But the Sun Refused to Set

Sunset was prepared to find anything on the other end of that accursedly opaque portal, but what she saw was about the last thing she had expected… a home. It was far from an ordinary home, of course, but it was clearly more than a house. The walls and ceiling hosted an array of comfortable-looking furniture, freshly cleaned bedsheets floated through the kitchen towards some unseen room, and a deck of playing cards quietly conversed with the ping-pong table on the patio. It was clearly a place that was meant to be lived in.

“This place is… homelier than I expected. Is this how you prefer to live, or is it just a clever subversion of expectations?”

Discord laughed. “Well, that’s certainly a unique perspective! I wish I could take credit for it, but it’s more A than B, I’m afraid.”

Sunset smiled. “Do you mind if I make myself comfortable?”

Discord waved a paw. “Not at all! Please do!” A chair floated over from the wall and sat itself behind her.

Sunset’s horn shone dimly, and as if from nowhere, Sunset was engulfed in a raging inferno that filled the room with smoke and turned the chair behind her to ash.

Discord blinked a few times, then snapped his fingers and returned the room to the way it was before Sunset turned into a miniature sun.

“My, must have caught you in a bad mood. Let me amend my previous statement. Feel free to take a seat.”

“Toying with ponies’ lives tends to worsen their mood, I have found.”

Discord plucked out his eyes and rolled them on the table. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic. It’s not as if you were in any real danger.” One of his eyes rolled off the table and onto Sunset’s outstretched hoof. “I was keeping an eye on you in case things got out of hand. I just wanted to see the capabilities of Celestia’s first student for myself.”

Sunset frowned. “I’ve got a name, Discord. Use it.”

Discord snapped, and his eyes returned to his head, while in their place stood piping hot teacups. He reached down and took a sip from the one on the table. “Noted. Look, Sunset, clearly we’ve gotten off on the wrong hoof. I didn’t think you would take my little test so personally. I apologize.”

Sunset sipped from her teacup, and her frown softened. “I suppose I can offer the manifestation of chaos some leniency in understanding social norms. Just ask first next time, alright?”

Discord bowed deeply. “Your magnanimity is truly the stuff of legends. Sooner will the stars fall from the sky than shall I forget this day.”

“You’re pushing it.”

Discord pouted. “Oh, can a spirit of chaos have no fun?”

Sunset cracked a smile. “You know, if I ignore the assassination attempt, you’re not half bad.”

Discord laughed. “That was no assassination attempt. If I wanted you dead” –His body turned to stone, his face trapped in a horrifying grimace– “You’d simply cease to exist.”

Sunset shrugged. “Yea, probably.”

Discord blinked back to his original form and rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, I usually give ponies quite the scare with that one. What gave the joke away?”

“Because you and I aren’t like Celestia. We don’t talk about our plans. We act.”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “You flatter me. After all, I did let Twilight Sparkle and the gang acquire the Elements of Harmony to reseal me in my prison.”

“You merely underestimated them. If you knew what they were capable of, I doubt you would have been so cavalier.” Sunset sipped her tea.

Discord smiled. “Yes, I suppose that’s true. I could say the same thing about you, of course. Do you ever regret how things turned out?”

Sunset sighed. “Every day.”

Discord sipped his tea. “What if I told you that I could give you a second chance?”

“What, like send me back in time?”

Discord spit out his tea and clutched his chest. “Nothing so gauche. I wouldn’t mess with time even if I could. Once you start time traveling, everyone else will, too. Then somebody gets the bright idea to defeat you before your reign of chaos, and all that hard work turning the cosmos inside out amounts to nothing. Besides, it makes for dreadfully uninteresting stories most of the time. Time loops and whatnot.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed. “Then what exactly are you suggesting?”

Discord’s smile turned into a cheshire grin. “Oh, nothing much. A change in wardrobe, perhaps.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t take you for a tailor.”

