Before the discovery of the Elements of Harmony, the world was torn by a conflict between two powerful entities. Celestia and Luna struggle to preserve the society built by their parents, but between Order and Chaos, there is no middle ground.
A chronicle of the events surrounding the war with Discord, the spirit of chaos. When the King and Queen of Equestria are murdered a week before their daughters' weddings to the spirits of Chaos and Order, a plan nearly 20 years in the making unravels, and in so doing, threatens to tear the whole world asunder.
It was a quiet night in Canterlot when the King and Queen of the young Kingdom of Equestria died. It didn’t seem fitting that the two ponies who had done so much for all pony kind should die so senselessly. A careless comment made by a being whose power exceeded their ability to control it was all it took to strike down the two most important ponies in the young Celestia’s life. Her father, Radiant Dawn, and her mother, Vernal Glory, lay before her. She could have thought them asleep, were it not for the doctor’s assurances that they were dead.
She looked at her parents’ corpses, for that was all they were now, lifeless husks, and thought of the creature that had murdered them. There was little doubt as to the identity of the culprit. They had died when their brains had been transformed into cotton candy, and there was only one being that would even conceive of such a means of execution. Discord.
It had to be Discord. The King and Queen had been the last of the natural alicorns before they had Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Their magic was vastly stronger than anything else known to ponies, with only two exceptions. One was the draconequus Discord, who embodied Chaos. While the other was an alicorn, Concord, who embodied Order. Neither of them were natural creatures, having simply materialized in front of the castle one day, nearly 18 years ago. But natural or not, there was one thing about them that was indisputable. Their powers were unmatched.
Beside her stood a younger, deep blue, alicorn mare. She was sobbing quietly, the tears glistening in the candlelight as they rolled down her face. She shouldn’t have to deal with this. Nopony should. What could Discord have possibly been thinking when he did something so... there were simply no words to describe what he had done.
Their parents had been universally beloved by all ponykind. Radiant Dawn had been the last of an ancient family of alicorns which had, through incest and infighting, dwindled to near extinction. Vernal Glory, on the other hoof, was the first alicorn born to a non-alicorn couple in untold centuries, and was born into a farming household. Their marriage represented a union between the old and the new, the ancient elite and the working masses, and it heralded a new era of unity and inclusion for ponies everywhere.
In the absence of any other alicorns to rally the disparate pony tribes, the couple found themselves virtually unopposed in their efforts to unite all ponydom. Unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies alike all sought to join the growing Kingdom and almost unanimously declared them the rightful rulers. And under their wise and benevolent rule, everypony had prospered.
Her reminiscing was interrupted by the quiet sound of muffled hoofsteps approaching from behind. She turned her head to see the only pony who could even begin to rival Discord as the pony she least wanted to see. “Why have you come, Concord? Haven’t you done enough?”
Concord was an alicorn stallion whose height neared that of Celestia. He was completely grey and nondescript, except for his horn, which, while it was fluted like most horns, was made of a translucent crystal that was lit by an internal grey light. She always had difficulty telling when, and even if, he felt emotion, but right now, his grief was obvious. His tread was slow and listless, his eyes clouded, and face downcast.
He started to drape one of his wings over Princess Luna, but this only roused her anger further. Her wings flared and she lowered her horn as if to stab him as she almost snarled, “you will stay away from her!” She felt a surge of joy when she saw the look of surprise on his face as he hastily withdrew his wing and took a hurried step back. In a ringing voice she declared, “you have no right to come here, to where our parents lie, dead through your inaction, and act as if nothing has changed.”
“I am very sorry,” he said quietly. “I only meant to pay my respects to our parents, and offer any assistance I could.” He started to turn to leave, but Celestia wasn’t finished.
“What arrogance to think that any parents would wish for the respects of the creature who sat idly by as they were murdered while it was in your power to save them. Discord may have done the deed, but you share in his guilt!”
The grey pony took another step back, as if her words struck a physical blow. His head drooped a bit lower and the light from his horn dimmed momentarily. Then, with a flash, he was gone, leaving the two sisters alone once more.
She looked at Luna for the first time since Concord’s unwelcome arrival. She was stunned to see the look of anger on Luna’s face.
“Why must you do this? You know that Concord had nothing to do with this,” she paused, at a loss for words. “this tragedy, outrage, call it what you will. Just because Discord did something wrong doesn’t mean that Concord will too.”
She was stunned for a moment, but not by the fierceness of Luna’s response, or by the response itself. She realized suddenly that it might not have been Discord’s fault after all. Maybe, just maybe, Concord actually was behind it all.
She addressed Luna as seriously as she could. “Sister, don’t let your feelings prevent you from analyzing the situation. This is exactly Concord’s style,” she said urgently.
“Wh- what do you mean?” Luna said, confusion clear in her voice. “We both agreed that this could only be Discord, the cotton candy, his flight, everything about it is just like him.”
“And who would know that better than Concord, the master manipulator, the lord of order. Don’t you find it strange that a week before our weddings, Discord would just suddenly decide to throw everything away.” Her confidence was growing, with each word she felt more certain that she was correct. “He had nothing to gain by murdering our parents and fleeing, but Concord, now, he stands to gain everything.”
She could see the uncertainty slowly working its way into her sister’s mind. Hesitantly, Luna asked, “I don’t understand, what does he stand to gain?”
“Everything! Here, listen to this. Concord stages the murder of our parents by using a method that nopony would believe of anypony but Discord. Discord, who has always been the more mistrusted, would naturally flee, fearful of the reactions of everypony else. Concord just has to let us assume from Discord’s flight and the method of murder that Discord is now our enemy.”
Luna interrupted her here, saying cautiously, “Those are a lot of assumptions, and Concord doesn’t usually like to take chances. Like, what if Discord hadn’t fled, but remained behind to face the charges?”
Still confident in her theory, she continued. “That could be arranged in a few ways. For example, he may have ambushed Discord, binding him somehow and teleporting him against his will. But I don’t believe that something so direct would be necessary, since I hope you will agree that I know Discord much better than you do, and he knew that, if it came down to a simple question of who do ponies trust more, then Concord would win. He would have fled because he believes that his guilt will simply be assumed, like we were doing before.”
Luna still didn’t seem persuaded. “To be fair, this does seem more like Discord’s work than Concord’s. But, assuming that what you have said so far is true, that doesn’t explain what Concord stands to gain? He hasn’t ever expressed any dissatisfaction with his role or with our parents’ plans.”
She was ready for this, it was all so clear. “Right, so if we accept that he successfully frames Discord, then we must assume that Discord would be treated as an enemy of Equestria, correct?” Luna nodded. “And if we wanted to fight against Discord, who is the only pony strong enough to match him? Who would we necessarily turn to? Who would be the pony upon whom all of Equestria depended?” She watched as Luna tried to find some flaw in her explanation.
“I’m sorry, but that still doesn’t seem like Concord.” Luna said slowly. She opened her mouth to reply, but Luna continued regardless. “I don’t deny that your theory holds together, for he is more than capable of what you suggest, but your explanation is based entirely upon the assumption that he wants power, but that just isn’t true. He has always obeyed every rule, law, and instruction, and to commit murder, much less regicide... . No, I just can’t believe it.”
Much as it pained her, she had to admit that what her sister said felt uncomfortably reasonable. She couldn’t help but wonder whether or not it was something she had done, if somehow she was responsible.
Her face must have reflected the direction of her thoughts because Luna stepped closer and nuzzled her reassuringly. “‘Tia, this isn’t your fault,” Luna said in a calming voice. “These marriages have been planned for years. You can’t think that he would suddenly realize just how awful it would be to be married to you. He surely realized that years ago,” she finished with a giggle.
She snorted in mock anger which only caused Luna to giggle harder. When she stopped laughing, she said, “but seriously, given how willing Discord was to criticise anything he didn’t like, I think it says something that he never complained about you.”
She smiled at her sister’s kind words, and decided to get her back for her earlier joke. “I guess you’re right. Unlike Concord, Discord never was one to keep his thoughts to himself, so if he had objected to the arrangement, I’m sure he would have said something.” She finished with a sly smile that clearly unnerved Luna.
“‘Tia, what do you mean when you say, ‘Unlike Concord’?” Luna sounded genuinely upset by her little comment.
“I mean,” she answered in a playful voice, “that while Discord would have said something if he thought being married to me would be terrible, Concord would simply accept that it was his duty and marry you regardless.”
Luna seemed dumbstruck by her joke. In an uneasy voice, she asked, “you don’t really think that he would do that, do you? I mean, just pretend that he was okay with the idea even if he wasn’t.”
Happy for the distraction from the other weighty problems that she would soon have to face, she continued to mess with Luna. “I don’t think so,” and she smiled as she saw the relief on Luna’s face. “But, he is so good at hiding his emotions when he wants to, and as you said earlier, he takes his duty so seriously that I guess there simply is no way of knowing what he really thinks.”
It was Luna’s turn to snort, but her anger wasn’t feigned. “I’m starting to see why Discord might have wanted to leave rather than spend years trapped with you.”
She chuckled lightly and said, “alright, alright, I was kidding. I am certain that if Concord had objections to marrying you, he would have voiced them before now.”
