Chapters Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
All was peaceful in Ponyville, Even in the Everfree, there is nothing daring to come out of that dark and dreaded forest. The reason for that is, ironically, the lord of chaos, Discord for that matter. Ever since he became allies with Equestria, he helped in all the battles the mane 6 have done, and still does today. Now, all of this may surprise you, It took me a while too, but were getting off topic aren't we? Any way, the reason Discord are doing these good deeds is because of the soft and timid fluttershy. From the first crack in his stone prison, to when he was free before, he never liked Equestria, in any way, so when he took over all these years ago, he changed anything and everything he wanted too. After all, he was the lord of chaos, so no one stopped him... or so he thought. He got stopped from the elements of harmony and got turned to stone, but when he had gotten his first stone crack in his prison, he got a new feeling in his chest, and that feeling, was love.
"Hmm..... how long has it been in this stone prison? UGH. SO. BORED."
*CRACK!*
The amplified crack struck Discord out of his thoughts. Then he heard that a thump sound came along with it.
"Hmm... that wasn't a crack. Meh, probably my CRAZY imagination.." he waited in thought trying to tap the cement-like stone on his statue claw.
"What was that thumping sound? I mean, I got it with this weird feeling in my chest, where my heart is...Wait. The, the prophecy?" Discord lost his train of thought as he saw big, white, bold, letters in his flat, black, boring, matter-less limbo state. Those words said this:
"*clears throat* 'The prophecy of the being in limbo', heh, could have just said Discord. Oh, there's more. 'will show your true fate'. Oh, so now it is 'True Fate'. BLEGH. Is this another one of Tia's messages? 'cause it is ANNOYING! Well, ever since the cra- wait. My true fate, is, is not, to, to, MARRY? NOW IF TIA OR HER SISTER ARE DOING THIS THEN THEY ARE GOING TO PAY!!!!!" Discord shouted in his thoughts, almost making it audible from the outside.
"Woops! Too loud. Tia or Lulu could have heard me, but anyway...." Discord trailed off as he once again looked up at the white letters.
So Discord tried to use his powers on the letters, but those white letters stayed white.
"Meh, it was worth a, shot......." Discord mumbled as he went into a dream-less deep sleep.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm!!" Fluttershy hummed.
"Hey Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash shouted from a nearby cloud, scaring Fluttershy.
"Eep!! Oh it's, it's just you. I was, was just getting some flowers and, and looking at all the pretty statues." Fluttershy said, very shy for being startled.
"Oh really? Well. What about THAT one?!" Rainbow said while pointing her hoof towards the lion pawed, cloven hoofed, snaked tailed, and deer antlered, narwhaled horned, sort-of-creature statue. Fluttershy squeaked at the sight of it.
"Oh my. I think its...Umm... I think, it's.... it's...... u, unique."
Rainbow made a weird face at Fluttershy, confusing her for a moment until Rainbow burst into laughter.
"YOU think that this ugly statue here, is, UNIQUE?!" Rainbow laughed.
"Well, I certainly think, that, well, that this statue is, well, c...." Fluttershy trailed off.
"Cuh? CUH? Do you think thst this statue is, Cuh,ool? Or even, Cuh,ute? Wow Fluttershy. I cant believe 'I'm saying this Fluttershy, but. You. Are. Weird." Rainbow zoomed off, probably thinking about pranking someone else.
"*sigh* Did you, did you, used to be a, creature? Hmm... I'm just talking to my self aren't I Fluttershy? Well, if you are real, then, I hope you get out, safely, I guess?So this a bye, so, bye..." Fluttershy said, walking away to go back home to put away her flowers, but what she didn't know was that there was a magenta aura around the statues abdomen, and it had heard the entire conversation, and so, it answered back.
"What was that word you were going to call me?" This came out as a faint whisper, but Fluttershy could actually hear it, maybe due to the fact that she does that a lot. So she turned around and put her ear next to the statues stomach, hoping to hear that sound once again.
"Could you, you repeat that, statue?" Fluttershy whispered.
"Oh, What was the word you were going to call me?" the 'statue' whispered back.
"Oh. Umm....Ch... Cha... Chaotic?"Fluttershy stammered.
The 'statue' laughed, which once again, confused Fluttershy.
"Ohh, That is so funny! Due to the fact that I am, very chaotic!"
"Oh, I,I didn't know."
"Oh its fine, really! but I must ask, whats your name?"
"Fl..fluttershy..."
"What was that?"
Fl.. Fluttershy..."
"Oh what a name! It suits you well! Shy, and I bet you can fly too! Wait. Are you a, pony?"
