The first rays of morning sunlight pierced the darkness shrouding the room, and fell on the face a sleeping baby, purple dragon. The intruding light roused him out of his dreams. Begrudgingly, he pulled the blanket that covered him over his face, retreating back into darkness, pleading for just a few more minutes of uninterrupted sleep, when a familiar sensation crept into his stomach. It’s too early for this, he thought, knowing well what was about to come in the next instant. He sat up, eyes still closed, and let out a fiery and mighty belch that sent licks of flames sprawling into the air. Engulfed in the flames was a neatly tied scroll. He finally forced his eyes open just in time to see the last traces of red flame evaporate into nothingness. “Huh,” he grumbled. He looked at the scroll on the ground in front of his bed. Reluctantly, he emerged from his cocoon of blankets and warmth and picked up the letter. He pulled the string, unfurled the letter, and read it.
*** *** ***
“Twilight! Twilight!” Spike rushed down the stairs, an excited smile on his face. The lavender unicorn hurried to him apprehensively.
“I’m here, Spike, what is it?”
“It’s a letter from the princess!” The anxiety on Twilight’s face was replaced by a mix of relief and mild annoyance
“That’s great, but you know, Spike, I get letters from the princess all the time. No need to make such a fuss. You’re going to give somepony a heart attack.”
“Well, wait till you hear what it says.” He responded, a touch cross. He lifted the letter in front of him and cleared his throat. “Ahem. ‘My dearest and most faithful student Twilight, I am very pleased with your progress, lately. You are my most prized and most diligent pupil, and it is clear you have been working extremely hard. However, I fear you may be working too hard, my dear student. This is why I am inviting you and your friends to the tropical Eris Island. You are to leave immediately and I shall have no argument on the matter. You are not to return until you have had all the fun you can handle. Yours truly, the ruler of Equestria.” He looked up at her with a look of slight confusion. “What’s Eris Island, Twilight?”
She responded, equally confused, “She must mean Celestia Island. It’s the princesses’ island, but it hasn’t been called Eris Island since before the time of the princesses’ rule. And I don’t think I can ever remember princess Celestia referring to herself like that.”
“Who cares about that stuff, Twi, this is great! Let’s go let everypony know!”
*** *** ***
“This is going to be simply exquisite!” cried Rarity, as the six made their way onto the small ship. “It’s a shame Spike got sick at such an unfortunate time,” she added. Rarity and Pinkie Pie had met the news with outrageous glee, Rainbow Dash with a calm acceptance that failed to completely conceal the extent of her delight. Applejack had initially insisted that her work schedule was far too overloaded to permit herself such a leisurely waste of time, but she never fully convinced anyone, herself included, that she didn’t intend on joining her friends. Fluttershy had been the only one to show any trace of genuine hesitance. She knew nothing of their destination, and had no desire to embark on such a potentially frightful journey. Even as she stepped onto the deck of the boat, she was not coming of her own volition, but her own will had been easily swept aside by that of her friends.
The six boarded the ship along with their luggage. Each carried a single suitcase that would accommodate them on the trip, except for Rarity who unsurprisingly carried three. “All necessities,” she had claimed with assurance. The ship was a peculiar hybrid of magic and machine that was relatively new to pony technology, and with a spell from Twilight indicating their destination, the ship would navigate itself to Celestia Island in a few hours. With the final preparations made, they set out from Canterlot harbor.
“So, Twilight, what’s this Celestia Island like?” asked Applejack.
“Oh, I’m sure it’s lovely!” Rarity answered.
“Is it…umm…dangerous? Or…scary?” Fluttershy asked, barely audible by the end of her plea.
“Of course not!” assured Twilight. She described the island to them with eager delight. It was renowned as one of the best travel destinations in all of Equestria for its unrivaled crystal blue waters, as well as its unwavering tropical climate. However, the island was seldom visited or inhabited. It belonged to the princess, who rarely went, and only with their invitation could anypony else go, which they rarely gave. “Supposedly, it’s magically enchanted to keep out intruders. Some ponies even say that it’s impossible to go without the princesses’ invitation,” Twilight said with mock disbelief.
She explained how during the ancient wars before the princesses ruled all of Equestria, they used the island as a stronghold. She explained how Discord once maliciously seized control of the island and Equestria. During that time, he renamed it Eris Island, but his brief rule was curtailed by the princesses and the Elements of Harmony.
Her history lesson, which had already bored the rest of them into inattention, was cut off by Pinkie. “This is gonna be so much fun!” cried the bouncing, pink pony. “Oh, I’m so excited, are you excited? I don’t think I can wait another second! I bet the island is like one big party with balloons and streamers and confetti and—hey where’s Rainbow Dash?”
“Ah think Ah saw go below deck,” said Applejack.
“Do you think she’s…reading?” asked Pinkie with a mischievous grin. “I bet she is and she’s trying to hide from us. Let’s go surprise her!”