Her good humor faded as she was forced to confront the reality of their situation. The King and Queen, their parents, were dead. Probably murdered by an unimaginably powerful spirit of Chaos over whom they no longer held any control. The only creature capable of rivaling that spirit of Chaos was a spirit of Order who could not be completely cleared of suspicion. And the ponies responsible for leading the fledgling nation were still relatively young and were balanced precariously between those two spirits.
Their parents had made a plan, that had it worked, would have ensured a safe and prosperous future for Equestria. But now that their plan had started to crumble, it fell to Celestia and Luna to salvage what they could of the situation.
The Sun was just cresting the horizon as a weary Princess Luna made her way through the winding halls of Canterlot Castle. She wanted nothing more than to simply curl up next to the fire in her chambers and sleep. To forget, for a little while, the problems that loomed so large on the horizon.
With her parents dead, and Discord fled, the castle that she had known for all her life felt... empty, almost desolate. It was with a sigh of relief that she found herself standing before the door that led to the suite of chambers that she shared with Concord.
The gust of frigid air that hit her when she opened the door chilled her to the bone and caused her to shiver. Every surface in the room was covered by a thin layer of frost which shone and glistened in a strange half-light, the likes of which she had never seen before. The source of this phenomenon was a strange grey fire flickering in the fireplace, which seemed to cast both light and shadow in equal measure. She entered the room and, closing the door behind her, approached the figure resting motionlessly on the carpet before the strange fire. As she drew nearer, the air grew colder, and she realized that the fire, rather than warming the room, was draining it of warmth and color.
"Concord." she said with concern. "Is everything alright?"
His reply, when it came, was cold and desolate, and he didn't take his gaze from his ghostly fire. "What have you decided to do about me?"
"What do you mean," she asked uneasily. "Why would we have decided to do anything either with or about you?"
A hint of hope crept into his voice, but he still refused to look at her. "Given Celestia's reaction to my presence, and the fact that I am equally capable of having committed those murders, it seemed reasonable to assume that I would be a suspect the same as Discord."
She felt she was starting to understand what was going on, but there had to be something she was missing. If he was innocent, then the mere expectation that he would be a suspect wouldn't have caused him to do whatever he was doing, and if he was guilty then she didn't imagine he would be sitting around waiting to be caught. In a careful tone, she said, "she did believe that you could have been behind this, but I told her that I didn't think so."
She reached the spot where he lay, and she lowered herself to the ground beside him. "Lift your wing," she said quietly. He finally turned away from his fire, which was still radiating freezing air, and looked at her, head slightly tilted in confusion. She shivered again and said simply, "it's cold."
He nodded and lifted his wing, draping it over her as she pressed herself against him. She sighed comfortably as warmth slowly started to return to her body. He was still looking at her with that faint hint of confusion.
"Why don't you think it was me," he asked evenly.
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Are you going to try and convince me that you did it too? Just tell me, did you do it?"
Still calm, he replied, "no, I neither committed the acts, nor do I have any intention of convincing you one way or the other of my guilt or innocence. What I want to know is why, in the absence of any clear evidence other than the ability required to kill two of the most powerful ponies alive, you don't need convincing."
She could hardly believe that he had just asked her why she didn't think he was monstrous enough to kill their parents. "B- because, it just doesn't make sense," she stammered in surprise.
"What doesn't make sense? I could think of no verifiable means of proving that I was not responsible, so what makes you confident enough to claim to Celestia that I'm not?" His voice and expression were still calm, but his eyes seemed almost pleading, like he wanted to be convinced.
She took a moment to arrange her thoughts. "The main reason is that it just doesn't seem like something you would do. Celestia said that the reason why you might have done this was that you wanted us to have to turn to you for help. She suggested that you would frame Discord so that we would be forced to rely on you to fight him, essentially putting you in charge. But the problem with that argument is that it assumes that you wanted to be in charge to begin with, and I just don't think that you do." Concord started to speak, but she realized her error and spoke hastily. "I'm sorry, it's not that you don't want to be in charge, it's that you don't want it enough to break the law. That's what I meant."
"And what makes you think that I would be unwilling to break the law to gain absolute authority?"
She rolled her eyes. "Please," she said incredulously, "you won't canter inside, have never complained about an order or request, and practically make me beg before helping me pull pranks on Celestia or Discord, and only if they prank me first. You are, on your own, perhaps the most boring, rule abiding, and quiet pony I know, but those aren't my only reasons." If her less than flattering description of his personality bothered him, he hid it as well as he usually hid everything else.
"Another reason why this doesn't seem like you is that it just feels too convoluted and far too... chaotic. If you wanted to take over, I always imagined that it would be a quiet, understated coup. Everypony would wake up one morning and learn that you were in charge and that there was nothing anypony could do about it." She shivered again, but this time it wasn't the cold. She had tried to imagine, once, what would happen if Concord decided to simply take over, and what she had imagined had kept her awake for nearly a week.
He must have felt her shiver and mistaken it for the cold, for the fire suddenly turned into normal fire and his wing's hold on her tightened slightly. She nuzzled his neck appreciatively before continuing. "But the strongest reason, for me anyway, is that I trust you when you say that you didn't do it."
For several minutes, the only sound was the fire, and the two ponies quiet breathing. Finally, Concord broke the silence, saying softly, "thank you, Luna. That you are willing to trust me, even about something as important as this, means more to me than I can say."
She leaned in quickly and kissed him on the lips. It was like kissing a statue, for he did not react at all. He may have made great strides over the years concerning empathy, emotions, and feelings, but expressing them was still difficult for him. Besides, he would never do anything even faintly inappropriate until marriage anyway, since he viewed marriage customs as a sort of unwritten law that he must never break. She pulled back and said, "I love you."
His response was a quiet, "and I, you," before turning to look into the fire once more.
She was starting to feel somewhat drowsy, between the warmth of the body beside her, the heat emanating from the quietly crackling fire, and the stress of the night before. She wanted nothing more than to lie there in comforting embrace of her closest friend and just let sleep overtake her, but there was one more thing that she had to do. "Concord," she said sleepily.
"Yes, my love," he said tenderly, looking at her once more and smiling gently.
It wasn't very common, but every once in a while, he managed to let a glimmer of genuine emotion through. The response, simple though it was, made her heart swell with happiness to hear him express such care and affection. "I know you don't like to use magic that other ponies couldn't manage, but Celestia and I would like to ask if you could... ." She had to stop to keep herself from crying. "If you could magically preserve the bodies until Celestia gets back from finding Discord."
"We thought the best thing to do was to find Discord as quickly as possible to try and convince him to return, but that means that there will be no time for a funeral, but... ." She tried to hurry through her explanation, hoping that she would finish before her grief overwhelmed her, but to no avail. Tears started rolling down her face, and she buried her face in the soft fur of Concord's neck.
As she cried, she could hear Concord's voice speaking soothingly in her ear. "Of course, Luna, I'll take care of it. I know it seems hard, but I think you and Celestia are doing the right thing." For what felt like a long time, her whole world was reduced to nothing but the warm, tear streaked fur on which her head rested, and grief. When the sobbing finally diminished, Concord asked tentatively, "would you like to go to bed? I'm sure you must be tired."
But she didn't want to be alone right then. There were only five ponies in her life that she felt close to, and two of them were dead, killed by the third who the fourth was setting out to find. At this moment when everything seemed to be falling apart, the last thing she wanted was for the only friend still with her to leave. She shook her head feebly, unable to speak.
"Would you prefer that we just stay here?"
She nodded into his neck, and he said calmly, "alright, we can rest here." She felt a gentle pressure on her cheek, but it was gone after a moment. As tired and sad as she was, her heart did a tiny flip when she realized that, for the first time in their relationship, Concord had kissed her. She finally managed to fall asleep with the shadow of a smile on her lips.
Discord, the spirit of chaos incarnate, had never had so much fun before in his life. In the two days since his flight from Canterlot, he had caused more chaos than he had in the past 18 years combined. So far, he had limited himself to physically altering the environment, clouds of cotton candy which would rain chocolate milk, changing roads to soap, and generally disrupting the boring, mundane lives of the ponies of rural Equestria.
His current project was perhaps the best to date. He surveyed the fruits of his labors from a cloudy perch high above a small, maybe 50 ponies in all, settlement in the countryside. He was watching as earth ponies staggered drunkenly through the streets, unicorns cast random spells for no apparent purpose, and pegasi flew unsteadily through the air crashing into buildings, tree, and most humorously, the ground. The source of this splendid confusion was that he had given the town’s water supply the same inebriating properties as hard cider. Everypony in the town, whether they wanted to be or not, was completely wasted.
He had never realized before just how stifling life in the castle had been. Everything had been controlled down to the last detail. He doubted that even Concord could have found a way to be more invasive and controlling, and the contrast was incredible. Even after two whole days of doing whatever he wanted, the euphoria hadn't gone away. He thought that he might be as drunk on happiness as those ponies were on water. Mental note: investigate possibility of making happiness an alcoholic emotion.
“Hello Discord,” said a calm, familiar voice.
Broken suddenly from his reverie, he sprang into the air and prepared to snap his talons defensively. “‘Tia,” he said with relief. “For a moment, I expected my killjoy of a brother. Come here and take a look at this,” he said enthusiastically. “This is some of my best work yet. I never realized that ponies could be so much fun.”
