The Diary of Discord Wimp

by ThePianoMan

Tightrope

“...most successful war seldom pays…”
-Thomas

Downtown Ponyville was alive with activity as shoppers dashed to the final post Hearth’s Warming after sales. Snow plows had done their work scraping up black snow into banks along the packed streets loaded with families joining shoppers and travelers returning from distant trips. Discord and Fluttershy pressed into each other as they walked, neither able to look at each other. Whenever the other did look, they’d laugh. While not at all awful to either party, it was a fanciful distraction from the comforting silence they shared on their way to the light festival.

“Oh, wow.” Fluttershy’s eyes twinkled under the canopy of netted lights that criss crossed with cosy incandescent hues of reds, greens, blues, and whites. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Not as much as you.” Discord said, without so much as skipping a beat.

“Hm.” Nuzzling into the draconequus’ neck, her wings carried her up of their own volition. Ignorant to her rebellious wings, she squeaked upon bumping her head under Discord’s chin. “Sorry.”

He stole a kiss at the base of her head near her ear. “I’m not.” Wrapping his arms around her he twirled around the next corner where the fire escapes of the old brick district apartments were adorned with mechanical wonders. Angelic animatronics of caroling ponies and prancing animals smiled down on them with gleeful indifference.

Fluttershy laughed, “Discord!” Again she stared up at the lights and displays, all of it slowing around them as the draconequus came to a steady halt.

He did not pay any heed to lights on display, only the pegasus illuminated by their electric wonder. “Hwy, Fluttershy. How about some hot coco?” Gesturing to the steaming faux gingerbread stand he held her a little tighter. After a nod of confirmation they were in line perusing the items other than the advertised hot chocolate beverages. Together they settled on a funnel cake to go with their drinks to share in a carriage lit up by azul and alabaster gems that glowed of their own accord.

Around the shopping district and past the courthouse, they ate. They smiled. They laughed at the powdered sugar spread across their faces. They embraced as they each found the end of the warmth in their cups. Despite the vast and intricate displays of luminous delight, the sky still shone with sparkling star filled skies kept clear by the chill and gentle breeze.

“I wish this could last forever,” Fluttershy hummed into Discord’s side, “don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Distant bitter thoughts crossed his mind. Forever was only ever, but that time for the supposed end was yet far off. Now was the blessing of the present and its uncalculated potential. For now he squeezed even tighter to the pegasus by his side as the carriage came to its stop near the hospital which had been decorated in strands of lights as well.

“Maybe we could pay your mother a visit,” Fluttershy suggested.

Discord’s face melted into a smile. “Yeah, that’d be great. I’m sure she could use a break-.” He focused on the entrance as a bundle of pink and white stepped out, “Mom?”

Sure enough, Redheart tiptoed across the cold walk way up to the street where a parked autocar slid open its side door to reveal a familiar pale green dragon with charcoal grey spines.

Fluttershy lowered her voice. “Isn’t that Spike’s dad?”

The dragon offered up a large tray of steaming cups to Redheart, but something was wrong. She wasn’t taking the tray he had offered. Instead she wrapped a hoof around his arm and drew him towards the hospital as a smile of both fear and surprise was plastered on his face. Relenting to her insistence, he caved and joined her inside.

“It sure is,” Discord could help but beam from ear to ear. He couldn’t wait to tell Spike what he’d seen.

Passing the hospital they found themselves jostled around by a gathering crowd staring up at a spotlight traveling between two buildings. Stretched from one side to the other was a rope supporting acrobats riding unicycles as they juggled bowling pins and batons. Below them a safety catch net had been spread out by four cranes.

“Oh, I can’t watch!” Fluttershy covered her eyes with her shalking hooves.

“It’s alright.” Discord hugged her out of her state. “They’ve got a net. Besides, these guys are professionals.”

“I still don’t like it. What if one of them gets hurt, they fall, or the net breaks?”

A collective of sighs swept over the crowd as kettle corn bags and empty styrofoams were tossed into trash receptacles.

Looking up Discord saw the acrobats making their way back to the safety of the buildings’ rooftops, “Looks like we missed most of the show anyways. It’s over now.” His ears twitched. Voices. Stirrings.

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked.

A voice from the crowd cried out. “Is that a child?!”

Several screams echoed the analysis of the small form crawling along the tightrope in the sky. “She’s gonna fall!”

Looking around Discord waited for some pegasus, griffon, or dragon to fly up, but none did.

“Call the police!”

He looked at Fluttershy. “I’ll be back.” Accepting a nod of confidence from her he snapped himself through an opening alongside one of the cranes supporting the safety net.

“Hey kid!”

Discord dodged the whipping sound that followed the brittle snap of rope. The glass of a nearby autocar’s windshield was shattered by the weight of the snapped net. Across the way the other crane began to smoke, it’s arm dropping the other corner of safety. Looking through his paw and the bits of cubed glass that rolled from his head, Discord could see the small mint green and purple body slow its advance towards the center of the tightrope.

“Okay.” He quickly bounced around ideas. “Don’t scare, don’t surprise, don’t fly,” it hit him, “float.” Snapping his eagle claws he focused on the idea of a balloon running out of helium as he ascended. His rise slowed as he came to the nervous eyed foal that cried at the fall below her. “Sh. Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The foal’s face contorted into a wicked grin. A nail and marble voice pierced its lips. “If only we could say the same.” Small green flames spliced dragon claws in place of its hoove before lunging at Discord digging into his throat around his magic collar under his bandana.

