//------------------------------//
// Conflict 
// Story: Discord's Patchwork Adventure 
// by Comicizzum 
//------------------------------//

Discord was hiding in the trees again. While Twilight’s promise of justice the night before managed to placate the ponies, many of them continued to show their animosity. The draconequus wasn’t particularly bothered by the stares but he didn’t feel the need to be subject to them either hence his hiding place. Cordy, in a somewhat similar predicament, was sitting in the branch opposite him, juggling a ball between his hands that kept changing from fire to ice. 

Down below, the ponies and their allies were preparing to leave. Twilight wanted to be on the move in less than an hour. She’d requested Discord’s services to help cross the gorge and he had gladly snapped up a bridge. With that one task now out of the way, the best thing for him to do was wait until he was needed to snap the ladies to Canterlot.

Cordy glanced up and commented, “Rather nice weather for a battle.”

Discord hummed in agreement. 

The disharmony dancing on the wind tasted like delectable candy to the draconequus. While the circumstances were terrible, he couldn’t help the smile curving his mouth. His fingers were almost itching to contribute to the discontent he could sense running throughout the land. For a very brief moment he entertained the idea of a topsy-turvy world with him at the center; of buildings flying through the air and creatures acting against their nature while deformed landscapes stretched as far as the eye could see- until his daydream was violently spoiled by the sudden appearance of a feral Flutterbat sucking the life out of a mangled bear. 

Discord’s eyes shot open and he nearly fell out of the tree. Cordy looked at him. 

“Discord?”

The draconequus merely shook his head, waving off his counterpart’s concern.

Cordy looked at him knowingly. “I know what you want to do; I suffer the same temptation. I cannot begin to tell you how many ways I’ve already painted this land red in my mind.”

Discord sighed. “It would be so easy. Just a single snap…”

“And the world would fall at our feet,” Cordy muttered.

“And our relationship with Fluttershy would be completely annihilated.” Discord shook his head and muttered, “She is too precious to lose. No matter how disharmonic Shadow has made the world, I will not forsake her to satisfy my own natural tendencies.”

“Nor I,” Cordy agreed passionately. “May I suggest we finish this fight as quickly as possible?”

Discord flicked a dead leaf with his tail. “Nothing would make me happier. Celestia is not going to be an easy opponent, however. I would love to simply bind her in chains and be done with it but her current state has left her volatile and dangerous. She'd break free the second my back was turned and have no qualms about stabbing it in retaliation."

"You also need to be wary of Tirek," Cordy reminded. "Though we haven’t received any reports of him absorbing magic, you should still keep a sharp eye on that threat while facing your fiery opponent.”

"Indeed. Too bad I won’t have you there to watch my back."

After the Pillars and Young Six expressed their determination to join the battle on the Prairies, Twilight had asked Cordy to keep an eye on them; the restoration of Harmony wouldn’t happen should any of them die. Cordy hadn’t been happy to leave his Fluttershy’s side but understood the reason behind the request.

“You’re just jealous I get to fight against a bunch of vampires,” Cordy joked, magicking up a wooden stake. 

Discord snorted.

A sudden flapping of wings interrupted their conversation as Fluttershy came into view. Discord plucked her from the air and gave her a quick kiss in greeting. The pegasus blushed as she settled in his arms, a pleased smile on her face.

“It seems I’ve caught a delightful surprise.” Discord grinned. “What brings you to our little corner of the forest, Shy?”

“We’re ready to go,” she revealed. “Twilight wants you and Cordy at the front with the rest of the Champions.”

Discord shared a look with the Count who nodded before flashing away. Discord followed suit a second later, appearing next to Twilight and setting Fluttershy on the ground next to Rarity. Twilight smiled up at him before nodding to Flash Sentry. The pegasus took to the air and turned around to shout, “Move out!”

