//------------------------------// // Success and Defeat // Story: The Nutcracker and the Chaos King // by DisneyFanatic23 //------------------------------// "Keep scrubbing!" Discord yelled at Spike who was kneeling at Cadence's throne with a sponge. "My queen's throne must shine! If I see a single speck of dust on it, I will pull out your spines and make a backscratcher out of them!" The dragon squeaked as he scrubbed harder. Discord stroked his beard as he gazed at the small throne. "Something doesn't seem right." He snapped his fingers. "Of course! It's not even her color!" Spike jumped back as the throne's purple cushions suddenly turned yellow. "Better," Discord nodded, "but it still needs something…" After much more thinking, he twirled his claw and the crystal heart at the throne's head slowly transformed into a crystal butterfly. Another snap of the fingers made it pink. "Perfect!" he exclaimed clapping his hands together. "Now it's really fit for my queen!" "So I can stop cleaning now?" Spike asked hopefully. "Oh no, it still lacks luster." The dragon sighed. "Why do I even bother?" Discord spun around when he heard heavy breathing behind him. He grinned brightly when he saw Rainbow Dash flapping through the window, Fluttershy in her hooves. "You did it!" he exclaimed. "You brought her! Finally!" "She's…" Rainbow huffed, "heavier than I thought…" Discord scowled. "How dare you say that about my future queen?! And give her to me! You're going to drop her!" Rainbow collapsed as soon as he grabbed Fluttershy. The multi-colored pegasus waited to catch her breath before speaking. "I did what you asked," she murmured, "now give me…" She quickly sat up. "Wait. Did you say queen?!" "Isn't she beautiful when she sleeps?" Discord whispered, not seeming to hear her. He was cradling the young pegasus in his arms, gazing in awe as he brushed her gentle pink locks from her sweet, peaceful face. Rainbow's eyes widened in realization. "You don't mean…?" "Yes, Rainbow Dash," Discord replied as he carried Fluttershy over to the small throne. He made a soft pillow appear on the seat so she would be more comfortable and laid her down gently. "This lovely mare is going to be my Chaos Queen, and will rule the Land of Sweets by my side." He smiled as their necklaces started glowing again. He was tempted to kiss her, but thought it would be better to wait until she was awake. Meanwhile, Rainbow was giving him a funny look. "Um…don't take this the wrong way, your majesty, but…I don't think she's your type." Discord turned around and scowled, his eyes flashing red. "You insult my bride again and I will turn you inside out and wear you on my shoulders!" "Whoa, whoa, chill!" Rainbow screamed, holding up her hooves. "Sorry, okay? Look. What you do isn't any of my business, so can you just give me back my sister so I can go?" The Chaos King scoffed. "Oh. I'm not done with you just yet." Her face fell. "What? But we had a deal!" He held up a finger. "Ah, ah, ah! I said that once I had the Jewel of Kindness, you would get your sister back." "Yeah, and I brought her, so now it's your turn to uphold your end of the bargain." "Yes. I have her, but the Jewel of Kindness is still on her, and as long as it's like that, I can't touch either of them! She is the only one who can remove it. We'll have to persuade her somehow. Spike!" The dragon bolted onto his feet and saluted. "Keep an eye on my bride and inform me when she wakes up. I'll seal off this area so she can't escape. Oh, and don't do anything silly with her! I wasn't kidding about the backscratcher!" "Right, sir!" Spike squeaked, innocently patting Fluttershy's head. "I'll keep her safe!" "CLAWS OFF HER!" Discord bellowed, his eyes literally blazing with fire. "Right!" The dragon quickly retracted his claw. "Sorry!" The Chaos King relaxed and turned to his spy. "Now," he said, flashing a toothy grin, "as I was saying, I may still have some use for you yet, Dashie." Fluttershy's head spun as she started to wake. She didn't remember how she had fallen asleep. She became confused when she felt something soft beneath her. She must have fainted and her friends must have laid her on a pillow. Pinkie had packed a pillow, right? She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the light. She gasped when she found herself in an unfamiliar room. Was she dreaming again? She glanced up and saw that she was sitting on a throne of some sort. She squealed as she jumped into the air. "Oh, good! You're awake!" Fluttershy squealed again as she glanced down at the source of the voice. Then she squealed a third time, but in excitement. "A BABY DRAGON!" It was Spike's turn to squeal when the pegasus was suddenly in his face. