Fluttershy looked around, this wasn't the Everfree forest, or Discord's castle. all around her was a musky brown ground that seemed to go on forever and the sky was no longer a deep blue but was the darkest black she had ever seen. The shy mare squinted her eyes but nothing was visible and nothing was there.
"Hello? Is anypony there? Please. I..I don't want to be... alone" the gentle mare started to quietly sob to herself as she lay down on the dusty ground and curled into herself. Thud. A loud noise awoke fluttershy from her slumber. she looked up and screamed. Fluttershy ran. She had never run that fast before, not in her entire life. The red scaled dragon was close behind her, she could feel its hot breath on her back which only made her run faster. The flame dragon suddenly shot out five of its diamond like talons and held fluttershy in its stone cold grip. She screamed.
"Raging Heat, I demand that you release her immediately" a familiar voice shouted. Upon hearing this the fearsome dragon dropped fluttershy. The timid mare looked up, and was so very thankful at what she saw. It had been Twilight who had saved her but her other four friends were there too. Then it hit her, her friends called this dragon by name and it listened to them.
"Now now Raging Heat you should know by now that we make the kills, not you" Twilight said as if this had happened before. Fluttershy gasped. Raging Heat looked at the five mares with an apologetic look in his emerald eyes and its ears drooping.
"Wh-what" fluttershy stammered. All her friends looked at fluttershy with slightly manic smiles plastered to their faces. Fluttershy backed away, only to walk into Raging Heat and collapse as her legs gave way.
"You know," Rarity said in a higher pitched voice," I've always wanted to see what happens when a pegasus bleeds to death"
"No...I won't let you hurt her" a deep voice growled behind the dragon. Suddenly fluttershy was teleported far away from the dangerous mares and their pet dragon.
"Discord!" Fluttershy hugged her draconequus friend. Discord happily returned the embrace, gently rubbing her back to calm her as she cried out of shock and relief.
"You know...I do find this a bit strange" Discord said in a confusing manner making fluttershy pull away and star at him, confused.
"What's strange" fluttershy questioned.
"Let me explain. When you were flying you fell and slipped into unconsciousness, oh, and this is a dream, but you can still get hurt. Also, I am not the real Discord, only a duplicate, created by your memories of him, and your mind, to keep you safe, I am your brains way of defending you, but I am still Discord" the duplicate explained,"in a way" he muttered to himself.
"So why is it so strange?" Fluttershy asked, a little confused.
"Well, your mind could have made one of your friends appear to protect you, but you chose me instead, the one who nearly everypony fears. You trust me with your life more than you do your friends" fluttershy blushed slightly at that.
"Then why did my friends try to kill me?" Fluttershy started to sob quietly again and buried her face into Discord's chest.
"I think that in this world you will encounter your worst fears, two of them must be dragons and your friends turning on you," futtershy nodded at this, a few more tears leaking out of her eyes "but your mind has put me here to protect you, so I will." Discord said firmly while looking straight into her teal eyes. Fluttershy hugged discord again, and the two stayed like that for a while, relishing in the calmness of the moment.