Discord's Patchwork Adventure

by Comicizzum

Assemble

“WHAT?!”

The collective shout from their friends was ignored as Discord stared at Fluttershy. A second of heavy anticipation passed before he burst into delighted laughter, snatching her off the ground.

Twirling her around, he cried at the top of his lungs, “Yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!”

He set her back down and thrust his eagle arm forward, a maniacal grin spread across his face. Fluttershy blinked, tilting her head in adorable confusion. Discord pointed at her hoof, his smile growing. She looked down and gasped. She was holding a ring. She glanced at the solid gold band before looking back up at him.

"Might as well do things properly, eh?" Discord winked, wiggling his fingers.

Giggling and playing along, she slipped the ring onto one of his talons. The two shared a passionate kiss.

"Will somepony please explain what the hay is going on here?!"

Discord and Fluttershy broke apart, the draconequus keeping his now fiancée in his arms.

"I thought it was obvious," he said, displaying the golden band. "Ring. Proposal. Seems pretty self explanatory to me."

"Yes, but-!"

Cordy swooped in and placed a finger over Rainbow Dash’s lips. "Perhaps we should take this conversation elsewhere," he said, hinting towards their audience before snapping everypony back to the conference room.

The second they were inside, the room exploded with questions. Though he loved the chaos, Discord could tell the barrage of queries was upsetting Fluttershy. So he did what any good fiancé would do; he set off a bunch of firecrackers and zipped everypony's mouth shut.

"Now that I have your attention," he smirked, "I would like to propose that we move away from the agitated inquiries and proceed with a more civilized discussion. Can everypony handle that?"

Fuming silently, they all nodded.

"Discord, release them please," said Fluttershy, placing her hoof on his arm.

He looked down at her. "All at once?"

She nodded. "I can handle it."

"Oh, alright," he muttered. "But if things get out of hand again, I'm interfering."

She smiled appreciatively and nodded in agreement. Discord snapped away the zippers.

"To repeat what Applejack said: what the hay is going on?" Rainbow Dash snapped the moment she could talk, stomping her hoof on the ground.

"Fluttershy proposed! Fluttershy proposed! We need to have a party!" Pinkie Pie cried, popping out of nowhere.

"PINKIE?!" Twilight cried in shocked disbelief. "What are you doing here?!"

The Party Pony was standing next to a swirling pink portal with a very familiar key in her hand.

"You honestly didn't think I was going to miss this, did you?" she cried, aghast. "My Pinkie Sense was going crazy and I just knew Fluttershy was about to do something astronomical so I grabbed the key Discord gave me and used it to make a temporary portal to come celebrate! I told Rainboom Dash that I'd be back in two hours. That gives us plenty of time to party!"

She whipped out her cannon and confetti exploded all over the room. Hopping over, she gave both Discord and Fluttershy a hug.

"I am so excited for you guys!!"

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Pinkie, I am rather curious to know how you were able to use the key to come here when I only programmed it to take you back to my dimension," said Discord.

"Oh, I just hopped to your dimension first and then used it again to come here," she said. "You did say that from your dimension it could take me anywhere!"

Discord made a mental note to confiscate those keys the second this adventure was over.

"Well, thanks for coming and being supportive," Fluttershy said with a pleased smile.

"But of course!" said Pinkie Pie. "It isn't every day that you decide to marry and become immortal!"

"Become what?!" Twilight cried.

"Immortal?" said Rarity. "What on earth are you talking about, darling?"

"Become WHAT?!" Twilight repeated.

Discord smacked his forehead. Leave it to Pinkie Pie to spew forth everything without considering how the news would be received.

"Fluttershy?" Applejack demanded, "Mind telling us exactly what Pinkie's going' on about?"

Discord glanced at the Rainbooms who had remained uncharacteristically silent during this whole affair. They were staring at him and Fluttershy with expectant frowns. Mirror Fluttershy alone looked concerned, shrugging helplessly. Beside her, Cordy sat in a theater chair, eating popcorn and enjoying the show.

"Not helping, you know."

Completely unfazed by the sudden appearance of a miniature Discord whispering in his ear, Cordy merely shrugged and whispered back, "This is your bed, not mine. I'll step in if I need to but I'm confident you've got this."

Discord snorted, vanishing his miniature self. Fluttershy looked up at him.

"Can I tell them?" she asked, her voice divided between hope and nerves.

"They're going to find out eventually," he sighed, shrugging. "Might as well."

"It's okay though?" she pressed.

"I'll step in if you're getting too close to sharing things they don't need to know," he assured.

"What are you guys talking about?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, Discord is-"

Discord vanished both Pinkie Pies mouths and shook his finger at them.

"Oh no, you don't. Both of you need to let Fluttershy have the floor."

Both Pies looked very disappointed but nodded in consent.

Satisfied, Discord returned their mouths and said, "Go ahead, Flutterbutter."

Fluttershy took a deep breath. Discord felt a blanket of confidence descend upon her as she stood tall and shared with the others her decision to bond herself to him in eternal marital bliss. The others were shocked when she finished.

