The Choices We Make

by Rainbow Sparkle

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Princess Celestia, Tragedy, Main 6, Discord, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna
Length: 6204

Sequel to One Last Letter. Luna must live with the choice she makes trying to save Equestria.

The long awaited sequel to One Last Letter has arrived! Thanks to Somebody for pre-reading and editing!

Princess Luna faces a difficult burden as she tries to find a way to save Equestria from Discord's reign of chaos. As her attempts to quickly find a way to best the Draconequus and free her sister from his control fails, she begins to consider a possible solution. To embrace that which she had become in the past, only this time for the good of all creatures. But is it worth the risk? Luna must quickly decide which path she will take in her quest to free Equestria, but she must be willing to face the consequences of her choices.

Published 2012-08-26 10:24:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-03-06 19:44:30 UTC

Chaos Reigns

The Elements of Harmony have been broken, one by one, twisted into the their polar opposites. Princess Celestia, ruler and guardian of Equestria, tried desperately to break Discord's spell on her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. But Discord would not let her get in his way. No, he would not be stopped this time, for he had waited far too long and endured more than a millennia of pain inside his stone prison.

And so, with a simple wave of his paw, Discord removed that which was Celestia’s last hope for beating the Draconequus... or did he? There is still one who can save the world from his eternal reign of disharmony, and restore the balance between Order and Chaos.

The only question is, how will she do it? And will she come to regret the choices she makes?

-*- The Choices We Make -*-

Chapter 1

As Discord lorded his victory over the broken and defeated form of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna was only now just beginning to stir from her sleep, her head slowly lifting itself from her desk as she tried to blink the sleep away and stifle a yawn.

I guess I fell asleep again… Sister is right, maybe I am studying too much. She thought to herself as she stretched, working out all the kinks that came from falling asleep in front of a desk. A quick glance at the clock sitting nearby informed her that she had woken up just in time to end her sister’s day and begin her beautiful night. It was such a simple feat, yet it always brought her such joy. To be able to raise the night for her subjects once again... it was her dream come true.

It was also a perfect way to wake herself up after her unintended nap. With that thought in mind, she got up from her desk and turned towards the archway leading to the Lunar Balcony. The walk helped in clearing the fog from her mind, and she brushed aside the dark silk curtains as she stepped onto the balcony, ready to raise the moon and bring forth the stars of the night.

But instead of seeing the sky in its wonderful colors of twilight, she was startled to find it a sickly green, the clouds a bright pink, and the land covered in various multi-colored patterns. And that was only the beginning. The city of Canterlot below had been turned upside down -literally in some places- with towers and homes and the lands they were attached to floating upside-down here and there.

A loud croak startled Luna, and she looked up to see a rabbit floating in the air above her. It let out another croak, and opened its mouth before whipping out its tongue, snagging it on a head of lettuce floating nearby. The strange animal happily munched on its lunch before belching in Luna’s face and swimming away.

For a moment, Luna just sat there, too stunned by what she had just seen and witnessed to move. But then, her mind caught up as two very important facts became clear to her; that she was now wide awake... and that Discord had returned.

“Celestia...” She murmured, a feeling of worry flowing through her as she turned and galloped back into her room. As soon as she reentered the abode, she swiveled her head swiftly to the right and left as she searched for the crystal they used to speak with each other when they were separated from each other by their duties. She quickly found it resting on her desk, and chastised herself for forgetting it was there. Her horn lit up with a dark blue aura as she grasped the crystal with her magic, but just as it was beginning to rise off the desk, her own aura was suddenly replaced by a new, golden light, and she heard a soft giggle coming from the direction of the door.

Luna turned her head to the entry, seeing the tip of a long white horn poking past the threshold, as well as the tip of a snow white muzzle. “Sister! Thank goodness you’re alright!” She cried out, her focus moving away from the crystal completely, allowing the gold aura of her sibling's magic to encircle the crystal and bring it towards the door. Luna watched in confusion as it floated next to her sister, who plucked it from the air with her mouth and turned away, galloping further into the hall outside her room.

