//------------------------------// // All at Once, Everything is Different // Story: Seeing the Light // by Animalman57 //------------------------------// As the night began and the lanterns starting soon, Discord walked back, not believing it. 'Posey' was the lost Princess of Kindness, Fluttershy! He didn't think too much of the lost princess even after he heard of it. He had at least some sympathy for the grieving family even if he didn't really like royalty, but he largely didn't care cause it didn't concern him and his selfish desires. But now there she was, standing not five feet from him. Has she really been in that tower since her kidnapping? What reason did her 'mother' have for taking her or did she find her from the real bandits and decide to take her in? If she was found rather than stolen by the mare 'Posey' calls mother, why did she lie about a deadbeat dad instead of telling her she was adopted when 'Posey' asked about her father? But the most important question in his mind was, "is she figuring out the truth?" Based on her behavior as he observed her, she seemed to be, even if she was fighting it. Not that he blamed her for trying to deny the truth. Her whole life is starting to turn upside down and being unveiled as a lie. Of course she'd try and resist and keep her whole life intact. And now, Discord's feelings were getting even more confusing. He briefly lived the royal life when his parents were still around as they were good friends with the king and queen of Canterlot, but he was more of a commoner these days. He never minded that before, but now he was falling for a princess! And a gorgeous one at that. Was he really worthy of her? On the flip side, 'Fluttershy' was a much more beautiful name and much more fitting for her than 'Posey'. Maybe he should refer to her as that. In his mind, of course. Can't make the poor thing even more confused after all. Tried as she might to be excited for the lanterns, Posey couldn't get the thought of the mural outta her head. It just couldn't be true! Her mother didn't kidnap her and she wasn't royalty. Yet the more she thought about it, the less confident she was about what's true. Her mother never really cared about her too much. And she didn't look like her really at all. Oh, sure, her mother said she looked more like her father, but there weren't any photos of him to confirm that. Then again, if he ditched her before I was born, of course mother wouldn't want any reminders of his existence. her mind retaliated. But there was the fact that she looked like the filly in the mural. She knew some ponies could look pretty similar even if they aren't related, but that mural looked exactly like a younger version of her. How likely was it that the two of them just happened to look exactly like each other? Then there was the matter of if it was true, what in Equestria was she to do about it? Run back into the hooves of practical strangers that are supposedly her real parents and try to be a princess? She didn't know how to be one. Could she even be with Discord if she became royalty as he's not royalty? For sweet sakes, what about her name?! I've been Posey my whole life, but I never really liked that name. Fluttershy is better. Should I go by Fluttershy? But I don't know if I'm really her and that feels disrespectful if I'm not her. But what other explanation is there? Oh, everything is different now. I wish things were simple. She has nothing but questions and doubts and no answers for any of them. As she heard Discord's booted steps and Twilight's hooves, she tried to ignore her doubts and focused on seeing the lanterns with her crush. She didn't want to worry him about her existential crisis after all. "So, are you ready to see the lanterns?" Twilight said as they approached, trying really hard to not freak out about her being the Princess of Kindness. "Um, I guess." the pegasus said honestly. Angel, Shining Armor, Spike, Cadence, Twilight, Discord, and Posey made it down to the docks to get on a boat to see the lanterns. Cadence and Shining Armor shared a boat, while Twilight and Spike shared another for some brother-sister bonding (namely Spike teasing her about her outfit), leaving Angel, Discord and Posey to their own boat. She stopped just before her hoof set into the boat. Discord raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?" He asked. Not wanting to tell him about her identity crisis, she decided to tell him about her earlier fears from when she was heading down before she saw the mural. She was still worried about this fear, but not quite as much as the princess debacle. "I've been looking out the window for 21 years. Dreaming about what it would feel like when those lights rise in the sky. What if it's not everything that I dreamed it would be?" "It will be." Discord responded. "And what if it is? What then?" She asked, terrified of her future. He gave the most genuine smile he had given any living creature. "Well, that's the good part. You get to go find a new dream." She smiled in response. Discord lifted her into the boat and floated Angel in before jumping in himself, turning his tail feathers into a motor, putting his tail into the water, and drove them off. Up in the castle, King Gentle Heart sighed as he looked at the butterfly covered lanterns. He couldn't believe it had been 21 years today and his daughter hadn't been found yet. He loved their son, Zephyr Breeze, but she was his baby girl. "Honey?" asked a soft and kind voice behind him. He turned and saw his wife, Queen Whisper Willow, who looked just as distraught as he did. She walked forward and nuzzled him. "It's time." She said. "Where's Zephyr?" He asked. She smiled nervously. "He, um, said he'd watch it from the docks. Something about hearing of it being romantic and him wanting a connection with a special someone." Gentle Heart smiled, if only for a moment. Their son was a bit of a womanizer. Nothing too bad, but he always tried to flirt with mares, especially that rainbow maned pegasus mare