shared the same exuberance when first learning from her. Some things changed in the princess’s life, but there were some moments that stayed the same.
After breakfast and a few royal duties to be taken care of, the princesses and the unicorn returned to the same familiar study room. Twilight was still wondering how a seemingly ordinary colt, albeit with great magical talent, became the creature known as Discord. The mare knew that to look for the truth, one had to look for proof. Yet so far, the proof was not there.
“So, Twilight, shall we begin our next part of the tale?” Princess Celestia asked her student.
“Yes, please,” the unicorn replied, “So what am I going to see next, and when?”
“We are going to see now how Twist was six years from the last vision,” Luna replied.
“Six years? Why such a jump in time? Didn’t anything happen between when I last saw him and what you will be showing?”
“Well -- yes and no,” Luna replied, to which Twilight gave a confused look to the Princess of the Night.
“What my sister means to say,” Celestia explained, “That back then we did not see anything -- not even the slightest indication -- as to how Twist would become Discord. As we have said, that while we as princesses are blessed with many magical abilities, we cannot look into the future. Even if we did, it would prove useless as time is constantly changing, and what a pony does or does not do can easily alter that vision of the future. In other words: the future is what you make of it. But I digress. In hindsight there were subtle changes that happened during those six years that could have indicated that something was amiss. But even if my sister and I showed you events from those years, you would not be able to see them.”
“Twist, by all accounts, was a normal pony,” Luna spoke up, “As time went by he learned and struggled and lived like a unicorn. Admittedly he was different in some cases. He didn’t have parents like most ponies, so there was never familial affection in his life. We, as his teachers, tried to share our affection towards him, but we knew there was no way we could replace an absent parent. He also possessed great magical ability, including his power of altering the very fabric of reality. This was difficult to work with, for up until that point we did not know this type of power even existed. There was also the balancing act of trying to control a magic that was very wild while at the same time trying to not make Twist feel like he was being restricted. Sometimes it worked, other times he rebelled, as many ponies growing up do when facing control issues.”
“And so,” Celestia said as the room faded into darkness once more, “Twist grew into a handsome and intelligent stallion. He was blessed with great magical talent that only became greater with our guidance and his practicing. Yet there were certain things that he picked up as he grew up. The first was this sense of entitlement that he had from being our student. True, he did have many benefits, but sometimes he was prideful about them rather than grateful and humble. The second thing was that he was a little mischievous towards others. I believe that he got this from my sister and I being playful with each other. The last thing, and this was what troubled me the most, was that Twist had certain spitefulness towards the privileged members of Ponytopia. He felt jealous towards these few who had much when he was born with very little. We tried to quell these negative expressions, especially the spitefulness, as best we could.”
With those words, the scene returned to the room where Princess Luna taught Twist his spells. Twilight saw that the stallion was indeed handsome and intelligent, a pony that she might meet if she was from that time. She quickly cast off that notion, disgusted by the fact that with that logic she would eventually be friends with Discord. The thoughts of how her friends became corrupted and devoid of harmony raced through her mind.
“Twist, you know you shouldn’t have turned the Moneybags’ carriage into a pile of snakes,” the younger Luna replied.
“Oh come on Luna! Where’s your sense of humor. It was all in fun. You saw the looks on those ponies’ faces when that happened. It was priceless!”
“Ok,” Luna said as she looked at Twist’s face, “You had your fun pranking ponies today. Just don’t do anything like that again, ok? My sister and I have already received several complaints from ponies today about your ‘fun’. Now let’s resume your lesson on the principles of energy manipulation into elemental forces.”
“Oh such a boring topic,” Twist said with a forced yawn,” why don’t you teach me something with a little more of an interest.”
“Like what,” Luna said with a curious tone.
“Like emotional magic. Magic can affect emotions, right?”
“Well, anything that a pony does can elicit an emotional response. Take your little stunt with the Moneybags family. They were afraid of those snakes.”
“Ugh, again with that prank. I said I was sorry to them. The snakes weren’t even poisonous. No, I’m talking about magic that directly affects another pony’s emotions. You know, like sadness, joy, even love?”
“Well… in theory, there is magic out there that can do that, but my sister and I choose not to explore that, and we encourage other ponies not to use it as well. Meddling in the emotions of other ponies is denying them the control of their own lives.” “But Luna, have you ever met a pony that you ever loved but they didn’t share their love back to you?”
The words struck the younger Luna like the force of a runaway cart. She immediately began to feel embarrassed at such a personal question, something Twist had never before done. A hint of embarrassment tinged her normally blue face a shade of violet.
“Yes, I have -- I mean had ponies who I took a fancy to, but I would never use magic to make them love me.”
“Oh, you said that that you love a pony now, eh?” Twist said with a wide smile, “So who is it?”
“That’s… too personal to explain to you, Twist,” Luna said feeling now very uneasy as she shuffled her hooves a little, “Anyway, it’s time for lunch and then for you to study with my sister.”
“Fine then,” Twist said with a sigh that he didn’t get the truth out of the princess. He headed out of the room but then stopped and turned towards the princess with a smile. “Maybe someday I’ll find out,” he said before trotting down the hall, leaving Luna standing in the entryway of the room.
“Yes, hopefully one day,” Luna said quietly, “my dear Twist.”
As the scene faded back into blackness, Twilight looked in shock at Princess Luna. The look on the unicorn’s face was not lost of the princess.
“Twilight? Are you ok?”
“Princess Luna… did you … I mean were you…?”
“In love with Twist?” she finished the question.
Twilight dropped her head as if to be ashamed to even assume such a thing from a princess.
“Yes, Twilight, I was in love with Twist back then,” continued the younger Princess.
“But how … I mean, why him?”
“Twilight,” Luna said, “my sister and I are no different from other ponies when it comes to emotions. We feel the same joy, sorrow, anger, and pain. And yes we feel love too. As you know, we are long lived, so finding love is difficult. We know that ultimately the love of our lives will pass on before we do. We also know that, being royalty, we do not have many opportunities to seek out love and express it to others. Twist, by being there in the castle, was a perfect opportunity for me to feel love. I cannot tell you, Twilight, what attracted me to him, but I can tell you that I loved Twist. To tell you the truth, I still love him, not as the creature you now known as Discord, but as the handsome, intelligent stallion he once was.”
Luna paused as the memories of that time passed through her mind before continuing.
“I can tell you that this love for Twist was not immediate, what some ponies would call love at first sight. Our relationship with each other started as student and teacher. The same could be said for him and my sister. Over time, as we got to know him, and he got to know us, Twist became more like a friend to Celestia and I. But then, something happened. I cannot tell you when or how or why, but I began to have feelings for the stallion. At first I ignored them, but soon I realized it was useless to fight it. And that was when I had to tell Celestia what happened.”
With that, the image of Princess Celestia’s bedroom came into view. It was similar to the one that she had in Canterlot, with pure white walls and decorated in gleaming gold and sun symbols. Princess Celestia was getting ready to retire for the evening, removing her crown and other accessories. Then suddenly a knock was heard at the door. The younger Celestia seemed to know that no pony would be calling on her at this hour unless it was either an emergency or her sister. As she approached the door, she hoped it was the later.
“Who is it?” the white princess inquired.
“It is your sister,” a voice said from the other side of the door.
“Luna, you know it is almost my bedtime.”
“Yes, but I need to tell you something. It’s urgent.”
The white princess opened the golden door to let her sister in.
“All right, Luna. Tell me what is so important.”
“Something is happening to me, sis.”
“Are you feeling sick or hurt?”
“No, it’s just that I keep thinking about something, or somepony to be exact.”
Celestia’s expression softened from concern to an inquiring look. “I see…Luna, tell me exactly what you are feeling, and who this pony is.”
