Chapter 5
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Flura was still traveling through the cave, when she realized something. She was lost. Her hands were sweating like crazy, as her nerves got to her. She didn’t even want to imagine what could happen if she was caught. Her left foot had a cramp, which was very painful. She was too afraid to do anything about it. She didn’t want to risk getting noticed. She was so scared. She heard an occasional thumping, or a voice at the other end of the cave. She wasn’t sure if the noises were coming from her peers, or a creature who waited at the other end of the cave for her. She wasn’t even sure which way lead out in the endless winding paths of the cave. Eventually, very tired, she sat down by a fork in the path. She began to cry. She was so terrified. How had she even gotten herself into this mess in the first place?
She heard it. Big thumping footsteps. They were getting closer and closer. After the footsteps had stopped, she felt a presence in the area. Her knees were scrunched into her stomach as she sat there. Her arms were folded on top of her knees, with her head buried in them. She was in that position while she was crying, but she immediately stopped her whimpering and held her breath when she felt someone, or something, was watching her.
She was too afraid to look up. She could hear heavy breathing. She gave in to her curiosity, and lifted her head. There she saw it. The huge creature. It’s beady eyes. Those big claws. It was about nine feet tall on all fours. She cowered back, fear plastered on her face.
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Discord traveled through the cave, in the direction where he heard the whimpering. He followed the sound as best he could with his sensitive hearing. It felt like he had been in here forever. Why had he even decided to go in here. So what if he heard a noise. It was probably a squirrel or something. He was too paranoid. He should’ve just stayed outside, and continue to look for Fluttershy. His Fluttershy.
Oh what was he saying? How could she ever be his? She was already gone, and no one knows where. Even if she was still here, why on earth would she like him? He had a bad past, was known for messing up, and frequently caused chaos. But she liked his chaos, right? Oh nonsense! She probably just put on that act around him. It was her duty to reform him. Yet, their friendship felt so real. He had always wished they could have been more than friends, but now, it was too late.
Without realizing it, Discord had stumbled upon a fork in the cave path. The whimpering was very clear now. Then, it immediately stopped. Discord looked down. There, curled up in a ball, was a girl. She had her face in her arms.
She must have been what was whimpering, he thought.
The girl slowly lifted her head up, and stared at him. Her cheeks were stained with tears. He could see fear in her eyes, yet at the same time, they were filled with curiosity. Then he froze. Her eyes. They were damp. But that wasn’t it. They were teal. Her eyes were teal just like Fluttershy’s! Her hair. It was pink, just like Fluttershy’s!
“You're just like her,” Discord accidentally said out loud.
The girl looked terrified. It hurt Discord to see anyone with teal eyes look at him that way. It just made him imagine as if it was Fluttershy looking at him that way. He didn’t like the feeling of Fluttershy being scared of him. She was once, with the Tirek incident. It hurt him so much to see her that way. Now, this girl stared at him the same way, with the same eyes. It stung his heart.
It felt like they were silent for eternity. Finally, the girl stood up, and screamed. She tried to run. She was trying to run away, from him. Discord just couldn’t let her go. Not yet. Not when she reminded him so much of Fluttershy. She could be very useful. He had to stop her. Discord just did what he could. He ran in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.
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“Who are you?” The creature asked
Flura was silent.
“I-I’m F-Flura,” she stuttered.
“That’s an odd name. But, I guess I should be used to odd names by now. They’re everywhere where I’m from.”
“My name. Flura. It’s a nickname. It’s short for my full name, Flutura.”
The creature froze. His eyes grew wide. Flura was confused. Did he not like her name or something? It almost looked like he was hurt, sad, or confused.
The silence was terrible. She felt uncomfortable seeing the creature this way. Flura just had to break the silence. She said the first thing that came to her head.
“My name. I-It means butterfly.”
This only made the creature more uneasy. She wasn’t sure what to expect from it. It just sat there, feeling sorry for itself. This angered her. He had no right to feel sorry! If anyone had the right to feel sorry, it was her! She lost her memory, didn’t know who her parents were, had only one friend, and was currently being hunted down by her peers. The thought that they were still in the cave troubled her. What was this creature going to do to her? Would it eat her? Finally, Flura snapped.
“YOU HAVE NO REASON TO PITY YOURSELF! Just let me go!”
The creature’s face grew pale. It looked at her with a sad yet confused expression.
“Well, what are you going to do with me you menacing creature? Are you going to eat me?”
“Hahaha! Eat you? You’re joking right? I don’t eat people! Also, I have a name you know. You don’t have to call me ‘Menacing Creature.’ The ideas some have! Hilarious!”
“B-But. What about all of those people who never returned from this cave?”
“I discovered the entrance to you world only minutes ago! Hahaha! You really are quite ambitious!”
“Your world? Who are you? What are you? What do you want with me?”
“I am Discord, the Draconequus! The Master of all things Chaotic! I come from the mythical land of Equestria, where ponies, pegasi, and unicorns live in harmony. We are ruled over by the four alicorn princesses. Many mythical creatures, such as myself, live there.”
“Wow. That’s incredible!”
“You asked what I wanted with you. What I want is to just ask you a simple question.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Have you seen a pegasus around this part of your world? She has a buttercream coat, a light pink mane, and teal eyes. She is a friend of mine. Well, she was a friend of mine, but she has recently gone missing, and my search lead me here.”
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t”
Guilt rushed over Flura. He did have a reason to be sad. She had yelled at him for no reason. She felt like she needed to help him. She couldn’t just leave him, all alone, pointlessly searching. She had to do something.
“I can’t return to my world right now. I upset some of my peers, and now they are out to get me. How about we do each other a favor? You can take me to your world to escape, and I will help you find your friend. Deal?”
“Deal.”