Sundown had already fallen on Maretime Bay as the sun disappeared into the spanning ocean at the edges of town. Most shops were closing for the evening and a certain sheriff was finishing his daily duty of checking through the complaint box.
He had received several calls today of crying foals, cats stuck in trees and trivial arguments that required a simple push for a different perspective before the opposite ponies went separate ways. They were all incidents that even Hitch thought were solvable on their own (well except maybe cats stuck in trees) and he got a tiny bit bored with his role in Maretime.
When he had desired to be a sheriff as a young colt, he was expecting a bit more action. A high-speed chase with a criminal would have definitely suited his taste. He longed for the adrenaline and satisfaction he’d receive from catching a wanted thief or perpetrator and ensuring those who were affected would be safe. Helping an old granny down the street or solving an argument on whether pancakes or waffles were better just weren’t doing it for him. Neither was sorting through these complaints.
“Rosabelle won't stop playing loud music,” Hitch read aloud a slip before tossing it to the side and grabbing another. “Diamond Hollow is a liar and a fake.”
He tossed that one after reading it too and found a piece of paper that caught his interest. It was written in green crayon and appeared to be in a little foal’s hoof writing. He snatched it and read it out loud.
“Mo...Mom,” Hitch squinted down at the messy writing. “Mom threw out my slipper...Oh, forget it!”
He crumpled up the slip and tossed it across the room. He had aimed for the nearest garbage can but the crumpled-up paper hit just beside it and tumbled to a stop. He sighed out of annoyance, knowing he’d have to pick it up later.
“This is ridiculous. The citizens of Maretime Bay aren't taking the complaint box seriously. It’s not for menial requests and solving arguments that can be helped by themselves. It’s for real dangers and problems…”
He slumped back in his chair and grumbled, closing his eyes as he titled his head to the ceiling. He knew he would have to finish combing through the complaint box before he could leave for tonight, despite how much he detested this specific duty and wanted to be entirely rid of it. If only for once there was somepony who had a serious problem that he could jump onto the case with enthusiasm.
A baby babbling noise forced Hitch to reopen his eyes as he glanced over at a green baby dragon, seated in another chair. The little one flapped his tiny wings and chewed on a pencil, previously stolen from Hitch’s pen holder and emitted little cooing noises.
Hitch stood up from his chair when he recognized the loud crunching noises to be the dragon digging his tiny teeth into the wood of the pencil and hurried to snatch it from him.
“Sparky, no!”
He stared up wide-eyed at Hitch and removed his mouth from the pencil, startled by his raised voice. With Sparky caught off guard, Hitch stole the pencil out of his little claw and returned it back to his pen holder.
“You’re a real troublemaker aren’t you?” A small laugh escaped Hitch.
Noticing his laughter and sudden increase in the mood again, Sparky grinned widely and reached his arms into the air, giggling and attempting to reach for Hitch. He scooped the little dragon into his arm and allowed him to rest his head on his shoulder, smiling warmly at the baby.
“I guess it’s partly my fault you’ve resorted to chewing pencils. I really need to invest in baby supplies. I’ve never had a child before, especially not a baby dragon. I don’t really know what you guys need or what I need to do.”
Even though Hitch felt guilty for not being able to fully care for Sparky like he probably should, he looked quite content in Hitch’s embrace.
There wouldn’t be enough information in this world that could possibly prepare Hitch for the joys and disasters of taking care of a species who had long been thought to have vanished from Equestria, but he was determined to do his best and keep Sparky happy. It was all he could really do after all.
He glanced over at the mess of slips and paperwork scattered across his desk, letters, files of ponies and whatnot and sighed exhaustively. An adorable yawn from baby Sparky caught Hitch from his thoughts of work as the dragon carefully nestled himself in the corner of Hitch’s arm before drifting into a light sleep.
“Oh, I guess it is getting late.” He stared through a crack of his blinds, the moon uncovering itself behind a nearby business.
With Sparky asleep in his arm and a lonely office awaiting him if he stayed, Hitch decided he would return home for tonight and finish the rest of his work the following day. It wasn’t very fair to allow Sparky to sleep in an uncomfortable space just so he could scan through documents and it was about time the sheriff pony took his badge off for the day.
He quickly tidied up his workspace and crossed off a day on his steamy calendar before locking up the sheriff's office with an audible click.
He was about to turn the corner to make his way to his home when the screaming of another mare disrupted his walk.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” He called out into the dark.
