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“What do we do, Twilight?,” Fluttershy asked as she peered out the library's window. Frightening black vines were spreading from the Everfree Forest, and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. The sky was bizarre, with the sun on one side, and the moon in the other.
Twilight frowned in thought. “I think I know who might be behind this…and who can fix it.” Her horn glowed a soft magenta, humming softly. A second later, Discord appeared in a white flash.
“You called, Twilight?”
She nodded. “Discord, stop the forest’s expansion,” she said in a clear, calm voice.
Discord snapped his fingers, and in a flash, the vines disappeared before their very eyes. The clouds were pushed back towards the forest, whose thick foliage was shoved back as well. Twilight nodded, satisfied.
“Good. Now, bring Celestia and Luna here.” Discord snapped his fingers again, and the princesses appeared before them, confused expressions on their faces. Twilight quickly flew over to them, explaining everything that had happened, the others right behind her.
All except for Fluttershy. She approached Discord slowly, a soft smile on her face. “Thank you, Discord.”
Discord blinked, but didn't react otherwise. His expression was blank, and his posture was rigid, with his arms straight down at his sides. His attention was focused on her, but seemed to focus towards Twilight slightly.
Fluttershy sighed, wrapping her wings around herself. Rainbow flew over to her. “What's up, Fluttershy?”
She sighed again. “It's just…Discord…”
Rainbow grimaced. “Oh. Yeah. He's sort of…creepy now.”
Fluttershy paused, then shook her head. “Maybe a little, but…it's just sad.” Discord blinked, his head tilting just the slightest bit, though his expression still remained blank.
Before they could continue, though, Celestia and Luna were saying their goodbyes and flying away. Twilight approached Discord and said, “I dismiss you until you're needed again. Don't cause any trouble.” Discord nodded and disappeared in a white flash.
Twilight glanced at her two pegasus friends. “Oh, were you talking with him?” she asked. “I'm sorry. I wish you would have spoken up before I sent him away.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “No, not really. He doesn't seem…interested in talking to anypony.”
Twilight shrugged. “A side effect, I suppose.”
Rainbow and Fluttershy shivered. “Yeah…side effect,” Fluttershy said quietly under her breath.
She and Discord were standing on a frozen lake. She had turned her back on him, furious, after renouncing him as a friend. He was skating right behind her, insisting that he didn't care if she was his friend or not. She ignored him, feeling the fiery anger in her belly. It felt good to give into it, even if just in a small way.
As she came closer to the group, she noticed that Twilight’s horn was glowing. She didn't think anything of it, or of how bright it was. Maybe it was a teleportation spell…or maybe not. She was so filled with anger that she couldn’t find it in her to think about anything else.
But that anger disappeared into shock when Twilight fired that build-up magic over Fluttershy's head…and right into Discord's face.
Fluttershy whirled around in shock when Discord—Discord, who could bend reality, who laughed off everything that happened to him—screamed in pain. She had turned just in time to see his eyes roll back as he fell to the ice.
She rushed forward, cradling him in her hooves, searching for a sign of life. His pulse was slow, and his breath was shallow…but no marks from Twilight's magic were present. He looked unhurt, but then why did he scream?
Twilight approached her, the rest of the group following behind her. She grinned smugly at Discord's unconscious form. “You may have taken my pages, but you couldn't take what I already knew,” she said confidently.
Applejack spoke up first. “Twilight, what in Equestria did you just do?”
Twilight clapped her hooves together. “He himself said Fluttershy's friendship didn't matter, so I went with the backup plan!”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Knocking him out? Yeah, great, now we have to clean up his mess by ourselves. And deal with him again when he wakes up.”
“Oh no,” Twilight said with a smile. “He's going to fix his own mess…and do it without complaint.” Her horn softly glowed. Discord began to stir in Fluttershy's hooves.
She beamed as his eyes opened…but her face fell when he immediately stood up and turned to Twilight, his expression blank. “Teleport us to that shore,” Twilight said as she pointed to a small hill. Discord nodded, and in a flash, all of them were there.
Twilight nodded. “Good. Now, get rid of this ice.” Discord snapped his fingers again, and the orchard was back to normal.
She clapped her hooves together. “Oh, this is great! I wasn't sure if I had remembered the spell correctly, but it works!” She pointed a hoof at herself. “I'm Twilight. I'm the spellcaster.”
“Hello, Twilight,” Discord said in a dry tone. The others all reeled back, shocked. Fluttershy even put a hoof to her mouth. That voice…it sounded like Discord, but it was wrong. It wasn't his. It was dull and monotone, lacking the playful inflections and laughter that would filled his voice, the range of emotions he could pack into just a few words.
Twilight didn't seem to mind. She pointed to all of the others, named them off. “And you answer to them, too.” Discord slowly nodded, his eyes glancing between all the ponies and the one dragon.
Spike spoke up first. “Twilight, what did you just do?”
She grinned. “I remembered a reforming spell! Isn't it great?”
The others became silent, looking up at Discord's blank face. “Is it…permanent?” Fluttershy asked softly.
Twilight shrugged. “He tore out the page that had the spell in it, but yes, I think that it lasts forever…or until the spellcaster dies without passing the ‘spellcaster' status onto somepony else.” She beamed. “But now, he can't hurt anypony! And he can take care of all the threats that ever show up!”
The group was silent. Fluttershy said, “Twilight, I don't think that…this is what Celestia wanted.”
Twilight blinked. “What do you mean? This way, she can use his magic, and not have to deal with any of his…personality.”
Fluttershy scuffed at the ground with a hoof. Twilight tried to look the others in the eyes, but everypony turned away. She sighed. “I understand. Please just let me explain everything to Princess Celestia. Discord, come on.”
She trotted back towards the town, Discord walking behind her. Fluttershy watched his back as he left, watching as he followed directions without saying a single word or trying a single trick. It made her chest feel heavy. They all slowly left, no pony wanting to discuss what had happened, but all clearly unhappy about it. Except Fluttershy, who stayed to watch where Discord had left for several more minutes more she went home.
That night, she lay awake in bed, wondering if she could have done anything differently, if she could have stopped being angry and tried better to befriend Discord.
It wouldn't be the last night she'd wonder that, or the last night she'd have nightmares about his agonized scream.
She held the letter she had just received nervously in her wing. She was standing just outside the door to the library, trying to work up the courage to knock. She wasn't nervous about visiting Twilight…well, she was a little, but that wasn't the only reason she was hesitating.
She took a deep breath and quietly knocked on the door. She meekly opened the door and poked her head in, seeing Twilight and Spike with excited grins on their faces. “Um, so sorry for barging in like this... but I'm so excited, I just couldn't wait to tell somepony!” She entered the room and handed the letter over to Twilight, her hooves tapping happily as she continued, “The Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures have given me permission to observe the rarest, tiniest, most adorable magical creatures in all of Equestria–the Breezies!”
