When You Were Young

Chapters

Prelude: Void
Chapter One: Memories
Chapter Two: Meditation
Chapter Three: Mentality
Chapter Four: Revenge
Chapter Five: Prerequisite
Chapter Six: Belong
Chapter Seven: Precaution
Chapter Eight: Transmutation
Chapter Nine: Perquisition
Chapter Ten: Confrontation
Chapter Eleven: Redemption
Ending: Atonement
Alternative Ending: Confinement

Prelude: Void

Void

Deep in the silhouette void of pure, dark and unforgiving emptiness, Discord sits, plotting his next attack; his powers unreachable from his grasp. The gravity, though in nothingness, pulled his weight to the undetectable floor. All the somber thoughts of his world became meaningless as he teetered on the precipice of insanity, ready to delve deeper into the unrelenting torment of his own mind.

“Nopony to talk to… That’s just fine with me,” he said while listening to his voice echo through nothingness. “And what do I care if I failed once again… I had my chance to destroy those filly fools, and I lost it before I even knew the chance was there… Mistakes rule my existence. What I wouldn’t give… to go back in time and stop Celestia and Luna from incarcerating me in this prison of my own mind. Now look at me!” He swung his arms to the sides as he grimaced in the sheer lonesome place he inhabited, and continued, “This is all that’s left of my existence. Nothing but an empty void… and that's just the start of things. I don’t have my magic, I don’t have my chaos… I don’t even have a pony to talk to! Just kill me, please!”

The melodramatic king was interrupted by the one voice he hoped would never haunt his spirit again. "Oh, but Discord… If you died, then how would that make me feel?” Her taunts were soft and kind, like a mother Discord never had, nor cared for. "You wouldn’t want me to feel sad, do you?”

Discord flailed his head back and forth looking for the mare he knew would appear at any given moment. Soon, the black nothingness changed, and was replaced by light. It circled the demon and overtook the world. As he opened his eyes, he found himself in plains, vast and stretched. It was an illusion created by the kind voice. Winds of peace and serenity flowed freely as though the ocean was near. The aroma of grass welcomed Discord to the sublime. Nothing mattered anymore. Everything was a dream and reality, a pigmentation of his own creation. He relished in the daylight Celestia's sun gifted him, but soon, the bliss stopped as the fiend’s foe approached.

“And… how goes the life in eternal shadows?” Celestia asked. Her mane flowed like waves in a summer beach. The white coat she donned shined like the radiant sun in the sky, though her armor reflected Discords hateful eyes.

Trying to keep his cool, he claimed, “I… couldn’t be happier. This is my world, and I liked it the way it was.”

“Don’t lie,” was Celestia’s response to the shallow statement. “You hated it! I heard you say so.” Her voice calmed as she continued. “You remember that I can hear you, but you can’t hear me, right?”

Discord rolled his eyes, and said, “I might have forgotten this small fact. Though, you forget I can hear the outside world, but it doesn’t matter. I still would be happier alone than to talk to the one whom odiously declined me years ago.”

Celestia lowered her head for a moment before rising once more to change the subject. “Do you remember the flower you gave me?”

Distraught memories of his childhood wafted back into the draconequus's soul, and seemed to haunt him the way they always did. “Maybe… but that was a long time ago… I bet you don’t even remember what it looked like.”

Celestia, giggling for a moment before speaking, proved him wrong. “It was a beautiful sunflower justly bloomed to perfection. Not a single pedal was removed. The sun shined on it, causing the flora to glow as you presented it to me with a kind, childish smile. I accepted your present without hesitation. Your gift was one of the most touching things I had ever received, Discord. How could I forget that day?”

Discords jaw hung open as he wondered how she remembered such a distant reminiscence. “You… remember? But, it was so long ago… Generations!”

Celestia smiled, knowing good and well she'd hit a sensitive spot. “Well, I still have it.”

Discord didn’t want to believe it, but remembering how powerful her highness really was forced his mind to accept this. “Regeneration spell… right?” he asked.

Celestia blushed, and claimed, “It’s still on my bedside table in a vase. Every night, I stare at it, commemorating your actions of sheer kindness you performed that day… I miss the old Discord. Don’t you?”

The demon jerked his head away, and spitefully uttered, “I have little feelings for the old me. He is dead and gone! You should know this, your highness!”

Celestia frowned as she approached him. Her hoof rested on his scaly shoulder, and she said, “You know… if you could just open your heart to the light and allow yourself to sail away into harmony… maybe you could return to our world, be trusted… even forgiven, and loved at some point.”

Discord closed his eyes as his claws carefully pushed Celestia’s hoof off his shoulder. He looked her in the eyes, his now glossy and emotionally torn. “Never," he exclaimed. "I will NOT return to that happy, young, childlike being I once was… This is who I am. This is Discord!" He motioning to his entire being while he kept going. "A corrupt, deceitful, notorious and vile monstrosity that will never change his ways! I’m not changing back… ever.”

With his words describing him perfectly, Celestia felt a tear escape. Slowly, the scenery returned to the black and empty void it once was, leaving Discord friendless and profanely alone with nothing more than his quarrelsome thoughts.

Celestia left him to his memories of old days before the lust for power and disharmony embedded his soul. Through the night skies, he and the princess would watch as Luna shifted the moon with admirable success. The days were filled with cheerful laughter, and these friends would indulge in conversations, maybe getting into a debate or two about the wildlife or rural areas yet to be elucidated. All throughout their childhood, Discord grew fond of Celestia the most, even as far as to develop a minor crush, but like all things in the world, his feelings, along with his moral compass dissipated with time. He eventually fell straight into the darkness, just as predicted long before the world became his.

Chapter One: Memories

Memories

Summer is a time during which fillies and colts of bleak beginnings frolic through fields of daffodils and other wide assortments of flowers. It's considered the best time of the newly crafted Equestria. Some enjoy recreational games and extracurricular activities, but for the two princesses, there were no better happenings than to be with their favorite kid draconequus, Discord. Before his abilities of disarrangement surfaced and took hold of his physical and mental essence, the playful and astute creature was actually generous and sensible, if not kind. Day after day, alone on a hill, he would wait for the two mares while keeping perfectly still. Watching the sunrise and reveling in its robust shimmers, he would fall into a trance just from staring at the golden star that rose upon the edge of his soon-to-be world.

“Discord, we're here!” The grey being turned around to see Celestia and Luna approach with immaculate smiles. Celestia’s mane, pink and whimsically whirling in circles, much like her sister’s, but much more curvaceous.

Luna gazed at the marvel taking place, and ventured to ask, "Let me guess, staring at the sunrise just like always?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Discord asked, his voice more childish but acerbic which implied the feelings of determination for his goals regardless of what they may be.

Celestia, walking up to sit adjacent of Discord claimed, “There’s nothing wrong with loving my work.”

Luna did the same, and then said in a jokingly crass tone, “Well, I think it’s wrong for him to like the sunrise that much to wanna see it over and over again every single morning!”

“Oh, come on Luna,” Discord begged. The two princesses began to laugh at this small dispute while Discord was left in the dark not knowing the two were merely pulling his strings. “Come on! What’s so funny?”

The day was long and fair with time. The three friends would have an entire afternoon to themselves, so what would they do? Of course, there are the usual and innocent games that they always played, but they felt like doing more with their inestimable day. Looking around at the land for some form of amusement, Celestia spotted the future development site for Canterlot, unknown to her at this point. “Why don’t we try climbing that big mountain?” Celestia asked.

Discord and Luna gulped in unison. Then, Discord asked, “Who would even dare to try such a crazy thing like that?”

Celestia claimed with amiable confidence, “I would!”

Both Discord and Luna weren’t at all sure about this concept. "Why don’t we try that tomorrow?” Discord asked aversely.

Celestia folder her hooves in anguish before claiming, “Oh! You two are no fun!”

Luna and Discord sighed heavily, relieved they were able to stall the occurrence. The day carried on as the three found other activities to enjoy. Evidently, however, Celestia’s and Luna’s mother came to pick them up. Shrouded by the shadows of the setting sun, Discord never could see the alicorn's face. All he saw was her ruby red mane, straightened and reaching down to her chest. Her voice was kind and elegantly delicate.

“Bye Discord! We'll see you later,” the young, pink maned filly said as she galloped away with her sister.

Discord flew over the hills of the world feeling somnolent. As hill after hill peeked through the star he followed, one in particular caught his eye. A luminous, yellow and green object grabbed his interest immediately. The shining phenomenon was so alluring, the draconequus simply had to glide his small body down to the ground so that he might observe this beauty of a trinket.

The flower was perfectly bloomed, shimmering with pure significance to the creature. With the day done and over with, he fell asleep in front of the flora only to dream of his friend, Celestia, like always. The next morning, Discord awoke with the flower looking him over face to face. He giggled knowing full well what he could do with it. Considering it seemed to be powerfully rooted into the hill, he held the vine with a spruce grip, only to tug the flower up and out of its home, dirt and all.

Flying to Celestia, his thought’s raced as fantasies crowded his vision. Images of her either accepting or declining the gift flowed in and out of his imagination. The being had never presented his regal friend with a token of his own. He had considered doing this, sure, but never before obtained valuables that would be acceptable to a princess. He spotted her on one of the nearby hills and readied himself for the possible outcome.

