Quiet ruled the corridor of Ponyville hospital as he walked down it. Only the occasional beep of some piece of monitoring equipment dared to break the silence. What bugged him though was the smell. More than a thousand years of medical advances and they still couldn't come up with an antiseptic that didn't smell like a first year chem students lab accident. Snapping his paw he replaced the smell of the antiseptic with the scent of freshly baked apple pie.
“Much better.” he quietly said to himself.
From up ahead a nurse pony emerged from a room, trying to find the source of the sudden smell of apple pie. When she saw him approach she gave him a gentle smile. It wasn't the first time he had done this.
“Hello nurse Gentle Heart, how is she doing?” He asked quietly.
Gentle Heart had followed in the footsteps of her mother nurse Redheart and had been working at Ponyville General for many years now, after her mother retired.
“She's awake. She even managed to eat something today.” She said, trying to sound optimistic. Her eyes betrayed her though.
“How bad is it?” Discord asked.
She sighed. “Doctor Hazel says there is not much time now. Frankly he is surprised she has lasted this long.”
Discord scoffed. “Everypony always underestimates just how strong she really is.”
Gentle Heart smiled. “She has certainly beat the statistics so far.”
“May I see her?”
“Of-course dear, just try not to tire her out too much.” She said placing a gentle hoof on his side.
Nodding to her he proceeded forwards and gently pushed open the door. The room was bright and clean. The afternoon sun streaming in gently through the windows. A single tiny vase stood on the nightstand, filled with bright flowers. The only real splotch of color in the otherwise white and cream colored room. He payed them no mind however. His eyes drawn to the lone figure lying in the rooms only bed. Surrounded by monitoring equipment and IV drips. Spotting him the figures eyes lit up.
“Discord.”
“Hello Fluttershy.”
He sat down in the chair next to her bed, gently running his paw through her mane. Her once pink locks of hair had lost their color. Now they were a bright, almost translucent silver. Her butter yellow coat had lost much of its shine and her face was full of wrinkles. The one thing that had not changed in all those years however were her eyes. Still their beautiful bright cyan color. Carefully he took her hoof in his claw, giving it an ever so gentle squeeze.
“It's good to see you my dear. How are you holding up?”
She gave him a sad little smile. “Honestly? I mostly miss all the critters. It gets lonely in here.”
“Don't worry Fluttershy, they are in good hooves. Buttercup takes excellent care of them.”
Fluttershy never did find that special somepony. She was simply too shy to date any of the stallions she met during her life. But she still felt the desire to raise a foal of her own. So two decades ago she decided to adopt a tiny peach colored Pegasus filly. That filly was Buttercup. Discord had been uncomfortable with the filly at first. Unsure how to handle a child. But as the years passed she had grown on him. He even became something of a surrogate father to the girl. She Shared her adopted mothers love for animals, but unlike her mother she was absolutely fearless.
“You will take care of her won't you? Once I'm gone.” Fluttershy asked.
Discord swallowed hard. “She's a big girl now, the last thing she needs is me looking over her shoulder.”
“You know thats not what I meant.” She gave him a sad smile. “Just promise you will be there for her when she needs you.”
“We won't have to worry about that just yet.” Discord replied a bit too hasty.
She pulled his claw a little closer. “Lets not kid ourselves discord. I can feel the disease eating away at me. My time will come sooner rather than later I'm afraid.”
He flinched slightly at the finality in her tone. “It doesn't have to be that way Fluttershy.”
“Sweetheart we've been over this. You can't make me immortal. It just wouldn't be right.”
“I don't care about right,” He snapped while squeezing his eyes shut. Fighting back the tears that were trying to escape “I just don't want to lose you.”
She gently placed her other hoof over his claw. “Everypony has to go eventually. Its the way things are meant to be. I know it hurts, but you will be okay. I promise.”
He forced a smile upon his face and sat with her through the afternoon. They stared out the window, watching the weather team Pegasi bring in the evening rainclouds until visiting hour ended all too soon.
*******
With a ragged gasp Fluttershy woke. She had drifted off to sleep after discord left. The sun had set hours ago. Her chest felt cramped and cold sweat covered her brow. She sucked in a breath of air.
“Discord.” she whimpered.
There was a bright flash as the Draconequus appeared beside her bed. Worried eyes looking down at her.
“I'm here Fluttershy. Are you alright?”