The trek through the woods and across the bridge was filled with tension. Hardly a word was spoken. Even the Pinkie Pies were quiet, much to Discord's dismay. The thirty minute march was excruciating for him too. Honestly he would have loved to snap everycreature to the battlefield but he needed to conserve his magic for Daybreaker. To save his feet from grinding into the dirt he opted to float alongside Fluttershy, his eyes and ears strained for any hint of enemy activity. 

As the trees began to thin, the sounds of snarls and growls on the wind intensified; the first indication of Tirek’s awaiting army. Being in the front, Discord was one of the first to actually lay eyes on the vast legion of creatures Shadow had enslaved to his cause. Having emerged from the forest, the Chaos Lord looked down the ravine into a valley filled to the brim with monsters. He couldn’t help being rather impressed. 

As Twilight predicted, Pony-wyverns lined the front of the massive force, the large claws of their wings creating agitated divots in the earth with every step they made. Scattered behind them were the bat ponies, many taking to the air as Twilight’s army spread out to line the forest's edge. The monsters from Tartarus had been corrupted and twisted into visions of nightmare, all standing or hovering behind the wyverns and vampires like overbearing shadows of death. While the display was truly terrifying, there was an absence that caused alarm bells to ring in the Chaos Lord’s brain.

“Where is Spike?” he asked.

“Maybe Tirek is keeping him back at the castle?” said Starlight nervously.

“Whether he is or not, there are plenty of other adversaries to deal with here. Our army should focus on them,” said Twilight before taking flight. She turned to face their allies and raised her voice, “All of you know what needs to be done. I have the utmost confidence in you. Let us do our best; for Equestria!”

“For Equestria!” the creatures shouted.

She landed back on the ground and Flash Sentry took charge, giving further orders to Ember, Thorax, and Prince Rutherford. As the leaders headed off to rejoin their divisions, Discord caught Cordy kissing Mirror Fluttershy goodbye.

“Stay safe,” he ordered.

“I will,” she promised.

“Don’t worry, Cordy,” said Sunset, “We’ll take good care of her.”

The Chaos Count stepped back, observing them. “I know you will. Good luck, ladies. I’m sure this will all be over before the sun sets.”

“That’s the hope,” Twilight said, turning to Discord. “I think we’re ready now.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Eager are we?”

Twilight smiled. “You could say that.”

Discord frowned. “Very well.” He glanced at the Pillars (distastefully) and the Young Six before turning to Cordy. “Protect them at all costs.”

“I will,” he promised.

"Be ready,” Discord advised the ponies and Rainbooms as they gathered around him. Each sported looks of determination. “They might attack on sight.”

“No matter what awaits us, we’ll face it together,” Twilight declared, the others nodding in agreement. “Let’s go, Discord.”

The Lord of Chaos snapped his fingers just as Flash Sentry bellowed for his forces to attack. The small group flashed away from the various war cries and screeches of the two armies, reappearing in the deathly quiet of Canterlot’s throne room. The eerie change of scenery left the girls rather disoriented but Discord wasted no time scanning the area. 

The dark walls and red carpet flickered in torchlight, the beautiful stained glass depictions of Equestria’s accomplishments hidden behind thick curtains outlined in black and red. Tirek’s throne was empty but the base of the dais displayed three very dangerous adversaries. Daybreaker stood in the center, her fiery mane and tail emitting an unearthly glow, while Nightmare Moon and Heartbreaker stood beside her, each staring at their enemy with hungry anticipation.

“Well, well, well,” Daybreaker said with a slight mock in her voice, “if it isn’t the Champions of Equestria. So nice of you to come to us.”

“And here we thought we might have to sniff you out of your army,” said Nightmare Moon. 

Twilight stepped forward. “Surely you’ve learned by now that we prefer the direct approach in these kinds of situations.”

“Come now, Twilight,” Daybreaker admonished, “There's no need to resort to violence so quickly. We’re all princesses here. Let’s discuss things in a diplomatic fashion.”

“I’m not negotiating with the likes of you,” Twilight snapped. “And neither are any of my friends.” 

“How rude,” Heartbreaker huffed. 

“We’re only trying to offer you a chance to freely join our Master’s cause,” said Nightmare Moon.

