Kindness and the Heart of Shadow

by Raven-Flight

Life Goes On

Three moons later, Equestria was well on its way to recovery, and no new threats arose against the blossoming peace. Princesses Celestia and Luna continued to rule as cities were rebuilt and lives were re-established. Even so, they made public their plan to retire and began transitioning many of Celestia’s duties over to Twilight and her friends, since the Sun Princess was now handicapped. The six of them all moved to Canterlot Castle. They would live there for the first year or two of their joint reign until individual roles were settled. Applejack, naturally, was adamant that she should eventually be able to do her share of royal duties from Sweet Apple Acres. No way was she staying in the city.

Fluttershy didn’t really mind moving to Canterlot, but she didn’t want to be cooped up in the castle. A plot of land within the gardens was set aside for her, and Discord conjured up a cottage there. He managed to design a house that would satisfy everycreature; the outside was pleasant and covered in plants to make it blend beautifully into the garden landscape, and the inside consisted of a cozy “front house” and a secret “back house”. The former was where Fluttershy and her animal friends lived, and where she entertained guests. The latter, the back house, was actually another pocket dimension accessible through a hidden door attached to the back of the front house, and it was a refuge of freedom and creativity and chaos. In other words, it was the space where Discord chose to live, and where he and Fluttershy often spent their time together.

That’s where they were this morning, cleaning up after breakfast. Today, the kitchen looked like a tropical jungle with trees that grew polished bone in place of bark. Fluttershy had to follow a treasure map Discord gave her just to find the sink to wash the dishes. It was a fun little game, and the pegasus laughed almost as hard as the draconequus about it.

As Discord watched Fluttershy search high and low for that sink, he wondered how the scene would look if the pegasus were still the adorable, plush, round little thing she had been eight moons ago. Granted, he loved seeing this adorable, velvety, almost angular bat-pony that Fluttershy was now—maybe he even preferred her new form, just a little bit—but did Fluttershy want to continue to bear the scars of her captivity?

“Fluttershy, dear, you’ve spent three moons recovering and have gotten so much stronger. Now, I love your new look, but perhaps its time I try to restore your body to the way it was before. Would you want that?”

“Oh, um, I guess I hadn’t given it much thought.” She glided over to stand before him. “How about I consider it over a glass of chocolate milk? Pretty please?” She made her eyes big and fluttered her lashes for good measure.

Discord just laughed. “One more? But you’ve had three glasses already this morning!”

“Don’t tell me how to live my life!” Fluttershy bristled, her expression suddenly the opposite of what it had been. Discord tumbled backward in surprise and tangled himself in a net of blue and purple vines. As he hung there, he snapped the requested drink into existence. Fluttershy calmly took it and began to sip.

The chocolate milk was half-finished when she spoke again. “Sorry I snapped at you. I don’t know what came over me.” She sipped again awaiting a response, but Discord was silent. “Discord?”

The draconequus was still tangled up, staring at her. No, not quite at her. Fluttershy stared back, trying to figure him out. He wasn’t staring through her, really, either. More like… into her? The mare gazed down at herself, trying to find where Discord’s eyes were resting. Finally, she looked back up at him. “Um, Discord?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t rescue you sooner,” he started, without breaking his stare. “And I think restoring your body is going to have to wait a few more moons.” Fluttershy noticed as Discord’s eyes began to bulge. She looked back down at herself again.

“What are you...”

---

Two more moons passed. Fluttershy eventually told her friends about her relationship with Discord, and was surprised to learn that nopony was surprised. In fact, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack each immediately tossed a few bits to Spike.

“We all figured out this was coming ages ago, darling; we just wanted you to get to it at your own pace.” Rarity hugged her friend in reassurance.

Her friends’ approval and congratulations were a great comfort to Fluttershy, who had spent the last few weeks battling intense anxiety attacks. But she had regained enough confidence by Pinkie Pie’s congratulations-on-becoming-a-couple party that Fluttershy decided to make another major announcement. Not that she could put it off too long anyway. Nopony had predicted this one, and her friends took this news much harder. Except for Pinkie Pie, of course, who immediately started planning another party.

At the end of that rollercoaster of a day, Discord and Fluttershy reclined together in the back house. The mare lay on her back against Discord’s side, and he had one arm wrapped around her shoulders behind her head, and the other laid gently on her stomach.

“Are you still certain you want to do this?” He asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “It’s going to be hard, but I think… it will help me feel better.”

“Okay then. Ready?”

“Yes.” Fluttershy strained to roll herself off the chaise. Discord helped set her down on her hooves.

“Just call for me whenever you want to come back. I’ll hear you no matter how loud or quiet.” He snapped his claws, and Fluttershy was gone.

---

When the scenery changed, Fluttershy immediately sat down and didn’t even try to move until she was certain of her bearings. There were beautiful, transparent, sparkling crystals everywhere. They hung from the ceiling. They sprouted from the ground. And soft beams of light slanted in from above, reflected at all angles by the crystals.

The center of this cave was visible from anywhere, and after a minute of rest, Fluttershy stood and walked in that direction. Before her loomed a crystal larger than all the others, and it was glowing as if filled with liquid light. A dark gray unicorn reared frozen within this stunning prison. Fluttershy gazed at him, then sighed and spoke.

