A Wish Your Heart Makesby SvenFoxxChapters1. The Wishing Ruby2. Da Rules3. The Bright Beginning1. The Wishing RubyThe Everfree Forest. Home to many secrets and ancient magic. Many an adventurer have dared this forest, and few return from said trip unchanged. Some enter the forest to try and map it, only to exit the forest half-mad and unsure what had happened while inside. Some enter the forest to study the plant life, and, with the exception of a special few, they are violently ejected. Some enter the forest to try and tame it, by any means necessary. They never left. It got so bad that Princess Celestia eventually placed a ban on entering the forest. All who do so are throwing away any and all expectation of help from Equestria, as the forest clearly wants to be left alone. Enter, and you are responsible for what happens to you within the forest. But, once in very great while, there is a soul that will find themselves entering the forest not to plunder its riches, or to force it to change, or to even harm it. Some just want to escape from the harsh reality that is outside of the border of the Everfree, so much so that they believe it worth the potential insanity and/or death that may follow their intrusion. These souls, there poor, unfortunate souls seeking a home and peace, the Everfree welcomes into her protection, guiding them where they need to be. Very rarely do one of these souls exit the forest, and whenever they do they are always different. They enter scared, meek, and afraid, but when they leave… they are strong, brave, bold, and ready to show the world they matter. One thing these souls always share in common is the act of referring to the forest as Mother Everfree. Whatever the Everfree Forest is, it is clearly not malicious. Perhaps not entirely benevolent, but not evil by any means. Today, we speak of the tale of a single pony who entered the Everfree Forest with greed in her heart. In the end, she acquired something greater than treasure. The pony, a tan colored Earth-Pony mare with gleaming yellow eyes and a black mane and tail, galloped through the forest. Blood leaked down her forehead, forcing her to close one eye to protect it. She wore a set of saddlebags, one side bulging with something within. Arrows and spears flew past her or landed around her. One arrow was already sticking out of her barrel. She ran regardless, knowing that to stop and tend to her wounds would be met with immediately and painful death. Chasing her were more Earth-Ponies wearing tribal clothing with mud painted in patterns all over them. They were clearly infuriated, despite the fact that the language they were shouting in was something the Earth-Pony mare did not understand. “I am never taking advice from that lizard again!” the mare, Star Blight, shouted as she narrowly avoided acquiring a new piercing via spear. ...left... Panicked, fueled by adrenaline more than anything, and desperate to get away, the mare questioned nothing as she veered left… and founding herself standing at the edge of a waterfall that led into a misty abyss down below. Many years later, Star would claim that she still has no idea what was going through her head when she, without reservation, took a flying leap off the edge. ...soon… ...calm… ...ease... “Breathe!” With a gasp, Star broke the surface of the river and inhaled great gulps of precious oxygen. Knowing she wasn’t out of the woods yet (literally) she painfully dragged her battered body to the shore. She absently noted how the river ran red with her blood. ‘The gem,’ she thought, staggering as she tried to stand. She groaned from the sand and weakly reached for her saddlebags. ‘Not much time. Need help.’ Once the flap for the bag was open, an object tumbled out. It was a large ruby in the shape of a heart. With difficulty, Star grasped the gem and held it close to her. Then, sending prayers to every god, goddess, deity, and demi-god she could think of… She rubbed it. At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, as her sight grew hazy, she realized someone was there. Standing over her was a creature of mismatched body parts. A lizard arm, a lion arm, one antler from a deer, a horn from a dragon, the torso and leg of a griffon, a leg of a chicken, and finally a tail of a lizard. He wore a lot of gold jewelry, Star noted. Gold bracelets that nearly covered his forearms, two gold necklaces, a gold earring in one ear, and a choker of solid gold. ‘Someone thinks awfully high of themselves,’ she thought to herself. Then she finally lost the battle with the blackness, and her body went limp. “Ain’t a choice, kiddo,” the creature said, kneeling next to her and eying her with his red and yellow eyes. He whistled slightly. “Wow. They really did a number on you, didn’t they?” He paused, staring at the ruby loosely grasped in the dying pony’s arms. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and snapped his fingers. In a flash of slightly off white light, the pony was suddenly the picture of good health. She was no longer injured in any way, shape, or form. With a gasp, she pushed herself up. Amazed at how the act hadn’t hurt, she began patting herself down. “I’m… alive?” she asked, before looking at the strange creature. “Hey, thanks! I didn’t think-eek!” The creature snarled and got in her face. “For your information, that was all three of your wishes right there!” he snapped, poking her in the chest. "What?!" The pony exclaimed, shocked. "B-But, I didn't even get to make any wishes!" she tried to argue. The creature growled. "I snatched you from Luna's grasp just before she could have you! Even though I am expressly forbidden to play God with my powers, I defied one of the seven that shackled me to that gem in the first place! There are going to be severe consequences to this, so I think only taking your wishes and not leaving you to die is a fair price!" Slowly, the mare's surprise became sadness and she sighed. "Oh... I'm sorry," she said with a sigh. The creature blinked. "Eh?" he uttered, caught off guard. He had been expecting an argument. "It's normal," Star said, getting to her hooves and shaking herself of water and blood. "No," she shook her head. "That's not true. If it was normal, I would be dead... Still dead," she corrected herself, before looking at the gem in the sand. She picked it up. "Do you... want me to take you somewhere? As an apology for wasting your time, and getting you in trouble. I can take you to a few ponies I know that won't treat you badly, if you w-mph!." The creature closed his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. "Wait a minute, back up. What was that about normal?" he asked. He had felt... something... when she had said that. It was subtle though. While subtle was something he could do, and do well, it had been a long time since he had to. "Mphhmhm!" The pony tried to speak, and then glared lightly at the creature. He took his hand off her mouth with a sheepish look. "Sorry," he muttered. "I said that it's normal. I'm used to this," she explained. He frowned. "Used to what?" It was... familiar, whatever it was. Some kind of fog on the edge of his senses. Perceivable, but futile to try and grasp. She shrugged and slipped the gem into her saddlebags, before strapping the bags to herself. "I'm used to my luck failing me in the worst ways possible at the worst of times. I think the only reason I'm not dead right now is because you decided to save me despite not being able to make the wish." "Luck...?" the creature whispered in consideration. Then he snapped his fingers, and Star suddenly found herself strapped to a table has the creature examined her head with a magnifying glass. "Huh? H-hey! Wait a sec! