Canterlot, The Rising Phoenix

Chapters

Chapter 2: Bringing up the Past
Chapter 3: A Surprise Party?
Chapter 4: The Gears of Fate pt. 1
Chapter 5: The Gears of Fate pt. 2
Chapter 6: Applejack's Chores
Chapter 7: Sugar Cube Corner
Prologue
Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 2: Bringing up the Past

Discord reappeared as a strait jacket, enveloping and squeezing Yang’s body. Yang’s face reflected that of a mood ring as time slowly passed along. Discord continued to laugh as Yang struggled again to escape Discord’s loving embrace.

“Oh, my apologies, Yang,” Discord said. He quickly released Yang from his grasp and set him on the ground, gently patting his head.

“I never did…cough…get used to your affection Discord,” Yang replied as he continued to cough.

“Well, I do sometimes go a bit too far,” Discord replied.

“Hold on, here! How do you know Yang, Discord?” Twilight asked.

“He didn't tell you? Ohohoho, Yang, have you been naughty again? I think you may have been mean for too long. Look at your coat for crying out loud, it is almost completely black. The only white you have showing is at your tail. Look, your “gauge” isn't even at full capacity. Seriously, Yang, have you been neglecting your duties again? You don’t want to be turned to stone, now do you?” Discord said with a mischievous grin.

Twilight observed Yang’s tail and saw that the right half of it was white, while the left half was still black. Yang’s “gauge” showed that a small amount of white had infiltrated the inner black circle, revealing the outline of an “S” in the middle of its small structure. No other changes were out of the ordinary, so Twilight didn't know what to make of this sudden occurrence.

“Why do you know Discord and what happened to your tail?!” Twilight asked angrily.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, my how you have been so nasty lately. Please, tell them, Yang, of all the wondrous moments of our past. So... let the show begin!” Discord stated happily while holding a box of popcorn.

“Well, where do I start?” Yang blurted out.

“How about your relationship with him?!” Twilight yelled, pointing a hoof at Discord as he continued to pop mouthfuls of kernels into his gullet.

“When I first came into this town, he was the first person I ran into and it had been days since I had actual food. I was currently traveling from town to town and was running low on rations and water. As I entered into town, I spotted a lemongrass sandwich vendor close by and immediately purchased the delicious treat. Upon taking a bite though, my jaw became immersed with pain. It seems that my food had been changed into a long red brick," Yang explained, his eyes squinting at Discord.

"Oh, come now, that was a long time ago. Besides, that was a small prank in comparison to what I did to you and Princess Luna," Discord calmly expressed, stuffing more popcorn into his mouth.

"WHAT!?!?!?" Twilight shouted.

"Thanks, Discord. Now I have another problem to deal with," Yang replied.

"Glad I could help. My, all this drama has made me quite parched," he replied.

Discord produced a fountain overflowing with chocolate milk spring forth from the ground. With a snap of his finger, a small hose extending from the fountain to his hand appeared. Attached atop the hose in his hand was a handle that regulated the flow of the brown liquid to his lips.

"Chocolate fountain!!! Mine! ALL MINE!" Pinkie shouted with a guttural voice. She immediately dunked her head in the fountain and began drinking as much as she could.

"Well, that's disturbing," Applejack commented.

"Anyway...after Discord made my jaw hurt, he began to laugh and point his finger at my misery. Before I could respond, I saw two alicorns running towards Discord and I. I could not see who these two were, but you all know them as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Apparently, Discord had put itching powder in Celestia's bedroom sheets, and had made Luna's voice become deep. Discord started to laugh at this as well and, of course, denied that he had anything to do with their condition. In response, I used some of my dark magic to let him have a taste of his own medicine," Yang said.

"My own medicine?! I made you bite a brick. Instead, you made my lower half small and my upper half wide and round! I fell over because of you and couldn't even concentrate on using chaos correctly! I now know what a doughnut feels like because of you!" Discord replied, spitting out all of the liquid in his mouth.

"Well, it seems you deserved it," replied Fluttershy.

"But, that was when I used it for evil. C'mon Fluttershy, that's in the past; I'm good now. I honestly promise you that as long as I remember the kindness you showed to me, I will never go against you. Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye," replied Discord with a cupcake literally in his eye socket.

"Ok, Discord, as long as you promise to not use your powers for selfish reasons, I forgive you," Fluttershy acknowledged, giving Discord a big hug.

"Ughhhh, come on already! Enough with the side chats and random events! Discord, be quiet! Pinkie....you're quiet, so keep drinking from that fountain. Yang, spit it out already, I'm soooooooo bored hearing this!" Rainbow Dash wailed, flailing all four of her forelegs on the ground.

"Alright, alright, I'm getting there," Yang assured Dash. "Since Discord was in such an array of distress, both of the princesses thanked me for my hard work and offered me a job in Canterlot. I had been searching from town to town to find work, and now it seemed like my travels weren't in vain! The job seemed simple enough...keep watch over Discord. Boy, I had no clue how much work that was going to be. For the first week, I continued to lose sight of him, I would be continuously humiliated, and worst of all, I was so sleepy. At the end of the week, I fell asleep from pure stress and sleep deprivation.

During my sleep, I heard a voice tell me to 'visit her in the moonlight'. I woke up in an instant and searched everywhere in the city, hoping to know who it was that called out for me. After searching for what seemed like an eternity, I gave up. I just simply walked over to a drawbridge in Canterlot and sat down. I felt depressed that it was just a dream and I had followed it blindly. I cursed myself for believing it to be true. Well...that is until I felt a hoof on my shoulder," Yang replied looking away with a bashful look on his face.

"Then what?!" Rainbow Dash yelled, now becoming intrigued.

"Ah ah ah, Rainbow Dash! A good story teller never tells you everything up front does he?" Yang winked.

"Awww, boooooo!" she replied in a huff.

"Well, Twilight, that's how I met Discord," Yang said.

"Hmmm, if that's true, where have you been?" she responded.

"Well, last thing I remember is Discord being turned to stone for causing Canterlot and the city to fall into chaos. I tried my best to keep watch over him but his magic was too strong for me. I really don't remember anything else," he replied.

"You don't? Hahaha, Yang, my old friend, that happened over a 1,000 years ago," Discord replied with a smug grin on his face.

"A 1,000 years!?" Yang shouted. Yang was shocked and horrified upon hearing this startling news.

"That's right, old chum, it seems you have been gone for that long period of time. Just what were you doing?" Discord asked.

"I really don't remember! The princesses turned you into stone, I collapsed, then...then nothing!" Yang frantically answered.

"Calm down, it's alright," Applejack reassured Yang. "I'm sure there is a good reason you can't remember anything after that."

"Maybe Applejack, but it just doesn't feel right. I think I need some alone time. Please excuse me, will you?" Yang asked, trotting off into the distance.

"Poor 'lil fella," said Applejack.

"I know! How lonely he must feel to be separated from all of his friends and family. When I think about it, it makes me want to cry," said Fluttershy burying her face into Discord's chest.

"Well, I think he needs his space for now; I'm sure we'll see him tomorrow! And when we do, let's make it a wonderful day he soon won't regret! Oh, we'll need Rarity to join us. She does need to meet an old friend of the princesses after all," said Twilight.

All of Twilight's friends shook their heads in agreement, except for Discord, as he watched Yang run off into the distance. Discord squinted his eyes in suspicion as he watched Yang out of Discord's vision. As Twilight and her friends discussed plans for tomorrow, Pinkie decided that they should throw a party for him in celebration of his return. Twilight agreed and trotted off to ask Princess Celestia and Luna to attend the festivities. Discord simply dazed off into the distance pondering why his old friend suddenly returned.

As Yang ran in the distance, he looked back every now and then to make sure no one was following him. After he was sure that he wasn't being followed, he quickly used a teleportation spell on himself. He reappeared in a flash of magic on the boundaries outside of the Everfree Forest. He casually strode into the forest where he encountered two timberwolves, each one growling and snarling at the sudden intrusion.

"Why must people continue to block my way? Move creatures before I set you both aflame!" Yang shouted.

The timberwolves just snarled more intensely and bore their fangs at the threat.

"Have it your way then," he replied. Yang used his magic to summon a black flame that quickly engulfed one of the timberwolves. After a brief moment, the timberwolf turned into a pile of soot. The timberwolf's cohort whined at the death of his friend and quickly retreated into the depths of the forest. After the wolf disappeared, Yang reassembled the pile of soot back into its original timberwolf form.

"Let that be a lesson to you. DO NOT...MESS WITH ME!" he shouted with hatred in his eyes.

The timberwolf quickly whimpered and ran off into the forest to avoid any further trouble with this angered guest.

Yang continued to walk through the thick trees and tall grass of the Everfree Forest. He was searching left and right for something out of the ordinary. He had been in the forest only moments earlier, but now seemed to have forgotten his previous travel. He hunted for clues that would guide him to his hidden treasure. This seemed to drag on for hours as he continued to scan the forest for hints, his vision and scouting methods becoming erratic. He scanned countless trees and observed the ground for hoof prints. After a couple of hours of searching, he found what he was looking for...evidence leading back to his new home. Some of the trees had large red arrows guiding Yang back to his house.

The red paint on the arrows had been diminished, the elements of nature becoming apparent. Yang soon realized how long he had been gone and looked into the dense, thick leaves of the trees above. Yang contemplated on how soon he would be able to cope with this new information Discord had given him. As Yang followed the signs, he noticed two set of hoof prints of the forest floor. One set of prints belonged to Yang himself, while the other set belonged to a visitor he had met recently.

His house was inside of a large and thick hollowed oak tree, with a small opening in the front. It had a window of sorts as it was just an empty hole that was carved out of the tree itself. The living quarters were a poor example of a makeshift house: The bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room were crammed together between two floors in the house. The only way one could reach the second floor was by an old, worn-out staircase, evident by its missing steps and rotting wood. Even though the house was a disaster to fashion and symmetry everywhere, it was still Yang's home. While he gazed upon its weakened structure, he gave a sigh of relief, knowing that he could now rest inside of his home. He knocked his hooves on the thick bark, shaking free any loose soil or other debris that may have been trapped within his hooves. This also signaled his return home as he heard a familiar voice upon entering his small adobe.

"Welcome back, darling. Did you have fun in the town today?" she asked with sarcasm in her tone.

"I learned some important info and some other intriguing news," Yang replied, wiping his feet on a torn rug.

"Why don't you lie down and I'll help you relax, ok?" she answered slyly.

"Sure, my back has been in agony since Discord showed me how much he missed me."

"Discord? I thought he was turned to stone?" she answered, stepping into the evening sunlight.

The light shown brightly on her long teal mane and tail. This reflection of blue light created a serene atmosphere throughout the house. Her blue-green chitinous underbelly scratched Yang as she rested it on top of his head. Her transparent, insect-like wings buzzed with anticipation of her next meal. She wrapped her front forelegs around Yang's neck and loosely held him in an embrace. Her dark green eyes transfixed themselves into Yang's as he slowly raised his head up to look at her. Her elongated oval pupils met his, each one becoming lost in the moment of sweet bliss. Her twisted and jagged horn started to slowly glow an ominous green. Attached to her head was a black crown adorned with three green orbs. Her slender body had coiled around Yang causing him to jerk his head downwards. Her holed out legs were still attached to Yang as he continued to try and contain himself. This enemy of Canterlot was none other than the Pegacorn herself, Queen Chrysalis of the Changelings.

Chapter 3: A Surprise Party?

"Must you always embrace me like this?" Yang questioned bashfully.

"I will stop this little "act" when you grow a pair and tell me to stop," Chrysalis replied nuzzling her face next to his.

"Oh, would you stop it!?"

"Oh? Are we becoming slightly agitated?" she coyly asked.

"Yes, very much so!" Yang retorted.

"I like it when a prey fights back; It's no fun when they just surrender. Show some humility fool! After all, who rescued you from being frozen in crystal?"

"You did," he replied with a sigh.

"And who took the liberty of staying with you until you felt better?"

"You did..." he answered again.

"So, why can't I just toy with you like this? After all, you're my plaything now, and I intend to do whatever I want with my toys," she whispered in his ears.

Yang immediately became flustered by this act. He could feel her soft whispers patting against his ears, the melody softly lulling him into a quiet sleep. He knew, though, this was all an act and she would pounce on him the second he let his guard down. It felt like he was a fly that continued to fly into the same spiderweb in hopes of being tormented. This little play she put on every time he arrived home became a part of his life. He rather enjoyed playing the fool that continued to be swayed by the ever enchanting siren. She continued to toy with him as he felt his face become warm and hot.

"Yes, just like that. I only need to arouse you a little more," she whispered, licking the back of his neck.

Have I always enjoyed this? Yang thought. What would Luna think if she saw me like this? The question is why can't I resist? Arrgghh, it's so damn frustrating! he mulled over and over again, his breath becoming deeper and heavy. He could feel the weight of Chrysalis on top of him, as she continued to arouse him in order to feed off of him more.

"It's time for dinner," Chrysalis replied.

She opened her jaw and began absorbing all the love that Yang had encountered earlier in the day. Her horn illuminated a vibrant neon green as the love from Yang quickly flowed into Chrysalis's throat. The pink mist of love energy continued to be drained from Yang's body as he just laid there, unnerved by this strange process. He could hear the audible closing and opening of the esophagus directly behind him as she continued to lap up every bit of love in his body. As this continued, Yang started to wince at an immediate pain. White energy started to flow from his body into Chrysalis, sapping his strength and stamina.

"Ow! Stop, Chrysalis, that's enough!" he shouted in-between breaths.

She quickly stopped draining the white essence from his body as Yang panted trying to catch his breath.

"You need to learn moderation, Chrysalis. You go too far every time, absorbing some of my magic with the love. You realize I do need this white color just to fool those imbeciles, right? Without this white in my coat, they will start to suspect that I am creating trouble somewhere else. You may have some of the energy, but not all of it!" Yang demanded firmly.

"Oh, I may have some? You really are too kind, Yang. And here I thought you didn't like me," she teased coyly.

"Well, you did save me, so I owe you my life after all."

"Hmm, I wonder..."

"What are you planning?" he asked, turning his head.

"Nothing, my dear, I just thought of an idea for the future."

"Chrysalis...." he replied with warning in his tone.

"What?" she replied, lifting her body off of Yang's.

"I know how you act."

"Oh, do you now? You know when I was going to stop? You assumed I wouldn't continue? You don't know me, Yang. You may think you do, but you really are in the dark about my decisions. I could let you in on my thinking but that would require you to enter my thoughts and see things through my skin. Although, Yang, I wouldn't mind that," she purred back to Yang over her shoulder.

She simply strutted away into the darkness, leaving Yang with a dumbfounded look on his face. If Discord was present, he'd repeat his old joke of literally picking Yang's jaw up off the floor. With this thought, Yang snapped his jaw shut and slowly turned his head towards the wall in front of him, hoping his lower head would stop being so excited and calm down.

