Discord laughed. He couldn’t help himself. The part of Canterlot castle in which he floated was quiet, contrary to the rest of the bustling building. Or maybe it had something to do with the sound-repelling wards that were set up in Twilight’s chambers.
He smirked, before snapping his fingers. A jar appeared in the middle of the room. It clattered to the ground, but didn’t break. Discord surveyed the room, looking for the perfect place for his ambush. Velvet curtains that blocked out sunlight, neatly made bed in the centre of the room, tree chandelier that hung from the ceiling, bookshelf, no, a lot of bookshelves.
The lord of chaos snorted. Typical. The room was so boring, Twilight could at least add something interesting and eye-catching! Speaking of eye-catching…
Discord spotted a desk at the far end of the room. He grinned wickedly before flying over. The desk was neat and organized (no surprise there) with multiple drawers at the sides. He smirked once more. Twilight would be furious with him, but then again, that was the point!
He teleported the jar next to him. Discord opened the highest drawer before unscrewing the jar’s lid. He slowly began to tip it’s contents into the drawer…
“Ahem”
Discord cried out in surprise and dropped the jar. He whirled around to see the ruler of Equestria watching him with raised eyebrows.
“T-twilight! You're… uh…”
“What are you doing?”
Discord grinned weakly. “Well…”
“Please don’t tell me what I think’s in that jar,' Twilight groaned, half pleading, half annoyed. Discord grinned again, for what must have been the tenth time.
“Dear Twilight, you have nothing to fear! Well, unless you fear little red bugs with black spots…”
“I am not afraid of ladybugs!”
“Then why are you flinching?”
Twilight blushed furiously, causing Discord to chuckle. Aha, he still had it.
“Imagine that, Twilight Sparkle, Ruler of Equestria, Princess of Friendship, afraid of Ladybugs! Ironic!”
“Shut up, Discord.”
She didn’t say the words scathingly. She sounded exasperated.
“Tell me Discord, is there a reason you’re here?” Twilight walked past Discord briskly, mane flowing backward in the non existent breeze. She levitated a bunch of papers and placed them neatly on the desk. At the same time she grabbed a hold of a book with her magic.
“Is there a reason I shouldn’t be here?”
The alicorn raised her eyebrow.
Discord coughed. “Fine. I was bored. And in the mood for a bit of drama.”
“My apologies, you won't find any here.”
The lord of chaos huffed. He watched as Twilight took a seat on the woven carpet, just under the tree chandelier. She seemed to ignore Discord as she teleported the book and stack of papers in front of her. Discord tapped his one hoof impatiently. He was bored. Life had been so slow lately.
He strolled out onto the balcony that overlooked Canterlot. It was peaceful, ponies frolicking in the streets, the idle chatter that floated through the air. He scanned the streets. A group of young creatures were playing a game not far away. They were giggling and laughing, tossing a ball to each other. He felt a small smile form as he watched them. There was something satisfying about how they looked so happy and carefree.
There was a loud sigh from behind him. Discord turned to see Twilight rubbing her temple and frowning.
“Something wrong?”
The alicorn shook her head. “Not necessarily.”
“Then why the sigh?”
Twilight glared at him. “Are you going to stop?”
“Hmm… no.”
She bowed her head and groaned. “It’s just documents. Petitions and stuff.”
Discord cocked his head to the side like a confused bunny. “That sounds... interesting,” he said in a half-hearted attempt to appear interested.
“It’s not, and you know it,” Twilight said as she scanned the paper in front of her. Her eyes widened momentarily when she came to a specific point on the paper. Discord could sense the sudden tension in the air.
“What is it?” he questioned. Twilight shook her head and grabbed another scroll before scribbling down a few sentences onto it.
“Civil unrest, mostly in Fillydelphia. It doesn’t appear to be too bad, but could cause damage if left unchecked.” She stopped writing and covered the scroll with her magic aura. A flame engulfed the scroll before it disappeared completely.
