//------------------------------// // The Wedding // Story: A Discordic Adventure // by GeekCat //------------------------------// Fluttershy and Tirek were standing at an altar in Duloc’s central cathedral. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were gathered in the front rows, while there was a nervous-looking crowd of ponies in the back. All were silent, only reacting if Tirek’s pegasus assistant Cozy Glow held up a new cue card. A tall gargoyle was standing between the two of them, reading out of a worn book. On the altar behind them was an ancient crown sitting on a velvet cushion. Fluttershy glanced at Tirek every so often, noticing he looked quite pleased, but kept glancing away and around the room...especially at the large windows that showed the horizon. “People of Duloc, we gather here today to bear witness,” the gargoyle read slowly. “To the union of our lord, now king…” Fluttershy swallowed as she glanced past him to look out the windows. The sun was slowly moving towards the horizon, but it seemed that every time she looked, it seemed so much closer... The officiant noticed her discomfort and worry, lowering the book and looking at her. Tirek also turned to her, raising an eyebrow. She lowered her head, scuffing a hoof against the ground and glancing to the windows out of the corner of her eye. “Could...we just skip ahead to the ‘I do’s’, please?” she requested quietly. The sun just seemed to keep sinking lower and lower, and she shifted her wings nervously. The officiant looked to Tirek for confirmation. The centaur shook his head with a small chuckle. “Go on,” he said. The officiant held the book aloft again and continued to read. Fluttershy sighed almost silently, casting another forlorn glance at the approaching sunset. Things would be over soon. She just had to wait, and this would be the last sunset she would ever have to worry about...and if she focused on this sunset, she could banish other unwelcome thoughts. Cheese landed with a loud thud just beside the cathedral. Discord didn’t wait a second before jumping off and rushing towards the large, ornate wooden doors. Pinkie took a little more time, sliding down the dragon’s front leg and pecking his cheek on her way down. “Thanks, boo,” she said. “Feel free to explore town, we’ll whistle if we need you!” Cheese nodded, smiling and kissing the top of her head, then turning to meander down the empty streets. Pinkie smiled, waving goodbye...then turned back to Discord and gasped. “Cordy! What are you doing!?” “I’m crashing the wedding,” he said, reaching for the door handle. “What does it look like I’m doing?” Now...should he make his presence known with loud fireworks, or just by blowing the door off of its hinges? In his moment of deliberation, Pinkie ran to his side. “Wait!” she said, grabbing his wrist. He paused, turning back to look at her. “You can’t just barge in and crash the wedding! There’s a specific line you need to wait for!” “Seriously?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Yes!” she said, nodding. “At every wedding, you gotta wait for the preacher to say ‘Speak now or forever hold your peace’, and that’s when you crash the wedding and say ‘I object!’” “Seriously?” he repeated. “Look, I don’t care about pony rules and never have. I’m going to stop this wedding right now, and I don’t care whether the preacher’s said that or not!” He turned back to the doors again, but suddenly, Pinkie jumped up to grab his shoulders and whirled him back around. “Look, you love her, don’t you?” she said sternly, keeping her hooves at his sides to pin him to the door, despite their size difference. “Yes,” he said. “You wanna hold her!? Please her!?” she continued to press. “Yes!” he said. “Why else would I be crashing her wedding!?” “Then you’ve got to do this the right way!” she said. “Be romantic! Isn’t that what Fluttershy would want?” He paused, turning her words over in his head. “...okay, probably,” he said. “But how exactly am I supposed to know when he’s said it? I don’t know the whole order of pony weddings.” Pinkie smirked. “I have an idea,” she said. “Do you have enough magic for a little spell?” “And so, by the power vested in me…” the officiant continued. Fluttershy did her best to pay attention—this was the biggest moment of her life! And it had to be the right decision. It had to be...she forced away the thoughts of draconequui, especially one particular draconequus. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a familiar flash of pink. Pinkie? she thought. Her heart gave a small jump, and her eyes flicked towards where she thought she had seen that flash of pink—the large circular window set high above the front doors of the cathedral. Of course, there was nothing there but the blue sky. She sighed and chastised herself—it couldn’t have been Pinkie, anyway, because Pinkie wouldn’t be able to get that high. She pushed back the feeling of unease (and excitement) that the thought of the mare had brought, turning her attention back to the ceremony as the officiant said, “...husband and wife, king and queen.” “What do you see!?” Discord asked Pinkie as she fell back from the window. She landed on the large trampoline she had convinced him to create, springing back up and towards the window. “Well, the whole town’s in there, I think!” she said. “They’re at the altar, and right now, the officiant is saying…” As she neared the window again, she leaned forward, narrowing her eyes, and then gasped. “Sweet caramel cupcakes, he already said it! The wedding’s almost over!” “Oh, for the love of chaos!” he groaned. He moved past the trampoline, shoving the doors open with a grunt. Everyone’s attention was towards the front. He quickly summoned a neon megaphone into his paw and shouted into it, “I object!” The crowd turned to look at him, murmurs spreading throughout about the strange draconequus that had interrupted the ceremony. Fluttershy and Tirek turned away from each other to look at him, Tirek’s face decidedly more angered. “Discord?” she said, staring at him with mixed emotions. “Oh, what does he want?” Tirek growled. Discord stood up taller and marched closer to the altar, ignoring the heated glare Tirek was pointing at him. The crowd was staring at him in confusion, and few inching away worriedly. He chuckled and waved at a few of the more scared-looking ones, making them squeak and cower more. “Hi, again,” he said as he walked forward, trying to calm his pounding heart. “Everyone having fun here? Doesn’t seem as exciting as my last visit. Still, Duloc’s probably my favorite city run by a stubby dictator centaur...even though it’s also pretty dull.” He had to suppress a grin as Tirek’s face contorted in even more anger. Fluttershy’s expression went from one of mixed feelings to one of anger. Probably not a good sign for him. “What are you doing here?” she asked, glaring at him. It probably would have been pretty effective against someone who had more respect for monarchies. “Honestly!” Tirek said. “You’ve gotten what you wanted. Could you not be so rude as to interrupt a ceremony and let everyone else be happy that they don’t have to deal with you anymore?” Discord ignored him and turned his attention to Fluttershy. She looked lovely...though the pure-white dress was a bit dull, in his opinion. She’d look so much better with more color, maybe a bit of glitter...but this was no time to daydream! “Fluttershy, I need to talk to you,” he said. “You do?” she said, still glaring. “I thought you didn’t want to talk to me anymore. You made that pretty clear. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” She turned back towards Tirek. “But you can’t marry him!” he protested. “And why not?” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Well...for one thing, I’m ninety percent certain that he’s only marrying you to be able to use that crown,” he said. He pointed to Grogar’s Crown. “I’d recognize an ancient magic artifact and convenient plot device anywhere.” “Wha...lies!” Tirek said. “Don’t listen to him, what does he know!?” “Ninety-five percent certain,” Discord said. Fluttershy was still giving him a glare. “That, and...he isn’t your true love! Isn’t that what you wanted, in the stallion or creature you married?” “And...and what do you know about true love!?” she snapped, turning towards him. Her eyes flared with anger. “I…” he started to say, before his words got stuck in his throat. “Well, I, um…” Geez, this room was hot...he rubbed at the back of his neck as he felt his face start to heat up. “I-I mean…” He couldn’t even look her directly in the eyes anymore. Fluttershy gasped, a pink blush spreading across her face. He glanced up for a second, enough to see her glare melting into complete recognition. His stomach twisted itself into nervous knots, and he looked away again. “Oh, this is rich!” Tirek said with a laugh. “The monster has fallen in love with the princess!” The room was quiet for a few moments, and he glared and made a gesture to Cozy Glow. The tiny pegasus wrote something new on one of the cue cards before holding it up. The crowd laughed uneasily. “Discord...is that true?” Fluttershy asked. He slowly lifted his head, trying to meet her eyes and still finding himself too nervous to do so...but he could still catch the expectant expression on her face. Tirek stopped laughing, staring at her in shock. “...who cares if it’s true!” he snapped. “It’s absurd! Fluttershy, dearest...we’re so close to our happily ever after!” He leaned forward, puckering his lips. Discord felt sick to his stomach. To his relief, Fluttershy hesitated to kiss him. She glanced between Discord, the centaur groom, and the large window behind her. The sky was pink, the sun a vibrant orange as it sank closer to the horizon. She bit her lip as she turned to look at him again. “By day one form, by night another…” she murmured under her breath. His ears twitched towards her, and he tilted his head in slight confusion. “Discord...I-I had wanted to show you this before,” she said, a little bit louder. He tilted his head even more, confused. She took a deep breath, taking a few steps backwards, closer to the window. The