Starbreaker

by GivingSpider

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Princess Luna, Changelings, Queen Chrysalis, Discord, Princess Celestia
Length: 7223

The alignment of stars can strongly affect certain magic and Discord sees a narrow window of opportunity for his most complicated yet simple scheme yet.

The alignment of stars can strongly affect certain magic and Discord sees a narrow window of opportunity for his most complicated and yet simple scheme ever.

The cost of failure will be high and the Alicorn monarchs will certainly not take kindly to the amount of energy used.
One mistake and all of Equestria would be bearing down on him if there was even an Equestria left.

Published 2014-02-09 02:00:09 UTC
Last updated 2014-02-14 04:24:01 UTC

Chapter 1

Characters used are property of their respected owners.

-

Discord took in a deep breath of the crisp mountain air.  He glanced up at the stars and patiently waited.  Minutes turned into hours and Celestia’s sun soon took the night way.  He remained in his spot with his eyes focused on a particular point over head.  More time passed and he abruptly took his eyes out of his head and waited for the sun to leave his cone of vision.  He only looked straight at the sun once several hundred years ago and didn’t make that mistake again.  He counted down the time and when he was confident that the symbol of Celestia’s reign was no longer blocking his view he put his eyes back in his head.  Gradually the great orb moved and was soon enough leaving the sky and Luna’s moon slowly rose to take its place.  Discord remained in his spot and continued to focus on a specific group of interstellar objects.

After being trapped in stone on two occasions this was quite easy.  Boring but easy.

“How long are you going to wait?”

He didn’t turn his head to see who was addressing him.  He remained fixated on what was in front of his gaze.  Although he committed not to make eye contact so that he could keep track on the cosmic bodies movement he did respond.

“As long as I need too…and it looks like we’re almost there.”

“Finally…CHANGELINGS!”

Discord paid no mind to the sound of the swarm of Changelings gathering around his post.  He growled a bit when one of them flew over him and almost obstructed his view.  The buzzing settled as they all landed and he just kept on watching.  His companion spoke again.

“Now exactly what has you convinced that this is going to work?  More importantly how soon can we expect interference?”

Discord again did not look to his left at the speaker.  Queen Chrysalis’ voice was easily recognizable.   He kept his unblinking stare at the sky and took another deep breath.

“It’s safe to say that they already know that a swarm has been planted here for some time now.  Once things get tense they’ll soon see that you’re directly involved.  After that they will unleash hell.  I’m guessing right after the first Unicorn reports the volume of magic I’m weaving the charge will start.”

Discord paused before he went on.

“Now let me take this moment to remind you that once I start there are no second chances or time outs.  Whoever they send will hit you with everything they have and reinforcements won’t be too far behind.  After somepony sees you it will get worse.  We can expect at least one Alicorn to decide that direct intervention is required.  After they see me then we can expect the rest of them to show up.  This night is going to be the only chance we have at this for about eight thousand four hundred and twenty three years and eight minutes.”

“Then we will have to fight as if our civilization depends on it” The Queen interrupted with a dire tone.  “My Changelings won’t last that long.  I still say you should have let me bring more drones.”

“Any more and they would have acted earlier.  Any more Changelings and it would look like the first wave of an invasion instead of a migratory mission” Discord simply replied as he continued to watch the distant giants move.  “If my focus is disturbed then I will lose the spell.  The consequences for that will be dire.  It will result in the death of a star and it could destroy Equestria and also possibly destroy the moon.  Either way once they notice me here you can expect them to fight like everything depends on stopping me.  There’s a good chance that I won’t survive the spell…there might not even be any ashes left.”

The Changeling matron hesitated before regarding Discord.

“Then why help us?”

“I’ve wondered about that myself to be honest” Discord answered with an oddly peaceful tone.  “I have everything to lose and almost nothing to gain.”

Abruptly Discord flexed his eagle claw and formed a pulsing orb of blue energy.

“It’s time Chrysalis.  Either accept my gesture as it is or back out while you still can.  The choice is yours; but remember your decision will affect the future of the Changelings.  Whether you stay or go I’m going to move forward” Discord grinned slightly before he continued. “Just keep in mind that I’m your best chance and that tonight is my best chance and therefore”

“I KNOW!” Chrysalis snapped at the mismatched creature.   “…I get it…fine…we shall do what we must.”

Chrysalis slowly backed away from Discord and darted off followed by her swarm.  Discord continued to remain stationary.

