Ten years ago, Twilight and Luna fought each other in what was supposed to only be a spar to test the unicorn’s abilities. She and Luna had fought, with the princess teaching her important lessons when it came to combat. She was taught to be creative, unpredictable, and most importantly, to steel herself and not refrain from attacking no matter who her adversary was.
These were, however, only the first lessons she was taught. There were many more that she had to learn, and only through continued training could she be taught. A few days after they had healed from their injuries, Luna approached Celestia and asked for her aid. Together, the two of them cleared a large area in the mountains and surrounded the resulting plateau in containment spells strong enough to hold back any stray spells.
Twilight was offered to become a student of Luna’s as well as Celestia’s, though not a student of magic or friendship, but of war and combat. Naturally, the prospect of learning had greatly excited the young unicorn, but the topic had her somewhat anxious. She’d be trained to kill, of that Luna had assured her, to incapacitate foes as well as to defend herself. When asked if she still wanted to be taught, she had accepted saying that she had decided to learn all there was about magic long ago. She wasn’t going to let apprehension of one branch of magic stop her.
Eight years ago, he had been released from his prison of stone and given a second chance. He had found a friend in a pony and vowed to use his powers to aid ponykind, to lay his chaotic ways behind him.
In the years that passed, Discord had done what he could do to help ponies, preventing natural disasters from the vast everfree for one. He had done everything he could, done his very best to not spread chaos in any way. To sum everything up, not even the smallest amount of chaos had remained.
The unicorn had transcended her mortal coil but seven years ago, giving her the wings that symbolised so much more than just the ability to fly. The true spark of Magic had been awoken within her and given her both immortality and immeasurable power.
Celestia had informed her that it was a side effect of the Elements, that being a bearer eventually meant ascending. When she questioned why the other bearers, her friends, had not yet ascended, Celestia told her that the time of ascension was different from bearer to bearer. It would happen, but no one could ever say when. It might very well happen seconds before their last breath, but it would come to pass. When asked why it was so, the sun goddess replied that she did not know, that the Elements were a mystery to her as much as they were to Twilight.
After years of training, Twilight found out that the powers she had received would have to be put to use. Someone she had considered a friend had turned their back against her, had turned from good to pursue whatever madness had possessed him.
Creating chaos and mischief was his nature, what defined him. Having been deprived of that possibility he started slowly succumbing to insanity. He went against what his nature dictated and paid the price. His sanity left him and he was left with only the desire to create chaos of any kind. Spontaneous wars between villages broke out, diseases hit country towns like a freight train, and crops wilted overnight.
Chaos was one half of order, one half of nature, but only if controlled. Uncontrolled chaos such as this, had to be put down.
Things had been quiet that day. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had been visiting Canterlot for an extended weekend of shopping, dinner, and just spending a relaxing weekend with friends. Spike had been offered to go along but had responded with putting a finger in his mouth, making gagging sounds. He apparently didn’t like the idea of joining a girls’ weekend out.
It was currently the second day of three, and a private lunch with the Luna and Celestia had been scheduled-all credit of Twilight Sparkle, newest princess of Equestria. Cadence would have been there, but political matters in the Crystal Empire kept her from seeing her sisters.
“I hope you girls won’t mind having to wait a little bit outside of the courtroom. We’re a little early so there is probably one last petitioner preaching his case,” Twilight told her friends as they made their way up the streets towards Canterlot Castle.
“I’m good. Don’t see no reason to be impatient; they’re the princesses after all. Must be mite busy all day long, I reckon,” Applejack replied, adjusting her stetson as she walked.
“I agree with Applejack. The princesses must be terribly busy with all the work they are expected to do to rule the country.”
“I’m not sure it’s all the princesses, Rarity. I mean, I don’t feel very busy at the moment.” Seven years of spending half your time with the trickster god Discord, and the prankster diarchs, had made Twilight become more of a joking character than usual, a fact which both Pinkie and Rainbow had taken as a blessing.
“You know perfectly well what I mean, Twilight,” Rarity huffed. Only to let a sly smile crack the mask of pretense. “Apologies, Dear, but it is still strange to think that you have become a princess, let alone an alicorn!”
“Hah, I’m not complaining! I mean, seriously, she’s got wings! I’ve always wanted to show you guys what the sky is like, and I finally got the chance with Twilight! Too bad it’s probably a one-time thing.” Rainbow sagged slightly, somewhat downtrodden by the prospect of only being able to fly with two of her friends.
If only you knew, Twilight thought with a barely-hidden smirk. She had yet to tell her friends that ascension was coming to all bearers of the elements of harmony. She had meant to tell them about it since she found out a year ago, back when she had finally noticed how she still looked young, but her friends showed signs of age already. She had brought up the question of immortality and had been told that, yes, she was immortal. She was a part of the world as much as the ground upon which she stood and the air she breathed, and would stay with the world for as long as the world existed.
Having expressed her sadness at having to watch her friends and family wither away and die, Luna had explained that bearing an Element meant that they would eventually transcend their mortal coil. When she asked about Cadence, Luna told her that Cadence was the bearer of Kindness and generosity back in eons past when she, Celestia, and Luna had first found the elements and defeated Discord. She then went on the brief explain that the reason for Cadence’s lack of presence in the history books was that her domain was love, something that happened in the background, so to speak. It wasn’t as big or ‘important’ (according to historians) as the Sun and Moon being raised and lowered.
So while Twilight still dreaded having to watch her brother, parents and friends age and die, she was still happy to hear that her fellow bearers, and five best friends, along with Cadence, would continue to live together with her.
“We’re here!” Twilight was shocked out of her reverie by Pinkie exclaiming their arrival at the castle gates. A pair of guards offered the princess and her entourage a salute before they opened the doors into the courtroom. Celestia had evidently finished early.
The six of them trotted past the guards and into the large room, making a beeline for the far end where Celestia and Luna stood side by side, waiting for them.
“It is good to see you, everypony,” Luna greeted with a smile. “Lunch has been arranged for in the gardens.” She and Celestia turned towards a door behind the throne. “If you would follow us, please.” They all followed the two alicorns as they made their way through the door. It lead to a long corridor with numerous doors lining the walls all the way down. It wasn’t much to look at as only a few plain tapestries of the Equestrian flag and a few pedestals with small marble statues on them occupied some of the space between the doors.
The third door to the left lead them into another corridor.
“Eight minutes,” Pinkie said as they went through another door some minutes later.
“One door!” she exclaimed as they passed one door before walking down a set of stairs.
“Fifteen hoofsteps,” were her next words. They had reached the bottom of the rather small staircase when she said it.
“Nineteen seconds!” she declared triumphantly, the group having finally exited the castle and trotted into the gardens.
“Uuh… What was that about?” Rainbow Dash whispered to Applejack, gesturing at Pinkie.
“I have no idea… Maybe she wanted ta say somethin’ random? She is Pinkie after all.” Rainbow could not argue with that and just nodded, following the others towards a small roofless gazebo.
The next few minutes were spent with idle chatter as they each recounted the latest happenings in their life to each other, bringing their friends up to speed on the goings-on.
“So, Applejack,” Celestia said suddenly, “I heard from Twilight a few weeks back that you had expressed a wish for a foal. May I ask how it’s going on that front?”
