Dreams
Fluttershy couldn't stop smiling from the moment she awoke, knowing what had happened last night. Discord had kissed her. Really kissed her, and touched her in places she blushed to think about. Oh, but he had been gentle about it, and never did more than what she was comfortable with. And then he had held her, guarded her. She had never felt safer, happier, more complete than she had that entire night in his arms. She didn't even care that her cheeks were still pink by the time she entered the dining room. Late, as her aunt didn't hesitate to point out.
"Sleep well, domnişoară?" Trenderhoof inquired.
"Mmm-hmm," Fluttershy moaned blissfully as she took her seat.
Starlight cocked her eyebrow. "Are you alright, dear? Do you have a fever? Your face looks a little red. Or did you simply put on too much rouge?"
"I'm fine, Auntie," she sighed. "In fact, I'm wonderful."
"Pardon me?"
Trenderhoof smirked. "I'm sure your niece simply had some pleasant dreams. Am I right, domni—?"
He paused when he noticed the sun-shaped pendant around her neck. Sunset remarked it too and pushed her chair back a centimeter.
"That's a," Trenderhoof cleared his throat, "lovely necklace you have there, domnişoară. Where did you get it?"
Starlight squinted at the pendant. "Yes, I…I don't believe I've seen that before, dear."
"Hmm?" Fluttershy uttered, glancing down. "Oh! A gift from Count Discord."
Trenderhoof's eyes widened. "Count Discord, you say?"
He sent Sunset a sideways glance. She looked as if she had reached the same conclusion. Count Discord knew they were after her. But if he was a vampire himself, why did he give Fluttershy the means to repel him? It was curious business.
"I think it's about time we met this Count Discord," Trenderhoof said aloud.
Fluttershy frowned. "Oh. He…he's not much for company."
"But he's coming to Lord Fancy Pants' dinner party tomorrow evening!" Starlight exclaimed.
Fluttershy looked at her aunt in alarm. "He is?"
"Yes!" she grunted through her teeth. "We have made sure of it. Right, dear?"
She understood what her aunt was insinuating. But how could she ask Discord to come to Fancy Pants' dinner party? After all, a lot of ponies were going to be there, and he couldn't hypnotize all of them. Could he? Even so, with his inability to keep up a disguise for more than an hour, and the fact that he couldn't consume real food, it was sure to be a problem.
Applejack and Spike were in a sunny apple orchard, the former bucking the tree trunks while the latter ran to catch the falling fruit in a basket. The mare couldn't help but giggle at how frantically his tiny legs were moving.
"Ya don't have to catch 'em, Sugar Cube. We can just pick 'em off the ground."
"I can do it!" he insisted as he scampered to and fro. "See? I can—AH!"
He cried out as he stepped on a stray apple and slid backward. The apples were chucked from the basket and into the air. A good number of them clunked onto his head. Spike had to use the basket as a helmet.
"Ow, ow, ow!" he shrieked. "Why take your anger out on me? She's the one who was making you fall!"
Applejack laughed as she lifted the basket to uncover his reptilian eyes. "They're tryin' to tell ya that you're in over yerr head. I told ya. Ya don't have to do this. I don't need help."
Spike only grinned as he tossed off the basket. "But I wanna help."
She smiled back as she picked up one of the fallen apples and sighed. "I really miss the taste of apples."
"I'll taste 'em for the both of us." He took the apple and bit into it. "Mmm," he mused with his mouth full. "Sweet, crunchy, juicy, with a sharp but succulent texture and…" He trailed off when he noticed Applejack's watering mouth. "Is this making it better or worse?"
"It's okay," she smirked, patting him on the head. "At least one of us gets to eat 'em."
He shook his head. "You shouldn't hate being a vampire, AJ."
"Well, it's not something I asked for."
"But there's gotta be some good thing about your life right now. What about all your friends?"
"I love 'em as much as you do, but…" She sighed sadly. "My family…"
"I never knew my real family. Twilight, her brother and parents are the only real family I've ever known. Don't Discord, Pinkie, Rarity and Rainbow feel that way to you?"
She shrugged. "I guess. But they're not enough to keep me going."
"What is enough?"
She looked out at the horizon. "For a while, it was the idea of destroyin' the bastard that did this to me. But then…"
She trailed off as he took her hoof, as if he understood.
"Not one perk to being a vampire?" he teased.
She smiled. "Well, I'll give it one thing. If I hadn't turned, I never would've met you. And I never would've known…" She frowned as she slipped her hoof out of his claw. "…that I'm gonna have to learn to live without ya."
"You don't have to, you know?" he said, gazing up at her with pleading eyes. "I want to be like you."
"I don't know what that'll do to ya, Spike. You…you might not be the same."
"Why not? You turned out alright."
"Think of Rarity. She never hurt any pony before she was turned. And me, I wasn't this…this…hopeless!"
He took her hoof again. "You're not hopeless. You're a wonderful, strong, independent mare. That's what I love most about you."
She shook her head as she yanked her hoof away. "You don't feel that way about me. You feel that way about Rarity."
