> Discord's Final Wish
>  by BaleonRosen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Boredom
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Once again I am bored,” sighed Discord, scratching absent-mindedly at his chin. He sat upon his self-made throne, protruding from the stone floor of his cave.

There was no-one around to talk to, so why he decided to say that out loud, he didn’t know. 
“It’s probably because I wish someone could hear me,” he said.

Stretching his legs and arms he walked towards the ‘window’ he had made in his mountain cave. In reality, it was just a hole that had been made during one of his experiments, one that involved fire and different kinds of explosive materials, but he couldn’t be bothered to fix it. He had simply covered it with a bit of cloth to keep the sunlight out.
“It adds a little bit more chaos to the room,” he said, though no-one was there to hear his statement.

The spirit sat back down on his throne of stones and yawned. Closing his eyes, he started to think of the last time he had fun. 


-----


It was many decades (or was it centuries?) ago, after being released from his stone imprisonment again. Those blasted ponies that held the Elements of Harmony had finally withered away or been otherwise dispatched, and Discord was once again free.

Discord started his chaotic overthrow of Equestria by changing the weather all over it, making it rain fire and making the sun’s rays cold. It had only lasted for two days, but it was long enough to drive a wedge between the pegasi and the unicorns. He laughed as the pegasi tried to move the clouds, only to burn themselves and blame the unicorns for some sort of magic. It was fun, watching the bickering that came from the ponies. The poor earth ponies had been caught in the middle of a diplomatic war between the pegasi and unicorns, each side blaming the other for their current plight. He listened with glee as the argued constantly, feeling more energised every day. He loved his new life of inciting chaos subtly with minimal changes to their way of life.

For nearly five years, Discord had managed to stay undetected, never changing too much at once. He decided to be more careful with his trickery this time, so he could avoid detection. There was no way he was going back in that stone, not after all the time he had spent there. By causing mischief slowly, he avoided the prying eyes of Luna and Celestia, those pathetic excuses for princesses that constantly searched for him. That was before his major blunder.

One day, while feeling particularly bored, Discord was trying to combine food with animals, so that he could make them scare the citizens of Equestria. While doing so, he accidentally used too much power and turned a nearby mountain into millions of tiny cheese wheels. This had not gone unnoticed, and before he could change it back, word had gotten to Canterlot. Guards patrolled everywhere, searching for him. Discord, being as mischievous as he was, continued to evade the search parties that scoured Equestria. There were many close calls, but he always seemed to get away just in time.

That was around the time Celestia and Luna had shown up and spoiled his fun, somehow reverting all the changes he had made to Equestria’s weather and landscape. Why they didn’t do it earlier Discord wouldn’t know. But he did know one thing for sure. That made him angry. So angry he went and confronted the princesses directly. Five years he had worked on his new world, and while that was but a speck in the life of an immortal, he still had an attachment to it. 

Confronting the sisters, while not the smartest thing to do, held an odd satisfaction for Discord. In just five measly years he had grown strong enough to fight the princesses directly. Even if he didn’t defeat them, contemplating his actions would keep him occupied during his next imprisonment. He flew towards Equestria’s capital atop a large cake with five bat wings, three lizard mouths and eleven cat eyes. This was a rough flight, as the hideous creation kept falling to one side, or spotting a stray bird and trying to chase it. Eventually Discord just tore the odd wing off (much to the creature’s dismay) and scolded it every time it went the wrong way. When they finally reached Canterlot, he turned the creature to dust, marking it as a failure on his mental check-list. There was chaotic, and there was just downright useless. As he blew away the dust, Luna and Celestia flew towards him, stopping some distance away in the air. 

“So you finally show yourself Discord,” Luna stated, her voice having softened since he had last heard it, “we thought you were behind this.” 
He couldn’t tell if she still had trouble speaking normally, or if she was referring to both sisters. He shrugged the thought away and decided to taunt the sisters. 
“Yes, I do. I’ve come to the realisation that you couldn’t defeat me now, not even with the Elements of Harmony,” he boldly claimed, using his own magic to float up to them. He didn't trust one of his creations to keep him aloft.
Celestia raised an eyebrow at the spirit. 
“What makes you so sure?” she asked, sceptical of his earlier claim.
Discord had them right where he wanted them. 
“Because I have spent these last years doing something useful, while you and your sister have been doing nothing but tolerate the petty arguments of your useless subjects.”
Discord knew provoking Celestia would be of no use, but he hoped Luna was still brash enough to strike without thinking. His hopes were answered when a large beam of magical energy shot from the younger sister’s horn and connected with Discord’s chest.

Discord laughed as he fell towards the ground, letting his body go limp as he collided with the earth. It had been a long time since he had felt pain, and it felt good, in an odd way. He guessed it was just a reminder that he was still alive after all the time he had spent imprisoned in stone. An odd thing for an immortal to think, but he went with it anyway, not worrying himself with details. He pushed himself up from the ground and dusted himself of, chuckling as he heard Celestia scold Luna. If he could make the rulers of Equestria quarrel, who could stop him when he did the same to regular citizens?

“After all this time, you still haven’t grown any stronger, Luna. I’m disappointed.” Discord hoped that the princess would take the bait he was throwing for her, but she didn’t acknowledge his statement. 
“Bah, you’re no fun!” He yelled, stretching. He wished he had slept before coming, because his limbs felt as heavy as lead. It was as if an outside power was making him sleepy. His eyes began to close and he snapped them open again, shaking his head.

“Stop that!” Discord demanded, glaring at Celestia. He had caught onto her little trick. There was a faint glow around her horn and he knew what she was doing. His arms started to grow heavier, and his legs began to weaken.
I will not be beaten yet, he said inwardly, and summoned several more hideous food-animal hybrids. There were hot-dogs with six turtle legs and three cat ears, giant apples that had the legs of a pony and the head of an alligator, even some of the useless cake beings that Discord had used earlier. 

“The first one to stop her using that spell will be the last one I destroy.” The food-beasts all ‘looked’ (as some didn’t have eyes) at one another, and the ones that could were nodding. It was a pretty enticing offer. But they immediately forgot the offer, not having brains and subsequently, memories. 
“They also get a free key-chain,” sighed Discord, hoping the beings would do what he asked. He was lying on the floor by now; unable to move his legs and arms. His eyes surveyed the sky and saw Luna laughing at his creations. He couldn’t really blame her. Most stumbled around and bumped into one another instead of attacking Celestia.

I can’t let her spell finish, he said to himself, I don’t want to be lectured without being able to cover my ears.
Surprisingly, one of the cake monsters had grabbed another creature (a small bird with five beaks and one eye on top of an apple pie head) and flew into Celestia while trying to escape with it. This action had shocked Celestia long enough for Discord to break free, teleport above her, and then fall on top of her wings. She let out a small shriek as they fell from the air and crashed onto the earth below.  Before Luna could help her sister, Discord had created a small ring in his claw and jammed it onto Celestia’s horn as hard as he could. Once he was satisfied it was on as tightly as it would go, he stepped back to watch Luna help her sister up. When Celestia was back on her hooves, she pointed her horn at Discord.

“I can’t let you continue hurting everybody Discord,” she said calmly.
Discord looked at her in confusion. “Everybody? Don’t you mean everypony?”
Luna shook her head and stepped forward, standing by her sister. 
“It was brought to our attention that those terms; everypony, anypony, nopony, etc. Were all very discriminative, so we had them changed.”
“About time,” snorted Discord, “I was tired of being excluded by your archaic terms.”
“Yes, we apologise for that,” said Luna sheepishly. 
He still couldn't tell who she was referring to.
“You know, if you two didn’t attack me all the time, we could have some great conversations.”

Celestia raised a hoof to her horn and tried pushing the ring off. It didn’t budge.
“I don’t think that you will be able to get that off,” snickered Discord.
Celestia’s calm composure was beginning to fray.
“Take it off Discord. I want my magic back.”
Luna looked shocked and began to speak, “It blocks your magic sister?”
Celestia nodded grimly. Discord laughed uncontrollably. 
“I can’t do that, Celestia. You see, I want you to promise that I won’t be trapped back in a stone prison again. I will not remove the ring until I have your word it won’t happen.”

Celestia stared at the ground, and Luna looked away sadly. 
“The Elements of Harmony are gone Discord,” she said solemnly, “they turned to dust as each of their bearers died.”
She was choking back tears at this point, and Discord almost felt sorry for her. Almost. 
“Twilight and her friends all died several years ago, and the Elements of Harmony were, somehow,  lost with them.”
She looked directly at Discord. He had never seen the princess so sad before. He wasn't sure he liked the way it made her look.
“They will never turn you to stone again.”

Discord smiled wickedly, forgetting his earlier discomfort, and jumped in the air with glee. He cheered as Luna held Celestia up with her wing. After calming down a bit, Discord walked over to the older sister and touched the ring with his claw. It disappeared as quickly as it had come and Discord stared into Celestia’s eyes.
“Goodbye Celestia,” he said, “I hope next time I cause mischief your little helpers don't use the elements to – oops. Too soon?”
He cackled and teleported away, leaving the sun princess to cry as her younger sister comforted her.

-----

> Goal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wasn't long after his self-proclaimed 'defeat' of the two sisters, that Discord started getting bored. He had been even more bored while he was imprisoned, but something about this situation wasn't as fun as he'd imagined. Without the looming threat of being turned to stone, there was nothing to drive him to cause chaos. He almost missed the danger of causing chaos.

Discord stood up again and decided to fix the wall of his cave.
“I have nothing better to do, so I may as well fix it,” he said to himself.
Discord pulled down the curtain and stared out at the land below him, bathed in moonlight. He waved his claw in the air and the rock wall started shifting, melding sections of the wall that were broken. It wasn't long before the wall looked as it had before, with no signs of ever being gone.

He lazily dropped back onto his throne, not even bothering to sit in it correctly. He hadn't used any magic in a while, so he had forgotten how much effort doing simple tasks could be.
“How do they do it?” pondered Discord, thinking about Celestia and Luna, “They have been able to move freely for far longer than I have, but they never seem to be bored. Even Luna isn’t bored, and she spent a couple of years in the moon.”
Because they have a goal, he thought.

He pulled himself upwards so he was sitting more comfortably.
“They have a goal,” he said, “so they don't get bored.”
The revelation hit him like a cart. He needed a goal to keep from being bored.
Closing his eyes, he focused on finding a goal for himself.
“What could I do?” he asked no-one in particular, “What could I do that would keep me entertained and cause chaos at the same time?”

-----

He opened his eyes, feeling groggy.
I must have fallen asleep, he thought as he rubbed his eyes lazily.
“I almost had it. I almost had the perfect idea.”
He sighed heavily.
“It'll come back to me one day.”

Straightening himself on his throne, Discord couldn't help but feel slightly claustrophobic. That was unusual, because the cave he lived in was quite large. Angrily he stood up and stomped towards his newly fixed wall, and with all his might, he kicked it with his left leg. The wall cracked and parts of it scattered along the ground. Not quite satisfied, he continued to kick the wall until he made a hole in it, just big enough for him to crawl through if he so chose. 

Feeling less cramped he started to stroll around his cave. As Discord was walking, he made a mental check-list of things that were different about him lately, in an attempt to find a goal.
He was bored. Very Bored.
He was angry at little things.
He envied the two Princesses of Equestria.
He wanted to be like them.
He wanted a goal for his life.

Having circled the cave several times while thinking, he stopped in front of the hole he had recently made. He decided to go and talk to Princess Celestia. Or Luna. It didn't matter, as neither of them could harm him anyway.
Discord crawled through the opening he had made for himself and winced as the sunlight shone on him. Even though it was setting, he had been in that cave for countless years, and his eyes were not adjusted to being in the sun. After a few minutes the sun had completely set and he opened his eyes completely. It was still a bit bright for his liking, but he would get over it.

He didn't feel like flying himself to Canterlot, so he chose to fly on the back of a familiar creature. With some adjustments of course. Reaching back into his memory, he found what he was looking for. He altered it's image slightly in his mind, and then summoned it. Before him was a large cake with one eye, four evenly spaced bat wings, a small beak, and a pair of stubby zebra legs.

“Drop me, or fly into any obstacle and I will feed you to a pack of toothless blind rats. Am I clear?”
Discord glared at the cake, and the creature cowered in fear.
“Yes,” it squeaked, nervously.
Discord learned the hard way that mindless drones were useless, so he made sure this one could think properly.
“Off then, Cake,” Discord demanded, jumping lithely onto it's back, “to Canterlot!”
“Uh, I,” started a scared Cake, “I don't actually know where it is. Or how to fly.”
“Why did I think this would be a good idea?” Discord sighed.
"I don't know, did you actually think about it first?" asked Cake.
Discord glared at him. Maybe this one thought too well.
"I will eat you."
> Flying, Hunger and Promises
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“If you drop me one more time I'll make good on my threat,” snarled Discord.
Cake squeaked and flinched in fear causing Discord to topple off of him. He slowly floated back up next to Cake with a gaze that could rend flesh from bone.
“I'm sorry,” muttered Cake, obviously scared.
Discord pulled a rope from the air beside him and tied it tightly around his waist. Once he was sure it was secured, he tied the opposite end around the centre of Cake's cake-body. 

“I am going to hang beneath you,” stated Discord, “If you manage to injure me further, I will not hesitate to yank on this rope and slice you in two. Now go!”
Discord hung from Cake like a strange puppet and Cake flew forwards without another sound.
I should probably ease up on the poor creature, thought Discord, he probably won't be able to hold my entire weight.
“I do not think we are far sir,” Cake told Discord, breaking his concentration.
“Just get a move on or we will ever get there before the sun rises!” Discord demanded.
I'm surprised he is still in one piece, he thought, impressed with the cake creature.

