Fluttershy stood in the castle court room, the last pony glaring hatefully back at her from its throne. Fluttershy had done it. Conquered Equestria, one being at a time. Sure, the extension of herself through the other ponies and creatures that had joined with her had helped, but ultimately it was Fluttershy that stood alone against the Princess. After the discovery of Luna's conversion, Celestia had done her best to eliminate Fluttershy's family. But Fluttershy had evaded and eluded her efforts until nopony was left but the sun goddess herself. And even Celestia would fall to the combined might of Equestria and Lord Smooze. Soon all would be smooze.

Celestia rose from her throne, her face a veneer of barely controlled rage. "So. You've finally come for me, monster." She sneered. "There is no longer reason for your charade. T'is you and I, and taking the form of kindness shall grant you no advantage. I shall scour you from this planet. Burning an effigy of my race is no barrier." Celestia was beyond anger, but weariness still shone through her eyes. She had not rested in many days or nights, and the toll was weighing heavy upon her.

Fluttershy stood confidently, unafraid of the angry goddess. "I'm sorry, princess. I tried to do it nicer, joining ponies peacefully while they slept, or at least ushering them gently into smooze. I never did want to hurt anypony. I just wanted to make everypony happy. And in a way, I have." Fluttershy smiled calmly, waiting for the princess's response.

Celestia was mildly taken aback. She had honestly expected the monster to attack her with everything it had. Surely with the combined might of her sister and the rest of Equestria she wouldn't truly be able to fight it. She knew it would win. Her only hope had been to destroy it with her. She had an eternity to ponder being alone, or she would fall when it struck. Celestia could afford to speak with the monster for a while. She hadn't decided which fate she preferred yet anyways.

"You didn't want to hurt anypony? Am I to believe you are still carrying on the facade of being the element of Kindness? As Fluttershy?" Celestia was slightly confused, it was such an odd choice for an avatar. Why not speak with her as her sister or even as Twilight Sparkle? Either would certainly put her at a disadvantage.

Fluttershy bowed, dipping her head gracefully. "It's more than a facade your majesty. A long time ago now, I had to make a choice. I had to choose to be Fluttershy or choose to be a monster of Smooze. A mindlessly hungry creature intent on devouring everything." Fluttershy's smile waned and her eyes went distant as her tone grew more serious. "I have kept every pony, animal, and creature safe. They exist together as one, and still as themselves. Everypony is here with me now, under my care." Fluttershy smiled as she finished, eyeing the princess again.

Celestia frowned and returned the monsters glare. "Everypony except one, I believe?"

"Yes, your majesty. The others want to be with you."

"And how did you become the caretaker of all of Equestria, Fluttershy?"

"I sent myself back in time to guide myself. All of it was for Lord Smooze. With his power, I can keep everypony safe. Forever."

"You take me for a fool, monster?" As Celestia spoke, she thought on the situation and calculated. There was the possibility that she would win the fight, burning the monster to nothing. Then she would live out her life as the last pony. Perhaps she could find acceptance with the minotaurs or the dragons. It was also just as likely they had been consumed by this monster by now. She had no idea how long it had been running rampant in her kingdom, or even how long ago it had claimed her sister. It was the potential for an eternity of loneliness. Or there was the alternative.

Celestia paused but a moment to continue her thought. "You expect me to believe that every creature that was in my kingdom lives on within you?"

Fluttershy smiled serenely. "I don't need you to believe me yet your Majesty. You'll know the truth soon enough. But if it helps you feel better, then yes. Everypony is here right now. They're excited." Fluttershy's eyes shone like an angel, and her wings spread wide as she lifted them. Fluttershy grew slightly in size and from underneath her wingspan stepped Luna and Twilight.

Celestia's brain shut off for a moment. They looked exactly like they had when this all started, who knows how long ago. Before the hunts and the burnings. Before it all came to an end. She herself had ended the simulacrum that looked like Twilight. It's bubbling and burning flesh still haunted her memories. And yet, here it was again. When her brain caught back up, her emotions were with it. Anger at seeing Twilight, horror at remembering the way it screamed. Fear at seeing her sister, strong and dark as ever, easily her equal in her prime. Celestia knew she was no where near her prime. And just a glimmer, a terrible horrible emotion. One that betrayed everything she fought for. A selfish hope.

In her moment of weakness, Celestia made her decision. She would fight, and she would lose. She blinked angrily at her sister clearing the forming tears, and glanced menacingly at Twilight. Raising herself to full height, she spread her wings and shouted in her royal voice. "Be gone mine memories! This place is dead to thee."

The clone of Twilight looked over to Luna in confusion, but the Lunar replica merely smirked in quiet satisfaction at her sister and motioned for them both to retreat under Fluttershy's wings. As they disappeared under the yellow wingspan, Fluttershy's eyes returned to normal and her size seemed to shrink back down to the little pony she had been.

