Heart of Stone: Part 2
"Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it's broken, but you can still see the crack in that mother f—er's reflection."
- Lady Gaga
"There is no way this is gonna work!" Mare-velous said.
"There's nowhere else to put him," the Masked Matter-Horn said as she pressed the keypad on the wall. "If we keep him here at headquarters, we'll be able to keep an eye on him, and these magical security measures, courtesy of Sparkle Labs, should be enough to keep him in check."
Mare-velous looked over to the god, still bound up by Demeter's Lasso while sitting in a padded cell.
"I must say," Discord said, bouncing on the cushioned floor, "this is much cozier than my last prison."
"Isn't this a bit overkill?" Mare-velous whispered to the Matter-Horn. "I mean the rope seems to have made him harmless enough already."
"This is just for added measure," the Matter-Horn said. "This force-field is laced with enchantments to ward off any evil spirits." She glanced briefly at their divine prisoner. "I think the God of Chaos counts as an evil spirit."
"You flatter me," Discord said with a grin.
Mare-velous shook her head. "I don't know what scares me more. The fact that we're keepin' the ancient embodiment of all things evil in our headquarters, or the fact that ya already had one of these evil-wardin' cells handy."
"And…done," the Matter-Horn said as she punched in the last key.
A transparent magenta wall materialized over the cell's opening.
"The force-field's active behind the walls, above the ceiling and beneath the floor too," the Matter-Horn said. "Only way in is if one of us punches in the correct passcode. The keys are set to only register the hoof prints of us, our teammates, and Humdrum's claw print."
"Impressive magic," Discord said, staring at the force-field. "Who did you study with? Hecate? Circe? Calypso?"
"Celestia, actually," the Matter-Horn said.
He blinked. "Who?"
The alicorn opened her mouth in astonishment. She was prepared to rant when Mare-velous put a hoof on her shoulder.
"He was banished before the princesses were born, remember?" Mare-velous whispered.
The Matter-Horn sighed. "Right. He probably doesn't even know about the Vassals…"
"What are you girls whispering about?" Discord said, his childish grin remaining. "You talking about my astonishing good looks?"
Mare-velous glared at him. "I'll bet he does know a thing or two about divine Vassals after what he did to Fluttershy!"
"Aha!" Like a snake, he slithered closer to the force-field. "You do know who Fluttershy is! Is she around here?"
Mare-velous stepped up to the force-field, her muzzle just an inch away. "Maybe first you could tell us why ya put that curse on her!"
He blinked. "Curse?"
"What kind of sick creature are ya, puttin' that kinda burden on a tiny little filly! Do ya have any idea what ya did to her?!"
He stared at her for a while, then his eyes widened. "I did hurt her, didn't I?" He hung his head. "Oh, I wish she hadn't touched that amulet! But how could I have warned her? I wasn't exactly in a position to!" He looked up at the heroes with an expression of worry. "How bad were her injuries? Was she deformed? I didn't mean to hurt her! It was an accident!"
Mistress Mare-velous blinked in confusion. "Accident?"
The Masked Matter-Horn appeared to be just as perplexed. "You mean to say…you have no idea what you did to Fluttershy?"
Discord shook his head. "Whatever I did to her, it was unintentional. Now will some pony tell me what exactly it was I did to her?"
The two heroes shared a look and decided not to press this question further.
"How did you escape?" the Matter-Horn asked.
He smiled. "Fluttershy freed me."
"Fluttershy was nowhere near ya when ya got out," Mare-velous said. "How'd she free ya?"
Laying his head down on the floor so that he was glancing sideways at the mares, he said, "Like the prophecy says, she accepted my gifts."
Mare-velous eyed the rope. "What else does the prophecy say?"
"Oh, you don't want to hear it from me. It's really better when you hear Apollo say it. I should know." He chuckled. "I was there."
The rope tightened around his waist. "Just answer the question."
He only laughed. "You think that's going to hurt me? True, I cannot lie in this." He looked down at his lying form. "Well, I can't lie in one way, anyway. But this squeezing thing is only going to give me a more slender figure. After all, it's not as if there's any air for you to cut off."
The Matter-Horn sighed. "He's right. There's not much we can do to hurt him."
"Fine," Mare-velous said with a shrug. "Don't tell us how ya got out. At least tell us why you're so interested in Fluttershy."
His grin widened and his eyelids drooped. "Why shouldn't I be interested in the mare who rescued me from the dark depths of my stone prison? I merely want to thank her for all she's done to me. Is that so wrong?" He tilted his head so he could look at them right-side-up. "Would you do me the courtesy of bringing her here so that I may thank her properly?"
After a quick glance at the Matter-Horn, Mare-velous said, "We'll see."
As they turned their backs to walk down the hall, Discord called, "I know that line! Zeus used it on me every time I asked for my own holiday! Guess what? It never happened!"
The rest of the team was in the main lounge. Humdrum sat at the monitors, keeping an eye on Discord in his cell. Saddle Rager sat on the couch, her eyes also fixated on the god. Radiance was polishing her bracelets while Fili-Second was gouging down on forty carrot dogs.