She alighted warily upon the cloud next to him and peered down at the village. When she didn't react immediately, he grew puzzled. “Can you see it Celly? Isn't it just priceless?”
She shook her head, saying reservedly, “no, Discord, I can’t, and to be honest, I’m not sure I want to.”
“Nonsense, my favorite kind, I’m sure you’ll love it.” He snapped absently and created a magical monocle that affixed itself firmly to her face. “You look absolutely dashing, my dear, but I think something is missing... of course.” He snapped again, and a distinguished looking mustache appeared to complement the monocle. “Now you are properly equipped to enjoy the show.”
He was happy to a weary smile appear on her face. As if to play along, she magically adjusted the monocle before peering out over the edge of the cloud. Her bemused expression rapidly faded to one of worry as she saw the village in a state of utter disarray. “Discord,” she started hesitantly, “what have you done to those ponies down there?”
Excited at having another pony to appreciate his handiwork, he said happily, “I made them drunk. The things these ponies do when they’re out of their right minds is amazing. Like there was this one unicorn who kept trying to-,” he got no further because Celestia interrupted him.
“How did you make them drunk, Discord,” she said seriously. “You know that there are risks of drinking too much alcohol, so how did you do this.”
“I made their water act like alcohol,” he said nervously.
“DISCORD!” The anger and disappointment in her voice was enough to make him recoil. “How could you? You know that ponies need water to survive, and yet you made it so that they could die from drinking it. You have to change it back. Now!”
He obeyed out of habit, snapping his fingers to return the water to its normal, nonintoxicating, state. Peevishly, he said, “fine, their water is boring again. Happy?”
Her face lost some of its tension and her posture relaxed visibly. “No,” she said quietly, “but it’s a start.” As she said this, she stepped closer and nuzzled him affectionately. “We need to talk.”
“I agree, starting with how you found me.” He was happy to see her, but he needed to know how he was followed. He was okay with ‘Tia finding him, but he needed to avoid Concord if he could.
She drew back from him slowly and said in an unhappy voice, “I followed the refugees, Discord. It wasn't that difficult.”
He was momentarily at a loss. “Refugees, what refugees? I haven’t done anything that would create refugees. I may have upset a few whiny ponies who would like to live monotonous, simple lives, but nothing more.”
She seemed to be making a conscious effort to be understanding and reassuring, but he could see the effort it was requiring. “You may feel that way, Discord, but others don’t think so.”
“You are sounding an awful lot like our goody four hooves brother,” he said petulantly. “Just because I go around upsetting your bland, stagnant, and orderly,” he said with clear disdain, “status quo, everypony gets all upset. Give me an example of what I've done that is so terrible, Princess. Explain my wrongdoings.” He grinned at the hurt look she wore when he called her Princess. If she wanted to judge him, like she was somehow superior, then she should drop the friend act.
“Please, Discord, don’t get angry. I just want to talk.” she looked genuinely apologetic, but he refused to lower his guard. He knew that their parents had planned to use their affection as a tool to help keep him in line, and he wouldn't be any ponies pawn. “All I meant was that some of your jokes were a bit too harsh.”
“I’m waiting for an example Princess.”
She took a deep breath and started calmly. “What you did to the apple orchards outside Canterlot, then. They were some of the most extensive orchards in Equestria, responsible for a large portion of our annual harvest.”
“And they will still produce food, just they will produce candy apples instead of normal apples. I really don’t see the problem, except that some ponies don’t know how to make the best of a changing situation.”
Her expression fell as he spoke, and she began in was in a resigned tone. “No, they won’t, Discord. You turned the trees themselves into chocolate, remember?”
He was starting to get angry, but managed to hold his temper in check. “So what? Think of that as another gift. Now, even if the apple harvest is bad they will still have something to eat at anytime of the year.”
“Discord... what happens to chocolate when it is left in the sun for too long?” Her voice was barely almost a whisper.
That was an easy question, but he didn't see what it had to do with the topic. “Why it melts of... course... oh.” She nodded solemnly and looked away nervously.
She looked down at the village where the only ponies still outdoors were those ponies who had passed out in the streets from intoxication. Otherwise, life in the village had ground to a halt. “Please,” she said quietly, “please, please consider coming back to Canterlot with me. We can discuss loosening the restrictions on using your magic, we can do lots of things, but please, come back.”
He knew that she wanted him to feel guilty, but he didn't understand why. “I still don’t understand the problem, Celestia. So there are no more apple trees outside Canterlot and the farm ponies have to find something else to do. Maybe they will discover a better method for growing apples, or maybe they will quit being farmers and will become something better. What I don’t see is why any of this is bad.”
“Or maybe they will starve, or become criminals, or any number of other things. I’m not disagreeing with what you said. You are right, it is possible that good things will come from this, but there is just as good a chance, if not better, of bad things happening. All we want is for the ponies of Equestria to be able to live peaceful, happy lives, free to make their own choices, and not to have to live in fear of their livelihood melting before their eyes, or of dying from drinking too much water.”
“You want me,” he said, anger forcing its way into his voice, “to be a complacent, obedient little pony like all the others. You want me to just sit around while everypony else lives perfectly mundane little lives of uniform regularity. Where is the fun in any of that Princess? I just can’t believe that anypony would want to live like that.”
“But they don’t,” she said pleadingly, “that isn't how they want to live. Most ponies like surprises, some more than others, and most even understand when unpleasant surprises happen. It isn't that ponies don’t like variety and some uncertainty, it’s just that they don’t like it when their entire life’s work evaporates, like with those orchards.”
“That’s not true and you know it! Our parents, Luna, and everypony else I've ever had the misfortune of meeting, none of them have truly appreciated chaos. Everypony admired and respected Concord, everypony loves their tranquil, boring lives. You could replace him with a statue and no pony could tell the difference except that the statue might have more character, yet he is the one that ponies prefer.”
He could tell that she was starting to feel threatened. She started to back away from him slowly, but tried to keep her voice even as she spoke. “No, Discord, not everypony prefers him. And those that do don’t like him because they prefer pure order, but because he doesn't do anything to them. He is predictable, like a statue, in that ponies don’t have to worry about pies falling on their heads randomly, or their food being a pepper bomb that explodes when they bite it to make them sneeze. Most ponies simply don’t care about Concord because order is something they take for granted. What you do is far more difficult, more conspicuous, so everypony notices. While it’s true that not everypony knows how to take a joke, that doesn't mean that you aren't appreciated.”
He was out of patience, and Celestia was out of time. “Listen,” he said in a deadly serious tone. “I will not go back to Canterlot so that I can be how to act every second of every day. I had never realized just how much I was missing thanks to our parents’ meddling, but I won’t be used by anypony, especially not you or my brother. I’m sorry that they died, it was an accident, but I’m not coming back. Arrivederci.” With that, he snapped his talons, interrupting Celestia’s half formed cry of “wait.” In a flash she was gone, and Discord found himself alone with his thoughts.
For just a moment, he felt that he had, perhaps, been a little hasty in deciding to abandon his old life. But, on the other paw, it was a very big world, and with his powers, the possibilities were endless.
“... You really expect us to simply turn the Kingdom over to you, just like that?” Celestia was furious, and Concord could understand her reasons.
“No, I expect nothing ‘Tia,” he said calmly. “I was merely answering your question.”
“That wasn’t an answer! That was an ultimatum!” Her voice was rising dangerously. “Make me King, or I let Discord do whatever he wants!”
“To be fair, ‘Tia, that isn’t what he said,” Luna interjected soothingly. “I didn’t understand all of his explanation, but what I got was that unless we made him ruler, he could do no more than pick up after Discord, not stop him.”
At least she still pays attention. He nodded his agreement. “Thank you Luna, yes. Without being given freedom to significantly shift the balance between order and chaos, I can do nothing more than fix Discord’s messes after the fact.”
“But why can’t we do this ourselves?” Celestia almost growled. “If you need to create more order, then let us do it. Help us to help you.”
“I can’t, Celly.” She bridled at the use of her pet name. “If it were something that you could manage, then I would gladly let you handle it. But if this conflict were something you could handle, then we wouldn’t be here discussing it.”
Luna interrupted before Celestia had a chance to shout at him. “Concord, maybe there is something we just aren’t seeing. Could you maybe go over it again, and explain what exactly you mean by shifting the balance between order and chaos?”
Celestia was fuming visibly, but she seemed willing to let him explain. “As you wish,” he said politely.
“Discord and I aren’t beings of pure order or pure chaos for such concepts are unthinking. They simply exist as ideas, with or without creatures to recognize them. What we represent are the conscious interpretations of those concepts, as viewed by ponies, griffons, dragons, and all other thinking beings.”
Luna nodded and added, “so that is why you and Discord only appeared after the creation of Equestria. That was when everypony started to have definite ideas about what order and chaos meant to them.”
“Close. That was when thinking creatures started to think of order and chaos as something other than natural forces. As things that could be created and destroyed by conscious effort. I appeared as an alicorn because our parents were responsible for trying to build an orderly society, and to spread peace and stability throughout. Discord is an amalgam of creatures who would oppose such an ordering of society. The tribal griffons, the isolationist dragons, and so on. The chimerical appearance also reflects his chaotic tendencies.”
