> Dreamers Beware
>  by ApplauseJunkie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Forgiveness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy was pacing nervously. It was half past three now, thirty minutes past teatime, and her usual tea guest had failed to arrive. 

"Where is he?"

Last week they hadn't been able to have tea; the whole group had still been cleaning up the aftermath of Tirek's rampage across Equestria. Everyone had helped as best they could, but no one had really had time to talk to each other. Now that things had settled down, it was Wednesday, the day that Discord usually came over for tea at three o' clock. He had never been late before. 

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore, and trotted out the door of her cottage. She fluttered into the air to check if she could spot him,  without any success. The pegasus frowned, but knew where to look.

Discord had long ago taken up residence in a little wobbly castle he had made for himself on the fringes of Ponyville, quite near to the Everfree Forest. It looked perfectly unassuming on the outside, but the interior was the haven of the Master of Chaos. There were no floors, only a vast empty space, much too large to logically fit into the small exterior, with a few pieces of furniture floating about. Fluttershy had been in it once before, when he first made it, but it still unnerved her.
She knocked politely at first, with no answer. She called his name a few times, still no answer. Finally she just tried the door, and found it unlocked. 

The pegasus took one step and squealed. She had forgotten there was no floor. But where the floor should have been, instead a glimmering snowflake supported her hoof. When she tested it and found that it held her weight, Fluttershy ventured another step. More snowflakes appeared to carry her, and when she lifted her hoof, they vanished, reappearing when she set them down again. 

Still cautiously, Fluttershy made her way into the chaotic castle. "D-Discord?" she called, but received no answer. However, a small gravy boat bounced up to her, barking like a dog and dancing around her. Fluttershy smiled when she recognized it. "Hello, little gravy boat!" she cooed, patting it gently, so as not to spill it. "Do you know where Discord is?" she asked it, and the boat barked excitedly and started to bounce away. Fluttershy followed.

At the back of the castle, at least one story down from ground level, Discord was curled up on a bed that sat nestled on the wall. The pegasus shook her head, remembering that gravity was not a law to Discord, and that lying perpendicular to the ground was perfectly normal to him. She approached him cautiously. "Discord?"

The draconequus simply curled up tighter, hiding his face under his arms.

Fluttershy frowned. "Discord, what's the matter? Didn't you want to come to tea today?"

Discord mumbled something into his sheets. 

"What?"

"I didn't think you'd want me to come over for tea today," Discord finally replied through gritted teeth.

Fluttershy was shocked. "Why on earth would I not want you to come over for tea, Discord?"

"Do I need to remind you of recent events? I betrayed Equestria, remember? I betrayed my friends. I betrayed you!" At this last sentence he finally spun to face Fluttershy, and she could see that his eyes were filled with tears. 

She didn't know what to say. "D-Discord..."

"I don't deserve any more tea parties. Any more friendship. I don't deserve you, Fluttershy." He turned away again.

The pegasus slowly floated around to the other side of the bed so she could see his face. "Discord, you're already forgiven for all of that!"

He scoffed quietly. "I doubt that. I wouldn't be surprised if no one ever forgave me."

"Well, I forgive you."

Discord blinked, causing a few tears to spill over his cheeks. He wiped them away hurriedly. "You do?"

Fluttershy nodded. "We're friends, and that friendship is strong enough to stand a few bumps in the road."

"I would hardly call betraying my friends a bump in the road."

The pegasus just smiled. "That's the beauty of friendship, it can withstand even the toughest situations. I'll admit that what  you did was wrong, and it hurt me deeply, but you said you were sorry, and that's enough for me to grant you forgiveness for your actions."

Discord cringed to hear that he had hurt Fluttershy. He remembered the look on her face when he had caged her, when he had taunted her that she should have seen it coming. She hadn't. The pegasus had trusted him completely, and he had broken that trust. There were no words to express how sorry he was. "I've never regretted anything so much in my life," he finally whispered.

"I know," Fluttershy murmured, sitting down on the edge of the bed and laying a hoof on his shoulder. "But you don't need to worry about it anymore, because everything is fine now."

He looked up at her in wonder. How could she be so kind and loving as to completely overlook what he had done? As she smiled reassuringly down at him, a warmth filled his chest, and he sniffed and wiped his eyes again, trying to smile for her. With a little effort, Discord uncurled himself and sat up in bed.

As soon as he did so, Fluttershy wrapped both arms around him in a gentle hug. Out of reflex, Discord set his head on her shoulder and nuzzled into her mane. She smelled like flowers, and her mane was soft as clouds. Fluttershy smiled and gently stroked his short black mane. "There, you see? Everything is all right."

Discord smiled silently. Maybe it was all right.
---
The following Wednesday, Discord knocked on the door to Fluttershy's cottage at exactly three o' clock.  He clasped his hands behind his back and waited, daring to hope for a pleasant afternoon with his best friend. He hadn't left his house much since last Wednesday, and when he did,  he tried to avoid ponies as much as possible. Even if Fluttershy had forgiven him, that didn't apply to the rest of Ponyville. But today he was cautiously optimistic. Tea couldn't be too difficult, could it?

When Fluttershy answered the door, she smiled weakly up at him. Discord frowned when he noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and the fact that her mane hadn't been brushed yet that day. "Are you all right, Fluttershy?" he asked.

The pegasus nodded as she let her friend inside. Discord noticed that their tea-table was not yet set up, as it usually was. A yawn from his friend and his frown deepened. "Do tell me what's the matter," he pressed, leaning down to look into her tired eyes.

"I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all." She refused to meet his concerned gaze.

"Do you know why?" he asked, wanting to make sure this would never happen again.

"Well..." Fluttershy stared at her hooves. 

Discord teleported them both to the couch so she could sit comfortably. He watched her patiently, silently urging her to go on.

"Two nights ago, I had the most horrible nightmare. I was walking by myself down a dark alley, when this pony pushed me down from behind. I couldn't see his face because he was wearing a hat, all I could see was that he had a green jewel hanging around his neck that started glowing when I looked at it. Then the pony stood over me and put his hooves on my chest, and he pressed harder and harder, until I couldn't breathe, and--and--"

Instinctively Discord pulled her into his arms to comfort her as the tears began to fall. Fluttershy took a shuddering breath and continued.

"But then I woke up, and I still couldn't breathe. I couldn't move, and when I looked up, there was this...thing sitting on my chest, pressing down on me, like it was trying to keep me from breathing. It had the same green jewel around his neck, and it was glowing just like in the dream! But when the thing saw that I was awake, it turned into a moth and flew out my window."

The draconequus held her gently, looking down at her in concern. "And you haven't been back to sleep since then, have you?" he asked quietly.

Fluttershy shook her head.

Discord thought for a moment. "Well, you can't go on without sleeping. Would it make you feel better to have someone there to protect you while you slept?"

Fluttershy started to wipe her eyes. "Um, I don't know. Maybe."

"Because you know you're always welcome at my humble abode."

The idea of sleeping on the wall didn't really appeal to Fluttershy. "Oh, no, that's very nice of you, but I--"

Discord frowned. "I'm sorry, I thought maybe that would help."

"--what I mean is, could you maybe sleep here instead?"

Both of Discord's ears perked up. "Me stay here? But of course!"

Fluttershy hugged him tightly around the neck. "Oh, thank you! I'll feel much better about sleeping if I know you're here to keep me safe!"

The draconequus's mismatched pupils dilated slightly as he stared down at her. "Anything for you, my dear."

Silence ensued as the two just smiled at each other. Finally, Discord cleared his throat and snapped his fingers, causing the tea table to set itself complete with steaming teapot and cucumber sandwiches. "Now then, how about we have tea?"
---
When the sun set, Discord sat patiently on the couch, watching Fluttershy put all of her animals to bed. It amazed him what control she had over them, and how much each of them seemed to love her in return. Discord had always thought the quickest way to get something was to use either trickery or force, but this pony seemed to have full command over every living creature in the cottage, and all with tender smiles and soft words. It was remarkable.

Finally, all the animals were tucked into bed and quieted down, and Fluttershy trotted toward the stairs. Discord stayed put on the couch. When she got about halfway up, she noticed he wasn't following and paused. "Aren't you going to come protect me?" she asked quietly, looking at him with huge teal eyes.

Discord choked. He hadn't planned on actually sleeping in the same room with her, literally watching her sleep. That seemed like a bit of an invasion of privacy. But the longer she looked at him, the less resistance he felt to the idea, and eventually just smiled and slunk up the stairs beside her.

Fluttershy set about putting her room in order for the night. She made sure everything was tidy, brushed her teeth, got herself a glass of water to keep on the bedstand, and put on her pajamas. Discord had to admit she looked absolutely adorable in her little white nightgown. Then she crawled into bed, and glanced at him before blowing the candle out. "Where are you going to sleep?" she asked. 

The draconequus smiled at her concern for him, then patiently snapped his fingers. A soft, round cushion appeared on the floor, and Discord curled up and nestled into it. "I'll be fine," he assured Fluttershy. "Now you get some sleep and don't worry about a thing. I won't let anything bother you."

Fluttershy smiled and blew out the candle.

It didn't take long for the dreams to return, however. Once again Fluttershy was hurrying down a dark alley, all by herself. She continually glanced behind her, shivering violently in fear. Everything around her was quiet, and even the gentle 'whoosh' of Princess Luna flying overhead caused her to squeal in fright.

Then suddenly, she was sprawled on her back. Standing over her was the same pony from two nights ago, wearing a hat over his eyes and a green jewel hanging from a chain around his neck. He grinned down at her as he placed one hoof and then the other upon her chest, pressing down mercilessly.

"Hey!" called a familiar voice. Fluttershy looked up to see Discord charging forward, glaring at her attacker. "Get off of her!"

The pony hissed at him, the green jewel flashing. Discord raised a hand to strike him, and suddenly Fluttershy was awake, and the same creature from two nights ago was flying across the room and slammed into the wall, propelled off of her by Discord, who was standing over her.

The impact from the wall stunned the creature for a moment, giving both of them a chance to get a good look at it. It was ape-like, hairy and messy, and relatively the same size as a pony. Its face was wicked and distorted, and pointed ears stuck up above its head. Around its neck, a green jewel dangled from a chain, which was beginning to lose its supernatural glow since Discord had interrupted the dream. It hissed at both of them, revealing cruel fangs.

Fluttershy screamed. Discord stood in partial shock. "Alberich...?"

The creature took its chance and produced a hat, the same hat the pony in Fluttershy's dream wore. As soon as it touched its head, the entire creature vanished, as if into thin air. Discord shook himself free of his surprise and lunged at the place where the creature had been, but encountered only empty space. He growled.

"What was that?!" Fluttershy wailed in terror.

Discord stood up and went back to her bedside. "That was an old friend of mine, actually."

"What?!"

The draconequus sat down on the edge of her bed to explain.

"His name is Alberich. He's an alp, a creature that can induce dreams and feed off the energy from the dreamer. I knew him way back before I ever came to Equestria. I recognized his hat, he's had that thing forever. It turns him invisible when he wears it. What I don't know is why or how he's here. I knew him over a thousand years ago, and alps don't live to be more than a hundred. Something strange is going on."

Fluttershy was staring at him in horror. Discord frowned and pulled her into a hug. "Don't you worry, he won't come back tonight. He knows better than to visit the same house twice in one night."

He started to let her go and go back to his own bed, but she held fast to him. He glanced down curiously. She looked up at him with fearful, pleading eyes. "Don't leave me."

"I'm not leaving you, I'm just going back over--" he paused when she squeezed tighter. "Y-you want me to stay...here? In--in your bed?"

Fluttershy nodded silently.

"Oh. Um, all right..." He awkwardly laid down next to her and let her pull the covers over the both of them. The she laid down and gently snuggled against him. Discord watched her with wide eyes, staring at her face as it slowly relaxed into sleep. Finally sleep began to take over his senses as well, and he closed his eyes.
> Research
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Discord opened his eyes, he didn't remember where he was. He was about to sit up in panic when something warm moved against his chest. He looked down and froze. Fluttershy was still sleeping peacefully against him, with one hoof looped gently around his neck. Discord blinked, then blinked again. What did he do now? Just stay still until she woke up?

He decided not to move, and set himself to thinking about the events of last night. Something strange was definitely going on with Alberich; he should have been dead over a thousand years ago. The alp must be artificially prolonging his life somehow, which meant that there was probably a powerful dark magic involved. Discord frowned, and glanced down at Fluttershy protectively. The thought that she was being attacked at night by some form of dark magic made his mind burn.

Stretching his neck so that he could examine the room and the bed without moving the rest of his body, Discord made a quick assessment of the situation. Her bedroom had one window, which constantly stood open to allow access for birds and bats and other flying creatures. He knew she would never agree to shut that window, for the sake of her little friends. He would have to find a way to protect her without sealing the house.

At that moment, a tiny sigh alerted him to his bedmate. He shrunk his neck back to its natural length and smiled down at Fluttershy as she slowly opened her eyes. She smiled back up at him and leaned against him appreciatively. He hugged her gently. "Did you sleep well?" he asked.

Fluttershy nodded, causing her face to graze against the fur of his chest. Discord had to employ his magic to prevent his fur from noticeably standing on end. Her touch was electrifying.

The pegasus yawned daintily and slid out of bed, adjusting her rumpled white nightgown. Discord realized too late that he was staring at her, and hurriedly hopped out of bed himself. He used his magic to straighten the covers and tuck them in, even fluffing the pillows. Fluttershy smiled gratefully at him, then trotted into the bathroom to brush her mane and take off her pajamas.

Once alone, the draconequus took a few deep breaths and smoothed his mane. He scolded himself quietly and shook his head to clear it. When Fluttershy reappeared, groomed and ready for the day, Discord tried to smile as naturally as possible. For a while, silence ensued. Discord cleared his throat, and Fluttershy looked at her hooves.

"T-thank you for staying here last night."

"Oh, no trouble at all!" he coughed as he realized how quickly he was speaking.

"Do you think that thing will come back?"

Discord frowned. "I don't know. He might decide you're no longer an easy target because of what happened last night, but I'm not sure, especially since he's obviously using some kind of dark magic."

"D-d-dark magic?" Fluttershy's eyes widened. Discord flinched. That had been the wrong thing to say. Now she was frightened.

"W-well, if he's using dark magic, m-maybe we ought to tell Princess Twilight about it..."

Discord blinked. He hadn't thought of that. He still wasn't used to asking for help when he needed it. "Good idea," he said, nodding. Fluttershy trotted down the stairs.

---

Across town, Pinkie Pie was singing her usual cheerful tune as she bounced down the street. She greeted every pony she passed in her own special way, recalling tiny details of their lives and counting down the days to their birthdays. She was so busy admiring the produce in one of the market stalls that she almost didn't hear a low, masculine voice from behind her.

"It's been a long time, Pinkie." 

Pinkie Pie froze. She knew that voice. She turned to see a figure leaning against a wall, a dark hat pulled down over his eyes, a poncho draped over his shoulders, and a party noisemaker dangling loosely between his lips.

"CHEESE!!" Pinkie squealed, tackling him with a hug. "What brings you back to Ponyville?"

Cheese Sandwich stood up, tossing his hat back to reveal a brown mane that was almost as curly as Pinkie's. "I missed you, kid!" he replied in an exuberant shout, bouncing into the air with a grin. 

The pink earth pony tried to blink the stars out of her eyes. "Really?"

Cheese nodded, then bowed his head as he placed his hat back over his eyes. "You see, little filly," he said in his low, mysterious voice, "As I was moseyin' along the lone, open road, lookin' for another party to plan, I looked up into the sky, and there was the most beautiful rainbow I had ever seen. And it reminded me of a certain mare I had left behind. In Ponyville."

Pinkie gasped. "Meee?"

"Yes indeedily!" Cheese exclaimed, putting a hoof under her chin. "How could I forget the pony that made me who I am?"

Pinkie Pie blushed, and Cheese Sandwich picked her up and swung her around, then squeezed her tightly to his chest. "I realized that no matter how many parties I plan, no matter how many rubber chickens keep me company, my life will still be empty if you aren't with me!"

Pinkie could hardly believe what she was hearing as she returned his enthusiastic embrace. She had never dared to hope that she would see this pony again, let alone that he might feel this way about her. In fact, she had been trying to get over her own feelings for the super party pony ever since he left Ponyville. "Y-you mean it?" she whispered.

"Swear on camembert!" 

She stared up at him with shining eyes, and he returned her smile without taking his arms from around her. Pinkie opened her mouth to say something, but Cheese silenced her with a sudden, forceful kiss. In that instant, Pinkie Pie had fewer bones in her body than the rubber chicken he had given her on his last visit. When he released her, both were blushing hard.

A small cough made both of them whirl, and they giggled awkwardly to see Lyra Heartstrings and BonBon looking at them with questioning eyes. Maybe behind a market stall wasn't the best place for such an emotional reunion.

