A Hearth's Warming Carol

by Little-Miss-Minty

The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future

The clock struck again, only once. Discord looked, terrified, at the approaching figure. Even though he had been visited by Princess Luna, The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Past, and The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Present, he was still generally surprised at the sight.

The spirit came closer and closer, and Discord became more frightened with each step the Ghost took.

When the Spirit was close enough that Discord was surely audible, he asked, "are you the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future?"

The Spirit did not speak, but only nodded slightly. Or at least, Discord thought it nodded.

"What are you going to show me?" Discord questioned the figure clothed in black. He was trying to be confident, but he really was very scared.

The dark and desolate field was replaced by the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. Discord's ears flopped down, his breathing became heavy, and his pupils undilated. This was the Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future, not Past. Could this really be his future?

The Spirit did not talk, but pointed a purple hoof, gesturing to what was behind him.

Swallowing, he turned around.

Just as he guessed, he was looking at a statue of himself. A third time? He was to be turned to stone for a third time?!

"No!" He yelled, "Tell me that this isn't true! How did this come to be? Fluttershy promised... Fluttershy promised that she'd never use her Element of Kindness against me!" Discord was starting to tear up. "They all said... that I was their friend! I thought that this wouldn't happen ever again..." He was full-out crying by now. "Tell me this isn't true!"

The Spirit seemed to shake it's head, with a 'no'.

"Fine, if it is forever true, then show me some sort of emotion... show me Fluttershy! I wish to see her," Discord pleaded to the Ghost.

The scene started to change. It twisted and swirled until the Ghost in black and Discord stood in Fluttershy's cottage.

"I'm glad that he's gone! All he ever did was cause me trouble!" Fluttershy was angrily stomping around the house, watering plants. "I just have to make tea for one, now! And I'll be free every tuesday, make that certain!" Birds flew out of the way, to the rafters, as she walked past.

"No... Fluttershy..." Discord whispered.

The scene swirled to a new one, once again. They were now in Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie was baking cupcakes.

"I never liked his chocolate milk clouds! It got my mane all sticky and knotty. I'm glad he's back in stone!" Pinkie shoved the tray of cupcakes into the oven.

Again, the scene swirled out and and new one positioned itself. Rainbow Dash was flying around an cloud obstacle course.

"I hated all his pranks! They really started to annoy me!" She dodged the cloudy fences and dove under bridges of sorts.

Before they could hear anything else from Rainbow Dash, they were in The Carousel Boutique.

"His fashion sense was absolutely horrid! At least he can't wear those terrible clothes when he's a statue!" Rarity angrily sewed, her face almost as red as the glasses she wore on her muzzle.

Then, they flashed in the same swirly fashion to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Remember all those nasty things he did to our crops?" Apple Jack kicked at a tree. "Anything that pops our corn, or floods and freezes our rivers deserves to be stuck in stone!" She turned around and forcefully kicked another tree.

The scene swirled back into the Canterlot Sculpture Gardens.

"No! I can't live another eternity trapped like this... I can't!" He ran over to the Spirit, and sat down, kneeling in it's presence. "I'm a new draconequus! Reformed more than before! There's no reason to think that Hearth's Warming is nothing, because it's magical. It's amazing. I just have to look at Fluttershy and everypony once else to know that! They are happy, so why can't I be? Hearth's Warming is anything but humbug, it's a time for joy and peace and beauty. I promise... I'll represent each of the Elements of Harmony! Kindness, Generosity, Honesty, and Loyalty... Laughter and Magic! I promise, please... believe me spirit! I've learned from the past, present and future. I've changed!"

The Ghost of Hearth's Warming Future must have believed him, because in an instant, the Sculpture Gardens melted away, and they were back into Discord's room. The Spirit blew away, but it's mysterious presence still filled the room.

Discord was very tired, so he flopped down on his bed and fell asleep quite quickly. Visions of sugarplums danced in his head, as well as the plans he had for the morning.

Comments

[kurusagi16]

Pretty intense. I would never think Fluttershy would be that harsh to Discord. Unless of course he did something worse than what he did in the s04 finale. P.s. Thank you for remembering the promise between Discord and Fluttershy.

[Little-Miss-Minty]

6766821
Yeah, she probably wouldn't be that mean, but if he was going to be put back in stone, clearly he did something really bad. And no problem, I try to keep it as canon as possible when writing these things.