Seeing is Believing...Right?
The five, multi-hued equines came towards the trembling yellow pegasus in a variety of ways. A couple of them galloped, another flew, one of them crawled, and the other limped. Despite this, they all shared the same expression on their faces;
Absolute terror.
The five of them reached her at the same moment, even though they had advanced at unalike speeds. The white unicorn that had been crawling grasped the frightened pony’s neck and moaned as she tried to pull herself up from the ground. The dirt stuck to her snowy white coat, but for once, the prim unicorn didn’t seem to care, let alone notice.
“Fluttershy,” Rarity whined.
The pink pony of the five took Fluttershy’s face in her hooves and forced her to turn her head so that she was facing her. She locked her once bright blue eyes – now dull and lifeless – on Fluttershy’s turquoise ones.
“Help us!” Pinkie Pie squeaked.
The blue pegasus, she who had been the flier, took Fluttershy’s face in her hooves as well, wrenching it from the pink one’s grip. She turned Fluttershy to face her and placed her own face in hers, pressing their noses together desperately.
“Don’t trust him, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash insisted.
Now it was the orange pony’s turn to pull Fluttershy to face her. She clasped onto Fluttershy’s pale lemon shoulders and made her face her. She looked her right in her eyes, her hooves biting into Fluttershy’s shoulders.
“Y’all have to do somethin’ before it’s too late,” Applejack whispered frantically.
Fluttershy jerked back and away from the country pony’s grip. The hat-wearing equine staggered to her stomach in the dirt. Without Fluttershy’s aid, she had lost the strength to hold herself up. The nervous, frightened yellow pegasus backed away from the five ponies. Out of fear, she lowered her body closer to the ground with each backward step.
“Wha-what’s going on, girls?” she whimpered. “What’s happened…?”
This time, the lilac winged unicorn limped forward. While she shared the same expression as the other ponies, she seemed calmer. The others appeared unlike themselves almost, but this pony was more…herself. If any of the ponies were to enlighten Fluttershy on what was happening, it would most likely be her.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight Sparkle said, reaching a hoof out towards her. “Please, you have to-gak!”
She grabbed her head and fell to the ground at her hooves.
“Twilight!” Fluttershy cried out.
As she called out her name, the rest of the ponies began to yelp in pain as well. One by one, they all fell to the dirt, shuddering horribly. Fluttershy could only watch in horror as her five best friends all shook violently on the ground, tightly clutching their heads, and urgently whispering things only they themselves could hear. At first, Fluttershy couldn’t make out what they were saying. Then she closed her eyes and tried to concentrate.
“M-magic. Magic and friendship, and Shining Armor, and Princess Cadance. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and all my friends.”
“Honesty. I’m honest and I never lie. I’ve got Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith, and all my friends. I can’t lose myself, I just can’t.”
“Laughter! Happy thoughts, happy thoughts! All smiles and grins and parties and confetti and all my friends and Gummy and la la la la laaaa!”
“Generosity, Rarity, darling. That’s what you are! Don’t forget now! You have a lovely, although annoying, little sister, and parents, and friends! Don’t forget now, darling. Please, don’t forget who you are!”
“Loyalty! Gotta stay loyal! Gotta stay myself! Gotta remember all my friends, and all of those adventures we’ve had, and all the races I’ve won!”
“Dear Princess Celestia! Dear Princess Celestia!” Twilight whimpered, pressing her hooves forcefully against her head. Her eyes were tightly shut in concentration and agony. “Today, I learned that I must stay strong! I mustn’t forget myself! I mustn’t forget who I am! I’m Twilight Sparkle! The Element of Magic! A princess of something – something I don't know what just yet! I must remember who I am, who my friends are! Your faithful student – I mean – your faithful friend, T-t---gah!”
“No!” Fluttershy gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth in horror and astonishment as her friends gave one more shudder before going still.
Thus, all went silent. It was silent for a very long time too. Fluttershy did not make a sound, and did not make a move. She was too stunned and traumatized to even try to attempt to help her friends. She simply stared at their motionless bodies, her mind unable to process the abrupt, dreadful occurrence.
Suddenly, after several minutes had passed by, there was a shift.
Fluttershy watched silently as her five old friends began to stand up. They grunted, as if just having woken up from an unpleasant sleep. It took them a long moment to regain their senses and get to their hooves without stumbling. Slowly, they raised their heads to look at Fluttershy. What she saw dumbfounded her even more.
Rainbow Dash looked indifferent, cold. She took one look at Fluttershy and then turned her back on her, refusing to address Fluttershy’s distress and need for security from a familiar friend. Rainbow Dash spread her wings out to their full length and took to the sky.
“Well, you losers have fun with whatever you’re doin’. I’m outta here,” she said in an apathetic tone, flying away, abandoning her.
Applejack had her lips sucked in. Her eyes shifted around nervously. She backed away somewhat from the rest of the ponies and lowered her hat over her brow to shield herself from their wary eyes.
“She’s just goin’ and gettin’ help, I’m sure!” Applejack said oddly, falsely, before taking off in a random direction. “I’m, uh…goin’ to get help too!”
Pinkie Pie looked fed up and irritated. She rolled her eyes up to the sky, snorting. She looked at the rest of the ponies, searching for some sign of a cruel and thoughtless smile on one of their faces. She glanced at Fluttershy and glared openly at her.
“Wipe that stupid expression off your face, Fluttershy!” she snarled before slumping off gruffly.
Rarity scanned the area anxiously, her eyes searching rapidly for something, anything that may be of value to anypony. Finally, she spotted the perfect item. Diving down into the dirt, she bit down on the rock – hoping that its triangular shape may prove it more valuable than it really was – and then stood back up.
She cantered off, as if afraid that one of them would attempt to steal her precious rock. As she fled, she sputtered through the rock in her mouth in selfish manner, “Mine!”
Finally, there was only one pony left – Twilight Sparkle.
“Tw-Twilight…?” Fluttershy whimpered seeking comfort and an explanation.
Abruptly, the ground beneath them began to tremble as if an earthquake was commencing. Fluttershy lurched to one side and fell, but Twilight stood, completely unfazed.
As Fluttershy hit the ground, it rippled beneath her, and that rippling effect sent a blue checkerboard pattern across the entire field. The sun in the sky began to randomly change color – back and forth – whirling around in the sky, causing shadows to be thrown all around, frightening Fluttershy even more. The sky suddenly filled with pale pink clouds, which began to rain a sticky brownish liquid onto the new ground.
Panicking, Fluttershy called again, “Twilight?!” She looked up at Twilight, who still stood silently.
She glanced over at Fluttershy as she struggled to stand up on the still quaking earth. Twilight turned and looked down at the ground once more, choosing to snub the only friend she had left. Twilight’s expression was that of one who had given up – who had given up on everything she had once held dear…who had given up on her.
“A word of advice, Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered, looking up at Fluttershy with a broken expression.
“T-Twilight?”
“Don’t believe your eyes.”
Fluttershy fell again.
At least…she thought she had fallen.
Fluttershy jolted up into a sitting position.
It was dark for the most part, but as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimness, she could see the moonlight shining in through her large bedroom window onto the orange and pink bed sheet, patterned with butterflies. Fluttershy’s mane was a tangled mess and she was sticky with perspiration. She was breathing heavily, very frightened by the nightmare she just experienced.
Something was off though. Something was…disorderly.
“Fluttershy, my dear, is something wrong?” a voice questioned with concern from beside her.
Fluttershy shrieked, tugging hard on the blanket to conceal herself from the intruder, despite having nothing to hide. Discord released the blanket from his paw and talon so that she could pull it over herself. Discord raised a single eyebrow at her and stifled a grin.
“Oh, honey, you always snatch the blanket in the middle of the night while you’re asleep. Do you plan to do so when you’re awake as well?”
Fluttershy stared at him, her cheeks aflame and her hooves shaking. Her expression was both disturbed as well as confused. Discord held that serious demeanour for as long as he could, but he simply couldn’t hold it any longer. He burst into laughter, rolling off the bed and onto the floor in his hysteria.
“Th-that’s not funny, Discord!” Fluttershy scolded, her face becoming a deeper shade of red. “What are you doing here?! W-why are you in my bed?!”
Discord peered up innocently from the bottom of the bed, stretching his arms across it. “I’m not in your bed.”
“Discord!”
“I wanted to come and say hello to you, my dear Fluttershy! Seems that you were in the middle of sleeping though, when I arrived,” he sighed.
“I…uhm…sleep at night, you know,” Fluttershy tried to explain without making him appear dense.