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed. "Hush," the creature said, making her lips literally zip themselves shut. He continued to study her. After a bout three minutes, Star was suddenly on her hooves again with the creature looking a bit... forlorn? He shook his head with a sigh. "Oh Luna, what have you done?" "Luna? Who is that?" she asked. The creature looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't know?" He frowned. "Hey, what year is it anyways? It's not exactly easy to keep track of time when you have nothing better to do than sleep for millennia." "It's year 999 of Her Royal Highness Celestia's rule. Why?" The creature became pensive. "Tia? Ruling alone? That's not right. Did I miss something important?" He nodded and snapped his fingers. In a flash of white light, Star Blight was shocked to find herself sudeenly standing in the most famous room in Equestria. The Throne Room of Canterlot Castle. And seated at her throne was none other than Celestia, who was staring at them in shock. "Wha... Discord!" She suddenly esclaimed, her surprised turning into a glare at the mismatched creature. "How are you free? How did you escape..." Her eyes fell on the shell-shocked Star Blight. Or, more specifically the red gem poking from her saddlebags. "I see," she said with a relieved sigh. "You aren't free. I imagine you came here at the behest of your current master. Why?" she asked. The creature, Discord, stared at Celestia. Then, slowly, he looked at the space next to her throne. With a serious expression that seeme dto surprise the Princess, Star noted, he asked, "What happened, Tia? Where's Lulu?" Celestia grimaced. "That... is a long story." Discord conjured some chairs for himself and Star Blight. "I have time." Celestia eyed Star. "Does your master?" Discord scoffed. "She's not my master, Tia. She used up her wishes just earlier today when I saved her life." Celestia scowled. "You forget who forged the shackles imprisoning you. I can see the bonds that form the wishes now, and you are still very much bound to her. She still has... four wishes?" she asked in surprise, only just now realizing something. "Four?" "Four...?" Star decided at that time as she mirrored Discord's question that it was time to pass out in shock. Too many nasty surprised had finally taken their toll on the mare. Her eyes rolled up and she hit the floor with a thud. Author's Note Here we go, the beginning of Discord the Genie! Star Blight's appearance is based on the YouTuber Epic V's OC pony, though Star's mane is not two-toned like V's. 2. Da RulesStar Blight found her mind wandering alongside her hooves as she moved through the streets of Canterlot. She was still slightly dazed by everything. Despite her best attempts, her mind simply would not focus on any one thing. Desperation had led her to searching for the Wishing Ruby, desperation and a good deal of fear for her own life. Discovering the ruby was actually real had surprised her. Discovering that the bucking God of Chaos was the Genie of the Ruby had utterly wrong-hoofed her. Having a pleasant, if awkward, afternoon with Princess Celestia had left her feeling dirty. Not due to any kind of hostility. She just felt she had no business being almost informal to Royalty, or what essentially amounted to the God-Queen of Equestria. Learning the rules behind the wishes she could make. Learning Discord’s story. Learning that her luck may not actually be luck, but the actions of spiteful ancient Alicorn. A lot was rattling around Star Blight’s mind, and she was unsure just what to do about it. “You could start by making a wish,” Star Blight looked up at Discord, who was walking sideways above her. He wore an odd orange and green outfit as well, and Star felt like there was something otherworldly with said outfit. Why, she didn’t know. Just a feeling she got. He seemed resigned to the fact that he was stuck with her. Having heard a couple of the stories of previous masters, Star imagined he wasn’t too thrilled about having to grant a new master four wishes instead of three. And then there was the four wishes. Celestia had examined the bonds between Discord and herself for answers, and the only clear information she could garner was that an outside force, neither good or evil, had conjured the fourth wish bond. Star shook her head and returned her attention to Discord. “If you’re reading my mind, you should know I’m not exactly in the right mind to do so at the moment,” she mumbled. Discord scoffed. “Please, wishes made in duress are the most hilarious wishes you can make. So much potential for chaos.” “Yes, and I imagine that would please you to no end, but the entire point of getting the wishes in the first place was to make my life easier, not harder,” Star countered. “So let’s start there,” Discord shrugged. “I may not be able to remove it, but I can certainly alter it. Maybe invert it to give you good luck?” “And I’m sure watching Equestria’s economy crumble due to all the money I would soon have in my possession has nothing to do with that.” “Tch. I hate it when I wind up with smart masters,” Discord grumbled. Star smirked to herself. She continued her walk, her mind once more thinking of everything that had happened. “Ah, I see my guest has finally awakened.” Star sat up, distantly realizing she was on a bed, and groggily looked at the source of the voice. White fur, rainbow colored mane, amethyst eyes, gold horseshoes, a gold crown, a horn, wings… Wait… Horn and wings? Star’s ability to recognize things from memory finally reconnected, and she realized she was laying in bed in front of Princess Celestia. “Princess!” she cried, scrambling to get out of bed and bow, only to wind up tangled in the blanket and falling off the bed. A golden aura caught her before her face could painfully hit what looked like marble flooring. The blanket was gently pulled away and she was set back on the bed in a lying position. “Please, stay in bed. You passed out and hit your head fairly hard earlier today. You shouldn’t be up.” Star finally realized she had a headache. Or, to be more exact, a worse headache. She sighed. “Wow. I managed to pass out in front of the Princess,” she grumbled. “That’s a new one.” Celestia giggled. “Don’t take it hard. I have seen it happen far too often before you.” She paused. “Granted, what brought you to me to begin with was new,” she admitted. Star blinked. “What brought me to… Hey! Where’s… uh… the Genie?” she fumbled, trying to remember the name of her Genie. Celestia smirked as something on the bedside table clattered. Star looked over to see the Wishing Ruby laying there and rattling about with a gold energy field around it. She looked back at Celestia. “Uh…” she started, unsure what to ask. “Discord, that’s the name of your Genie-” the gem rattled harder for a moment, and Star swore she heard an angry shout. “-was being quite stubborn. I decided a timeout was needed and locked him in the gem until you woke up,” Celestia explained. “Oh…” Star said dumbly. She blinked after a moment and looked around. “Wait… Where am I?” she asked. She didn’t recognize the room at all, though it clearly belonged to someone of either high standing or great wealth. The walls were covered in purple wallpaper that had a lot of stylized suns printed on them, and everything was made of marble. The table, the fireplace, the floor, the chairs. Everything. “My personal quarters within the castle,” Celestia said. Star gulped at that, suddenly realizing she was in Princess Celestia’s bed. “I grew concerned when you passed out and had you tended to by my personal physician. He brought to my attention a few things you may or may not know about that we will discuss.” Celestia sighed. “But that will have to wait. First and foremost, we must discuss your ownership of the Wishing Ruby.” “So… I am his master? He was wrong?” Star asked feeling a bit of hope. Celestia nodded. “Yes, you are in fact Discord’s current master, and you have at your disposal four wishes to draw from. Not three, but four.” Star blinked. “Wait, doesn’t the legend of the Genie-” the ruby on the table rattled angrily again, and she eyed it warilly for a second. “Isn’t there supposed to be three?” she asked. Celestia nodded. “Yes. I am quite perplexed by the existence of this fourth wish. As you can imagine, power like Discord’s must not abused too much, hence the limit on the wishes. As you can also likely imagine, there are a great deal of safeguards involved that are supposed to prevent this exact thing from occuring. That none of them were triggered worries me.” Star sank in on herself, realizing just where her luck was going. “You’re going to take him away,” she said, rather than asked. Celestia shook her head, surprising Starlight. “I can’t. Ideally, that would be the safest option, but the moment you summoned him from the ruby, the two of you were bound in ways that are… inadvisable… to tamper with. It would be far more dangerous to try and remove your ownership of him.” Star was relieved. For once, her luck seemed unable to take away something good that had happened to her. However, she was still tensed. If her luck gave up easily, she wouldn’t have been in the forest looking for the ruby in the first place. “So… what now?” she asked cautiously. Celestia smiled. “The only other option I have is to make sure you are aware of the rules regarding Discord and his… situation.” Star glanced at the ruby. “Shouldn’t he be involved then? It is him we’re talking about.” Celestia nodded after a moment. “Very true. One moment.” Her horn ignited with gold magic, and she seemed to absorb the magic surrounding the ruby. The moment all of it was absorbed, Discord appeared in a flash of light, hands on his hips and glaring at Celestia. “That was uncalled for,” he said pointedly. “Consider it payback for the baked pool three thousand years ago,” Celestia responded readily. Discord blinked, then grinned. “Oh yeah! I forgot about that. I liked that master. Very fun,” his grin