This Lesson Must Be Shared
Shining Armor still couldn't believe it, yet somehow it was true! Discord, the very spirit of chaos and disharmony that had tried to break up their friendship, was now "reformed". "I must be dreaming, Discord is an ally now?" Shining Armor thought to himself, as he and his friends stood beside the spirit, as he was talking to Princess Celestia. "He's been around for who knows how long, and yet all it took to get him on our side, was for him to befriend Fluttershy?"
Shining Armor was snapped out of his thoughts, as Discord bowed in respect to Princess Celestia. "Yes, Princess, I'm ready to use my magic for good instead of evil," he said sincerely, though under his breath he added. "Most of the time anyways."
Princess Celestia smiled happily, radiating a warmth not unlike that of the sun she raised every day. "Congratulations on your success, ponies. I can truly sense a change for the better in Discord," she said proudly. "I am especially proud of you, Shining Armor. You and your sister, together with your friends, have succeeded where I have failed."
"There you go getting all happy go lucky again, pretty soon you're going to start giving me speeches on how good it is to be a good guy," Discord gagged. "I may be new to this whole 'friendship' business but if I have to hear these sickeningly sweet speeches day after day, I'm going to die!"
"Is it even possible for a creature like yourself to die?" Braeburn asked Discord. "By all accounts you seem to be immortal, or at least very long lived."
"If this keeps up I am sorely tempted to find out for myself which it is," Discord commented. "Let this be a warning to all of you ponies, just because we're friends doesn't mean I'm going to start suddenly acting all happy go lucky and cheerful. I am who I am."
Thunderlane chuckled. "Aw, you big softy. You just don't want to admit you can be a real sweetheart once you get that ice king personality. Now go on, you know what you wanna say."
Discord sighed. "Oh, fine, but only for you ponies. Tell anyone, and you'll live to regret it," he then cleared his throat, and after looking around to see if anyone was watching he said quickly "Friendship is magic. There, are you happy now?"
Celestia chuckled. "Indeed I am, Discord. I think we will accomplish great things together."
"Well, what do you know about that? We've actually done it, we've reformed Discord!" Soarin boasted. "When this first started out, I wasn't sure if we could do it."
"Guess it goes to show that there's more to anyone than meets the eye," Big Macintosh said with a wink. "Though I have to wonder why Princess Celestia wants Discord reformed so badly? She must have a good reason."
"Hey, don't look at me!" Shining Armor protested. "She wouldn't tell Twilight or I anything even when we asked. Heck, she didn't even tell us that we were to reform Discord until she brought his stone statue to Ponyville. All she said in reply is 'It's all necessary in the grand scheme of things. Discord's skills will come in handy soon enough.'. It's just like when she told me that I was ready for what lies ahead, after helping to defend The Crystal Empire a few months ago."
"You think Celestia knows more than she's lettin' on?" Big Macintosh asked.
Shining Armor sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't know either way. I didn't know Luna was her sister until she told me so herself, prior to that I just thought 'The Mare in The Moon' was a fairy tale. She seems to be keep her past under wraps for some reason, same goes for Princess Luna."
"To be fair, do any of us know every detail of each other's past?" Fancy Pants observed. "Even if some of us have been more willing to share details about our past, there are things we've undoubtably kept to ourselves."
"Yeah, but it seems like we only learn more about Celestia's past when it comes back to haunt us," Soarin obeserved. "What's up with that?"
"It's Discord's past that I'm more concerned about," Thunderlane commented. "He seemed quite surprised when Fluttershy told him she was his friend, and that she was willing to stick up for him because it's what friends do. It's like he never had a friend before."
"Well, unless Discord opens up to us, we won't know for sure. But considering we've just befriend him yesterday, who knows if he'll be willing to share such information about his past life with us?" Shining Armor pondered.
"Funny you should mention that, Shining Armor," Princess Celestia declared, as she walked over to him. "I have a very important assignment that I wish to ask of you, think of it as your final test to see if you are worthy of what is coming."
"Again with the crypticness," Shining Armor mubbled. "Princess, must you always be mysterious? Do you feel that not telling me is better than letting me be prepared?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Celestia replied seriously. "When a former student of mine learned what she could become, she became arrogant and impatient, eventually running away to a far off place. I have not heard from her since."
"But I'm not like that student, heck I'm not even your student to begin with." Shining Armor commented.
"Maybe not offically, but to me you have always been an honorary student. And even like a son I never had," Celestia observed, before she regained her composure. "In any case, what I want from you is simple. Starting tomorrow, I would like you to learn from Discord, as there is a special trick that only he knows about. A trick that only a select few have ever attempted, and only Discord and myself have mastered."