He saw no movement for a while until a panic-stricken unicorn exited the darkness and upon seeing Hitch changed her direction and galloped straight to him.
“S-Sheriff Hitch? T-That’s you, right?” Her voice shook, appearing as though she wanted to take off any second.
“Yes, Sheriff Hitch Trailblazer at your service. What seems to be the problem?”
“I-I don’t know...I don’t really know what i-it is. I need help!”
“Alright, calm down, ma’am. It’s going to be okay. I can help you but I need to know what’s troubling you first.”
“I-It’s this r-really large animal with this gigantic horn! I-It has w-wings and a long tail. I...I think it foalnapped somepony!”
“An animal with a horn, wings and a tail?” Hitch wore a confused expression. “That doesn’t sound real. Maybe you’re seeing things. It could be a shadow from a street light.”
“No, it can’t be!” The mare replied desperately. “It was moving and there was a shadow of a pony behind it! I think it’s taking the pony away. You have to do something, please!”
Even though Hitch found this extremely hard to believe, this pony was clearly distressed and in need of his help. This whole thing maybe just a huge misunderstanding but he felt as though he should at least reassure her that there was nothing to worry about and scope the area himself. Allowing her peace of mind could be the solution to this problem.
“I’ll go check it out. Where did you see this thing?” He asked.
“Over there,” She pointed to a path leading beside the water. “It was coming towards me so I ran as fast I could!”
“I’ll be right back, you stay here.”
He galloped onto the trail the mare pointed him to and followed the railing at his side. For a while, it was just the sound of the water crashing down below, the impact of his hooves on the dirt path and baby Sparky deeply asleep and babbling in his slumber despite all the commotion around him.
He immediately slowed his gallop to a trot when he noticed a towering shadow looming just up ahead, leaning against the railing. He held Sparky closer to himself and narrowed his eyes, steadying himself for a possible confrontation.
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” Hitch didn’t waste time on greetings as he glared at the figure.
The mare wasn’t lying, this shadow had a tall figure with one stray horn peeking out from the top. Two differently shaped wings were spread at its sides and a long tail that idly swayed with each movement stuck out. In the shadow was the shape of a pony, appearing as if it were bowing to carry enormous weight. Hitch could sense there was something definitely wrong here.
“Are you being held, hostage? Show yourself!”
“Hitch?”
Sunny Starscout revealed herself from the darkness, completely unharmed and looking both frazzled and utterly exhausted. It took a moment for Hitch to fully register what he was looking at.
“Sunny? What are you do-...Holy macaroni, what is that?!”
Hitch almost peed himself at the terrifying sight of Discord lounging on Sunny’s back. The draconequus made an effort to straighten his messy white hair out of his face and mischievously grinned down at Hitch whilst he used his friend to carry his entire weight. Sunny emitted a groan of exhaustion, almost contemplating the thought of collapsing right here.
“You must be Trip, right?” Discord stroked a talon through his beard.
“That’s Hitch, Discord.” Sunny replied underneath him.
“You know what, all you ponies have silly little names. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t bother with them at all.” Discord rolled his eyes.
“S-Sunny,” Hitch shuddered. “Are you okay?... Do you need help?”
The stallion was absolutely terrified of the creature riding Sunny’s back but he still offered to help Sunny out of this mess, even though he didn’t know exactly how.
“No, I’m not okay,” Sunny responded bluntly. “I just walked miles through a forest that seemed like it would never end, carrying this lazy pile of noodles all the way here. I haven’t had dinner yet and my back feels like it’s going to split in half!”
Sunny huffed angrily as Discord leaned his head over her shoulder.
“Never mind dinner, I haven’t had a single speck of food in over a millennium!” Discord complained. “You try living in an overgrown forest for a few centuries and we'll talk.”
“That’s not my fault! You chose to live there.”
“You really think I decided that place as my home? My magic hasn’t functioned correctly for years, I couldn’t simply leave even if I wanted to!”
“I saw you teleport away!”
“That doesn’t mean I can travel long distances!”
Hitch glanced back and forth at Sunny and Discord as the two argued over things he couldn’t even understand. He felt like a bit of a third wheel in this situation, awkwardly standing here and observing whatever this was. He still didn’t even know who and what this creature was.
Finally, Hitch interrupted. “Uh, hello? I’m still here.”
Sunny gazed back at Hitch, almost forgetting he was here. “Oh, sorry Hitch. Um, do you think we could go to your office? I really need to sit down.”
