Celestia and Luna sat upon the royal throne, flanked on both sides by Royal Guards, Unicorn Scholars, and the Element Bearers. Such an impressive force might have seemed extravagant in the days before the Uncalibration, but they were now necessary to try and honor the beast they needed.
After Tirek had been defeated, several Unicorn Scholars had noticed that magic, in general, seemed weaker.
Earth Ponies grew fewer crops,
Unicorns could not levitate objects as quickly,
Pegasi were losing altitude.
Even the Royal Sisters had trouble lowering the Sun and Moon.
The only two types of magic left unchanged were Chaos Magic and the Magic of Friendship. The Everfree had grown exponentially, spreading out all over Ponyville, contained only by the Tree of Harmony. In contrast, Friendship could help slow the spread of the Forest, but not forever, as many had abandoned their friends as they fled Ponyville. Discord had self-exiled himself from society out of shame, and no one knew where he had gone.
Which was precisely why Luna had called the Council.
Luna nodded to Celestia.
The Solar Monarch raised her voice, "Discord. We need your friendship." She pushed over a pot full of magical amulets, talismans, gummy worms, and a single lollipop.
An awkward silence passed for over a minute, as though Discord was trying to make up his mind about whether he wanted to see them or not.
"Princess? Are you sure he was listening?" asked Twilight Sparkle.
"Of course he was listening, Twilight. Why would he ever ignore such a huge amount of magical power?" Celestia replied, though her voice betrayed a shadow of doubt.
Another minute passed.
" Princess, do you want to try again?" asked a timid Twilight.
"No!" Celestia responded, frustrated. Why wasn't Discord showing up? He wouldn't have completely abandoned society. Too boring.
Would he?
Her summons were suddenly answered when a loud pounding began at the door. Her Door Guards ignited their horns, trying to budge the door. Rarity joined her magic with theirs, followed by the Princesses and the Scholars. When the door was finally open, the pounding suddenly stopped.
There was no one out there.
Celestia strode forth, followed by Luna, to see where Discord was. It would be just like him to be hiding just outside the door.
"Where are you going? You're the ones requesting me, weren't you?" drawled an all-too-familiar voice.
The diarchs wheeled around. There, calm as you please, was Discord, sitting on the throne.
"Yes, we were the ones summoning you," replied Celestia.
"And then this one," he pointed to Twilight with his talon, "Thinks I'll just come like a trained dog, does she?"
"N-n-no!" Twilight sputtered,"I just wasn't sure if-"
"Spare me your excuses. Just remember, I am no dog." He remarked caustically, rolling his eyes on the floor.
"We wish to strike a bargain." Luna said resolutely, attempting to protect the cowering Princess of Friendship.
Discord languidly draped himself across the throne. "I'm listening!" he sang.
"Will you help us recalibrated our magic, return the Everfree to its original dimensions, and join our Court once again?" Celestia tried, going for broke.
"I could do that, but I also could walk away. What do you have for me?" Discord countered.
"We have mounds of gold-" offered the Minister of Coin.
"-battalions of soldiers-" included the Secretary of War.
"- And plenty of cake." added the Royal Chef.
Discord laughed.
"You think I want GOLD?! And you call me crazy!"
He snapped his fingers, and 2.236 pounds of gold appeared.
"And I can tango with any army!"
He was suddenly on a tank.
"And- no, actually, it might be nice to not know what cake flavour it is," He mused.
"So, you will help us just for cake?" Celestia replied, taken aback. She was famous for her tea and cake habit, but Discord?"
"I will recalibrate magic for a new cake every year for forever and a day. I will need one thing more for the Everfree reduction, however."
"Name it," replied Luna.
"I need a maid. Choose wisely, I need someone good at cleaning."
"I'll go," responded Pinkie Pie excitedly.
"I will clean for you," replied Rarity with haste.
"I can keep a house, Discord." answered Applejack defiantly.
"I could work for you." countered Rainbow Dash, a gleam of hate in her eye.
"I could be a valuable hostage,"offered Twilight.
"No." Fluttershy said resolutely as she marched to Discord's side.
"I shall be the maid."
Her friends gaped in shock for a moment, then erupted.
"Discord lost his memories of us; he won't listen!"
"I could keep his powers in check!"
