Beneath the darkened halls of a once-worshipped pinnacle of order and beauty, a desperate victim of a millennia of pain and suffering clung to the last bit of her sanity and prayed to her lord and savior for the guidance she needed for escape. Her hands brushed along the hanging skins of unfortunate creatures as she ran from the monsters wanting to violate her fragile figure. She was lucky enough to fool them and use a nearby rock to incapacitate the first three, but the other two behind her were far too smart to be fooled by a female's charm. They were angry. They were. . . lustful.
"Find her now;" a heavy, raspy voice barked through the black cave, frightening his remaining minions. Those who heard him throughout the castle made a mental note to avoid him. "If we lose her, then everything we have worked hard for will be at a setback. She is the key to capturing Sin Firestorm; and we need him for our goal!"
Inside the throne room, the worried, majestic Celestia rushed to meet her student and warn her of the dangers that might come. There was a moment of absolute stillness in the alicorn's head as she rammed through door after door to find Twilight Sparkle. Dark shadows of the Solar Princess' past lingered from every corner and direction of her memory and one dropping into her heart as a knife of justified guilt, screams and roars stretching through her head as an obscene image.
Celestia shook her head and ignored the memories drawn by her connection with Sin, listening only to her conscience, all the while telling herself in a soft, but commanding voice.
I must find him before Discord does.
He is close. I can feel his pull on me.
I have to take him back to the castle and explain everything about his banishment.
I have to get Twilight first. Only with our power combined may we have a chance to apprehend him.
Celestia's heart swelled with fear and love for the man. She felt an additional boost from thinking about his well-being as the guards in the castle gave chase to figure out her motive, feeding herself emotions she'd thought to have died when Sin was banished.
Passing right through the last set of doors, she entered the library and stopped on the turn of a dime. "Twilight Sparkle, I need to speak with you right now!" she panted heavily, sweat trickling her chin as the Princess of Friendship stared at her with a goofy expression. She currently had a stack of books in her magic while the Solar Princess approached her.
"Princess Celestia, what are you—"
"Twilight, I need your help." Celestia cut her off curtly, removing the levitated books from Twilight and placing them on a nearby table.
"What's wrong? Did something happen in Canterlot?"
"No, it is here in Ponyville that I need your help. I need you to assist me in apprehending somepony." Celestia explained as she adjusted her crown and sat on her haunches, her legs burning from all the running. She hadn't realized just how big the castle is on the inside.
Twilight started to worry for the princess as the guards caught up with Celestia, although it was quite a feat to sprint through the entire castle with armor on. Some of the stallions had to sit down and catch their breath before resuming their roles. Still, the Princess of Friendship was very confused and worried by what her teacher said. To actually apprehend somepony would be a first in a few years, and she wasn't so sure if she could since the weather is so unbearable. Just who was it that has her mentor in such a panic?
"Who do you need apprehended?" She asked as calmly as she cold, though the fear in her eyes did not keep Celestia from seeing how afraid she was.
"I need you to help me apprehend Luna and I's mate." Celestia uttered those words and Twilight's jaw dropped. "You may already know him by the name of Sin Firestorm."
"The. . . human?" Twilight drawled, hoping she said the word right. Celestia nodded and stood up. "Why would he need to be apprehended if he is your—" She broke off at the word before it could pass her lips, her eyes widening in shock as the alabaster alicorn blushed profusely. "Wait a minute, YOU AND LUNA HAVE A MATE!?"
"Yes," Celestia said sternly, fighting the embarrassment. She approached her faithful student and placed a hoof on her back, urging a quick understanding of the situation. "But now is not the time to be question me about my personal life. Sin is Luna and I's mate, but he was mistakenly banished by me when Luna became Nightmare Moon. That's beside the point though. We need to find Sin and bring him to Canterlot before he encounters Discord."
"Discord?" Twilight questioned, furrowing her brow at the alicorn. "What does he have to do with the human?"
Celestia sighed, regretting every second. "Before Discord became an evil tyrant, Sin was his best friend."
Luna stared into her mate's eyes, her heart sinking at the hatred inside. She should have known Sin wouldn't take a moment's peace to converse with her about Discord's release. The entire town was under tense feelings and watched from windows as the Spirit of Chaos absorbed the blow to his bruised cheek.
"Son of a bitch," Sin whispered to himself and retracted his fist to make contact with the Draconequus. He needed to feel the bastard's world crumble beneath his blow, his killing blow when the world around them spun into madness.
