If Chaos prevails...

Chapters

1 - Boredom
2 - Dreams
3 - Him
4 - The choice - Preparations
5- The choice - Entrance
6 - The choice - Test
8 - The choice - Rules?
9 - The choice - Aftermath
10 - Before the big day - Side A
11 - Before the big day - Side B
Interlude 1 - Faithful students
Interlude 2 - Stolen
Interlude 3 - Regret
12- Celebrations - Dawn
13 - Celebrations - Noon
14 - Celebrations - Sunset
15 - Celebrations - Three minutes
16 - Celebrations -Twilight
Interlude 4 - She just needed Love
17 - Celebrations - Early
18 - Celebrations - A long, long time
19 -Celebrations - One minute
21 - Celebrations - For centuries to come
22 - Celebrations - After the night, a new dawn
Interlude 5 - The sun will rise again (part 1)
Interlude 6 - The sun will rise again (part 2)
23 - After the big day - Side A
24 - After the big day - Side B
25-After the big day - Side C
7 - The choice - Great, powerful and beautiful
20 - Celebrations- Just a few seconds

1 - Boredom

High above the tallest towers of Canterlot, shining light on the warped and distorted buildings of the royal city, was the Sun. It just... Stood there, being predictable and boring. Why couldn't at random time intervals dip behind the horizon, just to emerge after a few minutes, maybe in a completely different position? And it would have been so easy to make that possible, after all. There was barely any limit to his power; any outcome he could imagine was no further than a snap of his fingers. Slowly, taking his time, he started raising his left forearm, getting its claws dangerously close to each other. He could do it, he really could. He just had to...

"Your Super-duper Highness!" Chirping with her sweet voice, Pinkie Pie appeared seemingly from nowhere. He could not remember any other pony capable of startling him as she did. One moment earlier -and he was fairly sure- there was no one but him in the large throne room, and now she was mere from him. The large, decorated door standing firmly at the entrance had certainly not moved by a single inch. But having known the pink mare for many years, he had long ceased to try making sense of such frivolities. So he sighed as she, in a few quick bounces, came to be right in front of him, her magenta mane still bouncing slightly due to the previous motion. Her smile was as large as always, but her tone was as firm as it was playful: "You know you can't do that!"

Discord looked at his own talon for just a moment, to his claws ready to snap, ready to alter reality in unimaginable ways. Quickly, with just a quick gesture of his right paw, he grabbed and then detached the left arm as if it was that of a doll, quickly hiding it behind his back. He tried to mimic an innocent smile, whistling softly for a moment, and made an halo over on his head. The whole act made him look nothing but more and more guilty: "I have no idea what you are talking about, Pinkie!"

Pinkie giggled briefly, and then looked straight at Discord eyes with a knowing look, sporting an understanding smile of her own "It's the Sun again, isn't it?"

The Draconeequs tried to keep his eyes on her, but after a few moments looked. "It's the Sun. Again", Discord sighed, putting the left arm back in its natural position, and then screwing it in in place with a few quick turns. He went on talking as if that was the most normal thing. "I can't help. It's just so... Boring!"

A dissatisfied, grumpy expression was appearing in Discord's face. Nothing good would come if the semi-omnipotent King started to pout again. Luckily, Pinkie Pie knew exactly what to do, and so she spoke again, with her most soothing tone: "Now, now... We can find a solution, can't we?"

Discord face loosened a bit, and his attention went back to the Pink Pony, cracking a small smile. He really hoped something fun could come out of this. "Well, Royal Advisor Pinkamena Diane Pie..." He tried to look a bit more dignified now, and a crown paired with a huge white wig appeared on his head, as he pointed at her a golden sceptre with a depiction of his own head at its end. The golden mouth of the sceptre moved next, projecting the Draconeequs voice "What dost thou suggest?"

"Mmmh..." her expression was now pensive. It was not easy to strike a balance between fun, the kind of fun Discord wanted, and the rules that he was subject to. Not that they could be enforced, there was no force in Equestria above its own, but he agreed to them, and he made a vow not to break them. Unless for some reasons he became really, really annoyed. It happened only twice in the years Pinkie spent as a Royal Advisor, but it wasn't pretty. "What about painting a silly face over it?"

Discord caressed its beard for a few moments. "Not bad, not bad at all!" He did choose her for a reason, didn't he? That sounded actually like fun. Sure, most people would barely notice, as they don't often look directly at the sun (pony eyes can't manage to do that for long), but the star would often pass at the edge of their field of vision. They wouldn't be able to shake off the feeling something was wrong, not without actually looking better at the sun... And at the same time, it wasn't damaging for agriculture or for pony livelihood, so his subjects wouldn't have much to complain about.

"Did someone order a silly face?" Suddenly, a delivery boy uniform appeared on Discord body, and in his talon, he was holding a pizza box, which was opened right away. his forearm sprung out of it, and its claws made a strong snapping sound. The unflattering depiction of a pony face, with a dumb expression and the tongue sticking out, appeared immediately on the sun. Discord looked quite satisfied by its own artwork, despite the simplicity of it all.

Quickly, Pinkie Pie rushed to the closest window to try sneaking a peek of the sun through the stained glass. A silly pair of pink sunglasses fell on her muzzle, thanks to another intervention of her king. Still, even with this protection, she didn't look but for a moment. Then she jumped back to the throne "Is that the representative of Fillydelphia?"

"Why, yes!" Now he wore a painter's apron, and held a palette in his talon and a matching brush in his paw "I'm quite talented at this." He looked at its own artwork again and the large smile on his face shined for a moment. But then, slowly, it turned to a frown. Thinking of that mare wasn't a good choice, after all. His tone of voice became suddenly quite serious, too, as he started complaining to his advisor. "She attempted to my life, today! Can you believe it?!"

Pinkie eyes widened, and she blinked twice in surprise. "What?" it was such a foreign concept that she could even conceive it. In her entire lifespan, there wasn't a single such attempt. With Discord as a king, it would have been futile anyway. Besides, when the Fillydelphia delegation met with the King, Pinkie was present, and nothing that extreme had happened. So, after thinking about it briefly, it was with no little surprise that she answered: "Actually, I can't!"

"Oh, she did." With wide, theatrical gestures he made appear some boardgame right in front him, floating in between him and his advisor. In his talon, there were a bunch of cards. "It was Fillidelphia's mayor, in the meeting room..." He glanced at some notes that had just appeared in his paws "With... Boredom!" He threw its notes away, dramatically, while his face showed obvious signs of annoyance. Pinkie couldn't stand seeing him like that.

"Yeah, it could have gone better..." And that was putting it mildly. It was the worst meeting in a while. In her defence, the mare was quite new at this, being only recently elected. Apparently, she didn't understand well enough how important it would be to keep Discord entertained throughout the whole affair. A few jokes weren't enough to have her requests granted, especially such a boring request. She should learn a thing or two from Trottingham mayor, which a few months prior had managed to fit 146 puns in about thirty minutes of presentation. It's no wonder Trottingham yearly budget increased by 40% overnight, that time.

"it could have gone better?" Discord glared for a moment in Pinkie Pie direction. His gaze soon softened at the sight of her, but his voice didn't: "Two hours of meeting to set the schedule for this summer chocolate milk rain? My beloved chocolate milk rain! It almost became boring, thanks to her!" According to her, chocolate wasn't the ideal nourishment for crops, so she wanted to reduce the yearly amount slightly. Absurd! And once she failed to convince the King, she had tried to craft a very complicated daily schedule down the minute, trying to mitigate the damages. As the whole thing was too boring to even pay attention to it, Discord ended up deciding the timetable basically at random. maybe the crops would have not been great, or enough to feed everypony, but what about it? He was the lord of Chaos! With a few chaotic spells, he could easily create a few giant living vegetables. A small smirk appeared on his face as he imagined Fillydelphia's ponies having to hunt them down, but the thought was not enough to keep him entertained for more than a few moments. Boredom was still creeping on him.

Seeing him like that, Pinkie immediately started thinking of some good news to relieve her king with. It didn't take long to remember the reason she was there. It was perfect "Your super-duper highness, you should be happier at this time of the year!" A huge grin on appeared her face, and her overall demeanour was now full of excitement: "It's exactly fourteen days from now", she chirped enthusiastically.

"Something is going to happen? Fourteen days from now? Uhm... "he started caressing his beard, as a pensive look appeared on his muzzle. Excluding the days in which he could go on the loose with its randomness (once a week, in the day that was once called Sunday) and the nice conversations with the few fun ponies that he had in its court he didn't really look up to anything anymore. Every day was more or less the same: pointless meetings, pointless decisions, and then the access to the best enjoyments the Canterlot elite could imagine... But not even that meant much to him. Something special, she said? "I can't think of anything"

"It's the anniversary of your reign!" She was almost surprised he didn't remember. But again, it wasn't the first time. "And not any anniversary, it's the 1000th one! I can't even imagine, like, so many years!" She was a little older than 20. Discord reigned lasted about 50 times more. It was an incredibly special occasion, and she really wanted to make it more special still! And then she quickly caught herself "Oh, I'm not saying you are old or anything, but..."

Discord cut her off dismissively, "Oh yeah, there's that..." And his expression didn't change even one bit. Pinkie's excitement wasn't shared by Discord, not at all.

"But... But..." at the same time, Pinkie mane was quickly deflating, and her expression saddening considerably. Two small tears were forming at the sides of her eyes. "I'm putting a lot of effort in organizing it. I don't want to ruin the surprise, but it will be, like, the best party ever!" She would have to ask to enlarge the town, even more than the previous year. She was thinking of an unprecedented scale. How is some half the population of Equestria there, to start with? And then hundreds of tonnes of tasty treats, rivers of fizzy drinks and basically a show with all the best musicians and showmen of the land. "I just... really want you to have fun" She lowered her eyes a bit, sad. she had no words to convey how much she cared for him.

"Sorry, sorry Pinkie" She didn't want to have her cry, he understood that the party meant a lot to her. But for him? "The celebration was nice when I just became King. Everything was novel, then!" Now? He went through more of those celebrations than any mortal could. 15 times more. "After the first 100 celebrations, it just wasn't the same. I'm even surprised I managed to keep the job for this long!" So many times he thought of dropping everything and go away. Or go back to his old, even more chaotic ways. He managed to keep his sanity (if it could be called such) by introducing something new every few years. Like mandating some new weird fashion idea, creating some dumb celebration or banning the letter F for a while, just to spice things a bit. Those were all fun times, but they were somehow overdue "I need some new Ideas".

"I'm doing my part here, you know..." Pinkie's mane started inflating again. It was not about her now, it was about Discord. Being sad would certainly not help to make him happy "I'm organizing some huge new things for the party..." She looked at Discord with a smile "But even I can't compete with the God of Chaos in breaking the mold!" She tried to encourage him. He just needed to stop moping around and just be his usual self, the discord she enjoyed so much being with. "Just...Try thinking of something you never did! Yet."

With its powers and the rule over the land, despite the limitations on his actions he agreed to, Discord had managed to try much more than anypony could even conceive. But it was true that he still hadn't exhausted all its possibilities. "The boring nobleponies I met the other day might have given me an idea..." Considering... That? It was surprising even to himself, absurd even."What do you think of..." He swallowed, hard. He carefully avoided the M word for all his life. Putting any kind of chain, even a metaphorical one, around himself seemed like a terrible idea. But now? Even that could introduce some novelty! "Marriage?"

"Marriage?" the word resounded in the pink pony mind for a few moments. She heard that clearly, but she had a very hard time processing that. Stars appeared in her eyes, two small tears of happiness. her very voice was shking a little. "You... You really mean that?" It was sudden, it was unexpected, and it could have been more romantic. But still, she knew she would remember it as the happiest moment in her life. Yet. "I thought you were more of the adventurous type..." She jokingly commented, before going back to her overexcited self "But... but I think it's fantastic!"

"Why, I am..." he was quite the playcolt many years ago, at least according to himself, but he never sought anything more serious. "This is going to be new to me. Really new." A smile appeared on his face, he was regaining his confidence. "And I might really need your help with this whole 'marriage' thing" Pinkie was excitedly nodding at his every word, which encouraged him to go on: "It is set, then!" His mind was made up. It was crazy... But crazy was exactly his cup of tea. And worst case scenario, if things went south divorce was still a thing. "Now I only have to choose the mare!"

Pinkie face was, for a few moments, as if paralyzed. did he really just say that? "The... Mare?" Seriously? Pinkie pie ears started lowering slightly, her mane deflating a little bit too.

Discord didn't even notice, though. He was too caught in his own thoughts, now. "Or... The stallion, sure." He nodded, decidedly, before showing an eloquent smile: "You never know."

"You have no one on your mind?" She winked at him with force. Her voice was now playful as ever, but definitely softer, warmer, and flirtier. "Really?" All while hoping his dense majesty would get the hint.

"Uhm..." He thought about it for a moment, intensely. But in the end, it was a really easy answer to give "No."

It wasn't meant to be. Pinkie sighed, but she wasn't disheartened. "Are you sure?" She winked again, more obviously if possible. She was trying to be at her most seductive, her most tantalizing. The hint was so obvious that even the maid that was cleaning the corridor outside the room and a soldier that was patrolling nearby both started to feel the lingering awkwardness, even without knowing what was happening. "Maybe some mare really close to you?"

"Ah" he patted his forehead with his paw, showing a sheepish smile. Despite considering himself among the smartest creatures in the land, sometimes he could certainly be oblivious. Good think he caught himself in time "You mean Mi Amore?" it was so obvious after all!

"Yeaaah..." Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes, as despair started to mount within her. She managed to hide that behind a wall of soft sarcasm, though, despite some of her sadness still managing to filter through. "I totally meant Cadence"

"Those noble guys suggested her too." Once again, though, Discord didn't realize. he went on without missing a beat "marrying an alicorn princess would be good for my image yadda yadda yadda." It was always the same, old argument. Traditions, they said. But it couldn't work out. " I have met her when she was too young. Like, not even two years older then you were when I met you. Thinking of her like that would be just... Weird!" Cadence would always be like a nephew to him. Anything different was off the table, simply too gross to consider.

"I see" Pinkie sighed. She would have liked to have the courage to tell Discord what was on her mind. She would have thrown herself at him, even... If that was necessary. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. She was an honest, confident mare, usually. But right now, in front of him, she was neither: "How do you think of going about the choice?"

this thought took a little be more to be formulated, but it seemed to him that there was an easy, obvious solution: "I think I will have the prettiest mares -and most handsome stallions- from each town sent to me, then I'll choose. A bit classic maybe, but seems functional." Yes, he could see the scene. Some kind of pageant, maybe trying to measure how fun the bride (or groom) could be. He was more than capable to put his own twist on the whole thing. Thinking about it, he was kind of excited. For the first time in a while, the boredom was nowhere to be found. "There's not much time, now. Do you think you can arrange to have them all here in less than a week?"

It was a difficult request, even an unreasonable one. She also had to think about the celebration, which took a large portion of her time. Adding a whole, unprecedented royal marriage in the mix would complicate things a lot. But seeing Discord so excited, so eager, just melted her heart. She just wanted him to be happy. "Okie dokie loki!" She feigned a big smile, which somehow managed to convince and reassure Discord "Leave everything to me!" She started moving toward the door, giving Discord another look "I better get started immediately!" The news could still reach every town before sunset. That would be a great headstart! "I have plenty of ideas!" Some which she was keeping for her own marriage, but it wasn't bound to happen now.

"Thank you Pinkie, I can always count on you!" He waved at her happily, while she vanished from his sight. He now had all the time he needed to anticipate what the marriage be like, fantasizing about her bride-to-be, as for many hours ahead he was free from the grasp of responsibilities.

At the same time, on the other side of the door, there was Pinkie Pie. To her great disappointment, she realized she had just lied to his majesty. She said she would start right away, but that was a promise she couldn't keep. She needed 5 minutes, maybe 10. Just the time to cry a little bit, to fix her now fully straight mane and to let go of all her regrets. Then she would go back to her work, as efficient as ever. There was so much to do, and so little time. Soon she would be able to pick herself up, to go through all of that for his sake. But for now, down on the red carpet, she only had the strength to sob and whisper to herself:

"Discord... this will be the best marriage ever. Pinkie promise!"

Author's Note

In different circumstances, the two most random characters in the show could have hit off way better.
This story is going to be a bit long, and will take a while to be completed, but I hope I can manage to publish one chapter every 2 or 3 days for now.
Next time... Where is Celestia? Stay tuned!

With love,
The marshmallow

Edited 14/9/19

2 - Dreams

One small tear fell on the ground below her. Then another one. Then it became a steady flow, descending from her cheeks. Through her still foggy eyes, the Alicorn was looking at the moon. At the newly imprinted image of her sister. She had won. Equestria was safe. But even if she could give the land a new era of peace, every night she would still see it. It would remind her of her own mistakes for the next 1000 years.

It was for the best, probably. A reminder was what she needed. What she deserved, even. Besides, now it wasn't time to cry: it was time to be strong. Equestria needed her, especially after the strife the long night brought, and she had to start planning for her sister return. Maybe she could still save her. The Elements of harmony could still save her. The small stones were now still at the ground after the use, completely inert, and she took surrounded them with her magic, making them levitate toward her. She had to secure them again, and possibly check if she could use them again.

She started walking toward their... Toward her castle. A sight almost difficult to bear, as it reminded her of all the time spent with her sister. And, just for a moment, she thought that it was time to build a new one, as it suffered some quite serious damages during the battle. On a nearby Mountain, some unicorns managed to establish a quite nice town, recently. Canterlot, if she did recall the name correctly. It was becoming quite prominent... It might have been, possibly, the new capital...?

Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted. The elements fell to the ground, while her tears suddenly started flowing again. It was impossible, but she still wanted to hope. With a large smile, she started desperately running toward the pony she saw in front of her. That blueish figure, that mane that reminded of the night sky and those large wings now resting at her sides. "Luna!"

She should have been sealed far away, trapped in the body of Nightmare Moon, but there she was. Giving her back to Celestia, and apparently only then noticing the presence of her sister. And as Celestia came closer and closer, she started to turn her head towards her.

The sun princess stopped dead in her track. Speechless. That was not her sister's face. The short white beard, the two completely different horns, the red and yellow eyes. And, especially, the devilish grin of discord. "Surprise!"

"AAAH!" she woke up suddenly, breathing heavily, her eyes filled with tears. The right foreleg moved towards her horn. Soft, limp and unusable. A pathetic excuse for the horn that once ruled over the sun, that protected Equestria against many dangers. It was just a dream. The dream that would always affect her when this time of the year came. A reminder of the day she lost everything. Her sister, her kingdom, her power.

"Are you okay, Princess Celestia?" A moment later, two ponies rushed into the room, opening the door with their magic. The first one was purple with a dark blue mane, in which there were two lines, one dark purple and one magenta. Her eyes reflected clearly how worried she was for her princess.

The second, orange with a red and yellow mane, spoke next "Sorry we barged in, but we heard you scream!" She glanced quickly around her, almost ready to attack whatever was troubling Celestia. Sadly, it was nothing that simple to solve.

"Do not worry, my most faithful students" A gentle smile appeared in her face, as she wiped away her tears "It was just a bad dream."

the two students exchanged a look, quickly, and it was clear to them they both did agree. She was lying. "Are you sure you are okay, princess?" Twilight Sparkle was not convinced, not at all. The tears could have stopped, and a timid smile could well be there... but she knew the Alicorn well enough to see the deep underlying sadness

"I... I am okay" She tried to avoid their inquisitive gaze. Which certainly didn't help to convince them.

"No, you are not! I know how this time of the year affects you..." As much as it was a very delicate topic, she had to bring it up. It was the whole point, wasn't it? The anniversary of Discord seizure of power was just 13 days away now, and every year she was reminded of that "But this time you look worse than usual. And we just want to help you"

"..." Celestia's mouth opened for a moment, but she found difficult to speak. Her eyes pointed downwards, toward the ground (or better, the bed on which she still was).

"Princess..." It was Sunset Shimmer this time, and she could very well see that her fellow student soft approach wasn't going to work now. "For all of us, you are everything good Equestria could be." A prevailing idea among the so-called Resistance they were part of "We are ready to die for you. We trust you more than anything!" Celestia raised her eyes, looking at the two of them. She didn't want anyone to die. The only life she would comfortably to sacrifice for Equestria was her own "Why can't you trust us, too?"

"Come closer, please" New, warm tears filled the alicorn eyes. And the two students got quickly closer to her bed, just to be taken in a warm hug by the huge figure of Celestia "You are right. You deserve to know..." And after a long, deep breathe she whispered said a few more words "My sister is coming back soon"

Everyone was speechless for a good ten seconds. The two students couldn't believe the news, which was huge for them. Most did barely know the legend of Nightmare Moon, and few the truth behind it. According to official historiography, it was but a demon wishing to bring eternal night over all the lend, which was vanquished by Discord itself. The citizens of Equestria, thankful for being saved, decided to make Discord their ruler. Being subject to a hellish, chaotic landscape once a week was a fair trade for the safety the omnipotent king could guarantee. The whole resistance knew who really defeated her, and the two students actually knew about who Nightmare Moon previously was.

"Are you sure? Completely sure?" Twilight could barely believe it and quickly started to consider all different options in her mind. If Equestria was a game of chess, the appearance of an Alicorn was quite like putting a new queen on the table. The problem was... on what side would she be? Her own? Would she still want to bring an eternal night? And did it even matter, when one player could have the pieces simply vanish with a snap of his paws? "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I wasn't sure. When I sealed her, I wanted her to come back... And the elements of Harmony set the time to one thousand years." So exactly 13 days from then "But after I lost my link to them, I wasn't sure she could be brought back. I still have a link to my sister, though, and what I've been sensing these past few days leaves me with no doubt..."

Twilight wondered if it was an interpretation biased by Celestia feelings, but Sunset Shimmer didn't leave her time to explore this option. Her trust of Celestia was absolute "And it will be as... Nightmare moon, right? What do you think will happen?"

"She will try to fight Discord, I imagine, to take the kingdom back and instate an eternal night. And she will fail." That was especially excruciating "My punishment will seem light, compared to what he could do to her..." She shivered at the idea "After all she suffered, she doesn't deserve this."

"We can find a way to help her, I'm sure!" Sunset spoke with full confidence. She was going to try anything she could. It was for Celestia's sake, after all. Twilight would have, too, but the violet pony knew very well that if Nightmare Moon were by chance to become a danger to Equestria, they might have had to fight her too. Even against her Teacher wishes, as her thoughts were clouded by her love and her regrets.

"Why didn't you want to tell us?" She was somehow... Disappointed? Why Celestia couldn't tell them immediately such relevant news? Sure, the Nightmare moon appearance could have lasted for just a few minutes before she was stopped by Discord, but it might also be a game-changing event.

Celestia, too, was somehow disappointed. With herself. Again, she lowered her eyes, sighing "I failed her. Twice." her regrets did show clearly in her expression and her tone of voice " I couldn't save her, so I banished her on the Moon. And instead of protecting the kingdom and find a way to prepare for her return... I was defeated by Discord and lost the only artefact capable of stopping him!" One thousand years of research couldn't give her a single one with the same extraordinary property "How can I face her when she is coming back in two weeks and I am still as clueless as I was then?"

He appeared publicly only once a year, for its big celebration, and once a week he was seen around Equestria bringing havoc. He only agreed to relatively short meetings with the different cities' representatives, and it was impossible to even approach the few positions that actually could meet discord on a daily basis. It was the palace staff ( few and mostly put there by the nobles, to give the resemblance of a proper court) and the Royal advisors. That would be the perfect position to collect information on Discord, but he chose them himself in totally unpredictable ways. Besides, few lasted more than a few years. Let's just sat Discord wasn't the most agreeable fellow, especially with those that started to bore him.

"Actually, about that..." The previous night they received very interesting news, but it was after the princess retired to her room, and no one wanted to interrupt her sleep. It was the perfect chance to bring it up, Twilight thought. And she would have, wasn't she cut off by Sunset Shimmer, which had stars in her eyes and whose muzzle sported a large smile.

"Princess, we might just have a plan!"

Author's Note

I meant for another scene to be in this chapter, but it was getting long and I was thinking of more and more details for that... So it will be the next chapter instead.

This time, I tried to show what happened a thousand years prior without giving away everything at once (let's keep some suspense, right?) and show the relation between Celestia and her two students. The relation became the main focus of the chapter (reason for which I didn't want to introduce other characters yet). I think it will be a nice building block for later. On the other hand, there wasn't much moving the plot forward this time... :twilightblush:

There will more soon, though! :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

3 - Him

In a few minutes, they were on their way. The tears were washed off, Celestia mane was quickly magically combed by Sunset shimmer while Twilight Sparkle helped her wear her regalia (excluding her long lost crown). The two students led the way through the corridor directly carved in the rock, while some ever-burning magical torches provided the necessary source of lighting for the underground complex. Celestia followed the two preparing herself, as she would soon have to show the utmost confidence in front of the others.

The meeting room wasn't far from the Princess' chamber. It was a small circular space mostly occupied by an equally circular table and 9 modest seats surrounding it, much less fancy than what used to be her castle, but quite enough for their needs. All the seats were already occupied, except three. When Celestia arrived, she was ready. Her head was raised, her steps were steady, and her figure was so imposing that it made everyone almost forget she had lost the ability to cast any magic (although she could still fly and benefitted of her link with the earth). Sunset presented her to the group "Friends, Princess Celestia is here." And Twilight Sparkle followed suit "We can start our meeting". They took the remaining seats, then.

Celestia had Sunset at her left and Twilight at her right. Further right, there was the leader and trainer of the resistance's Militia. A vigorous white stallion with a blue mane, who went by the name of Shining Armor. Next, there was the coordinator of the supply network, the one responsible for providing food for the whole group and to ponies in need. Although she only recently succeeded her predecessor, her grandmother, she was an extremely capable and reliable mare, with an orange fur and a blond mane. Same lamented an excess of apples in their diet, but what could they have expected when their main suppliers came for the main apple producers in Equestria, her cutie mark was some actual apples and even her name was Applejack?

Further to the right, there were, one after another, a white unicorn with a purple, elegantly combed mane, an elegantly dressed white unicorn with a light blue mane and a cream-coloured earth pony with a tie and a slick back black mane. They did not coordinate any actual team, but instead Fancy Pants was the main contacts with the Elites of Equestria, Filthy Rich was the main contact with the business world, and rarity navigated both worlds. The three of them were also the main financial contributors to the cause. Finally, The least seat (between Sunset Shimmer and Filthy Rich) was occupied by the head of the research department: a pale yellow mare with a red and purple mane and a pair of glasses, named Moondancer.

With Twilight Sparkle, previous head of the research department and Celestia's right hand, Sunset Shimmer, head of the Problem solving department (quite a necessary one when once a week many ponies needed help cleaning up after Discord's madness), and Princess Celestia herself, the leader of the resistance, the circle was complete.

"I understand..." As usual, the princess spoke first "That yesterday night we received important news. Could we start with that?" She never gave orders, only made gentle requests. Quite rarely one of them was denied, though.

"Sure, Princess!" Fancy Pants spoke first, and no one wanted to interrupt him. "Apparently, Discord is in search of a Bride."

"Or a Groom", intervened rarity

"Or a Groom indeed", the stallion then continued, "And ordered every city to present in a week time a delegation of the fairest and the most handsome, among which he would make his choice..." he thought a little bit, then thought it would be necessary to add some more details "The participation is in theory completely voluntary, but in all official communications it has been heavily hinted that each town is expected to send a good number of ponies."

"We came back from Canterlot as soon as we heard the news" It was Rarity, this time, which together with Fancy Pants had been spending a few days in the capital to collect information. What they received was much more than expected, even though it was by no means a secret. "We want to know your opinion!"

"My opinion...?" Celestia was for a few moments deep in her thoughts, before answering "It is quite like him, to organize a marriage with such short notice." There was a pinch of irony in the Princess' words, although the tone soon became slightly more grim, "And the poor taste of forcing a pony to marry him... That's quite like him too."

All eyes were still on the Princess, while the room stood in silence for a few seconds "Was my joke that bad?" She tried to sport a small smile while saying this "Or do you want me to suggest a plan of action?" At this second option, all the other started nodding. Celestia let out a small sigh. It was quite clear what the most logical response would be... but she didn't have the heart to suggest it. Her gaze moved now across the room, looking at everyone's eyes, one by one "What do you think we should do?"

"We should have one of us become his Bride", suggested promptly Shining Armor. A few ponies exchanged uneasy looks. Most agreed, but it was certainly not a comfortable option. Shining Armor didn't see it like that "I'm ready to volunteer for this!" This attracted a few surprised looks, and Twilight especially seemed especially worried. But, after all, her dedication to the cause (and his confidence in being among the handsome ones) was well known among the Resistance.

Celestia wasn't surprised in the slightest "Very well. Has anyone any other idea?" She left some time, half-hoping for an answer. Any answer. But as expected, there was nothing "So, could you raise your hoof if you agree?" Before she could even end the phrase, 3 hooves shot up. They were Shining Armor, Rarity and Sunset Shimmer. Filthy Rich and Applejack were next, easily fending off their uneasiness.

The majority had already formed, the remaining members could very well just stay silent, and gracefully accept the decision. But, although they were strongly uneasy with the option, they all recognized it was the best they could do. There was a small chance that Discord could really fall in love with one of the candidates, maybe enough to have them be an influence. But even if that wasn't the case, they would still have someone able to keep an eye on Discord himself. He was so elusive that even just being able to meet him in a context different from Evil-deity-wrecking-havoc would have been quite the accomplishment. also, the downside would affect a single pony. It was a necessary sacrifice. Twilight raised her hoof, finally. And right after her, it was Moondancer and fancy Pants turn too.

"Very well." As much as she wouldn't have liked to see any of her little ponies in Discord arms, that was, as a matter of fact, the only option. So it was time to decide on how that would have worked "I'm quite confident we have enough influence in Ponyville to have any of our members appointed in the delegation, even bypassing any other requirement" Any average looking pony would have been fine "For now, I believe we should go for a fully voluntary approach. All those willing to go, and only those willing to go, should go" Twilight, Moondancer and Fancy pants nodded. "If the volunteers should be too numerous, we will have to select the candidates most likely to be chosen." Everyone nodded at this. it seemed most reasonable. Still, there was an uncomfortable question to be addressed...

"And if they are too few?" Shining Armor voiced this option. Although he believed himself a very strong candidate, with more people there would probably be more chances.

Filthy rich went next: "And what if the volunteers just... Not seem good enough?"

For a few, long moments there was silence. As much as Celestia managed to seem confident, Twilight and Sunset well realized that she was quite uncomfortable with having to force anyone to act against their will. At the same time, denying the option entirely would have been irresponsible. The purple pony decided she would be the one to help her out of her tight spot "In that case, we might have to convince some excellent candidates to volunteer. As those people might very well have to act as Discord Bride or Groom, ponies that are too much against the idea might not be able to keep their act" It was quite reasonable and at the same time compassionate.

Celestia gave a little smile at her student, now motivated to do her part, too "Also, we should exclude those who are married already" That was very much likely already a rule Discord's selection process, she hoped, but she couldn't be sure "And those that are in a committed relationship, too"

Fancy Pants breathed a sigh of relief. He and Fleur De Lis had been together for years, but he always refused to be married by any authority different from Celestia's. He was that hopeful Discord reign would end in his lifetime, after all. He was glad to know that this wouldn't backfire, as both for their look and their standing either of them would have been excellent candidates themselves.

"Should we vote on this, now?" Celestia's voice echoed again in the room, prompting the ponies to decide. Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fancy Pants and Moondancer agreed immediately to the option, soon followed by the other three. As the majority was defined, they would have no benefit in suggesting a harder approach, after all.

"Very well. Right after the end of the meeting, we should spread the news to all our groups" It would have been quite fast, thanks to Spike's help "But for now, Sunset..." She looked for a moment at her student "how is the cleaning going in Fillydelphia, after last Sunday?"

"I've been there in the early morning..." As one of the only two unicorns in the resistance capable of using teleportation as a reliable mean of travelling, Sunset was the best fit for a group that operated in many different cities. And she was quite methodical too, when needed, as she quickly took out all the notes she prepared "The few buildings that were damaged are now fine. Many crops were brought to life, though, and managed to run away. We might need to provide them with some supplies for the time being. Do you think it's possible, Applejack?"

"We ain't short on apples!" The orange mare answered promptly. An unsurprising answer "For hay, though, we'll have to do some rationin'..."

Author's Note

I thought quite a bit about the characters that would sit at the table, and how did I see them characterized in context. I hope I did a decent job with that... :twilightblush:

Next time... who will the volunteers be? :ajsmug:

With Love,
The Marhsmallow

4 - The choice - Preparations

The morning Sun shone brightly over the Towers of Canterlot. A bit too brightly, even. Making the Sun 10% bigger for the day was just Discord idea of a celebration, and although some farmponies would have to use much more water than usual, it was nothing too dramatic. If it wasn't for Pinkie Pie intervention, though, it would probably have been some 50% larger, with all its consequences.

For the pink pony, that was just one of the many labours of that very hectic week. Explaining to a few foreign delegate and messengers why he wouldn't consider some foreign noble as a spouse (Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, many other princesses were interested in that kind of link with Equestria) wasn't easy. Explaining to some Councilmen from Canterlot why he wouldn't consider Cadence was even harder. The number of meetings she had that week was simply insane, as she also had to organize the following week celebrations and even arrange a few preliminary contacts for the wedding.

That day especially, exactly a week from the anniversary, she had to wake up at dawn. Just the time to have a quick shower and then she went to wake up Discord. Although he was a draconequus, and could go many days without any rest, he liked to sleep in until late every single day. Also, he didn't like was to be woken up early. Pinkie had even heard of some previous attendants turned into living clocks or pony-rosters hybrids after such attempts. Luckily she had her way with him and managed to defuse him easily and to receive all the necessary instructions. And then... He went to sleep again.

Her next duty was to quickly go to the palace's kitchens and make sure that enough breakfast was prepared. Not only all the cooks and maids had to collaborate, but also a few soldiers were needed in the colossal effort. Then she could go to the rooms that Discord poofed into existence the previous day, which lodged the plethora of possible brides or grooms that all the towns and cities in Equestria sent.

Waking them up was easy and quick for most. Staying in the royal palace, so close to the feared lord of the land, was quite enough for many to be on the edge. Others, instead, didn't hate the idea of meeting Discord at all. The chance of becoming the royal consort, even if the groom was supposedly a monster, was quite attractive for many members of the Canterlot nobility or of the Manehattan elite. They didn't stand a chance, Pinkie thought, taking a few notes about what she could observe. She hoped that it would help Discord with the choice later. She wanted all the process to go as smoothly as possible

"What do you mean she isn't up yet?" It wasn't meant to be, apparently. The Cloudsdale delegation was one of the first she went to call. One of the mares was having a hard time waking up. No big deal. She went to the other delegations and came back to them at last... But she was still sleeping. "I was here like fifteen minutes ago!"

"I... Uhm..." A yellow, very apologetic pony with a pink mane and a cute green dress was somehow the intermediary. Looking mostly at the ground and using a very soft-spoken tone she was trying to make excuses on behalf of her friend "I tried to wake her, but I really couldn't do it!"

Somehow, Pinkie didn't look surprised "Have you tried raising your voice a little?"

"Oh, I couldn't do that!" It seemed something impossible, almost an unfair request to her. She might have bothered someone, by doing so. "I..." When she raised her head to look at Pinkie's eyes, she revealed quite a beautiful appearance. Other delegations, especially from bigger cities, had a few celebrities and model... But few could even compare to her, especially as she sported absolutely no makeup. That was for the better, as that would probably soon be ruined. The yellow pony was apparently on the verge of crying "I'm very, very sorry... I wasn't good enough..."

"No, no... Don't worry." Somehow, now the Royal Advisor felt the need to comfort her, and was speaking with a very warm and friendly tone " It's not a Big deal yet!" Somehow, It felt surprisingly natural. Sure, Pinkie was always friendly with everypony. A great diplomat, even. But it felt especially easy to act friendly around her. It was even one of the names she most easily managed to memorize "Miss... Fluttershy, can I try?"

The same was true for the yellow pegasus, though. She felt somehow surprised at how easily she was talking with her (it might have seemed nothing, but those who knew here would have noticed) and at how easily Pinkie was calming her down. Fluttershy even managed to reply with a timid smile to the larger smile of the other "...Sure?" She replied, moving away from the door and leaving enough space for her to enter.

The interior of the room was made by Discord, and it showed. The only flat surfaces were the floor and the beds (for obvious functional necessities), everything else was made in odd, uneven shapes. That included tables, chairs and even the walls. As it was supposed to be a suite of the royal palace, also, the walls were full of the weirdest ornaments. Too full, probably, and many represented either discord himself in all different poses or strangely distorted (some might say abstract) figures. Basically, a toned-down version of Discord's bedroom. Did he want to have them get used to the idea?

Fluttershy was apparently the only pony to be completely ready (which was not surprising, as she wasn't using any makeup and her dress was really simple). Almost everyone else was trying their best to look pretty (or handsome). they were also doing a surprisingly good job, as all mirrors around the room seemed to have come straight from a funhouse. Two mares in a corner of the room were still trying their best to wake up their friend, although she was clearly resisting. Nobody had the courage to actually touch her, though. Maybe they feared her?

"Hello!" As Pinkie made a few steps into the room, every eye got on her. Even if she was calm and friendly, everyone instantly became extremely stiff. Like the previous day, nobody knew if they were supposed to kneel, or salute, or whatever else. "Don't mind me, I'm just here for her!" With a smile, she headed toward the sleeping mare, as all the others cautiously went back to their previous activities.

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Playfully, Pinkie started to tease the mare a bit, using the hooves to poke her. Giving her a better look, she seemed to have quite the athletic body. A light blue fur, a rainbow-coloured mane (Discord might have liked it) and a cloud and lighting cutie mark. Weirdly, just like with Fluttershy, Pinkie immediately felt some kind of connection,

"Nnngh... Five more minutes" Still with her eyes closed, still trying to resist

"Let's go, it's a quarter past eight already!" the poking became a bit more aggressive

"Too early!"

Pinkie stopped for a moment, her tone getting more serious "You know, I didn't want to get to this... But you are making everything so difficult..."

With a quick gesture, the pink pony she took something from deep inside her poofy mane and got closer to the rainbow-maned mare. Without skipping a beat, she started her vicious attack. For a moment, everypony else stood still. They were staring at the scene in disbelief.

"Ahahahahahaha!" With two feathers Pinkie was tickling every sensitive part of the mare, exploring the weakest points of her body. She was somehow methodical, and her action was getting more effective by the moment "Anf... S-stop! Ah ah!"

"No can do!" She went on relentlessly, insensitive to her pleading. Even as Rainbow uncontrolled movements started becoming a potential hazard for those too close to her, Pinkie managed to stay out of danger and continue her offensive. "Just get up!"

"Ah ah ah! Ok!" The point was definitely getting across "Ok, just stop!"

As Rainbow Dash's eyes were now fully open, Pinkie finally stopped. The feathers went back to their hiding places "Okie dokie loki!"

It took a few moments to the pegasus to fully realize the situation, and to notice that the one waking him up (quite effectively she had to admit) was none other than the Royal Advisor. "Y-You?" her eyes were wide open in disbelief. She couldn't even contemplate an Equestrian official behaving like that, especially the spokesmare of the feared ruler.

As Pinkie Pie started trotting out of the room, she turned to the pegasus and smiled "You know, Rainbow Dash..." She remembered her name, apparently. Given the hair colour, it was actually an easy association "I'm not 'you'..." And apparently would have liked her to do the same "I'm Pinkie!" And then give her a nice wink.

Rainbow blinked twice, perplexed, but managed to answer "O... Ok. Pinkie..."

"Now, everypony get ready! Some nice pancakes are waiting!" And then she started trotting again out of the room, with everyone a bit more relaxed and a lot more confused than they were before. Fluttershy instead gave her just a well-deserved look full of gratitude.

On the contrary, Rainbow Dash just rubbed her eyes a bit, yawned and passed a hoof through her unruly mane. Then she just started walking out of the room, too "I'm always ready!"

Author's Note

initially, I hadn't planned this chapter and was thinking to go right into the selection part... But showing all of Pinkie preparation at the start of that chapter would mess up the pacing a bit. So I took the chance to show Pinkie at work and give Fluttershy and Rainbow a bit of an introduction.
If you thought this was boring, don't worry. next chapter should be more exciting :raritywink:

With love,
The Marhsmallow

5- The choice - Entrance

"Stop doing that, Fluttershy!"

"S-sorry! But... What am I doing wrong, Dash?"

"You are looking cute, too cute. He is going to choose you for sure!"

"Oh no, what do I do?"

"Stop doing it!"

"O-ok... Like this?"

"Stop! You are even cuter now!"

"Oh no!"

"You should just... Wait, where did you find that?"

At ten in the morning, the throne room was filled with ponies. The marble floor with its chaotic yet visually pleasing motive, the huge columns with golden discord statues depicting the draconeequs climbing around them and even the stained glass windows (some depicting the salient moments of Discord's reign, some simply showing him spreading his chaos) were for everyone to see. Being there was already somehow of an honour, as no public celebration actually happened inside the castle. Only Discord and his advisor, and sometimes Equestrian or foreign delegates, could have access to the room. But today, it kind of looked like a big party.

Actually, at ten o' clock everyone was standing in line, orderly. But as the minutes passed, and the time became fifteen past then, some ponies started some small chats with those neighbouring them. It started at simple talks among friends, as the ponies were divided by their delegation, but then when the bell Canterlot clock tower tolled the half hour, a few candidates had started moving in the room and a few new friendships were possibly blooming even between ponies from different cities.

"Don't worry, everyone, His super-duper majesty..." That was, actually, an official title. "Will be here soon!" She knew Discord would never be on time, as it was somehow against his policies, and expected a healthy 20 minutes delay. Maybe even less, as his king seemed quite excited for the matter. But he was seriously running late, and she was getting a bit worried. In another ten minutes, maybe she would just go check on him.

For now, though, she wasn't too displeased with what she was seeing. Most ponies had stopped feeling wary around her, and almost everypony had forgotten the 4 guards at the corner of the room and the 2 close to the door. They were finally relaxed, more or less as she hoped them to be, and were chatting freely. Some were actually showing to be quite remarkable in the matter, too, just like a white unicorn from the Ponyville delegation.

A mare of average build, slightly on the petite side, which wore possibly the prettiest dress out of all the candidates. Her mane was also styled in an exceptional manner, swirly and elegant as no other, so much so that Pinkie wondered how she managed to make it right after waking up in the time she had that morning. What she really appreciated, though, was how despite these elements she wasn't stiff and cold like many nobles or rich ponies, but on the contrary fairly friendly. She was quite talkative and seemed to know already many ponies from other delegations. And even those she didn't know she could easily approach and win over. Somehow, it had become some sort of social event. And that encouraged many other ponies to come out of their shell a bit, and just have a chat to ease the wait. Everything was somehow smoother than Pinkie expected, somehow.

"Ponies of Equestria!" A thunderous voice was heard into the room, although it was impossible to understand where it came from. Suddenly, all the golden statues of Discord detached themselves from the columns, starting to move autonomously, and quickly got to the ground, kneeling with their head pointed to the throne "The one, the only" Many were startled by the sudden event, and many didn't expect something like this was possible. That was beyond what unicorn magic could do. Possibly, even beyond alicorn magic. "Ruler of this land" The point of origin of the voice was becoming more and more definite in the position of the throne. "His super-duper majesty..." A sourceless drumroll could suddenly be heard, and as if some spotlight were in the room, some cones of light started to point in the approximate direction of the throne, moving around a bit and finally all overlapped on the exact position. "King Discord is here!" An explosion of confetti anticipated its sudden appearance.

With such a grandiose entrance, it was obvious that all eyes would be pointed on him. And the imposing voice did his part in having everyone stiffen a little bit. The unorthodox figure of the draconeequs, huge compared to a pony and with his mismatched body parts, was quite frightening for some and at least startling for almost everyone. few there had ever had the chance to give him such a close look. As for Pinkie, for just a moment she had a cold sweat. The intimidating persona he was showing might not have been the greatest to impress a potential wife. But as said, that was just for a moment.

Many looks the ponies gave him were quickly switched from frightened to perplexed. "What? Do I have something between my teeth?" Discord himself feigned perplexity, before looking at his own body. There was a large pink pyjama on it, matched with a small pink night cape on his head "Oops!" With a snap of his talon, the pyjama was poofed out of existence and with his paw, he quickly tossed the cap behind the throne. When it was removed, it revealed the (much larger) crown underneath.

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief, as most of the ponies in the room were starting to relax a bit. Some even started giggling, although they soon tried regaining some composure. Although still wary, most were starting to get a bit curious about their potential spouse. In the meantime, the lord of chaos was smiling, and with a gesture he sent his golden copies back in their place. they didn't even make a fuss... Rarely Pinkie had seen him in such a good mood. Would it last?

"All jokes aside, we are here for a reason, aren't we?" Giving a small wink to the crowd he waved his paw in the air for a while, then stopping it. "You" His single extended claw was aiming at a blue unicorn from Canterlot. He rotated his wrist so that his paws would point at the ceiling, and then quickly the finger went to point himself, as he was hinting at her she should come close. She didn't even have to move a muscle, almost before she realized what was happening she was at no more than a foreleg from him.

"W... Wow" the surprise of being teleported (she didn't even think it was possible to teleport someone from many meters away) mixed with the one from seeing Discord so close to herself. The realization that in a week he could have become her husband hit her suddenly, making her blush a little."Uhm... Hi?"

"She is Minuette, from Canterlot!" Minuette was startled as Pinkie Pie suddenly appeared beside Discord, with some notes held in her left forehoof. She was ready to give his ruler all her support, and to calm him a bit if it was to come to it. She wasn't too worried, though. She was among the top three of the Canterlot candidates, in her opinion.