“Well, it’s Twist. I keep thinking about him all the time: when I wake up, when he’s eating with us, when he’s practicing his magic with me, every time! Oh sister, what’s happening to me?”
“Luna,” Celestia said placing a reassuring hoof on her younger sister’s shoulder, “there is nothing wrong with you. You are in love with Twist!”
“In love?”
“Yes sister. You love him. Have you told him your feelings towards him?”
“No sis. I didn’t know if it was right to involve him, being a princess.”
“Luna, love is a powerful thing, more powerful than any magic. If you truly love him, then you should have no regrets about doing so. It matters not about whom we are or that we are royalty. We deserve to love and be loved as any other pony.”
“But Twist is not like us. He will die someday, like a normal pony.”
“That is true sister. Twist is a normal pony, and one day his life will end. But you must not think about that, and it should never prevent you from being happy or sharing your love with him.”
“So, are you are giving me your blessing then, Celestia?”
“Luna, you do not need my blessing as to whom you choose, but if it makes you happy, you may have it anyway -- not as a princess, but as your sister.”
“With my sister’s blessing,” Luna said as the scene faded back into the blackness, “I began to try and court Twist. It was difficult to say the least. I still had a duty to teach him what I knew about magic, and I could not just stop, as it would have been unfair to him. Yet at the same time every time I laughed with him, consoled him, or even just saw him, I felt a burning desire to be his for as long as he lived. You have to understand, Twilight, that I would have given much to be with him.”
“So what happened,” Twilight said, “Did you date him?”
“No, no… I did not,” Luna said as her face then changed to a more lamenting appearance, “I tried to show that I loved him by showering praise and dropping subtle hints. In hindsight if I just confessed to him how much I loved him, maybe he would have seen it and loved me as well. But the fact was that he was not in love with me but another...”
“What? Who?” Twilight asked in an almost demanding tone. It was as if the unicorn was upset that there was some other pony that dared to take the happiness away from Princess Luna.
“It was me,” Princess Celestia said, “Twist was in love with me. I don’t know when or how or why he chose me over my sister, but what mattered was that it happened.”
“How could you do that?” Twilight said her voice becoming more angry, “You knew that Luna loved him. She came to you with full confidence and asked if it was ok. And then you turned around and started loving him for yourself? How could you take the pony that Luna loved away from her like that?”
“ENOUGH TWILIGHT SPARKLE,” Luna said in her Royal Canterlot Voice that shook the room with its sound, “MY SISTER NEVER LOVED TWIST AND SHE SUPPORTED ME TO LOVE HIM! IT WAS TWIST THAT LOVED HER MORE THAN ME.”
The unicorn, realizing that she had accused her teacher, her friend, and a princess of Equestria of stealing away a pony’s love cowered in fear at the two. At best she would no longer be Celestia’s protégé, and at worse she could be stripped of her element and even banished. She then felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder, urging her to look up. As she did, her eyes met with Princess Celestia’s. The princess didn’t appear upset instead wearing a calm look on her face.
“Oh Princess Celestia, I’m so sorry,” Twilight said, still not moving a muscle out of fear, “I didn’t mean to accuse you like that. I just got wrapped up in the story, that’s all. Please don’t dismiss me as your student or take my element away!”
“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia said, “I am not upset with you. You just got carried away, and that I understand. I would have been upset as well, if I learned of the similar circumstances. So please, rise, and let us continue the story.”
“You mean that you can forgive me?” Twilight asked. “I already have,” Celestia said with a smile as she gave the unicorn a hug.
“Will you forgive me too, Princess Luna?”
“Yes Twilight Sparkle,” the blue princess said, “but only if you forgive me for shouting at you.”
“Of course – and I am sorry,” Twilight said.
“So as my sister said,” Celestia continued, “Twist started to fall in love with me. I admit that I did not know that he loved me, as his advances were at first subtle. Even I back then couldn’t detect them. Now I realize all those flattering comments and questions about me were attempts for him to try and get to know me. Then he tried something more daring.”
The familiar setting of the study where Celestia taught Twist appeared before the two princesses and the unicorn’s eyes. The younger Princess Celestia and Twist were talking and laughing like two old friends sharing a friendly conversation.
“So, you actually said that to the business pony?” Twist said staring longingly into the eyes of his conversation partner.
“Yes,” Celestia said laughing, “and I told him that if he tried to sell inferior quality baked goods again, he would be meeting both my sister and I!”
As laughing distracted the princess, Twist made his move. He suddenly reached in and taking hold of the princess’s head kissed her. It wasn’t a friendly kiss one would give when meeting a pony or saying goodbye. This was a long passionate kiss on the lips that only ponies that were truly in love would share. Celestia’s eyes went wide with surprise as she was kissed by Twist.
“Twist,” she said struggling to break free of his embrace and kissing, “what are you doing?”
“What do you think I’m doing, my love,” Twist said as he resumed kissing her.
“Twist, stop. This isn’t right.”
“Oh, don’t play coy with me. I know you love me as much as I love you. So why even resist?”
“For the last time, let me go this instant!”
“Fine,” Twist said as he released his embrace. Celestia looked over and saw that Luna was in the doorway. She had seen the entire episode and now had a look of utter shock and anger upon her face.
“Luna, it’s not as it seems,” Celestia said.
“How could you?” the younger princess said before turning and trotting down the hall.
“Wait here,” Celestia ordered Twist coldly, “I have a few things to say about your conduct.”
The princess then trotted out of the room and after her distraught sister, hoping that she could find her and undo the damage of that awkward scene before it harmed their relationship for good.
The scene reformed into Princess Luna’s spacious bedroom. The distraught princess was lying on her bed sobbing uncontrollable. Suddenly she heard a familiar voice on the other side.
“Sister, can I please come in,” Celestia’s voice was heard, “I need to tell you something.”
“Go away,” Luna called through her crying.
The door opened and Celestia walked over to her sister. What she had to say clearly overruled privacy.
“Sister, we need to talk. Please, look at me.”
“How could you do that?” Luna said she turned around to her sister with an angry gaze that would strike fear into any pony’s heart, “You know that I love him. I came to you with full confidence and asked if it was ok. You even gave me your blessing and said that you would help me! And then you turn around and start loving him for yourself? How can you take Twist, the pony that I love away from me like that?”
“Luna, Twist doesn’t love you like you love him.”
“Oh sure -- you’re probably saying that because you want him all to yourself!”
The words struck Celestia like a blast of magic. Her eyes became pinpoints at the seething anger that her sister expelled. Celestia appeared as if she was about to break down and cry, but she held herself together and made one more attempt to try to fix things.
“Luna, have you ever know me to be a liar?”
“N-no,” Luna said as she continued crying.
“Have I always been truthful to you and all other ponies, even to the point of being bluntly honest?”
“Yes.”
“So I’m going to tell you the truth now. Then, you can believe it or ignore it and do what you will with it. First of all, know that I love you, sister. I would give my crown, my magic, and even my life for you. Second, know that I have always had your interests at heart in helping you to court Twist. Now I know you are not going to like this, but I am telling you the truth. I’m sorry, but Twist chose to love me. I don’t know how or why, but that was his decision. I do not love him, Luna -- I never have, and I never will. My heart is not fixed on him.”
“Then what did I see in the study?” Luna said more confused than angry.
“We were having a lighthearted moment when suddenly he kissed me. I told him no repeatedly, but he would not stop saying that I was only playing with him. He thought that I was in love with him, no matter what I said.”
“So… he does not love me then,” Luna said.
“I’m afraid not, sister,” Celestia said sitting on the bed, “but you know something? There are other ponies out there that will love you and care for you, so don’t be heartbroken about this. Twist chose whom his heart belonged to, but he doesn’t seem to know that love is a mutual bond -- just like the bond between us.”
