Chapter 12 - I Wish I Could Say Those Three Words
Discord, wait – it isn't as it seems! I can explain! At least that's what Fluttershy thought she said, but the words stayed cemented in her throat, stuck there as her blood continued to freeze. His face wasn't readable and she couldn't tell if he was angry, sad, or heartbroken.
Finally, he began showing some emotion and it was every one that existed. The one that screamed was betrayal.
He fingered the paper, every page of the book, and his hands and heart stung as he did. Hardened crimson gazed over the pictures and words, scanning them again and again, hoping it was one of the figments of his broken heart and guilt in a dream. But the book didn't fade.
“Where....where did you get this?” he repeated, claws digging into the cover, making small indents in the hard leather. He gazed back at the book, and then back to her. It was clear he was truly in shock and all that was distinguishable on his face was confusion.
Fluttershy's throat had swollen, siphoning off air or any hope to be able to talk to him. Any explanation died before it had a chance to roll off her tongue. She simply shut her eyes and stood there.
“You...” The spirit's eyes fells back to the pages of the book as he grazed a talon over the tattered paper and stained words. “...You've been..going behind my back...all this..time..?” He didn't wait for a response, eyes instantly falling back to the book, captivated without wanting to be.
The fact the pegasus didn't say anything only put Discord's suspicions in cement. Every time he looked at her the pony was lower and lower to the ground, tears rolling. A tumor in the back of his throat, Discord wordlessly gazed at her.
He couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. No, actually, that was the worst part: he could remember. He felt like it when he found out his parents had decided to go through with banishing him, when his own love and baby sister put him into stone. When he found out all their care, all their 'love' they showed him over the years was a trick. And now...he had been tricked again.
But how could I have let it happen again? How could—could I not have seen it? Why does this feel like a betrayal?
It was because he had let himself weaken again. He had actually fooled himself into thinking a measly little pony could actually care for him. Worse, he had allowed himself to reciprocate and allowed her to wriggle into his impenetrable heart.
“But I.....I trusted you!” That was the worst part. He had grown to trust her and in these months of intense vulnerability – depend on her. He trusted she'd feed him every day, that she'd look after him, protect him from her stupid friends and those even stupider princesses. Even though he hated it, he still trusted her to put him to bed at night, smother him with disgusting gag inducing nuzzles and attack him with that feather duster when she could take no more.
“You've been lying to me...all this time!!” Now there was anger. Almost nothing but anger.
As he glared at her, spitting venom, the only thing the girl could do was sob and squeak out a few pathetic sobs. “No, Discord – please, it's not like that! I was never trying to hurt you! I did all this for you!”
The cold, calculating laugh had Fluttershy's stomach contents threaten to lurch up and onto the floor. He turned to her, a menacing, sneering smirk upon his face as he neared her, slowly.
“Hohoho, so what was your plan, my dear~? Have you and your little friends secretly been searching for evidence to put me back in stone? I don't think you needed to because I'm quite certain that was Celestia's plan once I was well! Or were you aiming to have me killed by her this time? If that was the case wouldn't it have saved you the time to have just left me to die when your friend tried to kill me~?”
Fluttershy just stared, feeling every figment of her heart break piece after piece. It crumbled to dust as it hit the hollow abyss of her stomach.
“D..Discord, how could you think that? I-I've taken care of you for..for nearly a year! I-I stayed up with you the entire night the o-other night because you had a sore tummy from eating too much before bed! I-I've done everything for you.”
She took a desperate step forward, trying to extend a wing enough to gently touch him. It brushed gently across his arm, but the creature made no response.
“I-I love y-” She choked on her words as Discord roughly latched his claws into her hooves and jerked her up to his face.
“You see...there's something I've learned over the years, dear,” he began in an ominous whisper. “Something a lot of ponies ask me about. They all immediately assume I'm repulsed by love because I'm simply the god of chaos and disharmony, but the truth is..”
Fluttershy shut her eyes as he jerked her a little closer to his face. “There is no such thing as love. It's a convenient lie, a poison emitted into your mind and heart to make you believe in something that isn't there. It's a way for your enemy to break your defenses, expose your vulnerability....and destroy you.”
Fluttershy's breath was nearly knocked out of her at the sudden slap of leather as he shoved the book into her chest. She stumbled back, collapsing onto her side, and staring up at him through tear drenched, rosette locks and frozen sapphire eyes.
A chilling smirk turned up the corners of his mouth, his eyes back on the cover of the book. “That's what that book has taught me.”
The trembling, ghost white pony gazed down at the pink, stinging indents on her saffron hooves and found trying to take a swoop of air caused her chest to give a bruising throb, as if that book was still against it. She gazed up at the malicious creature above her a final time, before desperately bolting past him and out the door.
Discord watched her retreating back as she ran, sneering as he could practically see the tears flying from her face. They practically glistened in the moonlight and weren't very hard to miss.
He whirled to the book, the true physical pieces of memories not relived in a dream. His head throbbed with the cries of his love and sister, the scathing words of his parents, the adviser telling them to drown him, that horrible spell, that horrible, idiot child draconequus that thought he could control it, that horrible book book book-
The anguished spirit released a distraught, malicious snarl as he literally pounced on the discarded book, taking it between his teeth and ripping mercilessly at every page, watching as the scripted confetti floated around him. When the paper fell delicately into his fur he reeled back as if it was engulfed in flame. Shaking off the poisonous memories, he engulfed the rest of the white dust in an orb of fire. He blasted it again and again and again, no longer in his right mind as he singed the cottage floor, beating the specks of black dust.
