Fading Echoes

by Lightseed

Cost, Council, Courage

Lightning scurried across the overcast sky in brilliant white streaks. A hollow wind lashed the tree branches as freezing rain pelted the ground. An unusual creature stood at the forest's edge, red and gold eyes peering into the shadows hesitantly. The creature was made from many elements: dragon, donkey, lion, eagle, bat, deer, and serpent. It was a draconequus.

Discord stood as still as the statue he once was as he debated whether or not to go forward. He'd come here to this forgotten place beyond Equestria to escape his turmoil, but now that he was here some old instinct was holding him back.

"Come on you old fool. You're the Lord of Chaos! Just go forward." he growled, trying to shake off the sudden uncertainty that had stolen over him. Taking a deep breath he snapped his talons and teleported into the forest.

He didn't get very far. He'd been aiming for the center of the wood but instead he ended up only a few feet from the forest edge. As soon as his feet touched the grass the trees behind him began to twine together, blocking his way out.

"What the heck?!" Discord growled as the edge disappeared altogether, leaving in its wake a thick gnarled barrier. His heart began to pound as the trees around him began to twist together as well, thick trunks primed to crush him in their grasp. Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting himself a few feet further.

Once more, as soon as he reappeared the trees would shift and rearrange themselves into a thick wall. This went on for what felt like hours. Discord tried to teleport out, but some power far older than even him would not let go. He also tried burning the trees, but as soon as he summoned a fireball or snapped his fingers a staggering weakness overtook him, causing his stomach to roil with nausea.

How can this be?! I can't be trapped here! Discord thought as a foreign feeling of panic began to embed its talons into his heart. With a curse he picked himself up and repeated the process.

Eventually his powers were drained to nothing. His only hope left was to fly as fast and as far as he could.

And he did just that.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

The creature's eyes opened suddenly, cyan orbs glowing with ethereal intensity.

Someone has finally made it to the Pool of Sorrows. What a surprise. He thought as he arose. I must go and greet them.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Discord lay on his belly, sides heaving as he gasped for breath. His gray and brown fur was slick with rainwater, mud, and errant leaves. He had just barely made it into the clearing where he promptly collapsed. He'd closed his eyes, bracing for the pain of branches stabbing into his body and the crack of bones as he was crushed by the ancient trees.

But nothing happened.

Discord sighed through his nose as he at last arose on shaking limbs to survey his surroundings. He was in a large clearing, surrounded by a ring of pure obsidian stones. They were perfectly cut into simple prisms and each had only a single word engraved on their otherwise perfect surfaces. Unfortunately it was in a language Discord could not decipher.

Beyond the stones were the trees, all twisted and fused together to create an impenetrable barrier of wood and leaves.

The draconequus ran a shaky paw through his mane as came to terms with his situation. He was trapped here. During his flight he had tried to rise above the canopy, but a dome of sharp thorny branches had blocked his escape. There was truly nowhere left for him to go.

A flicker caught his attention out of the corner of his eye and he turned to face it. In the very center of the clearing was a pool. It was as clear as glass and sparkled like a pile of wet sapphires in the sunlight. It was calm, not a ripple disturbing its placid surface. Discord realized with a start that the storm had dissipated and glanced up to see if it was true. The sky was still gray and overcast, but nothing disturbed the clearing. He couldn't even remember when the storm had stopped.

Discord shook himself, refocusing on the task at paw.

He was here for Fluttershy!

A pang of agony sliced into his chest as he thought about his friend. He clenched his teeth together to whether out the pain as an unbidden memory rose to the surface of his mind's eye. With a growl he flung it away. He couldn't think about that.

"You're the first creature in centuries to make it to this place." a rich disembodied voice said.

Discord jumped and looked around wildly. There was no one in sight. He was used to being the one to make others jump with that trick, not the other way around!

"Show yourself!" he shouted, his words echoing off the pillars of obsidian.

"Over here." the voice floated from across the pool. A creature melted out of the shadows at the clearing's edge, causing the draconequus to take a half step back.

It was a stag, but at the same time it was so much more.

The stag had black fur with silvery runes and patterns shimmering upon its coat. It carried itself with a noble air, barely stirring the grass it tread upon. Upon its head was a pair of gleaming antlers, one ivory and the other as black as the obsidian stones encircling the clearing.

It was the stag's eyes that caused Discord to retreat . They were a light blue and glowed like embers sparking in the wind. At the same time they were old. Older then anything he'd ever encountered.

Discord swallowed and at last managed to find his tongue. "Who are you?" he asked hoarsely.

The stag smiled gently as he came to a halt beside the pool. "You have traveled a long way Chaos Spirit." he said, ignoring the question. "You have come here to repay a debt you believe you owe."

"Yes."

"Do you know what this place is Discord?"