Yang continued to sit on the floor staring at the wooden wall in front of him as he regained his composure. He couldn't believe that Chrysalis had once again gotten the best of him. She merely played with him in order to get a reaction out of him. Yang continued to replay the images of Chrysalis descending upon his slim frame over and over again. He felt his face and lower body become hot again and quickly decided to stop thinking of this occurrence. He raised himself from the floor, climbed the broken, worn down wooden staircase, and saw the short, desolate hallway.

There were only two rooms on this floor: Yang's bedroom and storage room. Yang walked down the short hallway and came across both rooms. However, the storage room had nails hammered into boards, the only access point completely off-limits to everyone. Yang let out a small sigh as he entered his bedroom, his heart heavy and saddened by the past memories of his house.

Yang's bedroom was almost bare. The only things still in normal condition were the simple futon mattress and the candle on top of his desk. The desk itself wasn't lavish at all, just simply an empty wooden crate he found in an alley. The mirror he had off to the side of his bed was shattered and broken, a somber reminder at how broken and isolated his life used to be. Yang simply plopped himself on the mattress and tried to fall asleep. He simply pushed his face into the mattress, trying to block out the memories of his past. He knew he couldn't run from them. It was only a matter of time before those memories would reach Yang and cause more anxiety. Yang hoped that tomorrow would be better and that he could dig up more info about the city and its weak spots. A sudden anger rose in him as he thought about Canterlot and its inhabitants. This, in turn, made him think about Princess Celestia.

"Celestia..." Yang muttered before he drifted off to sleep.

Yang awoke to the sound of chirping birds and the hissing sound of cicadas. He stayed still on the bed as he wondered why he didn't wake up in the middle of the night freezing cold. It was becoming autumn outside and the weather in the Everfree Forest was harsh. Autumn's sudden climate change caused Yang to wake up shivering and cold in the middle of the night. He didn't have any insulation or warming material for himself; the only heat he had was himself and a ratted, torn blanket. Now, it seemed that he was perfectly warm and comfortable.

Yang's thought process was still groggy and scattered as he tried to get up. He felt another presence on top of his body. He moved his eyes down to his shoulder where he saw a black holed out foreleg. Another foreleg was on top of his waist, the black hooves intertwined with his own. He felt a warm, slow breathing on the base of his neck. With each release of hot air, his body swooned to this new feeling of enjoyment. His body started to gradually become used to the sensation as he enjoyed this new form of relaxation. He started to savor the warmth that trickled throughout his body. He slightly turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eyes to see another pony in his bed.

"Oh, it's just Chrysalis," Yang said. "Wait, CHRYSALIS!?!" he shouted, jumping up from the bed.

"Mmmmm, is it morning already?" replied a yawning Chrysalis.

"WHAT are you doing in my bed?!" Yang shouted again.

"Lower your voice, you're going to wake up the whole forest," she replied.

"You. Are. In. My. Bed. Why are you in my bed, Chrysalis?" asked Yang.

"You were cold, that's all," she replied.

"Cold?"

"After you suddenly disappeared, I tried to look for you.....for about two minutes. I laid on your sofa, but it's broken. Honestly, your house is awful. So, I thought maybe you were in a nicer room. I went up here and saw the two doors. Well since one of them is boarded up, I entered this room to find you shivering like a cold little puppy. In good conscience, I just can't watch my little toy freeze to death, can I? It's ironic, Yang. In the past, I would've just deceived you, taken control of your body, and slowly chipped away at your life essence. However, when you first brought me here, things have changed," she said, stretching out her legs.

"They've changed?" Yang said tilting his head sideways.

"Yes, things have changed; I expected some nice house, fancy clothes, and expensive furniture. But your living style reflects your struggles, Yang. You were not liked by many, were you?" she asked.

Yang sat on the hard wooden floor and shut his eyes. All of the past ordeals he faced flooded his mind. All of the talking behind his back, all of the awkward glances, and the raid on his house made Yang flush with anger. He felt the warmth of his cheeks burn hot and a small, single stream fall from his eyes.

"Are you crying?" she asked.

Yang didn't respond; He simply shook his head and grunted.

"It's alright if you are....crying, that is. I have done this action many times in my past. You have no idea how difficult it is to raise young changelings while trying to be a member of society. After I figured out that I was Queen of these changelings, a new role welled up within me; The role of responsibility. I had to stop worrying about appearances and being liked by the populace. I had young mouths to feed and I was the only one to provide. I didn't even have any help in this task; I had to raise an entire army by myself. I did have a...loved one at one time," she said, as she jumped off the bed.

"You did?"

"Yes, but, he didn't know my true form.

"You were disguised the whole time."

"Well, I was in disguise for a little while. I purposely hid it from him so he wouldn't run away."

"Why would you think that he would run away?"

"Honestly, you are so naive. Everything about you is naive. Your personality, your intelligence, and even your questions are full of your blatant disregard of the world around you," Chrysalis said.

"You may think I am naive, but perhaps it is you," replied Yang.

"Me? Me, naive? Ahahaha, you have some nerve to call me naive. If it wasn't for me you would still be stuck in that ill-forsaken crystal."

"You bring that up every chance you get, but this is not the time nor place to discuss that event! Now then, why would you believe him to reject you?"

"LOOK AT ME! What do you see? I sit before you as not a pony, not as a pegasus, not even an alicorn; I'm a pegacorn, a rejected race among the pony family. So, I held my true form from him. I hoped he would trust me and like me for me, but...it didn't turn out so well."

"He immediately rejected you. That's a shame."

"Quite so. He said, 'I've never seen such a befoul and horrid creature in my life. Not only did you lie to me, but this form of yours is rather hideous and repulsive.' After that, I just felt completely shattered like a broken porcelain doll." Chrysalis lowered her head for a brief moment as she struggled to retain her dignity and poise in front of Yang. After a silent moment, she raised it again to see him waiting politely as she maintained the image of a strong queen.

"I'm sorry he said that to you. No pony should ever have to be treated like that in their life," said Yang.

"Don't be," replied Chrysalis. "After all, I felt completely alone and heartbroken. You know what happens after you break a maiden's heart? She becomes inconsolable, and no matter what, nothing can quell her rage. So, in my rebuttal, I simply drained him dry, life essence and all."

Yang's pupils dilated in fear upon this sudden news. He became concerned upon whether she would do this to him later on in his life.

"Hmmm, you seem to be disturbed by this news, Yang. Are you afraid of me? Do you detest me? Do you want to end my life and return home a hero in the eyes of all the citizens there?" Chrysalis questioned, her horn humming with a neon green light as she slowly stepped towards him.

"No," was the simple, but quick reply from the stallion sitting before this frightening Queen. "No, I will never kill you. After all, those people turned their backs on me," Yang said standing up and walking down the stairs.

"What did they do?" Chrysalis answered, following Yang down the stairs and outside the house.

"My house here is a constant reminder of what happened. An outsider a 1,000 years ago was considered a plague, a disease upon all of Canterlot. Since Discord was an outsider, the townsfolk considered all foreigners to be like him: nasty, deceitful, and wicked towards other people. So, the people started to avoid me.

Slowly, but surely, they started to whisper things behind my back, angry glares filled my days, and the constant avoidance by the people brought me to the brink. I couldn't stand it anymore. What had I done wrong to them? I was simply here to make a living and lead a normal life," said Yang.

"Well, I can relate to the avoidance part," said Chrysalis.

"That wasn't the worst part. I had left town on an errand for Celestia. During that time, some of the townsfolk decided to release their hatred towards Discord and foreigners currently living in the city. So, they devised a plan to ransack my house. I returned home after finishing the errand to find that most of my possessions had either been stolen or destroyed. My photos from my colthood had been set ablaze in a small waste basket. Those photos described who I was and how I came to be. Destroying those was like ripping a small hole in my chest. I felt so incredibly frustrated and this feeling of despair filled my mind. I didn't know what to do but just sit there, staring at my wrecked home," explained Yang.

The memories of the past continued to be on an endless loop within Yang's mind. Every detail and painstaking moment repeated itself over and over in his cranium as he stared into the forest. The sound of birds tweeting and calling to each other continued to fill the air as the two of them stood side by side. Chrysalis knew the pain of being alone, and Yang knew the feeling of avoidance and being a plague to society. Yang stood there as his eyes narrowed, a fiery rage burning in his belly.

"Hey," a voice called out.

"Those damn..."

"Hey," the voice called out softly.

"They'll pay for this. They'll all..."

Yang could only say this much as he felt an aggressive force penetrate his mouth. It was a warm feeling as he felt the rough sensation of Chrysalis's tongue play with his. Yang's head started to go white as this feeling of acceptance was one that he had not been used to. He answered this sudden kiss with an embrace of his body with Chrysalis's. Their two bodies mingled with one another as time seemed to stop before their eyes. Yang slowly withdrew his mouth from hers, his body quivering and shaking from excitement and fear of what was to come in the future.

"You finally stopped talking," said Chrysalis.

"You....me....you....tongue," replied Yang as he stumbled over his words.

Chrysalis gave a girly chuckle as she smiled happily. "You seem rather taken aback by just a kiss. I mean, I can see that you're....ummmm...excited," she said limply waving one of her hooves at Yang's nether region as she turned her head away in embarrassment.

Yang looked down and realized that his stallion-hood had become focused and ready for work. Yang quickly shifted his body to conceal it and became dizzy with embarrassment.

"D-D-Don't look!" he stuttered.

Another small chuckle escaped from Chrysalis's lips. After Yang had adjusted himself, he brushed himself off and took a few steps towards Ponyville.

"It seems that you have accepted me for who I am. I'll have to remember that," said Chrysalis. "Now, see what you can learn today, dear. I have to go and feed the young," she said walking deeper into the Everfree Forest.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile happily," Yang muttered as he walked towards town.

As Yang and Chrysalis had an interesting wake up call, Twilight and her friends were preparing a surprise party for Yang in his return to Ponyville. Twilight had asked Princess Celestia and countless other individuals to help her throw a surprise party for him. Canterlot and Ponyville had come together in a frenzy to decorate both towns in strings of amazing lights and festivities.

Ponyville's city hall had an enormous "Welcome Home!" sign hanging from its rafters. There was a walkway that had been constructed with flowers that Fluttershy had been collecting throughout the day. It stretched from the opening of the Everfree Forest into the heart of the town. Thanks to Discord's help, the entire walkway of flowers had been built in seconds flat much to his dismay and whining. This was quickly resolved with a stare and Discord decided to let her have her fun and went along with the act. The arrangement of the flowers spelled out the words "Welcome Home" on both sides of the walkway. Daffodils, purple azaleas, ruby red tulips, and a vast assortment of other combinations made the walkway shine brightly in the ever smiling sun. All of the ponies in Ponyville had gathered near the center of town and awaited the arrival of the guest of honor. However, this party was a surprise party and all of the citizens had hid themselves in scattered places around the center of town.

The bridges that connected to the main hall of town had been decorated with festive banners and posters, each one welcoming back a long lost friend. The grass had been mowed perfectly ankle low in order to show off a city that was well endowed and prosperous. The pegasi had cleared the entire sky to make the warm glow of the sun fall faintly on its inhabitants below. The odd thing was despite them clearing the entire sky, a single small desolate cloud hung above city hall.

Hiding behind town hall was Twilight and all of her friends, each one excited to show off their town completely...except for Rainbow Dash. She could care less about the city, all she wanted to do was scare some pony half to death. She donned her shadowbolt outfit while chuckling maliciously from the single cloud overhead.

"You realize that you won't scare him right?" asked Twilight with a sunny-side down face.

"Pee-shaw, I'll scare him until his whole coat goes from black to white!" she said, digging her hooves further into the cloud.

"Yes, well, there's one small problem," said Twilight.

"And that is?" Rainbow Dash said crossing her forehooves.

"You're in a solo cloud right above city hall. Also, there are no other clouds in the sky!" replied Twilight, her forefront hooves flailing wildly about her. The entire sky was clear on this perfect sunny day as Rainbow Dash found one lonely cloud in the crystal blue sky and used it as her camouflage.

"Oh...well, he won't notice. Just you wait!" yelled the two yellow eyes poking out from the cloud.

"Can't we seem normal for just one day?" Twilight asked herself out loud.

"Okie-dokie lokie-pokie!" replied Pinkie Pie as she wheeled her party cannon to Twilight's side.

"Pinkie..." groaned a frustrated Twilight.

"Every party needs one, Twilight! Why if I didn't bring this, I wouldn't know what to do! I mean how do you have a party without a party cannon? Oooh, can you have a party without a party cannon? I suppose you could, but-"

"Please Pinkie, close your cake hole. You're starting to give me a migraine," Twilight said, stuffing her hoof into Pinkie's mouth.

A low mumbling came from Pinkie's stuffed mouth as she saluted Twilight and nodded. Twilight removed her slimy hoof from Pinkie's mouth and wiped it on the sweet smelling grass. Everypony around town quietly waited in anticipation for when they would all shout surprise. The tension was as thick as molasses as the townsfolk spotted a dark figure approaching the town. They quietly hid and waited until the figure reached the entrance.

The pony donned a black shawl wrapped tightly around its face. Its body was concealed by a long brown piece of fabric, exposing only its hooves. Upon reaching the entrance of the city, the pony stopped and stared at the floating cloud.

"A lonely cloud hanging so low? Obviously this is a trap I must forego," it quietly muttered to itself.

"Surprise!!!!!" boomed the enthusiastic Rainbow Dash, bolting from her cloud. All the other residents that were hiding followed up with their own surprise as Rainbow Dash continued to hurl herself towards the startled pony.

"Aghhh!" cried out the visitor.

The scared pony lowered its head as Rainbow Dash flew around it in a dazzle of color, creating different hues of the spectrum. Dash quickly stopped her revolutions around the frightened guest. She merely hovered above the scared pony, uncertain of what to do next.

"Wait a minute, you're not Yang," said Rainbow Dash.

"Of course I'm not, who you think I be? And who is this Yang, a pony of mystery?" it replied.

The pony removed her shawl, revealing two large golden earrings dangling from her ears. Around her neck were large golden rings that were tightly fastened. Her pattern marking had black and white stripes running through her mane and back, revealing her true identity. This pony was not a pony at all, but instead a zebra named Zecora. She was another friend of Twilight Sparkle who lived in the Everfree Forest.

"Zecora, it seems you arrived a wee bit late," said an embarrassed Twilight as she approached Zecora.

"I received your message Twilight and hurried as fast as I can; But it appears that my tardiness is now at hand," Zecora replied.

"Well, at least we still have time," Twilight said.

"Time for what?" asked Yang with a confused look on his face.

"Time to hide to surprise......You would be here...Perfect," said Twilight with a light face-hoof slap.

"Ummm, did I miss something?" asked Yang.

"A surprise for you I did ruin; it is because of my own doin'," said Zecora.

