"So let me get this straight," Applejack said once the others had finished telling their story. "You," she pointed at Fluttershy, "are from another world and the Chaos King went after that necklace of yours, not knowing that yerr aunt had given you the cap'n turned nutcracker for Hearth's Warmin' and he tried to kidnap ya, but he couldn't because yerr necklace has some freaky magic and now y'all are on a quest to defeat the Chaos King for good, without an army to back you up?"
"The army's coming tomorrow," Shining Armor explained, "but yeah, that's pretty much it."
The rebel nodded. "Things in this land keep gettin' stranger and stranger. I mean first Discord gets that freaky Chaos Amulet and turns the princess into a horrifying monster and now all this!"
"I've been meaning to ask," said Fluttershy. "What's the deal with this Chaos Amulet?"
"The Chaos King didn't always have this much power," Shining Armor replied grimly. "After Cadence and I announced our engagement, Discord forced my sister to tell him where to find the Chaos Amulet. The legend says that the wearer will gain unlimited power, but it will also corrupt their soul. After Cadence was cursed, Twilight told me what Discord made her do and the pieces came together."
He hung his head. "Poor Twilie. I knew studying divination would get her into trouble."
Fluttershy put a hoof on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll save her and Cadence."
He looked up at the sky. "They're both strong mares. I just hope that whatever Discord's doing to them, they're holding out."
In the highest tower of the Sugar Plum Palace, a lone pink mare was staring out a barred window. Her purple eyes were beautiful, though reddened and shadowed from many sleepless nights. Her long, pink, yellow and purple mane flowed gracefully down her back, but was tangled from distress. She wore a tattered purple dress that was once an elegant gown fit for a queen. Most of the sugar plums decorating the hem and collar had fallen off, and those remaining were shriveled and dry. The purple-tipped wings poking out of her back drooped weakly to her sides. She looked up and touched her forehead where a long, pink horn had once been. Discord had taken it away so she wouldn't use magic to escape.
She sighed heavily as she looked out at the kingdom she was supposed to protect, but had failed. She touched the crystal heart around her neck. It was the first gift her beloved had given to her.
She recalled how he had looked at her eighteenth birthday celebration. At that time, he had been a young soldier in training, but still the handsomest young stallion that had ever come to her castle. Ever since she had seen him with his shiny blue eyes and kind smile, she had wanted him. And when he had bowed to her and handed her that gift, color had risen to his white cheeks. When she saw the necklace, it was her turn to blush. After she had received her gifts, he had requested a dance. She had smirked and said she was about to ask him the same.
That had been the most magical night of her life.
She had promised to treasure the necklace forever, and she did not think she could break it even if she wanted to. He had given more than just a necklace that day, but his heart, and that was something she could never give away. A tear fell at the thought of her lost love.
"Oh, Shining Armor," she whispered. "Please, please be alive." She looked out at the horizon. "And if you are, and you still love me, please come back to me."
"Praying will get you nowhere, Princess," an all-too-familiar voice sneered. "There's no one to hear you."
The mare scowled, but she refused to face her captor. "Go away, Discord. I'm not in the mood."
"Oh, Cadence, Cadence, Cadence," Discord tsked. "Feeling a little down, are we?"
"Very," Cadence growled.
"Well, then perhaps my news will cheer you up. Apparently, your boyfriend has returned to the Land of Sweets."
She turned to him with tears welling up in her eyes. "Shining Armor's alive?"
"Oh, yes, but not for long, of course."
She narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Don't you dare hurt him!"
"All depends," he said, looking nonchalantly at his claw. "After all, I can't have him constantly trying to defeat me."
He smirked at Cadence as he circled her. "Of course, if you'll reconsider my offer," he laid his hands on her shoulders, "I just might change my mind."
The Sugar Plum Princess hissed as she shook him off. "I'll never be your queen!"
"Even if it'll save your boyfriend's life?"
"Shining Armor wouldn't want that for me! He'd rather die than see me married to you! I'd rather die!"
He rubbed his hands together. "That can be easily arranged, but it would be a shame to destroy such a pretty face."
He touched her chin with his claw and she swatted it away.
"Why do you still want me as your queen, anyway?" she demanded. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I will never love you!"
"Love's not important, darling," Discord shrugged, putting his hands behind his back. "All I want is power, and what better way to gain it than by marrying the Sugar Plum Princess?"
