The Mark of the Soul

by Comicizzum

At the Crossroads

For the next week Fluttershy checked out every book, document, passage, and old newspaper clipping on the subject of Soul Marks. Twilight had been both surprised and apprehensive to her requests but helped with the research in her spare time. Fluttershy had also gone to Mrs. Cake, asking about her experience and if she had any regrets.

“None whatsoever,” the cake artist proclaimed. “I’m happier than a cupcake covered in frosting! I knew it wasn't for everypony - and there was a distinct chance my soulmate could already be married or dead - but I was a hopeless romantic and considered it something out of pony tales I’d read as a filly. I’d advise you to give it serious thought before making that choice though. Some ponies I know received their Soul Marks and didn’t end up having a happily ever after.”

Eventually word of her interest in the subject reached her friends and each expressed their concern on the matter. Rainbow Dash was surprisingly supportive. Not being that much of a romantic herself, she thought getting a Soul Mark was a great way to ‘get all the sappy stuff out of the way’. Pinkie Pie and Applejack both thought it was a bad idea. Twilight was fascinated by the subject but nervous for her friend and Rarity’s feelings were already known. Surprisingly, Spike was angry when she expressed getting it.

“I think you’d be making a big mistake!” he'd said. “It just doesn’t seem right, relying on a mark to find love!”

Despite the differing opinions, Fluttershy came to her own decision after three weeks of pondering. She approached Zecora over the weekend and the zebra, though surprised, agreed to make the required potion. She asked for payment in advance since some of the ingredients were on the pricier side (Fluttershy willingly and resignedly handed over the bits) as well as time to prepare it.

“Potions like this take time to brew,” she’d said. “But by next Saturday it should be ready for you.”

Now Fluttershy just needed to talk to Discord.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of him since their last meeting. She felt it vitally important to their friendship that he knew what she was planning to do so, on Tuesday, when he once again didn’t show for tea, she entered her backyard and attempted to summon him.

She took a deep breath and called his name.

He didn’t appear.

She sighed. “Discord, please, I really need to talk to you. Friend to friend.”

That did it. In a flash of light, the draconequus appeared in all his handsome glory. He looked apprehensive as he stood before her, his claw and paw nervously rubbing together.

“Hello Fluttershy,” he said. “Something on your mind?”

Fluttershy steeled herself. She needed to be brave. She couldn’t break and allow him to see how much her heart was bleeding inside to do this. Putting on her kindest smile, she nodded and asked him to take a seat.

Magicking up a comfy cushion for each of them, he sat down across from her, his tail whipping around into his lap. He started to braid the white tuff unconsciously.

Fluttershy took a deep breath. It was best to just get it over with. “Thank you for coming. I wanted you to know that I have decided to get my Soul Mark.”

Whatever Discord had been expecting, it clearly wasn’t this. His eyes actually fell out of his head and rolled onto the grass while his jaw dropped down to the ground. Recovering his eyes, he yanked on his beard and his mouth rolled back up like a curtain on a string.

“W-What?” he rasped, his voice weaker than Fluttershy had ever heard.

The pegasus swallowed. Celestia, this was harder than she thought!

“I’m getting my Soul Mark,” she repeated. “I’ve already confirmed with Zecora that she can do it and I made arrangements to get it this Saturday.”

“You can’t be serious?!” he cried, leaping to his feet. “Soul Marks are dangerous, Fluttershy! Why do you think that particular practice fell out of practice?”

“I know the risks,” she stated. “And I’ve mentally prepared myself for what may happen. But this is the only solution I can think of.”

“For what?” he asked.

“Our friendship,” she replied. “I love you, Discord, but I refuse to be selfish and hurt you. This is the only way we can remain friends and I always want to be friends with you.”

The draconequus folded his arms and looked away. “I see.” Despite the tough act he was trying to display, Fluttershy saw right through him. His hurt was plain as he turned his back to her. “Well, if you think the right thing to do is to bind yourself to some stallion until the end of your days, who am I to stop you?”