Applejack stepped forward. "Sugarcube, I have no doubt ya love him but are ya sure you've thought this through? Becomin' immortal means sayin' goodbye to everypony you know."

"And is it required to Ascend to marry him?" asked Rarity.

Fluttershy blushed. "No but-"

"Then why not marry him without?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Because she doesn't want to leave Discord behind," Twilight muttered.

Everypony turned to her. The princess was staring at the ground, her head bent so low that her mane hid her eyes.

"Twilight?" Fluttershy prompted, taking a concerned step forward.

Twilight looked up. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "Is there a reason why?" she asked.

Fluttershy was confused but Discord knew what the princess was asking. He sighed and rubbed his paw through his mane.

"Twilight, I can't speak for Shining Armor or Flash Sentry," he said. "I can only tell you that the ones who gave me immortality have already promised to grant Fluttershy the same."

"And who are they?" she demanded.

"Mother Nature and Abysm, the Father of Monsters."

"The Father of Monsters was Grogar," she argued.

"A disguise Abysm took on to have some fun," Discord said with a shrug. Twilight opened her mouth again but he cut her off. "Look, I'm not going to say any more on the matter. The fact remains that Fluttershy has been granted Ascension -should she choose to accept it- because of a promise given to me an extremely long time ago."

"By Mother Nature?" Rainbow Dash said skeptically.

"Believe what you want," said Discord, "But she's real. And she really wants to meet you, my dear," he added, addressing Fluttershy.

His fiancée squeaked. "She does?!"

He smiled. "Well, you are going to be marrying me, the world's longest standing bachelor. Ahuizotl is going to roll over backwards when he finds out. That cat bet eons ago that I would never settle down."

"You know Ahuizotl?" Rainbow Dash cried, a look of distrust spreading across her face.

"Old college buddies," Discord confirmed, waving his claw. "Not really important. Anyway, this talk has been wonderful but I think we've covered all the bases."

"We most certainly have not!" Rarity cried, stomping her hoof. "I want to know why Twilight is angry and why Fluttershy can't just marry you without going through that Ascension business she spoke of."

"Twilight is upset because she's immortal and her commitment to Flash Sentry is a temporary one," Discord answered. "Eventually he'll die and she'll move on. Cadence is facing the same reality with Shining Armor but the Princess of Love seems to have already made peace with that."

"Twilight?" Applejack prompted, her voice gentle and hesitant, "Are you really going to live forever?"

The princess glared at Discord as she answered, "Yes, AJ. I'm a princess. It's part of the deal."

The others gasped.

"Did you know?" asked Starlight.

"I think I always knew, deep down," Twilight muttered, "But it wasn't confirmed until I talked to Cadence about Flash. I'll outlive him. I'll outlive all of you."

"But that's simply horrible!" Rarity despaired before turning to Fluttershy. "And you want this, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy lowered her head a fraction before stomping her hoof and proudly facing her friends.

"I do!" she declared. "While I am truly sorry for Twilight, I refuse to live a mortal life and leave Discord behind. I have the option of staying with him forever, of loving him and being by his side; something he's been without for most of his life. I'd be a selfish fool to choose death over that!"

The girls stood there in shocked silence. Discord inwardly cheered at Fluttershy's bravery, having to stop himself from smothering her in kisses for saying such things. Her declaration of devotion touched him deeply. He wasn't the only one.

Twilight stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Fluttershy shrunk a bit but refused to move. Discord loomed behind, ready to provide protection if necessary.

The princess pulled Fluttershy into a surprising hug.

"I truly am happy for you," she said, stepping back and looking between Fluttershy and Discord. "I'm glad that you're standing up for your love and I truly do support it."

"What?!" Rainbow Dash shrieked.

"You don't think I'm moving too fast?" Fluttershy asked.

"You two have been friends for a long time," Twilight smiled. "I don't think you're rushing into this at all."

"I do!" Rainbow Dash cried.

"That's just because you're being protective," said Applejack.

"Protective?!"

The cowpony ignored her, readjusting her stetson as she faced the couple. "Look, my folks started out as friends and eventually fell in love. I see no reason why it can't happen to you two."

"I always hoped your relationship would blossom into this," Rarity confessed with a sheepish smile. "I just can't understand the desire to live forever. Don't get me wrong, it's very romantic, but I believe accepting change is better than staying frozen in place."

"Really?" Applejack said as Rainbow scoffed, "You, the pony most concerned about her looks, can't understand the appeal of immortality?"

"It's true," Rarity stated, "I used to fear the idea of aging, but living in the fashion world has taught me that change is good. And I've learned that age brings beauty as well."

"Whatever," Rainbow Dash grumbled before turning back to Fluttershy. The Wonderbolt looked at her with worry. "Flutters," she said in a more gentle tone, "Is this really what you want?"

Fluttershy looked at Discord, her smile the most radiant it had ever been.

"It is," she confirmed.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Then there's only one thing for me to say."

Everypony froze. Discord narrowed his eyes, inwardly praying he wasn't about to witness the end of a very cherished friendship.

The rainbow pony shot across the room and stopped in front of him, slamming a hoof into his chest.

"You'd better be true to her forever!" she warned. "Or I'm going to make it my personal business to haunt you until the day you die."