“Uh, not if you’re bringing that thing along,” Hitch gestured at Discord. “It’s not coming into my office, period.”
“Hitch!”
“Ah, so I'm just a thing now, ya?” Discord smiled thinly. “Watch your tongue, earth pony. You have no clue who I am and what I’m capable of. Your generation is so woke that you’ve forgotten the most influential heroes in your tiny little lives. Those who have dealt with more than a WiFi signal going out…”
“Is that a threat? I’m the sheriff of Maretime Bay and from where you’re standing, I have full right to arrest you.”
“Oh dear, Sunny, your little friend is a sheriff?” Discord chuckled. “He’s not even wearing a badge. I hope he isn’t the type of crowd you surround yourself with.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Hitch growled.
“Enough!” Sunny shouted over them. “Hitch, let us into your office.”
“The answer is no, Sunny. For all I know, this creature could be a convicted criminal. I’ve never seen anything like him before. His attitude doesn’t help his situation either.”
“So because you don’t understand who someone is, you immediately gatekeep them from having any similar rights to yours? Princess Twilight would be highly disappointed in her successors.” Discord scoffed.
“Princess Twilight?” Hitch questioned.
“Look, this is really important. I can explain more but I need you to let us in your office. Me walking into Maretime Bay like this will cause a huge panic and I don’t need other ponies knowing what’s happening. Please help me out.” Sunny pleaded.
“Actually, you already did cause a panic,” Hitch informed her. “You sent an older mare fleeing for her life. The only reason I came down here was that she asked me to deal with the problem.”
“Ohh,” Sunny smiled apologetically at him. “Sorry…”
“It’s fine,” Hitch sighed. “I see your point. I don’t need the whole of the bay panicking. You can come inside.”
Sunny squealed in excitement, mostly excited to finally rest. However, when she took a step forward, Hitch stopped her.
“But if it destroys anything at all, it goes back outside.” He said sternly.
Sunny couldn’t argue with that. It was Hitch’s office after all and he was being generous enough to allow her to set hoof in with a dangerous-looking creature he knew nothing about. One that didn’t exactly appreciate him either.
The three traveled down the path by the water until they made it into town, Hitch leading the way and frequently checking back and forth to see if anypony was still lingering around before proceeding. He did spot the anxious mare, still situated in the spot he had told her to stay and warned Sunny to stay behind momentarily.
It only took a few minutes of Hitch convincing the mare it was just construction workers rotating a large object which cast a suspicious shadow in her direction for her to understand and take her leave. With her mind at ease, it was much easier for Hitch to sneak Sunny and Discord into his office, well almost.
There was only a minor inconvenience of Discord being extremely tall and catching his goat antler on the entrance. They eventually squeezed him inside with a bit of pushing and lowering his head. However, he did not take kindly to that and chose to sulk in the corner of Hitch’s office once inside, waiting for an apology from both of them. He would be thoroughly disappointed to find they had no apologies to give.
Once they were settled in, Hitch rushed to shut all the blinds over the windows and locked the front door in hopes to shield Discord from any passerby noticing him. Meanwhile Sunny was investigating a half-empty box of donuts, fluffy pink frosting and sprinkles enticing her to steal a bite. Hitch had set sleeping Sparky down on a small pillow from his desk when he noticed the earth pony eyeing the box.
“Those are almost a day old. I wouldn’t recommend eating them.” Hitch cautioned her.
“I haven’t eaten anything for hoouursss…” Sunny complained, dramatically resting her head beside the box.
“If you want to eat them so bad then go ahead, just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Sunny’s head perked up and she excitedly reached for a donut. With no hesitation, she took a bite, the frosting and sprinkles making a tiny crunch in her mouth. It certainly wasn’t as tasty as it would have been fresh from the bakery, especially since the dough was rather dry and the frosting had already hardened but Sunny was hungry enough to enjoy it.
She finished off her donut and reached for another when an eagle claw snatched it away first.
“Hey!”
Discord now standing at her side quickly gobbled the donut before she would have any chance to get it back and licked his lips satisfied.
“My word, I haven’t had anything nearly as scrumptious in centuries!”
“Claws off, these are my donuts!” Sunny hugged the box of donuts.
“Haven’t you ever heard of the element of generosity? You of all ponies should know how important it is to give your belongings to your friends.”
Discord placed his paw and claw on the box and yanked it away from her.
“That’s not what Rarity meant!” Sunny argued. “Besides, I carried you all the way here. You could be a generous friend and let me have the donuts in exchange for my favor.”
