//------------------------------// // Chapter Three // Story: Mending Souls: What's in My Heart // by atomicpuffin //------------------------------// "Kib! Kib!" Flit bounced over to her big brother. She hopped on his back and he smiled at her while Storm ruffled the filly's mane. "Kibou sweetie how was school?" Fluttershy smiled at her son as he walked over to her. Storm Cloud waved goodbye as she flew home with her mom. Fluttershy waved goodbye before turning back to her son and her smile fell. Something was bothering her son. "What's wrong honey?" Fluttershy putting her hoof under his chin and making him look directly at her. Kibou looked around then back at his mom. "Where's daddy?" He whispered. Fluttershy smiled at her little one and started walking home, with him by her side. "Daddy had to go to Canterlot to see the princess. It seems there are some magical imbalances that only your father can detect." "Imbalances?" He tilted his head. Flitter was still sitting on his back holding his horns. She laughed when he moved thinking it was a new game, she kicked him in the side. Kibou winced, but obliged his sister and ran around his mom a few times before walking normal again. Fluttershy giggled before trying to explain to her son about his dad's talents. "Yes Kibou. You see your father can sense when something's not the way it's supposed to be. It creates chaos in the land and your father can then track it and find the cause. Your father is the only one who can feel when balance in the world has shifted. Do you understand a little more what I mean by imbalances?" Kibou looked down and thought about this then shook his head and smiled at his mom. "Not really mommy…but I do understand that daddy is off helping the princess with something very important. That will also help every other pony! I knew my daddy was good!" He started bouncing around his mom and Flitterbee squealed in delight. "Faster!" She giggled from her brother's back and Kibou laughed and started bouncing faster. "Now be careful Kibou...Flitter is still new to flying so don't jostle her too much..." Fluttershy frowned when she realized what her son had said before that. "Um...Kibou...what did you just say? You knew your daddy was...good?" Kibou stopped bouncing, but began to fly in the air, which made Flitter scream louder. He started flying backwards, while still facing his mother. He beamed down at her. "Yes! Some fillies at school were saying daddy was evil and had hurt ponies. But I knew that wasn't true, that they were just playing a joke on Storm! How could somepony as kind as daddy be evil?" He grinned and started racing towards home, not seeing the look of terror that crossed his mother's face. "Oh dear…" Fluttershy had put the kids to bed, both pretty disappointed that their father hadn't been home to tuck them in. She'd had a particularly difficult time with Kibou, so used to his bedtime stories. Discord always came in and created some new story for him using the moving pictures that still decorated his room every night. Fluttershy continued to pace around the inside of their bedroom waiting for Discord to come home. Really worried that he hadn't returned yet. I shouldn't be more than an hour my love… He had whispered as he kissed her goodbye. Fluttershy looked at the clock again and sighed, it was past ten now. She walked over to the window and stared out at their garden. He's fine...there's nothing to worry about...I'm just being silly...but I need him… She needed to talk to him about what Kibou had heard at school. She felt it was time to explain to Kibou about his father's dark past. True he was still younger than they had planned, wanting to wait until he was better able to grasp everything. She blinked when she noticed something shimmer in the sky. She tilted her head and squinted closer. She gasped when she realized the barrier was back over the castle. The same one Discord had used years ago to keep her and her friends out. Why would it be back over the castle now? "Fluttershy! Thank Celestia..." She turned and sighed in relief as she flew into her husband's arms. "Oh Discord...I was starting to worry. Especially when I saw that the barrier is back...why…" "Oh Fluttershy...I'm so happy you and the kids...Honey something horrible has happened." Discord whispered as he stroked her mane. She pulled back and looked up to see real fear lingering in Discord's eyes. "What..." "Sombra's escaped…" He whispered and she nearly fainted. "What!" She screamed and he put his claws over her mouth hushing her. "Sweetheart I don't want to wake the kids...I can't explain how, but he's gone. Celestia summoned me as soon as the guards discovered it." He let her go and sat down on their bed putting his head in his hands. "I've roamed Equestria and the surrounding kingdoms looking for him. It's almost as if he's vanished…and he's smart enough not to use his magic so I can't accurately track him." Fluttershy flew over and sat next to him on the bed. She placed her hoof on his knee and he looked up at her. She whispered, "Could the spell on his chains have failed?" "No...that spell I placed on them was still there...but I could sense it had been tampered with. Probably to give him a quick second to