“But it’s still so hard,” Luna said, “I’ve never loved another pony like this before!”
“I know sister, I know. But we cannot change who other ponies love or how much they love another, nor should we. Love is the strongest magic around, and cannot be molded around the whim of others. You will have many chances at love in the years to come, and you will feel again that pull on your heart like you did for Twist.”
“I guess you are right,” Luna said with a sigh, “Thank you, Celestia.”
“Are you sure you are ok?”
“Yes, I just need some time to think, but I’ll be fine.”
“Very well, if you need anything, I’ll be here. I have to talk to Twist now, but I will return shortly.”
“Ok sis,” Luna said as Celestia walked out the door, leaving Luna to her thoughts.
The scene changed back to the study. Twist was sitting in the same seat with a proud smile on his face. Twilight felt a shiver down her spine as she watched the scene unfold, as it was that same smile that Discord had when he mercilessly played with her and her friends for his amusement. It was that smile that indicated that he knew what he was doing, that he knew it was wrong, and that he had not one shred of regret or remorse for what he had done.
“You’re back, my love,” Twist said to the younger Celestia, “did you miss me?”
“Twist, we need to talk,” Celestia said with a stern look on her face.
“Oh but what’s the fun in talking? We were getting along so well when we weren’t, you know, when our lips were locked in that passionate kiss.”
“Enough,” Celestia said, her normally calm persona starting to crack, “Twist, I am going to say this only once, and I hope that you heed it well. I cannot, nor will I ever be in love with you. You are just a student, nothing more. Now, I have shown some leniency with you, and indulged in your mirthful ways, but you have crossed the line. You have tried to force me into a relationship that I ddo not want. Even worse, you upset my sister who actually had feelings for you.”
“Oh, but who cares about your bossy sister,” Twist said, “It is you I have feelings for.”
“I care because she is my sister,” Celestia said, “I even agreed that it was a good idea for her to try and court you. I can see that this was a mistake. So now, I am giving you this warning, not just as a friend but as a dear sister and as the ruler of Equestria. You may stay in the castle and be our student for as long as you wish, providing that you do not try to engage either of us in a romantic manner again. Having said this, I suggest that you take some time and seek out a mare within Ponytopia. There are many fine mares that might suit you as a companion.”
“But I don’t want just another mare,” Twist protested, “I want you.”
“That is not an option. Now, I will speak no more of this. I have made my decision. I suggest that you take heed to my warning.”
Without another word, Princess Celestia turned and walked out of the study, leaving a distraught Twist alone with his thoughts as the scene faded to black once more.
“So, obviously Twist didn’t like the fact that you didn’t love him,” Twilight said to Celestia as the blackness disappeared and the three were once more in the study.
“That is correct, my faithful student,” Celestia said, “I believed that my warning to him would be enough to stop his pursuit of me, but it was not. If he didn’t love me, then he would have never committed and became what he did.”
Twilight watched Celestia’s face express a deep sadness.
“Sister, I will not stand by and see you take the entire blame for this,” Luna said as she saw the look on her sister’s face, “We were both deceived.”
“You are right,” Celestia said as she calmed herself with her sister’s words, “we both were. As you can see, Twilight, we may be Princesses, blessed with great wisdom, power, and long life, but we are not without our faults. We laugh, cry, get angry, and even make mistakes just like any other pony in Equestria. That is why I stress upon you so much that you should not become upset when you make a mistake, but learn from it so that you do not repeat the same one.”
“I understand,” Twilight said.
“Now then,” Luna said, “As my sister pointed out, in retrospect we made many mistakes. We spoiled Twist too much with his position as our student. We gave him too much knowledge, beyond that which he could handle. We also showered him with too much affection, so that he became confused, especially with my sister. Yet he should not be left blameless. He took his position, knowledge, and our affections and used it only for himself. Despite our messages to him that he should not feel entitled by the blessings he received, he became so. I guess you can say that his chaotic magic fit his personality as Twist felt that he was somehow above the societal norms, above the law, even above order. The worst part was that to anypony he appeared quite normal. Yet behind the façade, he was planning something darker.”
“Now Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, “What I am about to tell you neither I nor my sister can show in a memory for this is all Twist’s actions, and his alone. We were not able to gather his memories before turning him into stone, and we did not want to risk him using our energy to break free. Therefore, we only can share what memories we had at the time and explain what we learned afterwards.”
A montage of scenes played before Twilight; Twist studying with the younger Celestia and Luna, the three eating together, and the three enjoying their time on the town. It was reminiscent of the scenes when Twist was receiving his early lessons as a colt.
“Now the first thing you must know,” Luna said to Twilight, “is that my sister and I had no idea what Twist was planning. For all intents and purposes, he was as he was before the incident with my sister. In fact he took the news of my sister’s dismissal of his love fairly well as he did not appear angry or saddened. Both the two of us and Twist returned to our normal everyday routine. It took time for my sister and I to recover from what happened, but eventually our worries subsided into calm again.”
“Clearly, this was a lie, as deep down he still harbored feelings for my sister and still felt entitled to her, like an infant foal demanding a toy. To him, it now went beyond just love: Twist felt that he deserved Celestia and that no pony was going to deny him that, not even her. And so, love had slowly corrupted into possessiveness, and unbeknownst to us, Twist began making plans.”
The montage shifted into a scene where Twist was in the study room, the skies outside a midnight blue dotted with stars. He was reading intently a book by candle light when Celestia stepped in.
“Twist, it is late. Why are you up studying at such an hour?”
“I could not sleep Princess, so I am just doing some light reading so that it can help me fall asleep.”
“Well, do try to get some sleep eventually my student. Goodnight and sweet dreams.”
“Goodnight, Princess Celestia,” Twist said with a smile as with a yawn the white princess turned and headed for bed.
“So Twist was spending some nights studying,” Twilight said, “What was he reading? I mean, sometimes I stay up late to study.”
“Yes, but it was not the time that he was studying,” Celestia said, “although it was odd that he suddenly started doing so after the incident with me. It was the content the he was reading that eventually caused concern. For, you see, he was studying, unbeknownst to us, studying very powerful books on magic. These contained spells that in the wrong pony’s hooves could spell disaster. We believed that Twist, on good faith would not study them until he was ready. Furthermore, we believed that even if he did read them, he would be able to do nothing with the spells as they were very complex. Yet his affinity for magic was beyond what a normal pony possessed. In fact he was perhaps the most gifted magic user since Starswirl the Bearded lived --that is, until you came along, Twilight.”
“But what was he looking for?” Twilight asked Celestia.
“He was looking for something, anything, to win my love. I’m sure the thought crossed his mind about casting some love spell, but much can go wrong with love magic. It might target the wrong pony and furthermore my sister or I would know that it was being cast. Sometimes, based on the will of the pony, it may not work at all. It was a chance he was not willing to take. Even with his chaotic mindset, he wanted something solid when it came to his affections.”
“That was when he came up with an idea. He thought that it was that the reason for rejecting his love was not because I did not love him. He believed I did so because I felt I could not love him because he was a normal pony and I a Princess. The fact that I would live longer than him was what he believed for me to not choose him. Of course I didn’t love him, but he was too blind to see that. “
“So what did he do,” Twilight asked.
“The only way he felt that he could be with my sister,” Luna said, “was to become like us.”
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes Twilight. You see, many ponies call us Princesses, as that is our status, but they also use that term as our race. But our true race is called an Alicorn. Now as you may know, an Alicorn is born with the essence of the three pony types. While we share the qualities of these types, we often have an affinity towards one type. I, for example, have an affinity for a Pegasus essence while Luna has more of the essence of a unicorn. Now one is not born an Alicorn, but one can become one. Typically this happens when a pony is chosen and the essence of an Alicorn is transferred to them, making this pony an Alicorn.”
