More Than Trust

Chapters

More Than "A Bit Off"
More Than Help
More Than Me
More Than Friendship

More Than "A Bit Off"

An awkward silence surrounded the dinner table, the animals remaining still with their eyes locked on the draconequus, who sat across from the yellow pegasus that those animals loved so well. Discord wasn't stupid; they were clearly upset with him about his earlier betrayal. Only a few weeks ago, the princesses had sent him off to arrest Tirek; an evil entity who sucked out magic from any race of pony, unicorn or otherwise. Discord was a fool when he had agreed to help him, and he knew that. He apologized countless times until his guilt only remained as the tiniest of holes in his heart. He was lucky that his friends hadn't abandoned him and forgave him for his misdeed.

Now though, he couldn't be sure if he should feel happy or not. Sure, the weather was sunny and some birds were happily chirping outside, but not everything was so cheery and bright. Across the table, Fluttershy was blankly staring down at her cup, her normally expressive eyes lacking the emotion that Discord had grown so fond of. Normally, this wouldn't be a huge deal and he'd just laugh it off, but he'd been on edge lately. After the situation with Tirek, Fluttershy had grown more and more distant with him. He couldn't be certain that it was on purpose, but it was a noticeable change that frightened him, though he wouldn't admit it if asked.

Things had started out okay, and he felt sure that everything was alright once Fluttershy had given him a hug to show that she forgave him. After that though, the usual cheer in the house began to diminish. The spring in Fluttershy's step began to falter, and she eventually stopped humming that cute tune to herself every morning. She also grew tired; very tired, possibly from her constantly getting up. Often, though she probably wasn't aware of it, Discord would be woken up in the middle of the night whenever Fluttershy trotted downstairs, moving to the kitchen for an occasional glass of water. Multiple times, he felt like he should ask, but his stubbornness and need to feel "tough" won over that.

Even now, he could tell that she wasn't feeling right. Besides her empty eyes, her wings draped downwards rather than being neatly folded against her waist. Her ears weren't perky, and her hair was slightly unkempt. Discord was a fan of things being unusual and strange, but he wasn't enjoying Fluttershy's uncharacteristic behavior in the slightest.

"...Did you see any of them today?"

Discord blinked at the sudden voice, glancing across the table and watching as Fluttershy mindlessly caressed the warm cup of tea with her hoof, her eyes locked on the liquid.

"I beg your pardon?"

Fluttershy's eyes slowly motioned upwards to meet with his. He felt a twinge of nervousness shoot through his spine at her gaze, but he ignored it.

"Twilight. Rarity. Rainbow Dash. Applejack. Pinkie Pie," she muttered, clearly trying to show some enthusiasm but effectively showing none. "They're your friends, aren't they?"

Discord frowned. Her words implied that she thought he wasn't aware of the fact, but her voice showed much more tenseness and... aggression? Is that what it was?

"Of course they are, dear Fluttershy—" Discord flinched as Fluttershy's gaze flew back down to her cup. "—but I'm still planning a nice entrance to make, you know?"

"As always?" Fluttershy asked in reply, lifting her cup to her face despite not taking a sip.

Discord managed a chuckle, albeit a weak one. "Obviously."

Another silence followed, and he couldn't resist digging a claw into the wooden table; anything to ease the tension. If Fluttershy noticed, she didn't show any sign of it.

Granted, if this had been any other pony, he would've been throwing a fit over how "boring" this was for him instead of just ruining the wood of a table. However, the months he had spent with Fluttershy had taught him much about her, and even more so about himself. He felt how she felt, and years upon years of chaotic destruction couldn't even come close to convincing him that joking about this situation was a good idea.

He glanced downwards, not wanting to look at the moody pegasus any longer.

"Is something wrong?" Fluttershy suddenly asked, most likely noticing his downcast gaze.

He looked back at her and raised an eyebrow. "You stole my line."

She blinked.

Then blinked again.

"What do you—" Fluttershy paused as one of squirrels began to tap on her leg, holding an acorn out for her to see.

She grimaced slightly. "A-ah, yes, food? I'm getting right on that, just let me—" She halted her sentence, putting a hoof to her forehead and rubbing vigorously.

What was that? Did she just sound... annoyed?

Discord left his seat to glide over to her side. "Is everything alright?" he asked cautiously.

"What? Yes, yes, I'm fine," the mare replied with slight insistence.

Discord's gaze sharpened, but he couldn't bring himself to sound aggressive towards her.

"F-Fluttershy—" Did I really just stutter...? "—there's clearly something suspicious going on with you, and I want to know what it is!"

Fluttershy shook her head slowly, looking up at the standing draconequus. Discord didn't particularly enjoy towering over her like he did, but shrinking himself down would probably make the situation seem much less serious, which was something he couldn't let happen.

"I've just been feeling a bit off lately. Maybe having the magic sucked out of me and then put back in threw me off somehow."

Liar. The other ponies would be feeling the same way if that were true...

Discord stood firm, but Fluttershy moved past him after taking a large sip of her tea.

"And where are you going?" he asked, tempted to teleport in front of her if she failed to answer.

"I...I'm going outside to feed the animals, of course. Then I'll be heading over to Rarity's house," she replied, turning her head only slightly to look at him.

"Wonderful. I've been meaning to ask her to make me a nice suit," Discord said, slight amusement in his tone. "I'll come with you."

"NO!"

