I'm Afraid I Haven't Told You Everything...

Chapters

A Misunderstanding
Princess. What Happened?
Finding Discord
Responsibilities and Chocolate Milk
Times with Discord
The Coronation
After Many Years
Celestia vs Discord
The Sun Shines Again
How We Once Were

A Misunderstanding

It had been two months since the Tirek incident. The day that Twilight and her friends defeated the soul-sucking beast and got a new castle to go with a princess status. Twilight had realized her role as the Princess of Friendship and everything was at peace. With the girls being living embodiments of the Elements of Harmony, they were able to fully protect Equestria full-time. Everything was just fine...or was it?

"SPIKE!"

The doors of the treehouse castle burst open as Princess Twilight Sparkle came running down the hall and into the throne room with a look of absolute panic on her face. Spike, who was asleep on his throne, jolted awake and fell on the floor in surprise. He groaned as he got up. "Well, it WAS a good afternoon nap," he grumbled to himself. He then looked over at Twilight, who was hastily going through a stack of books. She then came across her calendar and quickly turned the pages. As she stopped on the page of her choice, she looked up with panicked eyes. Spike hadn't seen her like this since the incident that included a certain Smarty Pants doll.

"Spike," Twilight softly said, "What season is this?"

"Fall," Spike responded.

"And what time is it?" Twilight asked in increased volume.

"Uh...7:15," Spike replied as he looked at the clock on the wall.

"AM or PM?" Twilight asked practically shouting.

"PM," Spike hesitantly answered.

"Spike," Twilight said going back to her soft panicked tone, "If the time is 7:15 pm and we're in the middle of the fall season...then WHY IS THE SUN STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SKY?!"

Spike looked out the window, curious at what Twilight was talking about. Surely enough, the sun was still shining bright in the sky as if it was still early afternoon. By now, the sun would've been almost gone to make way for the moon. Even Spike had to admit that this was weird. "That IS bizarre." Spike calmly stated.

"Bizarre? BIZARRE?" Twilight hastily questioned, "No no no! Having your alarm clock go off five minutes early; that's bizarre. This is...BAD! This is REALLY bad! Celestia should've lowered the sun by now, but as we can see, she HASN'T! This is the WORST POSSIBLE THING!"

"Thank you Rarity," Spike stated sarcastically, "Have you tried writing to the Princess and asking what's going on?"

"You think I would be panicking if I hadn't?" Twilight responded. "This is serious! If the sun isn't lowering, and I can't get a hold of Celestia, then that can only mean one thing!"

"What?" Spike asked.

"Celestia is GONE!"

"GONE?"

Twilight had gathered all of her friends together at the fields on the outskirts of town to go over the situation. The other elements were gathered around Twilight; Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Once Twilight had told them, they were just as stunned as Twilight was. "Ah don' understand," Applejack said, scratching her head, "Why is this happenin'?"

"I don't know," Twilight answered, "All I know is that I was walking down the street, on my way to the bookstore to check out some new material. When I got there though, it was just closing. I asked why they were closing so early, and the clerk said, and I quote, 'Early? It's after 7, though I don't know why it's still so bright out.' After they said that, I was curious, so I wrote a letter to Celestia, and she didn't respond within the 10 minutes I waited. I know that she ALWAYS responds within at least five minutes, so I knew that something must be wrong, so I ran back home to check if the dates matched up, and unfortunately, they did!"

"What do you think happened?" Rarity asked, "You don't think she's sick do you?"

"I don't think so," Twilight responded, "She would've said so if she was."

"Oh," Fluttershy whimpered, "I hope she's not lost. Or missing!"

"Ah don' know 'bout that," Applejack said, "The Princess knows Equestria like the back of her hoof! She couldn't get lost!"

"What if she's not lost, but she's still missing!" Rainbow chimed in. Everypony turned to face her with expressions of worry on their faces. Was she saying what they thought she was saying? "What if she was...captured!?"

"RAINBOW DASH!" Rarity shrieked, "To bring up such a possibility..."

"Besides," Pinkie interrupted, "Who would have the ability to capture the most powerful pony in all of ponykind?"

"There's only ONE pony that comes to mind," Rainbow said through gritted teeth, "Actually, not even a pony. One creature. A certain creature who has the power to do anything! Who's had a vendetta against Celestia before!" The others stared at her confused, trying to put two and two together. Finally, a shocked expression came across all of their faces when they found out who Rainbow was talking about.

"Ya don' mean..." said Applejack.

"It would make sense!" replied Rainbow.

"But he hasn't caused any harm in a while." stated Pinkie.

"More the reason for him to make a move!" responded Rainbow.

"NOW WAIT A MINUTE!" Fluttershy spoke sternly as the others pulled their attention to her. "If you're thinking who I think you're thinking Rainbow, then you better think again! There is no proof whatsoever that he is behind this!"

"What more proof do you need?" Rainbow asked impatiently. "This is just the kind of thing he would do."

"But he's reformed!" Fluttershy argued.

"Yeah, that's what he said last time," Rainbow responded. "I would've thought that you of all ponies would be the most affected by his betrayal during the Tirek incident. If he's shown us anything, it's that he can't be trusted." The girls looked at each other uncomfortably. Fluttershy was right in saying that there was no proof yet of him doing this, but he definitely was capable of it.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask him," Twilight said. The others nodded in agreement. Since they had become living embodiments of their elements from the Tirek incident, the Six had means of summoning him as they had been able to do before with their element necklaces and crown. The group gathered around in a circle as they closed their eyes and focused hard. Pretty soon, all six ponies began to glow and rise up from the ground. As they hovered in place, a ribbon-like trail of rainbow magic traced its way along the six, creating a circle. In a flash of rainbow light, a figure appeared before them. He was tall, had the head of pony, and the body of...well...anything else. It was Discord; the former Lord of Chaos.

The timing of his summoning, however, was not the best. When he appeared, he wasn't his usual "naked" self. He wore a blue baseball cap with the letter P on it, on one paw, he wore a giant foam finger with a #1 on it, and in his other paw, he held a little waving flag. "C'MON UMP!" Discord shouted as he appeared, "WHAT ARE YA, BLIND? That ball was right down the-" He suddenly stopped as he realized that he wasn't at the Pitch-Ponies' baseball game anymore, but in Ponyville. He looked around a little before he spotted the six ponies surrounding him. His eyes fell on Twilight first. "Ugh! Twilight!" he groaned, "I thought you said you were gonna give me a heads-up before summoning me! It's the bottom of the ninth!"

"This'll only take a second Discord," Twilight said calmly but sternly, "We have a bit of a crisis on our hooves. Have you-"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH THE PRINCESS?" Rainbow yelled as she got right in his face. So much for just asking. Twilight facehoofed herself as she shook her head. This was not how she wanted things to go down. Discord, however, chuckled as he snapped his fingers and made the baseball stuff disappear.

"What ever are you talking about my dear?" he asked.