“Friend? I don’t recall us ever being friends.”
“Quiet!”
Both Sunny and Discord whipped their heads around to see Hitch glaring at them. Discord’s claws slowly retracted to himself and Sunny folded her ears, her eyes darting elsewhere nervously.
“You two are acting like little foals! All that you have been doing is arguing over and over since I got here. If you want my help so badly then quit it. You’re giving me a headache.”
“Sorry, Hitch…” Sunny muttered, shamefully staring at the floor.
Discord didn’t bother apologizing to Hitch but he carefully slinked away under a table, slithering like a snake. He passed right under Hitch’s hooves without the stallion noticing and popped up behind Hitch’s desk. His paw and claw gently crept over the desk as his horn and then his yellow and red eyes peered at the baby dragon curled up on a pillow. His tail swished back and forth, quite like a cat as he inspected the small creature with his sight.
“So you said you had an explanation?” Hitch asked.
Sunny then proceeded to tell Hitch everything she knew. From when she stumbled upon Discord in the forest, the garden, Reginald Fursome, the strange occurrences in Discord’s behavior, and even his not-so-forgiving past of chaos and betrayal. The Lord of Chaos gratefully had fallen asleep, face first into the desk before he could hear Sunny clarify his reign of chaos. He would have had a lot to say if he knew what Sunny was saying.
Hitch, however, was having a crisis standing there, wide-eyed and petrified about the old Equestrian criminal he let inside without further questioning. He didn’t even know who this Discord character was twenty minutes ago, and now with the knowledge of him being a powerful trickster, he was about ready to crawl into a bunker and call it the end of the world.
“You’re serious...Right?” Hitch asked bewildered.
“Yes.”
“You didn’t just make that all up on the spot?”
“Why would I do that?” Sunny replied, offended. “My father was a historian who specialized in the knowledge of Equestria’s most influential ponies and creatures in history. I don’t think it’s fair of you to doubt me when you and Sprout didn’t even bother to listen to him when we were younger.”
“Sunny, do you know what this means?”
“It means that a piece of history still lives on and we can learn so much from him!” Sunny grinned excitedly.
“No!” He shouted. “You said he’s a lord of chaos! He could destroy all of Maretime Bay!”
“You’re not listening to me again. He has reformed a long time ago and would never do that.”
“How do you know that? You’re not friends with him or anything. He’s not just going to tell you his plans.”
“He’s been living in a forest for thousands of years. If you’re so sure he’s so destructive and evil, then why hasn’t he done it already? He’s had all this time, even when we were at our weakest point when the unity crystals were separated. I don’t think somepony who would want chaos would wait so long to initiate their plan.”
“...You're right, I don’t think someone as impulsive as he could be that patient and miss all of his opportunities to do something.” Hitch glanced at the slumbering draconequus.
“There’s also another part that’s strange about it…”
“You mean the opossum who can write letters?” He cocked his eyebrow at her.
“He takes care of a garden that used to belong to an old friend. The animals as well used to be in his friend’s care, not his. They were really angry at him for no reason and he refused to explain why. He’s really touchy about the past and I don’t know why.”
“Not everypony has a wonderful past, Sunny.”
“I know that. But it all seems to lead back to the fact he won’t talk about his friend. I think there’s something wrong…”
“Could be. But you’re never going to get it out of him. That guy is already hard enough to get along with.”
Sunny’s eyes fell on Discord who was drooling on the desk in his sleep. Little Sparky had moved from his place on the pillow to lay beside Discord’s face, hugging his lengthy goatee like a stuffed animal.
“Wait...The animals. I-I was supposed to-...”
Sunny trailed off as she hurried to the door. She turned the knob but it clicked and refused to move. She tried it a second time before turning to Hitch.
“Hitch, I need you to open this please.”
“What for?”
“I need to check something.”
Hitch simply shrugged and joined her side. He unlocked the door with his key and Sunny instantly galloped out into the street, her eyes set on the land outside of Maretime Bay.
“Are you coming back inside? I thought you didn’t want anypony to see Dis-...Uh, chaos.” He corrected himself quickly.
Sunny was a million miles away, visualizing the forest she once stood in alongside the Spirit of Chaos. Miles away where many of the animals he had previously been caring for resided. Did she leave them all behind? She was so set on taking Discord to Maretime that she forgot to ask them to embark on the journey with them. How was she supposed to receive answers if she had a draconequus who wouldn’t talk and carried limited information on ancient Equestria?
