Harmony’s Fabrication
Based on the song Beginning of Orderby Stormwolf
Written by Dragryphon
Edited by Rhiiazami, FinalDraft
They say history is written by victors; written by those who gave up their flesh and blood to fight for a purpose. Others write for reasons only known to themselves. Stories are written by those who sit behind desks yet direct those on the front lines, distancing themselves from the wars they send others to wage. Some things never change. People lie to themselves. Others convince themselves what they do is right, and they believe it. Those who write history change the world. Who can weigh these changes good or bad in the overall balance? Who can judge if the history they tell is entirely truth?
Except those who won?
Except those who fought to win?
The lost, the erased, and the demonized... what of their stories? Only the dead and the victors can know.
Only history’s authors know.
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Good and evil exist only as concepts within a pony’s mind, a black and white that allows them to understand and differentiate between various actions and events. Order and Chaos transcend boundaries; they are neither good nor evil, they just are.
Order shapes the towns ponies live in, the roads they travel, and the families they love. It also stifles and binds them with rules: the mediocrity in their lives. Every little thing from what they say to what they think and do is controlled. Order is neither good nor evil. It just is.
Chaos is the freedom ponies love, the free will to think and do what they wish. Yet nature overgrows roads, and strife tears down towns and families. Chaos is neither good nor evil. It just is.
Harmony. Harmony is the balance between everything, from the scale used by a shopkeeper to sell grain, to the delicate balance within his family. Harmony balances Order and Chaos. The balance was shattered before, so they say, when Discord broke free of his prison to reclaim his crown over the perfectly Ordered State Equestria, where everything was controlled by two alicorns. The animals, the light, the plants and trees are all managed by the hooves of ponies. One bastion remains where Chaos and Order are in Harmony; the EverFree Forest. Ponies fear the darkness betwixt its trees. Dark creatures, darker secrets, and powerful magics all work here to conjure the Harmony.
An alabaster alicorn arrives at the Royal statue gardens. She knows her purpose well, for she winds her way through the myriad of pillars and statues toward one. The alicorn stands before this frozen creature and stares at him with concealed emotions. She stands for a pensive while before walking away toward other duties.
On the pedestal stands Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, entombed within stone for all of eternity.
Everypony knows her. She is Princess Celestia of Equestria, the beloved ruler of all her little ponies.
She and Princess Luna are the Spirits of Order.
And Celestia is the author of Equestria’s history.
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In the beginning, the land of Equestria balanced upon the razor’s edge of Harmony, a balance between the Order of Princesses Celestia and Luna, and the Chaos of Discord. However, when Celestia and Luna’s parents’ time came, its guardianship was placed not in the hooves of their daughters, but instead in the twisted care of Discord. Chaos blew freely with the winds, and ponies were delighted and saddened.
The sun and moon, controlled in part by the Alicorn Sisters, obeyed chaos, beyond their control. At times, days were short, nights shorter, or even the reverse. Plants thrived on their own independent of the care of ponies, animals ran wild and untamed, and weather raged as unpredictably as the chaos that flowed over the land like rivers.
In places Chaos presided, while elsewhere Order held a brief grasp where ponies lived, for in this land the greater powers decided that the balance of Harmony required Chaos to rule. While Chaos dominated the land’s rule, Order controlled enough to bring Harmony to the land. But for some, Harmony could not suffice.
Celestia saw only misery and malcontent, and the Rule of Chaos as anarchy. Thus, the false history of Equestria arose, and the death of the true Equestria lay hidden to the ages.
Let the histories hidden by your beloved tyrant be known.
Let it be known of the real Equestria, destroyed in a great cataclysm that broke the Harmony between Order and Chaos.
Let the truth be known.
____________________
For millennia, the world of Equestria existed with a Harmony that shifted over the ages. At times Chaos ruled the land through a Keeper. Then Order commanded and the cycle came full circle. The alicorns of Equestria always wielded the Spirits of Order, while the Spirit of Chaos claimed whichever creature broke the mold best.
Centuries ago the old Spirits of Order bequeathed their rule of the land not to their daughters Celestia and Luna, but instead a draconequus by the name of Discord. Chaos flowed over the land remaking the world. This was the natural progression, an sequence harmonized by the rise and fall of both chaos and order.
Despite their inheritance of the Spirits of Order, one alicorn felt slighted by her parents. Why should they pass over a daughter to instead give their power to a lifetime friend? For years, Celestia smoldered silently. But as with all fires, eventually the rage in Celestia’s heart simmered. Yet one day the Princess of the Sun realized the suffering of all her little ponies. Why should the ponies both delight and suffer in the chaos of the land when they could live in a land where Order reigned with not a care in their lives to worry about?
As one of the Spirits of Order, it rebelled against Celestia’s principles and even her core being. Why create a village, a futile little island of order in the sea of chaos? Discord’s power could carelessly sweep it all away.
One pony helplessly watched as her sister became consumed by this perplexing purpose. Luna sheltered in the small village where she, her sister, and a paltry amount of ponies lived. Outside the walls chaos ran free, changing everything in its path. It was a dangerous existence for Celestia and Luna’s roaming herds, yet it was still better than the alternatives. If they settled down in one place for too long, the chaos would eventually take them all.
Outside the tiny villages of Equestria, life devolved from the relative security of huts and homes to the chaotic world. Predators prowled the wilds, forcing nomadic ponies to always be on their guard against packs of wolves and Ursas. Days of travel could easily turn into weeks to avoid danger.
Life was easier than many ponies believed. The chaos gave them free will, and the freedom from the confines and the villages many avoided. Something nopony except the Royal Sisters would ever remember from the Ordered days of Sol and Altair’s rule. Something Celestia, without realizing, feared almost as much as the anarchy she perceived Discord to spread. In truth, Chaos is not entirely anarchy.