"Celestia's gone missin'," Applejack said just as sternly as Twilight, "That's why the sun's still burnin' bright!" Discord looked up at the sky to see that she was right. The sun was indeed still high as if it was the afternoon. Discord then snapped his fingers to produce an old grandfather clock in front of him. The time on it read 8:00 pm.

"Well that explains why it's still so bright out," he said as he made the clock vanish, "What? Did Celestia sleep in today?"

"Don't play dumb with us Discord!" Rainbow snapped, "There's only one creature in all of Equestria who can kidnap the Princess, and you're it. So where's the Princess?"

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy gasped, "I thought we weren't going to accuse him!"

"Now now Rainbow, I appreciate you thinking about me so much," Discord calmly joked, "But I haven't even seen the Princess in a while. Do you forget that I'm reformed?" A halo then appeared over his head as he placed his paws together in an angelic pose.

Rainbow slapped the halo away. "Yeah right! That's what you said the first time, and we all know how THAT turned out!" She then turned to the others. "He betrayed us once. Whose to say that he wouldn't do it again? Remember, he is the Lord of Chaos!" The others looked around uncomfortably. They didn't want to jump to conclusions, but Discord had shown that he can easily break their trust again. The only one who didn't have that look was Fluttershy. Discord's face dropped as he looked at the expressions of the ponies that he called friends.

"Wait. You all don't think that I would do this, do you?" he asked. The girls just looked all over with uncertainty. Discord's expression changed to that of shock and disbelief. "No! No I wouldn't! Not now! You have to believe me, I didn't do it! Applejack?" She turned her head away silently. "Rarity?" Same response. "Pinkie Pie?" Though she didn't turn her head away, she DID hang her head. "Twilight?" A moment of silence passed as Twilight glanced from Discord to her friends.

"I don't know anymore," she finally said quietly, "I want to believe you, I really do. But...if you didn't take her, then who did?" Discord couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sure he did stuff in the past that he now regretted, but he was trying to make amends. And now, the ponies that were supposed to be his friends were now accusing him of kidnapping the Princess. Another awkward silence passed by the group as all looked in different directions with a combination of disbelief and uncertainty. Suddenly, the silence was broken with the sound of running up from behind. Everypony turned to see Spike, running toward them at full speed, with a scroll in his claw. When he finally caught up to them, Spike was panting like crazy. Everypony stared as he caught his breath and straightened up.

"Twilight!" Spike said excitedly, "I have news! You're not going to believe this!" He then opened the scroll and started to read it aloud.

My Dear Twilight,

I bet by now you and the rest of Ponyville are wondering why the sun hasn't been lowered yet. I can explain. It turns out that my dear sister had been working really hard today, and had decided to take a little nap. Unfortunately, the nap lasted much longer than she expected. When I saw that the sun wasn't lowering to make way for me to raise the moon, I got worried. When I reached the castle, I found Celestia sleeping like a rock. We both had a good laugh, and that was it. The sun should be lowering at any time now. Sorry to make you all worry.

Yours Truly,

Princess Luna

When Spike had finished reading, he looked up to see that everypony's face had changed dramatically. They all looked absolutely relieved. At that moment, everypony looked up to see the sun starting to finally set. A huge sigh of relief filled the air as the ponies smiled. After Twilight thanked Spike for the news, he made his way back home as the others turned to each other with smiles of relief.

"Well that's a load off my back!" Applejack said.

"Yeah," Pinkie agreed, "I was really starting to get worried."

"AHEM!" Everypony stopped and looked over to see Discord with his arms crossed and his cloven hoof tapping on the ground impatiently. He did not look happy. At that point, everypony blushed furiously as Discord glared at them. "Well?" he said bluntly, "Isn't there anything you'd like to say?"

"Sorry Discord," Twilight said calmly, "We were just panicked. We weren't thinking."

"Well that makes it all the better!" Discord snapped sarcastically. Everypony straightened up at Discord's outburst. "Y'know, I know that I've done some terrible things in the past. I know that I've cause chaos on more than one occasion. But you know what? I've been trying to make amends for what I've done. You guys are supposed to be the elements of harmony, spreading friendship wherever you go, but it seems the only one you DON'T want to friends with is me!"

"Come on Discord," Pinkie chimed in, "That's not true!"

"Oh no?" Discord asked with a raised eyebrow, "Every time something goes wrong in Equestria, I'm the first one you blame. Oh no! The dam's gonna burst! It must be Discord! Oh no! A house is on fire! It must be Discord! Oh no! There's a pony behind on their taxes! It must be Discord! You guys have done NOTHING to at least try and trust me. Even after my first time reforming, you all have had nothing nice to say to me!" He then snapped his fingers and produced a magic TV screen that started to show moments with the six and Discord.

"Don' play dumb with us Discord! We know you're really behind this!"

"Yeah right! This has got your cloven hoofprints all over it!"

"I say we blast him back to stone!"

"Whatever color you are is the color of trouble!"

"And good riddance!"

As the screen disappeared, the six ponies looked at each other with shame. They really hadn't said anything nice to Discord after his reforming. The only one to really show him kindness was Fluttershy. "You see?" Discord continued, "No matter what I try to do, I'll never be seen as anything...but a monster! But I guess I'm used to that. I mean, I was seen as nothing but a monster even before my first takeover of Equestria! Even before I did anything wrong!"

The others looked at each other confused. "What do you mean by that?" Twilight asked.

Discord scoffed. "Why don't you ask your precious princess of the sun? If I know her, she hasn't told you anything about what REALLY happened all those years ago! Do you think I just started out this way?" The six looked at each other again. They hadn't really thought about it. "Knowing Celestia, she probably made me out to be the bad guy from the start," Discord chuckled as he turned. "Well, if you have nothing else to accuse me of for today, I think I'll take my leave. THANKS FOR NOTHING 'FRIENDS'!" And with the snap of his fingers, Discord was gone, leaving the Mane Six with only their thoughts.

"Poor Discord," Rarity said softly as the six walked back to Ponyville, "I guess I never really thought about it, but we HAVEN'T treated him very kindly lately."

"And we're supposed to be the Elements of Harmony," Pinkie sulked.

"Well ah feel darn right embarrassed," Applejack mumbled.

"You should feel more than that!" Fluttershy scolded. Everypony jumped as they turned to face her. They had seen Fluttershy agitated before, but this time, she looked furious and hurt. "You all should feel ashamed! He's right you know. You guys have been nothing but unkind to him since the beginning of his reformation! And YOU!" She pointed towards Rainbow, who in turn, straightened up. "You just showed the exact opposite of your element! I know Discord has done stuff in the past that hurt others, but how can he move on, if you keep reminding him!" She then turned back to the others, whose heads were all hanging in shame. "We are suppose to spread friendship across ALL of Equestria. What would the Princess say if she saw us holding a grudge to the creature that needs friendship most of all? I can only imagine how hurt the poor thing is feeling right now."