“Give ‘er a taste of ‘er own medicine? Sounds good to me!”
The five began to creep down the stairs surreptitiously. There was a single room below deck
“Wait, one last thing.” Pinkie dashed to her suitcase and inexplicably produced a light blue cannon. “Okay, now I’m ready,” She wheeled the cannon to the door.
“Alright girls, on my count,” said Twilight. “3…” She didn’t make it any further before the door was bucked open and an eruption of color and sound burst from the mouth of the cannon.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” shouted Pinkie. The teal pegasus lying on the bed let out a shriek of startled shock and instinctively dashed into the air, only to collide with the low ceiling. She fell back down onto the bed, confetti fluttering down around her. The book she had been trying to conceal landed softly on her face.
“Can I help you?” she said from under the book, her voice brimming with subdued exasperation.
“Whacha reading?” asked Pinkie, a grin of triumph on her face.
“Yes, I’m reading. Ha-ha, very funny. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find out if Daring-Do escapes with the Griffon’s Goblet.” She dropped the book and stood up abruptly, noticing a change in her surroundings and looking somewhat confused. “Hey, did we stop moving?”
Twilight responded, “Yea, I think we did. I guess we should be arriving soon, but I don’t remember even being able to see the island when we were above deck before.”
Pinkie decided to hear Twilight differently. “We’re here! We’re here!” She hopped her way up the stairs and into the open air, but halted in disappointed surprise, “Wow, Twilight. This island isn’t all its cracked up to be, huh.”
The boat rested motionless next to a small wooden dock that cut off abruptly after only a few yards. Surrounding the ship was the clearest, sky-blue water the girls had ever seen. Rays of sunlight easily penetrated the water and danced across the sandy ocean floor, which was only a few feet deep around the dock. There was clearly something absent from the scene, however. The six ponies gathered above deck on the boat, the same question in all of their minds: Where is the island?
Beside the dock, there was only a small sandbar, smaller even than the size of the boat. Twilight stared at the sandbar incredulously. She examined a certain mechanism on the ship’s dashboard, and then raised her head in utter disbelief. “It says we’re here. Celestia Island should be right here. This doesn’t make any sense.”
“We’re going to be stranded at sea, forever! Of all the worst things—“
“Aww, quit yer whining, we’re gonna be jus’ fine.”
“Why would Celestia send us all the way out here to a sandbar? I’m kind of busy you, know.”
“Oh, please, Rainbow, all you would be doing is napping. Oh, and maybe reading.”
“Ha-ha, she got you good, Rainbow Dash.”
“Well, ah don’t reckon you should criticize too much, Miss Drama queen.”
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, girls.”
“Yea, maybe you just messed up!”
“Hey, now, don’t go pointin’ fingers.”
“Well, it must be someone’s fault.”
Their accusations erupted into a cacophony of shouting.
“Umm…girls?” The timid pegasus went unnoticed among the tumult. “Girls?” She exclaimed, slightly louder. Frustration overcame her shyness. “Girls!” She shouted, finally garnering their attention. “Look.” The dock now extended to the shore of an astounding island that each pony knew was certainly not there a moment ago. They stared in astonished silence until Twilight finally spoke.
“Where…did that come from?” None of their gazes left the sight before them. Finally, Pinkie broke their stillness.
“Who cares! Probably some weird magic stuff. Let’s party!”
Twilight responded with skepticism and a touch of fear in her voice, “I don’t know of any magic that can make a whole island appear from thin air. And also…” she paused, not entirely comprehending the words about to leave her mouth, “that’s not Celestia Island.”
“Whadya mean ‘that’s not Celestia Island?” asked Applejack.
“That’s exactly what I mean. Celestia Island has palm trees and green fields and definitely doesn’t have a castle. I have no clue what this place is.” She swept her hoof in long arc, motioning towards the mysterious landmass. Covering the island were trees of every shape with leaves of every color, as if foliage from every part of the world had been arbitrarily arranged on a single piece of land. At the center, a spire rising from a grand castle concealed by the dense trees towered over the island, dominating the skyline. “We need to investigate whatever’s going on here. Let’s go, girls.” Somewhere behind her, Twilight heard a squeak.
They stood at the edge of the bewildering forest. Twilight gazed up to the spire piercing the sky, indicating the unseen structure she knew stood somewhere among the trees. She spoke with cautious poise, “That tower is probably the part of a castle. If anypony—or anything—is here, that must be where they’ll be. Rainbow Dash, can you give us a quick flyover? Try to see if there’s any sort of path.”
“You got it!” She dashed into the sky over the outskirts of the trees, and then came tumbling out of the air, crashing gracelessly into some branches. “My wings!” she cried, looking over her shoulder to where they previously were.