“What happens to the original Alicorn when the do this,” Twilight asks.
“They die, Twilight,” Celestia said, “That is why there are few Alicorns left in Equestria, and why the choice of making a pony an Alicorn is not taken lightly.”
“So if that’s true, then how did Twist think he could become one?”
“Ah, well besides transferring the essence,” Luna said, “there are other magic spells that can do so. But these are very dark, very powerful spells, ones that should not be even attempted as the consequences are dire. If I show you how Twist did so, will you promise me to never seek these spells out, not even to study them… and especially not to use them?”
For a moment, the insatiable drive to learn something new began to well up inside of the purple unicorn. But Twilight quickly suppressed it, as she knew that even attempting the spell would lead to the loss of the Princesses’ trust and even worse, threaten Equestria.
“Yes, I promise not to study or use them,” she finally said.
With a satisfied nod from her sister indicating that she felt it was safe to show Twilight, Luna brought forth another scene. This time Luna and Twist were in the practice room for the stallion’s magic.
“Your magical power and skills have improved, Twist, and so has your control. You are becoming quite an adept at magic.”
“Thank you, Luna. I could not have done it without you.”
Twist then paused as if he was deep in thought and then spoke again.
“Luna, may I ask you a question about magic?”
“Twist, you know you can come to me with any question you may have. So, what is your question?”
“I was reading a book about the spells of Starswirl the Bearded, and I came across the Desired Image Spell. But it was such a complex spell, so can you tell me about it?”
The younger Luna knew the spell very well and she felt unease in the fact that Twist had discovered it.
“Twist, the Desired Image Spell is a very powerful spell. It should not be attempted by anypony, not even one as adept as you. Neither I nor my sister would ever think about using it.”
“I understand, but I just want to know about it, for theorys’ sake.”
Luna paused, thinking about if she should disclose the information to Twist about such a powerful spell.
“Ok, I will tell you this as long as you promise that you will not study further into it and especially not attempt it. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Twist said as he shook the Princess’s hoof.
“Now the Desired Image Spell is much like a shape shifting spell, but it is vastly more powerful. The reason behind this is that it is fueled not just by regular magic, but by love as well. Love, as you know, is the most powerful magic in existence. What the spell does, in theory, is it transforms the target into the form of the one that they desire. So, for example, say an earth pony loves a unicorn and wants to become one. The spell would make the pony into a unicorn. They would not only retain the physical form of the type chosen but the powers as well. So in the example an earth pony would be able to cast magic like a unicorn in their new unicorn form. Now the ability of the transformed will be less than a pony who was born a certain type. So say a pony becomes a Pegasus. Their flying will not be as great as one who was born a Pegasus.”
“So how does one do this spell?”
“Well, one has to collect the blood of all three pony types and the other sentient race types of griffon and dragon. Also, something of the pony one loves, like a hair from their mane is needed to complete the spell.”
“What about a zebra? Why are they not included in the spell?”
“The zebras are in their own lands and therefore their magic is not factored into that of Equestria. But with the blood combined and the spell cast the pony will become the form and abilities of the type of whom they desire. Now there is a great consequence, even beyond that of becoming a different form. If the other pony does love the one who was changed, the spell will become permanent and the pony will remain in that form. If however the pony does not love the one who is changed, the spell will backfire.”
“What happens if the spell backfires?”
“I don’t know. Not even Starswirl the Bearded knew, nor do I think he wanted to find out.”
“So I have one last question about this spell then. Can a pony in theory become a griffon if they love one?”
“I supposed they can,” Luna said, “Although it does not explicitly say.”
“What about say an Alicorn such as you? Can a pony in theory become one?”
“Well becoming an Alicorn would be a very complex process and it would be very painful. It is like dying and being reborn into a new body. Even if a pony can survive the transformation, they still might not be able to cope with the increase in power. But I suppose that it might be possible for a pony to do so. But Twist, do not even attempt to learn such a forbidden spell. It is dangerous in that it meddles with love and it completely alters what a pony was meant to be. And in the wrong hooves, this spell could prove disastrous to the target and all that they know.”
“Oh, trust me, this is only for my knowledge,” Twist said, “You have my word.”
The scene then faded into nothing as the two Princesses and the unicorn returned to the present.
“And now I think that we shall leave the story there,” Luna said, “You can guess what happened next, but there is still a little more to show you Twilight. But for now, let us rest for the day and have dinner. Tomorrow my sister and I shall conclude the story.”
The next day Twilight was ready for the last part of her lesson on the origins of Discord. By now she knew what led to the reasons why a seemingly ordinary pony decided to radically change his form and his life. It was a reason as old as time and one that caused many ponies to act in ways that were different than their normal routines, sometimes to the point of being considered irrational. It was love, that ever-present force that affected the lives and minds of ponies throughout the ages.
Yet although love in and of itself was a wonderful, powerful force, in the wrong hooves it could easily be corrupted into obsession and the sacrificing of everything and everypony in one’s life to blindly chase an obsession. Such was the case of Twist, who could not and would not see that in his pursuit of Princess Celestia, he was causing great problems in the name of love. This was especially true as he kept his obsession, even after the Princess rejected his advances, to the point that he made his own truth and followed through with a desperate and dangerous attempt to regain his ‘love’.
But there were still some missing pieces to the story that the unicorn awaited from the Princesses, and today she hoped to learn everything, once and for all, about what happened. After breakfast, she went to the study with the Princesses.
“So, Twilight,” Princess Celestia said, “Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes,” Twilight replied, as she was eager to learn the remainder of the story. It was like she was back when she first became Celestia’s student, each day filled with golden knowledge being given to her by a pony of such power and majesty. It was humbling to her then as it was now that she was the recipient of such wisdom.
“You have heard how Twist sought to win over my love with a dangerous spell that would change his appearance into that of the type of creature that he loved. You remember what was needed for the spell, right Twilight?”
“Yes, it was the blood of every pony type and that of a dragon and a griffon,” Twilight recited, “and also something of the pony that one loves, like a hair.”
“Correct on both parts,” Celestia said, “and that was exactly what he did. Many evenings after dinner, Twist left the castle and ventured out into the city. My sister and I thought nothing of this and actually were pleased that he was doing so. We thought that he was just enjoying the city more; something that we hoped would clear his mind and calm him. The fact that much of his life was spent in the castle, either with us or by his choice, was not healthy for a pony. He needed to go out and meet more ponies without being with us. I admit that I also hoped that in his outings, he would make friends and perhaps even find a suitable companion to fall in love with. This would not only make him happy but it would forever close any feelings he had for me.”
“He wasn’t doing that, was he,” Twilight said, “He wasn’t looking for friends or love.”
“No Twilight,” Luna said, “He was not. Shortly after he began making his outings, there were reports from the city guard about murders. Now as it was then just like as it is today, murders are very rare in Equestria. This is especially true in a capital city where there is a very well trained guard. It was no wonder that in Ponytopia there was so much fear surrounding these murders in a city that was deemed to be the safest place to live in the entire kingdom.”
The scene flashed to the throne room in Ponytopia where Princess Luna sat on her throne in front of several ponies. From the look on the faces of the crowds, there was much worry and fear.
“Night Court is now in session,” a pony dressed in armor announced, “The Princess of the Night, her Royal Highness, Princess Luna, will now hear your concerns.”
A pink Pegasus pony appeared and bowed to the Princess.
“Please state your name and your occupation,” Luna said.
“My name is Lily of the Valley and I am a stay at home mother.”
