He twirled the golden, metallic crown in his paw, smiling at the way it fit so well on his fingertips, and watching it spin and gleam, spin and gleam. Soon it would fit on his head, and his body would fit on the throne; the royal robes would fit over his shoulders, and he would finally fit the title of King.
King Discord; it has such a lovely ring to it.
He sat back on his throne, body swiveling in bliss of how good and right it felt to him. It felt so wonderful, and everything felt so perfect. So meant to be. It had been so easy to slide that crown off Aegeus's nightstand. Oh – it wasn't his fault! Aegeus should really take better care of his things..
The young draconequus sighed as he sat back in the throne, an eagle talon reaching towards a family portrait. He gently ran a paw down the surface, over the picture of Aegeus and Astraia, a mournful look coming to his face.
I'm sorry; I see now I wasn't meant to fit in your family from the very beginning. We're too different; you're all purity and love..
He swooped over towards the window, looking down to where Luna and Celestia were busy practicing their hooves at magic.
I am only chaos.
He leaned his furry chin into his lion paw, grazing the windowsill with his talon as he watched the princesses play.
It simply wasn't meant to be. You gave me hints, Aegeus, whether you meant to or not. Even if you didn't mean to make me feel like such a black sheep from the family, it is still the truth. I have kept to the promise I made myself, and I wouldn't ever harm you, your wife, or your daughters.
You had said the throne was not meant for me, that there was no way my twisted body could even fit its shape.
He chuckled, worming his way comfortably, deeper into the soft throne, running a compassionate hand over its golden arm rests.
I fit it quite nicely, don't you think?
He reached under the throne, where he had securely tucked away his trusted spellbook under the seat, at the very back of the wall. He smiled grimly, tracing patterns over the embedded title, "Alicorn's Power."
He flipped the book open, adrenaline pumping through him as he reached his favorite section, the dark magic section. He ran his pawtips over the words, resting his chin on his talon.
"You were so naive, Aegeus, Astraia. You've known me since I was a child and you've known what I am capable of. You kept this book out of my reach, assuring me I was not yet ready to learn the magic of an alicorn. You told me it was far too advanced and dangerous for me. You both kept it hidden away.." He chuckled and twirled the crown once more. "You think I don't know where you, silly filly, hid the book, Astraia? I knew you hid it where you always put our birthday presents~"
Oh, look at him, talking to..no one. Well, he may as well get used to it. He would be alone soon. Just him and Equestria and chaos. May as well get into practice. He wondered how the couple were fairing. The spell had put them into a painless sleep as it worked away at them. Essentially, they would be unharmed once it finished its work, and they'd simply be unable to stop him.
It was the perfect plan, nothing could go wrong. He'd figure out how to safely get rid of them afterwards. He didn't like the idea of imprisoning them, so perhaps he'd merely send them to live outside Equestria. Or perhaps leave them in the Castle? There was nothing they could do anyways.
"Master Discord?" Their old childhood nanny stepped into the room, limbs trembling with age, as did her crackling voice. Her voice was so sad, but Discord had noted it was sad lately anyways.
"What is it, Honey Dew?" he sighed, voice painfully bored and dripping with venom. "I'm rather busy at the moment."
He hadn't turned his head, and thus, hadn't seen the tears trickling down her wrinkled and sagging face. "I-I am afraid I have some bad news."
Discord only snickered as he fiddled around with the crown; the grieving mare barely noticing he had it. "Oh, did a servant slip on the honey covered floors? Did one of them-"
"The King and Queen are dead."
The smile on the draconequus's face didn't even waver in the slightest, and why? He didn't believe her. Honey Dew had been known for her love of playing jokes, although albeit, this one was cruel. Very cruel. "No they aren't."
The mare's heart pierced with sympathy as he kept smiling, figuring he was in a state of shock and couldn't comprehend what she had said. "The King and Queen are dead," she choked out, "they were-"
"You're lying."
Through her tears, the elderly mare managed a stern frown. "I would never lie to you, Master Discord. They are dead. A servant just found them in bed-"
"YOU'RE LYING!" Discord screeched, his palms burning with fire, that crashed into a window behind her, leaving only a trail of embers and glass behind. "YOU'RE LYING!" he screamed again, voice heavy with horror and rage, desperate to believe what he was saying.
