Something Old, Something New

by JaelynPotons

What a Heart Wants

Fluttershy woke up to find herself in a field filled with flowers and tall grasses. She has just been having the most awful dream, and was glad she had woken up. She looked around her and with a sudden pang she realized that she had absolutely no idea where she was. She whimpered softly as she looked around her, trying desperately to find something familliar.

Her ears perked up at the sound of voices, though instead of making herself known she shrank back, allowing the tall grass to hide her.

A female voice was laughing, "That was the best prank ever!"

"Did you see the looks on their faces? Priceless!" At the sound of the male voice, Fluttershy's ears perked up even more.

'Ebony?' She thought to herself, daring to take a peek in the direction of the voices.

What she saw brought everything back in a flash; Discord changing into Ebony Laughter, her and Ebony and their soul twine, the Elements of Misfortune, and of course, Misfortune herself. She let out a small gasp as she watched Ebony and Silver Streak trot through the meadow laughing. It didn't take her long to realize that this was only a memory, something that had happened in the past.

"What in the world did you turn into anyway?" Silver asked, her laughter subsiding.

"Well, I was reading a book I borrowed from Celestia about a species called the draconnequi, and how their magic mostly focused on chaos. I thought it would be perfect for our prank today." Ebony responded, smiling faintly.

"I think it fits you really well, actually. I mean, you seemed so natural like that." Silver laid down on the grass.

Ebony copied the movement, sitting in front of her and responding mildly, "It did feel more comfortable than I thought it would, to be honest." He mused for a moment and in a flash of blue transformed into the draconequus.

Fluttershy felt her heart skip a beat when she saw Discord. 'Oh my goodness... Do I- do I miss Discord?' She hadn't even realized she had missed the mismatched troublemaker.

Silver Streak got up and circled him. "It really does suit you, I must say."

"It feels natural to me, as if this particular form was meant for me." Discord/Ebony was looking himself over.

"Well, if you are comfortable that way, then I saw you should keep it."

Fluttershy frowned at the scene before her. Ebony had told her and everypony else that Misfortune had turned him into Discord, that he was the reason he had become the Lord of Chaos... but from what she was seeing, he thought of it all by himself. A part of her felt like this was a trick laid out by Misfortune, and yet another part knew this scene was a true memory and that Ebony had lied to her. Her mind whirled, a million thoughts running through and confusing her.

'No,' She told herself, 'This doesn't change a thing. If this is real and not some trick of Misfortune's, then he had a good reason for lying. If- no, when we get out of this alive then we can talk about it.'

At that thought, she saw Silver Streak lean into Discord and realized that they were kissing. She quickly looked away, feeling an odd mix of emotions swirl around her chest and stomach. Half of her heart felt jealousy rip through her, and another more subdued half felt as though she was intruding on a very personal situation.

"What's the matter, little mare? Don't like romance?" Misfortune's voice echoed around Fluttershy, reverberating the malice they held until her bones ached. Fluttershy didn't respond, only burying her face deeper into her front legs.

"Oh come now, it's rude to ignore somepony who is simply trying to have a discussion with you." Misfortune taunted, trying to get Fluttershy to talk.

Fluttershy ignored her, desperately wishing that her Discord was there. Suddenly she heard a crash and a yell, her head shooting up in surprise.

Her Discord, not Ebony, was standing up and dusting himself off. Fluttershy's heart felt as though it was going to jump out of her chest when she saw him, confirming her earlier question to herself: She had missed Discord the Draconequus.

Discord examined himself closely, a confused look on his face. He looked at Fluttershy, his eyebrow raised as if to say, 'Really, this is what you want?'

He shrugged when she sat there, still looking shocked, and thought to himself, 'We'll just talk about this later, then...'

A maniacal laughter cut through their silence. "Well, Discord, it seems as thought your little mare friend doesn't want your natural form. She wants this twisted, evil being that you claim I turned you into. But we learned differently, didn't we girl?" Fluttershy felt a hoof brush her hair back possessively, breaking her out of her shocked and heart-wrenched state and causing her to shrink back into the grass, her eyes tightly shut.

Discord growled at the disembodied voice of Misfortune. "This has nothing to do with her. This is between you and me, Silver Streak!"

