Chapter 1. The Alicorn Sisters
The Rise of Harmony
Author: SpaceKing
My Little Pony and all subsequent properties belong to Hasbro. I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter 1. THE ALICORN SISTERS
The night was calm. A peaceful breeze whistled through the long grass of the plains, accompanied by the faint creaking of wooden wheels on the dirt. An old carriage laboured down the road, packed to the brim with migrants and pulled by two strong colts. It was a peaceful scene, until an abrupt noise shattered the silence.
“Ugh, I’m so bored,” cried out a navy-coloured unicorn loudly. The carriage rattled as the colts pulling it glared back at the noisy cabin. The complaint echoed outwards from the carriage for a moment, fading slowly into the night air.
“Are we even moving at all, or is this just an elaborate attempt to make pony pancakes?” she angrily asked nopony in particular. She tugged on a heavy linen robe that she wore and fruitlessly wriggled about in the cramped confines of the cabin. The other passengers scowled at her pointless attempts to find comfort. A nearby unicorn with a white coat and pink mane moved a hoof to calm her.
“Luna, stop fidgeting. It’s not going to make the carriage move any faster,” she told her. Luna stopped her fidgeting but glared at the tall, lanky unicorn pressed against the ceiling.
“But I’m getting crushed Celestia! Don’t you care about your own sister?” she replied in an overly-dramatic fashion. She threw her hooves up in the air, hitting the top of the cabin with a loud thud. The cabin roof shook and struck Celestia’s head, causing a few splinters to rain down upon the passengers. The other ponies grumbled at the disturbance as they attempted to sleep through the night. Celestia brought a hoof to her face and shook her head.
“Of course I do, that’s why I’m telling you to stop. We’ll be there soon enough,” she told Luna, remaining still as best she could with two other ponies pressed up against her. Her cloak ruffled under the pressure, stretching out under the seats.
“That’s not soon enough,” Luna replied plainly, finding her face squashed against the door window. Celestia sighed at her sister’s impatience.
“Just look, we’re at least in Equestria now,” she said, gesturing outside to the boundless fields and forests visible from the window.
“Which means the city can’t be much further. Have some faith in me Luna, I’m your big sister after all.”
“Why does that make a difference?”
“Well, I’m older than you, so obviously I know more,” she replied. Luna returned Celestia’s smugness with a sneer
“So you knew when you picked this carriage that it had less room than mouses’ hole for us to squeeze into?” she asked.
“… No, I didn’t know that,” she said bluntly. Luna took up a smug look of her own as Celestia sighed.
“So if you can be wrong, then there’s no telling where we are.”
“Oh, there’s a way of telling,” Celestia replied, as a smile began to creep across the white pony’s face. Luna blinked in confusion.
“What, how?”
“Go have a look.” Celestia opened the hatch on the door and it swung open, spilling a very surprised Luna out of the cabin. She bit down on her sisters’ robe as she went though, pulling Celestia outside with her. The two of them tumbled outside and hit the crisp dirt of the road outside. Luna’s robe caught on the wheel as it came past and tore apart, ripping it from her person.
“Oh — nonono,” she muttered as she quickly stood up and snatched up her robe, hastily throwing it over her back. Celestia immediately noticed her distress and quickly stood up in front of her, hiding Luna from view of the carriage.
“Did anypony see?” Luna asked anxiously, fixing her robe and buckling it back up. Celestia looked around, keeping her obscured from their vision. The door flapped about in the breeze before a pony slammed it shut in an attempt to keep the cold night air out. Celestia breathed a sigh of relief and helped her sister with her clothes.
The two of them sat still for a moment. The sky was dark tonight; it was a new moon so there was no light to illuminate the darkness. A cool breeze whipped over the two, blowing away the dust the pair had kicked up in their scuffle.
“That could have been very bad,” Celestia stated, staring wistfully off into the distance. Luna glared at Celestia, and then punched her in the foreleg.
“Why did you have to do that, sister? You keep telling me never to reveal ourselves, to always stay hidden in these robes so no one will find out, but then you do something like this. “
“I know, I know, and I’m sorry. That was stupid of me,” Celestia said with a grimace, turning to her sister. The secret the two of them bore underneath their robes were a pair of wings. This, in addition their horns, revealed the truth. The pair of them were Alicorns; winged unicorns and creatures of rarest legend. Both of them knew this, and they knew the risk they faced. “There are a lot of people out there that could exploit us out there if they knew. We’re not like regular ponies and no matter how hard we try to fit in, it always ends up the same way,“ Celestia said. Luna watched her sister, feeling her regret. “I don’t even know if there are any others like us out there, we might be the only two in the whole world. I couldn’t bare it if anypony tried to take you away. I just put you in that danger, little sister. I’m so sorry.” Celestia was dead silent as Luna just stared at her back. Luna slowly crept over to Celestia and peered around to see her face.
“Sis, it’s okay. None of them saw, and even if they did, Equestria is going to be a land of friendship. That’s why we came here in the first place, remember?” Luna attempted to comfort her sister, nuzzling her side with her head. Celestia felt Luna beside her and turned to face her.
“Yes. It’s a place where we might finally find rest.” Celestia smiled and nuzzled her sister as well.
“‘Where we don’t have to worry about being exploited or used’, you told me. And you’re right, I just know you are. You’d never put us in danger, and I know you only try to do what’s best for us. Tia’, you’re the best sister ever, and nothing could ever change that.” Luna said, hugging Celestia firmly.
“Thanks Luna. I don’t know what she’d do without you,” she said, hugging her sister back.
“You’re probably right and we are almost there. Just a little longer on the carriage and…” Luna stopped mid-sentence and the two of them suddenly looked up to see the carriage had gone on without them, probably glad to be rid of the noisy burden. The two paused while that fact set in, before quickly leaping to their hooves and taking off after the carriage.
“Stop!” they yelled. “We fell off. Stop!” Just as the pair caught up with the vehicle it came to an abrupt stop, causing the two to collide face-first with the cabin. They collapsed on the ground in a daze. The ponies in the carriage gladly left the crowded confines of the cabin and headed off down the road.
“Oh, what happened?” Luna exclaimed, attempting to find her footing. Celestia went cross-eyed for a moment but shook her head and returned to normal. The pair looked past the carriage to see where the passengers had gone, only to be awestruck by the magnificent sight before them.