Before he could blink, Fluttershy jerked around and stood on her hind legs, her front hooves pinned to Discord's chest.

The draconequus raised a brow. "And just why not?"

Fluttershy blinked. "B...because..." She lowered her gaze. "...you can't."

"Are you trying to avoid me, Fluttershy? If I'm not welcome here—"

"—You are!" Fluttershy insisted, her tone showing frantic and mixed emotions. She paused, taking a moment to stare at him, then slowly brought her forelegs around his waist, leaning into him as she gave him a gentle hug.

"...You can't leave..."

Discord stiffened somewhat at the mixed messages being thrown at him. Was she upset with him or not? Her tone said "yes", and her actions couldn't decide.

Nevertheless, he still enjoyed the physical contact. He had missed her hugs, which was another thing that had lessened after the event with Tirek. Obviously, he couldn't bring himself to tell her that, but he reached for her to return the hug anyway.

However, as he touched her mane, she instantly retracted her hooves, taking a few steps back while gazing at him.

"...I need to go."

Discord watched with a small frown as she turned away and trotted out the door. He considered following, but knew that he'd likely get nothing out of her.

If he wanted answers, he'd have to get them out of someone who'd be willing to talk.

...Maybe he should go see Rarity after all...

More Than Help

The streets of Ponyville were overly crowded, but Discord couldn't care less. He had a goal in mind, and he swore to Celestia that he would accomplish it. He flew over the crowd, actually getting lost a few times before finally making his way towards Carousel Boutique. Was it possible to be so focused that you get distracted?

It didn't matter now. He could think about that later, after all this chaos was over. He landed firmly on the grass in front of the fancy clothes-shop, staring at the door with an intense gaze. He felt inclined to teleport inside and take great joy in giving Rarity a good scare, but he wouldn't get answers that way; she'd just get mad and kick him out.

He knocked on the door, crossing his arms and waiting patiently. It took a moment, but the door eventually opened, the pretty white unicorn stepping out to greet him.

Though her mouth quickly dropped as she realized who was at the door.

"...Discord?" she asked, blinking in confusion. "What ever are you doing here?"

Discord frowned slightly as he imagined what she was thinking.

"I mean, really! YOU, knock on the door? YOU, have manners? Discord, what happened to you and who can I thank for it!?"

He noticed a glint of emotion in her eyes that he couldn't quite place, but he ignored it.

"Oh, Rarity~ I was just curious, that's all!" he replied, throwing his hands up in the air. Rarity gave him a confused look.

"Curious? About what, Discord?" she asked, her tone being very calm. "If you need a question answered, all you should do is ask. We are friends, after all."

Discord let out a small grunt at the word "friends", but shook off his mild surprise and focused on the task at hand, trying to keep himself in his usual Discord-y mood, despite not feeling it at all.

"About the pony I need to ask about!" he responded.

"The... pony?" Rarity questioned, tilting her head. "You'll... have to be more specific."

"THE pony!" Discord told her, bending over to be more level with her. "It would mean the world and more to me if you could tell me who had the gall to hurt the soul of our poor pal Fluttershy. Clearly, she is not herself, you know!"

He made sure to be overly-dramatic in his words; if Rarity knew how seriously he was taking this, she might end up gossiping to the world about it, and he could not have that.

However, instead of giving him a weird glance like he expected, he suddenly found Rarity giving him an icy stare. She didn't look incredibly angry, but he could sense that her mood suddenly shifted.

All at the mention of Fluttershy.

Discord's expression fell slightly. Now he could be sure that it wasn't just him seeing Fluttershy act strange. Ponies were noticing, and the yellow pegasus must've been extremely upset to be unable to hide it, considering her tendency to hate attention.

"What's the sour look for? Does my symmetricalness not please you?" he asked with an amused smirk, as fake as it was.

Rarity frowned. "...Allow me to ask you something, Discord," she said with the utmost politeness.

Discord tilted his head, shrugging slightly to inform Rarity that she could go on.

"How long did it take you to decide to ask that? Have you only noticed now?" she questioned.

The draconequus paused at the question. Had Rarity been waiting for him to realize? The answer was easy; an obvious "I figured it out a long time ago, so no", but this mare acted as if he was the most insensitive guy on the planet. Fluttershy thought of him as a close friend, and he was expected to not notice when she was upset?

Discord wasn't dense. He was somewhat ignorant, but not dense. Heck, he was pretty much the destroyer of all emotions back when he caused chaos just to cause chaos. He knew how minds worked.

But, if that were true, then why is Fluttershy's mind such an enigma?

Discord contemplated it all. He had to admit that she was very special to him. He knew that she was very forgiving, so to think that she still held his betrayal over his head was unlikely. Not impossible, but he felt that it was extremely unlikely. Perhaps something else was bothering her?

From the look on Rarity's face, he assumed that it was something he did. However, besides what he already pretty much threw out, he couldn't think of a single thing he had done in the past few weeks that could've caused Fluttershy to become so upset. He barely pulled any pranks, and even the ones he did were utterly harmless; more akin to what Pinkie Pie did.

And yet, he must've done something. He was positive.

"Ahem..."

Discord looked back at Rarity as she cleared her throat. Had he been that deep in thought?

Nope, he was certainly not. Absolutely not. He was not all that concerned with the situation and he had just been distracted by a bird because it was so much more attractive than Rarity.

Yup.