"Do you know someplace...quiet we can go?" Cheese whispered. Pinkie grinned and took him by the hoof.

---

As they reached the center of Ponyville, Discord noticed a few other ponies out and about and stopped walking. Fluttershy looked back at him in concern. "Aren't you coming?"

The draconequus hung his head. "I'm not sure it's the best idea for me to just waltz into town, if you know what I mean."

Fluttershy studied him curiously. She hadn't thought about that. Since she had already forgiven Discord for his alliance with Tirek, it sometimes slipped her mind that other ponies might still see him as a villain. She walked over to where Discord stood and sat down next to him, thinking.

"Well...you can change into anything, right?"

"What?"

"Like, with your chaos magic. Can't you shapeshift into any shape you want?"

"Yeah. What does that have to do with--"

"Could you make yourself look like a bunny?"

The idea didn't sound very appealing to Discord. Bunnies were cute and fluffy, two things that he wasn't keen on being. "Why on earth would I want to make myself into a little fuzzball like that?" he huffed childishly.

Fluttershy tactfully ignored his last comment. "Well, if you looked like a bunny, nopony would notice you. They're used to seeing me walk around with a bunny or some other small creature."

Discord blinked. She was smarter than he'd thought. But he still didn't want to be a fluffy old rabbit. "Can I be a dragonfly instead?" he asked.

Fluttershy giggled. "If that would make you more comfortable."

In a flash of white, the draconequus became a tiny dragonfly with mismatched wings. He buzzed once or twice around Fluttershy's head, then landed gracefully on her ear. "Ready to go!" called a high-pitched voice in her ear. The pegasus giggled a little and started through town to Twilight's castle.

They made it through town without incident, and a familiar member of the royal guard held the door for Fluttershy as she went inside. Celestia had sent a small troop of royal guards down to Ponyville to work at the new castle, and this particular one nodded politely at her as she trotted patiently through the door. 

Discord waited until they were safely in the throne room to transform back into his normal self. The last thing he wanted was to deal with the guards. Twilight was lounging casually on her throne, holding a book with her magic. Her horn had gotten longer since she had become a princess, and she was getting a little taller, too. Alicorns naturally stood a little taller than ponies, and Twilight was almost as tall as Princess Cadance now. 

She wasn't the only one. Spike had hit puberty a few months ago, and he was already almost twice his original size. He had given up trying to fit in the little throne that sat beside Twilight's and was sprawled on the floor reading another Power Ponies comic. Spike saw them come in first, and grinned. "Hey guys."

Twilight glanced up from her book and immediately jumped to her feet. "Fluttershy!" she squealed, dashing to give her friend a hug. "Hi Discord," she added with a friendly smile. Discord was surprised that she didn't so much as flinch when she saw him. "What brings you two around today?" Twilight asked, motioning for them to have a seat. Fluttershy took her own throne, and Discord borrowed Pinkie's.

"Well, we've had a little...problem," Fluttershy started, but she wasn't sure exactly how to explain it. She looked to Discord for help.

"There's an alp on the loose," Discord stated bluntly. 

Twilight raised her eyebrows. "An alp? But alps are peaceful."

Fluttershy shuddered. "Not this one."

"He also shouldn't be here. This particular alp is one I've known since before I came to Equestria over a thousand years ago."

"Alps aren't supposed to live that long!" Twilight insisted.

"That's why it's a problem." 

"He keeps giving me nightmares...."

That in itself was enough reason for Twilight to want to get rid of him. She turned to Discord. "You say you know this alp?"

Discord nodded. "His name is Alberich. Back when I knew him he was just a normal fellow, liked to feed on silly dreams of flying goats and the like. But something's happened to him to give him a taste for nightmares."

Twilight was up and pacing now. "So we're dealing with some unknown factors, here."

Discord and Fluttershy nodded. Spike frowned.

"Tell you what," Twilight said. "I'll do as much research on alps as I can, and see if we can find out something useful. Are you going to be okay sleeping tonight, Fluttershy?"

The yellow mare glanced up at Discord, silently asking if he was going to stay with her. He nodded. She smiled. "Yes, I'll be fine."

Twilight glanced between the two of them curiously, but dismissed it. "If either of you think of anything, come tell me right away."

"We will."

Fluttershy started heading for the door, when Discord appeared beside her as a dragonfly again. "I'm going to run a quick errand before dark," he whispered in her ear. "I'll be back before dinnertime, I promise." Fluttershy nodded and he disappeared. 

As she turned to the door she remembered something and trotted back to Twilight. "I didn't realize that Flash Sentry had been sent here," she commented.

Twilight blushed. "Oh.Yeah. Cadance sent him specifically. Something about wanting us to spend more time together or something."

Fluttershy smiled knowingly, and the two girls giggled together.
> Alliances
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord materialized on top of a mountain just outside of Ponyville. He turned to the north and squinted to the horizon, guaging the distances. After a quick calculation, he vanished and reappeared on another mountaintop several miles to the north. He continued mountain-hopping until he could see the glimmering tip of the Crystal Palace. Before the smile had finished spreading across his face, he was standing at the castle's doorstep, bowing dramatically to the guards stationed there.

"I request an audience with Prince Shining Armor," he announced with a suave grin.

The guards glanced at each other. Tirek's rampage hadn't reached the Crystal Empire, but they knew what had happened. The two armored stallions shook their heads.

"It's important!" Discord insisted, but they still refused. His face fell. "Very well." He hung his head and walked away slowly. As soon as he was out of sight of the guards, however, Discord rolled his eyes and teleported himself directly to the throne room. He materialized behind a curtain, and immediately turned himself invisible to avoid further incident.

Cadance was sitting on her throne, looking over a scroll that a crystal pony had brought her. "This looks fine. Go ahead with the builders and I'll make sure you get the funding you need."

"Thank you, your highness." The crystal pony took the scroll and trotted out of the throne room, leaving Cadance alone.

Discord took his chance and materialized in front of the princess, bowing low enough for his beard to brush the floor. "Your highness."

Cadance screamed and almost fell out of her throne. "Discord! What are you doing here?"

"Looking for your husband. Is he around?" He teleported to behind her throne and peeked around it at her. She squealed again and glared at him. 

"Why do you want to see Shining Armor?"

"I need a favor."

Cadance stared at him for a moment, trying to sort out what he could possibly mean by such a statement. "And why should he do a favor for you?"

"Because I ask nicely?"

The pink alicorn gritted her teeth. She knew what had happened the last time Discord had spoken to her husband. But she also knew the importance of forgiveness. She knew that Twilight had forgiven him, and she trusted the judgement of her sister-in-law. So she sighed. "Shining Armor is in the training field. I'll take you there."

Discord followed eagerly behind Cadance, keeping his paw and claw clasped behind his back. It was difficult for him to be so docile, but he needed Cadance and Shining Armor to cooperate with him, so he bit his forked tongue and stayed quiet. The princess led him outside to a small grassy yard, where Shining Armor was taking a water break from his workout. Cadance trotted down to him and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek, then said something that Discord couldn't hear. Shining Armor's eyes widened and he turned to look at Discord. The draconequus took that as his cue and teleported to directly in front of the couple.

"Shining Armor," Discord said with another low bow, "I am in need of your assistance."

The stallion stared at him for a moment, then blinked twice. "What?"

"Just what I said. I need your help."

Shining Armor looked to Cadance, who nodded. He looked back to Discord. "Um, what do you need help with?"

"Well, I have heard that during the time that I spent encased in stone, you protected all of Canterlot with a magical shield spell."

"Yes. And?"

"How exactly does that spell work? Does it create an airtight seal or is it breathable? Does it deflect only enemies or can nopony pass through it? Does it require constant effort and attention or is it self-sustaining? Is it--"

Shining Armor raised a hoof to silence him. "Slow down. The shield is breathable. I can allow ponies to come through, but only on an individual basis. It's mostly self-sustaining, as long as I strengthen it a couple times a day to keep it from fading. Why do you need to know all this?"

"Can you teach it to me?"

"What?!"

"Can you teach me your protection spell?" Discord repeated patiently, then glanced at the sun, which was starting to sink. "And can you do it in less than an hour? I promised I'd be back for dinner."

"Back for dinner?" Shining Armor repeated.

"Promised who?" Cadance asked.

"Well, Fluttershy, of course."

The ponies exchanged a glance. "Is the protection spell also for Fluttershy?"

Discord frowned. "Yeah. So?"

Cadance smiled knowingly at him. "Do you l--"

"NO!" Discord cut her off, feeling his face turn bright red. He hated that his subconscious could manifest in his magic; there was no way to hide that his entire head was now the color of a tomato. He stomped his goat foot in frustration. "Look, can you teach me the spell or not?"

The prince and princess exchanged another glance, and Shining Armor smiled. "I can teach you, but it's going to take more than an hour. Why don't you come back tomorrow, say around ten o'clock?"

Discord considered. That was one more night Fluttershy had to sleep unprotected, but he would still be there to keep her as safe as possible. And after that he would be able to keep her free from all harm during the night. He smiled down at the ponies. "Ten o'clock, then." And he vanished.

The Crystal prince and princess looked at each other quietly. Discord and Fluttershy?

The draconequus reappeared on the fringes of the Crystal Empire and pouted. How dare those presumptuous ponies accuse him of having feelings for Fluttershy! He was just trying to keep her safe!

A miniature version of himself popped out of his own ear. "And why do you care about the safety of  that pathetic pegasus?"

"She's not pathetic!" Discord objected to himself, pulling his tiny self out of his ear and holding him in front of his face.

The tiny Discord rolled his eyes. "And now you're defending her? I think those ponies are right! You do have feelings for her!"

"That's ridiculous!" Discord grabbed his miniature self around the neck and by the tail, and pulled him taught like a slingshot. "I'm just trying to be a good friend!" He released tiny Discord's tail and launched him far into the Arctic North. 

The original Discord turned his mind to how he was going to get back to Ponyville. Long-distance teleportation took a lot of effort, and he needed his strength to defend Fluttershy from Alberich in the night. A series of small teleportations, like he had used on the way to the Crystal Empire, would take too long. An idea struck him, and he snapped his fingers. A beautiful winged chariot appeared before him. He smiled and settled himself on the seat, and the chariot began to flap its wings and took to the air.

Back in Ponyville, Spike was pulling books from the library for Twilight when Flash Sentry opened the door to admit a beautiful white unicorn sporting a cashmere cardigan and her red cat-eye glasses. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail and she looked rather stressed. 

"Spike, do you think you could help me with--Spike?" Rarity stopped short. "You've gotten so big! Have you been hoarding things again?"

The dragon turned to look at her, putting down the book he had pulled from the second shelf. He stood eye level with the unicorn now, and he smiled at her. "Nah, I'm just growing naturally this time." He chuckled as his voice cracked. "What can I help you with?"

Rarity blinked a few times, then shook her head to clear it. "I need you to help me deliver a shipment of dresses to Fillydelphia. I'm dreadfully behind schedule and I'm afraid that if I try to take them all by myself I won't make it!"

Spike smiled. "Sure! Let me go let Twilight know and I'll be right with you!"

The unicorn sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Thank you so much, my little Spikey-wikey." She kissed him on the cheek and turned to the door. "Meet me at the boutique as quickly as you can!"

The dragon blushed and dashed upstairs as fast as he could.

As Rarity trotted back to the boutique, she did not notice the large shadow that passed over Ponyville. The winged chariot flapped itself across town and landed in front of Fluttershy's cottage, just as the sun touched the horizon. Discord jumped to the ground and snapped his fingers, causing the chariot to disappear, then he walked the path up to the cottage and knocked at the door.

"Come in," Fluttershy called.

Discord let himself in and shut the door behind him, rolling his eyes as the animals fled from the sight of him. Only Angel Bunny wasn't afraid of him anymore. The white bunny hopped up to him and motioned for him to come into the kitchen, where Fluttershy was busy preparing dinner for all the occupants of the cottage. She smiled when she saw Discord.

"Just in time!" she chirped, and handed him two bowls of green salad. "Can you give those to the bunnies? And this to the squirrels." Discord had to materialize a third arm to take a third bowl, this one full of acorns and nuts. Fluttershy smiled at him. "Thank you!"

The draconequus sighed, but he didn't have the heart to tell her that the animals were probably too afraid to take food from him. He went into the living room, which was still empty of its usual occupants, and dejectedly put the bowls on the floor. Then he vanished and reappeared in the kitchen, watching the living room from the doorway.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, a single squirrel stuck its nose out from under the couch, sniffing the air. Slowly, it began to creep out of its hiding place  and approached the bowl, lifting out an acorn and munching on it. The other creatures gradually congregated around the food, and all of them began to eat happily, their fear forgotten. Discord smiled softly.

"Look at that," said a soft voice from behind him. Discord jumped; he hadn't heard Fluttershy approach. She smiled up at him. "I'm so proud of you."

"Proud?" Discord repeated, confused.

The pegasus nodded.  "A few months ago you would never have agreed to feed the animals, and you certainly wouldn't be so worried about them being afraid of you." She nuzzled against him gently.

He stared down at her blankly, all thought eliminated from his head as soon as she touched him. Finally, he just smiled down at her, trying to keep the blush from his cheeks.

Fluttershy looked up at him proudly. "Would you mind setting the table for us?"

"Not at all." A snap of the fingers and it was done.

After dinner, Fluttershy put the animals to bed and tidied up the cottage. Discord helped as best he could, but most of the animals still didn't trust him, so he mostly sat on the couch and watched quietly. Finally, it was time for bed, and Discord trotted up the stairs much more eagerly than he had the previous night.

While Fluttershy got herself ready for bed, Discord settled himself into his round cushion, silently plotting ways to keep Alberich from getting to Fluttershy. When she returned from the bathroom in her white night dress, she set her nightly glass of water on the bedstand and then glanced over at Discord. She didn't say anything, but her eyes went from her bed to Discord, to the floor, back to Discord. He understood.

Uncurling himself from his cushion, he stood and went to the other side of Fluttershy's bed, smiling timidly at the pegasus. She beamed and pulled back the covers, crawling into bed. Discord also lay down, reassuring himself that it would be easier to protect her from such a close vantage point.

Fluttershy nuzzled into his chest and closed her eyes. Discord stared down at her for a while, unsure of how to best protect her without getting so close that Fluttershy might get the wrong idea. Eventually he gently wrapped his arms around her and curled his neck over her head, setting his chin down on the other side of the pillow. Without opening her eyes, Fluttershy smiled into his fur and whispered, "Goodnight, Discord."
> Effort
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie's eyes fluttered open and she smiled softly. Since Cheese Sandwich had returned to Ponyville, neither of them had left Pinkie Pie's bedroom for anything more than food. They spent every waking second together, joking, laughing, kissing, and cuddling. Thanks to both of their unending staminas, their lovemaking sessions lasted for hours on end, and they both passed out directly afterwards. Gummy had adjusted well to having another pony around, and had even taken a shine to Boneless 2. He spent most of his day contentedly chewing on his new rubber chicken friend.

Pinkie Pie rolled over and threw one arm over the still-sleeping Cheese Sandwich and closed her eyes again. Seconds later, the stallion opened one eye, looking over at his lover. A smirk crossed his face, and very carefully he slid one hoof up to tickle Pinkie's flank. The pink mare squealed loudly and flew out of bed so violently that she bounced off the ceiling.

"I thought you were still asleep!" she cried as Cheese fell out of bed, clutching his stomach in laughter.

"That was priceless!" he cackled, then got up and gave Pinkie a kiss on the cheek. She smiled dreamily at him for a moment, then raised an eyebrow evilly.

"Priceless, huh? Well, how much would you pay for...THIS!" She tackled him and pinned him to the ground, tickling him mercilessly until he finally wiggled out of her grasp. He tried to escape, and Pinkie took up hot pursuit, chasing him around the room and wrestling with him until they both collapsed in a heap, laughing their hearts out.

"Oh, Pinkie! I could go on like this forever!" Cheese Sandwich exclaimed, planting a few kisses on her neck.

She shivered pleasantly. "Then why don't we?"

He laughed exuberantly. "Why don't we?" He picked her up and twirled her again, grinning ecstatically. "Pinkie Pie, come with me! Stay with me forever, and we can plan parties and spread laughter all over Equestria!"

Suddenly Pinkie Pie realized what he was asking and froze. "Y-you mean leave Ponyville?"

Cheese's smile started to fade. "W-well yeah. That's how I live. I travel all Equestria and plan parties. With the two of us together, we could plan the most spectacular parties ever! Just think of all the joy and laughter we could spread!"

"But Ponyville is my home." Pinkie glanced out the window at her hometown. "I could never leave here..."

The stallion frowned. "But...Pinkie, I want you to come with me."