Honey Dew ignored the fire behind her as she stepped towards him, taking his face in her hooves, like she did so many times as a child to calm him in a tantrum or a crying fit after a nightmare.
"Discord," Honey Dew whispered hoarsely, holding her child's face. "Aegeus and Astraia are dead."
He whipped his head back fiercely, backing away from her, shaking his head. "No..no..no, they aren't.. They aren't dead..they aren't.." He gripped at his head, shaking it fiercely, his eyes rolling around in his sockets, looking as if he was having a seizure. "They aren't – DEAD! I-I am having a nightmare, or you lo-lost your mind. That wasn't what was..supposed to happen..that wasn't.."
Honey Dew's voice took on her nanny tone that she used on the princesses and the spirit when they were children. "Sweetheart, you're not making any-" She was slammed into the wall as the draconequus bolted by her, whipping down the halls through the air, flying blindly, unable to see where he was going in the pitch black halls and in his mindset.
He reached the room, and everything looked as it should be. Their giant bed was as it should be, sheets tucked in, over the mattress. Trinkets and jewelery were scattered among the dressers, and their robes were hung up, above their shoes. Everything was silent, and Astraia's last moon was high in the sky, beaming through the windows on their deathly pale faces.
His knees buckled as he fell to them, staring. They were just laying there; their ghastly faces an indication that death had made its visit and had taken them away. The worst part was...the worst part was their eyes were still open. They seemed to be staring at him, their eyes mutely begging, "why? Why the betrayal, Discord? Why have you done this?"
And it was that night that the incarnation of chaos broken down crying harder than he had in his life. screaming and clawing at his fur in grief, his melodic wail of anguish echoing through the palace walls.
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Discord awoke in sweats, breathing out sharply inhaled pants and letting a cold tremor pass through his body as he tried to get re-familiar with his surroundings and remind himself that the horrendous nightmare was over.
Shaken, he pushed his serpentine body up into a sit and let his crimson eyes dart about the room, as if expecting he'd see the cold and lifeless bodies in front of him, at the edge of his bed; their glassy and lifeless eyes staring up at him. His voice hitched back in fear when he saw something at the end of his bed, but further examination revealed it was only Fluttershy's stupid bunny.
The spirit forced out a weak and awkward chortle, flopping down against his pillow and rolling his eyes at his subconscious mind. Oh really, that old dream again?
He shut his eyes, the pathetic smile fading to a tense and tight frown as he shivered.
Yes..that old dream again.
Annoyed more than anything, he scratched at his head when he felt an itch. He honestly wondered if perhaps he could scratch away that dream too, forever. Oh how lovely that would be – to never have to worry about the one thing that was always trying to get on his mind. He seemed to be doing a good job of keeping it off for a while.
But you, pesky little mind and emotion destroying memory don't want to leave me alone, do you~?
As if responding to his light statement, the haunting images returned to his memory once more, destroying his weak sneer and turning it to more of a trembling look of horror as he tightly shut his eyes.
"Discord?" The bloody visions dissipated from his mind and he carefully cracked open an eye, not trusting on what might enter his eyesight. No, just that ever familiar, deeply concerned little pegasus he had been forced to live under a roof with for months.
"Are you..are you okay?" Fluttershy whispered, extending a hoof to tentatively touch his face. She noted he flinched pretty bad, and knew it wasn't just because he despised anypony touching him. Something was wrong.
"I am fine!" he snapped defensively, swiping away one of the pegasus's hooves, causing her to flinch as well. "Leave me be – it was just a nightmare!"
Yet, Fluttershy knew he wasn't fine and she knew it by the odd tone to his voice; it wasn't its usual, simple and annoyed snippy tone, but more ragged and angry, and almost sounded like...like he was trying to..cover up something?
The look on his face betrayed every emotion the pony had just seen, as he merely summoned a glass of brimming chocolate milk in a large crystal glass, licking up the spills with his snake like tongue and slurping from a silly straw. When given a questioning look, he shrugged.
"Best cure for nightmares~!"
