Discording to Plan

by Xenos

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Sad, Princess Luna, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 4206

Some are gifted with power, but is it already decided what they use it for? - An unique,slightly saddening tale portraying Discord's life as an Alicorn and then a Draconequus up until his stone imprisonment.

He wasn't always evil. Or at least he tried not to be. Born a powerful Alicorn with the purpose of co-ruling Equestria, Discord seemed destined for greatness. However it did not seem fate agreed and his promising life was soon thrown away. This is the intriguing tale of Discord- From Alicorn to Draconequus to Stone.

This piece of fiction often references the idea of "fate" or "destiny" and whether sometimes, somepony's story is already *ahem* 'set in stone.'

Currently on a big hiatus due to other projects/work.

Published 2013-04-05 04:50:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-29 22:33:32 UTC

Prodigy

Discording to Plan

It has been mere weeks before Equestria was founded. The ponies had done well to bring peace to their kind but for this to be maintained a leader had to be elected. The Earth ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi quarrelled trying to bring in makeshift leaders. Soon, The Greater Pony grew restless and decided to intervene. It sent down a gift, three gifts to be exact; who would deliver eternal equilibrium to Equestria.

It was a cold quiet night at the orphanage. Thalia lay back in her chair and closed her eyes; she wasn't expecting much trouble. The fillies and colts were all tucked away for the night and well fed. She cocked an ear straining to hear a noise from the adjacent room but not a sound could be heard besides the gentle patter of the rain outside. The other ponies often questioned Thalia, they thought she deserved a better lifestyle but Thalia was content with her life. She had never had a special somepony, instead she had many. Each little pony brought to her home was another warm heart to add to her hers. They loved her and she loved them. Everypony was happy. Wasn't that enough? Yet it was in the night where Thalia would feel loneliness creeping up on her. Sometimes she even hoped one of the ponies would wake up so she could comfort them, hold them tight and lull them back to sleep. Tonight however, she did not get a filly interrupting the night but instead a knock at the wooden door.

Thalia was startled; it was very late and few ponies visited the orphanage even in the day. She got up and trotted over to greet the visitor. As she opened the door she was greeted with a torrent of rain instead. Thalia quickly scanned the area but nopony was in sight. That is, until she noticed the small basket at her feet. She was usually wary of gifts but this one seemed different. The wooden threads were beautifully interwoven and there was even something in it she noticed from the small bulge beneath the blanket. Not wanting to stay in the rain any longer she picked up the basket and returned to her chair.

It was then she noticed that the bulge was bigger than first expected and it was moving in several places. Was there a pony in there? Not one pony, but three. Thalia took off the blanket and was amazed to find three incredibly small unicorns lying there. They were so tiny, how could somepony have been so cruel to abandon them? Their loss is my gain, Thalia thought as she examined the three. The first two appeared to be female. They seemed separate but connected; their colours contrasting perfectly.- a gleaming white and a dark blue. Thalia grew under the impression they were sisters. The polar opposites were too much of a coincidence to ignore as well as the way they were huddled together lovingly. However the third pony carried a different aura from the others with his light grey fur and dark mane. Thalia could feel the power emanating off all three unicorns but this one, this grey one, did not belong. She shrugged the feeling off. She would love them all the same. Thalia took the basket and carried them next door where the other orphans were sleeping, confirmed by a chorus of snores, and trotted over to the empty cots at the back of the room. She thought it would be best if the male was separated from the females and picked up the grey colt first.

A clap of thunder pierced the night and despite Thalia's flailing hooves she could not stop the colt from hitting the ground as, startled by the noise, she had let him slip free. The pony landed face-up with a soft thud on the wooden floor. Hushed calls of “sorry” were issued by a teary-eyed mare as she tried to quickly pick him back up, hoping that somehow her haste would reverse the damage. The apologies were soon cut short as she lifted his fragile frame off the ground only to feel something odd on his tiny back. Wings? How could a pony have both wings and a horn? She placed him quickly in the cot and picked up the other two only to have the same result. Just who were these younglings? Just who were the parents and how could they have made not one but three unique ponies? Thalia was buzzing with excitement but now was not the time as she didn't want to wake anypony up. She decided to call it a day and get some rest as tomorrow would be an even bigger one. Thalia had quite the story to tell.