“Discord,” she began but he cut her off.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to be there to support you, my dear. I have important business elsewhere that day. I’ll be sure to visit again. Maybe after you’ve found your soulmate.”

He spat the last word as if it were venom and disappeared in a flash of light. The cushions vanished, leaving Fluttershy sitting in the dirt.

Once again the backyard witnessed her heartbreak, her animals hopelessly looking on from a distance. That is, all but Angel. He hopped over and set a comforting paw on her hoof.

“I am doing the right thing… right, Angel?” she sobbed.

He wrapped his arms around her leg and hugged her as she cried, unable to give an answer because, like her, he truly didn’t know.

<><><>

After once again blowing up his house, setting fire to a purple forest somewhere in the Chaos Realm, and obliterating a star (Luna could get mad at him later; right now he couldn't care less), Discord sat before his chocolate milk lake, his puffy eyes wet and sore.

“Pathetic,” he rasped, watching as another tear transformed to chocolate and headed to join its brethren. “The Lord of Chaos reduced to a heartbroken shell.”

Footsteps were heard before his double sat down next to him and also drew his knees up to his chest.

“It’s your own fault,” he grumbled, adjusting his glasses.

Discord balked. “How is this my fault?!”

“You pushed her into making this decision!”

“How? I don’t recall any of our previous conversations mentioning the Soul Mark ritual and who to go to get one! Where did she even hear about it anyway?”

Cordy Two shrugged. “Search me. The fact remains she’s found out and decided to get it. So…?”

“So what?” Discord snapped.

Cordy Two snarled before smacking him upside the head. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing,” Discord retorted, rubbing the offended area and scowling.

“Nothing?” he replied in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Discord leapt to his feet and threw up his hands. “What do you expect me to do? This is good, isn’t it? She moves on, we remain friends, everyone wins.”

Cordy Two stood too and looked at him with the most intense expression he had ever seen on a double. “If you honestly believe that, then you’re a fool. Never in the history of Equestria - in the history of our existence - have you ever loved anypony before. There have been flings, true, but nothing like this.”

“It doesn’t matter! She’s getting her Soul Mark!”

“Not if you stop her first!”

“I can’t!” he bellowed.

Cordy Two shook his head, Discord’s sadness reflected in his eyes. “Will you truly just sit back and do nothing?” he whispered. “Is she not worth fighting for?”

Discord opened his mouth, closed it, then turned away. A soft snap was the only sound that reached his ears as Cordy Two voluntarily faded away, leaving him alone.

Is she not worth fighting for?

Discord looked out at his chocolate milk lake, his mind’s eye filled with moments of Fluttershy. One in particular stood out: her in his arms, covered in green goo, pressed protectively against his chest. Discord looked down at his empty arms and chest, his heart aching painfully at the thought she might never occupy them again.

Is she not worth fighting for?

Discord snapped his fingers, instantly teleporting in front of the Crystal Palace in the Crystal Empire. He walked past the startled guards, barging his way inside without invitation or consent. By the time they’d realized what he was doing, the draconequus had made it halfway to the throne room.

“Halt!” one of them demanded, raising a spear.

The Lord of Chaos stopped, snapping the weapon into a flurry of bubbles with annoyance. Leaning his head down so his fiery eyes bore into those of the guard, he growled in a threatening guttural tone, “If you have any sense of self preservation, you’ll get out of my way."

The poor stallion scurried off as fast as his knocking knees would allow. Discord snorted and continued on. The next interruption he didn’t mind. Shining Armor, having been alerted by the guards, cantered forward to meet him.

“What are you doing here, Discord?” he demanded.

He had every right to be angry; the last time they’d met, Tirek had drained him of his magic while Discord looked on.

“I need to speak with your wife.”

“She’s not available. Civil consultations are tomorrow between 2 and 4. Come back-”

“By then it will be too late,” Discord interrupted.

Shining Armor scoffed. “I’m sure you can wait until tomorrow to ask for something as trivial as ‘a glass of water’.”

Discord had had enough. Similar to the guard, he bent down and glared at the prince. “If you want the entire world as you know it to turn upside down in a rage of never-ending chaos, by all means, Shining Armor, continue to belittle the reason I’m here.”