"You think that I am so insensitive that I would ignore her?" he asked, crossing his arms and faking a pout. "You've got me all wrong, Rarity! I merely thought that Fluttershy was putting on a show for me! Even made me tear up a little~"

He knew that such a joke was probably going too far, even for him, but he still tried.

Rarity gave a sigh. "Discord, I respect you as a friend, but—"

She paused suddenly, her head tilting over to look at something (or someone?) behind Discord. The draconequus scowled slightly, feeling ignored, then turned around.

There was Fluttershy. Standing there, her head down and her mane slightly covering her face. She shyly took a few steps forward, looked at Discord for a split second, then suddenly bolted into the boutique.

"Flutter—!"

Discord was forced to stop as Rarity held a hoof against the side of the door frame, preventing him from walking any farther. He grunted slightly, taking a step back, then began to convey a little roughness with his tone.

"Let me through, Rarity," he said.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Discord," she responded. "I can't allow you permission to see Fluttershy. I refuse to let you hurt her feelings any more than you already have."

Discord blinked. He knew it.

"What are you referring to? We live in the same house. You can't stop me from seeing her!"

Rarity's icy gaze turned to a full-on glare. "That is exactly why I must deny you entry now, when she has time away from you."

"Then at least enlighten me as to what I did!" Discord shot back, slowly growing annoyed with the mare.

"If you honestly can't tell by now, then I see no point!" Rarity told him, poking his stomach with her hoof.

"How am I supposed to know if you won't let me talk to her!?" he asked. He was aware of the fact that he could just teleport in, but no. This wasn't about that anymore. It was about figuring out why one of his friends was so undeniably angry with him.

"Because you should've figured it out for yourself!" Rarity yelled, huffing a very feminine huff as she looked away from him. "Ugh, males. I swear, you have no idea about anything that goes on around you. ."

"Well now you're just stereotyping," Discord sidetracked. He paused, needing to disregard his usual nature as his annoyance turned to anger. "What does that even mean anyway!? What reason would Fluttershy even have to be upset with me? Dear ol' me hasn't done a thing since Tirek, and she already forgave me for that! She trusts me, so I—"

Rarity slammed her hoof on the ground, silencing the draconequus.

"This, is about more than trust, Discord," she told him, scowling.

He paused, gazing at her. This was about more than trust? More than friendship? It must be if Fluttershy wouldn't have the courage to tell him, but what then?

He tried to think of a retort, but found none. She had stumped him. He didn't know what to say anymore.

He let his arms fall to his sides, his anger slowly dissipating; this was getting him nowhere fast.

"...I—"

"—I'm sorry," Rarity suddenly murmured, sharing his expression as she gazed at the ground. Discord watched as she slowly slumped down, sitting on her welcome mat.

"Friends shouldn't argue like this. I know that. I should not have lost my temper. This... isn't entirely your fault," she said. "Ignorance is not inherently an evil trait."

He crossed his arms, feeling incompetent, though he was far too proud to admit it. "Then perhaps you'd finally like to let me in on this little secret?"

Rarity sighed, taking a much longer pause than Discord would've liked.

"...When you betrayed us—"

"—I thought we were over this."

"W-we are!" Rarity assured, waving a hoof at him. "It isn't that she hasn't forgiven you, I can tell you that much."

Discord nodded feverishly, encouraging her to get to the point.

"...when that happened, dear Fluttershy felt... upset, to say the least. Not at you in the slightest however. At herself..."

He tried not to cringe as the sight of a crying Fluttershy re-entered his mind.

"Discord, darling, you..." Rarity grunted slightly, putting a hoof to her mouth as she tried to discern what the right words would be. "...I believe you broke her heart."

Instantly, a brow was raised at that statement. "That's obviously untrue, Rarity. A phrase like that is only reserved for one who'd—"

He stopped, realization hitting him like a brick.

Those delicate hugs she always gave him.

Her tendency to smile blindly at him, even when there was nothing to smile about.

The things she had told him that she never told anyone else.

He looked towards Rarity with a dumbfounded gaze, and the mare only needed to nod to confirm his suspicions.

"Head over hooves, darling."

She slowly stood up from her position, then walked back into the boutique, placing a hoof on the door and gazing at Discord one last time.

"As your friend, I sympathize with you. However, I'm afraid to say that I don't know how you'd go about making her feel better. You... should probably go home. I'll remain here to comfort her; hopefully this phase of hers doesn't last long."

Discord didn't have the reflexes to stop the closing door in time. He could only listen as Rarity's muffled voice called out to Fluttershy before rapid hoofsteps could be heard. After that, there was nothing but the sound of his own breathing.

And even then, it was rough and fleeting.

How was one supposed to respond to something like that? It seemed like a law that shouldn't be broken; don't fall in love with the spirit of chaos.

But, at the same time, thinking about it...

He felt like he should've known; like it was obvious. Most of him felt shocked at the idea that such a shy and gentle pony could harbor feelings for him, but a much smaller part thought casually about it, as if Rarity had told him that he was standing on grass; nothing that he hadn't already known.

That small part of him though, was a part that he thought had died a long time ago.

He gazed at the ground for a few seconds, then walked to the side and sat against the wall of the boutique. What was there to do now? Tell Fluttershy how he felt about her? Would that fix anything?

He sighed. That wouldn't do any good. He didn't even know what he felt for her, and she'd see through a lie if he gave her one. He liked her for sure, but those thousand years in stone had left him rather dead inside. He felt like he had the ability to love, but no knowledge as to how it worked.