escape…" He growled and narrowed his eyes in concentration. "There's only one thing I could think of that would make that possible...he couldn't use his own magic...but somepony else could…" Discord looked up at her and what he said hit her like a brick. "Discord are you saying he...that he…" "He had help…" Discord shot up off the bed and began to pace their room, as she had just been doing. His teeth bared and his hackles raised as he moved about the floor and at one point the ceiling. "Someone helped that monster escape...the question I couldn't answer was why? Why would they need Sombra for anything? He'd sooner betray another than help them? Then it hit me..." He frowned and looked at Fluttershy. Discord walked over to where she sat and knelt in front of her, caressing her face with his claws. "Whoever helped him wants the same thing he does...Equestria. Sweetheart that's why the barrier is back. Sombra knows about you...how much you mean to me...maybe not the kids...but he'd soon find out about them too. How long before he uses my heart against me? I can't let him hurt any of you...I couldn't live with myself if something happened to my family." He placed his forehead against hers and Fluttershy began to shake at his words. However she was more worried for Discord's sake, fearing he was Sombra's real target. If Sombra was out there, he'd want revenge on the being who had bested him, stripping him of magic. Who had imprisoned him these past seven years with no hope of escape...and that was Discord. "Discord...what about the others? The girls...their families?" Discord wrapped his wife in a hug stroking her mane again. "They'll be okay. As soon as I realized Sombra had been helped Celestia sent messages to Twilight and Cadence warning them of the danger. I've also placed a warning spell around Ponyville. "If anything that doesn't belong tries to cross it, I'll know and we can find the bastard. Don't worry my love...I won't let anything happen to my family. Nothing...nothing will hurt those I love…" He lifted her chin and kissed her deeply, holding her against him in desperation. He wouldn't admit it out loud, not wanting to scare her more...but when he had realized Sombra was gone his blood had turned to ice. He had wanted to run home instantly to check on his family, but Celestia had stopped him. Reminding him that only he could quickly track down Sombra, so he had grudgingly stayed behind and started the search. The whole day worrying that something had happened and it would be all his fault. He couldn't enact the barrier until he was sure they were all home first. So he had placed the warning spell first and used his magic to scan Ponyville. Relaxing slightly when nothing suggested Sombra or any other danger was present. However his relaxation evaporated when he had been unsuccessful in finding the pony or any trace of him. Whoever had helped him was good at covering their tracks and knowing how to avoid detection, even from him...making them far more dangerous than Sombra. Discord didn't like the idea of an unknown threat. Not knowing used to be a fun challenge for him, an amusement, that's all. Now it meant it would be harder for him to protect those closest to him. "Discord…" Fluttershy whispered as she pulled out of his kiss. He looked down at his beautiful wife. His heart doubled in pace, if anything happened to her… "Honey I know you'll find him...you'll keep us safe. You stopped him once and you can do it again. I know you can...I believe in you my love." He smiled slightly and pulled her to him again, enjoying the way her lips softened beneath his. Oh how he loved her! She saw through all his fears. Even if he didn't share them she still knew what they were. Just as she had done in the past, his amazing wife had put hope back into his heart. By placing her faith in him, she had brought him out of his fears. I can't stand it...I need her now... He growled in his throat as he ran his claws through her soft hair and bent her back to deepen the kiss. She sighed in response and wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. However when he laid her beneath him she put a hoof to his chest and stopped him. "Wait Discord…" He kissed her again cutting her off. Then he buried his snout against her neck and growled again. "Sweetheart...it's been too long and after today...I need to be with you...darling I...I was so afraid…" He stopped and shut his eyes then returned to her lips. He let all his fear out in that single kiss and she seemed to understand as she didn't fight him anymore. Discord growled again kissing her soft neck and whispering in her ear, "Fluttershy...darling wife...I love you so much...I'll protect you and our children I promise you." "I know you will Discord...I never doubted you." She whispered before grabbing his face and bringing him in for another deep kiss. Fluttershy sighed. Discord was curled around her in bed, his paw draped over her. She snuggled back against his warmth and she felt him chuckle. Then he whispered into her ear, "Careful wiggling like that my love...I'm not exactly tired yet…" She blushed and knew he was grinning at her, even if she was turned away from him. She felt him run his paw down her back and she shivered