A heavy blush spread across the farmer’s freckled cheeks, and every pair of eyes present turned to her. She tipped the brim of her hat downwards in a futile attempt to hide her face. “We… My husband and I, we’re still tryin’.” She gulped and chuckled nervously. “Haven’t had much luck, though. Reckon it’s ‘cause it’s still a while ‘till season.”
Celestia nodded, satisfied. Not because she had gotten an answer, but because she had managed to successfully make one of the most stoic ponies she knew blush. “I wish you the best of luck, then. Say hello to Granite for me when next you see him then… That is your husband’s name, correct?” Applejack nodded.
The food arrived and they all ate in companionable silence. The lunch was supposed to have been a light one, but the chefs apparently had a different idea of the word ‘light’, as they had made what amounted to an entire buffet. Several kinds of bread, with pancakes, waffles, fruit, and whatever else one could imagine seeing in a five star hotel’s breakfast buffet, and this was ’light’.
An hour of idle chat, sharing stories and poking fun at each other at every given opportunity had passed when a stallion in a full set of armour came bolting through the gardens, stopping just short of crashing into the gazebo.
“What is the matter, Lieutenant?” Celestia asked with her carefully crafted mask of neutrality covering her face. The stallion was sweaty and out of breath, and seeing as he was interrupting a private lunch with the three princesses and five guests, then the news could only be severe.
“It… It…” He continued panting as he tried to formulate a reply.
“Take your time, Lieutenant,” Twilight said from across the table, “catch your breath first, then tell us what happened.” Celestia cast a quick glance at Twilight, a faint proud smile could only just be seen if one looked.
“T-Thank you, Princess.” He stood, breathing deeply for the next half minute or so before he finally straightened and scanned the table, stopping at Celestia, and spoke. “We just got word from eastern Equestria. The report claims that minor disagreements have evolved into full-blown wars between towns and cities. Some have even taken up arms and attacked other towns unprovoked. What’s more, there are reports of crops wilting overnight and other towns, some of those not attacking or defending themselves, have been victims of sudden epidemics.”
“Casualties?” Luna demanded.
“A few hundreds,” the lieutenant replied, bowing his head in shame. “What’s more, we have no idea what the cause is. This report is only two days old according to the date, and it says that everything started two days before that. I suspect the casualties number in at least two thousand by now.”
“And why are we only hearing about this now?” The smaller of the diarchs demanded.
“Whatever has happened in the east, it has kept them busy,” the stallion replied. “The pegasus that came with it seemed like his mind was almost broken. Seemed like the only thing he had fully retained was the need for the message to get to you. Everything else seemed to have been twisted. I suspect that he isn’t the first runner, either. Whatever happened hit him hard. That delay must be what caused this may be what kept the news from reaching us sooner.”
Luna and Celestia shared a worried glance and both nodded. A golden aura surrounded Celestia’s horn. “Discord.” She spoke that one name and her horn extinguished.
Moment’s later the Draconequus appeared beside them in a flash of light. He seemed a bit bigger than usual, though he still appeared the same trickster he had always been.
“You called?”
“Yes, I’m glad you could come, Discord. Trouble is brewing in the east; crops are dying overnight, spontaneous wars and epidemics have swept across the eastern towns. Would you go and take a look at it? Perhaps find out who is the culprit.”
“Wars? Epidemics? Failing crops?” He put a claw to his forehead and looked as if he was about to swoon. “My dear Celestia, that is horrible! I can only imagine the state those poor ponies are in. Oh, how I grieve for them!”
“Discord,” Luna interrupted. “Do you know anything about this?”
“Who? Me?” He looked almost wounded as he placed his clawed hand on his chest in offense. “I have never! Would my dear friends really associate me with the likes of the one who did all of those horrendous things?” He swept his gaze across the entire table, stopping when he locked eyes with the lieutenant who was staring at him with an accusatory look.
“Is there something the matter, Lieutenant?”
“The report mentioned sightings of a non-pony creature, but no specifics. Furthermore, you said ‘the one who did all these things’. You sound as if you know who did it?”
“Where are your manners, young man!?” Discord exclaimed. He turned to Celestia. “Celestia, dear, is this really how raise your ponies? To be suspicious the draconequus offering to expose the culprit? Why, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were accusing me of these chaotic catastrophes.”
The eyes of everypony around the table widened in disbelief at what they had just heard. None of the truly believed their own ears, but when putting two and two together, it wasn’t hard to find out exactly what was going on.
“It’s you!” Luna roared, standing up with her wings aggressively. “You are the one who have spread this misery!”
Collective gasps sounded around the table from everyone, save Celestia, as the mismatch of creatures that was Discord just laughed at their reactions. “You are both right and wrong, my dear Luna. Yes, it is indeed I that have done all of these things, but!”
He looked the lunar princess dead in the eyes. “It is not misery, it is chaos, something that is necessary for order to be upheld. You have kept me from spreading chaos of even the smallest kind for years, so now I have taken the forceful approach. I will spread chaos into this world whether you like it or not.” His entire demeanor took a one eighty as he suddenly smiled. “It’s for the good of the world, after all. Without chaos, order will fall out of balance and the world will eventually collapse. Look at it like this, my little ponies, I’m doing you a favor by saving the world for a change. You should thank me if anything!”
“Why should we thank you?” Twilight demanded, standing up and trotting around the table to face Discord. “You’ve killed and brought ruin to families and friends, turned them against each other for no reason other than your own entertainment!”
Anger briefly flashed across the draconequus’ visage but was gone as fast as it appeared. “You’re wrong my little, naive pony. As your ingenious brain may have already caught up on, I said that what I spread isn’t misery, it’s chaos! One half of order, one half of the force necessary to keep the world at balance. The ying to the yang. It is necessary, Twilight Sparkle. Far more so now than it was years ago before I was forced by you and your kind to abandon my purpose of existence! For eight long years I have kept my urges at bay, valued your opinions of me higher than the fate of the world, but I’ve had enough. If Mortal Chaos that wipes out ponykind is what is needed to bring the world back into equilibrium, then so be it!”
Everyone, even Celestia and Luna, were staring at Discord in shock, terror shining in the eyes of everyone save the three alicorns.
“Girls, get the Elements!” Celestia urged, urging them to hurry with a hoof.
“Oh-hoh, I’m afraid not,” Discord interrupted and raised a yellow, glowing claw. A bubble surrounded the small gazebo and the lieutenant. “You ponies wait there while I save the world you have chosen to neglect.”
“Not so fast, Discord. You still have me to deal with.”
He whirled around and saw Twilight standing tall with wings spread to their fullest. Gone was the surprised and shocked mare from before, replaced with an imposing alicorn of tremendous power as at least the celestial sisters.
“Ah, as expected of the Element of Magic; able to analyse and escape my spell before it is even cast. I was right all those years ago… do you remember what I said? Magic; the most elusive and powerful of them all.” He chuckled and opened his mouth to say something more but was interrupted by Luna.
“Twilight! We know he is powerful, but keep him occupied for some time. My sister and I can break this spell, but we require time. Keep him busy while we break free and retrieve the elements!”
“Oh shush, Miss Pwetty Pwincess,” he snapped his claws and further words were cut off. Turning towards Twilight, he grinned widely at her; a grin that promised pain for her, and fun for him. “So, Twilight Sparkle. Do you want me to end this quickly or do you want it slow? You saw how it went the first time we met and your supposedly ‘failsafe’ spell failed. What chance is there for your other spells to succeed?” He chuckled hollowly. “Just give up, the only magic that works against me is the magic of the elements of harmony, and since you can’t get to them, what will you do?”
