DISCORD'S REIGN
Chapter 21-Honesty & Kindness
Fluttershy's lip trembled in fear. She couldn't see, hear, smell or touch, but she knew she was conscious. Eventually, she began to feel a gentle falling sensation, until she landed on something like solid ground. The canary yellow pegasus stood, still unable to see anything. One by one, her senses began returning. The sound of leaves rustling in the winds greeted her ears as an inexplicable warmth fell over her coat, like she had been standing in sunlight. A bright light chased away the darkness, making Fluttershy duck behind her mane for a moment. She continued to gaze timidly over the clearing behind her mane, unable to shake her normal nervousness.
The heavy scent of an evergreen grove wafted toward her as she found herself in an unfamiliar forest. Even though the terrain was alien, Fluttershy felt right at home. Any forest was fine with her as long as there were adorable animals to love and sing with. Still, she couldn't help but feel there was something off about this forest. The birds whose songs she enjoyed so were absent from the trees. Fluttershy looked around, her sea-green eyes scanning every inch of the flora surrounding her, but found no trace of any living creature.
"Where am I?" she whispered, only to have her words echo around her. She squeaked in surprise at the volume of her echo, hiding behind her mane as she continued to scan the forest for life.
A rustling in the bushes drew her attention. Fluttershy timidly trotted over to the shrub that seemed to be shaking more violently as she approached. By the time she was a few feet from it, the shy pegasus trembled in fear.
"Rawr!"
A small yellow blur jumped from out of the bushes and onto her chest. Fluttershy fell onto her back screaming in terror. She covered her head with her forelegs and begged the monster not to hurt her. As she awaited a response from what she was sure was something intent on making her its dinner, she felt a sensation that took her by surprise. A tongue drug up the side of her cheek. A quick peek from behind her forelegs revealed that the creature that had so viciously attacked her was none other than a filly version of herself.
"Hiya!" the little Fluttershy squeaked happily.
"My name's Fluttershy! But you can call me Shy!" the energetic filly hopped off of her chest as the adult Fluttershy got to her hooves. "What's yours?"
"Uhm...it's Fluttershy..."
The youngest pegasus cocked her head at an angle before giving her a look of confusion. "You can't be Fluttershy! I'm Fluttershy!"
"I think we're both Fluttershy." the elder pegasus said, still in disbelief that her younger self was standing before her, just as happy and care free as she remembered being at that age.
"So, how come you're here?" the little one asked curiously.
"Uhm...I'm not sure...the last thing I remember...was something about Canterlot." Fluttershy's soft features twisted up in thought, trying to remember how she got here, or where 'here' is.
Unable to remember anything useful, she decides to satisfy her own curiosity, "Why are you here all by yourself?"
The filly laughed at her question before answering, "I've always been here, silly!"
"A-always?" Fluttershy's voice trembled. How could a filly, especially herself as a filly survive in the wilderness for so long?
"Yeah always!"
"B-but, what do you eat?" she asked timidly, her concern for every living creature shining through the confusion and darkness of the situation, "Where do you sleep?"
Once again, Fluttershy received the same head tilt and confused look, "Eat? Sleep?"
The filly took a sharp gasp as she hopped around her older self. "You don't know where you ar-re! You don't know where you ar-re!" she sang.
"No, I don't. Can you please tell me?"
Her filly self stopped bouncing in front of her and grinned. "You're in your subconscious!"
Fluttershy's jaw fell open. She had passing knowledge of the levels of the psyche thanks to many a boring winter's reading session. However, the idea of visiting a subconscious, especially your own was definitely not covered in any book.
"I...I am?"
"Yeah!" the precocious filly responded happily, behaving much more like Pinkie Pie than herself. A faint memory seemed to assure her that early in her youth, she had been just as outgoing and carefree as her earth pony pal. "You don't visit me very often though..."
The dejection in the filly's voice sent a pang of guilt into the elder pegasi's stomach, though she wasn't exactly sure how she was supposed to visit her subconscious more often.
"Do you hate me?"
Fluttershy inhaled a soft gasp, "Goodness no! I'm sorry...this is the first time I've been here."
"It's okay!" the young pegasus chirped back happily, her moods seeming to adjust on a dime.
After a moment of awkward silence, Fluttershy began to piece together how she got here, and what she was supposed to be doing.
"Shy, do you know a way out of here?"
"Oh yes, the Gatekeeper can let you out!"
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow in confusion, "The who?"
"The Gatekeeper silly!" Shy added, taking notice of her older self's larger wings.
"Wow, your wings are so pretty!" the little one gasped, "Can you fly?"