“Let me guess…” said Twilight, as she began trotting into the forest. A few steps in, her horn vanished in a small flicker of light. “I thought so.” She had expected it to happen, but her confidence still visibly faltered with the loss of her greatest asset. “Well, girls, it looks like we know who’s behind all this chaos.”
“Derpy!” Pinkie cried, as if shouting the answer to a guessing game.
“Wha—No…no, not Derpy. Discord.” A second time, somewhere behind her, Twilight heard the squeak of a frightened, cream-colored pegasus.
They trekked through the dense forest for some time, guided only by the stone spire barely visible through the treetops overhead. They kept mostly silent while they walked, except for Pinkie, who somehow managed to talk through the whole trip without coming up for air. Eventually, the forest came to an abrupt end, giving way to a vast clearing. In it stood a magnificent structure, a miraculous interweaving of stone and alabaster and glass mosaics. It had an antiquated style of architecture that resembled an era long since past, but showed no signs of the atrophy that should accompany something so old. The six ponies stood in awe for a moment, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation. Applejack was the first to speak. “Wonder whose palace it is,” she said softly. She didn’t get a response.
They stood in front of the massive brass doors. “All right, girls, all together,” said Twilight. The six propped their front hooves up on the door, preparing to force it open, but it offered virtually no resistance, and began to slide open effortlessly with their slightest nudge. Cautiously, they walked inside to find a vast chamber .Multicolored light streamed in diagonally through the stained-glass windows lining the walls.
The hall was immaculate. They walked on a red velvet carpet leading to a platform at the back wall, raised up by a few steps. Two glimmering, golden thrones stood on either side of the carpet. The chairs were lined with identical red velvet and studded with radiant gems; Rarity looks as if she were about to faint. The back of each throne bore a single word; on the left throne: Eris, but on the right, whatever word had originally been inscribed had been destroyed by large slash marks. Twilight eyed the thrones with wary skepticism. “I think they’re enchanted. There’s strong magic emanating from them.”
Rarity, mesmerized by their beauty, exclaimed, “Enchanting? Of course they’re enchanting! Do you see these gems?” She laid a hoof on one of the thrones.
“Rarity, wait!” Twilight shout. The six ponies froze, fearing some unforeseen calamity about to strike. The room stood silent.
“For what?” She answered quizzically.
“Oh. Never mind.” The suspiciousness on her face had not vanished.
“Hey, look at this!” cried Pinkie. Beside one of the thrones, a small, undecorated journal had gone unnoticed to the rest of them. She snatched it up into the air. The girls turned their attention just in time to see a blinding flash of white light erupt from it. The world dropped away and black nothingness surrounded them.
*** *** ***
An instant later, before any of them could understand what had happened, a new world materialized around them in another flash of light. The scene was strangely familiar, but nothing any of them had ever seen before. The first thing they realized was that they were very far from the ground and that there was inexplicably no floor supporting them. Fluttershy let out a high pitched yelp and instinctively jumped backwards. The rest were initially startled, but quickly understood that if they were going to fall, they would have done so by now.
“Is this…Canterlot palace?” asked a stupefied Twilight.
“Can’t be,” answered Applejack. Her tone asked for assurance.
“I think it is. But not today’s Canterlot. It looks like the Canterlot I’ve seen in my history textbooks. But that doesn’t make any sense,” she said incredulously
“What fun is there in making sense?” asked Pinkie mockingly.
Twilight responded, clearly not amused by the quotation, “You know, if I’m Celestia’s apprentice, you’re Discord’s.”
It was approaching sunset and the only pony they could see was a stunning, blue unicorn with a crystal white mane standing on a terrace connected to a skyscraping tower, taller even that the tower where Twilight knew the princesses resided. Her cutie mark was a collection of stars, somewhat similar to Twilight’s own cutie mark. The azure pony gazed out from her lofty palace balcony. The sun shining down from above, dazzling light shimmered off the verdant plains in front of her that stretched out endlessly until touching the orange sky at the horizon. Occasionally, a gust of wind would send ripples through the sea of green before her. The light from the setting sun glistened off the alabaster spires that formed the Canterlot skyline.
A familiar draconequus watched her above, resting on the pinnacle of the tower. The girls noticed him lurking and moved to alert the unknowing unicorn. They began shouting to her, but quickly realized she could not hear them, as if they were shouting to a character on a movie screen.
“How strange,” said Twilight. “I guess we’re only here to watch.” The girls looked back to the beast on the tower. It was certainly Discord, but he was strangely different; he was younger, smaller, and the derisive malice that never seemed to leave him was not there. His eyes, filled with longing, never left the figure on the balcony gazing into the distance. Slowly, he began to float towards her, creeping closer, but when he had just moved close enough for her to maybe notice him, he dashed back behind the tower. The girls watched in awe and confusion as this process repeated a few more times. Eventually, the unicorn turned away from the balcony and began to walk to the door leading into the tower. Discord flew as if to chase her, to catch her attention, but halted halfway, a defeated look on his face. She disappeared inside.