"But I'm not destined for Rarity!"
"It doesn't matter who you're destined for!" she spat through her tears. "What matters is who ya deserve! And it's not…"
Thunder struck and they both nearly jumped out of their skins. The sky grew dark and a cold wind blew. Applejack glanced frantically around the orchard as the apples shriveled into giant raisins. A low cackle echoed throughout the field.
"Did you really think you could escape me?
"No," she uttered, falling to her knees and cradling her head. "No, please! Get out of here! Leave me alone!"
"How can I leave you alone, AJ, when you won't let me leave?"
"No! You're not real!"
"Oh, but I am! Or did you forget? I'm still out there. In here."
She felt a hoof on her forehead and snapped up, but no one was there. As she searched for the source of the voice, Spike let out a horrified shriek. When Applejack turned, the dragon was on his knees, a dark figure biting into his neck.
"NO!" she screamed.
Rushing to Spike, she shooed the figure away and it evaporated into thin air. She caught the dragon in her hooves.
"Spike?" she called, gently slapping his face. "Spike! Spike, breathe!"
His eyes were open, but he was still. All the life was gone from him.
"Oh, Spike," she sobbed into his chest. "Please, don't leave me."
"You should've changed him when you had the chance," the voice taunted.
"Stop it!" she screamed at the void. "Stop tormentin' me!"
"You torment yourself. I just did what you were afraid to do."
"No! You've already taken my life away! You will not take Spike too!"
Something grabbed her from behind and pulled her against it. She gasped as she felt cold breath on her neck.
"I will come for you. And we'll finish what we started."
A pair of fangs stabbed into her flesh. Applejack screamed for help, but there was no one to hear her. Spike was dead.
There was no point in fighting.
"Spike," she croaked with what little breath she had left. "Spike…"
"BOO!"
Applejack opened her eyes and shrieked to see a horrifying face above her, laughing mockingly. Discord ripped off the monster mask and held his sides as he continued guffawing.
"Oh, you should've seen your face! Absolutely priceless!"
"What the…how…?" Applejack stammered, sitting up in her coffin. "Discord, what is…?"
"Isn't it a beautiful day?" he mused. "Well, I wouldn't know, obviously, but I feel great! Like I'm a hundred years old again! I think I'm gonna go scare Rainbow Dash now!"
He replaced his mask and chuckled mischievously as he hovered out the door. Applejack put her hoof to her head as she tried to recollect her vision. Then she looked up in panic.
"Spike."
Springing out of her coffin, she headed for the dragon's room.
"Spike?!"
But his bed was empty. She began racing down the halls, until Rainbow's shrieks and Discord's laughter faded into the background. She tried the entrance hall, then the ballroom, then the kitchen, all the while calling his name.
"Spike?! Where are ya?!"
Finally she tried the library. Twilight, sitting at a long table, looked up from the book she was reading with a start.
"Applejack! What brings you…?"
"Where's Spike?!" Applejack demanded, slamming her hooves on the table.
The unicorn jumped back. "He's, uh, in the back. Taking a nap."
"Nap?" she breathed as she trudged toward the back shelves.
"Yeah, he was doing some research with me but he got a little…"
Sure enough, the dragon was slumped over a pile of books, one open on his chest, rising and falling with it as he snored. Seeing that he was safe and breathing, Applejack let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank Darkness."
"Did something happen?"
Applejack turned back to the unicorn, who looked greatly confused. "Huh?"
"Well you did just barge in here all crazily demanding to see Spike. Do you need him for something?"
"Oh no, I just…wanted to make sure he was okay."
"Yeah, he's okay. Why wouldn't he be?"
"Nothing," Applejack sighed as she rubbed her temple. "I just had a bad…"
She paused as she caught Twilight's bewildered expression.
"Never mind. Whatchya doin'?"
"Reading over some of the spell books Zecora lent me," the unicorn explained. "I've tried every divination spell I've come across, but so far I've had no luck finding the Sirens. I can see their shapes, hear their voices, but still nothing! The only clear image I've seen is…"
She stopped herself by biting her lip. Applejack wasn't comfortable talking about her problems with someone, but since Twilight was currently studying the subject, perhaps she could be of help.
"Twilight," the earth mare said, sitting across from her. "That divination stuff relates to dreams too, right?"
"Yes," Twilight nodded. "Dreams can be a way of foreseeing the future or understanding one's psyche. Of course, since I'm a vampire, that method is useless until I meet my mate."
"Ya mean ya haven't been dreamin' at all? But I thought Flash was…"
"I thought so too. But I didn't meet him as a vampire. Or maybe he wasn't the one for me at all, which I highly doubt."
"Well, do you suppose, if vampires start dreamin' when they meet their mate, they can have…nightmares too?"
Twilight rubbed her chin in thought. "Well, in theory, once a vampire is turned, many of their bodily functions shut down, the circulatory and respiratory systems for instance, as well as areas of the brain. But when one meets their mate, some of those parts are reawakened, such as the limbic system which is responsible for emotions and memories and…"
"The short version, please?" Applejack demanded bluntly.