“The stars are lined up, the summer solstice is still in motion, and the AEther is thick…either tomorrow will be the same as today or it will be the beginning of a new Equestria…”

He brought his lion paw near his claw and expanded the energy.  He could now hear a dull humming coming from the ball in his hands.  He kept his gaze on the sky and patiently watched as the tiny specks above him continued their dance.

-

Princess Celestia’s horn emitted a dull light.  Her let her letter from Twilight drop to the floor as she realized that she had no control over the new light.  Abruptly the doors to her chambers were broadly swung open and her younger sister stormed into the room.

“Sister!  Princess Cadence just reported a sudden spike in magic use and a division of Changelings has anchored itself around it!”

Celestia frowned as she looked at her sister’s horn.

“Luna…can you control the light coming from your horn?”

“It appears that I cannot.  I believe I have good cause to be suspicious!”

Celestia sighed heavily and gave her sister a serious look.

“This will require the both of us.  I do not know what’s going on but this clearly should be handled directly.  Whatever is happening down there we can handle it.”

-

Discord could feel the ground beneath his feet begin to vibrate.  The simple orb of energy had several small cubes of raw mana in slow orbit around it.  He could hear the wind picking up and he provoked a small headache by quelling it.  His actions wouldn’t mean much if he destroyed the world.  Plus abnormal weather would just make the inevitable reaction more…dedicated.

Time started to drift away from him as he continued the spell.  How long had he stood there since he began the spellcraft?  His body felt heavier and he slowly lowered himself down into a seated position.  He turned his gaze from the stars to give the magic his full attention.

Strong pain started to gather in his head and chest.  It felt like he was crying.  In the distance he could hear the tell tale sounds of open conflict.  Judging by the noise the Changelings were showing considerable restraint and as he advised; they had limited themselves to non lethal means.  He paused and saw his hands had become stone.  He frowned and tried to bring them back.

He gave his focus back to the spell when his claw had cracked.  He expected this to start to happen but he was counting on more time.

“I suppose even the god of chaos has mortal limits.”

Abruptly the petrifaction slowly began to creep further upwards.  He wondered if he would be brought back if he completely turned.  He wondered who might even do it.  He paused to reflect on how Equestria would react to what tomorrow could bring.  The measures he took ensured that the magic would destroy his body instead of the planet, his hands were a testament to that.

He hoped.  There was still a chance that things would go very wrong but in a way that was part of the point.  Death wasn’t really a bad thing once you accepted the idea.

He watched the petrifaction continue to spread.  He looked at the ball of energy.  He watched as the cubes floating around it turned into octahedrons.  He sighed to himself.  When he was in stone he could hear and feel everything.

There was nothing in his hands: no temperature or pain.

-

The forest surrounding the clear hill had become chaotic quickly.  The Changelings had fortified themselves very well and did everything they could to avoid prolonged combat.  Celestia was relieved to see that they were gaining ground.  The magic being channeled was too much for flight or teleportation; half the Unicorns who came passed out from the sudden shock of energy.  Teleporting more ponies might leave them displaced or otherwise incapacitated.

She smiled to herself.  Their entire push into whatever the Changelings were protecting seemed to depend on the efforts of the small and proud cluster of Earth Ponies that earned rank among the Royal Guard.  She didn’t allow herself to observe her subjects fighting as she was too busy protecting herself.  Losing such a large chunk of the battle mages was damaging enough for moral.  If she herself withdrew from the fray or was taken down it might cripple the spirit of her remaining forces.

She almost swore under her breath.  She should have come better prepared.  She should have brought more.  She considered withdrawing her forces and using heavy magic to level the area and thus stopping the spell but that could be just as dangerous as leaving it to run it’s course.  She could withdraw and fetch more troops and crush the Changeling ranks but if she left now they might relocate and try again elsewhere.  Celestia shook her head.  The dice had been cast.  She had to commit to whatever end this night would bring.  What she had brought would have to be enough.

It had to be enough.

A flash of green light spawned to her left and just as it started it was gone.  Luna had charged towards the source and had physically subdued a Changeling.  On the ground in front of her was a barely conscious Earth Pony.

“…There not … fighting to kill or capture…Sister!”

Luna doubled back to Celestia’s side and saw the brave worrier lying on the forest floor.  Her puzzled expression said that she met the same conclusion.  Celestia felt the ground start to shake and saw a few small pebbles float off the ground.  Whatever spell was at work it was consuming energy that rivaled her own concentration.  Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils faired as she uttered a single utterance.

