Author's Note

Hello and thanks for checking out my fic. This is my first nondisplaced fic so let me know what you think. I read all comments.

Da Capo: What Despair Drives us to.

"Are you sure this will work Celestia? " asked a white crystal unicorn mare with black and turquoise colored mane and tail."I mean even if this spell of yours does what you say, what if I end up in the wrong time? I could end up two hundred years before the element bearers are born. Don't get me wrong I'm all for fixing things, but if that happens I won't be able to help.Unless I use the darkness power to extend my life like my dad there is no way I could live long enough to stop this future from happening.Even if I did that I would eventually lose my sanity for living longer than the mortal mind was made to handle, just like what happened to Sombra. Which means that you will not have the artifacts that I made with my special talent." She points to her flank were a silver pentagram is carved into a red heart-shaped gem."They run on my magic, which means that they will stop preventing Serenade's song from affecting Ponyville like the rest of Equestria."

"I am aware of that Crystal Quartz, but thanks to Serenade's ability to control heart songs and influence ponies with them she has darkened the hearts of all of my little ponies. Even five out of six of the element bearers were corrupted. Now we only have the element of kindness, Discord, myself, and you to protect what is left of our Kingdom."Celestia answered."We can no longer afford to wait on the hope that my sister remains uncorrupted." Celestia then turned her head towards the door to the room of the castle of friendship that they were in as she heard the sound of a couple of ponies trot in. The first is a blue unicorn with a silver mane and was wearing a cape and wizard's hat. The other one is a pink unicorn with purple hair and light blue highlights. " Ah Starlight and Trixie is everything ready for Star Swirl's altered time traveling spell? " she asked as the pair of unicorns trotted over to her and Crystal.

" As ready as it ever will by your Highness." Starlight answered Celestia, she then got a quizzical look on her face," I understand why Crystal and I are needed for this spell. but why is Trixie here? No offence Trixie." she asked the sun monarch. Just as Celestia opened her muzzle to answer an alarm sounds outside the Castle of friendship.

" They broke through? How? Those were some of my best enchantments. It would take the force of three alicorns to break the artifacts." Crystal said in disbelief.

"That's because there is three alicorns attacking us gem butt." a voice said as a flash of light blinded them. when the light faded it revealed Discord and Fluttershy in the middle of the room. " Sparkle butt, Heart butt, and Moon butt are all out in the town causing all kinds of damage. I stopped to get Fluttershy to safety. Now if you all could move things along I will stall for time." Discord stated as he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

" Now then Crystal if you could head to the map room and double check your wards there the rest of us will be there shortly." Celestia told Crystal in an authoritative voice. Crystal for her part recognized a royal command when she heard one nodded her head and rushed out of the room. Celestia then looked over to Starlight and Trixie. " As to your question, we need Trixie to find and keep safe the young Melody Song before she is corrupted by despair."

" While Trixie is honored that you think Trixie is the best for this part, Trixie is confused. Wasn't that supposed to by Crystal’s job?" Trixie asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"No Crystal has a different part to play. Starlight here is the spell used by star swirl to create the elements of Harmony."Celestia said as she hoofed over a scroll to Starlight. “Look at what powered the spell that created the elements.”

Starlight rolled open the scroll and read until she got to the part she was looking for. “After studying the Crystal Heart in the Crystal Empire I have devised a way to create a self-aware living artifact capable of bringing order out of chaos, and resorting an altered entity back to it’s original form. To do this I needed to add the essences of six ponies to a seed of Yggdrasil. Once the essences left the bodies and joined in with the seed, I then took two young fillies and bound their souls and life force to the seed. I did so to ensure that there would always be guardians of order as long as the living artifact is intact. When I planted the seed in the Cave of Friendship it grew into a full sized tree with the destiny marks of the ponies whose essence I used to create the artifact, along with two others. The two fillies turned into alicorns with the unaffiliated destiny marks that appeared on the tree. This should protect Equestria from any more threats like the Windigos.” She read out loud, then looked at Celestia with a shocked expression. “ You mean to tell me that Star Swirl Sacrificed six ponies and damned two fillies to eternal servitude to order. Wait you and Luna were those fillies right?”