Villages were thus quite rare, and while the conglomerate of buildings the alicorn sisters helped build were a welcome sight. Few ponies permanently settled. They understood the peril of laying down roots, despite the reassuring order the Princesses emanated into the region.
Outside the walls and windows of the surprisingly small abode lived in by the Royal Pony Sisters, chocolate milk rained down and spattered against the simple straw roofs of the piddly assemblage of buildings the ponies called a village. The village amounted to little, a drop of order within the chaos ruling the land, but a beacon of pride to the ponies living within. A few ponies managed to get out and about, either doing daily chores or delighting in the treat drizzling from the sky.
Luna watched on from a window in the largest building in the village, her mind blank as she took in the scene of foals playing in the chocolate rain or splashing in the slurry of muck made from the mixing mud and milk. Ennui struck early, as she chose not to play out in the rain with her subjects. Luna desperately wished Celestia cleared her mind for once and thought things through.
Discord’s been our friend since we were fillies. Why does Tia suddenly resent him? she thought, worried for her sister. Celestia never let emotion rule over her countenance and rationality in this way. Thinking that this is anarchy and that a true ruler should step forth? What’s going on here?
The midnight alicorn pulled away from the window and stepped lightly over to her bed, taking a glance around at the furnishings of her room. Her chambers consisted of a bed and other furnishings most ponies never saw in their lifetime. In this chaotic world, such furnishings were especially hard to procure given that any moment they could simply vanish or turn into fish.
As she grew up, Luna ascertained that as long as she and Celestia remained close to the village, and especially their home, neither needed to worry about objects suddenly morphing. An upside to being a spirit of Order, I guess.
Ignoring her nondescript bed, she sat on its edge and instead glanced over to the wooden table sitting next to it. Using her magic, the alicorn slipped a few hidden objects out from beneath its base. A journal floated before her, while a quill and an ink well settled themselves upon the table.
The journal used to be Luna’s private diary, but now logged Celestia’s descent into an obsession with Discord. I still can’t understand this. Why would Tia suddenly just be against Discord? What happened that day she went out to meet him? Flipping pages, Luna came to the entry with the first instance of Celly’s mood change. Sifting through the page, the Princess arrived at the entry about her sister.
‘A few days ago, Tia decided to speak with Discord, something of importance she would not share with me. She was gone for the next two days, and I was worried something had happened to her. I could not stop thinking that she was lying in the wild somewhere injured and unable to call for help! On the second day, Celly finally returned, and almost immediately I knew there was something wrong. She appeared uninjured, but... she was withdrawn, confused, and deep in thought. She refused to tell me what was wrong, where she was, anything about her meeting! Later, I could hear her talking in her room, but I could not understand what she was saying. I hope everything’s alright with her.’
Another few pages, and Luna’s eyes caught another entry involving her sister and Discord. ‘Tia left again to see Discord. I’m really worried about what’s going on, because she came back worse than the first time. She was visibly angry this time! Not just that, but she yelled at me, she actually YELLED at me! She’s never yelled at me before! I think she felt horrible after she saw me crying, as she apologized. What’s going on?’
Luna read on, remembering each of the instances over the past month of her beloved sister’s condition and hoping for any insight she could gather to help Celestia. Celestia always embodied the openness, attentiveness, and love Luna treasured, yet that all changed. Blinking back tears and fidgeting until she became comfortable upon the straw-filled mattress, Luna turned the page and read the next entry. The one where she confronted Discord.
*******************
The otherworldly sounds disturbed Luna. She delved into the eye of the Storm of Chaos, where Discord’s throne stood. The midnight Princess knew she must find the Lord of Chaos to understand Celestia’s descent. Now the Princess of the Moon cantered through the midst of what ponies called the Everfree Forest. Colors abounded, from the... checkered loam to the polka-dotted bark and vibrant leaves of the trees. The ominous cacophony of the forest drifted eerily upon the wind and would have scared off a lesser pony.
No. I have... I mustfind out what’s wrong with my sister! Luna thought, ignoring a twisted rabbit-like creature. Her eyes roamed the forest yet ignored many of the sights around her. Ponies very rarely ventured into the Everfree, for when they did, strange things happened. Sometimes they came back changed, in body or mind.
Luna nearly tucked tail and ran back home, to take shelter in the little village, or even to find one of the many scattered herds to join. Yet still she pushed on through the chaos filled murks of the Everfree. The journey neared its finish the moment Luna pushed through the underbrush into a large clearing. All around her, random creatures danced while various food items took on lives of their own. In the midst of these strange events, a massive throne sat upon a hillock, occupied by a very familiar draconequus.
Steeling her resolve, Luna walked briskly to her long time friend, noticing the large smile upon his face once she came close. “Oh, if it isn’t Princess Luna!” Discord exclaimed in a humorous mood, teleporting and appearing behind the alicorn. Luna was used to their old friend’s antics, so she refused to start at Discord’s sudden reappearance. “How is my old friend doing, hm? You wouldn’t happen to be here to continue Celestia’s little battle?” he said as he leaned upon Luna’s body, then arched his head backwards over hers to stare her in her eyes. “Would you?”
Rolling her eyes and smiling for the first time in days, Luna playfully pushed Discord away and laughed, “No! I’m here to find out what’s going on between you and my sister, actually.”
With an eyebrow raised, Discord shrunk down and stood upon the alicorn’s head, perched precariously upon her horn. “Oh? Is that all?” he asked boredly. “Not to play with your dear friend? Talk of the past? Or what about Mountain Climbers Extraordinaire? Or to join me in some delightful chaos?” He stared down into her eyes, giving Luna the most hopefully expectant look she had ever seen.
