Nightingale

The morning air was cold on Twilights neck, Celestia’s- no- Twilights sun was just beginning to climb into the air. She was trotting across the courtyard with the guard who had so rudely interrupted her and Octavian’s discussion about the ramifications and hardships of immortality. Twilight glared at the Guard, this had better be good, she thought to herself, if not I wonder if I could learn how to send ponies to the moon? The thought made her laugh, only a week of raising the sun and already shes thinking like her mentor! The pony refugees that were already up and about looked up at Twilight curiously as she went by some bowing to the lavender Alicorn. As Twilight and the Guard approached the gate Twilight watched as the night guard switched with the day guard, and slowed to a stop as her appointed Captain of the Defiance Guard approached her.

“Good morning your highness, sorry to have disturbed you but we have a rather pressing matter at hand.” The Captain said as he walked towards the gates, Twilight following close behind. “There was a group of refugees that arrived about an hour ago, and they said they were friends of yours.” He hesitated before continuing “They also said the have news from Canterlot.”

“Really? Where are they now?” Twilight asked, a glimmer of hope filling her.

“Well we put them in a holding cell by the gate, would you like to see them your highness?”

“Yes, I would, bring me to them.”

The Captain nodded and took her to an old cellar built in to the outer wall, the soft clicking of their hooves on the cobble stone echoed of the walls as they approached the cellar. Unlocking, and opening the door, the captain stepped aside to reveal six familiar mares inside. Twilight’s five friends as well as Octavia, the cellist from the Gala were sitting in a circle in the cellar. Upon seeing Twilight Pinkie dashed towards her and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“TwilightIthoughtwewouldneverseeyouagainhowareyou?wheresLunaandCelestia?ohwehavesoomuchtotellyou!DiscordisntDiscord!wellheisbuthesposessed!” Pinkie rambled on until Twilight stopped her with a hoof.

“Pinkie, I’m glad to see you girls too but I think it would be easier if you just started from the beginning.”

“I can fill you in Twilight dear.” Rarity said “Well after the battle started Fluttershy pulled us down into a sewer. After a while down in the muck we found the way out…”

*

The five companions slowly exited the sewers through the trapdoor, before running to the nearest alley before one of Discords slave ponies could see them. The Sun was shining down on them and Canterlot smelled of death and decay. Slowly and quietly they walked through the alley, the five ponies shaking of the muck of the sewer. As they came to the other side of the alley and to the street they found it deserted, Rainbow Dash looked at Apple Jack before shrugging and walking into the street. Reluctantly the rest of the mares followed her. As the group slowly trotted down the street towards the main gate of Canterlot they heard the clopping of hooves behind them. Rainbow looked at Apple Jack.

“Do I dare look?” Rainbow asked with worry etched across her face.

“Well sugarcube we are gonna have to if they mean trouble!” Apple Jack replied with false bravado in her voice.

The group turned to see a group of around twenty ponies following them, all staring blankly ahead with the terrifying black eyes of Discords slaves and the mouths of the ponies were all sewn shut. The five companions stopped and turned to face their attackers, taking up fighting stances as the mob advanced.

“Girls hold your ground! We beat an army of Changelings we can take on a punch of mindless slaves!” Rainbow Dash yelled

“Yea… but- uh Dash? When we beat the Changelings we didn’t know them… I mean that one on the left is Donut Joe! We can’t hurt our friends!” Fluttershy replied.

“Oh. Right. Okay girls, new plan. RUN THE BUCK AWAY!” Dash yelled before turning tail and running away with her friends right behind her.

“DASH! THEYRE FOLLOWING US!” Rarity yelled fear creeping into her voice. Sure enough the slaves were chasing the mares down the black, unblinking eyes boring holes into the mares backs.

“HEY! Girls over here!” came a cry from Rainbow Dash’s left. Over by a trap door was a mare in a black cloak, beckoning to the fleeing mares. With a look at Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash led the group over to the mysterious pony and followed her down the trapdoor and into a massive chamber, filled with an assortment of weird magical items and scientific equipment. As soon as the last of the five companions were inside the pony closed the trapdoor and sealed it, the sound of hooves passing over head filled the chamber for an instance before disappearing.

“Wow thanks stranger! We would have been toast if you hadn’t helped us!” Rarity exclaimed.

“What is this place?” Rainbow demanded “It looks like some sort of evil scientists lair!” then Rainbow thought a bit more “or Twilights basement!”

“heh I suppose it does Rainbow Dash, bearer of the Element of Loyalty.” The stranger replied before lowering her hood to reveal a gray mare with a long flowing black mane.

“Octavia?” Rarity asked “is that you?”

“The one and only” Octavia said unsmiling, before turning to Rainbow Dash. “and to answer your question Rainbow Dash, this is the home of the Order of the Blue Sun.”

“The what?”