in response. He chuckled again and kissed the back of her head. "I love you so much darling." He whispered as he rubbed his nose against her hair. She smiled and rolled over to face him. "I love you too...Discord...I know it's been a long day for you but...well there's…" She stopped and looked up at him. Then she looked down trying to decide what to do. Should I tell him now? Or should I wait until tomorrow? Discord sighed and leaned against his claws, "What is it love? I can see the question in your eyes...and I know it's not what I'm hoping it is either." He winked at her and she giggled. She grinned at him then said, "What makes you think it's not hmm?" Discord's ears perked up and his grin widened as his fur stood up and she laughed. Quietly so as not to wake their kids...not that the noise could reach them. Fluttershy stopped laughing and blushed deeper at the reminder. Discord always put a sound proof spell on the room when they... "Oh I would pay a thousand jewels to know what just crossed your mind my love!" Discord tilted his head giving her his most charming smile. She knew her face was flaming now so she turned it away and he let out a booming laugh. "That bad huh? Oh now I'm really intrigued!" He leaned in closer and put his paw under her chin making her look at him. "What are you thinking about my little minx?" He purred and the sound sent another shiver down her spine. If Kibou ever wondered where he got that trait from, there was no doubt in her mind. "Nothing! Discord back to what I originally wanted to tell you." She said and narrowed her eyes at her husband. He wasn't deterred though and only chuckled again. He grinned and whispered, "Alright ask me my love...but after...I will find out what you were just thinking about…" He leaned in and lightly nipped her ear, "One way or another…" Fluttershy shook her head, but couldn't help the smile on her face. She loved him when he was this playful. It was her favorite thing about her husband, his ability to make her laugh and smile. "Honey...I think it's time to tell Kibou...about...you." She whispered and all his playfulness left in an instant. Replaced with fear and anguish. He shook his head and rolled away from her sitting up in bed. He rubbed the back of his neck and whispered, "I thought we agreed that we'd wait until he was sixteen to tell him?" Fluttershy sat up too and moved so she was sitting behind her husband leaning against his back. "I thought we could...but today he mentioned that someone told him you were evil…" She felt him flinch at that even though he didn't respond. So she continued, "I just think it would be better if he hears it from you my love...that way he'll be able to fully understand why you...did what you did…" Discord sighed and turned his head to glance back at her. He looked so downcast and she hated bringing this up at all, especially with what was already plaguing his heart. Discord closed his eyes and his ears flattened as he whispered, "I don't know if I'm ready…if I had it my way, he'd never know about me. About the way I used to be...but I know that's not fair to little hope. Especially since his sister shows no signs of having my magic...so him ponies will judge harsher. He deserves to know just whose blood he carries. I just...I just don't think I can tell him...not yet…" He turned then and took her hooves in his hands. His pupils were large and shining with tears and Fluttershy knew what he was afraid of. "Please my love...let me have just a few more years with him...a few more years with him believing me a hero. A little longer with my son before…" He stopped and looked away again, still holding her hooves. He whispered the words, "Before he learns he's the son of a monster…" He tried to hide them, but she saw the tears running down his cheeks and her heart ached for her beloved. She pulled her hooves away and gave him a tight, comforting hug. Which he returned and buried his snout in her mane, taking deep breaths as he cried. She began to stroke his mane and waited as he let all his fears out. Her poor husband kept everything so bottled up that when it finally broke through, he became a complete mess. He never let anypony but her see this weakness in him and the gift humbled her greatly. When he stopped shaking, she knew it was time to ease his pain. She pulled back and made him look at her, she placed both hooves on the sides of his face. Gently stroking his cheek, which always calmed him down further. Then she whispered, "Darling love of mine...I don't know how many times I have to tell you this but...You. Are. Not. A. Monster. "You are a good and kind-hearted creature, same as your son. Who do you think he got it from?" "Well the answer is obvious...You." He whispered. She smiled and released his face so she could snuggle close to his chest. She lifted her muzzle and nuzzled him under his chin. He purred in response and she sound warmed her heart. "Not just from me...he's more like you than you think. Discord we both know you've had a dark and terrifying past. That you have done things you're not proud of. We can't deny it...but...you can't deny that you've more than made up for it. Honey who you were then is not who you are now. I know that you can't