"Thank you, Pinkie!" With a large smile, the Draconeequs looked at his advisor and gently patted her poofy mane with his paw. "So..." His head turned back to the unicorn though, as she and everyone else were basically holding their breath "Why did you decide to give this a try?" His expression was initially quite neutral, almost serious, but then he cracked a smile again "besides me being irresistible, I mean!" His eyelashes suddenly became much longer, and he winked twice... Seductively?

"Well..." It was a weird display, but it kind of helped her relax a bit "My parents have been pestering me forever about finding a boyfriend, and marrying and..." She swallowed a bit, embarrassed "Foals, and everything. And when the news his super-duper majesty was searching a spouse came I they suggested me to try..." She now started blushing a bit "And I thought... Maybe... It could work out...?"

"I see..." Discord was simply smiling. When he did see her blush, his smile became larger for just a moment but went back to normal right afterwards. "..." To be fair, Discord was as new as this as she was. He actually wasn't really sure what he should ask. "Well, tell me something else about you!"

"I am Minuette... I love hanging out with my friends, making new friends and... Comedy shows and..." She wasn't sure where her answer was going to go. She was basically just telling whatever she could think of. At least, Discord encouraging nods helped her go on "Oh, and about my job... I'm a dentis-"

Every eye in the room became wide open. Some were shivering, some looked like they wanted to scream. Minuette didn't even have the chance to finish her phrase. She had vanished, without leaving a sign. not a flash, not even a bunch of confetti, like Discord did earlier. Yet the culprit was easy to identify, as Discord's expression was now unamused and even grumpy. "I hate dentists!"

Pinkie reaction was quite different. As soon as she noticed what happen, she simply facehoofed herself. After a few seconds, she spoke calmly and with a clear voice "Don't worry, everypony!" It was not an easy order to follow "His super-duper majesty simply sent her away. I hope somewhere here in Canterlot...?"

"I was thinking of the Frozen North, but I'm too magnanimous. She's in Canterlot main square" A few breaths of relief were heard, although not everypony actually trusted the King on this.

"And now he is going to bring her back"

The confidence with which she spoke surprised everyone but one: Discord. More than surprised, he seemed to be getting angry. She turned to her, almost baring his teeth. "What? I'm not!" A roar, to which he followed shortly, giving her a cold stare "She deserved it! She was being boring. And a dentist, on top of that!"

The pink pony stood her ground, looking at Discord right in the eyes, without faltering. There was a strong sense of disappointment in her look. "You know what she deserves? To hear from you why you rejected her. And an apology!"

"I am the king. I am the lord of chaos. I am Discord!" His voice was strong and quite intimidating, almost powerful enough to shake the very walls of the room. "I owe nothing to anypony. And I do whatever I want"

But Pinkie was not scared. Just. Sad "Then... Do you want to be a big meanie?" Her ears lowered a bit, the mane seemed to be somehow deflating. And her sad-puppy-eyes stare was still pointed straight to Discord. And he just couldn't resist that.

"I... I..." For a moment, his very anger seemed to fade in front of that display. he sighed, and then spoke with a somehow upset tone "Fine!"

In less then a moment, Minuette was back, looking even more confused than before "W-what?" She seemed to have so many question, and that in a moment she would start asking them.

But discord didn't want to lose time, and simply put a paw on her lips, clearly hinting it wasn't time to speak "Listen, pony..."

"Minuette", Pinkie whispered

"Minuette." Discord corrected himself "I'm sorry I sent you away with no explanations. I just... Wasn't feeling the... Connection, or something like that. Also, I don't like dentists" The excuse left a lot to be desired, but it was impossible to hope for more "Now I'll send you back to Canterlot main square. thank you for coming, though." And then she vanished again, without even having the time to say a word.

Then, under the gaze of more than a hundred absolutely incredulous ponies, many of which with their jaw open, discord asked (looking like a child who just got scolded) "Better?"

Just to receive a prompt answer from a now beaming Pinkie Pie "Much, much better! Who's next?"

Author's Note

The short dialogue at the top is going to be relevant later, don't worry!
Besides that, I'm glad I'm writing Discord again. he is fun and stimulating to write, and I kind of missed him in the past few chapters.
Next chapter should be here soon (like... tomorrow?)... And it's going to be Rarity time! :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. I changed all the titles of the chapters. They might still be modified slightly, but I kind of like the idea of having them follow a fixed format.

6 - The choice - Test

The following hour was quite intense, for all the parties involved. About forty ponies were brought one by one in front of the ruler of the land, subject to its peculiar interrogation. Its style was different almost every time. Sometimes they were just questions, more or less bizarre in nature, sometimes he pulled some kind of prank to observe the reaction, or simply did whatever came to his mind. Some only stood in front of him for about 20 or 30 seconds (as they appeared boring from the get-go), some lasted a bit more than 1 minute. Those who lasted 2 minutes or more, instead, had a really good shot to be put between the 'maybes'.

"Shining Armor..." Discord was scratching his head. He was almost 2 minutes in! a good sign. Right? "You seem a nice pony and everything..." Maybe not "And it's not you, its' me!" More melodramatic than necessary. But it was Discord, after all, "I... guess I am not that much into stallions..."

The unicorn had prepared for a long week, trying to learn from Celestia herself what the lord of chaos could like. He crafted his persona fairly well, and his acting was good. And yet it was all in vain "But... Starry Eyes from Cloudsdale passed!"

The draconeequs turned his head toward the group of the maybes, that he sent to his left. Lyra Heartstring from Canterlot and Sweetie Drops from Ponyville were chatting amicably, while a dancer from Las Pegasus and Starry Eyes himself were observing the selection with interest. Discord winked at him, before going back to Shining Armor "I just said 'not that much'" He shrugged his shoulders with a kind of indifferent smile, before snapping his claws "Well, time to go!" And so another candidate vanished, while Pinkie was still waving him goodbye.

"Do you need a pause, Super-Duper Majesty?" the pink pony thought that it would be healthy both for him and for all the candidates. Seeing about 40 ponies vanish before their eyes was not necessarily a pleasant show. And for Discord... there was little to say. he had been interacting with an abominable number of mares and stallions. Having the chance to relax, even if only for 10 minutes or so, could help to clear his head a bit.

"No, not yet... You know what the say. 43 is a Charm!" And without giving a chance to reply, started observing the crowd "Ponyville delegation is not bad. Who's from There?" A few hooves raised, and he teleported to himself the one he liked the most. A pretty white pony elegantly dressed, with an elegantly styled mane.

"Rarity, from the Ponyville delegation!" The Pink pony gave her a large smile, which was gladly returned. She was among the favourites for sure, in her opinion.

"Thank you, Pinkie!" And then, smiling, he went to give her a good look. From where to start? "You put quite some efforts in that mane, didn't you?"

"Why yes, thank you!" A slight blush appeared on her muzzle, and a smile went with it.

"You didn't have much time to style it, though...?" Discord's tone seemed simply curious, inquisitive. But Pinkie knew him enough to be sure he had something in mind, and slowly raised an eyebrow, observing the exchange cautiously.

"Oh, it wasn't that difficult to make!" The mare was still cheery and all, acting how she prepared for a long time. She didn't know why Shining Armor didn't make the cut, but she was making absolutely sure not to make any mistake.

"How long did it take, actually?" Discord was feigning a very perplexed look and started caressing his small beard as if immersed in thought.

"Oh, just 20 or 25 minutes I guess? I'm not as high maintenance as some ponies think!" Everything in the answer was perfect. The tone, the gestures, even a small giggle at the end.

"No, I don't buy it" Discord shook his head, and didn't look impressed. The abrupt answer gave way to something even worse, though "Are you sure it's not a wig?"

"W-what?" her eyes widened. She tried for a moment to keep her smile, but a vein was becoming visible on her forehead. "I think I misheard..."

Pinkie gave his master a worried look, but he went on unfazed "I said... Are you sure it's not a wig?"

"How dare you..." The king, the lord of chaos, the enemy oh her princess, the stallion he had to get close to... Every facet of him became meaningless to her. Now he was being simply too rude, and that was everything that mattered "Talk about my beautiful mane like this?" The small pony was looking at the huge draconeequs with an ice cold stare. Even Pinkie felt somehow intimidated. "And..."

Discord, on the other hand, just moved his paw around a little bit, and the whole mane just... detached from Rarity's head and got lifted about one meter above her head while from the crowd came a collective gasp. He then floated it closer to himself and farther from rarity, as if he wanted to give him a better look. "I knew it!" he erupted, laughing briefly

The pony was not amused. Her eyes went wide in shock for a short moment, when she thought of the embarrassment she was feeling. But although appearances were very important for her, now something more relevant was at stake. Her very body. "Give it back..." It was no more than a weak whisper, pronounced while her eyes pointed not at the ground.

"Uhm... Nope", Discord said teasingly, with a playful grin.

"I said..." Her head snapped up, her eyes pointed those of the draconeequs. There was a menacing flame in them, a fury that Discord hadn't seen in a long time. It kind of reminded him of the passion that Celestia had when trying to fight him a thousand years prior. "Give it back!" It was a roar, unfit for such a small pony. And even his leap was surprisingly quick and athletic, both considering her body and the not very practical dress she was wearing. And she seemed to be aiming to Discord neck, while everyone in the room held his breath.

4 guards were in the room, but they were all too far away to be of any help. Only Pinkie was close enough, and she was prepared to jump in defence of her master. More than that, her very instinct was suggesting her the incredibly risky act; her body was quick to lower his center of gravity, her legs quick to bend. But as quick as she was, Discord was simply faster. Without even needing to move, Rarity was already stopped dead in her tracks. Perfectly still in front of discord, which looked at her way too amused.

Amused? She wasn't. Although she couldn't move, it was quite clear by the way her muscles twitched that she was trying to free herself somehow. Some short flashes of her horn also showed that even her magic was being stopped by the Draconeequs. What he couldn't (or at least wouldn't) change was her face, a perfect image of fury. And yet, Discord seemed unfazed by it. He was just having a hearty laugh, which resounded clearly in the silence of the room, echoing toward the faraway walls.

After a few seconds, he decided to stop. He wiped a tear away from his right eye with his paw, while Rarity stare was becoming (if possible) more threatening by the moment. "Here, take this back" In a moment the mane was again in her natural place, and Rarity started to calm down a bit. But her stare was still quite deadly. "I'm sorry, I was just pulling your hoof"

"What?" Both Pinkie and rarity pronounced the same word at the same moment, also showing how discord magic clutch on rarity was being let go a bit. For Pinkie, she was simply surprised to see him say sorry unprompted. For Rarity, she was having a hard time understanding what was happening.

"Everypony, it wasn't a wig. It was just my 'magic'!" This was the simple phrase that really managed to calm Rarity, which was shortly thereafter put back on the ground. "Rarity, I remember you." Although he was still cracking up a bit, he was also trying to stay serious for a few moments "I think I've seen you two times at the Great Discordant Gala. You are Fancy Pants' friend, right?"

"Well... Yes...?" She blinked, twice, perplexed. Why was he bringing him up? Also, she actually went to the gala three times, but just him remembering her was still quite noteworthy.

"He is possibly the only weekly meeting that doesn't make me want to bang my head on the wall before, during or after." the rich pony was quite well inserted in the high society, so much that was a regular representative for the category in front of the Draconeequs. And he was great at that. he didn't force himself to be funny like some did more or less successfully, but was both reasonable and pleasant. A charming man indeed, and a great reference to have for the mare. The king lowered his head, bringing it just in front of Rarity, with an ambiguous smile. "I just wanted to see your reaction to that"

Rarity blushed, both for the short distance from Discord and the expression he was making. He seemed interested in her, more than he was in the previous 'maybes'. All according to the plan, right? Her previous performance was quite different from what she had imagined and made her a bit embarrassed of herself, but it still worked. "A-and how w-was my reaction?"

Discord smile became even larger for a moment. "Totally worth it!" And in a moment she was teleported right beside Lyra and Sweetie Drops. Well, she passed the first selection. That was more than enough for now. It was time to calm down again and sort her thought a bit.

"And now-" Discord was going to select someone else, but he had to change his plan. He couldn't even end his phrase. Rarity, too, would have to wait a bit more to clear her head.

The main door of the room, on the opposite side from Discord's throne, was quickly slammed open, startling everyone. A blue pony with a light blueish mane, a purple vest with stars and a large matching hat rushed in, closing the large door behind her with her magic. "Anf anf...." Every single eye in the room was on her. When she noticed that, she quickly talked with a loud voice "The great and powerful Trixie never hides, she just needs to rest!" She was still panting a bit, a clear sign she had been running for a while. Still, she now started looking around her, trying to understand were she was. As she noticed the crowd of mares and stallions (and especially Discord on the other side of the crowd) she could only exclaim "Oh, how lucky!"

Author's Note

I am more satisfied with this chapter than I have been with most others! Still, trying to write credible dialogue while trying to keep a reasonable pace is hard :applejackconfused:
By the way... What is Trixie doing here? You'll see! :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

8 - The choice - Rules?

Rainbow Dash did somehow stand out even when she wasn't doing anything. She was one of the few not wearing any makeup whatsoever, and actually the only mare in the room (Excluding Pinkie Pie) not to wear any kind of dress either. But now that she was actively pushing asides pony to get in the front of the crowd a few eyes full of disapproval briefly pointed her. Not that she cared, and even the other ponies weren't bothered too much by that minor inconvenience. Everyone was just paying too much attention to what was happening in front of the throne, in almost religious silence.

Compared to previous candidates, and especially to Trixie, everything was being so much quieter. A bit too much, even. The reason for the silence was actually that everyone was trying their hardest to hear what the mare was saying. And even Pinkie Pie and Discord themselves had to lean fairly close to having any understanding.

"Ugh. Pony..." The Lord of Chaos was now massaging his temples with his paw, looking annoyed. Not the angry kind, luckily, he just seemed tired.

"Fluttershy!" Pinkie was still trying to help, though. She insisted that everypony had a name and had to be treated with respect, and kept gently reminding that to Discord.

"Fluttershy... Do you realize I can barely hear you, and my ears are better than those of your average pony?" To emphasize the fact, he made his ears become a lot larger. Hard to say if his hearing was improving too. Probably not.

"I'm sorry..." The yellow mare that Discord himself called "cute" was standing in front of him. Although "standing" couldn't possibly give the idea of the situation. She was basically shaking, and her legs looked like they would give up on her at any moment. Her gaze didn't move from the ground, and her voice was almost inaudible. This was not at odds with her usual demeanour, but it was clearly more extreme.

"Don't be." Discord was trying to show patience but was actually very close to just teleporting her somewhere else. "Stop shaking, look at me and raise your voice!" His voice, forceful as ever, was probably not helping.

"I... I'm trying, but I'm n-not used to talking in front of so many p-ponies" It was true: the effort was there. But the result was still lacking.

"Nnnrgh..." Discord was really losing hope, but an Idea came to his mind "Ok, I'll try to help, but it's your last chance!" Both Pinkie and Fluttershy wondered what the Lord of Chaos could have in mind, and so did many among the other candidates. Rainbow Dash especially, which was now in the first row and was thinking of some way to help her friend out of that situation, was observing Discord with mistrust "Just look into my eyes"

Slowly, timidly, Fluttershy started raising her head a bit, until her eyes finally met with those of the draconequus. She ended up blushing slightly, seeing him so close to her, but soon the blushing went away. Now she was only focused on the eyes themselves. There was something magnetic in them, it felt as if they were pulling her in, influencing her in mysterious ways. In a few seconds, she actually stopped shaking. Keeping her head raised was becoming a bit easier, and her whole body -although still very tense- started relaxing a little bit. It was as if she had momentarily forgotten all the eyes pointing at her.

"Feeling better?" And now Discord was quite eager to hear the response. Maybe they would have been able to have a proper conversation, finally?

And with her renewed confidence, now showing a small smile on her muzzle, Fluttershy answered: "Y-yes, thank you!"

Discord fell somehow silent again. He backed a bit from Fluttershy, and now looked at her assistant almost asking for help.

Pinkie Pie was initially a bit pensive, but tried to stay optimistic "That's an improvement!"

"Yes, yes it is..." Discord sighed. He was some ninety seconds in and didn't make any real progress. At this point he was pretty sure "But... This can't work"

Rainbow Dash let out a small breathe of relief. It seemed to be over, finally?

"Wait, what do you have there?" Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash froze. It was too early to relax, apparently. "Show me!" Discord tone what inquisitive and firm, but also full of a certain curiosity. Something on her back was still shaking, transmitting the movement to the green dress she wore. It was barely noticeable, actually, but it couldn't escape the draconeequs' gaze.

Terrified, the yellow pony turned her head toward the moving spot, looking there for a few seconds before going back to Discord faking a smile as well as she could. "N-nothing!" She was a terrible liar. Not only the smile looked as forced as it could be, but the tension in her body and the fact she was now unable to look at Discord eyes gave her away easily.

"Really...?" The clearly unconvinced draconeequs raised his claws and started moving them in a circular motion in the air. The trembling thing started moving under Fluttershy's dress, pulled toward her head until it finally popped out from the collar. Surprisingly, it wasn't just one thing... It was three small living beings. Three cute mice, one larger and two very small, who face to face with the Lord of Chaos started squeaking desperately "Someone has to take care of her hygiene, it seems!" A large smile appeared on the draconeequs face. Finally something a bit interesting!

Fluttershy Blushed, hard. That was a mean joke! And Rainbow Dash was affected by that too. She had given a lesson to ponies bullying Fluttershy for much less! But that was not Fluttershy main concern, actually "L-let them go. They are scared!"

That was an almost normal tone of voice. And that was by far the most assertive the yellow pony had been in the entire chat "Just kidding. Are they your pets?" Discord wasn't an Animal expert, but he could see that although healthy and well nourished they didn't look well groomed. "Or did you find them somewhere?"

"They were in our room, in the castle. I... I wanted to bring them home with me!" And she hoped that Discord would just grant her request. But that was not what Discord had in mind, not at all.

"In my castle? How embarrassing!" He was just acting, dramatizing the fact more than necessary. For someone knowing him well that was simply obvious, but that was not the case for all the ponies in the room "What have my maids been doing?" The put more emphasis he also started moving his forelegs decisively, just like a bad actor in a Shakesmare's tragedy. The result was just terrorizing the mice (and therefore alerting Fluttershy) more. But he could do more than just metaphorically poking at her. he could attempt a final stab! "I'll have to deal with them myself, it seems" His menacing smile and malevolent eyes left little to the imagination. And so did the numerous mouse traps of all shapes and sizes (some even looking absolutely impractical or plain funny) that he just conjured from thin air, and that started levitating around him.

Fluttershy's eyes went wide, and she brought her left forehoof in front to her now wide-open mouth, both astounded and terrified. She couldn't conceive something so evil "Y-you Wouldn't!"

"I would" Discord's smile went wider, revealing his sharp teeth. His gaze pointed at the mare almost with defiance. "And. I. will."

Slowly, The mare lowered her hoof until it delicately touched the ground. then she looked at the floor for a moment, before going back to the more-terrified-than-ever mice family levitating above her. And finally, her eyes pointed straight ad Discord's eyes again. her expression was different, though. The cowardly mare from before had vanished, leaving somepony completely different in her place. Steady on her hooves, in a pose which showcased confidence, she was looking at discord with a serious expression. It wasn't cold, though, it was similar to that of a mother scolding a child. And her voice was too "How can you even think about something so mean!" Each word had his weight, and it was supported by the intensity of the stare... Which seemed to have something almost supernatural to it "They are just doing their best to live their life! At most send them away, or even better give them to somepony that can care for them! I would!"

Everypony was simply astounded. Even Discord and Pinkie were speechless for a few moments. Pikie especially, as the incredible stare of the yellow mare was enough to have her freeze. Discord, instead, seemed to be absolutely resistant to that kind of power, but could not be indifferent to her demeanour. he appreciated how easily the words were now coming out of her mouth, and couldn't avoid making a little smile "You can stop. They can stay."

All the traps previously floating in the air vanished suddenly, while the mice were gently put on the floor, from where they quickly ran back to Fluttershy, climbing her forehoof and hiding back into her dress. As for the mare, she simply stopped. Realizing what she had just done, she couldn't help but blush. But being completely sure of her little friends' safety was her priority "R-really?"

"yes, really. Actually, I wouldn't have done all that." Was that true? Difficult to say. Ancients legends were quite clear about what Discord did to his enemies. It didn't seem likely that he would be much more gentle with rodents."Also, you can stay too."

Rainbow Dash was in shock. She thought her friend was safe from the king's grasp, and now apparently she was one step closer to be that monster's bride. The only thing that Rainbow could do now was somehow styling her mane with her hooves to be at her most presentable, and try her hardest to pass this first selection phase. She had to be there for her friend!

In the meantime, Fluttershy was almost catatonic, simply unable to say anything after the unexpected news. The first to speak was, therefore, Pinkie: "Sooo... We have another maybe?" Her tone was cheerful and almost playful, directed to Fluttershy just as much as it was to Discord. She wanted to have her feel somehow comfortable. After everything the Lord of Chaos did, it's only natural she would be extremely confused.

"I didn't say that, did I?" Discord's tone was ambiguous, now. Fluttershy was completely unable to grasp the situation she was in, and so were most of the candidates looking at the scene. Even Pinkie for a moment didn't know what was going on in the mind of her king. But then it hit her, and her eyes went wide.

There was a thing nopony in the room had considered, not even for a moment. They were in front of the lord of Chaos, by far the being that hated rules the most in Equestria and beyond. Did they really think that rules, especially rules he himself made, would be something he would just blindly follow? Did they really think that all the 'steps' of the selection would go on smoothly?

Just a grin from the draconequus. "She is the one!"

Author's Note

I know what you're thinking. Something along the line of "Then all the rest of the 'selection' was useless and/or just teasing?"
It is a legitimate concern. But I promise that most of what happened is going to be somehow relevant later! How? You'll see :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. Also, next chapter is a Rainbow Dash chapter! Stay tuned!

9 - The choice - Aftermath

It took some time for the big news to sink in the minds of those present. The first reaction for most was simply disbelief, it seemed impossible that the yellow pony that previously seemed so close to being rejected would really become Discord's bride. Right afterwards, some started to feel somehow cheated. Some among the 'Maybes' had a hard time accepting to be supplanted so suddenly, while some other ponies in the crowd felt like they weren't even given a chance. Some, on the contrary, were quite glad of this development, as not everypony was there of his own volition. But be it fear or acceptance, nopony dared to say anything.

Nopony except Trixie, that is "That's not fa-"

"She doesn't want this!" Even the magician shut up immediately at the sudden outburst, which left the whole room speechless. Or better, more speechless. "Let her go!"

Discord was not amused. In less then a second his face went from happy to utterly annoyed. "I don't remember asking anypony opinion..." His voice was now a bit deeper than it previously was, similar to a growl, and his gaze was now scrutinizing the crowd gravely. "Who was it?"

Quickly, Trixie hid behind Rarity... Or at least tried as the monumental hat was difficult not to notice. Rarity gave her nothing but a disapproving stare, before turning to watch discord and then the crowd itself. The magician behaviour was, everything considered, not that strange. discord certainly seemed to be goofy and approachable today, but everypony had been told legends regarding him. His power, his rage. and especially the cruel and unusual punishments which -although rare today- were once a staple of his reign, and the topic of many gruesome tales told to foals to have them behave. It went without saying that nopony dared to say a word. Even pointing at the actual culprit was somehow out of question. They were like small animals in front of a predator, completely frozen.

"It was me!" The only pony brave -or maybe foolish- enough to do anything was none other than Rainbow Dash. With just two steps she stepped away from the crowd, revealing herself to Discord. It was clear that she was not as fearless as her action suggested, as her legs were visibly shaking. Her gaze, now focused on the lord of chaos, was filled with primal fear, too. But she couldn't just abandon her friend, could she? "And I'm not taking that back!"

Before anypony could do or say anything else, without a sound, rainbow dash vanished from his previous position to immediately reappear in front of the throne. Even for the most magically skilled unicorns in the crowd, teleporting something that far away so quickly was an unthinkable -almost scary- feat. "I see" The Lord of Chaos spoke now in a serious, dry, almost matter-of-fact way. He turned toward Pinkie, which had a slightly worried expression on her face "Where do these two ponies come from?"

"Cloudsdale...?" It's not that she was unsure of the place, she had memorized her list almost perfectly at this point. And it was certainly difficult to forget what happened that morning in Cloudsdale delegation's room. What she didn't know is what Discord would have done with that information,

"Pony." Not even Pinkie Pie said anything this time. Discord was now looking straight at Rainbow Dash, who seemed to be shrinking in front of him. Actually, it was the Lord of Chaos that was slowly and barely noticeably becoming larger, to better instil terror in the mare "Can you elaborate on what you said? How does she not want this?"

Speaking to an angry king with the power to banish her to the frozen north on a whim is neither pleasant nor easy. especially if he doesn't need an order to do so, but just a snap of his claws. "T-the mayor thought t-there weren't enough candidates..." Still, even scared as she was, the pegasus was talking fairly well. After all, the destiny of her best friend was in stake "T-then made the ponies vote for s-someone else to send." She swallowed. The gaze of the Draconequus was getting more intense by the second. Her mouth was feeling dry, her knees week. But she had to go on "T-they chose five p-ponies like that. I tried to t-take her place, b-but they refused."

"Do you realize that it is a serious accusation?" Being serious wasn't actually Discord's field of expertise. But even when he made some comically oversized glasses appear on his face and some parchment with many doodles on it in his paws, nobody laughed. "In my proclamation, I especially said coming was voluntary, didn't I?" He did, that was a matter of fact. Yet, no one took that part literally. The word "voluntary" itself clashes quite strongly with an absolute, sometimes tyrannical, monarchy. "I do not really know what to do with a town that can't follow my orders..." Now he looked pensive, caressing his beard. Like he was considering his options "Oh, I know!" A whole chandelier suddenly appeared above his head, emanating a strong light, as if his idea was especially brilliant. "I might take climate making in my own paws. At that point, Equestria won't really need that town either. Then getting rid of it will be a breeze" A devious smile on his face "A very strong one, actually!"

While Discord was detailing his brilliant Idea, many faces in the crowd from simply afraid or scared became horrified. The ponies from Cloudsdale couldn't even conceive that their entire town could be blown away by their ruler. And when similar feeling arose from ponies in other delegations, they weren't just feelings of empathy. if sending ponies against their will was a crime, few cities were innocent.

"I'm not saying they don't kind of deserve it..." Although the rainbow-maned pony still felt more than some resentment toward his own town over the decision of sending Fluttershy, now he started to feel a bit of guilt for bringing this up at all. "But it seems a bit much..." Well, she certainly didn't think she would now be here defending her hometown. If this could be called a defence at all.

Still, there was a pony that wasn't horrified, or terrified, or anything of the sort. Not one of the guards, which had now lost their usual composure and were exchanging worried looks, and not even Trixie, which although a bit more egotistical than most found the idea of destroying a town at the very least distasteful. It was the only pony that knew Discord well enough to be sure he wouldn't do something like that over such an insignificant slight. She just looked over his super duper majesty with a sad face. Why did he have to manipulate ponies like that, where more than a few ponies would really have liked to be his spouse? And now things would be settled in such an unsatisfying way in, she hypothesized, three, two, one...

"It was my own decision." Fluttershy spoke for the first time since she had been chosen. Her tone was quite conceited, but also surprisingly audible. "I... I wanted this!" If anypony had doubt before, now it was painfully clear that it was, in fact, not her decision. At all. the few words the yellow pony pronounced were simply too forced and her very expression betrayed her own lie.

"Flutters..." Just a whisper from Rainbow Dash, as tears started forming in her eyes. She was too kind, too ready to sacrifice herself for others. Even if others didn't deserve it. Even when Dash would still have desperately searched some other way out. But, apparently, now there was nothing she could do.

"Splendid!" Discord threw away glasses and parchment, just to have them vanish in thin air before touching the ground. His voice was now jovial and cheerful, completely different from just before. "If there is no other objection..." With a meaningful look he scrutinized the crowd, looking for dissent. Unsurprisingly, he found none. "It's settled then! A round of clopping for my bride to be"

At first timidly, a few hooves started to hit the floor producing some sound, and then the whole crowd followed soon. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie instead did not move. The three of them looked at the crowd almost in disbelief, each deep in its own sense of defeat. One felt trapped in an unwanted marriage, one felt powerless for not being able to defend her friend, and for the last one it was just the confirmation that Discord would never be hers

Two guards were now escorting the crowd out of the throne room, back to the rooms they were given so they could retrieve their belongings. Discord offered them the chance to be teleported home, later, as for him that would have been simple. Only Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and the maybes were told to stay a bit longer. For the earlier, the reason was obvious. For the latter, Discord wanted to personally say goodbye to them. And for Rainbow... Nopony really knew. But it seemed reasonable that the poor mare would have faced some terrible punishment,

"I'd like to meet you again, but my wife might get jealous!" With a smile and some playful banter, the Lord of Chaos was saying his goodbyes to Starry eyes. "But we might still keep in contact" And now Discord got closer to the pony, giving him a wink and a way too loud whisper, that basically everypony could easily hear.

Starry was as a matter of fact flattered by this kind of attention, although a bit perplexed. It was not easy for him to reconcile the very two different natures of his king: playful and funny one moment, terrifying the next."Sure thing, your super duper Majesty" And yet, he still was one of the ponies that went there of their own will, and still found something captivating in him.

"Wait..." Discord turned his head toward Pinkie Pie, while Starry Eyes walked away to give Trixie the chance to come next and to say goodbye. "Weren't there two more ponies?" he just noticed, but he was sure as picky as he could be- to have selected more than 4 ponies before settling on Fluttershy

"Lyra from Canterlot and Sweetie Drops from Ponyville?" It was basically a rhetorical question. "They snuck out together with the crowd earlier, although I don't think they went to their rooms" She had noticed, she had observed how the two behaved and didn't want to stop them "They didn't look heartbroken by your rejection" Pinkie giggled slightly, for a few moments, and her eyes were slightly shining at the thought.

Discord raised a brow at this. They did technically disobey, and yet... "Good for them" That was... Weird. Romantic, maybe. Weird, certainly. But he didn't disapprove weird, after all. "Give them some time, but then make sure to find them and escort them out"

"Okie dokie loki!" Pinkie just smiled, there was nothing else to say about this. But even if she wanted to say something, it would not have been easy. Someone else had already taken the chance to talk.

"If things don't work out you can always come back to the Great and Powerful Trixie" The magician spoke with renewed composure, boastful as usual. Although for a while Discord had terrified her too, she was certainly the least likely pony to admit it, and also the one that most easily seemed to have gotten over that. There was a level of resilience in her that was somehow admirable "As long as I don't find somepony more interesting, that is, so you better be quick!" A seductive wink accompanied her words.

that was an unbelievably inappropriate remark, although she barely realized it. Rarity, which was just behind her in the queue, shuddered just hearing it. But Discord... He just let that go as if it was nothing "I'll keep that in mind" Among the reasons Discord was not an especially desirable ruler blatant favouritism had certainly a special place. If a pony was deemed amusing, he was given an unthinkable leeway compared to a boring or annoying one. "By the way..." Discord now gave the mare an indecipherable little smile, clearly suggesting he had something in mind "I don't want to meddle too much with Pinkie's duties..." Now the pink pony looked at him with renewed curiosity. "But I'd like to know... How many assistants do you have for the show during the celebrations?"

As a matter of fact, Trixie mostly worked alone. Managing to appear on that stage was by itself a miracle, a result achieving by relentless, con-level self-promotion. But now that she was there, she had realized that the scale was larger compared to anything she had ever done. "I hired four assistants for the occasion!" Luckily, the pay was monumental too. More than enough to set the stage, the props and hire some people. And she would still spare enough not to have to work for months. "The great and powerful Trixie promises you'll never have seen anything like my show!"

"Do you think you might need one more assistant...?" The Lord of Chaos was smiling, his expression and tone of voice were sending clear hints to the magician.

"No, I should be fine." She shrugged her shoulder, oblivious as usual.

"Well, I think you need one more assistant!" he raised his voice slightly, stressing strongly the I. His voice didn't suggest anger or anything else, he was just dropping all the subtlety.

"Oh..." Trixie appeared pensive for a while. It still took a few more moments before it fully hit her "OH!" She was quite surprised by the offer but was certainly not displeased. "If your super duper majesty so wishes..." A large smile was now on her face. her self-confidence to an unprecedented high "The great and powerful Trixie will accept you as her assistant!" After all, being a King must be pretty boring. And she knew very well nothing could beat the feeling of being on stage, admired by the masses. Maybe she had even been inconsiderate by not making the offer herself, earlier?

"No, it's not for me" A little bit of disappointment in Trixie face, while Discord still looked quite amused. His right arm extended towards Pinkie Pie. And it had to extend quite a lot, as the pink pony was some two meters from the throne. The advisor was caught in a one-arm hug, now extremely close to her king "But for her!"

"Really?" Pinkie's eyes were now shining. She loved the idea! And was twice as happy since Discord knew her so well, and cared for her.

"Really!" Discord was smiling, happily, still holding the pink pony in his friendly embrace. "If Trixie is okay with this" His eyes went now on the magician. His overall demeanour and expression seemed friendly and cheerful, but there was something in his eyes that made the Magician shiver.

"I don't see a problem with it" She tried to brush it off with as much nonchalance as she could, trying to still look relaxed.

"Splendid!" The Draconeequs released Pinkie, giving now a warm smile to Trixie "I look forward to it!" With a gesture, finally, he suggested to her that she could go. There was more pony to greet, after all.

"Some Congratulations are in order, darling" Rarity approached the throne with a steady, confident pace. She gave a calm smile to the Lord of Chaos. "I'm glad you found the pony you were searching for, although it wasn't me..." She felt like the actress in some kind of drama, a role she happily basked in. Even without obvious sadness in her voice, she was able to hint at some displeasure. A subtle, exceptional performance, if she said so.

"I'm... Sorry...?" Even Discord was uncertain on how to proceed. He certainly didn't dislike the mare, and didn't want to upset her.

"Don't be!" With a sudden rise in tone, the level of drama was kicked up a notch. "The heart wants what it wants, doesn't it!" She had taken that from some cheap romance novel she had read a few days earlier. It seemed it would work "And I still want to give you my full support" Now the thin veil of sadness was gone, leaving a warm and amicable tone. "As a stylist, I just have to ask you to let me design your dresses for the event" This was the whole point. And it was not just a chance to have her art showcased in front of thousands of ponies, but also a way to stay close to Discord and obtain more information. A perfect situation, wasn't it?

"Mmmh..." After everything she had said, Discord would have felt kind of bad at rejecting her offer. But he actually already had a few ideas "Actually, I was thinking of making them myself!" With more than a bit of pride, Discord simply snapped his claws. An orange, extravagant suit appeared on his body, underneath which there was a green shirt with weird, irregular fantasies. His tie, blue and yellow, was clearly meant to pull together the whole outfit but failed spectacularly to do so. And even the wedding dress that he made appear on a now blushing Fluttershy was fairly weird. Although it was mostly white and still resembled a wedding dress, there were some flamboyant jade and golden decorations that made it look fairly kitsch. Not to mention that neither dress did fit perfectly their body. "What do you think?" Again, he was by far too proud of his work.

Rarity was not impressed "It could be worse..." She was trying to be diplomatic but had a hard time containing herself in front of those fashion crimes. "But you could really use the help of a professional", she blurted drily.

"She has a point there", Pinkie suggested with a whisper.

And at this point Discord had to surrender "Fine!" The two outfits vanished instantly, and Fluttershy previous green dress reappeared. "can you really make them in a week, though?" He raised a brow. With his powers, it was easy to have a full dress appear in a matter of instants. But a normal dressmaker would certainly need a lot more.

"Don't you worry about that. I shall be back in two days with a few ideas and a cost estimate" She needed time to go to Ponyville, report what she had seen and bring a few more supplies to her boutique in Canterlot. She didn't usually work there, but that would be the most convenient place to stay to prepare for the event.

"I see. I'll leave it to you then." That was all, wasn't it? he couldn't think of anything else to say to the former candidates, and therefore he just needed to give an order "Guards?" Only two were still in the room, and immediately reacted to the order getting closer to their ruler "Bring them to their rooms, too, and have them prepare to leave"

And without any complaint, everypony just started trotting toward the exit. Rarity especially. She picked up a slightly quicker pace compared to others, so to reach Trixie. once she had done that, she just kept her pace. "Now that you have one more assistant, and an important one at that..." a small, devious smile on her face. Persuasion was kind of her thing, after all, and she knew exactly what to use her skills for "You'll have to do something extra special, darling! And you might require some very special machines, wouldn't you? And I know just the mare that could help you with that!"

Trixie looked at her with a bit of suspicion at first, but she knew very well she actually had to do something more special than usual to satisfy Discord. "Go on..."

Only four ponies were now in the room. Or better, three ponies and a draconeequs. Her bride to be and her royal assistant were the first two, and a very worried Rainbow Dash was the last one. It finally seemed she would know what her destiny was, and she was after all kind of glad, as the suspense was killing her.

"Pony..." She swallowed; it was finally time. The Draconequus was speaking to her "I didn't like what you said, earlier... " His tone was stern, his look harsh "I had just found such a cute pony, with a bit of a temper and such a sexy stare..." Sexy was not the word Pinkie would have used. To her, that seemed almost a bit scary. But to everypony its own, right? "And you tried to take her away from me?"

"P-please, be merciful." It was now Fluttershy speaking, pleading for her friend "She just wanted to help." She was on the verge of tears "And I will not..." She swallowed "leave you!"

Discord looked at her for a few moments "Do you take me for a monster?" he asked, feigning surprise. Just as if it was something completely absurd. yet, neither Fluttershy nor Rainbow answered, and just looked away a bit embarrassedly "by the way, I know perfectly what to do with a little, loyal pony like you" Now Rainbow was perplexed. that loyal in the middle, there, didn't seem a bad word. Not at all "My bride to be might need a personal attendant, after all..." The eyes of both ponies widened in disbelief. but there was a bit of happiness in there "And if you care that much about her, you should do a good job, right?"

Fluttershy eyes flooded with tears of joy. Resigned s she was to her destiny, she couldn't believe that the Draconeequs would be that merciful. Not only her best friend would be spared from punishment, but she wouldn't even be separated from her. she couldn't possibly ask for more. "T-thank you!"

Pinkie Pie was now smiling too. It was a relatively small thing, but she still appreciated to see a little kindness from her king. If only he could be like that all the time...

And Rainbow dash? Well, she was left speechless for a while. She would still have wanted to refuse, to fight for Fluttershy freedom... And somehow it felt like accepting the offer would be akin to accepting the marriage too. But else could she do, at this point? "I accept." her eyes now lowered, some grief in her tone.

"Anything else?" Discord eyes were still on her, still demanding something. And as much as she would have liked not to, she had to give in to that contract with the devil.

"T-thank you..."

Author's Note

This was a longer chapter, but I didn't feel like dividing it in two. It would have felt like leaving the whole Rainbow dash situation hanging.
Also, I felt like I was making Discord to be a bit too nice and approachable in the former chapters. Like... he can be. But there is also another pretty relevant part to him, which I tried to showcase here.

With love,
the Marshamallow

P.S. Next chapter I'm finally going to introduce a pretty important character! Stay tuned! :raritywink:

10 - Before the big day - Side A

The precious, Saddle Arabian silk curtains were open just enough to let some of the sunset light filter in the room, painting in a reddish hue the floor and finely carved columns made of Hippogrifian marble. Pinkie Pie was cheerfully jumping around, looking at the marvels surrounding her. "look at this, isn't it pretty?" Her hoof, now raised, pointed straight at the exotic plants imported from Zebrica, which were growing in golden vases chiselled by Griffonstone's artisans. "I think that, if you want, his super duper majesty might bring something like this to the castle, too..."

Slowly, with a sad look of resignation, Fluttershy turned her head away from the large door in front of her, just to observe what the pink pony was pointing at "It's... It's beautiful", she mumbled, before letting out a sigh. Her eyes were pointing at the floor more than at the plants. "I'm just not in the mood". In any other moment, she could enjoy looking at all the luxury of the most beautiful palace in Canterlot, maybe at the precious metal of the door in front of her or at the precious gems nestled in it to form a beautiful mosaic... But not today.

"Come on..." When she received her cutie mark and met Discord, Pinkie Pie promised to herself to bring him happiness and joy. And the oath, naturally, extended to all ponies she could meet. Being unable to do so was simply painful. "I'm sure it will not be that bad"

"That's easy to say, for you" The answer came from Rainbow Dash, who was glaring at her "you aren't the one marrying him!" her tone was accusatory, full of resentment, and the blue mare did walk a few steps towards her. Rationally she knew it wasn't her fault, but her judgement was clouded by the grief.

"N-no, I'm serious!" Dash's words hit her harder than they should have, but Pinkie Pie still managed to keep her proverbial smile, and almost unfazed went on with her talk "I know he doesn't look like it, but he can be nice and kind." Fluttershy started looking at her with greater interest. There was something weird in the way her eyes were gleaming. Something the yellow pony was having trouble deciphering "I think he will be a good husband..."

And here she was abruptly cut off. Rainbow dash was glaring knives at her, while her angry voice trembled a bit "Who would ever marry a monster like that?!"

"Ahah..." the pink pony didn't even change expression. She kept a half smile on her face, and her eyes kept looking at the two. "Right..." Just her voice had weakened a little bit

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy's tone was now dry and serious. The blue mare had a chill run down her spine: nothing good could come from her friend calling her by her full name. "Say sorry right now!"

"What?" she blinked, twice. She was completely oblivious to whatever she meant "Flutters, why should I-" She stopped mid-sentence, looking now at Pinkie. Her expression was still the same, unsettlingly so, as if her face was frozen for many seconds. But now, slowly but surely, her eyes were starting to fill with tears. And rainbow, almost in shock, could say nothing but "What?!"

Fluttershy momentarily ignored her, quickly getting closer to Pinkie Pie and hugging her with her forehooves. With her wings, delicately, she tried to wipe away her tears "Does he know?"

The royal advisor just accepted the hug, tears now flowing freely. "Sob..." And she even had a hard time answering, and simply shook her head slowly.

"Didn't you tell him?" Fluttershy spoke softly, still holding her.

"To him..." Pinkie was slowly getting better, although her voice was still cracked by the emotion. "I'll always be a kid"

Fluttershy nodded understandingly, waiting a few seconds to ask the really grievous question. "And you are really fine with me marrying him?"

For a little while, there was not a sound in the room. The question required time to sink in Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. the latter, after looking at the floor for a while, raised her head toward at the yellow mare. Although her eyes were still wet, now she had a smile on her face again "Yes. The only thing I want is for him to be happy!" She was now giving Fluttershy an ambiguous look, sombre yet hopeful "Please, make him happy..."

An intense flush rose to the yellow cheeks, painting them red. And flustered she tried to mumble an answer "I..."

"Wait!" Rainbow Dash was in shock, her eyes moving from one mare to the other as if balls in a pinball game "Are you saying that you..." Now they briefly stopped on the pink pony, still widened in disbelief "That him..." She stopped. She felt now a small feeling of guilt over what she had said. Not that she didn't believe all of it, but taking it out on the royal Advisor instead that on Discord himself was just wrong "I... I'm sorry."

before anypony else had time to speak, though, the large door of the room, separating the lobby in which they were from the quarters of the host, suddenly slammed open. A red carpet still mostly rolled jumped out of the door, bouncing a few times on the floor while unwinding and getting closer to the three ponies. And when it finally stopped, Discord was standing on the end of it, as if he was somehow hidden in the coils. "mares and gentlestallions..." he was wearing a somehow elegant, although excessively colourful, tuxedo, and holding a microphone in his paw "Please welcome..." and a drumroll could easily be heard, although it was impossible to discern where exactly it was coming from "Uh?" The drumroll simply faded, while discord looked at the three ponies with a pleased smile. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were just then ending their long hug "You're becoming friends already? that's great!" There wasn't even an inch of irony in his voice, and his eyes were almost glimmering. To the point that he actually forgot what he was doing...

"Yep!" Pinkie suddenly seemed fresh as a daisy and cheerful as usual. The sudden change made the other two ponies somehow speechless. Both understood, though, that Discord was the last creature Pinkie would have wanted to be seen sad by.

"Uncle Dissy!" All the heads then turned towards their host, that was just then entering the room. And everypony but Discord ended up blushing wildly just at the view. "Didn't you want to introduce me?" Her voice tried to seem disappointed and annoyed, but couldn't hide the playfulness in that teasing. Her very steps formed a seductive gait, the gaze of her purple eyes was simply mesmerizing. her elegant blue dress managed to emphasize her curves and went perfectly both with her pinkish mane and her purple, magenta and golden mane.

"Do you even need an introduction?" Discord obviously poked back, with a smug smile on his face. her appearance was quite striking, and the golden regalia she wore at her hooves and around her neck made her status quite clear. And so did the combination of wings and horn, both also larger than those of an average pony "Well, she is Mi Amore Cadenza, the one and only princess of Equestria. Mia, for short" And now, contrary to his (and her) initial intention, presented her with a very matter-of-fact tone, as if meeting THE princess was an everyday occurrence.

"Uff... You know I prefer Cadence!" This time a pinch annoyance was certainly there. Although she knew pretty well he used that nickname to just to get a reaction from her, and she didn't want to give him the satisfaction, she still couldn't resist.

"Well, yes, use whichever you prefer." She was now talking to Fluttershy and Rainbow, which would usually have questioned if it really was ok to go on a nickname basis with the princess just after meeting her. But they were still admiring her beauty "by the way, this pretty pony is Fluttershy, my fiancée. And she is Rainbow Something, her newly appointed personal attendant."

"I... I'm honoured to... Meet you." Still blushing, Fluttershy stuttered her answer.

