A week. She had been told it was a week since her sister's fall to Nightmare Moon. As she sat in the partially built Canterlot Castle, sounds of distant construction could be heard, but Celestia ignored it in favour of simply looking out her large bedroom window. Feeling lost. Hopeless. Ashamed. Guilty. Angry.

It didn't feel like a week, it felt like a day. Maybe hours since the event. She lost track of time now. She barely knew when to raise and lower the sun anymore. She went through official duties as if she was a zombie. She barely spoke a word in days. Simply agreeing and disagreeing without providing more when it was necessary.

She didn't remember how she even got to Canterlot. She knew the construction deadline was increased because of the recent events, causing her previous home to be uninhabitable. Celestia thought about moving from her sitting position as she watched pegasi drag materials through the sky to the unicorns and earth ponies below. She wanted nothing more than to look away from the bright burning star in the sky that her sister had grown to hate so much.

Her mind drifted to memories, she usually wasn't the type of pony to reflect. Choosing to focus on events that hadn't happened yet to the mistakes she made in the past. Whenever she did find herself reflecting her mood dropped considerably, but at the moment she was at her lowest point. She didn't have the willpower to drag her mind to think of a future without Luna, so she reflected.

Before Equestria was formed, there were three tribes. Unicorns, Earth ponies, and pegasi. Celestia and Luna were a part of the Unicorn tribe, they were on the lower side of the Unicorn society, their parents were noble researchers that wrote their studies into a series of books before selling them to any unicorn who asked for magical help. It wasn't a good-paying job, recently their clients had moved to depend on a new scholar who was becoming quite popular named Starswirl.

Her parents often complained about the unicorn named Starswirl, hating him with a passion as it became harder for them to earn money with the clients leaving each and every day. Celestia, who was 17 at the time, a unicorn with a pink mane and white fur with no cutie mark, was keeping silent on how much she disagreed with her parent's views. But she wasn't about to tell anypony that. Luna was a unicorn like Celestia, she was 15, her mane was blue with navy blue fur and, like Celestia, had no cutie mark. Making both of the sisters a bit of outcasts in the town of Unicornia.

Celestia started her day as she did any other day. She rose, looking out the window to the barren town. Still covered in snow from the latest storm that hit the day earlier. She sighed and dragged herself out of bed, brushing through her mane quickly before grabbing her bag full of books relating to magical studies and wrapping a thick scarf around her neck for a little warmth. She would stumble down the stairs, enter the kitchen to shove a piece of magically cooked toast into her mouth before saying farewell to her parents for the day and rushing out, all before Luna even woke up five minutes later.

She wasn't as distressed at other unicorn mare and stallions choosing to avoid her because of her lack of cutiemark, because of her family's falling status within the town. It gave her all the more time to be alone, to not be noticed enough to sneak past the front gates that were always protected by the Royal Unicorn guard and wander into the forest surrounding the town.

Unicorns of the town were usually forbidden to venture outside the town, all except Starswirl, Princess Platinum, King Bullion and Clover the Clever, who was Starswirl's apprentice and royal advisor to Princess Platinum. The only reason they venture out just before dawn and marched right back into the forest at sunset was to use their unicorn powers to raise and lower the sun and moon. Which only unicorns of great power could accomplish at a platform in the middle of the forest, decorate in olden pony symbols depicting beings called Alicorns. A myth. A tale of old times.

Celestia was farther along in her own studies of magic than she wanted her parents to know. Her parents were good at unicorn magic but recently, as much as they would deny it, had hit a point where they simply could not do better. They were easily jealous of any pony who was better at magic than them, which consisted of the royal family, Starswirl, and she was sure of some other unicorns who she hadn't met in the town yet. Her parents hadn't made any notable achievement in years and it was weighing on them greatly. Celestia hadn't yet reached that point, she surpassed her parents in complex spells but wished to be pushed to her limit. To be as good as Starswirl.

Celestia maneuvered into the forest, knowing the trail she was taking by heart. She had done it a hundred times before, she would continue to do so for a hundred more times as long as she could. She finally reached a clearing in the forest, she shivered slightly at the cold harsh wind blow briefly through the forest before she analyzed her surroundings.

She was deep into the forest, the perfect clearing and hiding place to practice without any pony finding out unless they were actively searching for her. Complete with a good covering of trees for when it snows and a cave nearby for another extra area to hid-

Celestia took a hesitant step further into the clearing as her eyes fell to the small cave she could see in the tree line. She hadn't really truly investigated the cave before, that was more of Luna's area. She was always looking for new ways to find adventure, which made Celestia consider more than once inviting her into Celestia's secret life outside of town since Luna always complained of the town being boring. Celestia squinted her eyes as she swore she saw some...thing move inside the cave. A rabbit perhaps? The shadow seemed too big. A bear? All the larger animals had left Unicornia since the neverending Winter started four years ago in favour of warmer areas.