The smell of burning remnants assaulting his nose, the spirit gave it a shaking, furious kick, thrashing ruthlessly at it like a mad man as the black grains seemed to taunt him as they floated up into the air in front of him. The snarls growing less menacing and more childish, the spirit flailed blindly at the remains, suddenly making a sharp turn and finding himself stumbling into the table.
His vision obscured by the chocolate brown wood, the sharp pain bloomed across his head as he heard the side of his face crack against the edge of the table. The draconequus tumbled to the floor, rolling a few inches, and slamming into the leg of his bed. His entire body throbbing, the shaking creature stayed there on the cold floor. He glanced up blearily, squinting his eyes shut with a heaving shudder as the ashes settled themselves back into his fur. Finally, he cried.
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The moon was already high in the sky, sailing far above the stars as it played its role for the night. Evening creatures were already in a deep slumber and nocturnal ones were chirping and screeching excitedly.
Twilight's lavender hooves ached and were scuffed and filthy from the trek to Canterlot. Her eyes burned with yet another night of no sleep...but she simply couldn't settle. She couldn't calm herself down.
At least I know I'm not alone...
Without a doubt from what they witnessed that day, Fluttershy probably was trotting around the cottage or sitting under her cherry tree, thinking.
As the lavender mare trotted closer to the cherry trees, she didn't see the saffron form curled up. Anywhere. Of course it was late in the night and perhaps the day's exhaustion overpowered her troubling thoughts.
An ominous feeling twisting her gut, Twilight, for some reason, couldn't leave. Even though she had a feeling the pegasus was in bed, the bad feeling grew with every step as she turned to leave. It was when Twilight briefly whirled to the forest did she see the glimmer of shadow cast pink leaving her view, and disappearing into the night.
Twilight gasped and bolted towards the edge of the forest, shouting out into the dark thicket. What she suspected to be Fluttershy didn't respond.
Panicked, the pony desperately searched her knowledge of Everfree to see if there was any Everfree creatures with that distinctive color of pink on them, but she didn't know much of the forest's monsters.
Trying to assure herself her friend would never be stupid enough to venture off to Everfree, let alone at night, Twilight burst open the cottage door, fiercely startling a certain draconequus that had something clutched to his chest.
The pony took in the condition of the room in shock. The scent of smoke was choking and ashes were everywhere. The floor was singed and a certain coffee table had been detonated.
“What...have you done to Fluttershy...” The mare's lips were turned up into a snarl, unaware or unmindful to the puffy, red eyed condition or the ruffled, blood tinged mane of the spirit.
Discord's voice held utterly no tone. “What are you talking about..” He watched without concern as Twilight ignited her horn, pointing it towards him. “She ran off.”
“WHY?!”
The response that met was the sudden, choking cloud of ashes to be swiped towards her. Giving a whinny, Twilight batted away the specks with a hoof, eyes suddenly on the charred photo of the king and queen that had somehow, by some fate, survived and was tucked in Discord's paw. Her expression melted off to one of horror and Discord sneered.
“Cover blown?”
“You...how did you...?” It was then it dawned on the mare what the ashes were. “What did you do?!”
The menacing, belligerent glaze returned to those vermillion eyes as he neared her, watching the panicked mare strengthen the power in her horn.
“I simply had a little talk with your partner in crime: Flutterfiend, the traitor.” The horn was nearly at his throat now.
“How dare you say such things about Fluttershy! She is the kindest, most loving pony I know that would never hurt anyone, not even you! Not even the one that hurt her.”
At Discord's doubtful hiss she scraped a hoof against the ground. “If it was up to me I'd keep you far away where you couldn't ever hurt her!”
“Hurt her? Me hurt her?” Discord laughed. “I'm the one that hurt her? I'm the one that went behind someone's back I'm supposed to 'love'? I'm the bad one? I'm the evil one here?” A pulse of dark magic pushed the unicorn back warningly. “Nice try. ”
“Everything Fluttershy did was for your sake!” Twilight spat, with venom coating every word. “She risked everything for the sake of your happiness!”
“Unless you're assuming the risk would be me doing something to her upon finding out about her lies, I hardly see what you're talking about.” He readied a more powerful pulse, hopefully one to blow her into Everfree as she neared him once again.
“Fluttershy had always known about those nightmares you started having, and all she wanted to do was stop them,” Twilight snarled. “She didn't want to see you in pain, didn't want to see you screaming and crying in your sleep. She set to find out what was causing them so she could help you.”
Eyes still dark and doubtful, Discord was at least silent. Part of his brain pushed away the truth he so badly wanted to deny to save himself more pain, while the other half listened intently.
“When we went to the palace you had one of your nightmares. It was after the greenhouse collapsed and you were sedated. Fluttershy was desperate to find out the source of these nightmares...so I borrowed a spell from Alicorn's Power to see into your dream.”
The very mention of the title sent an electric chill racketing the spirit's spine, and he had to swallow before speaking. “Dream spells...are bl-”
“Black magic, I know,” Twilight said solemnly. “Fluttershy knows as well. She knew what could happen if we both participated in a law against Equestria...but she still went through with it.”
Twilight was pleased to know he had effectively shut up now and she reveled in how upset he looked with this information. “She did all this just to try and help you. To get rid of these nightmares and give you comfort..and peace.”
The draconequus remained silent in his confusion, trying to process all of this without any luck. “But.....why?”