"Fluttershy, darling. please reconsider."
But Fluttershy's eyes only looked at Rainbow Dash, striding the red carpet toward her.
A tear filled with sadness, not hate, escaped her eye.
"Fluttershy, please. You're my friend..."
Fluttershy gently pushed the hoof away.
"I know, but someone needs to do it."
"But you... you can't. Please don't go with this... beast."
"I'm sorry Rainbow, I truly am, but no one can decide my fate but me."
"Splendid!" Discord exclaimed, snapping his fingers. Long tendrils of chaos magic flowed from the ponies all over Equestria, and Discord unleashed magical auras which spread all across the rampaged land.
"Remember, I can just as easily make it so your precious little horns can't interact with the Magic again, so don't try anything," Discord said, even as the unicorns lit their horns, the pegasi flew up, and the Earth Ponies felt the Earth talk to them again.
The entire Pony Court bowed to Discord.
When they stood back up, Discord was gone.
And so was Fluttershy.
Pinkie began to wail toward the ceiling as the rest of the Court wept at the loss of their friend.
Discord had stolen Fluttershy, leaving the Rainbow power useless.
______________________________________-___________________________________________________-______________________________________________
"Well, Fluttershy, how do you like your new home?" exclaimed Discord, sweeping his lion paw to show her his extravagant castle. The floor kept rising and turning into walls, as if it couldn't decide which way it wanted to be. Doors and floors and lampshades existed on different gravitational spectrums. Thousands of seemingly random objects flapped about, making odd noises.
"It's, um, very unique," Fluttershy replied demurely.
"I know, it's not perfect, but it's more use to me if it's unstable. I'll let you get settled. You can begin on the morrow."
Fluttershy took a few steps before remembering.
"Where should I sleep?"
"How about in your room?"
Fluttershy was about to protest that she didn't have a room until she saw Discord pointing. A spiral staircase, with a sign declaring it Fluttershy's, flickered into existence.
Fluttershy took the first step, then the next, until she reached her room. It was a near-perfect replica of her guest room at her cottage, where the Cutie Mark Crusaders had once had a sleepover. She fell to the bed and began to weep, fearing for her friends and for her sanity.
“Angel Bunny, please eat your carrots. I haven’t the time to make something new, Discord has promised to come at one o’clock.” Fluttershy pleaded. Angel turned up his nose and kicked away his food bowl. Fluttershy sighed as she commanded Angel to pick up the salad. He grudgingly tidied his verdant leaves back into the bowl. Fluttershy watched him, wondering why he was acting this way. This salad was his favorite, and they had played at the park just that morning for a few hours with some of her other friends and their pets. She smiled a bit as Angel gnawed on a carrot when he thought she was distracted.
Suddenly, the salad bowl grew rabbit legs and ears. Fluttershy’s reserved smile turned into a huge grin that would make Pinkie Pie proud.
“Discord!” She squealed.
A tall draconequus appeared in a flash of light where the blue and yellow bowl had been, “The one and only, fair Fluttershy. How is my incomparable blossom doing today?” Discord said as he wrapped his arm around her, putting a rainbow colored flower in her hair.
“ Great, what have you been doing lately?” She replied tactfully.
“Just been counting a few creatures in the Everfree forest for Celly. We wouldn’t want a villain to surprise us, now would we? I even turned a cockatrice or three to stone!” Discord exclaimed.
Fluttershy, taking a moment of consideration, carefully replied, “ It’s nice that you’re using your magic for good, but,” she wound her hoof around a knot in her wood floor, “ Why did you turn them into stone?”
“My, my, aren’t we assertive and to the point today! They were orchestrating a plot among the cockatrices to turn Princess Celly the Cello, Luna the Lovegood, and Candence the Flynn, of all ponies, to stone!” He pulled out a large fan, fluttering it back and forth to hide his expression, “Can you imagine? The sheer gall!”
“ Discord, is that the truth?” she said into the floor. His comment about her assertion had embarrassed her slightly, although he may have meant it as a compliment. She had to remember that even though he may have sworn to use his powers for good (most of the time) he still knew little of friendship.
Discord’s fan’s fancy styling rolled into a frown.
“No,” he admitted. “ I was afraid he would turn me to stone.”
