//------------------------------// // Sanctuary // Story: Discord's Patchwork Adventure // by Comicizzum //------------------------------// Discord was once again tied around Fluttershy’s neck as the pegasus flitted around her cottage, feeding all her animals. It was rather chaotic, swinging back and forth, the view of her world blurring this way and that as he wiggled about. It was almost like being snuggled with a favorite blanket in the midst of a hurricane. He loved it! He loved it so much he made a mental note to do it again once he was freed and could do as he wished.  Fluttershy hummed as she worked, the vibrations of her throat running through Discord's body, making him shiver. It was all so terribly… arousing.  You’re torturing me, my dear, he practically purred, his eyes closed in bliss. I loved your voice before but this… this is a whole new brand of lovable agony. Fluttershy, now finished with her morning chores, went into the kitchen and, to Discord’s disappointment, untied and removed him from her neck.  “Sorry, Dissy,” she said, placing him on a nearby counter. “I have to make tea cakes and I don’t want to get you dirty.” But I like getting dirty! Discord protested. It’s no bother! You can throw me in the wash afterwards! He paused. You know, that would be quite the chaotic experience. I’ll have to remember to try that later.    Fluttershy began flitting back and forth in the kitchen, grabbing ingredients and preparing the tea cake dough. Discord inwardly sighed, enjoying her movements - especially a particular area he normally only chanced a glance at. The way her hair fell and her shoulders rolled; the natural sway of her hips and the flick of her tail; Discord’s heart couldn’t help pounding in his chest. You hopeless old fool, he sighed, enjoying the view.  “Oh, Dissy, what kind of tea do you think I should make?” Fluttershy asked, holding out two different packs in front of the doll, one labeled hibiscus and the other peppermint. “I don’t have anything fancy. I know Discord likes unpredictable things. I just don’t want to disappoint him. I don’t want him to think I’m boring.” Oh, sweet Fluttershy I could never think that. She sighed. “I guess I’m just afraid he’ll get tired of coming to see me. All we do is sit and drink tea. It’s nothing phenomenal and exciting; nothing like the adventures he goes on. Sometimes I'm afraid he thinks I’m unbearably dull.” Are you kidding? You live in the midst of chaos every day! Have you seen these animals? Each one is like a tiny tornado yet you somehow manage to care and tend to every single one of them. You’re a goddess of order! A lion tamer of chaos! And I love you for it! Fluttershy eventually chose the peppermint tea, one of his favorites. He liked to combine it with chili powder and, to his immense delight, he saw her pull some out.  She remembered. Have I ever declared how much I love this mare? Because, if not, I’m going to shout it from every rooftop in Ponyville once I’m freed. Fluttershy continued to talk to 'Dissy' as she worked, sharing her thoughts and feelings about anything and everything. She talked to him just like she talked to her friend during her tea parties; minus knowing his responses, that is. This was one of the things Discord cherished most whenever he came to visit; she said more words to him than she did to anypony else, her friends included. It made him feel special, valued even, and he soaked in every word.  Fluttershy had just finished telling him a tale where she saved a baby bird from falling out of a tree when there was a sudden pounding on her door.  “He’s early,” she muttered, glancing at the clock. He? A stallion? Are you expecting somepony? But then he remembered what she was doing and mentally smacked himself. You idiot, it's Tuesday. She's talking about you. Fluttershy picked him up, carried him out of the kitchen, and placed him on the green couch, giving him a quick little nuzzle.  "I'm sure he's going to love you!" But before she could make it to the door, whoever was on the outside busted it right off its hinges. Fluttershy screamed and ducked down in fright. "Fluttershy!" The collective yell came from several ponies at once. "She's alright, y'all," Applejack declared, lowering her back hooves, obviously the one responsible for the door's demise.  "A-Applejack? Girls? What is going on?" "Sorry about yer door, sugarcube." "Save it, AJ," Rainbow Dash snapped, swooping inside. "Fluttershy, has anypony been here?" "N-No," she answered. "Except my animal friends. Why?" Discord watched as Rainbow Dash and Applejack took up positions near the windows and doors.  