//------------------------------//
// The Field Trip 
// Story: My Little Draconequus: Wishing is Chaos 
// by taterforlife 
//------------------------------//


My Little Draconequus: Wishing is Magic



Chapter Seven: The Field Trip


Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

He slithered across the floor, flicking his tongue like a snake, his body easily sliding across the wood as he slowly opened the door.

Creeeeeeeeaaaak.

“Sssssssssss…” went his tongue as it flicked forward. He chuckled quietly to himself. Oh, how fun this was...

In his vision, a red target locked on to a source of heat found in the room, blinking and highlighting the prey.

Target sighted. Target identified. Name: Fluttershy. Species: Draconequus. Target safe for approach.

Ah, but is it safe for her? 

 “~Hmm hmm hmm…” he cackled.

He slithered up onto the end of the bed, his victim right in front of him, sleeping peacefully in her tightly-wrapped magical blanket. A ray of sunshine fell across her face, though this did not wake her. She looked peaceful and content. A lovely sight, indeed.

Ah, such a pity that I have to ruin it.

But his mischievous smile contradicted his thoughts. It seemed that he wouldn’t regret what he was about to do.

But she needs no beauty sleep, so really, I’m doing her a favor.

He arched his back, which made him resemble a sort of W-shape, his head and tail raised.

“My dearest, darlingest little Fluttershy…” he whispered.

He braced his back legs, before he suddenly pushed off of them and took off like a rocket, only to land on the target’s chest.

“WAKEY WAKEY, EGGS WITHOUT BACEY!!!”

Her eyes shot open and she screamed like a banshee, making an attempt to get away before realizing that her blanket held her there. “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

In her panic, Discord jumped up and floated above her as her magic instantly reacted and turned her blanket into a soft shell with lettuce, salsa, cheese,and guacamole--a literal Flutterburrito.

“Now Fluttershy--”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!” With the magical blanket no longer binding her, she rolled over and tore the burrito open, falling onto the floor. “Umph!”

Her eyes were turquoise swirls as she laid there dizzy for a moment, and Discord swooped back down on the bed with a concerned look on his face.

“Okay, that was supposed to be funny, but...Are you all right, Fluttershy?”

“Ohhhhh…” She laid a hand on her forehead, rubbing it and coming to her senses. “Discord…”

“Okay, actually, it was a little funny. But you hurt yourself before I could start laughing!”

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times. “You scared me.”

Discord nodded with a smile. “But for a good reason, you little yellow noodle you. Though I really didn’t mean to put a bump on your noggin.” Taking a claw, he laid his hand over the obvious bump on her head, and gently pushed it down. Fluttershy marveled at how it didn’t hurt in the slightest as he did so, and the bump disappeared as if it had never existed. The pain was gone.

“Can you teach me how to heal like that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Ohoho, that depends how long you end up a Draconequus, my dear,” Discord said, checking over her to make sure she wasn’t hurt anywhere else. “Healing is extremely hard, especially at the beginning. For how exactly is healing something supposed to cause disharmony? But we can talk about that later. Because we have to get going!” He broke into a grin and stood up, offering her a hand up.

She took it and got to her feet, a confused look on her face. “Get going? Get going where? In fact, what time is…”

She turned her neck to look at the clock. It was 6:45 a.m, the sun fresh and bright after arriving to greet the earth. Her biological clock usually got her up at seven, but Discord hardly ever got up so early. She was surprised to see that he had planned this, that he had gotten up just to get her.

He wagged a pointer talon at her. “~It’s! A! Secret!~” he singsonged, looking so excited that Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel a little excited herself. “But it’s a field trip of sorts, so we’ll be gone all day. Don’t bother packing, I’ll conjure up anything you need.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, ready to ask about her animal friends, when she realized that her friends no longer wanted her around. She glanced out the window into the empty yard. “Um...What about Angel?”

At the mention of his name, the rabbit looked up from the pillow on the window sill he had slept on, blinking sleepily and waving his paw at her. Yet despite his obvious tiredness, he still had the energy to keep an annoyed look on his face.

“Ughhh. Just go. I need a break from wormhorse anyway. I’ll be fine. Just be quiet, why don’t you??” He groaned and put a smaller pillow beside him over his head. “Stupid loud wormhorse, making everypony scream. No respect, there’s no respect with him around…”

Fluttershy whispered “sorry” to him with a quick pat on the back while Discord just rolled his eyes. As if that rabbit knew anything about respect!

“How long will we be gone, though?” Fluttershy asked Discord. “And is it somewhere in another dimension or is it on this world? Is there anything dangerous I should know? What about ponies seeing me?!? Oh, Discord, I just don’t know if now is the time to--”

He put a finger to her lips to shush her, before removing it to put a paw and claw on her shoulders. “And your worries are precisely why I think you need this. Why we both need this. I’m perfectly capable of staying in one place, but I’m always craving to go somewhere. And you’re right; we don’t want ponies to find out about you, which is why we’ve been stuck in this cottage the past few days. It’s been awfully stressful, hasn’t it?” he cooed, rubbing his thumbs along her shoulders gently, his fingers magically warm to relieve her tense muscles.

Her nerves immediately felt soothed and she took a deep, relaxing breath, closing her eyes. “Mmm-hmm...Not that it hasn’t been fun, but…”

“I know, I know,” he said, nodding his head sympathetically. “And what better way to relieve such stress than a vacation? It’ll only be a day, and I can poof us right back here in the morning. And there’s no need to worry about any ponies...We’ll be nice and remote from any signs of civilization. Nothing will be around except for all the exotic, beautiful, friendly and simply amazing animals there…”

He smirked as her eyes popped open, wide and excited as she gazed back at him with her mouth open slightly. “Animals? Exotic ones?” She smiled and made her hands into fists, waving them back and forth. “Really?!?”

“Really really!” he said, nodding his head, a satisfied smirk on his face. “I’ve been to this place before. And there’s no need for you to worry about any animals avoiding you. They’ll be a bit more experienced with unfamiliar creatures than your little forest friends will be.”

“Really?!?” Her smile widened so much that Discord thought it cut her face in half. “Because I miss animals so much, I need to see more of them!” She then turned to Angel, who was still struggling to sleep. “Not that I don’t love you, Angel…”

He just waved it off again and grunted.

“I promise you’ll meet so many animals that you won’t know what to do with yourself,” Discord said, then took her wrist. “But like I said, we’ve got to get going. We’ll want to get there in plenty of time to enjoy the day there. So shall we?”

Without hesitation, with the promise of new animal friends in the front of her mind, she nodded eagerly.





After a quick breakfast of eggs and tea (but no bacon), they headed outside the door to begin their flight.

“Now that I think about it, I remember Twilight saying something about a trip yesterday. I just didn’t dwell on it. This is what she was talking about?” Fluttershy asked as Discord began to levitate.

“Yep. I thought I’d tell her so she’d know. We wouldn’t want our little grape Princess to come visit and check on you, only to get in a tizzy when she found out we were gone, did we? And since she did mention it, now all our little pony friends know we won’t be home. Now come on!” he said, waving her up towards him. “Let’s go!”

“Couldn’t you just poof us there? Or is it because I need more practice?”

Discord gasped. “Fluttershy!” He put a hand to his heart. “Don’t you know?”

Her ears flipped up in interest. “Know what?”

“Half the fun is getting there, my dear! Trust me, there are some things you’ll want to see on the way there. So come on! Time’s a-wastin’!”

Fluttershy then closed her eyes and persuaded her magic to flow out of her, remembering Discord’s magnetic method of flying. She still had to concentrate; she couldn’t just begin floating at the drop of a hat like her tutor could. But she still managed to be a little quicker about it than the last time.

“There you go, looking good,” Discord said, circling around her to check over the flow of her magic. “Nice and steady...Good to know it’s sticking with you! Sometimes you’ll have it down one day, only to go all wonky the next. Think you’ll be able to do this for a while?”

She nodded, her face flushed slightly from the praise and from her own rare sense of self-pride. “I...actually feel really good!”

Discord clapped his hands, sending a burst of confetti around them. “Excellent! In that case…”

He laid the tip of his tail against the ground and it began to coil tightly like a spring. He braced himself, keeping his body as straight as an arrow with his arms out forward, Superstallion style.

Boing!

In an instant, his tail uncoiled and he soared upward, cutting through the air like a hot knife on butter, going up so high that he became nothing but a dot in only a matter of seconds. It had been so fast that it created a draft that untamed Fluttershy’s hair, frizzing it and making it stick up in a less-than-flattering style.

“CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!”

And after quickly smoothing her hair down, giving a laugh at Discord’s playfulness, she made her way up to the sky to join her friend.

“I’m coming!”





And once again, Fluttershy found herself in awe of how incredibly easy it was to fly with her magic. The wind seemed to stroke through her strawberry milk mane as it flowed wild and free behind her, while the sun seemed to prefer kissing her back, warming it as she soared above the clouds. Her smile refused to die, and she didn’t even notice how happy she looked.

She had flown on days like this before, and she had flown at such heights before. But her anxieties and the limits her pony body had given her had never allowed her to truly enjoy the one thing wingless ponies envied them for. 

The world from below was so beautiful, yet odd, from such a height. Farms had somehow cultivated fields that resembled perfect squares, like tiles of the world’s most realistic mosaic. Even the largest of buildings looked like a foal’s set of building blocks scattered on a tapestry of greens, tans, and browns. Mountains stretched upward towards her while clouds rolled both above and below, and both the land and sky seemed to stretch on forever towards the horizon, as if they were in a race themselves towards the end of time.

And when she took a break from appreciating the blessings of flight, she reminisced on flying with Rainbow Dash the day before. The memories themselves did enough to double the amount of pride she felt in her body, making her feel so happy and accomplished that she felt as if she were floating without the use of magic. For a moment, she felt guilty for such pride--she always thought she should be humble--but she decided to forgive herself, and just enjoy the moment.