"Yes."
"Hmm... that makes sense."
"But, may I ask, whats, whats your name?"
This question left Discord answerless.
"Umm... Statue? Hello?"
"Oh gosh, I just blanked out, well maybe it is because I haven't talked to any 'pony' in oh I don't know... maybe, hundreds of years."
"*gasp!* Oh my! no one to talk too in hundreds of... how old are you?"
"I think I should answer the first question. I am called Discord. and the second question, well quite frankly, I don't know!"
"Oh, so it is not just voices in my head..."
"what was that?"
"I mean, you were, once living?"
"Yep! but got banished by the Princesses..."
"*gasp!*Why? What did you do?!"
"Oh I just rained chaos all over Equestria."
"So. You can do magic?"
"Yes. Yes I can."
"But who were the princesses?"
"Oh, Princess Tia and Princess Lulu... Oh. I gave them nicknames."
"Hmm... do you remember their real names?"
"I think one of them was Lune or something..."
"Princess Luna?"
"Yes! That was it."
"And Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence?!"
"Yes and, who?"
"Princess Cadence?"
"Yeah. I was only defeated by 2 princesses..."
"Oh."
"Umm.. Fluttershy. Could you do me a favor?"
"what about?"
"Oh I Don't know... maybe chisel a crack in this statue every day."
"What?! But you're EVIL!"
"Hey! Could you do this, please? I'll give you anything you want!"
"Anything I want? Hmm..."
"What is it Fluttershy?"
"I, I want more than a friend."
"Come again?"
"I want a colt-friend."
No response.
"I said, I want a colt-friend."
"O-kay, I guess... I could make that happen."
"Promise?"
'Promise."
"I cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!"
"What?"
"Oh, it's the Pinkie Promise. And don't even think about breaking it."
"Okay! Shesh.."
So, Fluttershy went home and very happy about what she was going to do.
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
It has been the next day since Fluttershy's encounter with Discord, and by then, she has looked up the name, which meant:lack of concord or harmony between ponies or things, disagreement; difference of opinion, strife; dispute; war, music, an inharmonious combination of musical tones sounded together, any confused or harsh noise; dissonance, and at last, to disagree; be at variance, if you wanted to know.
Also she has chiseled Discord on the tail after he requested. Her friends, however, were suspicious of why Fluttershy needed a chisel! So, they tried to uncover the mystery of why Fluttershy wasn't telling. It started when she was hanging out at Sugarcube Corner, to get a carrot cake for Angel bunny and herself. She was nervous about what her friends might think about her helping out a villain, and her reason. She was even more nervous, especially when Pinkie had her Pinkie sense and she all of a sudden started sniffing at Fluttershy's saddle bag. She couldn't just leave, then Pinkie would be even more suspicious, but if she stayed, she will find out. So, she just took her saddle bag onto her lap and said:
"What are you doing?" Fluttershy tried to look questionable, but couldn't keep up her lie, because Pinkie Pie got her to look guilty.
"Fluttershy, why are you lying to me? I'm your friend, I wont tell the others. I pinkie promise." Pinkie said, doing the pinkie promise silently.
"*sigh*Okay. I was in the Canterlot gardens, with all the statues, and I was picking flowers, but then Rainbow Dash scared me, and I didn't like it, but then she questioned me if I really thought all the statues were pretty and then she pointed to this really, unique, statue, and then she laughed at me for saying that the statue was unique and then she flew away but then I was going to go home, but then I remembered tales of a creature that got turned to stone and I thought that this statue was the one and then I started talking to it and then I thought I heard something and then I realized that the statue was talking to me, and I had a conversation with the statue, found out it was named Discord and that he is over 100 years old, maybe older, but he told me to chisel at his statue every day and I, I found out he was a villain stopped by the princesses, not Cadence, and I still did it and I-"
"Woah easy there Fluttershy! I'm the only one who speaks fast, well, maybe Twilight, but still! This must have put a lot of weight on your shoulders. I will help you through this Fluttershy, this could be our little secret! Okay?"
"*sigh* Okay."
"But I really think the reason why you were so upset was because of you wanting a colt-friend, so then when he escapes he will give you one?Oh yeah that statue is probably part snake, goat, lizard, deer, pony perhaps, and also a bit of narwhal!"
"How did you kno-"
"Just a hunch!"
"Thank you for everything Pinkie, I don't know what I would have done without you! Thank you. Oh wait, I almost forgot! Could I have-"
"Yep! Here's your 3 carrot cakes!"
"But I only ordered-"
"BYE!!!!!"