A morning sun peaked atop a huge mountain before them, illuminating the capitol city of Equestria; the first true settlement in this new land. A path led up the side of the mountain up to the city, bathed in the shadow of the foundations for the great city walls that would forever protect the citizens within. Even in its current state, it was magnificent to behold. The pegasi had already begun working the jewels they had found here into their architecture, causing parts of the entire city to shine in the morning sun. The earth ponies had begun sowing the lands surrounding the town, using the rich soil to begin delicious crops of every kind. Royal flags rustled in the wind and overlooked crowds of migrant ponies of all kinds moving into the city. They were all excited to finally have such a wonderful home to call their own.
“Well… you were right Celestia,” Luna finally managed to say, getting the words past her enormous grin. Celestia was smiling even wider than her, so she just nodded in response. The two of them let out a collective cry of ecstatic glee before galloping off towards the city.
――――――――――――――――――――――
The city was simply spectacular. It was nothing like the sparse, cold settlements outside of Equestria. Ponies of all races had left behind the petty feuds that plagued them for so long before and gathered under together under the shared goal of unity and friendship. It was only when they joined together that they could produce something as amazing such as the city that Celestia and Luna now found themselves in, even in its unfinished state. The cloaks obscured their identities, so they were able to enter the town freely under the guise of unicorns by lowering their hoods.
“This is… its just- how can such a place even…” Luna was at a loss for words and barely able to contain herself. It was all she could do not to immediately run off and explore this new town. Celestia was just as overjoyed to see a place that was so full to the brim with friendship and compassion. All the hate and distrust they’d learned to withstand in the cold wastes of the outside world just didn’t exist here.
“We’ve been trying to just survive for so long, to keep ourselves safe,” Celestia said, gazing around the city. “Maybe we can finally relax and have a place to call home. Wouldn’t that be nice?” she asked Luna, watching her excitable sister bounce on the spot lightly.
“We could even find our cutie marks now. We didn’t have the time to discover them when we were travelling.” Luna lifted up the back of her robe to reveal a blank flank. On a young filly it was expected, but for a mare of her age it was quite unheard of. Celestias’ flank was just as bare as hers.
“We can do anything we want now, Luna. So long as we stay here and keep together.” Celestia stood up and started trotting slowly towards a large fountain near the entrance. “We won’t have to worry about anything trying to use or hurt us ever again.” She turned around to face her sister. “Don’t you think so, Luna…?” her voice petered out as she saw her sister had vanished. She quickly looked around, distress quickly welling up inside her.
“Hey sis, over here,” Luna said, waving to Celestia from a storefront. She was pressing her face up against the glass, peering in on all the items inside. “You’ve got to see all the stuff they have in here!” she said. Celestia trotted over to the storefront and saw it held all manner of little statues and bric-a-brac on sale. The larger and more expensive items were sitting inside the actual store for sale. Celestia could see all sorts of art pieces from the old lands inside. Ponies seemed to be buying art and amenities for their new homes.
“Wow, these are very pretty. I wonder if they–“ Celestia turned to face Luna, but the alicorn was off once again. Luna was already speeding towards the city market, skipping along happily. Celestia groaned and took off after her, heading into the dense crowd present in the market. It was a struggle to even keep up with her with the crowds growing denser the closer they drew to the market. Celestia couldn’t even move very fast for fear of catching her robe on something. It was a large bazaar for goods that’d been hoarded by each of the pony tribes, but were now shared freely among friends. A particular fruit store drew Luna’s attention, boasting an array of food some of which she’d never even seen before. Ripe and delicious pears, giant bushels of grapes, bags of juicy corn, and even the shining red allure of-
“Apples!” Luna called out after seeing an assortment of some of the most delicious apples she’d ever laid eyes on. She was already salivating with anticipation by the time Celestia even caught up with her.
“Yes Luna, fruit. But did you really have to take off like that just for some apples?” Celestia said, catching her breath. Luna didn’t seem to be listening though. She was busy staring at the largest, most delicious looking apple of all. It practically shined in the sunlight. Celestia noticed her sister staring down the fruit.
“It does look nice, but we don’t have any money Luna. We’ll eat some fruit later; right now we’ve got to–” But Celestia’s words were lost on her sister. Luna immediately snatched up the giant apple and swallowed it whole. She immediately regretted doing so because the apple then became lodged in her throat. She reared back and gagged like mad, frantically bumping around the store as she attempted to cough it back up. A few other ponies were knocked aside in her wild movements, surprising a lot of them. Celestia gasped and quickly moved to the aid of her sister.
“Luna! Hold still or you’ll choke!” she shrieked, swiftly grabbing her sister around the midsection and squeezing her tightly. The apple shot right out of her gullet and flew across the store, splattering into the face of the storeowner. The pony kicked his hind legs back in shock and dropped straight to the floor, falling from his chair as he did so. The other customers gaped at the incident, and then stared at the two sisters. Celestia and Luna looked on at the mess they’d caused in the store.
“Ugh, maybe you’re right Tia’,” Luna replied, finding her breath again. Celestia shot her a fearsome glare. She didn’t have time to lecture her though. The fruit store owner was already on his hooves and staring down the pair. The two sisters smiled weakly. Celestia stepped forward and raised a hoof to the colt.
“Uh, look my good sir. My sister was just very hungry and wasn’t thinking straight. Right Luna?” she asked her sister, bumping her with her flank. Luna faked a smile and nodded furiously.
“Eight bits,” the colt said bluntly. He held out a hoof, awaiting payment.
“Oh, well you see we don’t actually have any money,” Celestia said, smiling weakly. Luna had already started to trot backwards slowly towards the door. Celestia looked back at her and bit her lip. Luna looked up at her and raised a hoof in front of her mouth to make sure only she could hear.
“Meet me by the entrance fountain,” she told Celestia, and then took off. Celestia spun around in surprise as Luna ran off again. Celestia then turned her head to see the shopkeeper growing ever more furious. She groaned in anticipation for what she had to do next.
“We’ll pay you back someday. I promise!” Celestia called out to the store owner as she ran for it. She could barely hear his angry shouting over the noise of the crowd. She made it back to the fountain near the entrance gates and found Luna balancing on the side of it happily. The entrance gates could be seen just past the fountain, and migrants were still coming in from outside. A few buildings were being constructed nearby; a couple of storefronts and some unused houses. Celestia walked over to the fountain and collapsed in a big tired mess over the side.