“That’s never going to happen!” Sunset Shimmer declared.

“Ah, Sunset Shimmer. I must say, I never thought I’d lay eyes on you again,” Daybreaker said, studying the human form of her former student. “Too bad you didn’t take over that other world as you intended.”

“We can rectify that.” Heartbreaker smirked. “The Master is particularly eager to see her returned to his service.”

Sunset bristled. “Where is he?” 

“He’ll make himself known,” Nightmare Moon promised, “In time.”

"Only a coward hides behind his pawns," Rainbow Dash taunted. 

"Indeed," said Mirror Rarity. "I, for one, wouldn't want to be enslaved to such an indolent creature."

"At least give us somepony worth fighting for," Fluttershy bravely jeered, surprising and pleasing her fiancé.  

"Silence!" Daybreaker raged. "You foals dare mock him? He who is greater than us all! He who has-"

But whatever the fiery princess was about to say was silenced by a sudden explosion of whipped cream and pie crust colliding with her face. Comical purple eyes appeared behind the cream as the perpetrator appeared before her in a flash of light.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Discord taunted, "I thought you were done."

“Oooo, good one, Discord!” Pinkie Pie called as Daybreaker snarled, "Why you insulant-!"

"One second!" he interrupted. Another snap and he leaned back, satisfied. "There, I forgot the cherry."

The cherry and cream burnt to a crisp as Daybreaker's entire body burst into flame. "I'll DESTROY you!" she bellowed.

Discord bopped her on the nose and said in a sing-song voice, "You'll have to catch me first!"

Daybreaker let out a roar and flared her wings. Unfazed, Discord flapped a red cape tauntingly in front of her, now sporting full matador attire. The fiery princess shot a blast of magic from her horn but Discord flashed away, reappearing behind Twilight and the others.

"Missed me!" he called.

Daybreaker growled. "That's it. You two deal with the mares. Discord is mine!"

"Fine, but revenge on those six belongs to me!" Nightmare Moon declared, rushing off to confront Twilight's group. 

"Let's have some fun!" Heartbreaker grinned, flying towards the humans.

"You just had to go and pie her in the face," muttered Applejack. 

Discord chuckled. "Of course I did! I had to move the plot forward and any more talk of joining the Shadow Club would have bored the readers anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Twilight asked.

"Nevermind. Just keep Fluttershy safe!" 

Discord looped around until he resembled a tire and rolled away, Daybreaker angrily tearing after him. 

"Come back here, you little-"

Discord flashed in front of her, placing his finger to her lips. "Please, princess, not in front of the kids!"

Daybreaker swiped his finger away. "Don't touch me, you filthy lout!"

"Lout? Come on, Kay Kay," he laughed, "You can do better than that!"

Daybreaker shot a magical blast at his face. Summoning a baseball bat, Discord took aim and smacked it towards the ceiling. A bleacher full of Discords appeared along with a squad of Discord cheerleaders, all of them cheering as another Discord announcer shouted, "And it looks like a home run!"

"Must you make a joke out of everything?" Daybreaker complained, sending yet another spell his way.

Discord summoned a Whack-a-Mole game and dived inside, popping out of one of the many holes. "No, but you have to admit this is more fun!"

"Aarrgghhh!"

He dived just as she shot another spell, hiding inside the box before popping out of another hole.

"Missed again!"

Her horn flared red and he descended to safety. The impact shook the box and Discord laughed before choosing the top left hole to reappear. 

"You know," he said, resting his cheek on his hand, "we really need to work on your aim."

"Dodge this!" she cried, spewing flames from her mouth.

The fire quickly reduced the box to ash. Discord managed to escape just in time, his tail tuft being the only thing to catch fire. He barely put it out before she was attacking him again, a flaming inferno heading in his direction. He snapped and turned the flames to water but cried out in surprise as a beam of magic hidden behind the fiery attack burned into his flesh. His body slammed into the ground and skid across the floor several feet. Wincing, he pulled his paw away from his now injured shoulder. It was covered in blood.