The filly's short attention span and relentless enthusiasm contrasted sharply with Fluttershy's more reserved nature.
"Well, yes, but I don't like to...I don't like heights" she admitted sheepishly, even though she was simply admitting a truth to herself.
"But about the Gatekeeper..."
"Oh!" the small yellow filly turned around to lead her. "I'll take you to him! He just showed up here a few hours ago, but he said if I take you to him, he'd give me big wings like yours so I can fly!"
Fluttershy gulped. Surely she wasn't this naive as a foal? Still, naive or not, she didn't see any other choice in the matter. She had to escape her subconscious and help her friends fight Discord.
"Okay...you said he was nice?" the elder pegasus asked.
"Yeah!" Shy responded happily as she hopped along into the forest ahead of Fluttershy. "He even locked the Meanie away!"
Fluttershy raised a curious eyebrow as she timidly followed her younger self through the underbrush.
"The Meanie?"
The canary yellow filly stopped her jovial bouncing and looked over her shoulder. The happy smile she had been wearing erased by the mere mention of this things name.
"You d-don't know about him?" Shy asked softly, her tone becoming more meek, like the elder pegasus.
"No...what is he?"
Shy turned all the way around, "He's scary, and mean...a-and he makes me cry when he sees me..."
Fluttershy gasped softly, covering her mouth with a hoof. "Oh dear, that sounds terrible!"
The filly had been on the verge of tears, before seamlessly shifting back into her carefree attitude.
"But it's okay now!" Shy chirped happily. "He's all locked up, and he can never make me cry or be mean to me again!"
With that, they resumed their trek though the empty forest, Fluttershy still somewhat unnerved by the lack of the usual sounds that accompany a walk in the woods.
After what felt like hours of walking, they finally arrived at a rather imposing structure. A huge wooden portal, ornately carved with beautiful images of nature, and all creatures big and small. In front of the gate stood a tall figure, in a black robe.
"Gatekeeper!" the filly cried out bounding toward the scary looking apparition as if they were old friends.
Fluttershy stopped dead, alarm bells ringing throughout her mind. The figure was far too tall to be a pony, and certainly didn't seem to belong here in her subconscious.
Her suspicions were immediately confirmed as the figure swept aside his hood with its sinuous neck, revealing two mismatched red eyes.
"I brought the yellow pegasus you wanted!" Fluttershy's filly self chirped, bouncing in excitement.
Discord smiled down at the little filly, patting her gently on the head. "Yes you did my dear. And for that, you get the reward I promised."
Fluttershy withdrew behind her pink mane in fear of what kind of twisted 'reward' Discord might have in store for her young self.
With a snap of his fingers, a bit of magic appeared over Shy's eyes before fading away. She looked back at her wings, which hadn't changed in size, and gasped. She flexed and extended her little wings as far as they could go, staring in amazement at what she saw as a pair of gloriously elegant wings.
Fluttershy was not amused. She hated being pranked, and this was nothing more than a cruel trick, even if it was against her filly self.
"What are you doing in my subconscious Discord?" she asked rather sternly.
"My dear Fluttershy, your mind is under my control now." he mused, striding in front of the portal to consciousness "Remember the fog? I'd say you're neck deep in it as we speak."
The canary yellow pegasus narrowed her eyes as her filly self kept attempting to fly on her young wings around her. "Okay, but it's still not very nice to trick other pony's subconscious selves into thinking they have wings."
"Well I couldn't very well give them to her now could I?" he asked folding his arms.
"But to answer your original question, I'm here to help you."
"I don't want your help." she responded as shortly as she could, though being intimidating wasn't exactly Fluttershy's specialty.
"I've already helped you, so too late!" Discord responded happily. He snapped his fingers and a large wooden box appeared beside him. It was secured by two large chains wrapping around it, themselves secured by bulky metal padlocks. Almost as soon as it appeared, it began to shake and thrash about violently, as if something inside was just waiting to burst out.
Fluttershy noticed Shy had stopped frolicking in the surrounding forest when Discord summoned the mysterious box.
A quick glance toward the young filly revealed a terrified expression on her face, nearly on the verge of tears.
Shy darted behind Fluttershy's hind leg in fear, nearly trembling as the elder pegasus faced their tormentor.
"You know, you really should keep an eye on what's running rampant in your subconscious." he said patting the box with a talon, "If I hadn't locked this little gem up, you'd still be cowering in the bushes by Applejack's barn while your friends risk their lives in Canterlot."
Fluttershy gritted her teeth but held her silence, keeping a close eye on her younger self before her high pitched voice broke the silence.