Cake began flying as fast as he could, trying desperately to avoid any trees that might come to close to his master. After a few minutes of nervous flying, Cake saw Canterlot and began to descend.
“Where are you going?” asked Discord, holding onto the rope around Cake's body.
“To the gate,” Cake replied, his voice almost in audible.
Discord sighed and de-materialised the rope holding the two together and then grabbed hold of one of Cake's legs. He slowly descended and eventually they landed at the base of the mountain, Canterlot high above them. Discord looked at the monolithic structure above.
It has grown, he said to himself, noticing many changes that had been made to the capital since his last visit. After staring for a few minutes, he turned back to Cake, who was nervously shifting from leg to leg.

“Think for a moment will you!” 
He flicked Cake in the eye, causing tears to start streaming down his sugary 'face'. To Discord's surprise however, he didn't actually show any signs of crying. He pushed the thought aside and continued talking to Cake.
“If I, Discord, spirit of chaos, just stroll up to the front gate of Equestria's capital, what do you think would happen?”
Cake thought about it intensely while Discord stared at him. He opened his beak to say something, but quickly closed it again.
“The guards would attack me on site!” yelled Discord, tired of waiting for Cake's response, “Last time I was here I rendered the ruler of Equestria helpless and left her  and her sister crying for everyone to see. I doubt they would allow me to stroll in and begin speaking to the Princesses.”
Cake thought on this for a minute before speaking again.
“So you are gong to sneak in?”
“Precisely,” Discord said smugly.
“How?”

Discord froze, his face suspended in a look of smug satisfaction.
“You- you hadn't thought of that yet. Had you?”
Cake watched horrified as Discord's eyes slowly moved until they were glaring at Cake. The insane smile that was still plastered to his face made the stare all the more terrifying to the lone creature facing his wrath.
“No, I hadn't Cake. Care to give me some ideas?”
The look on Discord's face hadn't changed, and Cake was beginning to wonder if he had broken his master.
“I- uh, well maybe- You might need- perhaps we could-”
Cake's stammering was interrupted by Discord's unusually calm voice.
“Gee, I sure do hope we get inside soon. I am famished. I think something sweet would be perfect for my starved belly. Perhaps some form of baked chocolate good?”
Terrified of what might happen to him, Cake immediately yelled the first thing that came to mind.
“We could fly up the mountain and enter through the back of the castle itself! If you used some of your magic, you could cast a spell that stopped anyone from seeing us directly! We would be like shadows that not a single other being stops to look at! PLEASE DON'T EAT ME!”
Discord began to move again and walked slowly but deliberately towards Cake.

“Well, that certainly is a good idea Cake. But that amount of magic would require a lot of energy, and I'm not sure my current energy will suffice.”
He reached Cake and placed his claw on his 'head'.
“But suppose I were able to fill myself up and only have to cloak one of us? Wouldn't that be far easier?”
A wicked smile made its way onto Discords face and he tightened his grip on Cake, lifting him into the air so they were at eye level. Cake began thrashing around, flailing and struggling to get free, but Discord held a firm grip on him.
“I'M SORRY MASTER, PLEASE DON'T EAT ME! I REALLY AM! I'LL NEVER QUESTION YOU AGAIN!”
The cries coming from cake were loud enough that the birds in the trees surrounding them took off in fright. Discord's mouth was opened wide now, far wider than seemed physically possible. Cake continued to squirm and shriek as Discord's mouth came closer and closer to him.

“Gotcha.”
Discord had his face almost against Cake's, the latter being covered with tears and trails of washed away sugar. Cake stopped instantly, but his tears were still flowing. 
“You should see your face right now Cake!” laughed Discord, placing him on the ground, “It is priceless!”
Having been released, the confused cake just stared at his master, who had begun to roll around on the ground.
“I can't believe you fell for that. Come on? Using all my energy to cast two simple hiding spells? Unlikely. And having to eat to get my energy back? You should know that I regain energy from chaos, not food.”
Discord stopped laughing and knelt down in front of Cake. He placed his poor on the creatures head, far more gently than he had before.

“I promise that I won't eat you Cake.”
Cake looked up at him, his eyes glistening in the moonlight.
“Really?” he asked, sniffing slightly.
Discord sighed.
“Really. I Pinkie promise.”
“I don't care what stupid name you give it, I just want you to promise.”
Oh right, he would have no knowledge of that old phrase. Discord mentally face-palmed and returned his attention to Cake.
“I just promise then. I will never eat you. I've almost come to enjoy having you around. Almost.”
A huge sigh of relief escaped Cake's beak.
“Thank you so much master,” he squeaked and closed his eye.

Discord just smiled warmly and stood back up.
“Come on, let's get moving. We don't have much time before dawn, and it will be harder to sneak then.”
“Are you saying that you couldn't do it during the day?” asked Cake.
Discord smiled again.
“Cake, that promise I made. It only stops ME eating you. Not a pack of rats.”
A small 'eep' escaped Cake, and he followed swiftly as his master began to fly up the mountian.
> Infiltrations and Old Acquaintances
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord and Cake flew up the mountain at a swift pace, slowing only as they neared the top. When they finally reached the top of the mountain, they floated just below the edge, so as not to be seen. 
“Alright, here’s what we are going to do.”
Discord pulled a table out of the air and it floated in front of the two aspiring infiltrators. Cake watched as a large piece of parchment and a quill materialized on the table and Discord began to draw. 
“We will enter through this back door here,” he explained pointing to his surprisingly accurate drawing of the castle, “There should be a twenty second gap between the guard changes that will allow us to get in unnoticed.”

Cake finally voiced the question that was picking at his mind. 
“Won’t we be invisible though? Why the secrecy and planning?” 
“We won’t be invisible. Well, not really. We will just be ignored by anything that happens to be looking at us.”
“I still don’t see why there is the need for such intricate planning,” Cake told Discord.
Discord looked at him sheepishly before scratching the back of his head and looking away. 
“Well, mostly because I have always wanted to be a part of a heist or other crime that involved planning and teamwork. But there is also a major flaw with this magic.” 
Cake squeaked and Discord looked back at him. Cake seemed to be fine so Discord forgot about the sound. 
“That being?” asked Cake impatiently. 
“If any living being touches us, or we draw too much attention to ourselves, the spell will be rendered ineffective.”

Cake seemed to understand so Discord continued. 
“If, by some strange chance, we do get noticed, I should be able to create a diversion that will allow us to slip by.”
“And if that doesn’t work?” Cake asked. 
“Well,” replied Discord, “if it doesn’t work then we run like crazy and jump off the nearest cliff.” 
Shaking his ‘head’ Cake sighed. 
“What?” Discord snapped, disliking the derogatory actions from his servant.

Cake began talking in an uncharacteristically calm and assertive manner. 
“You, Discord, the one who could currently plunge Equestria into eternal chaos, are scared of getting caught by some everyday guards.”
Discord opened his mouth to yell at Cake but Cake continued; his calm tone had been replaced with a more aggressive one. 
“There are a variety of ways that you could have entered the castle, we both know it. Instead you use the most asinine method you could think of, the escape plan of which involves running and jumping off a cliff!” 
That’s strange, I don’t remember telling him very much about Equestria. Or me for that matter, Discord thought this over in his head while Cake continued ranting, almost yelling now. 
“So after three decades you finally come back to Canterlot and you are too scared to even enter the castle!” 

This last statement caused Discord to snap back to reality and grab hold of Cake’s wings. An audible yelp came from Cake’s beak as Discord tightened his grip around the creature’s wings. 
“Who are you?” snarled Discord, his face almost against Cake’s own. 
Cake chuckled slightly and closed his eye. 
“How did you figure it out?” he asked Discord. 
“I hardly told Cake anything about Equestria or me. The only things he knows about are what happened today, and that I attacked the royal sisters a long time ago. Even I don’t know how long it was,” Discord replied coldly.

“I guess I got too carried away,” Cake said, as a green aura began to surround him.
After a few moments, Cake was nowhere to be seen. Instead, just under Discords claw, was a changeling, its bug-like wings keeping it level with Discord. The changeling was far smaller than Cake was, probably no bigger than a foal, and had brown-orange eyes. Said eyes confused Discord, as he had only ever seen a few changelings, and they all had blue eyes. 

The changeling noticed Discord’s staring and interrupted his inspection. 
“I’m Titian Drone,” said the changeling, extending a hoof, “an odd name, I know, but it’s mine nonetheless.” 
Discord reached out his paw and grasped the offered hoof, tentatively shaking it. 
“Gee, you are different to what I imagined,” Titian sighed, “I thought you would be cooler. But you’re just a scaredy cat.”
“I’ll have you know that cats can be quite fierce, and aren’t nearly as timid as you insinuate!”
Discord reacted more strongly than he expected.
Must be the feline part of me, he thought before turning his attention back to Titian. 
“And you, miss- uh, mister- um…” 
Discord’s sudden burst of energy was stopped in its tracks by his lack of knowledge regarding changelings and their genders.

“We changelings aren't technically colts or fillies, but we usually act like one of them anyway.”
Discord wondered what this changeling referred to itself as. As if reading his mind, Titian flew upwards slightly so the two were eye level and began to speak. 
“I am a filly. Sort of.” 
Discord shook his head before he remembered something important. Cake was missing. 
“Where is Cake?” he asked Titian, anger and fear mixing into one. 
She just chuckled and placed a hoof on Discord’s shoulder. 
“Don’t worry, he is with the Princesses. I just asked if I could have some fun, that’s all.”

Though he still wasn’t convinced Cake was safe, he relaxed slightly, knowing that Celestia wouldn’t destroy him if she had him. 
“He had better be,” Discord growled, his eyes fixated on the changeling in front of him. 
She laughed again and began to fly toward the ledge above them. 
“Come on,” she called to him, “let’s go see the Princesses. They want to see you.” 
Discord was hesitant.
I could be walking into a trap. They could have made new Elements of Harmony and they are just waiting to turn me to stone. I just met this changeling, why should I trust her? 
A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind as he floated there. A sharp nudge from Titian brought him back to his senses.

“If we don’t go soon, the castle will be packed. The sun is almost rising.” 
Titian gestured to the horizon and Discords followed her movements. He turned in the air to face the changeling and sighed. 
“Come on,” he said, seemingly unhappy with his current situation, “let’s go already.” 
Titian smiled warmly and took his claw in her hoof. Before Discord knew what had happened, the two had disappeared, letting the table that was floating drop. 


-----


Discord felt nauseous as the two reappeared somewhere inside Canterlot Castle. 
It’s one thing to teleport, another to be teleported.
After he had stopped feeling ill, Discord looked around the room he was currently in. It was a large, circular room, which was also quite tall. His first thought was that they were underground, but that thought was quickly dashed when he saw a window that allowed a view of the land below. He walked over to it, amazed by how serene the land of Equestria was at this time of day.
How can they be so calm when there is chaos to incite? He asked himself, not expecting an answer.

“Enjoying the view, Discord?”
The voice that broke his concentration on the calm land below made him freeze in fear.
No, you can’t be scared Discord. You are stronger than them. Even if they have new Elements, this is what you wanted. A goal. Or something fun to do. How about outrunning the enraged rulers of Equestria and saving a useless creature made of cake. That sounds fun, right?
His internal monologue was right. He wasn’t going to get anywhere being afraid. He took a deep breath and turned to face the newcomer that stood in the doorway. 

“Hello Celestia,” he choked, trying to hide the fear that he felt, “fancy meeting you here.”
Celestia chuckled quietly and stepped forward, closing the door behind her with her magic. 
“Well Discord, I can tell you are nervous, so why don’t we get straight to the point of this visit?” 
Discord knew that it wasn’t so much a question as it was an order. He cleared his throat and began his speech. He had read it at least twice, so he was pretty sure he could remember it. Probably.

“Very well then. Celestia, I have found myself bored as of late, and all attempts to alleviate that boredom have been unsuccessful. After careful thought, I have discovered what I need to be less bored. A goal. I want a goal to aspire towards, so that I may spend my eternity doing something. But you see, I can’t think of what my goal should be, and I was wondering if you and Luna could help me to find my goal in life.” 

Discord took a deep breath and then began breathing normally.
Reciting the whole thing in one breath? Bad idea. Discord made a mental note and then turned his focus to the sun Princess. Celestia was standing silently, her eyes closed.
What is she waiting for? Discord asked himself, genuinely wondering what she was doing. A few moments passed before Celestia opened her eyes and looked at Discord. He wasn’t sure if the slight smile on her face was comforting or terrifying. 
“I believe there was one other thing you were going to say Discord,” Celestia’s voice held a calmness that he found uncomfortable, “wasn’t there?” 

Discord frantically thought of what she could be talking about, not wanting to upset the Princess any more than she was already. Then he realized what she meant. He took a deep breath, exhaled, and then spoke. 
“Celestia, I am sorry for how I treated you when we last met.” 
He tried to make his apology sound as genuine as possible, and the fear in his voice helped. 
“I forgive you Discord,” Celestia said calmly, though Discord noted that any anger had now left her voice. 
Sighing with relief, Discord slumped to the floor, his back running along the surprisingly smooth stone walls. He closed his eyes and sighed again.
“That’s good,” he muttered, allowing himself to relax.

“Titian was right Discord, you have changed.”
Celestia almost seemed sad as she said this, and Discord couldn’t help but feel angry at this pity she was showing him. 
“I don’t need your pity Celestia!” He yelled, teleporting into the air beside her. “I just need to know if you will help me!” 
Celestia remained composed, even under Discord’s hateful glare. 
“I do not pity you Discord. I was merely stating a fact.” 
The way she smiled when she said it made Discord even angrier, but he didn’t continue. 
“Follow me Discord,” ordered Celestia, turning and opening the door with ease. 