“Discord…”

Her blood began to boil as for a brief moment she made eye contact with a Changeling who stood equal to her own height.  She addressed the foreign queen while drawing forth the old royal manner of speaking.

“What is Discord doing Chrysalis?”

The Changeling Queen wore a grave expression.  It was clear that her heart didn’t want this fighting…which was odd to say the least considering there last encounter.  Her voice carried notes of hesitation underneath a borderline cocky attitude.

“If I told your royal Sunbutt what it was… you’d probably fight harder to stop him.”

Celestia resisted being provoked into a charge.

Luna did not.

-

Discord felt his mind slipping away.  It felt like he was being ripped apart.  The stars had moved out of place so all that was left was to contain and dispel the remaining energy before it destroyed him.  He wanted to live long enough to see if it was worth it.  He didn’t look at his hands mostly because he couldn’t see anything.  His vision was too distorted by a dark red haze.  The world seemed to be spinning counterclockwise while he himself was being spun clockwise.  He couldn’t feel the spell so everything depended on instinct and his common sense second guessing his instinct.

To put it bluntly; Discord felt genuinely screwed.  Celestia had always wanted him alive after his defeats but the star he was drawing power from wanted him dead.

He dropped to his side and everything kind of sounded like rushing water.  He just assumed that the spell had waned completely since he was still more or less in one piece.  He could see a little clearer now at least.  The pain all over his body with the exception of his arms and shoulders which were either numb or non-existent was in its own way a blessing.  He was still alive and to be best of his knowledge he was still in Equestria.  He watched as a sizeable group of Ponies stepped into the clearing, towing captive Changelings behind them.  He could clearly see a small struggle happening in the corner of his eye but lacked the strength to tilt his head.

He settled for allowing one of his eyes to roll out of his head for a better look.

He could see the Princesses Luna and Celestia had stunned looks on their faces.  He could see Queen Chrysalis on the ground battered and bruised.  She was crying but not out of pain or defeat.  His eye traveled a few more feet until it saw what was the true heart of attention.

On the grass within reach of the Changeling matron was an apple with a large bite taken out of it.  Queen Chrysalis had taken a bite of fruit without spitting or vomiting it back up.  His eye shifted its focus to see the Alicorn sisters.  His hearing started to clear up and Celestia’s voice was trembling.

“Chrysalis…you were right…If I knew…I probably would have tried harder to stop you…”

He tried and failed to get up.  Chrysalis tried and succeeded.  He couldn’t quite make out what was being said.

Whatever it was…it was probable a mutual acceptance that tomorrow would dawn on a new Equestria.  Discord tried to focus what energy he had left to try to fix himself.  He didn’t have to live to see tomorrow but he sure as heck wanted to.

He flexed his mind and tried to find something to give him strength.  He forced himself to channel energy to an illusion to give him the drive to mend his mortal shell.  Just before he lost consciousness he could see the outline of a familiar filly standing over him.

“Daddy?  Please get up daddy…”

-

Chapter 2

Characters used are property of their respected owners.

-

Dull throbbing pain radiating in his head let him know that he was still alive.  Seeing the light from Celestia’s sun coming in through a window let him know that he was still in Equestria.

Or at least that was what Discord chose to accept as reality.  It was all up for discussion considering what happened last night.  He frowned and wondered if it was even last night.  He wasn’t really sure on how long ago it was.  He dared to look down at his hands and was pleasantly greeted by the sight of non-petrified flesh.  His eagle claw was loosely bandaged and he assumed that it was related to the large crack that had formed in it when it had become stone.  Discord slowly began to take in the details of his surroundings and had mixed feelings about not knowing where he was.  He was familiar with what the interior of Canterlot’s palace looked like and by extension what the dungeons looked like.  The same went for the old castle deep in the Everfree Forest.  He took in the sights of plain white curtains, plain white walls and floor, his plain white thin sheets covering less than half of his body, the plain white door across from him and…

He slowly leaned his body to his right to grasp at a simple metal stand supporting a curious transparent pouch.  The odd thing seemed to be slowly feeding a capsule drip by drip, which fed into a thin tube that led to what he assumed to be a needle assembly in his arm.  He blinked and then plucked his eyes out of his head and polished them against his chest before putting them back.  He gave his strange companion another glance and nothing was different.  He was definitely being steadily supplied some unknown fluid.  He pulled the metal stand closer and saw tiny writing on the bag.  Morbid curiosity took him and he quickly spawned a pair of reading glasses over his eyes.