Cadance and Spitfire didn't know what to make of Sin. The moment of luring him and Luna into a not-so devious plot to herding had been perfect, and even when they had so little to go with winning him over, they had discussed there being a time and place to make themselves a little closer to his life. They stared in shock and awe of Sin's left coming into full retreat, a skin crawling vibration of abnormal velocity traveling from his shoulder to his bare knuckles.
Sin roared at the top of his lungs, aura blazing as the memories came back. He started to swing out from Discord in front of him, his arm thrown so hard it jerks his body sideways, but he was too slow with the strike.
"Oh hay no," Discord lowered his bear paw to Sin's midsection, claws shimmering a hexagon before it repulsed at his command. "Space Tome: Pulse!"
The spell shot into the oblivious man's midsection and made its own exit through his back, causing the Lunar Princess to scream in fear and anger for them to not fight, but what could she do to calm two immortals that hate one another with a passion? She had no influence over them, not even the leverage of leaving Sin if he continued to fight the spirit. If anything, Sin would probably disregard rebuilding their relationship for the satisfaction of destroying a former villain.
"I have to do something before Discord kills him," she insisted, back a snappish tone as the Princess of Love approached. She was already panicking, fearing the Spirit of Chaos already turning her lover's insides into mush with that spell. Such magic was made forbidden by her mother to the extent of banishment, but that did not stop Discord from using one of the tome, nor did it stop the convulsing man from wearing a sinister grin.
Though the pain was more than enough to put a fully grown Minotaur on his knees, Sin remained on his feet and took the advantage while it was still there. He grabbed Discord's bear paw and clamped on it with every fiber of his enhanced muscles. He immediately brought his gaze to Discord's and chuckled, eyes beaming a sickly red. What Discord saw right then and where was abnormal and all the most, terrifying. He saw a corruption that was not influencing the human, but being commanded by him. The light and the dark were at his disposal, not the other way around.
"Same old tricks, Discord." Sin said in a deep tone, pressing his forehead against the Draconequss' in an effort to drill his intention deeply. "But guess what—" he raised his free hand to Discord's chest, light whining at his fingertips. "—It's my turn!"
He raised his voice so all could hear.
"Light Tome: Heavens Pillar!"
In the blink of an eye a large beam of pure light thrust in an out of Discord's chest, climbing high, up to the clouds and piercing it. His breath caught in his throat as the burning magic singed his fingernails to a crisp. "Nothing like a little pain to get what you want, remember?"
"How are you alive?" Discord asked, his coughs decreasing when his magic took over. "Celestia chased you out of the castle after she banished Luna. I saw her banish you to the badlands."
Sin shook his head, fighting to keep himself from laughing at the past. There had never been a doubt in his mind that Discord would return to cause chaos and destruction again, but he never expected it to happen with him around.
Sin released his grip and leaped, giving himself the distance needed to ready for the fight ahead. He didn't want to do this in front of the girls, but he would for his own satisfaction, and if he was going down the path of being seen a monster, at least he was going to prove how far he has come.
Folding his wrists to the princesses, Sin manipulated the air to push himself into a tactical slide that threw Discord off his guard. His rear was nipped with snow digging through the pant legs before folding them and aiming at his rival's torso. "I'm gonna enjoy kicking your ass!"
"No!" Luna and Fluttershy said simultaneously.
Discord looked down just as the enraged human morphed his fingernails into thick claws and the little conscience in his brain clicked in the knick of time, though there was not much time anyway. He saw Sin's feet rocket to his midsection and manipulated his stomach to split in two, creating a large opening Sin mistakenly took, the look on their faces when this happened. Both immortals were now moving at unbelievable speed—speed that Cadance could barely keep up with. The most she could make out of the two blurs is a pair of faces sharing opposite expressions.
The kick that Sin believed to be the ticket to drawing Discord's blood was the start of their fight. He saw through the shock a very irritated god getting ready to put some effort in fighting back. Both boys looked past the attack to the battle at hand, magic and hatred covering their forms in destructive auras. Discord finally frowned, although the hurt in them said more than the anger he feels. "I don't know how you managed to live this long, but I will make sure to knock some sense into you!"
Sin's desire did not change or falter, not even at those words. He still wanted to make Discord pay for his crimes. "Yeah, well I'm not the same pathetic bitch that gets mad when you hurt someone I love. I'm an entirely different man with an unbreakable motive: To rid this world of all evil. Including you."
"Sin, you need to stop and calm down before you hurt one another. Discord is not the same monster he was a thousand years ago. He's been reformed." Luna protested, though from a good distance. She stood beside Cadance while the old rivals clashed in a bout of broken friendship and betrayal. Cadance took her eyes off the boys and stared at the Lunar Princess, confusion in her eyes as every pony in town heard fist and paw collide.