Twilight’s expression didn’t change. Before the draconequus stood not Twilight the Librarian, but Twilight the Alicorn, princess of Equestria and powerful sorceress. “Do not underestimate me, Discord.” She glanced behind him to see her friends staring back at her with worry etched into every feature, Celestia and Luna stood with their eyes closed and horns glowing brightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of things from here.” She looked back at Discord. “Let’s take this somewhere else. I don’t want to risk hurting anypony innocent.”
He rubbed his clawed paw against his chest and inspected it as if to see if they were clean enough. “I don’t think so. I kinda like it he-”
“I wasn’t asking.” A bright flash of magenta cut Discord off as both he and Twilight disappeared from Canterlot, reappearing in a large clearing in the middle of the Everfree.
Discord, to his credit, managed to keep his surprise to only staring around him open-mouthed, inspecting the surrounding area as if to find some proof that what he was seeing wasn’t real.
“I-Impossible!” He turned around sharply and glared at the alicorn. “How did you do that! Petty magic does not work on me! Celestia and Luna; Powerless when confronted with me, yet you are capable of this. How!? Did you transform the entirety of Canterlot to look like the Everfree?” He grinned darkly. “Of course. There’s no way you petty princesses could actually affect me with your magic. Now,” he extended his paw to where the bubble with the captives would have been located. “Say goodbye to your friends.”
Twilight didn’t even flinch as the area he was pointing at exploded, sending tree splinters flying everywhere and leaving a sizable crater in the ground. “They’re not here, Discord, this is the Everfree Forest.” She lowered her head, pointing her horn at him in a decidedly threatening manner. “I teleported us here. If that isn’t proof enough that my magic works on you, then…” a bolt of raw energy fired from her horn and sped towards Discord.
It was blocked by him extending one arm and catching the bolt with his paw. A small scorch mark of singed fur was all the evidence of anything to have even hit him. “Is that truly all, Twilight?” He grinned. “I must say I am disappointed in you, my dear. I had expected much more from the Element of Magic.”
“Magic Bolt; weakest offensive spell in existence, and used at only one percent power.” Her voice was emotionless, betraying nothing save her determination to keep him busy for as long as she could, if not defeat him altogether. “You have killed thousands, injured more and brought pain to far too many, Discord, not to mention that you threatened, and tried, to kill my friends.” Her horn flared brightly. She glared up at him through her eyelashes. “You’ve gone too far, Discord, I won’t allow you to do this ever again.”
“My patience has reached its limits, I will be rid of you!” Summoning a ball of green matter he threw it at Twilight who erected a magenta barrier, effectively blocking the blast. The ground in front of the shield caved in, creating a small crater in front of her.
At Twilight’s command, the shield condensed to a small point and shot forward with such speed and force that it blew the draconequus away, sending him crashing through several trees before stopping himself in midair with a powerful stroke of his wings, small as they may be.
Growling, he spun around and flung two more balls of energy, incinerating any tree they came in contact with. Magic flowed out from Twilight’s body and soon took tangible form, surging forward, impaling and dispelling the orbs, and went directly for Discord. Neither found their mark as he disappeared in a flash, reappearing beside the alicorn.
He gave her no time to react as his tail crashed into her, sending her flying much like she had done with him. A bubble of shimmering energy materialised around her and softened her landing. A quick teleport and she was on her hooves again, facing the adversary, and already charging her next spell. A white ring appeared above her head like a halo and, which with a flick of her neck, was sent flying.
An curved barrier flickered into existence before Discord and redirected the halo back to its caster. Her horn flared briefly, flashing magenta and teleporting herself several feet behind him.
“You’re quite the crafty one, are you not?” Discord asked as he turned around, completely ignoring the explosion that the redirected halo caused. “I would have expected this much of a fight from Celestia or Luna when they fought seriously,” he tapped a claw on his chin, “but I have a feeling that you’re hardly serious yet.”
“I want to avoid unnecessary damage to the environment. This may be the Everfree, but it is part of the land as much as anything else. It deserves to stay and live as any other forest.”
“Ooh? And what makes you say that?” He inquired.
“Someone told me.”
“Who?” It wasn’t a question, it was a demand. That much as clear from his tone of voice.
Twilight refused to answer and instead charged forward, her entire body empowered with her own magic so as to enable her to run much faster than should be possible. A cone of energy shimmered into existence in front of her. She crashed headfirst into a barrier of Discord’s own design, but held her ground. She continued to push, forcing her barrier against his as he struggled to hold her back.
A powerful flap of her wings brought her airborne. Her barrier dissipated, and a ray of searing heat instead battered on his shield, quickly sending cracks all over it. It soon shattered, the ray breaking through and clipping his reptilian wing. He roared on pain and teleported behind the alicorn, aiming a crushing blow at her neck with his tail.
It had worked once but would not work again. It was quickly blocked, but the force still sent her plummeting towards the ground. She twisted her wings to adjust her position and managed to only leave a shallow trench in the ground.
A cloud had been summoned above her as she landed and let loose a cotton candy pink lightning strike just when she regained her footing. She screamed as pain coursed through her, singing her fur in several places. Her muscles spasmed and locked up, allowing no movement. She had no time to regain her bearings as Discord teleported beside her and grabbed her by the tail.
With a mighty swing that belied greater physical strength than his scrawny build seemed capable of, Twilight was flung high into the air.
“You’re no more of a challenge than Celestia was!” the mad god exclaimed, summoning an orb of crimson energy and threw it at her.
He grinned; she was done for. The lightning strike had locked up her muscles long enough that she wouldn’t be able to react to the blow. Laughter erupted from his throat as he watched the orb home in on its target, the size of it already blocking his view of the alicorn. Just moments later and it would hit.
It was cleaved in two.
The two halves of the orb fizzled and then faded into nothing. Twilight was hovering in the air with singed fur marring her shoulder and left leg.
Beside her floated a glaive, four feet in all. Its foot-length, gently curving blade was comprised of a metal so dark that it seemed to drink in the very light around it. The shaft of the weapon was a deep purple, the color of its handle broken only by a shimmering silver decorative pattern.
Much to his dismay, Discord was caught by surprise as she angled herself downward and let gravity aid her in her charge towards him. The glaive was brought down in a sharp vertical slash, one which cut deep in the draconequus’ arm as he attempted to block.
A white flash and he was gone, standing a good thirty feet away. The wound on his arm was healing slowly, a yellow glow covering it as the flesh stitched itself together. Twilight, for her part, stood stoically, her weapon hovering beside her. He could not help but notice that there was not a single drop of blood on the blade.
“So you wanna play with weapons, huh?” A giant, double bladed greataxe flashed into existence, Discord’s paw-like hand holding it like it weighed as much as a twig. “Let’s play.”
He bent his legs and shot forward in a mad dash towards Twilight, holding the axe high. It was brought down onto her in a sharp, diagonal swing.
The clang of metal against metal filled the valley as the axe was redirected towards the ground, the butt of Twilight’s glaive then hitting Discord in the chest. He stumbled backwards but give no pause as three orbs of concussive force slammed into him, sending him sprawling on the ground and heaving for air.
