The Draconequus Tale
Chapter 1: The Draconequus Tale
Here's another MLP oneshot. Damn, am I on a role! And 8 reviews for One Roar Too Far? You guys are great! Now, this fic focuses on Discord's past as told from the eyes of Twilight Sparkle. Discord is a really fascinating character, and here's my take on the guy - who he is, what he is, his relationship to Celestia and Luna, and how he became so evil. So, please leave some reviews and critique, since I'm still new to the herd. And don't forget to check out my other MLP fics!
~Raindrops to all, Cel
She was about half an hour into the project when she discovered that her book on herbal remedies for pegasus ailments was missing, despite her just having read it. Flapping her wings, Twilight lifted herself up to the topmost shelf where all her books on pegasi were kept. She scanned through each one, searching for the title, giving a quiet sigh of relief when she found the book. Pulling it out with her magic, Twilight realized she must have put it back that morning. However, when she pulled out the book, the glow from her magical aura illuminated the empty space from the missing book. There appeared to be another book coming out from the darkness.
Curious and surprised, Twilight pulled the book from the back into the light. Gliding down to the library floor, she lay the book on the table next to the candle, forgetting momentarily about her re-shelving project. She studied the book curiously. She thought she knew every title of every book in that library, for she had read nearly every single one. However, the dust on the cover was so thick that it obscured the title. Taking a deep breath, she blew the dust away from the cover. Coughing lightly as the dust flew all around, the motes dancing serenely in the candlelight, Twilight read the title not once, but three times, she was so surprised.
"The Draconequus Tail: How These Mysterious Creatures Came Into Being." Twilight read quietly aloud. Her brow furrowed. "Isn't that what Discord said he was?" Highly curious now about the origins of the mischievous creature known as Discord, Twilight opened the front cover and forgot all about re-shelving. With the patter of the rain as a quiet backdrop, Twilight Sparkle began to read…
An uncountable number of millennia's ago, the Great Creators found that they had their hooves full with restless spirits inhabiting The Beyond. So, they created a beautiful, fertile planet to give the spirits a home. The Creators all made different kinds of vessels to put the spirits in to allow them to walk the earth below, with a species called ponies being the pinnacle of their creation. They watched happily as the new inhabitants of the planet began to develop and being their new lives. However, they soon discovered that there were still spirits left that desperately wanted to live on the new planet as well: the Spirits of Mischief.
Though the Spirits of Mischief were few, the Creators gathered up all the unused vessels and put them together to make bodies for the Spirits. Inspired by their designs and success of the wise and powerful Dragons of the East, the Spirits combined a plethora of other creature traits into an Eastern dragon body. The creatures became known as the draconequus, a name literally meaning "dragon horse."
The few that were created were also granted with incredibly long life when they promised to use their intense powers for the good of the planet. The draconequus went about creating mischief and chaos for fun, but they always made sure to share an equal amount of their power for the good of the planet. However, a very small group of the creatures resented the ponies, for they ruled the planet while the draconequus were only using their power for minimal things. They believed that they should rule the planet, not the ponies. The draconequus were a proud race, so prideful that they, luckily, would not wage war against the ponies. Instead, they made the Ascension.
The Ascension was a phenomenon that occurred when a creature of incredibly long life chooses to be welcomed back into The Beyond and stay there for the rest of eternity. When the Creators learned of the reason the draconequus had Ascended, they decided the planet needed a better reign of order. So, taking a dying galaxy and the remnants of a sun, the Great Creators made two alicorns and instructed them to be the King and Queen of the planet and rule the ponies justly. King Galaxias and his wife Queen Nova became the rulers of the planet, quickly beloved by their subjects. The King and Queen gathered the remaining draconequus who still used their power for good and invited them to be members of the royal court. They accepted happily.
For many an eon, King Galaxias and Queen Nova ruled in peace with the draconequus. The leaders of the Spirits of Mischief, Disarray and his wife Eris were the royal advisors to the King and Queen. However, as time went on, the draconequus each began to make the Ascension. As each century passed, there were fewer and fewer of the Spirits of Chaos, who each became bored with their long life spans and wishing to join their loved ones. Many of the draconequus made great friends with the ponies. However, ponies have a much shorter lifespan than the mischievous creatures, so the draconequus Ascended to reunite with their pony families.
