"Discord?" she repeated.

"Yes," bid the unchanging reply.

It was like they were trying to get a rise out of her. Really now.

What a absolute steaming pile of dung, was this yet another attempt to catch her off guard? Well, she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction. "You mean to tell Us," the dark empress of the night hissed through clenched teeth, "the Bane of Harmony is the one that has continued the Cycle of Life in both my absence and in the time of Celestia's passing?"

"Yes."

Unbelievable, she really couldn't believe how hard they were trying here.

The gall of these ponies, simply unbelievable. A entity like Discord, even if he had done them one favor in the past, was incapable of forgoing his ways. He revelled in chaos and upset balance, it had been fun to him to topple the Old and those within it. Lives had been ruined and new life had personally seen its birth at his talon and the sheer audacity to suggest he could be bothered to care enough to--

Unbidden, a thought out of nowhere formed.

Was he capable of butchering all of life from this dimension to the next in a heartbeat? came the query, Certainly.

But did he want the extinction of life? Perhaps not. Without either Us or Celestia, extinction is what he would have. Whatever forces once aided the sapients of this realm in the mechanics of their cosmos, when he came those powers were gone. Recall this, he never favored death even if he never did do anything to stop it. But he never did try to end life when he could have. Especially when we opposed him. With but a snap he took the magic of us all, stripped us of our weapons like taking teat from a foal from both our fallen former Sister and us. Yet not once did he try to end us indefinitely. Every time he gave his would-be vanquishers a chance, an opportunity, a moment to try and put an end to his reign; even when it was obvious, not once did he deal the final decisive blow.

For a moment Nightmare Moon found no argument to this. The logic was sound yet it was not enough to curb the rage.

Putting in the active effort of maintaining all of life and the balance within this realm was one thing, but if there could be possibilities that these filthy pathetic squishy mortals could not see or fathom that could be explored? It was highly unlikely. It defied that which he abided by. Spat in the face of everything they had ever known-- everything they had ever been taught and understood. Besides he knew other ways, perhaps ways that would stow the work on to somepony else. The belief that the unicorns of old times were responsible for ensuring the gears of this realm remained functioning and well oiled was older than their own rule and it had been the primary reason they had gained power, and why most Unicorns had risen to nobility.

Why many of them had still been allowed to maintain nobility.

Knowledge unknown rose to the surface of Nightmare Moon's mind as she stood there stewing in her anger and disbelief. Eons ago, a long forgotten tale spoke of the First Leaders of Terra Magna, the name of this realm. In the days where the elements had been given life by a demon named Erebus, and fey of all kinds skipped into existence playing nasty tricks while the apprentices of Grogar neared their goal.

The Curator of Time, it was an old tale, older than the Diarchy, older than even the Royal Sisters themselves.

This was a time where a reliance on the nefarious spirits and demons became a necessity as those that walked the dark side looked to soon be the victors.

The universe neared death like honey, the words trickled into her ears, finding hold in her mind. By the ticking second, with every syllable the Nightmare's tense posture relaxed, bit by bit, but never fully.

Grogar's goal and that of his allies finally neared completion. He had won, after centuries of battle with chess pieces always switching sides or losing members, his goal had finally neared completion. He had lost time and time again, but at last, he had won. Good had fallen, evil reigned victor. At last, the universe would die and his time of power as was promised would finally come. Demonic contracts signed in blood, entities beyond understanding from other whens, other realities, other universes, other worlds, had pitched in and he would ascend; become divine or something close, and guide multiple galaxies as he saw fit.

Slowly. A hint of glee, oh so slowly, a chorus echoed, the planets of Magna slowed their orbital motions; the stars that give life flickered and died, one-by-on; millions of souls made many contracts that day, praying for their lives turning to the dark forces that would be their gamble and their inevitable damnation. The universe itself would halt its motions, gears breaking down from rust of fractured time and become a cruel mixture of dead and alive. In the end he would rule. He had come so close, alas it was not meant to be. The First Leaders, desperate to provide an alternative dug deep and found rituals of old. They gathered on the first ever red moon and performed the ancient summoning where they begged and begged for a means to save their world. Their cries were answered, and their sorrows were appeased.

The Curator of Time was one of the First Leaders, or perhaps, all of them. They led the rebirth when all came to the very edge, a inch from death, and it was said that each and every one of them were granted the means to continue life if Grogar were to succeed.

Reality had been broken time and time again by the battles. Not just with Grogar but with others. Other beings of other whens and other wheres. And so it is said, the First Leaders passed their gifts down to their allies. To ensure life continued, in the hopes Grogar and those like him, would never truly win.