"And you are?" asked Yang.

"Ah, Yang, this is Zecora. Zecora, this is Yang. The surprise party was for him," said Twilight, introducing each pony to one another.

"Ah, I see that he was the intended guest. Well, I'll take my leave now; Twilight, you can handle the rest," said Zecora pulling up her hood.

Zecora calmly walked away from Twilight as Pinkie Pie tip-toed behind Yang with a party cannon ready to explode. Pinkie winked to Rainbow Dash to signal the surprise attack on Yang. As Dash was still hovering above Yang, Twilight caught a glimpse of Rainbow Dash and slowly backed away.

"Why are you backing up?" asked Yang.

"This is why," chuckled Twilight.

"Surprise!!" Rainbow Dash screamed near Yang's ears.

"Aaaaaghghghghgh," garbled Yang.

Pinkie Pie quickly pulled the string on her party cannon, covering Yang in a full coat of chocolate frosting. Yang started to shake at this sudden onslaught of surprises. All the other ponies shouted their surprise as Yang's eyes darted back and forth furiously.

Thoughts of hatred, thoughts of humiliation coursed through his mind. They are mocking me he thought to himself. I see. I'm the joke here. Nothing's changed at all. I'm still the joke! It's so funny! An outsider being accepted? Yang's blood felt like battery acid as it pulsed through his veins. Without realizing it, Yang let out an insane fit of laughter.

"See Twilight? He looks so happy! I told you he wouldn't be mad!" said Pinkie.

"That's right.....That's right, it's a party!!" shouted Yang. Calm yourself, idiot! If they know your true intentions, then the infiltration will be all for naught Yang thought to himself as he calmed himself and slowed his breathing.

"Well, I see you are covered in chocolate, but please let me welcome you to our town. As mayor of this city, I, Mayor Mare, welcome you with open arms to Ponyville!" Mayor Mare said extending one hoof towards town hall. "Your tour guide will be none other than Princess Twilight. Miss Twilight, I'll leave you to the town affairs. Great job everypony! The surprise was executed perfectly!" Mayor Mare boasted while guiding the residents away from Twilight and her friends.

"Well, Yang, our first stop will be the Library," said Twilight as she started to walk towards her house.

"A library, booo," scowled Rainbow Dash. "Let's do the boring stuff later, Twilight. C'mon Yang, I want to show you Cloudsdale and-"

"Well, I don't know if that's a good idea, Rainbow Dash. I mean, he can't even fly," interrupted Spike.

"Well, duh, Spike, I know that. I would just give him the elixir to walk on the clouds. Jeeze, Spike, how dunce do you think I am?" replied Rainbow Dash.

An awkward silence passed through the group of friends as a tumbleweed slowly passed behind them.

"Awwwkwarrrddd," mumbled Spike.

"Where did that tumbleweed come from? We aren't in Appaloosa or in the country. What in tar-nation is going on around here?" asked Applejack.

The tumbleweed stopped in its tracks at Applejack's question. It reversed direction and headed straight towards her. It again stopped within inches of her hooves and exploded into a sea of confetti.

"Uhhhhhh," said a dumbfounded Twilight.

"And that is how you make an entrance," said Discord proudly. "I must admit, Applejack, great catch on the tumbleweed. I didn't think you'd notice. Now then, Twilight, you're probably wondering why I am here, yes? Well, I figured I would spoil a surprise for her. She is immediately requesting you and all of your friends' presence in Canterlot. Oh, and the dumb one as well," Discord said pointing his claw at Yang.

Yang merely scowled at this remark as a loud gurgling sound came from Spike's stomach. Spike belched loudly and from the green flame appeared a letter from Canterlot. Spike handed the parchment over to Twilight as she read it aloud.

"Dear Princess Twilight, please bring all of your friends and the guest of honor over to Canterlot as soon as possible," Twilight read aloud. "Well, I guess our plans are delayed for now, but oh well, it does not matter. Well, on to Canterlot!" Twilight announced pointing her hoof towards the castle off in the distance.

And just how are we getting there?" asked Applejack.

"Uhhhh," replied Twilight, her hoof still pointing in the air towards Canterlot.

Ahem interrupted Discord. "If you'll all hold hooves like children, I can easily teleport all of us there. This will be a first since I have never used my magic on more than one person, but why not?" With a click of his fingers, Discord had everyone holding hooves with one another. Discord wrapped around all of them as literally tape with eyes. He snapped his fingers again. Immediately, a poof of magic covered everyone as they all coughed and wiped their eyes to see if it had worked. When they opened their eyes, they could not believe what they were seeing.

Canterlot did not have any major changes to it since the city itself was mostly clean and was polished daily. Canterlot still showed its beauty, its bright gleam reflected from the sun, a reminder of the shining future of Canterlot. The only difference in Canterlot were the streamers that were hung up on the rooftops of the homes and various shops. The streamers started out blue at the drawbridge but slowly turned to warmer colors like yellow and red as it neared the castle. This was Celestia's way of playing the warmer game with her newly found guest, a game which she frequently enjoyed.

The guests made their way to the castle itself where two Pegasus guards stood in front of the main door.

"Name?" asked one of the guards.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle. The Queen has been waiting for you," the guard replied pushing open the big brass door to the castle.

The door slowly creaked its way open as the group climbed the small marble steps and entered into the castle. Yang's eyes went wide in amazement as he scanned the interior. He had never been inside the castle before, so he was taken aback by it all. The red carpet lined the floor leading up to more steps where Princess Celestia and Luna both stood there, awaiting the presence of Princess Twilight and her company. Yang looked up at the high arched ceiling that beckoned the construction by a Gothic artist, one he had not seen in a while. As they approached the Princesses, each one's faces mirrored one another. Princess Celestia's face was one in surprise and bewilderment as Princess Luna's face was one in shock and happiness.

"Princess Celestia, you asked me to come here right away, yes?" bowed Twilight.

Celestia quickly shut her small, agape jaw and gave a fake smile. "Yes, Princess Twilight, I'm glad you could come at such short notice. Please, I have something to discuss with you," she said walking further up the stairs to her left as she disappeared behind a corner. Twilight quickly followed as Luna still stared straight ahead.

"You know, if your face stays like that, it'll become that way forever," chuckled Yang.

Princess Luna flapped her wings and vaulted herself towards Yang, knocking him to the ground.

"Yang! You're alive!" she screamed as she embraced Yang.

"Worried now, are we?" Yang replied.

"Well, well, well, Luna I didn't know you had a "thing" for this hideous unicorn," Discord said with displeasure.

"That's Princess Luna to you, Discord," Luna replied as she stood up and glared at Discord.

"Oh, pardon me, 'Princess'," Discord replied as he air-quoted Princess. "I just thought it was strange, that's all. I mean I've never heard of this unicorn, yet you have. Oh, and your sister as well. She looked quite worried. I wonder why. Princess Luna, perhaps you'd like to fill all of us here on what you know about Yang here, hmm?" Discord grinned as he made a reclining chair appear beneath him. "Please, proceed," he sneered.

Meanwhile Princess Twilight and Princess Celestia were talking together alone in Celestia's private quarters. Twilight then became nervous as Celestia began to shuffle back and forth across her room.

"Twilight Sparkle, where did you find him?" Celestia sternly asked.

"He randomly appeared in town one day, confused and lost. He said that he just woke up and was gone for awhile. He didn't even know where he was until Discord revealed that it had been over 1,000 years since his last return-"

"There is a reason for that!" Celestia interrupted Twilight. Twilight lowered her head in fear at Celestia's raised voice. "My apologies, Twilight. It's just you didn't know and now we have a dilemma on our hands. Twilight, I'm about to reveal to you what happened long ago and why we need to observe him. I hate to ask you this, but I need the ensuing conversation to stay between us. Also, I must ask another favor. While I am here I need you and your friends to observe him. I need to know if he still holds darkness in his heart or if he's finally reformed his ways. Now, Twilight, here is what happened those years ago," Celestia's voice lingered, her eyes slowly closing as she remembered that day.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay but I've been busy and just had attempted my first one-shot story, One Step Closer. This is longer because I felt since there was so much of a delay from my last chapter that this should be longer and incorporate the fans long awaited patience.

Chapter 4: The Gears of Fate pt. 1

Luna stood in front of a small crowd, Yang's face becoming a light shade of red.

"We don't have to tell them everything, Princess Luna. I'm back and that's all good and dandy, right?" Yang asked as a small bead of sweat trickled down the side of his head.

"Ssshhh, Yang! It's Story Time with Princess Luna!" Pinkie exclaimed as she flopped on her stomach, her chin resting on both of her hooves.

"Well, it began a long time ago, everyone. A time when Discord was still relatively new to Ponyville and when I was still a silly little filly, believing that the world was easygoing and carefree. You see... my sister, Yang, Discord, and I all knew each other from way back when," said Luna.

"You mean the time when he was to keep an eye on Discord, right?" Applejack asked.

"That is correct, Applejack. Yang's duty was to keep an eye on Discord, no easy task mind you. But, my sister Celestia saw something inside of him that I did not see. She saw a pony that would be able to live alongside Discord in harmony as well as correcting him for when he stepped out of line. Now, everypony, this all happened before Discord cast Ponyville into chaos and disorder. The only real conflict we were having was the decision to set up Ponyville's borders. We didn't know how far or wide to establish the boundaries, so conflicts and minor quarrels became a daily thing. Besides that, peace had returned to Equestria after the whole earth-pegasus-unicorn dispute. You all know that story well, so I'm not going to delve further into more ancient history.

It seemed that the four of us got along so well. We would talk and enjoy each others' companies in different hours of the day," said Luna chuckling. "My apologies, it's just that it seems that Discord hung out with Celestia more often than me now that I think about it. It mattered not, for Yang would keep me company after I would complete my royal duties."

"Hysterical! Luna and Yang? Really? Princess, Celestia and I thought you two, y'know..." Discord said as he looked away.

"We what?" asked Luna.

"Oh, come now, Princess," Discord said as his grin started to widen.

"WHAT?" Luna yelled in her Equestrian voice.

Discord felt the full force of her tone, his head turning sharply as if he was just punched in the jaw. "My, those words literally smacked me in the face! You don't see them of course, but I can, Luna. And words hurt..." Discord whimpered. A small tear came from his eye and gently slid down his cheek. It was then forcefully sucked back up into his eye.

"Gotcha!" shouted Discord. "A creature such as myself never cries, my dear. I have thick scales you see, so words can never hurt me. But I can hurt people with words," Discord chuckled while Luna merely glared at him.

"If looks could kill, jeeze. Ok, Luna, enough. I'll tell ya. We thought you two were practicing for a marathon," Discord stated.

"A what?" she replied.

"Let me put this another way. Playing doctor," he responded, a doctor's outfit appearing on him.

"You mean with dolls?"

"What?" Discord replied, his eyes staring at disbelief at the conversation he was having. "Doing the tango."

"Who's my partner?"

"Yang!" shouted Discord.

"But I don't dance," Yang replied.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!?" Discord shouted. "Are you both this slow?!? How about adult wrestling?"

"I don't like to wrestle," replied Luna.

"No, not wrestling, but wrestling," Discord stated as he turned his body into a pretzel.

"What does food have to do with us?" asked Yang.

"NOTHING!" Discord yelled, his voice becoming higher. "This shows what the two of you would look like together!"

"Like a salted pretzel?" asked Luna.

"No-no-no-no-no-no!" Discord yelled, his voice sounding like he had sucked all the helium out of a balloon. "Why are you both.....aaagghhhh!" Discord changed his appearance into the form of a bomb before the fuse disappeared, causing the bomb to explode in a shower of confetti.

"Ohhhhh, confetti!" Pinkie shouted happily, her pink body bouncing off of the ground.

"Don't you start!" Discord yelled as he pointed his claw at Pinkie, a vein throbbing on the side of his head.

Luna and Yang both started to laugh as Discord was completely baffled by what was occurring.

"You don't get it?" laughed Yang.

"Get what?" Discord said sternly.

"We knew what you meant, but I decided rather than have you embarrass us, I would embarrass you instead. Yang simply adding to the mood of the conversation was just icing on the cake," giggled Luna.

Discord stood dumbfounded for the first time in a very long while. It had been years since someone had bested him at his game of mockery. Discord simply started to laugh at his own embarrassment and even started to clap at what had just occurred.

"My, it HAS been a long time. Hah, I haven't been bested like that in over a 1,000 years," said Discord.

"Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand, no, Discord, nothing happened between us. Even though I thought about it, nothing happened," stated Luna firmly. Yang's mouth went agape again as his face shone bright red, steam bellowing from his ears. Discord laughed as he made the thick steam pour from Yang's head in an un-ending flow.

"Oh, you never knew?" Luna stated flirtatiously. "But that was then and this is now," said Luna, her body posture standing firm and resolute on this manner. "Now then, after the four of us became close friends, something occurred. I don't know what had happened, but it changed the fate for all of us. Princess Celestia and I were visiting the Crystal Empire for a routine check up on the town. We both left, believing Yang could contain Discord. In hindsight, one of us should have stayed behind to make sure there were no problems, but like I said; We were silly foals, believing the world had order and rules.

May want to reconsider Could be a Mary Sue thing ->When we returned, my sister and I saw Ponyville completely in a mess. Citizens running from their houses, clouds raining chocolate milk, and a vast array of other disorder. We knew who was responsible for it, but to know that you helped him," said Luna as she glared at Yang. "It was your idea! You let him roam free! Because of your ideas, because of your ideology of me being the better ruler of Equestria, I was banished! I believed that your heart was pure, and as such, I could trust you! You betrayed that trust, this feeling of loyalty to you! Why did you do it, Yang? WHY DID YOU DO IT!" Luna shouted, her voice echoing off of the marble structures.

During her rant, Luna started to walk towards Yang slowly as he stood there, his hooves standing their ground. The other ponies backed up as they didn't want to get involved in this deal of affairs. Spike clung to Rarity's back out of fear. Discord started to sit in a lawn chair he had made with his magic, but sensing her tone, quickly made it disappear. He disguised himself as a potted plant with eyes, mindlessly eyeballing this unfolding scene. Yang stood his ground as Luna continued to rant, her coat glimmering and shining black. With each step closer to Yang, her color started to change from purple to black. When she reached Yang, she was no longer the Princess Luna that was speaking, but instead Nightmare Moon herself.

"What say you?" asked Nightmare Moon.

"You want answers? You want to know why I did this? That's an easy answer to give, but don't you ever say that my ideas are silly! NEVER! You are the correct one to rule, not her!" shouted Yang.

"We rule together as sisters, Yang! There is no differences between us! She rules over the sun, and I, the moon. We have established the correct order of our duties and nothing will change that," shouted Nightmare Moon.

"You still trust her so much, don't you? You're such a fool," Yang replied with spite.