grew a bit silly. “Discord, explain the rules to her so she knows what to expect from you,” Celestia ordered the Draconequus. “Yes, mom,” Discord grumped, crossing his arms and looking away, looking every part the impudent child. Amusement shined in Celestia’s eyes. “Don’t make me have to tell you to clean your room as well,” she joked. Discord tried, he really did, but he couldn’t quite stop the snort of amusement. “Heh, okay, that was funny.” he admitted. Before Celestia could respond, he turned to Star Blight with a clap of his hands. “So!” he exclaimed, startling the mare. “Rules.” He rubbed his chin as he considered how best to explain this, before non-magically snapping his fingers with an idea. “I suppose the best place the start would be a history lesson. “As you may or may not know, my name is Discord, and I am the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. My job, before my imprisonment, was to promote change in the world, especially when the residents of the world were being very stubborn about not changing. To accomplish this job, I am gifted with the power of Chaos, the ability to instill change in any way I can possibly conceive. There were times when I had to cause severe changes. One of those times was the Great Heat, when the world was overrun with desert creating weather for a thousand years.” He shrugged. “Not really my best work, but it got the job done.” “Discord,” Celestia said warningly. Discord seemed to deflate a little. “Anyways, I got a little too full of myself about one hundred thousand years ago, a little too uncaring. Immortals generally lose the ability to care for individual mortals after a while, but we try to maintain a sense of right and wrong. I…” He hesitated. “Discord seemed to have abandoned all semblance of morality, causing pain and suffering everywhere he went, and treating mortals as nothing more than toys that he could play with, and break, whenever he wanted. He killed a lot of ponies, and drove more to madness.” Celestia finally explained, earning a nasty glare from the Draconequus. “Yeah… that…” he ground out. He eventually turned a calmer look to Star. “The Immortals of our worlds decided I had not only overstepped my bounds, but severely lost the plot in the process. After a long and hard fought battle…” “He basically threw a temper tantrum when we told him he was going in timeout,” Celestia chimed in with a grin. Discord glared at her briefly. “I was trapped and dragged before a council of Immortals to be judged. I was going to be turned to stone with my awareness preserved, but after craftily arguing in my defense…” “He begged and pleaded on his hands and knees.” Celestia was hit in the face with a cream pie that came from nowhere. She proceeded to happily lick it off. Discord growled. “I convinced them to have me serve a community service sentence.” He shrugged at the look Star sent him. “I figured I could trick whatever poor fool set to watch me into letting me slip my chains. I hadn’t considered that I was far from their first case of an Immortal going bad, so they knew what would and would not work.” He pointed at the gold bracelets on his arms. “Seven of the Immortals worked together to create my shackles and prison. Celestia mined, polished, and cut the ruby, Luna forged the shackles, the God of None designed the rules of my punishment, and the other four poured their magic together to work the enchantments on my shackles. Then I was shoved into a pocket dimension within the ruby I can’t change, and the ruby was tossed into a random location on the world, where I would wait for my first “master”,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers. After a moment, he continued. “As for the rules, I am essentially bound to the same rules as a Genie of the Lamp, with extras to prevent me getting out before I should and to maintain balance. I can’t kill, I can’t bring people back from the dead, you can’t wish for more wishes, I can’t give you a limitless supply of anything, and I can’t influence the minds of others. Other than that, I grant any three wishes asked of me.” Star frowned. “Wait, you mentioned that before. You said you would be in trouble because you essentially brought me back from the brink.” Discord winced at the sharp look Celestia gave him. “Technically, I didn’t break the rule,” he explained quickly. “You weren’t dead, not yet. Granted, without my help, there was no doubt you would have died, but you weren’t when I healed you.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a slow, long breath, before letting it out and looking at Discord sternly. “I won’t say anything to the others, as you did that without necessarily needing to, but I’m going to watching you closely from now on. Any more stunts like that and I will lock you away again.” Discord sighed in relief. “Can I make a wish now?” Star asked, Discord shrugged again. “Sure, fire away squirt.” Star took a moment to consider, before grabbing the ruby from the table and holding it close. “I originally wanted limitless wealth,” she said. “But you said you can’t do that…” She paused as she thought. Then something ocurred to her and she looked at Discord. “Wait, what was it you were saying about this Luna person? How do they have to do with my usual luck?” Celestia shivered. Discord smirked at her. “You felt it too?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “Yes… What was that?” Discord grinned. “That, my dear, is the magical signature of your beloved sister. What you are feeling is her magic influencing the karmic fields around young Star Blight here.” Celestia’s eyes snapped to Star, wide is dawning realization. “One of the Cursed…” she said. “Cursed?” Star and Discord both asked. Celestia frowned “The Cursed are the descendants of the ponies that betrayed Nightmare Moon during her war with me. Her final moments were to cast a curse on all who betrayed her and their lines. Essentially, they were doomed to live life incapable of truly succeeding, no matter how hard they tried.” She shook her head. “To find out that one of the lines survived for so long… all those ponies that suffered needlessly for their ancestor’s bravery…” “Nightmare Moon?” Discord and Star asked together again, though Discord had a sinking feeling in his gut now. Celestia coughed and looked away. “Nightmare Moon is my sister, Princess Luna. Suffice to say… some stuff happened and she was banished to the Moon a thousand years ago.” “Wait, you’re saying my bad luck is because of a really old curse your sister cast on me?!” Star asked, incensed. “What the buck did I do to her!?” Celestia sighed. “You? Nothing. You’re ancient ancestor? I’m willing to bet their soul is in pain knowing their family suffered for so long because of them. That was likely Nightmare Moon’s intention.” Star looked at Discord. “Discord, my first wish is that you remove this curse from me and my family!” she nearly shouted. Discord cracked his knuckles with a grin. “Ooh! A challenge for a firstie!” he said in excitement, before his hands lit up with a white aura of power. “Your wish is my command!” he declared with an echoing voice just before that power was flung at Star. She only had enough time to widen her eyes in surprise before she was flung backwards by the impact. 3. The Bright Beginning“Where do you live, anyways?” Discord asked after some more time wandering. He was now doing the can-can with a soldier’s march… somehow. “I mean, you’ve been wandering around for almost three hours now.” Star sighed. “It may come as a surprise to you, Discord, but that little curse has made acquiring success in any way next to impossible for me. I have no home, no income, and no means to acquire them. Until I can figure out a way to safely wish for you to break the curse, I have to deal with that.” “... You’ve been living on the streets since you were born?” Star was somewhat startled by how focused Discord suddenly was on her. She nodded. “Yeah… It’s hard, but honestly not the worst way to live,” she answered slowly. “Is that what drove you to search for me?” he asked in genuine curiosity. Star shrugged. “Yes and no. I could live with living on the streets. Like I said, hard, but doable. It was when I tried to brute force my way into some success that I landed myself in the situation that had me in the Everfree.” “Brute force success?” Discord asked, not entirely sure how to take that. “I decided I was tired of life in the streets and wanted out, but a job isn’t something an urchin can easily get. So, instead of getting employed, I decided I would be the employer.” She sighed. “Of course, I should have realized playing hard and fast with starting a business would backfire horribly. Said business bombed after a minor successful startup due to multiple robberies, landing me back on the streets and in debt with the bank.” Discord hummed. “I decided