“Celly, Celly, guess what!” he cried as he floated in the air.

“What? Did something happen?” Celestia asked in puzzlement.

“Oh, no… Well, not yet anyway… Um…”

Celestia became drastically curious as to what he was getting at. So, the floating creature presented the flower while gesturing to it with his paw, and said, “This… is for you.”

Celestia’s eyes widened as she inspected the gift. Her magic took hold of the flora as she brought it up to her nose to sniff.

“Oh, Discord! It’s lovely, I love it,” she said. Her emotions wouldn't hide themselves. Discord blushed slightly, and claimed, “Well, I saw it growing… and I thought of you. So, I decided to, you know… give it to you… Because you deserve it.”

He felt the lips of his crush tenderly peck his cheek, causing his whole body to shake in radical delight. Celestia took off for home with the draconequus following close behind, marveling in his courage to offer such a gift. Not to mention, receiving the memory he would look back on for years to come. Celestia put the flower in a nice, purple vase, and got Luna to join in on the playful events they would surely enjoy.

“Okay!” Celestia said with valor. “Today… we climb the mountain!” Her horn lit up and summoned a good amount of rope, along with a wide assortment of varying equipment. Every tool they would need was there waiting for use, and though Luna and Discord were still skeptical about venturing along the invidious terrain of the mundane mountain, Celestia was more than thrilled to be the heroine of the squad. She showed this by asserting herself as leader. “If we’re going to climb this mountain, higher now than ever before, we're going to need to take things slow and cautiously.”

Discord’s claw rose as he asked, “Um… what does that last word mean?”

Celestia giggled at her friend’s adolescence, and explained, “It’s another word for being careful. Now, come on! We’ve got a cliff to climb!”

As the three approached the high terrain, Luna and Discord exchanged looks of frantic displeasure. Discord trotted up close next to Luna, and said in a whisper, “Surely there’s something more safe we could be doing right about now.”

“Well… I’m not so sure we've got much of a choice," Luna said with a shrug. "Celestia’s really excited about this… I think we should just give in and let her lead, and we should simply follow, you know?”

Though, with the high altitude in mind, the more winds whipped their backs, which in turn made Discord and Luna consider themselves that much more unprepared for this feat they were attempting to conquer.

Chapter Two: Meditation

Meditation

The princess of the sun sat peacefully on her bed, incense and candles surrounding her. The sound of silence engulfed her being, putting her mind in a conveyed state as smells of sea salts passed by her nose, reminding her of fillyhood memories. There was the time when she, Discord and her sister visited the beach. Many years had passed since she was able to consider Discord her chaste friend. Considering the fact that his mind was corrupt with lust for power, she knew it would be difficult for him to openly repent and attempt to redeem his misguided deeds of cruelty and disrespect for the world.

Her eyes were closed as to meditate, but despite her constant struggles with her thoughts and memories, her mind would not clear itself. Instances with the colt-like draconequus repeatedly surfaced from her subconscious, disrupting her concentration, and all thanks to Discord himself who was remembering certain events. The one in particular that insisted on forcing itself forth was the one with the mountain.

Discord and Luna fell behind; winds and snow whipped their faces ferociously. It was almost enough to send the two falling to their deaths, but they kept going. Just for good measure, Celestia tugged her rope to ensure the two they would be fine. Once the three pushed their way through the top of the mountain, a clearing of clouds and valleys of green stretched far and wide before the three acquaintances. The top of the mountain was smooth and flat, allowing the three to rest. The winds were less fierce on this altitude, an unpredictable outcome, but welcomed none the less.

Celestia giggled at her accomplishment, walked up to the edge and screamed, “I am Princess Celestia, and I declare this land Celestiaville!” The repugnant name was enough to make Discord laugh, as well as Luna. “What’s so funny?” the white alicorn asked in an uptight tone.

Luna got to her hooves, and said, “That’s the dumbest name I’ve ever heard! I think it should be called Lunatopia!”

Discord laughed even harder at the uncreative names fathomed by the two mares. “Oh… look, if you want to name this place anything, why not call it… hmm…” As he thought, the two princesses grew bored and traveled off the mountain with him still trying to come up with a competent title.

That day, Celestia’s mother had brought her and Luna to the throne room of the currently ancient ruins, found just beyond the Everfree Forest. Pillars with golden ivy decorated the sides of the walls. In the middle was a long, rectangular table used quite oftenly for dining, and off to the side were shadows that just barely hid the work desk where the grown alicorn toiled. She beckoned her daughters to it and prepared to inform the two of an event which they would have to be the heroines of the day.

“My children,” she said while being bizarrely hidden with shadows. The only visible aspect of her body was her nose and hooves. “You have been playing with the draconequus, correct?”

Celestia and Luna smiled coyly while shaking their heads. “He’s really nice,” Celestia claimed without hesitation. “We play all sorts of games, and-”

“Don’t play with the creature anymore,” the mother cut in with a soft but crude statement.

“Huh? Why not?” Luna asked.

“He… is not safe. The choices he will soon make and could make again could bring the end of us all… Please, I just want you two to be safe. Can you do this?”

Of course, the two daughters agreed to the terms of their graceful mother, and this was only remembered by the two sisters. Discord never knew what happened in the castle that day.

As Luna entered, her mane sparkling like the night sky, she moaned from the intoxicating smells of the room.

“Ah… meditation I see,” she said, distracting her sister from her goal.

“Hmm? Oh, Luna… Yes, meditating is difficult with so many interruptions.” Luna sat down and asked what was interrupting her other than herself. “Discord," Celestia voiced, receiving a response from Luna. "I visited him, and decided to leave the fiend with memories of when he was young… and now, he won’t stop remembering. This is a good thing, as he needs to be pulled out of this depressing mentality, but he won’t just leave his chaotic ways behind like they were an old, broken toy… Perhaps...” Her eyes opened and stared at Luna. She began to smile, and offered, “Perhaps you could help him with this by reminding him of some of your memories.”

Luna smiled along, feeling prudent that this might help. “Of course I’ll visit our old friend. He is, after all our first and oldest friend in the kingdom. What would you have me do?”

Celestia looked at her hooves. “Leave him with the time you two went cloud hopping together. That should put a hole in his chest… and once you’re done, make sure to fill it with peace.”

Luna smiled, and closed her eyes to meditate. Soon, her consciousness slipped from being fully awake, and drifted itself through the open air. She found herself in the void where Discord could be found, sleeping as always. In the darkness of eternal nothingness, she could see the grown figure sitting in self-pity, mumbling about the mountains he and his friends climbed all those generations ago.

“As if it’s not bad enough that shortly after that, they both-”

He saw Luna trotting out of the darkness and into his sight. Soon, a vast array of white light appeared overhead. The ground became filled with lush, green grass, and the sky was overwhelmed with stars. They twinkled and blinked at the two while they looked on. Next to Discord's right, a tree stood tall and powerful. The leaves fell like snow only to land on the soil so soft, that if one wasn’t watching it, they never would have noticed. To his left, the princess of the night gazed out at the dark and relaxing plains.

The draconequus stared at her for a moment before asking, “Why do you wish to inevitably pester me? Can you not tell that I wish to try and block out these wrenched memories your sister left me with? You’re not helping!”

Luna turned her head, and simply smiled. The moon shined with grand radiance as the two old friends sat together, something they hadn’t done in years.

Chapter Three: Mentality

Mentality

The azure mare sat with the affronted creature, him staring at the night sky. This was the first time in months he had the chance to gaze upon the bliss-like space in the deep blue atmosphere, and though it was a mere illusion cast by his visitor, it still felt like the world he lived in was as real as anything else he'd ever experienced.

“Why have you arrived in this void?” Discord asked in indignation. Luna smiled on, not ever averting her head from the materialization of her crescent meteor.

“Well…” she began. “I, and my sister of course, would like the old Discord back. Is that too much to ask of you? I mean, why would you wish to stay here in the void of your own consciousness when you can simply repent for your past deeds by apologizing? It doesn’t make sense for you to cast away your friends.”

Hearing this made Discord scoff, “You’re the one who abandoned me all those years ago, or did you forget?”

“We had unfortunate reasons to do that, but things are different now! If you just give up your powers of disharmony and return to Canterlot with a clear and level headed mind, nopony will object to your return.” Luna finally turned her head to rest her eyes on the draconequus, and continued, “Celestia and I wish for your return now more than ever. We miss our friend, and we'd like to have him back.”

As Discord closed his eyes, he said, "He's long gone, Luna…"

She could tell he was in no mood to debate this. If she was going to revive the kinder Discord, she would have to do it by means of vehemence. “Do you remember the clouds we use to jump on?” she asked.

Discord lowered his head, signaling he did.

As Luna’s horn began to shimmer and morph the reality the two found themselves in, clouds formed before them. White puffballs of soft, evaporated water took solid form, only to float before the two, and as Discord stared with glossy eyes, he saw himself flutter by and land on a small collection of clouds that soared right in front of him. The child form of himself smiled, and yelled, “This is awesome!”

Luna’s filly hallucination glided to another cloud just a little ways away, and yelled back, “I know right!”