“This is exactly why we need to keep together,” Celestia told her sister. Luna hopped down from the fountain and stood next to her exhausted sister.
“Hey, everything worked out alright, didn’t it sis? Besides, this place is amazing! How can you just sit there so aloof?” she asked her sister. Luna looked around at all the buildings and ponies walking by. Celestia pulled herself off the fountain and glared at Luna.
“Luna, this place is huge, and I don’t want us apart if one of us runs into trouble.” Celestia looked at her sister sternly. Luna frowned and sat down, gearing up for a lecture. “You always cause mayhem by running off. I don’t want you to get on the bad side of anypony here. This is a place of understanding, but everyone has their limits.”
“Gheez, you’re so paranoid sis. There’s no one here who’d hurt us, except maybe that shopkeeper.” She giggled at the last bit. Celestia was less amused, remembering the angry shouts heard when she escaped.
“Just think before you act. What if your cloak broke in that crowd? What then? Stay with me, don’t do anything rash, just stay safe.” Celestia started to ramble a bit and stared off into the distance. Luna gazed at her suspiciously.
“Celestia, you’re always pretty cautious, but I’ve never seen you this bad. What’s wrong?” she asked her sister. Celestia turned to her to speak but then bit her lip.
“It’s… it’s just a feeling. Do you remember when a bad storm was coming you could kind of feel something ominous coming?“ Celestia asked Luna. She shrugged in response and Celestia simply sighed. “It’s probably nothing, but you can never be too careful, right?” Celestia smiled and turned back to her sister. Luna smirked cheekily.
“Oh, you can be too careful alright. Remember when you thought I’d run through poison joke and kept me confined to a bed for a whole week?” Luna chuckled at the memory while Celestia frowned.
“I’d never seen hiccups before, how was I supposed to know that was normal?” Celestia questioned her smug little sister. Luna stuck a goofy grin and shrugged, causing Celestia to crack a smile. “In fact, how can we be sure you don’t have something now? To bed for a month I say!” she announced, sticking one hoof out forward and patting her sister on the head with the other.
“Make me.” Luna stuck her tongue out at Celestia and knocked her hooves away from her own head. The two started pushing each other and squeezing their faces, attempting to make each other look sick. Luna only had to look at a comically sized grin on her sister to start cracking up in laughter, which set Celestia off as well. They drew a couple of stares with their shenanigans but only for the moment. After a bit the two stopped chuckling and sat happily, gazing up at the castle on the mountain.
“Don’t worry Celestia,” she put a hoof on her sisters’ shoulder and stuck the other one out to the morning sky. “We’re safe here in Equestria. It’s nothing but clear skies from now on.”
――――――――――――――――――――――
The two sisters spent the rest of the day exploring the city, together this time. After a few hours of sightseeing they sat down on a bench in one of the more secluded sections of the city. It was a small district with only housing foundations, so there wasn’t any reason to come down this way unless you were part of construction. Everyone seemed to be on break right now so the pair had some peace and quiet for the moment. The impressive castle stood close by, sparkling brightly as various unicorns fixed jewels into its structure. They seemed intent on making their castle as impressive as possible.
“Celestia, do you think any important ponies are here yet?” Luna asked her sister. Celestia turned to her.
“What do you mean?” she replied.
“Well, any of the more renowned ponies, like the rulers. I heard the daughter of the unicorn king was one of the founders of this place, along with a couple of other leaders. So all the royalty should be around here, shouldn’t they? That’s a royal castle after all, isn’t it?” she asked Celestia, stepping up from the bench and walking a few steps. She gazed up at the castle, trying to see if she could spot anyone through the windows.
“I should think so. Everypony wants to live in Equestria now, and they wouldn’t be building all of this if there wasn’t some kind of government in place. The earth ponies are obviously handling the farming, and the pegasi manage the weather, just as they did outside Equestria.” Celestia glanced up at the castle for a moment. “I’m guessing the castle is unicorn handiwork. I doubt Princess Platinum would live in a place without one of their magnificent palaces to accommodate her. A lot of unicorns would’ve come over when the king joined his daughter, not to mention the rulers for the other two races.” Celestia replied.
“So if all the rulers are together, then who’s in charge?” she asked. Celestia thought for a moment but couldn’t come up with an answer. She hadn’t actually heard anything about who was ruling Equestria, only who ruled the individual pony races. They would have to pick a new ruler to govern over all of Equestria now; an absolute leader.
“Hear ye’, hear ye’!” A sudden and booming voice broke Celestia’s trail of thought. “The election of the new ruler for all Equestria is to be held soon. All citizens are invited to attend to proceedings.” A garishly-dressed announcer pony led by a small procession of guards was making rounds through the city, calling for everyone to attend the election. They were heading down a road perpendicular to the street the alicorn sisters were on, but he was loud enough to hear from a few districts away. He was announcing loudly and proudly, frightening the living daylights out of whoever stood next to him as a result, including his guard escort. They looked about ready to pummel the noisy colt.
“I think that answers your question Luna,” Celestia said. She stood up and watched the announcer and guards leave. The two of them looked up at the castle and could already see ponies heading up the steps into the main hall.
“Oh, we should go!” Luna told Celestia, who began to think it over.
“We’re trying to lay low, but I suppose this is a big event. Whoever those ponies decide on will hold the fate of Equestria in their hooves. But there’ll be a large crowd. Even these cloaks might not hide us.” Celestia looked hesitant, weighing the pros and cons of going. Her sister was nowhere near as picky though.
“It’s a historic event, sis. That means this is big news that will be remembered for a long time. This is exactly the sort of thing you love to watch. C’mon, let’s get going before the place fills up.” She smiled and started trotting off towards the entrance to the castle. Celestia snapped out of her thoughts and followed after Luna.
“Alright we can go, but I want you to stay close,” she told Luna. Her little sister smiled and they headed up towards the stairs to the castle hall.