“That's fantastic, Fluttershy!,” Twilight said as Fluttershy beamed.
Fluttershy nodded, but glanced away. “It is fantastic, but…I was wondering if I could take Discord with me.”
Twilight frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Why would you want to take him with you?”
Fluttershy shuddered, but did her best to hide it. “Well, um, I thought having someone with magic to help me observe the Breezies might be a good idea. And I-I couldn't ask you or Rarity to stop doing your work just to help me.”
Twilight hummed in thought. Her horn lit up, and she pulled a small whistle from inside her room, placing it in Fluttershy’s hooves. It was a normal silver whistle, with a few spirals of different colors on it that would only appear under the right angle of light.
“I just designed this,” Twilight said. “Blow into it, and it'll be just like me calling him with my horn…except with a lower priority, given I’m the original spellcaster. Give it a try!”
Fluttershy hesitantly brought the cold metal to her lips and softly blew. The whistle made only the smallest peep, one that barely reached her own ears. But Discord still appeared in front of her in a white flash.
“You called, Twilight’s friend?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, no, don't do that. It's creepy. You know her name, Discord. Take a second to look at who it is before you say that. Now, ask again.”
Discord blinked. “You called, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy gulped. “Um, Discord…would you like to—”
Twilight interrupted, “Discord, you're going on a trip with Fluttershy. Keep her safe and healthy, and do whatever she asks you.” Discord blinked and nodded. Twilight grinned at Fluttershy. “There! Now you can just keep the whistle with you, and you can dismiss and call him whenever you need to.”
Fluttershy's muscles were tense as she tried to smile. Twilight looked happy, Spike looked a bit worried, and Discord still stared ahead blankly.
“I'll never forget yooooooou!” Pinkie called as she chased after the train she was on. Fluttershy giggled at her antics as she, and the rest of her friends, slowly disappeared from sight as the train moved onwards.
A cold breeze ruffled through her fur, encouraging her to go back inside the train. She was lucky enough to actually have a private compartment on the train, since her trip was sponsored by the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures. She closed and locked the foggy glass doors of the compartment, sighing as she took a seat.
After a few moments of rest, she pulled the whistle out from her saddlebag. She placed it to her lips and softly blew. Discord appeared in front of her. “You called, Fluttershy?”
She nodded, glancing away slightly while biting her lip. She didn't know where to start, and Discord didn't seem like he could do anything first. He simply stared at her blankly, blinking on occasion. She gulped and said, “Why don’t you sit down?”
Discord blinked and sat down on the seat behind him mechanically, still staring forward blankly. Fluttershy reached into the basket Applejack had given her, pulling out two red apples. She held one out to Discord…who didn't react to it.
“Please, take it,” she said. He grabbed it in his paw, but didn't do anything besides hold it. “Aren't you hungry?” she asked. “I've never seen you eat since…”
Discord blinked, and for a second, his eyes flickered to the apple. Just as quickly, they were focused on Fluttershy blankly. She gulped. “Um, y-you can eat it if you want.”
He blinked. “…if I want…” he whispered softly.
She smiled and nodded, hope blooming. “That's right. What do you want, Discord?”
“…what do I want?”
She sighed. He was speaking, but he didn't seem to understand. “Please eat the apple,” she said softly. The least she could do was made sure he was healthy…even if he wasn't…there.
He surprised her, though, as he interpreted “eating" as simply placing the apple into his mouth and swallowing it whole. He did it so quickly, and still with that blank expression on his face…she wasn't sure whether to find it funny or sad.
A choked sound escaped her throat, some hybrid of a laugh and a sob. Discord quickly blinked, then froze for a second. Fluttershy glanced away, not able to stand seeing his blank expression.
But then, he laughed.
It was a small thing—a microsecond of a chuckle. But it wasn't mechanical at all, and it held some hidden mirth to it. She whipped her head around, just in time to see a spark of something in his pupils. But just as she looked, it was gone, replaced with his dulled eyes.
But she still beamed. “You…you laughed!” Discord didn't react, but she continued anyways. “I didn't bring you on the trip to make you…help me. I feel bad about lying to Twilight, but…the real reason I brought you is to try and help you.”
Discord blinked. She said, “I wasn't able to help you before, so I want to help you now.” She took his paw in her hooves. “Please let me help bring you back.”
Discord’s paw twitched. “Okay.”
She knew that the trip was only a few days. She knew that a few days would be too soon to fix everything.
But that didn't stop her from feeling sad as they headed back home on the train.
The past few days, she did everything she could to get Discord to choose his own actions. At the hotel, she asked him what bed he preferred, what he wanted for his meals, what game he'd like to play. When observing the Breezies, she'd ask him about his opinions on the adorable creatures, or point out interesting landmarks. She even tried cracking a few jokes to get him to laugh!
But anytime she asked him what he wanted, he'd just stare at her in confusion. When asked for his opinion, he'd state an obvious fact about the Breezie, such as its color. She had to tell him to eat before he touched any food, no matter how much she hinted and pushed and tried to get him to eat on his own. He would simply stare at the ceiling when she got him to lay in bed—if she could get him to lay down. And he played games mechanically, not seeming to care about the results.
Cracking jokes would sometimes make a grin flash across his face, but he didn't chuckle as he did the first time. Fluttershy sighed and leaned against the cold glass of the window.
What is Twilight's right? What if there's no way to free Discord? Is he like this…forever?, she thought, shutting her eyes tightly before any tears could escape. She whimpered softly.
Her ears flicked when she heard Discord shift in his seat, but she didn't think much of it. She gasped when she felt something on top of her head. Feeling it slowly run through her mane, she realized it was something with thin fingers—Discord's eagle claw. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. He had leaned forward to reach her, and though his eyes looked dull, there was a slight frown on his muzzle.
Tears started to form in the corner of her eyes ad he continued to mechanically brush his fingers through her mane. She gave him a soft smile and leaned up into his touch. He paused in his motion, twitched for a second, before continuing, his fingertips grazing her scalp.
A minute went by in this manner, Fluttershy trying to keep as still as she could. But as soon as she blinked her tears away, Discord trembled again, but this time, he pulled away and settled back into his rigid sitting position.
Fluttershy followed him, wrapping her hooves tightly around his torso. He froze under her as she clung to him. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you. Thank you. I knew you were in there. I'll bring you back, I promise.”
Discord trembled, but didn't react.
Fluttershy held onto him, letting time pass by without care. She slowly felt his muscles relax, bit by bit, over the hours. Only an announcement that they would be in Ponyville in five minutes made her pull away.