Fluttershy left it at that. All was silent now, save for the rude slurping and licking from the draconequus trying to relax there on his cottony mattress. He tucked his feet in (one still bandaged from 'that thing' with Celestia) under the blankets as the pegasus gently pulled the covers up past his chin. He was too tired to notice the gentle, feather light touch of the pegasus affectionately nuzzling his side, his exhausted, red eyes finally drooping shut.
Fluttershy didn't bother going to her own bed, and to be honest, she was still far too concerned about him to leave his side. Okay, so the spirit was no longer in danger of dying, and matter-of-fact, he was completely healthy with the exception of his 'poor burned footsie', as he called it. Things just...didn't seem right to her. He wasn't acting like himself at all, and when she came down the stairs, she saw him squirming and struggling and – whimpering – in his sleep. It wasn't pain.
Or at least...it wasn't physical pain.
There was nothing Fluttershy could do but watch helplessly as the calm and usual smirk on his face contorted to a twisted look of discomfort and fear, his body giving involuntary twitches of fright, and soft whimpers sounding from his throat all through the night.
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Sunlight flooded into the cottage and every inhabitant was already awake and bustling about in the kitchen that morning; animals cleaning breakfast dishes with their rough sandpaper tongues, only to be lightly reminded to use a dish cloth to clean the muck from the porcelain.
Angel's ears tilted curiously, and he wrinkled his tiny, pink nose, twitching his snow white fur in confusion as his paw only grabbed the empty air around the tap. He shot a questioning glance to his owner, who didn't need to put too much problem solving in figuring out what had happened to the dish cloth.
The feathery wisp of his tail purposely wagged into her eyes and tickled the tip of her snout. She contemplated grabbing the tail in her mouth, wondering if she'd actually be strong enough to yank him to her. Pulling Discord down from the ceiling, now that would be a story.
Her mouth latched firmly around the tail, and she smirked into the scales when he gave an annoyed grunt. Before the pegasus could even try to pull his weight, he lifted her swiftly, with ease. Fluttershy shrieked and clutched onto the tail, and he laughed as she trembled.
Within seconds, her ice blue irises met the mismatched, manipulative vermillion ones, as did her frowning face with his smirking and questioning one.
"Oh, my dear, I wouldn't bite that if I were you – you have no idea where that tail has been." To accent his words, he wiggled the long tail, snickering as Fluttershy shrieked and tried to keep hold. "Do I taste like chocolate milk?" He pouted at the shake of her head. "How funny, I always did think I would taste like chocolate milk. Or, perhaps, cotton candy?" Another shake of the head. "Maybe it's just my scales that would."
Fluttershy muffled a scream into the scales as he tossed the dish cloth up into his jaws, and then bolted like an arrow to the other side of the ceiling. She clamped down harder on his tail, and she wasn't going to let go until he gave her that cloth.
Discord grunted in discomfort as her jaws squeezed a little tighter around the end of his tail, and he flicked it in annoyance, amusement giving off to anger.
"Let go," he said flatly.
Fluttershy only smiled; his glares and glowers no longer frightened her or even intimidated her in the least little bit. Having lived with the mischievous spirit for two months now, she was more than used to it. Her jaws unclenched from his tail, and she instead replaced them with a hoof as she held the other one out.
"A tail for a cloth," she whispered slyly, keeping a hoof held out expectantly. For a moment, he seemed to consider this as he gazed at the cloth, swinging it in his talon and shooting glances back at the eager pony now and then. At the last second, he smirked, and Fluttershy groaned, gripping his tail tightly as he tossed the cloth back into his mouth and turned abruptly in the air, giving the effect of a roller coaster.
Fluttershy screeched and held on for dear live as his serpentine body wavered up and down in the air, side to side, and around and around, creating corckscrews, loop-de-loops, and diving down with acceleration. She gave a long, piercing, girly screech as the spirit laughed like a child, having the time of his life there in the air.
The pegasus began scaling up his back, dimly recalling in this chaos that she had done the same thing in the garden. Tickling him could work; he'd laugh and drop the cloth instantly, but the pegasus liked trying different tactics when dealing with her creatures. She continued to climb up and over his spiked mane, perching behind his ears. He flew faster to try and shake her off.