"You've already taken the land by force! You don't need me to obtain power! Heck, you have so much power now that you can have any mare you want!"
Discord opened his mouth to argue but paused as he reassessed her words. He tapped his chin in thought.
"I can have any mare that I want, can't I?" he said, turning his back to the princess. "Hmm…"
His thoughts were interrupted when the door swung open and Rainbow Dash burst in.
"Your majesty! The Diamond…"
"MUST YOU ALWAYS INTERRUPT ME WHEN I'M IN A MEETING?!" the Chaos King boomed.
Rainbow shrank in fear. "S-s-sorry, I…I just came to tell you how the Resistance attack turned out."
Discord's expression changed. "Oh. Did they get the girl?"
"Girl?" Cadence asked confusingly.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot to mention. Nut Boy is traveling with a new female companion. I think he might be cheating on you."
The princess crossed her forelegs. "Nice try. Shining Armor would never betray me! And even if he did, marrying you wouldn't be any better!"
He stuck his tongue out at her before turning back to Rainbow Dash. "Well, did they get her?"
The pegasus bit her lip. "Um, not exactly…"
Discord's eyes narrowed as he put his hands on his hips. "What happened?"
"Well, uh…she and the nutcracker sort of…escaped?"
"WHAT?!" he howled, grabbing the front of Rainbow's suit. "HOW COULD SHE HAVE ESCAPED?! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT I SENT A FULL ARMY AFTER ONE GIRL AND SHE ESCAPED?!"
"The nutcracker and the rebels helped her!" Rainbow wheezed. "But…but the Diamond Dogs managed to nab most of the Resistance!"
"Really?" Discord said, his eyes gleaming with interest.
"Yeah! They're all in the courtyard right now!"
She shut her eyes as Discord dropped her.
"You'll have to excuse me, Princess," he sneered at Cadence. "I have business elsewhere."
"You won't win!" Cadence declared as he and Rainbow Dash exited the cell. "Shining Armor will come for me and destroy you!"
The Chaos King chuckled in response. "At least there's one perk about keeping you here, even if you won't be my queen. You're just the bait to lure Nut Boy here. Once he comes for you, I will have the pleasure of destroying you both, like I should've done in the first place!"
He slammed the door behind him and followed Rainbow Dash to the palace courtyard. The Diamond Dogs had the Resistance members bound at their feet.
"We've caught the traitors, your majesty!" Rover announced with a toothy grin.
"Yet you let the girl get away!" Discord growled. "The nutcracker too!"
The leader dog gulped. "It wasn't our fault, your majesty! The girl…she used magic of some sort! Yes! From her necklace!"
The Chaos King snapped his fingers and groaned. "Of course! That necklace is powerful! Of course it'll protect its wearer!"
He took a deep breath and looked pleasingly at the prisoners. "Well, it seems the battle wasn't a complete loss." He laughed at them. "You all thought you could defeat me? Me? The most powerful being in the world?" He knelt down to Applebloom. "Defeated by a bunch puny ponies like you?" He lifted the filly's chin with his claw. "Sorry that you went through all that trouble for nothing. You will all make excellent slaves."
"Hey!" Granny Smith hollered. "Get yerr filthy claws off my granddaughter!"
Discord stood up and smirked at the elderly pony. "Take the old one and the fillies to the kitchens and put the others to work in the cotton candy fields." He spoke directly to the rebels. "You all belong to me now! And if you have a problem with that, I hope you don't mind spending the rest of eternity as lawn ornaments!"
The Resistance members all glared at him as the Diamond Dogs carried them off. Discord growled and started pacing. Rainbow watched him worriedly, as if he were going to explode at any second.
"There's got to be a clean way to separate the mare from the necklace," he thought aloud, running his paw through his mane. "Or at least bring her here without struggle so that we can make her take the necklace off eventually!"
"If you don't mind me asking, your majesty," said Rainbow, "what's so important about this necklace?"
"That necklace is the Jewel of Kindness, which that witch foretold would be my demise! Unless I find a way to destroy it, I'm doomed! But every time I do so much as touch the mare wearing it, boom! Magical surge knocking me backward and giving me a splitting headache! How could I think sending the Diamond Dogs would be any different?"
His ears perked up and his lips curled into an evil grin. Then he slapped his forehead.
"I've been going about this the wrong way!" he chuckled in delight. "Brute force isn't the answer! What we need here is a little…diplomacy."
Rainbow blinked. "Uh, no offense, sir, but that doesn't sound like you at all."