“Civil unrest? Huh, I didn't think that was even possible. Y’ know, what with Twilight Sparkle being the ruler.” Discord smirked but stopped when he saw the pointed glare Twilight was casting his way. “Oops, got carried away, sorry!”
“I’m not perfect Discord,” Twilight sighed as she teleported the next paper in front of her. “And quite frankly, I’m starting to wonder if this is just the beginning.”
“Beginning of what now?” Discord asked in a somewhat confused tone. He looked at Twilight, who was still reading over the document, though looking apprehensive while doing it.
Discord frowned when Twilight didn’t immediately respond. He looked at her pointedly. “Twilight?” He tried again. “Beginning of what?”
Twilight eventually looked up. Her eyes met Discord’s and she said, “Was it all for nothing?”
Silence.
“W-what?” Discord spluttered. “What do you mean ‘Was it all for nothing’? How can it be all for nothing? After everything you still have the nerve to say that it was all for nothing?!”
He stopped and looked at Twilight, who was watching him unperturbed. “Are you done?” she asked placidly, not showing a smidge of emotion.
Discord huffed. “What type of question was that?” he asked incredulously. “You and the others have done so much, and you think it’s for nothing?”
Twilight opened her mouth to speak but Discord cut her off. “Want me to remind you? Nightmare Moon, Pony of shadows, Legion of doom, return of the Sirens, Grogar and the Empire of Tambelon-”
“Yes, yes, I get it!” Twilight interrupted. “We did a lot together and prevailed.” She stood up and walked towards the balcony. Discord followed her, and soon both draconequus and alicorn were standing on the ledge that overlooked Canterlot.
“The thing is,” Twilight started as she gazed down at the city. “My friends and I won’t always be able to help Equestria. A pony’s lifespan is limited, you know that Discord.”
Discord only nodded solemnly. It still scared him, knowing that one day Fluttershy would leave him.
“But you-” he said, only for Twilight to speak over him.
“I’m an alicorn. So yes, I will still likely continue to live for a lot longer than everybody else.” Discord heard her voice break, but Twilight continued to talk. “But I won’t live forever. Centuries, millenia even, but not forever.”
Forever. Discord pondered the word. He rolled through his mind in an attempt to make something out of it. He knew that all things ended; his once glorious reign of chaos being one of them. But the thought that the now peaceful, harmony-filled Equestria would end…
“Discord?”
“Hmm,” he answered. .
Twilight cocked her head to the side. “You were quiet… It was, well, strange. Unlike you…” She trailed off before casting a slightly sympathetic smile his way. “Don’t know what to say?”
Discord coughed. “Me? Don’t know what to say? Pfff, that's… uh… absurd!” he scoffed. But when he saw Twilight's disbelieving expression he changed his tone. “I’ll admit, it’s... uh… weird to think that harmony won't last.”
“Exactly!” Twilight cried. She sighed and rested her head on the balcony ledge. “Now matter what I do now there's no guarantee that anything will last! A thousand years from now, things might be completely different! The different species might be separated for all we know!”
“Uh…” Discord tried not to look guilty as he remembered tearing a hole in the space-time continuum a few days ago. In his defence, it was too interesting to not stay and watch the orange earth pony go try and change ponies views.
“Discord?”
“Yeah, um, about that,” he started, a sheepish look on his face.
“What?”
“You may be… slightly….right?”
The silence that engulfed the room sent a shiver up his spine. Discord grimaced and remained silent, waiting for Twilight to respond. The alicorn was standing stock-still, Discord’s comment still registering in her mind.
“Uh, Twi-”
“Explain.” It wasn’t a request, it was a command. The draconequus flinched at the cold tone she used. He bit down on his bottom lip while averting his eyes.
“I’d rather not-”
“I. Said. Explain.”
Oh boy. That was her ‘do what I say or else’ voice. Discord had only ever seen it used on the nobles that bothered her with pathetic demands. Despite knowing Twilight wouldn’t do anything harmful to her friends, he wasn’t enthusiastic about being at the receiving end of her wrath.