“Oh, I know that!” Discord beamed, crawling back into the bed. “But, you see, I don’t. Not always anyway. I do enjoy mixing it up a bit every now and again. I saw you sleeping there, seeming all cosy and warm, so I snuggled up as well.” Discord smiled cheerfully at her, getting comfortable in the bed once again. He held his paw and talon up in front of her face, his arms twisting unnaturally. He wriggled his fingers. “Though, I assure you, my hands were kept on my side of the bed,” he hummed cheerfully.
Fluttershy didn’t know what to say. This was rather normal for her however, so Discord continued.
“Well, I couldn’t very well let you be all cosy and warm by yourself, now I could I? How selfish of you!” Discord frowned, shaking his head in disappointment. He reached over and took one end of the blanket, pulling it away from her and over himself. He curled up beside her, facing away from her. “Go back to sleep!”
It was quiet for a long moment, but Discord didn’t feel any movement in the bed to indicate Fluttershy laying down or getting up. She was completely still. Finally, he heard the faintest whisper, causing his ear to twitch.
“I can’t.”
Discord paused, before looking over his shoulder at her. “Can’t?” he echoed, as if it wasn’t a word in his vocabulary.
“I had a nightmare,” Fluttershy said weakly, staring at her hooves on the blanket, which continued to tremble.
Discord sat up. “So?”
Fluttershy looked up at him sadly, feeling like a silly foal. “I can never sleep after I have a nightmare.”
Discord seemed unsure of what to do. He looked like he genuinely wanted to do something about this, but he didn’t know what. He didn’t want to use his magic to force her back to the land of dreams. He’d have to do something outside of his magic abilities. He’d have to do something…friendshippy.
He wasn’t quite so good at that sort of thing…
“What do you usually do then…when you have a nightmare?”
Fluttershy sighed. “I don’t like to go downstairs at night. All the lights will be off and… and I don’t like it to be too dark. The moonlight doesn’t shine so well down there like it does up here.”
Discord beamed. “I’ll protect you from the spooky, scary darkness, dear Fluttershy, at least, until we get the lights on. Let’s go downstairs. We can play ‘I Spy’!” he sang gleefully, tossing the blanket off, causing it to float in mid-air as if in water.
Discord’s version of ‘I Spy’ was for Fluttershy to attempt to figure out which little oddity Discord had created in the room. It could be a floating mug, or a dancing carrot, or it could even be the whole room spun upside down.
At that moment, however, it seemed Fluttershy was not paying too much attention.
“Come on, Fluttershy!” Discord complained, showing her the salt shaker, which kept switching between being salt and pepper every few seconds. “Get your head in the game!” With that, his head bounced off of his neck and rolled onto the table and in front of her. This knocked her cup of tea from the table, which he swiftly caught in his tail, levitating the tea back into the cup and changing it instantly into chocolate milk.
“I’m sorry, Discord,” Fluttershy exhaled, blinking her sleep weary eyes. She did not even seem to notice his detached head before her. It was either that or the fact that it no longer surprised her. “I’m just…thinking…”
“Thinking? Why ever would you do that?” he frowned.
Fluttershy rubbed her eyes. “That nightmare was just awful. I can’t stop thinking about it. It wasn’t like any of my other nightmares either. It was far worse.”
Discord didn’t seem too impressed. His head disappeared from the table, materializing back on his neck. Then, all of him vanished only to appear behind her with a blinding flash. “Oh dear, did you lose a hummingbird during a game of hide and seek in your little dream?” He placed his paw and talon on her shoulder, frowning mockingly.
Fluttershy looked at Discord oddly, her eyes half-lidded in her drowsiness. “Hummingbirds don’t play hide and seek.”
Discord made a wry face.
“In the nightmare, my friends…they…they were all begging me to help them. They told me not to trust somepony…and I…I think at the end of the nightmare…Twilight told me to…not believe my---”
Discord pressed a finger against Fluttershy’s lips to shush her. “Hush up now,” he interrupted.
Fluttershy furrowed her brow. “Mmpf?”
“I’ve heard enough!”
“Mmmpfh?”
“Of course!” he agreed with a nod, acting like he understood her every muffled word. “I find it…plenty frightening! Yes, it sounds terribly awful. I sympathize with you!”
“Mm…?”
“Yes, yes…and I have an idea.”
“Mmf?”
“I’ll erase the dream from your memory!”
“Wha---”
Fluttershy was so surprised that she managed to get her mouth open despite his pressure against it. She was also so surprised by the unexpected arrival of his finger in her mouth that she bit down on it. Discord yanked his finger out of her mouth.
“Goodness, Fluttershy!” he gasped. “Nopony told me that you had some bite to that bark of yours!” he said, wiping his finger off on his muddy-brown fur and narrowing his eyes. “You hardly have a bark at all…”
“I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy breathed.
“Are you going to accept my offer or not?” Discord grimaced.
Fluttershy hesitated. To be honest, this was the sort of nightmare that Fluttershy would prefer to forget all together. It had a creepiness to it that could keep her up for many more nights to come…and she really needed to sleep. Unlike ponies like Pinkie Pie, who could go days without sleep, she was the type of pony who did not function very well without a good night’s rest. As it was, she could barely even function right now.
On the other hoof, something about the dream seemed rather…important. Something in the dream kept prodding at the back of her mind, even though she knew her friends were all safe and sound. She had seen them not too long before she settled down for bed.
Perhaps though…it would be better to leave it be. She’d had plenty of nightmares before, which didn’t seem to hold very much significance. This was likely just the same.
Fluttershy sighed. “Alright, Discord. I accept y---”
With a snap of his fingers, Fluttershy was fast asleep, appearing in her bed, without as much as a single wisp of memory of the nightmare left in her head.
Although…nothing is ever truly forgotten, is it…?
“Again?!”
“Yes…again…” Fluttershy whispered, almost shamefully.
She and Discord sat on a picnic blanket on the grass in her backyard. Little critters frolicked around them, no longer bothered by the presence of Fluttershy’s draconequus friend. The picnic was neatly arranged, with the exception of the few plates that were floating in mid-air thanks to Discord. It wasn’t the nicest day ever. The clouds were thick and covered most of the day, hiding away Celestia’s sun from the ponies of Ponyville. A small rain shower scheduled to occur within a few hours.
It had been a week since that first night Fluttershy had experienced the traumatizing nightmare of her friends begging her to save them. Every night since then, she’d had the same exact nightmare – and every night since then, Discord had assisted her by erasing the unpleasant remnants of the dream from her head.
Yet, it seemed that the dream memories just did not want to be erased. Every night, his spell would be less and less effective in ridding Fluttershy of the memories. Last night, she’d had the dream yet again.
“It’s not going to work this time, Fluttershy,” Discord said tightly.
Fluttershy looked away from him, deciding to look at her sad reflection in her cup of tea instead, although she was certain that it had been changed to chocolate milk by now. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. She didn’t know why he was so upset over this, but she knew it must be her fault for bothering him so much with it. “You don’t have to do it…I mean…uhm…if you don’t want to.”
Discord sighed. “Don’t…ugh!” he moaned. “Fine, fine, I’ll give it another try!” Fluttershy heard him snap his fingers and looked up at him. He squinted at her. Her expression was the same as a moment ago. Her face flushed and glanced away nervously before looking back at him. She didn’t understand why he was looking at her that way.
“W-what?” she said uncertainly.
“I’ve already cast the spell, Fluttershy,” Discord said.
Fluttershy dropped her tea cup. Discord caught it with his magic before the still hot liquid could splash across her coat. He levitated the cup to the grass as Fluttershy began to freak out.
“Oh, no!” she cried, wrapping her forelegs around herself. “B-but it has to work! I don’t want to remember that awful, awful dream! There must be something you can do! Wha-what if I have it again?! What if it gets longer?!”
Fluttershy looked up upon hearing a shattering sound and watched as the broken pieces of Discord’s glass of chocolate milk fell from his talon. Fluttershy gasped.
“Discord, your talon!” Fluttershy squeaked, seeing the blood trickle down his arm.
Discord ignored her, opening his fist and inspecting his bleeding talon nonchalantly for a moment. He turned away from it and fisted it again, only causing it to bleed more. He stood up.
“Well…” he said quietly. “It seems as though I’ve…damaged myself. I do believe I shall excuse myself for the rest of the day while I fix this up.”
“Do you need any help?” Fluttershy inquired hastily, flying up and fluttering towards him. She reached her hooves out towards his injured talon. “I can help you if you let---”
“No!” Discord growled, jerking his arm away from her.
Fluttershy’s face contorted, wounded.
“No…” Discord said again, this time more gently. “I can do that myself. You go and...uhm…play with your faunas.”
With that, Discord vanished from her sight in a flash of bright light. Fluttershy hovered there in the air for a moment, not knowing what to do or say. Surely, Discord could fix up his talon in a second with his magic…
No…he…he just wanted to get away from her…
Upon hearing the familiar, sweet and gentle voice calling up to her from below, Twilight Sparkle came down the wooden staircase from her bedroom. She smiled when she reached the bottom of the steps as the two best friends greeted each other.