Discord summoned his cape and draped it around his shoulders. Then he made a mirror appear in his claw and admired himself.
"I can't remove the necklace," he mused, "but she can. She just needs a little persuasion. Besides, you know what they say, Dashie. If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself."
"I'm tired!" Sweetie Belle groaned. "We've been walking for hours!"
"It's only been twenty minutes since we left the orchard," Rarity said, rolling her eyes.
"Yeah, but before that was a big battle and before that we were walking and before that was another battle!" The smaller doll collapsed to the ground. "I'm bushed!"
"We could use some rest," Shining Armor said, sitting on a large rock.
"I agree," Applejack nodded, making herself comfortable on a log. "While we're on a tight schedule, we can't be too exhausted when the time comes to battle Discord."
Fluttershy sighed as she sat down and leaned against a tree. She touched the butterfly pendant around her neck.
"I still don't understand what's so special about this necklace," she muttered. "I mean…what is it? And why does the Chaos King want it?"
Applejack shrugged. "The varmint likes power. Guess that Chaos Amulet wasn't enough."
"What made him so evil anyway?"
Shining Armor shook his head. "Who knows? Can't be about his looks. Cadence never ostracized him for it. She made him his advisor, after all. I guess Discord just wanted to be more than second-in-command."
"But why?"
"The monster is rotten to the core," Applejack spat. "What's the use in questionin' it if all he's gonna do is let that rottenness show?"
Sweetie Belle yawned. "All this philosophical thinking is making me tired."
Rarity mimicked her gesture. "Me too."
Applejack stretched as she also yawned. "I guess whippin' those Diamond Dogs really took it outta me."
Shining Armor didn't say anything, but his eyes were closed as he leaned on the hilt of his sword.
"Maybe some shut eye would do us good," Applejack said wearily as she sprawled across the log.
The dolls yawned again as they nodded off. Fluttershy, not feeling the least bit tired, looked around at them.
"What's wrong with every pony?"
"Fluttershy…"
Her ears twitched at the sound of the voice. It was soft and high, yet she could hear it loud and clear.
"Fluttershy…"
She stood up and tried to pinpoint the source of the voice.
"Hello?" she called. "Is some pony there?"
She gasped as three butterflies with pink wings fluttered past her.
"Fluttershy…"
She blinked in alarm, for the voice seemed to be coming from the butterflies. They seemed to be beckoning for her to follow. Her instincts told her to run, but her curiosity got the better of her. As the butterflies flew away, she tripped over the snow trying to catch up with them.
"Wait!" she shouted. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"
They led her to a cave and even though she was afraid of the dark, she blindly went in. She looked around and her fear lessened once she realized the cave wasn't that big. However, it returned when she saw that the butterflies had vanished.
"Hello?" she called weakly.
Fluttershy squealed when the entrance was suddenly barricaded with rocks, sealing her in darkness.
"You know, I didn't think you would be so gullible."
She gasped in recognition of the voice. A torch lit so she could see the smirking face of the Chaos King. Fluttershy backed away but realized her action was futile when her back hit the wall.
"I must say," Discord chuckled, advancing on her, "it is a real pleasure to see you again, Miss Fluttershy."
She winced as he reached out his claw. She wasn't sure what she had expected him to do, but it certainly wasn't what he ended up doing. He was brushing his talons against her mane and pulling some loose strands over her ear.
She opened her eyes in confusion. Why did he keep touching her this way?
"No need to fear me, dear," he whispered. "I won't hurt you."
It could've been her imagination, or a trick, but from the way he was looking at her, she almost believed he was serious. His tender touch both calmed and frightened her. Her fear took over as she slapped his claw away. He scowled but quickly relaxed.
"Right," he said, rising to his full height. "We should get down to business." He frowned at her quivering. "Look, I'm not here to hurt you. I'm unarmed…"
Her jaw dropped as his arms suddenly fell from their sockets.
"I carry the white flag…"
In a flash, his arms reappeared on his body, a white flag in his paw.
"I come in peace. I just came to negotiate, so you shouldn't fear me trying to abduct you this time."
He poofed the flag away and awaited her response. She still hadn't moved from her spot against the wall and was staring at him unsurely.
"Well," he huffed, crossing his arms. "Don't you have anything to say?"
She opened her mouth, but not even a squeak came out.
