Labyrinth: Return of Discord

Fluttershy was left alone in the quiet, and she was thankful for it.  The last thing she wanted was to be around anypony right then.  She just wanted some privacy, some time to sort out her thoughts, which were muddled and heavy with the realization that kindness was a horrible thing.

Unfortunately, at that moment, the curtain surrounding her infirmary bed was thrown back with a dramatic flair.

"Oh, Fluttershy!"  Rarity cried.  She threw herself forward, forelegs landing on the edge of the bed.  "I was so frightened when that dreadful earthquake happened, and then I couldn't find you anywhere!  Then I heard you were here, and..."  Her lower lip trembled.  "Oh, I'm so glad you're all right!"

Fluttershy rolled her eyes and turned onto her side, putting her back to the unicorn.  "Uh-huh."

"It was horrible, darling.  I heard that it wasn't an earthquake at all, but that something terrible happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!  By her name, what happened?  How did you get injured?  What was that earthquake really?"  The tremble was gone, her lip tucked back into place, her watery eyes now gleaming with interest.

Fluttershy noted all of these things when she glanced over her shoulder.  She rolled her eyes again and dropped her head back down.  "Really, Rarity?  You want to gossip?  That's all you really care about, isn't it?"

The unicorn pulled back to stand on her hind legs.  "Excuse me?"

"You heard me.  Oh, boo, hoo, hoo, Rarity was so scared, but how could she be when she was with a big, strong stallion?"  Her voice was still soft, but it was laced with venom.  "Didn't it give you the perfect opportunity to get closer to him?"

"Fluttershy!"  The unicorn dropped down onto all fours and took a step back.  "I don't know what you're trying to say!"

The pegasus sat up and looked down her muzzle at the other with a darkness looming in her gaze.  Her ears were pinned back flat against her mane, which could hardly be considered pink at that point.  It was dusty and pale in color, like her once-vibrant coat.  "Gossip and stallions and high society.  That's all you care about.  You're so generous with your time when it gets you something!  When was the last time you stopped by?  When did you try to schedule a spa day?"

Rarity's lip was trembling again, though this time with full sincerity as she fought back tears.  "I... I just assumed, well, with all of our lives getting so busy-"

"Oh, that's right, everypony is busy except Fluttershy."  She slid out of the bed, and walked past her toward the door.  She ignored the pain from each step of her hind leg.  "Thank you for so generously reminding me of my place.  I'll just go back to my cottage so I won't be in your way anymore."

Rarity tried to stop her, but the pegasus brushed her off and left through the doorway.  She stood there a moment before she dropped her head low and cried freely.  "I-"  she sobbed, hardly able to speak.  "I had no idea... th-that you felt that way..."  She closed her eyes.  "Oh, I am a h-horrible friend..."  Slowly, the color drained from her as she began to doubt herself.

The guards watched as Fluttershy walked past them, though none commented on her sour expression or her sickly colors.  One of the figures in the many stained glass windows watched her with glee.

"Oh, how perfect," Discord said to himself in the second dimension.  To the nearby guards, his words sounded like distant echoes that none of them could quite make out.  He slid along the multi-colored glass panes.  "How perfect!  She's taking care of everything for me.  I don't even have to lift a claw."

He cackled and coiled around a figure of himself, depicting when Celestia and Luna had trapped him in stone.  "You poor, sad thing," he cooed, gazing into his own eyes.  "It won't happen again, don't you worry.  Now, let's see what I've missed...  Really, I should thank Celestia for these windows.  I don't have to read a history book!"

He slithered his way to the next window and had to pause.  He stood in the center of six ponies, all rearing up with magic beams shooting upward.  Following the beams, his gaze landed on a dark alicorn.

"Huh."  He stroked his beard as he pondered the scene.  "Perhaps a history book would be more...  clear.  Ah, no matter.  Someone did something and these-" He raised his paw and claw to gesture air quotes as he finished sarcastically, "wonderful ponies saved the day."

Discord walked along the green glass to examine each pony more closely.  The angle made it difficult to really get a grasp for how they looked, but...  "How odd," he muttered, interrupting his own thoughts.  Why did he recognize them?  He knew had seen them before.  His gaze flickered to each of their ever-smiling faces.

Who were they?

Hating the feeling of confusion, he walked off to one side and slid into a different window, only to be faced with the same six ponies and the Elements of Harmony.

"Great!  So they have the Elements, too?!"  He slumped down to lean on one of the edges of the shard most of him was in.  He rubbed his temple with his paw.  "Think, Discord... Think!  Who are they?!"

The corners of his lips twitched with irritation and he jumped out of the second dimension to stare at the scene in its entirety, hovering outside of the castle.  Able to see it this way, his eyes widened with recognition.  "Wait...  Wait, yes."  He moved closer and put his paw near the image of a yellow pegasus.

It was her, along with the friends she had brought with her from her memories into his realm.

