Chapters Some Things Cannot be Undone
Chapter One
Ponies tell of a tale far and wide. A tale of a mysterious stallion. They say he arrives in a blue box and is accompanied by a gray Pegasus. They say he travels across the plains of time and space, stopping anywhere at any time that he pleases. This however isn't that story. No this the story of a single pony. An alicorn at that, who ruled Equesreia with peace and tranquility.
This alicorn was the very fiber that held Equestria together. He was know by many as Lord Draconequus VII, but he insisted on being called Lord Discord. He held his throne with pride and was never afraid to take action. He was loved by everypony across the land. Or ALMOST everypony. When one has friends, they also have enemies.
Some thought he was too cheerful. Too naive. A select few thought it better if he was more serious, malicious even. They plotted to dethrone him. Many attempts were played out, all failed. Even then, Discord was carefree. Not much could dampen his spirits. That doesn't mean he wasn't a good ruler. No, he was one of the best they Equestria had had in a while. Every threat that had fallen on Equestria was dealt with swiftly with Discord on the front-lines.
But even the greatest warriors will fall. THIS is that story.
...
The sun was beginning to rise in the eastern corners of Equestria. Discord smiled warmly as he sat on the balcony outside his castle room. He had enough magical skill that he could rotate the sun and moon without raising a hoof. He looked out towards the fiery ball as it slowly creeped up past the far mountains. It was to be a beautiful day.
He soon returned to his room and approached his dresser. He opened it up and found his crown. He gently picked it up and placed it upon his head. "Today shall be wonderful!", he smiled. He left the dresser and looked into a mirror. He eyed his head and brushed some loose hair out of the way.
He went over the day's plans in his head. First he would address the royal guards of his decision for the new captain and then he would be off for the parade. Today was his birthday in fact. It was his seventy-fourth. this was still young for an alicorn, as the average lifespan of an alicorn was near 200 hundred years. Every year he would celebrate it with all his subjects. It was as much as a party for him as it was for those that attended.
While he was contemplating his agenda, he heard a knock from his doors. A muffled voice was apparent as the knocking grew louder. "Yes? Come in", Discord replied. The big wooden doors creaked open as a guard walked in. He had silver armor that covered his body to match the color of Discord's crown. He spoke with a rough voice that pronounced his authority.
"Good morning sire!", he announced. "Do you need me to escort your safetyness to breakfast?"
Discord sighed to himself. Every morning the guard would ask him the same question and would get the same answer. " No Aegis, I'm sure I'll be fine. It's just a few flights of stairs."
Aegis looked at him and shrugged. "As you wish."
Once the guard had left, Discord adjusted his silver chest piece and began his walk down to the dining room. He took one last look at the sunrise and departed.
He opened the doors to the dining area and his eyes fell upon a feast that awaited him. Laid on the table in front of him was plateful after plateful of food. He could see a wide range of delicacies all starting from eggs, daisies and toast, all the way to pastries and soups. Everyday the castle cooks would surprise him. He quickly dug into the treasures and shoveled his food down, bite after bite. In no time he had devoured the entire table, leaving only scraps and pieces.
As the table was cleared away, he thanked the cooks and left. He was now on to the next task: electing a new captain. He walked down corridors that riddled the castle. Lesser ponies would easily get lost within the walls, but Discord had the whole palace mapped out in his mind. He made his way towards the guard chambers as the clock slowly approached Eight. Turning the next corner, he found the brass doors that led into the chambers.
He pushed the doors open as he entered. He found the guards already seated inside. He circled the round table that had been set up for the occasion. He found a seat near the corner as the guards stood to address him.
"Presenting the royal king, Draconequus the seventh!", one of the guards announced.
"Alright!" Discord began. "As we all know, I am here to assign a new captain. Before we begin though, I would like to thank you all for the wonderful year we've been through. It was one of the better years we have had in a while, and I would like to tell you guys how much I appreciate you guys. That is why it has been so hard to decide who to give this duty. That is why I have decided to allow a vote!"