She turned away. "Let me think about it. I'll let you know by tonight, okay?"

Cheese deflated, and hung his head. "All right." He picked up his hat and threw his poncho over his shoulders, then walked slowly down the stairs and out the door.

Pinkie Pie watched him from the window until he was out of sight, then she dashed out the door and headed straight for Twilight's castle.

On the other side of Ponyville, Discord was awake and watching Fluttershy sleep. The night had been uneventful, but for some reason the pegasus seemed unusually pale this morning. He tried to tell himself it was because of the dim indoor light, but he couldn't help worrying. Besides, it was getting close to ten o'clock, and she was still sleeping soundly. Fluttershy never slept late. 

Finally, he knew he couldn't wait anymore, and gently slid out of bed. He went downstairs as quietly as he could, and found Angel Bunny. He picked the rabbit up by his ears and held him eye level. Angel glared at him and wiggled in his grasp, but Discord ignored his protests and took him upstairs. The bunny quieted down when he saw that his owner was still asleep, then glanced at Discord with a question in his eyes.

"I have to go," Discord told him in a whisper. "I want you to keep an eye on her, and make sure she's all right. If you have any trouble, blow this whistle." The draconequus produced a small silver whistle from behind Angel's ear. The bunny took it and saluted seriously. Discord smiled. "Thank you." He set Angel on the bed next to Fluttershy, then disappeared.

Because he had waited so long to see if Fluttershy would wake up, Discord didn't have time to fly to the Crystal Empire, so he gritted his teeth and teleported. He landed on the training field, and promptly collapsed.

Shining Armor trotted out of the castle at exactly ten o'clock. When he saw Discord sprawled on the grass, he hurried over and splashed him with water. He coughed and sat up, rubbing his head.

"Are you all right?" Shining asked.

Discord groaned. "Yes. I just teleported all the way here from Ponyville, and it takes a bit out of me when I teleport that far." He shook his head to clear the stars that circled it.

"You teleported from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire in one go?"

Discord nodded.

Shining Armor blinked. "Wow. I didn't realize just how powerful you are."

"Well I am the Lord of Chaos, you know." Discord rolled his eyes.

The white stallion coughed. "Yeah. You sure are. And you want to learn my protection spell...?"

"Yes."

"To protect Fluttershy?"

"You seem to have a brilliant grasp of the situation, Shining Armor. May the lessons commence now?"

Shining Armor smiled knowingly and nodded. "All right, here's the formula--" he handed Discord a piece of paper. "Performing the spell isn't really all that difficult, but making it strong enough to actually withstand an attack takes practice."

Discord read through the formula two or three times, then set the paper down.

"Ready to try?"

Discord nodded. Shining Armor pointed at a life-sized stuffed figure of a pony. "Try and cast a shield around that dummy."

Discord had trouble not making a snide remark about dummies, but he bit his tongue. He raised his eagle claw and concentrated. A magenta orb flickered around the stuffed pony, but quickly vanished. Shining Armor nodded approvingly.

"That was actually really good for a first try. Go again."

Discord managed to solidify the orb for a second, but then it flickered out again.

"Again."

The orb stayed longer this time.

"You're learning really fast. This spell took me years."

"It might have something to do with the fact that my magic is much more powerful than yours will ever be."

"Hey!"

"Master of Chaos!"

Shining grumbled. Discord smirked and tried the spell again. It held for even longer this time.

"Again."

The orb lasted almost a full minute this time.

"Again."

This time, when Discord cast the spell, Shining Armor picked up a rock and hurled it at the mannequin. It shattered the shield and bounced off the stuffed pony. Discord frowned.

"What was that for?!"

"To test the strength of the shield. If a rock can get through, anything can get through."

Now it was Discord's turn to grumble.

"Come on now, you'll get it. Like I said, you're already learning really fast. Try it again."

Another orb, another rock, another shatter.

"Again."

This time the rock bounced off the orb, which flickered out immediately afterwards. Discord and Shining Armor both cheered, and Discord thrust a triumphant fist into the air.

"Ha ha! She'll never have to be afraid again once I get this down!"

"You really care about her, huh?"

Discord froze, then glared down at Shining Armor. The stallion just smiled up at him.

"It's okay, you know. There's nothing wrong with being in--"

"I'm NOT! Why does everypony keep saying that?!"

"Because," said Shining Armor with another knowing smile. "You act the same way that I do with Cadance."

Discord stared at him blankly, his eyes widening as he realized the truth behind this statement. "You love her, don't you?" he murmured, mostly to himself.

"She's the light of my life," the stallion answered quietly. "If she would let me, I would use my protection spell on her at all times to keep her safe. I wanna make sure nothing ever happens to her."

"That's--that's what I--"

"That's why you want the protection spell, isn't it?"

Discord nodded silently.

Shining Armor smiled. "It's okay. I promise I won't tell anypony. And hey, if you ever need any advice, I used to have pretty awesome game back in my day--"

"If by 'game' you mean being the dorkiest pony I've ever met!"

Both of them looked up to see Cadance standing at the edge of the field, smirking at both of them.

"Sweetie! Um, how long have you been standing there?"

She walked over to them both, holding a tray of sandwiches with her magic. "Long enough to know that Discord is going to need more than just your help in winning Fluttershy's heart." Turning to Discord, she said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with us. And we'll do anything we can to help."

Discord had been standing stiffly during this entire exchange, and now he huffed. "I don't need any help winning her heart! Nopony said I even wanted to! I just want to make sure she's safe and happy!"

The ponies exchanged a look. "What makes you think the thing that would make her happiest isn't just being with you?"

The draconequus scoffed. "Oh, come on. She's the most beautiful pony in Equestria, what makes you think she'd ever be interested in me? Look at me!"

When nopony said anything, Discord continued.

"I'm not going to delusion myself, and I am far more interested in keeping her safe than in winning her heart, or whatever you called it!" He crossed his arms. "So can we just get back to learning this spell, please?"

Cadance glanced at the tray of sandwiches she was still holding. "Why don't you break for lunch?"

Discord groaned. "You two can eat. I'm going to keep practicing. I have to have this spell up and running by tonight."

Shining Armor and his wife went and sat on the sidelines and enjoyed their sandwiches, and Discord turned his attention back to the mannequin.

Pinkie Pie didn't wait for Flash Sentry to open the door for her, but went storming into the castle at full speed. "TWILIGHT!"

The princess looked up from her book on ancient magical creatures and frowned. "Are you okay, Pinkie?"

The earth pony collapsed into her throne, covering her face with her hooves. "Twilight, I am in the single most difficult situation any pony has ever had to face EVER!"

"What's wrong?"

"Well," Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and explained the whole story as quickly as she could. "Cheese Sandwich is back in town and he's been hanging out with me for the past two days and we've been cuddling and doing other stuff and then this morning he said he wants me to come with him on his tours of Equestria and we can party together forever, and oh, Twilight, I want to go with him because I think I love him but I can't leave Ponyville and I don't think he'll understand and I just don't want to tell him no because then I'll never see him again...AGAIN!"

Twilight stared blankly at her for a long time. "Is that where you've been the last two days? With Cheese?"

Pinkie nodded miserably.

The princess thought for a moment, then smiled. "I think he might understand more than you're worried about. Why don't you tell him how much Ponyville means to you? Maybe you two can work out a compromise."

"You really think he won't hate me forever if I tell him I don't want to go with him?"

"If he really cares about you, he won't want to make you as unhappy as leaving Ponyville would. I think you two can find a way to make it work."

The pink pony hugged Twilight tightly. "Thank you, Twilight. I'll talk to him about it."

As Twilight walked Pinkie out, she put a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't you worry. Everything is going to be oka--" she cut off as she ran face-first into the golden armor of her guard. She looked up at Flash with a blush and waved at Pinkie as she bounced away.

"Always bumping into you..." Twilight stammered.

Flash Sentry smiled at her. "You can bump into me anytime, Princess."
> Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun was dipping low in the horizon and Discord was still practicing. He had gotten good enough at Shining Armor's shield spell that he could activate it with his signature snap of the fingers, and maintain it indefinitely.

Presently, Shining Armor was assaulting the shield with various magical attacks, testing its strength. The stuffed mannequin inside the glowing orb remained unharmed. 

Shining Armor nodded approvingly. "I think you've pretty much got it down. Great job, Discord."

Cadance brought them lemonade, smiling at both of them. "Are you going to tell Fluttershy how you feel about her anytime soon?"

"No. Why would I?"

"So she knows?"

"Why would I want her to know? She would turn me away if I told her."

Cadance smiled. "I think you underestimate the bond between you two."

The draconequus huffed. Shining Armor just chuckled. "Well, whether you tell her or not, now you'll be able to keep her safe."

Discord smiled and shook the stallion's hoof eagerly. "Thank you, Shining Armor. This means so much to me. If you ever need anything, anything my magic can provide, you just let me know." He bowed before the ponies, and disappeared.

He flew back to Ponyville in his winged chariot; he was too tired from practicing the shield spell all day to even attempt a long-distance teleport. So he settled in to the cushioned seat and let the chariot do all the work.

As Discord rode south, a train left Ponyville Depot heading east, carrying Rarity, Spike, and three clothing racks full of golden lace dresses. The fabric was too delicate to be folded into a suitcase for transport, and so they had to be moved while still hanging up. Rarity could only move one rack at a time with her magic, but Spike could handle one in each claw, especially now that he had grown.

As they sat on the train, Spike noticed Rarity looking at him curiously. "What?" he asked.

"I'm still just a little confused about how you grew so quickly," Rarity admitted. "You don't seem to age the same way ponies do."

Spike shook his head. "Dragon aging isn't always chronological. We usually only get bigger if we've been practicing greed, like I did on my birthday a couple years ago, but mentally we mature at about the same rate ponies do. I guess my body just decided it needed to catch up, even though I  don't hoard things like normal dragons."

"And I'm certainly glad you aren't like normal dragons, darling," Rarity cooed, putting a hoof under his chin.

Spike blushed a little and smiled. "Maybe I'll start to just grow steadily, like a pony, since I'm basically a pony in every other respect."

"Oh, but you're much more than that, Spike!"

"Huh?"

"Well, you certainly still have some dragon about you, if you ask me. I mean, you're terribly strong for your size," Spike couldn't help but notice her dark blue eyes flicker down to his broadening shoulders, "And you do breathe fire, after all."

"But I don't have wings like most dragons."

Rarity tilted her head. "Maybe you're just a different variety of dragon. Not all dragons have wings, do they?"

Spike shrugged. "I dunno. Ponies don't know much about dragons, so it's tough to find anything out about them. Even Twilight couldn't help me figure out where I came from other than that she got me as an egg."

The unicorn thought for a moment, looking Spike over. For some reason she was having trouble taking her eyes off his rapidly developing body. "Was it Princess Celestia who gave you to her as an egg?"

"Yeah. So?" Spike was looking wistfully out the window, oblivious of the attention his physique was receiving.

"Well, she ought to know where you came from, then, yes?"

Spike's eyes widened, and he spun to face the beautiful pony sitting next to him. "Rarity, you're a genius!" he cried, wrapping her in a delighted hug. A second later, he realized that he was invading her space and released her, blushing furiously. When he looked up to apologize, he was shocked to see that she was blushing, too.

"A-anything for a friend," she replied, trying to make her smile look casual. "In fact," she added with a glance at her dresses, "Since you have been so kind in helping me get this order to Fillydelphia, why don't we just swing by Canterlot on our return trip?"

Spike's pupils dilated. "You'd go to Canterlot with me, to help me find out who I am?"

This time, Rarity's smile was completely natural. "But of course, Spikey-poo. It's the least I can do after all of the times you've been there for me when I needed you."

The dragon stared at her for a moment, trying to process the enormous generosity of her offer. A trip to Canterlot meant a lot of time out of her schedule, and he knew she was busy. And to go there just for him, it was almost unbelievable. "Thank you," he whispered finally.

She smiled warmly up at him and batted her long lashes. "Not at all."

Discord landed his chariot in front of the cottage and gracelessly disembarked. He knocked cheerfully on the door and waited for the gentle "come in," that always greeted him. Instead he heard silence. He knocked again. Nothing.

Finally, the door creaked open. Angel Bunny stood there, then beckoned for him to come inside. Discord frowned in concern. Where was Fluttershy?

He was answered by a chittering of animals, all grouped around the couch in the living room, where the timid pegasus lay asleep. Discord hurried to her side, scattering the small creatures. "Fluttershy!" he whispered, gently shaking her shoulder.

She whined and blinked, slowly looking up at him. Discord's eyes widened in alarm. Her pupils were nearly twice their normal size. Fluttershy looked at him curiously. "What?"

He blinked and shook his head to clear it. "Nothing. Have you been sleeping all day?"

Fluttershy yawned. "I guess so. Angel Bunny woke me up at one point to feed the animals. I guess I overslept. You had already left by then."

Discord nodded, trying to keep his concern from showing on his face. Why was she so sleepy? What was wrong with her eyes? Would a shield spell even be enough to keep her safe now?

The pegasus was yawning again. "Is it dinnertime already?"

"Yes. I'll take care of it tonight," Discord said, snapping his fingers. Two bowls of lettuce and one bowl of acorns appeared on the ground for the animals, and two plates appeared on the table. One held a lovely salad for Fluttershy, and the other was full of cotton candy, with a glass of chocolate milk to go with it.

The pegasus smiled. "Thank you, Discord." She got up and made her way slowly to the kitchen table. She picked at her food for a while, yawning frequently. Eventually she just put down her fork. "I think I'll go to bed early tonight."

Discord frowned, but said nothing. Even as weak as she was, Fluttershy still took the time to put all of her animals to bed before trudging upstairs herself. He followed her, waiting at her bedside to see where she wanted him to sleep tonight. But Fluttershy was so tired that she didn't even glance at him after she had gotten into her nightgown; she collapsed on her bed and was asleep in seconds.

Discord drooped. He didn't know what he had expected, but he had been looking forward to sleeping next to her again. Of course, he reasoned, he could still crawl into bed next to her. She was already asleep; she wouldn't know the difference. He shook his head. No, that would be invasion. He wouldn't join her in that bed unless she asked him to.

Somewhat reluctantly, Discord curled up on his round cushion on the floor next to her. With a snap of his fingers, he placed his shield around her. He smiled, content that she was safe for the night, and closed his eyes.

In Fillydelphia,  Rarity had arranged for a room to spend the night, since the train had arrived so late. She didn't think to ask for two separate rooms; Spike had always been allowed to sleep in the same room as the ponies. Of course, that had been before he had grown into a striking teenager. It didn't even bother her that there was only one bed.

She set about her nighttime tasks, while Spike quietly preened his scales, and curled up on the rug on the floor. When Rarity trotted out of the bathroom, he was already settled on the floor. Suddenly, Rarity bit her lip. Why had she never noticed before that they had always made Spike sleep on the floor, while they all had beds? He was almost bigger than the rug he was trying to get comfortable on. But there was only one bed, and the unicorn's ladylike sensibilities objected to any sharing. On the other hoof, her generous nature couldn't allow for him to sleep uncomfortably on the floor.

"S-Spike?"

He picked up his head from where he was coiled on the ground. "Yeah?"

"Why don't you take the bed tonight? That rug isn't big enough for you, dear."

The dragon stared at her. "What?"

Rarity gestured to the bed. "You can have the bed tonight. There's an extra pillow and blanket in the cupboard, and I'll fit on that rug much better than you do."

It took a moment for Spike to realize what Rarity was suggesting, and as soon as he did, he shook his head violently. "No way!" he insisted. "You take the bed. I'm used to sleeping on the floor, I'll be fine."

"Spike. I am not about to sleep comfortably in a bed while you sleep on the floor!" She used her magic to fetch the spare pillow and blanket from the cabinet and prepared to settle onto the floor.

But Spike shook his head again, and stood up. "No way, Rarity. You take the bed."

"Not while you're on the ground!"

Spike sighed. "I'm sorry for this," he said, then effortlessly picked her up and carried her to the bed. Rarity squealed in surprise, then struggled against his grasp. It was useless; years of carrying Twilight's books and Rarity's luggage had built an internal strength in Spike's arms that, now that he was larger, was more than enough to carry a pony.

"Spike! Put me down this instant!" she cried. Even in her indignation she couldn't help but notice the ease with which he carried her.

Spike smirked. "Okay." He shifted her to one arm and used his free claw to pull the covers back from the bed. Then he set her down gently on the sheets, and pulled the blanket over her. He tucked the covers around her and, after only a second of hesitation, he whispered, "Good night, Rarity," and kissed her on the forehead, at the base of her horn.

Rarity watched his face as he tucked her in, and blinked when he kissed her. "G-good night, Spike," she breathed, looking up at him with twinkling eyes. He smiled down at her, then turned back to his place on the floor.

