Life can be very dull when you’re trapped in stone. You’ll find there’s nothing to really do but think about the past, and what might be happening around you in the present. You could think about the future, but unless you know what you should be expecting, it really is a pointless concept.
Discord, for one, had lived for quite some time in a stone imprisonment. He’d learned how to manipulate the darkness that constantly surrounded him; this served at least to entertain him, but he lacked some form of companionship. He had no need for friends, but someone to chat to about what was happening in Equestria, the land he should have ruled in chaos. Just that hardly extensive bit of knowledge would have been perfect over time, maybe even provide him with the knowledge of how to escape his stone imprisonment and return to Equestria to retake his chaotic throne. Alas, no one ever talked to him.
No one could physically or mentally break the wall that severed his mind and body from the rest of the land. He could consider possibilities of what might be happening, but he was unsure about what he may find if he attempted to return to Equestria; thus, he remained in his imprisonment.
He sometimes considered testing his bonds to see how much power the Princesses still maintained over him, but he didn’t want to risk them becoming aware that he still had motives to rule the land. He considered that if he were to wait long enough, they would drop their concentration on him at some point; then, and only then, would he would break free and challenge them and challenge the Elements of Harmony a second time. And he was patient; he could thousands of years until the most opportune time presented itself; he was immortal and had all the time in the world.
Being imprisoned like this had its perks, though. He didn't have to put up with his mortal restraints, but either way his body never aged, nor did he wither. No matter how long the princesses could keep him locked away, he'd come back just as strong, and although he was frozen into the shape of a singing bird, his look and legend still struck fear into the hearts of those who walked past his figure in the Canterlot royal gardens. While age did not matter, being just as immortal in spirit as the Alicorn Princesses, it was rather offensive that they would use him as a tourist attraction, and it often made him feel about as useless as a tacky garden gnome. Every time somepony young or old shivered or grew tense of his presence, though, he felt a surge of warmth and power- even more so when he could sense a lack of harmony nearby.
It wasn’t even a special night, however, when everything changed. Discord only continued to ponder, before he felt a massive disturbance in the nothingness of a world he stood in. It was as if a wave had rippled through the blackness around him. He turned around to find he was not alone at all. A purple unicorn mare now stood behind him, her eyes closed and struggling to stand up.
“What’s this?” Discord asked, confused by the sudden appearance. “Who are you? How did you get here?”
Twilight heard his voice, but was under a great deal of stress, and her body felt very tense, as if she was a statue and couldn’t move. Nevertheless she could move her mouth and speak to the mysterious voice: “Wha... What? Who’s there? Hello?”
“Hmm, a little unicorn... You don’t look like much of an evil threatening being... at least not one that Celestia would turn to stone. Or have villains really taken a turn for the worst since I was turned to stone?” Discord asked curiously. “Over 1000 years... I wouldn’t be surprised.” He gave a light chuckle.
“What? Who’s there? I’m not a villain!” Twilight stated defensively, waiting to find out what was happening, and who was talking to her.
“No? Then why have you been turned to stone?” Discord asked her rhetorically.
Twilight became very confused. ‘Is that why I can’t move?’ she thought to herself. She may have been thinking it, but the very words that had just run through her mind, now echoed in her voice around her.
“Wait I didn’t say that!” Twilight exclaimed..
“You don’t have to,” the mysterious voice explained. “In this form of existence, your thoughts can be heard by all.”
“What are you talking about? Who are you? Why can’t I move?!” Twilight asked angrily.
“But you can move,” Discord said, grinning. Her struggle was reminding him of when he was turned to stone so long ago. Twilight tried to wobble her legs, and open her eyes, but both remained completely frozen in place.
“No I can’t!” Twilight snapped.
“Easy now, just focus.” Discord chuckled, watching as the mare clenched her teeth. Twilight thought carefully, but she didn’t know what to think about.
She growled softly. “Think about what?!” she asked the mystery voice.
“You’re quite a touchy one… Focus and believe that you can move, and you will regain control,” Discord instructed.