“Wait!! Come back!” She called out, dashing after her sister into the darkened hallway. Discord's influence could be seen here as well, but she had no time to reflect on the changes as she saw her sister’s tail disappear around a corner. Breaking into a gallop as she gave chase, she frowned, murmuring “What’s going on? Doesn’t she realize that Discord’s on the loose?”

The chase went on for some time, as every moment that Luna would catch up to her sister, she would vanish around a corner and then reappear down the other end of a corridor, or inside of a nearby room. The chase was beginning to annoy Luna, but her irritation was beginning to be overtaken by something else.

Each time she had gotten close to her sister, she had noticed that something was off about her. Celestia's normally pristine and white coat seemed duller, and her flowing mane had changed, reverting back to the bright pink shade it had been in the days before she had used the Elements of Harmony against her sibling's darker self.

Something was wrong with Luna's sister, and she was going to find out what it was... if she could just catch her!

After what felt like an hour (but with the chaos present it could have been a week for all she knew), she finally cornered her sister in front of the doors to the throne room. Unless her sister felt like breaking a window, there was nowhere else to run.

“Celestia, what is going on? Why do you keep running from me? Can’t you see what’s happening?” She asked, keeping a short distance between herself and her sister. Celestia simply giggled as she dropped the crystal from her mouth and replied,

“Oh Lulu, I’m so glad you followed me! I’ve got something really fun I want to show you!”

“Fun? Sister, stop this nonsense at once! We must gather the Elements of Harmony and their bearers. Discord’s broken free and we-”

Celestia laughed and flashed Luna a very cheerful smile, but as Luna looked at her sisters eyes, any thought that her sister was ‘happy’ began to vanish. “You silly filly! We don’t need those silly necklaces or those... ponies... anymore. Just follow me in here and you’ll know that everything is going to be fine!”

Before Luna could say anything further, Celestia turned and pushed the doors to the throne room wide open, bouncing in with a wide smile. Luna however, could only look inside with shock.

If it had been crazy outside, and just plain weird inside, the throne room was now the very picture of chaos. Several pink rain clouds floated in the room, raining chocolate milk on the floor, which had changed from its polished marble to... well, too many things to name. At the center of it all, sitting in what had once been their throne, was none other than Discord himself. He turned an eye towards them when the doors opened, and a twisted smile lit up his face as he slithered over to the bouncing form of Celestia.

“Well done, Celly dear. I knew you’d be able to bring her to me. Here’s the lollipop I promised you for being such a good little princess.” He reached into the air and pulled out a bright yellow, sun-shaped lollipop.

Celestia clopped her hooves together with glee, taking the offered sweet with a smile and giving it a lick, her face becoming one of pure bliss. She walked over to the draconequus and gave him a hug as she replied, “Thank you daddy Discord, it’s delicious! Can Lulu come play with me once you two are done talking?”

Discord’s dark smile widened further, and he pet Celestia on the head. His gaze turned to Luna as he spoke. “Of course Celly! After all, you two can do whatever you want now. But first, I need to have that chat with your sister, so why don’t you run along now.”

Celestia nodded, and waved to Luna (whom, in her shocked state, simply waved back), before taking to the air, exiting the throne room via a hole that now sat in the ceiling. Luna stared at the spot where her sister had exited, her mind reeling as it tried to comprehend what had just happened.

“Confused, Lulu?” A voice rang out, and Luna turned to see Discord floating near one of the windows, his eyes roaming across the castle courtyard. One eye turned its attention to her, and she could feel the anger and rage rising up within her as he smirked at her. “I thought you might be. You really did pick the wrong time to take a nap my dear.”

Luna gritted her teeth, an urge to lash out at the spirit gnawing at her mind. The only thing keeping her from doing so was the memory of their last fight ages ago. She knew her magic wasn’t powerful enough to hurt the spirit, so she settled for interrogating him instead. “What did you do to my sister Discord? And how did you manage to escape the prison we put you in?”

“Hmm... where should I begin? Oh, I know! Let’s start with one year ago. Today, in fact. Well, technically tomorrow since I’ve reversed the positions of the sun and moon...” He replied, rambling for a moment before continuing.

“You see, dear Lulu...”