Once the new captain had been chosen, Discord left to check the party preparations. The party was to be held in the castle gardens. As he stepped into the grassy court, he was greeted by streamers and balloons. He couldn't help but smile at himself as he noticed all the bright colors. In the middle of the courtyard, there was a fountain being made on the spot by a blue unicorn. She turned as she heard Discord approach and bowed deep.
"My lord, Draconequus! What an honor to meet you finally. When I had heard I would designing your party, I was ecstatic!"
Discord chuckled at the mare's rambling. "It is I who should be honored. Look at this decor! It's beautiful." The unicorn blushed at the complement as Discord continued, " But! Don't let me stop you from finishing!" He left the fountain and continued on as he noticed the fireworks laid out on the sides of the court. No doubt these would be brilliant later on.
Discord continued through the gardens as time progressed. He then recalled he needed to return to his room to retrieve the documents he had signed for the joining of the Western Territory and Eastern Equestria. He shuddered at the thought of the trouble he would have been in if he hadn't passed them back to the territory.
He passed by the unicorn once again and noticed she was now attending the area the gifts were set. These gifts often arrived a week in advanced and were sent from all across Equestria. The mare waved at him as he entered the castle again and returned to her activity. What Discord and the unicorn didn't notice was the cloaked figure that entered behind Discord as the doors closed.
He returned to his room and searched for the documents. He looked towards his table and noticed the papers had been blown onto the floor, no doubt by the wind. As he reached forward to pick them up, he thought he heard the sound of cloth brushing the floor outside his room. He turned back towards the doors and opened them. He stuck his head out into the halls searching left and right. After finding nothing out of the ordinary, he shrugged and returned to his papers. Using magic, he rolled the scrolls up and sent them to the capital of the west.
As he returned to the hall he stopped. Something was out of place. He couldn't place it, but he could have sworn he was being watched...No, followed . As he began looking for the intruder, Aegis the Guard trotted upstairs. He rose his hoof and saluted Discord. "Sir! Are you alright? You look a little disgruntled." Discord shook his head. "No, nothing's the matter. What do you need?"
"We have a pony here to see you" he replied.
Discord raised a brow. "Really? Who is it?" The guard shook his head, " They won't tell us their name." Discord looked a little annoyed. "And you just let them in?! You were voted captain for a reason you know."
Aegis looked at him with slight embarrassment. "Well they didn't seem dangerous. They didn't have any weapons or anything like that."
Discord grunted but followed the guard anyways. As they descended the stairs outside the room, the hooded figure who had been following Discord appeared from the shadows. The pony drew out a small golden crown out from an inside pocket. The crown glinted in the sunlight and revealed two horns protruding from the center. They were a goat's horn and an antler and for a split second, the head piece seemed to glow with a chaotic energy.
The pony entered Discord's chambers and laid the crown on top of a nearby dresser. The pony pulled out a tag and placed it near the crown. A pen levitated from nearby and scribbled furiously onto the tag. Afterwards the pony dashed from the room, a lock of pink hair flowed freely as the mysterious pony fled. The card read:
My Dearest Draconequus,
Happy 74th! I hope you enjoy this piece of jewelry, I made it myself and is worth much.
Your most loyal subject,
C
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.
Some Things Cannot be Undone
Chapter Three
The clouds loomed over head. It was going to be another darkened day. Celestia didn't know what to expect, it had been dark and dreary everyday since the day of the accident. The day Discord was lost to the darkness. She remembered that dreadful day and if she had known what was to happen that day, she would never have attempted to dethrone their leader.
She and Luna were walking side by side down an empty rode. Dust was flying in the air and almost formed a thick fog. She they couldn't see ten feet in front of their hooves. The road was paved but because of the destruction that had fallen Equestria, it was now cracked in places and had plants growing through. It was unsettling walking through the the dust. Without their sight, they didn't know what would be in front of them. They passed several destroyed carriages, the now broken means of escape. All around her she could feel an eerie presence. She could hear the cries of creatures in the distance. None were happy.
Three Months Earlier
Discord lead them through the garden and directed them towards a small bench. "You can sit there if you need to." He told them. He noticed them as they still stood behind him. "I thought you guys were tired?"
Celestia looked at him. "Well if you're gonna show us the layout of the party then shouldn't we follow you?"