"Right. I guess a simpler way to explain it is that the meeting of one's mate opens a window to the subconscious, allowing for dreams to happen, pleasant and unpleasant." She tilted her head at her friend. "Why do you ask?"
"Uh…" the earth mare stammered, glancing awkwardly to the side. "Um…Rarity! She had a nightmare."
"Rarity? But how could she have…?"
"She met her mate! Last night. And she's been dreamin'!"
"Oh, how wonderful!" Twilight smiled brightly. "Who?"
"Some lord named Fancy Pants."
"Lord Fancy Pants? I met him once when I was investigating Pinkie's massacre. He was a very kind stallion. Quite the gentlecolt. And he has a very lush mansion and a vast fortune."
Applejack smirked. "Rarity would certainly like that."
"But why would she be having nightmares? And what does that have to do with you bursting in here and screaming for Spike as if he had just been kidnapped or something?"
"Uh…the nightmare was about Spike! I just came to check for…"
She trailed off as Twilight crossed her hooves.
"You're not buyin' any of this, are ya?"
The unicorn shook her head. Applejack sighed in defeat.
"Alright, alright! Guess there's no use crawlin' out of this one. But ya can't tell any pony, especially Spike!"
"My lips are sealed," Twilight vowed, slashing her hoof across her mouth.
Applejack looked down nervously at her lap. "I had a nightmare. It…it involved Spike."
Twilight's eyes widened and she glanced back to where the little dragon was snoring. Then she turned back to her friend and leaned forward to whisper.
"Is he…?"
Applejack nodded. Twilight squealed excitedly.
"Oh my Darkness!"
"Shush!" the earth mare hissed.
"Right. When…how did this happen? I mean…Spike?!"
Heaving another sigh, Applejack slumped back in her seat. "It didn't happen right away, not like it did with Discord. Remember when you and Spike first came here? I was the one to answer the door?"
Twilight nodded and only now recalled how the earth mare had hardly taken her eyes off the dragon that entire afternoon.
"Well, I'd never seen a dragon before, and he was cute. That's all it was. He was cute and I was curious about him. Then Pinkie came flyin' down the stairs all crazy-like. I was about to push Spike out of the way, but he beat me to it. He tackled me to the ground, spread out his tiny arms in front of me and waved his tiny notebook at Pinkie, shouting, 'You want her? You're gonna have to go through me, first!'"
She smiled at the memory. "Of course, he didn't know what I was then. After y'all found out and made arrangements with Discord, I came to his room later and asked why he had bothered to save me. I was a complete stranger and he had known you all his life, so why me and not you? And ya know what he said?"
She looked up at the ceiling and recited the words as if she had gone over them dozens of times. "'I know Twilight. She's strong enough to take care of herself. But I didn't know you well enough to know if you were the same. Clearly, I was wrong, and you are strong, but you had seemed so nice that I felt compelled to protect you. It just seemed like the noble thing to do.'"
Grinning, she placed her hoof over her heart. "And that's when it happened."
Twilight had been listening to the whole story with her elbows propped onto the table and her head settled in her hooves. "Wow. How come you haven't told any pony? Or Spike, for that matter?"
Applejack frowned. "Lots of reasons. For one thing, he's a dragon."
"So? Discord's a draconequus and he and Fluttershy seem to be getting along fine."
"For another, he's fifteen and I'm forty. Doesn't that only work when it's the other way around?"
"No pony says you have to bite him right away. Biologically, you're still twenty as you're not getting any older. You can afford to wait until he's mature enough."
"That's the main problem! I don't wanna wait till he's older. That is, I don't wanna bite him at all."
Twilight lowered her hooves onto her book. "What do you mean?"
"I've thought about it, Twilight, and I don't see a future for me and Spike."
"Of course you have a future. Fate's decreed it."
"I don't care what Fate or whatever is responsible for this says. If I change Spike, he'll become like me. Possibly worse, as it might have a different effect on him. I know what this kind of life entails, and I don't want that for him. He's too sweet, too innocent to become a monster. Besides," she murmured, hanging her head, "he has an eye for Rarity."
"But he's meant for you, not Rarity. I mean she has a mate now and…" She put her hoof to her mouth and looked back at the sleeping dragon. "Oh, he's not going to be happy when he hears that."
"That's all I can do for him. Be there for him when he needs me, protect him, make sure he doesn't get hurt."
"So that's why you were always shaky about taking blood from him! Oh, Applejack! I had no idea!"
"That's okay. I made sure it was kept secret."
"But…I've seen you touch him. Without asking."
The unicorn paused and smacked her forehead when she remembered the first few weeks she and Spike had spent at the castle. Applejack had hesitated to touch Spike without permission, even if it was just a tap on the shoulder. If Twilight had known about the mating laws then, she would've immediately put the pieces together.
"I asked for the first few weeks," Applejack confirmed, "but then he got all weirded out and said I didn't have to ask. That gave me leave. That isn't to say I haven't been respectful of him. I don't do more than I have to."