Justified or otherwise.
“If you insist,” he muttered. “A couple of days ago, I was bored.”
“You always appear to be bored.”
Discord glared at her. “Do you want me to continue or not?” When Twilight remained silent he continued. “And I thought: you know what, I’m the lord of chaos. I shouldn’t have to be bored! So I may have decided to open a portal to the future ....”
“YOU WHAT?”
Discord winced. “It was harmless, I swear!” he protested, shaking his claw and hand in front of him. “I was there 10 minutes tops!” Twilight didn’t answer but continued to glare at him. “Nopony saw me!” he cried. “I didn’t cause havoc if that’s what you’re worried about!”
Twilight exhaled. “Alright,” she said. “Continue.”
Discord nodded. “Well, as I was walking through the streets of this town, Maretime Bay I think it’s called, I saw a young mare. Did you know you and your friends were a merchandising scheme?”
“I… what?” Twilight asked, looking utterly baffled.
“A merchandising scheme,” Discord emphasized. “You won’t believe it, she had these adorable little badges that had you and the girls cutie marks on it! And a saddle bag with your cutie mark-”
“Alright! I get it. Move on, please.”
“Fine. So, as you have probably picked up, you and the girls appear to be remembered as 'legends' from long ago.”
Twilight nodded. “I’m not really surprised. We have done a lot. It’s natural that ponies document our achievements.” The alicorn looked at Discord with an odd expression. “But… that doesn’t seem necessarily bad.”
Discord cringed. Here we go. “Well you see… the town, Maretime Bay, only contained… earth-ponies…”
Silence engulfed the room. Twilight opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. Discord saw the gears in her head turning, trying to make sense of the new information. Eventually she asked, “And… you’re sure it wasn't just a once off thing?”
“I saw a unicorn enter the town. The citizens looked extremely displeased and skittish.”
“Oh.”
The previous statement ‘and the magic disappeared too’ died on Discords tongue as he watched Twilight.
“I… I can’t believe this!” she cried, lifting her hoof before slamming it back into the ground. “We banished the windigos, ensured peace between the tribes, locked a villainous trio in stone and -” Twilight rambled, “- all of it was for nought! Why don’t we just go back and undo everything, seeing as none of it even matters!”
She gave a high pitched laugh. Discord knew all too well what that laugh meant.
“Uh, Twilight-”
“I mean, what was the point? Unless we manage to time travel, which is bad, I’ll admit, what do we do? Come to think of it, why not time travel? Sure, it might have terrible consequences, but at least-”
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”
Discord glared at Twilight. The latter stopped talking instantly. Realization flickered in her eyes and she bowed her head.
“Guess I got carried away,” she murmured dejectedly.
Discord nodded. “Just a little.”
Twilight sighed again. She looked dejectedly at the city sprawled beneath her. “I know I’m being too paranoid. But I can’t help it!”
“On the brightside,” Discord piped up, “You’ve gotten much better at handling the twilighting!”
Twilight didn’t respond. Instead, she chose to look out into the distance, leaving Discord alone with his thoughts.
A world with no harmony and no friendship.
Even if he didn’t want to admit it, the prospect scared him. Twilight got worried easily, but that didn’t mean that what she worried about was insignificant.
Discord looked backwards into the room connected to the balcony. He eyed the tree chandelier that hung from the ceiling with interest. When Twilight first moved from Ponyville from Canterlot, she had suffered terrible homesickness. So, at the first council of friendship meeting, Twilight’s friends had secretly transported the tree chandelier into her chambers.
Discord caught sight at the hundreds of crystals that hung from the tree's roots. They sparkled and glistened in the light, the wind moving them backwards and forwards. He looked at the pictures depicting the group of friends. In one they were hugging in front of the library, another posing for a post-coronation picture. In each one the figures' faces were lit up with unexplainable joy. The last one that caught his eyes was of a bunch of creatures sitting outside a school.
The draconequus sighed before speaking, “I don’t think harmony will truly ever be gone.”