As she left the room Discord followed, using his claw to close the door behind him. 
“I think it would be best if I stayed hidden, Celestia,” the spirit whispered, dropping into the sun Princess’ shadow. 
“While you may be somewhat of an oddity in this castle Discord, nopo-” the Princess tripped over her words for a fraction of a second before continuing almost immediately, “no ONE will bother you while you are in my presence.” 
Not quite convinced, Discord’s eyes poked out of the ground and gave Celestia a questioning look. 
“You may get a few stares though,” she laughed, and Discord decided it was easier to stay hidden.

That was until they walked into the longest hallway he had ever seen in his life. It was enormous, at least three times longer than the Princesses’ throne room and twice as wide. The walls were lined with windows and what appeared to be magical lamps. Said windows and lamps threw light across the room haphazardly, eliminating nearly every shadow along the vast hallway. 
“How am I supposed to get through here?” asked the shadow, glaring at the Princess. 
“I guess you will have to follow me normally.”
Celestia shrugged slightly and Discord noticed the almost evil smile on her face. 
She didn’t need to go this way at all; she is just doing it to torment me! Discord cursed Celestia in his head and slowly began to leave the shadows. Just before he did though, a wicked thought came to his mind. 

Instead of Discord’s very distinct form rising from the shadows around her, Celestia watched herself hop out of the ground with a spring in her step. 
“Discord. Change. Back. Now.” 
Celestia’s smile had vanished and she was giving her doppelganger a very vicious look. 
Knowing that this angered the Princess, he decided to torment her further. 
“Titian, please don’t copy me while we are walking around the castle, it will confuse everyone.” 
The look of anger and shock on Celestia’s face at this statement caused Discord burst into laughter. 

The Princess gritted her teeth and began walking down the blindingly bright hallway with the laughing clone following her every move. Many ponies (and a few changelings Discord saw) stopped to stare at the angry and laughing duo walking down the corridor. When they had reached their destination, a large wooden door, Discord reverted to his normal form. He was still snickering at how easily he had gotten under the Princess’ skin and said Princess had an expression of pure hatred on her face.

“What I don’t get, Celestia,” started Discord, breaking the near silence, “is why you got so angry at that harmless joke? I mean, it’s not like I hurt anyone.” 
Celestia sighed, letting her hateful expression melt away. 
“I was angrier at the embarrassment you caused me. I am also going to have no end to the questions about my student’s obedience.” 
She cleared her throat and held a hoof to her chest before putting on a mocking voice. 
“Princess, is it true that your student is pretending to be you? Am I talking to the real Celestia? Will Titian be reprimanded for her behaviour in front of others?” 
Her tirade finished, Celestia relaxed. Discord just looked at her. 

“Sounds like you have become tired as of late Princess.” 
She just nodded before turning to the door. 
“They treat Titian like a newborn, as if she has to be taught everything. I just wish that they would let me relax every once in a while.” 
The tired Princess shook her head and the tell-tale glow of magic surrounded her horn. The door slowly opened in ward and as Discord stepped into the dark room, a large object was hurled at him and he blacked out.

> “When did you become so caring?"
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ugh, my head, Discord groaned inwardly as he came to. A faint voice seemed to be talking to him and he cracked open an eye. The first thing he saw was a worried looking Titian leaning over him. 
“Discord!” she cried, causing Discord to flinch, “You’re awake! And not hurt by the looks of it!” 
“No thanks to you, you annoying changeling!” 

Discord’s anger seemed not to bother Titian and she moved away from him. 
“Well, as long as you are fine now, that’s what matters.” 
Discord was annoyed by her sudden care for his safety. 
“Why do you care so much? I’ve never even met you before.” 

Titian continued to smile and Discord sat himself up. 
“I’ve read all about you,” she explained, “And both Luna and Celestia have told me stories about you.” 
Discord looked up and saw Celestia and Luna talking to each other on the other side of the room, but Celestia’s slight blush told Discord that they could clearly hear the conversation between the spirit and the changeling. 
“I’m sure that Celestia’s have all been about how,” he raised his paw and claw above his head and raised his eyebrows, “eeeviiiil I was.” 

Titian giggled and Celestia’s blush deepened. Discord loved to make jokes at her expense. 
“When did you become so good with foals Discord?” Luna asked, leaving her conversation. 
This time it was Discord’s turn to blush. 
“I am not a foal anymore!” 
Titian was glaring angrily at Luna, a scowl on her face. 

Luna sighed. 
“Of course you aren’t Titian, I’m sorry.” 
Discord could tell she was embarrassed. 
The only one not embarrassed here is Titian, he thought, rubbing his eyes, and she is younger than all of us by countless centuries. 
“Luna raises a good point though, Discord,” Celestia said, walking towards the trio, “when did you become so caring? Normally you wouldn’t have hesitated to scare or confuse somepo- someone as young as Titian.” 
She cursed under her breath, and Discord wondered why she still had issues saying the right words. 

As if reading his mind, she muttered, “Having to speak differently after so long. Whose asinine idea was that?” 
Luna opened her mouth to tell her the answer but a murderous glare from Celestia made her re-think her decision. Instead she looked back at Discord with a questioning look. 
“Well Discord?”

Discord stood up and shifted nervously. 
“I don’t really want to talk about it,” he mumbled, looking away from the others. 
They probably wouldn’t understand anyway, so it’s best not to tell them, Discord told himself, but part of him was certain that his reasoning was flawed. 

Four chairs floated from one corner of the room they were in and settled neatly around a small table nearby. 
“Come Discord,” said Celestia calmly, “if you want our help, you have to tell us what we need to know.” 
“Okay,” he said, resigned, “but I have a few other questions first. 
He clicked his claws and appeared on one of the chairs that had been set around the table. 
“Like why you had to knock me out to take me here. It doesn’t seem all that special.” 

Celestia put a hoof to her face while Titian and Luna shook their heads. 
“We didn’t Discord,” she sighed, “that was never the plan.” 
The glow of magic surrounded her horn and she pulled what appeared to be a modified saddle bag from off her back. Discord was honestly surprised he hadn’t seen it before. 
“This thing did it.” 

Discord face palmed as Celestia emptied the contents of the bag onto the floor. He knew exactly what thing she was referring to. 
“You’re an idiot Cake,” he groaned.  
“I was just so happy to see you, Master!” cried Cake, launching his frosted self at the spirit. 
Said spirit removed his palm from his face and held it up, catching the cake before he was relieved of consciousness yet again. 

Luna snickered and Discord scowled at her. 
“What’s so funny, Luna?” 
“You really named it – uh, him, Cake?” 
She tried her best to contain her laughter, and Discord threw Cake onto the floor, still scowling. 

Cake seemed unfazed and bounded happily over to his master, lying at his feet. 
Honestly, he is more like a pet than a servant. Or whatever I made him to be. 
Discord shuffled around in his chair until he felt comfortable. When he was, he looked up and saw that the others had also sit down, eagerly awaiting his explanation. 
He scratched at his head nervously, took a deep breath and was ready to tell his story. 

“It all started a few months after I met Fluttershy…”

> Remembering the Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Discord,

I know you are currently doing work for Princess Celestia, but you are required urgently in Ponyville. I have already spoken to the Princess and she has agreed not to send you on any more errands until this matter has been resolved. Please come quickly. Fluttershy could be in danger.

From Twilight Sparkle.

Discord read the letter several times to make sure that he hadn’t misunderstood. He threw the letter onto the ground and flew out the window of the castle, heading in the direction of Ponyville. 

If Fluttershy is in danger, there is no time to waste.

As he approached Ponyville, he saw Fluttershy’s friend Rainbow Dash waving at him from a cloud. 

Discord slowed and flew towards the cloud, but the impatient pegasus met him half way. 
“Discord, glad you came. Twilight is looking for you. She’s at the library.” 
Without another word, the pegasus flew off. 
“How rude,” he said, flying in the direction of the library.

The trip to the library was uneventful, and he landed outside the front door gently. Without bothering to knock, Discord strolled inside to find Twilight frantically reading several books, occasionally saying something to the dragon beside her.
“It could have something to do with the amount of magic Discord has,” she said to the dragon, who quickly scratched out a note onto an ever growing piece of parchment, “make sure to write this all down Spike.” 
Spike muttered something about not being deaf before writing more.

“Just what is wrong with my magic quantity?” asked Discord, eliciting a yelp from both Spike and Twilight. 
“Oh, sorry Discord. I didn’t realize you had arrived.” 
Twilight used a hoof to pat down her ruffled hair and walked over to Discord. Spike sighed with relief and placed the quill and parchment onto the table.

“Why don’t you come and sit down,” said Twilight, levitating all the books on the table onto the floor, “we have a lot of things to discuss.” 
Discord obliged, making himself comfortable at Twilight’s table. 
“So what do we need to talk about?” he asked the unicorn, procuring a sandwich from the air before munching on it loudly.

Twilight sat back down across from Discord and opened her mouth, unsure of where to start. The spirit lazily finished his sandwich and yawned. 
“Hurry up Twilight,” he demanded, scratching his chin, “I’m starting to think that Fluttershy being in danger was just a ploy to get me here quickly.” 
Twilight frowned. 
“I am not joking about this Discord. I would never pretend one of my friends was in trouble!”

Discord raised an eyebrow and stared at Twilight, who was glaring back at him. 
“I’m sorry,” he said, “just please, get on with it.” 

“I’m sorry too, Discord,” the purple unicorn murmured. 
She called Spike over to her and whispered something in his ear. The dragon groaned and stormed out the door, leaving Discord confused. 
What is with everypony today? He asked himself. 

“Discord, I will put it simply.” 
Twilight’s voice was uneasy and Discord couldn’t help but feel nervous as well. 
“Fluttershy is going to have a foal.” 
“That’s it?” questioned Discord, feeling a little let down. 
“No,” replied Twilight, not meeting his eyes. 
She took a deep breath. 
“It is your foal Discord.”

Discord’s laughter rattled the entire library, causing one of the windows to crack. 
“HAHAHAHAHA! Really?! Of all the things you could have said to scare me, THAT is what you came up with!?” 
He wiped the tears out of his eyes before he continued. 
“I may not be a pony, but I do know how foals are made, and I can assure you that those things did not happen. You must think me as gullible as Fluttershy!” 

Twilight shook her head and groaned in frustration. 
“Will you be serious for one minute!” she yelled, “Fluttershy could be in danger because of this and you aren’t taking it seriously!” 

Discord dived over the table and Twilight gasped in surprise, jumping off of her own chair. 
“Let’s say, that for a moment I believe you. How could something like that happen without my knowledge?” 
The unicorn opened her mouth to speak but Discord clamped it shut with his talon. 
“Not that I do believe you. I need some solid proof first.” 
He released Twilight’s mouth and she rubbed it with a hoof angrily.  

“I just sent Spike to collect Fluttershy,” she growled, “now if you would just calm down I could explain!” 
She was glaring at Discord by now, and the spirit smirked before floating back over to his side of the table. 
“Go on,” he said, placing his legs on the table and leaning back. 

“Hate you!” snarled Twilight under her breath, before returning to the table. She levitated a stack of papers over to her and cleared her throat. 

“Foals are created by two parents; a mare and a stallion. I won’t go into detail, but I assume you know that much.” 
Discord nodded lazily and Twilight continued. 
“Some creatures however, are not formed in that way. Take the cockatrice for example. It is a fusion of a chicken and a dragon, or some other unknown serpent.” 
Twilight showed Discord a drawing of a cockatrice and he stared at it, un-amused. 
“This creature was created after one of Starswirl the Bearded’s experiments with shape changing. He accidentally infused a regular rooster with immense amounts of magic power. This chicken was then devoured by a pregnant dragon (or other wyrm) and the resulting hatchling took on the qualities of both the mother and the rooster.” 

Discord sat up slightly, genuinely interested in where Twilight’s explanation was headed. 
“The same happened with timberwolves. Normal wolves headed into the Everfree forest when it was young and were warped by the residual magic that latched to the forestry. Other examples include Ursa’s and Manticores. All of these things have one thing in common: large quantities of magic mixing with life that was already there. And I believe that is what has happened here. Your excess magic is being absorbed by Fluttershy, and that magic is strengthened further by your friendship.”

Discord was sitting up perfectly straight by this point, his attention focused on Twilight. 
“Hold on a minute,” he said, leaning forward, “assuming that you are telling the truth and Fluttershy is pregnant, how would my magic create a foal? If anything, the magic would be warping her.”

“That is why I am worried, Discord,” fretted the unicorn, “unless some life was already inside Fluttershy, you could be warping her internally.”

Discord’s earlier skepticism was gone, leaving only worry in its place. 
“So how can we find out what is happening to Fluttershy?” 
“We will have to find out a few things first. Like if anything happened that could have triggered life to begin growing within her.”

“I think I can answer that,” came the timid voice from the doorway. 
Discord and Twilight both turned to see Fluttershy standing nervously in the doorway of the library. Spike stomped in after her and walked off, mumbling something about excess work. 
Must be some form of dragon depression, thought Discord. 
“Fluttershy, glad you could make it,” Twilight said warmly, inviting her to have a seat. 
Fluttershy nodded silently and sat down at the table with the others. 

Discord pulled several glasses of water from the air and handed them to the ponies before eating his own in one swift bite.

“Big Mac!” shouted Fluttershy, before staring into her glass of water. 
Twilight choked on her water and Discord spat shards of glass all over the table. After regaining their composure, they stared at Fluttershy, making her sink further into the chair. 

