//------------------------------// // 7: Decisions // Story: A Distant Dream // by Sennerazen //------------------------------// Deficiency, Fluttershy thought. What was it? The absence of love? An inability to empathize? A lack of selflessness? Or maybe Discord had no interest in feeling such things, or no desire to find out one way or the other. The thoughts kept her awake, night after night. Often she got up after midnight and paced the kitchen, sometimes brewing tea or standing at a window, staring into darkness. By the time Celestia called for her again, just before Hearth’s Warming, she confided in Twilight Sparkle, who did her best to be supportive and not judgmental. Twilight rubbed and patted her back in what she hoped was an appropriately affectionate gesture. “So, you… are confused about him?” "I love him." Fluttershy wiped her eyes. "I think maybe I'm in love with him." Twilight's hand froze. "In love with Discord?" After hesitating, she put aside her bewilderment and rubbed her back again. "I love him." "Okay." "I don't think I knew how much until today." "Does he know?" Shaking her head, Fluttershy coughed. "I don't know. I don't care if he feels the same way, I just want him to feel... to know that someone out here wants him to be all right." "I'm sure he does. How could he not?" "But he doesn't. He can't do it." she blew her nose with her handkerchief. "He says he doesn't understand, but I think he does. Something won't let it in." "Won't let him what?" “Something in him won't allow it. I don't know if it's something he's missing or if he's afraid." She let out a long, rough breath holding her head. "I keep tormenting myself trying to understand him. He doesn't want that, either." "Fluttershy, you can't force him to do anything." "I know that." "Then why can't you leave it be?" "Because..." She couldn't think of quite the right answer. "I don't know. Because it's so unfair." Twilight hugged her. "He's thousands of years old; it wouldn't make sense for him to turn into someone else in just a few years." "I don't want him to be someone else." "I think you know what I mean. Maybe he can feel love, maybe he can care about others, but he's not doing much to show it. So, either he can't feel them, or he's still figuring them out." She kissed Fluttershy's cheek. "I told you this last year, but it's not your fault. You can't make his decisions for him." Fluttershy felt the familiar sting of tears welling in her eyes. "It's just that the years fly by, and I feel so lost. And, somehow, we get further apart." "Maybe that's how it should be." "But I don't want..." Fluttershy closed her mouth, her mind spinning. And what about what Discord wants? She'd spent all these years thinking about what she wanted and about what she thought was best for him, but she still was not clear about Discord's own thoughts. The fact he refused to open up to her, even now, was a heavy blow. "It doesn't feel right, somehow." "To you?" Fluttershy lay on her back on the sofa. “He’s so… in knots. And when I try to undo them, he fights me.” "Maybe that's all he's used to. Fighting, I mean." "Or he doesn't believe the things I tell him. No matter how much he fights me, I won't abandon him." Twilight patted her arm. “I know how hard you try for him, but I think you’re asking too much of yourself." “Someone has to stand up for him." She sat up and Twilight hugged her. "He's so lucky to know you. He'll probably never know how lucky. And maybe one day he'll need to feel what you've given him, and it will reach him." Fluttershy wiped her eyes with her arm. "Princess Luna told me the same thing a year ago. Why can't it reach him now?" Twilight hugged her again, rocking her. "I don't know." *** Fluttershy woke up exhausted the next day and got ready for her visit in a stupor. Her heart leaped against her chest when she thought of Discord, but she felt she would unravel and kept focused on her family before venturing into the cold to the train station. Once reunited with Discord, she squeezed him in a hug and assumed her usual place, sitting on the right arm of his throne as he regaled her with another story from long ago. "And that's when I knew I'd made mistake," he said. Fluttershy laughed. "Only then?" "How was I to know the stars wanted to stay stars and not be crustaceans?" "You might have asked them." "And where's the fun in that?" Fluttershy lightly scratched his head with her fingertips. "I suppose I hadn't thought of it