"Oh, I don't think so!" Fluttershy half panted and half grinned, gripping his mane like handles. At the last second – before he flew to close to the wall – she flipped off his head in the air and flapped in front of him.
Discord merely snickered and tossed the cloth back into his mouth, grinning triumphantly behind him, as he was sure he flicked her off somewhere in the air. ...So where was she? Right when he turned his head, he saw her, hovering in the air, waiting. He wasn't able to skid to a stop fast enough and he clutched the cloth even tighter. No way in Equestria was she getting-
She leaned in, her gentle kiss to the tip of his furry snout like the flutter of a small butterfly, that left his face as quick as it had landed. He just froze solid, shocked, the dish cloth falling from his mouth and delicately landing in Angel's paw below.
Fluttershy grinned widely, diving down to her bunny friend and slapping his paw in victory. Turning back to her sink, she drained the water and began to refill the now cold water with steaming hot, soapy suds.
Discord just hovered there in the air, unable to move, his mouth only open a little – enough to have let the cloth fall out. His wide pupils blinked in pure shock. Listening to the two giggle below, he tentatively touched the end of his snout. A strange feeling coiled around his indifferent heart.
The door opened, much to his relief, despite hating the visitor that bounded in and rushed over to the pegasus in a frenzy.
"Fluttershy, Rarity asked me if it would be alright if..."-pant-" y-you could-" Twilight's words broke out in a strained fit of coughing, her lungs feeling tangled from her desperate run from the boutique all the way to the edge of the forest.
"Oh my..Twilight, do sit down. And Angel? Could you please bring her a glass of water?" She hurriedly grabbed a cloth and dabbed it against the pony's sweaty cheeks and mane, absorbing some of the sweat. "Twilight, you really shouldn't be running out in this heat! It is very bad for you..."
Angel quickly hopped to his owner's side, offering the glass of water, and earning a gentle pat and a "thank you."
"Oh, Twilight, you're so sweaty and you're just overheating even more! I should really get something to cool you-" And she was cut off, giving a gasp as a surge of chocolate milk drenched the poor purple mare, Twilight giving a gargled screech of surprise of her own as the freezing and thick liquid poured down on her.
"Discord!" Fluttershy exclaimed angrily, glaring up at the hysterically laughing spirit.
"Ohohoho, you wa-haha-nted help!" Discord choked out between fits of laughter, slapping his paw to his eyes and somehow rolling onto his belly and pounding the air. "Ahaha – that was just pri-hice-less!"
Twilight coughed out a bit of the chocolate milk, cringing as its taste mixed with her perspiration. "Thank you, Discord," she said very sweetly. "I needed the cool down." Since injuring him, she had tried to make amends, but it never seemed to really work.
"You're welcome, Killer Sparkle," he returned in a mockingly sweet voice, snickering at the wince the unicorn gave and the glare he received from his pegasus caretaker.
"What a bad boy.." Fluttershy muttered quietly, shaking her head as the draconequus began gleefully chasing poor Hummingway with a butterfly net. "I can send him to his bed if you want, Twilight."
Twilight laughed lightly, wiping some chocolate milk from her face. "Oh..no, it's alright, Fluttershy. It actually did feel good.." She sighed and flicked her now chocolate-glued mane. "If not a little sticky."
Fluttershy merely sighed, resting her forehead against her hooves and absently mopping some chocolate milk from the table. "What were you all panicked about, Twilight? Is everypony alright?"
Twilight stood up, brushing some thick, chocolate droplets from her mane and trying to shake some of the excess liquid off. "Yes – well, no. I mean, everypony is alright, but-" Fluttershy caught on immediately:
"Oh no! What's wrong with the pets? Is it Winnona? Spike?"
"It's Opal," Twilight continued, "she's – well, a little under the weather today, and Rarity was hoping-"
The pegasus had already torn from her seat and over to her medicine cabinets, hastily clenching her trusty medicine kit in between her teeth, and was already at the door, just about to burst through it, when she stopped, halting, and bumping into Twilight.