She held Discord's claw. “Please don't tell Twilight about this,” she said quietly. “I don't think she'll be very happy about it.” An idea flashed into her mind. “Actually…if you're not busy, could you come to my house this Tuesday? I have an idea.”
Discord nodded. Fluttershy clapped her hooves together. “We could have a tea party! It's not much, but you'd be free to talk, and to eat snacks, and try some tea…” Discord grinned.
That image filled Fluttershy with hope as she greeted her friends at the train station, having to hand the whistle back over to Twilight, even as his expression became neutral again.
Fluttershy had been worried at first when Twilight told her to come to the library immediately. Discord had only just left their Tuesday tea party—she was worried for a second that Twilight had found out.
But no, Twilight seemed to be worried about something else…something bigger. Fluttershy started cleaning up the party as quickly as possible.
The tea parties didn't seem to be working yet. Discord still acted mechanically, and had to be asked to talk, or eat, or take a drink of his tea. Sometimes he would tremble or twitch, looking like he was going to open his mouth, or reach for something. But the spell always won, and he maintained his rigid posture.
He was doing a little better, but…only slowly, with barely any progress. The fact he was improving gave her hope, but it also frustrated her. She sometimes wondered if he was really regaining his will, or just doing what she wanted him to, compelled by the spell. But then she would think about his claws running through her mane…how he had reacted, on his own, when she was sad. The thought didn't cheer her up completely, but it made her feel less depressed.
She shook the thoughts from her head and rushed to the library. Everypony else was there, looking worried. “Fluttershy!” Twilight exclaimed. “Good, we're all here. I can explain what's going on." She brought out a chalkboard, gesturing for the others to gather around.
Once they had sat in a semi-circle, she began drawing pictures with white chalk. “Right now, we're facing an Equestria-destroying crisis.”
“Again?” Rainbow groaned.
Twilight shot her a glare before continuing. “Thousands of years ago, Tierk came to Equestria to steal magic from ponies. Celestia and Luna captured him and sent him to Tartarus…but he escaped when Cerberus was gone from his post.” Her expression became grave. “He's begun stealing magic from ponies again.”
Everypony else gasped. Twilight's grave expression turned into a wry smile. “Normally we'd use the Elements of Harmony…but he probably already knows about those. But what he won't be expecting is our secret weapon.” Her horn glowed softly, and Discord appeared.
“You called, Twilight?”
She nodded. “Yes. Discord, go capture Tirek and bring him back here.”
Discord held up his fingers, about to snap, but paused. “Who's Tirek?”
Twilight handed him a blurry photo. “He looks like this. You can't miss him. Go capture him.”
“Where is he?”
Twilight sighed. “Aren't you supposed to be able to detect magical imbalances? Celestia mentioned you could do that before. Just follow those, and that'll lead you straight to him!”
Discord closed his eyes. “Sensing…” he hummed.
Twilight groaned softly and turned to the others. “I don't understand what's happening,” she said. “I can't tell if the spell is getting better by letting him ask relevant questions, or if it's getting worse.”
Rarity coughed. “How could the spell get worse exactly, darling?”
“Wearing off…letting him take actions without some kind of permission…have any of you seen him do anything he wasn't expressly told to do?”
Everypony shook their heads. Fluttershy did her best to not look guilty when she answered, that moment on the train playing in the back of her mind. Twilight sighed, then turned back to Discord, who still had his eyes closed.
Fluttershy glanced at him and shivered. “Something wrong, Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.
She gulped and quickly said, “J-just nervous that…somepony's out there, stealing magic.” The others nodded, agreeing with her.
Discord’s eyes snapped open suddenly, and he disappeared in a flash of white light. A few second later, he returned with a skinny centaur, who was wrapped up in chains. Twilight beamed and clapped her forehooves together.
“Great! Now, take him to Celestia and Luna!”
“Please,” Fluttershy added. Discord flashed away with Tirek, and Twilight turned to Fluttershy, a soft smile on her face.
“Oh, Fluttershy,” she said, “You don't really need to be polite to him. He completes his tasks either way.” She laughed and continued, “Hay, you could insult him and he'd still do whatever you asked him to!”
Fluttershy shivered as Discord reappeared. Twilight turned her attention away from her, so she didn't need to worry about hiding her frown.
“You gave him to Celestia and Luna?” Twilight asked. Discord nodded, and she smirked. “Excellent. I dismiss you until you're needed again. Don't cause any trouble.”
As Discord disappeared, Twilight pulled six whistles out from her room in her magenta aura. “Thanks to Fluttershy's help, I figured out that these whistles work great! You all can use them any time you like, and as long as he's not busy with somepony else, Discord will appear and do whatever you ask!”
Everypony had tight grins as she gave them each a whistle in turn. Even Spike was given a whistle, though he looked nervous as Twilight handed it over.
They all dispersed, leaving Twilight to her own devices. Fluttershy held onto the cold metal of the whistle, wondering she could use it to help Discord…or if it would hurt him more.
“Well, this is a fine pickle we're in,” Applejack groaned as she walked away from the locked door. The rest of them sighed sadly as an intercom played overhead.
Many months after the Tirek incident, the six of them had heard rumors of a strange village that was quickly growing in size. They had set out immediately and found a village where no pony had cutie marks! And during their investigation into the truth of the town, the leader of the village had stolen their cutie marks and locked the six of them away in an empty house.
Twilight's horn flickered with light that quickly faded away. “It's no use. Without my cutie mark, I can't use my magic.” She glanced around. “Does anypony have their whistle on them?”
They all shook their heads…except for Fluttershy, who nervously fiddled with the strap of her saddlebag. The whistle was in there, but what if Twilight noticed how well-used it was? Would she force her to confess that she had been calling Discord any time she could, just to talk with him and try and bring back his will?
Twilight noticed her movement. “Fluttershy?” she said slowly. The pegasus shuddered, and with a deep breath, pulled the small whistle out of her saddlebag. Twilight leapt forward and grabbed it out of her hooves, blowing into it without giving it a second glance.
Discord appeared, and Twilight tossed the whistle back to Fluttershy, who breathed a sigh of relief as she tucked it away.
“You called, Twilight?”
“Discord, open this door!” she snapped back, pointing a hoof in the donor’s general direction. He snapped his fingers, and the door suddenly popped off of its hinges. The seven of them walked out, seeing the sun starting to rise.
Twilight jabbed her hoof towards the most prominent house in the village. “Discord, there’s a light purple unicorn with a purple and teal mane in that house. Capture her and bring her here.”
Discord flashed away, and flashed back holding Starlight Glimmer. “Get your hooves off of me!” she yelled, struggling in his grip.
“Starlight Glimmer,” Twilight said ominously, “Where are our cutie marks?”