――――――――――――――――――――――
By the time the two of them made it inside, there was already a crowd forming in the long, castle hall. The place was constructed from sublime marble and stone, giving a smooth and elegant look to the architecture. The walls were decorated in large banners with emblems from all three races, symbolising their unity in this new land. One large curtain hung behind the throne, taking up most of the back wall. A long red carpet led up from the entrance, along the hall and up the stairs to the very foot of the throne, where the new ruler of Equestria would sit. The crowd was forming either side of the carpet, loudly chattering amongst themselves about who it would be. Celestia instantly felt cautious about the large crowd, but Luna managed to find a splot behind a pillar where they could sit unnoticed. No pony seemed too concerned about the pair in cloaks anyway; all eyes were facing forwards, towards the end of the hall where a large throne sat. An earth pony dressed in royal garments emerged from behind the curtain at the end of the hall and stood before the crowd. She first cleared her throat, and then spoke to the crowd,
“Citizens of Equestria, tonight we decide on a matter most important to the founding of our great nation. Equestria was founded on the principles of universal goodwill between ponies of all shapes and sizes, a bond that was created when the first six came upon this land and together vanquished the icy grip of hatred that has plagued the hearts and minds of so many, bringing forth the dawn of a new age of eternal friendship.” She spoke loudly, ensuring all ponies within the hall could hear. Celestia listened intently while Luna was amazed at how many ponies had shown up.
“In that spirit of friendship, three friends have volunteered their names for this honour. They are three of the original founders, ponies who have already ruled their own and believe themselves capable of ruling us now. Fillies and gentlecolts, I have the immense pride and privilege of introducing to you, Princess Platinum!” A white unicorn with a regal purple robe emerged from behind the curtain. She bore a beautiful silver crown with all the finest jewels and her cape shone with the light of a thousand diamonds.
“Commander Hurricane!” A pegasus pony burst out from the top of the curtains, dressed in honorific armour of the Pegasus clan. Shining metallic armour strong enough to withstand even the hardest blow adorned her. She landed down next to Platinum and nodded to her.
“And finally, Chancellor Pudding-Head!” An excitable earth pony with congressional robes and a large pudding hat bounced out from behind the curtain. She wasted no time and immediately hugged her two friends, then waved out to the crowd.
“My lords and ladies, these three believe themselves capable of ruling you. But which one of them should? This is our question to you tonight, and we eagerly await your response.” The mare said to the crowd, who immediately began to discuss amongst themselves about who should rule. Celestia began to wonder as well.
“Well, Platinum knows her fathers’ ways as king, but Hurricane is strong and unwavering. Pudding-Head…” She suddenly stopped and considered Pudding-Head for the moment, struggling to come up with something to adequately describe the chancellor.
“She’s… unconventional? You know, think outside the box?” Luna proposed. Celestia nodded firmly in agreement.
“That’s for sure,” Celestia replied, looking up at the three. “Any of them would do a fine job on their own. Why, together they would…” Celestia stopped speaking as her mind considered another option. Luna looked towards her sister, who had fallen quiet.
“What’s the matter?” She inquired.
“They should all rule!” she excitedly told Luna, who was taken aback by her sudden energy.
“Any one of them would do a fine job, so imagine if they all shared the position? They already have so much amity between them, and together they could hold no races’ concerns over another. It’s the perfect unity.” She seemed very proud of her idea, and Luna agreed as well.
“That’s a good point sis.” Luna looked towards the crowd near them, discussing the leadership position wildly. “And I think I have a way of telling them.” She smiled and snuck close to a nearby pony. Luna whispered the idea into the mare’s ears, who considered it as well. As Luna snuck back, she began telling it to everypony near her. “Now we just wait for it to spread,” she said, grinning happily. Celestia shared the feeling.
“Nicely done, let’s hope it works,” Celestia said, gazing out over the crowd and watching the idea spread. It wasn’t long before the thought reached the front of the crowd and then up to the three candidates. From what Celestia could see, they seemed to like the idea as well. The royal mare stamped her hooves on the ground to get the attention of the crowd.
“My good citizens, you have given us a most splendid idea. Rather than choose one of these three good friends to rule, maybe we should have all three rule together in harmony?” The pony inquired of the crowd, who seemed to agree unanimously. Luna watched her sister quietly glow with pride as everyone agreed on her idea.
“I can’t believe it. I never thought an idea of mine could affect something like this.” She spoke giddily, elated that the crowd agreed with her.
“It’s a smart idea Tia’. You’re always so energetic when it comes to helping everypony,” Luna commented. Celestia hid her delight with the shy wave of a hoof. “I bet if you keep coming up with things like that, nopony would even care about us being so different.” Luna said, nudging her. Celestia turned to her with a sullen look.
“I’m not so sure, sister. But recognition doesn’t matter to me. Just as long as everypony else is happy, I’m content.” She said. Luna looked a little confused but merely shrugged in response.
“Whatever makes you happy sis. I suppose I don’t have to get it,” Luna sighed. It was around now that the crowd had finally decided on the idea of united rulership. The crowd was quieted down and made silent.
“It seems this idea strikes a chord with all of you, and I can see why. Very well then, let us waste no more time. If everypony is in agreement, I now name you,” the three leaders on stage all bowed their heads, “the rulers of-“
A resounding clap echoed throughout the halls of the castle, interrupting the ceremony. Those atop the steps looked around for the source of the noise as another clap rang out over the crowd. It took everypony a few minutes to locate the source. Above the entrance to the hall, an extraordinarily bizarre abomination sat atop the doorway, clapping two mismatched hands together. It grinned, bearing one odd jagged fang in its smile.
“Bravo, bravo! I do believe congratulations are in order. You’ve finally decided who was going to be running the show here, and here I was just starting to get bored.” The royal mare atop the steps pointed a hoof up towards the being.
“Just who are you? How dare you interrupt this ceremony,” the announcer said. The creature smiled wider and snapped two of the claws on its bird arm, disappearing from atop the door in a flash of light. It reappeared before the mare in mid-air and shook the outstretched hoof with a lion’s paw, pulling her from the stage to fall into the crowd. The creature then landed upon the steps on a horse’s hoof and dragon’s foot, a red snake tail flicking its way behind him.
“Oh yes, how rude of me, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Discord, and I just know we’re all going to be the best of friends… guahahaha-GUAHAHAHA!”
Chapter 2. The King of Chaos
The Rise of Harmony
Author: SpaceKing
My Little Pony and all subsequent properties belong to Hasbro. I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter 2. THE KING OF CHAOS
There was a great silence within the royal halls of the castle. The huge crowd stood in awe of the strange being that had interrupted the ceremony. Discord stood atop the steps, grinning maliciously and gazing over the astonished faces of the crowd. Celestia and Luna were just as stunned as the rest of the crowd, transfixed by the bizarre creature.