“I don’t want to fight you, Discord. You were my friend. Celestia and Luna were your friends, too. Give up and come back with me. We used the Elements to banish the Nightmare, I’m sure we can banish whatever madness has possessed you.”
“I- I am not MAD!” The chaos god roared, standing up and looking at the alicorn with barely restrained anger burning in his eyes. “The world is out of balance! I need to spread chaos to restore that balance, and you are standing in my way!”
Twilight shook her head. He truly was mad, and she could not persuade him no matter what she said or did. She could only fight and try to defeat him.
Her wings spread almost on their own accord, lightning arcing between the feathers as she lowered her head and pointed her horn straight forward. The currents of electricity jumping between her feathers quickly grew in intensity until a large lightning strike surged forward and went directly for Discord.
The lightning never hit its mark as an iron pole summoned by the draconequus redirected it and sent it into the ground. A second iron pole popped out of the ground not far from Twilight and sent the very same lightning towards towards her, missing only by inches due to a quick flap of her wings.
Discord charged forward again with his axe, delivering a sweeping horizontal strike. Twilight dodged by quickly looping backwards, stabbing at her foe with the same movement.
He quickly moved the massive axe in front of him, blocking the stab and slapping the glaive away with a quick twist of the blade. His right hand extended and sent a cone of flame forward to engulf Twilight.
Steam filled the air as the flames and the water summoned by Twilight collided.
They both teleported away from each other, waiting for the other to make the next move. Twilight made the first move and fired off three orbs, each pitch black with purple markings. Neither of them directly hit Discord, a fact which perplexed him, but instead surrounded him.
His confusion ended the second they all activated. From each of them emanated an immense gravity focused solely on the creature they surrounded. Each of the orbs attempted to draw him towards itself but neither of them succeeded as the pull from the others kept him centered.
Discord roared as he felt his joints dislocate from the sheer force of the pull. He felt his insides being ripped outwards, the skin of his body attempting to rip itself off of him. He felt his entire body try rip itself apart.
His roar changed into a shout of defiance.
“The laws of nature, no matter in what way they show themselves, can never defeat me!” His entire body glowed briefly and the orbs’ gravitational fields shifted inwards. Each of the orbs collapsed in on itself, imploding and generating powerful shockwaves which were redirected by Discord and sent directly towards Twilight.
Twilight found herself lying in front of a boulder shortly after. She had attempted to shield herself, but not even that had been enough to completely block the force of her gravity orbs imploding. She looked up and saw Discord walking closer with his axe held in one hand.
He was suddenly in front of her, his axe held high, and slashed downwards. Twilight had somehow retained the grip on her glaive and brought it up to save her from death in the nick of time. The sharp edge of the axe hovered just inches from her face and it was slowly getting closer.
“Bye bye, little princess!” Discord mocked and pushed harder.
“No.” A blast of raw telekinetic power emitted from Twilight and sent the draconequus flying. He stopped midair and glared down at her. She stood back up and took to the air.
Her horn flared bright and numerous bolts of energy surrounded her during her ascent. They were almost immediately fired at him upon their summoning, screaming through the air towards their target.
Cottoncandy-pink barriers, each no larger than a plate, caught almost all and extinguished them. A few made their way through but were mostly dodged. A single one strafed his shoulder but didn’t otherwise harm him.
He’s powerful, Twilight mused, stopping her ascent some distance away from him. I won’t be able to defeat him with just class four spells. I need to up it to class three, at least, if I want to have a chance at beating him. She closed her eyes and erected a powerful spheric shield around herself. She called out to the world around her, specifically the sky. What she was doing was slow magic, but powerful indeed.
A loud boom resounded from Discord’s axe impacting with Twilight’s shield. It was completely transparent and, as was just proven, incredibly powerful. The only downside of it was that she could not feed it while she concentrated on her other spell. Cracks spread across the transparent surface like a spider’s web from Discord’s continuous strikes, looking as if the air itself was being cracked open.
The sound of glass shattering filled the air, the barrier finally shattering. In that instant, a massive lightning struck down. But it wasn’t Discord that was hit. It was the glaive which Twilight still held in her magic.
The bright flash that accompanied the lightning blinded Discord, and he flailed backwards wildly to avoid getting hit. To his utter surprise, the alicorn was hovering as if nothing had happened at all. The only proof that something had indeed happened was the energy crackling and arcing across her entire body. Even he had to admit that she truly did look imposing.
She disappeared in a flash, but not a teleport, and reappeared by his side, weapon raised high. He had barely any time to react as the midnight black blade slashed down in a blur, cutting deep into his arm. It left a stinging sensation that felt more like frostbite than anything. One thing he did notice was that his wound didn’t heal.
He was given little time to recover from the blow as Twilight’s horn flared to life and pierced his body with a red spear of energy that sent him crashing towards the ground. While it pierced him, it didn’t do any physical harm that could be seen. His adversary, somehow empowered from the lightning, had moved above him and slammed the butt of the glaive at his neck. He hit the ground hard, leaving a shallow trench in the ground from trying to stop his momentum as he slid across the ground.
Twilight watched from above, scouring the ground beneath her to try to relocate the chaos god. Clouds of dirt from the impact obscured her vision and nothing could be seen save felled trees.
Pain flared between her wing, and she soon found herself plummeting towards the ground at speeds that would kill any pegasus. She registered nothing save pain for a few moments before she regained her senses. Pain still flared in her back and dust filled her nose. She stood up and craned her neck backwards, frowning at the large bruise already forming.
Her horn flared with a bright green aura that spread to the spot where she had been hit, probing the flesh and bone for any damage underneath the skin. There was nothing out of the ordinary save the pain which left a painful twinge every time she moved the wing. A quick testing flap proved that it was still fully functional, albeit with a sharp soreness.
She looked up and spotted Discord peering down, trying to see through the cloud of dust much like she had. His axe was gone, apparently lost or shattered at some point, and instead replaced by a large candycane which he held like any other weapon. She knew that it was not to be underestimated. It had managed to deliver an almost crushing blow after all.
Class three isn’t powerful enough. He one-upped that way too easily. Twilight internally groaned. If he kept one-upping her like this, she’d be out of options quickly. She glanced at her side and watched the small cracks that had appeared in her own weapon. Empowering herself with the raw power of lightning hadn’t been kind to her weapon. It wouldn’t take much more and would probably break after one or two swings.
At her command, a blast of wind blew out from around her to clear away the cloud of dust and dirt.
“Discord!” She called, flaring her wings and revealing that his blow had done nothing but bruise her. “Stop this madness at once, or I will have to put you down!” She didn’t quite believe that he would listen to her… but she had to try.
He chuckled darkly. “No chance, I’m afraid!” he called back from above. “You’ll have to put me down if you want. Too bad I’m a part of this world, a part that can never be removed. Chaos is one half of order, something that must be there!”
No more time for exchanging words were given as he threw the candy cane at her and immediately followed it up with several blasts of multihued blasts of energy.
Twilight’s glaive shot forward in response, parrying and shattering the candy cane and batting away two more of the energy blasts before it shattered. Now left with nothing but her own magic, she summoned an arcane circle in front of her and let chains of pure energy shoot forth. The rest of the arcane blasts thrown at her by Discord dispersed at contact with the chains, yet they never slowed.
