CHAPTER FIVE: CMC
“Hey,” Fluttershy’s eyes went to the what seemed to just appear before her very sight. “Where did they come from?” she asked. Did not matter who answered, it was mostly rhetorical. She knew that things kept changing, it was by Discord’s Chaotic magic. It was interesting to her how one pony, or in his term ‘Creature,’ could harness such a power.
Dolu and Ulod reluctantly got up and looked to the wall, their slobber dripping slightly. Both doors were made of what looked like mahogany but they looked old and slightly run down, it was strange.
There were no knobs or handles, only what looked like luxury knockers. They were heads though, of ponies. Both Stallions. The one on the right had a blue and slightly spiky mane with blue eyes and orange fur, and on each side of his head were a pair of wings that seemed to be the natural size for a Pegasus Pony, or a Pegasus Stallion. Above his head was a helmet like the ones the Royal Guards of Canterlot would naturally where. The left one had white fur and a long light blue and dark blue streaked mane with blue eyes as well. Though instead of having wings on each side of his head he had a horn. He was a Unicorn. But just like the Pegasus Stallion he had a Royal Guard helmet above his head.
“Which door? Last time didn’t go to well,” Fluttershy mumbled silently, remembering how Discord had said Chrysalis, Sombra, Iron Will, and Tirek had given her away. She noticed the Unicorn Stallion had a ring in his ears, like that was a knocker, and the Pegasus had it in his mouth, his own.
“It’s rude to stare,” the Unicorn stated, his eyes shooting blue daggers.
“I’m sorry I was wondering which to choose,” she apologized, her teal eyes apologetic.
“What?” he asked.
“I said sorry and which should I choose?” she repeated.
“I can’t hear you, stupid ring in the ears,” the Unicorn angrily grumbled. The Pegasus spoke up, though his words were muffled by the ring in his mouth Fluttershy could still understand,
“It’s no good asking Shining Armor, like he said he can’t hear.”
The Unicorn, Shining Armor, glowered at the Pegasus.
“Flash Sentry do not talk with your mouth full,” he scolded. The Pegasus, Flash Sentry, glared at Shining Armor and spoke again through muffled words,
“I am not talking with my mouth full it’s the stupid ring. We both know it’s Discord’s fault!”
“No good fly-boy, can’t hear,” Shining Armor sniffed.
“Hold on,” Fluttershy lightly gripped the ring in Flash’s mouth, pulling it out carefully so she would not harm him.
“Ah! Finally!” he stretched his mouth at different angles. “Thank you! I hate that thing. Tastes like bitter salt and steel, that’s an unpleasant taste,” he grumbled angrily.
Without thinking she handed the ring to the Orthoros that stood behind her. “Where do the doors lead?” she asked.
“Huh?” Shining Armor asked.
“I don’t know, Discord just put us here to work as knockers. I hate this job. It’s worse than being under Captain Shining Armor’s Royal Guard,” if he could Flash would be shrugging, Fluttershy could tell.
“Mumble, mumble, mumble, such a wonderful conversationalist,” Shining Armor retorted with a roll of his eyes.
“You can’t talk! You can’t even hear! You should think about what other ponies have said behind your back!” Flash snapped.
“No good, can’t hear,” Shining Armor stretched what little bit of neck he had.
“So you don’t know? Do you know if either door leads to the castle? And which one?” she questioned.
“One door does, I know that much,” Flash stated. “Don’t know why you’d want to go there, it’s worse at the castle than it is here. Discord’s trouble without a doubt. Took his wife, Princess Cadence. And my fiancee, Twi---” Flash got cut off by Shining Armor.
“I told you to stay away from my sister!” he scowled.
“Not my fault Cadence arranged for me to be Twilight Sparkle’s Royal Guard Captain of the Pegasi,” Flash would be shrugging, again.
“Cadence would never!” Shining Armor spat.
“She did! Celestia and Luna agreed! Don’t get all Judge Shining Armor on me now,” Flash countered, rolling his eyes, Fluttershy could tell he was holding back a smirk.
“How do I open the door?” Fluttershy asked.
“Knock and the door will open, that’s pretty simple. No offense,” Shining Armor said. Fluttershy turned around to get Flash’s ring back, smiling softly as the sight before her was amusing.