“I know, I know, stunning, am I not?” he said, chuckling and running a hand down his mane. The announcer he had brushed aside was furious, as were many of the ponies organising this event.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but this is an outrage!” she yelled, stamping a hoof against the ground. “We are about to crown the future rulers of this great nation, and you think you can just barge in here like this?” Discord tapped his chin for a second, thinking.
“Pretty much,” he replied, stifling a laugh. The announcer practically had steam coming out of her ears from this impertinence. Guards began to surround the throne and peak of the steps, all focused on Discord. Behind a pillar, Celestia and Luna watched them all take up positions around Discord.
“Who is this guy?” Luna said, leering up at the grinning madman. “Doesn’t he realise what he’s interrupting?” She ground her hooves against the stone floor, ready to charge right up there and knock Discord from the stair-top. Celestia raised a hoof before her, holding Luna back.
“Luna, you told me you wouldn’t do anything hasty,” she said, glaring at her worryingly.
“We can’t just sit here and watch him ruin this day. Let’s get up there and teach him a lesson he won’t forget.” Luna threw a few punches in the air with her hooves, still glaring up at Discord.
“Just calm down and let the guards take care of it. I’m sure he won’t be too much trouble for them.” Celestia looked up towards Discord, who was quickly being surrounded by the royal guards. Luna snorted in anger but stayed behind Celestia, obeying her sister’s pleas. The guards brandished their wings, ready to take Discord down at a moment’s notice.
“Wait!” called out Princess Platinum suddenly, causing the guards to look at her in disbelief. She raised a hoof to the guards and slowly stepped forward to face Discord, who raised an eyebrow to her. “Good ponies, we simply cannot start our nation of peace with such hostility. To do would be dreadfully uncouth,” she said, closing her eyes and holding her head up in a regal manner. The ponies looked a little shocked at her defence for the creature, but her words were the truth. The guards relaxed for a moment, allowing Platinum to act. The princess looked at Discord and smiled. “My dear, um, Discord, why have you come here?” she asked him.
“Ah, the ever-regal Princess Platinum, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance my dear. You know, I’ve heard fantastic tales of your beauty and grace,” Discord replied politely. Platinum beamed with pride.
“Well, I do my best,” she replied, bouncing her hair happily.
“It’s amazing how exaggerated some things can get,” he went on to say. Platinum froze for a moment, then stared daggers at him. “Oh, don’t fret, little marshmellow. Beauty isn’t everything, you’re a living example of that,” Discord laughed, patting Platinum on the head. Platinum slapped his hand away in a rage.
“Why, of all the loathsome, vile, despicable creatures in this world, you are the very worst, you livid, little, lying brute!” she said to him, pointing a hoof at his smug face. Chancellor Puddinghead moved next to Platinum, along with Commander Hurricane who hovered above them.
“Yeah! Platinum isn’t a marsh-mellow,” Puddinghead argued. Princess Platinum frowned at her.
“Chancellor, that’s not what I meant,” she said bluntly. The chancellor was confused.
“But you got angry about him lying, and you’re not a marshmellow. You should know that, silly,” she replied blissfully. The princess groaned and Discord snickered.
“Hmm, you’re quite right, Chancellor. I suppose we should fix that,” he said, and then snapped his fingers. A flash of light enveloped Princess Platinum, who yelped suddenly. When the light passed, the princess’s body became a puffy ball of sugary marsh-mellow. Discord guffawed as the crowd gasped in disbelief and the guards reared back in shock. Platinum squealed as her body wobbled and shook with her movements. Celestia and Luna felt their jaws drop as they watched the princess bounce about.
“T-This can’t be possible,” Celestia said in disbelief. Luna stamped her hoof angrily.
“Oh, it’s on now. Noone transmogrifies the princess on my watch!” Luna exclaimed, ready to pounce on Discord again. Celestia grabbed her and held her down before she could do anything rash though.
“No! Luna, you can’t go up there. Calm down, please,” she said, pleading with her sister.
“There is no way I’m just going to sit here and do nothing,” Luna replied. Discord was pressing Princess Platinum up and down, watching her squish under slight pressure.
“There you are, Chancellor. I’m not a liar anymore,” Discord said to the princess in distress. She squealed as Discord poked her squishy form, much to his own delight. Commander Hurricane watched in astonishment at her friend, then turned to Discord with a scowl.
“Change her back right this instant, snappy, or I’m going to rearrange your parts even worse than you are now!” she ordered him, pointing a hoof right at his face. Discord was surprised at first but ended up smirking mischievously.
“Oh, you want the normal Princess Platinum back, do you?” he asked her.
“Hurry it up, chimera!” she replied firmly.
“Very well,” Discord said, snapping his fingers again. This created another flash of light, however Platinum remained her gooey self. After the light passed, Commander Hurricane felt herself wearing a familiar cape and crown, and let out a yelp in surprise as she found herself plummeting to the ground, her wings having vanished from her back. Discord let out a hearty laugh and kicked his legs happily, pointing at the ‘commander’.
“Ahaha! There you go, now you have the normal Princess Platinum again,” he said, pointing at Hurricane who had had been transformed into Princess Platinum. “Although we do seem to be missing the commander. Has anypony seen her?” Discord laughed again even harder as the crowd was taken aback by his powers.
“W-What did you do? “ Hurricane asked but slammed her mouth shut when she heard only Platinum’s voice. Chancellor Puddinghead tugged at the royal cape Hurricane now wore.
“It’s real,” she exclaimed, “Holy smokes, Hurricane. Does this mean I have to start calling you princess now?” she asked. Hurricane glared viciously back at her, then at Discord.
“T-This is... Get him men!” she said, pointing at him. The guards sprung to attention and galloped towards Discord. He, in response, snapped his fingers again, and teleported over to the doorway into the hall. He floated above the crowd, flapping with his mismatched bat and bird wings. He sneered at the guards, who quickly turned to reach him again. Once they were close enough, Discord ducked to the side and brandished a red cape in front of them. The guards continued their charge, heading straight for him. At the last moment, Discord pulled the cape past them, obscuring their vision and causing them to crash into the doors.