“Every time you come over here, you seem so relieved to see me,” Twilight smiled softly. “Almost like you’re expecting me to not be here!”
Fluttershy smiled back nervously. At Twilight’s urging, she seated herself on a pale blue pillow meant for reading. Fluttershy clicked her hooves together anxiously, a strand of her mane falling over her eyes. “No, no. I guess I’m just…glad to see you.”
Twilight chuckled. “Is anything wrong, Fluttershy? I mean, there usually is with you. But is anything really wrong?”
Fluttershy frowned hesitantly. She brushed back the strand of her mane that had fallen over her eyes. “Uhm…I don’t think so,” she said sincerely. Fluttershy didn’t truly know if anything was wrong.
Twilight drew one corner of her mouth back questioningly. “You don’t think so…?” she repeated in confusion. “Fluttershy, are you su---”
“Mornin’ Fluttershy,” Spike greeted as he passed by, carrying a large stack of books that almost seemed impossible for somedragon of his size to hold. He continued on into the next room, humming a joyful little tune that he had made up.
“Good morning,” Fluttershy whispered back.
“Oh, Spike,” Twilight called after him, distracted for a moment, “be careful with---”
His humming was interrupted as a yelp was heard from the other room, followed by a loud crash.
“---that,” Twilight sighed, finishing her sentence. “If…you’ll excuse me for a moment, Fluttershy.”
Twilight stood up and trotted into the next room. Fluttershy listened to Twilight and Spike’s exchange from the other room for a moment and then stood up. She backed up towards the door. Fact was, she had lost the courage to ask Twilight what had really been prodding at her mind, the real reason she had visited the alicorn princess.
“Uhm, Twilight, I think I’ll just go. Y-you seem busy and I don’t want to bother you…”
Just as she reached the door, Twilight appeared at the other. She stared across the room at Fluttershy’s expression for a while and then sighed.
“Something is wrong,” she confirmed solemnly. “Sit down, Fluttershy, I’m not busy. Not anymore,” she smiled.
Twilight was stroking her chin in thought by the time Fluttershy had finished her story. Fluttershy had described to Twilight everything that had happened in her dreams, and that they were recurring, and even about Discord’s strange reaction that morning. Twilight nodded slowly and made quiet noises from her throat as she processed all of the information. Fluttershy waited patiently for Twilight to speak.
“Well…you know, Fluttershy,” Twilight said finally. “Dreams often have significant meanings.”
“They do?” Fluttershy asked.
Twilight nodded, and using her magic, pulled a number of books from a shelf to the left. She levitated the books, setting them down in front of them. Then she began to skim through them rapidly as she spoke.
“You see, dreams are created by your subconscious mind right?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, but Twilight continued without waiting for a reply. “Dreams are your brain trying to tell you something important. Now, trying to figure out exactly what it is trying to tell you is the challenging part, as it isn’t very direct, especially if you only have the dream once, as dreams are easy to forget. Luckily, you’ve had it multiple times. Let’s look at the different symbols of your dream and figure it out from there, shall we?
“Ah, here we are! Friends. You dreamt of me and the girls. Let’s see here…to dream that your best friend is dying suggests that some aspect or quality that your best friend possesses is dying within your own self,” Twilight read. “Now, while I and the girls weren't quite dying in the dream, our good qualities did die in the dream. Is this making any sense to you Fluttershy? Do you feel as if you have lost any of your good qualities?”
Fluttershy shook her head, frowning unhappily. She felt as if she had been behaving as she always had. She didn’t feel that she had lost any specific aspects of herself at all.
“Alright then. Next we have…fear! It says here that to dream that you are scared indicates that you are experiencing feelings of self-doubt, incompetence, and lack of control in your waking life…” Twilight continued. “How about that, Fluttershy?”
“Oh, but that’s normal,” Fluttershy said quietly. “I mean…perhaps I have been feeling a little bit more…quiet than usual, but only after the dreams started.”
Twilight nodded. “That wouldn’t be it then. Okay then, moving on. Perhaps…abuse? To dream you are being verbally or physically abused suggests that you are feeling victimized in a waking situation. You are being taking advantage of. Is any of that true?”
Fluttershy shook her head. “Oh, no, everypony has been so lovely to me lately.”
Twilight pressed her lips together, as if she was beginning to feel a little frustrated. “Right…well let’s go on to abandonment then. To dream that you are abandoned suggests that it is time to leave behind past feelings and characteristics that are hindering your growth. A more direct and literal interpretation of this dream indicates you have a fear of being deserted, abandoned, or even betrayed. It may stem from a recent loss or a fear of losing a loved one. The fear of abandonment may manifest itself into your dream as part of the healing process and dealing with losing a loved one. Alternatively, the dream indicates that you are feeling neglected or that your feelings are being overlooked.”
“I might be feeling…a bit…overlooked,” Fluttershy whispered, the image of Discord disappearing in a flash still fresh in her mind. “B-but that was only earlier this morning.”
Twilight grunted. “Okay, okay. We’ll just go to the next one. You felt paralysed at one moment, right? Symbolically, dreaming that you are paralyzed means you are feeling helpless or pinned down in some aspects or circumstances of your waking life. You may feel unable to deal with a situation or change anything.”
“I…uhm…do feel unable to stop my dreams if that counts…” Fluttershy said sheepishly.
“It doesn’t,” Twilight stated coldly. “What else…” she sighed, continuing to flip through the books, this time moving quicker in her attempts to finally discover something that could aid them. “A storm maybe…since there was that awfully Discord-like storm you dreamt of,” Twilight said pointedly, glaring at Fluttershy.
“Uhm…”
“To see a storm in your dream signifies some overwhelming struggle, shock, loss or catastrophe in your waking life. The storm also represents unexpressed fears or emotions, such as anger, rage, and turmoil.”
“I…I don’t…”
Twilight growled under her breath. “Okay then! Something else! Advice! I gave you advice in the dream, right? It says here that to dream that you are receiving advice suggests that you need to listen to your instinct and gut!”
“My instinct about…what? That my dreams are important? I do feel that they are…”
Twilight paused for a moment from her constant skimming of pages to look up. “Fluttershy!” she snapped. “If what you’re feeling has to do with experiencing these dreams, then it’s not what we’re looking for! Why would you dream about things that have to do with the exact same dream?! That’s a paradox. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Oh.”
“So, okay,” Twilight said firmly, as she continued flipping pages. “How about eyesight then? To dream that your eyesight is blurred or impaired represents difficulties and/or errors in your judgment. You are experiencing uncertainty in the choices that you are making.”
“Nothing seems wrong with my eyesight. It was just you – I mean, dream Twilight – that told me something was wrong with it.”
With that, Twilight slammed her book shut with a loud thump. Fluttershy jumped from her unexpected hostility. Twilight stood up abruptly and glowered down at Fluttershy. She stomped a hoof against the wooden floor, causing the poor timid pegasus to jerk back again, this time with an audible squeak.
“Sweet Celestia! You have to wake up, Fluttershy!” Twilight yelled.
“W-what?!” Fluttershy gulped.
All of a sudden, the front door slammed open. The two tense ponies quickly spun around to see Discord standing at the door. His expression was tight and he looked furious. Discord proceeded to stomp right into the tree house, causing the whole house to shake from his aggression and size. Books tumbled down from the bookcases and thumped onto the floor noisily. Spike rushed in from the other room only to watch all of his hard work come plummeting down off the shelves. He looked up angrily at the culprit. Once he saw that the perpetrator was Discord, he jerked back and hastily escaped back into the other room, having prudently decided that those books needed to be shelved again anyway.
When Discord reached the two ponies, he gave Twilight Sparkle a curt nod and then reached down and picked up the now alarmed and confused Fluttershy as if she weighed nothing at all. He turned and stomped right out of the tree house without saying a single word to Twilight.
“What the…?!” Twilight gasped, watching after them. “Di-Discord! Get back here at once! Stop this! Stop doing this to her! She doesn’t deserve it after all she’s done for yo---”
Discord slammed the door behind him, effectively ending Twilight’s tirade.
The other ponies watched the odd spectacle as the edgy draconnequus carried their beloved Element of Kindness through town while she squirmed around in this grip. She seemed so tiny tucked under his arm and so helpless against him. The townsponies didn’t know whether they should attempt to help her or not. Something about the Spirit of Chaos’ expression though, prevented them from approaching the two peculiar friends.
Discord carried Fluttershy all the way to her cottage at the end of town before he acknowledged her struggles and protests. He placed her down onto the dirt path in front of her house like she was a foal.