The unicorn glared at her. “You think I'd tell you anything?” Ponies were starting to poke their heads out of their houses as they heard the commotion. “You attempted to undermine my authority…you go against town policy…you think—”
“Discord, mute her.”
With a snap of his fingers, Starlight's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Her eyes widened in shock as Twilight nodded in satisfaction. “Better. Discord, search that cave for our cutie marks, and bring them back here.”
He dropped Starlight and disappeared. The six of them surrounded Starlight, preventing her from running off…and noticing that she still had her cutie mark! The villagers would run up, possibly to save their leader, but would see her mark and run away to another pony, who they would whisper furiously to. The news spread like wildfire as hissing whispers grew in volume—that their village, their way of life, had been based on a lie.
Discord reappeared, holding six glowing marks in his hands. They shot towards the six of them, and they all breathed a sigh of relief as they felt their cutie marks take their rightful place.
Twilight turned towards the villagers. “I hope you've learned a lesson here about not trusting everything anypony says. They could be liars,” she finished, glaring at Starlight. The unicorn silently glared back.
“Discord, take her to the Canterlot dungeons. Once she's locked up, you're dismissed,” she said, turning and walking back towards the train station. The rest of them slowly followed…except for Fluttershy, who stayed behind for just a moment more.
She said quietly, “Discord, could you please give Starlight her voice back?” He nodded and snapped his fingers, and the unicorn raised a hoof up to her throat questioningly. “Thank you. I'll see you later,” she said quickly before following the group.
Before he disappeared with Starlight, she could have sworn that he said, “See you.”
An idea had suddenly struck Fluttershy during one of her tea parties with Discord. The Gala was coming up soon, and she and all of her friends had been invited once again, and each of them would be allowed to bring a plus-one. She hadn't known who to take at first…
…but then she remembered who could do with a bit of socialization. A chance to freely talk with others, to be in public.
She asked him, “Are you interested in going to the Gala?”
He paused, then slowly shrugged—his shoulders only moving the tiniest bit. She still beamed widely at him, for that was the greatest reaction he'd given all day.
“Would you like to come to the Gala with me?”
The reaction this time was instant as he swiftly nodded his head. She smiled and flew over to hug him, nuzzling his cheek. He leaned slightly into her touch, though he still didn't return the hug. She let go of him and went back to her seat, sighing contently as she poured him some more tea.
“Twilight might not be happy, but I'll just say I couldn't find anypony else interested…and that'd it'd be a shame to go alone.” She quickly looked up at Discord. “Not that—! I really do want to go with you, Discord! I'm just worried that Twilight won't understand.”
He didn't respond. Fluttershy sipped her tea before standing up. “I think I've got some pencils around her…let's design something for your outfit. You deserve to use your magic for yourself for once.”
The night of the Gala had arrived. Fluttershy was waiting anxiously in the line, fiddling with the sleeves of the peacock dress Rarity had so kindly made for her. She glanced nervously up at Discord, who stood impassively next to her, gathering stares from several other waiting guests. He was wearing a suit of his own design and creation, colored a neon orange with accents of deep purple.
His emotionless face was a stark contrast to his bright outfit.
She looked towards the front of the line, then back up at Discord. She felt her heart thump nervously in her chest. He was acting emotionlessly, making no moves to speak to anypony. And they were slowly approaching the front of the line…where Twilight was waiting.
Soon, too soon, they were at the front of the line. Twilight's smile vanished once she saw Discord. “What's this?”
“I…I couldn't find anyone else who was interested in the Gala,” Fluttershy stammered. “And it…it seemed a waste to not bring—”
“No,” Twilight said simply. “You can't bring Discord as your plus-one. You should have told me before, so that I could have come up with a…better option.”
Fluttershy felt a sudden burst of pent-up anger swell inside her. She planted her hooves and grit her teeth. “Well, why not?” she demanded.
Twilight scowled, her eyes narrowing frighteningly. “Because it'll wear through the spell! If you treat him as a person, and not a tool, he'll start to act like it!”
“He IS a person!”
Twilight stomped her hoof, her horn flaring for just a second. Fluttershy backed away, while Discord shifted slightly in front of her, his face still expressionless. Twilight glared at him.
“Discord, I dismiss you.” The draconequus glanced back at Fluttershy. Twilight's horn flared as she shouted, “LEAVE!”
Discord was gone in a blinding flash of light. Twilight stormed over to Fluttershy. “Enjoy the Gala. Tomorrow, you're giving me back that whistle.”
Fluttershy's ears lowered as she walked past the alicorn into the grand ballroom. Several ponies were staring at her, including her friends who she swiftly approached. But though their stares made her uncomfortable, they weren't the reason behind the tears she was fighting to hold back.
How can I help him now? I've ruined everything.
Fluttershy was actually a bit surprised Twilight had invited her to the Crystaling. Then again, even if they never spoke to each other much anymore, the entire group would occasionally spend time together.
Twilight had made good on her word, taking away not just Fluttershy's whistle, but everypony else's. She hadn't seen Discord since then. After that, Twilight became…distant from the others. Especially Fluttershy.
So it wasn't a surprise that Twilight had her join the others to help Shining Armor, instead of joining her to help watch Cadence's baby.
And then she was surprised, again, when the baby alicorn's cries actually shattered the Crystal Heart.
Everypony gasped as they stared down at the shards…except Twilight, who simply activated her horn. Discord appeared in a flash. “You called, Twilight?”
Twilight pointed at the shards. “Fix this.” Discord snapped his fingers, and the shards floated into the air, slowly clicking into place.
Fluttershy slowly approached, hoping to talk to Discord. Twilight's eyes shifted in her direction, and shot her a withering glare. She froze in place, her wings trembling against her back.
Twilight turned back to Discord as the last pieces of the Heart fit into place. “Discord, I—” She paused. “I want you to go out and search the Frozen North for any signs of trouble. If you find anything—a hint of dark magic, a wisp of a wendigo, a note from a siren—you will come back here and tell me about it immediately.”
Discord teleported away. Twilight smiled at the others. “Something occurred to me,” she told them, “He can solve all of our problems easily…but why wait for the problems to come up? He can take care of everything before anything happens!”
Celestia and Luna glanced at each other. “Twilight…I don't like this idea,” Celestia said softly. “Even if Discord has lost his autonomy, he should be treated well. I'm sure at least one of your friends agrees.”
Twilight's smile stretched, and her eyes twitched. “Of…of course, Princess! In fact, Fluttershy has been taking…good care of him when he's not needed!” she said with a laugh. “Right, Fluttershy!?”
Everypony, especially Fluttershy, shivered. “Y-yes, I have,” she squeaked.
Celestia smiled. “And I hope that you continue to do so, Fluttershy.”