Dulo and Ulod had the ring in their mouths. Slobber dripping. “Dulo, Ulod,” she smiled, slowly and carefully taking it out.
“Get that thing away from me!” Flash sealed his mouth shut.
“I want to knock,” Fluttershy pressed, holding to him.
“Mm-mm,” he said though tightly closed lips.
“Do it, do it, do it!” Shining Armor pleaded, his voice sounding desperate and yet his eyes, his smirk, and his edgy laughter were an instant giveaway.
Flash spoke through a closed mouth. “Either boil that thing in hot water and dry it off or get it away completely, that is not going in my mouth.” It was a firm say, she could tell.
“Would you prefer to hear?” she asked Shining Armor.
“Well yeah,” he rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious answer.
“Do you want to talk even though I think you two might chat and fight more?” she asked Flash.
“Mm,” he stated, lips still sealed.
“Okay,” she shrugged placing it behind his neck instead of in his mouth.
“Oh gross, it’s in my coat and its touching my skin,” he complained, shuddering, words clear now.
“Should’ve put it in his mouth, fly-boy needs to learn to be a man,” Shining Armor stated with a smug look in his eyes though his lips were still formed in a smirk. Fluttershy pulled the ring out of his ears.
“Finally able to hear again, not reading lips. Though his voice will get more than annoying, especially with the complaining,” Shining Armor thanked while complaining.
She pressed the ends together and it formed into a ring, she placed it behind his neck like Flash’s. “Do you know which door leads to the castle?” she asked Shining Armor.
“Afraid not, sorry,” he apologized.
“Oh...” Fluttershy sighed.
Fluttershy went back to Flash’s door and knocked on it three times. The door opened. “Sorry about the slobber,” she apologized.
“That’s fine I’m used to it,” he said.
She noticed the door she walked in was covered in forest and life of evergreen, plant life, but it was slightly dark and mysterious. Like a dark forest. Unsettling, bone chilling, and even able to make her skin crawl.
As Ulod and Dolu followed her in the door shut behind them. She paid no attention as she followed the dirt path. “Dolu scared,” Dolu whimpered, Ulod agreeing with him.
“Give me your paw,” Fluttershy said sympathetically. She took the front paw in her hoof and flew slowly in front of the Orthoros. “Surprising for an Orthoros as big as you to be scared,” she gave them a soft smile, it helped soothe their nerves but only slightly.
“Yeah,” Ulod mumbled. Then again in a place like this I don’t necessarily blame them. Back in the tunnels or Dog caves Spike said he hoped to Celestia Discord wasn’t listening. Is he listening now? Her mind boggled at the thought.
Was he watching her? Is he waiting for me to surrender or fail? Or both? She thought in her mind. The Orthoros heads were still whimpering in fear. “It’s okay Ulod, Dolu, there is nothing to be afraid of,” as she let go and slightly flew ahead of them she wondered who she was convincing; the Orthoros or herself.
She heard a gasp, two gasps, and heard the wind swoosh from behind her. She turned around, still flying, and saw that the Orthoros had disappeared. “Dolu?” she questioned. “Ulod?” she called out. She knew they were connected but perhaps only one could hear. “Dolu? Ulod? Where are you?” she called out, though her voice sounded like a whisper call.
Spike was walking past the maze of hedges, he was thankful that Discord had shown him the way out when he was first given his job at getting rid of Breezies, guarding the door, and leading anybody who was foolish enough to enter the labyrinth, starting with Fluttershy, down the wrong path where they would never get out or get them out of the labyrinth and away from the Castle of Chaos. The unicorn they encountered had been Starswirl the Bearded, he remembered Discord telling him how the Unicorn had challenged him decades ago and still hadn’t found the way out.
“Get through the labyrinth, get through the labyrinth, Fluttershy will never get out of the labyrinth,” he hmphed as he continued back to the entrance of the labyrinth. “Dolu! Ulod!” Fluttershy called out for what felt like the thousandth time. “SPIKE!?” she cried out. He heard his name being called, by Fluttershy, by his friend. He quickly turned around to find out what mess she’d gotten into now but stopped as soon as he did. He was looking at the misshapen cinnamon red eyes he’d grown to recognize instantly.
