The Hidden Truth

Written by: psychicscubadiver
Edited by: frieD195 and Silentcarto
Story Image by: wyrmlover

Disclaimer: Hasbro owns My Little Pony. I do not. This is fanfiction only and is in no way meant to be taken as canonical. Please don’t sue; I don’t have enough money for it to be worth the court fees.

Twilight sighed as the last of the nobles finally left the ballroom. The award ceremony for the defeat of Discord had been lovely, but meeting and greeting all of the Canterlot nobility afterward had been an exhausting task. Her friends had made excuses and drifted off one by one hours ago. Even Rarity had tired of socializing and left eventually, but Twilight wanted a private talk with Princess Celestia. So she waited even as the sun slid toward the horizon.

“They can be rather tiresome, can’t they?” a familiar voice whispered in her ear.

Twilight spun around, her face lighting up. “Princess! I thought we’d never get a chance to talk!” Her mentor chuckled, her face more open and pleased than Twilight had seen all day. It seemed that she was not the only pony to dislike the nobility and their games. “I wanted to thank you for sending back my reports. I’d given up and was about to let Discord win, but they reminded me what my friends really meant to me.”

Princess Celestia beamed, and Twilight felt a fierce pride blossom in her chest at her mentor’s approval. “Yes, but a reminder was all you needed, my little pony. I knew your friendship could survive even Discord’s mind games. Though,” she admitted with a sheepish smile, “I was a little worried. After all, it's hard not to think of you as that adorable little pony who was so excited to become my student.”

"P-princess!" Twilight stammered, flushing in embarrassment. "I’m not a filly anymore.”

Celestia sighed. “I know you’re not, but it was such a short time ago that you were.” Her smile, while still warm, was now tinged with a deep sadness too. “Time flies so fast, my dear student. I’m just so relieved that you’re all right after all these troubles.”

Twilight blushed even deeper, trying and failing to hold back a bashful grin. “Don’t worry, we’re all alive and well. Discord was defeated, and order vanquished chaos once more.” She hadn’t really meant anything by her comment, but the Princess’s eyes flashed with a mixture of anger and heartache, her expression darkening for a long moment. Twilight had never really been afraid of her mentor, despite all her power, but this was a side of Celestia she’d never seen before. The Princess noticed Twilight’s widened eyes and suddenly defensive posture, and schooled her face into a blank mask.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. Twilight desperately reviewed her previous statement, trying to understand what had so upset her mentor. Celestia eyed Twilight silently, giving the unicorn the distinct impression that she was being judged, but why and for what she couldn’t imagine. At last the Princess broke the quiet. “You’re right, you know.” Twilight cocked her head curiously, and Celestia continued. “You’re not a filly anymore.”

The Princess sighed and hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “There is something I want to tell you, Twilight, but you can’t share this with anypony. Not even your friends. Can you agree to that?”

Twilight hesitated, torn. Her curiosity drove her to find out what pained the Princess so, no matter what the cost, but her heart held her back, wary of promising to keep something from the ponies cared for so deeply. Well, she thought, if Princess Celestia doesn’t want them to know, she must have a good reason. She would never ask it of me otherwise. Twilight finally nodded her assent.

The Princess regained her smile and began to leave the room, motioning for Twilight to follow her. They walked in silence for a time down one of the main corridors. Twilight held her curiosity at bay, but just barely. She wanted to ask about her mentor’s reaction, about where they were going, what they would discuss and why she couldn’t tell her friends, but the Princess’s silence made it clear that she didn’t want to talk just yet. They passed through several archways, each with paired guards standing at attention. Celestia stopped to speak to one wearing a badge of office on his otherwise utilitarian armor.

"Would you station two guards at the entrance of the Lower Eastern tower? They are to allow no pony to pass except Twilight, Luna and myself. I am going to be speaking with my student and we are not to interrupted. Also, send for a pot of tea and some cups as well." The stoic pegasus bowed, and flew quickly away.

The exchange had hardly taken a minute, but to Twilight it seemed to take forever. She waited impatiently, barely keeping herself from tapping her hoof anxiously, until the Princess finished talking and started off again. From there, Princess Celestia led Twilight to one of the older, less-used areas of the castle, filled mostly with rooms that were used for storage.

The guards and a servant with a pot of piping hot, delicious smelling tea were already waiting for them when they finally arrived at the tower. The Princess thanked them and led Twilight up several flights of stairs, going almost to the top before finally stopping outside a heavy wooden door that was secured by a lock bigger than Twilight’s hoof. It looked vastly complex, but Celestia unlocked it with a flicker of magic and pushed the door open, revealing a comfortable sitting room. It was a very nice room, well-decorated in a plush sort of style with plenty of overstuffed couches and warm tapestries covering every wall. It even had a balcony with a sweeping view of the royal gardens and the hedge maze.

But Twilight hardly noticed any of that. Her attention was immediately arrested by the statue in the center of the room. It was very tall, almost brushing the ceiling, and made of the oddest assortment of creatures that Twilight could imagine. Its face was a portrait of surprised terror, turning away from the power that had ultimately returned it to its stone prison. For a moment Twilight was speechless, but finally she found her voice. “Princess. Is that…?” Her question hung in the air for a moment.

Her mentor nodded. “Yes, Twilight. That is Discord.” She stopped and gazed fondly at the statue and continued. “He also was – and still is in many ways – my older brother and the rightful king of Equestria.”

………

It had taken a few cups of tea before Twilight was ready to resume conversation. Celestia waited patiently, fully aware of the enormity of the news she had just shared. Eventually, Twilight settled herself enough to choose a few questions from among the millions that she wanted to ask. “Your Highness?” she said, not noticing how Celestia winced at the sudden formality. “I thought your brother Daearen died in the Great Plague before Discord ever rose to power. Or is Discord a brother the history books never recorded?”

“As upsetting as this may be to hear, I’m afraid most accounts of that period of history are… inaccurate. I wanted Daearen to be remembered for who he was, not what he became.” Celestia paused, her expression troubled.

“What I’m going to tell you is the truth of those dark times, but first I must explain something important. Harmony is not the opposite of Chaos, nor is it the same thing as Order. True Harmony is a balance between chaos and order, because both forces are necessary to a peaceful world. When one force grows too powerful, Harmony restores the balance.”

The Princess shook her head sadly. “It wasn’t always so. Once they were merely abstract ideas, concepts that existed solely within the mind. But one day they spilled out of that metaphysical plane and took physical form. They fought with each other − what else could Order and Chaos do? – and our world was the battleground. That was the time of the ‘Great Plague’. That was the downfall of the alicorns.”

“But... I always thought order was a good thing. I mean, I’ve always lived an orderly life.” Twilight’s mind flashed to her lists and organizers, for the first time feeling a surge of embarrassment about her habits.

Celestia smiled. “I know. That’s one of the reasons I sent you to Ponyville. You certainly have to admit your life has become more chaotic since you moved there. Having friends will do that, though I think Pinkie Pie might be a little more responsible for it than anypony else.” Twilight chuckled and the Princess continued. “But I am speaking of true order. Imagine a world where everything existed only in neat, precise rows. Where everypony had the same personality and never even knew they could be different. Where creativity was dead and every last second of the day was controlled. That is order in its purest form. Utter chaos preys upon the mind, but absolute order consumes the soul. It is only when they are balanced that Harmony and goodness reign.”

Twilight frowned. “Why wouldn’t they stay balanced?”

Celestia stared into her tea. “We don’t know. The greatest minds of every race studied it and could only guess at the answer. They believed that since the spirits had physical form now, they were more easily influenced by fluctuations in chaos and order. Since the world is not always in balance, neither are they. It didn’t help that certain races embodied some of their characteristics. The Diamond Dogs were once a race of order called the Gem Hounds. They were a proud and prosperous people until Chaos warped them. In response Order banished a chaotic race from this plane of existence to similarly deprive Chaos of a source of power. The humans were a strange people, but it was still unbelievable what happened to them. The only remnants of them now are legends.”

The dam in Twilight’s mind holding back her flood of curiosity cracked, then crumbled and fell, releasing a torrent of questions. “Why haven’t you ever told me this before? Why do you keep calling the spirit Chaos instead of Discord? What happened to Order and how does any of this this explain how Discord is really Daearen?” She stopped and blushed. “If it’s not too much trouble, Princess.”

Celestia nodded her face somber. “Let me tell you a story, Twilight. Within it lie the answers you seek.”

………

Though I was barely more than a thousand years old when Chaos and Order entered our world, I understood what their presence meant. It had been centuries since the three tribes of ponies had found their way to Equestria, the home of the alicorns, and accepted my mother and father as their rulers. Both we and the surrounding nations were at peace, and war was considered by many to be the foolishness of a bygone age. Even the aggressive species like dragons, griffins and humans had found better outlets for their energies.

Thus we were unprepared when it happened. True, the knowledge of battle had been preserved, but only the dragons and alicorns were old enough to have experienced such matters firsthoof. And so the death and destruction was all the worse for its novelty. Within a few weeks of their arrival, I had grown used to news of horror and devastation, to the sound of otherworldly screams from beyond the mountains. Luna was still too young to understand, but Daearen and I recognized the fear Mother and Father tried to hide from us.

I know you have probably seen portraits or sculptures based on my brother, but even the best artist hardly did him justice. It didn’t help that he was too impatient to model for them very long. He was always a pony of action. He was never content to be at peace; there was always something to do or somepony to joke with. His coat was a dark chestnut, and his mane and tail a lush, emerald green. That and his height made the nobles call him “the Ent” when they thought he wasn’t listening.

“You know, Celly,” he said, as we were walking together to the throne room. Mother and Father had been working on something in secret for almost a month. Finally it appeared they were ready to tell us about it. “If I didn’t know better I’d say the world was ending.”

I stared at him crossly. “And who’s to say it isn’t?”

He cracked a smile and nudged me with one wing. “Because I swore that I’d get you to lighten up one day, and I can’t very well do that if the world has ended.”

I glared at him even harder. My brother was never very serious, but I couldn’t believe he had joked about a time like this. “That’s not funny, Daearen.”

He sighed. “Why don’t you call me ‘Dae’ anymore, Celly? You’re so boring these days, all stiff and formal.” He turned to watch a pair of guards salute as we passed by.

“Of course I’m formal,” I replied proudly. “I’m not a filly anymore. I must act with the dignity that befits a Princess of the Realm. Being royalty is serious business; you must always consider the ponies you serve.” I was young and convinced I knew everything just because I had finally gotten my cutie mark. Daearen, six hundred years my senior, knew better, but he was kind enough to never throw it in my face.

“That’s why I joke, Celly,” he said, a smile concealing the sadness in his voice. “Nopony in this castle has laughed in a month. Ponies need laughter. It’s a balm for even the worst wounds.”

“Funny,” I said. “None of my classes in healing ever mentioned laughter as a remedy for anything.”

Daearen laughed. “You listen to those dusty old relics that tutor us? They wouldn’t know something funny if it waddled up behind them and bit them on the flank. You really need to spend some time with the rest of your subjects. Why not come with me to the tavern tonight? I’ll see if our parents will let you.”

“The tavern?” I was torn between desire to finally see the place where my brother spent so much of his time and the disdain trained into me by our tutors.

“Oh, yes. Not only is the food better than the fancy stuff they force us to eat here, but you can actually meet real ponies, the ones that we’ll rule someday.”

“You mean the ponies you’ll rule,” I said, trying and failing to hide my sadness. “I’ll never be more than a princess.”

He smiled widely. “Don’t talk like that, Celly. I’m sure I’ll prank the wrong pony someday and end up with a cup of poison. After that the throne’s yours.”

I gasped. “How could you say that?”

He grinned even wider. “Like this. ‘I’m sure I’ll prank the wrong pony—’”

“You know what I mean!” I checked the hall to be sure there was nopony watching, and I nuzzled him gently. “Don’t even joke about dying, Dae. Luna and I would be lost without you.” He stiffened in surprise at first, but then smiled more warmly than I’d seen in ages and nuzzled back.

“I love you too, little sis. Now let’s not keep mom and dad waiting too much longer.” I flushed, which made him laugh again. We reached the door of the throne room only a few minutes later.

We entered and were surprised to find not only our parents, but Luna and several others in attendance as well. While most of the group was made up of alicorns and unicorns, there were also griffins, buffalo, zebras, two dragons – temporarily shrunken to fit inside the palace – and a diamond dog I recognized as the former king of the Gem Hounds.

Mother spoke first. “Celestia and Daearen, please join your sister. We have something of the gravest importance to discuss with you.” For once Daearen didn’t have a joke to make.

Father spoke next. “The group you see assembled here represents the most powerful mages left in the world. Together, with a gift from King Rexius−”

The diamond dog laughed, interrupting him. “Too much of a compliment. If king can’t protect his people, is king no more. Chaos see to that. But I manage to bring greatest treasure here in secret. Help other races at least.”

Father nodded. “And we are grateful for your generosity.” He turned back to us. “He brought the six most powerful, perfect jewels the Gem Hounds have ever found. The rest of us have spent the past weeks crafting these gems into the greatest magic ever known. We call them the Elements of Harmony, and each jewel represents a part of that power.”

Daearen and I both stared at the gathered crowd in confusion, but he spoke first. “That’s wonderful news, Father, but why did you gather us so formally? And include Luna?”

“Hey!” Luna shouted. “I’m a big pony. Why can’t I know?” she huffed, giving our brother a glare. She was so young for an alicorn, only five hundred, and still very much a filly.

I was embarrassed, but one of the older unicorns laughed. “Well said. If I may, your Majesties?” Both Mother and Father nodded and she continued. “You three are here because we need you to wield these Elements. Not only are all of you powerful, but you are also young. Age and cynicism make Harmony difficult to grasp, so you three are the ones who must use them.”

The gall of that unicorn seemed unbelievable at the time. After all, I had been studying magic before her grandmother had been born. I tried to keep a straight face, but her amused chuckle told me I wasn’t successful.

“Young for alicorns, at least. Now, there are five base Elements: Generosity, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty and Laughter. The sixth Element, Magic, is the keystone which leads the others.”

I thought for a moment, considering the responsibility that had been thrust upon us. “But how do we decide who controls each of them?”

Mother smiled. “The Elements choose their own bearers, and will only bond to a pony who is worthy. Tomorrow we will present them to you and begin training you in their use.”

She shook her head sadly. “I wish we had more time to teach you, but we believe Chaos will strike soon. The kingdom of Equestria is too orderly for him to ignore for long. It’s dangerous, but we believe that together, you can defeat Chaos with these powers.”

“If that’s not a cue, I don’t know what is,” said the most horrifying voice I had ever heard. It somehow combined the most frightening sounds from all my nightmares into one terrible cacophony.

The light within the chamber dimmed and the entire castle shook. Thin trails of smoke emerged from the cracks in the wall and converged to form a terrifying being. He was a draconequus, but Chaos was quite unlike the one you met. Discord is cruel, but Chaos was a monster. Twice the size of any alicorn, he barely fit in that room. His eyes smoldered like hot coals, and I was terrified beyond anything I’d ever known.

For a moment, everypony was frozen stiff. Then my father stood and spoke. I knew he had to have been afraid, but his voice didn’t betray even the slightest tremor. “You are not welcome here, Chaos. Not in our kingdom and not in our home. Now leave.”

The terrifying being before us just chuckled darkly, sending more wisps of smoke to float toward the ceiling. They spiraled through the stone like it wasn’t there, turning wherever they touched into a bright plaid. “That’s actually very tempting, but then I wouldn’t get to watch your expressions when you discover what’s happening to your kingdom.” He spread his mouth into a cruel display of teeth which he deemed a smile. “In fact … why don’t we do just that?”

He snapped his fingers and the entire throne room was suddenly balanced on the top of a castle spire. He chuckled as the flightless species gulped nervously. Both the dragons, free of the confining room, loosed their spells and returned to their true forms. Unfortunately that made the platform shake and tilt even more, giving Chaos another laugh at the fear of the other mages.

“Enough!” Mother shouted, her horn glowing angrily. “What have you done?”

Chaos rubbed his hands together with a sound like a symphony played backwards. “I’ve just spruced up the city a bit. The plants you had were so mundane! So, I added one of my own to liven things up. Listen.” The sounds of screams and crying rose from the city. A tide of bright blue was creeping slowly across it, covering streets and houses.

“If you eat it, or touch it, or smell it, or really even stand within breathing distance of it, you become subject to the effect. It’s a jealous little flower that makes everypony just as miserable as itself by taking away whatever they love most. I call it Poison Envy.”

One especially anguished scream rose above the rest of the noise, and the whole group flinched. Chaos just chuckled. “Sounds like somepony loved their family very, very much.”

