Labyrinth: Return of Discord

"Discord?"  Cadence asked softly, pulling him back to the current moment.  "Do you want to talk about it?"

He gritted his teeth and swiped at the floating aura with his tail, dispersing it.  "And how would a princess of love understand loneliness?"

She looked down at Fluttershy with a sad smile.  "There are many misunderstandings regarding my magic.  I spent my fair share of years with an unrequited love at a distance, too."

He eyed her with wary suspicion.  His arms crossed over his chest.  "Then, to the more pressing matter...  How does any of this help Fluttershy?"

"She has lost her faith, Discord.  Fluttershy is the Element of Kindness.  It is in her very soul."  Her eyes narrowed.  "I don't know exactly what you did, but it's clear you destroyed the very one thing she believed in above all else."

"You want me to believe that simply because I hurt her delicate little feelings, all of this happened?!"  He gestured wildly at her.  "That's preposterous!"

"Then leave and forget about her."

"I..."  There was a brief pause.  "I can't do that."

This gave her a bit of hope.  "Why not?"

He said nothing.  He stepped forward and crouched down to the floor, reaching out his paw toward Fluttershy.  "Because I, well."  He moved her mane out of her face.  "Because."

They all sat in silence.  Finally, Discord lifted himself back up.

"Use your magic."

Cadence raised her brow.  "Excuse me?"

"Use your magic on me, I said!"  He stretched his arms out to the sides and braced himself.  "If you make me love her, then she'll be happy, right?"

"Well, I- I don't know about that, but I can't do that."

"I thought you were the princess of love!"

"I told you."  She shook her head.  "There are misunderstandings about my magic, and that is one of them.  I cannot simply change someone's free will and force them into love.  As cliche as it may sound, love is a flower...  It cannot be forced to grow."

"Of course it can."  He snapped and a flowerpot appeared.  Out from the soil popped a white daisy, which waved a leaf at her.  "See?  I forced it to grow."

She paused, then smiled lopsidedly.  "Well, yes, I suppose you're right, but it's not a real flower, now is it?  It took no effort or time.  You have no attachment to it or reason to care for it.  I can't just force you to be in love, Discord.  It's something you have to choose for yourself."

"It's not that easy!"  he roared.

The rage surged through him.  He growled and flung the flowerpot at the wall, then watched as the shattered pieces and dirt disappeared.  The flower remained and, with a twitch of one of his talons, it jumped up onto its roots and ran away.  It wasn't enough.  He raised his paw and faced the couch.  A wicked grin spread across his lips and the cushions turned into balloons.

"Discord!"  Cadence cried.  The balloon she was on separated her from Fluttershy, who was draped over another balloon.  "What are you doing?!"

"Why, I'm showing you, just like you showed me, Princess!"  He clicked his tongue and examined his talons idly.  "It's impossible for a monster like me."

"Does Fluttershy think you're a monster?"  She stared at him.

The balloons froze.  Time itself seemed to freeze, but clearly it did not, as a distant clock chimed rather ominously, and he remembered to breathe.

Her stare seemed to go right through him.  He turned away to shield himself from it.

"How could she not?  Look what I've done to her!  If she doesn't think I'm a monster, then she's an idiot."

Cadence hopped down from her balloon.  With her magic, she lifted Fluttershy up and lowered her back down to the ground.  "They say love is blind, but I know better."  She started to walk to the door.  "True love is not blind at all.  It sees everything of another:  their faults, their flaws, their mistakes...  and accepts them."  She paused just at the doorway.  "I cannot help you, Discord, if you're not willing to help yourself."

"Fine, then leave!"  he whined with an exaggerated, nasal voice and stomped a foot.  "Poor little princess, afraid of a challenge!"  He rolled his eyes.

The suspended balloons turned back into cushions and fell onto the couch.  He stepped toward Fluttershy.  He hesitated.

"Oh, come on, Discord.  You've done scarier things."  He scooped her up with both arms and set her back on the couch.

At their new level of closeness, he discovered something new about her.

It was faint, likely because she had spent so much time crying into the candy grass, but as he breathed he inhaled the distinct scent of strawberries.

He took a deep breath and held it.  His eyes closed as he exhaled, then they snapped back open and he glanced around.  Once.  Twice.  Three times, just to be certain.

"Well, it probably can't hurt..."  He leaned in and placed a quick, light kiss on her lips, quickly withdrawing.  He stared down at her, eyes wide.

Nothing happened.

"Idiot.  You're no prince."

His body twisted so that he could lean his back against the couch, staring out into the room with a sour expression, arms crossed over his chest.

Unbeknownst to him, Cadence stuck her head back into the room.  It took everything that she had not to giggle so that she remained undetected.  Her horn glowed for a moment, producing a stream of little red hearts that fluttered silently through the air.  One by one, they landed on Fluttershy's lips like little droplets of rain.  The pink marks left behind glowed, then started to expand in size to encompass her whole frame.  Cadence quickly disappeared around the corner right as Discord detected the magic.

"What was-"  He froze when he looked over his shoulder and spied Fluttershy.  "What?!"  He stared in awe as the pink turned to yellow on her coat and a darker shade of pink on her mane until she was her normal colors again.  "... What?!"

Cadence finally released the bottled up giggle once she was a safe distance down the hall.  As if on cue, Shining Armor came around the hall and smiled at the sight of his beloved.

"Cadence?"  They brushed their necks together in a loving embrace.  "What has you in such a good mood?"

She beamed at him with clearly feigned innocence.  "Me?  Oh, just the magic of love."

He raised one eyebrow.  "Is that so?"  He smiled.  "Well, why don't you tell me all about it after our meeting with the Trottingham representatives?"