"Fine, don't talk," he said, waving his paw. "Anyway, here's my proposition. You want to go home, right? You want to be your right size again and return to your family. Of course, with my magic, I can grant your wish. All you have to do is give me that necklace, and you can go home."
Fluttershy put her hoof to her pendant and got up the courage to speak. "Wh…wha…what do you want it for?"
"Surely by now you realize the power it holds. Why wouldn't I want it?" He held out his paw. "So hand it over."
"No."
He raised an eyebrow. "No?"
She gulped but tried to stay firm. "You…you obviously want it for something evil. If I gave it to you, you might become more powerful and…you'll hurt Shining Armor and my friends!"
He scoffed. "Friends? You only just met them today! And why are you so attached to that nutcracker, anyway? You know he already has a girlfriend, right?"
Her mouth opened in astonishment. "I…I…I know that! And I don't care!"
"Oh, come on! A young, innocent girl like you, rescued by a tall, handsome young stallion? Of course you would fall for him!" He chuckled as he turned his back to her. "Even without Cadence, he'd never care for you, of course. You're just a silly, gullible filly!"
She scowled. "I'm not a filly! I happen to be turning seventeen next month!"
He turned back to her, his eyes glinting with interest. "Really?" He stroked his beard as he studied her. "Just old enough to be married, eh?"
Her eyes widened at the odd question. "Um…maybe?"
"It's a real surprise no stallion has claimed you yet." He reached out his claw again. "Such a pretty thing…"
"Don't touch me!" Fluttershy commanded, doing the same as before.
"You're right, I'm wasting time. So will you give me the necklace or not?"
"No!"
He shrugged. "Pity. I didn't want to do this the hard way."
She raised an eyebrow as Discord started putting on black gloves.
"You can't take my necklace," she declared. "It'll burn you!"
He smirked. "That's what the gloves are for, darling."
With the speed of a panther, he lunged toward her and grabbed her necklace before she could jump out of the way. The chain glowed and sparked as he pulled at it, but the gloves seemed to shield his hands from the pain. Seeing this, Fluttershy attempted to push his hands off, but they were bigger and stronger than her hooves. Smoke was coming from his gloves, indicating that the power from the necklace would burn through to his hands any moment now, so Discord had to act quickly.
He reached behind Fluttershy's neck and fiddled with the clasp. It was difficult with his gloves on, so he pulled at it some more, gritting his teeth. Twilight hadn't been kidding about the magical lock.
"Get off me!" Fluttershy grunted, pushing at his chest.
"Give me the necklace!" he growled.
"Get off!"
Discord reeled back with a scream. Fluttershy screamed too when she saw that his hands had burst into flames.
"Fire!" he screeched. "I'm on fire! Put it out, put it out, put it out!"
Fluttershy watched in amazement as he ran frantically around the cave, waving his burning hands wildly. She wondered why he didn't just put it out with his magic, but figured he was too agitated to be thinking clearly. It was a cruel thought, but she almost found the scene humorous with the way he was skittering about, trying to shake off or blow out the flames. She would've burst out laughing if his hands weren't burning to a crisp.
She decided this was her chance to escape but remembered that Discord had sealed off the exit. She glanced around but saw no other way out of the small, confined space. She looked back at the frightened Chaos King and felt a pang of pity. She really shouldn't be feeling the need to help the monster who was trying to steal her necklace and or kidnap her, but that wasn't what she saw when she looked at him. She saw a wounded animal that needed tending to, and the animal nurse inside her couldn't turn away from that.
She looked around for something useful and spotted a snowdrift which must've formed before the exit had been sealed. She approached Discord with her hooves above her head.
"Wait!" she cried. "Calm down!"
He looked at her as if she were from another planet, which wasn't far from the truth actually. "Calm down?! My hands are on fire!"
"Over there! Put them in the snow!"
Discord looked in the direction she was pointing and didn't hesitate to rush over to the snowdrift and plunge his hands in. The snow sizzled and began to melt as it put out the fire. Discord let out a relieved sigh.
After a few minutes, he took out his hands and cringed.
"Let me see," Fluttershy said, holding out her hoof.
"Don't touch them!" he snapped, pulling his hands away.
"Please?"
His expression softened when she looked up at him with those big, teal eyes. What he saw in them surprised him. Usually when others looked at him, it was with fear or disdain. But the look this mare was giving him was sympathetic and pleading.
He glanced at his hands and reluctantly showed them to her. His eagle claw was black and charred. Much of the fur on his paw had burned, revealing the red, badly blistered skin beneath.
