It was a busy morning at the town’s market, the sounds of ponies chatting and bargaining, the smells of fruits, vegetables, plants and other products filled the air, meanwhile Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walked through the populace looking at the stalls since Fluttershy was grocery shopping while her friend was tagging along.
“And then we hugged and we changed bodies again,” Fluttershy said while paying one of the flower sisters.
Flying over her friend, Rainbow crossed her forehooves slightly closing her eyes, “I should pay Zecora a visit to teach her a lesson about putting friends in danger,” she said hitting her hooves together.
“Don’t you dare Rainbow Dash, she was just trying to help us, besides she even told us to take the potion inside the house, it was my fault for letting Angel take the potion before that.”
Dash rolled her eyes, “ok ok, gee when did you get so bossy? So what’s next?”
Fluttershy pulled her list, “eggs done, daisies done, oh we need to get cherries,” they walked to the cherry stall where a well known cherry seller known as Crafty Crate worked, “good morning Mr. Crate, I need five cherries please.”
The stallion put the cherries on a bag and said with his raspy voice, “here you go lady, it’ll be two bits,” he fixed his hat while Fluttershy put the bits on the counter, “say, aren’t you going to offer more bits?” he said putting on a smirk.
This took Fluttershy by surprise, “why would I offer more bits for them?” she asked putting the cherries on her saddlebags.
Crafty put the bits on his hat, “I mean like that time a few years ago, well I suppose you don’t remember, uh? You’ve grown into a fine mare lady, how about you and I, go get some grub?”
This made Rainbow Dash’s blood boil, how dare he try such a bad pick up line on her friend, she rolled up her non existing sleeves ready to re-accommodate this stallion’s face but was interrupted by Fluttershy’s laugh, “Oh my, I’m ever so sorry Mr. Crate, but I’m afraid I will have to decline, is not that you are not a handsome stallion but you are just not my type,” Rainbow stood there with her mouth agape, staring at her friend rejecting the cherry seller’s advances like a pro.
He fixed his hat and let out a loud laugh, “can’t blame a stallion for trying? Hope you gals have a nice day,” he waved them goodbye and they waved back.
Rainbow felt pride for her friend, she had really changed in all these years, long gone that meek little filly who couldn’t even start a conversation with a pony she didn’t know, but with her response, a question appeared on her mind, “hey Fluttershy, so you said that he isn’t your type right?” she asked her friend.
“Yes, I believe that's what I said.”
“So what is you type?” Dash asked the yellow mare who stopped cold for a second and then continued walking.
“I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it.”
“Come on Shy, I can’t believe you haven’t thought about this stuff at least once, so what about Caramel? He is cute, a bit of a weakling for an earth pony but extra points for his perfect mane.”
“Mmm, not really feeling it, no.”
“What about that Doctor Whooves guy.”
“No, he seems too serious, besides isn’t he dating Rose?”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about it, you don’t usually see them together unless they are on a date, so how about Starlight’s friend Sunburst, he might be an egghead but if you trim that ridiculous beard he would be easy on the eyes.”
“I actually like his goatee, I find it ever so charming, but I think he is younger than me, I don’t like the idea of dating a younger stallion.”
Dash let out a sigh, “this is going to be harder than I thought,” when a sudden ‘yeah’ could be heard from a pony stretching his muscles in the distance, “hey how about Snowflake? He is older than you and is not serious at all and those muscles look like could pulverise when things get heated, if you know what I mean,” she said while winking and nudging her friend.
Fluttershy shook her head, “I do know what you mean Dashie... but no, he is too predictable. By the way his name is Bulk Biceps not Snowflake.”
Rainbow kept staring at the big mass of muscles, “whatevs, he still responds to Snowflake, ok this is getting tougher… hey what about that party pony Cheese Sandwich, he is unpredictable, I think he is older than you and he is definitely not a serious pony.”
The yellow mare became pensive, “close and he is tall, but a pony like Cheese Sandwich travels a lot, I wouldn’t dare to ask him to stay put in place, I don’t mind that but he wouldn’t be here with me when I need him.”