“Yes, and what isn’t elaborated in that scroll is the six ponies were Clover the Clever, Smart Cookie, Private Pansy, Princess Platinum, Chancellor Puddinghead, and Commander Hurricane. Also me and Luna were Star Swirl’s grandfoals, and none of us were given a choice in the matter. Now this pains me to ask of you but, I need you to travel to that time and convince him to add Crystal’s Essence to the tree using any means necessary. Crystal is one of two entities that are immune to Serenade's song, and out of the two she is the only one thats essence is aligned with order despite who her father was.” Celestia said to Starlight and Trixie. “Now go we have used up all the time we have, you must make sure you do not fail the fate of Equestria rests with you.”

Starlight and Trixie looked like they were going to question her some more before the wall behind Celestia exploded spraying her with debris. She turned around to see Discord in the pile of rubble and felt an overwhelming pressure coming from the hole in the wall. A feeling of despair so intense that it felt as though her heart was being crushed in a singularity accompanied the physical pressure. She turned back to Starlight, Trixie and Fluttershy to see them struggling to stand up, with a flare of her wings Celestia blocked the pressure from affecting the three. “Now Starlight take Fluttershy and Trixie and get to the map room. Discord and I will stall Serenade’s minions.” She said as a flash of light appeared and Discord was out of the rubble, his head and side bleeding heavily.

Discord looked toward the pair of unicorns and noticed that Fluttershy was still there. He then snapped his fingers and all three disappeared. “ There I sent them to Gem Butt, now we can go all out.” He said as a form appeared in the hole that Discord made when he crashed through the wall.

“Here you are sister. We have been looking all over for you. Serenade has freed me from order’s thrall. You can not begin know the joy of spreading despair. I alongside Twilight and Cadence have come to free you from the tree of Harmony. Will you not join us?” The form asked as it stepped into the room revealing a midnight blue alicorn with giant bat wings and a black horn. Blood red dragon like eyes with black energy coming out of them looked at Celestia.

“ I am sorry sister but I can not join you. With all of Equestria in danger I can not afford think of myself. This life may have been chosen for me but I will not let hundreds of ponies die just to be free.” Celestia answered her sister. “ Besides you are not free. You just traded one master for another!”

‘ I’ve got copies of myself keeping Twilight and Cadence busy. Just keep Luna busy talking and we will have this in the bag.’ Celestia heard Discord’s voice say in her head. ‘ So if we can keep her monologuing then that should give Starlight all the time she needs.’

“ You don't know what you are talking about! I am not a servant of Serenade's. I am only helping her to free you from a life of servitude to order, and save you I will. Even if I have to hurt you to do so.” Luna told Celestia while charging up a spell to paralyze her. “Now this is the last time I will ask you. Will you join us?”

“Well don't I just feel unwanted! I mean you just gave her a couple of chances to join you yet you didn't even bother talking to me! What am I chopped liver?” Discord asked while turning into a plate of actual chopped liver. With a flash he was back to his old self.

“You are a creature of chaos. You therefore cannot be freed from order. So why would I offer you something you already have besides you will join us as soon as Fluttershy is one of us.” Luna stated to Discord as if it was a fact. “Now stop distracting me fool!” It was at this time that Luna noticed a white light heading her way engulfing everything in it’s path. “What trickery is this? What have you done foul beast!” She asked him.

“What me? Why I have done nothing but acted as a distraction to you, Twilight and Cadence. This is the result of Starlight Glimmer going back in time to change things so this doesn't happen. So welcome to future that never was.” Discord responded to her all the while clapping his hands. “Now you will never hurt Fluttershy.” He announced with malice as the light engulfed everything.