My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro, The Hub and of course Lauren Faust who seems to have gone out of her way to make a show about pastel colored ponies with names like "Twilight Sparkle" completely awesome. This story is just for fun and no profit shall be made so please above mentioned people don't sue me. You're not gonna get much. Any OCs that pop up in this fic belong to me and can be used with permission. Please don't steal from me. Now with that out of the way, on with the show.
The Elements of Discord
Chapter 6: The Seeds of the Future, Lay Buried in the Past
Everywhere Luna looked there was darkness. Not the same kind of darkness that embodied the moonlit, star draped nights she took so much care in crafting. No this was a different kind of darkness. There were no stars. There was no moon. All around her was just... blackness. A cold, empty blackness that chilled her to her very soul. Worst of all, this blackness felt very familiar. It was a sensation she had only once in her long lifetime but it was enough to make sure she never wanted to feel it again. Particularly with how long it had lasted. Nopony could truly appreciate how long a thousand years really was unless they had lived through it. Worse yet, lived through it in a cold, black void completely alone.
"Oh but my dear Luna, you were never alone," a voice dripping with venom practically purred behind her.
Luna's eyes widened and her heart skipped a beat as a cold shiver of fear ran through her entire body at the sound of the voice. Of that voice.
"No," she gasped quietly. "That's not possible. It can't be you."
"Oh but it can. And it is! Or are you still too afraid to face me even after all this time?" the voice mocked gleefully.
Steeling her nerves, Luna dug her hind heels into the blackness around her and quickly spun around them to come face-to-face with...
"Nightmare Moon!" she called out in a mix of fear and anger.
The tall, armored mare smirked sinisterly as her star field mane and tail slithered around her like a pair of snakes prepared to strike. She stepped closer to the surprised pony then leaned down so their faces were mere inches apart and let out of a soft chuckle.
"So you do remember me after all. How charming," Nightmare Moon remarked before she pulled back.
"You can't be here! You were destroyed!" Luna shouted desperately.
"Destroy? No. Merely... pushed back," the larger equine corrected as she started to slowly circle her other half. "Did you really think those fools could ever truly destroy me? Why even our dear sister and original bearers of the Elements of Harmony couldn't destroy us. They merely banished us to our glorious moon. A place that should have been our home but become our prison."
"Your prison!" Luna corrected. "I was already trapped inside you while you did those horrible things."
"Things that you yourself wanted to do," Nightmare retorted, again shoving her face into Luna's. "Or have you so deluded yourself into forgetting that I am you!"
"No you're not! You're just a mistake I made a long time ago. I was being too selfish and bitter to think straight and got caught in my own delusions."
"And in doing so you turned to forces you didn't fully understand," she mused, continuing her circle. "You wanted to be bigger. Stronger. More powerful. Able to stand hoof to hoof with your big sister. And so with the help of your one friend, your only friend, you turned to Elements of Discord and became the one thing you always wanted to become; ME!" she declared triumphantly as she came to stand in front of Luna once again.
"No! No, no, no!" the younger pony denied vehemently as she shook her head wildly. "I never wanted to be you! I just wanted other ponies to like me! To respect the hard work I put into my nights like they did my sister's days. I didn't want to block out the sun! I didn't want night to last forever! Most of all I didn't want to be evil!" she continued to scream, lowering herself to the ground of the blackness as tears started to well up in her eyes. "All I ever really wanted was to not be alone..."
Nightmare's sneer softened just slightly at the sight of her other self sniffling before her. It disgusted her to see her like this, but she understood what the pony was feeling. After all, she was her and it was exactly these feelings that lead to her own creation. Still, she didn't have to be so pathetic about it!
"But you weren't alone Luna. You had a friend, remember?" she asked.
Luna sniffled just a bit and picked her head back up in remembrance.
"That's right. Dark Sky. She was an outcast like me. So we became friends and..." she recalled and the smile she had started to form faded with that last bit of memory flooding back.
"And with your determination and her magical powers you both sought the Elements of Discord and used them on yourself to become me," Nightmare reminded her, her own evil grin returning. "And guess what Luna? Sky's coming back. I've seen to that. Soon you two shall be reunited once again. But I do hope you'll make the best of your time because she's also going to be using the new Elements of Discord to free me from this mental prison and then I will take us all back to where were should be as the rightful rulers of Equestria!"
Nightmare Moon's laugh seemed to echo in the darkness all around them. A horrified expression crossed over Luna's face at the mad mare's threat.
"No! No I won't allow you to do that! I won't let you get free again! I won't let you hurt Sky again! I-"
"WON'T!" Luna shouted as she sat up in her bed.
