The silence was maddening, though for her the madness was home. She had been born into it, and grew up welcoming it. Fluttershy slowly pulled books from within the boxes of Twilight’s library. It was rough going, her physical strength wasn’t much and she struggled just to move one of them. Still, she refused to give up. The silence was madness and the madness her strength; again and again she repeated this mantra in her mind. The same mantra she had been mentally whispering since that fateful day one millennium ago.
In the time before Celestia’s rise to power, The Kingdom of Central Chaos was bustling as the skies rained chocolate milk. In the downpour completely unfazed, the residents went about their business. All of them various kinds of Ponies, they all boasted curiously gray cutie marks. Their manes and tails were all the same similar shade of gray, though their fur boasted a wide variety of colors. Green, orange, yellow and even blue and red Ponies casually went from shop to shop, often stopping to chat amidst random occurrences happening all around them.
As a flurry of sunflowers sprouted from the ground in her wake, an adolescent, yellow-furred Pegasus happily pranced down the street, a basket clutched in her teeth. Dodging nimbly to the side as a flaming meteor slammed into the ground where she had been, the Pegasus headed towards an empty shop stall.
Standing in front of the vacant shop counter, she watched as a magical symbol drew itself on the wall in front of her, and from it stepped a shadowy form in the shape of a towering dragon. Its voice was a rough, gravelly growl.
“Welcome mortal, to Spike’s-”
His voice softened upon seeing the happily waving Pegasus.
“Why hello again, Fluttershy, what brings you to my stall today?”
Fluttershy giggled as a hoola-hoop suddenly appeared and the monstrous demon suddenly swayed for several seconds, swinging the hoop around and round until it vanished; the conversation carried on like nothing even happened.
“Today’s my Vow Day! I was wondering if I could see a bit of chaos before my ceremony, Mister Spike.”
Spike chuckled, before coughing up a bunch of soap bubbles, and a black rose appeared in Fluttershy’s mane.
“I think we can do that.”
Pulling out a paintbrush, Spike dipped it in an empty pan, before closing his eyes; drawing concentric shapes in the air. Fluttershy clapped her hooves excitedly, suddenly letting out a sudden wolf’s howl as a bright red circle with a multitude of colors making various lines appeared before her eyes. The circle glowed brightly before a single golden rose started to grow within her basket.
Spike opened his eyes, and the symbols vanished, taking note of the rose and smiling.
“It would seem the Lord of Chaos blesses you this day, little Shy. Now off you go, time to say your Vow. You really don’t want to keep Discord waiting, after all.”
Today was Fluttershy’s sixteenth birthday; unlike the others around her, Fluttershy’s mane and tail were a beautiful silken pink and her flank boasted three pink and blue butterflies. Today was a momentous day, Vow Day; the day Fluttershy would take the Vow of Disharmony before the Chaos Lord, Discord bearing witness. Today was the day she would become Discorded. And Fluttershy was excited.
She raced off towards the massive castle with high spirits. For years she had excelled in her Chaos studies; the thoughts of spreading it far and wide in Discord’s name caused her glee. Bursting literally through the front door when it suddenly turned into a slice of swiss cheese, Fluttershy giggled. Today was the day. Today was her day. She stopped running and slid down the hallway as the carpet became slippery like ice; barely avoiding the help, who seemed to be working hard to use rubber chickens as brooms.
Fluttershy’s spirits were high as she pushed open the door to the inner sanctum. On a throne of candy corn sat the Draconequus ruler of the known world, peering down at her with his yellowed eyes and red pupils.
Fluttershy stared in awe at her chaotic idol. He stood upright, bipedal, with limbs mismatched, seemingly representing the various races of Discordia, talons of a griffon on one side and a manticore paw on the other for his arms. His mane was that of a zebra, while his neck elongated like that of a hydra. His two legs featured a hoof on one side, and an insectoid limb on the other. A long scaly tail, resembling a dragon’s own curled around the base of his throne, as he clasped the sides of it, dramatically rising to his feet.
With the snap of his talon, Discord was suddenly beside her, speaking in the tenderest, dulcet tones.
“Well, well, well. Little Fluttershy the night has come, little one. I can see-”
He said, closing his eyes, as Moonlight shone down from the sky in the light of day over the kingdom. All traffic stopped as his voice boomed across the entirety of Discordia.