“Well...” she started, thinking things over. “While those all sound like great fun, I’m simply here to talk to you about my sister. What’s going on between you and her, Discord? I’m worried!”
“Bah! Such a buzzkill! Fine,” he replied, conveying the most annoyed and disappointed look while hopping off Luna’s head to resume his normal size. He then conjured a cotton candy cloud and began to munch slowly on it, talking with his mouth full of the treat. “There’s not much I can tell you, nor that I will tell you. Just that Celestia,” he said her name with an audible bleh, “feels the need to try taking what is not hers. Now, about those games, hmmm?”
“... Alright, but I get to be the Lead Climber!” Luna sighed, breaking into giggles as Discord leapt into the air with a cheer.
“Great!” he applauded, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against thin air. “And I have just the place to do it! Right in my own backyard, in fact!” With a snap of his paw, a steep and towering snow-capped mountain burst into existence beyond Discord’s throne. It rose high into the sky while large puffs of clouds blew across its distant peak. “You like?” the draconequus asked, admiring his handiwork. “If only I could have done this when we were all younger, it’d have made things a might easier.”
Luna’s eyes widened at the challenge set before her. Traditionally, Mountain Climbers Extraordinaire involved Celestia, Luna, and Discord hooking themselves to each other, then climbing anything and everything they can without aid from magic and flying. Accidents happened on occasion, leading to emergency magic and wing usage, but outside of that, the games allowed them a nice challenge. “Very much so!” Luna replied, glancing over the rocky crags with a practiced eye. “If only Celly could be here to join us.”
“Ugh, that buzzkill? All we’d hear from her is ‘Whine whine whine.’ Besides, my dear alicorn, this is just for you and me!” The draconequus draped an arm over Luna’s shoulder and flashed her a smile. “It’ll be nice to do this with you again. I mean, chaos is fun and all, but doing things with friends is another kind of fun.”
“Really?” Luna asked, lighting up with joy. “I mean, I haven’t exactly seen you around much for the past century, we’ve been so busy with other things, I just thought that maybe you didn’t want to-” The alicorn’s speech became interrupted as Discord placed a talon to her lips and gave her a wink.
“Oh, Luna, did you really think our childhood meant so little to me? Now, about the fact we are so ill prepared to climb that mountain of mine.” Pulling away, Discord snapped his paw and outfitted the two in a full arsenal of mountain climbing equipment, from a full harness and line set to special spiked hoof-grips for Luna.
One exhilarating and death-defying climb later ended up with the alicorn and draconequus admiring the view from the pinnacle of Discord’s creation. Even with the strange antics and appearances of the land far below, Luna admitted that being alone on the mountain with Discord and watching the scenery far below had a charm to it. Enough that she surprised the draconequus by leading against his side, sheltered from the harsh winds by his body.
Discord gently wound his arm around the alicorn, looking over his life’s creation, the picturesque scene they took part in a fantasy come true. At least, for Luna. “Discord. What does the future tell for us? About you and me?”
For the second time that day, Luna caught Discord off guard as he stared down at her in shock. “Well, if what you’re saying is what I think you’re saying, why have you suddenly brought this to my attention, little Luna?”
The alicorn smiled up at Discord and leaned further into his side, “Not exactly. I mean, you’re more than just my friend or best friend! I’ve just... always been afraid to say it, especially so long ago when it was Tia who was so enraptured with you.”
Discord grimaced and stared off into the distance, “Oh, I do not believe, my dear pony, that now would be a good time to be talking of any of this. A storm’s on the horizon, dear Luna. And your sister will be at the middle of it.”
********************
Page after page of entries spanning the month filled the diary, and it became more about her sister than Luna’s day to day activities. The midnight alicorn finally reached a blank page, dipped the quill into the ink vial, and began a new entry.
‘Celestia’s been gone now for a few days, and while this isn’t the first time, I’m worried. She’s become unhealthily obsessed with Discord. She rambles on about him and her plans, but I still can’t seem to connect everything together, or what she plans to do. She’s constantly going on about the need to progress, to advance and bring about a new age for our little ponies. To end the anarchy ruling our lives. She doesn’t mean Discord, doe-’
“Well, hello there, Luna! So nice to see you! Oh! And you’re writing about me, too!”
Luna’s quill scratched across half the page, leaving a blotchy streak. She whirled about to glare at Discord, who floated above her bed with a wide grin. “Don’t scare me like that!” she yelled, frustrated and flushed. Then, she sighed and lowered her head, “Sorry, Discord, for that outburst, I’m just really on edge lately. Tia’s getting worse and I have no idea what’s going on.”
“Oh, but I do, my dear pony,” Discord replied, wafting down to the bed and settling under the covers. Stretching out his eagle claw, Discord looked over his talons with feigned interest. “Something about, well, you know, her wanting me to step down so she can take my place.”
“What!?” Luna gasped, her jaw dropping open in shock.
“Quite the little tyrant, if I do say so myself. She wants to oust me and become the sole ruler of Equestria, to make the world into her own idea of... ‘Paradise’. It all amuses me, really,” he said, flashing a sly smile at Luna, whose jaw lay agape.
Luna paced across the room’s length, unable to wrap her head around the news. “Sh-she wants to do what!? Why have I not heard any of this! Why didn’t she tell me! Why does she want to-”
“Lu-Lu! I’m back! Is everything alright up there?”
The sound of her sister yelling from the first floor made Luna pause in her rant and turn in a panic to Discord, who... was not there! Cursing silently, Luna threw open the door to her room with her magic and stepped out, speaking loudly, “I’m up here, Tia! Where were you?”
Celestia approached up the stairs and down the hallway, draping her neck over Luna’s and hugging the mare tight. It was the happiest Luna had seen Celly in ages. The Midnight alicorn delightfully nuzzled deep into Celestia’s mane, enjoying the closeness with her sister that seemed so rare nowadays. “Tia... I talked with Discord.”