"Oh dear," she whispered, taking his paw.
"Ouch!" Discord shouted, wrenching his paw away.
Fluttershy wished she had some aloe leaves with her, but there weren't any plants around. Discord's eyes widened as she ripped the hem of her dress.
"What are you doing?"
She divided the large piece into two and placed them both in one hoof, holding out the other toward Discord.
"Give me your claw," she softly commanded.
He was confused, but some unknown force made him comply with her command. She wrapped one piece of cloth around his claw while he winced in pain.
"Careful!" he whined. "It hurts!"
She bit her lip as she giggled. It astonished him, for he had never heard her laugh before and it was like hearing a tinkling bell. It also enraged him when he realized she was laughing at him.
"I'm thrilled that you find my pain amusing," he said sarcastically.
"Sorry," Fluttershy said, snickering. "I'm not laughing at your pain. It's just that you're whining like a foal."
"Well, excuse me, but it's hard to be calm when you have third-degree burns!"
"They're only second-degree."
He huffed. "As if that makes a difference!"
Once she had finished bandaging his claw, she moved on to his paw. Discord's confusion rose as he watched her.
"Why are you doing this?" he finally asked.
"I don't have the proper medicine," she replied, her eyes not leaving her work, "but the bandages should help protect the burns from infection."
"No, I mean why are you being so…nice to me? Or did you forget that I just tried to steal your necklace?"
She shrugged. "Well, I couldn't just let you burn now, could I?"
"Yeah, but you could've…okay, so there's nowhere for you to escape, but still, why bother helping me?"
She sighed. "I did this to you, so it's my responsibility to make it right."
"Your necklace did this, not you." He snorted. "Jewel of Kindness, indeed! What does setting someone on fire have to do with kindness?"
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at the name he gave her necklace, but decided not to question it as she had finished bandaging Discord's wounds.
"There," she said, lightly kissing his paw. "Feel any better?"
He was stunned to silence at her sudden gesture. Helping with his wounds was one thing, but kissing them? He had just tried to rip her necklace off her neck and she was kissing him? Even if it was just his paw, no pony had ever dared to kiss him! Sure, some of them had kissed his foot, but only out of fear. She had kissed his paw willingly, without needing to be threatened or commanded.
This mare was becoming more and more of a puzzle to him by the minute.
He only now just realized that she was looking up at him, awaiting his answer. His lips quivered as he struggled to speak.
"M-m-much," he stammered.
They stared at each other in silence, his bandaged paw still in her hooves. As he gazed into those gorgeous ocean-colored eyes, he tried to comprehend how this mare could be looking at him so calmly, holding his paw as if it were nothing, allowing any part of him to even touch her.
He shivered slightly as he felt her hoof gently stroke over his wound, his eyes refusing to leave hers. Suddenly, he didn't feel pain anymore.
Fluttershy looked down and gasped. He followed her gaze and saw that the bandages had fallen from his paw and claw, which had miraculously healed completely. Had he healed himself without even trying?
But that wasn't the only strange thing. Fluttershy's necklace was glowing and slowly lifting. Feeling something strange around his neck, Discord looked down and saw the Chaos Amulet doing the same. They watched as the two necklaces rose and moved towards each other. Eventually, the pendants met and entwined. Their wearers looked up and froze at how close they were.
Discord glanced down at their glowing, entwined necklaces and back at her.
"You," he whispered.
Fluttershy blinked. "What?"
She was merely a breath away. It would take just one swift motion for their lips to meet. He found himself focusing on her mouth, considering that possibility.
Without thinking of the consequences, he closed his eyes and started leaning forward. Fluttershy's eyes widened when she realized what he was about to do. Panicking, she brought her hooves to his face and pushed him away.
A loud boom erupted from both their necklaces, sending two shockwaves knocking them backward. The small explosion was enough to clear the cave exit. Fluttershy didn't pay much heed to this as she was too busy staring in astonishment at the creature lying limp across from her.
"What was that?!" she screamed.
He wasn't sure if she was talking about the magical phenomenon or his attempt to kiss her.
"What was that?!" she shouted again, pointing to her lips.
So it was the latter. He groaned as he struggled to rise.
"I…I was…"
"Fluttershy!"
They turned to see Sweetie Belle appear at the cave mouth.
