//------------------------------// // Discord's Love // Story: Falling // by Omegathyst //------------------------------// Vermillion made his way to the Canterlot garden, staring straight ahead as he refused to make eye contact with the Princesses on each side of him. Princess Luna did the same, although Vermillion could catch the taller Princess glancing at him as she frowned. Vermillion exhaled sharply through his nostrils as he glared up at her. “You’ll never be my ruler,” Vermillion spat. “He gave me a reason to wake up every morning, and you just had to take that away from me.” “Vermillion, we gave him a chance to peacefully cease the terror he was inflicting on our kind, and he refused,” Celestia explained. “He can’t help the way he is!” Vermillion stomped his hoof, stopping as they approached the statue. “With all your talk of Elements, you can’t understand that chaos is part of him?” “Of course I can understand that,” Celestia lifted her hoof towards Vermillion, and the stallion scowled as he stepped away from her. “And maybe one day he’ll be able to live in society and not use his Element for harm. But we cannot fix him, that would have to be a job for another pony.” “Give the job to me!” Vermillion begged, his eyes watering as he glanced at the stony figure of his lover. “He always knew to stop when I asked him to, our love is more important to him than sharing his chaos throughout the land!” “If that were true...” Celestia walked up to the statue and stared up at it. “...then he would’ve surrendered when we had asked.” Celestia teleported away in a flash of light before Vermillion could open his mouth, leaving him with Princess Luna, who only gave him a blank stare before teleporting out of sight as well. Vermillion stomped his hoof into the grass, letting out a thunderous yell that sent birds flying out the nearby trees as he fell to the ground, burying his face in his heavy hooves as he dissolved into a series of sobs. “I’m sorry, Dissy, I tried,” Vermillion hiccuped and hypervenialied through his words, getting up on his hooves and slowly approaching the statue. “Maybe they’re right, you cannot be fixed. But what can you do? There has to be a better way than sealing you in stone.” Vermillion stood on his hind legs as he embraced the statue, staring up at Discord. “I love you,” Vermillion whispered. “I’ll save up enough bits to move here, and then I’ll visit you everyday. They’ll let you out soon, I’m sure of it.” “This isn’t goodbye,” Vermillion said as he removed himself from the statue. “I’ll see you again soon.” Discord gulped as he remembered the first of many visitations from his former coltfriend, so full of hope before years of his statue remaining there snuffed that hope out from him. After the fifth year of visitations, Vermillion stopped coming back. It gave Discord a sense of warmth in his heart, maybe Vermillion had met somepony else and didn’t have to grieve him anymore. Regardless, he wouldn’t be making the same mistake twice. As Pinkie Pie glanced at Discord in his attire, and then at Celestia, her eyes widened as she screamed. “You’re marrying Celestia?!” Discord nearly coughed up one of his lungs as Celestia jolted back, shaking her head as Rainbow Dash and Applejack broke into laughter. “Oh stars above, no!” Celestia gasped, her muzzle scrunching up as she stuck out her tongue. “I’m already taken, and he’s definitely not my type.” “Likewise,” Discord shook his head, managing to keep his lunch from coming up as he walked towards Fluttershy. With his lion paw holding a small box behind his back, Discord gently lifted Fluttershy’s face towards him with his talon. “My dear Fluttershy, forgive me for such a rude interruption to your confession. Centuries ago, I had loved a stallion when Celestia here had trapped me in stone for obvious reasons. I was never able to speak to him, or hold him, again. He had tried to change me for my own sake, to prevent what had ended up happening anyway.” Discord frowned as he broke away from looking into Fluttershy’s cyan eyes, staring at the dirt. “It was never anypony else’s responsibility to fix me,” Discord admitted. “Even with your sweetness that I wasn’t deserving of, I had still failed time and time again. That was never your fault, nor Vermillion’s fault. I hope that you would be willing to spend an eternity with me, and stay with me even if I fail again.” Discord knelt before Fluttershy, the pegasus’ eyes widening as he revealed the small box behind his back. Her jaw dropped as he opened the box, revealing a diamond ring as wide as her forehoof. While Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack stared just as bug-eyed as their friend, Rarity grinned as she stared at the symbol of her cutie mark. “Fluttershy, will you marry me?” Discord asked. “I promise, this time I’ll-” “Yes!” Fluttershy knocked Discord to the ground as she embraced his noodle body, only letting go to fly up to his face and kiss him. Discord set down the box as he rested his claws on Fluttershy’s face, tears rolling down his cheeks as the cheers of Fluttershy’s friends faded away into the background. As Fluttershy pulled back from the kiss, and Discord had let go of her face, Fluttershy smiled at him as she rested a hoof on his face. “Can I ask something of you?” Fluttershy whispered. “Oh my sweet little canary, you can ask me anything,” Discord responded as he kissed Fluttershy’s muzzle. “Becoming an immortal princess would be really big to take on,” Fluttershy blushed as her ears flattened. “Perhaps we can see each other for a year or two before Celestia makes me immortal? I want to get used to the idea and be sure that it is right for me.” “Of course!” Discord’s ears flickered as his eyes lit up. “Fluttershy, never feel pressured to go through with this or stay with me for eternity. Our love wouldn’t mean anything if you were staying purely out of obligation.” “Thank you,” Fluttershy pressed her lips against Discord’s lips a second time, for a shorter amount of time before she pulled back. “Oh goodness, y’know what is really going to be a challenge?” “What is that, my dear?” Discord tilted his head. “Picking my maid of honor,” Fluttershy giggled, glancing at her best friends. Pinkie Pie had already hopped back inside Sugarcube Corner, shouting about a party she had already prepared in case Discord proposed. Fluttershy flew off Discord and followed her friends inside, Rainbow Dash putting her foreleg around Fluttershy’s shoulder as she shouted “I told you so!” in Fluttershy’s ear. Fluttershy laughed as she glanced at Discord’s wide grin and Celestia’s gentle smile. Perhaps falling didn’t always end in pain, after all.