What Once Was

by Chocolate Pony

Rating: teen
Tags: Tragedy, Discord, Princess Celestia, Sad, Princess Luna, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Romance
Length: 10558

The true story behind two life long enemies.

Two powerful beings on opposite ends of the spectrum. One ruled her land with kindness and order. The other saught to rule the world with his cahos and wickedness. Natural enemies. From birth they were doomed to fight. To seek the others destruction. But were they always like this? No. They once enjoyed much simpler times. Times when war and hate were nothing but a bad dream. When youth and arrogance worked hoof in hoof. When young love, seemed as though it would last an eternity. These are the times the two have forgotten. Until now.

Published 2017-08-13 02:00:10 UTC
Last updated 2018-12-18 02:45:47 UTC

Time To Remember

Canterlot was starting to quiet down for the evening. Ponies were closing up shops, restruants, and other businesses, as the day was drawing to a close. Very soon Princess Celestia would set the sun so Luna's moon could take its place. Though before this magnificent occurrence could take place, other work had to be finished. Or more specifically was being finished.

Locked up in her royal office, Celestia frowned with concentration as she attempted to complete the last of the days paperwork. Normally she'd have a smile on her face at the prospect of being finished with her work. But today was a bit different. She had, aside from setting the sun, one other task to complete that day. An unexpected one at that.

Earlier when the princess had been enjoying some afternoon tea and cake, she had received a letter from one of the royal guards. It seemed like any ordinary letter at first. Nothing special about the way it was sealed, the color or style of the envelope, nor even the glue used to seal it. But the contents of the letter itself, and from whom it was written...was entirely different.

Celestia shuddered at the mere thought. As though an unexpected breeze had just ruffled her feathers. Looking up at a nearby grandfather clock she noted how late it was getting. She sighed, pushing out her chair and standing up. After stretching her wings and back a little she exited the office.

Luna was already waiting for her on her bedroom balcony.

"Time to set the sun, dear sister" She said.

"As at the end of everyday" Celestia replied.

Her horn lit up with magic and the sun began to slowly disappear from view. Once it had fully vanished, Luna took over. The moon rose into the suns place, and stars appeared all across the now night sky.

The two sisters stood and admired their work for awhile. Crickets and the sounds of ponies who were bedding down, or planning to do some stargazing could be heard faintly across the land. The laughter of colts and fillys who were not yet finished with their games of tag or hide and seek. Of other ponies enjoying association around a campfire. The smell of smoke rising from the burning wood, of marshmallows that would soon be made into decidant smores. All was well in the world ruled by the two sisters.

Celestia flinched when unpleasant memories came flooding through her mind so suddenly. The pleasant sounds were replaced with screams and cries of the innocent. The smells resembling that of blood and death. There was no peace anymore. Nothing but fear, anguish, and...chaos.

"Celestia!" Luna's shout brought her back to reality.

She gasped for breath and attempted to clam her rapid heartbeat. She closed her eyes and placed a hoof to her chest, breathing calmly in and out. Once her heartbeat was steady again and her mind had been cleared, she opened her eyes. Luna looked upon her with concern, though she was not arrogant to the reason for Celestia's sudden panic attack.

"Don't worry, sister. I have those moments too" Luna reassured her.

"It's been ages. I should be over it by now" Celestia replied.

"Time does not heal injury. Not that kind of injury."

Celestia sighed heavily. Her sister was right. No matter how many years has passed since those days has occurred, it would always play in her mind like a broken record. Repeating itself over and over. An endless cycle of torment. Brought upon her by those who had saught to destroy her and the rest of Equesteria.

"I must be off. I have important business to discuss" Celestia said suddenly.

"He will do you no good. Speaking to him is like speaking to the devil. Nothing but a liar. Reformed or not" Luna replied.

Celestia spread her wings, gazing at the night sky. "I know. But I'm not one to ignore others. Even if they have nothing good to say. Besides he...he said there was something I needed to remember. Something I'd long forgotten."

With that, she took flight. Luna watched her disappear into the dark. Sighing deeply she decided to have a bit of tea and crumpets before bed. As she made her way to her own bedroom, she stopped to think.

"What sort of thing could a Lord of Chaos remember that a Princess of day would not?"

*******

Celestia landed gently on the doorstep. Which normally would've been challenging since the doorstep was upside down. Then again, so was the entire house. Raising a reluctant hoof the princess inhaled before knocking gently on the door. It wasn't long before the door swung open and a creature she was all too familiar with greeted her.

"Hello? Ah who is this come to visit the house of Discord? Could it be? Princess Celestia herself!? In the flesh!? I've never felt so honored! Do come in your highness" Discord dramatically exclaimed, bowing as he backed far enough away for her to enter.

Celestia calmly walked through door, not fazed by his typical childish behavior. She did take a moment to examine the odd and disturbing surroundings.

"Do you like it? Decorated it all by myself!" Discord said.

"It suits you" Celestia replied.

"Cold and callous doesn't suit you though. I was expecting more...lively company."

Discord snapped his fingers. From nowhere a sombrero appeared on the princess' head. Not to mention a mustache took residence on her upper lip. The beast before her laughed till tears were pouring from his eyes. She couldn't have been less amused.

"Oh it never gets old. Well, enough fun for now. Could I offer you some refreshments before we get down to business?" Discord inquired, having recovered from his giggle fit.

Before Celestia could even open her mouth to respond, a tray of tea and cake appeared before her. The pot lifted itself from the tray and poured some tea into her cup. A couple sugar cubes leaped into the cup, as well as some cream. A slice of what she presumed to be strawberry cake landed elegantly upon a small plate next to the tea. A fork and spoon literally danced their way over to her plate before taking their place on a napkin.

"No need to thank me. I know just the way you like it. In fact, there's a lot of things I know about you Celestia. Some things you don't remember" Discord said.

His normally playful and obnoxious demeanor had suddenly vanished into thin air. As though it had never exsisted. His face had taken on a serious and almost frightening expression. A look Celestia had only seen in their most...hated moments.

"W-What do you mean?" She stuttered.

This did not go unnoticed by Discord. A moment of weakness by somepony as powerful as Celestia couldn't go unnoticed. Surprisingly enough he didn't use it against her. For now at least.

Discord stood from the pillow he'd been seated upon, pacing back and forth. He sharply turned to face Celestia, studying her. His eyes stared into hers, and she stared back. One attempting to read the other. To understand what they meant.