sun sank below the horizon, leaving only a few golden rays hanging behind to light the room. Fluttershy was suddenly enveloped in a bright golden light, magic seeming to burst from every pore in her skin. She closed her eyes, grimacing only slightly as the magic swirled around her, sinking slowly into her body and...changing her. His eyes slowly widened as her body started changing right in front of him. She stretched and grew, taller and taller...her limbs became mismatched as she stood up on two legs. Her ears stretched out and flopped down, becoming fuzzy bunny ears. Then, as soon as it appeared, the magic vanished. Fluttershy the pegasus was gone...and Fluttershy the draconequus stood there, looking at Discord nervously. The crowd behind him gasped, but he ignored them—they weren’t important right now. His brain seemed to short-circuit, his mouth opening and closing for a few seconds as he tried to figure out what to say. “Oh, w-wow…wowza,” Discord finally managed to articulate. A blush spread across his face as his eyes widened, drinking in the sight of Fluttershy as a...a draconequus. A very attractive draconequus… He blinked, trying to snap himself out of his sudden stupor. “Well...that explains a lot,” he said, rubbing at the back of his neck with a sheepish smile. Fluttershy grinned sheepishly back, looking content and embarrassed all at once. His heart beat even more quickly in his chest. “Ugh, it’s disgusting!” Tirek said, his face contorting into disgust. Fluttershy flinched, suddenly looking scared. Discord turned to the ‘Lord’, baring his fangs and shaking a clenched fist at his side. His pupils turned to slits, his eyes glowing red. “Guards! Guards!” the centaur yelled. Several armored knights around the room came to attention, rushing forward. “Get both of these draconequuses out of my sight! Capture them both!” Two of the guards suddenly grabbed Discord from behind, holding his arms behind his back and trying to pin him down. He snarled and struggled out of their grip, using the slight magic he had to push them away, but more and more guards began to surround him, pulling him further away from the altar. Even more guards seemed to swarm around Fluttershy, grabbing her arms and twisting them behind her back. She struggled in their grip, trying to move towards him, but the guards kept pulling her back...until Tirek snapped his fingers, making them stop and holding her in place. “I hope you didn’t get too comfortable here,” Tirek snarled. He grabbed Grogar’s Crown and set it behind his horns. It flashed with magic...and then, the magic started to slowly seep into him, traveling up his stubby horns and causing them to grow to greater lengths. “Because as soon as this marriage is fully binding, I’ll drain you of that awful, unnatural magic you have and send you right back to that tower! I will be the most powerful creature in the kingdom, the only one with magic!” He stepped closer to Fluttershy, his horns now grown to almost her full height. “Have the other sent to the dungeons...I can drain him later,” he said, waving Discord away dismissively. Normally, he would have been irked to be so easily dismissed...but the terror shining in Fluttershy’s eyes as she tried to wriggle free made him feel an even stronger emotion—pure anger. “No!” Discord growled, struggling against the grip of the guards. He struggled to free his arms or his tail, anything he could use to snap and channel magic, but it was all in vain. Tirek pulled Fluttershy closer to him, magic flaring around the crown and his horns. She gave a small cry, either from pain or fear. That was it. All he could see was red, and if he could use his magic, he would just—! Snap. Something inside him seemed to click together, like snapping in the last piece of a puzzle, or a circuit being completed. He felt his magic suddenly flare inside of him—more magic than he had used in the pony dimension, maybe even more magic than he had felt in his own dimension! With a roar, he released the magic from his body. It burst from his chest, striking the guards holding him back and pushing them back several feet. Before they knew what was happening, their armor suddenly turned into noodles—large, sauce-covered noodles that writhed and grew until their wearers were completely enveloped in balls of pasta. But he had bigger dishes to fry. He swished his tail, and he disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing between Tirek and Fluttershy. With another snap, the guards holding Fluttershy were grabbed by taffy whips and pulled away, stuck to the wall. “You want magic?” he snarled, his power still welling up inside of him. “Then have some!” He opened his lion paw, letting a stream of shimmering purple magic blast from it...directly into Tirek’s eyes. The centaur screeched, trying to cover his eyes and back away from the assault. “Guards!” he howled. “Cozy! Someone! Stop him!” Discord was having none of that. With a snap of his claw, the stone and metal of the building seemed to bend and shift, closing off exits and entrances, and putting