Twilight was the first to start asking questions. 
“What? When? Really? I guess you do match, both being shy and all. Why didn’t you tell us? Oh right, you wouldn’t really talk about those things would you?” 
Her stream of questions was cut short by her mouth disappearing. Discord lowered his paw and then turned his attention back to Fluttershy while Twilight sulked.

“I know this is extremely hard for you Fluttershy, but we will have to ask you some questions so we can make sure I will not harm the foal you are carrying.” 
Fluttershy nodded and Discord relaxed. 
“First question,” began Discord, a scroll and quill materializing in front of him, “we will need to know the approximate date that this happened.” 

Fluttershy stared into her glass, almost like it could be an escape route. Discord sighed empathetically. He placed his paw on her hoof. 
“Fluttershy, please. I promise I won’t ask more than I need to know. I just don’t want you hurt on my account.” 
The yellow pegasus stared up at him, her eyes glistening from the forming tears. She took a deep breath and began to speak. 
“It was about two months ago.” 
Discord nodded and scratched out a few notes. 
“Were any external influences involved? Like alcohol or any form of drugs?”

Fluttershy shook her head. Discord admired her courage, as she still had not started crying. 
“One last thing,” he said, jotting down a few more points, “did it happen at all before or since two months ago?” 
She looked surprised at the notion before quickly shaking her head again. After making sure no more questions would be required, he tore off the piece of paper he had been writing on and returned Twilight’s mouth to her. 

Scowling, the unicorn took the piece of paper that was offered to her and checked her own notes. Carefully, she checked Fluttershy’s answers against her list of things to look for. After a few minutes, she looked back at her two quiet guests.

“My suspicions have been confirmed,” she said, looking rather sad, “Based on this information, and the information I have gathered recently, there is a ninety-eight percent chance that Fluttershy is carrying a foal, and a ninety-six percent chance that it has been influenced in some way by Discord’s immense magical power.” 

She waited for the information to sink in. Fluttershy didn’t seem too surprised by the information, but Discord had stopped completely, his eyes wide. 

“So what do we do now?” asked Fluttershy.

-----

Discord carried a box of toys toward Fluttershy’s house, with a surprisingly chipper Twilight in tow.
“Is there any reason why I am the one carrying this?” complained the laden spirit. 
“You don’t have to use magic to do so,” Twilight replied. 
Didn’t really answer my question…
“Just because the foal will be here soon doesn’t mean I have to break my back,” he groaned. 
Twilight simply ignored him and continued on her way.

The two approached Fluttershy’s cozy abode silently, though Discord was still grumbling internally. As they arrived at the door, Discord and Twilight both noticed something out of place.

“The door has been broken through,” noticed Discord, placing the box on the ground behind him. 
Twilight nodded in agreement. 
“You can see where it has been hastily rebuilt, most likely with magic.” 

The door shattered from the force of Discord’s kick, sending chunks of wood flying everywhere. Twilight stepped into the house, horn alight, and Discord followed. 

The house was a mess. Books had been scattered everywhere, drawers had been emptied, chairs had been pulled apart, and even the floor itself had been cracked in parts. 

“Somepony was searching for something,” said Twilight, surveying the wreckage. 
Discord shook his head and pointed to some of the chairs. 
“No, they weren’t.” 
Twilight looked at him quizzically and he explained. 
“The chairs have all been busted and parts of the floor are cracked. Somepony looking for something would not have bothered with those and headed straight for the drawers and bookshelf. But as you can see, all the contents of said shelves and drawers are on top of the wreckage. This was done hastily.”

He turned to the broken door and peered out of it. 
“Nopony was looking for something. They were covering up what was already taken.” 
“And what was that?” asked Twilight. 
She hoped he wasn’t going where she thought he was going. 

Discord reached down and picked up a small badge off of the floor. He dusted it off and his face darkened.  
“They took Fluttershy.”

-----

“How do you know who took her?” shouted Twilight, panting to keep up with Discord. 
The spirit turned back, but kept flying in the direction he was going. 
“That badge that I found.” 
His voice was surprisingly clear given the wind howling in Twilight’s ears. 
That seems too easy, thought Twilight. 
“It had the seal of the Moon’s Nightmare Legionnaires. Moon Legion for short.” 
“Who are they?” asked Twilight, even though she had a good idea what they stood for. 

“They are a psychotic cult that believes Nightmare Moon was never vanquished by the Elements of Harmony. They all think she was returned to her imprisonment on the moon in a weakened state. While that sounds harmless enough, they often do things that are against the law. Kidnapping Fluttershy is actually quite tame compared to what they do to ponies that publicly opposes them.” 
Twilight shuddered at the thought. 

“I have had many run-ins with them while working for Celestia. They are quite hard to catch, despite numerous search parties looking for them. Though I guess if you haven’t heard of them, they could hide in Ponyville and other small towns unnoticed.”

It took a while for Twilight to process the information that Discord was giving her. She ran into the spirit when he stopped suddenly, and she looked to see why. The two of them were standing on the edge of a hill, looking down at a large rock formation below. 

“That is the entrance to their hideout. They have little signs that allow members to identify the entrance. This one for example, has a small crescent moon carved into the rock over there.” 
Twilight followed his gaze and saw the small engraving. 
“Is that a switch of some kind?” she whispered. 

“Yes,” Discord replied, not bothering to change the tone of his voice. 
He vanished suddenly and re-appeared next to the engraving. Twilight followed in a flash of light. 
“Trace then tap,” recited Discord under his breath. 
The rock they were standing near began to dissolve, and in its place was a large trap door.

“After you,” said Discord, opening the hatch. 
Twilight stared at him un-amusedly. 
“Fine, be that way,” said mockingly before diving head first into the open trap door. 
“I hate you,” whispered Twilight, before descending.

-----

“My fellow Legionnaires!” cried the hooded pony on the makeshift stage, “We meet once more to save our Queen from the cold tomb she currently resides in!” 
Twilight and Discord watched the display from a distance, hiding behind two boulders.

“Why are we doing this alone?” hissed Twilight. 
“Because we have a better chance of being undetected,” Discord hissed back. 
Twilight shook her head and returned her gaze to the ludicrous display. 

“We have discovered a great vessel for our Queen, and tonight we shall return her to this desolate land!” 
The crowd of cloaked ponies cheered, and the one on the stage waved a hoof. 
“Behold!” 
Two more cloaked ponies wheeled a cage onto the stage and Discord tensed as he saw its captive. 
Fluttershy lay unconscious at the bottom of the cage, her forehooves bent awkwardly around her pregnant belly. Discord began to stand but a sharp nudge from Twilight’s horn advised him not to. He returned to his hidden position, trying to control his anger. 

“This pegasus carries a suitable vessel for our great Queen, and tonight, with the help of one more powerful than he knows, we will bring her back once more!” 
“That’s it!” snarled Discord, leaving the cover of the boulder. 
“No!” Twilight hissed. 

Discord teleported onto the stage and gasps escaped the cloaked ponies around it. The speaker however, did not seem surprised. 
“Here he is my family! The one who will lead us to victory!” 

Discord ignored him as he made his way to Fluttershy’s cage. He reached out and clasped the bars. As he did, they sparked, and magical black chains surrounded Discord. They suddenly solidified, becoming a solid, black crystal.

“Let me go!” he yelled, struggling against the bindings. 
“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Discord.” 
The cult leader walked over to him and threw away the cloak, leaving only the stallion beneath. 

The stallion was an extremely light blue, almost white, unicorn. His mane consisted of three different coloured stripes; one indigo, one cobalt and one ivory. The multi-coloured mane hung over one of his eyes, and his other was a light yellow, similar to that of Fluttershy’s coat.

“Did you really think that it would be that easy, Discord?” asked the blue unicorn, “That a badge from the Moon Legion would just happen to be left behind? Or that our hideout would be so obvious?” 
He shook his head and sighed. 
“You have become foolish Discord. Perhaps you are not the one I require after all.” 

Discord launched a bolt of energy at the unicorn, before breaking free of his bonds and slashing Fluttershy’s cage in two.

At least, that’s what was meant to happen. Instead, Discord struggled a bit against the crystals binding him and the cult leader watched amusedly. When his efforts had proven useless, Discord stopped struggling against his bindings and growled. 

“Oh, did I forget to mention? Your bindings are made from special crystals; very similar to the one’s used by King Sombra. I like to call them Onyx Ward Crystals.” 
A cloud of black magical energy, identical to the one that had sparked from Fluttershy’s cage, flowed from his horn. It formed a small ring in the air before him and then solidified, turning into a flawless, pure black ring. 

“These crystals take on a magical form, but can be hardened when needed,” explained the stallion, gesturing for one of his fellow cult members. They walked over to him and removed their cloak, revealing a dull grey mare with a short brown mane. 
“This mare is Smooth Stone. She is a master at earth based magic and can manipulate the earth at will.” 

He nodded and Smooth Stone’s horn shimmered. The ground beneath Discord suddenly parted, leaving only a small levitating block for the bound spirit to stand on. The stone beneath Discord’s feet was returned to normal and Smooth Stone stood silently again.

“Now watch what happens when she comes into contact with the Onyx Ward Crystal.” 
Smooth Stone held out her hoof and the cult leader balanced the ring on it. Smooth Stone concentrated on the ground beneath Discord’s feet, but nothing happened except a few loose chips shaking. 

Smooth Stone relaxed and gave the ring back to its owner. 
“Thank you Smooth Stone,” he said. 
“I serve you in place of our Queen, Azure Magister.” 

Discord, who had by this point lost interest in the cocky display of magic, snapped to attention at the uttering of Azure Magister’s name.

“You don’t mean - ?” 
He was cut off before he could finish. 
“Yes,” he said, bowing, “I am one of Celestia’s elite Rainbow Magi. I am the mighty Azure Magister!” 

His performance earned him cheers from the other cult members, but Discord wished his ears would close themselves. 
“I really don’t care about your titles,” the spirit said plainly, “I just wanted to know if you worked close to the Princess. And I have that answer, so please quiet down.”

“Silence, Discord!” Azure demanded, stamping his hoof, “We have wasted enough time! You will return our Queen to us now!” 
“I hate – scratch that, love to break it to you, but I can’t use any magic right now, even if I wanted to help you.” 
Discord smiled devilishly, but Azure Magister did not seem fazed. 
“That is the best part,” laughed Azure, “you don’t have to do anything. We will syphon your magic from you and use it to accelerate Fluttershy’s foal’s growth. Then, we will give it all our power, letting our Queen return from the moon and inhabit the foal. And when we all leave, the only two left here will be you, and Fluttershy. Of course, one of you will no longer be alive.”

With that Azure chuckled and pointed his horn at Discord. 
“Now watch, as we use your power to return our Queen!”

This is insane! Not only is he going to kill Fluttershy and her foal, but nothing will come of it! I have to do something!

Azure Magister and Smooth Stone both pointed their horns at Discord, and Discord felt his magic begin to drain. 
I have to break these crystals! He thought, struggling against them, But I can’t use external magic! 
With that his eyes closed, and he knew what he could do. He couldn’t use the magic to affect anypony around him, but he could use it internally.

Discord focused, allowing the world around him to fade away. All that remained was himself. 
“I haven’t done this in a long time,” he sighed, “but it has to be done.” 
He sensed a minute spark of magic inside of him and he kindled it, helping it to grow. He could feel it being wrenched away by the second, most likely from Azure Magister’s spell, but he kept at it. 

When he had accumulated enough magic energy, he felt the familiar whispers of his inner self. They were constant and random, chaotic even. They never stopped and anything but Discord would go insane could they hear it. But it strengthened Discord. The chaos of his inner being gave him enough strength to do what needed to be done. Something he didn’t want to do.

He transformed. 

His body contorted, cracking the Onyx Ward Crystals that surrounded him. His face became more dragon-like, and his body elongated further. His appendages grew to fit with this new body and in a matter of seconds, Discord was changed. 

What stood in his place could only be classified as a beast. Discord was five times larger than he was earlier, making him bend over on all fours, much like a dragon did. His back scratched against the roof, breaking the roof and sending stalactites into the crowd of ponies below.

Large fangs protruded from his mouth, glinting in the light of the torches around the cave. His eyes had become more feline and his wings now ran down his entire body. While the combination of beings that made up Discord was still random, his new form looked a lot less chaotic than his old one.

And that was the scariest part about it.

The members of the Moon Legion scattered everywhere, all looking for a way out of the cave. Discord’s hulking form looked down at Azure, who had stopped his draining spell, and smiled. 

“Surprised?” he boomed, rattling the cave, “I am. I haven’t had to get this close to my true form in a long time. Too bad you forgot that anything can be broken with brute force.” 
Azure Magister’s mane was blown back, revealing his hidden eye. It was no different from his other, and Discord was almost disappointed. Azure Magister brushed his mane back into place and stared up at Discord. A faint glow surrounded his horn, and Discord wondered what spell he could possibly be casting.

Beside him, Smooth Stone leapt forward, her eyes glazed over, a dead giveaway for mind control. The mare reached Fluttershy’s cage in two lunges and thrust a knife into the sleeping pegasus’ stomach. She removed the blade as swiftly as she had planted it, before dropping backwards. The knife dropped from her hoof and clattered along the stone floor, before disappearing into a large crack in the ground.

Everypony’s attention, was not on the blade, or even Smooth Stone, but at the horrendous wound inflicted on Fluttershy.  

The scene, too terrible for Discord to describe in any detail, made ponies that saw it gag, and even Azure recoiled at the sight of it. There was Discord’s only friend, cut open, and her foal irreversibly damaged. And Discord snapped.

