A/N: Usual drill. Read, review and send me stuff to keep Pinkie out of my sanctum!
Equestria 101 – Discord
"You wanted to see me, Billy?"
The former Blue Ranger looked up from the papers at the white alicorn and nodded. After Luna's geography lesson the day before, he had been poring over whatever information he could find about Discord. If Zedd found and freed him…it wouldn't be good news. The problem was, the reports and historical records only mentioned Discord's reign in passing. He needed to know what it was like during that time so he could properly prepare. Unfortunately, asking Luna was out as she had been imprisoned on the moon and had very fuzzy memories of Discord, so he had to ask Princess Celestia. After all, she had been the one to ultimately defeat him. Nodding to the alicorn, he spoke.
"I wanted to ask you about Discord and his reign. Was he as bad as the historical records say?"
Celestia sighed and closed her eyes. She knew eventually the curious human would ask these questions and she knew the reasoning behind them. She thought about dismissing the question, but realised that withholding the information could prove dangerous in the long run.
"Discord rose up about a hundred years after I had imprisoned Nightmare Moon. He had amassed a large number of followers and they overthrew me. I gathered up the Elements of Harmony and fled deep into the Everfree Forest and into the outpost Luna and I had set up years before. I was kept in the loop by one of my loyal friends, who had infiltrated Discord's inner circle."
Flashback
Celestia paced the room impatiently. Discord's reign had gone on unchecked for three months and ponies everywhere were suffering. Shining Light had sent her a message saying that blood was running freely in the streets and that she would be going into the Everfree Forest on patrol duty. Apparently Discord thought that the Ursas, manticores and hydras would rise up against him…which would be a viable option if they actually had some sort of intelligence beside primal instincts. Sighing wistfully, she glanced to the podium where the Elements of Harmony were in their rocklike states. Their powers could still be used by her, but she had a feeling they had chosen their future bearers. She was shaken out of her musings by the sound of galloping hooves. Lowering her head in defence, she faced the door and charged her horn.
"Celestia, it's me."
The Princess relaxed as a familiar voice rang out. Slowly, a light brown Earth pony with a white appeared in the archway. On her head was the silver and black Circlet of Discord, a token of extreme loyalty and trust to those handpicked by Discord himself.
End Flashback
"Shining Light was my only true friend during those six months. She was a member of the Eyes of Discord: the ponies that saw the chaos and destruction and reported it directly to Discord. What he never knew was that she was also reporting it to me."
Billy listened in silent fascination. His eyes suddenly widened as a fragment of Celestia's tale came back to him.
"Three months? The records make it seem that Discord ruled for much longer."
Celestia nodded her head gravely. She could not lie to Billy as he needed to know this for the future. He had already done so much for them. It was the least she could do.
"Discord had a strange ability to slow down time. As far as I know, that ability was stripped from him when he was sealed. In the Everfree Forest, I was exempt from his abilities, so while it was only three months for me…it was thirty years. Goodness, when Discord moved away, everypony was so confused for a week!"
Smiling at the Princess, Billy motioned for her to continue. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Luna enter the room with saddlebags of rolled parchments. He also saw the alicorn Princess stop short and listen at the mouth of the door. Celestia gazed into the mists of the past and continued.
"But anyway, when Shining Light came to see me one day, she brought news that was both good…and horrific."
Flashback
Celestia neck hugged her friend and looked her over. Small scrapes dotted the brown fur and her hooves were chipped. Shaking her head, she smiled softly at Shining Light and nodded once – her sign for her friend to talk.
"Discord has moved his base of operations from Canterlot. The palace is free from his influence and many of the ponies there have been lifted from his sway. I was only just able to slip away by 'accidentally' falling off a steep cliff."
Balancing on her hind legs, Shining Light reached up and removed the Circlet of Discord from her head and placed it on the stone floor. Summoning up her strength, she drover her hooves down on the obsidian band – utterly shattering it. Celestia drew in a sharp breath as the evil magic escaped from the Circlet. She looked on the smoking remains with some trepidation.
"He will know you have betrayed him and he will come here. Shining Light, what have you done?"
The young pony looked up at her friend seeing all the fear, hurt and anxiety on her ageless face and smiled. It was time to inform her friend about Discord's destination.
"My friend, Discord will not be coming. He has left Equestria and has moved to Deinos Terra Firma. There is no escape for him. You can defeat him!"
Celestia sighed and felt some of the weight lift off her shoulders. She glanced at the Elements of Harmony and murmured an ancient prayer under her breath. History had eroded its name away, but she knew it as the Guiding Spark. Deinos Terra Firma…a barren land that only the Zebra clans thrived on and all other forms of life perished in.
End Flashback
"With the Elements, I knew I could survive. Three months later, I marched on Deinos Terra Firma with an army of thousands. Many perished in the blazing heat and scores more fell to Discord's machinations. The records state how I used the Elements one last time to strip Discord of his abilities and seal him in a stone prison. But Shining Light…"
A single tear dripped from her eyes as he swallowed the unfathomably large lump in her throat. She shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled faintly at Billy, noticing Luna at the door. Her voice was kind and gentle, but held an undercurrent of deep sadness.
"You needn't concern yourself with what happened to her. She survived…is still surviving to this day. Anyway, I see Luna is here to bring you up to speed on your plans. I hope this has been of help to you."
With a quick bow of her head, Princess Celestia all but fled from the room. She heard Billy and Luna murmuring to each other, but did not stop until she reached her chambers. Staring up at the sun, she whispered to the empty air.
"Shining Light…Acceptance will free your soul."
TBC…