She sat down in the street, lowering her head and sighing. It was too far for her to go now, especially in the dark. Those animals were her ticket to seeing a past she would never be able to see on her own. What could she do now?
Suddenly, the rustling of a bush disturbed Sunny from her sorrow and she leaped to her hooves, staring at it fearfully.
“Uh...Hello?”
The bush rustled and shivered once again before a small tabby cat hopped out with a few leaves stuck in its fur. It was the same cat she had seen attacking Discord back at the remnants of the fallen cottage.
Sunny gasped. “You followed us!”
The cat meowed in response and she carefully scooped the small feline into her arms. She turned around and stared at Hitch with a big smile.
“Oh greaatt, you found a cat,” Hitch said sarcastically.
“Not just any cat. The cat with the answers to our problem!”
Hitch begrudgingly allowed Sunny to set the cat down in his office, positioning it on a small coffee table. The cat did a few circles before settling down and curling its tail to itself, purring contentedly. A few tufts of fur flew through the air from its movement and Hitch scowled, knowing he’d have to vacuum it all up later. He certainly wasn’t fond of cats for this reason.
Sunny, being completely on the opposite side of the spectrum, proceeded to fluff up the cat’s cheeks and baby it, giggling at the small creature. Hitch waited a few minutes longer to allow Sunny to get the ‘adorabetes’ out of her system before inquiring about this animal’s presence.
“Sooo, how is a cat supposed to help us?” Hitch paused. “Actually, what is it even helping us with?”
“Remember what I said about the animals being mad at Discord? Well, this little fella was there,” Sunny waved the cat’s arms involuntarily and uttered a small giggle. “You have the ability to talk to animals. That means you can find out why they were angry with him!”
“If it gets you to stop torturing that cat then, fine.”
Sunny allowed the small kitty peace, giving the two some space to communicate with each other. She observed eagerly as Hitch rolled up a chair and met with the cat, mere inches away and staring hard into one another's eyes. The cat’s slit pupils gazed blankly at him, no thoughts coming to mind whilst the large stallion awaited something to happen.
“Wait, what did you want me to ask it?” He asked, perplexed.
“Hmm,” She thought to herself. “Maybe why all the animals were piled on him and trying to hurt him? That might be a good place to start.”
He proceeded to ask the cat who kept a blank expression back at him. It wasn’t until a few seconds later that a few short meows and purrs emitted from the animal that Hitch finally discerned the sound of the cat’s voice.
“He said that Discord said something really offensive that hurt the other animal’s feelings. They got really mad and wanted to hurt him out of their frustration.”
“What did he say? Was it meant to insult them?”
A small exchange of sounds and Hitch nodding his head occurred once again before he continued.
“It wasn’t an insult directed at them specifically. It was about a pony named…Flutter… - Shy?” He pronounced the name with struggle. “I think I might have translated it wrong. I’ve never heard of anypony with that name.”
“No, you pronounced it right.”
Sunny already knew who he was talking about the minute the name left his tongue. She should have known. How didn’t she know? It was so obvious that Sunny was practically kicking herself for not thinking about it further.
Fluttershy was the one to ‘tame the beast’ essentially, all those years ago. Not only the Element of Kindness but a loyal friend to the Lord of Chaos. She had shown him more to this world than just his chaotic antics and given him a reason to spare Equestria his tyranny and pursue a life of fulfilling friendship and kindness.
Sunny didn’t know all the details as it was impossible to regain all the knowledge that had been lost within ancient Equestria, but it was well known that Fluttershy and Discord were tightly knit, despite their immense differences.
It made sense now. The name he muttered at the tree, the old friend who owned the garden he tended to and the caregiver of the animals, was her. But why?...
“Fluttershy,” She repeated the name. “What did he say about Fluttershy?”
“You know who that is?”
“Just ask him, please.”
He didn’t hesitate, hearing the importance in her tone. Unknown gibberish sounded from the cat before he repeated it in english to her.
“That she was never coming back.”
The words hit her harder than she could imagine. Her body almost physically motioned how she felt, feeling like she had been punched in the guts.
Of course, she knew that the Mane Six had died. It had been so long since Twilight’s reign and there was no way any of them had survived to live in this age of Equestria. But it still didn’t make hearing it from someone who knew them personally hurt any less. It only confirmed what she had known.