She breathed heavily for a moment to regain her bearings. Sweat dripped down from her forehead and when she finally realized she was actually in her bed she noticed the sheets and pillows had been thrown all over the place.
"A dream?" she asked herself in uncertainty. "Yes, that's all it was. A dream. A...nightmare. Just-just old anxieties. But why now? I thought I was done having dreams about Nightmare Moon. And why did I suddenly remember Sky? She can't still be..."
She gasped as very hazy memory started to become slightly clearer in her mind. It was when she was first defeated as Nightmare Moon those thousand years ago. Just as the rainbow beam ensnared her and her sister threatened to lock her in the moon, she heard Dark Sky's cry of anguish and could just see her friend turning to stone out of the corner of her eye before the whole world became black. She had thought she had just been seeing things or not remembering them clearly. But what if she was mistaken? What if that did truly happen? And what if Nightmare did have enough power to contact her and break Sky free of her own prison? Then that would mean...
She was startled out of her thoughts by a gentle knocking on her door. She shook her head to try to clear it before she got out of bed and started to walk over to the large, highly decorated double doors.
"Who is it?" she asked softly.
"It's me Luna," her sister's voice called back calmly. "Somepony thought they heard you screaming and I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Yes. Yes I'm fine 'Tia. It was just a night-bad dream," she corrected herself.
"Oh," Celestia's voice remarked from the other side. "Well if you need to talk about anything I'd be more than happy to listen."
"Thank you but...I'm-I'm fine," Luna tried to reassured her sister and herself.
"Well... alright. If... you say so. But if you do need somepony to talk to..." Celestia offered again.
"I know, and I thank you sis but for now I just need some... more time to myself."
"As you wish," came the almost defeated reply with a heavyhearted sigh behind it. "Just try not to keep yourself locked up too much longer, alright? The rest of the court would like to get to know you and... I..."
"I... I know Tia," Luna sighed herself, leaning her head against the door. "I don't mean to be a burden and I'll be out soon I promise."
"I certainly hope so, you do have to raise the moon in a few hours after all," Celestia reminded her, trying to sound her normal jovial self but they both could tell it was forced.
"I know. I'll be there," the smaller pony nodded in determination.
There was no further comment from the other side of the door but Luna could sense that her sister had returned her nod before she walked off. When she was sure she was gone, Luna let out a heavy sigh of her own before she started to move away from the door. She knew she should be out there to tend to the matters of the court and meet some other ponies and at the very least get to know her sister all over again. But she just couldn't help but still feel like an outsider even after all these months. There were still some ponies that didn't trust her, most notably among them the guards. They always seemed a bit antsy whenever she was around, especially when she was talking to her sister. Of course Celestia was quick to order them back in that polite yet determined way of hers that nopony dare question. It was a trick that always made Luna chuckle because it was so completely opposite of how Celestia really was. She didn't think she had ever met a mare as kind and generous and loving as her big sister.
And she nearly ruined her relationship with her over something so petty and stupid like some spoiled little filly. That would have been bad enough but she let her anger get the best of her and created something so horrible that they still talk about it today even if Nightmare Moon was relegated to some Boogeymare to scare foals. She still created a legacy of fear and anger that she wasn't sure she could ever hope to live down.
"Then why bother at all?" a voice called out behind her.
Much like in her dream, Luna felt her entire body go stiff and her blood run cold. And like in the dream she spun around to find herself facing Nightmare Moon, but this time she was inside of the full length mirror standing in one corner of her room. Instead of her own reflection, the mirror showed the image of Nightmare Moon towering over her like some twisted fun house mirror.
"No. No no no! You can't be here! I'm awake now!" Luna shouted angrily.
"Oh you silly filly haven't you figured it out yet?" Nightmare taunted with a wave of her hoof. "I'll always be here because I am you! Sad but true. Well...sad for you but great for me. And I meant what I said before Luna. I will be free. And there's nothing you or anypony can do to stop me!"
Luna's wide eyes of fear slowly narrowed into a look of determination and strength.
"We'll see about that," she warned before she ran off in search of her sister.
( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - ) ( - )
Celestia continued to stare at the locked door in front of her for a few seconds before she sighed and walked away. She knew something was bothering Luna and had been for awhile but she just wasn't sure what it was. No wait, that was a lie, she knew exactly what it was. It was the hushed whispers and paranoid glances she received ever since her return. Even the palace guards, whose duty it was to protect both princesses seemed wary of her. Not that it wasn't unexpected of course, but it still frustrated Celestia to no end. It was just like it was 1,000 years ago and that worried her. Especially given the letter Twilight had just recently sent. A terrifying sense of deja vu crept over her and she was determined not let it all happen again.