a year later to try again, but this time by getting help from… well, I turned to a local crime syndicate.” “Ouch,” Discord said bluntly. Star snorted. “Ouch is right. With the luck curse I didn’t know I had, it took no time at all for the second business to fail spectacularly, and this time landing me in a very steep debt to the Terracotta Brothers.” She noticed Discord’s quirked eyebrow. “Las Pegasus’ local crime lords. Honorable, but… well, you know my luck,” she grumbled. “You not only wound up in debt with them, but something happened that has them actively hunting you down,” Discord deduced. Star nodded. “On the nose. There’s a bounty on my head now.” She sighed. “That’s why I got desperate enough to hope a legend was true.” She lowered her head. “That’s also why I immediately wished for you to break the curse.” Discord growled at that, remembering how that spectacle played out. Star was surprised when she didn’t go flying into a wall, but instead was suspended in the air by the white aura of power. Discord stepped up to her and clasped his hands with a grin. “Brace yourself, squirt. This might get uncomfortable.” Then he spread his arms. Magic exploded from both her and Discord, and a field of stars bloomed around them. Discord began picking through them, seemingly hunting for something. “What is this?” Celestia asked curiously, looking around. “I basically unravelled her personal karmic map,” Discord explained distractedly. “Every star here is a significant event that happened to her soul, whether in this life or a past one, that impacted her karma.” “They’re different colors,” Celestia noted. Star noticed that as well. The stars seemed to be a mix of different colors. Red, blue, and green. There was a lot of green. Discord nodded. “The color indicates the type of karma generated by the event in question. Blue means neutral, red means negative, and green means positive.” He gestured. “Clearly, this is a mare that should be having a good life. Aha!” He crowed triumphantly, looking at a pitch black star. “Hello there, dark magic.” His hand closed around it. Star Blight’s world went white with absolute pain. Someone screamed, and Star thrashed as she tried to do anything to make the pain stop. She realize it her that was screaming when her throat started to hurt as well. “...to stop!” “Almost got it!” Star could also hear the voices of Discord and Celestia, but unfortunately couldn’t really understand them through the pain. She caught a snippet here and there, but that was it. “Discord! St… You... ing her!” “But the…” Suddenly, the pain started to ease, and Star felt relief flush through her. After taking a moment to get her bearings, she realized she was once more on the bed. Looking up, she found… Well, she found Discord crumpled to the ground and out cold, and Celestia panting with smoke billowing from her horn. “Uh… Celestia sighed. “Discord forgot one of the most basic rules he must follow,” she said, motioning towards the unconscious wish granter. “He must never grant a wish that will directly harm his master. And what he was doing… it was killing you.” Star realized that could only means one thing. “The curse is still there,” she mumbled. Celestia nodded. “Yes. It appears to be tied to you in a similar manner as to the way Discord is tied to you. Do you see why I did not wish to take him from you? It would have killed you both.” Star sighed. “I suppose it would have been too easy.” Celestia smiled. “Now now, none of that. I did just say the bindings were similar to the ones used to bind Discord to you. I am very familiar with that spellwork, and while I can’t break the binding, I should be able to find a way to at least lessen the curse’s impact on you.” Star quirked an eyebrow. “And how would that work?” she asked. Then she realized who she was talking to and gulped. “I-I mean…” Celestia laughed. “Relax, Star Blight. For now, I am not your Princess, just a concerned mare that just so happens to have a lot of power. You need not treat me like I will arrest you for being understandably upset.” Star looked away. “It’s still disrespect,” she mumbled. Celestia shook her head. “Disrespect would have been you not caring. You clearly care, so I take no insult where none is intended.” Star decided to change the subject. “Is he going to be okay?” she asked, pointing a hoof at Discord. Celestia nodded. “It would take a Calamity Event to truly harm an immortal of Discord’s caliber. All I did was what roughly amounts to a slap on the back of the head.” Star looked at Discord again, and deadpanned at Celestia. “He has a hole in his chest,” she said flatly. “And it is very uncomfortable, thank you very much!” said wish granter grunted as he got off the floor, making Star yelp in shock. Celestia waved a hoof. “I’ve been beheaded a few times,” she said, earning an aghast look from Star. “Discord has been dismembered and disembodied on so many occasions, he no longer really cares. Trust me, a hole in his chest is nothing.” Discord smirked. “‘Tis but a flesh wound,” he said dramatically… only to get blasted again by Celestia. “Ow! Hey, watch it!” “And, as you can probably guess, more than a few of his previous masters grew tired of his antics and made some interesting wishes.” Discord actually paled at the smirk on Celestia’s face. “No… you wouldn’t dare…” he said slowly. Celestia’s horn glowed, and a book was pulled from a nearby shelf. She flipped it open, revealing pictures. Discord took a flying, frantic leap at the book, only to miss as Celestia pulled it out of his reach, batting him into the wall with it at the same time. “I have pictures~,” she sing-songed to Star. At the same time though… It was a challenge, a true challenge. Discord would be spending many night trying to find a way to break the curse, and enjoy every moment on it. He loved challenges. “At least you still have your extra wish,” Discord said after a moment. Star nodded. “There’s that,” she conceded. She paused after a moment. “Hey… is it possible to use one of my wishes to make a previously made wish immune to the curse?” she asked. Discord shrugged. “I guess it would depend on the wish I was protecting. Why?” he asked, a grin forming. “Got a wish?” Star nodded slowly, considering how to phrase this. “I think… Okay,” she nodded more resolutely. “Yeah, okay. Discord, my first wish is that any wish you grant from me is immune to the curse placed on me by Nightmare Moon. The wish granter snapped his fingers and a flash of light flared out. That was it. "Did it work?" Star asked. Discord looked at his fingers and eventually shrugged. "I did something, so I guess so." She nodded before clearing her throat. "Discord, my second wish is to own a home I am not required to pay taxes and bills for.” Discord considered that. “Are we talking a mansion on the hill kind of home, or just your regular everyday home?” he asked. Star shrugged. “I don’t care. Actually, no mansion. At least not visibly. Go crazy for the inside if you want.” Discord grinned at that, and Star shivered, wondering if she had made a mistake. “Crazy I can do,” he said, before snapping his fingers. They vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Lore: The Terracotta brothers are two twin brother with nearly ash grey coats and peach-ish colored manes. Stone Terracotta has near charcoal black eyes, while his brother Andesite Terracotta, or Andy for short, has eyes that are light red, almost pink. The Terracotta brothers control the organized crime of Los Pegasus, and have their hooves in the underworld of both Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Due to honorable practices, Celestia does not consider them a top priority for the Guard to capture, and has in fact enjoyed a dinner with the both of them once after the Terracottas helped Celestia stop a killer loose in Las Pegasus. She maintains a genial opinion of them still, but has made it clear that if they are ever captured red hoofed, she will prosecute them to the full extent of the law. She'll also ensure a fair trial. Star Blight's current relationship with them is a result of one of their Enforces getting too rough with her and Star protecting herself. Unfortunately, the Enforcer managed to spin the story in his favor, making it appear that Star had assaulted him due to Tribalist views. The brothers have issued a detainment order for her and she has been on the run since. Star Blight finally settled on a wish, and intends to ensure said wish isn't affected by her curse. Will it work? I'm having a bit of fun with Celestia and Discord's relationship in this story. Does it show? Also, as you can see, being immortal in this story means you are damn well immortal. It'll take some pretty serious magic to cause any true damage to an immortal. They aren't, however, omniscient or omnipotent. So yeah, Celestia, Luna, and Discord are about one step away from being Gods and Goddesses. And they know it.