He had settled himself back down again, when suddenly the spare blanket floated over him and covered him, and the pillow appeared under his head. The dragon smiled, glancing over at the bed, where Rarity smiled back at him, and closed her eyes.

As Fluttershy slept peacefully, this time Discord's dreams were invaded. He was in his old familiar world, with pink cotton candy clouds and buffalo dancing in ballet tutus. This wasn't strange; most of his dreams took place in the world as he considered "home."

What was strange was the presence of a filthy ape-like creature, sneering at him with pointed teeth. Discord growled back. "Alberich!"

He lunged for the invader, catching him by the throat. "What are you doing here?!" Discord demanded, his grip ever tightening. "If you so much as come near Fluttershy again I swear I'll--"

A squeak to one side made him pause. He glanced up to see Fluttershy there, staring at him, with something in her eyes that he had not seen in years.

Fear.

Discord dropped Alberich and ran to her, but she shrank from him in terror. He could see tears in her eyes, and she shivered visibly as his shadow loomed over her.

"No."

He sank to his knees, crawling toward her pathetically. "Fluttershy, it's me! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I wasn't going to hurt him, I just wanted--Fluttershy wait!"

She had turned tail and bolted, the sound of her crying still ringing in his ears. Discord collapsed, tears streaming down his face. Behind him, he heard a dark snicker.

Alberich was laughing at him. Discord gritted his teeth, and turned to approach his old friend. "You."

The alp kept laughing, grinning at him evilly. Discord snatched him by the neck and lifted him until his feet dangled from the ground. "She isn't here to see me now," he hissed menacingly. "I can take care of you--"

"And become the monster she already knows you are?" the alp finished for him with a wicked grin.

He froze, but only for a moment. He couldn't contain his anger any longer. With one swoop, he spun and threw the alp as far as he could, grimly watching him bounce and skid to a stop on the checkerboard ground.

"Feel better?" another voice asked behind him. He spun to face Princess Luna, who was watching him carefully, expressionless.

Instantly Discord was overcome with shame for what he had done, remembering the fear in Fluttershy's eyes and Alberich's words. "I--he--" He covered his face in his hands.

Luna smiled and approached him gently. "She doesn't fear you, my friend," she said.

He looked up at her. "How would you know?"

She gave him a knowing smile. "Yours aren't the only dreams I visit."

Discord scoffed. "What's a dream? They're lies. Um--no offense."

The Princess just laughed. "It's true, they aren't real in the same way the waking world is real. But they can reveal things that even your conscious mind may be afraid to admit. Yours tonight has shown you your greatest fear--the fear that you never really changed, and that Fluttershy still fears you."

He just looked at her; he had no words for the pain that the thought gave him.

"But dreams can also show a pony's deepest desires, as the protected Fluttershy's do tonight."

"And what would that be?"

Luna shook her head. "I cannot tell; her dreams are her own. But I can tell you one thing: if you continue to fear her, you will never know whether or not she still fears you."

"What is that supposed to mean? I'm not afraid of her, I'm in--" Discord stopped short.

Luna's image rippled. "Daylight. I must go." She spread her wings.

Discord sat bold upright on his cushion, staring blankly into space. He glanced over at the sleeping pegasus. There was no denying it anymore. He was head over heels in love with Fluttershy. And he was terrified to tell her.
> Sacrifice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the dresses safely delivered, Rarity and Spike were well on their way to Canterlot by the time the clocks struck nine. Spike had written a short letter to the princess asking for an audience and explaining the nature of their inquiry, and Celestia had responded that she would gladly see the two of them regarding Spike's origins.

The dragon could hardly sit still, and fidgeted excitedly, constantly glancing out the window at the approaching city. Rarity watched him with a small smile on her face, thinking that he looked especially adorable when he was excited.

"Thank you again for coming with me, Rarity." Spike's words brought her out of her train of thought, and she looked up to see him looking at her with the biggest grin she could remember seeing on his face.

She smiled warmly. "Don't mention it, darling. It's well worth it to see you so happy."

Spike blushed. "You're the best, Rares."

They were still smiling at each other when the train pulled into the station. As soon as the doors opened, Spike grabbed Rarity's hoof and practically dragged her out of the train.

Rarity squealed, then laughed. "Spike, dearest, do slow down just a touch!"

He chuckled and slowed his pace a little. "Don't suppose you want me to carry you the whole way, huh?"

The unicorn bit her tongue as she remembered the feeling of his powerful arms around her last night. "That would hardly be ladylike, Spike."

Laughing, Spike shook his head. "I know. I was teasing."

Rarity smiled up at him.

When they reached the castle, a guard showed them in to where Princess Celestia was waiting for them, and she rose from her throne to greet them. "Welcome, you two. It's always good to see you."

Spike and Rarity bowed to the princess.

"It seems you've hit a growth spurt, Spike."

"Yes, your Highness."

"You haven't been greedy lately, I hope?"

"Oh, not at all!" Rarity interjected. "He has been as generous as ever!"

Celestia chuckled warmly. "I'm glad to hear that. And now, I believe you have some questions for me?"

Spike nodded. "Twilight says she got me from you when I was an egg."

The princess nodded, encouraging him to continue.

"Well...I would like to know where you got me."

A guard trotted up, holding a large, leatherbound book with a golden figure of a unicorn on the front. Spike recognized it as the book of pony lore that contained the ancient history of Equestria and beyond. The princess took it and opened it, flipping to a page in the second half of the book. Rarity and Spike moved so they could see the page while Celestia narrated.

"As you know, the great dragon migration passes over Equestria once in every generation. This has been happening for thousands of years, even before the founding of Equestria. We ponies have always allowed them to pass through undisturbed, mostly for the simple reason that an angry dragon is not something even I could defend our citizens against."

Spike and Rarity both nodded in agreement; seeing the migration had given them a clear impression of how dangerous a group of dragons could be.

The princess continued. "However, during one migration, something strange happened. A single female dragon passed through Equestria on foot instead of in the air with the other dragons." She turned the page to reveal an illustration of a weary-looking dragon walking through pony towns while the rest of her kind flew overhead.

Spike gasped. The dragon in the illustration was wingless. "No wings..."

Celestia nodded. "Exactly. She was exhausted from keeping up with her tribe, and her burden was only compounded by the fact that she was with child."

Rarity made a small noise of sympathy. "Walking all that way, and pregnant! That poor dragon."

The next page showed Celestia approaching the grounded dragon, who was at this point coiled around a small purple polka-dotted egg.

"She could go no further, and laid her egg here, in Equestria. The other ponies summoned me to ask what they should do, but by the time I arrived, the dragon was already extremely weak."

Spike could see where this story was going. His eyes were already filling with tears. Rarity set a hoof on his shoulders.

"I tried to ask her if there was anything I could do to help, but I cannot communicate with dragons the same way your Fluttershy can. She did not understand me. But it seemed that she knew I wanted to help, because she placed her egg at my hooves. Then--"

Spike made a strangled sob. Celestia closed the book.

"M-my mother gave me...to you?" The tears were falling freely now.

The princess nodded. "But there is more to this tale. Your mother placed you in my possession over three hundred years ago. You remained dormant in your egg the entire time. I had tried to hatch you with my magic, but to no avail. I searched everywhere for an expert on dragons, but there was none to be found. All I could discover was an old legend that said a dragon egg could only be hatched by the loving magic of one who would be worthy to raise him."

"So you gave me to Twilight?"

"Not at first. You must remember, this was hundreds of years before she was born. For a while, I simply tried to keep you healthy and comfortable in your egg until I could find somepony worthy to hatch you. When I founded my school for gifted unicorns, I allowed each student a chance with the egg, to see if any of them were the pony to raise you."

"And Twilight did it," Rarity finished.

Celestia nodded, a maternal smile on her face.

Spike stood still, eyes wide but unseeing, trying to process everything he'd heard. "So is Twilight like my new mom?"

"I believe she can be anything you need her to be, Spike. She is the only pony who has the love and magic inside her to help you grow into the dragon you were meant to be."

The tears didn't stop, no matter how many times he tried to swallow them. Celestia wrapped a wing around him. Suddenly he turned and threw both arms around the princess's neck. "Thank you, your Highness. Thank you for telling me where I come from. I'm so lucky to have a family like Twilight and my friends!"

Rarity wiped a tear out of her own eye, smiling at the two of them. She was so glad she had come to Canterlot with him for this.

Discord didn't sleep after the dream, but he didn't move from his bed, instead sitting vigilantly watching over Fluttershy in her glowing shield. However, as the sun got higher in the sky and the pony didn't stir, Discord began to get nervous. Finally, he snapped the shield away and approached her.

"Fluttershy?" he whispered, gently touching her shoulder. The sleeping pegasus didn't move. "Fluttershy..." he repeated, shaking her a little. Nothing. "Fluttershy!" He picked her up carefully; she hung limp in his arms. He began to panic. He laid his head on her chest to make sure her heart was still beating; it was. He checked to see if she was still breathing. She was, but barely. Then he pulled back one of her closed eyelids, and instantly gasped in horror. Her pupils had dilated so much that they completely dominated her eye. Her entire eyeball was black.

"No, no no nononono! Fluttershy!" In desperation, he shook her again to try and wake her, but she remained unconscious. He gritted his teeth and looked around frantically. He didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. He gathered Fluttershy in his arms and disappeared, teleporting both of them to the throne room of Twilight's castle.

Twilight cried out in surprise when they appeared in front of her, but when she saw Discord's face and the limp pony in his arms, she immediately sprang to her feet. "What happened?!"

"I don't know, I just woke up and she was like this! I can't get her to wake up, and her eyes have turned black, look!" He gently pulled back her eyelid so Twilight could see. The princess gasped.

"I've never seen anything like this!" she said frantically. "It's like her pupils just took over her eyes! And she's practically catatonic, she's barely breathing! I have no idea how to handle this, what are we going to--"

"What do you MEAN you don't know how to fix this?! Isn't that what princesses are for?" Discord clutched Fluttershy's limp body in terror.

Suddenly, Twilight's face lit up. "That's exactly what princesses are for! Come on, we've got to get to Canterlot!"

Discord grabbed her with his tail. "Done!" With one tremendous effort, he teleported them all to the Canterlot throne room. He wobbled a little when they arrived, but stayed on his feet. The trip to Canterlot was much easier than all the way to the Crystal Empire.

Princess Celestia looked up in surprise, along with Rarity and a still-teary Spike.

"Twilight!" Spike cried, and dashed to her to throw his arms around her. 

Twilight embraced her dragon, but then hurried past him. "Princess Celestia, it's Fluttershy!"

All of them circled around the pony in Discord's arms. Celestia looked her up and down, listened to her breathing, then pulled back her eyelid and gasped. She whirled and commanded one of the guard to find Princess Luna immediately.

"Do you know what it is, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"I do. And I'm afraid Fluttershy's life may be in grave danger."

Discord's stomach turned to lead. His protection spell hadn't worked.

"I need you to gather the rest of your Ponyville friends as quickly as possible."

Twilight nodded and spread her wings, flying as fast as she could back to Ponyville. Spike noticed Rarity wobbling on her hooves and dashed to her side just in time to catch her as she swooned. Celestia looked worriedly at Discord, who was paralyzed with fear.

"Hold onto her, Discord. A warm embrace is the best thing we can do for her at the moment."

Discord looked up at the princess, then pulled Fluttershy to him as tightly as he dared, burying his face in her mane. How could he have allowed this to happen? This was all his fault. Now he might lose his Fluttershy, all because he hadn't been strong enough to protect her.

In a flurry of wings, Luna dashed into the throne room, and straight to Discord. He lifted his head and held Fluttershy so that Luna could look her over. When she looked at her eyes, a grim frown covered her face.

"The nightshade..." she whispered.

Celestia hung her head. 

Discord pulled Fluttershy closer. "What? What's the nightshade? What is it? How can we save her?"

The Princess of the Night closed her eyes and sat down, and took a breath. "The nightshade is a deadly magic. It allows a pony to enter the realm of dreams, permanently. However, it can only access this dream realm by entering it through the dreams of another pony."

Everypony looked at Fluttershy. Discord felt a spark of anger. "Alberich. He's using her as a vessel to access the land of dreams!"

Luna nodded. "In order for the spell to take full effect, the dreamer cannot awaken, or the connection to the dream world will be lost, and the dream traveler will cease to exist in either the dream world or the real world."

"Does that mean Fluttershy is never gonna wake up?" Spike asked.

"She will sleep until she dies."

"No!" Discord cried. "There has to be a way to wake her!"

"There is a way, but it will require the understanding of all of her friends to execute."


"When they arrive, we can proceed," Celestia said gravely.

Discord whimpered, looking down at the mare in his arms. "Not my Fluttershy..."

It took mere minutes for Twilight to round up the rest of the gang, along with Cheese Sandwich, who insisted on coming too. Pinkie Pie hadn't had a chance to talk to him about leaving Ponyville yet, and he was so concerned with how frightened Pinkie looked at the thought that Fluttershy was in trouble, that he wanted to be with her.

They took a hot air balloon instead of the train; it was faster when Rainbow Dash pulled it through the sky than traveling by ground. They arrived at the castle in less than an hour, and all rushed into the throne room, where the princesses had placed Fluttershy on a plush chaise lounge. Discord alternated between pacing nervously and hovering over her in concern.

When Luna had explained the situation to the ponies, they were all frantic to find a way to save her.

"Isn't there anythin' we can do?" Applejack asked.

"There is one thing." Luna looked down at all of them seriously. "Somepony must enter the dream realm and bring her back."

The ponies all looked at each other. "And how are we supposed to do that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Celestia brought forward a vial of a sinister-looking black liquid. "This potion will send the drinker to the dream realm."

"Then let's go! Time's a-waistin'!" Rainbow Dash flew forward and reached for the potion.

The princess pulled it out of her grasp. "There is one problem. Fluttershy must have a portal to return through. Whoever drinks this potion may be forced to remain in the dream realm forever."

"WHAT?" chorused seven voices at once.

"So one of us may end up sacrificing our lives to bring Fluttershy back?" Twilight asked.

Luna and Celestia nodded.

Everypony was silent for a moment. Then, Discord spoke.

"I'll go."
> Waiting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everypony started talking at once.

"No way are we sending him!"

"We're not even sure we can trust him!"

"I think I should go."

"Nothing doing, Twi. You're needed here."

"I'll go."

"Rarity, no!" Spike clutched her tightly.

"STOP!" Discord bellowed, silencing all of them. "None of you can go. Even without the Elements of Harmony, you six are important to the protection of Equestria. You need to stay together. If I get lost in the dream world, Equestria will hardly notice."

"Might even be better off--OW!" Rainbow Dash glared at Twilight, who had kicked her.

The draconequus hung his head. "You're right. This world doesn't need me like it needs you. I'm willing to make that sacrifice to bring Fluttershy back safely."

Applejack looked at him curiously. "Why?"

Discord blushed and cleared his throat awkwardly. Before he could say anything, Rarity stepped forward. "It doesn't matter why. If he can bring our friend back, then I think we owe him our gratitude for his bravery." She looked up at Discord and smiled. She had recognized the look on his face as the same one Spike had given her so often. As the one she had felt on her own face when Spike had kissed her forehead last night. Discord smiled back at her, silently thanking her for saving him the embarrassment.

Twilight nodded. "Rarity's right. Thank you, Discord, for being willing to do this for us."

"I'm doing it for Fluttershy."

"Whatever the reason," said Luna, "You are very brave, and we commend you."

Discord looked over at the princesses. "Any idea what I should expect when I get there? How do I bring her back?"

Celestia shook her head. "The land of dreams is a mystery."

"Even I can only visit dreams temporarily. And I cannot wake the dreamers. I will be able to speak to you and assist you every night, but not for very long." Princess Luna looked down at the sleeping Fluttershy sadly. "We depend solely on you. When the time comes, you will know what to do."

"Well, how do I begin?" Discord didn't like the idea of wasting time while Fluttershy slept on.

Celestia used her magic to bring forward a small couch. "You had best make yourself comfortable. You may be asleep for several days. We will make sure both of you are nourished, but even then you may have a week at most."

Discord looked from Celestia to the empty couch to the lounge where Fluttershy lay unconscious. He went to Fluttershy and coiled his body around hers, like a dragon guarding its hoard. If this was the last time he would see the waking world, he wanted to make sure he was holding her.

Luna brought him the potion, and he swallowed all of it with no hesitation. Then he laid his head down on Fluttershy's mane and closed his eyes.

The ponies stared at the two of them for a long time.

Finally, Rainbow Dash asked, "Now what?"

"Now we wait," answered Luna.

"Do you expect us to just go home?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash scoffed. "I'm not leaving her side!"

"I will arrange for all of you to stay here in the castle, so you can be near them," Celestia said. "It may be days before there is any change; we will post guards to watch them, and they will inform all of you if anything happens."