“The Chaos you will spread; a Pegasus with a propensity for magic. Why, if that isn’t chaotic, nothing is. What a thrilling day this is, your Discoronation. You may end when ready.”
Fluttershy bowed her head in respect, her voice broadcast to all as she spoke straight from the heart.
“I, Fluttershy, in malice and kindness, disorder and chaos shall share the joys of ruining the Order and Harmony within the world and within myself. As long as the sun shines brightest in the night, and fish may fly through our skies I shall shout your greatness in the softest of whispers. I vow to make Chaos my guide, and Disharmony my purpose.”
Discord laughed and tapped Fluttershy on the head, watching as her tail and mane slowly turned gray, her cutie mark losing every semblance of color it possessed turning gray. And yet, Fluttershy smiled. She had been accepted by her hero.
All around her, the area suddenly glowed with an intense golden light, a mare’s voice void of any emotion shouting in a booming voice, that echoed across the landscape.
“ We are the Harmony.”
A bright silvery light intertwined with the golden glow, as another cold as ice voice, also void of emotion called out.
“We are Judgement.”
Discord’s eyes grew wide as he quickly grasped the scenario, the lights growing ever brighter. He turned to look at Fluttershy, and snapped his talons, causing her to appear in his arms. He spoke to her in a soft serious voice, she had never known, as she gazed up at him, her eyes watering in fear.
“My little Chaos, your story has just begun. I’ve watched you as you’ve grown and-”
A portal opened in front of Discord as the lights around him grew brighter still.
“You have no idea how proud I am of you, my daughter.”
In one swift motion, Discord tossed her into the portal, his limbs now turning to stone as the glow around him erupted in a massive explosion.
“Now Perish. All of you.”
And in that single, fiery, icy blast, with the sun and moon both shining down, the last Kingdom of Chaos was wiped from the face of what was to become Equestria. And with it, all traces of Discord and his Chaos followers from the annals of history.
Fifteen hundred years later; Equestria flourished under Celestia and her sister, and after a furious war, eventually just Celestia. The world continued turning and in a cavern within the Everfree Forest a portal opened up, and out tumbled Fluttershy; confused and frightened. Frantically she surveyed her surroundings, but there was nothing.
“Dad?”
Nothing but darkness, nothing but silence.
“Dad!”
Just silence greeted her. She was completely alone.
Fluttershy dropped the book in her hooves by accident. She stared at it. It was so heavy, but she couldn’t give up. She thought about that fateful meeting just hours ago; that Unicorn, no, that Alicorn and the words Twilight had told her before sending her there.
“-Parchment, ah hell, I forgot about that.”
Twilight spoke these words with a devilish wink, watching as the message vanished in a puff, before turning back to look at Fluttershy.
“Now that we are alone, let’s talk for real. I can sense his magic in you. Tell me, Fluttershy, how do you know Discord?”
Fluttershy stared in disbelief at the self-proclaimed Alicorn before her. Something was different, almost sinister about her.
“Who are you really?”
Twilight smiled, an empty smile that sent shivers down Fluttershy’s spine. With every word spoken, the temperature within the cavern dropped; the very air seemed to crystalize and turn to ice.
“A Nightmare, like my mother before me. And the only chance you have of ever seeing Discord again. Now answer my question.”
Fluttershy cowered under the soulless glare of Twilight.
“M-my father.”
Twilight blinked, taken by surprise. Had she heard right?
“What did you just say?”
“Discord’s my father!”
Fluttershy, in complete panic, shouted the words in Twilight’s face. Twilight however, ignored the action, instead more interested in the statement Fluttershy had made.
“Your father? Hold on, are you saying Discord is your dad?”
“Yes.”
Twilight stared at Fluttershy, who trembled under her gaze. The magical energy of Discord definitely flowed throughout her body, but for her to be directly related to him she would have to be well over fifteen hundred years old; not nearly as old as Twilight, but then again Alicorns were immortal. Pegasi were not. Not to mention Pegasi, well, actual Pegasi, were believed to be extinct, ever since her cousin’s wedding to that Changeling Queen, a dozen years ago. She was vaguely interested before, but now, Twilight was completely invested.
“You have my attention. Explain. And do it fast, we don’t have much time.”
