Some Things Cannot be Undone

Chapter Two

     Celestia ran through the crowds of ponies who lingered in the streets of Canterlot., her mane flowing behind her. She felt the wind race through her as she zigzagged her way home. Every now and then she would bump into another pony, but she never stopped to apologize. She had to get home. She needed to tell her sister she had done it. She had finally begun their plan to overthrow their king.

     She had already thrust her cloak into a nearby stream as to hide the evidence and she had made sure nopony had seen her leave the castle gates. She was shocked she had made it into the castle in the first place, even more so when she made it out. In a matter of hours, Discord would be sickened, no, disabled. She and her sister had been planning for months. They would poison a crown to rid Equestria of its old king and soon take his place. Celestia and Luna were in fact the only known heirs of him.

    They weren't closely related to him though. They were in this case, distant cousins, but Discord hadn't had any siblings or children so the throne was left to only her and her sister. She grinned maliciously at the thought of ruling Equestria. Oh how their mother and father would be proud. She knew that even though her parents were gone, this is what they'd have wanted.

     It wasn't that she despised Discord. In fact she even liked him. He was so nice to his subjects and would help anyone out. She just didn't like his methods. Celestia and her sister were taught by their parents. They were taught the rules of being a leader. The Basics. Their parents told them before they left that they would make fine princesses one day, maybe even queens. And that day would be soon.

    She finally saw the small house that she and Luna were staying in. It wasn't too noticeable, but it was a homely place. She entered the doorway to find Luna had gone out. She looked at the clock that hung near the door. It was only Two in the afternoon. The party would start at Seven, so she had plenty of time to wait. She of course was going. She wanted to see her handy work. The moment he fell.

     The crown was not meant to kill. It was simply made to weaken its host. Once on the head of the victim, it never comes off. It would sicken the mind. Cause hallucinations and fevers. It would also age the host remarkably. It was only made to poison the king until he could no longer lead. She passed through a room to her left to notice that the mail had arrived. She looked through it all and only saw bills. Bills, bills, bills, and finally... A pink envelope.

      She quickly saw the royal stamp in the middle and guessed what the note inside contained. It was no doubt and invitation to the party. Every year she would receive one. The whole kingdom did. Discord wasn't too strict on party guests. She ripped open the letter anyway and read the contents.

To my favorite Cousins,

As you probably know, my birthday is coming up and well,  You're Invited! It has been a while since I've seen you two. I don't think you came to last years party. Well hopefully you'll make it this year. -Discord

     Celestia frowned a bit. She felt a little guilty that she and her sister were actually missed by Discord. She didn't even think he remembered them. She shook her head to rid herself the thoughts. It would be alright. After she and Luna were made royalty, Discord could live with them. He would be well taken care of and wouldn't even know it was she who stole his throne.

      She put the letters down and found a seat near her personal library. Luna didn't really read, so Celestia had her own little space where she could absorb her books. She preferred the company of them over ponies anyway. She decided to pick out a book called The Cloppit . She always did love tales of Fantasy. As she snuggled down to read, she heard the front door open.

      "Celestia! I'm back. Are you here?" The sound of Luna's voice carried into the library.

      Luna walked into the book-clad room as Celestia jumped up. She raced towards Luna and excitedly spoke.

"Sister! I've done it. I already took the crown and placed it in his room! Oh won't this be great?! After months, we finally did it! We will take the throne from him!"

      Luna looked at her confused. "Sister, what are you talked about? I have had the crown all day."

    She turned to her back where she had a saddlebag and used magic to hold a small, black circular ring. Celestia began to stammer. "T-that can't be possible. I've already taken the crown. It was lying on your desk remember?"

      Luna then felt fear consume her. "It wasn't a golden, horned crown was it?"

Celestia slowly nodded. "Yeah. Why? What was it?"

    Luna began prancing around frantically. "That wasn't an ordinary crown Celestia. That was a dark artifact that I had found. One from the reaches of even the blackest of nightmares. When I was in another Pony's Nightmare, I had stumbled upon the artifact. In his dream, I placed it upon my head and found my mind slip away. It was replaced by a much more evil, smarter being. I wasn't the same. If it hadn't been for the pony waking up, who knows what could have happened? It was when I awoke the next morning that I found the crown lying next to me."