"We've been enemies for many years, Celestia. I tried to take your throne and rule Equestria with chaos and havoc. And the you can your sister defeated me. Turning me into stone. When I broke free, the mane six returned me to stone. Then you gave me another chance, released me and helped reform me. Even when I tried to defeat you all again, you forgave me. I was betrayed by Tirek, and the mane six defeated him. Forgiving me for betraying them. And you. That's our story right? Countless battles that I started, but you won. Right?"

Celestia gazed at him thoughtfully. True, the two had fought many times. And yes she had always been victorious. Friendship truly was magic. More powerful than any evil. But what did that have to do with "their story?" They had no story!

"We may have had a rather...rough history but you're not my enemy anymore. I assure you I have for-" Celestia was cut off by harsh laughter.

This wasn't just Discord laughing to tease or pick on her. This was him laughing to...mock her. Not playfully. This was intentional, and cruel.

"You stubborn foal. You completely dodged my question. Our story! I was asking about our story! Has the petty little victories you've won over me gotten to your head? Are those things truly all you remember?" Discord hissed, voice laced with bitterness.

Celestia suddenly felt threatened by his tone and his words. Rising from her seat she glared fiercely at him.

"I don't know what you're talking about or what point you're trying to make, but I will not sit here and be mocked!" She exclaimed.

Turning on her hooves she made for the door. Only to run face first into Discord's chest. Celestia prepared to demand for him to move. It only came out as a startled gasp when she was grabbed ahold of.

"Honorable that'd you'd try and leave but I'm afraid that's just not gonna happen. Not till you've done one last thing" Discord said.

Before Celestia could reply, Discord stuck his claw against the top of her head. Her eyes went from their normal magenta color, to swirls of green, blue, and yellow.

Discord learned back and sighed. "It's time you remembered, Celestia. Remembered our true story. What once was."

Filly Days

"Princess. Princess, time to wake up" A cheerful voice echoed through the haze.

Groaning gently, Celestia was eventually able to open her eyes. Upon examining her surroundings, she found she was in her room. Her...old room.

"Good morning young princess. Did you sleep well?" A maid, whom she remembered was called Maiden Starla, asked.

"Um...yeah. I think so" Celestia answered.

She gasped shortly after. Her voice...it was so high pitched. So small. So weak. What was going on?

"Good to hear! Head to the bathroom, would you dear? I put in extra bubbles!" Starla said, smiling brightly.

Celestia nodded obediently. Slowly stepping down from her bed, she made her way to the bathroom. Her height was the next thing she noticed. Seeing as she was so short she couldn't reach the bathroom mirror. Looking around, she spotted a stool next to the towel rack. Using her magic she set it in front of herself. After much effort spent clambering onto it, Celestia could finally see her reflection. She was stunned to say the least.

"I'm...I'm a filly" Celestia said out loud, examining her face.

"Well I couldn't start you off as an adult. That wouldn't make sense" A familiar voice spoke.

Celestia took a defensive stance. "Discord! Where are you? What have you done to me!?"

"Now relax, princess. You're not in any danger. I've just sent you back to the good old days. Honestly you should be thanking me. You're not an old bat anymore!" He replied, laughing.

"You return me to my own time! Now!" Celestia exclaimed, stomping her hoof.

"Aww! I almost forgot how adorable you are when you get mad. Especially when you're so tiny and defenseless. Anywho, just go about your everyday life. You will understand why I've done this soon enough. Enjoy yourself!"

His voice faded off, and Celestia was alone. She groaned in annoyance. She was seriously starting to regret ever releasing him from stone! But before she could throw a tantrum, Starla entered the room.

"You haven't gotten in the tub yet, princess? I'm surprised. Any other day you'd have dived right in!" She said, motioning towards the tub.

Celestia looked in the direction she pointed. Starla wasn't lying when she said "extra bubbles" had been put in the tub. It was practically overflowing with them!

A sudden feeling of child like excitement filled her chest. Celestia loved bubble baths when she was young. So did Luna. Luna! What had happened to her!? Celestia wasn't quite sure how old she was, but depending on that Luna might not have even been born yet.

"Um...Maiden Starla?" Celestia asked.

"Yes dear?"

"How old am I?" The question was so odd rolling off her tongue.

"Well I don't suppose you're very good with numbers yet. But I'll give you a hint. It comes after that great big number called 5" Starla said.

Celestia hated being spoken to as a child! At the moment, she was though. Discord had told her to go about her everyday life. Suggesting she should play along. So she decided to do just that. Pretending to think for a moment, she tapped her hoof against the tile floor thoughtfully.

"S-Six?" Celestia asked, as though unsure.

"Very good! You're getting smarter and smarter everyday! Soon enough I'll bet you'll be able to count to ten!"
Starla exclaimed, her voice filled with encouragement.

Though she hated being treated dumb, in a way it was nice to have others treat even the smallest of accomplishments like massive ones. You didn't get support like that as an adult.

"Alrighty then. Math lesson done with, it's bath time!" Starla said, levitating Celestia in the air before gently setting her in the bubble infested, warm water.

*******

After her bath, Celestia had her mane brushed. She had forgotten just how pink it was back in the day. It didn't flow when was she little either. It was still and pink. Not to mention very soft. It always reminded her of...cotton candy.

"And for the finishing touch. What's a princess without her...?" Starla let the question linger, obviously waiting for Celestia to answer it.

"Crown?" Celestia one again played dumb.

"Absolutely! There you are my dear."

A small, golden tiara was placed on her head. It was so tiny compared to the crown she wore as an adult. But it was pretty none the less. She recalled that her father had it made for her shortly after her birth.

"Alright, princess. You're free to go play now. But stay on the castle grounds" Starla said, shooing her out of the room.

Celestia began making her way to the royal orchards. Guards nodded at her and servants bid her a good morning. While on her way, she stopped in front of a large door with a sun painted on it. But it wasn't her sun. She didn't even have a cutie mark yet. It was dark red, with flames rolling off it. It was obvious who it belonged to. She gently knocked on the door, hoping somepony would answer.

"Enter" A feminine voice called from the other side.

Slowly pushing the door open, Celestia poked her head in. A mare was seated behind a large wooden desk. Her dark red mane had magical flames rolling off it. Her fur was pure white. Her red eyes slowly rose from her work to gaze at the young filly. A warm smile soon graced her features. Celestia's heart was almost overwhelmed at the sight of the mare.

"M-Momma?" Her voice shook slightly.

"Good morning my little sunshine. How are you today?" The queen asked.

"G-Good. You?" Celestia was unsure of what exactly to say. She was too emotional.