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I didn't think dragons existed! Oh, you're so cute!" Spike blushed in spite of himself. "Aw, shucks!" "And you can talk! Oh, this is so wonderful!" She started petting his spines, which made Spike sigh in contentment. "Wow. I'm beginning to see why Discord picked you for…" "Wait," Fluttershy said, jumping back. "Discord?" "Yeah. Didn't you know this was his castle?" She looked back at the throne she had been lying in and saw a bigger, much more menacing one standing next to it. Its design was so chaotic that it reminded her of… "DISCORD!" She flapped her wings and dashed to the windows. "Uh," Spike uttered, raising his claw. "I wouldn't do that if I were…" Fluttershy found out the hard way as she bumped into an invisible force field. "Yeah," the dragon chuckled awkwardly. "Discord kinda didn't want you escaping, so…" "Oh, I need to get out of here!" Fluttershy shouted as she tried all the windows, only to be met with the force field again. "I need to get to my friends! How did I even get here?!" "Oh, that's right! I need to tell Discord you're awake!" She stopped in midair. "No! Don't call him here! He's horrible!" "Exactly why I have to get him!" He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Your majesty! She's…" His voice was muffled as Fluttershy covered his mouth. "No! You have to get me out of here! He's going to take my necklace, and then he's going to kill me!" "Oh, Fluttershy, surely you don't think of me as that cruel?" She spun around at the voice and found herself face-to-face with the Chaos King once more. She was so surprised that she stumbled backward into the small throne. Discord chuckled as he shook his head. "Must we always meet like this? Me, towering over you and you, cowering in fear? Sweet, sweet, Fluttershy, you have nothing to fear from me." Fluttershy pressed her back against the throne as he started circling her. She looked down, not daring to look in those cruel eyes. She shivered as he leaned over and whispered in her ear. "You are a difficult mare to catch." She turned her face away and weakly asked, "What do you want from me?" "I told you. Your necklace." She decided to be braver and squared her shoulders, still not looking at him. "Well, you can't have it. And if you try to take it…well, you remember what happened last time, and this time, you won't receive any pity from me." She yelped as he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to meet his furious gaze. "I consider myself a patient creature," he growled, "but you're not making this easy for me! Just give me the necklace!" "No!" Fluttershy spat. "You're evil! I'll never give it to you!" Discord felt ready to strangle the mare, but he took a deep breath and smiled. "My previous offer still stands. I can send you home." "It wouldn't matter!" she exclaimed, pushing him away and stepping off the throne. "Even if you're telling the truth and you do send me home, my friends will still be here, and no doubt you will make them suffer! I'm not even sure you will keep your word! Monsters like you never do!" The word "monster" pierced him like a sword and his eyes flashed red as he stormed over to her. She screamed as he gripped her foreleg. "YOU LITTLE WENCH!" he bellowed, pushing her to the ground. "YOU THINK YOU CAN TALK TO ME LIKE THAT?! ME?! THE MASTER OF ALL THINGS…" He paused when he heard a soft whimper. Fluttershy's face was hidden by her hair as it drooped to the ground, but he could see a single teardrop plop to the floor. His heart instantly softened and he reached out his claw. "Shhh, shhh," he whispered as he gently touched her chin. Fluttershy's eyes widened in bewilderment as he tenderly lifted her head. She wanted to tear herself away, but something about his surprisingly warm gaze had her frozen in place. Why did he always have this effect on her? "I can make you a better offer," he said as he lightly stroked her mane. "You give me the necklace, and I will give you whatever your heart desires." "Will you spare Shining Armor and Cadence?" she asked. Discord blinked. "Well, no, but…" She slapped his claw away. "Then there is nothing you can give me!" He growled through his teeth and raised his claw to strike her, but