//------------------------------//
// Sweet 
// Story: The Music Box 
// by sniggles 
//------------------------------//

	Fluttershy sighed as she lay there, on her bed and under the sheets, overcome with anxiety. Anxiety over the whole mess that was going to occur in a matter of hours, where guards would show up at her door, rapping it violently for the presence of... him. Fluttershy didn't want to think about her grey, but far from dull, friend. Or who she thought was her friend. The wind chilled her spine as a recollection of the events that happened at midnight came flowing back like a cool breeze.





"Fluttershy, look at me, just look! Look at what I can do," Discord cried in joy, removing his eyeballs and juggling them with glee. As was the standard way he greeted Fluttershy whenever she came home. The pegasus tiredly sighed and gave him a little smile, as she usually did, before she could stop herself. This was something serious! Discord wouldn't understand it at all, of course, but she had to say what she needed to say. 

"Discord, I was at a meeting at Twilight's place..."

"Oh, Fluttershy, you animal!" teased Discord playfully. Fluttershy jumped a little at his unexpected interruption. "'Meeting' is just another word for 'party', isn't it? And you didn't tell me."

Discord pouted, arms crossed. Fluttershy shook her head, but not in playful dismissal as she usually did with Discord. She cleared her throat as Discord continued fidgeting about, jumping about the cottage in his hyperactive manner. 

"I was at a meeting. We were discussing about how we should treat you," said Fluttershy in a grave tone. Again, the gravity of the situation passed Discord altogether as his eyes grew wide with his smile.

"Treat me? What, I might ask? I've already sampled all of Pinkie's treats, so it's probably none of tha--"

"Discord!" cried Fluttershy in as stern a voice as she could manage. However, this caused her to make a little hiccup, making her blush a little in embarrassment. Discord shrunk back, but still stifled a giggle. Fluttershy couldn't get that creature; Thousands of years old and yet having the maturity of a foal. 

"We've all decided. Princess Celestia approved our decision, but I was the only one against it. We've all decided..." Fluttershy had come this far, but she didn't dare to say it in front of Discord. The draconequus, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a clue up till now. He seemed to be cornering Fluttershy like an injured animal; or at least she felt that way about this conversation.

"Come on, Fluttershy. Is it candy? A new bicycle perhaps? Or a tricycle or unicycle? A beach ball? Come on, Fluttershy, spill the goods!" That was it. Fluttershy let out a huge sigh and closed her eyes as she breathed out the sentence she'd been reciting all the way from the Main Six meeting till her cottage.

"Discord, you are going to be sent to Tartarus."

"I'm sorry, did I hear you right? Celestia's sending me a tub of Tartar sauce? Why, that cheeky woman!" 

"Discord, you are going to be sent to Tartarus," a wave of realisation hitting her. The second time she said it, her eyes started becoming moist. The fact started to sink in, and she didn't like that feeling of vulnerability, of realising something is going to happen, and no God of Chaos was going to stop it. Discord's smile flickered for the briefest of moments.

"Well, Flutter--" 

"You're going to Tartarus. You're... going to T-t-tartarus..." Suddenly, Fluttershy threw her hooves onto Discord's shoulders, embracing him in a hug. Discord's hands were at his side, and he looked like he was at a loss at what to do. But that was only for a short moment. He started laughing. And it was sickening.

"Fluttershy, you're overthinking things, my dear. Don't cry, my dear, here! A bouquet of flowers! Your favourite! Or here, a bunny! Ouch! Angel, don't bite me. What about a... cloud of chocolate rain! Never fails to cheer me up on my down da-days..." Discord trailed off, as Fluttershy wasn't listening. 

"Snap out of it! A draconequus never cries, well, that's because our tears never disappear, but that's not the--" 

"Discord..." started Fluttershy, her face red with sadness. "Shame on you!"

With that, Fluttershy galloped up to her room in tears, and locked herself in.





And never once, in the night, did she get a knock on her door from Discord. 

It was morning and time to serenade the birds. She didn't feel like she was in an appropriate condition to sing with them, but it was her duty, after all. 