1. The Wishing RubyThe Everfree Forest. Home to many secrets and ancient magic. Many an adventurer have dared this forest, and few return from said trip unchanged. Some enter the forest to try and map it, only to exit the forest half-mad and unsure what had happened while inside. Some enter the forest to study the plant life, and, with the exception of a special few, they are violently ejected. Some enter the forest to try and tame it, by any means necessary. They never left. It got so bad that Princess Celestia eventually placed a ban on entering the forest. All who do so are throwing away any and all expectation of help from Equestria, as the forest clearly wants to be left alone. Enter, and you are responsible for what happens to you within the forest. But, once in very great while, there is a soul that will find themselves entering the forest not to plunder its riches, or to force it to change, or to even harm it. Some just want to escape from the harsh reality that is outside of the border of the Everfree, so much so that they believe it worth the potential insanity and/or death that may follow their intrusion. These souls, there poor, unfortunate souls seeking a home and peace, the Everfree welcomes into her protection, guiding them where they need to be. Very rarely do one of these souls exit the forest, and whenever they do they are always different. They enter scared, meek, and afraid, but when they leave… they are strong, brave, bold, and ready to show the world they matter. One thing these souls always share in common is the act of referring to the forest as Mother Everfree. Whatever the Everfree Forest is, it is clearly not malicious. Perhaps not entirely benevolent, but not evil by any means. Today, we speak of the tale of a single pony who entered the Everfree Forest with greed in her heart. In the end, she acquired something greater than treasure. The pony, a tan colored Earth-Pony mare with gleaming yellow eyes and a black mane and tail, galloped through the forest. Blood leaked down her forehead, forcing her to close one eye to protect it. She wore a set of saddlebags, one side bulging with something within. Arrows and spears flew past her or landed around her. One arrow was already sticking out of her barrel. She ran regardless, knowing that to stop and tend to her wounds would be met with immediately and painful death. Chasing her were more Earth-Ponies wearing tribal clothing with mud painted in patterns all over them. They were clearly infuriated, despite the fact that the language they were shouting in was something the Earth-Pony mare did not understand. “I am never taking advice from that lizard again!” the mare, Star Blight, shouted as she narrowly avoided acquiring a new piercing via spear. ...left... Panicked, fueled by adrenaline more than anything, and desperate to get away, the mare questioned nothing as she veered left… and founding herself standing at the edge of a waterfall that led into a misty abyss down below. Many years later, Star would claim that she still has no idea what was going through her head when she, without reservation, took a flying leap off the edge. ...soon… ...calm… ...ease... “Breathe!” With a gasp, Star broke the surface of the river and inhaled great gulps of precious oxygen. Knowing she wasn’t out of the woods yet (literally) she painfully dragged her battered body to the shore. She absently noted how the river ran red with her blood. ‘The gem,’ she thought, staggering as she tried to stand. She groaned from the sand and weakly reached for her saddlebags. ‘Not much time. Need help.’ Once the flap for the bag was open, an object tumbled out. It was a large ruby in the shape of a heart. With difficulty, Star grasped the gem and held it close to her. Then, sending prayers to every god, goddess, deity, and demi-god she could think of… She rubbed it. At first, nothing happened. Then, slowly, as her sight grew hazy, she realized someone was there. Standing over her was a creature of mismatched body parts. A lizard arm, a lion arm, one antler from a deer, a horn from a dragon, the torso and leg of a griffon, a leg of a chicken, and finally a tail of a lizard. He wore a lot of gold jewelry, Star noted. Gold bracelets that nearly covered his forearms, two gold necklaces, a gold earring in one ear, and a choker of solid gold. ‘Someone thinks awfully high of themselves,’ she thought to herself. Then she finally lost the battle with the blackness, and her body went limp. “Ain’t a choice, kiddo,” the creature said, kneeling next to her and eying her with his red and yellow eyes. He whistled slightly. “Wow. They really did a number on you, didn’t they?” He paused, staring at the ruby loosely grasped in the dying pony’s arms. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and snapped his fingers. In a flash of slightly off white light, the pony was suddenly the picture of good health. She was no longer injured in any way, shape, or form. With a gasp, she pushed herself up. Amazed at how the act hadn’t hurt, she began patting herself down. “I’m… alive?” she asked, before looking at the strange creature. “Hey, thanks! I didn’t think-eek!” The creature snarled and got in her face. “For your information, that was all three of your wishes right there!” he snapped, poking her in the chest. "What?!" The pony exclaimed, shocked. "B-But, I didn't even get to make any wishes!" she tried to argue. The creature growled. "I snatched you from Luna's grasp just before she could have you! Even though I am expressly forbidden to play God with my powers, I defied one of the seven that shackled me to that gem in the first place! There are going to be severe consequences to this, so I think only taking your wishes and not leaving you to die is a fair price!" Slowly, the mare's surprise became sadness and she sighed. "Oh... I'm sorry," she said with a sigh. The creature blinked. "Eh?" he uttered, caught off guard. He had been expecting an argument. "It's normal," Star said, getting to her hooves and shaking herself of water and blood. "No," she shook her head. "That's not true. If it was normal, I would be dead... Still dead," she corrected herself, before looking at the gem in the sand. She picked it up. "Do you... want me to take you somewhere? As an apology for wasting your time, and getting you in trouble. I can take you to a few ponies I know that won't treat you badly, if you w-mph!." The creature closed his hand over her mouth, stopping her from talking. "Wait a minute, back up. What was that about normal?" he asked. He had felt... something... when she had said that. It was subtle though. While subtle was something he could do, and do well, it had been a long time since he had to. "Mphhmhm!" The pony tried to speak, and then glared lightly at the creature. He took his hand off her mouth with a sheepish look. "Sorry," he muttered. "I said that it's normal. I'm used to this," she explained. He frowned. "Used to what?" It was... familiar, whatever it was. Some kind of fog on the edge of his senses. Perceivable, but futile to try and grasp. She shrugged and slipped the gem into her saddlebags, before strapping the bags to herself. "I'm used to my luck failing me in the worst ways possible at the worst of times. I think the only reason I'm not dead right now is because you decided to save me despite not being able to make the wish." "Luck...?" the creature whispered in consideration. Then he snapped his fingers, and Star suddenly found herself strapped to a table has the creature examined her head with a magnifying glass. "Huh? H-hey! Wait a sec! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed. "Hush," the creature said, making her lips literally zip themselves shut. He continued to study her. After a bout three minutes, Star was suddenly on her hooves again with the creature looking a bit... forlorn? He shook his head with a sigh. "Oh Luna, what have you done?" "Luna? Who is that?" she asked. The creature looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. "You don't know?" He frowned. "Hey, what year is it anyways? It's not exactly easy to keep track of time when you have nothing better to do than sleep for millennia." "It's year 999 of Her Royal Highness Celestia's rule. Why?" The creature became pensive. "Tia? Ruling alone? That's not right. Did I miss something important?" He nodded and snapped his fingers. In a flash of white light, Star Blight was shocked to find herself sudeenly standing in the most famous room in Equestria. The Throne Room of Canterlot Castle. And seated at her throne was none other than Celestia, who was staring at them in shock. "Wha... Discord!" She suddenly esclaimed, her surprised turning into a glare at the mismatched creature. "How are you free? How did you escape..." Her eyes fell on the shell-shocked Star Blight. Or, more specifically the red gem poking from her saddlebags. "I see," she said with a relieved sigh. "You aren't free. I imagine you came here at the behest of your current master. Why?" she asked. The creature, Discord, stared at Celestia. Then, slowly, he looked at the space next to her throne. With a serious expression that seeme dto surprise the Princess, Star noted, he asked, "What happened, Tia? Where's Lulu?" Celestia grimaced. "That... is a long story." Discord conjured some chairs for himself and Star Blight. "I have time." Celestia eyed Star. "Does your master?" Discord scoffed. "She's not my master, Tia. She used up her wishes just earlier today when I saved her life." Celestia scowled. "You forget who forged the shackles imprisoning you. I can see the bonds that form the wishes now, and you are still very much bound to her. She still has... four wishes?" she asked in surprise, only just now realizing something. "Four?" "Four...?" Star decided at that time as she mirrored Discord's question that it was time to pass out in shock. Too many nasty surprised had finally taken their toll on the mare. Her eyes rolled up and she hit the floor with a thud. Author's Note Here we go, the beginning of Discord the Genie! Star Blight's appearance is based on the YouTuber Epic V's OC pony, though Star's mane is not two-toned like V's.
2. Da RulesStar Blight found her mind wandering alongside her hooves as she moved through the streets of Canterlot. She was still slightly dazed by everything. Despite her best attempts, her mind simply would not focus on any one thing. Desperation had led her to searching for the Wishing Ruby, desperation and a good deal of fear for her own life. Discovering the ruby was actually real had surprised her. Discovering that the bucking God of Chaos was the Genie of the Ruby had utterly wrong-hoofed her. Having a pleasant, if awkward, afternoon with Princess Celestia had left her feeling dirty. Not due to any kind of hostility. She just felt she had no business being almost informal to Royalty, or what essentially amounted to the God-Queen of Equestria. Learning the rules behind the wishes she could make. Learning Discord’s story. Learning that her luck may not actually be luck, but the actions of spiteful ancient Alicorn. A lot was rattling around Star Blight’s mind, and she was unsure just what to do about it. “You could start by making a wish,” Star Blight looked up at Discord, who was walking sideways above her. He wore an odd orange and green outfit as well, and Star felt like there was something otherworldly with said outfit. Why, she didn’t know. Just a feeling she got. He seemed resigned to the fact that he was stuck with her. Having heard a couple of the stories of previous masters, Star imagined he wasn’t too thrilled about having to grant a new master four wishes instead of three. And then there was the four wishes. Celestia had examined the bonds between Discord and herself for answers, and the only clear information she could garner was that an outside force, neither good or evil, had conjured the fourth wish bond. Star shook her head and returned her attention to Discord. “If you’re reading my mind, you should know I’m not exactly in the right mind to do so at the moment,” she mumbled. Discord scoffed. “Please, wishes made in duress are the most hilarious wishes you can make. So much potential for chaos.” “Yes, and I imagine that would please you to no end, but the entire point of getting the wishes in the first place was to make my life easier, not harder,” Star countered. “So let’s start there,” Discord shrugged. “I may not be able to remove it, but I can certainly alter it. Maybe invert it to give you good luck?” “And I’m sure watching Equestria’s economy crumble due to all the money I would soon have in my possession has nothing to do with that.” “Tch. I hate it when I wind up with smart masters,” Discord grumbled. Star smirked to herself. She continued her walk, her mind once more thinking of everything that had happened. “Ah, I see my guest has finally awakened.” Star sat up, distantly realizing she was on a bed, and groggily looked at the source of the voice. White fur, rainbow colored mane, amethyst eyes, gold horseshoes, a gold crown, a horn, wings… Wait… Horn and wings? Star’s ability to recognize things from memory finally reconnected, and she realized she was laying in bed in front of Princess Celestia. “Princess!” she cried, scrambling to get out of bed and bow, only to wind up tangled in the blanket and falling off the bed. A golden aura caught her before her face could painfully hit what looked like marble flooring. The blanket was gently pulled away and she was set back on the bed in a lying position. “Please, stay in bed. You passed out and hit your head fairly hard earlier today. You shouldn’t be up.” Star finally realized she had a headache. Or, to be more exact, a worse headache. She sighed. “Wow. I managed to pass out in front of the Princess,” she grumbled. “That’s a new one.” Celestia giggled. “Don’t take it hard. I have seen it happen far too often before you.” She paused. “Granted, what brought you to me to begin with was new,” she admitted. Star blinked. “What brought me to… Hey! Where’s… uh… the Genie?” she fumbled, trying to remember the name of her Genie. Celestia smirked as something on the bedside table clattered. Star looked over to see the Wishing Ruby laying there and rattling about with a gold energy field around it. She looked back at Celestia. “Uh…” she started, unsure what to ask. “Discord, that’s the name of your Genie-” the gem rattled harder for a moment, and Star swore she heard an angry shout. “-was being quite stubborn. I decided a timeout was needed and locked him in the gem until you woke up,” Celestia explained. “Oh…” Star said dumbly. She blinked after a moment and looked around. “Wait… Where am I?” she asked. She didn’t recognize the room at all, though it clearly belonged to someone of either high standing or great wealth. The walls were covered in purple wallpaper that had a lot of stylized suns printed on them, and everything was made of marble. The table, the fireplace, the floor, the chairs. Everything. “My personal quarters within the castle,” Celestia said. Star gulped at that, suddenly realizing she was in Princess Celestia’s bed. “I grew concerned when you passed out and had you tended to by my personal physician. He brought to my attention a few things you may or may not know about that we will discuss.” Celestia sighed. “But that will have to wait. First and foremost, we must discuss your ownership of the Wishing Ruby.” “So… I am his master? He was wrong?” Star asked feeling a bit of hope. Celestia nodded. “Yes, you are in fact Discord’s current master, and you have at your disposal four wishes to draw from. Not three, but four.” Star blinked. “Wait, doesn’t the legend of the Genie-” the ruby on the table rattled angrily again, and she eyed it warilly for a second. “Isn’t there supposed to be three?” she asked. Celestia nodded. “Yes. I am quite perplexed by the existence of this fourth wish. As you can imagine, power like Discord’s must not abused too much, hence the limit on the wishes. As you can also likely imagine, there are a great deal of safeguards involved that are supposed to prevent this exact thing from occuring. That none of them were triggered worries me.” Star sank in on herself, realizing just where her luck was going. “You’re going to take him away,” she said, rather than asked. Celestia shook her head, surprising Starlight. “I can’t. Ideally, that would be the safest option, but the moment you summoned him from the ruby, the two of you were bound in ways that are… inadvisable… to tamper with. It would be far more dangerous to try and remove your ownership of him.” Star was relieved. For once, her luck seemed unable to take away something good that had happened to her. However, she was still tensed. If her luck gave up easily, she wouldn’t have been in the forest looking for the ruby in the first place. “So… what now?” she asked cautiously. Celestia smiled. “The only other option I have is to make sure you are aware of the rules regarding Discord and his… situation.” Star glanced at the ruby. “Shouldn’t he be involved then? It is him we’re talking about.” Celestia nodded after a moment. “Very true. One moment.” Her horn ignited with gold magic, and she seemed to absorb the magic surrounding the ruby. The moment all of it was absorbed, Discord appeared in a flash of light, hands on his hips and glaring at Celestia. “That was uncalled for,” he said pointedly. “Consider it payback for the baked pool three thousand years ago,” Celestia responded readily. Discord blinked, then grinned. “Oh yeah! I forgot about that. I liked that master. Very fun,” his grin grew a bit silly. “Discord, explain