"Alright. Just doing some important business. And having a bite to eat. Your sister has been craving biscuits like crazy."

That answered her previous question. Luna hadn't entered the world yet. Her mother was currently pregnant with her.

"Would you like to come say good morning to her?" Her mother placed an affectionate hoof on her stomach.

Celestia slowly stalked her way over to her mother. Once close enough, she nervously placed a hoof against her stomach. Almost immediately she was greeted with a small kick. She instinctively giggled a little.

"Good morning, Luna" Celestia said.

"I do believe she said good morning back" The queen said, smiling gently. Her smile suddenly faded. Extending a hoof she gently stroked Celestia's cheek. "My dear, why are you crying?"

Celestia hadn't noticed the tears that had started working their way down her face. Emotion had crept up on her so suddenly. She wiped her face and sniffed.

"I'm sorry. I'm j-just excited to have a sister is all" Celestia said, swallowing hard.

"Well, I'll bet she's every bit as excited to be with you too. You're gonna be a great older sister" The queen replied, gently patting her head.

"Well I'm afraid I have more work to get finished. But we can talk more later. Go play now dear." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on her daughter's head, nuzzling her nose.

Celestia began making her way towards to door. But before she exited, she looked back one last time. "Mom?"

"Yes my love?" The queen asked, lifting her head to look at her.

"I-I love you" Celestia said, holding back more tears. How she wished she'd told her that more times when she had the chance.

Her mother smiled. "I love you too, my little sunshine."

******

Celestia had sat herself under one of the many apple trees in the orchard. Some workers were busy harvesting the few ripe trees, but they paid her no mind. The rolling hills and mountains could be seen off in the distance. Canterlot had barely even gotten started. The bustling town she knew as an adult was a beautiful countryside now. With only a few houses here and there. Ponies were busy working, while fillys and colts were playing. Celestia had forgotten what it was truly like to just sit and admire her surroundings. To be young and care free. Discord had been right about one thing, these were the "good old days."

"Well, well. Look who it is" A snide voice broke the peace.

Celestia looked towards the voice, spotting three young colts and a couple fillys. Suddenly she remembered who these ponies were. They'd bullied her relentlessly when she was young. They were poor kids who were jealous of her royal position. So they picked on her for it. Teasing and putting her down for the smallest of things.

"Shouldn't you be sitting on your fancy throne? Telling others what to do like the spoiled brat you are?" The main colt, whom was called Snake Eye, sneered.

"Yeah I thought you'd be busy lording yourself over all your little puppets" A filly named Rosie, joined in.

"They're not my puppets. And I do not lord myself over any pony. Just cause I'm royalty doesn't mean I have to be cruel to others" Celestia replied.

"Is that so? Funny, cause I've heard your father is a wicked hearted stallion. Who tortures innocent ponies for fun" Another colt said, shoving his face in hers.

"T-That's not true!" Celestia exclaimed.

Seeing as she was just a filly her emotions were quick to get the better of her. She didn't feel like a powerful queen who wasn't fazed by the unkind words of others. She felt like a defenseless pony being attacked.

"It is to! I also heard your mom is pregnant with a demon. It's gonna destroy us all once she gives birth to it. Hopefully it'll get you first. Last thing we need is another mare like you ruling over us" Snake Eye said, shoving her to the ground.

"Ow! Stop it! Luna wouldn't hurt any pony! She never will!" Celestia shouted.

Suddenly she realized she'd just lied through her teeth. Young her didn't know it at the time, but Luna would end up hurting others. And it would be her own fault.

"Aww what's the matter, princess? You gonna cry? Want me to get your precious maid to wipe your tears for you? Bet its not the only thing of yours she wipes!" Rosie taunted.

The others burst into laughter, continuing to taunt and mock her. Celestia cowered at their hooves, tears stinging her eyes.

"If you don't leave her alone, I'm gonna wipe the ground with your face!" A voice suddenly exclaimed.

The laughter and cruel words of the other ponies stopped. Celestia popped an eye open, peeking up above her. She didn't see anything but an apple swinging from one of the branches above. It soon tumbled to the ground in front of her. A loud hissing sound emanated from it, causing the other ponies to scream and run away.

"That's what I thought" The apple said.

Celestia cautiously picked the apple up in her magic, pulling it closer to her. While examining it, a pair of red and yellow eyes suddenly appeared on it. She screamed and dropped it, taking shelter behind a nearby tree.

"Oh come on. I'm not that scary" The apple spoke.

"Last I checked, apples weren't supposed to talk" Celestia replied, still hiding behind the tree.

"Fair point. Good thing I'm not really an apple then."

Celestia heard a noise that resembled magic being used. Mustering up some courage, she peeked her head out from behind the tree.

A creature unlike any other stood before her. His body parts consisting of multiple creatures. His eyes a bright yellow with red irises. He had a fang protruding from his mouth. He was short, but obviously not one to be reckoned with. And she didn't need to ask his name.

"D-Discord?" The old Celestia returned for a moment at the realization of who it was.

"The one and only" He said proudly, holding a paw to his chest.

"Have we met before?" Celestia asked uncertainly.

"I don't think so. I'd remember meeting a princess. That is what the others were calling you anyway. Not to mention only royalty wears something like this."

Young Discord held in his other hand, which resembled a birds claw, a very familiar tiara. Celestia gasped, touching the top of her head just to be sure. It was nowhere to be found.

"Give it back!" Celestia shouted.

"What's it worth to ya?" Discord asked, twirling it around on the tip of his claw.

"Everything! My father gave it to me" Celestia said, reaching out a hoof.

"Not good enough."

"Look, just please give it back. I'm asking nicely. Isn't that enough?"

Celestia started pouting. That look worked on every pony else when she was young. Maybe it could work on him too.

"Nice try, princess. Bug pouty faces don't work on me. Gonna have to try harder" Discord said, examining the tiara. "Wonder how much I could get for this?"

Celestia lost all sense of patience and charged at him. Just as she was prepared to pounce he teleported away. The only thing she came on contact with was a tree. She rubbed her sore head and growled, searching for the troublesome creature.

Discord sat atop a branch, laughing his butt off. Celestia could feel her small cheeks turning pink from embarrassment. She'd glared bitterly up at him.

"Ah that was hilarious. But seriously if you want the tiara back, you can have it. One one condition" He said.

"And what might that be?" Celestia asked.

"Fly up here and get it" Discord replied, a challenging grin on his face.

