The Taxonomy of the Lower Reaches of the Discordian Dimensions

The wail that came from Fluttershy made Starswirl's teeth stand on edge. He had heard similar sounds before, during wartime when he was a younger stallion; Cries of the mares who had lost husbands and mates to the battlefield. He had hoped that he would never hear that sound again as long as he lived, but Fluttershy put an end to that wish. The images before him seemed to happen in slow motion. Fluttershy rushing forward and embracing Discord's fallen body. Applejack trying to pull her off.

"He's dead, Sugarcube, he's dead!" she said, tears in her eyes.

Fluttershy had her head resting on Discord's lifeless chest, trying to listen for a heartbeat, for breath, for anything that would tell her that her friend was still alive and in this world. "Discord...please," she cried, then her face contorted as she broke down and burst into sobs. She let Applejack drag her away. She had no fight left in her. Nothing was ever going to be okay again.

The minute Discord's body hit the floor of the deck he could feel himself separating. The darkness was pulling him apart and it hurt.

Though his corporeal body lay lifeless on deck, he could feel himself being stretched in four different directions, tearing, wrenching. If he had a voice he would have screamed. Instead he gave the energy equivalent of a scream. This was it. The end. The end of all things. His only consolation through the agony he felt as he sensed himself being destroyed was that Fluttershy would get to live until old age. It was a dreadful pity that anything she did in life would mostly be for naught, as the world would end when she did, but at least he had bought her some time to do the things she loved; play with her animals, be with her friends.

He could feel himself dissolving into the blackness now, becoming part of it. It was like he was disappearing and slotting into place at the same time. The pain was unbelievable and he let out energy screams again and again.

You are unbearably noisy. It is a good thing you will soon be gone.

Discord had no voice with which to reply. He wondered briefly if this was what static felt like.

The pain was beginning to vanish now, and Discord knew the end was close.

Goodbye, Noodle he thought.

"He did it to save me," Fluttershy was saying, in a monotone. "He did it to save all of us. But once we are gone then the world will end anyway." She was draped over Rarity's lap while the unicorn stroked her friend's mane, gently. Tears ran down her own face.

Everyone was in shock. The Smooze was wobbling profusely. It didn't look like his usual comfortable wobbling. Instead he was shuddering intermittently.

Starswirl spoke first. “Fluttershy, I know now is an awful time to ask anything of you, but was  that thing that took you?”

The pegasus sniffled and tried to clear her large eyes of tears. “I...I don't know. I couldn't see anything in there. I only know I found Discord and this voice said he had to give himself over or it would kill us.”

Starswirl had never seen anything like this before. Indeed, none of them had. This didn't seem to be one of the usual creatures in the chaos dimension. He couldn't see past it, or through it. It was like he was looking at...nothing.

“We should leave,” he said sadly. “Even if there is a way to stop this thing I don't think lingering near it is the safest idea right now.”

“Mmm.” Fluttershy said non-committally. She felt awfully numb. She and Rarity were facing away from Discord's body because the pegasus couldn't bear to look at it. Starswirl had covered it with a cloak.

“I guess it's time to go home,” said the unicorn sadly. He was about to turn the vessel around when there was a deep roar.

At least that's what it sounded like to Starswirl when he first heard it. Then it was as if the air was shaking. If the unicorn had been able to use any words to describe it, he would have termed it an “air quake.”

“What's happening?” screamed Dash.

If Discord's demise was counted in increments, he would have been a mere ten slots away from ceasing to exist. As it was, one of the slots didn't appear to fit right.

Then the voice boomed forth in the void like exploding thunder.

It's that pathetic wench! She gave you her blood! She gave you her blood and it's eating part of my collective alive!

It took Discord a second to realize what the thing was blathering about. He was still trying to cope with the white hot pain searing through him. But what he could also sense was the darkness beginning to feel disordered…

If he had a voice to describe the sensation, he would have likened it to Swiss cheese. It felt like there were holes forming in the darkness. Then he felt himself slot back into place with a jolt and everything followed.

He still did not have a corporeal body, but he could feel himself move around freely in the darkness. He felt himself winding around the spaces created by whatever it was eating away at the blackness.

Eventually he felt himself detach from the entity holding him captive and he laughed. He had his voice back.