“The Order of the Blue Sun. It was a secret organization founded by Princess Celestia after the fall of her sister to dark magic.” Octavia explained “Its purpose was to find, understand and root out evil where ever it may be.” She hesitated “Discord and I were recent additions to the Order; in fact Discord was reformed exactly to fulfill this purpose. You see after King Sombra was defeated by Twilight Sparkle, hundreds of dark and mysterious items were handed over to our custody, the most dangerous of which being the horn of Sombra himself, in which he was imprisoned.” Octavia looked up at the five mares “Celestia wanted to destroy Sombra permanently. The problem was that Sombra could possess those who got too close to the horn. Celestia thought that the immortal mind of Discord would be immune to such a possession and as such Discord began to study the horn intensely for the past few months.” A tear fell from her face “You see he worked so hard because he wanted to show Celestia and Twilight that he HAD changed. He wanted to earn their love.”

“I think that the possession happened after his last experiment, it had seemed to go so well! He thought that instead of destroying Sombra outright, that it might be possible to separate his spirit from the horn and send him directly into the ether. When he tried the spell it knocked everyone in the room out, and when we came to the horn showed no magical signature!” She smiled “Celestia was so proud!”

“So wait a second! You’re saying that Discord is being possessed by Sombra? Like when Luna was possessed by Nightmare Moon?” Rarity asked

“Well sadly no. Luna was possessed by her own emotions given sentience, Nightmare moon WAS Luna whereas Discord was possessed by an outside entity.”

“So what does that mean for Discord?”

“What it means Rarity is that the Discord we knew is dead, his soul devoured by Sombra” Octavia replied her voice cracking as tears ran down her face.

*

Silence filled the room as Rarity finished her tale, tears were on everyponys face and Twilight turned curiously toward Octavia.

“So who else was in this Order of the Blue Sun?”

“Um, there weren’t many of us there was Discord and I obviously. Night Light, your father, was as well. Oh! And this weird guy, he seemed to be Immortal, saw him take some hits that would have killed any normal pony. Oh what was his name!”

“Octavian?” Twilight deadpanned

“Yea! That was it!”

At that moment the door to the cellar opened again, the sunlight from outside blinding everypony as a figure trotted in the room.

“There you are Twilight! I was wondering where you were! Oh who else is here? Wait- is that you Octavia?... Oh horse apples.”

*

Darkness filled the sky over the Crystal Empire as the shield projected by the Crystal heart held it at bay. The crystal ponies inside were terrified and were gathering outside the royal palace to beseech Princess Cadence for answers. Meanwhile inside a husband and wife were pacing in their quarters, every few seconds sending glances outside towards the dark foreboding sky.

“Honey Twilight hasn’t answered any of my letters!”

“Shining, Spike is on a diplomatic mission to Dragonia remember? He probably still isn’t back yet!”

“Yes but nothing has been heard from Canterlot after the Coronation and Twilight has always been good at keeping me up to date I haven’t  heard from her since we left Canterlot!

“What can we do Shining? We can’t travel by land or air because whatever is out there has blockaded us!”

     “Our first action is to put the guard on full alert, and mobilize the reserve and get every citizen armed in case of an invasion. Second we need to get a message to Somepony in Canterlot or my sister, and third we need to prepare a way to escape from the city in case of being overrun.”

The couple trotted over to the balcony and looked out over their city. The streets had emptied as the guard sent everypony to their homes. The sky had turned black as the darkest night and rain had begun to pound at the shield before the silence was broken by a familiar laugh.

“So my dear Crystal Ponies you think you have been saved from me by this Twilight Sparkle? Be warned my slaves I am coming, and when I come nopony will be spared from my wrath!”

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence looked at one another before hugging each other tight and not letting go. And when the servants came in the morning they found the couple still in each other’s hooves asleep.

*

Luna flew up above the trees looking back she saw the long column of ponies that had fled with her from Trottingham and the Citadel, looking forward she could see the large imposing shape of Castle Defiance. She teased herself by thinking that if she looked close enough she could see the shapes of Ponies moving along the walls. With a faint smile she turned back to the column.

“My subjects! We are nearly to Defiance! Once there we can join our forces and put a stop to the madness caused by Discord! We will continue to march through the night and we shall be at the castle by morning!”

*

It was dark in the dark, cold in the void, and lonely with no name the spirit decided. The ether was all that was and all that will be to the spirit and it was all it could remember. Not the warm embrace of a friend, not the sweet taste of joy, and never the feel of love, only the dark coldness of the void, alone.

“Hello old friend”

The spirit turned to find a tall mare of incredible beauty smiling at him, the white of her coat lit the darkness and warmed the spirit. Though they had never met to the spirits knowledge the spirit could feel love emanating from the mare. It was then that the spirit remembered how to speak.

“Who-who are you?”

The mare smiled “a friend”

“Then who am I?”

“Ah well that is quite the question isn’t it? Well you are a being capable of immense good or terrible evil, a loyal friend yet a tricky and backstabbing enemy. Yet the answer I think you want is your name.”

“Then what is it? What is my name?”

“Why your name is Discord”

And with that the spirit- Discord smiled.