As soon as it had began, just as quickly it ended. The voices hushed into a silent murmur, pushed back into the corners of her mind where they belonged Nightmare Moon regained control of her body, but did not open her closed eyes.

Unicorns had, false or not, gained the power to lift stars and manage the cosmos. He was not possible of true compassion when an option like this remained, she reasoned. Nothing like Discord was capable of empathy, let alone maintaining it for long. He had knowledge of which not even her and Tia had been aware of. Beings like him, and them, were beyond such lowly mortal restrictions and so it was impossible for him to simply take up a task when it could be given to another or something.

What fear did a spirit have when it defied the norms of the physical world? What cautions were necessary when they virtually were nigh-omnipotent and very little, if anything at all, could do them no harm?

Yet despite the evidence, despite her combined vast superior knowledge, these worms dare feign the possibility of Discord actually coming to gain sympathy?

Simply marvelous.

It was becoming clear these answers from the room and the unnecessary third confirmation from Sunset seemed to have struck a nerve, because the glare Nightmare Moon shot when her eyes opened was soon followed by flaring nostrils and the billowing of a semi-corporeal mane and tail combining into a writhing mass of frustration given life. "Utter foolishness." She finally said. "The Master of Hilarity, the Emir of Discourse, him, the Fallen Prince of Mayhem--"

"Uh, er, um" Trixie uh-er-ummed, interjecting "Empress, we understand this may come as a slight surprise given the" she couldn't stop the wince from having to say it, "time that has passed but Discord has changed and we owe it all to Fluttershy."

"He's changed", she repeated the word as if it were some foreign language she had never heard of. The whirlpool of colors that were the Nightmare's eyes looked at the pegasus who smiled shyly in response. Fluttershy squirmed as she was scrutinezed only slightly and that's when she noticed the other thing that had dark alicorn's attention.

Her Element.

"Of course," was the dry deadpan. "Kindess, if it were any other I would laugh and call you all deluded fools...but Kindess...of course she would use Kindess." Emerald eyes met the cyan eyes tinted with the warm colors of red and orange that seemed to shimmer in the light. "How did you do it?" the question caused Fluttershy to shiver, as if the words alone held a chill to them, something not natural-- foreign-- when the room had not dropped a single bit of its current temperature. "How did you tame him?"

This made Fluttershy frown. She didn't like this question. The girls had asked her this question in a similar manner once, it had infuriated her. And in return she had given them a piece of her mind of how she felt on them talking about Discord like he wasn't even a pony-- sapient, or had feelings at all.

What was more, she didn't like that manic gleam in Nightmare Moon's eyes. It told of trouble, and she wanted none of it.

"I was just nice to him. All he needed was a friend." Fluttershy answered simply, as if being nice and not a untoward unbearable sod could handle everything in the world.

"Nice?"

"Empress--" Trixie winced as the dark alicorn laughed loudly. The lunar empress fell to her rump and laughed a long resonating deep sound that bounced off walls, yet somehow maintained a pleasance to the ears.

"Empress--" Sunset started.

"Be silent!" The Nightmare's voice boomed, her echoing laughter gone. "The Grand Duke of Shenanigans, Overlord of Giggling, Sovereign of Insanity is the one who raises our Moon and he cares for you all? HA! Where is he then? Where is Discord and why does he not show himself?" She crossed the room in two steps and was blocked by Sunset who stood in her path. "Why does he not take this chance to gloat?"

"It weakens him." The dark empress swung her head to her right to stare upon Twilight who sat staring at her with a frown. "Using his magic the way he does, focusing it to perform in a manner he hasn't used in so long tires him out. But he does it. It wasn't like this always before..." she trailed off, biting her lip Twilight looked away, not willing to finish.

Slowly, the Nightmare's mocking mirth left her face and in its place a inexpressive countenance. "Why?" She could not fathom why he would do it. A sick joke for her Return? Perhaps, it was possible. She wouldn't put it past him. Discord was a messed up entity of volatile nature.

"Because he cares about us." Fluttershy stated with certain defiance.

"Mostly he cares about Fluttershy."

The butter Pegasus shot the cyan Pegasus a look which Rainbow Dash merely shrugged to. "It's true."

The glare Rainbow Dash was still being shot told a different story, but Fluttershy made no response.

"A single pony changed him. Or...no", rethinking the Nightmare rephrased it. "A single pony opened his eyes to see things in a different light. To see things in our ways." Again, the eyes locked in to Fluttershy, or perhaps it was her Element. "She chose wisely. She would be proud."