Discord roared in rage and slammed his giant talon into Smooth Stone, impaling her in one movement. He flicked her corpse from his claw and turned on Azure Magister, slamming him into the wall of the cave with a swipe from his paw. Discord’s monolithic tail sliced through the air, sending the remaining Moon Legion into all corners of the cave.

Azure Magister, whose lower spine had been shattered on impact, gasped in pain. Discord stormed forward and readied his talon above the mangled unicorn. His fate would have been the same as Smooth Stone’s had an incredible light not removed Discord from the cave. 

Princess Celestia, flanked by several guardsponies, strode towards Azure. A few medical ponies rushed to Fluttershy and Smooth Stone, though they instantly knew the latter was lost. 

Seeing his chance to redeem himself, Azure began to tell the Princess what happened. 
“We found him,” he croaked.
His throat had been injured in the collision, but he put more emphasis on it to obtain the Princess’ sympathy. 
“He had taken Fluttershy, and we confronted him. Smooth Stone and I found him trying to resurrect Nightmare Moon, and we had to fight some of the Moon Legion. When we tried to stop him, he went crazy and maimed Fluttershy, killed Smooth Stone, and attacked me. I only hope we weren’t too late.” 
With that he feigned unconsciousness and collapsed. The solemn princess ordered her guards to secure the area, before leaving to deal with an enraged Discord.

-----

Discord’s head hung sadly as he sat in the Canterlot dungeons. His misery was interrupted by the sound of his cell door opening. 

“I hope you know that I don’t want to do this.” 
Fluttershy’s voice soothed Discord’s restlessness, and he looked up at her. 

She stood in front of him, wearing the Element of Kindness. She almost looked like her normal self, bar the large stitch that ran along her underbelly. Discord cringed at the sight and hung his head again. 
“I know,” he whispered, “I just hope you know that I didn't do half of what they said. Celestia obviously doesn’t trust me enough to listen to my side of the story.”

Fluttershy placed her hoof on his shoulder. 
“I don’t believe them, Discord,” she said, “I believe you. If this wasn't a royal order, I would not even consider it. I just hope that, when you are finally free, you can forgive me.”
Discord chuckled slightly. 
“Good old Fluttershy,” he laughed quietly, “always asking for forgiveness, when everyone should be apologizing to you.” 

He looked her in the eye, noticing the other Bearers entering his cell. 
“You don’t need my forgiveness,” he whispered, “because it was never your fault. Go and live your life. Without my interference.”

With that, he took on a solemn and sad pose. A pose he would keep for decades. 

As the light of the Elements flashed around him, he could feel his body becoming stone. When the light faded, the six ponies left the cell. The last thing Discord saw before the door closed was Fluttershy's crying face.

He was alone once more. He was trapped once more. But this time, he didn't want to be freed. He knew that being freed would take him from his friend.
> Learning History and Awkward Propositions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord leaned back, his story finished. Celestia sat solemnly while Luna comforted a crying Titian. 
Kinda forgot she was here, he thought, oh well, she would have faced worse at one point or another. 
“I apologise for my actions, Discord,” said Celestia, bowing her head, “I was too quick to believe Azure Magister and I didn’t listen to you.” 

Discord waved away her apologies with his paw. 
“I really don’t care anymore, Celestia. It happened and it is over. Nothing can change that now.”  
Titian looked up at him as though she was about to say something, but decided against it. 
“Still,” said Celestia, “my actions caused you pain, and I will right those wrongs.” 
The Sun Princess stood up and turned to her sister. 
“Luna, please come with me.”

Luna nodded and rose. Celestia turned back to Discord before speaking again. 
“We will help you, Discord. You remain here and talk to Titian while we discuss what needs to be done.” 
The two princesses walked away, leaving the spirit, the changeling and the cake behind.

Titian hovered over to the chair near Discord and slouched back in it. 
“Classy,” murmured Discord, but Titian didn’t seem to notice. 
Cake, who was now asleep at Discord’s feet, stirred a little before settling back down. 

Well, this is awkward, thought Discord, trying to find something to talk about. 
Discord shifted nervously. 
“So, Titian. Do you think you could fill me in on what has happened while I have been asleep?” 
The changeling sat up more correctly before answering Discord’s question. 

“Well, I can give you a bit of history. I wasn’t around for most of it, so I’ll have to tell you what I know from books and from what the Princess has told me.” 
“That’s fine by me,” Discord told her, happy just to have a conversation topic, “just tell me what you can.”
Titian smiled and got herself comfortable.

“Well then, where should I start? Soon after your imprisonment, Fluttershy fell ill. The cause of the sudden malady is still unknown, but many believe it to have been caused by an infection from her injuries. It wasn’t long before she passed away, and that was when Equestria ran into one of its first major problems. The Element of Kindness turned to dust. Not just stone, dust.”

“Why would the Element of Kindness turn to dust?” asked Discord. 
“No-one knows,” replied Titian, “no-one knows about it mind you. That information was hidden from everyone but those that needed to know.” 

“Please continue,” said Discord. 
“The princesses and the other Element Bearers searched for answers, but all the ponies that know anything about the creation of the Elements are gone. There is literally no record of where they originated from. Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia even spent many months- no, years, poring over Starswirl the Bearded’s notes, even his predecessor’s, and still couldn’t find anything.” 

“Ah yes, Danny wasn’t always the best at keeping record of his research,” laughed Discord, “He committed most of it to memory.” 
Titian looked at Discord with a confused look. 
“Danny?” she asked, trying to discern who he was referring to. 
“Dante the Forgetful. He was Starswirl’s mentor. Ironic really. He wasn’t a forgetful unicorn, quite the opposite in fact. He was called that because people around him used to have lapses in memory thanks to a spell he once cast on himself. Starswirl was the only one who could ever learn from him without forgetting too much. Probably because he was diligent at keeping notes.”

Titian listened, fascinated with Discord’s knowledge of the past. 
“You have to tell me more about these things some time,” she said, “Princess Celestia doesn’t know much about Starswirl’s mentor, or anything before that.” 

Discord smiled smugly and pretended to inspect his claws. 
“That’s because she wasn’t around before then. She and Luna were born after Dante passed away. Starswirl was already gone before they started their reign.” 
He glanced towards Titian, who was eagerly awaiting his next sentence. 

“I’ll tell you more about Danny and Starswirl later. You are teaching me at the moment.” 
Titian sighed unhappily and continued. 
“Anyway, about fifty years after your imprisonment, Queen Chrysalis and her changelings came to Princess Celestia for protection. They began to integrate into Equestrian society and after another few years everyone had mostly accepted them. That was around the time that Princess Celestia asked for the word pony to be removed from the end of words like everypony and anypony, and to replace them with 'one'. ” 

“To make it less discriminatory, right?” asked Discord. 
“Right,” said Titian, nodding, “Not long after the changelings entered Equestrian society, many other creatures did too. In fact, you may have seen some on your way here.” 
Discord hadn’t seen anything bar changelings and ponies, so he shook his head. 
“Well,” started Titian, “there are approximately two-hundred boars, one-hundred and fifty elk and three-hundred griffons living in Equestria as citizens. Not many, but there are probably more that evade the eyes of the Canterlot government. Most live in more remote areas, and more often than not they prefer solitude or the company of their own kind, but I believe that eventually all the races of Equestria and beyond can live together in harmony.” 
“That’s a good belief,” said Discord. 
Wouldn’t make my world that great though.

“About five years ago I was born, and four years ago Princess Celestia took me on as her apprentice. She said I showed talent not seen since Twilight Sparkle first became her apprentice, so I have studied here ever since.” 
Discord tried keeping track of all the numbers she had given him, but he got confused. 
“So how long since I was imprisoned?” he asked. 
“I’d say it has been about fifty years since you were last at Canterlot and about one-hundred to one-hundred and fifty years since you were imprisoned. All up I’d say that you have missed just over two-hundred years of Equestrian history, though it is hard to tell.” 

Well, that isn’t too long, he thought to himself lifting his legs up onto the table in front of him. 
“Oh, that’s right,” he said, opening his eyes again and looking at Titian, “you looked like you were going to say something earlier, when I was talking about the past being unchangeable. What was that?”
Titian tensed before looking over her shoulders. When she was sure that neither of the princesses were in sight, she turned back to Discord and leaned closer to him. 
“I shouldn’t really be telling you this,” she whispered and Discord had to lean closer to hear her, “but I was reading some of Twilight Sparkle’s reports on advanced magic spells and I found one that could help you.”

Discord nodded in acknowledgement, intrigued. 
“It was a spell created by Starswirl the Bearded that Twilight Sparkle once used herself. The spell allows the caster to travel backwards in time, but only for a certain amount of time. I was reading over the spell, and I noticed a few mistakes made by Starswirl when he was creating the spell. I could change it so that you could go back and fix what happened.”

Discord sighed and leaned back into his chair. 
“While that might work for some things, this situation is a vital point in Equestria’s history. It wouldn’t just affect me; it could change the whole of Equestria in the process. What if preventing Fluttershy’s death causes the integration of changelings to never occur. You might not exist anymore. I could return to a future that was marked by war and suffering.”

Titian looked crestfallen and relaxed into her chair. 
“Don’t worry!” smiled Discord, not wanting to see the changeling cry, “If I ever have need of a time travelling spell I will come straight to you.” 

Titian cheered up at this and Discord relaxed inside. 
“Anyway, I promised you a lesson on Dante the Forgetful did I not?” 
The changeling nodded and smiled, a quill and notepad floating over towards her. 
“Well,” began Discord, “Dante was a great unicorn, but about 30 years before Starswirl became his apprentice, he tried to forget about a mare that he loved. She had died because one of his experiments with life magic went awry and he wanted to forget it. Instead, he cast a spell that made others around him forget small things, such as the date or what they were doing. Because of this he lived alone, believing that too much exposure to the spell would cause others to forget everything.”

Discord began telling all sorts of tales about Dante and Starswirl and Titian scratched notes while she listened.

-----

“I just don’t know Luna,” said Celestia, “should I do it? I can’t see any good coming from this, though it would be fun to try.”
Princess Luna nodded and said, “We must, Sister. We promised that we would help him and this is the best way to do that.”

Celestia squirmed. 
“I just think it would be weird, for both of us. I have never seen eye to eye with Discord, and this could just cause more tension between the two of us.” 
“You won’t know unless you try, Sister,” said Luna, “If you don’t, then Discord might choose to plunge Equestria into eternal chaos, because we didn’t help him.”

Celestia sighed. 
“You are right,” she groaned, “it will help in the long run. At least it will keep Discord preoccupied for a while.” 
Luna nodded in agreement and hugged her sister with her wings. 
“It will be fine.” 

I hope so, thought Celestia. 
The two made their way back to the room they left the others in. Discord was bounding across the tops of the chairs, telling a story, and Cake and Titian were watching with glee. 
At least if this doesn’t work he could spend time with Titian, she said inwardly. 

“I hate to interrupt this story,” she said, walking towards the trio, “but I have a proposal for Discord.” 
In one fluid movement, Discord had sat back down, grabbed a cup of tea, and was drinking it casually. Two more cups appeared in front of Cake and Titian, who both took it happily. Another two were offered to the princesses, but waved away. 

“What did you want to ask me?” asked Discord, taking a sip of his drink. 
Celestia took a deep breath. She turned to Luna, who nodded, and she stepped forward once more. 

“Discord. This may be awkward, as we have never gotten along well, but both Luna and I agree that this is the best thing to do.” 
She looked back at Luna. Luna gave her a warm smile and nodded again. Celestia took another deep breath and continued. 
“This is hard for me to ask, as it is not something that I would do for anyone else, but since I have wronged you, I must right it. I am also intrigued by the possible outcome of doing this, and it could even be fun if we got over our discomfort around one another.” 

“Just say it,” complained Luna, tired of her sister’s avoidance. Celestia scowled at her and then continued.

“Fine. Discord, while it might be awkward for the both of us at first, would you like me to help you make a foal?” 

Discord raised an eyebrow and lowered his cup, unable to hide his smirk. Titian couldn’t understand what Discord found so funny about her teacher’s comment, and Cake sat drinking his tea, oblivious to the situation. 

Princess Luna face-hoofed and walked over to her sister. After Luna whispered something in her ear, Celestia’s face turned a bright shade of red. 

“That’s not what I meant! I meant to- let me explain! I- no I wasn’t trying to ask if- !”
Celestia’s rambling was cut short by Luna covering her mouth with a hoof. 

“Now that Sister has completely embarrassed herself, maybe we should explain this properly.” 
Discord nodded in agreement, still smirking, and the two princesses sat with the others around the table, though Celestia wouldn’t look directly at Discord. 

I have the feeling that this plan is going to cause a lot of chaos, he said to himself.

Perfect.

> Creation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Creon,” said Discord casually. 
“Pardon?” asked Luna, confused by his statement. 

Discord shifted in his chair, feeling unusually comfortable. 
Probably because I am used to sitting on rocks, he thought. 
“I want him to be called Creon.” 

Luna gave Discord a confused look and Discord sighed. 
“I want my ‘foal’ to be called Creon,” he elaborated. 
“Oh, right.” 
Luna rubbed the back of her head with her hoof, embarrassed.

“So how will this work anyway?” asked Discord, “Do you just magic some monstrosity into being and I keep it? Like Cake except I’ll care for this one.” 
Cake whimpered and Discord chuckled. 

“Not exactly,” replied Luna, “It will be a lot like Fluttershy’s situation.” 
“I don’t like where this is going.” 
Discord readjusted himself nervously. 

“Don’t worry,” Luna explained, “we won’t be bringing anyone else into it. Celestia and I will help create a being instead of using another living creature.” 
Discord relaxed. 
“So where do we start?” 