“You monster!” Father cried, launching a bolt of living lightning at the laughing beast. The attack caught Chaos by surprise, and the electricity arced across his coat, burning whatever it touched. Chaos screeched in anger at the pain, but then he simply snapped his fingers, both the lightning and injuries disappearing. He turned his dark gaze upon my father and roared in wounded pride.

The sound washed over me like a wave, loud enough to shatter the glass in every window in sight. With that, the frozen tableau was broken and every sorcerer present assaulted Chaos with their most powerful spells. The unicorn who had spoken earlier called out to us, “The Elements are in the eastern tower! Make haste!”

I spread my wings, fully intending to join in the fight until Daearen’s aura surrounded me and pulled me away. I noticed out of the corner of one eye that he’d done the same to Luna, who’d started crying. “Let me go, brother!” I shouted. “They need us!”

He shook his head and started flying, taking us with him.

“LET ME GO!” I screamed, breaking his grip with a burst of my own power. Daearen glanced at me and motioned me to follow. He turned away and continued flying, Luna still in tow, without even waiting to see what I would do. I froze for a second, but with a murmured curse I followed my brother. Still, I couldn’t help but glance back to watch the battle as we retreated.

Chaos had grown to an enormous size and was bellowing strange curses at the mages attacking him. I watched him turn one alicorn into a tan earth pony. One moment he was a powerful sorcerer, a master of the arcane, then with no apparent effort, Chaos stripped him of his magic, his wings and his identity. As one final mockery, he left the stallion’s cutie mark, an hourglass, to remind him of everything he’d lost. That, more than any news of devastation, proved to me that Chaos was a power greater and more terrible than Equestria had ever seen before.

With a crash, Daearen plowed straight through the wall of the Eastern tower, panicking the few servants still there. “You, guard!” he cried. “Where have our parents been working for the past weeks? Take us there.” Gone was the relaxed joker of less than an hour ago. Now he was fully and truly a Prince of the Alicorns.

The guard nearly tripped over his own feet in his rush to lead us upstairs. I glared at my brother as we ran, Luna still crying and being carried by his magic. “We should have stayed. We could have helped,” I said, despite what I had just seen. It was possible, though unlikely, that our aid could have turned the tide against Chaos despite our youth. The Royal family was, and still is, made of the most powerful ponies in Equestria. Not only in magic, but in flight and physical prowess as well.

“Chaos is too powerful for that, but with the Elements we’ve got a chance to defeat him.” His serious tone turned deadpan. “I’d hate to think everypony wasted so much time on them if we could have beaten him on our own.”

I was not so easily dissuaded. “But Mother and Father−”

“Are stalling for time,” he interrupted. “They know why we left, and they’ll be on the defensive. Give them some credit, Celly. They can last a few minutes without us.”

The guard ahead of us slid to a stop in front of an enormous iron door. I recognized it; this was the entrance to Mother’s study, the place where she experimented with strange and dangerous magic. The door was bound in thick chains, but they were a mere formality. The enchantments built into the portal secured it far better than any physical barrier.

Daearen and I studied the door, then nodded to each other, our argument abrogated out of need for unity. It was too late for me to turn back now, anyway. Our horns glowed brightly as we pooled our magic and worked together against the spells Mother had laid to secure her study.

Sweat shone on both our faces as we struggled to break through. Even combined, we had a difficult time with it. Luna stopped her crying as we worked and rose to her hooves. With a furrowed brow and determined frown she added her power to our own. The moment she did, the enchantments gave up all resistance, like a lock that had found its key. I didn’t realize it at the time, but in hindsight it was obvious that Mother had designed them to respond to the three of us working together. She was always clever that way.

We charged into the room, leaving the guard behind. It was a bare space with only a few heavily stained and charred cabinets on one wall and a large table in the middle. On the table sat five stone orbs, each with symbol carved into them. These had to be them, but everything was wrong. They were inert, nothing more than magicless rocks. Daearen stared at them in shock.

“This can’t be right,” I said, and started opening the cabinets to find the real Elements. But there was nothing there, and no matter what spell I tried, I couldn’t detect even a hint of a secret compartment or hiding place. Luna poked one of the orbs with her hoof, then levitated it and gave it a shake. The orb remained nothing but pedestrian stone.

Angry, I whirled on the guard. “They couldn’t have worked here. Where are the actual Elements?” He stammered an apology, but it was obvious that he had no idea what was wrong or why I was so furious.

“Stop, Celestia. These are the Elements.” Daearen’s tone did far more to stop me than his words. I had heard him sad or unhappy before, but this was the first time I had heard him in despair. I turned towards him, gaping at the strange pony who looked so much like my light-hearted brother.

“I can sense Mother’s, Father’s, and several other ponies’ magic on them.” He picked one up telekinetically and examined it briefly before setting it back down again. “Either Chaos has already been here and warped them into uselessness, or we aren’t as worthy as everypony thought.” He hung his head and turned away from the table. “And the sealed door makes me fear that the second is the truth.”

While I didn’t always agree with my brother, we often spent time together. Seeing him in that state hurt worse than any physical wound. I trotted over to him and gently nuzzled his neck, trying to comfort him. “It’s not your fault, Dae. Don’t blame yourself. You did the right thing. We’ll find a way.” There was a small cracking sound in the background, but I ignored it.

Luna appeared on his other side and fought back a sniffle. She wasn’t tall enough to reach his neck so she hugged his leg with both of her forelegs and wings. “Don’t be sad, Dae. We love you; you’re a great pony.” She thought carefully for a moment, then with all the seriousness of a high judge passing verdict she said, “And you can even have my desserts for all next week.”

Daearen stared at us for a moment, then his face brightened and he chuckled softly. “Who’s to say I wouldn’t take them anyway?” he teased, drawing Luna into a fit of giggles and even getting me to chuckle. He turned to me, and despite his smile I could still see the doubt in his eyes. “Even so, I was wrong. You shouldn’t have followed me.”

I smiled. “You’re my brother. I’d follow you into the gates of Tartarus.” I hadn’t put any magic into my words, or even much thought, but as soon as I finished speaking an unbearably bright light flared to life behind us.

At first I thought Chaos had found us and was attacking. I whirled around, my horn glowing with power, but instead of a draconequus I was faced with something much, much greater. The stone orbs had cracked like eggs and within each lay a breath-taking gem, all of them twice the size and brilliance of any I had ever seen before.

There were five in total: a fire ruby, glowing like a red-hot coal; a sea sapphire, with a shining blue surface but subtle glints of green in its depths; a star garnet, its soft pink hue belying its true strength; an aether amethyst, swirling with mysterious shades of purple; and an imperial topaz, shimmering with the golden brilliance of the sun.

They slowly rose from their discarded shells and hovered there expectantly. Uncertain of what to do, Daearen and I stood frozen, but Luna stepped forward, entranced by their beauty. The amethyst and garnet separated themselves from the other three to orbit around her, glimmering softly.

Pushing past my fear, I reached out to the jewels as well, and two more, the ruby and topaz, came to float at my side. The sapphire was the only one left, waiting for Daearen to claim it. He took it, handling the gem more carefully than an egg.

Both Luna and I glanced to Daearen for guidance. He frowned. “I think we need to reach out to them somehow. Try focusing on them like you would a spell.”

I nodded and touched them with my magic. Despite centuries of practice and study in almost every realm of magic, I was overwhelmed by what I found.

The Elements were filled with so much power they were very nearly alive. Powerful emotions swept over me as they bound themselves to me. From the topaz I felt endurance and strength; it held an unwavering determination, even knowing that we would face Chaos himself. From the ruby I received ferocity and pride; it was utterly devoted to me and my family, refusing to rest until we had won.

It must have been several seconds before I was able to speak again. “Well. That was … invigorating.”

Daearen chuckled. “You always did have a way of understating things, Celly.”

Luna piped up. “But there’s only five. I thought the unicorn lady said there were six.” With a start I realized she was right. Luna and I had ours, which accounted for Honesty, Loyalty, Kindness and Generosity, but Daearen only had one.

“Magic is the keystone; I think we need to do something special to make it appear.” He thought for a moment, then eyes flicked open. “I’ve got it! We need to do a special pose and yell out the names of our Elements. I’m sure that will do it.”

Luna cheered, but I was speechless. For a second, anyway. “That is quite possibly the silliest idea I have ever heard.”

Luna and Daearen both gave me exasperated frowns. Daearen spoke first. “Maybe, but I’m sure it will work. Can’t you be silly for once in your life?”

“Yeah, come on, Celly. We need you,” Luna said.

“Fine.” I sighed.

“Good, Luna you start us, then Celly, then me, then Luna and Celly again.” He walked between us and nodded seriously.

Luna put one hoof into the air and shouted, “Generosity!”

I barely kept from rolling my eyes, but copied her pose. “Honesty.”

“Laughter!”

“Kindness!”

“Loyalty.”

“Go magic!” Luna and Daearen cried together, and he reared back on his hind legs.

“By our powers combined I am the Element of Magic!” he yelled, wearing the most ridiculous grin. To my eternal disbelief there was a flash of light and the sixth and final element appeared above my brother’s head. It was a soul emerald, larger than any of the other Elements, and –

“Wait a minute.”

………

Celestia stopped her story, looking surprised at the interruption. Night had fallen outside, and Luna had already raised the moon. Twilight, though, didn’t notice her mentor’s expression and continued.

“The Element of Magic can’t be an emerald, it’s a magenta stone. And for that matter, none of the Elements are the size that you describe. For instance, Spike is aging a fire ruby that’s much larger than the stone set into Dash’s necklace.” She blinked, and seemed to remember who exactly she was talking to.

“Er … sorry for interrupting.” Twilight blushed, her face heating up as she realized she’d been correcting and even lecturing the Princess. She glanced up, afraid of that Celestia would be angry, but her mentor was smiling.

“It’s all right, Twilight, but you shouldn’t be surprised that the Elements of Harmony have changed since they were first made.” Her voice took on a teasing tone. “Or did you think the Element of Magic had always been shaped like your cutie mark?”

Twilight blushed again and stammered another apology. Celestia just chuckled. “Don’t fret. I wasn’t offended, just surprised. But I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the Elements are very nearly alive. They are far more than just their physical forms. Though, you are right about one thing.” Her expression fell, and for the first time since she had entered the room she stared sadly at the statue of Discord.

“Just as impurities can change the color of a gemstone, so too can impure actions change one of the Elements. Laughter stayed the same; even at his worst, Discord could still make ponies laugh. But Magic…” She shook her head. “The longer he held that gem, the darker it became…”

She stopped, and silence ruled the room for several long minutes. At last the Princess spoke again. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There is much more to the story before we reach that point.”

Twilight nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. Celestia poured herself a fresh cup of tea and cleared her throat. “I believe we were at the moment when the Element of Magic had just appeared.”

………

Daearen’s nonsensical gambit had actually paid off, and the final Element floated above him. There was a gentle, but pervasive pulse of magic and the Elements formed themselves into new shapes. A beautiful platinum torc appeared around my neck, Loyalty and Honesty set into its embossed heads, and a matching one holding Luna’s Elements encircled her throat. Daearen wore Laughter on a necklace of braided platinum, but the Element of Magic was set into the center of a shining crown of the same metal.

We stared at each other for a moment, and Daearen grinned like a manticore. “Let’s go show Chaos our new jewelry.”

We had barely left the room when a new magic washed over us. It was a slimy, nauseating sensation that twisted my stomach into knots. Daearen’s and Luna’s faces perfectly mirrored my grimace of pain and disgust. The Elements blazed to life, filling the tower with their multihued brilliance, and the strange feeling was gone almost as soon as it arrived. We shook off the remnants of whatever spell Chaos had tried to use against us. I was worried, though; Mother and Father should have been keeping him too busy to target us.

Daearen destroyed another wall with a quick spell. I cringed at the added destruction to our home, but we had no time to look for our entrance. We powered through the tower’s new window, and gained altitude quickly, trying to get a good view of the battle before we dove in. But somehow, everything had gone horribly wrong.

The blue tide had overtaken the rest of the city, reaching all the way to the walls of the castle, and no more sound rose from either. A sign creaked in the wind and the hateful blue flowers rustled in the breeze, but otherwise both the castle and city were utterly silent.

I looked for signs of battle, thinking that perhaps Chaos had muted everypony to silence orders and foul communication. But there was nothing. The platform that Chaos had made from the throne room was gone, and all its combatants with it. The city streets were just as empty, the ponies no longer thronging them in panic. An oppressive gloom had settled over the whole capital, and the very air was heavy and stale.

Our home had become a ghost town, barren and broken.

I fought back tears, trying to understand how this could have happened, what Chaos could have done and how I could have stopped him. Daearen’s face was grim, and I could read similar thoughts in his eyes. For a while the three of us were as silent as the rest of our surroundings.

Luna finally broke the quiet, her voice trembling. “Where is everypony? Where’s mom and dad?”

Daearen sighed. “I don’t know. Let’s at least check inside the castle. Maybe everypony is… just hiding.” It was a slim hope, but anything was better than waiting around in the awful silence outside.

We landed in the courtyard, no longer driven by wall-smashing urgency. The door to the inner keep opened without resistance into an empty hallway.

We hesitantly stepped inside, and began calling, listening for an answer from anypony. But the passage only echoed with our own voices and hoofsteps. There were no guards to challenge us, no servants hiding from Chaos’s wrath, no nobles fleeing from the danger. The entire castle was silent and desolate as a tomb.

Luna clung close to Daearen, and I wished that I wasn’t too old to do the same. The castle didn’t feel like our home anymore. Home had been a busy, bustling place, maids and guards always on the move, nobles trying to start a conversation or curry favor, bureaucrats and officials who always stopped their tasks to bow as we passed, cooks who would spoil your supper with sweets if you acted cute enough. The castle was no longer the warm and inviting place it had always been. It was different and frightening, like a doting grandfather who had suddenly become a stranger. I shivered with a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature.

Eventually we heard a noise, a strange croaking voice singing a foal’s nonsense song, interspersed with the sound of eating. The sound was coming from the throne, so we followed it cautiously. I held five spells at the ready, my horn glowing brightly, and I could see that Daearen did likewise.

When we finally reached the throne room, the door opened of its own accord. There, at the other end was Chaos. He had blended Mother’s and Father’s thrones into a hideous mess fit for a creature of his size and shape. He lounged on it, eating cookies off of a small plate. They were bright little things, thick with colorful icing, and oddly shaped, but I barely paid them any attention. I was focused on him, the author of all our troubles. Never before and never since have I ever wanted to hurt somepony as badly as I did at that moment. I almost let loose with every spell I had when Luna gave a frightened squeak, interrupting his odd little melody and calling his attention to us.

“What in the cosmos—?” he yelled, rising to his mismatched feet. The monster peered curiously at us, then with a spark of recognition he started laughing. Chaos fell to the ground clutching his stomach as his laugh, this time high pitched and screeching, rebounded off the walls. The plate of cookies began to drift upwards the moment he let go of it. With a snap of his fingers a rope appeared around the plate, and he dragged it back, still chuckling.

We watched him in confusion, trading puzzled glances at his bizarre reaction. Finally Daearen spoke sternly. “What did you do to everypony and why are you laughing, monster?”

The draconequus stopped and gave us a grin that showed off his motley collection of teeth. “I tell you what, little pony. I’ll kill two stones with one bird, because as luck would have it those questions have the same answer.”

He blew on the plate making it float towards us. “Cookie?” he offered, his voice changing to a sickly sweet simper. We glared in response, and Daearen silently shook his head. Chaos shrugged and popped another one into his mouth, “More for me then.” He chewed noisily and smacked his lips with glee.

“Did you know,” he said, “that your mother designed and built this city? It was eons ago, long before any of you were born. She made it as a present to your father, a place where they could rule their beloved subjects together.” He chuckled darkly. “She truly loved this city and all of the ponies who lived here. Now one of my beautiful little plants wouldn’t have had the power to do all of this on its own, but I knocked her into a whole field of them. And poof! Everypony was gone. Don’t bother demanding where they went, because I don’t know. Maybe they were teleported to some strange planet, sent across the aether to another dimension or transported to different point in time. Maybe they were just disintegrated, or they suddenly ceased to exist. It’s hard to tell when you’re working with chaos. But, regardless, they’re gone and won’t ever come back. You three are the last alicorns in Equestria.”

There was an endless moment where I refused to believe him, where I wanted desperately for it to be a lie, but I could tell from his cruel grin it was the truth. He wasn’t done tormenting us just yet, though.