“Discord!” Fluttershy gasped as she regained her balance on the ground after having been carried so far, and treated so roughly. She stood to her full height and glowered at Discord right in his face. “Why would you do that?!”
Discord pursed his lips together and didn’t move. Fluttershy waited for an answer, not backing down. He stood there silently, just staring down at the fuming mare.
After a few minutes though, the wait became unbearable. Fluttershy didn’t know how long she could stand there like that. Discord may be able to do it for days for all she knew. After all, he had been turned to stone for over a thousand year…he must be very good at waiting by now…
Fluttershy frowned, turned away, and entered the tiny cottage. She closed the door marginally and grimaced through the crack at Discord, who stood exactly the same as he had just a moment earlier.
“Until you apologise for being so rude, you are no longer allowed inside my house,” she proclaimed sternly.
Fluttershy shut the door and sighed. She shut her eyes and gently pressed her forehead up against the door. She stroked a hoof across the wood tenderly, feeling a bit sad that she had had to do what she just did. She didn’t really like to scold Discord…but…if she didn’t then he would believe that he could continue doing whatever he pleased.
Fluttershy let go of the door and turned around only to find that Discord had already entered her house. He was leaning forward, placing his face only a few inches away from hers.
“I’m sorry.”
Fluttershy blinked in surprise. “Discord, how did you---”
Discord interrupted her by suddenly seizing her by the shoulders and pressing his nose right up against hers. Fluttershy squeaked.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated in a hush hush voice. “I didn’t mean to be so rude. That was very, very wrong of me, and I’m so sorry for acting so foolishly towards you and your friend. I’ll try my very best to never ever do that again, just as long as you don’t make me stay away from you, because you are my very best friend in all of Equestria and I really don’t think I could handle tha---”
Fluttershy began to cry.
“I…” Discord whispered. “…didn’t mean to make you cry either…” he mumbled in defeat, removing his paw and talon from her shoulders and holding them close to himself anxiously.
Fluttershy didn’t respond. She closed her eyes and sat down on the floor in front of him. She hid her face in her hooves and wept into them miserably. Discord raised his shoulders, uncertain of what to do, but feeling rather ashamed for having made her cry.
Finally, after a minute or two ticked by, Discord sat down as well. He reached towards her and pried her hooves away from her face. Fluttershy continued to sob, not looking him in the eye. Discord brushed a tear from her cheek with the thumb of his paw.
“Fluttershy, don’t cry,” he said gently.
Discord cradled her face in his talon and paw, smiling reassuringly down at her. Fluttershy gradually began to calm down.
“There we go,” he beamed. “Now tell me what is wrong, my dear?”
“I-I’m so tired,” Fluttershy whimpered, Discord continuing to delicately hold her face. “I haven’t been g-getting much sleep and these nightmares are troubling me even when I’m awake. Y-you seem to be getting annoyed with me as well, and Twilight was so angry at me. I must have irritated her too. T-then you just started hauling me back here, and you seemed so mad, and I’m so sorry! I must be---”
Discord chuckled. “Fluttershy, I’m not angry at you.”
Fluttershy blushed, raising her eyes up to meet his. “Y-you’re not…?”
Discord shook his head, removing his talon and paw from her face and placing them lightly on her shoulders. “Maybe I’m a bit mad at Twilight for having yelled at you like that, but I’m not mad at you, my dear. Never at you.”
Fluttershy frowned. “B-but you…you left during our picnic...”
“Sometimes I…have to excuse myself for…purposes you wouldn’t quite comprehend,” Discord sighed. “Not because of you however, just…other things.”
Fluttershy looked down at the floor. “Oh…”
“Perhaps…you could try and take a little siesta, Fluttershy?” Discord suggested. “Although you cannot sleep so well at night, perhaps you could try at this time of day. A nap would do you some good, I believe.”
Fluttershy nodded, suddenly seeming even more worn-out at the thought of sleep. “Y-yes…perhaps I should get some shuteye.”
Discord watched as Fluttershy slowly staggered her way upstairs to her bedroom, her eyelids heavy. That didn’t seem to be the only heavy thing about her though. Discord could almost see how heavy her heart was as well.
The moment Fluttershy was lost from his view; Discord stood up and curled his paw and talon into fists. He growled and turned to the door, yanking it open roughly while snarling under his breathe.
“Twilight Sparkle, you foolish little mare,” he grinned cruelly. “You shouldn’t have done that…”
“Fluttershy! Fluttershy, wake up!”
Fluttershy tightened her closed eyes and curled up a bit more on her soft, warm bed. She pulled the covers over her chest as it had been kicked down to her lower hooves. She pressed her face into the covers.
“Fluttershy!”
“Mhmn,” Fluttershy mumbled through her teeth. She didn’t want to wake up. She was sleeping so soundly, and it had been such a long time since she had…
“Sweet Celestia! You have to wake up, Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy jolted up into a sitting position with a sharp gasp. She spun towards Twilight, who was standing by her bed…in…Golden Oaks Library?! Fluttershy’s bed was in Twilight’s library.
“Wha…” Fluttershy breathed, gazing around in confusion.
“Pay attention Fluttershy,” Twilight glowered sternly. When Fluttershy turned back to her, she suddenly had a pair of glasses atop her nose. Her mane was all of a sudden tied up in a messy bun. She resembled a school teacher.
“B-but…how did I get here---”
“Ssh!” Twilight hushed strictly. Fluttershy immediately went silent. Twilight narrowed her eyes and then placed a massive book beside Fluttershy on the bed. The weight of the hardcover caused the mattress to tilt and bed frame to creak.
“Now,” Twilight said, adjusting her glasses. “It seems as though I was mistaken before. Your dream is not simply trying to tell you something. Your dream is trying to remind you of something that you’ve forgotten.”
“My dream? Forgotten? What do you me---”
“Ssh!” Twilight hissed. “Please save the questions for the end of the lecture! Thank you!”
Fluttershy blinked.
“Right,” Twilight frowned, opening up her enormous book. “Now, perhaps you haven’t noticed, but this dream did seem awfully familiar to the events of several months ago. Am I correct in saying this?”
Fluttershy did not know whether or not she should answer.
“Yes, I am!” Twilight replied to her own question confidently. “In your dream, you experienced the events that took place after Discord escaped his stone prison to wreak havoc on Equestria as he had years before we were even born! Together, we – The Elements of Harmony – were sent to defeat him, which we did. But, not before we got a good taste of his chaos, however, and I don’t mean chocolate milk.
“Discord was able to turn Ponyville into what he called the chaos capital of Equestria. He turned the clouds into cotton candy, the grass into a chess board, and the dirt roads into soap…” Twilight listed. “Not only that, but he changed us as well. He twisted our personalities around, changing us. The term for this is being ‘discorded’ or ‘greyed out’. He made us who we were not. He made Pinkie Pie a grump, Rarity a hoarder, Rainbow Dash a traitor, Applejack a liar, and you a brute. And what he took away from me was all of you. In other words, he made us the opposite of the Elements of Harmony we represent. He took away my friendship with all of you – friendship being magic and magic being my personal Element of Harmony.
“Unless you’ve forgotten all that Discord has done to us!” Twilight snapped.
Fluttershy hadn’t forgotten, but she hadn’t exactly remembered it either.
“Isn’t it strange,” Twilight growled. “that you did not immediately think of Discord after awaking? Isn’t it strange that it did not immediately occur to you that these dreams were replaying the events of his reign? Yet, it was not me watching all of you fall this time…it was you watching all of us fall.”
Fluttershy was already quivering as she stared at Twilight.
“Let me tell you something, Fluttershy,” Twilight scowled. “All dreams are had for a reason. They are either there to remind you of something, or to tell you something. In this case, I believe that your dream is trying to remind you of something, and I’m sure that you haven’t completely forgotten about what Discord has done to us all,” Twilight said, her voice cracking a bit. “I surely haven’t…”
“Tw-twilight,” Fluttershy whimpered.
“So ask yourself this,” Twilight sneered. “If that isn’t it, then what is it your dream is trying to remind you of?”
“Wake up, dear!”
Fluttershy looked away from Twilight to glimpse around upon hearing Discord’s faint voice. He seemed so distant, yet she heard him as clear as day, and it was definitely him speaking. She’d recognize his voice anywhere. Twilight did not react, as if she had not even heard it.
“What is it that you’ve forgotten?” Twilight continued.
“Must I kiss my sleeping beauty awake?” Discord cooed. This was followed by his chortle of amusement.
“Fluttershy,” Twilight whispered. “Don’t believe him.”
“Fluttershy, I’m going to do it,” Discord sang.
“Don’t believe your eyes.”
Fluttershy awoke to find Discord’s face right in front of hers. True to his word, he had just been about to give her a peck on the mouth to awaken her from her slumber.