Celestia looked back at her tiny wings. If she remembered correctly, she was in the process of flying lessons at the age of six. Perhaps she could reach him.

She took a deep breath and started flapping Her wings strained to lift her off the ground. After just a few seconds she collapsed on the ground, panting. Looking up she could see Discord snickering to himself. Determined not to give up, Celestia blew a strand of hair out of her face and tried again.

Three tries later, she gave up. Her wings were too sore and she'd gotten tired of crashing into the ground. Panting for breath she laid on the grass in defeat. Discord suddenly appeared in front of her. Instead of laughing at her as she expected, he gently placed the tiara back on her head.

"Even though you didn't make it, you tried your best. That's all what matters. And don't listen to those losers who talk bad about your family. They're just jealous. I'm sure you'll rule this kindgdom just as fairly as your parents one day" Discord said, his voice entirely sincere.

He offered her a paw, and she took it. Celestia smiled gently at him. He returned it.

"Princess Celestia! Breakfast time!" Starla called.

"I'm coming!" Celestia called back.

When she turned back around, she found Discord has disappeared again. Starla trotted up to her side.

"Were you playing with somepony?" She asked.

"Um...yeah. Yeah I was" Celestia replied.

As the two started to head back to the castle, Celestia looked over her shoulder. The apple she'd seen earlier was sitting underneath one of the trees. A pair of eyes popped from it. One winked at her. She smiled and winked back.

A New Dawn

"Easier times. Weren't they, Celestia?" Discord asked, admiring the memories as they played out before him.

"Not always. They may have been somewhat kinder than most of the adult years. But they had their fair share of pain" Celestia replied.

"They also had their fair share of joy. Life in general has it’s ups and it’s downs. As you will see even more after you’ve been through these memories” Discord said.

Celestia’s head started spinning before everything went black. Upon awakening, she found herself back in her room. Only it was her room when she had become...an adult. Well close to it anyway. She was bascially a little older than a teenager. Her room was decoarated more like an adult though. In other words incredibly plain and simple. Which is saying a lot for a room belonging to a princess. Though, Celestia had never considered herself all that fancy.

Rising from her bed, she made her way to the bathroom mirror. Her teenage self was tall, but still had some growing to do. Her magenta eyes seemed somewhat brighter than before. Her bright pink mane was now long enough to sweep down her shoulders. For a mare who’d never considered herself all that attractive, she wasn’t too bad looking.

“Princess! You have a meeting in a few minutes!” Mandy, her new maid, exclaimed as she burst into the room.

“Thank you, Mandy. I’ll be there in a few minutes” Celestia replied.

Since normal ponies aged faster than Alicorns, Starla had long since retired. Probably even deceased by now. She had always been more than just a maid to Celestia, she was a beloved friend.

Sighing, Celestia exited her room. Trotting down the hallway, she passed many servants and guards. Rather than a casual greeting when she was little they now bowed before her. A feeling of insecurity rose into her chest. She had always hated how others treated her the instant she got to a certain age. Just cause she was becoming a powerful princess suddenly she was no longer worthy of a standard greeting? What a shame.

Celestia arrived at the meeting room, the guards pushing it open for her. She wasn’t sure what to expect but it certainly hadn’t been...this.

Her parents were sitting beside each other at the end of a long table. Luna, whom was now a little older than a filly, sat a few seats down from them. She looked just as confused as Celestial did. What was going on?

“Mother? Father? I was told there was meeting happening. What’s it about?” Celestia asked.

“There is something very important we must discuss with you and your sister. Something has come up” The queen said, her face void of emotion.

Celestia took a seat next to Luna. Her mother never had that look on her face unless she was upset or something very serious was happening. Her father’s glowing white eyes were practically embedding themselves in the two sister’s souls. A chill ran down Celestia’s spine. Her father was a kind and loving stallion but he could be very frightening at times.

“Your father and I must leave you both. In fact we must leave all of Equestria. Forever” The queen stated.

“What!? Why!?” Luna shouted.

“Because we are no longer needed here. We have done our jobs. It is time for Celestia and you to take over Equestria for us” The king explained.

Celestia’s heart began to pound in her chest. Suddenly the memory she was having became clear: This was the day her parents left. The day she officially became ruler over Equesteria.

“B-But, I-I’m not ready! I’m still so young and inexperncied. I have so much learning to do. I’m not even near finished with my magic studies. Starswirl says I-“ Celestia was cut off.

The queen had stood from her seat. She walked over to her daughter. Celestia flinched as though she expected to be struck. Instead, she felt a wing wrap around her. Her mother’s warmth enveloping her.

“Do not fear. Rest assured, you will rule over Equestria just as well as your father and I have. You have nothing to fear.”

The queen then backed away, standing beside her husband once more.

“Goodbye, my little ponies. We love you both so much” The king said, smiling slightly.

Tears were blurring Celestia’s vision, her throat sore from the lump she was holding back. Luna was openly crying so it was important at least one of them be strong.

The king and queens’ horns lit up, a ball of magic consuming them. Celestia and Luna had to look away to avoid being blinded. The last words ever heard from their mother, were these.

“Goodbye, my little sunshine.”

*******

Discord gazed boredly at the memory before him, tossing some popcorn into his mouth. He stopped for a second at the queens’ last words. That nickname belonged to Celestia and Celestia alone. Her last words to her daughters had only been directed towards one of them. The one who would become the most powerful leader.

Discord’s eyes landed upon young Luna. Celestia had silently left the room shortly after their parents’ departure. Presumably to go do some crying of her own. Luna’s eyes still had tears in them. But these weren’t the tears of one who’d just lost her parents. These were the tears of a pony who was bitter and jealous.

“Even then, she was already envious of her sister. And even then her sister was too naive to realize” Discord muttered to himself.

That selfish attitude would only lead to so much heartache and tribulation. But for now, Discord was content with watching the sun princess in her trivial teen years. Besides, soon she’d be reuniting with a beloved friend of hers.

Upon realization of this, Discord tossed more popcorn into his mouth. A small smile gracing his features. Now this, was where the real chaos began.

The chaos...of love.

Chaos Of Love 1.

Chaos Of Love 1.

Celestia stretched out her wings and sighed as she entered the castle. The cheers and excited cries of her subjects were muffled by the castle doors closing behind her. It had been yet another day of going around the kingdom dealing with legal troubles, examining and approving construction of new buildings, even attending a wedding.

All in all, it had taken a lot out of Celestia. More than it would’ve as an adult. She was still a teenager at the moment. Discord surprisingly was taking his time yanking her out of this memory just to vomit her into another. Why? She wasn’t sure. In fact she didn’t really know if she wanted to find out.