Rainbow's mouth was still a bit agape but managed to compose herself just a bit "R-rainbow something. M-my pleasure" Not much, though

"Cadence?" Pinkie, on the other hand, was quite used to the situation "Can you stop using your magic, before Fluttershy ends up asking your hoof instead?"

"My magic? Oh, I'm sorry. Force of habit!" The sneaky smile suggested that was pretty intentional, though. The fact she had learned how to use her power under Discord watchful eyes instead of under a more sober teacher had certainly influenced her way of using them, and probably the ways she had fun altogether. "It's my pleasure, really!" She was still chuckling a bit, while removing even the little bit of magic that she was previously making flow through her horn, and which was affecting the ponies around her "Are you sure that's your name, though?"

"W-what?!" The blue mare suddenly snapped out of the trance she had fallen into, and her thoughts became actually a lot more lucid "No, sorry, It's Rainbow Dash actually!"

"Magic?" the blush was now vanishing from Fluttershy cheeks too. She still recognized her to be beautiful, but now she didn't feel the attraction from before.

"Love magic!" cadence winked at her, "When I was younger I used to have so much fun having pony fall in love with one another..." Fluttershy was at the very least perplexed by how relaxed she was when revealing something so... Horrible, in her opinion. But at the same time, the look full of pride that Discord was giving her was quite telling "Now I mostly use it on myself. It's great for public events and diplomatic meetings..."

"I see..." And now Fluttershy felt like they were just being let in in some national secret. Overall, she would never have expected royalty to be... Overall so relaxed around her, while she (as much as she was trying to hide it) was still extremely tense.

"Well, uncle Dissy, why are we still standing in the lobby? I had my servants make some tea!" With her right hoof, she pointed toward the now open door, where her living quarters are, inviting them all in. Only her servants, Discord and Pinkie Pie were allowed in there, usually. So it was quite the occasion to have two new ponies in there "And for you, I had prepared your favourite kind of cup"

"Very good..." Discord was licking his lips, while Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. Were they implying he would actually eat the cup? It made no sense! Right? "It will also be the perfect chance to discuss the details for the ceremony!" Rainbow was quickly taken aback. That was a line of thought liked even less. She gave a worried look to Fluttershy, which although slightly flushed was keeping an overall poker face. Not even rainbow, which had known her for so many years, was completely sure of what she was thinking

"And also to know each other better." She gave the two ponies a warm smile "If I have to officiate my uncle's marriage, I want to make sure he is marrying the right pony!" It was kind of her duty as a princess of love, after all. And even if she wasn't the princess of love, she would find some reason to meddle with Discord marriage nonetheless.

"What are we waiting for?" Pinkie started jumping towards the door, leading the way, cheerful as always. Discord and Cadence followed suit.

After a few moments of hesitation, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did exactly the same, measuring their steps and looking at the room they were now entering. The opulence was no less than that of the lobby. The beauty of the mansion had no equals, and all the servants were giving them deep bows. The tea and the food? They were going to be top notch as well. And that kind of luxury was theirs to have, for the whole life if they just wished so. What more could anypony ask?

And yet, they both just felt completely out of place.

Author's Note

How much of Cadence good nature is, so to say, innate (or depending on her non-alicorn years) and how much comes from being "adopted" by Celestia? And by consequence, what if someone very different was to adopt her? This is something I wanted to start to explore here. I can easily imagine her being a bit more spoiled (having to work as a baby sitter? No way!) and a lot more mischievous if that someone was discord. For the rest of her character... we will see.
But let's just say this might be very relevant later xD

With Love,
The Marshmallow

11 - Before the big day - Side B

While in the most luxurious mansion in Canterlot the King was introducing her soon-to-be queen to the Princess, in a cave a few hours by train from there some ponies, most of which deprived of any political power, were talking about them. The room was small and bare, just a few lights allowing them to see each other and a round table large enough to have them all seated around it and to keep a few documents on it.

"Since nopony is missing, I believe we can start our meeting." As it was customary, the former Princess spoke first. Before introducing the day's agenda she gazed at her comrades, searching for any objection, but only found ponies nodding at her words "Rarity and Shining Armor just came back from Canterlot. Although neither managed to be chosen, Rarity stayed until the end of the selection, and wishes to report the information she collected." Celestia seemed... Worried. Both her expression and her words didn't betray any significant emotion, but both twilight and Sunset were certain something was up. They didn't know what, though, as the brief version of Rarity's report was only given to their leader.

"Thank you, princess." Rarity didn't lose time, either, she was eager to reveal the information she collected. there was an excited smile on her face as she spoke: "I have found Discord's weakness!" The ponies at the table looked at each other almost in disbelief at the outrageous claim. Some also exchanged a few whispers, while Rarity waited a few more seconds before continuing her speech. A bit of suspense was well deserved, for such an important revelation "His behaviour today was mostly in line with our assumptions. Rash, unpredictable, illogical, self-centred and always trying to have fun at someone else's expense." Many memories of the day were now replaying in her memory. In a few moments, he even thought he could be pleasant. "Also, terrifying if he wants to." The memory of his threats to Rainbow Dash almost made her shiver. "I was surprised to see how much he values his advisor's opinion, and I dare say how much he cares for her."

Sunset Shimmer just rolled her eyes, as she was sure any ponylike emotion must have been alien to the lord of Chaos' mind. Shining Armor harboured similar feelings. Moondancer and Filthy Rich were unconvinced, too, but were seriously considering the idea.

The first to object, somehow to Rarity surprise, was actually fancy Pants: "You mean miss Pinkie Pie?" Rarity simply nodded "I can't say I know her well, as she is almost never present to my meetings with Discord... But I'm surprised." The Stallion looked pensive, trying to fit the news in the set of information he already had. He did not doubt Discord's inherent ability to care for somepony besides from himself, but was quite surprised by the specifics "She hasn't been his advisor for that many years, and I haven't heard of Discord getting especially close to previous advisors..." He heard that more than a few became insane by working so closely to the Lord of Chaos, and more than a few fell victims to Discord's Chaos magic as soon as they started to bore him. many thought pleasing Discord was actually impossible, so the advisor position was deemed so risky that few wanted it, despite the pay and all the privileges it entailed. "Are you completely certain?"

"I had a hard believing it too, but I can recognize affection when I see it!" be it navigating the most diverse social situations, learning how to act every part, or maybe just her soft spot for cheesy novels, she deemed herself a master in recognizing emotions. there was no way she could be wrong.

"I see. everything considered, she seems quite the fun, pleasant mare. I can see how discord might like her."

"Please, Rarity, go on. What are you suggesting?" Twilight did not reject the news but certainly did not accept it acritically either. The gears in her brain were turning quickly, so to consider or the different scenarios unfolding before them. And she couldn't wait to know all the details, as that was realistically the most interesting lead that the resistance had... at the very least in her lifetime.

"Thank you!" the smile was even larger than it was before. After all, she could now introduce what she was most proud of: her arrangements "Since I was given the chance, I took some liberties. In the first place, I convinced Discord to let me make the dresses for the wedding, which means I will have the chance to observe Discord further. Also, as Pinkie Pie seems to deal with most arrangements for the ceremony, I will be able to contact her easily." Everypony looked quite impressed, Fancy pants seemed even proud, but that wasn't all. "Also, I know for certain that she will take part in a magician's show in the last day of the celebrations!" That was the privilege of passing the first round of selection and getting out of the throne room with Trixie. But did she just received and reported the information? To think so would be not to know Rarity at all. "Applejack, do you remember when I wanted to throw away a broken wardrobe in my boutique, but instead you helped me fix it?"

The orange mare raised an eyebrow at the question, as she couldn't see any link between the previous topic of conversation and that "Ah sure do. And honestly, more than helping, I reckon fixing that for ya"

"yes, yes..." rarity blushed a bit. "You know, I might have volunteered you to to build props and magic boxes for the show!"

The cheerful tone of rarity didn't sit well with Applejack, whose eyes went wide. "Ya did wha-"

"I thought it would give us another chance to get in contact with her, and it seemed natural to choose a mare I trust completely!" her words and smile were quite persuasive, but...

"Ya ain't sweet talking your way out of this. I have no idea how to make that stuff!" She was honestly worried. Not only she would have to stay away from the farm for days, but having to contribute to the celebrations was very dangerous. If something went wrong because of her, Discord would have most certainly punished her severely. And what would Big Mac and Applebloom do without her? "Couldn't you suggest some carpenter, instead of me?"

"You can hire one. I convinced the magician to be quite generous with the budget!" Once again, Rarity's persuasion skill had proven to be top notch. "What you, what we, have to do is dealing with Pinkie Pie." She was quite serious in her words.

"Ah see. 'Guess we can work that one out." Her friend's confidence had managed to calm her, somehow. "Then, what are you suggesting we do?" And, as everypony else, she was just waiting to know the most important detail. How to actually capitalize on what she had found and done.

"Well, isn't that obvious? We convince Pinkie Pie to help us!" She now looked around the room for a few moments, as if waiting for cheers, but soon realized they wouldn't come. Her confidence vanished pretty quickly, seeing as nopony was saying anything and just looking at her.

"You are extraordinary, Rarity..." Filthy Rich commented first, with an ambiguous smile. He knew very well her capabilities. How easily she could fit in every environment, how smart she was. And also what her fatal flaw was "But still very naive..." The fashionista's ears quickly lowered in embarrassment.

"Asking Discord's advisor to help out? Great way to get caught!" Sunset Shimmer was looking at Rarity in disapproval.

"Or to get her in trouble if she accepts", added Filthy rich with a dry tone.

As much as it pained her, Twilight had to agree with the two of them. The risk which such a strategy implied was just too much. Especially when the logical solution was a different one. She exchanged a glance with Celestia and felt they were sharing an understanding. She finally understood what worried her, and had to agree. Especially since, most certainly, it was only a matter of moments before somepony spelled out the most logical solution

"We have to foalnap her and use her as a hostage to bargain with Discord." It was Sunset Shimmer to finally give voice to the idea. She was completely serious, and her voice didn't let any emotion transpire.

"W-what?" Rarity voice was full of honest surprise, an emotion somehow shared by Applejack and Moondancer. She thought she was prepared to do anything for the cause, but that seemed just so extreme "B-But she really seem a good mare! I think she might be reasonable and help us!"

"If she is any loyal to Discord", said Shining Armor, "She will refuse" And that was, despite (or maybe in virtue of) his simplicity a pretty solid argument, constructed on a very reasonable assumption and a logical conclusion following it.

"Ain't that...Kinda wrong?" It was almost surprising to hear Applejack, such a level headed mare, have her softness get the best of her. "She's still a pony!"

But Sunset Shimmer rebuttal was quick to come, told with an almost offended voice "You think I like the idea? But it is the only way!"

"My little ponies..." The voice of Celestia was calm, almost soothing, and yet firm. Any debate stopped instantly, and every eye was on her. All the ponies in the room were waiting for her guidance, as they always did. "I don't want this issue to divide us." A few of the ponies couldn't but feel a bit embarrassed at her words and at her gentle gaze. "As much as I would like to, I can not see a viable alternative to this. I can only suggest we make sure in every step of it not to do harm upon anypony, and to treat the royal advisor herself with the utmost kindness."

Everypony was in awe as her words, and most nodded approvingly. She was just so reasonable, so merciful, and yet so decisive. Even rarity and Applejack were now certain it was the way to go, while most of the feeling of guilt was washed away even from the other ponies.

Twilight didn't like it. Sure, she wasn't immune to Celestia's charisma and recognized how good her suggestion was. What she didn't like was reaching the conclusion like that, in a way that somehow excused all the ponies of every fault... Except for Celestia. she was taking the burden of the decision upon herself as she had done many times throughout the centuries. The least she could do as her second in command was not leaving her alone "Fancy pants, can you tell us all the information regarding security before and during the celebration?"

the question surprised him a bit, but his answer came fast nonetheless "Sure." He looked throughout a few documents on his table, and then reported everything he knew "As every year, Discard has called many soldiers from the border areas to ensure maximum security. We are talking about six times the usual amount of guards, including a few elite corps, overseeing every detail of the preparations day and night." That was, by itself, quite impressive. Hardly enough, though, to stop mares as well versed in magic as twilight or Sunset "Furthermore, it is impossible to teleport in or out from Canterlot's centre, as Discord has set a powerful barrier. The exact positioning of the barrier makes sure that there are only eight passages where ponies can go in or out without flying, and guard posts have been set on each. That is, if we exclude a few ancient tunnels Discord doesn't know about." That was almost all, he only had a few notes left "And finally, if we use any powerful magic while we are in Canterlot, Discord is bound to notice. That is, essentially, an immediate failure."

"Thank you" Twilight had been taking notes and was now scribbling idea at a surprising speed with a pencil levitated by her magic. That wasn't as convenient as being helped by Spike, but by sacrificing her calligraphy her speed was by no means lesser. Her pensive look lasted some thirty seconds, and then she raised her eyes from the paper "I think I have a plan".

Everyone barring Celestia and Sunset couldn't believe their ears. They knew she was smart, but that went far beyond any reasonable expectation.

"it's just a first draft, so it has a lot of room for improvement, but please hear me out." She blushed a bit at everypony's reaction and tried to minimize the fact. She was quite certain that until the sixth or seven drafts it would have been far from acceptable detail-wise... But was quite confident in the outline.

"If I recall correctly, while the stage is usually the are that is most carefully guarded, only performers and assistants are allowed in the backstage. Not even guards can go there. This means it is the best, probably the only, time we will have a chance of getting extremely close to her with no guards around. Enough to capture her, that is." And while getting in the backstage would usually be the hardest part, they already had a few tickets to the place "I should act as Rarity's assistant. If, as I understand, the marriage is expected to be the closing act of the celebration the bride will be there. And so will we, to fix her dress until the last moment. Applejack and an actual carpenter will be there too, obviously."

"Ah see..." Applejack had nothing to say for now, while rarity was nodding approvingly, glad her arrangements were helping.

"We will have to convince the magician to employ pinkie in some kind of disappearance act. If I know exactly the position and the shape of the machine, I should be able to teleport her to me from a few forelegs away, possibly in a wardrobe we will bring there and on which I will have cast a silence spell" That was essential, because teleporting somepony else, and somepony far away at that, was quite a difficult feat. she would need some time before teleporting again. getting caught right then, after all that effort, wouldn't have been nice "rarity, you will send me away with an excuse, and I will get to one of those tunnels" She was now looking at fancy pants "If I know the exact position of them I can reach one of them and teleport inside."

"That is a great plan!" Moondancer was looking at her with admiration through her glasses. At every word of Twilight she was just in awe, especially considering that the plan was thought of in less than a minute. Still, a question naturally arose "What about Discord, though?"

"I was getting there" She sighed. Not in annoyance at her comrade's question. But just because getting Discord away was the most essential and most difficult part to get right. "I'll need time, that's right. And time without Discord nearby" It pained her to ask what she was going to ask, but it was the only way, wasn't it? "Our militia should approach Canterlot during the show from caves northeast from the capital. If previous similar events are a good reference..." Battle of Neighara falls, 230 DE. Battle of South Canterlot, 670 ED. Great Changeling War, 905 ED. The sample size wasn't as big as she would have liked, but the few cases suggested a probability of 100%, which she could not ignore " It's likely that Discord will deal with that by himself, leaving Canterlot for at least a few minutes."

"Twi, you can Count on us. We have been waiting for this for like... Forever!" Their 'General' spoke with a wide smile, giving a wink at her sister, as if saying he had her back. Going against Discord? It was scary, an impossible battle even. But that was the battle their army had been preparing to face as long as they could remember. They were ready!

"It will be a massacre. Unless he starts playing around, our data suggest he can deal with a soldier in a matter of seconds. Our only weapon is actually numbers. The more ponies we send against him, the longer he will take..." She was deeply sad. it seemed easy to talk of soldiers as if they were number, but she knew most of them personally, a good few on a first name basis. And her brother would have been in there, too "returning is not certain, let alone returning unharmed..."

"As I said, you can count on us. Nopony will need to be forced to come. We are ready for this"

"But..." There was nothing she could do. And yet, she was simply too worried. especially for her brother's fate.

"No." Sunset Shimmer took the chance to give her own suggestion "Twilight will need some backup if something goes wrong. A few of our best soldiers should be in the crowd, ready to act if it is necessary. And you should be one of them."

Twilight eyes sparkled while she looked at Sunset. The silent 'thank you' she was giving her was as clear as it could be. Shining armour was not of the same opinion, though "But-"

"You and twilight make an excellent team. Furthermore, I am more used at dealing with Chaos magic. I should be able to hold him for longer and to minimize the collateral damage" The answer was quick, precise, and incisive. There was no answer to that.

"I see. It makes sense." And even Shining armour had no way denying it.

"Very well." And Celestia talked again, finally, after listening very carefully to every word of her students and her comrades. "I have no objections to the plan. And if there isn't any, I believe we can work out a few more details, and then go on to the next topic. I would like to know more about this 'Fluttershy' you described me earlier..." A little smile on her muzzle, as calm and collected as she always was.

And as it often happened when she spoke, there was in fact not a single objection.

Author's Note

This is the end of the "First part". So to say, the introduction to our story. Next comes the "big day", which will be a pretty long (and hopefully exciting) arc by itself. I already have a few nice scenes and twists in mind, which I hope you'll like! :heart:

But before I do that, I need a break! I want to write two or three short stories that I have been having in my mind for a while. And in the meantime, I will probably write some "interludes" (basically super short chapters- like 500 words or so) for this story, to better explore some lore and stuff.

The regular chapters should be back in, I don't know, one month? just the time to do what I said and organize my ideas well. :raritywink:

With love,
The marshmallow

Interlude 1 - Faithful students

After the long meeting, Celestia's most faithful students escorted her back to her chamber. They further discussed some details of the plan just among them, then there was time for some idle chat. Finally, the two helped Celestia preparing for the Night. Once she was in bed, they left to reach their room; it was a short walk along a dimly lit corridor dug into the rock, as most of their hideout was, and it wouldn't have taken more than two minutes.

But then Twilight decided to say two simple words. "Thank you."

Sunset Shimmer stopped dead in her tracks, looking at the lavender unicorn for a few awkward seconds. Her eyes were full of gratitude, her smile so earnest. Sunset couldn't help but shake her head and sigh, "You really don't need to, you know?"

Twilight stopped, too, and turned her whole body towards her "I sure do!" And it was clear that she had been waiting for more than she was comfortable with before finally thanking her. "Taking Shiny's place..."

"I didn't do it for you." The orange mare decisively interrupted her peer, almost showing disdain. "It is the most rational way to organize our forces, don't you agree?"

"It is" Twilight nodded energetically, but had a smug smile on her face "And it is impressive that you found it while... No, because you were worried for me!"

Sunset released a second, longer sigh. Her expression had significantly softened: "Can I still try to say that wouldn't be very effective if you spent the whole operation worrying about Shining Armor...?"

"You can. And that would probably be true." A small blush appeared on the purple mare's cheeks "But I know you too well to believe it was the main reason." But then the smile wavered for just a moment, as a related thought invaded her mind "Nopony is as loyal to Celestia as you are, nor to our cause, or to us. And even if the others don't always notice, you are always there to help everypony. Sometimes I still think you are more fit to be second in command than me."

A bit of melancholy was reflected in Sunset's eyes. She took a few moments to collect her thoughts before answering: "I used to think the same. I even used to be a bit jealous of you..." Twilight was younger and had been Celestia's student for two years less then her. And yet, sometimes she felt that Celestia favoured her. When she decided for who her second in command would be, it felt like a confirmation of her worse fears. It was painful, as her teacher was everything to her... But she was now over it "Then I thought... How can I be jealous of such a cute junior?" With a quick motion, she got closer to her friend wrapping her in a warm hug. When, after a few moments, she turned her head to better see twilight's face, she knew she wasn't satisfied by that answer. For the third time, she sighed. "I trust Celestia's decision. I'm sure she has plans for both of us." That was what everything boiled down to. "And honestly, even if I had the title I would very much do what I do now." It would have been nice, wouldn't it? It would have meant that "And the same goes for you. I like Moondancer, but she isn't a leader. It's clear that the research team depends on you more than on her... And if it's Applejack or Shining, they would still listen to your every advice."

"You are probably right..." Now Twilight, a bit reassured, could fully reciprocate the hug. "But I'm trying to have Moondancer be more assertive, you know? She can still become a great leader!"

"See? That's what a leader would do!" Both smiled, and Sunset even giggled a bit. Then, slowly, she started to pull out from the hug. To her surprise, Twilight didn't let her go.

"I am still worried, though." She whispered, with her cheek on the other mare's neck, her lips close to her ears "Not for my brother, but for my sister!" A few moments of pause, during which Sunset blushed. "I know how much you hate Discord, but don't do anything crazy. Please..."

That was a first, and Sunset was speechless for a few moments. She considered Twilight to be much more than just a fellow student, and sister was probably the right word. The fact she felt the same was so unexpected and so wonderful, that even against her better judgement she couldn't but yield "I won't". Her arms, again, went to squeeze her fellow student. Her friend. Her sister.

"Thank you."

...

"Still, don't think you are safe." Her voice was now a teasing one, with a note of Irony, but the comment was nothing to laugh at. "If the plan fails, we are all bucked!"

"I-I know!" Twilight was not a mare to underestimate the situation at hand. Or any situation. But... "But not now. Don't ruin the moment!"

"Sorry, sorry!" And another, heartfelt giggle resounded in the tunnel. Then she just basked in the other mare's warmth for a bit more. the next day they would both have departed, getting started on their missions. They didn't know when, and even if, they would have had another chance to hug like that, so they both silently agreed it was best to enjoy it as long as they could.

Author's Note

Initially, I thought of going straight for Sunset's Flashback, but since her character will be important later I want to build up more to it. So, for now, here is a small scene showing a bit of Sunset and Twilight's relation. I hope you like it! :raritywink:
On another note, I changed the cover image with something more appropriate and the titles in something simpler. I will have to rework a bit the first few chapters sooner or later, but that will take some time.

Wiith love,
The marshmallow

Interlude 2 - Stolen

Twilight Sparkle was stressed. She was walking in a circle in her own room over and over while looking at her carefully crafted checklists, seemingly intentioned to wear the floor with her steps. "Give instructions to Moondancer, check. Leave my notes to the research team, check." Her hair was uncombed, her face tense, her eyes wide open. "Leave a summary of my notes to the research team, check"

"I was wondering what Sunset meant by saying you were doing no worse than usual..."

The warm, kind voice and a subsequent giggle brought the lavender mare back to reality, making her blush. Se quickly turned towards the voice, seeing in front of her the well known royal figure "P-p-princess!" She quickly turned towards Celestia, and a for a brief moment she lowered her head slightly in a bow. but then, quickly, she raised her head back up and looked at her mentor with worried eyes. Celestia's posture wasn't the dignified facade she put up in front of the others, it was that of a tired, weak mare. Slouching a bit, almost unsteady on her hooves. And yet, her eyes were still ignited with an indomitable will. "You should be in bed!"

The princess didn't even flinch at being scolded by her student and kept on her face the same ambiguous smile. "If you are worried about that, you are not going to like what I'm going to say next." For about four seconds she looked intently in Twilight's eyes "I wanted to go for a walk" One second and a half. Celestia had mastered dramatic pauses. "In the open air."

Twilight froze. It took a few moments to fully process the request, as it was just too outlandish, and Celestia took advantage of those moments. Before Twilight could deny her wish, she was hit by Celestia's puppy eyes. It defied reason how a mare twice her size and more than fifty times her age could look like that and awake in Twilight such feelings of compassion. "I... Ok." A blush, she already regretted her moment of weakness. If Sunset was there she could have had dissuaded her, but Twilight simply didn't have the strength to do so. "Why, though?"

She took a few moments to think, then she settled on "I don't know when we will have another chance to just... Take a walk."

And then again, that smile. Twilight knew her mentor well enough to understand when she was happy and when she was sad, when she needed comfort and when she wanted to offer it. But that? maybe she was plotting something. maybe she had something on her mind. even after all those years Twilight couldn't tell. "Fine", she sighed. "Let me take the ointments..."

A flash of light preceded their manifesting in a small, mostly unkept garden. A quiet, hidden place surrounded by rocks on all sides. The only place she could do this, as showing the others the full extent of Celestia weakness would have been disastrous. The morning sun had just started to hit it, creating a pleasant warmth balanced by the slight breeze coming from the north.

Celestia barely remembered the feeling of being teleported. Conceptually, she knew it perfectly, but feeling it again on her own skin was enough to create a rush of adrenaline in her whole body. That helped to make everything that came afterwards more bearable.

For just a moment, the princess could feel the pleasant breeze and the sun on her skin, and it was amazing. She could also look for a small moment at the sun, the beloved star over which she ruled a millennium earlier. Even Discord couldn't sever the special link she shared with it... But he certainly could steal everything else. A small tear appeared in her right eye, then one in the left, then her smile started to become stiff. With her right hoof, she tried to muffle a scream, only partially succeeding, while due to the pain her already weakened limbs became unable to sustain her body. She fell to the ground, and only due to her extraordinary force of will she avoided started convulsing in front of her student. The sun she loved, the sun that loved her, was burning her body, making her suffer terribly, and neither could do anything about it.

For Twilight, it was simply too much to bear. She waited a few seconds, as her teacher wished, but then she teleported both back to Celestia's room. B
On the floor besides her was Celestia, still in pain, but at least instead of screaming was just breathing heavily. "A-are you happy now?" The young mare was on the verge of crying herself, but now she had a job to do. She had to take the ointment and put it on Celestia's body, to hopefully soothe her pain.

"Thank you, Twilight." There was sincere gratitude in Celestia's words. Enough to break Twilight's heart. "I don't mind Discord taking away my magic, or weakening my body, or my wings..." Such was the curse she had lived with for a thousand years. She that was once the embodiment of the magic of all three races was now a powerless husk. The magic was still there, but she had hardly any way to manifest it. "But stealing the sun away from me... I didn't think he would be capable of such cruelty."

As she started spreading the oily substance with on Celestia's back Twilight barely knew what to say. Seeing her teacher suffer like that was just too painful. "W-we will Stop that monster, Princess. I promise!" in those moments, she really understood Sunset's hate for Discord. She, after all, had been much more exposed to chaos and is consequences than Twilight had. The only manifestation of that terrible magic she was really familiar with was the curse in front of her.

"Isn't it ironic?" A small, slightly forced smile found her way to the old mare's face "In a thousand years, we found no magical artefact to stop him and just one meagre spell to defend from him... And now our best chance comes from appealing to his more pony-like qualities..."

"Ironic?" that was not the word she would have used, but she understood the feeling behind it "I guess so..."

Celestia kind eyes looked at her students with an unreadable expression. There was sadness in there, maybe some melancholy. Nostalgia? it was possible. Then there were warmth and a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that even Twilight couldn't really place "It's still a few hours before the train. Would you mind spending some of that time with me?"

The lavender mare was caught by surprise at the request, but she certainly wasn't against it "Sure, princess!" A well calculated moment of pause. She was learning from the best "As long as you don't ask me anything as crazy as... That!" A shiver, as she looked at the horrible burns on her teacher's body.

"I promise."

Author's Note

What are these interludes? Basically, pieces of information that I couldn't really manage to reveal in the main story (They would have been bad information dumps) but that I think are relevant enough to deserve their own small chapters. Hopefully in a palatable format.
By the way, after one more interlude (and probably one more unrelated story) I will be back to the normal chapters. Finally with some actual action, too! :pinkiehappy:

With love,
the Marshmallow.

Interlude 3 - Regret

"...And this is His Super-Duper Majesty's super-duper secret room!" Pinkie Pie led the way, bouncing happily through the hidden door she had just opened. Small clouds of dust were raised at each of her leaps, and a mouldy smell came from the ancient room. From the little they could see in the darkness, it looked like it hadn't been entered in months, possibly years. Still, The pink pony was perfectly comfortable visiting it, and showing it to her new friends. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash? Not so much. Even the latter, usually so confident, was clearly not comfortable. She was probably wondering about the horrible secrets a creature such as Discord could hold, considering that not only everything cruel and horrible was in her mind already very possible, but she could hardly imagine what something embarrassing could look for him, since the Lord of Chaos was already the most random creature she had ever seen. Maybe on a tie with Pinkie? "Give me a moment, I think it's around here!"

The main reason the blue mare was boldly stepping in the darkness was that the even more afraid Fluttershy was leaning on her as if searching for protection, and she quite liked it. There were basically two kinds of rooms they had seen in their tour of the castle. The fairly normal, even boring ones, and the somehow messed up ones: gardens growing on the ceiling with gravity-defying waterfalls, little zoos with weirdly-mutated and often dangerous animals, corridors that led nowhere or that magically extended for kilometres, and so much more. She, too, had no idea what more the castle could hide, especially in such a mysterious and menacing place.

"Oh, here it is!" multiple multi-coloured tongues of fire started floating in the room, appearing close to its centre and slowly moving toward the walls. A well-choreographed show that made Rainbow Dash gasp in amazement, and startled Fluttershy a little bit. The first thing the two ponies could see was the smiling face of Pinkie Pie, then her hoof pressed against some strange glass globe on the floor. It was probably a magical artefact, the one that allowed her to light the room. It was not the only one, as mysterious objects were both scattered on the floor and put on some shelves, obviously without any label. As Dash, honestly quite curious, tentatively got closer to one of the items (Some kind of mantle) Pinkie Pie spoke again, always with her cheery tone "If I were you, I wouldn't touch this stuff. Half of them are, like, super dangerous weapons!" Dash quickly retracted her hoof, as Fluttershy simply squealed. "But there is a lot to see, anyway..."

As the flames got closer to the walls, finally the whole layout of the room was revealed. It was fairly large, it was octagonally shaped, and it had a weird stone pillar in the middle, about one meter in radius and two in height. There were some shelves here and there, but none was directly on a wall. The reason? Floating just at a few centimetres from each wall, at about one meter from the floor, there were windows in stained glass fairly similar to those in the Throne room. The style was possibly even more complex, the colours were more vibrant, and the depicted scenes were much more impactful. Some details were rendered with such skill and in such small size that some extremely skilled magician must have been involved. "Oh my gosh, those are Awesome!"

"Yep!" Pinkie smiled at Dash's excitement, hoping Fluttershy would appreciate too. But as much as she was timidly looking around, she didn't seem to be enjoying the scenes, but to actually be scared by them. Maybe Pinkie should have guessed that would happen, as the windows mostly showed epic battles, which were bound to be more to Dash's taste than to her.

On one there was a red centaur, seemingly taller than the buildings in ruin around him, grappling a Discord just as large as him. Bolts and rays of light were going in all directions, leaving holes in the mountains surrounding the scene. Another one was set in the desert, and there was a black insect-like mare on her knees while a very fearsome-looking Discord was looking down on her from the top of a pile of black shells. A beautiful palace was on the background, while in the sky there were some circles showing the face of many ponies, probably somehow involved with the story. A very impressive one involved Discord holding a cage in his paw, within which he kept a terrifying dragon, although in Discord's grasp looked powerless. Around them, there were hundreds of Dragons flying, and they were depicted in such detail that each one was clearly afraid, unwilling to get closer to the lord of Chaos.

Fluttershy's eyes ended focusing on maybe the simplest one. Under the light of the moon, in front of a castle within a forest, Discord and a white Alicorn were facing one another. There were hardly words fit to describe the expression of the first. An impossible rage was distorting his face, his teeth looked sharp as razors, his eyes were as red as flames, and his lips defined a devilish smile. Below his feet, there were many crystal shards of six different colours. The white pony, instead, was looking at him with tears in her eyes. There wasn't fear, just a sense of defeat and a sense of sadness that the yellow mare felt like her own. "M-maybe we shouldn't be here?"

"Oh, you definitely shouldn't be here!" With a voice like thunder, The figure of Discord manifested himself. Fluttershy Shrieked, while Rainbow Dash's first instinct, although she was terrified too, was to get between the monster and her most precious friend. Pinkie Pie, on the contrary, simply stood where she was, still smiling. She was the one Discord focused on first, addressing her with a low-pitched roar "Pinkie...?"

His demand for answers didn't go unanswered for long since with a still cheery tone Pinkie spoke just moments later: "Well, you said to give them a tour of the whole Castle except your bedroom, so..."

"No!" Discord was not pleased with the answer and quickly interrupted the pink pony. "I told you to show them all the castle except my private rooms." His gaze was surprisingly stern. Not furious like she looked in the ancient depictions, but menacing nonetheless. With a circular gesture of his paw he then pointed at the room they were in "This one was obviously included!"

Pinkie thought a bit about it, trying to recall his exact words, sporting for a few moments an intensively pensive expression on her face. She looked unconvinced. "No, you didn't!"

"H-he did...", Fluttershy whispered, barely audible. As both the mare's and Discord's gaze moved towards her tried to hide behind Dash even more "I think...?"

"See, here's somepony with a good memory!" Discord said, looking at Pinkie with the same stern look. Yet the tone of his voice didn't fully match it: "What do you have to say in your defence, Royal Advisor Pinkamena Diane Pie?" A white, oversized wig appeared on his head and a black robe covered his body. In his paw there was now a small gavel, which with a swift motion he moved down, suddenly stopping just below his own chest as if it had actually hit something, inexplicably producing a sonorous 'thud'. In front of Pinkie Pie there was now a witness stand.

"Uhm..." Again, whenever Pinkie looked pensive, it was pretty difficult to say if she was still acting jokingly or if she was actually serious. If any other pony had shown the same kind of expression or gestures, it would certainly have been taken as a mockery. But with Pinkie, it was just her normal self. "My bad?"

Discord sighed. It was not easy to stay mad at her. "Fine." All the stuff he had conjured vanished suddenly, as he turned his head towards the other two mares, that suddenly got even closer to one another, with Fluttershy still clearly trembling in fear. Discord expression softened almost immediately. "Promise me you will never come in here anymore, and I will answer a single question about what you have seen."

Both mares blinked for a few moments. They kind of expected some kind of punishment for the three of them, as if they had discovered some terrible secret they shouldn't have. But in the end, Discord seemed no more than mildly inconvenienced. For a secret getting out, he was taking it quite well. "I promise." Rainbow dash was obviously the first one to answer, and to take the chance to ask a question. She didn't think that much about it. "Who is that mare there, the white one who looks kind of like the Princess?"

Discord looked at the incriminated artwork for a few moments, which felt exceptionally long to everypony. He didn't look pleased, as if the scene brought painful memories back to his mind. But he kept his word nonetheless "I have been King for a thousand years, you know as much. But long before I had already been the ruler of Equestria. That is, until two sisters, both Alicorns..." At the look Dash was giving hem he explained: "Ponies with both wings and a horn..." The blue mare nodded. "Decided to usurp me."

With a movement of its claw, Discord conjured a sort of Diorama in front of him. The scene depicted a small village, built with an architectonic style that even the two of them could recognize as very ancient. The ground underneath showed a colourful checkered pattern only sometimes covered with patches of grass, large chunks of land, some with houses on them, were floating upside down, and strange creatures were jumping around chaotically. In the middle of the Chaos, inevitably, there was Discord himself, sitting on a golden throne and laughing. He also looked a lot more handsome and muscular than he actually was, and there was a mane of flowing blonde hair on his head. Nopony had the courage to point that out, though. "The older one was white, the younger dark Blue. Like me, they could move the sun and the moon with ease..." The two figures walked in the scene. The white one was surprisingly tall and walked with dignity and a posture worthy of a queen. What the sister lacked in the same kind of physique and grace, and compensated with the intensity and dignity of her gaze, which was pointing at Discord with disdain. Their horns lit up, and spell they had never seen started bolting toward the lord of Chaos, who still looked unconcerned as he deflected them all with ease. "They had powerful magic, for ponies, but even together couldn't match me. Until they found a powerful magical artefact, that is." Six gems appeared and started to swirl around them. A rainbow coloured wave of magic swallowed Discord moments later, leaving only a statue of him afterwards. Then the scene quickly changed.

There was now a beautiful forest, with a castle in ruin in the middle of it. It did seem relatively recent, but severely damaged by some terrible battle "They managed to imprison me in stone for who knows how many years, maybe even centuries. Until one day, in their lust for power, they started fighting among themselves." And so they appeared. The white one looked the same, while the younger was now as big as her, and many shades darker. As under discord all form of entertainment were strongly encouraged, even in the pegasus' city of Cloudsdale they had seen magic shows, and even some magic duels. It was clear that they were just at another level. Each ray of light and ball of fire conjured by the older one lit the clearing they were in like a small sun, while the dark and deadly blasts of her sister swallowed everything they touched, destroying trees and even leaving large and impossibly deep holes in the ground. Both, though, were agile enough to avoid most of them in their flight, and they shields and barriers they could conjure were no less powerful. " I don't know who started it, but both wanted to be the sole ruler of Equestria. Since their strength was perfectly matched, the battle lasted for many days. But in the end, the older one prevailed. Using the same artefact that petrified me, she sealed her sister on the moon forever" The figure of the black princess vanished as a ray of rainbow light hit her, while on the moon above the scene the familiar face appeared. "Still, as the artefact could only be powered by them both. As the harmony between them broke, my curse was lifted, and I could banish her. So I took what was mine, and the rest is History." Discord looked for a moment at the stained glasses around him, "Almost all of it, obviously" And then laughed, although it sounded a bit forced.

"Wait, so there really were other princesses!?" Dash looked somehow interested. She had never even considered the fact. cadence was, as far as she knew, the only one of her kind. many had even theorized she was a new form of evolution for ponies, as Nopony remembered anything like her. "And the mare face on the moon hasn't always been there? And what magical artefact was that? And..."

"tsk tsk tsk" Discord shook his head, a single raised claw swinging left and right. "You asked one question, and I answered. No more for you." A pouty expression was now on the mare's face, and it looked like she wanted to complain. Discord didn't give her the time. "Fluttershy, dear, what about you?"

"I-I promise..." that was the first thing, preceding everything else by many seconds. It felt somehow obliged to agree to the conditions, although she had no intention to come back to that room anyways. But since she had the chance, she thought it could just as well ask the one question that had been on her mind for quite a while. "Y-your super duper majesty... I..."

"Discord is fine!" he interrupted, trying to sound as suave as possible. In a few days they would have married, it was better to drop all the formalities. A light bulb suddenly appeared above his head "Or we could think of some nickname, it's a wonderful Idea!"

"D-Discord..." For Fluttershy just calling him by name was pushing it. She couldn't even imagine finding the courage to call him by something as intimate as a nickname "Why did you hide these in here? Is there..." her voice was shaking a bit, she was thinking of stopping, to avoid that question... But somehow she felt it was necessary to know "Something you regret?"

"Nrgh..." Discord expression had changed completely. The muscles on his face tensed considerably, as he tried to keep his light-hearted facade with poor results. She had hit the mark, and he didn't like it. After a few more seconds in which his expression kept changing, he finally settled on a smile, surprising the three mares. "Those... Those are two questions! So I'll answer the first one, as agreed..."

"Count the second one as mine!"

Discord stopped. For a moment, his right eye twitched. He turned his head toward his royal advisor, looking at her in disbelief. his mo9uth opened, but he was incapable of speaking. then it close. For a moment in his eyes there were rage and feelings of betrayal, but they didn't last. Then he looked like he was considering his options, and his pupils moved frenetically around the room, maybe searching fo a diversion. Finally, he sighed "Et tu, Pinkie?"

Pinkie was not smiling as usual, and her upper teeth were biting on her lower lip in a slightly contrived expression. She felt bad for doing this, but her eyes were still filled with determination. She was doing it for him. It was the right thing to do. And many other things she repeated in her mind. But before speaking again, she had to swallow, and breathe "I... I think it is important for you to answer. Especially since you are going to marry her..." And that was not just the opinion of the Royal advisor Pinkie Pie. It was the opinion of the mare, of the friend, Pinkie Pie. And against that, there was little Discord could do.

"I see." laconic, Discord looked for a moment at Pinkie, and then at Fluttershy. He could now see what was happening. And he didn't like it. Or did he? Pinkie Pie was the only mare capable of taking him constantly by surprise, and this was certainly surprising. Not in an amusing way, sure, but he kind of understood what she was trying to achieve. And, on the other hoof, he had promised. So, he started.

"Some of the stories I hid here are a bit too... Graphic, so to speak, for Pony's tastes. My war against an army of Dragons? Believe me, that wasn't pretty. And in some of these stories, I wouldn't look as good as I should. Sometimes, when you are King, you have to do what you have to do. I don't think Ponies would really like to know the exact details of how I protected them, and I certainly don't want to tell. I have a reputation, you know?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but luckily he didn't notice. he simply went on "And, believe me, there are creatures so terrible that is just better not to remember them." His look went towards the depiction of the red centaur. The only one in the room in which it looked like Discord was struggling. "But I thought that, even if Everypony else should forget, I should not. This is the reason I made these. Pulled them from my memory, and my magic did the rest." The level of versatility of Chaos magic was on another level compared to unicorn magic, especially since it relied much more on instinct than on reasoning. A pony would have had to carve and put every single fragment of glass in its place. He just had to think of the figure with enough detail and throw some magic at it.

"Some, I thought of them as friends. Some, They did to me things they shouldn't have. One..." His look went on the white alicorn "Did defeat me!" And in saying this, even though he himself thought it had accepted the fact, his voice cracked for a moment in rage. It was the only time in his life he lost a battle. A Draconeequs like him was not meant to know defeat at the hooves of ponies, it was unacceptable "I have this personal rule. The most important one..." he thought about it for a moment "Maybe the only one I have." That didn't at all sound ominous. "When I have to punish somepony, it has to be fun! Disobedient employees, Criminals, Even enemies... I have a pretty good track record, and I personally insisted that my best punishments were put in history books!" Yes, he was way too proud. But even pinkie somehow agreed with him. Sure, sometimes he went overboard... But in general, his punishments were both fair and fun. And the entire Equestrian legal system was strongly influenced by that in (at least in her opinion) a good way. "But a few times I got angry, really angry, and then I didn't uphold my own rule."

It was almost unnecessary for him to speak further. fluttershy could easily read the regret in her face, a sense of disappointment in himself that she didn't even think the Lord of Chaos could have. And after a few seconds, she simply asked: "W-what did you do, then?"

"Celestia...", he whispered, before correcting himself "The white alicorn. She had the magic of all the three kinds of ponies, she had the whole kingdom for herself, which she obtained defeating her sister, and would even have raised and set both the sun and the moon by herself. Moving the sun was her talent, her 'cutie mark'." She had everything Discord imagined a pony could want. "At the time I thought it would be fun to take away everything from her as she had done long before petrifying me." it sounded like a good idea. Even fun. He was probably laughing while doing it "I weakened her body so she wouldn't have the strength of an earth pony, I weakened her wings so she wouldn't fly like a pegasus, and I made her horn useless so she wouldn't cast magic like a unicorn" At the idea of a pegasus losing his ability to fly, Rainbow dash shivered already. That was cruel... and was only the beginning "I took back MY kingdom, obviously..." here he paused for a few long seconds "Then I cursed her so that the light of the sun would burn her. Isn't it ironic? The princess of the sun without the possibility of seeing the sun ever again..." Discord wasn't smiling. There was a certain melancholy in his gaze, maybe even a little bit of shame "It seemed a fitting punishment. I think I even laughed as she ran away." Discord looked for a moment at Pinkie. She seemed sad. A bit disappointed even, although she already knew the story. But he could see that she was still supportive of him. Moving toward Fluttershy, his eyes passed on Rainbow Dash for a moment; she was in equal measures disgusted and terrified. But nothing hurt as seeing his bride-to-be simply crying. "But thinking back at it, not even once I thought of it as funny..."

There was silence for a few long moments, and again the one who broke it was Fluttershy. At this point, the rule Discord had set earlier was not so relevant, so she asked: "Did you ever see her again?"

Discord thought for a few moments about it "No. Alicorn can potentially live forever and are pretty tough... But they are not immortal. With what I did to her, I doubt she could have survived a thousand years." He sighed, there was nostalgia in his voice "She was quite the mare. After I robbed her of everything, she did barely show fear. You know what she said as she was running away?" Pinkie knew the answer already, but the other two looked quite curious "Mark my words, Discord..." She tried somehow to imitate a female voice, although she barely remembered what she sounded like. The flowing iridescent mane he had conjured on his own head was quite accurate though "Even if Chaos prevails, Order will soon be restored!" he chuckled at that. A sad laugh. "So much for that, I guess. It's a pity, she might have been such a fun rival..." A long sigh got out of his mouth, then he looked at Fluttershy. His very voice sprung back to normal, almost suddenly: "Well, that's it! Did I answer your question?"

"Y-yes" It was all she was able to say. She didn't even know what to think. He did horrible things, sure, but somehow he recognized them as such. And he did show to her his ponylike side, which she really didn't expect. Behind the facade of confidence and arrogance of the Lord of Chaos, there was so much more...

"Time to go, then" The voice of Discord echoed for a moment, taking her away by her train of thought. The door of the room suddenly closed, and the flames that brought light to it started to fade. In just a snap, they were back to the throne room. Fluttershy had barely the time to give a last look to the crying white mare. "Hope you had a nice tour of the castle, besides that last... Place" Discord's expression was now the same as always, characterized by a large smile, probably a bit too smug to make it pleasant. But Fluttershy doubted she had really left everything else behind. Now that she knew the truth, it seemed to her that in every wrinkle and in every little movement of her facial muscles there was some deeper meaning. And suddenly she had started to think that even somepony like Discord, sometimes, might need to be comforted. Like one of her creatures. Maybe, just maybe, like one of her friends?

"By the way, I was disappointed nopony asked about the artefacts. It took centuries to collect all of them... there was pretty cool stuff in there...", Discord mused, clearly intentioned to tease the three ponies. Rainbow dash bit the hook instantly

"Like what?" There was honest curiosity in the blue mare, even a certain eagerness.

"Not telling! You already had your question answered..." Just like that, Discord was back at having fun as always.