Discord blinked in surprise before grinning. "Duly noted, Crash. And I Pinkie Promise that I will never forsake her for as long as I live."

He summoned up a cupcake and did the motions. Rainbow Dash smirked before punching his shoulder.

"I'll hold you to that, Dipcord."

"So, are we all okay?" asked Applejack.

Everypony nodded.

"Then let's PARTY!" Pinkie Pie cried, blasting her cannon multiple times around the room.

Decorations shot out and attached themselves to multiple surfaces, the colors yellow, pink, and brown. Mirror Pinkie Pie got in on the action, yanking a fully assembled cake out of thin air. Discord chuckled, brushing confetti from Fluttershy's mane.

Twilight and Starlight stepped out a moment to check on the army and reassure Ember and Thorax that all was well. The other ponies surrounded Fluttershy, congratulating her and asking a wide variety of questions.

“When did you first realize you were in love?”

“What kind of wedding do you want?”

“Are we your bridesmaids?"

"If we are, do we have to wear dresses?”

“Can I make your dress? Please tell me I can make you dress!”

Discord chuckled, leaning against the cake table, happily watching the display and munching on a piece of cake Pinkie Pie had made specially for him and Cordy. The flavors consisted of onions, chocolate, dragonfruit, and blue cheese; perfectly blended chaos.

“Do you think we can immortalize Pinkie?” Cordy asked jokingly. “Not another creature alive will ever be able to concoct this kind of chaos and make it taste-”

“Positively divine!” Discord finished, relishing a particularly strong bite of onion and blue cheese.

“Exactly,” he chuckled. “I have half a mind to hire Rainboom Pinkie as my personal chef for the rest of her life.”

“You know, as long as she can still have her own baking business I don’t think she’d mind that in the slightest.”

“I wouldn’t!” Mirror Pinkie Pie declared, popping up beside them. “And, once she marries you, I’ll get to see Fluttershy practically every day! It’s a deal!”

She happily shook Cordy’s hand before hopping away to challenge Pinkie Pie in a cake eating contest.

Discord laughed. “Well, that just happened.”

“Speaking of things just happening,” said Cordy with a sly grin, “You had absolutely no idea she was going to propose, did you?”

“No,” Discord said honestly, watching Fluttershy laugh at something Rainbow Dash said. “I didn’t expect her to tell me she wanted to Ascend either.”

“Judging by what you told me after she left, I didn’t expect it either,” Cordy confessed. “I truly thought you would have to go with your plan of being an eternally unfulfilled partner for the rest of her life.”

“A fate I still would accept without complaint if that was what she wanted,” Discord stated.

“Oh, come, old bean,” Cordy scoffed, “You can’t honestly tell me you would have been happy with that arrangement.”

“It would have been enough,” Discord muttered, “if it meant keeping her in my life.”

Cordy looked at him, impressed. “Well, I must say, you certainly have grown since last I saw you.”

“The last time we spoke I had just been reformed,” Discord reminded. “I was still sorting through whether or not I wanted to seriously mend my ways.”

“Fluttershy probably held great sway in that decision,” he smirked.

“She was the only reason the consideration was even thought of,” Discord said unashamedly.

“And now here you are,” Cordy said, summoning a glass of strawberry milk and taking a swig, “Engaged with the promise of eternity attached. How do you feel?”

“Relieved that I beat you in getting a ring on my finger.”

He proudly showed off his jewelry and Cordy laughed.

“In my defense, you’ve known your Fluttershy for years. I’ve only been orbiting around mine for a year and she’s still in high school. A couple years of college will be a good experience for her before we get engaged.”

“Good luck holding out that long,” Discord muttered, taking his own sip of chocolate milk.

“Helps when you have magic to disconnect certain desires when things get heated,” Cordy smirked.

“Indeed,” Discord chuckled, tapping his drink against Cordy’s.

The girls pulled Discord and Cordy into their midst after that and the room filled with laughter as memories were shared of Discord and Fluttershy’s best -and worst- moments. But, as is true with every celebration, the party had to come to an end. Pinkie Pie gave everypony a hug and promised to see them all tomorrow before hopping back through her pink portal, chaos key in hoof. Mirror Pinkie Pie and Cordy volunteered to clean up the mess and the rest of the ponies and Discord left to find their own beds.

Fluttershy released a very large yawn the moment she and Discord were alone in his room.

“Well,” she muttered, “now they know.”

“Yes,” Discord said, gently lifting her up and carrying her over to the couch. “And you’re okay with that?”

She nodded, snuggling happily into his chest. “If I’m honest, I’m relieved. Keeping secrets doesn’t bother me but not sharing the best news of my life would have made me sad. I’m glad they’re okay with me Ascending too.”

“I’m glad you want to,” Discord said, lightly scratching behind her ears. “And, can I say that I am positively delighted that you proposed to me?”

Fluttershy looked up at him, surprised. “You are? It didn't bother you."

Discord laughed. “My dear, the chaos it brought was priceless! And the fact that you proposed and not me only added to it! Embracing confidence and breaking traditions! Oh, my love for you grows deeper every day!”