“Don’t call me that you monster. Only my sister can call me that.” Luna said, sending him a glare that would have killed if it could. Discord merely chuckled, and with a snap of his fingers, there was a brief flash above Luna's head. Looking up, she saw a floating nametag above her reading, ‘Hi, I’m Lulu’. Scowling, she used her magic to throw it in Discord’s general direction, but he simply skipped out of the way with a laugh.

“Guahahah! Oh, how I have missed you too Lulu. Your temper is still the same as ever I see.” He chuckled again, grabbing a stray cookie that had floated into the room. “Now, where was I? Oh yes. You see, one year ago when you returned to Equestria as Nightmare Moon, your precious Elements of Harmony gained new bearers. This in turn, broke the connection you and Celestia had possessed when you used them on me. With that out of the way, all I had to do was simply wait for some discord to come my way. And thanks to three little schoolfillies, I finally had all I needed to break out of that barbaric stone prison you two placed me in.”

That made sense to Luna, with what she knew of the Elements of Harmony. Despite her transformation into Nightmare Moon and having the Element's power used against her, the spell she and Celestia had used to bind Discord to stone had remained. But with new wielders, it would require a renewal of the spell to maintain the prison. Looking back, she wondered why her sister hadn’t instructed the new bearers to do so after she had been freed.

But there was no time for that now. She needed to know what he had done to her sister, and to the Elements themselves. “What about my sister Discord? Your magic isn’t supposed to be able to affect us directly, just as our own cannot affect you.”

“Ohahahoh, yes! My crowning achievement, I must say. Watching her will break was most enjoyable. But I think I’ll show you the answer, rather than bore you with more unnecessary drivel.”

With a snap of his fingers, the throne room around them vanished, and they were inside Celestia’s study. She saw her sister talking with Discord, watched as he showed her each of the corrupted bearers of the Elements, and watched as her sister began sending off all of the friendship reports her pupil Twilight had sent her. The scene shifted, and the two of them were standing in a small bedroom. A faded purple unicorn was writing something on a scroll, and when she finished, they followed her outside to find what had once been Ponyville, now twisted and changed by Discords magic. She watched as a small dragon burst the scroll into flames, sending it off towards Canterlot.

The scene shifted once more, returning them to Celestia’s study. “Now watch... as harmony dies...” Discord whispered to her. And watch she did, as she saw her sister’s heart break, her will to fight vanishing as she read the letter that appeared. Luna could feel her eyes tearing up as she felt the pain her sister was going through. She wanted to reach out to her, tell her there was still hope, still a way to beat him, but she knew that she couldn’t. Not in this vision Discord was showing her.

Even though she wished dearly to believe this was all a lie on the Draconequus' part, she knew it wasn’t, simply from having already witnessed his influence spread throughout Canterlot, and from what he had done to her sister.

The study faded, and they were back in the throne room, standing next to the windows. Luna watched through them as her sister played outside, jumping up and down on a pond of gelatin.

“So you see, Lulu, there is nothing you can do. The Elements of Harmony have been broken, your sister has been broken, and all that’s left is you, my dear. Resisting will only make the pain worse, you know.” Discord said, resting his talons on her back in a soothing manner. “Just forget about your duties, your responsibilities, and you and your sister can spend the rest of eternity doing whatever it is you want... just the two of you... without a care in the world. I know how much you miss those days, back before you two became princesses, and had to start following all those rules and regulations. They can be all yours again... if you just forget.”

“Forget...” She murmured, repeating it to herself. How easy it would be to just forget about Equestria, about responsibility. She wouldn’t have to worry about all the pain and damage Discord was causing. She could just go right out there and play with her sister, laughing and playing like the fillies they had been so many ages ago. After all, he was right, wasn’t he? She was alone now. There was no one who could help her defeat him. The elements were gone, her sister discorded, and Equestria descended into chaos. Hope was lost...

There is always hope, my dearest child.

Luna’s eyes widened as a soothing, warm presence slipped into her mind, banishing her doubts and fears, shedding light on Discord’s words. As it worked its way through her, filling her with a sense of purpose, she saw Celestia turn towards her, a silly grin plastered across her face as she waved at her. Luna waved back, but as she did so, she looked straight at her sister’s eyes. They were glazed, looking as if any hope or happiness had been sucked dry from them. But deep down, in a place where Discord’s magic could not reach, she could feel it. Her sister was counting on her, and all of Equestria was as well. It was a heavy burden, but she had already spent 1000 years with the burden of her sins. She could carry this one as well.