Around her, Luna could feel Celestia stiffen and ask warily, “What did he say?”
Luna, while not afraid of her sister, cautiously pulled away with a guarded expression, “He explained to me what you wanted to do. Why are you being like this?”
Celestia sighed and gently pushed past Luna, opening her bedroom door and walking in to flop upon the bed. “Come in, and I’ll explain things.”
It was not until Luna entered her sister’s room and shut the door behind her that she noticed the saddlebags Celestia hovered off her flanks to set aside on the floor. Ignoring them, the Princess of the Moon climbed atop Celestia’s bed next to her sister, a layed her head down over the alabaster alicorn’s side. “So what’s really going on, Celly? I’ve been worried sick for you, and when you weren’t telling me...”
Celestia’s expression softened and she reached over to pull Luna into the most heart-felt hug she’d ever been given by her sister. “I’m sorry, Luna! I didn’t mean to leave you out of this, I’ve just been... busy talking with Discord to see if he’ll share the world with us so that we’ll bring about a new age of Order and paradise free of Chaos!”
Luna pondered the implications of what both Celestia and Discord said. While it was true that Discord existed as a friend of theirs since they were all young, Celestia was her sister, a bond closer than anything else forged between two ponies. The conclusion of this event points Luna to the fact that Celly wished to allow her ponies to live better lives, yet Discord kept this from going on. “What did you bring back from your journey, Tia?” Luna asked, throwing her gaze over the obviously full saddlebags.
Celestia’s horn flickered as she lifted the saddlebags and placed them on the bed and flipped them open. In each bag, three impossibly large gems glimmering under the light. Luna’s eyes widened at the sight as she asked incredulously, “Are these...?”
Bobbing her head emphatically, Celestia grinned and lifted a brilliant amethyst out of the bag. “Yes! The Elements of Harmony. Mom and Dad hid them before they Ascended. It took me a while to track them down, but they should help us balance the scales against Discord. Hopefully we can found a real nation, from these wandering herds and occasional villages.”
“We’d...” the thoughts raced in Luna’s mind, and her hopes grew. We’d have a proper town, a safe place for all our little ponies. We’d live normally and everypony could raise a proper family! It’s too good to be true! It’s... too good to be true, something’s not right. “What’s the catch?” Luna asked, eyeing her sister warily.
Celestia sighed, buttoned down the saddlebags flaps, and closed her eyes. “I’ll need your help to do this, Woona. Discord’s more apt to listen to you than me. I...” Celestia hung her head, then took a deep breath to continue. “I believe I burned that bridge.”
“Alright, Celly. What do we do?”
____________________
The trip through the Everfree Forest seemed quicker to Luna. She swore Discord knew they were coming. The alicorn sisters broke through the trees and brush into a clearing... or what used to be a clearing. In its place stood a castle of exquisite design. On the castle’s parapets loomed Discord, awaiting their arrival.
Luna and Celestia gasped in surprise, their eyes roaming its soaring towers and walls. The portcullis lay open before them, welcoming any and all visitors into a mockery of the building the alicorn sisters cherished. The varied rising spires and encompassing walls reminded the sisters of the home they abandoned after their parents’ Ascension.
The palace before them mimicked their parents’ castle, the home where Celestia and Luna grew up centuries ago.
“Oh, this is so much fun, Celestia. I had the greatest time building this castle for your special victory!” Discord taunted, striking an extravagant pose as he swept his hand across the entirety of his new creation. “Do you like it? I always knew how much you adored your old childhood home.”
Celestia ground her teeth and glared while Luna leaned against her side, taking in the details of the fortress with reckless nostalgia and a modicum of affinity for Discord.
“You would dare falsify my memories with this counterfeit of an important part of all our lives, Discord!? I knew you could sink low, but not this low!” Celestia hissed between clenched teeth.
“What, don’t you like it, dear Celestia,” Discord cooed, dusting off his stomach. “Perhaps I should, oh, I don’t know. Put a bird on it? Make it pretty?” With a snap of his fingers, birds of all shapes and colors apparated from the air and perched on every ledge. A penguin inexplicably wafted its way over to land on Celestia’s horn, vexing the alicorn enough to shake her head and launch the hapless bird into the trees.
“Or maybe not,” Discord shrugged, snapping his fingers again to purge each and every bird from the premises. “Oh, Celestia, what shall I ever do with you? You’ve obviously come to take what is not yours again. So, out with it! Let’s hear your strategy this time.”
Shrugging the saddlebags to the ground, Celestia stood as regally as she could, the gentle wind blowing through her pink mane. “I gave you many chances to concede power to me, and you refused each one! We’re here now to take it, you’ve ruled long enough and kept my little ponies in shadow! Now, I will shine over all and give them what we deserve.”
Discord rolled his eyes and laid a shoulder upon a towering statue of some nameless pony, “Oh, my dear Celestia. What happened to the filly I used to know, who used to love me so? You know the Precepts just as much as I do. The power was ceded to me, not you! And I see you brought little Luna into your fight.”
“I came of my own choice, Discord! Tia’s right, Precepts or not, we should enjoy our lives just as much as you! I... just don’t want this to come to fighting. Please, Discord? You’ve been our friend for centuries now, don’t let this divide us.” Luna’s expressed veritable misery. She hated to see her sister and friend fight.
“I did not make the Precepts, I simply follow them, as you should. Harmony has always kept the balance, you just refuse to see it,” Discord said as he turned and walked away.
“And that is a bold faced lie, coming even from you, Discord! Don’t you dare walk away from me!” Celestia snorted, her eyes narrowing into a glare as she pawed at the ground.