Well... that wasn't necessarily true.

Long ago, there had been someone. Princess Celestia. He had even given her flowers after the Tirek incident. Despite that though, he knew that they simply didn't mesh well. He admitted to himself that she was very beautiful and wise, but a mare like that simply didn't fit his tastes. If he were to pursue her, he felt that she would reject him. He wasn't that into her anyway, at least.

Absentmindedly, he snapped his fingers and brought up a blank list. He snapped once more, summoning a quill, then grabbed both objects and wrote on it.

Pros

Cons

His mouth twisted slightly. Was he really going to do this? Was he really so clueless that he needed a list to figure this out?

Or was he just distracting himself from the problem at hand...?

He paused, then banished those thoughts, starting to write on the Pros list.

Pros

Good hugger
Kind
Puts up with me
Likes animals (he briefly joked to himself that it made sense for her to like him since he was just one big mismatch of animal parts)
Great cook
Puts up with me
Smiles a lot
Cute laugh
Puts up with me

He blinked, then added one last bullet.

Not Celestia

His eyes then darted over to the Cons list. For a few minutes, he couldn't think of a single thing to put there, even getting to the point of being frustrated at that fact. Truthfully, there were things that he didn't particularly care for, but...

He gazed back at the lists, then added something at the bottom.

Kinda Bothersome Things

Total doormat
Not easy to mess with
Can be boring at times

He sighed at the list. It felt like a cop-out somehow, to pass her bad traits off as "minor annoyances" and nothing else. That wouldn't be fair to her. However, they were things that he didn't really mind all that much. She was a doormat, but she could be really bold when she needed to be; she had proved it when she reformed him. He couldn't play pranks on her due to her sensitivity, but there were many ponies he could play pranks on instead, and she was never annoyed with him as long as they didn't cause harm. Besides that, even if she was a little boring... well, he wouldn't have been with her all this time if he had minded it.

He lifted his quill, then scribbled on the Cons list.

Cons

She doesn't have any

He stared at his list, then sighed and snapped his fingers once more, causing the paper and quill to disintegrate. He knew now; he hadn't needed that. He singled her out amongst all of the friends he had. They hugged, lived together, and didn't do all that much without each other; at least, he didn't.

So, great. She liked him, he liked her. Simple, right?

No. There was no way.

Discord reflected on everything; everything he had ever done. His life swam through his mind until he came right back to what he originally thought was the problem.

His betrayal. Slowly, his guilt began to build back up until it became a mass in his throat that refused to go down. He didn't often feel guilt, and he certainly didn't like it, but no amount of finger snapping would save his riled emotions now.

He didn't deserve this. He nearly caused Tirek to take control of everything, and yet he got off with no repercussions? No consequences at all?

One would expect him to be happy about it, but he wasn't. He refused to be. This wasn't about him at all; it was about Fluttershy. Words wouldn't be enough. He had to do something; something to prove that he'd never steer away from her again.

He thought long and hard until his eyes met with his mismatched hands. He gazed at the chaotic form called his body, then slowly rose to his feet, a determination rising within him.

He lifted his hand and snapped once more, his body vanishing as he teleported away.

There was yet another friend he needed to see.

More Than Me

Hesitance. He rarely hesitated, but he knew what he was about to do. He felt obligated and really wanted to do it, but his feet wouldn't move any closer to the door.

He grimaced. This was for Fluttershy. He couldn't get cold feet now.

Keeping her in mind, he finally moved towards the door and knocked; he didn't need any other motivation.

A few footsteps were heard from the other side of the room, and the doorknob turned slowly before the door opened up. Spike stood in its place, gazing up at Discord with a confused expression.

"Uh, Discord? What are you doin' here?" he asked.

This feels familiar somehow...

"Me? Why, I just came to pay Princess Twilight a little visit in her castle, that's all!" Discord replied, shrugging casually.

"W-well, yeah, I figured," Spike muttered. "I just mean... what are ya doin' here, at the doorstep? Usually, you just teleport wherever you feel like."

"I can't decide to be polite for once? Pft, honestly. For friends, you don't give me much credit!" Discord argued, pretending to be completely insulted.

"Alright, alright. Just... c'mon in," Spike said, rolling his eyes somewhat as he stepped aside to allow the draconequus entry. Discord smirked, walking inside and heading down the hall.

"Twilight should be in the library section," the dragon muttered, almost to himself, running in front of Discord and leading the way for him.

A nod was all Spike got in reply, though it wasn't like he saw it since he was looking straight ahead.

Discord continued to follow the dragon through the castle until they reached the so-called 'library section'. He wouldn't really consider it a library, but most of Twilight's books had been burned up when her house was destroyed, so he threw away his possible opportunity for teasing and walked ahead to the young mare sitting on the floor, her eyes locked on the book in front of her.

As Discord stopped, her gaze slowly drew away from the pages. She mumbled his name with a confused tone, then averted her eyes towards Spike, who left the room without much of an explanation; not like he had one though.

Twilight raised a brow, then looked back up at Discord. "You entered in an awfully quiet manner."

The draconequus gave her a small pout. Could he go five minutes without somepony questioning his means of entry?

Nevertheless, he sat down if front of her and gazed at her very seriously.

"I require a favor, Twilight," he said.