“Because she loves you. And don't ask me to give you a reason for that because I have none. She did everything for you. She broke...the law for you. She runs the risk of being banished from Equestria for good. It's all because she just didn't want to see you upset. So if you ever want to deny her caring about you I'd think about what you've just learned.”
The unicorn walked slowly away, back out into the night, and left the silent creature with his thoughts.
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Deep within the forest, past the shadows of most of the trees, laying draped over a silver rock and weeping her broken heart out, was Fluttershy.
Of course, she wasn't alone. Her shrill cries and mane dipping into the swamp water rippled the surface and alerted a few of her old frog friends, who kindly hopped up onto her back to comfort her, coating her in sticky mucus from their bodies.
“Oh, oh, H-Hoppy and Feet, thank you f..for being here for me,” Fluttershy hiccuped quietly, salty tears dripping off her muzzle and landing in the water below her. “It's nice to know I still have a friend.”
The slimy amnphibians croaked and gazed down at the pony, unable to do anything but sit there on her back and comfort her with their presence. Neither knew what was wrong and neither felt like extracting it from the distraught girl.
Fluttershy's throat was raw from her incessant sobbing and her eyes burned, but the tears travelled down her trembling cheeks in steady tracks.
She had no idea why she was here or what the point of coming here was, but she just didn't feel like she could be in the cottage, let alone with him. Dangers around every corner or not, the forest was comforting to her and where the pegasus reunited with a lot of past old friends.
The green, wall eyed creatures stayed at the anguished pony's side, trying to nudge her affectionately. The response that earned was a slight cringe as Fluttershy's cheeks were coated in thick mucus.
Discretely, the pegasus wiped at her face. She watched with dismay as the frogs abruptly leaped back into the murky waters.
“Oh-oh wait! I'm sorry..!” Fluttershy pleaded, lurching herself halfway over the rock so the creatures could hear her through the thick swamp water. “Pl..please...I didn't mean to offend you..”
She misinterpreted the wide, googly eyes that poked themselves through the water as sadness, not catching the way they were darting frantically behind her.
“You see, it's just...while your cuddling is very sweet, you..um..you're a little slimy, and-” She blinked as the horrified critters croaked in warning, one of them gesturing to her and the water. She giggled. “That's sweet, little ones, but I can't live underwater with you. I wish I could.”
Abruptly, the slick, green heads ducked back under the water, disappearing from sight. It was then the jagged shadow fell over Fluttershy's fragile little form, and she turned. And she wished she hadn't.
The nightmare loomed over her head, towering at height of the trees. Its entire body was black, from the jagged, ruffled wings to its pointed crest and long, spiked, reptilian tail. Needle sharp claws protruded from its talons, and a long, razored beak curved outwards between two, blood red eyes. It was the single more terrifying thing Fluttershy had ever seen.
The nightmare let out a hiss and a ghastly croak as it beat its mighty wings. As the cockerel-headed creature snarled at the pegasus it mimicked the sound of a wheezing party blower, propelling the horrified pony into the swamp waters.
Rooted to the spot in fear and wading silently in the thick waters, Fluttershy tried to glare up at the nightmare.
“H..hey now!” she scolded. “That wasn't very nice! Hasn't your mother taught you any manners? You should know better than to push a pony into a swamp! It's mean!”
The nightmare was unaffected by her mother-hen-scolding, cocking its ugly, crested feathers at her and letting out a hiss. Its disgustingly watery, crimson orbs followed her every movement as the pegasus climbed out of the swamp waters with baited breath.
As the ghastly creature neared her once more, Fluttershy tried a different tactic: flaring her eyes at the beast in “the stare”. What had taken down a cockatrice, chickens, children, and even mildly disturbed the god of chaos had no affect on the nightmare. In fact, it lashed out with its own eyes and instantly froze Fluttershy on the spot.
The pegasus fought desperately, trying to rear back out of the monster's grip, but it had her. The sea of blood transformed into a black void, trapping the pony in a suffocating trance.
Rather than feeling the cold sting as her limbs transformed to stone, a sudden black poison began oozing into her mind, fogging out everything she knew.
Fluttershy squinted, trying to rid herself of the blinding, burning pain as the fog wrapped around her mind. A sharply inhaled breath was cut short as the black fingers curled around her lungs and heart. Just when the pony was about to lose consciousness, a sharp, searing pain ripped up her back, tearing her from the trance.
Discord stood behind her, talon outstretched from where it had produced several shallow wounds across the girl's back. “FLUTTERSHY, RUN!!”
Fluttershy snapped to attention instantly, ignoring the sting of the cuts and the added discomfort from the night air whipping into them as she galloped through the forest, hyperventilating, crawling through the bushes and crying out from the deafening wing beat just behind her.
The cockerel monster darted after its prey, easily knocking aside the tiny, pesky spirit with his tail.
Discord only stayed down for a second, snarling and keeping up with the beast's speed and tackling it. The nightmare unleashed an ungodly shriek as the feral spirit latched his fangs deep into its neck, but the affect on such a large creature was only a mere little gash.
Discord was thrown off for a second time, taking a stance on all fours. He bared his fangs, back fur bristling, eyes wild and with the intent of murder as he shielded the retreating pony from view. The nightmare's feathers flared and it leaped on the smaller immortal, mercilessly snapping at him.
The spirit of chaos lunged out of the way of the nightmare's attack, blood dripping from the small wounds the monster's claws had inflicted upon him. His mismatched hands ignited with a pulse of colossal fire, propelling it towards the nightmare.