“What questions or concerns do you have?”
“I heard about the murder in the city, and my husband and I are deeply afraid. You see, the murder of that earth pony happened just a block from our house. We knew the pony that died. He was a kind stallion who worked at a candy store and would always give free candy to my two foals when we visited. Now I’m afraid for my husband who walks to work every day past where the murder took place, and I’m afraid that my little ones are not safe.”
The younger Luna looked into the fearful eyes of the mare. It was the same look she and her sister had seen every day since the murder took place. There were no queries about land disputes, taxes, or festivals any more. All that was discussed not in these court sessions was that shattering of the safety of the city.
“Who else here shares in the concerns of this mare about the murder that took place?”
Suddenly every hoof in the throne room went up revealing a sea of doubt and fear.
“I know you are all worried about what has taken place, but I can assure you my sister and I are aggressively pursuing the matter. We have doubled our security presence, especially in the evening. We are also actively pursuing any tips that ponies may have concerning that night. I must assure you that this city is as safe as it has always been and I want everypony to rest assured that there will not be another murder like this again and…”
Luna’s words were cut short when a royal guard approached her and whispered in her ear. The Princess’s expression changed from a neutral one to one of shock, something that was not lost on those present in the throne room.
“I’m sorry ponies of Ponytopia in attendance, but I must prematurely end this Night Court session. I and my sister have a matter of grave importance to attend to.”
With the citizens leaving with looks of wonder, lingering doubt, and questions unanswered, Luna immediately left the throne room in haste.
“What happened,” Twilight said as the scene faded away.
“There was another murder,” Luna said, “This time it was a Pegasus who was returning home after he was visiting some friends. A few days later, a unicorn was killed after she was taking an evening stroll in the park. In a week’s time, there were three murders, more than the number of murders that had happened since the founding of Ponytopia. After those events, life changed in Ponytopia. Ponies were afraid to go out in the evening and if they did they made sure to go in groups. The concerns were so overwhelming that my sister and I had to stop all court sessions. Guards unceasingly patrolled the street. It was as if the city was under siege by an unknown assailant.”
“Were you afraid forTwist being out there?”
“Of course my sister and I were,” Celestia said, “It was not only that we cared about him. We also realized that if any pony knew that he was our student, they might try to hold him for ransom or worse. But as much as we pleaded with him not to go, he was confident that he would not get hurt. After the murder of the three ponies, the city slowly returned to peace again. Still my sister and I could not find who committed the murders. Thankfully though, life returned to normal, or so we thought. A week later an ambassador from the Griffon Kingdom arrived to discuss peace agreements between their country and ours. She decided to take in the nightlife of the city, and that was when she was also murdered. This brought forth the fears again of the unknown murderer, but it also threatened the balance between our kingdom and the Griffon Kingdom.”
“So that makes the three pony types and the griffon,” Twilight said, “How did Twist find the dragon?”
“Well, it just so happened that the Great Dragon Migration was happening, a perfect time to find a dragon,” Luna said, “Unfortunately his plan didn’t go as smoothly as he expected.”
A new scene formed, this time of a hospital. The young Princesses burst through the doors, causing the doctors and nurses to immediately stop and bow in respect.
“Where is Twist,” Celestia demanded in a nervous tone.
“He’s in Room 11, your Majesties,” one doctor said, “I will take you to him.”
The three made their way to the room where Twist lay on the bed. There were bandages on his legs and body and one around his head.
“What happened,” Luna said as she looked at her injured student.
“Twist was found by one of the gate guards a half hour ago and was immediately brought here. He suffered several deep cuts and bruises which indicate that he was mauled by a dragon.”
“Dragon?” Celestia said, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, your Majesties. The cuts were clearly made by something that had claws and was large enough to be a dragon.”
“Keep him safe,” Luna said, “I want the best care for him. I and my sister will be visiting him frequently to check on his progress.”
“Yes, your majesties.”
“So you can see,” the older Princess Luna said as the scene faded away, “Twist, in his desperation to finish the gathering of the spell components, almost perished that night. He made up a story that he was studying them and got too close. which I believed. It wasn’t the first time that a pony was hurt while being too curious of dragons.”
“And the hair,” Twilight said.
“That was the easy part,” Celestia said, “He could have found that anywhere in the castle where I had been. So, after the dragon incident, Twist stayed in the castle to recover. Now, with his quest done, and with the components needed, he was about to change the very fabric of his life, the lives of my sister and I, and the fate of Equestria.”
“Now you have seen the lengths that Twist went through to try and win my heart,” Celestia said to her student, “The cruelest thing that in all that he was doing, the deception, the study of forbidden knowledge, and of course those brutal murders-- he felt no pity or remorse for his actions. In his mind, everything he was doing was right, not for others but for himself. That, my faithful student, was Twist’s fatal flaw. We all have flaws to our personalities. Some are just little quirks that appear and cause a mild annoyance to the pony or others. Others are major problems that when left unchecked or fixed can become dangerous. Twist’s was his entitlement, his feeling that somehow the world owed him much, that he deserved to get what he wanted. When he didn’t get what he wanted, he would not accept it but try to circumvent whatever or whoever was denying him. Now part of this was the doing of my sister and I, to take him from nothing and shower him with luxuries that many ponies could never experience. But in the end it was the way he saw the world that was the ultimate problem.”
“Now, about Twist,” Luna chimed in, “Twist suddenly vanished. My sister and I naturally were worried about him, fearing that he had died at the hooves of the murderer. We had all guards on patrol comb the streets and alleyways to seek him out. They questioned the ponies in the city and covered the streets with missing pony posters. But what we did not know was that Twist did not want to be found. He was so close to his goal, his triumph, that he did not want anything or any pony stopping him.”
Luna paused to catch her breath before continuing the story as Twilight waited anxiously to learn what happened.
“My sister and I learned after the fact that Twist had, over the nights, set up a makeshift residence in a cave within the forest. The cave was so cleverly hidden that not even the guards who passed through to try and find Twist could spot it. It was here, with all the components and the spell book ready that he completed his ritual to become the form of what he loved: an alicorn. My sister and I do not know exactly what happened that night, but I can only tell you that it was painful beyond imagination. It can be likened to a body being torn apart and reassembled while the pony is still awake. The transformation is not quick either, lasting several hours. This further makes the process excruciating. Even though my transformation happened over a millennium ago, I still remember the painful hours that passed by that felt like days.”
“Then one morning, he returned,” Luna said as she used her magic to bring forth another memory into view. The two younger sisters were sitting in a parlor when suddenly a guard appeared panting heavily as if he had ran the entire way from wherever he was stationed to the room.
“Princess Celestia and Luna, we have found Twist and he is unharmed. He arrived at the castle a few minutes ago.”
“You found him,” Princess Luna said, “Oh most wonderful of news.”
“There is something unusual that has happened thought,” the guard said, as if unable to explain what.
“Something,” Celestia said curiously, “What has happened to him?”
“Well…”
“No need to explain,” a familiar voice was suddenly heard behind the guard, “After all I think seeing this will be enough.”
With that a grey alicorn with a black mane and tail and blue eyes appeared, pushing the guard out of his way like he was a mere toy.
“Twist,” Luna said, “Is that you?”
“Who did you think it was?”
“What have you done,” Celestia said in a mixture of amazement and anger.
“Isn’t it obvious, my dear? I realized after you did not accept my love that there could be only one explanation.”
“And that was?”
“I knew, Celestia, that you could not love me as a normal unicorn, so that is why I decided to make a change. I hope you like it, my dear. Oh, and the power I feel! Now I can do any magic that I want without breaking a sweat. Observe.”
With a glow of his horn, Twist lifted a couch in the room and spun it as if it was as light as paper before placing it down.