“Oh, what are you going to do, Celestia, use your grim attitude to wave your little magic horn and make everything all better?” Discord scoffed.
“Maybe I should, Discord. I think the time for talk over.”
“Don’t waste my time. There’s plenty of chaos to go around and I’m missing all of it to keep you entertained.” Discord threw up his hands and teleported to the highest tower, outside Celestia’s shouting range.
Luna hunkered close to the ground, covering her eyes with her hooves. She never wanted this catastrophe. I just wish Celly would calm down so we could work out a peaceful solution!
The high pitched whine as Celestia charged magic into her horn for a spell roused Luna from her thoughts and drove her to action.
Luna dashed toward Celestia, hoping to disrupt whatever spell the alabaster unicorn cast or divert it from its course. At the last second, Celestia spotted Luna from the corner of her eye. Everything happened instantly. “L-Luna!?” Celestia gasped when the midnight alicorn tackled her sideways. The spell shot off just as Discord turned to watch the situation. At that moment, Luna’s world shattered.
She flew back into the forest and smashed into a tree, her muscles paralyzed from her sister’s failed magic. Intense pain coursed through her, she moaned silently as tears fell from her eyes. The Princess of the Moon felt as if flames engulfed her entire body. Through the haze of tears, she watched as Celestia groggily rose to her feet and whipped her head around in search of her sister.
Celestia seemed unable to locate Luna, for she rounded on the approaching Discord and hissed with her wings fully extended to make herself appear larger, “What have you done with my sister!? Would you dare turn her into one of your little playthings, too, to dance to your whims!?”
The Discord sent Celestia a withering glare and held his paw to his chest with a hurt expression. “I? Oh, Celestia, you deluded alicorn, you. I have done nothing, this is all your doing.” He circled the Princess of the Sun, who kept a wary stance and eyed the draconequus. “After all, I haven’t broken the Precepts of our little game. Or did you forget that we both operate under them, hmmm?” he questioned, shoving his face up to Celestia’s and staring her in the eye.
Luna’s pain receded, yet the paralysis remained. She helplessly watched the terrifying events unfold before her.
“I have not forgotten the Precepts, Discord! Nor have I forgotten each and every atrocity you have committed against my ponies with your chaos!” The white alicorn pawed at the ground as Discord hopped away, clenching her teeth in mournful memory.
Luna knew all about the these ‘atrocities’. Ponies they once knew changed beyond recognition into wild beasts or lost their minds. Worse, some ponies they knew morphed into beasts with their minds and memories intact.
Discord shrugged as he walked toward the castle. He threw Celestia a dismissive wave. “They know the world, my dear mare. It’s not like your Order will not spawn atrocities of its own.”
Enraged, Celestia yelled, “That is not the same! My Order will be a place where they never have to fear if somepony they love may become a monster, or never return! A place where families can freely love!” Charging her horn as tears sprang to her eyes, she loosed a massive ray, but Discord aniticpated the attack and teleported away. Instead, the beam blew a crater in the castle wall. “A place where-”
Discord emerged from thin air behind Celestia and stage-whispered into her ear, “All your little ponies will live the life you choose for them, free will a lost, ancient thing as you control every aspect of their lives. At least I give ponies the liberty. After all, life comes at a cost, as does everything.”
With a furious scream, Celestia twisted and sent another blast deep into the Everfree Forest as Discord deftly dodged and floated high into the air. “Oh, Celestia, I thought that’s what you wanted. After all, Order is no more a paradise than chaos. Well, at least, my paradise is chaos!” With a chuckle, he teleported atop the castle parapets to stare down at the hole in his wall.
“I want my ponies to live without fear!” Celestia exclaimed, tempering her anger as best she could.
“Fear from who? From me? Or you? I’m the Spirit of Chaos, Celestia! This is what I do, and Order is what you do! I couldn’t change as you would wish me to. What, you think I can simply pass on some of the power I was given with a snap of my fingers?” He snapped his claws and watched in amusement as a single pie appeared above Celestia, dropping into her mane with a splat. “Oh, I like that!” Several more snaps created various food items, splattering onto Celestia a delicious mess.
Shaking herself free of the food, Celestia spread her powerful wings and rose majestically into the air, scowling at the draconequus. “Then I will be forced to take it from you!” She tore through the air and assailed Discord, her horn trailing sparks.
“Oh! A game of tag! Fine, you’ll be it. Come at me, Celestia, show me your moves!” He laughed as he dove into one of the castle’s immense windows, shattering the panes while Celestia streaked in after him.
The scene reminded Luna of her past. The memories came to her immediately as she listened to the sounds of battle and destruction from the palace. Every so often, a blast of Celestia’s magic would burst out with an explosion of shattered masonry, arcing off to vanish in the distance.
******************
Luna prowled through the dangerous jungles of the deepest portions of the Everfree, stalking silently through the trees in search of her prey. Soon, she would pounce on her quarry and feast on a well deserved treat! Pushing past a frond in her path, Luna parted the jungle stalks and sighted the wild Celestia. It warily made its way down the game path with a tray of fresh cookies.
Wiggling her backside in readiness, Luna leapt from the confines of the houseplant and tackled her terrified sister to the floor. Cookies flew everywhere! Grabbing one in her maw, Luna giggled and stared down adorably at her elder sister, who lay splayed against the floor with a highly unamused expression.
“Every time I have snacks!” Taking one glance at her younger sibling, Celestia’s countenance softened and she smiled, “Awww, I can’t ever stay mad at you, sis! But I know one thing I can do to get revenge!” Before Luna could escape, Celestia twisted and grabbed her sister, then proceeded to tickle the living daylights out of Luna’s sides, eliciting squeals and muted protests around the mouthful of cookie from the younger alicorn.
