//------------------------------// // Chaos // Story: More Than a Friend // by Tatsurou //------------------------------// The land was in ruins. Thunder flashed from a broken sky. Stone roads melted, boiled, and turned molten at a moment's notice. Ponies screamed in fear and agony, struggling to flee as the world fell apart around them. Others gibbered insanely, their colors fading to grey. The sun and moon wheeled together in the sky in a crazed dance, as the stars fell to cavort upon the surface of the boiling sea. Across the land were the screams of agony, forming a depraved musical of torment. Above it all danced the King of Chaos, laughing madly as he watched the world burn. On a whim, he conjured a fiddle from midair and played it. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the creatures of the world found a way to fight him, but in the meantime the world was his. And when they fought him, that would be a new game. He couldn't wait for the first move. Gliding down to the surface, he chortled as creatures great and small screamed in fear at his approach, turning to flee from him. However, one did not flee. The red, horned face grinned at him as he approached. "And you called me a monster," it said proudly. "What a wonderful successor you make." He flinched back from the voice, the face, the words. He didn't want this. This wasn't what he was supposed to be. Turning, he snapped his talons to make things better, but it only became worse as continents split open. The voice laughed. "This is who you are. You cannot change it...escape it. Only embrace it!" "NO!" he cried out, struggling to flee, but the face pursued him, laughing with dark glee. Suddenly, a pure light shot through the face, dissolving it. "Discord?" a soft voice called. "Are you alright?" ------------ Discord opened his eyes, shivering in the predawn gloom. Fluttershy leaned over him, looking very worried. "Fluttershy?" "You were crying out in your sleep," she said softly. "Are you okay?" Discord shook his head. "It's nothing, Fluttershy," he whispered. "Just a bad dream...of worse memories." Fluttershy handed him a glass of water. "This might help." Nodding, Discord drank deeply. "Do...do you want to talk about it?" Discord stared into the water remaining in the glass. "Fluttershy...imagine if you will that you came into existence for a specific purpose. That from the moment of your birth you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what you were brought into existence for, and your life is specifically to fulfill that purpose." Fluttershy tilted her head. "You mean...like being born with a Cutie Mark?" Discord smiled sardonically. "Sort of, yes. A bit more...profound than that, but close. But tell me...what is left for one such as this...when that purpose has been fulfilled? When they continue to live, without purpose, direction, or function...and no one to help them understand?" Fluttershy closed her eyes in thought. "I guess...the only choices they'd have would be finding a new purpose or...letting go." Discord nodded. "But what dreams may come when we have shuffled off the mortal coil...when we were meant to be immortal? What awaits on the other side...for one meant to be undying?" Fluttershy nuzzled into Discord's chest. "I can't imagine what that could be like. It...it must have been horrible." She looked up at him. "But if it still hurts you...I'd like to hear about it. If only so you can bleed the poison from the wound so it can heal." Her eyes opened wide. "Is...is that where you went wrong? When your life became...empty?" "Went wrong, huh?" Reaching over, Discord lightly ruffled Fluttershy's mane. "I guess you could say that, yes. Never really thought about it like that." He sighed. "I didn't realize what I had become...until you showed me I didn't have to be that way. And now...it haunts me." "I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy said. "I didn't mean to make you hurt-" "You didn't, Fluttershy," Discord interrupted. "This pain is of my own making. Don't blame yourself." Fluttershy nuzzled into his chest. "In that case, I'm sorry you hurt. I wish I could make the pain go away." Discord smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "You do, Fluttershy. You do." ------------- When Discord awoke again with the full light of dawn, it was a much more gentle awakening. Fluttershy was stepping out of the bed to go tend to her animals, and her movement disturbed his rest. Not wanting her to feel guilty for that, he pretended to still be asleep. After she left the room, he yawned and stretched. He had been right. Curled up around her was truly the most comfortable spot in the house. Despite the nightmare of his past, it was the best sleep he'd had since the days of his nightmares. He floated out of the room, deciding to help out with the animals. However, as he went, he saw the small white bunny, the bane of his relationship with Fluttershy. He sighed, glaring down at the little terror. "Hello, Angel," he said, grinning his usual grin. Angel, however, was not cowed. He glared up at Discord and began making paw motions, gesturing to the bed, Discord, where Fluttershy had gone, and then shaping a heart. Discord blinked. "Wait, you think-" He shook his head, waving his hands. "No, no, it's nothing like that! We were just cuddling, like friends do! You act like Fluttershy never cuddles with her friends. I've seen her do that." Angel made rather explicit gesture to indicate that Discord happened to have certain equipment that - short of a miscast spell by Twilight - Fluttershy's other friends lacked. Discord got rather angry. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Angel! It's nothing like that! Nothing...happened. We just cuddled." Angel shrugged his shoulders. He then pulled out an image of a heart and tore it in half. He then folded the two halves into a shiv and stabbed Discord in the chest with it. Discord stared at the paper knife embedded in his chest fur. "...I see your point." He plucked it from him. "I don't see where it could come into play, but I take your meaning." He floated out into the kitchen and helped Fluttershy feed the animals. Once finished, he turned to go. "Discord," Fluttershy called out. "You know, if you want, you could...come back tonight. And other nights. I don't mind." Discord smiled. "Nothing would make me happier than to spend every night as I did last night," he said, noticing how adorable Fluttershy was when she blushed as she was now. "However, I won't." Fluttershy looked confused. "Why not?" Discord chuckled. "Because it wouldn't do much for your reputation if you let me stay over every night. Ponies might get the wrong idea." "Wrong idea?" Fluttershy asked, confused. "What sort of wrong idea?" "Ask Angel," Discord replied. "He confronted me on it this morning...and he had a valid point." He waved. "But never fear. I'll be back often." Fluttershy smiled. "My door's always open to you, Discord." She paused, tilting her head, remembering. "Or my window. Or my chimney. Or my walls. Or my oven. Or my fridge. Or my cupboards. But please don't come out of my toilet again, that was rather disgusting." Discord chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind." He floated away, returning to his role as the Spirit of Chaos, sowing a little to keep life growing.