“Discord, you know only the Elements can do that. You are far stronger than any creature in the Everfree forest. Why don’t we take a walk after dinner to try and de- stone him?” she asked.
“You’re right. I needn’t fear stoning from anyone.” Discord disappeared, then reappeared, this time dressed as a country gentleman. “I will be more than happy to escort you through the Forest of Everfree.” He said pompously. He then teleported into poet’s clothing, “But I do love the irony of a stone cockatrice for my garden.”
“Well, can’t you just make one with chaos magic already turned to stone? Fluttershy asked.
Discord’s clothes flashed away with a snap of his fingers. “But it’s not the same!” He pouted.
“Discord, what have we been working on?”
He sighed, “All life is sacred.”
“ Right. And is it pleasant or unpleasant to be turned to stone?”
“Of all ponies, I should know. It’s awful.” He shuddered, but then smiled as she put his paw in her hoof.
“I will turn the cockatrice back into a cockatrice.” He declared, snapping his fingers.
“Good job, Discord. Now then, some lunch?” Fluttershy asked.
“ Oh, goody-goody gumdrops, yes! I’ll get the cucumber sandwiches!”
Fluttershy smiled as she poured the tea into two teacups. Discord so looked forward to visiting her. “I guess I look forward to his visits, too,” she thought, “He gives me a project to work on, besides just watching animals.”
Discord came in with a platter of cucumber sandwiches and a comfortable smile. Two chairs suddenly appeared at the table, one short and snug, the other tall and imposing. They sat down as Fluttershy poured the tea.
“ So, Fluttershy, how about you? What were you doing as I- “ he gave a slight chuckle, “- popped in?”
“Oh, I was just feeding Angel. He’s such a grump sometimes.”
“I wonder why. Don’t you wish you could understand him completely?” Discord picked up his teacup as he materialized a squirt gun with his other hand, blasting tea into his cup.
“ Oh, I understand animals. That’s my special talent: caring for animals,” she replied, pointing to her cutie mark depicting three rosy butterflies.
“Yes, but you could actually understand them.”
“Discord, I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”
“I keep forgetting to occasionally make sense. But what’s the use of making cents when you can make dollars?” he replied, pulling down a stack of dollar bills depicting his face from a beam of Fluttershy’s cottage.
Fluttershy examined one. “Discord, this is a wonderful arts and crafts project, but what does it have to do with completely understanding?”
“Fluttershy, you are my dearest friend. You constantly help me, so I want to help you. I can make you an Earth Pony again!”
Fluttershy remembered being an Earth Pony, trying to overcome Discord. He had showed her the worst in all her friends, much of it fabricated. Despite herself, she shuddered, remembering the awful chaos.
“Oh, not to overcome Equestria with chaos! I’m reformed, remember?”
“Yes, but what are you talking about?” Fluttershy was growing rather frustrated with Discord.
“If your cutie mark lets you understand animals, imagine what being an Earth Pony will do!” He grabbed her by the waist and spread his hand out to indicate the infinite possiblities.
“What does being an ordinary pony have to do with anything with cutie marks?”
Discord chuckled darkly. “First off, Earth Ponies should always be respected. They have a connection with the Earth and animals. Their natural strength is tremendous, accelerated by their hard work. The least known reason, however, is they have a stronger connection to the cutie mark.”
“I know Applejack really strong, and Pinkie can sense what the Earth is saying, but do Earth Ponies really have a better link to their cutie mark?”
“ Indeed.” Discord begun making an igloo out of sugar cubes, then it disintegrated into snowflakes, which flew into his teacup. “Pinkie Pie can set up parties in seconds, almost as fast as me. When Applejack bucks a tree, all the apples fall, even when it’s not an apple tree.”
“But if its not an apple tree, then no apples will fall at all, right?” Fluttershy asked, confused.
“Precisely.” Discord replied. ”So, do you want to be an Earth Pony?”
“Discord, I don’t know. I mean, it would be useful to be an Earth Pony, if only to understand my animal friends, but-“
“But what? Do you enjoy being a Pegasus?”
“ Well, I think I may prefer the Earth to the Sky,” Fluttershy said hesistantly,” That’s why I live in the wooden cottage on the ground, rather than a cloud cottage. I guess I’m just not brave enough to face my fear of heights.”