“Eat something that didn’t agree with you?” purred the chaos god.

Your wench did this!

“I’m afraid I don’t have a wench, unless you are talking about my most bodacious friend Fluttershy.”

Yes! Her! Her! I was going to destroy her but you have something within you she has given you. It is destroying my army!

“Oh well.”

Things were meant to end!

“They clearly weren’t if this is how it turned out. Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be doing this billions of years from now when the sun explodes or something?”

It was meant to be NOW!

“Don’t think so.” Discord let out a high pitched whistle and the army of tenctacled creatures all turned to face him as one.

“I think you guys need a good, long vacation; Perhaps somewhere in the outer Hoek Galaxy. Don’t rush back. I say three or four billion years should get you nice and rested. Heck, create your own black hole or something. It could be fun.”

The voice screamed furiously at Discord, but the collective was already beginning to obey him. One by one, they moved off and began their long journey to a galaxy in another dimension.

THERE IS MEANT TO BE NOTHING. the voice screamed.

“I dunno if you remember, but you do not exist without me. You don’t get to die until I die. And you made the mistake of bucking with not just me, but with my friends. Enjoy stewing in the Hoek Galaxy, surrounded by planets, stars, gas and all the other things that keep nothing at bay. I may even come and visit you when I’m feeling bored, just to make sure you’re behaving.”

The sound the darkness made as it faded away with the collective sounded like nails across a blackboard. Discord winced, but it was short lived.

Then he felt as if he’d been kicked in the stomach and he opened his eyes.

He had eyes! He could see his friends. They were all facing away from him staring at a patch of sky in front of the boat. He lifted his head and neck gingerly. Dear Celestia, they hurt. Badly. He was sure a few ribs were broken too. He snapped his fingers and yelped as the bones reset themselves.

The sound caused five heads to look back at him instantly. He was vaguely away of a cry of joy before Fluttershy flew into him and threw her arms around him. He secretly thanked the ether that she hadn’t done that moments before- that might have been rather painful.

It took a few beats for Discord to realize where he was and what had happened, and that Fluttershy was saying “I thought you were dead” and that she was crying, and making the fur on his neck damp. Everyone was staring at him.

Then he threw his arms around the Pegasus and whispered, “I’m okay, Noodle. Are you okay?”

She looked up at him. Her face was streaked with tears but she was smiling.

“I am now,” she whispered. He felt his chest flood with warmth.

Starswirl’s mouth was hanging open. Indeed, everyone’s except Fluttershy’s was. “Wha…what was? What the hay just happened?” he asked.

Discord laughed. He set Fluttershy on the deck beside him and whirled around, suddenly donning a ship captain’s hat and holding a pipe in his clawed eagle hand. He looked haughtily over his shoulder and took a drag from the pipe.

"I think we all know, ladies and gentlecolt, that Chaos prevails."

“Yay!” said Fluttershy loudly.

“Where is Balloon Butt?” asked Discord.

“You mean Pinkie?” said Twilight. “It’s a long story. I think we’re going to have to tell you about it after a cup of tea back at the castle. Or maybe several cups of tea!” Her head was still reeling. She had so many questions. Discord seemed alright, but she didn’t want to press him after whatever the hell had just happened.

“That sounds amazing right now, Sparky.”

“Are you alright?” asked Starswirl. “Is your magic working?”

“I’m crooked as rain, Beardy,” replied the draconequus.

“I don’t think that’s how…”

“Oh and you’ve just reminded me,” continued Discord, “I have something that belongs to you.” He pointed a claw at Starswirl’s flank and zapped him with what felt like electrical current. The unicorn yelped loudly and jumped two feet in the air.

“Feel any different?” asked Discord.

“My magic! It’s back!”

“Yes, indeedy. Thanks very much for letting me borrow it for a while. Guess you’re not such a pain in the flank after all.”

“I’ll take that as an apology.”

“Hmm.”

Starswirl looked at the ground. “And I’m sorry too. I jumped to so many conclusions when I shouldn’t have.”

“Discord, can you send a message to Pinkie and Spike?” asked Twilight. “We need to let them know that everyone’s okay, including you.”

The draconequus snapped his tail. “’Tis done, Sparky.”

A few seconds later Discord burped out a scroll. It read:

Excellent news! Come home soon.