After all, I am a Draconequus...and that’s what Discord does. Her smile grew at the thought. Maybe I should do that as a pony, too…

So she continued on with her memories, picturing the look of Rainbow’s initial surprise at her skills, only for her to grow impressed.

“Wow, Flutters. You’re so fast now! I never thought I’d see the day…” Rainbow’s eyes then began to glitter slightly, before she had to turn around to wipe her face.

“Rainbow…? Are you…?”

“No way, my eyes are just dry!” Rainbow said, whipping around to look back at her. “But...I mean...Look at ya. Just...look at ya…”

She flew backwards a little for a better picture. Fluttershy’s eyes were clear from clouding worries, her muscles loose and relaxed as she floated there, looking like she didn’t have a care in the world.

Rainbow had never seen Fluttershy look like that while she was in the sky, and her voice was slightly thick when she spoke again, her eyes watery again.

 “I mean, I know it’s not like it’s your first flight or anything, but what you’re doing now...That feeling you have, right now? You know what that is?”

The skin around Fluttershy’s eyes wrinkled slightly. “Um, no?”

“That’s flying, Fluttershy. There’s flying, and then there’s flying. And what you’re doing right now, the reason you’re feeling so invincible...That’s real flying. And that’s where all the joy of it comes from. I had always hoped one day I’d get to see you...do that…”

Now they both were crying slightly, though it was soft enough to go unnoticed by Discord and Twilight.

“Magic or wings, I’m proud of ya, Flutters.” She gave her a tight hug around her torso. “You’re 100% cool, and don’t forget that, okay?” Rainbow then leaned towards her ears. "Though, you were always that cool. Just thought you needed a reminder."

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash…” She wiped her eyes before returning the hug.  “That means so much to me…”

And it still did, and she had to shake her head to keep herself from crying again, sighing as the pressure from behind her eyes lessened…

“Too much pressure in your ears? Hmmm. I would have thought you’d at least be used to that.”

Fluttershy turned to Discord, who was now by her side rather than in front of her. She smiled sheepishly, turning to him. “No, that’s--” But she gasped before finishing her sentence, catching a gleaming shade of blue in her vision...

“What?” Discord asked, cocking his head in confusion. “That’s what?”

But Fluttershy only darted forward, only to break a few clouds apart as she struggled to clear the way in front of her.

Like a pony opening her curtain windows, she poked her head through, and she gasped again, though this time, her entire face lit up.

“The ocean! Discord, Discord!” She turned around and put her hands on his shoulders, only to shake him.

“It’s the ocean!”





The truth was, they had been traveling longer than Fluttershy had originally thought. She had been so caught up with the world and her own memories that she had lost track of time, to which Discord had simply said:

“Time flies when you’re having fun! Pun completely intended.”

Of course, after Discord had stopped to chuckle at his own joke, he watched as Fluttershy drank in the ocean with her eyes, which seemed a darker blue as they reflected the ocean’s depths. 

“Now, don’t tell me you’ve never seen the ocean before!” Discord said. “Surely with all your friendship-spreading adventures, you’ve come across the big blue?”

“Well, yes, I mean...Manehattan is surrounded by ocean, but...but I’ve never really flown over it! Or swam in it. Or anything! And I knew it was big, but…”

She then pulled the rest of her body through the cloud, and drifted down until all the clouds were above her, and there was nothing but green-blue sparkling water beneath her.

“Does it ever end…?” she whispered to herself breathlessly.

But rather than answer the question, Discord just looked at her, remembering the first time he had realized just how big the ocean was. Of course now, considering that he often visited other dimensions and galaxies, the ocean really wasn’t that big to him anymore. But he still remembered how magnificent it was, and how many mysteries it held in its depths. It was vast and dangerous, yet calming and peaceful. Always subtly changing, it was something to be admired, something to be questioned and explored. He loved the ocean.

And it seemed she did too.

Discord smirked. “Perhaps the bottlenose dolphins could tell you. They’re a rather chatty species, after all…”

And immediately, her attention switched from the depths below her to the Draconequus beside her. “Dolphins? Did you say dolphins?!? As in the saltwater mammal? Because they’re not fish, Discord!” She shoved her face against his, her excitement hardly contained as she grabbed his shoulders. It actually surprised Discord, reminding him of when Pinkie grew over-excited and actually made him uncomfortable.

But since it was Fluttershy, his surprise vanished after a second, only to smile at her Pinkie-like behavior.

“They’re mammals! Sharks are fish, but not dolphins! Did--” 

She then noticed Discord’s mouth go from a straight line to a smile, and realized what she had done. With an embarrassed blush on her face, she gave him another sheepish smile as she let go of him and backed up. “Um, I mean...D-Did you know that, Discord? About...about the dolphins?”

He smirked. “What, you think you’re the only animal expert around? I’ve palled around with many-a dolphin in the past! Just because your furry friends and I aren’t the bestest of pals doesn’t mean I can’t get along with any animals.”

“So you think we’ll get to see them? Is this where we’re going?”

“Ah ah ah, I’m not telling you where we’re going until we’re there, so don’t you try and get an answer out of me!” he said, wagging a finger at her. “Because trust me, I know all the tricks!”

“But I just thought--”

“You can’t fool me, Dr. Doobridle!” A fool’s hat with jangling golden bells appeared on his head. “I’m not joking; my lips are sealed!” A candlewax seal with a stamp of his visage appeared in the middle of his lips. 

Fluttershy just sighed, and turned to scan the ocean, in hopes of perhaps seeing a dolphin or two, only to see nothing. She slowly floated forward, hoping that he had brought up dolphins for a reason…

Only for a tail to wrap around her torso, yanking her to the side as she felt Discord fly against a blow of wind.

“Wrong way, Shutterfly! If you want dolphins, we’ll need warmer, shallower water!” He looked back at her. “Don’t you know that, Miss Animal Expert?”

She rolled her eyes. She knew it; she knew he’d eventually stop joking around and actually do what he meant to.

With his tail still coiled around her, she hugged it in thanks.

He really was a sweetheart underneath it all.





It was another two hours before Discord, who by then had long since released her and let her fly on her own, stopped Fluttershy from passing him. With a victorious smile, he said nothing as she gave him a hopeful, questioning look, before pointing ahead of them, towards a long pod of swimming dolphins. 

Fluttershy gave off a squeal so high it sounded like she was on helium before she whipped by Discord, rushing towards them. With a laugh, he followed.

She was just about to get closer and try to get their attention when she remembered the terrified looks of her animals’ faces back home, when they saw her in her new body. She suddenly grew afraid, and hid herself behind a cloud.

So close, and yet so far…

Discord came up from behind her, wondering what made her so bashful all of a sudden. “What’s wrong, Skipper? You see a handsome stallion riding one of the dolphins or something? Because if so, I have got to see that.”

Despite her fears, she never took her eyes off the beautiful, graceful dolphins feeding on the school of fish just a small distance away, peeking through the cloud, wondering if this had all been a bad idea. After all, animals liked her pony self. They liked the small yellow Pegasus with weak wings.

But she now resembled a flying noodle with powers so unpredictable that it could turn the world upside down if her emotions got a hold of them. Sure, she could fly, and it had been incredible, but a life without animals…

She couldn’t bear the thought.

“Fluttershy?” Discord tried again. 

“Do you really think they won’t be afraid of me?” she asked. “Because I don’t...I don’t think…”

Discord somehow managed to hold back a sigh. This again. Was she going to be like this when they finally got to the rainforest? He couldn’t let that happen. He’d done this for fun, not to have Fluttershy sulking. He’d initially planned this for her, even if he did benefit from it himself. She was the reason he chose this place in particular. 

But there was a selfish part of it too. She needed to enjoy this, but he needed her to as well. For once, he wanted to do something for her that didn’t go completely out of hand, no matter how much fun that usually was for him. The last time he had done something for her, his crazy sort-of-ex-feline-friend had tried to bite her face off in a jealous rage, only for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to be taken by a prehistoric bird. And even though it had all turned out fine, he just wanted...He wanted…

He wanted to see his best friend happy. Not the regular, everyday kind of happiness, but the kind where the world felt incredible and all that mattered was what was happening in the moment. The kind where her eyes, her mind, and her heart were wide open, when she became more curious and more observant than she usually was, and wanted to explore all that was around her without fear or failure.

 And while he had seen her with glimpses of that over the past few days, he really wanted to see it more.  And he wanted to be the reason for it. After all, he had caused her pain so many times, and had maybe even broken her heart, once. 

He had to make this work. He just had to.

“Fluttershy.” Discord said from behind her, a paw on her shoulder. “Your animals at home were afraid because they expected to see a pony, and got a magicalicious Draconequus chica instead. Those dolphins, however--” He pointed at them. “--have never met you before. For all they know, you might be mermare that knows how to fly!”

She gave him a look. “Um, I don’t think you know what mermares are supposed to look like.”

He waved the comment off. “Oh, whatever, does it really matter? Come on, I’ll show you there’s nothing to worry about. I’d hate to see you unhappy all day, when there’s so much for you to see! The world’s waiting for you, my dear, and it doesn’t like getting stood up, you know. Especially when it’s got a hot date with two of the most magnificent creatures that ever existed.” He offered her his hand. “And you know that I’m always right,” he added, in a tone that was almost sarcastic. 

She looked back up at him. In the last few days, he had done nothing but believe in her, and actually had been right about how things would turn out, including every time she had doubted herself. It was because of him that she knew what it was truly like to fly, because of him that she could walk on her own two feet.

And it made sense. The animals back home had probably thought she was one of Discord’s kin, maybe even a mean unreformed one that had taken over Fluttershy’s household in revenge for befriending Discord...