***

An eventful day followed as many visited the orphanage to see the three unique ponies. Soon everypony in the area was there staking their claim for the adoption of one. Thalia however said that an adoption form had already been submitted by one of the royal family in Canterlot. This happened to be a lie but she knew it would soon become a reality. Nevertheless it did the trick and the ponies began to filter out as Thalia closed the orphanage early. She entered the room where the ponies slept only to be met with a cacophony of crying. The ponies were in extreme discomfort and stress. They were only young after all and weren't used to many a pony at a time all making noise. She knew that she did the right thing though; this wasn't something she could keep from the whole of Equestria. Thalia had even asked around and nopony knew of their origins. Whoever they were, they were made from sterner stuff. The three were the only ponies here unaffected by the day's events.

Wandering over to the sisters she smiled to see the bigger one giving the other a warm loving embrace – their colours mixing beautifully. It softened her heart and she reached out and put her hoof against theirs which was greeted with a big beaming smile. Wiping the tears from her eyes she looked over to see the grey pony sitting alone in his cot. He was staring intently at the sisters with a sense of longing in his eye. The pony adjacent to him poked her hoof through the bars, trying to get his attention but to no avail. Thalia went over and did the same; pressing her hoof against his. She didn't feel the same warm sensation just nothing- no love, no warmth. Thalia took this as her sign to leave and did just that trying to hide the tears. His depression made her equally sad. What were tears of happiness had now been tainted with tears of sorrow.

Dark

Discord sat there quietly, holding back the emotion. Why was he alone? That held true for most of the ponies but looking around it seemed that he was the only one that cared. They were all sleeping quietly yet here he was distressed. He looked over in jealousy at the other two ponies like him who were snuggling up together. All he wanted was somepony to be with at night. He didn't like the dark. Why did they get special treatment? They all arrived together, perhaps had the same parents yet he was separated, isolated. As the light went out he shivered slightly, allowing the darkness to creep over him. Every other pony quickly fell asleep with their untroubled minds. Discord however simply couldn't with that light off. He had to turn it on. Discord began to try and scale the bars of his prison but however high he got he would slide slowly back down before he could escape. He flapped his tiny wings furiously but they would not keep him airborne. What had been a battle to turn on the light quickly became a battle of determination. He would not give up- he had set himself a goal and it would be completed. To prove himself. Prove what exactly? Discord didn't know that yet, he just wanted to show he was worth something.

After many minutes an exhausted pony lay in his cot breathing deeply. It was at this moment he realised he had a horn jutting out of his dark mane. He had seen one of the older fillies use their horn to move things earlier that day. Discord concentrated all his mental and physical energy on the light switch, willing it to move. In time a spark emerged from his head, quickly followed by a stream of light which enveloped the horn. However, the switch would not move. Discord's eyes began to swell again and he hid under the covers. When the tears parted and his vision became full he could see not blackness, but light. He glanced upwards at his horn, still glowing and forced a smile. At least he could sleep better, even if he hadn't reached his goal. Discord closed his eyes, his horn still glowing beneath the covers and fell asleep; all the time being watched through Celestia's partly closed eye.

Discord woke the next day with his horn still glowing with the now unnecessary light. He had been using magic the whole night yet felt fully refreshed for the day ahead. Was this normal? Discord wondered if it was natural to have the capacity to cast magic for extended periods of time, even to cast magic while asleep- none of the other ponies had exhibited these same traits in the short time he was here. He tried switching on the light again and this time the switch did move, effortlessly. As they were all asleep nopony noticed, yet Discord was still very much confused. It seemed he had grown stronger overnight and surely that wasn't natural? He was only a colt as well! How young was he exactly? It felt like his life had started in this cot- it was the only thing he recalled from the past two days. The mare, Thalia, couldn't stitch the seam of his past; she only talked of his arrival in that basket with the two other ponies. The stream of thoughts came to an abrupt halt as the door opened and a mare entered.