"That's unfair! You answered more of Fluttershy's questions!" And somehow, Fluttershy felt that even for Rainbow Dash might have found her place there at the castle. Pinkie... Cadence... everypony was so kind to them.

"Did I?" Sometimes even Discord, who right now was badly feigning innocence. Maybe she should have tried to get used to her situation. It felt like it was for the best. Marrying Discord... It could not have been all that bad, could it?

Fluttershy, so assorted in her own thoughts, did not notice how Pinkie Pie was looking at her, in those brief few moments. there a smile on her face, and just a pinch of melancholy in her eyes. Somehow, she looked satisfied. As if everything was falling into place.

Author's Note

This should have a been a quick and nice interlude, like the previous two. Just a few info about the lore and Discord's point of view. In and out, Twenty minutes adventure.... Six days later, it somehow became the longest chapter I've written. :pinkiegasp:

I've been worrying a bit while writing this if I had been developing Discord too quickly, making him too sympathetic, or even just revealing too much... But overall I think it fits well with the duplicity of his character.

Also, I had some fun writing this... I hope you liked it too! :pinkiehappy:

With love,
The Marshmallow

12- Celebrations - Dawn

The sun arose early, as per usual during summer, and yet some ponies outpaced it. Twilight Sparkle was among them, incapable of sleeping more than a few hours due to the stress she felt. She had spent the previous thirty minutes studying the plan for the thousandth times, superfluously revising all the spells that could help her should unforeseen problems arise. As she saw the sun peeking through her window, she finally started slowly walking toward the door of her room, opening it unto a small hallway. Fancy Pants' contacts had made sure to provide them with proper accommodation, despite Canterlot being fully booked. Nothing too fancy, that was for sure, but more than enough privacy, a room for each of them, and the certainty of not leaving any paper trail behind.

"Applejack?" The lavender pony knocked on her friend's door twice, not too loudly, before slowly pushing it open. As her intention was to wake her up, Twilight was somehow surprised of finding her awake already. She was stretching a bit on the floor, just beside her bed, preparing herself for the long day ahead. For a moment she simply went on, keeping her position for a few more seconds, before relaxing and turning towards Twilight with a smile.

"Sugarcube, you're up already?" The earth pony raised a brow for a moment, looking at her friend with just a pinch of concern "I'm used to this, but you might want to rest a tad bit more!" The work on the farm meant waking up at about that time every single day. But as far as she knew, her friend wasn't used to the same regimen."The day is gonna be long, and we need you in top shape!"

Twilight sighed, part of her knew her friend was right... But the other part of her was anxiety; it urged her to perfect every step of the plan, checking every detail, and materially prevented her from sleeping until she had done so. "I'll try getting some sleep in the afternoon, once everything is alright. Now we have to check the props before too many ponies are around, and if possible I'll get some more practice for the teleportation..." her words sounded as final and confident as they could, as one would expect from Celestia's second in command.

Still, Applejack was not convinced "I'll hold you to your word, Twilight." Trying to sleep during the annual celebrations? A useless endeavour for most. But not for those, like Twilight, that can practice advanced silencing spells. "Still, it seems to me you've put some mighty effort in checkin' and practicin' already." She doubted in the whole kingdom there could be a more proficient spellcaster than her, except maybe Sunset Shimmer. If even she couldn't do it, Applejack could well have believed it was just impossible.

"Eleven centimetres", Twilight replied dryly. "My margin of error is eleven centimetres. In a laboratory, it is a lot... But in the real world?" She gave her friend a worried look. "If my magic shifts just a bit further, either the teleport fails or she ends up someplace else. Best case scenario we lose our chance or we get caught." She fidgeted a bit, "Worst case scenario, the Royal advisor..." Teleportation spells are hard and dangerous; there are reasons they only are thaught to the most capable unicorns. There have been ponies that failed one and never reappeared, or at least didn't reappear whole. Using it on somepony else? From many meters away? Without being able to directly see her? The difficulty increased exponentially at every further condition. "Let's just say we don't want anything to go wrong."

And to this, there was nothing Applejack could object "Fine", she sighed after a few moments. She then simply took her saddlebag and started to move toward the door calmly "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Make sure to take everything We probably aren't coming back here", said the unicorn, quickly looking around the room to make sure nothing of relevance was left behind. Twilight was almost certain she would never see that room again, as that night she should have been in Ponyville with her hostage already. For Applejack it would have depended on how the aftermath of their heist would develop.

"I sent the money home already" Trixie gave her the whole payment in advance. An amount of money she was hardly comfortable with, being worth about two months of bucking apples and feeding animals for just one week of much lighter work. Sure, Trixie was demanding to the point of being obnoxious, but there was only so much the magician could need for her thirty minutes show. "So I only have a few tools..." The ones she brought from home, the only ones she trusted. Those she had used in years of building mangers, fences and even the barn. "And a few apples." A light snack, absolutely essential.

The last item left a smile on Twilight's face and lightened her anxiety a little bit. "Are the apples enough for breakfast, or you want a coffee, too?", she teased, leading the way outside the door of Applejack's room, soon followed by her friend.

"A coffee sounds good!"

Walking from their apartment to the main square was, for Twilight, an almost surreal experience. The streets of the capital she was born in, always so crammed with ponies, were now almost empty. All the shops and the boutiques, closed. And if it wasn't for a cafe inexplicably open 24/7, the two mares would have had a hard time finding any breakfast.

The situation completely changed once they got close to the main square. Discord's magical barrier loomed menacingly around it, and it was set in a surprisingly smart way. Unless a pony could fly (in which case he would be easily seen), there were only eight, easy to preside access points to the area. Near each of those, there were armed guards and long ques. It was somehow surprising how early many ponies were willing to get up to take some of the better seats, especially considering regular spectators were not allowed inside the square for another two hours at least.

Luckily, the two of them had backstage passes, and after a quick inspection of their saddlebags, they were allowed in the still empty square. Crossing the barrier didn't give Applejack any special feeling, as it had no effect to the touch. On the contrary Twilight, as a well-trained unicorn, could easily perceive the magic imbalance it caused, although the feeling passed as soon as no part of her body was in contact with it. Then it was time to cross the square, and since it was impossibly large, it actually took them more than five minutes to get to the backstage, where another pair of guards checked their passes, and finally they were inside. A large portion of the technical staff was there already, but only the first few performers were already preparing for their own show. Trixie? they were quite sure she wouldn't show up until the early afternoon at the very least. Good: that meant they had all the time they needed.

Unwilling to lose any time at all, Applejack trotted quickly towards the props for Trixie's show, most of which they had built themselves in the past few days. Considering they weren't professionals, they did a wonderful job. Sure, the fact their employer knew exactly what she needed and had a pretty clear idea of both the design and the functioning helped a lot. The practical sense of the apple farmer and the many spells Twilight used did the rest. All the spells that Sunset had called useless over time, and that in her opinion Twilight should have avoided learning to focus instead on more battle-focused ones, came in handy now: with just a pinch of magic, she could paint the props and cut the wood with incredible precision. Being them relatively easy spells that most unicorns could learn with the appropriate training, she didn't even reveal too much of her magical talent, managing to still be fairly inconspicuous.

While Applejack started by giving a look to the props, to be sure it was well oiled and working to perfection, Twilight moved quietly towards the stage, climbing the stairs with a relaxed demeanour. she shouldn't really have been going there, but as usual, the right amount of confidence made sure nopony thought anything strange was happening. Once she found herself back in the open, the empty square looked even larger, even more impressive, and thinking it would be completely full with ponies in just a few hours (and that many more would be looking at the show from their windows) was quite the overwhelming thought. The crowd would probably help her get away but also introduced many unpredictable variables. variable she didn't have time to consider right there, as her priority was moving towards a hidden trap door quite near the very centre of the stage. The magic box containing Pinkie Pie was going to be placed exactly there, and she would have easily snuck out of it ending up in the backstage, just to reappear a little later leaving the audience in awe. But Twilight was there to make sure that she would not return on the stage, and instead be brought back to Ponyvillle with her.

Twilight horn lit, and a measuring tape emerged swiftly from her saddlebag. After imagining the box exact position to make the trick work, she quickly determined the exact point in which she would have to focus her magic. After putting away the tape, she focused a very basic levitation spell on a few air molecules, essentially keeping them as still as she could. Given the very little amount of magic required, the magic around her horn was barely noticeable, and so she could walk back to the backstage without worrying too much. The next step was going to the exact place she would have been that afternoon and focusing on the place where she would have to teleport Pinkie. Two little, unassuming carvings on the floor, made days earlier, made this part quite trivial. The difficult part was memorizing the feeling of extending her magic towards the air that would in a few hours be replaced by Pinkie Pie, and then have that exact point connected to her target to have the teleport spell working to perfection. Once again, after making sure that nopony was directly watching her (and since the chosen position was close to a corner, she didn't have to wait much), she could fully lit her horn to have those few molecules of air being teleported to her desired target. She knew the feeling very well: she had managed to practice it day after day, practically perfecting all the details of the spell. She repeated it a few more times, to imprint it even more deeply in her mind... But then there was little more she could do. A few more performers were getting there, and a few more members of the technical staff were getting on the scene, making the whole ordeal less safe. It was finally time to go back to Applejack, helping her checking all the props one more time.

Fluttershy woke up at the melodic singing of a choir of birds. According To Rainbow Dash, the singing was the only good trait they had. More then birds, they were a Cronenbergian hybrid between hummingbirds, much larger predatory birds and some kind of clocks. Fluttershy still thought they were kind of cute, though. The only thing that made her shiver was seeing Discord twisting their wings to set the correct time for the 'alarm'. That sight had hunted her throughout the first two nights, but now she was somehow used to it, so she turned to them with a smile. "Good morning little friends!"

As she got more and more used to her new environment, she wasn't at all startled by the bizarre appearance of her room. Sure, discord tried to make it as cute as feminine as he could image, but Discord's taste in it was quite apparent. Not a single surface was regular, not a single decoration was normal or tasteful, and extremely flattering paintings and statues of Discord himself were everywhere. She mostly ignored them, and she arose from the bed starting to walk towards the bathroom. She preferred to have a shower before breakfast, which took her no more than fifteen minutes.

Once her fur was dry and her mane was properly styled, she could simply get out of the room. Rainbow Dash was already waiting there, with her mane as ruffled as it usually was, trying to display through her expression and her body language a certain nonchalance. "Morning, 'Shy!"

Fluttershy smiled. As much as the blue mare tried to play it cool, for a friend that had known her for most of her life, she was quite easy to read. The fact that for her standards she woke up so early every day was an easy giveaway, and so was the fact that she seemed even more protective of Fluttershy than she usually was "Dash... Are you still worried about this whole..." The timid mare looked around her. That weird, weird room was by itself already a lot to take in. And it was certainly far from being the weirdest or more worrisome "Thing?" Having to marry the King later that day, and probably having to live the rest of her life with him was probably what she was worried about. But on Fluttershy face, there was still the same calm smile "We'll be fine, I promise!"

"No, I'm not." She tried to deny, a bit flustered, but she wasn't very convincing. Not even to herself. she sighed "I mean, yes!" Little use denying it. "Who wouldn't?" A week certainly wasn't enough to take all of this in, and she had no idea how Fluttershy managed to pretend it was. "I mean, I will be fine. Always. I'm tough like that." And she started bragging. What was the point she was trying to make, again? Oh, right! "But I'm not the one marrying... Him!" Rainbow didn't think she would be 'fine' if that was the case. They had gotten to know him over the past week, and now even her kind of agreed he wasn't a complete monster. But from that to be somepony one would want to marry? "You don't have to do that, 'Shy!", she pleaded; hope and grief present in equal measure in her voice.

Fluttershy looked at her for a few moments. It was not easy to find an answer to this. At first, she thought that Cloudsdale would be doomed if she refused the marriage. now she was sure Discord would never do something like that. And although she wasn't in love with him, she had gotten used to the idea. She kind of felt like refusing now would be some kind of betrayal of his trust. And, on the other hand, after everything Rainbow Dash had done for her throughout their lives, she thought that through her new positions she could have ensured her a good life. She deserved it. "It's for the best."

Rainbow Dash wasn't as good as reading others, and sometimes she regretted this fact. She had tried to talk her out of the marriage day after day and still hadn't managed to understand what kept her from agreeing. Love was out of the question. Fear from Cloudsdale's fate, at this point, was out of the question too. And it wasn't even the lack of a chance to run away. Security around the castle was, for the most part, so lax they could have snuck out and run away easily. But she had finally a new hypothesis, one that could possibly hit the mark. Kindness! "Do you feel sorry for him?" She sounded a little bit more aggressive than she would have wanted. But out of all the ponies in Equestria, in her opinion, she was the one less deserving of that kind of compassion. Sure, she went through some rough patches in his life... But his god-like powers and his authority over the entirety of Equestria seemed a pretty sweet deal. And for loneliness... He had a great friend in Pie. Wasn't that enough? Since no answer came from Fluttershy, she just went on "Hear me out. We don't even have to cancel the wedding. There is a mare that is actually in love with him, and who is already much closer to him than you are. And they even seem a pretty good match, being about the same level of weird!" She didn't even have to say the name. it was quite obvious that description fit Pinkie Pie perfectly. "You could just swap!"

The two mares jumped, as a giggling figure appeared from literally nowhere. "You are making that sound a lot easier than it is!" The poofy mane and her pink colour left no doubts about her identity. Her way of inexplicably appear was also quite her style. "It's not that I would dislike that, but..." She blushed a little bit, and looked for a moment to the ground, before moving her gaze back to the duo. "He will never see me like that."

And Fluttershy had now accepted it as one of the many sad facts of life. But Rainbow? She wasn't so sure "You will never know if you don't try!" Her voice was full of confidence, as she pointed out what the right course of action was. And, to be fair, she had still plenty more arguments, plenty more ways of convincing the mare to toughen up and try to take Fluttershy's place. She had been thinking about that for days, after all, and she wasn't going to surrender before trying everything she could.

Pinkie replied with a smile, and a small giggle "Yes, I'm sure you would know about that..." There was irony in her voice, but not straight up sarcasm. More than malice, it was a resigned declaration they weren't in a very different place. And by phrasing it like that, the real meaning of it could easily go above Fluttershy head, while hitting Rainbow hard.

And just like that, Rainbow Dash was defeated. She opened her mouth, but she couldn't think of any snarky remind. She couldn't think of any remark at all. Pinkie was right, maybe if she had a bit more courage, Fluttershy would be hers. Had they been in love, engaged, married... They wouldn't even have been sent in front of Discord. In many ways, it was her fault too. And even now, she didn't have the fortitude to confess her feelings.

"By the way, breakfast is ready!" And now the pink pony was back to be as cheery as always, as if the previous conversation never happened. And with a moderate trot, she led the way toward the stairs, briefly turning back towards the two with a smile "Let's go, before it gets cold!"

And little could they do but follow her.

Author's Note

It took forever to write this one. For the central and the final I had the scene in my mind, and I had no big troubles putting it in words. The incipit, though? It took me days to decide on the first few lines, and that is the main reason for my delay. Sorry! The next chapters should come out a bit more quickly, though. :twilightblush:

With love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. Two chapter from now, we will finally see some action! Stay tuned!

13 - Celebrations - Noon

"Ah ah ah ah!" The Draconeequs slammed his paw on the table in front him multiple times, gasping for air, while all the ponies in the room looked at him in fear. Nopony dared to interrupt him, or to even utter a single word. "That was a great Joke. If I am to be king, I'll certainly need some capable jesters" At a snap of his claw, the dresses in precious silks and the refined jewellery of the stallions and mare in the room vanished into thin air, immediately replaced by ridiculous attires of many colours. The richest and most influential unicorns in Canterlot were reduced to mere buffoons in front of the Lord of Chaos.

The one mare that was spared of this treatment was the only one that also had the courage to look at him in the eyes. A light grey unicorn mare with a flowing azure mane. "I understand your concerns, Your Majesty, but I'm afraid this is not a joke"

The Draconequus gave her a stern look. "Precious, you can't really expect me to agree to this madness! The Sun standing in a single place for the whole day?" He shivered for a few moments, before continuing his speech with a dramatic tone: "Can you imagine anything more boring?"

Without missing a beat, the mare answered with a confident tone, explaining further the specifics of their request. "Actually, it has to be in different parts of the sky at different times of the day and of the year. Our best natural philosophers have calculated the perfect positions to improve the harvest..." The look on Discord's face was a mixture of wariness and annoyance. "And I believe we both can imagine something more boring?"

"Urgh..." Discord's paw went up to his temples, which he started to massage thoroughly. That was more or less how all arguments ended, and there was sadly very little he could argue about that. He stayed silent for a few long seconds, during which everypony, including the mare, kept its breath. then he finally spoke: "I'll agree only under certain conditions..."

While most of the ponies in the room were still terrified and reasonably wary, a hopeful smile appeared on the mare's face "We will be glad to hear them" The Draconeequs didn't even open his mouth, he just snapped his fingers. A scroll soon fell in front of the mare, which she immediately opened and started to read, while Discord looked at her expectantly. "Oh, wow..." Her eyes widened a bit, and soon all other ponies were behind her, trying to see the list of conditions. They were quite a lot, and quite ambitious. Freedom of moving the sun however he wanted every other day? Spreading his Chaos freely once a week? Veto power over every decision of the local councils? And many other big and small conditions. Almost all unicorns in the room thought that the negotiations were over before they even started. Precious Gown had a different idea, though. "I'm surprised," she said with a smile and a teasing tone, "Some of these are actually reasonable!"

Discord couldn't avoid cracking a smile at this comment "Ah! Should I make them more outrageous, then?" With his claws he quickly reached for the horn of a brown stallion nearby, taking it away ( and leaving him paralyzed in fear). He used it to write something on the list as if it was a pen, before putting the horn back in his place with still some ink stains near the tip. Then he looked around, observing the reactions of the ponies "Oh, I was just kidding." He felt the need to reassure them since they looked (at least in his point of view) inexplicably frightened. "You can't even take a joke!" He shook his head, as if disappointed, before going back to the only reasonable pony in the room. at least in his opinion. "Seriously, the conditions I marked are non-negotiable. For the others... do your best negotiating with the Earth Ponies"

Precious Gown lowered her head and kneeled "I will, your Majesty. I should arrange a meeting between their's and the Pegasuses' representatives for tomorrow." In her head, she had everything already planned out to the most minute detail and explained everything with precision. "I should consult our natural philosophers to determine how sensitive the crop would be to deviations on the established patterns. We should be able to reach a fair compromise without "

She was a surprisingly orderly and logical mare, and yet she seemed to be able to embrace chaos sometimes. Maybe that was the reason she had accepted to have her as his advisor, and also as his main spokesman. "I... No, we have quite some leverage over them. I know how important keeping the sun under control is to them" His voice was now much more serious. Neither angry nor amused, neither annoyed nor content. It was just a very straightforward, matter-of-fact tone.
"And having to sacrifice your best magicians for it is not a great deal, especially when I can do it effortlessly..." A team of ten unicorns, each one with considerable mastery over magic, was necessary to move the sun and the moon. And even the most magically endowed ended up draining his powers completely after a few months of exertion. Celestia and Luna's ascension was a miracle in this sense, lifting the terrible duties from the other ponies. Discord could easily fit the same role, being in fact irreplaceable. Well, not that they could replace him either way. "So, as usual..." His smile widened, as his paw went below the mare chin, gently lifting her head toward his own. "I'll trust you with this!"

Without saying a single more word, and before Precious could answer, Discord simply vanished, leaving the mare with a clear mission, that she simply acknowledged by saying: "You won't be disappointed." All the other ponies in the room, though, were much less resolute. They were still somehow confused about what had just happened and were still dressed as jesters. They were all looking at each other, unsure about what to do.

That is, until a disembodied voice made itself audible to them all "Oh, I almost forgot about your clothes. They looked quite expensive, it would be a shame if they were lost just like that." In the room there were some sighs of relief, as the less than flattering attires they were given simply disappeared, soon to be replaced. "I don't remember which is whose, but you should be able to sort it out easily..." All the stallions were now wearing mare's clothes, and the opposite was true for almost all the mares (almost, as there were slightly more mares than stallions). And if that wasn't enough, the principle Discord followed was that of the worst fit. The largest stallions were given the dress of the smallest mare and vice versa, while for some he just chose whatever would most weirdly contrast the colour of the mane and of the fur.

Precious Gown, immune from this treatment, simply cracked a small smile and the confusion and almost panic of her peers. In the end, it was nothing more than an innocent and innocuous way to slight them and to spread a little bit of chaos. She knew well that the other members of the council would, given a few minutes, be back to their most presentable, ready to help her in easier meetings. She couldn't wait, though; she had much more relevant things to do, so she simply moved towards the door, ready to go on with her plans. She wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

"Your Super-Duper Majesty?"

The cheerful voice of Pinkie Pie, his trusted Royal Advisor, brought Discord's mind back to the present time, after he had been assorted for too long in his own thought "Mmh? What?"

"I said It's almost noon" She looked out of the window "Uhm... almost 12?" She corrected herself, a bit uncertain. The sun was still stuck in place as if it was no later than 6 in the morning, but it hardly felt like that after all those hours of light. And all the clocks agreed with her, obviously. "You should come to have lunch, all the nobles and foreign emissaries are waiting for you"

Living together with ponies for so long, their short-sighted sense of time had started rubbing off the Lord of Chaos. Even the meagre one thousand years that had passed since them seemed to him a long time. And once in a while, he even thought back at all that happened with a little bit of nostalgia. Not as much as Pinkie, sure, but Precious Gown was certainly a fun mare. And she was both loyal and capable, judging by the deal she crafted that time. A deal that became the basis for the original treaty between Equestria and Discord. "I'm coming." He had thought long enough about the past, and now had better things to do. It didn't take but a snap of his claws and the two were already in the large dining room of the castle.

Although Discord's personal tastes were well reflected in the room, like in the somehow irregular pattern painted on the floor and in the golden chandelier in which every candle was held by a miniature of the Draconeequs, the room was overall one of the more normal and functional. It was one of the few places where he could properly welcome his guests, such as the multitude of Equestrian and foreign nobles, politicians and influential figures that were now sitting around the table, while a whole platoon of veteran guards was lined near the walls, ready to intervene at the smallest disturbance. At the head of the table, in the leftmost of fours seats, there was Rainbow Dash. Just at her right one could barely see the head of Fluttershy peering from below the table, visibly anxious at the presence of so many important ponies and unsure on how to act. She was clearly much in need of all the reassurance that her friend was trying to give her. Just beside them, two more seats, empty and clearly waiting for the two figures that had just entered the room.

Their presence didn't go unnoticed, as all the creatures around the table got up from their seat, lining up to go greet the King. The Queen of Saddle Arabia was first in line, as usual. A relatively young and very lively mare, with a pink fur and a dark blue mane; tall, agile and with an elegant figure, wearing a beautiful traditional outfit made of the finest silks. She had ascended the throne only a few years back, and just like her mother cared a lot about the special relationship between the two kingdoms. "Lord Discord, It's always a pleasure, if not honour, meeting you!"

This bothered Discord. Just a little bit. Not for the fact that those were close to the very trite and meaningless words many others would soon have used to address him. No, the problem was that everything, from the words to her large smile, was completely genuine. She really knew so little about what really happened in Saddle Arabia, so many years prior. And probably it was for the best. "I could say the same!" So he just answered with a smile of his own "You are growing to be the image of your grandmother, aren't you?" That was enough to make her blush a little, and giggle. And Discord just had to conduct a little bit more of painful small talk, to have her trot back happily to her seat.

Most of the other greetings were mostly boring, but still less painful the first one. There were some highlights here and there, such as Fancy Pants or the King of the Yaks. Discord found him especially funny, for the contrast between his pride and the need to show humility in front of the fearsome Lord of Chaos. And after a representative from Griffonstone, a few ponies from the other side of the seas, a representative of the Storm King and a multitude of Equestrian Nobles, he could finally take her seat. Overall it wasn't as bad as he thought, it took more or less ten minutes.

"Sorry for the wait, my darling!" He gave a wink to her soon to be bride, at which she blushed wildly. As much as she was trying to, she still wasn't fully comfortable with this. But discord was sure it was nothing but a healthy amount of shyness. She would get over it eventually. For now, it was nothing more than a reason to get a chuckle here in there. "Wonderful dress, by the way..." It was the same he wore during the selection, just a few days prior. By far the prettiest she owned, although a bit boring from Discord's perspective. he should have asked Rarity to make her something. But his one request was, considering the little time available, just more than enough, "I can't wait to see you with the other one, though" Unsurprisingly, but much to Discord's amusement, she was now red from head to hooves.

As his maids started coming in the room with trails full of lavish food, the small talk all but ceased.

That day noon never arrived in Equestria, never did the sun arise fully above the horizon, as Discord thought that kind of light was the most pleasant. Romantic, even, quite perfect for his wedding. Still, it would have been about one hour after noon when the Draconeequs finally revealed himself in front of the crowd. He waited for the current group of performers (Some Yaks showcasing their traditional music) to complete their performance and leave the stage. Then the real show could begin. His own.

Before new performers could be introduced, a dozen drums appeared floating above the stage, rhythmically hit by twice as many sticks. "Mares and Gentlestallions!" many floating spotlights started to appear well above the stage, moving around it and then focusing on the centre of it. Some mist started to rise, but not just on the stage; no, in the entire square "Please, give your welcome to the Ruler of Equestria, Emperor of the Frozen North, King of the Western Lands..." And the list of titles went on, a large, two-horned figure started to appear in the mist, slowly getting closer to the edge of the stage. "Saviour of Saddle Arabia, Brother to the Griffons, yak among the Yaks. Please give your welcome..." There was an audible drumroll, and the mist started to fade "To His Super-duper Majesty, King Discord!"

Plain for everyone to see, there was the figure of the legendary king. Clad in a large, intimidating battle armour fully made of gold, keeping in his paw a large golden spear in which a carving of his own figure held the tip. His smile was filled with pride, his smile was filled with power. And almost everypony felt it was appropriate to give him a round of applause. For some, it was the natural reaction of awe, seeing for the first time His Majesty up close. For others, it was simply fear. For Discord, it was exactly the same "Thank you, everypony!" His cheerful voice resounded in the whole square perfectly clear for Everypony to hear, while his right arm was being waved at the crowd. "I hope you are enjoying the show, me and my Royal Advisor, Pinkie Pie, chose the best performers from all over Equestria... No, from all over the world with the utmost care!" Pinkie Pie was actually just beside his king, smiling as well. She was not only the Advisor, but also his master of ceremonies; it was her who announced moments earlier, after all. "Don't worry, we will not bother you with long and boring speeches. there is a whole show to see, and we surely don't want to miss it!" At a snap of his fingers, a whole new tribune appeared from nowhere, floating ten meters above the crowd, and about ten meters from the stage. All the nobles that were previously having lunch with him were there already, enjoying the best possible seating. And he reached them by teleporting to it together with the pink mare. Again, she was to his right and Fluttershy to his left as he seated on his throne.

Discord was quite satisfied with his own performance, and the smile on his face gave that away quite easily. He thought he had struck the right balance between powerful and relatable. Sure, his subjects needed to fear him a little bit, but also to feel a certain fondness for their ruler. The wedding was set to be the perfect chance to reiterate the latter... And thanks to the careful management of Pinkie Pie, everything was set to be just perfect.

Author's Note

Right now I'm also writing my thesis, so I'm having a little bit less time to write this... But I still should manage to publish a chapter per week.
I certainly don't lack the motivation, as I'm quite excited about the next few chapters! :raritywink:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

14 - Celebrations - Sunset

The show was extraordinary. A triumph of complex choreographed dance performances and concerts, wisely alternated with light and fun comedy sketches and brief magic shows and a little bit of pro-Discord propaganda sprinkled into it. For most spectators, the hours passed pleasantly and quickly, leading into what would have been the late afternoon.

For some other ponies, though, the hours went on excruciatingly slowly, and although the light hadn't changed at all, it didn't look like dawn anymore. They already felt the full weight of the "Sunset?" An orange pegasus wearing light but sturdy golden armour entered the small room her commander was in. He was trying to be calm in his speech, but it was obvious he was after all a bit excited "Everypony is already in the main room, and it's almost time. We only wait for your orders!"

For a few moments, there was no answer. Sunset Shimmer's gaze seemed to be wandering in the distance, leaving her with an unreadable expression. And Flash was almost going to ask again, fearing he hadn't been heard. Then she let out a long sigh. Her head turned towards the pegasus, her eyes now laser-focused on his own, filled with confidence and a determination that he would in other contexts had found intimidating. Now? They were just inspiring. "Thank you, Flash." A small smile wrinkled her muzzle, as she started walking towards the main room, with Flash soon following "I should still have time to say a few words to the troops, right?"

The young officer, despite the confidence in his agility and strength, found almost difficult to follow the fast, military pace of the unicorn, so it took him a moment to actually answer the question. "Absolutely. We should have about fifteen minutes, if not twenty." They walked quickly through the natural tunnels that water had carved in the rock through the millennia, creating an impossibly complex labyrinth. Luckily, they had centuries on their part to collectively map them all, and years individually to memorize those maps. Soon, they reached the largest room, the only one capable of accommodating the almost 300 members of Celestia's Militia

Flash lined up in the first row together with the other officers, while Sunset took her place on a natural platform in front of them, elevating her about 50 centimetres from the ground. Not much, but enough to be visible to everypony. She didn't wait even a moment more. "We have been waiting for too long!", she articulated clearly, as a little bit of magic enshrouded her throat, strengthening it. That wasn't Celestia's royal voice, but it was certainly close enough. "Our whole life we have been training, preparing for this day. And while, year after year, Discord gloated and celebrated, ignoring his duties and spreading his evil throughout Equestria, thirty generations of heroes had been preparing as well, passing down their knowledge and their spirit to us!" Be it the inspiring speech or even just the raw charisma she was projecting, even those that were becoming tense or afraid as the time of the showdown got closer were letting go those sentiments. They were starting to be excited, too. "We are lucky. We are not going to spend our whole life waiting for a chance of proving ourselves, a chance of deposing that monster. No! Our chance is today!" the crowd roared in approval, forcing Sunset to wait until they calmed before continuing her speech.

"They will send their best against us. Veterans, they call them. Veterans..." She dwelled on that word a little more, as if with disdain "Laughable! They haven't seen a war in their lifetime! The best of them have fought nothing more than bandits, or a bunch of diamond dogs. Most of them have just spent a few years idly, guarding the border, earning themselves military titles and honours. What about us?" She looked at the crowd in front of her, with pride, and smiled "Every week we fight our crusade against Chaos, protecting the life of the innocent citizens of Equestria!" Another roar, briefer but no less intense "While the guards just look on the other side, too afraid to do their job! They won't even be able to slow us. We will be at the door of Canterlot in minutes, ready to face our true foe!" She could clearly see that, just with those words, the tension was back. Fighting a godlike being is rarely good for morale. But that's exactly the problem she was there to solve "I won't lie: it will be though! All it takes is a snap of his talon, and he can take out the best of us. He will come to us sure he can destroy our whole army in two, maybe three minutes." Some soldiers looked at each other, legitimately worried, but something in sunset tone prevented them to be totally terrified. She was still as confident as she was before, still as determined "But if he thinks he will let him have his way easily with us -and he thinks that" Discord's confidence in himself was out of the question. "He is wrong!" Her tone was now stern, a bit louder than before even. "We know what his chaos can do. We have trained for years to perfect our formations. And we will be relentless in our attacks! He will be forced to focus on defending himself, instead of cursing us with his chaos!" Thinking back at the training, hours of exhausting exercise every day, gave them quite some confidence. Nopony before them had ever been as prepared to fight him!

"By the way, now it is your last chance to quit." her tone was now calm, almost neutral. but that didn't last for long "Your last chance to go back to your home unharmed, far from the dangers of the battlefield. Your last chance to trade an eternity of glory for the little 'safety' that you can have as long as Discord rules our land." No one seemed intentioned to quit now. They were too far into it already, and the peer pressure made it just unthinkable of just getting up and leave even for the most afraid ones. Sunset smiled "For the brave ponies that will stay, and fight by my side, I can't promise much. You might be hurt, or worse. You might lose your mind to his chaos." Everypony was looking at her in the eyes, in those deep, green, determined eyes. "But I can promise I will be there with you. I can promise that I will do my best so that all of you can go home safely. And above all, I can promise that we are doing the right thing. I can promise we will not be fighting in vain!"

"Soon our Princess will be back in her rightful place " her voice was now at the most intense. She felt the stakes to be personal. It was her life's mission, and she wanted it to be also her fellow rebels' "And she will never forget our courage. Our heroism. Our sacrifice." A moment of dramatic pause "For Glory!" She shouted. "For Equestria!" The crowd answer back galvanized. "For Celestia!" She raised a hoof to the sky "Who is with me?" And then everypony else did the same, as the loud cheering echoed through the cave.

Everypony moved relentlessly in the backstage. Very few ponies had the leisure to stay idle for more than a few seconds, as the performers waiting for their turn had to make sure everything would be perfect, and so did the technical staff. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow dash appeared in the centre of all of this, with a familiar flash of light. It was unnecessary, as Discord could teleport in perfect silence, and it wasn't very funny for him either (there were many visual and sound effects he would have preferred). Still, Fluttershy was adamant on not attracting any more attention than necessary, so unicorn style it was.

Fluttershy's first thought after she appeared? That she didn't think that through. Everypony simply stopped doing whatever they were doing, now focusing their full attention on the trio. She should have expected as much; Pinkie Pie was well recognized as Discord's spokespony for everything related to the celebrations, and Fluttershy was soon going to marry the King himself. To her relief, though, everything lasted no more than a few moments. Soon the pressure caught up to them, forcing them back to their own jobs, and leaving the trio able of roaming in the backstage undisturbed. And it was but half a minute, and they had found what -or better who- they were searching.

"Darlings, I've been waiting for you!" With a large, charismatic smile Rarity got closer to her. Just behind her, her assistant, Twilight sparkle, was moving two large wardrobes with her magic. She looked well rested, as she had managed to take a nap in the early afternoon. "Dear, put them over there." She casually gestured toward a less crowded side, having her moving toward it. But casual it was not, as there was a small, barely visible cross carved in the ground, and she put one of the two wardrobes exactly on top of it. Then the fashionista went back to the trio "I hope you have been having a pleasant day!"

"We sure have!" Unsurprisingly, Pinkie was the first to answer, with a happy and excited tone "I don't know if you have been seeing the show, but it is amazing!" There was pride in her voice, as she had basically planned the whole event. But as joyous as she really was, her words and her tone were carefully thought of. She was trying to frame the whole conversation in the most positive light. "And the best part has yet to come!"

Rainbow Dash, on her part, was hermetic. "Uh uh" Although she had accepted to be Fluttershy's best ponies, and to carry through this with her, supporting her, she was clearly not happy with the whole situation.

"Y-yes" Fluttershy was mildly blushing, and it was apparent how tense she was. As much as she could be resigned to her fate, this was still a huge step. But if there was a time for her to be strong, it was now. she tried to muster her most confident voice, and her most opaque poker face, to utter a few more word: "I look forward to seeing the dress!"

"Excellent!" Rarity could still read the yellow pony easily and felt pity for her. But her duties to Celestia and the plan that was unravelling in that very moment prevented her from acting on those feelings in any meaningful way. All she could do was to act and keep up her brilliant and charming persona. "The two of us will have time to make your dress perfect, darling, but I have to start with Pinkie now." The pink pony nodded, gleefully "If I understood it right, you'll have to meet with Trixie soon!" As she was still talking, she started moving towards the wardrobes, opening one with her magic, and starting to rummage through it.

"Yep!" Pinkie was legitimately excited. It was not the first time she had organized the whole show, but being personally involved in the show as an assistant? that was a first! And it was bound to be great "I'll leave my friends in your care. Play nice!" With a large smile, she tried to involve a bit more the two silent ponies in the conversation a bit more. Not with great success, sadly. Her excitement was not ruined though, especially since Rarity took out a beautiful blue and pink, candy-inspired dress, showing it to the group "Wow!"

"The concept" She started to explain, mostly to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash as Pinkie was already well informed of the whole plan. "Is to have all the decor of the ceremony be very colourful and vibrant, including Pinkie Pie's and Rainbow Dash' Dresses..." This piqued a bit rainbow dash's interest. She wasn't big on clothes at all, and the idea of having to wear some fancy, boring dress was all but attractive. "I simply couldn't imagine the two of you with something plain" And as a Fashionista she had a good eye for this kind of thing "This will make Fluttershy's and his super-duper majesty's more traditional dresses much more impactful!"

Rainbow Dash was still silent, just nodding in acknowledgement, while Fluttershy felt the polite thing to do would be to try answering somehow. "It sounds... nice!" That was still better than her average interaction with strangers, so she hoped that would not raise any question.

It didn't. The royal advisor was too excited to focus that much on her, right now. She had, honestly, more dresses than she needed. Expensive gifts she received from either Discord or Cadence, crafted by the best stylists from Canterlot and Manehattan. But she doubted she owned a dress as amazing as the one Rarity had made for her. It was not just the level of skill involved, or quality of the textiles, or the creativity of the creation. No, it was the fact it was really created for her, trying to take into account not only her measures and colour scheme but also her personality. And she loved it. "let's try it! I love it already!"

"Well said, darling!" And with a smile, not immune to the appreciation, Rarity starting to help Pinkie pie with wearing the dress, to make sure the fit was perfect.

Everypony's breathe was halted, as a plume of magical smoke made his way into the cavern, reaching Sunset Shimmer and soon materializing a rolled piece of paper, closed by a seal. The unicorn enveloped it in his own magic even before it fell to the ground, signalling that she was as much on the edge as much as all her comrades. With a snap, the seal was broken, and she quickly read the content. It took just five, eternally long seconds. then she smiled: "Let's go!"

A battle cry resounded through the tunnels as the army galloped through them, soon splitting into three teams. A smaller one commanded by Sunset herself, with Flash sentry as her second and other selected members following, and two larger ones directed by a mulberry-coloured mare with a purple mane and a black pegasus stallion with a light blue mane. They had been planning this one assault for just a week, but that plan had been in place for centuries. All of them had studied it for years, and no one had doubts about their own role. So, without any hitch, they emerged from three different entrances of the cave. All three of them were in a higher position compared to the doors of Canterlot, meaning their descent felt extremely menacing to the guards that first saw them, but they were actually coming from three slightly different directions. east for the group lead by the earth pony, northeast for the group lead by a pegasus, while Sunset's platoon was more or less in the middle between the two.

Militarily speaking, it would in most cases not have been a good plan. the slope was too steep, the pathway too unsteady, and the position lacked any kind of natural coverage. If attacked while still up there, they would have had severe losses. But no attack happened. Just as planned, The 'Veterans' reacted slowly. Not all of it was due to their lack of preparation for actual warfare, or even lack of training in general. They just couldn't imagine that, if someone was to attack Canterlot in the first time in centuries, they could possibly do it while an abnormal number of guards was station there. Also, having to deal with three separate groups meant they had to choose between waiting for them so close to the city or actually splitting their own numbers, which just slowed down the decisional process.

By the time the soldiers were ready and could send three detachments against the rebels, they had already reached flatter land, whose slight slope was actually advantageous to the rebels. Also, the latter's superior training showed from the get-go, as the unicorns of the two factions started conjuring magical bolts from their horns at darting them at one another. Discord's army was not used to marching together, and a few ponies bumped each other, making the magic less precise and the formation more unstable. On Celestia's side, the formation was tight, a few spellcasters were well trained in conjuring barriers and shield, and their magical bolts hit the mark excellently, disrupting the enemy's charge.

Discord's army sent a few pegasuses ahead, as it was usual in that kind of battle, and thought of having an advantage as the rebels avoided doing the same. But the magic hit hard, making some of them crash and the other retreat. Sunset had been clear about this: The pegasuses had to take flight only after the first lines had reached the opponent's, jumping over them and doubling the intensity of the offence. Again, if Discord's army had been used to fighting ponies maybe they would have been quicker to react. Instead, many more soldiers were hit and knocked out in the blink of an eye, and the rebels cut through them no differently from how a knife cuts through soft butter.

There were, as a matter of fact, a few excellent individuals even in Discord's army, whose magic was well trained, whose pace was steady, or whose strength at the moment of impact was menacing. As individualities went, though, none matched sunset. Not only she could hit her enemies like a markspony, knocking out more than a few by herself, but was actually able to alternate flawlessly between attack and defence, leaving her group literally untouched by enemy fire. And despite being a unicorn, she was perfectly confident staying in the very first row, putting her own body on the line while clashing with the enemies.

Despair was painted on the faces of the guards left close to the city walls as they observed the battle quickly unfold. as they observe the catastrophic defeat. They soon realized that, despite the numeric advantage, they didn't stand a chance, and the morale quickly dropped. Not that they would run away, accepting the dishonour and likely their ruler's retaliation. Soon they started running towards the rebels too, to desperately try to stop their charge with everything they had, although to no avail. Their only real hope was the messenger they sent to alert the king, which was already well on her way, and that soon would reach her destination.

Rarity had to do a few corrections to the actual size, and she also considered doing some last minute modifications with some other pieces of cloth she had prepared in advance, just in case... but in the end, she decided against it: she had an excellent job already. The whole process didn't take more than ten minutes, accompanied by innocent small talk. In the end, the dress was seamlessly removed and put in one of the two wardrobes "You are free to go now, darling!"

"Thanks, Rarity!" The Pink Pony had a large smile on her face and threw herself at rarity to hug her, catching her by surprise. Not that fashionista had anything against it. the excitement pinkie was conveying through her tone of voice and her action was simply contagious! "I'll leave my friends in your care then!" She let Rarity free, and started moving towards her new destination, giving just one last goodbye "Play nice!" On another side of the backstage, Trixie was giving the last few instructions to her assistants, and to the technical staff. Applejack was among the latter, as it was decided that if something went wrong with the plan her backup might have been useful. And convincing Trixie that she needed her help was simply too easy. Pinkie didn't take much to get there, and her briefing was quite short too.

Regarding the trio she left behind, it was naturally Rarity who took the lead "Fluttershy, dear, hope it isn't a problem for you if I start with Rainbow Dash?" Naturally, she had nothing against it, so she timidly shook her head "I created something positively dazzling for her! I went with a rainbow theme, obviously, and tried to mix ancient pegasus style with modern taste!" rainbow Dash rolled her eyes a little bit at the thorough description. But rarity was really excited: despite the little time and the tremendous pressure, she had felt incredibly inspired, and it was reflected in the dresses she had made. "Voila!"

And as her dress got taken out of the wardrobes, Rainbow Dash's eyes widened a bit. She couldn't help but admit "It looks pretty cool..." This came as a surprise. She didn't own any dress. She thought that they were the mark of stiff, boring, upper-class ponies. The idea that one of those would seem so fitting for her style was difficult to believe. Oh no! Was she going to start liking them?

"Right?" Rarity's voice took her mind away from the existential doubt. The fashionista was overall pretty happy. Sure, it wasn't the huge reaction Pinkie had, but the baseline was certainly different "Now help me, and we'll fix this in a breeze!" Putting the dress on Rainbow Dash was easy. And although she didn't feel as free in her movement as when she was naked, it wasn't too terrible either. The wings were pretty free, which was the most important thing. Also, what was everypony being so kind to her? She was almost starting to get convinced that the whole endeavour wouldn't have been completely terrible. "Oh, we'll also have to fix that manestyle, darling!" Or maybe not.

The messenger was a female pegasus guard, not only because she couldn't be slowed by the crowd, but also because she had most ease to reach the flying tribune. As soon as her hooves touched a stable surface, she quickly kneeled in front of Discord, and with ragged breath, she spoke: "My Lord..." these two words alone caused a certain degree of anxiety in most of the nobles and the diplomats seated around the King. They knew the protocol: the world Lord in place of "Super-duper majesty" was only allowed for foreign rulers and in cases of emergency, in which the greater length on the expression could have represented a problem. Discord was just intrigued and simply nodded back. "Canterlot is under attack. About three hundred ponies. Our veterans can't stop them. They will be at the doors of Canterlot in a few minutes. We need backup."

Almost all the ponies on the Tribune stopped observing Trixie's show, looking at each other, but most were reassured seeing the calm in Discord's face, and his way-too-large smile. He was actually excited. He did barely remembered how long ago somepony had the guts to face him directly. "I guess I will have to deal with them personally. That's a pity, I was liking the performance..." I tried to keep a poker face, but he just couldn't. A little giggle escaped. "Pinkie should be her assistant only in the last trick, so I guess I have... 10 minutes? Maybe less?" He started stretching his forelegs and got up from his throne "Tighten the security around here!" Arrogant, sure, but not a fool. The promise of further security and the direct involvement of the one-man-army, 'bane of dragons' Discord were definitely reassuring. And so was his boundless confidence: "I'll be back in three!"

Just a last smile, then he vanished into thin air, blowing up like a soap bubble and producing a feeble 'pop'. In his place on the throne, he left nothing but a comically large pocket-watch.

Author's Note

Keeping up with different scenes running at the same time (which, I realized, I've barely done before this chapter) is more difficult than I thought. I had to rewrite some parts a few times because I felt the pacing was messed up.
I think I managed to get it mostly right, in the end, but comments and critiques are 100% welcomed. I still have a lot of room to improve in this regard (and in many other, too!)

With love,
The Marshmallow

15 - Celebrations - Three minutes

Sunset Shimmer was not an arrogant pony. She really didn't want to be one. And yet, the battle unfolding around her felt like little more than a warmup. The battle against the best of Discord's troops, for which her fellow rebels had been training for years. The battle that they were clearly winning, but not without a few of her friends getting hurt or injured. The battle on which, arguably, rested the very fate of Equestria. But in her perspective, when somepony gets used to fighting the consequences of Discord's Chaos every week, then everything else feels like a warmup. Especially since, right afterwards, they would have had to fight the lord of Chaos itself. So she was focused not only on her immediate surrounding, not only on the bolts of magic flying around, or on that earth pony soldier ready to tackle her (both were easy to avoid or deflect), but also on the whole area, trying to observe even the most subtle signs of Discord's presence. She knew very well he could appear at any moment, without any warning, and start using his magic. Not noticing him in time was a recipe for disaster, so she couldn't afford to be distracted. She had no idea of how sneaky that monster could be.