"We've been looking every…"
The doll squealed when she saw Discord, who cursed silently to himself for only using a temporary sleep spell. He looked at Fluttershy and decided he should take her before the others arrived. To save the effort, he snapped his fingers to teleport her into his arms.
He waited.
And waited.
Nothing happened.
He stared at his fingers in confusion and snapped again, but Fluttershy remained on the other side of the cave.
"What?" he uttered.
"Discord!"
As he had predicted, the nutcracker and the other two appeared and stood defensively in front of Fluttershy. Shining Armor drew his sword, Applejack made her whip ready and Rarity waved her shoe with her magic.
Discord grunted in annoyance. He could kill them all right now, but that wouldn't help him get the necklace. Even without her bodyguards, he still couldn't touch the mare. Also, if her companions were gone, there would be no one to protect her from the dangers of the forest. Even with her necklace, she could still get lost and for some reason, he didn't want anything unfortunate happening to her.
Besides, what was the point in destroying them now when they were already heading to his castle?
Discord smirked as he rose to his full height. "You've won this round, my little beauty, but I will get that necklace! And when I do, you'll spend the rest of your life as my slave!"
Fluttershy gasped and Rarity put her hoof in front of her.
"You should've taken my offer, sweetheart," the Chaos King sneered. "Oh, and thanks for the burns." His claw erupted into flames. "Why don't I repay the favor?"
At first, Fluttershy thought he was going to throw the fireball at her when it caught Shining Armor's hoof. He dropped his sword and started waving his burning hoof wildly. Discord laughed and blew a kiss at Fluttershy.
"Till next time, darling!" he mocked before vanishing.
After getting over her shock, Fluttershy directed the nutcracker's hoof to the same snowdrift and put the fire out.
"Oh, thank goodness!" Rarity heaved, placing her hoof over her heart.
"Is it bad?" Sweetie Belle asked worriedly.
Shining Armor retracted his hoof. The wooden surface was now blackened.
"Not much," he sighed. "I'll still be able to use it."
"What happened?" Applejack demanded, kneeling down to Fluttershy. "We woke up and saw you gone and then Sweetie Belle heard ya scream…"
"And darling, what have you done to your dress?" Rarity inquired, staring in horror at the tear in her gown.
Fluttershy was breathing heavily, afraid to answer the questions.
"Give her some air, girls," Shining Armor said, waving them off. "She's been through a lot." He spoke softly. "Now Fluttershy, very slowly, tell us what happened."
She glanced at all of them and took a deep breath. "I…I heard some pony call my name and…these butterflies…they led me to this cave and…Discord, he…he said he'd send me home if I gave him my necklace."
"Seriously, what's all this fuss about jewelry?" Applejack demanded.
"Humph!" Rarity grunted. "It's not even his color!"
"He…" Fluttershy stammered, touching the butterfly pendant. "He…he called it the…Jewel of Kindness."
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow. "The what of what now?"
"I've never heard of such a thing," Applejack declared.
Shining Armor squinted. "It…it sounds familiar…" He scratched his head. "Oh, I can't remember."
"Well, at least we have another clue as to why he's after Fluttershy," said Rarity as she helped the pegasus up. "Are you alright, dear? He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No," Fluttershy replied. She suddenly snickered. "Actually, I think I hurt him a lot more than he hurt me."
Every pony stared at her, confused as to what was so humorous about that sentence.
"Come on, y'all," Applejack said, standing up. "I left my travelin' gear back at Sweet Apple Acres, but I know a place where we might get some supplies. It's not far from here. We should get goin'."
The others nodded and followed the Resistance leader. When Fluttershy didn't move, Shining Armor turned back.
"Are you okay?"
She looked up and nodded without saying a word.
The recent events were still playing through her head. For one moment, she didn't have any fear or resentment toward the Chaos King. Seeing him hurt and vulnerable made him seem less menacing, and in that moment where their necklaces joined and they gazed into each other's eyes…
She wasn't sure what exactly had passed between them, but it was almost as if they had some sort of…connection.
He had put on the evil villain façade in the end, but after seeing that mask fall for a moment, Fluttershy was beginning to wonder if he really was as evil as he appeared.
"Read 'em and weep!" Rainbow Dash laughed, showing her cards to Spike.
"What?!" The dragon looked at them in astonishment. "Hey, wait a minute! How'd you get five aces?! You cheated!"
She looked at him jadedly. "Spike, we're working for an evil overlord here. We gotta adapt to our circumstances."
The two jumped back as the aforementioned evil overlord appeared on top of their card game.
