//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6. John 15:13 
// Story: The Draconequus with the Dragon Tattoo 
// by A M Shark 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 6

"No greater love has anyone than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."—John 15:13





Soon after Discord left, Fluttershy began the long process of cleaning up the mess he'd left behind. She gathered up the papers that had been scattered throughout the cabin, stacking them in her bedroom this time. She scooped up most of the snow and piled it in tubs and buckets to use as water later on. Then she used the rest of the now-melted snow to wash the floor.

Why are you doing this? she wondered to herself. He'll just undo it all as soon as he comes back. But she continued cleaning anyway. She intended to enjoy a tidy cabin while she could.

By the time she'd finished cleaning up, she felt too tired to try and look through the Apple family records, so she decided to spend some time knitting, hoping it would help her recharge. The only skeins of yarn she now had were the ones Discord had changed into multi-colored things that were thread-thin in some places and as thick as the average pony's hoof in others, so her knitting results were uneven and looked nothing like the original pattern, but the process was soothing even in spite of this.

As her needles clicked away, the wind screamed long and loud outside. After several minutes she put down her knitting and went to the window to look outside. The snow was swirling so thickly she could barely see out. She shivered at the thought of being out there in that storm. She'd heard stories of ponies who had gone out in such storms, had become lost, and ended up freezing just a few feet from their houses.

Thank goodness I have everything I need in here, she thought. Of course the heavier storm probably meant that Discord would be popping back into the cabin all too soon. She went back to her knitting, and as she worked she waited with a sense of dread for the draconequus to materialize.

The hours crawled by with no sign of him. She eventually put the knitting aside to feed Angel and to get her own supper. Still Discord did not appear. She tucked Angel into his bed and Discord still hadn't appeared.

Finally she went to her own bed and curled up under the blankets. She shut her eyes, pretending to be asleep but inwardly braced for the sound of Discord's return. He'd probably just been waiting for her to fall asleep so that he could pop in and terrify her. As the minutes ticked by with still no sign of him, she began to wish he would just appear and get it over with. Still he didn't appear and, finally weary of bracing herself for his return, she tried to fall asleep.

But sleep wouldn't come.

Instead she just kept thinking of him. Where was he? Why wasn't he back? Had he created a new place to stay? Maybe he had, but the magic she'd seen him doing outside had all seemed to wear off after a few minutes. Shame the same couldn't be said for what he'd done inside.

What if he had gotten lost out there?

It would serve him right! she thought with satisfaction, and promptly regretted the thought a moment later. She would have been quite happy to never have to see the draconequus again but she wouldn't wish that fate on anyone.

She sighed, frustrated that he could bother her so much even when he wasn't around. Try as she might, she just couldn't seem to sleep if she didn't know whether or not he was all right.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she kept thinking as she got out of bed. This is idiotic. You warned him not to go out and he just threw it back in your face like he's done with everything else. After how he's acted, you have no obligation to go out looking for him.

And yet even as she thought this she began putting on her heaviest winter coat. The blue-and-white coat had no openings for her wings, but she doubted she could have flown in the current storm anyway.

This is crazy! her mind screamed at her. What if you get lost out there?

I'll be careful, she tried to reassure herself. I'll tie some yarn to the cabin door and let it trail behind me. Then if I get lost I can just follow it back here.

And how long do you intend to be out there? the little voice in the back of her head asked. You could easily freeze to death before you make it back here.

This time she had no answer for the voice. She only knew that she had to find out if Discord was all right. If he had frozen to death it would be too bad but she had warned him. If he hadn't ... well, she couldn't really say that she'd be glad. Her kind nature, the side of her that had a hard time watching other creatures suffer, would feel relieved, but the rest of her was all too aware that Discord's continued existence would mean more torment for her.

And what about Angel? Who will take care of him if you can't get back here?