Suddenly, a metal pole loudly sprung out from the ground, about thirty meters ahead of them, reaching a height of about ten. Then, akin to a flower blooming, a loudspeaker popped on top of it, and from it came Discord's voice. "My dear soldiers, you have done enough. Fall back." The vast majority of the troops simply ran away as fast as they could, glad of the order and only thinking of themselves. A few tried to take one or two of their knocked out peers with them, in a show of friendship and loyalty that even the rebels couldn't but respect. And although they could easily have tried to catch them, or to stop them, they didn't. They had no interest in attacking a fleeing enemy. Also, they had now to focus on Discord. It was safe to assume that he must have been close. "And you, my dear foes... I'm sorry..."

This startled Celestia's militia quite a bit. Gave them a sense of unease that was difficult to just shake off. In the first place, the word 'sorry' felt somehow out of place in the King's mouth. And also, although it was difficult to read the emotions in his voice, it really felt like mockery. "Close your ranks!" Sunset Shimmer was trying to be a good leader, keeping the situation under control. her orders were simple and clear, and they really were the best she could do at that moment: "Don't let your guard down!"

After a brief, dramatic pause, Discord spoke again: "I understand you didn't manage to afford the tickets!" Every word that came out of his mouth was just offputting. The somehow neutral, somehow serious tone with which he pronounced each of them made it impossible to be sure whether he was joking or he really thought that was the problem "But worry not!" Just behind the pole, a large wooden stage was emerging, although whatever was on it was still hidden by a bright red curtain. The only clue about its nature came from the music of a somehow discordant waltz coming from it. "Because I brought the show to you!"

"Twilight, dear, can you bring me the comb? The brush is just not enough." There was a fairly obvious note of irritation in Rarity's voice, as she was trying to tame Rainbow Dash's mane. A seemingly impossible task. The lavender unicorn fetched it quickly, levitated it to Rarity, and then (making sure no one would notice but her friend) quickly lifted and the touched ground with her right forehoof twice, a sign they had previously agreed on. "Thank you."

And as Rarity tried again to accomplish her duty towards the rainbow-coloured mane, Twilight started walking towards the two wardrobes, calmly "Let me know if you know anything else." Rarity wouldn't have, that was the plan. it was more and more apparent that her moment was getting closer. She needed to focus, to prepare, well knowing the difficulty of the task ahead. And so she simply stood there, trying to clear her mind. Not that it would have been easy, with what was going on around her.

"Ouch!" As rarity started to comb Rainbow Dash's mane, trying to untangle it, the latter started to complain. She really thought her mane was fine, and yet she still had to endure that torture. At least the fashionista could have tried to be more delicate! "Careful with that... Thing!"

"it is called a 'comb', darling. I guess you have never seen one!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and snorted, annoyed. Without missing a bit, Rarity went on: "Also, I'm being as careful as I can. If you had taken better care of it, your mane certainly wouldn't be this full of tangles!" She couldn't believe that a mare, especially one with the potential to be quite pretty, would let herself go like that. It was probably the last time Rarity would have met the pegasus. Otherwise, she should really have tried to take her to the spa. Celestia knew how much she needed it! Anyways, the least she could do was to put all her effort into her delicate job.

"for the first act, a nice ballet!" The curtain finally opened, revealing a complex choreography of dancing buffalos, hippopotamuses and elephants, each with its own pink tutu and its pair of matching ballet shoes. the levity with which they moved around the stage was awe-inspiring, although the whole picture was, to be fair, absolutely hilarious. "Boooring!" But Discord wasn't at all satisfied. And he was quick to identify the problem; it had to be that the Choreography was still to orderly, the stage bounding their freedom and their potential for chaos "This needs some more... 'Swing'!" Suddenly, the tempo of the music started to increase and the huge dancers jumped down from the stage. Still dancing, although noticeably more quickly, they started to charge towards the rebel with their mad pirouettes. And their speed and their mass alone made them fearsome enemies.

"Unicorns, keep up the barriers!" Sunset Shimmer was still trying to command her fellow rebels. She had long learned that only with order one can prevail against Chaos. "Earth ponies, stand strong and brace for the impact!" It was a fairly standard formation: having two-thirds of her army stay on the defensive to protect the last third and ensure them freedom of movement and of action "pegasuses, prepare to counterattack!"

The impact was devastating. The magical barriers, despite slowing them down and overall protecting the group, cracked and then fell apart. The army barely managed to keep the core of its formation stable, but more than a few were flung a few meters away, some even injured. It was difficult to expect a very different ending, being on the receiving end of a two-tons hippopotamuses and five-tons elephants charge. Still, the effort was overall successful and they effectively managed to push back the animals, throwing many of them off balance. Without missing a beat the pegasuses, with the support of their fellow unicorns magic, managed to surround the dancers, depriving them of any chance of charging further. Despite the creatures resilience, there was little they could do at that point; the skirmish was brief, and as more and more of those animals fell to ground incapacitated the victors were made clear.

Finally, the music of the waltz stopped, all the summoned creatures popped out of existence, leaving the rebel army the chance to catch their breath, now in front of an empty stage and to the megaphone. It didn't last but a few seconds, though, and then the King spoke again: "Now, that was a nice show!" The sound of hooves clopping in a sort of applause was broadcasted by the loudspeaker, although it hardly encouraged them. It was way too obvious how it was all a game to Discord "For the second act, what about something more exotic?" A large flute appeared on the stage, paired with a huge wicker basket, both tall and narrow. And as the harrowing flute's music spread in the are, and the instrument was waved around, a creature started to emerge from the basket, and this time there was really nothing to laugh at. It was a huge snake-like creature, with a green colour and a semi-transparent body. A few stars lined up along his body, and a large one was right in the middle of his cold, reptilian eyes. Only Sunset Shimmer fully understood what it was. And it was for the best since if more realized its nature, they might even have fled in panic. It was an Ophiucus, a creature that in an ancient past fought toe to toe with Ursa Majors. It was supposed to have gone extinct millennia prior, well before the age of Celestia, and was now no more than the content of legends. But clearly somepony as ancient as Discord remembered them quite well, and with his powers, it wasn't too hard to recreate one more. Luckily, it was no longer than twenty meters, meaning it wasn't a fully grown adult. Meaning they still had a chance.

"Pegasuses, move around it and distract him!" The little information the orange unicorn had, combined with her considerable experience in battle, allowed her to elaborate a simple plan. Loudly, she tried to broadcast it at her fellow fighters, hoping they could start to act before the creature started attacking them. At that moment, it was still looking around, as if trying to choose its first prey "Hearth ponies, stay close to the unicorns and be ready to protect them!" The large bodies of the earth ponies, combined with their natural resilience and the heavy armours their stamina allowed them to wear were a powerful asset, even against an enemy they couldn't comfortably reach with their attacks. "Unicorns, aim at the eyes!" That was the only way of dealing with the Ophiucus: depriving him of his senses and then beating it senseless. She knew quite well that, if it was a snake, then his main sense would not have been the sight, but actually the smell... but she could deal with that personally. "keep moving, and NEVER stay in front of his mouth!"

As it was natural, the previous three teams ended up splitting into smaller groups, all of them focused on evading the creature assault and counterattack whenever a chance arose. The large number of pegasuses moving around it managed to confuse it a bit, slowing his reactions as the unicorns started aiming their magical bolts towards its face. He seemed able to shrug them off with ease, even those that actually reached their intended target, but it was apparent that they were slowly starting to wear it off. That's not to say he wasn't still unbelievably dangerous. The huge body was by itself a weapon that it flailed around liberally, forcing those nearby to dodge quickly, otherwise they would be trampled. But its most dangerous asset was actually its mouth, as suggested by Sunset. Not because of his bite, which he avoided to throw around too much, but instead due to his acidic, toxic spit. Nopony was hit fully, but just being grazed by it damaged visibly the armours of the pony, and left a few burns on the less lucky of them. it was, still, apparent that his aim was getting worse and worse as its eyes kept getting hit. And, finally, he was forced to take out its tongue more and more, as its reliance on the sense of smell increased. And at a certain point, it became truly an easy target for a well-trained unicorn.

Sunset didn't lose the chance, and her horn quickly lit up. She didn't 'attack' the tongue directly. Instead, she focused on the ground nearby, and teleported a large amount of dirt all around that tongue, making it impossible for it to perceive anything else, effectively depriving the creature of all its senses. that was, in many ways, the difficult part. Now it was thrashing more and more, still dangerous, but now the militia could more easily attack it without fearing retaliation. And so they did, again and again, slowly increasing the amount of damage dealt. it only became a matter of patience, and they certainly didn't lack it. Discord did, and so both the flute and the snake soon vanished into thin air, before the whole thing became too boring.

But as the creature vanished, and Sunset quickly glanced around to check if her comrades were still fine (at least most of them), she noticed one thing. If she remembered correctly, there were plenty of enemy soldiers on the ground just two minutes earlier, and now most of them seemed to have vanished. She could understand if a few of them managed to rise and run away, or even bringing one or two of their own with them as they fled. The commotion would have allowed that. But so many? She couldn't conceive a good explanation... Until she found the unequivocal cause of the event. her eyes widened considerably, while her mouth was for a moment left agape. The figure of the draconeequs himself was moving around the last few soldiers, and just by pointing at them he made them vanish. And he seemed quite relaxed while doing so, completely ignored by the ponies so focused on the fight.

"And now, for the third act..." Discord stopped, noticing an astonished Sunset Shimmer looking at him. A little flush on his face became apparent on his face "Oopsie... You found me!" Non that he was doing a great job of hiding himself, nor he looked especially bothered by it. As if nothing had happened, he quickly pointed to some more knocked out soldiers, making them vanish just as before.

"What the buck are you doing?" Sunset Shimmer, on the contrary, was quite clearly bothered by the fact. Seeing the soldiers they had defeated vanish was eerie enough, but seeing Discord taking his time was somehow even worse "Everypony, turn around!" Also, she still had to coordinate the whole operation, and it was quite apparent how having the enemy behind them was not good. they were still managing to keep an orderly formation, though, so even turning around didn't take long at all.

"Oh, it's simple!", Discord said casually, shrugging his shoulder and letting them getting into position as if it didn't matter at all. "Before getting in the fight myself, I thought of teleporting my army to safety." His sharp teeth became fully visible in the devilish smile he now made, and his hungry gaze now moving across the rebel army made more than a few of them shiver. The excited note in his tone in his voice was more than enough to have them all stand on edge. "Because now things are going to get messy..."

"Aargh! Your mane is positively a mess!" Rarity was started to sound really desperate. Despite her considerable progress, she still couldn't manage to get to the end of it. "When was the last time you brushed it?"

"Fluttershy used to help me with that, once in a while..." She had done that since they were young, and thinking back at it she couldn't help but smile "But these few weeks have been a bit... Busy..."

Rarity didn't wait a moment before replying, seemingly shocked: "Weeks? I hope you are kidding!, darling" Among its many advantages, unicorn magic allows to always keep one's hoof free. This allowed her to facehoof dramatically, and all without needing to stop what she was doing.

"Ouch!" And once again, some more knot was being untangled. But the process wasn't pleasant for the blue pegasus, which once again snarked at rarity "Fluttershy was more delicate than that, you know!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, 'princess'!", she teased, making the pegasus roll her eyes once again "But I'll agree on the fact I shouldn't be the one doing this. How does the castle not have a coiffeur?" Fluttershy and rainbow dash looked at each other for a moment. It was obvious even to them how critically understaffed the castle was. After all, Discord could sweep almost any problem under the rug with his magic. Which didn't make for an efficient system whenever he was away. "I should be fixing Fluttershy's Dress right now, and I don't have all night!"

"I-if you want I can help...?" Timidly and tentatively, Fluttershy finally tried to enter the conversation. Standing beside them was getting really awkward, and she just felt bad relaxing when other people might have needed a helping hoof.

"Oh, no no no" Rarity almost felt bad for venting away her frustration. And it must be said that Fluttershy's way of acting was much more effective in making her feel bad, compared to Rainbow dash annoying complaints "Don't worry about a thing, darling." She tried to reassure hem, to have her relax, while she went back to focus on the multi-coloured mane "I'm almost done, I hope!"

Applejack was just a bit further away, closer to the stage and to the props, just as involved in her job, which was to get everything on the stage at the right time, in the right place. She wasn't the only one doing so, obviously, but that didn't make the affair easy. She was there because, from her position, it was easier for her to know exactly what was going on in the show. needless to say, the duty of giving Twilight 'the signal' fell on her. The unicorn was sitting near the wardrobes, in the meantime, still trying to clear her mind. She only had to wait, now, as everything was going as planned, and everypony was in the right position.

Order? When The Lord of Chaos was on the battlefield there was no place for such a thing. It was his speciality and his pleasure to dismantle it ad to prevent it from coming back. More than a few unlucky pegasuses found their wings turned upside down and quickly lost control crashing to the ground, while many unicorns and earth ponies had their legs grow four times as long as they should have, making balance impossible. If that wasn't enough to throw chaos in their formation, and making most lose their proper position, he also threw a few inoffensive curses in the mix. A few ponies grew rabbit ears and oversized front teeth, colourful polka dots appeared on the mane of others, while some suddenly had all their whole fur fall down. The effect on morale was immediate. Not only they felt humiliated, but some realized the ease with whom he could have done much worse. Still, no one dared to run away, and they still seemed responsive to Sunset's orders. "Surround him, and start attacking. He won't be able to attack if he has to defend!"

Discord smiled as the rebels mustered their force of will and tried once again to follow the plan, despite all the humiliation he had already put them through. The pegasuses, as usual, were the most responsive, and soon started to move around Discord like a bunch of flies. The unicorns were instead fully on the offensive, trying to zap Discord with all they had. They didn't even think of the defence, as they knew how ineffective their barriers would be against chaos. Earth ponies were moving around the King, quite closer to him and always looking menacing, as if they were ready to tackle him any moment. That didn't worry him at all, though, and he was even thinking how naive the plan was, and waiting for the right moment to counterattack, shattering all their hopes. He needed something impressive, exaggerate and fun. And in the meantime, for a few more seconds, all he had to do was to snap his finger a few more times and turn every magical outburst around him in soap bubbles, or other visual effects. "Whoa!" But just as Discord got used to the situation and was ready to counterattack, a much more dangerous, dark-coloured bolt appeared just beside him. To his surprise, he actually had to move away to dodge, since he wouldn't manage to dispel it in time. His gaze quickly moved towards the presumed origin of such a spell.

Sunset Shimmer was a few meters to his left, her horn still lit. Lit wasn't the word, though. Dark purplish bubbles were floating around it, and an eerie greenish glow accompanied them. The same combination of colours was in her eyes, and especially in the long smoke-like purplish trails that departed from the side of each eye. Her gaze was intense and hateful, much more than Discord expected: "Little pony, where did you learn to do that?" he was now speeding up a bit, still cancelling the ponies spell, but also trying to thin their number too with some random course of various nature. and so an unlucky earth pony found his head and his rear switched, while a unicorn suddenly grew two more pairs of legs. "I thought that magic was long forgotten..." With Sombra sealed somewhere in the frozen north, Luna on the moon, and Celestia probably dead, he thought nopony should have even remembered it, the Draconeequus obviously being the exception.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?", she teased. The expression on her face was enough to make anypony shiver. But to Discord, it felt like a fun challenge. Her dark magic was faster and more powerful than the attacks of anypony else, and she was able to prevent even Discord's from noticing an attack was coming until it was really close to his own body. Not that he couldn't dispel it, or dodge it, but her ability to cast her magic right when Discord was dealing with other attacks was impressive, and so were her quick and calculated movements around the battlefield. Not only her armour was extremely light, allowing excellent mobility, but her teleports were perfectly executed, making her an even more difficult target.

Discord's superiority was hardly in doubt, though. More and more of the rebels were being incapacitated by his curses, that he was now throwing around seemingly randomly, as if hoping to hit her by chance. Not that she would let him, though. instead many other ponies ended up facing the consequences of those chaotic outbursts "You are good at running, aren't you?" Now he was trying to provoke her, but it was clear the whole thing wasn't bothering him. No, he was having fun, for the first time in who knew how long. "it's a pity that isn't enough to win!" To this, Sunset simply smirked, and another dark bolt materialized just beside Discord. This time he neither dodged nor he repelled it with his magic. No, he teleported away, vanishing for a moment from sunset's perception. "Gotcha!" hadn't he spoke, he would have appeared right in front of Sunset, so that she would run towards him. And his talon moved fast, trying to capture her foe, to then apply to her some fun curse.

"Nice try!" But she, instead, vanished. Not teleporting away, she possibly would have had time to do so before being touched, but instead turning her own body in a black mist, and then quickly surrounding Discord. A greenish glow pervaded the whole cloud, which soon manifested in powerful electrical shocks naturally aimed to the Draconequus. "How's this?"

But before any of them could actually reach her body, he had already teleported away, leaving a life-size plush of himself in his place, which quickly became dust under the intensity of the attack. "Now, that was impressive", he admitted, slowly clapping his hands "But, far from me to judge, it doesn't look healthy!" And as he was saying so, all the ponies were still trying to reach him, and without even focusing too much on the fact he won't on dodging their attacks and enveloping them with his magic. His focus was now only on the one unicorn capable of interesting him.

She manifested again, a few meters away. her irises were becoming redder, her pupils stretching and becoming dragonlike. "You think I don't know?" her horn and eyes lit again, in a new and more powerful outburst of dark magic. this time it wasn't aimed at Discord, though. "But we are all ready to make sacrifices!" Some of the knocked out ponies around the King of Chaos quickly arose, their eyes now fluorescent green, and they tried to tackle him quickly, forcing him to teleport away. Sunset looked disappointed, but without losing time she tried to have more and more of her fellow soldiers rise again. "AREN'T WE?"

Slightly more than half of the rebels were knocked out already, Some by the previous foes and some by Discord, and about another fifty had difficulties moving due to the consequences of Discord's weird spells. But about twenty found the strength to rise again by themselves, and a few of the pegasuses with the inverted wings, of the ponies with the exaggeratedly elongated legs and with other similar problems, were somehow getting used to them, and ready to fight again. They all answered with a sonorous "YES!" to the exhortation of their leader. About another thirty, though, were completely knocked out, but their body was still in good shape. Those were the ones Sunset had revived with her magic, and was now controlling. She didn't want to put them in undue danger, obviously, but she just couldn't let such an important asset go to waste. She had to, to be sure the plan could be enacted.

It was now becoming painfully clear that three minutes wouldn't be enough. Not by a long shot. Wasn't he so focused on the fight, and on having a lot of fun, Discord would have realized that almost five minutes had already passed, and that at least a few more would be required, were he to keep playing with them as he had. But, again, it was the first chance to actually fight and let his chaos loose he had in such a long time... The only thing he could do was to smile, lick his lip, and anticipate the fun. "Bring it on!"

Author's Note

I feel like there is a lot to unpack in this chapter. I don't want to bore you, so I'll just go with my main thoughts.
First, thinking of 'Discord-like' magic was not easy, especially since I needed a lot of it. I'm especially proud of the 'Ophiucus' idea. Like... If there are ursas, why not have more constellation-inspired creatures?
Second, I love the irony of having Discord send away the knocked out soldier for their safety, while Sunset makes her comrades rise again with dark magic! It has a lot of potential, thematically.
Third, the interactions between Rarity and Rainbow Dash took longer to write than I'd like to admit. Overall I am satisfied, but I'll say that writing Rarity, to me, is almost as difficult as writing Pinkie Pie. I'm under the impression that if one messes up their dialogues and gets slightly off-character it is not even super obvious (like it would be with Discord, or Twilight), but it just gives an eerie feeling. :unsuresweetie: Overall, I hope I managed, and that you liked the chapter! :raritywink:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

16 - Celebrations -Twilight

A round of clopping resounded in the large, crowded plaza, and the purple-clad, blue unicorn standing now lonely on the stage was basking in it. Ponies cheering for her were what she had always craved, and never she had managed to collect more than a sparse crowd. But now? Her own merits (and maybe, just maybe, a pinch of help from lady luck) had pushed her on the most important stage of Equestria, snatching the role of the main event from Sapphire Shores. THE Sapphire Shores. She couldn't remember a happier time in her whole life. But, at the same time, she couldn't just make it about her. She was better than that. "The Great and Powerful Trixie wants to thank you all! You are a wonderful audience!" As the loudspeaker broadcasted her voice to the crowd, she appreciated her own extreme humbleness. It was apparent to everypony how they should have been thanking her for her presence, and instead she was the one doing most of the thanking. "Sadly, our time together is almost over. But before leaving, the Great and Powerful Trixie will amaze you once again!" Some smoke, carefully measured by the technical staff, started to invade the stage, creating a magical and mysterious atmosphere. As if to make clear that something was going to happen. So she spoke again: "Now, please, give some encouragement to my lovely assistant, Pinkie Pie!"

The Pink Pony, appropriately dressed, quickly made her entrance on the scene welcomed by the cheering of the crowd. She stopped just beside the magician and waved at the audience with a large smile. Seeing all those ponies having fun filled her with pride and joy, and even if she couldn't see what was going on the flying tribune, knowing that Discord was looking at her made her even a bit more excited.

With a single gesture, Trixie managed to calm the crowd a little bit. And as the cheering faded, the magician could again be heard: "Wait, Pinkie, where are the other assistants?" In her demeanour, she greatly exaggerated her surprise and even mimicked horror. Both her facial expression and her movements were trying to convince the crowd that something was wrong. "They had to bring the magic box!"

Without saying a word, Pinkie Pie started looking around, exaggerating every gesture of her own. She, too, looked extremely surprised as she saw nopony else on the stage. Then she shrugged her shoulders as if to say she had no idea where they could be, and then she simply gazed at the mare beside her looking for guidance.

Trixie sighed, loudly, feigning disappointment "Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie will have to make do!" Quickly, she brought a hoof underneath her cape, and a very large blanket appeared from there, surprising many in the audience. She had kept it hidden for the whole show, just to be ready to use it now, and although the heat was considerable (it was still the peak of summer) it was certainly worth it. "Lovely assistant, can you take that side?" Pinkie complied happily, grabbing it with her front hooves and balancing herself on her back legs. Trixie instead used her levitation magic to do exactly the same thing. They were keeping the blanket right over a secret trapdoor, with the bottom part barely touching the ground around it, and leaving enough space for something to appear underneath. Trixie moved a few steps away from there, attracting the attention on herself. That way, nopony paid too much attention to the blanket and its movements as the trapdoor underneath opened and the magic box started to be lifted onto the stage by the crew.

"You heard correctly, my dear audience! A magic box!" As Trixie spoke, Pinkie pie did let go of her hold on the blanket. Trixie moved it away too, letting it fall on the stage a few meters to her right, revealing the aforementioned prop and surprising many in the audience, leaving them in awe. It was a purple box with the same blue and yellow star motive of Trixie's dress, tall and wide enough to contain a pony but certainly not to give such pony freedom of movement. "Lovely assistant, can you show our audience that this is a solid box, with no way to escape from it?"

Pinkie Pie started walking around the box, looking at it for a few moments, and then she started rotating it so that the whole audience could see that it was made of solid wood on each side. then she went and opened it, revealing the black interior, and started to knock on each side. This was enough to dissipate any doubt among most of the audience.

"Good, now get into the box." Pinkie blinked twice, continuing her silly pantomime. She looked around, as if confused, and then she pointed at herself perplexed. "Yes, you. You see anyone else on the stage?" Slowly, a step after another, Pinkie got closer to the box, looking again into it. The perspective of being imprisoned into it had to seem somehow scary to the audience, just to add a little bit of suspense. And as she started to timidly get into it, Trixie Pushed her in with her magic, closing the box behind her. Then, she started levitating towards it some robust chains from the backstage, which she started to wrap around the box. Obviously leaving the bottom untouched, but nopony had to notice it "Do not look away, my dear audience, do not even blink. Behold the Great and Powerful Trixie making the impossible possible once again!"

There were no guards in the backstage, nopony that seemed especially suspicious of the orange farm-pony, of the white fashionista, or of her lavender assistant. Everypony was simply doing its job and seemingly the three were too. This didn't mean they could afford to be any less careful. As the right time was coming closer, Applejack gave Twilight a quick glance, to ensure she was looking at her, and then she touched the ground twice with her right foreleg. The unicorn knew perfectly the meaning of the gesture: Pinkie had just entered the magic box and the window of time before she would be lowered in the backstage was fairly short, meaning that she had no time to lose.

projecting her magic was a familiar feeling, cultivated in years of training under Celestia's guidance, and the position and the intensity of the projected magic resounded in her mind like the notes of a theremin. She had practised enough to remember to perfection the exact sensation that projecting the magic in that box would give her, and now she only had to guess the position of Pinkie Pie body, expanding that little bubble of magic so that it would envelop her whole body. Since she was supposed to be enclosed in a box, that was the easiest part. The whole process took no more than a few brief seconds but had already required a lot of focus and effort. And what was to come put even more pressure on her, as any error might not only have compromised their plan but even caused Pinkie Pie serious harm!

Twilight exhaled a long breathe, trying to calm herself down. It was no different from what she had done many other times, to what she had practised in the very same position for days. Recalling the training was helpful, and so was the breathing technique Celestia taught her. And thinking of her mentor, her family, and her friends finally gave her to courage to go forward. She clenched her teeth slightly, she made more and more magic flow in her horn and finally aimed it to the wardrobe near her, clearly visualizing it in her mind. Once she had entangled the two locations with her magic, she only had to ignite the whole process, suddenly making the Pink Pony pop out of existence for a fraction of a second, just to appear in a completely new location accompanied by a flash of light and a loud sound.

As neither the light nor the sound could manifest, due to the spells cast on wardrobe previously, Applejack gave Twilight an inquisitive look. The latter's horn was still slightly lit, and she looked for a moment a little unsure. As her scan went through, though, a small smile appeared on her muzzle, and she could confidently give her friend a nod. The farm pony could finally sigh in relief. Twilight didn't. Not only she had more to do, but thinking of the pony she had now trapped inside that wardrobe was flooding her with a crushing feeling of guilt. Still, sporting her best poker face, she moved a few tentative steps towards Rarity.

Rarity had the determination of a mare on a mission. Always. Be it her duties to the resistance or her job, she would never spare any effort. Only thanks to that kind of resolve Rainbow Dash's mane what not only untangled but even styled in a complex and elegant fashion, much to Rarity's liking. She was now sitting nearby Fluttershy, as the fashionista was making sure that the wedding dress would fit her perfectly. the blue pegasus' eyes were on her friend, much in appreciation of how well she looked in her wedding dress. The sight was giving her conflicting feelings.

"Wonderful, darling, simply wonderful. I knew this butterfly motive would be perfect for you!" Not only there were three butterflies in white lace on her chest, but also the whole gown was meant to remind a swarm of butterflies flying away. A 'virtuosismo' that took her too many sleepless nights to perfect. but it was definitely worth it, seeing it on her "And it is so easy to work with you!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, as Rarity was giving her a teasing smile. To be fair, even the blue pegasus had do admit that there was some truth to Rarity's complaints. In the meantime, the fashionista focused again on the yellow mare. An insistent thought had invaded her mind. It was absurd, silly, impossible even given what was going to happen in a matter of minutes. And yet she couldn't help but suggest it. "You should try modelling for me, sometimes!"

Fluttershy blinked, twice, looking as if she thought she had misheard Rarity' words. Then, when the idea sunk in her mind, she started to blush. "Oh, no. No, no, no. I... really couldn't" She tried to hide her formerly yellow, now red face with one of her wings, although trying not to be of any impediment to Rarity's measurement. Still, she felt visibly bad about denying the other mare's request, so a moment later she opened her mouth again, just whispering: "I'm sorry..."

Rarity was, for a single moment, speechless. That was not the answer she expected. Sure, a refusal was a given. And even a sorry, as a sign of politeness, was not surprising. Her tone was. The deep sorrow that she was trying to hide startled Rarity notably, preventing her from answering immediately. She had an excuse to delay her words, namely the Figure of Twilight getting closer, sign that the plan was in motion. The words she had to speak were prepared already, so she could say them without a moment of delay "Twilight, dear!" As if she needed to catch her attention "I'm almost done here. Would you mind bringing that wardrobe to out carriage already? I am not going to need it anymore."

Twilight was positively impressed. It was so difficult for her to look relaxed, considering everything that was happening, but Rarity made it look so easy, so effortless. her years of practice in any kind of social setting, with any kind of pony, had definitely paid off "Sure thing, Rarity."But the lavender mare was still Celestia's disciple. there was some pride in that, and also there were an uncountable number of hours in which, besides magic, she was taught discipline and proper behaviour. her mind was not going to fail her now, nor her tone was going to betray her. an energetic nod sealed her words, as she went back to the wardrobe containing pinkie. she effortlessly levitated it besides her and started to walk towards the exit.

"As for you..." Rarity could then go back to focusing on the soon to be spouse. The few moments Twilight gave her were extremely helpful in making her recover from the surprise at the yellow mare's words, and to consider the best possible answer to that. "No need to say sorry, it was just an idea..." She mustered her best comforting smile, pointing her own eyes straight in those of Fluttershy: "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do!" And to that the pegasus really didn't know how to answer, so she just lowered her eyes to the ground. Her big, sad, now almost watery eyes.

The very idea of holding captive an innocent, probably terrified, mare had previously made her feel sick to her stomach. Now, Twilight's breathing was, surprisingly, under control. She could walk nearby the two guards at the entrance without rising even the slightest suspicion, even managing to keep a confident smile on her own muzzle. There were no disturbances in the flow of her magic when she levitated her badge in front of them, which they barely checked, so she could easily walk away. Again, she was still not relieved. Not only her destination was still fairly far away, but a new feeling was developing in her mind. Was she becoming desensitized to the suffering she was causing the poor Pinkie Pie? Sure, she had never met her, and she was the loyal assistant of their enemy, but she was still a pony very much like her. Not feeling enough pity... Did that mean she was becoming everything she had always despised? What could she do to repent? Besides, obviously, feeling bad for not feeling bad enough, which was, everything considered, already a good start.

The lavender mare had not walked for two more minutes when her train of thought stopped. Derailed, even. It was a voice as sweet as she could imagine, no less soothing than that of Celestia when years in the past used to sing lullabies to help her and Sunset sleep, and yet it was also as intriguing as that of Rarity whenever she was trying to charm somepony. Neither feeling, though, could sink deeply into Twilight, who stopped immediately her motion, turning to face the mare immediately. Sheer horror was invading her mind, together with the desire to scream, maybe even to say all the words that a good filly shouldn't. And yet her face was still showing nothing but a confident, relaxed smile. She didn't know how long she could have kept that, though.

"Where are going in such a hurry, my little pony?"

There was no mistake, sadly. No other pony had such a luscious pink fur, softer than any other in Equestria and beyond, only ever treated with the most delicate and expensive balms. The same could be said of the three-coloured mane, style by the most capable manedresser in all of Canterlot, which was now delicately waving in the evening breeze. Her back was perfectly straight, her posture dignified, and a complete set of golden regalia adorned her hooves and her forehead. Her unicity reached even the elements that make the three tribes diverge -all of which she had. Her wings were larger than those of any pegasus she had seen, and her extraordinary pink horn was second only to that of Celestia herself. Just three meters from Twilight, with two royal guards clad in ceremonial armour at her sides, stood Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. The heir to the Frozen North. The Princess of Love. The only recognized alicorn of Equestria, and as such first in line to the throne.

The last pony Twilight would have wanted to meet.

Author's Note

It just couldn't go that smoothly, right?

Still, finally, we will have a nice confrontation that can kind of go either way. Discord is great to write and everything, but he just makes things too one-sided :twilightsheepish:

With love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. I will have my family visiting in the next few days, so there might be delays. I still really hope to manage to publish in 6-7 days though.

Interlude 4 - She just needed Love

"Yoohoo! Anypony here?" despite initially being worried the... Ground? Floor? Wouldn't even support her (luckily, it did), now the filly was trotting around with almost a spring in her steps. A timid smile was showing on her muzzle and her loud voice was slightly reverberating in the mysterious place she found herself in. "My daddy always used to say 'if you get lost, trace your steps to get back on track!'" But despite her confident demeanour, she didn't like being alone; the large, empty space was really taking a toll on her. Therefore, taking comfort in the memory of her parents just came naturally. "But", the pegasus pondered, "I don't know I got here" The whole thing was certainly going to give her an headache "Let's see... I was in the village..." And so she tried to remember. And her memory started... Fairly normally. She was in the village most of the time. The thing is, this was definitely not the village. There was much more light than even in the Summer Solstice celebration, and of every colour she could conceive of. Also, mysterious spheres of white light were floating everywhere, but never getting too close "End everypony was sad..." back to the story, she was managing to recollect what happened. "Because Prismia..."

Suddenly, a picture of the sorceress herself appeared out of thin air, making the filly jump, startled. One moment later, noticing that the floating picture was actually moving, showing her what had happened earlier that day, she started to be quite interested in the mysterious object. She had seen magic, a few times, but certainly nothing like that. And, after a few moments of confusion, she found herself smiling: "Yes, exactly that. Thank you, weird magic window!" As she was still watching the familiar scene unfolding in front of her, a few more started to pop out around her. And then a few more still. Soon, two rows of magic screens showing her entire life were describing a road she could easily follow. There were so many memories, big and small, and she felt like she could have gotten lost in them. There was the day she discovered her cutie mark by sharing her kindness and love to a filly in need. One of the many times she helped the baker make some cookies they would then distribute to the poorest ponies in the village. Then the birthday from two years prior, and the dress the village got together to give her, as nopony in town was really able to make something (let alone something pretty) meant to accommodate wings. And even the day, many years prior, when her parents found her in the woods.

The filly stopped, her eyes widened considerably, and her mouth gaped slightly. That wasn't a memory. That wasn't a scene she could even remember, being too young at the time. And yet, every detail of the event was there, perfectly vivid as if it was really unfolding in front of her. A small tear descended from her left eye, accompanied by a little smile. She didn't think she would be able to see once more their kindness, and yet she did. Right in front of her, doing the greatest act of kindness she could imagine

"Uahahahah"

But then, suddenly, she heard slightly raucous laughter reverberating in the space she was in. It came from behind her, still inside that corridor of past moments, and she immediately started galloping towards it, still wiping away her little tears. As much as looking at her parents could be pleasant, she needed to know where she was. And maybe, just maybe, the pony whose voice she had heard might have been of help.

"H-hello!" Getting closer to it, the figure became progressively more definite through the magical mist that enveloped the whole place, and one thing was soon clear: that was not a pony. It was close, but not quite there. It had two horns, both much longer than those of a unicorn and of a much more twisted shape. He had two wings, only one of which could have passed for that of a pegasus. And only one of his four legs ended with a proper hoof, while the other three ended with claws or paws and so on. Also, his long, snakelike body ended with a proper, scaled tale. But what surprised her even more, was the fact that he was actually floating in the hair, holding his belly and thrashing around laughing, while a bucket of popcorns was floating nearby. And for as many of them were falling to the ground, the bucket was actually always completely full. "What are you doing?" The filly surprised herself. She wanted to ask many things about the place she was, about what was happening, and so on... But nothing had piqued her curiosity as the... Stallion? right in front of her.

"Mh?" He seemed to be noticing the filly just at that moment, and no significant emotion (besides the preexisting amusement) was revealed. "I was just looking at that" He pointed at a screen nearby. It showed Prismia with her amulet, using her dark magic on the ponies in the city. Not the funniest scene, according to the filly, but the creature in front of her had a different opinion. "Stealing love, can you believe her? Such a dumb plan. What is she, a changeling?" And again, after trying to contain himself for just a few more moments, he burst out laughing once more. Still trying to catch his breath and wiping a tear from his face, he spoke again: "This mare here is such a jerk!"

And while she was previously confused, one feeling immediately emerged in the filly: indignation. She couldn't accept that he would speak like that of the sorceress (or of anyone for that matter) "What? She isn't a jerk!" After this outburst, she thought for a moment of everything the mare had done. hurting all the ponies was certainly a jerk-like thing to do, but she knew better than just pointing her hoof like probably many others had done before. "She just needed love! Now she is good too!" And she quickly pointed at the last scene she could remember of the day, which was luckily not too far away. A hug between her and a crying, apparently changed Prismia, her evil necklace sitting broken on the ground.

Discord reaction caught her by surprise. For a moment, a brief moment, it seemed he couldn't keep a little smile. A smirk, maybe. it was unclear if he was kind of proud of what he had just heard or on the contrary contemptuous. But it was a moment, and then he made a very dramatic face, accompanied by wide movements. It was trying to show desperation, possibly a soft anger. All fake, though, somehow comedic, and the filly had no doubt about that. "No! You spoiled me the ending!" The filly blinked, twice, not believing what she was hearing "And I was just getting to the good part!"

he was talking as if everything was nothing more than a story, just like those her parents told her before she went to sleep. The suffering of Prismia, her evil deeds, the pain she inflicted the ponies in the village, and the even her actions to help everypony. Just something to entertain himself for a few moments, soon forgotten. And the thought, as much as she would have liked to deny it, was terrifying. Her voice wavered a little bit. "W-who are you? And what is this place?"

The smile on his muzzle, with its pointy teeth, was definitely not the most reassuring, but the filly still tried, timidly, to match it. "Haven't you learned about me in school? Or in the history books -which I mostly co-wrote, by the way?" The filly blinked twice and then shook her head, not even knowing what she was talking about. He sighed in response. A snap of his talon and an oversized golden grown appeared on his head, an expensive-looking red mantle fell on his shoulders, and a sceptre appeared in his paw. he was looking at the filly expectantly. "Still nothing?"

"I'm sorry." The creature looked disappointed, and she really didn't want to have that. Somehow, she felt like she had to explain her ignorance. "We don't really have a school in the village. And books are too expensive for us..." She looked down, a bit ashamed of the fact. Sure, Miss Aroma was a very nice teacher, but her cutie mark had nothing to do with education. That was probably the reason for which the brightest colts and fillies were sent to Vanhoover with the little money the village could put together so they could go to a real school. And they rarely came back, seeking better opportunities elsewhere. "But... You must be... Somepony important?" Still, she was trying (and pretty hard at that) not to disappoint him. And to those words a small smile appeared again on the creature's face.

"Important? Maybe", he said nonchalantly as if ignoring the part about the village's crippling poverty "Have you ever heard of King Discord of Equestria?" Naturally, the filly nodded. Even in their little, isolated village the name of the king and all the stories about him were well known. And after a moment of well-calculated suspense, he continued deadpan "Good. That's me." And now she was in shock. She would never have imagined of actually ever meeting the king. The one that, as they had always thaught her, was not just important, but really the most important pony in all of the kingdom. And the most powerful, too, which she in retrospect had no difficulty believing, seeing even just the little reality-bending magic he had been showing her. The natural reaction was, therefore, to lower her head to the ground and kneel, but then she didn't know what else to say or do. luckily, the Draconeequs went on unfazed, after laughing softly for a moment "Relax, You are actually pretty special too."

Timidly, the filly raised her head, not fully believing what she was hearing. Okay, her parents had always been telling her that she was special... But that didn't really count, did it? "R-really?" And yet, despite her doubt, there was a hint of hope in her voice. As if, even if she loved her village very much, she had always kind of thought that there was more in the world to do and see. That life couldn't just be confined by the woods she lived in.

And Discord was trying to show his warmest, kindest, most patient smile. Which was not very effective, but that was better than nothing. "When that unicorn tried to stole love, that was nothing but child play." It was actually extremely advanced dark magic, but Discord had very different standards compared to the average pony "But when you amplified your love through her necklace? That's another story entirely!" He looked... Kind of excited even, which really surprised the filly. "You created magic! Is the kind of stuff that used to earn ponies the title of princess!" He paused for a moment. There had not really been a princess for centuries, so she wanted to double check "You know what a princess, an actual Equestrian princess, is, right?"

Timidly, the filly nodded. There were many things she didn't know, as her education was all but complete, but that was just common knowledge. Everypony knew that princesses, which only appeared in ancient legends, were different from you average pony by more than just that title. Twice as tall as a normal pony, ten times stronger, and with one hundred times more magic. Or at least so the legend went. "But I can't be a princess. Princesses are born with wings and a horn, everypony knows that!"

And to that, Discord simply laughed again. And it lasted more than a few seconds "Little filly, you are wrong. First, princesses", or alicorns, but he didn't want to make things more complicated, "have unicorn, pegasus and earth pony magic." Which was a very significant difference. In the end, he could easily make a pony look like an Alicorn with his magic. But the real thing was just very different, and an expert eye would certainly not be fooled by his pale imitation "And second..." Then his smile became wider and wider "You know what? I'm not going to ruin the surprise, unlike someone else." He sounded kind of petty, as if taking vengeance for the previous spoiler, but most of it was just him really liking surprises "Follow me, now. And tell me your name."

And as the draconeequs started to float away, following the path set by those fragments of memories, the little filly could do nothing but obey the command. She started to follow, trying hard to match his speed with her short legs, but soon she got a good rhythm, and was able to reply: "My name is Cadence."

The king's eyes went on the little filly, focusing especially on her cutie mark. Soon a second Discord, sneakily, appeared beside the filly, floating beside her and observing her flank with a magnifying glass. That weirded out the filly quite a bit, but before she could complain "That won't do!" He shook his head, decidedly "You might actually look the part, and your cutie mark is good... But your name doesn't really leave that much of an impression." And it really seemed to be a real problem for him. "From now on, due to my royal authority yadda yadda, your name will be... Let me think..." For a few moments he looked as if lost in thought, but it didn't last long. A lightbulb appeared right above his head, to the confusion of the littly filly (who had never seen one) "Mi Amore Cadenza!" He tried to leave the base name mostly unaltered, and that seemed to him quite the kind thing to do. And he did see then no other problem with that. "Much better right?"

The filly, still following him, had no idea what he was even talking about. Nothing really made sense to her. The talk of creating magic, being a princess and everything else. And on top of that, there was another problem that kind of overshadowed all the others "But I like my name!" After a few moments, she realized that she wanted at the very least to understand a very important detail "Also, look the part for what!?"

"You'll see" And there again, he just dismissed her every concern in just a moment. Because, in the end, those were definitely not his concerns, and therefore he didn't care that much about them "And also, there is another thing we'll have to fix." And his voice sounded very serious, which kind of worried the filly "You know what these fragments around us have in common?"

Without ever stopping, she tried to quickly look at them, as if something very wrong was supposed to become manifest to her eyes. Nothing did, so she had to improvise again, trying to find some kind of pattern"Uhm... All of them..." She was grasping at straws. Her being found by her parents had very little in common with a random lesson from her teacher, or a time she played with some other filly "Are about me?" Nah, that was too obvious. Even Discord looked kind of unimpressed "Ok, no. Then... Most of them..." She tried to think harder, and she thought she just had an epiphany. It just had to be linked to earning the title of princess, and what she did to get there "Are about sharing love?"

Discord's slightly mismatched eyes were gazed at her for moments, capturing her with their depth. Wa that really the right answer? "Nice try, but wrong." Nope, and he reinforced the concept by shaking his head. "Almost all of them, barring maybe the stuff with that witch..." And now his eyes were locked on her once again "Are terribly boring!"

For a few moments, Cadence waited. He was kidding, wasn't he? All the fun she had with her friends, all the love from her family, all the things she did to help other. The short but full life of a filly... Was boring? Okay, he was a king and everything, but that was kind of mean "Hey!"

"Ssh!" With just another look, he silenced every complaint. "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just a fact." A very debatable one, but Cadence would have a hard time actually arguing with him. In the end, she had been taught to be quite respectful of authority figures, and who was more of an authority than the creature in front of her? "But I'm not saying we can't fix it, either..." And now, that smile was on his face again. he was planning something "You have to learn to have fun!" That... Didn't sound that bad to the filly. Who doesn't like to have fun, in the end? "And you'll have the best possible teacher." A pair of smart-looking glasses appeared on the creature's face, and a brownish, old looking jacket was now on his body. The world fun was written in what looked like chalk on a newly appeared blackboard just besides him "Me!" And just as it appeared, all of that vanished soon afterwards.

The overwhelming feeling of confusion he had awakened in Cadence, though, stayed. Too much information was being dumped on her, and she couldn't really manage all of it. especially not the most mind-blowing parts. Such as this: "Y-you are going to teach me? Personally?" A King, no less. It was unthinkable for her to have somepony of that standing actually spending time on her (although that was what Discord was already doing). But there again, there was in her voice that familiar hint of hope...

"Not just me, obviously." And he spoke with surprising confidence, that once more took the little filly aback "If as you said you never went to a real school, I should have the best teachers teach you about grammar, history, geography, governance and whatever else." Discord didn't like what he had just said. it sounded kind of boring, and despite being necessary it was also the exact the opposite of the point. "But having fun will be by far the most important topic, that's for sure!" Then, he took a longer pause, but the pensive look in his eyes made quite sure to Cadence that it wasn't her turn to speak yet. "That is..." And now, the King himself was trying his best to muster the cutest puppy eyes he could imagine. There must have been some magic involved, because they felt much larger than they were before. "If you'd like to be adopted as my niece..."

Okay, that was it. She was going to have a meltdown. Her eyes were now fully open, her pupils as large as discs and her breathing started to accelerate. It was fairly difficult to speak, or to even form coherent thoughts for that matter, but she tried nonetheless. "B-but... But... But" And now it seemed to her she was even being surrounded by a more and more intense light, and she stopped feeling the ground under her hooves. Hallucinations, she thought, were definitely not what she needed right then.