Twilight laughed. “Yes, of course! C'mon, everypony, take your place for the Crystaling!” She pulled her friends away, placing them at the front of the crowd before trotting back over towards the Crystal Heart.
The ceremony was beautiful, but Fluttershy had a hard time focusing on it. On the one hoof, she was worried about Discord being alone in the Frozen North, with nopony to watch out for him. On the other hoof, she was excited that Twilight might give her a chance to spend time with Discord again.
After the ceremony was over, they all approached Twilight, who was chatting with Cadence. Everypony jumped when Discord suddenly appeared, holding a writhing, black, insectoid creature in his arms. “I found something, Twilight.”
Everypony backed away. “A changeling?” Cadence said worriedly, throwing a forehoof over the baby alicorn.
The changeling himself struggled and said, “No, wait! It's not what you—”
“Mute him, and keep him from using magic,” Twilight said calmly. Discord snapped his fingers, and the panicking changelings mouth moved without sound. Twilight levitated the creature out of Discord's arms, and turned to the princesses. “See? This is why we need to use Discord.”
While the four of them talked amongst each other, Fluttershy quickly approached Discord. “Are you alright?,” she asked in a hushed voice. He didn't respond. “Please, on Tuesday, come to my cottage if you're not doing anything. Come every Tuesday.”
She quickly backed away as Twilight turned around and approached Discord again, with the changeling. “Celestia wants you to unmute him, and take him to the Canterlot dungeons…to a nice cell. After that, you're dismissed.” Discord nodded and snapped his fingers, and he and the changeling disappeared.
Twilight turned to the others. “I think it's time we went home!” she said cheerfully, leading the way to the train station. Fluttershy followed at the back of the group, not wanting Twilight to see any signs of guilt…or excitement.
“Please, Spike?” she asked quietly. “I know he's not really himself, but…I think that having more friends could really help him.”
Spike sighed. “That's not it, Fluttershy. It's that…I can't lie to Twilight. I live with her! And if she found out I let Discord join Guy's Night…well, you remember how she reacted when you invited Discord to the Gala.”
Fluttershy sighed. “I just…I wonder if I'm the only pony who wants to help him.”
Spike rapidly shook his head. “No, no, no! That's not it! It's just…I can't. Twilight would find out. And the others…I know they're nervous, too. We're all too nervous.”
Fluttershy scuffed at the ground with her hoof. “I…I see. I should go home before Twilight comes back.” And with that, she turned and left the library, trotting sadly towards her cottage.
She entered her home and headed to the kitchen, putting a kettle of water on the stove before browsing through her shelves, looking at the kinds of tea she had. As she placed her selection in the kettle, the minute hand of her clock shifted onto the number ten, signaling the top of the hour.
Discord appeared in her living room in a flash. He blinked, then began glancing around for her. She walked out of the kitchen, and his shoulders seemed to relax, though his expression remained the same. “It'll take a minute or two for the water to boil. Why don't you have a seat?” she said.
He mechanically sat in his usual spot on her sofa. She had originally encouraged him to take it so that he would have space to spread out however he wanted, but he would still only hold his rigid posture. She sighed as she sat down in her usual armchair.
She glanced up at Discord, whose blank eyes were focused on her. “I wonder what this would be like if Twilight hadn't—” She shook her head. “I'm sure it would be wonderful. You'd tell jokes and stories, and take as many snacks as you needed…we'd have so much fun. I…I want that.”
She placed her forehead on her crossed hooves. “But I feel like…I'm the only one who wants that. Nopony else has…” She sighed. “I'm sorry. It's just that I tried to get Spike to let you join him and Big Mac whenever we're gone, so maybe you could make some more friends…maybe get something back. But…Spike said no.”
“I'm sorry I can't do anything for you.”
The room was silent for a few moments. The kettle whistled, and Fluttershy lifted her head out of her hooves to go get it. Discord watched her as she entered the kitchen, his muscles twitching violently, though only his fingers managed to move the tiniest bit.
Fluttershy came back with the kettle and a platter of tea cakes, and froze in the door and what she saw. Discord's twitching managed to let him raise up his hands, and with his blank expression almost twisting into a frown, he started to reach out.
She hurried forward, quickly placing the kettle and the tea cakes close to him, within his arms' reach. With a clear amount of effort, and a stretch of time, he reached out and grabbed his tea cup with his claw, and a tea cake in his paw.
But for as slowly he had moved forward, he moved back in a flash. He snapped back into his rigid posture, his expression smoothing back into blankness. Now, though, he was breathing heavily, as though he had completed a difficult exercise. And in Fluttershy's eyes, he had.
She poured some tea in the cup he held, saying softly about how she was so proud of him, that she knew he could do it, how happy it all made her. Discord's body relaxed, even as he shifted into a more rigid pose. His tight grips relaxed on his tea cup and crushed tea cake.
Even if he didn't react for the rest of their time together, and even seemed more glassy-eyed than normal, Fluttershy was beaming at him the whole time, her worries buried for another day.
Fluttershy gathered with everypony else at Twilight's castle. She didn't know why Pinkie Pie had called then there so suddenly, but when it came to Pinkie, that was nothing new. She waited with the others for Pinkie Pie to show up, which was also nothing new. Pinkie sometimes liked to suddenly surprise ponies before her parties got started.
She stood in a group with the rest of her friends…besides Twilight. The alicorn was standing a few feet away, with only Spike by her side, though he kept glancing between Twilight and them as he spoke to her. Fluttershy wasn't sure if the distance between them was from a choice from the group, from Twilight, or if had just…happened.
Pinkie Pie jumped out from behind a wall. “Surprise, everypony!” Fluttershy jumped, but calmed down and softly smiled.
Twilight grinned. “Thanks for the invitation, Pinkie. What's this party for, anyway?”
Pinkie smiled. “A celebration for a successful changing of hooves of the throne of Equestria!”
They all stared silently at her. Twilight was the first to speak. “What…do you mean? Celestia and Luna haven't stepped down…”
Pinkie grinned…but it made Fluttershy shiver. Pinkie Pie, sweet as she was, could never smile with that much…malice in her eyes. “Oh, you'll see, Twilight,” she said calmly.
Suddenly, a pair of black hooves grabbed Fluttershy from behind! She shrieked and tried to shake them off, but they only seemed to grip tighter. She whipped her head around, and saw that each off them, besides Pinkie, was behind grappled by a black, insect-like creature—changelings!
Twilight growled and sent a burst of magic out of her horn, striking the changeling that had grabbed onto her. “There!” Her horn started to glow brightly. “Don't worry, everypony. This will be easy if we use—”
A blast of green magic knocked her off of her feet. Pinkie smirked as a flash of green surrounded her, and in her place stood another changeling. The changeling who had grabbed Twilight got to his hooves. “Good work, soldier,” he said. “And the rest of you! Quit playing with your prey and just drain them already!”