“As interesting as this may be, it isn’t really germane to the topic at hoof,” Celestia said abruptly.
“Not exactly, ‘Tia, for to understand what I need to do, you must understand what Discord and I actually represent,” he said evenly.
Celestia snorted angrily, drawing an anxious glance from Luna, but remained otherwise quiet. He was starting to suspect that Celestia was acting this way, not because of anything he had actually said, but because she felt that he and Luna were both against her. She has always had Discord to rely on, to balance my voice, he realized suddenly. Could she really think that Luna is any happier about this state of affairs because it is me who might take over?
Luna seemed to be thinking along similar lines because she addressed Celestia sympathetically. “‘Tia, I don’t like this any more that you do, please believe that.” Celestia looked skeptically back at her. “But, now that our parents are gone, isn’t it our duty to make the best decisions we can for Equestria?”
“Of course,” Celestia retorted brusquely, “but you seem too willing to consider putting him,” she said scornfully, “in charge. Something our parents were adamant should never happen!”
“But I’m not, ‘Tia,” Luna replied in pleading voice. “I’m not making any decisions yet. All I think is that we need to actually know what we’re up against if we’re to make the best decisions.” She paused, as if to muster her courage for her final remark. “And if that means listening to Concord then so be it. We would be terrible rulers if we didn’t learn everything we could about such a momentous decisions as we are likely going to have to make with great regularity.”
Celestia looked stunned by Luna’s implication that she didn’t want what was best for Equestria. “But our parents-” she began.
Not this again. “-Are dead!” He said in a tone of absolute finality. Both of his sister’s stared at him, shock clear on their faces. “They had a plan, yes, but one that did not involve their deaths at the claw of Discord. Celestia,” he said turning his full attention to his belligerent sister. “Our parents refused to allow either Discord or myself to take the throne because they knew that we would be too extreme in our management. Discord would likely ignore his duties, if he somehow managed to avoid causing outright harm, while I am viewed as being too oppressive and intrusive to keep the ponies happy. Whether they were right or not can be debated, but what you have to accept is that Discord has seized a throne. It may not be the throne of Equestria, but he has declared himself King of Chaos, and if you believe that he is any less dangerous in that role than he would be as King of Equestria, then you are deluding yourself.”
He turned now to Luna. When he saw the look of concern, verging on fear, he almost lost his resolve. Sometimes the kindest thing you can do is tell somepony the truth, even if they don’t want to hear it. Despite himself, his voice softened involuntarily. “And Luna... in some ways Celestia is right. You have been very understanding, and have stood up for me many times since this whole ordeal began, and that means so much to me that I doubt my ability to either express or repay it. But the fact remains that circumstances have changed dramatically in the last two days, and that our plans must change accordingly. In my capacity as a Prince of Equestria, it is my duty to make sure that the Kingdom is taken care of, and at this moment, that means ensuring that both of you understand the choices that confront you. So please, allow me to finish explaining what is going on.”
Celestia still looked shocked, while Luna looked hurt, but they both nodded slowly and said nothing.
His voice returned to its normal, even tone, as he continued his explanation. “Our parents, when they found us, through some means they never saw fit to reveal to me, divined our natures, and formulated the plan that had guided us until so recently. They realized that although we represented these concepts, that we were both living beings, capable of independent thought, emotion, and change. This realization is what prompted them to adopt us, for it gave them hope that we could be molded into less extreme versions of our respective ideas. While Discord and I may have changed to reflect their efforts, those ideas that we represented are largely unchanged, and exist in the world in a kind of balance.”
“Every pony, and indeed, every other sentient creature, has a personal belief about just how much order and how much chaos they want in their lives. Some ponies like to sleep in, others adhere to a strict schedule. Some keep their homes neat and organized, others just don’t care. But most ponies, I think you will agree, fall somewhere in the middle. Too much regimentation and they feel strangled, too little and they become overwhelmed, and this is what I must try and change.”
Celestia was calmer now, but her displeasure at being lectured to like an ignorant foal was clear. “You skipped over the reason why you need to shift that balance. What will shifting this balance actually achieve, other than making a vast majority of our little ponies miserable?”
“It will strengthen me while weakening Discord. I might, given a large enough shift, be able to overpower him, capture him and remove his powers, or bind him somehow. The problem right now is that we are too evenly matched, so if I was to go and fight him, I might be able to win by causing him to exhaust his power, or I might possibly succumb to him. But what happens to each of us would matter little since the chances of anypony surviving our battle would be very low.”
“But if the two of you are so evenly balanced, then wouldn’t it only require a moderate shift to give one of you the advantage,” Luna asked thoughtfully.
He sighed and continued carefully, “Not quite. So far, I have, for the sake of simplicity, been speaking as if all of our power was dependant upon how strongly thinking creatures adhere to our concepts, but that is not the case.”
Following up her question, Luna asked, “how much of your magic does it grant, and where does the rest of it come from. Could we possibly target the other sources of his power and leave our ponies out of it?”
“To answer your questions sequentially, maybe two percent of our power is subject to shifts in behavior. The rest of our strength is derived from the ambient order and chaos of the world, and to target that would require that I fundamentally alter reality, so I recommend against it.”
Celestia smiled wryly, “you only recommend against altering the fundamentals of reality.”
What is so amusing about that? “Yes, I think it would be unwise to make any large changes to the fundamental workings of the world.”
In a bemused voice, she said, “Discord makes objects materialize from nothing, turns inanimate objects into living creatures, and creates sentient clouds that perform physical impossibilities.”
“Yes, all of which are already possible through magic. The type of change that I am talking about would be, for example, increasing the force that causes you to fall to the ground throughout the entire universe. Magically, I could use a spell to simulate that effect, locally, but to actually change the balance of our power, it would have to change everywhere. That is what I meant.”
Her bemused expression was gone, replaced by one of confused alarm. “And what would changing that actually do?”
“I have no idea, which is why I do not recommend doing it.”
“Fine then,” Celestia said with an annoyed frown, “so your plan is for us to put you into power so that you can create an ‘orderly’ society that will grant you enough of an advantage over Discord that you can restrain him somehow?”
“Yes.”
Celestia sighed resignedly and asked, “and you can think of no other possibilities?”
“No. there is one other possibility, but I don’t think you will find it practical.”
Both looked at him with interest and Celestia said hopefully, “what is it?”
“Since Discord and I are manifestations of conscious thought, if every thinking creature died, we would cease to exist.”
He almost smiled at the looks of horror on their faces. I said they wouldn’t find it practical. It wasn’t long before they recovered, at which point Luna took the lead and said, “thank you, Concord. If you don’t mind, I think that ‘Tia and I need some time to discuss what we’re going to do.”
He bowed low and said, “of course, Princess. Shall I wait outside?”
The two exchanged a quick glance before Celestia said, “I think not, Concord. Should we have need you, you will be sent for.”
“I understand. Thank you, your Highness.” he raised himself slowly and walked from the room. A pair of guards closed the door behind him, and he found himself alone for the first time since the morning of the murder.
He found himself suddenly with nothing to do. Before his parents’ deaths, everything he had done had been done by the four of them together. They had attended policy meetings, been tutored, practiced flying and magic, read and discussed various topics, among other things, but always as a group. Sometimes they would break into pairs, him with Luna, Discord with Celestia, and since Luna loved flying, that was usually what they had done.
Now, without either Luna or any responsibilities to guide him, he started to wonder what he actually wanted to do. I know what I want to do, but I’m just not supposed to do it, he realized glumly. He wanted the same thing that Discord had wanted. To spread his vision of Order throughout the world, but to do so would cost him any trust and affection that existed between himself and Luna, and that price was, he felt, too high.
Unable to think of anything he both wanted, and was allowed, to do, he teleported into his bed, and put himself into a dreamless sleep.
Princess Luna was torn from her peaceful slumber by an almost frantic knocking on the door to her bedchamber.
“Enter,” she said sleepily.
The door opened, revealing a gold armored guard who stepped inside the room and immediately came to attention. Despite his training, he was unable to completely disguise his anxiety. “Princess Luna,” he said quickly. “Something has happened that I believe warrants your immediate attention.”
Still feeling groggy, she could only manage an uncertain, “o- of course... what is it?”
“It’s approximately 2:30 in the morning, your highness, yet the sun rose not more than a minute ago. If you will take a look outside, ma’am, you will see.” His message delivered, he seemed to relax slightly.
This news jolted her awake, and she leapt from her bed while using magic to part the curtains that covered the glass doors leading to her balcony. Discord! What have you done, she almost screamed when the sunlight started to pour into her room through the newly uncovered window. “Fetch Prince Concord,” she called to the guard as she galloped through the magically opening doors. What she saw once outside sent her mind reeling. The sun had indeed risen, and yet from what she could see, it was on the verge of setting again. The moon hung stationary high in the sky, yet the sun was already starting to sink beyond the western horizon.
The only things falling faster than the sun at that moment were her spirits. Celestia had managed to convince her earlier that day to hold off on elevating Concord, but they simply couldn't allow Discord to play with the sun and the moon. So long as he had only been threatening Equestria, they might have been able to work around him, fixing damage as he caused it, but to change day and night... .
