"....shit," she cursed herself, turning to the princess duo and forcing a smile, waving at them. "H-hiii!" They're gonna give me shit for the video thing, I just know it.

Twilight raised her brows. "You met the Princesses?" she asked Crystal.

"Did I?....." she mumbled back. The princess duo got off their chariot, Luna darting directly towards Crystal. One of the guards followed her from behind, which added to the anticipation of terror that might be brought upon her.

Luna stopped towards the mare, glaring at her. Celestia followed along after having greeted the mane six and congratulating Twilight. Crystal maintained her forced smile, however it trembled as Luna stood in front of her, mere inches away from her face. "You!"

"...m-me?"

Luna stared at the mare intensively, eyeing her up and down as well. Celestia came by and tapped on her shoulders. "Sister?"

"....you...." she repeated again. Crystal awaited for the whole 'how dare you!' scolding to start, and she flinched in reflects to prepare for the yelling. However, she was caught off guard when that wasn't the case. ".....are you hurt?" Crystal blinked. "You expected a lecture, didn't you?" her cold demeanor quickly changed to a smirk.

That was unexpected.

"...I..... m-maybe?"

Luna then offered her a soft smile. "I may look menacing, but I assure you that I have a soft heart inside. Now, Crystal, was it?" Crystal snapped out of her own mind and nodded, although she was still surprised that things didn’t go the way she expected. “How are you, my dear pony?”

“I…..I-I’m fine, I guess.”

Celestia offered her a smile as well, she noted. “I’m glad that you’re alright. I can’t imagine what chaos you had endured under his supervision,” she glanced to the statue, her smile fading ever so slightly.

Crystal noticed it as well. “It’s fine! He was….not bad,” she said, and with that statement, stares were drawn towards her. “I-I mean as in he didn’t treat me that bad…. he’d tease me sometimes but other than that, I’m fine!”

“Whaat?” said Rainbow, dashing towards the mare and pulling the mare’s face towards hers. “You can’t be serious! Just him being present is already bad!”

“I…..” Crystal hesitated, not knowing what to reply to that sudden reaction. She then sighed. “….look, I don’t know what he did or who he is, so I don’t really have much to judge on. I’m…..not from here, you could say.”

“A foreigner?” asked Celestia. “Wherever you’re from, I assume you’re some form of royalty?”

“What?” asked Crystal, tilting her head in confusion.

Applejack lifted her cloak slightly, poking at her wings, which startled her. “You are an alicorn…..”

Crystal flexed her wings, folding it and drawing it away from Applejack. “Alicorns are some kind of rare breed or something?”

“Is your home populated by alicorns?” asked Fluttershy, confused along with the others.

“I…..I’m not an alicorn originally.” From there, she introduced herself as a human, who at first just intended to visit their dimension then be gone, but one thing led to another. “I bumped into him accidentally. I have no connections with him whatsoever, I swear.”

“And he didn’t hurt you or anything?” asked Rainbow, feeling unsure with the mare’s words.

“Nah. Actually, with how everything went on between him and I earlier, it was kinda hard to believe he could even hurt anybody.” Rainbow gave her a look.

“….dude, did you not see the state of the town earlier?”

“Well, in my defense, between your dimension and all the others I’ve visited, yours is quite on the toned down and normal side,” she said. She then looked back at Celestia, who had been eyeing her a lot as she spoke earlier. “You are….a princess? Are all alicorns princesses?”

Celestia gave it a thought before responding. “……well, not necessarily. But alicorns are usually the sign of high power and authority. For us, we’re born royals, therefore born alicorns.”

“Same with Cadence, the other alicorn you saw with us at the Castle earlier,” added Luna. “Although, she has returned safely to her own Palace down at the Crystal empire. Crystal took in those words, then looked down, thinking.

“….why am I an alicorn then?” she mused. She then raised up her pendant, meeting eye level with it. “Maybe….”

One of the guards coughed, taking Celestia’s attention. He then gestured something. Celestia squinted, understood then nodded. She then nudged her sister, who nodded as well. “Ah- it appears we must take our leave. Crystal, will you be fine on your own?”