He knows where the food is. He can look after himself. He—

She moved over to where the old bunny was sleeping. Even with Discord around, Angel had been sleeping a lot more often than he used to. She knew that bunnies normally lived about ten or twelve years and, thanks to her care, Angel was a good bit past that but he was no more immortal than she was. Looking down at him, she found herself wondering if someday he would just go to sleep and not wake up. That possibility suddenly seemed much more likely than she wanted to admit. She stroked his head gently with her hoof, whispering a soft goodbye before going to her saddlebags and tucking the largest ball of yarn she could find into one of them.

When Fluttershy pulled the door open a crack, the wind outside shrieked and she almost changed her mind about going out right then and there. But her heart wouldn't let her, and she forced herself to step out. The snow around the cabin was piled higher than her chest and she had to dig at it with her hooves to make space for herself. Even with her coat on, it was bitter cold. Neither the moon nor a single star could be seen in the dark cloudy sky above. And below that vast blackness the snowy landscape was a dreary gray.

Already shivering, Fluttershy pulled the door shut behind her and, hooves trembling, tied one end of the yarn in her saddlebag to the door knob.





Trapped in his new ice prison, Discord was mentally cursing himself. Why hadn't he been able to stop this? Why had his magic had no effect on this ice? He'd had those several days of glorious freedom and now he was stuck right back where he'd been for the last thousand years. Well, not exactly right back where he'd been stuck but close enough! Once again he was unable to move, unable to interact with the world, unable to do anything!

Hadn't that pegasus warned him that going outside would be a bad idea? Of course he'd scoffed at the idea because he was Discord. He had the kind of power no other creature in Equestria had and thus the dangers and perils they faced didn't apply to him, had never applied to him...

And wasn't it that kind of attitude that allowed the royal sisters to imprison you in the first place? a small disgusted voice in the back of his mind asked. Assuming you could just magic away any inconvenience that cropped up in your path?





"Discord!" Fluttershy called over the howl of the wind. She had been wading through the snow almost up to her chin. On the one hoof, the deep snow kept her body from being buffeted by the wind, but on the other hoof, it also made the going a lot more difficult.

"Discord!" She wasn't sure how far her usually soft voice would carry in the storm but she continued to call out his name at intervals. Snowflakes blew into her face, making it difficult to see.

You should go back. You'll never find him out here. In fact he's probably back at the cabin now, all warm and cozy, laughing at the fact that you're struggling out here trying to find him, the voice in her head kept urging her. Turn back now before you freeze.

No, she thought. Just five more steps, and then I'll turn back. Just five more steps. Just five more steps. Just five more steps.

She'd been repeating that phrase over and over to herself for who-knew how many steps ever since she'd first left the cabin.

You can't keep this up. You know you can't! the voice in her head protested and Fluttershy had to admit that the voice was right. She had gone out intending to search until she found the draconequus, but it was beginning to look like that might not be possible.

There was a brief lull in the wind before it started back up again, and in that brief lull Fluttershy saw a cave in the distance. I'll keep going until I reach that cave, she thought. Then I'll rest there out of the wind and snow for a bit. Then I'll head back. Her drive to find Discord had begun to fade after what must have been several hours of wading through snow. If she couldn't find him, and he didn't turn up on his own, she would just have to accept not knowing what had happened to him ... just as she had been forced to do with Applejack all those years ago.

Still calling Discord's name every five minutes, she neared the cave. The snow looked a lot shallower at the cave's entrance, and she lunged forward, eager to no longer be buried up to her chin. As she burst through the snow, her hooves struck ice and she felt herself slipping. Squealing, she scrabbled her hooves against the ice but was unable to get any traction and went sliding into the cave. Her left legs went one way, her right legs went the other way, and she went sprawling on her stomach. Her thickly padded coat helped cushion her fall but did nothing to slow her down. Whimpering, she squeezed her eyes shut as she spun across the ice.





Discord was still fuming to himself when he heard a faint voice calling his name. At first he thought he must have imagined it, but then a few minutes later, he heard it again.

"Discord!"

That sounds like Fluttershy! he thought, now even more certain he was imagining it. There was no way that she would be out—

His thoughts were interrupted by a combination of squealing and scuffling, and the next moment a blue, white, pale yellow, and pale pink blur came spinning into the room across the ice. It bounced off his ice prison like a pinball before slowly coming to a stop, facing him. If he could have moved, Discord would have blinked and rubbed his eyes to make sure they weren't playing tricks on him.