Discord watched as one chain wrapped itself around his wrist faster than he could react, then another around his cloven hoof, and another and another until every limb was restrained. He growled as he thrashed against the magical chains, constantly trying to release himself of their bonds.
“Go with me, peacefully, and we can cure you. we’ll use the Elements to bring you back to good.” Twilight had taken to the air and now floated some distance away from him, looking at him with pity rather than anger.
”I DON’T NEED TO BE CURED! I NEED TO SAVE THE WORLD!” And just like that, the chains shattered. The shockwave sending Twilight tumbling backwards at least twenty feet before she righted herself.
She had no time to react as a devastating blast of chaotic magic crashed into her, then another, and another, and another, and another.
Discord wildly flung bolt after bolt of pure force at her, never ceasing, never giving her pause. He had held back before, but no more. His strikes continued to batter the alicorn, each one damaging her more than the other.
I can’t do anything, Twilight thought with increasing despair. She tried to erect a shield, but it was immediately crushed. Partly due to the force behind his continuous strikes but also her concentration wavering. I… I’m so- She was cut off as a blast more powerful than the others sent her hurtling towards the ground, a large crater forming around her from the impact.
She lay there, bruised and battered. A wing broken, one leg torn clean off. A good portion of her left flank was missing, leaving only half a cutie mark left. Several cuts and burns marred her body, pain surging through every cell of her body.
She weakly looked up at the mad god glaring furiously down at her. Both his hands glowed as he charged up his next spell; The one that would finally kill her. She couldn’t believe it. She had failed Celestia, failed Luna. She had failed the world, but most important; she had failed her friends.
I am so sorry… I wanted to protect you all, but I ended up just dying. She closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable as the tears slid down her bloody cheeks. I did nothing…I-forgive me.
...No! I will not give up! I must… find… a way. Searching for some scrap of power left over. She found nothing but refused to give in and just let herself die. She wouldn’t let her friends die. Nor would she let anything or anyone else suffer at his claw.
She dug deeper, diving into the very core of her divine being for some final scrap of power that would give her a fighting chance once again. But as the blood flowed from her wounds, so, too, did whatever magic she had bleed from her being. She grit her teeth in frustration as the first tear hit the ground beneath her. It was all lost. She had lost.
”All is not lost, Twilight Sparkle.” Twilight’s eyes shot open at the voice invading her mind. She had heard it before, but she didn’t dare think she’d ever hear it again.
What do you mean? I can’t do anything. He took me by surprise and overpowered me… He’s stronger than I am.
The voice in her head sounded almost amused as it spoke next. ”That is where you are wrong, Twilight. I chose you as Magic for a reason. Not because you have a talent for magic, but because you are magic. You are a part of this world, something meant to be here like the Sun and the Moon-”
What about Discord?
The voice continued as if it had not been interrupted. ”I will aid you as I can, but that is all I can do. You know who I am, so you know my ways. Take the corruption of my being and use it against him who fathered it. You have my permission.”
What do you mean?
”Look around you.”
Twilight looked around her and saw the craters that she and Discord had created, both from missed spells and falling. She watched the broken trees and those that had yet to. She saw the Everfree Forest, and she understood.
”You have my permission.”
And with those parting words, Twilight felt strength return to her body. Her flesh knitted itself together, her wing set itself in place with a loud “crack” and her leg regrew.
She rose carefully and noted that most of her injuries had disappeared, but only the life threatening ones; burns and cuts were still present at some places.
Glaring up at the mad god, she flapped her wings once and almost immediately reached the same altitude as him. She was forcefully pushing her magic out of her body, creating an imposing spectacle crackling with energy coursing along her entire body, so much so that it continuously emitted from her body in waves. What made her look truly dangerous was her white glowing eyes. They showed no emotion.
“I have given you your last chance, Discord,” the goddess of magic spoke, her voice thrumming with power. “I will give you no more. You refused to be ridden of your madness, so I have no other choice but to rid you of your existence.” Her horn flared to life, shining a bright blue. Discord cast a blast of energy at her but it never reached her. It was simply dispelled.
”You don’t understand!” he roared. ”Only I can save the world! It is doomed, and only I can save it!”
“You are the one dooming the world, Discord. You want to plunge it into chaos, you want to destroy it for your own gain. Don’t deny it. Your actions are those that will eventually destroy the world. I will not let you destroy the world!”
His entire body was surrounded in a yellow glow. The power he drew in almost saturated the air as he fought to contain it within his body for the blast he would soon unleash. ”I will not be stopped! I spread chaos to gain power! The more chaos, the more power. I will destroy the world with that power. Destroy and remake it! Save it! And you’re standing in the way of me getting that power!”
For the first time since she had risen into the air, an emotion flashed across her features. Her white glowing eyes burned with anger, her mouth twisted in a grimace of barely restrained disgust.
She stretched her wings out to their fullest and ceased flapping, letting the magic she now surrounded herself with carry her.
“Power? You want Power!?” The alicorn snarled, baring her teeth. The trees beneath her started wilting, their life energies feeding the alicorn with their power. More and more trees whittled away and died as their life was taken from them, leaving nothing but a black husk. ”Witness the power of the world you would betray, Discord!” The blue glow around her horn intensified tenfold, more and more of the everfree died; feeding her magic.
”For as you reject the world…”
Discord roared and, with all his might, flung his most powerful spell at Twilight; a massive ball yellow energy easily twice the size of himself.
Twilight opened her mouth and shouted the words that would forever resound among the ponies of equestria, the gryphons of the Aerie and the minotaur of the tall peaks. The words that would forever instill fear in those foolish enough to think themselves capable of opposing the forces of the world itself.
”SO TOO DOES THE WORLD REJECT YOU!!!”
The glow around Twilight’s horn intensified tenfold, and from it shot a beam of cerulean energy so massive that it blocked out the sun and illuminated the land below in a calm, blue glow. It screamed through the air, reduced the incoming attack to nothing and struck the mad chaos god with the force of the world itself.
It took but a second, but when it ended there was nothing left. Every cell, every molecule and atom of Discord had been utterly obliterated. Of the Chaos God, there was no more. Even his spawn; the Everfree Forest, was dead; having fed its own life to rid the world of the mistake that was Discord.
Twilight lowered herself to the ground, completely spent and panting hard. She looked around herself, brows creased and lips drawn into a thin line. Death; it was all death. For miles upon miles around her, all she saw were the black husks of what was left of the Everfree Forest.
“I caused all this?” Twilight muttered. “I killed the entire forest?”
”Do not feel ashamed, Twilight Sparkle,” the voice from before spoke; The voice of the world. ”The Everfree was corrupted. The Mistake, Discord, created it millennia ago. You did not kill as it willingly sought an end to its own suffering.” Twilight could almost feel the smile that would accompany the next words if the voice had a face. ”Thank you, Magic.”
That was the last Twilight heard before her body gave out and she fell over and let the velvet soft darkness take her.
Just then, seven ponies blinked into existence and immediately spotted the prone pony.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy cried out and rushed over to her, the other six following close behind.
“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked, eyes wide as she surveyed the damage on her friend. Even healed as she was thanks to The World, she still bore marks of injuries that would be life threatening to any mortal.
“I-I don’t know…” Celestia muttered, checking for any lifesigns. A sudden intake of breath followed by a deep, rhythmic breathing elicited a sigh of relief from her and five others. Luna, however, looked at something else.