Fluttershy saw the changelings behind her friends open their mouths. She heard a hissing sound from behind her, and she suddenly felt cold, like something warm was leaving her chest…something important. She tried to hold onto it, to pull it back, but the changeling easily tore it away.
As she slumped to the ground, tired, she dully wondered why that warmth she tried to hold onto made her think of Discord.
Discord appeared in Fluttershy's living room with a flash. He paused for a second, then blinked, confused. Fluttershy always greeted him whenever he showed up. This was irregular.
The fuzzy static in his head was tempting him to stay still and wait until somepony said something, but he pushed past it. He walked throughout Fluttershy's cottage, peeking into every room, ignoring the headache the static was giving him.
After going through the entire house, he determined there was no Fluttershy. He flopped down in his usual seat on the couch, reflexively sitting in a rigid posture. Where could she be? Normally she’d leave a note. Perhaps I should check—
The static in his head throbbed. If he had the energy to move, he would have grimaced. And of course, as soon as the headache was gone, he had forgotten what he had been thinking of. As always.
How long had the static been there? He wasn't sure. That was another thing that when he tried to remember, the static would give him a headache. Moving without being told hurt his head and muscles. Speaking without permission was somewhat fine, though he got a headache if he thought of anything he shouldn't say.
His mind drifted to the place it normally did—Fluttershy. Thinking of her never gave him a headache, so long as he thought carefully, avoiding any thoughts of magic or movement. Perhaps because he was meant to listen to her, she was safe to think about?
Whatever the reason, he wouldn't complain. Thinking of her made him feel light, almost like he could fly. Her smiles and soft touches would banished every headache and soreness, making each challenge against the static worth it—
His head throbbed harshly. This time, he closed his eyes in a blink. His ears rang and his skull felt like it was splitting into two. When it subsided, he opened his eyes again.
Fluttershy's cottage! That's right. It's Tuesday Tea, he thought. But where was Fluttershy?
Something in the back of his mind told him she wasn't inside the cottage. He mulled over going to look for her over waiting for her to come back. The first thought made his head hurt, so he placed his hands in his lap and resolved to wait.
The sun and moon had crossed the sky several times already. The only change that had occurred was that the animals had chased somepony off the other day, as they came close to the cottage. Discord didn't bother to see who it was—it couldn't have been Fluttershy. Other then that, the only thing different was that there was some odd feeling growing in the pit of his stomach.
Once a week had passed, he realized that what he felt was worry.
Knowing what it was seemed to make it stronger. It flooded his thoughts, pushing past even the static. Where's Fluttershy? Why hasn't she come home? What if she's in danger?
The static futilely throbbed in his skull, trying to push down his thoughts. But he wouldn't be stopped. The worry pushed him onto his feet, and in a blur of motion, he snapped his fingers.
He appeared on some kind of cliff, overlooking a vast wasteland. He blinked, confused. He had meant to go right to Fluttershy…he blinked when he spotted what was in the middle of the wasteland: a large, grim castle.
He snapped his fingers again, trying to go to it. He didn't move an inch. He tried again. And then a third time. But every time, he would flash away, showing his magic was working, but would then reappear in the same spot, like something was repelling him.
He frowned slightly. His magic wasn't helping, and the static, though pushed back by his emotions, was humming and throbbing, promising him it wasn't planning on staying down for long.
With a slight frown on his face, he started marching down the cliff and towards the castle, determined to find Fluttershy before the static came back.
His muscles were so sore. Was it from the walking, or a sign from the static? But at least he had finally reached his destination.
He gazed up at the castle, looking for a way in. The static was getting stronger, making it harder for him to focus. He repeated Fluttershy's name in his head, doing his best to remember why he was here. Especially since nopony had called him here…the static would probably react to that.
A hole opened in the wall in front of him. He swiftly made his way inside, just managing to make it before it closed behind him. His muscles burned, and the tingling of the static grew a bit stronger, tempting him to rest.
Can't stop. Have to find Fluttershy.
He had been wandering aimlessly through the hallways for what felt like ages. It didn't help that the static was even stronger now, and he couldn't remember which pathways he had gone through. It was difficult to even focus on why he was there. Fluttershy. Fluttershy. Have to find her.
But why was she here? And why couldn't he teleport? His head throbbed. He closed his eyes, took a breath, and continued forward, focusing only on his goal.
His wanderings led him to a darker tunnel. He entered it without hesitation, still only focused on his goal, not even bothering to look around once he registered there were no yellow-coated pegasi near him.
So it was quite the shock for him when several black figures descended from the ceiling, pinning him down to the floor.
He struggled against them instinctively, trying to throw them off of him. He actually succeeded in sending a good number of them flying, though more poured in from somewhere he couldn't see. But he still pushed himself to his feet and pressed forward, wading through the mass of insectoid creatures, his only focus on getting to Fluttershy.
He made it several feet before the static came back.
He roared as he felt the worst headache he had ever received. His brain was pounding on the insides of his head. His vision became spotty, and then black, as tears started to pour down his muzzle. His skull was splitting in two, while spasms of pain coursed through his sore muscles.
It was all so much that he could only barely feel the hooves of his attackers grabbing at him, and it left him with no energy to fend them off. The headache only started to fade, and only slightly, as his consciousness ebbed away.
Fluttershy blinked back into consciousness. Everything was dark, though some patches of light were here and there. She heard the sounds of blasting magic in the background. And for some reason, she was lying in some sort of sticky green substance.
A light purple hoof appeared in front of her. Though her limbs felt weak, she managed to grab it and let herself be pulled up onto her hooves. She shivered and wobbled, and her vision began to clear. With a blink, she suddenly saw who it was standing in front of her.
Starlight Glimmer.
Fluttershy squeaked and backed away. Starlight held up a hoof to calm her. “Now, I know this is odd, but we're here to help.”
“We?” As Fluttershy took in more of her surroundings, she realized what was happening. Groups of changelings were all firing off magic, some at a retreating Queen Chrysalis, and some at a rapidly-deteriorating black throne. Some changelings stood by the Queen's side, trying to defend her, but they were vastly outnumbered.
The dark cavern shook slightly as blasts of magic struck the walls. Drops of green goop felt from the ceiling. Fluttershy looked up—and wished she hadn't.
Right above her were her friends, all suspended in green cocoons. Their eyes blinked open and closed, their expressions neutral, like they were in some kind of daze. A hoof came up to her mouth as she noticed the sheer number of ponies that were up there.
Starlight coughed. When Fluttershy's attention turned back to her, she had lit up her horn and was pulling at one of the cocoons. “My magic is still too weakened to fight, but I have basic levitation back, at least,” she grumbled to herself.
Fluttershy gulped. “How…why are you here?”