The creature only blocked the attack with a wing, visibly absorbing the blow, which was no shock to the spirit.
Discord knew the living nightmare above him was a basilisk; their world's most demonic and rare creature. Very few had escaped the Gates Of Tartarus, but the ones that had lurked deep within caves and dark forests. Each were only slightly weaker than the power of an alicorn. Discord currently didn't even have half the power Celestia had.
Yet he wouldn't give up.
The spirit snarled and faced the basilisk, rearing at the nightmare and daring it to take just one more step so he could snap off its scrawny legs. He blasted at the cockerel again with enough force to push it back slightly, but that was all.
The basilisk's eyes transformed back into a blackened mass once more, but Discord averted his gaze hurriedly, firing another dark pulse at the beast without looking at him. It sailed over the nightmare's ugly head and burned a hole into a tree.
Feeling as if he had been slammed into a brick wall, Discord blearily looked up to feel a wet, throbbing pain from where the spikes had slammed into him, and cut a shallow gash across his side. The spirit outstretched a slightly bleeding claw, but the power fizzled to nothing within a second. He was out of magic.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, was struggling to run on through the thickets of grass, and on exhausted limbs. She still had the Canterlot trek as weight on her body and no sleep to top that. The pulse of the creature's wing beat was distant now. Matter-of-fact, Fluttershy heard nothing. No snarls, no sounds of magic spheres, no screeches.
It was right when the pegasus turned that Discord, bloodied and bruised, randomly leaped out of nowhere, latching his muzzle around the scruff of her neck and bolting through the trees.
Fluttershy watched his mismatched legs lift centimeters off the ground, only to instantly note they crashed back down, nearly causing the two to take a stumble they couldn't afford.
Discord's pegasus wing looked like a door that was barely hanging onto its hinges: droopy and obviously broken in the scrap with the nightmare. He couldn't fly, and he couldn't float fast enough to get them out of there.
The wings beat behind them as the basilisk pursued them with all its speed, squawking and lunging with its claws. Legs exhausted and burning, Discord kept running.
In the distance the spirit spotted what may be their only chance of survival: a small opening between several clusters of trees. Small enough for them to worm through, but not for the basilisk. It could fly, Discord knew, but it was their only shot.
The chaotic demon maxed his speed, taking a tremendous leap and wriggling in through the small opening, to safety.
He heard the cockerel give a mighty screech, and saw the flash of its talon through the hole, but the nightmare slunk back. Discord realized with a rush of relief that the tree tops crowded the entrance to the sky, and therefore the basilisk's only quick get-to-them.
Finally within a safe zone, nearing a calm looking cave, the utterly exhausted spirit laid down the pegasus and collapsed beside her. Through dizzy, rolling sockets, Discord slid his pupils up to the shocked, silent pony.
“Y...you know..if..if you..m-must go off in a huff a-again could you have the courtesy...to at least do it..in the safety of town next time?”
Fluttershy stared. Her emotions reaching an overwhelming peak, the pegasus burst into tears and flung her arms around his face, clinging to it like it was the last remnant in the world that mattered to her. A talon lifted to touch the younger one, but it fell in exhaustion.
“Discord...” was all the pony could get out through her sobs as the spirit eased himself to a sitting position with difficulty, the saffron bur still on his face.
“I'm sorry,” Discord said, and meant it as he glanced at the wounds on her back. “The trance of a basilisk can rarely be broken unless..well..you injure the victim and cause enough pain to make them snap out of it.”
His paw was as heavy as lead, and couldn't even hover over the wounds, but they weren't that deep.
The draconequus sighed as the weeping, emotional little twister kept hugging his face. He had no idea why after all he had done. He never would understand Fluttershy. Ever. Yet...she seemed to understand everything about him.
“What were you doing out here? What were you even thinking? Didn't you..” He had to stop to give another gasping pant, laying limp against the cold, stone floor. “Didn't you..even think about what could be out here at night? Granted...not even I suspected a basilisk of all things, b-but...”
The darkness of the cave cast over Fluttershy's expression of pure anguish, but there was just enough moonlight to illuminate the tears that continued to pour, and the watery eyes of sheer grief.
“I didn't think you'd even care..”
The cave lapsed into a thick, stinging silence as Discord took in her words with a shocked regret he didn't even bother to hide. He sighed softly, shifting himself onto his stomach and trying to reach a slightly bleeding talon towards her.
“Fluttershy...”
A chilling hiss suddenly once again thrust the atmosphere into silence. Discord was certain his heart gave out with a wave of dizziness and nausea as those moist, crimson eyes leered at them both from the back of the cave. Nothing could have possibly prepared him for the second pair of eyes that targeted them both.
The spirit of chaos shook his head as he backed up with the pony, giving a shaking laugh of disbelief.
“No way.... That's not fair! That's barely even logically possible!” the spirit shrieked as the twin nightmares extended from the darkness. For once, Discord wanted something to make sense!
Fluttershy's sapphire eyes were frozen in terror as she gazed into the dark, crimson orbs as they got progressively closer. The twin nightmares let out several wheezing hisses, long pointed tongues dripping with thick saliva.
Discord scrambled over the rocks, backing up on all fours. His tail nudged Fluttershy under his body, just behind a bloodied, shaking feline arm. He arched his back, fur bristling like spikes, lips curling back to reveal several rows of sharp teeth, and one particular snaggle tooth ready to draw blood from the mutants.