"What the hay is Sin's problem with Discord!?" Spitfire yelled at the worried Luna, losing some bit of infatuation with the man.
Luna did not want to admit that none of this was as it seemed, but there was no denying it now. In order for the others to understand Sin's reason and relieve herself of some guilt, Luna needed to tell them the truth, dismantle part of her regret and destroy it to help herself in getting Sin back. The more she tried though, the harder it was to talk. The truth Luna kept inside was fighting to stay deep inside, whether she wanted it to or not. She was biting her tongue at the moment to inflict a little pain. To make herself talk about the past. But it was so hard to a single word, why?
"Princess," Spitfire urged, nudging her side. She failed to see the human sliding on his back after Discord gave him a taste of his scaly tail. His chest was now gashed with some of those scales embedded in his skin. "Why in bucking Tartarus is Sin trying to pick a fight with Discord all of sudden?"
Sin came to a ground crumbling halt at the mares' hooves, claws dug into the ground to stop himself from hitting them. He spat a small amount of blood before his magic sealed the wound in his mouth. "Because this son of a bitch is the whole reason to who I am today." He said angrily, standing fast as the Spirit of Chaos watched carefully. "He corrupted my friends to become monsters, turned my first son into a power-hungry asshole, and poisoned Luna with one those dark seeds he planted a thousand years ago. He's the whole fucking reason to this bullshit!"
"And I have changed," Discord barked. He did not want to fight his old friend, not as an enemy. "I have done good for this world and ceased all my evildoing."
"I don't give a fuck what you do now," Sin spat, releasing the binds of his latent power. His eyes were now shrouded with white and black, and the lifeless form of his hair began to weave into an ethereal mane. Anger being the cause of it. "You and Solaris took everything from me. You took my friends, my family, my life, and I am going to make you pay with your life!"
Discord did not want to believe what he was seeing, but the change was there. The man he beat into a coma in their first brawl was now something unnatural and powerful. Very powerful. He wasn't sure if Sin punched him hard enough to make him hallucinate or his powers were making him loopy. Either way, this was so unreal.
"He did not possess that much magic before, not even when he fought me." Discord took quick assessment of the rapid metamorphosis Sin was undergoing and felt the small spark of magic explode into an inferno of black and white. An aura of two now steamed around the man as Discord took a few steps back.
Holy shit. He's expanding his reserves to a new caliber. Where did he get this much magic!?
"Sin," Luna snapped, approaching the man. "You need to calm down and—"
"Stay out of this Luna!" Sin snapped furiously, making the alicorn flinch. He had never spoken to her like that. "I am going to rid this world of him, so do not get in my way if you want us to be together again!"
Luna stiffened, her legs tightening as he glared at her. She didn't know what to do at this point, and it seemed as though the only thing left to do was get her sister to come in and end the fight. But would that make Sin hate her and Celestia? Would he change his mind about second chances and leave for good? These thoughts ran through Luna's mind and tormented her to actually express her own panic. She trotted in place, shuffling her hooves whilst thinking unclearly for a solution.
"What do I do to stop this?" she asked herself, forgetting that everyone but Sin and Discord stared at her. "If I don't stop this immediately, Discord and Sin might kill one another. But if I do that I might lose Sin for good. But if I don't do something I will be held responsible for what happens."
"Tail Burst:" Sin flexed in reaction of the sudden filling his body received, but it was not to ready himself. He grit his teeth and growled in pain while every vein flowed with the unnatural power of his inhabitants. "Stage One!"
"Stage one?" the girls questioned before the human yelped at the last second. His body flashed a sickly rainbow before he regained his composure.
Sin shook his head furiously, fighting the dizzy feeling that always comes and leaves after a few seconds. "I didn't think I would have to start off at this stage to fight you, but I guess a little display of my new power is needed."
Discord stiffened, his eyes widening in horror of the man turning himself into a magic eroded fighter. He didn't know what to do except prepare himself for the fight of his life. Sin found his gawking quite amusing, almost as satisfying as doubling his abilities with this power.
"Surprised are you?" the man mused with hand gestures, his mocking a strike to Discord's pride of never being taken back by another's power. He was the Spirit of Chaos after all. "Don't worry about it. All of my enemies have gawked at me before having their life sealed away in my sword."
Discord perked up. "What do you mean by sealed away?"
Sin ran his claw down his tongue as if eager to taste to Chaos God's blood, his eyes swimming in a mixture of insanity and bloodlust. "Let's just say that by the time you breath your last breath I will have you sealed away in Setsuna-Maru. You'll make an excellent addition to the hundreds of monsters I've sealed away."
