//------------------------------//
// Lion Paw 
// Story: Discordant Feelings 
// by cartuneslover19 
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Who would have thought a lion would somehow wind up in Ponyville?

Twilight stood outside Fluttershy's door as the yellow pegasus ushered the calm creature into her home. For a creature that was always described as ferocious and terrifying, this lion was actually scared and shy when it first came to Ponyville. All the ponies ran off in fear, locking their doors and looking out their windows in hopes that the beast would leave.

As Twilight had observed, the poor thing looked heartbroken, only needing some attention and care after having trailed off from its home in the Everfree forest.

And who could show kindness toward a frightening creature?

"There, there..." Fluttershy said softly as she slowly beckoned for the lion to follow into her haven of a home. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of you until we can bring you back home."

Twilight smiled as she saw a small, shy smile become visible on the lion's face as it slowly entered Fluttershy's home. As soon as it entered, Twilight trotted right behind it, wanting to offer her friend assistance if she needed any.

"Wow," the unicorn chuckled as she watched the pegasus set right to work and check the lion's paws for bruises or anything else. "No pony can get along with animals better than you, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy blushed a bit, smiling sweetly before she gently placed her hooves on the lion's mane and searched it for messes. "I just want to make sure all animals are fine and well."

"Well, you really proved yourself after taking this lion in," the unicorn said as she motioned toward the lion, whom had began to accept Twilight's presence although it was still shy about it. "Everyone was cheering when you finally led the lion away."

"Oh, they should see that he's not a big, mean lion," Fluttershy giggled softly as she patted the creature. "He's just a big, kind-hearted lion who needs help."

"Well, since I'm here, let me know if you need any help," Twilight offered. Though Twilight wasn't as good with animals as Fluttershy, she knew how to treat them right.

As Fluttershy had once said, it's always good to show a little kindness.

Remembering those words, Twilight recalled the first time she had arrived in Ponyville; how badly she wanted to leave and go back to Canterlot and continue her studies. She thought these ponies were crazy, especially a certain pink party pony. When she first met Fluttershy, the unicorn tried to make good conversation, taking Princess Celestia's insistence to make some friends. How hopeless and slightly annoyed Twilight felt when Fluttershy wasn't much for small talk the first time they met. That irritated Twilight, and she had grown more desperate than ever to leave.

Then there came that special quest in which Twilight was forced to cooperate with five awkward ponies, especially Fluttershy. The unicorn wanted to find the Elements of Harmony on her own but these ponies insisted they accompany her, not daring to allow her on such a dangerous journey alone. How even more annoyed Twilight had grown about them.

But as they had trailed through the forest, Twilight noticed each of them represented something. An Element of Harmony.

And Fluttershy's element was kindness. Twilight had noticed that when the yellow pegasus had stood up to a Manticore, who wasn't being a threat but had a thorn in its paw. Unlike the others who wanted to attack the beast, Fluttershy showed compassion and helped it, earning its trust.

How shocked Twilight had been to see a pony like Fluttershy able to act courageously toward a Manticore. The unicorn had began to reconsider her doubts about these ponies; she still thought they were strange, but they were quite helpful. And quite good ponies.

Twilight had to smile as she recalled those memories of when she first met those five special ponies, especially Fluttershy. Who would have thought that these crazy ponies would become her friends? In a way, Twilight considered herself a crazy pony in the bunch as well. There was always a day when things went chaotic.

Chaotic...

Another memory flashed Twilight's mind as she remembered a certain creature that defined that word so well. As Fluttershy became busy with the lion, Twilight took this time to take out something from her bag.

A book. The Tale of Discord.

Shifting her eyes toward the pegasus, Twilight kept the title hidden as she began to read it. Again.

The unicorn could never put that book down. She had read it repeatedly, wanting to learn more behind the enemy they had defeated not too long ago. The only information she had found was describing his former rule of chaos and disharmony for every pony before Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had rebelled against him. Even when Princess Celestia described him on the day he had broken free from his stone prison, the information she had given didn't seem like enough for Twilight, though she and her friends had carried on with their quest.

She and her friends had arrived at the labyrinth, believing the Elements of Harmony were there. With confidence and relying on each other, they felt that finding the elements would be no problem, as Rainbow Dash had stated when she decided to just fly over and get the elements.

