A Discordic Adventure

by GeekCat

The Separation

At some point in her wishing and thinking, she must have drifted off to sleep. Fluttershy slowly blinked awake, only to see nothing but pink in her vision. Her heart jumped for a second...until she realized that it was just Pinkie, who had crawled on top of her at some point during the night.

She slowly nudged Pinkie off of her. Pinkie just snored and smacked her lips, curling back up into the hay. Fluttershy slowly stood up on her four hooves, stretching her wings out with a yawn as early-morning light streamed in through the cracks in the building.

With another yawn, she opened the door and stepped outside into the early-morning sunlight. Perhaps there were some berries she could find, or more roots she could cook for breakfast. Last time, Discord had enjoyed that…

She shivered. Just thinking his name filled her with mixed emotions, and made the questions from last night return again. She shook her head...and her eyes landed on a bright red rose, sitting there just off to the side of the porch.

With a smile, she bent down to pick it up, holding it to her nose and taking in his scent. “To tell him...or not to tell him?” she murmured to herself, letting the petals tickle her chin.

Well. Discord wasn’t here, so she had a bit of time to prepare breakfast...perhaps she could take a bit of time to consider her dilemma. She went inside the building and sat down next to the barrel of water again, stroking the rose’s soft petals.

With a tap of her hoof and a spark of magic, a single petal turned from red to pink. “I tell him.” Another tap, another petal changing color. “I tell him not…”

She continued in this fashion, working her way from the outer petals to the innermost ones. Finally, there were just three petals left. “I tell him. I tell him not…” She tapped the last petal, changing it to pink, matching the rest. “I tell him!”

The rose gave her a bit of confidence. He would understand, after all, of course he would! And chance was on her side, too! She smiled and jumped to her hooves, exiting the building.

To her joy, she could see Discord just coming over the edge of the hill! “Discord!” she called out, dropping the rose and galloping towards him. “Discord, there’s something I want...to…”

She paused, just a few feet away from him. His expression...he seemed annoyed, or maybe upset. He glanced at her, then looked away and moved past her. A chill went through her body. “Discord...are you alright?” she asked.

“Just perfect!” he said, sitting on a boulder and leaning against the wall of the building. “Never been better.” He turned away from her and began to whittle a piece of the firewood with his claws. His entire demeanor felt...cold and frigid.

Still, she swallowed and took a step closer. “Discord, there’s...there’s something I have to tell you,” she said. Her heart was pounding in her chest, butterflies whirling in his stomach.

“You don’t need to tell me anything, Princess,” he spat. With a few flicks of his claws, the wood was hollowed out. “I heard plenty of what you said last night.”

She gasped as the air was knocked out of her lungs. It felt like the ground had disappeared from underneath her, and she fell backward into a sitting position. “You...you heard what I said?” she asked weakly.

“Mhmm,” he said, not even looking up from his little project. “Every. Single. Word.” Each word was punctuated by a slice, holes being carved into a makeshift flute.

She lowered her head. “I...thought you would understand,” she said quietly.

“Oh, I understand perfectly, princess,” he said. “How was it you put it…? ‘Could anyone love something so hideous and monstrous?’” His voice imitated hers perfectly.

Her heart ached. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go...she thought he would understand. That he would maybe even...care? “I...I didn’t think it would matter to you.”

He snorted. “Typical pony monarch,” he said. “You only think about yourself. It did matter.” He paused, continuing to whittle away. “Not that you would care. I certainly don’t.”

She gasped. It felt like a knife was being driven through her chest, and she felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She sniffed and turned away, wrapping her wings around herself. ...it really was foolish to think he might have cared, wasn’t it? She knew from the start that he didn’t really care about her.

Uncaring of how much her heart was breaking, he placed the wooden flute to his lips and blew a few crisp, clear notes that echoed over the hill. As soon as he had done this, she could hear footsteps approaching, with something being pulled through the grass. Still, she couldn’t quite find the energy to raise her head and look.

“About time,” Discord grumbled, standing up. “Princess, I arranged a little something for you.”

She glanced up, though didn’t lift her head very much. The sight she was greeted by made her blink. A group of strange, lizardlike creatures wearing silver armor were all approaching. They surrounded a dazzling white carriage with golden trim, being pulled by two earth ponies.