“ Let’s see…the label is a word that I can’t pronounce.  That settles it; I’m in a hospital.”

He flexed his paw and grabbed at his magic so he could identify the contents of the bag but all he got was a sharp pain in his chest.  Recoiling in pain he lost his grip on the stand and nearly tossed himself out of the bed he was in.

That had never happened to him before.  Not once in his existence had that ever been a side effect of channeling his dormant energy.  He tried to use his power to adjust his glasses and was greeted by another pain but this one not as sharp.  It felt more like he was struck in a bruised area instead of stabbed by the wrong end of a railroad spike.  He laid in his new position with his head just an inch off the floor for awhile before re-positioning himself back on the bed.  Discord carefully grasped the stand again and elected to read below the label and hoped to see an ingredient list or at least something more entertaining to read than a label that looked like could either be eleven syllables or nineteen.

Discord started his scanning and he could swear that the Sun monarch was saying outloud what he was reading.

“Concentrated Mana, Thunder Fern, Iron Clover, Mandrake Root, Vampire Oak, Fruit of Compassion, Trick Blue, Phoenix Ashes, Poison Oak, Dragon Tears, Diamond Dust, and the rest are pain relievers.”

Discord let go of the stand and sat upright.  He saw that Princess Celestia was now in the room with a grave expression.  She kept a fair distance from the Lord of Chaos and seemed fixated on the task of making eye contact.  Discord finally gave it to her and she went on.

“You’ve been unconscious for eight days now and everypony who checked on you swore that they could hear somepony else in her with you.  One nurse even claims that she saw a filly adjusting your covers.”

Discord grinned before responding.

“Well of course somepony was in here with me.  I’m just loveable old Discord!  Even my imaginary daughter wants to help nurse me back to health.  Speaking of which when can I go back to whatever is it I plan on doing once I get out of here?”

Celestia said nothing.  Discord chose to interpret that as bad news.  He then elected to make the silence mean worse news.  He paused and made it slightly better.  There was no need to assume that the outside world was being swallowed by a tear in space.

“So…I’m going to die in this room then.”

“The doctors …seem to think so” Celestia answered quietly. “But there really aren’t any doctors qualified to measure the health or physical limitations of a Draconequus.  The only reason you’re being treated for Mana Deficiency is that it’s the only thing that makes sense.”

The words ‘Mana Deficiency’ echoed in Discord’s mind.  Basically his body was incapable of producing magic.  For a creature that normally has a high degree of magic in them like say a Unicorn or an Alicorn or something like himself; Mana Deficiency was often terminal.  The trick with his eyes and the glasses were only possible by the fluid being fed into his body.  He paused and let it sink in.  To be fair this was one of the best case scenarios he had come up with while planning the events that put him in his condition in the first place.  He addressed the Princess in a serious tone.

“The apple.  Did it happen?”

Celestia seemed conflicted as to how to answer.

“Yes.  Whatever you did…changed all of them.  You also put out a star.”  She paused in her words and stepped forward. “I know that since you’ve become reformed every good deed you’ve done has somehow benefited your own wants and needs.  What was your gain here Discord?  What did you do for yourself this time?  What did you want that was worth almost destroying yourself?”

Discord said nothing for awhile.  Celestia started to glare daggers at him.  His grin faded and he decided that maybe in a small way since she almost lost her kingdom and everything else that possibly in some way she deserved an answer.

“Yes…I did it for me…I did it for…closure.”

“CLOSURE!” Celestia snapped at him before advancing to the edge of the bed.  “You almost tore Equestria apart for closure?  What could you have possibly done in your past to merit that kind of risk?”

Discord kept his eyes on hers.  He smiled to himself.  For all her might and fury there was nothing she could threaten him with anymore.  Banishment?  Stone prison?  Smother him with a pillow?  Death by chocolate?  Announce that she was caring his foal?  He paused and considered that the last two didn’t really sound all that bad.  She leaned in a bit more and for a moment it looked like she was trying to recreate Fluttershy’s Stare.  Discord breathed slowly and the pain in his chest was almost completely gone.

“I did it to make something right.  I did it to undo something that I’ve only recently started to feel guilty about.”

Celestia backed away and Discord could almost hear the gears in her head going double time to figure him out.  Or perhaps he was mildly delirious.  He shrugged and went on.