Crystal thought for awhile. “I….don’t know. I can’t go home, my warp pad is out of charge. And I’m not really….familiar with this place…..”

Pinkie then jumped up from behind her out of nowhere. “HEY! Maybe you can stay with one of us!” she stated. “We can guide you around, greet new friends with you- it’s like a sleepover! But you get to stay for as long as you’d like!” she said, smiling uncontrollably.

Twilight then spoke as well, nodding and agreeing to the idea. “Yeah, you could stay with us. We won’t mind, right girls?”

The others agreed in unison. Crystal smiled, glad to have met such kind fellows. However, Celestia spoke. “I’m sorry, but I think it would be best if she comes with us,” Celestia commented, which confused the others greatly. Crystal looked to her, who gave her a worried look. “My apologies, but- I’m afraid it’ll be a tad risky if we had left her here. With her being an alicorn, if she gets seen, ponies would surely speculate. However, under our watchful eyes, ponies dare not question much as long as we say she’s with us and under our care. Crystal, I hope you don’t mind?” she asked politely.

Crystal nodded. “I understand what you mean. And either way, I don’t mind staying anywhere as long as I at least have a place to crash for a bit.”

Luna looked up into the sky. “Sister, is it almost time for the moon to set. Do hurry.”

“Right,” said Celestia, changing the topic. She looked to her guards then gestured for them to carry the statue. They saluted and went on with it.

“Where are you going to take him to?” asked Crystal, curious as to know what they were planning to do with it.

“To the castle gardens,” she merely stated.

Crystal frowned. “That’s pretty harsh.”

“He should be used to it by now- we’re just taking him back, is all,” said Luna, and flew herself into the chariot to be seated.

“What does that mean?....” asked Crystal. Celestia put her hoof on her back to reassure her.

“I’ll explain it to you later maybe. Come, it’s time to leave.”

Crystal said her goodbyes to all the other girls, feeling unsure with the decision she had made of staying with the princesses. However, she shook the feeling off. They should be fine, they’re friends, they’re nothing to worry about.

After the guards had tirelessly lifted the statue onto the chariot, they waved their final goodbyes as the chariot lifted off, with Crystal glancing back at the statue from time to time.

Soon, they were flying above what she then had learned was Canterlot. It was a beautiful place, as if she were in one of those fairytale books with the princesses and whatnot. The castle stood amidst it all elegantly, towering over the areas. It was truly beautiful.

Crystal quite enjoyed the breeze in her face and the marvelous view, and was a tad disappointed that they had arrived so soon. She watched as the drawbridge of the castle lowered, letting way for the chariot. They landed swiftly, and she was amazed at how smooth the landing was. The inside of the castle outer walls was something to marvel at, with nicely trimmed tree bushes lining the path and the nice white walls of the castle. Fancy.

However, the inside of the actual castle walls was even more impressive. Being in a compromising situation earlier, she really didn’t have the chance to notice the fancy details of the castle itself. As they got off the chariot, two guards hurriedly went to push open the doors for them.

From the front door, floors were lined with beautiful red carpet. As she stepped hoof onto it, she marveled at how soft and smooth it was. Almost softer than hotel carpet. “Soooft……” she cooed. Celestia noticed, and giggled slightly.

“Just wait till you see your room….” she said, grabbing Crystal’s attention. Celestia looked around and called for a maid. Then she instructed for a guest room to be readied. She looked back at Crystal, then gestured for her to follow the maid. “Wash up, and I’ll call you down for dinner after an hour or so.”

Crystal eagerly nodded. And from there, she followed the maid to her room.

The room was great. The bed was lined with white sheets embroided with golden silk at the ends. The floor itself felt just like the carpets she had just previously walked on. She swear even if she had no bed, the floor was comfortable enough to sleep on.

After the maid had finish tending to and explaining safety measures for the room, the maid hurried along out of the room, leaving Crystal alone. Happily, she jumped face forward into the bed, and was much appreciative for the soft bed she had been given. “Very very sooooft……” she purred. However, after a while she forced herself up to avoid herself from accidentally falling asleep. It was just way too tempting.

