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One Stormy Night1,329 words
The Garden Party2,293 words
Autumn arrival1,545 words
Narrow Escape2,436 words
The Cold Hard Truth2,888 words

The Cold Hard Truth

The flame of sunrise lifted from the mountaintops and dusk parted from the vast valley below. Through the cracked, stone walls a beam of sunlight with dust particles suspended in air.

The snoring dragon like body behind Fluttershy, with its huge lion paw hugged her torso, serving as a fuzzy wuzzy blanket through the bitterly cold nighttime. The tousled pink mane sprawled out, rested on his restful beating heart and how their loose intertwined tails.

Discord awoke too a snuggled up pegasus beside him. 'I can't believe, she stayed the night.' He lead his head, next to hers and nuzzles her soft, warm cheeks. Fluttershy faintly moaned, both of her forelegs grabbed hold of his paw and tucked the warmth into the gapes of her arms, cuddling him like a plush teddy. His eyes began to close again and relaxed back to sleep.

A load, rowdy rooster, crowed to great the early morning light. Fluttershy final awoken, she blinked a few times, each motion slowly came back to her surroundings with a startle.

"Oh. oh my," she felt a soft breath on her cheek.

She tried to squeeze her way out of his grip, carefully pushing is paw away but before she could pull herself free from his clutch, his arm secured around her frame, locking her forelegs to her sides. Frozen as his body curled around and brought his nose rubbing against hers.

Discord’s eyes leisurely opened in front of her. "Good morning," he said, grinning at her bedazzled face.

“Good-” she was broke off as the affairs of yesterday all came flooding back."I should of been home hours ago." Discord's loosed his grip, as she steadily stood herself back on wobbly legs.

Fluttershy started pushing at the stubborn boulder, which was sealing their only exit. She was plumb tuckered out but the giant rock that wouldn't budge, the heavy breathing let off steam. Discord ruffled her unkempt mane for all her hard efforts and at her shielding the firmly placed flower.

He gently pushed her to the side and cracked his knuckles."You find yourself with a strangely compelling masculine figure." he puffed up his chest and took on the bloated boulder but even his lanky body, struggled to move an inch from its post.

He looked back at Fluttershy's unbalanced expression and showed nothing but affection and trust toward him now. Discord gave a nervous smile and gulped, closing his eyes in concentration, he was left with no choice...

His heart thumped more heartily, steadily pressing his paw and claw on the craggy, rock's surface, the warm tingling feeling spread over his body. Fluttershy was surrounded by a flash of light and when it was cleared she spotted the itty-bitty pebble in his paw. Discord's claw flicked the pebble away, stepping outside and leaving Fluttershy without another word.

The unanswered, unspoken questions rolled in her mind of how Discord was able to move that rock having great weight or that white, blazing, chaotic light before. She followed and noticed him sitting by the edge of the rocky cliff, facing towards Ponyville, she flew up behind him and laid a hoof on his back, he flinched at her touch but didn't move to get away.

"Look down there. Tell me what you see?" He delivered his monologue in a deadpan voice, still facing forward with a vacuous smile.

She studied the typical medieval houses of timber-framed with distinct thatched roofs and overhanging upper floors."Well. I see nice homes with yards and fences."

"Exactly. Life on a leach." He put his paw around his neck to resemble a noose. "Look again dear."

Beyond Ponyville she laid her eyes on the low empty area of verdant land between hills, with a river flowing through it."These is a great huge hunk of world with no fence around it. Where two creatures could find adventure and excitement and it's all our for the taking dear."

"It's all ours." Discord pulled his head back from the landscape and back to hers with a look of optimism on his face.

She shook her head at the though and gave him a weary smile. "It sounds wonderful."

"But?"pulling her closer to his chest and searched for an answer.

He cocked an eyebrow, as she nuzzled his chest just below his beard. "Who will take care of the animals and my friends at Ponyville?"she played her only trump card. Wrapping her forelegs around his muzzle and felt hot tears, dripping onto his paw.

Discord frowned. The fact that she had chosen them over him made angry but one's mind understood she could never leave her livelihood behind."You win, Flutters."his expression softened and he moved away.

"Come on. I'll take you home." Fluttershy took one more look at the sunrise and caught up with him, they walked side by side back to the cottage.

As Discord escorted Fluttershy back home he spotted a sleeping chicken coop. "Not to change the subject, but... ever chased chickens?"drifting from the path.

"I should say not!" She refused to move from her spot or take part in the lack of regard of animals welfare.

He lifted the latch on door and entered the chickens grained path.
"Oh ho! Then you've never lived!"