“Thousands of years ago or possibly longer; well it at least predates the calendar system that we all use today, I had an ‘apprentice’.  She was a Unicorn who envied the Alicorn mater race.  This was well before your time when they were rare and more…benevolent.  I tried to teach spells that I knew were too much for her to handle.  After two years of trying to break her spirit she concluded that instead of giving up she just had to find a way to get herself more power.  At that juicy concept I started helping her for real.  Raising a student who just might knock the Alicorns down a few pegs?  How could I resist?

“Anyway her frustration helped fuel some curious notions.  Her jealousy for the Alicorns helped birth concepts of magically draining other Ponies to fill her own reserves.  I helped her craft means to do that…and I took it a bit further that that.  We cultivated magic to drain the most powerful form of magic.”

Celestia interrupted Discord with a simple statement.

“This story ends with you creating the first Changeling doesn’t it?”

“No.  I only gave the first one a strong shove in that direction.” Discord did nothing to prevent the solemn look from creeping over his face as he spoke. “Doesn’t matter now does it?  I’m dying and a lot of parts would be left out from my side of the story.”  He paused to inspect his bandaged claw. “And No this apprentice was not a much younger Chrysalis.”

Judging by Celestia’s expression he prevented her next question from needing to be asked.  His mind briefly drifted to simpler times.  Her voice brought him back to the present.

“I’ll leave you to your rest…I’d…I’d like to hear more about the Alicorns…when you’ve recovered.”

Discord gave a slight laugh at her words.

“First of all; it’s IF I recover and that’s not very likely is it?  Second; I’m surprised you’re asking me about your own history.  Then again these days there are only four of you and one of which was just one day made on a whim.  Before you go though, I have a question of my own.”

“No Discord.  I’ve disturbed you enough for now.  Try to rest.”

Upon hearing that Discord put on his best ‘pity me’ face.

“Oh come on Princess.  I’m on my death bed!  You may very well be the last pony I ever see in this world before my mortal shell expires!  The only thing I want in this world before I go is for you to answer me just one question!”

Celestia gave an annoyed sigh and just left him alone.

“Your bothered.  I still won.”  Discord said to no one in particular.  He sat upright again and elected to read the labeling on the bag feeding a complicated mixture into his body.  After that was done for the second time he shifted his focus elsewhere.

“A filly in my room…The only place you can hide is under my bed.  Since you’re so invested in taking care of me you may want to consider coming out before I lean over and possibly dethatch myself from this apparatus that is keeping me alive.”

Moments passed before somepony came out from under the bed.  Discord was torn between throwing curses and threats or simply crawling off the bed to hug what he saw.  Standing next to the bed was a small Earth Pony filly.  She had a violet coat of hair which was accented by her purple mane with white highlights.  Discord found himself lost as he stared into her strange swirled eyes.  She smiled and stared back.  Discord soon gathered himself and closed his eyes.

“I…very much want to believe that you’re here…but I know that Screwball never really existed.  When I open my eyes you either better be ready to commit one hundred percent to the illusion or be in your true body.  If you go with option ‘A’ then be prepared for me to cram years worth of missed birthdays and Hearth’s Warming eves over the next nineteen hours.”

Discord opened his eyes in time to see a bright flash of green.   The space where the doppelganger of his daughter was standing was now occupied by Queen Chrysalis.  She took a cautionary step back and regarded him with a threatening tone.

“If you even so much as try to play parent on me…I’m not above striking someone who is bedridden.”

Discord grinned and just let the words in one ear and out the other.  He believed that she might do more than hit him.  The Changeling stretched her limbs before closing the shades.  Discord was about to propose a question when she abruptly cut him off.

“Yes.  All of us can feed on…food.  It’s still a very alien concept but most of them are eager to adjust.  It will be a long time before we see a complete end to attacks but we can see it from here now.”

Discord tapped his paw against his claw and waited.  Chrysalis sighed and went on.

“The ruling bodies of Equestria are being bent towards recognizing peace in our time.  The fact that we don’t need to prey on them anymore would make any aggression from them seem barbaric.  All the Ponies who witnessed how we fought without casualty and how soon after my example they all started trying to eat from the stores that were being confiscated after our ‘defeat’…we looked so pathetic.  I’ve never felt so low in my existence and I will hate you until the day I die for talking me into that ruse.”

She slowly made her way back to the edge of the bed and Discord patiently waited for her to finish what she had to say.  Her tone gradually lost its acidic edge as she continued.

“But I also have to thank you on behalf of myself and my Changelings…you gave them the a better future than the one I tried to give them…well…better for the Ponies I suppose anyway…Either way I guess we won.”