Luna swore under her breath as the two boys began. "I have to stop this before it's too late. Dammit, I'm the Princess of The Night, a monarch that is unafraid to face her enemies. But Sin is. . . my mate," she said, her voice turning gravelly, the terror not far off. "How the hell am I supposed to get between them without losing my chance to have Sin back?"
Sin took his stance against the Draconequus and became serious, his smile replaced by a much more stern expression as Discord released his magic. "A thousand years ago you destroyed my life with Celestia and Luna. You turned Tia and I's son into a monster, and I am going to make you pay for that."
Discord grimaced at the man, knowing there was no reason to apologize or try to reason with him. "Fine. You want to pick a fight with me, then it will be great to knock some sense into you, boy!" he spat, unleashing a grey aura around his being.
"Round Two. . . Here we go!"
Sin and Discord were magic users of strength and precision, and this fight required both without a single mistake, the knowledge of spells and both black and white magic. Sin's breath hissed out, a harsh tone of fury. Discord did not let himself fall out of his state of featherless flying, something he knew to be at his advantage.
The girls glanced back and forth at the boys before they were already gone, their figures completely invisible by the speed they possess. It was as if they teleported, but that was not it and the girls were about to find out. Gusts of winds blasted the area, snow hurled into houses in the syncing of Discord's talon connecting with Sin's bare knuckles, shockwaves exploding between them as the entire town started to gather.
A second blow, then a third, and finally fourth with elbows flying. Sin and Discord were at a serious standoff of agility and strength during the townsfolk's confusion. As hard as they tried to see what was happening, both immortals were moving too fast for mortal eyes to see; and it was only going to get worse.
Admittedly, Discord was very impressed with Sin keeping up. This was not the same as their first fight. "So you've been busting your flank just to seal me away, huh?" he asked, lifting his fist after it connected with Sin's jaw.
"No, that's not it;" Sin strafed to the left, lowering his fist to the spirit's stomach. "My reason is to make monsters like you suffer in my sword for all eternity."
Instantly Sin swung at his stomach and really looked at him in the eye. "This is for my daughter and my exes!" he screamed, his hand shrouded in a yellowish green as it connected with Discord. He shot the intense spell into the god, something everyone found to be more shocking than Twilight's ascension. No one had ever punched Discord. Never. "Light Tome: Holy Crush!"
The moment he said that ancient spell and released it through Discord, a wave of light shot through him and ended as a kinetic pulse. Cadance was the first to step forward, Discord still standing as the human retracted his fist. Sin's gaze went into his enemy's and he gasped at the pain his stomach just felt.
He gasped through the urge to cough. "What the hell did you—"
"Space Tome:" Discord whispered, his bear paw and talon pushing two controlled orbs of natural energy. He stared at the surprised man and smiled widely as the spell hummed. "Twin Atom Smash!"
Suddenly the immortal's spell exploded against Sin's chest. Both orbs sliced through his chest and stomach before Cadance could get in the way. She was headed for Sin to give him a good slap across the cheek and some harsh words to calm him down, but the look he had on his face when Discord injured him made her think twice. The fountain was now in shambles and Sin was under the pile of rock, his breath caught in his throat.
Cadance spun around and came to her hooves after sliding by mistake in the snow, a blur of motion from the fear of Sin getting more than a bad of his own arrogance, her wings ruffling. She understood from every word that Sin has a reason to be angry with Discord, but this was entirely stupid of him. It's all in his past.
"Sin!" Luna sprinted towards her bleeding lover as fast as possible, but power leapt between both boys. Discord could feel the flow of magic pouring from Sin's core to his wounds. Rose Spark and Skyla watched from behind Spitfire, it was almost too much for them to see. They liked Sin, so why did he have to pick a fight.
"Have you calmed down now?" Discord asked for good measure, although he knew from personal experience his old friend would never give up a fight so easily. Still, it was worth a shot.
"Are you still breathing!?" Sin reached emerged from the rubble and charged the Draconequus as he was drawn into that icy cold realm of his mental state, his eyes glazed with an unnatural feeling of being unafraid.
Discord recognized this and cringed for Sin's well-being. He'd been there before with him and nearly died in the same realm. He had been the one to truly see what it does to someone who has nothing to lose. Now it was an altogether different fight. This was a fight for Sin's sanity and soul.
He's going to kill himself by throwing everything he has at. He doesn't care though. He just wants to see me dead.