Celestia's mind was racing. They had acted exactly as they should. With one exception. "Why was Twilight not scared of me?" Twilight's clone had been eliminated. And it had been very unpleasant for all parties involved.

Fluttershy frowned at that. "I had to erase the memory of what you did to her. I take care of my ponies, and what you did broke her heart. She begged me to forget it. She doesn't remember, but I do. It's an awful memory." Fluttershy kept frowning.

"I.. I am sorry for the pain it caused. It still haunts me as well. But you are a monster." Celestia didn't want to wait anymore. It was now or never. "And you must be stopped!" She lunged at Fluttershy, lowering and igniting her horn in a pure white flame.

"Don't worry. I'll let you forget too. You'll both be happy." Fluttershy moved with an unearthly speed, quietly speaking out to herself as she sidestepped the princess's assault.

Celestia hadn't expected her to move as fast as she did, and stumbled forward into empty air. She swung herself around just in time to catch sight of the binding glyph Fluttershy had drawn erupt from the floor. Tentacles of Smooze created an intricate and complex glyph as they rose from the ground around her. She felt her magic drain almost instantly. The only pony who knew of such a glyph had been Luna. The only pony who could draw such a glyph would have been Twilight. Celestia cried as Fluttershy stepped forward.

"There there. It's okay." Fluttershy grew a few smooze tentacles and began to point them at Celestia. "I'm going to make it all better now, just let mama Fluttershy take care of you."

Celestia turned her face right as the tentacles raced towards her, getting an unwanted face full of smooze. The stinging substance sprayed into her mouth, around her eyes, and worst of all straight up her nose, tickling and burning her sinuses.

Celestia sneezed, shooting Smooze from her nose as her body tried to expel the foul substance. Years of decorum kicked in and she reflexively spoke without thinking. “Ex-Smooze me!”

Fluttershy stopped, and stared at Celestia in utter and complete bafflement. Did Celestia really just say that? “W...What?”

Celestia sniffled a bit, clearing her sinuses of the foul substance. She coughed a little Smooze out as well, and then spoke again. “Ahem. I said, 'Ex-smooze me.' It's only polite.” Celestia then paused for a second, reconsidering her words. “Oh... dear. Did I just say...?”

Fluttershy relaxed her hold on the sun goddess, letting her tentacles slip slowly off her once pristine white coat. The situation had just became quite awkward. “I... Yes. I'm pretty sure you did.”

The two looked back and forth for a moment, doing their best to avoid eye contact and shuffling their feet awkwardly.

A masculine voice broke the tension, laughing out in pure enjoyment. “Ah Ah ha! So worth it!”

Celestia and Fluttershy looked at each other in confusion, and then Celestia's eyes narrowed in rage as she screamed. “Discord!”

The mad Draconique appeared with a snap, floating above the wrecked palace and giggling gleefully. “AH ha ha ha! Oh you should see the look on your faces... Priceless!”

Fluttershy looked on in confusion. What was happening? Why was Discord suddenly here? Hadn't he been trapped in stone for forever?

Celestia's eyes burned with an unfathomable rage as she turned her back to Fluttershy, her attention completely on the Draconique. “Is this...” Her voice began to hiss and the floor around her burst into flames, “your doing?”

“My dear Celestia! Whatever do you mean? Surely you aren't accusing moi of anything!” Discord swam in a Mobius strip as he spoke, the serpent chasing its tail.

Celestia's rage was unabated. “Discord? Did you tear the fabric of space and time, wreck my kingdom, destroy my ponies, and corrupt my little sister...” Celestia's voice began to trail off as she finished, her eyes glazing over, “For... a bad pun?”

Discord responded as though he was offended. “The nerve! I thought it was an excellent pun...”

Celestia quietly stared, stunned from her own realization. Fluttershy, however, had to make sure. “Discord? Did you really?” She stepped forward, tears in her eyes. “Did you really... torture me... to turn me into a monster? So I could... rape my friends? And fight with the princess? For... a joke?”

Discord continued. “Well, don't make it sound too easy! Do you have any idea how many times I had to send you back to get it right? Once, you even ate me!" He acted flabbergasted, "Me! The lord of chaos! That took a while to fix." Discord rolled his eyes. "Cheeses. Nopony appreciates a good joke nowadays.” Discord huffed in frustration. “Heh. Ex-smooze me. Ha! Ha hahah!” He began to laugh again.

Fluttershy got down to the ground and curled up into a little ball, hugging herself. Nothing made sense. But that was the lesson, wasn't it? She let out a giggle, “ha...”

Curled on the floor, reason and reality began to slip from her and she began to laugh as she fell into insanity with the mad god of chaos as the room was consumed in an unfathomable blaze.

Author's Note

Happy April Fools. Hopefully this isn't too cruel. I don't expect many people to read it! This is not the real end of the story, although I am severely tempted for Discord to be the antagonist. Oh! And this is Season 2 Discord. He's nobody's friend...