“You’re wrong Discord... there is something I can do. And I don’t care if it takes me till the end of time, I will find a way to beat you at your game.” She said, turning away and glaring at him, a smirk crossing her lips as she saw his look of surprise. But his surprise did not last long, as he smirked back, chuckling at her defiance.

“Well Lulu, if you wish to play it that way then by all means, go ahead and try. I assure you that you're only making this harder for yourself. If you wish to drag things out, it will only make the game more fun for me. But, if I may make one suggestion…” He laughed, pointing a talon at the window, “Perhaps you may wish to entertain your sister for a bit, before she starts thinking you don’t care about her. You wouldn’t want to break her anymore than she already is, after all! Guahahaha! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m late for a duck shower over Trottingham. It should be fun watching everypony run around like chickens with their heads cut off.”

He vanished, leaving Luna all by herself in the throne room. As much as she believed what she had told him, she did not look forward to the idea of spending the rest of eternity trying to stop him. But if that was what it took to bring her sister’s real smile back, and to save the land she called home, than she would spend that eternity doing so. So long as she held hope in her heart, Equestria would live on.

A slight tapping noise drew her thoughts back to reality, and she saw her sister tapping on the window. With a heavy sigh, Luna gave her sister a warm smile and nodded to her, spreading her wings out as she took off and made her way outside towards her sister. As she landed on the ground next to her, she cast a glance up at the sky and made a solemn vow to herself, to her sister, and all of Equestria.

I’ll play your game for now, Discord. But all games must come to a stop eventually. And someday, I’ll bring your reign of chaos to an end.

Troubling Thoughts

-*-The Choices We Make-*-

Chapter 2

“Wooona! Will you stop reading already? I’ve thought of another ten games we could play!”

Luna looked up from where she sat, in what was supposed to be the Royal Archives, but now looked like a cross between a dungeon and a pastry lover’s paradise. Books and scrolls of all sizes were littered around her, tossed aside as she found nothing useful with which to solve her current predicament. Celestia was nearby, sitting atop a giant cookie muffin with a bored look on her face.

“Celly, I’m still tired from all the playing we’ve already done. Three days of nothing but ‘fun fun fun’ is all I can take in one setting.” She said as she offered her disharmonized sister a soft smile before turning her eyes back to the current book she was reading, The Comprehensive Compendium of Ancient Magic and Rituals: by Starswirl the Bearded. “Tell you what, I’ll play with you some more once I finish this book, okay?”

She seemed to consider this, laying down and tapping a hoof to her chin in thought. “Welll….okay, but you have to promise that after that book, you’ll play lots more!”

Despite the smile that was on her sisters face, Luna could only offer a ghost of a smile in turn. “I promise, Celly.”

“Yay!” She shouted, doing a somersault in the air before spotting the bunnified form of Philomena hopping along the ceiling. With a sly smile on her face and a wink at Luna, Celly set off to chase after the poor animal, leaving a sullen Luna behind as she chucked the book at a nearby pile of gelatin.

“Nothing! Absolutely nothing! One thousand and sixty-five years and nearly thirty different wizards studying that monster, and yet there is nothing in here that I don’t already know!” She shouted out, venting her frustrations on the room around her as she blasted a few innocent baked goods into oblivion.

“U mad Wooona?”

A smug voice floated over to her, and she whirled, her face instantly a mask of fury as she glared at the cackling Draconequus. Her expression only made him cackle more, so she sighed and turned away, closing her eyes as she imagined a serene forest being bathed by her moon. “What do you want Discord?”

“Oh, I can’t just come and visit my favorite Pony in all of Discordia? And I thought we were such good friends…”

Luna cracked an eye open, glancing at him as he slithered around to gaze at her from a few inches away. She kept her expression passive, apathetic, despite how much his very closeness disgusted her, as she replied, “We are not, and never will be, friends.”