And it only made her think about how Discord felt about the whole ordeal. How much pain he must have been feeling over the loss of somepony very dear to him. Maybe that's why he had changed so much? Grief was a very powerful emotion that Sunny knew all too well, having experienced it with her father. He hadn’t spoken to anypony in ages either. How long had he stayed silent about this?
She glanced over at the draconequus who was still resting, his arms now positioned out in front of himself to hug the baby dragon attached to his goatee. His form, his torn apart wings, his shaky stature, he hadn’t been taking care of himself. She had taken note of it when she first came across him but now it was more evident that he completely lacked any self-care for himself. It was almost like he had given up.
Sunny couldn’t help but blink back at the stinging tears in the corners of her eyes, overwhelmed by emotion and heartache for the broken creature in front of her. She didn’t know what to do…What to say? There was nothing she could really do that could make this better.
“Sunny, are you okay?” Hitch stood up immediately.
“He’s hurting…” That was all she could muster, trying not to break down into sobs.
The scratching of wood disrupted their conversation as the lanky creature in the corner rose up from the desk, his antler nearly protruding through Hitch’s ceiling. One eagle claw rested on the chair to support his body and the other dangled at his side as Discord leaned onto his hind legs like he always used to do. Strain plagued his eyes, a strenuous effort being made to stand.
He neither smiled nor scowled at the two ponies as they waited for his next action unpredictably.
“You must have thought I wasn’t listening, didn’t you?”
Sunny’s heart sank into her stomach as she fought back even more tears.
“You ponies are so silly,” He replied with an edge to his voice. “Talking about someone else while they’re sleeping, unconscious and unable to clarify anything that is said about them. Don’t you think that’s a little presumptuous?”
“We weren’t doing it to hurt you.” Hitch quickly added.
“My ears are always open, thinking that could slip past me is a foolish thought.”
He then whirled around to the cat glaring at him, hissing and puffing up its fur. He leaned over and yanked at the scruff of its neck, lifting it into the air and leveling it with his face. It growled and yowled at him, swiping its unsheathed claws near his nose.
“And this little stowaway…” A malicious grin spread across his face. “How lucky you are that you live under the protection of the Element of Kindness. That unsaid agreement is the only thing preventing me from doing anything more.”
That dangerous underhanded threat…It made Sunny feel sick. How could he possibly say that? What was going through his mind?... How would Fluttershy even respond to such a twisted thought process from someone she truly trusted?
“Fluttershy would be disappointed in you.” Sunny replied harshly.
His forbidding gaze shifted to her, studying her sudden confidence with curiosity. He set the cat down and it hissed loudly before bounding away to find a safe place behind one of Hitch’s files.
He turned to face her and scowled. “You don’t even know who Fluttershy is. All that you have been fed is selective facts and what ponies want to believe.”
“Maybe so, but even beyond that, Fluttershy has always been known as a kind and caring pony. She would never approve of what you just did and what you’ve become.”
“Perhaps that’s for the best. She’s already left me behind for whatever realm is after this, not even a sign…”
Discord paused, a deep sadness flashing through his eyes before he balled up his fists.
“No one other than me wants to accept the reality that Fluttershy is dead. Not the animals, not you, not even this generation of ponies. Whatever judgements she may have had, whatever wishes and dreams, they’re already over. They died with her and nothing is going to make her come back.”
Sunny’s mouth went dry, finding herself with a lack of words.
He was so anguished and unforgiving of his dear pony that he had practically backed himself into a corner emotionally and pushed away anything and anyone who questioned his feelings. She could almost feel a sense of deja vu, seeing as his grief was in a stage of hurt and unrelenting anger. She remembered being like that too when she lost her dad, blaming herself and being mad at anyone who reached a hoof to her. But she didn’t want that negative feeling to define her, consume her. She chose instead to healthily express it in other ways but not allow it to control her, especially when she socialized with other ponies.
She didn’t believe Discord should suppress the anger he felt, nor deny that he carried a powerful rage inside of him. But he should at least come to an acceptance of the situation, even if it hurts a lot to do so. He may have been repeating over and over that Fluttershy was ‘dead’ and there was nothing anyone could do to bring her back, but Sunny could tell that behind those words he didn’t entirely believe it himself and it was a facade to hide his emotions.
“Maybe it’s not them who haven't accepted her death…”
“What?”
“Acceptance is when you’re willing to come to terms with what happened and you don’t push others away over it anymore,” Sunny explained. “But you’re still angry. You still won’t let anyone in and instead say that everyone else hasn’t accepted it because they want to help you. Maybe it’s you who hasn’t accepted it yet.”