Soon, only Disarray and Eris were left. By that time, both Nova and Eris were with child. The two royal couples planned that the child born of Nova was to be the next ruler, whereas the child of Eris was to be the royal advisor. Within a week of one another, the children were birthed – a female alicorn foal to Galaxias and Nova, and a male draconequus chick to Disarray and Eris. The alicorn filly was named Princess Celestia, and the draconequus chick named Discord. Three hundred moons later, Princess Luna was also born.
The three children grew up together in peace and harmony, as well as love. The two princesses adopted Discord as their brother, and he adopted them in return as sisters. The three were always happy. Many a day were the three children found in the castle gardens, playing with one another. It was a very happy, peaceful time. Nonetheless, there is always darkness lurking in even the brightest of places. The Seven Months War erupted between the pegasi and the griffon clans. With Galaxias, Nova, Disarray and Eris at the helm, they fought valiantly with the pegasi to win the war and create a peace treaty with the griffons (see The Seven Months War by Ink Hoof for further reference). The two royal couples were welcomed back with great relief by both their subjects and their children.
However, not all was well. Eris was fatally wounded in the war. At the time, the three children were on the cusp of adulthood. The princesses could already raise their respective sun and moon. When they learned of Eris's wounds, nothing could be done for her. She, as well as her husband and the King and Queen, had lived many an eon, longer than any creature before them. It was their time to make the Ascension, much to the dismay of their children. However, they all knew it was their time to take on the responsibility of ruling Equestria. The throne was passed down to Celestia and Luna. The rank of royal advisor was passed down to Discord. It was then King Galaxias, Queen Nova, Disarray, and Eris made the Ascension.
The three siblings took the task of ruling Equestria in full stride, though the wounds of losing their parents were still fresh. For young Discord, it was even worse. He was the very last draconequus. Not only did the loneliness take its toll, but the term "monster" was often applied to him. Being such a long-lived creature, most of the new ponies born didn't understand what a draconequus was. Despite Celestia and Luna's efforts, most ponies believed Discord was a demon, a spirit with far too much power. Every time Discord used his powers, it frightened the pony folk and made them fearful of his power.
Discord grew into an adult full of pain and bitterness. His heart hurt and his spirit was wounded. Despite his sister's best efforts, such a pain was overwhelming to the lonely creature. Discord turned into what he had been deemed for years. A monster. For exactly one hundred years, the creature used his great power and enslaved all of Equestria, each and every pony suffering the torment of his constant chaos. Crops failed, the economy failed, and everypony in the land was in dire need of Celestia and Luna's aid. The two princesses searched and searched for years for the only tools in Equestria that could defeat the Master of Chaos – the Elements of Harmony.
Finally, Celestia and Luna connected themselves to the Elements (see Chapter Seven in The History of Equestrian Royalty by Ylph Whisperwind for further information) and turned Discord into a permanent stone imprisonment. The chaos that had ruled Equestria for a hundred years was replaced with peace and prosperity with the Princesses immediately resuming their rightful throne. To this day, Celestia keeps a close eye on the remnants of the Master of Chaos, no doubt remembering the draconequus that used to be her brother.
End of Chapter.
Twilight Sparkle slowly closed the book, lying it gently back on the table. She looked up, her violet eyes glittering with tears as she stared at the rain still pattering heavily outside. Twilight simply couldn't believe it. Discord, the mischievous and once-evil creature of chaos had once been her mentor's brother. He had once had a family, was a loving lad who was all set to rule Equestria right beside his sisters. He had been unrightfully called a monster and it broke his heart – so he used his powers for evil.
The alicorn princess stood, lifting herself from the cushion she had sat on to read. She ruffled her newly-acquired wings, thinking deeply as she looked down at the wooden floor. A new feeling welled up inside her very heart – compassion for Discord. Twilight couldn't possibly imagine losing Shining Armor. She could imagine, however, that Discord once loved Celestia and Luna just as much as she loved her brother. Twilight then trotted out of the room into the center of the library. A magical aura surrounded her horn as she levitated a quill and a piece of parchment from a desk drawer, setting it on the desk nearest to the window.
Twilight was a princess now. She knew it was her duty to give her love and compassion to each and every sentient being in Equestria – especially those who needed it most now.
"Dear Princess Celestia and Discord…"