A Light in the Darkness

"I am chaos. I am disharmony. I am all that shouldn't exist. And I hate it.

     For the longest time, I tried to drown my sorrows in pain. I punished myself by doing everything I hate. This worked for a time, but everypony hated me anyways. I was imprisoned for over a thousand years. I tried to convince myself that I should hate them, but it was hard. I hated myself too much to be selfish like that.

     When I finally broke free, I went back to my old ways. I couldn't remember any other way to live. Why should I try when I would be feared anyway?

     I hid my pain under a mask of evil grins and constant chaos. But I just got turned into stone again. But, to my surprise, I didn't stay that way for long. The ponies who I thought hated me, who I thought would never stop hating me, set me free. They trusted me, wanted me to learn what it's like to have friends.

     I never wanted to cause chaos. I may be named after my power, but I hated what I was. The pony who took me in, she didn't. She liked me more than I liked myself. I began to love her fiercely. I had no desire to see her as a lover, though. I was happy to just spend my time making her happy. I wanted her to be proud of me, of what I did to change. Her disappointment hurts more than the sharpest of swords. It hurts more than death.

     I never want to think about what I did after that. Like a fool, I fell for one of my own tricks. A great, powerful minotaur convinced me that ponies were using me. Like the naive idiot I was then, I believed him. I helped him to take over Equestria, turning against the only ones who trusted me. I was heartbroken, when I thought they hated me for all that time. When I believed they lied to me so they wouldn't have to deal with my chaos, I wanted to kill them. I saw them die slowly in my dreams over and over again.

     Then the minotaur showed his true colors. He stole my magic and left me to die. I never felt more humiliated or more broken. As mismatched as I may look, that was the first time I wanted to rip each piece apart. I watched helplessly as the very ones I betrayed saved my life and the lives of everypony in Equestria.

     When I saw the disapproval in her eyes, my heart melted. I would've burst into tears if I had any tears left to cry. I begged for forgiveness. I thought they would throw me out like the traitor I was.

     Instead, they forgave me. They ignored everything I had done to them, and looked past my faults. They didn't care. I was their friend, and I had been led far astray. They wanted to lead me back. So I was welcomed back, when I didn't deserve it. My life has been one of sorrow and pain. I lived in darkness for so long. But she was the light in my life. She showed me the way. She was the kindest, most compassionate pony I have ever met. I will never meet someone like her again.

     So now I ask myself how I can honor her. How I can earn her pride. And I only know one way to do that.

     I want to make the light of her kindness and her perfect imperfections shine forever. I want other people to see the light that she gave in life. I want that light to shine in her death. I don't have the words to describe her perfectly. But I can try. And I can only hope that, somewhere, she's looking down on me. And I hope her eyes shine with pride."

     "But Discord? If you miss her so much, why don't you just bring her back? I miss her too. Can I see her again? Pleeeaase?" asked a small filly. Her long, silky mane hung down her side. It was a pretty, dark yet faded pink. Her fur was deep yellow, almost orange. She seemed to be the rising sun. She looked at Discord pleadingly, her painfully familiar cerulean eyes shining up at him.

     "Because it was her time. I watched the life fade out of her eyes. I told her I could bring her back, that she could lie forever by my side. She said she didn't want that. She said that she didn't need to live forever, because she had me to live on for her. In those last few moments, she told me that she could die happy, knowing that I was here to raise you. She trusted me to take care of the light in her life. So I stay here. I want to make sure she died happy. Do you understand, Chipmunk?" The pony in question sighed.

     "You know you can just call me Chip. I prefer it. But yes. I do understand. I don't like living without her, but I understand. Why do you call me by my full name anyways?"

     "Because I love her and anything she did. And I can't think of anything more beautiful than the name your mother gave you." He looked down at her tenderly. Normally, he hated being so serious, but she had trusted him to raise her daughter, and he would not mess this up. Not like everything else.

     "If only I knew my father. Would he be proud of me too?" Chipmunk asked. Discord looked down at her, and a single tear rolled down his cheek.

     "Yes," he choked out. "Yes he would."

     They walked down the row of gravestones. It saddened both of them that there were so many of them, but it was also heartening. These ponies had fought the fine fight. They had gone on and passed the finish line, and done it without regrets.  But only one stone remained in their minds.

     One that was simple. Only a foot tall, with an elegant curve adorning the top. One with no words, but a symbol. A symbol that meant the world to those who knew what it meant.

     Three small butterflies that were gentle and kind. That had changed lives. Whose light would go on shining forever. The ones that belonged to Fluttershy, Element of Kindness.

-The End