"Ah guess we've never thought about it that way," Applejack said. "We've all seen Discord as nothin' but a villain, but we've been too blind by our grudges to try and bury the hatchet."

"I don't see what burying a hatchet has to do with forgiving Discord," Pinkie chimed in, "Where are we supposed to even find a hatchet?" The others rolled their eyes as Rarity noticed that Twilight's head was still hanging, but the expression on her face was different. It was a face that the girls were all too familiar with. She was in deep thought.

"Twilight? Are you alright darling?" Rarity asked. Twilight snapped out of her thought and raised her head to meet with her friends.

"Yeah I'm fine," she answered, "but I can't help but think of something. What do you think Discord meant when he said to ask the Princess about what REALLY happened all those years ago?"

"Maybe he was just making stuff up," Rainbow stated bluntly.

"RAINBOW!" Fluttershy scolded.

"Sorry! It's a habit!"

"I don't think that's it," Twilight pondered, "I could tell that there was some real hurt in his voice when he said that. I think that something happened with him and Celestia a long time ago that led him to become what he is today!"

"You think that Celestia's keeping information from us?" Pinkie asked.

"I don't know," Twilight responded, "I mean, I would hope that the princess would tell us everything, but what if something happened that she was so ashamed of, that she didn't want us to think badly of her. What if SHE had something to do with Discord turning evil!"

The others gasped in shock. "You really believe that?" Rainbow asked.

"I don't want to, but what else did he mean by, 'Do you think I just started out this way'?" Twilight answered. "I think that it's time to ask Celestia for the whole story. What REALLY happened with Discord all those years ago."

"What are we waiting for?" Rainbow said, "Let's go get some info from the Princess!" The others started to leave, before they looked up to notice the moon completely out. With everything that had happened, they had forgotten that it was later than they thought.

"On second thought," Twilight snickered, "Maybe we should go first thing in the morning." Everypony nodded in agreement. "Ok everypony, we'll meet at the train station to catch the 9:00 train, go to Canterlot, and THEN we'll find out what really happened with her and Discord."

After everypony had said their goodbyes, Twilight made her way back to the castle. As she walked, she couldn't help but think of everything that had happened. She was feeling a whole bunch of mixed emotions. Embarrassment for accusing Discord, shame for not showing her true element towards him, relief that the Princess was ok, and confusion about what happened in the past. All the emotions made her feel rather queasy, so as soon as she entered the castle, she went straight to her room and plopped down on the bed. The rushing thoughts running through her head, however, were more than enough to keep her up. She just couldn't believe that the Princess would keep crucial information from her, but it was a possibility. What REALLY happened with her and Discord? What REALLY caused Discord to take over Equestria? Did she have something to do with it?

These questions haunted Twilight until exhaustion finally took over. Slowly but surely, Twilight's eyes shut as she drifted off to sleep.

Princess. What Happened?

The next morning, the girls didn't waste anytime in catching the 9:00 train to Canterlot. The trip was a quiet one, as each one of them had too many thoughts on their mind. Even Pinkie Pie didn't talk, and THAT was something everypony was surprised about. Even though they didn't talk about it, they were all thinking the exact same thing; What was Celestia not telling them? They had all looked up to the Princess since the first day. They had always seen her as perfect. But she was still a pony. Princess or not, she still had her faults. There could well be something that she wasn't telling them about her past. None of them wanted to believe that she would lie to them, but it was possible that she didn't tell them something crucial. One thing was for sure, they were going to find out, one way or another.

The train ride seemed to go longer than normal, but they finally made it to Canterlot. The six made their way to the castle, a million different thoughts still racing through their heads. As soon as they arrived, they entered through the front doors and made their way down the long corridor. As they trotted, the silence was finally broken by Rainbow Dash. "Not gonna lie guys," she said, "I'm kinda hoping that Celestia ISN'T hiding anything." The others looked at her. "Hey, everypony was thinking it."

"I hope so too," Twilight said, "but I just can't get the feeling that there is a possibility that she is."

"What do we do if she is?" Applejack asked, "How are we supposed to react?"

"We listen," Twilight answered sternly, "and we make sure to hear every bit of information before reacting." Everypony nodded in agreement. When they finally reached the throne room doors, they stopped at the two guards outside.

"Halt!" one of the guards called out as the six approached, "Nopony sees the Princess without an-" He then stopped as soon as he saw that it was Twilight. The two guards hastily bowed their heads. "Princess Twilight Sparkle," the guard said with his head still bowed. "My apologies. I didn't mean to-"

"It's quite alright," Twilight interrupted. She then signaled for the guards to raise their heads. "I need to speak to the Princess please."

"Of course!" the other guard said, "I'll inform her that you are here." As the guard went through the door, Twilight turned to the others.

"Alright girls. Remember, we are here to ask," She turned to Rainbow with a stern expression, "NOT accuse."

"Alright alright!" Rainbow reassured.

Within a second, the guard opened the door the full way, allowing Twilight and the others to enter. The throne room was as big as ever, with a long red carpet leading to the throne, and stained glass windows on both sides of the room. As they made their way down the hall, they passed the special windows that told of all of their accomplishments. The defeat of Nightmare Moon, Discord's first rise to power, the girls defeating Discord, Shining Armor and Cadence saving Canterlot, Spike getting the Crystal Heart to Cadence, Princess Twilight, and, the most recently added, the defeat of Tirek. They finally made it to the throne, where Celestia sat, surrounded by advisers and guards. The girls stopped as they saw the guard in front stop to face the Princess.

"Your Highness!" the guard announced. Celestia looked up and smiled softly. "Her other Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and friends." He then bowed and stepped out of the way for Twilight and the others to move forward.

"Hello Twilight," Celestia greeted in her usual soft, caring tone, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Hello Celestia," Twilight greeted back as she and the others bowed a bit.

"By the way, I am deeply sorry for the scare yesterday," Celestia said, "I must've worked too hard. I laid my head down for a second, and the next thing I know, Luna's waking me up and it's evening. I was so embarrassed. I hope I didn't give you girls a fright."

"Actually Princess," Twilight said as she raised her head, "That's kinda what we need to talk to you about." She looked around at the other ponies around the room. "Alone."

"Very well Twilight," Celestia nodded. She then signaled for the advisers and guards to leave the room, which they did hastily. As soon as the doors closed, Celestia looked to the six with a smile. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Your Highness," Twilight started, "A bit of an incident happened yesterday, and it's kind of our fault." Celestia's smile faded a bit. "We DID freak out a bit, and we assumed that something terrible had happened to you."

"We thought that you were captured!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, "And well...we kinda...blamed it on Discord." Celestia frowned in concern, nodding as she followed along.

"We were so blind to what he did in the past," Rarity said, "that we didn't even ask him. We accused him."