“It’s like were floating!”

As the two hopped from one cloud to the other, the ones that they previously landed upon floated by the adult Discord and Luna, only to dissipate as they passed.

“Don’t do this,” Discord said with his paw rubbing his cheek. “I don’t wish to remember.” His voice was scratchy, and showed his sad self to be weakening due to the boisterous anamnesis of his childhood.

The two kids jumped to a heavily cushioned cloud to rest. As Discord flopped onto his back, he stretched his muscles before claiming, “If this isn’t the softest thing I’ve ever felt, I don’t know what is!”

Luna sat next to him, smiling intensively while enjoying the creature's company. “You know, Celly’s the one who offered this. If only mother didn’t have to keep her cooped up in the castle for special tutoring on silly magic, she could be here with us, playing in the clouds!”

Discord giggled. “Say, how come your mom’s always busy? She never leaves the castle except to pick you two up. Is she that wrapped up in business?”

Luna shrugged, and then tried to dodge the question. “She never tells us anything about her work, and I don’t really care.” She flipped and laid down with the draconequus. “Kids like us will just get in the way! I say it’s just best we leave her be while she’s working.”

The adult form of Discord looked at Luna, and said, “Stop this… It’s just… It hurts.”

Luna gave Discord her attention. “Why should it hurt? This is our past. Ours is filled with good fun and laughter. Why do you hate it so?” Discord averted his line of vision and tried to seem like he didn’t hear the question. “Discord?” Luna asked in an attempt to get him to converse.

While he drew a heavy breath, and sighed with trouble, he said, “I… know I can never have them again.”

The smiling princess asked, “Then you do miss the feeling, right?”

The fiend looked at his claw, but could only mutter, “If I could go back in time… and stop myself from becoming who I am now… I guess I would try, but of course, most likely with very little success.”

Luna asked one last question before she left. “Then you’re sorry?”

Discord looked at her to say, grudgingly, “I will never admit that I am sorry for anything… not without an apology from you two first!”

Luna bowed her head knowing it was only proper to convince her sister to offer her apology as well, and retreated from the void. Alone again, Discord sat there, all the illusions withering away and leaving him in the darkness, all by himself without a soul to speak to. He felt one single tear warily escape his right eye. It slid solemnly down, curving at his jaw, and just hung on his chin for a moment. As it dripped off, he caught it with his claw, and held onto it for a moment. It was wet and transparent, almost seeming like some sort of symbolization that referenced his entire being.

He felt weak, like he had guilt within his mind, the guilt of ten centuries or so of him committing one heinous crime after another upon poor, defenseless, innocent and good minded ponies who had done nothing to deserve the fateful cruelties he distributed freely. His life was that of a teardrop, see-through, and liquid.

He could shape it the way he saw fit, but never put into consideration that this meant consequences that would ultimately rule his reality. The depression he felt hit the fan as he remembered so many memories in such a small amount of time. Good ones brought him to his knees, and bad ones were just adding insult to injury. He looked around at the blackness of the dense emptiness, and asked himself the one question he'd been wondering about ever sense he changed from a spry, young, nature loving child, to the demonic and chaos obsessed fiend he was now beginning to drift away from.

“Why did I change?”

Chapter Four: Revenge

Revenge

Discord sat on a hill leaning against an apple tree while watching the glittering sun rise like he always did. I wonder what games me and my friends will play today, he thought as he felt the soft grass with his talons. Today seemed like a fair day to do all sorts of exciting and imaginable activities, but it was unfortunately the last day he and his friends would speak on neighborly terms for a long time. He heard the two mares approach from behind the tree, and got up to greet them. As he looked at their depressed faces, he asked “What’s wrong?”

Luna looked away, trying hard to hide her salty eyes while her sister explained, “We… can’t be your friends anymore…”

Stunned by this turn of events, the childish draconequus looked around with puzzlement. “But… why not? We were getting along so well! Did I do something wrong?”

Celestia gulped her fearful feelings down, and tried to explain with authority, “Mother says you’re dangerous, and that we should just stay away from you!”

With that, the two filly alicorn’s took off, flying back home. Discord sat with his jaw open, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. He had done nothing wrong to be accused of endangering their mother’s children, so why was this happening to him? His questions repeated themselves in his mind like a broken record player. From that point on, the creature began to turn from good to corrupt. New powers emerged over the years. His eyes passed unappealing gazes at the land, and his grudge for the two princesses grew with every waking day. His love for the sunrise was eradicated overtime, and the crush on the white alicorn burned away with time.

The draconequus was now a fiend of the land, and though his animalized behavior was far off in the uncharted parts of Equestria, the mother alicorn could still sense his crimes. She now had grayish lines running through her mane, and stressed eyes. Her work grew exhausting through the day, and the nighttime sleep was difficult to cope with. As for her daughters, they were still in their teens. Luna had a short mane while her sister had hers wrapped in curls.

As their mother paced the library, the two sisters were in their separate rooms doing their own thing. The mother had five books floating all around her. As she examined each one with a hawk-like eyes, she finally found the right entry in a black and red covered, paperback biography of an ancient sorcerer.

The entire world is a plaything for the draconequus, and this is the reason. His mind inhabits alicorn-like powers, but through my years of examination of the being within its capsulized egg, I’ve found that this means that the fiend will be a lovable being at his young age, but this will change if the attention dissolves. His mentality is what drives his powers out. They will remain dormant if, and only if friendship is present, but if this affection for the creature leaves him to live his life in solitude, and allows him the opportunity to develop a bad state of mind, I do not wish to explain how dissatisfactory the outcome will be. He is like a dog. Attention is a good thing for him, and without it, his behavior will become sour. Hopefully, everything I’ve learned about this fascinating being will be documented properly so his truly corrupted nature will never surface.

The mother put the book down on the desk she stood by and drew a heavy sigh. As a note and quill levitated towards her, she spoke the words she wrote.

“My dear children, I have made a horrible mistake. The draconequus you befriended was harmless. This is a mistake that must be corrected.” The six elements of harmony shimmered by her, and circled her head slowly. “I had you make these elements so you may use them for a number of reasons. The ponies that now inhabit Equestria will look towards you for guidance. As for me, this note is all that I leave you with as a form of a final request. I pray for you to use these elements on the being known as Discord as he will not listen to reason. My time grows short, and I must sum this up as best as I can. Read the book I leave on the library desk to see your answers on how this error on my behalf occurred. Remember that I love you with all my heart, and that the draconequus was never your enemy, but a possible threat that can change. His power depends on his mental status, nothing more. From your mother, Ω.”

The alicorn disappeared from the world of the living that day, just as Discord attempted an invasion on the castle. The two sisters ran outside to see the fiend flying. His adult form was more devastatingly unnerving to the two as they stood on their balcony, gazing at the monstrosity.

“You think you can abandon me?” he asked with chocolate milk raining from the pink sky. “You think our friendship could end without a cost?”

“We were ordered to do so!” Celestia cried as an objection.

“And that gives you the right to treat me like this?” His voice became deeply distraught as he continued. “I am the embodiment of chaos now, and you will learn your place today! All of Equestria is falling into torment thanks to my deeds, and now, it is your turn, your highness.”

Celestia turned her head to Luna and whispered, “Go get the elements. We have no choice but to turn him to stone!”

Luna agreed and ran off, making Discord laugh. “Look, your own sister abandons you in this hour of destruction!”

Thunder surged around the cotton candy clouds as pieces of the castle ripped away and floated up without the force of gravity to hold them together. By the time Luna reached the library, her mother had already passed away. No traces of her were to be located. The elements sat next to the black book along with Luna's and Celestia's saddlebags. On the trinkets laid the note she had left her children. Luna tossed it aside and gathered the elements by placing three in each of their two bags, and then quickly came running out. As she galloped, the note was picked up by the wind, and slowly chased her.

The rain continued, chaos spreading in every possible line of sight. The blue mare saw Discord laughing with his claw holding his head. Just when she was ready to offer her sister her share of the Elements, Discord disappeared. With the flick of his fingers, he vanished before the two, and just like that, he was gone from the ruined city with nothing but an echo.

"Meet me at the outskirts of town, my little ponies."

Chapter Five: Prerequisite

Prerequisite

The castle remained floating for a time with the two below, just standing there in the dust. Luna turned to her sister, and asked, “Now what? Discord’s returned, and… Mother, where’s mother?”

Celestia felt a sudden tear dampen her cheek, and turned to face her sister. “I can't feel her presence... I believe she is no longer amongst this world. Give me my saddlebag, and do you have the elements?”

Suddenly, the castle tower behind them, while being ripped apart shook violently, but if only momentarily. Celestia and Luna both decided to get to safety before doing anything else, and teleported some distance away simultaneously.

The darkness approached Celestia, and she saw a familiar figure with her back showing. The princess stood amongst wet rocks and shady, rounded walls only to be blinded by a magnificent sight. Just before her, she could make out her mother, and a tree. The mother turned slowly, her ear perking up in her daughter’s direction, and she said, “The Tree of Harmony… Under the castle, you and your sister will find it. Do you remember visiting it?”

Celestia nodded, and even went as far as to say, “Y-yes, I do!”