"Certainly."  She walked alongside him.  "I think you'll enjoy this story."

Inside the room, Discord was still frozen in place.  The glow faded, leaving Fluttershy as she once was, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open.  "H-huh?"  She blinked a few more times.  "Where am I?"

Their gazes met and Fluttershy gasped.  Finally, Discord broke out of his dumbfounded stupor and jumped to his feet, exclaiming, "I am a prince!"

"What?"  Her gentle voice soothed him.  "What happened?"

He cleared his throat.  "Well, that depends on what you remember last."

"Remember... ?"  Her gaze flickered away.

He caught a glimpse of sadness and regret in her eyes just before she looked away, one he couldn't let linger.  He couldn't risk having her disappear again.

"Ah, it doesn't matter!  What matters now is that you're here, safe and sound."  He stretched his arms out behind him.  "And the timing couldn't be better!"  A sincere smile crossed his lips and he extended his claw to her.  "Rule Equestria with me, Fluttershy."

"R-r-rule Equestria?!"  She jerked her head up to stare at him with wide eyes.  "Discord!  You can't do that!"

The smile fell, as did his claw.  "Why not?  I already have Canterlot.  The hard part is already over."

"Because..."  The sad look crossed her face again and remained in place.  "If you do, you'll be put back in stone."

"Not with you by my side, Fluttershy.  Without the Element of Kindness, nothing can stop me!"

"Discord, please."  Her forelegs tucked closer to her chest.  "Don't make me choose between you and my friends, again."

He scowled.  He turned on his goat hoof and faced his back to her.  His tail lashed somewhat violently.  "Choose?  Oh, it was so easy for you to choose before!  Why would it be any harder now?"

She gave a strangled cry as she lunged forward off the couch and wrapped her forelegs around his middle.  "Because I- I really-" Hiccups kept interrupting her words.  "I really care- about you!"

There was a hesitant pause.  He had thought Cadence's magic was what a hug felt like, but it was nothing like the real thing.  His eyes closed to briefly enjoy the embrace before he murmured, "Then choose me."

Her tears were hot against his back.  "But how c-can I trust you?"

The warmth of the embrace was overtaken by a frigid pang through his chest.  He had no response, and she knew it.

"I know h-how lonely you were, Discord.  I'm lonely, too."  She let go of him and dropped down onto all fours to walk around him and meet his distant gaze.  "I still love my friends.  But they've all moved on with their lives..."  Her ears fell to the sides.  "I'll be the one to ask you this time, Discord."  One of her hooves raised toward him.  "Equestria, or me."

His gaze lowered to her hoof.  Of its own accord, his paw twitched toward her, but he stopped it with his claw.  "You expect me to choose between ruling an entire kingdom and... You?  A meek little pegasus of no real consequence?"

She flinched from his words.  Despite, her hoof remained in the air.  "Yes."

They stared at one another, her with hope in her eyes, and him with suspicion.  He felt the bubbling of magic stirring in him, and before he lost his mind, he grabbed her hoof.  "You win."  His claw raised and snapped.

Back in Canterlot, the cage disappeared.  The castle returned to its non-dairy appearance.  The oil seeped into the ground and the grass became plant material again.  Even Rarity was her normal self again, though that was more due to Applejack's stubborn reassurances.  All was put back in its proper place.

"There," he said.  "I've removed all of my wonderful chaos.  Happy?"

"Yes, thank you."  Rather suddenly, she frowned and pulled her hoof away.  "But don't think you're off the hook, mister!  You caused an awful lot of pain and trouble."

He looked at her with surprise that was both sincere and playful.  "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Fluttershy's eyes narrowed.  She flapped her wings to raise herself up to his height.  "I may forgive you, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten what you've done.  You'll have to work hard for me to call you my friend."

"F-friend?!"  His whole frame wobbled with disbelief.  "I gave up Equestria... and you just want to be friends?!"

She blushed and said in the softest voice, "Well, I mean...  For now..."

He groaned.  "This is not what I agreed to!"

Her blush growing a deeper shade of red, she glanced down at the floor.  "I-I just..."  She tapped her hooves together.  "I want to be sure I can trust you first.  Okay?"

There was a faint hint of a blush under his grey-brown coat and he scowled.  He felt irritated, which riled him up and would only lead to something bad happening.

However, before he had a chance to lose control, she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek.  The storm inside settled and he waved his arms wildly.

"Oh, fine!  Fine!  Have it your way!"  He turned away from her to smile in private.  "I'll play nice.  For now."

Fluttershy gracefully descended.  "I know you will."  She nuzzled her head against his back, this time with a smile instead of tears.  "Thank you, Discord."  She paused, then withdrew and touched her hoof to her snout.  "Oh, dear..."

"Now what!"

"I don't know how Angel Bunny will-"

That dreaded name hit him like a ton of bricks and he spun around, waving his claw.  Her mouth was replaced by a zipper, which zipped shut to muffle the rest of her sentence.

"Mmf?  Mmfmf!"  She narrowed her eyes and pointed a hoof at her face.  "Mmfmfmm mff?!"

Discord smiled sweetly.  "I'm sorry, my dear, you'll have to speak up."  He put his paw to his ear.  "Hmm?"

"Mmff!"

"You what?  You wonder how that nasty little rabbit will do living on his own once you kick him out?"

"Mm?!"

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be fine.  You'll be fine as well.  After all, you have me to take his place!"

Fluttershy sighed through her nose and shook her head.  The zipper of a mouth lifted into a small smile.

It would take a while, and it would take effort, but deep in her heart she knew things would eventually work out.