“Your duties for today are over, Princess Celestia. Would you like me to get you anything? Or do you have any plans for relaxation?” Rivers, Celestia’s assistant, asked.

“No thank you, Rivers. I’m sure you’re far more tired than myself. Go have a rest. You most certainly deserve it. I’ll probably just drink some tea and look over letters I received from my subjects” Celestia replied.

Rivers smiled and shook her head. “You’re always such a busy bee, your highness. If only Luna could be more like you.”

Celestia stopped dead in her tracks at that remark. What was that supposed to mean? Luna did plenty of her own work. So why did it seem like no pony saw that?

“Luna is busy with many other things, Rivers. We just...prefer to do our jobs separately. I’ve offered for her to work alongside me, but she’d rather not” Celestia explained.

“Y-Yes of course. Sorry, your highness. It just seems like you two used to do everything together at one point. Then again you were only foals! Ponies change! Oh pony feathers! I’ve gone on saying too much. I’m gonna go rest as you suggested. L-Later, your highness.”

With that, Rivers quickly scampered off to her own quarters. Celestia looked after her, face filled with mixed emotions. Again, Celestia felt like other ponies were afraid of her just cause she was a powerful princess. Also ponies acted like Luna didn’t exsist, or was inferior to her. It was very upsetting to say the least.

On the way to her office, Celestia walked past her sister’s room. She paused when a sniffling sound came from behind the door. Was Luna...crying? Celestia turned to face the door, raising her hoof.

“Luna? Is everything alright?” Celestia asked, shortly after knocking a few times.

“Go away” A muffled groan replied.

“Are you upset about something? If so, we can talk about it. That’s what sisters are for after all.”

“I said go away!”

Celestia sighed. She wanted to respect her sister’s wishes, but also wanted to help if something really was wrong. Using her magic she twisted the door knob. The door itself quietly creaked open.

Luna lay on her night sky bed sheets, face buried in the pillows. Celestia carefully approached her, standing at the foot of the bed.

“Are you ok, dear sister?” She asked.

There was no answer. “You sounded like you were upset. Do you want to talk? Did somepony say or do some-“

“Since when did you start caring!?” Luna suddenly screamed, her head jerking up from the pillows.

Celestia jumped back in surprise. Luna’s eyes were red with tears and anger. But...why? What had Celestia done?

“I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was j-just worried about you” Celestia stuttered in reply.

A bitter snort left Luna’s nostrils. “As if! You only care about your precious kingdom and your precious subjects! So why don’t you just go spend more time with them!? I’m sure they miss you SO much! Enough to completely ignore me!” Luna shouted, pointing an accusing hoof at her sister.

Celestia suddenly became bitter herself. She stamped her hoof in anger and cried, “I have tried getting you involved in things! Maybe if you weren’t so reclusive and so damn selfish, I could help you! Maybe the other ponies would care more! Who knows? Maybe our parents would’ve loved you enough to not leave!”

Luna’s face twisted from anger to shock. Celestia's own anger faded at the weight of her words. Did she really just say that?

Before Celestia could even begin to form an apology, Luna’s eyes grew dark with hatred. Her horn lit up and Celestia was literally blasted out of the room by a massive explosion of magic.

She flew through the bedroom door and smacked into the wall across the hallway. Grunting in pain, she steadied herself. Luna glared at her from inside the room one last time before the door was slammed with such force it cracked.

Celestia’s eyes filled with tears. Why was she so stupid? What kind of sister was she? Although Luna didn’t know it at the time, this was gonna be one of the things that lead to her banishment. Celestia had forgotten just how cruel her own words could be. Her sister would eventually go insane and be punished. But the whole time, Celestia was partially responsible.

“Princess Celestia! What happened!?” A couple guards came running to her aid. “We heard a loud noise come from here. Are you well?”

Celestia hid her face behind her pink mane in order to avoid their eyes. She felt embarrassed, humiliated, and heartbroken. She couldn’t let them see her this way. Royalty had no time to show weakness or vulnerability around others.

“I-I’m fine. My sister and I just had a d-disagreement. I-I need to be alone right now” Celestia stuttered.

With that she got up and ran in the opposite direction. She didn’t bother stopping until she’d reached the royal gardens. Collapsing onto the grass beside a pond, Celestia burst into tears.

She wept until her ribs hurt, her head was pounding, and her throat was sore. Celestia knew that before her Luna’s banishment they had problems. But she had completely forgotten just how many of those problems she created.

“In the future, everyone will blame Luna for turning evil. Blame her for being jealous of me. When I was the one who made things worse” Celestia thought.

She gazed tearfully at the pond water. Watching some fish swim about, and watching apple blossoms fall gently onto the surface. Ripples formed immediately after the impact, distorting the beautiful scenery. It was only then Celestia noticed something. She could see the reflection of the clouds Pegasus ponies had placed in the sky earlier that day. She had overseen this being done so she knew where the clouds were supposed to be and when. She was also aware of what was natural and what wasn’t. And last time she checked...pink clouds were not natural!

Celestia sat up examining the reflection closer. She had to be mistaken, right? That couldn’t be at all what she was seeing. She blinked a few times, cocked her head to both sides. Nope, still there.

Celestia finally decided to actually look up at the sky. Upon doing so, she was surprised to see...the clouds were normal. Just their average, fluffy, white selves.

“Must’ve been my imagination. All that crying must’ve gotten to my he-“ Celestia was cut off from her sentence by her own startled gasp.

Having looked back at the pond she was stunned to discover the pink clouds were now floating before her. But how? She hadn’t seen any pony place them there. What pony would be fast enough to do that anyway?

Celestia leaned forward a little at the cloud closest to her. She noted that the fish in the pond were nibbling at a few hovering over the water. They were...eating the clouds? What were these things made out of?!

Sticking out a hoof she reluctantly poked the cloud. It felt like a normal cloud. It looked like one. But there was one thing very off about it, besides the color. The smell. It wasn’t like rain or snow. It smelled like something edible. Like some kind of...candy.

“Take a bite. You’ll get a real sugar rush!” A voice exclaimed.

Celestia yelped in surprise, losing her balance and nearly face planting into the pond. Luckily, whomever was behind her had grabbed her tail. She was pulled back into a standing position. Then politely, but most inappropriately, patted on her rump! Celestia gasped in shock and disgust abruptly turning to face and correct the stranger. She immediately stopped when she realized who it was.

