Celestia moved through the palace—secure in her resolve—readying herself for what needed to be done. She had received word from her sister that there was a human in Ponyville that was as intelligent as a pony. She had expressed her concerns that somepony was simply playing a prank on Luna, but after she had showed Celestia her memory of the encounter, the Solar Princess was more inclined to believe her lunar counterpart.

To think, she mused as she walked down the empty corridor, as her gold-clad hooves clicked softly against the marble, it was the same human that was in my hooves all those months ago. She wasn’t entirely sure what to make of the human, but she knew that there was only one creature in Equestria that could be responsible for him.

And she was currently on her way to see him.

She couldn’t confront him immediately after discovering the human, due to the amount of work that came with the recent arrests in Ponyville. The fact that the ponies she had been hunting for the past several months were right under her nose the entire time troubled her. Nonetheless, with all of that taken care of, she could move on to the more serious matter at hoof.

Rounding the corner, she spied her destination down the hall: a large door guarded by four elite Battlemages. Their cobalt armor gleamed in the torchlight, the light dancing off of the polished metal. As Celestia drew near, all four of them saluted, their expressions remaining stoic and cold.

Stopping in front of them, Celestia turned to the commander: a dark gray unicorn mare with green eyes. Her pink mane stuck up through the crest of her helmet, a stark contrast to the cool blue of her armor.

“Major Ebony Rose,” Celestia said as the mare dropped the salute, “has anything unusual happened lately?”

“Nothing of significance, ma’am,” the Major replied, still standing at attention. “He’s been well behaved for the past several weeks. No pranks, no bothering the locals, no harassing the nobles. Nothing.” Her green eyes flicked up and she gave Celestia a skeptical look. “Methinks he may be trying to hide something.”

“That’s what I’m here to find out, Major,” Celestia said. Looking up, she glanced at the door. “Is he here right now?”

“Yes ma’am,” Major Ebony said, nodding her head in confirmation. “He had breakfast earlier this morning, then he retired back into his room. He’s done nothing else since.”

“Thank you, my little pony.” Pausing momentarily to compose herself, Celestia grasped the door handle in her magic. She glanced down at the guards. “No matter what happens, or what you hear, do not enter this door until I tell you to. Luna has been informed of what is going on, and she is standing by if anything severe happens.”

The guards all saluted once more before returning to attention, straighter than when Celestia had first arrived. She smiled softly at the sight; her little ponies never failed to amuse her in some way or another.

Tugging on the door handle, she swung the door open and entered the chamber.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn across the windows. The only source of light came from the fire crackling in the fireplace. The flames made the room feel stuffy and uncomfortable. All the furniture had been removed; the only thing remaining was a large table set that occupied the middle of the room, between the door and the fireplace.

Sitting at the table, his back to the roaring fire, was the very creature that she had come to confront.

“Discord,” Celestia said, her voice icy. Closing the door behind her, she quickly cast several wards around the room. After making sure that they would hold, she took several steps forward, approaching the table.

The draconequus smirked at her, his head resting on his paw as he leaned on the table. His red eyes were alight with mirth.

“To what do I owe this visit, Tia?” he asked, his tail swishing lazily through the air behind him.

“I was informed by Luna that a couple of weeks ago she discovered an intelligent human living in Ponyville,” she said, beginning to pace back and forth while never taking her eyes off of Discord. He showed no surprise at the information, silently confirming her suspicion that he was behind it. His eyes followed Celestia’s movements, the smile still on his face. “According to her, this human can not only understand ponies, but can think like them as well.”

“What does that have to do with me?” he asked, lifting his head up and leaning back. “I fail to see how one little human could pertain to the spirit of chaos.”

“I know you have something to do with this,” Celestia said, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you’re planning, but it can’t be good. I will stop you, here and now.”

Silence fell over the room, the only sound being the fire crackling and popping. Then slowly, Discord began to laugh. It started out as a soft chuckle but grew until he was shaking with mirth. Gradually, he recomposed himself, wiping a tear from his eye as he looked at Celestia.