Fear spread through the young dragon he felt like he would pass out. “Well if it isn’t Spyro,” Discord clapped his lion paw and bird hand in a mocking gesture. “Spike,” he corrected. “Spike the way you turned around like that when the filly called your name seemed like you were going to help her. Am I wrong?” he questioned, his gaze burning into Spike’s reptilian skin like fire.
“Helping? Like I said before your majesty I’m leading her back to the beginning like we originally planned. Isn’t that what you want?” Spike put on his best smile, though it was utterly nervous and completely fake and forced.
“Actually Spike, I had another plan in mind. She’s been traveling for oh so long, so many hours wasted away. She’ll be growing rather hungry by now won’t she? And wouldn’t you, her friend, be honored to give her something?” Discord’s toothy smirk was downright creepy and unsettling to the dragon.
“I don’t exactly want to harm her, she’s done nothing wrong to me,” Spike spoke as bravely as he could.
Discord looked surprised at the dragon’s words. “You really think I’d harm her? I am Discord Master and Lord of Chaos, King of the Chaos City. I may look evil, I may be evil, but there is one little piece, a very little piece, that prevents me from hurting the filly, calm yourself Spyro,” he snorted, his face turning back to calm. And yet his eyes looked unsettled and quite upset by the dragon’s words.
“Here, I have a small present for the mare,” something red and shiny appeared in his hand. He tossed it to Spike and once he caught it he saw that it was an apple.
“What is it? No, what’s in it?” he questioned, narrowing his eyes.
“Ever read Snow White and the Seven Breezies?” Discord asked.
“No,” Spike spoke truthfully.
“Idiots all of you. I swear,” Discord sighed with annoyance in his voice, shaking his head.
“The Princess, Snow White, bites into the apple and falls into a deep slumber because the apple had been poisoned by her wicked stepmother even though the queen, who passes into the next world later because of falling from a cliff, and the Breezies and even the prince think she’s dead the apple just put her to sleep. Not dead, but you get it,” Discord explained.
“It won’t hurt her will it?” Spike questioned.
“What part of sleep, can you not get through that oversized and thick skull of yours? And I don’t mean eternal sleep, just a temporary sleep. Seven more hours per say,” Discord shrugged.
“Okay fine...” Spike sighed in defeat.
“You know what bothered me most about that book?” Discord asked.
“What?” Spike rhetorically responded.
“If they thought she was dead, why did they let the Prince kiss her? If she had been dead it would have been a living guy kissing a dead girl,” Discord fake shuddered, using his magic to create a gagging and puking sound effect.
Spike wanted badly to question what was so important about the mare, and why Discord too looked pained to be giving her the apple, but he held his tongue. “Oh and if she ever, and I mean ever, kisses you. Head or cheek, you’ll get to become a Prince yourself,” Discord smirked as he stopped walking away. “Prince of the Land beyond the Everfree forest,” he chuckled walking away.
Beyond the Everfree forest was not a pleasant place. It was actually inside the labyrinth, like a second basement even though it was not underground. “What if... Oh no...” Spike’s mind whirled as the worst thought imaginable went into his head.
“She’s in the Land beyond the Everfree Forest,” he took off running, placing the apple in his other bag, next to the gem one.
Fluttershy’s ears twitched as she heard a tapping noise repeating itself. “Hello?” she spoke barely above a whisper. A maniacal laughter, similar to the Changeling’s, came from in front of her. A large creature with a tiger’s head and body but also with a goat’s head and a snake for a tail appeared in front of her laughing like a psycho from the horror movies. Behind her appeared a Ursa Major and next to the Ursa Major appeared Cragadile.
She felt to stunned to move, she had been wrong. Very, very wrong. Her eyes were wide in horror as the color from her drained to her hooves and actually into a puddle of buttermilk and pink paint. She was completely gray except for her eyes and her three butterflies cutie mark. She’d been to far placed into fear to even scream.
The Chimera, Ursa Major, and Cragadile all stared at her as though they were waiting for her to do something. With what seemed to be annoyance the Ursa Major let out a loud thundering roar that could probably be heard throughout the entire labyrinth, it was worse than the Manticore Blackthorn’s.
Discord was sitting in his throne quietly drinking a glass of chocolate milk, again, it seemed to be the thousandth one but he hardly seemed to care. He felt nerves wrecking inside, his stomach churning. He’d never felt this way before and it infuriated him as much as it confused him.