"And after we got Luna's letter, Discord lashed out at us. We deserved it." Twilight continued, "But as he scolded us, he said that he was used to being called a monster his whole life and told us to ask you what REALLY happened all those years ago." Celestia's expression suddenly changed to a mixture of curiosity and concern. "He said he didn't start out at a villain, and that sparked our curiosity." A moment of silence rang out throughout the throne room as the ponies all stared at the Princess, who glanced from the curious ponies. Celestia got up from her throne and walked over to the closest window. She sighed deeply as she looked out the window at the city in front of her. The girls couldn't see her face, but they could tell that she had a serious expression. Finally, Celestia spoke.

"I always thought that the past would catch up to me sooner or later, even if I would try to deny it." The six perked up as they stared at the Princess. "I was foolish to think that I could just forget the past, no matter how hard it was. If I am to truly let go, I must tell somepony. And you six are definitely worthy to know the whole story." She then turned to face the six, their faces glued to her's. "When the Discord incident happened, I told you that he tried to take over Equestria, and how my sister and I defeated him with the Elements of Harmony. That is true. But..." She sighed heavily as she continued, "I'm afraid I haven't told you EVERYTHING."

"What do you mean Princess?" Twilight asked.

"My dear Twilight," Celestia continued, "There WERE events that happened before the incident I told you about. Events that would indeed haunt me until I pass. Though not all the memories of the past were bad. There was a time when they were good." Celestia smiled a bit. "To be honest, a lot of those memories were thanks to, believe it or not, Discord."

The six ponies' faces changed to that of surprise. Pinkie and Rainbow's jaws even dropped. "You had good memories with Discord?" Applejack asked.

"Oh yes Applejack," Celestia nodded. "In fact, there was a time when Discord and I were...best friends."

At that point, all of the six's jaws dropped. They were expecting news that they haven't heard before, but nothing of THAT caliber. They just couldn't believe it! Discord and Celestia were friends? A moment of awkward silence passed as the Princess stared from each of shocked ponies in front of her. When the silence finally was broken, the only thing that came out of their mouths was,

"Say what?"

Celestia chuckled, "I know it seems hard to believe, considering all that you know about Discord, but it's true. I have known him for a long LONG time. I met him when I was a mere 12 years old. He was so scared. So...timid. I took a liking to him and we became friends. We were friends for so long after that. It seemed that we would be together forever. But..." Celestia's voice changed as the six broke out of their shock to see that her lip was trembling, and a tear was forming out of the corner of her eye. "...but then everything changed. Why did it have to change? Why did things have to turn out that way? Why didn't I do anything?" At that point, the six saw something that they had never seen before; Celestia started to cry. Of all the years that they've known her, they always saw the Princess as strong-willed and able to keep a good composure. Now, she was crying softly, as if something was so powerfully heartbreaking, that it was just too much for her. The others looked at her with concern. What could've happened that would lead Celestia to cry at a mere memory?

Twilight slowly walked over and put a hoof over Celestia's shoulder for comfort. "Princess," she said softly. Celestia looked into Twilight's concerning eyes. "What happened? Whatever it was, we promise that we won't tell a soul. Nothing leaves this room. Right girls?" The others nodded with smiles. Celestia smiled back and straightened up as she wiped her eyes.

"Yes. You all deserve to know the FULL truth. Maybe telling somepony is just what I need to move on. You girls might want to get yourselves comfortable." The girls followed Celestia back to her throne as she sat down. She then tilted her head up as her horn began to glow, but nothing was happening. The six all sat in a semi-circle around her and got in a comfortable listening position. Just then, the doors to the back of the thrones creaked open and in trotted in Princess Luna.

"Did you contact me sister?" Luna asked. The spell that Celestia cast must've been a psychological contact spell.

"I did," Celestia answered calmly, "Could you please have all my appointments cancelled until further notice? This is too important. If the staff have any problems, I'm putting you in charge."

"Of course sister," Luna said as she bowed her head. As she left the room, she couldn't help but turn her head as she wondered what her sister was talking about. But, it wasn't her place, so she continued out the doors, which closed after her.

"Alright my little ponies," Celestia started as the others got comfortable, "I will tell you of the-"

CRUNCH!

Everypony snapped a look towards Pinkie, who was holding a large cup of popcorn, and eating it rather loudly. As soon as she saw that everypony was glaring at her. Pinkie blushed and said, "Sorry," as she popped another piece in her mouth and chewed it silently.

Celestia cleared her throat and started again. "I will now tell you of the FULL past between Discord and myself."

Finding Discord

It all started back when I was just a filly of 12. At that time, Canterlot was not where it is today, but where the Castle of the Two Sisters rested. The Everfree Forest hadn't even grown at that time. The castle was once surrounded by a small town, filled with ponies big and small. The ruler of Equestria was my father; King Solaris. He was the keeper and master of the Sun and ruled over the kingdom with a kind heart. He never looked down on any creature, and was great at keeping harmony, which is why so many loved him. My mother, Queen Cosmos, died a year after Luna was born, so my father was responsible for both the sun and the moon, as the nighttime was once my Mother's position. Ever since I got my cutie mark, I was told that someday, I would have to take up the mantle as Ruler of Equestria and Keeper of the Sun, as it was my destiny as an alicorn.

Anyway, after Luna had turned six, she and I would be allowed to roam the outer regions of the town, which was surrounded by small caves, lush fields, and hills that Luna and I loved to play on. I remember how we used to roll down them on our sides to race to the bottom. We would see who could climb the hills the longest without getting winded. Those were good times. One particular day, Luna and I were out playing near the caves by the town walls. We were climbing over rocks, pretending to be brave knights protecting their fortresses, and even getting in a stone throwing contest. I had also decided to show Luna a specific cave which held a powerful creation that you girls might remember; the Tree of Harmony.

"Come sister!" I called out to Luna, who was a few yards behind me, "I want to show you something you will NEVER forget."

"Ok! Wait up!" Luna called back. As soon as she caught up, I led her down the long flight of stairs that led to the cavern opening. When we got inside, I pointed to where the Tree was, and couldn't help but giggle when I saw the look on Luna's face. She always loved shining things, and the Tree was no exception. Slowly, she walked up to the Tree, continuing to stare in awe of it, as I walked beside her, beaming with happiness. "W-what is it sister?" she asked.

"This, my dear sister, is the Tree of Harmony," I responded. "See those gems hanging from the branches?" Luna looked around the tree until she saw the gems and nodded. "Those are the Elements of Harmony. They are responsible for protecting ALL of Equestria, and the Tree is what channels their energy. Father showed me it when I was your age, and now, I get to show you!"

"Wow," Luna gawked. I smiled a bit as I watched Luna continue to stare in wonder at the magnificent tree. "Wait a minute," she suddenly said as she snapped out of her trance, "I thought Father was the one who protected Equestria."

"He is," I explained, "But Equestria's a BIG place. So Father deserves a little bit of help right?"

"Right!" Luna nodded happily. "There's somepony else who needs help too."