barriers between the three of them. Several creatures screamed as the floor under their hooves moved, but he didn’t care, as long as he could protect— A soft touch on his upper arm made him flinch, turning his head to see who dared come close to him when he was like this. He immediately relaxed (but only slightly) when he saw it was Fluttershy, staring at him with those wide, shining, beautiful eyes… “Discord,” she said, smiling softly. “You...you’re amazing. And powerful and strong…” Her grip tightened a little bit. “But...you have to stop this. You’re close to hurting ponies.” “If I don’t do this,” he said. “They’ll try to hurt you. I can’t let that happen.” The building groaned as it moved a little more, though not as drastically. Tirek was still crying and shielding his eyes, so Discord ceased firing raw magic towards him, turning his entire body towards Fluttershy. She smiled, caressing his cheek. “I know you want to protect me,” she said. “And I’m grateful for that...but I can protect myself, you know.” She held out her other paw, letting a spark of magic drift from her palm and float away. He relaxed even more. That’s right...she had magic, too. And she wouldn’t want him to hurt creatures...the magic welling around him slowly receded, and with a loud groan, the building stopped twisting. She smiled softly and gratefully...but then her face fell. “Discord!” she yelped, pointing behind him. With her warning, he was able to use his magic to throw a shield around the both of them. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop some of the magic from striking him in the back, burning him. He hissed, gritting his teeth as the orange magic seared his fur and skin. He barely managed to concentrate enough to keep the shield up around the two of them. “Discord!” Fluttershy said, her paw flying to his burn. “Don’t...worry about me,” he managed to say as Tirek’s magic blast died out. Their shield was standing for now, and his burn wasn’t that bad. Fluttershy still frowned, closing her eyes slightly. He felt magic flow from her and into him, cooling and then healing his burn. “...thanks,” he said as the pain receded. She smiled at him for a brief second, before her gaze turned fearfully back to Tirek. The centaur glowered at him, orange magic pouring from the crown and arcing through his growing horns. Discord glowered right back. Tirek may be saturated with magic and larger than he could handle, but...he pressed his fingers to his lips and let out a loud, shrill whistle, just as Pinkie had done earlier. Suddenly, Cheese’s head smashed through the impressive stained glass window, roaring and showing off his sharp teeth. The creatures gathered screeched and tried to scramble away, but the way the building had been warped prevented them from getting very far. “Everyone stay calm!” Pinkie yelled. She was perched on top of Cheese’s head, clinging onto his spikes. “It’s just a huge hungry dragon helping a draconequus and pony crash an evil centaur’s wedding! Nothing to worry about!” Nopony was calmed by this. Lord Tirek scoffed, his magic flaring up again as he turned his attention to his new challenger. “A dragon?” he said. “Do you think a dragon can stand up to my might! This magic has made me invincible!” Discord allowed himself to grin. “S-see, here’s a piece of advice,” he said with a chuckle. “If you start saying things like that, you’re just begging for a karmic defeat at that point.” “Oh?” Tirek said, chuckling darkly. “You can’t do anything to beat me, you worm! And I’d like to see this beast try to defeat me!” His horns flared with even more energy, growing a few inches longer. Cheese growled, opening his mouth to fire a stream of boiling cheese at Tirek. Magic flared up Tirek’s horns, firing in a concentrated beam and countering the breath weapon. Discord quickly strengthened his shield just as magic and cheese sprayed everywhere. “What are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked, sounding anxious as Tirek and Cheese growled and glared at each other. Discord glanced between Cheese and Tirek, his eyes sweeping up and down the centaur’s giant horns. The dragon snapped at the phony lord, but he easily blocked the attack with a flash of magic that left Cheese’s lips smoking. “...I have an idea,” he whispered to Fluttershy. “But we’ll need to attack his horns. Trust me, it’s important.” “...