Twilight let the words run through her mind, hearing them echo around her. ‘I can move! I can move! I can move!’ she thought, before she started to twitch her limbs. ‘It’s working! I can move! I can move! C’mon! I can move!’ Twilight focused before she felt her limbs regain feeling instantly, as long as her eyes snapping open. Discord simply watched and grinned, finding her struggle rather entertaining.
Twilight looked around to see herself floating in blackness, but it felt as though she was on a surface; if there was one, though, it blended in to the rest of the world perfectly. Even though the world was infinitely black, it wasn’t dark, which she found almost impossible to describe; she could see her body, though, and that made her feel secure regardless of how it worked.
She looked forward and gasped to see a large figure hovering just in front of her who was just as clear to see as she was. He was without a doubt the oddest creature she had ever seen. He had a horse’s head, but could have probably been confused for something else because of its odd shape and because it was crowned with both a deer antler and a goat horn, and included little features like a long fang in his mouth, and pupils that differed slightly in size. Each of his limbs were different with the right arm of a lion, a very large left claw of an eagle, another overly sized limb which appeared to be the right leg of a lizard, and the final limb being the left leg of a goat.
On his back he was adorned with a bat's right wing, and a Pegasus' left wing, which was what kept him suspended in mid air, and to finish off the massively odd mix of body parts, he had a dragon’s tail.
“Who... Who are you? And... what are you?” Twilight asked ,confused, wondering if this strange being was the one who had helped advise her to free herself.
“I believe I asked you who you were first.” Discord reminded Twilight, who shifted her eyes around the never ending blackness nervously.
“I’m... I’m Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight replied cautiously.
Discord answered her calmly: “Now it’s my turn. I am Discord, spirit of chaos; and I am a Draconequus.”
“Spirit of chaos?” Twilight asked confused.
“Yes. Chaos is the magical element of power I exhibit,” Discord explained. Twilight didn’t know what was creepier about this figure: his impossible anomaly of body parts, the fact the he controls magic that sounds like it rivals the Elements of Harmony, or the fact that he just seemed so casual and calm about everything. Before she asked anything though, Twilight was determined to find out why this was happening.
“Um, Discord, what is this place?” Twilight asked, looking at the invisible floor below her and the apparently endless blackness around them.
“Well, it’s hard for me to say really... I’ve been trapped her for well over a millennium, and I’ve never quite understood it. I assume it’s a temporary holding place for me to exist while I am frozen in stone, which leads me to believe that the only reason you are here is because you are too frozen in stone. So my question to you is what did you do to deserve this?” He sported a devilish grin.
Twilight looked around trying to comprehend everything that he was saying. “I don’t understand! What do you mean I’m frozen in stone?!”
“No need to get snippy, my dear! I simply wish to know how you came to be here; what happened to you before you opened your eyes here?” Discord asked again. Twilight thought carefully for a few seconds about the events prior to her waking up in the black space.
“Well, it’s... a little fuzzy... but I remember it was daytime,” Twilight started.
“Recollection of events shouldn’t be a struggle... If Celestia turned you to stone you should remember it.” Discord told her confused.
“It wasn’t Princess Celestia, why would she turn me to stone?!” Twilight asked.
Discord smiled very widely as he realized what had happened. “There’s only one explanation for why you’ve been turned to stone if not by the elements of harmony. You were cursed by the stare of a cockatrice.”
“A cockatrice? But they aren’t supposed to be around at this time of year…” Twilight said, confused.
“Well that depends on where you were,” Discord informed her. “What can you remember of your location?”
“I... was it Ponyville? No, um... Oh! It was the Everfree forest!” Twilight remembered.
“Hmmm, Ponyville, obviously a new location… Is it near Canterlot?” Discord asked.
“Relatively; it can take up to a day’s trip to get there without magic. Look, I’m confused; who are you?” Twilight asked
“I already told you my name.” Discord replied eying her peculiarly.
“Discord, yeah, I know, but I mean, you know about the Elements of Harmony, the Princesses, and you are trapped in this place, I want to know what it was you did.”
She was unsure about what she should be feeling towards him. She felt cautious but not insecure or afraid; he seemed far too casual and calm to want to come off as threatening.