She blinked. Oh dear. It seemed Discord’s imagination was rubbing off on her. Or was it Pinkie’s? Either way, hopefully she’d be able to assure her animals that she was okay, one day.

But for now, she wasn’t home, and Discord was trying to have some fun with her. And animals that she had only ever seen in books, animals   she’d only ever dreamed of meeting, were right in front of her, just in reach. And once again, Discord was the reason this was possible.

She felt a small push against her webbed fingers.

“...Well go on then, take my hand. I know it’s a wonderfully elegant one, especially since I filed and polished my claws last night, but I promise you won’t break a nail,” he joked. “Oh, but this is all you get. Don’t expect a magical carpet ride or anything. And while I look splendid in a turban, I really don’t like wearing them. They’re itchy.”

Once again, she had no idea what he was talking about. But she was used to that, so she just giggled and took his hand.

“Let’s go meet the dolphins!” he said.

And with that, he gently swooped down towards the water until they were both right above the ocean, hand-in-hand. Discord gave out a laugh and dipped the tip of his tail in the water, the water rippling as it did so. Fluttershy copied him, touching the ocean for the first time, and at once, she felt as if she were a part of something much bigger than herself. It was a feeling she hadn’t had in a long time.

But the splashing sounds their tails made alerted the dolphins, and Fluttershy prayed that they wouldn’t be afraid as they got closer.

Many of them stopped to look at the strange pair of creatures approaching them, watching them. And as small as their eyes were, they seemed to widen with bright curiosity.

“Ahoy, my rubber blubber amigos!” Discord let go of Fluttershy’s hand, and in one swift rotation, he got on his feet, skating on the top of the ocean like a water strider bug. Snapping his fingers, a hot pink tutu appeared on his waist, and he jumped high into the air. When he reached as high as he could go, he spun in a perfect pirouette, his hands clasped together above his head, before he descended back down on one foot, and coming to a slow stop right in front of his oceanic audience.

The dolphins broke out in applause. They slapped their fins and their tails. They made a high-pitched sound that resembled whistling. They jumped out of the air, some twirling in imitation of Discord, while others made perfect arcs as they jumped to and fro, all of them praising him for the display.

“That was fun!”

“You’re fun!”

“We should play together, that would be fun!”

“More fun, we need to have more fun!”

Fluttershy was speechless, though it wasn’t from Discord’s performance. She was too busy looking at the dolphins, cataloging them in her mind, observing their actions and mannerisms and personalities. The most obvious thing about them, however...was that they seemed to live for the word ‘fun’.

No wonder Discord got along with them.

And of course, he was drinking up the praise, as it were. Fluttershy could tell. Every time his ego was stroked, he tended to puff out his chest and put a fist over his chest, and stood straight and tall for all to see. And the dolphins were more than willing to give him cause to do so.

“I can spin in the air like you too, see?” A dolphin that was slightly smaller than the others jumped up and began to spin, but didn’t manage to finish a rotation before she splashed back down in the water. “Though not as long or as high as you!”

“I give it five out of five splashes!”

“You didn’t even touch the water! None of us can do that!”

“But it looked like so much fun!”

“WAAAAIT!”

The smaller dolphin’s commotion caused the others to stop and look at her. She then slapped her tail.

“We forgot his friend! I’ll bet she’s fun too! Hey you! You want a fish?” The dolphin briefly shoved her head underwater, only to come up with a flopping fish in her jaws. 

Discord started to snicker as Fluttershy, who had been trying to approach cautiously and carefully, soon decided that these dolphins had no fear of meeting new friends. She quickly made her way to Discord as he joked,“Yeah, Fluttershy, you want a nice, slimy, meaty fish?”

He laughed harder as Fluttershy’s face turned slightly green, the thought of eating some poor defenseless creature herself making her feel sick. But she didn’t want to be rude, especially when she hadn’t said anything to them yet.

She lowered her head down, smiling sweetly at the small dolphin. “Oh, I do appreciate the offer, little one, but I’m afraid I’m a vegetarian. You go on ahead.”

Nodding, the dolphin swallowed the fish as Fluttershy focused on the other dolphins, with Discord grumbling quietly to himself about how no one offered him a complimentary meal. 

Fluttershy smiled at the group. “Hello, my name’s Fluttershy, and this is my very dear friend, Discord. I’m so happy to meet you!” 

The dolphins happily flapped their fins and tails in response to her, a few of them even jumping out of the water and shouting out their own greetings. She asked them for their own names, finding out that the lighter-toned, younger dolphin who had offered her the fish was named Ivory. 

“Can you do cool tricks like him?” Ivory asked Fluttershy, nodding her head towards Discord.

She shook her head. “Oh, no no no. I’m afraid I can’t. He did all of that with magic, you see, and while I have magic too, I’m not nearly as good with it as he is. He’s teaching me to use it. That’s why they call him the master of what he does.”

Discord’s chest puffed up so much that to Fluttershy, he started resembling a frigatebird. But the dolphins could only gasp at her words.

“Magic? He did that with magic?”

“You have magic?”

“We wanna see!”

“Give us a show! That would be fun!”

“Yeah, fun! Show us, show us!”

They all started clapping their fins, chanting “show us, show us” in unison like a gang of excited fillies. Fluttershy couldn’t help but start clapping along and laughing as Discord took advantage of it. He enlarged his right ear and put his paw up to it. 

“I can’t hear you~!” he singsonged, and the dolphins gave him just what he wanted, chanting it until there was a beautiful cacophony of chirps and clicks, all of them demanding for his magical entertainment.

“Well, okay, okay!” Discord relented, putting his palms up. “Let it be known that I am a selfless creature that does nothing but give the audience what they want! But first!” He raised a single claw. “I need a little help first. It’s been awhile since I’ve visited this part of the world…”

He lifted a hand and began to spin his forehead as it unscrewed itself from the rest of him, only to reveal a mossy-looking mound underneath. “...And my brain has gone a bit fuzzy, I’m afraid!”

His audience, of course, had given him all the feedback he had been looking for, gasping as he did the impossible, only to laugh at his horrible pun, wiggling around and splashing their backs against the water as they held their fins over their stomachs. Discord gave Fluttershy a toothy grin.

“See? Animals love me.”

Fluttershy didn’t need to smile back, because she had never stopped smiling. She was already in love with her new oceanic friends. “I’m just glad to have them in my life again. But what do you need their help with?”

“Oh, you know…” Discord said nonchalantly, steepling his fingers together. “I only need them to help us get to the Neighyan Rainforest. You know, the huge one with all the old ruins, surrounded by the glory of nature and full of more flora and fauna than you can imagine? You know, that place.”

She gasped. “We’re near the Neighyan Rainforest?!? You’re taking me there?!?”

“Well, that only depends if our little friends here can help,” Discord said, a little louder this time. “Or we may never get to the Neighyan Rainforest, and that just wouldn’t be any fun at all! And if they did, I’d be more than happy to show them all I can do with my amazing, incredible magic!”

And once again, the dolphins took the bait; he could play them like a fiddle. 

“We know where that is!”

“It’s not too far if you go fast!”

“We’ll take you, and then you can show us your magic!”

“Yay, field trip!”

“Whoo!” 

“Really?” He egged on. “You’ll do that for me?” he said, blinking prettily with his hands clasped together. 

“For our fun new friends--” one said.

“--we’ll do anything!” another finished. 

“But don’t forget the show!” Ivory said, poking her outstretched tail at his stomach. “Don’t forget, you promised a fun show if we do it!”

“Oh, but of course. I would never think of lying to my dear rubbery mammal friends like that. I am far too noble for that. Take us there and you’ve got it. In fact, why wait?”

Discord snapped his fingers, and a bright light flashed, making Fluttershy squint her eyes as the dolphins gasped.

Sploosh! Her eyes closed completely as she rubbed the salt water off her face. When she felt safe enough to open them, she looked to see that she was the only Draconequus left…

Only for a dark brown dolphin with fairly bushy eyebrows and a tiny beard to pop out of the water. “So, are we leaving or what?” he said to the gaping dolphins. He lifted a fin out of the water to show them the large watch strapped to it, tapping at its face with his other fin. “I’m afraid we don’t have all day to lollygag around. That’s for later.”

The dolphins just stared at him for a moment before breaking out in an excited frenzy again.

“You can turn into a dolphin!”

“You can have fun just like us now!”

“Your magic did that? Amazing!”

“Let’s go then! Come on!”

They all started to swim, instructing Discord and Fluttershy to follow them, only for Discord to turn around. “Come along then, Draconequushy!” He waved to her with his tail before making a spectacular leap upward, laughing happily, and diving back downward.

Fluttershy just watched him, before realizing they were getting farther away, and rushed forward to catch up.

She had forgotten…

Draconequui can transform, can’t they? I could...I mean, I learned to fly using magic...Oh, but I’m sure it’s much too hard for me, and Discord said flying was one of the easier things to use magic for. Don’t you be getting a big head now, Fluttershy. You try to transform, and you’ll probably make yourself look silly! Or worse, I could hurt myself! No, no, I…

She looked longingly ahead as she watched Discord pal around with the other dolphins. Why hadn’t he changed her?

She continued following them, feeling left out.

She wondered what it would be like, to be able to not only talk to animals, but to be one of them. Specifically, the very ones she just befriended. The ocean was so big and majestic, practically tempting all who dared to look at it to jump in and explore it. But she wasn’t much of a swimmer, and she didn’t want to risk drowning as either a pony or a Draconequus. But a dolphin...Surely, if she turned into a dolphin, she’d be able to…

It would be so much fun…

It was all she could think of.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like, to live as other animals...and I’ve got the magic to do it, I just don’t know how!

She clenched her fists in frustration.

But I want to…

Discord laughed as he and all his fellows jumped over one another, making it a game. Fluttershy didn’t notice as his bright eyes, still yellow with bright red irises, glanced back at her numerous times, as if waiting for something.