"Oh no, I can't leave him.." Fluttershy sighed, looking over to where said 'him' was busy painting the walls with different types of jam...and peanut butter. "He needs..constant supervision."
"So I see," Twilight mused, not particularly surprised as he swallowed the paintbrush and instead used his hands to gleefully make food prints decorate the walls and ceiling. "I've talked it over with the mayor, kind of figuring you're both tired of being cooped up in the cottage. It took a lot of convincing, but.." The flap to her saddlebag opened up by magic and a thick leather rope floated in front of the shocked peagusus's face.
Fluttershy bit her lip to hold back the smile as she fingered the rope with her hoof. "Leash law."
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Fluttershy watched an ant as it struggled to carry a bread crumb in the grass, pulling its weight and the flaky, soft crumb up over a few blades of grass, before disappearing into a small hole in the earth.
She should probably be looking where she was going or keeping an eye on Discord, as she could feel the leash being tugged in all different sorts of directions as he tried to pull free now and then. Her head should be up, but she could hardly take the glares of contempt and fear from ponies all around her. It just broke her heart that they thought so low of her now.
Discord was busy licking away at a caramel apple that he had begged for from Fluttershy the moment they passed the food vendors. Why he didn't just summon one up he had no idea, but, oh Equestria, they looked delicious. He floated on his back as Fluttershy tugged him along, and he noted how her head was down.
From across the road, stacking some vegetables into a cart was Carrot Top. She tucked a few carrots and cabbages into a cart and glanced disdainfully over to where the pegasus and spirit were walking.
"Oh, Equestria, can you believe that pony?" she asked Bon Bon in disgust, "she treats that beast like her pet." Bon Bon nodded in agreement. "I don't know what her problem is; I know she's the shy one, but is she also completely STUPID?"
Discord's head shot up at that as he narrowed his eyes over at the agreeing ponies, and he chuckled darkly to himself, a golden hue coating his talon, and – unbeknownst to the two ponies – the vegetables in their cart were also starting to glow.
"I mean, what was she-" And Carrot Top was cut off, screaming as her vegetables exploded into a shower of rainbow confetti, which covered the two horrified ponies and some nearby.
Discord fell onto his back, laughing hysterically and holding his stomach. "Ohohoho! That was pri-hihihi-celess!" He didn't even notice as Fluttershy angrily tightened her grip on his leash and dragged the madly giggling spirit along to the boutique.
Rarity was not thrilled to open the door. Well, at first she smiled when she saw it was her friend, but then grimaced and narrowed her eyes in disgust, her nose wrinkling up as if she smelled something dreadful.
"I appreciate you coming to help Opalescence, darling, but you'll have to tie your dog to a pole outside."
At that, Discord stopped laughing, shooting up and glaring at the rude, fashionista unicorn. "A dog? A dog? Where exactly on my body do you see any DOG features, you ignorant foal?" He then glanced down at his collar. "Ugh, right."
Fluttershy giggled, gently slipping past her friend and pulling Discord up the steps. "Oh, don't worry, Rarity.. I promise he will be on his best behavior.." She then turned and gave the spirit a mother-scolding-glare. "Right?"
"I give you my word~" he singsonged, smirking and crossing an insincere finger over his chest. Rarity was rightfully not convinced as she used magic to drag the draconequus as far to the back of the room as she could, before escorting Fluttershy over to where Opal was laying in her bed, disheveled and miserable looking.
"Oh, please tell me Opal will be alright! I couldn't live without my little Opalescence!" Her hoof flew to her forehead dramatically, tears rolling down her face. "It would be the worst most possible thing!" She flopped over the bed, mane hitting the floor.
Fluttershy examined the cat extensively, taking it into her arms and checking her over. At last, as a horrified Rarity and a curious Discord watched on, at last, she had come to a diagnosis:
"She has a cold."
Rarity shrieked in horror and flopped back on the bed, moaning. Slowly, Fluttershy glanced back at her multibeast companion, and both couldn't help but roll their eyes at the melodramatic display. Still, Fluttershy stroked a gentle hoof down her friend's back.
"She'll be just fine, Rarity. I'll try and help her get better. There's no need to worry."
