//------------------------------// // The Scheme of things Part 2 // Story: I Always win // by Jade Crossroads //------------------------------// The scheme of things Part II Discord awoke abruptly, his throat sore from crying out in agony. He clutched the sides of his head, and panted, the dream had felt too real. He leaned his back against the tree and tried to laugh off the nightmarish scene from his mind. If Celestia's that horrifying in my imagination, I can only imagine how Lulu would appear. Unfortunately, this attempt didn't prevent his thoughts from recounting the events of his last imprisonment as a lawn ornament. Sure, the dreams exaggerated things a bit, but one thing did run true. There was his version of the stone age, but there was also the pain, he had thought things would be different.... but they never were, and never could be. He needed to remember that. His ear twitched slightly at a gasp, and the shuffling of hooves, and he turned his head towards the sound.. What is it now? he thought irritably. That was before he heard it again, soft hoof falls alerted him of another presence. It was then that he saw a yellow pegasus darting for the cottage entrance. Funny, he didn't realize it'd ever opened. Hmm, could I have slept that long? Discord peered up at the sky, it was no longer lit the familiar shade of midnight purple, nor were stars scattered about. It was nearly sunrise now. He grunted, cursing the princess for waking him up so early, if they hadn’t he wouldn’t have had that dream, wouldn’t have let his invisibility spell fade. Now Fluttershy was running away and- That's when the Lord of Chaos face palmed himself, and really shook himself awake. He needed to catch that mare while she was still within his grasp! The draconequus took his time stretching a moment, he’d catch her, there was no rush, though he wrestled with the voice in his head that screamed from him to take action then and there. With one final stretch and snap of his fingers, Discord materialized before the mare and stared her down. "And where do you think are you going?" He asked, grinning mockingly. She falls on her rump, and gradually skids to a stop. Fluttershy’s eyes widen in terror as she raised her muzzle to peer into the eyes of the draconequus. "You were in such a hurry, one would think you were afraid for your life." He said all of this in a threatening tone before remembering to treat her with courtesy and kindness as Celestia had prompted. Judging from her current expression, being courteous, even in mock consideration would prove more successful Discord observed. "Dis-Discord!?" Fluttershy cries out as recognition settles in, which only made Discord's eyebrows furrow, Who or what had she been expecting? He quickly recovered however, and stalked closer to the mare. "Who else? Surely you couldn't think of a better run in than one with the infamous chaotic genius, that is moi?" Discord frowns, hearing no reply from the pegasus, who was attempting another desperate dash across the lawn. “What is it my little pegasus, got your wings in a twist?” Discord just couldn’t help himself, he grinned slyly as he snapped and knotted Fluttershy’s wings in a tight knot. Fluttershy turned her head, one eye open, afraid to confirm the returned villain’s snap affected her appendages. Once she did, all thoughts of making a run for it were forgotten, not that it would have mattered, it had only been a distraction for Discord to appear behind her, blocking yet another escape. Once Discord had used his magic to tie Fluttershy’s wings together, he found he couldn’t just stop there. No, he grinned, looking at his surroundings, this corner of Equestria’s forest was completely isolated from all of pony society,. Nopony would know it if he were to change some other things around. Now what do I have to work with? “Hmmm… I know!” Discord exclaimed wickedly. “Wh-what are you thinking about…?” asked a cautious Fluttershy, she knew whatever he had planned couldn’t be any good. The draconequus however, only chuckled to himself in response to her quiet outburst. Fluttershy squealed as leapt into the air, she tried to fly out to Ponyville, but soon found herself falling over on the grass, or what it had been mere second ago, she looked up to see that all around her was plaid and striped patterns of pink, blue, purple and green. “Oh no, not this again, anything but this…. Please Luna… If this is a dream, wake me up and quick!” Fluttershy hollered as loud as her tiny voice would go. “Oh, this is no dream Fluttershy, but if you’re so determined to wake up from it I can try and see what a chaotic equivalent of a pinch would be.” Discord answered her pleads instead with a snort. Her eyes darted to her face then, seeing her down cast and panicked expression he decided against this. He came up to her instead and pinched her cheeks, saying only “But then again, why is there any need for that? You’re so naive I just want to pinch your precious little cheeks!” Fluttershy however, tried to wrest his claw away from her face, she remembered the last encounter she had with Discord, and she wanted him and his magic nowhere near her. Unfortunately, this also meant that she couldn’t let him near her friends either, and so she needed to stall him long enough for her picnic with her friends. She almost smiled at her plan, but then realized one fatal flaw, that get together wouldn’t take place for hours! Despite this, Fluttershy refused to let her fear take hold, she had to do something, and fast, before Discord turned all of ponyville into his personal playground… again. Now that the creature she knew to be the spirit of disharmony had made his intentions of spreading chaos clear, Fluttershy finally found her voice. She and her friends had stopped Discord before, maybe they could stop him again? She just had to have a little courage… and dare him to change ponyville again, before he could try and do anything to corrupt them all. I can do this….I think. She assured herself, not that it helped much, she still felt her fear consuming her coherent thought. She just had to get away! But she tried her best to stand her ground, and glared at the perceived threat. She remembered all that he had done, and set her jaw in a firm line as she attempted to look intimidating, though all she could manage was to appear (mostly) unafraid of him. “O-oh, you’ve only covered the space around my cottage.” She said after noticing