Fluttershy giggled in relief. “I’m glad you approve. I hadn’t planned to propose. I was only going to tell you that I decided to Ascend.”

“Then what made you?” he asked curiously.

Fluttershy shrugged. “It just seemed like the right thing to do.”

Discord’s eyelids lowered as he tenderly studied her eyes. “I love you, Fluttershy.”

She blushed. “I love you too, Dissy.”

They shared a kiss before Fluttershy released another yawn and rested her head against his chest, her legs and wings looping around his thin body. Discord stroked her mane, hyper aware of the ring now occupying his finger.

He loved it.

Once again his adorable little pegasus had surprised him. The prospect of spending forever with her left him joyful and excited. He couldn't wait!

He had half a mind to rush off to his parents and marry her tonight but she was already asleep, her breathing deep and even, and he didn't want to wake her (that and the others would kill him if he did). So, instead, he gently floated to her door, opened it with his tail, and laid her carefully down on her bed. Tucking her in, he stared at her in love and wonder.

"Rest well, my Shy," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

Fluttershy sighed, a smile climbing her cheeks. She rolled over, burrowing further under her blanket. Discord chuckled as he left the room.

He went to bed that night feeling truly happy and fulfilled, resting the ring over his heart and protecting it with his paw.

---

Discord and Fluttershy woke early the next morning, her on autopilot, him only because he had to.

Mixing a heavy helping of Tabasco sauce into his chocolate milk, Discord grumbled about the early hour.

"I don't see why I have to be up," he complained, downing the drink in one swallow. The heat burned its way down his throat, giving his brain the kick-start it needed to fully awaken. It didn't erase his irritability though. "I'm not needed until after everypony else is ready to go."

“I’m sure that won’t take long,” Fluttershy consoled, kissing his cheek.

Discord looped an arm around her. “Can’t we just stay in here and cuddle until Twilight comes looking?”

Fluttershy shook her head. Reluctantly, the draconequus surrendered and allowed her to lead him from the room.

The first thing they saw was Cordy saying goodbye to Mirror Fluttershy, the two sharing a kiss before the Chaos Count snapped away to the yaks. The other Mirror ponies gathered around to comfort their friend, assuring her that he would be fine. Fluttershy quickly rushed off to join them. After that it took almost an hour to get the army fully up and running.

Discord rested on one of his cotton candy clouds, watching the proceedings below. A few fights broke out but the biggest unfolding drama was between Twilight and her three sneaky students, Gallus, Silverstream, and Ocellus.

“You’re not leaving us behind!” Gallus snapped, folding his arms.

“This is not up for negotiation, Gallus!” Twilight firmly replied. “You three aren’t even supposed to be here.”

“But we want to help!” said Silverstream.

“While I admire your courage, now is not the time to be playing hero,” said Starlight, joining the conversation.

“We’re not playing!” Ocellus argued. “We have every right to fight for our lands!”

“Besides, Smolder gets to fight,” said Gallus. “Why can’t we?”

“Because Dragon Lord Ember said she could and none of you got permission from your guardians to be here!" said Twilight. "Ocellus pretended to be an adult blending in with the changeling army, Silverstream snuck off the hippogriff's ship, and Gallus ran away from home!"

"I don't have a home to run away from!" Gallus argued. "No griffon is going to miss me!"

Twilight and Starlight shared an exasperated glance.

"The point is, this is a war,” Twilight declared. “There are going to be casualties. And I refuse to jeopardize the alliances we have with your kingdoms because the three of you want to rush off and play soldier. You're not coming and that's final!"

The young ones angrily looked away and kept silent as the two mares discussed what to do with them.

Discord frowned, watching in silence as Thorax and Ember approached Twilight a few minutes later.

"Our armies are ready to go," Ember stated.

"I'm sorry about Ocellus," Thorax sighed. "I already told her she couldn't come."

"I know," Twilight said. "Don't worry; she, Gallus, and Silverstream will stay here with Sprinkle Glaze until the battle is over."

"I think it would be good for Smolder to join them," Ember said, motioning over a very angry looking orange dragon. "Besides Spike, she's the link between our nations."

"I still don't see why I can't fight," Smolder grumbled, smoke coming from her nostrils. "Spike is just as much my friend as he is yours! I want to help him!"

"I said no, Smolder!" Ember raged, jabbing a claw at her. "You're staying here!"

"Fine!" Smolder snapped, stomping off to where the other creatures stood fuming.

The four of them did nothing to hide their complaints. Discord chuckled, shaking his head.

He had every reason to believe they would find a way to The Prairies even if they had to walk. He briefly considered lending a hand but one glance at Fluttershy changed his mind; better not to upset her and stir up ill feelings on the eve of battle. Besides, the secrets he'd so carefully kept close to the chest were about to be exposed and those were sure to stir up enough frustration and hurt for him to be getting on with.

He sighed, thinking of the inevitable.

Should have known this would come back to haunt me one day. I could always tell Fluttershy the truth but I don't want her angry with me before we have to fight. She'll be distracted and if she can't focus, she might get hurt! I won't be able to keep a close eye on her because I'll have my hands full with Daybreaker. Best to just let the cat find its own way out of the bag. Hmmm, probably shouldn't use that analogy; animal cruelty and all. Fluttershy would not approve.