‘we’?” she said, tilting her head. Her bunny ears flopped adorably to the side. “Of course!” he said. “I don’t think we’ll get more than one shot at this. I’ll need all the help I can get with this...and who better than the best natural at chaotic nature magic that I know?” He held his paw out to her. She hesitated...but then placed her feline paw in his. He smiled, and they entwined their fingers together, both turning to face Tirek. “Whenever you’re ready,” he murmured, pressing close to her. It was to channel both of their magic more easily, not just to feel her close to him! “I’ll lower the shield on your word.” Though there was a faint blush on her face, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, they were blazing with an almost calm determination. “Ready,” she said, only an almost unnoticeable waver in her voice. He could feel her magic start to well up within her, just waiting to be directed. With a snap of his tail feathers, their shield disappeared. Tirek didn’t notice yet, his focus on the large dragon...but he’d certainly notice soon. “Together,” Discord said, letting his magic well up. She nodded, watching him for directions. Slowly, he extended the arm holding her paw, taking a step forward. She mirrored his movements. Both of their feet struck the ground at the same time, and Discord shoved his magic through the motion. Fluttershy quickly followed his example, and their magic twisted around each other—until a large vine with glowing teal spikes emerged from the ground. “And...forward!” he shouted, thrusting his arm forward, aiming at Lord Tirek. Fluttershy copied his motion, and the vine grew rapidly, shooting towards the centaur. At his voice, the phony lord turned around...and with a gasp, ducked, just as the thick vine struck above his head, the spikes growing out and sparking with electricity. “Hah!” he declared. “Apparently, the powerful magic of draconequuses has been greatly exaggerated, if you can miss that easily.” Fluttershy nervously shifted a little closer to Discord. “Actually, it’s draconequui,” he corrected. “And who says that we missed?” A cracking sound could be heard, echoing through the cathedral. Discord grinned smugly, glancing up at Tirek’s horns. Tirek himself paused, his grin freezing as his gaze shifted up. Just as he looked up, both of his horns finished cracking. They fell over like great black trees, Cheese just barely dodging in time to avoid being hit in the muzzle. The centaur was just left with stumps again, barely larger than what he had started with before his magic boost. “S-so what?” Tirek scoffed, rolling his eyes. “My magic will just make them grow back...not that horns matter, anyway.” Indeed, an orange magic was already crawling from the crown, making the broken stumps fill in and grow a few more inches. “So, was that your big plan?” Tirek continued. “To make me look ridiculous? To hope that would make me give up?” “Not exactly,” Discord said, the grin not falling from his face. “Just...making it a little easier for the dragon.” “What do—” Before he could finish, he suddenly disappeared inside a pair of giant, scaly jaws. Fluttershy and the crowd gasped. “Oh, you weren’t expecting this?” Discord said, raising an eyebrow. “He’s a dragon. The only reason he hadn’t been eaten yet was because he wouldn’t fit in his mouth!” “Ooh…” Fluttershy said, covering her eyes. Discord bit his lip. He didn’t regret helping defeat Tirek this way, but he probably could have given her more warning… Cheese threw back his head with a loud gulping sound. He smacked his lips, then coughed. After a few coughs, Grogar’s Crown flew out of his mouth, covered with a few splatters of melted cheese. The crown bounced off of the floor and rolled away, eventually coming to a stop at Cozy’s hooves. It’s magic sputtered, but slowly dissipated. “...golly,” the small pegasus said. “Well, I guess if Tierk can’t use this anymore…” She picked up the crown, and for a second, her sweet face morphed into an evil grin. She suddenly found herself being lifted several feet into the air, squeaking and glancing up to see what was happening. Discord had grabbed and lifted her by the scruff of her neck, and was glaring at her with glowing eyes. “You think I’m foolish enough to let you sneak off with that and leave a sequel thread where you can come back and stab me in the back?” he said. “I don’t think so.” He held out his claw. “Hand it over, you sour candy of a pony.” She frowned and clutched tightly to the artifact. He growled a little, flicking his claws against each other, making multicolored sparks. The sparks turned into flaming butterflies and circled around the small pegasus, almost brushing against her skin. She flinched and dropped the crown into his open claw. He, in turn, dropped her. She fluttered her wings just before hitting the ground, flying off and disappearing into the crowd. “Good riddance,” he said, turning the crown over in his hands. With a plaid handkerchief, he wiped off some of the cheese residue. “May I…?” Fluttershy said, reaching out for the crown. He nodded and handed it to her, already having a pretty good idea about what she had in mind. She frowned and stared at the crown for awhile...and then gave in a small shake. It glowed in her hands, and made a sound that was almost bell-like...and small globes of magic fell out of it, flying through the walls and off into the distance. Some flew to members of the crowd and absorbed into them, the change greeted with cheering, celebrating...and some crying. Discord stretched out his fingers, feeling the chaos flowing through his veins. His own magic hadn’t been sealed the same way, but...unlocking an ability that should be totally natural, but hadn’t been accessible for a while? He understood exactly what they were feeling. “That was...a good thing, you did,” he said, glancing over at Fluttershy. “...that’s probably the first time someone hasn’t used that crown to try and exploit someone into doing something for them.” “...thank you,” she said with a nod. “...um. Since this doesn’t seem to be something someone could use for good…could you help me…?” She turned the crown over in her fingers, closing her eyes. With a bit of work, and an upwelling of magic, a flimsy wooden crest appeared around the old artifact. “...with pleasure,” he said. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned an enormous golden lock, which he quickly snapped onto the crest. He snapped up a couple more smaller silver locks, clamping down each point along the sides that he could. Finally, he held a hand out to Fluttershy. She blinked, but still placed her hand in his. He rested their fists against the top of the chest. “Just let me borrow a little magic,” he said. “I can take care of the rest.” She blinked, but nodded and started pushing some of her magic towards him. He closed his eyes and focused...and slowly, a shimmering purple seal of magic wove itself around the chest. Once it was completely covered, he let go of her hand, tying the magic off like a ribbon. The chest was now shimmering with protective magic, something that would give any would-be thief a little shock. He smiled and handed the protected chest back to her, dusting off his hands with a smirk. “Well, that takes care of that.” He looked back up at Fluttershy...and his heart was caught in his throat as he stared at her. With her mane down, and her standing in the light of the setting sun...she was so beautiful. “You’re...amazing,” he said breathlessly, stepping a little closer to her. With everything taken care of, it could just be the two of them, and maybe he could force the words out...though it was impossible to think of what to say. Especially when she made him speechless. Fluttershy smiled softly at him, her eyes becoming glossy. “You came back,” she said, her voice almost a whisper as it sank in. “You really came back for me.” “Of course I did!” he said, standing taller. He glanced away and rubbed the back of his neck. “Granted, I had to get some sense knocked into me by a pink puffball pony, but I—” Before he could say anything else, she had rushed forward and thrown her arms around him, squeezing him tightly. He gaped for a second, stunned, before slowly wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. She was much taller than her pony form, but still shorter than him...just tall enough that he could rest his chin on top of her head (which he did). She made a noise he guessed was happy, as she responded by snuggling into the fur of his neck, and clumsily wrapping her tail around his. He smiled and squeezed her tail, curling her pink tresses around his fingers and marveling at how soft they felt—almost like velvet, or silk. “Awww,” he heard the crowd collectively say. He turned slightly to glare at them all, and Fluttershy gave an embarrassed squeak and tried to hide her face in his neck fur (which did nothing to help his own embarrassment). Their audience still smiled serenely at them, seeming to enjoy the show they were getting. “Psst!” Pinkie hissed loudly, waving and bringing his attention to her. “Go on, Cordy, tell her!” she said in a stage whisper. She made a ‘go on’ motion with her front hooves, sliding a few inches down Cheese’s snout. He raised a front claw and gently pushed her back up to the top of his head. Discord wanted to protest the nickname, but he let it go and turned to Fluttershy. He swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “Um, Fluttershy?” “Y-yes, Discord?” she said, slowly pulling her face away from his neck and looking at him with bright, shining eyes. For a heartbeat, she was his own world...nothing else mattered. “I love you,” he said, a lovestruck smile spreading across his muzzle. Were his eyes as sparkly as hers? It would have been cliche, but it felt like he had to be expressing this...this feeling with something more than words. Her eyes seemed to sparkle even more...must have been the pony in her. Or maybe her chaos magic. “I love you, too,” she said, nuzzling into his neck again. He gently cupped her cheek with his paw, slowly lifting her head. Their eyes locked, and he slowly leaned forward, tapping his nose against hers, his eyebrows tilting inwards. An unspoken question, a request for invitation. A smile flickered over her muzzle, and she gave the tiniest of nods, leaning forward a little more. He cupped her chin, tilting her muzzle up. Together, they leaned forward, closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together. Her lips were soft, pressing so shyly against his own calloused ones, and tasted sweet. Not sweet like pure sugar, but like strawberries and honey, or fresh wildflowers...it seemed that she had deep connections with nature, even to this degree. The world around them seemed to melt away at that moment. He felt her smile softly against his own lips, and he smiled back. They