//------------------------------// // The Flower and the Draconequus // Story: Your Best Friend // by Orkus //------------------------------// Flowey sat in a perfectly-sized flowerpot on the windowsill, looking outside as a great many thoughts rolled through his head. As he felt the warm sunlight that shined over himself, Fluttershy walked by. "What's gonna happen today, Fluttershy?" he asked, turning to her. "I'm expecting a friend over," she replied. "We always have tea on Tuesdays." "Ooh... what's his name?" the flower inquired once more. "Discord," the pegasus responded again. "He's a draconequus." "Neato!" he said. "Could I say hi to him too?" "Of course," Fluttershy answered. She picked him up in a hoof and carried him to the nearby coffee table, placing him on top of it. After sitting herself down in a chair, she looked to the clock on the wall. The second the two hands connected to the twelve, a white, blinding flash went out, revealing a shape that was utterly alien to Flowey, and bore the appearance of several animals. "Here I aaaammm!" Discord sang out, as his mismatched form fully appeared. "How are you, my dear Fluttershy?" "I'm very well, Discord," she replied, a large smile planted on her face. "What have you been up to lately?" "Oh, the usual," he chuckled, floating down to the nearby couch and levitating a teacup to himself. "Stirring up chaos in my pocket dimension, teasing Celestia by hiding all of her jewelry, that sort of thing." "Howdy!" Flowey greeted after he had finished, gaining his attention. "You look awful strange." "Erm... Who is that?" the draconequus asked, pointing a claw at the flower on the table. Fluttershy giggled quietly. "That's Flowey," she replied. "I found him in the Everfree Forest when I was picking radishes. He's neat, huh?" "Neat?" Discord inquired, putting his teacup down. "I could make something like that." With a snap of his paw, another flowerpot poofed into his claw; its contents a red rose. One more snap later suddenly gave life to the plant, complete with googly eyes and a dorky expression on its now-mouthed face. The mindless creature started to wave its leaves around and began to speak gibberish as Discord showed it off to the two. "Ta-da!" he shouted. Fluttershy clearly looked amused, as shown by her laughing at how ridiculous the thing looked, but Flowey, while also smiling, bore what could only be described as an indifferent expression. Once his small face caught Discord's attention, the draconequus lowered his brow in confusion, and let the plant disappear into thin air. "Well, as you can see flower-guy, I have power to do stuff like that," he said again, picking his teacup up and looking into it. "Say, Fluttershy, do you have any sugarcubes?" "Oh no!" the pegasus suddenly exclaimed. "I forgot to get some! Be right back..." Placing her own cup down and getting up, she hurriedly trotted toward the kitchen. After she left, all Discord decided to do while waiting for his friend was stare at Flowey. Either from getting a closer look, or having changed them on his own, Flowey's eyes looked sunken and dark, leaving only white pupils to stare back with. Those two, white specks were like islands in a pool of darkness. After snapping out of the spell they caught him in, Discord shook his mismatched, horned head and spoke. "Um... so, "Flowey..." what's your opinion on Fluttershy?" he asked, attempting to strike up a friendly conversation. "Wouldn't you say she's just plain wonderful?" "She's valuable alright," the flower replied in a low, emotionless tone that caught him off-guard. "What do you mean "valuable?"" he asked. "What in the name of all things chaotic is that supposed to mean?" The flower shrugged as best it could, despite his lack of arms. "What? She saved me from the woods," he spoke, his cheerful voice returning. "She's an absolute treat to be around as well." He stuck his tongue out and flashed Discord a wink. "Why are you friends with her? What kind of thing did she do to make you see her as being wonderful, I wonder?" The draconequus chuckled. "I was once the evil lord of chaos," he began. "She helped reform me by showing me how much better it was to have friends, instead of being alone with power. It took me a little while, but in the end I found that friendship really is the greatest magic of all." "You... gave up your power to be her friend?" he suddenly asked. "No, I still have my chaos magic," Discord responded. "But I prefer the warm, delightful company of Fluttershy and her allies to ruling a world of disharmony. Why do you sound so... shocked about it?" "Oh, no reason, tee-hee..." the flower tittered in a questionable way, just as the shape of Fluttershy hummed back into the room; carrying a small plastic bag filled with cubes of sugar in her mouth. "Sorry it took me so long, I didn't know I was almost out of them..." she chuckled, after placing the bag on the table, beside Flowey. "How many do you want, Discord?" "Um... on second thought, I think I'll pass tea for today," he responded, placing his cup down, and causing Fluttershy to give him an odd, somewhat saddened look. "I just remembered that I have urgent business to attend to. I'll see you soon though!" Snapping his claws, he poofed away with another bright flash, leaving Fluttershy standing there with a confused expression. Flowey looked to her and gave an equally unsure look. "He's weird," the plant spoke, shaking his head. Twilight Sparkle exited her castle and made her way to Ponyville. She already her entire day planned out, and as usual, it was painstakingly well-detailed. Her current objective was to see Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres. However, she wasn't able to make it twelve paces from her home before a sudden, white flash went out in front of her, startling her immensely, and enough to jump back in reaction. "Discord?!" she shouted, looking into his yellow-and-red eyes. After straightening herself out, she shot him a grumpy look. "What do you want?" "I know you might think I'm trying to start something mischievous, but listen to me. This is important," he spoke in a quick, and unusually serious and to-the-point voice. The alicorn raised a brow in suspicion. "What is it?" she asked. "It's Fluttershy," he started, his face twisting into one of worry. "I think she might be in danger."