In the corner of the room, Zapp was pacing around while talking on her cell phone.
"Yeah, I know. I told Mr. Fetlock to…" She winced. "Boss, I mean Daring, I… Yes, we have him secured." She paused. "Ugh, he's not gonna like that." Another pause. "Any ideas on how we can…?" As she listened, she shook her head. "We're screwed then. Well, call us if you can find anything else."
"I take it Daring Do doesn't have much helpful information?" the Matter-Horn asked as she and Mare-velous walked in.
Zapp hung up the phone. "She's gonna do some digging in her books, but like we already figured out, we can't turn him back to stone without all twelve of the Olympian Gods' Gifts."
"But we can't just leave him in that cell either!" Mare-velous exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "I'd like to have my rope back at some point!"
"We may not have a choice," the Matter-Horn said, "unless there's some other way we can contain him."
"What about that Chaos Amulet he keeps raving about?" Radiance asked.
"Despite being a god," Zapp said, "Discord's powers in the mortal world are restricted. The Amulet of Chaos was given to him by…actually no pony knows who gave it to him. But it's supposed to give him unlimited control over the mortal realm. We're sure lucky he didn't find it at the museum."
"Even so," the Matter-Horn said, "we may have to put that amulet under tight security. It's risky having it on public display."
Zapp cringed. "Mr. Fetlock's not gonna like that. It's bad enough we already broke the Head of Anubis and then another one of the exhibits came to life today."
"He'll probably change his mind once Twilight Sparkle has a little chat with him."
Saddle Rager looked down at her hooves. "Did…did he…say anything about me?"
Mare-velous bit her lip. She still felt guilty for keeping the secret of her roommate being Discord's Vassal. Since she had repeated Demeter's message, Mare-velous could feel the tension arising between her teammates.
"He says you were the one who set him free," the Matter-Horn said.
"I didn't mean to!" Saddle Rager insisted. "I mean…I didn't even know how…he had talked about it…"
"What?"
Saddle Rager blushed. "He, um…he's been speaking to me in my dreams for a while now."
The Matter-Horn put her hoof to her head. "We really need to organize some trust exercises or something. This team seems to be lacking in it immensely!"
"I didn't think they meant anything!" Saddle Rager twiddled her hooves. "He…he was asking me to set him free. I asked him how, and he said I had to 'accept his gifts.'"
Mare-velous' eyes widened. "That's exactly what he told us!"
"But I don't know what that means!"
Radiance gasped. "I think I do! Saddle Rager, you remember after you defeated Trixie and talked to the reporters? You told them that you had accepted your powers from Discord!"
The Matter-Horn stiffened. "Zapp, when did you start noticing the crack in Discord's statue?"
Scratching her head, Zapp said, "Let's see…Mr. Fetlock pointed it out around the time we fought the Shadow King, and the security footage showed it springing up a week before that, so…" As she trailed off, her face became blank. "Not too long after…Fluttershy joined the team."
"So if you think about it," Fili-Second said, sitting upside-down on the couch, "this is our fault!"
"What do you mean, Fili?" Radiance asked.
"I mean we were spending all this time trying to build up Fluttershy's confidence and convince her to use her powers for good and accept that scary part of herself and get her to love herself and accept that this was a part of her when all it was doing was bringing Discord closer and closer to his escape which makes sense if the statue started cracking when Fluttershy became Saddle Rager and then burst open when she finally accepted her freaky powers so Discord wouldn't have escaped if we hadn't been supportive teammates." She rolled her eyes. "Duh!"
They were silent for a long while. Mistress Mare-velous slapped her forehead with her hoof.
"All this time," she said quietly, "I thought bringin' ya out of yerr shell would do ya some good. But it was just makin' that gosh darn prophecy come true. Didn't even matter that I was keepin' ya from that statue!"
"Don't blame yourself, Applejack," Saddle Rager said. "You were only trying to help me."
"She's right, Mare-velous," the Matter-Horn said. "From what I know about Gracian mythology…err, history, I should say; trying to escape Fate only seals it."
Zapp huffed. "What's the point of making prophecies if it's just gonna happen no matter what you do?"
"Well," the Matter-Horn said, "we at least have one advantage over Discord." She turned to Saddle Rager. "He doesn't seem to know that he had cursed you."
Saddle Rager blinked. "He…doesn't?"
The alicorn shook her head. "When we asked why he had cursed you, he didn't seem to know what we were talking about."
"And he can't lie with Demeter's Rope around him," Mare-velous said. "He said when ya touched his amulet, he was scared that it had hurt ya, that he didn't mean what he did." She spoke quietly. "Hate to say it, but I believe him."
"But how can he not know?" Fili-Second asked. "Isn't he a god or something?"
"Not all gods are all-knowing," Zapp said. "If that were so, they would've put Discord someplace where no pony would find him."
"Not even Demeter knows everything," Mare-velous admitted begrudgingly. "Back when her daughter Persephone was taken, she had no way of knowin' that Hades had her."