"What is it?" Shining Armor asked anxiously.
"'Timing is everything', that's all I can tell you," Celestia replied, then glumly admitted. "I only attempted the trick once after mastering it, and since then I have refused to use it. It is very taxing and problematic, so I will leave it up to Discord himself to determine if you are worthy of being taught it."
"And if he decides I'm not?" Shining Armor reluctantly asked.
"You know the answer to that," Celestia told him. "However, I have great faith in you, and so does everypony else. Though your magical potential may not be on the same level as your sister, you have proven yourself to be a fine young unicorn. Not since Starswirl The Bearded himself have I been so blessed as to see not one but TWO high level unicorns, and know both of them personally."
The very next day, Shining Armor was walking along the path that led to Fluttershy's cottage, which is where Discord had decided he would be staying until he could get his own little place set up.
Shining Armor noticed how much he was sweating, even though it wasn't very hot outside. "I can't let myself get nervous," he thought anxiously. "Even if the stakes are high, I've got to approach this with an open mind. Discord can read my thoughts, he's sure to sense my doubts if I have any. It's just like when Twilight trained with Zecora to beat Trixie, I've got to clear my mind of any unnecessary distractions."
At last the familiar quaintness of the cottage that lay at the outskirts of town, came into view. This was it, no turning back now! After taking a moment to calm himself, Shining Armor trotted up to the cottage door and knocked on it.
"Oh, hello Shining Armor," Fluttershy greeted with a warm smile. "You're here to see Discord, aren't you?"
"It's like you can read my mind," Shining Armor nodded. "He is here though, right?"
Fluttershy nodded. "I'll go fetch him, wait right here."
"No need for that, I'm here, live and in spirit!" Discord boasted, appearing before Shining Armor in a dazzling display of fireworks. "So, come to learn a thing or two from the master of chaos? Or did you just stop by to say hello? Either way's fine with me, I've been so desperate for company besides Fluttershy and Thunderlane."
Shining Armor immediately bowed before the spirit, and while trying not to make his tone sound too desperate he said "Per Celestia's orders, I wish to learn from you. There is one trick that she claims only you know about."
"So, Celestia wants me to share one of my greatest secrets with you? Well, I don't know," Discord said seriously, pulling out a magnifying glass. "I can teach you many great things, but the trick she has in mind is not one I teach to just anyone. And let's be honest, despite your incredible feats of magic, you're no Starswirl The Bearded. I should know, I once knew him."
"You knew Starswirl The Bearded?!" Shining Armor exclaimed, his mouth dropping open.
Discord nodded. "When you've been around for as long as I have, you get to know some of the greatest minds Equestria has ever known. But Starswirl and I were merely acquaintances at best, he was always too busy with his studies to truly interact with others. Yet it is Starswirl who taught me the very trick Celestia no doubt wants me to show you."
"Are you sure you're not secretly Starswirl himself, reincarnated or transformed?" Shining Armor asked.
"Perhaps in some ways I am, for Starswirl did have his eccentric side. But what do you expect from somepony who's heritage can be traced back to Princess Platinum and Chancellor Puddinghead?" Discord replied. "Even back in Starswirl's time, genealogy was a study that ponies took very seriously. Starswirl spent months on end researching his family tree, and the results definitely surprised him," then Discord shook his head, causing it to fall off. "But I'm getting ahead of myself, in more ways than one I might say," as he reattached his head (producing the faintest chuckle from Shining Armor) he cleared his throat. "Are you absolutely sure you're willing to learn this trick? Many ponies have tried, but only a select few have survived with their sanity intact." Discord warned.
"Princess Celestia seems to think I'm ready, that's good enough for me." Shining Armor replied.
"Very well, but I warned you," Discord said seriously. "Now watch closely, Shining Armor. It's been a long time since I've done this trick, and I don't like repeating myself." And with that the spirit of chaos snapped the fingers on both of his hands, a tremendous flash enveloped him and Shining Armor as they disappeared into it.
When Shining Armor opened his eyes, he was amazed and surprised at the sight that lay before him. The area around him could best described as darkness, illuminated only by the occasional display of clocks as they floated past, ticking like all working clocks did. In some areas were a series of bubbles that opened at the bottom. And in the midst of it all stood Discord himself.
"What is this place?" Shining Armor asked Discord.
"We are in the sea of time, far detached from any reality or timeline," Discord explained. "From here we can travel to the past, or the future. And there are any number of possibilities for the future. There are some very similar to our own and may soon come to pass, others are so far removed from our own time that they serve only to answer the question of 'What If?'."