"I guess you're right. Well let's get started shall we?" He replied.
He lead them around the courtyard showing them where everything would be laid out and where they should sit. He showed them a few sculptures that had been made for him, including the fountain the blue mare from before had made him.
After a while, Luna cleared her throat to get his attention. "Please cousin, could you maybe show us around the inside of the castle? I think Celestia and I have the placed mapped out now." She smiled at him as he looked at her. "Besides, we hear you have a new library and would like to see how many books you've got."
"That's interesting" Discord thought aloud, he then grinned at Luna. "I always remember that it was Celestia that liked to read. In fact, I do believe that you once wrote me a letter on how mad you were when I sent you a book as a present!"
Luna laughed a little nervously. "Yeah, I guess time changes ponies, am I right?"
She looked at Celestia and gave her a look. Celestia understood immediately. While Luna had distracted Discord in the Library, she would sneak the crown back. She remembered that they hadn't brought the poisoned crown but thought better of it. They almost corrupted the most powerful alicorn in the country, they probably shouldn't risk more than they could handle for one day. They would have to plan this another day.
They were then less into the castle by Discord and passed a few of the royal guards. They began to climb a flight of stairs and just a few floors higher, they turned into a large corridor. She noticed a pair of fine Oak doors. Above the doors was a golden crown engraved into the wall. She remembered that this was indeed his room. She had already been in there once and still remembered where she laid the crown.
Finally after turning a corner near the end of the hall, they found the library. Celestia's jaw dropped to the floor as they walked inside. Rows upon rows of books were stacked along shelves. This was by far the biggest collection of books she had ever seen. When she finally became princess, she knew she would spend many hours in here.
Discord noticed her expression and smirked. "I bet you would love to have a library as big as this, wouldn't you Celestia. Maybe if you visited more often you could actually read here. I'm also willing to let you borrow some books as long as you return them in good condition."
Luna could care less however, but feigned surprise to keep her act unnoticeable. She ran towards one of the shelves and began searching through the books. She pulled out a blue book that had gold letters scrawled across the cover. It read King Solomare's Scrolls: Volume Four . "Wow!" She exclaimed. "Discord, do you have all of these books?!"
Discord chuckled at her remark. "Indeed. Keep in mind though, that these are merely copies of the originals. The real scrolls are far too valuable to keep in public. We have a huge variety of books, including books of parchment written in Hieroglyphics about the old world, to Faerie tales like Old King Colt . Take a look at whatever you like!"
"Umm, Discord?" Celestia asked. "Is there a bathroom around here somewhere?"
"Of course, here take this map." He suddenly bowed his head and his horn began to glow with a shade of grey. Out of thin air, a map fellow upon the ground before Celestia. She used her own magic to levitate it. She looked at it and notice it was roughly drawn. It showed their presence in the library and had a dotted line leading towards the staircase they had climbed. It showed a large, red "X" crossed over a small rectangle in which she assumed was the library.
"My dear, don't get lost. We'll be waiting here for you." Discord told her as she began her way out the door. She of course wasn't really in need of a bathroom. She was headed straight towards the room she had saw earlier. She crossed into the hallway with the doors and made sure nopony was patrolling the area. After making sure it was clear, she opened the doors to reveal a large room.
On the floor lay a giant carpet. It was a royal shade of purple and had golden lines circling into a floral pattern. Near one corner of the room lay a large bed with the same pattern as the rug upon the sheets. She approached the dresser where she had previously laid the crown and cursed to herself. The crown was gone. The letter was still there, but had been stamped by the royal guards.
They must have went into his room to search in case of anything and found the crown. As she read the letter again, she noticed more writing below her's.
Lord Draqonequus,
We have taken the liberty of taking your gift and have added it to the table you shall sit at tonight. We thought that you might want to show it off in front of everypony as you wore it. *Hoof Stamp*
Celestia growled in frustration. How would they get the crown now. It would seem suspicious if they took it now that the guards knew where it was. She also probably get caught if she tried to take it. She was now in a pickle. She to tell Luna. She would probably have an idea on how to get it.
