Reformed

Chapter 2

Unwanted Memories

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Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews! Always appreciated.

I think I'm doing a good job with keeping them in-character so far. Hopefully, I can keep this up. XD

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"Your Majesty, are you feeling alright? You've been pacing for about an hour now," one of Luna's trusted guards remarked, watching the princess with apparent concern.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry," Luna stopped, distracted. She hadn't even noticed she was doing it. "Nothing's wrong. I just have a lot on my mind, you see."

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Would you like for us to leave you alone for a while, Princess?" his companion asked politely.

Luna gave them both a grateful smile. "Please. Thank you."

The two Night Guards bowed deeply and quickly left to keep watch outside chambers. Luna relaxed and sat down in front of her large window, peering down at the residents of Canterlot. Just for a moment, she longed to join them and escape from her persistent worries, to partake in trivial conversations, or to simply enjoy some shopping at the many quality shops that lined the streets. But she couldn't. Being a royal princess meant you couldn't simply join the common ponies without quickly being singled out and treated differently, even if it was in the most respectful and positive of ways.

I wish Twilight Sparkle was here, she thought, remembering her good friend. She's such a good listener.

And she certainly needed to talk to someone. All day long, she had found herself feeling like she was in limbo; stuck between feeling agitated, anxious, excited, and regretful.

Agitated, because today was the day Celestia would fetch the petrified Discord from the depths of the castle and deliver it to the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. In the back of her mind, she still thought this was a terrible idea.

Anxious, because one could never know what to expect from the crafty draconequus. It was always a frustrating and messy business.

As for the latter two emotions, she despised even acknowledging the meaning behind them. She was regretful because she was excited. Despite her brain telling her one thing, a part of her, somewhere, was happy to have a chance to see Discord again. It was small, but it refused to die and cease to exist, no matter what Luna tried to do to extinguish it. Such sentimentality would be her undoing. She was sure of it.

Once upon a time, countless years ago, she had once considered the spirit of chaos her valued companion. Maybe even a best friend. How she ever saw him as anything but an arrogant, selfish and destructive entity was beyond her. But youth blinds one to the truth, and she was no exception from it.

"What are you?" she had asked cautiously, when the sinuous creature had slithered out of a small opening she had accidentally blasted open with her magic during her private practice. "What is your name? Why were you in there?"

"We're playing twenty questions, are we?" the thing laughed, stretching its mismatched limbs. The little princess took a step back.

"And you're not answering them," she shot back. He gave her a toothy grin.

"I'm Discord. A draconequus," he said simply, fluttering his wings as he landed in front of her. He took one of her hooves and kissed it. Luna wavered. "And you?"

"Luna. Princess Luna to you," Luna replied, removing her hoof from his grasp. "Now, why were you in there?"

"I got stuck there," Discord replied coolly. "Thank goodness you were here. You must truly be a princess, saving me like that."

Luna couldn't fight the small blush. "Well, it's was nothing. Any decent pony would have done the same."

"How modest," Discord smiled. Despite his odd appearance, he had an odd boyish charm to him.

"Do you live in Ponyville?" Luna inquired. She'd never seen a creature like him before, but she was sure there were plenty of races she had no knowledge of at the moment.

"No," he replied. He flicked his long, scaly tail. "I live here. You must live in Canterlot."

"I do. And I think I should be heading back..."

"Will I see you again?"

Luna paused. "See me?"

"Yes," Discord smiled. "It's only natural to want to see a friend again, right?"

"A friend? Me?" Luna repeated. Being royalty, it was natural that she didn't have many opportunities to go out and make friends. Royal duties always came first. Besides, most ponies treated her as a princess first and a friend second.

But this boy... he didn't even bother with a customary bow. It was like he didn't think her any different from him. And it made her happy.

"Well?" he pressed.

"Sure," Luna smiled. "I'll come here to visit you."

"I'll always be here waiting."

That was the beginning of their doomed friendship. From that day on, Luna did things she never would have thought she would do; sneak out at odd hours of the night, skip lessons, purposely lose track of her attendants so she could run off to play with him. All for the sake of meeting up with her mischievous little friend in the woods. He was so unlike any other pony she had ever met. He was living by his own rules, with odd magic and strange ideas. In a way, she treasured those memories. That innocence.

But Luna couldn't and wouldn't forget how Discord had used her. When did Discord's innocent desire for companionship degrade into lying and deceiving her for his own selfish ends? She wasn't sure that he ever really cared for her or their friendship. What if that was his plan from the start? The possibility was almost certain.

Despite this, why did a nagging part of her insist on staying there? Why couldn't she just hate him with everything she had, as her sister did? Why did a part of her wish that what they had shared was genuine at one point? That Discord wasn't totally callous?

Luna rested her head on her front legs, feeling a headache coming on. All of this was making her sick.

"I guess we'll have to see, won't we Discord?"

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Author's Note: Poor Luna. Gotta suck liking the spirit of chaos. XD