Starlight came forward. "We need to leave, right now." "What? Why?" "Long story short, Tirek's back and has some really mean evil magic that's changed all the princesses into bad guys and he's probably going to try to do the same to us!" said Pinkie Pie in a rush. "W-What?!" Fluttershy cried, her whole form trembling in terror.  Yeah, what?! Discord shouted. What fool would give that insecure centaur that much magical power?  "I bought us a little time by transfiguring items into copies of us and scattering them throughout Ponyville," said Starlight, "but those will only buy us a few minutes. We need to go somewhere Twilight won't be able to find us!" "But where can we go?" asked Rarity. "Surely she would search everywhere we can think of." "We could go to Yakyakistan," said Pinkie Pie. "Prince Rutherford would be more than happy to give us a place to stay." "The yaks won't stand a chance against the princesses," Rainbow argued, still keeping her vigil by the broken door.  "What about the sea ponies?" said Applejack near the window. "They live far away and that fancy pearl of theirs could be helpful." "Or we can visit Capper," suggested Rarity. "He might know of a safe place to hide." "No, the pirates!" Rainbow Dash said. "They're masters of smuggling things! They could get us out of Equestria without any problems!" "Yeah, because they totally saved us last time from being captured by Tempest," Pinkie said sarcastically. My dimension! Discord shouted, wishing he could be heard. Twilight can't set hoof there; none of the princesses can. And the one pony who can get you there is standing right here in this living room! Come on, Fluttershy, think of me. Please! Once again it was as if The Powers that Be were lending a hand. Fluttershy looked right at him as the others continued throwing out possible safe places. He could practically see the moment his unheard suggestion clicked in her mind. "Girls," she said quietly. Unheard, the others went on talking amongst themselves. Fluttershy, I love you but there comes a time in every pony's life when they need to project! Come on; I know you have the lung capacity. Use it! "GIRLS!" Fluttershy repeated, her voice carrying over the cacophony in her living room. The frantic arguing ceased, everypony staring at her in surprise. Fluttershy did not let the stares deter her, however, even though they clearly made her uncomfortable. "We can't go to any of those places because Twilight and the others can go there too," she said. "We need to go somewhere they can't." "As much as I agree with that, Fluttershy, there is no such place," Starlight quickly argued. "Our best hope is to head for the sea ponies. They-" "No," Fluttershy interrupted. "There is such a place." There was a collective "Huh?"  "What are you talking about, darling?" said Rarity.  "Discord’s dimension," Fluttershy answered, causing Discord to cheer and pump his fist. "Only ponies with his permission can enter and I'm the only one he's given permission to- well, me and a mail pony, that is." "Then how the hay are the rest of us supposed to get in?" asked Applejack.  "Discord said if I invite anypony to come with me, they should be able to make it through the door." "What door?" "The door in the kitchen, under the sink. Discord installed it after what happened with the changelings." "Um, why under the sink?" asked Rarity. "Why not?" said Fluttershy with a shrug. Her answer was exactly the one Discord would have given. That's my girl, he smiled.  "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Starlight. The others, however, hesitated. "Ugh, now what's wrong?"  "I know when ya showed up you were sayin' it was a matter of life and death," said Applejack, "And all of us are more than happy to save Equestria again. But I think I speak for all of us when I say we're not too comfortable leaving our families and friends to suffer through whatever it is Tirek's got planned."  