He blamed Zecora for it most of all. She said she hadn’t cast any spell and yet there was one, and he resented it. He still had ceased to get a straight answer out of her when she told him to not ignore the cries of the Pegasus. His bird hand twitched and shook violently, spilling drips of chocolate milk in the process.
I am not in love. I have never been and never will be. That striped Witch cast a spell unto me. She will reverse it whether she likes it or not, but why would she do that in the first place? He growled irritably at his unanswered questions.
Pressing the still shaking cup to his lips he began drinking the cup instead of the chocolate milk until he heard a bloodcurdling and ear piercing scream, or cry whichever would work.
Immediately he spit the cup out and the chocolate fell to the ground with a crash. “Sire! We may be under attack!” Rover, Spot, and Fido all dashed to hide behind his throne, covering their heads with their large paws even digging their small black claws into tufts of fur.
“Attack? Who screamed?” he immediately questioned, not caring about the spilled milk and broken glass.
“I don’t know! Changelings flying to their homes! Other dogs doing the same except running!” Rover shuddered.
“It was like nails on a chalkboard. Who cried like that?” Fido whimpered.
“Whoever it was does not matter, something says it is from the Land beyond the Everfree Forest! Those cries should not be ignored!” Spot growled out, still shaking.
Discord stopped in his tracks, time seemed to slow down. Spot had not been the first creature who say cries should not be ignored, and if Discord’s theory was correct then he immediately knew who it was. “Is this my punishment just for being the Master of Chaos?” he murmured, using his magic to see where the scream originated from.
Spot had been right. It did come from beyond the Everfree Forest, and he too was right. A Chimera, a Cragadile, and a Ursa Major had cornered the mare. The strangest thing was that she was completely gray, except for the teal eyes and the three pink butterflies for her cutie mark, and she was standing in a puddle of what looked like paint. Except the paint was cream and cotton candy pink colored. Has Chaos affected the pony so much that her colors literally drain from her? Naturally he would laugh at something like that, he would laugh at any-pony who that had happened to, but Fluttershy for the strangest of reasons was no ordinary pony.
He could see they were closing in on her, they were the predators and she was the prey, and the mare was to scared, or more like petrified, to even move an inch. “Rover, Spot, Fido, we’re not under attack,” he quickly spoke. “Tell everyone that everything will be fine, and I will handle this,” he rolled his sleeves up.
“Uh sire we thank you for telling us we are not under attack but uh...” Rover trailed off.
“When you say you will handle it that usually makes things worse,” Spot finished for him, then hid under Fido.
Discord shot cinnamon red daggers at the trio. “I will deal with you three later,” he hissed out the word later, exactly like a snake would do. He snapped his fingers and in a poof of starry white he appeared beyond the Everfree Forest, yet somehow still in the labyrinth. I love Chaos. He mentally sighed.
He heard another scream, or what sounded like a pleading for help. “I also hate Zecora,” he mumbled. Within a moments notice a small white envelope with small white wings on the ends on the top. Reluctant he opened it. “I hate you too, now go help the mare you!” he read aloud. Burning the letter yet letting the wings flutter away he crept into the shadows, hidden from sights and yet no matter how badly he wanted to he could not close his eyes or look away for the sight that lay before him.
Fluttershy wished she had the strength to move. She doubted she would be able to outrun a Chimera, Ursa Major, and Cragadile if it was only one of them, and since it was three her chances were even lower than before. She could fly but not very high, that was bad, very bad. The Ursa Major let out another thunderous roar and that did seem to snap the mare into her thoughts, though she was to scared to move at all.
The color had returned to her and she no longer looked like a black and white movie. But she did not run nor fly, not even scream again, she curled herself into a ball, covered her hooves over her head and covered her hooves with her wings like she had done when she first met Discord face to face. She could tell the Ursa Major would be the first to strike, she could see the faint outline of its massive paw rising up in a striking notion.
She sealed her eyes shut and prepared for the worst, but it did not come. Instead she heard a surprised roar and then a rather loud thudding and she even felt the earth literally shift, when the thud happened she was lifted from the ground herself only to be dropped right back on it. The sound of pained yowls and roars echoed in her ears, she shook with fear. Chattering more than a beaver. At this point of time she wished her animals, Angel most of all, were with her. Though they’d be in danger too.