the rules to her so she knows what to expect from you,” Celestia ordered the Draconequus. “Yes, mom,” Discord grumped, crossing his arms and looking away, looking every part the impudent child. Amusement shined in Celestia’s eyes. “Don’t make me have to tell you to clean your room as well,” she joked. Discord tried, he really did, but he couldn’t quite stop the snort of amusement. “Heh, okay, that was funny.” he admitted. Before Celestia could respond, he turned to Star Blight with a clap of his hands. “So!” he exclaimed, startling the mare. “Rules.” He rubbed his chin as he considered how best to explain this, before non-magically snapping his fingers with an idea. “I suppose the best place the start would be a history lesson. “As you may or may not know, my name is Discord, and I am the Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony. My job, before my imprisonment, was to promote change in the world, especially when the residents of the world were being very stubborn about not changing. To accomplish this job, I am gifted with the power of Chaos, the ability to instill change in any way I can possibly conceive. There were times when I had to cause severe changes. One of those times was the Great Heat, when the world was overrun with desert creating weather for a thousand years.” He shrugged. “Not really my best work, but it got the job done.” “Discord,” Celestia said warningly. Discord seemed to deflate a little. “Anyways, I got a little too full of myself about one hundred thousand years ago, a little too uncaring. Immortals generally lose the ability to care for individual mortals after a while, but we try to maintain a sense of right and wrong. I…” He hesitated. “Discord seemed to have abandoned all semblance of morality, causing pain and suffering everywhere he went, and treating mortals as nothing more than toys that he could play with, and break, whenever he wanted. He killed a lot of ponies, and drove more to madness.” Celestia finally explained, earning a nasty glare from the Draconequus. “Yeah… that…” he ground out. He eventually turned a calmer look to Star. “The Immortals of our worlds decided I had not only overstepped my bounds, but severely lost the plot in the process. After a long and hard fought battle…” “He basically threw a temper tantrum when we told him he was going in timeout,” Celestia chimed in with a grin. Discord glared at her briefly. “I was trapped and dragged before a council of Immortals to be judged. I was going to be turned to stone with my awareness preserved, but after craftily arguing in my defense…” “He begged and pleaded on his hands and knees.” Celestia was hit in the face with a cream pie that came from nowhere. She proceeded to happily lick it off. Discord growled. “I convinced them to have me serve a community service sentence.” He shrugged at the look Star sent him. “I figured I could trick whatever poor fool set to watch me into letting me slip my chains. I hadn’t considered that I was far from their first case of an Immortal going bad, so they knew what would and would not work.” He pointed at the gold bracelets on his arms. “Seven of the Immortals worked together to create my shackles and prison. Celestia mined, polished, and cut the ruby, Luna forged the shackles, the God of None designed the rules of my punishment, and the other four poured their magic together to work the enchantments on my shackles. Then I was shoved into a pocket dimension within the ruby I can’t change, and the ruby was tossed into a random location on the world, where I would wait for my first “master”,” he said, making air quotes with his fingers. After a moment, he continued. “As for the rules, I am essentially bound to the same rules as a Genie of the Lamp, with extras to prevent me getting out before I should and to maintain balance. I can’t kill, I can’t bring people back from the dead, you can’t wish for more wishes, I can’t give you a limitless supply of anything, and I can’t influence the minds of others. Other than that, I grant any three wishes asked of me.” Star frowned. “Wait, you mentioned that before. You said you would be in trouble because you essentially brought me back from the brink.” Discord winced at the sharp look Celestia gave him. “Technically, I didn’t break the rule,” he explained quickly. “You weren’t dead, not yet. Granted, without my help, there was no doubt you would have died, but you weren’t when I healed you.” Celestia closed her eyes and took a slow, long breath, before letting it out and looking at Discord sternly. “I won’t say anything to the others, as you did that without necessarily needing to, but I’m going to watching you closely from now on. Any more stunts like that and I will lock you away again.” Discord sighed in relief. “Can I make a wish now?” Star asked, Discord shrugged again. “Sure, fire away squirt.” Star took a moment to consider, before grabbing the ruby from the table and holding it close. “I originally wanted limitless wealth,” she said. “But you said you can’t do that…” She paused as she thought. Then something ocurred to her and she looked at Discord. “Wait, what was it you were saying about this Luna person? How do they have to do with my usual luck?” Celestia shivered. Discord smirked at her. “You felt it too?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “Yes… What was that?” Discord grinned. “That, my dear, is the magical signature of your beloved sister. What you are feeling is her magic influencing the karmic fields around young Star Blight here.” Celestia’s eyes snapped to Star, wide is dawning realization. “One of the Cursed…” she said. “Cursed?” Star and Discord both asked. Celestia frowned “The Cursed are the descendants of the ponies that betrayed Nightmare Moon during her war with me. Her final moments were to cast a curse on all who betrayed her and their lines. Essentially, they were doomed to live life incapable of truly succeeding, no matter how hard they tried.” She shook her head. “To find out that one of the lines survived for so long… all those ponies that suffered needlessly for their ancestor’s bravery…” “Nightmare Moon?” Discord and Star asked together again, though Discord had a sinking feeling in his gut now. Celestia coughed and looked away. “Nightmare Moon is my sister, Princess Luna. Suffice to say… some stuff happened and she was banished to the Moon a thousand years ago.” “Wait, you’re saying my bad luck is because of a really old curse your sister cast on me?!” Star asked, incensed. “What the buck did I do to her!?” Celestia sighed. “You? Nothing. You’re ancient ancestor? I’m willing to bet their soul is in pain knowing their family suffered for so long because of them. That was likely Nightmare Moon’s intention.” Star looked at Discord. “Discord, my first wish is that you remove this curse from me and my family!” she nearly shouted. Discord cracked his knuckles with a grin. “Ooh! A challenge for a firstie!” he said in excitement, before his hands lit up with a white aura of power. “Your wish is my command!” he declared with an echoing voice just before that power was flung at Star. She only had enough time to widen her eyes in surprise before she was flung backwards by the impact.
3. The Bright Beginning“Where do you live, anyways?” Discord asked after some more time wandering. He was now doing the can-can with a soldier’s march… somehow. “I mean, you’ve been wandering around for almost three hours now.” Star sighed. “It may come as a surprise to you, Discord, but that little curse has made acquiring success in any way next to impossible for me. I have no home, no income, and no means to acquire them. Until I can figure out a way to safely wish for you to break the curse, I have to deal with that.” “... You’ve been living on the streets since you were born?” Star was somewhat startled by how focused Discord suddenly was on her. She nodded. “Yeah… It’s hard, but honestly not the worst way to live,” she answered slowly. “Is that what drove you to search for me?” he asked in genuine curiosity. Star shrugged. “Yes and no. I could live with living on the streets. Like I said, hard, but doable. It was when I tried to brute force my way into some success that I landed myself in the situation that had me in the Everfree.” “Brute force success?” Discord asked, not entirely sure how to take that. “I decided I was tired of life in the streets and wanted out, but a job isn’t something an urchin can easily get. So, instead of getting employed, I decided I would be the employer.” She sighed. “Of course, I should have realized playing hard and fast with starting a business would backfire horribly. Said business bombed after a minor successful startup due to multiple robberies, landing me back on the streets and in debt with the bank.” Discord hummed. “I decided a year later to try again, but this time by getting help