A bad move as her wings suddenly disappeared and she fell before them, having become an Earth pony. Same for Fluttershy, who screamed in horror at the lost of her wings. Twilight could never forget how horrified she and Rarity were when their horns were taken away. The way of the Earth pony was still complicated for Twilight, even though her organization skills with Winter Wrap-Up Day had been a success.

And that's when they finally came face-to-face with Discord.

He was even more terrifying in person than when he appeared in the windows of Princess Celestia's palace. Though Twilight had been scared by such a creature, she had taken some time to observe him.

He was a Draconequus, a creature who had the head of a pony but had body parts of many other creatures. Twilight could remember his right deer antler, his left goat leg, his single fang, and even his beard.

But if there was one body part that Twilight truly remembered of the mix-matched creature, it was his right lion paw.

As Twilight had taken the time to observe him while on the other hoof showing great protest and anger towards him for stealing her horn, she had been quite intrigued by his lion's paw. He had a left eagle talon, but that seemed more terrifying in her opinion.

His lion paw, however, somehow symbolized his strong yet playful nature.

Twilight hadn't paid attention to his lion paw for long as she tried to keep her hooves on the ground, struggling not to become aggressive toward the Draconequus. How even more angry and annoyed she was when he took her temper to his amusement, teasing her after she demanded he return her friends' horns and wings.

He promised-if he ever could promise-he would give them back afterwards. He claimed he did that so there wouldn't be any cheating in searching for the elements. His "no flying, no magic" rule.

Twilight remembered how furious Rainbow Dash was as well as how terrified and hurt Fluttershy was when Discord told them about no flying. She wanted to calm down Rainbow Dash while she also wanted to comfort Fluttershy. She knew how important their wings were to them, Rainbow Dash especially.

Twilight had been still cringing about becoming hornless when Discord had come up to her and told her not to use her magic...

...while he ran the finger of his lion paw along her cheek.

Twilight had been stiff as a statue when he did that. Her purple eyes had widened in surprise by such an action as she stood perfectly still when the feel of his lion paw touched her face. In addition, the look in his gold and red eyes as he stared closely at her nearly made her shiver with fear.

Though Twilight had been overwhelmed, she did remember the feel of his lion paw after he did that.

The lion fur felt soft...smooth even...and the way Discord ran it down her cheek, it felt like she had been dabbed on with a handkerchief...

Why she mentally paid such a compliment for the spirit of chaos and disharmony when she was really just infuriated with him, the unicorn would never know.

That was kind of creepy...

Of course, he was just being Discord. He sometimes was creepy. And then sometimes he was manipulative; he tricked her friends, converting them into horrible opposites of the elements they represented.

Twilight sighed as she remembered how hard it had been trying to round up her friends, minus Rainbow Dash, and bring them back to Ponyville...which Discord had turned into the 'Chaos Capital of the World'.

Twilight tried to keep things positive, trying to ignore what had happened to her friends as she led them back home. The unicorn cringed as she recalled having been run over by long-legged rabbits, much to a cruel Fluttershy's satisfaction. And then, to Discord's power, day became night. And Twilight found herself slipping along dirt roads that had been covered with sudsy soap.

The unicorn had been horrified by the change in balance known as Equestria. And when she saw Pinkie Pie actually playing in the sudsy grounds, there had been a little hope in Twilight that the real Pinkie Pie was still in there somewhere...How wrong she was when Pinkie, angry and serious as ever, claimed that what she did that appeared to be fun...she did not think it was fun at all.

Twilight wasn't sure she could take much more of this chaos as well as this change in her friends; she just had to find the elements and bring everything back to normal. How stressed and tired she was...

That's when Discord came to her side out of nowhere. His lion paw had been draped over her body, which somewhat terrified her. And before she had time to protest what he was doing, her wrapped his arm around her before he stretched to a different height, carrying her along with him. How small she was compared to how stretched he became...she had felt as if she were dangling from a rope the way Discord held her under his arm, his lion paw secured close to her.

How proud he was as he gazed at the work he had done, all the disharmony he created as he had done a thousand years back. Twilight just glared at him through all of this, wishing for him to allow her hooves to touch the sudsy ground again. As much as Twilight wanted to feel uncomfortable under his arm, she had to admit, it felt kind of comfy...