"You aren't gonna...let him out...are you?"
Discord sighed, "Yes my dear, I'm afraid I must, if Fluttershy is to conquer the one thing that holds her back in life."
"I don't need your help to face my fears!"
"Is that so? Why don't we take a survey shall we?" Another snap of his fingers and Rainbow Dash's disembodied voice echoed from everywhere, telling her how useless she was, and how a coward like her would never be good for anything except for applying bandages to real ponies. The same sentiment echoed through the forest with every one of her friends taking a turn to tear down the emotionally fragile pegasus.
"Well then, it seems your companions have a different view doesn't it?"
Fluttershy felt her eyes welling up. So many hurtful things had just been thrown at her, and by her friends no less!
"Come now my dear, don't bring in the waterworks just yet!" Discord added clasping his hands together. "We still have to let the beast out of the box."
With a malicious grin, he snapped his fingers. Both of the heavy padlocks disappeared, and the chains fell away. Whatever was inside took that opportunity to thrash around inside, loosening the nails and threatening to destroy it's temporary housing completely.
"I hope you're ready, Fluttershy!"
The front wooden panel fell open. The inside of the box was impossibly deep, seeming to stretch a few feet back into the darkness before she heard hoofbeats on the wooden planks. Fluttershy withdrew behind her mane out of instinct as well as apprehensive fear. Shy had long since covered her eyes with her hooves and was cowering behind her elder self, praying the Meanie's gaze would be directed at somepony besides her for once.
A gruff, uncaring voice that sent chills down her spine echoed from the within the box.
"It's been a long time, Fluttershy."
Applejack stared Discord straight in his mismatched eyes. She quickly glanced toward the portal, and back to her parents. The country mare let out a heavy sigh, having made her decision.
"Ma, Pa...I love you. Never forget that."
Within the blink of an eye, Applejack sent both hind hooves into her parents jaws, shattering their entire bodies like glass as they fell into shards on the floor.
Discord flashed a dissatisfied glare for the first time since being freed from stone. She had seen right through his ploy, but he would be damned if he wasn't curious as to how she knew.
"Quick to act as always." he added, folding his arms. "Tell me, what gave my game away?"
"To be honest, Ah wasn't sure they weren't my parents. But even if they were, the life Ah have now is everythin' Ah've ever wanted. Things happen for a reason Discord, and the reason my parents died that day was to make me into the mare Ah am. Ta make me into the element of honesty, and to re seal your mismatched butt back in stone!" she answered, stamping a hoof proudly.
"Everything happens for a reason?" Discord nearly burst out laughing. "I suppose everypony needs some misguided belief to cling to."
Though she would have liked nothing more than to buck the god of chaos before her right in his smug face, she knew she'd be unable to damage him at all without the other elements. She certainly was upset he used her parents image to try and get her to betray her friends, but decided a calm approach was more likely to get some answers.
"Let me ask you somethin'." she began, "What is it you plan on doin' once princess Celestia gets here? You know she's strong enough with the six of us and princess Luna to beat you."
Discord simply smiled back at her. "I suppose that's possible. Though to be honest, I'd welcome another granite repose at this point, reality is a nice place to visit, but I certainly wouldn't want to live here."
"Now let me ask you something. How much would you be willing to sacrifice to ensure I was defeated? To ensure a safe and chaos free future for your little sister Applebloom and brother Macintosh?"
Applejack stood firm, a glare coming over her features, remembering all the hardships she had endured up until this point. She was ready. Ready to make certain that this plague of insanity would never befall any unfortunate ponies at any point in the future.
"Everything."
Discord simply returned to his mischievous smile.
"Good."
The beast emerging from the box stood as tall as Discord, even taller than Celestia herself! This pony was massive, his eyes burned red like smoldering coals, and each step seemed to shake the ground. An older model Wonderbolts uniform stretched tightly over it's massive frame, giving away the identity of this monster. Fluttershy recognized it immediately, as her father: Lightning Bolt, the first captain of the Wonderbolts.
"I can't believe this Fluttershy! You failed your flight entrance exam again!" he roared in a thunderous voice that seemed to shake the leaves off the trees. She recoiled even further behind her mane, remembering now why she was so quiet.
"I was the greatest flier in all of Equestria!" the beast continued, "And now I can't even show my face at the officers club without being heckled about my flightless daughter!"
He thrust his face toward hers, almost as if he was striking out at her. "I am so disappointed in you Fluttershy."
His words were like punishing blows, each striking harder than the last as the canary yellow pegasus began to silently cry. It appeared as though her filly self was right.
"Was it too much to ask that you do something a normal pegasus would do? Like fly?"