"Who?" I asked.

"You!" she shouted as she started to run, "You'll need help to beat me up the stairs!"

It took me a split second to get where she was going, but when it finally did click, I started to laugh as I galloped toward my speeding sister. It was a close call, but Luna did beat me up the staircase (of course I was holding back). At that point, the time was getting late and I figured that it was best if we went back to the castle. On our way back though, I heard something coming from the cave area. It was a faint sound, but it almost sounded like...sobbing. My curiosity got the better of me as I headed in the direction of the sound. Luna noticed this and quickly came up behind me.

"Sister?" she said rather loudly, "What are you-" I shushed her a bit as I neared the cave. Luna closed her mouth tightly as she followed closely behind me. As we ventured into the cave, I could hear the sobbing getting louder. Whatever it was, it was coming from further in. I could feel Luna grabbing my hoof as she stayed close to me as we went in further. Finally, my eyes caught sight of a silhouetted figure in the darkness. It was too dark, so I couldn't tell what it was. All I knew was that it was crying. Though I was only a filly of 12, the sound of anything crying made me feel sad. As I stepped forward, my hoof hit a stone, and that was all it took. The crying stopped as I saw the silhouette look towards me and moved further into the cave.

"Wait!" I called out. The figure stopped. "Please don't go away. I won't hurt you." A moment of silence passed, with only the sound of the figure's breathing. After a minute, it spoke.

"Are you here to cower from the monster too?" he asked. Yes, by the sound of the voice, it was male. Young, but still male. He also sounded like he was crying for a while, with a hint of fear and hurt in his voice.

"There's a monster in here?" I asked.

"Me!" he responded, "The scary creature that doesn't have a proper description. Something that can't be explained, so ponies fear it."

"I highly doubt you are a monster," I calmly stated, "There are no such things as monsters."

"If you saw me, you wouldn't think so," he called back.

"You could try me." I responded. Another moment of silence passed, with the figure and I staring in the darkness. Finally, I saw the figure start to move towards me. Luna was busy cowering behind me, not knowing what was going to come out. The tension started to build so much, even I was a little nervous. That changed, however, as the figure stepped into the light of the cave. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. He had the head of a pony, but his body was made up of so many other things. His torso was long, almost elastic, with a lion paw for one limb, and an eagle talon as the other. His legs were made up of a cloven hoof and something that looked like a dragon leg. He also sported a deer antler, a bat wing, a snake tail, and some kind of antennae and pegasus wing. His face wore a terrified look, complete with red and yellow eyes and a single fang peeking out from the corner of his mouth.

As soon as Luna saw him, she let out a small yelp as she ran behind a rock. The creature let out a tiny sob as he hid his face from us. "Sister!" Luna called out, "Let's get out of here!" I didn't move though. I didn't even flinch. The appearance of the figure was so interesting, that I was almost hypnotized. As I started towards him, the creature flinched a bit, as if I was going to pounce on him and eat him. I drew closer and closer, getting a good look at who was in front of me. With my face a few inches from him, I observed him from top to bottom. After I was done, he and Luna looked anxiously at me, wondering what I was going to say. When I finally spoke, my mouth formed into a smile as I stated,

"How unique!"

The creature froze, his face making the most confusing look. "Unique?" he asked, "You're...not afraid of me?"

"Why would I be?" I asked kindly, "Everypony's different in their own way. It's what makes them special. And I'd say you got a whole carriage-full of special!" I giggled a little at the statement as the creature and Luna looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. Neither of them knew what to say. Suddenly, the creature opened his mouth, as if to say something, but then started to close it again, before opening it, his face making a silly look all the while. I soon realized what he was doing, and used my wing to block him out before he finally let go.

"AH-CHOO!"

I didn't see what happened, all I heard was Luna squeal again after he sneezed. Curious, I lowered my wing, and jumped a little when I saw what had happened. Between the creature and I was a tiny, pink cloud. And if that wasn't curious enough, there were little droplets of some brown liquid raining from the cloud.

"I'm so sorry!" the creature hastily said, "I can't control it yet. Please don't be mad!"

My curiosity was still getting the better of me, so I stuck a hoof out and let some of the brown liquid drip onto me. I then raised my hoof to my mouth and gave a little suckle. Luna looked at me with concern, only to see me giggle at the taste of the newly discovered liquid. I quickly opened my mouth and stuck my tongue out to let the liquid fall onto it.

"It's chocolate milk Luna!" I called back to her, "He can make it rain chocolate milk!" I then touched the cloud above the chocolate rain. It was sticky to the touch, and as I pulled away, some of it stuck to my hoof, so I curiously licked it off. As the sweet taste hit my tongue and quickly dissolved in my mouth, I realized what it was. "And it comes from a cotton candy cloud! How amazing is that?" At that point, Luna came out from behind the rock and came closer to me to get a better look. I offered Luna a piece of cloud, and she hesitantly took it. As she popped it in her mouth though, her mood changed, as the fear melted away into a happy giggle.

"You...you really aren't afraid of me!" said the creature quite happily, "But...but why? I look so...repulsive. With powers that can't be explained!"

"Maybe that's why ponies are afraid," I said as I licked my lips of the milk, "They just don't know what to say. By the way, my name is Princess Celestia, and this is my sister Luna. What's yours?"

The creature hesitated a bit, as his red eyes darted all across the cave. "That's fine," I said, "You don't want to say right now. So, where's your family?" I seemed to have hit a nerve when I said that, because as soon as I said family, his expression dropped, and he turned away with sorrow. My expression dropped too. I knew what that meant right away. "Oh," I said softly, "I'm so sorry. Well, we can't leave you out here in the cold all by yourself." I then turned to leave the cave, but looked back towards him. "Come! You can stay with us!" Both his and Luna's eyes went wide with both confusion and fear.

"Sister!" Luna said, "What about Father?"

"He won't mind," I reassured her, "He can't turn an helpless creature like him away. Come stranger!" He didn't move, looking tense and unsure of what to do. "Do you really want to stay out here in the cold?" I asked. The creature shook his head no, and hesitantly took some steps forwards towards us. Anxious to get him back home, I went back to him and took his paw and led him out. Although I didn't see it, I could tell that he was blushing furiously. And to be honest, so was I.

"You really weren't afraid of him?" Rainbow asked, "I would've been at least a little bit tense." The others nodded slightly.

"I know it sounds strange," Celestia answered, "but I just didn't see anything frightening in him. I only saw...somepony special who needed a friend."

"That is SOOOOO sweet!" Pinkie squealed excitedly. "So, what did your Father think of Discord when you brought him home?"

"Well," Celestia continued, "My Father wasn't the one I was worried about. If there was any pony I knew wouldn't like Discord, it was Royal Scroll; my father's head adviser. He was in charge of keeping the peace, though he did a REALLY good job at discrimination. As soon as I introduced Discord to the company in my father's throne room, well...it could've been better."