Thalia pushed the door gently open only to find everypony smiling back. Correction: nearly everypony- one was staring at the window and hadn't noticed. Puzzled as to why they were all awake Thalia systematically turned to switch on the light only to find it was already on which subsequently explained the ponies' behaviour. In her eyes it was clear that some trickster had turned it on early and her suspicions immediately converged on the new grey colt who seemed currently disinterested. However she remembered he was the smallest here and couldn't possible have done such a thing at that age. In the end she assumed it was the oldest unicorn, Twinkletime who loved playing with his relatively powerful magic. She took this as a sign for his need to be adopted soon. He was one of the oldest and was very talented. With her thoughts clouded with Twinkletime and his startling magical ability, Thalia helped everypony out of their respective cot and left the room to prepare a meal.

Discord hated having less power than others. She had easily done what he could not and lifted him out of his cot. Discord didn't show any gratitude however to the mare that had imprisoned him there in the first place. He looked around at the other ponies and almost yawned they were so dull. This was all he had? Only the unicorn he had seen the other day practising magic looked vaguely interesting and only because he was older. Discord's gaze inevitably settled on the Sisters who were only a few metres away. The bigger one's gaze met his and to his surprise, she smiled. The other also caught sight of Discord and beckoned him over. With new hope that somepony here could actually prove to be worth his time, Discord slowly made his way over.

Light

Celestia opened her eyes as the light filtered through her eyelids. She assumed it was time to wake up but the mare from earlier was nowhere in sight. Thinking she had left as soon as the light was switched on Celestia reflected on the previous day's events. What did she know? Not much really. She knew this was a place for little ponies run by that mare; that wasn't that difficult to deduce. She also knew that Luna, the filly sitting next to her, was her younger sister. How did she know this? Celestia was unsure, her mind was blank. Nevertheless, Luna was her sister and that was that. Celestia paused, rubbing her head to think but touched her horn instead. Yes, she had a horn and a pair of wings. She and Luna were the only two here to have such a combination. Celestia of course knew that wasn't the case as she thought of the grey colt who had arrived with them. Where as she somehow knew Luna's name and that she was a sibling she knew nothing on impulse about him. Celestia turned her head to look at the colt only to find him staring right back At this moment she felt rustling; her sister was awake and consequently Luna, called the grey colt over.

“Why hello there young colt, what brings you over here?” asked Celestia. Before Discord could respond there were gasps all around the room. The young ponies had all become aware that Celestia could speak at such a tender age; none of the others could.

Discord did not like how she has addressed him. She had instantly placed herself above him as if she was somehow superior. Nevertheless, he would play along.

“I came over because I wanted a friend and you and you sister looked welcoming. She is your sister right?” asked Discord, gesturing at Luna. Again, the others were shocked to see that Discord could also speak.

“Yes, this is my sister Luna and I am Celestia.” The surrounding ponies again gasped. Names were usually given by the mare who looked after them. Their full attention was now on the three ponies.

“I believe my name is Discord."

There was a lot of suspense in the air, Discord didn't know what to say. In the end he settled on a question he knew they could not answer at this moment.

“Do you know why we are here?”

The spectators were puzzled. It was because they were orphans like them. Celestia and Luna however understood the question differently.

“No,” Luna replied before glancing at her wings and horn, “we discussed this earlier.”

“Although, I do feel we were meant for something...more,” Celestia added.

“More?” asked Discord, acting dumb.

“Time will tell but there must be a reason why we are like this. We are clearly different,” Celestia said, gesturing at the other ponies in the room.