“The flying also is a nice trait too,” he said as he unfurled his wings and hovered in the air for a few seconds before setting down.
“And I have the thanks of you two that have helped make this possible.”
“And how did we do that,” Luna demanded.
“Well your sister, Celestia, was so kind enough to allow me access to the study room those sleepless nights for me to find a certain spell. You’ve probably heard of it: The Desired Image Spell by Starswirl the Bearded. And I have your thanks too Luna for giving me the information behind the spell. And yes, it was just for theoretical purposes at first until I decided to use it.”
“You mean to tell me that those murders in town were due to you,” Celestia said with a look of disgust.
“Oh, but murder is such a negative word. I’d prefer ‘a means to an end’. It sounds so much nicer that way.”
“How could you,” Celestia said angrily at him, “How could you murder those individuals for some sick need to power a spell you cast on yourself?”
“This is the thanks I get for going through all the trouble for making me what I am? You know that I did this all for you, so that we could be together.”
“You did this only for yourself,” Celestia said coldly.
“Oh come now, Princess, you knew that deep in your heart that you loved me. Even when you did that little rejection speech, I know that it was just a façade. Now that I’m an alicorn just like you, there’s nothing standing in our way of being together.”
“Enough,” Celestia shouted with such a force that surprised even her sister, “I’ve told you once, and I will tell you again. I do not love you, Twist. I never have and I never will. Not even this stunt you did will make me change my mind. In fact this has made me like you even less. You have murdered innocent civilians as well as an ambassador from the Griffon Kingdom and a dragon all for your own sick little game. You care about nothing but yourself. Heed my words Twist, I am not something you can own, and you will never have my heart.”
With that Celestia and Luna stood, their long shadows darkening the grey alicorn and their faces locked in disgust.
“Twist,” Princess Celestia said, “You are accused of the murder of three ponies within the city limits as well as a griffon ambassador, crimes of which have the sentence of death. However, considering your connection to us, we are willing to offer some leniency. Therefore, my sister and I hereby banish you from Equestria. We strip you of your position of our student and our friend and sever our adoption with you. We will offer no courtesies that were provided to you with these titles. You will be provided with provisions and escorted out of the city. If you show your face in the land or commit such a despicable act on its soil, then we will have no choice but to punish you severely. Now pack your things and prepare for your departure.”
With that the two sisters turned their backs on Twist, no longer speaking or even acknowledging him. It was as if they had never met him those years ago in the orphanage, never trained him in magic, and never treated him as a member of the family. With a mixture of anger and sadness, Twist left the room to pack for his impending exile.
“So you exiled Twist from the castle and from Equestria,” Twilight said trying to keep the events in her mind in their proper order, “Did he go quietly?”
“Surprisingly, yes,” Luna replied, as she thought about the events, “Of course, Twist was upset that not only was his love rejected a second time, he now had to leave the place he called home. It was the right choice, though, as anypony else would be crying out for his death. His exile, we hoped, would punish him enough while showing him some mercy. We also hoped that his exile would be enough to convince him to abandon his pursuit of my sister.”
“And let me guess,” Twilight said, “Things didn’t go as planned.”
“No, they did not,” Princess Celestia said, “Then, Twist left and we heard nothing about him. It was as if he vanished into the wind. As the weeks passed, we attended to other matters of our royal duties, yet we still thought about him, wondering if he was all right. We were also wondering about the spell that he had cast on himself, the Desired Image Spell. Now, as you know, most spells do not last forever. Their time is finite and easily can be broken. Furthermore, every spell has its consequence, not only for the caster but the target. There is one final thing that you probably know from my teachings and your research -- that the more powerful the spell, the more powerful and the greater the possibility of a backlash. What was soon discovered was that the Desired Image Spell had a flaw, where if after the spell was completed, the one whose form was copied rejected the caster’s love, the caster would change back. Not even Starswirl the Bearded knew what would happen, and he dared not try the effects of the backlash out on anypony, much less attempt the spell. I’m sure you could guess what the backlash was of the Desired Image Spell.”
“You mean that the spell caused him to look like that,” Twilight answered with a shock.
“Yes Twilight,” Luna said, “The spell apparently when it backlashed gave the caster the traits of the creatures in the surrounding area whose blood was used in its casting . That is why Discord looks like an amalgam of creature types. I would also guess that the transformation into his current form was not quick. It probably took a long time as his form shifted from the handsome Alicorn shape to that monstrous figure. He probably didn’t have time to even enjoy being an Alicorn and the attention it gave him.”
“The backlash didn’t affect just his body,” Luna continued, “It also affected his mind. Twist was already unstable due to his rampant sense of entitlement, and the rejection of his love. That is why he didn’t do anything when leaving; he was too much in shock. When his body began to change, he then lost all sanity. In his mind, he equated the cause for ruining his body and his life to my sister and me. But Twist did not stop there. He saw us as the embodiment of order, the thing that prevented him from doing whatever he chose to do, and what led to his exile. So, instead of loving us, he chose instead to hate us and everything that we stood for. And that was when he attacked.”
“At first, the occurrences were seemingly random,” Celestia said, “There were one or two incidents on the border of Equestria which had no pattern or reason. It was mainly things being changed into something different, cases which sounded more like pranking than of a serious nature. In hindsight, I believe that this was Twist testing his powers. You see, when he became an Alicorn, he received only a fraction of ones’ power. Even when the spell backfired, that power was still there, and with Twist’s ability to warp reality, you can see the trouble that was coming.”
“It was then that a shift occurred where the seemingly random attacks became more concentrated and focused, weaving their way from the edge of Equestria closer to Ponytopia. The events were more numerous as well, as Twist sowed his chaos with every town he traveled to. Of course, we did not know it was him. My sister and I believed it to be an army responsible for such chaos. I think we somehow did not want to believe that Twist had gone this far.”
“The reports from Equestria were disturbing. We heard whole towns corrupted into some sick mockery, businesses ruined, and townsfolk left in panic. They all claimed that there was some kind of monster who walked the streets doing this. My sister had our share of monsters we had to fight and defeat, but up until that point none compared to what was traveling towards Ponytopia. The worst was that Twist had the ability to corrupt ponies, bringing out the worst in them and completely inverting their personalities. Those who were caring, became spiteful, the happy depressed, the strong weak. When you mentioned what had happened to you and your friends, I was not surprised as I’ve seen it happen before. That is why I sent your past Friendship Reports to you, to help you remember who you are so that you could help your friends.”
Twilight Sparkle had always wondered how Princess Celestia knew that she and her friends were in trouble. At the time it seemed it was unimportant, as her main goal was to help return her friends to normal and defeat Discord. Yet as the time passed after that event, she wondered about those letters being sent. At first she thought it was a safeguard for Twilight to have those letters sent and that the fact she received them when she needed it the most was mere coincidence. But it seemed that Celestia had this planned out, knowing that her friends may be affected by Discord’s machinations.
“So, Discord corrupted the towns and the citizens. Did he do anything to you two or Ponytopia?”
“Yes Twilight,” Luna said, “When the reports of something attacking the towns of Equestria and heading towards Ponytopia came to us, we understandably took great measures. We sent many guards out in the direction of the threat to stop it at all cost. Yet with every wave, Twist merely tossed them aside like they were toys, or corrupted them so they could not fight. Even with such overwhelming odds against him at times, Discord just laughed and defeated them swiftly and mercilessly. We were unprepared to handle such a threat, as Equestria was fairly peaceful, and as such our army was small. Many scholars would write about this time as the Discord War or the War Between Order and Chaos, but I disagree. It wasn’t a war, it was a massacre.”