The alicorn blinked rapidly at his tone. Though usually taking his words very lightly, with a tone like that, she had an odd feeling that, whatever he needed, it must've been extremely important. And... "Twilight"? Just "Twilight"? It wasn't often that he didn't refer to her with the "Princess" added onto the beginning; not that she was complaining, as she saw him as a friend and would always prefer to be called by her first name only, but still...

"U-uh, sure, um..."

Twilight looked around for a place to put her book, then slowly stood up and walked over to an empty shelf. She seemed slightly nervous, but it's not as if that was a surprise to Discord; he had never used such a tone with her before.

The book was delicately positioned to where Twilight could easily see it again, at which point she turned to Discord and trotted back over, awkwardly sitting down on the floor and swishing her tail around to find a comfortable position.

"...S-soooo..." Twilight mumbled under her breath, tilting her head back as she gazed absentmindedly at the walls. "What's this favor that you need?"

Discord remained silent at first, his eyes scanning the surrounding "mini-library". Twilight twiddled her hooves slightly, being a bit uneasy from not knowing what he was thinking.

"This won't do," he said.

"...Won't do?" Twilight repeated questionably.

"We'll need a bigger area; bigger radius."

"Why?"

Discord didn't respond, and Twilight twitched an ear in mild annoyance. She didn't mind doing him a favor, but his aloof attitude threw her off completely.

"A...alright then," she said with a bit of suspicion, standing up as her horn glowed vibrantly.

In an instant, the two were teleported to the throne room. Twilight looked around to make sure it was 'spacious enough', then sat back down.

"Okay, so what do you need?"

Discord was quiet, then clapped his hands, a small card of sorts appearing in his hands. He stared at it, then handed it to Twilight, who stared at it skeptically.

"...A thank-you card?" she questioned, seeing the large 'For You' written on the front.

"Open it," Discord beckoned, urging the alicorn on by pointing to the card in an almost insistent manner.

Twilight frowned at him. "...You're acting funny... which is already a strange statement considering that your usual attitude is centered around comedy..."

When he didn't respond, she gave a worried sigh and dropped her gaze back to the card. "But, well... you asked, so..."

Her horn glowed, grabbing hold of the cover and pulling it back.

However, her magic holding the card suddenly broke off. She grew confused at first, as the inside of the card was blank and there didn't seem to be anything special about it.

But no. That's when it happened.

The card sparked with green and purple electricity, and a swirling ball of magic slowly rose from the card, surrounded in a dark randomly-colored energy. It grew larger and larger, eventually out-growing Twilight, who stared in shock. Wind slowly began to pick up around the two, and Twilight jumped back as her mane began to viciously whip around her face.

"S-sweet Celestia..." she uttered, her voice quiet and stunned. She stared for one last moment, then rushed up to the card, grabbing it with her hooves and forcing it shut. The energy got sucked back in, and she took a second to breathe before gazing at Discord, sitting down to help calm herself.

"...T-that was—"

"—Yes. It was," Discord said nonchalantly. "The window to all of my chaotic powers."

Twilight looked down to the card, now stroking it as if it was a lost kitten. "...No... no no. What..."

Her eyes darted about before she locked eyes with him. "What brought this about?"

She paused, then set the card down as she rose to her hooves. "Discord. We said that it was okay... we forgave you."

The draconequus was silent. Twilight blinked in confusion. "That's... not what this is about?"

Her eyes sparked in acknowledgement. "This is about Fluttershy, isn't it? You feel bad..."

Discord chuckled at her. "Are you saying that my powers are the only thing that make me Discord?" he asked. "A draconequus who's helpless without his chaotic control?"

Twilight gasped, putting a hoof to his hand and shaking her head. "No, no! Absolutely not!"

The two grew silent, and their gazes slowly drifted back to the card.

"...You realize what you're asking me to do," Twilight murmured, moving back towards the seemingly-innocent piece of paper. She sat back down, her hooves gingerly holding the card once more.

"Yes. Do whatever you want with it," Discord told her. "You can even keep it in a box and store it away somewhere; you don't have to take it for yourself."

She shook her head slowly. "You're... you're asking me to take away your magic. Without it, you'll—"

"—Be doomed to die like everypony else?" Discord interrupted with an amused tone. "This shouldn't be hard for you to grasp, Twilight; the thought of true immortality. Tell me... how long would it take you after all your friends had gone... for you to wake up one day and not have the motivation to leave your bed?"

Twilight breathed up, her hooves becoming shaky as she thought about it. "...B-but... I don't want to hurt you. Taking someone's magic without proper care—"

"—Princess," Discord said sharply, though almost in a taunting way. "I have lived far longer than you ever will," he explained with a roll of his eyes. "No amount of pain you inflict upon me could be more excruciating than the countless years I had spent alone."

Twilight bit her bottom lip, a shaky hoof going up to grab the card's edge. "...There's really no getting around this then, is there?"

Her horn glowed, and a small jar and lid appeared next to her. She considered giving one last look to Discord to ensure that he was positive about this, but she already knew the answer.

Without hesitance, she opened the card and jumped back, her horn surging with magic as Discord's chaotic energy began to emerge again. Twilight stood firm, firing a beam of light that caused the ball of misshapen colors to twist and bend to her will. She smirked confidently, trying to stir some hope within her that she could do it, but suddenly shook with fear as she heard Discord cry out from beside her.