She trotted beside him."Oh but we shouldn't,"becoming alarmed of his new and out of order attitude.

"I know. That's what makes it fun!"he placed his hands on her shoulders and she flinched. "Oh come darling. Start building some memories."

Fluttershy let out a long surrendering sigh. "But...we won't hurt the chickens?"she asked, blocked his path to the female hens.

"Hurt 'em? No!" He everted and crept closer to the large chicken coop with a small wooden panel with a painting of eggs above the door. "We'll just stir them up a bit." He stuck his unwanted head inside the hatch and howled.

The Chickens went flapping and squawking around the pen, Discord chased a few hens, while Fluttershy watched in horror. Until the owner heard the commotion, rushing out side with his shotgun.

A single gunshot was fired into the air. "What's that?"she murmured, and shifted back onto Discords side again.

"That's the signal to get going, come on!"he yelled, they both shot out like a bat out of hell and straight into Saddle Forest.

The low trees with their branches crashing around her, she continued running but the clawing of the branches struck on the side of her head. Snagged by her mane on the shrub and pulling her backwards, she strained against the branches. The galloping closing in of furious cries behind her and now the out of sight Discord, she was soon forced to give up.

Then a group of undefined farm ponies stepped into her line of vision, along with Big Mac.

“Big Macintosh!"she was so relieved to see a familiar face.

That got every ponies attention all the atmosphere went still. "Do ya, know this mare Mac?"asked an auburn stallion, holding the loaded shotgun in her direction. Fluttershy stared in disbelief was she just have a bad dream...

Big Mac smiled and nodded, stepping forward. "Eeyup!"he said clearly, then carefully helping her untangle her mane from its sticky situation.

"Thank you," she sat up and rubbed her sore head. They all headed out of the forest, she soon heard Discord's frantic voice in the distant, calling her name repeatedly.

Fluttershy had to keep forcing herself on biting her tough and struggle not calling for Discord's own safety, from this band of farm hooves; especially that trigger happy stallion.

"What was that monster,Fluttershy?" Big Mac asked, but she didn't exchange another word and continued walking back to Ponyville.

The citizen of Ponyville had gathered once again at Town Square.

"Are you okay?"

"Tell us what happened?"

Ponies called out and wondering why a half pint of ponies had cuts and black and blue bruises on their discoloured skins.

A grey pegasus mare finally caught her breath. "The Timber wolves attacked at Rocinante cliffs," she swallowed and felt intolerable pain through her bruised throat.

"What!"

"I was with the rest of the mares," she continued, barely audible for the others."Until the wolves came out of the fog and whipped most of us out!"

Applejack stepped forward and removed her hat,"did many of y'all get away?"she asked.

The mare had a guilty expression and closed her eyes,"I don't know, I was so busy saving myself!"

Applejack slammed her rancher hat onto the ground."Those darn wolves are getting smart, they went to one place we usually drop our guard."

"Smart or desperate anyways it's bad," Rarity added.

"Once more speaking of the usual, I saw something unbelievable..." the crowd was silent.

"But in the mist of terror I saw a pegasus and demon hiding together, like they where friend or something," she cried, covering her head, wishing she could forget the whole incident.

The blue pegasus with a radiant rainbow mane, hovered overhead and raised her voice. "No that's just wrong not to mention creepy!"

"There's just one more thing the pegasus I recognise her..."she swallowed but pushed on,"I swear it's Fluttershy!"

"Fluttershy!" they all shouted simultaneously.

Rainbow rubbed her head in confusion and landed beside Applejack and Rarity."Hey Applejack have you seen Fluttershy this morning?" she asked.

"No I haven't, seen her in days." the groups where torn into two, they didn't want to believe Fluttershy had been secretly seeing with a monster but why would they have made something up like that?

"Speak of the devil." Rarity's eyes widened and her voice came out low.

Fluttershy looked around in shock at the crowd of ponies, particularly at her friends. Every pony spoke in grumbled hushed tones too each other along with glaring glances. As she was pushed trough the crowd by Big Mac and trembled in front of the stage, stood Princess Celestia on the elevated, ligneous stage.

"Fluttershy, I hear you have decided to fraternize with a mysterious creature. Is this the truth?"she asked, standing just a few feet from her.

Frozen, starting at the ground and fumbling for an answer."Is it true Fluttershy? The only way I'll believe it, if you tell me yourself!" Applejack called out from the crowd.

She looked at the Applejack and then back at the ground. I can't lie too another' she contemplated. "I'm sorry... but it's true."her voice trembling.

"Oh no-" Rarity fainted onto her scarlet daybed couch.