both pulled away for air, and the rest of the world came rushing back. The crowd, especially the few ponies in the back, were still cooing over the two of them. He just rolled his eyes, ignoring them and giving Fluttershy’s paw a reassuring squeeze. Not even a second after they had pulled away, the golden magic from before started pouring from Fluttershy’s skin again. She gasped, taking a step back and looking at her hands as tendrils of light danced and weaved around her fingers. Discord’s eyes widened as she was suddenly lifted into the air, the cloud of magic growing even larger than before, even pouring from her eyes and mouth this time. The magic swirled around her, whispering something as they hissed through the air. “Until you find true love’s kiss, and then take love’s true form,” it said in a voice that sounded like a mix between Fluttershy’s and...another he didn’t recognize. Female, but hissing and echoey...he ignored the mystery, instead focusing on what was happening to Fluttershy. Each of her limbs flared with golden light, the words still echoing in the air. With one final flash, the cloud of magic flared outward, filling the whole room before fading away. She drifted back to the ground, still an unchanged lovely draconequus. He stepped closer, offering a hand to help her up. Her eyes fluttered open, and she took his head. She looked around in confusion as she got back to her feet. “T-the curse...it’s broken,” she said slowly. “Whatever caused you to keep transforming, day and night? That’s great!” he said. She looked down at herself, not looking as excited as he would have been if a curse on him had been broken. “...isn’t it?” he said, tilting his head in confusion. “Yes, it is, but...I don’t understand,” she said softly, staring down at her mismatched paws. “I’m supposed to be beautiful…” He reached out and gently caressed her cheek, then cupped her chin and lifted it up to look her in the eyes. “You are beautiful,” he said in the most reassuring and sincere voice he could use...which he found coming surprisingly easy to him. She stared at him for a few moments. Tears brimmed in the corner of her eyes, and she leaned into his touch as a soft smile spread across her muzzle. “Thank you…” she said in a whisper. A loud honking sound made the two of them flinch. Looking to their right, they saw both Pinkie and Cheese holding handkerchiefs, dabbing at their eyes. “I just love happy endings,” Pinkie sobbed, loudly blowing her nose again. “As do I!” Cheese said. The three of them stared wide-eyed at him, jaws dropping. “I’ve always looked forward to this day—though I was sure I’d never be able to see it with my own eyes! Oh, this is wonderful, and now Pinkie and I can throw the best party ever for the two of you.” “...you can talk?” Discord finally managed to say. “Why didn’t you speak up when, oh, I don’t know...any one of the dozen knights trying to rescue the princess tried to kill you?” “Oh, I wish,” the large dragon said, sniffing and dabbing at his eyes with the too-small handkerchief. “But, well...when you’re chosen to act as the guard-dragon of a princess with a curse, well...no one really wants you to be able to blab about what the curse is, exactly.” “Ooh, I get it!” Pinkie said suddenly. “You were magically made mute, but when Fluttershy’s curse was broken, you wouldn’t need to stay silent anymore...so that broke your curse, too!” “Exactly right!” Cheese said. “Though I had feared I wouldn’t be able to speak again...considering that her curse being broken would more than likely come after her rescue and my slaying…” “...well, I’m very glad that you can speak again!” Fluttershy said, smiling. Cheese smiled back. “...I think this really is a happy ending, isn’t it? For everyone.” “Everyone who deserves it,” Discord said, wrapping his tail around her waist. She jumped a little, but smiled and leaned against his side. “But, speaking of happy endings…” He reached up and began to twirl a strand of her mane around his claw. He cupped her chin in his claw and tilted it towards himself, leaning closer. She smiled and leaned in closer, puckering her lips, slowly closing her eyes. He started to lean in for the kiss...but noticed that Pinkie, Cheese, and the rest of the audience were all leaning forward, watching them expectantly. With a roll of his eyes, he snapped his fingers, creating floating curtains around the two of them. With a little more privacy, he leaned in and locked his lips with hers. This kiss lasted a little longer, but was no less exciting. Nothing else seemed to matter but her, and it felt like fireworks were going off in his chest... Their lips slowly separated, and they looked lovingly at each other. Colorful fireworks burst behind them, spawned by his magic. A cheer erupted from around them, and Discord spared a small glance at the gathered crowd. They were all gathered in his dimension, though the crowd was all split between larger islands, separate from them. Fluttershy had insisted that they invite at least a few ponies, and Pinkie had managed to round up plenty of