How will our neighbors react, she wondered uneasily. Equestria was surrounded on all sides by creatures who were, at best, ambivalent towards them, and at worst, outright hostile. The griffon tribes to the north were the worst since each individual tribe, of which there were hundreds, had its own policy towards Equestria. Some of the leaders may be convinced that they were not responsible for Discord’s antics, and some others may be bribed or otherwise persuaded, but she knew for certain that there would be some tribes who would want to fight regardless of the reason. This wasn’t unusual, and there were frequent border skirmishes, but with Discord wreaking havoc across Equestria, there was no guarantee that they would be able to beat the griffons this time.
Her eyes were fixed on the point where the sun had disappeared from view, but she did not fail to notice the white blur that was Celestia as she flew rapidly towards her. “‘Tia, did you see what happened for yourself?”
“Unfortunately, I did,” she said somberly as she alighted delicately upon the marble terrace. Either she hadn’t slept, or she had taken the time to don her royal regalia and brush her mane, since she didn’t look nearly as disheveled as Luna did.
“I don’t thi-,” Luna started to say, but was interrupted when the sun suddenly reappeared on the western horizon. It started to move with incredible speed through the sky, only it was going in the wrong direction. It took a great deal of effort, but she managed to divert her attention from the solar spectacle. “I don’t think we can avoid it, ‘Tia. Discord isn’t just our problem anymore.”
To her great surprise, Celestia nodded slowly and with great resignation. “I know, it’s just that... .” It pained her to see Celestia so downtrodden and upset.
“It isn’t your fault, ‘Tia,” she hazarded cautiously. “You have done everything you could, but Discord is simply more than we can handle on our own.”
Celestia refused to meet her eye, preferring to look at the city where the streets were starting to show signs of activity. “Have you sent for him,” she asked morosely.
“Yes. He should be here soon.” Luna turned her gaze to the streets as well.
“Luna...,” Celestia started in a subdued, hesitant tone. “Do you really think we can trust him?” Almost apologetically she said, “I believed that I could trust Discord, but... you see how that turned out. Why should Concord be any different?” She thought she could see tears forming in Celestia’s eyes.
The sight of her sister struggling not to cry made her realize something. When their parents had died, she had turned to Concord for support, and he had provided comfort, of a sort. The closest being to Celestia, besides Luna, was Discord, who was responsible for the mess, and Luna had been too upset about Celestia’s behavior towards Concord to consider Celestia’s reasons for being hostile. These realizations made her consider another possibility. Celestia had left that very morning in search of Discord, and Luna doubted that Celestia had gotten much, if any rest since she returned less than 12 hours ago. There was an excellent chance that Celestia had, unlike Luna herself, gone nearly the three full days without sleep. Luna felt guilty that it had taken her this long to realize the toll that these events were taking on her sister.
She had just started to speak when a politely inquisitive voice said, “excuse me. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Concord stepped onto the balcony.
“Yes, you are,” Luna said hurriedly. “Please wait in the solar, it shouldn’t be long.”
If he was upset or surprised, he hid it well. His response was as polite and even as ever. “Of course, Princess,” he said, and with a dim grey flash, he disappeared.
Celestia looked surprised by her decision to dismiss Concord. “Luna, we need him to fix the-,” she started mildly.
“- No. We need to talk, just the two of us.” Her voice was clear and brooked no argument.
Growing increasingly confused, Celestia said, “we have talked together, Luna, several times. We spoke just this evening.”
“We talked about Equestria, about Discord, about Concord, and the future. We need to talk about eachother.” Celestia still seemed nonplussed. “Have you slept since they died ‘Tia?”
“That doesn’t matter,” she objected fiercely. “Our subjects are more important than my comfort.”
“True, but it isn’t just your comfort that is at stake.” She didn’t quite know how to continue, but it had to be said. “‘Tia, your behavior, especially towards Concord, has been very erratic, and in some ways harmful.” Celestia looked shocked, but Luna hurried on. “I don’t think it’s your fault, or that you are doing it on purpose, ‘Tia, but you have... ,” she hesitated. “hurt his feelings, and that isn’t helping.”
Celestia’s shocked expression changed to one of incredulity. She chuckled lightly and said, “really Luna? I’ve hurt his feelings?” Celestia seemed to find it funny. “How exactly can you tell, Lulu, for I see no difference.”
With a snort of annoyance she responded, “then you aren’t paying much attention, Celly. Perhaps if you had slept in the last three days you would have noticed that he has been addressing both of us as either Princess or your Highness.”
“He’s always been a stickler for formality, Luna, and now we actually have the authority those titles imply.”
“In public, sure, but rarely in private. That morning, after you blamed him for our parents’ deaths and said they wouldn’t want his respects, I found him in the darkest mood I’ve ever seen. ‘Tia, he expected us to arrest him for their murder just because it was possible that he might have done it. Even then he didn’t refuse to use our names.”
Celestia actually looked somewhat pleased by this revelation. “I’m honored, Luna, that you think I could pierce his stony hide.”
Luna was getting angry now. “You shouldn’t be, Celestia! You should be ashamed! He didn’t just expect us to arrest him, he was going to let us do it. He later agreed to help preserve those same parents who you declared would be ashamed of him without hesitation so you could both find Discord and attend a proper funeral. And during the days you were gone, he never left my side, doing almost anything requested of him and foregoing sleep so that he could respond to anything while I rested.”
Celestia clearly hadn’t expected such a forceful response from Luna, for she took a few steps back and her bemused grin turned into a frown. “You speak as if he has actually exerted himself for us, Luna. Preserving their bodies costs him nothing, but it apparently earns your trust. I know that he refuses to do magic beyond that of the strongest unicorns, despite his tremendous reserves, so nothing he would have agreed to do during those days could be considered difficult for him. And you know as well as I that he does not need sleep anymore than Discord did, so keeping watch for you was hardly some big sacrifice.”
Luna stomped her hoof in frustration. “That isn’t the point, ‘Tia! It isn’t the difficulty of the task, it’s that he did them at all. You said that you were worried about what he would do if he were put in charge because you doubt that he will keep any promises he makes, but you seem to be ignoring one very important thing.”
Celestia had been growing increasingly defensive, and she both looked and sounded uncertain when she replied. “And what’s that?”
“That the only thing keeping him from being at least as destructive as Discord is that very same word that you seem so willing to dismiss. If it weren’t for his sense of duty, and whatever friendship he feels towards us, then he could be just as bad as Discord, and yet your behavior has done much to damage those already fragile bonds. If you continue to treat him as an enemy and accuse him of treason, then you might soon find yourself with an actual reason to do so.” Celestia didn’t seem to know how to react to this. In an effort to soften her words, she walked over to her sister and nuzzled her gently.
She spoke sympathetically, saying, “I understand that you are angry at Discord, and that you don’t want to trust Concord, or need his help. I’m not upset with you, and I think Concord is more uncertain than angry. So what I would like is for you to do me, and Equestria, a favor.” Celestia just looked back numbly. Taking this as tacit permission to continue, she said, “What I want for you to do is to go lie down and sleep for a few hours. I will try to explain things to Concord, and with any luck, we can just move on and do what’s best for everypony.”
Celestia still didn’t react, so Luna put a wing over her sister and started to lead her inside. “And you don’t need to worry. Concord and I can handle things while you rest, and hopefully, we will be able to come up with an arrangement that we can all agree to when you wake up. Does that sound acceptable,” she asked tentatively.
Celestia nodded meekly and allowed herself to be led into Luna’s bedroom, where Luna magically drew back the blankets and encouraged her weary sister to lie down. It felt strange to be tucking Celestia into her own bed. It made her uneasy to know that she was the one looking out for Celestia at that moment, and not the other way around. It was just another way that everything had changed now that Discord was gone.
She reflected on that for a moment, as she carefully covered Celestia with the dark blue covers. Discord had, with the murder of their parents, succeeded in causing far more chaos than she had initially given him credit for. The physical disorder was one thing, but the internal turmoil was another. Celestia, normally calm, patient, thoughtful, and responsible, was lying exhausted in Luna’s bed, and had done a great deal to undermine their relationship with the only being both willing and able to help them. Concord, who took great pride in doing his duty well, was moping around the castle, despondent because Celestia was accusing him of being an untrustworthy parricide. And now Luna found herself in the uncomfortable position of caring for Celestia, while trying to mend any wounds, real or imagined, that had been created between Celestia and Concord, all while having to worry about what new disaster Discord had planned. In just three days, her entire world had been turned completely upside down.
She leant down and kissed Celestia on the cheek, but when she turned to leave, Celestia finally spoke in a brittle voice. “Please... tell him that I’m sorry. I-” she said through a sob. “I know it wasn’t his fault.”
Luna nodded and said, “I’ll tell him, ‘Tia. Now please get some rest.” As she passed through the door that led to the stairs, she magically pulled shut the curtains that covered the door to the balcony, plunging the room into darkness. Even as she started to close the door behind her, she could hear the quiet, regular breathing of Celestia, who was already fast asleep.
The only light in the solar was the faint, ever present glow from the horn of the spirit of order. He had extinguished the fire that normally illuminated the chamber, and had smiled bitterly to himself as he had watched the embers die out. If they wish to keep me in the dark, then in the dark I shall remain. He knew that this was a very petty thought, but at the moment, that didn’t bother him.