“And here we come the funniest part of all. You three could only have survived the Poison Envy if your mother didn’t love you! Think about the delicious irony there, your own mother never loving you, is the only thing that kept you safe when everypony else was destroyed. Priceless!” Chaos fell to laughing again, and the whole castle shook as he rolled.

“You’re wrong.”

He actually stopped laughing and eyed me distastefully. I didn’t let it stop me. “Our mother loved us. She loved us so much she poured her heart and soul into these gems we wear. Both her and Father, and all of the ponies you defeated, they believed in us.” I took a breath and willed my voice to be steady as it rose ever louder. “Their belief, their magic, their power protected us. Face it, Chaos. All your tricks, mind games, and madness, are no match for the gift they gave us.” I stared him in the eye and dug my hoof into the castle floor as I screamed. “The Elements of Harmony!”

Daearen winked, and said in a stage whisper. “Way to go, Celly. Maybe you should be the one to rule.” I grinned in response, and turned to face the mad spirit before us. We stood together, ready to face whatever Chaos had to throw at us, but he just rolled his eyes.

“Oh, please. Like some fancy jewelry is going to scare me.” He smiled again. “Tell you what. Why don’t we ask your mother if she really loved you?” He reached over to the plate of cookies and picked one up, this time holding it so we could see. It looked exactly like our mother, even down to its tiny cutie mark and steel blue eyes. The cookie’s face was twisted in anguished fury, tiny tears of icing frozen on its face.

“Now say something if you love your children.” Chaos shook the cookie, but it remained silent. He shrugged. “Well, that settles that.” And with one quick move he bit it in half, chewing loudly.

I knew – knew, mind you – that cookie had been our mother. You would think that such a thing would make me angry, would fill me with rage beyond measure. But it didn’t. There was only a cold knowledge that justice would be done this day, and the grim satisfaction that I would be an instrument of that righteousness.

Daearen stepped forward to speak this time. His voice was quiet, but still as hard and unyielding as the bedrock the palace was built on. “By the Moon, the Sun and the Earth, you have no place here, Chaos. So say I, so say we, so say the powers of Harmony.”

With that his eyes flashed into incandescent light, the magic that connected us surging through him. The Elements blazed to life in tandem, levitating us in their power. Chaos had looked skeptical at Daearen’s declaration, but for the first time, fear crossed his face. He opened his mouth to speak and raised one hand to work his magic, but he was already too late.

With a rush of power, righteous and mighty, the Elements exploded into light so real and perfect it was almost solid. A ribbon of color streamed from each jewel, combining to form a rainbow brighter and more beautiful than any to ever grace the sky. Chaos snapped his fingers, his face contorted in concentration, and a bubble of darkness surrounded us. The inside of Chaos’s spell was cold and dank, with the faint sound of sinister whispers coming from all around. But we were held aloft in the power of Harmony, and his magic couldn’t touch us.

The rainbow roared toward Chaos and smashed through the confines of his spell without even slowing down. He barely had time for a frustrated roar before the light wrapped around him and his body began to solidify. Chaos tried several spells and curses, as he slowly changed, but each failed, utterly impotent against the power that now gripped him. Within seconds he had become a statue, his last expression a dark mix of fear and rage.

We slowly descended to the floor, the magic we had channeled leaving us. I had expected to feel drained, but instead I was refreshed, renewed even. I stared at the inanimate figure Chaos had become, and I felt no anger. Only pity.

Daearen looked at him and sighed. “What do we do now? Should we−”

A loud whirring sound cut off Daearen’s question as a line of white light cut through one of the stone walls, removing the mortar between each rock. The glow stopped and the freed stones moved inward, neatly stacking themselves by height on either side of the new opening.

The light coming from beyond the hole was blinding. I couldn’t make out anything. Two fluorescent white beams streamed from the wall and neatly bisected Chaos in two directions, quartering him. The statue’s pieces should have fallen to the floor, but they hung suspended without even an aura to support them. The lines zipped through the former monster at perfect right angles, faster and faster until Chaos appeared to be surrounded by a humming grid of light. With a small fizzling sound the lines disappeared and the tiny pieces of Chaos, most them no larger than a sugarcube, reassembled themselves into a single large block.

With that the brilliance outside the wall finally died down, and we could see what I thought at first glance was a pony. It was shaped like an earth pony filly scarcely old enough to enter school, but it wasn’t made of flesh and blood. Instead, its body was a pure, gleaming material, something akin to both metal and glass without quite being either. The whole figure was blank; it had no eyes, nose, mane, tail or even a mouth. Yet it spoke in a voice both feminine and beautiful, almost melodic.

“Hello. I am Order. We have much to discuss.”

The Price of Power

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Written by: psychicscubadiver
Edited by: Silentcarto and frieD195
Story Image by: wyrmlover

Minutes ticked by as Twilight waited for Celestia to return. They had run out of tea, but the Princess didn’t want to call any servants into this particular room. Twilight knew the delay was better than letting anypony know Discord was inside the castle, but she still found it hard to be patient.

At last the Princess returned with a large tea tray in tow. Twilight fidgeted as her mentor settled herself back into her seat, poured the tea, and set a pair of small cakes on each of their plates. Only after she had made herself comfortable and began to sip her tea did Celestia finally speak. “Aren’t you going to try a cake, Twilight? Iron Chef made them to complement the blend we’re drinking.”

Twilight bit back a frustrated sigh and wolfed down one of the pastries in two bites, hardly noticing its delicious flavors. She sipped her own tea, waiting for Celestia to speak, but her mentor seemed content to drink in silence. The Princess just stared out the window, her face a shadowed mask.

After several minutes of exasperated quiet Twilight finally spoke. “Princess, what happened after Order appeared?”

Celestia started, having seemingly forgotten she was not alone. The Princess blinked for moment before refocusing on Twilight and gave her an embarrassed smile. “My apologies, Twilight. I was caught up in memories of the past. It has been such a long time since I thought about those days. But, yes we had only just defeated Chaos when Order appeared…”

………

We were silent, still trying to understand why one of the most powerful and destructive entities the world had ever known would appear as such a tiny, seemingly innocuous being. Despite holding enough power to stand as equal to Chaos himself, she exhibited no awe-inspiring aura, radiated no fearsome magic and didn’t display even the smallest indication of her true abilities at the moment. If I hadn’t already seen her destroy Chaos, I would not have believed she was anything more than a bizarre pony, perhaps one twisted by Chaos’s magic. The three of us must have stared at her for several minutes before she spoke again.

“As I said,” she stated, faint irritation coloring her voice, “we have much to discuss. I don’t know if you are aware, but you are the last of your kind. Your names and titles, please.” She paused, taking a step towards us. “You are part of the nobility, I should hope.”

I open my mouth to respond, but Luna beat me to it. “I’m Luna, and I’m a Princess, which is better than a noble. So is Celly. Dae is the crown Prince, which is doubly better than a noble!” I grimaced, hoping Order wouldn’t take offense at her tone.

“Indeed?” she asked, sounding pleasantly surprised. “Then allow me to extend my regards to the Royal Family of Equestria. It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highnesses.” She sunk to one knee in a short bow, and once more I had trouble believing this creature was responsible for the destruction of an entire species.

Daearen waved off her greeting with a hoof. “Thanks for the sentiment, but you don’t really need to.” His voice turned wry. “Somehow, the devastation of your entire race makes social niceties less than a high priority.”

“Oh, but they are,” she said, her voice strangely intense. “Such formalities are the basis of an orderly society. But you are right to a degree,” she admitted grudgingly. “We do have more important matters to deliberate. For instance, our shared defeat of Chaos.”

I gestured to the puzzle-like cube she had turned his statue into. “Did you … kill him?”

“Much better than that,” she replied, her voice full of cold satisfaction. “I imposed order upon him, unmaking him at the most fundamental level. He is no more.”

“But, how could you? I mean, without Chaos, how can there Order? They define each other.” Daearen sounded curious, but I wouldn’t have been particularly upset if destroying Chaos banished Order back to whatever ethereal plane they came from.

“That is an unfortunate truth. Despite our hatred, we do need each other. Soon, another being shall take up his mantle, becoming Avatar of Anarchy, and our battle will continue. However,” and her voice took on a smug tone, “I have already removed all of the best candidates. It will be some time before the powers that be find a willing and suitable entity. In the meantime I will strengthen order and further weaken chaos.”

Order gave a short, almost bubbly laugh. It should have fit her tiny frame far better than her cold words, but it sounded chillingly perfunctory, as if she were merely imitating the speech and habits of a normal pony. The longer she spoke, the more alien and unnatural she seemed.

“Though I require an enemy, there is no reason we should be equals. Whoever takes up his power will face a world of order unlike anything they have ever experienced before.”

“And that’s a good thing?” Luna asked dubiously, echoing my own unspoken suspicions.

The spirit before us seemed shocked at my sister’s doubts. Though her face stayed as blank as fresh canvas, her body tensed, and she stamped one hoof angrily. “Of course it is! Chaos begets violence, madness, and hatred. Within order there is peace. You should understand that best of all. Alicorns were one of the most structured and systematic species in this world.”

Daearen’s lip curled in disgust, unsurprisingly. He had always been very vocal about his distaste for the strictures of etiquette and formality among the court. Order continued on, seemingly unaware of my brother’s views. “Only when everyone knows their true place does a society thrive. In my world, there won’t be any more suffering.” Her semi-metallic coat began to shine as she spoke, and the louder her voice swelled, the more powerful her aura grew. “Like gears in a clock, cogs in a machine, everyone will work together without error or conflict. It will be a world of purpose. A world of symmetry. It will be perfect!”

We watched in silence until Daearen coughed awkwardly. “That’s wonderful and all, but why are you here? I understand getting rid of the competition, but you don’t seem like the type to stick around for tea and conversation.”

Order dimmed, returning to her unthreatening state. “You are correct; I do have another purpose here. You three are the last remnants of the foremost species of order. I will need your cooperation to rebuild the alicorn race.”

Luna looked confused, but I was horrified. Daearen, astonishingly enough, was trying to hold back laughter. “No thanks,” he said, half-chuckling, “I really only like you as a friend.”

Order snorted. “Please be more serious. We are discussing the survival of your very species. Your life spans may be measured in millennia, but unless careful plans are made, alicorns will someday disappear.”

I glared at her, my eyes as cold as ice. “Neither I nor my sister will become brood mares for whatever ‘plans’ you have for repopulation.”

She waved away my anger, seeming totally unconcerned. “Of course not. That would be both improper and inefficient. However, several cultures permit their kings to keep concubines. Since all three of you come from the same parents, only one of you actually needs to do most of the procreating.” She paused. “Though, it would better if one of you had another line of heredity. Are any of you illegitimate, by chance?”

“No!”

“A shame,” she said, sighing. “Such low genetic diversity in such a small population is unfortunate. The limited allele variation coupled with your low rate of conception will make this difficult.”

I glanced at Daearen, wondering if he recognized the terms she was using, but he was as lost as I. Order continued, paying no heed to our confusion.

“Luckily, you can interbreed with mortal ponies. We need to access genealogies to find out how many ponies from other cities have alicorn blood. There should be enough females of proper age to fill a sizeable seraglio. From there, a well-managed breeding program should produce some alicorns. The first generation won’t have your life spans or power, but with careful purification and manipulation, you should see marked improvement within ten generations.”

………

“So that’s why nobles care so much about their pedigrees. I never understood the obsession with it before,” Twilight interrupted.

Celestia nodded, taking another sip of tea. “Yes, though they have become a tad too concerned with the so-called ‘purity’ of bloodlines. It has always amused me that Prince Blueblood’s lineage, despite being the most closely related to the Royal family, has not produced an alicorn in fifteen generations, while Princess Cadance was born from a union of love rather than calculation.” The Princess chuckled. “You remember Cadance, don’t you?”

“Of course! She was the best foalsitter I ever had.” Twilight paused, confused for a moment. “But she’s a Princess as well. Wouldn’t she be just as closely related to you as Prince Blueblood?”

The Princess bit into another small cake before replying. “Not necessarily. Her line has been royalty since before the founding of Equestria.”

Twilight gasped. “You mean Cadance is Princess Platinum’s heir?”

Celestia smiled. “Not quite. That title belongs to her mother, but one day Princess Cadance will inherit it. She is related to me nonetheless – most of the nobility are to one degree or another – but the relation is far more distant than Blueblood’s. He is my first cousin many times removed, and Cadance is a fourth or fifth. I honestly don’t pay much attention to the genealogists.” Celestia sighed. “If only more of the aristocracy felt that way. Far too many ponies prefer a ‘pure’ bloodline over a partner who suits them.”

Twilight frowned. “Shouldn’t they marry for love instead? Producing an alicorn child would be highly unlikely even under the best of circumstances, and either way they would be married to somepony they didn’t love. That would be miserable.”

The Princess nodded sagely, placing one hoof over Twilight’s. “Yes, but there are far too many ponies who believe that a higher rank will make them happy no matter what they give up to get there. I’ve tried to teach otherwise, but the lure of social stature can be quite strong. Not everypony listens, even to me.” Her student nodded, well aware that some nobles had based their entire lives upon advancing their families and themselves.

“However, that bears little upon our story.” Twilight flushed again and Celestia gave another reserved chuckle before launching back into her tale.

………

A chill went through me as she spoke, because it was then that I realized something about her. You see, Order was Chaos’s perfect opposite. He was male so she was female. She was small thus he was large. He was emotional and sadistic; she was logical and dispassionate. Yet there was one thing that they held in common: they both believed that the end justified any means. I knew then and there she would have a world of order or none at all.

Order was still talking, so I caught Daearen’s eye and glanced at my Elements, then nodded to the oblivious spirit. Daearen shook his head fractionally and put up a hoof for me to wait. I scowled, hardly believing he thought we could actually talk this out. But Dae always did see the best in everypony.

I turned my attention back to Order’s continuing monologue. “We should be able to find the marriage and birth records without too much trouble. Really, it’s lucky that Chaos’s little flowers only removed ponies without damaging anything else.” She paused, seeming to come to some realization. “Speaking of which, we should have an hour of mourning for the death of your city and parents before we move on to anything else.” We were speechless, a reaction which she misinterpreted.

“I know the delay is regrettable, but such etiquette must be respected. Is there a garden or similar place of mediation within the castle?” She was a strange being, focused entirely upon the form of things without regard to their function. Order valued rules only for their own sake, barely caring for the intent behind them, but such is order without Harmony. It is little more than a mindless dedication to the status quo without consideration for what should be.

In the silence, Daearen took the opportunity to speak. “It’s nice to know you care, but frankly, we’d rather solve this ourselves. In fact, I think the world would be a better place if you left us to our own devices. We may not have had the kind of order you want, but we had reached an era of unmatched peace and prosperity.” His voice lowered almost to a growl. “Until, of course, you and Chaos showed up. To summarize, thanks, but no thanks.”

Order stared at us. I held my magic at the ready and watched her carefully, prepared for whatever she threw at us. So when she began laughing, almost tittering, really, I was dumbfounded.

It only lasted a moment, but with amusement still in her voice she answered. “Oh, I forgot how funny you mortals can be. Did you really think I was giving you a choice? From now on, this world is mine. I’m merely letting you live in it.” She spoke in an upbeat, cheerful tone which was completely at odds with her cruel words.

I was unimpressed. “The Elements of Harmony would argue otherwise. We defeated Chaos, your equal, without even exerting ourselves. What make you think you can stand against us?” I dug one hoof into the floor, and the stone stirred as easily as fresh earth. Dae snorted and his horn began to glow brightly. Even little Luna tensed herself to fight and gave a growl that was almost a squeak.

Order took a step back, but her voice was steady as she replied. “Chaos was overconfident, and let you prepare your attack as you pleased. Having seen your power, I won’t make the same mistake. However, I don’t intend to fight you at all.” I hesitated, confused, and my horn dimmed as I tried to uncover the subterfuge in her words.

Could she have smiled, I suspect Order’s face would have been dominated by an enormous smirk. Her voice was certainly smug enough. “No. If you three wish to challenge me I will leave, teleporting faster and further than any of you could manage. Your jewels take time to ensnare their prey, and I would always be one step ahead. From there I will select one of your cities and kill exactly one tenth of its population. Stallions, mares, foals, it doesn’t matter who dies. Then I will tell the rest of city why I have slain so many of them. I will tell them that the deaths are on your hooves. That your pride and stubbornness necessitated the demise of your own subjects.”

My mind was locked in horror at the mere thought of such a thing, and Luna was trying not to cry, but Order wasn’t done. She spoke in a low, pleased voice, almost purring, as she delivered her ultimatum.