"Looks like the preliminaries are over," he muttered.

Daybreaker’s cackle filled the air and he looked up to see her flying towards him. Her glowing yellow eyes held a sadistic joy at the sight of his pain, her mocking grin the complete opposite of the one she used to hold when addressing him. Discord found himself missing that exasperated smile as he returned to his feet and glared at the flaming princess. Any trace of provocation died the moment their eyes locked and Discord knew if he was to survive this fight, he couldn't hold back any longer. 

A wicked grin climbed his face as his paw and claw glowed with chaos. “Let the games begin," he growled, his voice dropping an octave as she closed the distance.

When she was ten feet away he flung out his hands, his magic barreling straight towards her. She dodged to the side but the beam diverted its course like a heat seeking missile, hitting its target a second later. Daybreaker screamed as she fell, one of her wings charred black and bleeding before she even hit the ground. Discord didn’t waste a moment, snapping up a trap of vines that immediately ensnared her. Daybreaker teleported just before the plant could choke her, reappearing behind him and slamming her hooves into his back. The draconequus roared and twisted around, swiping his paw. His claws dug into the princess’s chest, three deep gashes breaking the skin and staining it red. Daybreaker blasted him with magic and he threw up a shield. The force of the blow sent him flying upward, temporarily giving him access to the other battles raging below.

Instinctively his eyes sought Fluttershy. His pegasus was currently dodging one of Nightmare Moon’s attacks, her forelegs locked with Rarity's as the two spun away from a nasty looking spell. Applejack had managed to wrangle the dark princess to the floor and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had her in a headlock while Starlight attempted to seal off her horn. Twilight, for some odd reason, was staying back from the fight. Perhaps she was injured?

Discord’s concern for her proved an unfortunate distraction as another flaming attack from Daybreaker singed his alicorn wing. 

“Careful, Discord,” she taunted. “Your compassion for those little ponies may be the death of you.”

“Not likely,” he said, snapping up a bazooka. 

The missile exploded near her hooves, covering her in a sticky orange goo. Roaring in rage, she retaliated, her magic smashing against another chaotically conjured shield. Discord grunted from the force behind the attack, feeling the sheer heat as it tried to penetrate his protective coating. Knowing he only had seconds, he chanced a glance at the Rainbooms to see how they were fairing.

Mirror Rainbow Dash was nursing a blackened arm to her chest but that wasn’t stopping her from rushing in and out of focus, blasting Heartbreaker in the sides with magic from her pendant. Mirror Pinkie Pie was throwing water balloons at Heartbreaker’s head while Mirror Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack were firing their own blasts of magic. Sunset and Mirror Twilight were working together shielding the others from the pink alicorn’s deadly retaliations. Satisfied with what he saw, Discord returned to his own fight.

Summoning a giant fire extinguisher, he aimed the hose and let the foam fly. Daybreaker screamed more out of annoyance than pain as the speed of the foam rammed into her body and sent her flying backward. Taking a leaf out of Mirror Pinkie’s book, Discord conjured a huge water balloon and dropped it on the white princess’s head. Daybreaker’s flaming mane and tail vanished, leaving behind a soaking wet, rather bald-looking pony. Discord’s laughter filled the hall at the sight of her. 

Daybreaker’s wrath was evident as she screamed and her body engulfed in renewed flame. She rose from the kindling like a phoenix, glowing with the power of the sun. Discord whipped to the side, narrowly avoiding what looked like a miniature solar flare expounding from her person. The heat seared and partially melted his lion fur. He hissed, flinching away. Daybreaker continued to whip solar flares and Discord found himself on the defensive, narrowly dodging every attack just before it could make its mark.

“Hold still and die!” Daybreaker shrieked, sending yet another flare his way.

“No thanks,” Discord shouted back, snapping his tail tuft. 

A fire hydrant appeared beneath the unsuspecting princess. Another snap and the top unscrewed. A jet of water ignited like a volcano, the thick stream smacking the princess’s underbelly. 