“Then come… and refill the elements, just as I’ve shown you in my study, for these are the forces in which you shall use to stop Discord.” Then, with her foggy sky-blue eyes showing ever so slightly, she said, “I leave the Elements of Harmony in your capable hooves.”

Celestia awoke outside the castle grounds, where the moat once was. Now, all the water just floats in the air. In front of her was the tree of harmony, and next to her was Princess Luna, a worried concern crossing her face. Shakily, Celestia stood from her daze while assuring Luna, “I’m alright… I know what we must do… Please tell me you’ve got the Elements of Harmony with you!”

Without wasting much time, Luna got the three out from her satch, and then the next set from Celestia’s. The next part was simple. “All we have to do is recharge them using mother’s tree…”

She approached and stared at the humming specimen while moving some of her moonlit mane out from her eyes. Celestia grabbed three of the gems with her magic and placed the Elements inside the Tree of Harmony, and waited a moment. While she and Luna resumed their approach, Luna gasped, “The Tree of Harmony…”

Crystal-like material only found within the Crystal Empire, oddly shaped chambers resembling hexagons; it didn’t make any sense to the two. All they could make out was the five symbols circling the center star, or as their late mother would’ve put it, the heart of the tree.

Celestia flew up, taking initiative. With her well practiced alicorn magic, she began picking the locks.

“Are you sure,” Luna questioned hesitantly, and then glided up to join her sister.

“We have managed to discover the only means by which we can defeat Discord, and free the citizens of Equestria! Even without these elements,” she resumed while removing the red hexagon. “The Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic.” As the remaining five Elements of Harmony circled the two, they slowly started to float down to the floor once more.

Just before landing, Celestia finished, “As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here.”

The two alicorns trotted along, annoyed by the state of their kingdom. It would undoubtedly take a lot of might to return things back to normal once their foe was felled. Until then, gold fish swam freely, buffalo swarmed, and ponies everywhere suffered Discord’s wrath. The only ones not affected by his tyranny were the sisters.

They’d used a portion of their powers to shield themselves from the world’s chaotic influence. Though, that only assisted Discord in sniffing them out even before they walked along the lines of green, blue and black fish. Still, his motive was to allow them a few more minutes in this world before he banished them to Oblivion forever.

He sat patiently atop his throne, waiting for them to arrive. Once they finally came to a complete halt, scowling at him every second of the way, he whirled around, almost appearing overjoyed by their intrusion.

“Do, ho!” he laughed aloud. “This is so much fun! How about a game of pin the tail on the pony?!”

Celestia noted his amusement hastily, mostly due to him waving her own tail at her. Fed up with his mockery, the Princess ordered, “Play time is over for you, Discord!”

The draconequus’s reaction was anything but threatened. In fact, instead of seeming the least bit intimidated, he simply swished his claw to the right, spilling the seeds he ate as he did. “Oh, I doubt that,” he remarked rudely before stuffing his face full of those black snacks. Then, he somewhat kindly offered, “Hungry?”

The seeds bounced off of the two’s foreheads, each time triggering a small twitch from them upon impact.

“... Suit yourselves,” Discord resumed, carefree. With more and more little, shady beads dropping to the soil below, Celestia and Luna both presented their sets of Elements together, not even saying a word until hearing Discord ask with cockiness, “Oh… What have you got there?”

Watching the bagful of seeds scatter to the gravel around Discord’s stool, Celestia confidently answered, "The Elements of Harmony!”

Luna chimed in, “With them, we shall defeat you!”

Once in full speed, the elements then crafted its mesmerising orb around the siblings. As for Discord, he mistakenly misjudged the capabilities of his once close friends, and bellowed, “Haha! You should see yourselves right now. The expressions on your face! So intense, so sure of yourselves! Ah, haha!”

With that, their horns touched. A harmonious ray of rainbows engulfed Discord, and just as he was saying, “Hilarious,” his sentence was cut off by his gums turning to stone, ceasing his egotistical banter. As he stood there before his throne, Celestia and Luna huffed, but noticed him leaning. They quickly caught him with their magic just before he had the chance to hit the rock hard ground.

Resiliently, they settled him down in standing position, and observed his being. No longer the friend they once knew so long ago, the creature would now take the definition of chaos. His name would be spoken whenever the thought of disharmony occurred.

Along with the clouds returning to normal, and the world restoring to harmony, the note left by their mother glided down from the balcony. Celestia and Luna would eventually return to fatefully find it, read it, and understand that all this could have been prevented if they’d just simply knew about this little detail when they were younger. It was, of course too late to change things now, but the fact still remained that they would someday have to attempt returning his mentality to a peaceful state.

Chapter Six: Belong

Belong

As the princesses finished their recap of the fateful event, Discord stood on grassy dirt, looking all around him. The sun and moon illuminated their sides of the sky with radiant intensity. The stars that surrounded the moon never crossed over to Celestia’s star, making things seem like a hallucinogenic dream, if anything. Winds of serenity tried their best to sooth and calm the fiend of any possible anger he might've been feeling, and although these memories were horrible, Discord didn’t mind reminiscing in them for a while.

“Discord,” Celestia said in a concerned voice. “I know we trapped you in stone, but this was mainly our fault, and our mother’s fault… if we knew-”

Discord interjected, “You never would have abandoned me in the first place… I know. It’s ironic, how all this time, I had been such an idiotic menace to civilization, and you two never meant to hurt me the way you did.”

Luna said, “But that’s all in the past, and we’re both sorry for abandoning you! Isn’t that right, Celestia?”

The white alicorn looked at her sister, and then at her long ago friend, and asked for his attention. Discord looked up with teary eyes to meet hers. “Discord… I’m sorry for what we did to you. It’s time for you to return to Equestria… not as the fiend you are, but as the young draconequus we once knew and loved.”

Discord gulped, and said the one thing the two sisters thought they would never hear him demand. “I cannot return!” Both Luna and Celestia looked at one another in confusion. “If I were to return, it would mean the end of Equestria or at least the possibility of this… I can’t be trusted, and never should. This is not a request… it is an order.” Now looking at both princesses, Discord commanded his last statement. “Do not let me out if my prison!”

The princess's eyelids lowered slightly in a displeased fashion. Luna turned to her sister, and asked, “What're are we listening to?”

Discord shook his head. “If I’m let free, and my mentality is restored to chaos, I could destroy your land!”

Celestia and Luna spoke as though they didn’t hear him. “I say we just do what we want, don’t you Luna?”

“Oh, that’s what I’ve always preferred to do.” With that, the two princesses disappeared before the draconequus. As he stood there, jaw open and a bit agitated, he felt soft rumbles all around him.

Soon, cracks and jagged cuts surrounded the void informing him that the princesses were freeing him from his cage. As he felt himself spin and land on solid concrete, he looked up to see the fresh daylight. Real smells of nature greeted his nuzzle only to remind him of the world he had missed greatly. The more he looked down from his pedestal, the more he took in, until finally, he saw the two sisters smiling mirthfully in front of him. “Well,” he said with a grin. “I should have known, once you two decide on something, it’s literally impossible to change your minds!”

Hopping down, he saw the two giggling, and asked them what was so funny. “You have some gravel on your cheeks that look like freckles!” Celestia exclaimed.

Discord laughed along and whipped them off. As the three headed to the Canterlot palace to situate him with a room, Celestia said “Remember, I can hear everything you do, say and think.”

“I know, I know, Stalker.” Discord joked.

Celestia chuckled gingerly. “I am not! I just want to keep an eye on you.”

As the three entered the palace gates, a guard reacted to the presence of the draconequus. “Princess Celestia, Luna, behind you!”

A magic beam narrowly missed the beings head. An inch closer, and it would have been a straight shot. “Guard, stand down!” Celestia ordered. The guard followed demands loyally, but still looked mystified as to what was occurring. “That’s another thing we need to take care of," Celestia said. "Making sure all the guards in the palace are well informed that our friend here is our friend.”

As the princesses continued, Discord following, they eventually turned and stood next to a giant, golden door. “I need to lower the sun. Luna, show our friend to his room as I do this, please.”

Luna agreed, and asked Discord to follow. As he began walking off, he said, “Good night, Celestia.”

Just before he started trotting of, he was halted by her highness. “Discord, wait.” He turned around to see her approaching. As she came closer, he wondered what it was she wanted. Her head advanced slowly, and he felt her lips tenderly peck his forehead. “Good night, my old friend.”

The moment was sweet, and brought him back to when he was just a child. Remembering the dandy memory of his first kiss, he smiled, and left the princess to her work. Luna and Discord reached the far side of the building which had a single door to end the corridor. Luna opened it and showed her friend in. Discord looked around, his grin growing.

A nice, plush bed sat on the far wall with a night stand next to it. A beautifully crafted table with some books stood to the left, and to the right was a dresser, hoof crafted with a grand mirror perched nicely on top. Some pictures of Celestia and Luna could be seen on the dresser, each of them recently taken. “I hope this is good for you,” Luna said.

Discord checked the bathroom, and said, “Oh, it’s marvelous! Perfect even! I couldn’t ask for a better room.” He returned and continued, “Thank you, it means a lot.”