“Superior,” Discord muttered quietly so that the others couldn't hear. He then walked slowly back to his cot as the door again opened. Thalia entered, but not bringing a meal.

She walked over to where Celestia and Luna were and beckoned Discord to come over. Lowering her head she spoke:

“I have just received a letter. Being young I hope you understand this the best you can.”

They remained silent, thinking it was wiser not to reveal their ability to speak at this time.

“The letter was from Canterlot, The Royal Family itself. They have heard of your presence and wish to bring you back there. Royal Guards will be here in a week to collect you.” A tear rolled down her cheek, they hadn't known each other for long. “Try to enjoy yourself this week the best you can.” With that, Thalia left to return to preparing breakfast; leaving the ponies behind.

Discord again returned to his cot to think things over. “Something more.” Discord wanted to be more. He wanted to be the best. Now, here was his chance. He had no idea who the royal family were but he would certainly make an impact on them. What did they plan to do? Whatever it was Discord was sure he wouldn't follow their plan exactly. This was about him, not them. Celestia and Luna too, they would not halt his progress to becoming the greatest.

He finally understood the merits of having both a horn and wings. It was symbolic. The ponies would be willing to follow him when he was older. Whoever this “royal family” were they could not compete once he steps out on the scene. Luna and Celestia would probably have similar desires. They were not friends, not enemies, but perhaps rivals. Could all three of them lead together? Discord was going to put that to test in the coming week. He was going to rule the orphanage. Whether they realised it or not.

King of the Playground

When the meal eventually arrived Discord gulped it down, eager to initiate his plan. Ignoring the Sisters and their curious looks he trotted over to the filly nearest him. She timidly looked his way with warm, loving, big eyes but Discord was in no mood for affection. Shrugging the filly's gaze off him he sized her up. She was small like him, probably one of the younger ones here. She seemed a bit shy by the way she looked at him, eyes riddled with uncertainty. Discord noticed she had wings which could prove useful but he had already decided she was of no worth to him. Too young, too fragile. He moved on.

After a few minutes of analysing the various ponies Discord had made a few conclusions. The first being that the majority of these ponies were too young to understand him. They would only do what he asked if they were scared and frightened but that wasn't how he intended to rule. He wanted respect but not through those means. Two: There were some older ponies but these had an arrogant feel about them. It seemed they did not like Discord's self-confidence and refused to have such a young colt treat them like that; so they were not needed. Three: Just looking for potential candidates was of no use. He had to do something to gain their attention and possible respect. Show that he was in fact above them but he meant no harm. He had just the plan.

Discord moved towards Twinkletime and the other pony stared his way. Discord had decided that Twinkletime was one of the ponies that had some authority here. He had magical power, he had size and he had age. Though commonly absorbed in his own activities the other ponies still respected him and knew he was one not to cross paths with. But Discord did just that.

“Greetings, unicorn,” said Discord, his voice calm and focused.

Twinkletime took his time to respond, sizing up the small unicorn-pegasus thing before him. He wasn't impressed.

“What?” Twinkletime said irritably, keen to return to practising his magic.

Discord hadn't expected a response like that. He hadn't expected speech at all. Discord also noted how Twinkletime had disregarded his ability to speak at a tender age. Twinkletime seemed like he really didn't care about Discord at all. Well, he'd make him care; by bringing in something the unicorn was overly fond of.

No point in wasting words, actions spoke louder after all.

Discord clenched his teeth and focused the energy inside him, summoning the magical aura. It seemed that the events this morning were not a fluke and a black stream of magic soon emerged from his horn. Discord used it to envelop Twinkletime's small pillow and lifted off the cot; before moving it and dropping it on the stunned unicorn's head.

The gauntlet had been thrown down.

He waited for a moment, allowing the pillow to slowly slide off; onto the floor with a soft thud. Twinkletime looked down at the pillow before meeting Discord firmly in the eye. Discord simply smiled back at him.