     Celestia gulped. "So the crown that I gave Discord... No! What could happen to him? If you are right about what you have told me, then imagine what could happen to him!" She then turned to her sister, who was still prancing. "We have to stop him. We need to take back the crown."

                                                                                             ---

      Discord shuffled his way back down the stairs. He followed Aegis to the castle gates. He soon heard somepony yelling frantically at another.

     "What do you mean you do not know who I am?! I came here for Discord's birthday and you are here to stop me?! OUTRAGEOUS!"

     Discord soon found the source of the yelling. " Ah, Vladimir! It's so nice to see you again. It must have been years since we've last met!"

      As Discord approached, Vladimir stopped to look. "Discord! My old friend. You look young as ever."

     Discord smiled. It had been a long time since he had heard that exotic accent. "So Vlad, you're hear for my party eh? Well let's not stand here outside! Guard, release this pony at once." The guard casually waved and apologized to Vladimir.

     "You know Discord," Vladimir began, "I really do wish I could have came earlier... But I was recently promoted to ruler of Marescow. I have had plateful of stuff on hooves. I am sor-"

    Discord stopped him from speaking. "I do understand. Being a ruler and all, you don't really have time for everything. I myself usually have a ton to do. I just recently had to join my country with another. Let me tell you, it's been really stressful lately. That's why I'm glad to have a party and relax tonight."

    Vladimir snorted but said nothing. They continued to walk their way though the castle as they heard the bell tower strike twice. They walked past the courtyard in the middle of the castle as they noticed the blue unicorn from before was just finishing up.

     "You know." Vladimir stated. "This place has really improved since last I've been here. Something seemed different too as I walked through the gates."

    "Ah yes." Discord replied. "About a year ago, we added another wing to the castle. We were beginning to run out of room for all of the stuff we're hoarding." Discord chuckled. "You know me, I always love to add to my collection. In fact, there's a rumor spreading that I have about 90 percent of the castle filled with junk. That's not true though. Only about 70 percent!"

       They continued walking as they soon approached the mess hall. Discord held open the door for his comrade as the Russian pony marched through. They both made some more small talk as one of the cooks took their orders. They talked for about half an hour about different kingdom issues, and apparently Marescow wasn't doing too good health wise. As Discord began to speak about his newest collections, their food was placed upon their seated areas.

      "Ah, finally! I'm starving!" Vladimir exclaimed.

    Discord raised a brow. "Really? How long has it been since your last meal?"

     Vladimir felt his face turn red from embarrassment. "Well- uh... Unfortunately, Marescow is having food shortages since last winter, so we keep stock of food and take turns on who eats. So, it's been a couple days since I last ate."

     "I'm afraid to hear that I truly am. If you want, when you head back we can give you some extra food to go. We have been having plenty of food for the last few seasons."

    Vlad merely nodded and looked at his plate. There were a few shreds of lettuce and plenty of flowers and bread. It didn't take long for him to finish his plate.

      The sun slowly began to descend as the clock struck Four. He escorted Vlad to a small room where he could stay. They had discussed it and had decided he could stay a few days. Afterwards he left to go check once more on the party preparations. As he entered the court he heard the sounds of hooves beating against the ground. He looked around and noticed a couple of mares dashing frantically towards him.

     "Discord!" The first one proclaimed. She was the smaller of the two. She had a blue, short mane and an even darker blue body. She looked up at him while sweat rolled down her face. Her sister wasn't much better. They both seemed exhausted.

     "Celestia! Luna!" He exclaimed. "What in Equestria are you doing here this early? And what are you two sweating?" He waited as they caught their breath.

     "We *huff* couldn't wait to see you at the party so we came early," Celestia fibbed. "We wanted to surprise you by meeting you in your room, but..."

    Discord smiled warmly at them as he spoke. "You two are too sweet! There's a reason why you are my favorite cousins. Come, let me show you around the party zone!"

     Luna began to protest but was cut off.

    "Come on Luna, let's go!" Discord said merrily. "You guys should see the place!"

        Celestia then spoke up. "Wouldn't it be better if we sat in your room and talked? That way we could rest a bit."

   Discord frowned. "Don't worry, I have a few benches out here you can sit on." He then escorted them to the middle of the court.

     They both shared the same thought. They had to get that crown no matter what. As long as they got it before Discord did.