“Oh, I see what’s going on here!” A voice said. “A tickle party, and I’m not invited! We’ll see about that!”
“Wait, Discord no-” Celestia began before being tackled off her sister by the draconequus, his talons and paw beginning their own flurry of tickles against Celestia’s sides while she shrieked and begged for him to stop.
Luna, in all the confusion, gathered up as many of the cookies onto the plate as she could and with the dish hovering before her, ran down the hallway in Cordiara Castle. She darted around amused attendants and absconded before Discord and Celestia discovered her master plan.
Many ponies considered the castle and the city surrounding it a bastion of Order in the natural world. King Altair and Queen Sol ruled for innumerable centuries. Outside of Cordiara Castle’s towering walls, ponies lived in relative peace and raised families free from the herd lifestyle. Inside the castle walls, the ponies lead a frugal yet comfortable life.
The buildings of Cordiara spread to all directions. They stood no more than two or three stories, and were built with few corners to accentuate beauty. Roofs crowned the houses and shops in the greens of nature; ivy and vines draped over many. Most houses boasted gardens and terraces of plants, while prominent cisterns and aqueducts met the high demand for water. Red cobblestone roads coursed through the city like arteries past doorways that lay open to welcome visitors. Day to day, colts and fillies played in the streets while the bustle passed them by. Ponies of all colors paraded themselves along shops and fountains as they went about their lives.
When they weren’t in class, the Royal Princesses Celestia and Luna played. Among the alicorns, palace staff, and visiting ponies one creature stood out. The draconequus Discord lived within the palace as a good friend of the Royal sisters.
Luna nearly escaped Celestia and Discord’s retribution. Yet that was not to be. “Hey!” Luna heard Celestia yell from far behind. “She’s taking our cookies!” The mare and draconequus quit their struggles, and instead pursued Luna, zigzagging their way amongst ponies as they gained upon the younger sibling.
Turning her head, Luna stuck her tongue out at her pursuers and dove into a nearby room, confident that she escaped with her loot until a certain voice piped up.
“Did you take those from your sister again?” Queen Sol queried her daughter. Luna turned wide eyed to notice her amused parents. An equally amused gryphon ambassador sipped tea nearby.
Luna’s parents were the backbone of all Equestria; Sol’s warm ideals and Altair’s stalwart demeanor and mannerisms shaped Equestria into the gem of the world. The rose-colored Sol sat majestically. Her sharp, green eyes stared down lovingly at her daughter with a hint of humor. Altair’s charcoal-grey body towered above his wife and his crimson gaze was piercing.
“Well, I-” Luna started, but toppled swiftly as Celestia and Discord bowled her over with twin tackles. The gryphon ambassador erupted in laughter. To the children’s horror, the tray of cookies flew from Luna’s grasp and shattered on the floor, bits of cookie raining down over the kids.
Sol stood and stepped her way through the mess to nuzzle her daughters caringly, “Go get yourselves cleaned up, we’ll have a maid clean this. Go with them, Discord.”
*******************
The ancient memories of her parents and the intense friendship the trio enjoyed brought a tear to Luna’s eye. Luna refused to believe that her sister attack Discord or even her own sibling. A large explosion burst through the castle nearby. Masonry showered over the clearing and into the forest, pelting Luna with sharp fragments.
The horrified mare remained immobile and thus watched Celestia’s blast arced out of the palace. It exploded near Luna, and brought about a fresh wave of agony. She felt her entire body burn from the intensity of her sister’s magic.
Yet another blast rocked the palace and the area around her as the portcullis ejected into the Everfree, narrowly missing Luna. Discord spilled out from the gaping hole, laughing at Celestia’s antics. However, something caught his eye and he vanished, only to reappear worried beside Luna. Celestia flew out seconds later and screamed in rage when she realized she lost Discord.
While Luna could not see her injuries, the intense sorrow on Discord’s face confirmed that the alicorn appeared as bad as she felt. “Oh, Luna, I’m so sorry,” Discord apologized with genuine regret. He stretched out his claw as he bent near her, and brushed it gently against her cheek. A fresh wave of pain erupted from her burns.
Luna managed to twitch her eyes in Discord’s direction, a modicum of control returning to her form. All at once, Luna’s world flared as a lance of sunlight struck Discord in the back, blinding the midnight mare. Spots danced before her eyes while Celestia’s shrieked, “Get away from her, you monster! I won’t let you hurt her anymore than you already have!”
Discord whirled and dodged another of Celestia’s spells, tsking and waggling his finger at the Sun Princess. “Oh, Celestia, she reeks of your magic. Everything that’s been done to her so far is your fault!”
“Liar!” she screamed. “No more of your lies, monster! No more of your false promises and your slanderous claims of friendship with us!”
The draconequus rolled his eyes and floated away from Luna, taking the battle away from the severely injured alicorn. With Discord out of the way, Celestia quickly descended from the treetops and knelt next to her sister, worry etched on her face. “I’m so sorry, Lu-Lu, I should never have let that monster near you. After I deal with him, I’ll take care of you until you’re all better.” She eyed over her sister’s injured body, grimacing in empathy, then turned away to go after Discord. “I... I can’t stand to see you like this, sister. I’d take the time to heal you, but... he’s still out there, I have to stop him before he hurts you again!” With powerful flaps her of wings, Celestia rose into the air, then soared after the draconequus.
“You have much to answer for, Discord, most of all what you’ve done to my sister! I will hunt you down until you pay for your crimes!” Celestia exclaimed at the top of her lungs, gaining altitude.
Despite his singed back, Discord appeared confident, floating lazily along through the air as he studied his talons. “Oh Celestia, still grim as always. What must I say or do for you to see the truth? That you are but a jealous old friend of mine who blames all her problems on a scapegoat, including...” he turned his gaze to the white alicorn and viciously glared. “Everything that has happened to Luna. It’s your own damned fault!”