"Sin, stop it!" Luna screeched, but she was not reaching out like she could before. Sin was in his own little world; and said world revolved around taking down the Spirit of Chaos. It fueled him to sprint without consideration of the wounds on his body. It drove him to fight harder. To ignore Dark Rai and Holy Nova when they were trying to beseech another day for this fight.
He's not going to listen to anypony, not even Luna. But maybe I can stop him before it's too late. Discord used his calmest voice, steadying himself. More than anything, he hated seeing his friend repeat history for vengeance. He knew how Sin felt and pitied him as the fight resumed. He knew what it was like to be in pain. To feel alone and isolated, that part of him forced into a cage and placed behind a wall of anger.
Discord knew that Sin had to be saved from himself.
You may hate me forever, but I will not let you do this to yourself. Celestia and Luna need you as much as you need them! Discord suspected of his own actions it was nothing more than a sense of retribution to ease the guilt he did carry for so long, a shadow that'd latched to his body after he was turned to stone the first time.
"I will make you pay!" Sin raised his fist to Discord and swung for his head, but it was blocked and even Luna could believe that it was. She was positive that Discord would end him right there.
"Holy shit," she whispered, Cadance cocking an eyebrow at her in confusion.
"What does that mean?"
"Discord felt Sin's hand shiver with fury and emotional pain, and then the understanding he knew so well came forth, a friend of old. A companion of understanding. A brother of the same agony.
"I'm sorry for what I did to you in the past," Discord apologized, raising his talon to the stunned human as a single tear fell for him and the son he took. "And I am sorry now!"
Sin could see that the talon thrust and at full charge, tiny blotches of magic igniting , to break him down and make him more vulnerable to Discord's fists and words. There was no doubt in either of their minds that the spell would destroy what chance he had to finish what they started a thousand years ago.
Cadance and Spitfire had no idea that Sin was in pain. He hadn't ever showed the weave of his torment binding him to the past.
Luna could see and feel the wound creeping into Sin when Discord hit his cheek with the palm of his talon. The capacity of magic shooting through his skull amazed her. Even the little grunt Sin expressed after having such power driven through his head had given insight to his capabilities.
Discord released his old friend and studied the reaction. Sin's claws dug into the ground and the inner demon made by his suffering rose with him, attempting to drag him down into the darkness he felt when he lost Feather Heart. He could feel the monster work it's way up his skin. He heard it gnash at his conscience. Roars. Snarls. Sin refused to lose control easily, pitting his mental strength against his darkness—and his spirit was more than powerful.
I will not lose to him again. I've come too far and lost too much to be beaten by this bastard a second time. I have killed gods and monster, AND HE IS NO DIFFERENT!
Discord did not question or observe the man rushing him for any longer than needed, nor did he respond verbally this time, but he felt Sin's immediate acquiescence.
"Let it out, my friend!" Discord barked, hardening his form and receiving an intense scowl from Sin.
"I am not your friend. I am your worst nightmare!" Sin was both furious and raging—mixed emotion—impossible to fully understand, even for Luna. His magic was completely muted in his fists. Neither Luna or Cadance knew what to do when they stopped midair in flurry of magic and fists, and that was just a small taste of their potential.
Sin felt the storm in his heart even deep as he was in his hatred. The air around him suddenly charged with a current of red electricity, just like he wanted. Discord seemed to know that something wasn't right when he saw it, redoubling his power to get through Sin's head.
Sin leapt away the very second he had an opening and cupped his hand. Discord did the same as he fought to stay in control of the fight. If I let him use his magic on me, maybe I can tire him out to where Luna can take him back to Canterlot. He was still close, too close for a direct attack. He could see the compression of magic hum between Sin's hands, the energy of hatred that reached him like the first time.
Luna gasped in her mind as her mate screeched through his clenched teeth, his eyes turning pure white while he floated in midair. She hadn't considered that he might reveal a few tricks, but once Sin gave her the idea, she caught on quickly how serious he was about ending Discord.
"Nine Tomes: Infinity Wave!"
Sin delivered the forbidden spell in his most powerful voice, thrusting from his palms and through his knowledge the multicolored power of an angry immortal. Discord stiffened for a moment but recovered, clearly ready by giving his own without saying a word. His chaotic power blast from his palms and suddenly shifted in contact of the large beam splintering the air.
The beams struck hard, combusting particles of energy as Sin and Discord grind their feet into the ground. Their magic was so strong it pushed them away from one another as the beams crackled and sparked, seeking to split the other's energy, but there was not enough left to do so. Sin and Discord were forced to relieve themselves of casting such power when it strained their channels, like lactic acid building in muscles. Sin wrapped himself in his aura to himself. It was his first time in many years to have a god put him on edge in his first state of power.