“Oopsie,” he purred.
Fluttershy shrieked and pushed his face away. Discord laughed, grasping onto her torso as she pushed him, pulling her along with him. They tumbled off the bed together, falling into a heap on the floor.
“Goodnight,” Discord beamed at Fluttershy, who had landed atop him, sparing her from landing on the hard wooden floor.
“Huh?”
“It’s night time,” Discord chirped, pointing towards one of several windows in Fluttershy’s bedroom wall. The window displayed the starry sky with the moon shining brightly overhead. Discord tucked his paw under his head and placed his talon on Fluttershy’s back. “You took a long nap. Did you have any dreams?” A thought cloud appeared above her head, playing a lovely dream scene full of rainbows, butterflies, sparkles, balloons, jewels, apple trees and sunshine.
“Y-yes,” Fluttershy said tentatively. She began to feel uncomfortable in the draconequus’s company after the dream she just had. “A…new one.”
“And who was in this dream of yours?” Discord smiled, sure of himself.
“Twilight.”
“What?!” Discord shouted angrily, causing Fluttershy to jump. The thought cloud floating above her exploded with a pop. “That’s not possible!” he grunted, leaning up on his elbow as much as he could without disturbing the pegasus on his chest.
“Ouch!” Fluttershy winced as he dug the claws of his talon into her back.
Discord let go of her. Fluttershy climbed off of him and looked nervously over her shoulder at his upset expression as he stared off into space. Fluttershy bit her bottom lip. Something really awful was about to happen and she could feel it.
“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy inquired worriedly. “Did something happen to Twilight?”
“No!” Discord said a little too quickly. He stood up and shook his head. “No,” he repeated in a more convincing tone. “Twilight’s fine...”
Fluttershy began to grow even more anxious by Discord’s peculiar reaction. That, along with her dream, began to worry her tremendously. “M-maybe I should just go and check on her. J-just to be safe,” Fluttershy stammered, backing up towards the stairs, watching Discord with wide, frightened eyes.
Discord vanished from in front of her and reappeared behind her, blocking her path to the stairs. Fluttershy spun around towards him, yelping in surprise. “Wait!” he said urgently, holding his paw and talon up defensively.
“Discord, what are you…” Fluttershy whined, backing away from him again, this time further into the room since her escape was now blocked. She cried out when he made a grab for her, barely ducking out of the way.
“Fluttershy!” Discord hissed, making another grab for her. Again, she quickly sprang out of the way. He twisted in the air towards her, floating a few feet above the floor, poised like a snake ready to strike.
Fluttershy found herself having jumped in front of the stairs. She glanced at Discord once more. He scowled at her from across the room, his eyes daring her to run.
So she did.
Fluttershy turned and bounded down the steps, making a desperate dash for the front door. Before she reached it, however, Discord appeared right before it, blocking her path once again. Fluttershy tried to stop, but slid across the floor on her slick hooves straight into his grasp.
“Fluttershy,” he snarled as she thrashed around in his grip. “Everything is going to be fine.”
Fluttershy tried to push herself away from him. She was so terrified. “Why are you doing this?!”
“Stop struggling! It’s for your own good!” Discord growled, holding onto her tighter, his claws burrowing into her.
“Discord, please!” Fluttershy said, stopping. She gazed up at him with wet, sad eyes. “What did you do? Let go of me!”
Discord shook his head, beginning to quiver slightly. “I can’t do that.”
“Please!” Fluttershy repeated, throwing her forelegs around him in a tight hug. She pressed her face into his fur. “Whatever you did, we can fix it! I promise! No pony will punish you just as long as you let me go! There’s still hope!”
“No,” Discord grunted. “There isn’t.”
Fluttershy let go of him and let herself go limp in his arms. She exhaled in defeat. She was no match for the powerful draconequus. She’d never be able to get away from him. She couldn’t help her friends if they were in danger. There was no point in fighting…she was…just too weak.
Discord sighed. “Fluttershy…” he said quietly, relaxing his grip on her. He knelt down so that he could look her straight in the eyes. He frowned at her when she refused to look at him. “Come on, Fluttershy…it’ll be alright,” he said gently, lifting her chin. “Look at me, my dear.”
Fluttershy hesitated, and then looked at him. He smiled affectionately at her.
“There you go…” he said. His eyes began to swirl and change color. Fluttershy began to feel sleepy looking into them. He did have such lovely eyes after all…so colourful and…and hypnotic.
“This won’t hurt a bit…” he hummed.
Smack!
Discord fell to the floor with a cry, releasing Fluttershy from his mind-control and his grip. Fluttershy gasped. The two of them looked at the small, extraordinarily furious, white bunny standing on Discord’s chest after having kicked him in the face. The bunny squeaked in rage a few times, stamping on him, not pleased at all with the way he was treating his owner. Discord just gawked at Angel Bunny dubiously.
With Discord momentarily distracted, Fluttershy took the chance.
She flew at the door, throwing it open. The cool night air and wind hit her like a whip, but she pushed forward, galloping out into the night. She didn’t even think twice about what she was doing, she just ran.
“Fluttershy!” Discord cried out, shoving the rabbit off of him. “Stop!”
“Twilight!” Fluttershy called frantically, not pausing once as she galloped for town. “Rainbow Dash! Somepony he---”
A wall manifested in front of Fluttershy without warning. She was moving much too fast to stop and slammed face first into the wall. As she hit it, the world around her began to dissolve into a darker world – a world with a checkerboard ground and a day and night sky. With that, she was out like a light.
Fluttershy sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes groggily. She blinked a few times to adjust them to the surroundings of her bedroom in the bright, early morning. The sun had just risen to fill her room with its light through the large window above the bed.
“Good morning, Fluttershy,” a familiar voice said quietly.
Fluttershy looked up and saw Discord leaning against the railing of the steps leading downstairs. He was watching her warily, his arms crossed over his chest. He had his lips pursed together.
“Oh, you’re here,” Fluttershy said. “Good morning.”
“How are you feeling?” Discord asked, uncrossing his arms and walking unhurriedly towards her.
“I’m feeling fine,” Fluttershy smiled shyly. “I didn’t have any nightmares last night.” Fluttershy furrowed her brow and frowned, suddenly confused. She turned to look away from him. “B-but…I don’t quite remember how I got to bed last night. In fact…the whole of yesterday is a bit of a blur…” she said. Her face flushed then and she looked back at him, beaming sheepishly. “That’s rather silly, isn’t it?”
Discord smiled in relief. “Yes, my dear,” he said. “That is quite silly. Luckily, you’re talking to the silliest creature in all of Equestria!” he grinned, poking her on the nose. She giggled.
“But, I am a bit worried that I may have forgotten something important,” Fluttershy said, stepping out of her bed. “I might have to meet somepony, or return somepony’s pet to them, or maybe somepony even told me something important.”
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with it!” Discord said, leading her downstairs and into the kitchen where she began to prepare breakfast for her animal friends. “I am certain you haven’t forgotten anything important.”
Discord watched as Fluttershy poured bird feed into a small cup. He flicked his tail. Very quietly, he smirked to himself and said;
“Not too important anyway.”
“Let’s have a sleepover!”
“Another one?” Fluttershy smiled as Discord immediately began to set up his sleeping bag beside her bed. “We’ve had a lot of those lately. You’ve been hanging out here quite a bit in fact…not that I mind.”
Discord nodded, settling down in his sleeping bag. “Just spending time with my dear, dear friend!” he beamed.
Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile again. It seemed that today was just full of smiles and mirth. She had spent the whole day with Discord. According to him, all of her friends were busy that day so she had all the time in the world to spend with her lovely chaotic friend.
Fluttershy got into her bed and pulled up the covers. When Discord touched her hoof, she looked up to see that he was once again, in her bed. She wasn’t even surprised by this.
“Let’s play a game,” he grinned.
“We’ve been playing games all day,” Fluttershy chuckled. “It’s time that we rest.”
“Yes, but…I don’t want to sleep yet,” Discord said quickly, urgently. He clasped her shoulders and shook her gently. “Let’s play a game. Come on! We could even play one of those dreadful bored games you like!” Numerous boxes of games appeared in the air behind him. "What do you say we play Jumanji?"
Fluttershy laughed, pushing away from him. “I need my sleep,” she said with an amused smile. “Goodnight, Discord.” With that she turned away and laid her head on the pillow.
“Fluttershy, don’t go to sleep.”
She made herself comfortable in the bed, feeling quite tired already.
“Fluttershy, I don’t want you to have nightmares.”
Despite his constant pestering, she was already falling asleep.
“Fluttershy, please.”
She was almost entirely unconscious.
So, Discord did the obvious thing when somepony just refused to stay awake despite how much you begged them not to. He kissed her. Right on the mouth, too. Without the tiniest hint of a warning.