His frustration stemmed from two main sources. The first was Celestia, who seemed to hold him personally responsible for their parents’ deaths. He found the idea laughable, yet he couldn’t bring himself to dismiss her concerns completely because it was unlike her to jump to such obviously false conclusions. And, if she did have some reason to believe that he actually was responsible, then she had thus far kept it to herself, preferring to declare him untrustworthy without allowing him an opportunity to address the causes of her anger. While this option was certainly possible, he also couldn’t rule out other possible explanations for her inconsistent behavior. Such alternatives as stress, emotional trauma, and exhaustion could be contributing to her paranoia, but since he had two conversations with her in the past three days, the first of which consisted almost entirely of her yelling at him, he didn’t have enough information to arrive at a definite conclusion.
The second thing causing him distress was, at once, both more worrying, yet less tangible. Since Discord had murdered their parents, Luna’s behavior had changed in a way that he found both unpleasant and inexplicable. His problem was that he was unable to determine just how much of the change was a result of the emotional strain that she was under, and how much of it was deliberate. The morning they died, she had stressed just how much she trusted him, that she hadn’t thought him responsible, and that she didn’t feel the need to monitor or restrain him. She then proceeded to keep him within a meter of her until earlier that evening when he had finished describing his idea for combating Discord. He knew that nothing she had done was particularly suspicious. Her not wanting to be left alone after both her parents had been murdered in the heart of their castle while surrounded by guards was understandable. That she wanted him to be nearby to help with spells or important decisions when suddenly forced headlong into a position of authority was also understandable. But given the hostility with which he had been received by Celestia, he couldn’t be sure that Luna wasn’t simply being more discreet than their sister.
He laughed wryly at himself when he realized the irony of his thoughts. I accuse Celestia of acting paranoid, even as I scrutinize Luna’s actions for ulterior motives. He forced himself to relax slightly, but the break was short lived. Less than a minute later, he started to pace in a tight circle around the spot where Luna had slept three mornings ago. No matter how often he reminded himself that there was absolutely no reason for her to mistrust him. No matter how many times he looked for anything he had done that might cause suspicion. No matter how thoroughly he scrutinized his memory for anything he might have done better. The thing that frightened him was that he might lose his friendship with Luna without there, literally, being anything he could do about it. How do you counter suspicion that is based upon nothing, he wondered sadly.
He wasn’t certain just how much time passed before he finally heard the muffled sound of hoof steps on the stairs. With a brief surge of magic, the fire roared to sudden life, dispersing the darkness, and basking the room in a bright, warm light. The sudden burst of heat accompanying the fire’s rebirth caused Concord to shiver, and made him realize that he was nearly standing in the fireplace. Normally this wouldn’t have concerned him, since fire was incapable of causing him serious harm, but with Luna approaching, he decided that she may not appreciate the sight of him setting himself on fire. He took several steps back and turned to face the stairs.
As she neared the bottom of the spiral staircase, he swept into a deep bow. He knew that it was perhaps excessively formal, but he didn’t want to risk doing something that may give her reason to doubt his loyalty, either to her or Equestria.
“Thank you for waiting, Concord.” She sounded tired, yet friendly, and this reassured him slightly. “I’m sorry that I took so long, especially since I sent that guard to get you.” She giggled, saying, “I hope he didn’t startle you, but judging from his expression, he was at least as surprised by the whole sun thing as I was.”
Still being sure to remain politely formal, Concord responded. “It was my pleasure, your Highness, and I thank you for your concern, but I can happily report that the guard you dispatched performed his job admirably, and I was not unduly disturbed.”
To his dismay, this response elicited an unhappy frown. “Fine,” she said snappishly, “if you insist on acting that way... fine.” As she walked to stand before the fire, she asked, “can you do something about the sun, Concord?”
Still bowing, since she had not given him permission to rise, he addressed the ground, saying, “I can move the sun and moon back into their proper positions, but that is merely a temporary fix, your Highness.”
She sighed gratefully, saying, “please do it. A temporary fix is better than nothing, and I don’t want to make any permanent changes until Celestia wakes up.”
It required significantly more magic than he was used to channeling to undo the alterations that Discord had made, and the light from his horn dimmed visibly for several seconds as he worked. When he was finished, he said calmly, “it is done, your Highness.”
“Thank you,” she said thoughtfully. “Before we discuss a more permanent solution... there is a more permanent solution to the sun and moon problem, right?” She paused long enough for him to respond.
He did, with a formal, “yes, your Highness.”
This elicited another sigh of relief from beside him. “Excellent, we must discuss that before Celestia awakes, but first, we need to address a more personal matter.”
When she said, ‘more personal’, Concord could have sworn he actually heard her smiling, which unsettled him. He knew that Luna wasn’t so irresponsible as to neglect the needs of their subjects, so he couldn’t help but wonder just what personal matters were so pressing. Protocol required him to remain bowing until he was given permission to rise, and that meant that he couldn’t turn his head to get so much as a hint of what she was doing.
Ouch! He had to make a conscious effort not to either flinch or flare his wings as he was suddenly jabbed in the flank by what he suspected was Luna’s horn. “Sorry about that,” came a playful voice. “I wasn’t sure just how thick your coat was, but I don’t think I broke the skin.”
“No, your Highness. You merely startled me, nothing more,” he said in a controlled voice.
Without moving removing her horn, she sighed in what he thought was exasperation. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I am doing?”
He was curious, of course, since this was by no means a normal situation. Her horn was sharp enough to easily penetrate the skin and could cause significant internal damage, even without magic. She had him in a position where, had he been a normal pony, she could kill him almost instantly, but they both knew that he was no normal pony, so he was more confused than concerned. “May I inquire as to the purpose of this, your Highness?”
She giggled lightly and said, “Well, since you asked... no you may not. Now hold still.” Suddenly, he felt a small surge of magic from her horn, and was both astounded and mortified when he identified the spell being used. She’s making my hair fall out?! He couldn’t have spoken, even if he had something to say, or permission to say it. The magic was finely concentrated at the tip of her horn which meant that only the places it touched would be affected, so he wasn’t entirely surprised when she started to move her horn along his flank, leaving a line of exposed skin in its wake.
As she proceeded to trace some indistinguishable figure along his side, she spoke in an absent voice. “Concord, the first thing is that, as your Princess, I am ordering you not to magically undo the effects of this spell.” Of course not, that would be too easy, he thought with irritation. “It wouldn’t be right if you were to magically escape your punishment, after all.” He wasn’t sure whether or not that statement provided him justification to speak, so he decided to remain silent. She had made a long line that meandered all across his side, forming a jumbled mess that resembled nothing he had ever seen. In the same distracted tone, she said, “please lift your wing.” He did so, being careful not to hit her as he did so.
She finally removed her horn from his side, giving him a moments respite. “Hmmmmm... .” She walked in front of him and lowered her head until it was even with his. He was careful to keep his features fixed as she scrutinized his visage. “Aha,” she said excitedly, and walked back out of sight. He suddenly felt a sharp jab in the sensitive skin beneath his wing, followed shortly by another, and ending with a short line being drawn below them. She giggled again, saying more to herself than him, “perfect.” With dawning horror, he realized that she had etched a frowny face beneath his wing. “You can lower your wing now, Concord. I just have to do the other side.” He was feeling extremely embarrassed, but he was willing to put up with almost anything to avoid offending her. Almost anything, he thought grimly to himself.
She walked behind him to his left flank, and soon he found himself being subjected to the same treatment as before. Apparently more confident in her ability to both talk and not skewer him, her voice grew less distracted. “You may be wondering what exactly you are being punished for, but don’t bother asking, because I’ll tell you.” The amusement in her voice calmed him, even if he didn’t like the cause. “For the past few days, you have done wonderfully. You were kind, courteous, and understanding, in your own way. I meant to thank you for handling that first conversation with Celestia the way you did. Thank you for understanding that she was upset, and not arguing or pointing out just how unlikely it was that you would do it. Before I came down here, she even apologized for being so unjustly angry with you, and said that she knows that this wasn’t your fault.”
His heart and mind both did somersaults at this. If Celestia is finally calming down, then perhaps things aren’t as bad as I feared. None of what was said explained this current ‘punishment’, but he already felt better despite his situation.
“As I was saying, you were there for me when I needed you, you agreed to help with the funeral, and you never hesitated to help while Celestia was gone. For all this, I am very thankful.” She suddenly withdrew her horn, saying, “this wing now, Concord.” He spread it gently, again being careful to avoid hitting her. “Thank you. The problems began last night, during our conversation about order and chaos and your plan.” She started to trace something under his other wind, but it was clear from the start that it wouldn’t be a frowny face like the first. “For some reason, which I suspect had something to do with Celestia, you started to act rather different, and not in a good way.” She withdrew her horn, leaving Concord with a carrot traced under his left wing. Why a carrot, he couldn’t help but wonder.
“Now for your mane,” she said cheerfully. Using her magic, she started to slice random chunks from his grey mane. “Anyway, you started to address us formally, you decided to make that final joke about killing everypony, which was not funny, and you decided to go straight to sleep rather than wait like you did three mornings ago. You are, of course, allowed to sleep in your free time, but I know that you weren’t sleeping because you were tired.” She stepped back to admire her work. “Would you kindly summon the box of ribbons from my bedroom? I don’t want to risk waking ‘Tia.” Head still bowed, and with a pronounced sense of dread, he summoned the box, teleporting it to the ground before Luna.