The beams finally dissipated to nothingness and Discord was forced to take the upper hand while he could by rushing the man. He wrapped his bear paw around Sin's throat, raised him in the air, and slammed his body into the ground while charging a single orb into his talon. The bolt turned black while Discord cringed at the sound of Sin screaming in pain, but it had to be done. He threw the orb into Sin's chest and watched as it exploded in contact of his skin, creating a short blast of darkened chaotic magic. Sin was thrown across the ground by the force of the blast, but he recovered just as fast with a little something to return the favor.
"You took everything from me!" he pointed his hands at the saddened Draconequus, fire streaming from his fingertips into an oversized wave. "Fire Tome: Tartarus' Flames!"
Discord drew up a gust of air and surrounded himself with it, although he'd done without trying, which infuriated Sin even more. The air vibrated into a spinning dome and protected him from the flames, jarring everyone's minds. Sin saw this and kept his tactic tightly wrapped around the second phase of his plan, fairly certain Discord would not have the chance to counter.
"This had better work," he scooped a large mound of snow with his magic and tossed it into the remaining fire his left hand produced. It took a moment for Luna to realize her mate was at a serious disadvantage, but trying with all he has by mixing up his strategy. The snow melted and drew a long hiss as Discord's air dome circulated the fog that came afterward, blinding him from the man's next move.
Sin jumped high into the air and raised his right foot to the skies, moving fast, whipping around in place to build momentum. He spun too many times for anyone to count and descended like a meteor, smiling evilly as the Spirit of Chaos bat his gaze for a shadow or shift in the atmosphere. He asked himself where Sin was at and panicked while the dome disappeared, leaving him in a mass of fog until it was too late for him to sense what is coming. He could barely look up in time to see the immortal human inches from his face.
"Fuck you!" Sin spat, the heel of his foot connecting with Discord's forehead. The force of his kick cratered the ground, shook the citizens, and sent a powerful shockwave that hit the trees of the Everfree Forest. The snow fell off the branches as the wildlife of said forest perked to the shockwave, and then trembled at the intense hatred piercing their senses; even the Timberwolves were frightened of this monstrous power.
"Why would Sin hold onto so much anger?" Cadance looked toward the sword, picking it up with her magic. It glowed a violent black aura at her touch, seeping with enough darkness that she dropped it. "Why hold onto a thousand years of pain and let it turn you into some kind of monster?"
"Think of it this way and you might understand;" Luna started as she turned away from the heart wrenching fight, her mind screaming to look back and see if Sin still had Discord at the disadvantage. "How would you feel if the alicorn you called 'dad' worked with the Spirit of Chaos to make your life miserable? Would you still be yourself after your adopted father and best friend turned one of your mates into a monster and manipulated the other into banishing you?"
"How?" Cadance exasperated in a tone no one expected. Anger. "How could you let yourself be changed by Discord and Celestia?"
"It was not my sister that helped Discord. It was our father, Solaris." Luna answered, tears barreling down her cheeks while she did her best to not allow the past to get to her, but it was too hard. She was upset by her own mistake, and now witnessing the fruit of Discord's and Solaris' mistake cause all of this, she was ready to kick her own flank. "I allowed myself to delve into the art of dark magic; and when they saw it had influenced me, changed me, they took advantage of the situation to take Sin from Celestia and I. Solaris promised Discord my sister and I as his mares if he removed Sin from the family."
"And how exactly did that end?" Spitfire said in a sarcastic tone, pointing at the human now thrown across the town by his furious rival. "Did it end with Sin becoming this, or did this 'Solaris' do something else?"
"There was no ending to what they did," the Lunar Princess sobbed, falling to her haunches as she reached inside her breastplate and pulled out the engagement ring. Spitfire and Cadance saw this and gasped lightly, as did the little ones. "There was no happy medium of hurting Sin. Solaris got what he wanted, but he betrayed Discord by having Celestia and I turn him into stone. The cost, however, was too much for Sin to handle."
"Cost?" the fiery-mane Pegasus raised an eyebrow.
Luna hadn't realized the girls were unaware of the truth to Sin hatred for the Spirit of Chaos. She turned to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes bloodshot in an instant when the memory bellowed in her head. She was a mare of integrity and willpower, but the memory of Sin's first step into darkness was too much for to hold back. She could not find the strength to lock away the flashback of her lover being dragged away from the one thing that mattered to him and Celestia the most. If anything, she was torn apart by it.