Oh, I’m so tired of never being able to do exactly what I want to do, when I want to! I know that sounds selfish and obnoxious, but…

She began glowing.

But I don’t care! 





Discord had wondered if she could do it. After all, no one loved animals more than her, and the biggest part of any chaos spell was to simply want something. So if anyone could change form out of sheer willpower rather than years of practice...it was her.

So when he and the dolphins stopped at the sound of a magical flash, they turned around, and Discord had a smirk on his face.

“Wha…? Ahhhhh!”

Splash!

Discord dove underwater quickly to check and see how she would fare. He hoped that her transformation would immediately trigger the instincts to swim, but he couldn’t be sure. 
.
But he saw her sleek form rise up, and out came a bottlenose dolphin with pink skin.

“Oh my goodness!” she breathed, looking at herself as the dolphins behind her cheered.

“Now we’re all dolphins!”

“And you thought you weren’t as magical as he was! Haha!” Ivory barked in laughter.

Discord whipped his head around. “Hey! Just because she made her first transformation after having her magic for just a few days, doesn’t mean she’s at the same level as expertise as me!” he huffed, an indignant look on his face. “Ignorant little fat pads,” he murmured.

“I...I did it!” Fluttershy said, and her smile was as wide as he had ever seen it, alleviating his mood a bit. “I did it! But...how?” She looked to her mentor for an answer.

Discord just nonchalantly waved a tail at her. “There’s plenty of time for explanation later. For now, we’ve an ocean to explore and a rainforest to get to. So let’s ride!” He dove underwater, the dolphins barking in agreement.

Fluttershy laughed, and dove in after him.

She was in awe as she swam through the water, for the ocean was like a world she had never seen before. She recognized nearly all the marine life she found, though she still gasped in delight at everything she saw.

The eels poked out from corals and rocks on the sand, their eyes always shifting, cautious yet alert. A harem of rainbow parrotfish lounged on the seafloor or scraped on coral, the male watching his girls as he circled around. “You’re lucky I’m a guy now, ladies,” he boasted. “I never felt right as a female, anyway. This is what I was meant to be!”

His girls giggled. “Yes sir, yes sir, we love you.”

Discord grunted. “That guy has it good,” he mumbled.

“Parrotfish are fascinating, aren’t they?” she cooed. “Did you know that the male used to be female, but when the alpha male died, he...”

She continued to give him facts on the parrotfish until she saw a crowd of angelfish, singing like a beautiful choir that the dolphins danced to. They came across stingrays gliding across the ocean floor, warning them to stay away from their tails and asking them to rub their backs. Of course, Fluttershy was more than willing to do this for them, feeling their soft leathery skin. The ray also rubbed against her beak, curious to touch her. Discord brushed a few rays himself with the end of his tail.

The nurse sharks were there with the rays, most of them friendly and more than willing to have a nice chat with anyone who asked. Of course, Fluttershy wanted to talk with all of them, and Discord had to practically push her away from them to get her to keep going.

The trip took a little longer than expected due to Fluttershy’s fascination with every little thing around them, but they still made it early enough to make Discord satisfied. Discord had to take some time to entertain the dolphins with magic as they traveled anyway, so he wouldn’t have to pause and give them a show when they arrived. He used magic to make bubbles dance in the sea, put polka dots and stripes on those who wanted a bit of a makeover, and made tall corals into balloons that the dolphins bopped back and forth as a game. They finally came to the coast after Fluttershy observed some clownfish rubbing their mucous-covered skin against anemones, as Discord showed his audience what he looked like with two heads.

“Flutterphin!” Discord’s left head called. “We’re here, my dear! I know you’re dying to explore some more, but we can always come back another day…”

“Oh yes, we must! There’s still so much to see! Discord, this may just be one of the best days of my life!” she said. “I haven’t met so many different species in one day since I dropped from the sky during Rainbow’s race as a filly!”

Discord’s right head grinned. “Well, it won’t stop there! Just wait until you see the Neighyan Rainforest. You’ll be so amazed you’ll get lightheaded with enthusiasm! Now, let’s turn you back into a Draconequus, hmm?”

“Oh, well, okay...You’re not going to teach me how?”

“Like I said, I’ll explain it all later!” both his heads echoed, snapping his fin and causing another flash to envelop them both. They reappeared above the water, back as their Draconequui selves, and Discord gave a bow as the dolphins cheered. Fluttershy just blushed.

“Thank you dears, thank you!” Discord said. “Really, I deserve it, don’t I? Thank you!” 

Fluttershy gave him a slight nudge and a raised eyebrow, and Discord rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for the directions, too,” he added, with less feeling.

They all gave them their goodbyes, and of course Fluttershy had to hug and kiss them all, smooching them on their beaks as Discord stood on the nearby shore, tapping his foot in impatience. Really, what had he been thinking, showing her all these animals? Where was his attention?

And why was he so jealous all of a sudden? Oh, sure, sometimes he complained when he wanted Fluttershy to pay attention to him instead of her animals back at home, but that was always on purpose. But today, he had wanted to show her all the animals.

Now he wasn’t so sure.

After Fluttershy gave Ivory one last hug and kiss, promising to see her again and waving goodbye, she finally made her way to shore and gaped at the looming, swaying trees before her. “The rainforest…”

Discord shook himself out of his funk. “The Neighyan Forest, correctomundo!” Discord said. “So huge that it’s found in both Beleadze and Trotemala.”

“It’s beautiful…” she whispered. “Can we go in now?”

“Oho, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Though, I recommend we walk. The trees are rather thick. We could fly over the canopy, but methinks you’d rather see as much of it as possible?” He raised an expectant brow at her.

Suddenly Fluttershy laughed her confirmation, and took his paw in her hand, her fingers wrapped around his, and excitedly walked through.

Bugs immediately scattered as the two broke through the brush of the forest, beetles and wasps buzzing out of their way as spiders scuttled around their webs, hoping to make a meal out of the others. Fluttershy spotted a blue morpho butterfly as they came upon a clearer area, giggling as it landed on her nose. 

Discord just stared at their hands. He had forgotten that she had fingers, only for a moment...and how nice it was to hold them.

He smiled at her laughter and gave her hand a squeeze.

“If you think the butterflies are amazing enough, then wait until you see the rest of the wildlife here,” he said, and pointed forward. “We’ll see more the closer we get to the Neighyan Ruins, which is this way, if I recall.” He sighed as memories rushed through his mind. “It’s been too long since I’ve visited here. I used to come here all the time!”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up, his words piquing her interest. “When was the first time you came here?”

“Oh my, it’s been a while! Hm…” He stroked his beard with his other hand, squinting his eyes as he went through the file cabinets in his brain, the little Discords inside of it scrambling around, trying to find the correct memories.

“I think I was about 12 years old when I first came here, though I had stayed away from the temples at the time. And when I came back a few years later, everypony had left,” Discord said. “The Zebras who had lived there--”

“The Neighyans were Zebras?”

He laughed. “Ohoho, yes, they most certainly were. And let me tell you a little something, my dear...Those Zebras weren’t quite like your rhythmic friend Zecora; at least, not while they lived here. Why, they didn’t even know that ponies were the ones to raise the sun and the moon. But then again…” He scratched his head. “Ponies didn’t really come around here until a few hundred years later, and we’re so far into the forest that I doubt we’ll see any ponies from the cities. They have to travel by boat to get here, and tours of the ruins are only really offered in the summertime.”

“What made the Zebras abandon the temples?”

“I’m not quite sure, really. There are speculations, ones that I’m sure Twilight would be happy to tell you about. Personally, I think they just got tired of the bugs,” he said, waving his hand at a nearby fly hovering in front of his face. 

She giggled, and they eventually unclasped their hands in order to push back branches and maneuver around plants. Fluttershy did her best not to disturb any of the beautiful fauna of the forest, while Discord was more than happy to stomp on flowers or ‘accidentally’ whack at a bush with his tail. 

As the trail widened, Fluttershy marveled at the tall trees and the colorful flowers around her, laughing as she poked at the Mimosa plants that curled inward when touching them. Discord teased her, saying the fern was just as shy as she was, earning a poke in the side as he did so.

“Ooh, Fluttershy, so violent!” he teased, before he felt another poke on his other side that really did cause him to yelp. “Ow! Fluttershy! You know it was just a joke, sheesh.”

But the giant smile on her face wasn’t from annoying Discord. Rather, it was from the spider monkey that had hid behind Discord, who held a stick and poked him. Fluttershy waved a hand and giggled.

“Look behind you Discord; you made a friend.”

“Hmm?” Poke. “Ow!” He whipped his head behind him and saw the perpetrator, who was chittering in laughter at the funny face of the strange creature before him. More heads poked out from the surrounding vegetation, and they began to laugh as well. Discord’s scowl soon turned into a smile.

“You laugh now, little monkeys, you laugh now…”

He murmured this quietly enough that Fluttershy didn’t notice. He had been waiting for a small reprimand from her, only to turn around and see that he no longer had to bring her to the animals...They were coming to her.

There she was, sitting under a ray of sunshine that had somehow managed to break through the canopy, laying on her stomach as numerous animals made their way to her. She had the gentlest yet happiest of smiles on her face, giggling as a spider monkey stroked her hair curiously, even bringing it up to his nose and giving it a sniff. He then began to babble in excitement. Apparently, he approved of her shampoo.

A few Howler monkeys greeted her as well, making Discord’s ears hurt with their loud screeching, and Fluttershy was more than happy to bring a baby Howler into her arms and nuzzle against it. Two hummingbirds appeared, taking long tendrils of her hair and braiding it together, while a Toucan rested on her antler, showing off his beak to all around him. Fluttershy looked as if she were in heaven, greeting them all and learning all their names.