“Surrender to me here and now or the streets of some defenseless town will run red. Refuse me again, and I’ll do the same thing tomorrow. And again the next day. I will continue until one tenth of Equestria lies cold and dead. Then, if you still defy me, I’ll start over. This cycle will repeat until you yield or your Kingdom is a nothing but a field of graves.”

She stepped forward, her tiny frame somehow dominating the stallion that towered over her. “Well, King Daearen? What is it to be? Life or death? Order or emptiness? Choose.”

Daearen stood still, frozen by the cruel intensity of the spirit before him. Dozens of emotions, rage, despair, horror and everything between flashed through his eyes. Eventually they all gave way to resignation.

“I need to discuss this with my sisters. I won’t make this decision without their council.” His words would have been defiant if they hadn’t been delivered in such a hollow tone. Daearen had already given up. His expression was weary, almost haunted, and even his posture sagged. Order could sense it too.

She paused, obviously irritated at the delay, but seemed to decide that it was a small enough boon to grant. “Very well. I will leave you to your hour of mourning. Use that time to discuss your terms of surrender. I think you’ll find I can be very reasonable so long as you are willing to work with me.” Then she disappeared with a flash of brilliant white light, and we were alone.

I turned on Daearen, furious. “You can’t seriously even consider handing the kingdom over to a monster like her! It’s−”

“Celestia, help me raise a soundproof bubble, if you would?” he asked calmly, his voice distant. I raised an eyebrow as he went on. “She might be listening in on us, and we’re already going into this negotiation in a bad position. I don’t want her to hear how we plan to bargain.” I was still angry at him, but the listless look in his eyes made it difficult to refuse his request. Together we summoned a powerful shield around the throne room, cutting us off from the outside world. With a touch more power, Daearen made it opaque, concealing us from sight as well.

The moment we were hidden, Daearen straightened, shedding the subdued expression in favor of a determined frown. In an instant, he changed from the picture of defeat to a pony of unbreakable spirit. “Okay, she thinks she’s already won, and for the most part she’s right. We need a plan, something she isn’t expecting. Ideas, anypony?”

I blinked in surprise. “That was all an act?”

Dae gave a mischievous grin. “There’s a reason I’m not the Element of Honesty.”

“Let’s blast her with the Elements!” Luna cried, her expression fierce. “I don’t care if she looks all pretty and sparkly, she’s as mean as Chaos!”

I put a hoof over her mouth to quiet her. “We can’t, Luna. She just told us what would happen if we tried.” I turned to Daearen. “Unless you think we could trick her into fighting us. Your jokes seem to provoke her, do you think you could get her mad enough to stay and face us?”

Daearen considered that for a moment. He frowned and sighed. “I don’t think so; she’s too smart. If she gets angry, she’ll just leave and take it out on innocent ponies. What if we just pretend to give in? We could gain her trust then strike when the time was right, catching her off-guard.”

I shook my head. “Luna and I couldn’t fake it. She’d know we were plotting something. Even if we could, the first thing she’s going to demand is the Elements. There’s no way she’ll let us hang on to the only things that can defeat her. If we’re going to do something, it has to be now, as soon as she returns.”

“But we’ve only got an hour! And I don’t know much magic.” Luna sniffled quietly. “What can we do?” She began crying gently, her tears a steady trickle interspersed with soundless sobs. I picked her up, drawing her close. She was remarkably resilient for a child, but she had already been through so much that day. Almost everypony she knew and loved was gone and now she had to stand in defense of a realm she hardly knew. I hugged her tightly and willed myself not to cry with her. I needed to be strong for her; I could grieve for our city later.

Daearen joined us, enveloping both of us with his huge wings. He nuzzled Luna gently, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Luna stopped crying after a few minutes, though she clung to me as tightly as ever. Daearen rose and began pacing, going over possibilities and thinking out loud.

“We could try to set a trap, but how would we keep her from noticing it? Maybe if we had a tempting enough bait … But what would she even want? What if I threatened to geld myself, unless she left us in peace? No, she’d either use Celly and Luna, or just give up on alicorns. She wants her ‘perfect world’ far too much to risk it just for our species. I wish we had more experience with the Elements.” He growled in anger and stopped in his tracks. “Or at least that whatever’s making that infernal racket would stop!”

I glanced up, confused. “What are you talking about?”

He grimaced. “That noise. It’s not very loud, but it’s sure as hay persistent.”

I shifted Luna into a more comfortable position and listened closely. The throne room was silent other than the small sound of Daearen’s hoofsteps. I shook my head, and he frowned, evidently puzzled.

“It sounds like the sea, or maybe a crowded room far away. It’s almost like somepony’s talking to me, but I can’t make out the words.” He shut his eyes, focusing on the noise, and lifted one hoof to point. “I think it’s coming from over there.”

I stared in shock at the stone block, the former statue of Chaos, and only just kept from cursing. A second later, Daearen opened his eyes and came to the same conclusion. His hoof faltered, then slowly fell back to the ground. The puzzle-like cube was no different than it had been only minutes ago. In fact, it appeared innocuous to both my normal and magical senses, completely belying its bizarre origins. Somehow, though, both light and shadow bent strangely around it, implying a greater nature than its appearance suggested.

Daearen stared at it, more intent than I had ever seen him before. He seemed to weigh his choices and then spoke softly, more to himself than either of us. “A willing and suitable entity, huh?”

“Don’t do it, Dae.” He glanced at me, surprised that I had guessed his thoughts. “Nopony is meant to hold that much power.”

He grinned. “Says the sun-raising Princess to an immortal King.”

I flushed, growing angry with him. “Neither of us is truly immortal, you know that. Besides, this is different. Chaos was a monster.”

Daearen shook his head. “He would have been a monster with or without his power. Power is just a tool. It’s the pony who uses it that makes it good or bad.”

Luna looked up. Her tears had dried and now her eyes glittered with curiosity. “What are you two talking about?” she demanded.

I glared at my brother, he had gone back to studying Chaos’s remains. “Daearen wants to take up Chaos’s power and fight Order with it.”

Luna gaped, floored by the news. “B-b-but he can’t! They hurt a lot of ponies every time they fought. Dae couldn’t do that.” She turned to stare at him, her bottom lip quivering. “Could you?”

Daearen shook his head, barely taking his eyes off the stone block. “There’s nopony here to hurt anymore, Luna. We only have half an hour until Order returns. Our only other choice is to surrender or get a lot of good ponies killed. What would you have me do?” His tone wasn’t harsh, but Luna flinched all the same.

“You realize,” I said quietly, “that this could get those ponies killed too. There’s no guarantee, even with Chaos’s power, she won’t give us the slip and go on a rampage.” I left the darker possibility unspoken, but I couldn’t banish the thought from my mind. There was no guarantee that the power of chaos couldn’t force Dae to rampage just as easily.

“Maybe,” he replied. “But do you know what father always told me? ‘The only way to never do anything wrong is to never do anything’.” Daearen sighed, the stress of the day threatening to overwhelm him. “I am King now, and the king has a responsibility to his people. If you have a better idea, tell me.” He turned away from the tempting stone and I could see the weary determination in his eyes. “Because I’m more scared now than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to do this, but I feel like I have to. We can’t give into Order’s demands. She may be more subtle than Chaos but the end would be the same. Being choked by a garrote is slower than a sword wound, but both are just as deadly.”

Luna stepped forward, her face serious, almost despairing. “You’ll change, though.” I glanced at her, surprised. She was even more precocious than I had thought. “A-and I love you just the way you are.” She looked ready to cry again. Daearen knelt to until his head was level with hers.

He locked eyes with her, his emerald irises reflecting the tears welling in her cyan eyes. He spoke calmly and intently. “You’re right. I will change, but everypony changes sometime. And I can promise you this: no matter how much I change, I will always love both of you. You and Celly are my whole world now. I promised that no matter what happens, I’ll still be the useless, eccentric and irreverent pony you’ve always known.” He broke into a smile. “Now tell me. Who’s the number one big brother in Equestria?”

Luna darted forward wrapping one of his legs in another hug. “You are.”

“Nope,” he replied. “It’s actually a unicorn named Comet, but since he’s not here, I guess you’ll have to settle for me.” Luna stared at him for a moment, but he waggled his eyebrows expectantly, and she burst into a fit of giggles. I shook my head, but couldn’t keep a smile off my face. It was difficult to imagine Daearen being anything other than the ridiculous goof he’d always been, but I wasn’t sure if that made the idea of him taking up Chaos’s powers less frightening… or more.

Daearen didn’t give me time to decide. He set Luna aside once she had finished laughing. With a bright glow from his horn he took off his Elements, setting them carefully and respectfully to the floor. He caught my look and explained. “I don’t know if they’d try to protect me from the power of Chaos, but I don’t want to take any risks.” His mouth curved into a wry smile. “I don’t think this is the kind of thing that comes with second chances.”

I held out a hoof to stop him. “Hold off for a moment. I want to set a shield spell just in case.”

He thought for a moment but eventually nodded. “Alright, but make it quick. We don’t have long until Order returns.”

I went to work immediately sketching out a rough circle on the floor with magic. I added another layer then a third, carving lines and interlocking rings between each of them. With minutes we were surrounded by a complex series of geometric shapes, all designed to focus and strengthen defensive magic. I wasn’t sure how long even this would hold against Order, but I liked our chances better than if I held the shield with my mind alone, making it a pure contest of wills.

I poured my power into the spell, and a translucent yellow dome flashed to light around us. I continued to add my magic to the spell matrix, reinforcing it. The color deepened from a bright gold to dark amber and finally the shield was done. “We’re ready, Dae.”

I was in an uncomfortable position, facing the shield, almost kneeling to touch my horn to the wards I had carved, and I couldn’t see Daearen. But I could hear his hoofsteps as he approached the stone block. The room was quiet. For a long moment my brother stood silently, and I almost began to think he wouldn’t go through with it. But then he took a deep breath, and said quietly, “All that is required for evil to prosper is for good ponies to do nothing. And I’d like to think I’m a good pony.”

There was resonant impact as his hoof met Chaos’s rocky remains, and the world vanished.

Every one of my senses went into frenzied madness. Phantom lights and images played across my eyes, even as I heard sounds that weren’t possible. My nose was assaulted by hundreds of smells, each more bizarre than the last, and my skin crawled with contradictory sensations. Everything was loud and quiet, bright and dark, wet and dry, reeking of perfume and sterile as windswept snow. All at the same time.

But as terrible as the physical effects were, they couldn’t hold a candle to the turmoil Daearen’s transformation was causing to the supernatural. Erratic energies swept around us, all of them theoretically impossible yet unimaginably potent. They gathered and swarmed and drained into Daearen. He was the heart of a vicious psychic maelstrom, and I believe that only the Elements of Harmony protected us against it.

………

The princess paused to take a long sip of tea, her voice somber when she looked up at her student. “I sincerely hope you are never present for the transfer of such a mantle of power, Twilight. Not only for the greater implications that such a thing would have for Equestria, but also simply because of how unpleasant the process is.” Her mouth twitched up in a mirthless smirk. “For an entire week afterwards, no matter what I ate, everything tasted purple.”

Twilight glanced down at her coat and raised an eyebrow at her mentor, causing the Princess to chuckle for a moment before continuing. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”

………

I don’t know what Daearen felt, nor do I truly wish to know. But through the noise and confusion I could hear him screaming. It was strange, almost musical, the tone rising and falling, twisting and changing as his voice changed with it. He didn’t sound anguished or terrified, but neither did he sound happy or triumphant. His scream was more like the first cry of a newborn, an announcement to the world that something new had entered it.

I don’t know whether it took Order seconds or minutes to sense what had happened. My sense of time was badly skewed by the reality-warping power surrounding my brother, but when she arrived, I was instantly aware of it. From beyond the throne room I heard her voice, more commanding and possessive than that of any natural creature.

“YOU CANNOT. YOU WILL NOT. YOU ARE MINE.” Order did not scream, cry, or shout. She merely spoke in a voice so powerful that it shattered the soundproof barrier we had first raised like it was fragile glass. With the opaque shield gone, her light shone through, stabbing painfully into my eyes and hiding her form from view. I quickly shut my eyes and poured more magic into the shield, turning it an even darker shade of yellow. Even through my barrier and closed eyelids I could still feel the light she was putting out. I had stared into the fiery heart of the sun itself, but I couldn’t bear to look at the being that now stood across a thin wall of magic.

Something slammed into my shield, and I gasped in pain. I quickly learned that the immense pressure I had felt had only been Order’s attempt to test the shield. She began attacking my barrier in earnest after that. Powerful strikes rocked me, and I could barely hold the shield against them. The only thing that allowed me to withstand them was Order’s predictability. She used only pure magic, ignoring more creative means of attack, things which my shield would have crumbled under, and she struck it head on over and over again, allowing me to focus all of my power there. But even then I couldn’t hold her off forever.

Daearen still screamed unceasingly. He never paused to take a breath, somehow already defying the natural order. Order spoke as she fought, no longer as loud, but still with just as much authority and intensity.

“He cannot. It is unnatural. He is a creature of order. He will father my lieutenants and lead the armies of Order to glory. It cannot be otherwise. I will not allow it.” She spoke in an emotionless rush, sounding more alien than ever. Her anger was a strange, distant thing. She didn’t hate us for defying her, we hardly seemed to matter. She just couldn’t imagine a world other than the one she had planned.

My head and horn, which had ached since her first blow, exploded into fresh agony as Order redoubled her efforts, still speaking madly. My mind throbbed with pain, and I knew I couldn’t hold the shield much longer. I could feel my knees buckling, my vision slipping into darkness.

But even as I fell somepony pulled me back. They were rough and untrained, but they poured their magic into me, returning strength to my mind and limbs. I stood tall once more, the shield pulsing with fresh life, fixing fractures I hadn’t even been aware of in my damaged state. And by my side was Luna, her brow furrowed and eyes shut in concentration. Her horn was glowing and her aura had surrounded me, feeding me all the power she could. I glanced at her in surprise.

“Luna. What are you doing?”

She gave a very un-princesslike grunt, and her aura flickered. “Helping,” she answered crossly, obviously having trouble talking and concentrating.

“But how?” Sharing magic was difficult even among well-trained mages, how she had done it I couldn’t imagine.

“You needed me,” she said quietly. “I had to help, and I didn’t know how to put magic in the shield. So I put it in you.”

Before I could say anything else, a blast suddenly struck the shield from the side. I was unprepared, and my defensive magic failed. The lines on the floor were scored by invisible claws of force even as the shield cracked like an egg. Our Elements absorbed most of the blow, but enough of the momentum remained to send us tumbling across the room. I wrapped my wings around Luna, hoping to soften the impact, but we still hit hard.

I lay there, blinking as my eyes opened, and realized that the room had gone quiet. Not only had Order stopped speaking, but Daearen’s scream had cut off as well. I raised my head, weary beyond speaking, and watched as the dust settled.

Where my brother had stood there was now a new Draconequus. I shivered in fear instinctively, but it was easy to tell this new individual was different from the monster that had destroyed our parents. While still tall, he was much shorter than Chaos, and he exhibited no bloodthirsty presence. Instead of madness, his red eyes and toothy expression were filled with mischief. He was better groomed as well; distinctly less bestial than his predecessor. When he finally spoke, it was very strange to hear Daearen’s voice come from that mismatched mouth.

“I’ve thought long and hard about your offer to use my blood and race as your shock troops for your whole ‘world domination’ scheme, and I’ve decided that while I am a stud,” at this he struck a pose and flexed several muscles, “I am not your stud. Once more, thanks but no thanks.”

Order had dropped her blinding lights and now stared at him. At last she spoke, her voice as expressionless as her face. “I would not have you now. You have gone too far and taken Chaos into yourself. Even if it were possible, nothing would come from you now but dark and twisted creatures. I will have to content myself with your sisters, despite the inefficiency.”

Daearen gave her a smirk and raised one hand to the side of his mouth. Then in a stage whisper he said, “See, now that’s where you went wrong. You just gave the hero -- me, by the way -- the perfect motivation-slash-reminder of why he, in other words me, needs to defeat you. Now just as we’re going into the final battle, the climax of this story, you’ve made the classic villain error of giving your enemy, once again me, something to fight for. Really? If you fall for clichés like that, how can you expect me to take you seriously? In fact−” Daearen seemed more than willing to go on – taking on the powers of Chaos seemed to have put him in rare form – but Order was done talking.

Two beams of white light, the same unearthly lines that had sliced the statue of Chaos to pieces, shot from where her eyes should have been. They darted across the room, moving at perfect right angles, impossibly quickly. I opened my mouth to give Dae a warning, but I was too slow. Then as they reached him, my brother’s arms shot out and, in complete defiance of every law of magic I knew, grabbed them out of midair and tied them together to form a giant bow.

