Equestria's Ray of Hope

by The_Darker_Fonts

Snowfall

The light blanket of white that covered the hills around Equestria had appeared last night, right before sunset. Apparently the pegasi on weather duty had allowed a natural snowstorm to pass through, given it was already winter. A few fluffy clouds remained floating in the brisk air, a remaining cold allowing for the snow to remain even at noon. The coat Fluttershy wore along with her thicker winter fur kept the cold away, though deep within, a different cold remained.

In spite of why she stood at the lake, she felt everything but enthusiastic at her first date since Ray had left for war. The thought felt poisonous in her head, one of her dearest… friends having left for something as terrible as war. The word itself didn’t sit right in her, her stomach squeezing in discomfort as if she had eaten wilted greens. It was wrong for there to be war, especially when it came to Equestria, yet nevertheless it was occurring. Ponies were dying and killing, and even if it was on a continent across the sea, it still felt far too close to home.

For almost five months now, she had felt like this, constantly worrying about Ray and questioning how this ever could have happened. Every full moon, her heart felt like it would either tear out of her chest or drop dead as she waited for Ray to return. Then he would, cheerful and indifferent, as if there wasn’t anything dangerous about what he was doing. The brave act was comforting for the others, but having seen into Ray’s psyche, beyond his many masks, it only concerned her more. How bad was it out there? They hadn’t even fought a battle since the landing, and still it felt like she was on the verge of losing Ray.

She also worried about Zecora. The zebra hadn’t originally been planned to embark with the army, though through her crafty nature, she had managed to sneak her way into the campaign. Fluttershy understood well enough why she would risk being exposed to the terrifying face of war, the awful destruction and death it presented. Skalos was her husband, and Ray was one of her young pupils, like she and the girls had once been. She also had a natural talent for healing and making concoctions to help those in need, an ability that could save countless lives when the Fallen fought. Celestia knows what Fluttershy would do if she lost Zecora because of her selfless actions.

“I do not doubt Ray at all.”

Rarity’s words had kept flitting through her mind as the past couple days had gone by silently. Perhaps it was because Rarity was smarter and older than her, or maybe it was because she knew Ray better than Fluttershy thought she did, but she had a trust in the human that the pegasus envied. Everypony else had seemed convinced by Rarity’s affirmation, leaving only Fluttershy in doubt. She hated that she couldn’t just trust the words of her closest friends, but it was still in her nature to worry.

It had only been two days since Ray had last visited, technically one since he had stayed all night. Still, Fluttershy almost couldn’t believe that she would have to wait another four weeks before she could see him again, confirming he was alive. Then, they would only have a few measly hours together, shared with everypony else who cared about him. It was unfair to both her, Ray, and everypony else. It was almost heartbreaking to acknowledge that, until things were back to normal and this war was over, this was how life would be.

Even then… Fluttershy remembered Ray’s words about his future as if they had been branded into her brain. Twilight had told them the Spectre was gone for the moment, but Fluttershy doubted that it changed the human’s plans. She had seen the pain in his eyes when they had told him that Otolo had gone missing, the fleeting devastation that overshadowed his complexion. She hadn’t seen Ray that downtrodden since the first day she’d met him, finding him weeping against a rock not far from Ponyville.

If only she’d known who she had met that day, maybe she would have been able to help earlier and prevent this grim future. Ray’s self-inflicted isolation for almost a year now was… harmful. He and Skalos and Twilight had all argued it was necessary, the weeks and months of strict training never interrupted until he’d been forced to confront her. All of that lost time and more, the six months of intensive training that followed barely giving him any time to be with any of them. Chillingly, she realized that it was almost a year from when she had confronted him about being too involved in his training. Ray had been in Equestria for almost a year and a half, but to her, it felt like a whole different lifetime.

“I would let you continue to brood for a moment longer, but I think you’ll have plenty of time for that later,” a familiar, handsome voice said from over her shoulder. Turning with a smile, she found Discord smirking at her. “My dear, it seems you’ve forgotten it’s winter in Ponyville! Why don’t you stop staring at that one patch of snow and find something more interesting to scrutinize? I can think of a few different things, if you need help.”

“No, I think I’m quite alright,” she replied with a smirk of her own. Turning back to the lake, she commented, “The lake looks like a pool of glass with the way it reflects the sky. I think it’s quite a wonderful sight.”

“Then it’s a shame we’ll scratch such a perfect then,” Discord sighed, snapping his claws. Instantly they were both clod with ice skates, bringing a smile back to Fluttershy’s face. The draconequus reached out a paw and ducked his head respectfully, meekly asking, “Shall we?”

“We shall,” Fluttershy answered, allowing him to take her hoof. He carefully pulled her onto the ice, and while at this point she was accustomed, even skilled, at ice skating, she let him guide her. Their blades glided across the perfect frozen lake’s surface, the sounds of their ice being scratched almost melodic. It was much different from her first time, being afraid and unable to keep her balance.