"Pinkie Pie, ah'm tellin' ya, I reckon you love sweet foods as much as the next pony, but ah don't think that maple syrup would taste too good in some noodle soup, nor would it really help a cold," Applejack pointed out, trotting out of Rarity's kitchen and balancing a bowl of chicken soup on her head.
"Well maybe not!" Pinkie piped, bouncing up and down on the ground and around Applejack, nearly making the pony spill the soup. "But it surely is delicious! I reckon – whatever that word means – that Opal will love it!"
"Not today, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash muttered, rolling her eyes. "I mean, really – it's noodle soup with maple syrup. That is just.."
"Now, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled, "stop tryin' ta stifle Pinkie's...ah..delightful creativity. Go make yerself useful and clean up the kitchen." As she rounded the corner with the pink earth pony, a bucket of water tipped over her head. It was no secret as to how it got there and who set it there – especially when the culprit started giggling madly and pointing at her drenched face.
"And who in tarnation invited you?" the southern pony asked flatly, glaring as Discord tapped her playfully on the nose.
"Why must I need an invitation, Applejack? Need you be so rude? If you must know, Fluttershy had to leave to tend to this furball and I'm sure we all know her house wouldn't be left alone in her absence~" He floated upside down, smirking.
Applejack ignored the draconequus as she trotted past - making it a point to kick some dirt into his face - and brought the soup over to Opalescence. The cat merely looked at it, before turning its head.
"So what's the diagnosis, Doctor Fluttershy?" Twilight questioned, having just stepped into the boutique, her saddlebag weighing her to the ground with her books, and Spike comically behind her, trying to shove her in, grunting as he did.
"Twilight, are all these books really necessary?" Spike moaned, catching a few as they fell out of the bag.
"Yes, Spike, they are," Twilight said firmly, flipping through a few books and using magic to levitate the rest of them over to Opal's bed. "Flipping through a few of my books, I found a few good possible names to Opal's sickness. We have pneumonia, a-"
"She has a cold," Fluttershy dead panned.
"Cold: a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages, but not directly the lungs. Best known remedies: medicine, bed rest, plenty of fluids, and soups." Twilight set the book down and looked over to the steaming bowl of soup. "Well, we have the soup down."
Discord glanced over at the bed with a bored look on his face, rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, annoyed when his deliberate attempt to get attention didn't work. Briefly, his eyes took in the sight of the steaming soup, as did his nose. It smelled delicious, creamy and salty, but perhaps... it could use a little spice~?
Snickering maniacally, the draconequus watched as the usual magic glow formed in his talon, and a small bottle of hot sauce appeared over the bowl, tipping and spilling a few of its itsy-bitsy fiery drops.
The bottle disappeared just as Fluttershy turned and offered the bowl to the sick feline. Opal tried to turn her head away, but a promise of her favorite treat made her eagerly stick her tongue into the bowl and lap up the liquid. After a few seconds, everypony watched in awe and horror as the cat's cheeks puffed out with the liquid, tears filling her eyes.
"...NYAAAARRGHH!" Fluttershy watched, giving a shriek as Opal jumped off the bed and ran blindly around the room, trying to extinguish the fire on her tongue. Discord was laughing uncontrollably, tears in his eyes at the poor kitty's plight.
Rarity gave a horrified shriek of her own as her cat thrust her head into a flowerpot filled with water. Rarity looked ready to chew that horrible spirit OUT, but amazingly, Fluttershy beat her to it.
"Discord, how dare you!" Discord continued kicking his legs in laughter, up until the pegasus got right in his face, pressing her nose against his snout and shoving a furious hoof into his chest. Her hoof twitched with a sudden, shocking desire to swat him, but she promised herself she would never result to raising a hoof on him.
"How dare you pick on a sick and defenseless creature, let alone my friend's pet! That was mean and I told you were to be on your best behavior today or I won't let you leave the house again! You told me you'd be GOOD!"
Discord chuckled. "And you actually took my word for it? Oh, poor, sweet, and wonderfully naive Fluttershy.." He gave a choked and gargled gag as the pegasus roughly grabbed the leash with her teeth and began dragging him off to another room. When she emerged, still breathing somewhat heavily, she was without the spirit.