He chuckled and waggled one of his fingers back and forth. “That was rude. I thought you were all about manners and rules, Order. Was I wrong?” His voice turned almost syrupy at the last sentence, heavy with insincerity. Order only growled in response before exploding into light once more, launching a barrage of glowing balls of magic.

Daearen snapped his fingers, and a pair of dark glasses appeared over his eyes, accompanied by a helmet and a long wooden bat. As the incandescent projectiles neared him he swung the seemingly mundane weapon, connecting with a loud thwack. He managed to repel every one of the incoming missiles, at the cost of several new holes in various parts of the throne room.

“And he does it folks! Unbelievable as it sounds, the hometown hero has just finished a perfect at-bat. The crowd goes wild!” The sound of cheering, hysterical ponies echoed throughout the room, without any real ponies to provide it, and Daearen bowed theatrically to his imaginary audience.

From within her haze of light, Order hissed angrily. “This is not just some game, you foolish creature.”

“Life is a game, Order,” Daearen replied. He grinned even wider, and with a careless gesture the stone beneath Order sprang upwards on an enormous spring, sending the spirit rocketing through the rapidly weakening roof. His smile turned smug as his foe was sent flying away, and he murmured softly, “And I’m winning.”

Without warning he imploded with a soft pop, hopefully teleporting to continue his fight with Order. I lay still for several more seconds, trying to shake off the effects of Order’s last blow with little success. Luna, at least, had weathered the attack better, and she bounded to her hooves, quaking with fury.

“C’mon, Celly!” she growled. “We’ve gotta help Dae!”

I groaned at the mere thought of getting up, but a careful inventory of my pains told me there was nothing broken or bleeding. I had a few bruises and an aching soreness in my head and horn, but otherwise I was fine. At Luna’s urging, I shakily dragged myself to my hooves.

As I did, a gentle light pulsed from both of my Elements, washing over me, lending me fresh energy and renewed determination. The sounds coming from outside the throne room told me that Daearen and Order had already restarted their battle. I squared my shoulders and readied myself as well. I had expended too much magic maintaining the shield while Daearen was still absorbing his new powers, but I still had enough left to challenge Order one last time.

Through the holes in the ceiling I could see flashes of light, both Order’s blinding beams and colorful flares that could only have belonged to Dae. I stretched out my wings and smiled at Luna. “You’re right. Let’s go help our big brother.” I sprang into the air, grabbing Daearen’s Elements in my telekinetic grip, and soared easily through the opening left by Order’s sudden departure. I had worried briefly that I might not be able to find them, but as it turned that particular fear had been rather unfounded. What they were doing was impossible to miss.

Free from the confines of the throne room and, I suspected, from concern over my and Luna’s safety, Daeren and Order had well and truly cut loose. I no longer had any trouble believing that Order and Chaos had accidentally destroyed whole cities in their fights. Daearen had only been going at it with her for a couple minutes and several blocks had already been flattened.

A perfectly symmetrical tree had grown hundreds of feet tall and was trying to smash Daearen with its powerful branches. Dozens of ice shards, most of them bigger than a pony, rained down upon him and several chattering, cruel-faced birds surrounded my brother. They were made of the same bright material as Order and they circled him, darting in quickly, seeking to wound and slow him. Order herself was a hundred feet away, still shrouded in her blinding light, though she had at least toned it down slightly. It must have taken a lot of focus to control so many disparate spells, but even then she occasionally shot beams of pure energy at Dae with incredible precision. It was a terrifying display of magic. I couldn’t think of a single alicorn, not even my mother or father, who could duplicate it. The worst part, though, was that I knew she was holding back. Order was too smart of spend all of her power in the opening minutes of their battle. What I was seeing now was a fraction of her true abilities.

But then, the same held true for Daearen.

In one of his hands he held an odd sort of tube which shot out foot-long termites. The gigantic insects tore through the wooden limbs of the hostile tree with the sound of a buzzsaw, leaving nothing in their wake. Daearen’s eyes glowed a brilliant red and shot twin beams of superheated plasma, reducing any ice shard within reach to steam. He puffed on a comically large cigar, surrounding himself in a thick veil of smog. Any of the birds that neared him were forced back, coughing and wheezing from the miasma that guarded him. His new tail held what looked like a tennis racket, but its center was dominated by a silver mirror rather than strings. He used that strange device to reflect Order’s energy beams, sometimes at the tree or the birds but most often at Order herself. His other hand glowed a sickly green, and a twisted maelstrom of stone and wind began to gather beneath Order. Daearen was smirking as he worked, obviously enjoying himself.

It was an awe-inspiring battle in the most literal sense of the word, and for a moment I was afraid to involve myself. But I held the Element of Loyalty; I forced down my fear and prepared to dive in. Daearen was holding his ground for now, but Order had more experience and had already put Dae on the defensive. Even if he could beat her, or make winning too costly to be worthwhile, the moment she remembered her threat I was certain she’d leave and begin her killing spree. She had promised as much to Daearen, and I had the feeling she was the type of being to keep her promises. We needed to disable her quickly and end this battle before she gained the upper hoof or retreated. We needed the Elements of Harmony.

“Dae!” I yelled as Luna and I swooped down on him. I focused on the sun, and with a roar its light focused on the city, a relatively small area for all of that energy. The whole field of ice shards melted and with a woody moan, the leaves of the mobile tree burst into flame. It took most of my remaining power, and I couldn’t hold it for long, but I had bought Daearen a precious chance to counterattack. He dropped his termite-launcher, reaching out with both hands glowing a twisted viridian. The rocky whirlpool rose suddenly to its full height and surrounded Order, pounding her with gale-force wind and flying stone. The birds shrieked angrily as we neared them, but Daearen snapped his fingers and they were suddenly encased, from beak to claw, in wax.

As they plummeted to the ground, Daearen dropped the cigar. The smoke surrounding him followed it as it fell. He turned to us, smiling. “I was wondering when you two would get here. That rocknado isn’t going to hold her long.”

I arched an eyebrow. “I didn’t want to interrupt your fun.”

Daearen grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, I got a little caught up, but I think I got most of it out of my system.”

Luna leaned in to hug him. “I’m just glad you’re still you.” I saw a flicker of guilt, or maybe sadness, cross Daearen’s face, but Luna had her head buried in his fur and missed it. By the time she pulled away to beam up at him, not a trace of the emotion – whatever it had been – remained.

“Of course. Now here’s the plan. It’ll take a lot of power, but I think I can keep Order from fleeing. That’s when we hit her with the Elements.” A worried frown crossed his face. “You did bring mine, right?”

I realized belatedly that I’d let the Elements drift while I was busy with the sun, but a hurried burst of energy brought them back to us. Daearen reached out to take them and, I will confess, I held my breath.

I had no idea whether or not the Elements would still accept him. He held the power of Chaos itself. Could he even be a part of Harmony, anymore?

Laughter sparkled even more brightly than usual as he took hold of it, and Magic, while not as enthused, still seemed to accept Daearen as its wielder. I breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to face the rapidly deteriorating tornado.

The rocks had been pulled out of it and were instead orbiting Order in the opposite direction of the dying winds. As Order’s blinding light began to shine through, Daearen snapped his fingers again and both Luna and I were suddenly wearing sunglasses much like his. The glasses cut out all of Order’s brilliant aura, allowing me to actually look at her. That feat should have been impossible for such mundane objects, but I had quickly learned that the Chaotic powers not only refused to make sense, but in fact seem to delight in subverting whatever understanding of reality anypony already had. I wisely chose not to question that as Order began to spin her rocks faster, presumably to throw them at us, or perhaps to use them as armor while charging us.

Either way, it didn’t matter. Daearen had already readied his next move. A saddlebag appeared at his side, and after digging into it far deeper than the bag’s size would indicate was possible, he pulled out a rope made of taffy.

Don’t give me that look. You’ve met Discord.

He mumbled something over it and I felt a staggering rush of power move from Dae into the candy cord. It twisted and writhed like a living thing then shot across the field of battle faster than anything I had ever seen move before. It wrapped around Order’s midsection and melted into itself, creating one smooth band of taffy. Order only had time for a panicked yelp before the rope retracted, dragging her toward us.

She fired a few powerful but ill-prepared barrages at us, but the Elements flashed to life and easily deflected the strikes. If the blazing lights hadn’t told her, Order was soon close enough to see the Elements around our necks and resting in the crown on Daearen’s head herself. Her primary emotion seemed to be disbelief, but I think amusement was a close second.

“Now what?” she said. “You’ve spent your power on a spell that won’t take more than two minutes to break. You can’t use those stones anymore. You’re no longer a part of Harmony.” Her voice lowered and she hissed angrily, “You are Chaos, now and forever.”

Daearen regarded her calmly even as the Elements began to glow and their power flowed through us. Order was struck dumb by the display, and Daearen took the opportunity to reply.

“I am not Chaos. It’s a part of me, sure, but I’m also a part of Harmony. I am neither rhyme nor reason,” he said, gesturing to Luna and I, “but instead something different. I am the jarring note, the moment of transition, the essential change.” He smiled.

“I am Discord, and you are not welcome in my kingdom.”

With that our Elements exploded into light, and a rainbow arched high above us. Order teleported away in a flash of light and crash of sound, but the taffy rope traveled with her and pulled her back to us with an audible crack, just in time for the rainbow-colored magic of the Elements to twist back and plunge down straight into Daearen. There was an explosion of light which even Daearen’s conjured shades fail to stop, but when it cleared, everypony seemed unchanged.

There was a stunned moment in which nopony spoke. Then with a small ‘ding’, Daearen’s feet and shins, along with the bottommost portion of his tail, turned purple.

I stared at the bizarre sight, stunned silent, but Luna managed to ask, “What just happened?” Even as she spoke, another ‘ding’, this one slightly louder than the first, sounded. Now he was blue from the top of the purple area to his mid-thigh.

Order began attacking her bonds, trying desperately to destroy them, but Daearen had put too much magic into the taffy rope for her to break it easily. As she tried, a green, then a yellow stripe appeared, each accompanied by the odd noises.

Whatever they were, the stripes were appearing faster and faster. It only took a few seconds for the orange one to appear next, covering everything below his neck. With a quick ding Daearen’s head turned red, and I realized that he had taken on the colors of each of the six Elements.

A confused look crossed his face. “I don’t know why, but for some reason I’ve got this crazy urge to yell, ‘I’m a firin’ mah lazer’−” But he was interrupted as a rainbow beam erupted from his open mouth. The shaft of prismatic light twisted into a helix, the raw power of harmony mixing and fusing with whatever chaotic essence it had absorbed from Daearen. The blast rushed forward, plowing through the last desperate shield Order had raised, and struck her head-on. Order didn’t have a chance of resisting it.

I blinked, and she was gone, sealed away much like Chaos before her. Instead of stone, though, Order went through a more interesting change. We were left with a twisting ball of smoke contained within a slowly shifting crystal. At first I didn’t understand, but later I came to realize that while stone held Chaos in bonds of order, it took an anarchic form to contain Order. The crystal constantly changed its shape, but it was really just a container. The smoke, chaotic and formless, was what truly imprisoned her.

I turned to Daearen and gave him a tired smile. “That… was utterly ridiculous. There is no possible way something like that could have happened, much less actually work.”

Dae gave me a satisfied smirk. “And that’s why it worked so well on Order.” I glared at him and he chuckled. “Just remember, Celly. If you have no idea what you’re doing, then there’s no way your enemy will ever figure it out.”

All of us chuckled at that, and a small breeze sprang up, blowing away the smoke from some of the more damaged buildings. I fell silent as I stared at the ruined city beneath. My siblings stopped as well, and Luna asked the question we were all thinking. “What do we do now?”

She and I both turned to Daearen, who gave us a shrug and a weary grin. “I don’t know about either of you, but I could use a nap.”

………

I woke at some time past midnight. It was difficult to tell time without the moon to measure it, but Dae had gone straight to sleep without raising it, and Luna and I had yet to learn how. Luna offered to try anyway, but somehow that didn’t seem like the best idea.

I shifted, trying not to wake up the sleeping filly next to me. None of our own beds were big enough to hold the three of us together, so we decided to spend the night in our parent’s bedroom. We didn’t want to be apart from each other just then.

But as I woke, I noticed that somepony was missing. Daearen wasn’t there, but the crackling sounds of a fire coming from the next room gave me a good clue where he had gone. I rose as quietly as I could and entered the room. He was sitting in a strange chair, one actually fitted to his new form, and I wondered if he had conjured it.

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Dae asked as I sat down next to him. He was watching the fire dance and burn. He seemed strange, distant.

I smiled. “Couldn’t I say the same thing to you?”

“Touché.” Somehow the reply lacked his usual vigor. He was so worn down, far more so than he had been earlier.

“What’s wrong, Dae?”

For a minute he didn’t answer. When he spoke, it wasn’t to answer my question. Not directly, at least. “Do you know what I’m doing?” He didn’t wait for a response to continue. “I’m watching the fire. It’s strange. The flames are always moving, never still, never predictable, but the fire itself is contained, unchanging. Change without changing. Movement without moving. Chaotic, but ordered.” The room was silent save for the soft pops and gentle crackling from the fire.

Finally, he turned to me. “I’m afraid, Celly. I know I joked about it before, but you were right. This really is more power than any pony should have. I could change the world without even trying. A snap of my fingers could throw all of reality off its axis. And the worst thing is, that there’s a part of me that wants to. A part that doesn’t want to use this power for the greater good. A part that just wants chaos for the sake of chaos.”

“Dae,” I said softly. He turned towards me, and I locked eyes with him. “That is the best news I have heard all day.”

He stared at me in confusion, obviously not understanding. I smiled. “I’m relieved because you should be afraid. If you weren’t, that would mean you either had an ego the size of the castle or you were already lost to chaos.” I paused giving him a gentle pat on one of his arms. “And either way, it would mean that everypony would be in terrible danger. As long as you recognize how wrong it would be to use your power like that, I’m not afraid.”

“But what if I can’t resist the temptation? I’m not perfect, Celestia. I don’t want this power.” He sighed. “If I knew how to get rid of it, I’d give it up in a heartbeat.”

“Those who do not seek power are often the ones most deserving of it.”

Daearen turned to stare into the fire again. “Who said that?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but it sure sounds nice, doesn’t it?”

Dae blinked at me, shocked that for once I didn’t have an answer. Then he laughed. There was relief, strong and deeply needed, in that laugh. I joined in with him, and frankly, it was amazing that we didn’t wake up Luna with the all the noise we were making.

At last we stopped, and Daearen wiped tears out of his eyes. I stared at him and had to school my face into a serious expression. “That speech you gave Order. You had the whole thing planned out in advance, didn’t you?” Daearen shrugged and smiled, but the guilty look in his eyes told me everything. I gave him my best glare, trying, and failing, to keep from smiling. “You did, didn’t you?”

“Ever since I first got the idea to use Chaos’s power. Pretty cool, wasn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes. This was my king and the single most powerful alicorn left, and he had planned his victory speech before he had even begun the battle. “Really though, naming yourself 'Discord'?”

He stuck out his tongue. “I think it’s an awesome nickname.”

I shook my head; he had the strangest ideas sometimes. “I doubt it’ll ever stick, but whatever makes you happy.”

We both chuckled again, but this time it was brief. Daearen fell silent shortly afterwards. His face turned serious again for a moment, but no longer was it lined from fear. “Celly, I want you to promise me something.”

“Name it.”

“If I ever lose control. If I give in to temptation and become a monster… I want you to stop me. By any means necessary. Can you swear that?” He searched my eyes, and I stared into his. I found hope, faith and love in his eyes, and I think he found something similar in mine. Despite everything that had happened, we were happy. We were family, and that was all we really needed. All three of us had been through so much, but at last there was light at the end of the tunnel.

“I promise you, Dae. Whatever it takes.”

Never before, and never since, have I regretted a promise more than the one I made that night.

When Hope is Lost

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Written by: psychicscubadiver
Edited by: Silentcarto and frieD195
Story Image by: wyrmlover

The hour was close to midnight and the tea was long gone. Princess Celestia sat alone for the moment. Twilight had left for a much-needed trip to the bathroom, a result of all the tea they had been drinking. Celestia didn’t need such a break − the Royal Bladder was much stronger than that of a normal pony − but she appreciated the chance to organize her thoughts. She hadn’t enjoyed most of what she had recollected this night, but it was what came next that hurt the most.

Finally Twilight returned, opening the door only a crack before squeezing in. She settled onto her cushion and without preamble asked, “So that was the beginning of Discord’s reign?”