Pinkie pushed out Fluttershy and waved to her, also mouthing, Discord. Understanding, Fluttershy glided to the Canterlot gardens and went to Discord to chisel some more on the statue. Pulling her chisel out, she flew up to Discord's lion paw, and chiseled a hoof-tip amount when Discord started laughing.
"BWAHAHAHA!!!! STOP! THAT TICKLES!!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!"
"Oh, I didn't know that was ticklish."
"HAHA! OH! Oh! Wow, I haven't laughed in AGES!!!"
"Well you should!"
"Wait. How loud is this?"
"Oh, your laughing? Well, I say it was like a loud whisper."
"Oh. What about now?"
"Just a whisper."
"Is anyone else here?"
"Umm..." Fluttershy looked around.
"No. No pony is around except me."
"Hmm... speaking of ponies, did you, tell any pony about me?"
"Umm... Yes."
"Who?"
"Umm... My friend Pinkie Pie."
"Who's that?"
'Oh, she is one of my 5 friends, she is the most hyper of them all, she is actually the pony who came up with the Pinkie Promise!"
"The what?"
"The Pinkie Promise. It is what all my friends do when we promise something."
"So, how do you do it?"
"Good question. You say the words I said earlier, I cross my heart, I hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye, and you act out each of the things, like putting your hoof over your eye and that symbolizes the cupcake in my eye."
"Oh. So, I cross my heart, I hope to fly,"
"Stick a cupcake in my eye." They sang together.
Fluttershy giggled at that, and Discord laughed along with her. Her laugh was the only good thing in life, so far. Maybe he should tell her about the prophecy, maybe.
"Oh Discord! Pinkie Pie gave me an extra piece of carrot cake, and she hinted that I should give it to you, I think. anyway, I want to give it to you, but I don't exactly know how." She told him.
"Well, I don't know, place it on the stone where I stand and, maybe I could smell it through this stone, or even better, taste it!"
"Oh.. well, it's worth a shot."
So Fluttershy placed the carrot cake with a napkin on it on the stand that Discord was standing on. She then backed away, wondering what was going to happen. She saw it disappear in a magenta flash, and then hear Discord quietly say:
"That was delicious!!!"
"Oh yay! You can eat! But wait. How long ago have you eaten?"
"Oh I don't know, maybe.... when I got imprisoned...."
"Oh my Celestia! You must be starving!"
"Well you see, in this statue, there is this state of limbo, where it is pitch black and you can move, but not very far. Also, there is something I need to tell you..."
What is it?"
"Well, you see, there are these big white letters that say this: The prophecy of the being in limbo will show your true fate which is to marry."
Then there was silence.
"Umm... Fluttershy?"
More silence.
"Fluttershy?!"
"What is it Discord?"
"Oh, I thought you left me."
"Sorry about that. It's just.... It sounds so TERRIBLE in there, and this 'prophecy' is, is, the best thing in the world."
"What was that last part?"
"This is the best thing in the world."
"The prophecy? WHAT?! I know you said that you wanted a colt-friend, but not ME!!!! Do you know even what I look like? How I do stuff? What I do as a hobby?!"
"Well, how, WERE you going to give me a colt-friend?"
"I, I don't know. I honestly thought that, well, you were going to leave, me, alone."
"*Gasp!* Discord! I would never do that! Not even to a manticore!"
"How can a shy pony like you, tame such a wild beast like a manticore?!"
"Well, that's what my special talent is, to be friends with all animals and creatures, and to be kind to them, after all, my element of harmony is kindness."
"Your, element of, harmony?"
"Yes?"
"Those were the things that turned me to stone! Mabye we shouldn't talk to each other."
"What?! Didn't you hear what I just said?!"
"Yes Fluttershy, but, I don't want to come out, just to be turned to stone a second time!"
"Well I wont let that happen!"
"What?"
"I, I pinkie promise not to turn you to stone, not with a good reason, at least. Okay?"
"*sigh* Okay, Fluttershy. You're, you're my only friend."
"I guess this is a bye then isn't it?"
"No, it's a see you later, actually, a hear you later."
"So, hear you later Discord!"
"Hear you later, my dear friend, Fluttershy..." Discord said sadly.
"Tickle tickle tickle!!!" Fluttershy said while chiseling at his eagle claw.
"No! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! STOP!!!"
"Okay."
"*gasp!*You little trickster! I wish I could tickle you back!"
"Well I will just pretend. Hahahaha!!!!" Fluttershy said flying out of hearing.
"*sigh* I think I found her. I finally found a friend, maybe more than a friend."
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
"Why'd y'all think she has a chisel?" AJ said, talking to Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Twilight.