As Fluttershy came to a stop, she cautiously cracked an eye open. Then both her eyes flew open and she stared up at the twisted figure of the draconequus and the thick layer of ice encasing him.

"Oh, my goodness." She pushed herself up onto all fours and half-ran, half-slid closer to him. His eyes followed her as she circled him.

"Oh, my goodness," she repeated as she put out a hoof to touch his icy side just above the hip. "Don't worry, Discord! I'll get you out! ... somehow." She lowered her head and shut her eyes. Think Fluttershy, think! How can you break that ice?

Why do you even want to break him out of there? demanded that small voice in the back of her head. It would serve him right if you just left him here and followed your yarn back to the cabin—

Her eyes popped open. The yarn! she mentally shouted. That was it! She could follow the yarn back to the cabin, find something there to break the ice, then bring it back to the cave to free him.

"Hold on, Discord. I'll be right back." She put a hoof in her saddlebag ... and froze. Her yarn was gone! She tore off her saddlebag, turned it upside down and shook it. No yarn came out! Tossing the saddlebag back over her back, she ran toward the middle of the cave, searching frantically for her yarn. Then she spotted it at the far end of the cave in the direction of its entrance. It must have been jostled out of her bag when she'd fallen and gone sliding into the cave earlier.

She began gathering it up and tucking it back into her bag as she made her way back to the cave's entrance. Looking out, she saw that the storm had gotten even worse. The snow was starting to pile up inside the cave's entrance as well as outside of it. The cold wind seemed to bite through her padded coat as if it were merely a light jacket. Fluttershy felt her heart quail at the thought of going back out there but what choice did she have?

She was just readying herself to step out of the cave when a new thought made her halt. She had intended to gather up her yarn trail as she followed it back to the cabin but now it occurred to her that, if she did that, she might not be able to find her way back to the cave. She looked about for something to tie the free end of her yarn to, but could find nothing on the icy floor and the walls were too smooth.

Then she thought of Discord. I can tie the free end of the yarn around him, she thought, hurrying back to him. She was halfway across the room when she discovered to her dismay that the yarn was too short to reach the draconequus, let alone to tie around him. She tried to stretch the yarn a little farther. Come on, she thought. Come on, just a little—

The yarn snapped, causing Fluttershy to sit down hard on her rear end. Oh, what was she going to do? If she tried to follow the yarn back without tying it down to something, she wouldn't be able to find the cave again, but there was nothing within reach for her to tie it to.

So just go back to the cabin and stay there, the little voice in her head said. Forget about Discord.

She looked back at the draconequus, meeting yellow eyes that almost seemed to be pleading with her for help, and knew she couldn't bring herself to leave without trying to free him.

She ran across the ice toward him, turned her back to him and swung her hind legs up, slamming her back hooves into the ice surrounding him. Unfortunately when she brought her back legs up, her front hooves once again slipped on the ice and once again she sprawled on her stomach.

She pushed herself back up onto her hooves and took several deep breaths as if bracing herself for something. Then as Discord watched, she pulled off her coat, thus freeing her wings, and flew up into the air out of his sight. Then she shot down toward him, slamming her back hooves against his ice prison. Discord couldn't see her do it but he could feel the faint vibrations from her blow traveling through the ice. Fluttershy flew up and came down again, striking the same area and trying to ignore the cold now seeping into her body without her coat. It was a bit warmer in the cave than it was outside but not much.

Fluttershy tried flying in again and striking the ice this time from a different angle. She flew about and kicked the ice again and again until both her legs and wings were trembling from exertion. She landed in front of Discord and sat bent over with her head down and her sides heaving. Finally she raised her head to study her work ... and felt her heart sink. Her efforts had barely put a shallow dent in the ice. She knew her kicks could never hope to compare with Rainbow Dash's in terms of speed nor with Applejack's in terms of strength, but it still felt like a slap in the face when she was forced to view her poor results.