“Sister…” she whispered. “Look around.”
Celestia raised her head and looked around. Her eyes shot open and a gasp escaped her before she could stop it. “She… she didn’t. Impossible.”
“She did,” the Lunar princess replied. “The Class Zero spell. The one spell that must never be used. She cast it, and she’s still alive.” She glanced down at Twilight. She was breathing, but still unconscious. “By all rights she should be dead.”
“Princess, what are you talking about?” Rarity butted in, having heard something about a spell. “Class Zero? Aren’t there only ten classes? Ten to six being the spells mortals are capable of, and five to one being the ones only Alicorns can cast? And why should Twilight be dead!?”
“There is one more,” Celestia replied after a moment of hesitation. Despite Rarity being the only unicorn, five faces were now staring at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. “I will explain later, preferably when Twilight is awake. For now, let us return to Canterlot and make sure Twilight gets her rest and treatment she needs.”
There was no need for them to stay. They knew what spell Twilight had cast, and they knew that Discord was no more. Nothing could stand against the world itself.
*One week later*
Luna carefully opened the door to the medical wing in the Canterlot Castle and trotted inside, making a beeline for the desk behind which sat a middle aged Pegasus mare. Her coat was a healthy green and her mane a fiery red with a few grey hairs here and there.
The mare looked up and smiled. “Can I help you, Princess?”
“You can, Miss Camellia. I wish to see Twilight Sparkle, if that can be allowed.” Luna smiled and inclined her head slightly.
“It certainly can, Princess. I am, however, slightly busy at the moment.” She cleared her throat before shouting, louder than she should have, after someone in a room adjacent to the desk. “TABBY! I need you out here!” Camellia turned back Luna with an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, but he tends to have some minor problems with hearing. We’ve gotten used to shouting for him.”
Luna was about the answer when an old stallion with a light-hued red coat stepped out of the door and glared at the receptionist. “I am not deaf, Little Filly, so there is no reason to shout.” He turned to Luna. “Why, good day, Princess, it is not often I see you outside of the hospital bed after some… accidents during your sparrings with Twilight. How can I help you?”
“Shouldn’t you be retired already, Tabby?” Luna asked with a wry smile, wondering how a stallion his age could still work as well as he did.
“Hah! Not if I have any say in it! Anywho, I assume you didn’t come here to chat. So what ails you this time?”
“I would like to see Twilight, if that is okay. She hasn’t been awake in a week and I’m starting to worry about her.”
Tabby just smiled and started trotting down the hallway on the other side of the desk. “Good news, then. She woke up just a few hours ago. She’s a little tired from what she says but is otherwise just fine… Ah! Here we are.”
He opened a door labelled “179” and trotted inside followed by Luna. “You’ve got a visitor, Twilight,” he said and stepped aside to let Luna come forward.
“Slept well, Sister?” Luna inquired with a warm smile upon seeing the smaller alicorn sit upright in bed, bandages covering various places on her body.
“Luna, please, I’m still not used to that pronoun… How many times do I have to ask you to not call me Sister in front of other ponies?” Twilight looked something perturbed but still broke into a smile after only a few moments. She couldn’t stay mad at her friends. “But… I guess. How long was I out?”
“A week. You-”
“A WEEK!?” She sat up, agape with mouth hanging open and eyes wide open. “What happened!?”
“Easy, Twilight.” Luna waved a hoof, indicating that the other alicorn should calm down. “You were in a coma, of sorts. We couldn’t wake you, and we thought it best not to try. By all rights, you should have died a week ago, but you didn’t.” She held a hoof up to silence the question that would surely come. “All will be explained. For now, rest while I gather your friends. I’ll return with them and Celestia tomorrow.” She chuckled. “Your friends haven’t left the castle for the past week save to go out once or twice to tour the city. They insisted on being here when you woke up. Regardless, we have some questions of our own we would like answered. So, until then,” she leaned down and tenderly nuzzled Twilight. “I’m glad you’re well, Sister.”
Twilight pouted but soon smiled and returned the nuzzle. “So am I… Sister.”
The hours came and passed and soon the day had passed. The sun rose above the horizon and with it came a small blur of green and purple barging through the door and immediately latching onto one lavender leg.
“Twilight! You’re awake!” cried Spike, tears threatening to overwhelm him. “I was afraid you’d never wake up! I thought… I thought I had lost you.” He continued to mutter into the fur in her leg, never giving her a chance to butt in or take her leg back.
She instead turned her attention to the seven other ponies entering the room. Her five friends and her two… “sisters.”
“I knew you’d wake up, Twilight! You’d never leave us, I just knew it!” Rainbow called, doing her very best to fight back the treacherous tear that wanted to roll down her cheek.
“Welcome back, Sugarcube. We’ve missed ya.”
“I’m so happy to see you awake, Twilight. It’s just so… very, very nice.”
“Wonderful to see you alive and well, Dear. We were worried, to say the least.”
“You’re awake! I would throw you a party for waking up, but I know it isn’t a very good idea right now.”
Pinkie… not throwing a party because it wouldn’t be a good idea? “Who are you and what have you done to Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow and amused smile tugging at her lips.
Pinkie opened her mouth to answer but was stopped by an orange hoof silencing her. “No need ta answer. She’s just making fun, Pinkie.” The farm pony waited until Pinkie nodded before removing her hoof, then turned to the two princesses. “So… Y’all promised us a week ago that you would explain what in the hay happened out there in… wherever we were when we found Twilight.”
“We did,” Celestia replied with a solemn nod. “And we will. First, however, I would like to ask something of you, Twilight.” Twilight nodded and sat a little straighter. “What exactly happened out there? By all rights, you should be dead. You did something we alicorns are forbidden to do. You used a Class Zero spell, the only Class Zero spell in existence. How are you alive?”
“Class Zero?” Twilight asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.
“The Class Zero spell is something we haven’t told you about yet, but it is something we would have told you soon. In a couple of years at the latest. It is a spell that, if we use it, will cost us our immortality and our lives. It is a spell that drains the life of the area around you. Trees, plants, bushes. Every kind of plant life around you dies and their life energy is used to fuel the power of that one spell. It’s power is unrivalled and is, as far as we know, impossible to block, deflect or dodge. It’s a sure-kill spell but it comes at the costs of ones own life… How?” There was no point in trying to hide the astonishment in her voice. Celestia was, to say the least, utterly confused.
Spike, having heard that the spell his surrogate mother/adoptive sister had used should have killed her, immediately let go of her leg and glared furiously at her. “Are you out of your mind!?” he shouted. “For someone so smart, why did you go and do something that STUPID!?” You reminded me again and again; safety this, test that. Precaution after precaution. Tripple check the notes to avoid mistakes. I shouldn’t be the one to remind YOU that you’ve never tried a new spell without first making sure to figure out everything about it! You warned me time and time again to not cast without UNDERSTANDING, and then this happens!” He stopped for a moment to take a breath, but not for long enough to let anyone get a chance to butt in.