small patches and outlines of green in the distance. “I mean… that’s great and all…. but why don’t you just try to spread your chaos over to Ponyville like last time? Has your time in stone reduced your ability to wield chaos magic? Or do you lack the guts?” The mare challenged uncharastically, Discord raised his brow at this apparent and sudden change. Is this truly the same Element of kindness I faced not too long ago? He wondered, but what he didn’t know was that inwardly Fluttershy was screaming to take back every last word, she only held this flood of apologies at bay by reminding herself of how he had hurt her friends. “So... you want me to turn Ponyville into the chaos capital again? I thought you and the other precious element bearers hated my decor.” He asked, watching for her reaction. “Oh, w-well, It’s one of those things that you don’t really appreciate until it’s gone, i guess. I mean, I can’t speak on behalf of my friends… they hated it, I was just going along…” FLuttershy stumbled over her words, trying to lie her way out of the question she knew he was about to ask. “Oh, really?” Discord asked narrowing his eyes. “Um.. yes, yes truly.” She squeaked a little as she answered with yet another lie. When she had thought to taunt him, she never imagined how much it would take to convince him she was genuine. She didn’t think she would have to talk him into it at all in fact. “What was it that you love and miss the most of all my creations then?” Discord inquired, he knew when he was being lied to, and this pony was no different. Why, he could almost hear her internal conflict. “W-which one? W-w-why I can’t choose just one… they were all… um… too m-magnificent.” Fluttershy said. Discord only narrowed his eyes further, and seeing that she had failed to trick him, Fluttershy backed away, only for Discord to approach her side, and whispered sinisterly, “I know you’re lying”. Fluttershy gasped and stumbled slightly, her knees buckling. What would happen to her now? She thought as she let her hair tumbled over her face. She wouldn’t let him see the defeat spreading across her face, she couldn’t let him know she was afraid, but she quickly abandoned any hope of that when he loosed a maniacal laugh from his throat. "Please, d-don't turn me against my element again!" the cowering pony whimpers, backing away from the source of her fears a third time. "I like how I am!" She stammers as she turns her head away from the spirit of chaos. She strained to think only of herself, not because she was selfish, but it was just too much to think of her friends.Was his plan to corrupt them like last time? She didn’t want her friends to get her, yet she had failed them, and this villainous chaos lord would wreak havoc upon Equestria, because she couldn’t stop him. She silently crept away, but another snap and he wasn’t more than a few hoof lengths away. “Not to worry my little pegasus, I have no intentions of conquering Equestria…. as of yet anyway.” “But- but I thought-” Discord proceeded to laugh, “Oh, you should see how frightened you are right now! It’s priceless my dear! Priceless!” He chuckled. “I would love to do some redecorating around here, rest assured, but presently I would rather spend time with you. After all, the saying goes that you should keep your friends far far away, and keep your enemies closest to you!” The draconequus concluded gleefully, smiling as sweetly as he could, but this only terrified Fluttershy more. “I-I.. I don’t really think.. that that’s how that goes.” Fluttershy says almost inaudibly, but naturally draconequui have an uncanny sense of hearing when they're actually listening. “When I’m the one saying it it does!” Discord retorts. “Well… okay then.” Fluttershy says uncertainly. “What? You aren’t going to ask why?” The Lord of chaos asks curiously, expecting some sort of reaction other than this pony inspecting her hooves. “Ugh, Fine! I’ll just tell you,... It’s because I don’t make any sense, there ya happy now?!” Fluttershy only continues to look anywhere other than at him, only stopping her examination of her forehoof to stare at the still striped ground in silence instead. Discord swore he would go insane if she took it upon herself to forget her words. He turned his back to Fluttershy imagined himself back in canterlot, with the elements defeated, the princesses exiled, and himself sitting upon his antlered throne. All of that could be his future, all he had to do was make friends with this agonizingly pitiful pony. It no longer seemed as simple a task as when he had set out to do so, but he saw no other alternatives, the princesses would expect him to back out on his word. He sighed, and turned to face the one called Fluttershy one last time, he really had no plans as of yet on how to befriend her, perhaps he could arrange something small scale when he came to see her tomorrow? After he told her he was coming. Or maybe not, it was more fun to surprise ponies than to alert them of his presence, but he could tell this was not the case with this particular occupant of Ponyville. He turned around expecting to face the ever cowardly pegasus. Instead Discord found the door to her cottage was open. On no you don't! By that time, however, his target had gotten close enough to the entrance and so her inevitable escape from the creature that sought her. Discord’s already too late; a little rabbit steals away his quarry, leading a still petrified Fluttershy into the house and out of his sight and so out of his clutches. Discord, to say the least, was not pleased at the thought that he had just been thwarted…. and by a bunny to say the least! Refraining from transporting himself inside by magic as he cursed the stupid prissy princesses of canterlot (praying that at least Tia wouldn’t hear him, shuddering at the memory of nearly having to update his status to shishkabob or toast. He wasn’t sure which alternative was worse.) He opted instead to simply knock on the door to get her attention. "Come on, Fluttershy! Anypony home?" When no answer came he let himself in. If Discord had the time to play games, he might’ve come back later, but he wasn’t having this today! Celestia was right, the sooner he established relations or some ground of trust with this timid pony, the less painstaking it would be in the long run. What was the sole thing on his mind however, was a more serious matter, He had just been outsmarted by an uncivilized ball of fur!