Even with Discord’s supportive hold on her hoof, she kept balance herself and simply held his paw. Strangely enough, she only began to realize how cold she was getting when he briefly let go to show off his spinning. Mid-pirouette he split into four different hims, each twirling around like ballerinas. Giggling at the display, she chose the one she knew as the original and skated right into him, jumping at the last second so he would catch her. He grinned broadly, still spinning as he caught her, hugging the little pegasus against his chest. Slowly, they came to a stop at the opposite edge of the lake, Fluttershy still clinging to his neck.

As the rush of excitement from their little dance died down, Fluttershy’s smile began to fade. In spite of Discord’s warm embrace and soft chuckle, she still felt that cold within, the worry for Ray. It was wrong of her to deny it, to not respect the sacrifice he was making for them to have this moment together.

Before she could think too much more on it, though, Discord pulled his head back and kissed her lips. She squeaked, but gave in after only a second of surprise, closing her eyes and just allowing herself to be held and loved by the draconequus. After several seconds, he pulled away with a sad smile, staring deeply into her eyes.

“You’re still worrying about Ray, aren’t you,” he asked knowingly.

Glancing aside, ashamed, muttering, “It’s not like that. It’s just… just…”

“You still love him,” Discord pointed out with a smile. She opened her mouth to protest, but he pressed a paw against it, telling her, “That’s not a bad thing! In fact, I think it’s very healthy. Your love for him isn’t the same as our love, though, is it?”

“No, not at all,” she confirmed with a small frown. “I can’t really explain it though. I don’t love him like any of the girl’s, he’s much too different and harsh for that. It’s not as a brother though, or at least, not as far as I can tell. And as we’ve come to learn, it isn’t as lovers either. I mean, I would never do what I do with you with him, and he most certainly wouldn’t either. So, that leaves me wondering… how?”

“I think you love him as a creature that needs helped,” Discord stated softly, still holding her close.

“Discord,” Fluttershy exclaimed, offended.

“It’s not a bad thing,” Discord repeated gently, guiding her as he began to skate, keeping her pressed against his chest. “In fact, it’s perfectly logical. It’s how you treated me at first, reaching out to me with your kindness and enveloping me in a caring embrace. I, however, was a special case of being evil and needing to reform. Ray’s much different in a better way. He’s good that is thrusting himself into the heart of evil, and under your care, you don’t want him falling to it. Your love for him is protective and all encompassing. It doesn’t start or end with him making mistakes. It starts with him needing somepony to latch onto and never ends.”

“Then what makes the difference between you and him,” she questioned shyly, placing a hoof on his chest as she stared into his eyes.

“I’m willing to be more than a friend and want you to be more than somepony I’ve latched onto to be my support,” he muttered, face barely an inch from her own. “I want to take all the kindness you’ve shown me and reciprocate it tenfold. I want you to be somepony I can trust with my very life and, in return, be trusted with you. The happiness you feel, I want to feel, and the sadness you feel, I want to ease. Ray would seek vengeance against whatever caused you harm and never let you be more than a listener from home, because he thinks you would never be able to love him if you saw what he’s had to do, what he’s doing. After witnessing just a simulation of his fighting… I don’t blame him.”

For a very long moment, Fluttershy simply stared into the eyes of the draconequus who held her. He had been her closest friend and calling him a friend now felt wrong with her wanting his lip on hers, wanting to wrap her hoof around his neck. He knew Fluttershy better than anypony in Equestria, knew how she thought and felt, and knew how to honestly comfort her. Ever since he had turned aside Equestria for her, she had known he loved her like nothing else. That had scared her. Knowing that she was beloved by the Lord of Chaos beyond anything else and not being able to reciprocate that feeling for years. Maybe it was because of Ray, or maybe it was because the world was forcing her to have a broader perspective, but she finally knew a simple truth.

She loved Discord.

“Fluttershy, I’m worried about Ray too, but-” Fluttershy interrupted him by thrusting her mouth onto his, making him squeak as she hungrily began making out with him. She had never done this before, mouth open and tongue seeking out his, begging for him to reciprocate. Even as she yearned for it, she felt a blush rising in her cheeks, knowing full well she was in over her head but also too insecure to let the moment slip by. For the first time in far too long, she was taking the lead again and reaching for what she wanted, and something about the way Discord gave into her kiss made her heart swell.

She kept him there for several minutes, even as the cold began to creep across her cheeks and snow slowly started drifting from the sky again. Fluttershy had to keep life this way, even if it was only for a few minutes, him and her, two figures frozen in a warm embrace on a crystalline surface. Her brain fled her completely and her heart took over, beating quicker than it ever had in her life. Humming, her hooves began to reach out past his chest and wrap around Discord’s neck, pulling his head in that much closer. They had never even come close to crossing the line before, but now, Fluttershy wanted to.