Fluttershy felt the ground vibrate around her as she heard trampling and running, running away. She saw that her savior was standing above her. Without thinking, not caring who it was, she flew into the savior wrapping her arms around him or her and holding tightly. “This is nice but you’re crushing my spine,” a voice, a male voice, said sounding strained.
She felt her heart skip a beat, again.
“Discord?” she opened her eye so she could see for herself.
It was him. Mixed animal parts with a pony head and all. “Did you expect Spyro?” he asked, sarcasm dripping on his tongue but there was something else. It was in his voice a bit, like he was using the sarcasm to hide it. Concern? She looked into his eyes and saw the same thing, it looked like concern to her.
“Um his name is Spike,” she corrected. “And um... Thank you...” she added, covering her eye with her wing again.
“You do realize I can easily take off your wing?” she could tell he was smirking.
“I have two,” she shrugged, though she had an idea of his retort or counter. “And I know you can take that off as well,” she spoke before he could.
He was silent, she was tempted to remove her wings but a thought struck her mind; What if that’s what he’s waiting for? What’s he doing here anyway? I thought he didn’t want me to get my brother back.
“Um if you don’t mind me asking... but why did you save me? I thought you didn’t want me to be here?” she questioned, still not moving her arms or wings. He remained silent. It unnerved her.
“I-I... um... Can’t a man play heroics? And besides, I may be the King of Chaos, why would I leave a mare to get harmed by a Ursa Major, Cragadile, and Chimera? I’m surprised Spike didn’t warn you about this place,” he answered, was that edginess she heard in his tone? She couldn’t tell.
“I didn’t know which door to choose. I guess once again I chose the wrong one,” Fluttershy sighed lightly. “First door I fell into an oubliette, second time I almost get attacked by a Chimera, Cragadile, and Ursa Major,” she finished.
She noticed he hadn’t spoken again. “You’re trembling, understandable but you realize they are gone?” he asked.
“Traumatic experience,” she spoke quickly.
“I think that before we had gotten off on the wrong hoof, I think-- Oh come on!” he groaned, and the mare had been certain she heard him slap one of his hands onto his head.
“What?” she asked, moving her wings and even her arms.
“Don’t look, I’m reading a letter,” he was holding a white envelope that had small white wings on the edges. “From who if you don’t mind?” she tilted her head slightly, her mane falling from her shoulder as a strand fell over her teal orbs.
“Hold on...” he said as he looked closely at the letter. He was mumbling the words, Fluttershy couldn’t hear them, “Help you gave and you did not miss, and now fulfill the story my hated friend and kiss.”
Fluttershy was confused by his wide eyes. As always the cinnamon parts were misshapen, the left larger than the right, but they both looked the same for the moment. Enlarged and both shocked and Fluttershy swore she saw embarrassment in their red depths. “Are you okay?” she asked flying up to where her head was the same height as his.
“Um, perfectly fine, just a small Chaos order. Running a kingdom, especially one of Chaos though I love it oh so, is no walk in the park or piece of cake,” he stuttered, hiding the letter behind his back. His actions caused her to widen her eyes in shock, then narrow them into suspicion filled eyes.
“You’re usually calm and collected, stoic and almost still as a stone back when we first met, what changed?” she closed one eye and opened the other wide and aimed it at him.
He seemed to choke on words. “I-I... Uh... Great Celestia this is awful...” he muttered, she still heard.
“What?” she dove behind him trying for the letter, he turned at the same moment.
“I don’t really think you’d be interested, you said the labyrinth was Chaotic. And I take it you don’t enjoy it very much,” he spoke to quickly as he flapped his blue wing and his bat wing to lift himself into the air.
“You’re talking quickly,” she studied him. She too was usually kind to pester but the look in his eyes and his stuttering and muttering made her question.
“Discord, whatever it is I want to know. You don’t like Chaos, you love it, and I doubt that you who pretty much owns it all would be so secretive?” she flew closer to him, he backed up.
“Can’t a man have secrets? Even Kings have some things that need to be kept away in containment and not shown to the entire world!” he called out as though someone, very far away, could hear him.
Another white envelope appeared, the one in his hand burned up by his magic but Fluttershy grabbed it before he could. “Hey! It’s Chaos Kingdom business,” she kept dodging him every time he flew or appeared in front of her. “My arms are longer and I’m the Lord of Chaos, what is going on here?” he questioned still advancing for the letter.