“Well, that was weird,” said Rainbow to the girls, equally confused. The scene before them began to rush away. Objects became streaks of light racing by, as if they were passengers in a railroad car, watching the outside world through a windowpane.
*** *** ***
Their surroundings finally settled on the same castle, painted in the dim, orange light of the setting sun. “What was that?” asked Rainbow Dash, trying to overcome her dizziness.
“I don’t know,” responded a shaky Twilight. Again, the blue unicorn gazed pensively out from her balcony and Discord remained concealed from her view. As he was about to approach her, he stopped abruptly, hit by inspiration. He dashed into the air and curled himself into a ball. There was a small flash of light, and in his place an ordinary, tan pegasus now floated in the air.
He glided down to the balcony and touched down a few yards away from her. She had been entranced with whatever it was she had been gazing at, and didn’t notice him until she heard the click of his hooves against the tile. She jumped back, startled at the unknown visitor.
”No, don’t be scared,” he said softly.
“Who are you? Why are you here?” She spoke, trying to recover her poise. He paused, looking down, searching for an answer. Then, he lifted his head to meet her wary eyes.
“You seemed lonely,” he said. Some of the tension washed out of her face, but she still looked at him cautiously.
“No one’s ever come here before.”
“You live here alone?”
“Yes. I’m not supposed to have visitors. How did you get past the guards?”
“Oh, it wasn’t too tough.” He saw a trace of wariness still remained in her face.
“So, why did you really come here?”
He paused, his eyes locked on hers. “You looked lonely. I can tell because…I’m lonely, too.” She gazed back at him, and saw the same subdued pain of solitude in his eyes that she knew so well. Whoever this mysterious pony was, he understood what she felt.
“What’s your name?” he said.
“Harmony. What’s yours?” He looked back at her blankly, realizing he hadn’t prepared an answer to that question. He instinctively responded with a name he had once heard long ago.
“Eris.”
“Eris? Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“Umm, no it can be both,” he said dismissively.
She responded with a teasing smile. “I don’t think so.” He smirked back at her jokingly. “I don’t know who you are, Eris, but thank you. It’s been so long since I’ve had anyone to really talk to.” Her head turned behind her. “I think I hear someone coming, you have to leave,” she said reluctantly.
“Will you be here tomorrow?”
She nodded her head. “I’ll be here. I always watch the sunset.
*** *** ***
The world streaked by past the silent spectators that were the six ponies. It settled on a scene mostly identical to the one before. Harmony stood on her balcony. The transformed Discord glided carelessly around her, but her eyes never left the horizon, where the sun had almost completely vanished behind the mountains far in the distance.
“You’re always here on this balcony,” said Discord, through the mouth of Eris, “looking out at the world.” She didn’t respond, or move her steady gaze. “You wish you could leave, don’t you.”
“More than anything,” she said softly.
“But you can’t.”
“Yes.”
“Why?” She sighed then turned towards him, now perched on balcony railing, gazing intently at her.
“I’m really good at magic. Some ponies say I’m even better that the princesses. The princesses found me when I was very young, and they realized my potential. So, they brought me here, to the palace. They keep me here—I’m here because I’m working on something that Celestia says will help win the war. They say that I must complete what I’m working on as soon as I can, so it’s important I don’t leave or be distracted.”
“But you wish could leave?” he asked, with no doubt as to the answer.
“Desperately.” She turned back towards the horizon. “You know, I can see everything from up here. One day, Eris, I’ll fly away from this place and never look back, and I’ll go anywhere I want. Like you. You’re the lucky one, aren’t you?” He looked out to the horizon with her, staying silent for a moment. “I know that what I’m doing here is important, and that I have the chance to help a lot of ponies. But it’s like I have this destiny I can’t escape. Sometimes I just wish I were somepony else, somepony with a normal life.” He longed to tell her about how he understood wanting to be somepony else, about how he understood an inescapable fate, but he could say nothing.
“We’ll fly away together someday. We’ll go anywhere we want and we’ll have our own castle, away from the war, and we’ll never come back.” It was a whimsical dream, he thought, but she spoke with such conviction that he almost forgot the impossibility of what she had said. “Okay?” She smiled at him brightly.
“Okay.”
*** *** ***
A low crescent now cast dull moonlight off the alabaster tower. The girls watched silently and intently as Eris paced back and forth across the palace balcony.
“Harmony?” They heard him say, a shade of uneasiness in his voice. The sunset had come and gone, and for the first time, she was not there to meet him. He looked to the wooden door that led to her regal prison. Slowly, he walked to it and knocked a few times, hoping for a response, but not expecting one. He stood motionless at the door, waiting. Finally, he could bear the uncertainty no longer and nudged the door open.