“You were told by Celestia do just STALL him long enough that they could get the Elements. Unlike Celestia and Luna, your magic is powerful enough to affect Discord! You had the power to keep him busy like you were told to do! Have you become so arrogant that you think you can avoid death? Well, NEWSFLASH, you can’t! Seven years ago, just after you found out you had become immortal you told me about the first rule of immortality: Remember your MORTALITY, Twilight!” The baby dragon, now seeming a good deal more imposing, visibly bristled. He wasn’t shouting anymore, but his anger was still easy to see and hear. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are? Did you ever stop to think how we would feel if you died? How I would feel if I suddenly lost you? ...Do you even care about us? I’m starting to think that you don’t.”
“That’s enough, Spike!” Celestia cut in, eyes narrowed dangerously and mouth drawn into a thin line. “Twilight is of no fault in this. She used a spell she had never been told about on pure instinct, it could never have been anything but that.” She forcibly reverted to her more serene, and calm expression and turned towards Twilight. “Now, Twilight, I believe you owe us all a story. It would be no overestimation to say that we were all worried and feared the worst.”
She sighed and trotted towards the window, opening her wings halfway to allow the sun’s rays to hit as much of them as possible. “Please tell us, Twilight. There is much that only you know at the moment, and it may be crucial that we find out just what happened.”
Twilight had been watching Spike’s back as Celestia spoke, the dragon having turned towards the door so as to not look at his surrogate mother. He was still angry, but Celestia’s words seemed to have shocked him out of most of his anger. They had made him understand that he needed to at least listen to Twilight before judging her… Twilight hoped so, at least.
“I decided to fight Discord in an attempt to stall him. I started out with class three spells, hoping they would be powerful enough to keep him busy for so long that you’d be able to get the Elements and we could imprison him again, or banish him of his madness like we did with Luna and Nightmare Moon.” She straightened up and look in front of her, staring at the far wall while keeping everypony, and one dragon, in her peripheral. “He continued to one-up me everytime I increased my spells’ power, even managed to keep up with me when I summoned Arbatel-”
“Arbatel?” Rarity cut in, the name having rung some sort of bell. “What exactly is Arbatel”
Luna inclined her head in curiosity while Celestia folded her wings and turned her back to the window so she faced towards Twilight again.
“Arbatel,” Twilight began, lighting her horn. “Is this.” A purple flash illuminated the room for a brief second and, in its place, was a four foot glaive with a one foot, midnight black blade and a three foot handle of dark purple with silver swirls decorating the three foot length. Everypony was staring at it with eyes as wide as saucers and open mouths. That is, except for Luna and Celestia, both of whom settled for widening their eyes at the sight.
“That looks… So. Awesome!” Rainbow squealed, already reaching a hoof out to touch it. She only stopped herself an inch from the blade. “Can I touch it?” She asked Twilight, not even taking her eyes off of the weapon.
“Sure, just don’t touch the edge of the blade. It can cut through nearly everything.” The pegasus didn’t need any further prompting and she immediately took it into her hooves and inspected it. Even Luna stepped closer and inspect the weapon.
“It… doesn’t weigh anything,” Rainbow Dash murmured, twirling the weapon around effortlessly. Not even close to hitting anything… save the cupboard’s closest leg which got cut clean off. “Hehe… whoops.”
Luna took the weapon in her magic and stepped away from the others, privately inspecting it. “Incredible,” she breathed. “This is of even better quality than Aethereus, my Twin Swords.”
Celestia arched an eyebrow and stepped closer. “Truly?” A quick inspection proved Luna right. “Remarkable… Truly a masterpiece, Twilight. Now, I do believe you were telling us what happened?” The Solar Diarch levitated the weapon back to Twilight who then blinked it out of existence.
“I did. As I mentioned; I went up to use Class Two spells, Arbatel being one of them. He still managed to trump me a few times, though I also got a few good hits on him. Even then, he still managed to stay a bit on top, so I increased to class one.” She gulped as the memories came back; the pain, the hopelessness, the guilt of failing everypony. “I chained him but he broke free and started showering me with attacks before I had any chance to react. I… I lost a leg, broke one wing and almost lost the other. Half of my left flank was gone and everything just… hurt.” She shuddered, as did all her friends except Fluttershy. She was openly crying and hiding in Applejack’s shoulder. Just imagining what her friend went through was almost too much for her.
“I was losing blood, and fast. I wouldn’t have survived for long. It was then that I heard… a voice-no. Not just any voice, I heard the voice.”
“The voice?” Pinkie inquired, tilting her head. “Twilight, we all know the only voice you can hear in your head is your own. There’s no way you can hear other voices inside of your head. That’s just silly.”
Celestia glanced at the earth pony. “No, Twilight may be right, Pinkie. There is a chance that she may have heard something, though I don’t know what. Continue, please.”
“Right… The voice I heard,” Twilight continued, “was most definitely… the voice of Equestria-no- the world itself.”
All seven ponies and one dragon dropped their jaws at her words. “That… Cannot be possible,” Celestia muttered. “The World has never spoken to Luna and I but once, and that was only to tell us that we were never allowed to take the life of the world. In other words; That what we decided to call a ‘Class Zero’ spell was forbidden.”
“There’s more. She healed me of my worst wounds, effectively healing me to the state I am in now. My leg regrew, my wings were put back together, et cetera. And even that doesn’t cover it all. The World said that I was given permission. For what, I don’t know, but judging by the outlaw of the Class Zero spell, I suspect I was given permission to use it.”
The Diarchs nodded simultaneously. “It would seem so,” Luna murmured, still not quite believing it.
“Wait!” Applejack suddenly exclaimed, and looked to the two standing alicorns. “If’n ya said this Class Zero spell were a no-no, then how do y’all know that it is an instant death fer the target?”
“Let me put it like this,” Celestia said before Luna could react. “There is a reason my sister controls both the moon and the stars.”
“And what in tarnation does that mean?”
“I means, fair Applejack, that there were once three alicorns controlling the heavenly bodies. Long story short; She used the spell without permission to destroy an ancient monster from Tartarus called Ipotane. Ipotane was annihilated, but so, too, was our Sister.” Luna sighed. “Best not to speak of her anymore. Some things are better left forgotten… Even though they aren’t totally forgotten.”
“So… Twilight wouldn’t have died from that spell, no matter what?” Spike asked, a small light of regret already being kindled in his eyes.
“Indeed.” Luna nodded. “Twilight was never in danger of dying from using the Class Zero, but it did drain her a lot, it seems.” Twilight smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
“Sorry for worrying you, Spike. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I had no other choice.” She smiled at him, and he met her smile with a faint one of his own. “It was either risk my own life or let the world come to an end. I had to make sure he didn’t win.” She opened her forelegs, wincing slightly as the movement brought with it a sudden spike of pain, and invited him into a hug. “Can you forgive me?” She asked, smiling gently.
The dragon sniffled, looked at the one pony he had viewed as a parent his entire life. He glanced at the others, sweeping his gaze across all of them until his eyes reached Celestia. She gave him a barely noticeable nod. It was all he needed before he walked forward, hopped up on the bed, and returned Twilight’s embrace.
“I… I forgive you. A-And sorry for blowing up at you like that. I… It wasn’t fair, it really wasn’t -no, Twilight,” he leaned back enough to look at her face, her mouth open as if to speak. “You didn’t deserve it. I should have waited for you to explain before judging… That’s what you always told me; never judge a book by its cover. I heard five words and jumped to conclusions. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, Spike,” Twilight replied. “I would probably have reacted the same, so you don’t have to feel bad. Let’s just put this behind us, shall we?” Spike nodded and let go of the embrace, jumping down on the floor again.