He outstretched a bloodied talon, igniting it in the dimmest prick of gold. The energy sparkled and fizzed to nothing, darkening the cave once more.
Nothing else to do, the spirit tucked Fluttershy back in his mouth and took a leap from the cave, tumbling down several rocks and rolling out of the way just as one of the basilisks dive bombed him, burrowing its sharp beak where the spirit's chest would have been.
Both nightmares beat their wings up into the sky, high enough that anypony in Ponyville would be able to see them as they rose over the thousands of trees and dive bombed their targets again and again.
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The raging battle in the midst of the forest had not gone un-noticed, and the wheezing screeches of the basilisks drew everypony from sleep and from their houses. The pulse of their wing beats created a rippling wind that breezed over Ponyville and ruffled every mane.
The town watched in horror as the ebony monsters continued diving at something again and again, letting out ungodly shrieks, causing everypony to shudder violently as they exchanged looks of terror and confusion.
“Twilight, what's going on?” Spike gasped, gripping his friend around the neck, emerald eyes flashing in fear as he watched the monsters attack. Twilight, meanwhile was frozen in terror.
“Those...those are basilisks! But..how is it possible? They're shouldn't even be any around here, let alone two!”
Twilight's terror grew as the nightmares coupled their attacks and began moving closer to the edge of Everfree as, unbeknowst to her, Discord was desperately trying to inch Fluttershy and him to safety with the last bit of strength in him.
“Spike, write a letter to the princesses! Tell them we need them to immediately-” Chills like no other coursed up Twilight's spine and suddenly stopped time, as Fluttershy's resounding scream echoed through the forest.
“Fl...Fluttershy and Discord... Fluttershy and Discord! Spike, hurry!!”
The baby dragon fumbled with his inkwell, dropping the bottle as he hastily bundled the scroll and sent it off in a portal of dragon flame.
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“Tia!” A certain sun alicorn was started from a slight doze against the back of her throne, as her sister's midnight hooves clopped hurriedly against the floor, nearly ramming into the older immortal. Even through sleepy, blurred eyes, the princess could see the visible roll of parchment in Luna's mouth.
“Luna..? What is it?”
Celestia hopped back as the scroll was hastily shoved into her lap. Enveloping the parchment in a violet hue, Celestia carefully unrolled it. If her fur were any other color, it would have already blanched the color of her natural coat.
“A what?! Twin basilisks? That is barely even logically possible!” The princess's heart skipped several beats, two names standing out to her in bold: Discord and Fluttershy.
“Sister..” Luna's breath hitched for a few moments and she needed to exhale a few times before speaking. “If what that letter says is true and they are fighting two basilisks...then Discord has no hope. The two of us against two basilisks is an even match and one that will still be difficult to win. Discord and Fluttershy will die if we don't hurry.”
“And so will the rest of Ponyville,” Celestia whispered, but the faces of frightened citizens and buildings burned to the ground were barely resonating through the troubled alicorn's mind. All Celestia saw was a certain draconequus, motionless and covered in blood.
“Luna...we must move!”
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The ghastly screeches of the twin nightmares sounded from above Discord, tearing holes into his sensitive ear drums, accompanied by Fluttershy's shrieks and cries of terror. The spirit's exhausted, lead eyelids slid open enough to see the monsters getting ready to dive bomb again.
By this point, all Discord could really do was reach out a shaking talon to nudge Fluttershy out of the way of the incoming assault, and curl in his body enough to at least protect most of him from the razor sharp beaks. His tail was mangled by this point; the white tufts of fur were nearly pecked clean.
With baited breath, Discord raised his head, and focused pleading, vermillion eyes on the terrified pegasus at his side.
“Run..Fluttershy..” He lifted his head enough to see the nightmares getting ready to charge again. “Run...”
“Discord, I'm not leaving you!” Fluttershy sobbed, desperately tugging his ears. “I'll never leave you! Get up! We-we're almost at the exit! Please – get up!”
She watched as the nightmares beat their wings, darkening the moon as they darted in front of it, shadowing all of Ponyville, as the commoners let out horrified screams.
The cockerels dove a final time, aiming right for the barely conscious draconequus's heart.
Discord thrust his head back, slamming it into Fluttershy's chest and purposely making her tumble down the two foot cliff, and into the soft mud. The pegasus pushed herself out of the brown mush, watching on helplessly as the basilisks dove down for their kill.
A sudden sphere of white encompassed the draconequus, creating a shield of magic glass that protected both Discord and herself from the drill-like beaks of the basilisks.
Luminous, golden rings wrapped themselves gently around the fallen immortal and enveloped him fully, bringing the breath back to the spirit and healing the exhaustion in his limbs.
Wide awake and alert, Discord landed delicately back into the soft mud, eyes darting to the snow white alicorn before him in shock. “Tia!?”
Celestia ignored him, soaring out of the field of an incoming wing and sending a colossal blast of purple directly at the nightmare's throat. It launched it back a few feet in the air as it screeched and brushed at its neck with its massive wings.
Discord dimly realized he was hovering in the air, and glanced down to see his mismatched hands glowing faintly. With a feral grin, the god of chaos ignited his hands in fire and performed a corkscrew dive, directly at one of the basilisk's chest. The monster flailed in the air and crashed to the ground.
“Yes! Score one for this draconequus!” Discord cheered, pumping his fists – only to withdraw them with a wince as it stretched his cuts.