"Discord?"

The Chaos Lord looked down from the cotton candy cloud he was laying on. Twilight was staring up at him, exasperated.

"Whatever it is, it wasn't me!" he said, recognizing that look.

"You're raining chocolate milk," she said.

Discord blinked and looked down. Mirror Pinkie Pie was standing underneath the cloud, mouth open wide as she happily consumed the drops. Discord sheepishly stopped the rain with a snap; his depressed thoughts had unintentionally fueled the small downpour. He sent both Mirror Pinkie Pie and Twilight an apologetic smile.

As the Mirror pony released a disappointed whine, the disguised princess magicked herself up onto the cloud, her pink aura keeping her in place.

"Are you alright?" she asked, surprising him.

Discord frowned. This wasn't the first time she'd caught him off guard. There were several moments in his dimension where, instead of shouting at him as expected, she’d done the exact opposite.

"I'm fine," he said dismissively, secretly trying to figure out her angle.

Twilight frowned. "While I don't believe you, I hope you know that you can talk to me if there's something bothering you."

Discord stared. "Who are you and what have you done with Twilight Sparkle?"

She smiled sadly. "Look, somepony helped me see that I haven't been the friend I should be and I'm trying to change that. I'm serious, Discord. I hope that, with time, you'll see that I really do want to be your friend."

Discord blinked, his eyebrows raising in genuine surprise. "Were we not before?"

"Not the kind I'm proud of," she said, rubbing her hoof against her arm. "I don't want to judge or suspect you anymore. Just because you're different doesn't mean you can't be trusted. And I do trust you, Discord. I hope that you’ll also trust me."

Discord felt like somepony had just kicked him in the gut.

She wouldn't be saying that if she knew. None of them would.

So tell her the truth!

Tell her and not Fluttershy?

Tell them both.

And have them all so distracted and angry that Nightmare Moon uses that against them? No thanks!

Shoving his inner conscience into a mental drawer, he smiled and said, "Thank you, Twilight."

The princess smiled back. "You're welcome."

"Are you two done chit-chatting?" asked Rainbow Dash, swooping in and ruining the moment. “We’re all ready and waiting down here.”

“I guess that’s my cue,” Discord said, standing up and stretching.

The three of them rejoined the rest of the creatures waiting on the ground. Fluttershy sent him a worried glance -she’d noticed the chocolate rain- but Discord merely winked at her, hoping it would cast aside her concerns. She hesitantly smiled at him.

“Alright, Discord,” said Twilight. “Let’s go.”

"Hold on to your horses!" he cried, holding up his paw.

"Hold on to our what?"

He snapped. The army and all their provisions were instantly transported to the south end of the Galloping Gorge.

The air was frigid with cold, the ground beneath their hooves layered in a thin blanket of snow. Opened to their left was the Gorge, the bottom containing a shallow bank and a freezing cold river. To their right, the distant Mt. Rarity was covered in a healthy helping of snow. Desiring to get out of the cold, Twilight led the procession southward into the cover of the forest.

Judging by the hundreds of hoof prints ahead of them, Discord surmised that Cordy’s group had already arrived. He was proved right about ten minutes later when they were spotted and then hailed by a squadron of Crystal Pony soldiers.

As the army was taken deeper into the forest, Discord’s eyebrows rose in surprise at the vast encampment of ponies and yaks. It was actually comforting to know their forces had practically doubled; they were going to need all the help they could get.

Pinkie Pie was the first to spot them, crying out excitedly and rushing over, enveloping them all in a hug. Mirror Rainbow Dash reunited with the Rainbooms, eager to tell them just how cool the yaks actually were. Mirror Fluttershy quietly slinked off to the side after a moment to give Cordy a hug and kiss.

“It’s good to see all of you again,” Flash Sentry said, approaching the group wearing golden Crystal Pony armor. It identified his rank as commanding officer; the other Crystal Ponies wore silver. “We’ve got a spot for the changelings and dragons over there and we’ve set up a tent for the leaders to convene over there.” He pointed to both places.

“Thank you, Flash,” Twilight said, taking charge. “Thorax, Ember, will you both join us in the Leaders’ Tent after helping your nations settle?” The two nodded and flew off, moving their armies to the directed area. Twilight then turned back to Flash. “Will you please ask Prince Rutherford to join us?”

“I’d be happy to,” he said, kissing her cheek. “See you soon.”

Twilight blushed before moving towards the Leaders’ Tent, the Rainbooms, Bearers, and two draconequui following right behind her.

The inside was fairly cozy for a war tent. The Crystal Ponies had removed most of the snow and set up a large rug and some pillows on the ground. A huge map of Equestria had been erected against the far wall and a fire was cheerfully crackling in the middle of the tent for both warmth and additional light; a hole in the top of the tent took care of the smoke.

Not wanting to be in the midst of so many bodies, Discord magicked up a cloud in the corner and settled on the white surface, pulling Fluttershy up to join him with his tail. She squeaked but quickly relaxed when realizing it was just her fiancé snagging her around the middle. Discord lay down and she snuggled into his side, grateful for the extra warmth he provided.