"I'm...I'm sorry dad-"
"Sorry?!" he howled as Discord looked on in amusement.
"You're always sorry." he growled, "In fact, I should have named you sorry. Because that's all you are. A sorry excuse for a pegasus, and a sorry excuse for a daughter."
The last sentence stung even more than the rest combined. A soft sob escaped Fluttershy's muzzle, as her fathers words crushed her fragile spirit.
"So afraid of disappointing anypony else, you let your shyness take over your personality until you became...well, yourself." Discord interjected. "It makes a lot of sense; fear keeps you from letting anyone else down, and if you don't try, you can't fail, right?"
She shut her eyes tightly, tears still spilling from them as she tried to think of what to do. A sudden recollection of Luna's words before they left sparked a bit of courage in her heart, an ember that began to grow inside of her.
"So you think just because I don't like to fly, I'm a failure?" she asked softly, but in a much more serious tone than before.
"You heard me! Are you deaf too?" Lightning snapped.
A glare crossed her normally shy features as she looked her teary eyes straight into the monster before her.
"I'm not like you dad!" she shouted, "I love what I do, I love animals and have friends that love me for who I am!" she snapped, "If you don't like it...well...I don't care!"
Fluttershy certainly wasn't used to shouting angrily, but tried to wing it as best she could.
"Just because I'm not a Wonderbolt doesn't mean I'm a disappointment! I love you dad, and if you don't love me...then...I don't need you!"
The timid yellow pegasus was trembling, but not out of fear. Out of pure exhilaration she got from finally standing up for herself to her father. Curiously, the more of a stand she took for herself, the smaller the beast before her seemed to get.
"And if I ever hear about you making this filly cry again, I will come back here, and finish you off!" she growled, the monster that was so intimidating earlier now the size of the filly she protected.
A slow clap echoed from behind the now tiny form of the monster before her as Discord applauded her effort.
"Very good Fluttershy! I thought for sure you would have cowered away from the one pony in this world whose opinion of you shaped your very being."
A snap of his talons and the box and the former monster within disappeared.
"Now it's time for the fun part," he added with his trademark grin, "Kindness is a strange word isn't it?"
Fluttershy shifted in confusion, "Not really. Being kind is easy."
"Yes, but what defines kindness? What makes an act kind?" he probed further.
The shy pegasus thought for a moment, not quite sure what defined an act as kind. "If an act helps somepony, or makes them happy." she stated confidently, having her minuscule ego boosted by her defeat of 'The Meanie'. "That's kindness."
"Ah yes, but what if by making one party happy, you've injured another?" he asked, stroking his goatee in thought, "Was the act then kind?"
Fluttershy paused, puzzled. She'd never had to consider that before. The longer she thought about it, the more unsure she felt. "I...uhm...How badly is the other party hurt?"
It was as though Discord had been waiting on her to ask that exact question as he snapped his talons once more. With a short yelp, her filly self disappeared from behind her. Before she could demand her return, she reappeared in front of her, tied with magical bonds to a large tree that had just sprouted out of the soil, seemingly at Discord's command.
"Why don't we find out?" he said darkly, before summoning a hungry looking timber wolf tied to and opposite tree, though the rope holding the wooden wolf was of an ordinary variety, and seemed to be fraying at the ends.
"Now, the game is simple," he began to explain, snapping his fingers once more to produce a large, ornately carved knife on the ground before her. "The wolf is hungry. The wolf only eats meat, and right now, it appears your inner child is on the menu!"
Discord's chuckles set a disturbing background melody to the decision Fluttershy would have to make. She glanced at the knife, then back to the wolf. It was literally clawing and tearing at the air in an attempt to eat Shy. Her little self was screaming in terror, trying her best to break free of the magic bonds that held her, but to no avail.
"Fluttershy! Don't let the wolf eat me!"
"Can you do it Fluttershy?" Discord asked happily, "Can you take one life to save another?"
Slowly, the normally frightful pegasus took the handle of the blade in her mouth, the grooves aligning perfectly with her teeth as though it had been custom made for her to use.
She couldn't harm another creature willingly, even if it was a timber wolf trying to eat her subconscious self! It was just doing what came naturally, how could she fault it for the way it was born? It just wasn't in her.
Fluttershy noticed the rope holding back the hungry wolf beginning to wear thin. In a matter of moments it would be darting toward her filly self intent on ripping her to shreds. Shy's cries echoed through the forest as she continued to plead with her older counterpart to save her.
Her eyes locked with Discords as he awaited her choice. A thin glare crossed her normally caring sea-green eyes.
Maybe it was in her...