“Hello again, Sombra. I don’t know how much you’re aware of, but you’ve been in here for five moons. Well, five moons in Equestrian time. I suppose time doesn’t really pass here, since nothing ever happens…”

Unless nothing ever happens, but time does pass. That would be excruciatingly boring. Fluttershy cleared her throat and started pacing a circle around the crystal.

“I’m sorry it ended like this. I can still remember how fervently I loved you—thought I loved you. But now I see how you manipulated me. You tortured me in every way possible, and fed me lies instead of food. You made me powerless and took advantage of me while I couldn’t fight back. I don’t like to say it, Sombra, but you deserved this punishment.”

Fluttershy sat herself squarely in front of him, far enough back from the crystal that she could peer into his face and he, if he had any awareness, might peer into hers. Without restraint, the mare let her tears fall. They made delicate plink sounds against the hard floor. It hurt that Sombra remained still and cold to her grief and her accusations, but of course Fluttershy knew that he was incapable of response in that prison.

“You know, I wasn’t really aware of what I was doing when I trapped you in that crystal, but now I realize that what I did was deliberate. In here, in a crystal in a pocket dimension that you can’t possibly escape, you can never hurt another creature in any way ever again. But you aren’t dead. You’re still there, aren’t you? Maybe one day you will let go of your anger and malice. Maybe one day, we can free you again, and I or Discord or the next Element of Kindness can teach you about friendship. Even though I suffered so much because of you, I still wish I could give you the gift of friendship.”

She let her head hang for a few minutes, mulling over the thought she’d just expressed. Yes, after everything, she still meant it. She would offer friendship even to Sombra if she could. The tears continued to flow.

“I hope you can hear me, Sombra. And I hope you think about my offer of friendship. Maybe someday, if you can give up your hatred while I’m still living, I can introduce you to your foal.”

Sombra’s eyes suddenly jerked down to rest on Fluttershy. She startled, stumbling backward and landing on her rump. The position fully exposed the new roundness of her growing belly. Fluttershy didn’t try to get back up right away; instead, she let Sombra take it in, and gazed back at him with glistening, determined eyes. Now she knew he was there and listening.

“You did this to me, Sombra, and without my consent. I want so badly to hate you, for all you’ve made me suffer and for all the suffering I fear our foal will face in this world.” She spoke through clenched teeth, and now she pushed herself back up to a stand. “But I can’t. So I will love and cherish this foal, and I will tell it nothing of its father.”

Walking up to Sombra now, Fluttershy touched a hoof to the crystal. “Unless maybe, you decide to change.” The stallion’s eyes had followed her, and now as she met his gaze, Fluttershy thought she could see the light emanating from his crystal grow just the slightest shade dimmer. It was as if the light that was holding Sombra captive lost a tiny fraction of its power.

“Maybe I will get to release you someday. But now, I don’t want to see you again for a very, very long time. Goodbye, Sombra.” Fluttershy backed up several paces and tilted her face toward the ceiling. “Okay, Discord, bring me back.”

And Sombra was left all alone.

---

Discord held Fluttershy as she wept hard. He might never be able to understand the depth and complexity of her sorrow, so he kept quiet, dimmed the lights, and conjured little glowing fish to swim and dance in the air around them.

The mare choked on a sob and sucked in a desperate breath. “You’ll be its father, won’t you, Discord? This foal will need a good father...”

“Of course, my dear.” He stroked her mane, willing her to feel all the devotion in his gaze. “It will be our foal.”

“Our foal...”

Discord lifted her chin as her tears finally slowed. “Our family.” He brought his face all the way down to hers. She leaned into his kiss.

In the warmth of his body against hers, in the cotton candy smell of his breath, in the beauty of the multicolored glow of swirling fish, in the pressure of a gentle weight growing in her belly, Fluttershy lost herself. Together, they would be alright.

.
.
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THE END

Comments

[kurusagi16]

Damn you Sombra! But, on another note, this was a thrilling/sweet story, especially toward the end. I look forward to reading anymore stories you happen to write.

[Raven-Flight]

9843998
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I've really appreciated your comments along the way!

[taterforlife]

9841096
Haha, nah, I love your headcanon! I've just been busy, tired, or on vacation and therefore too lazy to write reviews on my phone. I hate typing on it.

[OhHoney]

This fic MURDERED and promptly resurrected me. Seriously, it was so good. I devoured it without putting it down. Absolutely amazing read, the ending was just... it left me speechless and GUTTED.

Really, really great. Thank you so much for sharing it and for putting so much love and thought into this story.

[Raven-Flight]

9940098
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I've never really shared my writing before this, so it means a lot to me to hear what people think. Thanks for reading!

[Acadians6545]

I loved this story keep up the absolutely Amazing writing my friend.

[Raven-Flight]

9954980
Thanks for the read and for your comments along the way!

[Acadians6545]

9955629
You're welcome man.

[Coco Candy]

Sombra, you dirty stallion!! Woof, that was hard to read, but in a good way. You are such a great author!

[Raven-Flight]

10008205
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the story, even if it was a little hard. Believe me, it was hard to write at times too!

[Heartstrings1]

10248231
Np