“And how,” he said, still chuckling to himself, “do you plan on doing that, dear Tia? Especially when you don’t even know what I have planned to begin with?”

“It’s hard to plot and scheme when you’re stone,” came the cold reply.

“Quite right,” he said, clapping his mismatched paws together. “Which is why I have a proposal for you!”

“What kind of proposal?” Celestia asked, stopping her pacing and glaring at the draconequus.

“I’ll give you a chance, much like you gave me a chance. Both you and I know that I don’t want to return to my stony prison,” he began, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. “It’s rather dull to be stuck in the same position, staring at the same thing for a millennium, and I’d rather avoid that fate if at all possible. I also know that you don’t want to fight. You don’t like violence, and you don’t want to see any of your precious little ponies getting hurt. Plus” he added, grinning at her, “I think you remember the results of our last major fight.”

“I might,” Celestia said, her expression unchanged.

“The Everfree Forest was never the same, was it?” Discord asked, polishing his claws on his fur than studying them with disinterest. “To think that it used to be a paradise on Equestria. Shame, really.”

“Your point?” Celestia growled, trying to keep her temper in check. Out of all the creatures in existence, Discord was the only one that affected her like this. She could remain calm when facing down dragons and demons, but five minutes with Discord was enough to cause her temper to flare. And the strange thing was, she didn’t know why.

“My point is, you don’t want to fight me, and I don’t want to get blasted again by your annoying little orbital friendship cannon,” he said wiggling his claws as he spoke. “So how about an alternative?”

“What kind of alternative? What do you want?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. What are you planning, Discord? This behavior confused Celestia. In the past, whenever he was cornered, Discord was not opposed to fighting his way out. In fact, it was during one of his escape attempts, when he thought that he was home free, that she and Luna had finally managed to imprison him the first time, at the cost of several hundred of their best soldiers. She truly believed that Twilight and her friends avoided a major conflict simply because they caught the Mad God by surprise. It could have been a lot worse.

“Simple,” he said, snapping his claws. A large, marble chessboard appeared on the table, the pieces already in place. “I want to play a game.”

Celestia let her gaze wander across the chessboard, taking in every little detail. Chewing on the inside of her cheek, her eyes flicked up and she glared at Discord.

“What’s the catch?” she asked, taking a careful step forward.

“There is no catch,” Discord replied, idling twisting a piece in between his claws. “It’s quite simple: a friendly game of chess. If you win, I’ll allow you to turn me back to stone. No fight, no trickery, no catch.”

“And if I lose?” Celestia asked, stepping cautiously up to the table. As she drew near, she saw that the chess pieces themselves were made out of glass. The black ones had little white veins in them, which seemed to burn with an inner pyre, while the white pieces had black veins that seemed to consume all light that touched them.

“If you lose, than you are the one that gets turned to stone,” Discord chuckled darkly, steepling his fingers in front of his face as he grinned, “and I remain free.”

“So my only choices are fight you all across Equestria, or play a game of chess with you?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. The draconequus nodded once, still smiling. She stood there, chewing on her bottom lip as she thought it over quickly. On one hoof, if she agreed and won, that would save her a whole lot of trouble and they wouldn’t turn Equestria into a disaster zone. Contrary to what her little ponies believed about her, Celestia could be very aggressive if she wanted to. The fact that her battle with Nightmare Moon had carved out Ghastly Gorge, as well as created the Badlands, could attest to that.

But on the other hoof, if she agreed and lost, she would be the one that ended up trapped in stone. Celestia knew that Discord had the ability to hold true to the threat, although, thanks to some decrepit sense of morality, it was the one thing that he refused to do. She could always count on Twilight and her sister to release her from her prison, but she dared not think of what Discord would get up to during her imprisonment.

Celestia continued to stare at the board for a few more minutes before she made her decision. Pulling a chair out with her magic, she slowly took a seat, staring at the smiling draconequus in front of her.

“Excellent choice!” he jeered, clapping mockingly. “I do believe that white goes first.” Waving a claw, he indicated that she should go first.