Starlight sighed. “One of the other prisoners—a changeling—realized something was up. Celestia and Luna were replaced with changeling soldiers. Several of us took the chance to escape, since they weren't watching the dungeons as closely as the real ones would.”
“But Thorax—that's the changeling—convinced me to help him, when everypony else chose to run. I decided to help him rescue the princesses.” She sighed, and said with a growl, “It's not like I can go back to my village, after what your group did.”
Fluttershy backed away a few inches. Starlight's expression softened. “I'm not angry at you as much as I am at Twilight,” she hissed at the name. “But you're better than the rest of them, even. After all, you're the reason I'm able to speak right now.”
A loud hiss came from the other end of the room. The two of them turned their heads in time to see Queen Chrysalis fly out of a newly-made hole in the wall, a group of changelings following her lead, after taking a few more shots at their attackers.
The cave was silent for a moment. Some of the insect-like equines cheered. Some of them looked worried. Others simply donned neutral expressions and continued to pull apart the throne, or fly up to the ceiling and pry off the cocoons.
Fluttershy glanced around the ceiling, searching for a cocoon that hadn't been grabbed yet. She froze at the sight of one occupant, flying up to it in a flash.
“Discord!” she cried. The draconequus didn't seem to hear her, his face as neutral as ever, though he looked more dazed than usual. She wrapped her hooves around the sticky cocoon and pulled, trying to pry him away from the ceiling.
It took her some time, and her muscles were sore, but eventually, his cocoon fell to the ground a burst next to some of the others'. But while they were blinking their eyes open, slowly being helped onto their hooves by changelings, Starlight, or a recently-freed friend, Discord lay there, unmoving.
Fluttershy flew down to his side, cradling his neck. “How did you get here?” she whispered to him. “Twilight didn't…”
He reacted to her presence, his dull eyes gaining some glimmer back to them. “Moved…on my own,” he whispered. “You weren't there. Had to find you.” His muscles twitched, and his posture shifted, becoming more rigid, even as he laid on the ground.
She smiled, though tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Oh, Discord…” She softly nuzzled his neck, ignoring some of the stares she was receiving from the changelings around them.
Though Discord didn't move or speak again, she held onto him, up until the moment her friends dragged her away, just before Twilight came over and began giving orders to Discord on how to clean everything up. Spike whispered, “Fluttershy…Twilight almost saw you two. That was too close.”
But Fluttershy still watched Discord as he stood up in his rigid posture, using his magic as Twilight saw fit, worried about him…and deep down, a glimmer of hope and pride shone.
“Equestria thanks you for your service,” announced Celestia. “And so, because of your actions, I have decided to pardon the both of you!”
The room filled with quiet, polite clapping. Thorax and Starlight stood on a stage with Celestia, blushing as the alicorn then walked over to quietly, personally thank them.
Fluttershy was one of the ponies clapping. Most of her friends, seated at the same table as her, were also clapping politely. Twilight had crossed her forehooves, her eyes narrowed as she watched Celestia smile at the two of them.
As they walked off the stage and started to mingle with the crowd of Canterlot residents who had shone up, Twilight snorted and stalked off, away from the crowd. The group watched her go, a few of them shuffling like they wanted to follow her…but nopony did.
“Twilight's been…different, hasn't she?,” Rarity said slowly, quietly.
Pinkie nodded. “Yeah! Ever since…that thing, with Discord.”
Some of the others mumbled in affirmation. Fluttershy spoke up, “I don't like it. What she did to him…why haven't we tried to find a way to break that spell?”
The others all frowned. Applejack spoke up. “You remember what Twilight said, don't you? That spell's going to last until she passes. And now that she's an alicorn…”
Rarity added, “If we knew a bit more about magic, darling, maybe we could do something. But the one who knows the most is…” She trailed off as she glanced in the direction Twilight had stalked off in.
Spike gulped. “I know you want to help, Fluttershy…I know you've been trying to help…but I don't know if there's even a way to help him at all.”
Fluttershy frowned, blinking back a stinging she felt in her eyes. Quickly, she thought of all the things Discord had done—when he stroked her mane on the train, when he reached out to grab his own cake and cup, when he had wandered into changeling territory to find her!—and felt hope blossom in her heart.
“So we just need to find somepony who knows about magic, right?” she said boldly. The others were quiet, but slowly nodded. She stood up quickly and began to weave her way through the crowd, softly apologizing as she bumped into ponies.
Soon, she had made it to the stage, where Princess Celestia was standing and talking with the crowd. She smiled when she spotted Fluttershy, but frowned when she saw the pegasus's expression. “Fluttershy? Is something wrong?”
Fluttershy nodded quickly. “Your highness, can I please…ask you about something? It's important.”
Celestia gazed at her, her horn slowly lighting up with her golden aura. With a flash, the two of them had vanished from the crowd and appeared in a smaller, empty room in the castle. “What troubles you, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy inhaled sharply. “Discord's been under a spell for months and I don’t know how to break it and you have the most powerful magic so I thought—” Celestia’s eyes had widened, looking shocked at her sudden outburst. Fluttershy took in another breath, slowly letting it out.
“Can you break the mind control spell that's on Discord? Or at least know some way of doing so?” she asked quietly.
Celestia's eyes widened, then softened slowly. She draped one of her wings over Fluttershy. “I'm so sorry, Fluttershy,” she said quietly. Her eyes were wide and shining. “I knew you would ask someday, with your kind heart. But…I cannot free Discord from what's happened to him."
Fluttershy blinked quickly, frowning down at the floor. Tears started to fall in between her front hooves. Celestia's wing pressed closer against her, and her muzzle gentle laid on top of her head.
“I know it's difficult,” she continued. “But it's out of my hooves. Discord's best chance lies in my star pupil…on her figuring out exactly what spell she used.”
Fluttershy's blood froze in her veins. “W-what?”
“No mage or wizard can undo a spell this delicate without understanding what exactly it is. Twilight cast a spell recklessly, accidentally creating something horrible, and understands that she cannot fix if until she knows exactly what she did. Discord's recovery is in her hooves.”
Fluttershy was frozen, numb. Without even thinking, words slipped out of her mouth. “But…Twilight knew which spell she cast.” She felt Celestia's wing stiffen. “She said she remembered it, on the lake shore…she knew how to give him orders, how it worked—”
Celestia pulled away from her, grabbing her by the withers and staring into her eyes. “Are you saying that Twilight intentionally cast that spell on Discord?,” she asked calmly, though with an edge clear in her voice.
Fluttershy gulped. “Y-yes. S-s-she called it a reforming spell. And she said she had remembered it. And she seemed to know how the spell worked…” She hid behind her mane as Celestia's eyes narrowed, her mouth pressing into a thin line.