"All of this has happened before. All of this will happen again."
She surprised herself at remembering those rather cryptic words spoken to her a long time ago. That surprise only lasted a second before her face took a look of steely determination.
Not if I have anything to say about it, she thought resolutely.
"Your majesty!" one of the guards called, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Twilight Sparkle has arrived."
"Excellent!" she replied, a surprisingly bright smile on her face. "Please take me to her."
The guard nodded then led the princess to where Twilight was waiting just outside the throne room. Despite the dire situation both student and mentor smiled upon seeing each other again.
"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia greeted, giving the purple unicorn a warm hug. "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too Princess," Twilight returned both the sentiment and the hug. "But what's going on here? Your letter sounded urgent. And a bit...well...creepy."
The joy fell from Celestia's face as seriousness of the situation returned to her.
"It is," she nodded. "Please come with me, there is much I need to tell you."
With that, she used her magic to open the massive throne room doors then motioned for Twilight to go in first. She started to walk after her but stopped when she realized the two guards behind them were following them in.
"In private," she said pointedly, staring down the two guards.
"But... um... your majesty," the first guard started nervously. "We're supposed to stay with you at all times for your protection."
"Yes I know and you do a wonderful job at that, but there are times when I prefer to be alone and this is one of those times."
"But what if something were to happen?" the second guard asked.
"Then I have no doubt that you two wonderful colts would rush in here and save us poor fillies. But for now I need to talk to my student in private. I can make this a royal decree if I have to. Now, will I have to?" she asked, giving them both a look that dared either of them to speak against her.
They both swallowed nervously and looked between themselves.
"N-no ma'am. We'll... we'll be right outside if you need us," the first guard said while backing away.
The second one merely nodded as he followed the other's lead.
"I'm so glad we could understand each other boys," Celestia returned with a pleasant voice and happy smile.
As soon as the doors were closed again she let out a small, exasperated sigh as she turned back to Twilight.
"I swear, I know those boys mean well and they're just doing their jobs but sometimes they can get a little... stifling," she remarked.
"I'm sure," Twilight said a bit awkwardly. "So what is you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Follow me," the princess instructed.
She then walked over to the other side of the room, passing by the throne and stepping up to a large mural behind it depicting herself and Luna creating an eclipse. Twilight had noticed it before but never really paid any attention to it. It was certainly well done and kind of touching in a way but she wasn't exactly sure what made it so important that the princess was walking over to it.
That reason was quickly made clear as Celestia reached a hoof out to the mural to press on her own Cutie Mark in the painting. Twilight was surprised to see it was actually a button that once pressed caused a section of the wall next to it to slide apart and reveal a hidden chamber inside. She was so awestruck by this revelation that she barely noticed Celestia nodding her head towards the room as a sign that she should follow her. Once she finally got the hint Twilight eagerly trotted forward to see what her mentor was trying to show her.
She was overcome once again when she saw that although the room was small it seemed to have a much grander presence about it. There were six, large, golden statues of ponies she had never seen before in a set of three on either side of the room. They all led towards another mural at the end of the room, this time depicting Celestia and six other ponies fighting off Nightmare Moon and a unicorn she didn't recognize. Around the six ponies hovered the original Elements of Harmony that were creating the Rainbow of Light that she and her friends had used to destroy Nightmare Moon and free Luna a year ago. In fact, now that she studied the painting more closely she saw that the ponies surrounding Princess Celestia were the same number and species as her and her friends. Two unicorns, two pegasi, and two earth ponies. When she turned to ask her mentor what this meant, she noticed that the statues themselves were the same number and species as in the mural. In fact they were the ponies from the mural!
She walked over to the one closest to her, the one of a unicorn with a short mane and comet-like Cutie Mark and read the inscription on the plaque placed on the pedestal.
"'In Memory of Shooting Star, The Element of...Magic'?" she cried out surprise.
She then walked over to the statue of a Pegasus with a long, straight mane whipping behind her and a rain cloud Cutie Mark.
"'In Memory of Rainmaker, The Element of Loyalty'," she read aloud again.
She continued to stare in disbelief as she walked back to the princess while glancing at the last statue before her. This time it was of an earth pony with an unkempt mane and lighted torch Cutie Mark. Also unlike the other two statues that looked strong or resolute, this one had a huge smile on her face. It made Twilight smile on reflex since it reminded her so much of Pinkie's infectious smile. Which she found quite fitting once she read the inscription below.
"'In Memory of Torchlight, The Element of Laugher'."
Somehow she didn't seem surprised but she was still just as confused as she made her way back over to her mentor.