Her eyes darted over to him, but she knew that she couldn't stop. If she called out to him, he would only insist that she continue.

The draconequus stiffened and yelped as he felt every bone in his body become sore and aching. His hands clenched, and he gritted his teeth while staggering backwards, his sense of balance thrown off completely.

Twilight shut her eyes, unable to watch her friend be in pain as she contained more and more of his magical energy. She backed up towards the jar, then viciously swung her head to the side. The energy propelled towards her, landing safely in the jar before she shut it tight.

In the end, she was left panting, her body shaking from the constant screaming she was hearing in the background.

The screaming...

Instantly, Twilight jerked her head toward Discord, who laid on the ground, barely moving.

"Discord...? Discord!" she cried, rushing over to him and running her hooves across his hands.

"It's done. Discord, it's done, it's okay now!" she said, panic overtaking her as she feared that she might've injured him beyond repair.

However, after a moment, his lion paw came up and gently grabbed one of her hooves, earning a small gasp from her. "D-Discord...?"

The draconequus stirred somewhat, giving a loud cough before opening his eyes and gazing at her.

"...S-syke?"

Twilight deadpanned, then laughed weakly. "You... you really got me there," she whispered, although knowing that this was no joke; she would at least entertain him with the idea.

Discord motioned his hands toward the floor, then pushed himself up into a sitting position. He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. His gaze softened, as though he was relieved; like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. His head turned to the jar of his energy, watching it whip around sporadically.

A small smile then passed over his lips. "Just promise me that you won't give that to Pinkie Pie; she'll do far more damage than I have ever done."

Twilight allowed herself a giggle. "I promise."

She backed away and allowed Discord to stand, though he was shaky and uneasy.

"New dance?" Twilight asked, a small smile passing over her own lips.

The draconequus dusted himself off, chuckling at the alicorn. "Of course! I'm practicing it for Fluttershy. Do you think she'll like it?"

An unspoken "yes" filled the room, and Twilight breathed a small sigh of relief.

"You really haven't changed," she said. "...Would you like me to teleport you to her?"

There was no point in asking. Discord had already turned away from her and began walking out the door. The alicorn smiled, then turned as Spike rushed into the room, looking panicked and worried.

"I-I heard a bunch of screaming! Is everything alright?"

Twilight's gaze softened at the sight of her assistant. She sat down, pulling him into a gentle embrace as the sound of her front door closing echoed through the castle.

"...I lied. He has changed. He really has..."

More Than Friendship

He had done this before. Today, actually. Only this time, it was much different.

Discord walked through Ponyville, eyeing the ponies that passed him by. Many gazed back, some looked at him worriedly, and a few actually asked him if he was feeling alright.

Truthfully, he couldn't be sure of the answer. In a normal sense for himself, he supposed that he wasn't alright at all. His powers were gone, and he was walking to the Carousel Boutique; honestly, flying was completely out of the question anymore, what with his small mismatched wings.

In another sense though, he had never felt more alive. He was tired, even to the point where his legs were just barely carrying him across the ground. He could hear ponies in the background comment about how he didn't look like himself, but that didn't perturb him in the slightest. To feel tired like this... it moved him somehow, and pushed him forward. How? He didn't know. He was sore everywhere, and yet he felt cheerful about it.

Perhaps it was the leaving of his chaotic energy. Since it had gone, he noticed that he could no longer feel the rapid swarming of chaos inside him. He got tired before, sure, but there was always something feeding his mind; always something that constantly had him wanting to snap his finger over and over again to cause widespread chaos.

Don't get him wrong though. He still loved chaos with a passion. Even as he walked, he stared at all of his surroundings and thought of how interesting it would be for this-or-that to happen.

But this time, he had no choice on the matter. In a way, it was a relief. His chaotic tendencies were quelled without needing to take action upon them. After all, what would be the point of stressing how chaotic things should be if he couldn't do a thing about them?

He shrugged to himself, one of his wings stretching slightly in hopes to cure a cramp. He flexed his fingers as he reflected on his current state, then chuckled. If only the Discord of the past could see him now...

"That pony who you couldn't corrupt? Yeah, we're... nevermind, you'll figure it out."

He stared up at the sky, slightly amused. Really, where had all of those built up emotions went off to?

He paused, then shook his head. It didn't matter; just so long as things were okay.

And speaking of things being okay...

Discord gazed up at the Carousel Boutique as he arrived. Admittedly, he had no idea of exactly what he'd say to Fluttershy, but he had a feeling that he could pull at her heartstrings just right.

He walked forward, reaching a hand out to knock.

However, the door suddenly opened before he could hit it. Rarity stood in the doorway, staring at him with a rather blank expression.

"Twilight told me," she muttered.

Discord leaned to the side. "So you know that you'll have to let me in yourself then, Queen Generous~"

Rarity blinked, her mouth twisting for a moment before she turned and walked over to her couch.

He followed, but was quickly knocked over by a sudden pillow thrown at his face. He shook it off, giving a confused gaze at the unicorn.

"That was for being so ridiculously overdramatic," she told him, though with a gentle smile.

Discord shot her a smirk. "I do believe I got it from you, Miss Rarity."

The unicorn stared at him, her cheeks turning a tinge of red before she directed a hoof upstairs. "S-she's in my room..." she muttered, not making any response to his comment.

He tried his best not to look too excited as he gazed at the staircase. He nodded to Rarity, then headed for them.