She took a few more careful steps towards the cave, waiting for a sign she was just seeing things. There, again, she swore she saw a large shadow inside. Celestia paused, hesitant to admit to herself she was a bit scared to move forward as her heartbeat loudly in her chest. She sucked in a deep breath when she moved into the tree line, soon finding herself in front of the cave. Hearing a faint rustling inside.

She took a step inside, her adrenaline was pumping hard. Her hoof step echoed off the cave walls. She ignited her horn, allowing soft golden magic to light up around her. Allowing her to see a stone cave room with sharp large rocks coming from both the ceiling and floor.

"H-Hello?"

No answer. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a movement of an animal, she snapped her head in the direction of the source when she heard a loud snap. In a moment she found herself being tackled to the ground. She screamed in shock when she slammed into the ground, opening her eyes as she lay on her back to see a...

Well, she didn't quite understand what she was seeing. Her overwhelming fear certainly wasn't helping her in processing what was happening either.

She was looking at a long creature, who had sharp fangs and seemed to be made up of different animals. The creature was snarling at her as it held her down with an eagle claw on her throat. She didn't know whether to scream or ask a million questions.

"W-Wh-Wha..." Celestia managed to sputter out in pure fear and confusion.

"Who are you!?" The creature demanded with a young male voice. So she assumed he was a male. He seemed angry. Mostly motivated by fear and paranoia. He was just as scared of her as she was of him. "Answer me!"

"Ce-Celestia." Celestia stammered out. Finding it harder to speak due to the pressure on her throat. "C-Can you loosen your grip? It hurts."

The creature looked remorseful for a moment when he did realize how hard he was gripping her throat. He let go but didn't move from his position.

"Are you here to hurt me?" He demanded. Celestia shook her head with some confusion.

"No. I don't know who...or what you are. What's your name?" Celestia asked, slowly being able to calm herself. The creature stayed silent for a moment, watching her eyes as if they would reveal some hidden motive. He seemed unsure when he pulled back, allowing her room to sit up, which is what Celestia exactly did.

"Discord." He snapped, watching her closely. "You are a unicorn...Why aren't you attacking me?"

"Attacking? Why would I-"

"That is what the others did. The ones in those weird...metal...outfits."

"The town guards?" Celestia asked in clarification. Discord scrunched up his nose as if the word offended him.

"Is that what they are? Well, they were jerks. All of them. Same with the Earth ponies and pegasi."

"I can't say you are wrong about the other two." Celestia gave him a small smile. "The Earth ponies and pegasi are mean to us unicorns as well."

"Glad to know there is at least one unicorn who isn't completely awful." Discord gave a small smile back. "Why are you here?"

"Practicing magic," Celestia replied, gesturing to the books that were scattered on the floor when she was tackled. "But I saw movement in here when I went into the clearing." They were silent for a tense moment as Celestia kept her magic alit to see how strange her new acquaintance was. "Why are you out here? Did the town not let you in?"

"Father kicked me out." He mumbled. "I was too dangerous. No...No pony wants to help me. All I am to them is a...monster."

"Well, that is rude!" Celestia said. "What type of Father would throw their son out for...Well..." it occurred to Celestia she didn't even understand why. Was it because of how he looked? That might have been part of it but it didn't seem like enough reason to kick your own son for his home. Besides, what type of pony could have a son like...well...that? Was Discord adopted?

Discord blushed and looked away in embarrassment to the ground.

"It doesn't matter now I suppose. What is done is done." Discord replied. Celestia bit her lip as she looked back outside to the winter.

"Aren't you hungry? Aren't you cold?"

"I am a being of chaos magic, I am never hungry or cold." Discord snapped back. Celestia raised an eyebrow, clearly believing him to be slightly delusional.

"Oh really?" Celestia said sarcastically with amusement. Discord looked disappointed at her lack of excitement when he announced he had chaos magic. "If you have this...Chaos magic, which is a myth, as I am sure you know."

Discord flinched, which went unnoticed by Celestia at the time.

"Then, by all means, do something chaotic."

Discord smiled and snapped his lion paw. In a flash of light, the cave had pink polka dots all over it. Celestia yelped in alarm and stumbled at the sudden patterns on the wall. Discord snapped his paw again for the floor to be made of soap. Causing Celestia to slip.

"OK! OK!" Celestia exclaimed as she struggled to get up. "I get it! You win!"

Discord cackled as he snapped his paw once more, to make everything go back to normal. Celestia groaned as she pushed herself up from the ground, still trying to process what happened.

"Are you ok?"

Discord floated over to her, quickly helping her up to four hooves again with a concerned expression. Celestia gave him a smile to reassure him everything was fine.

"Yeah, I am alright. That is some...strange magic." Celestia admitted. Her eyes brightened up at the hope she could learn something new about the magical field. "Could you show me more?"

-End of Chapter Five-

Author's Note

I finally finished the cover last night, I think it is ok! I might have to redraw it before I end the story though. Here is the link to it for a closer look.

https://www.deviantart.com/unknownfilters/art/A-State-of-Mind-Cover-908433262