And her feeling was right; the birds shook their heads as Fluttershy's voice cracked with note after note, nervous as she was. The guards could be at the door any minute, and Fluttershy couldn't concentrate on anything anymore. She just lay in her bed, animals from the surrounding woodland accompanying her as she was wracked with worry, ears perking up at the slightest noise. Then, there was rapping on the door and Fluttershy was there in a second. 

"Hello?" 

"Fluttershy, it's me, Discord." For a moment, Fluttershy forgot that she was in her own room and not in the living room couch. She didn't open the door, though. 

"Fluttershy, I'm really fine with you locking me out and everything, that's dandy. I guess that I am sorry for being a huge clown last night, but hey, it's my job, you know? Heh." The pegasus certainly wasn't amused, staying silent through his words. 

"I guess... this is it, isn't it? Our friendship." 

"Yes." Fluttershy somehow couldn't bring herself to get sad over this. Maybe it was the bad atmosphere at the Main Six meeting yesterday, with everybody casting votes against Discord. She felt like such a fool to have been the only one to appeal for his continued stay above ground. 

There was a large moment of silence. Then, his voice came from the other side of the door. 

"Could you sing me a song?" asked Discord. Fluttershy's eyes widened. "If you can't show your face to me, you could do that instead."

Too many songs. She'd sung so many songs to Discord in the past, it was hard to pick just one. Discord was never far when she was singing a song, and though he never praised her singing, it was one of the things that Discord would never make fun of. He'd make fun of Fluttershy's social awkwardness, her appreciation of azaleas over lilies, her habit of locking every single door at night, but the one thing he'd never touch was her singing. However, Fluttershy let the minutes tick by. Then, the front door rang. 

"I'm coming, I'm coming," grumbled Discord, and Fluttershy could feel something with wheels roll on the ground, on the other side of the door. "I guess there's no farewell song for me then. It's been quite... quite something, Fluttershy." 

For a moment, Fluttershy thought that she heard something... or a tinge of something... negative in that voice. Not evil, but downtrodden, sad, disappointed. But it could have been her ears playing tricks; after all, he never was sad around Fluttershy. Just Discord being... Discord. That playful ball of energy which she'd feared initially but grew to love as a friend, a close companion and a helping hand in times of need, even if he wasn't so reliable. The one who couldn't be serious for any prize in the world.

She heard the front door slam, and winced a bit as she heard a loud sound of a blunt object being hit against a surface, which she actually hoped wasn't Discord's head. Then the door closed with a wood-splitting boom. Finally, there was silence. 

Fluttershy opened the door, and in front of her, on the floor, was a note and a box. Confused, she looked left and right before picking up the box. It was left by Discord, and all of a sudden, she was aching to open the box to see what Discord had prepared for her. The last remnants of her old friend were in these two articles, and with that thought in mind, she wanted to know what they had in store for her. 

The box opened, but no snakes or octopi or cockroaches emerged. Instead, there was a bird. A golden bird. It wasn't alive, but was spinning slowly, and as it spun, a little jingle played. Fluttershy looked down at the note, and hungrily read its contents, wanting to know Discord's intentions behind all of this. 

Dearest Fluttershy,

I better write this out, fast, while I'm feeling like it. I was never much of a writer, nor am I a person to take things seriously. But now I am serious. If you're reading this, it's probably going to shock you since you wouldn't catch dear old me saying these things in a million years. 

Fluttershy, your voice is the sweetest sound I've ever heard in my entire life walking this planet and it will be the one thing I miss the most. I'd escape the guards, and I could easily do that, but then you wouldn't sing for me anymore for running all the time. Then you wouldn't sing for anyone until I'd be caught. Or so I think. Anywho, the world deserves a happy you.

I tried to capture your voice in the best way possible but all I have is this dinghy little music box. But I've already captured your voice in my head, the sweetest candy for my ears, with its un-erasable aftertaste. I will never, ever forget you, my one and only true friend.

Discord

Fluttershy picked up the music box and let it play in her room, expressionless though she had a thousand feelings racing through her heart. And as she listened, she recognised each and every one of those songs that the music box played, and never thought that she'd hear those tunes on an instrument other than her own voice.