Twilight Sparkle
Rarity
Applejack
Pinkie Pie
Rainbow Dash
Fluttershy
Discord
Moone Stromhest (Me/My internet alias)
It is recommended that you read this chapter in 'Night Mode'.
Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow, and Twilight were gathered on a picnic blanket on a grassy hill, the sun shining down on them and bathing them an a gentle warmth. Baskets littered the blanket, some filled with food, and others with utensils. Fluttershy and Discord were yet to arrive, and Rarity was setting out plates as the group waited.
"Such a lovely day, isn't it?" Rarity let out a content sigh.
Rainbow responded from her perch on a nearby cloud, stretching out luxuriously. "Yeah, perfect for a nice, long nap."
"Come now, darling, it would be horribly rude if Fluttershy arrived and you were alseep!" Rarity scoffed playfully and started bringing silverware out from a nearby picnic basket.
Whatever Rainbow was going to say in response was cut off by a musical voice. "Actually, Rarity, I wouldn't mind waking up Rainbow Dash if she were to fall asleep," said Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy! You're here!" exclaimed Twilight.
Twilight trotted up to Fluttershy and gave her a quick hug. Her wings fluffed in excitement as she summoned a book to her side from her saddle bag. "I've been meaning to show you this absolutely fascinating thing I discovered-!" Twilight cut herself off abruptly and blushed in mild embarrassment. Her friends smiled at the flustered princess fondly. "S-sorry, my findings can wait until after we all get comfortable. Did you remember to bring the lemonade?"
"Yes, I remembered. I asked Discord to carry it for me," said Fluttershy, gesturing to the creature beside her. Standing next to her was an extremely strange creature. It had one goat leg, one dragon leg, a long body, the tail of a snake, a lion paw, an eagle claw, one bat wing, one pegasus wing, and the head of a horse. Adorning its head was an antler, a goat horn, and a goatee. A tuft of fur grew out of the tip of its tail. His name was Discord, and he was the Lord of Chaos. Well, former Lord of Chaos.
"I have it right here!" the draconequus gestured with his paw, only to find it empty, and said, "Well, I did. Where did I put it...?"
Discord started patting himself down, muttering things like "Is it here?" or "Hmm, maybe it's somewhere else," as he went. Suddenly, he straightened and snapped his talons. "Ah, I remember where I put it!" He strode over to Pinkie, reached his arm into her mane, and pulled out the jug of lemonade, proclaiming, "Ah ha! Here it is!"
Discord turned the jug around in his claws for a moment. "I wonder when I put it there...?"
The mares gathered either giggled or smiled at his antics.
He placed the jug on the blanket and sat down, looking at everypony expectantly. "Well? What are you waiting for, an invitation? If you are, I have one right here!" He pulled an envelope out of nowhere, and with a flash and clearing of his throat, he adjusted his newly-appeared monocle and started to read in a fake-noble accent.
"Elements of Harmony, you have been formally invited to sit down and start your picnic." With another flash, the top hat and monocle he was wearing were gone, taking the invitation with them. "Now that you have been invited, let's eat!"
"Okay, Discord," said Twilight with a smile.
"I don't know about any of you, but that was positively delightful."
They had all finished their meals, and were now settling down to chat. Rainbow had taken her place on the cloud once again, as she had come down to eat. Applejack and Fluttershy were laying under a nearby tree, and Discord had decided to perch in the branches above them. Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were still on the blanket, putting away the dishes and leftover food. Once they were done, they closed they baskets and lay down as well, following Applejack's and Fluttershy's example.
Fluttershy perked up a little bit and looked over to Twilight. "Twilight, wasn't there something you wanted to tell me when I arrived? Something about a discovery?" she asked curiously.
Twilight straightened as well, and summoned the same book from earlier to her side again. As she began to speak, the rest of their friends turned their attention to Twilight, ever curious to hear about what she had found.
"Recently, Princess Celestia lent me this book about mythical creatures. It talks about beings I have never heard of, some extremely powerful, and others down right unbeleivable!" said Twilight.
Even Discord had his attention on her at this point, and listened intently as the alicorn continued. "What interested me most, however, was the mention of a void. It contains creatures that no living being has ever seen, and even Princess Celestia didn't know what was there when I asked her if it was real."