The room was ornate, but bare, devoid of anything that might have once indicated who it belonged to. Any sort of personal possessions that the room once held were gone and only an adorned bed and dresser remained. He wandered around the room, gazing at the empty walls as the girls peered in through the open doorway. He noticed a scroll lying unfurled on the dresser and slowly trotted over to it, hoping whimsically that it was some sort of message to him, only to see that it was blank. Maybe on the other side, he thought, as he reached a hoof down to pick it up. The moment he made contact with the scroll, it began to emit a shimmering white light. Words began appearing on the scroll as if they were being written at that very moment. He dropped it back onto the dresser, stunned. The glow subsided, and he began to read breathlessly the message that had just appeared; it was only four ordinary words: Come to Celestia Island.
*** *** ***
The sun beamed down on a serene and tropical island surrounded by crystal blue water. A magnificent castle stood in the center of the island.
“That’s Celestia Island,” said Twilight. “The real Celestia Island,” she added.
“Why, it looks lovely!” cried Rarity. “Such a shame we couldn’t just spend a proper vacation, but of course we had to get whisked away into some dreadful beast’s memories,” she said histrionically.
“You suppose that’s where we are? In Discord’s memories?” queried Applejack.
Their attention was drawn to a familiar fiend gliding towards the edge of the island before Applejack could receive an answer. When he reached the shores, he stopped abruptly, as if halting in front of some unseen obstacle that had suddenly barred his path. He hovered, confused for a moment, before a spark of realization hit him. He effortlessly transformed into the tan pegasus named Eris. Again, he went to fly inland, and this time, he met no resistance. He eyed the guards surrounding the palace from afar with amusement. There was a blinding flash of light that stunned the girls for a moment. When they regained their senses, they were above the castle. Below them, Eris glided around the castle from window to window, surreptitiously keeping out of the guards’ view, searching for a certain blue unicorn.
He rounded a corner and his eyes immediately fell on a figure leaning idly on the balustrade of a small balcony, large enough for only a single pony to stand on. He streaked by her in a rush of wind that blew back her snow-white mane. Her face lit up.
“We’re too far away. Come on, girls, we need to hear what they’re saying!” cried Pinkie. She began running through the open air down to the balcony where Harmony stood. “This is so exciting! It’s like a super 3-D movie!” she yelled as she galloped through the sky. The girls looked at each other in bewilderment. Nopony dared ask her for an explanation as they cautiously and speechlessly followed their pink companion.
Eris looped back through the air and hovered a few feet in front of Harmony.
“So this is Celestia Island, huh?” he asked.
“Yes. Nice, isn’t it?” she sighed apathetically.
“But it’s just another prison,” he said, perceptive of her feelings. “They found out about me, didn’t they?”
“They must have. I don’t know how. But it doesn’t matter.” She looked to him, smiling brightly. “You’re here, now.”
“Yeah. Actually, how am I here? I thought you could only come with an invitation from a princess.”
“Haven’t I told you before? I’m pretty good with magic,” she laughed playfully, but there was pain behind it, as if she were laughing at some disability she had. He smiled back at her.
“So how’s that thing you’ve been working on for the princesses. When will you finish it?” They both understood the question as, “When will they let you go?”
“I don’t know,” she answered. “I haven’t been paying too much attention to it. I’ve been working on something else. For us.
“Really? What it is?”
“I can’t tell you till it’s done!” she said, as if it were something obvious he should have known.
“Okay.”
They held each other’s gaze for a few moments before something caught Harmony’s attention. Her head swung around to the room behind her.
“You should go. It’s not safe for you here. The princesses live here, too.”
“Oh. Okay,” he said, disappointed, but understanding. “I’ll come back to you tomorrow.”
“You can’t.” He faltered for a moment in the air. “It’s too dangerous for you to keep coming here every day like before. If you get caught…” she trailed off. She continued, speaking faster. “Don’t worry. We’ll meet again, but you need to trust me. Remember my room back in the Canterlot palace? And the scroll that led you here?” He nodded. “I need you to read it every day until it tells you what to do. When it does, come back here. You’ll understand.”
He was still trying to comprehend everything. “Okay. I trust you.”
She looked at him earnestly. “Sorry about this.”
“Huh?”
“Eris, I rescind your invitation to Celestia Island.” When the last word left her mouth, the island, and Harmony, vanished without a sound and without a trace.
*** *** ***
The girls were back in front of Canterlot palace and the balcony where Harmony had once gazed out at horizon. Discord nudged the door open with his tan pegasus hoof. He walked across the room with an inattention to the dresser, the familiar scroll open on it. He looked down at it to see the same three words he had seen every day since his meeting with Harmony on Celestia Island: Come to…Island. There was just a blank space now there where the word Celestia had been. He picked it up, expecting no response. A bright light illuminated the room, and he lost his breath for a moment. The shine subsided and he looked down at the scroll; where the name of the princess had once been, a new word was inscribed: Eris.
*** *** ***
“This is making my head hurt,” said Twilight.