"You have to tell him, Applejack."
"No. No, he must never know."
"But you two are destined for one another…"
"Destined," the earth mare scoffed. "I was supposed to be destined to work on the farm with my family for the rest of my days. But do I have that? No. Instead, I'm destined to live eternity, to watch my little sister grow up without me, to outlive my brother, my nieces and nephews whom I'll never get to meet, to be unable to have a family of my own," she looked past Twilight, "to live without the one I love."
"But you can live with him. If you just talk to him about it…"
"The day Spike's heart stops beating is the day I kill myself!"
Aghast, Twilight stared silently at her friend. Applejack shook her head with a sigh.
"There are two things I live for: destroyin' the monster that did this to me, and seein' that Spike lives a long life. If Tenderheart is still alive when Spike isn't, then I'll die when he does." She looked at the unicorn morbidly. "He was in my dream. Tenderheart, he…he…"
She glanced at Spike again and Twilight understood.
"He's comin', Twilight. I know it. He sired me. I have a connection with him. He's gonna try and finish what he started. And if he finds out about Spike…"
Bloody tears filled her eyes. The unicorn stood and rushed around the table to her side. Applejack didn't object when she tenderly put her hooves around her.
"It could be just a dream," Twilight assured her. "Dreams manifest from your negative emotions as well as your positive ones. You're afraid of him coming back, but it's more than that. You're afraid of losing Spike."
"I won't deny it," Applejack sniffed, shaking her head, "but I'm tellin' you. He'll find me, and he won't rest until he's taken away everything and everyone I love. After all, he did it once before."
"Even if he does come back. We won't let it happen. I know what you're going through. I too am seeking to end my own vendetta. The Sirens took everything from me."
"The Sirens!" Applejack exclaimed suddenly. "I nearly forgot! Ya came home late last night and with all the excitement from Rarity's soulmate and the drinkin'…"
"Drinking?!" Twilight shouted in shock.
"Not that kind of drinkin'. Anyway, Rainbow, Pinkie and I were at the tavern, and we ran into these three other vampires."
The unicorn tapped her chin and began pacing. "So there is more to Phoenix's coven."
"Phoenix?"
"The mare I met the other night. You were saying, about those three vampires?"
"Well, they were singin'."
"Singing?!" the unicorn exclaimed, stopping in her tracks.
"And the stallions seemed to be under their spell."
"The Sirens," she muttered under her breath.
"No doubt about it. But they called themselves the Dazzlings. They had some fancy musical-type names too. I think they were…Adagio, Aria and Sonata."
"The Dazzlings," Twilight said, narrowing her eyes as she leaned onto the table. "What else did the tell you?"
"They said there were five of 'em total, includin' the mare you bumped into last night, but they wouldn't name their master."
"Five, eh? That would make the master…Phoenix's mate."
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"I met with Phoenix again last night. She just showed up out of the blue, said she wanted to talk. She was very discreet about herself, but she mentioned having a mate. If the Sirens are part of her coven, and there are five of them in all, her mate must be the master. The question is: who is it?"
"They hinted that it was some pony famous."
"Aha!" Twilight cried out suddenly.
She raced back to her pile of books and started flipping through the pages with her magic.
"What are ya doin'?"
"Now I know why I kept seeing Phoenix! She's connected to the Sirens! And I've had more contact with her than them! If I can pinpoint her exact location…"
"…you'll find the Sirens too."
The unicorn nodded. "Thank you, Applejack! It should be much easier to find them now!"
Applejack smiled softly as she stood. "Well, I can see you're busy. I'll just get out of yerr way then." She began to walk out of the library. "Oh, by the way, Lord Fancy Pants invited Rarity and the Master to a dinner party tomorrow night and Rarity said they'd be there."
"Mmm-hmm," Twilight mumbled, still transfixed on her books.
Applejack rolled her eyes as she took her leave, but not without stealing one last glance at Spike's snoring figure. After a while, Twilight looked up from her current book in alarm.
"Rarity did what?!"
Hours passed in the library, but it didn't feel long to Twilight. She was too wrapped up in Zecora's spell books to be aware of her surroundings. When Spike awoke and asked to be excused, she answered with a disinterested "mmm-hmm." When Discord made one of her books explode confetti into her face upon opening it, she didn't even bat an eyelash. It took the pranking draconequus a whoopee cushion and several water balloons before he gave up.
Now that she had a proper lead, Twilight was set on her task, rereading every spell that looked useful until they were committed to her memory. Every now and then she tried one, but the same image appeared: Phoenix. For some reason she was more on her mind than the Sirens. At least now she knew their names, but what was Phoenix's real name?
The fact that she hadn't had a full night's sleep in three days didn't help her concentration either. While vampires didn't need as much rest as mortals, they still needed to rejuvenate, especially after feeding or using their supernatural powers. With Twilight testing so many spells and sleeping so little, she was especially weary.