Nightmare Moon back-slapped Yang across his face with her front hoof. Yang grunted in pain, his neck jerking sharply to the right. Nightmare Moon's horn glowed black as Yang re-positioned his face, a small welt appearing on his left cheek.

He sharply inhaled and held it within his chest. He released the breath after a few moments, calming himself in the process. He looked Nightmare Moon in the eyes as her horn still glowed, a warning sign to watch his next choice of words very carefully.

"I'm sorry Luna. I didn't mean to upset you; I didn't even mean to cause you this much pain and suffering. I had no idea that you had been isolated for so long on the moon. Again, Princess, I'm deeply sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I am at your mercy," Yang said as he knelt down before her, his head staring at the ground as he spoke. "The reason I wanted Discord to cause havoc to the city was my hatred for the citizens. Luna, you didn't know what was happening, so from the outside look of things, I'm a terrible person," he said chuckling. "Princess.....they invaded my house, destroyed my peace of mind, and killed my innocence. Luna, they just tore through everything," Yang said, his voice trembling in agony.

Nightmare Moon's horn stopped glowing as her anger started to subside. Her mane changed color again, but this time, from black to purple. Princess Luna was back in the room, the atmosphere shifting from tense to calm.

"They were only monetary possessions," she reassured him.

"No...they weren't. Some of the items, yes, but my storage area. All of my photos, my family albums, my livelihood! All of them burned in an instant! All of my memories were mere play-things for them. And for what? Because they didn't like outsiders? Because Discord was the only other outsider that first ventured into the town!? That's why I did it Luna, that's why.... agggghh," Yang winced out in pain.

"Yang!" Luna shouted, compassion filling her voice.

Luna went to comfort Yang but noticed something was... off. His mane was almost purely black and his "mark" had no visible white in it. The yin-yang symbol of balance was out of order, his whole existence being put into jeopardy. She merely observed him as he held his horn with his hoof, a look of pain washing over his face. A small hue of green appeared near the tip, a color which she had not seen before.

"Yang, why is there a green aura near near your horn?" Luna asked.

"Side effects if I don't do my duty of cheering people up, Princess. Everyone, see my "mark"? Well, the white fills in when I can only cheer those up around me that need it, and the black fills up when I have to administer a dose of sadness to those who are doing extremely well in their life," Yang explained as the green aura faded.

"But why make people sad? They should be happy!" shrieked Pinkie.

"I agree with you Pinkie, but this is my destiny. My mark tells me what I should do with my life and my talents. I never did like causing sadness to those around me, but it is a necessary evil," Yang explained.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You expect me to believe that you have to cause suffering?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Yes," replied Yang.

"And you have to cause happiness?" retorted Dash.

"Yes."

"Why that's a load of malarkey! If you think you're going to fool all of us, even the Princess, you got another thing coming, buster!" Rainbow Dash yelled, her wings flapping quickly.

"He speaks the truth, Rainbow Dash," Luna interrupted. "When my sister and I first met him, we both thought it was strange that he had to cause both happiness and sadness in the ponies' lives. We didn't understand the reasoning behind it, but he explained it like this: 'Life is full of suffering and happiness. One cannot exist without the other. Where others may hate the sadness of suffering, it makes the bliss moments of happiness all the more worthwhile. This delicate process of good and bad events in ones' destiny is called life.' I was still confused by what he meant, but my sister explained it better. She stated that life was like a roller coaster; it has its ups and downs, but at the end of the ride, you are always satisfied."

"Ohhhh," said Rainbow Dash. "I just thought he was making stuff up, that's all. Gotta keep him on his toes, right?" said Rainbow Dash as she flew punches into random walls of air.

Princess Luna chuckled at this saying, "You're right, Rainbow Dash. Keep him on his toes, he's funny when he's all flustered."

Rainbow Dash saluted Luna, a small chuckle escaping the Princess's lips.

"Yang, I never knew that they did that to you. You have my deepest condolences. If it isn't rude to ask, but where are you living? Since, you know the whole incident with your house and all," she asked.

"I'm still living there. It keeps me focused on what I need to achieve," Yang responded.

"And that would beeeee?" said Discord as he turned into a giant bumblebee.

"To fix what is right. To make a name for myself and show that I'm not a bad guy," replied Yang.

"Oh, poo, you're no fun," said Discord, his old form returning to himself.

"Oh, Princess Luna, I've been meaning to ask you. How did you get banished to the moon?" asked Yang.

Sound become silence as everyone held their breath, scared at what the outcome would be.

"We can talk about that in private Yang. Come, follow me. As far as everyone else goes, please feel free to browse Canterlot and its restaurants. The delicacies here are very tasty and mouth-watering. I just ask that you do not go into any off-limit areas. And Discord? If Twilight and my sister do return to the group, appear before me at once," Luna demanded.

"At your service, highness," Discord said with bitterness.

Princess Luna and Yang walked up both flight of stairs and disappeared from view.

"Well, we might as well get something to eat. I'm starving!" said Applejack trying to change the mood.

"Yeah! I haven't eaten anything all morning!" shouted Pinkie.

"A snack would be nice, if that's ummm, ok," whispered Fluttershy.

"Then let's go darlings, what are we waiting here for?" Rarity chimed in as she donned a fancy hat.

Spike nodded in agreement with everyone else. Everyone was ready to leave except Discord. He refused to move from his spot. It took some staring persuasion, but Fluttershy finally made Discord agree to eat with the group and not cause any mischief. He promised as the group went to a nearby outdoor cafe in Canterlot.

While Princess Luna was giving Yang a piece of her mind and explaining the reason of her banishment, Celestia and Twilight were talking privately in Celestia's quarters.

"Twilight, here is what happened those years ago," said Celestia, her eyes slowly closing as she remembered that day. "My sister Luna and I had just returned from visiting the Crystal Empire. We were checking up on the citizens there, making sure that the town was at peace as we tried to find a rightful heir to watch over the citizens. We had come up with a list of possible candidates, making sure that they would rule with love and harmony in their hearts. Upon returning to Ponyville for another visit, it was in complete chaos. Ponies of all races running everywhere, houses flipped upside down, and worst of all, our beloved bond with the citizens was shattered.

In the midst of it all stood a lonely draconequus laughing and enjoying the view. My sister and I quickly decided to join forces to take him down. It was a struggle, but we managed to defeat him. We didn't have the elements you see, so it took quite a deal of magic to bring him down. After we punished him to clean every inch of Canterlot, we sent him away to reflect on his actions. But before he left, he sent a nerve down my spine. 'Well, it seems our plan didn't work. My, my, dear sisters, I wonder how this could've happened.' This was all he said before disappearing into thin air. We pondered his quirky remark while fixing the balance of the moon and the sun. I voiced an opinion to Luna of Yang being the cause behind all of this since he was seen last with Discord. Also, Twilight, Yang was never present when Discord went rampant. Luna retorted that I was crazy to think of something so preposterous.

Unannounced to her, I left the castle during her duty and found Yang near the outskirts of Ponyville. I questioned him about the incident, but he merely grunted and walked away. I asked him again about the incident, but this time with more force. He held his ears tightly and told me to stop. I silently obeyed, my eyes staring into his very soul. He looked up at me and began to shake. He admitted to letting Discord do as he pleases, despite what his duty was. He said that this was my punishment. I destroyed his life, so he wanted to destroy mine. I did not know what he was talking about. I never destroyed his life, nor his very existence. He yelled again calling me a liar before his horn grew. I reacted by instinct and cast him into the Everfree Forest with a crystallization spell. It was a little something I picked up from the Crystal Empire in order to subdue and question enemies. After all, we had just survived the Griffon War, so every new spell I could learn, I wanted to learn quickly to protect my people.

He was thrown into the forest as his body became further encased in crystal. I flew back to the castle in order to get some rest. Unfortunately, my sister had noticed me sneaking out of the castle and only saw the glimpse of what had occurred between Yang and I. When I awoke the next day, she declared that I was unfit to lead the masses. She also declared that the citizens loved me more since they enjoy the sunlight over the moonlight. She became inconsolable, her mind broken into two. That is when she transformed herself into Nightmare Moon.

And from that dear Twilight, is the reason why I am suspicious of Yang. He is not back here for no reason. He is most likely out for revenge against me. I want you and your friends to keep an eye on him, please. Every day send me a report of what had happened. Now go my most faithful student, show me what that fiend Yang is planning."

"Yes, Princess Celestia, as you wish," replied Twilight. She bolted out of the room in a frantic search for her friends to tell them of their mission.

Meanwhile, in Luna's private quarters, Yang and Luna were discussing a plan to overthrow Celestia yet again.

"Well, maybe not overthrow, just have you control both the sun and the moon and well, be the Queen!" shouted Yang enthusiastically.

".....overthrow you mean?" Luna said, her voice saturated with sarcasm.

"Well....."

"No, Yang, it's been 1,000 years. Forget your petty revenge. Forget your minor hatred and bury it. It is better if you do this. If not for you, then for me," she announced, her body nearing Yang's frontside.

Yang babbled out random sounds as his horn grew a small green.

"Ok, what is up with your horn? What is that?" she asked frantically.

"Minor effects, nothing to...." was all he muttered, hid body becoming limp and falling to the floor.

Luna rushed to his side, trying to wake him up, console him, anything to formulate a response. She nudged him and shook him, any effort to try and wake him. Yang's eyes slowly opened, his horn growing a brighter shade of neon green. She took a step back, unsure of what was occurring.

"It seems he has fainted," Yang whispered.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh, it is the other sister. Hmmm, what's your name?"

Luna slowly realized that Yang was no longer in control of his own body, but by another force.

"Identify yourself at once demon!" she yelled.

"Or what? Shoot me? You can't possibly do that. But I on the other hand, have no problem. Your little stallion here is mine. Understand? Mine. You can't fathom what kind of power I have tasted, Princess. I will feed off of him for the rest of his days. And neither you nor your sister can stop me."

"Feed? Wait, my sister told me of some strange creature that feeds. Just who was it?" she asked, her eyes slowly drifting to the side of her head.

With a quick motion, bright light filled the room, instantly blinding Luna. Yang's body sprinted towards Luna and stopped by her side. With a slight movement of his hoof, he opened the princess's mouth and inserted his tongue into hers. As their saliva mixed, he forcefully held her head straight up. She responded with a powerful kick to Yang's midsection, causing him to tumble backwards. While she successfully kicked him away, she accidentally swallowed Yang's saliva in the process. When the light faded, Yang stood there, a demonic laugh spilling out of his throat.

"Now, then, princess. Here is what you desire, but not what you seek. My identity is Queen Chrysalis, but unlike the past, I have made to sure to not show my presence so early. So, tomorrow night at the stroke of midnight, you will fly to my location."

"I will do no such thing!" she roared, her coat starting to turn black.

"Ah, can't have that can we? Well then, time for some discipline...armor."

Upon hearing this word, a horrifying vision crossed into her mind. Ponies dead, organs spilled on the ground, and countless bodies filled her mind. She could only scream in pain as her head was struck with intense pressure. A sudden, painful migraine constantly attacked her physical body. In her mind, unpleasant horrors and unspeakable acts were being committed to helpless ponies. The final image that sent her over the edge was Celestia using her magic to slowly and sadistically pull Scootaloo apart in five different directions.

"STOP! STOP! STOP THIS NIGHTMARE!!" she screamed.

"Oh, but I thought you were Nightmare Moon," he said, his tone dripping with mockery. In an instant, the images and the migraine stopped altogether. "Now remember, Princess if you do not show up on time or at my location, I will have you experience this pain and suffering constantly."

"B-But how will I know of where to go?" she asked.

"You will know. At that time be on the balcony looking out to the edge of the city near the forest. From there, I will guide you to my location. Also, one last thing. I can see into your mind. Every thought you have, every desire you feel, I will know. Try and tell your sister or any other breathing being, I will be back to inflict this endless torture. And if you write what happened? Ohohoho, I will have fun in other ways than torture, my dear. You can count on that. Now then, tomorrow at midnight. Do not forget."

Yang's eyes closed, his horn stopped glowing, and his body fell to the floor like a rag-doll. Luna meekly walked over to him and lied down next to him, her head still hurting from both the mental and physical abuse. She merely laid her head on the cold, marble floor; her breathing becoming shallow and inconsistent. Yang woke up, his hooves rubbing his head.

"W-What happened?"

"You fainted," Luna replied.

"Oh, yea. Sorry, that seems to happen quite often. I apologize if I-"

Yang was interrupted by Celestia and Twilight bursting into the room.

"Dearest sister, are you alright? We heard screaming from down the hall!" said Celestia.

"Oh yes, it is alright, my sister. Yang collapsed on the floor and his head bounced off of the hard tile. I was concerned that he had injured himself very deeply," Luna replied.

"I see. That is a cause for concern. If he is still not better by sundown, he can rest in one of the guest houses. As for now, Luna, we have an important task at hand; we seem to have a very urgent incident. Twilight, may I ask you to please escort Yang out of the castle for now? I do apologize we had to cut our meeting so short. Until next time?" Celestia asked, smiling.

"I understand, Princess Celestia. C'mon Yang, let's escort you home," said Twilight. With a teleportation spell, Twilight teleported Yang and herself out of the room and in front of the castle. Twilight's friends saw the duo appear before the castle. The group was on their way back to the main hall to see if Twilight and Yang had finished their meetings. Meanwhile, back in Luna's quarters, the two sisters were discussing the issue at hand.

"What would be the problem, sister?" asked Luna.

"We have reports of someone trying to attack Canterlot. We have no visual of the pony, but we believe that the attack will happen fairly soon."

"How soon?"

"Within the month," Celestia replied.

"That is a problem. Should I send my guards on patrol tonight?"

"No, not tonight. We will launch an inquiry tomorrow night. We need half of your units to scan the Everfree Forest perimeter and the other half to scout out the town. Are you ok with this, Luna?"

Before Luna could respond, a flash of a pony with its head decapitated appeared in her mind. "Yes, I am dear sister. I will make sure the scouting operation is a success."

"Thank you, Luna. I knew you would understand. Now then, we have all been through much excitement and drama today. I will take my leave and let you rest."

"Good night, sister."

With a nod, Celestia walked out of the room and slowly closed the door behind herself. Luna walked over to her bed and tried to sleep, her mind still wavering on the decision of what to do next.

"Is he alright?" Pinkie asked, her hoof pointing at a worn-out Yang.

"Yes, it appears he fainted and smacked his head on the floor. I'm ready to take him home, despite of where it might be. Yang, where is your home?" Twilight asked.

"M-My home? It's in the-" Yang's head started to pound again, his teeth grunting in anguish.

"Ah, he needs to be seen by a doctor quickly. Everyone, hold on, I'm teleporting all of us home. I may collapse when we arrive as this will use much of my magic energy. Is everyone ready?" said Twilight.

"Actually, Princess Twilight, I will be sleeping here tonight, so you don't need to take me. Until our next visit," Discord stated as he smiled warmly.

"Well, alright, if you say so. Hang on!" Twilight shouted.

