A Fool and His Filly Are Soon Parted

by Firefox Lantern

The Filly

Chapter 2: The Filly

My body feels very light, almost like it is floating. Is this it, have I left the world of the living and joined the Ever? I open my eyes to take in my new surroundings. Whiteness, opaque, as far as the eye can see. I glance in all directions for a sign of any other presence whatsoever and spot one single being. It stands a fair distance away but I can still perceive the mess of body parts it seems to be formed of, a mish-mash of feline, equine and dragon elements.

"Welcome to the afterlife." the peculiar creature greets me with a bored-out-of-my-mind intonation.

I stare, not knowing what to make of it. I glance around again to make sure I haven't overlooked anything. Nope, it looks like we are the sole occupants of this infinite void. This is certainly not what I expected in any kind of heaven or hell. I slowly take steps to be closer until I reach hand shaking distance of my afterlife greeter.

-The name is Discord, and I'm here to help you settle into your final resting place for all of eternity.

Discord. Didn't Fluttershy mention him as a villain they had to defeat using the Elements of Harmony? Was he also chosen by Blanche or Fluttershy to accommodate the dead? I didn't have much to go on as I never could bring myself to reconnect to the fandom to catch up on episodes after season one. I believe she described him as an agent of Chaos. In any case I should be cautious around him.

-Each resting place is customized to reflect the virtues and accomplishments of its occupant. As you can see you have a whole lot of... nothing.

On 'nothing' I perceive a slight hint of disappointment in his voice.

-A reflection of just how pathetic your miserable existence was.

Did I just see him smirk for a brief moment? I can't help but think Discord's entire bored attitude is just an act to hide his true emotions, far more sinister than Nightmare Moon's.

-Your untimely end in could have probably been averted if anyone had been around to get help. However you lived all alone. No family. No friends. You poor little thing.

Our positions stayed the same, yet why do I have this sinking feeling that he is looking down at me now?

-Today may be the luckiest day of your lif... ahem afterlife. You see, whereas other afterlife agents may have been content to abandon you to this place of nothingness I refuse to believe this is all what you amount to.

Discord's discourse audibly perks up:

-My merciful nature sees fit to bequest you with a golden ticket out of here. Your current soul, with all of its memories, reintegrated back into your body at some point in the past so you can change the course of your path in life. Make it meaningful. And have something more than this emptiness waiting for you at the end.

So that is his plan? Send me back into the past so that I may wreak havoc with alternate timelines? In any case I'm not interested in going along with any of his schemes: "Thanks, but no thanks." I simply decline.

-A second chance at life, do you realize just how big of a gift I'm offering you?
-I have no regrets, there is nothing worth going back to in my life.

Discord gives me a stern look, his eyes boring into my being to scrutinize my thoughts. He shuts them, appearing to be in deep thought, then slowly reopens them like he finished formulating his plan. He deftly slinks closer to me, his leonine paw clutching my shoulder.

-Aren't you forgetting the one thing you badly wanted to change during your pathetic existence.
-What are you trying to say Discord?
-What I'm trying to say is you could have stayed united with your dear little Dashie. You remember that fateful day Celestia came to whisk her away?

The pain from that memory comes flooding back into me. The day I saw her smile for the last time. I try to block it out before it overwhelms me.
-Of course, what about it?

Discord's pupils narrows, his arm springing around my body to pull me closer to him and he brings his mouth right next to my ear to softly whisper:

"What if there was a way for you to keep Rainbow Dash by your side."

I try to stay cool in the face of his shadiness, but my body involuntarily flinches. How much does he know? He presses on:
"Scratch that, there *is* a way for you to keep her."

I can't help but blurt out the first words which come to my mind:
"Really, how!?"

Discord steps away, erasing all expression and returning to his neutral stance, yet he must realize he got my attention.

-Ah ah ah, it would be boring to just give you the answer. How about a hint: what element of harmony did Rainbow Dash represent?
-Loyalty. She would always stay loyal to her friends.
-Exactly. And at the moment Celestia and co came to fetch her, to whom do you think her loyalties were strongest?
-To...to...

I was dumbstruck. Was it as simple as that? Discord read my thoughts:
-I know you're thinking 'Oh but Celestia wouldn't leave it at that!'. Well how would you know unless you tried it?
-You mean she might not dare take her back by force; but what a horrible human that would make me in her eyes!
-Why should you care? She certainly didn't care about your feelings when she pried away your dear Dashie and erased all the memories she had of you!
-That's not true, there was that photo album...
-Pshaw! A couple of photos, what a generous souvenir indeed. Not to mention you should have seen the look of disgust when Rainbow Dash threw hem into the...
-Shut up! Don't you belittle my time with Dashie! You would never understand the bond we shared. I didn't just give her up. She had to go back. She had to forget me. It was the only way.

If I were a dragon Discord would have seen smoke fuming from my ears and nostril as I try put on the angriest expression I could muster. Too many daggers of past memories are stabbing into my heart.

A long awkward pause lingered on. Discord's keeps up a stone cold face, yet I can't help but sense that something was up. My knees start shaking a bit, my teeth grinding. I feel like some other force is trying to work its way into me. I try to fight it, but I don't have a clue how. I can only quietly struggle under its assault then Discord breaks the silence:

"I must say I'm very disappointed in you. Fine, if you insist on letting others have it their way I certainly won't waste my pity on you." he spats.

I look on wearily as Discord flies away. Part of me is relieved to be left alone in my final resting place, but another part of me is shrieking its way into my consciousness: "A chance to be reunited with Rainbow Dash! And you're just going to let it slip away like that? You might as well have abandoned that foal in the cardboard box!"

I grasp my head in my hands. The pain, the fear, the regrets all rushing to the surface of my consciousness, forming a tidal wave and crashing into my resolve. Little did I know the magical boost it is getting from a nearby entity of Chaos. The breaking point is inevitable.

-Wait...

A mutter escapes from my breath. Discord turns his head around slightly, feigning disinterest.

-...you went out of your way to make such a generous offer, I would be a fool to turn it down.

Am I really going to walk right into his trap? Something is wrong, I feel like a puppet and someone else is pulling on my strings. Discord looks like he is trying hard to hide his glee, but I can see the corner of his mouth ever so slightly curl up into a mischievous smile.

-Ah, am I glad you came to your senses. Very well, your wish is my command. Just keep in mind that piece of advice I gave you and everything else will fall into place.

As he finishes that sentence, he flicks his tail and snaps his claws. A white flash blinds me. As soon as my eyes can readjust I find myself back at that fateful day, my last day with Dashie. I glare at Princess Celestia and co who had arrived to take her away from me. Not this time, my core being swelling with new-found pride and anger like I had never felt before. I don't hesitate to vocalize it:

"I have raised Dashie for 15 years. We may not be connected by blood, hell we aren't even the same species, but she is still my one and only true daughter. As far as I'm concerned if you want her back it will have to be over my dead body!"

Comments

[Curious]

'DIS GON' BE GUD

[ravennaras]

I like this please continue