Everypony reluctantly trudged out of the room, except Rainbow Dash, who refused to leave. The guards gave each pony their own room, except for Cheese Sandwich, who said he would stay with Pinkie Pie. Spike, of course, was expected to stay in Twilight's room.

Tonight, however, nopony could sleep. Twilight paced her room nervously, alternating between staring at the floor and the ceiling. Applejack had decided to join Rainbow Dash in watching the sleeping couple. Spike, agitated by Twilight's pacing, shuffled out of the bedroom and down the stained-glass corridor. 

It always amazed him how many stories were contained on the stained-glass windows in the Canterlot throne room. Every momentous occasion in Equestria's history from the original defeats of Discord and King Sombra before Nightmare Moon's rampage, to the return of Princess Luna at the fall of Nightmare Moon, and everything since. The return of Discord to stone, Shining Armor and Cadance's victory over the Changelings, Twilight's coronation, even his own success in saving the Crystal Empire by bringing the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance. He smiled at little at his stained-glass self, his babyish figure and short limbs.

"Couldn't sleep?" a familiar voice asked behind him.

He spun. "Rarity, I--" He let his sentence trail off; he didn't need to explain. He had more to think about than even the other ponies. Receiving the news of his mother and Fluttershy in one day was unnerving.

The unicorn smiled at him, approaching him softly in her pink fuzzy house slippers. "You've had a big day, Spike."

He nodded sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's...it's a lot to take in."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Spike glanced over at her, then smiled softly. "How about over a cup of hot cocoa?"

Rarity grinned. "Sounds lovely."

The two of them went downstairs to the castle's kitchen, where Rarity lit the room with her horn as Spike mixed up two cups of steaming hot chocolate. Both of them sat down at the little wooden table.

"Now then, what's troubling you, Spikey-Poo?"

He smirked a little at the nickname, then sighed. "I guess I just wasn't really prepared for finding out about my mom, you know?" He shook his head, then rested it in one clawed hand. "I didn't dare to hope that Celestia would actually know anything, and I really didn't expect...well, what we got."

Tilting her head to try and see his face, Rarity asked, "Is that good or bad, dear?"

"I think it's good, it's just...too much. After seeing the way those teenage dragons acted that one time, I really didn't think I came from a mom who cared enough about me to give me to a pony to raise."

"Well, those dragons last time certainly were a bunch of ruffians. The brutes, wanting to smash an innocent phoenix egg... But your mother obviously loved you very much. And Twilight loves you, too. And I--" she cut off suddenly, biting her lip.

Spike looked up at her. "What?"

Rarity recovered quickly from her slip-up and replied, "And I for one am certainly glad that you are a part of our little family, Spike."

He watched her face for a while, which smiled at him warmly, affectionately. Finally, Spike smiled, too. "Me, too, Rarity. If Twilight hadn't hatched me, I never would have met you."

Rarity blushed.

Their cocoa finished, the two of them walked back upstairs together.

"Do you think you'll be able to sleep a little better now, Spikey-Poo?" Rarity asked when they arrived at the door to her room.

"Actually, can I ask you one thing?" Spike mumbled, holding his arms awkwardly behind his back.

"Of course, dear."

"Why do you always call me Spikey-Poo?"

Rarity laughed and blushed at the same time. "Well, for two reasons, in fact. The first is that I absolutely love giving you nicknames because it lets you know how special you are to me."

"And the second reason?"

She blushed again. "W-well, it's very simple. Just watch my mouth," she stepped forward until they were inches apart, "And repeat it after me."

Spike flushed at her closeness. "Uh...okay."

"Spikey..." Rarity began.

"Spikey..." Spike stared at her lips.

"Poo." Her mouth ended in a perfect pucker.

He understood, and his voice caught in his throat. She was so close.

"Go on," Rarity coaxed, imperceptibly moving closer.

"Poo--mm!" 

Rarity had closed the gap between them. For the sweetest of instants, his lips touched hers. Then it was over, she was smiling coyly at him, and disappearing behind her bedroom door.

"Goodnight, Spikey-Poo." And she was gone.

Two doors down, Cheese Sandwich was sitting on the bed watching Pinkie Pie pace the room.

"What if she doesn't wake up? What if when she wakes up, the dream has erased her memory and she doesn't remember any of us? What if she wakes up but she switches brains with Discord and thinks she's the Lord of Chaos? Why did Discord want to go in after her, anyway? What if he just went in to steal all her memories so he could rule Equestria again?! What if--"

"Pinkie."

She looked over at him, and took a deep breath. "Sorry."

Cheese smiled. "It's all right, my little filly. Why don't you come to bed?"

After a moment's deliberation, the pink pony sighed and crawled into bed next to him. He pulled her closer and snuggled his head into her wildly curly mane. She smiled and leaned against him. "Thanks for coming with me, Cheese. I can't tell you what a mess I'd be if you weren't here."

He smiled against her shoulder. "What else could I do? I love you, Pinkie Pie."

Pinkie froze, then squeezed him a little tighter. "I love you, too, Cheese."

Neither of them spoke, curling up on the bed. Pinkie laid still until she felt Cheese Sandwich's breathing slow down. Then she sighed and looked up at the ceiling with big, worried eyes. How could she tell him?

Twilight was about to put herself to bed when Spike stumbled in with an idiotic grin on his face. "Spike!"

He didn't respond, but walked to his bed and collapsed.

"Spike, what's gotten into you? What's with the dopey grin? Don't you realize the gravity of this?!"

"Rarity kissed me," he whispered, to himself.

"What?"

"Rarity kissed me!" It was shouted this time, and he leapt from his bed, thrusting a triumphant fist into the air. "Twilight, she kissed me! She kissed me!" He picked her up and spun her around and tossed her into the air. It took all of Twilight's wing skill to keep from crashing into the wall.

"Spike, calm down!" she ordered, landing gracefully on the ground and giving him a stern look.

"Calm? Ha ha!" Spike was bouncing all over the room. "How can you tell me to be calm at a time like this?"

"How can you celebrate at a time like this, Spike?! Fluttershy might die!"

That sobered him up. He stopped jumping and looked down at his claws. "Oh, yeah."

Twilight sighed. "Look, I'm happy for you. Both of you. But we have other things to worry about right now. Rarity will always be there for you. But right now we need to make sure Fluttershy is always there for all of us, too."

Spike nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He went to his bed and sat down.

The alicorn watched him, her expression softening. "By the way, why were you two in Canterlot?"

The dragon looked up. He had forgotten that he hadn't told Twilight about their trip. "Oh, we came to Canterlot to ask Princess Celestia if she knew where I came from, since she's the one who gave me to you as an egg."

"And?" Twilight walked over and sat down next to his bed. "What did you find out?" 

He took a deep breath. "Well, my mom didn't have wings." 

Twilight nodded. "That explains why you don't. Did Celestia know your mother?"

Spike looked at his claws. "Not really. But my mom gave me to the princess as an egg, cuz she...well, she..." The tears had started again. Twilight understood, and put a hoof around his shoulders. Spike smiled and leaned against her. "The princess said that my egg could only be hatched by someone with the love and magic to be able to raise me."

The alicorn looked up, then smiled down at him. "Lucky me, huh?"

Spike grinned. "Nah, no way, Twilight. I'm the lucky one."

They hugged tightly, tears pouring from both of their eyes.

"I hope I've been everything you needed, Spike," Twilight whispered.

"More than that. Thank you for everything."
> Reality
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord blinked several times, then shook his head to clear it. The world around him seemed fuzzy and out of focus, like a chalk drawing that had gotten wet. It wasn't anything like he had expected, nothing like the world he usually visited when he dreamed.

That's because this isn't just your dream, a voice answered his thoughts. Discord jumped and looked around him for the owner of the voice, and behind him, Alberich sat watching. Discord growled.

"Let her go."

Alberich tilted his head, and the voice came again, but his lips didn't move. Instead, the green jewel around his neck pulsed with light, is if it were the one speaking. Oh, I don't think so. We're having such a grand time dreaming.

Slowly, Discord's menacing growl turned into curiosity. He stared at Alberich's face, which seemed strangely unresponsive. "Alberich?"

The voice laughed. He can't answer you. You know as well as I do that he should have been dead a thousand years ago.

"What have you done to him? Who are you? What are you?" 

I am the Terror. The creator of nightmares. The fear of a dreamer gives me my strength.

Discord crossed his arms. "And you're stuck in a necklace? Some terror. Although Rarity might object to that shade of green."

The Guardian of the Night, Princess Luna, ripped me from my home in the world of dreams and cast me into the waking world, where I was forced to take refuge in the first home I encountered. It has taken me thousands of years to draw enough power from my host to make my way back to the dream realm.

"You used Alberich's dream powers to give ponies nightmares, and kept him alive for a thousand years to do it?"

I will admit it was quite the inconvenience to keep him alive. But he is at peace now, his physical body returned to dust.

"So he can carry you around the dream world instead?"

Of course not. I need simply re-establish my reality in the dream realm, and I will have whatever shape I choose.

"Establish your reality? What does that mean?"

Why should I bother telling you? You've trapped yourself here, so you can witness it firsthand! The image of Alberich faded, leaving Discord alone in the blurry world of dreams.

Discord squinted, as if it would make the world become clearer, but it didn't. How was he supposed to find Fluttershy in this fog? He stomped his goat foot impatiently, then spread his wings and started flying in large circles, surveying what he presumed to be the ground below. Eventually he saw a smudge of yellow and landed. "Fluttershy?"

The yellow thing's outline slowly sharpened, and turned its head. Discord still couldn't tell exactly who it was, but it was shaped like a pony, with smudges of pink where the mane and tail should be. "Fluttershy?" he asked again.

Two teal blue eyes blinked at him, and gradually, Fluttershy came into focus. Discord grinned in relief. "Oh, Fluttershy, I'm so glad I found you! Come on, we've got to get out of--Fluttershy?"

She stood perfectly still, blinking at him, with a look of complete confusion on her face.

"Fluttershy, it's me, Discord. We have to go."

She tilted her head back and forth, squinting at him. Finally, she spoke. "Go where? I can't really see you, but I'm glad to meet you anyway. How do you know my name?"

Discord's jaw literally hit the ground. He bent to pick it up and re-attach it to his head, trying to fight the shocked tears that were forming in his eyes. "It's me, Fluttershy."

"Me, who?" she asked innocently, looking at him with the sincere curiosity of meeting somepony for the very first time.

It took all of Discord's strength not to scream. She didn't remember him at all.

By the time Celestia had returned from raising the sun in the waking world,  every pony was already gathered around the sleeping Fluttershy and Discord. Rainbow Dash and Applejack hadn't budged from their vigils, though both of them showed signs of sleep deprivation. Spike and Rarity avoided each other's gaze, Cheese Sandwich constantly kept a comforting hoof around Pinkie Pie's shoulders, and Twilight had pulled every book from the library that so much as mentioned the word "nightshade" and was reading diligently.
Finally, Princess Celestia said, "There's nothing more we can do for now. You should all go and get something to eat." 
In ones and twos everyone dragged themselves away from the sleepers and trudged to the kitchen. Twilight went last, holding her book in front of her face with her magic. She didn't follow everyone else downstairs, instead  wandering back to the library where her pile of books was waiting. With furrowed brow she sat down at one of the solid oak tables and kept reading.

She didn't notice the hoofsteps in the room until a familiar voice called, "Twilight! There you are!"

The princess glanced up in confusion. "Flash?"

The guard looked worried and flustered, breathing heavily as if he had flown all the way to Canterlot at top speed. "I came as soon as I heard. Is there anything I can do?"

Twilight stared at him, trying to process his surprising appearance. Flash blushed under her curious gaze. Finally, Twilight nodded. "Thank you. I think some company might be wise under the circumstances." The guard smiled and saluted, standing at strict attention beside her chair. The princess looked at him, then used her magic to pull over a chair. "At ease, Captain."

Flash Sentry flushed and awkwardly seated himself. Twilight turned back to her book, and neither spoke for a long while. When she finished one, she set it aside and picked up the next of her large stack of books, Flash tilted his head. "What is all this?"

"The alp used some kind of spell called the nightshade to pull Fluttershy into the dream realm. I'm trying to find out everything I can about it, just in case Discord isn't successful in bringing her back."

"Want some help?" Flash asked.

Twilight turned to him and smiled. Her horn glowed as she picked up another book and set it in Flash's hooves. "Make note of anything that might help us get her back."

Flash Sentry saluted.

Downstairs with the others, neither Rarity nor Spike had spoken a word all morning. Both continually stole glances at the other, until Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes. "Hey Rarity, can you come with me? I found a big ol' knot in my mane this morning--" That was all she needed to say, and Rarity was shoving her up to the farm pony's bedroom.

When Applejack was sitting patiently in front of the vanity allowing Rarity to drag a hairbrush through her mane (which admittedly hadn't been brushed for some time), she asked, "What's goin' on with you an' Spike, Rares?"

Rarity almost dropped the hairbrush. She stammered as she tried to recover. "W-why, whatever do you mean, darling?"

"I saw the way you were lookin' at him over breakfast. An' the way he was lookin' at you. I know he's had it for ya since the first moment he saw you, but I've never seen you look at him like that."

Rarity flushed a deep red. "Well, he's grown up so much recently, and..."

Applejack sighed again. "Have you really thought about this? You know how much he cares about you, you don't want to hurt him by making him think somethin' that isn't true."

The hairbrush stood still as Rarity stared at her hooves. "You're right. I've been terribly thoughtless. I do care about Spike, more than I ever realized, but that doesn't give me license to act as I please with him. He deserves somepony who will treat him with respect, and earn his respect in return."

Applejack smiled and set a hoof on her shoulder. "I think you two could be real happy together, but you need to remember that any relationship is a give and take. Jus' like bein' sisters with Sweetie Belle, you gotta be apple pie."

Rarity smiled. "Thank you, Applejack. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you to help me see when I'm getting ahead of myself."

"Of course, sugarcube. Now why don't we head back down to breakfast?"

"Wait! Your mane isn't finished yet! Sit back down!"

Applejack groaned good-naturedly and let the makeover continue.

In the dream realm, Discord had withdrawn from Fluttershy and sat some distance away, watching her. From the way she moved, he could tell that she was having as much trouble seeing as he was. Why, then, was her form so clear to him but his was not to her?

He frowned, thinking over the conversation with the Terror to see if there was a clue in the creature's words. What had he said last? That he needed to establish his reality. Discord huffed. "What in the world does that mean?"

This was the dream realm; nothing was real! How could the Terror be real in a world full of fuzzy edges and blurry colors? The only real thing in this world was Fluttershy--

Fluttershy. Discord turned to watch her as she wandered in the dream realm. Her edges were sharp. He could see her as clear as day, standing out against the blurry background in full focus. Because she was real.

"But I'm real, too!" he insisted, pacing in agitation and pulling out fistfuls of his mane. "Why can't she see me?!" He summoned a tree to bang his head against, only to discover that it was blurry, too. Discord groaned. "Stupid dream world!"

He snapped his fingers and the blurry tree vanished, and he started pacing again. Suddenly an idea occurred to him, and he snapped his fingers. A chair appeared in front of him: blurry. He snapped it away. He summoned a mirror. The edges were blurry, but his own reflection was clear as could be. 

"So it's only the things that I know are real..." he mused. "Since Fluttershy doesn't seem to remember me, maybe she thinks I'm just a dream, too!" His reflection grinned and reached out of the mirror to pat him on the back.  Discord jumped up and clicked his heels. "That means all I have to do is convince her that I'm real!"

Elated, he snapped the mirror away and turned to Fluttershy. He was running toward her full throttle when he stopped himself short. "Now, how in Equestria am I supposed to do that?"
> Introductions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie couldn't stop pacing. She had asked Cheese Sandwich for some time alone, and had gone out to the castle gardens to think. The pink pony had more on her mind than just Fluttershy. She still hadn't talked to Cheese about leaving Ponyville to go on a party tour with him. The more she thought about it, the more she knew she couldn't leave her friends, but the more pain she felt at having to see Cheese Sandwich leave again without her.

Finding herself in a patch of tulips, Pinkie flopped down onto her stomach and sighed miserably. "What am I gonna do?" she asked a ladybug who was making its way up a nearby stem.

Rolling over onto her back, she groaned. "I know exactly what I'm gonna do, and I really don't want to do it!"

"Do what?" asked a voice, and the tulips bent in the breeze of Rainbow Dash's wings as she landed next to the distraught Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie covered her face with her hooves. "I have to tell Cheese Sandwich that I can't go with him to party all over Equestria because I can't leave Ponyville because it's where my friends are and it's my home and I just don't want to tell him because then he's gonna leave without me and then I'll be miserable again because I love him and I'm already miserable because I know I have to tell him and I don't want toooo!" she wailed pathetically.