friends when she was sending out the invitations...as did Cheese, surprisingly. His ear swiveled towards a sniffing sound. His best mare had apparently been moved to tears by the ceremony...again. “Again, Pinkie?” he said with a playful roll of his eyes. “I can’t help it!” she said, blowing her nose. She was wearing a vibrant orange-and-yellow dress, which matched Cheese’s large bowtie. “You two are so...so beautiful together!” A louder noise from just behind Fluttershy made him roll his eyes again. Great. Now Cheese was crying, too. Fluttershy giggled, almost a little nervously, her tail slowly entwining around his. The officiant cleared her throat. They both turned to the purple alicorn—one who looked particularly young, but claimed to be the rightful ruler of the land Duloc was capital of. The rest of the ponies seemed to agree, and with Tirek gone, no one really had any protests. Discord wasn’t sure about having a pony officiant, but Fluttershy insisted that having someone with legal and royal standing perform the ceremony would be for the best. “I believe that’s the cue to shift from ceremony to reception,” the alicorn—Twilight said. “Unless you’re going to surprise me by doing something different?” “Hmm…” Discord said, stroking his beard and pretending to think about it. Fluttershy nudged his side, and he chuckled. “No, I think I’ll pass this time,” he said with a grin. Twilight sighed, but still smiled at the two of them. Pinkie and Cheese both grinned widely, their eyes sparkling. “Time to kick off the party?” Pinkie said. “You two will love it, we’ve been planning it all month!” Cheese added. They both leaned forward in unison, their smiles growing even wider and eyes even more sparkly. Discord and Fluttershy smiled at each other, then turned and nodded at the two excited party planners. “Woo!” Pinkie cheered, whipping out her party cannon. “Let’s party!” She fired a burst of confetti high into the air, then leapt off the island and began to paddle towards the island Discord had agreed to let her use. Cheese took off and flew after her, stopping and helping some of the guests make their way in the same direction. Twilight’s wings unfurled as she took off after them, carrying her old mirror behind with her magic...apparently, she was still working on getting her curse bond to it completely broken. Fortunately, a small purple dragon bobbed alongside her, ready to help her carry it. Fluttershy took a step towards the edge, her wings spreading out. But before she could start to fly, Discord grabbed her wrist. She froze in place, turning to look over her shoulder at him. “Knowing Pinkie, this party will go on for hours,” he said, stepping closer and wrapping his tail around hers. Already, the DJ was spinning records and ponies were dancing and laughing. “As fun as that sounds, and as delicious as those cake-and-ice cream parfaits look...I’d like to indulge myself by sharing a...brief moment with you.” She looked hesitant for a moment, considering it, but after a few moments turned to him with a soft smile on her face. His heart started thumping in his chest, his ears wriggling. She chose him, even for just a few minutes! She leaned up to peck his nose, then his cheek, giggles bubbling in the back of her throat. A happy, wobbly smile spread across his muzzle. He never imagined life could be so wonderful. “Have I told you,” he whispered into her ear. “That you’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, with the kindest heart in any land?” Her wonderful teal eyes became teary, and her bottom lip wobbled...just as it seemed to any time he complimented her appearance. “Y-you have,” she managed to say with a shaky smile. “It’s just...hard to believe sometimes.” He caressed her cheek, using his thumb to brush away any possible tears. “Well, I’m going to keep telling you until it gets easier to believe.” He gently kissed the nape of her neck, cupping his claws under her chin. He gently tilted her chin up and pressed his lips against hers. She slowly returned the pressure of the kiss, giving his tail a very light squeeze. Soon, Pinkie and Cheese would come after them (couldn’t have a reception they had planned all month without the bride and groom!), and they would find themselves caught up with dancing, socializing, and stuffing their faces with desserts. After that, he would whisk his bride away, showing her as many amazing places he could find on their honeymoon. But before all that, they had this moment, with just the two of them. They slowly pulled apart from the kiss for air. Fluttershy’s eyes were sparkling. “I love you, Discord,” she said. A knot formed in his throat, his eyes threatening to tear up. “I...I love you, too,” he managed to say, wrapping his arms around her. She lightly pressed her lips against his, and his whole body felt light and airy. Yes, indeed...life had turned out better than he could have ever imagined. With Fluttershy by his side, loving him and accepting his love, he felt like he could do anything. And with their magic and their love, ‘anything’ could be very possible.