Nodding silently, Fluttershy said nothing.

"You said it was not always like this?" Twilight did not look in her direction. "What do you mean?"

Reluctantly, Twilight glanced at the others, her wings twitching, tail lashing, ears pressed back as she nibbled at her bottom lip.

"She has to know sometime" Sunset said, distancing herself from the dark alicorn but not enough to provide openings "Go on, tell her. It's not a secret."

Twilight sighed a breath of relief. "What I meant to say was...Discord didn't initially have to do anything before."

Without giving it away, a cheer of victory burned in Nightmare Moon's mind. "Explain", she ordered.

"It was because of..." she looked in a specific direction. Many eyes followed that same line of sight. Nightmare Moon blinked, turned her head to follow the vision of others and found them staring at a stained glass window.

A stained glass window that depicted a rust orange stallion. The same rust orange stallion that had made her heart beat a unsteady tempo and made her also feel a unnatural sense of shared understanding all at the same time.

"Overcast..." the Nightmare looked back. "This tells me nothing except who held influence in the raising of the Sun and Moon. It tells me little of how it was done or how he convinced Discord to do it."

"Discord didn't need convincing!" an indignant Pinkie incited, declared. "He willingly did it! Fluttershy didn't even have to ask him after we got back with the..." curls lost their curliness and drooped, "Princess..."

A moment of silence. Then Nightmare Moon said what was on her mind, "What does this have to do with Overlord Overcast?"

"He designed the device that would let Discord use his magic to raise the Sun and Moon. Well him, Sunburst, Twilight, Trixie, Moondancer, and other esteemed minds from the Eastern Territories." Sunset informed. "He was the supervisor of the project. Discord picked him personally, we didn't get why....he never talked about his choice, still won't...A lot of the mistakes were corrected by Overcast when he managed to catch them. Helped all of us quite a bit. A lot actually...might not even have finished the project in time without him because Discord wasn't sure how long he could keep going."

"I still think--"

"Twilight, please. I know we could have finished it without him, but not in that short time frame. Not that quickly. Not with how busy we were dealing with the other noble houses and trying to get Equestria as a whole back on track. Our schedules were tight enough as it is shifting between that project and dealing with Lady Pleasant Harp and all those supporting her. You know how tough it was getting policies under control again. If it hadn't been for Fancypants and Blueblood holding things after word got back before we did from Prance things could have been a lot worse. You know that."

Head dipping low, Twilight nodded in agreement.

"...It really is a shame how he turned out." Rarity said in the gentlest of voices.

"And how did he turn out?" Nightmare Moon's voice brought all eyes back to her. "From your own Captain's lips we hear he has done harm. Though the previous war seems to be blamed on him, there are papers that say otherwise. The press", Nightmare Moon said as her eyes scanned the room, "have very mixed opinions. He led the project for the Celestial Antenna that aided Discord in raising the Sun and Moon; he personally funded the Solar Memoriam in which she rests, all of this earning him some form of favor with not just you and yours, but gained him favor among the nobility as well as our subjects. Why?"

"Probably so he could take over it." Applejack surmised and to this there was no argument.

"Truly?" There was no response, and Nightmare Moon shook her head in utter disappointment. "There must be something more." She said, because she didn't believe for a second it was that simple. Why start with Equestria, why not anywhere else and work your way around like Aoi attempted to do? The Elements of Harmony had become public knowledge at this point even if the Bearers identities were kept hidden. No, Nightmare Moon reasoned, there is more to this. I can feel it. That vision she had seen, it spoke to her. It may have been meant to influence the masses but that vision she saw, there was something about him. Something that spoke to her that she couldn't pinpoint. It was more complex than just a desire to conquer or rule. She felt it in the beating of her heart, unknown yet familiar.

Taking a new approach, curiosity piqued and a thirst for answers Nightmare Moon spoke again. "In the papers you made a speech Twilight." To which the young alicorn's ears perked up. "You, and Equestrian nobility gave Project Celestia's team," she somehow managed to avoid scowling, "medals. You gave Overcast specifically, a Rimstone Medal as special thanks."

Without even turning, Nightmare Moon was aware of several scowls and the ruffling of feathers.

"...Yes" Twilight said neutrally, "I recall that."

"Did you--" a lump formed in her throat.

Suddenly, it was hard to speak. She wasn't sure why but the words were hard to say. Breathing became difficult also. Blood pounded in her ears and Nightmare Moon suddenly felt uncomfortable saying the next words that were on the tip of her tongue, it suddenly felt like she couldn't say them and for reasons beyond her understanding she wasn't sure why. Celestia meant nothing to her, she was a witch that enchanted the minds of all those that saw her and was worse than any evil spirit or creature to those that dared try to stand in the spotlight.