"Oh, it seems we are here already!" Discord now looked calm. Comforting, even, as if he was trying to put a special effort in not confusing, or upsetting the filly anymore "There's not much time left! Just say the word, and tonight you will be with me in Canterlot, dining with the best food in Equestria and sleeping in a room made just for you, with a bed as large as your whole old room, fit for a princess!" He paused, then, looking at the filly straight in the eyes, gentle but firm "So, do you want to be my niece?"

That did sound just too nice to be true. She wasn't starving, but she didn't have a really filling meal in a while. And she couldn't afford a bed, just sleeping on some hay. And despite needing more time to think, and to really process all the information she received, she just knew she couldn't let this once in a lifetime, once in a million chance. And her voice was shaky, full of raw emotion, as she finally managed to say: "I do!"

On Discord's face now she could see a smile. A completely real, genuine smile, filled with happiness in a way she hadn't really seen him display yet "Then it's settled! I need to look around here a bit more, but I should be back in five minutes top." There was something lingering in his voice, besides the happiness, but there again she wasn't able to fully understand what it was. She didn't know him enough yet, and the light now blinding her was certainly not helping. "I'll see you on the other side..." A wink" Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!"

The last thing the filly could see was Discord now looking and moving around as if hopefully searching for something or somepony, but it was for just a few moments. Then, everything faded. There was nothing but white light, and a warm feeling running through her whole body, from the feathers of her wings to the tips of her hooves. But nowhere it was as intense as on her still bare forehead.

Author's Note

This one took way too long! I had a pretty busy two weeks, I found myself a little bit stuck on the regular chapter and I bought a new game (hoi4 to play eaw). The combinations of these things had a predictable effect.
So, although I originally wanted to only put interludes between different arcs, I thought writing one would be a nice change of pace. So here is some nice backstory for Cadence :raritywink:
Hope you'll like it!

With love,
The Marshmallow

17 - Celebrations - Early

At every confident step forward her perfect flank waddled seductively, at every blink, her impossibly long lashes danced lasciviously. Then the way she barely noticeably licked her upper lip added a further hint of danger and intrigue. The Princess of Love was certainly living up to her name; Twilight found herself blushing already, and love magic didn't even figure in the equation yet.

But behind her sheepish, slightly embarrassed smile, the gears in Twilight's mind were grinding fast, trying to figure out the best course of action. And even if usually her analytic and strategic skills were matched by few, now she was having a really hard time doing that. Cadence was early. And she was right in front of her. Not only their intel, which suggested she would come to the backstage only after the show (and probably didn't account for the possibility she would be bored, or just impatient to see the bride), proved clearly wrong; the Princess herself was one of the greatest potential threats the resistance had identified. Her level of skill was mostly unknown, as she had received for years private, secretive lessons by Discord himself. But at the very least, she had enough magic in her to be certainly perceived by the Draconeequs was she to unleash it all. It didn't take a great mind

But now Twilight realized she was taking too long to answer, and that waiting any more would go far beyond a reasonable 'being startled by meeting a famous somepony', veering dangerously towards 'being desperate because you have something to hide'. "Y-your highness", the unicorn stuttered, quickly, and then lowered her head to the ground. It would seem a fairly natural reaction, and besides showing a reasonable amount of respect towards royalty, it also managed to completely hide her face from view. This gave her a little bit more time, and the possibility to focus more on thinking and less on keeping her face straight; her fake smile had never been as difficult to keep. Something in her 'alicorn-ness' But, luckily, she had an answer prepared already "I'm miss Rarity's assistant, and I was bringing this wardrobe back to her carriage since she doesn't need the clothes inside anymore" She had managed not to stutter, and to tell the whole thing without making mistakes. That was enough confidence to convince most, and trying to look up slightly she could already see the two guards accompanying the princess (a very well built, muscular white pegasus and a sleeker but just as imposing light blue earth pony) relax a little bit, and be ready to move on.

Cadence was not. "No need to be so formal, my little pony!" She giggled slightly while she stood just two meters from the unicorn. She was just pointing her eyes straight to Twilight, and while the latter could barely see the Alicorn's upper body, she would have sworn she could feel the intensity of her gaze on her skin. And so Twilight was frozen; incapable of deciding if the best course of action would be a surprise attack, hoping to conclude the whole thing in a matter of seconds, or trying to run away while having to constantly keep the wardrobe in the grasp of her levitation spell. Neither seemed realistic. "Also, you can raise your head" Her tone, sweet on the surface but firm and menacing, was soon followed by the sensation of an unbelievable amount of magic surrounding Twilight's muzzle, slowly pushing her head upwards. The princess was showing off her large, alicorn-sized pool of magic, with the intention of putting the unicorn under further pressure, reminding who was in charge, terrorizing her, having her surrender. And the guards immediately tensed, feeling the threat even on themselves and then trying to understand what their master was up to.

But Twilight? After recovering from the initial surprise, she simply thought 'Is that it?' Sure, the amount of magic she was feeling was second only to Celestia, but the control over it? In her perspective, it seemed that of a foal. To be fair, it was still well above average for a pony, but she could easily think of half a dozen pony just in the resistance which, despite having obviously less magical power, were much more skilled with it, and with no little pride she was sure that Sunset or her would be able to overpower her reasonably easily. So much for the mysterious lessons from the King, which clearly focused on very different topics. The princess' action did, therefore, backfire, as the unicorn was now even more confident than before. If it came to it, she thought she had a real chance to deal with her quickly, especially with a surprise attack. But such a circumstance would obviously be noticed by Discord, therefore critically reducing the time she would have to escape. Also, he would be able to easily identify the lingering magic after a teleport, following her, meaning that escaping would be borderline impossible... And now she realized it was doing that again. Her mind wandering off was not helping, although her eyes and her smile still pointed to the princess certainly was.

"You know, I had heard about fashion statements..." That was a nonsequitur blurted by the princess, which caught Twilight certainly off guard. She didn't like the pinch of irony she could already perceive in it, nor the way the guards were slowly getting closer, observing the lavander mare with much more care. They still weren't especially suspicious, just confused, but that could easily change soon. "But I never thought I should have taken the phrase literally."

Twilight looked around her, quickly, gauging the guards' reactions. They were as confused as her, which meant it was neither a secret message to them nor an in-joke. The fact she seemed amused at her own reference, though, made it clear to twilight that there was some kind of deeper meaning. A witty one even. What was Twilight not realizing, what was she forgetting? Since after a few moments nothing had come to her mind, she realized how pointless it would be to spend more time on that. She just had to relax and be ready to react at whatever it was going to be thrown at her (metaphorically or not, she still didn't know). "What do you mean, your highness?"

Twilight smiled wavered for a moment seeing the fake one on Cadence's muzzle become slightly larger, and almost fell apart at her even more fake short outburst of delicate laughter (which was, by the way, very seductive too): "Why else would you put a silencing spell on a wardrobe?" Oh yeah, the whole alicorn's magical attunement thing. In twilight's defence, the fact the princess realized so easily, without Twilight noticing any scanning spell, meant she was extremely talented at that, or possibly very well trained. That certainly complicated thing, and so did the fact that in a moment the guards completely changed asset. Their centre of gravity lower, their chin closer to the body, their slightly flexed legs ready to jump towards the unicorn. The outlook wasn't good, and Cadence's voice seemed now much more serious. Sweet, as always, but oddly intimidating. This only helped to reinforce the general concept: "Would you mind opening it?"

And Twilight knew it was time to act, and to act quickly.

Author's Note

This part, barely more than 1000 words, took forever to write. It is less than half the chapter I wanted to publish, but it seemed a reasonable point to interrupt it, not to have you all wait any more.
I should be much quicker with next chapter (I'm pretty sure about what I'm going to write, and my schedule is getting better), so... Stay tuned! :raritywink:

18 - Celebrations - A long, long time

Sunset Shimmer had been training for a long, long time. More than anypony else. She had trained to ignore the fatigue, so she could once and again cast one more spell against her target, despite well knowing how easily he could dispel them all. She had trained to ignore the scorching pain her own magic was inflicting her, as her irises were becoming progressively redder and the purplish smoke emanating from her eyes thicker, as the dark magic kept corrupting her body and mind. And she had even trained to look at her fallen comrades in the eyes, as she used her magic to make them rise again and attack once more, despite how much it hurt her to see them suffer.

What Sunset Shimmer didn't train for was the burning feeling of humiliation that the Draconeequs was continuously inflicting upon her. The way he was still smiling despite all the effort of the resistance, the way he disrespected their sacrifice. And despite her knowing that him taking the situation lightly was their saving grace, she couldn't avoid being dissatisfied. He was focusing on fun over efficiency, and although some of his chaos was going to irreversibly affect some of her comrades there was no will of hurting or even killing them. Seemingly, he was actively avoiding that. Why couldn't he be that careful so many years ago?

As such a thought passed through the mind of the unicorn, her horn was lit once again, and a light green bolt manifested itself in the purplish mist which was now surrounding the battlefield. It was so sudden and so quick that Discord would not have managed to stop it in time, and it was so wide that no small movement would have brought him outside its range. So he seamlessly teleported just a few meters away, still sporting the same irritating smile, still without even breaking a sweat. "That one was pretty powerful. Chapeau!" And to add insult to injury, he started to softly clap, all while easily sliding among the attacks of the other unicorns and avoiding the tackles of a few earth ponies still able to fight. A burst of soft laughter was the only interval between the previous set of words and the new: "I'm glad you are never actually going to hit me!"

Sunset clenched her teeth, her eyes opened even further in surprise at the words that were being said to her, which were like knives piercing her heart "Just..." She collected once more a large amount of magic into her horn, despite her breathing now becoming heavier, and once more she started to give it shape and substance. In the mist, right above Discord, she conjured a few small spheres of pure green light "Shut..." And then they suddenly descended like beams of light, trying once more to scorch the body of the draconequus. "UP!"

"You should be thanking me, really." Discord answered without missing a beat, a comically small, pink umbrella already in his hands, as if to shield his body from the incoming attack. It was absurd to expect such meagre protection could have worked, but the Lord of Chaos thrived on absurdity, and the beams of light slightly converged towards the umbrella, hitting it instead of the desired target. "You are using hatred as the source of your dark magic, aren't you?" But the beams didn't just stop. On the contrary, they bounced towards Sunset's allies with unlikely trajectories, willingly missing them by mere millimetres (and leaving some slightly burned fur here and there) before hitting the ground leaving deep, burning holes in it. "The more I laugh at you, the stronger you get." It was not especially relevant to the plan, but the way Discord realized the fact so easily bothered the unicorn deeply. Not satisfied, Discord tapped for a moment on his chin, before adding a few more words while showing a little condescending smile "Not the most stable source, but it makes for some pretty powerful magic."

Sunset was now actively trying to slow down her breathing, to calm herself down. She had to balance herself on the subtle line between deep-seated hatred and blind rage, as falling in the domain of the second was the fastest way to self-destruction. She wanted more power, and she wanted to hit him, but her priority was always to keep him interested long enough to let the plan run its course smoothly. She had to create expectations, and what better way thank mimicking overconfidence, showing a brazen smile while preparing her horn to fire off once more: "You haven't seen the half of it!"

But the smile that she got back was even larger, sharper, creepier. "I hope." It was little more than a whisper, but it was enough to make most of the ponies that were still conscious shiver visibly, as a new barrage of chaotic curses started to rain on the crowd, making many try to quickly distance themselves from their nefarious effect. But Discord's eyes were now for Sunset only. "Try not to burn out too fast, though!"

he wanted his fun to last for a long, long time...

Twilight Sparkle had been studying for a long, long time. More than anypony else. What else could she do, surrounded as she was by so many extraordinary ponies? Following Sunset's lead, she had learnt so much about the magic one could use to overpower a foe. Following her own mother's, she had learnt devotion to a just cause. From her brother, it was the value of hard work and unrelenting effort, and from Applejack, it was loyalty and honesty towards family and friends. Together with Moondancer, she had perfected her studies of mathematics, astronomy and all the sciences. And about Celestia... Well, she didn't even know where to begin. But now she needed to apply what she had learned from Rarity, trying to mimic her ability to hide her feelings, maintaining a poker face, and keeping her cool even in the worst situations.

So, when almost without a moment of hesitation, she smiled at Cadence and moved the contentious wardrobe closer, saying softly "Sure, Princess!" She could finally see some confusion in the alicorn purple eyes, in the way she quickly blinked twice, making her gorgeous eyelashes dance. And as the other's attention was shifted towards the object, she could slowly and carefully start to cast her magic. Given the alicorn's magical attunement, which she already had the chance to verify, it was necessary to hide the flow of her energy behind that of her levitation spell, being extremely careful that the spikes in power associated with the complex spells she was preparing would coincide perfectly with the natural hikes in the previous one. Her studies and training came in handy, as the operation required an impossible amount of control and precision, and only due to having exercised this kind of skill -which Sunset had, mistakenly, judged a waste of time- she could now gain an essential advantage over the princess and her two guards.

Still, she wasn't just preparing one spell, but two. First, she had to cast a charm on herself to be protected from love magic. And a fraction of a second after, before the princess could react to the completion of the first, she had to attack. She could think of three main options. The first was attacking one of the guards first, removing him from the equation and then trying to win the ensuing fight quickly. It seemed fairly easy to her, but the battle might have been long and painful, letting Discord reach them. The second was attacking the princess first, to gain the greatest possible advantage for the following fight. Still, it was extremely risky. Her hearth pony strength and the natural amount of magic flowing around her body would hardly have let her go down in a single shot, and she would have to worry about all three. Finally, she could use a wider attack, putting all of them in danger, and using the moment in which they would have to defend themselves to teleport away. She could teleport enough time to make it almost impossible for but the most trained and skilled unicorn to follow her still. But the exact degree of perception of which cadence was able was impossible to estimate accurately, making the plan especially risky. The fourth option was to open the wardrobe, revealing Pinkie Pie to the princess, then beg for forgiveness. The beautiful goddess was certainly also merciful, and kind. And probably, she would have welcomed her in her bedroom tonight, if the unicorn was to plead long enough...

A bolt of light, accompanied by the roar of thunder, shook her away from the cursed train of thought. In front of her, the pegasus guard's body fell to the ground. Burns of various degree lining on his fur, and smoke coming out of his mouth. Before fully realizing what was going on, in a fraction of a second she managed to finally complete the protective charm, preventing herself from falling under Cadence's spell a second time, and then a bolt of light similar to the previous one departed from her own horn, hitting the earth pony guard right in the chest, the magical energy passing through his whole body overcharging his nervous system, and making him pass out immediately. And finally, under the astounded gaze of the princess, a large white unicorn hit the ground near them. Twilight smirked: "You took your sweet time!"

With a confident smile, Shining Armor softly punched back: "Sorry, Twily, but I didn't think you would get caught so easily!" Ignoring Twilight sticking her tongue out, his gaze moved quickly to the two guards, to make sure they wouldn't be able to fight back, and then it moved to the still astounded Cadence. Twilight didn't lose a single moment and quickly started to cast the very same charm on her brother. She couldn't afford him to be caught under the same spell, especially since she would have never forgiven herself for hurting him.

Luckily, when it came to real battles the Princess had no experience to speak of, so it took her a few too many moments to recover from the shock of seeing her servants fall. When she finally managed to open her mouth, emitting a slightly shaken voice, the charm was already in place, to her great displeasure. "W-Who are y-" And even before she could complete her question, a large fireball thrown at her by twilight had already reached her, and so did an electrical discharge conjured by Shining Armor, both capable by themselves to knock out even a well-trained earth pony.

When the Princess revealed to be completely unaffected, protected by a magical barrier which was head and shoulder above any other magic she had previously shown, Twilight couldn't help but be surprised, and Shining Armor was if nothing else impressed. They were both much less so when, a moment later, she cast a barrage of small fireballs against the two which did exhaust themselves ineffectively against a large shield quickly conjured by the white stallion. It was clear that somepony had taught her how to protect herself excellently, and that the same somepony valued attacking much less. An actual fight would, therefore, have been relatively safe, but painfully long. "I can't deal with this now", exclaimed the lavender mare, starting to channel her magic in her horn, and then enveloping herself and the wardrobe "Please, Shiny, be safe!"

Shining barely managed to reply with: "I'll try!", and she was gone already in a flash of light and the familiar sound of teleportation. And as Cadence looked at the now empty spot, obviously trying to pick the magical traces the unicorn had left behind, a new beam of light bolted towards her, accompanied by the stallion's remark "You shouldn't look away, princess!" Although he cringed slightly when, though unsurprisingly, a new barrier rose to nullify completely the attack, soon followed by a large hoof-shaped lump of magic appearing right above the stallion's head, which quickly descended trying to stomp over him. But as his own talent, well portrayed by his shield-shaped cutie mark, was actually defensive magic, he had no trouble defending himself once more.

As the offensive capabilities of the two were vastly overshadowed by their defences, the following few exchanges of magical blows ended with neither managing to cause any harm to the other, and with a large amount of magic being wasted, especially by the princess. But as her reserve seemed functionally endless, both would have been able to go on for a long time. The main result of the skirmish, though, was that both were finally able to observe their enemy with more care, trying to figure out some weak point. What Shining Armor did figure out was just that she was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. He did find his white cheeks tinged with a slight shade of red, and although he didn't relent with his attacks, he couldn't avoid questioning his enemy "Is... is this love magic?"

The Princess was legitimately taken aback. She knew perfectly that the answer was negative. She had tried, and the charm seemed to be extraordinarily solid, she doubted she would have been able to break it even if she had all the time in the world. and she definitely didn't, as more and more white bolts of magic aimed at her, and she was forced to conjure many new barriers to protect herself. But what really confused her was the fact that she actually understood what he was saying, and she understood it more than she would have liked to. It was not without a slight blush of her own that she finally answered, while a new powerful wave of magic was released from her horn "I was just going to ask you the same..."

It was just for a few moments, just a few more ineffective exchanges of spells, but to them it seemed such a long time, as their eyes met again and again, timidly at first and then allowed to rest longer in the other's gaze. And for a little while, they felt like there was no one else in the whole world but the two of them, now playfully enjoying what was previously supposed to be a fierce, deadly battle.

But that was obviously not the case.

Author's Note

Next chapter might be quite long, or I might cut in two, I am still deciding. If it stays whole, be ready for the craziest twist yet! :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. You can try to guess, but I really hope to catch you off guard this time xD

19 -Celebrations - One minute

In Canterlot, less than one minute before the princess had started her fight with Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor, everything was still seemingly normal. Thousands of ponies were still filling the large main square, all still absorbed by the show the magician had carefully crafted, and so were the three dozen nobles and dignitaries from Equestria and many other countries, sitting in the floating tribune a few meters above the crowd. After a few minutes without Discord, they had mostly stopped thinking about his absence. Nocreature doubted his abilities, his infallibility even, so they correctly assumed he was just messing around. Also, nopony besides them had noticed, so there was no reason to fret.

"Mares and Gentlestallions..." Not even Trixie, the only pony facing in the opposite direction, could easily see what was going on up there. But even if given the possibility, she would have probably been too focused on the crowd in front of her and on her own trick. Something was off. Her magic was now enveloping the magic box which had briefly held Pinkie Pie, her gestures making it the focus of everypony's attention. "The great and powerful Trixie's lovely assistant..." She then made the box snap open with her magic, revealing the emptiness within. "Is no more!" She wanted to release a breath of relief, but she managed not to. The agreed signal wasn't there, so it was a bit of a shot in the dark. She had it coming for working with amateurs, she guessed, but she was experienced enough to go on without missing a beat. "And Now..." Now she had to get her back. Making some spectacle, taking the audience's focus elsewhere. And then surprising everyone with her sudden entrance on stage, exactly as they rehearsed.

Just under the stage below her, together with the rest of the supporting staff, did sit Applejack. Like them, she was nervous. Their restlessness came from not knowing where Pinkie was. Hers came from knowing. She even had to reassure them somehow, to lie to them, and that wasn't her forte. Vanishing like that and then reappearing from nopony-knows-where would have been nothing new for the Pink mare, and even in the short time they had worked with her, they all had the chance to verify it. Also, she was the king's favourite, and therefore going against her wishes was out of the question. probably she was just 'Pulling a Pinkie', as Applejack had said. Such a lie was already enough to fill her guts with guilt and disgust, but she was managing to keep it together fairly well. She was fighting for a just cause, she was fighting to give everypony a better life. Also, she only had to keep her poker face a little bit more.

As she heard Trixie revealing that Pinkie had vanished, she was sure it was the moment to act "This is weird, guys. I'd better go looking for her!" Nopony else had nothing to object to the suggestion. She had helped to build a few of the props, but the job of making sure everything ran smoothly wasn't hers. It was, therefore, the perfect candidate to go looking around, to go searching for the pink mare. She had other plans, though. Walking calmly at first and then progressively accelerating her trot, Applejack got out of their sight and swiftly moved towards Rarity, soon reaching her. The Fashionista was still absorbed by fitting the dress on the bride, and the farmer did almost envy how relaxed she still seemed, how dedicated she was to her task despite their mission. Still, she couldn't afford to let that go on. They needed to go, to do so before it was too late. "Rarity? I think we should..." She didn't want to end the phrase, not to attract too much attention. She hoped the innuendo was more than enough.

It was. And Rarity seemed extremely calm as she replied, without moving her gaze away from the details of the dress in front of her, and the way it fell on the delicate curves of Fluttershy. "That's perfect, darling, I will be done in just a moment." The yellow pegasus tried not to show it, but she was a bit relieved the fitting would be over soon. She wasn't impatient or anything, but having another pony lodge in her personal space for many consecutive minutes was a bit uncomfortable. "Magnificent! You look simply divine!" The pegasus blushed slightly. Rainbow Dash, who was relaxing nearby, looked up for a moment and soon started blushing too. She obviously liked what she saw. The outfit wasn't at all revealing, just like Fluttershy wanted, but it highlighted her slender figure in all the right ways. The perfect artisanally made butterflies in lace were a sight to behold. When she had heard Rarity describe them, the blue mare had thought they would be way too girly, probably lame... But now even she would have had a hard time denying their awesomeness. Rarity looked almost completely satisfied, but there was still something bothering her "It's not too tight, is it?"

Fluttershy took a few moments to answer. She was looking intently in a nearby mirror, but it wasn't mere vanity distracting her; it was a plethora of conflicting emotions. The dress was beautiful, and frankly, she loved how well it fit her. She never, not even in her wildest dreams, could have imagined that one day she would have owned something like it. And it was but a small sample of what she could have had, and what she could have shared with those close to her, just by marring Discord. On the other side, though, it was a sharp reminder of what was going to happen in but an hour. Something she was not ready for. She didn't dislike Discord. She felt some affection, maybe some feelings of Friendship. But love? She sighed. "No, it fits perfectly. Thank you." She managed to muster a timid smile, trying to hide her feelings.

It was with a large smile and relief in her voice Rarity finally answered, as if trying to convince herself too: "Then we are done!" She started putting away her tools in the appropriate place, rather quickly, while a hopeful Applejack thought they would finally have the chance to get out of there. But something was off. There was hesitation in her magic, useless delays in the movement of the clothes and of her tools, tension in her smile, and then there were quick, furtive glances given at Fluttershy herself. "Let's go have... A snack!"

"My wonderful audience, now the Great and Powerful Trixie needs help from all of you!" The magician was still moving around the magic box with careful steps, until she finally stopped, keeping it at her right side. Her every gesture was extremely theatrical, her voice powerful "I will need to prepare a lot of magic for this trick to work. So I will be counting to three..." She waited a moment before going on, letting what she had just said sink in the crowd's collective mind. The following request did appear therefore quite natural "Count together with me, so you can all lend me your strength!" Even the trained unicorns in the crowd, in a collective suspension of disbelief, seemed to momentarily forget that obviously magic didn't work like that. But few ponies could be as confident and convincing as Trixie on a stage. So, with a confident smile, she started: "One!"

The magician's every word was being magically amplified, reaching the crowd with ease. As a consequence, it was heard clearly even in the backstage, making Applajeck grow more and more wary with every sound. "Rarity... I think we should..." She swallowed, even a small lie like that required all her effort. "Go have that snack!" The fashionista didn't answer immediately. After a moment, she gave the farm pony a meaningful, conflicted look. There was something holding her back, but Applejack didn't yet understand what.

"Two..." the whole crowd answered repeating the same world, only many times more loudly. Seemingly with ease, Trixie got on her rear hooves, and started to dangle a bit her now freed forelegs. As the word "Three" came out of her mouth, she explosively extended them in the general direction of the box, as if she was transferring some kind of 'magic' to it. And as soon the crowd echoed the number, the rumble of thunder was heard clearly by all, as a flash of light accompanied it, exactly in the direction Trixie had pointed to. Everypony was in shock. The nobles were legitimately worried, as many of them had no mean of getting out of that flying tribune by themselves, while the crowd looked at the magician with hope. That had to be part of the show, right? It wasn't, and Trixie was probably the most shocked among them all. In her mind, she was pondering how great and powerful she was, even more than she expected. Probably too much for her own good. Still, she managed to speak again without missing a beat: "Mmmh... That didn't work..." And she seemed so calm that she managed to trick many, even eliciting some uncomfortable laughter. Most likely avoiding the dangerous rush to the exits that might otherwise have happened.

In the backstage, Applejack was legitimately terrified. She correctly guessed that Twilight had been discovered, and despite trusting her fully she couldn't but feel worried for her. But just one moment afterwards she realized that she had reasons to be even more worried for someone else. Someone that would fairly easily be associated with the lavender unicorn, and for whom any moment now some guard could be sent: "Rarity!" She was going to be in danger, and Applejack felt the need to protect her. Even if she had to take her away by force. Her tone of voice was therefore much more firm, decisive "Now!"

Rarity gave her a somber look, biting her lower lip slightly, before turning to Fluttershy. "I... I meant it!" Finally, she managed to speak. Her voice was a little bit shaken, she was still kind of afraid of what she was going to say, but Both Applejack and Fluttershy shared for a moment the exact same confused expression. Neither did anything to interrupt her "When I said you don't have to do anything you are not comfortable with, I meant it."

She did say that, didn't it? The context was different, previously, but now the implications were quite clear. "B-but..." tentatively, she tried to object. She didn't even really know what exactly to say. She thought the king would be very unhappy with her refusal. She didn't think he would do to Cloudsdale what he promised, but she wasn't fully sure. She then managed to sum all of her worries in a single word, a single name. "Discord..." But then she had to stop. There were no objections in front of the earnest eyes of the fashionista, and her reassuring tone of voice.

Rarity was shaking her head and gave Fluttershy an earnest, comforting look "We can protect you." Each soft-spoken word was meant, and Fluttershy understood it perfectly. Moved, she blushed slightly. At the same time, Applejack became pale. "Just come to Ponyville and mmph!" The farm pony had thrown herself on Rarity, using her left hoof to block the unicorn's forelegs and her right one to force her muzzle close.

For a little while, Rarity tried to wrestle herself out of the lock, but to no avail. The earth pony, despite being in fact fairly gentle with her, was many times stronger. "What's wrong with you head, Rarity!?", she whispered. There was Concern in the mare voice. She didn't want her friend to throw away the plan, all the chances of the resistance, for nothing. But then Rarity stopped struggling, and the orange mare found herself on the receiving end of a very disappointed look. At that point, she couldn't help but relent.

The same disappointed look stayed on rarity's face for a few more moments, as Rarity spoke her remark with a serious tone: "What's wrong with your heart, Applejack?" There was a mare in need of help right in front of them, and Rarity just couldn't turn a blind eye. And, despite being torn between the two alternatives, Applejack realized that that kind of conviction was exactly what she respected in her friend. So she just lowered her head and nodded, letting rarity go on. Neither Fluttershy nor Rainbow dash fully understood the significance of what had already happened, but they would have in time "Go to Ponyville's mayor, and tell her you had scheduled an appointment with Rarity." A simple sequence of actions which could have easily led her to meet with the resistance. She didn't yet know what that would implicate, though. "We can offer shelter, we can even get you out of Equestria. If we succeed, we can make Equestria a better, safer place!" Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder right then. Without a word, she conveyed perfectly her message, namely 'that's enough' and 'we've got to go'. So, Rarity had to wrap it up "Whatever your choice is, let it be your choice!" And with one last smile, shìe bowed slightly, levitating all her tools with herself, as she started to run away.

Applejack did exactly the same one moment later, right after having tipped her hat to her and having left the two pegasi with a few more words "And please, sugarcubes, don't say nothing to Discord." And Fluttershy, still speechless after everything that had happened, could do nothing but nod, as the two mares ran away. Neither her nor rainbow dash had any idea what was happening, but exchanging a quick look they both shared the same concern.

The magic box was opened, and the empty interior was revealed to all, with Trixie great disappointment. Then she closed it again, just to open it a moment later, but the result didn't change. "My wonderful audience, this... Was not supposed to happen." Some were starting to realize there was some problem, but just as many were convinced the magician had everything under control. She was just so confident that it was certainly just some planned comedic act "No big deal." The way she shrugged her shoulders seemed to confirm that, without leaving room for any doubt "the Great and Powerful Trixie is going to try again!" And after a few suspenseful moments in which she moved her eyes across the crowd, she went back to looking at focusing on the box, ignoring the background noise of the ensuing battle "One!"

While in battle, looking away from one's enemies is often a costly mistake. For Discord, it was nothing but another way to taunt them, so to have at least some fun out of the completely unbalanced fight. At least, that what it was supposed to be. When he looked away then, it was because he had picked something unexpected vibration in the flow of magic. It came from Canterlot, not too far from the stage itself, and it was the act of a fairly powerful unicorn. Soon, it was followed by an even more powerful spell, then two more and finally he felt his dear nephew cast some spell of her own. Pure confusion overtook his usually confident expression, and the ponies around him -although not understanding what was happening- for a moment were filled with hope. It really looked like the bolts of magic, and especially some dark-purple fireballs Sunset was throwing at him, were really going to hit.

Once again, that hope was crushed. Not only he snapped his talon in time, making every approaching magic vanish instantly, but he decided to unleash a powerful shockwave together with it. It wasn't especially original, creative or funny... And it was arguably the most direct way of inflicting harm he had used by then. No weird transformations, no weird creatures popping up, just a pure and simple attack. Everypony understood immediately that something had just changed. Or at least, everypony but the unlucky few that -being too close to him- ended up being knocked out immediately. "What is happening in Canterlot?" his voice was now more serious, and his cold, inquisitive gaze was now striking terror in those it grazed until it finally reached Sunset Shimmer.

Surprising even herself, and maybe thanks to the amount of spite he felt for the monster in front of her, Sunset actually managed to keep her cool. She had no idea what he could actually perceive. If it was something as delicate as teleportation, although unlikely, it would have been bad. The likelihood of escaping from him would have been even lower then they estimated. But if it was actually something on a larger scale in which twilight had been caught in, like a magical battle, it wouldn't have been much better. She needed to keep him away from the festival as long as she could. So her answer came together with a confident, mocking smile. "I wonder..."

In a flash, Discord was in front of her; mere centimetres separating the two, and now an incipit of rage building up in the Draconeequs. "I am not going to repeat my question." But as his claws tried to catch the mare, with a quick spark of her horn she once again turned herself to sentient dust, her consciousness floating in the purplish mist her own magic had created, out of reach even to Discord's Chaos. He was going to have none of it. "You know what my favourite source of dark magic is?" Every word coming out of his mouth was authoritative and impactful, made even worse by the cruel smirk he showed. Except for Sunset, nopony even dared to move, or say a word, some frozen in fear, some captivated by the confrontation. Discord seemed even more terrifying and out of reach than he previously was, and yet Sunset was still opposing him with all her might. but that was before the transformation started. He had the thumb and the two side fingers of his paw move closer together, while the middle one moved in the opposite direction. And then the shape of it slowly started to change, in a chilling sequence of wet noises interspersed with creepy crackling sounds. It soon stopped resembling the appendage it was and started becoming more and more akin to a unicorn head, with a purplish mane and a green fur with yellow spots. When the process was done, moments later, the expression on that face matched the one of those around him. Pure, unadulterated horror. "Fear..."

A low-pitched wailing came out of the newly formed mouth, as a dark aura matching perfectly that of Sunset Shimmer enveloped its horn, and a similar purplish smoke started forming around its wide-open eyes. The... Thing seemed to be suffering, as the dark magic was forced through it. Almost instantly, Sunset was shaken out of the numbness her current form provided, and so she felt every single particle of herself drawn to a single point in space, where she soon ended up converging, again taking the approximate shape of a mare. before she could even react, she was forced back in her original form, right in front of Discord, incapable of running away again. She still felt the rage building up, the dark corrupting energy moving through her body, but now she had no way of manifesting it outside herself. And for the first time since the start of the battle, she fully realized her own powerlessness. That dark magic would hardly reach the Lord of Chaos was a disappointing but reasonable reality, that she had long accepted. But to think that he could nullify it with ease, with some mock dark magic of his own, that was simply terrifying.

Discord didn't even need to grab her, to hold her. She could do nothing but levitate in front of him, enveloped in dark magic, with no way to get any closer, no chance to try hitting him, and no opportunity to move any farther and run away. "So?" His eyes were still pointing straight at her, and the fury in them startled her. Realising he had been tricked, lured away from where he should have been, was aggravating enough. But besides that, he also had no idea what their actual plan was.

Now Sunset had to think, and think quickly, trying to find the best solution. At that point, defeat was a sad reality. What she could still do was trying to minimize her loss, and improving the chances of those back in Canterlot at least a little bit."W-With your magical sense, you should be the one telling us!" The tone was as flat as it managed to be. She had to play a little hard to get, but not too much. She didn't want him to try to manipulate -or read, if he was capable of that- her mind. She had some protections in place, but the effectiveness was not completely certain. Furthermore, having him discover the existence of the advanced magic (meant exactly to counter chaos) would have only raised more questions. Questions she couldn't afford to answer.

"Princess Mi Amore is fighting somepony. A friend of yours, I imagine?" Discord answered without even blinking. Naively, maybe, or maybe he really wanted to verify if that was the case. there was no comment or visible reaction from Sunset, so he went on "Seems that my nephew is winning easily, though", he lied. But that was enough to elicit for just a moment a worried look on Sunset's face "Ah, I knew it!!" For a moment, he smiled proudly, relaxedly, as some minuscule fireworks popped behind him as to highlight his 'gotcha' moment. But a moment later serious discord came back, and sunset felt Discord's dark magic clenching around her tighter, as the expression of pain and anguish on Discord's pony shaped hand became more intense. "What's your game?" He could have taken hostages among his defeated enemies, but he didn't. he doubted, after seeing how Sunset had used them, that she would care much. On the contrary, she was starting to consider just using his magic...

"As you were fighting us, our allies have infiltrated Canterlot!" She finally decided to spoke, lowering her gaze to the ground, as if accepting her defeat fully "To kidnap some of the nobles." And then it was her turn to lie, to make the situation more chaotic in Discord's eyes. Still, she doubted that would be the kind of chaos he was going to like "Probably they have failed with the princess..." the implications were clear, she was suggesting she was a target too. Despite not knowing exactly what was going on in Canterlot, she had an idea of how she wanted things to go down, to how she wanted discord to act "But there are more. probably many have been captured already?"

Sunset Shimmer fell to the ground, suddenly, hitting it with her bottom. It wasn't especially painful, just surprising. After all of that, was he really going to let her go? "It was fun, for a while" Discord was laconic. He ignored the larger part of the resistance and gave Sunset herself no more than a last look, as his dark magic was dispelled and his paw became a paw again. A moment later, he vanished among the strained folds of reality, without a sound or a flash of any kind, leaving everypony silent.

Sunset expected, in some way, more. Some curse on the whole resistance to punish them, maybe one other powerful attack to leave them forever in fear. At the very least, some snappy remark or one last joke. but no, he was serious, and that was possibly even worse. "We have to run, help me taking those that are unconscious!" There was nothing they could do at that point. getting in Canterlot, given the interdiction to teleportation, would have taken way too long. And even if they could go there, to what avail? just to be defeated again, and maybe captured? No, they had to disappear back in their tunnels, leaving no trace behind.

All while hoping that their effort, their sacrifice, could be enough to let their friends succeed.

Author's Note

Sadly, this is not the whole chapter I planned. The fact that I was halfway through and already well above 3000 words (and with quite enough plot in it) made me choose to have this as its own chapter. The big twist I mentioned will be in the following one. Good news is, that chapter is well on its way too (I have been working on the different scenes basically in parallel), so in like two days it should be out! Stay tuned!

With Love,
The Marhsmallow

21 - Celebrations - For centuries to come

The Princess of Love could do nothing but look at the newly appeared mare with a mix of awe and terror. In her eyes, she was the living image of an alicorn of old. As tall as two ponies, as powerful as many, and with a magically flowing mane reminding of the night sky. In each of her words, even as she was provoking Discord, there was a dignity and a sense of threat that she could only dream of. And the way she was manipulating the magic around her horn in the form of black bubbles? She had never felt such dense, powerful and yet stable unicorn magic. Nor she had ever felt such a dark one. Goes without saying that she had no idea what to expect as Nightmare Moon did finally cast her spell, and all the magic that surrounded her horn did instantly vanish.

Cadence's whole body tensed immediately, and all her sense went in a state of alert as a bad feeling grew inside of her. Her magical perception, even though far superior to that of most other ponies, could not sense anything at all... and something of that magnitude could certainly not have vanished silently. She looked around, quickly, trying to make sense of what was happening, and only then she finally realized: the magic had not at all vanished. It was around them, it was everywhere, and it was simply fragmented in particles small enough to elude her magical sense and which only now were taking form again. Black clumps, as a dark as night, started to emerge from the ground and the buildings around them, seemingly feeding off the very darkness that enveloped the streets. Then they 'woke up', opening their glowing yellow eyes and mouths, and giving Cadence and Discord a sorrowful look they threw themselves at them. The desperate, wailing figures were fast and dangerous and were coming at them from every direction. Cadence realized she was late. She should have cast a barrier far sooner, and although instinctively she sent as much energy as she could to her horn, it was clear she would not make it in time. She quickly closed her eyes, terrified, anticipating the bite of those angry ghosts, ready to face the worst. And yet nothing happened to her.

She opened her eyes just moments afterwards, finding herself on a nearby roof, clearly saved by Discord own magic. Not at all a bad positioning, as she was simultaneously at a fairly safe distance and yet a first-row spectator to a breathtaking battle. Discord was flying in the air with extraordinary speed and agility, and yet just narrowly avoiding the ghost-like clumps of dark magic swirling around (and aiming at) him. At the same time, the Princess of the night was mercilessly casting bolts of dark magic quickly aimed at the Draconeequs, some of which he avoided and some of which he managed to dispel. Never had Cadence seen her uncle at a disadvantage, and never she thought she would have... and yet, such as the frightening scene presenting itself to her disbelieving eyes.

In the meantime, the black Alicorn seemed to grow more and more confident every spell she cast, slowly shifting her focus from being ready to react to any threat to just increasing the efficiency of her attacks. Her apparent advantage warranted no less. And yet, when she least expected it, a large hole opened right beneath her. It was a mouth, characterized by white teeth, pink-coloured lips and a tongue that just like a tentacle tried to capture the mare to then devour her. She managed to react quickly still, hitting the tongue with one of her back hoofs and then taking flight, soon getting completely out of reach. Emboldened by her dodge, she smiled again: "You think that's enough to stop me?"

He didn't. As Nightmare moon had to slightly relent with her attacks for a few moments, Discord had the chance to prepare a few more spells. Pink clouds appeared right above her head, and rain of chocolate-flavoured milk started to pour from it in hundreds of litres. Despite her promptly moving away avoiding to be reached by even just one drop of it, it quickly started to take the shape of an enormous griffon talon, trying to follow and capture the mare. A spell was enough, though, to have both the liquid and the cloud turn to ice, falling to the ground and shattering moments later. In the meantime, Discord was still dealing with the dark creatures the mare had previously summoned. Disgraceful, Nightmare Moon thought, for the ruler of the land to be unable to deal with those little things. "You have lost your edge, Discord." Disgraceful, especially since she could do so much worse if so she chose. And so she chose. "The nightmares I have concocted in the past thousand years shall put an end to this"

As her horn lit up, her mane -now more and more gaseous- started to expand around her, forming blue coloured clouds with twinkling stars on them. All the magic that did previously protect her body now flowing into it, focused on creating a stable passage between the world they lived in and that of dreams and nightmares. A black-coloured amorphous creature now vaguely shaped as a gigantic unicorn started to emerge from it, and Cadence could sense how reality itself seemed to be bending around that unholy manifestation of pure magical energy. The power he was emanating was unlike anything she had ever felt, and she feared for his uncle should he face it. But she needed to know he could, so she quickly turned her eyes upon Discord hoping to see a Confidence, comforting expression. She didn't. Cadence and Nightmare Moon noticed in the same moment that he had simply vanished from his previous position and that the nightmares had no target to pursue.

Nightmare Moon was the first to notice what happened a moment later, as she felt two gentle taps on her left shoulder, and she turned immediately towards that direction, her horn ready to light again against her disrespectful foe. As she did, Discord's Paw reached her snout, pressing on it and producing an unnatural and comedic squeaky sound "Boop."

As a blind rage grew inside her, she tried to accelerate the appearance of her devilish creature and to cast a few more bolts against the impudent Draconequus. She failed to make any magic flow into her horn, though, and both her mane and the creature she was summoning started to recede against her will. Failing to understand what was going on, she gave a quick look to her enemy's face, and terror started to invade her mind. Despite her previous comment, his eyes were colder than even her night. His half-smile was that of a tyrant as herself witnessing her worst enemy's execution. her instinct prompted her to fly away as fast as she could, but once again she failed. With a look to her wings, she noticed they were becoming grey and rigid as if made of stone. The same destiny had already befallen her horn and a large part of her muzzle, which ended up paralyzed in an expression of fear that, she thought, was to be for centuries to come. She couldn't curse him one last time, she couldn't curse her weakness or her fatal moment of distraction, she couldn't even cry. She could just wait, incapable of reacting in any way, to be shattered falling to the ground, now that her wings and her pegasus magic were no longer sustaining her weight. All under the glassy, immovable, cruel gaze of the Draconeequs.

Ironic, she thought, for the princess of the Night not to realize who the real creature of nightmares was.

For what it was worth, now she knew.

Author's Note

I've just come back home after a few months abroad, and now I am visiting some relatives. Goes without saying that the last 10 days have been a bit hectic.

About the chapter... Initially, it was supposed to include both the battle and the ensuing events (which will come soon, it's almost done!), also to keep the illusion the battle could be longer. The fact the chapter was becoming overall too lengthy, as I was starting to add more and more details to the various scenes, made me rethink that.

Overall, I think this is a reasonable cliffhanger. Dividing this chapter from the following makes both a little bit more impactful. Or at least, I hope this to be the case!

With Love,
The Marshmallow

22 - Celebrations - After the night, a new dawn

Her breath short, her legs tired, Twilight Sparkle finally emerged from the underground network of tunnels that brought her outside the walls of Canterlot. The wardrobe with the captive inside was still floating behind her. The dark sky that she did finally see, together with the powerful dark magic she had felt previously (and that then had suddenly vanished), left her little doubts about what had happened. When she reached the agreed meeting point, where one of her comrades was waiting for her, she was still considering how to break the news to Celestia. Although, she guessed, she would exactly know what happened already. Didn't she forecast her return and her downfall quite precisely?

Trying to push away those thoughts she quickly laid the wardrobe on the stallion's cart, sitting beside it a moment later. She tried to catch her breath, painfully aware of the fact she should have exercised more. Teleportation is so convenient one would be tempted to only use it to go everywhere, as long as one's magical supply allows for it, but it just leaves behind too many traces when dealing with someone of the calibre of Discord or even Cadence. "Let's go!"

A large red stallion wearing a dark cape was holding the cart, and hearing the voice of the unicorn he simply nodded and answered with a laconic "Eeyup!". He then started moving, and despite the load he had to drag, he did not at all seem to be slowed by it, showing a strength far above even the average earth pony. Wasting no time, and leaving barely any trace, they were swiftly going to reach safety.

Part of the lavender mare told her not to celebrate just yet, that there was an off chance that her pursuers still had a chance of reaching her. And yet, she thought that despite what she thought was the fight against Nightmare Moon had lasted just one minute, that the time Discord had lost there was exactly what would make impossible for him to reach her. She finally breather in relief, then, her body slightly relaxing, as her voice rang again, in a pleased whisper "We did it, Mac!" And as a small smile appeared on the large stallion face, Twilight received exactly the answer she expected. Not that she was going to complain.

"Eeyup!"

In the blink of an eye, Cadence appeared right next to Discord, called there by the Draconeequs' chaotic magic. He had landed just moments before and was quickly checking the conditions of the statue previously known as Nightmare Moon. The huge pink cushion he had made appear right underneath her had prevented her shattering to pieces, and overall (besides the horrified expression) she seemed fine. Cadence was calming down, relieved by his uncle's mercy even more than from his newly reaffirmed invincibility.

Discord, on the contrary, didn't at all seem glad of his victory. Despite all the nightmare magic dispelling as she the dark alicorn lost her ability to cast, the lingering traces of those unholy manifestations still filled both the surrounding area and his magical senses. Perceiving the much vaguer traces the unicorn she was pursuing had left was going to be a hard task already, only made worse by the fact she had been so careful at covering her traces to the point of voluntarily leaving many red herrings. He sighed. "Bring her to the castle." There was no malevolence, or even clear rage, hidden in its voice. It was kind of quiet, tired even. The kind of serious and sombre voice that was so unusual coming from his uncle's mouth, and which did not allow for refusal. "To the throne room. The nobles are in the dining room. Make sure they are calm, but tell them nothing. Invent something if you need... You are better than me at dealing with them." She nodded at the many words the Draconeequs had quickly pronounced, feeling a certain pride in the trust she put in her. But looking at him, she could see -more than the anger she was afraid of- simple sadness. The sense of loss certainly coming from not knowing the whereabouts of Pinkie, his best friend. And there was nothing she could to help, not even try to comfort him. She didn't have time to do so. "I'll be back soon."