Fluttershy opened it and read it, in her mind and not aloud. I see nothing wrong with it, why over something so silly are you throwing a fit? It said, and after Sincerely it said Zecora. “What’s so silly?” she asked as he grabbed the letter.
“I just had a small thought on an improvement for my kingdom. I shared it with Zecora, I was concerned on how the citizens of the city would react to it,” he smiled, it was to nervous and forced in Fluttershy’s eyes.
“Why? You’re the King. The King does whatever he pleases, he doesn’t need the permission of his people,” she stared at him.
“Usually,” she added as he raised a finger and opened his mouth.
“Fine you caught me, I had something else in mind. Confusion and a lot of thinking, Zecora saw something she wasn’t supposed to and now she’s torturing me with it. I am still confused at this very moment,” he folded his arms across his chest irritated.
“Why won’t you tell me? What did I do? Please don’t bring up the incident with asking for the Changelings, it was an accident I swear,” her voice cracked. His ears twitched at the sound of it.
“Did I do something wrong? Do you dislike me?” she questioned.
“You did nothing wrong. Of course I don’t dislike you! Any-pony who does dislike you would be a complete idiot!” he softly grabbed her hooves with his hands.
“Then why won’t you tell me?”
“It’s embarrassing!” she swore she heard whining.
“Are you whining?” she asked.
“Maybe,” she had to hold back a fit of giggles at that one word.
“Please tell me? What am I going to do? Race around the entire labyrinth screaming at the top of my lungs the Chaos King’s big secret? What could possibly be so bad?” she asked, noticing that his hands hadn’t let go of her hooves.
A light bulb appeared above Discord’s head and antlers and sparked yellow. He grabbed it and threw it backwards, creating a small explosion. “Remember when you were in the oubliette? Spike grabbed the door and opened it the first time? Slammed it shut because a mare screamed? Disturbingly I know what was in there, thankfully it was not seen but still. He was blushed pinker than Pinkie Pie’s mane and tail, that may be what I do but my heart may stop. And I hate that little pest,” he growled under his breath.
“What did Spike do?” she remembered her conversation when he was climbing the ladder. It was ridiculous to her still but she still wanted to know what he was hiding from her.
“He knows more than he should, I think he knows my secret, and I question his loyalty to me,” he grumbled.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth Discord regretted them. “Where is Spike?” Fluttershy asked, her voice laced with innocence, even her eyes shone curiosity instead of the mischief hidden.
“Out,” Discord immediately said, knowing he was saying all the wrong things to get her to let the idea of him having a secret go and saying all the right things to make her more curious. And probably even get her to ask the dragon about it the next time she saw him. If she did.
“Why did you save me? I thank you but why?” she asked, their eyes making contact.
“That scream was heard all the way to the Chaos Castle, the three Diamond Dogs stormed into my throne room even though I’d heard it myself. Changelings and the other dogs, those three included, believed we were under attack. I wonder how Shining Armor, Flash, Chrysalis, Sombra, Iron Will, and Tirek reacted. My point being I wasn’t going to allow any-pony to be attacked by a cranky Ursa Major, Cragadile, and Chimera,” his answer was honesty.
Fluttershy didn’t know what to say. She wondered what to say. “Thank you,” she finally spoke, though it was more of a whisper, and she even hugged him. Not as tight as the first time but it was close.
She felt embarrassed slightly but she knew no other way to thank him. “Will I return to finding my way to solve the labyrinth? How many hours to I have left?” she asked hoping to cut out the awkward silence and moment.
“If that’s what you want. And I think...” he was counting with his fingers. “Still six hours,” he stated.
“Oh okay...” she sighed, she was running out of time but she still wanted her brother back. “So what is so silly that your friend, Zecora, was talking about in the letter?” she returned to the previous question. She felt him turn still as a stone. “Discord?” she questioned looking into his embarrassed eyes, and the sight of him made her surprised and confused.
His face was red as a rose or an red apple. “Embarrassing,” he muttered, yet she heard whining in it. Another letter appeared, and once again Fluttershy grabbed it before he could. Another letter appeared and Discord snatched that instead. He read it, in his head though; “Let her read the previous letter and also just so you know this one was a distraction, mostly because when she reads my previous letter I want to see your reaction.”