“Myths and defamations are all I ever hear from you, Discord!” Celestia rose higher, surrounding herself with her sun’s glare. A wide grin plastering her face. “If you will not surrender so easily, Discord, then I shall have to force you.” Celestia’s horn sparked with magic as she wove a spell.
“Do what, my dear Celestia, beg and plead? You’ve already done that as I recall. Call for mommy and daddy, hoping they, who gave me my power, will listen to you cry to them?” Discord mocked dryly.
My parents, who gave Discord his power, thought Luna, the memories coming fore to her mind as she remembered those bygone days.
*******************
The day finally arrived when Celestia and Luna’s parents announced their abdication. Sol and Altair had prepared all of Equestria for their Ascension. A servant ushered the Royal Pony sisters into a private audience chamber where their parents awaited. The sisters asked their parents many questions, but only one question had an answer. Their parents only cryptically answered, ‘You’ll understand the Precepts when you’re older.’
Sol and Altair directed Discord into a private side-chamber. Although they magically eavesdropped, Celestia and Luna heard nothing until an immense surge of power shocked the two senseless. The sisters discussed many explanations for what had occurred, but they were dumbfounded.
Hours later the room door opened their drained and exhausted parents exited. That night Sol and Altair vanished without a trace. They left Celestia and Luna with the knowledge that the Precepts ordained the Transfer. It didn’t explain why, they only revealed that understanding came in time. However, Discord deftly escaped, leaving the alicorn sisters to exhaustively search for him to no avail.
The sisters watched Cordiara bleed out. They abandoned their capital, and despite all obstacles, it went as smoothly as could hope for. Bereft ponies streamed from the city gates, most with carts or wagons holding the few possessions they could carry. Beyond the gates, aimless ponies scattered in every direction.
After Discord found the two sisters Luna broke down bawling in Celestia’s hooves. Their mother and father left forever, and Discord held their power: the power to sow chaos and rule over Equestria. Luna mourned for the dear friendship that had strained and shattered. Until that moment Celestia followed the draconequus like a love-sick puppy. Now she refused to accept him. The mare blamed him for her parents’ disappearance and resented his power.
Everything changed.
*******************
Luna despised these memories. The two beacons of light in her dark world now fought before her.
“I will end this farce one way or another, you have my word,” Celestia gasped.
“Oh, Celestia, the only farce happening here is your delusional rant. You attack me, the love of your life, you claim there’s dust in my eye while ignoring the plank in yours, and then you accuse me of laying harm to my dearest friend!? I feel as if the one here who must be stopped is you, and that my dear pony is quite within my power to do!” Discord bared his single fang, his calm voice growing hostile. He bolted upright and yelled into the sunny sky that hid Celestia.
“You destroyed my world, now I’ll end yours!” Celestia’s voice boomed out from above.
The sun’s light grew stronger, obliviated shadows, and penetrated all.
In one brief, shocking flare, Luna’s world shuddered and then broke.
What did she just do!? Dear Altair, what did Tia do...? Luna managed to think through the pained fog of her mind. Luna sensed the wilderness all around her ceasing, not in death, but in spirit. Even high above, the Sun and clouds stopped in their tracks.
She... no... Celly, why!?
“Celestia!” Discord growled. “Your actions are unforgiveable! Leave now, and never return. Your sister will stay within my care for the harm you have caused her.”
Celestia descended and landed beside her saddlebags, smiling wryly. “If you so say, Discord, so shall I go. I will return for Luna soon. For now, enjoy fixing the mess you could have so easily avoided.” Hefting the bags to her haunches, Celestia marched deep into the trees of the Everfree, stopping for a moment to whisper into Luna’s ear, “I will come back, Lu-Lu, I would never leave you in that monster’s hands. I’ll take care of you, I promise.” With that said, a bright flash of light announced Celestia’s teleport away from the battlefield.
Discord watched Celestia’s departure before placing his snout his paw, “I’m so sorry, Luna. I know you’re in a lot of pain right now, but if I don’t fix this, the world will never recover! I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, then stood to his full height and stretched out his arms. He spread his power over the land. All the way to the boundaries of the forest Luna sensed the draconequus reach out, righting Celestia’s wrongs.
A second light flashed behind Discord, and he whirled around. Celestia appeared with a triumphant smile and the six gems of the Elements of Harmony hovering over her. “This again?” he asked in annoyance. “When will you ever learn, Celestia, that everything that’s happened so far is from your actions. The only thing I’ve done is denied your request to break the Precepts. And I even watched you paralyze and severely injure your only sister. Now, unless you really wish for Luna to lose her sister, get out of my sight!” Discord crossed his arms over his chest and glowered, daring Celestia to make her move.
“Did you really believe I would let our squabble end there, Discord? I would never leave you free!” Around the parapets, an immense shield sprung into being as Celestia’s grin grew wider.
Surrounding them, a barrier of luminescent sunlight arced through the sky. All at once, the bubble of sunlight dove inward and struck the Lord of Chaos. Discord stumbled and twisted his head around to stare in shock. Gritting his teeth, he snapped his fingers, then blinked in amazement as nothing happened. Several more snaps ended with nothing, and he darted his head to stare at Celestia in befuddlement. “What... You...”
“Yes, me.” Celestia scoffed. “How do you like your cage, Discord?”
“What cage!?” he snarled in response.
“This. Entire. Earth!”
Discord fell silent and his face lost expression. He leaned against the same forgotten statue and stared at Celestia for a second.
Celestia rolled her eyes and stamped a hoof against the stone parapet, hissing, “You know what I can easily do with the Elements, Discord. Forswear your chaotic ways, allow me to bring about an age of Order for my ponies, and I will set you free. If not...”