“My background is simple. Well over 1000 years ago, I ruled Equestria. After a series of… rather intense events, I was challenged by Princess Celestia, and her younger sister Princess Luna. They used the Elements of Harmony, and encased me in a stone prison, before I woke up here.” Discord explained.
“Well there must be more to it than that, I mean why would they have challenged you?” She was trying to coax out some more info to solve the mystery of his nature.
“Well I guess the land was in a bit of a state of disharmony and chaos, but it was all in good fun; I mean you can’t please everypony. I was foolish to underestimate their magic though; the Elements of Harmony are quite a powerful form of magic. It’s the Princesses magical power that keeps me trapped here to this day.”
“But the Princesses don’t even control the Elements of Harmony anymore...’ Twilight though before realising that her thoughts were amplified through the room around her. Discord eyes went wide with shock.
“What?!” He asked astonished.
“Nothing, nothing…” Twilight said removing the thought from her mind.
“Oh you don’t want to tell me because you think I pose a threat… Well, I don’t see why there is much reason to worry. I have no way out of here while the spell still stands, and even if I did I’d have no idea how to escape. If I did escape, it’s not likely that I will retain any memory of what happens here.” Discord lied trying to feed Twilight misinformation, as he knew she could tell him everything he needed to know to escape.
“Why should I believe you?” Twilight asked.
“I know a spirit who represents chaos may come off as deceitful, but that’s no reason to fear me. Besides, why would I return to Equestria with the knowledge that the Elements of Harmony can still defeat me?” He caught Twilight by surprise with his reasoning. “So who are the new bearers of the elements?”
Twilight looked at the ground, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t want to say…” she said nervously, digging at the invisible ground. Discord eyed her anxiously, trying to read her mind, but she was definitely doing well to hide the information from him, until he understood why she was so edgy about sharing the information, aside from the obvious lack of knowledge of his persona.
“It’s... you? You are the bearer of the elements of harmony?!” His eyes went wide before he burst out laughing.
Twilight may have been nervous if she wasn’t offended by Discord laughing at her. “What? What’s so funny?!” she asked defensively.
“You’re a little unicorn mare. The Elements would be far too strong for somepony like you to handle.” This was only assumption on his part, remembering the strength of the magical power from personal experience.
“You’d be surprised! My friends and I took down Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight retorted.
“Oh, so there are other element-bearers, then? Well that would explain things. Though I’m afraid that I don’t know who this Nightmare Moon is my dear- being trapped in here for over a millennium led me to miss many significant events in Equestrian history.” He turned his back to Twilight and grinned.
Twilight put her hoof to her face. ‘Why am I saying this stuff?’ she asked herself in her mind, only for it to be amplified again. “Oh, I just hate this!”
“So how many Elements of Harmony are there then?” Discord asked.
“Why do you want to know all this information?” Twilight asked back.
“Because if I ever get back, I want to know what I’ll be up against if Celestia doesn’t forgive me,” Discord replied, wearing a very deceitful poker face, even though Twilight couldn’t see it.
“Forgive you?” Twilight replied confused. Discord smirked getting ready to tell his false story.
“Why of course; why would she have frozen me in stone with her sister’s help if I was not taking proper care of my subjects? I feel it would only be appropriate of me to apologize for the conditions the ponies of Equestria had to live in.” He lied as he explained what he believed would be a somewhat believable ruse.
“I... you want to apologise? So why would you want to fight us if you weren’t forgiven?” She was curious, wanting more information before she would believe anything.
“Do you know what it is like, Twilight Sparkle? To be trapped in a void like this for so long? If I got out, I would be prepared to do anything to make sure I didn’t have to come back.” This was probably the most honest sentence that had passed his lips so far.
Twilight started to feel a sort of sympathy for Discord, as she observed the darkness around them, and could understand how an eternity of it could probably drive anypony to the brink of desperation to escape; then again he was clearly no anypony.
“What do you mean by you would do anything? Should me and my friends be afraid of you?” Twilight asked, still unsure if he could be trusted or not.
“No, as long as you stay out of my way if I have to escape… Say, how many of you are there?” Discord asked, trying to gather more information.