The group dispersed in a puff of smoke, Discord waving goodbye to them.

"My, my, Yang. You do seem to be a center of attention. Just like the old days, I wonder when your ego will be smashed. Hmmph, it seems things here will become lively once again," he muttered, his tail swaying back and forth in amusement.

Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest, Chrysalis was preparing to depart towards Ponyville.

"Hmmm, a doctor you say? Well, I guess I better find the hospital. Wait, hospital...." the word echoed inside of her head.

"Sick ponies. Injured ones as well. Hahahaha-hahahaha-HAHAHAHAHAHA," she laughed maniacally.

"This will surely be amusing for me," she muttered, her body changing to a hot pink. She pinned her wings to her side, her concentration on blending the wings into the skin. With some powerful magic, the wings were perfectly concealed from sight; it looked like she was just another earth pony. Deciding that it would be bad to have a green mane, she changed the hue of it to a light, sky blue. She chuckled to herself, her excitement being brought to light.

"I remember this pony from when I was getting a massage as Princess Cadence. Ohoho, I can't wait to see that dumb look on Twilight Sparkle's face when I dupe her. Well, I just need to play it cool. Act like royalty last time.....or should I act like a crazed, obsessed lover? Aggghhh, I can't decide what to pick!"

In her frustration, her wings sprang out and opened fully. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, I guess I need to be poised, then," said Chrysalis. She calmed herself and hid her wings once again before leaving Yang's house and heading into Ponyville.

Chapter 5: The Gears of Fate pt. 2

Twilight and her friends re-appeared back into Ponyville, Twilight collapsing on the ground. Her friends were alarmed but she merely stated that this would happen and she only needs to rest in order to reclaim her magical energy. She entrusted the rest of the group to take Yang to the hospital to see what was wrong with him. In addition, Twilight asked them to come to her house tomorrow morning for an important message from Princess Celestia. Spike stayed by Twilight's side as he walked her home. The rest of the group headed to the hospital to fulfill Twilight's orders.

The group had landed in front of city hall, so there wasn't too much walking to be done. The medical facility was just around the bend and as soon as Yang was checked into the hospital, Applejack verbally stated would see Twilight immediately to find out what the important message was.

"I agree. If it's from Princess Celestia, I can't wait until morning! We need to find out now. For all we know, Discord could be scheming again!" yelled Rainbow Dash.

"For once, Rainbow Dash, we agree on something. If it's this important, sleep can wait. We need to know for ourselves what all the commotion is about," echoed Rarity.

The group merely talked about all of them seeing Twilight after their new guest was checked into the front desk. They wanted to know what this new message was so badly they didn't even realize that they had reached their goal. They walked into the facility and approached the front desk. Pinkie rang the bell once....twice...multiple times each time yelling, "Is there a doctor in the house?!" after each ring.

Nurse Redheart came out from behind a closed door with a disgruntled look on her face.

"If you would kindly stop ringing that bell, maybe I COULD ASSIST YOU!" she retorted angrily.

Pinkie merely giggled before saying, "Ooppsie daisy, I think I got a bit carried away. Sorry about that Nurse Redheart."

"Yes, well, that's all find and dandy now that my ears are ringing. Now, what's the ailment Pinkie? Upset stomach? Headaches? I really think you should cut down on the sugar."

"Haha, no Nurse Redheart, it's our friend Yang here," replied Pinkie.

"Which one? You have multiple ones," Nurse Redheart retorted, her patience wearing thin.

"The one that's got all the droopy eyes, and the limp body, and the long face and the-"

"That's quite alright, Pinkie I can see who it is now," Nurse Redheart interrupted. She looked closely at the victim and saw his jaw gasping for air, his rib cage contracting with each breath. He had a small bead of sweat upon his white, ghost-like face. His mane matted, a disarray of tidiness. This was a severe case to be sure, so she immediately brought out a gurney and told the group that he would be fine. She had elixirs and magical ailments that would help him. As the group was about to depart, a hot pink earth pony burst through the main door to the facility.

"Is he alright?" she asked in a panic.

"And you are?" asked Applejack.

"Forgive my rudeness, my name is Aloe. I am Yang's ummmm, significant partner," she bashfully announced.

"Partner!?!?!" Applejack shouted.

"Please, not so loud. It's a little embarrassing," Aloe replied.

"My apologies, ma'am, it's just Yang never mentioned you before so-"

"We wanted it to remain a secret."

"A secret?" asked Applejack.

"Yes, I mean, we wanted it to be private at the moment," Aloe replied.

"Whoa whoa whoa hold up. How did you even meet Yang, hmm?" Rainbow Dash asked, her eyebrows raised in doubt.

"Well you see, it started rather strangely," she replied, her hoof drawing a small circle in the floor.

"Go onnnnn," said Dash.

"He entered into our facility one day, his whole mane and coat in an utter mess. He was quite bashful and didn't want to even attempt a make over. But we spa ponies can't let a pony in dire need of a makeover merely roam the streets in their current condition," said Aloe.

"I agree with you sister," chimed Rarity. "Well, if I see somepony in dire need of a dress or an accessory, I must help them! I can't have them being like everypony else. They need to be their own individual, something to set them apart form the rest of the crowd."

"Well said, dear! We couldn't let Yang leave. So instead, we took him in and did a complete makeover, hooves, mane, tail, you name it! Anyway, he was new and I must admit rather cute," she said, her cheeks becoming red. "So, I decided to show him around town. We had an er- date, and it went well. We were both curious about each other, and from there, we started dating. Oh my, I feel so warm all of a sudden."

"Well, I can see you care deeply about him. But still, how did you know he was ill? We just indoctrinated him in a few minutes ago," said Applejack.

DAMN you! You ill-begotten, backwater, inbred whore! How dare you question me! thought Chrysalis. Think! Think! I have to come up with something.

"We were supposed to have another date today at noon. He said he was going to see the Princesses and be back before lunch. It's almost 6 o'clock and he never arrived at our destination. I was worried, you see. I know he was hiding something from me, but I didn't want to push him. I asked the authorities, everyone! I just didn't know what to do. I-I-I'm just completely worthless," she cried, tears streaming down her face.

"Whoa calm down there, sugar cube! He'll be fine. Nurse Redheart will know what to do. You can count on her!" said Applejack.

With all the commotion going on in the waiting area, Nurse Redheart re-appeared.

"What is going on in here?" she demanded.

"Oh thank goodness you're here. Is Yang alright? I've been worried since noon. May I see him?" asked Aloe.

"And you are?"

"It's Yang's girlfriend," replied Applejack.

"Oh, I wasn't aware he had one. Well, yes, he's in the third room down the hall. Please go ahead," said Redheart.

"Thank you kindly miss, I just hope he's alright," said Aloe. She sprinted out of the waiting room to Yang's location.

"Well, thank you Nurse Redheart, we'll swing by tomorrow to see if he's better," said Applejack. She gave Nurse Redheart a gentle nod before leaving the hospital. The other ponies gave their thanks and left the hospital behind Applejack. Nurse Redheart gave a smile before she organized a few stacks of indoctrination papers on the front desk. Making her way to Yang's location, she made sure to check up on the other patients.

While Applejack was talking to Nurse Redheart, Aloe had slipped into Yang's room. Locking the door, she unveiled her true form and hopped onto the bed. Sitting next to Yang, she quietly called out his name. "Yang.....Yang....time to get up."

Yang's eyes slowly opened, his expression still one of pain and discomfort. Chrysalis was sure that she was no longer in control of his mind; everything should be gone. All of his ailments should have dispersed. He shouldn't be suffering like this. Jumping off the bed, she could see the long beads of sweat pouring off of his forehead. Not sure of what to do, she merely walked back and forth.

"Food....." Yang whispered.

"Huh? I was sure you said something," replied Chrysalis.

"Food....." he whispered again.

"Food? I could see what they have on stock, but I-"

"You are exactly what I seek," he responded.

Rising out of bed, he slowly made his way over to the Queen of the Changelings. She backed up to the door and tried to convince him that he shouldn't attack her, but he ignored her pleas, slowly inching his way over to her. Behind Chrysalis, the door knob started to rattle.

"You want food? Here it is!" she shouted unlocking the door.

Nurse Redheart opened the door to see a dark pony tackling her to the ground. All of her legs were binded by green magic; she was helpless. With her mouth being forcibly held shut, she could only muffle cries and yells. Yang stood on top of her, his breathing intensifying.

"Don't fret, my dear, this will only be but a dream," said Chrysalis, her horn growing green. With some magic, Nurse Redheart closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

Using the opportunity, Yang absorbed the darkness dwelling within her heart. After a couple of minutes, Chrysalis ordered Yang to stop. Once again ignoring her, Chrysalis knocked Yang off of Redheart's body with her magic.

"You dare touch me?"

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are!" Chrysalis shouted.

"I don't know. Who do you think I am?" replied Yang. "Have you been to the core of his hatred? No, of course not. How could you? You haven't even begun to think of his emotions," he ranted. He walked around Chrysalis in a circle while continuing his soliloquy. "I must thank you tho, ummm Chrysalis? Yes, that sounds about right. If you had not drained myself of my light magic, I couldn't show myself. Now then, Queen I must ask you a question."

"What is it?" she scowled.

"How does one become king?"

Taken aback, she blushed and answered meekly, "T-T-Through commitment."

"Commitment?"

"Yes, c-commitment."

"And how does one commit?"

"They must be bonded together not by magic, but by..."

"By?" asked Yang.

"By.....I can't say it," she said blushing.

"Hmm, I think I get what you're referencing to. Anything else?"

"He must be loyal to the queen and willing to shield her from any harm."

"I don't really know about shield, but if he's willing then I bet it's not a problem."

"He?"

"The lighter side of me. You see, when he is all good and happy, his mind shifts to his kinder side. And with the more darkness that dwells within him.."

"You appear."

"Exactly. Not only are you sexy but you sure are smart," he replied grinning.

"Hmm, don't flatter yourself. You couldn't handle me."

"Ohoho? A challenge, huh? Well later then. In the meantime, what now?"

"Implantation, of course. We will use these weak ponies to our benefit."

"And how might I ask?" said Yang.

"Mind control. The weak ones are like taking candy from a foal. So easy, and yet, so.....satisfying. Just keep an eye on the front door if you want that challenge later." She strutted down the hallway into each of the other rooms, a flash of green light appearing. After a couple of rooms had been entered, Yang guarded the front desk until she was finished.

"Done?" he asked.

"For now. Oh and one important thing. You can't live with me for now."

"What, why!?"

"Because if somepony spies on you, they could track you to our location. Why, are you worried?"

"No! It's just..if I lose you, then our plan fails."

"You are so easy to read." Chrysalis once again changed her form back into Aloe.

"So you'll still live in the forest?"

"For 1 week, Yang. Before sunset on the last day, come to the forest. I will show you what it means to be king. But I still need to know where you'll be staying, so I might as well mind control her as well. Hold on."

With the use of her magic, Chrysalis controlled Nurse Redheart, her eyes shining green. "With this, now any pony that gets injured will immediately be alerted to me. From there, they will be converted. Anyways, let's see your new living quarters."

With a hum of magic, Nurse Redheart left the hospital and headed towards her home. Silence befell them as the sun was being lowered and the moon was rising. With luck on their side, the other ponies didn't pay attention to Yang, Nurse Redheart, or Aloe. They reached the one-story house which sat next to another house with a big record on it. Nurse Redheart unlocked the door and headed back to work, her eyes still glowing green.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight then," said Yang, his tone filled with sadness.

"Who said this was goodnight? You wanted my challenge right? Well, actions speak louder than words my dear. Show me," she purred, biting her bottom lip. With a chuckle, the two of them entered into Nurse Redheart's house, locking the door behind them.

After the group had finished dropping Yang off at the hospital, they joined Twilight at her house. With a soft knock upon the door, Spike answered, asking, "Why are all of you here? I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow."

"If a friend's in need, we got her back, no matter the cost," replied Applejack.

"Yeah, we're there for her, 110% of the way!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

With an exacerbated look upon his face, Spike reluctantly held the door open to them. Despite his better judgment, he determined if it was a message from the Princesses, then it must be urgent. Guiding the ponies upstairs to Twilight's room, he called out to Twilight to let her know company was here. Upon reaching the door, he softly knocked.

"Come in."

"Twilight, they arrived a bit....early," he said, annoyance in his tone.

"Well, Spike it's alright. I probably shouldn't have expected to keep them all waiting another day. Now then as to what the message is..." Twilight gave them all a brief synopsis of Celestia's past and what Yang was involved in. She continued to tell them that they were to keep an eye on Yang and report to Twilight at the end of the day so she could brief Celestia on what was occurring.

"Why of all the no good, low-down.." ranted Rainbow Dash.

"We can't let him know of what we know," Twilight interrupted. "If we change our behavior around him, he'll suspect something is up. At no cost should we reveal our true intentions. Instead show him kindness. It's what we are accustomed to and in the end, it'll be easier for us to act around him. Ok?"

"Ok!" they all shouted, each one ready to fulfill their mission.

"Oooooh-oooohhh-oooooooooooohhhhh question!!!!!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"Yesssss?" Twilight replied in frustration.

"What should we do for our day. Like do we each take a day or do we like spy on him from a distance? Do we get to wear cat burglar outfits? Ooohhh, is there a burglar that steals only cats? And if they do, then why? I mean-" Pinkie's mouth turned into a giant zipper, her ranting immediately halted to a stop.

Twilight's horn stopped glowing, the zipper disappearing. "Just ask him to help you guys or something; I already have a plan for him. Hmmm, how about this. What day is it anyway?" Twilight asked.

"Saturday Twilight," answered Rarity.

"Ok, here's the plan. Applejack, you take Sunday. Since the orchard still has some picking to do before you open your stand on Monday, he'll be exhausted from the hard labor. Pinkie, you have Monday. Your store is usually busy that day so he has something to do. Fluttershy, you take Tuesday. He can help you watch over the animals."

"But Discord is usually over that day," she replied.

"Hmmm, that could be a problem. Does he visit Wednesday?"

"We usually have tea on Wednesday," Fluttershy responded.

"Does Discord act up?"

"Oh, no, Twilight. He's actually very calm and enjoys our tea time."

"Perfect! Then you can invite him along. By any means necessary. Got THAT?"

"Y-Y-Yes Twilight, sure. I-I will do my best," she said meekly.

"Sorry, didn't mean to get all fierce there. Anyways, Tuesday. Oh, Rarity! Have him be your mannequin for the day! Since he can't move, he'll be utterly useless! Well Wednesday is done, so Thursday. Rainbow Dash, you'll be his sparring partner. Don't hold back when fighting, not that I have to worry."

"You got it Twi!" she shouted.

"Ok, and I'll take Friday. After each day report to me so I can compile all of the data and send it to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Everyone good?"

"Yeah!" they all shouted.

