The Haven

by Original Usermane

The Plan

When he got home from undoing all the damage, Fluttershy had, indeed, finished making dinner. She’d even made the main course look like his face, which made him laugh heartily. She grinned at him.

After this added failed attempt at becoming more likeable, Fluttershy made a point to be as nice to Discord as she could to cheer him up, which only ended up strengthening their growing attraction even further. Her animals were starting to pick up on the romantic tension, and often shared exasperated looks whenever there was an awkward pause in the pair’s conversations due to said romantic tension. While Fluttershy was gone watching the Equestria game, Discord tried steeling himself against her a bit. She’d never care for him the same way, and he really didn’t see the appeal in setting himself up for disappointment.

She had to return to the Empire again just a week after returning from the Games, accompanying Twilight to some sort of meeting that the Princesses were having with foreign dignitaries. She had promised to have tea with him when she got back. He spent that evening floating boredly around a chocolate milk lake in his haven, but suddenly felt a massive magical imbalance and jumped, surprised.

“Well, that can’t be good,” he said, frowning. “I suppose something of this magnitude should really be brought to the princesses’ attention…” After deliberating for a moment, he teleported himself to the Crystal Empire and found that Celestia and Luna were already up and looking worried.

“Discord, what is it?” Celestia said tensely.

“Some sort of magical imbalance,” DIscord replied.

“You can sense him?” Luna asked excitedly.

“Him?” Discord asked. Celestia explained about Tirek. “Sounds dreadful. I suppose you’ll be sending your favorite little pupil after him, then?”

“No,” Celestia said resolutely. Luna looked surprised. “This may be too much, even for her and her friends. What we need is someone who can work from the inside. A double-agent, if you will. That way we can try to stop Tirek when he’s least expecting it.”

“But sister, surely you can’t mean-” Luna protested.

“I do,” Celestia said seriously. Luna grimaced.

“I don’t follow,” Discord said.

“News of your true change has not yet spread, and many ponies still view you as treacherous,” Celestia said, watching him closely. “Nopony would be surprised if you happened to go over to Tirek’s side.”

“Me!?” Discord asked incredulously.

“Despite our past disagreements, you have proved yourself as trustworthy in the past months,” Celestia said regally. “This may be our best chance to stop him.”

“But… they’ll all think they’ve been right about me this whole time!” Discord protested. “I’ve been too busy to try to befriend them at all, anyway, and after this they may never trust me again!”

“Once this is all over and Tirek is defeated, you may explain everything to them,” Celestia said. “I’ll leave it up to you, but I will back up anything you tell them about your work. Please, Discord.”

“Well, I suppose,” he agreed reluctantly. “But only if I can tell Fluttershy before I ‘join Tirek’. I refuse to let her believe I’ve turned my back on her. She’s… more important to me than anypony.”

“Of course,” Celestia agreed, somewhat puzzled by Discord’s tone of voice during his last statement. He’d sounded like he meant more than friendship by that… no, it was probably just her imagination. “And when this is all over, I’ll be sure to allow you more time in Ponyville so you can begin developing relationships with Twilight and the others. You may want to warn Fluttershy, now. Twilight will be told in the morning that it is you who will be sent after Tirek, though she won’t know of the full plan, and I doubt you want Fluttershy to hear about it second-hoof.”

“Definitely not,” Discord agreed. He immediately found his way to Fluttershy’s room while the Princesses continued to discuss the Tirek problem. She was already sleeping when he came in, and he felt terrible about waking her, but after a few minutes of watching the peaceful expression on her face and the gentle rise and fall of her breathing, he settled his paw on her shoulder. Being a light sleeper, this was enough to wake her, and she blinked in tired confusion at him.

“Discord?” she asked. “Is something wrong at home? Why are you here?”

“It’s fine at home,” he assured her. “But… something’s coming Fluttershy.” She was fully awake and sitting within instants.

“Coming? What?” she asked worriedly. He told her everything that the Princesses had told her about Tirek and his role in Celestia’s plan.

“I just wanted you to know about it beforehand so you wouldn’t think I’d betrayed you,” Discord said.

“I would never!” Fluttershy protested. “After everything we’ve been through, I wouldn’t believe it if my life depended on it!”

“That’s nice to hear,” Discord said with a smile. “You may still want to act surprised if and when Twilight tells you, though.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy nodded. She yawned cutely.

“Back to bed,” Discord declared.

“Oh, but you’ll have to leave tomorrow!” she protested. “I want to spend-” yawn. “-time with you.”

“Sleep,” he insisted. “I’ll take Tirek down so fast you won’t have time to miss me.”

“You’d better,” she threatened playfully, and sank down into her pillows and drifted back to sleep. Discord smiled tenderly and left the room, returning home for the night.

The ponies got back to Ponyville the next morning. Twilight took the entire train ride home explaining about Tirek, and her most startling revelation came after they’d arrived in Ponyville and gotten off the train.

“Discord!?” Applejack exclaimed disbelievingly. “As in, Discord, Discord!?”

“Yes,” Twilight affirmed.

“I don’t think it’s that big of a surprise,” Fluttershy said softly, trying to stick up for him without giving too much away. “He can be very helpful!” Pity how they didn’t know about any of the things he’d helped with, though… Her friends all gave her flat looks.

“He can sense when there’s a magical imbalance,” Twilight explained. “The next time Tirek steals magic, Discord will be able to track him down.”

“So… what are you supposed to do in the meantime?” Rainbow asked. Twilight sighed.

“Nothing. Unless of course one of you needs me to smile and wave.” She started walking off dejectedly.

“Where are you going?” Spike asked.

“To the castle of the two sisters,” Twilight said. “I’m not really needed anywhere else. Might as well catch up on some of my reading.” The friends exchanged looks.