“Gah!” Pain shot up his neck as his magic failed him. Before he could fall, he forced his wings to keep him airborne, “A changeling. I ought to expose you right now!”

“Ah, ah, ah. You wouldn’t hurt an innocent little child with hundreds of people watching below would you?”

Discord looked down into the spotlight focused on him as hundreds, maybe even a thousand faces watched with wide eyes and slack jaws.

“What are you gonna do? Bash my brains in? In front of my parents down there? I have the will to take this form to my grave.”

He hissed at the foal, “Those aren’t your parents.”

Drool leaked from its crooked grin. “They don’t know that. The camera crews that just pulled up don’t know that. The police don’t know that either.”

“What do you want?”
“Don’t fall.” The foal dug its dragon claws deeper into the wincing draconequus’ neck before dragging down towards his shoulders. “Consider this a warning. We know that you know. How much you know won’t be a problem. Because if you try anything,” it fanned out a string of instant photographs of Spike, Redheart, Rainbow, Twilight, Big Mac, and Fluttershy, “poof.” The photos burst into flames that carried the embers off into the tainted darkness of the night. “Do you understand kid?”

Discord held his scream in as red began to leak from under his bandana. “Clear, as crystal.”

“Good.” The green flames turned the claws back into hooves. “Now down.” The foal blinked into a teary eyed display, jittering in Discord’s arms as they descended.

Police and medical crews surrounded them. Two crying ponies lunged beyond the barrier put in place to adorn the foal in kisses of sweet relief once she was back in their care. Discord frowned as it flashed its true eyes for a moment before being carried by the unsuspecting parents into an ambulance.

“Discord!”

He saw Fluttershy and fought against the paramedics that worked to bandage his neck. “Fluttershy!”

Behind the pegasus, Redheart and Andee argued with the police at the barrier.

Discord broke through and pulled Fluttershy in for what felt like one of the longest hugs of his life. Shutting his eyes he wanted to forget the conversation he’d just had with a changeling. The weight of the words were lifted as his face was numbed by Fluttershy pressing her face to his planting sporadic kisses amidst new words of love and comfort.

“Sweety!” Redheart made it through the line to him. “What happened, dear?”

Andee’s arms brought them all together. “You alright, kid? What were you doing up there.”

“Yes,” one of the officers stepped up, “what were you doing up there.”

Discord gawked at the cop and the faint glow behind his eyes. “That foal was up there. She was going to fall. No one else was doing anything. So I flew up to catch her.”

There was a half hidden smirk twitching in the corner of the officer’s mouth, “Very well. Just be ready to give us a full testimonial when you’re ready.” With that the officer turned away to fight the crowd and cameras circling the scene.

Flashes and screaming reporters drowned out the lights left over from Hearth’s Warming. Discord shook them away. Burying himself away in Fluttershy’s hair and the embrace of his mother as he wished for everything to go away.

*****

The mopi box droned with the images from the other night. They caught it all. From the snapping of the safety net to the “Miracle” that was the draconequus who saved the foal who had wandered onto a tightrope. Discord managed to ignore it all under the warmth of a blanket wrapped around him and Fluttershy as they rested on the couch of a living room occupied by all their friends.

His mother sighed as she addressed the owners of the house the living room belonged to. “Thank you, Gallop. And Jasmine. You didn’t have to let all of us in here like this.”

“Don’t worry about it, Redheart. Any friends of Spike and Andee’s are friends of ours. Isn’t that right, Tarsi?”

“Yes.” The unicorn bobbed his head in agreement. “I’m sure your son must be rattled by the whole thing. It’s the least we can do. If there’s anything else-?”

“No.” Redheart sighed again. “Thank you. Just thank you.”

Rainbow pointed at the mopi box. “Looking slick there, rescuing a foal and all.”

“It was very brave of you.” Fluttershy cooed.

Big Mac nodded. “Eyup.”

“Spike?” Twilight nudged the dragon, “You okay?”

Discord noticed him twiddling with his fingers, playing with something. He could faintly make out the frames of what looked like sunglasses.

Spike muttered. “Huh? Yeah. Discord was pretty awesome.” He continued to fiddle with the frames.

Thinking nothing of it, Discord returned his attention to the mopi. Clips of the mayoral candidates flashed up. Filthy Rich went on about how reckless the whole thing was while Honey B. Comb sang nothing but praises for his efforts.

“See,” Fluttershy brushed her face above the bandages around his neck, “some believe you’re a hero.”

Discord melted into her touch. He didn’t want to argue with her. “Okay.”

Author's Note:

Comments

[SethFilms]

Great chapter!

Looks likes spike got a secret!

[Spiritofchaos227]

Oh boy, looks like the Changlings are starting the next step in... Whatever plan they have. I do wonder what said plan is and why Discord's involved. Do they want him dead because he's a threat or do they want to use him to better their kingdom?

In less dramatic news, the TRUE OTP of this fic has sailed! Spike and Discord are about to be more of brothers than they ever dreamed!! I have NEVER been more excited to see two OCs date

[SuperSonicReader03]

I Hope you update the story soon, it's really entertaining!