Soft...

Twilight felt sick that she would even consider someone like Discord as "soft". He was manipulative, disrespectful, and above all completely childish. Calling him soft would be like calling Fluttershy cruel...which she had been during those events.

And she felt like a fool for ever thinking of Discord's lion paw. Why, oh, why was she even thinking about his dumb lion paw? So it was the better arm of his two, showing his strength and mischievousness through the simple flick of his hand or the snap of his fingers. Twilight had to admit-to herself-that that body part of the mix-matched creature seemed like the strongest.

There was that moment during those events when he used his eagle talon. It was after the failed attempt of using the elements to finish him off the first time. How horrified Twilight was to realize that the elements couldn't work, and there was no sympathy from her changed friends; though Spike apologized, insisting he was no Rainbow Dash.

As much as Twilight wanted to break down for her failure, she needed to stand up to Discord. The Draconequus had applauded her failed attempt to stop him, taunting her that his power of disharmony had definitely taken over Equestria.

But that wasn't the part that made Twilight extremely furious. It was when Discord said those four nasty words.

Discord rules. Celestia drools.

And the tip of his eagle talon touched the tip of her nose and he laughed at her stunned expression. He offended the princess! Her teacher! Twilight had become even more angry at him, if that was even possible.

How she wanted to just bite his eagle talon...to show him pain, which was nowhere as similar as to the pain she suffered deep within her heart for her friends, for the princess, for all of Equestria.

Soft...Twilight thought bitterly as she closed her book, yeah, right...

Suddenly, something slipped out of her bag when she attempted to put back The Tale of Discord.

It was her journal.

Eyes widening a bit, the unicorn picked it up. Turning around and making sure Fluttershy was too occupied to ever catch a glance at her personal writing, Twilight dug her nose into her journal, looking over what she had written recently.

She read about the day Discord escaped his stone prison, how everything had become topsy turvy since his release, and her determination to stop him.

Most of her writing had been focused on her personal thoughts about the Draconequus, from regarding him as a threat to a creature who didn't seem all that bad...

Twilight's eyes dropped as she gazed at her journal entry. She had written about how she wished things had been different, that there could have been something better than turning her enemy into stone.

She read about her reaction to seeing Discord stone again, how much she felt it was her fault that he received his fate. How much she thought she didn't use her element right...

She had written on and on about how things could have been different between her and Discord, how she could have reasoned with him...how they could have become friends...

Friends don't give up on friends, she read.

Sighing to herself, Twilight closed her journal as her ears drooped down with regret. Though Discord was unaware of her sympathy for him, she couldn't help but feel ashamed of herself for thinking such negative things earlier.

She had been annoyed with him, angry with him, even more annoyed with him...then she felt sorry for him.

Twilight had to remind herself that she did see a little goodness in his heart no matter how much trouble he caused. It was just the thought of having nearly failed that made the unicorn become bitter when she thought of Discord afterwards.

The bitterness is gone...she still felt bad for him.

"I'm sorry," Twilight looked up from her journal to see Fluttershy gaze at her. "Are you becoming bored right now?"

Twilight had to smile. Her dear friend Fluttershy, so sweet and kind and being so considerate...

"No, Fluttershy," Twilight assured her as she placed her journal back in her bag and walked over to her and the relaxed lion. "I was simply giving you two some space."

"Oh, well, you don't have to do that anymore," the pegasus smiled as she patted the lion. "Our dear friend, the lion, is fine now. Later we'll take him home."

Twilight smiled from Fluttershy to the lion she spent her time on. For such a terrifying-looking beast, it actually looked kind and sincere and friendly. The lion gave a low, happy growl as it smiled at both ponies, its trust given as well as its friendship.

Grateful, the lion gave Fluttershy's hair a lick, thanking her for her treatment. The pegasus laughed, pleased she had helped it. Turning to Twilight, the lion gave her a sincere smile before raising its paw.

Before Twilight knew it, the creature gave her cheek a soft, playful pat before running it down her face, showing how much they've fully earned its trust.

Twilight just smiled at the lion. The feeling was just as she remembered the last time a lion paw touched her face.

Soft.
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