Discord went quiet, gaping at her. There was no refusal, no argument back, just shock and hesitation in agreeing with what she said. But then, the walls he had set crumbled.
“How do you live after the death of somepony you loved so very much?...”
It was a genuine question. For the first time, Sunny could see an overwhelming fear in his eyes and desperation to know the answer. It was strange for a “god” to be seeking a solution from a mere pony. It should have been the other way around. Yet he appeared so helpless, that it shook her to her core.
She glanced at Hitch to see his expression and if he’d offer a suggestion, he was just as bewildered. It wasn’t a straightforward answer and she questioned her judgment.
“You don’t. I mean, you’re alive and everypony can see you but you’re not there. You’re somewhere else.” She looked up at him. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I do.” He nodded. “I feel like that right now. I haven’t been able to feel anything else. It makes living feel insufferable…”
He slowly sunk to the floor, an audible groan sounding from the old draconequus as he held his aching back and carefully eased it down. He curled his dragon tail to himself and found a comfortable position.
He stared up at her expectantly before gesturing to her to seat herself beside him. She was surprised at the sudden trust she was being given and gently sat a few inches away from his tail.
“You know, ponies don’t realize how fast life passes you by. I suppose it’s different when you’re expected to exist for less than a hundred years. But wouldn’t that make you more aware of your brief place in this world?”
“Ponies don’t like thinking about their end all the time. It’s more like living in the moment and leaving the rest until later.”
Discord softly laughed. “It reminds me of Fluttershy in a way. She always appreciated life and everything that came from it. She never once took it for granted.”
A sad smile passed over his lips as Sunny felt a twinge of sadness in her heart, seeing him reflect on her.
“I never truly understood what mortality meant until I met her. I was more obsessed with what I wanted and what I could do to stop and look at the things around me.”
He shifted, straightening his back and raising his head to the ceiling.
“When she came into my life, chaos was all that I felt necessary. There was not one single soul who would love a mischievous spirit as I, so there was no reason for me to please or break my back for anyone else’s happiness. It was all about my entertainment and laughing at another’s expense.”
“But she gave me a chance, beyond all reason to reconcile and see what more life had to offer. Once I took it, everything changed for good. I felt so happy, so fulfilled to finally have someone who I could call my friend.”
He exhaled what sounded like suppressed laughter after he said that and Sunny gazed at him confused, unsure what was so funny.
“I’m sure you know of the rest. If your father was a historian, I’m sure he knew and told you a lot of his findings. Such as the adventures between those six ponies.”
“He did, yeah.” Sunny grinned, reliving her memories with her father. “It’s why I’m so determined to restore harmony to Equestria. Princess Twilight and her friends inspired me to stand up for myself and take back the peace we once had. I want everypony to be able to live together, united as one, just like we used to before.”
Discord couldn’t help but admire her positivity and powerful will to restore a world where having either a horn or wings didn’t matter. It was a bold dream after thousands of years of turmoil between three races, but it was one he didn’t entirely doubt either. If Twilight Sparkle was an example of anything groundbreaking, Sunny would be the next. They both had undying spirits.
He had already taken note of the increasing diversity of ponies in Maretime Bay on his travel here, perhaps this kid was the next leader for change.
“That’s a noble ideal to carry. I do not doubt that you will accomplish what you’ve set out to do.” He replied encouragingly.
“Thank you...That means a lot coming from you.”
A small sniffle came from the earth pony and he leaned down, noticing her wiping away a few tears. His words seemed to have choked her up.
“Are you crying?” He avoided breaking into laughter.
“N-No I’m not! I’m just...Um…”
“Starscout, I never took you as the emotional type. I usually can read everyone quite well.”
“I’m not crying! I’m just-...Happy I guess.”
He stifled a laugh. “I’m glad.”
He allowed her a moment to gather her feelings, all while having a smug smile on his face. Once all the tears were shed and the compliments meant, Sunny turned the conversation to Discord again.
“You never finished talking about Fluttershy. Unless...It's too personal?...”
She waited with bated breath, worried she might have asked the wrong thing at the wrong time. His smile vanished, just as she feared and he stared at the ground, contemplating his next words.
“You know, with the short time I’ve known you, you have proven to be someone with great courage and compassion. Truly a rarity among your kind.” He clasped his paw and claw together. “If you are meant to be the one who comes after the Twilight era, then perhaps I have no reason to hide such delicate information from you.”
“The one...Who comes after?” She reiterated.