“Thank you, Concord.’ Then, in a voice, the solemnity of which surprised him, she said, “I don’t know what we would do without you.” He wasn’t certain what she meant by that, since the answer of, ‘you would walk upstairs yourself’, didn’t seem to warrant such seriousness. But when she continued speaking, that solemnity was gone from her voice. “All that’s missing now are some ribbons.” She began tying ribbons in his mane and tail, further humiliating him. “Then, when you showed up on the balcony, you didn’t react when I said you were interrupting, and even now, you are acting exactly as a good subject should.” She closed the box of ribbons and started to walk appraisingly around him, still speaking cheerfully. “And that is why you must be punished, Concord. Do you understand?” She came to a halt in front of him and looked at him with clearly feigned sternness.
I must be punished for behaving as I should? He found himself at a complete loss. So it was with complete honesty that he responded, “I am afraid not, your Highness.”
She stamped her hoof and ruffled her wings in irritation, saying in an exasperated voice, “We don’t need you to act like our subject, Concord. We have thousands of those, and while they are all precious, we need our brother right now.”
“I am at your service, Princess. All you need do is ask,” he said evenly, despite his confusion.
She rolled her eyes saying, “you must be joking.”
“No, your Highness. I await your pleasure.”
She sighed once more, saying, “sometimes I forget just how socially inept you can be. Fine! Let me be clear... if you want to continue to act like a servant, like our subject, then you are free to go, but must not in any way alter your present appearance, for that is your punishment, as I said. Alternatively, you may choose to act like our brother, a Prince of Equestria, and my friend. I’ll leave it up to you to decide how that pony should behave.”
He was momentarily confused by the choice that she was offering. He was her brother, he thought he was her friend, and he was officially a Prince of Equestria, but he didn’t think that pointing this out was what she was hoping for. Since it was clear that she was looking for some behavioral distinction between friend and subject, he decided to analyze the choice from that perspective. So far, she seems to have been upset by my formal behavior, and that seems to be what she is trying to punish. But on the other hoof, it was Discord’s disobedience and violation of the rules and traditions that have caused the divide between us. He could see her growing impatient, tapping a hoof with increasing rapidity, so he felt he needed to make up his mind quickly. Here goes nothing, he thought nervously. He took a deep breath and slowly raised himself from his bow.
He could see a hint of a smile forming on her face, but clearly this wasn’t enough to indicate either a correct or incorrect choice. He was suddenly struck with an idea for how he could signal his choice, while perhaps getting a little vengeance in the process. He focused on the ribbons that were hanging in his hair. He untied them delicately, levitating them into the air beside him where they dangled limply. The wide, happy smile that had appeared on her face quickly faded when she saw the sly, menacing smile he himself was wearing. She took an uneasy step back, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the maelstrom of ribbons that formed around her. Within moments, she found herself wearing more than a dozen different ribbons of multiple colors.
His smile turned to one of pleasure as he watched her inspecting the distribution of the ribbons. He had tied one of each color in the rainbow in order in her tail, wrapped one random ribbon above each stifle, and her mane now held a yellow, a green, an orange, and a white ribbon. The final ribbon was one that he himself had summoned, and it was a grey ribbon which he had tied in a little bow atop her horn.
In a voice that could, without hesitation, be identified as happy, he said, “you look terrible.”
She smiled and replied playfully, “I don’t know, I’ve seen worse.”
“You mean, you’ve done worse,” he replied with feigned annoyance.
She walked over to him and put a forehoof around him in a hug. He returned the gesture, and felt the last of his worries about their friendship fading away. “I’m sorry about that. But I don’t want to be giving you orders that you only obey because of some oath. We’re a family, a strange one I grant you, but a family nonetheless, so you don’t have to act like we’re strangers all the time. I just thought that you needed a reminder... and you look ridiculous.” She laughed, and it was the happiest sound he had heard since the murders.
“Yes, thank you for reminding me,” he said dryly. “I will deal with that in a moment, but first, I must ask you something.”
“Anything,” she said, breaking the hug to look him in the eye.
Princess Celestia awoke with a start to find herself in complete darkness. Her first thought was, where am I, followed closely by, how did I get here. She raised her head from the pillow and used her magic to cast a dim light around the room. Slowly, her heart resumed its normal rhythm as she realized that she was in Luna’s room, and the events of the night before started to return to her. Discord was moving the sun, and I came to talk about letting Concord... . The things Luna had said came rushing back to her and made her feel like burying her face back in the pillow.
She couldn’t say that she trusted him, exactly, but she had to admit that she had not been treating him as he deserved. He wasn’t responsible for their deaths, Discord even admitted that he did it. Not only that, but he may be the only pony standing between Equestria and eternal chaos, so I shouldn’t have been so rude. She realized that she needed to apologize, and that maybe he would forgive her for acting so foalishly. What Luna had said about the only things keeping him loyal being his sense of duty and friendship frightened her. Neither friendship nor duty had been enough to keep Discord in check, and she could see now just how unfriendly she had been to Concord. Even if she didn’t trust him, she both acknowledged that they needed him, and feared what he could do if angered, and those reasons alone were cause enough for her to apologize. That, and I was wrong, she added, almost as an afterthought.
The first thing she needed to do, now that she was alert, was find a window or some other lightsource. She thought that she could see an uneven patch of wall, and was gratified to find that it responded to her magic. The curtains, as they turned out to be, were thick, heavy fabric that completely blocked out the sun, and were colored the same, deep purple color as the walls. They parted to reveal a brilliant sunny day outside, and from the shadows, she judged that it was at least noon. That meant that she had been asleep for at least nine hours, which partially explained why she felt as refreshed as she did. Her joy was tempered, however, by the knowledge that, during those much needed hours of rest, she had been unable to contribute to the decision about what to do with Concord. She could only hope that Luna had refrained from allowing her close friendship with him to overshadow the needs of Equestria.
She rose from the bed and looked around for a brush. She saw one lying haphazardly on a dresser, which also held a jumbled assortment of papers, books, quills, and a candle. As she levitated the brush and began to undo the tangles in her mane, she reflected on the state of her sister’s room. The room wasn’t very large, and it was rather spartanly furnished. There was the dresser, a nightstand, the bed, a fireplace, and the four doors, leading to the balcony, the solar, the lavatory, and a closet. Scattered around the floor were small piles of books, which while stacked neatly, showed no indication of having been sorted in any way. She also noted the various scrolls and parchments which were strewn carelessly across every raised surface. She smiled as she considered that the current state of her sister’s room must drive Concord crazy. I wonder if that is why she keeps it like this, she thought wryly.
At the same time, her smile held a hint of melancholy because she found the room itself to be slightly disturbing. Luna had always been a very bright, outgoing, and energetic pony, but this room didn’t seem to reflect any of those traits. The walls, ceiling, and carpet were all colored very darkly. Sombre shades of blue and purple, usually closer to black than anything else. The fireplace was set in black marble, and the veins of white that streaked through it were the only relief from the otherwise monotone surroundings. The contrast between the pony that she knew and loved, and her apparent living space, was somewhat chilling. Celestia liked to keep her room neat and orderly, but she also kept vases of fresh flowers from the gardens, and had furnishings of various colors. This room just felt cold and lifeless, and she wondered how Luna could stay there.
Taking a look in the mirror atop the dresser, she decided that her flowing pink mane was presentable enough, so she replaced the brush exactly where she had found it, and left the room. As she descended the stairway, she tried to plan what she was going to say by way of apology. She was faintly surprised, therefore, to find the solar empty except for a lone unicorn guard standing rigidly at attention. He was standing in the space between the stairways that led to each of her siblings’ bedrooms, but there was something different about this guard’s appearance. Instead being colored the traditional white as their parents had decreed, he was the same shade of grey as Concord was, and he, unlike most guards, was fully barded in gleaming, grey armor.
“Your Highness,” he said clearly as he gave a crisp salute. She was faintly startled by his voice, which was not half so intimidating as his appearance.
“At ease,” she said, allowing the stallion to relax slightly. “Would you happen to know where I might find Princess Luna?”
“She is presently resting in Prince Concord’s chambers,” he said evenly.
WHAT!? She had to struggle to remain calm. “And where, then, is Prince Concord,” she demanded forcefully.
“Prince Concord was, as of 20 minutes ago, in the courtyard, and he left orders that, once you were ready, I notify him so that he may speak with you.” His tone gave no indication that he was even aware of the consternation his previous statement had caused.
Calmed slightly, Celestia nodded. “You may tell him that I am ready to speak with him as soon as possible.” She expected him to leave the room, or to teleport, or to summon another guard, so she was surprised when he levitated a quill and parchment from a pouch he was carrying. She wasn’t able to make out what he wrote, but it did not appear to be long, and she was further surprised by what he did next. She saw a small translucent crystal, a decagonal trapezohedron if she remembered correctly, suspended from a necklace, which he levitated to touch the parchment, which promptly disappeared in a flash of familiar grey magic. Before she had time to wonder just what Concord was up to, he appeared beside her with a larger flash.