The group came to a stop in front of them. Fluttershy slowly stood up, and the knights all parted, one of them grabbing and opening the carriage door. A small set of wooden steps fell forward, covered with red carpet...and the carriage’s occupant emerged.

He was a centaur, though much shorter than she had been expecting. He was an inch or two shorter than her, and she was quite sure she was in her pony form! He kept his hands clasped behind his back as he exited the carriage and walked across the grass, finally coming to a stop in front of her and pausing for a few moments.

“Princess Fluttershy,” he finally said, bowing low at the waist.

“As we had agreed,” Discord said. “Now, you’d better hold up your end of the deal…” He held his fingers in a snapping position, eyes gleaming.

“Yes, yes,” Tirek said, waving forward one of the knights. They handed a scroll to Discord, who quickly unrolled it, his eyes flicking over the overly-ornate text. “The deed to the acre with your dimension’s door...and it’s been completely cleared out, as we agreed. I suggest you take it and go before I change my mind about our deal.”

Discord snorted, rolling his eyes, scrunching up the scroll before stowing it away in a pocket of his fur. Tirek turned his attention back to Fluttershy. “Ahem. As I was saying...Princess Fluttershy, it is an honor to meet you,” he said, bowing at the waist again. “I am Lord Tirek, and I am quite pleased to meet another noble.”

He gently raised her hoof and kissed it. She flinched, and heard Discord grumbling something under his breath. She slowly lowered her hoof and turned to look, but he just snorted and refused to look her in the eye.

She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to ignore her heartbreak as she turned away. Lord Tirek was raising an eyebrow at her. “F-forgive me,” she said with a slight bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I was just saying a short, er, brief goodbye.” She glanced at Discord, but he still refused to look at her.

“How...kind of you,” Tirek said with a chuckle. “I don’t think you have to worry about wasting good manners on a beast though. It’s not like it has feelings.”

Fluttershy frowned sadly, looking back to Discord. He was annoyed, for sure, but...she was shocked to see that his glare was also focused on her. There was nothing in his face but contempt for the both of them, and she remembered how cold he had been to her, breaking her heart…

“You’re right,” she said, giving into how hurt and angry she felt. “He doesn’t.” She thought she saw him flinch for a moment, but he looked away before she could see his reaction. For a brief moment...lashing out felt good. But it was quickly replaced by a twinge of guilt.

Before she could dwell on it, or take back what she had said, Lord Tirek coughed, and she turned back to look at him. “Princess Fluttershy,” he said, holding her hoof again and dropping to his knees. “Would you honor me with your hoof in marriage?”

A gasp escaped her lips. This was everything she had wanted, wasn’t it? To get married, to finally be free of her curse? Tirek was looking at her expectantly. ...this wasn’t what she had imagined this moment would be like. She wasn’t feeling the fluttering or warmth in her heart that she had hoped for.

...but when she had felt something close to that, she had just gotten hurt. Why throw away her best chance at her happy ending, when her only other option was nothing but contempt?

He was still waiting expectantly for her answer, and only seemed confused and perhaps a bit impatient at her silence. “L-lord Tirek,” she said with a small nod. “I accept.”

“Excellent!” he said, quickly standing up, still holding her hoof. “I’ll have everything prepared once you return to Duloc. We’ll be wed by tomorrow afternoon, and everything will fall into place.” He let go to rub his hands together.

Tomorrow? “No!” she said, backing away with a gasp of fear. What if she couldn’t find a place to hide before sunset? What if she lost track of time and was seen out in the open? What if she couldn’t keep control of her magic until then?

Tirek’s head snapped back to look at her, stunned and unhappy, and she flinched. “I-I just mean...that is…” She scuffed at the ground with a hoof. “Why, uh, why wait? Couldn’t we get married before the sun sets? Today?” The sun hadn’t climbed very far into the sky, so there was still plenty of time…

Both Tirek and Discord stared at her with wide eyes, jaws dropping. Discord snorted and shook his head. Of course she’d latch onto another monarch quickly.