Dash stared at her for a moment, letting her sobs slow down. "He asked you to travel Equestria with him?"

Pinkie nodded. "Mhm."

"Did he say you'd have to leave Ponyville forever? Because that's how you're making it sound."

The pink pony sniffed. "Well...I just thought--"

"--Cuz I mean, he's gotta have a base camp somewhere, right? Where else does he keep all that crazy stuff like that giant party cannon and the hippopotamus and enough fruit punch to fill a lake?"

"What?"

"All I'm saying is I bet he has some kind of permanent residence somewhere. It just makes sense. Where does he go when no one in Equestria is having a party?"

Pinkie Pie wiped her eyes, thinking it over. "Hm..."

"What if he moved that base to Ponyville? That way you could see him in between parties, and go with him some of the time, without being gone all the time."

Rainbow Dash cried out as Pinkie Pie suddenly tackled her with a hug. "Rainbow Dash, you're brilliant!" she squealed, squeezing her friend until the pegasus had to tap her arm for air.

"No--" she gasped, "--problem." She smiled as Pinkie zoomed away to find Cheese and ask him about moving to Ponyville, then took off back into the sky.

Inside the castle, a pair of guards was very carefully spooning broth into Fluttershy and Discord's mouths. It had been over twelve hours now since Discord had followed Fluttershy into the realm of dreams, but since Fluttershy had gone under long before Discord had, they weren't sure how long she had left. Already her face was ghastly pale, and her breathing was getting shallow. The guards did their best to keep both sleepers fed, but it would take more than food to keep them alive.

In the dream world, Discord was trying to come up with a plan. How could he convince her that he was real and the rest of this world wasn't? Simply explaining it to her wouldn't work; she'd just think he was crazy. Somehow he had to get her to believe in him of her own free will.

He glanced over at her, watching her as she wandered. He ached to run to her and scoop her into his arms and carry her away from this place, but she didn't know him, and he couldn't bring himself to kidnap her outright. Besides, he wasn't sure it would work.

However, he knew he couldn't just sit here and think. Time was running out, and he needed to get Fluttershy out of here before the nightshade locked her permanently in the dream realm. So he stood up and walked cautiously over to her.

"Fluttershy?" he murmured tentatively.

She turned around, her eyes somewhat unfocused, as if she couldn't tell where his face was. "Yes? Are you the one who spoke to me earlier? You ran away so quickly I didn't hear your name."

Discord suppressed the pain of  her ignorance and replied, "Yes, that's me. My name is Discord. I'm very pleased to...meet you." It wasn't a meeting, but she didn't know that. He offered his eagle claw for her to shake. She went to take it, but instead her hoof passed straight through him. Discord blinked. "What--" 

He reached his claw up and gingerly tried to touch her mane, but he couldn't make contact; his claw passed through her like a ghost. Getting desperate, he attempted to touch her face, with no success. "Can you feel that?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

Fluttershy shook her head. "No. It's like you're not really there."

"But you can sort of see me, right?"

She nodded. "You're blurry, but I can tell that you're tall and mostly brown. I think your head is gray, though."

It was little comfort to know that he was only visible as blobs of color, but at least he was visible at all. A thought struck him. "Well, what if I tell you what I look like? I can describe it in great detail, and then you can imagine what I look like instead of just a blur."

Fluttershy beamed. "That would be perfect!" she squealed, and promptly sat down on her haunches and closed her eyes, ready to imagine.

"Well," Discord began, "My head and neck are gray, and I have a short black mane. My eyes are yellow with red pupils, and I have one dragon fang in my mouth. The rest of my teeth are normal."

"Which side is the dragon fang on?" Fluttershy asked.

"The right side. I have bushy white eyebrows and a white goat's beard. I also have one deer antler and one goat horn on my head."

Fluttershy looked confused by this point. "What kind of creature are you, exactly? I've never heard of anything like you're describing."

Discord grimaced. "I'm a draconequus," he said. "I'm the only one in Equestria."

"There used to be more of you?"

"Oh, not here in Equestria. I came here by myself."

"Where are the other draconequus-es?" Fluttershy stumbled over how to make 'draconequus' plural.

"We came from a land far, far away. But that was thousands and thousands of years ago."

"Wait, then how old are you?"

Discord paused. He had stopped keeping track of that some time ago. "I'm not sure. Probably close to twenty thousand by now."

"Twenty thousand...?"

"Give or take. Draconeqqui are immortal."

"Wow."

Discord blushed. "I--well--yes, we're immortal. So are alicorns, you know. And dragons live practically forever. It really isn't all that rare."

"But still! Twenty thousand years old? You must have seen and done so many things!"

Not many you would approve of, thought Discord bitterly, but he just coughed and hurried along. "Yes, well. We digress. The rest of my body from the neck down is brown, and very long--like you said, I'm tall. My right arm is a lion's paw and my left arm is an eagle's claw. My right leg is a green lizard's leg, and my left leg is a goat leg, complete with cloven hoof. My tail is a snake tail with red scales, and at the end of it is a little tuft of white feathers."

"Are all draconequus--um, are all of your kind like that?"

"Like what?"

"All mixed up like that."

"Oh, yes! That's part of what makes us draconequui! We're all made up of different parts, not one of us looks like another."

"Then how do you know there aren't others in Equestria that just look different?"

"I would be able to sense them with my magic."

"You have magic?"

Discord winced. He had almost forgotten that Fluttershy still had no idea who he was; it was just so easy to talk to her. Mentally, he kicked himself for getting too comfortable. Then he took a deep breath and continued. "Yes, I have very powerful magic. Draconequi  are creatures of chaos, and we have magic to match."

"Chaos?"

"Yes, you know, randomness, confusion, disharmony..." he trailed off as Fluttershy's face began to look worried. "Oh, I'm not dangerous or anything! I would never hurt you, Fluttershy." He bit his lip as he remembered that it was his failure to protect her that had landed them both here in the first place. "Never."

Fluttershy relaxed a little, and Discord had an idea. "Here, why don't you let me show you? Tell me something you like, anything. A flower, a food, a certain type of music, anything at all!"

Discord bounced on his toes eagerly as she thought. "Well, um, I like tulips..."

With a snap of his fingers they were surrounded by a field of multicolored tulips. Fluttershy gasped. Discord groaned slightly. Every single one of them was as blurry as the rest of the world.

"Are they tulips?" Fluttershy asked, trying to touch one and finding her hoof pass straight through it without even bending the stem.

Discord sighed. "Yes, they are. I had hoped they would be a little more real..."

But Fluttershy just smiled. "Oh, that's all right. I remember what tulips smell like, and I can imagine their pretty little flowers."

For a moment, Discord was still, watching her with a small smile on his face. Eventually, she turned back to him with wonder in her eyes. "Can you make anything appear? Just like that?"

Discord shrugged. "There are limitations, but pretty much."

"Will they all be blurry like that?"

He groaned. "Probably. In the real world they're not, but it seems like everything I do here isn't completely real."

Fluttershy looked perplexed. "The real world?"

"Don't you remember the place you lived in before you came here?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't know you came from there."

"Your friends sent me to bring you back."

"Back?"

"To the waking world."

Fluttershy blinked. "You mean, like just wake up?"

Discord nodded hopefully. Somewhere in his gut he suspected it wouldn't be this easy, but he desperately wanted to be wrong. With bated breath, he watched as Fluttershy closed her eyes and concentrated. Her image started to ripple...and then solidified.

Discord's face drooped as she opened her eyes again, still firmly in the dream realm.

"What's the matter? Why didn't it work?"

Fluttershy shook her head, putting a hoof to her temple. "I can't wake up."

Discord stiffened. "WHAT?!"

"I--I can't wake up." Fluttershy was starting to look frightened. "My waking self isn't strong enough."

The ground beneath Discord literally crumbled. He flapped his wings and hovered over the blurry hole in the ground. He racked his brain frantically, trying to find a loophole. "Um--um--take my body! My waking body is right next to yours! You can have it!"

Fluttershy looked at him curiously. "How can your body be right next to mine when I've never met you until I came here?"

"But I'm there, Fluttershy, I swear! I'm real, just like you! I--I--" he choked back the tears that were forming in his throat as he recognized the disbelief on Fluttershy's face. "What will it take to convince you that I'm real?"

The pegasus frowned. "I don't know. I've never had this problem before. I wish I could see you," she sighed.

Discord groaned, knowing that the only way she would be able to see him was if she believed he was real. Despair started to set in, weighing on his joints and bringing him to his knees, then onto all fours. He was almost ready to give up and collapse when he caught a glance of the fear on Fluttershy's face. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and forced himself to stand upright. "Don't worry, Fluttershy. I'll find a way to get you out of here. I promise."

Fluttershy's eyes turned upwards, and Discord could have sworn he was looking directly at his face. "Thank you, Discord."
> Falsehood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I have an idea."

Fluttershy and Discord had both been pacing the blurry landscape trying to think of a way to make Discord real and get Fluttershy back to the waking world. At her words, Discord looked up hopefully. "You do?"

"W-well, you described to me what you look like, why don't you tell me about who you are in the real world? Did you know me before I fell asleep? What did you do? Where do you live?"

Discord stared at her blankly for a moment, then his face lit up. "I could do that! I first came to Equestria a thousand years ago--" he suddenly stopped himself short. He probably shouldn't begin by telling her that he had attempted to take over Equestria, twice. In fact, why should he bring that up at all? She didn't know anything about him; he could edit his story as much as he chose. 

She was looking at him expectantly. "Oh, goodness, that's so long ago. I guess being immortal takes some getting used to, doesn't it?"

He chuckled. "Well, the chaos magic comes in handy for that. It keeps things from getting too boring."

Fluttershy giggled. "Do you make silly things appear sometimes?"

"Oh, all the time! I can make fish that fly and birds that swim! I can make clouds out of cotton candy that rain chocolate milk! Oh, Pinkie Pie loved that one..."

"You know Pinkie Pie?"

"I know all of your friends, Fluttershy. I know Applejack and Rainbow Dash and Rarity and Spike and Princesses Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and Cadance. I know Shining Armor, too. He taught me his protection spell, although it obviously didn't work..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I tried to protect you from the nightshade, but you got pulled into the dream realm anyway. It seems I'm not really a very good protector..." Discord hung his head.

But Fluttershy just blinked at him, her eyes vaguely following the movement of his head. "Why were you trying to protect me?"

"To keep you safe," Discord replied flatly.

Fluttershy frowned, but didn't press it. "You said you knew all of my friends, and that they sent you here. How did you get here?"

"Princess Luna had a potion that sent me here."

"So how are you going to get back after you send me back?"

Discord paused. She understood. 

"Why are you doing this for me?"

"To keep you safe," Discord repeated. Even though he knew this Fluttershy didn't know anything about his past, he couldn't bring himself to tell her why he was willing to sacrifice his physical existence for her.

Fluttershy watched him, wishing she could see the expression on his face; she could tell by the tone of his voice that he was hiding something. But she didn't want to press him, so she changed the subject. "Y-you've been in Equestria for a thousand years?"

"More or less."

"Where did you stay all that time?"

"...in Canterlot." He neglected to add that he had spent the majority of that time as a stone statue in the Canterlot sculpture gardens.

"Did you talk to the princesses much?"

"Some. Luna was banished shortly after I arrived, so I really didn't get to spend much time with her, but Tia and I used to hang out."

"Tia?"

Discord sighed. "Luna used to call her that before she was banished, and I picked it up because I liked the way it sounded. It's so much easier than Celestia."

"Did the sisters seem to get along before Luna was banished?"

"For the most part, yes. Luna was actually pretty young when she was  banished. She grew up a lot while she was on the moon, if you ask me."

"Well, a thousand years is a long time."

Discord shrugged. "Not so long when you live forever, but yes, it is a while."

Fluttershy paused, looking as if she were working out a difficult problem in her head. "Does time pass differently for immortal creatures? Like, you know how some ponies talk about 'dog years' as different from pony years."

Now it was Discord's turn to stop and think. "I guess you could equate a thousand years to an immortal as one year to a mortal pony...roughly. It doesn't quite work that way, but that's the closest I can think of."

Fluttershy sat thinking for a moment, trying to understand.

"We mature mentally at the same rate you do, but physically that's about what it feels like."

"What did you do in Equestria for a thousand years?"

The question he had been dreading. "Well, I stayed in Canterlot for most of it. I spent a lot of time in the gardens..."

"You like gardens?" The delighted look on her face made him feel slightly sick.

"Yes, I..." he gritted his teeth and lied. "I love gardens. Tulips and daisies and roses and those little purple ones..."

"Violets?"

"Yes, those."

"What flowers are your favorite?"

Discord hesitated. He didn't have a favorite flower. He didn't give two shakes about flowers. But he knew Fluttershy's favorite flower. "Tulips, definitely."

Fluttershy gasped. "Those are my favorite too!"

"I know."

She stopped to stare at him. "Huh?"

"I know you in the waking world, remember? You're actually..." he took a deep breath. "You're actually my best friend."

Her eyes widened. "Really?"

Discord nodded silently.

She reached for him to touch his paw, but her hoof passed through him again. Discord sighed. He wasn't making any progress, it would seem.

"Tell me about us."

Discord looked down at her to see her teal eyes shimmering up at him in hope. He smiled a little.

"Y-you're the best friend I've ever had. You were the first of your friends to accept me, and to forgive my--um, mistakes." Discord bit his lip, scolding himself for almost slipping and revealing his past to her. "We have tea every Wednesday, and sometimes you let me help you feed your animals. Even Angel Bunny likes me."

"Angel Bunny?" Suddenly  she looked distressed. "Oh, dear! Who's taking care of him while I'm asleep?"

"I'm sure they have someone looking after the animals. Maybe they put the Cutie Mark Crusaders in charge." He winked at her. The look of horror on her face at the idea of the three hyperactive fillies attempting to care for her animals made him chuckle. When she realized he was kidding she laughed, too.

"You really do know everypony from Ponyville, don't you?"

Discord nodded. When she didn't respond, he realized she couldn't see him and replied aloud, "Yes, I do."

"How did we meet?"

Discord flinched. "Um...you and your friends were looking for the Elements of Harmony, and I...told you where they were!" It was a half-truth. He had told them, in riddles, where they would find the Elements after he had stolen them.

"And we were friends after that?"

"Well, I went back to Canterlot for a little while, but eventually Tia sent me to Ponyville to...make friends."

"Sort of like she did for Twilight?"

"Yes! Exactly!" He breathed a silent sigh of relief. She believed him.

A cough over his shoulder made him jump, and he spun to discover Princess Luna looking at him  seriously. Discord grinned, and opened his mouth to greet her, but she shook her head and silently gestured for them to talk privately. He turned to Fluttershy.

"Um...would you excuse me for a moment?"

Fluttershy nodded politely, and Discord darted away, followed by Luna.

When they were a safe distance away, he turned to her. "Any news from outside?"

Luna looked grave. "She's getting weaker. Your time is running out."

He nodded. "I know. She tried to wake herself up but she said her body wasn't strong enough. I offered for her to take my body, but she can't take it because she doesn't think I'm real." He didn't try to disguise his pain in front of the princess. "She doesn't remember me at all."

Luna thought for a moment. "It may be the Terror's way to prevent you from rescuing her. You must convince her otherwise."

"I'm trying! I've been telling her about myself, about our friendship."

"All of it?"

"Well...no. Only the good parts."

"So the story you're telling her isn't real."

"It is too!" Discord stomped his hoof. "I haven't said anything that wasn't at least partially true! Except for the part about loving flowers..."

"How do you expect her to know you're real when who you're trying to be to her isn't really you?"

He stopped, his eyes wide and his mouth blank. "But she'll hate me if I tell her everything I've done!"

"Are you so sure?"

"Yes!!"

Luna just looked at him. "You will never be real to her unless you're real to yourself."

The draconequus was getting frustrated. "Nothing here is real! I'm not even sure anything at all is real at this point!"

"Do you remember what I told you about fear?"

"You said I was afraid of her."

"Are you still?"

"I never was!"

Luna shook her head. "Then I cannot help you." She turned away as her image began to fade. "Just remember," she said over her shoulder. "Only love is real."

And she was gone.

Discord snorted. "Riddles! Always riddles!" It was infuriating. He paused for a moment, and smirked. So that's what ponies felt like when he used riddles on them. Delightful.

"Discord?" Fluttershy's sweet voice pulled him from his reverie. He turned to her, smiling.

"Yes, my dear?"

"How come my friends didn't forgive you as quickly as I did, like you said?"

He looked down at her, taking in her huge, sparkling eyes, looking up at him with innocent curiosity. Luna's words echoed in his head.  Until he told her the real story, he would never be real to her. He took a deep breath.

"Have a seat, Fluttershy."

She sat obediently.