"Princess, I don't understand. What is all this?" she asked, gesturing a hoof to the statues.
"This, my dear Twilight," Princess Celestia began with a sadness in her voice that the young unicorn had never heard before, "is a memorial to some of my most dearest friends. The original bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
"What?" Twilight couldn't help but scream in surprise.
Despite the pained memories this place brought up, Celestia couldn't help but smile at her student's shocked reaction. It was understandable of course, this news did go against everything she had learned after all. Unfortunately, that momentary bit of amusement was all too fleeting as the seriousness of the situation caught back up with her.
"I'm sorry Twilight, but I'm afraid I haven't been... completely honest with you," she tried to explain.
"I'll say," the purple unicorn snipped before she realized just who she had snipped too and a horrified expression crossed her face. "I mean, I'm sure you had your reasons for not telling me the whole truth Princess! Very, very, good reasons!" she add quickly with a nervous chuckle and smile.
Again this response provoked a reaction from the Princess but this time it was an annoyed sigh.
"Twilight, I've told you before you don't have to grovel in front of me like that. You can treat me like any other pony," she explained.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
Celestia cut her off with a raised hoof and a shake of her head.
"Please don't fret about it. You do have a right to be annoyed after all, but please let me tell you why I've hidden this information from you and the rest of Equestria. You see these ponies were not just the bearers of the Elements and my personal bodyguards but my friends as well."
Twilight gave her a confused look but shrugged it off and followed the Princess as she started to walk towards the mural at the other end of the room again.
"You've already seen those statues there," she said, nodding her head towards the statues now on their left. The other ones are Deep Dive, the Element of Honesty,"
She nodded to a statue of an earth pony with an water-like Cutie Mark an appropriately waving mane and tail.
"Moonracer the Element of Kindness," she continued this time pointing a Pegasus with a comet flying past the moon for her Cutie Mark and a curled mane.
"And last, but certainly not least, Firestar, the Element of Generosity," Celestia finished with an oddly bemused smile on her face at the unicorn's likeness.
Twilight looked up at that statue next to her and out of all of them this one seemed to have the most... personality. While the others hardly had blank expressions, they seemed more somber and celebrated the ponies' deaths while this one seemed to celebrate this pony's life. There was just something about the engraved smirk that seemed to resonate from the statue. The statue itself was carved with the immaculate detail that the others were and perfectly showed off the fireball Cutie Mark on her flank as well as her mane and tail which were each spiked up enough to resemble the flames of her name and Cutie Mark.
"That's... nice Princess, but I'm still not sure I understand why you had to keep this all a secret," Twilight remarked.
"Because of them," Celestia answered, pointing a hoof at the mural.
The young unicorn looked at the painting again, particularly the section her mentor was pointing to. It was the half with Nightmare Moon and the unicorn next to her and for the first time Twilight noticed that they also had gems floating around them similar to the Elements of Harmony around Celestia and the original bearers. She squinted in confusion as she walked up to the mural to try and understand what they were. When that failed she finally turned back to the Princess with a questioning look.
"What are they?" she asked.
"The Elements of Discord," Celestia answered as she walked up behind her student.
"'The Elements of Discord'?" Twilight repeated with a cocked eyebrow. "I've never heard of them before."
"Which is exactly the point," the Princess nodded. "It's why I had to hide away all of this," she gestured to the room. "Why I had to let the world forget the true heroes of that terrible day. Let them forget... my friends."
She closed her eyes with a sorrowful sigh and Twilight could see a small tear making it's way down her white-coated cheek. The unicorn's ears fell flat against her head in sympathy and unease. She had never seen her mentor so sad before. She was either usually happy or serious with a few levels of emotions in between. But never like this. It made her own heart sink and feel somehow responsible for making her relive this awful experience.
"Princess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-" she started to apologize but again the alicorn cut her off.
"It's not your fault Twilight," she said with a slight sniffle. "If anything it was my fault for not paying enough attention to Luna. To see what she was going through that made her take such drastic measures as to search out Discord and use his elements."
"Wait, 'his'? I thought they were just...I dunno...elements like the Elements of Harmony are...elements," Twilight remarked then chided herself on saying the word "elements" so many times.
"It's a bit of both, actually," Celestia clarified. "Discord is a monster fueled by chaos that the original bearers and I locked away using the Elements of Harmony. But apparently he had enough power left to make his own Elements that stood in direct contrast to the original ones. Their power is what transformed Luna into Nightmare Moon."
"And that's what she's using here to fight against you and the other Elements," the purple unicorn concluded.
Her mentor nodded. "Correct."