“Are you threatening me?” he demanded, swiping away Discord's talon, unafraid.

“I’ll do more than that if you don’t get out of my way!”

“What is going on here?”

Now snout to snout, Shining and Discord looked away from each other as a rather angry Princess Cadence made her presence known.

“Discord is just trying to cause trouble,” the former explained, “But I’m handling it, sweetheart.”

The Chaos Lord scoffed. “Believe me, Shining, if that were true, your crystal home would already be turned into swiss cheese. I’m here to see you, Cady, and for the sake of all Equestria, you won’t make me wait.”

Cadence studied him a moment before commanding her husband and guards to stand down.

“But Cadence,” Shining Armor protested. “What about taking the day off?”

“This is more important, sweetheart,” she replied, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “I’ll meet you and Flurry in the garden later, okay?”

“I’d rather not leave you alone with him. Nothing good ever happens when he's around.”

“Hey, I resent that!”

“Trust me, Shining,” Cadence assured, both ignoring Discord’s indignant huff. “I think I know why he’s here. And, if I’m right, we have nothing to worry about.”

“Alright,” he muttered, turning back to the draconequus, “But if you try anything, Discord, anything at all, I’ll get Twilight and the girls to turn you back to stone before you can even snap your fingers!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Discord said dismissively, waving his talons nonchalantly through the air. ”Let’s go, Cady.”

Reassuring her husband one last time, the Princess of Love turned around and followed the Lord of Chaos down the hall without another word.

Comments

[taterforlife]

Wow, Discord is an incredible cad in this chapter. He is very much wallowing in self-pity. But, this is a new situation for him, so it makes a lot more sense to give him cad-like behavior than all the times on the show where Discord magically forgets everything he's learned in similar situations and acts like a cad. But this chapter is completely justified, because this is strictly about love, not friendship. Fluttershy is trying to SAVE their friendship, she's trying to stop pursuing more with him, and he's having a temper tantrum.

Now Cadance is going to talk to Discord during his temper tantrum! Oh my gosh, yes. Yes yes yes. I am excited to see how you interpret such a meeting. Hopefully she can knock some sense into him. And then maybe Discord can learn to have some respect for others besides Fluttershy and be (temporarily) humbled. (Very temporarily.)

[Comicizzum]

11222394
He's dealing with something he's never really personally experienced before in his very long life. Of course he's not handling it very well. But hopefully what comes next you'll approve of.

[Hillbe]

Their future looks great
What about you know....Little ones?
We're all doomed
I'm sure glad I still didn't do anything

[taterforlife]

11222762
Exactly. That's why I think this is an appropriate use of reverting Discord back into being a total jerk. The show always yanked him back and forth with his lessons when he should have known better. With this, though? Totally different ballgame. And it's as Discord Two said: there were flings, but this time there's real, actual, messy, gooey feelings involved that intersect with friendship, but is a lot more intense.

And I'm so excited for more. Especially if Fluttershy DOES get her Soul Mark, because you actually made the concept of 'soulmate' quite flexible. It doesn't mean you CAN'T fall in love with someone else. It's more like making a magic spell the Ultimate Wingman, but that Wingman is only thoughtful in one aspect of the matchmaking process.

So does that mean it will *always* be another pony, because it has to connect with a cutie mark?

Could nothing show up? And what does that mean? Does that mean it's not a pony, or does that mean there's no soulmate?

So many questions...!

[Marina Stars]

Ooo. Discord in a rage is never good. I agree with Tater that the show would make him a punk for nothing, which I was never a fan of. But this is 100% justified. A Discord fighting fiercely for love is the best kind! Admittedly, there are better ways to approach the princess of love, but hes not thinking strategic anyways. His threats are entertaining though.

[Comicizzum]

11226777
Yeah, Discord isn't the best when handling his emotions and being in love is something he has never dealt with before so of course he's somewhat of a loose cannon. I enjoyed writing his anger and frustration towards the guards and Shining Armor.