Finally, we could not deny the truth any longer. Twist had become this creature of chaos bent on revenge. In his mind there was one goal, to destroy harmony and order at its core in Ponytopia. Then, as the dust had settled from the skirmishes in the other towns, he came to Ponytopia unopposed and ready to face us.”
“Now you have heard how Twist became the monster Discord,” Luna said, “This story is almost over, but there is one final piece that must be shown before my sister and I conclude. You know, Twilight, that Discord was defeated by the Elements of Harmony the first time, just like he was by you and your friends. The historians, although they tried their best, failed to describe the gravity of the situation. Defeating Discord was harder than simply using the Elements on him, harder than even we could imagine.”
“Now what you need to understand about the Elements,” Celestia said to her student, “is that when we were in control of them, half of them were used by Luna and half by me. This was determined not by us but by the Elements themselves to share the power and promote unity.”
“But what about when you used them on…” Twilight quickly halted as for a split second she forgot that Luna was in the room. “That was an exception to the rule and went against the wishes of the Elements. But that’s a story for another time. What I can say is that Discord knew about the Elements of Harmony and their power. What scared him the most was the possibility of another pony having greater power than him.”
“How did Discord know,” Twilight said.
“I told him in my teaching,” Luna said, “We were studying magical artifacts for the day. Observe.”
A scene appeared with Twist younger and still in his original unicorn form sitting at a desk in Luna’s magic classroom.
“Now the next set of magical artifacts that I will discuss are the Elements of Harmony,” the younger Princess Luna said to her student, “There are six Elements: Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic. Separately, they are powerful, but when used together, they can defeat many evils of the world that threaten its harmony. Now the Elements themselves select a Bearer who best represents a certain quality. Today, my sister possesses the Elements of Honesty, Kindness, and Generosity while I possess the Elements of Loyalty, Laughter, and Magic.”
“So you see,” Luna said as the image faded away, “that he remembered that lesson with me when he assaulted Ponytopia. He knew that no magic other than ours and the Elements could stop him, and he was going to make sure that they would not be used.”
A new image appeared that was quite different from that of the pleasant study scent between Luna and Twist. Twilight and the two princesses were now observing from a balcony of the castle, overlooking the city. Once used as a place to raise and lower the sun and moon and to address the citizens of Ponytopia, it had become a place to watch the events that were happening. Buildings were being changed into strange objects or just disappearing entirely. Ponies were running away in fear, desperately trying to get away from the spreading chaos. All the while, the two young princesses could hear the unmistakable laughter of Twist as he leisurely made his way towards the castle unhindered and victorious.
“Luna,” the younger Celestia said, trying to remain calm but clearly filled with anger, sadness and terror, “Go get your Elements.”
“Sister, isn’t there anything else we can do to stop him?”
“No, Luna. I know he is… was our student, but we cannot just let him destroy what we’ve worked so hard to build and maintain: a haven of harmony where no pony should feel afraid. Believe me when I say that I’ve considered every other option, but I know none can work to stop him. He is now too strong.”
“I understand,” Luna said, “I’ll go get them.”
“Meet me in the throne room where we will end this once and for all.”
With that Luna turned and galloped away from the balcony, before Celestia did the same to find her Elements. “And so, the two of us split up to find our Elements,” Celestia said, “Yet what we did not know was that Discord was waiting for us to do just that.”
The Princess of the Sun turned to her sister with a look of care and concern.
“Luna, are you ready to show Twilight what happened? I know that this has caused you harm that you still have yet to completely recover from, so I’m leaving the choice up to you. If you want to just tell your story, that will be fine.” “No sister,” Luna said, “I think Twilight will benefit from what I experienced.”
With that Luna gathered her strength and steeled her mind as she produced a memory image for the three of them. They were now looking at the catacombs under the castle where Luna was galloping to collect her pieces of the Elements of Harmony. On an inconspicuous part of the stone wall, the Princess of the moon searched for a carving of a crescent moon. Finding it, she touched her horn to the moon, and an outline of a door was traced in blue magic aura. Moments later, the new door opened, revealing an ornate wooden box containing the Elements.
Luna hastily collected the three stones and turned to head back towards the throne room when she heard an echoing laughter that shook her to the core.
“Who’s there,” Luna demanded, “Show yourself!”
“Oh but what would be the fun in that,” the voice said.
“Twist, is that you?”
“Twist is no more. He died when you and your precious sister cast him out of Equestria. But in dying he was reborn into something more, something better. And that, dear Princess is me! Therefore, call me by my new name: Discord. It has a nice ring to it.”
“What do you want?”
“It’s not about what I want -- it’s about what you want.”
“What I want? What do you mean by this?”
“Oh come now dear! Are you so blind to the truth, blind with what your sister has been doing to you?”
“My sister has been nothing but loving and kind to me, something that you know nothing about.”
“That is all a façade, dear Luna, and a clever one at that. In reality, your sister has you trapped under her hoof, just where she wants you. Face it, dear Princess Celestia doesn’t want to share her power with any pony. Not even you.”
“Lies! How dare you say such slanderous things to me about her?”
“Think about it: during the day, the ponies of Ponytopia are out living their lives to their heart’s content, enjoying the sun that your sister is known for. But what happens when you bring out your glorious night? Oh that’s right, the ponies go to sleep! They don’t even recognize your talent. All they do is look up to her and her sun. Even in the pageants and proclamations they see only her. You are nothing but a ghost. And that’s what your sister wants: all the attention and all the glory. And as long as she keeps feeding you empty lies about how you are equal with her and you naively swallow them, she has you just where she wants: subservient to her!”
“No, no! You’re lying! I cannot believe this! I refuse to believe this.”
“Oh but you see, you already are,” Discord said as he appeared behind the trembling Princess, “The seed had been planted, and now I will help it grow.”
And with that, Discord touched Luna on her forehead and her body began to turn a dark grey like the stones of the catacombs. Luna desperately tried to fight it with all of her might and all of her magic, but her mind could not forget what Discord had said. And with doubt in her mind distracting her, her horn, the last bit of her body left uncorrupted turned grey.
The scene abruptly ended as Luna collapsed to the floor, lightly sobbing.
“Luna,” Princess Celestia said as she ran to her sister with Twilight looking on, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let you share that.”
“It’s ok… sister,” Luna said softly, “It needed to be shown. I just need to rest here for a moment. Finish the story for Twilight. She needs to know how it ends.”
Celestia lifted her sister up with her magic and placed her on the couch to be more comfortable as she recovered.
Princess Celestia, after tending to her emotionally drained sister, turned towards her student. Twilight stood frozen in amazement at what she had seen, both from the memory and what happened to Luna. Knowing that Discord had the power to corrupt a Princess made the unicorn understand a question that had been buried in her mind ever since she and her friends had faced Discord. There had been part of her that questioned how Discord was able to so easily turn her and friends into their corrupted forms. But now, she realized how she had underestimated his power, just as the younger Luna had in that memory.
“Twilight,” Celestia said, “Are you all right?”
“Oh,” she said, snapping out of her thoughts, “yes, I’m fine. How’s Luna?”
“She will be fine. The memory that she showed us was very emotionally taxing for her.”
“Why was it so bad?”
“Even now, Luna blames herself for letting her guard down. She feels that she could have done something – anything -- to prevent Discord from taking advantage of her. I think that, after all these centuries, that there is still a part of her that thinks that she failed me and almost doomed Equestria. That, and the fact that she became Nightmare Moon, have taken its toll upon her mind and heart. I hope that in time she will learn to forgive herself. But I digress. Now I will show you how this story ends and how, against all odds, we defeated Discord.”
With a glow of her horn, Celestia revealed another scene. Twilight found herself back in the throne room where a younger princess Celestia paced nervously back and forth.