A blur of white tackled him out of the range of an incoming tendril of fog from the other basilisk, and Discord winced as Celestia slammed him into the mossy grass.
“You foal!” the princess shouted into his face, “pay attention to what you are doing!” She didn't miss the way the brat stuck his tongue out at her, but had no time to turn it green or anything, as she needed to shove her and Discord away from another cloud of fog.
“Luna!” the alicorn shouted up to her younger sister. “The basilisks are using their magic now! Do not let those black clouds hit you! They will burn like acid! Try to lure them away from the edge of the forest, because if they see the rest of the town they'll attack!”
The youngest immortal saluted, powering an azure colored blast with her horn, and hurling it into the basilisk's eye. She gulped as the other nightmare Discord had briefly stunned rose to join its brethren.
Celestia gazed on in horror, whirling to the spirit behind her that had just pushed himself up, and shoved him onto his back again. She knew full well that the soothing spell she had cast on him hadn't quite restored his magic, and attempting any strong spells with such limited power was dangerous.
“No!” the princess growled, pointing her horn at him to intimidate the younger immortal. “You stay PUT!”
She soared up to meet her sister in the sky, ramming the twin nightmares with all the force her body could muster. The impact bruised the left half of her, but the monsters were hardly fazed.
“Luna, keep an eye on Discord!” Celestia ordered, “he has used just about all his magic and if he uses anymore, the spells will begin sapping their power from his life force! Try to get him and Fluttershy to safety and meet me back here to put an end to these things!”
Luna blinked over at a certain draconequus that had once again risen up to the nightmares, and was powering his magic for yet another attack.
Huffing in rage, the smaller alicorn swooped past the cockerel's face, grabbing her stupid, older brother by the nape of his neck and slicing through the sky at all her speed as the nightmare began to pursue her.
Discord didn't protest as much as he was dragged off this time since, hanging from Luna's mouth, he could still throw back a few blows to the nightmare chasing them, giggling as he hit it a few times square in its blood red eyes.
“Discord, enough!” Luna hissed, “you know not what you are doing, now cease attacking!”
Luna carefully descended to a lower cliff, where Fluttershy had sought refuge under a small bush. She scurried out and jumped back into Discord arms the moment Luna dropped the spirit. On his face of course.
“The two of you..head to Ponyville,” Luna panted, “and for the love of Equestria, warn everypony to stay inside and lock their doors! Do not come-”
The night alicorn was suddenly interrupted by her sister's gasping shriek as she went careening into the base of a tree, chest slightly bloodied from where the claws had slashed her.
Igniting her horn in a burning, blow orb of flame, Luna charged at the basilisk's spiny back – only for a claw of the other one to effortlessly swat her aside, sending her crashing hard in the rocks near its cave.
Discord gasped, watching in frozen, numb shock as the nightmare scratched some dirt up with its talons, covering his younger sister in a cloud of brown dust.
The spirit watched as both nightmares directed their attention to an exhausted alicorn, her fur stained with dirt and bits of blood. Their pointed tongues flicked with pleasure and they began conjuring twin clouds of deadly black fog, aiming it straight at the white form.
Seconds before the balls of black acid touched her body, Celestia watched with half open, astonished, violet eyes as Discord stood in front of her, mismatched hands outstretched and glowing faintly, trying to hold the ball of magic in his own.
The twin nightmares caught onto this and doubled their efforts with hissing squawks, pushing Discord's heels back into the dirt with their strength. The god of chaos strained desperately as his foes' magic grew even stronger, threatening to overthrow his efforts.
Celestia watched on, shouting at the spirit to stop before the spell began draining from his life, but Discord coupled his defense, striking out either wings with the effort, and pushing against the magnetic force.
A pulse of gold suddenly shot from the spirit's body, encasing his entire form in a magnificent golden glow, as the magic spiraled forward, striking each basilisk fully. The blinding, golden flash sent a pulse of power shooting into the sky like a rocket and plummeting into each nightmare.
The basilisks collapsed with synchronized shrieks as bolts of electricity radiated from their bodies, pinning them to the earth.
Celestia watched as Discord collapsed in a motionless heap and shakily shouted over to her little sister. “NOW, LUNA! LET'S SEND THE BEASTS BACK TO TARTARUS!”
Both of the alicorn's horns began to glow and pulse with power, before streaks of violet and blue transformed into a twin beam, as they rushed together into the sky and spiralled down, hitting each beast. The moment the pulse of power touched them, they disappeared in a blinding flash and a final, echoing screech.
After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy timidly crawled out from under her bush, sliding down the soft cliff side and landing beside the alicorns. She whimpered as she laid eyes on the completely silent spirit laying by their feet.
“Is...is he...?” Fluttershy couldn't bare to say the words.
Without responding, Celestia shakily lowered her muzzle to the silent creature, and nudged his back gently with her snout. “D...Discord..” She shut her eyes and suppressed the threatening tidal wave of tears.
Just then, Discord rolled back onto his side with a loud, obnoxious snore, subconsciously slapping Celestia across the face as he turned, tongue lolled out in sleep as he gave a louder snore and folded both hands underneath his head.
Glaring at Luna's greatly amused smirk, Celestia rubbed at the red paw print on her face, inwardly grumbling and wondering if he planned to smack her in the face. None the less, she gazed down at the peaceful creature.
If he hadn't stopped the basilisks.....
Her face graced with a small smile and her violet eyes aquiver with a slight twinkle, she gently eased her mouth around the scruff of his neck and, pulled his dead weight, gangly form over her back, situating him so he lay stretched, tummy down over her.