"So if he doesn't know about the curse, he must not know about Saddle Rager either." The Matter-Horn tapped her chin. "Have you ever mentioned the Power Ponies to Discord when he was stone?"
Saddle Rager took a moment to think. "I…must have brought you up a couple of times, but…n-no. I don't think…I don't think I ever told him I was a superhero. There were always other ponies present at the museum, I couldn't risk being overheard."
"Maybe it's best that he doesn't know, for now."
"Oh, most certainly," Radiance said. "Take it from some pony who has been in a dangerous situation with a villain. It is one thing to have a villain interested in one side of you. Imagine what power that villain would have over both sides of you!"
"V-Villain?" Saddle Rager stammered. "T-That's a bit…h-harsh, don't you think?"
Everyone turned to her in shock.
"You're kidding, right?" Zapp said. "You're talking about the guy who took over the world two thousand odd years ago!"
"But that was in the past," Saddle Rager said. "Maybe…maybe all that time in stone made him reconsider things."
"Even if that were possible," Radiance said, "you forget the mayhem he caused in town just after he was released."
Circling her hoof in the floor, Saddle Rager said, "I don't know if 'mayhem' is the right word for it."
"He was throwing ponies across town!" Zapp shouted.
"He robbed several elegant department stores!" Radiance said. "And broke many fashion codes!"
"Not to mention he's really annoying!" Fili-Second exclaimed, crossing her hooves.
"And he'll do much worse if he gets his paw and claw on that amulet," Mare-velous said. "But like I said, we can't hold him in there forever."
"Unless he can tell us of some other way to imprison him," the Matter-Horn said.
"That should be easy with Demeter's Lasso of Truth," Fili-Second said.
"Not really," Mare-velous said. "Just because he can't tell an untruth, doesn't mean he can't hide anything. When we interrogated him, he kept dodgin' our questions with other truths, except the truths we were lookin' for."
"We asked him about the prophecy," the Matter-Horn said, "but rather than tell us what it was, he said it was better we heard it from Apollo."
"We asked him about why he was so interested in Fluttershy, he said why wouldn't he be interested in the mare who freed him? He says he just wants to thank her, but," Mare-velous said, rubbing her chin, "what if there's something else that he's just not tellin' us?"
Zapp shrugged. "Discord is famed for his mind games. He even managed to confuse the Goddess of Wisdom, Athena, a couple of times."
"What if I talked to him?"
For the second time that day, everyone looked at Saddle Rager in shock. She shrunk back from the sudden attention.
"I mean," she said, clearing her throat, "he wants to talk to me, right? Maybe…he'll cooperate if we…give him what he wants?"
They all stared at her for a while.
"She does make a good point," Fili-Second said.
"If you can get him to trust you, Fluttershy," the Matter-Horn said, "he might reveal his weaknesses. Or, if he knows, the location of the other Gods' Gifts."
Mare-velous shook her head. "I don't like the idea. Like Zapp said, Discord is known for his mind games. Who's to say her interrogatin' him won't have the opposite effect?"
"I can do it," Saddle Rager said boldly. "After all, from what I've seen in my dreams, he seems to trust me already."
"You just can't let him know you're Saddle Rager," the Matter-Horn said, "or else he'll use that knowledge against you." She glanced at Mare-velous. "And in case Discord should try anything, we'll be watching on the monitors and listening through our commlinks."
"I still don't like it," Mare-velous said, looking at her roommate, "but I see no other options."
"Hooray!" Fili-Second cried, throwing her hoof around Saddle Rager. "Go get him, Clarice!"
Radiance blinked. "Who's Clarice?"
"Yes, well," Saddle Rager said, looking down. "It's probably a good thing I managed to get out of work for the rest of the day."
"How did you manage to get out of work anyway?" Zapp asked.
"I just told Doctor Fauna that I'd been turned into a dog and that the experience was a bit traumatic."
Fili-Second laughed. "This is probably the only town where a wacky excuse like that can actually work!"
The elevator doors opened to the hallway with the holding cells. For a while, Fluttershy just stood there in her veterinarian uniform, hesitant to go forward. The doors automatically closing finally convinced her.
Holding out her hoof, Fluttershy stopped the doors and stepped into the hallway. She stood frozen as the doors shut behind her. She stared down the hall, knowing that Discord's cell was at its very end.
She was incredibly nervous. Not because she was about to meet an all-powerful god who was possibly evil, but because she realized this would be the first time the two of them would meet face-to-face.
For years, she had spoken to him with no reply. He couldn't even see her. He had been able to speak to her in her dreams, but even then, neither one could see the other's face. And now, she would see him, and he would see her, and they would actually engage in conversation.
"It's okay, Fluttershy," the Matter-Horn said through the commlink. "We're right here."
But she couldn't hear her, for she was too deep in thought.
What if he's not what I thought he was? What if he'd been playing with my head all this time? What if he doesn't like me anymore once he sees me?
"I know you're there."
Fluttershy jumped upon hearing Discord's voice. It was just as low and haunting as it had been in her dreams.
"Come closer," he said softly. "There's no need to be afraid."