Luna smiled and nudged her sister with a hoof. Celestia grumbled and turned to face Discord, her face still more pink than usual. 
“First we will need something to make the creature from, something alive and preferably magic infused.” 
Discord shrugged before reaching behind his back and grabbed ahold of his dragon-like wing. 

“What are you doing-” started Titian, before a loud snap interrupted her. 

Discord winced and held out his severed wing, black ooze dripping from its base. The others all looked at the sight with horror, and Titian passed out. 

“What in Tartarus are you doing?!” yelled Celestia, jumping to her hooves. 
“You needed a living specimen,” he replied nonchalantly, “I didn’t want anyone else involved, and my wing has more than enough magic in it to keep itself alive.” 
“I mean why would you tear it off in front of everyone?!” 

Discord laughed. 
“It caused some chaos, did it not?” 
Celestia was lost for words. Luna had moved over to Titian and attempted to wake her. When she could not, she moved the changeling into a more comfortable position and sat back down. 
“Regardless,” she said, returning to her chair, “that was overkill, even for you, Discord.” 

The spirit shrugged and turned his back to the two princesses. 
“It’s growing back already, see?” he said, pointing to the shifting stub on his back. 
He returned to a normal seated position.  
“What do you need the wing for?” 
“Give it to me and I’ll set everything up.” 
Luna used her magic to bring the wing closer to herself. She examined it quickly before using a spell to seal the wound. 
“Why is your blood black?” asked Celestia. 

Discord shrugged again. 
“I don’t really know,” he said, “I think it has something to do with the Onyx Ward Crystals. Their ability to change states and the fact that I broke through them might have something to do with it.” 
He created a tiny ring with the residual blood and analyzed it. 
“Ever since I was freed I notice something odd about my body. Like a foreign object was inside it. Then, while trying to shapeshift, I found certain parts of my body couldn’t. I practiced moving the blood to different parts of my body, and found that wherever the blood is, that area was void of magic.” 

He crushed the ring into mist and it disappeared into the air. 
“Over time I became immune to its effects, to a certain degree. But I found that the rings I could make were highly effective when I encountered wild beasts that were very adept at using magic. Like you for instance, Celestia.”

Celestia grit her teeth but didn’t respond. 
“I’ve grown tired of it though, so my new underling can have its power.”  

Luna had been working busily while Discord was talking, having placed the wing on the table. A few other items were placed around it. There were a few stalks of Night’s Hoof, a small black-purple flower, the skull of a unicorn (horn included), a small pouch of crystals, and a large heart. 
Judging by the size, I’d say that is a dragon or a manticore, thought Discord, and that looks quite fresh.

He almost shuddered, but he kept himself from doing so.  
“You and Celestia will use your magic to combine these ingredients,” Luna explained, “the end result should begin to form on its own after that.” 

“Does the ingredients list have to be so macabre?” asked Celestia. 
“Yes,” replied Luna flatly, “the Night’s Hoof, while often used as a poison, can also be made into various poultices that help wounds mend together. This will help the being form. The skull is there as a base for the being to grow around. The crystals will help trap some of the magic from the both of you, allowing it to be drawn on when needed. The heart is obvious. And Discord’s wing will provide the first sparks of magic and will make the resulting creature a direct descendant from Discord.” 

I’m sure if I throw a few of Celestia’s hairs in there it won’t break it too much, the spirit said to himself, and slipped some in.
“Ready?” asked Luna. 
Discord and Celestia nodded. 
“Start by sending magical energy into the crystals. When you’ve given them enough, hold all the ingredients together with magic. Make sure you both do it at the same time, or the results could be catastrophic.” 

The two followed Luna’s instructions, and they began pouring energy into the crystals. 
Without stopping the flow of magic, the Celestia looked at Discord, who smiled back devilishly. She shook her head and the duo simultaneously stopped their flows of magic and began holding the ingredients together in a tight sphere of energy. Discord made sure that strands from Celestia’s mane were held with the others. 

After a few minutes of this, Discord felt himself tiring, and the look on Celestia’s face told him the same. Not wanting to seem weak, he pushed himself, pouring a large wave of magic directly into the sphere. The sphere of magical energy exploded suddenly, causing a blinding light to fill the room. Yells of surprise and pain came from the three closest to the sphere, and Discord was sure Cake had done the same. 

Discord had fallen back when the wave hit, his chair now lying on the ground. The light that had filled the room had faded, and Discord laughed in triumph when he saw the creature that stood on the table.

There, where the sphere of magic had once been, was a dark grey stallion with a short mane. His mane was pitch black, but one pure white patch came down just above each eye. His eyes were blood red, and they surveyed the room disinterestedly. While he could be called an alicorn, that wouldn’t be quite correct. His horn was an average length, but far sharper than that of a normal unicorn. His wings were identical to the one Discord removed from himself, but they, unlike Discord’s, were a normal size compared to the rest of his body. His tail looked razor sharp, like two scythes attached t the end of his body. The 'blades' of his tail matched his mane; the larger one a perfect black, and the other pure white. The light shined from the ponies tail, and Discord was certain that it was an actual blade. To finish the bizarre painting that had been created before them, the stallion wore a short cape that came down to his flank. This wouldn’t have been too unusual for most, but this cape was the same shade as his coat, and upon closer inspection, Discord realized that the cape was in fact a part of his body.

Celestia and Luna both rubbed their eyes with a hoof, trying to ensure that what they were seeing was real. They too had fallen down when the sphere had exploded, and they pulled themselves to their hooves shakily. Cake had been thrown into a wall on the other side of the room, and aside from a ruffled mane, Titian was still unconscious.

The stallion standing on the table looked at the two princesses and Discord for a moment before collapsing. 

-----

Wake up. They are waiting for you, Creon. Come on. You’ll make us look bad.
The voice echoed around the stallions head as he got to his hooves. He shook his head and looked around at the black space surrounding him. 
“Who said that?” he asked, looking for someone else in the area. 

Why, I did. 
The reply continued to echo throughout the void. 
“Who are you?” 
I am you, the voice replied, or at least, in a sense. I am you, but not you.

The lone pony scratched his head with a hoof. 
“So,” he began, trying to find the right question to ask, “who am I?” 
The disembodied voice laughed loudly, causing a shiver to run down the grey stallion’s spine. 

That is a good question, said the voice, I can answer that at least. You are Creon, the creation of Discord and Celesita. 
“Who are they?” asked Creon, piecing together the information he had been given. 
Well, said the voice, Discord is the spirit of chaos. He is essentially your father, and he created you for the sole purpose of relieving his boredom. 
“That is a lot to take in,” Creon said, “so where do we go from here?”

Hahaha, you do have good questions! 
The voice paused for a moment, leaving Creon to hear nothing but silence. 
All I can tell you for now is that you have to leave. I’ll talk to you soon.

Creon began to voice another question, but the blackness around him began to become lighter, and he was blinded by a sudden white light.

> Demonstration of Power
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This really isn’t what I had in mind.” 
Creon heard the voice and slowly opened his eyes. 
“Oh, you are up. Good.”

Discord reached out a claw and used it to flick Creon’s hair. Creon recoiled slightly and Discord’s frown became bigger. 
“You know, I figured that I would get something a bit less stupid,” he said, looking at Celestia. 
“Well, I didn’t think it would be completely useless either,” she told him, walking around in front of Creon. 

Creon scowled at the two of them. 
Release that anger. 
The voice from earlier seemed to come from everywhere and yet nowhere. 
If you do, they will learn not to treat you that way.
“But I feel a strange connection with the weird one,” said Creon, not really concentrating his eyes on anything. 

“Is he talking about me?” asked Discord, pointing to himself, and Creon looked startled. 
Hahaha! 
The mocking laughter almost pierced Creon’s ears, making him flinch. 
They can hear you when you talk out loud. Try talking more quietly.

“Great,” sighed Celestia, “not only is it completely brain dead, it talks to itself.”
“Provoking him isn’t really a good idea, Celestia.”
The new voice came from behind Creon, and he turned to see what appeared to be a fortress of chairs hastily stacked up around a dark blue pony, similar to the white one in front of him.

“Luna, come out of there,” Celestia said, poking Creon in the head, “it can’t do anything to you. It doesn’t do anything.”
She poked Creon a few more times, and the anger Creon felt rose each time. 
Go on. Do it now. See, Discord is getting out of the way. It won’t hurt anyone but her.

Creon turned his attention back to his surroundings, and saw that his inner voice was right. Discord was in fact moving away, and Celestia’s constant poking made Creon more and more agitated. 
Now. Focus your anger and release it. 
Creon felt Celestia’s hoof hit his head once more, and he snapped. A deep black aura surrounded his horn, and a burst of energy hit Celestia in the chest. Her eyes widened in surprise as she was thrown across the room. She collided with the wall and fell to the floor with a loud ‘thud’. 

Discord began to laugh uproariously, and even Luna giggled slightly before teleporting to the other side of the room to help her fallen sister. 
“Don’t treat me that way!” growled Creon, getting to his hooves. 

Discord stopped laughing when he heard the menacing sounds coming from his ‘son’. 
“If I tell you that you can treat me that way, go ahead.” 
Creon took a few steps forward and Luna shielded her sister with a wing. Creon’s body shook all over and he glared at the stunned Celestia. 
“But until then, don’t treat Creon that way.” 

“I appreciate your threats,” remarked Discord, moving towards Creon, “but you have to learn proper speech. You should have said ‘I’ there, not Creon.” 
Creon turned towards Discord and Discord noticed that his eyes had become silvery-white. 
“And as much as I appreciate the correction, I was not referring to myself.” 
The coat around Discord’s chest began to flicker, changing from the usual grey, to a dark red. 
“I was in fact referring to Creon in that statement.”
The colour change rapidly spread to the rest of his body, and soon, Creon was almost half red. 
“Stop!” yelled Luna, and the red hairs immediately changed back to their original colour. 

Creon recoiled slightly, as though waking from a day dream, and turned towards Luna. 
“What happened to you?” asked Luna, stepping towards Creon. 
“It’s funny you would ask that,” said Creon, “I asked a similar question to him earlier, but he never answered properly.” 
Creon’s statement confused the others, but he continued to speak, oblivious to their confusion. 
“So I’ll ask you instead. Who am I?”

-----

“Another you?” asked Celestia, for the third time since their conversation began. 
“Yes,” replied an exhausted Creon, “he said he was me, but he wasn’t. Can’t you explain this, Father.” 
“Please don’t call me that. It makes me feel old.” 
Creon looked at Discord, but the spirit just shrugged. 
“It does.”

“That doesn’t answer as many questions as I had hoped,” said Luna. 
“You didn’t exactly answer mine,” hissed Creon, though no-one heard him. 
Luna took a sip of the tea Discord had provided and continued to speak. 
“I don’t know why a split in personality would occur. Discord’s wing was the only thing from a sentient being in the ingredients. So where could the extra personality have come from?” 

Discord looked away shiftily, and Creon picked up on it. 
“What are you hiding?” he asked, and the spirit tensed as all eyes focused on him. 
“Come on, you are supposed to cover for me!” mouthed Discord before answering the question. 
“Well,” he began, “I may or may not have placed a few of the hairs from Celestia’s mane into the mix.”

Luna’s cup shattered under the added magical energy. 
“Why would you do that?” She yelled, “Do you know what you could have done?” 
“Of course I do!" yelled Discord patronizingly, "Made chaos! Like I always do!”
Luna sighed angrily and she and Discord began to argue.

Look at them arguing. Isn’t it so wonderfully chaotic? 
The voice interrupted his concentration on the scene before him and Creon shook his head. 
“I don’t like the chaos it causes,” he said quietly, and only Celestia, who was glaring at him and nursing an injured wing, heard him.
How could you not love it? The wondrous disharmony, the beautiful chaos, the splendid discordance. Doesn’t it make you feel so alive?
“No,” said Creon, “it doesn’t. I prefer order. When everything is precise, and harmonious. Like the scales in the corner there. They are perfectly balanced.”

Until something is placed onto the other side.
Creon’s horn went dark, and he involuntarily threw his own cup at the scales, shattering the chains holding one of the dishes. 
Or taken away. Chaos is so easy to cause, whereas order is so hard to keep.

“Doesn’t that make it more rewarding though?” asked Creon, slightly louder than intended. 
Luna and Discord, who had stopped arguing after the shattering of the scales, looked at him, waiting to hear what he had to say next. 

“The fact that you kept it like that for so long. Isn’t that truly rewarding? Knowing for a fact that those scales would not have broken had you not tampered with them. Knowing those scales can be remade, become as orderly as they were before.”
Creon’s horn went dark again, voluntarily this time, and the scales floated across to him. Creon worked in the silence, bending the links of the chains back together, making the scales as perfect as they were before their untimely demise. The clinking of the chains punctuated the silence as the scales were rebuilt. 

“You have remarkable control for someone that has existed for so little a time,” said Celestia, admiring his precision.
Creon smiled slightly and placed the scales back on the table, making sure they were still balanced. 

“You destroyed them; I returned them to their former state. There is even a chance I made the scales better than they were before. Would anyone have even noticed them had you not broken them in the first place? Many efforts to create chaos ultimately lead to a more orderly creation.” 
Creon looked at Discord and smirked at the spirit’s expense. 
So order is used to build and enhance? 
“And order relies on chaos to do just that. Chaos and order are like the sun and the moon. Both are required but neither can be dominant while the other is. Just as the sun is required to help the plants grow, so too is order needed to build a thriving world. But the sun must occasionally allow the moon to take its place, and chaos must take the place of order.”