“Nothing like that. I leave the tailoring to Rarity. No, I was thinking along the lines of a new accessory. You’d have to adjust your outfits to match, of course.

Sunset laughed. “I didn’t take you for a fashionista either.”

“I’ll admit I’m not much of a fashionista, but I’ve heard that wings are always in.”

Silence. Sunset heard a faint click as Discord casually pulled out a timer, but it barely registered. Wings. He had said wings, hadn’t he? She must have misheard.

“Wings?”

“Wings.”

Sunset stared blankly at the ceiling as her mind went blank. Her body went numb. She tried to stand up, but she was too dizzy. Wings. What does one say, she wondered, when God offers them the world? Thanks? Why? Where’s the camera? In the end, through great force of will, she managed to squeak out one word. “Catch?”

Discord laughed as he clicked the timer. “Only twelve seconds. You’re a quick one, aren’t you. Don’t worry, there’s no monkey’s paw business here. There is a condition, but it’s to do something you already want to do anyway.”

“What?”

“Overthrow Celestia. Kill her, banish her, I don’t care, so long as she remains gone.”

“W-why?”

“Two reasons. The first is that I am immortal. The sad truth of the matter is that Fluttershy and her friends will die, and though I’ve grown fond of them, I have no intention of dying with them. I will outlive them, and I will need plans in place for when I do. The second reason is one I share with you.” His relaxed tone turned to icy fury. “I hate her.”

“No, why me?”

“You have enormous potential. You may not see it, but I do. When you’ve been in the business for long enough, you get an eye for it. You’re stronger than Celestia was before her ascension, and with a few post-ascension years under your belt, I have no doubt you’d surpass her. You also hate Celestia, which removes the need for manipulation and the possibility of getting cold feet –err– hooves.” He took a sip of his tea and smiled.

“And what of Luna?”

“Irrelevant. With Celestia out of the picture there’s no way she could use the Elements against me, and without them, she is woefully outmatched. Besides, her imprisonment on the moon robbed me of any desire to get revenge.”

“And afterward?”

Discord laughed. “Don't be so cynical. I'd let you rule over Equestria, of course, and I'd rule over the rest of Equus. Or we could take turns, if you prefer it that way. We can work out the details later.”

Sunset paused for a moment, then sighed. “Sorry, not interested.”

Discord slithered out of his chair and coiled loosely around Sunset, his head slowly snaking its way up to eye level with Sunset. “Not interesssted?” He quirked an eyebrow. “Don’t make me laugh. You might have thought that I couldn’t hear you when I was a statue, but I remember those late night visits to the garden. Hatred and ambition. That’s all you are.”

She looked away from his gaze. “That’s all I was. I’ve changed.”

Discord let out a hollow chuckle. “People don’t change, that’s just a lie they tell themselves so they can imagine that one day they won’t hate themselves. Tell me, are you willing to lose everything you’ve ever dreamed of for a lie?”

Sunset grit her teeth. “Not. Interested.”

Discord shrugged. “Suit yourself. Just know that the offer is still on the table if you change your mind. Oh, and don’t go mentioning this to anyone. I’ll deny it, Fluttershy will side with me, I won’t be turned to stone, and after a few years you’ll die of perfectly natural causes.” He snapped his fingers, and a portal opened. “This will take you to the edge of the Everfree. Keep in touch.”

“Is that it then? What about the Blood Sun?”

The portal snapped shut. “Ah, right. Before I answer that, tell me. How much did Celestia tell you about the signs?”

“She told me of their existence and to keep an eye out for them, but not much beyond that.”

“I suspected as much. To be honest, there’s not much to say that you don’t suspect already. You and Celestia are obviously involved. I suspect Twilight is as well, given how talented she is at sticking her muzzle into things that have nothing to do with her. Oh, and the sun should be back to normal tomorrow.”

Sunset frowned. “But what does it mean?”

“Who knows? More signs will come. Come back then. Ta-ta.”

“Wait-” but the house of chaos was already gone.