His tone was kind enough to compel Fluttershy's hooves to step forward. Yet she still hesitated.
"Please, my dear," he said with a hint of sadness. "Come to me. Let me see your face." She still did not move. "It's alright. I won't hurt you. I couldn't hurt you even if I wanted to. And I never will."
Gulping, Fluttershy slowly walked down the hall, her hoofsteps echoing with a light ping! She approached the cell at the end, its entrance covered by a magenta force-field, and turned to face the creature inside.
The moment he saw her, his red pupils dilated so that the yellows of his eyes were nothing but thin ribbons.
"F-Fluttershy?" he said in a voice of astonishment and wonder.
Quivering her lip, she replied, "Y-Yes."
His body was still as his eyes raked up and down her body, drinking in the sight of her. At first, he felt confusion, for the Fluttershy who had spoken to him had expressed concerns about being monstrous, but by pony standards, she looked completely ordinary. On the other hand, he was relieved that he hadn't disfigured her. So then why was she so afraid of herself?
She hadn't lied about her features. Her mane was indeed pink, her coat was indeed yellow, and her eyes were indeed teal. For the longest moment, those teal eyes were locked on his.
He found no flaw in her appearance. No wrinkle, no scar, no freckle, not even a mosquito bite or split end. Normally, something like this would irk him and he would do something to make this perfect being imperfect, like mess up her mane or change the color of her eyes to something outlandish like orange. Something this flawless should not be permitted to exist.
Then, in a sudden burst of shyness, her head lowered, her gaze directing to the floor as a thick lock of her mane fell over her eye. Her hoof moved to sweep that stray lock behind her ear. Discord watched in interest as she did all this slowly and gracefully.
There. There was the flaw he'd been looking for. Despite having such a perfect appearance that would be aesthetically pleasing to any being other than himself, she did not think she was a being worth admiring. Not knowing that she was flawless was her flaw.
It was a conundrum he found delightfully charming.
She looked back up at him and her cheeks took on an adorable shade of pink. Discord's wings would have fluttered had they not been constricted by the rope.
"Um," Fluttershy said, rubbing her foreleg awkwardly. "You're…um…you're kind of…"
Discord finally blinked and quickly shook his head. "F-Forgive me for staring, but…" He leaned closer towards the force-field. "I…I've just dreamed of this moment when…when I'd see you at last."
She glanced to the side. "I'm…sorry if you're disappointed."
"No!" Realizing he'd said that a little too loudly, he cleared his throat. "N-No. Quite the contrary, in fact."
His lower jaw hung open, and there was silence again.
"I…I spent so many years thinking of what I should say…how I should…but I…" After a pause, he laughed. "Congratulations, my dear. It's a rare achievement to strike a god speechless."
A smile tugged at her lips, and Discord could've sworn her face became brighter.
"G-Guess I'm not the only one who's," she said, slowly locking eyes with him again, "n-nervous."
He grinned too. "What's there for you to be nervous about? You're only meeting the most powerful god in the cosmos." The rope tightened around his waist. "Okay, so maybe the second most powerful god." It squeezed further. "Okay, okay! In the top ten at least!"
Fluttershy giggled softly, making Discord's ears perk up.
"What?" she asked, noticing his staring again.
"N-Nothing," he said, "it's just…I don't believe I've heard you laugh before."
She blushed further. "I…can't remember the last time I laughed."
"You're doing great, Fluttershy," the Matter-Horn's voice said in her ear. Fluttershy had almost forgotten the others were listening in. "Keep talking, but keep it casual."
"I…" Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I have so many questions."
"As do I," Discord said. "Perhaps you could start by telling me what year it is. It's hard to tell how much time passes when you're trapped in stone."
"It's the two thousandth year of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna's reign."
He blinked. "Princesses? What princesses?"
"You…don't know?"
He shrugged. "I've been in that statue for at least two thousand years, apparently."
"Well," she said, twiddling her hooves, "I don't know much history, but…the story is that once the ponies started learning how to take care of nature all on their own, with the pegasi controlling the weather and the earth ponies tending to the crops and all, the Gods of Olympus decided that the mortals didn't need them anymore. So they retired."
Discord's eyes widened. "So…the Gods of Olympus…aren't in power anymore?"
Fluttershy nodded.
"Interesting," he said in thought. "That would explain why Zeus' Bolt and Demeter's Lasso were in possession of some renegade mortals."
"That's the thing," she said. "Even though the gods had retired, they still figured the ponies might still require their help every now and then, so they gave their symbols of power to mortals they deemed worthy."
She paused. "There was also the matter of bringing forth day and night. While unicorns had the magic to do that task, it was still a job that was too taxing on them, as it required a lot of magic and many unicorns to raise and lower the sun and moon. So together, Apollo and Artemis created two alicorn sisters, Princess Celestia who would bring forth the day, and Princess Luna to bring forth the night."
"So the Olympians' symbols of power are all scattered across the world, eh? And the gods themselves no longer involve themselves in mortal affairs." Discord smirked. "Very interesting."
"Might wanna change the topic there, Sugar," Mare-velous said through the commlink. "I think ya may have given him a little too much information."