"I really wish he'd stop doing that," Spike whispered.
"Back already, your majesty?" Rainbow Dash said, smiling up at him. "How'd it go?"
He gripped her neck angrily. "Well, let's see… I don't have the Jewel of Kindness or the mare. How do you think it went?!"
He tossed her to the ground, but Rainbow didn't cry out. She was used to this by now. The two minions watched as their king began pacing the throne room.
"How to get it off her neck?" he muttered repeatedly. "How to get it off her neck?"
"If you don't mind me asking, sir," Rainbow said carefully, "why go through all this trouble? I mean the mare and the nutcracker are already on their way here. Why not just bag 'em when they get here?"
"Because," Discord growled, "by the time they get here, that mare will have figured out how to use that necklace against me and my reign will be over! I need to separate her from the necklace before she learns its full potential! But I can't even touch her without blowing up, I can't use my magic to bring her here, and she wouldn't take my deal! She's too smart for that!"
"Well," Spike shrugged, "maybe because the necklace knew you were trying to harm her, it fought back. Maybe if you were nice to her, it…wouldn't…fire?"
Discord and Rainbow gave him odd looks. The dragon grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Of course, I could be wrong."
"Now hold on," Discord said, stroking his beard. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Spike, but you may be onto something."
Spike blinked. "Really? Uh oh."
The Chaos King headed toward the window. "I can't touch her because I'm her enemy, but if a friend touched her…"
"I just gave him an idea, didn't I?" the dragon whispered to the pegasus.
"Yup," Rainbow replied bluntly.
Spike stood up. "If you need me, I'll be cleaning toilets."
"And she would trust a friend with her necklace," Discord mused, paying no heed to Spike's departure. "Or at least some pony she thinks is her friend…"
He turned back to his pegasus minion as his thoughts came together. The look he was giving her made Rainbow Dash uncomfortable. She knew that look all too well. The king was planning something dastardly.
Her suspicions were confirmed when he put his arm around her.
"Dashie," he said sweetly, though the sweetness was clearly faked. "You know I consider you my most trustworthy servant? In all the time you have served me, you have obeyed me without question and have shown great loyalty to me!"
Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows. "You know very well that I don't do these things out of loyalty to you."
"Nevertheless, you've carried out every task I've given you swiftly and effectively. You've served well as my eyes and ears, spotting every rebel and confounding every plot against me. So, let me ask you…"
He turned her to face him, laying his hands on her shoulders.
"How good are you at making friends?"
Rainbow blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
He returned to his previous position and whispered lowly. "Here's what I want you to do. I want you to join the nutcracker's little party, gain their trust, especially Fluttershy's, and when the time is right, take the necklace from her."
"B-but…"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Discord wagged his finger. "Don't make me take back what I said about your loyalty."
"It's not that. I'll do it, of course, but…how am I supposed to take the necklace from her? You said so yourself she's the only one who can remove it, and if I even try to take it…well, you never really made it clear, but I know it's bad."
"Find some way to persuade her to take it off. Ask to see it or wear it. Use your imagination."
"And if she doesn't trust me enough?"
A silver whistle appeared in Discord's paw. "Use this to call the Diamond Dogs. Only they can hear it, so don't worry about alerting those ponies. Our pretty friend will be easier to capture when she's asleep and off-guard. If persuasion fails, the Diamond Dogs will take care of things. Think you can handle this, Dashie?"
Rainbow Dash gulped as she stared at the whistle. "What will become of the mare once you have the necklace?"
He shrugged. "Oh, you know, enslave her, find some use for her? The nutcracker will be toast, of course. That Resistance leader would be an excellent addition to the cotton candy fields. I might even appoint her to my guard, if I can sway her right. As for the dolls…well, they can be cleaning maids."
He frowned when he noticed the pegasus' stunned silence. She said nothing, only stared at the whistle with uneasiness. Discord could see she was having second thoughts, so he played a new card.
"Why not make this plan beneficial for the both of us?" he grinned, showing his pointy teeth. "If you do this for me, I will give you the one thing you've always desired from me."
Rainbow looked up at him with wide eyes. "You mean…?"
Discord nodded. "Once I've destroyed all the things standing in my way of ultimate power, I'll have no more need for your services."
"And…?"
"You'll have your little family reunion at last."
Rainbow gazed back at the whistle dangling in front of her. After much thought, she swiped it from Discord's paw.