Twinkletime understood. He did the same; lifting the pillow before dropping it on Discord's head. Albeit, slightly quicker than Discord which Twinkletime couldn't help but grin at. This didn't faze Discord, he was just getting warmed up.

Despite his lack of experience in magic it did not dent his confidence as he proceeded to use it once again. This time he picked up the pillow and hurled it in Twinkletime's direction, hitting him softly in the face.

Most of the other ponies wouldn't have tolerated this but Twinkletime was different. He had misjudged Discord and was now enjoying this game/duel with another unicorn of similar ability. However, he wanted to show that all his hard work practising had been worth it

Again he repeated what Discord had done; again with greater vigour. As the pillow whizzed towards Discord he instead stepped out of the way, causing it to slide a few metres along the floor and coming to rest at the feet of another filly.

Twinkletime cursed under his breath: he hadn't expected that. That pillow had been moving pretty fast; just how did he manage to dodge it? Magic? Luck?

Well, he had a few tricks of his own up his non-existent sleeve. And he was going to play them.

Showing little emotion at what had happened, he waited for Discord to make his move, holding his breath.

Discord was pleased that the manoeuvre had paid off and soon wanted to end the confrontation. Just a bit longer...

He looked behind him and picked up the pillow with his magic before again firing at, a lot harder this time, at Twinkletime. The pillow however didn't complete it's journey. It began to slow down some way away from its target before halting in front of the unicorn. Twinkletime poked his head around the floating pillow, grinning again.

He wasn't grinning for long as the pillow began to move again towards his face. Twinkletime realised what was happening and used all his magical might to repel Discord's magic. This was it, this was the final battle.

The pillow remained in equilibrium for a while, moving backwards and forth from the centre but never going too far. Twinkletime grimaced as he felt his strength being drained; he couldn't last for much longer. He really had underestimated the other pony. He looked around the pillow again to see that Discord was also straining with the effort.

It was at this moment that he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Turning slowly, he barely had time to configure as another pillow hit him the face. He lost his concentration and the first pillow hit him too. Staggering back, he fell to the ground, surprised and clearly defeated.

Like a true trickster Discord had won. The battle had never been that of magic: it had been one of cunning and wit, creativeness and flair. He had diverted all of his opponents attention on the seemingly climatic sequence only to have tricked him by bringing in another pawn for the checkmate.

Visible for all the other ponies to see, Discord had defeated one of their elite. This was only the beginning.

Discord moved over to Twinkletime and stood over him. He would have held out out a hoof but he was still only small. Instead he used his magic to lift him off his feet, prompting a disdainful look from some of the spectators. Twinkletime however did not wear an unhappy face. He was only in awe at the manner at which he had lost and the power which Discord possessed.

He held out his hoof and shook Discords. “Teach me?” Twinkletime asked, his speech still slightly weak.

This is why Discord had chosen Twinkletime. He had gambled on his love for magic and not power. He had accepted loss to a younger gladly as he only wished to further advance his abilities.

“Sure,” Discord said. “And to anypony else who wishes to learn,” he added, deliberately raising his voice. This prompted some looks from the other ponies who had certainly been impressed by the duel.

“Twinkletime,” Twinkletime said, at last introducing himself.

Discord had already known his name after a bit of information gathering but again played along.

“Discord..”

It was done. Respect had been earned, admiration had been gained and an influential ally had been obtained.

Perhaps a touch of envy too Discord noticed as he turned around to look at Celestia and Luna. Luna had a big smile on her face and winked, congratulating Discord at his early success. Celestia was smiling too but there was no wink from her. Her smile seemed a little forced as well.

Discord had gained an ally, but had he gained a rival too?

Author's Note

It's been a while but I've finally continued this. I feel this is one of the better chapters (out of 4, I know). Anyway, hope you've enjoyed. This is probably the first ever recorded instance of a pillow fight in history :)