“Six of us. Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Magic,” Twilight revealed, determined to not give away any names, but once again, she had forgotten to not let what information she wanted to keep hidden run through her mind. Each name of her friends was revealed with each element they represented. Twilight looked at Discord who was eyeing her and listening with great interest.
“If you escape, and you hurt them I swear by Celestia that you will regret it!” Twilight exclaimed. Discord chuckled.
“I have no intention to harm your friends Twilight Sparkle, but it would still do you no good to threaten me. I could still overpower you if I played my cards right. Besides, what if no one finds you? I may escape, but if no one finds you, you will remain trapped here. Obviously you represent magic, and it’s unlikely that the power of the elements would function without you, so why would I need to hurt your friends if they could not harm me?” Discord asked.
“Well... I...” Twilight began to respond.
“Besides, if I meant you any harm, I would have hurt you already... Your magic is useless in here, no matter how strong it may be.” Discord explained.
“Well... can you use magic?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, but while I have learned how to manipulate this void, I haven’t learnt how to escape it” Discord replied. “Well, it seems we have run out of things to talk about. Why don’t you tell me a bit about your friends?” Discord suggested.
“Ha! Nice try!” Twilight replied.
“Oh come now, Twilight Sparkle, neither of us knows how long we will be here together, so why not at least try to befriend each other. I already told you I meant you no harm.” Discord said, seemingly a little disgruntled that he was getting nowhere information wise. Twilight knew he may be hiding something, but an idea struck her; she knew that she wouldn’t be here very long. Zecora or somepony would find her. Fluttershy knew where she was going, so she expected it wouldn’t be more than a day.
She managed to conclude that without thinking it out loud, but Discord seemed to be able to focus on her mind to some extent, and could understand that she seemed to be thinking about some aspect of time.
“In case you are wondering, days go by at half the time here,” Discord informed her.
“How can you tell?” Twilight asked. “There’s no sunlight, or moonlight for that matter…”
“You’ll see soon enough.” Discord informed her. Twilight shifted cautiously before she concluded her idea, without thinking it aloud: Twilight figured she’d go and see Celestia and inform her of everything that transpired here, and help reinforce the spell holding him. It may not have been a perfect plan, in case she wasn’t fast enough to reach Celestia, but she knew that no matter where he went, if he tried to fight them, the Elements of Harmony would have to prevail against any magic.
Twilight decided to play along, so that in case he was playing deceptive she could too. “Before I say anything else, I want to know what else you plan to do if you get back.”
“What do you mean?” Discord asked anxiously.
“If you plan on trying to rule Equestria, then I can’t let that happen,” she informed him.
“Oh please, ruling a land is so boring and stressful. Everypony always nags and whines. I’ll leave it to them; although I think my way of ruling would be much more exciting.” Discord chuckled.
Twilight frowned; she knew that Equestria definitely wouldn’t survive a rule under chaos.
“Now then, a topic... tell me about your friends; how about honest Applejack?” Discord suggested. Twilight looked away concerned.
“If I had friends, I would tell you about them. I know that doesn’t make you trust me any more than before, not to mention your friends all represent Elements of Harmony.” Discord said.
Twilight gave a weak sigh and decided to just play along; Discord watched her mind very carefully now, so that he could tell if she was trying to trick him or not.
“Applejack represents the spirit of honesty. She really doesn’t lie about anything; her honesty saved my life once; well played a part in it anyway. She always wears a brown Stetson; I’ve hardly ever seen her take it off. Rainbow Dash is the spirit of loyalty, and she stays true to it; she’d never abandon her friends, but she can be a little, well... cocky, but I guess anypony would act a bit like that if they were the fastest flier in Equestria.” Twilight paused for a longer breath before continuing.
“Fluttershy represents kindness; she’s compassionate to practically everything... but she’s so timid, I feel really bad for her when she misses events because she makes fearful assumptions about them, and I feel especially bad when she doubts herself and her abilities.” She thought about fond memories with her friends as she talked about them, but before she could continue, the blackness around her appeared to convulse and a black mist started to envelope the pair, sucking into an invisible vacuum between them.