"Oh, but that's where you are wrong, old friend. You made it about her when you bound yourself to her, just as you bound yourself to me." There was nothing said, only a low growl from Discord, and Misfortune laughed at him. "Have nothing to say, hm? Just as well, the next scene is about to begin."

Fluttershy felt, rather than saw the settings around her change, and soon she found herself in what appeared to be a rundown orphanage. There were a few thin children sleeping in ragged beds, covered with stained sheets. In the corner was a hunched figure, and Fluttershy could hear the soft sound of sobbing coming from it.

She slowly walked over, her motherly instincts taking over. She was about to say something when she a heard the voice of Silver Streak behind her: "Are you okay?" Before she could even react, Fluttershy felt Silver move through her.

'It's another memory,' She realized. 'This must be sometime after the memory from the meadow.'

The figure in the corner turned, and Fluttershy saw Discord, eyes pouring tears. Fluttershy gasped at the sight, never before realizing that Discord was capable of such tears.

"Why do they have to be so mean, Silver? Why can't they just leave us alone and let us be friends with whoever we choose? So what if they're the Princesses, they still have a right to have friends...." Discord was trying very hard to hold in his tears, however unsuccessfully.

Fluttershy was almost in tears herself, and yet was very confused. 'He's so sensitive... almost as sensitive as I am...' She wondered what had happened to change him so much, but before she could speculate any further, she got her answer.

"Really, Discord? A couple of kids pick on you and you're here sobbing like a baby?" Fluttershy looked over at Silver just in time to see the sneer form on her face. Silver continued to scold Discord, "If you really want to carry out our plans and rule Equestria together, you have to stop being such a little filly. I need a strong person to stand beside me... if you can't toughen up, I'll have to find somepony else."

Discord looked at her with his still wet eyes, "But, Silver-"

Silver moved in, pushing her muzzle against him, looking at him through eyes that were half lidded, her voice husky. "Don't you love me, Discord? Don't you want to be with me, forever?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then toughen up." She said menacingly, her eyes narrowing suddenly as she pulled back from him.

Discord looked at the ground in defeat, one word slipping past his lips in a mumble: "Ok."

"Good. Now get some rest, we have a lot to do tomorrow." Silver Streak turned away, heading for her own bed and leaving Discord to continue sobbing as quietly as he could in the corner of the room.

The scene shifted again, opening up to a different scene. Celestia and Luna were on one side of a courtyard that appeared to be the old castle in the Everfree Forest. On the other side of the courtyard was a very determined looking Misfortune and a fidgety Discord.

"Just give up, Celestia. We as ponies were never meant to get along."

"Silver Streak, please don't do this! What happened to all the good times we had as children? The picnics at the waterfall, the rides into market, teasing the palace guards!" Luna pleaded with her.

"It is precisely because of those good times that I am stuck with being called a no good, brown nosing orphan! You don't understand what it feels like to be ridiculed like that every day!" Misfortune yelled back at her, eyes flaming with hatred.

"What about Ebony, then? Does Ebony feel the same way that you do, Silver?"

"Stop calling me that! The Silver Streak that you once knew is gone and has been replace by me, Misfortune."

"You haven't answered my sister's question." Celestia's face was calm as she addressed the distraught mare threatening both her and her sister.

"I don't have to answer any questions you ask. I am in control here." Misfortune spat at her, a scowl disfiguring her face.

"You're right. I'm sure Ebony can answer for himself. Ebony, do you truly feel as though Luna and I are the source of all your problems?" Celestia looked at the obviously nervous Discord, who fidgeted even more under Misfortune's murderous gaze. Suddenly, as if something had snapped inside of him, he straightened up and his whole demeanor changed.

"Celestia, you and your sister have caused nothing but trouble to Misfortune and I. I must stand with Misfortune." Discord had reached the final stage of the creature that had attacked Ponyville with his chaos, and Fluttershy's tears weren't stopping. This Discord did things to spite ponies, always wanting something to distract him... and now she knew why.

Celestia was shaking her head sorrowfully, tears in her own eyes as Luna was openly crying. Celestia looked at the pair of new villains and a tear escaped her eyes to trickle down her cheek. "I'm so sorry you feel that way. But Luna and I are not going anywhere. This is our home, and our kingdom."