“Celestia...” Luna began softly, catching the ivory mare's attention. “That spell.....was it even possible for him? I mean, without him d-”
“No,” was all the princess said. And it was true.
Luna took that in for a moment and then lifted an exhausted Fluttershy over her own back, smiling up as the young pegasus just about fell asleep.
“Tia, they're both injured. I don't think we should bring them back to the cottage.”
“I agree, Luna. But we cannot just leave without telling the citizens everything is alright now. Especially poor Twilight.”
The two alicorns emerged from the total blackness of the forest, seeing the moonlight for the first time in an hour. To greet the confused and anxious commoners with two, sleeping, still forms over their backs must have been quite a sight.
“Citizens of Ponyville,” Luna said, struggling with her instincts to use the royal voice, but she didn't want to frighten the citizens more than they already were. “Thank you all for your patience – I know you are all wondering what has happened. All that needs to be said is that the danger is gone and you may all return to your homes at once.”
“Princess!” Twilight charged towards Celestia, nearly knocking her mentor over, as she rapidly nuzzled her chest – only to pull back with a cry when her snout was coated in a thin layer of blood. “A-are you okay?!”
“Fine, Twilight,” Celestia gritted out. That nuzzle didn't feel too good in an open wound.
She caught the quivering guilt in her child's eyes and gently pulled her back into her. “We're all alright now and everypony is safe, but we must get to the palace immediately.”
She shivered at the touch of a drop of blood dripping down her side from Discord's hanging claw.
“I-I understand,” Twilight whispered, backing up as her exhausted mentors' horns glowed a final time that night, teleporting them all in a faint, soft hue.
xxxxxxxx
There was nothing but silence when Discord's ears had awaken from their slumber, twitching at the sound of nothing whereas he was so accustomed to hearing bunny snores, the sound of crickets, and often feel the tickle of a certain, pink mane on his neck.
Fluttershy!
Discord's eyes snapped open, but were greeted with total darkness. As he let his mismatched pupils adjust, they fell on the distinctive sight of a long tube dipped into his skin on his left arm. He shuddered, following it back to a bag of fluids being pumped into him.
Reaching down with a bandaged claw, he discovered the metal rails around the hospital room, and noted the room was pure white. There was nothing around him but a wall and a large curtain.
Discord whisked aside the white curtain, talon slowly falling numbly to his side when his eyes took in the sight of a small, sleeping pegasus bandaged in several areas, and on IV as well.
Gripping the pole holding up the IV bag, Discord carefully rolled it along with him as he stood beside her bed.
Sleepy, sapphire eyes flickered open, focusing onto the dejected spirit at her side, his ears back, his eyes on the ground in front of her.
“D...Discord?” She sat up with a small wince, grazing a hoof over her bandaged wing she hadn't even realized was cut until now. He didn't lift his head and she reached out a gentle hoof to rest on his arm. He shrugged it off, and for once, it wasn't because of his intolerance to sentiment.
“This is...all my fault.” It was. Everything always was and Discord always reveled in that, because it was supposed to be his fault. He caused it, he caused the chaos, madness, and trouble, and loved it. For the first time, since that fatal night eons ago, Discord didn't want this to be his fault.
Fluttershy touched his arm again and he didn't bother to shrug it off this time. “It is..not your fault. It's mine for wandering off in the first place..”
The spirit let off a bitter snort, eyes narrowing hatefully at himself, wishing the basilisk had beaten the snot out of him. Well, it had. “And what made you run off?” She fell silent. “That's what I thought.”
“I really just meant to go for a walk and see my old animal friends,” the pegasus said softly, frightened at the sight of the tube in her arm, which just made Discord's heart further constrict.
“I was going to be back shortly. I just...needed some time to think. I should never have done...everything I did without telling you.”
The spirit distantly gazed out the window, eyes slightly widening as his mismatched orbs suddenly found themselves locked onto Celestia's from where she was standing at the edge of the balcony. The two wordlessly stared at each other for several seconds, faces expressionless.
“You...you just wanted to help.” He chuckled quietly, looking almost sheepish. “It's just been so long since anypony has wanted to help me that it took a while to see that. But dearest Killer Sparkle gave me, shall we say, a little nudge~”
The two looked at each other for a moment in silence and then Fluttershy extended her hooves to the spirit, a hopeful lilt to her voice. “..H..hug?”
Discord blinked for a few moments, before that familiar Discord mirth came back to his shiny, scarlet eyes, washing away the rest of the sentiment as he smirked.
“Oh, psssh, get real! I think this draconequus has had just about as much fuzzy warmth as he can take tonight!” He shuddered. “Eugh.”
The pegasus only gave a soft giggle, easing herself back onto her side and snuggling into her pillow.
Discord glanced from her to his hospital bed all the way on the other side of the room, and he paused, lighting his talon dimly in the dark. Instantly, a large, pink cloud appeared underneath him.
“Y-you shouldn't use magic,” Fluttershy squeaked uncertainly. “I heard the princesses say that you can't use anymore tonight.”
“Oh, pfft, who made them rulers of the world?....Wait.” The pony beside him giggled. Throwing up his un-tubed talon in exasperation, the spirit fell into the cloud right beside the pegasus's bed.
Everything lapsed into silence for a few more moments, to the point where the draconequus was beginning to doze off once more, until a tiny voice spoke up:
“...You saved my life.”