"Oh, um…" She looked down the hallway. "How'd you know it was me in here?"
He leaned forward. "I'd know the sound of your hooffall anywhere. You've visited me so many times."
She glanced down at her hooves. "I…wasn't sure if you were listening."
"Oh, I was listening alright." The rest he said in a low whisper. "And I held onto every word." He shook his head. "I never quite understood why you doubted yourself so often. I know it's a common trait amongst you mortals, but seeing you…I just can't understand how some pony so beautiful can be so unsure of herself."
Fluttershy allowed her mane to fall over her face so he wouldn't see how red it was. "You…don't have to be polite."
He huffed. "Believe me. I'm the least polite being I know. This stupid rope's just forcing me to be honest." As his eyelids drooped, he said, "Though it would be hard for me to deny the brilliance of the goddess before me."
"Don't fall for his flattery, Fluttershy!" Zapp exclaimed.
"Yeah!" Fili-Second said. "Even if you are totally drop-dead gorgeous!"
"I agree, darling," Radiance said. "I've envied how well kept your mane is ever since we first met! What shampoo do you use? And please don't say Tangler's."
"I think you're missin' the point here, Radiance!" Mare-velous hollered.
"Not that you're not pretty, Fluttershy!" Zapp said insistently.
"Is it a store-bought brand or some all-natural concoction you whipped up yourself?" Radiance asked.
"What does it matter?!" Mare-velous shouted. "Shampoo is shampoo! Ugh! Now ya got me talkin' nonsense!"
As they prattled on, Fluttershy turned so that the ear with the commlink was facing away from Discord.
"We've talked enough about me," she said, casually taking the earpiece out and slipping it into the pocket of her lab coat. "I'd like to know about you." She swept her mane behind her ear. "After all, I…never got to hear from you in all that time."
"Oh, perfectly understandable," Discord said, throwing back his head in an attempted mane flip. "I am a fascinating specimen." He noticed her stare. "Hello? Truth-telling rope?"
She couldn't help but giggle a bit. "I just…wanted to know if…what they say about you…is true."
He shrugged. "Depends on what you mean. Do they say I'm the handsomest, suavest, irresistible god alive?" He looked down at his bounds. "I'd flex my muscles, but…"
"That's not what I meant. Are you," she said, biting her lip, "at least…were you…evil?"
His smile vanished, and Fluttershy could've sworn she saw fear behind his eyes.
"A-Again," he stammered. "It depends on your definition of evil."
Ashamed of her question, Fluttershy gazed down at the floor. "What I mean is…when you took over the world, did you…hurt ponies?"
For a long while, his expression was unreadable, his gaze never leaving her. Then he glanced to the side.
"I will not lie." Twisting against the rope, he said, "Cannot lie."
She closed her eyes. "I see."
When he looked back at her, he felt a twinge of pain at seeing her so dejected. "I wish I could tell you that what they say about me is wrong, that I'm not a monster." He sighed. "But yes, I…have hurt ponies in the past. Donkeys and cows and minotaurs too."
"But why?"
He paused as if to think about it. "Don't you wonder why there aren't many temples erected to me? Why ponies only turn to me when all the other gods refuse to answer their prayers? Why I'm that final act of desperation rather than their first choice?"
She looked up at him. "N-No, I…had no idea."
"Well, it's because they all hate me."
Her eyes widened. "Oh, they can't all have hated you. You are a god, after all."
Rolling his eyes, he said, "Being a god doesn't necessarily mean you are liked. It's merely a title that means you're immortal and have power over the forces of nature and guarantees you only a handful of followers who are really just mojo in the coco or some angsty teenagers going through a nemo phase." His lip turned upward. "At least I think that's how you translate it. I really do appreciate how chaotic and confusing your modern Ponish is."
Looking him over, she asked, "So…you lashed out on the mortal world because…no pony appreciated you?"
He nodded. "I figured if I ruled over them, they would have reason to respect me."
"But…then they'd also have reason to fear you."
"Yeah." He hung his head. "But at least I wouldn't be ignored."
She rubbed her foreleg. "And are you…still thinking about taking over the world?"
He paused. "As tempting as the idea is, lately I've had something," he said, his eyes focusing on her, "else on my mind."
"Really?" Fluttershy said, her heart filling with hope. "That's wonderful! What is it?"
He glanced around the hallway. "You wouldn't happen to know where my Amulet of Chaos is, would you?"
Frowning, she turned her head away from him.
"You don't know or you just won't tell?"
She sighed. "Honestly, I was hoping you wouldn't ask that."
"Hey, hey, hey! I just wanna take back what is rightfully mine. That amulet was made for me, after all."
"True," she said, facing him with a stern expression, "but it's also what helped you take over the world, and what turned me into…"
She quickly put her hoof to her mouth. This action did not escape Discord's notice.
Taking a calming breath, Fluttershy said, "I may not have been around when you took over the world, but I know that amulet is nothing but trouble, so I don't think anyone should use it." Her eyes narrowed at him. "Especially you."