Hitch now seated at his desk, observed the two with great curiosity as Discord prepared himself to tell the tale of his dear Fluttershy.
“Twilight Sparkle, the former ruler of Equestria, was not by herself in decision making. She had her friends, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and of course, Fluttershy at her side. Instead of ruling by herself, it was a joint effort which ran surprisingly smoothly than what most would expect.”
“When Fluttershy wasn’t assisting the princess with revisions of the future, she ran an animal sanctuary which I also had a part in. Not only that, but she had her students she’d teach on how to handle animals and care for them. It was a wonderful success that left many inspired to pursue a role in the preservation of all creatures. Including even myself.”
“It wasn’t until later that I noticed life had begun to take its toll on her. I didn’t understand how age worked for ponies, I hadn’t even given it a second thought beforehand. But by now she was much slower on her hooves, forgetful, weaker than she normally was. Eventually, I was the one taking care of her little critters, even her bunny Angel.”
His breath shook, a painful sadness lingering in his voice as he carried on.
“A terrible illness overtook her so quickly alongside her old age…It wasn’t before long that she was bedridden and barely able to walk. Her friends were so terrified for her, I was terrified for her…”
He swallowed hard, his back noticeably shuddering.
“They helped out as much as they could but life seemed to always get in the way. I’m sure Twilight would have stuck around had it not been for Equestria demanding her attention all the time. I’m sure she would have stayed at her bedside and made sure she had everything she needed. Instead, I was the one who stayed by her side every single day, every single hour…”
“She was so frail and exhausted, yet she always smiled and held onto a dying hope that things would get better. Even when she was in utter agony, even when I had to bathe her and when I did simple tasks for her she used to be able to do…She still was Fluttershy behind all the sadness and misery.”
His claw lifted to his eyes to wipe away a stream of tears. But they continued to fall, his voice breaking with each word.
“I remember the day it all ended so vividly. It was a sunny morning, her garden was in bloom, and she was sitting in my arms content. I think she knew it was time as she asked me to lift her out there for a short while…I…I didn’t know…”
“Fluttershy?... Oh, my dear, are you alright?”
“Where’s…Angel?”
“He’s asleep. Are you okay? Do you need to rest?”
“I think…I do.”
“Of course, here, let me just-”
“No, no, please…Please don’t.”
“Oh, no?”
“Please…I want to stay here.”
“Alright, we’ll stay here then.”
…
“Discord…”
“Yes, my dear?”
“I love you…”
“I love you too, more than all of the butterflies in your garden.”
…
“What’s with the sappiness all of a sudden? You’re scaring me a little.”
“Thank you for taking…Care of me.”
“What do you mean? Fluttershy, you can’t be saying things like that. Not right now. We still have many more things to see and places to go, creatures to meet! I promise it will be wonderful.”
“I’ll see them all with you…Someday…”
“Fluttershy?...”
…
“Fluttershy, wake up! You just fell asleep…I know you did. Come on, dear, you can’t sleep out here…Please…”
…
“Fluttershy, you can’t go yet…I haven’t even-...We haven’t even-...”
…
“FLUTTERSHY!”
The draconequus held the small lifeless pony to himself, his entire figure heaving and shuddering as his sobs traveled through the air of the cottage and the land surrounding it. His screams of despair caused multiple trees filled with perched birds to take flight and disappear into the open sky. The land-bound animals scurried away in fright as he was left behind in his grief.
All of Ponyville would have heard those wretched wails and his pleading for her to come back, so wrapped up in his immeasurable emotional pain and shock. He wouldn’t even hear her friends fastly approaching and gasping at the scene. It was all drowned out by his sobbing.
Even now, seated in a pony’s office whom he barely knew, he broke down for the first time in a long time. So many years of bottled-up emotion, suppressed feelings for fear of feeling weak and being bothered by everything that happened. He felt such raw emotion that stung so badly, he hated it so much.
It was only amplified when he remembered her lying there so helplessly with nothing but a soft smile, promising nothing but a few days of life. He wanted to give her so much more, he wanted to hold her so tight, consciously knowing she was about to slip away so he could say all the things he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her a million times how much he loved her and how much she had changed his life for good.
Why didn’t he have the power to reverse this? Why couldn’t he have simply snapped and made her all better? Why did the most deserving and kind pony in all his life have to die such a cruel and ruthless death?...
Sunny threw herself at the pained draconequus, barely containing her own tears.
“I’m so sorry, Discord…”
“Please don’t blame yourself…”