“Ole’!” Discord said. He tapped the door and spun it around in place, pushing the dazed pile of guards outside. Discord teleported above the throne, perching himself atop it. The three leaders gazed up at him as he sneered down upon them. “I’m afraid this concludes your part of this show, your almost-highnesses. Feel free to let yourselves out,” he said, snapping his fingers again. The three of them suddenly felt themselves floating off the ground and drifting towards the door. They fell to the ground after a moment, colliding with the hard stone, and then began to bounce down the steps like they were made of rubber. The crowd watched them spring past towards the doors but were reluctant to help, fearing a similar fate for themselves. Celestia gasped as the three bounced towards the exit, loosening her grip on Luna as a result.
“That… is it!” Luna broke free of Celestia’s grip. She leapt into action, dashing over to the doors and activating her magic. She intercepted the three just in time and held them aloft with her telekinesis. The crowd let out a cheer as Luna held her rulers aloft. She smiled at the crowd’s reaction and waved to the ponies cheering her on. Celestia felt her heart sink for a moment and looked over at Discord, who was staring at Luna with a surprised look on his face, which quickly turned sour. Celestia quickly ran to her sister’s side.
“Celestia, do you hear those ponies cheering? They’re cheering for me, how great is that?” Luna asked her sister. She grinned widely and glanced up at the three ponies.
“That’s… great,” Celestia replied. She gave a very awkward smile as she made sure her sister’s robe was on tight, glancing at the crowd. “I’ll admit that was very brave, and I’m proud of you Luna. But I think we’re in a lot of trouble now.”
“You certainly are.” The voice made the two sisters shudder to the core. They looked up at the throne to see a very irritated Discord slowly rapping his fingers against the armrest. They gulped, and Luna set the rulers down behind her as Discord stood up. “I suppose this is how you all felt when I interrupted you, so I can safely say that I’m sorry for that. This is a very infuriating experience,” he said slowly.
“You’re the infuriating one,” Luna called out, “How dare you do this to our leaders. They rule over this whole land, so you better show some respect and change them back.” Celestia was lost for words on her sister’s actions, merely watching in horror as she tried to order this monster around. Discord thought about Luna’s words for a moment.
“Funny, I don’t recall hearing the actual words for that. I seem to remember the ceremony was interrupted before they announced who was in in charge,” he said, tapping his chin. Discord then turned to the announcer mare that he had brushed aside and plucked her from the audience. “Let’s clear up this misunderstanding then, shall we? Why don’t you finish what you were going to say, Ms Announcer?” he asked the mare. She flailed about in Discord’s grip but then found her lips moving of their own accord.
“I-Indeed. As I was about to say…” The pony tried to keep her mouth shut but it was a futile effort. “That I now name you, Discord, the ruler of all Equestria,” the announcer said, shocked at her own words. Discord dropped her back into the crowd and threw his arms into the air.
“Oh, fancy that. You wanted me to rule? How interesting. Very well, I accept. I officially name myself your new king,” he said.
“What? That’s not even close to official. You just manipulated that mare with your powers,” Celestia said. Luna looked to her side to see Celestia voicing opposition strongly. Even she had her limits for what she’d take. “Nopony would ever accept you as their king.” The crowd agreed with her, as they begun to speak up alongside Celestia and Luna. Discord simply laughed at the reaction.
“Oh come now, you call that opposition? You call that anger? Let me see you really explode. I turned the princess into a candy, is this all you have to say?” he asked of the crowd, who grew even more agitated. “Let it all spill out. Show me just how furious you all are.” They became more disorderly with each passing second, almost suspiciously so. Celestia noticed something wrong when the crowd began to argue with each other, turning their anger on everypony near them.
“They’re fighting amongst themselves,” she said, watching them start to brawl and bash one another. “But why…”
“It’s him,” Luna said, pointing at Discord. He was laughing and slapping the throne raucously. “He’s doing all this.” Luna aimed her horn at Discord and let loose a blast of blue energy. It struck Discord square in the chest and propelled the throne backwards behind the curtains. But even without Discord, crowd continued to bicker pointlessly. Luna looked around in disbelief. “I don’t get it, I knocked Discord out. Why are they still fighting?” she asked. Celestia glared at the ponies fighting.
“He’s riled them up so much that they’re taking it out on each other,” she said, looking over the crowd. She kept the three leaders away from the angry crowd, shielding them with magic. Luna took a deep breath and then spoke.
“Be still!” she shouted, finally obtaining their attention. However, she had gained the attention of an enraged crowd riled up by Discord’s actions. Luna quickly realised her situation and backed against the door, alongside Celestia, Puddinghead, Marshmellow Platinum, and ‘Princess’ Hurricane. The crowd slowly began to advance towards them. “What do we do, sis?” she asked fearfully, turning to Celestia. She placed a hoof on her sister’s head reassuringly and stepped forward, facing the enraged crowd. She raised her head up high into the air, her horn beginning to glow brightly.
“Please let this work,” she said and released a spark, which grew into a blinding white light that enveloped the room. It bathed the ponies fighting in a calm light, sedating them and putting an end to their bewitched rage. The crowd was confused and dazed from Celestia’s spell. “Ponies, calm yourselves.” Celestia called out to them, “Discord is using your anger against you. Don’t let him control you,” she said, addressing the crowd who fell silent. A distinctive clapping could be heard from behind the curtain.
“Impressive, you two have great talent with magic,” he said, emerging from behind the curtain. “Unfortunately, so do I.” Discord snapped his fingers and the room began to shake. The pillars around the room began to shift and warp before cracking open to reveal huge glowing eyes. They split open further to reveal huge, jagged, stone jaws, followed by a tongues made of castle tapestry. Four of these pillar beasts grinned madly as they gazed down upon the two sisters, licking their lips in anticipation.
“I’m not scared of you,” Luna yelled up at the golems. One opened its mouth in response and roared down at Luna, blowing her hair back from force alone. Celestia snatched her sister using her magic and threw her to the side, just as the monster struck where Luna had just been standing. Its’ mighty jaws tore up the floor, crushing through solid rock with ease. Discord tapped his chin as he watched these monsters work, studying their dull stone complexion.
“Well, that’s a little boring. Why don’t I liven them up a bit?” he said, snapping his fingers a few times with a grin. The golems began to shift in size and colour, growing various limbs and parts all over.