that way." He smiled. "I think we could have a lot of fun, you and I." "Don't we already? Oh, and... for you." She fished out a small, wrapped present from her pink coat pocket. He turned it in his hand. "Another year." "They do seem to rush by faster these days. Open it." "In a minute." He pointed to the wall on his right. “You see?” It took a moment for her to notice, but she could see the ocean now, brilliant blue with flashes of pink and a bright red sand. “Oh,” she breathed, “look at it. It’s beautiful.” “We can’t get there yet, but in another… mm, ten years? Maybe?” She hugged him again. “Not that long, Let’s say five.” “I’ll try.” She interlocked her fingers with his. "Hey, promise me something. Would you promise me you won't give up?" Discord's hand remained limp. "On what?" She squeezed his hand, turning to look at him. "On you. I know how unhappy you are." He turned his face away. "That's not-" "And I'm asking you to promise me, as your friend... no matter what happens, don't give up. Things will be better, but for now-" "Tch." He was silent for a long time, but she didn't move. "I won't promise you anything. You have no business knowing everything in my head." "I know." She squeezed his hand again. "I'm being selfish. I don't want to worry about you. Even if... if Equestria falls to its enemies, or if you hate me someday, promise me you won't stop fighting for yourself." He let her go. "And you?" "Oh, I'll be fine. I'm always fine." Discord bowed his head. He saw her clearly, clawing and crying and fighting Celestia as she dragged her in and out of the cell. He had not quite believed the princess’s stories until he’d seen it for himself, and it bothered him. He had never seen someone he cared about suffering before, but then, he had never cared about anyone before, either. “Goodness, I’ve been here for hours,” she said, getting to her feet. “Is something wrong with the guards?” “Nothing’s wrong with the guards. I asked Celestia to let you stay a little longer.” “And she’s okay with it?” “She’s okay with it.” Fluttershy dropped her needles and scarf and leaned over him, hugging him. “Thank you. Every year feels like ten.” He grunted upon her impact, but said, “Doesn’t it?” She pulled back, her hands on his shoulders. “Why did she change her mind?” “I can be persuasive.” She butted her forehead against his, grinning, then felt his hand on her shoulder, holding her still. “So,” he said, now looking her in the eye. “When are we finished?” “What do you mean?” “When do you want to leave? Five minutes? Five hours? Five years?" Fluttershy's smile slowly faded and Discord's frown deepened. He let her go. "I-I've got people at home..." He kept his eyes on the fields behind the crystal as she stood away. “Wow, I’m tired,” she said, stretching her arms. “I felt like a machine all yesterday, lifting animals and feed, and then more animals. Sometimes I can barely get out of bed.” "I'd pick you up." She smiled. "Yeah?" He raised his arms helplessly. "Nowhere to go, alas." Fluttershy hesitated before sitting over the edge of the throne arm and lowering herself across his lap so her head was propped up by his arm on the throne arm on the other side and her knees over the other. Discord shifted back and forth, trying to get comfortable, grimacing slightly. She close her eyes. "I could sleep here." "Don't," he said without animosity. She opened one eye so gauge his expression. When she smiled at him, he looked frightened but cleared his throat. "You really like touching people." "I like touching you. " Her cheeks flushed. "Sorry. I didn't mean it the way it came out." "How did you mean it?" He barely touched his hand to her hair. She could no longer look at him, her body uncomfortably warm. After a few weak tries, she sat up sideways on his lap. "I just show affection this way. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable." "I'm not. You're just weird." "Oh." Shoulders drooping, she slid from his lap and patted her clothes down. "Are you this handsy with everyone?" "Yes. Sometimes. Sorry again." He rested his chin in his hand. "It's about expressing yourself. How you feel." "With touching?" Without her realizing, he played with the ends of one of her long tendrils of hair. "Mm-hmm." She held her palm up to him and waited. It took a while, but Discord raised this own hand and their palms touched. He curled his fingers over hers. "See?" She smiled. He did not reciprocate. "Is this all?" She almost rolled her eyes and pursed her lips to keep from laughing. She turned her hand and held his. "It's better both ways." He held her hand for a minute, then let go. "... I don't know what to do. There's something I'm supposed to do, isn't there?" "You don't need to do anything. I'm happy right here, just like this." She held his hand and kissed the back of it. From nowhere, Fluttershy felt a heavy wave crash into her, and she rubbed her eyes. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Nothing.” She rubbed her eyes again and the sensation passed. “Sorry.” He pressed his thumb against her palm. “All right?” She nodded, hiding a grimace. “Oh, they keep me up too late sometimes.” "Your children?" "Yes, they're darlings, but not much time for rest." "Darlings, huh? Sounds dull." She grinned. "Not at all. They take all my energy, but I don’t really mind." "Mine would be little terrors." "I'm sure that's not true." "They'd have powers like mine, wouldn't they, unless their... hm." He let go of her hand. "Well, you wouldn't have time to do anything bad." He furrowed his brow. "I'm not bad." "I know," she said quickly, feeling a pang of guilt. "Sorry." He shook his head. "It's not really my thing, anyway. I am selfish. I'd want my woman all to myself." She felt the familiar knot in her belly. "That's not selfish." "It is." She thought about what Luna had said, about letting Discord feel love as her stomach did cartwheels. Whether he could actually feel it or not, she would try to keep showing him, without knowing how. She watched him now, his bruised, swollen eyes more troubled than she had ever remembered seeing them, and her heart sank. “Hey,” she said, reaching out to him. He shifted his body away from her. “Better not. I’ll hurt you, remember? So Celestia claims.” "Discord,” she whispered, strained. “Can I ask… you do want to keep living, don't you? No matter what happens." "...If I say no?" "That's- no. I won't let you say it." He tensed his shoulders. "Then why ask at all? Don't ask questions if you don't want answers." " No. You can't give up now, not after being in here for so long. You're so close to being free-" "I'm not close; you have no idea how not close." "Then, so what?" Her chest rose and fell as her breathing grew rougher. "You're closer than you were a year ago, and closer than two years ago, and three, four, five." "It’s not enough.” "It will be.” "Not this again-” She knelt in front of him. "Please don’t give up. I won’t give up on you, so you can’t, either.” "I’ll do whatever I want to do. Why do you always do this?” “Because I still like you. I’ve always liked you.” “Dammit , Fluttershy…” “Wh- why is that so wrong?” He stared at her. “Nothing good comes of it. Nothing changes.” “How can you say that? We’ve got each other.” “No, we haven’t.” She held his hands. "So I want you to keep fighting. No matter what happens, from now... you can't give up on yourself." He recoiled slightly. "You won't, will you?” she asked. “You’ve got to keep living." "Is it up to you?" She resisted cowering from the increasing anger in his voice, trying to stand her ground. "I want you to hear it.” He tugged at his hands, trying to pull them from hers. "I don't need a mother , Fluttershy. Stop.” "You can't fight me forever, and I will never stop. You know I won't." Her anger, when pushed the right way, could almost be on par with Discord's. "You'll die long before I will, so it doesn't even matter. Why bring it up?" "Because it matters. What you think, what you say matters. " "Yeah? How? To whom?" "To me. To you." She wanted to shake him. "It doesn't even matter what I think if it's already true." "You're wasting your time." "You don't scare me, you know. I can be tough, too." Fluttershy's entire body was shaking. He laughed. "You can stop repeating yourself. I don't believe-" “No!" she roared. "I won't stop saying it, and I don’t care what you believe!” Discord leaned back, eyes wide. "I won't let you do it, Discord," she said, squeezing his hand again. "Even if a meteor strikes me down tomorrow, I will never allow it." She nearly matched his crushing hand with her own, and after a brief, unspoken battle of wills, both let go at the same time. He regarded her with a mixture of confusion and disgust. "Why do you keep harping on?" “I thought you wanted something different.” She let go of her wrist and let blood trickle from it down her hand. "And I can’t leave things as they are because I... it's still