Everything was going well. They had found the Elements of Harmony and they were all returned to normal. Their enemy thought nothing of it, only yawned on his red and black throne as Twilight powered up her spell. Light illuminated the six ponies as they were lifted into the air. It was the same as when they had defeated Nightmare Moon, until more light shot from their necklaces.
"What's this?" Discord said in wonder.
Fluttershy had sworn to close her eyes, but opened one for a moment. Even through the bright light, she could clearly see the draconequus' face. She recognized it as pure fear.
"No," he uttered.
The pegasus couldn't stand it anymore and shut her eye again, as Twilight opened hers, revealing them to be white. As a rainbow shot from their bodies, Fluttershy heard the creature's horrifying scream. She tried to block it out, but it was useless. That scream would forever haunt her.
When the blast was over, the friends gently floated to the ground. Ponyville was back in order, but there was something that wasn't right. Pinkie was the first to notice.
"Hey, where's Discord?"
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Don't you know, Pinkie? We turned him to stone."
"I know that, but where's his statue?"
The others looked around.
"She's right," Applejack said. "Where is he?"
"I don't understand," Twilight lamented. "That spell should have turned him to stone!"
Fluttershy gasped. "We didn't kill him, did we?!"
"I don't think so. He'd still be here."
"Unless we vaporized him!" Pinkie Pie shrieked. "Or turned him to grass!"
Rarity yelped and stood on her back legs. "You mean we may be walking on him?!"
Rainbow and Fluttershy leapt into the air in horror.
"Guys, we didn't kill him!" Applejack assured them, but then turned nervously to the purple unicorn. "Right, Twilight?"
"We shouldn't have," Twilight replied. "The Elements of Harmony cannot destroy. They may work in mysterious ways, but they cannot destroy. Whatever they did to Discord, they at least returned everything to normal."
"So what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.
"We must inform Princess Celestia about this."
A few hours later in Canterlot, the six ponies told the princess all that had happened. After hearing this, Celestia demanded to speak with Twilight in private.
"We didn't kill him, did we?" she asked once they were alone.
Celestia shook her head. "It is not in the Elements' power to do such a deed."
"Princess, what do they do exactly? I mean they banished Nightmare Moon to the moon, but then later changed her back to good. Why did they turn Discord into stone?"
"The Elements' job is to restore balance in the land. It is complicated, but basically what they do is turn something into what it is on the inside. The first time they were used on Luna, she had darkness in her heart and that's what banished her to the moon. The second time, there was something good inside her that wanted to get out and that's what turned her back into my little sister. Discord, however..." She trailed off and looked at said creature's picture in the stain glass. "His heart is as cold as stone."
"Does he even have one?" Twilight inquired.
"Every creature has a heart, though some of them refuse to show it."