She dashed out of the room slamming the doors behind her. She galloped back towards the library and burst in. She blushed when she saw Discord and Luna staring at her. Discord had a look of humor on his face while Luna clearly knew something was wrong.
"My! Somepony was eager to get back. Seriously though, you shouldn't run through the castle. Wouldn't want any accidents, now would we?" Discord told her.
"Luna can I talk to you for a second?"
Luna approached her sister and leaned in to whisper, "What's up? Did you get it?"
Celestia shook her head and replied, "No, it wasn't there. The guards have taken it outside and put it near Discord's seat. They want him to put it on in front of everypony at his party."
"What!" Luna hissed. "Then how are we going to get it?"
"I thought that you would know."
Luna sighed. "We need a back up plan Tia..."
Celestia tilted her head a little, "What do you mean?"
"If we can't retrieve the crown, because it's highly unlikely that we will, we need to know what to do. This is total destruction here! If Discord were to wear it, who knows how much power he could have. It will corrupt him! He will be malevolent. We wouldn't stand a chance against him. We need an escape plan."
"But we still need to try to get it!" Celestia objected. "We can't just let him have it."
Luna only shook her head. "Tia, like I said, our chances are slim. We would probably get hurt or worse if we're still here by the time he wears it. It's better to be safe than sorry. We going to have to leave. And not just leave Canterlot, we would need to leave Equestria. Find a way of escaping the evil that will arise."
Celestia was fixing to argue but decided against it. She looked Luna in the face and slowly nodded. "You're right. But when we leave, we have to find a way to stop him."
"I know. We will." Luna reached towards her and gave her a small hug. "Now let's make it like winter and wrap this up."
They turned and looked for Discord and noticed him in a seat a few yards away. It was obvious he hadn't over heard as he was reading a large book. He turned and smiled as he saw them approach. "Ah, girls! Are we ready to leave now?" He asked.
"Yes," Luna stated. "We also need to head back home."
Discord looked at them. He was certainly displeased. "For whatever so?" He questioned.
"We need to get home and look through our dresses so we can look nice for the party."
Discord laughed at her excuse. "My dear, you don't need to look nice for me. It's a casual party for a reason. You aren't supposed to wear anything special."
Luna looked at him with a light expression. "I know, but we want to look nice for your birthday. We missed your last one so we wanna make it up to you. You needn't worry either, we'll be back before the party starts. We don't want to miss anything."
"Well alright you two," he finally agreed. "Don't forget to come to the garden. That's where it's at!"
They made their way downstairs and through the gardens once more. They noticed more ponies had shown up. There were some with scraggly beards and others with flowing manes. They passed by a pair who were talking and they noticed they both had unique accents that they had never heard before. This party was going to be big. Celestia admired the fact that even though these ponies were from lands afar, they still traveled to Equestria to celebrate Discord's birthday.
Once at the gates, Discord waved at the two sisters and they said their good-byes. Little did Discord know that they wouldn't be seeing each other for a long while.
Celestia and Luna made their way back home once more. They were going to pack everything they needed and were leaving as soon as possible. They would be lucky if they made it far from Canterlot by the time they left, but that was the least of their worries. They weren't coming back. That they were sure of. Maybe if they were to find a way to cure Discord, but that was unlikely. Their main goal was to be as far away from Discord as possible. Only then would they began searching for a solution.
They finally made it home as the clock struck Five. They rushed in and looked across the house searching for things they would need. They gathered food and water, a couple of personal items and Celestia wouldn't leave most of her books behind. Luna rolled her eyes and put some of her sister's books in her saddlebag. After about a half-hour they finished. They made one more sweep through the house to make sure they got everything.
They both decided to eat before they left so they didn't need to stop later. They had a small meal of a few salads and bread before finally setting out. Celestia felt a tear form as she left her farewells to her home and her city. Luna felt a little pain in her chest but felt it best to go before she too, becam emotional.
They took their saddlebags and began walking down the road. They noticed other ponies were closing up shops and locking up their homes as they left for the party. Literally almost everyone in Canterlot would go to Discord's parties. Even the small inns that were usually open 24/7 were closing for the event. Celestia wanted to shout at them. To tell them not to go, but she knew better. Besides, nopony would listen to her pleas.