here. It's for you. And if you change your mind one day, in ten years, in fifty, in five hundred... it will still be here, for you." "What?" He rolled his eyes. "Your dying hope for my blissful future?" "My love for you." His body went still, but he refused to meet her gaze. "I can't feel it. You know that, right? Even if I did, I wouldn't know what to do with it." "It's okay,” she said, feeling a new lightness, a release in her own admission. He rubbed his temples. “I don't get you at all. There’s nothing here for you. I’ve never dreamed about anything, so there’s nothing to look forward to. There’s nothing I want except to get out of this god-forsaken prison.” When tears threatened to spill over again, she turned her back to him. "Then you'll have to find something to live for.” His gaze was fixed on her back; her cream-colored dress and the sparkly pink scarf around the neck, how they barely moved with each tight breath she took. "I know,” she said, her voice breaking. “I'm a problem for you. And you're a problem for me. But we don't have any time, Discord, so please, can we just enjoy it, right now?" "We always did." "No. Like this." She turned back and leaned down, tilting his head up, and closed her eyes before kissing the corner of his mouth. Her lips lingered until a heavy jolt surged from him and into her. It was like an anchor pulling them both down, and she gave a small cry before stumbling backward. He caught her by her arm to keep her upright. “Fluttershy…” Her throat gurgled; she felt her head, then her chest, would explode from the pressure. Discord tightened his hold on her arm. "Let it play out." "Stop." He gripped her wrist with his other hand. "Let it go." "I can't." Again her head felt like it was being pressed between two bricks, her heart sped up, tears forcing their way from her eyes. “Just wait-” “It’s too much,” she gasped, doubling forward. She was on her knees, her cheek in his lap, and he stroked her hair as her vision grew dark. Before losing consciousness, she heard him yell Celestia’s name. Her spell must have only lasted a moment, for she felt Celestia pulling her upright by her shoulders and repeating her name. The princess’ face swam into focus as the pain in her head vanished, but her throat was parched. She struggled to her feet with Celestia’s help. “Flluttershy, look at me,” Celestia said, almost angry. “Look.” When her eyes met Celestia’s pink ones, she wheezed, “I’m all right.” “Stand here.” Celestia pushed her against the crystal wall by the door, and Fluttershy hardly had time to think before she saw the princess descend on Discord. “This ends now,” she said, her voice taking on an echo and shaking the room. “Discord. It’s over.” “Celestia,” Discord began, his voice in comparison dwarfed and quiet. “It isn’t-” “Enough .” The princess rolled back the sleeves of her starched gown. “Enough.” “Don't." Fluttershy stumbled between them, arms splayed. "Stop. Please. " Celestia's surprise turned to determination. "Step aside, Fluttershy. I know you mean well, but he does not." "You don't know him!" "I do know him. And he will say anything to get what he wants." She raised her arms as sparks of light crackled around her fingers. "No! " Discord’s indecipherable cry of pain was long and sharp, only muffled by the dark stone that was covering his right side, from head to toe. Every few seconds his body spasmed and his throat let out choking noises and splutters, unable to speak. Fluttershy hardly understood what she was seeing and was stupefied. The dark stone continued spreading across Discord’s body until only the left edge of his face remained, along with his left shoulder, arm, and leg. How , her mind screamed, but her mouth could not yet form the word. She staggered toward him until Celestia blocked her path. “Don’t touch him,” Celestia said. “Not until the spell has run its course.” "How... how could you do this to him?" Fluttershy did not recognize her own voice. "Listen to me." Celestia lay her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder, but Fluttershy shoved it off. "Please don't touch me," she said quietly, her voice quivering. "Don't touch me at all." “He made his decision. He’s not a fool.” "What was the point of this?” Fluttershy covered her face. “Why didn't you do this years ago, after you saw what happened to me?" "I didn't think I had to. I thought he could change." "You wanted him out. What’s the matter with you?" "He's taking things from you." "I'm