Celestia glanced down at her pieces, selected a pawn, and moved it forward two squares. Releasing her hold on the piece, she leaned back and looked to Discord.

He leaned forward slightly, a look of thoughtfulness on his face as he stroked his goatee.

Celestia waited patiently for several long minutes as the Mad God puzzled out his move. Sweat began to drip down her brow as he took longer and longer to make a move. Discord looked long and hard at the board, studying each and every piece carefully. She could do nothing but sit there and wait, eager to see what long-term, devious strategies were being evolved in his demented mind. Then, after what felt like an eternity, her opponent tapped a piece with a claw. “Remind me again,” he said, “how the little pony-shaped ones move.”

I sprinted through the trees, branches slashing at my body as I fought my way along.Taking in great lungfuls of air, I winced as my sides burned. I stumbled over a root, unable to see it thanks to the bandage covering my right eye. After regaining my footing, I skirted around a tree trunk, trying to put as much distance between me and the manticores. I could hear them behind me, crashing through the undergrowth as they pursued me. Feeling one of them breathing down my neck, I put on an extra burst of speed.

The three fillies clutched tightly in my arms shrieked in terror as the beast roared.

“Go faster! Go faster! Go faster!” Spike screamed in my ear. He was looking behind us as he clutched my head, his claws digging into my skin. Another roar, and I felt something swipe at me, ripping the back of my shirt to shreds. I cried out in pain as I felt the claws tear into my flesh. Spike took a deep breath before opening his mouth wide and releasing a torrent of fire behind us. I heard one of the manticores roar in pain, then the presence that was bearing down on us backed off, giving me some breathing room. Ignoring the pain in my back, I leapt over a fallen tree and thundered down the path.

As I ran, I felt the fillies tighten their grip on my arm, clinging desperately to their only lifeline. Sweetie Belle had her eyes closed tight, tears streaming down her face. Applebloom was looking over my shoulder, her red hair flying in the breeze; she had lost her bow when I had grabbed all of them up into my arms. Scootaloo was clearly in shock, staring straight ahead, mouth agape.

I tightened my grip on them, holding them closer to my chest. I’ve got to get them out of here!

I had just ducked under a branch when pain flared up in my right leg. I winced and stumbled slightly as my leg locked up. Gritting my teeth, I ignored the pain and forced my leg to work. The old wound throbbed as I ran. I was still recovering from my injuries in the pit, yet here I was, running for my life again. If these manticores get a hold of me, Twilight’s going to kill me.

“DUCK!” Spike screamed.

I obeyed instantly, a paw swiping over my head, missing me by several inches. At the sight of the massive limb, I immediately threw away all complaints that my leg had filed with my brain and kicked my body into high gear. My bare feet pounded the forest floor as I tried to put as much distance between me and the manticores as possible. From the sound of things behind me, it was a losing battle, but I didn’t care. I had only one thing on my mind at the moment: get the girls to safety.

Why did I agree to this again?! I asked, pain lancing up through my leg again as I continued the mad sprint to freedom, the beasts of hell hot on my heels.

“Come now, Tia. You should really try and enjoy yourself more,” Discord said, nonchalantly. “This might be the last thing you do for a while.”

Celestia ignored him, choosing instead to study the board intently. She had pushed hard in the beginning—probably more than she should have, now that she thought about it—but nonetheless it had allowed her to get some of Discord’s pieces quickly.

True to his nature, Discord was sneaking his pieces behind her defenses, worming and weaseling his pieces in between hers, picking them off one by one. So far, the pair was evenly matched, each with a fair number of the other’s pieces captured.

Celestia picked up a rook, which was shaped like an Earth pony holding a battle axe in his mouth, and contemplated where she was going to put him. She had been lucky and had managed to capture Discord’s queen right off the bat, but now his knights and bishops were causing her a great deal of strife. Any attempt to capture them was met with her losing another one of her own pieces in return.