The Princess nodded. “Yes. At that point the histories you are familiar with are more or less correct, though the books still hide Discord’s origins and our true place in his court. And though it’s true that the three of us worked together to build Canterlot, it was not because of the ‘great plague’, but because the Poison Envy proved impossible to remove from the old capital.

Twilight blinked. “The old capital? You mean the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters in the Everfree Forest?”

“We never called it that in its day, but yes. That was the place we once called home.” Celestia turned to look out the window at the starry sky outside. “Maybe we could have saved it, but we never tried very hard. Too much had happened there. Too many lives were lost and too many memories remained. In the end it was easier to leave the place to fall into ruin. A new capital meant a new start, something which all of Equestria needed.”

“Rebuilding was peaceful. A little dull and tiring, but still a fond time. Daearen was still the same brother I had always known, even though he looked so strange. The ponies of the realm were terrified of him at first, but after some explanation, they accepted him as king. There were a few who grumbled and hated him, but most ponies were too relieved by the end of the nightmare we had been trapped in to care. His subjects saw little of him during the first few years, though − even the nobles and guards. He spent most of that time creating the Everfree Forest.”

“Wait. What? Discord – I mean Daearen created that deathtrap? And you let him?” Twilight asked in disbelief.

Celestia nodded. “Yes, the Everfree Forest is actually vital to everypony’s safety. Equestria, as Order was so fond to point out, is a place of order. We needed somewhere to keep Order where she could not draw power, and since none existed nearby, Daearen had to create one.”

Twilight blinked. “You mean the whole forest is one giant prison? Just to contain Order?”

Celestia hesitated before replying. “While it was originally made for Order, there are certain other … entities contained there as well. It is no accident that the Everfree Forest lies so close to the gates of Tartarus. However, those are stories for another time.” Twilight wanted to ask more, but Celestia had moved on in a tone that brooked no argument. “In the very the heart of the forest, miles and miles from our former castle, there is a grove made of dozens of different trees. In the middle of the grove their branches warp and weave together to create an enormous, living bowl filled with water. The water spins in impossible currents that toss the shifting crystal that holds Order in every direction.” Twilight’s mind twisted in upon itself as she tried to understand how any magic could do such an incredible task for so long. Fortunately, she gave up before blowing a mental fuse.

Celestia smiled to herself and continued. “Despite our odd circumstances, everything was peaceful and happy. It wasn’t until the second century of his reign that Daearen began to act erratically. Moreso than usual, I mean.”

………

I think the first warning sign came thanks to a messenger during some summer afternoon. Daearen and I were suffering through a petition about some minor zoning issue from one of Manehattan’s pompous city leaders.

After my years of tending to the more mundane matters of ruling while he worked his magic, it became custom for us to hold court together. I served as his aide and advisor, keeping him informed about the games and machinations of the nobles. While Daearen loved his subjects, he had little patience for much of the aristocracy – a feeling I have grown to share over the years. I couldn’t say I was disappointed when my brother dismissed the baroness before she was done with her petition. The news carried by the haggard-looking guard was bound to be more important.

The gold-colored noble harrumphed and made her displeasure known at such treatment, but retreated without raising a fuss. Of course, Dae’s tendency to turn annoying ponies into chickens for a few hours usually deflated even the most overbearing of egos.

“Your Highness! I bring grave−” the poor unicorn began before he was interrupted.

“Nope,” Daearen said. “Not cutting it. Try another honorific.” He paused to casually examine the back of his paw. “Maybe something a little more creative.”

The guard flushed, but tried again. “My king, this is import−”

“Oh, that’s even worse. Try again. You look like an intelligent fellow; surely you can come up with something.” He gave the struggling pony a pitying look, and I had to hold back a sigh.

The guard stared in disbelief. While it was well known that Daearen had little sense of decorum, most ponies were quite unprepared when faced with it. It was one thing to laugh at the king’s jest at the expense of another, but quite different to deal with his humor yourself. I gave the guard a nod. “You may as well play along or we won’t get anything done.”

Daearen stuck his tongue out at me, but I ignored him with practiced dignity. This guard was inexperienced, and I wondered who had sent him without proper warning. It was a common form of hazing, but irritating nonetheless. Fresh as he might have been, he proved adaptable.

“Lord Discord?”

Daearen shot me a triumphant smile, but hid it before our messenger would notice. “Not bad, but not quite there yet.”

“Grand Chieftain?”

“Oh, exotic! But I think you can do better.”

Exasperated, the pony shrugged. “How about Supreme Mugwump?”

Daearen slammed one fist onto the arm of his throne and a small collection of fireworks shot skyward. “Now that’s a title! Where did you hear that one?”

Blushing furiously the guard muttered, “Just made it up on the spot, sir.”

Daearen nodded appreciatively and turned to me. “Celly, I need you to get ‘Supreme Mugwump’ added to whatever titles I already have as soon as possible. Also, think up a definition for ‘mugwump’ while you’re at it.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not a chance, brother dear. Now will you finally let him deliver his message?” Daearen sighed, but signaled assent. Visibly relieved, the young stallion took a deep breath and began.

“There have been reports of strange, terrifying weather all over Equestria, my lord. Local pegasi, even veterans from the finest weather teams around, have been unable to contain it. Thus far there have been no casualties, but since it shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down−”

“Rein yourself in, sergeant,” Daearen interrupted. But this time, far from being bored, he was leaning forward, intrigued by the news. “Now start over and tell us exactly what this phenomenon is and what it has done.” His eyes sparkled with interest and gestured for the guard to begin again.

“I’m, uh … actually a private, sir.”

Daearen huffed impatiently. “You’re a sergeant now. So get on with it before you’re demoted back to private.”

“Yes, sir! At exactly oh-seven hundred hours this morning, aerial recon from multiple cities reported the sudden appearance of patches of anomalous weather. Several pink clouds began to form, seemingly out of thin air, and grew rapidly. By oh-seven thirty, the clouds had swelled into a storm front almost precisely wide enough to cover each city they approached.”

I considered solutions for the bizarre problem. Perhaps if there was some sort of pattern to it. “Which cities were covered and what do they have in common?” I couldn’t help but wonder what force could be causing this. There were still several … unpleasant entities at large in those times, but the fact that there had been no casualties seemed to rule out most of them.

The guard shook his head. “The only pattern we have been able to establish is that every target is a major population center. Thus far Roam, Coltenhagan, Manehattan, and Trottingham have been completely covered, and several smaller cities are now reporting similar events.”

I was shaken. Who, or more importantly, what had the power to reach so many separate corners of Equestria with such powerful magic? Daearen seemed concerned with other matters. His fingers steepled, his intent gaze bored into the guard. “What about the clouds themselves? Describe them and their actions.”

“They are of normal appearance, other than their coloration, but of strange composition. To all intents and purposes, they seem to be made of cotton candy. Between oh-nine hundred and oh-nine forty-five hours, depending on the city, they began to precipitate. The rain was composed of chocolate milk instead of water, but otherwise behaved normally. In Roam, a strong wind resulted in malted milk ball hail, some pieces reaching the size of large jawbreakers.” This new piece of information made this event even more confusing. Were we being invaded by some sort of candy ponies? While any kind of war is abhorrent, there was a part of that possibility that intrigued me. Or least my sweet tooth. The guard, however, wasn’t done.

“The clouds are somehow capable of moving under their own power, and smaller ones can reach speeds greater than the average pegasus. Despite that, they can be herded with careful cooperation and even brought to the ground with proper anchors. However, nopony has been able to stop them from raining or to disperse them. Weather pegasi tried everything they think of, even bringing in normal clouds to shock the pink ones, but nothing worked.”

“What happened when they shocked them?” Daearen asked.

“The cloud transformed into a large flan that somehow remained airborne and began pouring banana pudding instead of chocolate milk.” Daearen started laughing, but the guard ignored him. He was a very fast learner in that regard. “After the pegasi were unsuccessful, powerful unicorns in several cities attempted to disperse the clouds magically. Their spells had no effect other than to draw the clouds towards the caster, leading us to assume that they are attracted to magic. So far nothing has worked, which is why they all have begged for your Majesty’s help.”

“Has anypony tried eating them?” Daearen asked casually, far too casually. I recognized the look in his eyes and in a flash of insight I realized what was really going on. The poor guard still hadn’t caught on, though.

“Eat them? Would that be safe?”

“Ponies have been drinking the chocolate milk without any harm, haven’t they? I suppose you could have a few ponies taste test them first just in case, but there shouldn’t be any problems. They certainly seem to be working exactly as designed.”

I sighed, hoping that I was somehow mistaken. “How long have you been planning this?”

My brother grinned in response. “For the past month. It was so tempting to let them go early, but I wanted to be sure they’d work correctly.”

The guard, shocked by this revelation froze. Eventually when he spoke it was in hushed tones. “You mean, you did this, your Majesty?”

“Yes, of course! I wanted to give all of Equestria a treat, and who doesn’t love chocolate milk? I just hope there’s enough to go around for everypony.”

“Sir. There has been so much of it that several parts of Manehatten are flooding, and Roam’s aqueducts and public baths are overflowing with it.”

“Great! This−” Daearen began, but this time it was the guard who interrupted him.

“Of course, it has also caused multiple evacuations, ruined countless food and water stores, disrupted the weather schedule for almost every town in Equestria, cost several cow herds their livelihoods, and ignited a mass panic, as some ponies fear that the world is ending.” The guard spoke in a neutral tone, but still managed to insert a note of accusation into his list of damages. “There has been chaos across the entire land, and it’s a miracle that nopony has been seriously hurt in the confusion. Even so, hospitals have been filled to capacity with minor injuries – most notably, pegasus crashes from gummed up wings and severe stomachaches from young fillies and colts gorging themselves on the rain. This is quite literally the worst thing to happen to Equestria since the parasprite invasion three decades ago.”

Silence greeted his speech.

Finally, Daearen broke the tension with a guilty cough. “Yes, well… I suppose I’ve got places to be, then. Can you keep things together here, Celestia?” I nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, my brother disappeared.

The moment he was gone the previously stoic guard all but collapsed in relief. “Thank goodness! I thought he was going to turn me into a toad or something for a moment there.”

I smiled, descending from my post to speak with him less formally. “You’re rather lucky in that respect, I will admit. The last pony who corrected him got turned into a newt.”

“A newt?” he echoed.

“Yes, although he got better. My brother may be fond of his pranks, but he doesn’t really mean to harm anypony. Still, it must have taken a great deal of courage to confront him with the consequences of his actions.” The guard nodded and blushed, uncomfortable with the praise. I gave him another smile, which only caused his flush to deepen. “So what is your name, soldier?”

“S-silver Sparkle, Your Highness.”

“I realize that Daearen only promoted you on a whim, but given the qualities you displayed, I think we should look at confirming it as permanent. Find your Captain and tell him I wish to see him.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Sergeant Sparkle snapped off a smart salute and began to leave. Before he could, though, I spoke once more.

“But I hope you understand that what was said in this room does not leave it.”

He paused and turned back to face me. “Your Highness, I know some ponies dislike King Daearen. I know that some wish you would replace him as ruler. Even in the barracks, there are discontented whispers, but you do not need to worry. He is my king, and I am faithful to my vow.”

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t until after dinner that evening that Daearen finally reappeared. He climbed out of the teapot and flopped into his seat, letting himself sink far deeper into the thin cushions than should have been possible. His coat was messy, with bits of pink fluff and chocolate stains all over him, and his expression was exhausted. His stomach bulged several inches past his normal waistline, and he gave the exotic sweet I was eating a nauseated glance. A twitch of a finger made a pear slowly float to him. After sending for different pot of tea, I stared at him, waiting.

He sat there, slowly and tiredly munching away at the pear, which had changed at some point to a watercress sandwich. Finally I took the initiative. “How was your day?”

Daearen winced. “I had to eat them. All of them. That was the only way I’d designed to get rid of them safely. Nopony else even wanted to touch them. I got rid of all of the chocolate milk too, but at least that part was easy. How was yours?”

I took a careful sip of the fresh tea and replied calmly. “Very busy. I organized refugee camps for several thousand ponies, and given the ruined food and water supplies, that wasn’t very easy. Incidentally, we now owe the Queen of Dragons several favors. You need to fix everything as soon as possible before we announce that those clouds were yours, or there may be calls for your head.”

Daearen groaned and sank even lower into his chair. “I hope that can wait until tomorrow. I spent the last hour coughing up sugar cubes and gumdrops. Besides, they can’t have my head. I’m still using it.”

I grinned and nudged him with one of my wings. “You could have fooled me.”

Daearen gave me a weary chuckle. “I knew I’d corrupt you eventually.”

“I have no idea what you mean.” I turned back to my tea and began to sip it, studiously ignoring everything else. Until Luna came in.

“GOOD EVENING, LORD KING AND ELDER SISTER. WE ARE MOST PLEASED TO FIND THEE STILL AWAKE. WOULDST EITHER OF THEE PERHAPS DESIRE TO WATCH US RAISE THE MOON INTO THE FIRMAMENT?” A spider-web of cracks shot across the cup I was holding, and only a quick spell kept it from shattering completely. Some of the more delicate dinnerware didn’t fare quite so well.

I facehoofed, my exasperation beyond words. Daearen continued chewing, his eyes dull and flat, as though his mind had survived the sonic assault only by retreating to a more defensive mental position. Luna flushed as she noticed the broken glasses and dishes. “Oops. I can fix that. Er, we mean, worry not, siblings! This task is not beyond our ken.” Her horn began to glow and the dishes began to mend themselves, the ceramics fusing into their former shapes. Or at least a good approximation of their former shapes.

“Daeren,” I said, glaring daggers at him. “I thought you told her to stop that.”

Daearen gave me a sheepish smile and shrugged. “No. I told you I’d tell her that. I must have forgotten to mention it last night.”

“Pray tell, what should we cease doing?” Aside from her poor choices in vocal habits, Luna was doing well. She had gotten her cutie mark a century or so ago and had quickly adapted to a more nocturnal lifestyle to better suit being the Princess of Night. She was still too young for most royal responsibilities, but she had taken to raising the moon like a duck to water.

She had also grown in the past two centuries. She was more mature, more clever, and had shot up a whole foot. Unfortunately she was still far too gullible. “You know,” I told her, “there’s no such thing as the Royal Canterlot Voice.”

“But ‘tis tradition! A long and honored manner of speech. Our elder brother said as much,” she protested.

“Luna. You were there when we built Canterlot. The only traditions this city has are the ones we’ve made up. Dae was just joking with you.”

“Well, we think it is a fine tradition despite its recent origins. We wish we couldst parley with thee further, but the moon shall not wake from slumber on her own. We bid thee good night and pleasant dreams.” With that she left, my ears still ringing from her voice, but at least she had lowered the volume enough to no longer pose a threat to glassware. I glared at Daearen, who was massaging his temple, trying to forestall a well-deserved headache.

“Really, Dae? Even I thought it was funny when you convinced Luna that talking like a Shakesmareian actor made her sound more dignified, but this is taking things a bit far. Half of the staff are going deaf, and this is the third time she’s broken the dinner plates.”

Daearen sighed and answered in a disgruntled tone. “I was just having some fun with her. I don’t know why she took it this far.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “You haven’t noticed how Luna looks up to you? When she overheard some minor noble insult you, she burst his eardrums telling him off. But that’s not important right now.” I sighed and put a comforting hoof on his arm. “What’s important is that you aren’t considering the consequences of anything you do. You come up with a ‘great’ idea and pursue it without even thinking about it. You can’t do that. You’re the king, Dae. You have to always keep your subjects in mind.”

At first he bristled at my words and gave an undignified pout, but after a minute or two he sighed and rose from his chair’s cushioned depths. “I know I’m not the most popular or well-loved king, but I do keep them in mind. I thought I’d give them a treat, something to show I care.”

He smiled as he watched the moon rise into the night sky. “I’ll get it right next time.”

………

But he didn’t. Not the next time or the time after that. Chaos by its very nature can’t be controlled, and most of Daearen’s plans went spectacularly wrong. The ponies of Equestria grew more and more discontent as his disasters shook the land. His love of pranks and his jovial attitude even in the face of his failures convinced many ponies that he was failing on purpose.

Not that everything he did went wrong. After much effort, he finally created a safer form of Poison Envy that strangled out the last remnants of the old variety. While Poison Joke is an annoying plant, it was a major improvement over Chaos’s cruel little flower. He also defeated and bound the Windigoes, prevented war between the Griffin kingdom and Diamond Dog tribes, and drove the changelings into the wastelands, forbidding them to feed upon his ponies.

But, for all of his accomplishments, he still wrecked the country often enough to disappoint even the lowest of expectations. He wore a smile throughout, always striving to do better, but at some point the smile stopped reaching his eyes. Something within him hardened over those years, and I wish to everything good that I had not been so blind to it.