Finally, it came to a point where the words on the page blurred before her eyes and she found herself reading the same sentence over and over. Letting out a yawn, she massaged her head, which was screaming from all the overexertion. At last, she surrendered to her exhaustion and folded her hooves over her book, making a cushion for her head. Even as she closed her eyes, the Sirens and the mysterious mare were still on her mind. She had to find them. All of them. Three were for revenge, the other…she wasn't sure. Curiosity, at most. She didn't know who she was more interested in.
"So this is where you work."
Twilight's head snapped up at the low female voice. Phoenix was standing across the table, smiling mischievously. She was in her pony form, which meant her fur was lighter and smoother, her mane wasn't as tangled, but her eyes were still red. Twilight immediately stood from her seat, knocking her chair backward.
"How'd you get in?"
The intruder chuckled as she slowly made her way around the table. "Your dragon let me in."
Twilight's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't!"
"Relax, he's fine! I don't eat dragons." She stuck out her tongue. "Their scaly hides are too tough. Though he is…resting awhile."
Twilight powered her horn as her eyes reddened.
"Oh, there's no need for that," Phoenix purred.
She was at the table's middle, pressing her body provokingly against the edge. Her eyes were fixated on Twilight's.
"I hear you're looking for the Sirens. I can help you with that."
"And why should I trust you?" Twilight demanded gruffly.
Phoenix licked her lips as she inched towards her. "Because I'm your only key to finding them."
"Tell me where they are then."
"Well I'm not going to just tell you. What would be the fun in that?"
Twilight growled as her horn glowed brighter. Then Phoenix surprised her by lifting her hoof to her face. The lavender mare's eyes softened and her horn diminished as the light yellow hoof caressed the surface of her skin, tracing the dark circles under her eyes.
"You look worn out, Lavender," the seductress whispered. "When's the last time you slept?" She levitated the chair back into place. "You need to relax."
As if by some spell Twilight obediently lowered herself into the chair. Phoenix's hoof moved down and across to her shoulder as she circled the chair.
"Here, why don't I help you get comfortable?"
Twilight tensed as she felt a second hoof on her other shoulder.
"Oh my, so taut! You need to loosen up a bit."
She snapped out of her thoughts and narrowed her eyes. She had to be firm.
"Get your hooves off—ME!"
She squealed as the strong but soft hooves dug into her shoulders, loosening the knots in her muscles.
"Oh," she uttered in sudden bliss.
She could feel Phoenix's triumphant grin on her. "You've been working too hard, worrying too much. You spend so much time seeking answers, you fail to see that all the answers you need are right in front of you."
"Hmm?" Twilight moaned, closing her eyes as she relaxed into the massage.
"Stop looking far away and look at what's nearby. Then you'll find what you're searching for."
"But where? How? I don't understand."
She could feel Phoenix's breath on her neck, as she bent down to whisper in her ear.
"Just follow your instincts."
Twilight opened her eyes in confusion. "What do you mean? I have been following my instincts. It was my instinct to come to Zebiu, to make myself a vampire, to take pages out of Zecora's book! Literally! What else could I possibly…?"
She trailed off as she felt a light pressure on her earlobe. When it suddenly became sharper, she realized it was teeth.
"W-What are you doing?" Twilight stammered.
Phoenix chuckled as her mouth moved to her throat. "Following my instincts."
Twilight gasped as her eyes opened and her head sprung up from her book. Panting heavily, she glanced around the library. She was alone. But it didn't feel that way. She could still feel the mare's cold lips on her neck, her hooves driving into her shoulders, and a peculiar pounding between her legs she had not felt in a long time.
"What," she heaved, "the hell?!"
Fluttershy waited excitedly at the window and lit up with joy as she saw her love approach. She opened the window and welcomed him with her lips. Discord willingly accepted them, immediately entangling his paw in her hair.
Suddenly there was a squeak and two tiny paws shoved them apart. Angel chirped angrily at Discord and then scolded Fluttershy for her indiscretion. Finally, the pegasus opened her eyes very wide in a way that it seemed to exert some sort of power on the bunny, for he recoiled in fear. After shivering under her intense stare, he at last gave in and hopped off the windowsill and scampered under the bed. Discord watched the entire spectacle in amazement.
"How did you do that?"
"Oh," Fluttershy blushed. "It's just…a little something my mother taught me, to get animals to behave if asking nicely doesn't work. The Stare, she called it. I, um, only use it for emergencies."
Discord grinned as he reached out to cup her chin. She leaned the rest of the way so that she would touch him first.
"You are simply full of surprises, my dear."
She sighed happily and closed her eyes as his paw caressed her face.
"Now it's my turn to surprise you."
She opened her eyes. "What is it, what is it?"
He laughed at how much she sounded like a filly about to get a new toy.
"I hope you had a light dinner," he said as he brought a picnic basket into view. "We stay inside so much. I thought we could have a little midnight snack under the stars. Pinkie packed it for us. And there's a full moon out tonight. What do you say?"
"Oh, it sounds lovely!" Fluttershy said in awe.