Discord watched in awe as even more animals joined in on greeting her. Even a tapir and an ocelot joined the party, and all the animals seemed to get along fine as they played with their new friend. Was it always this easy for her to get along with animals? He had never really seen her approach new creatures before. He had heard tales, of course--he wished more than anything that he had been there when she had shouted at a dragon and made him cry--but he had never experienced it beforehand. The animals in her cottage didn’t count; they had known her already.

But these animals had never met her, or anything like the two of them, before. And yet they did not hesitate to approach her, with some animals offering her gifts such as flowers and fruits of the forest. The ocelot even gave her a lick on the cheek, making her smile so hard that he thought it would freeze there.

She was like a character from a foal’s fairytale, it seemed. The sunlight that fell upon her seemed to double that effect, making her coat shine and her hair glimmer as the hummingbirds tied off her new braid with a bit of vine. She thanked them for such beautiful work before she caught Discord staring at her.

He, of course, hadn’t realized that he had been doing so, and looked away, his face suddenly feeling a bit warm. 

“Um, Discord…? Is everything all right?”

Discord scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against a tree. “I’m fine, my dear. I just never realized how...natural you were at this.” He spread his hands apart in her direction. “I mean, look at you! You’re practically a little forest nymph. Have you always gotten animals to approach you so easily? Because I’ve never…”

He found himself trailing off, realizing that he enjoyed the sight of her surrounded by fluffy furballs and creatures of all types. It was more than just seeing her extremely happy that made it fulfilling. But the fact was...he had never really seen something like this before. For foreign creatures to just so easily accept her…

It only took one day for her to befriend me. They remind me a bit of...myself…

He remembered that day as clearly as the ice he had covered the pond with, all that time ago. How her angry, frustrated face had set him off, inspiring his own anger, before he realized how much he had enjoyed her attention, her kindness, her hospitality…

And none of the animals had approached him with such trust or gentility. He stood alone as all the animals surrounded her. That was, until a blue morpho butterfly landed on his arm. He looked down at it in wonder.

“You’ve never what?”

“Hmm?” Discord brought his gaze back to her, the sudden movement causing the butterfly to take off, only to land on Fluttershy’s ear.

“You never finished your sentence. Why are you…” Her face blushed slightly, and she broke eye contact. “You’re watching me...Why? Are you bored, or…?”

He blinked. “Well, I’ll admit that standing here gaping at you isn’t quite what I had in mind,” he said, trying to be nonchalant as he panicked inwardly. What in the world was he doing? “But I must say...I’ve never really seen wild creatures approach another with such…” 

His voice quieted a bit. “Such trust…”

Fluttershy stopped being bashful at the sound of his honesty. For some strange reason, the sound of his voice and the way he held himself...His head was dipped toward the ground, and without knowing it, the palm of his paw was laid on his heart, making her think of the moment he changed Sweet Apple Acres back to normal to gain Fluttershy’s friendship back. It was an experience of deja vu that made her get back on her legs, allowing her new friends to scatter as she did so, and approach him slowly.

He was out of his stupor as he felt a paw on his small shoulder, and he looked back at her.

“Would you like to be trusted too?”

Because I think you need it.

She turned around, flashing a sweet smile at the animals that waited for her a few feet away.. “This is my very good friend, Discord,” she said softly, keeping her paw on him to show he was safe to be around. “He’s actually the one who brought me here, because he’s such a big sweetheart.”

Discord just stared at her. What in the world was she trying to prove? Oh, sure, he was still blushing a little, but that was no reason to assume he was growing that soft now, was he? He crossed his arms.

“Now, Fluttershy, what exactly makes you think that I want a bunch of cute little fuzz-for-brains around me? That’s your thing, not--hmm?”

He felt a weight upon his head and looked up to see a large colorful beak and two small black eyes staring back at him. “Check out this beak. Pretty nice, hmm?” the toucan sang.

“Can we braid your beard?” the hummingbirds asked.

Numerous monkeys made their way over to him and began picking at the fur on his back and neck, looking for bugs. Discord made an irritated face. “What do I look like, a rotten log?”

Fluttershy just giggled. “They can’t help it, they’re just curious. See, they’re doing it with me too.” She gestured towards a small capuchin and a larger Howler picking at her own fur. One found a small beetle nestled in her neck and chucked it into his mouth with a large crunching sound. 

Discord just shook his head and groaned, trying his best to look annoyed. Fluttershy knew better though; she could tell he was enjoying the attention, and how easy it was for her to get the animals to befriend him.

Has he ever gotten along with creatures before? Or ponies, before he was turned to stone? I wonder…

“Well, as enchanting and exhilarating as that was,” Discord said, gently pushing the monkeys off his body and poking at the Toucan until he flew off of him, “can we please go now? I’ve so much more to show you! The ruins, the waterfall…!”

“Waterfall? You didn’t tell me about a waterfall”!

“That’s after the ruins!” He grinned. “Come on, come on! The little squirts can join us, if they must.”

He then grabbed her hand again, and at that moment, he could just feel himself relax a bit more, and his smile become a little bit more genuine. 

Ah, yes.

Much better.





It took them about an hour to finally get to the clearing where huge temples stood--big triangles of rock with flat tops and layered steps, giving it a staggered look. The true stairs, however, each went up the front of each temple, narrow and less than pristine, leading to a small square building at the top of each structure. A lot of the rock had worn down with age, and many of the steps seemed to be in the process of crumbling apart. 

They were surrounded by smaller huts and structures, some which, Discord explained, had been residential areas or smaller temples. It was one of the largest and oldest civilization sites in all of Equestria.

Fluttershy just gaped at the large temples. “The Zebras didn’t even have magic to build these... but they’re so tall…”

“Yes, well, even ancient Zebras were overly dedicated to their royalty. That’s what the big ones are for, anyway. Places for fancy schmancy kings and queens and princesses and whatnot. The little ones were just for commoners. Because who cares about them, hmm?”

Fluttershy was too busy taking in the sites, her new animal friends minding their own business or playing with Fluttershy’s tail as she did so. 

“It’s incredible...and you found these?”

“I did, though I didn’t intrude until after the Zebras left. I liked the view, and it was a nice getaway from the rain.” Discord pointed to the second tallest one. “I used to sleep in that one.”

Fluttershy titled her head. “I always thought you’d be the kind to pick the tallest one.”

Discord shook his head. “Too big. Too many steps. And back then, I was so much smaller, and I, well…” He gave a chuckle. “I had my limits back then, even with heights.”

Fluttershy smiled. "That's kind of...cute."

Discord nodded. "Of course it is. But I’ll have you know that I’ve long since gotten over my fear of heights.” 

She gave a giggle. It was also kind of cute when he got defensive, like a foal insisting he wasn’t a baby anymore. “I know, Discord. I’ve seen you fly on a rocket before, remember?”

“Good, as long as you know. Anywho…”

Blushing, he made his way over to the second temple. “There’s not much up there anymore. There used to be ceremonial artifacts and whatnot, but ponies have long since taken them. A shame, really. There used to be some ceremonial furs here that I used for blankets. Anywho, shall we make our way up?”

He snapped his fingers and reappeared in safari gear, dressed like Daring Do and tugging on a rope that magically appeared on the steps. “You can fly up there, but I prefer the hard way.”

Fluttershy backpedaled as Discord made a single step, watching as a small bit of a step crumble beneath his feet, though he didn’t lose his footing. “Um, I think I’ll just...meet you up there?”

“Oh, come on, Flutters! Live a little! Be the Azuihotl to my Daring Do! I mean, sure, they’re enemies, but I’m sure they get together on weekends a few times, just to lighten it up a bit,” he said, one hand still on the rope while the other wiggled his fingers at her. 

“N-No, I think I’ll just...practice my flying more, sorry, see you up top!”

She zoomed upward before he could get another word in and he huffed. Pffft. So much for that.

But no matter; he shook his head, and with an exaggerated look of epic determination, he eyed Fluttershy as she made it to the top and began to make his way there. He was rather fast making the climb, and he couldn’t help but huff his chest up a little as he watched Fluttershy watch him in return. He could tell she was worried for him, despite the fact that he was a powerful magic wielder, but he could also see a spark of awe in her.

Discord was a proud creature, but Fluttershy had a tendency to double that effect, making him feel even more spectacular than usual. He always liked that about their friendship, and he gave her a cocky smile as he made his way up.

“All in a day’s work,” Discord boasted, tipping his hat at her as Fluttershy gave a sigh of relief and a smile. Really, she had no idea how he managed to do so many daring things, magic or not. But it was impressive, either way. He didn’t have a bead of sweat on him.

“You were so busy watching me that I’ll bet you didn’t even notice the drawings on the door.” He pointed to the entrance of the tiny building that topped the square, flat pyramid, and Fluttershy turned to see a beautiful, yet faded, etching of what looked like Zebras of times passed, gathered in a crowd and surrounding a Zebra with a crown and a cutie mark of ivy that didn’t just cover her flank, but her entire body. She had the most dzilla rings on her neck, but all the etched Zebras possessed them.

It was beautiful, in a style that greatly resembled the bold, sharp lines of Zecora’s cutie mark. “This is…?”

“The queen this temple was dedicated to, yes. They moved all of her things out of here, but it used to belong to her as a tribute. I don’t know what her name was, but I used to spy on them. It seems the Royal Zebras were the only ones that could speak to Earth magic, unlike Zecora’s brethren from Afriquagga, where all of them could. But it’s where I began to learn about it.”

“But I thought you said you avoided them.”

Discord’s mouth quirked up slightly. “Avoided them enough to spy, yes.”

Fluttershy laughed again, though she couldn’t help but ignore a small pain in her heart. She knew he liked to spy on others--heck, he probably invented spying. But she knew, deep down, that there was more to it than that. He didn’t just hide so he could spy on ponies or zebras. No; there was something else there, something he wasn’t revealing.

But what?

She returned her gaze back at him and was surprised to find Discord putting his hands on the etchings, his fingers brushing against the light engravings of the old life.