Creon took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts for a moment. 
“Chaos allows a break from order, just like the moon allows the land to cool and beings to rest. When the order takes control again, those affected are not opposed to the order, as chaos has made order the more desirable option. Chaos cannot live with order, and order cannot live with chaos. But neither can live alone. One must always be ready to intervene when the other becomes too overbearing.”

The room was silent yet again. 
“You know, that would have made much more sense if I could hear the other side of the conversation,” said Discord, breaking the awkward silence. 
“I apologise for interrupting what you were doing,” Creon said, bowing his head.

“Don’t be,” Discord said, waving the apology away, “are you sure you don’t want any of this tea? I brewed it myself.” 
Discord held out his paw and a teacup appeared above it. 
“You have asked that several times now, but I don’t know what you are referring to.” 
The cup was enveloped in a black aura and floated towards Creon. 
“This cup is clearly empty.” 

The cup flew towards Luna and inverted itself above her head. The alicorn squealed and teleported herself out of the chair. The tea splashed over the cushion and started to seep through it. 
“What are you doing?” she cried, stomping a hoof. 

“Touch the cushion,” said Creon, pointing at it. 
Luna looked at him skeptically but eventually obliged. She reached down and placed a hoof against the cushion on the chair. 
“It is now soaked. What is your point?” 

“You know,” Creon sighed, “I honestly thought someone of your magical prowess could see through it far quicker. Close your eyes.” 
She did so, and Creon swiftly lifted the cushion and slammed it into the side of Luna’s face. 
“You little bastard!” she yelled, making Titian jolt upright, before falling asleep again. 
Luna stormed towards Creon who threw a magical shield up in front of himself. 
The voice in Creon’s head laughed loudly. Discord did as well. Even Celestia found it hard to suppress her laughter.
That was incredible!

“Please calm down Luna,” Creon stated calmly, having no trouble keeping the barrier stable against Luna’s physical and magical blows. 
The princess glared at Creon, but stopped her onslaught. 
“Thank you. Please feel the side of your face,” he instructed bluntly. 
Luna scowl deepened as she lifted her hoof to her face. 

“What about it?” she grunted, her eyes fixed on Creon’s neck with a murderous glare. 
“Is it even remotely wet?” 
She stopped suddenly and her facial expression changed completely, become far softer than before. 
“No,” she whispered, almost in awe. 
“See?” asked Creon, “There was never any liquid. It was just an illusion.” 
Discord laughed again and began to applaud. 
“While it is true that this was really a test of your abilities, this was far more entertaining than I expected from you!” 
He is right, that was really well done. 

“If you simply wanted to show me it was an illusion, why hit me with the cushion?” asked Luna, still aggravated. 
“Two reasons,” replied Creon, “doing so caused you to forget about the tea, no?” 
Luna nodded. 
“Also, it was fun.” 
Luna scowled again and the voice laughed again. 
You know, you could cause some real chaos if you tried.

“I could,” said Creon. 
Luna made her way back to her seat and Discord teleported into the air next to Creon. 
“Well,” he said, “I think it is time the two of us left, don’t you?” 
He looked at Creon and nodded slightly. 

“No,” replied Creon, shaking his head in return, “I believe staying here for a while is the best plan of action.”
Discord looked at Creon with a confused expression and Creon elaborated. 
“If I stay here, for even a few days, I can learn far more about current events than I could anywhere else. I would have access to the library here in Canterlot, and I’m sure Celestia will allow me access to her private book storage.”

Celestia snorted. 
“Yeah right,” she said, “Titian, Luna and myself are the only ones that may access that wing of the library.” 
Creon shook his head. 
“I meant the collection that you keep hidden even from your sister.” 
Celestia’s eyes widened abruptly and Luna turned her glare on her sister. 

“What is he talking about?” she asked icily, “What secrets are you keeping from me.” 
“Well,” Celestia gulped, trying to explain, “I may have a collection of spell books that contain spells I deemed too dangerous for use.” 
“Then why keep them?” Luna asked. 
“I keep them as a precaution,” sighed Celestia, hanging her head, “and as a memento. Some of these spells were made by Starswirl at my request, but I now realize they are too dangerous to allow them to fall into the wrong hooves. I keep them hidden in case I need them.”
She looked back at Luna sadly. 
“There are spells there that were made to kill alicorns. Specifically you, Luna.” 

Luna looked at her sister with a mixture of hatred and surprise. 
“And here I thought you had forgiven me. I will be taking my leave,” she said, getting up and turning away from the others. 
She took a deep breath. 
“I need sometime alone.” 
With that she disappeared. 

Everyone was silent, their eyes fixed on the spot Luna stood moments ago. 
Boy, you really know how to make people angry, said the voice in Creon’s head, we have existed for a less than a day, and you have already enraged a princess, made said princess hate her sister, and make that sister regret half the decisions she has ever made.

Creon turned to Celestia, whose face showed no emotion at all. 
“I didn’t mean to,” said Creon, feeling guilty, “I merely wanted access to powerful spells and vast wells of knowledge.” 
Maybe next time you should be more subtle about it. I think you even managed to make Discord feel uncomfortable. That is not exactly an easy feat.

As though on cue, Discord began to speak. 
“Well, I think my presence here has had a more negative effect than I would have liked, so I will take this as my cue to leave. I will come again in two days, okay Creon? Learn what you need in that time.” 
Creon nodded and Discord bowed before teleporting away with a ‘pop’.

“What was that?” asked Titian sleepily, rubbing her eyes with her hooves. 
“That was Discord leaving,” stated Creon. 
“Aww, I wanted to keep talking to him though,” whined Titian, not realizing she had no idea who she was talking to. 
“I’m sure you will see him again.” 

Titian nodded and hopped off of her chair. 
“Princess, what are we going to do now? Will I return to my studies?” 
Celestia shook her head half-heartedly. 
“No,” she replied, as if in a trance, “I want you to take Creon around Canterlot. Help him do what he likes.” 
With that she too teleported from the room, leaving Titian confused. 

“I have so many questions,” she said, scratching her head with a hoof. 
“I will try answering them as best as I can,” Creon told her, walking over to her, “I am Creon. Could you take me to the library please?” 
Titian considered it for a moment. 
“Well, Celestia did ask me to help you, so I guess I can. Just promise you will answer all the questions I have.” 
“Deal,” said Creon, nodding in agreement, “before we go though, I have something to take care of.” 

And what would that be?
“I have to go get this being named ‘Cake’,” said Creon, “I believe he was thrown into a wall when I was created.” 
Titian opened her mouth to ask a question, but Creon placed a hoof on her mouth. 
“All in good time,” he said. 

He quickly scanned the room and saw a trail of cream down one of the walls. He walked over to it and saw what could only be described as a blob on the floor beneath it. 
“Are you Cake?” Creon asked the blob. 
A muffled ‘yes’ came from the pile, and in a few short moments Creon had it lifted into the air. 
“Could you please put me back together?” the blob asked Creon.

What is that thing? 
“I dunno,” replied Creon, both to Cake and the voice. 
Cake whimpered and the voice laughed. 
“If we work together we can fix him,” said Titian, adding her magic to the amount holding Cake up. 

Creon shrugged. 
“Sure. Let’s hurry though, because I need to get to that library as soon as possible. Discord will be back in only two days.” 
“Right,” said Titian, making a serious face, “let’s get to work!” 

The two of them sat on the floor and began to piece Cake back together. 

“So,” started Titian, “why did everyone leave?” 
“Well,” said Creon, focusing most of his attention on the mess in front of him, “Luna felt betrayed by Celestia, Celestia felt responsible for everything and Discord felt like he had caused too much chaos for today. Surprising for him really.” 
And you caused all of it, chided the voice. 

“Shut up,” Creon sighed. 
“Who do you keep talking to?” asked Titian, paying less attention to Cake than she should have been. 
“I don’t really know,” replied Creon, “he says that he is me, but he also says he is not me. No-one will tell me who I am, so I can’t tell who or what he is.” 
“Does he have a name?” 
“No,” Creon said bluntly, “I hadn’t even considered it.” 

Rude. 
“You should give him one,” Titian said. 
“Alright I will,” agreed Creon, “but what?” 
“You said your name was Creon right?” 
Creon nodded. 

“So why don’t you call him Necro? It is an anagram of Creon. He, can be you, but not you, at the same time.” 
I like it, the voice said, I should have a title too. Necro the Chaotic. 
“Alright,” said Creon, nodding, “your new name is Necro the Chaotic. Necro for short.” 
Titian smiled. 
“Can you hurry up and fix me please?” cried Cake, whose body parts were floating in the air. 

Creon apologized and continued to work, but Titian had all but given up, leaning back against the wall. 
“Why are you named Creon?” 
“The same reason anyone is given a name I suppose,” replied Creon, working to put Cake back together, “it was just chosen for me. Damn it, this is really difficult considering I don’t know what you looked like in the first place.” 

“But many ponies and changelings are given names based on certain characteristics they have,” said Titian, “like me. I bet you can’t guess my name though.” 
Creon looked at her for a moment before closing his eyes. 

“I can’t be sure, as my knowledge of changelings is limited to what Discord passed to me when I was made, but I would assume it has to do with your eyes.” 
He opened his own eyes again and studied the changeling’s eyes closely. 
“Your eyes are different to most changelings I believe. If I were to hazard a guess your name would be similar to that of your eye colour.” 
Titian listened to his reasoning, and Cake had given up all hope of ever being put together again. Creon continued his analysis.

“Your eyes are a fairly orange, but also have hints of brown in them. The word auburn comes to mind, but to my knowledge, auburn is more red than orange. I would say your eye colour is closer to that of dark orange or titian, and since we are talking about names, I don’t think dark orange is correct. So I will say that your first name is Titian.”

Titian’s eyes widened with surprise, but Creon wasn’t finished. 
“As for your second name, which if I am correct many ponies and changelings have, it would most likely have something to do with your identity as a changeling. The fact that a changeling’s wings ‘buzz’ or ‘hum’ when they fly probably has something to do with your name. Buzz doesn’t sound like a name, but the word drone is quite fitting.” 

Creon smiled and nodded. 
“I would say that your name is Titian Drone.”

Titian smiled broadly and applauded. 
“Wow, not many ponies could figure that out like you did!” she said, admiring Creon’s abilities. 
You aren’t going to tell her that you have some of Discord’s memories about her are you?
“Nope,” whispered Creon devilishly. 
Sneaky, said Necro.

“Why did you say you have a limited knowledge?” asked Titian, her flow of questions impeding Cake’s recovery process. 
“Because I was only made a few hours ago,” Creon told her, “I was created with magic and I only know what memories I happened to be given by Discord and Celestia. That is why I know that Celestia has a hidden collection of powerful and forbidden spells.” 
Titian’s ears perked up at the utterance of Creon’s statement. 
“If you have some of Celestia’s knowledge, can you tell me where she keeps a certain set of books?” 
Titian whispered the request eagerly, and Creon was hesitant. 
“Doing things like that is what caused the others to leave,” he said. 
“Please? It won’t take long.”

Go on, said Necro, you’ve already made a huge mess, how much worse can things get?
“A lot,” Creon whispered, but decided to help the changeling regardless. 
“What books are you looking for?” he asked Titian. 
“Well,” said Titian, “I want to know where foals come from, but Celestia keeps telling me that I don’t need to know yet. I was hoping you could find a book on it and I could finally learn.” 

“Seems harmless enough,” said Creon, “I want to learn as much as I can, so we may as well start there.” 
Creon lifted one of the cushions from the chairs over to himself and emptied the stuffing out of it, before dumping the pieces of Cake into it. 
“Not again!” Cake squealed, but Creon ignored his protests and tied the sack to his back with magic. 
“To the library!” Creon said loudly, and he and Titian began their journey.

-----
It didn’t take Titian long to get the trio to the library, and she sat at a table waiting for Creon to return from the librarian’s desk. 

“Here we go,” he said, placing the monstrous stack of books he was levitating onto the table, “the mare at the desk said that this wasn’t all of them, but she gave me this weird look when I took so many. She probably wasn’t used to people getting so many books at once.”
“Probably. Okay Creon, let our studying commence!” 
“You said it Titan!”

You both sound like foals, sighed Necro.
-----
Titian sat at the table, her face tinged an odd shade of green. Creon, who was suffering a similar affliction, was seated next to her.

“Creon,” croaked Titian, her voice barely audible. 
“Yeah?” he replied, his eyes still gazing into the distance. 
“Next time, maybe you can get books with fewer pictures.” 

Creon shook his head. 
“There won’t be a next time. I am going to burn all of these books so they can never harm anyone again.” 
Titian nodded shakily. 
“Can we research something else now?” she asked. 

“Let’s start with memory erasing spells,” Creon said. 
“Agreed,” said Titian.

> "I just want to read in peace..."
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Alright,” said Creon, smiling triumphantly, “now that we have done that we can start studying Equestria’s history.”

Titian stared at the flaming mountain in front of her in horror. She turned to Creon in shock. 
“What have you done?” she cried, pointing at the flames, “We are in a library!” 
Creon looked unfazed as he doused the pile.

“So?” he shrugged, lifting one of the scorched books from the pile and examining it. 
Unsatisfied with the level of destruction, he crushed the book under his hoof, turning it to ash. 
“I told you I was going to burn them.” 
Titian put a hoof to her face and sighed. 
“I didn’t think you were serious. Didn’t you say that was most of the books they had?” 
“I said nothing of the sort.” 
“You can’t just burn everything that makes you uncomfortable!” she exclaimed. 
“Why not? It’s worked so far?” 

Titian sighed angrily and shook her head. She flew into the air and went to the librarian, and explained the situation. Creon watched her as he crushed each book underhoof. It took several minutes of apologizing, and what Creon believed to be a bag of bits, but the librarian finally calmed down and Titian returned to Creon’s side, along with a large stack of books.