Discord groaned. "But this world is no fun if I can't manipulate it the way I want."
"I've seen you manage to do that just fine without the amulet."
"Yes, yes, but turning inanimate objects into other inanimate objects is so old cap. If I had my amulet, I could give them sentience, manipulate the minds and emotions of mortals, control the weather without Zeus interfering, create absurd plants and animals to annoy the Hades out of Demeter and Artemis! I could pretty much do anything!"
Fluttershy lowered her head in sadness. "So…having that amulet and control over the entire world would make you happy?"
"Well, duh!" He stuck out his tongue. "You think ruling the world would be a bad thing?"
"It just," she said in a small voice, "sounds kind of lonely."
He stiffened. "What?"
"All those ponies, afraid of you, afraid of what you might do to them." She shook her head. "They certainly wouldn't like you."
As she locked eyes with him again, Discord's body became completely still. They were so wide, so innocent, so truly mesmerizing.
"I've asked you this so many times when you were in stone," she said quietly, "but…I must know…was there no one who liked you? What about your parents?"
Sighing sadly, he said, "I was born from pure Chaos. Not exactly the most involved parent, stirring underground all the time."
Crossing her legs in nervousness, she asked, "Didn't you ever have…a friend?"
He looked away. "I've…never had a need for friends."
"Oh," she said, hanging her head.
Glancing back at her, he said, "But…I suppose I…did feel lonely sometimes. But that was before…"
She lifted her head. "Before what?"
Facing her again, he whispered, "You came along."
The blush returned to Fluttershy's cheeks and she hid behind her mane once again.
"Why do you shy away from me," Discord asked, "when all I do is give you praise?"
She pulled her mane further over her face so that he could not see her small smile. "I, uh…don't think I'm worthy of such praise."
"Nonsense," he said with a shake of his head. "Let me tell you, sweet Fluttershy. I've lived for millennia. I've seen all the beauties. Aphrodite, Persephone, Helen of Troy. I've seen them all. But none of them," he leaned forward, "none of them, hold a candle to you, my dear. With your sweet demeanor, kind heart and delicate appearance, you have the complexion of an angle!"
She raised an eyebrow, making Discord wince.
"Sorry. What is it you ponies today call it? Oh, yes." He grinned with half-lidded eyes. "Angel."
She turned away, her face beat red and the corners of her mouth reaching all the way to her ears. No one had ever offered her such a compliment, and, like her dreams, it made her heart beat at a tempo that defied logic. And, since he was bound by Demeter's Lasso of Truth, he must have been sincere.
That glimmer of hope that he was not entirely evil returned inside her. Maybe all he really needs is a friend to show him a little kindness.
And she was very happy to be that friend.
Discord was frowning, as he had taken her turning away as a sign of rejection.
"I'm…sorry if what I said frightened you…"
"No, no!" Fluttershy said, facing him with a smile. "I…I'm flattered."
His ears flapped excitedly. "Do you think you can come closer? I'd like to see you better."
After a moment of hesitance, Fluttershy took a step forward.
"Closer," he murmured.
She stepped up so that she was just an inch away from the force-field. "Is this alright?"
His eyes wandered, taking in every detail of her face. He let out a toothy grin of satisfaction.
"Perfect."
Meanwhile, in the main lounge, Zapp was pressing buttons on the control panel.
"How do you turn the volume up? I can't hear what they're saying!"
She jumped as a siren went off.
"Quit playing with that!" Humdrum hollered, pressing a few keys to switch the siren off.
"Fluttershy?" Mare-velous said, pressing into her ear. "Fluttershy, are ya there?"
"She must've taken her commlink out," the Matter-Horn said.
"Why in the hay would she do that?" Zapp asked.
Mare-velous rolled her eyes. "Maybe if you girls hadn't been arguing over haircare products!"
Radiance gasped. "I'll have you know that haircare products are worth arguing over…"
"Why is she so close to the force-field?" Zapp said, leaning closer to the monitor. "What does she think she's doing?!"
"She's fine," the Matter-Horn said. "That force-field is impenetrable to organic as well as magical matter."
Radiance squinted at the screen. "There's something strange about that Discord."
Crossing her hooves, Mare-velous said, "You're figurin' that out just now?"
"Haven't you noticed that his eyes have hardly ever left Fluttershy? And when he looks at her, his pupils dilate? In fact, I don't believe he's even blinked more than twice since she entered the room."
"Do gods even need to blink?" Fili-Second asked.
"Not to mention he seems very elated to see Fluttershy."
Fili-Second tilted her head as she looked at the screen. "Fluttershy seems kind of happy too."
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was almost as if…" Radiance shook her head. "No, no. It's absolutely ridiculous."
There was a ringing sound and the heroes turned to the couch where a cell phone was vibrating.
"One sec," Zapp said, going over to the phone. She picked it up. "Hey, Daring, what's up?"
"Dash," Daring Do said from the other end, her voice sounding panicked. "I've just gone over my old Gracian texts talking about the Discordian Prophecy, and I think one of the words may have been mistranslated and if it means what I think it means, your friend Fluttershy may be in danger!"