"So THIS is what Princess Celestia wanted you to show me!" Shining Armor realized.
Discord nodded affirmatively. "The ability to travel through time carries with all sorts of promises and hopes to change things for the better, but it also comes with its own set of risks. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Changing one thing about the past, can change any number of things about the future. By attempting to change the past in the hopes of making the future better, you can have the opposite effect, and the same holds true in reverse."
"Then why would the princess want me to learn such a thing? If it truly carries such a tremendous risk and can create as many problems as it aims to fix, what good does it do me to learn it?" Shining Armor asked, horrified at what he'd just learned.
"Just travelling through time, although risky, is not like travelling through time to change something," Discord said in reply. "There is a great deal of knowledge that can be gained by studying the past. Besides, tell me you haven't at least been fascinated at the possibility of meeting Starswirl The Bearded in the fur!"
"I suppose I would be interested to see Starswirl for myself, just to know what he was like," Shining Armor admitted. "But to be honest, it's your past that I'm more interested in. Haven't you ever had any friends before?"
Discord paused, as if shocked he'd been asked such a question. He put a claw to his chin, stroking it in thought. "You wish to know about my past so badly?" he asked, to which Shining Armor eagerly nodded. "Very well, I suppose I should've seen this coming. But I warn you, what you are about to see is NOT for the faint of heart!" Discord advised, as he grabbed Shining Armor. "Now hold on tight, and please keep your hooves and tail inside the ride at all times."
The last thing Shining Armor saw, before a blinding light overwhelmed him, was what looked like the inside of a time bubble.
When the light faded, Shining Armor saw himself looking at a landscape that seemed so barren and void of life. With the occasional exception of a few ponies rushing to and fro, there seemed to be no sign of life anywhere.
"You wanted to see my past so badly?" Discord asked Shining Armor, appearing besides him. "Well, this is how it all began."
"I don't see anything, this entire place is void of life." Shining Armor complained.
"Look harder, look out to the horizon!" Discord commanded. "Notice anything yet?"
Shining Armor strained his eyes, doing as Discord had instructed. Then suddenly, he gasped! Standing atop the hillside was a creature that looked like Discord in almost every way, the only difference was that this creature seemed a bit smaller practically childlike in appearance. And indeed it was. "Is that-" Shining Armor began.
"Indeed it is, this is as far back as I can remember, but it's a memory I will never forget," Discord said, taking on a somber tone. "It is the day that would define me for centuries to come."
Shining Armor watched, as the young Discord descended from the hill, suddenly snapping his talons and appearing in front of the ponies that had rushing about. These ponies now seemed to be much more detailed and important than they had when first appearing this memory.
"Behold, the first leaders of the newly established Equestria," Discord narrated to Shining Armor. "From left to right there's: Commander Hurricane, Princess Platinum, and Chancellor Puddinghead."
Commander Hurricane was a macho looking pegasus with a coat as black as the interior of a storm cloud. His yellow eyes reflected a look of confidence, but also a hint of arrogance. His mane and tail were a dark silver in color, with streaks of lighter silver appearing alongside a mohawk styled mane and tail. His cutie mark was a thunder cloud with two lightning bolts shooting out of it.
Princess Platinum had a coat the most dazzling shade of gray, mixed with a light touch of pink. Her ruby red eyes displayed an image of majesty and hope. Her long braided mane and tail were comprised of golden locks, which perfectly complimented her cutie mark depicting a magnificent little crown similar to the one she had on her head.
Chancellor Puddinghead, in addition to wearing a cup of pudding on her head, had a dark brown coat with a creamy brown mane and tail styled into swirls that showed off the shades of white very well. Her eyes were as blue as the sky on a clear day, and seemed to give off a look of eccentricity while also indicating the sentimental promises of youth. Her cutie mark was a smiling face.
"Halt, what be thy name of thee who darest approach the sovereign nation of Equestria!" Commander Hurricane demanded. "Speakth now!"
"You guys are so uptight," the childish Discord teased. "And you talk funny. I am known simply as Discord."
"So, Discord? Why hast though decided to grace us with thy's presence?" Princess Platinum asked.
"I solely wish to have some fun and play with you ponies," the child explained. "I have no playmates of my own, and playing by myself has gotten to be very boring."
"Child, now is hardly the time for such antics," Chancellor Puddinghead spoke up. "We arest far too busy to bother with thy's request. Work comes first, then play. Equestria shalst not long survive if we neglect our duties."
