A/N: Oh yay. Ponies. I'm just going to disclaim all of Hasbro's ponies right here. They belong to Hasbro. But everypony else, except for miss Sweet Dreams, belongs to myself. Sweet Dreams belongs to Angyll, or boospar on youtube.

Please read, rate, and enjoy... somehow.


Dragon's Heart

"Celestia…"

It was dark. No sun or moon or stars to light the sky. The voice that Celestia heard echoing to her ears shook her to the core.

"Celestia…" The voice chuckled maliciously. Princess Celestia turned around, but she saw nothing. She couldn't even see the ground on which her feet were planted. She tried to make some light, but something resisted her magic. The darkness closed in, killing the light the moment it sparked from her horn.

She knew the voice calling her name. "Discord…" She wanted to question him. Where was he hiding in this darkness? How had he escaped, again? What did he want?

…However, nothing come out of the royal mare's mouth. She felt something squeezing her.

Fear.

"Oh, dearest Celestia, always so happy to see me, aren't you?" She felt the draconequus embrace her with his forelegs. "If you smiled last time, this time you'll be beaming and laughing!"

"I did n-" She cut herself off, suddenly realizing the point the was making. She froze.

"I'll cut straight to the point, Celestia:

When the seasons have grown old, passed, and gone,

And the old clock strikes twelve at new year's dawn,

A pony you'd never expect, you see,

Will be the pony releasing me."

Celestia tried to put on her royal façade, of bravery and wisdom, though she knew that Discord had already seen her rising terror. "February's only just started. Since when have you given anypony warning of your escapes?"

Discord became visible. His muzzle touched hers in an almost affectionate manner. "This is the last time I will escape, your highness, because if you use your petty little Elements of Harmony against me, I would break out again. And a lot faster, too. If you've got any brains, you'll think of something else." He grinned in a malicious manner, causing Celestia to jerk away from him. She narrowed her eyes. "But nothing is going to work on me. I'm not going to play any games with you or your little ponies this time, Celestia. I'm going to take back Equestria, and the entire globe along with it, and I'm not going to let anypony stop me. The first thing I'll do is put you to rest…"

Celestia felt herself gently trembling. She tried to look strong.

"…Or maybe instead I'll capture your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle." He continued jeeringly, making air quotes with his front talons and paw. Celestia's eyes widened. "I could turn her into my pet mouse, or let her loose and watch her be mauled by some cats! I'm not sure which I prefer. I suppose I have 11 months to think about it!" He looked increasingly gleeful, the gears of his twisted mind clearly turning.

"No, Discord! You won't do any such thing!"

He turned back to Celestia almost nonchalantly, then slowly resumed to smile as if he were the embodiment of evil itself. "Oh, won't I? The problem last time, Celestia, is that I cut you and your goodie-goodie bunch too much slack, and I underestimating them, thinking I had undermined and destroyed their precious friendship. Make no mistake, I won't be a fool twice!" He hissed, poking her chest with a talon.

Celestia reared, ready to cast a powerful spell. She pointed her horn at Discord.

He vanished, his maniacal laughter echoing. "You have until the new year, Celestia! Sweet dreams!" Suddenly, she was falling. Falling into endless black, like an ocean, swallowing her up. A scream split the air. Her own.

Celestia jolted awake.

What a nightmare to have…

"C-celestia…"

The princess gasped and looked over to see her younger sister, standing in the doorway, looking shaken. "Luna? What's the matter?"

"S-sleep befell me…"

Celestia glanced out the window. It was still in the middle of the night. Luna never slept at night, because it was her time to rule. Luna continued.

"D-discord hath came to m-me…"

Celestia got to her feet immediately, shrouding her royal panic. It wasn't just a nightmare…

A memory came to the older sister in a flash.

Discord was laughing hysterically. The Elements were turning him to stone, but he was fighting it. Slowly, the elements were winning the battle, but he was fighting. "You'll never defeat me, ladies! Never!" He began to cry from laughter.

"We've already defeated you!" Luna objected. This had been before the time she had felt the need for more 'proper' speech to gain respect, which in truth had not come about until after she had changed back from being Nightmare Moon.

"Maybe this time, but I'll be back! If anypony could defeat me permanently, they'd have a dragon's heart and a lightning tail." He feigned a pouting face, stretched his arms before they turned to stone, then yawned. "Goodnight, fillies~"

"Luna, there's a way to stop him! We just need to find right pony… We'll have to look everywhere."

"What dost thou mean, dear sister?"

"Remember the first time we fought with the Elements of Harmony? Discord told us about somepony who could defeat him, for good! We have to find this pony, before the end of the year! If we don't…" Celestia looked straight into Luna's eyes. "I fear the very worst will befall us all."