"Oh I get it!"Applejack slammed her hoof onto her forehead. "Me and Rarity where so relieved, when we thought yer got away from that monster, but are yer, saying that was the friend yer where meeting?"

"Well Fluttershy, speak up!" Rainbowdash spluttered.

The pegasus whirled around to see her friends displeased looks.
"I know he's a creature made up of different animals but he really is a nice, kind and gentle guy."Fluttershy with a longing to just pour out her emotions.

"Are you kidding me!" some pony called from the crowd.

"Fluttershy what are you thinking?"

"They are nothing but liars and murders Fluttershy!" cried another voice.

Celestia, approached her and using a hoof to lift the timid pony's face upwards."Now Fluttershy I don't know how all of this started but it ends right now."a tear rolled down her damp cheek. "No questions or arguments monsters have survived on killing ponies." Fluttershy jerked her gaze away from hers again.

"I'm sorry."Celestia spoke like a mother to a young filly but never felt degrading.

A small memory of Discord's smile of encouragement that filled Fluttershy's heart."But he's different from the others. He's special."

Applejack slowly grew hacked off Fluttershy's blindness."Oh grow up! He's fooling yer!"

"Yeah Fluttershy,"Pinkiepie pulled out a rosy cupcake. "See this cupcake, it's our food and no matter how are hard we try to be friends. All we'll ever see it as food."she disclosed her peculiar theory, by swallowing the bake good whole in one.

"That's true, do you understand:
that your a convenient meal to be called upon or even worse," the Princess tried to stress the importance of Fluttershy's daily picnics could be worse then she intended. "The information he could extract from you could endanger the lives of others?"

"Think about what your doing?" Ponies continued to call out for her but Fluttershy eyes streaming new wave of tears.

"Fluttershy Wait!" her friends shouted after her, but she ignored them. As she continued flying past the river with a bridge and taken a noiseless area to rest, underneath an aged willow tree with her woodland critters.

Not far from Ponyville, Fluttershy wasn't the only one put on trail by their fellow community.The whole pack sitting on the right side acted the jury part, their leader Giro as the judge, while Farkas circled around Discord blocking any means of escape.

"Discord have you realised, what you have done?!" Farkas yelled, jabbing his paw right onto Discord's chest.

"No. Have I?"he raised an eyebrow and stroked his goatee beard.

His sarcastic tone, drove Farkas insane with his silly mind games.
"Oh give it up Discord, you know exactly why your here. You Betrayed us all, not only did you stop me grabbing that mare but you helped it escape."

"Discord is that right?" Giro asked, as he shuffled his gross knifelike claws on the floor.

Discord was silent for a moment, and when he finally spoke his voice was considerate."Well Giro It's funny that mare I save is actually my dear friend."

The Timber wolves on the right howled in laughter, but was quickly ceased to an end by their leaders snarls."You idiot, how could you forget a simple thing like.Ponies.Are. For.Eating!"Farkas growled, towering over Discord's shaky posture.

"Darn right: rabbits, cows, pigs and ponies their are only food Discord." A timber wolves contend on his paws."If you go round making friends with all the prey animals your gonna starve too death."he suggest, the other Timber wolves nodded their heads in agreement.

Discord straighten his posture and pulled a fresh leaf from the tree above to symbolize Fluttershy."You see it's only one pony. It's not like I'm friends with all of them."he awkwardly smiled at the comeback, Farkas slapped himself on the forehead.

"That's one mare too many!"he firmly knocked the leaf out of his paw."You could spoil us, milk ya for information about everything we do!"placing his oak paw onto the leaf twisting and crushing it into the drab dirt."Shes gonna know: where and when we aren't and tell the other prey the same information and because of you well all stave too death."he pointed to his step brothers sad, empty stomachs.

Discord grabbed his serpent tail,scared that Giro would cut off his back end for punishment."That will never happen we've never talked about it."

Farkas smokey emerald eyes narrowed."You still don't get it do you? Your being used by her, she only pretending to like you to save her own backside and friends!" He turned his back, sitting beside the brothers and smirked in triumph.

Discord shook his head,"your wrong."his words came out voicelessness, he closed his eyes remembering clearly of Fluttershy's golden, innocent, perfect smile had already done it's work.

Giro's pale eyes gazed at the generals, as they pounced on Discords sides."Enough! Through Discord at the bottom of Howling peek. I'll decide his punishment tomorrow morning." the rubbing of compressed shoulders caused the restriction of any more movement. His so called natural tendency told him to defy his callous leader, but knew he would be up to his ears in raw bites with claw marks and did best to obey.

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