“AAAGGGHHH!”

Daybreaker hit the ceiling head first before gravity took hold, plunging her towards the cold, hard ground. Not wanting to see her bones break, Discord caught her in an oversized glove, the fingers wrapping around and locking her in place. Though slightly dazed, she struggled and began to activate her horn. Deciding that enough was enough, Discord snapped it and her wings away. 

“What have you done?” she cried, straining against the glove’s iron grip. 

Discord smugly held up a box containing the stolen appendages. “Won, I think. And I believe I'll take this too-” he held up Daybreaker’s tail “-as a spoil of war.”

“Release me at once!”

Discord stroked his beard in mock thought. “Hmmm, no, I don’t think I will.”         

"Everypony STOP!"

The sheer panic in Starlight’s voice immediately drew his attention and Discord froze, eyes widening in shock and fear. 

Tirek had appeared but he no longer looked like the red and black centaur Discord remembered. His massive body was shroud in shadow and his mane, beard, and tail waved eerily like ashened smoke. His once yellow eyes now shone white and an ominous glow emanated just above his skin. And, trapped within his titanium grip was-

“Twilight!” 

“Cease your attacks at once or I’ll rip her in two!” Tirek bellowed.

The humans and ponies immediately backed away from Nightmare Moon and Heartbreaker. The two wounded alicorns regrouped near their master’s side, their smiles growing with each step they took. 

Discord formed a hand out of his tail tuft and prepared to snap when Tirek turned his glowing gaze on him and shot a magical blast mere inches from Fluttershy’s hooves. The pegasus cried out in terror and scampered backward, slamming into Rarity. Discord snarled and flew forward. Tirek pulled on Twilight’s forelegs. The princess gasped, her eyes bulging slightly from the pain.

“Stay where you are, Discord!” he snarled. “And don’t even think about using your magic.”

Reluctantly, the draconequus stilled. 

“Very good,” Tirek sneered. “Now, restore and release my fiery alicorn.”

“Not until you release Twilight,” he replied.

Tirek narrowed his eyes. "Very well."

Without a care, he threw the purple alicorn and she rolled to a stop in front of her friends. The girls wasted no time gathering her protectively in their hooves, glaring at the smirking centaur as they huddled together. Discord freed Daybreaker, horn and all, before flashing to the ponies’ side, hovering behind them in a defensive stance. The Rainbooms rushed over, surrounding the ponies and taking their own brave stand, their hands balled into fists. 

“How precious,” Tirek smirked. “I must say, I admire your loyalty to each other. It will be rather entertaining tearing it apart.”

“What makes you think we’ll let you?” Rainbow Dash snapped.

Tirek’s grin showed two rows of black pointed teeth. “Let me? My dear little pony, don’t you see? I’ve already won!”

“That’s what you think!” Sunset cried.

“I say we light him up with some rainbow action!” said Mirror Rainbow Dash.

“Agreed!” said Rarity.

The ponies and Rainbooms linked hooves and hands and began to glow, their bodies rising from the floor. Discord took a step back, waiting for the oncoming Rainbow, when something very wrong occurred. The white light surrounding the Champions of Harmony vanished and the ponies and Rainbooms fell to the floor. The throne room filled with Tirek and the princesses cruel laughter as the girls and Discord stared at each other in confusion. 

“Why didn’t it work?” Fluttershy asked, her voice filled with fear.

"I don't know!" cried Sunset.

“Confused?” Tirek taunted. 

Discord’s eyes narrowed. “What did you do?”

“Only what the old you taught me,” he replied, grinning wickedly. “Divide and conquer.”

Discord’s eyes widened and he twisted around, surveying the ponies and Rainbooms. Very quickly his mind recalled every interaction he’d had with them, wracking his brain for any discrepancies in their behavior. Nothing stood out to him. Each one appeared to be the mares and women he knew. All of them were staring at him with looks of fear and concern. All of them except-

An angry snarl escaped him. His magic quickly pulled his friends away from the intruder at the same time he turned to Shadow and roared, “Where is she?!”   