“D-Discord?”

“Oh you mean to tell me the precious little princess remembers me?! How delightful!” Discord exclaimed.

A burst of confetti randomly appeared into the air. Discord did a most strange and rather disturbing dance before stopping and smiling proudly.

“Then again, who could forget someone as fabulous as myself?” Discord said.

Celestia rolled her eyes and sighed. Some things really never changed. Or most specifically some individuals.

“Why are you here, Discord? And why are you messing with the weather in my kingdom?” Celestia firmly asked.

“I’m not “messing” with anything! I’m “redecorating.” It sounds so annoying and unappreciative when you say it” Discord replied.

“Clouds are supposed to be white.”

“You know I understand that in this universe the world is full of uniquely colored creatures. But in another that would be deemed incredibly racist.”

“Discord!”

“What? It’s true!?”

“What are these made of? You told me to take a bite a moment ago. So what are they made of?” Celestia inquired.

“Cotton candy of course. ‘Tis the ultimate teeth rotter!” Discord answered, folding his arms across his chest.

“Clouds made of cotton candy? What kind of magic is that?” Celestia asked, a hint of disgust in her tone.

“It’s more like...chaos.”

A rather threatening growl could be heard in his tone. But there was something else hidden in it that she couldn’t quite read. It sent chills down her spine regardless. For more reasons than one.

Suddenly, his seemingly serious tone changed back into a teasing and cocky one. “Anyways, just wanted to drop by and visit, princess. Feel free to help yourself to one of the cotton candy clouds. I must be off. Chaos must be spread elsewhere.”

“Why? And where are you going?” Celestia asked.

“Aww, going to miss me? Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon enough. Toodles, your highness.”

Discord snapped his fingers, disappearing in a flash of magic. Celestia sighed gently. Suddenly, Discord was before her again.

“By the way, you look better when you’re not crying.” He then vanished again.

Celestia blinked in surprise a few times. Did he just...complement her? A small smile graced her features. A blush forming gently on her cheeks.

Celestia shook herself from her daze. She needed to get back to the castle soon. But before she began her trip back, she took a look at one of the pink clouds still hovering over the pond.

She took a bite of one.

It wasn’t bad.

Author's Note

Yes that’s right. Discord broke the fourth wall by referencing to our univerese.

Chaos of Love 2.

Celestia was surprised to find that Discord left her in a certain state of memories for a long time. In fact, in the memories she was currently residing in, she was left there for a few years! How long this was taking in normal time she had no idea. All that was kind of fuzzy to her anyway seeing as the memory she was in was meant to be like the present. In fact it felt like the present. At times Celestia would forget entirely that this was all Discord’s doing. It felt like she truly was her young self again. This had it’s ups and it’s downs, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Celestia sat in the garden, under some cherry blossom trees. It was summer. Her favorite time of year. The air was warm and inviting, filling eveypony with a sense of expectation. Whatever the summer would bring it had to be delightful!

Celestia breathed in heavily and sighed. Although she was now in charge of Equestria, she still wasn’t as busy now as she was grown up. She had time to relax and enjoy the things this world and her subjects had to offer. What a privilege it was! If only she had enjoyed these times more while they were still readily available.

As Celestia went to sip some of her tea, she was met with quite a shock. This was not tea, but rather, chocolate milk! She did not dislike chocolate milk. It was just so unexpected!

Celestia lowered the mug down from her magical grip. Normally she would’ve pondered the cause of this phenomenon. Now, though, she had become accustomed to such occurrences. She knew exactly who was responsible before they even made their presence known.

“Most humorous, Discord” Celestia said, her tone completely void of emotion.

A delighted chuckle filled the air as the creature of chaos appeared before her. “I am quite the genius aren’t I? Chocolate milk instead of tea? It’s so inspired!”

“Yes. A foal certainly couldn’t come up with anything better.”

“Now that’s just mean. You know how long and hard I think such things up?” Discord asked, pouting slightly.

“I doubt I want to know. Time is a precious thing and shouldn’t be wasted on trivial matters” Celestia replied.

“Like you would know” Discord muttered, barely loud enough to be heard.

Celestia noted, though, that his voice sounded genuinely bitter and slightly hurt. As though he wanted her to react in a more...positive manner. To be more impressed with his abilities and behavior. Unfortunately for him she merely saw it as childish. But she also didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“Alright it was...relatively clever” Celestia sighed.

“Really? You think so?” Discord begged to know, his cocky attitude fading momentarily into excited sincerity.

It surprised Celestia. He really did value her compliments, didn’t he? Her checks turned a shade brighter than her mane at the prospect. Her confidence and grace disappearing a bit as she stuttered, “Y-Yes, Discord. I really think so.”

Discord leaped for joy. Well more like the upper half of his body removed itself from his lower half to do a dismembered summer-salt. Celestia couldn’t help but give a genuine giggle at his antics. Although he wasn’t as clever as he thought he could make her laugh at times. Removing the weight of royal duties from her shoulders for a fleeting moment.

“Well if you thought that was impressive, wait till you see what comes next” Discord said, having reattached his body parts.

“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.

“Oh come now, princess. One does not simply spoil a surprise, does one?”

“No, I suppose one does not. Alright, Discord. What’s the surprise?”

“Close your eyes. And no peeking.”

Celestia cocked a suspicious eyebrow. Discord gave her his best “innocent” smile. She eventually relented, shutting her eyelids. Celestia could sense the scenery around her change as her eyes remained closed. The warm area around her quickly changed to a more chilly one. Though she wasn’t frightened she did become a bit uneasy.

“Alright. Now open them” Discord said.

Celestia’s eyelids fluttered open and she took in the new surroundings. Discord must’ve teleported them into a cave of some sort. For all around her was solid rock. She rose to her hooves, looking at Discord.

“Why’d you bring me here?” Celestia asked.

“Oh I just thought we could have a little “friendly” competition together. I want to challenge you to a race! Whomever reaches the end of the cave first, wins!” Discord exclaimed.

“What’s the prize for winning?” Celestia teasingly asked.

“Oh that’s easy.”

Discord walked over to one side of the cave and gently poked it. Suddenly, the whole cave began to shake and tremble violently. Celestia had to fight to steady herself. She gave a confused look to Discord, who in turn, smiled wickedly. His next words made her heart practically drop.

“You get to live. Good luck!” With that, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Celestia momentarily felt panic rise in her chest. She knew Discord could be a tricky bastard, but not flat out insane! She looked all around for an exit, but this cave was particularly large so the exit was obviously nowhere nearby. She was gonna have to make this quick. Otherwise she’d be nothing but a pony pancake!