“Well that’s all fine and whatnot” Discord interrupted her as he crossed his arms. “But why were you impersonating my imaginary daughter?”

Chrysalis grinned before responding.

“During the first day I hadn’t.  I impersonated a doctor so that I could personally keep watch on your condition.  I guess I felt that I owed it to you after what you did for us.  You didn’t respond well at all.  Heck on the second day we almost lost you.  I recalled how at peace you were when you spawned that illusion and decided that I may as was well make it a comforting death; so I changed my form to match the child that you apparently always wanted to have.  You started drifting in and out of consciousness after that and I kept playing the part.  Of course I never let any of the hospital staff know I was here.  A strange filly would have been ushered out and a violent filly who took down doctors would be ‘escorted’ out.”

Discord coughed a small degree of blood into his bandaged claw.  Chrysalis stopped her explanation and her horn started to glow.

“Tell me…tell me how to fix you.”

Discord just smiled and looked at the bag of transparent fluid again.  Chrysalis impatiently tapped her hoof on the floor and he elected to give her an answer.

“Using a spell will kill me.  It will de-stabilize the concentrated mana and give me an aneurism, and the rejected magic will aggravate some of the other ingredients and make a lethal toxin.  I’m quite literally waiting to die.”

Chrysalis snapped at him again before he could go on.

“Don’t you dare be weak about all this!  You sacrificed a star!  You are Discord!  Some freak illness is not going to take you down!  You are going to buck up and face this and get your strength back!  One more show of weakness and I’ll put a pillow over your face until you pass out and become more cooperative!”

Discord paused.  She certainly looked and sounded like she meant it.  He considered her words and his options.  He grinned as his next move formed.  He was far too impatient to fall asleep but a nap did sound good at the moment.  Plus he was confident that she wouldn’t kill him by accident.  He put his ‘pity me’ face back on.

“Oh Chrysalis”

He was cut off by his pillow suddenly being snatched out from under him.  In the same second it was on top of his face.  Out of instinct he weakly thrashed a bit.  Chrysalis kept the pillow in place by planting her torso right on top of it and used her front hooves to keep the arm attached to the IV bag still.

He stopped moving and she abruptly released him.  She put her hoof in front of his nose and was relieved to feel breath.  Chrysalis channeled the power in her horn and reverted back to her disguise.

“You might not survive this Discord…but I’ll keep dragging you back if I have to…even if it means…pretending…”

She growled and elected to stop talking.  It wasn’t for anyone’s benefit anyway.  She adjusted the covers on the sleeping creature and his eyes opened slightly.  It was kind of creepy the way he looked at her when he did that.  One of the side effects of the drugs was that he would drift in and out of consciousness at random.  He looked at her and this time he didn’t question the illusion.  He weakly ran his paw through her mane and Chrysalis felt a surge of tasty tasty love.  She drank her fill of the radiating energy and fought the urge to drain what wasn’t seeping out.

Discord slumped over and fell back asleep.  At the sound of hooves approaching the door she dived under the bed and cast subtle illusionary magic around her makeshift lair.  The energy radiating from the meds did well at masking her magic from prying horns.

“You’re going to get better whether you want to or not.”

-

Chapter 3

Characters used are property of their respected owners.

-

Equestria was starting to settle into the new age that was provoked by risky and costly magic.  The exchange of ideas and culture started slow but gradually started to move like a subtle plague.  With Changelings and Ponies enjoying a steadily strengthening alliance even a few particularly greed swelled dragons were reconsidering how to stock their hordes.  A whole new world seemed to just suddenly drop down where Equestria used to be and there were a lot of new things to be enjoyed.

Unless of course you were the one who cast the spell.

Discord had remained bedridden in the same hospital for a period of time that he didn’t care enough about to measure.  He didn’t bother making any notes about the date until he was declared strong enough to be moved to a more comfortable setting.  Mana Deficiency was a death sentence and Discord remained like that one nail that hasn’t been fully pounded down.

Specifically he was like a nail that was enchanted to make you slip and somehow smash your own face if you dared hammer it.

Discord slowly stretched his body and stayed put in his bed.  He enjoyed his room at Canterlot’s palace a lot more than the boring white room where he was simply waiting to die.  In his private moments he had to admit that part of him wanted to leave his body behind and see what was waiting for him after his time in Equestria was done.  He looked around the room and smiled to himself.  Dark grey stone work made the walls with heavy tapestries draped from them to keep the room from being too grey.  They were all pieces of Changeling history and were expertly restored by Rarity along with a Changeling who specialized in tailoring for durability rather than fashion.