“You want some company?” Rainbow offered.

“It has been awhile since we visited the castle. Could be fun!” Applejack agreed.

“I guess I could use a little company right now,” Twilight admitted.

They walked into the forest and paused on the edge of the cliff looking down on the Tree of Harmony.

“I still can’t believe we had to give up the elements,” Rainbow complained.

“It had to be done, or the Tree of Harmony wouldn’t have survived,” Rarity reminded her.

“But Twilight was right,” Fluttershy said. “Even without the elements, our friendship is as strong as ever.”

“I just hope another ‘friend’ of ours never makes them sorry we had to give them up,” Applejack grumbled. Fluttershy sighed on the inside. Were they ever going to let that go?

“Oh ho ho! You’re talking about me, I presume?” Discord asked gleefully, drifting down on an umbrella with a scarf and briefcase. He was glad to be involved in the action for once, especially since this was his chance, or would be when this was all over, to make friends with Fluttershy’s friends once and for all. Plus, he’d been reading the Scrapbook of Harmony over again to pass the time while he waited for the next imbalance to occur when he’d noticed something interesting.

“How’d ya guess?” Applejack asked sarcastically.

“My ears were burning,” Discord said, lighting them on fire for effect before dousing them with a conjured glass of water.

“What are you even doing here, Discord?” Rainbow Dash asked, irritated. Fluttershy was actually wondering that, herself. She knew he was going to go after Tirek, but she wasn’t expecting him to show up to her friends, first.

“Oh, just a bit of light reading before I head off on my extremely important mission. I suppose you all know that I’ve been tasked to capture a certain escapee.”

“Big deal,” Spike scoffed.

“You’re right, Spike. It is a big deal,” Discord agreed. “Seems I possess a magic that gives me quite an important role in Equestria.” ‘And one that’s helpful and should get me in your good books as soon as you know about it...’ “Maybe they should make me an alicorn princess!” he joked, giving himself a pink unicorn horn and pegasus wings. Unfortunately, nopony was as accustomed to his sense of humor, so Fluttershy's small smile was the only positive reaction.

“In your dreams,” Rainbow snapped, and she whacked his crown off his head.

“Oh, I never dream of such things,” Discord scoffed. “Ask Princess Luna.” ‘ON second thought… I’d really rather none of you know what I dream about...’

“Don’t you have a creepy magic-stealin’ villain to track down?” Applejack asked pointedly.

“Yes, yes, yes, of course,” Discord said, grabbing them all and teleporting them to the tree. “It’s just, I couldn’t help but notice that Twilight hasn’t yet opened this little chest of hers.”

‘Does he know something?’ Fluttershy wondered, growing excited. She kept it hidden, though, because the others all assumed he was taunting them and she’d have a hard time satisfactorily explaining why she was happy about it.

“It got me thinking,” Discord continued. “What if what’s locked inside is something that could help her prove her royal worth? I only bring it up because she said she’s been feeling like her role as a princess doesn’t equate to much.” He’d heard this second-hand through Fluttershy and Celestia, but they didn’t need to know that. They rarely questioned his random bouts of seeming omnipotence.

“Wait a minute!” Pinkie yelled. “How do you know how she was feeling!?” Too bad ‘rarely’ doesn’t mean quite the same thing as ‘never’.

“Oh my, is eavesdropping not the way you’re supposed to find out what your best pals are up to?” he improvised quickly. “Woe is me. Will I ever learn the intricate nuances of being a good friend?” Only Fluttershy caught the irony in that statement. Discord cleared his throat. “Well, in any case, I suppose now is as good a time as any for me to make my exit.” He put on a helmet he’d materialized as he hopped on a motorbike he’d materialized. He started it up, then disappeared.

‘Maybe he didn’t find anything,’ Fluttershy thought. ‘He would’ve left more hints than that. Maybe he’s just trying to give Twilight something to occupy herself with so she doesn’t feel bad about not being sent after Tirek?’

Discord realized what he’d forgotten at just that moment and came back, leaning over the ponies with the book in his hands.

“Oopsie doopsie, I almost left with the little journal you’ve all been keeping!” he said. ‘Oh, he knows something alright.’ “What a fascinating read! Haven’t you girls just learned so much! I’ve bookmarked a few of the more interesting passages. You really should take a look!” He balanced the book on Twilight’s horn.

“We’re still on for tea, later, aren’t we Fluttershy?” Discord asked. They didn’t have time now, but maybe when he got back.

“I wouldn’t miss it,” she agreed with a smile and a twinkle in her eyes. He grinned.

“Well, I’ll bring the cucumber sandwiches!” he said happily, and left through a door of his own creation, which disappeared once he’d shut it.

“Sometimes I think the ‘reformed’ Discord is more obnoxious than the ‘before-he-was-reformed’ Discord,” Applejack muttered.

“Indeed!” Rarity agreed huffily.

“But he could be right, couldn’t he?” Fluttershy intervened before any more Discord-bashing could take place. “What if there is something important in that chest?”

“There’s only one way to find out,” Twilight said with a smile. Fluttershy hoped that Twilight had picked up on Discord’s hint about the Scrapbook of Harmony, since she had a hunch the answer was in there, but instead Twilight had them head to the library in the Castle of the Two Sisters to look for answers. Fluttershy didn’t pay much attention, waiting for Twilight to figure it out while she made it look like she was looking.

Comments

[Featherclaw]

The 'betrayal' part with Discord this whole time, was a bit confusing...

[Theresa]

Considering they had plenty of time to give him a chance but refused to even think about it. Holding a grudge because discord did wrong in the past is not the best way to make friends. How can he trust them when they don't trust him?