Fluttershy squeaked and pushed away from him. The board game boxes fell out of the air and crashed to the floor. She stared up at him with wide eyes, and he stared back at her with equally wide eyes. They continued like this for a long moment, neither of them saying a single word.
Blushing brightly, Fluttershy hurriedly climbed out of bed and started towards the stairs, blushing brightly.
“I think I’ll go…uhm…get a cup of tea…uhm…for this all-nighter.”
Discord observed Fluttershy as she went down the stairs with apprehension. When she was gone, he relaxed. He brushed the sweat from his brow and exhaled in relief. He slumped onto the bed, exhausted.
Fluttershy stared at the kettle as the water inside of it heated up. It made a quiet whistling noise that sounded loud in the silence of the kitchen.
She supposed that there were some things that could bring her downstairs in the middle of the night.
Discord was so inappropriate sometimes…
Knock-knock.
Fluttershy looked towards the kitchen door leading to the backyard. It was awfully strange for somepony to knock on the back door rather than the front…and in the middle of the night no less. Fluttershy hesitated.
“I-is somepony there?” Fluttershy finally called out warily.
She was met with nothing but silence.
“U-uhm. I have the Spirit of Chaos in my house…” Fluttershy cautioned apprehensively.
“Fluttershy!” a pony replied in a gravelly voice from the other side of the door. “It’s us! Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight Sparkle! Open the door! Hurry up!” Rainbow Dash insisted.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Fluttershy went to the door and unlocked it. The moment it was unlocked, the door was flung open and tape was firmly placed over Fluttershy’s mouth. She attempted to cry out through the tape, but it was no use.
“Sorry, Fluttershy. We just can’t have you screaming if Discord’s in there,” Twilight said apologetically, stepping out from the shadows.
“Y’all have to keep real quiet if this is gonna work,” Applejack agreed from beside Twilight.
“Mmmf?!” Fluttershy whined.
“Yeah! We kind of are foalnapping you, but we prefer the term ‘snatching you from your home in the middle of the night to save all of Equestria from the maniacal Discord’!” Pinkie Pie said loudly.
“Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash groaned, hovering by her head. She smacked her hoof on her forehead. “Don’t make us tape your mouth shut, too.”
“Besides,” Rarity smiled. “If we were foalnapping you, I assure you that we’d be much more stylish.” Rarity flipped her mane back, imploring Fluttershy to look at her body-hugging black suit, sparkling with jewels strewn all across it.
“Ain’t the point of the suit to attract less attention to yourself,” Applejack said flatly, raising an eyebrow at her. Rarity opened her mouth to respond, looking rather offended.
“Girls!” Twilight hissed under her breathe.
“Fluttershy?”
“Shoot!” Twilight cried quietly when the six conspirators heard Discord calling out to Fluttershy from the top of the stairs. “Shoot! Girls, quick! Plan B!”
“Already on it,” Rainbow Dash said, saluting the newly-crowned Princess. She ducked down and scooped Fluttershy up underneath her forelegs. She dashed through the air, away from the house, and into the Everfree forest – which was just a few feet away – lugging Fluttershy with her. Applejack trailed closely behind them. Fluttershy could not protest through the tape over her mouth. Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were given the worst job of all.
Discord stood at the archway of the kitchen, staring straight across the room at the three little ponies glaring defiantly back at the large draconequus while blocking the back door.
“Hm,” Discord murmured. “I see that you’ve returned,” he said coolly.
Twilight Sparkle nodded. “Did you think we would just sit back and watch?”
“It would be the smart thing to do,” Discord smiled maliciously. ‘Though, you never were very smart when it came to this sort of thing, were you Miss Sparkle…?”
“This is going to end, Discord!” Twilight yelled. “Maybe not this time, maybe not next time, but it will end! We will keep going and going until you have no choice but to either kill us or free us!” Twilight narrowed her eyes. She spoke through her teeth. “And we both know that you don’t have the guts to kill the only friends you’ve ever had…”
Discord beamed crookedly. “It’s too bad that you never were my friends in the first place, isn’t it?”
Twilight exchanged a look with Pinkie and Rarity.
“My, my,” Discord chuckled, stalking towards the three. “Isn’t friendship simply tragic?”
With this, Discord snatched Twilight Sparkle up by the horn. Twilight cried out in surprise. She would have trouble using her magic through his paw. He held her at eye level with himself and frowned, ignoring Pinkie Pie and Rarity as they started yelling at him. He leaned towards Twilight with a sneer. “Where. Is. My. Fluttershy?!”
Finally, after flying through the Everfree Forest for several minutes, with Fluttershy getting dragged through dirt and across tree tops and branches, the three friends stopped at a small cave just as it began to rain. Rainbow Dash put Fluttershy down and they all took shelter in the cave, not bothering to check for any dangerous creatures that might be lurking there. Somehow, they all knew that the cave was uninhabited.
They all sat down in a circle and removed the tape from Fluttershy’s mouth. Applejack started a fire to light up the darkness of the cave since the moonshine was not providing enough light. They looked around at each other, their faces illuminated by the flames, while their shadows danced around behind them.
“He erased my memory.”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack returned their attention to Fluttershy. She was now staring into the flames of the fire.
“I…I had a dream yesterday. Twilight warned me not to trust him. But, when I woke up and told him that I had a dream about Twilight, he started acting strangely. I tried to-to go and find you all and see if Twilight and the rest of you were alright, but he wouldn’t let me leave. H-he wouldn’t…” Fluttershy whispered, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks from the awful memory of being treated in such a way by somepony she truly trusted. She shook her head. “I guess he tried to erase my memory at some point, but…I-I remember now…”
Fluttershy raised her head to look at Rainbow Dash and Applejack. “What…what did he do?” she asked quietly, her voice cracking.
Applejack sighed. “It ain’t what he did…it’s what he’s doin’,” she said.
“It’s hard to explain, Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said. “Originally, Twilight was going to explain it all to you, but I guess she can’t now that we had to go with Plan B instead of Plan A.”
“Where is she?” Fluttershy asked worriedly.
Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack. “Er…holding off Discord with Pinkie Pie and Rarity?”
“What?!” Fluttershy gasped, standing up and trotting towards the opening of the cave. “They could get hurt!”
Rainbow Dash flew up and landed in front of Fluttershy before she could leave the cave. “Woah! Wait a minute, Shy!” she said, holding up a hoof cautiously. “Twilight and Pinkie can handle it. We just gotta keep you two apart until we can explain everything to you without him pulling some stunt and wiping your memory clean again.”
“I don’t understand,” Fluttershy said, trying to go around Rainbow Dash. Applejack stepped in front of her, obstructing her attempt to exit again.
“Calm down, Sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Why dontcha sit back down here so we can have a nice talk?”
Fluttershy trembled. “I-I’m so t-tired of everypony blocking my path,” she said uneasily. “I-if somepony tries to block, show them that you rock!”
Fluttershy shoved Rainbow Dash and Applejack to the ground – much to their surprise – and took off through the rain. It seems that a certain minotaur had taught her a thing or two about assertiveness after all. Perhaps she’d have to pay him for the seminar as well…that is, if she ever got through this thing.
From memory, she galloped down the invisible path they had taken to get there, heading back to the cottage, frightened of what she might find there.
Fluttershy had been running for a while. She was beginning to think that she had gone off the path without realizing it, and was now getting herself lost in the Everfree. Granted, she had lost most of her fear of the forest since defeating a cockatrice there, but that didn’t exactly mean she wanted to get lost in the forest alone…at night.
Fluttershy glanced back behind her. She didn’t hear anypony following after her. She breathed a sigh of relief and gradually slowed down until she stopped moving, completely exhausted.
Her head snapped up when she heard the shuffle of foliage to her left. She glanced around quickly for a hiding spot, running in place for a moment until she decided on a thick bush. She bounded into it and concealed herself completely. Being the shy little pony that she was, she had gotten rather good at hiding. Then upon hearing the sweet, familiar, gentle voice calling to her, Fluttershy peered out of the bush as a figure stumbled out of the greenery. Discord scanned around, seeming a bit worn out.
She was surprised. She had thought that he would be fuming and irritated but…he didn’t appear that way at all. He seemed more…troubled…panicked. He was…worried perhaps…? Was he worried about her?
Discord stood there for a moment, breathing heavily. His ears twitched, but beyond that he didn’t move. Fluttershy couldn’t tell if he was listening for a sound or focusing on his magic. Either way, she kept as quiet as a mouse. She even held her breathe so as not to be heard.
Finally, Discord slouched over. He closed his eyes and brushed his paw across his forehead, seeming relieved.
“Fluttershy…come out. I know you’re there.”