She shook her head. “I think its almost time Discord.”
“Nonsense, let me get the doctor and,-”
She grasped his paw in her hooves, shaking her head. “No, just.. just stay with me. Please.”
Reluctantly he sat down, holding her hoof in his paw. A low cough rattled from her throat. Summoning a glass of water, discord carefully tilted a few tiny sips into her mouth. After a few minutes she finally caught her breath.
“I'm sorry to put you through this. And for being such a bother.” she croaked.
“Nonsense Fluttershy. You are my friend. My first friend. I would do anything for you.”
“Then promise me one last thing discord.”
“Anything! Anything for you Fluttershy. Just name it.” He gazed at her intently.
“Promise me that once I'm gone you won't go back to your old ways.”
“Why I'd never,-” he began, but she silenced him with a gentle slap on the paw.
“I know how you think mister,” she gently scolded the flabbergasted Draconequus “It would be easy to lose yourself in causing chaos so you won't have to stop and think. To feel the pain of loss. But thats no longer who you are. That Discord is in the past. And I want you to promise me he will stay there. Promise me you will stay good.”
He let out a wry chuckle. “You always did have my number.”
“And don't you forget it.” she replied with a gentle smile before another coughing fit hit her.
“Do you want me to get Buttercup in here?” he asked her after she recovered.
She shook her head. Her eyes felt so heavy. “No, she will be asleep by now. Its nearly midnight. Lets keep this between the two of us.”
He nodded and gently squeezed her hoof. Minutes ticked by and her eyes soon fell shut as her breathing shallowed. For a moment he dared to hope that she was simply drifting off to sleep. But then a ragged gasp for air escaped her throat. She bucked up as her body spasmed. Dread gripped his heart as he squeezed her hoof tightly. And just as suddenly it was over. She sank back into the mattress as the last breath left her throat. And just like that there was nothing. Life was gone from her.
Outside the storm broke. Rain spattered the window and ran down in rivulets, mimicking the tears that ran from Discords eyes. Fluttershy had left him, like he always knew she would one day. He leaned forward and placed one last gentle kiss on her forehead.
“Goodbye old friend”
********
He stood outside in the rain. Lightning flashed in the distance but he didn't pay it any mind. His coat was soaked and his mane clung to his face. The rain was icy cold but he didn't feel it. All he felt was emptiness. And suddenly he felt rage. With an anguished cry he teleported away, reappearing some distance away from a small hill in the middle of nowhere. Screaming with despair he lobbed a sphere of pure magic at the hill, obliterating it in a plaid colored explosion.
His anger spent he sank to his knees and just sat there weeping for who knows how long, until the gentle beat of a pair of wings drew his attention. He looked back over his shoulder to see none other than Celestia as she gently touched down into the muddy grass.
“I'm sorry for your loss Discord. She truly was somepony special.”
for several minutes no words passed between them. She merely stood by his side, simply lending support through her presence.
“Does it ever get easier Tia?” Discord croaked. “Seeing friends come and go. Their lives are so cruelly short.”
“If it ever does get easy, thats the moment we should be worried.” She spoke quietly. “It will take a long time, but eventually the pain will pass. One thing I've learned over the years is that it helps if you talk to friends and loved ones. You don't have to go through it alone.”
He let her words sink in for a moment.
“You should go.” she said, gently placing a hoof on his shoulder. “There's a certain somepony who needs you right now.”
He gave her a nod. “Thank you, Celestia.”
She gave him a soft smile before he teleported away with a flash and a snap of his paw.
He appeared outside Fluttershy's cottage. Feeling another stab of pain in his chest as all the memories of the years gone by flooded him. Taking a deep breath he knocked on the door. After a minute the door slowly opened to reveal the peach colored form of Buttercup. Her eyes were puffy and red. Evidently she had been crying for some time. For a moment they stood there wordlessly, until finally she dove forward and threw her arms around him in a desperate hug.
“Lets sit down and talk.”
Wrapping his own arms around her he gently stepped inside and closed the door. Outside the storm finally let up, and the first rays of the morning sun peeked over the horizon with the promise of a new day.
Author's Note
Well, thats the first ever story I've written for MLP. I feel kinda bad making my debut with this sad scene. But i just had to get it out of my system. The next story should hopefully be something a bit more cheerfull and/or adventurous.