“On the contrary, Fluttershy, you live right next door to the Everfree forest, you stood up to a dragon, and you reformed me, despite the fact I am the most powerful being in Equestria. You are one of the most courageous ponies I know.” As Discord said this, the lace doilies folded themselves into dragons, King Sombra, ponies mocking her, Iron Will…
Discord’s flattery made Fluttershy blush, “ But… I’m still scared of lots of things,” she meekly said, pointing to the animated doilies.
Discord snapped his fingers and a doily of Fluttershy smashed the other origami figurines with a baseball bat, “Still, despite your fears, everyday you face them.” He said.
“I guess that’s true,”
“So, what’s your choice?”
“Umm… perhaps you’re right. Maybe I was never meant to be a Pegasus. Sometimes I feel trapped as a Pegasus, always expected to be flying, helping with weather.” She took a sip of tea. “I remember one time, all the pegasi had to help carry water to Cloudsdale. If I had been an Earth pony, I wouldn’t have had to help.”
“Tell you what, Fluttershy. I’ll change you into an Earth Pony, and when I come back in a week I can change you back if it doesn’t work out for you.”
Something about Discord wanting to change her didn’t feel quite right. “Discord, do
you want to help me, or just change up your enviroment?”
Discord seemed to pause to consider, “Once you said to me,’I have friends who want me to be the best I can be.’ Fluttershy, I want you to be the best you can be, and I genuinely want you to be happy. If you aren’t happy better connected to your animal friends, ask Princess Twilight to summon me. However, I am a being of chaos. If I didn’t radically change the style now and again, I would lose my whole raisin d’etre.”
His flattery of her courage, as well as his obvious sincerity, made her say,” I’ll do it, Discord, but what’s a raisin dentree?”
“ Oh, I forget! French doesn’t exist here yet! Except for Rarity, of course!”
He clasped his hands together.” Oh, Fluttershy! This is positively splendid! Let’s do it now!”
“Now?”
“Unless you can think of a good reason not to,”
“OK, Discord. Let’s do it.”
Fluttershy closed her eyes, expecting Discord to just make her wings disappear. Instead, she could still feel her wings as they crept off of her, tickling her as they inched off of her sides. As she turned around to marvel, she noticed they had turned pink, and lost their feathers. The wings, now like those of a butterfly, climbed onto her flank, then combined. A new butterfly on her cutie mark stared back at her.
“Isn’t chaos wonderful?” Discord beamed.
“It’s… interesting.” Fluttershy replied tactfully.
“Wondertastic!” Discord exclaimed.
“ Um… would you like more tea?” Fluttershy asked demurely.
“ Hmm, well, I probably should check on the fourteen- twenty-eights of the Everfree I haven’t checked yet.”
“Oh, ok. Bye! Don’t turn the cockatrices to stone anymore!”
“Adios, my Fluttershy!” Discord sang as he crawled through a hole on the floor, which rapidly shrank as he left.
Fluttershy looked out the window, “Oh, I hope he’s alright.”
“He’s an immortal archmage of Chaos magic. Of course he’ll be alright,” replied an alert voice.
Fluttershy twirled around. Angel waved, then said,” What were you two talking about? Did he steal your wings again? If he did… I’ll knock that sucker into next Tuesday!”
Fluttershy was euphoric! She could finally understand what her animal friends wanted!
Fluttershy's eyes snapped open as a foghorn giggled. She sat up, then gasped in shock. The familiar, cozy, surroundings of her house had been replaced by a cobblestone room; almost a dungeon. Algae and moss slimed across the wall, her soft bed now a straw mat on the cold floor. Fluttershy shuddered. The chilliness of the room penatrated her soft fur.At least it wasn't in the sky. Fluttershy had terrible memories of her time spent with her mother in their Cloudsdale house, but she couldn't hear any animal friends here either.
Still constant, however, was the staircase leading down, presumably to Discord.
Fluttershy, unsure of what else to do, fled from the dark room into the main room. Objects still whisked about: a ream of paper, a plastic flamingo, a wagon wheel-
"Cheerio, darling." remarked a voice behind her.
Fluttershy leapt up, banging her head on a bundle of porcupine quills. Still in the air, she turned around to see that no one was there. Presumably one of Discord's tricks.
It was just a clock.