"Let me tell you what really happened..."
> Connections
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle had gone through three more books by the time Flash Sentry finished the one she had assigned him. It was hard for him to focus when she was so close to him, when he could watch her eyes flash and sparkle with intelligence as she scoured the book for answered against the nightshade. He did try his best to concentrate on his work, but he kept glancing up at his princess.

"Find anything?" she asked suddenly, her voice startling him as he scrambled to look busy.

"Uh...no, I haven't found anything yet, Your Highness."

"My name is not Your Highness."

"Princess?"

"That's not it either."

Flash Sentry blushed furiously. He considered it respectful to address her by her titles, not to mention that it eliminated the risk of familiarity between guard and princess. But now Twilight was looking at him with a good-natured smile and asking that he use her first name. He swallowed hard. "T-Twilight."

Her smile widened, and she nodded. "Flash."

His blush deepened and he trained his eyes on his book.

Down the hall, Pinkie Pie took a deep breath and approached her lover. "Cheese?"

The yellow pony looked up from tuning his accordion and smiled. "Hello, little filly."

Another deep breath. "We need to talk."

Cheese Sandwich's smile instantly vanished. "What's wrong, Pinkie?"

"If I go with you to party around Equestria, would I never be able to come home and see Ponyville?"

"Of course not. And you don't have to come with me on every single party tour."

"Do you have a place where you live when you're not partying?"

"Sure do. I'm from Manehattan originally, and I drop in on my folks when there aren't any parties going on."

"So why don't you drop in on Ponyville in between parties instead?"

Cheese Sandwich paused for a moment, as if working out a problem in his head. Then he cackled delightedly and picked Pinkie up and twirled her around. "That's genius, Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie squealed at being picked up, and returned her lover's gleeful embrace. When he set her down, he pulled her face to his and kissed her eagerly, smiling against her mouth even as he pulled her closer. He left his accordion sitting on the floor as he and Pinkie raced each other to their bed.

When Rarity finally allowed Applejack to leave her beauty session, the cowpony's mane was tangle-free, deep-conditioned, and freshly styled. She immediately trotted back to the room where Fluttershy and Discord slept, and she found Rainbow Dash already there, sitting stiffly on the floor and watching the sleepers with dark-rimmed eyes.

"Rainbow," Applejack murmured, going to her friend. "You should sleep."

"No."

"It's been two days. You need to rest."

"I'm not leaving her." She forced herself to blink, making her eyes sting and water. Applejack set a comforting hoof on her shoulder, and Rainbow eventually leaned against her.

"Come on, RD. The guards will take care of her. You won't be any use to 'er if you're too tired to help."

She sighed. "Okay." The rainbow pegasus allowed Applejack to lead her down the hallway to her room and tuck her into bed. Almost as soon as her head hit the pillow her eyes closed and she started snoring.

Rarity put her brushes away and went back downstairs; she knew it wasn't ladylike to eat too much, but the whole business with Fluttershy and her entanglement with Spike was making her hungry. When she arrived in the kitchen, she found it empty except for a purple dragon, whose feet no longer dangled from his seat at the table. She almost turned around to retreat, but Spike looked up and mumbled, "Hey."

The white unicorn put on her most polite smile and walked cautiously into the room. "Oh, hello...Spike." She tried to avoid his gaze, but something nagged at the corner of her eye and she had to look. "Have you grown since last night?"

Spike looked down at himself. "Yeah, a little bit."

She frowned in confusion. "That was awfully fast, wasn't it?"

He shrugged. "Well, I got something I've always wanted last night, didn't I?"

Rarity stared at him. "You mean...you grew because of...of...?"

"Yep. It's part of the greed thing, you know?"

"Then we shouldn't---" Rarity was horrified at the thought that her affection could cause him to turn into the rampaging greedy dragon he had become on his last birthday.

"Don't worry about it, Rarity." Spike stood up from his chair and took his coffee cup to the sink. Once he was standing it was apparent that he was a full head taller than Rarity now, when only a week ago he had matched her in height. 

Rarity squeaked in protest. "Don't worry?! How can I not worry that just one little kiss might turn my little Spikey-Wikey into...into..." She wobbled, ready to faint.

Spike set a stabilizing arm around her shoulders, and Rarity was painfully aware of his muscles holding her upright. "It's fine, Rarity, really. We don't have to ever do anything again. I don't want to grow into what I could become."

"But--" Rarity stopped short. She had no idea what to say, but for some reason every part of her being cried out in protest. To never be able to hold her Spike again, to never again experience the cool smoothness of his draconic lips against hers, she wasn't sure she'd be able to stand it. The night after she kissed him, her dreams had been filled with images of him, of his new adult body, of his muscles and his masculine face, even his teeth...

She shook her head. "No, Spike. It isn't that simple."

He looked down at her. "Huh?"

Her dark blue eyes shone as she turned her face to him. "I don't want to let you go that easily. You're not the only greedy one, Spike." She very gently leaned against his chest, letting her eyes slide closed as she listened to his heartbeat.

Spike stiffened subtly. "B-but, if I grow like this every time you kiss me..."

Rarity frowned. "I suppose that's true. I wonder if there's a way to get around that."

"Get around what?"

The two looked up suddenly to see Princess Celestia strolling down the stairs, looking at them with soft curiosity in her face. Rarity and Spike quickly jumped out of each other's arms, both of them coloring in embarrassment.

"I--well, um, I don't want to keep growing," Spike explained, tactfully leaving out the cause of his sudden growth. "I know how big dragons can get and I want to stay about the same size as my friends."

Celestia smiled as she moved past the couple to the kitchen counter, pulling a banana away from the bunch with her magic. "Don't you grow the most when you practice greed?"

"Yes, but..."

"Well, what if he receives something that he likes? Like a...gift."

"I don't see why that should cause a problem."

"What about...physical affection?"

Celestia calmly threw the peel of her banana into the trashcan, taking a bite of the fruit. "Is this affection a gift?"

Rarity and Spike glanced at each other. "Yes."

"Then again, there shouldn't be a problem."

"But there is."

The princess chewed thoughtfully. "Then was it really a gift?"

Both pony and dragon stared at her. Celestia finished her banana, smiled at the two of them, and went back upstairs.

The two of them looked at each other.

"I don't understand." Rarity stood, perplexed.

Spike shrugged. "Maybe we should just think about it for a little while."

She nodded absently, then walked back upstairs, leaving Spike alone with his thoughts.

He trudged outside into the courtyard, looking for a pebble to kick, one of his favorite things to do while thinking. With his eyes on the ground, he got full view of his reflection when he came across the pond. Spike stopped and looked at himself. He was almost three times his original size now, with broad shoulders and a muscular frame. HIs snout had lengthened, and he had grown at least twelve new teeth to fill his larger mouth. Even his spikes had started to sharpen. He was looking more and more dangerous every day.

What did Celestia mean when she asked if the kiss had truly been a gift? He hadn't been expecting it, and he certainly hadn't taken it from her by force, like he had with the things he had stolen the last time he got greedy.

Spike sighed and found a pebble, kicking it around the courtyard. What were the other elements of a gift, besides it being freely given from one pony to another? Gifts made the recipient happy. That was the point of them, actually. And Rarity's kiss had certainly done that. He had been deliriously happy all night.

Then he remembered Rarity's face when she saw how he had grown. It hadn't made her as happy as it had made him. He had taken that kiss. He had only been thinking about himself, about the joy of finally having her.  He hadn't given a single thought to how she felt about it. Love wasn't one-sided. It had to make both sides happy. It wasn't enough for him to be obsessed with her because he wanted her. He had to want her happiness more than anything.

Spike looked back towards the castle. So that's what the princess meant. He grinned widely and hurried back towards the castle to find Rarity.

Inside, Princess Celestia and Luna were observing Fluttershy and Discord as they slept. Both of the royals looked grave. Fluttershy's ribs were beginning to show, and Discord's eyes had sunken in. 

"Was he making any progress?" Celestia asked her sister.

"Yes, but he must overcome his own fears before he can rescue her."

"She doesn't have much time left."

"I have aided him as much as I can. The rest must come from inside him."

"You believe he truly has the power to save her?"

"I do. I have seen it in him."

Celestia looked at her seriously. Luna returned her gaze steadily.

"Trust me, big sister."

The white alicorn smiled softly down at her little sister. "I do." She turned and left the sleepers to their dreams.

She almost collided with Spike as he hurried down the hall to Rarity's room. He knocked eagerly. "Rarity!"

The door creaked open and the unicorn peered out at him. "Yes, Spikey--" She bit her lip halfway through her usual nickname for him, afraid that it would affect him negatively.

"I think I figured it out! Can I come in?"

Rarity pushed the door open so he could come through, then closed it behind him. She motioned for him to have a seat in a plush chair next to a polished wooden table as she placed herself in the chair across from him.

Spike took his seat eagerly. "I think I've got it. You know how Celestia was talking about if the kiss was really a gift?"

Rarity nodded silently.

"Well, the point of a gift is to make the other person happy, right?"

She looked at him questioningly.

"But lo--um, physical affection isn't just a gift from one pony to the other, it has to go both ways. Last night, I...I was being greedy. That's why I grew. I was only thinking about myself." He looked up at her. "I'm so sorry."

There was a moment of silence while Rarity processed what he had said, but then she smiled softly. "Like I said before, Spike darling, you weren't the only greedy one. I've treated you thoughtlessly and been terribly selfish. When I kissed you, I was only thinking of myself." She colored and looked away.

Spike looked at her sadly, then he reached across the table and took her hoof. "But I want this to work. You know how much I care about you, Rarity, and I...I want you to be happy, more than anything. I know now that's what it takes to truly be with someone."

Rarity looked up at him with shining eyes. He took both of her front hooves in his claws and leaned forward. "I swear, Rarity. From now on, you will always come first. Always. If you want to try and make this work, I'll be your willing slave. If you want to just be friends, I'll never bring it up again. On my Dragon Code, I swear it."

For a moment, all Rarity could do was stare into his vertical pupils, before gently, very gently, she leaned up and met his lips with hers. 
> Only Love is Real
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy sat very still. Her teal eyes were trained on the ground, her brow furrowed in confusion. Discord watched her apprehensively, waiting for her to recoil in horror. He had told her the truth, making it sound as good as possible, but without leaving anything out. And now he waited for her reaction.

Neither of them noticed the blurry landscape darkening.

He wanted to speak, to assure her that he was different now, he wanted to crawl to her and lay beneath her so he could look up into those eyes that were staring at the ground with such bewildered sadness. He wanted to throw his arms around her and beg her to forgive him, but he could do nothing but silently watch her as she thought it over.

Finally, without looking up at him, she spoke. "You said earlier I was your best friend."

"Yes." Discord looked at her with hope.

"Was that just another lie?"

His jaw dropped. "No! Fluttershy, I meant it! We really do have tea every Wednesday, we write letters to each other, I don't know where I'd be without you, you have to believe me..." he trailed off mournfully; the look in her eyes hurt him too deeply for him to continue speaking.

"You'd still be in stone," Fluttershy muttered, with a trace of an edge to her voice.

Discord flinched and turned his head away. Suddenly his eyes widened. The two of them were surrounded by a blurry darkness, a shapeless shadow that had covered their surroundings. "Fluttershy..."

She wasn't listening, still staring at the ground. "You'd still be evil without me..."

The darkness was closing in. Fluttershy didn't notice. In panic, Discord threw himself around her and coiled his body to create a shield surrounding her. He didn't know how much it would help, since she could walk right through him, but maybe whatever that darkness was would be blocked by his body.

"What are you doing?" Fluttershy squeaked, finally looking up from the ground. She looked over the wall he had created out of himself and saw the shadows coming towards them. With a cry of fright, she tried to back away and promptly bumped into Discord's coils.

Both of them jumped in shock at the contact. "Did you feel that?" Discord asked excitedly. Fluttershy nodded mutely, eyes wide. She reached out with one hoof and touched him again. "Her hoof rested gently on his side without passing through him. He was solid again.

"Can you see me?" he asked, the thrills making his fur stand on end. Fluttershy squinted at him, then shook her head.

"No, you're still blurry."

Discord groaned, but didn't despair. If she could touch and feel him, that meant he was becoming real to her. It also meant, hopefully, that whatever that darkness was that was closing in, wouldn't be able to reach her and harm her. Fluttershy squealed in terror as the sky flashed a familiar shade of green, and the darkness seemed to chuckle at them.

Discord gritted his teeth. "The Terror."

"What?" Fluttershy was cowering against him, visibly shivering.

"The thing that brought you here. It said it needed to establish its reality in the dream realm. It must be becoming real." Just like he was. "Don't believe in it, Fluttershy. You can keep it from becoming real if you don't believe in it."

"How can I not believe in it when it's all around me?" she whimpered, her eyes the size of dinner plates. 

Suddenly, and idea struck him, and he snapped his fingers. A glowing magenta orb surrounded them. Cautiously, Discord reached out and knocked on it with his claw. It was solid. He grinned. "See that, Fluttershy? It can't get to you now." He uncoiled himself from around her and stood beside her. "You're safe. It can't do anything to you if it isn't real."

But Fluttershy just sat and sobbed, "I don't know what's real anymore!"

The sky flashed green again as the darkness crept ever closer.

Outside in the waking world, the guards watching them were deliberating calling the princesses. Fluttershy's body was pale and emaciated, barely breathing, with patches of fur beginning to fall out. Discord had lost weight as well, his bones beginning to show in places. Neither of them could survive much longer, and the guards knew it. One of them slowly left to find Princess Celestia and tell her the news.

In the library, Twilight slammed her last book down in frustration. "Nothing! Ugh, there's nothing in any of these books about another way to get her back!"

Flash Sentry watched her with quiet concern as she pushed her chair back and started pacing around the library.

"I can't just let her die! She's my friend, what would we do without her? She can't have much time left..." Twilight tried to blink back the tears as she began to realize the inevitable. "Oh, Fluttershy..."

Setting down his book, Flash walked over to the princess and set a hoof on her shoulders. He didn't know what to say; there really wasn't anything that could be said to comfort her. But he wanted her to know that he was there, and that she wouldn't have to suffer this loss alone.

Twilight paused, then looked up at him helplessly. She was able to hold it together for a few seconds under his concerned gaze, but then the waterfall started and she couldn't keep it back any longer. She leaned bodily against him, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. Her tears ran down his armor and dripped onto the floor, and her sobs racked both of them as she realized she was helpless to save her friend's life.

Flash stood firmly, putting his arms around her and pulling her close. He knew there was nothing he could say, so he didn't try to say anything. One hoof gently petted her mane as she cried, while the other held her tightly against him, as if just feeling another living pony so close to her might somehow lessen the pain. She was crying so loudly the two of them didn't notice right away the guard who came in and soberly cleared his throat.

In Rarity's room, she and Spike were curled up on the bed. They hadn't done anything more than kissing, but had stayed and cuddled until they fell asleep. Spike awoke to Rarity asleep on his chest, and he smiled. As his heartbeat sped up from her closeness, Rarity blinked awake and looked up at him. He smiled. "Hey."

She giggled, planting a tiny kiss on his chest. "Hey yourself." Rarity glanced over him curiously. "You're the same size."

Spike chuckled, running his claws through her mane, careful not to tangle it. "Yeah, I think we got it figured out." He kissed her on the forehead, at the base of her horn. She shivered pleasantly.

A knock on the door made them both jump, and Rarity sat up just in time to see a grim-faced guard open the door.

Down the hall, Pinkie and Cheese were crawling out of bed, both of their curly manes in wild messes. They grinned at each other, each snickering at the state the other was in.

"You look amazing," Cheese Sandwich teased, tapping the tip of her snout with his hoof.

Pinkie giggled. "So do you, handsome."

They were both laughing hysterically when the guard at the door silenced them.

Rainbow Dash snorted awake to Applejack shaking her shoulder. "Rainbow." She blinked and looked from her friend's somber face to the face of a guard standing at the door.

Everypony gathered around the dying sleepers. Flash Sentry was physically supporting the still-teary Twilight. Cheese and Pinkie made a comical pair with their shocked faces and wild manes, Rainbow Dash was kicking herself for leaving them alone even for a second, despite Applejack's attempts to calm her, and Spike held Rarity in his arms as she swooned in horror.

The princesses looked on from behind the little group, their heads bowed in respect.

"It can't end like this..." Twilight moaned.

"Come on, Discord," Rainbow Dash whispered. "You gotta get her back."

In the dream, still encased in the glowing bubble, Fluttershy blinked, her tears suddenly stopping as she looked forward in shock.

"What? What is it?" Discord asked, looking at her in terror.

"I..." she put a hoof to her head. "I'm dying."

His jaw hit the ground. His body crumbled. "No." He physically pulled the broken pieces of his body back together and crawled toward her. "No, you can't die. I'll save you. I have to save you. Fluttershy, you can't--" he cut off when his shield suddenly disintegrated. The darkness laughed wickedly as it covered them.