He grew irritated and he would make Zecora run for the hills the next time he saw her. “Stupid striped...” his ears twitched at the sound of a letter opening.
“For the love of the mare, Chaos May Care?” Fluttershy read it aloud.
“Chaos May Care?” Discord questioned, thinking. “CMC?” his mind boggled. And yet another letter. “Reading is fundamental, even if the mare reading that one is accidental,” he growled at the letter. “P.S. I will run for no hills, you do not give me the chills,” it finished.
“What does she mean Chaos May Care?” Fluttershy asked, looking back to him.
“Uhm,” Discord twittered his thumbs. Think of a good excuse you fool! He growled in his mind.
“Discord?” he noticed she tilted her head slightly, again, and a strand of her cotton candy colored hair fell unto her eyes. “Chaos May Care means, uhm, that means I will give you one helpful hint or bonus in your noble quest,” he poofed himself into a adventurer’s suit.
“Really?” she questioned.
“Would I lie? Go ahead and ask for a bonus, don’t be shy,” he smirked, looking at the sky. Nothing happened except for the mare thinking and a frown forming on his face. “Oh come on! Now you don’t send letters? You and I are going to have a long chat about that!” he pointed to the sky.
“Send me to just outside your throne room?” he saw the mare holding back a small smirky smile.
“Cute. Real cute,” he shook his head, a smirk on his own lips.
“Can you send me out of this place?” she asked.
“Of course, though I had the intention of doing that anyway, I’ll send you to the stone walls. They’re away from here but fairly--” he lifted his bird index finger. “A fair distance from the castle,” he finished.
“To the mare, that is fair,” she said softly.
“Did you just--? I don’t wanna know. I need a nice long chat with Zecora,” he raised his lion hand. “It’ll snap you to the walls,” Discord said, snapping his fingers.
The mare disappeared in a poof of white. Discord knew she was at the walls, he also knew that Spike would be giving her the apple rather shortly. Actually he wondered if he would, he also wondered if he really wanted him to give her the apple anymore.
He thought about how the mare first acted when she saw him for the first time, when the Changelings took her stepbrother. She had been afraid, but she hardly showed it. She had done it again back in the Caves of the Diamond Dogs. Once again, though she was probably scared enough to have a heart attack from the true enemies, she had been unafraid of him. And the very first time they had met she hadn’t even flinched when she saw his appearance. As though she hadn’t cared.
She was nice. Pleasant. Beautiful. He thought in his mind, a involuntary smile forming on his lips. He snapped back into reality upon realizing his thoughts. “Dear Celestia. Am I--?” he couldn’t bring himself to finish the question.
“In love with the gentle dove? Indeed,” Zecora’s voice echoed through the trees.
“I hate you...” he slumped his shoulders, narrowing his eyes.
“I hate you too, but you can feel the love I know you do,” she rhymed.
“You are the reason I hate rhymes, you’ve tortured me with them a thousand times,” he smirked as her voice was silent.
“Oh but Discord it felt so right, can’t you feel the love tonight?” he could tell by her voice she was smirking.
He slammed his head unto the first tree he came to. “The feeling is not something you can avert, and didn’t that hurt?” she questioned.
“I feel nothing,” he sighed.
“Except the feeling of the right, and the love tonight,” she was still smirking. “Do you really want the dragon to give her the sleep, after all if that happens you may weep,” she pressed.
“Wait sleep? I--” he questioned but his eyes widened when he remembered. “The apple...” he wondered if he should stop the dragon or not.
“Do not ignore the truth old friend, after all if that happens Fluttershy’s wounds will be something you cannot easily mend,” she warned. He felt unsure of what to do. Stop the dragon or let him go through with it.
“He may not be brave enough to do it,” he spoke with unease.
“Truly you can come up with a better excuse? The dragon is afraid of you, and yet he still wonders who. Do you truly wish for her to fall into a slumber so her final six hours will be wasted away, for something you do not really want all to test if the dragon will betray?” she questioned him more.
Discord did not know how to answer. She was right about the part with the colt, the creature found him annoying and spiteful. Worse than the Zebra could be on her off days, or any other day. After what felt like hours, but was truly minutes, of thinking he finally made his decision and it was final. Probably, after all; Chaos May Care................................................................................................................................