Discord frowned as he answered “Awww, that’s toooo bad, I was thinking of all the wonderfully chaotic things we could do together. Why do you walk away from the opportunity I offer to you?”

“Because unlike some, Discord, I am not an immature brat with complete disregard for the feelings of others,” She said, finally expressing her disgust as she sneered at him. “I take my responsibilities seriously, and my responsibility is to ensure the safety and freedom of the beings of Equestria.”

Discord seemed to pout for a moment, but then a twisted smirk sprawled across his face as he replied “Well, have it your way Wooona, but just remember, if you don’t find a way to best my game soon, it won’t matter what you do, because no one will remember their precious pasts, and I’ll win! Guahahahahah!”

He vanished in a flash, no doubt off to cause mayhem somewhere else, leaving Luna alone in the library with naught but her own thoughts, which she found to be decidedly depressing at the moment. She laid her head down, closing her eyes once again as she tried to banish the doubt that infested her mind. The fact that it was her own real doubt, and not some figment created by Discord, only troubled her more.

What can I do? Is there no other way to best him,? To free the land that I was beginning to think of as home again?

~There is…if you’re willing to pay the price~

A soft, chilling voice whispered to her, and Luna shot up into an attack stance as she searched the room around her for any threats. “Who’s there? If it’s you Discord, I’m in no mood for any more of your tricks or games.”

~Hmmm…no, I am not him, though I doubt you’ll be all that happy to know I’m still around either…even after all we went through…~

Luna’s eyes became pinpricks as she recognized the voice, and she shrunk back into the cushion she sat upon. “Y-You! How? How can you still be around?! The Elements of Harmony destroyed you!”

~Oh come now dear sweet Luna…you cannot be so naïve as to think that his magic would be so easily destroyed by such trinkets. He has been around for much longer than you or your pathetic sister~

Luna ground her teeth at this remark, wanting very much to strike that dark piece of her past. But there was nothing for her to strike against, even in her own mind. I can’t even rid myself of my darker past…how do I stand a chance of saving Equestria?

~With an attitude like that, it’s no wonder you’re not getting anywhere.~

Luna rolled her eyes, not in the mood to humor, or even deal with, the Nightmare. “What is it you want? I’ve got work ahead of me if I’m going to manage to pull the impossible off.”

~Why Luna, I would think you would know what I want. You forget that though I may seem different, I am very much a part, a piece of you. I am that which you desire deep down, and would do anything to get.

Originally, all you wanted was to be adored and accepted by your subjects. He gave you, me, the power to make that happen, even if our plans were thwarted twice. After our defeat at the hands of your sister’s friends, we gained that which we had sought. But now you desire something else, something far more important than being adored by those you rule.

You want to free them, to free dear Celly, from the grasp of that mad spirit who has usurped this nation. And if you want it…then I want it.~

Luna knew what the Nightmare was going to suggest, but she wanted no part of it; she had already given in to the darkness once, and paid dearly for her mistake. She would not do so again, not even to save Equestria from Discord’s insanity.

“No…I may want to save our kingdom, but I will not submit to the dark, not again. The price is not worth it, especially if it means I lose my sister again.”

~Funny, I thought she was already lost.~

Luna ignored this barb, even if it did strike true. Even though Celly was still with her, it was a Celly who was disharmonious with herself, and it stung every time the small filly asked her to run off and play some game or other. While she couldn’t bring herself to make her sister upset, she couldn’t let her remain as she was.

“I’m afraid you should consign yourself to being ignored, Nightmare. I’ll find a way to save Equestria and stop Discord on my own.”

~I suppose you don’t want to hear my suggestion then, even if it could do the job? Even if it wouldn’t cost you a thing?~

“Nothing you have to suggest could possibly be enough to-”

~Memory Spell~

Luna stopped, caught off guard by the blunt response from her dark counterpart. As much as she wanted to ignore what the Nightmare said, her own curiosity got the better of her as she asked, “What are you talking about?”

~A Memory Spell. You saw what Discord did to each of them, particularly Twilight. He’s making them focus on their doubts, their insecurities. If you could make them remember what it was that brought them together…~

“…then their friendship could be restored!” Luna exclaimed, making the connection and feeling a renewed sense of hope surge through her. But this hope was quickly tempered as she considered what exactly they faced…and more importantly…

“Why are you telling me this?”