Before she knew it, they had appeared with a flash in front of her friends. Celestia's eyes scanned the area quickly. “Where is Twilight Sparkle?” she growled. Fluttershy shivered. The others were frozen, looks of worry on their faces, though Applejack managed to raise an hoof and point in the direction Twilight had stalked off in.
Celestia's wings unfurled, and with ease, she left the floor and soared above the crowd, following Twilight's trail. Members of the crowd glanced up, curious and worried. Fluttershy started weaving through the crowd, trying to keep up with Celestia. The rest of her friends were right behind her.
Celestia was throwing doors open with her magic as she passes by, not bothering to search beyond a second-long glance. Everypony watched as she threw open another door—and stopped.
Her hooves landed on the ground with a heavy thud. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE” she boomed, nearly knocking over the six creatures following her. Fluttershy managed to plant her hooves firmly and pull herself forward, peering over Celestia's shoulder.
Inside the room was Twilight, several books open on a table in front of her. Fluttershy realized with a jump that Discord was in there, too, a cloud of magic swirling around his head, his eyes half-lidded and dull. Twilight's expression was one of fear—and Fluttershy was suddenly glad she couldn't see Celestia's face.
“DID YOU INTENTIONALLY CAST THAT SPELL ON DISCORD?” Celestia roared. Twilight's eyes widened, the blood draining from her face. Her eyes caught sight of Fluttershy, and were suddenly filled with…something. Behind that fear was something between sadness and anger.
Twilight closed her eyes. “…Yes. I did.”
“T-TWILIGHT, WHY?” Celestia's voice wavered. “I trusted you…my most faithful student…didn't you trust my judgement? Or even Fluttershy's?”
Twilight grit her teeth, squeezing her eyes tightly. “…No.”
“Discord was evil. I saw no way that he would change, that we could ever truly trust him to stand by our side. But if he were trapped in stone again…we'd lose that powerful magic. Magic you said you had use for, if we could reform him.” She gestured to Discord with a hoof, his expression blank as the cloud of magic slowly seeped into his skull. “And look! Now he’ll use that magic in whatever way we…you…think is best!”
Celestia was silent for several long moments, everypony's eyes focused on her. “…Twilight. Come closer.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, but slowly trotted towards her. Celestia wrapped her foreleg around her, pulling her tightly against her chest. “My most faithful student…I didn't know you would go so far for me,” she whispered.
Twilight lifted her head. “Yes! I did it for you! For everypony! For the good of Equestria!”
“The good of Equestria…” Celestia murmured under her breath. “Yes. Sometimes, we must do difficult things for the safety of every creature. You understand, don't you?” She pressed Twilight closer to her, placing her head on top of the smaller alicorn's.
“…So I hope you can forgive me for this,” she murmured.
Twilight's eyes snapped open, and she tried to pull away. Celestia's horn glowed with magic, and a strange apparatus appeared in the air, latching onto Twilight's horn. The magenta glow that had been growing there was dispersed.
Twilight's head snapped towards Discord. “Discord, teleport both of us away!” she shouted. He raised his fingers, ready to snap.
“No! Please, don't!” cried Fluttershy. Discord blinked, her brows burrowing slightly. His fingers were still coming together, ready to snap, but they were moving slowly, twitching, like something was preventing them from coming together. Discord's teeth were grinding, his eyes slowly closing the longer he kept from snapping.
Celestia's horn flared with bright light, engulfing both Twilight and Discord. When the light faded away, Discord shuddered and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Twilight shook on her hooves before they gave out from underneath her. She lifted her head up wearily, looking at Celestia with tired eyes.
“Twilight Sparkle,” she said, her voice cold and sharp. “What you have done is unforgivable. I cannot let you go without punishment for this crime. You will be placed in the Canterlot dungeons until your trial.” She paused. “But, if…you could fix this…perhaps your punishment will not be as bad. Perhaps, one day…you could be freed.”
Twilight's eyes closed. “…I don't remember the counterspell,” she sighed. “And even if I did, I've added so much to the spell…it's had so much time to evolve on its own…”
“You can't fix it,” Celestia finished, her voice dull. Twilight simply closed her eyes, her head slumping onto the ground.
She was lifted up in a golden aura and placed on Celestia's back. The princess pressed her muzzle against her former student's cheek for a quiet second before pulling away. “Fluttershy,” she said quietly, making the timid pegasus jump. “I want you to care for Discord. You seem to be the one who cares for him most…if Twilight wasn't lying about that, as well.”
Fluttershy quickly nodded. “Yes, of course! I'll do my best, Princess!” Celestia glanced at her with tired eyes before turning and walking down the hallway, carrying Twilight Sparkle away.
Fluttershy rushed to Discord's side, quickly making sure that he was uninjured. When she saw that he appeared healthy, she breathed a sigh of relief, and tried to pull him onto her back. The others slowly came forward, quietly asking her to wait, to take it easy.
She violently shook her head. “Please, no. I just…I just want to go home.”
After a pause, her others helped her to carry the unconscious draconequus out of the castle and to the train station. They received some odd looks from passing ponies, but Fluttershy ignored them, keeping her attention focused on Discord alone. Even during the ride home, when her friends tried to talk with her, she only gave short answers, stroking Discord's mane, waiting for him to wake up.
Months passed by. The trial of Twilight Sparkle had passed. After listening to everypony's tale of the spell cast on Discord, and Twilight's own confession for her actions, Celestia had decided on a verdict. She solemnly announced that Twilight would be stripped of the title of Princess, and would be imprisoned in the Canterlot dungeons until twenty years after Discord recovered.
Fluttershy sometimes thought that meant she would imprisoned forever.
She did her best to hold onto her hope, and she refused to give up on Discord. But, whatever Twilight had been doing to him before she was arrested…it set him back, somehow. He acted like he remembered her, and Twilight, but it took all the way up until the trial, spending time with him every day, before he came close to the level of progress he was at before—making small movements autonomously, and sometimes saying things by himself.
She tended to Discord, made sure he ate and slept, trying to get him to socialize. Alone, he would have small conversations with her, and he was the sweetest, funniest creature she knew. But in public, he clamed up, refusing to speak unless spoken to first.
Sometimes, she invited friends over for tea with the two of them. Bit Discord would refuse to do anything, and the friend would give her a pitying look, maybe even a pat of the shoulder.
But when they were alone, Discord could surprise her. A sudden joke, or stroking her mane. Once, he even picked her up and held her against his chest. After that, he was clearly tired and sore for days, but she was still so proud of him.
She started dedicating any time she could spare to Discord. If he was better off with just her, she would stop taking him out to town. With this, she made less trips to town herself, visited less ponies. She invited ponies over less often, wanting Discord to feel comfortable.
After all, he would get better soon…right?