Tirek blinked, quickly recovering. “I understand wanting to do this quickly,” he said with a nod. “The sooner, the better!” He gripped her hoof and guided her towards the carriage. “There’s so much to arrange, and Verko and Cozy will need to round up some guests, but it can and will be done! We’ll be wed by the end of the day.”

She forced a small grin as she followed him. One of the knights opened the door again, and Tirek entered...but Fluttershy paused, her hoof dropping to the ground. She turned and looked back.

Discord had crossed his arms and turned away from her and Tirek. She could still see Pinkie sleeping in the building, but with a couple of snorts, she was starting to wake up and stand up. Even if Discord hadn’t...been what she had started to think, Pinkie had still been a good friend.

Pinkie stumbled out of the doorway, her front hoof wobbling as her eyes teared up. “Whazza...goodbye party?” she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her non-shaking hoof.

“Goodbye, Pinkie,” Princess Fluttershy said with a small wave. “And...thank you for helping escort me.” Before Pinkie could respond, she turned away and back to Tirek. She swallowed the lump in her throat. This is the best thing to do.

The centaur snapped his fingers, making Discord cross his arms. That was his shtick, and at least he had the magic to back it up! But at the signal, several of the knights surrounded his carriage, forming a sort of shield for the monarchs.

“Fare thee well, Pinkie and Dis...draconequus,” the princess said for a final time as she entered the small carriage. As soon as she was inside, the door slammed closed, and it began to move rapidly away, the soldiers marching forward as it headed over the hill.

Pinkie looked at the leaving party, then at Discord, her eyes wide. She rushed over to his side, grabbing and tugging on his claw. “Discord, what are you doing?” she said. “You aren’t just going to stand here as she leaves forever, are you?”

He scowled, jerking his hand out of her grip. “Of course not,” he said. “I intend to leave.” He turned and started walking towards the forest, in the opposite direction as Tirek and Fluttershy.

“But...you can’t just leave!” she said, bouncing alongside him. “Don’t you care about her? What if she wants to stay with you? What if there’s something she wants to tell you?”

He snorted, holding his head high and refusing to look at her...or anypony. “Care? Me?” he said. “You must have mistaken me for someone else. A soft-hearted pony, perhaps.”

She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. “What’s wrong?” she said. “This isn’t like you.”

He bore his fangs. “You have no idea who I am,” he said, clenching his fists. “Now. Why don’t you go and run along with your best pony friend?” He gestured in the general direction of Duloc without looking.

“But…” She looked up at him, her mane slightly deflating. “You’re both my friends. I...I want to come with you, too.”

He felt a flare of anger, and his hands shook at his sides with how hard he was clenching them. “We are not friends! And you are not coming with me!” he snapped. She took a step back, her eyes widening. “I told you before—my dimension is mine, and mine alone! I don’t need or want anyone else!”

“Especially not annoying pink ponies who don’t know when to shut up and keep their pastel muzzles out of my life!” he finished, jabbing his finger against her nose. She stared at him with wide eyes, her jaw dropping. After a few seconds with no response, he snorted and turned away.

Pinkie glanced sadly between him, and the hills Fluttershy had long since disappeared over. “But...I thought…”

“You thought wrong!” he said bluntly, pushing his way into the thick undergrowth of the forest. Within a few minutes, he quickly disappeared into the shadows, heading towards his dimension.

Pinkie sat on the hill, her mane slowly deflating as her coat turned slightly grey. “Discord,” she said weakly, staring at the spot he had entered the woods. Even if he had been around to hear her, there wasn’t a response.

She sighed, her head and ears drooping.

---

Discord soon reached the door to his dimension and stepped inside. He glanced around and sent out a few tendrils of magic through the area, but everything he could sense confirmed one thing—his dimension was completely emptied of ponies.

For a moment, there was a nagging voice in the back of his head, wondering where the ponies were now. (It sounded like Pinkie, and maybe a bit like that princess). He quickly shook the thought away with a scoff, flying up to his house, using his magic to disorganize some of the order it looked like those ponies tried to make in their temporary stay.