He paused in his thoughts.  He still had the wedding invite somewhere.

He turned his gaze to admire the fireplace across from his bed.  The barren lands that the Changelings had endured in their exile had inspired a lot of clever inventions.  The stack of logs he was burning had lasted eleven days now and the light level had only slightly suffered and the temperature remained sufficient.  Unicorns had found a way to make them better but he preferred the original design.  He kept a large cooking pot over his fire kept full of water to serve as a humidifier, using what the Unicorns had come up with would demand a more constant vigil on keeping it full.

Plus it served as a constant source of water for tea when he desired it or when one of his occasional guests came by.

Like back in the hospital he had one lone window with heavy curtains drawn; but it was different here.  This was his sanctuary instead of a tomb.  He wasn’t waiting for his body to give up anymore; he was just adjusting to his new life.  He wasn’t on a constant feed to strange medicine he couldn’t pronounce anymore.  Instead he was on a careful ration of something weaker; something that wasn’t making it painful for him to use what little magic he could still use or make him behave like a cretin with an occasional staring problem.

Also the new meds made him less depressed about his situation.  Thoughts about why he did what he did or thoughts about the daughter he never had weren’t soul crushing anymore.  He genuinely wanted to recover even though it was most likely that he would never be his old self again.  He reached his claw towards the curtains and used his will to pull them open.  The amount of light from Celestia’s sun suggested that it was around ten in the morning.  He stretched again and slowly got up from his bed.  He glanced at a section of his bed and took note of the cane that had occupied the spot.

He left it in its place and dared take some steps around the room.  His old physical strength was returning gradually and he had high hopes about one day being able to feed the aggravating stick to the fire and not regret it hours later.  He paused and weighed the option in his head as he slowly called it to his side using his frail power.

With a smirk he tossed it into the fireplace.  He admitted that he was tempting fate but it was one of the few activities that he could enjoy in solitude.  He watched it slowly change from a useful device into much less useful ashes.  After the brief show he dared some more steps.

He was starting to enjoy himself when it sunk in just how much he missed what he used to be.  He didn’t regret casting the spell but he would give a lot just for one day of mischief and chaos.

Or having the royal sisters wake up with their manes switched again.  That would be nice right about now.

The mental image was broken by the sound of his door opening.  He didn’t bother turning around to see who had abruptly showed up because only two individuals wanted to check up on him so badly that knocking felt unnecessary.  Celestia was still trying to ask him for bits of evidently lost history about the Alicorns and Chrysalis had made a habit of it just to make sure that he was committed to a full recovery.  He ventured a few more steps forward and flexed his magic a bit further.  His head began to throb in a dull pain and a sense of vertigo had sunk in momentarily.  He had spawned a light sitting area with large, simple yet cozy cushions and a low standing table.  He glared at the sight and took note that cookies had failed to spawn.  He cursed his new found limits under his breath and made himself comfortable and started to genuinely wonder who had come in.  Normally he was pelted with questions about how he was doing by now.  After seating himself he looked to see who had come into his simple home.

Princess Celestia’s silent gaze was a new thing for her.  She simple glanced around the room until her eyes fell on a certain corner of his bed.

“You did it again didn’t you Discord.”

“And I’ll do it to the next one that gets sent here.” Discord muttered dryly.  “As much as I’m enjoying your hospitality here as opposed to the hospital; I’ve grown tired of this period of intolerable weakness.”

“You still have a long way to go Discord” The Sun Monarch replied simply as she ventured further into his room.  “And the more you overdue it the longer it will take for you to fully recover.  Have you already forgotten the incident last week?”

Discord smiled.  He hadn’t forgotten sneaking outside into the gardens.  He hadn’t forgotten collapsing from fatigue.  He hadn’t forgotten the episode he had where he realized that slowly rolling around in the grass was the most fun he had all day.  She took his silence for an answer and sighed.  She elected to join him in his sitting area before continuing.

“Last time you tried this all you got was a table.  Your magic is getting stronger faster than your body is but you should still try not to push it.  I know this is hard for you but”

“I’m not in the mood to be lectured Princess.” Discord interrupted as he reached out with his mind and opened the curtains further.  “In truth I’m surprised that you’re not asking for one yourself.  Is the lost chapter of Alicorn history no longer tempting?”

Celestia regarded Discord with what looked like a genuinely caring expression.  He supposed that she had been wearing it for awhile now and that he just never bothered to notice.