As time passed, his attempts to help everypony tapered off. He still worked his chaotic magic, but he no longer tried to improve anypony’s life. Instead he played pranks and jokes upon the world with no intent beyond getting a laugh. One night he switched the genders of everypony in Equestria, including himself and his sisters… or brothers, for that odd week. Another time he shifted the entire world, changing the seasons suddenly from summer to winter... all because he wanted Hearth’s Warming Eve to come early that year.

If it were not for Luna and myself, I believe that our nation would have erupted into open revolt. We tempered Daearen’s magic, fixed what he could not, and cared for our subjects. They loved us, even though we would scarcely listen to anypony who spoke ill of our brother. But we could not remain willfully ignorant forever.

My eyes were finally opened about three and half centuries after he first created the rain of chocolate milk. Daearen told Luna and me that he had a surprise to show us. I was cautious, but hopeful. If it was anything too disruptive, we at least had the chance to talk him out of it this time.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I opened those doors, but it certainly wasn’t a pony literally throwing herself at my hooves sobbing uncontrollably. I backpedaled quickly, surprised at the bizarre assault, but the crying pony crept forward. Her head bowed and wings tightly folded, as she shuddered and begged at our hooves.

“Please, Your Highnesses. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for all those times I’ve been rude, callous, or cruel to all those ponies. I know I’m not worthy of forgiveness, but please, could either of you find it in those vast, beautiful hearts of yours to show some mercy to a wretched creature like me?”

I turned to Luna, startled and confused, but she was as puzzled by the bizarre behavior as I was. Before I could ask the strange pony just what she had done that was so wrong, another pony wearing a formal servant’s uniform approached her. The new pony lifted the head of the crying supplicant and struck her across the muzzle. “Of course they won’t forgive you. You’re just a selfish, stuck-up little brat. Spoiled rotten by mommy’s money and contemptuous of everypony beneath you. You don’t even deserve to touch their hooves.”

Both ponies were grey, without even a hint of color in their eyes, coats, or even their cutie marks, and the crying pegasus was wearing the tattered remains of what must have once been a lovely, if ostentatious, evening dress. Although it took a moment, I recognized the pegasus’s monochrome cutie mark. Her bejeweled key could only have belonged to Duchess Nexus, one of the proudest, most arrogant ponies it had ever been my misfortune to meet. Daearen had already turned her into a chicken twice, but it had done surprisingly little to improve her manners. I realized the pony with her must have been her maid, but far from serving her mistress, the angry earth pony was doing her best to wound the weeping noble both physically and emotionally.

“Always pushing me around, never considering the feelings of others. Doesn’t it make you sick to finally realize the kind of monster you’ve always been?”

“Yes,” the Duchess choked out quietly between sobs, and her attendant was on her again.

Sickened by the display, I grabbed the descending hoof before it could connect with Duchess Nexus’s unresisting form and lifted the struggling servant into the air. Luna, equally disturbed, shouted angrily at the floating earth pony. “What in the name of all things harmonious has transpired?!”

Neither of us was fond of the Duchess, but whatever was happening here was unacceptable. All the more so once the source revealed himself.

“I told you I had something to show you, didn’t I?” Daearen chuckled and phased into existence a few feet away. With a snap of his fingers, we were shoved fully into the room and the door closed behind us. “Now, let’s not show off my latest project to the rest of Canterlot. I’m trying to perfect the process, but it still needs some work.”

I dropped the servant in pure surprise, shocked. Luna stuttered, speaking normally for the first time in decades. “Y-you did this, Dae? But why? How could you?” Her voice was hurt, betrayed even, but Daearen didn’t seem to take any notice of it.

“It was actually pretty simple, once I realized I could do it. Imagine a pony’s personality as a mixture of liquids. The ‘heaviest’ sink to the bottom and can’t even be seen unless there’s powerful form of agitation. In Duchess Nexus’s case that would be repentance and humility. What I’ve done is to invert the glass. Or maybe gravity… hmm, this might not be the best metaphor. Anyway, I flip things such that what used to be the ‘least likely’ emotions and actions are now ‘most likely’ and vice-versa. For instance, Gentle Smile used to be a quiet, kind and forgiving servant, but now she’s violent, abusive and loud. It’s fascinating.” He finished with the satisfied flair of craftspony after a job well done.

I felt sick. “Dae, this is wrong. You can’t do this to anypony else.”

He blinked in confusion. “Whyever not? The process is safe, and I can reverse it whenever I want. I’ve taken to calling it ‘discording’. Imagine doing this to a few of the nobles and watching them go to town. It’ll be hilarious!”

Luna was on the verge of tears. “You need to stop, big brother. They’re ponies, not toys! You can’t just play with their lives like that!”

Daeren stopped laughing and turned to face us, pity in his eyes. “I understand. You two haven’t realized it yet.” He waved one hand and the two grey ponies behind us returned to their normal colors. A snap of his fingers and they were gone as well. Daearen settled himself into a large chair, and leaned forward to speak.

“Normal ponies are to us what butterflies are to them; pretty little creatures that brighten up your life for a few days before dying. Don’t deny it; every time you get attached to a pony they wither in a few decades and leave you with nothing but memories and loss. The only thing you can do with them is have fun. Spice up their dull little lives with some excitement!” He chuckled darkly. “And if there’s one thing I have a talent for, it’s excitement.”

“Daearen,” I said sternly, “that is the basest arrogance I have ever heard. That kind of superiority complex is exactly what you used to hate about other alicorns.”

His chuckle changed into a full laugh at that. “I don’t know if you noticed, Celly, but I’m not exactly an alicorn anymore. I’m the living embodiment of all Chaos. So long as there is even the slightest bit of random chance, that essential bit of anarchy, I will exist. I used to joke about being immortal, but now I truly am. Knowing that I’m going to live millions of times longer than any pony, knowing that each one, no matter how special, is only a drop in the bucket of my existence, how can I treat ponies any other way?”

He still smiled at us, warmly and cheerfully as though he hadn’t just told us that the life of every single pony in his kingdom, ponies that he should shelter and protect, was almost worthless. Valuable only in their ability to amuse him. Luna and I were shocked into silence, quiet tears rolling down Luna’s face.

He sighed and put a surprisingly gentle hand on each of our shoulders. I flinched, afraid to get close to him anymore, but he was only giving us a hug. I hadn’t ever noticed just how mad his voice had become, until it dropped back its normal tone. “I know you’re probably afraid that I’d think the same thing about you two, but don’t worry. I made a promise that I would love both of you forever, and, spirit of Chaos or not, I intend to keep it.” For a moment, I truly believed he was still my brother. That this story could end happily. But he stopped hugging us and a mad smirk split his face. The moment passed, and I knew our brother was gone.

I tried again anyway. “Daearen, don’t. Please?”

He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry, but needs must when the devil drives.”

“What does that even mean?”

He grinned like a maniac. “I have no idea, but it sure sounds fitting, doesn’t it? Now if you’ll excuse me, I think Equestria is overdue for a little chaos.” He snapped his fingers and suddenly we were outside in the middle of the Royal Garden. Specifically, in the one of the larger fountains, giving the ponies enjoying it quite a shock.

Luna blushed at the embarrassment and flew away in a hurry, but I took my time. After shaking off the water I trudged back to my private quarters. I had a promise to keep.

………

It turned out to be almost shockingly easy to arrange the coup. Yes, I use that word. I never lied to myself about what I was planning to do, no matter the circumstances.

It was simple enough to find supportive ponies. I just let it become public knowledge that my brother and I weren’t getting along, and several ponies approached me with their plans to depose the king. It wasn’t just nobles either. While it’s true that they were the most common targets of Daearen’s – no, Discord’s – mischief, they also had the resources to recover from most of his pranks. Common ponies however, had their lives ruined.

Discord had never killed anypony directly, but the number of deaths that could eventually be traced back to his causal acts of cruelty was astounding. I had never known just how much damage my brother had done until I began planning against him. The knowledge had always been there, but I had refused to see it, refused to admit what he had become.

In the end, a vast majority of ponies were not loyal to Discord. The few who did not join with us were either those who refused to choose sides, those who made their living profiting off of Discord’s chaos, or those very few who were loyal simply out of their sense of duty. I had insisted that any transfer of power be bloodless, but with the numbers at my disposal, that wouldn’t be a problem. Provided, of course, that Luna and I could subdue Discord. If not, I’m sure there would have been quite a bit of blood.

Convincing Luna proved to be the hardest part. Despite what she had seen, Luna remained fiercely devoted to our big brother. If it hadn’t been for me, I don’t think she ever would have agreed, not until Discord did something truly horrendous… and by then, it might have been too late. With time, patience and careful argument I finally made her realize what our loving brother had become. It still took a lot of convincing to compel her to act on it, but after he ‘discorded’ half of his court she finally gave up all resistance.

There was only one thing left to do: obtain the other two Elements of Harmony. Discord had stopped wearing them centuries ago, even to ceremonial events. In those days, they remained under watch at all times in one of the most heavily guarded parts of the Royal Treasury.

………

We made our move in the small hours of the morning. Discord had been asleep for hours and would be for several more. A quick Seeming made it appear that I was in bed, and Luna had told everypony she was spending the night in her observatory and was to be left alone.

Luna’s magic had improved by leaps and bounds the past centuries, and she easily shrouded us in a cloak of shadows. Most of the guards on duty were with us, but it was better to be sure than sorry.

Together we snuck past multiple checkpoints, both mundane and mystical sentries unaware of our presence, eventually leaving the castle altogether to descend deep into the mountain upon which it was built. The ponies who had built the vault and laid its spells had been masters of their craft, but Luna and I had studied their blueprints in detail for the past week. Armed with that knowledge and more magic than any unicorn, we were able to disable, even if only temporarily, all of their security measures.

Less than an hour after we entered the treasury, we stood before the heavily bejeweled, and more importantly bespelled, chest containing Magic and Laughter. Luna let her shadows fall away from us so we could focus with upon opening the strongbox without setting off half a dozen spells. For a moment, I almost thought we wouldn’t succeed, but finally the lock clicked open while the enchantments remained dormant. I opened it with more than a little trepidation, and we got a look at the last two Elements for the first time in ages. We gasped. It was hard to blame us given the sight with which we were faced.

The Element of Magic was no longer a lush viridian. Instead, the jewel had turned jet black, darker even than obsidian. There was no shine, sparkle or depths to the stone anymore. It seemed to suck in light rather than give it back. The Element of Laughter had also lost much of brightness, but in comparison to its sibling, the blue gem was pure and clean as new fallen snow.

We had found the only things that could let us fight Discord, but now I wasn’t even sure if we wanted them. The jewels that had once shone so powerfully were now tainted, twisted by what our brother had become. Neither of us had any idea what would happen if we were to use them.

Could we survive the backlash of all that negative energy? Or would it be worse than dying? Would we live only to be warped into dark reflections of ourselves? In the end, though, all of that speculation was unimportant. We needed the Elements, and we could not leave without them.

Neither of us dared to speak, but we didn’t need to. A brief hug and a briefer look was all we gave each other. Then, Luna and I stretched out our hooves to touch them. I’m not ashamed to admit that my hoof trembled as it clinked softly against the cold surface of the Element of Magic. Then, without warning, I dropped into oblivion.

There was nothing. The distant sound of patrolling guards was gone. The ancient storeroom, carved out of the living bedrock, had disappeared. The stuffy, slightly musty smell of long kept secrets was missing, and I no longer felt stone, or anything, really, beneath my hooves. Every sensation outside of myself had been severed with a grim finality.

I was alone.

I wondered if I had died, if this was death. It didn’t matter either way, really. I had failed. Discord would reign over a land of chaos. Until Order found a way to get free, at least. Then they would battle again and again. And all of our subjects, all of my little ponies would suffer for it. All because I had failed.

No…

I felt something flare to life within me. It was a tiny, guttering flame, but within that darkness it felt as warm as a bonfire.

No.

It grew stronger. My coat began to shine, illuminating the endless abyss around me. But there was a force that consumed my light, a hunger that couldn’t be filled.

NO!

There were too many ponies that depended on me; too many lives would be destroyed if we failed here. I was Celestia, the Princess of the Sun, daughter of Awdur and Musica and one of the last alicorns. I would not, could not give in.

With that, the darkness faded away, a gentle light replacing the emptiness. The world around me hesitantly resolved into a silent meadow beneath the shining sun. A black stone lay on the grass in front of me. The Element of Magic had lost its terrible aura, but its former power was still hadn’t been restored. It was only a lifeless stone. I picked up the former gem and stared into its depths, but I found no answers there. The Elements only accepted those they judged worthy to hold their powers, so what was I missing?

What was it to be the Element of Magic? What had my brother lost?

And with that I realized the truth. The meadow was beautiful, but it was as empty as the darkness that had come before.

Real strength doesn’t come from being alone or from having nothing to lose. Real strength comes from the faith and love ponies have in each other. From knowing that you can never give in, never back down and never surrender so long as the ponies you love still need you.

Discord had lost himself in the power of Chaos. He had forgotten that true strength comes from the bonds we share. Because that was the truth at the heart of the Elements…

Friendship is Magic.

Light blossomed from the black stone, rich and pure. The darkness vanished, leaving it clear as a diamond for a moment, but then color began to fill the gem, turning it a beautiful, rich magenta. Gold sprang into being around it, the metal twisting itself, not into a crown, but instead a shining circlet. I stared in wonder as the Element reshaped itself then hung before me in the air, waiting. I carefully levitated it onto my head, the jewel settling below my horn and between my eyes. There was a gentle pulse of magic, and I felt its power join my own. I had been accepted, judged worthy to wield the Element of Magic.

I shut my eyes, breathing a sigh of relief, and when I reopened them, I had returned to the hidden vault. Luna stood beside me wearing not just the Element of Laughter, but her other two as well. Laughter was set in a matching circlet, but hers was made of glimmering Mithril. Her torc was still set with Kindness and Generosity, but its metal had changed to Mithril as well. With some surprise I realized that I too, was wearing all of my Elements and that my torc had become gold as well.

It was too soon to celebrate, though. We still needed to escape unnoticed with the greatest and most powerful treasures in the kingdom, but I couldn’t suppress a grin of triumph. Luna mirrored the expression, but only for a moment. She could not forget the purpose for which these jewels were bound.

Luna bit her lip and whispered in a tone so low I could barely understand her, “Art thou certain such a plan shall succeed?”

My spirits, which had been rising since we reappeared, fell again. I had my own suspicions about what the power of Harmony would to Discord, but I couldn’t share them with Luna. She was already reluctant to challenge him. “The Elements of Harmony are the strongest force in Equestria. If anything can help our brother, it’s them.”

Luna nodded, her face turning back into a smile. I forced myself to smile back, but thankfully it was too dark for her to notice how strained it was. Honesty dimmed slightly, in what almost seemed a rebuke, but Loyalty’s shine was undiminished.

………

It was a nerve wracking week after our raid on the treasury. I avoided Discord whenever I could, knowing that I wouldn’t be able to conceal my guilt. Thankfully, he was so caught up in his latest scheme that he barely noticed Luna or me.

Then, finally, it was time for his monthly review of the guard. Typically, Discord breezed through the ranks, playing a minor prank or two on his soldiers before leaving them alone for another month. While you might think he would have paid them more attention, the guards had long ago made stoic acceptance their greatest virtue. Discord had found that it wasn’t much fun to prank somepony who wouldn’t even give you an annoyed glare when you turned their armor into live squid. Not when there were easier targets elsewhere.

Luna and I would occasionally accompany him on these reviews, and on that day both of us were in attendance. Discord made his entrance by bursting forth from the stone underhoof riding a geyser of confetti. A few ponies in the ranks gasped, but most watched impassively. Still, it was more of a reaction than he usually got, so he bowed and waved.

“Thank you! You’re a wonderful audience! I’ll be here all week!”

Maybe if Discord had paid more attention to his guards, or actually spoken to them on a regular basis, he would have noticed something odd about the ponies that had reacted. They were mostly pegasi and unicorns, and didn’t quite fit in with the rest of the guards. The pegasi were smaller and leaner than most of their well-muscled brethren, and they had on much lighter armor.

The unicorns stuck out even worse. Many were well beyond the standard age for Royal Guards, and all of them fidgeted uncomfortably in their armor. As little as Discord cared about mortal ponies, even he would notice eventually. Unless of course, Luna and I held his attention.

“Yes,” I replied in the icy tone I had been favoring those days. “We will be here all week if you don’t hurry up.”