They all cheered with each other as they embarked down the stairs and out of Twilight's house to their respective homes.

"Think it will work?" asked Spike.

With a hefty sigh, "All we can do now is wait and see," Twilight replied.

Chapter 6: Applejack's Chores

Yang yawned while stretching his limbs, his body awakening to the morning sun. With the bright light gleaming into his pupils, he blocked this vile ray with his right hoof as he climbed out of bed. After shutting the curtains, he glanced around the room and saw a wooden desk. Atop of this was makeup, a nurse's cap, a stethoscope, and a pleura of other hospital items. Confused, he swayed his head back to the bed to see Nurse Redheart soundly asleep. Taken aback, he calmed his breathing down to find a reasonable solution for this.

"Let's see. I was with Twi and her friends. We saw the Princesses. My head started to hurt. I passed out. I...passed....out. Oh shit! Shit! What happened? Wait, did I?" he asked. Yang slowly walked to the bed and observed Nurse Redheart, her chest rising and falling with each breath.

"Ok, whew, she's not dead. I didn't kill her. But did we? I mean...did I bang her? I'm so confused. And why am I here? Where is Chrssy? Where nggg. Ok, need to stop that. For some reason, when I try to recant what happened, my head hurts. Also why am I talking to myself again? I really need to quit that."

Yang took one of the house keys from the key bowl near the front door before stepping outside. Blinded a second time by the light, he fiddled with trying to close the door. Successfully locking it behind him, he heard footsteps approaching from his left. He hid the key in one of the loose brick formations and greeted the orange mare.

"Morning, Apple Jack!"

"Morning Yang! Whatcha' up to?"

"Eh, not much, you?"

"Well, I could really use some help on the farm if you don't mind."

Say no. Just say no and be done with her. "Sure, I'd be glad to help," Yang replied. Ok, Mr. Nice guy have fun with that, Yin replied in his head.

"Oh hush you," Yang replied.

"Huh? I didn't say anything," replied AJ.

"Oh! My apologies, sometimes I argue with myself in my head.........I'm not crazy."

"Can't be any worse than when Pinkie argues with herself."

"Oh really? What about? I'm rather curious," Yang replied as he trotted next to AJ.

"Well, mostly random thoughts."

"Oh, so nothing about morality issues and the decency of every living creature?"

"Ohohoho, heaven's no! It's mostly varying degrees of either candy, or observations she makes on the spot; mostly it's idle things."

"Aw, dang. I was really hoping to have intellectual conversations with her," said Yang.

"That would be Twi, sugarcube. She's the smartest one here after all. You two could have one of those detailed morality points."

"Hmm, you may be right Apple Jack, I'll have to take you up on the offer."

Yang and AJ idly talked along the path to Apple Acres, a small breeze occasionally blowing on them. The trees shook ever so slightly, leaves and loose branches falling around them. The clack of the hooves, the nice conversation with AJ, and even the birds chirping were all signs that today was going to be a great day. Orrrr maybe not.

"I need to buck how many trees!??!" shouted Yang.

"100 trees. You can do it. Big Mac here does that within an hour and a a half. And with your magical talents, I would say 2 and a half hours. Besides, you're getting a free lunch."

"A free lunch in exchange for labor. You sound just like my father."

"And is that a bad thing?"

"No. Not at all. He was a very honest stallion. He was a hard worker, a diligent pony that focused on the task at hand."

"Which was?" asked AJ.

"Feeding our family. However, along the way we grew distant. He struggled to maintain jobs and as a result his drinking grew. I tried to be the next leader in the family. But what kind of pony can handle being the second in charge at only 17 years old? Eventually I left home and came here. I don't know what happened to my family. I had an older sister and a mother, but with time the memories faded away. The only thing I had of my previous life was the pictures. And even those faded away within me. It's been a while since I've talked to anypony about this. I hope you don't mind."

"Nonsense, feel free to open up anytime, Yang. I'll give you my honest opinion, you can count on that."

A small chuckle escaped Yang's lips. "I'm afraid of what that answer might be sometimes. Now then, where do I start?" asked Yang, a smile appearing on his face.

"You'll start on the Granny Smith apples. Those are the green ones. After all, Granny Smith can get all the help she can get. Isn't that right Granny Smith?" AJ yelled.

"WhHAAAATTT? PUTTIN ON THE RITS? I LOVE THAT SONG!" Granny Smith shouted back, her body starting to dance and sway around the barn.

"Uh-oh. She's doing it again. I'll see you in a couple of hours ok? Granny Smith, stop dancing! Think about your hip!" AJ yelled trotting off behind the barn.

Yang started to work on the green apple trees, bucking hard with all of his might. After four hard bucks, his body was tired. Refusing to give up, he focused his magic on cutting the small twigs that held the ripened fruit in its possession. After the first and second tree's ripe fruit filled the baskets below, an underwhelming urge to hack and slash the twigs sprang forth from his body. With this new-found energy, Yang hacked and slashed at the ripened fruit, its contents filling the baskets below. Hours passed before AJ called out to Yang. Ignoring her calls, he hacked and slashed his way through the fourth and fifth rows of trees. After the twelfth row of trees, he collapsed on the ground. With heavy panting, he felt a sharp tug on his neck, his body being thrown into some kind of wagon.

"Huh? Wha?"

"Hi there! I'm Applebloom! AJ's sister! You name is?"

"Yang," her replied. "Where am I?"

"You're in the apple cart. Big Mac saw you collapsed on the ground, my older sister threw you in the cart, and now we're heading back home to Apple Acres. We called you for lunch, but you looked like you were having so much fun, we didn't want to interrupt."

"What time is it?" asked Yang.

"1815, Yang. We're heading back for supper."

"That late already? Aw man I'm tired."

"Teehee, I hope you're hungry, we made a big meal tonight."

"Yeah, I guess I kinda am. You know something Applebloom?"

"What?"

"I can see that you're a good foal."

Applebloom blushed a bit before giggling.

"Stay that way Applebloom. Don't let this cold world corrupt you. Please, stay that innocent for as long as you can. There's no rush to grow up," he said, the wagon stopping. Applebloom tilted her head at his words as Yang walked from the cart into the house. Minor aches and pains pierced his body.

Ughh, I'll be sore tomorrow he thought.

"The washroom's the second door on the right. Sorry we don't have any spare bedrooms, but we can a cot for you in the barn after supper. I hope you don't mind," said AJ.

"Naw, no worries, AJ. I appreciate the kind gesture," he said. Yang noticed the washroom. A small bathtub, a solo sink, a white porcelain toilet, and a dirt floor. Not the best kind of washroom, but hey, it was better than nothing. After he was cleaned up, he sat in the dining room and waited for the rest of the family to wash and join him at the table. After saying grace and eating, Yang was escorted by AJ to the barn where she showed him a hay bed with a think wool blanket and a small white pillow. She made her leave and Yang got himself comfortable. He quickly fell asleep and saw an image from his past. He saw a young stallion yelling at his father, the two of them bickering and fighting with each other. His mother was in the living room, her eyes filled with tears, her soft whimpers muffled by the noise. The young stallion continued to yell at his father, while momentarily checking up on his mother to make sure she was doing fine. This dragged on for a couple of minutes before his father left and went for a walk, his sister now joining him to see if their mother was well. Yang awoke to a small click. He opened his eyes to see AJ closing the barn door, a small lantern in her hoof.

"AJ?"

"Oh, don't mind me, just go back to sleep," she replied, walking over to Yang.

"But, w-what are you doing here?"

"I can't let a stranger go to sleep in a barn by himself now can I?"

"Well you can. That's normal."

"Not around these parts its not. I mean you were alone for a long time, and you even sleep alone wherever you live. I'll sleep across from you, if you don't mind... You don't mind do you?" she asked, raising the lantern.

"No, I don't. It's just been awhile since some stranger showed me kindness. It's very refreshing, that's all. It's just soooo niccce," Yang yawned. He plopped back down on the pile of hay, his eyes closing as he drifted off to sleep.

"Hehe, good night Yang. Sleep tight," AJ whispered, blowing out the lantern.

In the Canterlot Castle, Luna's head pounded as a message was relayed inside her mind.

"Don't forget, Princess Luna. Tonight meet me in the Everfree Forest. I will show you the way. If you encounter some small creatures, don't resist. They will be your guide," the voice hissed.

Crap! What do I do? thought Luna. A small rapture of knocks tapped on Luna's door. She opened it to see her sister, Celestia, standing before her.

"Tonight dear sister, I will need your help in finding the culprit that plans to overthrow us. I will use my troops to scan Cloudsdale and the mountains. May I entrust you with Ponyville and the Everfree Forest?" asked Celestia.

"Yes, my dear sister, we shall not fail you. You can count on us. We shall leave post haste. Captain!" shouted Luna.

"Yes, my Highness," she replied.

"Gather half of your finest troops. Meet me at the drawbridge in Canterlot. You have 10 minutes."

"Roger, your Highness. Alright, listen up! Who's ready to kick some ass!" she shouted down the halls, her voice trailing off into the distance.

"Well ,they seem excited," chuckled Celestia.

"Yes, they do. I just hope we find them sister. I just pray that we can live in peace and harmony."

"We will, Luna. One day we will all live together in tranquility. No matter how long that takes, I will wait for the day."

Celestia walked down the hallway, her celestial mane disappearing from Luna's sight. Luna emerged from her room and greeted her captain, her stance upmost and pristine. She briefed him Celestia's plan of surveillance in the area. Acknowledging this order, the captain salted Luna and took his leave. After he left, Luna snuck away from the castle, making sure her trail was covered and unnoticeable. She landed on the outskirts of the forest, checking over her shoulder to make sure no pony was following her. After entering the forest, her head pounded. She walked straight, but the pain grew worse. Turning left was still the same effect, so she started to turn right, the pain melting away.

"Hmph, subtle my flank," said Luna.

She walked straight into the forest, the occasional twig snapping underneath her. With owl hoots and wind gusts, the creepy atmosphere just made Luna giggle in delight. Enjoying the nice walk, a hissing sound appeared behind her. A second and third one emerged to her sides. A fourth one echoed in front of her, her movements cut off from all sides. Emerging from the dense thicket of woods, a small changeling stood before Luna. The other three came into light, each one hissing angrily.

"Alright, you can stop that infernal hissing," said Luna.

"Princess Luna, follow me please," replied the changeling in front of her.

Luna merely followed the changeling, a plot forming in her head. If she can find this Chrysalis's hideout and defeat this pest herself, she can bring peace back to Equestria. Luna followed the changeling, occasionally climbing over rotted logs and ducking under low branches. It took a couple of minutes, but she arrived before a worn down house, its shutters hanging and destroyed.

This looks familiar she thought.

With a motion of his foreleg, the changeling directed her inside. Luna scoffed and entered the house, her jaw hanging wide open. A train full of memories hit Luna, her mind racing to find out what had happened here. She remembered the ordeal she had with Yang about his house, but this. This was too much. For how long did he put up with this torment? How long was he suffering? These thoughts filled her head while a soft patter of hooves could be heard from the stairs.

"Welcome Princess. Shall we begin the meeting?" asked Chrysalis, a grin curling her lips.

"Hmm, what makes you think I'll comply?" replied Luna.

"Really, must we do this? After all it is Yang's house, we wouldn't want it tarnished any further, would we? But EVEN if that doesn't calm you down, then there is of course my own control."

"Hehehe.....hahaha...AHAHAHAHA! You really think you can control the likes of me!? The Lunar princess!?! Prepare yourself, Queen of the changelings!"

"You will do no such thing," Chrysalis hissed.

With a glow of her horn, Luna began to shriek in horror. Slowly, a green aura mixed with Luna's horn, its essence slowly enveloping the princess's body. With cries of pain and violent thrashing, the green aura turned into a mist, the black aura from Luna's horn dripping onto her body. With Chrysalis's laughter adding to the mix, armor started to emerge on Luna's torso. It wasn't long before Chrysalis's magic had turned Luna into Nightmare Moon herself. Nightmare Moon slowly straightened her posture and stared at the Queen.

"Hmmm, this is quite interesting."

"Who art thou?"

"I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings. And you?"

"I am the darkness of the night, the void in the ethereal of nightmares. I am Nightmare Moon. Hmmm, what happened to thy's other-self?"

"Sealed inside of you for now. You can free her whenever you wish, but I would advise against that for now."

"Why?"

"We have unfinished business."

"And what business does thou speak of?"

"We need to overthrow your sister. However, I can't do this alone. And with your help, we will be unbeatable."

Nightmare Moon merely scoffed at the offer. "And what sayeth if I refuse?"

"You are free to leave," Chrysalis smiled.

Nightmare Moon was taken aback by this, unsure of how to respond. The two merely stared at each other, waiting for the other one to make a move. The changelings readied themselves for a fight if push came to shove.

"Hmmm, you hath intrigued me. What is thou's plan?"

"You can enter into the dream realm, a power I do not possess."

"How doth thou knowest that?"

"When I absorb love from any creature, I also absorb some of their essence. This can range from a simple memory to part of their soul, depending on how intense I make it. When I controlled Yang and made him kiss Luna, his saliva went into her throat. This allowed me to gain access to her head. When she writhed in agony, I used Yang's magic to draw a good memory from Luna. With the happiness inside of him, I was able to see what he had acquired. He had absorbed a moment where Luna was helping some stupid filly with her problems. Thanks to this stroke of luck, I was able to find a hidden power of hers. What I didn't expect was you of course."

"And what was thou's expected result?"

"A simple mind control, that's all. Your eyes go green, I control you, and eventually disguise myself as you. However, now that you're here, plans have changed. We can easily take over Canterlot now."

A devious chuckle escaped NMM's lips. "Two observations: One, why did thou not kiss Luna thyself? And two, thou are forgetting one royal pain in thy side."

"I wasn't about to kiss another mare on the lips or even get that close to someone of her stature. After all, security was increased and I'm not some simple floozy. As for your other statement, what's the problem?"

"Discord," NMM replied.

"Discord?" asked Chrysalis, tilting her head sideways.

"He is a draconequus that is constantly irritating thyself. He is the god of chaos, able to bend reality itself to his whim. He is our last obstacle to victory."

"So you'll help then?"

"Thou never agreed to help you. Just somepony who agrees to help thyself take revenge on thy's older sister. I expect results."

"And who will defeat Discord? I can't exactly get close to him."

A grin emerged on NMM face, "I will make him submit. Prepare thy's army by this weekend. Prepare to travel by my standards, understood?"

"And what if you betray me?" replied Chrysalis.

"Thou wouldn't be alive right now. We shall accompany thy's army as originally planned."

"We?"

"My army as well. I bid thee farewell, Queen. I look forward to our encounter again."

NMM took her leave out of the house, spread her wings, and launched herself forward into the darkness. A small black mist fell from the princess dissipating into the wind.

"Queen?" asked Alexander, the general of the changelings.