"My dear Princess!" Royal Scroll said in disgust, "With all due respect, how could you bring a...a monster into the palace?"

The creature shrunk back in terror as everypony looked at him with disgust. I, however, stood in front of him and retorted, "He is NOT a monster! He's just a little different." I then turned to my father, who was sitting on his throne, looking at the creature with curious eyes. "Father, I found him in a cave outside the town. He looked so alone and terrified. I just had to help him somehow! Oh please can he stay here?"

"Absolutely not!" Scroll intervened, "This is a royal palace. Not a...petting zoo! No creature outside the boundaries of the walls can-"

"Excuse me Scroll!" my father bellowed, "I believe my daughter asked ME! Not you!" Scroll bowed his head respectfully. My father looked the situation over, glancing from the creature to me. I waited in anticipation as he thought, and the creature looked just as anxious. Finally, my father tilted his head up and smiled a bit. "Very well Celestia. He can stay." I happily, but silently squealed with delight. Royal Scroll had other reactions.

"But...but your Majesty. With all respect, I would think that having that beast in here would be most unhealthy for your daughter! What if it were to attack her?"

"No arguments!" my father stated firmly, "If he wanted to attack Celestia, he would've done it by now. He does not look menacing in my eyes. And it is my job to make sure that there is peace throughout the kingdom is it not?"

"But sire-"

"IS IT NOT?" Scroll closed his mouth and nodded. "Then that is my decision. We are done here!" He then turned to me and smiled softly. "Celestia, why don't you show our guest to the guest room."

"Of course Father!" I stated happily as I took the creature's paw again and led him out of the room. As I passed a bowing Scroll, I couldn't help but quickly stick my tongue out and softly raspberry him. The creature giggled as the doors closed behind us. I led him down a series of long corridors before we stopped at a big door on the left side. I opened them and we stepped inside. His eyes went wide as he looked over the humungous room. The bed was a king-size, meaning he would have plenty of room, and the room even came with a toiletry station in the back. As he looked over the room, I happily watched him. "What do you think?"

"It's...different from what I'm used to," he said in awe.

"Good," I said with a smile, "Wake up is normally at 8:00, but I can see if I can't squeeze it to 8:30. Breakfast is in the Great Hall, my Princess Etiquette lessons end at noon, and steer clear of Royal Meanie-Scroll. Other than that, welcome! I'll leave you to it then."

As I started to leave, I was quickly stopped by the sound of his voice. "Celestia?" I turned around to see him staring at me, rather confused. "Why? I mean, why would you want to do all of this...for me?"

My tone changed to a sweet and soft serious, "Because what others see as a monster, I see as somepony who just needs a friend."

He blushed a little as his face curled into the first smile I saw from him. He had a nice smile. "Thank you," he stated. I smiled back and started to close the doors when he stopped me again. "Oh, and Celestia?" I stopped as I looked at him smiling back at me.

"My name is Discord."

Responsibilities and Chocolate Milk

Though we started out slow, it didn't take long for Discord and I to really connect. The first step was making him feel comfortable. Though others in the castle, especially Royal Scroll, flinched in fear or disgust when they saw him, I reassured Discord that they would warm up to him. It seemed that for the longest while, the only ones who didn't see Discord for his looks were Luna, Father, and myself. Everyday, he would wait in his room while I went through my Princess Etiquette lessons, and afterwards, I would visit him, and we would talk. He wasn't much of a talker at first, so for the first week, I did the talking. I told of how my father and mother were the rulers of the sun and the moon, responsible for the rising and setting of them. How that skill is passed down through the royal line. I explained how after my father died, not only would I be in charge of raising and setting the sun, but I would also be in charge of ALL of Equestria. It was a difficult job, but I didn't worry too much, seeing how alicorns live such an awfully long time. As Discord listened to my conversations, he would just smile and laugh at the silly remarks.

After he had gotten more comfortable, he started talking about himself. He told me that his species was something called a draconequus, which was a super hybrid between a pony and, well, everything else. He told me how he once had a big family. A father, mother, and three brothers. He told how his species came from a faraway land, far outside of the kingdom. He also told me of the tragic tale of how he lost them. Apparently, there was a big storm that came through the land, a storm that not even the draconequus could contain. His mother told him and his brothers to run, which they did. However, the parents never made it out of the storm. After that, he and his brothers traveled around, searching for somewhere to go. They were finally able to find a village and thought they could rest there. They were sadly mistaken.

When the villagers saw the draconequus boys, they were frightened beyond belief. They assumed that they were all demons, sent from Tartarus to ravage the land. The villagers took up arms and attacked the frightened children. Though Discord managed to get away, his brothers, however, were beaten to death by the frightened villagers. Discord never tried another village after that, too afraid of sharing his brothers' fate. He traveled alone after that, roaming over different mountains to find places to stay. Every time he was spotted by a pony, they would either run away in fear, or throw rocks at him, yelling at him to go away, calling him a monster all the while. Finally, after traveling for weeks, he stumbled across my father's kingdom. Too afraid to go to the town, he hid in the caves, and that's when I found him. I was literally in tears after he told me the story. I couldn't imagine a more tragic backstory! After he had finished, I gave him the most comforting hug I could summon. He hugged me back, and, well, we both cried.

The others looked over to see Pinkie Pie blowing her muzzle loudly into a tissue, tears gushing from her eyes. "So sad!" she said as she continued to cry, "Poor Discord! I should've given him a hug when I had the chance! The poor unfortunate-" She soon stopped as she saw the other ponies looking at her again. "Sorry. Continue."

After that, it seemed that Discord had gotten more comfortable. He started to actually come to the Great Hall for meals, trying not to notice how the others looked at him. He always sat beside me of course. He even became more open over time, and I had finally seen Discord for what he was good at; fun and playful mischief. Once during breakfast, Discord got a little idea to play a prank on Scroll. He rigged his goblet so that the drink would spill out before it reached his mouth. An old trick today, but back then, it was quite new. As soon as the drink spilled all over Scroll, I couldn't contain my laughter. I laughed so hard, I actually snorted. Scroll looked furious, but my father saw it as harmless child's play. After that, Discord started to use his magic more often as well. All he could do at that age was cotton candy clouds and chocolate rain, but it made Luna and I happy. However, Royal Scroll started to accuse Discord of using Black Magic, and that made the guards and servants fear him even more.

There was ONE pony who saw Discord's powers interesting; Starswirl the Bearded. At that time, he was a member of the Royal Magic Council, as well as Luna and I's magic teacher. Though he was still rather young, 30 years give or take, he was still one of the most powerful unicorns in all Equestria. Once he saw Discord's powers, he was intrigued, and even volunteered to try and train Discord into controlling his abilities, hoping to even unlock some more of his yet-to-be-discovered magical abilities. Though hesitant at first, Discord soon agreed, and to all of our surprise, he started to get control of his magic. It wasn't long before he could just snap his fingers and the magic would happen. After some more training, he was even able to expand his magic passed cotton candy and chocolate milk. Though he didn't just get it right away. I still laugh when I think of how many times he accidentally turned Starswirl's hat into a balloon, or how he was able to turn Starswirl's hooves into glue. The more confident Discord got with his magic, the more confident he got with his personality.