“I have one last question, Twilight,” Celestia butted in after a few moments of silence, five ponies looking at one dragon and one alicorn having finally come together again. “Discord was the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. We wanted to imprison him for the sake of preserving the harmony of the world, but you destroyed him. Will that not throw the world out of balance?”
The hospitalised alicorn shook her head. “Discord was a mistake. Chaos is a force that permeates the world, just like Harmony is. The two of them together creates ‘Order’ which is what we truly need. Discord was right when it came to us dooming the world by forcing him to not spread chaos. Nothing bad ever happened, nothing chaotic. Rarity met all her deadlines, Applejack got all her apples and Pinkie Pie never annoyed a single pony in those seven years,as she should do from time to time.”
“That… Is actually true.”
“How in the hay did ya know that?”
“Hey!”
“Chaos is unpredictable and, as such, can do anything. Discord was a result of the force of chaos doing something unexpected. Erasing him does nothing to alter the world, except letting natural chaos spread throughout the world. Balance, or Order, is actually restored in a more reliable way by not having him here.”
“I… did not know that,” Celestia conceded, Luna nodding her consent as they both stared at their fellow alicorn. “I assume The World told you this?”
“It called Discord a ‘Mistake’, and It also imprinted understanding of what he was into me. So the probability of me being wrong here is zero.”
Everypony nodded slowly, understanding everything better now. “So, Is there anything else you think you need to tell us, or ask us?” Luna inquired, taking a step closer.
“There is only one thing,” Twilight replied, turning her head to look at Luna. “I want to see the Everfree Forest.”
Three days later when Twilight Sparkle was given permission by the doctors to go, she, her two ‘sisters’, five friends and adoptive son/brother found themselves standing in the Canterlot Castle courtyard. The weather was bright and sunny with nary a cloud in the sky to obstruct the rays of Celestia’s sun.
“So… When are the chariots coming?” Rainbow asked, glancing around the empty courtyard. There was nothing save the nine of them. That is if you don’t count the occasional guard making a patrol of standing stock-still like some statue.
“We aren’t going by chariot,” Twilight replied matter of factly, scratching the bandage around one wing with her muzzle. A yellow hoof pushed her head away, followed by a mild glare from the hoof’s owner.
“Don’t. You’ll just make the wound worse,” Fluttershy told her.
Twilight cringed at the glare. It was as mild as it could get, but it was from Fluttershy of all ponies. “Sorry,” she muttered, then turned to address everyone present. “As I said, we won’t be going by sky chariot; I’ll be teleporting us there. It’s much easier and faster for all of us.”
“Twilight.” Celestia stepped forward. “I know you were discharged three days ago, and the battle ended one and a half weeks ago, but you mustn’t strain yourself. Let Luna or I teleport if we have to, or let’s take the chariots.”
The purple alicorn shook her head. “I’m sorry, Celestia, but while you and Luna are superior to me in many aspects, I surpass you in magic.” Her horn flared to life. “And teleporting won’t drain an iota of my magic.” She grinned at each of her friends in turn. “Hang on, everypony,” she said and then released her magic in a bright flash of magenta.
They reappeared in the middle of a clearing, the same one she had Teleported herself and Discord to as the occasional crater or trench in the ground proved. All around them were nothing but black ash.
“Where are we?” Rarity asked, looking around quizzically. She could see nothing but the black ash for miles upon miles. In the far distance she could just spot the top of Canterlot mountain, but nothing else. “I mean, I know this is where you battled Discord, but I thought you said you wanted to see the Everfree?”
“I did,” Twilight replied with a nod. “And we’re here.”
“What do ya mean ‘we’re here’?” Applejack trotted up beside Twilight and shot her a perplexed glance. “Fer someone so smart, Twi, I’m starting ta doubt your intelligence. The Everfree Forest is a forest. Trees, plants, y’know?”
Rolling her eyes, Twilight trotted over to the edge of the clearing, examining some of the ash at its edge. “I know, Applejack, and this is the Everfree… Or what’s left of it. When I destroyed, Discord I drained every iota of life energy out of the forest. Not a single part of the forest survived. What you see here is what I left in my wake.” A shudder coursed through her body, the rage she had felt, the instinct that drove her to do everything to protect the ponies of Equestria but still give Discord a chance for redemption was still clearly remembered.
“Y-You mean,” Rainbow stammered. “You mean to tell us that you killed the entire Everfree Forest just like that, when ponies have tried for centuries to deal with it!?”
“Yes, Rainbow, I did. It doesn’t sound pretty, but if what I was told is true, and I suspect it is, then it was for the better. The Everfree was corrupted by Discord millennia ago. I just freed it.” She pawed at the ground, brushing away some of the ash. A small green sapling poked through the ground, giving a promise of new life. “But it will return. The real Everfree forest will come back in a few decades, perhaps a century or two. Whichever it is, we’ll all be there to see it.”
“I know it’s not really a nice subject to bring up,” Spike said in a tone that indicated discomfort. The other ponies looked curiously as he started speaking. “But you and I are the only ones that will live that long.” The way he said it made it clear that he felt somewhat guilty for bringing up the fact that the rest of the gang were mortal, whereas Twilight was immortal and Spike could live for several thousand years.
“I’m not so sure about that,” she replied with a twinkle in her eyes, casting a quick glance and a mischievous smile at her friends. “No… I don’t think I quite believe you, Spike.”
Six sets of jaws dropped to the ground upon hearing the words. Twilight only winked and trotted over towards Celestia who were brushing away some ash as well, revealing yet another small sapling. The smaller alicorn suddenly raised her head and scanned the horizon. Everything was flat and black, just like she should have suspected. Yet, one thing she did fear, one thing she hadn’t even considered until now.
“Celestia… Where’s Zecora? I’m afraid I may have hurt her during the fight… Is… Is-”
“She’s alive and unharmed,” Celestia reassured her fellow immortal, placing a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “She’s in Ponyville at the moment and has been there for the past ten days. I must say, it’s quite some luck that she wasn’t in the forest when you fought.” She sighed and went back to scanning the black plains. “But rest assured, she is well.”
With her fears banished by the reassuring words of her once-mentor, Twilight stood and simply basked in the sun, her wings spread wide to catch every ray she could. At one point she craned her neck backwards to look at her friends and saw them huddling together while occasionally shooting furtive glances at her, and especially her wings. She smiled and was about to go back to just enjoy the sun’s rays, but a sudden question sprang to the forefront of her mind.
“Wait… How did you know Zecora was in Ponyville? You didn’t use any magic, and she’s rather reclusive so I somehow doubt you’d know her every movement.”
Celestia only chuckled. “There’s a lot about our kind you have yet to learn, Twilight.”
Author's Note
And what do we have here? A Sequel-ish chapter to Power Surge?
Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, you are absolutely right! Power Surge has gotten a second chapter! Popular demand and a sudden burst of inspiration early October made me start writing this. It has been a long way from then to now, and I am happy to thank Switches, Skeeter the Lurker and Myyrlin for their help with editing, proof reading and just helping me out a ton!
Also thanks to Kobalstromo for being a great help with a few of my trickier paragraphs!
That being said, I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did writing it :)
And when I say that I got a sudden burst of inspiration. I mean "my muse slapped me with a ten-feet iron bat she calls 'inspiration'."