Mismatched eyes slid open, and when they looked at the pegasus now they were annoyed. He meant what he said when he told her he couldn't bear anymore love for the night. Ew.
Fluttershy uttered a squeak as he reached out and pushed her onto her other side, away from his face. He turned away from her with a grumble. He felt her shift herself onto the cloud. Oh joy. She pressed her snout against his side and nuzzled it softly.
“...I love you.”
His eyes shot open at that and a different feeling entwined around his indifferent heart, coating it in a soft, ruby hue. He gazed back at the window, focusing his eyes on the silver moon outside the palace.
He knew he would never be able to say what she wanted him to say, but little did he know, he said all she needed to hear:
“.....I know you do. I..I know you do.”
xxxxxxxx
(First of all, I got the basilisk idea and the fact the victim needed to be injured in another way to snap it out of the trance from my favorite book EVER: "Dragon Rider"
Second of all, this chapter was hell AND fun to write. : I friggin love basilisks and badass Discord, so I loved that part.
But by far, my favorite part was the ending with Discord and Fluttershy. And you HAVE to listen to this soundtrack when you get to the hospital scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1OgzYvpGXM If you've already read it...well....READ IT AGAIN AND LISTEN TO THIS!
It may be a while til the next chapter is submitted because school is REALLY picking up and it's not all planned.
Next chapter synopsis: After recovering from the basilisk battle, with love and encouragement from Fluttershy, Discord decides to at last come clean with his once-love and sister of what really happened to the king and queen of Equestria. But is it too late to rebuild the shattered bonds?)
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just a suggestion, put a hyper link in the text of the area where you want the reader to listen to the music, its very very effective and then they dont feel put out by having to go back and re-read or anything like that.
ok, out of professional mode
freak out mode activated:
OH...MY....DEAR...CELESTIA!!! I love it, I love it I love it I love it
I just dont know how to react to the amount of badass that was just thrown into one single chapter and then slung right back at my face.
good damn that was an excellent read.
You made me cry! Why would you do such a thing?
Here's my mandatory corrections: "<i>the law</i>" and "amnphibians". There may be more, but its 3 in the morning and I'm drunk, which means I'll probably need to read the chapter again, not that I mind, because it was brilliant and made me sad. Tis truly rare that I actually get sad, so congratulations. Last time I did was the ending to Silent Hill 2. If you played it, you know how much of a compliment that is. Keep on with the wonderful work :)
That was impressive. The emotion, the action, everything about this was just amazing.
Y'know, my favorite part of this series, is proabably the interaction between Celestia, Luna, and the Mane Six. Your Celestia and Luna are by far my favorite. The fun-loving authority figures, who put on the mask for their subjects, but really, are kind of like kids themselves. it reminds me a lot like some of my highschool teachers. A lot of kids don't see their masks, but I do, and occasionly, I'm able to bring their masks down for a few minutes. it's great to see a teacher make a slightly inappropriate joke during class. And Luna's childish behaviour is so freaking adorable
!
466646 Haha, oh, they get ten times more childish as the chapters go on. Of course, only together. And you should see the way Discord and Celestia are gonna go. It's like, from fighting like enemies to squabbling like kids.
Discord: *finger inches away from Celestia's face* I'm not touching you, I'm not touching youuuu!
Celestia: >> Fluttershyyy!
Great chapter as always,but I have to say one thing "WHAT?" What is up with Discord these days e.g. “Yes! Score one for this draconequus!” That just does not seem like Discord to me. Wheres the 'All powerful yet cruelly playful,life ruining,mind twisting,emotion toying,son of a B*TCH........Discord. Oh and of course you can't forget his voice,probably the most important part.
It just dosen't feel the same without the above Discord. And not to say I don't like this Discord, just that he seems to act like this all the time.
In any case, I love the mythology goin on here. The Basalisks seem awesome! But how did such creatures escape Tarturus? Especially unnoticed.*Its a conspiracy man*
I just listened to the link and I have to say nice choice,really goes with the scene. And as Rabbit said,I think you should put the links right before the paragraph for convenience. If you have or ever read :highly recommend: "Envy and arrogance/Guilt and hate" The writer does this excellently and It really improves the reading experience a ton.
Well enough of my whining,ONWARDS!
469650
how about you put a hyper link in the story and make it part of the story...
first impresion is the best huh?
You said the book was made of hard leather?
Discord totally pulled a Han Solo there.
Absolutely fantastic, but I have been wondering for a while now, why is Tia's magic aura purple, I know it usually follows eye color, but it is pretty established to be gold, or sometimes white (although now i can see why, Discord's in this fic is gold and that would get confusing so please excuse my random stream of consciousness which I am still posting) oh well
But the concept of the basilisks in Dragon Rider were used for the Cockatrice in Staremaster.
...
Yes that is a great book
Oh my god... the music from Tarzan made the whole scene just so... so...
Bravo, my friend. Just... just bravo.
This chapter is so good it needs two gifs:
Epic 24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maxnrrvCR51ra8x0no1_500.gif
and feels 24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m85wosGYyF1romofeo1_400.gif
And because it's Discord;why not: 25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2efknAh3u1rr83wro1_500.gif
damn..i was hoping for Dislestia..
Wtf? This better end up being dislestia...
3713870
Oh ho ho ho~! No. It'd better not.
OMD if this is going to turn out to be Discelestia I will scream for reading this. I almost forgot who the author was.... why?! No! This can not turn out to be Discelestia please have mercy!