not afraid of him." The princess's face softened. "I know. I know." "I trust him, I..." "I know." Fluttershy pushed past her and knelt in front of Discord. His left eye was fixed on the ceiling, moving slightly from side to side, but his entire body was rigid and he did not see her. “I’m here,” she told him, her hands around his. “I’ve got you.” “Stand aside,” Celestia commanded, but Fluttershy ignored her. She kissed his hand. “I’ve got you. I love you.” “Fluttershy. ” Celestia grabbed Fluttershy’s shoulder, pulling her backward and she sat hard on the crystal floor. For all the times Fluttershy had cried and tried not to, now there were no tears left. Celestia pulled her to her feet again, and while her hands were rough, her voice was gentle. "I'm sorry. I didn't think things would get so bad. It's not your fault, Fluttershy." "And it's not his. " "It is." "Fluttershy is correct," said Luna, entering the cell, and nothing about her voice or face was soft. "Sister," Celestia frowned. "He doesn't understand what he feels. He's confused. Of course he gets worked up when she visits; he has affection for her." "What are you talking about?" "Has he felt this before?” asked Luna. “How would he know what to do with it?" "Luna-" "Let me speak. I do not defy your decision. However, turning the clock back on him by a hundred years will undo everything those two have worked so hard for." "He hasn't worked hard. That's exactly why things are the way they are. He manipulates. He steals." "About other things, yes," said Luna, “but not this." Fluttershy hardly heard their argument through her ringing ears, and she covered them with her hands to try and block them out. Celestia was terse. "I appreciate your insight on the matter, but it really is not your affair." "We both locked him away, Celestia; it was not only you. How is it not also my affair?" "There's no room here for your frivolous sympathies. He needs to grow up. He's paying for his crimes." “Yes, he is, and he has been-” “He has not. He’s still a child, still a monster. He hurts people, Luna.” There was a distress mixed with the anger in her voice that almost tugged even Fluttershy’s heart. “He is not hurting anyone now, except maybe your pride-” “This is not about me, it’s about him, and it’s about her -” "Stop, " said Fluttershy, moving between them. "Please, stop fighting." Celestia seemed to have forgotten her presence. "Fluttershy." "I won't see him again. Tell him so. I won't see him ever again, just please undo what you've done to him." She was visibly shaking. "I couldn't bear to see even someone I hated locked-in that way... please. " "He's not in pain." "He is. I don't care about anything he's done to me. Let him go, please. Please." Celestia shook her head. "This isn't a deal I can get into-" "Then make it. For me , not for him." She forced her hands into fists only to keep them from tearing her dress apart. "I give you my word." Celestia, nonplussed, looked between her and Discord, who was still twitching, half-encased in stone. She shook her head, then searched Fluttershy’s face before giving a nod. She clapped her hands twice. Fluttershy let out her breath, tugging on the collar of her dress as she watched, bit by bit, the stone around Discord crack and crumble around him. Her heart pounded in her chest, almost drowning out the sound. After a loud inhale, Discord’s body stopped twitching and he slumped in his throne again, the way he had when Fluttershy had first met him. His eyes were closed, but his hair fell over his shoulders and soon covered them. “Go, Fluttershy,” Celestia said, not looking at her. “Now. It’s done.” Fluttershy hesitated until Celestia turned her eyes on her, and gave one final look to Discord before being escorted out of the cell by the guards. She did not realize she was walking, nor where she was, until Luna stopped her just before entering the stairwell. "You are sure?" the princess asked. Fluttershy nodded, biting her lip to keep from screaming. "You are not happy." "No." "It is to be expected." Luna almost sounded sorry. "I am sure he appreciates your decision." She rubbed her palms over both eyes, stemming her tears. "All right,” she said, before bowing and walking away. *** Time passed before Discord saw anyone, and was neither pleased nor surprised when Celestia came to call. He had expected her to harangue him immediately after she gave him the news of Fluttershy’s permanent departure, but after ten days