After an hour of washing up and marveling at how good the soap smelt and how shiny the mirror was, she heard a knock on the door and went to open it. As expected, Celestia stood on the other side, smiling softly at her. “Dinner?”

Crystal nodded, and they walked to the dining hall. It was a far walk, to say the least. It was expected of such a big castle. However, to break the silence, Celestia spoke up. “Might I ask a few questions about you and Discord earlier?”

“Hmm?” she perked up. “Oh, uh sure.”

“Well, I just want to ask how were you two doing earlier. What did you two do? How did he treat you? I’m sorry- but with how calm you sound when it comes to him is quite questioning.”

Crystal pondered for awhile on the question. “How he treated me? Well, like I said, he was quite teasing. However, he wasn’t all that bad. He……did save me from this ‘timberwolf’ as he called it, and fixed my wing. He was nice, kinda. But…..” she hesitated. “After seeing how he treated the girls and how he…..basically almost ruined their friendship, I started to have second thoughts about what I thought of him. He had that….cold look when he saw Twilight chasing after her friends desperately. It was almost….surreal.”

Celestia took in what she had said, and gave a short pat on her shoulder. “I understand what you mean. And, you’re right actually. He isn’t that bad at all. Not….not at all,” she gave a sigh, which perked Crystal’s curiosity. Just who was Discord?

“….what did he do? Well- aside from the obvious pony fooling every once in awhile, but- what did he really do? What made him the way he is? Why is everypony so afraid of him?” she asked, maybe a little bit too much all at once. She was just curious. Rainbow Dash reacted brashly when she said that she didn’t think Discord was all that bad. Sure, he turned their town practically upside down- but it sounded like that wasn’t just the case.

But in a short moment of time, they had reached the dining room. Celestia sighed. “Maybe….that’s a story for another day. Now it’s best that all you think about- is food,” Celestia joked as two guards who were guarding the dining room door pushed it open. Celestia stepped inside and was greeted with an already eating Luna.

Crystal noticed it however- Celestia probably just didn’t want to talk about it. Meaning that maybe…..

….maybe it had something to do with her also.

After dinner, everypony decided to part ways. Celestia ‘said’ she was going to bed, Luna stated she was off to her night shift, while Crystal also ‘said’ she was going to bed as well.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she decided to take a stroll in the ‘Castle gardens’, as the princesses had said. She needed some fresh air after the long day, she didn’t really eat during dinner either. A few pieces of potatoes here and there, but otherwise nothing much. Her mind was swarming with new thoughts and theories every minute or so, it drove her crazy. Maybe Discord and Celestia were past enemies? Maybe they had an epic duel to the death a few years ago? But then, what could explain her slight expression of sadness towards the mention of him? Maybe they were old friends? She couldn’t think straight at that point, just who was he?

Anyway, she carefully and quietly sneaked through the castle. After awhile, she gave up trying to find the door to the gardens and insisted climbing out of a window. Luckily, she was on the first floor which made it easier for her.

The gardens itself seemed cold and dark, well it was expected in the night. However, she knew if it had been brighter and had allowed her to see the gardens much more clearly, the gardens must be beautiful to see.

However, her attention was soon caught by some voices seemingly from a distance. She hid behind a bush and peered around. And from there, she could see what caught her attention. There were a few guards, perhaps patrolling the gardens? But after squinting for awhile more, she finally noted what they were doing.

In the distance, she spotted the statue of Discord, being lifted and framed on a base. The base had engravings on it as well, “The Lord Of Chaos; Discord”. Suddenly, something came clear to her mind.

He had been stoned before?

Well, it made sense! With what Luna meant as to “bring him back”. She remembered back to when it happened as well, and he remembered the terror that went through his face, as if he had known what would happen to him had that blast hit him.

She then wondered what could’ve possibly gotten him imprisoned for so long that he even had a base for himself in the gardens. As she looked around, her eyes are caught by all the other statues as well. Statues of different ponies, and other creatures like that….big eagle with….lion arms…..and that fish pony with….talons….

….wait….

Are they….also imprisoned?