Celestia took off down one direction of the cave. She saw what appeared to be an opening at the end of it. At first she believed it to be the exit. But, her hopes were dashed when she found it was just another opening. And opening to six different pathways!

“Oh pony feathers!” Celestia exclaimed, stamping her hoof in frustration.

The cave was beginnning to spill rocks onto her and even covered some of the options of escaping. She had to think lightning fast! Celestia suddenly had an idea. Using her magic, she could try to put out a spell that was powerful enough to see through the walls and find which option was the exit.

Thing was, Celestia has been struggling to perform this type of spell for ages! This wasn’t just merely seeing through the ground. This was seeing through solid rock, some of which was quickly tumbling down. Her magic may not be powerful enough, she may not be focused enough. But she had to try.

Celestia strained to concentrate on seeing through the rock walls, trying to decipher which exit was the right one. Just when she thought she would give out, a clear image of the cave exit appeared ahead of her! She had done it!

Celestia decided, though, to celebrate when she was no longer in danger. She charged down the correct pathway just in time to avoid being crushed by a massive boulder that had fallen from the ceiling. She ran with all her might before throwing herself out the cave exit, just as the rocks covered it.

Celestia would’ve sighed in relief had she not realized she’d begun falling to what would’ve been her untimely demise! Fortunately, she opened her wings just in time to stop herself from being innard jelly.

Celestia gently landed upon the soft grass below, gasping for breath. Her attempt to recover from that...traumatic experience was halted by sudden applause.

Celestia turned her head to face Discord, who was clapping most animatedly with a smug look on his face.

“Bravo! Bravo! You survived the challenge. I would say I’m impressed, but it’s nothing I couldn’t have done” Discord said.

Celestia glared at him hatefully before turning on her hoof and trotting away, head held high. She wasn’t sure what had compelled him to pull such a nasty prank on her, but she didn’t care. She wanted nothing to do with him after that performance! Celestia bumped into something and stopped. She was annoyed to find Discord standing in front of her, looking confused.

“Where are you going, princess? Aren’t you up for another competition?” He asked.

“Competition? What competition? You mean you attempting to murder me!? I should think not!” Celestia angrily exclaimed.

“Murder you? Why heavens no! I was merely testing you” Discord replied, feigning innocence.

“Testing me!? For what!?”

Surprisingly enough, Discord remained silent. It was almost like he knew something she didn’t. Celestia didn’t care at the moment, though, she was too upset. She stormed past him and flew away, not bothering to look back.

*******

Celestia later sat in her bed chambers, doing some paperwork. She really didn’t have anything to do at the moment, she just desperately wanted to think about anything, anypony, other than Discord. How could he do something so cruel? So dangerous? Did he want her to be injured? Or worse, killed?

Celestia shuddered at the mere concept. No, she shouldn’t think like that. He was just being an idiot teenager. Nothing more, nothing less. Still, she had managed to successfully pull off a spell she’d been struggling with for so long. Maybe, maybe it wasn’t all bad. She never even knew she could run so fast! To be honest, Celestia was a tad pleased with herself.

“I beat you at your own game, Discord” Celestia chuckled to herself. If he ever pulled something like that again, she’d be ready for it.

A soft knock suddenly came at her door. “Enter.”

One of the maids walked into the room.

“A letter, your highness” She said, laying it, and the silver platter it was on, upon Celestia’s bed. She then bowed and made her leave.

Celestia picked up the letter with her magic and opened it. She scanned over the words carefully, a look of surprise filling her face. It was soon replaced with shock. She cursed to herself in frustration.

Celestia had been so distracted by Discord earlier, she’d completely forgotten her soon-to-be husband was coming to prepare for their wedding!

Chaos of Love 3.

“Your majesty, you look stunning!”

Celestia smiled slightly to herself in the mirror. Her royal clothing designer had just finished touching up her dress. Celestia donned a bright yellow gown with streaks of red running through it. Her mane had been decorated with red flowers. Her fur had been scrubbed, brushed, and doused in perfume. A bit too much to be frank.

Celestia felt like she was gonna sneeze at any moment. How unladylike that would be! Especially in front of what would most likely become her husband.

“You do l-like it? R-Right? We can change it if you want! I know it’s been a few hours and dinner is in less than one, but I’m sure his majesty wouldn’t mind if-“ Her designer scrambled for words.

“Oh no! I love it! Nothing needs to be changed I assure you. I commend you for your hard work, Stitcher” Celestia replied, bowing her head towards him.

“A-Any time, Princess! Really!”

There it was again. Somepony afraid of her just because of her royal status. Admittedly she’d accepted this kind of behavior would never cease but it still upset her.

Celestia hid her discomfort behind a bright smile, though, and made her leave of the royal dressing room. She was going to be hiding a lot of things behind a smile tonight. Including the fact that she was not at all looking forward to seeing her fiancé.

He was a nice pony in all and he’d always been kind to her. But having a husband was an unappealing thought to her. Young she might be but desperate she was not. So why was it that the royal laws decreed a mare in charge of Equestria must at least try for a husband? It was honestly belittling.

Celestia made her way to the castle dinning room doors, pausing before them. She inhaled deeply before signaling the guards to open them. They did so, bowing their heads as she passed.

Once she’d entered, a red maned stallion looked up at her. He stood a few inches taller than her, had a steely gaze, but a kind heart beneath it. His fur was dark brown, in stark contrast to her alabaster white. A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth upon seeing her. This reminded Celestia to put on her own trademark face as she approached.

“I’m terribly sorry for keeping you waiting, Prince Fallsworth. The grooming process was longer than intended. I do hope you weren’t inconvenienced” Celestia said.

“Not at all, Princess. Time is thing us Alicorns have a lot of. A few hours doesn’t mean much when you have forever” He replied.

They bowed to one another before taking their respected seats at the table. Which of course involved Celestia being at one end and him at the other. Whoever had determined ponies needed to sit so far away from each other at a dinner table had to be one of the most antisocial ponies of all time! It annoyed Celestia greatly knowing she’d be spending the next hour or so practically shouting to Fallsworth.

As dinner was laid out before the two by the servants, Celestia took a moment to look around. She quickly noted that the seat next to her was painfully absent of a certain mare.

“Will Luna be joining us tonight?” Celestia asked one of the maids who was setting her plate.

“Sorry, your majesty. But she has complained of a stomach ache and has chosen to remain in her room till morn” The maid replied.