Chewing on her lip, Celestia slowly moved the rook back, preparing to protect her king from Discord’s approaching knight. Releasing her magic, she finished her turn.

Discord raised an eyebrow, an amused expression on his face. Ignoring his knight, which was currently in a prime spot to push an attack on Celestia’s defenses, he reached out and picked up a pawn, scooting it forward a square.

Why would he move that one? That doesn’t help him at all, Celestia grunted, furrowing her brow as she tried to figure out Discord’s strategy. The black pawn was nowhere near any of her pieces, so she decided to leave it alone for now.

“You know,” Discord quipped as he studied a claw, “I thought you’d be more talkative, Tia. You know, trying to get me to spill the beans and tell you my plan. Not that I don’t appreciate you shutting your trap for once, but I wasn’t really expecting the cold shoulder.” As he talked, he brushed off the snow that was accumulating on his shoulder. The frozen substance fell to the floor, melting instantly as it came in contact with the surface, heated by the fire.

“You aren’t going to tell me anything you don’t want me to know,” Celestia replied, running an eye over the board to see if there was any weakness in her defense that she had overlooked. “So why bother trying when it won’t work anyway?” She slid a knight forward, claiming another one of Discord’s pieces: a pawn that stood beside one of his rooks. Celestia picked up the captured piece with her magic and studied it. It was an armored Earth pony crouched behind a large shield.

Sighing softly, she placed it down next to the Discord’s other captured pieces.

“Spoken like someone who has the situation under control,” Discord chuckled, studying the board with a bored expression. He nudged a bishop forward, encroaching on Celestia’s side of the board.

“I am in control of the situation!” Celestia snarled suddenly, her temper flaring. Picking up her knight, she used it to capture the offending bishop. All the pieces jumped slightly as she slammed her piece onto the board.

“So is the fly, before it encounters the spider’s web,” Discord snarked, pushing his pawn farther along the board. It was nearing Celestia’s side, but it still wasn’t near any of her pieces.

Celestia felt her anger grow at Discord’s comment. She ground her teeth together before exhaling heavily. The draconequus infuriated her so much. There were only a few times in her long life that she had ever truly lost her temper, and more than half of them were because of the draconequus.

Discord opened his mouth to say something else, but the glare she shot at him shut him up. As she leaned over the board, she heard him mutter under his breath, “Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine.”

Celestia’s left eye twitched as she tried to ignore him. Grabbing her queen, she moved it forward, now intending to finish the game as quickly as possible, consequences be damned!

"Please,” Sweetie Belle whimpered, her ears splayed back in terror against her head, “please don’t let go. Please, don’t.” She held onto my arm with all her might, desperately clinging to her only lifeline. I could feel her heart thumping against my arm, fighting to burst out of her chest.

I won’t, I thought, well aware of the fact she couldn’t hear me. It was more for myself, as I tried to ignore the voice in the back of my head still telling me to ditch the fillies and save myself.

My breathing was ragged and labored, my lungs and sides burning. The bottoms of my feet were completely scratched up from the sharp rocks and roots I had been stumbling over. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because I should have reached the edge of the forest by now. Shaking my hair out of my eye, I tried to keep my vision as clear as possible. Sweat drenched my face, causing my long hair to stick to my forehead. I was exhausted and would have liked nothing better than to lie down and rest, but the three monstrous beasts behind me tore that dream to shreds.

The manticores roared, frustrated that their prey had eluded them for so long. If my hands weren’t currently full of scared filly, I would have shot them all the double birds. Instead, I just lowered my head and tried to sneak another couple of feet ahead of them. Chancing a quick glance behind me, I instantly regretted it. The large felines were closing the little distance I had gained, quickly. It was almost like they were toying with me, enjoying the thrill of the chase before consuming their meal. This is why I’m not a cat person.

Unfortunately, with my gaze directed behind me, I failed to see the large root protruding in the middle of the pathway. My foot caught it perfectly, causing me to stumble heavily, almost dropping the fillies in the process. All three of them screamed as they tightened their grips on my arms. Spike dug his claws deeper into my skin, holding on for dear life. I struggled hard to not faceplant in the dirt, my feet flailing around beneath me.