“I wish I had some popcorn!” cried Pinkie, clearly enjoying herself.
The six ponies were back to where they had begun their intended vacation. They hung in the air next to a dock that led to the shore of a wondrous island. An azure unicorn stood on the dock with a wide grin on her face as she watched a tan pegasus gliding towards her. She was snatched up into the air by the tan blur, catching her very much by surprise. He twirled a few times in the sky, grasping her tight to his body. She laughed gaily then began to speak.
“I’m happy to see you t—,” she was cut off by the mouth pressed to her own. He held her like that for a long moment.
“I missed you,” he said amorously. She didn’t say anything, but pressed herself once more against him. She felt herself descending in the strong embrace of the tan pegasus. They alit on the dock, and he released her. A look of confusion and delight came over him as he took in his surroundings.
“Where are we, Harmony?” She giggled at his bewilderment.
“Didn’t you get my invite?” she asked teasingly. “Welcome to Eris Island!” He looked at the island with amazement.
“Eris Island? But, how—”
“Haven’t I told you I’m good with magic?”
“No, come on, I really want to know!” he said through his disbelief, demanding an explanation.
“Fine. This is what I’ve been doing since we last talked.”
“You…made this? The whole island?” he said, even more incredulous.
She nodded her head. “For us,” she answered. “The princesses are so busy trying to win the war that they probably won’t ever notice. And it’s like Celestia Island. Only ponies who are invited can ever find it. So don’t tell anyone, okay?” They both laughed
“Okay, I won’t. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” He grabbed her in his hooves for a second time and took off into the air. She let out a yelp of protest, but they were already ascending into the sky. They soared together over the island, admiring it from above. It looked as it did the first time the girls saw it, but somehow different. The same castle stood at the center, and the same chaos of trees surrounded it. But now, it wasn’t chaos; every tree, every leaf, every color was precisely placed as a compliment to everything around it. From the sky it looked like a masterful abstract painting, and such artistry far exceeded his capacity for amazement. He marveled at how she had created such a masterpiece, as if she somehow knew his intrinsic nature and had chosen to make the island as it was, knowing that only he would be able to fully understand its perfection. He placed her gently atop the highest balcony and continued to soar over the island, the azure unicorn watching him with delightful affection, until it all faded away in streaks of color and light.
*** *** ***
The somewhat familiar walls of the grand hall in the castle of Eris Island surrounded the girls once again.
“We’re back!” cried Rainbow Dash.
“Not exactly,” said Twilight, directing her attention towards the blue unicorn standing a few pony lengths away from them.
Harmony watched a tan figure in the distance glide inside to meet her, but there was no trace of happiness on her face. As he alit onto the floor, she did not look up to meet his eyes, and he saw her face was wet with tears.
“Harmony, what’s wrong?” he asked hesitantly.
“I’m so sorry.” She still did not lift her head to meet his concerned gaze. There was a flash of white light and a tall, regal alicorn materialized behind Harmony. Eris jumped back, looking up at her menacing stare.
“So, you are Eris” Princess Celestia said softly. She spoke them name with resentful amusement. He didn’t answer her. “Your friend, Harmony,” she continued, “has made some grave miscalculations.” She directed her words towards Harmony, now. “To believe you could best me at magic, you are foolish,” she said imperiously. “To believe you could keep such a grand secret from me, you are naïve! But I am not angry with you, Harmony,” the cowering blue unicorn looked up at her, “for you have been deceived.”
“Harmony, I was going to tell you, I swear to you,” he said, struggling to maintain any semblance of composure.
“Tell me what?” She said, confused. Eris looked to Celestia, expecting her to cut him off before he could answer, but she only glared back at him. She would let him be the one to tell her.
“Please, you have to understand. Everything I ever did, everything I am, has been so we could be together.”
“What are you talking about, Eris?” Her voice was shaking, and she was breathing in rapid gasps.
“I’m not…who you think I am.”
“Stop. Stop it, Eris”
“You have to listen to me, Harmony.” She turned her head away from him as tears began streaming down her cheeks. Her dashed to the trembling unicorn and grabbed her.
“Harmony, listen! The pony you know is me, I promise. All the time we spent together was real, don’t ever doubt that. But ‘Eris’ isn’t real.”
“I—I don’t understand.”
“Why don’t you show her, Discord.” Celestia cut in evenly. Harmony met his eyes with unrestrained disbelief. She spoke slowly and softly, as if every word was a great struggle.
“Discord? Show me what? Eris, please, what is she talking about?” He looked at her; there was so much fear in her eyes.
“Okay. But know this, Harmony.” His gaze did not falter. “I deceived you because you would never have accepted me for what I really am.”
“And what is it that you really are?” the regal princess added with malicious delight. Harmony opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He looked at the pony who once loved him.
“A monster.”