“Remind me again why we decided to fight against Tirek in the middle of winter?” said Rainbow Dash, rubbing her hooves together in front of the fire.

“Because he would have enslaved us all by Spring,” Twilight replied.

“Oh, yeah.”

“I can’t believe Hearth’s Warming is in a couple weeks,” said Rarity. “And to think before all this started I was working on presents for all of you.”

“None of us expected to be fightin’ in a war,” Applejack admitted. “The only thing we can hope is that, like all our previous battles, this one ends with a swift victory.”

“I think we’d all appreciate that,” Thorax said as he and Ember entered the tent.

Prince Rutherford followed them inside, complaining of insubordinate younger yaks not listening to their elders.

“It’s good to see you again, Prince Rutherford,” said Twilight.

“Who is light pink pony?” he asked.

“That’s Princess Twilight, Prince,” said Pinkie Pie. “She’s in disguise!”

“Oh, yak sees this now. Good to see purple princess pony again.”

Twilight smiled. “We’re truly grateful that you and the other yaks have decided to help in our cause.”

“Yaks happy to help,” the prince said, “Yaks best warriors!”

“Debatable,” Discord muttered quietly. Fluttershy giggled and shushed him.

Twilight then began the meeting, sharing what she knew of Tirek’s plans as well as the numbers he’d acquired while unwillingly in his service. The list of monsters from Tartarus was a large one. The mention of a few had Fluttershy shivering. Discord placed a comforting arm around her and gave a reassuring squeeze.

“While I know it is a lot to ask,” Twilight said, “if the allies could stay with the Crystal ponies and fight on the forefront, it will give us the time we need to sneak into the city and take down Tirek and the princesses.”

“Yaks not afraid of deadly creatures,” Prince Rutherford declared. “Yaks can handle any threat!”

“And we already planned to fight the monsters since that’s where Spike is going to be,” said Ember.

“Same,” said Thorax.

The changeling king and dragon lord shared a sad smile as they thought of their friend.

“Okay,” Twilight muttered, enlarging The Prairies section on the map. With her magic she drew out symbols for each monster Tirek had at his disposal. “We know that the princesses and Chrysalis are going to be in Canterlot Castle with Tirek; he’s too cowardly to fight on the battlefield. That being said, to spite me, he’ll probably have Spike in the very front followed by the pony-wyverns and then the stronger, more formidable monsters from Tartarus in the back. If that is the case and Spike is our first foe, I’d like the strongest dragons you have to focus on safely immobilizing him,” she said to Ember. “Their fire and scales might just be the only thing he’d be affected by.”

“I have at least ten I can think of that would be able to do that,” she said with a nod.

“Good,” Twilight muttered. “While they deal with Spike, the yaks and crystal ponies will take on the pony-wyverns, leaving the changelings and the rest of the dragons to fend off the Tartarus monsters. Use your flight to get over the yaks and crystal ponies. If any pony-wyverns attempt to intercept you, do your best to redirect them back toward the ground.”

“What about the bat ponies?” Applejack asked. “You know for certain those things will be on the battlefield.”

Twilight frowned. “They’ll more than likely be mixed in with the pony-wyverns.”

“Out of all of us, the dragons have the thickest skin,” said Discord. “I would suggest having them take on the vampires.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Twilight praised. “Ember, would that work? And Thorax, would the changelings be able to take on more of the Tartarus monsters?”

“I’ll divide my forces between the two threats,” Ember said while Thorax nodded, “We should be able to do that.”

“Alright. That leaves the sixteen of us,” said Twilight, looking at the Bearers, Rainbooms, and draconequui. “I believe teleporting to Canterlot will be our best option but not immediately inside the castle. Tirek may have protective spells in place to alert him of any intruders.”

“But maybe that’s why we should teleport directly into the throne room,” said Cordy. “It would be the last thing he’d expect.”

“And it would put us directly where we want to be,” Discord agreed.

“That doesn’t make any sense though,” Mirror Twilight argued.

“Exactly,” said Cordy. “It’s the perfect way to throw off your enemies.”

“Twilight?” Sunset prompted.

The princess frowned in thought before looking up at Discord. “Do you think that’ll work?”

Secretly touched that she was truly asking his opinion, Discord nodded.

“Alright,” she said, “If you and Cordy are confident that you can teleport us directly there, let’s do it.”

Several of the ponies looked like they wanted to argue but the princess had made her decision and she was the leader through all this. While Discord’s guilt was increasing because of her expressed faith in him, he knew this plan was the best they could take.

Twilight was about to suggest further strategy on what they would do once inside the throne room when there were several shouts outside the tent followed by angry screeches from what only could be-

“Wyverns!” a crystal pony bellowed, inviting himself inside.

There was a mad scramble as everycreature made it out of the tent and looked up to see two of Tirek’s evil creations bearing down on them from the trees.