They soon arrived at the outskirts of Canterlot as the sky began to change towards night. It would be time soon. It was only a matter of minutes and they both were bracing for it. They passed more buildings that were more run down. Some were even abandoned. Celestia asked Luna if they could stay in one for the night, but Luna said no, they couldn't stop. Even at night, they were to walk until they were tired.
That's when it happened. Behind them, a large boom deafened their ears. They looked back and saw a terrifying sight. A large mushroom cloud had risen above where the castle was, more black than they could imagine. Without realization, a large barrier pushed them towards the ground. The blast of energy from the explosion had pushed them to the ground. The buildings around them shook. Any that will had window panes shattered. Then they noticed it. A darkness was soon spreading upon them. Buildings were being uprooted in the distance and soon the ground around the began to be pulled backwards. The energy sucking in everything.
"Run!" Luna shouted. "We have to hurry or we'll be absorbed too!"
Without any hesitation, Celestia ran with her sister. It was difficult with the ground shaking beneath them. As they ran they both were tripped by another wave of energy. But this time, everything went silent. Celestia and Luna were terrified at what was to come. That's when the ground began to shift. At first it was a low rumble, then the road began to twist. Cracks began to form along the land. As they got back up they huddled together.
The cracks began to spread around them and widened severely. They soon opened into larger holes that spread around and beneath the road. What was different about these cracks were they didn't have a bottom. They were empty holes that lead nowhere.
Luna began to run again and her sister followed suit. They tried to out run the chaos that was surrounding them. They didn't stop running until the cracks in the earth stopped spreading. They sat in the road as they caught their breath. Celestia and Luna were now both crying as they saw the land around them. The darkness had already spread around them and many things had taken strange forms.
The road seemed to be rising towards an invisible peak while there were trees dotted across the land that instead of leaves, contained daggers. There was a small sign nearby that said Leaving So Soon? that was bent sideways. The weather had also changed drastically as clouds had fully covered what had been a previously cloudless night. They could here the sound of thunder rumble overhead as rain began to fall. It strangely taste of chocolate milk.
They continued onward through the country side, sneaking glimpses of what had been Canterlot. Only a few of the stronger buildings remained but from the looks of it, were badly damaged. The mushroom cloud still lingered in the distance but was now incised in a large lightning storm.
"This was all our fault." Celestia turned towards Luna. "We should have been happy with what we had. We did this. We destroyed Equestria, maybe even the world. And it was all for our own selfish needs."
Luna pressed against her sister. "I know. But we can still set it right. We can try and save Discord. We can rebuild Equestria ourselves when the time comes."
Celestia bowed her head as they continued walking. She sighed. "If the time comes."
Some Things Cannot be Undone
Chapter Four
The clock struck seven as a grey alicorn slowly paced the gate. "Maybe they're just late. Yeah, that's it!" He told himself. As the clock rang, he stopped and turned back to the entrance of the castle yards. The party guests would soon be expecting him to arrive. He was the one hosting it after all. He sighed to himself as he began to walk slowly towards the looming castle. They wouldn't lie to him. They were his most trusted 'friends', and not to mention they were his family. He would probably see them soon as the party would begin.
He had already been informed of the crown the guards had taken, and he obliged to start the festivity once he placed it on his head. He hadn't seen it yet, but the guards had came to conclusion that nothing was strange about it. He hoped his cousins would at least be there the moment he put it on. Of course, he wasn't really considering wearing it permanently, he did have his own crown to wear too. He would only wear it during the party and maybe on a few occasions. He liked his own crown too much to replace it.
He strode through the gardens toward the main court area. Many ponies were already waiting for him, and by many I mean a lot. The whole garden was brimming with them and he had to guide his way through the crowd just to reach to center. In front of the fountain lied a large table, and surrounding it lied many circular ones. He wasn't sure how many could be seated, but he knew not everypony would be able to.
Right away the royal guards sounded their trumpets while a few others raised the castle banners. "Presenting our beloved king, Lord Draconequus the seventh!" The crowd cheered as he walked his way behind the table and sat in the center chair. As the trumpets finally stopped, the crowd began to quite down.