I had just managed to regain my footing when I felt intense searing pain flare up in my shoulder. Looking back, I saw that one of the manticores had jammed its scorpion stinger into my shoulder blade, the barb stuck deep in the flesh.

Discord winced suddenly, rubbing his left shoulder while grimacing in pain.

Celestia gave him a look of faux concern.

“What’s the matter, Discord?” she asked as she returned her gaze to the board. The game was slowly beginning to wind down, and it looked to be in Celestia’s favor. She had captured almost all of Discord’s pieces, essentially trapping his king in one corner of the board, all alone with no defense. She smiled as she moved her knight closer. A few more moves, then the game is over.

Leaning back, she tried to repress her urge to smirk at the draconequus.

“Nothing that concerns you, Tia dear,” he said, still rubbing his shoulder. His eyes drifted across the board, dominated mostly by the remaining white pieces. Lifting his tail, he used it to push the random pawn on the board forward. It was now two squares from Celestia’s end of the board. Normally, this would be cause for alarm, but it was a little too late for that. Even if he got the pawn into the end row and got a piece back, no piece could help him. Not even his queen. The game was over; Celestia was sure of it.

“You’re awfully quiet, Discord,” she chirped as she moved her knight even closer to his king. “What happened to all that spunk you had earlier?”

“It seemed to be bothering you, Tia,” he shrugged before moving the pawn forward another square. It was now one square away from the end row.

Too little, too late Discord, Celestia thought, moving her knight forward again.

“Check,” she said with a smirk.

Discord leaned down and moved his king over one square. Exactly where Celestia had been hoping he’d move.

A huge grin split across her face as she lunged forward and slid her bishop forward.

“Checkmate, Discord,” she cheered, standing up. Discord just sat there, staring at the board with an expression on his face that Celestia couldn’t quite place. Fear slowly began to rise up in her chest, her eyes narrowing. He isn’t thinking of breaking our deal, is he?

She had just opened her mouth to remind him of his promise, while also slowly calling upon her vast reserve of magic, when she caught sight of Discord’s wings. The tips were slowly turning to stone. That held true for the rest of his body as well; stone was slowly creeping over his frame, encasing the draconequus in a gray prison.

Celestia jumped back with a yelp. What’s going on? I haven’t even cast the spell yet! A slight shimmer caught her attention and she glanced down at the chess board. It was glowing softly, tendrils of magic floating from the marble and slowly entwining Discord.

Celestia’s eyes widened as she realized what it was.

“You snuck a cursed board on me? What were you thinking?!” she shrieked, her wings flaring. She gaped at Discord in horror. While not uncommon back in the Dark Ages, cursed items were all but unheard of in modern times. The fact that she had been blind enough to actually play with one almost made her sick.

This was magic you didn’t mess with.

“My dear, sweet Tia,” Discord said, smiling as he sat there, slowly being encased in stone, “how else did you think I was going to make sure we both kept our ends of the bargain? You can be quite the little trickster yourself when you want to be.”

The stone was slowly making its way up his body. By now, only the top half of him remained untouched, but even that amount was shrinking.

“A little bit of sporty advice before I go,” Discord said, clapping his paws together. He looked awfully calm for someone who was about to become nothing more than a statue. Leaning forward, he pushed the pawn forward, placing it on the end row. As he let go of it, the piece began to morph and change, twisting as though it was made of liquid glass.

Celestia tore her gaze away from the mesmerizing sight and looked towards Discord. Her eyes met his, and a large smile soon adorned his face.

“Sometimes, in our pursuit of gods and kings, we overlook the little things.” The stone was now up to his arms. Folding them against his chest, they were soon immobile as the limbs were embraced by stone.

“You’ll notice in this game of chess, one piece cannot win without the rest.” His neck was now completely stone, and the line was slowly creeping up to his face. Still, the draconequus just smiled, a cold light in his eyes.