His lips curled with a wicked grin as a dark expression overtook his face.  What a lovely coincidence!  Perhaps that was why he had been drawn to her.  "Oh, my dear," he cooed, scratching a talon along the surface of the glass, snickering at the awful sound it made.  "I suppose I still have more use for you yet."

He withdrew from the glass and twirled around to face the kingdom of Canterlot below.  "But first thing's first!"  He stretched his arms, joints popping.  Sparks of chaos shot from the tips of his claw and fell below to cause havoc even he couldn't control once they sprouted.  Chaos magic was not something that could be controlled; it just sort of happened.  "I think Equestria could use a little fun!"

Elsewhere, at the train station in Ponyville, Fluttershy stepped off the platform.  At that point her hindleg was throbbing from her walking on it, but she scowled and ground her teeth to walk through the pain.  Nopony tried to approach the sickly-looking mare and she was content with that.

She was nearly halfway through the town when she spotted Applejack and Apple Bloom at their stall, selling some of their produce that didn't meet the standards for shipping out to Canterlot.  The residents of Ponyville were just happy to continue to get Sweet Apple Acres' attention despite their widespread popularity and didn't mind that Canterlot got their finest apples.

Fluttershy tried to walk at the back of the crowd to avoid being noticed, but Applejack spotted her immediately.

"Hey, Apple Bloom, ya mind watchin' the stall fer me?  I ain't seen Fluttershy in weeks!"

"'Course, big sis."  The filly puffed her chest with confidence.  "I got this!"

"Uh-huh.  No shady business practices, now, ya hear?"

The confidence deflated some, but she grinned sheepishly.  "Yes, big sis."

Applejack trotted through the crowd toward Fluttershy.  "Hey, Fluttershy!"

Her wings twitched in both acknowledgment and irritation and she otherwise ignored the pony.

"Fluttershy?"  She noticed the bandages on her hind leg when she got closer.  "What happened to yer leg?"  When the pegasus quickened her pace, she paused, a little startled.  "Sugarcube?"  She galloped forward to get in front of her and stop her by blocking her path.  "What's wrong?  Ya don't look so good."

Fluttershy lifted her head to stare at her.

There was something dark in her eyes, drowning the turquoise behind a shadowed veil, startling Applejack.

"Pointing out the obvious isn't the same as honesty, you know."  She dropped her head back down to its sulky, brooding position and bumped the other with her shoulder as she brushed past her.

"Now hold on there a minute!  What's gotten into you?"  The pony reached out her foreleg to stop her.

The pegasus groaned and pushed the hoof away.  "You just can't take a hint, can you?  Why don't you leave me alone?  You were so good at that before, so why change things now?"

Her eye twitched.  The corners of her lips threatened to fall into a frown, but she gritted her teeth and forced a smile.  "I don't know what's got bees in your bonnet, but-"

"Oh I'm so sorry, was that too mean?"  She reared her head up to look her straight in the eyes.  "I'm just being honest.  Don't you appreciate that?  Aren't the elements supposed to be good things?"

"Now there's a difference between honesty and being just plain mean!  This ain't like you, Fluttershy."

The pegasus rolled her eyes.  "How would you know anymore?  You spend so much time at Sweet Apple Acres that I'm actually surprised you even recognize me."  A cocky smirk crossed her lips as she eyed the other up and down.  "It's hard to recognize you without all that dirt and sweat all over."

That was the last straw.  Applejack stomped a hoof and pushed her face into the other's.  "You listen here, missy!  I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation fer what you're doin' here but I just don't see it!  If ya ain't got anythin' nice to say, then just go on!"

"Finally," she muttered with a dragged out sigh and trotted onward.

Applejack's breathing was staggered as she tried to calm herself.  She closed her eyes, raised her hoof, and extended it as she exhaled.  Slowly, her eyes opened again, though only halfway.  "Somethin' ain't right with her.  I gotta tell Twilight 'bout this."

After informing Apple Bloom that she would be in charge a little longer, she ran as fast as she could to the library.

"Twilight!"  she exclaimed, throwing the door open.  "We've got a problem!"

Twilight looked up from the pile of books surrounding her.  "Tell me about it!"  Her hair was a mess.  Her eyes had a slight twitch to them, a half-crazed look tugging her lips into a weak grin.  "I've been searching all day for a book and it's nowhere!  Nowhere at all!"

"Look, I know yer books are important to you, but Fluttershy's actin' real strange.  No, there ain't a word strong enough for what just happened.  It... It was just downright wrong."

The alicorn jumped to her hooves.  The grin was gone, as was the twitch, replaced by a serious look that froze Applejack where she stood.  "It's already happened?"  Her ears fell.  "Then I'm too late...  Oh, by Celestia, we're in serious danger."

They stood in silence for a few moments before Applejack broke it by saying carefully, "Twilight...  Is there somethin' you wanna fill me in on?"