~I told you, I desire whatever it is that you want in the deepest depths of your heart. And deep down, you want to save your sister, your subjects, and your kingdom.~

There was a brief pause from the Nightmare, and Luna could tell that it was holding something back. Not wanting her darker half to keep anything hidden from her, she prodded, “Well?”

She could almost picture the Nightmare rolling its eyes and sighing as it added,

~Besides, Discord’s a prick, and beating him at his own game will amuse me for at least the next century. Wiping that smug smirk off his face will more than make up for our failures against the Elements.~

Luna sighed at what the Nightmare said, wondering if she meant it when she said she desired that which Luna wanted most. Was the Nightmare being honest, or was it simply trying to find some way to manipulate her into slipping back into darkness?

It doesn’t matter now…I have a lead, and I can’t afford to sit idly. Celly is counting on me.

“LUULUU!!! I want to go racing!”

Luna groaned as she heard her sister calling out to her from a nearby window. She wondered if she had been this much of a pain for Celly when they were both younger. She made a note to herself to ask Celly after all this was over.

“Celly, could you please come here? I need to talk with you.”

She could almost see Celly pouting as she let out a loud whine of “Can’t it wait till later?”

“Sorry Celly, but this is very important, so I’m afraid it can’t wait.” Luna replied, taking a deep breath and steeling herself for her sister’s reaction to what she was going to say. The soft sound of flapping wings told her that Celly was coming over, and a beat later she felt Celly softly nuzzling her side.

“Well, here I am Lulu. If you really want to talk, I’m all ears!” Celly said, peering up at Luna with her soft eyes, and Luna felt pangs of guilt and doubt rush through her mind as she thought about what she was going to say. But her resolve returned as she reminded herself of her responsibility.

Still, this didn’t mean she felt any better about what she was about to do. Gently, Luna pulled Celly into a tight hug, eliciting a few giggles from Celly as her mane tickled her face. She kept Celly close to her as she slowly whispered “Listen Celly…I know you want to just fly around and play, without a care in the world. I wish I could join in on all the fun you’re having…”

Here Luna paused, and pulled Celly away, making sure that she was looking directly at her as she spoke her next words. “But there is something very important I have to do. And for me to do it, I have to leave for a little bit. Do you understand?”

Celly looked away for a moment, and Luna felt her guilt return with a vengeance as she waited for her sisters response. Celly finally looked back up at her and asked “But Lulu, I thought I was the most important thing in the whooole world to you. What could be more important than having fun with me?”

Luna sighed, a sinking feeling in her gut telling her what direction this conversation might take. She leaned down, nuzzling her sisters face as she replied, “You are the most important thing to me, Celly…even more important to me than Equestria. Which is why I have to leave…I have to make everything right again, Celly. I can’t just let him affect you like this…it’s not who you are.”

For a flicker of a second, it seemed as though Luna’s words were getting through to Celly. But then it faded as Celly began to tear up, her head shaking back and forth violently as she said “No! You can’t go Lulu! You’ll end up leaving, just like, like…”

Luna brought Celly in close for another hug, cradling her sister as she began to let the tears flow. “Celly, I promise you, I won’t abandon you. I won’t leave you like Twilight did. I’ll come back…and when I do, everything will be back to the way it should be.” She set Celly back on the ground, and gazed deep into her eyes as she felt tears falling down her own face. “Always remember Celly, that I love you... no matter what.”

With that, Luna gave Celestia a soft peck on the cheek before standing and spreading her wings. With one giant flap, she pushed off and flew out into the now tangerine colored skies, her gaze steering her towards the home of her sister’s former pupil. With each beat of her wings, every second that passed, she fought the urge to look back, for she knew that if she did she would break.

I have to do this, Celly. For you, for your pupil, for everyone. Just hold tight. I will come back.

-*-

Celly watched as Lulu took off, her form quickly shrinking as the distance between them grew greater and greater. Tears were still falling from her face, though their flow had lessened. She had felt so much hope flowing from Lulu, so much love for herself and everypony else in Equestria, that she felt like she really could believe Lulu.