“I think they’re lively enough already,” Celestia replied as she watched the creatures transform before her eyes. She aimed her horn at one and let loose a bolt of white energy. It struck the golem fiercely, bathing it in a white aura and forcing it backwards into a wall. Once it touched the wall, the golem fused with the stone and was locked in place. One of the other golems roared at this attack and swung down an ape’s fist towards her. However, a blue bolt of magic struck the arm, causing it to reflect and hit himself, effectively destroying another one. Celestia nodded to Luna, whose horn was still glowing from the spell. The remaining two golems, now overburdened with a variety of body parts, stared their two foes down.
“Neener, neener, you can’t catch us,” Luna jeered, stretching her cheeks and waving her tongue at the beasts. They waved their fists at her in anger and circled the two, positioning themselves either side of the sisters.
“Luna, I have a plan. Can you…” Celestia whispered a plan to her sister, who nodded in agreement. The two levitated themselves into the air at roughly the golem’s head-height. They creatures raised their bizzare assortment of fists and unleashed a flurry of blows at the two airborne ponies. The two smiled and released their magical levitation, dropping to the floor as the fists flew past them. They ended up hitting each other at full force, knocking both of them out in one fell swoop and putting an end to the menace. Discord clapped and laughed heartily at the destruction of his creatures.
“Fantastic, you two!” he cheered. “Well done, well done. Oh, what more is there to mess with?” He glanced around the hall quickly in search of anything to manipulate.
“That’s enough Discord,” Celestia stated, stomping firmly. “Put an end to this or we will put an end to you.” Discord raised an eyebrow and waved his hands in the air fearfully
“Ugh, you’re turning out to be a real bore, Celestia was it? Fine then, give it your best shot. Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky,” he laughed, marking an X on his chest.
“You leave us no choice. Luna, let’s do this together.” Celestia’s horn began to glow, emanating with an immense power. Luna smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Right sis, let’s show him what we can really do,” she said, powering up her own horn with magic. The two pooled their energy together, lighting up the room with power. Discord watched the two suspiciously as their energy grew. Then, with a quick flick of their horns, the two fired a twin, spiralling beam of pure power that enveloped Discord, holding him in place.
“Wait, what are you doing?” Discord said as he felt himself being thrust into the air, tied by invisible bonds of magic. The two alicorns began to swing him around the room. He kept spinning wildly, gaining speed quickly before he was spinning around the room like a fan. “Agh, get me out of this thing!”
“You’ll ever terrorise anypony ever again!” the two shouted out and gave one final burst. It struck Discord in his spinning bonds and launched him out a window at mach speed, a sonic boom spreading over the city as he soared over the horizon. They had poured enough power into that attack to launch him far, far away from Equestria. With their energy spent, the two collapsed on the floor in a heap. The crowd looked on in awe as they saw Discord disappear into the distance, and then let out a great cheer.
“Sis, d-did we do it?” Luna asked Celestia, panting from exhaustion. Celestia unsteadily rose to her knees and nodded.
“Yes, I think so,” Celestia replied, sitting back down as she caught her breath
“They’re cheering again. I love that sound.” Luna smiled widely nodded as the crowd gathered around the pair. They stamped their hooves and jumped for joy. Celestia was thrilled to see everypony happy, but still felt nervous about being around so many ponies. She tugged at her cloak to make sure it was on tightly.
“Stop worrying sis, we’re fine. Everypony is,” Luna said, putting a hoof on her sister’s back. Celestia sent to speak, but just smiled and nodded. She could hear the joyous sounds of the ponies cheering, laughing and yelling. The cheer was loud and joyous, but a single guffaw could be heard above all the noise. When Celestia heard that laugh, her joy turned to horror and her heart sunk deep into her chest.
“No…” She looked towards the steps and saw its owner, writhing on the throne in joyful agony. Discord was laughing so hard he found it hard to sit still, squirming and twisting wildly as he let it all out. Celesta gasped in horror and the crowd turned, and then immediately stopped their cheers. Discord continued though, even in the silence of the crowd.
“I-It… it can’t be. It just can’t,” Celestia said, tripping over her own words. Discord wiped away a tear and giggled.
“Oh, I have never had this much fun before. You two are really something special, you know that?” Discord snickered and then burst out into more laughter, calming down after another fit. “Aha, I haven’t laughed like that in a long time.” Discord smiled as he saw the horrified expressions of the ponies in the hall.
“It d-didn’t work. H-He’s not even tired at all,” Luna said, wobbling on her hooves.
“Then, w-we’ll just have to do it again.“ Celestia attempted to summon up her power again but found all her strength drained after their previous assault. She had nothing left.
“Come on, please. Even a spark, just something,” Celestia pleaded to her horn. Discord tutted, waving a finger in front of the pair and then pointed it downwards. The two sisters felt an immense force slam them against the ground.
“No, that’s quite enough of that for one day” he said, smiling happily and conjuring up a refreshing drink. “I do have other things to do. The schedule of a king is very full. I’ll be seeing you two out now.” He floated down from the throne towards the pair. The crowd retreated to the back of the hall as Discord grabbed the two up by the hood of their cloaks, lifting them into the air. Celestia writhed about fruitlessly as she was pulled aloft, finding even her physical strength had gone. She cast her gaze over at Luna and froze up in horror at what she saw. Slowly, stitch by stitch, Luna’s cape was ripping apart.
“No! Let her go now, Discord. If you don’t, it’ll break!” Celestia shrieked out to Discord. It had already become weak from the carriage scuffle and was tearing under her weight.
“Ugh, now what are you on about? You’re a whiny one,” Discord asked, raising Celestia up to his face with a disinterested look. He saw her staring intently with eyes full of fear at her little sister.
“Let her go, let her go now! Please, don’t let it break. I don’t care what you do, just let go of Luna right now,” she called out. Discord remained completely baffled by her words.
“Tia’…” Celestia looked down at Luna to see her looking up at her. She raised a hoof out towards Celestia just as the cloak gave way. She dropped to the floor, her cloak still within Discord’s firm grasp. Celestia grimaced as Luna’s wings were revealed to everypony. Her true identity came as a shock to everypony, even Discord, who dropped Celestia in response. Celestia snatched the tattered remains of Luna’s robe away from Discord and draped her sister in them, nervously and pointlessly attempting to cover her once more.
“It’s okay, nopony saw. It’s okay, nopony saw.” Celestia repeated to herself a few times, feverishly moving her hooves back and forth to cover the holes in Luna’s former cape. Luna turned to Celestia and placed a hoof on shoulder. Celestia stopped cold in her chanting and looked down at her little sister, who weakly smiled back at her.