"Yes." he repeated, not knowing nor caring how this creature knew him and his purposes. "This place is supposed to have the power to bring back those who have departed. I-I'm..." he couldn't finish as the emotion he'd been suppressing for so long tried to surface in the form of tears.

"You are here for your friend, Fluttershy." the stag stated casually, causing the draconequus to bristle. "You are here to try and resurrect your friend because you believe it is your fault that she is dead." the stag continued, seemingly oblivious to the internal blows he'd delivered to Discord's soul.

"I should've been the one that died. Not her... Never her..." Discord whispered, loathing thick in his voice.

"Fluttershy sacrificed herself for you. She believed you were worth it."

"But I'm not!" Discord said, a sob sticking in his throat. The edges of his vision turned silvery. "If I hadn't of been fooling around she never would have had to save me! She would still be here if not for me!" he growled, hunching his shoulders and grinding his teeth together.

"Fluttershy-"

"STOP SAYING HER NAME!" Discord roared, eyes gleaming with angry tears, fangs bared in a feral snarl.

The stag regarded him calmly, unblinking blue eyes boring into the very core of his being.

"You are used to causing chaos, but now that there is chaos within your soul you cannot bear it." the stag observed, taking a couple steps closer.

"You know why I'm here." Discord muttered, voice calmer but still hostile.

The stag nodded.

"Then get out of my way!" the draconequus hissed, stepping around the stag toward the pool.

"You should know that the Pool of Sorrows must have something in return. It does not offer anything freely."

"I know."

"Then you know what must be done?"

"Obviously." Discord snapped, barely keeping his anger in check.

"Before you do anything may I give you some advice?" the stag asked, coming up beside him.

"Whatever. Just hurry up!" Discord said with a curl of his lip.

"Fluttershy would not want you to do this."

"I told you not to say her name!" the draconequus growled, moving a step forward threateningly.

The stag continued on, unfazed by his guest's aggression. "A part of you wants to see Fluttershy live again, but the other half of you just wants everything to end. You want to die, don't you Discord?"

He remained silent, fixing his gaze on the water.

"You came here knowing that you would die."

He shrugged. "My life has no meaning now that Fluttershy is gone. I can make it have meaning again by letting her take it instead."

"She would not want you to do that Discord." the stag murmured.

"Oh yeah? How do you know what Fluttershy would and wouldn't want?!" Discord rounded on the stag, trembling with the effort to constrain his endless fury and grief.

The stag made no reply.

"Don't you dare lecture me about things you don't understand!"

"Don't understand?" the stag's voice held a slight edge. "I understand much better than you think."

Discord opened his mouth to retort but the stag cut him off, eyes turning into chips of ice and voice just as frigid.

"I have loved and lost more than any creature on this planet! I've watched everything turn to dust and then get rebuilt once more. I have lived and died in an endless cycle for hundreds of millennia. Do not dare tell me I 'don't understand'!" The stag all but roared the last part, tossing his antlers angrily.

It took all of Discord's self control to keep from flinching.

The stag took a deep breath and exhaled, giving his body a swift shake. When he met the draconequus's eyes again his expression had returned to a calm mask once more.

"I did what you want to do to bring a loved one back, Discord, and it cost me more than I can say." the stag explained, his voice soft with sorrow and empathy. "That loved one hated me forever for what I did. They suffered. In the end they begged me to send them back... and I obeyed."

Discord stared at the stag in shock, unable to come up with a reply.

"I don't want that to happen to your Fluttershy." the stag said.

Discord sank to his knees beside the pool, at last allowing everything he'd been keeping bottled up to come forth. Throwing back his head he let out a terrible howl, the broken sound reverberating throughout the forest. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he beat the ground with his fists, rage and helplessness and sorrow driving him on.

Discord had no idea how much time had passed by the time he finally slumped to the wet grass, emotions spent.

"Discord. Hear me and take this to heart." the stag said, his voice quiet in the aftermath. "Anyone can die... it takes courage to live."

It was a long time before he found the strength to stand and face the stag again. "I'm sorry." he muttered after several beats of silence.

"So am I." the stag replied with a blink. "Are you going to turn away from this folly?"

Feeling as if his heart was shattering anew he gave a single resigned nod.

"Good."

"Does it ever get any easier to bear?"

The stag shook his head sadly. "No. The pain will never go away completely... but it'll become a little easier with time."

"So... is there anyway for you to clear a path back?" Discord asked, breaking the weighty silence that had followed.

"I'll do you one better. I'll teleport you out of here myself. I'm sure you've realized that the trees don't take well to strangers." As the stag spoke his mismatched antlers began to glow with a faint green aura. A moment later Discord was floating several inches off the ground.

"Hey wait a second! You never told me your name!"

The stag laughed, a rich and vibrant sound that echoed across the woods. "It is Melek." the stag called just as Discord vanished from the clearing.

Author's Note:

"Anyone can die. It takes courage to live." - quote spoken by Robert Cody.