Undying

        Discord has always longed for her, the quiet, shy mare that he loves so dearly. He wanted her touch, to own her and never let her go, but even with all these deep desires he would never dare to hurt a hair on Fluttershy's mane. Why? Why couldn't he, the spirit of chaos, hurt someone so weak and so easily breakable? Because Fluttershy is, well, Fluttershy. There is something in her that made his heart thump as fast a drum, so fast he might get a heart attack. It stopped him from doing even the most evil of pranks. Fluttershy, the animal loving pegasus, was his first true friend, and to sever that bond is utterly stupid. He learned that the hard way.

"Happy birthday, Fluttershy," Discord whispers. "Angel's kid are getting married today, isn't that wonderful?" He wiped tears from his eyes as he stood over the gravestone, and his heart threatened to shatter into a thousand pieces. Being a spirit meant being immortal; being immortal meant you had to watch your best friend die.

Damn it. Damn it all. His feelings gave way and Discord began to cry, tears streaking down his face. Why does everything have to be so unfair? It's one thing to watch your best friend die in your arms, but it is another when that same best friend is the mare you love. Discord clenched his claws into tiny fists, so hard that his arms shook. Ironically, immortality seemed more like a curse than a blessing.

His mind raced to the time he begged Celestia to cure Fluttershy, to lift the weak pegasus from the illness that plagued every inch from head to wings.  "Please, I will do anything, just do something!"

"I'm sorry, Discord, but this is her destiny. I cannot reverse what is written in nature and the stars."

"But Celestia-"

"I'm sorry, Discord."

The illness claimed Fluttershy a few days later. A proper burial ceremony commenced, celebrating Fluttershy's element of harmony and returning her energy back to the earth. Discord didn't attend the funeral; instead, he stayed in bed, and refused to leave even the vicinities of his room. How can he see the love of his life being lowered to the ground? She isn't Fluttershy anymore, that pegasus in the coffin is now a complete stranger.

"Why did you come and see me, Discord?"

Twilight's voice brought Discord back to reality. The two sat in Twilight's castle, most of the seats in the meeting room now empty, drinking tea from sparkling crystal teacups. Discord's eyes occasionally wandered to catch glimpses of the chair that Fluttershy used to occupy, and he blushed a little when Twilight gave him a weird look.

"After all these years, you still love her?"

Discord sighs, played around with a sugar cube. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought a few decades later you would find someone else to idolize," Twilight answers.

"You don't understand. Fluttershy isn't some idol to me."

"I think I do-"

"No, you don't!" Discord yelled and slammed a fist onto the table. "You don't understand what it feels like to gain your very first friend! You don't understand how Fluttershy has helped me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be here." He lowered his head and stared at his feet, unable to keep his temper.

Twilight was silent for a moment, but her eyes never left Discord's face. She smiled warily. "I've been a princess for decades; I 've watched all my friends grow old, while I am the  only youthful one. I've watched death claim my friends one by one, and I will never get to join them. Those five ponies are my friends, and you don't think I understand?"

Discord's head jerked up and his eyes fixed themselves onto Twilight. She has grown over the years. No longer is she the egghead that Discord used to make fun of. Her childish form has now transformed into an elegant princess, her legs beautifully long and fair,  and her sparkling purple mane cascaded down in a silky waterfall. There was now a hint of elegance whenever she walked, which distracted many of the royal guards. Where Twilight lacked in beauty before she made up decades later. Discord still had a hard time believing this was the same pony that never left the library.

But there was comfort in that beauty, and Discord began to sob loudly, unable to control himself. Twilight walked over and hugged him, and a few minutes later began to cry as well. The two began to sob uncontrollably, stuck in each other's embrace, two little pinpricks in this huge empty conference room.

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” --A.A. Milne

“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.”  --Muhammad Ali

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” --Anais Nin

“Growing apart doesn't change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled...." --Ally Condie