"Discord."

He stopped, looking back at Rarity with slightly impatientness; he had already been waiting too long. "Hmmm~?"

The corners of the mare's mouth slowly twisted upwards. "...Thank you."

He blinked at her, unsure of how to respond. She giggled, then motioned her hoof towards the staircase again. "Did you expect a hug? Not with that fashion sense. Run along~"

He raised a brow, then smirked with amusement and traveled upstairs. While usually not so childish at the thought of seeing someone, he admitted to himself that he had been waiting all day to set things right; maybe even longer.

He went up to the door, but flinched as the sound of a lightly-sobbing Fluttershy was heard from the other side of it. His ear twitched in discontentment, so he quickly turned the knob and pushed the door open.

And there she was. Curled up at the foot of Rarity's bed, she had shrunken in on herself, making her already delicate form look as small as possible. Her forelegs were over her face, also holding on to her long pink tail, which was wrapped around her body in a somehow-gentle manner.

Discord felt a twinge of concern, but that was okay; he could fix things, for sure. He moved up to the shy pegasus, kneeling down as he hunched over her small form.

Then, he touched her. Lightly, but nevertheless a touch. Fluttershy twitched severely, nearly jumping, then waited a moment before she slowly moved her hooves away from her face. Her eyes locked with his, gentle tears making their way down her face. Almost instantly, she curled back up, though trying to do so even more despite that being a physical impossibility. Her hind legs shook from her shaky position while her forelegs went back up to her face.

Discord smiled softly, his arms coming down and wrapping around her. "I'll have none of that."

Fluttershy squirmed as she was lifted from the bed, being placed firmly against his chest once he sat down on the floor, leaning against Rarity's dresser.

She hid her face, trying hard to stop sobbing, which inevitably led to more of it. Discord rolled his eyes, but with a small smirk on his face. "Discord to Fluttershy; you're drowning my fur and it's about to riot."

Fluttershy flinched, her hooves moving away her face again as she stared down at Discord's chest, which was positively soaked at this point. She looked at him apologetically. "I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean—"

"—If you wanted me to get a bath, all you had to do was ask," Discord joked. "Honestly, Fluttershy, I never know what's going on in that head of yours."

The pegasus managed to giggle weakly, one of her forelegs wiping a few of her tears away. "I-I told you not to come..."

"Ah, and yet here I am," he pointed out. "Funny how that works, hm?"

Fluttershy blinked, gazing at him. Her mouth twisted and her ears flopped about; he relished her adorable confusion.

"...Why?" she whispered, tilting her head.

"Well, it's funny because—"

"D-Discord..."

He chuckled. "I'm here to reclaim my Fluttershy."

Her reaction in that moment was utterly priceless for him. Her ears shot up, as if she thought that she had heard him wrong. "W-wh—"

"—Yes. My Fluttershy. I've become rather possessive these days, you know."

A large blush covered the majority of her face, at which point she gazed downward, her expression faltering. "...R-Rarity told you... didn't she?"

"You should know as well as I do that there are no secrets between friends. Does going deeper suddenly negate that rule, or have you forgotten the lessons you've taught me?"

Fluttershy's eyes widened. "N-no, of course I haven't! I-I just..."

She brought a hoof up to her forehead, averting her eyes to the ground, seeming to find the pattern on the floor very interesting all of a sudden.

Discord shrugged slightly, though not daring to touch her and force her to be more uncomfortable than she already was. That could wait. "You didn't want to see me."

"No! No, no, that's not true!" Fluttershy said insistently, pounding her hooves on Discord's chest; he hid the wince that it caused.

He then smiled at her, one of his ears flopping down. "Oh? Then you just wanted to worry your ol' pal Discord half to death?"

"No! Never!" Fluttershy shouted, her eyes wide and glistening. She let out a soft sob, then hid her face back in Discord's chest. "I...I was scared to tell you. I didn't deserve a friend like you. I... back then, I couldn't help you. I couldn't reform you enough. I didn't try hard enough..."

Discord watched as she began to cry again, her hooves wrapped around him as she muttered "sorry" over and over again.

He paused to consider his response, then brought a hand up, caressing Fluttershy's back as he sighed.

"Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't," he said. "Perhaps I was possessed by my own greed or was being pressured into it by my chaotic energy." He shrugged, then ran a hand through Fluttershy's mane, ruffling it up slightly. "I can't change that, but I can assure you that it won't happen again."

Her ear twitched at the seriousness of his words, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with curiosity. "W...what do you mean? Nothing's changed," she muttered. "A-and I barely talked to you in the past few weeks. How could you—"

Discord sharpened his gaze at the guilt in her tone, but kept a small smile on to assure her that he wasn't angry with her. "I was getting to that, dear Fluttershy."

The yellow pegasus blinked at first, then quickly covered her mouth, nodding her head to give Discord the signal to go on.

The draconequus grinned, almost deviously so, then gazed up at the ceiling. "Tell me, Fluttershy. Do you remember Tirek's ability?"

She shuddered at the thought, but nodded again. "Y-yes. H-he sucked out everypony's magic."

"Alright. Now, if someone, say... your princess friend, had the power to do that—"

"—DISCORD, YOU DIDN'T!"

Fluttershy was frantic suddenly, her hooves going up to hold her head as she shook it. "No, no... you didn't! You couldn't have! Not—"

"—For you, yes," Discord interrupted, a smile crossing his lips. As he expected, she teared up and hugged him, not willing to believe his story just yet.