after another deep breath, he regained his composure. Then he smiled wickedly. "Oh, isn't there?" He snapped his fingers. "Boys!" Fluttershy turned her head as a pair of Diamond Dogs burst into the room, Rainbow Dash struggling in their grasp. "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cried. "Fluttershy, don't…" Discord zipped her mouth closed before she could finish. "Yes, we caught her along with you," he smirked. "That blue rose? I put a spell on it. Your friend here couldn't help but take a sniff herself." His eyes flashed red again. "I might not be able to hurt you, my beauty, but your friend here doesn't have a magical necklace protecting her." He lifted his glowing claw and Rainbow Dash screamed through the zipper as the golden aura enveloped her. The sight brought Fluttershy to tears. "Stop it!" she shouted. "She doesn't deserve this!" "Oh, I'll stop," Discord said, holding out his paw, "if you give me the necklace." Fluttershy glanced solemnly at Rainbow, who was wildly shaking her head. Her muffled cries of protest did not help her change her mind. Fluttershy looked back up at Discord and sighed in defeat as she undid the clasp of her chain. "You win," she murmured. Discord grinned in triumph as the butterfly pendant fell into his paw. He released his hold on Rainbow and chuckled darkly. "That's a good girl." He turned to the Diamond Dogs. "Release her, boys!" The guards dropped the pegasus to the floor. Rainbow gasped as the zipper vanished from her mouth. She looked up at her friend in guilt. "Fluttershy," she breathed. "What have you done?" "I'll tell you what she's done," Discord sneered, gripping the pink jewel. "Guaranteed that my reign will last for all eternity!" Fluttershy watched in horror as he crushed the jewel in his paw and it crumbled into a rain of pink dust. "Funny," Discord said, raising an eyebrow. "I thought it'd be harder to destroy." He shrugged. "Oh well. Who cares? Now there is nothing left to stop me!" "Except maybe the nutcracker." The Chaos King darted his eyes at Spike, who immediately regretted his words and jumped behind the thrones. "Yes!" Fluttershy said defiantly. "Shining Armor will stop you! All my friends will stop you!" Discord laughed. "You really think your friends will come and rescue you? Given your choice of friends, I find that hard to believe." "What are you talking about?" "Oh, that's right. I nearly forgot." He turned to Rainbow and started clapping as he approached her. "Brilliant performance, Dashie! You nearly had me fooled!" "Please, don't…" Rainbow begged. "Rainbow, what is he…?" Fluttershy asked in confusion. "Haven't you figured it out?" Discord mocked as he put his arm around his minion. "Don't you remember who gave you the rose?" Fluttershy blinked as she looked at Rainbow in disbelief. "No, she…" "Oh, but she did!" He chuckled as he pinched the rainbow pegasus' cheek. "Dashie here has been my loyal spy this whole time! I had to get you here somehow, you see?" More tears were coming as Fluttershy shook her head. "No! You're lying! Rainbow, tell me he's lying! Rainbow?" Her former friend hung her head in shame. "I…I'm sorry, Flutters. I…I can't lie anymore." Fluttershy said nothing, only stared at her as the tears flowed down her cheeks. Then she turned away and muttered: "I thought you were my friend." Rainbow sniffed. "I was." "Oh, don't be so blue, Dashie," Discord said as he ruffled her mane. "You don't need friends. Friends are ponies who say you can trust them, until the day they stab you in the back. Of course, you'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" She looked up at him with a hard, cold gaze. "I did what you asked. Now give me what you promised." Fluttershy turned her head a little, curious as to what this promise was. "Hmm," Discord said, tapping his chin. "I did promise you something, didn't I?" Rainbow narrowed her eyes. "We had a deal! I'm not leaving here until you keep that deal!" After a moment of thought, he shrugged. "Oh, what the heck? I'm in a generous mood today. Shame, though. You were such a useful asset." He sighed. "Very well. You may have your reward." He snapped his fingers and a young, orange pegasus filly with violet eyes and a short purple mane appeared in the middle of the room. She wore a leotard similar to Rainbow's, only her stripes were orange and purple. Rainbow's eyes glistened at the sight of her. "Scootaloo?" The filly turned and gasped. "Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy watched in amazement as the two pegasi rushed to embrace each other. A few tears escaped Rainbow's eyes as she ran her hooves all over her sister. "Oh, Scoots, are you alright? He didn't hurt you, did he?" "Dash, I'm fine!" Scootaloo groaned. "Stop acting like my mother!" As she continued hugging her sister, Rainbow gazed at Fluttershy through her tears. From that look, Fluttershy understood what she was trying to say. Rainbow had never wanted to hurt her. She had been telling the truth about her sister, and that she would've done anything to get her back. Discord had manipulated her like he did every pony. It was enough to turn Fluttershy's sadness into rage. "Ugh, gag!" Discord exclaimed, sticking out his tongue. "Okay, okay, enough with the sappy reunion! Diamond Dogs, escort these two out. They are no longer of any use to me." "Wha…?" Scootaloo said. "Rainbow Dash, what's going on?" "We're free," Rainbow muttered. "But why? What happened?" The older pegasus gave Fluttershy one last look as the dogs led them out of the room. "Sacrifice." Fluttershy watched until Rainbow Dash was gone from sight. Then she inhaled deeply as she turned her attention to the floor. Discord's triumphant expression diminished when he saw how broken she was. He knelt down to her and lifted her chin. "Aw, don't cry, my sweet," he said softly. "Your situation isn't all bad." Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and wrenched her head away. This action pulled at Discord's heartstrings. This wasn't what he wanted. He needed her to smile for him; otherwise the sight of her was just too painful. Then he had an idea and snapped his fingers. A butterfly necklace identical to the one he had destroyed appeared in his claw. "Look," he said, stretching it out with his fingers. "Just like your old one. Except, you know, doesn't have the magic to defeat me. That necklace was a nuisance, but it did look lovely around that pretty neck of yours…" He attempted to put it on her, only for her to swat it away. "I don't want it," she murmured. Discord flinched at her coldness, but he wasn't giving up that easily. "Oh, but it pains me to see you so glum, my sweet. The least I can do is…" "I don't want it." "Please, let me put in on you…" "Stop it!" Fluttershy screamed, snapping her head around. "Just stop it! I gave you the necklace! What more do you want from me?!" He was about to reveal his wish for her to be his queen for all eternity, but stopped himself. She was not in a condition to receive such an offer. She was angry with him, and he didn't want her to be when he told her. So instead, he gently brushed her hair and replied, "I have big plans for you, my dear, but believe me. It won't be as bad as you think." The tone in his voice made Fluttershy shiver. Whatever he had planned for her, she didn't think she was going to like it. "Diamond Dogs!" Discord called. Another pair of guards immediately appeared and saluted. "Take our pretty guest to the West Tower," the Chaos King ordered. "And send word to the others that the nutcracker is still at large. Bring him and his merry mares to me unharmed. I want the pleasure of destroying Nut Boy myself." Fluttershy gasped as the Diamond Dogs took her by the forelegs. "Please, do whatever you like with me! Just don't hurt him!" "Really?" Discord said with a hopeful grin. "Well, we'll discuss that later when you're in a better state." Fluttershy scowled in hatred. He hadn't won yet. Shining Armor was still out there. She would be rescued. She was filled with so much anger that she wanted to show him that he did not own her. So she wrenched herself from the Diamond Dogs' grip. They were about to grab her again when she held up her hooves. "I can walk myself, thank you very much." The guards looked questioningly at their king, who had watched the scene in awe. It was so strange, seeing the timid little pegasus act so defiant. It made his admiration for her double. He nodded assuredly at the Diamond Dogs and they walked at a steady pace behind the mare, who was boldly holding her nose in the air. "Isn't she just perfect?" Discord sighed once she was out of hearing. "She's nice," Spike stated. "You know, when she's not being held against her will." He looked up at his master. "You sure asking her to marry you is a good idea?" "Oh, she'll come around, once she sees I'm not as evil as she thinks." "Yeah? How ya gonna do that?" Discord's arms drooped to his sides. "I have no idea."