“You sure do know how to cause chaos,” she muttered, opening one of the books she had brought back. 
Told you so. 
Creon shrugged and used his magic to send the ashes and charred books out the nearest window. 
“That could land on someone you know,” scolded Titian. 
“Yeah right,” Creon scoffed, “what are the chances of that?” 
“Just shut up and read,” she sighed, passing him a book, “these are books on Equestria’s history, ranging from Starswirl the Bearded to last year’s Grand Galloping Gala.”

Creon thanked her and obliged, reading the book he was given. He shifted around on his seat, and Titian noticed his tail appeared to phase through the chair. She stared at it dumfounded, until Creon spoke up. 
“It doesn’t exist,” he said, not bothering to look up from his book, “at least, not as far as I can tell. It seems to exist when I consciously will it to, but otherwise it is like a ghost.” 
He turned to face Titian, who was still staring at his impossible tail. 
“Do you think my flank is going to disappear also?” he asked, making her blush. 
She sat up straight and held a book over her bright red face. Creon just chuckled and sighed before throwing the book on the table and reaching for another one. 
“They can’t be that difficult,” laughed Titian, hoping she could take attention away from her embarrassing situation. 
“What do you mean?” asked Creon, lifting up a second book. 
Titian frowned. 
“Why did you grab a new book?” 

“Because I finished the previous one.” 
Titian laughed loudly, drawing many strange looks from the library’s other occupants. Creon placed his book on top of the first and picked up another. 
“Really?” she said through gasps, “You expect me to believe you finished it that quickly?”  

Did I miss the joke here? 
“No,” whispered Creon, “I have no idea why she is laughing. Let alone that uproariously.” 
Titian wiped the tears from her eyes and settled down. 
“Seriously though, why did you put those books down?” 
Creon looked at her as he placed his third book down and then reached for a fourth. 
“Because I finished them,” he stated bluntly. 

Titian laughed again, quieter this time, and Creon stopped reading his book to stare at her. 
“Why do you find my statements so funny?” he asked quizzically. 
“Because,” gasped Titian, trying to catch her breath, “no-one, not even Celestia herself, could possibly read that quickly.” 

Well, aren’t you special, taunted Necro. 
Creon continued to stare at her, making Titian feel uncomfortable. 
“In that case,” said Creon, scratching at his chin, “how can I?” 
“You can’t!” Titian yelled, eliciting more stern looks from the library patrons. 
And yet, he did, said Necro. 
“She can’t hear you,” Creon stated, but Necro ignored him.

“He is right though,” said Creon, looking back at his book, “I do read that fast.” 
He threw down his fourth book and retrieved a fifth from the slowly shrinking stack. Titian folded her hooves in front of her and snorted. 
“Prove it,” she said, “hand me one of the books you read.” 
Creon did so and Titian flicked through the pages at random. She stopped rifling through the book and cleared her throat. 

“Answer this. Who was the Element of Loyalty?” 
Time to prove yourself Creon, said Necro, answer the question. 
“I will if you’d shut up,” he mumbled, before turning his attention to Titian. 
“That’s easy,” Creon said, “Rainbow Dash.” 
Titian frowned, but asked another question. 
“What was her occupation pre-integration?” 
“She was the weather pony for Ponyville,” Creon answered, “a job that she left to Sunlight, a changeling, post-integration to try achieve her dream of leading the Wonderbolts. That dream, as you would know, was crushed when she injured her wings while attempting to do what she called, a ‘Double Sonic Rainboom’, a feat many deemed impossible. She collided with a mountain to the north of Ponyville and fractured almost every bone in her body, and nearly pulverized her wing bones.” 

Titian stared open mouthed at Creon, but he continued his speech. 
“When she was finally released from the hospital, she could barely fly a few centimeters from the ground, and soon became a shut-in, never leaving her home if it was not vital. She alienated herself from her friends, becoming cruel and yelling at those who spoke to her. She was quick to make promises to her rare visitors, but even quicker to neglect them. When she passed away, only five years after the accident, she had lost all her friends, and only the Princesses attended her meager funeral.” 
Titian wiped the tear that was forming on her eye and sniffed quietly. 

“And I’m guessing that shortly after that, The Element of Loyalty turned to dust.” 
Creon shook himself from his trance-like state and looked Titian in the eye. 
“Do you believe me now?” he asked, and she nodded sadly. 

Wow, teased Necro, is it your goal to make everyone you meet sad? Seriously. 
Creon shrugged and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. 
“I’m going to keep reading, okay?” 
He patted Titian’s head gingerly and resumed his reading. 
How ironic, said Necro, interrupting Creon once more, when Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty, died, she was no longer loyal.

Creon nodded. 
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” he sighed, trying to read the book in his hooves.
Anyway, I’ll let you read peacefully now. 
“Thank you. I just want to read in peace.” 
Well, do so. 
"As long as there are no more interru-"

“CREON!”
Creon froze. The shriek came from behind Creon, and he assumed it originated in the door way. 
“That’s Luna, isn’t it?” 
Without moving his head, he whispered the question to Titian, who was staring behind him. The terrified look on her face and a quick nod gave Creon the answer he was dreading. 
If you hurry we can leave before she -
Creon heard magic sizzle behind his head and felt heavy breaths down the back of his neck.

Uh oh.

> Necro's Not-So-Grand Unveiling
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Several minutes earlier* 

“Princess, please wait for us.”
Luna stormed through the palace gardens angrily, being chased by two of her Royal Guards. 
“I did not ask for your assistance!” she yelled, summoning a magical barrier between her and her pursuers. 

“We understand that Princess, but Princess Celestia has ordered us to accompany you,” said one, pressing an armoured hoof against the barrier. 
“Is her trust for me that little?” asked Luna, surging more energy into the barrier. 
The guard pulled back her slightly tingling hoof and sighed. 

“I cannot speak on behalf of Princess Celestia, but I do know one thing.” 
The guard straightened up and stood at attention. 
“It is our duty to follow you until told otherwise, and we will do that.” 
The other guard stepped forward to join her companion. 
“That’s right,” she said, “Of course, if you, as the Princess, were to order us not to follow you, we would have to follow those orders.” 
She coughed slightly and winked at Luna.

The princess took a deep breath and lowered her barrier. 
“Thank you,” she said calmly before facing the guards again, “I order you to stop following me.” 
The two guards nodded and smiled to each other. 
“We will do just that,” said one, bowing slightly. 
“Thank-” 

Luna’s sentence was cut short by a large ‘thump’ and the guards stared in horror at the scene unfurling before them. 

Luna stood rigidly, covered from head to hoof in wet ashes and charred books. Her horn was all that protruded from the pile, but the two guards could feel the pure malice and rage emanating from their submerged leader. 
“Princess,” started one, tentatively approaching the pile, “are you okay?” 
There was a muffled hiss, and some of the ash moved away, revealing Luna’s mouth. 
“Leave. Now.” 
Both guards nodded and disappeared, teleporting far away from their enraged leader. 
Luna stood in the pile for a moment, trying to regain her composure. After several minutes of deep breathing, her horn ignited and the ash and books spread to the ground around her, leaving her cold, now grey body shiver in the breeze that was picking up. 

This had better not be Creon’s doing, she said to herself, he has caused me enough anguish today.
“Princess Luna!” came a call from behind her, and she turned to see one of Celestia’s Guards galloping towards her. 
“I am checking for any sign of a pile…” his sentence trailed off as he surveyed the area around his princess. 
“A pile of books and ashes?” she asked, her voice unnaturally cold and vastly contrasting her welcoming smile.

“Ah, yes, your majesty.” 
He hesitantly spat out his sentence and tensed his quivering body. 
“Tell me,” said Luna, her smile not faltering, “Why have I been assaulted by this unceremonious pile of ash and paper?” 
The guard stuttered as he spoke. 
“I- I w- I was on guard at the library when I saw someone - throw the pile from the window.” 

The guard took a deep breath before continuing. 
“I immediately teleported nearby to clean the mess before anyone saw it, but - um…”
He trailed off again, faltering towards the end of his sentence. 
“I see,” said Luna, her uncanny smile making the guard wish he had ignored the pile of ash. 
The princess stepped forward once more, and moved her face right next to the guard’s. The guard wanted to cry, but against all odds, he kept his calm demeanor.

“One last question,” she hissed into his ear, making the guard tense more than he thought possible, “Who was it that evacuated these ashes from the library?” 
The guard wanted to scream, but his throat was closed. His legs would not respond, even though he wished with all his might that they would turn and run. He pushed aside these fear induced thoughts and quickly answered his princess’s question. 
“I did not get the best view of the culprit, but I know that he was a grey unicorn, with- with oddly shaped, wings, much like that of your-” 

He stopped talking when he noticed the princess had turned away from him. Her mane was changing before his very frightened eyes, morphing from her normal star spangled blue to a blinding white.  Electricity arced from her mane into the ground, and said ground began to shift, as though it were as uncomfortable as the guard watching this transformation. Her coat became darker and darker, until it was almost black despite the ash. This coat colour was a stark contrast to her now pure white eyes.

It was with this last thought that the guard realized the princess was now staring straight into his eyes. He no longer felt scared. He no longer felt like running. He no longer felt the need to scream. He no longer felt anything. His eyes glazed over and he collapsed in a heap at the feet of his ruler. 
Luna’s face contorted into a snarl, and cracks ran like veins along her face, electric blue light running between the fissures.

“Creon,” whispered the princess snarled, surprisingly calmly, “I hope you know how to run.” 


----


You should have run when you had the chance. 
“Yeah, thanks,” hissed Creon, trying hard not to move. 
He could still feel the magic coming from behind him, and was afraid to turn around. 

“Creon.” 
The words echoed around his head and Creon gulped. 
“Turn around.” 
Don’t do it you fool, it’s a trap!
Creon ignored Necro, and, against his better judgment, shifted in his seat to face the princess. 
Idiot!
Necro’s warning was once again too late as an earthshattering buck connected with his face. He was tossed across the room at a speed rivalling that of the famous Sonic Rainboom and he collided with the wall with a sickening crunch. The wall collapsed around him and the library became eerily quiet.

The library was almost empty now, with most of the civilians having left during the silence. Only Titian and the librarian remained in the room, not including Cake, who was still in pieces inside the makeshift bag. Titian watched in horror as her new friend was launched across the room and flinched heavily when he hit the wall. 
“Creon?” she whispered, checking to see if he was still alive. 
“I doubt he will trouble us anymore, Titian,” said Luna coldly, her drastic change in appearance gradually fading, “that would have put even my sister in the hospital, let alone some pathetic -” 

Luna was cut off by a shuffling sound coming from the wreckage and her eyes widened with both shock and fear as a red stallion emerged from where Creon had landed. 

“Damn, that was close,” he sighed, stretching his muscles, “that could have gotten bad quickly.” 
“Who are you!?” demanded Luna as her mane began turning white. 
The stallion laughed and then sighed. 
“You are all quite thick aren’t you? No wonder Creon underestimated your power.” 
“Answer me!” Luna yelled.

“No,” said the stallion calmly, dusting specks of rubble from his coat, “I don’t think you deserve it. I mean, you attacked us after all.” 
Titian gasped. 
“What?” asked Luna angrily. 
She tried to control her temper, but that was proving to be a futile gesture. 
“I think that is Necro,” Titian whispered to her leader. 
Luna made a confused expression, but the stallion laughed again and made his way towards them.

“You are right, Titian,” he said, “I am Necro. And before you ask, yes, Creon and I inhabit the same body. Sort of.” 
Luna opened her mouth to question Necro, but he continued on, purposefully interrupting her. 
“My body appears to be physically stronger than Creon’s. at first I was planning to dodge your buck, that is why I took control, but I was too slow and didn't switch before he was struck. I think Creon might be more magically adept than I am. That's a shame. Oh well, no need to bother you with that useless information. Not yet anyway.”

Before Luna could finish processing all the information she had just been given, Necro had her pinned to the ground underhoof. 
“I get the feeling that you won’t listen to me,” sighed Necro, “so I’ll have to lock you up until I know you won’t attack us.” 
The same black aura that Creon used floated from Necro’s horn and wrapped itself around Luna’s hooves and horn, before making solid rings. The rings appeared to be made by black crystals, and Titian felt uneasy just looking at them. 

“Now then,” said Necro, lifting Titian onto his back with magic, “shall we be off?” 
Titian nodded, but Necro could sense the fear she was truly feeling. 
“Don’t worry, Titian. I won’t harm anyone.” 
He turned and smiled wickedly towards the still pinned Princess. 
“Well, not much, if I’m being honest.” 

And with that he used his front hoof to knock the princess out. 
“It’s easier to travel this way,” he said to Titian, who was frozen with shock. 
Necro shrugged and took hold of Luna’s dull blue mane in his teeth. The mane’s corporeal nature had left it when the crystals had formed around Luna, and it didn’t take long for Necro to bunch it up and create a makeshift handle from it.

“Let’s be off,” he said, before strolling casually out of the room with a struggling princess and shocked changeling in tow.


-----


The librarian looked around quickly to make sure the red stallion had left before emerging from her hiding place. She surveyed her ruined library and tears began to well up in her eyes. 
“The princess is going to be so angry,” she sniffed and she began to cry softly.

A muffled whimper broke her from her sorrow and she looked around the room to find its source. After a few seconds of searching she found what she was looking for. The noise was emanating from a small bag that appeared to be made from a cushion, and the librarian tentatively opened it. 

She screamed when she saw the contents, and collapsed next to the bag. 

“Damn it!” squeaked Cake, trying to wriggle his “head” free of the bag, “I am never getting put back together am I?”