Before she could respond, he leapt into the air, high up to the ceiling. There was a flash of light, and from it emerged Discord, in his true and terrible form. He came back to the ground and stood upright, towering over both of them. Princess Celestia was the first to speak.
“Harmony, this is Discord, the spirit of chaos and disharmony.” The cowering pony looked at him with horror, unable to comprehend that the beast before her was the pony she once knew as Eris. He tried to hold her gaze, but couldn’t stand the revulsion and contempt that filled her eyes. He saw no trace of recognition that any sort of connection existed between the tan pegasus she loved and the creature before her. To Harmony, he was nothing more than a monster.
“Tell me it’s not true,” she said, praying that it was all a lie. He tried to speak, but no words came out, because he could not tell it wasn’t true, and he could not lie to her anymore. He turned to the alicorn who had brought his world down upon him. She looked back at him unwaveringly, with detest and condescension. He tried to find some semblance of comfort in Harmony’s crystal blue eyes, but there was none there. There was nothing to grant him the solace he desperately reached out for as he backed away shakily from the two ponies. Harmony’s eyes did not leave him, and the scorn that filled her stare became unbearable. In a flash, he was gone.
*** *** ***
“Princess Celestia was different back then, huh, Twilight?” said Applejack. The girls had not spoken for some time, entranced by the events playing out for them.
“What do you mean?” Twilight answered.
“Ya know what I mean.”
“Yeah. She seems so…mean,” said Fluttershy.
“Girls, please don’t forgot who we’re dealing with,” interjected Rarity.
“Rarity’s right,” said Rainbow, “this is Discord we’re talking about. She’s only doing what’s right.”
The Canterlot balcony where a sapphire unicorn once gazed out to the horizon stood before the girls. Discord, still disguised, stood at the door. He didn’t know why he was there, compelled by some causeless impulse of nostalgia. He didn’t know why he had chosen to disguise himself, as though following a tradition of the past could somehow bring it back. He pushed open the door and walked inside the room to see it exactly as it was before. He spotted the scroll which still remained from across the room, and slowly, he walked to it. A single word adorned it: Discord. He stared down at the word in amazement, his breath taken by sheer disbelief. It was a moment before he could remember what to do next. He picked it up, expecting a familiar glow of light to emanate from the scroll, but nothing happened. He dropped it, sighing in disappointment, not only with the scroll, but with himself for allowing his emotions to surge so uncontrolled. He was gazing at the single word inscribed on the parchment when a simple thought crossed his mind. It’s not addressed to Eris, he thought. He forsook his now pointless disguise in a flash of light and picked up the scroll again, somehow certain of what was to come. A familiar and glorious light illuminated the room and he read the words as they appeared.
Discord,
You were right. When you told me that you deceived me because I wouldn’t have accepted you as you are, you were right. I wouldn’t have because I was naïve, because I would never have given you the chance to show me what you showed me, who you really were. I was alone, drowning in the world, until you saved me. The times we had together were the best of my life. I love you, Discord, and I forgive you for everything. Maybe in another life, we can be together.
Harmony
He finished reading the words of the pony he thought he would never hear from again. His hand tightened around the scroll, creasing it heavily. In a single forceful motion, he tossed the paper aside and dashed out the door.
*** *** ***
The six ponies stood in the hall of the castle on Celestia Island. The two princesses were attending to some ponies, something concerning the war effort. The doors to the hall burst open, and Discord slowly walked in.
“Where is she?” he said softly, barely above a whisper.
“You won’t find her here, Discord.” Celestia answered him. He dashed to her, bringing himself close to her. She did not flinch.
“Where is she?” he bellowed, his shout vibrating off the stain glass windows. “I’m taking her, and we’re leaving, and she’s never coming back!” Celestia looked back at him regretfully. She did not find any pleasure in what she was about to say
“She died.” He retreated a few steps, eyeing her with suspicion he prayed was right. “She gave her life in service of Equestria, making these.” Celestia lifted a small chest into the air and opened it. Inside were six pieces of familiar jewelry. “We named them for her. They’re called the Elements of Harmony. The represent everything she embodied.” She spoke solemnly, and there was no malice in her voice. He stared at the ground silently, trying to calm the whirlwind inside him. A maelstrom of emotions rushed through him; he could identify no single one. The only focus point he had was the white pony before him, the reason for her death. Anger emerged as the most powerful emotion inside him, and in an instant, it was all he could feel.
“You’re wrong.” He raised his head and looked at her contemptuously. “She didn’t give her life. You took it from her! She hated what she was doing here. And she didn’t care about winning the war.” He turned his back to Celestia. “I’ve seen the war. You call me the spirit of chaos and disharmony, but I can’t compare to what you ponies have brought upon yourselves. All you care about is furthering your own selfish goals, and you conceal it under the pretense of the greater good. Ponies are selfish and evil. She wasn’t. She was the only trace of good left in the world, the one flicker of light that remained in this dark world. But you erased it.”