Celestia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She ALWAYS had a stomach ache. One that convinently enough showed up whenever the two were supposed to do anything remotely social together. The gap between the two sisters grew wider everyday. The part of her that wasn’t occupied within the memories Discord had forced her into, knew it would eventually have dire consequences. Such that would change both their lives forever. Her own stomach twisted with a dull pain at the fact.

“So, Princess Celestia. What have you been up to as of late?” Prince Fallsworth asked.

Celestia started slightly but quickly recovered herself. “Mostly tending to the ponies. They are making much progress with one another. Building homes, families, in general, lives, together. It warms my heart greatly to see such unity between my little ponies.”

This was very true. The ponies were branching out into new territories. Finding places to settle and to cultivate. Equestria has become a gift that just kept on giving. Blessing it’s ponies for their hard work and perseverance.

“That is wonderful to hear. You do well for your subjects. Tell me though, how are the spells working out?”

“What spells?”

“You know. The ones Starswirl the Bearded has been speaking of lately. He says they may have found a way to learn about creatures from different realms. Creatures that were never meant to exist in our world. Is this true?” Fallsworth asked, taking a bite of his salad.

Celestia contemplated on wether or not to respond. Starswirl hadn’t gone into too many details about the spells he had managed to conjure. Nor exactly what he had learned doing so. This was why she afraid to say for sure. He was usually very open with her but if he had been reluctant to tell her everything this meant one of two things.

He didn’t know much about it himself and therefore he held back from giving a full explanation.

He knew something that was too dangerous to share with others.

Celestia swallowed hard at the likely hood of it being the second option.

“I do not know much, dear Fallsworth. And what little I do know is not of great enough importance to share” Celestia finally replied.

Fallsworth raised an eyebrow at this. He opened his mouth as though he was going to ask something, but then quickly shut it. He then nodded in silent agreement, continuing to eat in silence. Celestia did the same, but her mind already knew what he was going to ask.

Do you know of any creatures who might have been brought into our world?

Celestia did not want to answer that, nor even think about it. So she changed the subject after a while. They spoke of trivial matters. Or at least what is considered trivial amongst royalty.

Fallsworth had just been in the middle of telling a story from when he was young, one she sadly enough found highly boring, when Celestia almost choked on her tea.

Unbeknownst to Fallsworth, the tea kettle next to him had begun filling his mug with a sickening green liquid. His knife had raised itself up and began making stabbing gestures in the direction of a couple spoons, which were huddling in fear. A lone slice of cake not too far from his right hoof suddenly split in half, revealing icing fangs. It leaned closer to his right hoof, on the verge of chomping down.

“Prince Fallsworth!” Celestia yelped suddenly.

All of the inanimate objects that had been given life froze. Returning to their natural, immovable, states. Fallsworth however had jumped at her sudden shout, causing him to knock over the tea kettle which promptly splashed a sickly green liquid all over him.

“I’m so terribly sorry! I saw a..uh...spider and though it best to warn you. I did not mean to startle you so” Celestia apologized, rising from her seat and rushing to his side.

“Oh it’s quite alright. Allow me a moment to clean myself up. You have a restroom nearby, right?” Fallsworth asked.

“Yes it’s down the hall, to the left, and then the right. I’ll have Frosty Mug show you the way.”

She called to her servant of said name and had him guide the prince to the bathroom. All while trying to dry the unusual stain from his jacket.

Once they had left Celestia glared around the room. She spotted a current that looked a bit...discolored. Casually trotting over, she turned her back to it before kicking it with all her might.

“Ouch!” A familiar voice cried out. “What was that for!?”

“For disrupting my date!” Celestia shouted.

“Oh is that what this was? I was so bored I figured you just wanted to make yourself miserable for an hour and a half.”

The discolored half of the curtain turned into the form of Discord. His yellow-red eyes gazing mischievously upon her. He gave her his traditional toothy grin as he snaked his lion paw around her neck.

“I thought green was a lovely color for him. Really suits his personality. Utterly repulsive” Discord explained, grinning with pure delight.

“You don’t even know him” Celestia growled in response.

“And you do? Tell me, beneath his somewhat attractive exterior what do you really know about him? What’s his favorite food? What music does his like? Does he like long walks on the beach or picnics in the park? Does he like cotton candy?” Discord asked, a look of disinterest on his face.

“None of those things matter. We’re two leaders who could potentially rule a kingdom alongside each other” Celestia replied.

She moved out from under Discord’s arm, turning her back towards him. She had begun walking away when his face appeared in front of hers. He hovered over her, gazing into her eyes intently.

“Fine. I’ll do you one better. Does he love you?”

Celestia mentally froze. Love. A quality any and all should have regardless of wether it was romantic or not. If it was romantic it was regarded as a privilege. Something so many ponies strived for but fell just short of obtaining or maintaining. Celestia had always been one of those ponies who thought she could maybe have that. One day. But who with? She had no idea.

“I-I don’t know” Celestia answered honestly.

“And yet you’re considering spending the rest of your life with him? Did you snort something resembling those flowers on your head?” Discord teased.

Celestia shook her head in disdain, glaring at him resentfully. “What’s it to you? You wouldn’t know anything about being loved. Nopony loves you.”

The air in the room suddenly went ice cold with Celestia’s words. She’d scarcely realized what she said when regret crawled up her gut like a demon attempting to escape.

Discord’s face lost its usual playful look. It was replaced with a pain Celestia could not grasp. An anger she’d never feel. An emptiness she’d never know. But for a brief moment, there was also a hint of...longing. As though there was something he wanted but knew within his very soul he could never have. Discord snapped his fingers, disappearing from sight.

An apology died on Celestia’s lip as he did so. Just then the doors to the dining room opened. Prince Fallsworth stroud in, wiping the remaining traces of the mystery liquid from himself.

“Sorry I took so long, Princess. This stuff was harder to get out then I-“

He froze mid sentence. He asked the question she herself did not want to answer. For she knew it would be so.

“Princess Celestia, have you been crying?”

*********

Later that night, long after Prince Fallsworth has made his leave, Celestia climbed into her bed.

She blew out the candle on her nightstand, rolling onto her side. Celestia gazed out her window at the night sky. Luna’s moon was so bright and beautiful. If only more ponies got to enjoy it.

As sleep began to claim her, she could’ve sworn she felt a presence whisper something to her.

”Like he said, ‘Time doesn’t mean much when you live forever.’ But be asured, Celestia, it will matter who you spend it with. And who you don’t.”