So why was it hard speaking right now?

Close your eyes a voice whispered into her head, the alicorn was trembling and many in the room weren't certain what that meant. Was she going to attack? What had changed her mood so suddenly? What was the cause? Nightmare Moon found the voices in her head were arguing, words were being whispered.

Attack.

Kill them.

Do it.

Look at what they are doing to us. Making us relive this pain. Haven't we suffered enough? After all this time, haven't we suffered enough?

Kill them!

Don't do it.

Reclaim your title!

Kill them, make them scream. Dominate them, make them learn.

Don't do it.

The time has come and there is nothing to stop you. We know the answers already, we knew from the moment we saw him. We knew and there's no need to confirm anything. Kill them. We waste time!

Luna The voice was louder.

Don't listen. Kill them. You know it's true. You know what will happen if you don't.

They'll send you back.

Back to that prison.

Back to that abyss in the dark, no light, no warmth, only cold, only darkness, freezing and fighting in a wasteland where if you run out of magic you won't be able to breathe and you'll be gasping as your lungs fight to draw air-- where air doesn't exist--

They'll send you back. No one respected you then. It's clear they don't respect you here. You can see it in their eyes when they look at you.

You already have no title in this realm. Not anymore.

You know that don't you. The voices hissed and sparks flew from her horn as her anger rose to a growing crescendo. Your title is gone, just like her, just like your species. You will only get it back if everyone in this room dies.

Close. Your. Eyes. The voice, if it could even be called one in that waterfall of noise, snarled.

She did. She closed them.

Then she opened them. "That is much better." The voice familiar but not, said. "Where were we? Ah, that's right", the room dimmed, shadows stretching out in all directions. "Did you not thank him at Celestia's funeral for his departing words?" the mare of the moon asked with distant indifference.

Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes and stood a bit taller. Her expression tainted with irritation at the insidious aura that was now strongly coming off Nightmare Moon than it had been before. "I regret doing that. I didn't know then what I learned after."

"And what was that?"

Nostrils flaring, ears drooping, Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes "I didn't know he killed the Princess." And there was the pain in her voice.

The room went still, and Nightmare Moon's tense muscles...relaxed.

The papers had not been lying.

The voices returned to a murmur in the back of her mind.

Eyes red as red could be, the lunar empress looked at the stained glass. There he was. A stallion, rust orange in color, his aura a unique color of steel grey and black; dual coronas, a rare feat among those that use magic. Looking at his image alone sent strange shivers and tingles down her spine. She didn't understand it. Nightmare Moon was at a loss. What was it about him that had struck a cord with her?

With them?

With a glow of her horn a spell was cast, Nightmare Moon sensed no magic, no corruption, no magical compulsion spells she could detect. It had been an enchantment to contain the divination spell. There had been nothing in there, both their senses informed her. To say it hadn't surprised her would have been a lie. The vision had been genuine, honest, just a means of communication. Of sharing feelings with the viewer in a way that the papers could not. She had read the papers. Or to be precise, her other half had.

"He killed her." The Nightmare said. A fact, not a question.

No one responded. No one nodded. Not a soul said a word, not at least immediately.

"He did." Came the sorrowful, regretful reply. "He told us the day we confronted him on hiring dragon raiders to attack one of the Storm King's territories out in Llamala." Rarity said silently.

"I see..." The red eyes kept staring at the image. "I never thought it would be possible for a normal pony to be your doom..." Time passed and finally another question emerged.

"Did he ever tell you why?"

Many ears perked, some angling in the sign of confusion or uncertainty. The Ladies of Equestria looked at their allies, the Representatives, the Captains, the other guards, the Emperors of the Crystal Empire, and finally it was Twilight who spoke up.

"...No...he never brought it up. After we left Prance he refused to talk about what happened. We assumed it was because he felt guilty about what happened in Fancy, with stopping Eudes and all. We all kind of did, with the revolution being as bad as it was."

"I see...well then, I have another question. What did he do in the battle with the Storm King that was so bad that you finally decided that was the moment you all wanted to intervene?"

Wings flaring Rainbow Dash grimaced. "He crossed a line!"

"Enlighten us then."

"He brought back the law Princess Celestia was vehemently against!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "He brought back the death penalty!"

Author's Note

There's probably some errors in this. If there are, please let me know.

And yes, the death penalty.

Bet you weren't expecting that!