Though with all that was happening, Discord and I always made time together. As the years passed, our friendship only grew even more than before. I remember how we would take nice walks through the gardens, talking about our day, and even him playing pranks on me. One particular day, he and I were walking and talking, when I turn away for a second, and he's gone the next.

"Discord?" I called as I walked through the maze of plants and statues, "Discord? Where are you?" I walked into a clearing of the garden where the big fountain was, and I noticed that the statue looked a bit...different. Normally it was an alicorn, but this time, it looked like a dragon. I didn't recall any other fountains in the garden, so I slowly trotted up to it and closely examined it. Suddenly, the statue came to life and looked at me, looking as if it was going to pounce. I was so startled, my first instinct was to shoot a simple beam from my horn. As I hit the statue square in the head, it fell backwards into the water with a loud, "OW!" Instantly, I knew whose voice that was. I took a few steps around the fountain to see Discord, turning himself back to normal while rubbing his forehead.

"Geez 'Lestia," he grunted as he got out of the fountain, "I try and just startle you, and you shoot me with a laser?" What the hay?"

"I'm sorry," I answered teasingly serious, "But that's what you get for trying to startle a princess."

"What do you mean try?" Discord asked, "You WERE startled!"

"No I wasn't," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was!"

I stopped and grunted in defeat as soon as I realized what I had said. Discord started to laugh as I just looked at him and shook my head with a smirk on my face. He was always able to get me with word play. He was quite skilled with it. Another thing about Discord was that he could always make me smile. Even with all of his pranks, I could never truly be mad at him. I was just happy to see HIM happy. The years went by so fast, but every minute was enjoyable, for as long as Discord was with me, I was happy.

"Ok!" Rainbow interrupted, "Where's the sad part?"

"Rainbow!" Twilight scolded.

"What? All this happy talk is just asking for something sad to happen!" Rainbow responded.

"She has a point," Applejack mumbled to Rarity.

"Girls!" Twilight snapped, "Just because something good is being described in a story, it doesn't automatically mean that something sad is going to-"

"Actually," Celestia interrupted, "Something DOES happen."

"Called it!" Rainbow said. Twilight glared at her and she hastily closed her mouth and turned back to the princess.

"Something DID happen, like I said," Celestia continued, "Something nopony could ever predict. Something that changed my life forever. When I was 16, my father grew incredibly ill. Not even immortal alicorns were resistant to disease and illness. The royal physicians did all they could, but no magical remedy could cure him. They tried basic treatment, but that didn't work either. With weeks gone by and no signs of him getting better, the end result was announced."

"My father was dying."

I stood there with Luna beside my father's deathbed with tears forming in my eyes. Luna was crying as she held onto me. As I looked at my dying father, he looked so...peaceful. Even at death's door, he still looked as magnificent and strong. The nursemaids were scattered around him and Royal Scroll was standing beside us. Even though he wasn't the most charming pony around, it still showed that he cared...enough at least.

"C-Celestia," Father said in a weak voice. I leaned towards him to hear him better. "I-I am so proud of you and Luna. You're going to make fine p-princesses of the sky. Y-your mother is smiling right now."

"Daddy!" Luna cried as she leaned towards him, "You can't go! You just can't! It's not fair!"

"Everything must pass at some point my dear," my father responded with a smile, "Even alicorns." He then turned to Scroll. "S-Scroll. I want you to look after my daughters."

"Of course your Majesty," Scroll responded calmly.

Father then turned towards me. "Celestia. Look after your sister. Be there for her, be strong for her, and p-protect her."

"Yes Father," I tearfully replied.

Father then took my hoof and leaned me in towards him further, until our horns touched. "And now," he said, "Like my father before me, I will pass on the power of the sky to you." His horn began to glow as it connected with mine. It caused my horn to glow as he transferred the magic. A sudden warm sensation filled me as this happened, as if somepony had shined a warm light on me that covered my whole body. After the transfer was complete, I lifted my head to see him smiling at me. "N-now you have the power of the sun and the moon. When L-Luna is old enough, I want you to transfer the moon power to her, for it is HER destiny, as it is yours to rule the sun."

"Yes Father," I said, "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," he said even more weakly. My father leaned back as everypony saw him start to fade. That's what happens when an alicorn dies. They fade into their element. "I w-will be with your mother soon," he whispered as his torso disappeared. With his eyes closed and his head fading into nothing, his last words were, "I love you both so much." Then he was gone. Everypony hung their heads in respect as Luna and I hugged each other. Tears were flowing from Luna as she grieved over Father's death. I wasn't completely crying, but tears had appeared in my eyes. I promised Father that I would be strong for my sister, and I was going to.

A funeral for my father was held the next evening in the Great Hall, with all of his advisers and ponies who knew him personally giving speeches. The whole kingdom was there to pay tribute, which made me see how much my father was loved. The funeral was a peaceful one, with the speeches being about how much my father changed lives and how he was cared for. I never left Luna's side, seeing how she needed somepony to be strong for her. I had only wished that Discord could've come and given a speech. My father had helped him too. But he was afraid that he would cause a feared riot and then Scroll would throw a fit. I could see where he was coming from, so I didn't force him to come. Though, during the speeches, I DID spot him disguising himself as a statue by the window to get a view of the service. I knew it was him because the statue yawned at one point.

At the final moments of the funeral, Luna and I got up in front of the crowd to thank them for coming. As Luna and I stood up, Scroll was just finishing up his speech. "King Solaris's legacy will live on in our hearts for all eternity and beyond. With him gone, there is another matter at hoof. The new ruler of Equestria." The crowd started to murmur as Luna and I looked at each other. With Father passing, we had forgotten all about who would rule next. "Never fret ponies of Equestria!" Scroll continued, "We will NOT be without a ruler for long. In fact, we will have them today! King Solaris did not leave us without an heir to the throne. I present to you, the next ruler of Equestria...Princess Celestia!"

My whole body froze. My mind had stopped working. The crowd began to cheer as Scroll grabbed my leg and lightly pulled me up to the front of the crowd. My mind was still a blank. I was...the next ruler? I knew that I would have to take the title someday, but I never expected it to be that early. I was only 16; still a child. I had just lost my father, given an enormous amount of power, combined with the new responsibility to control the sun AND moon, and NOW I had to worry about ruling over ALL of Equestria? My legs started to get wobbly as my vision started to get fuzzy. The pressures of everything that had happened were too much for me to take at once.