"So, do yah want to try and find this here 'void'?" questioned Applejack.
Twilight shook her head. "No, Applejack. It's too dangerous. Even if we were able to find this place, who knows what types of creatures are in there? It's simply too risky, and even if you girls did come with me, I'm not sure the Elements would work if we got into trouble," sighed Twilight.
"I'm sure you won't miss out on anything, Twilight. Besides, it probably need to be like twenty percent cooler before I go in there," said Rainbow.
"Yeah! Dashie's right, I'm sure it's no big deal! We go an crazy adventures all the time, you just need to wait for the next one!" Pinkie exclaimed. She placed a hoof on Twilight's back and started rubbing in a soothing motion in an attempt to comfort Twilight.
Twilight smiled at them and let out a sigh. "Thanks, girls. I just wish I could know more."
Watching from the tree branches was Discord. His eyes searched her frame, noticing how her posture was still slouched over even through the happy smile on her face. In a rare public show of compassion, he frowned. His eyebrows furrowed, and he soon replaced his frown with his signature smile. He teleported down to Twilight's side and gave her a playful few pats on the head. She swatted his paw away in an attempt to leave her sadness behind her. He stared at her a moment, and then went back to the branches of the tree. Discord was sure now; he would make her wish come true. He watched Twilight and her friends for the rest of the evening, occasionally coming down from his perch to join in a game or two. All Discord needed to do was wait for nightfall, where he could work under the cover of darkness, undisturbed.
After nightfall...
Discord stood in the doorway to Fluttershy's bedroom, listening to her steady breathing as she slept. He backed out of the room and silently closed the door behind him. 'It's time...,' Discord thought to himself.
He walked down to living room before teleporting out of the cottage, not wanting to risk waking up Fluttershy. He reappeared in his Chaos dimension, looking around before sitting down on a nearby wall-couch. He closed his eyes for only a moment before disappearing again.
Discord reappeared in a black space. He could tell that there was space stretching out in a vast expanse around him, but he didn't know where it ended. It was both cold and comfortably warm at the same time, and it made a shiver run down Discord's spine. It was silent at the moment, but the draconequus could hear voices in the distance. He decided to walk towards them. It grew loud very quickly, but it was never so loud that he couldn't stand it. Eventually, he heard something; something strange.
Discord heard a whimper.
He hesitated for a moment, then ran off in the direction he heard it from. He followed the soft yet impossibly loud sounds of whimpering and crying through the void, until he reached the source. He slowed to a stop and stared down at the creature in front of him.
The creature's cries and sniffles echoed in the once more silent space. It had its knees drawn up to its chest, and it didn't notice Discord's presence. It was whispering something through its cries, and Discord held his breath in order to hear what the creature was saying.
"Please... *sniff* I need- please-!! *sniff* He-elp... Some one, please, c-come find me... Can anyone *sniffle* hear me...? Please, save me.....," it took a shuddering breath, "I'm lost.... Hello? I-I don't want to be alone...!! *whimper* Just, please..." It curled up tighter, shadowy wings wrapping around it like a blanket.
Discord watched as it cried itself to sleep. He smiled at it. 'This one. This is the one I'll take to Twilight.'
He readied his claw for a snap. Discord looked at the creature again. 'I hope you find some peace where I'm taking you....'
When they arrived in the foyer of Twilight's castle, Discord noticed that the creature had been forced into a pegasus' body. He muttered to himself, "No, that won't do."
The creature, now leaning against a wall with its hind legs awkwardly sprawled before it, shifted in discomfort.
"Yeah, that definitely won't do." Discord snapped his fingers, and the creature was returned to its original form and position. The creature hugged its knees a little tighter and let out a barely audible breath of relief.
Discord noticed the tear tracks on its face. He summoned a handkerchief, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it to dab at the creature's face.
The draconequus sighed. He murmured,"I think I've been spending too much time around Fluttershy..."
Discord idly wondered if there was anything else he should do, but he came up with nothing. He smiled at the creature one more time, and left. He appeared on the couch in Fluttershy's living room and relaxed there, closing his eyes to sleep.
'Good luck, little creature,' thought Discord before falling asleep.