“I used to spy on them...I watched them live. They weren’t exactly the most exciting of creatures, but I would watch the foals play, and their parents with them. They were an interesting bunch, and the queen herself was especially curious. You know, her cutie mark didn’t really cover her entire body.” He smirked. “She told her subjects that it was au naturale, but in reality, she secretly painted it. Her cutie mark had an open end of ivy that she continued with paint to wrap all around her. Her servants would help her do so. Even the king didn’t know the truth.” He laughed. “She was a clever old gal.”

“What happened to her?”

Fluttershy instantly regretted the question as a sad look passed over him for a moment. He looked back at the drawing, and brushed his fingers across it one last time.

“I don’t know. Like I said, there are theories. But once I came back a second time, wondering what they were up to...They were gone. Nopony else knows either. And Zecora certainly won’t know, seeing as how she descended from the other side of the world. But I always wondered…”

Discord gave a sigh, and spoke before he could stop himself. It was soft, a whisper, words to himself that he didn’t mean to share. But it was said nonetheless, and Fluttershy’s ears twitched as he said them, his tone pulling at her heart.

“...What happened to them...and whether it really matters or not.”

At that, he bowed his head, his ears flopped down. He himself had forgotten how upset he had been, all those years ago, when he had returned to find ruins instead of a bustling society of exotic Zebras, laughing and dancing and brewing potions, telling stories to their foals of their ancestors and of worlds above…

He wanted to growl at himself then and there. Who cared? The past was the past, and they were gone. Whether they had moved on and flourished somewhere else, or had all died of some horrible illness, or had gotten foalnapped by Mulella Deville, it didn’t matter. Nothing that had happened thousands of years ago mattered! 

Nothing. 

He felt a softness on his shoulder, and raised his face to look at her.

“Of course it matters.”

She put her hand on his other shoulder, her arm around him as she turned to gaze on the ruinous city around them. “This city...It’s beautiful, even now, after all this time. And it wasn’t always here. And if it hadn’t been for the Zebras who lived here, it never would have. You and I wouldn’t be here together like this, and I wouldn’t be learning these things about you. They made a special place here, an entire world, just for them. It’s no alternate dimension, I know, but...that doesn’t make it any less special. They’re a part of history...a part of the world. Even if no one remembered them, well...That wouldn’t mean that they didn’t exist. That they didn’t live their lives, laughing and learning and crying and loving others. Nothing can take that away from them.”

Another soft touch, this time on the jaw, and his face was gently turned towards her again.

“We learn about the past and why things happened so we can learn from it. You know that. And even if you never learn what happened to them, or where they went, that’s okay. Just the fact that you remember them, and want to know what happened, makes it important. What anypony else thinks doesn’t matter. Though…”

She then gave him a sheepish smile. “I have a hard time remembering that part, sometimes.”

Discord chuckled. Of course Fluttershy would sit there and give a deep, heartfelt speech such as that, only to end it with a guilty look on her face as if she had done something wrong. “I think we all do, just a bit.”

He could see in her eyes that she took this as a good sign--that her words had made him feel better, that they had made some progress.

But as a master of disguise and manipulation, she didn’t see that his smile was a lie; that his laugh had nothing to do with what he really thought of the past. More specifically...his own.

She still didn’t understand.

Was she supposed to? Was that a part of it?

And if it was, then...was he keeping her from turning back into a pony?

This thought brought a sort of guilty feeling in his stomach, and he shook it off. No. There was no way. His past surely couldn’t be that important. Not enough to keep Fluttershy asymmetrical for the rest of her life. No; she could understand him plenty without knowing any of that. He wouldn’t need to force himself to show her the wounds that were more than skin-deep. He was entitled to some privacy anyway, wasn’t he? After all, everypony had a secret or two.

Or several, like him.

Actually, he wasn’t sure how many. He had never bothered to keep count. And he certainly wasn’t going to try now.

So he stuffed his troubled thoughts away, back into the dusty tombs of his mind, and brought her in close for a hug. He knew social protocol called for a ‘thank you’, for some feedback on how her wisdom would forever impact his view of the world. But that simply wasn’t true, and he said nothing. But she seemed more than happy just to hug him back.

There was no time to dwell on the Zebras and times past gone. It was time for the next thing, and after showing her the rest of the abandoned city for a while, telling her stories of the things he’d watched the Zebras do, he wiped the sweat on his brow with a satin pink hankie before suggesting their last destination for the day.

“So…”

He turned and gave her a grin. "Ready for a little dip in the jungle?”





It was so beautiful that she wondered, not for the first time that day, how any living thing could live in such a place without losing their breath in awe every time they looked around their world. Tropical birds called for each other in lovely song as she looked at water so teal in color that she wondered if it was even water at all. She dipped her hand in the pool as she felt herself relax at the sound of her new avian friends, along with the rush of the waterfall just several yards away from her. 

It was so pristine, so perfect. How in the world were they the only two there that day? And why would anyone ever want to leave it?

“OH FLUTTERNUTTER!”

Looking up, she gave a giggle as she looked to the top of the waterfall, only to see Discord standing proudly in his vintage swimsuit, a one piece with straps, decorated in stripes of white and orange. He waved at her excitedly.

“You sure you don’t want to join me?! I promise there’s only a slight chance of you bellyflopping into the water and breaking in two! About 50.5 percent!”

Already feeling a drop of sweat beginning to slide down her forehead, she shook her head. “Um, I’ll pass, thank you! Please be careful!” she called back, glad his ears were sharp enough to hear her weak calls. 

She could see him shrug. “Oh fine! Your loss then! GERONIMO!”

The animals that had joined them  by the waterfall chirped and howled and clapped as Discord made his swooping, swirling jump. He whooped in joy as he twisted his body round and round as he fell, only to straighten his body into a perfect dive seconds before crashing into the water. Fluttershy laughed as the water splashed all over her, her eyes closed to shield her eyes as she clapped and cheered for him.

He returned to the surface seconds after impact. With only his head peeking out of the water, he grinned and shot water out of his mouth like a gun, with a group of monkeys as his target. The monkeys screeched in alarm at the sudden assault, and were quick to jump in the water in pursuit of him. Discord merely cackled in mock laughter as he began to make his escape, trying to avoid the slaps and splashes the monkeys made after him.

Smiling at Discord’s joy, Fluttershy bent her neck over the pool of the waterfall, twisting her hair and squeezing the water from it. She hummed to herself for a moment, enjoying the fresh air and the sound of nature all around her, until she opened her eyes again and jumped at the creature staring back at her.

“Oh! Who--?” 

Then a drip of water fell from the pink tresses nestled in the clutch of her paw. It broke the creature up as it landed in the water, causing the pool to ripple and quake for a second before making itself still again.

Fluttershy blushed at herself, watching her cheeks redden as she stared at her own reflection.

Oh...That’s...Of course. Oh, I’m such a silly filly! Scaring myself like that, when all it is, is my…

She bent her neck out again to get a better look at herself. There she was...or something similar to herself, at least. Something that had the same hair and eyes, with a voice that matched hers exactly. But this…

This still wasn’t her. The neck was too long, the nostrils too big. The antler and antenna stuck out of her head like sore thumbs, appendages that didn’t belong there. She looked awkward, she looked strange, she looked...

Not like a Pegasus.

Suddenly she felt as if she could feel the magic inside of her body, the magic that came from a some mysterious magical power that had chosen her as its target. She had used it and she had manipulated it for her own gain, flying with an expertise she didn’t truly have, and transforming into things she wasn’t supposed to be. It suddenly felt as if she had a foreign substance in her body; her warped, mismatched body that didn’t belong to her, a virus that she needed to get out before she became a masked ghost of herself.

The thing in her reflection wasn’t her. It was never her. It was just a reminder of what she had lost, and what she needed to do to get it back. 

But what if it never gets done? What if I never understand Discord, the way I’m supposed to understand him? she began to think in panic. The way I want to understand him? We failed before; we could very well fail again! I could...I could lose not only him, but myself too, and become...what? What would I be, if I fail? Can I even be an Element again, if my powers are disharmonious? And what about the rest of Equestria? My best friends can accept me, but they see me in a way most ponies don’t. Goodness, not even I see myself the way my friends do, not all the time! Discord doesn’t even feel comfortable enough to tell me anything too personal about his life. What sort of progress have we really made with that? I’ve learned some things, but...nothing about him! What is all this really for, anyway? 

Her breathing quickened, and she put her cool, amphibious hand to her chest. Maybe this was a mistake. We shouldn’t be here. We need to solve this problem. I’m just fooling myself. I can’t fly. I can’t perform magic by myself. I can’t turn into animals. This isn’t who I am. I need to be me, before this all ends up getting out of hoof, and ohhhhhhh dear oh dear oh dear oh dear oh--

“I know. It takes my breath away too, ohohoho~”

Her breathing slowed a bit at the sound of his voice, her ears perking towards him as she looked to see Discord lying on his stomach beside her. His chin rested on the knuckle of his paw as he looked at his own reflection, right beside hers.

“Hello, handsome. Oh, it’s been too long since I’ve seen you,” he purred, sticking out a talon and ghosting his reflection’s chin. “I missed you. Did you miss me?”

Fluttershy watched as his reflection moved of it’s own accord, and gasped as it spoke back to him. “Oh, you know I did, you glorious devil you. Oooh, and are those polished nails I see?” it cooed, looking at Discord’s talons. “I think I see my reflection in them!”

“A reflection of a reflection of myself, you say? Oh, we’d best be careful then. We don’t want to overwhelm dear Fluttershy over here with a triple dose of stud muffin, you know. She has a delicate appetite.”

His reflection nodded. “That’s true. And we’re nothing if not sensitive to the needs of others, wouldln’t you say?”

