Episode 16
The girls and Spike could do nothing but stare, utterly speechless, as each of them beheld Fluttershy in her glassy state.
Rainbow Dash was the first to find her voice. "No..." she cracked, flying up to her frozen friend. She traced her hooves along Fluttershy's mane and cheeks, her eyes becoming wet with tears. Her eyes then narrowed in anger, as she whirled around to face Discord, who had been standing quietly in the back. "You,...you did this to her, didn't you?"
Discord lifted his head up and faced the Pegasus. "I'll have you know, that I found her like this." he said.
"Found her where?" asked Applejack.
Discord quickly explained how he had came upon the Flim Flam brothers, and how he had taken Fluttershy from their possession. "Needless to say, I've got a pretty good feeling that the one responsible for doing this to Fluttershy is that Nightshade fellow you've all been after."
"What makes you say that?" asked Spike.
Discord gave Twilight a look that she couldn't make out as he replied, "I...had a dream where Fluttershy told me how she lost her heart to the one that did this to her, and as dear Celestia has informed us, Nightshade needs a pony's pure heart in order to carry out his plans. And I can't think of anypony more pure-hearted than Fluttershy."
Twilight's eyes widened in horror, she turned to look back at Fluttershy's statue, barely able to breathe. One of her best friends had not just been cursed, but was also going to be used as a sacrifice as part of a nefarious scheme. Spike moved closer to her, and gave her hoof a little squeeze, feeling just as saddened as she was.
Pinkie Pie sniffed, "Fluttershy..."
Rainbow Dash went up to Discord. "Bring her back." she said, doing her best to hold back the tears that wished to escape.
"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" asked Discord bitterly.
"You're the Spirit of Chaos aren't ya? Use that freaky magic of yours to give Fluttershy her heart and bring her back!"
Discord clenched his paw and claw into tight fists. "Don't you think I would've if I could? I may be powerful but even I have my limits. In order to bring Fluttershy back we'd need the heart that was taken from her, which we don't have. So there's nothing I can do."
Rainbow Dash scowled at him. "Nothing? All that power and you can't use it to help Fluttershy?"
"Rainbow..." Twilight tried to warn.
But Rainbow Dash ignored her completely, taking out all her frustration on Discord. "What kind of spirit are you? What good are you if you can't even help out somepony who actually needs you? I've never understood what Fluttershy saw in you, all you do is let her and everypony down, just like you are now. If you ask me, Fluttershy would've been better off if she never met or became friends with you! In fact, it'd be better if you'd never existed at all!!"
"Rainbow Dash, that's enough!" said Twilight.
Rainbow clenched her teeth and shut her eyes tightly before galloping out of the room.
"We'll go after her and try to calm her down." said Rarity, as she, Pinkie, and Applejack hurried to follow after their friend.
"Thanks." said Twilight gratefully. She and Spike whirled to face Discord, but found that he had disappeared, They looked around the room and quickly spotted him standing in front of Fluttershy, his face contorted with devastation.
"Discord, are you alright?" she asked the Draconequus worriedly.
Discord stiffened and replied, "I'm fine."
"You don't look fine." said Spike.
Discord breathed a sigh through his nostrils, his gaze taking in the sorrowful expression that was now etched onto Fluttershy. It stirred within him painful memories of the times he'd let her down and made her feel disappointed in him. He hesitantly lifted a lion's paw to her cheek and gave it a comforting stroke. She felt so hard and cold now. "When I was encased in stone," Discord started to say lowly, but just loud enough for Twilight to hear. "I was somewhat aware of the world around me. I couldn't see anything granted, but I could still hear. And afterward I couldn't help but feel stiff from being in one position for so long. I wonder if Fluttershy is experiencing the same thing right now."
"Honestly, I wouldn't know." said Twilight. "But I'm sure she'll be fine regardless."
"That's right!" added Spike. "After all, Fluttershy's pretty strong when she needs to be."
Discord did turn to look at them, instead remaining focused on Fluttershy. "You know, as much as I hate to say it, what Rainbow Dash said isn't entirely wrong."
"What?"
"If I weren't around, everypony, including Fluttershy, would've been much happier."
"How can you say that?" asked Spike. "Fluttershy cares a lot about you! She'd be just as devastated as you are now if you were gone."
Discord turned this time to look at Spike and scoffed. "Yes, I'd imagine she'd be just miserable to no longer have to keep an eye on the Spirit of Chaos to make sure he doesn't cause trouble for anyone. Who does nothing but lets her down. Who has made her feel awful. Who said that he wasn't her friend and allowed someone to harm her. To use her! Needless to say, I think we can all agree that--"
SMACK!
Discord was interrupted as Twilight smacked his cheek, shocking both him and Spike into silence. She looked at him with a narrowed gaze, but she didn't seem to be truly angry. "That's enough!" she said. "Do you think you're the only one who regrets not being able to help Fluttershy? I regret not being there to stop Nightshade before taking her heart, but that mean I should just stand here feeling sorry for myself and what could've happened."
"But--"
Twilight put a hoof over Discord's mouth and let out a sigh. "Look, I get you're upset over what happened to Fluttershy and what you said to her back when you were still under that spell, but none of that was your fault. I'm sure if Fluttershy were here, she'd say the same thing, and wouldn't want you to be hard on yourself."
She removed her hoof from Discord's mouth, allowing him to speak. "Rainbow Dash said that she never understood what Fluttershy ever saw in me, and I can't help but agree with her. Why does she forgive me? Why does she seem to care so much about me despite everything that's happened?"
"That's just what friends do." Twilight couldn't help but answer simply. "They care about their friends' happiness and well being, and they don't give up on them when they need their help. I'm sure you've felt the same way for Fluttershy."
Discord looked down on the floor, thinking over Twilight's words before saying, "You said Fluttershy would never give up on me, right?" Twilight nodded. "In that case, I won't give up on her."
"What are you going to do?" asked Spike.
A determined look started to fill Discord's eyes. "Fluttershy has helped me many times, this is my chance to help her, by returning her heart to her."
Twilight smiled. "I'll get the girls together and we'll work on a plan." she said.
"We might want to hurry." said Spike. "If the spell happens at night, we might not have much time."
"Agreed." said Twilight. She and Spike hurried out to get the girls together to discuss their plans.
Before Discord went after them, he stopped and took one last look at Fluttershy and whispered, "Hold on, Fluttershy. We'll bring you back soon."