They were an incredibly gruesome sight. Their long, spiked necks ended in narrow snouts decorated with dangerously sharp teeth and their wings, stretched out behind them, had claws on the top similar to their feet. The gray one, clearly male based off his broader chest, let out a roar that rattled everycreature's eardrums. His partner, a lightly dusted purple female, snapped her jaws, her blue eyes surveying the enemies below with a hungry glare.

At the sight of the Bearers and Rainbooms, the evil creatures took flight, wings outstretched and jaws opened wide.

Twilight, Sunset, and Starlight threw up a shield at the same time Discord summoned a giant fly swatter. Taking aim, he smacked the wyverns out of the sky. They fell to the earth, their tails upending several barrels of stored goods as they rolled end over end, tearing up the ground.

Twilight led the charge, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Subdue but don't hurt them! We can't let them leave this forest!"

A few dragons leapt into action, pinning the wyverns' wings while some yaks pressed down on their tails and mouths. The wyverns struggled, their screeches muffled beneath the yaks' shaggy fur. Discord and Cordy snapped up some rope that looped around their mouths, limbs, and backs, securing them in place. The yaks and dragons stepped back, giving room for Twilight and the others to get through. Horn lit, the princess observed the outraged wyverns. Angry growls rumbled in their throats and they strained uselessly against their bonds.

"I know these two!" Twilight gasped, eyes wide. "This is Starswirl!" she revealed, pointing at the gray male. "And that's Mistmane!"

The Bearers gasped as a crystal pony shouted, "Princess!"

The group looked away from the wyverns as a small squadron of soldiers made their way towards them. They were guarding five very familiar ponies.

"Rockhoof!" cried Applejack.

"Flash Magnus!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my!" gasped Fluttershy. "Mage Meadowbrook!"

"Somnambula!" Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed, bouncing over.

"Sandbar?!" shrieked Starlight.

The green colt flashed a guilty smile, waving hesitantly at the irate purple pony.

"You know these ponies?" asked the soldier.

"They're our friends," Twilight confirmed, sending Sandbar a warning glare to stay right where he was.

"We caught them just outside the forest," the soldier revealed.

"What were you all doing there?" asked Starlight.

"We were tracking those wyverns," Rockhoof revealed. "We've been on their tails since they attacked Ponyville five days ago."

"What?!" The Bearers cried in dismay.

"Is everypony alright?" asked Twilight.

"We think so," said Mage Meadowbrook. "The town is mostly destroyed but the ponies are safe. Mayor Mare was leading them all into the Everfree Forest when we took off."

"Why in the world would they go in there?" Rarity cried, aghast.

"Zecora insisted," Flash Magnus replied. "She said it was one of the safest places to be these days."

"And she would be right," Discord said, "Seeing as I own the place and put up a protective shield over my castle so none of the princesses or Tirek could get in. Hmmm, I should probably update that to include Chrissy." He snapped his talons though nothing visibly happened. "And I'd be more than happy to let the residents of Ponyville stay there," he added. "I'll send Zecora a note."

He snapped again.

"Discord?!" the four Pillars' gasped, finally noticing him.

"Oh, hello," he sneered, angrily folding his arms. "Not nice to see you all again."

They began forming an attack position.

"How did you get out of your prison?" Flash Magnus demanded.

Discord proudly displayed his ring. "True love's admission and kiss, obviously."

Their mouths dropped open.

"What pony in their right mind would fall in love with you?" said Rockhoof.

"That would be me," Fluttershy declared, placing herself between them and Discord. "And I would appreciate it if you didn't attack my fiancé -one of Equestria's greatest defenders- ever again!"

"Greatest defender? Fluttershy, are you sure you didn't hit your head?" asked Mage Meadowbrook.

"Does he have you under some evil spell?" worried Somnambula.

"I'm reformed, you nitwits!" Discord snapped. "I have been for years! If any of you gasbags would have bothered to pick up a book on recent history you would have known that!"

"But… how?" asked Flash Magnus. "You were evil."

"You took over Equestria!" said Rockhoof.

"Yes, I did," he confirmed. "Twice. But Celestia decided to try to reform me using Fluttershy and it worked."

"If you really are reformed, why were you canvassing Hope Hollow?" accused Flash Magnus.

"Canvassing?" Discord repeated, dumbfounded.

"You were searching the town," Rockhoof said.

"Observing all the stores," said Somnambula.

Discord slapped his forehead. "I was shopping!"

"Shopping?" Mage Meadowbrook repeated in disbelief.

"For the supplies for Fluttershy's Hearth’s Warming gift," he snapped before freezing and glancing at his fiancée.

Fluttershy's stunned face melted into a happy smile. Many months ago she and Discord had a discussion of the difference between a gift made by hand vs a gift created from magic. Discord had wanted to show Fluttershy how much he cared by buying the supplies and making her gift from scratch. But he did not have to explain himself further to these ponies! He'd revealed more than he wanted to already. Besides, his business was none of theirs!

To his immense satisfaction the Pillars looked rather guilty. Mage Meadowbrook was the first to express some humility.

"I'm sorry, Discord," she said. "I misjudged you."

"Yes, you did!" he snapped. "And I would appreciate if all of you stayed as far away from me as possible from now on."