Rainbow threw her arms on the air, “AW COME ON! You sure are a picky mare, ok so in summary we have tall, older than you, unpredictable, not serious, that will be there for you and must have a ridiculous goatee… I can’t think on anypony like that… maybe-” at that moment, a flash of light went off near them, they turned to see the source of the light.
“I’m sorry, my camera’s flash is randomly going off lately,” a slender colt said holding his camera.
“That’s ok Featherweight,” Rainbow said turning back to face her friend “where was I? I lost my train of thought.”
“You were discussing Fluttershy’s type,” came up a manly voice behind them.
“Oh yeah, so what is your type Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked.
“Discord!” Fluttershy ran past Rainbow Dash to give a hug to the draconequus.
With a snap of his claw, Discord summoned an instrument band playing by themselves and a banner with his face on it, “is that seriously the best you could come up with? I mean the one and only, I see you missed me, dear Fluttershy,” he snapped his claws again and the items disappeared.
Discord lifted his friend to give her a hug of his own, “I haven’t seen you since the Summer Sun Celebration,” she said while he placed her on the ground.
The draconequus rubbed his beard with a claw while looking at the other side, “Oh well, I’ve been busy with a personal project, but speaking of projects, when are you going to invite me to that ‘little secret project’ of yours?” he said making air quotes.
Rainbow approached Discord, “knowing you, you could have appeared out of nowhere, anytime, you are always sticking your… claws… paws… both, in our business.”
“How eloquent Rainbow Dash, your lexicon baffles me,” he said in a sarcastic tone, “anywho, going back at our current business,” Discord put his lion pawn on Fluttershy’s head rubbing it making her giggle.
“Stop it Discord, you are going to mess up my mane,” Fluttershy still giggling, “well, as a matter of fact, I was going to leave my groceries at home and then go directly to the castle,”
“You mean, right now? Oh well, I have to take care of something first, but I’ll meet you there.”
“Ok Discord, don’t be late,”
“Oh dear Fluttershy, a lord of chaos is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to,” he said summoning a chain and pulling it, making the sound of a toilet flushing, his body began to twist and deform on a nonexistent vortex until there was nothing but his laugh and then not even that.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, “That dude is so random, sometimes I think is even more random than Pinkie,” she then looked at her friend.
“Yeah, he is so unpredictable,” Fluttershy said, still looking at where the lord of chaos used to be with a smile on her face, while Rainbow stared at her with a confused look.
~♥~♦~♣~♠~
Once at the castle, everyone were discussing their own topics while they waited for Discord, Spike and Applejack to come.
The rainbow maned pegasus kept insisting with Fluttershy, ”Seriously Shy, why not Snowflake? I could see you clicked so well, when you cheered at the Equestrian Games and recently on the Trivia Trot.”
Flutthershy hook her head smiling, ”Oh my, yeah he is a sweetheart, but once again, he is just not my type,”
Covering her mouth, Rarity laughed, ”why not, darling, is a story as old as time, the handsome, vigorously robust stallion who comes and sweeps the petite mare off her hooves, so romantic,” she let out a sigh fanning herself with her hoof.
Pinkie swallowed another cupcake whole, ”that's silly, why would a pony sweep another pony, are they a broom pony?” the pink pony mare said laughing at her own joke.
Rainbow got some interests on her pink friend now, ”hey, how about you Pinks, what is your type?”
Everypony stared at the pink mare, ”wait what? me? um... I dunno, maybe tall one? I never think of silly things like that, at least I know it wouldn't be a failed writer, making a mediocre story about his favorite fictitious characters listening to random songs,” at that moment a small thunder could be heard, but it sounded more like a sob or a whimper and then a weak drizzle poured on the castle windows that looked like tears, shed for unrequited love.
Rainbow stood up, ”oh yeah, I forgot that a light rain was programmed for today, anyway, now that we are on the mood, how about you Twilight, lemme guess, you will marry a book BWAHAHAHA,” she dropped on the floor on her back laughing, meanwhile Twilight pouted.