"But I can help you all!" the child pleaded. "Please, I have no friends and no family! I just wish to have someone to play with! In exchange, I can help your great nation to grow beyond your wildest dreams!"
"Oh, I dream big and long for the day that Equestria can enjoy celebration after celebration," Chancellor Puddinghead declared, before she shook her head. "Alas, now ist not the time for such fool hardiness."
"Indeed, not in a million years wouldst such bolder dash be acceptable!" Princess Platinum snorted. "We arest most sorry, but our subjects will starve if we chose to put personal enjoyment ahead of the will of thy subjects."
"Now be off with thee and never come back, hence forth though ist not welcome within the borders of Equestria!" Commander Hurricane commanded. "If though wishes to have a family, we shalst take the liberty of placing though into an orphange where thee will find a loving family."
"You guys are a bunch of party poopers! I just wanted to play a game with you all!" the young Discord said, as tears welled up in his eyes. "You'll all pay for this insult! I will become the most powerful creature the world has ever known! And when I am strong enough, I will return to your little 'nation' and you will ALL have to play my game, whether you like it or not!" And with that, the child ran away, disappearing over the horizon.
"Years later, I made good on my promise, and came back!" Discord narrated to Shining Armor. "The child that the ponies turned away, grew up to become the tyrant that they would suffer under for centuries. Not until Celestia and Luna rose up against me and turned me to stone, would Equestria again see peace. And for the longest time, I became nothing more than an urban legend, few ponies truly believed I existed."
"So do you see now, Shining Armor?" Discord asked, as the two returned to Fluttershy's cottage. "That, is why I never had a friend in life, until Fluttershy reached out to me. She was the first pony to not be afraid of what she couldn't understand, and see me as something besides a monster. Not that you ponies were wrong to fear me, I did terrible things in the past and I know I will have to live with them."
"You're no more of a monster than anypony else, Discord," Shining Armor replied. "We've all made mistakes, small and big alike. True monsters are the ones who feel they've done nothing wrong."
"So you may claim, but that doesn't change what I've done or the ponies I made suffer," Discord said seriously. "But it's in the past, and believe me there's no point in trying to change it. The future is what we should worry about it, only worrying about the past to prevent the same mistakes. It was because Celestia wanted a chance to do what the previous rulers failed to do, that I am now reformed. But don't expect things to just change overnight, I'm still Discord, and I'm still the very master of chaos. So don't think for a second that I've gone soft."
"Never said you had, but all the same I'm honored to have learned from you. You have my word that I will not use your technique for selfish reasons." Shining Armor vowed, as he bowed his head.
"Oh come now, stop being so serious. I may have been your teacher, but that's hardly a reason to be so formal and somber," Discord gagged, turning his head all the way around and back again. "Just practice what I've taught you, and don't mention a word of what you heard to anypony. I've just now befriended Fluttershy and Thunderlane, and it's going to take a lot of time and effort before I can even hope for your other friends to forgive me. If they know the truth about me, who knows if they'll still be willing to be my friend."
"If that is truly what you wish, but I think you'll have to tell them all the truth eventually," Shining Armor replied. "For now though, my lips are sealed."
"Good, now get out!" Discord declared. "After what we've been through, I think I deserve a little time to myself. I'll see you at Sugarcube Corner for the party celebrating my reformation, and make sure to save me a slice of cake."
Shining Armor couldn't help but laugh, as he left Discord's cottage. "Some things never change," he thought to himself. "All the same, it's good that Discord is on our side now. The only question is: Why did Celestia send me to learn from him about the ability to travel through time?" He quickly shook his head to clear those thoughts. "That's a question I should be asking Celestia and not myself. The next time I get the chance, I should definitely bring it up."
Little did Shining Armor know, that the next time he would see Princess Celestia, it would be under the most unusual circumstances. And he would undergo a change so significant, that his concerns about Discord would be pushed to the very back of his mind.
Author's Note
I hope this little one-shot will satisfy you all, dear readers. I must apologize for this not being the Diamond Tiara fic I told those of you who read my last fanfic to be ready for, but I have had to wait for feedback from my proofreader on that, and so this was pushed up to tide you all over.
I should mention to you all now, that August will be a bit of a difficult month for me. For on my birthday, and for several days afterward, I will not be on this site. My family and I will be taking a vacation to Tennessee, to visit places such as Dollywood and The Elvis Presely Museum. And a few weeks after that, school will be starting up for me again.
Personal life aside, I do hope the dialogue of the founders is satisfactory and not too error ridden.