"But then who's this?" Twilight asked, pointing to the blue unicorn next to Nightmare Moon.
"That would be Nightmare's accomplice in her rebellion, Dark Sky," Celestia said a bit bitterly.
"'Dark Sky'?" she repeated in surprise. "So that wasn't a phrase that was a pony?"
"Apparently and I'll be interested to know where you heard that name from as soon as all of this is figured out."
"I'm not sure you'll believe me, but alright. So who was Dark Sky?"
"She was the pony responsible for leading Luna to Discord in the first place," the white alicorn said, her face held in a deep scowl and an anger in her voice that startled Twilight.
"That's not true!" a new voice screamed behind them.
Both startled ponies turned in surprise towards the other end of the room to find the younger princess of Equestria standing in the still open doorway to the room.
"Luna!" Celestia cried out with a start. "When did you get here?"
"Just now," she replied, her eyes a bit narrowed. "Is that really what you think Tia?"
The older sister faltered a bit under the accusation and wanted to come up with another answer if for no other reason than to appease her sister, but sadly she could not. Instead she just gave a small nod of confirmation.
"That's what I've always believed," she revealed.
"Then you really didn't pay attention to me," Luna spat almost venomously as she flew over to the two.
"No! Luna, I..." again Celestia's resolution fell short as she couldn't dispute that fact. "You're right. I didn't. I let myself get caught up in my work and..."
"Your friends," the younger sister cut her off. "Believe me I know, I watched you all the time. I tried to be their friend too but everypony was always too busy or tired to be around Little Luna."
"Luna," Celestia started again, her voice and expression soften.
But much like with Twilight, Luna cut her sister off with a raised hoof and slight sigh.
"I know, nopony meant to exclude me from everything but that's how it felt," she confessed. "The only one who wanted to be my real friend was Sky. That's why I got mad when you said it was her that made me to go Discord. In truth... it was all my idea."
Celestia seemed more surprised by this news than Twilight. After all she, like most ponies in Canterlot, had grown up hearing the story of Nightmare Moon and how the jealous Sister of the Night turned against her sister controlling the daylight. Of course she had been surprised when she learned these two sisters were still alive and one just happened to be her mentor. She knew Celestia raised the sun but until the day she and her friends had defeated Nightmare Moon she just assumed it was a talent that ran in the family. Course now that she knew the truth this little family spat the two princesses were having made her feel even more nervous and awkward.
"Sooo... Princess Luna, why did you end up getting the Elements of Discord if it wasn't because of this Dark Sky pony?" she asked, hoping to break the tension and because of her natural curiosity.
"Yes Luna, why would you do that?" Celestia asked, eager to know the whole truth herself. "The legend had to be changed for safety and simplicity's sake but I never thought you actually went yourself to see that beast."
"That's because you didn't want to believe it Tia, but you were right in the legend, I was angry and bitter because no other pony appreciated my nights or even want to be my friend. So when I met Sky I thought all that changed but..."
"But what?" Twilight prodded.
"Well," Luna started, turning to her for the first time in the conversation. "To tell you about that first I have to tell you about the night I first met Dark Sky. It was a long time ago..."
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: So this chapter has taken me a long time to finally get out, hasn't it? And it's not even that long of a chapter. Yeah, sorry about that, I meant to have more in this one aside from just exposition, but I knew what I wanted to do in the upcoming flashback couldn't be crammed into this chapter without making it insanely long. Even though I feel that would make up for the long period between chapters I still think it'd be too much at once. So I decided to move it the next chapter so I'll have plenty of time to do some nice pacing in it and flesh things out more which I think will be for the best in the long run.
I do want to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. The last few months here have been pretty crazy and that kept me from being able to focus on writing. That's actually another reason for the shorter chapter here, I just wanted to get something out so you guys know I am still working on it, it's just taking a little longer than before. In addition to the craziness, I'm getting to the parts that are a little more fuzzy so I might not get them out as quickly as I did before. But I'm determined to see this thing through to the end.
Now onto the real meat of this chapter. Obviously it does not match up to the second season premiere and I never expected it to. They had their own plan and I had mine. But since it did take so long to get this chapter out I was able to make some revisions to my original idea and work Discord in here after all. I had always intended for someone to give Luna and Dark Sky the Elements of Discord so instead of making it an OC like I had originally planned I can now make it Discord himself. Which means the fic gets to have a double meaning as they are now literally the Elements of Discord.
But how did he make them? How did Luna and Sky get them? How did they meet in the first place? How are they original bearers to the Elements of Harmony and what are they like? All off these questions and more will be answered in the next chapter. So be sure to come back for whenever I get it written!
See ya then!