Glancing at her colleagues, Zapp took a few steps away. "What do you mean? What does it say?"
"Well," she said over a rustling of paper, "when going over the prophecy, I remembered that in Ancient Gracian, the word for 'core' also translates into 'heart,' so rather than Discord being released by the 'Keeper of His Core,' it could mean the 'Keeper of His Heart!' And, well, this changes the meaning of the text completely!"
"What are you say—?"
"I'm saying that if your friend Fluttershy's the one who released Discord, it's because she has his heart! And the next couple lines say he will give the Keeper of His Heart everlasting life, making her his and his alone!"
Zapp glanced back at the screen, showing the footage of Discord and Fluttershy, laughing together.
"You don't mean…"
"Dash, I think Discord plans to make your friend his immortal bride!"
Zapp dropped the phone, causing her colleagues to turn.
"You alright?" the Matter-Horn asked.
"Get Fluttershy away from that creep!" Zapp shouted, quickly picking up the phone.
"WHAT?!" Daring Do hollered at a volume that could be heard by everyone in the room. "YOU ACTUALLY LET HER NEAR THAT MONSTER?!"
"It's okay!" Zapp said, bringing the phone to her face. "Even if Discord manages to break through the force-field, Demeter's Lasso is holding him back."
"Demeter's Lasso?!" There was a slap, possibly Daring's hoof against her face. "That's what you used to secure him?!"
Zapp frowned. "Yeah, what's the problem? Nothing can escape…"
"Dash," Daring said slowly. "It took all twelve of the Olympian Gods' combined powers to put him in that statue. Do you really think Demeter's Lasso alone is enough to hold him?"
"What are you talking about? We've had him tied up all…"
As she caught another glimpse of the screen, she saw how intensely Discord was looking at Fluttershy and how close to her he was leaning. Zapp's eyes widened in realization as she dropped her phone a second time.
"He's playing us!" she shouted. She pressed her hoof into her ear. "Fluttershy, get outta…" She groaned. "Right, she took out her earpiece!"
"What's going on?" the Matter-Horn asked.
"No time! Fili, get down there!"
"On it!" Fili-Second said as she zoomed off.
"Come on!" Zapp said as she flew towards the stairs. "We can't let him take her!"
While Zapp was having her realization, Fluttershy and Discord were laughing over a story he had told.
"You actually turned Demeter into a," Fluttershy said, biting hard on her lip, "tree?!"
"She said she always felt one with nature!" Discord exclaimed. "And she made a fine tree at that! But let me tell you, the fruit she bore was just sour! I mean have you met Persephone?"
Despite herself, she laughed harder. "That's so mean!"
"Then why are you still laughing?"
She shook her head. "I have no idea!"
He grinned as he watched her face, which seemed to glow even brighter with every chortle.
"Oh Fluttershy," Discord said with a sigh. "I've waited so long for this moment."
She smiled up at him. "Me too."
"Really? I mean you're not the one bound to tell the truth here."
"Really. I," she said with a blush, "I've…wondered about you for a long time."
"And," he said, moving his face as close to the force-field as possible, "you are not afraid of me?"
"Maybe I was a little…nervous about meeting you at first, but afraid?" She shook her head. "Never."
He craned his neck downward so that his eyes were at her level. "You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that."
She blushed deeper as she twirled a strand of her mane around her hoof. "I'd, um…actually like to be a tree."
"Hmm," Discord said in thought. "I suppose that can be arranged."
"Or a flower. Something related to nature."
He grinned. "I think you'd make a lovely flower. You've talked so much about flowers, I've always wondered which one is your favorite."
"Oh," she said, shaking her head. "I could never pick just one. I love all of them! Roses, tulips, mums, lady slippers…"
Suddenly, a bouquet appeared in her hooves. It consisted of roses, tulips, mums and…pink ballet shoes hanging from stems. When Fluttershy did a double take, she realized they were made of paper.
"Sorry they're not real flowers," Discord said. "Part of my restrictions in the mortal realm."
Looking up at him, Fluttershy backed away in alarm. "I-I…thought you couldn't use your magic while in that rope."
Frowning, Discord glanced at the paper flowers and then at the rope. Chuckling, he shook his head.
"Looks like the dog's out of the sack."
Fili-Second zipped in between Fluttershy and the force-field. "Fluttershy! Discord's playing us!"
The god smirked. "A little late for that, Hermes Gal."
Just then, the upper half of Discord's body detached itself, causing Fluttershy to drop her bouquet. His lower half slipped out of the rope before it could close in on him. Having nothing to hold, the rope tightened itself into a knot. As his body came back together, Discord pierced his paw and claw through the force-field and pushed it aside, making a circular hole. He hoisted himself through the hole and snatched up Fluttershy.
This series of actions was so surprising and so quick that not even Fili-Second had time to react.
"How…when…what?" Fluttershy said, shocked to find herself in Discord's arms.
"At last," Discord murmured, his claw running along her chin as he brought her face to his. "How I've longed to hold you…"
The slow movement of his claw made Fluttershy shiver, but it also made her face feel hot. His red and yellow eyes were burning into hers, and she could not find the willpower to look away.