Fluttershy told Twilight everything. She didn’t know why she was spilling her life’s story to the rather arrogant, self-professed ‘Nightmare’. Yet as Fluttershy stared into those soulless amethyst eyes, the Pegasus felt a sort of kinship; was it that both of them utilized chaos? Perhaps because both knew Discord. But Fluttershy felt something closer than that. Something familiar.
“-and so dad threw me into the portal, and I arrived here.”
Twilight was quiet for a moment, before her horn glowed a light purple, touching Fluttershy’s head without a word. As they stood there, Fluttershy’s eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as more and more images were magically passed through her mind. She stammered out.
“Then your my m-”
Twilight smiled coldly.
“Who knows? It was so long ago, after all. Though-”
That cold smile softened, and a strange warmth could be felt radiating from her.
“-Your name, Fluttershy is pronounced Flutar-shai, or Beauty of Kindness, in Ancient Alicornian. Because while I held you in my hooves, that’s all I could see.”
Before Fluttershy could so much as gasp, Twilight started fussing with her mane, seemingly driven by instinct, muttering to herself.
“Your father always was so selfish, a brute and such a comedian; never taking anything seriously-”
Pausing, Twilight used her hoof to straighten out Fluttershy’s mane; the latter of which didn’t attempt to stop her, still in shock.
“Still, I can’t deny Discord’s intuition has always been uncanny. To think he would send you forward in time to land here, probably knowing full-well we would meet again-”
Twilight took a step back, to nod approvingly at her styling job, before her horn glowed with a light purple once more.
“-Though, to think he didn’t even provide you a proper Chaos Mage’s attire. That idiot, So irresponsible.”
Gently wrapping the summoned cloak around Fluttershy’s midriff, Twilight locked eyes with her, a soft sentiment present for just a moment while she told her.
“We argued all the time. And we never saw eye to eye. But there was one thing we agreed upon. And that was you.”
In the library, amidst the maddening silence, Fluttershy gave a small smile of happiness; gently pulling her cloak all around her, comfort and warmth flowing through her as she thought about Twilight’s words. Glancing at the book on the ground, she used all of her strength to pick it up once more and slid it with great effort onto the bookshelf; the magic surrounding the bookshelves, becoming slightly darker in color. Fluttershy grinned in victory before turning to the box of books and gave a sigh of lament, noticing the five left within.
“So is Fluttershy really your dau-”
Twilight slammed her hooves on the table, snarling at Pinkie Pie.
“Don’t say that word!”
Pinkie stared wordless at the sudden outburst from the normally reserved Twilight. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight spoke with deliberate emphasis as she stated.
“She is always listening. My child died a long time ago.”
Pinkie froze, staring into those dead eyes, before swiftly changing the topic.
“Oh hey, I just finished reading the other chapters and something has me curious.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, having summoned a few bottles of cider and was currently downing them at a rapid pace. Her tone suddenly became more mellow, and she gently lowered the bottle onto the table. She considered asking about the chapter comment and then decided it was more of Pinkie's ‘magic’ at play.
“What’s that?”
“How did you lose your wings?”
Twilight froze for a moment, before taking another drink. She then replied.
“We possess no emotions. We feel nothing. An Alicorn must never let emotions get in the way of their decisions.”
It was an odd phrasing of words, almost as though it was something she had been told hundreds of times over. Pinkie took a sip of the rum-infused milkshake, considering everything before glancing at you.
“So, what happened?”
Twilight’s voice was completely aloof as she replied.
“I did exactly that. Aunt Celestia and my mother did not approve. So, they took my wings, and siphoned much of my power. Though, I didn’t make it easy for them.”
Taking note of the horrible smile on Twilight’s face, Pinkie swallowed hard. Maybe for once she didn’t want to understand. Maybe she could just let it go, maybe she didn’t need an answer-
“How so?”
Pinkie clasped her hooves over her mouth, silently cursing her inability to stop herself. Twilight, however, seemed to have no issue answering her; every glass in Sugarcube Corners shattering, spilling their contents all over, as she did so.
“Who do you think trapped Luna in the moon in the first place?”
Amidst the cries of dismay from the patrons, Pinkie sat there in stunned silence. She stared, mesmerized by the murderous rage shining deep within those normally placid amethyst eyes; the wingless Alicorn quietly taking another sip from the now-partially cracked cider bottle.