"Sin and I had a foal," she said slowly, her gaze clinging to Sin's when it met. She didn't want him to do this, but there was nothing she could do to make him stop. She had no way to convince him to stop and forgive the Draconequss for a mistake he did not meant to commit. "But he does not know that. She was still in my belly when I became Nightmare Moon, but Sin loved that filly with all his heart; even before we were engaged he did not care if the foal would be Unicorn, Pegasus, Earth Pony, or an Alicorn, he just cared that he and I were going to have a daughter. But I was banished to the moon and forced to give birth days afterward."
"And the foal died on the moment? Fluttershy asked, getting her voice to be heard by the princess.
Luna's gaze jumped to the yellow Pegasus with sudden apprehension. She could feel the change in her. Her face remained neutral, but deep inside, there was a long ripple of fear. She hadn't thought who might been hearing her at the time.—or that the some of the townsfolk just got an earful of the truth.
"No, I saved her. " Luna nodded regretfully. "I leeched the filly's magic when and combined it with my dark powers to cocoon her. After that I used all my magic to send her away, but I used too much and the cocoon put her in a deep slumber. Thankfully it was not permanent, but it cost our daughter her alicornhood, leaving her to be a unicorn that has just enough magic to entertain others."
"Who was the foal?" Cadance asked.
Luna choked back her feelings and sighed. ". . . Trixie Lulamoon."
Sin appeared in front of Luna after blocking a serious blow to the chest. He lowered his guard and looked back to the crying alicorn, his ears perked to every word he caught with his enhanced hearing, and the flame of his rage doused to a dull ember as he stared at her incredulously.
"Our. . . our daughter is alive?" he panted, forgetting that his opponent is still charging.
Luna would answered with joy at her mate when he stopped; at least she would have if the tension wasn't so high and still increasing. The silence didn't have another second. Two blurs, a large white one and the other being purple, flew through the crowd and thrust thrust their heads into Sin's left side, hurling him into Discord's oncoming fist.
The girls yelped as he flew into a sturdy house, already drained of any effort after hearing Luna talk about his daughter, reopened scars dripping with blood, madness in his red-rimmed eyes. He had one agenda after being struck in the side and he glared directly at the attackers, driving both alicorns to rely on their natural instincts, his eyes burning with malice as they got between him and Discord.
"Sin, you must stop this right now." Celestia said firmly, though the look in her eyes said she was worried of losing him a second time. "Discord is not the cause of our separation. Solaris is the one responsible for everything, he manipulated Discord to hurt you so much. He is the one who truly corrupted Luna."
Sin leapt through the open space after recovering from the blow to his bruised jaw, already ignoring a couple of broken bones. He had one target and he landed squarely on the remaining pieces of the fountain, forcing Celestia to step back in fear, his demonic growls tearing through her mind and his power boggling her thought-process.
Twilight reacted first, hurling through the air a series of advanced spells at a blurring speed, many of them hitting Sin squarely in the ribs as her teacher barked "no". She drove the human off his pedestal of rage as he slid back without trying the block the attack, his gaze now on her. Clearly for him there was no way he would let some cute alicorn like her overpower him in magic, but she already taking a good offensive. She made no sound, just attacked a second time, propelling large spheres of kinetic energy forward, increasing the distance between them fast.
Sin smiled at Twilight for her courage and ability in magic, he hadn't seen such talent since Starswirl visited the castle for a short vacation from his experiments. He tightened his fists, a massive burst of magic eroding his figure in an instant. The magic in his control penetrated right through the first mental and physical barriers, overflowed his body, and changed him at the last second. Twilight's spells left him in a cloud of dust and snow as Celestia ordered her to cease attacking the man. She was now in for the scolding of her young life, but not right now.
"Well this just very interesting," Sin said aloud, startling the Princess of Friendship of his survival. "An alicorn who's bite is worse than her bark," he stepped out of the dust cloud, shocking everyone of his new appearance.
Celestia gasped and put a protective wing between Sin and Twilight and slowly lowered her horn at him. She went with the assumption of her mate still carrying the past and how threatening he was.
Twilight tried to speak several times, but her mentor had her beat on the question. Celestia's sorrow was palpable, so intense she felt tears burning behind her beautiful eyes.
"Sin, what has happened to you?" the Solar Princess asked pitifully as she listened to his chuckles.
"You mean my new look," Sin pointed at his newly sprouted horn, wings, and tail as he shivered with excitement, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "Well my darling Tia, let's just say that a few scientists experimented on me and forced a few changes to my body. You'd be surprised how quickly your mind breaks down. I know I was. I broke after being raped, beaten, and tortured for over twenty years in a cage."