Discord noticed that the crown had been placed in front of him along with his plate, goblet and eating utensils. He looked at the crown closely. He could see his reflection in its golden body. He slowly felt everything slip away from him. The crowd seemed to disappear, and the guards fell out of sight and even the table and added accessories were gone. But that didn't matter right now. "What a curious thing" Discord thought. He rotated the crown in mid-air with his magic. "It's almost like its a small, fragile object, yet it radiates power. Perplexing..." Nothing mattered more than the crown, that he was sure of.
He felt something tap his shoulder and reality once again appeared. He looked over to see one of the guards looking at him with worry. "Are you alright My Lord?" He asked.
"Yes, it's just... Something had me thinking. But that's not important right now." He turned his head back to the crown and used magic once more to hold the crown. He took his off and placed it on the table while he held the other above his head. He looked around at everypony as he began to speak. "I would like to thank all of you for turning up tonight" he started. He was still scanning the court, searching more for his cousins than really looking at everyone. "It means so much to me that everypony is here to celebrate. Ponies even traveled from distant lands to see me. I can already tell that this year shall be a good one! So without further ado, let's get on with the festivities." He then placed the crown on top of his head.
Everything went black. Everything had stopped. Discord felt a sharp pain in his head. His mind was being torn apart, almost as if someone were drilling inside of his head. He felt the crown gripping his head, almost like it was fusing with him. He could feel it slowly taking over his will. He faded out of consciousness as a new, evil presence took over. He couldn't feel what was going on around him, but as he transformed, energy was being absorbed by him.
All around him, the castle walls were being ripped apart. The party's decorations being consumed by the massive shadow that overlay the gardens. Ponies and tables being consumed as well. He could hear the faint screams behind the wall around him. He could feel the energy building up. Soon he felt his body change. He felt his wings disappear along with his single horn and felt his body stretch. His hooves were being molded into more beastly appendages. His tail lost its hair and soon began to grow long and scaly. He soon felt new wings sprout from his back and he felt his head grow two different horns. He was no longer a pony. He was a monster.
Present Day
Celestia walked silently down the crumbling road. Her sister not far behind. She couldn't tell what time it was. After Discord had transformed, all of the clocks in Equestria had stopped for unknown reasons and wouldn't work even after they had been "fixed". It didn't help either with the fact that the sun and moon never rose either. After chaos had spread, Discord had neglected raising the celestial bodies. It was strange too. Even without the presence of the sun and moon, they could still see, not that it mattered, the dust in the air blocked most of their vision anyways.
After they had left Canterlot, they traveled as far as they could. They seldom saw any other ponies, and when they did, they weren't in good condition. Most of the ponies that weren't dead or dying had been enslaved by Discord. From what Celestia had heard, they were used to build monuments and and Castles for him. You couldn't imagine what would happen to her and her sister if they were caught. She didn't even know what had became of Discord. Nopony could have survived such magic that had been released. Was he a broken pony now? Was he even a pony anymore? Or was he some hollow carapace of what had once been an alicorn.
Occasionally, she and her sister would stumble upon an encampment of ponies or even a city. The ponies that lived in these places were never friendly. They were shut out from the world, never letting any pony in. They would form groups of neighbors or families and would threaten anypony who trespassed their "homes." The ponies in the cities were less territorial but would still hide away. Only a few ponies could be seen, hiding in buildings watching Celestia and Luna like prey. There were also groups of ponies who had taken to thievery. They were know as the Zydecos. They would loot any buildings that were abandoned and if desperate, would take to slaughtering ponies and snatching all their possessions.
Luckily for Celestia and Luna, they never had a direct encounter with any Zydecos. They had been followed for a while by an unknown group who they believed to be Zydecos. After a few days however, the group lost interest in them and disappeared into the fog. Celestia thought this was probably because their shortage of food. That seemed to be the main target for most theives. Ever since the fall of Equestria, crops couldn't be grown. The only food that was available were the plants that grew on the road or the food that was canned and packaged. Celestia and Luna were only a few cans away from being foodless. They had starting only eating once a day after they would wake up and even then would share a can of food and scavenge any plants they could find.