Luna left while explaining that she had to lift the moon. Once she said goodnight to the draconequus, he decided to first lay on his new bed. Things were starting to look up for him. There were still the many apologies he had to deal with for many individuals spread throughout Equestria, but for now, he just wanted his sleep. Being incarcerated in stone can leave ones back in a horrendous state.

Chapter Seven: Precaution

Precaution

While Discord enjoyed his slumber, the two princesses walked the halls together enjoying the new arrangement.

“Now remember, Luna,” Celestia said. “We need to keep Discord’s mental state in check. If he becomes depressed, we need to cheer him up. If he needs to talk, we both must listen. Nothing is more critical than this.”

As the moonlight shined through the windows of the palace, lighting the dust that wafted through the still air, Luna claimed, “I would do anything in my power to keep him safe from corruption. You know that, and if there’s anything I need to know…”

Celestia looked at her sister with curiosity. “Need to know?”

“Well, yes… like, is his mental state triggered by outside influences?” Luna’s sister was confused by what she meant by this. “Okay… take for example, a meaningless prank.”

Celestia sighed as she realized what her sister meant. “Oh, that… well… we should just keep him away from that for now, just to be on the safe side of things.”

As Celestia yawned, telling Luna she was tired, the princess of the night told her to retreat to her room for some rest and relaxation as well. Celestia’s room was what most would expect; intricate designer flooring and beautifully crafted furnishing, mostly made of gold or some other costly metal and fabric. Her bed was a giant, circular, plush and purple sheeted masterpiece that invited her to dream each and every night. As she laid down, she looked over at the nightstand which held the vase with a healthy sunflower in it, the same one that Discord presented to her as a special gift all those years ago. It was looking a bit gray now, but with the lighting of her horn, one small rejuvenation spell was all it took to bring color and life back into nature’s artwork. It perked up and stared at her highness's sleepy head, and almost seemed to thank her, too.

As her head rested down upon a supple pillow, her mind wandered into the remembrance of when Discord first returned to Equestria, and almost destroyed harmony.

The six mares left the elemental memorial room where the princess had justly informed them of the mission they were required to embark on. As she heard the laughter of the menacing monstrosity, memories surfaced of the fateful incident when she and her sister first battled the fiend. As he passed through the window, his stained glass representation peering through the reflections, Celestia tried to keep her sights set on him. Though, with his form changing and taking on the realistic embodiment of his adult being, she prepared herself to attack if necessary.

“Celestia, how has my dear friend been?” his eyes looked at her with revengeful rage. “It’s been too long, and you’ve been so cruel!”

“Discord, we can talk about this, or you can leave now, and never see me again.” Celestia’s stern face told him she was willing to come to a peaceful encounter, but his heart wasn’t accepting her offer.

“You think this situation that YOU put yourself in will be a joyful one?” He chuckled under his breath. “This is my chance to show you my wrath, and take my vengeance upon both you, and your sister for trapping me in that void for so long…”

As he turned around and prepped himself for his master plan, he finished his sentence with the threatening statement Celestia feared most. “And I’ll do this by ruining the six Elements of Harmony!”

He began to walk away, Celestia knowing she would need to keep an eye on him if she was to know exactly what he plotted to carry out. “Discord!” she yelled, making him turn his head around.

A beam of radiant magic hit his horns, and sparked all around his forehead, making him scream from the abrupt spell. “What did you do to me?!” he asked, more demandingly than requestingly.

“It’s a tracking spell!” Celestia explained. “This will allow me to keep an eye on you whether I’m with you or not. I can’t have you hurting my pupil or her friends without me knowing what you’ve done to them. This way even if I'm incapacitated, I can be sure to help somehow.”

Discord rolled his eyes before reacting with, “Great! And there’s no cure for this, is there?”

“None, what so ever,” Celestia claimed. “And... I’ll be able to hear everything your thinking, speaking; planning! I’ll be watching you like a hawk, and If I find out you’ve hurt any of my little ponies, you’ll be sorry.”

Discord laughed. “Oh, Celestia… You just don’t get it, do you?! This is my world now. Equestria will crumble under my rule. You’re only second rate in my eyes.” As he once again turned around, he bit the princess farewell, and snapped his fingers, disappearing from the room with a flash of light surrounding him.

Celestia sighed at the memory, feeling some guilt due to knowing this was partially her fault. She heard her door knock as well.

“Come in,” she said invitingly.

Discord himself entered, and looked around her room. “I just wanted to… well, you know… the flower?”

Celestia’s smile was enough for him to know she was more than happy to know he wished to observe his old gift. “It’s right here.” She allowed her eyes to fall upon the golden flora, he approached and sat next to her. He also marveled at how it reminded him of the moments he shared with his two friends.

“And you’ve been keeping it freshly bloomed all this time?” he asked rhetorically.

“Every night, just before I fall asleep, I make a point to keep it well bloomed. The flora is one of my most cherished possessions.”

Discord grinned and looked at her highness. “Celly… I really am sorry about all the horrible things did… and I’m willing to apologize to your pupil as well, that is, if this is alright with you.”

Celestia giggled, and said, “Of course it’s alright. Tomorrow, we’ll leave for Ponyville. Does that sound good to you?”

As Discord nodded his head, Celestia noticed him still looking at the flower, as though there was something enchanting about it. Hee stood, finally yawning, and she summed the night up with one last, “Sleep tight.”

With nothing left for him to do, Discord exited the room. As for the princess, she fell asleep thinking about the following day, and wondering if Twilight would accept his apology.

Chapter Eight: Transmutation

Transmutation

As the draconequus slept, the guard that had almost scathed Discord entered the princess’s room where she was still writing her diary entry.

“Uh… your highness?” he asked. His voice was very low, but still somewhat kind sounding. “I just wanted to say sorry for almost hurting your guest… but, if I may ask, what’s Discord doing here?”

The princess smiled while putting her book down. “Well, it’s a difficult story, but to put it lightly, his mentality has change, and his powers comes from the lack of friendship.”

The guard snickered at this. “Ah, I see… So, as long as he’s got somepony to cheer him up, he’s harmless.”

“That is correct, yes,” her highness said as she looked over at him.

“And… this may be an odd question, but what do you plan on doing if he changes?”

Celestia assured the guard, “I am able to hear his thoughts. If at any time he needs help, I’ll be there.”

The guard shook his head with a smile. After he bid her good night, the guard waited outside until he heard utter silence. After a moment of waiting, he then detected the sound of a soft and cute snore, which signaled him to proceed to Discord’s quarters. As he walked hastily down the dim halls, his face began to morph, and his armor changed to the princess of the day’s royal accessories. His white mane pigmented into long, flowing hair, almost resembling the colors of the rainbow, and his cutie mark of a basic shield transformed into the sunshine cutie mark that could only be found on the princess. Upon entering Discord’s room, the sleeping being awoke to the sound of his door creaking. In the dark, he could make out Celestia’s form and wondered what she could possibly want with him.

“Celly? Is that you?” he asked as he sat up.

The visitor said nothing. As she stood there, staring, Discord felt uneasy, as though he was being confronted about some crime he'd yet committed. Suddenly, he felt himself rise. The blanket was tossed off the bed and his entire body was hurled towards the dresser. Crackling noises were unheard as the room had been sound proofed by the mysterious figure that took Celestia’s anatomy. With Discord rubbing his back, he gazed at the being that attacked. “Who are you?!”

As a light flickered on the candle sitting on the table, he was stunned to see the princess herself looking frantically furious. “Get out!” she groaned. Her voice, the maddest he had ever heard her sound like.

“What? … B-but, I thought we were friends!”

Discord felt his body being lunged at the window, his whole body being sent flying clean out of the castle. He caught the winds pull and floated there. Looking back, he saw Celestia’s horn light up, meaning if he didn’t leave now, she wouldn’t waver her choice of assault. watching him fly off, confused beyond comprehension, her horn dimmed, and all was silent.

Striding away from the window, the glass rearranged itself into reparation, as did the dresser, she scoffed for a second. Everything was restored to normal, and appeared as though nothing had ever occurred. The princess morphed back to the original guard and exited the premises, grinning devilishly. He soon enough would exit the Canterlot grounds and enter the outskirts of town. He noted the plains he trotted upon had buds of glow pods. These little, green phenomenon’s, which were blown upwards by the wind glowed like fireflies and shone their luminescence of impressive magnitude upon the stallion.

“Everything is falling into my hooves like snow,” he said. His voice now took two distanced vocal points, and sounded as though different beings spoke as one. His hooves slowly disintegrated into holes which resembled swish cheese, and his mane shriveled into algae shaded greenery. His yellow eyes dilated, and eventually changed into the same blush as his mane. Finally, his back exploded with ashes circling all around his mass. As his horn, black as the night glowed, his body was revealed to be the being that almost ruined one of the most important events in equestrian history. If it wasn’t for Twilight and her friends, she would have taken over the entire town of Canterlot, and possibly all of Equestria as well.

Queen Chrysalis stood with confidence, and a posture that showed reliance in her plan. “With Discord ruined and completely friendless, I will be able to capture his will and use it to my advantage. I’ll make him think I am his only ally, and with his chaotic powers at my grasp, and his love for me that I can feed upon, I will be able to rule this kingdom and its subjects just as I’ve always planned!”