Pushing herself onto her feet again, she narrowed her eyes before flying up and delivering another kick to Discord's prison. She kept sending kick after kick after kick until once again she could barely stay in the air. This time she landed stretched out across Discord's ice-encased back and lay there, breathing hard.

Inside the ice, Discord could feel Fluttershy's heart crashing wildly against his back as if it might burst. Finally it slowed down a bit and then Fluttershy was flying again, gearing up for another round. Frozen in place, Discord could only watch in amazement as again and again, she would try to break the ice around him, then drop to the ground and try to recover. At first all that flying and kicking seemed to help keep the pony warm, but now he could see that the combination of cold temperatures and heavy exercise was beginning to take its toll on her. Every time she went down Discord was sure that that time she wouldn't be getting back up and yet each time she somehow managed to.

Crouching on trembling legs, she flapped her wings yet again. She lifted into the air and was level with Discord's shoulder when her wings suddenly seemed to lock up and she fell back to the ground. She landed with her body draped across his reptile foot. She tried to move her wings but was just rewarded with painful spasms for her trouble. She tried to stand but her limbs felt so heavy she could barely move them.

"I'm sorry," she panted, not sure if he could hear but still feeling the need to say it. Tears leaked from her eyes, forming an icy crust on her lashes. She'd done all she could to try and free him and it hadn't been enough. Please let me last just a little longer. Just to get him out.

Then the foot underneath her twitched.

Then it jerked up and off the ground, taking her with it. She sailed a short distance before landing with a painful oof! Looking up, she saw small thin cracks traveling up the ice that covered Discord. His legs were already free and the ice was breaking off the rest of his body in many chunks.

It worked! Fluttershy mentally cheered, not expecting that last little prayer to be answered so quickly if at all. It worked! It worked! It worked! He's free now—

Suddenly her silent cheering stopped. She had felt bad for him when he was trapped, but now as the ice continued to crumble off him, all the memories of the past several days with him came rushing back. And she had just freed that thing to let it loose in her life again! What had she been thinking?

She tried to force herself to her hooves but collapsed back to the ground before she'd even managed to get them underneath her. More tears dripped from her eyes to join the ones already frozen in her lashes at the realization that she was going to die in this cave. She was so cold she could barely feel her body, every breath hurt, and she didn't even have the strength to crawl to her coat much less trek all the way back to the cabin. As she lay, trying to force the icy air into her lungs she realized with a sort of dull surprise that she wasn't afraid to die. She was simply too exhausted to feel afraid or to feel much of anything else. All she seemed to have the energy for was sorrow. Sorrow that she had failed in her task for the Apple family. Sorrow that she hadn't had a chance to make things right with Ponyville. And sorrow that she'd thrown her life away trying to save a creature that wouldn't even care.

Would you have rather lived knowing you left him trapped in that ice?

No, she thought. In spite of how he'd treated her, her heart—her stupid, soft, idiotic heart—had refused to let her abandon him. She remembered how the draconequus had scoffed at her kindness. Maybe he had been right. After all, look where it had gotten her.

But none of these sorrows came close to the grief she felt at the knowledge that none of her friends were nearby. She wondered if they would ever discover her body. If they did, would the cold have preserved it, or would her corpse have started rotting by the time somepony stumbled across it? Or would her disappearance be like Applejack's? Would her friends spend the rest of their lives never knowing what had happened to her body and having to accept that she was dead due to the fact that searching all of Equestria had turned up no trace of her? The thought of leaving them like that with no closure pained her more than any of the physical cold around her could have. She wondered if Applejack had had similar thoughts in her last moments. Had the earth pony even had time to think of such things before her life had been snuffed out?

I guess I'll find out the answer to that soon enough, Applejack, because it looks like I'll be joining you, was Fluttershy's penultimate thought.

Her final one was: I wish I could have seen the rest of my friends just one last time.

Then the darkness closed over her completely.

Deep in unconsciousness, she didn't feel the mismatched hands as they lifted her from the ground.