“Where is she?” she asked, looking towards the opening where she expected at any second to see her sister appearing. By the look on her face, it was obvious she knew that something was terribly wrong, as she knew her sister would never dawdle with such an important task.
“Hello, Celestia,” a familiar voice said as a shadowy silhouette appeared in the opening.
“Twist,” she said angrily, “What have you done to my sister?”
“That’s no way to treat a familiar acquaintance,” he said with a chuckle, “and the name isn’t Twist anymore. Don’t you remember how you sent him away to die, alone outside the borders of Equestria? Well, now I have returned, and with this new form I decided that a new name was in order. I now call myself Discord: it has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“Where is my sister,” Celestia said with an angry tone that seemed to echo like thunder throughout the vaulted room.
“She’s right here,” Discord said with a smile as he stepped aside. What Celestia saw made her gasp. There Luna stood, but not the bright and cheerful sister that she knew and loved. This one was grey in both her appearance and her emotion. Her head hung low as if some unbearable weight was on her shoulders.
“Luna, speak to me! What happened?”
The younger sister looked up at her sister, and all Celestia could see was pure sadness and anger in her eyes. It was as if the flame of joy had been snuffed out in the princess, replaced by only darkness.
“What did you do to her, you monster?” Celestia said as she turned towards Discord.
“I told her the truth -- that you wanted to be the only ruler of Equestria, and that you have you’re your dear sister hostage so that your glory would never be diminished by anypony. Not even her.”
“How dare you feed her such lies,” Celestia said, “you know that I would give my kingdom -- even my life -- for her.”
“Ah well, I’m so glad you said that,” Discord said as he merrily strolled towards Luna’s throne and sat in it, “You know that I could do the same thing to you that I did to your precious little sister. But I, being a merciful lord, choose not to. Despite your countless rejections, I still have feelings for you. And so, I offer you a choice.”
“A choice,” Celestia said, “what choice could you possibly have for me?”
“It’s simple really. Choose the throne or choose your sister. If you choose the throne, you can rule with me: order and chaos side by side. You sister will be cared for, of course, but you will never see her again. Or, you can choose your precious Luna and relinquish the throne and all your power to me. But of course then you and your sister will be banished. I would see to curing her however. After all, why upset the happy family?”
Twilight watched as Celestia looked at the sister that she loved and at Discord lounging on her sister’s throne. It appeared as if her mind was doing battle between her duty to protect Equestria and her duty as a sister. She couldn’t bear to see the kingdom she worked so hard to create fall to chaos, and she couldn’t bear to see her sister in this depressed, lifeless, joyless state.
“Take your time,” Discord said, “for you see, I win either way.” With that the creature gave a maniacal laugh that was tinged with the sweet taste of victory.
Celestia collapsed to the ground as she took hold of her sister. She hugged her as tears welled up into the Princess of the Sun’s eyes.
“Awww…. Such a touching scene,” Discord said as he magically produced a tub of popcorn as if he was a spectator to a show.
“Luna, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry if I did not listen to you. I’m sorry for the times I was not there. I’m sorry for what he did to you. I miss you so much, little sister. I’m lost without you. Now I have to either lose you or the kingdom and it tears me apart doing either of those things. I just wish you would come back to me. Please come back Luna. I love you.”
Celestia closed her eyes and curled up with her sister, resting her head next to hers. She began to cry uncontrollably as tears rained down upon the Princess of the Night. Yet, unbeknownst to Princess Celestia at the time, as the tears of the princess fell upon her sister it seemed to slowly wash away the grey and clear the mind of the princess.
“I love you too, big sister,” a soft voice was heard by Princess Celestia that made her eyes open with a shock. She looked down in amazement to see that Princess Luna was back to her normal self.
“Luna, are you ok,” Celestia said softly so as not to attract Discord’s attention.
“Yes, sister, I’m fine. Let’s finish this once and for all.”
“This scene is too boring,” Discord said careening his next to get a better view, “Have you made your decision yet, Princess.” “As a matter of fact I did,” Celestia said as she stood up defiantly.
Discord’s face turned from a look of victory to one of pure surprise as he saw Princess Luna, now uncorrupted, standing up as well.
“Actually, we did,” Luna said looking at her sister then back to Discord.
“No,” he shouted, jumping off Luna’s throne and facing the two, “This can’t be happening!”
“But it is,” Celestia said, “After giving it some thought, I have decided not to accept any of your choices.”
“In fact,” Luna said, “My sister and I have a third choice for you. We will have our love, our kingdom, and our harmony. And you will have nothing!”
“So you really think you can defeat me,” Discord said with a smile, “Do you realize how powerful I now am. Ponytopia lies in ruins because of me! What makes you think that any magic you have will defeat me?”
“Because we have help,” Celestia said coldly, “from the Elements of Harmony!”
Suddenly the six Elemental stones appeared from the Princesses, encircling them and lifting them off the floor. Discord could only watch frozen in terror at what was taking place. All his plotting and victories and his dreams of ruling Equestria in the name of chaos were about to be shattered, and there was nothing he could do to stop what was to happen. The elements began to whirl about the two princesses, forming a bubble of pure energy as they floated in the air. Then suddenly the six stones in unison fired a colored beam of magic towards the center, producing a rainbow beam that was directed towards one target.
Discord cried out in pain as the energy of the Elements struck his body. He could only watch as slowly his body began to be encased in stone. He tried to move, to somehow escape his fate. But as the stone engulfed him, he knew that he had lost. With a deafening thud, the statue that was once Discord crashed to the ground in a fitting tribute to his reign of terror. The bubble around the Princesses then expanded outward, through the walls of the castle and outward into the surrounding city, restoring it from its chaos. Finally the two Princesses returned to the ground as the Elements became dormant. The two looked upon the statue that was once Discord, partly amazed that they had defeated him and happy that Equestria was free from his power.
“We did it,” Luna said.
“Yes we did, sister,” Celestia, “but there is much work to be done before Ponytopia is at peace again. Come, let us go to the balcony so that the citizens know that we are safe and Discord has been defeated.”
The scene then faded back to the familiar study in the castle at Canterlot.
“So now you know what happened,” Celestia said, “Through love and the power of the Elements of Harmony, Discord was defeated and Equestria was saved. Yet, it still took time for Ponytopia to be fully restored, and for its citizens to be at peace once more. Then, there was Luna. Although Discord was defeated, the seed of his corruption still existed deep within her mind. And that corruption would lead to another time of sorrow, when she became Nightmare Moon and I had to make a painful decision. But that is another story for another time.”
“Have you finished the story, sister?” Luna asked as she rose from the couch.
“Yes Luna, I have. How are you feeling?”
“Much better now, thank you. So Twilight, have you learned anything from what happened?”
“I actually learned many lessons. First, do not let others intimidate you into doing something you are against. Second, beware of trying to achieve too much power until you learn to successfully control it. Last, but most important of all, always follow your heart and never forget the true love that you have for others such as your friends and family.”
“Those are wise things to remember,” Celestia said with a smile, “But just in case you do forget part of this story sometime in your busy life, I took the liberty of copying this story down for you. You may certainly share it with your friends so that they may know the truth about what happened long ago as well.”
With that, the Princess used her magic and brought forth from a shelf a book, giving it to Twilight.
“Thank you, both of you, so much for sharing this story,” said Twilight.
“You are very welcome,” Luna replied. “Now, I think that after such a stressful story, we should indulge ourselves. How about we see if there are any pastries in the kitchen to partake of? What do you say sister?”
“That would be wonderful,” Celestia said, “Will you join us Twilight?”
“Yes, I think I can go for something sweet,” she said as she followed the two Princesses out of the study, bound together by sisterly love, as it was in the past, and how it should be for all time.