“I did not wish for her to die, Discord. And I do not wish for the war. Everything I do, I do for the good of Equestria.”
Cynical contempt filled him, and he cracked a resentful smile. “How noble you are, Celestia. How pure and selfless a leader you are. Yet somehow, you rule a nation in chaos. It would seem I’m more fit for the job, don’t you think?”
“You dare challenge us?” Luna shouted from beside her sister. He turned to her derisively.
“Oh, Luna. You have such potential. One day it will be realized. But for now, you underestimate me.” In a flash, he was behind them, with a hand on each of there shoulders, and in another flash, the two sisters, and the Elements Celestia held, were gone.
“What have you done with them? Where have you sent them” a terrified bystander uttered.
“Who knows? I’ve sent them somewhere in the world, but even I can’t predict where. But this is the nature of chaos, unpredictability, don’t you agree?” He sat down in Celestia’s throne, a wicked smile on his face.
*** *** ***
Discord sat casually in his throne on Eris Island. An identical throne stood to his right, but it was vacant. At the entrance, Luna and Celestia hovered in the air, adorned with the Elements of Harmony, staring threateningly at the amused Discord. It was nighttime, and the gentle moonlight streamed in through the windows.
“It took you two long enough. Have you come to dethrone me?”
“That’s exactly why we’re here,” shouted Celestia proudly. “We’re here to put an end to your reign of tyranny.”
“End my reign of tyranny? So you can reinstate yours?”
“You rule Equestria in unrest and chaos.”
“And you ruled in violence and bloodshed.”
“We would’ve ended the war with the Elements if you hadn’t stepped in.”
“I ended the war without them. And, yes, I do rule Equestria in disharmony, just like you did. I just make it more obvious.” He leapt behind the thrones and ran his hand over the name inscribed on the vacant one. “You could never live in this world, could you? These ponies have always been too chaotic to allow such perfect harmony to exist.”
“Discord, I’m sorry you lost the pony you loved, but that doesn’t justify your actions. It’s not what she would have wanted,” said Luna. He turned sharply towards her.
“Who ever said I seek justification? I wreak havoc not because I believe it to be just or noble. Unlike you, I’ve accepted that I’ve forsaken my morality long ago. I don’t hide behind the ruse of the greater good. I’m much too moral for that. And don’t ever think that anything I do is for her. That wouldn’t make any sense now, would it? Because she isn’t here anymore!” His voice became scornful and he lashed out in a wave of anger, slashing his claws through her name. “I don’t act for her, I act because of her. Nopony ever showed her justice. Nopony ever showed her any semblance of kindness or sensibility, and she was the best one of you all. None of you ponies deserve any better. Nothing makes sense in this world, and nothing ever will.”
“Enough, Discord. Your tyranny is over,” shouted Celestia. They held each other’s stare unbendingly, as the six elements began to radiate shimmering light.
“So it seems.” His eyes shifted towards Luna as he took a bite from an inexplicably procured golden apple. “Luna, my dear, look at the sky tonight. Look at the moon and all its beauty. It’s a shame no ones around to see it, isn’t it?” She said nothing back, an incredulous look on her face, as if he knew something he could not possibly have known. Discord broke out into uncontrolled, derisive laughter. Celestia did not notice the look on her sister’s face. The Elements glowed brighter.
“Goodbye, Discord.”
“Goodbye, Celestia, for now.” A magnificent spectrum of color erupted from the two sisters and came crashing down on Discord, his laughter only growing louder. Finally, the spectrum of light subsided, and the world around the six ponies dropped away.
*** *** ***
“Are we back? For real this time?” said Rainbow Dash, the first to recover herself. The other five slowly reoriented themselves as well. They stood on the disconnected dock, their boat beside them. There was no trace of Eris Island.
“Yea, ah think so. You can open yer eyes now, Fluttershy.” answered Applejack. She received her answer in the form of a squeak.
“Gosh, I wonder how long it’s been. I feel like I haven’t had a party in forever!” cried Pinkie Pie.
“This is all so strange,” said Twilight.
“Oh, really?” answered Rarity sarcastically. “I thought this whole trip has been perfectly normal.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She gave Rarity a facetious glare. “It must’ve been—I won’t ask how—Discord that called us here and sent me that letter. Also, we were never in any danger. The only thing I can think of is,” she paused, “he actually wanted us to see that. I just don’t understand why.” Nopony could give her an answer.
“Well, I suppose this vacation was…interesting, to say the least,” said Rarity. “But seeing as how there’s now no island here, let’s head home now, shall we?” The girls silently agreed and Twilight set the ship’s destination for Ponyville. Nopony desired to speak about their thoughts or feelings on what they had just seen, on this new side of Discord, on this new side of Celestia, on the dark origins of the Elements of Harmony, fearing the realizations they might come to. They boarded the ship, and set off into the horizon.