Discord dove forward and threw his arms around her, wrapping himself tightly around her body. "Fluttershy, look at me." He took her face in his paw and claw. "Look at me. It isn't real. The darkness isn't real."

She was crying again. "Why should I trust you?"

He flinched. "Please. You have to believe me.  Me. Right here." He leaned his forehead against hers, getting desperate. "This is real. Nothing else. Nothing but us, right here."

Fluttershy looked at him, her eyes overflowing in fear. "How do you know?"

"Someone once told me..." he trailed off, fear knotting in his stomach. "She told me..."

"What?" Fluttershy's body was trembling underneath him, and her breath was getting shallow.

"Only one thing is real Fluttershy." He could tell she was running out of time.

"What is it?" Her eyes begged him to say it, as her body weakened.

He knew he didn't have time to be afraid. Discord took a deep breath and looked right at her. "It's love, Fluttershy. Only love is real."

She looked at him, her voice failing as her breath stopped coming and her heartbeat slowed. She was out of time.

"I love you, Fluttershy." He closed the gap between their faces and kissed her passionately, pressing their bodies together. He felt her heart start beating again, pounding in time with his as he entangled his fingers in her hair and felt her breath on his face. She was breathing again.

They broke apart to stare at each other. Discord breathed. "I love you."

She stared at him, then grinned. "I can see you. Oh, Discord, it's you!" She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly. "It's you!"

As he wrapped his arms around her, the two of them were suddenly surrounded by a pink glow. Fluttershy's mane started to blow in a wind that seemed to arise from nowhere around them.  The two of them looked up in time to see a blast of pink magic burst from their simultaneously beating hearts and scatter the darkness. The Terror moaned in horror as his dreaming existence was destroyed, and the dream world was restored to its own blurry brightness.

The couple looked at each other in amazement. Discord whispered, "You remember me?"

Fluttershy grinned in relief. "I remember you. Oh, Discord, I love you, too. I love you!"

Their lips collided just as both of their dream existences dematerialized. 

In the waking world, both of their eyes flew open and they drew a collective breath, as if they were emerging from being underwater. Around them, the ponies gasped.

Pinkie Pie leapt into the air. "THEY'RE ALIVE!"

"They won't be for long unless they get some serious medical attention!" Twilight shrieked.

Two guards rushed forward and lifted them both onto stretchers, wheeling their withered bodies to the infirmary. The little congregation of ponies paraded after them, gathering around their hospital beds once they were safely attached to IV lines.

The survivors reached across the gap between their beds so they could stay hoof in claw. Both were smiling weakly, but it was clear they were far from healthy. But at least now they could be helped. Everypony was relieved and cautiously optimistic.

"I think we should allow them to recover in peace," Princess Celestia said quietly, and everypony slowly filed out of the room in ones and twos.

Cheese and Pinkie hurried back to their room to start planning the celebration for when Discord and Fluttershy were recovered. Pinkie had wanted to throw the party immediately, but when she realized that Fluttershy and Discord wouldn't have been able to enjoy it until they were healthy, she relented and agreed to hold it when they got out of the hospital.

Spike and Rarity went back to her room. As soon as they were alone he picked her up and spun her around, cheering enthusiastically. "They're okay!"

Rarity squealed and giggled. "Spike!"

He set her down obligingly, but his grin was unmoved. She returned it. "I guess Discord did it." She laughed. "After all that, Discord really did it! He saved her."

"I wonder how he did it."

Rarity paused to think, leaning against him comfortably. "I wonder if he really cares about her as much as he seemed to before he went in." She remembered the look he had given Fluttershy before he followed her into the dream realm.

Spike toyed with Rarity's curled bangs in one claw. "He must have to be able to bring them both back. Luna made it sound like he might have gotten stuck in there even if he did bring Fluttershy back."

Rarity nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. He must have done something incredible to save both of them."

"Maybe when they're healed we can ask him about it."

Down the hall, Applejack was putting Rainbow Dash back to bed. "Now get some sleep, sugar. Ain't nothin' to worry about now."

The rainbow pegasus smiled sleepily. "Yeah." She sighed as she sunk into the pillow. "I guess I was wrong about Discord, huh? He really did it."

"Yeah." Applejack smoothed out the blanket over her friend. "Maybe we should try to cut him a little more slack."

"Yeah." Rainbow looked up at Applejack with a soft smile. "Hey, thanks for looking out for me."

The farm pony smiled. "No big whoop, sugarcube. Now get some rest." She leaned forward and gave Rainbow Dash a kiss on the forehead, then turned out the lights and shut the door behind her.

Flash Sentry followed Twilight back to the library, where she started returning all of her books to the shelves. For once, she was glad she hadn't needed her research. Wiping her eyes, she looked back at Flash and smiled. "Thank you."

He blinked. "For what?"

"For being here for me." She walked over to him and summoned a handkerchief to polish the place on his armor that was stained with her tears. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

He chucked awkwardly. "You're strong without me, Princess."

"That isn't my name."

Flash looked down at her and smiled. "Twilight," he whispered, gently closing the gap between their lips.

In the hospital, Fluttershy looked over at Discord. "Did you mean it?" she asked quietly.

He smiled over at her and gently squeezed her hoof. "Every word."
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It took Discord only a few days to recover, and as soon as his magic was strong enough he snapped his fingers and healed Fluttershy in an instant. The two of them came walking out of the hospital side by side, both looking a little tired, smiling warmly. They had only a few moments of peace, however, before Pinkie Pie spotted them and went screaming through the entire castle that they were out and about. Everypony came running while Pinkie and Cheese grabbed their party cannons and hurried to the ballroom. "PARTY TIME!!!"

The ballroom was decorated in seconds, and half of Canterlot showed up to celebrate Fluttershy's return. All of Equestria had come to look to Princess Twilight and her friends as heroes and guardians of harmony. When it had gotten out that Fluttershy's life was in danger, the entire country had waited with bated breath for her safe return. Now that she was safe and the six were together again, Equestria was safe. Everypony had a reason to celebrate.

Vinyl Scratch brought her turntables and laid down a high-energy beat, and Pinkie and Cheese started the dancing. Eventually everypony was shaking their tail in delight, even the princesses. Cadance and Shining Armor flew down from the Crystal Empire for the celebration, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived by train in time to join in the dance. The three fillies dashed to their sisters, whom they hadn't seen since the whole ordeal began. 

"How'd he do it?" Apple Bloom asked her sister.

Applejack shook her head. "We ain't asked yet."

Sweetie Belle was giggling uncontrollably  and could not stop chanting "Rarity has a special somepony! Rarity has a special somepony!"

Rarity and Spike just blushed and smiled.

Amid the dancing, Shining Armor smacked Discord on the back. "Well done, Discord. We're glad you could save her."

The draconequus  blinked. "But my protection spell didn't work."

The prince just laughed. "The spell isn't the point. Think about it. Was it magic that saved her in the end? "

"No, it was--" he stopped short. So far he'd been able to avoid telling anypony how he had saved her. He wasn't sure how the other ponies would feel about a partially reformed villain falling in love with one of the heroes of Equestria.

But Shining Armor and Cadance were smiling at him and he knew they knew. They had been the first to know, really. He smiled softly. "You were right," he murmured, making sure nopony else could hear. "Thank you both."

Cadance nodded. "We're very proud of you, Discord."

Fluttershy had been swept away by her friends, who could not contain their joy at having her back again. They kept hugging her and telling her how happy they were, squealing and cheering excitedly. 

To Discord's surprise, he seemed to have become a bit of a celebrity as well. Apparently the ponies knew that it was he who had gone into the dream realm after her, risking his life to save hers, and they were eager to show their appreciation. Discord found himself shaking hoof after hoof of ponies he'd never met, nodding and smiling at countless faces who told him how glad they were that he had saved Fluttershy. It felt strange. Just months ago these ponies would have run screaming from him, and now they were thanking him and treating him like a hero. Did they not remember who he was? He began to wonder how long his newfound acceptance would last, before their suspicion returned.

Despite his discomfort, he was soon the center of attention. Even the princesses stopped dancing to come and smile at him, and the five friends followed Fluttershy as she moved to stand next to her rescuer. He shifted closer to her and shrank imperceptibly, as if she would protect him from their searching eyes. But she couldn't prevent them from asking the question that had been on everypony's mind since they came back.

"How did you do it, Discord?"

He gulped. It seemed that thousands of eyes were staring at him, waiting for him to explain what he had done to rescue her. Fluttershy smiled up at him encouragingly.

"I...I..." he choked. They would never accept him. If he told them that he was in love with their beloved Fluttershy, they would turn on him, drive him away. He would be back in the Canterlot sculpture gardens before the party was even over.

Fluttershy saw his discomfort and stepped forward. "He reminded me what was real and what wasn't. It's hard to tell in the dream world, but once I realized that only one thing was real, we were both able to wake up."

"Only one thing?" Applejack repeated.

"And what thing is that, exactly?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy looked up at Discord. He swallowed, knowing she wouldn't spare him this. He had to tell them himself. But how could he tell all these ponies, these ponies that not too long ago had feared and hated him? Looking around for some means of escape, his eyes met those of Princess Luna. She was smiling at him. He blinked, and she nodded.

"It's...love." He looked down at Fluttershy, who was smiling up at him. He smiled, too. "Only love is real."

The ponies in the ballroom drew a collective gasp. Discord flinched to see several faces turn angry, and even more look disgusted at the idea that he loved Fluttershy. He shrank a little under their withering glares, and hung his head in shame. What had he expected? It was stupid of him to think anypony would ever truly accept him.

Then, silently, Fluttershy slipped her hoof into his claw. He looked down at her, to see that she was still smiling at him. A warmth grew in his chest. She loved him. She had said so in the dream world; she had kissed him and held him, and now she looked up at him with an expression that told him that even if she was the only pony in Equestria who accepted him, she would never leave his side.

Discord's heart thudded. Suddenly, it didn't matter what those ponies thought. She loved him too. He straightened up, grew back to his full height, and faced the shocked crowd. "Yes, I love her. That's why I went in after her, why I was willing to give my life for her. I'm head over cloven hoof in love with Fluttershy, and I don't care who knows it." He held his head in the air defiantly and braced himself, waiting for their backlash.

The silence was deafening. Then, very slowly, Princess Cadance started to clap. After a few moments, Shining Armor joined in, followed by Luna. Then Rarity clapped, whispering, "I knew it." Pinkie Pie and Cheese eagerly joined in on the ovation, and one by one Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle all began to applaud. Soon, everypony in the room was stomping their hooves and cheering, their disgust forgotten.

Discord blushed and awkwardly rocked backward on his heels. When the cheering didn't stop, Fluttershy flapped her wings and flew up to give Discord a kiss on the cheek. The applause tripled, and the couple giggled.

Finally everypony returned to their festivities. The Cutie Mark Crusaders attacked the buffet, Pinkie and Cheese started a conga line on the dance floor, and, much to everyone's delight, the Wonderbolts burst in in full array to congratulate Discord and Fluttershy.

Princess Twilight wandered the edges of the ballroom, silently eyeing the windows and wondering whether or not Discord's actions would be considered important enough to be preserved in stained glass. If it were her decision, she would give him a place right next to Spike retrieving the Crystal Heart, but that was up to Celestia and Luna, not her.

"Something on your mind, Twilight?"

The princess turned to see Flash Sentry looking at her with his signature awkward expression. She shrugged. "I was just wondering if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were going to make a stained-glass window for Discord and Fluttershy."

"Well, you're a princess, too. Don't you get to help decide that?"

Twilight shook her head. "No, this is their home, not mine. I don't have a right to tell them how they need to decorate it."

Flash smiled for a moment, then quietly reminded her, "You know, you have a castle of your own back in Ponyville.You do get to decide how you decorate that one."

Twilight's eyes widened, and then she grinned and tackled her guard with a hug. "Flash, you're a genius!" She squealed. 

He chuckled and smiled warmly. "I learned from the best," he replied, tossing her a wink. She blushed and twirled part of her mane around her hoof.

Rainbow Dash had been talking excitedly to Spitfire as soon as the Wonderbolts captain had arrived. She watched Rainbow show her all of the tricks she had learned since her session at the Wonderbolts Academy, and listened to her explain how much she'd been practicing and how she was confident she was ready to be a Wonderbolt. Spitfire was growing impatient, and when Soarin walked over with a giant apple pie in one hoof, she made an excuse and zoomed away. Rainbow Dash wilted.

"Don't worry about it," Soarin mumbled through a mouthful of pie. "She's always like that. You'll learn to deal with it."

Rainbow Dash looked at him and smiled weakly. "Y-yeah. I guess I come on kinda strong," she mumbled, looking down at her hooves.

"You don't have to say that like it's a bad thing," the Wonderbolt said, setting his pie on a nearby table and walking around so that he could see Rainbow's face. "You gotta be assertive to be a good Wonderbolt. Honestly, I think the reason she hasn't recruited you yet is because you're so important to Equestria. She doesn't want to take up your time with training."

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened. "Really?"

Soarin nodded. "If you ask me, I think you already have a much more important job than being a Wonderbolt."

The cyan pegasus blushed a little. "Aw, come on, you guys are the best fliers in Equestria! What could be cooler than that?"

"Um," Soarin pretended to think. "Saving Equestria from tons of horrible monsters, rescuing all three of us Wonderbolts plus your friend Rarity, being able to do a Sonic Rainboom that even we can't do, and basically being the coolest pony ever..."

Rainbow Dash had just enough time to regain her composure and toss her hair haughtily as Soarin looked back at her. "Yeah, well, I guess I am pretty awesome." She flinched as her voice cracked, and Soarin chuckled.

"Yeah you are. Hey, you wanna dance?"

She raised an eyebrow. "With you?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's okay if you're not up to it..." He looked at her playfully.

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes. "What, you think I can't dance?"

"Well, can you?"

She grinned competitively and grabbed his hoof, dragging him onto the floor.

Already on the floor, Rarity leaned against Spike's chest as they slow-danced together. "Mmm," she sighed. "I have to admit, Spike, I never imagined that this would be as lovely as it is."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, being with you. Of course, I hadn't expected it to come so soon..."

"So soon?" Spike looked down at her curiously. 

She smiled warmly into his scales. "You think you're the only one who had thought about this before it happened?"

The dragon's eyes widened and he stammered a little. Rarity chuckled. "Yes, dear."

Spike swallowed. "How long have you...?"

"Since you rescued me from the Diamond Dogs. I didn't say anything earlier because I knew you were so young; I wanted you to grow up a little first." She raised her head from his chest and looked up at him. He stared down at her.

"You were waiting for me to grow up?"

"Well I didn't want to invest in you if you were going to outgrow me, now did I?"

Spike watched her face for a moment longer, then exhaled with a smile. "Oh, Rarity. How could you think I would ever outgrow the love of my life?" He took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. She returned his embrace eagerly.

Across the ballroom, Cheese Sandwich shivered, his cutie mark expanding and contracting like an accordion. Pinkie Pie tilted her head to one side. "Cheesy sense?"

Cheese nodded. "Yup. Trottingham." He put his hoof under her chin and pulled her face to his. "I'll take care of this party, then I'll swing by Manehattan and pick up my things from my parents' place. Can you have a place set up for us by the time I get back?"

Pinkie grinned. "Consider it done, my stallion of cheesiness!"

He kissed her hard for a moment, then bounced in the air with a "Whoohoohoo!" and he was off. Pinkie smiled at him as he left, knowing he'd be back.

In one corner of the ballroom, finally free of the attention, Discord and Fluttershy reclined on a plush sofa. She sat with her head on his chest, and he had coiled his neck around her so that his head rested in her lap.

"Discord?" she asked.

"Hm?" he answered dreamily, lost in his own daze of happiness.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth in the dream?"

He stiffened. "I did!"

"But not at first."

Discord sighed. "I thought if you knew everything that I had done, you would hate and fear me, like you did in the waking world."

"But I don't hate or fear you, Discord."

"You did at first."

"You were evil at first."

"Evil!" Discord unwound himself from around her and sat up. "I was never evil. I have never intentionally harmed anyone."

"But you made them unhappy."

"Only because they didn't understand my vision!" He huffed indignantly. 

Fluttershy looked at him. He sighed. "But you do. You understand, don't you?"

She nodded, and rested her forehead against his. "I do understand, Discord. Your chaos is a part of who you are, and I love you for who you are. But you understand too that it's possible to have your chaos without making anypony else unhappy?"

Discord smiled. "I'm starting to." He kissed the tip of her muzzle. "And I have you to help me see the difference."

Fluttershy grinned. "Yes, you do." Gently, she leaned forward and planted a little kiss on his lips.

Discord sighed happily. Yes, this was much better than eternal chaos.