he wondered if she were actually afraid of his potential wrath, and by the time she did show up he no longer cared why. "What do you want from me?” he asked, tired and bored. “She's not coming back. I can't hurt her anymore. I'm not throwing things at you. I'm not calling you names. There’s nothing to talk about." "Because you're good now?" She raised an eyebrow. "Look what you did to my face." He touched the scabbed-over cuts the stone had given him along the right side of his face and neck. "It tells me you're beginning to realize things have to be different from how you see them." “Doesn’t matter anymore. She chose this.” “And you let her.” He scowled. “I was sick of her face.” “Oh?” If she had been close enough, he might have slapped her. “You got what you wanted. What are you doing here?” “I need you to understand something, Discord. The life you may have outside these walls, it does not include her. She’s done more than enough. I’d considered stopping her seeing you eventually, anyway.” “Thank you for explaining.” Celestia sighed. “Shall we move on, then? You’ve realized how things are better now?” "It's not that, I..." Discord drew his hand across his face, nails raking his skin. “We aren’t just good or evil. Being good takes more effort than being bad.” Fluttershy’s visage appeared in his mind’s eye; she was hardly capable of being bad. Perhaps what Celestia said was true of him and everyone else, but Fluttershy was the anomaly, he realized; not him. “You were right,” he said, twirling a small pair of scissors around his finger. “Isn’t that what you really want to hear? You were right all along.” *** The next few days swept past Discord in a blur. Celestia had tried to hold a meaningful conversation with him, whatever that was, but he had no interest in any more she had to say. He thought of nothing and looked at nothing and felt nothing, and when another visitor arrived, he couldn't quite place her. Behind the walls were low hills of red flowers swaying in a breeze, and beyond that a sparkling ocean that occasionally caught his eye. When the visitor stepped closer to him, he recognized her. "Luna. Well, well. Come to share in your sister's glee?" The door closed behind her, echoing around the room. Luna’s face, as always, was a blank slate. "My sister is not gleeful." "Well," he muttered, clearing his throat, "I can see which side of the bed you wake up on." "You do not see Fluttershy anymore." "Are you telling me?" he asked lightly, tracing the arm of his throne with his index finger. "I can stand on my own two feet again." He looked at his legs. "Almost." "I hear she misses your company." "She always said so." Luna tilted her head. "Don't you care?" He shook his head. "How unusual.” She looked confused. “Then I gather you are now enjoying your time in here." His eyes were scalding. "Of course I am. Entertainment galore. Adoring fans. Musical theatre. Parties. Soirees. I can even jack off now, every day!" Her expression did not change and he grinned. "You're not amused?" "And Fluttershy?" "What about her?" Luna walked toward him. "And Fluttershy?" "Ask your sister." “You could make your own decision. You could change it back to how it was, when she was here. Perhaps Celestia would allow it.” His face contorted, but he said nothing. “You don’t want to?” “Fuck, Luna, what are you doing here? Did I invite you? Do I want to talk?” “Fluttershy helped you. I thought you might miss her. Celestia told me you didn’t, however I wanted to ask you myself. I was right about you, wasn’t I?” "Right about what?” he snapped. “She tried to be my friend. She's something. She showed me... what something is." "What is 'something'?" "I don't know. Different." He watched the red flowers turn to purple, then black, before withering and blowing away as dust. " Life." “I thought perhaps it was so.” His scowl deepened. "Feeling meddlesome, now? Couldn't walk through the door for a thousand years? Unlike you, I remember all of it. Every single day." "I don't regret what Celestia and I did to you." "Thank you. I waited a millennium just to hear you say that." "But I do regret what's happened between you and Fluttershy." He tossed his head. "Happened? Between her and me? Nothing happened." "It is your melancholy, isn't it. And your fear and your anger. And you miss her. You don't like saying goodbye." "I don't remember saying goodbye." He held up his hand. "It's too late for therapy; I'm a lost cause. You’ll have to get