Slowly, she let her hooves drop from his head and begin to move down his body, but before they could drift below his chest, Discord grabbed both hooves with his paw and claw. Pulling away slightly, his face was flushed red even as his mismatched wings fluttered rapidly. He looked afraid, panting as he stared wordlessly at her for a long moment, breath fogging in the cold and jaw slightly agape. Fluttershy’s excitement was gone in an instant, washed away with a wash of cold, terrified at what she had done, what she had begun to do.

“Fluttershy, I love you,” Discord declared emphatically, “but we can’t cross the line from loving one another into being lovers. Not yet.”

“But don’t you want to,” the pegasus questioned fearfully.

“Oh, most certainly,” the draconequus chuckled nervously before blanching at the admission. Holding her with his paw, he scratched the back of his head with his claw while he carefully explained, “But what we want is most definitely not what we need. We don’t need to cross this line now, when we’re both in such an emotionally tumultuous and taxing time. I don’t believe it would make for a good memory, and most certainly not a good beginning of our lives together. If I’m being perfectly honest, though, I’m not sure if I can resist if you keep it up, though.”

Blinking, trying to wrangle in her conflicting emotions, Fluttershy gave herself a moment to think long and hard about what to say next. More than anything, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and bring Discord home right now. She wanted to forget everything that was making her worried and do something wild- reckless, even- with her draconequus. But when she stopped to think about what he had said, what they needed, she was able to silence the dangerously wild part of her and think logically. She’d never done anything like this before, and she most certainly hadn’t planned on crossing any lines today. In fact, the more she let the thought of it, the more she realized she had almost dragged them down a road they were incredibly unprepared for.

Swallowing hard, she looked up at him and softly admitted, “I have no idea what I’m doing anymore, Discord.”

Before she knew it, she was in tears, thick drops of water rolling down the fur of her face and beginning to freeze. Discord moved swiftly, wrapping her up in both his arms and cradling her against him, sheltering her almost completely from the falling snow. She cried for a long time. Fluttershy’s confusion and fear overflowed as she finally let all of her emotions relieve themselves, a terrible well of negativity overcoming her. All the while, Discord continued to hold her, protecting her as best he could from the external cold, using his chaotic magic to safely move them from the lake to the shore, a blanket wrapping around them. He said nothing, and while her eyes were too blurred with tears to see, she thought she felt some of his tears join hers.

Finally, after several long minutes of crying, she faded into hiccups and sniffles, allowing Discord to softly ask, “Do you want to go home now, Fluttershy?”

“I need you,” she mumbled between hiccups, her face tucked against his warm chest. She physically felt his breath hitch at that, his grip on her tightening protectively at her weak statement. Determined, she repeated louder, “I need you, Discord. You talked about how we needed to focus not on what we want, but what we need, and I need you. I need to have you in my life always. I need to be able to hug you when I need it and kiss you when I need to feel your love. I need you to keep by my side and explain to me what’s going on. I need you to hold me like this when I feel weak. I need you. That’s what I need.”

“I- um… uh- I… but how,” Discord finally stammered, peering down at the pegasus fearfully.

“I need you to stay with me, if you can,” Fluttershy said, lifting her head up to nuzzle against his neck. “I don’t want to cross the line… not yet, but I need to have the one creature who’s always there for me there whenever, because otherwise, I don’t know if I’ll make it through this. I don’t have any strength left. I’m tired, scared, and hopeless. The only creature in the whole wide world that can make me feel right is you. Please, Discord, I need you.”

“Of course I’ll be there for you,” Discord replied, his smile welling with joy and love. “My dear, I would be by your side even if it meant all of my chaotic magic were removed. For all these years, I’ve loved you.”

“I’m sorry it took until now for me to love you back, Discord,” Fluttershy apologized before reaching up with both hooves and cupping his handsome face. “Believe me though. I love you, and I love that you love me.”

“Thank you, my dear,” he whispered huskily before leaning his head down to press his lips on her forehead. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes shut as she focused on the feeling of his lips on her forehead, breathing in his scent deeply. Finally, she felt at peace.

Discord held Fluttershy like that for much longer than she had cried, time passing slowly as they simply glowed in each other’s embrace. The draconequus carefully cradled the soft pegasus in his arms while she cupped his face, sighing in relief as she felt her fears and worries melt. Discord had her, and she had him, and together, the future stood no chance. So long as they were together, no matter what happened across the sea, they would be as strong as the toughest metal and twice as powerful.

When he finally did pull away, Fluttershy opened her eyes and was surprised to see a small blanket of snow on Discord’s back and coat. Smiling, she pointed to it and said, “Let’s go to my cottage and get you warmed up, shall we?”

“It would be a pleasure,” Discord grinned in return, and while he attempted to look suave as he turned to carry her away, Fluttershy could feel his frantically fluttering heart as she kept her head tucked against his chest. Humming softly, she closed her eyes and listened to the beautiful sound, her own heartbeat matching his.

Author's Note:

Ha, I bet you forgot this was a story with MLP characters still in it! Well, I guess Zecora was mentioned in the last few chapters, but... Anyways, comments, questions, and concerns welcome and wanted!