As he vanished without a sound, seemingly swallowed by the folds of reality, the mare was left alone with her thoughts (and the statue), and a sense of guilt fell upon her. Discord trusted her completely, and she had failed him, not managing to stop the purple unicorn from running away with poor Pinkie Pie. Worst still, she had cared more about protecting that handsome white stallion than her own friends. She should have had Discord capture and interrogate him, and she had sent him away instead. He was cute, just her type, but that didn't feel like a good excuse anymore. No, she had to do everything in her power to save Pinkie, and she was going to start her own search the very next day.

What she could do at that moment, though, was simply to obey his uncle's request. The statue, although incapable of harming her in any way, still gave her chills. She wondered if that was the kind of pressure other ponies felt when in her own presence, but she pushed the thought away. With a few steps she closed the distance from it and started to light her horn, preparing a teleportation spell capable of getting her inside the castle. Long-distance teleportation wasn't her forte, and she always ended up wasting lots of magic... But thinking that average pony couldn't even teleport, let alone as far as the castle was from her, gave her some relief. She needed to calm, stable, and focused. And as soon as she had properly visualized her target, it was time to go.

A flash of light and the familiar sound of teleportation were everything that could be seen or heard, and a moment later neither of them was still standing in the street, leaving the comically large cushion as the only sign there had even been a battle moments before.

As the cart slid inside the cave, both the unicorn and the earth pony finally breathed in relief. The chance the Draconeequs or anypony else could manage to find his way in the tunnels hidden underneath Canterlot, especially after Twilight had so thoroughly mystified her traces, were slim. For them to be able to guess they went towards one of the many caves in the mountain, let alone which one, was functionally impossible. And even if they did, the cave complex was all but easy.

With a little help from Twilight, Big mac managed to find his way through those tunnels and after a few turns found himself in one large room that had been carved by water throughout the millennia. They weren't alone. A multitude of members of their militia laid on the ground injured, as the healthier ones performed on them some first aid. The duo slightly cringed seeing how some of them had some of their legs impossibly stretched, or turned into tentacles, or mutated in many other ways by the terrible chaos. Despite being used to fighting chaos and its consequences, fully heling them would not be easy, and in some cases that would amount to nothing more than just hiding from sight their curses, possibly without never being fully restored.

That didn't seem to matter to them, though, as those that were still conscious rejoiced by seeing Twilight Sparkle coming back safe. many of them held for her not only the regard due to the second in command but also a much deeper affection, as if she was family. A little sister, maybe? The fact she was the little sister of their general certainly helped to cement such a view. The mare was almost moved in seeing such reaction, although she was still trying to keep it together and to give them the good news.

Before she could, she noticed a heavily bandaged mare moving towards her, a movement she soon reciprocated, full of worry, jumping down from the cart without a second thought. "Sunset, are you okay?" She didn't look so, with bandages covering almost her entire body except for her right reddened eye and her muzzle. She would have wanted to hug her friend-almost-sister but didn't think it was a wise thing to do, not knowing the gravity of her situation.

Sunset Shimmer thought otherwise and threw her hooves around Twilight shoulders, just glad the lavender unicorn was fine despite the risk she had undertaken. Twilight returned the hug, a little bit relieved that her friend wasn't in a condition as dire as it seemed. "I thought you would have liked my Nightmare Night costume..." Twilight smirked slightly, but the worry in her eyes was still there. And given the way those eyes were scrutinizing her, Sunset didn't think she could avoid the question. So she sighed, and then answered "Most of my skin feels like it's burning, my vision is a bit fuzzy, and I feel nauseous. Typical symptoms of dark magic overuse, but I can deal with this." She seemed tired, exhausted really, but still confident. She was ready to bear the pain that came as a consequence of her actions, ready to go back to her duties even the very next morning if necessary, despite clearly needing to recover "Also, compared to many of our comrades, I am faring pretty well"

Twilight had already seen the conditions of many of those that had the courage to directly oppose Discord. They weren't technically hurt, in most cases, and yet she had to agree that she would have easily chosen any wound to one of those curses. "I see..." She would have liked to say 'that's good', or something along those lines. But what happened to her friends were far from good. So she let that veil of sadness linger for a moment, uncertain on what else she should have said.

Sunset took back the reins of the conversation almost immediately. "Enough talking about us, now." They had done their part, they had managed to hold Discord for a while and then he went away. All of that did barely matter, it was only a little gear in a much larger mechanism, whose result they valued much more. So there was only one question that every conscious pony among them had been harbouring, and Sunset voiced it: "Did you succeed?"

the room fell into complete silence, as every pony speaking did shut up immediately, and even the medics stopped moving. They were all waiting for the same answer, with their hearts full of hope, and after a few brief moments, she levitated the wardrobe from the cart to the middle of the room. She was as delicate as she could since inside there was their sleeping captive, sedated with magic as soon as Twilight was sure of being so far from discord grasp that no magic would be perceived. That object, and that way of dealing with it, was already a clear answer to their question, but no one dared to speak until they had heard Twilight words: "I did."

And then Tartarus broke loose, as even the most pitiful, most mutated of the soldiers laid on the ground erupted into cheering. It was the joy of success, both great and unprecedented. A success many thought impossible to reach, and that instead had suddenly materialized.

Everything they did, everything they suffered, they thought, had been worth it.

And finally, they could be the ones celebrating.

The many ponies that flooded Canterlot to witness the luxurious celebrations needed a place to rest. As the capital itself was unable to accommodate them all, and the pockets of many were unable or unwilling to afford a room in the capital anyways, many trains were departing that evening. Some, like those going to Baltimare or Appleloosa, would reach their destinations by early morning, while others, like those going to Vanhoover or Las Pegasus, were going to arrive much later. The luckiest ponies were, without doubt, those living in the much closer Cloudsdale or Ponyville. The first group was going to simply fly to their homes, reaching them in barely an hour, while the latter was going to get home before midnight by train.

The train was, in fact, unusually crowded, but three ponies had managed to reserve a compartment otherwise meant for four just for themselves. Just beside the window, there was a white unicorn mare with a pair of glasses sporting a long purple ponytail. Right in front of her, a white stallion with a blue mane slicked back with grease and a generous moustache and beard, both of the same colour and both styled with great care. Finally, just beside the first mare, there was a second one. An orange earth pony with the most elaborate hairstyle of them all, resembling in her own words 'a damn pineapple', although it would certainly not have looked out of place in some old-fashioned circles of Canterlot nobility. Each of them was wearing a long dress (a tuxedo in the stallion's case), which hid most of their body, cutie mark included.

The earth pony was the first to speak and she did so with a certain strain in her voice, or better, in her whisper. "Were the disguises really necessary, Rarity?" Although the makeup the Fashionista had put on all the three of them, and the dresses she had previously prepared, were in fact quite good at masking their identities, especially if some pursuer only had some description of them instead of some pictures, the likelihood of having somepony pursuing them did seem low at that point. Not only it would take a while to give the word they were likely to be implicated in the conspiration against Discord to the guards, especially now that the train already departed, but the farmer doubted either Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash were going to readily speak their name, and the same sentiment was shared by Shining Armor in regards to the princess.

"Why, yes! We can't be too careful." Naturally, she couldn't reveal the main reason behind her actions. Sure, she had some items to make the costumes prepared already, since she didn't know what their exact situation would be. What made her decide to go through with it, though, was seeing her friends terribly worried for Twilight's fate and the long time they had to wait for the train to depart, as the show ended long before it should have. What better than some nice dressing-up to distract them from their worries? "Also, you look positively stunning with that coiffure, you should consider wearing that more often"

Applejack sighed. She wasn't even sure if Rarity was teasing her or if she was serious. But that was not the main point. "Fine." Not that she wanted to wear her dress and her elaborately styled mane even a moment more than necessary. "But I still think you went overboard"

Rarity smiled, a hint of pride in her voice: "You know me, I always put the utmost effort in my job" And to that, there was little the farmer could object, the fashionista thought. Who better than the earth pony could understand her solid work ethics, and maybe appreciate it? What she noticed then was how the third of them had not spoken a word in many, many minutes. So it was time to bring him in the conversation, to avoid to have his mind wander off and be overwhelmed by worry "Also, Shining isn't complaining!", she joked, "I guess he likes his suit!"

"Mmmh?" Hearing his name brought Shining Armor back to the present moment. He was alert, sure, vigilant in that way only a soldier can be, ready to react to the smallest change in his immediate surrounding. But that was mostly a matter of instinct since his mind had not been there for a good while. He was thinking of the danger her sister could still be in, of what happened between him and the princess, of his many comrades that probably had faced discord, and even of the sudden darkness descending on the city. And there was one more question that had recently started to creep in.

"A bit for your thoughts, Sugarcube?", asked Applejack, showing some concern of her own. It was not common for Shining Armor to space out like that. While Rarity couldn't shake off the feeling there was romance in the air, although she could hardly picture where something like that had even time to happen, Applejack was just concerned for her friend. "Worried for Twilight?"

Who among them wasn't? Shining sighed, and then answered calmly "Yes, but it's not only that." Alert as he was, he had been carefully picking the talking of ponies around them. Those from Cloudsdale seemed disappointed, there was a sense of pride in having one of their own become the royal consort. Only a few of them were silent, maybe knowing what lead Fluttershy there, but most were quite vocal, wondering what could have happened. Many ideas were thrown out, spanning from the bride falling ill or Discord changing his mind to some more imaginative alternatives, such as the bride to be being some kind of spy discovered at the very last moment. The most popular by far, though, was the Idea that the powerful king had been left at the altar. It was fun to imagine a god-like being as powerless in front of the whims of a mare. A few also wondered why the night had come so suddenly, and what about the wailing of ghosts and the bad omens some swore to have felt. There was going to be much discussion about all of this around what really happened, and nopony would even come close to guessing the truth. But what f they did? "All the ponies... What would they think if they knew...?"

"Honestly?" The orange mare looked in the distance from a few moments. She agreed to the plan in the end and helped enact it, even though he certainly didn't like the idea of actually foalnapping somepony. Would the citizens of Equestria understand their actions? Would they side with them given the chance, or would they instead assume their king still had the moral high ground? "I have no idea."

"They'll understand, darling" Rarity was of a different opinion entirely, and she voiced it with no doubt to be found in her tone. She knew the values of the resistance, and she trusted the average pony to align with those. The corruption and the Chaos of Discord had no place in the Equestria she envisioned, in the Equestria that could soon come to be. "We'll only need to give them time."

The celebrations were over, and a deep silence had fallen over the city of Canterlot. Another dawn was soon to come, called forth by the magic of Discord himself, but for once the sun would not have shone light upon its victory and glory. The Lord of Chaos had searched everywhere, moved all around Canterlot staying quietly in the shadow, and had even found the labyrinth of ancient tunnels underneath his city. He had picked some vague trace of magic, he had even tried following them, but it was too late. Pinkie Pie was out of his reach, probably out of the city, and he had no idea where they could have taken him. He had lost.

He was grieving and floating, so far above the royal city to be functionally invisible to any observer. All the beautiful moments spent with the pink mare being played back in his mind, giving him brief surges of happiness and then precipitating him into a renewed sadness. But he couldn't go on like that for long. No, he had to go to the nobles and explain to them nothing had happened. Tell Fluttershy the marriage would go on as planned in just a few days, and telling cadence that she didn't have to worry about anything.

Discord was on the case, and the lord Chaos did not know of half measures. Not anymore. What he did to those that had challenged him today was but the appetizer, and many were soon going to taste the full course of madness. He laughed, maniacally, trying to push away his sorrow by imagining the pitiful fates of his enemies. A cruel smile took form on his face.

Everything they lived through, everything they suffered, he thought, was but a fraction of what was to come.

And once more, he would soon be the one celebrating.

Author's Note

After two months and a half, 'Celebrations' is over. As I said previously, it was a lot of fun writing this, although it was also very challenging. Thank you for accompanying me until now, I really hoped you enjoyed this, and that you will continue to enjoy the story even in the third part!

Before that, though, I will take a long pause. Let's say that there won't be another regular chapter until the end of September. I'll rework the first few chapters of this story (the second and third soon, I hope), and I want to write two unrelated one-shots that I've been planning for a while and two or three 'interludes'.

The biggest thing I'm thinking about, though, is a spin-off to this story. I'll give more details soon, for now I'll just say that it will be about some past events I have mentioned multiple times in the story. :raritywink: I will build up some more lore, but above all I hope to make it a compelling story!

With love,
The marshmallow

Interlude 5 - The sun will rise again (part 1)

There was a gramophone resting idly on a small table nearby. The few times she had heard it playing, it was always the same few songs. The grey unicorn felt the same, like a record player stuck on the same track, repeating it over and over, week after week. "...About two dozens ponies were hurt in the rain of swordfishes, four of which severely, but we managed to rescue them before the floating jellyfish invaded the area, so they were all saved. We..." She bit her lips, she couldn't bear to look at her princess any more, so she turned her gaze to the ground. "We didn't manage to evacuate the western part of the town before the whales fell from the sky. Several houses were crushed or damaged, causing about another dozen injured and..." She gulped. Even record players could get worn by time. "Two victims." She grimaced, it used to be easier to deliver her reports; now she felt unable to even articulate simple words "And..." She didn't recall when it started. She used to be proud of everypony she managed to save, when she was younger, and she felt every injury and every victim as nothing more than a stain on her pride. A failure, so to speak, something to mend by giving her 110% the following week. It was because of that she managed to raise the ranks and become her Celestia's second in command. "And..." But now things had changed.

"Velvet, you can stop." As the unicorn timidly raised her head, she saw the full dignity and nobility of her princess reflected in her stance, in her head raised high and in her understanding gaze. And yet her eyes were teary too. Twilight Velvet shivered in front of such a display of empathy and love. "I know it can be difficult, I know it can painful..." Ashamed, the unicorn realized once again there was no point in even trying to hide her feeling, or trying to look strong, in front of such a mare. The tears that had been building in the unicorn's eyes started finally to flow. It was liberating "But remember I am very grateful for and very proud of everything you do." Celestia's large right wing, despite the curse weakening it, got around velvet's shoulder in a warm hug, and for a few moments just stood there.

"No... I..." But that was exactly what she needed. After drawing a long breath, she was finally able to speak again. Just a few blunt words. "They left a foal behind". Then there was silence. Celestia's expression was unreadable, she seemed to be looking in the distance, way past the close walls of the cave they were in. "She doesn't have any other relative, so..." And even if she was hesitating to complete her sentence, doubting herself and her choice, Celestia was saying nothing. All she got from her was an encouraging nod. "So I brought her here." She had managed to keep her eyes on Celestia, but her voice weakened at every word. As far as she knew, it was an unprecedented act. A complete breach of security, even. But Celestia seemed... Ok with it?

"I see." the Alicorn nodded again, there was understanding in her eyes. A little smile was appearing on her muzzle, and although the unicorn still couldn't read her eyes as well as she would have liked, she seemed relieved. "Velvet, you know I trust your judgement completely."

The tears in Velvet's eyes, which had just moments before stopped, started flowing once more. "I don't deserve such kind words, Princess" Her voice was faltering. How could she deserve her trust, if she couldn't control her own feelings? "I-I just made a choice in the spur on the moment" Weakness, that's the word she would have used.

Celestia's gaze, now slightly harsher, seemed to be able to read her completely. "I disagree" Her tone was serious, decisive, but certainly not unkind. In another time the princess might even have had a song prepared for the occasion, to make the moral of the whole situation even more memorable. But she was too old for that "Everypony deserves kindness" It was as simple as that. Inspiring, but even Velvet didn't fully realize how heartfelt it really was "And I'm really glad you learnt this lesson by yourself" Her face relaxed a little bit, her smile became more comforting.

Velvet tried to wipe out the lingering tears on her muzzle, almost managing to calm herself down. She was blushing, still embarrassed, although relieved her Princess supported her choice "When I looked at her, it reminded me of my Twilight" It all boiled down to that. In retrospect, when she was younger she only thought of herself and her Princess. She wanted adventure, excitement, glory. "Although she must be the age of Shiny" Having to think of others, of Nigh Light first and of her two foals afterwards, changed her perspective completely. She could now feel the pain of others as her own. It made her job so much more difficult. And yet so much more meaningful. "I guess having foals really change you..." Her tone was neutral, her gaze more distant, many thoughts going through her mind.

After a few moments, the princess released a sober giggle. Most of the tension lingering in the room vanished right there. "You don't seem to like the fact." And she had hit the mark perfectly. For someone like Twilight Velvet, who had always worked hard and tried to succeed on her own merits, it was difficult to accept she might have become a better pony in virtue of something that merely 'happened' to her. "You have been helping me for a very long time, so I know you always try to better yourself" velvet blushed, as her princess hit the mark for the second time. Celestia paid no mind to it. "Giving birth is but one of the many things that made you who you are now: Leaving Canterlot, meeting me, befriending our comrades, fighting chaos, falling in love, and finally having foals..." Twilight velvet ended up reminiscing about her whole life, so briefly summarized by the Princess. It was certainly a little thing, vis-a-vis with the millennium of the alicorn's life, but it certainly was not without meaning: "Remove just one of these elements, and you might be a very different 'you'. And there is..." A reason, she thought. But no, that was not what she wanted to say at all. She caught herself in time, and seamlessly rephrased her thought. "And I wouldn't want you any other way."

The unicorn did not even notice that small faux-pas. It was easy, in such emotional conversations, to misspeak, and it was on the contrary surprising how articulate her Princess still managed to be. Awe-inspiring, even. "..." She barely knew what to say. She couldn't conceive an answer fitting such high praise. So, after a few more moments, with the grey of her muzzle now changed in red, she opted for the simplest and yet more effective one: "Thank you."

The alicorn simply smiled and nodded, glad of having shared this precious moment with her. But then she started to move towards the door of the room, unwilling to linger any longer on the discussion. There was another thing that she thought she had to do. So she turned a little to look at her companion, and asked kindly: "Could I see the foal, Velvet?"

The request caught her by surprise. One one hand, because she didn't think her princess should preoccupy herself with something so trivial. On the other hand because, as usual, she was asking as if rejecting her request was an option. No one in the resistance would ever say no to her. And certainly not her second in command: "Sure." Trotting quickly she got ahead of Celestia, opening the door with her magic and then waiting for her: "I'll lead the way!"

Author's Note

The last few exams and the start of the new classes wore me out more than I thought... But now I should be back!
I have started the spin-off I mentioned, that you can find at this link.
My schedule is still a bit tight, but I should be able to write at least a chapter per week.

With Love,
The Marshmallow

Interlude 6 - The sun will rise again (part 2)

The tingling echo of a bouncing ball resounded in the depth of the cave, reaching Celestia and Twilight Velvet much sooner than the sight of the room it came from. In it, besides a few couches and a table, there were only two ponies. The smallest of the two was an amber coloured filly, with a yellow and crimson mane from which a small horn emerged. The aforementioned ball was tightly held in her greenish magical aura, then freed by throwing it towards the floor so that it would bounce on the nearby wall, and finally caught again. It was clear, just by seeing her vacant-looking eyes, how the same gestures had been repeated time and again bringing her no joy.

A large, yellow stallion with a bright red mane and an apple cutie mark was looking over the filly with a contrite expression, uncertain, even unable, to intervene in any way or to even say anything. The stalemate broke right afterwards, as he noticed the entry of the two mares. He was then quick to lower his head, almost kneeling in front of her princess. "Good evening, your majesty." His light southern accent did in no way prevent the understanding of his words, and the filly could hear them clearly. The way she reacted took all the other by surprise. She immediately stopped the ball, holding it perfectly still in the air (quite the feat for such a young filly, Celestia noted), then quickly turned towards the newly arrived ponies giving them a hateful, venomous stare. The kind of stare a little filly should never see, let alone show. As soon as she noticed who she was actually looking at, her expression softened considerably and revealed a hint of embarrassment as she -imitating the stallion- kneeled as well, her muzzle almost brushing the ground.

Celestia sighed, not blind to what had just unfolded in front of her. A veil of sadness fell on her, but she still tried not to show it too much. "Please, you can raise your head" Bright Mac was just like that, Celestia thought, he would never really drop the formalities. Not a problem, usually, but it could give the wrong idea. She certainly didn't want to think the resistance was more hierarchical than it was. Or of what she wanted it to be "I understand you expected to see someone else?" While the stallion had straightened his back and raised his head almost immediately, the filly took much longer; what worried Celestia was that she still wouldn't look at her directly, let alone talk. So she tried again, with her most soothing voice "Could you at least tell me your name, my little pony?"

Bright Mac bit his lips and lowered his eyes, making Celestia raise and eyebrow. Looking at the mare beside her, the reaction of Velvet was in fact quite similar, but she managed to explain her reasons "Princess, she..." She swallowed, looking first at the little unicorn and then at the alicorn "doesn't really speak..."

The trauma she underwent made her silence understandable, justifiable even. And yet... "S-Sunset Shimmer" Both Velvet's and Bright Mac's eyes widened considerably as those two words came out of the filly's mouth. The princess had managed within moments to do with ease what they couldn't succeed with. And they tried. "What's your name...?" Timidly, she even started raising her eyes, although her gaze was still going no higher than the alicorn's neck.

Since the filly was overcoming something much greater, the Alicorn found in herself to smile despite the melancholy that had invaded her. A warm, reassuring smile which perfectly matched the tone of her voice "I am Celestia." And to complete the picture, she slowly lowered her head bringing it in the field of vision of the filly, so to be able to look at her in the eyes. Sunset didn't try to look away, luckily.

"Celestia" she repeated slowly, in a clear effort to memorize it. She was smart, full of potential. If only such a tragedy hadn't hit her... "Aren't you... A princess?" The alicorn nodded gently, noting how (despite her young age) she was familiar with the legends of Equestria, only written in old history books and yet repeated from pony to pony for 30 generations or more. "Shouldn't you, or the princess of love, be the... Princess princess?"

That was a legitimate guess. Funny and cute, sure, but given the situation Celestia had no intention to laugh, to make her feel belittled "I was. A long, long time ago. My sister and I defeated Discord and ruled over all of Equestria..." The filly was still looking at her, listening to the story with interest. Defeating Discord, a creature capable of unleashing seemingly unlimited chaos. She was having a hard time wrapping her head around it. But in her eyes there was now a glimmer of hope. "Then the two of us fought, and he took advantage of the disharmony to take back the kingdom..." Sunset gasped, worried, but said nothing else. She wanted to hear how the story end. "He cursed me and took away the only weapon that could defeat him. And now he has been ruling for almost a thousand years."

The conclusion was sad, hopeless even. And those feelings were only partially reflected in the filly, and certainly much less than before hearing the story. For a few moments she seemed lost in thought, before asking Celestia one question. The most important one. "Were you... A good princess?"

This caught Celestia off guard. Not in a bad way, though; she appreciated the poignant question very much. "I hope I was." Despite all her mistakes, all her regrets, there was one thing she was proud of: "I considered all the ponies in the kingdom my own children." And everything she did, even the hardest decisions, she did with them in mind. "And I still do."

Sunset was, for a few moments, speechless. Many conflicting emotions, most of which she had until then suppressed, were alternating on her face. There was bottomless admiration for the mare in front of her, there was finally hope, but there were also doubt, uncertainty, sadness. Finally, she settled on anger. "It's not fair!", she screamed, in an understandable tantrum.

It was perfectly natural for her to be overwhelmed, distressed, even in despair. Letting those feelings out instead of bottling them was probably the healthiest thing, now. With a little gesture, quickly understood, Celestia even dissuaded her two comrades from intervening. She just stayed there, watching her close, ready to lend a shoulder to cry on.

"Why can't you be the princess princess?" Tears started to pile up in her eyes, and the magic surrounding the still floating ball started to become unstable. "You wouldn't hurt your ponies" Her magic was affected by her emotions, that was normal, and it was only natural that it would waver and inevitably fade. "You..." What was not expected was for the amount of magic to greatly increase and become denser, deforming the ball slightly "You wouldn't k-kill good ponies!", she finally screamed, as the ball exploded in a loud bang and the tears started to flow freely.

Despite her surprise, Celestia managed to stay impassible and quickly hugged the filly, letting her wet muzzle dry on her soft fur, as the tears dampened it. "No, I wouldn't", She said decidedly. "Me being the princess again..." She paused for a moment, looking at Velvet and Mac. They were looking at the pieces of the ball with their mouth hanging open. It was a ball in a hard, thick rubber; even most adults would not be able to break like that. And yet she, an untrained filly, did it seemingly with ease. "That's what we are trying to do"

For a little while, nopony really moved. Not the crying filly, not Celestia holding her and certainly not the two astonished comrades. Sunset was the first one to talk, between sobs at first and then more and more clearly and decidedly: "I want to help you!"

The grey mare and the yellow stallion looked at each other for a moment. She had talent, in a few years she could be valuable to the team. But at the same time, she was still way too young. Joining the resistance meant hard work, sacrifices and danger. And it was for most a life-long endeavour, due to the sheer loyalty the princess inspired. Just as Velvet had come back to the first line after giving birth to her second daughter, Bright Mac was certain that her pregnant wife would soon do the same after the birth of their third. It was a job he did gladly, as he wanted to protect as many ponies as possible... But thinking that his wife would do the same thing terrified him. And so did thinking his own children would one day want to follow in their hoofsteps... Seeing a child orphaned because of the chaos certainly helped him put things in perspective.

Still, the decision wasn't theirs to make. "We don't want to destroy, nor to hurt anypony." Celestia spoke calmly, measuring each and every word carefully. "We want to mend all the damage Discord did, and bring harmony back" A pause, as the filly slightly distanced herself from the princess body, nodding at her words "Prove me your worth by fixing the ball with your magic" The filly was baffled, it was clear she had never tried anything like that. She didn't know, and honestly didn't think, she could do something like that. But id that wasn't enough, the tone of voice of the Princess became somehow sterner, as she told the final condition for her test. "If you can't, you should just be back in a few years."

Mac wondered why Celestia would give her such an impossible task. Was that her way to dismiss her? Velvet knew better, being subject to a fairly similar test many years prior (although she was much older than Sunset was). The subject matter was very different, but the idea behind was clearly identical: observing how she would deal with failure.

After wiping away her tears with a foreleg, Sunset nodded decidedly, her gaze filled with determination. She took a deep breath, and then picked up all the different pieces within her aura, making them all levitate and then bringing them closer together and defining with them more or less the shape of a ball. Then... She just didn't know what to do. Imagining the ball as it was before, even doing so very intensely, yielded no tangible result, except increasing her frustration. Even trying to have the pieces bump with one another, or stretching them a bit, or any other mechanical movements she could elicit had no result.

Celestia was still observing her, expressionless, while in many ways the other two ponies were showing how bad they felt for her struggle. But right when it looked like she was going to start crying again, she stopped moving those pieces meaninglessly and drew a deep breath. Instead of succumbing to anger, or crying, or anything else... She decided to try and calm herself down, to think about it logically. The mental strength she was showing despite her situation surprised everypony, and even Celestia couldn't be indifferent. She smiled, and nodded supportively, as the filly started to think about the situation analytically.

Magic always came kind of natural to Sunset. When she wanted something to move, it moved. When she wanted a slice of apple, the apple split. If she wanted to make something cold warm up, it warmed up. Once, when she was angry, she had even cast a magic bolt. It was easy to assume that magic was just this very simple process of wanting something and seeing it happen, but it clearly wasn't the case. And although she couldn't even conceive of magical matrices or runes or the many small variations that one could put in the wavelength of his magic, she figured out that there were probably different... Ways to use magic. And then she realized that whatever "way" would allow her to just transfigure a broken ball into a whole one, she just didn't know it.

But she didn't need to!

Her eyes started to shine as she finally had a revelation: instead of doing the whole big difficult spell, she could do many easier ones! Instead of fixing the ball in one go, she could probably staple each piece of rubber to the next. And so she did. Sure, 'easy' was in fact the wrong word. She still needed to have the pieces of rubber all floating in her grasp, then to stretch the hard rubber enough to better show the margin of each piece to properly find the one to staple it with, as if it was a puzzle. And then she had to use even more magic to have the pieces stick together. Slowly, the ball started to take shape...

She was close, but not quite, Celestia thought. Not that the process was necessarily wrong, the problem was that the magic she was using to have the pieces stick together was not at all a good one. It was just like levitation: as soon as she focused her magic elsewhere, it just fell apart. And as much as she tried to pick back the pieces, again and again, there were just too many to be able to make the ball whole once again.

The same frustration was starting to come back, but the filly was showing a surprising amount of focus for her own age and seemed to have no intention to surrender. As far as Celestia was concerned, she had already passed her test. She could certainly stay and train together with the others. there weren't ponies her age training, but putting her under the guidance of velvet, she would probably be able to close the gap with colts and fillies three or four years her senior in a matter of months. Still, she didn't want to interrupt the test yet, as seeing her actual limits could certainly be useful.

In the meantime, Sunset had fully realized that the method she was using was not viable. The pieces didn't stick to each other as they should have. She had hit a metaphorical wall, and once more she didn't know what to do. And yet she felt so close to the final solution. Trying to find a completely new approach was a long walk around the walk, and she was not sure to even come this close ever again. She had to find some small change that would give her the edge to jump over it, nothing more. So she started once more to try all the different things she could think of. Trying to improve her 'glue-like' spell? That didn't work. heating the rubber to soften it? It required way to much magic as she didn't know an efficient spell to do so. And in the same way, many other ideas simply failed. Until one worked. Two pieces of rubber were now one, and she couldn't even fully explain how. She could only remember the general feeling, and that it required actually a lot of magic. So she tried it again, and again, and again, under the flabbergasted eyes of Mac and Velvet. The latter even thought that if any of her foals would prove to be half as talented, she would be an accomplished mare.

the filly didn't even realize it, but what she was doing was teleporting the fragments of the ball into one another, having their very structure merge. Sure, they were small objects, she was moving them just by a few millimetres, and was doing that quite inefficiently... But that was still very advanced magic. They then looked at their Princess, wondering what her reaction could be. There was surprise in her eyes, a little bit at least, but most of all she seemed just so proud. "She might be the one", she whispered to them, pointing at the filly's flank. It was shining slightly, as a yellow and red sun was taking form on it. Celestial bodies were a telling sign of great magical potential.

She didn't notice immediately, as she was focused on the ball, which was soon completed. It wasn't perfect, it was uneven and there were some holes here and there... But it was most certainly a ball. "As you have seen, my little pony..." Celestia started speaking then, her hoof gently touching the other ponies shoulder "Mending something is much harder than breaking it. But with the right effort, although not in its exact original shape, it is always possible." She hugged her, making it clear how proud she was of her, before continuing "And shall be the first of our lessons."

It took a moment for the filly to fully understand what the Alicorn was actually saying. "The first?" That implied there would a second, maybe a third, maybe many more. "You mean... You will teach me?" There was a little bit of excitement in her words. It was not an everyday thing to become the student of a princess, after all.

"Yes, I would want to make you my personal student" Not only accepting her in the resistance as she originally thought, but in fact keeping her much closer to her, and personally teach her everything she could need. "If you want me to." That was very important to her. She did not want to force her to do anything; she wanted the filly to be able to make decisions for herself at every step. "I can't use magic due to my curse, but I used to be quite good with it." And to make an informed decision, she felt she should give her the whole picture "But having lived well past one thousand, I think few ponies in Equestria have had more students than I did... Or more experience." Velvet could confirm and shuddered imagining what could happen by pairing such a talent with such a teacher.

"I want to!" the answer came immediately, barely giving Celestia the time to complete her phrase. Sunset was just so happy. Heart-warmingly so, and even Velvet and Mac found themself smiling just as well.

"I believe we should celebrate then." The Alicorn was smiling too, and felt like it was time to have her noticed in full what had just happened to her "For my new student, and for her new cutie mark!", she said, pointing in the direction of the filly's flank.

Sunset blinked a few times, before turning back her head and finally realizing the existence of that small but oh-so-important symbol that had manifested only moments ago. She would have wanted to show it to her parents, to see them proud, but she immediately realized that was no longer an option. But she didn't want to go back to crying now, she wanted to be strong, to be strong and make them proud. What she had to do was to follow her new teacher, learn everything she could, and eventually have her sit once again on the throne of Equestria. It was her destiny, she thought, noticing as the shape was so similar to that of the Alicorn.

And although in slightly different terms, The princess was thinking of destiny too. The terrible fate that had befallen on the filly, and the luck that had made the two of them meet. And she was grateful, for finally she felt the pieces were coming together.

Author's Note

I'm pretty satisfied with this one. I think is the first time I wrote a chapter mostly from Celestia point of view... So besides the backstory, there should also be a little bit of insight :pinkiehappy:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

P.S. I have my partial exams coming soon, so there will probably be some more delay. Sorry!

23 - After the big day - Side A

The precious, Saddle Arabian silk curtains were open just enough to let some of the morning light filter in the room, highlighting the bright pink and golden colour scheme of the decor and revealing the elegant fresco emblazoned on the ceiling. In the middle of it, there was the portrait Princess of Love in the act of ascending, surrounded by the ethereal glow of the magical plane she had found herself in. Around it, almost like a frame, there were many ponies happily celebrating the event in the many different cities of Equestria. There were the tall buildings of Manehattan, the desert of San palomino, the fields of Ponyville, and naturally the palace of Canterlot; Discord himself was portrayed right in front of it.

As Cadence opened her eyes, slightly reddened due to the copious crying of the previous night, the fresco was the very first thing she saw. But while usually the sight brought her joy, today it only reminded her of her position... And of how she had failed to uphold her duties. Letting a criminal escape, especially one involved in the foalnapping of her dear friend Pinkie, just because he was... Cute? She sighed, trying to get up from the bed despite the crushing weight of the guilt she was feeling. Guilt that was soon going to double, as the second thing she would see that day finally came into view.

"Good Morning, Mia." Only one creature did affectionately call her that: the one that gave her the name of Mi Amore in the first place. At the very end of her bed, sitting sideways on the oversized mattress, there was the Lord of Chaos itself. His demeanour seemed calm, composed, and he was even putting up a little smile.

"Uncle!" The princess' eyes widened in surprise, as the conflicting emotions started to untangle and manifest into her head. On one hoof, she needed to talk to him, and she was glad he was there already. She needed to know if his search was fruitful. On the other hoof, though, he could barely mask her crushing guilt while looking at him. The previous evening she just had to hold the nobles for a little while, then Discord came and took care of everything. She was sent home so she could rest, while his uncle went instead back into investigating. "You didn't sleep at all, did you?"

The lord of Chaos simply shrugged, confirming her niece's suspicion. It was not as if he needed, being a Draconeequs and all. And even if a good night of sleep helped him relax, it was certainly not his priority "I have been searching everywhere in Canterlot" While he was trying to stay level headed, Cadence found in his eyes the very flame of rage burning inside him. And being him the lord of chaos, that was not a metaphor. She was scared, albeit for just a moment, and then felt even guiltier, as she knew he would never lay his claw upon her. "But without success. All the ponies we assume were involved have already left the city..."

She thought so; he must have turned every stone in the city searching for her... While she was there sleeping. And they couldn't capture any suspect; all because of her mistake. No; mistake wasn't even enough of a word to describe what she had done. Betrayal, maybe? That felt more like it. "I'm sorry", Cadence simply said, as tears started to well in her eyes.

And the rage vanished from Discord expression once more, replaced by nothing but worry for his dear nephew "Don't be, it was not your fault" But it was. "You did your best" But she didn't. "We had no way of knowing such powerful unicorns could fly under the radar like that" She had no idea what that was. But still, the white stallion was not as powerful. Had she not sent him away, they would at least be able to capture him. To interrogate him. To have at least a trail to follow. "But don't worry," he said with a comforting tone, "I won't let them get away with it."

Cadence was trying to wipe her tears away, but they were too soon replaced by new ones. Seeing his uncle's kindness, the way in which he was trying to hide his rage not to cause her distress, she couldn't help but be moved. And finally raising her head, she spoke with the most decisive tone she could muster "Let me help you."

he nodded, simply "I do need your help." As to say that he was going to ask nonetheless. But there was a bit of pride in his voice, showing how glad he was to have such a loyal nephew. And that did hurt, although she still tried not to show it. "I can't search for Pinkie and rule at the same time." The hopeful smile that was finally emerging on the alicorn's face suddenly wavered. That was not what she had in mind. "Can I count on you to run the government for a few days?" His tone was serious, and so were his eyes now firmly focused on hers.

And she wanted to say no, that she had to go with him. Turn every stone in the whole Equestria and beyond, until Pinkie was saved. Do what she should have done earlier. And yet she stayed silent. Asking to administer Equestria in his stead was an incredible demonstration of trust, one she had never once been granted before. And it was certainly more than she deserved, anyway. Her misdeeds still fresh in her mind, she didn't feel like she could refuse that request. And so, not without a pinch of bitterness, she nodded and answered: "You won't be disappointed"

"Good", he said with a small grin. Extending his right foreleg, he affectionately ruffled the mane of her nephew, wordlessly showing gratitude. Then it was time to go back to business. "As soon as you are ready, get to the palace." She had all the time. And most often, ponies expected him to be some thirty minutes late anyways. He snapped his talon, and immediately a scroll appeared from thin hair. It was Discord's handwriting, and there was a royal sigil at the bottom. "It's not as if anypony would dare to disobey you, but to be safe that's my royal decree", he declared handing it to Cadence.

And with the scroll held in her magic, she looked at her Uncle once again. She had so many questions, and so many things she wanted to say. But when he raised his paw, ready to snap his fingers and teleport away, she to choose just one, and to choose quickly. "What will you do?" And then she held her breath. She was worried. For Pinkie, clearly. For his uncle, a little bit. And as much as she wanted to deny it, even for that cute white stallion.

And just a moment, Discord was startled; he didn't like the question. Then he looked back at her with an unreadable chilling gaze. There were too many emotions in there to pinpoint just one, but few of them were positive. Even his words, despite him clearly trying, where all but comforting. "What I have to."

And just like that, he went away without a sound.

There was only darkness in the room, then Discord appeared and snapped his claws. Despite the lack of any source of light, every corner of the room was immediately lit to perfection. It was as if each of the artefacts on the ground, each of the bricks on the wall, and even each of floating stained glasses were projecting their own light.

And yet none of those items interested Discord.

Sure, sometimes he would have fun looking at the masterpieces of pony (and other creatures) ingenuity scattered on the floor, playing with the amazing powers they possessed. Child play in comparison to his chaos, but entertaining nonetheless. Other times he would look at the stained glasses pertaining to the history he never wanted to be known; the enemies he destroyed too cruelly for ponies to even imagine, the sins he committed while blinded by rage, and he would just feel regret.

That very same rage was blinding him once again, making him focus his attention only on the cursed pillar located in the centre of the room; an inconspicuous stone cylinder one meter wide and two meters tall. Ominously, he inched slowly towards it, slightly raising his right paw.

"You shouldn't do this..." The paw, now replaced by the head of a grimacing unicorn, was looking at him judgementally. And for a moment he actually stopped, turning the paw/head towards his own face.

"You think I don't know?" He asked through gritted teeth, pain and sorrow and anger all showing in his expression. He didn't like to go here, to be reminded of his mistakes and maybe to make new ones. And yet his anger was too great, too overwhelming. He could see no better option. He had no other choice.

"I know you know. I'm you." The head sighed, hopelessly "But you are still going to do it..." And as magic started to flow copiously around his horn, golden at the onset and quickly shifting to a bubbling purplish, his expression became more and more strained. And when his pupils disappeared in the glowing green sea of his eyes and a purplish smoke emerged from them, he started to scream. A long, high pitched, terrible wail, which was promptly ignored by the Draconeequs. he was still looking at the pillar, which grew taller and taller until, around the five meters mark, a door emerged from it, only the first few steps of a stairway visible through the darkness. The grinding of stone on stone and the wailing both ceased immediately.

"I thought that, besides me, only Sombra could open this place, now..." The ancient tyrant of the crystal empire, possibly the most feared dark magic user of all times, currently sealed in the frozen north with his kingdom. Not a problem now, not a problem in the past centuries, and not a problem for a long time coming (hopefully). And yet, at least one more wielder of that cursed magic still existed... The incredibly secure lock that only for almost a thousand years only he could open suddenly didn't feel as safe "I'll have to think of something. Any idea?" He asked hopefully.

But the unicorn head would not respond anymore, and Discord wordlessly turned it back to a paw as he disappeared into the darkness.

Author's Note

I had a few ideas for other interludes, but it was either too early for them or I couldn't make them as interesting as I would have liked... So we are back to the main story!
For the moment I'll be a bit slow with the updates, as I'm also still working on The saviour of Saddle Arabia.
Some of it might come into play here in the not so distant future, too. So... Stay tuned! :raritywink:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

24 - After the big day - Side B

While in the most luxurious mansion in Canterlot the King was asking the princess for a favour, in a cave a few hours by train from there three ponies, two of which had just become wanted criminals, were talking over breakfast. The room was small and bare, two simple chairs had been arranged to accommodate as many ponies laying just in front of a table with three cups of tea on it and three slices of half-eaten cake (one decidedly bigger than the other two). Just on the other side of the table, there was a comfortable looking bed three times as large as that of an average pony. Most of its surface was occupied by the majestic figure of Celestia herself. Her head was pointing towards the two mares, while her back hooves were carelessly laying where the pillows would usually be. Her right forehoof was holding a small fork that she was skillfully using to cut pieces from her slice and then consume them.

"...I thought it would be similar to dark magic, in which case we would have ways to counter and possibly cleanse it..." Twilight sparkle was explaining, carefully. She had thin dark circles under her eyes, having barely slept the previous night. the excitement of her first success, the party they had, the guilt she felt, and the many ideas floating in her mind were a terrible combination to reconcile sleep. "But it was completely different. It was equally dark, but much colder. And... Fragmented, if it makes sense?" She then stopped talking, but for a moment it was clear by her eyes that the gears in her mind were still turning, as if she was still trying to concoct new poignant observations.

Celestia nodded simply, looking at her student with a lingering sadness: "I believe you are correct." For just a moment her eyes and her mind wandered away, maybe brought back to a battle one thousand years over. "Dark magic runs on the emotions of the user alone, draining him of the positive ones over time." She gave a worried look to Sunset Shimmer. To which she tried to smile reassuringly, despite the bandages on her body undermining the effectiveness of her expression "Nightmare magic is possibly more insidious. I think the nightmares infecting my sister amplify her negative ones more and more."

"Still, it should be possible to separate her from the nightmares?" the lavender unicorn followed shortly after, with a curious tone. "I mean, as long as they are different entities..."

"It should, and a thousand years ago I tried" Celestia looked proud, as her student was on the right path, but at the same time ashamed at her own failure. This time, even she didn't have all the answers "but I either wasn't powerful enough, or I couldn't figure out how to do it..."

Twilight seemed ready to advance new hypotheses, but she was stopped in her track by Sunset's intervention "Twi, Princess..." She started, quietly, getting their attention "I believe we should focus on the matter at hand." Instinctively, Twilight looked at the clock hanging on the wall, then went back to her friend "We should discuss your sister's situation when we have managed to rescue her."

To this, both Twilight and the Princess couldn't help but agree, giving the orange unicorn a nod. But once more, they were cut off before they could say more. Three loud knocks on the door, followed by the Imposing figure of Shining Armor getting through the door in a hurry, "She woke up!" he was panting slightly, sign he had come there as quickly as possible, just as they expected him to. What they didn't expect was for their captive to awake so quickly, as looking at the clock it was barely past eight in the morning. Twilight's spell was expected to keep her sleeping two or three hours more

"Thank you, Shining Armor." Celestia answered with a calm smile, rising slightly more from the bed to get into a more princessly, dignified posture. She hoped they'd have time to complete their breakfast, but this happening earlier rather than later was certainly for the best. "Twilight..." She had decided already how to handle the situation, so she made her request without missing a beat: "Please, go there immediately. Sunset and I should follow in a few minutes"

"As you wish, princess", Twilight exclaimed with a nod, getting back on her hooves. She took one more bite of her cake and washed it down with the last of her tea, before moving quickly towards the stallion, giving the two mares she was leaving behind one last nod. "We'll go, then..." it was quite obvious she was a little bit worried for her teacher and her fellow student, but she knew the urgency of the call, so she quickly left the room.

The two mares left behind both started rising slowly from their position, that is to say at the pace Celestia's curse and Sunset's wounds allowed them. Even the latter, usually extremely athletic, knew perfectly she would have held Twilight back, had she tried to go with her immediately. "Princess, let me help you" While she was by any means more sluggish than her mentor, as the wounds still hurt, her magic had for the most part recovered, so she could use it to help both herself and Celestia.

As for the Alicorn, even after a thousand years she still felt a bit bad about needing help... But she also knew how long it would take her to get there with no help at all. And as much as she trusted Twilight with dealing with the situation, she wanted to see Discord's advisor for herself. So, with the soft tone that characterized her, she simply said: "Thank you."

It wasn't long before the two siblings reached the door to their captive's 'cell'. Neither was out of breath, which was quite impressive as Shining Armor had already galloped the whole route both ways. His enunciation wasn't even remotely ragged as he addressed one of the two guards he had left in front of the door. "Flash, anything to report?"

The orange pegasus had obviously already noticed the incoming comrades, and was already blushing slightly at the sight of his commander's sister. "H-Hi Twilight!" But he knew better than lingering on the greetings, especially when his superior's tone was so direct and urgent. "Yessir. She calmed down and started to hang some streamers..." He stopped, as he saw a menacing frown coming from the white unicorn.