With her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the night sky, she knew she had work to do before her highness awoke. Flying in the direction of the draconequus, her whole scheme seemed flawless.

Discord landed next to an oak tree with frustration and anger in him blood. “Why would she befriend me only to throw me out the window?”

“It’s because she doesn’t like you!”

The creature turned slowly to see the being staring at him. Her decrepit shape was enough for him to know she meant bad business.

“Her whole plan was to build you up, and then crash you down. Once your powers return, she’s just going to imprison you in stone once again.” Her hoof rose before him as she continued, “Unless…”

Discord’s eyebrow rose as he asked, “Unless what?”

“Unless you had that spell of yours removed. You know… the one that’s allowing her to hear you. If I’m not mistaken, it’s only active when she is awake.”

Discord wasn’t sure about this, but somehow, he was unfortunately able to bring forth the question, “Would you help me rid myself of this spell? And if so, what do you get out of it?”

The changeling smiled, and explained, “I’m a love fiend. All I need is enough love from you to gather the power I need, and your curse will be lifted.”

Though Discord felt compelled to decline, his mental state begged for chaos and mayhem. Yet, he accepted. The queen chuckled, and began to feed.

Chapter Nine: Perquisition

Perquisition

Celestia awoke to the sounds of nature just outside her window, but noticed something was amiss. Though she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it, she eventually came to thinking about Discord while raising the sun. Once she did, she tried eavesdropping on his dreams, only to realize there was none. Slowly realizing there was no thoughts, no dreams, no voice, nothing she usually heard in the morning, her eyes widened, and her jaw slowly dissented. She barged out of her room and ran through the halls in a frantic gallop. As she passed the daytime guardians, they all wondered what she was so upset about. Ignoring them, she swung the door of the draconequus's room open, and gasped to see his being was nowhere to be located.

“Discord?” she asked, trying to find the undetectable creature. “Discord, where are you?!”

The being wasn’t even in the city, but miles away in the farthest forest in all of Equestria. The Everfree Forest wasn’t the only jungle that was unexplored. The forest was known as Blackbird Woods, a mystic forest that once secured the changeling army. Now scattered, the only being that inhabited the area was Queen Chrysalis. Slowly, she sat on her deformed throne, jagged spikes rising from the dirt in various, distanced points. Discord looked around. Some feet away were trees with leaves of black and bark of grotesque green. Some were oozing black sludge from small crevices. His mind felt different now, as if some mentality was surfacing, one of a violent nature. For some reason, he also didn't care, and looked at the mare he forced himself to love.

“So, this curse of mine is lifted?”

The queen smiled. “You were able to give me so much of your vital love that the impossible… was possible! Yes, the spell that witch, Celestia, placed upon you is cleared and gone. You’re free of her grasp.”

Discord sighed, and said, “But, why would she deliberately hurt me? I never did anything to hurt her… not recently, that is. I apologized and everything! It just doesn’t add up.”

Chrysalis smiled, knowing good and well her trap had just been sprung. “As I said, she had no real emotions for you. She was merely building you up so she could crush you. It was a game she played, and you were the pawn. A simple chess piece that was never anything more than live bait she could toss away!”

Discord felt his body become frail, like energy was being stolen. “It’s… not fair,” he said, buying into the mind games of the changeling.

“Life is seldom fair,” the changeling claimed. “But then, this is why I helped you. You’re like me. Life has tormented you; pinned you against yourself. Now, I’ll help you reclaim your revenge.”

Discord, unknowingly feeding his love to the fiend, said, “I don’t wish for revenge… all I want is friendship.”

“Oh, but you have a friend right here!” Chrysalis lied, “I’ll always be with you through thick and thin.”

As Discord stared at her, something grabbed his heart, tied strings around it and treated it like a simple puppet. "Y-you will...?"

“You know, Discord… the devils water isn’t sweet… and you don’t have to drink right now,” the changeling chanted as she stood from her throne and strut over to the draconequus. Her hoof rubbed his chin in a teasing way. “But you can dip you hooves every once in a little while.

As the queen continued enchanting her manipulation spell upon Discord, the two princesses deployed troops to all the neighboring cities and far off towns in search for the missing fiend. Through Manehatten and Ponyville, guards were stationed on lookout patrol. Throughout the days to come, they searched, but never found Celestia and Luna's friend. The princess of the day even occationally soared high in the clouds seeking out the being. She couldn’t help but feel she wasn’t looking far enough every time she flew, though. Her sister, who searched the night would often checked rural places like the Everfree Forest and Cloudsdale, only to come up with nothing at all. Returning to the palace, she glided down to her sister’s balcony and entered her room to find Celestia sitting in tears.

“Oh, please don’t cry!” she said as she approached. “We will find him, and figure this mess out.”

Celestia whipped the tear that hung sadly upon her cheek away with her magic, and stated, “It’ll be too late. By then, he will have been friendless for such a duration, that he’ll need another memory rehabilitation to get his mentality sorted out, and it almost didn't work the first time. If we don’t find him soon… this will be one big disaster!”

Her sister sat down on the bed, and asked, “How was he able to remove the spell in the first place? I thought it was permanent.”

Celestia shrugged due to her being just as baffled of the subject. It had been a week or so since his disappearance, and they still had no answers. The enigma they found themselves in just seemed to expand.

“What I wish to know is why he ran away in the first place.” Celestia explained further, “He had no such reason to escape. He had everything he wanted, and more! Where could he have gone? The guards have searched everywhere, and have still found nothing! He couldn’t have gone that far… right?”

Luna apologized for finding nothing and lowered the moon. As she did, she said, “We’ll find him… eventually.”

Celestia agreed, and got to work with her normal agenda. Upon closing her bedroom door, she realized a guard was unaccounted for. It was the same guard that asked about Discord the night just before his disappearance. Suspicions arose in the princess’s mind, but most would ultimately be undetermined until later on, when she would be able to figure out where Discord ran off to.

Answers seemed impossibly out of reach for the two royal sisters, and Discord inched closer to corruption with every waking day. His forced love for Chrysalis, a foe emotion was growing faster than wildfire. With love of any kind came power, and Chrysalis was feeding upon it ruthlessly. Everything was starting to flip, and if things didn’t come to a resolution soon, all of Canterlot would soon meet an apocalyptic fate, all thanks to queen Chrysalis.

Chapter Ten: Confrontation

Confrontation

While all the guards kept a close look out for Discord, Chrysalis played her diabolic mind games as though nothing was fallacious about tampering with a draconequus’s emotions. Her words, for a week now slithered through his head and churned his outlook on life. The more he resisted, the less his good nature became. Undesirable thoughts of actually taking revenge on his two once close friends began to entice his train of thinking, and draw it from its noble tracks. His opinion of his memories turned from reminiscence, to dissatisfaction, and the Queen forced him to believe she was his only friend. She would just fed on his love, his eyes turning to bleak sage pigmentation.

“What’s wrong, fiend?” she asked, wrapping her words around his heart to play puppet master.

The Blackbird Forest never did have much sunlight, for grey clouds always blackened the sky even when Celestia’s gift to the world shined the brightest.

“I miss my friends,” Discord admitted longingly.

“They don’t miss you,” Chrysalis said. The more she approached her pet, the more she resumed her explanation. “Don’t you remember how that witch threw you out the window? You said it yourself. Her gaze was more spiteful than anything else you’ve ever encountered. Why try and tell yourself they're your friends when they were just out to stab you in the back?”

Discord’s eyes became paler with every question, signaling that his mentality was turning cruel and dark. As he fought the thoughts, Chrysalis just made things worse with her enchanting lies. “Why not join me in some revenge?” she offered. “It would teach them a lesson!”

Discord’s only surmise was that if he did take his revenge out, he would want it to be in a secluded environment where no other pony would be harmed but them, which showed the last fragment of rectitude left in his soul. Once he proposed this, the changeling agreed to it, and the two left the forest shortly there after.

With them entering the rocky gorge, cracks of hard soil, dried and barren was their field of judgment. Discord raised his claw with a straight pose. His chaotic energy shrugged through the wrist and eventually reached his palm. Then, he snapped his talons. Just like that, he'd summoned the two princesses. Celestia stood, her sister laid on her back, obviously sleeping. Celestia, confused and worried about what just happened brought her line of vision to the two creatures. Discord stood next to the changeling Queen, giving the two sisters a sneer.

“Discord, there you are!” Celestia said in relief, but still puzzled by what was befalling her. As her sister raised her head to see she wasn’t in her room, she saw the twin front of them and jumped to her hooves.

“Discord,” she said in an excited tone. However, the second she caught sight of Chrysalis, she couldn't help but to wonder who she was. As she asked, the changeling laughed.

“That’s right! You were asleep through the whole thing,” Chrysalis mocked.

Luna turned to Celestia to ask, "Who is this?”

Celestia asked, “You remember the wedding for Cadence and Shining Armor?”

Luna had been informed about it, but never actually saw the perpetrator who almost crashed the party. She slowly looked at the being, and asked “That was you?”

Chrysalis just giggled, and confessed, “Maybe...”