“Thank you, Praetorius. Please wait outside until sent for.” Concord’s voice was calm, but Celestia could see a glint of happiness in his eyes that was utterly unlike him. The grey clad stallion saluted and moved at a brisk trot into the hall, closing the door behind him. She was amazed at the way he managed to move almost silently despite the weight of metal he was carrying. “I am happy to see you awake, ‘Tia, and I hope that you are well.” She was surprised to hear what sounded like genuine concern. Overnight, he seemed to have abandoned years of carefully cultivated indifference, and almost sounded like a normal pony.
Naturally, she leapt to the worst possible conclusion, and she barely managed to keep the dread from her voice. “Concord, what did you and Luna do this morning?”
To her horror, he smiled before responding, “not too much. She started off by informing me, in a rather unexpected way, of her displeasure with my behavior since last night. Once she was satisfied that I had learned my lesson, and that I was neither angry nor unhappy with either of you, we moved on to discussing possible arrangements for sharing power that you might find agreeable. That took several hours, but you were still asleep, and since she had been awoken at a rather unusual hour, I offered her the use of my bed.”
Celestia could feel a vein pulsing in her forehead, and she ground her teeth in frustration. He must be joking, she thought ruefully. There is no way that he managed to fit so much innuendo into such a short explanation on accident. Apparently, she would need to be more explicit. “Concord, did you sleep with Luna?”
His smile faded slightly, and in a faintly uncertain voice, he said, “no.” She started to give a relieved sigh, but then he continued. “I haven’t gone to sleep since I was sent for this morning.”
He is doing this on purpose,she thought with certainty. Even he couldn’t be so oblivious to what I am asking. “Concord,” she said in a loud, clear voice. He started to protest that she should be quiet because Luna was just upstairs, but she continued, voice unabated. “Did you engage in inappropriate behavior with Luna?”
“Shhhh, she might still be sleeping, and it would be impolite to wake her,” he said, ignoring her question at first.
“Concord,” she snarled angrily.
“No. Aside from tying ribbons in some unorthodox arrangements and locations, but since she started it, I hardly think it could be considered anything more than unusual.” His completely impersonal delivery was one of the things, aside from the words themselves, that caused Celestia to finally lose her temper.
“Concord, you will tell me if you had sex with our sister!” She knew she was shouting, but she wanted to make sure that there was no possible way he could misunderstand, or fail to hear, the question.
“I did not, ‘Tia, and I would appreciate it if you would, for Luna’s sake if not my own, refrain from shouting such accusations in the future.” He turned his head suddenly and said, “good afternoon, Luna. I hope our conversation didn’t wake you.”
Celestia also turned her head to see a furiously blushing Luna standing on the stairs leading to Concord’s room. “No, not really,” she said in a strained voice. “I was getting up, but when I heard Celestia shouting, I hurried down. And,” she said indignantly, “what makes you think that I would just randomly sleep with Concord?”
“I- I’m sorry, Luna, it’s just that... ,” she stammered. “He seemed happier than I think I’ve ever seen him, and because of how you spoke this morning, I thought that maybe-.” She cut herself off to take a breath, “and the way he described what happened this morning... . I’m sorry,” she finished lamely, lowering her head shamefully.
She was relieved when she heard a quiet chuckle from Luna, and felt her sister nuzzling her gently. “Alright ‘Tia, I suppose I can understand your confusion. You’re right that something did happen this morning, but not in the way you were thinking.”
She looked up hopefully. She had never seen Concord actually acting this happy before, and while this might have caused her to worry earlier, Luna’s behavior made her feel optimistic rather than fearful.
There was a small flash, and a scroll appeared before Concord which he rapidly unfurled and read. “If you don’t mind, I’ll just answer this while Luna explains,” he said with a slight grin. A fresh parchment appeared before him alongside a quill with which he started to write.
“So this morning, after I had finished explaining that I didn’t want him to act like some servant, but rather to actually help us as an equal, we started to discuss the problem of combating Discord.” Luna sounded excited, and Celestia was amazed at her sudden enthusiasm. “Given what we had just been talking about, I what it was that he needed to be able to do, specifically, that he couldn’t do right now. His response was basically that the most important thing was that he be able to act rapidly, as situations developed, without lengthy discussions, debates, and other impediments.”
He needs to be king, in other words. Celestia didn’t see how this was any different from what they already knew, but she decided to wait and listen.
“You may be thinking that this is just another way of describing the powers of a King.” Celestia nodded. “But the only thing that really mattered was the ability to react rapidly. That even makes sense, given that Discord is able to do things on a scale greater than anything most ponies could imagine, much less plan for. What he needs is the ability to make decisions and implement them immediately to respond in a crisis. So I asked whether or not he would object to an arrangement where we all acted as equals. Any of us could act to immediately handle a problem, but for anything not related to crisis management, we could decide it by voting. This way, Concord still has the powers of a King, but we have a way of ensuring that he doesn’t go too far.” Luna was practically bouncing, she was so pleased with the idea.
Celestia herself found it to be an intriguing idea. I suppose it isn’t that much different than what our parents had planned for Luna and I, but... , she still felt that there was a problem. “I don’t know, Luna,” she said uncertainly. When she saw the effect her words had on Luna, she hurriedly added, “it isn’t that I don’t agree, its just... .” What, she wondered. “This sounds like what our parents had intended for us, that you and I rule together, each able to ensure that the other didn’t make careless mistakes. I guess my concern is that, for that to work, we have to be equals, not just in name, but in fact. Why would anypony believe that we actually held any power when Concord is clearly the one in charge?”
“Because he wouldn’t clearly be the pony in charge,” Luna said happily. “I see what you mean, but that was the second thing that we discussed because Concord pointed out the same thing.”
“Really,” she said, surprised. “Concord pointed that out?”
“Sure. I told him that I trusted him not to do something that you and I both said not to, but he pointed out that, just because I trusted him, or even if you trusted him as well, nopony else necessarily would. He said that we needed to at least appear to be equals for this to have any credibility. So, I bet you’ll never guess what the solution is!” Luna actually jumped in the air and hovered there expectantly.
Celestia couldn’t even imagine a way that they could even approach the levels of power that he and Discord had displayed. There was no magic on Equestria short of their own that could move the... sun and moon. “The Sun and Moon,” she muttered under her breath.
Celestia found herself reeling backwards as Luna grappled her in a bone crushing embrace. “YES! ‘Tia, Concord says that he can bind the Sun and the Moon to us, ‘Tia. He said it was rather complicated, but that the simple version is that the Sun and Moon aren’t just physical objects in the sky, but they are also massive bodies of magic. Right now, they are undirected, simply moving in the way that they have always moved, but if he were to form a connection between us and them, then we could use their innate magic to not only resist Discord, but to do other things as well.”
Celestia was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Concord was offering to grant them control over the Sun and the Moon. She didn’t even know exactly what that would mean, to be the Princess of the Sun. For a moment, she was deaf to the world as she tried to wrap her head around just what Concord was offering them. It was both humbling, and terrifying at the same time, for while he was trusting them with powers greater than anypony other than himself, yet what had once been given could again be taken away. If they accepted, they would be his as surely as if they refused, but at least this way, they could maintain a useful fiction for everypony else. And there are probably some benefits that come with control of the sun, she thought absently.
“Luna, LUNA,” she said forcefully in an effort to stop her sister’s rapid explanations. “Luna, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t really listening,” she said calmly. “Could you please loosen your grip a little and explain what exactly accepting would mean?”
Luna spoke apologetically, asking, “oops, are you alright?” When Celestia nodded, she took a deep breath a began her explanation again. “Concord will establish a connection between ourselves and the Sun and the Moon. Each of us will control one, which will grant us access to all the magic that each contains. This would mean that we could use the their natural power to prevent Discord from manipulating them, since if he spent too much power trying to move them, then Concord might be able to imprison him. Another side effect would be that we will become almost immortal.” Celestia’s mind hiccuped again at the mention of immortality.
“Luna,” she said, interrupting her sister’s monologue, “what do you mean by almost immortal?”
“With the magic we will be able to draw on, almost no illness or normal injury will cause lasting harm. We could still be hurt or killed,” she said in a quieter voice, “but it would be much harder to do... .”
This is simply too good to be true, Celestia thought incredulously. She couldn’t believe that Concord would simply do this out of the goodness of his heart. He’s doing it so that our little ponies will feel like they have guardians actually capable of protecting them. He’s doing this so ponies will believe that whatever we agree to is actually in their best interest, rather than merely being his desire. The realization that no matter her decision, she was still a pawn in Concord’s game upset her, but at least this way she could have an active voice in ruling the Kingdom. And maybe, she thought skeptically, Concord will actually keep his word.
She had her doubts, but she was certain that this proposal was better than anything she had imagined before. Concord was willing to accept limits on his power, the Sun and Moon would be removed, hopefully, from the list of things that Discord could manipulate arbitrarily, and Luna and herself would become immortal co-rulers capable of actually defending their subjects from danger, both foreign and domestic. She had her doubts, but when she saw Luna’s watching her hopefully, and Concord, who was now in the middle of writing six letters simultaneously, taking clear pleasure in his work, she decided that the idea was worth trying. “Alright Luna, but I call the Sun.”