Discord facepalmed. These ponies; sometimes they let their emotions really cloud their judgment. Thankfully Starlight was thinking clearly enough to say what needed to be said. "Look, I know how you all are feeling but we can't stay. If we're captured our friends and families don't stand a chance! But if we leave now and find someplace safe, we can come back to fight another day. We'll be prepared. I've seen what Tirek can do and I'm telling you we don't have anything right now to stop him. The Elements of Harmony are gone! And even if they were still here, you couldn't use them without Twilight. We have to go. Please!" "The elements are gone?" Fluttershy gasped in shocked disbelief. From the looks on the others' faces, Starlight had already broken that news to them. "Yes," the purple unicorn confirmed. "Fluttershy, you said Discord's place is safe? I say we go. Now." "I don't want to run away," Rainbow Dash said. "That feels like the coward's way out." Will you just suck it up and accept that you have to run? Discord snapped. Starlight stomped her hoof. "We don't have time for this!" Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to argue but Applejack cut her off. "She's right, Rainbow. The only way to help them all is to make a plan and we can't do that if we're caught." "We will save everyone, Rainbow Dash," Starlight said. "I promise." The Rainbow pony reluctantly nodded in defeat. “Okay.” They didn't waste time after that. Fluttershy quickly dismissed all her animals before scooping up Angel and heading for the kitchen. Wait! Don't forget about me! Discord cried, slightly panicked about being left behind. Fluttershy almost made it to the doorway when she paused. The others asked what was wrong but instead of answering she rushed over to the green couch and picked up the doll. "Where did you get a Discord doll and why are you even bothering bringing it with you?" Rainbow wondered. "I'll tell you later," she promised before leading everypony into the kitchen. She threw open the cupboard. Instead of revealing the bottom of the sink, there was a swirling portal of purple chaos energy. "Um, hello, Discord? It's me, Fluttershy. I'm bringing my friends, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Starlight Glimmer with me. I hope that's okay." It's fine now get in there before some nasty pony comes barging in through your open doorway! "Um, I don't mean to rush you or anything," said Pinkie Pie, "but my Pinkie Sense is going crazy! It’s telling me we really need to go!" "That's because there's a terrifying corrupted Twilight heading this way!" Applejack cried, looking out the kitchen window in horror. Without hesitation everypony leapt through the purple void, the kitchen cupboard closing behind them with a snap, doing exactly what Discord programmed it to do the day he set up the spell; he didn't want an enemy to know where Fluttershy might have vanished to. Mere seconds after leaping through, they appeared right on Discord’s doorstep.  Ahhh, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, Discord sighed, staring at his front door. "Don't stare at the purple sky for very long," Fluttershy warned the others. "Discord said it can eventually drive a pony mad." "Charming," Rarity muttered, her muzzle wrinkled in disapproval. Discord’s house rested on a lone island, the home a rather surprisingly humble-looking abode. It was a charming house -red with yellow trimmings- with a stone chimney sticking out of the top and flower boxes hanging under the front windows. A regular tree stood next to the house behind a white picket fence and a small wooden bridge connected to another floating island; that one purple with white stars and a tree growing on top over a cave mouth. Other islands were seen off in the distance, some upside down, others sideways. One had a single tree that leaked lava, its large blue leaves sheltering some red fruit that looked similar to coconuts.   “Absolutely nothing makes sense here,” Rainbow Dash commented, clearly disapproving of the surroundings. Why, thank you. Fluttershy giggled. “Just wait until you see the inside.” Discord grinned. Yes, just you wait! Fluttershy knocked on the door before pushing it open. “Um, are you sure it’s okay to just go in?” asked Starlight nervously. “It’s fine,” she assured. “It’s how he knows it’s me.” The ponies quickly trotted inside only to freeze with their mouths agape in shock; except for Fluttershy, of course, who looked excited.  “Oh, he’s redecorated!” she said, happily taking in the chaos. The stairs leading to nowhere were now spiraling in the far right corner, their steps upside down, LED lights flashing different colors every few seconds on the handrail. The couches and chairs were plaid, polka-dotted, or neon, some floating freely near the ceiling while others remained stubbornly on the floor. The swirling purple portal in the middle of the room had been replaced with a large soap bubble that contained a bunch of floating rubber ducks; whenever one would bounce off the bubble, they’d give a cheerful quack! The book tree had shed most of its pages, the loose leaves flapping and shifting into origami birds, their nests made from the covers from which they sprang. A large spatula with an upside down mixing bowl served as a tall lamp in the corner; when turned on the smell of freshly baked cookies would waft through the air. The entrances to the kitchen and hallway had been changed into tunnel slides. Wacky décor would randomly pop out of the walls before disappearing and reappearing somewhere else.   “Oh. My.” Rarity exclaimed faintly, positively mortified. “I know!” Fluttershy said happily, too distracted by admiration to notice her friend’s disgust. “Isn’t it great?!” “Great isn’t exactly the word I was going to use,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “Be nice, Dashie,” said Pinkie Pie. “This is Discord’s place, after all. I think it makes sense for everything to be all wacky.” “It does seem to suit him,” Starlight said with a slight chuckle, poking the bubble curiously with her hoof. The ducks all quacked in protest. “Oh, um, sorry,” she quickly muttered, backing away. “What I’d like to know is where is he?” said Applejack as they cautiously stepped further into the living room. “Discord?” Fluttershy called. “Are you home?” Yes, in fact, he grunted, fighting against his immobile prison. If you’d look down, you’d see me happily snuggled within your foreleg. They waited for some sign of the Chaos Lord but the only noises in the room were the occasional quacks from the rubber ducks and the shuffling of the paper birds.  “I guess he’s out somewhere,” Fluttershy said, looking slightly disappointed. “You don’t think Tirek found him… do you?” Rainbow Dash asked worriedly. Please, Discord scoffed, Like I would allow that fool to catch me after his betrayal. The ponies all shared a nervous glance before Fluttershy stubbornly shook her head. “I don’t think so. He likes to go off on various adventures. I’m sure once he senses we’re here he’ll come back. But we should probably stay in the living room. If we wander off, we might get lost.” They each took up a spot on the random pieces of furniture, an awkward silence descending until Rainbow Dash noticed Applejack’s worried frown. “You okay, AJ?” The orange mare shook her head, her green eyes downcast and her ears pressed against her skull. “I know it was Twilight I saw out Fluttershy’s window but I honestly can’t believe it was her. She was as big as Princess Celestia and her hair was all long and flowy. Her horn was glowing blue and there were some blue things rimmin' her eyes. She even had fangs! She was so angry… I haven’t seen that kind of anger in a pony since Nightmare Moon.” The mood dampened even further as the ponies mourned over what had happened to their friend. "Cadence was similar," said Starlight sadly while shooing away a paper bird attempting to nest in her mane. "Tirek called her Heartbreaker. Even her Cutie Mark had changed. The heart was red instead of blue and it looked broken." "What kind of magic could alter a Cutie Mark?" asked Rarity, horrified. Everypony looked at Starlight. "Why are you all looking at me?" "Well, you are kind of the expert on Cutie Marks," said Pinkie Pie, "given how you took everyponys in your old village and stored them in a creepy cave vault." "That doesn't make me an expert," said Starlight, once again waving her hoof at the determined bird. "I removed Cutie Marks but I never altered them. The kind of magic Tirek is using is on the same level as the princesses or Discord." The bird made a third attempt and Starlight lost it. “Will you quit it?” she snapped, blasting a spell at it. The paper bird dodged and the spell flew across the room, slamming into a mirror that had randomly appeared on the wall before redirecting right towards- “Fluttershy!” several of them screamed. But the spell didn't hit her. It hit the doll lodged in her arms.  The moment it made contact Discord felt the first layer of the Pillars curse lift; the spell Starlight used was an immobility spell! Ha ha! Two negatives make a positive! he cried in excitement.  