your savior’s badge somewhere else.” She stood in front of him. "I think you do not know what you feel, and those feelings, the confusion, they consume you. You let it out in your chaotic aura and you hurt her. But I don't think you mean to." "Fuck," he said, squirming as much as he could from his throne. "What is it with you two? You can't rest until you've squeezed the last ounce of breath from someone. It's none of your damn business." She was inches in front of him, imperious with her cold blue eyes and gently waving hair. "I'm sorry." His eye twitched, unsure of what to do next because he had been expecting an argument. "The hell are you sorry for?" She lowered her eyelids, focusing on the floor as she stepped past him and to one of the crystal walls. She placed her palm against one of its smooth facets. "This could be a soothing place, if you let it. Let go of your acrimony." "Get out of here." "You feel for her." She faced him again, eyes piercing. "You don't know what it is yet, and it bothers you." "Get out." "So, I'm sorry she had to leave." Discord did not like being outmaneuvered by dialogue. "She didn't have to leave; Celestia gave her no choice." Luna shook her head. “She had a choice. She made the one she thought would be best for you. But what about your own choice?” “Stop with the cryptic bs.” “You can’t handle her being close to you, can you? She throws you off. You are lost, and I don’t know how to fix it, either. I suppose it’s too late now.” He gritted his teeth. "If my emotions are so disturbing, then how can you stand being here?" "Because they're about her; not me." He jerked his head to the side and focused on the wasteland that was now behind the walls. “It’s your magic,” she continued. “Your chaos. One day, you’ll figure out what to do with what you feel, but for now it’s destructive… as I imagine it has been for the duration of your life. Yes?” His lip curled. "Chaos is what I am; of course it’s what I feel." "I mean about her ." Her frown was small, but on her usually-expressionless face it stood out. "Probably you love her, and it scares you." "Love? Her?" "I won't ask you for your answer. I think you already know it." "That’s not it.” "How would you know?" He raised his head, first glancing sharply at her, then frowning. "Had you ever even thought about it?" He curled his arm in front of him protectively. "Why would I?" "She cared much for you." Discord winced. "She's not here now." "Hm." She tapped her cheek with a finger. "Well, it is true; she did marry someone else." "Again... thank you." "And even if you do get out of here, it does not mean she will be with you." Discord held onto the arms of this throne. "I don't want her to be with me." "Then what do you want?” “To get out of this room. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Luna looked him over. "Maybe if you keep saying that, it will turn out to be true, but it isn't helpful to you now. Won't you thank her, at least? I can relay a message to her if you wish it." He looked at the ceiling. "Why, for melting my icy, fragile heart?" "Your heart is fragile. Fluttershy saw it a long time ago." He hit his chest. "The joke’s on both of you; I don't have one. After all these years, there's still nothing here." She considered him before watching the waves beyond the scorched earth. "What is the beach for?" “I couldn’t make it in time.” “In time for what?" When he didn't answer, she asked, "Why is the sand red?” “Why not? ” Discord snarled. “Would you get out? How many times do I have to ask? You all got what you wanted. Leave me in peace.” Luna returned her attention to him. “Don’t you want to tell her something? Celestia will know if you write her a letter, but I can tell Fluttershy what you tell me." “Forget it.” “I have no judgments.” “I don’t trust you, the same way Celestia doesn’t trust me.” Luna blinked. “You won’t start throwing things at me, will you?” “Just go.” Luna surveyed Discord and the room, then the ashes and ocean beyond the walls before returning to the door where she stopped. “She has a message for you. She said, ‘I don’t want you to worry about me.’” Discord felt a new sensation in his eyes and blinked rapidly. Heat ran down his cheeks, and when he touched his face he felt moisture. Covering his eyes with his hand, he said, “Then tell her this: I'll get out for you. You don't have to wait for me. You don't have to miss me. But when I walk out of this castle, I'm walking straight to you."