“You were the one who told me all of this in the first place!” Twilight sounded mildly agitated, and Discord didn’t blame her.
The draconequus held up a claw. “Hear me out. Let's follow the notion ‘nothing is forever’. This includes harmony. And friendship. Love. Anything and everything.”
Twilight frowned but nodded. “Um, okay?”
“So… what do you think happens when all this -” He waved his claw through the air “-is over? A time of disharmony will follow, no?”
The princess exhaled. “I suppose,” she mused. She moved her hoof against the polished marble floor. “I guess history really does repeat.”
“Exactly!” Discord responded with a toothy grin. Twilight glanced at him, confusion etched upon her features. “So, my dear Twilight, if nothing is forever, that means that the time of disharmony won’t last forever either! Think about it, after your reign, if darkness does engulf the world, it won’t be permanent.
Twilight looked at the floor. She sighed heavily. “Fair enough. But following the notion ‘nothing lasts forever’ that means that even the harmony that comes after the disharmony won’t last. It’ll just be like a cycle, no beginning and no end.”
Discord shrugged. “That’s just life. You never really know what's gonna happen till it does. Then you look back, and mentally kick yourself for letting things go wrong.”
Twilight couldn’t help but let a small smile form after that statement. She sighed and rested her head on the balcony railing. “I know,” she murmured. “And I know that I need to let life take its course…”
“But?” Discord prompted.
“It just feels like nothing we did made a difference.”
“Maybe it didn’t matter centuries down the line. But you made a difference now. Here. Perhaps you need to start focusing on what you have done, rather than what you didn’t do. “
Discord gestured to the city of Canterlot. “Look around Twilight. Look around, and tell me that what you see doesn’t make you happy.”
Twilight scanned the ground. Discord continued, “You and the girls… well NOT ONLY you and the girls, others helped as well, made this place the way it is. A land of friendship.”
The princess smiled softly. “We did, didn’t we?”
The sun began to set over Canterlot, stretching it’s beams outward. The sky dimmed, and down in the City, dozens of Street Lights flickered on. The princess and her companion gazed out at the city, sharing a moment of unspoken gratitude.
“Discord?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Discord chuckled. “You’re most welcome, Your Highness,” he said, only slightly teasing.
Twilight allowed herself a brief smile before her shadow crossed her features. She bit down on her lip, then sighed. A magenta aura engulfed her horn. There was a pop, signalling the use of a teleportation spell. A book with a cover that indicated it was well cared for, dropped onto the floor.
Discord raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?” Twilight chose to answer by levitating it closer so that Discord could read the cover. He squinted as he looked at it. “Guardians of Harmony,” he read. Then smirked. “You wrote an autobiography.”
Twilight rolled her eyes playfully. “No.Think of it as… a reference guide!”
“Sure.” He picked the book up and flipped through it. “What exactly are you going to do with this?”
“Nothing for now,” Twilight replied. She took the book from Discord and ran her hoof down the spine. “I just felt like it needed to be done, that’s all. It’s got documentations, news reports, lessons from the friendship journal-”
“Because that worked so well last time.”
“Oh, shut up!”
The two friends glared at each other before beginning to laugh. “Well, I should better get back to signing those documents,” Twilight huffed.
“Indeed. Farewell, Princess,” Discord responded, slipping into a mock-bow.
“You know,” Twilight started, “you should really join us for the friendship council meeting this week.”
“I would, but it’s boring!”
“Seriously?”
“Tearing holes through space and time is more interesting.”
“I… please tell me you’re joking?”
“I’m known for chaos, not jokes, Twilight.”
A single flash of light lit up the room, and he was gone.
Twilight stood still for a moment. The shadow of a smile crossed her heatures as she walked back into her room, taking the book with her. She placed it on a nearby shelf,a nostalgic look on her face, then walked out of the room.
Nopony saw the book light up with the colors of the rainbow, before they faded, leaving the book in its resting place, undisturbed.