"I told you to keep an eye of her without doing anything else", he growled. It was supposed to be a simple job. The door was provided of a practical, one-way peephole. No interaction necessary (nor suggested) "Unless there was an emergency?" And he honestly doubted that streamers could be involved in any such situation.

"Shiny, I think it was nice of them." The lavender mare ignored their grateful expression or her brother's frown, and went on calmly "If a bit weird..." Of all the thing they could decide to provide her, or of all the things she could ask for, she couldn't really conceive of how that could be literally the first one.

"The thing is..." Flash Sentry gulped, some cold sweat dripping from beneath his gold-coloured helmet to his orange forehead. He knew they wouldn't believe him "We didn't."

Twilight raised her eyebrows. She thought the 'prisoner' had been searched thoroughly to make sure she hadn't hidden any weapon underneath her stage costume. She sighed, attributing the fact at simple negligence, and thought (maybe with a pinch of arrogance) that she had nothing to fear. "keep an eye on the situation, but don't come in", she said, moving towards the door and moving the key with her magic. As the others acquiesced at her request, she took a deep breath, and finally crossed the threshold.

Whichever expectation she could have, the reality was overwhelming. The room was on the larger side, with a very high ceiling, carved in the rock. It was not dark, as many lamps were used to light up the place, and it was even less bare than most rooms, as they didn't want it to look like a prison. That was the reason behind the especially comfortable bed (which was surprisingly already done), the bookshelf along one wall and the relatively large table with four chairs. What was not supposed to be there were the large amount of pink and golden streamers that the supposed prisoner was hanging in that very moment.

Most of the work was done, and they were even hanged in a place where it seemed impossible they would stick, not speaking of how she shouldn't have been able to get that high on her own. Pinkie Pie was now standing on a chair, balancing on a single hoof while trying and failing to reach the same height one more time. As focused as she was, she only noticed the presence of Twilight when she closed the door behind her with her magic. To the lavender mare surprise, she turned towards her with a large smile and a surprisingly cheerful tone "Oh, hi! Could you help me put this up there, please?"

Twilight blinked silently, as her understanding failed her. That was not the amount of stuff that could easily be hidden (or that could inadvertently be kept on her body), and that was not the reaction that she should have had. She had been taken there against her will, without anything being explained to her, and yet she seemed... Fine? A weak "Sure" was all that the unicorn could muster, as her horn lit up and her aura took the extremity of the streamer from her hooves to fix it where she was pointing to.

Amid giggles, Pinkie spoke again excitedly: "Thank you!" The pink mare seemed to be glowing, really satisfied with her work "This place was just too boring, almost sad." His expression went from happiness to some tinges of sadness matching what she was saying, and then she looked kind of worried "Oh, I don't mean to offend. It's not bad, just a bit too empty..." She thought she could have made an impasse. How could she know if the lavender unicorn actually liked the 'minimal' decor? "But I think you'll agree this is better!"

The unicorn looked around. Streamers or not this was ultimately her cell. A cold and impersonal room carved in the bare rock, so different from the luxurious place she lived. And yet she was... Fine? She needed to take one more breath before speaking. "It is... Nice. Thank you." Not exactly her style, but she couldn't deny it looked much more pleasant than before. "Still, do you realize where you are?"

The earth pony had in the meantime left the chair she was on and was moving it back towards the centre of the room absentmindedly. She seemed to think about what the other mare was asking for a few moments "It's funny you ask", she replied simply, with some confusion visible on her face "I thought you would tell me!"

"That's... fair?" She wondered. Maybe she had asked the question in an unclear way. Or Discord's right hoof was just messing with her. "We foalnapped you." She could in no way be clearer than that, and as the words left her mouth she started to feel bad about the whole thing once more "I did." Ultimately, she was the one 'doing' it, and she had to own the fact. "And we are very sorry, but we had to..." She paused, letting the weight of what she just said simmer for a moment. Mere instants that the other mare quickly filled.

"I thought so" Pinkie nodded. The recollection of herself trapped in the dark magic box much longer than she should have and then getting very sleepy, only to find herself in this strange room had already made her realize as much "When I woke up I was, like, super worried! I thought you might want to hurt me, or worse, but then I thought that if that was your intention you would have done that already. And that you really wouldn't do that, since His super-duper majesty would get super angry!" To that Sunset flinched slightly, but Pinkie went on "Then I became sad because I thought about him, and how I couldn't be there to his wedding! But then I thought he wouldn't marry If I wasn't there!" There was a hint of pride in her words. Twilight was almost surprised at her confidence, but she had to recognize she was right "Then I started thinking about what you might want from me, but nothing came to mind, so I decided not to worry anymore and just wait. But I could not not worry, with the room looking so bare (No offence) so I took some streamers and started to hang them. But then..."

"Thank you!" Twilight said decidedly, trying to stop the torrent of words coming out of the other mare's mouth. "For the... Uhm... transparency?" Laying her thought process like that was quite impressive, especially since it didn't look like she was intentionally omitting details or lying (Although, she had to admit, Applejack would probably be a better judge of that than her). "But I think you might want to know why you are here."

Pinkie was silent for a few seconds, showing a neutral pensive expression. It didn't last long and a new bright smile appeared on her muzzle. She sounded almost grateful at the suggestion "Actually, I would like to know!"

Good, they were getting somewhere. Now it was only a matter of nudging her in the right direction. Her demeanour was as calm as she could be, her voice didn't waver. "As we were saying, we have no intention of hurting you, and we don't want to hold you here for longer than necessary." That had to be clear from the getgo. "Nor we are going to use you as some sort of, forgive the wording, 'bargain chip'..." It was obvious as such a thing would be pointless, while dealing with Discord. "You are, as far as we know, the advisor that got the closest to Discord in very a long time. Possibly ever." And to this, Pinkie looked especially proud, as she smiled and nodded. "So we believe you could be able to influence him."

"That makes sense," she said slowly, her brow slightly furrowed, her mind working in full force. "If you contacted him asking for a ransom, or to get something in return, he would probably find all of you super quickly" Twilight nodded, as her understanding of the situation was on point. How could it not be, as she knew first hoof what Diascord's powers could do? "And I think I could influence some of his decisions..." Sometimes she did. Softening some of his choices, or making sure he acted reasonably. It was part of her job. "But... I don't want to betray him!"

The lavender unicorn considered this for a moment. Her loyalty was obviously commendable, and so was her honesty. How easy it would have been for her to fake her agreement, and ignore their every request once returned to Canterlot. She instead decided, true to her principles, to confront her. Twilight couldn't help but smile, convinced more and more that seeking her was the right choice overall. "No, that's not..." She was interrupted, though, by a soft-spoken yet authoritative voice coming from near the door.

"Twilight, I believe I could answer that!"

Celestia was standing tall near the wooden frame, which was, in fact, shorter than herself, with Sunset to her side. The latter was looking at the earth pony warily. "Princess! Sunset!" They had hurried more than it was necessary, but they looked overall fine (as much as Sunset could look fine with bandages all over her.)

Pinkie Pie was, as it could be expected, incredulous at what she saw. It was not an everyday occurrence to meet an Alicorn, as only one was known to exist in the entirety of Equestria. But while she was extremely surprised, she recovered swiftly. "Are you... Celestia?"

The former princess was, for a moment, taken aback. But being one of the closest advisors to Discord, it was not inconceivable that she would come to know some of his secrets. "I thought only historians even knew about me, at this point." She paused for one moment, revealing a small, ambiguous smile "And that they mostly debated if I even existed..."

"Well, Discord doesn't really like to talk about it." She smiled, sheepishly. She did not really approve of her King erasing the unflattering parts of history. And yet she tried to defend him anyways, or better, to justify his actions. "But I think it is because he is sorry!"

"You mean ashamed?" Sunset intervened, a piercing gaze towards the earth pony. She had tried to keep her mouth shut, to resist being overtaken by what she felt towards Discord and those that associated with him, but this last claim was just too much.

"M-maybe?" Pinkie Pie tried. What Discord had done was not a good action. She knew it, Discord knew it, and he definitely regretted it. She honestly thought there was no point into recriminating now, one thousand years afterwards... And yet, seeing the victim of that curse in front of her, thinking of the implication, she couldn't help but feel a little bit of that shame. "But I'm sure that, if he met you now, he would apologize and try to make things right!" This image helped her keep her cheer, but it was hard to say if she really believed that would be the case. "By the way, what happened to you? It looks like it hurts!"

Sunset Sighed. On one hoof, she felt angry. She even wanted to be. But she had an hard time to be, seeing how thoroughly brainwashed (at least in her perspective) she was. "I fought Discord." She said bluntly, letting the weight of it sink for a moment "I think It went well. Many of my friends are not going to recover as easily." She paused for just one moment, than she looked straight in her eyes. "Or at all."

"Oh..." Her eyes widened for a moment. She thought Discord powers were a strong enough deterrent to avoid any such conflict. But, as it was painfully obvious, that was not the case. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Celestia's intervention caught everypony by surprise. Her tone was serious, her every word impactful and well thought out. "They knew what they were doing; they were all ready to die. That is just how much we believe in our cause." Pinkie gulped. She was used to being in the presence of Cadence, to the point she was no longer intimidated by the alicorn's regality. But Celestia had a completely different aura around herself. And as much as she felt the pressure, she couldn't look away. "Ours is not a fight for me, nor a fight against Discord." That was something she often had to remind to the ponies around her, as many ended up fighting for one or the other reason. but that was not what Celestia wished: "All we want is the good of Equestria and all its ponies!" She paused for mere moments, her tone of voice softened slightly "Do you not?"

It took a few moments for Pinkie to realize she had been asked a question, that was how much she was enraptured by the Alicorn's charisma "I... I do!" She replied quickly, but earnestly. She thought for a moment more "I always try to be loyal to Discord and to Equestria!" And there was supposed to be no contradiction in this.

Celestia nodded and smiled, after a moment she spoke again: "And does Discord always act in Equestria's best interest?"

It was a rhetorical question, but the earth pony considered the fact for a few long moments. Her already challenged smile wavering more and more, until it became an expression of slight shame "Most of the time?" But still, she deeply believed it, and everything in her demeanour attested as much.

Sunset ground her teeth slightly, anger rising in her. Twilight had to move a little bit closer, and take her in a delicate hug (she barely touched her, not to aggravate her wounds), which helped to calm her. Celestia looked at her for a moment with worry, before going back to Pinkie "You have been living in Canterlot for a long time. I'm afraid you might have been sheltered from some of Discord's actions." That was to say that the reality might have been much bleaker than what she had already been exposed to. "If you let us show you other parts of Equestria, you might understand the importance of our cause, and how much you could contribute to it."

Pinkie looked pensive once more. She briefly looked at the ponies around her, and then answered: "I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Celestia simply nodded, with a neutral expression. Pinkie, instead, seemed to have a new idea, and a smile crept up on her face once again: "But I might change your mind too!"

These last few words had a very different effect on the three ponies in front of her. Sunset found such an idea exhilarating; she wondered what the pink mare would say when, inevitably, she was going to be exposed to the evil of his master. Twilight, on the other hand, was slightly taken aback at the idea, but it did not exclude it immediately. If ponies could hold such loyalty and high regard towards Discord, there was maybe something they had not considered. Maybe, even if they ever found a way to defeat him, his loyalists would try to bring him back. Understanding what they saw in him would be nothing less of a necessity. As for Celestia, it was impossible to say what was going on behind her inscrutable expression. She did nothing but nod once more, and then spoke softly: "We will see."

Author's Note

I think I wrote the first scene in like two hours, without any problem, then I scrapped the second scene twice before managing to get it "right".
I hope you'll like it!

Happy new year,
The Marshmallow

25-After the big day - Side C

Fluttershy didn't sleep well that night, her mind consumed by the thought of what unfolded the previous evening. Rainbow Dash found herself quite preoccupied too, to the point it took her a full ten minutes to fall asleep. To her credit, when the following morning she woke up perfectly well-rested, the blue pegasus noticed the dark circles underneath her friend's eyes immediately, and soon tried to relieve her worries.

While the walk from their bedrooms to the dining room, where they would have breakfast, was by no means an especially long one, it was one they would conduct perfectly alone due to the lack of personnel in the palace. This would allow them to speak their mind, although without raising their voice, having no fear of being overheard. And Rainbow didn't miss the chance, trying to enquire on her friend's thought.

She found herself incapable of having Fluttershy reveal her train or though, which was not too surprising. But to her dismay, she couldn't guess it either! That was what she usually would do, having known her for so many years, to the point that she was sometimes the one better capable of articulating the delicate mare's opinion. It was easy, she would say, as Fluttershy wanted to express something, and was just too timid to do it. But in these past few days, she finally realized, she had really wanted to keep her thoughts to herself.

Which was nothing wrong, per se, but it bothered Rainbow nonetheless.

This didn't dissuade her from trying to have her friend to open little by little, and this went on until they reached the large door that would lead them to their meal. A maid was waiting for them there and smiled meekly as she saw them getting close enough: "Lady Fluttershy, Miss Rainbow dash. " She bowed her head slightly, as a sign of deference: "Our Lord is not going to join you for breakfast. Until he is back, he instructed to make sure your wish is our command." Another bow, smaller, and then a smile, wide enough to be perceived as a bit creepy by the rainbow-maned pony.

"Awesome." She answered dismissively "Can you let us have breakfast alone?"

The maid' expression suddenly turned a lot colder while looking at Rainbow, and moved her gaze towards Fluttershy, inquisitive but much warmer. After a few moments of pause, the yellow mare nodded meekly to confirm her friend's request, and asked "Please?"

If she was bothered by the request, she didn't let it show. She answered with a cheery "Absolutely, Milady" And left, smiling, as soon as the two were seated. "If you need anything, Just come to the servant quarters."

After the big door was closed, and waiting a few more moments to be safe, Rainbow dash was the first to speak again: "It wasn't just my impression, right? She doesn't like me..." It was not that she doubted the fact, it was only that she didn't fully understand why, being as awesome as she was.

Fluttershy caught the purpose of her question immediately, and addressed it directly, albeit carefully "I think she might be... Jealous?" Rainbow looks perplexed, but she went on "I am set to marry Discord, so she can't do much. Maybe she even thinks that if I like her things will improve for her..." Rainbow nodded, she could understand this, but the part she herself played in all of this was still a mystery. "But as long as you are here with me, you can have the same lifestyle, only without having to do anything for it." She then paused for a moment, initially unsure if it was the case to go on. The enraptured expression of Rainbow Dash made her decide to do so. "Maybe she is a bit... Uhm... resentful she doesn't have the privileges she thought she would have by working for Discord?"

The cyan pegasus was for a moment speechless. Fluttershy was quiet and observant, she knew as much, but that was much more. "That was awesome". Her eyes were sparkling, showing honest admiration for the timid mare "You were like a Psy..." How was the word? "A Psycho..." Definitely not "A shrink!" She improvised, looking satisfied.

"No, I'm not" The mare in question was a bit embarrassed at the compliment, as she always was, but that was not all there was to it. "I..." It was difficult to actually say it, but she had to. "I've just been thinking about a lot of things." Which even to rainbow was clear. And if it had not been in the previous few days, certainly it was that morning. "It's not like I didn't want to tell you." Her friend was relieved, but also seemed kind of doubtful at this assertion "Ok, maybe I didn't want to make you worry." That was part of it, sure "But... I really don't know what I'm thinking."

Rainbow nodded supportively, genuine happiness at her friend's attempt to open to her "Try to say it. I am here to help you."

Fluttershy smiled, she didn't doubt the other's words "It has been hard, in Cloudsdale" She started, reminiscing of her life until a few days prior. Rainbow did the same, empathizing with her "So when I was sent here, and Discord chose me..." Her feelings on that were still uncertain. She was terrified, but also kind of flattered. maybe even happy, or maybe not. "I really thought that it could make a lot of things right. For both of us." As she looked up towards Rainbow, she found her with a mouth slightly agape.

"Wait you mean..." Slowly but surely The blue mare was realizing how blind she had been in these past few days, and her shiting emotion showed freely on her expression "You were doing this... For me too?" A single, gentle gaze from her friend, and she stopped questioning.

"You have helped me so much", it was stated as a matter of fact, in a surprisingly decisive manner "You have defended me when no one else would." A pause, her eyes were now pointed straight at the other's eyes "I owed this to you".

Rainbow Dash cheeks became slightly flustered. But that didn't stop her to reply promptly, decisively yet gently "You owe nothing to me!" And this, too, was a matter of fact. "All I did, it was because you are my friend."

"I know." Fluttershy smiled widened for a moment. "But you are my friend too." Her happiness didn't last long, as she arrived at the difficult part of the conversation "I think I got us in something bigger than us" Rainbow was tempted to make some joke about nothing being bigger than the most awesome pony in Equestria, but even she realized it wouldn't be appropriate. "What do you think of Pinkie? And of Rarity and Applejack?" And then she stayed there, silently for a few long moments.

The answer dint' come immediately, it was clear that Rainbow had to consider the question for a moment"Pinkie is... weird." And there was really no other word for it. Not that it was all there was to her "But like, really nice, and funny, and caring. I think I like her." Fluttershy nodded, approvingly. She then thought of the other two ponies. "Applejack and... Rarity, right?" they didn't interact quite that much. But still enough to have an impression of them "They seemed okay ponies." She then thought of what the white unicorn suggested the previous evening. Running away and being hidden by then, maybe achieving freedom. "I think I would have told you to take on their offer, if they weren't..." She looked around, carefully, and lowered her voice further "Probably involved in foalnapping Pinkie."

"I won't comment on their offer." Mostly because she didn't really know what to think. The whole situation she was in was incredibly difficult to digest. "Although I have thought on just running away, a few times..." her mind went back to one, first arriving in Canterlot, she had been looking the trains time table, hoping to find an appropriate time to flee. In the end, she didn't and the rest was history. "But about Pinkie..." She was the one she wanted to talk about, the one thing on which her mind was truly set "Can we really stay here and do nothing?" It was a tough question, that made Rainbow dash looked at the table for a few moments, embarrassed "We know where she is, probably. Or at least where Rarity and Applejack are." She took a deep breath, before whispering "We should go there."

"What?!" rainbow raised her voice for a moment, in surprise, before composing herself and going back to whispering. "That seems crazy dangerous. I think we shouldn't get in between them." As much as Rainbow Dash was a risk-taker, even she realized when it was too much. Risking to find themselves in the middle of the feud between the Lord of Chaos and his enemies had in her mind no good ending in sight. They might be perceived as traitors by Discord, or be just as well taken hostages by the rebels. And whatever they would do, would that not be useless? "Discord is going to catch them just fine, probably"

"I know. I'm sure he would." They had both witnessed his unimaginable power firsthand. She doubted anypony, even anycreature, could go beyond that. "But are you really fine with it?" While she could see the result already, she didn't find it acceptable. Despite being an ancient, eternal being Discord was extraordinarily emotional, and he really loved Pinkie. She didn't want to imagine what he could do to those that took her away from him, and she wanted even less for it to happen. "They are good ponies, too. I think we could help find a compromise."

Fluttershy was serious. She should have expected it. The one thing the usually cowardly mare would always stand up to was Injustice (as long as she wasn't the designated victim), and if there was one thing she would never change in her friend was exactly that. "I'll come with you" So she didn't even try to dissuade her, knowing she would fail, and just smiled supportively.

Rainbow was serious, too. Fluttershy expected it. If there was one thing she really knew about her friend was that she would always stand by her. Without her support, she doubted she would have ever found the strength to stand for what was right. "Thank you" was all that she could say, for other words were not needed. And the two just stared at each other warmly for a few moments. until a low rumble interrupted them.

It came from Rainbow Dash's belly. This made her blush even more than before "But... Like, we should go right now, right now?" The option seemed to worry her a bit, especially since she finally realized that her worrying about her friend had prevented her to realize how hungry she really was "Or can we finish breakfast first?"

"Oh, uhm..." After a moment of surprise, Fluttershy giggled softly, amused by the turn of events "Later is fine, I think?" She then was lost in thought for a few moments, as if trying to recall something from the past "There should be a train for Ponyville right before ten. Maybe it would be good?" She wasn't one hundred per cent sure. After all, it had been almost a week (and a very hectic one) since she had looked at those trains.

But Rainbow Dash didn't doubt her at all, and she answered quickly, right as she was started to fill her plate with pastries and fruit from the large tray set in front of them "That's perfect!" She then started to fill Fluttershy's plate too, certainly to her taste but a bit more than she would do herself. "We'll need a lot of energy for this negotiation stuff, so make sure to eat!"

"Ok!" Fluttershy was ultimately relieved, as she started to take a few bites from a slice of pineapple (one the many exotic fruits Discord had provided). The support from her friend was all she needed, and she was really hopeful they would succeed. Only one last thing came to her mind, worrying her slightly "Oh, maybe we should leave Discord a message? I don't want to be rude..."

"Sure" Rainbow Dash answered, a bit dismissively, "But remember our priorities!" She smiled, and pointed at Fluttershy's plate, before continuing with a teasing tone "the first of which is eating!" And that was the end of the conversation.

Author's Note

meanwhile, The Saviour of Saddle Arabia is almost done. Next chapter is the climax, and then there will be the epilogue. Once I'm done with that, This fiction should proceed more smoothly.

Also, spoiler alert (?), what happens in that fiction could soon become relevant here, too :raritywink:

With love,
The Marshmallow

7 - The choice - Great, powerful and beautiful

Pinned to the ground by two guards ready, at a single word of their ruler, to imprison or execute her. Dragged across the room, through a crowd looking at her with suspect and pity in equal parts, until she was in front of the throne. And finally, the terrible figure of the lord of Chaos right in front of her, standing tall, looking at her with an unreadable expression. If there is a word to describe the whole situation, certainly "lucky" is not it. Yet Trixie, the great and powerful Trixie, still felt exactly that. Apparently relaxed, looking at the king with unexpected confidence. After all, she found Discord. She would have a chance to explain herself!

"I usually don't take it kindly to be interrupted..." Discord was using his best menacing tone, and a cold and deep stare pointed straight at her eyes. Enough to have even the guards feel somehow uncomfortable, as they knew well what it could mean to be involved in the collateral damage of their king's rage "But I'll admit I'm curious..." A little grin appeared on his face, although both the tone and the stare were still the same, creating an odd contrast "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The little grin was taken by her as a full endorsement, and she seemed somehow even more confident than before. She could have explained in detail the story of her life, if only she had the Chance "As I already said..." She projected her voice powerfully, as she would have done on stage. "I am..."

"Trixie Lulamoon" It was Pinkie's voice, which had every head of the small group turning towards her. Everybody was quite surprised by her intervention. Pinkie looked surprised herself. In her case, though, it was about actually seeing her there.

"Do you know her?" Discord raised one of his long white brows, turning his head toward his advisor. Many questions now raced in his mind.

"It's a pity I have to tell you already" She puffed her cheeks, showing a bit of dissatisfaction. "She is one of the performers I have hired for the celebrations!" The Royal advisor had the full authority on all preparations. And always made sure to leave Discord in the dark until the last second, so that it might be at least a bit surprising "A magician!" Pinkie's eyes were now shining a bit. Sure, she was every day in contact with magic much more powerful and impressive than any magician could possibly pull off... But during the show, all the elements united to create something beautiful. Something that, for even just a moment, managed to appear impossible and extraordinary. "Still, I have no idea what she is doing here!"

"I see..." Discord went back to the "magician", abruptly and clearly giving her a single order "Go on!"

"Hi... Pink Pie, right?" The name of her employer? Not relevant enough to remember correctly, apparently "I don't really like to be interrupted, either, but I guess I'll forgive you" So magnanimous. The guards and the ponies close enough to hear the conversation wondered if she understood the situation she was in. The answer seemed easy: no. "As I was saying, I am the great and powerful Trixie, the greatest Magician in Equestria! And I didn't like not being the main event of the evening!" Being on what was the most important stage in Equestria during the most important festival of the year? Not enough. And this year the main event wouldn't even be a normal show or performance... It would be a marriage! "Then I realized..." A somehow seductive smile on her face, and a wink "There is a way for the Great and Powerful Trixie to be part of the main event!"

Moments of silence. This explained a lot, and yet it explained nothing. Many of the "candidates" (as it was impossible not to hear Trixie talking) started whispering among each other, while the guards just exchanged a significant look. Discord's reaction was instead a bit different "uah ah ah ah!" he seemed to be having fun. A lot of fun.

Pinkie, on the contrary, looked pensive for a moment, before giving revealing her thoughts to the King "She has a point, though..."

"I know, right?" once Discord had stopped his laughs, he just showed to agree with his assistant. "It's not wrong, but it's just so..." He was still giggling a bit, which was to be expected given the interesting development. "Funny!" It was not easy to appear serious or cold when he was actually having fun. But his natural figure and attitude certainly helped him still being menacing "That said, why did you sneak in instead of being in a delegation?"

"The great and powerful Trixie is not... er... In great terms with her old town. As a travelling pony and everything." A topic she mostly wanted to avoid "Also, I tried to ask the guards at the castle's entrance nicely... But they wouldn't let me in!" She gave an annoyed stare to one of the guards holding her and even stuck her tongue out. Although, obviously, it was not the same pony that blocked her at the entrance "Which was a terrible mistake, almost treason against you!"

"How so?" Discord was somehow captivated by her words and was really enjoying the dramatic turn of the whole situation.

"Well, they almost prevented you from meeting The Great and Powerful and Beautiful Trixie! You ran the risk of being stuck with one of these boring ponies!" She looked almost concerned, just thinking of such a terrible fate

"Ah ah ah ah!" Discord burst into laughter one more time "Let her go. She can stay!" Almost everyone was surprised by the sudden turn of event, except Pinkie Pie. She had figured this is how it would play off. She knew Discord too well not to realize a mare like that would entertain him a lot. For a while at least. "Anything else to say?"

The blue mare was now getting up again, looking at the two guards with a way-too-smug grin "Uhm..." Then she thought for a moment about something else to say, and just a thing came to her mind "As soon as I am your queen..." That wasn't hypothetical. She was completely sure she would marry him, at this point. "We'll have to think about the security of this place. As great and powerful as I am, I barely met any guard until I was here!"

re security?" A smirk appeared on Discord's face. If he hadn't already laughed enough, he would have a reason to do so once more. "You were the first to sneak in the palace in 100 years, you know why is that?"

"Maybe because..." she was ready to make a hypothesis, but Discord wouldn't let her. there was no need to guess. there is only one answer.

"Because I'm here." His smile grew larger, revealing his sharp teeth. "Nopony and nocreature in this world would want to face me" A bit of hubris, maybe. But after a thousand years of reign, maybe it was somehow deserved? "Uhm..." He faked a chough. He got a bit too caught up. He had to go back to what he was doing. the selection and all "I have one last question" His tone was now quite neutral, as if he didn't want to give her any hint of what the right answer would be. And his yellow and red eyes were now really focused on the magician's expression "Was that the only reason you thought of marrying me?"

"Well..." For a moment she looked away. Years of experience in the show business and her big ego made usually easy to hide her feelings, but now on her cheeks was possible to see somehow a pinkish shade. "The great and powerful Trixie wouldn't marry anyone, obviously!" Her gaze rose again, trying to show to everyone around her (and to herself) an extraordinary amount of confidence "And I thought that if I had to marry someone, it would have to be..." She swallowed a bit. Talking was harder than usual. It was the king's gaze? The public of ponies aiming for the same position she obviously was so close to acquiring? Or maybe was just the fact that now she really had to be honest, with herself first and foremost? "Someone as great and powerful as Trixie!" Her mouth then closed. The moments before Discord's answer just seemed so incredibly long.

"That's more like it!" With a snap of his claws, the mare suddenly vanished. She appeared a fraction of a second later in the middle of the "Maybe" group. The voice of Discord reached her almost immediately, though, to clarify her situation "You are not my wife yet, but you passed the first selection!"

Trixie's answer was at the same time completely out of place and almost obvious. Nobody questioned her anymore, at this point "Wasn't that obvious?"

But in all of this Discord had already wasted lots of time. He had to go back to the selection quickly. "Who is the next one?" His gaze went back to the crowd, moving here and there in the room. With his supernatural eyesight, he could basically see everypony's face as if it was right in front of him "I have a soft spot for cute pegasuses, after all..." And he wasn't just talking about Starry Eyes. He had somepony in mind.

Many ponies started looking at each other, hoping to identify the pony deserving to be called "cute" before he or she was teleported in front of Discord. But nopony really had an idea of who it could be... Except for Rainbow. The blue pony had no doubt about the mysterious pegasus identity and started sweating bullets. The boredom that her previous expression showed was soon replaced by deep concern. "Oh no..."

Author's Note

I had fun writing Trixie, here. She behaved terribly and somehow got away with zero consequences (and even getting what she wanted)... That would be a great recurring gag for her character if I manage to pull it off well a few more times x)

Also, don't worry! The "selection" part won't last much more, and we'll soon get to the exciting (I hope) part :raritywink:

With Love,
The Marshmallow

20 - Celebrations- Just a few seconds

Faster than unicorn teleportation would ever allow, outpacing light itself, Discord was back in Canterlot. And he was serious. No more playing around, no more messing with his enemies: only making sure everypony was safe and swiftly stopping any conspirator. Given his resolve and his powers, he guessed it was going to take just a few seconds. What he could not guess was how in that short timeframe the choices of three ponies were going to change the fate of Equestria.

Fittingly for the lord of Chaos, a pony who abhorred the concept of fate itself, the first choice was his. He trusted Cadence completely, if not to win the battle at least to get through it unharmed. And therefore, tricked into believing there was a plot against the nobles, he chose to teleport in the backstage. His beautifully dressed bride and her friend were right there, perfectly safe, but he could not see Pinkie Pie.

"D-Discord?" Fluttershy found herself startled as he appeared, and blushed slightly. He was early. Wasn't the groom supposed not to look at the bride until the last moment, in the ceremony? That wasn't what really bothered her, though. She was still thinking about the words the Fashionista left her weeks but moments prior. She might still have had a say in this. She might still... "Oh" Her eyes met his, suddenly, and she immediately noticed that behind his seemingly neutral expression there wasn't the usual fun, the usual mischievousness. There was a principle of fury, burning like a slow flame, which reminded her of the tapestries she was shown just days priors. She was afraid, and worried, and sympathetic. And many other emotions were flowing within her. All of them, though, wanted to ask the same question: "What's happening?"

For a moment, the Draconeequs was silent. His mind wasn't exactly there, but was magically spreading in all the surrounding area like a drop of water on a piece of paper, trying to make a contact with all the familiar sources of magic around him. The two pegasuses were the first he reached, soon followed by a bunch of unknown ponies that like them were in the backstage. The following really familiar one was Trixie, and then he felt above the crowd the flying tribune he himself had created. On it, the few nobles he cared about (and whose magical pattern remembered) seemed to be safe. Just to be sure he counted the actual number, and it seemed nopony among them was missing. Among them: that was the keyword. "Where's Pinkie?" He was laconic, his tone flat, akin to a low growl.

Fluttershy was, for a moment, frozen. His gaze on her felt like that of a predator looking at a prey, despite that not being his intention. Simply, when all the jokes and the weirdness were put aside, what was left was a creature occupying a much higher position in the food chain; an extremely dangerous being. And Discord, focused as he was, didn't even notice her discomfort. Rainbow Dash did, and rapidly came to her help, answering the king's question: "Isn't she on stage?" Without changing his expression, the Draconeequs simply shook his head. Both mares were shocked at this revelation. Ok, Pinkie Pie had a knack for disappearing and especially reappearing at the weirdest times and in the weirdest ways. But now? That was too much even for her. It was only natural for the blue pegasus to ask: "Then where is she?"

Fluttershy was silent, although there was so much she could have said. She had realized what had happened. Or at the very least she had a strong hunch. Rarity and the earth pony (Applejack if she remembered correctly), they knew. They had managed to infiltrate the backstage, to be so close to the show, to be able to act without anypony suspecting anything. Probably Applejack knew the precise details of Pinkie schedule down to the positioning during the show, then a unicorn could maybe teleport her somewhere else... For example in one of Rarity's wardrobes! The lavender unicorn that was helping Rarity... Didn't she have a star-shaped cutie mark, usually associated with magic? Fluttershy didn't know exactly how magic worked, but she guessed that she might be the kind of pony who could pull such a plan off. She was now long gone, but both Rarity and Applejeck had left but seconds prior. It would have been so easy for Discord to reach and capture them. Everything it would have taken was just one word from her.

Yet that word never came. That was her choice.

"I'll find her." Soon, Discord spoke again, and there was a level of resolution in his word that really surprised Fluttershy. It felt a bit scary, maybe, but it also made him look so dependable. He could be serious, too, with the things (or in this case the ponies) he really cared about. "Be safe." That was the last the two heard from him, at that moment, as he vanished immediately afterwards. Or better, they did, as the entire scenery changed completely from one moment to the next around them, deeply surprising Fluttershy and making her a little nauseous. But Rainbow dash, who was more comfortable with quick motions, could immediately look around and notice that they ended up in the large dining room of the palace, dimly lit by the sunset's light filtering through the window, and that a sort of magical veil (A barrier maybe?) was starting to form on the walls and on the floor. She got closer to Fluttershy, trying to comfort her a bit. At this point, whatever was happening, she was certain at least the two of them would have been fine, and it was the time to try to convey it to her friend.

"Two..." in the meantime the show was still going on, as Trixie was not going to let it end but on her own terms. The cheering of the crowd and their echo of the magician's count were even managing to muffle the sound of the not so distant battle. The eyes of most were still focusing on the magician, on ever every gesture, even after her previous attempt to bring Pinkie Pie back had failed. She was still perfectly confident the trick would work, and her confidence was enough to convince many. So, once more, she stood on her hindlegs, pointing her forelegs towards the box. And finally, it was time "Three!"

The crowd was speechless. Just in front of the box, standing in all its height, was now Discord, who appeared there without a sound. For a moment Trixie looked at him stunned, and so did the nobles from their higher position, and so did everypony else. Nopony did understand what was happening, but Trixie simply didn't care. Still on her hindlegs, she started bowing profusely, and then waving at her crowd "That's all!" That was an ending she found agreeable: "The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks all of you for coming!" And as the crowd roared and cheered, Discord looked at her almost in disbelief. That was a level of improvisation that he could not but admire. But then, given the little time he felt having, he snapped his talons and the magician found herself in the castle's dining room, together with Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. And she didn't even look especially surprised, and maybe a bit more proud of herself than she should have been. But the show was a success, so much that she almost forgot about Pinkie never coming back on stage.

"Dear subjects, thank you for coming." His voice overwhelmed even the cheering, but his tone was much more serious, sombre even, than anypony expected. This caught many off guards, and made the nobles especially worried "The show is over." They expected a longer speech, and certainly expected to see the marriage. that was not to be, though. "Go to the exits. Now." with a snap of his talon, all the lights on the stage faded. The flying tribune had vanished, those previously sitting on it teleported in the safety of the castle, and Discord, too, was not on the stage anymore.

His last words, though, were a clear command, to which nopony dared to disobey. The guards standing in the plaza started to coordinate the egress so that it could be quick and orderly, but they had no way to dissipate the many doubts the ponies legitimately had. Luckily, a plot against their millenary ruler was so inconceivable that nopony got even closer to figuring it out. The main rumour that would spread from it was that Discord bride had refused him at the last moment, or had even run away. Embarrassing? Maybe. But there would overall be no harm, as long as the marriage would have happened soon enough.

Cadence had heard legends of warrior princesses, who allegedly lived Discord knows how many centuries prior. Gliding swiftly on the battlefield, using their divine magic to banish the enemies of Equestria. Those were beautiful stories, but Cadence had long realized she wasn't one them. Fighting was hard, and strenuous, and painful. She was kind of good at it (at defending herself at least), but that was only due to his uncle insistence and the huge amount of magic that came from being an Alicorn. Sleeping the best part of the day, hanging out with royalty, having fun with Discord, once in a while smiling and waving at some crowd, and obviously sharing love as the princess of love should... That was the life she enjoyed! And once he dealt with her enemy, she could easily go back to that life.

But then there was that white stallion. There was his muscular body, so perfect and so rare for a unicorn. He looked like he could be a match for even his fittest earth pony guards. There was his voice, deep, masculine and confident, even when facing royalty. She couldn't help but respect, and being enticed even, by the courage he was showing. Finally, there was his face. It matched so perfectly her taste that she almost had to wonder if some changeling had been reading her mind; the smile that he did show to her little sister moments earlier was to die for.

So what she never thought possible happened: she was enjoying their battle. 'Battle' was, by that point, a pretty generous word. After the first few blows, both had seemingly relented, as if they both had agreed to an unwritten, unspoken truce, making it little more than a game. They didn't even need to talk, their intermingling gazes were more than enough to reach an understanding. It was nothing less than a dream; the kind of cheesy, longing dream she would have if for too many days in a row she had found no one to share her love with. Still, a dream that she would have wanted to last forever.

A dream that was going to become a nightmare.

Cadence started to sweat, suddenly, and her eyes went wide, catching even Shining Armor off guard. "Run!" In the tone of her voice, there was legitimate fear. "He is coming!" He had just teleported to the stage, and she was extremely glad he didn't reach her directly. She didn't fear her uncle. She knew very well that he loved her very much, and that he would never want to harm or hurt her. And yet she looked absolutely terrified.

Shining Armor shook his head swiftly, giving her a confident look as a new bunch of magical bolts were starting to move towards his supposed enemy. "Sorry, princess." There was a pinch of irony in the intonation of the word princess herself. A subtle mockery that from anyone else she would have found disrespectful. From him, enticing. "But I can't let my little sister down!" Neither she nor the whole resistance. In the end, they had never been so close to such a tangible result in his lifetime. No, in the whole history of the organization.

The princesses barriers easily stopped his offence, but this time she didn't respond with one of her own. In other circumstances, Cadence would have loved that kind of loyalty. But then, it only seemed suicidal. Her uncle was going to be there soon, and he was going to be angry. Really angry. She had seen him really angry just once in her lifetime, and it was enough to never want to see him like that. "No..." She gritted her teeth, the flashback was coming back. She thought she had managed to forget what happened in Saddle Arabia, but there it was. And this time, she certainly didn't want for it to end in the same way. So she made her choice. "She wanted you to be safe!" She blurted, as an even larger amount of magic started flowing through her horn.

Shining Armor was startled. Was the battle going to become serious again, maybe even more than before? Maybe she was just trying to scare him, to have him run away? Either way, he wasn't going to flee. He started preparing a defensive spell of its own, the most solid barrier he could cast, all around himself, so that any attack could be properly nullified. But a proper attack didn't come; her magic did simply float all around him, all around the barrier itself, just lingering for a moment. "What...?"

"I hope I'll see you again!" With a small smile, the princess finally ignited her own spell, and the magic surrounding Shining Armor started to light up, becoming almost blinding. It was with a small giggle and one last enticing look that she decided for the best words to say goodbye: "We could have had fun, together..." And then, in a blink, it happened.

The white unicorn found himself, barrier and all, teleported in some other backstreet near the centre, still within the anti-teleportation barrier Discord had set up. Quickly, he dispelled his own magic and went back on his hooves. Looking around himself, he did see the crowd moving towards the exit just outside that backstreet, meaning the show was over. Mixing with them would have been easy, and the chance of being captured seemed extremely lower. saving him, that was Cadence choice. But as he started to feel a pinch of gratitude, he cursed his weakness. His teleportation skill wasn't enough to get him back quickly enough to her, and he could imagine no benefit in trying to reach and face Discord. So, as he started to blend in the crowd, he could do nothing but hope that his sister would be fine.

Cadence had barely any time to relax. Despite not perceiving any teleport, she felt the huge magical power of his uncle suddenly appearing just beside her. She managed to turn towards him, and he immediately started to speak "Oh, you dealt with it already?" He sounded a little bit surprised, which cadence would have in other circumstances found offensive, but also kind of proud.

The fact that the fury she thought he would have was quenched a bit by seeing her, and his pride in her, made her choice -her betrayal- even more painful. But the die was cast, and she did not want to feel bad about helping such a pretty stallion. She could still save Pinkie and forget about the rest. "He wasn't alone. A purple mare with a wardrobe teleported that way!" With her hoof she pointed straight at the place she was before teleporting. It was slowly fading, and it had mixed with the battle that had occurred, but both of them were attuned with magic enough to still be easily able to follow the traces of teleportation left, and therefore follow. "I think she might have kidnapped Fluttershy!" That was her hypothesis. Taking the bride right before the marriage! Such a deranged plan!

Discord shook his head, before saying just one word "Pinkie." And while Cadence's eyes became wider, as her face started to show signs of worry and anger in equal parts, Discord was simply observing that magic. it felt colder compared to that of Sunset, calmer, and seemed to be overall more energy-efficient than hers. Sure, it lacked that sense of threat and power, but he would have guessed the user had to be at about Sunset's level. If that was the case, he was glad she ran and someone else held back Cadence. otherwise, the latter would most certainly not have been unharmed "Let's go."

A moment later, he was about one hundred meters away, with Cadence following him a moment later. They said nothing, just exchanging a glance, and both started to try and perceive the traces that the unicorn could have left with her teleportation. discord considered making a group of mutts appearing, and having them sniff around. It would have been a fun scene, a nice practical gag, but he pushed away the idea soon, opting for rapidity and efficiency. What they realized almost immediately was that the unicorn was smart, and expected to be followed. Cadence did almost fall for some fake teleportation traces that Twilight had left to confuse them, while Discord, although realizing that she must have moved by hooves at least for a while from there, could hardly pick the traces she would leave by levitating the wardrobe behind her. It seemed that she had levitated many small objects in different directions. Not that he could not see through the trick, but that would require time.

Time he had not, as it was night already.

The sun was just gone, now hidden below the horizon, and the moon had quickly taken its place in the sky. All the roads and the streets were now enveloped in deep darkness, and the air was already getting colder. "Uncle, why did you do that'?" Cadence was quite perplexed. It seemed to her quite a strange thing to do. useless in the least, harmful at the worst "Some light might be helpful, searching for her!" Not immediately, while searching for her magic, but certainly later while being closer to her.

But as Cadence turned towards Discord, she had a hard time reading the expression on his face. Many emotions seemed to flow behind the neutral mask that he was still trying to keep. But only one fact the King wanted to be immediately clear. "It wasn't me." He had put the sun in place hours before, and never he gave it any further direction. And it was unheard for it to get out of his control.

Somepony must had done it, then, but she could imagine nopony performing such a difficult feat. She could have done it, maybe, but then she would have been probably incapable to use any magic at all for a few days. Maybe half a dozen powerful unicorns could have done the trick, but that would have cost them much, much more. She couldn't find a logical answer, or any answer at all, so all she could do was to ask: "Then who-"

She stopped, as an unnaturally amplified sound of hooves started to echo in the street. then they stopped, and the two could clearly hear a voice "I thought such purposeless, vain celebrations were my sister's obsession" The voice sounded calm, cold even, and was filled with an arrogance and a sense of superiority that cadence found chilling "I am quite displeased to see you would adopt her style" identifying the position of the mare, cadence finally turned to see her on the roof of a nearby building. What she saw left her stunned, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

A black mare, taller than any she had previously met and characterized by slender and elegant proportions was standing there, proudly. her wide stance suggested confidence, but Cadence soon realized that it was the stance of royalty. What else could she be, with her wide black wings on her back and her long black horn on her forehead? And as she started to envelop her horn of black coloured magic, cadence started to feel terrified. Looking at her pool of magic was quite like looking at Discord, there was no bottom in sight. And it was, certainly, much more magic than she thought she could ever hope to have. Not only that, but just judging by the stability and efficiency of it, she seemed to be impossibly skilled with it. Was that what a real alicorn was supposed to be? She turned to her uncle, a bit ashamed, hoping to find reassurance.

Discord looked quite unimpressed, just a bit annoyed at the sudden appearance of the alicorn. There was on his part little more than a brief sigh before he spoke. His tone was blunt, and once more he proved himself to be laconic. "Not now." every word was strongly marked, to make his intentions perfectly clear. he did not want to fight, at least not then and there. His advisor had been caught, and he had to save her before it was too late.

For just a moment, she was taken aback. That was not at all the Discord she remembered. Did he get softer, weaker maybe? good for her. "Refusing to fight? That also was my sister style" She showed now her pointy, sharp teeth in a wide smile. there was pleasure in knowing her defeated, although it was not by her own hands. "I hoped to dethrone her, today, but it seems it will be close enough." The magic was still running around her horn, menacingly, and she was pointing it straight at Discord, ready to fire at any time.

In other circumstances, he would have found his remarks funny and that could have been the most interesting battle he had in centuries. She was strong, he could feel it, and he could only imagine the many uses of her nightmare magic. But he knew very well his priorities, so he gave her another chance of falling back. He articulated every syllable as clearly as possible, now pointing his eyes straight at hers, to show her the rage within him: "It is not a good time."

She laughed, and her laughter lasted many moments more then it should have. "You don't get to decide that, Discord" With the power she felt within herself, with the euphoria of being free after one thousand years, she felt the choice was only hers. That everypony, the draconeequs included, were supposed to bow to her. And he would have made him do so quite soon. "I'll let you know it is a wonderful time" She could already feel the adrenaline, she could already feel the excitement, and it came forth quite clear for her voice, now the exact opposite of the previous coldness: "Rejoice, Discord, for our battle shall be remembered for centuries to come!" And as new, evil laughter spread around them, so did her black-coloured magic, finally released from her horn.

That was the signal the fight had started, and there was no coming back.

Author's Note

I had this Chekov gun hanging on the wall since chapter 2, and it finally fired! I hope you didn't see it coming! :raritywink:

Also, I have recently edited the first chapter of the fiction, and I am going to do the same with other early chapters soon. It was quite a mess, writing-wise, and I can see that (despite having many twists of the fiction planned since the beginning) I still had only vague ideas of where I was going with it. I was pleasantly surprised that some of the themes of the fiction (even some that will be fully relevant in the third part) were there already, though!

With love,
The Marshmallow