"Prep the troops for their night training. We need to hurry and finish any last details. We shall obey her commands for now. If at any moment we feel threatened, please turn on her. We don't need additional distractions."

"And the ummmmmm, new ones?"

"Bring them to me at once. I need to perform strength and other various experiments on them. With these new juggernauts, we can surely overpower anypony that stands in our way. For now, I take my leave. Dismissed general."

"Yes, my queen," he replied.

"With this new ally, there's no way we can lose," chuckled Chrysalis.

Author's Note

Ok, going to sleep. NyQuil is kicking in. Can't write anymore. Good night!

Chapter 7: Sugar Cube Corner

"Yang, wake up...Yaanng, rise and shine....YANG GET YOUR LAZY BOTTOM UP!"

"Hnngng-aaaaah!"

"You're a heavy sleeper, ain't ya?" asked AJ.

"Well, I haven't done manual labor in a very long while. Guess my body wasn't ready for it," he groaned, his body still reeling from the pain.

Yang yawned again, his entire body stretching and cracking with each movement of his joints. AJ merely chuckled, her hoof covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. A rooster could be heard off in the distance, the morning sun creeping its way into the open barn. After Yang finished stretching, AJ gave Yang the directions to Sugar Cube Corner.

"Now remember, have patience. Pinkie can be ummmm assertive."

"A giant cake on the building? Well, it shouldn't be that hard I suppose. I just hope today will be a little bit easier," he yawned waving goodbye to AJ. With Yang disappearing from her vision, AJ made her departure towards Twilight's house. Frankly, Yang wasn't all that bad of a pony, but she still had to give Twilight the daily report of Yang.

"AGAIN! DO IT AGAIN! No, not like that. HARDER, FASTER! YOU LOUSY MAGGOTS! I SHOULD HAVE KILLED ALL OF YOU BEFORE YOU WERE BORN!"

"But mother, we are exhausted. We-"

"DO NOT CALL ME THAT! I AM YOUR QUEEN! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Y-Yes my queen, forgive me. But please, my queen. We have been at this for hours. Please let us rest."

"Very well," Queen Chrysalis replied with a heavy sigh, "We shall continue in the evening. For now, eat and rest up. I shall see you later."

With heavy panting behind her, Chrysalis made her way through the Everfree Forest. A slight chuckle escaped her throat. "With this training, it should be a cinch to take over Canterlot. Sigh There is the matter of Celestia and Alicorn Twilight. That little twat! Unbelievable! How could she become a princess? Well, it does not matter. With "them" under my command, she will be completely useless. The only factor that's missing from complete annihilation is that rumored Discord. Nightmare Moon better fulfill her end of the bargain," she groaned, the house coming into view. During this time, AJ was giving Twilight the daily report as Yang approached Sugar Cube Corner.

"So this is Sugar Cube Corner huh?" Yang asked out loud. "Well it does have a giant cake on it. Applejack wasn't lying. Well, guess I better get this over with."

Yang entered the establishment, the light clacking of his hooves dissipating from the pavement. The bell of the shop rang, signaling the beginning of Yang's work. Mr. an Mrs. Cake exchanged greetings, their smiles helping ease the discomfort in his torso. With a shriek from upstairs, a pink blur zoomed past everyone, a small gust of wind blowing past Yang's muzzle.

"OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh! You're here!" shouted Pnikie. She inhaled sharply before continuing her rant. "Areyouasexcitedasme? Butofcourseyouare! Ican'twaittogetstarted! Canyou? Huh? Canyou?!?!"

"Uhhhhhh-"

"Pinkie please, inhale. Excuse my daughter, she can be a bit eccentric at times. May I take your order?" asked Mrs. Cake.

"Oh no, I'm here to help," laughed Yang, "My name is Yang and I am working for food, more or less."

"Oh well, that's not right. How about this? You can have lunch here for free and we can spare a few bits," said Mr. Cake.

"You would do that for a complete stranger?" asked Yang.

"Well any friend of Pinkie's is a friend of ours. You don't seem like the type to cause any harm or trouble, after all."

Yang nervously chuckled, a small bead of sweat slowly dripping down the back of his neck. "Well, where should I start?"

"You can help make the cupcakes with Pinkie or you can wash the pans and utensils," replied Mrs. Cake.

"I will be obliged to help make the cupcakes."

"Hooray! I'll make the super duper chocolate ones today!" Pinkie stated boldly, a pink outline fading away into the air.

"How did she? I mean," Yang stammered. "Whatever, I just need to help her bake these cupcakes. Shouldn't be too hard right...right?" he whimpered.

Twilight's planning of keeping Yang occupied was starting to pay off. Monday was a busy day for sales, orders, and the lunch rush of hungry customers satisfying their sweet tooth. Throughout the day, customers entered and left the store, fresh batches of baked goods being sold by the dozen. This pattern dragged on for hours until the final customer left the store, the bell ringing for a final time. While the cakes were excited about the amount of sales they had, Yang was desperately trying again to catch his breath. For the second day in a row he was worked down to the bone. His body moaned and screamed in agony at the continuous strain of his muscles. The tendons in his heels were swollen, his shoulders aching, and his knees stiff. Every step was a fight to stay upright, but in the end it was all worth it.

"Here's your pay for the day, 15 bits. We truly appreciate your hard work, Yang. In addition, we wrapped up some of the leftovers from today. It's not much, but it's a token of our gratitude for your help," said Mr. Cake.

"Oh...thank you, Mr. Cake. I....ow....really am grateful for not only the work, but the gift and the money. It really...ow...is greatly appreciated," said Yang.

"Oh, not at all dear! Feel free to come back at any time! I'm sure we could use the extra help," Mrs. Cake chimed in.

"Ah, well...ow...thanks again! Have a good night!" Yang smiled, small streaks of white emerging on his coat.

Yang bid them farewell and headed home, the cakes tidying up the place. Pinkie realized she still had a mission to accomplish. With careful timing, she sprinted out of the house and towards Twilight.

"Where do you think she's going dear?" asked Mrs. Cake.

"With that girl, anything is possible. As long as she opens up tomorrow I'm okay with whatever she's up to," Mr. Cake replied.

Pinkie knocked rapidly on the tree door, her knocks increasing in speed. A pair of purple stern eyes greeted Pinkie.

"Oops, sorry Twi," apologized PInkie.

"It's fine," Twilight sighed, "Please come in."

"So, what have you learned? Is he evil, cynical, a no good troublemaker?" asked Twilight.

"No, not at all Twi! Actually, he was quite helpful. I made sure he was constantly working. At the end of it all, he was grateful for the help. I even saw more white enter his coat!"

"Besides the white in his coat, Applejack almost said the same thing. She believes he's not harmful, but actually a hard worker that's trying to fit in with everypony else. She believes that he can be trusted a little bit. But let me tell you Pinkie, we've both experienced trusting the wrong party. After that wedding, it's been hard for me to trust anypony that I've just met. And as far as Yang goes, I trust him about as far as I can throw him."

"Well, you can throw him pretty far with your magic."

"Without magic, Pinkie."

"Oohhhhhhh, gotcha!"

"Anything else, Pinkie?"

"Nope!"

"Did you let him know that Rarity needs his help tomorrow?"

"Ummmm, nope!"

"Pinkie, can you please let him know in the morning?"

"Okie-dokie-lokie! I'm on it! You can count on me!" Pinkie smiled. She turned around and ran out of the house, the door slamming shut behind her.

"SOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRY!" she shouted, her voice echoing in the night sky.

"Confound my friends, they drive me to drink."

Author's Note

So, yeah new chapter. I suck at releasing new ones. Ummm, I need a writing buddy. Any takers?

Prologue

One year after the debauchery at Canterlot, the ponies in Equestria continue to piece back their lives, ever hopeful that the terror that befell all of them shall never return again. In order to learn of past mistakes and failures, a new structure was erected near the center of town. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom were visiting the Library of Natural History, observing its crammed bookshelves and dusty covers. They were currently on a social studies field trip with their teacher, Miss Cheerilee, learning the history of their town, as well as, the incident.

The trio looked around, each in awe at the overwhelming sight of books upon books jutting forth from every nook and cranny within the library. Each shelf had been carefully arranged and maintained, despite the clutter of jammed books on the shelves. In the middle of the museum were two marble statues representing the leaders of Canterlot, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. There were also exhibits showing off great times and harsh events throughout the pristine structure. The floor was made of pure marble which included the stairs leading up to the second floor.

The windows that let in sunlight each shone a different hue of the color spectrum, providing a light show off the ever gleaming floor and walkways. Upon each stained glass was etched a different picture from Ponyville and Canterlot’s past. Different images had been etched into each one, showing the timeline from the foundation of Canterlot all the way to the new Canterlot that sat a distance away, shining its magnificent radiance of sunlight and warmth. One image featured Twilight and her friends defeating Discord using the Elements of Harmony. As the three were in awe of their surroundings, Diamond Tiara spoke.

“Have any of you even seen a library? I mean, it is a library, not a carnival; I guess for Apple Bloom, though, this is a show in itself huh Apple Bloom?”

“It is not!!! I have been to a library before, but this one is different, I mean look around. There are different lights bouncing everywhere! The floor is so shiny and there are so many books! Come on, even you have never seen something like this before!”

“Yea, it is called my house, duh,” Diamond Tiara retorted with a scoff in her voice.

“Why I oughta!-” shouted Sweetie Belle.

“Now, now, this is a library. We have to be quiet and respect the other ponies around us that are currently reading and studying, ok?” asked Miss Cheerilee.

Diamond Tiara and the trio of ponies each nodded their heads as if to say sorry. Miss Cheerilee led the group to a new image on one of the stained glass windows. It showed the Canterlot Castle, ragged and destroyed by the attacks on it one year earlier. Princess Celestia was portrayed as being defeated, and Twilight Sparkle herself standing in the way between Ponyville and the villains that threatened to bring down all of Equestria. The villains featured Nightmare Moon, Discord, and Queen Chrysalis, each one with hatred and a fierce loathing of all breathing beings in their eyes.

Next to them was another pony, a male unicorn, grinning from side to side with his head tilted slightly to the right. His coat was all black and on his right flank was a completely black filled circle, with a white outlining enclosing it. His mane was ragged and torn, hair protruding from all over his head. His horn shown a dull green that lightly illuminated Queen Chrysalis’s face. All of the children now gathered around Miss Cheerilee and stared at the ominous picture before them.

“Now, children, what do you all suppose this is?” she asked.

“Is it the fall of Canterlot?” responded Sweetie Belle.

“Correct!” shouted Miss Cheerilee. “Opps, hahaha sorry everypony,” she said with a whisper. “Now then,” she continued in a low voice, “This represents the fall of Canterlot and Ponyville. Today marks the one year anniversary of the destruction of the castle and the terrible reign that followed. All of Equestria almost fell, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the empire was saved, and the whole empire was saved by none other than our very own, Twilight Sparkle. The reason I have brought you all here today is so that we can learn from our mistakes and make a better future for all ponies, near and far. In fact, this day is so important, that Princess Twilight Sparkle herself wants to speak to all of you about the incident.” The children began to become rambunctious, causing Miss Cheerilee to raise one hoof, instantly quieting them down. The main door to the library opened and walking through it was none other than the Alicorn Princess herself, Twilight Sparkle.

“Princess Twilight” was echoed by all the ponies throughout the library, each one bowing their heads out of admiration and respect for the pony who countless times saved Equestria from certain demise. Twilight entered the library only holding a single book with her levitation spell. As she trotted into the library and sat down on the floor beside the window, Spike quickly followed, carrying the standard set of writing parcels. He slowly sat himself besides the other fillies and prepared himself for the upcoming story.

“Now then every pony,” Twilight announced, “This window here shows the fall of Canterlot itself. It does not show Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, or all of Equestria. This is due to the fact of a remarkable thing occurring later on in this story. Canterlot fell quickly and short after, so did Ponyville. The magic of the three ponies and Discord himself were too strong for all of us to handle. On top of that, Queen Chrysalis was gaining immense power from that black unicorn shown here. His name is Yin-Yang, and he himself organized the demise of not only our beloved kingdom, but our homes as well. He led a destructive, tyrannical path, seeking only revenge on Princess Celestia."

“Yin-Yang? What a silly name! Ahahaha!” laughed Scootaloo.

“This is no laughing matter, Scootaloo,” Twilight reprimanded. “He not only gathered the strongest dark magic users on his side, but was able to achieve victory by it as well. Both empires were lost that day and every pony around grew desperate for a miracle. Everyone hoped for an answer to arrive at such short notice. However, their hopes were shattered when Celestia was defeated in the midst of battle. This was a loss, but not the one we encountered in the short future. The loss we suffered that day will haunt my dreams and tear at my soul for every day that I am alive. However, fillies and foals, this is what I thought as the event was unfolding upon itself. Now then, everypony, I do hope I have all of your attention and focus,” Twilight stated, emitting a small smile from her lips. The children all nodded their heads in agreement, each one sitting down on the floor and listening to the tale that would affect every living creature, both big and small.

“Good, I am glad to hear it. Now then,” she continued, “Let us start from the very beginning. The beginning of our greatest enemy, and yet, as it would turn out, our most trusted ally. This tale is about the Fall of Canterlot and the rebirth of it after many days of sorrow and despair. Prepare yourselves for the sad but wondrous tale that is Canterlot, The Rising Phoenix.”

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End

“The day started out hectic with me trying to figure out what my new roles and duties were,” Twilight spoke, her eyes slightly moving upwards as if she was living the moment all over again. “I was frantically running around my house, trying to find a book about becoming a new princess, but I couldn’t even find one closely relating to the subject. I started tearing through my bookshelves quickly to find something, anything that would guide me to the right path. I mean how does one react to just being told, ‘Congratulations, Twilight Sparkle, you are now a princess,’ I mean it is ABSURD! How can I-“

“TWILIGHT!” Spike jumped up immediately, his jade green eyes staring intensely at Twilight. A brief pause of silence passed throughout the library like a plague, silencing everything in its wake. However, Spike soon realized where he was, quickly apologized, and sat back down.

“Sorry, everyone, I was just swept away with my thoughts,” giggled an embarrassed Twilight.

“Anyway, I exited my house to consult Applejack to see if she could help me with my problem...”

Twilight galloped intensely out of her house, leaving hoof prints in the soft earth. As she ran, she continued to pull up soil and grass, spraying her hindquarters with Mother Nature. She passed by the center of town square, waved a friendly “hello”to Mayor Mare, and continued to head towards Sweet Apple Acres. As soon as she arrived, she slid to a halt and began scanning the area. With sweat trickling down the bridge of her horn, she heard a familiar voice.

“Hey, Twilight, over here!” shouted Applejack.

“Where are you, I don’t see you!” responded Twilight, her shortness of breath becoming apparent.

“Well golly, Twilight, I’d say you’ve been bucking apple trees for hours on end!” Applejack responded, trotting out of the barn. “Now then, Twi, what seems to be the matter?”