The seam in the middle of his mouth popped and the draconequus cheered, tearing the rest of the thread as he fully opened his jaws. "Finally!" He cackled, thrusting his stuffed paw and claw into the air. Fluttershy screamed and threw the doll away from her. Discord landed on top of Rarity who shrieked and flailed, smacking him painfully in the face and chest with her hooves. The frantic movements drove him over the edge of the couch, his body sliding down the wall before landing on the floor next to a pair of startled dust bunnies. Recognizing him, the bunnies hopped over and snuggled his fabric face, covering it in dust.  "Nice to see you too, dirtballs," he said, pushing them away and patting his face. It felt strange, the textured material soft and a little fuzzy. "Starlight, what did you do?" he heard Rainbow Dash say. "I didn't do anything! It was an immobility spell. I was trying to stop the bird!" "Then why did the doll suddenly come to life?" demanded Applejack. "I might have an idea," said Fluttershy. A pair of large teal eyes suddenly peered under the couch. "D-Discord?" Discord slithered out from under the couch and stood up on his back legs. He didn't anticipate the stuffing being unable to support the rest of his weight, however, so he was quite surprised when he flopped backwards, hitting the floor rather comically. "Ouch!" he complained, rubbing his head.  "Discord?" Discord looked up, meeting several different pairs of pony eyes, his favorite included. He sent them a toothy grin. "Well, this is slightly embarrassing. Hello Fluttershy, ladies." "You possessed my doll?" Fluttershy said with slight reproach. "I thought we talked about this. Suddenly scaring me is not okay! I know you can't help it sometimes but, given the circumstances, right now isn't the time for jokes." Discord rolled over so he was on his stomach. Carefully lifting himself up, he settled his weight on all four legs with his rump and tail on the carpet.  "Forgive me for startling you, my dear, it was not my intention." "Um, could you come out of there? The doll, I mean," she asked. "Yeah, it's kind of creepy," said Rainbow Dash. "You know, I would, if I wasn't cursed to be this way," Discord said with a scowl.  "Huh?" "What do you mean cursed?" asked Starlight.  Discord let out a growl before sharing how the Pillars suddenly attacked and turned him into a doll before dumping him in the carnival where Fluttershy miraculously found him. By the time he finished, the yellow pegasus had backed into a corner, her ears lowered and her face as red as an apple. "I can't believe Starswirl didn't know about your reformation," Starlight said, her horn lit as she studied the spells he and the others had cast on the draconequus. "I can't believe that you're stuck as a doll," said Pinkie Pie. "What does it feel like?" "Like my insides are made of fluff," Discord said irritably. "And you can't break out?" asked Applejack. "I thought that was obvious," he said, snapping his fabric fingers to no avail.  "And I broke the immobility spell?" asked Starlight. "By using your own," Discord nodded. "The two cancelled each other out. Thanks for that, by the way." "Um, you're welcome." "Can she do that with the other spells so you can turn back to normal?" asked Fluttershy quietly. Discord's flat eyes looked at her. She appeared highly embarrassed though he couldn't understand why.  "That depends," he hedged. "On what?" "On whether or not we can break the lo-" "The last transfiguration spell!" Discord hastily replied, interrupting Starlight. She gave him a look but smartly kept her mouth shut. "It was cast with harmony magic," he continued. "Like being in stone, I can't break out of it by myself. I'll need help." "But we don't have the Elements of Harmony anymore," said Fluttershy.  "They were destroyed," Starlight explained. "I know," Discord replied with a heavy sigh. "How could you know if you've been a limp noodle this whole time?" asked Applejack suspiciously.  "I may be made of fluff but I can still feel things!" Discord retorted, folding his arms. "I felt when the Tree was destroyed because I can sense when there's a magical imbalance, remember?"   "You can still feel things?" Fluttershy squeaked, her face growing, if possible, even redder. "Yes. Why would that-" Discord began but stopped, his own material face reddening in realization.   "Okay, why are you both blushing?" asked Rainbow Dash, eyes narrowed dangerously at Discord. "And how is it even possible for fabric to blush?" Rarity added. "Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash pressed, ignoring the fashionista. The yellow pegasus shook her head. "It's nothing." "But-" "It's nothing!" Fluttershy shrieked, surprising everypony. "Besides, we have other things to talk about, like how we're going to rescue the princesses and stop Tirek." While she was right, Discord knew that before they went rushing off to battle the two of them were going to have to talk. He'd finally figured out why she was standing so far away from him and why she was having such a hard time looking him in the plastic eye. They'd slept together, snuggled up side by side. She'd nuzzled him, several times, and told him some of her insecurities. Even though it was less than 24 hours her privacy had -unintentionally- been violated and that needed to be addressed. "Fluttershy's right," said Pinkie Pie, eating a cupcake she'd plucked off the wall. "Mmmm, chocolate with hazelnut buttercream!" "Chocolate?" said Rarity. "Pinkie, dear, that looks like vanilla with pink frosting."  "It does!" She agreed, "but that's not what it tastes like." "But that doesn't make any sense." Discord snorted. "Have you forgotten where you are?" Rarity's face reddened in embarrassment. "Erm, right, sorry." Starlight cleared her throat. "About that, thank you for letting us hide inside your home, Discord." Discord climbed up onto the couch with a little help from Pinkie Pie; Fluttershy still refused to touch him, purposefully crossing the room and sitting in a vacant spot next to Applejack. "I'm just glad Fluttershy remembered that the princesses are banned from coming here; smart thinking on your part, my dear. As of this moment, this is probably the safest place to hide. By the way, why did you come back to the living room to get me?" Still unwilling to look at him, Fluttershy muttered, "I just had a feeling." "Well, I'm glad you listened to it," Discord said. "Or else the six of you would have been stuck here forever." Everypony looked mortified by the very thought. "I think I speak on behalf of everyone when I say thank you, Fluttershy," said Applejack. "It was nothing," the yellow pegasus muttered, looking down at her hooves. "So what happens now?" asked Rarity. "Now we think of a plan," said Starlight, beginning to pace. "Twilight was the one who usually does that, " Rainbow Dash quietly voiced. The room leaked with their gloom. Discord would have reprimanded them for turning his walls gray if he hadn't felt just as lost as they did. Twilight was his friend too, the closest to him after Fluttershy and Starlight.  "We can't hide here forever, " Starlight muttered, thinking. "Well, you could," Discord interrupted. She sent him a glare and he snapped his mouth shut, resting his chin in his paw and claw. "What we need is something strong enough to fight against whatever dark magic Tirek's using," she went on. "The Elements were; that's why he destroyed them. Wiping out your enemy's greatest protection is what I would have done in his situation." As yet another reformed villain, Discord couldn't help but agree. It had been a very smart move; that and enslaving the princesses to his every whim. "So we need another power source," said Rainbow Dash. "What about the Crystal Heart?" Discord shook his head. "The Crystal Heart may be powerful but it's already keeping the entire Crystal Empire from turning back into a popsicle. Besides, a gem that large would just be target practice for the princesses to shatter. " "What about you Discord?" asked Pinkie Pie. "While I thank you for the consideration, Pinkie, until this stupid curse from the Pillars is removed by a Rainbow Blast, I'm powerless." A certain yellow pony's ears drooped at this statement.  "We could ask to borrow that fancy pearl from the sea ponies," suggested Applejack again.  But Discord shot down this idea too. "The Pearl of Transfiguration only changes the appearance. Correct me if I'm wrong but your cutie marks still remained after your temporary change into water horses." The girls -minus Starlight- nodded. "But Starlight said Tirek changed Cadence's cutie mark?" "That's right," Starlight nodded. "Then this dark magic is changing more than just appearance. It's altering the very soul and twisting it into whatever Tirek wants. The only way to combat that kind of magic is with the Rainbow Knock-Out you six usually produce." "But without Twilight we can't do that," Rarity mourned.  Starlight stopped pacing, a look of sudden excitement stealing over her face. "You five can't," she muttered, looking up with a gleam in her eye, "But I know of seven others who can!"