that was to be Fluttershy's personal guard when she and the rainbow mare both came to age. She wasn't interested, but Zephyr keeps trying regardless. His smile disappeared as he thinks about their daughter. Whisper's smile also vanished when she saw his smile disappear. She nuzzled him some more and kissed his cheek. "I know. I miss her, too." She said as tears started coming down. "Maybe this year will finally be the one and our baby comes home." He sighed. "I hope so, Whisp. I hope so." They released the lanterns together as Whisper leaned against Gentle Heart and cried into his shoulder. He wrapped a wing across her withers for support as tears ran down his own face. If only they could see their daughter again. They wouldn't care that she'd be an adult by now, they just wanted to see their baby girl again. Their little Fluttershy. Unbeknownst to them, their daughter, who was still debating whether she was the princess or not, had reached the center of the lake with Discord and her bunny. The boat stopped as Discord said, "It's the best day of your life. I figured you should have a decent seat." His tail turned back to normal as he lifted it out and laid it on the seat, and then he leaned back, crossing his goat hoof over his reptilian claw. "Personally, I never saw the big deal with these, but I'd do anything for you at this point, my dear." Posey smiled before looking up, waiting for the lanterns to start. Her eyes widened as they started floating across the skies. They were even more beautiful up close than they were from her tower. She turned back to see Discord watching the lanterns wearing 3-D glasses and eating a tub of carrot flavored popcorn that he was sharing with Angel, who has his own pair of 3-D glasses. He looked her way and waved with his paw. She waved back before turning her attention back to the lanterns. Meanwhile, on Twilight's boat, she was telling Spike about Fluttershy. "So, you think it's her?" He asked as he watched the lanterns. "I can't ignore how similar they look." She replied. "Well, some ponies just kinda look alike, Twi. Like that story about the prince who found someone who looked exactly like him and switched places with them, but they weren't related at all." Twilight rolled her eyes. "I never liked that story. Do you know how improbable it'd be to find someone who looks exactly like you in every single way but be a different class from you?" Spike shrugged. "Who knows?" Twilight sighed. "But I'm sure it's really her." Spike scratched his head. "Well, if it is really her, what do we do about it?" Twilight stayed silent for a while before answering, "I don't know, Spike." She laid her head on the side as she sighed. Spike patted her shoulder with a sadden look on his face. Back on Discord and Posey's boat, the lanterns were a perfect distraction from her dilemma. They were everything she hoped they'd be and more. The only downside was now she didn't know what to do with her life. But she knew that Discord should start his. She looked at her crush. "Discord, I have something for you." He lowered his glasses and raised an eyebrow. She grabbed the satchel from behind her back (it was hidden in her unbraided tail) and gave it to him. His eyes widened. He looked inside and saw the crown. "Now you can start being good. I should have given it to you before, but I was just scared. The thing is...I'm not s-scared anymore. You know what I mean?" She asked. He looked at the crown that belong to the beautiful mare across from him before looking at her. In the glow of the lanterns, she looked like a princess. Well, not yet. He leaned forward and placed the crown on her. She blushed. He smirked at her reaction. "I'm starting to." He grabbed her hooves with his paw and talon and her blush increased. They stared into each other's eyes. "Look look look, Shiny!" Cadence yelled from her boat. She'd been more interested in Discord and Posey than the lanterns themselves. He looked over and smiled while she could barely hold her squees. She couldn't help fangirling. She was the Princess of Love after all and she adored seeing a new couple form. They continued to look to each other's eyes, each held by their hypnotic gaze. They softly sang to each other, "All at once, everything is different. Now that I see you." They start to lean closer to each other as they finished singing. "Now that I see you." They continued leaning as Posey closed her eyes and puckered her cherry red lips. Angel squeaked and covered his blushing face with his ears. Discord was about to pucker his lips, until his gaze went to her crown and then to the castle. No, this isn't right. He let go of her hooves and put his tail in the water. Once she sensed him not going for it, she fluttered her eyes open. "Discord?" She asked in a tone that was like her heart was breaking. He ignored the twist in his heart that tone made and drove them to the castle. They could barely hear Cadence yell, "Oh, come on!" as they left. He made it to the shore and hopped out. "Is everything okay?" Posey asked. "Huh? Oh yes. Uh, yes of course. Everything is fine. It's just..." he paused, not sure how to continue. He shook his head. "Listen, I just thought maybe I should start that "making amends" thing with your par-I mean, the king and queen." He finally settled on. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't really a lie either. Her eyes widened as she believed his half-truth. "Oh, okay. Do you want this?" She asked, starting to lift the crown off her head. "No no. Just…leave it on. I want to bring them out here." She nodded and placed it back on her head. "I'll be back soon, Fluttershy." He said softly, not realizing his slip up. Her eyes widen even more as he walked off. Does he suspect I'm the princess? She sat for a minute until another big revelation hit her. She gasped as her entire face turned red and she put a hoof to her chest. "We almost kissed! On the lips!" Does he like me, too? She pondered this and more as she watched him disappear into the shadows.