“No.  I understand that it’s a hard thing for you to talk about…I won’t be troubling you further.  Actually I’ve come to share something.”

Celestia cast simple looking magic to teleport a tattered book bound by old leather.  The spine was enforced with the bones of tiny animals and the outside cover looked like it was ready to fall off.  Discord stared at it and realized that he had seen the journal before.  The eldest living Alicorn continued speaking with a degree of sympathy in her voice.

“Recently Queen Chrysalis sold an antique map to a Pony explorer named Darring Do; who I then commissioned to decipher it and go where it led.  She followed it to an abandoned Changling settlement and found this journal along with several other relics.  This is a diary is written in four dead languages but written in the same style.  It’s as if it was composed by a researcher who wanted whoever found it to have to waste years understanding it and dash hopes of having found a shortcut in their own quest for knowledge.  I’m guessing that this belonged to you…it’s just the kind of thing that I’d expect the Lord of Chaos to write.”

The book was gently settled on the table and Discord regarded it with curiosity and longing.  He looked at Celestia and smiled while fighting back a tear.

“You’re wrong Princess.  This didn’t belong to me.  It belonged to my student…the one who hated the Alicorns.  This was written by a Unicorn named Starbreaker.”

Celestia started to realize the gravity of what was sitting in front of her and Discord continued.

“That…was the journal she started after we parted ways.  After she made the first Changeling and began her quest to make more.”

Celestia was about to interrupt when Discord raised his paw.

“No.  Starbreaker was never a Changeling.  She discovered means to allow her to harness and use emotions in place of magical power as well as use it to sustain herself; but predicted that you first had to make your body compatible with the parasitic methods she was exploring.  She decided to test the transformation spell before using it on herself.”

Celestia’s eyes widened as Discord went on.

“She captured an Alicorn noble and dragged it to our work area.  She used the spell and the Alicorn turned into the creature we know as Changelings.  At first she was glad to have done it.  She prepared herself to use it on herself then paused when she took a moment to observe what she made.  The creature was scared, angry, and started to panic when it realized what it had to do for food.  We slowly realized that draining emotions wasn’t just an option for sustenance; it was the only option.  We had created something similar to blood sucking monsters out of fantasy.  Starbreaker had a change of heart.”

Celesita interrupted and Discord allowed it this time.

“She…turned them all into Changelings…”

“Almost.  She turned a good sized group of them into Changelings.  The Changelings grew hungry and the Alicorns were a preferred source of energy.  The ones she turned started feeding off the Alicorns and keep in mind this was before they learned restraint when they fed.  She went off to other Alicorn cities and started mass producing the creatures.

“Now the chaos that was felt by the Alicorn master race rippled through the lesser varieties of Ponies.  They all abandoned that part of the world thinking that the Alicorns had just gone mad and turned on each other.  Without the Alicorns ruling over them…well long story short eventually we get to the part that explains where Hearth’s Warming Eve comes from.

”Yes.  My apprentice Starbreaker had basically set out to cause the near genocide of the Alicorns.  You now know why Changelings are so gifted in flight and magic…you now have a clear picture as to why I felt responsible for the Changeling’s plight.”

Celestia remained silent.  She wasn’t sure how to react.  Discord said nothing else.  If she wanted to know more then her star pupil could probably make sense of the old tome.

“Your student…turned most of my ancestors into Changelings…and the ones who didn’t turn were killed.”

Discord just nodded.  Celestia stood up and fought to keep her voice steady.

“Thank you…for telling me…this journal will do a lot to fill the gap in history…about our common ancestry with the Changelings…if you’d permit me to take it with me when I leave.”

Discord nodded again.  He didn’t want to read it to be honest.  He started to map out plans for the day when Celestia proposed a question.

“If I may ask…why try to fix them now?”

Discord gave it some thought.  It was a valid inquiry that he supposed did merit an answer since the rash decision did almost lead to Equestria’s destruction.  He grinned the way he used to and gave Princess Celestia a simple answer.

“You really have to ask?  It’s simple my dear Princess.  The reason why I chose to make such a broad attempt to correct all this can be explained with one word.”

He leaned closer as if it was a secret for her ears alone.  She clearly took it seriously and leaned in closer.  Discord grasped some more of his power and adjusted the tone of his voice to add impact and drama to his next spoken words.

“Fluttershy.  She saw a speck of good in me when everypony else refused to even look for it…well except maybe you since you put her up to it.”

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