“Applejack, do you know of any other ponies becoming princesses!?!? And how does one fulfill her role with dignity and poise? Is there something I need to study? Do I need to find a lost book or…or…or seek a hidden checklist that contains info about royal duties? Is there –“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down there sugar cube!” AJ interrupted. “Now then, this time, calmly explain why you are bugging out so much."

Twilight drew a long winded breath of air, firmly held it in her chest, and slowly released the air through her nostrils. This seemed to do the trick as Twilight calmed down instantly as she began to speak slower.

“I woke up this morning in a cold sweat. As I removed myself from the thin sheets, I realized I had wings and became a princess overnight. It seems in all of the excitement from yesterday, I fell asleep in the early evening from pure exhaustion. I think I just freaked out a bit when I realized I was now a princess and an alicorn as well. I tried to find a book on princesses of the past, but the only one I know talks about Princess Celestia and Luna. I know that book by heart and it does not mention anywhere in it about how to be a princess, how to act like one, or anything related to the topic! Sorry Applejack, I think I was just flustered and came to you for help,” Twilight said, lowering her head in embarrassment.

“Awww, sugar cube, don’t be embarrassed. These things tend to happen from time to time. Hey, how about we go visit Rainbow Dash and see if she knows anything. Who knows, there might be a princess in Cloudsdale that we never heard anything about,” Applejack said.

“You’re right, Applejack, let’s go!” Twilight said.

“Yee-haw! Alright, what say we get a little move on?” AJ asked.

“Do you mind if we walk there, I sort of exhausted myself running here. Oh, by the way, do you know where she is?”

“Well, if I know Dash, she should be either sleeping in a cloud or playing pranks on people. If I was her, I’d probably be taking a little doozy of a cat nap,” AJ responded.

Twilight nodded her head, turned around, and began walking back to Ponyville. As Twilight walked side-by-side with Applejack, she started to notice the finer details in the changing of seasons from summer to fall. The path they walked upon was scattered with leaves of all varieties and colors. The whispers of the wind would blow softly against the trees, shaking loose leaves from their fragile branches. It felt like Twilight and Applejack were the main stars in Mother Nature’s parade of the ever approaching fall season. The pair could hear the audible crunch sound of the leaves beneath them as they continued to trot down the road. After some time had passed, they had reached their destination and were now walking in Ponyville.

Upon entering the city, Twilight stopped in the middle of the city and began scanning the clouds trying to catch a glimpse of Rainbow Dash. Applejack quickly followed suit, looking everywhere in the sky for a sleeping Pegasus. The duo scanned the clouds, searching for their Pegasus friend. After an hour had passed, Twilight stopped searching and let out a hearty sigh. She closed her eyes and held them shut for a brief moment.

After Twilight opened her eyes, she saw a black stallion walking around the city, his head searching from left to right in a rapid fashion. Twilight didn't know what to think of this as she had never seen this pony before. She saw the horn on top of his head and deemed him to be a lost unicorn.

Upon further investigation, however, she discovered small, black wings held tightly to his sides. The creature’s straight, jet-black mane covered his neck down to his sturdy shoulders. His coat was a metallic black as well, but appeared dull under the bright sunlight. His eyes were crystal blue as they frantically searched through the city. His legs were of average build and his tail was split and ragged, small hairs extending in every direction. His marking was a filled in circle encompassed by a white outlining. The color of the inner circle matched this creature’s coat, an aspect that intrigued Twilight. This creature seemed to have no colorful aspects to him at all, just a dull, worn animal.

Who is he?!?! Twilight thought to herself. He is a unicorn, right? Or is he a Pegasus? He has both features though…Just what is he?!?!

After finishing her thought, Twilight sprinted towards this mysterious creature. Her quick movements caught the attention of her friend, Applejack. Applejack sprinted to cut Twilight off, but her intentions were all for naught.

“Just who and what are you?!” Twilight demanded, her horn glowing with a purple radiance.

“Aaahhh! Who are you?!” the stallion answered, fear in his voice.

“I am Twilight Sparkle. I have never seen a creature like you before in Ponyville. Are you a changeling or something worse? Just what are your intentions, here, huh?” Twilight asked suspiciously.

“Please forgive her, sir, she’s just a little stressed out, that’s all,” Applejack quickly interjected.

“No harm, no foul, after all. My name is Yin-Yang, but you may call me Yang for short. I used to live here, but some time has passed. I appear to be lost in this town and am a little overwhelmed by my return home. Do you think you could show me around? The town here never used to be this big back then. My, times have changed,” answered Yang.

Yang gave a slight smile towards Applejack, but noticed Twilight still glaring at his body. Yang followed Twilight’s eyes to his wings and immediately hung his head, letting out a sigh. He picked his head back up and let out a slight chuckle.

“I see you noticed my wings, huh?” Yang asked. “Well...Miss Twilight Sparkle, was it?”

“Just call me Twilight for short,” she retorted, her gaze fixated on Yang’s face.

“Haha, very well, Twilight. Well these wings are very useless, my dear. While they are real, they are just the result of a spell gone wrong,” Yang said with an embarrassing look upon his face.

“A..A failed spell?” Twilight answered meekly, her horn’s purple glow of magic dissipating.

“Yes,” Yang replied. “You see, I was performing a spell that could reverse one’s attributes. This spell would remove a horn from a unicorn and instead produce wings. This aspect would be the same on a Pegasus. As far as earth ponies go, giving them a horn or wing should be relatively simple; that type of spell is easy to perform.

The spell I was working with was supposed to be temporary and resolve itself after a couple of hours. I planned on using this to brighten ponies’ moods, but in the end, it was a failure. The spell consumed too much magic; I couldn't stop the process as the wings were rapidly appearing on my body. I collapsed on the ground in exhaustion and defeat. The process was simple, but I made a careless mistake... Performing the spell on oneself usually ends in a bad result. Since I was a unicorn, I can’t remove my own horn during the procedure; I can only add to the existing horn, thus giving myself wings.”

“Why did you tell me all of this? We just met after all,” asked Twilight.

"I don't have a filter when things come flying out of my mouth. I have a tendency to say things on my mind without mulling it over first. That does seem to be a problem," Yang mumbled as he held his chin with his hoof.

"Please don't be another Pinkie Pie," said Twilight.

"Who's that?" asked Yang.

"She is a very overly-enthusiastic earth pony; You'll meet her soon enough, though. She's been a great friend of mine for as long as I can remember," said Twilight.

"So is it safe to say that you know your way around this town well?" asked Yang.

"Well, I know almost everypony here and showing you the town would be really simple," said Twilight.

"It seems that you are well received here, yes?" said Yang.

Twilight’s cheeks flared red with embarrassment. “Well, I do try to embody myself as Celestia’s most loyal student,” she answered.

Yang’s expression shifted from one a smile to a smirk of disgust. He quickly shook his head and put on a false smile, pretending that his sour look was just a mirage. Applejack saw this happen, but ignored it, pretending as if nothing had happened.

“Well, Yang, we’d be humble as pie to give you a tour of our town,” Applejack said.

“I would be much obliged, Applejack.”

“Oh, right, I almost forgot! We’re looking for our friend, Rainbow Dash. She’s a blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, probably sleeping on a cloud somewhere. Her cutie mark is one of a multi-colored lightning bolt protruding from a cloud. Have you seen her?” Twilight asked.

“I think I may have,” Yang replied, putting one hoof up to his chin.

“Where did you see her at?” she replied.

“I believe over by the lake. I just came from that direction. I saw your friend piercing clouds and skimming the water’s edge with her outstretched wings,” Yang responded.

“Perfect! Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get a move on, Twi!” Applejack shouted, sprinting ahead of Twilight and Yang.

Yang and Twilight both looked at each other and shrugged, dismissing the quick action. They gave chase after Applejack, their beating of hooves on the ground creating a constant beat. As the three of them continued to sprint towards the lake, they heard a loud and screeching voice.

“Gooooooo Rainbow Daaassssshhhhh!!” shouted the pink pony.

“Ow! My ears! Who is that…ughhhh…pony?” Yang asked, clutching his ears with both hooves.

“Pinkie!!! You’re being too loud again!” Twilight shouted.

“Twilight!! Applejack!! Ummm…random person I haven’t met before, Hii!” Pinkie yelled, flailing both arms in the form of hello waves.

“Pinkie, please, just be a little quitter. You’re hurting our guest’s ears,” Applejack stated politely.

“I just can’t help it! I mean have you seen Dash’s performance? It’s an amazing, spectacular, jaw-dropping, super-duper routine!” Pinkie yelled while hopping up and down.

“Yes, well, it is amazing and all, but still, Pinkie, please lower your voice,” Twilight stated sternly.

This impossible request seemed to work because Pinkie stopped her incessant yelling and sat on the ground, staring at Yang. Pinkie walked over to Yang and began observing him. Yang unclasped his hooves from his ears and rested his body on the ground. Rainbow Dash flew to Pinkie’s position, hovering above the ground as Applejack and Twilight observed the situation around Yang. Pinkie continued to observe Yang as he slowly stood on all four legs.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Yang asked, annoyed by the ever observing Pinkie.

“Well, I just don’t get it,” she replied.

“Get what?” he replied.

“You have a horn and wings? Hmmm, I don’t know, that’s awfully fishy. And I have never seen you before in my life. Are you new here?”

“Well, I’m new to this town. I haven’t been back in a while and I was a little overwhelmed at everything. Oh, I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Yin-Yang. What’s yours?” asked Yang, extending his right hoof.

Pinkie started to chuckle and tears developed in her eyes. She clenched her jaw with all of her might to try to stifle this fit of laughter. She even closed her eyes so tight it seemed as if she was trying to suffocate an insect. She couldn’t hold out for long as huge roars of laughter and waterfalls of tears ran down her face.

“Bwahahahahahaha! Yin-Yang? That’s your name? That’s hilarious!! Wait, wait, and is your middle name Yo-Yo?” Pinkie chortled producing a toy yo-yo. “Am I right, huh? Am I right?”

“No,” Yang declined firmly.

“All right, pinkie, you had your laugh,” said Twilight.

“I know Twilight, sorry, sorry, I just couldn’t”- was all Pinkie said before another cannonball of laughter filled the air. “Sorry about that, my name is Pinkamena Diane Pie, but everyone here just calls me Pinkie. Nice to meet ya!” she said, extending her hoof. She shook Yang’s hoof as he had held it there during her rant, completely forgetting to set it down.

“Likewise,” Yang said. “Oh, as far as my wings go, it was the result of a failed spell I was performing on myself.”

“Just like Twilight!” Pinkie blurted out.

Twilight grew red in the face as Applejack and Rainbow Dash stifled their giggling.

“Out of curiosity, where is Rarity and Fluttershy?” asked Applejack.

“Well Rarity is out shopping for fabric right now and Fluttershy is having a picnic with Discord,” Pinkie replied.

“Where is Fluttershy?!” Yang ecstatically shouted.

“Well, if my memory is correct, she should be in a straight line from here,” Pinkie replied pointing her hoof to the left side of him.

“There’s no time to waste!! Discord must be stopped here and now!” Yang yelled, sprinting as if he was on fire.

“Wait!” shouted Twilight, but to no avail.

Yang was running as fast as a speeding bullet towards Discord as the trio of ponies chased after him. The solo Pegasus quickly flapped her wings in a flurry of colored light as she continued to observe him from a distance in the sky. It didn’t take long to reach Fluttershy’s picnic spot as Yang slid himself to a halt. Rainbow Dash gently flapped her wings towards the ground, slowing her momentum with perfect grace and poise. The other three finally caught up to Rainbow Dash and Yang, all of them sweating and gasping for air.

“Wait,” said Twilight. “How do you know Discord? Also, Discord has changed; he only uses his magic for good now.”

“I see what’s going on here. Discord has tricked all of you into believing he has changed his dark ways. He is the god of chaos and nothing can change that fact!” Yang shouted, sprinting towards Discord and Fluttershy once again.

Rainbow Dash attempted to cut him off, but Yang cast a teleportation spell, instantly delivering him within arm’s reach of Discord.

“Oh my!” said Fluttershy, startled by the sudden appearance.

“Oh, what have we here, more guests? Come, come, sit down and enjoy yourself. There’s still plenty of food left. Relax and take it easy,” Discord said calmly, putting his paw around Yang.

“I know you, Discord; how you went against Celestia and Luna. I know how you challenged them to be the ruler of Equestria. My only question is how you were set free,” Yang said, removing Discord’s paw from his shoulder.

“We released Discord...All of us,” responded Twilight.

Yang stood there wide-eyed and dumbfounded. His jaw stretched all the way to the ground with Discord firmly pushing it back into place.

“Discord!” Yang yelled.

“Sorry, sorry, it’s just a joke. I couldn’t resist with the way you stood there all wide eyed and speechless. This was just the most perfect time to make your jaw LITERALLY drop! I mean, it’s an instant classic!” Discord said, chuckling and snickering while speaking.

“Why did you free him?” Yang asked Twilight.

“It was a request from Celestia. Fluttershy here transformed Discord from an out of control draconequus into a normal person! Well…almost normal,” Twilight responded.

“Well, if your friend here really did such a thing,” Yang replied.

“Oh, yes, it took some time, but I was finally able to convince him,” Fluttershy responded.

“Since she’s the first friend I ever had; I simply can’t go against her,” replied Discord.

Yang’s expression changed from one of admiration to one of sadness.

“You really don’t remember me?” asked Yang.

“Hmmm, you do look somewhat familiar on second glance,” replied Discord, removing his eyes from their sockets. “Let’s get a better look, shall we?”

Discord took his eyes and rolled them at Yang’s feet. They eyes stared up at Yang as they slowly dissolved into the ground. Discord reappeared with a monocle and a corn cob pipe sitting in a fancy red chair. The armrests were long, curled chunks of chocolate. He easily ripped a piece of the armrest and popped it into his mouth. As he crunched the chocolate, the chair spun around Yang slowly. As it picked up speed, Yang became dizzy trying to follow it.

Yang fell over onto something soft, yet painful. As Yang’s eyes stopped spinning, he slowly realized what was supporting him. Discord had transformed himself into a mattress with restraining straps for his arms. As Yang struggled to be free, Discord changed himself from a mattress back into his original form. Yang fell to the ground with a thump as Discord had his claw resting underneath his chin.

“Nope,” was the reply from the god of chaos.

“Discord, you really don’t remember me?!” Yang answered. Yang’s sigh was filled with disappointment before he continued, “Well, maybe this will jolt your memory,” he said, closing his eyes. “I will be the king of this here place; I will rule and conquer each and every race”-

“Chaos will spread throughout this entire land; And with it, destruction shall be close at hand,” continued Discord, his eyes literally becoming big saucer plates.

“It can’t be. No, it really cannot be you. Yin-Yang!?!” Discord shouted before disappearing into a cloud of smoke.