She fell into deep thought. Knowing that if they were imprisoned, that was a hard fact to swallow. Imagine just plenty of statues, all actually living beings trapped in stone, staring down at her. She gulped.

Her train of thought was cut short however, as she heard the guards walking away from the statue. As she peered from the bush again, she panicked as she realized they were coming her way.

She turned to her right, but saw that she was blocked by a bush. She turned behind, another bush! The only way was through her left side, but then they’ll see her! She panicked, not knowing what to do at that point. Fuck, what if they see her?

Then, an idea occurred. However, she knew that the plan would only work if she focused hard enough. And with that, she closed her eyes, regulated her breathing and calmed down. As she heard them drew nearer, she then held her breath in.

And then, her horn glowed. So did her amulet. In a flash, an aura enveloped her and then she disappeared. She kept it up until the guards had fully passed her, and it relieved her when none of her noticed at all.

She waited until they entered the castle. And at the sound of a door shutting, she quickly dropped her invisibility spell, inhaling as she panted heavily. That was close. “…..phew….”

She peered from the bush again, this time not fearing getting caught by any guards as she was confident that they were all gone by then. And with that, she rushed towards the statue. The night light glistened over his eyes, she noted. That fear stricken face, forever holding its shape to be just that. Sheer fear. Possible regret.

She reached the base, and looked up from below. Even as a statue, it felt like he was really there. Well, he was. Just not….you know.

But as she thought about it, she wondered if he was still conscious in the statue.

Could he see her?

Could he be able to hear her?

“H-hello…..” she greeted out loud at him. As expected, no response.

“…….”

What did she expect? The statue to come alive and talk to her? Still, she wondered if he was conscious in that case of statue. She tapped his goat hoof in curiosity, and wondered:

Did he feel that?

What if something happens and the statue breaks? Like his leg for example….

Would he feel that?

More thoughts came to mind, and they were making her head spin. She looked up to him again, and she swear she could feel his eyes speaking to her. To feel his pain, maybe.

He was still a villain, but that didn’t stop her from taking pity of him.

She sighed. She then realized how cold the air was. She was shivering almost.

To think that he was conscious on the statue was….unnerving as well.

“….just who were you, Discord?” she asked again out loud. If he could hear her, would he even have an answer?

“The draconequus had many names,” said a voice suddenly. Crystal turned her head back in surprise, and was greeted with the friendly gaze of Celestia. However, her gaze was directed at the statue, not her. Crystal got her front hooves off of the base, then sat by it instead.

“Princess is still up?” she asked, tilting her head. “I was just getting some fresh air. I’m not malicious or anything, heh….”

Celestia smiled, although her eyes seemed pained from…..him. “It’s quite alright. I too needed some fresh air after all that’s been going on for the past days or so,” she sat herself beside Crystal, and they both stared up into the dark night sky. “….hmm, perhaps now would also be a great time to tell you more about the draconequus?”

“Draconequus?” she questioned curiously. Celestia nodded.

“That is his race. Legends say that there used to be hundreds- no, thousands of them long ago. But after the wars between draconequui and the ponies, not many remained. If I’m not mistaken, he was one of the few that managed to survive the cold harsh eras of war, although there was no clue as to what happened to the rest of them,” she explained.

Crystal pondered. “War? Between draconequui and ponies? How come?”

“Racists, I would say,” she said. “Ponies used to riot with any race that would stand in their way. They used to always claim they were superior, the Gods’ chosen race of conquer. And most races are either not bothered to entertain the ponies in any way, or they fear getting themselves or other citizens hurt. Ponies had many ways of showing authority- through intimidation, death threats, and such. Griffins, seaponies, yaks- they didn’t dare get into their way. For the sake of their citizens, they dared not to. However, not the draconequuine. Instead, they powered through. At each blow ponies throw their way, they retaliate back. It wasn’t that they didn’t fear for their citizens- no. It was the citizens that retaliated back. It was…..actually good that they did. Imagine if ponies actually did win their way towards superiority, wonder where we’ll now.”