"Forgive me if ah'm wrong, Sugarcube," Applejcak said softly, first of the baffled ponies to speak, "but..ah.. did y'all just give Discord...a time out or somethin'?"
"Well, he asked for it," Fluttershy said, giving a resigned sigh and flopping down in the middle of her friends. "Oh girls, I don't know what I am going to DO with him!" Multi colored hooves from all around affectionately rubbed her back and mane.
"I think it's pretty easy what you've gotta do, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, rolling her eyes as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's all better now and he's all evil again – send him back in stone!"
"NO!" Everpony jumped back in alarm from Fluttersh'y harsh shout. "No, never again! I will not allow him to be encased in stone. I will NEVER allow that! I-I-"
"Darling.." Rarity placed a hoof on her friend's shaking shoulder, looking into those sweet, tear filled, blue eyes. "You are getting too attached to him.. You need to remember what he's done.."
"I don't care about what he's done!" she cried, lip trembling in anger and sadness. "Look at what Nightmare Moon did, and – and she was forgiven!" Another hoof touched her shoulder, a purple one.
"There is a difference between Discord and Nightmare Moon, Fluttershy," Twilight said softly. "Nightmare Moon was an evil influence and not even the real Princess Luna, and..Luna was sorry for what she had done."
"Hunny, why can't ya just accept who he is, that you can't change him, and..he can't stay with ya?" Applejack asked softly, trying to put her arm around her.
Fluttershy angrily jerked away, her eyes smouldering with a determined and fiery passion. "Because...I care about him too much to give up."
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The soft embers dancing at the top of the candlewick dotted patterns down onto the umpteenth scroll she tried to write on that evening. The rest were discarded into the grass.
Nopony had told Fluttershy that writing was such a hard task, but it would be of course; she didn't have any magic to help her. Her hopeless tears staining and ruining the scroll, the pegasus's eyes scanned over each letter, reading over their failed attempts, and not to mention sloppy scribbles of words.
Dear Princess Celestia,
How are you doing this evening? Are you doing well? I'm happy to report that all is well here in Ponyville and at my cottage.
Ugh.
My dearest Princess,
It is a lovely night, don't you think? Princess Luna can make such a beautiful moon...
BIGGER Ugh!
Princess Celestia,
Please, oh please DO something with this spirit!
Ugh times infinity..
Dear Princess,
...Um... never mind, I'll let you go to bed.
Fluttershy moaned and let her head flop down onto the scroll, not even bothering to wipe the ink off her face and watching as it smeared all over the page. What was she doing? Contacting the princess – was she mad? She couldn't contact the princess! In only mere seconds Celestia would be down here and would have the draconequus back into stone before Fluttershy could stomp a hoof. It would be a betrayal to her heart, and worse, a betrayal to him.
The pegasus looked back to the cottage. Even so far from the window, she could make out his desperately twitching form, and the way he thrashed in terror. Oh no, not again. Without even a second thought, the pony flew through her door, and towards his bed.
It was hard to avoid his thrashing appendages, and especially that tail that whipped fiercely through the air, whacking the bed and almost Fluttershy's face. She managed to avoid his subconscious, bruising kicks and punches as she wriggled up beside him, pressing a hoof on his face.
He didn't wake, but the thrashing ceased; an indication that her soothing hoof had seeped some level of comfort into his dreams. His limbs fell limply to the side, closed eyes twitching in terror every so often, the outside of the lids becoming wet.
Fluttershy shook her head, holding back her own tears as she tiredly rested her cheek against his.
Oh, Discord... What are you hiding and why can't I figure out how to help you?
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(So, lots-o-plot going down in this chapter, eh? We've got a Discord that's having freakish nightmare flashbacks (of what? ), a Discord trying to figure out why the hay little Fluttershy is somehow worming into his heart, some insight on his past, a despondent Fluttershy..
Yep...plot be taking off.
Aegeus is Greek for "protection", and Astraia is Green for "star". Thought it fit since the princess's names are plays on - uh - Latin words? I thought it was Greek at first, so Aegeus and Astraia are Greek too, but whatevs.)