Fluttershy kept completely still. She felt her heart rate increase. If Discord really wanted to, he could probably hear her heart beat, and Fluttershy couldn’t very well stop it.
Discord sighed, sitting down on a rock. He still didn’t seem angry. He just seemed…tired. He seemed like a weary traveller, going from place to place but never finding a place that he could truly call home.
Maybe he was.
Fluttershy knew that her friends would not believe any of this for a second. She believed it though. He wasn’t faking it. He really was tired, she just didn’t know why.
“I’m not leaving until you come out,” he whispered hollowly.
There was a pause…and then.
“I’m afraid to…” Fluttershy whispered.
Of course, speaking aloud informed Discord exactly where she was hiding. At this point though…she almost didn’t care if he knew…if he snatched her up and took her away again. Perhaps she was a little bit tired, too.
“That’s understandable,” was his only reply.
It was quiet for a long time, but finally, Fluttershy stepped out from her hiding place. She shook the leaves and twigs out of her mane and turned to Discord. Discord held out a talon to her. She took it in her hoof and he led her to sit on a rock beside his, without rising from it. The two of them looked at each other now.
“Hello, Fluttershy.”
“Hello, Discord.”
There was another pause. During this pause, Fluttershy began to tear up. Discord immediately took her into his arms and drew her close, hugging her tightly. Fluttershy put her forelegs around him as well, weeping into his fur. He stroked her mane gently to soothe his beloved friend.
“I-I’m so sorry, Discord!” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry!”
“For what, my dear?” Discord asked softly.
Instead of answering him, Fluttershy pulled away to look him in the face. “W-what did you do?!”
Discord gazed down at her unhappily for a moment. Finally, he sighed. He slowly turned her around and pressed her back up against him. He took one of her front hooves in his talon and placed his paw on her shoulder. He leaned down and whispered into her ear;
“Watch.”
With that, the world began to dissolve around them, revealing the truth.
The sky split into two, one half being the morning sky and the other being the night sky. The grass beneath them took on a checkerboard pattern of greens, purples, and blues. The soil became slippery soap. The trees around them changed to random colors, growing odd patterns of polka dots and stripes. They twisted and spun until they barely resembled trees at all. In the distance, clouds of cotton candy began to cover parts of the sky, raining down chocolate milk. A rabbit skittered past on stilt-like legs. This was only a few of the oddities that changed the once beautiful Equestria into Discord’s chaotic world.
Fluttershy covered her eyes as if she were watching a horror film. It seemed to her as though she was, and she didn’t want to watch the death scene…because, isn’t that what it was? Equestria, as she knew it, was…dead…
“Fluttershy…” Discord said.
Fluttershy pushed away from him. Discord let go of her. She spun to face him, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She remembered everything.
The reformation had gone very well, or so it had seemed. Discord was on the side of good, on their side. The problem was…the other ponies. They didn’t think so.
Sometimes, the more that you are told that you are something…the more you are treated like you are something…it changes you into that something. Fluttershy’s friends constantly treated Discord as they always had…like he was a monster. They would never accept him. They would never trust him.
It was for good reason maybe…considering all that he had done to them, but doesn’t treating him in such a way make them as much of a monster as he is…considering that he was trying not to be?
Maybe he hadn’t tried hard enough to prove to them that he’d changed. Maybe he never really changed at all, and they were the only ones who could see that, because Fluttershy clearly could not.
Fluttershy didn’t treat him like a monster. She treated him like a friend, a best friend. In return, he treated her the same way. Only she truly accepted him.
One pony telling you that you’ve changed isn’t enough. Not when all of the other ponies are telling you that you haven’t changed. That might be satisfactory to some, but not to Discord…not after all he had to give up for them…
If these ponies wanted a monster, then…let them have one.
Fluttershy could only watch in horror as Discord rose up against them. When negotiations didn’t work, she’d had no choice but to side with her other friends. The fate of Equestria was lying in her hooves, and she had to do what was right no matter how much it hurt. She had to be like Princess Celestia.
“Sometimes, my friend, not everything that is right will feel right. Not every right choice is the easy choice,” she had said to Fluttershy sadly, looking towards Princess Luna as she spoke. “But what must be done…must be done.”
It was true. It didn’t feel right. It wasn’t easy. It hurt.
Discord was Fluttershy’s friend. He wasn’t just a creature that she had been tasked to reform. He had become more than that to her after all the time they had spent together. Betrayal is an amazingly painful thing. She felt that she was betraying him…even if in truth…it was he who was betraying her.
And that hurt too.
However, with The Elements of Harmony sealed inside The Tree of Harmony, Equestria had no means of defence against Discord. Discord had also learned a lot about these ponies in his time of reformation, it seemed, and he was able to use their weaknesses against them effortlessly.
Not Fluttershy though. He couldn’t. He simply couldn’t do it to Fluttershy. No, not after she believed in him so much, not after she was able to care so much about him. She was the only friend he had ever had…the only one who ever dared to. He couldn’t let her go.
So, he’d cast a shielding spell over her, so that she would always view the world as a perfect Equestria. All would be good and pure in her world. Her friends would be happy, and she would be happy in this peaceful world.
All while the ponies in reality suffered.
Yet…somehow…they had managed to break through into the world that Discord had created for her. They were able to bring the chaos of reality into her world. Eventually, with enough pushing and persistence, Fluttershy awoke to reality, only to have Discord send her back to the perfect dream where he could visit her whenever he pleased. She would always have a smile for him there. She would always have a welcoming hug and a warm hoof to hold.
Until…her friends broke through again of course.
They just wouldn’t back down. They were so persistent. Every time they got Fluttershy to open her eyes to reality, Discord would send her back to her dream world. Every time Discord would send her back to her dream world, they would attempt to break through again until they finally did. When they broke through again, they would do all they could to make Fluttershy awaken. They would mess with her dreams or send her signs here and there to help her remember what she had forgotten – what Discord had erased.
Each time Discord recast the spell on Fluttershy, it would be weaker and easier to break. The ponies were becoming too good at breaking it. Fluttershy was becoming too good at recalling the truth. The time span between Fluttershy staying in this false world Discord had set up for her was decreasing every time she awoke from it.
So…here they were again…replaying the exact same scenario as they had numerous times before.
It seemed that all that time spent trying to comprehend the meaning of her dreams was not as much of a waste as it seemed. While the noble aspects her friends possessed did not die in her own self, they died in her friends, a more direct meaning. They were discorded before Discord sent Fluttershy to the false world for the first time.
The fear that Fluttershy had experienced in the dreams indicated her lack of control over all that was happening and over all that had happened. The abuse in her dream was showing her that she was being taken advantage of. Discord took advantage of her trust and her kindness, and even ended up using her by keeping her in the phony reality almost as if she were his pet rather than a friend.
When she was abandoned in her dreams, it stemmed from her fear of being betrayed, which she had been. It also indicated her fear of losing a loved one. She was afraid of losing her friends to this hideous new Equestria, and not only that, she was afraid of losing Discord too – to justice.
Being paralysed in her dream meant that she felt helpless. She was – she is – unable to deal with the situation at hoof. She feels powerless to stop Discord’s reign and save her friends and Equestria, as it is something she alone can do. The storm in her dream represented her shock and loss. It also signified her fears and emotions, of which she had many.
The advice she received in her dream encouraged her to listen to her instincts. Well…what her instincts were telling her now was to find a way to fix this…but…then again…Twilight mentioning her having impaired eyesight in her dream showed hesitation in the choices she was making…and it was true. She was uncertain…
She didn’t know what to believe anymore…
She undoubtedly couldn’t believe her eyes…
“Fluttershy,” Discord whispered, reaching out a paw towards her almost remorsefully. Fluttershy jerked back from it at first, but then grasped onto it like he was the most precious thing in the world.
“Discord,” Fluttershy whimpered.
Discord drew Fluttershy towards him and tried to hug her again. Fluttershy placed a hoof on his chest before he pulled her too close. She looked him right in the eyes and said;
“You have to end this Discord.”
“I want my Flutterhug,” he whined childishly.
“Discord!” Fluttershy protested as Discord attempted to pull her close again. He succeeded his time, overpowering her easily. He squeezed her tightly…a bit too tightly in fact. “L-let go of me!” Fluttershy cried.
He tightened his hold on her even more. “I don’t want to let go of you, my dear. Don’t you see?” he whispered. “That’s why I made that fantasy world for you. I could visit you whenever I wanted. You’d never have to be unhappy. You’d always have a lovely beam on your face. You’d never ever leave me. You’ll never die either, sweet pony. I’ll make you forever young.”
“Di-Discord…” Fluttershy said fearfully, growing alarmed by Discord’s tone.
“We’ll be together forever,” Discord sighed happily, stroking her mane. “All you have to do is let me take you back to that delightful little world I shaped just for us.”