Celestia snapped out of her thoughts has she heard something approaching. "Luna, stop!" She ordered. Luna froze in her tracks.
"What is it sister?"
"I'm not sure" she shook her head. "But it sounds like a carriage coming up the road." She turned her head to Luna. "Look for some place to hide."
They both began to look around frantically as the sound got louder. It was definatly a carriage now. They could hear the sounds of ponies talking amongst each other.
"Over here!" Luna whispered.
Celestia looked for her sister and noticed her standing amongst a large rock pile. "Perfect" Celestia replied. She approached the rocks as Luna ducked behind them. Celestia made her way behind them next to Luna. They were both hidden out of view and the fog provided extra cover.
They waited for about a minute before the carriage came into sight. It was being pulled by a couple of stallions and inside were a couple more. They were having some sort of argument amonst themselves.
"We should've at least stopped to look around the place. It was abandoned after all."
One of the ponies in the carriage leaned outside and yelled "Did you not see the windows? They were boarded up and you know what that means. The place had already been looted. You're so thick sometimes Greg!"
The pony who they presumed was Greg, began to look towards their hiding spot. "Wait a second. I think I see somethin'!"
Celestia felt Luna tense up. They didn't know whether these ponies were friendly and it was likely they weren't. They would probably have flee if they were spotted. Celestia felt herself began to ready incase she had to run. The stallion unlatched himself from the vehicle and began to approach the place they were hiding. Just as she was about to run, the stallion stopped about a meter from where they were.
"Yeah!" He shouted. "I found another can, and it's not even open!" He turned back towards the carriage as he held up the food.
Celestia noticed it was a can of peaches. She realized in horror, that they must have dropped it while running for cover. She looked at Luna and recognized by the look on her face, that she was thinking the same thing. "Great" Celestia thought. "We're now short another meal."
The strangers moved on down the road as Celestia gathered herself once more. She turned to Luna and told her with all seriousness "Make sure that when you run, that nothing falls out." With a small nod, they both set out on the road again.
A few more miles down the road, they stumbled across a broken down building. It must have been the building that the other ponies had mentioned. From the looks of it, it used to be a small diner. It had collapsed into a sinkhole on its right side and oddly enough, the sinkhole was filled with bright pink liquid. It almost appeared as if it were boiling. They approached the building, looking around cautiously in case of intruders. Once they had reached the edge of the pink pond, a strange smell filled their senses. It smelled of apples. It had to be the work of chaos. It had spread all around them. In some places it was overwhelming, there would be upside down houses, burning lakes, and there was even a field of scarecrows outside a small town. Other places were very subtle, only a few places were dotted with the dark magic. This was one of those places.
"What is this stuff?" Asked Luna.
Celestia only shook her head. "I don't know. But stay away from it. It doesn't look safe."
Luna nodded as they turned away. They approached the doors of the diner and found them to be unlocked. As the ponies from earlier had stated, the windows were indeed boarded up. They were however wrong about being inhabited. Not a pony was to be seen inside. Not alive anyways. In front of a counter lied a row of stools. In one of them, a skeleton was crumpled over, head against the cheap marble. In one hoof lay a paper. A note, left for someone to read.
She was right... I should never have left. My son, Hugh will never see me again. I should have listened to them. My wife had cried for me not to leave. "It's too dangerous out there!" She said... Not that I listened. If you're reading this, there is no hope. I was told that the only way to reverse the darkness was to find the artifacts. The Elements of Harmony I think it was. I came here to look for them, to use them. But it was too late. He came to me last night. He told me to give up. I would still be alive if I had listened. I'm sure by the time somepony reads this, that I am dead. He told me so. But! There is still hope! In the legends of The Elements, it says that only the sun and moon can use them. Look past the fog. For the Moon and its Sun.
"What do you think it means?" Luna asked. "The sun and the moon? The elements? If this pony is right, then we may have the means to stop Discord.
*Ahem*
They both stopped as the turned to the noise. Behind them in one of the diner's booths, sat a creature of enigma. He sat with his arms folded behind his head, only his arms weren't right. One was furred while the other resembled that of a chicken. He also had different wings, legs and horns, not to mention his body was almost serpent like in length. "Did somepony say my name?"