“Discord, what are you doing?” Starlight demanded. “Why did you pull us away from Twilight?”

A horrible, familiar cackle filled the room as ‘Twilight’ turned to face the Champions, her eyes glowing green. Starlight’s face filled with horror. The purple alicorn shifted in size and color, the soft fur transforming to a hard black exoskeleton, the mane turning straight and blue. 

“Hello, Starlight Glimmer!” Queen Chrysalis greeted. “Surprised to see me?”

The girls gasped in shocked disbelief.

“What have you done with Twilight?” Sunset shouted angrily.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the queen said while strutting over to Shadow’s side. “I replaced her!”

“When?” Discord snarled.

“Last night, after her little speech,” Shadow answered. “I would have made the switch sooner but I feared you might notice.”

“Where is she?” 

“Safe, for now.” Shadow smirked. “Don’t worry, Discord. I won’t kill your precious niece.”

“Niece?” Applejack repeated, surprised. “What the hay is he talking about?”

“Later,” Discord said before turning back to his creation. “I will not allow you to corrupt her again, Shadow.”

The sinister centaur laughed. “Like you’re in any position to stop me! No, her time will come; after she’s seen what I have done to her beloved friends. Bind them!” he commanded.

The alicorns’ horns lit up. Shackles appeared on Discord’s limbs (tail included) and a chain slithered through, connecting him to the ones binding Fluttershy with the others. To Discord’s anger, muzzles and gags had also been placed on the ponies and humans. 

“You’ll find that those restraints are made from the same special metal that incapacitated you last time, Discord,” Shadow revealed gleefully. “I must say Chisel Forge is a remarkable blacksmith. He managed to repurpose the metal bars of your cage into such useful masterpieces. Don’t worry; your magic will return… when I choose to release you.”

Discord glared hatefully at Shadow and the cuffs around his wrists, internally berating himself for his stupidity. 

Looking back, he should have noticed how stale Twilight’s ‘encouraging’ words had been to the army. She’d barely said a word that morning and her eagerness to teleport to the palace had been off-putting too. Not to mention her lack of concern over Spike missing from the army on the battlefield. It was so obvious now. How could he have allowed himself, a master of deception, to be deceived? If he hadn’t been so caught up in the prejudice of the army he would have noticed something! But now Twilight was missing and he and his friends were about to become Shadow’s latest victims! 

Why hadn’t he just snapped his fingers and removed himself and the Champions from the palace the moment Chrysalis revealed herself? The horrible future his father had shown was inevitably coming to pass and it was entirely his fault! Unless he did something right now to prevent it. If he could just provide a distraction-    

Shadow suddenly jerked on the chains and Discord fell to his knees. “Whatever you’re thinking,” the dark centaur hissed, “I would advise against it.”

Discord glared up at him defiantly. “Yeah? Why? Going to turn me into a beast again?”

Shadow grinned. "While that was fun, you failed to do what I'd hoped. I won't make that mistake again. Heartbreaker?”

“Yes, Master?”

“I command you to kill Fluttershy the moment Discord tries anything."

Discord bristled with rage as the pink alicorn eagerly hurried over and lit her horn, looming over Fluttershy like a wraith.

“If you lay one hoof on her, I’ll rip your black hide to shreds!"

"Silence!" Heartbreaker snapped, slapping Discord across the cheek. “You dare threaten the Master; you worthless vermin!”

A thin trickle of blood instantly stained Discord's gray fur, the sharp shoe on Heartbreaker’s hoof having cut into his skin. Fluttershy cried out in distress, the sound muffled from her muzzle, the chains rattling as she desperately reached for her beloved. 

"I'm okay," Discord assured her, offering a weak smile.

She searched his eyes, her own filling with tears. Oh how he hated seeing that muzzle on her! 

"Careful, Heartbreaker," Shadow admonished with mirth, "I can't have you scarring my new face." 

Discord whipped his head back around to face him, his lips curling back over his teeth as he growled, "Like I would ever take you back!"