Spike and Pinkie

“Are you sure your powers at full capacity?” asked Starswirl.

“If you’re wondering if we need to travel back in this dump of a ship, the answer is no. I can transport us all home in the blink of an eye.”

“Um…”

Discord looked down to see Fluttershy tugging at the feathers on his body. “Um…if it’s alright with you…may we talk?”

Here it comes. thought Discord.

Fluttershy looked over her shoulder at her friends. “Would it be alright if Discord and I had some privacy?” she asked.

There was a commotion as everyone started mumbling apologies at once, then they moved away to the roundhouse, leaving the draconequus and Pegasus to talk alone, though Rarity gave them a sly smile over her shoulder as she left.

Fluttershy looked up at the chaos god.

“Will I understand what happened in there if you explain it?” she asked.

“I’m not even sure I really understand it myself,” said Discord. “But it had something to do with the antibodies you gave me. They didn’t work on me but they worked on part of the collective.”

Fluttershy nodded.

“One of the species feeds on chaos and the other feeds on harmony,” said Fluttershy. “That was how we were able to find you. The creature you captured only feeds on chaos. That’s why we had to leave Pinkie behind. It would have attacked her.”

Discord remembered what the dark entity had said about “still having variety.” He breathed a sigh of relief at this realization. It was true, the darkness and him were inexplicably intertwined, but as long as he was alive it could never fully come to fruition. And he could never completely get rid of the darkness either. One day it would come, but that would be billions of years from now if he could help it.

Discord looked down into Fluttershy’s teal eyes.

“Enough about creatures,” said Discord. He ran a talon gently along her cheek. “I’m so glad you’re okay Fluttershy,” he whispered. “I’m guessing there’s something else you want to talk about anyway.” He wanted to get it over with while he still had adrenaline coursing through him. He could feel bad about it later, when he was alone in his house.

“We need to talk about us.”

Called it thought Discord sadly.

“Discord, I know you and I have been through a…well…a heck of a lot lately.”

He smirked. “An understatement, yes. But I do agree.”

“And I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I know things have been very painful for both of us, and there were times when I got very angry and shouted at you, but…”

This is it though Discord. This is the moment I get told I can’t be loved. Not even by kindness. He was ready to accept it. He had meant what he said about wanting to put her happiness first. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, and he wouldn’t need a while to get over it, but he did mean it.

“…I’ve decided,” continued Fluttershy, “that you and I can’t be marefriend and coltfriend…”

There it is.

“…unless we start this again properly and you take me on a few dates first. I know we’ve been…um...intimate and it was nice, but I don’t want to rush things anyway.”

I’ll need a few days of soul searching or whatever it is shrinks are calling it nowadays and…wait…WHAT?

He stared at her wide-eyed. She couldn’t have just said what he thought she had just said. Yet she was looking up at him expectantly.

“You…you want me to court you?”

“I want us to get to know each other. I want to know all the things I can do to avoid hurting you and you need to learn all the things you need to do to avoid hurting me. And then we can work on protecting each other from people like…people like Scriptum. So I propose a series of dates where we can talk…and heal if that’s alright?”

Fluttershy was surprised to find that she felt rather powerful saying those words out loud. This was the first time she had ever asked a stallion out before. All her other dates had been set up by friends or the stallion had asked her out first. Now she was taking the initiative. She felt both terrified and powerful. Was he going to say no to her? She was worried that after all they had been through Discord would be reluctant to get involved with her again. After all, in the past she had told him she hadn’t wanted to be in a relationship with him.

Except she always had, hadn’t she? She had just been afraid.

“So, what’s it to be?” she said softly. Her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she could have sworn she heard it beating in her ears.

His paw stroked the side of her face softly.

“Yes,” he said.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and sighed happily.

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Discord?”

“May I kiss you?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He leaned forward and pressed his own muzzle against her sweet lips. After a few seconds they pulled apart.

"Fluttershy," he said. "I know I'm not perfect, and probably never will be, but I do love you. I know I do."

She smiled up at him.

"Though now that we're officially an item, there's something I suppose I should confess to you," said the draconequus.

"Oh? What's that?

"Truth is, I kinda like it when you boss me around. Turns me on."

She slapped his arm playfully.