"Then come on out! I know the perfect place!"
She frowned when he took off. When he realized she wasn't following him, he returned with a befuddled look.
"Something wrong?"
"Y-Yes," she muttered. "Y-You see, I can't…" She looked shamefully back at her wings. "I can't…"
His eyes widened in understanding. "You can't fly?"
She hid her face in her hooves.
"Hey, hey, it's alright. Though…aren't you a pegasus?"
She sniffed and nodded. "I flew a little when my parents were alive, but…when my aunt took me in, she refused to find some pony to teach me. She said…it was improper for a young lady to fly. So…I never learned and…my wings just haven't had enough practice so…they never really strengthened and…"
"Hey, hey! Don't—OUCH!"
He had reached out to touch her, but was prevented by an electric shock. Fluttershy quietly gave him permission and he tried again, gently taking her hooves and lowering them from her tear-stained face.
"It's alright. You don't have to fly." He grinned impishly as a thought occurred to him. "You can just ride on my back."
"W-What?" she gasped.
He turned around and stuck out his back. "Hop on!"
"Oh, but…it'll be so high and…"
He sighed in exasperation. "You're afraid of heights, aren't you?"
She nodded hastily.
"Of course you are." He looked at her sincerely. "As long as you are with me, Fluttershy, you will not fall."
There was no reason to distrust him, as he had so far held to his word. He stretched out his paw and she allowed him to help her onto his back. She gripped her hooves around his neck and nestled between his mismatched wings.
"Comfortable?" he asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded.
"Then hold on tight!"
With a whoosh, he shot into the air and Fluttershy reacted with a scream. She shut her eyes firmly, not daring to open them as she felt the cold wind sting her face and blow through her mane. She buried her muzzle in the fur of Discord's neck as she tightened her grip.
"It really isn't that bad, you know?" he called back to her.
Her only response was a whimper much like a kitten's. Discord rolled his eyes.
"Fine, if you insist on missing out on this spectacular view! We're almost there anyway."
She squeaked as he whizzed off again. Much to her relief, it felt like they were flying lower. Soon he came to a stop and he helped Fluttershy down, but she still kept her eyes closed.
"You can look now," he assured her.
Slowly, her eyelids lifted, but when she looked down the ground was several kilometers below. She squeaked and turned back into Discord's arms.
"I thought we were on the ground!"
"We are," he said. "Sort of. Actually, we're on a mountain cliff…"
"Mountain?!"
"The view is really quite spectacular from up here! If you would just take a good long look…"
"No!" she screamed, shaking her head furiously.
She pulled his cape around her and tried to hide as best as possible. He chuckled at her behavior and carefully led her back into the open. She tried to conceal herself again but he quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to face the chasm. Her hooves immediately flew to her eyes. He sighed and dropped to one knee.
"You're being ridiculous, you know?"
"It's too high," she whimpered, shaking her head. "Too high."
"But you won't fall."
"Take me someplace closer to the ground!"
"But you'll miss out on such a wonderful sight!"
"I don't care!"
"One little peek and then tell me if you want to go somewhere else. Don't you trust me, Fluttershy?"
"Of course I do."
"Then trust me when I say that it'll be worth it."
She was still for a moment. "I'm afraid."
He smiled as he firmed his grasp on her shoulders, but not too much to harm her.
"There's no need for you to be," he whispered in her ear. "I'm here."
She wanted to believe him. His touch was so reassuring, and she was certain he wouldn't let her fall to her death. Unhurriedly, she lowered her hooves and opened her eyes. The steep abyss made her head spin and she began backing away, but Discord prevented her. Then he gently placed his talon under her chin and lifted her head up. What she saw made her gasp in wonder.
She could see the forest for acres, and past that, the tiny lights of Zebiu. And beyond that, a dark horizon that promised adventure and mystery. The full moon made everything so clear, and she could see the advantage of being up so high.
"It's beautiful," she uttered.
"Indeed," Discord murmured, his gaze fixated on Fluttershy. "Beautiful."
"I…I never knew the world was so…big!"
He chuckled. "It's much bigger than that. You see those mountains to the east?"
Fluttershy nodded at where he was pointing.
"Beyond them lies Brayşov. To the south lies the Aegeing Sea. And in between, you'll find Bullarest."
"Oh my," she breathed.
He pretended to frown. "This must be making you dizzy. Oh well, if you'd rather dine someplace else…"
"No! I-I like it! It's…perfect."
He smiled and brought out the picnic basket. "Then let's eat, shall we?"
Snapping his fingers, he summoned a blanket that was sprawled over the rocky cliff. Fluttershy sat down as he set the picnic basket between them. One by one, its contents floated into the air.
"Let's see," Discord said as he worked his magic. "We've got bread, some cheese—I hope you like brie—also apples…"
Fluttershy frowned as a bottle of red liquid hovered in front of her. "Oh, I don't drink wine."
He bit his lip as he took the bottle in his claw. "It's, um, not wine."
She glanced at the bottle again and uttered, "Oh."