He kicked over a tent someone had left near his house, opening the door and stepping inside. A quick glance around was enough to tell him that there had definitely been a few intruders in here...but fortunately, there wasn’t that much order left here. A few snaps of his fingers, and the familiar dust bunnies rushed back to their places under the couch, and maple syrup was once again smeared across the ceiling and windows.

The next place he checked was Midnight Snacker’s room. The giant spider had vanished—and knowing how hard she was to wrangle, she had probably chosen to leave. At least she had left all of her intimidating webs to scare off guests...even if ponies almost never came in here when he was home. Or ever, really, aside from the occasional mob trying to hunt him down, or idiotic muggers and travelers…

He shook his head and continued his inspection of his home. It’d be just like a monarch to order his guards to ‘accidentally borrow’ anything that looked valuable. But although some things appeared to have been moved, almost nothing was taken...maybe they all assumed it was cursed. Which wouldn’t be entirely incorrect for some items.

Everything was in proper disorder in the living room and kitchen, though. The chaise lounge that would chase anyone, the piano-key stairs to nowhere, the cheese-and-chocolate fountain in the kitchen, the stone pillar covered with vines and multicolored roses—

That last one forced him to do a double-take. He froze in place, staring at the colorful blooms that saturated the surface of the pillar. He remembered now—he had wanted to make the kitchen a little more colorful. The idea of rainbow roses had come to him after a walk in the woods, posting warnings about his dimension.

The idea had seemed simple but novel at the time...but now, it just made him remember the last rose he had grabbed, the moment he approached that old building and heard the princess and Pinkie talking…

He shook his head, and realized that he started grinding his teeth while he was thinking. Well. No way he was keeping these around, bringing back memories that were better off buried.

With a snap of his fingers, the entire pillar caught fire, and the stems and flowers were charred black, quickly crumbling away. Normally he would have watched the small act of destruction he had caused, but...he didn’t feel good about destroying the flowers.

So he turned and walked away. A good meal would surely make him forget the whole annoying, painful adventure! He’d skip dessert, though. And anything that had plants in it. Just because he felt like it, and not because he was avoiding memories!

He slammed his hands down on the kitchen counter, trying to jolt himself out of that train of thought, and causing several packs of food to fall from the ceiling, bouncing off of his head and onto the floor. After a few moments spent frozen like that, he shook his head and began to gather up the food packets.

---

Fluttershy stared blankly at her reflection, watching as a pure white dress was tailored to fit her.

This kingdom had been filled with such strange creatures, with hardly any ponies around...but it had seemed quite orderly, and very clean. At first glance, it seemed like a very nice place. But the longer she spent here, the more uncomfortable she felt.

Hardly a word had been said to her as she arrived—she was instead quickly ushered off to be prepared for the upcoming ceremony. Being rushed was probably her own fault for being so insistent that the wedding happen before the end of the day, but…

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the hands leave her side, the tailors stepping back and away from her. She blinked, focusing on her reflection in the mirror. The dress fit her perfectly, and was made of fine, pure white silk, mostly unadorned. “Thank you,” she said to the creatures helping her.

They simply bowed, unsmiling, and turned to leave the room. Her ears drooped slightly—no one seemed to be smiling around her, either. Not to mention the lack of any plant or animal life in the city...as orderly as it all was, it all seemed lifeless.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. This was her last option to break her curse. Especially since Discord...she grit her teeth and pushed the thought away before sadness could well up in her again. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

With a sigh, she lifted the veil of thin fabric and let it drape over her face. Hopefully this could keep anyone from noticing her...lack of enthusiasm about the upcoming ceremony. And...there was still so much to prepare before it happened.

She turned away from the mirror and left the room, searching for something else to do, something that could distract her and keep her from being washed away by her own sorrowful thoughts.

---

Pinkie had wandered into the woods long after Discord had left. She was pretty confident about where his dimension was, but...a part of her said he needed space. Besides, she wasn’t sure what she would even say to him...or to Fluttershy, if she changed directions and headed that way!

After a couple of minutes, she found a shallow river of very clear water. She stopped, bending down to get a drink...and paused afterward, sitting back on the grassy shore when she saw how much her mane had drooped, and how glassy her eyes seemed.

She stared at her reflection in the river, sighing. “Well...this is a fine mess,” she told her reflection. “I really thought my two friends were so perfect for each other...but when I wake up, they’re both upset with each other, and go in different directions without me!”