“It doesn’t sound like they managed though,” commented Crystal. She looked up to the statue that towered over them at the moment. “Is….he really the last of his kind?”

“I would predict so. Many wars had been held against them. And if I’m not mistaken, they only stopped once all draconequuine were slaughtered. If not all, most. But I’ve never heard of any other survivors aside from him.”

“So you guys became….close friends?”

“We were childhood friends, I’d say,” Celestia smiled as she reminisced. “I still remembered it like it was yesterday- I caught him lurking in this very gardens. I was merely waiting for Luna to have a ‘tea party’ with me. I turned my back on my tea set and when I came back I caught him red handed stealing my biscuits!” she chuckled slightly. “But….I wouldn’t blame him. Poor thing was skinny to the bone. It took me awhile to get used to him, but when I finally did, we did everything together. From skipping classes, to eating together, even annoying my dear sister Luna! We kept him hidden for awhile- I didn’t dare let him roam around on his own. I had only learned about the war between ponies and draconequui a few months after I met him. Heavens know what would happen had ponies found out about him.” She suddenly frowned, that glint in her eyes fading. “I……I missed those times. Sometimes, I wonder if I could go back to a time like that. No fighting, no grudges, no enemies, wouldn’t that be nice….” Her eyes hinted sadness, almost as if she was holding back tears.

“…..maybe you can?” she asked, hopefully. She gestured her head pointing upwards towards the statue. For a moment, Celestia smiled. “I….”, but it faded as fast as it appeared, “…no. It might not be possible.” She stood up suddenly. “But if you’re willing to be hopeful, that’s great of you. I’m quite tuckered, I best be heading to bed,” that was all she said that night as she went her own way back into the castle.

Crystal watched from that statue base, wondering if she had accidentally said something she shouldn’t have. But….. she looked up to the statue once more. “….”

“…Maybe I will be hopeful then.”

Crystal kept on pondering on the conversation. She felt restless, she couldn’t sleep. She had woken up at least 3 times to turn the lights on and off as she was unsure if she wanted to sleep or not. After awhile, she decided to rummage through her saddlebag. She dug through layers of snacks and candies until finally she got her hooves on….their album.

Their album.

Theirs.

She hopped onto her bed and laid on her stomach. It had been awhile since she flipped through it. It was a brown hard-cover book, edged with gold lining. A few scraps of paper stuck out from it. She flipped through it, and smiled to herself as she viewed the content.

Many memories, in that one album.

She paused on one of the pages, which seemed to be highlighted in the most eye-bleeding of colors, neon yellow. The real problem however was the fact that the whole page was highlighted. The page on the left was a journal entry; and the one on the right was a picture to go along with it.

“(Pro tip- highlighted part is the most important part of this entry :D)

Hello reader![s]Chloe here ben c-CHLOEEEE”

Crystal smirked. Seemed some people had a fight on who wanted to write the entry.

“We all went to France! We all saw Max on stage- it was great! Ben also joined in on sooooo many shots with the other people at that convention he got so drunk he

ben doesn get drunk he a good boi aight

I tried to get Michael to drink but he wouldn’t because his dad told him he can’t drink! Same with me;D just that I don’t like the taste of alcohol that much…..

SAME WITH ME I CAN DRINK AS WELL ARGHHHHH

-MICHAEL

Anyways! Making this quick :D Happy 23 birthday, Max!!!!!! { SIGNATURES}

CONGRATS -TIFF/ happy old day? - SamTheLam/BIRTHDAY HOMIE WOOOO- Mikeeeeee/ achieve immortality and forever celebrate our bdays bro cmon- ben the goddess princess/ happy birthday, brooo- Miaaa”

She then remembered the context. It was Max’s birthday…..

Max…..

He’s always been a liar, huh?

An act.

That smiley face in the picture, one arm holding her sister, the other holding a beer as the other posed for a picture.

It was all a lie, wasn’t it.

In sudden anger, she threw the book off the bed. She felt sick. How long…..how long had she been lied to?! How long had everyone been deceived…how long…how….

Her horn ignited, and she switched off the lights.

Hope you all like it:)

[17 Nov. 19]
-rewritten-