Celestia stared into Discords eyes, and yelled, “Discord, snap out of it!” She'd continue, but at that time, she was momentarily paused by his powers beginning to show just then. Pink clouds of cotton candy began winding in circles. “She’s tricking you into believing lies! She’s only using you to gain power through your love, and controlling your thoughts to abuse your mentality! You have to wake up!”

Despite Celestia's plea, Chrysalis put her hoof on his shoulder, and she said to him, “It’s time to end this.”

Discord agreed, and used his now fully developed powers to raise several pillars from the ground, each resembling hooves. As Celestia and Luna looked around the world that was lowering before them, Discord lunged forward. Celestia reacted by flying towards him, and as his claw and paw grabbed her hooves, Chrysalis began firing her magic at Luna who was already taking off.

Celestia and Discord fought in midair while Chrysalis chased Luna around the spaces in between the hoof pillars. Celestia wished to try and stop the battle, for all the chaotic happenings were polluting the draconequus’s mind and sending his whole perspective out of alignment, but there was nothing she could do. With Luna landing on one of the lower hooves and Chrysalis floating above her, she flared her green spell at the blue mare. Luna returned fire. Sparks flew in random directions, but the two’s magic was caught in one huge battle royale.

Meanwhile, Discord tossed the princess he fought into the air, his claw manifesting red lightning. Celestia braced herself. It came in harsh and struck her wing. The scorch mark on the feathers sizzled, and Discord’s eyes blinked. Something made his chest hurt, but at the time, his rage still blinded him. Out of nowhere, Luna soared above Discord’s head and landed with a thud next to her sister. The two had been bested, and Chrysalis landed next to the green eyed fiend. Celestia looked up. His whole being was now corrupt, and this would be the one chance she got to attempt to return him to the kind friend she knew was still in front of her, just in his subconscious. With her laying on the hard, rocky pillar, thunder surrounding the clouded skies, one single phrase was muttered.

“Discord… no matter what you do… I love you.”

The draconequus’s shoulders went limp, and his eyes began to blink. “What… did you say?”

Celestia gulped, and said, “Even though you don’t know it, the mare you are with has been controlling you. She disguised herself as me, and… did something to you, didn’t she?”

Discord looked at the Queen with suspecting eyes, and asked, “Is this true?”

Celestia didn’t let her speak by immediately claiming, “She’s a changeling! She takes the form of somepony you love and steals your love for her. I should have known when I noticed that guard had disappeared, but now I know this isn’t your fault… but if this is it, just know… I love you.”

Queen Chrysalis chuckled, and said, “Destroy them, now Discord.” But the being just stared at the two sisters, contemplating his choice. “Discord, I gave you an order.”

His body whirled to the puppet master and force pushed her into the air. As she caught herself, her horn illuminated, showing her disappointment. “Oh, ho, ho! WRONG CHOICE!”

The sparkling ray of destruction shot out from her horn, but Discord just pointed his claw forward, as if he was going to catch something. The green beam struck his palm, though he remained perfectly still, not even budging an inch. His whole body absorbed the impact, and as the orb of chaotic energy surged in his claw, he pulled his arm back before thrusting it forward again. The magic inferno was shot back and headed straight for the Queen. As it almost struck her, it stopped and floated there. The radiant light shined in her eyes, and before she knew what happened, it fired bright flairs outward, sending her packing to the farthest reaches of Equestria. As her screams died down in the distance, Discord stood there, his claw extended forward, eyes closed and green aura lighting his whole body.

Chapter Eleven: Redemption

Redemption

Discord's claw lowered to his knees, and he panted with exhaustion. Celestia and Luna could be found on the lower pillar, curious if he was unharmed. While he looked at them, his eyes now back to normal, his paw whisked a shimmering light towards them, and as it made contact with the two, their wounds were healed. Celestia checked her wing to find the burns had healed, and Luna was able to stand once again. As they flew to the draconequus, worried for his wellbeing, he regained some energy of his own, and stood. Looking into Celestia’s eyes, he could tell she was relieved he was alright, but also disappointed he had sided with the changeling queen.

“I am a fool,” he stated, which was taking things a bit beyond logical terms. Sure, he had been tricked, but the being was able to do this due to his merry go round mind. It seemed like his mentality was always soaring up, and then quickly descending just to repeat the process. Things seemed like one big disaster after another for Discord. At was then that Disocrd looked into Celestia's eyes, remembering what she said. His eyes averted, not wanting her to see him.

“Discord,” Celestia began, but was soon cut off by her friend. “You’re no fool-”

“Yes, Celestia, I am a fool. Look at what has occurred this day.” His voice shook as his eyes blinked at the pink sky. “If I didn’t snap out of my trance… I dread at the possibilities that could have occurred this day. It’s not at all something that I wish to ponder… and my deeds shouldn’t go unpunished.” His eyes looked into Celestia’s yet again, her heart sinking as he prepared to command his request. “Place me back into my stone cage… so this can never happen again. And this time, don’t free me, ever.”

Luna’s mouth opened slightly at her friend’s wish. For the first time, instead of Discord desiring freedom, his choice was for the protection of Equestria, but would Celestia be able to fulfill this prayer of his?

Discord turned so his back faced the two sisters, and while he spoke, lightning struck a few times in between his sentences. “If I remain here, there will always be a major threat to your kingdom. This isn’t me asking you, this is me telling you to lock me away and chuck the key as far as you can. I don’t want constant worries surrounding me. I want to know that this land is safe from harm.”

Celestia, trying to convince him things were going to be different, said, “But it’s not in harms reach anymore.”

“Look around princess,” the creature joked. “This land is still in danger. The clouds have yet to clear, these pillars are still illogically raised, and to top it all off… I have an insatiable urge to commit crime and spread torment... If you don’t seal me away in stone this instant… well, I’m afraid what might happen to this world… What might happen to you and Luna.”

The misguided being waited for the cold feeling of stone to slither up his hooves and begin to trap his mind in the void, but instead, warmth graced his back, and he felt the two sisters hug him. Tender feelings washed over his figure, providing a sense of security within his chest. Their hooves held him tight, and as Celestia spoke her next words, light seeped through the clouds.

“You can sit here in your heartache waiting for some beauty of a mare to save you from your old wait while I’ll play forgiveness.”

Discord felt a tear escape his eye, and as he put his paw on one of her hooves, he said, “Once you decide on something… there really is no point in trying to convince you otherwise, is there?”

Luna giggled, and said, “Nope! You’re our friend, and it’ll stay that way.”

The laugher of the three friends echoed with the air clearing to show Celestia’s sun shining through the now puffy white clouds. The hoof pillars began to sink back into the equestrian earth, and for what it was worth, life for the three would return to harmony. As they all flew together back to Canterlot, Discord apologized way too many times, but eventually stopped. Upon gliding next to Celestia, though, he asked, “So, what was that you said to me?”

Celestia chuckled, and teased, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Discord grinned, and said, “Don’t you lie, I heard you say that word to me.”

“What word? You’ll have to be more specific than that,” the white alicorn joked.

Luna just chortled at their little game while Discord continued.

“You said the L word! 'Love', that’s what you said!”

“I don’t remember saying that.”

This silly game continued for the entirety of the flight. Finally, when the they reached the Canterlot entrance, Celestia turned to Discord, and began, “Alright, I need to place that tracking spell on you once more.” Discord rolled his eyes, but reluctantly accepted. Once done, Celestia looked over the being. “It’s good to hear your thoughts again.”

He just smirked...

“Oh, Discord! A 'welcome home party' is the least you need. You’ve had plenty of chaos for one evening!”

Discord smiled. “Awe, come on, it would be fun!”

While the two debated this, Luna entered the throne room, followed by her sister and friend. The sun lowered and was replaced by the crescent orb in time, and Discord became serious with the two alicorn’s.

“Now, girls…” he said, his voice a bit monotone. “I appreciate you giving me a second chance, but at any time do you feel compelled to incarcerate me in-”

Luna cut him off by claiming, “If you need a friend to cheer you up, we’ll be there!”

“What, no, no, that’s not what I was-”

He was once again interrupted by Celestia. “That’s exactly what we’ll do! After all, what are friends for?”

Discord, admitting defeat, chuckled, “Predictable outcome, but pleasing all the same.”

The three friends, having finally returned Discord to his proper mental state, would now be able to live their lives in harmony, just as they did when they were young...

Ending: Atonement

The sleepy, deformed being awoke to the fine morning, his whole body aching in many different ways. Looking at his claw, which sparked fluent energy of chaotic magnitudes, his thoughts sank into the remembrances of the changeling queen, and how she almost gained control of his power completely and tried to use him like a puppet. The thought of actually hurting his two alicorn friends ruptured his fears in a new way, and placed his mentality in a more correct state. Slowly, the shimmering claw reverted to normal, but would from time and again spark up, only to return to its present state.

The draconequus rose from his luxurious bed and peered to the mirror to see his body. He looked different somehow. Maybe it was his eyes, or his outlook on life, but this new Discord had a kinder aura about him. Perhaps this was the kind of aura he saw in the six elements of harmony... and then it hit him. The elements still deserved an apology. He hastily strutted over to the throne room and entered to see Celestia giggling with one of her personal guards. He approached, but Celestia simply smiled his way.