“Sorry for breaking our cover. I should’ve just done what you said and stayed quiet. It’s all my… all my,” Luna whimpered to Celestia, staring down at the ground. Celestia hugged her quivering little sister.
“It will never be your fault, Luna. We’re in this thing together, no matter what,” Celestia said, comforting her. The crowd looked on in awe of the two, amazed that there was not just one, but two winged pegasi in the room with them all. For the moment, it was quiet.
“Well… well… well,” Discord finally spoke up, a grin spreading across his devious lips. “Isn’t this quite the sight?” Celestia glared up at him, fearful for what that expression meant for the two of them. “I was wondering why you two were so powerful. Unicorns certainly aren’t capable of things like that; no normal pony is. But then winged unicorns aren’t normal, are they?” Discord began to chuckle slowly and circle the pair in the air. He landed behind the two and snapped his fingers, causing the doors to fly open. “You can all leave now. I suddenly have some important business to attend to,” he told the crowd. Everypony quickly vacated the hall, more than happy to get away from Discord, who not even alicorns stood a chance against.
The room was empty, save for the three of them. Discord walked back towards the end of the hall and up the steps, sitting down on the throne and crossing his legs. That same devious grin remained glued to his face. Celestia continued to glare at him, while Luna kept staring at the floor morosely. The two stared down each other for a while before Celestia finally spoke up.
“So… what are you going to do with us?” she asked him. Discord thought to himself for a while, staring off into space as he did so.
“Oh, so many things come to mind. I’m sure there are plenty of creatures that could use powerhouses like you two,” he replied, chuckling sinisterly which only made Celestia held onto Luna even tighter. Discord then abandoned his grin for a polite smile. “But I have a better idea, something you might appreciate as well; a chance to live a life devoid of any worries, and with the world at your every whim.”
“What?” Luna asked, looking up at him. The two sisters gazed at him in disbelief. Discord actually gave a genuinely warm and happy smile to the two.
“Join me on this throne, dear ponies,” he suggested. The two were taken aback by the offer and simply gaped at him.
“W-What did you just say?” Celestia asked, baffled by his offer.
“I believe I offered you the chance to join me. Become… friends, I believe you call it,” he replied. The two continued to stare at him blankly. Discord sighed. “Come now, it’s really not that hard to figure out. I could rule this land alone easily and have a wonderful time, but isn’t it always far more entertaining to share the fun? Between the three of us, oh, just think of the things we could accomplish.” Discord teleported behind the two and hugged them tightly around the necks, choking them slightly. “The sheer immensity of pandemonium of our three powers let loose? It would be unparalleled mayhem!” Discord waved his hand and the walls and ceiling of the hall began to dissolve around them, giving way to a discordant landscape. The skies glew with bizarre shifting colours, as the sun and the moon fought for a position in the sky, twirling around each other. The ground was coloured randomly and moved like water, while the oceans twirled up in giant pillars of luminescent jelly. The three of them flew high above this landscape, watching the madness unfold below.
“This,” Discord began to speak, “is the kind of world we could create together. We cast reason to the wayside and do the impossible every day.” He pointed out over a square horizon of diamond balloons, squishing the faces of Celestia and Luna against his own. “Picture it; no one to tell us what to do, and the world at our collective whims. Anything we want, we get, and anything we decide, is law.”
“But… that’s utter chaos,” Celestia replied, watching the world twist and turn unpredictably.
“Exactly, could you imagine a better place?” He waved his hand again and the landscape vanished, leaving them back in the royal hall. He placed them on the ground and stood before them, smiling expectantly. “So, what do you say?” Discord offered a hand to the sisters. Celestia stared at the hand, unsure of what to say.
“Sis, if we did that, you’d never have to care about us being found out ever again,” she said. Celestia turned to her in surprise. “I hate seeing you worry about me. You’re never happy so long as we’re in danger. But if we did this, we could be happy,” she said.
“That’s…” Celestia couldn’t find a proper response to her sister’s pleas. She turned to Discord. “If we did join you, what would happen to everyone else?” she asked.
“Does it matter?” he shrugged. “We don’t have to care about anyone else. All that would matter is you and your own satisfaction. No worries and no responsibilities, what could be grander?” he replied. Celestia stared him and let go of her sister for a moment, standing up before Discord.
“Wouldn’t have to, but why not? With your powers you could help so many, so why wouldn’t you?” she asked him.
“Ugh, could you picture how dull that would be? Why bother? Just so I could feel the gentle, glowing warmth of even a single appreciative pony?” Discord blew a raspberry. “I have far better things to do, and so could you. So, how about it?” He extended his hand once more, offering them the chance.
“Never!” Celestia yelled at him, giving her sister a small fright and causing Discord to retract his hand. “That’s the most cold-hearted thing I’ve ever heard somepony say. You’re just as monstrous as you look, and I wouldn’t help you in a million years,” she told him firmly. Luna also struggled to her feet to support Celestia.
“What’s with the sudden rage?” Discord chuckled. “Not having to care is a good thing. What I’m offering you is the greatest life in the world. What do the petty worries of a few measly ponies matter to unique creatures like us?”
“My sister always helps ponies no matter the trouble,” Luna replied firmly, standing tall.
“Luna…” Celestia exclaimed, surprised to see her so firmly defending her.
“It’s not the easiest way to live, and sometimes I don’t understand it that well, but I know in my heart it’s the right way. It’s the only way we should live. She’d never place her own desires over the joy of others, and neither will I. We’ll never join you!” she said, glaring at Discord. She looked at Celestia and the two nodded warmly at each other. They both stood defiant before the chaotic being. Discord glared at them for a second before cracking up and laughing at their choice.
“Oh, you two are going to be fun alright. Fine, I’ll let you go live your ‘right way’. We’ll see just how willing you are to help everypony in my new land of disharmony and chaos.” He flicked a finger towards the door and it blew open again, creating a vacuum of suction. The two felt themselves being dragged towards the door by the powerful force. “Though if you do change your minds, know that my offer still stands. Good luck, my little ponies,” he said happily, waving goodbye with one hand as the sisters were dragged out of the hall and flung outside. The door slammed shut again and Discord sat on his new throne, smiling. “You’re going to need it.”