“Ouch!” Discord threw his hands to his chest, overdramatically pantomiming an injury. “You wound me to the quick, sister dear. I take it you didn’t enjoy my little prank a few weeks ago?” He didn’t wait for a response before bulldozing straight ahead. “Well, you should be pleased, then. I set all of the nobles back to normal, and even did a few favors for the ones I’d really inconvenienced. I still can’t believe Duke Riser actually proposed to his butler and demanded that I officiate their wedding that very evening.” He chuckled. “Though the look on the stallion's face when the Duke offered him that ring in front of the entire court was priceless.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

He glanced at his mismatched body and waggled his eyebrows. “I’m a lot of things, so who knows? I might just be.” He smiled, innocent as foal with a hoof in the cookie jar. “Anyway, I’ve got something even funnier in works. I think even you’ll like this one, Celestia.”

Luna frowned and tried to draw Discord’s attention. “A good afternoon to thee, Dae.”

Discord gave her grin and ruffled her ethereal mane, turning all of its stars into one messy nebulae. “Okay, I’ll bite. What's so important that it has the two of you plotting together?”

I cleared my throat and gestured to the far end of the courtyard. “Luna and I have been working on something, and we wanted you to see the results.” His eyebrows shot up and a curious expression overtook his face. We led him to the crux of our plan, two long lines of thick-linked chains. Seven of the chains, each seventy-seven feet long, were made of flawless silver, and another seven were made of grim, grey iron. The silver chains were lined in shifting, flickering runes that radiated power. They were meant to hold and bind, sealing even ephemeral flesh. The iron chains, in stark contrast, had no bright finish or obvious care, but they were even more powerful in their own way. Some of Equestria’s finest mages and metalworkers had been working on them for years, but with my help and resources they had been finished little more than a month ago.

“Well, well, well,” Discord said, curiously examining the long lengths of metal. “Spelled silver. Hmm, mostly restraining magic, but it looks like you could use it as a conductor for other spells as well. And … is that cold iron?” Cold iron, an alloy of normal iron and several other metals, was also known as the Mage’s Bane. Human metallurgists had originally invented it as a means of fighting magical creatures, since they had no powers of their own. Thankfully, the secret of its creation had not vanished with them.

Discord frowned, and I began to sweat. There were some subtle movements from the guards as they moved into position, but had he noticed them? Discord pondered the chains a moment more before speaking. “These things are neater than an obsessive-compulsive pony’s bedroom, but what’s their purpose?”

I blanked, unable to think of a believable lie, but Luna picked up the slack. “Such constructs can restrain powerful beasts with little harm to the surrounding environs.”

His eyebrows shot up as he jumped to the wrong conclusion. “You’re talking about dragons. Tiamat wouldn’t be pleased if she found out about that.” He chuckled, finding her imagined rage more amusing than frightening. Our co-conspirators were almost there, only a few more moments. Discord bent forward and picked up one of the silver chains, discovering that it was surprisingly light. “So, this is what you’ve been all secretive about? Honestly, I’d half expected−”

“Now!” And the plan erupted into motion.

The pegasi, each of them reputed to be one of the fastest flyers in Equestria, had positioned themselves at the ends of each chain. Now they shot forward, dragging the chains along to entangle Discord in a web of metal. Their speed had not been overstated. In less than a second, too quick even for a being of his power to react, Discord was shackled by all fourteen chains. The cold iron chilled the moment it came in contact with his flesh and frost began to form wherever it touched.

The pegasi passed their loads to the rest of our force. Enormous earth ponies, some almost as large as me or my sister, pulled the iron chains taut and held them with every ounce of their considerable strength. The silver chains were taken up by the unicorns who’d looked so uncomfortable in their armor. They were the strongest mages in Equestria, and their horns burst into furious light as they focused on the chains before them. A gleaming aura surrounded the silver links, and they tightened of their own accord. The combined assault stopped Discord from using his magic and prevented him from simply muscling through the comparatively soft iron.

All their efforts, though, would only hold until the unicorns’s magic was exhausted or the earth ponies tired. Nothing save the Elements could hold Discord for long, but the chains had bought us a few precious minutes. I had expected Discord to look shocked, and he did, but I had not expected his surprise to shift into amusement.

“Fantastic! Oh, top notch! Chains aren’t really my things, but for your first real prank it’s not bad! You’ve got to tell me how you kept the silver and iron from canceling each other out.” He gave us a smile, bright and proud, and he looked so pleased I hesitated. Luna took in a sharp breath, and I felt her shudder against me. Discord didn’t notice; he just kept rambling. “But first I gotta know: what’s the punchline? A rainbow afro? Clown make-up? Throwing me into the moat? Don’t leave me in suspense!”

“This is no prank, Discord,” I said, focusing upon a spell I had laid earlier.

He blinked, confused. “Then what is it?”

Luna spoke, her voice quiet. She had left behind her archaic accent and booming tone. “It’s an intervention. We want to help you.”

With that I triggered the summoning spell I had laid on the Elements of Harmony. They materialized on our heads and necks, flowing shards of light outlining their forms as the powerful gems burst into existence. Discord stared, his jaw hanging slack for a moment. Then he leapt into furious action, fighting his bonds for the first time. The silver glimmered brightly, and iron groaned as frost spread further and further across his body. The unicorns cursed and their horns flared again with light. The earth ponies pulled ever tighter, one of their number thrown to the ground by Discord’s exertions. They were holding him for now, but I could already see tiny cracks beginning to form in some of the links.

The Elements flashed with all the brilliance of wild lightning, and a crack of thunder split the air. I spoke, pouring every measure of authority I had into my voice, and the entire courtyard was instantly dead silent. “King Daearen, also called Discord, we have been chosen by the powers of Harmony to bring justice to you. You have betrayed your subjects’ sacred trust by treating them as playthings, crushing their hopes, fanning their fears and bringing them misery. You have even trespassed so far as to warp their bodies and minds merely for your amusement. For these and other crimes, we now call you to task.”

Discord licked his lips nervously, and stared at us in disbelief. “You’re supposed to be loyal, Celestia. And you’re supposed to be kind, Luna. How could either of you do this to me?”

Luna stepped forward, giving him a short nuzzle. “Don’t worry, Dae. It might seem bad, but now we can heal you. You’ll finally be yourself again.”

I winced, and though Luna couldn’t see it, Discord caught it all too clearly.

“And you were supposed to be honest as well. Why? Give me that, at least.”

The light surrounding me dimmed to nothing and for a moment I was not a centuries-old avatar of Harmony. I was just a pony, one who had worked long and hard for something she never really wanted. I bowed my head and replied in a whisper. “I am loyal. Do you remember the night after we defeated Order? Remember sitting together in front of that fire? Remember my promise? Everything I have done has been because of that.” I looked up, meeting his eyes with equal measures of pain and determination. “I’m sorry.”

Luna cocked her head, her confusion evident, but Discord’s reaction stole back her attention. He began to laugh. It was not his usual cheerful tones, nor his mischief-laden chuckles. It was not even one of his maniacal cackles, which more than one pony had learned to fear. It was the hollow, mirthless laugh of a pony waiting for the noose. The truest sort of gallows humor.

The guards shivered as a chill swept through them, and I was a little unnerved by the display. But we had no time to waste. I nodded to Luna, and we began to focus upon our Elements. Discord renewed his struggles, and the guards cursed as they fought to contain him.

But worldly concerns soon left me. There was a power building within me. It felt wild, less controlled or stable than I remembered, but it was still the magic of Harmony. Nopony could mistake the sensation of that power. A horn-thin beam of light sprang from each of the Elements, meeting at a point several feet above us. Brilliant, blessed light erupted from that nexus, and a rainbow of magic, far more pure than any refraction of light produced by nature or pony contrivance, poured upwards.

The flood of polychromatic magic crashed into our brother, smashing the chains to pieces and surrounding him in swirling maelstrom of irresistible power. The transformation started at his feet, turning them into plain, gray stone. From there the change raced upwards solidifying him at an impossible pace.

He gave us one last, sad smile as the magic reached his chest.

“I’m sorry.” And for the first time in centuries I think he actually meant it.

Discord stretched his arms skyward, and opened his mouth wide with a joyous expression, as though he had been caught in song, and the transformation was complete.

Silence ruled the courtyard with an authority that no mortal pony could match. After minutes of watching and waiting, Luna finally broke it. “He struck a pose. He knew this was going to happen.” She turned to me, her eyes desperate. “We’ve got to reverse it! We can’t leave him like that!”

I bowed my head. “We can’t. The Elements of Harmony have spoken. There’s no way to turn him back.” I felt tears begin to rise, but I forced them down. I had to be strong.

Luna looked at me in shock, but it quickly gave way to anger. “You knew this would happen. You knew what the Elements would do to him! How could you?! He was your king! He was your brother!”

I drew in a ragged breath. The guards, both true and false, remained silent and motionless. I might have thought they had become statues as well. I raised my head, accepting Luna’s anger. She had every right to be furious, to rage at me. I would not defend myself. I couldn’t claim innocence, but she needed to know why I had done it.

“I promised him on the night after he took Chaos’s power, so very long ago, that if he ever became a monster, if he ever abused Chaos’s powers, I would stop him.” My voice faltered and it took everything I had to force out the final words. “No matter what it took.”

The stars in Luna’s mane went supernova, but their rage was nothing compared to that of their mistress. The earth around her hooves cratered and a wind, wild and vicious, sprung to life around her. Magic, raw, emotional and uncontrolled poured off her like steam. Her voice returned, and she screamed at me in a volume that shattered every window in the castle. “YOU’RE THE MONSTER! I HATE YOU!”

With that, she shot into the air faster even than sound could carry. An explosion of light marked her departure, a disk-shaped rainbow that rippled across the sky. She flew far and fast, to nopony knows where. I just stood there, watching, regretting, wishing.

“Ahem.”

I lowered my eyes from the sky and looked in surprise at the pony that had interrupted my reverie. He was a huge earth pony, shorter than I only if you counted my horn. He was covered in layers of muscle; it was easy to see why he had been included in those tasked to hold the chains.

“Beggin’ yer pardon, but I think most a’ us could use some orders.” I turned and realized that the guards, flyers and mages were milling around, waiting for me to address them. I wanted to collapse. I wanted to climb into bed and sleep for the next decade. I didn’t want to complete what I had started, to take control of my brother’s kingdom. But Discord was sealed away, Luna had gone, and my ponies needed leadership. I could not refuse them.

“Thank you, mister …?”

“My name’s Big. Mr. Apple, iffen’ you’re gonna get formal ‘bout it.”

“Yes. Please find Commander Mason and tell him to get started. We need to seize control and ensure that nopony tries to use the chaos that will result to their advantage. Also, tell Professor Amulet, the little jade unicorn with the white mane, and Captain Gale that I need to speak to them.” The large soldier smoothly sank to his knees.

“Sure thing, yer Majesty.”

He left carrying my orders, and I was alone again. Not for long, I knew. Daearen had always joked that I would be a better ruler than him. It looked like I was going to find out.

………

It was the early hours of the morning, and Twilight, even with her nocturnal habits, was feeling the strain. But she was far too gripped by the enormity of Princess Celestia’s story to pay any heed to her body’s simpler requirements.

“Luna came back a few days later. She had seen the celebrations in the streets, heard stories firsthoof of the terrible consequences of Discord’s actions, and came to realize that I had done what was necessary. She said she forgave me, but things were never the quite the same between us. I can’t help but think that this planted the seeds of her hatred. That Nightmare Moon was born that day, not centuries later.”

Celestia turned to stare at the bright moon hanging in the sky outside. “Sealing her within the moon was the last time I used the Elements of Harmony. After that I returned them to the old castle, and did my best to forget.”

“I … I had no idea,” Twilight whispered, her voice subdued and her eyes watering. Suddenly she rushed to Celestia’s side, throwing her forelegs around her mentor’s neck. “That must have been awful. I can’t imagine having to do that to Shining or Spike. I’m so sorry we had to do it again. I-I hope we didn’t hurt Luna or Daearen. Well, aside from him being calcified. Or would that be petrified? I mean …” She trailed off, her voice a confused jumble.

The Princess, though startled by her student’s hug, leaned down and nuzzled her gently. “It’s all right, Twilight. I’m not angry. You saved Equestria twice over, and don’t ever think differently. But I think it would be for the best if you were to head to bed. I shouldn’t have kept you up so late, not when you have to catch a train in the morning.”

Twilight smiled. That was the Princess − always thinking of other ponies ahead of herself. Twilight wanted to stay and talk more, but Celestia’s suggestion seemed to have increased her drowsiness exponentially. Stifling a yawn, she rose to leave, but one last question demanded an answer. “Princess? How did you know?”

Celestia considered the question for a moment. “Know what, my dear pupil?”

“How did you know that my friends and I were the new Elements of Harmony? How did you know that I could actually meet the right ponies and connect with them at just the right time?”

Celestia hesitated for a second, then chuckled. “I’m afraid that I’m not quite ready to give up all my secrets just yet, Twilight. But maybe I’ll tell you another time. Now, you’d better get to bed before you fall asleep standing up.”

Twilight pouted at the evasive answer, but the piteous look was ruined by a huge yawn. Conceding to both Celestia’s authority and logic, Twilight left, headed for the small suite she was sharing with her friends in the castle.

The Princess sat silently for several minutes, watching the door, until she was certain her student was out of earshot. “I know you can hear me. The only way you could have known so much about Twilight and her friends was if you’re somehow aware even while trapped in stone.”

The statue remained silent, but Celestia turned to it anyway, addressing it directly. “Do you know why you lost this time? Why you were defeated so easily? You underestimated my student and her friends. All of that time frozen in stone, and you still didn’t realize just how powerful mortal ponies can be.”

His face was frozen in an expression of fear mixed with disbelief. His arrogance had blinded him to the true power Twilight had in her friends. Celestia stared at her brother, and her mind wandered back, not to millennia past, but to only days ago. Did you miss me, Celestia? I missed you.

At last, in the privacy of that room, her tears came. They were a slow trickle; she couldn’t let go of her control even as she finally gave vent to her emotions. The habit was too strong to shake easily. For a while that was all she did, but with a weary chuckle she answered him.

“Every day. It wasn’t so bad when I still had Luna, but after I lost her, too? I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to break your seal. To let you out, even though it meant throwing Equestria into chaos. I resisted, but only just. I think if I hadn’t found Twilight, I might have.”

At that she broke into a sad laugh. “That girl, that precious little pony. I know you’re probably wondering the same thing as her. How did I find all six of the Elements of Harmony at just the right time? How did I know?”

“I didn’t. Twilight, and everypony else, thinks I sent her to Ponyville and told her to make friends as some sort of grand, intricately orchestrated scheme to save all of Equestria from the return of Nightmare Moon. But it wasn’t. It was one of the most selfish things I’ve ever done.”

She sighed. “One thing I never understood is why nopony was surprised by how easily Nightmare Moon was able to overcome me and stop the sun from rising. I guess most ponies think I was caught by surprise, or she cheated somehow, but neither of those are true. I knew very well how long her cage would hold her, and I had a thousand years to prepare for her return. Why couldn’t I have defeated her?”

The Celestia looked into Discord’s stone eyes and murmured. “Because I let her win. I left all of Equestria to suffer because I couldn’t bring myself to hurt her. The Elements no longer responded to me, and despite centuries of searching and study, I couldn’t find a way to cure Luna of her madness. The only options were to imprison her in Tartarus, leaving me alone for another millennium, or to kill her, which was even more unthinkable.”

Her head dropped and tears dripped from her eyes again. “So, I took the easy way out. I sent Twilight away so she wouldn’t have to suffer Luna’s wrath, and I told her to make friends so that somepony would be there for her when I could not.”

“But.” Celestia lifted her head, beaming through her tears. “She did the impossible. She made five friends, led them through danger and temptation, discovered the true power of the Elements, and freed Luna from her insanity. You see, for all their mortal failings and flaws, despite their short lives and limited perspectives, those six ponies are far better suited to bear the powers of Harmony than we ever were.”

Celestia smile changed, becoming smaller, more composed. “Do you know what they are to me?” She paused to extinguish the lights in the chamber, preparing to leave.

“They’re hope. The first I’ve had in a long time.”

The lights were out, but the soft glow of the moon was enough to illuminate the expression on Celestia’s face as she stood at the open door. It was hope and sadness, mixed with a love strong enough to move mountains. The Sun Princess blinked away another tear, and turned to leave, but paused.

“Against all odds they brought Luna back to me. I have every faith that someday, they can do the same for you. Just wait a little until then.”

The door closed, and Celestia made her way down the stairs. But the statue still heard, in its own impossible way, her final words.

“Good night, Dae. I love you.”