Innocence and Instinct

~Celestia~

My body felt heavy, but from stress or the thick jeweled golden bands around my neck, I wasn’t sure which. Luna, headstrong as always, flew in front of me and kept her gaze locked on Equestria as it appeared over the horizon. I had convinced her to attempt a diplomatic approach to Discord before we attacked, and while she had been reluctant at first, she agreed in the end. The looming mountains instilled in me a sense of dread, but if there was any motivation, it was the ponies below us, staring up in awe. They looked so frightened and in need of hope. My heart ached for them as I flew a little faster, eager to give these poor souls the lives they deserved.

As we neared the fortress-like castle, things made less and less sense… The clouds were sweet and sugary, sticking to Luna and I if we hit one. Trees and chunks of the ground were suspended in midair, and ponies were behaving quite unlike themselves, instead behaving as wild animals. Riots and fires littered the streets and I forced myself to look away as tears welled up in my eyes. There was no reason for ponies to behave so hostilely, not when there was a gentle solution to every problem.

Luna’s hooves made a soft click as they connected with the stone of the castle’s balcony, quickly followed by my own. She looked at me, silently questioning if it would be best to go ahead and enter, and I gave her a solemn nod. She steeled herself, setting her eyes firmly ahead, and we walked inside, carefully observing our surroundings.

I don’t know what exactly we were expecting, but it certainly wasn’t what we saw. Walls and floor tiles disintegrated at random, which would have left Luna and I hurtling into who knows where if not for our wings. Colors and illusions of objects slid all over the surfaces around us, creating quite a bit of confusion at first. The guardsponies were dulled and grayed rather than displaying the vibrant and pastel colors of most ponies, and they didn’t seem to care much for our trespassing. We tried to avoid them, just in case, but when we faltered, nothing was said or done. It was as if these ponies had forgotten how to care.

I think it was the guards that had us the most curious. Powers that defied space, time, and general logic seemed conceivable, but changing a pony’s heart or mind? How was that possible?

After a long while of making our way through the castle’s chaotic maze, it finally seemed that we were approaching our destination. The chaos was more violent and left much less untouched. Luna and I began flying the entire last stretch, since it seemed more than just a little rare that tiles were staying beneath our hooves. Walls fell away with the beating of our wings, leaving us in a blank, open space that appeared to have no color at all. At last, solid ground appeared before us, serving as the terrain on which to place his throne.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I saw Discord, but it certainly wasn’t what I saw. His body didn’t even look like any known creature--just a jumbled-up mess of a whole host of animals. He wore a smug grin as we approached, making me wonder what he could be up to.

Luna seemed scared now that we were in his presence, so I took a deep breath and faced him. “Greetings,” I began, watching him carefully. “My sister and I have come to ask you to step down from Equestria’s throne.”

He feigned surprise. “Oh, my heavens! It’s Luna and Celestia. And here I thought you were never going to show up for our game.”

Luna eyed him suspiciously, her fear seeming to ebb away. “Game?” she inquired. “And how do you know our names?”

“My dears,” he chuckled, “I know much more about you than you’d think. I make it a point to get to know any force that seems willing to dethrone me. It’s a pity you never stood a chance, really.”

Luna opened her mouth to speak, but had no time to say anything before Discord placed a talon to her forehead, graying her and sending her into a trancelike state.

I was immediately frightened, trotting closer to my sister’s side. “Luna?” I asked. “Luna, can you hear me?”

She shook herself and gave me a glare of contempt. “Of course I am. I’m not as dumb as you think.”

I was absolutely shocked. Those weren’t words Luna would say! This couldn’t be happening, could it? Discord began laughing, and I turned to fix him with a hateful stare.

“Stop laughing at me!” Luna shouted, glancing at Discord and myself. “I don’t have to deal with either of you!” She took off, flying back the way we came, and I followed without hesitation. The closer I came, the faster she flew and the more distance she put between us.  It seemed like it would be impossible to catch up to her. Unless…

I cast a quick teleportation spell when I saw her flying over solid tiles that wouldn’t leave us falling. I appeared in front of her and quickly pinned her down to the castle floors.

She struggled, refusing to look me in the eye. “Let me go, Celestia! You’re just going to hurt me, just like always.”

I gathered my magic, hoping this spell would work.

“You never cared about me, only making yourself look good!”

I lowered my horn, preparing to place it on her forehead.

“You never even loved me, did you?”

The spell made contact with her mind and I sent her a flood of memories. We were watching the sunset with Mom and Dad. We were flying over a kingdom of Diamond Dogs, vowing to protect them from the manticore terrorizing them. We were fillies, laughing and playing under the sun. We were young adults, taking care of each other and still spending time together.

I pulled away and her eyes brimmed with tears. “I’m so sorry, Tia. I-I promise I’ll never doubt you again.”

I stepped off her and helped her to her feet. “You aren’t the one who deserves blame, sister. I think we have a king to overthrow.”

She smiled at me, murmuring a soft “Thank you,” before we took flight. The passage seemed to have grown shorter while we were dealing with Luna’s discorded state, but our foe remained in his throne at the end all the same.

“Well well well,” Discord chuckled. “Look who’s back.”

“Stop it with the games, Discord,” I shouted, angry for what he’d done to my sister. “You know what we’re here for, and we’re ready to take it by force!”

“Go ahead. It’s not like you can do anything,” he taunted. “Try your best.”

Luna and I let loose with our elements, energy surging through our veins and pumping through our bodies. Strong beams, each of only a single color, flew from the neckpieces we wore and together formed a rainbow. Discord seemed to be goofing around in the light, though it was slowly working its effects.

A rainbow arched over all of Equestria, splitting in two and covering the kingdom in a dome of light. And as it fell away, a king of stone tumbled toward the ground.

“We did it,” Luna panted.