“Pity party for one, then?” her reflection ‘said’ back to her.

“What else?” she said, reaching into her mane and pulling out a cupcake. Chocolate peanut butter...she sighed again, setting the cupcake down. “A pity party without snacks...I can’t eat this without tasting guilt.”

She heard a sniffing sound from further down the river. She glanced up and saw one of the last creatures she had been expecting—Cheese Sandwich the dragon. He was currently staring at his own reflection, and seemed to be miming some sort of conversation with himself. From the way his spines were drooping, to his hung head and slow movements, everything seemed to scream that the ‘conversation’ wasn’t that happy.

...not that he would have much reason to be happy, she realized with a cold jolt. He had been knocked out and left all alone in an old castle, without even a note! That cold worm of guilt returned to her chest.

Slowly, she stood up, picked up the cupcake, and walked over to him. He lifted his head when he heard her hoofsteps, his eyes widening in surprise when he saw her.

With a sheepish grin, she held the cupcake out to him. “...hi, again,” she said. “Can we talk this out...without you carrying me off somewhere?”

Cheese stared at her for a few moments...then slowly nodded, bending his head to gently tap his nose against the side of her head.

They both smiled shyly (and a bit awkwardly) at each other, their manes (and floofy spines) slowly rising a bit closer to their usual glory. Cheese’s tongue snaked out to snag the cupcake, making her chuckle a little.

---

Discord poked listlessly at his food. He had thrown anything he could grab into a pot, and the result seemed to be cooked noodles with salsa and ranch. Normally, he would have delighted at the disgustingly chaotic food, with a quiet kitchen all to himself, but...his appetite had gone.

With a sigh, he slurped up some of the noodles, then took a sip of chocolate milk. I’d like that, he remembered the princess saying, a small mustache of the same milk above her smiling lips…

He coughed, quickly slamming the glass down and swallowing the liquid. Great. Now a drink he liked had been ruined by the adventure...and now, he was recalling other moments she had smiled like that at him, her eyes sparkling in the sun…

With a sigh, he leaned his elbows against the table and pressed his head into his hands. If only knowing it had been a lie would make his heart stop singing out for something that wasn’t possible.

---

Fluttershy stared down at the salad in front of her, all green lettuce and sliced vegetables. It looked very fresh, and was probably very delicious, but…she kept finding herself craving something with more flavor.

Something sweet, like Pinkie’s cupcakes, or juicy fresh fruits she had ripened with her magic, or...or chocolate almond milk raining chaotically from a cotton candy cloud.

Thinking about that cloud, how happily Discord had made it, just to share something with her...she sniffed, a lump forming in her throat. She closed her eyes, pressing her head into her front hooves as though she could push any tears back in.

For the first time, she was grateful that she had been left alone in the massive, polished dining room. That way, no one could see her wrestling with her broken heart.

How could she have been foolish enough to fall for him…? Even if they seemed to...to get along so well, and he made her so happy, happier than she had been in years, he clearly only ever saw her as a means to an end.

But knowing that only made her hurt even more.

---

Discord wasn’t sure how long he had sat alone at his table, trying not to think of Fluttershy and yet thinking about everything about her anyway. He was only stirred from his thoughts when he heard some kind of commotion coming from outside, like different items being smashed together.

He raised an eyebrow, standing up. He hadn’t used his magic to make noise, there was nothing random enough to make quite that much noise, and his dimension was supposed to be free of intruders. If that monarch failed on his end, after all I went through...he thought, gritting his teeth as he stormed towards the front door.

At least this could provide an adequate distraction for a short while... he opened the door, stepping outside to see what the noise was. To his surprise, Pinkie was there, doing something while floating in the middle of his dimension.

"Pinkie?" he said, floating closer. Now that he could get a better look, it seemed that she was trying to build a structure out of the random objects floating around his dimension.

"What in Equestria are you doing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Discord!" she said. She pulled a glue bottle out of her mane and applied it between two plant pots without plants. "I thought you'd be able to recognize a wall, since you mentioned wanting to build so many."