Maybe…maybe there is h-

“Tsk tsk, and here I thought Woona cared about you.”

She twisted her head and watched as Discord sauntered over, a smug smirk plastered across his face. She tried to give him a steely glare, but it wasn’t much in her current state and it quickly faltered as he laughed at her.

“Oh come now Celly, surely you don’t think she actually left so she could save the day do you? After all, we both know how that went with wittle Twiley! Guahah!”

The spark of hope inside Celly flickered at his reminder of what had happened. She desperately tried not to remember the feelings that had welled up inside her when she had received that letter. Despair, a sense of betrayal, the realization that her student had given up hope…

She tried to keep it alight, declaring shakily “Lulu w-wouldn’t have left if she d-didn’t think there was something s-she could do.”

Discord laughed so hard that his mouth fell off, forcing him to pick it back up and pop it back into place before resuming. “My my my, that was so funny dear Celly. I almost thought you were serious for a moment.” His smile turned sinister as he began to slither his way towards her, his voice stabbing deep inside of her as he spoke.

“She’s gone through the entire library trying to think of a way to best me, my dear sweet Celly, and she’s spent countless hours doing nothing but staring at the pages of her little books brooding. If you and your precious pupil can’t even best my game, what makes you think she can? Hmm?”

She didn’t want to think about that, but he had a point. Even her own powers were no match against Discord. What could Luna possibly do on her own? Nothing. She couldn’t do anything on her own, and with the bearers of the Elements split there was no power that could stop Discord’s reign.

“B-but then why did she leave? Lulu w-wouldn’t just leave me…would she?” She asked, looking up at Discord in desperation as he coiled himself around her.

The spirit of Chaos looked pensive, stroking his beard in thought for a moment before he shrugged and said “I guess she just doesn’t love you anymore.”

Her eyes widened in horror at this idea, and tears began to form as she thought about this. In the depths of her mind, something tried to whisper to her, to reach her, but Discord’s proximity, coupled with her own inner turmoil, left it unheard.

“L-lulu still loves me! She said so!”

“Pah, think about it dear sweet Celly. If she loved you, wouldn’t she accept you as you are now? Wouldn’t she embrace me as you’ve done, so we could all be one big happy family together? The two of you could do whatever you want for all eternity, never needing to be responsible for anything ever again! But what does she do?” He asked, peering into the princess’s eyes, forcing her head to start spinning as she became locked in his gaze.

“She fights it. She spends time -- time she could be spending with you -- reading dusty old books and scrolls. After all, that’s all Twilight ever did, and it didn’t help her.” Discord paused a moment, letting that insidious thought worm its way into her head before continuing. “She puts on a smile for you, but we both know it’s not real, she’s not really having fun. Her heart’s not in any of it, and why do you think that is?”

She tried to gather her thoughts, to come up with a response that wasn’t in agreement with what Discord was telling her, but her mind was jumbled up and confused, a heavy fog quickly descending upon it, and before she knew it her eyes were glassing over as she slowly nodded her head.

“Y-you’re right…Lulu doesn’t love me anymore…” She whispered, unable to notice the victorious smirk that Discord wore as he stroked her mane.

“There there, you’ve still got good ol’ daddy Discord to have fun with! I’ll always have time to play with you my precious little Princess.”

Celly smiled up at him, embracing him in a tight hug as she shouted out in a sing-song voice “King Discord and Princess Celly, together forever!”

Discord laughed as he swiped the filly up and placed her on his back. “As it always shall be.” he said. “Now let’s go pay Cloudsdale a visit, I think it’s time for a little snack.”

Celly let out a giggle of joy as Discord flew through the air, oblivious to the manic grin that covered his face. Soon enough Luna…soon enough you’ll break. And I shall savor every last moment of it. Hah! Guahahahaha!! Buahahahaahahaah!!!

Author's Note

thanks to the user Somebody for helping out with this chapter, here's hoping I got all the corrections you threw in there. Only 3 more chapters to go before this story is over folks, and who knows what will happen at the end. Oh wait, I do! GUAHAHAHAA