Discord turned away from Celestia and placed his powerless claws against the base of the statue, his head hung pensively.
Luna tried to scream to Celestia, her eyes twitching. Only a bare, muffled squeak came from her mouth. No! Tia, please! Things don’t have to be this way!
Discord turned and suddenly burst into laughter so hard it brought a tear to his eye. “Give up my chaos-driven ways? Oh, Celestia, that’s the best joke you’ve had so far! To want me, the guardian of Equestria, to give up chaos in the face of certain defeat? Oh, my dear alicorn, you seem to think I have the choice of changing who I am, just as you could so easily change who you are.” He fell back, cracking up. He stood up and threw his arms into the air. “Go ahead, then, Celestia, let it be known I at least stood for what I believed in, and who,” Discord peered out of the corner of his eye at the form of Luna far below, “I believe in.”
“So be it, Discord. Now your reckoning comes!” Celestia shouted, rising into the air. Her horn glowed bright as the Elements spun around her at ever increasing speeds. Discord threw one arm into the air and pulled the other to his chest as he opened his mouth wide to sing.
Please, no, Tia... Luna begged within her mind, knowing the exact song as she sang along with with the draconequus. A song her mother used to sing to them so long ago.
Row, row, row your boat...
The six Elements began humming as Celestia’s power surrounded them. Her eyes opened, searingly white.
Gently down the stream...
Celestia outstretched her limbs as the full power of the Elements of Harmony coursed through her, a double-helix rainbow springing from her horn and arced into the air.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...
The rainbow of Elemental power peaked and then descended, splashing against Discord and hiding him from sight, his singing still ringing through the cascade.
Life is but... a dream...
The power that coursed through Celestia wound down and vanished, lowering her gently to the stone. The Elements dimmed, revealing naught but a statue remaining of Discord. Victorious, Celestia glanced over at Luna, knowing that in her mind, she’d done well.
Still paralyzed, Luna mourned.
___________________
Luna never forgave her sister for the abuse she suffered, nor for locking Discord away for all eternity. The Moon Princess recovered in the end. Her wounds healed as she resumed her reign over the night. Yet Luna never trusted Celestia again. Her sister left her truly alone in the world.
In the years following Discord’s defeat, all of Equestria slowly came under the reign of the Royal Sisters. Everything from the plants and animals to the very weather under Celestia’s rule. Ponies rejoiced that they could live their lives how they wished. So they thought.
Prosperous towns and cities soon spread across the face of Equestria. However, the loneliness eventually affected Luna.
Night eternal brought about the first of Nightmare Moon’s rebellious restorations. Yet Harmony was instead used against her. For a thousand years Celestia banished Nightmare Moon, not to defeat the ‘great evil’ that plagued her lands, as Celestia put it, but instead to punish her sister for defying the Order.
And who would ponies ever believe? The writer of their history and their ‘benevolent’ ruler, Princess Celestia, or the ‘monster’ she defeated and banished for eternity, Nightmare Moon?
All of Equestria fell under Celestia’s thrall. All became controlled and ordered, and when one mare controls all, how can anypony know anything else? How can they know the true Equestria died centuries ago? How can they know that today’s Equestria is a lie?
Who would they believe? The Mare in the Moon, the great evil who tried to bring about Eternal Night?
Or perhaps a certain hidden statue?
Six mares are unknowingly controlled by their ruler to do as she demands. They know only freedom in the lies Celestia tells. They have helped Luna reforge the bonds with her sister, yet where is she now? Hiding, unable to face the injustice. Luna knows what freedom is, but she is now firmly under Celestia’s hoof, broken by her exile so long ago.
Luna will never talk.
Neither can a statue.
Or can it?
If it could, what would it say?
Probably something along these very lines. After all...
I’m more than just a statue.
THE END OF HARMONY’S FABRICATION
(A/N) I’ve wanted to write this story for ages now, but Deep Dark has kept me from that. At least until I placed it on Hiatus to get a couple One-Shot stories out. After a few rewrites and numerous edits, it’s finally finished! I’d like to thank Final Draft, my newest editor, for helping me learn how to write better. I’ve learned quite a bit from him (Though he TOOK HIS SWEET TIME! I mean, really, what’s more important, the running of Everfree Radio or my story?) XD Either way, I think he’ll be staying on, he does an excellent job. Next story will be based on The Moon Rises by PonyPhonic. I can’t wait to finish that one.
(E/N)
Final Draft: Dragryphon contributes for EFR (he hosts the Lunar Republic Takeover), so I kinda got sucked into editing! I’ve edited some fics in the past (the first couple of chapters to “Son of the Emperor,” and nearly all of “Article 2”) but this is the first one-shot I’ve worked on.
I’m a very demanding editor. I abhor passive sentence structures and excess words. Consequently, I take a very long time to address every paragraph line by line. Dragryphon writes excellently and thinks up unique story elements easily. It was a lot of fun to shout “cut this” at him for hours on end!
On a final note, I find this story engaging because it truly studies character; Dragryphon pits Discord’s nature against Celestia’s pride. I think fanfics accomplish the most by revealing something new about the show’s characters. This story achieves that rare feat.
PUT A BIRD ON IT!
EverFree Radio
BEHIND THE SCENES:
“Lu-Lu! I’m back! Is everything alright up there?”
FinalDraft: “Quick! Hide the drugs!” Discord said.
A penguin inexplicably wafted its way over to land on Celestia’s horn, annoying the alicorn enough to bring her to shake her horn and laugh it into ORBIT! TO THE MOOOOON
FinalDraft: Wait, so when Celestia giggles at the ghostlies, she launches trees to the moon?
FinalDraft: You could have him add more birds. “Not enough birds for you? The birds have been doubled!”
DisFord, not DatCadillac