"Your Majesty?" I shook my head to clear my vision and looked at Scroll. "Is everything alright?" I looked out at the millions of eyes looking at me. Looking to me to guide them and to rule them. Millions of ponies, scattered out all across Equestria, would be looking to me to make all the right decisions. I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure was so much for me, I ran out of the room without saying a word. As I ran, I could hear more murmurs, as well as Scroll's booming voice announcing, "It's alright! She's just shy is all! As per tradition, a proper coronation ceremony will take place when the Princess turns 18!" Two years? It might as well have been two days. I galloped as fast as I could outside to the gardens. It was the only place nopony would look for me. When I got to the open fountain area, my legs finally gave way, and I dropped down and started to cry. It was all too much for me. It was all too frustrating. I had never felt a bigger combination of sorrow, grief, fear, and frustration in my life. I took off my tiara and threw it to the side as I cried. I didn't want to think about anything that had to do with my "royal duties." I must've sat and cried for ten minutes, just hoping that it was all a dream, and that I would wake up at some point.

"Celestia?"

My head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. I quickly wiped my eyes and looked around to see Discord, holding my tiara with a concerned look on his face. "Discord! I...I..." I stammered as I levitated the tiara onto my head, "I was looking for that! Thank you for finding it!" Discord didn't seem fooled at all. He walked over and sat down next to me.

"Celestia, what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" I quickly answered, "I was just going for a stroll, and then I lost my tiara, and-" I looked at Discord, who in turn, gave me a serious look. He WASN'T fooled. There was no getting around it. I sighed deeply and said, "I'm sorry Discord. I just don't know what to say to all of this. I feel like my world has just been putting on more weight from the rest of the world. First I lose my father, then I'm given the responsibility of staying strong for my sister, then I'm given the responsibility of moving the sun and moon, and NOW I'm supposed to rule over all of Equestria? Ponies all over will be looking to me for guidance and support. Ponies will want me to be just like my father! It's like I'm told if I make one mistake, the whole kingdom will collapse!"

Discord put an arm around my shoulder as he looked at me with sympathetic eyes. "All that responsibility pushed onto you. It stinks doesn't it?"

I don't know if it was just that line, or me breaking apart again, but when he said that in the tone he did, I felt the tears starting to come again as I said, "Y-yeah. IT DOES STINK!" At that point, all dignity was forgotten as I started to bawl harder than before. Discord took his other arm and wrapped me in a comforting hug as I let the tears flow like a raging river. He rocked me back and forth as he whispered, "Shhhhhh." I felt such comfort as he held me, like all the pressure was gradually slipping off of me. Pretty soon, my crying died down, and we broke the hug as he looked at my red, puffy, tear-filled face.

"Celestia," he said softly, "Your father was a great king and a great stallion! I owe him big time, and I'll always be grateful to him. He will live on in our hearts, and you WILL see him again. As for the princess role, I can honestly say that I think that you will be a terrific princess." I lifted my head a bit as he spoke. "For the years I've known you, I've noticed excellent princess traits within you. You're kind, caring, compassionate, and brave to a T! I can only say that in the future, you're gonna get even more kind, caring, compassionate, and brave! You don't have to be your father, and everypony will realize that soon enough! All you have to do is be yourself, and they will love you! Because there is no pony better at being you than you!"

"Thank you Discord," I said with a smile as I wiped my tears, "I'm just a bit overwhelmed by all of this. I just want a way to feel like a regular pony for a while. To be free from my responsibilities." A moment of silence passed as Discord started to rub his chin and think. I didn't know what he was thinking about, but after a while, a smile came across his face.

"Come on!" he said as he stood us both up. He grabbed my hoof and started to lead me out of the garden.

"Where are we going?" I asked as he led me.

"You'll see!" Discord responded. He soon led me to the wide field at the corner outside the town walls. The field was vast and flat. Quite spacious for any occasion. As soon as we arrived. He stopped and said, "Alright. Close your eyes." I looked at him curiously. "It's a surprise!" I sighed a bit and closed them. I didn't know what he was up to, but I didn't think he would do anything to hurt or scare me. Suddenly, I started to hear snapping sounds and a low rumbling, like thunder. I was tempted to peek, but I trusted Discord with anything. After a minute, Discord finally said, "You can look now." I opened my eyes to see him standing in front of me with a smile. At first I didn't notice anything different until I noticed that the sky, as dark as it was, had turned a shade of pink. I looked up to see, just in time for a chocolate milk rain droplet to land on my muzzle. Soon another drop fell, and then another. Soon, it was an entire onslaught of chocolate rain drops. Discord had created a chocolate rain storm.

I stared at the sky in awe as the rain came down. I couldn't help myself. I started to laugh. I opened my mouth wide as I took in the sweet-tasting drops. I then looked down and saw that puddles were being formed. Before I knew it, I was jumping through the puddles, laughing like a little filly. Discord had done this so that I could forget for a while. Forget about being a Princess and just be me. And it was working perfectly! I continued to splash around and run in the rain with my mouth open wide. Suddenly, I heard another noise. A fast-paced folk song. I looked over at Discord, who had produced a self-playing fiddle that was performing a catchy folk tune. He walked over to me and bowed. "Might I have this dance m'lady?" I giggled and bowed myself.

"Why of course you may!" I answered in a proper tone. Discord and I took each other by the hooves and paws and started to dance. The tune was upbeat and fun, perfect for the scenery. We spun and twirled and kicked and slid all around the field that night. We danced, splashed, sang, and laughed all through the evening, not caring about the worries around us. My luscious pink mane had been matted down by the rain, but I didn't care at all. For once, I felt...free!

After Discord cleared out the sky and dried us both off, we just said on a hill, overlooking the billions of stars in the sky, without a care in the world. I didn't want it to ever end, and I knew he didn't either.

"Discord?" I said. He looked at me with a smile. "Thank you. I really needed this. I don't feel so...afraid anymore. Maybe I will be a good princess."

"I KNOW you will," Discord said. I giggled slightly as I continued to look at the sky. Suddenly, an idea came to my head.

"Hey Discord! How about you become one of my advisers?"

Discord chuckled a bit. "Nice offer, but no thanks. I don't think the ponies of Equestria would appreciate their Princess having a monster as her advice-giver."

"Discord, you're not a-"

"I know what you're going to say," Discord interrupted in a serious tone, "But there's no denying it. To Equestria, I will be nothing more than a monster."

"Well I don't think so," I said with a smile, "And neither does Luna. Or Starswirl."

"Yes, but for how long?" Discord asked, "What if they all change their minds about me? What if...you..."

"Now stop right there Discord!" I said sternly, "I will NEVER see you as a monster! I promise, as a Princess of Equestria, that I will NEVER see you as a monster or treat you like one. You have my word!" Discord looked at me and smiled. "After all, you're the best friend I've ever had!"

"You're mine too!" Discord said back. We shared another warm hug before realizing how late it must've been and happily headed back to the castle, my hoof in his paw. I may have not known it at that point, but that night would change everything for me and Discord.

In given time.

Times with Discord