“But even when you’re sure that the king is gone, you’ll find that there will still be a little pawn.” And with that, Discord’s face froze completely, a triumphant grin plastered on his face. His entire body was now encased in stone.

Celestia stood there, staring at the grinning statue, not even daring to breathe. That was too easy. She pushed a small amount of magic through her horn, casting a sensor spell on the stone draconequus. The statue glowed white for a second before returning back to normal. She blinked in surprise. The spell had confirmed it: Discord was indeed trapped in stone.

I guess that’s that then, she thought hesitantly. Approaching the board, she turned her attention to the pawn piece.

It had morphed into a completely different figure during Discord’s little stunt. Now instead of a pony, a small human stood at the end of the board. It was positioned with its back to Celestia, a sword held in its miniature hand. It was looking back over its left shoulder, staring at something behind it.

Reaching down, she tentatively picked up the piece with a hoof. She studied the miniature for a few seconds before tucking the piece underneath her wing. Lowering the wards she had placed around the room, she cast one last glance at the now petrified Mad God before trotting to the door and opening it.

As she exited, all four Battlemages tensed up, ready for action. She just smiled at them as the door closed behind her.

“Any trouble ma’am?” Major Ebony asked, glancing at the closed door.

Celestia shook her head, still smiling.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she said as she began to make her way down the hall. “Please inform my sister that I am finished 'talking' with Discord now. She can handle the rest.”

“Right away ma’am,” the major said, saluting. She hesitated slightly before clearing her throat. “If I may be so bold as to ask, what are you going to do now, ma’am?”

Celestia glanced over her shoulder at the Battlemages, still walking down the hallway. “I have some business to take care of in Ponyville, Major.”

.

My left shoulder felt like it was on fire, and I was pretty sure that part of the manticore’s barb had broken off and become lodged in my back. My leg throbbed, and my breath came in short gasps, yet, despite all of that, I continued to run.

The three manticores were still close behind me, but they had yet to actually catch me. I wasn’t completely sure how I had managed to evade them for so long, but whatever luck I had left in me, I hoped it would last a little while longer. Although, the venom currently coursing through my system would probably take care of that soon.

Any thoughts to add to this? I asked the voice in the back of my head. It had been quiet for a while now. When no new ideas came from it, I gave up.

Jumping over another fallen log, I heard all three fillies give a cheer of joy. I looked up, trying to see what had caught their attention. That’s when I saw it too. Sunlight was streaming through the trees in the distance.

We had reached the edge of the bloody forest.

Gritting my teeth, I put on an extra burst of speed, pouring everything I had into get us out of that godforsaken place. Spike shouted words of encouragement in my ear as the fillies continued to cheer. Behind us, I heard the manticores roar, redoubling their effort to catch us.

I was fifty feet from the edge of the forest. Behind me, the sound of crashing wood heralded the approach of death.

Thirty feet from freedom, and I could feel their breath on my back. A paw flew over my head, missing me by inches. Spike screamed and a manticore roared.

Ten feet from escaping the forest. I felt something connect with my lower back. Pain erupted across it as a warm liquid began to flow down my skin. I pushed aside any pain and concentrated on closing the last few feet.

With one last push, I burst out of the forest and into the sunlight. I felt the strength leave my legs and my momentum carried me another couple of meters before I collapsed. Twisting myself in midair as I plummeted to the earth, I landed on my back, knocking the wind out of me. I could feel the fillies still clinging to my chest, their bodies shivering horribly.

Lifting my head up, I looked around quickly for any signs of the manticores. As my vision began to blur, I saw them pacing back and forth from the treeline. It appeared that they were reluctant to leave the forest. I let my head drop, sighing in relief. My grip on the fillies loosened, and I felt them scramble off of me. They were saying something, screaming it really, but I couldn’t make out what was being said. I heard a female in the distance shout something, alarm in her voice, followed quickly by the sound of pounding hooves approaching fast.

The last thing I saw before I passed out was a blur of yellow and pink looking down at me as gentle hooves lifted up my tired body.