With a loud cough, Twilight got the attention of the mares in the room, ”I must confess that I have an inclination for well versed stallions, but I've never had the chance to look for a boyfriend of somepony the sort, what about you Rainbow?”
Dash recovered from her laugh attack, ”me? oh, well he must be confident, tall, and must worship the wind beneath my wings,” she said all proud.
”You mean like Fluttershy's Brother Zephyr?” Twilight said putting on a smirk meanwhile everpony else in the room ooooh'ed.
”WHAT?! NO! WOW! low blow Twilight, ok you win this time.”
At all this Rarity was waiting for her turn but couldn't wait anymore, ”is anypony going to ask me what would be my type?”
Pinkie jumped in front of her white unicorn friend, ”oh oh, me, me, let me guess, your type would be brave.”
”Yes,” Rarity responded.
”Strong,”
”Yes,”
”Good looking,”
”YES,”
”Honest!”
”Definitively,”
”Blonde with freckles!”
”YES, oh my Faust yes... wait I think I know where you are go-”
”Your type is Apbbbfff-” Pinkie's mouth was stuffed with chocolate cake.
”Darling, you look famished, please, do have some more cake.”
The door opened showing a very wet drake, ”hey girls, I'm back, Dash a little help here, please.”
”Right away,” Rainbow said flying circles around spike, drying him on the spot.
”Thanks, Rainbow Dash.”
His pegasus friend saluted him, “no problem Spike, hey where is AJ? You were supposed to bring her.”
Spike ran to a pillow and sit on it, “she forgot that Winona had an appointment with Doctor Fauna today, and nopony else had the chance to bring her, she sends her apologies.”
With her horn glowing, Twilight summoned a scroll, “That’s too bad, it was her turn being the last one to choose a song, I suppose we can reset again and let her pick the song next time, if everypony else is ready we can start.”
With a high jump, Fluttershy took off in the air, “WAIT! What about Discord?”
“It’s getting too late Fluttershy, besides he is Discord, he wouldn’t get this serious even if you asked,” Twilight replied and Fluttershy sat on her pillow a bit down but nodded.
Everyone draw straws and the one choosing the song will be Fluttershy, she was a bit down since her friends wouldn’t wait for Discord but she approached the music box and pressed the button returning to her spot, the music box let them hear a voice singing.
Starlight bobbed her head from side to side, “I like her singing, but why she sounds so sad?”
“I believe that she doesn’t want to express her feelings, for she was hurt in the past, darling, OH the drama, THE PAIN!” Rarity said laying on the sofa.
Rainbow let out a raspberry, “huh, drama queen, who would even suffer that much for a male,”
A light blue aura surrounded Rainbow pulling her next to Rarity, “you don’t understand, darling, how painful is to love and lost and lost again, you wouldn’t understand,” she hugged Rainbow and was now in tears ruining her mascara.
Rainbow struggled to free herself from Rarity’s bone-breaking grip, while everypony else laughed at their antics, everypony except Fluttershy who was looking at the window, hoping by some miracle a certain draconequus appeared out of thin air.
When the laughter died down and the song ended, Twilight picked the vase with the sticks to draw again, “That was short but sweet, are you guys ready to draw again?” everyone took a stick and pulled but for some reason they were stuck on the vase, they pulled even harder but suddenly instead of the sticks being separated, they were stuck to a big brown mass coming from the vase, this mass inflated and exploded with confetti and streamers showing Discord in the middle of it all laughing his soul out.
“Discord, you made it!” Fluttershy jumped and hugged the draconequus who caressed her mane, “you are late,” she said while scrunching her muzzle.
“What did I tell you my sweet, a lord of chaos is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”
Spike jumped off his spot as well and showed Discord his fist which he bumped into his own, “what a way to make an entrance Discord, I suppose now it’s your turn to press the button,”
Twilight cleaned all the confetti and streamed from her and the room, “yeah let’s give Discord a chance to activate the music box, but first I should explain it, first a few months ago I was-” with a snap of his claw a zipper closed Twilight’s mouth.