“Good morning, Discord,” she said admirably. “Sleep well, I presume?”

Discord nodded his head, and asked, “Are we going to Ponyville today? I need to apologize to your student, and her friends, remember?”

Celestia frowned, and attempted to dismiss the notion with, “Today isn’t good for me, mainly because-”

“Please!” Discord interjected. “I need to get this off my chest. If I don't...” He stopped himself to look at his now yellow, glowing claw. The electric energy surged forcefully, making him close his eyes. However, the light died down. He once again looked back at her highness with serious eyes. More calmly, he continued, “I’m still feeling my chaotic mindset overtake my true disposition, and I need to see those fillies to ensure their forgiveness… something that I don’t actually deserve… but need.”

Her highness looked at her guard, and sighed, “Cancel all my appointments, for this requires my full attention.” As she rose, Discord blew a puff of air. The two entered the carriage room where the princess’s signature rides could be found. Two pegasi ponies prepped themselves for departure while Discord and the princess hopped on.

While they rode, the two talked of fond memories such as them exploring the Everfree Forest, and their first visit to Cloudsdale when it was justly made. They reached the city of Ponyville in roughly four hours, and landed in front of Twilight’s tree house. Inside, Twilight was discussing with her friends about the letter that was sent to her from Princess Celestia herself.

“And so, this friend, which you all know wishes to apologize… but it doesn’t say who it is!”

Rainbow suggested, “It must be Gilda! She must have gone to Canterlot, and got upset about the way she acted, and is now ready to apologize!”

Fluttershy interrupted, “But what about Iron Will? He may be coming to apologize for turning me against my friends.”

“Yes, but then there’s Trixie,” Twilight offered. “She might have been able to come to her senses to realize she was being very rude to me, and all of you as well!”

All these assumptions were thrown out the window when Celestia knocked. The moment she did, the door slowly opened, creating this ominous feel of things. The rays of light shadowed Celestia’s guest, but as he entered the room, thrilling chills were sent through each of the elements. Memories of his horrible deeds surfaced in each pony's mind, making the awkward moment even more stressful for Discord. He stood there, gazing at everypony with worried eyes, begging fate to be kind with their judgment. Celestia cleared her throat, almost making Twilight jump as she did.

“You all remember Discord… He… has something to say to all of you.”

Everypony stood, trembling before the draconequus. Their fear emitted like smoke wafting from dried ice. The being just looked down, returned his gaze to the six, and looked over at his child hood friend, Celestia, begging for her assistance with just his stares.

Suddenly, Twilight trotted towards the two, her torso lowering before her mentor. "Uh, with all do respect, your highness... HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!" She cleared her throat, and quickly resumed bowing.

“You see girls,” Celestia stammered, staring desperately at Twilight. “A draconequus is a being with powers, yes… but with the magic of friendship, those chaotic abilities wither away, and that’s where it all went wrong.”

As Celestia explained the whole story about the time when they were kids, and all the way up until the present, the six mares received an understanding of this misunderstood creature. He was never a threat unless friendship ceased to comfort his soul, and knowing this became the one piece of knowledge that told the elements he was here to apologize. As he looked into the eyes of Twilight, the mare he tortured the most during his return, he began.

“I know… I made mistakes in the past, and I split up your friendship… not only that, but almost caused a rupturing in your wellbeing… something I regret more than anything else now, but I come to you with a heavy heart, and a good mentality… I wish I could do more to make you… all of you understand that this was never supposed to happen… I was never supposed to develop my powers… this wasn’t Celestia's or Luna's fault, nor was it mine… Okay, maybe a little bit of my fault, but it was mostly just… a bad turn of events that caused all this devastation I brought… and I’m sorry… I really mean it when I say that. If I could make you understand just how much grief I feel right now, I would.” His last three words were the most emotional he had ever said. “I am sorry.”

Twilight bowed her head, and sighed. As she looked back at the other ponies, her eyes unsure, she told the draconequus, "We forgive you, kind of harm not to, but there's still the problem of you possibly being a threat, right?"

Celestia looked at Fluttershy, and beckoned her to walk by her side for a time...

Alternative Ending: Confinement

Alternative Act Ending: Confinement

Discord stood amongst the hoof pillars staring in the direction of where Queen Chrysalis was shot to. Celestia and Luna laid on their sides. The draconequus looked them, his eyes now returned to their proper state and with the flick of his paw, a surge of energy was whisked to them. Just like that, their ability to move was restored. As they flew to the creature, Discord turned and faced his back to them.

“This… wasn’t supposed to happen,” he said, looking at the cracks in the floor. Slowly, tears fell from his eyes and dripped to the ground. “I’m a threat to your land… and I know this isn’t the place for me.”

Celestia asked, “What are you saying, Discord?” Her line of vision lowered to his hooves, and saw them slowly begin to turn grey. While she and her sister walked to the front of Discord, Celestia continued. “No, you can’t do this.”

“Look around!” Discord screamed in anguish. “I’ve completely given into the darkness! The clouds aren’t gone… the pillars haven’t lowed themselves!” He looked deep within Celestia’s now tearing eyes, and finished. “I’m taking the last of the power I have from this chaotic mind of mine, and using it to incarcerate myself in stone, and this time… you won’t be breaking me out!”

Celestia and Luna both felt solemn tears escape their eyes as he finished. Celestia tried to place the tracking spell on her friend only to find out he had created a force field of energy around him, preventing any magic from reaching him whatsoever. Luna begged, “You don’t have to do this! We can help you!”

Discord’s sorrowed head drooped at this statement, and claimed, “Nopony can help me… I know this now. It wouldn’t be right for me to stay, only to put your kingdom in jeopardy for my own amusement. I never should have left the void in the first place.”

Celestia watched as the stone lining inched up to his chest. As his posture lowered in a sitting position, he said, “I know this is hard for both of you, but it’s for the best of Equestria. My fate was to be sealed in stone. That’s what it will always be, and how it’s supposed to be.”

Celestia looked at him, both mares still crying, and said, “Just know, Discord… that you are our friend, and that will never change.”

His eyes blinked before he said, “I know… Good bye, forever.”

His head began turning to concrete, and while it did, his arms extended outwards as if to block something. Celestia and Luna cried harder than they were just moments ago. The draconequus’s stoned tears remained on his cheeks, and the way he stood resembled his former statue self, the form he took after being blasted by Twilight, and all her friends, too. Even though he seemed like he really didn’t want this, both the princesses knew it really was for the best of their land.

Discord stood on his usual pedestal, his stone eyes frantically looking onward and over the Canterlot hedge. Celestia and Luna walked together towards him. Unlike the first time he was trapped in stone, he now had an aura of good will and heroism despite still appearing the same. Celestia looked at his face, white and hard. Her lips trembled with every blink of her glossy eyes. Luna, who was just as hurt, asked, “You’re going to be alright, won’t you Celestia?”

Her highness tilted her head down, and said, “Of course I will… I hope so… I mean, he was… our friend, and now… he’s gone.”

Luna put her hoof on her sister's back for a small hug. “I know things didn’t work out the way we tried to make them, but think of it like this. He’s helped protect the kingdom. That's obviously kindness on his part in the end. In time, maybe we’ll get him out of there and try this whole thing all over again.”

Celestia looked at her sister with a small smile, and admitted, “That’d be good… but I need some time alone with him… Please, let me have that for now.”

Luna nodded her head, and understood her friend's wish, and left her there with the draconequus. As she stared at him, she asked, “You okay in there?” Her voice was quirky and hurt, but this was alright considering she knew he would hear her somehow. “I guess… things are really my fault. I should have known you were sensitive with friendship, and if I knew things would turn out like this… I would’ve taken extra measures for your inviolability. I miss you, and it’s only been a day, so how am I supposed to feel about this down the road? I wish… Oh, how I wish I could have saved you… I’m sorry this happened, and I know you can’t be the one who’s blamed for this outcome. That should be me.”

As the white alicorn walked away, Discord sat in his void staring out through a small window that showed the outside world. His tears streamed from his eyes, and though they were simple illusions, they fell like real, salty water. He formed a small puddle around him, and just watched her highness trot off.

“Don’t be delusional, Luna… this was my fate that I chose. You will learn that freeing me would be a waste of time, but then, I told you this already, and you still didn’t listen… and I should be the one who’s blamed for this. It’s my stupidity that forced that changeling to cease control of my body, and there was no way for you to figure out my mental curse… That was impossible, but then, that’s the cruel fact of life. Should've, could've and would've… If you only knew the facts ahead of time.”

It wouldn't matter anymore, anyways. The dark energy built up inside him slowly, and would return him to a former state of nostalgic corruption, and things will have seemed as if nothing had happened, but not all was lost. With his eyes closed, he saw the place where he used to live when he was young. Lush trees grew in between the hills of the valley. The sunrise always woke him in the morning, and every day was a crisp start for him. Though, those days were gone, and all the creature could do was remember these blissful childhood memories that died so many years ago... That was enough, for with him recalling the flower he gave Celestia, she entered her bedroom chambers, and remembered this as well.

"... How kind he was..." She peered over to the vase with her flower in it, and asked herself, "Kindness...?"