"Come now," Shadow tsked, "Isn’t this what you wanted? To have the princesses at your feet and the Champions of Harmony at your mercy? Why, I have accomplished your dream! You should be thanking me.”

“Thanking you? This hasn’t been my dream for years!” 

“Only because these ponies have corrupted you!” Shadow spat, glaring angrily at the mares, particularly Fluttershy. “This one, while admittedly attractive, has you practically eating out of her hooves! Since when have we bowed down to the whims of mortals? They should worship us! We, who are gods!"

"I would never force Fluttershy to bow to me!" Discord said, disgusted by the very idea. 

"Do you not hear yourself? Her harmonious poison has sunk so deep into your soul that you have forgotten who you really are!” Shadow seethed. “You are Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony! Not the puppet of this wimpy weak pegasus! You bring disorder, pandemonium, and turmoil to every land you visit. Tell me, when was the last time you kicked up your heels and cut loose on an unsuspecting town?”

Discord didn’t say anything because they both knew the answer. Shadow leaned in closer.

“You can’t tell me you don't miss it,” he whispered. “Remember the thrill that came from helping Tirek? How much you enjoyed it? He allowed you to use your chaos however you wished. He gave you free rein. Have the princesses ever done the same?”

Discord closed his eyes, fighting against the pull of Shadow’s voice. “I did enjoy it,” he confessed, “Until Tirek betrayed me. And while it’s true the princesses never allowed me to turn Equestria upside down, there is one pony who welcomed and encouraged my chaos.” He looked down at Fluttershy, gratitude and love shining in his eyes. “She let me do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, as long as I stayed within the bounds of her property. And she came to love my chaos just as much as I do. That is why she’s earned my respect as well as my heart. I don’t need to take over Equestria anymore. I have everything I need with her.”

Shadow snorted in disgust. “You’re a fool. Can’t you see she’s conditioned you like one of her pets? Only allowing chaos within a certain parameter, putting limitations on a god? And your desperation for acceptance allowed you to settle for such terms! This never would have happened if we’d stuck together. Clearly it is up to me to rectify the atrocities you have succumbed to. I will rid you of her influence and make you see the darkness again. And then together we will plunge this world into the glorious anarchy you originally envisioned!”

“Have you got cotton in your ears?” Discord retorted. “I don’t want Equestria anymore!”

“Not yet,” Shadow hissed, “but you will.”       

The villain stepped back and closed his eyes. Tirek’s body started to convulse and he screamed as the true form of Shadow began ripping itself away from his soul. Black smoke billowed from Tirek’s mouth, swirling around in the air and slowly morphing into the shape of a mighty alicorn. 

Filled with dread and knowing he would be overtaken after Shadow reconstructed, Discord turned to Fluttershy and whispered her name. She tore her terrified gaze away from the horrifying display to look at him.

“I love you,” Discord said with all the conviction of his soul. “No matter what happens, remember that.”

Tears freely falling down her cheeks, she nodded. Heartbreaker wrinkled her nose as Fluttershy extended her wing and brushed it against Discord’s eagle arm. He smiled, not daring to return the gesture. Instead he kept his eyes trained on hers, determined to have her face be the last thing he ever saw. 

All too soon, Tirek hit the floor and began clawing at the ground, now free and desperate to get away from his former captor.

“At last!” Shadow cried, ignoring his previous host completely, “I shall reunite with my creator and we will cast this world into chaos!” 

Discord could see Shadow’s wings extending in Fluttershy’s horrified gaze, the feelers reaching for him. Every memory the draconequus shared with the pegasus flashed before his eyes and an unbidden tear trailed down his cheek. Fluttershy strained against her bonds, her muffled screams easily interpreted as his name. Her eyes pleaded with him to do something, anything, though both of them knew he wouldn’t; not when her safety was on the line. The shadows loomed and another tear fell. Discord braced himself. This was the end, for all of them.

Goodbye, my dearest Fluttershy. Please, remember me for what I am and not what I am about to become…