"No, please! Don't drop me!"

Discord levitated the pegasus just outside one the castle's highest windows.

"Why not?" he asked. "You're a pegasus, after all. And you're precious little goddess has dampened the sun for you."

The pony didn't answer, she was too afraid and choked with tears. Even without looking at them he knew her sparse, misused wings wouldn't be able to support her. It's been too long, after all, since the pegasus ponies could fly.

She was a very brave pony, Discord had to admit. She barely even flinched when Discord went into town for her. She and a small group of ponies were spreading the idea that their saviors had come, that chaos was nearing its end. How could he tolerate it? It hadn't taken long to figure out that her greatest, and perhaps only fear was heights.

"Trust me," he said. "There's nothing those two can do to save you."

Through her tears the pony scowled furiously. "Don't you dare say that!" She cried. "Don't you dare!"

Discord stepped out of the window and hovered around the pony still suspended in midair. He could see her shaking despite her best efforts to hide it.

"You'll see, Discord. Soon they'll come and put you in your place!"

"You think so? You think they'll save you? Then tell me this, why did they wait so long? They sat up in the sky and watched you suffer for ages. Why?"

The pony was silent for a moment, scowling at Discord. Finally she said, "that doesn't matter. None of that matters now. All that matters is now and now their here to stop you."

"A bit late, don't you think?" He said. "Do you really think that this world isn't past saving? You don't think chaos has lived here too long, changed life, ponies, too much?" He circled around the pony like a vulture. He took note of the mark on her flank: a white feather engulfed in sparks at its base. Probably something to so with her rebellious spirit. He could fix that.

"Go to hell."

Discord ignored her statement. "Tell me, pony. What is your name?"

The pony was silent.

"What is your name?"

The pony's gaze shifted away from Discord. "...Calamity."

"Calamity," Discord repeated. "A beautiful word. Another word for chaos. Another word for Discord. Tell me," He stopped circling, pausing behind her. He reached out a sharp yellow talon. "You think that a world that names its children after me can still be saved?" He brushed the back of her neck with the eagle hand, watching in satisfaction as she squirmed with discomfort, then as her form drooped hopelessly and her vivid blue coat dampened in color, gray hairs appearing across it.

Defeated, Calamity said, "no."

Discord smiled in satisfaction. He circled around her so he could look at her face. She stared back hopelessly. He smiled wider.

"Now don't be so sad, Calamity. Here," He snapped his fingers and Calamity felt her wings grow stronger. Muscle thickened around her shoulder blades and wing appendages.

"Now go fly to your friends and tell them what you've learned."

She didn't answer. She only looked at him with that same look of hopelessness and defeat in her eyes. Then she bent her head and looked up at the sky. A million lights danced above her. She remembered watching them appear. She remembered trying desperately to fly, to get a closer look at them. They were the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She turned her head to the horizon and knew that the sun would soon peek at her with that gentle golden hue like it always did in the mornings.

Discord could tell what she was thinking. He released the spell that held the pony in the air and watched her gray form plummet to the ground, a soft trail of tears chasing her down.

The window was high but the fall took nearly no time at all. Even so Calamity's brain had more than enough time to remember who she had to thank for the sky. The two sisters who painted the night and the day so beautifully; anyone who could bring so much beauty into the world...they had to be her saviors.

At that moment the sun spilled its rich light across the horizon, and the last thing that Calamity saw was the pink and orange light staining the navy, light-speckled sky; the night and day dancing in tandem above her.

Discord could just see her coat starting to return to its former color before she disappeared into the trees on the ground. Then he heard a loud, resounding thud.

"Hmp," he said. "Disappointing." Discord turned to the rising sun. "Come on Celestia. Stop stalling and come and get me already."


Celestia finished raising the sun and turned to see Luna finishing up the moon for the day. She thought it was amazing how the stars stayed in one place, so easily blocked out by the sun's light. Celestia smiled. Everything about her sister was so gentle and kind. It made her envious sometimes.

Luna turned to meet her sisters gaze.

"Cel," she said. "We've waited long enough. We've done all we can for the land, now lets go help the ponies."

"By defeating Discord?" Celestia asked.

Luna nodded.

"Of course, Luna. But he's very powerful. Our magic alone won't be able to stop him."

"I suppose you're right," Luna replied. "We don't exactly have magic we can use to hurt him, not directly anyway. Our magic can only assist in bringing life."

"Exactly."

"Then what do we do? Go home and ask for help?"

"No. We can't, remember?"

"oh...yes. I know." Luna's head drooped sadly. "I suppose we can't ever go back. I'm sorry Celestia. Maybe I should have come on my own. It's unfair that you should also suffer."

"Oh, Luna. I couldn't just stand there and watch you fight alone. Besides, we're stronger when we're together. There's nothing we can't do, remember?"

Luna smiled. "yeah. But what do we do about Discord?"

Celestia looked up at the mountains that stretched across the forest and valley.

"There's a griffon around here somewhere. She's supposed to be old. Very old. Perhaps even older than us."

"You're talking about Grace? Grace the Griffon? She really exists?"

Celestia turned to face her sister. "Of course. Why wouldn't she be?"

Luna shifted shyly. "I just thought she was a legend. You know, a rumor. I mean, a griffon? Here? After all this time?"

"She's not just any griffon, Luna. She's one of the first. If anyone knows Discord, it's her."

"And anyone who knows Discord may know the way to defeat him."

"Exactly."

"Discord must be from the Beginning." Luna said.

"It's possible."

"That means you must have met him before, right?"

"I-I don't think so," Celestia said. "In the Beginning-everything was on the same level. The alicorns, earth creatures; everything, everyone lived on one level. I met a lot of creatures in those days."

"I was born after that, so I wouldn't know."

"Indeed. If I had ever met Discord before...I would remember." Celestia looked away from Luna and back at the mountains ahead of them.

Luna said, "Come on. If we're going to find Grace we've got to get started. We don't have any time to waste."

"Of course. Let's go."

The two sisters opened their wings and took flight and headed to the rocky mountains beneath which generations of ponies had lived before, and where the griffon should live now.


Authors Note: hey HEY hey! I see some new people have added this story to their watch list. I hope I satisfy you!

I wrote this chapter literally in one sitting so forgive me if it's a bit sparse. Also forgive me for repetition, my vocabulary isn't as wide as I'd like it to be.