from… well, I turned to a local crime syndicate.” “Ouch,” Discord said bluntly. Star snorted. “Ouch is right. With the luck curse I didn’t know I had, it took no time at all for the second business to fail spectacularly, and this time landing me in a very steep debt to the Terracotta Brothers.” She noticed Discord’s quirked eyebrow. “Las Pegasus’ local crime lords. Honorable, but… well, you know my luck,” she grumbled. “You not only wound up in debt with them, but something happened that has them actively hunting you down,” Discord deduced. Star nodded. “On the nose. There’s a bounty on my head now.” She sighed. “That’s why I got desperate enough to hope a legend was true.” She lowered her head. “That’s also why I immediately wished for you to break the curse.” Discord growled at that, remembering how that spectacle played out. Star was surprised when she didn’t go flying into a wall, but instead was suspended in the air by the white aura of power. Discord stepped up to her and clasped his hands with a grin. “Brace yourself, squirt. This might get uncomfortable.” Then he spread his arms. Magic exploded from both her and Discord, and a field of stars bloomed around them. Discord began picking through them, seemingly hunting for something. “What is this?” Celestia asked curiously, looking around. “I basically unravelled her personal karmic map,” Discord explained distractedly. “Every star here is a significant event that happened to her soul, whether in this life or a past one, that impacted her karma.” “They’re different colors,” Celestia noted. Star noticed that as well. The stars seemed to be a mix of different colors. Red, blue, and green. There was a lot of green. Discord nodded. “The color indicates the type of karma generated by the event in question. Blue means neutral, red means negative, and green means positive.” He gestured. “Clearly, this is a mare that should be having a good life. Aha!” He crowed triumphantly, looking at a pitch black star. “Hello there, dark magic.” His hand closed around it. Star Blight’s world went white with absolute pain. Someone screamed, and Star thrashed as she tried to do anything to make the pain stop. She realize it her that was screaming when her throat started to hurt as well. “...to stop!” “Almost got it!” Star could also hear the voices of Discord and Celestia, but unfortunately couldn’t really understand them through the pain. She caught a snippet here and there, but that was it. “Discord! St… You... ing her!” “But the…” Suddenly, the pain started to ease, and Star felt relief flush through her. After taking a moment to get her bearings, she realized she was once more on the bed. Looking up, she found… Well, she found Discord crumpled to the ground and out cold, and Celestia panting with smoke billowing from her horn. “Uh… Celestia sighed. “Discord forgot one of the most basic rules he must follow,” she said, motioning towards the unconscious wish granter. “He must never grant a wish that will directly harm his master. And what he was doing… it was killing you.” Star realized that could only means one thing. “The curse is still there,” she mumbled. Celestia nodded. “Yes. It appears to be tied to you in a similar manner as to the way Discord is tied to you. Do you see why I did not wish to take him from you? It would have killed you both.” Star sighed. “I suppose it would have been too easy.” Celestia smiled. “Now now, none of that. I did just say the bindings were similar to the ones used to bind Discord to you. I am very familiar with that spellwork, and while I can’t break the binding, I should be able to find a way to at least lessen the curse’s impact on you.” Star quirked an eyebrow. “And how would that work?” she asked. Then she realized who she was talking to and gulped. “I-I mean…” Celestia laughed. “Relax, Star Blight. For now, I am not your Princess, just a concerned mare that just so happens to have a lot of power. You need not treat me like I will arrest you for being understandably upset.” Star looked away. “It’s still disrespect,” she mumbled. Celestia shook her head. “Disrespect would have been you not caring. You clearly care, so I take no insult where none is intended.” Star decided to change the subject. “Is he going to be okay?” she asked, pointing a hoof at Discord. Celestia nodded. “It would take a Calamity Event to truly harm an immortal of Discord’s caliber. All I did was what roughly amounts to a slap on the back of the head.” Star looked at Discord again, and deadpanned at Celestia. “He has a hole in his chest,” she said flatly. “And it is very uncomfortable, thank you very much!” said wish granter grunted as he got off the floor, making Star yelp in shock. Celestia waved a hoof. “I’ve been beheaded a few times,” she said, earning an aghast look from Star. “Discord has been dismembered and disembodied on so many occasions, he no longer really cares. Trust me, a hole in his chest is nothing.” Discord smirked. “‘Tis but a flesh wound,” he said dramatically… only to get blasted again by Celestia. “Ow! Hey, watch it!” “And, as you can probably guess, more than a few of his previous masters grew tired of his antics and made some interesting wishes.” Discord actually paled at the smirk on Celestia’s face. “No… you wouldn’t dare…” he said slowly. Celestia’s horn glowed, and a book was pulled from a nearby shelf. She flipped it open, revealing pictures. Discord took a flying, frantic leap at the book, only to miss as Celestia pulled it out of his reach, batting him into the wall with it at the same time. “I have pictures~,” she sing-songed to Star. At the same time though… It was a challenge, a true challenge. Discord would be spending many night trying to find a way to break the curse, and enjoy every moment on it. He loved challenges. “At least you still have your extra wish,” Discord said after a moment. Star nodded. “There’s that,” she conceded. She paused after a moment. “Hey… is it possible to use one of my wishes to make a previously made wish immune to the curse?” she asked. Discord shrugged. “I guess it would depend on the wish I was protecting. Why?” he asked, a grin forming. “Got a wish?” Star nodded slowly, considering how to phrase this. “I think… Okay,” she nodded more resolutely. “Yeah, okay. Discord, my first wish is that any wish you grant from me is immune to the curse placed on me by Nightmare Moon. The wish granter snapped his fingers and a flash of light flared out. That was it. "Did it work?" Star asked. Discord looked at his fingers and eventually shrugged. "I did something, so I guess so." She nodded before clearing her throat. "Discord, my second wish is to own a home I am not required to pay taxes and bills for.” Discord considered that. “Are we talking a mansion on the hill kind of home, or just your regular everyday home?” he asked. Star shrugged. “I don’t care. Actually, no mansion. At least not visibly. Go crazy for the inside if you want.” Discord grinned at that, and Star shivered, wondering if she had made a mistake. “Crazy I can do,” he said, before snapping his fingers. They vanished in a flash of light. Author's Note Lore: The Terracotta brothers are two twin brother with nearly ash grey coats and peach-ish colored manes. Stone Terracotta has near charcoal black eyes, while his brother Andesite Terracotta, or Andy for short, has eyes that are light red, almost pink. The Terracotta brothers control the organized crime of Los Pegasus, and have their hooves in the underworld of both Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Due to honorable practices, Celestia does not consider them a top priority for the Guard to capture, and has in fact enjoyed a dinner with the both of them once after the Terracottas helped Celestia stop a killer loose in Las Pegasus. She maintains a genial opinion of them still, but has made it clear that if they are ever captured red hoofed, she will prosecute them to the full extent of the law. She'll also ensure a fair trial. Star Blight's current relationship with them is a result of one of their Enforces getting too rough with her and Star protecting herself. Unfortunately, the Enforcer managed to spin the story in his favor, making it appear that Star had assaulted him due to Tribalist views. The brothers have issued a detainment order for her and she has been on the run since. Star Blight finally settled on a wish, and intends to ensure said wish isn't affected by her curse. Will it work? I'm having a bit of fun with Celestia and Discord's relationship in this story. Does it show? Also, as you can see, being immortal in this story means you are damn well immortal. It'll take some pretty serious magic to cause any true damage to an immortal. They aren't, however, omniscient or omnipotent. So yeah, Celestia, Luna, and Discord are about one step away from being Gods and Goddesses. And they know it.