“B-But I---”
Discord tilted back and placed a finger underneath Fluttershy’s chin. He raised her head so that she was looking him in the eyes. He smiled lovingly at her, his eyes beginning to whirl around hypnotically.
“Come along, now,” he murmured. “Let me take you home…”
Fluttershy desperately tried to push herself away from him. She shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away. She held herself as far away from him as she could without his willingness to release her.
“Listen to me, please!” Fluttershy said frantically. “It mustn’t be this way! You can truly change, I promise you Discord! You can! You’re not a monster! Everypony makes mistakes! You’ve just made mistakes that no pony is strong enough to forgive you for! It isn’t your fault! You mustn’t become what they believe you to be!”
Fluttershy looked him in the eyes courageously as they continued to swirl. She stared into the entrancing movement, silently urging him to trust her as much as she trusted him.
Be strong, Fluttershy, she told herself. Equestria needs you. Your friends need you. Discord needs you. Whatever you do…don’t fall under his spell!
Fluttershy clutched his face and pulled it closer to her own. His facial expression changed from a blank look to one of bewilderment. “I’m never going to give up on you, Discord. It’s not just because Equestria relies on me, or because you’re my responsibility to reform – it’s because you’re one of my very best friends. I’m never going to stop believing in you. Hold onto that, please,” Fluttershy freed his head and seized his talon instead. She smiled sadly, her eyes beginning to spin like his. “No matter what happens from here…” she whispered, knowing that her efforts to stay conscious were futile despite all it would cost. She just…wasn’t strong enough to resist his magic… “I want you to know that I will never ever stop caring about you.”
Discord had tears in his eyes as she spoke, her voice becoming drowsier and fainter with every word spoken. He resisted though. He kept hypnotising her, not backing down. “Never forget that,” she said. Her eyes – despite their whirling – gazed into his with the utmost kindness. The kindness he saw in her eyes at that single moment was more than was ever given to this chaotic creature in his thousands of years of life. “Never forget that I care and even when I awaken from this dream world, I am always going to be looking out for you no matter what any pony says about you.”
Discord whined like a puppy when Fluttershy relaxed in his arms, falling deeper into his spell. He lifted her up and cradled her like a foal. “Fluttershy…” he murmured unhappily, wanting her to keep quiet. He didn’t want to hear anymore.
“We both know that one day this spell will not have any effect on me anymore. I want you to know that I’ll be waiting for that day, because that will be the day I convince you of the potential you hold. You have a good heart, Discord. You really did try to change, but everypony around you refused to accept you. You were simply not strong enough to face them, and you became the monster they thought you to be. You just lost your way, but I’ll help you find it again.
“It is your nature to be chaotic. You are the Spirit of Chaos after all. Despite this, I really do see that you have a heart that beats as all of ours do. You really care about me at least. You’re trying your very hardest to do what’s right for me, because you truly believe that I do not deserve to be punished like my friends. Although,” Fluttershy giggled softly. “You seem to not quite know how to care…surely though…if you can bring yourself to care about me…you can also bring yourself to care for all the ponies of Equestria…”
“Are you disappointed in me…?” Discord whimpered, his tear drops falling to her coat, dampening it.
“No,” Fluttershy said, resting her head against his chest. “I’m just disappointed in myself. I’m so sorry for failing you, Discord…but it isn’t over yet…” she smiled.
Discord whined even louder, pressing his face deep into her coat. He was beginning to sound more and more like a wild animal…or at least…a very sad, unhinged wild animal. “Stop talking. You’re hurting me. Stop hurting me.”
“Fluttershy!”
Discord tightened his embrace when they heard Rainbow Dash calling for her. This was followed by the shuffling of florae as Fluttershy’s friends grew nearer to the spot where the two stood.
It was too bad that they were too late.
“Thank you for being so loyal to me in a way,” she said, her voice drowsy. “Thank you for your kindness and for all the times you make me laugh. We’ll keep working on your honesty, okay Dissy? You’re getting there,” she smiled optimistically.
Fluttershy closed her eyes with a sigh. “Until again, I awaken,” she whispered, brushing a hoof weakly across his face. “I’ll be waiting for you in my beautiful dream land that you have so generously created for us.”
The last thing Fluttershy heard and felt, before she fell completely into the false, yet truly spectacular reality Discord created just for her, was his whisper to her and the brush of his lips against her forehead.
“Goodnight, my angel. I love you.”
The five ponies bounded through the greenery. Fluttershy seemed to be asleep and, in a way, she was. She was in her dream land now. Eventually…eventually her friends would be able to reawaken her again. Though, it didn’t make Fluttershy look less lifeless in his arms.
The five ponies exchanged uneasy glances as Discord paid them no mind. He simply cradled Fluttershy in his arms, humming quietly to her, twirling a lock of her mane around his finger.
“Discord’s crazy,” Pinkie Pie whispered loudly to Applejack beside her. She then looked sadly at the pony with the pink mane he held. She was the complete opposite of herself. She was quiet and calm…but…she was her friend.
“I think that he may be a few apples short of an orchard,” Applejack mumbled quietly. She frowned disappointedly at the timid pegasus. The two never quite saw eye to eye. Fluttershy was gentle…Applejack was not…yet Fluttershy truly was a special part of her.
“Oh, no! Fluttershy,” Rarity exclaimed with a squeak, putting a hoof to her mouth in dismay. She gazed at the sweet little pony in horror. She was shy and afraid of the spotlight, unlike Rarity herself, but…she was such a dear friend to her.
“We’re too late…again,” Rainbow Dash grumbled angrily. She stared at the frail mare in distress. Fluttershy had been her best friend since they were young fillies. Rainbow Dash had always stood up for her and protected her from bullies, but this time…when it really counted…she had failed.
Maybe it was just time for Fluttershy to stand up for another pony in return.
“Discord!” Twilight shouted, stamping a hoof. She rushed towards him, beginning to tear up from her frustration. “You monster!” she yelled hysterically, beating her front hooves against him. Discord didn’t seem to comprehend that she was even there.
“Yes, yes. I know,” Discord finally mumbled, not seeming to be one hundred percent aware as he stared at the slumbering pony in his arms. “But…she didn’t think so,” he said, brushing his paw down Fluttershy’s peaceful face.
Twilight looked up at him, trembling. “And that mistake cost all of us!” she cried hysterically. Rainbow Dash and Applejack exchanged a look and hurried over to Twilight’s side. They placed reassuring hooves on her shoulders.
“Twilight,” Applejack muttered. “We should get out o’ here before Discord greys us out again…there’s nothin’ we can do this early on for Fluttershy anyway…”
“Yeah, Twilight. We gotta get out of here. Leave them,” Rainbow Dash said.
“B-but, we can’t just let him go!” Twilight wailed. “We can’t just let him keep doing this! There must be something we can do now! I’m tired of waiting to punish him!”
“Oh, this is punishment enough, my little ponies,” Discord murmured dully. “This is punishment enough…” He tenderly rubbed one of her delicate feathers between his thumb and index finger.
“We can’t do anythin’ without Fluttershy!” Applejack hissed. She and Rainbow Dash began to tug Twilight away from Discord. “We just have to wait it out till we can bring ‘er back to reality!”
“No!” Twilight bawled. “No! She isn’t his puppet! He’s playing with her like she’s a puppet!”
“This is all getting to poor Twilight,” Rarity said quietly. “I’m just waiting for it to get to us as well…”
“We were her very first friends after all,” Pinkie Pie said gloomily. “It’s because of us Twilight got as far as she did…”
“You’re a monster, Discord!” Twilight cried as all of her best friends – excluding one – dragged her into the forest and away from the draconequus and said absent friend. “You’re a monster! Look at yourself! Are you happy?! Look at what you’ve done to the only pony who has ever loved you! Are you happy now?!”
Discord held his lovely puppet – dead to the real world – and continued to hum his odd little song softly in the midst of the forest of their broken little world.
“Eep!”
Fluttershy sat up swiftly. Discord looked up. He was sitting in a green and beige wicker chair in the corner of Fluttershy’s bedroom, reading her friendship journal fondly. Fluttershy sat in her bed, shivering and uneasy.
“Is something the matter?” Discord called, putting down the book and rising from his chair. He glided across the floor to sit beside her on the bed. He placed a caring claw onto her shoulder.
Fluttershy was used to the gentle touch from the draconequus. He had been acting rather warm that way for weeks now. This was not what troubled her mind at the moment though. Something else was.
Fluttershy looked up into Discord’s eyes, frightened. What she whispered – a line spoken by a certain alicorn from the nightmare she had just endured – sent a chill down his spine, making him more frightened than her.
“Don’t believe your eyes…?”
Author's Note
Research done here: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/