"T-that...that was you, Discord. Your powers... you...you..." She failed to speak anymore words, sobbing into his chest.

"Fluttershy."

She didn't respond, her ears dropping as she continued to cry.

He frowned. "Fluttershy."

The pegasus sniffled constantly, trying to force herself to stop. She brought her gaze up to him, and he gently stroked her ear.

"If I might ask... do you think I'm shallow?"

Fluttershy shook her head instantly. "O-of course not! You might go overboard sometimes but...but never...never shallow..."

Discord tilted his head at her. "Then maybe you could explain to me what good it would do to have all the chaotic power I'd desire, and yet have no one to share it with."

"B-but... you...you didn't have to do that."

"But I did. And I couldn't regret it any less. I needed a way to prove it to you," he explained as simply as he could.

He watched as multiple emotions flashed through her eyes. Sadness. Confusion. Guilt. Regret. Joy.

Love.

He looked away, gazing at the wall. "I know what you're thinking. I knew what I was doing. I already realized the consequences. I'm fully-aware that this makes me worthless in many tasks, but I—"

He stiffened as he turned his head back towards her. Suddenly, her snout was a mere inch away from his, and she was gazing at him intensely.

"You're not worthless to me. Never."

He didn't respond, watching as her stern expression remained locked onto him.

After a moment, he smiled. "I know."

A silence followed, and Fluttershy slowly began to realize how close they were. She could hear him breathing, a warm breath wafting over her face. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Her eyes were slowly widening, the closeness of their faces causing her to turn pink at the cheeks.

Steadily, her mouth moved again, though her voice was quiet and wavering.

"...Are you going to kiss me?"

Discord shared her expression, swallowing slightly at the question. He tried to calm himself however; he was not the one who needed comforting right now.

"No, Fluttershy. I'm not. But you are going to kiss me."

Instantly, the pegasus pulled back, a hoof over her mouth and her wings flaring out in surprise.

"NO! I couldn't!"

"Ah, but you must. You are the one who is afraid of this; not me."

Fluttershy shuddered, her wings closing back up despite their constant shaking.

"B-but... but..."

She shut her eyes tight, stunned by his insistence.

"W-well...well, FINE."

Discord froze as Fluttershy's lips suddenly collided with his. He hadn't been as ready as he would've liked, but he still accepted the kiss, despite how sudden it was.

Fluttershy held it for only a little longer, almost seeming to melt into it, then fell back onto Discord's chest, curling up shyly as she wrapped her hooves around him. He didn't stop her, knowing that she was completely embarrassed and he shouldn't disturb her.

Instead, he placed a hand on her back and relaxed. For a moment, they just laid there, enjoying each other's company like they always had, though in a much more content condition than before.

That's when Discord remembered something.

"...Fluttershy?"

She looked up at him, her face entirely red. "Y-yes?"

"I have something for you."

He smiled at her, then looked down at one of his wings, which was folded tightly against his back. It opened, revealing a white rose without its stem.

Fluttershy's eyes instantly lit up. "I-is that—"

"—I know that you like the white ones."

He grabbed hold of the delicate flower, reaching up and placing it in between Fluttershy's mane and ear; another blush formed on her cheeks. As he began to pull away though, she suddenly took his hand in her hooves.

"W-wait! Your hand... your hands."

Discord gazed down, frowning as Fluttershy began to notice the multiple cuts across his hands. He brought his free hand over to her, stroking her cheek.

"Silly Fluttershy. You know as well as I do that roses have thorns."

The pegasus gasped, though it was barely audible. "B-but you could've just—" She stopped abruptly, the realization finally hitting her. "...Your powers."

She directed her hoof towards his hand. "Snap your fingers!"

Discord smirked slightly, amused at her denial. "Didn't we just go over this?"

"Snap your fingers!"

He rolled his eyes at her insistence, then brought both of his hands up to her, snapping his fingers as he always had. The sound echoed throughout the room, and Fluttershy's ears vibrated in response. She looked around, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, she cuddled into him. "Oh...oh, Discord..."

His expression softened as she began to blush again. He'd say that she did it too much, but then again, he was certain that his face was red as well. After all, it was the first time in his whole life that he had someone who'd he'd call "his", and she was hugging him affectionately.

He gently petted her mane, and she ran her hooves over his fur in response.

This. This was the most unchaotic thing he could've ever participated in.

And yet, not only did he not mind, but he wished for it to go on.

Fluttershy nuzzled her head into his chest, her voice going into low murmurs.

"Mmm... Discord?"

He sat up slightly, hearing a sense of need in her voice. "Yes?"

"...Can we go back home now?"

Discord blinked, watching Fluttershy as she shyly looked away from him. He paused, then suddenly burst into laughter, causing the yellow pegasus to jump up in surprise. "W-what's so funny? What did I say?"

He tried to calm himself, though the amusement in his tone failed to leave. "Ahah! You see?"

Fluttershy tilted her head, confused. Discord shook his head with a smile, then wrapped his arms around her, earning a tiny squeak from her as he stood up, carrying her towards the door. She was shocked at first, then slowly melted into his embrace, her tail wrapping around his waist.

Discord breathed, feeling her warmth against him and his heartbeat resonating with hers. His voice then lowered; lowered to being even softer than hers.

"I don't need magic to do that."

THE END