He flashed himself away, hiding above in the shadow of the trees.

"We honestly didn't know," Flash Magnus said.

"That didn't give you the right to attack him!" Fluttershy snapped. "Was he hurting anypony?"

"No," Somnambula muttered, her hooves scuffing the dirt.

Fluttershy's nose scrunched up in anger and disappointment. "I would have thought from your previous experience with Stygian that assuming instead of talking creates more problems than it solves! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find my fiancé."

She stormed off, leaving four very guilty ponies behind.

"We really messed up," Flash Magnus said to Rockhoof.

"Ya think?" Rainbow Dash snapped, following after Fluttershy.

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Starlight followed suit.

Discord was both surprised and touched by their loyalty.

Twilight stepped forward but held up her hoof, halting Flash Magnus from speaking.

"Like my friends, I’m disappointed," she said sternly, her reprimand making her seem far taller than she actually was. "I hope that each of you learn from this mistake and properly apologize to Discord when he is ready to forgive you. While I would like to resolve the issues between you, we need to help Starswirl and Mistmane."

"Does Tirek have them?" asked Somnambula fearfully.

"In a way," Twilight said.

"I knew it!" Rockhoof growled, stomping his hoof.

"We've been looking for them since we heard of the Tree of Harmony's demise," Mage Meadowbrook explained at Twilight's questioning stare. "We learned from Mayor Mare who heard it from Starlight Glimmer that they were in the Friendship Castle when Tirek attacked. We were looking for clues in Ponyville when the wyverns showed up."

"Well, you can end your search," Twilight said grimly, pointing at the wyverns.

"What?!" The Pillars cried together.

"You mean to tell us the very wyverns we've been tracking are our friends?" Mage Meadowbrook cried.

"Tirek turned them into wyverns before he changed me into Midnight Sparkle," Twilight revealed. "I'm guessing that once he found out what we were up to, he sent Starswirl and Mistmane to Ponyville to try and find us."

Discord snorted quietly under his breath. He wouldn't be surprised if Twilight was right. The intricate designs of his mother's plan to get the Pillars all here was rather amusing. Now if only the mysterious fourth group of champions would make themselves known.

"This is terrible!" Somnambula mourned, staring at the struggling wyverns. "Can nothing be done for them?"

"Thankfully the same magic that restored me can do the same for them," Twilight said. "Although, it will have to be performed by the Rainbooms seeing as my friends are currently unavailable."

"The Rainbooms?" Flash Magnus questioned.

"She means us," said Sunset Shimmer.

The Pillars were shocked to see and learn of the Mirror Ponies. The Rainbooms surrounded the wyverns and were just about to use Amity's magic to restore Starswirl and Mistmane when Starlight and the rest of the Bearers reappeared.

"Twilight," she called.

"Starlight? What is it? What's wrong?"

Discord's eyebrows rose. From his vantage point he could see six creatures behind the Bearers, each of them dispelling a wave of guilt and defiance.

"What have we here?" he muttered, intrigued.

From the ground the Bearers parted and Twilight's jaw dropped.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!"

Author's Note:

Due to real life, future updates will be slow but sure. Please be patient and reassured that this story will reach eventual completion. Thanks for sticking with me so far.

Comments

[GeekCat]

This chapter was great! I'm glad that the Pillars finally saw how wrong they were and are feeling ashamed of their actions. I can understand why Discord doesn't want to be near them.

And of course the students all managed to follow them and join the armies. Mother Nature's working hard to move all the pieces into position, isn't she?

But Discord's still hiding something...does it have to do with the darkness inside of Tirek? Hmm. Looking forward to seeing the final confrontations they're planning for!

[taterforlife]

I love how you have written Fluttershy's growth just within this story and how she's more confident in her relationship with Discord. She really has nothing to hold back anymore. But the support they are getting is absolutely what the essence of the show is all about. And I loved how you had Twilight respond to Discord's question about their friendship. It was a perfect response that validates that yes, they were friends, but it wasn't a supportive one. I platonically ship those two the most. And even though it hasn't come up yet, Twilight now has another friend she won't have to lose. But her pain is understandable. She can't get what Discord can with ascension. At least, that's how it seems. I just really love Twilight’s growth in here as well. She's my second favorite pony, after Fluttershy.

So there's still another secret Discord is holding close... I have mo idea what it is or even recall if you ever gave out any hints. I can only remember Discord holding out on the Ascension secret. Hmm... Maybe GeekCat is onto something and it has to do with whatever Tirek has been infected with. My first thought was that it's Discord's father, but I'm not sure... I feel like his mother would know that, and why keep that a secret? I don't think that's it.

I have a guess for the 4th group of Champions, but we will see!

I sense you have more punches to pack in the future here. After all, you just got Discord and Fluttershy immediately engaged... right before the battle.

Hoo boy.

But I am just TOO excited for it! Another excellent chapter, my friend! I can just see the metaphorical smoke starting to brew in this final stir of the metaphorical potion of this story and I am all for it.
You are too good a writer, in characterization, plot, and pacing. And to keep that up, you take your time. I'll be waiting as long as you need! If I didn't, boy, would that make me a huge hypocrite...