“What’s happening?” Twilight asked worriedly.
“Night time,” Discord answered her.
Twilight watched as the black mist fully surrounded the pair, cutting off all their vision and completely disorientating Twilight. She couldn’t see herself, Discord, the ground, or anything at all. The mist completely submerged her in darkness, and was surprisingly cold.
“I… I can’t see anything!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Yes, yes I know, can’t even see your own hoof in front of your face, it’s that dark! Fret not!” Discord said before snapping his fingers, and creating a magical aura of light. In seconds the mist around the pair thinned out, illuminating the area between the pair.
“You were saying?” Discord said, ushering Twilight to continue.
She sighed. “Pinkie Pie represents laughter, and she’s never failed to make somepony smile and become friends with them, but she can be very overly enthusiastic, and I hate to say it, but a little irritating at times; but I love her just as much as the others. Rarity represents generosity, and always puts her friends first... unless something involves getting dirty. She’s all for the fancy life, but some of the selfless acts of kindness she’s committed for us... the last big thing she did was make each of us a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala.” Twilight continued.
“I see, the Grand Galloping Gala. Is this a big event?” Discord asked.
“Huge; it’ll be the first time I’ve seen Princess Celestia in a long time!” Twilight couldn’t help but display her enthusiasm towards the event.
“Hmmm interesting...” Discord said, unable to help a sinister like grin spreading across his face. Twilight noticed this and became slightly concerned that he was plotting something, but both their thoughts were interrupted by a loud animal noise.
“What was that?” Twilight asked looking to the left of the pair, to see a small chicken, frozen to the spot, with its eyes closed, crowing on the spot very loudly as if it was afraid.
“Is that... a chicken?” Twilight asked. Discord noticed this and realized that if the cockatrice had sent a farm animal here, than it may not be long before someone found Twilight.
“Forget the chicken; are there any more places near Canterlot that have sprung up while I’ve been here?” Discord asked.
“Cloudsdale I think would be the only one. Pegasus ponies live there... Why does it matter?” Twilight asked.
“Because being in here for so long leaves me with a lust for knowledge; it’s nice to know how the kingdom is progressing over time. Do you live in Canterlot?”
“I used to; I live in a library in Ponyville now.” She felt her eyes start to get heavy as she finished the sentence. Suddenly she began to feel very warm, and began to wobble around on the spot.
“Well, I see someone has found you Twilight. We will see each other again very soon; such a shame that you won’t remember this...” Discord said, watching her wobbling around dazed.
“Doubt it! I’ll... be making sure Celestia knows you’re planning some... wait! What?” Twilight started.
“Did I forget to mention that a Cockatrice victim will never remember what happened in their mind while trapped by its curse? Oh silly me; pity you didn’t figure it out.” Discord chuckled looking at Twilight who was horrified.
“It’s quite simple, really: you’re frozen in stone and so your body cannot function. Your mind can continue to think, but only as a spirit. Once you awaken and your physical mind takes over, these memories won’t have even existed.”
“You’re lying!” Twilight accused.
“I’m afraid I’m not; you told me everything I needed to know, and for that I thank you.” Discord said.
“You won’t get away with this! You won’t remember anything when you break out either!” Twilight yelled.
“I’m afraid I’m in a different situation. I’m bound by magic. I will remember everything. And with this Grand Galloping Gala approaching, I should have enough time to chip away the strength of the barrier holding me here.” Discord explained, smiling more deviously than ever.
“I’ll see you and your precious friends soon, Twilight Sparkle. And this time, I’m going to have some fun when I take over Equestria, and now I know how to keep you out of my way. Goodbye Twilight Sparkle.” Discord said, waving with a taunting look.
Twilight screamed, unable to move, as a bright light engulfed her, and her voice echoed “NO!” throughout the darkness. The last thing she would see of Discord for the time being was his red deceitful eyes, before it transformed into the dark night of the sky in the Everfree forest. Twilight tried to focus on retaining her memories, but as she clenched her teeth, and tried to secure the fading memories quickly emptying head, everything she had remembered passed away, leaving her with blurry vision, and a muddled memory of events.