fully accept this because of your self-loathing. "You have to trust me on this my love...I, more than anyone, know what a pure heart you have. You overcame your past and moved forward when you discovered love...you told me so yourself. If you were still the monster you thought yourself then...would I have married you?" He chuckled at her question and curled his tail around them, rubbing his cheek against her hair. "I suppose not darling...but I don't think I was a monster...I was one…I might still…" He started to doubt himself again so Fluttershy interrupted him. "No. You were lonely and that made you angry, which is perfectly natural. All you needed was compassion and a friend, yet no pony would offer you anything more than fear. So fear was what you thought you were made for and you reacted to it. But that doesn't define who you are on the inside. Your dark past is nothing more than a scar on your heart…One I plan to fully erase with my love…" Discord shivered and pulled back to look down at her. His eyes were misting again, but he was smiling at her. He gave her a gentle kiss and whispered, "When did you get so smart and philosophical my dear?" She giggled and replied, "Maybe it's Twilight's influence. Discord...I understand you wanting to wait to tell Kibou about your past, I'm just afraid what'll happen if we wait too long. What if he hears it from some pony who doesn't know you like I do. All they'll tell him is your past mistakes and not all the steps you took to make it up to everypony?" He sighed and his ears lowered again, "I know my love...it's just...every time I think about telling him I panic. I know that's stupid but I can't help it." Fluttershy thought about when she hadn't wanted to tell him about her own fears and the consequences that had followed. She couldn't let Discord wait too long. They had agreed when Kibou was born that Discord would be the one to tell their son about the past. Deciding that for Kibou to fully understand, Discord would have to tell his son everything he was feeling back then. Fluttershy reached up and stroked his cheek again, happy when he leaned into her touch. "Honey...I understand more than you know. However...it's better if you don't wait too much longer." Discord frowned, and sighed. Then he smiled and stroked her cheek with his claws. "Alright my love...I'll tell him. After...I catch Sombra and his mystery partner." Fluttershy accepted this, knowing Discord would do everything to make sure the two criminals were found quickly. She nodded and kissed him softly before laying back down in their bed. She felt him curl next to her and he began to stroke her back. She felt him chuckle as he reached up and played with a strand of her hair. "So...Am I going to have to beg?" He whispered and curious she glanced back at him. He was grinning again. That gleam had returned to his eyes and although she was happy to see it… "Um...beg...beg...for what?" She stammered and he leaned over, placing his mouth against her neck and purred. As expected she shivered and felt his answering smile. "What were you thinking about before our talk my love?" He whispered and she blushed again. She turned away, refusing to answer. So just like promised he began to torture the answer out of her. He shifted so he could run his claws along her back instead, knowing that it got a bigger reaction out of her. She closed her eyes determined to ignore him and even whispered, "No...Discord it's time to sleep…" She felt him grin as he ran his lips along her neck. "Gladly...as soon as you tell me…" "No…" "Then deal with the consequences my darling...you know what time it is?" He chuckled and her eyes widened as she tried to jump out of bed. He grabbed her and began to mercilessly tickle her. She squeaked and tried desperately to kick him away, he only laughed and continued with his torture. "Just tell me love and I'll stop." "Okay...okay...I'll tell you...just stop please…" She laughed and he wrapped her in his arms and grinned. "I told you...I always get my way...now what were you thinking my dear?" She shook her head and gave him a soft kiss on his nose. She blushed and mumbled under her breath. Too low for him to hear so he turned his head. "Come again my dear? No cheating now you said you'd tell me…" She frowned and sighed. "Okay but...Discord promise after I tell you we can go to sleep…" He nodded and grinned waiting. She rolled her eyes and whispered, "I...I was thinking about...the spell...you...you...put on the room...for blocking...sound...okay goodnight!" She quickly rolled over and scooted away from him, burying her face into her pillow. A few minutes later she felt his claws on her back again and she stiffened. He purred softly as he whispered, "Hmm...I wasn't expecting that to be your answer...well my dear...I think we should see how well it works…" Suddenly she was on her back and he was above her grinning madly. "Discord...you promised…we'd sleep after..." She squeaked as he covered her mouth and winked. His eyes were on fire, his fur standing up along his back. He grinned down at her, slowly leaning close to her removing his claws from her lips. His eyes were shining with an emotion she recognized far too well. He softly growled, "I lied…"