“Oh yeah I read all the previous chapters, alien tech, hairless monkeys, feels and yada yada, let’s get to the interesting part,” he rubbed his claws together and pressed the button, then teleported under Fluttershy so she could lay on him like a beanie bag, the music box came to life and a melancholic piano started sounding.
“The piano is so beautiful,” Fluttershy said while making herself more comfortable on her Discord pillow.
Discord in exchange rolled his eyes, “ugh, how dreadful, it seems that this will be boring,” he picked a cup of tea, picked the plate under it, dipped it on the tea and ate the plate.
“Is this a math song?” Pinkie asked rubbing her head, “so he is the number fifteen, and everypony knows that’s between ten and twenty,”
Twilight was fighting to remove the zipper from her mouth, finally opting to magically remove it, “OH MY GOSH, I think they mean years, that’ll explain why he is referring himself as fifteen and now he is twenty two, we might be able to understand their life cycle with this song,” everyone kept listening, “a hundred years to live? If this song is accurate that means they live around the same length as a pony from Equum.”
A bulb lighted over Spike, he nudged Rainbow and she understood immediately, they both giggled and Rainbow sarcastically said, “but Twilight, I thought you said that Ponies lived for hundreds of years, after all Granny Smith is one of the founders of Ponyville~”
“What? But that doesn’t… AW COME ON, you are never gonna let me forget that are you?”
Starlight was confused by the sudden reaction of Twilight and the comment made by Rainbow, “um… a little lost here, care to explain?”
Twilight sighed, “you see Starlight, the first winter wrap up I spent in PonyVille, I researched their history, I accidentally read that Ponyville has wrapped up winter the earth pony way for centuries instead of decades, when I mentioned that to Applejack they made fun out of me since that would mean that Granny Smith is hundreds of years old for being one of the founders, they usually remind me in winter, or in occasions like this one, I swear I do my research property and nopony bats an eye, I make ONE mistake and everypony loses their minds.”
Everyone laughed at Twilight, except for Discord who, as strange as it sounds, was quiet for the entire song.
“Well from all of us, I guess the only ones that could get to be hundreds of years old is you Twilight, oh also Spike and Discord.”
Discord snapped out of his trance at hearing his name, “yeah, hopefully I don’t look a day older than three thousand years, I don’t have to worry about time, I have all the time in the world,” he said making gestures with his extremities, but a thought was deeply ingrained in that moment on the head of the lord of chaos, ‘but Fluttershy does not’ the mere thought of an eternity where Fluttershy wasn’t present made a knot in his throat, he hugged her favorite friend tightly and she could feel that something was wrong.
~♥~♦~♣~♠~
After the session with the music box, Discord and Fluttershy were walking heading to her place in silence, she now knew that something was wrong and this worried her, “a bit for your thoughts?” she finally broke the silence almost reaching her cottage.
“Oh it’s nothing Fluttershy, just worrying about the future.”
She flew so she could be at eye level with him, “is it about the song? Or… is it about the fact that I will die one day?” this broke Discord concentration and he tripped almost falling on top of Fluttershy, “I knew it, Discord, please hear me out, I know this might be hard but you need to understand that one day I will be gone from this world and that is not something that can be stopped”
“But I don’t want you to go, what would an eternity be without the only other soul that makes it worth it?” he said while hugging Fluttershy.
“I’ll be lying if I said I know what will happen, but what I know is that you are more than what you where when we met for the first time, you have grown to be a friend in my life and I’m sure that when ‘it’ happens, you will have even more friends that will care for you, even a family, I just want you to remember one thing, you are really important to me and it hurts me to see you sad, promise me that even when I’m no longer here, you will do your best to make friends.”
“I… promise I’ll try,” both were in tears, wrapped in a warm hug and knowing that even if their time is limited, they will be there for each other when they needed.
To be continued