"You don't, err, mind, do you? Pinkie just thought it strange that you should be eating while I'm…"
"No, go ahead. Just…don't tell me what it's from."
Discord smiled as he popped the bottle open and began chugging down the blood. Using a knife, Fluttershy sliced the bread and cheese and ate them in little sandwiches, taking occasional bites from an apple.
"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't fly before?" Discord finally asked as he wiped some blood off his mouth. "Come to think of it, I don't know that much about you. At least where your past is concerned. I know your parents died when you were young and you were brought up by your aunt, but other than that, nothing."
Fluttershy lowered her apple and sighed sadly. "I suppose I should tell you. After all, I know about your past. It's just…I don't like talking about it much."
He scooted closer to her. "You can tell me. I'm all ears."
To her surprise, both his ears popped off and wiggled in the air. Smiling, she took a deep breath.
"I…didn't always live like this, you know? I wasn't rich, I mean. My mother…married below her station. My father was a farmer. Despite her family's wishes, Mother ran off to marry him and they soon had me. We had a nice little farm. We grew all sorts of things: barley, wheat, potatoes, beats, sunflowers."
She sighed dreamily at the memory. "Oh, I loved the sunflowers especially. They were so tall, always looking in different directions. We also kept a lot of livestock: chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, even bunny rabbits. I always loved bunny rabbits. Father tended the crops while Mother took care of the animals."
"And that's what made you so interested in plants and animals," Discord guessed.
She nodded. "They were both so nurturing, Mother especially. At night, she would sing and brush my mane with her hoof until I fell asleep." She frowned suddenly. "We were all so excited when she became pregnant again. Father had built a new crib and everything, and I couldn't wait for my new brother or sister to arrive. But…"
She couldn't go on. She didn't have to, for Discord had already heard this part of the story.
"And then your father got sick," he finished.
Her hoof moved to wipe away a tear. "Aunt Starlight heard the news. Even though my father was lowborn, I was still of her blood, she said. Her husband died before she could have children of her own. I would've ended up in the orphanage or on the street had she not taken me in."
She began sobbing and Discord reached out to take her in his arms, but flinched at knowing what would happen. Seeing his outstretched arms, she nestled into his embrace and allowed him to wrap his cape around her, shielding her from misery.
"I wanted to fly, you know?" she sniffed. "Father, who was the pegasus, started teaching me, before he…"
"Shhh," Discord whispered, patting her back. "There, there. At least you got to know your parents, and shared happy times with them."
Pulling away, she smiled up at him. "It's been so long since I've talked about them with anyone. Auntie never lets me."
"How that snobby little witch can ever be related to a mare as sweet and good as you is beyond me."
"That's a cruel thing to say! You hardly know her!"
"No, but I've met her, remember?"
"Well, maybe if you hadn't hypnotized her so much, you would know her better."
It was meant to be a scolding, but her expression was revealingly coy that it made him laugh. Soon she began chuckling along with him. Before they knew it, they were laughing so hard that they both toppled over. Instead of rising, they decided to take the opportunity to view the night sky. Out here, without all the city lights interfering, the stars had never looked brighter to Fluttershy. Discord kept his attention on her and how the astral and lunar light illuminated her enchanting features.
"They're so lovely," she murmured.
"Yes," he sighed dreamily.
"How far do you suppose they are?"
"Hmm?" He snapped back to reality. "Oh, the stars! Millions of kilometers away, I imagine."
"Do you think you can fly up there?"
"Oh, no. I tried once, but it nearly killed me. Too much sun exposure." He rolled onto his side. "But if I could, I would fly up and grab one of those stars for you."
Grinning up at him, she raised her hoof and caressed his cheek, making him groan in pleasure.
"That's very sweet of you to say, but I don't need any stars."
"Then what can I do for you?"
She blushed deeply. "It's enough just to be with you, to be able to talk to you, to l—"
Discord stiffened, and Fluttershy glanced sideways in embarrassment.
"A-Are you saying what I," he stammered, "think you're saying?"
She was pondering on the question. This past month with him had been wonderful. He was such good company, easy to talk to, and never failed to make her laugh or smile. And now, he had helped her overcome her fear of heights. She felt safe with him, secure. As she looked at him now, she didn't see a murderous vampire, but a kind and gentle creature who adored her with all his heart. How else would she feel about him?
"Y-Yes," she said confidently. "I love you, Discord."
If his heart wasn't dead already, it would've stopped and burst out of his chest at that very instant. The corners of his mouth turned up in a way that his face pinched, but he didn't care. There were no words to describe how happy he felt. At last, the love of his life had said the very words he had been dying to hear.
Which meant their wedding day couldn't be too far off.
"Permission to kiss you passionately?"
She giggled. "Granted, though I don't think there's any need for you to ask anymore."
"Do I have your word on that?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows.