He tilted his head. "First, while I love the chaoticness of this...a strong breeze is going to be enough to knock this 'wall' over." He whipped his tail and toppled a tower of books that made up one part of the wall to demonstrate.

"Second...Pinkie, the walls are meant to go around the door," he said. "Or at least, close to it. What is this supposed to accomplish?"

“Well, it still blocks your dimension off from ponies!” she said cheerfully, pushing the books back up. “Well...your half of it.”

“My half?” he said, his eyebrow raising high enough that it popped off of his face. He caught it in his paw and slapped it back onto his forehead.

“Yep!” she said cheerfully. “We both rescued the princess, so we both get half of the reward.” She scratched her head. “It was a bit hard to eyeball, but I made sure to give you more space, just in case. Really, all you’re losing is the door...and did you want that, anyway?”

Discord crossed his arms, a low rumble forming in the back of his throat. “Now,” Pinkie said, looking around at what was bobbing around them. “Could you pass me that lamp? The one that looks like you?”

He grabbed the lamp...and promptly tossed it over his shoulder. “Back off, Pinkie!” he snapped. “And get out!” He pointed towards the door.

“Why don’t you back off!?” she snapped back, catching him by surprise.

He shook off his surprise just as she was reaching for a crystal statue of himself and setting it in her wall. He grabbed it and tried to pull it out of her grip, but she pulled back.

“Quit building a wall in my dimension!”

“Our dimension!”

He growled. “You...you…”

“Oh yeah? What am I?” she said, pressing her muzzle against his.

“You...annoying, foolish, obnoxious, fluff-headed, dense, naive, ignorant, annoying excuse of a pony!” he yelled. “Why can’t you just leave?”

“Maybe I don’t want to leave, you bullheaded, stubborn draconequus!” she snapped back.

He blinked in surprise, then dropped the statue. “You know what? Fine!” He stormed off. “So you want half of the dimension? Big deal! I still have the other half, and I can just block you out! I’ll soundproof your shoddy wall with magic by tomorrow morning.”

“Hey, come back!” she said. She pushed off of the ground and pedaled her legs, chasing after him. “I’m not done with you yet.”

“Well, I’m done with you,” he said, shoving her away.

She just pedaled her way right back. “You know, whenever we talk, it’s all about you,” she said. “You keep talking about how ponies never give you a chance, but have you ever actually listened to one yourself? Why don’t you stay quiet and listen to me?”

He glared at her. He moved to shove her again, but she latched onto his arm. “Yeah?” he said, trying to shake her off. “Well, if I’m such a horrible creature for not wanting to listen to a fluffhead, why do you keep hanging around me? Why did you come back here?”

“Because I want to be your friend!” she said, dropping to the ground. “And that’s what friends do—they forgive each other, and talk things out!”

“Forgiveness, huh?” he mused, stroking his beard. “Alright, you know what? Okay, Pinkie. I forgive you.” He patted the top of her floofy mane.

She raised an eyebrow. “Really? You do? For what?” she asked, sounding a little bit hopeful.

“For stabbing me in the back!” he shouted. He stepped back into his house and slammed the door in her stunned face. A snap of his fingers, and all the windows slammed shut, too, the curtains drawing closed.

“Stab you in the back?” she said. “What did I do? You’re the one who keeps trying to shove everyone away and ignoring your own feelings!”

“Go away,” he growled, shoving cotton balls into his ears.

“There it is again!” she said. “You keep pushing away everypony who actually tries to reach out to you. Me, Fluttershy—”

“Don’t bring her up!” he shouted, his fur bristling up.

“Why not?” she asked. “And why were you so mean to both of us? All she wanted was a chance to be your friend...maybe even love you.”

“Love me?” he scoffed. “Don’t expect me to fall for your lies. I heard you two last night, so you can’t trick me!”

“...which part did you hear?” she asked.

“The part where she mentioned how, as a princess, she couldn’t be with a hideous, mismatched creature,” he said. “And who would I be, to disagree with such a kind pony with noble blood?”

“Oh. Ooooh…” she said. “Discord, um, she...she wasn’t talking about you. That was about...somebody else.”