Celestia stayed at Twilight's side for a long minute, his hands smoothing over his wavy hair and his fingers slipping through the sparks of electricity. He approached quickly, as if the weight of the world was no longer on his shoulder. Taking a breath, he disappeared with a single step, reappeared in front of the purple alicorn, and smiled warmly, which was by the far the most bizarre thing to her. How could a monster still smile so nicely?
There was silence in the town. Sin was the first to move, startling the Princess of Friendship by placing his hand on her head. "It's been a long time since someone so young was able to hit me with magic. You show much more promise than anyone."
"What in Equestria are you?" Twilight asked.
Sin cleared his throat and put the aggression slowly and reverently away, chuckling to everyone's shock. "I don't know what I am anymore. The best way to describe me is that I am a guardian angel overlooking this town," He turned his head, his glare meeting he Draconequus'. "And the first thing I need to do is rid this town of that monster."
Twilight shook her head. "But Discord is not a monster. He's changed for the greater good and has done so much for us. The only thing that looks like a monster is you!"
Sin blinked several times and took back a few steps, slipping out of his rage as he returned to his normal self. He stared at the purple alicorn incredulously as the townsfolk followed Cadance and Luna, surrounding the nervous man.
"Monster. . . me?" There were no right words. Celestia and Luna felt his fear, that intense nervousness he refused to allow others to see. To have someone accuse him of being a monster increased the numbness in his body before he could think straight.
Twilight's only indication that she was right was by pointing at the frightened townsfolk. Her sorrow didn't change into another expression and her gaze did not stray from the man.
"You're the one who started all of this," she pointed out. "And just look what it has done. You destroyed the fountain and damaged a home with your hatred for what Discord was manipulated to do to you. Plus you've done nothing but frighten everypony."
Sin straightened up and spun around to see that everyone was whispering about him, carefully studying his horrid nature as he became a little scared of his own actions. "No, I have reason to hurt him. He corrupted Luna and helped Solaris destroy any happiness I had. He hurt me and—"
"We've all hurt you," Celestia stepped forward, placing a gentle wing on his shoulder, tears rolling down her cheeks. "And we're sorry. We're sorry for not believing you when you said that father is using us to hurt you."
"We're sorry for letting him get to you." Luna added, nuzzling his stomach.
"And I am sorry for taking everything from you," Discord said, placing his paw on Sin's other shoulder. "He promised me so much that I could not resist the urge to hurt you, but it was all for nothing. I lost you as a good friend, and the pain has changed you, both mentally and physically."
Sin remained silent for a good moment, his power lowered to its base level as he thought long and hard about the past. He shook his head slowly, as if the pain of his friend and lovers betraying him was too much for him to carry. There was fear in Celestia's and Luna's eyes when he proceeded to back away.
"No, no, no. This is all bullshit!" he yelled angrily, dragging his hand across his face. "You're just saying all of this to make me lower my guard. You're just trying to manipulate me again so that I will not see what is coming."
"Sin, we're not trying to manipulate you." Celestia replied, pacing her approach, tears still falling as she thought about losing him again. She did not want that. She did not want to lose her mate a second time. "We're trying to help you realize that Solaris is the one behind everypony's pain and suffering. We're trying to talk to you, because you need help."
"I don't anyone's help!"
"Yes you do!" she barked, unable to hold herself back. "Look at yourself. You've turned into some kind of magically-empowered beast that thrives off anger and hatred. You're still stuck in the past and allowing it to consume you. You've been hurt so much, and we want to help you!"
"No, I want you to back off!" he flexed his muscles, and out came to large wings in a bloody fashion. They flapped once as he screamed in agony, but recovered quickly to take to the sky. This stunned everyone, even the princesses. "Do not come near me again; if you do, I will not hold back!"
Before either sister could stop the man in his tracks, he was already flying across the town and heading into the Everfree Forest, where no one would dare to look for him.
"Sin, wait!" Cadance screamed, but he was already gone. She took to the sky as well and began her pursuit, hoping she could do something to get him back. Monster or not, she had feelings for him and was not going to let them go.
"Mr. Sin!" Rose Spark screeched, trying to chase him on hoof. She was to small though, too small to keep up and was left to cry in the hooves of Sptifire. It was heartbreaking to the filly, she had finally found someone that cares and loves her and he was now gone.
Discord pet the Royal Sister's as they watched Cadance disappear in the distance. "He's going to need a great deal of help letting go of the past."
"Sin, come back safely, my love." Celestia and Luna whispered.