“Why, I couldn’t agree more, Reflecticord, I really couldn’t. And do you know what I think Miss Flutterbuddy needs now, more than anything?”

Reflecticord gasped in mock horror. “Surely, you don’t mean...?”

“Surely, I do. I think that she needs a little…”

Suddenly Fluttershy felt a grip on her arm, and only saw Discord’s dastardly grin before he tipped himself over the water.

“SWIM!”

SPLOOSH! Down she went, quickly huffing in a quick breath of air before she plunged into the depths below, her hair tumbling in after her and swirling around as she opened her eyes under the water. Rays of light poured from the surface, bubbles from her fall reflecting rainbows as they made their way back to the world above. 

She turned her head, her cheeks still puffed out and filled with air. Where was Discord?

Scrambling to break the surface, she swam upward and gasped for breath as she looked around. “Discord? Discord, where are you…?”

“Look up and find out!”

She did as she was told and there he was, floating above her, lounging casually inside of a bubble. She looked around to see that the pool was now covered in them, as if they were taking a warm bubble bath instead of a refreshing dip in the middle of a beautiful, ancient jungle. 

“I hate to burst your bubble Fluttershy, but seeing you mope as you look at yourself really doesn’t become you. Though I’ll admit, I wasn’t exactly Mr. Sunshine back at the temple. Silly me, getting caught up in the nostalgia of it all. But you helped me then, so now I can return the favor.”

He  reached his arm through the bubble, though it didn’t break as it popped out. He reached for her.

“Care for a ride? It’s safe, I promise! As safe as those hot air balloons you ponies are so fond of.”

Her eyes lost their light at the mention of ponies. “But I’m not a pony. I...probably wouldn’t even fit into a hot air balloon now.”

But Discord didn’t let her mood stop him. He gently took her hand and pulled her up. She didn’t even protest as he brought her in, the bubble closing behind her as she landed on his lap. She blushed at the closeness, but Discord didn’t seem to care as he poked at her nose.

“Oh, I’m sure you could squeeze into one if you really needed to. Which you don’t, seeing as how you fly well enough now.”

“But that’s not--”

He gently caught her lips between two fingertips. “But you know what else you aren’t anymore, Fluttershy? A dolphin. You managed to turn yourself into one earlier, remember? And yet, here you are, a Draconequus yet again. And I’ll bet you still don’t know how you managed to do that.”

By the look on her face, he could tell he was right. In fact, her widened eyes seemed to tell him that she had forgotten about that mystery altogether. He let go of her mouth and let her speak again.

“That’s right! I did turn into a dolphin. But you said that transformations were hard, that it took you a long time to learn it . So how was I able to do that?”

Discord gave her his signature smirk. “Simply because...you wanted to.”

He could practically hear her eyes blinking in confusion. Blink blink.  “Huh?”

“Desire is a very powerful thing, Fluttershy.” He leaned his head back and used his arms as a pillow as he rested against the bubble. “Why do you think you find villains so hard to beat when you and our little friends go up against them?”

“Um, because they’re scary?” An image of Chrysalis and her love-sucking cronies popped into her mind, and a shiver went down her spine. Ooh, they had been the worst.

 Discord scoffed. “Pffft, no. No, the answer is because most villains want something so much that they’re willing to do anything to get it.” 

He scratched his chin in thought. “Well, that, and they usually have some sort of power to aid them in their conquests. But the desire and power fuel each other, and make each other stronger.”

He leaned forward with a slight glow in his eyes as he poked her nose again. “And the reason it’s hard for them to beat you in return...is because you and the others want something else just as much, if not more so, than them. Desire is what makes things happen, Fluttershy. If you don’t want anything at all, not even the slightest bit, then you do nothing. But everyone wants something, at least to some degree.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Okay, but...what does that have to do with chaos magic?”

“Oh, it has everything to do with magic, Fluttershy, absolutely everything!” he said, tipping her chin up towards him. “Fluttershy, I am chaos. You are chaos. But it’s best to think of our chaos as its own entity, as if it doesn’t belong to us. For chaos isn’t meant to belong to anyone or anypony, and we don’t control it.”

“Because it wouldn’t be chaos if we could control it, wouldn’t it?” Fluttershy said. 

He grinned. “Yes, exactly! Chaos can’t be tamed. Oh, no. No no no no no. Not when our magic is pure and utter chaos. No. What we do...is manipulate it. And the best way to do that is to make it want what you want.”

He saw her forehead crinkle, and knew she was about to question his words, and continued before she could throw a million and one questions at him. “But it’s not as easy as it sounds, not at first. You’re new at this Fluttershy. And, since we’re speaking as if your magic were it’s own being, well...Let’s just say it needs to be really convinced before it starts listening to you. And I mean really convinced. It’s the most stubborn type of power there is, second to that of a unicorn foal’s. Take me for example.”

He pointed at himself. “I had to learn to manipulate it for at least a thousand years before I really started becoming a pro. Now, my chaos just follows my lead, because, well, as a matter of speaking...It’s grown to love my ideas. It...trusts me, in a manner of speaking. I don’t have to focus on wanting something as much as you do to get it to work. My magic listens to my ideas far more diligently than yours does.”

“So...I manipulated my magic...to make me into a dolphin?”

“Yes. That, and transformation can be considered a form of disharmony. For some things, you have to think of how what you want could be considered chaotic, but this time it wasn’t needed, so it’s besides the point.” He pointed at her. “Tell me, Fluttershy. What were you thinking when it happened? How’d you feel, when you watched me frolic with all our dolphin friends as if I were one of their own? Were you jealous?”

He snaked himself around her. “Did you feel left out and want to join in?”

He turned so that his forehead was against hers. “Were your thoughts focused solely on how much you wanted to join us, but not as a draconequus, not as a pony, but as one of them? One of the animals you’ve dedicated your entire life to? Did you suddenly realize that the impossible dream to be anything you wanted to be, any animal you wanted to become, was suddenly possible?”

Her irises grew big, shocked at how accurate his words were. “Yes…”

“Of course you did, my yellow-y noodle friend. Of course you did,” he whispered. “And in that moment, was there anything else in the world you wanted, besides being a dolphin? Did you want anything else? After all, most of the time, everyone wants more than one thing. You can want something to eat while also wanting a nap at the same time, or ask for more than one present for Hearth’s Warming. But at that moment...What did you want?”

“I just...I just wanted to be a dolphin. I wanted to be a dolphin, and nothing else. I...I didn’t…”

“So…” He put his arm around her, his tail and lower torso still loosely wrapped around her arms and chest. “You didn’t think about how you wanted to understand me more? Or how much you wanted to turn back into a pony? Or how good the taste of a juicy hayburger would be? Nothing else?”

She shook her head fervently as the gears in her mind churned at full speed. “No. I couldn’t think of anything else. It was the only thing I could think about, it was all I could focus on. I...I get it…”

Her mouth stretched into a smile, the light returning to her eyes. “I get it, Discord...It’s not very often that I want just one thing and nothing else. That’s why my magic gets out of hoof sometimes, doesn’t it?!? Because a lot of the time, it’s because I’m frightened, and I want the magic to stop, but at the same time, I want to be a pony again, or I want you to help me, or…!”

She gasped. “And when you taught me how to fly! And think of a magnet. That was just another way of...of manipulating my magic, wasn’t it? In a way, I made it ‘want’--” She made quotations with her fingers. “--to act like a magnet and make me fly, right?”

“That’s right. That, and the fact that you know so much about dolphins themselves--their habits, their movements, their way of communication, and all that jazz, well…” He shrugged. “That just made the transformation all the easier for you. It’s harder to turn into something you don’t know much about. But you’re an animal expert, so turning into a dolphin was a perfect spell for you to use. And you know what else you’re rather good at, Fluttershy?”

“What?” she asked innocently, only to feel his cool talons rub the top of her head, tousling the hair in front of her antler and antenna.

“Being a friend, and being a pony. Which is why I’m confident that you’ll manage to break this spell that’s been put on you.”

He tipped her chin again to look at her. “So there’s no need for you to mope so much at your own reflection, Fluttershy. You’ll get your wish and you’ll be a happy yellow bird horse again in no time, I’m sure of it. And besides, it’s not as if we haven’t made any progress on this trip. After all, now you understand my magic a bit more. And that’s always good, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but…”

“But nothing. You told me yourself that I shouldn’t dwell on the past and mope about it. Instead, you wanted me to embrace it and consider it important. Well, right now, I consider everything we’ve done today important, and we had some great buddy-buddy time, didn’t we? And if that didn’t make us closer, then we might as well handcuff our arms together if we ever hope to turn you back. Besides, the day is mostly over anyway, and tomorrow we’ll go right back to where we left off.”

Fluttershy found it hard to argue with that. It was true that this was still one of the best days of her life, despite its few setbacks and her situation. And while it was a very small glimpse of it, Fluttershy did learn something of Discord’s past.

But it still wasn’t enough, and she had a feeling knowing more about it was essential in breaking the Wishing Well’s spell.

He came here when he was 12 years old…

Which reminded her of something. Pinkie Pie. Discord’s birthday. What had that been all about?

She thought of back in the ruins, and how vague Discord had been about his own past, but more than willing to tell her about the Zebras and what he knew of them. 

“Discord, when do you think you’ll be able to…”

She stopped as she looked at Discord, who was blowing raspberries at some confused birds flying outside the bubble. Instead of scolding him for teasing the poor birds, however, she gave a sigh. No. There was no point in bringing it up now. She had told herself during the flight here that she was going to try to stop worrying and enjoy the moment more, just as Discord did, and she had already struggled with it. They could talk about the difficult things later, and just enjoy the day now.

Or rather, the night, she noted as she looked at the darkening sky.

“Yeeeeeeeeeees?”

He was in her face again, interrupting her thoughts. Oh, right. She had been in the middle of asking him a question…

“...Um, what I meant to ask was...Do you think we can set up camp now? It’s getting darker.”