Misfortune looked at them smugly. "You have no idea how much I was hoping you would say that." Her horn started glowing turquoise with her magic, and she fixed it on the two sisters. Celestia had instantly started to charge up her own horn while Luna raised a shield.

"Sweet dreams, Princesses." Misfortune muttered before firing, her bolt immediately disintegrating Luna's shield and striking the sisters, knocking them unconscious.

Discord was looking at the two sisters lying on the ground, not having yet registered that they were simply unconscious. "Silver, what have you done?"

"How many times must I tell you, you dolt. I am Misfortune now, just as you are Discord. And I haven't killed them so don't trouble your soft heart. I've only put them to sleep and sent them into a dream land where they will never bother us again."

"That wasn't the plan! The plan was to lock them in a tower for a couple of years, let the people forget about them... what you've done, you've..." Discord couldn't finish his sentence.

"What I've done? Discord, you agreed that they were in the way of our happiness. This was as much your decision as it was mine. I've only given the plan a little bit of a twist, is all."

"I only agreed to make you happy, Misfortune! I never saw them as in the way, just that other ponies were unwilling to see what you, Celestia, Luna and I really had. Do you think I'm stupid? I know what you've done, you can't just tell me that you've put them to sleep! You've sent their souls into a dreamland, one that they won't be able to escape until it is too late!"

Misfortune growled at him. "Who cares! Now I am free to rule Equestria as I please, and make all the ponies who made my life miserable suffer for what they have done!" When she realized that Discord looked suddenly hurt at her words, she laughed cruelly. "Yes, that's right I said that only I will be ruling Equestria. You just don't understand, you don't see past that damn tender heart of yours and I am sick and tired of dealing with it." She looked at him smugly, her head held high.

If Fluttershy thought something in Discord had snapped before, then she was wrong. Something really snapped when he found that Misfortune had been lying to him the whole time. He stood there shocked for a moment, looking at her through wide eyes, his lion's paw over his chest. "But... we soul twined."

"Try not to die, then."

That was it. The last straw, the final step over the line. Discord's face became stormy, fluffy pink clouds forming around him. "Very well, Misfortune. If that is the way you want it, my dear, then so be it. You want to see a heart of stone? Ask and you shall receive, though beware of what the future brings." It was then that Fluttershy heard the laugh; the laugh of somepony half-crazed, the laugh that she knew all too well from her first meeting with Discord in the labyrinth, when he had stolen the Elements of Harmony. She could barely see what was going on through the tears in her eyes.

Just like that, everything was gone, and Fluttershy was again standing in the cave next to Ebony (not, she realized with disappointment, Discord), with Misfortune standing in front of them.

"So you see, my little mare, Discord not only chose his form, but also chose to become evil. I won't deny that I did give him a little push here and there, but the majority of it was all him." Misfortune said quietly, glaring at Discord from narrowed eyes.

Fluttershy saw a flash of light through her eyelids, which were closed in an attempt to stop the crying. She felt a lion's paw and an eagle's talon grab her shoulders and she looked up in shock. Discord, her Discord, was staring back at her through gold and crimson eyes, concern playing through them.

"Fluttershy... I am so sorry you had to see that. You should never, ever have had to see that... and as much as I simply want to hold you and tell you it will be alright, I can't right now. I need you to be strong and help me defeat Misfortune before she has a chance to get away and harm anyone else. Go and get the other Elements, I will hold her off."

"But Discord, I can't leave you-"

He grabbed both sides of her face and gently kissed her on the lips, stopping her in her sentence as her heart decided it wanted to jump out of her chest again, only this time with much more force. He pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes.

"Now go." He picked her up and set her in the direction of the cave entrance, watching only to see that she started to run before turning back to Misfortune, anger written on every line of his face. "You've screwed with my life for the last time, Silver."

Author's Note:

Lol and you guys thought I was changing Discord. What kind of spawn of Chaos do you think I am?!

Comments

[Vaughn]

i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/838/265/841.jpg
I see what you did there.

[JaelynPotons]

Well that's good! xD
Though I find that picture kinda creepy, I'm glad you saw what I did there.