“She....wasn’t?” he said, pulling the cotton balls out of his ears. The gears in his head began to turn. Had he fallen for the ever-so-cliche misunderstanding plot? But, then… “Well then, who was she talking about?” he asked, throwing the front door open.

Pinkie shook her head, making a zipping motion over her mouth. “I Pinkie-Promised that I wouldn’t say anything,” she said. “Besides, you don’t want to listen to me anyway, right!?”

“Pinkie!” he said. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, her head bobbing back and forth. “Spill, now! Who else could she have been talking about!?”

“No way!” she said. She slipped out of his grip and turned her back to him, huffing and crossing her forelegs.

He growled, clutching his hands into fists. Pinkie continued giving him the cold shoulder. He sighed, deflating slightly. “Look, I’m...I’m s-s-s-sorry, okay!?” he managed to spit out.

Her ears perked up, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Fooooor…?” she said, looking at him expectantly.

“For…” He sighed. “For calling you names. And trying to push you away, figuratively and literally. And shaking you violently. And…” He rubbed the back of his neck, ears drooping. “For...being a mean, scary draconequus in general. Can you forgive me?”

She turned around, smiling and opening her forelegs to him. “Of course,” she said. “What are friends for?”

“So...friends?” he said awkwardly, slowly opening his arms.

“Friends,” she said, darting forward and wrapping her forelegs around his torso. He froze for a moment—this sensation was new, but not...entirely unpleasant. He slowly wrapped his arms around her, patting her back.

She smiled, nestling into his thick fur. He chuckled, patting the top of her fluffy mane. It was soft to the touch...not bad, actually. Fluttershy’s was probably much softer, though…that made him remember the topic before their sudden hugging session.

“So, um,” he said, separating from her slowly. She stared up at him. “What did Fluttershy say about me, if that...less-than-pleasant comment wasn’t about me?”

“Hey, if you’re fishing for how she feels about you, you shouldn’t ask me,” she said. “Why don’t you go and ask her yourself?”

His eyes widened. “The wedding!” he said, standing up straight. He began to pace in mid-air. “Even if I had time to completely recharge my magic in here, which I haven’t, my teleportation could never take us straight to Duloc in time! We’re not going to make it…”

Pinkie smirked. “I have a solution!” she said. “How’d you think I got here so fast?” She poked her head out of the door, pressed her hoof to her lips, and gave a loud, shrill whistle.

A loud roar responded, and a gust of wind blew through the trees and into his dimension. A dragon—no, the dragon, the one that had been guarding Fluttershy—descended from the sky and landed on the ground, right in front of his door. He gave a large, toothy grin at Pinkie.

Discord blinked, looking back and forth between Pinkie and the dragon. “Wait...you…”

She smiled at him. “Cheesy and I talked things over, and made up!” she said, bouncing over to the dragon many times her size. “And he’s willing to help you and Fluttershy! C’mon!”

Discord blinked, then followed right alongside her. “Cheese...Sandwich, right?” he asked once he was at the dragon’s head. He nodded. “So, ah...no hard feelings, then?”

Cheese shook his head, then nodded towards his back. “He’s wondering what you’re waiting for!” Pinkie said as she climbed up his tail. Cheese lifted his tail and slid her carefully onto his back. “Like you said, we need to get there before the wedding finishes!”

“Right!” Discord said. With a snap of his fingers, he teleported onto the dragon’s back, right behind Pinkie. “Time to add veteran dragon rider and wedding-crasher to my resume,” he said with a grin, pulling a blue, shell-like helmet onto his head.

Once he had sat down, Pinkie gripped the spines that looked like a fluffy mane on Cheese’s head. “Onward!” she said, pointing up. “To Duloc, to fight for true love!”

Cheese let out a roar, beating his wings. The branches whipped in the wind he created, and he pushed off of the ground and into the sky. Pinkie cheered, throwing both of her front hooves into the air. Discord wrapped his tail around one of the spines behind him.

Any other day, he would probably cheer, too. But right now...with his heart pounding, and the pit forming at the bottom of his stomach, it took all of his concentration to stay focused on the mission without completely panicking.

He could only hope they would make it in time.

Comments

[PuzzleMaster98]

Again, a great chapter!! Looking forward to the next one!!