“Good point! We should get started right away! And what better way to start than with a pop?”

“Wait, Discord, why don’t we just--!?”

But he unsheathed his talons and stabbed the side of the bubble, and this time, it didn’t stay intact.

Pop!

“GERONIMO! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”





Fluttershy ended up drying faster thanks to Discord’s fire, though he also was thoughtful enough to offer her a towel as well. Numerous animals lay around where they set up camp, and the ocelot from earlier laid happily in Fluttershy’s arms after lapping her face dry from water. It purred as she sat him in her lap and pet him.

Of course, Discord didn’t apologize at all for sending them plunging into the cold water after their flight in the bubble, but no one had gotten hurt, and he had made it up to her by helping her dry from the fire. The hummingbirds were fussing over her messy hair again, braiding it even tighter together in hopes of making it last longer. 

And besides, the birds themselves were doing just a fine job of scolding Discord all on their own.

“We worked so hard on this and you just had to mess it up!” one hummingbird scolded at Discord, making a bow at the end of the braid with another piece of vine. Her name was Orchid. “We hardly ever get to play with anyone’s hair, you know!”

Discord rolled his eyes as he handed Fluttershy a haydog to roast in the fire. “Which just goes to show that you should be thanking me, since now you get to braid her hair all over again. You’re welcome.”

“But this time it was so much heavier because it was soaked!” she argued back. “And she had bits of dirt and dandruff everywhere, thanks to you sending her headfirst into the water! Don’t you care about her at all?!?”

“I care for her puh-lenty, thankyouverymuch!” Discord barked back. “In fact, that’s how I show my affection, you annoying little nectar needle. By constantly throwing them into pools of water.” He threw a grin at Fluttershy. “Oh, you must feel so loved, Flutterbuddy!”

Fluttershy laughed lightly at both Discord and the hummingbirds. It was hard to tell with their dark little eyes, but she was pretty sure the three were rolling their eyes. “That’s no way to show affection! You should show her you care by hugging, or giving her flowers, or something!”

Discord growled. “I hug her all the time, you’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I even kissed her on the cheek the other day, and that was only after she did the same to me. So there."

The hummingbirds froze at that, and Fluttershy’s braid was let go of by the others as the three looked at each other. “Oh! Really, it’s like that? Oh, sweetie…” Orchid began.

She looked at Fluttershy and put a wing to her beak. “You could do sooooo much better.”

Fluttershy let out a squeaky ‘eep’ at her suggestion. “Oh, nonono, that’s not what he meant, it was entirely out of friendship, r-really!”

The second hummingbird, Zippa, landed on her shoulder and crossed her wings. “And the two of you took a trip together alone? Is that normal?”

“We don’t do normal,” Discord added after gulping down a haydog in one bite. “That’s sort of my thing, if you knew any better. And for now, it’s her thing too. And by the way…” He glared at Orchid. “She could not do any better than me. I’m as good as it gets! Don’t fill poor little Fluttershy’s head with lies. She’ll only be disappointed when she goes out and sees that other stallions are completely bland when compared to me.”

“Um, I, uh…” Fluttershy stuttered.

“And what makes you so sure of that?”

“Because I’m magnificent.”

“And no one else is? Oh, you poor deluded creature, you’ll lose her faster than you know if you keep that attitude up.”

“You’re the deluded one! You don’t even know me, you puffed up excuse of a bird.” 

He picked up a raw haydog and ripped a piece off with his teeth, not even bothering to roast it. And Fluttershy could see that he was really getting irritated now. 

“Girls!” Fluttershy squeaked, grabbing their attention before anything else could be said. “Thank you for doing my hair again, but....”

A yawn escaped from her before she could finish, and the birds nodded. “Oh, of course, where are our manners?" said Orchid.

“They’re nonexistent,” Discord mumbled. 

They all just ignored him as they bid each other farewell, with Fluttershy promising to say goodbye to them in the morning. The ocelot followed them sleepily, giving Fluttershy one last goodnight lick before making his way through the forest back home.

Fluttershy then yawned again, and put a paw to her mouth to cover it. Discord conjured up a blanket for her to lay on, and she was just about to lay there when Discord stopped her.

“If you think I’m going to pass up this opportunity, then you’re quite wrong,” he informed her. “After all, it’s not every day that you’re long enough to wrap yourself around me.”

Fluttershy cocked her head, a little more alert now. “What do you mean?”

“Well, don’t you recall the nights I’d stay over, and we’d fall asleep on the floor, with me wrapped around your little pony self?” he asked, rotating his pointer talon in a circle. 

Fluttershy did remember. In fact, it had been during the colder months, when she would set up a fire on the hearth inside her home, and they’d lounge there after some tea and sandwiches. He would wrap himself securely around her in coils, and Fluttershy always felt so warm and safe as she sat in the middle, with Discord’s face always being the last thing she saw before falling asleep.

“Of course I do.”

“Well, you always complimented me for being so furry and comfortable, and you always slept so soundly. Sometimes I was actually envious of you, for having me as your personal blanket! After all, it’s not like there was a Draconequus around to wrap around me…”

And Fluttershy knew immediately what he wanted as soon as he gave her that cocky look, his lips stretching wide to show off his pearly whites.

Snap!

The sound of his fingers was the loudest thing in the forest before he reappeared as a stallion pony, with a dark gray coat and a tornado for a cutie mark. His smile was the same.

“So, if those hummingbirds really want us to hug and whatnot, well, I think we should one-up them and just show them just how good of friends we are.” He glanced over to where the birds had been earlier. “I mean, they’re gone now, and good riddance for that, but it’s the principle of the thing.”

Fluttershy could already feel her face burning. For some reason, the thought of wrapping herself around him, instead of vice versa, seemed so much more...intimate than the latter. After all, as a pony, Fluttershy just had to lay there and enjoy his soft warmth. But with the roles switched...now it was her making the effort, and she wondered why that seemed so much different than before.

“I never thought I’d get to see the day where the roles were reversed, but you know me well enough to know I’d take advantage of this sooner or later. So now I’m the pony, and you’re the draconequus. So…”

Discord folded his equine legs and pat the space beside him on the blanket. “Show me what I’ve been missing, dear Fluttershy.”

She shook her head. “Oh, Discord, I’m not sure I can do that…”

“Oh, sure you can!” Discord encouraged. “How is it any different from before, other than being the Draconequus this time? I just want to know just how comfortable it is to be wrapped by another draconequus.”

“I don’t know…”

But she caved in when she heard sniffles and looked to see a ponified Discord giving her the biggest, most pity-inducing eyes he could muster, his little hooves pressed together in begging. “Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaase?” he whined.

She sighed. “Oh...Okay…”

Discord let out a whoop of victory before patting the blanket again in expectancy. Fluttershy awkwardly stepped around  him like a dog fluffing a bed, before she laid down in a circle around him.

“Fluttershy, you’re not even touching me. I need to be embraced! I need to feel loved! Adored!”

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never done this before, not this way!”

“Just wrap yourself around me, it’s not rocket science. Trust me, I use rockets all the time.”

“But what if I wrapped myself too tightly around you? What if I choke you? What if I’m not as warm and cuddly as you are?!?”

“I’ll be the judge of that, now stop making excuses and just do it, hmm? Come now, it’s not that embarrassing, there’s no need to turn red. I promise I’ll behave.”

“Discord!”

“What, what’d I say?!?”

They continued arguing like this until Fluttershy eventually drew up enough courage to wrap herself around Discord the way he wanted her to--tightly, but not too much so. Fluttershy felt completely embarrassed. It felt like her nerves were on hyper drive, and she could just feel Discord a little too well with her heightened senses. His own warmth, and his fluffy little tail, and his chin where he rested his head on her coils, and…

“Sweet Celestia, I’m incredible! Is this how it feels to be in my embrace like this at night? My my, I really did have reason to envy you! This is better than a cloud hammock. And those are quite hard to beat in terms of ultimate comfort!” He bragged as if he were the Draconequus at the moment, and not her.

She could hardly breathe as she felt him wiggle around to make himself more comfortable. “Ah...Thank you Flutters…” he sighed. She looked at him, surprised to see his eyes already drooping. “You’re such a...lovely pony...” He hoofed at her bangs for a moment before finally falling asleep.

She didn’t care that he had called her a pony by accident, not this time.

Instead, she was caught up on the word ‘lovely’.

He’d complimented her before, but for some reason, this time it felt slightly different, and he sounded so...blissful as he said it.

Did having her wrapped around him really make him that happy? Was it just because she was a Draconequus, or because it was her…?

She gazed back down at him, already so deep asleep, his breath whistling each time he exhaled. He certainly looked as if he were in bliss, as a faint smile lingered on his face.

She extended a paw, curious now that Discord was a pony. She had to admit, he looked rather nice for a unicorn stallion, though it was odd to see him so symmetrical and uniform in color. But the dark gray suited him, and earlier she had noticed that his eyes had stayed the same color. He still had his fang too, though instead of sticking out, it remained within the confines of his shut mouth.

Her paw brushed down his dark hair, and Discord wiggled a bit at the touch, but stayed asleep. She smiled at the prickly, stiff texture of it. Even as a pony, his hair was still more like a zebra’s than a stallion’s. She liked that; it suited him more.

She found herself curling slightly more around him, with her head laid across his back. Oh, that was actually...rather comfortable. She liked feeling the rise and fall of his back as he slept and breathed, and she felt the familiar sensation of safety and warmth.

Even though he wasn’t wrapped around her...It turned out that wasn’t really needed. He just made her feel that way in general. 

It was nice.

So wonderfully, amazingly nice.

And she spoke one last time as she felt her eyelids grow heavy again, and nuzzled his neck softly.

“Goodnight, Discord...I think you’re lovely too…”

She smiled in her sleep.