"Get away from her, you creep!" Zapp hollered as the rest of the Power Ponies came racing down the hall.
Rolling his eyes, Discord put up a force-field of his own. The heroes collided into the golden shield.
"See how you like it!" he exclaimed.
"W-What are you doing?" Fluttershy asked.
She flinched as Discord ran his claw through her mane.
"Oh, don't worry, my darling," he said, gently pressing his forehead to hers. "For your sake, I won't harm them." He sent the heroes a glare. "This time."
The Power Ponies opened their mouths to shout as they banged against the force-field, but their voices were not heard by Fluttershy or Discord.
"But I can't have them interfering with my plans," he said.
"W-W-What plans?" Fluttershy asked, shrinking in fear.
He smirked as he swept a lock of hair out of her face. "The plans I have for you, my dear."
She squeaked. "Me?!"
"A thank you gift for setting me free. Trust me. You'll love it." Narrowing his eyes at the unheard but persistent heroes, he said, "But first, why don't we go somewhere more," he sent Fluttershy a sultry look, "private?"
Whipping out his claw, he sliced at the air, tearing a hole in space. Fluttershy's eyes widened at the swirling red vortex before her.
"W-What's that?" Fluttershy asked.
"Relax, my dear, it's perfectly safe," Discord said. "Although, you might feel a slight tickle in your throat upon going through. I'd suggest holding your breath."
Fluttershy took in a gulp of air as he clutched her to his chest and leaped through the vortex. As the vortex closed up, Discord's force-field fell away. Once the heroes had picked themselves off the floor, they gazed in horror at the place where they had last seen their friend.
"Fluttershy," Zapp said in a cracked voice.
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So...would becoming Discord's immortal bride be a bad thing? I mean, as long as she's still Fluttershy, that would just mean she could reign him in, just like in the show. And as long as the love is there, I don't see why Discord would want to run amok in the world if he didn't have to in order to share all he could do with Fluttershy.
Now we wait for how the heroes to try and save Fluttershy! This chapter was great and Discord was hilarious!
Why not just use the actual Power Ponies? Not that I the think the premise is stupid...
Squee! I thought this was a great, sweet chapter. And so suspenseful! I'm really looking forward to the next part! ^.^ I wonder if Discord will have to take drastic measures to get what he wants.
8458820
Because it was so much more fun thinking about reinventing the characters we already know as superheroes/supervillains, like coming up with their roles in the city (Twilight as a billionaire buisnesspony, Rarity working for a metropolitan fashion company, Rainbow as an archaeological assistant).
Now that I think about it, Dionysus made Ariadne his immortal bride too. And Psyche was made immortal by Eros.
Discord, you magnificent b.....! Well played.
I was expecting more Chaotic Neutral then Chaotic Evil, but this is right after his release.
So what will they do now?
Wow...
I predict there would be a freak/absurd coincidence that somehow bond Discord as Fluttershy's familiar or some sort... and the rest of the team have to put up to his annoying presence.
The Twin
This was a great chapter I love greek god Discord
Now I'm curious to see what happens next. I just love the Silence of the Lambs reference.
Oh i just lover this chapter
I think that discord will have to fight the power ponies as they try to save Fluttershy for discord.
As they do that Fluttershy get's angry and turns into saddle Rager. Revieling herself to discord. Making HIM finally know what hè did to her years ago.
8458865
It is nice to see what the Mane6 could be... although to be just...Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy seemed to got the shorter end of the stick on the creativeness of their origins...still have left us in the dark about how Twilight became Matter-horn...
8458785
Yeah, but, Discord is used to having unlimited cosmic power, which he's longed for longer than he has for Fluttershy. In order to get over his desire for power, he'll need to want to give it up. Wich isn't as easy as it may seen. (I know, I've watched Once Upon a Time.)
8458865
I'm curious as to how Discord will make Fluttershy immortal. I know in DoD, he used some kind of age spell. But, in Greek Myth, Psyche became immortal after feasting on Ambrosia, the food of the gods. (I think I'm remembering that correctly.) So, I look forward to what other ideas you come up with next.
Good Luck! ^.^
"Make me immortal!"
"Or maybe you learn to speak goddamn Namekian!"
He shrugged. "Depends on what you mean. Do they say I'm the handsomest, suavest, irresistible god alive?" He looked down at his bounds. "I'd flex my muscles, but…"
8458865
Hey, an idea idea for a oc comic-relief villain just popped into my head. One that could be used for buildups to other villains if used right. And he would still be beat before a full chapter has been through unless you deiced otherwise. Interested?
WOOOOOO IT'S BACK! Another chapter! I love it, I love this story and this chapter was great! I'm so looking forward to the next one! I hope you're doing okay at your new job! Thank you for making time for your stories!
So Discord, who took all twelve of the Gracean gods to stop, is only in the top ten most powerful deities?
I don't suppose we could see that list sometime?
Clarice and Hannibal? I knew I understood that reference somewhere.