"Yes, I…"
His lips were on hers before she could finish. Snaking her hooves around his neck, she accepted his kiss. He was so overjoyed, his mouth moved eagerly from her lips, to her cheek, to her neck. Fluttershy moaned in pleasure. Every moment with him was exciting and pleasant. She truly couldn't imagine doing this with anyone else. She also felt free and rebellious, knowing her aunt would never approve.
That reminded her of something else.
"Oh, Discord!"
"Hmm?" Discord moaned against her throat.
"I just remembered! Aunt Starlight and I were invited to a dinner party with Lord Fancy Pants tomorrow night."
"Fancy Pants?" He stopped what he was doing and straightened up, much to both of their disappointment. "Rarity mentioned him earlier. She met him last night, and apparently he's her soulmate."
"Rarity and Fancy Pants?" Fluttershy said, sitting up in surprise. "Hmm. Now that I think about it, they both seem to have a refined taste. My aunt tried to set him up as a suitor for me, but he saw that my heart belonged to another."
Discord's eyebrows shot up. "You told him about us?"
"Not the details," she said with a blush. "Just that you wanted to marry me and, while I didn't quite know it yet, I was developing feelings for you. Fancy Pants was very kind about it. I can see why Rarity likes him."
"Good," he sighed, looking back up at the stars. "If Rarity's going to have any stallion in her life, I'm glad it's a good one. After Tenderheart, I don't think she could stand another betrayal."
"Oh, I'm sure Fancy Pants won't do a thing like that. Anyway, Auntie wanted me to ensure that you'd be coming to the party too."
He smacked his forehead. "I forgot about that! Rarity apparently got herself and me invited to that dinner party!"
"So you'll be there?"
He bit his lip. "It'll be hard to keep up the act for so long…"
"We can make it work," she insisted, taking his paw. "Please come. I would feel much more comfortable with you there."
Once again, he could not resist her pleading, innocent eyes. Finally, he sighed in defeat.
"If it'll please you, I'll come." He grinned slyly at her. "So exactly how long have you had feelings for me?"
She gulped at the way he was looking at her. "W-Well I…I don't know, but…while you were away, I…I guess that's when I started…"
She trailed off as his tail wrapped around her and brought her closer to his body. Fluttershy was struck dumb as she found herself locked in his smoldering gaze once again. Her breathing staggered as his claw weaved into her mane and he smiled in amazement at her beauty.
"I loved you from the moment I saw you," he purred, "but it's grown more and more with each passing day. You're not only beautiful. You're kind, passionate, caring," he bent down to whisper in her ear, "and a very good kisser."
She gasped in ecstasy as his lips returned to her neck. It was a sensitive area, they both knew, for at any moment he could spring his fangs and do the inevitable. Fluttershy was willing to take that risk, for like he said. There was no reason to be afraid as long as he was holding her.
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SO CUTE!!!!!!! I seriously can't wait for more.
OMG YES!!! SHIPPING IT SOO MUCH!!!
The flying reminded me to much of the scene from Bride of Discord.
Yaas! Loved it, can't wait for more!
The feels! Feels everywhere!
The Twin
I frickin love Fluttercord so much
And this, plus bride of Discord, are the best stories I've read on this site.
7217162 Idk if I´m gonna be able to get a copy of that.
thanks anyways
This keeps getting better and better. Keep it up.
7231554 I know what you mean. So much sexy fluff.
So many sexual scenes... Oooh Disney, didn't think you would write such interesting things! Oh this feeling I get when I read this.
This fic is amazing so far, can't wait for more!
I can't wait until the next chapter. I Know Rarity is going to be ticked off when she sees "TinderHeart" AKA TinderHoof. I'm thinking when Discord comes to the party TinderHoof is going after Rarity once more or..... Fluttershy dun Dun DUN!!! ( That is just something I could see. I think my head is really evil sometimes. Amazing story so far I am in this all the way.
I really want to see a Discord meets Trenderhoof moment... when he's trying to seduce Fluttershy. Yes, his reactionwould be hilarious... hehe. I am really dark sometimes XD
I need more!
7231962 I really must agree with you Gearhead Gears
IloveitIloveitIloveitIloveitIloveitIloveit thanks to the trailer it got me interested and now that I've read it BEST VAMPIRE STORY. I need more it's so so so admazing. it might be tied to the daughter of discord. I love it and the trailer really represents the characters well for the story. Hope to see more chapters.
Careful DF, your Sunlight is showing.
Discord: WHERE! hiss!
Not that kind of sunlight you silly vampire, get back in your coffin.
Disney, may I have permission to use this universe to make a comedy story on a Discord and Trenderhoof confrontation small story that's only one chapter.
7252350 Uh...sure?
7252429 sorry if it sounds random. I should have explained it better.
Sorry, but ?I have to comment with this pmv!
7240116 I know, I want to see a confrontation between them, too. xD
Discord would be so mad...
7231962 Yeah, I have to admit I can't really stand them either... I just don't ship them together.
media.makeameme.org/created/ships-ships-everywhere-5bd029.jpg
HI IGNORE MY OLD COMMENT I DO SHIP SUNLIGHT NOW THEY ARE GREAT