"I don't know darling, but it is un-called for a mare to bring a chisel if she doesn't need it!" Rarity exclaimed, while being noticed by nearby café tables.
"Also, why does she keep on going to the Canterlot Gardens?" Twilight spoke, rubbing her chin in thought.
"Well, she was picking flowers and looking at the "pretty statues"." Rainbow talked while putting it in emphasis with her hooves.
"Wha'd ya mean? D' you know anythin' Rainbow?" Applejack questioned.
"Well, she did think this, creature, looked UNIQUE!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"Oh, unique you say?" Rarity said while completely ignoring Rainbow's rolling eyes.
"What did it look like?" Twilight also questioned.
"Heh, I don't have your memory Twi, but I do remember some of the animal parts."
"Say what now?" AJ looked as if she heard wrong.
"Well, this statue is, very ugly. No offense Rarity, but I don't think you would even stand to be near that thing, with all the body parts, it is still a hoof-full to list half of it!" Rainbow told her friends.
"So? What are they?" Twilight asked.
"Snake tail, deer antler, bat wing, pegasus wing, goat leg, lizard leg, lion paw and, and UGLY HEAD!!!" Rainbow said with enthusiasm.
"Huh, I think I remember reading that somewhere."
"Oh Twi, o' course you have! But I just wana ask, what in the hay is this creature called?"
"Oh darling! I don't even WANT to know!"
"Well, you're gona have to Rarity! Because we are getting that book!" Rainbow Dash shouted before zooming off to Twilight's library.
"*sigh* Lets go girls, to find the book!" Twilight announced, then the girls ran off to the golden oak library, searching for the book.
"So, what you're telling me, is that I can't tell anyone about Discord?" Pinkie Pie said, while bouncing into the entrance of the Canterlot Gardens with Fluttershy.
"Yes. I don't know how they would react if t-they found out,about the fate..." Fluttershy murmured.
"Yeah, ooh! Ooh! I got another question! How do you talk to Discord?"
"Oh that's easy! You just talk softly to the statue, I mean, Discord." Fluttershy replied.
"okey dokey lokey!" Pinkie said, now taking a deep breath before starting. "Mr. Discord? Can I talk to you? Oh yeah! My name's Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy's friend! And to prove it, i'll give you a cupcake!" She said before grabbing a rainbow cupcake out of her saddle bag and placing it on the base of the statue. All of a sudden, there was an Mmm! from Discord.
"That was DELICIOUS! Let me guess the flavors... So, hot-sauce, Orange, hay, lettuce, blueberry, and purple taffy!" Discord said, surprising Fluttershy, but exciting Pinkie Pie.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy whispered.
"WOW! You guessed all the flavors! But, you forgot one!!!"
"An emerald?" Discord guessed.
"Yep! Wow Discord! You are one smart guy!" Pinkie said, while making gestures for every word.
"Why thank you! I honestly think, that you ponies were going to call me a freak, and other names I do not need to mention."
"Discord! We would never do that!" Fluttershy gasped in horror. Thinking about all the possibilities for one second made her shiver.
Why that's why I like you ponies! Others, on the other paw, would run away in horror, or just plain scream! It is a surprise, that you, ponies, don't do that."
"Well, Mr. Discord, those kind of ponies are WEIRD! 'Cause I think you are FUN! I mean, I never met anyone who could guess the flavors for THIS cupcake! Not even Cheese Sandwich!" Pinkie squealed.
"May I ask who is Cheese Sandwich?" Discord asked.
"Oh, he is a traveling party-pony, very much like Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy calmly said.
"Wait. Mr. Discord, under that cement, are you this draconequus?" Pinkie questioned in her optimistic mood while tapping the statue.
"Where did you hear That ?" Discord inquired.
"Just guessed!" Pinkie said.
"Well, to answer your question Pinkie Pie, I am a draconequus under this statue, but, where I'm currently am, is just pitch black nothingness. *sigh* In fact, the very reason I was banished to this statue, was that I was the lord of chaos. Spirit of Disharmony,"
"You know what's funny? Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and I are all the users of the elements of harmony!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"What?! Fluttershy, your friends, are the elements of harmony?!" Discord shouted.
"Umm, is t-that o-okay, Discord?" Fluttershy stammered.
"*sigh* Yes, yes it is okay, but, you don't know my past." Discord sighed.
"Could you tell us Discord?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah! Could you tell us your super duper personal story?!" Pinkie proclaimed.
"Okay okay! I will! Relax! Though I warn you, it is not a cheery tale. *clears throat* One day, probably a thousand years ago, I was a full-fledged draconequus, probably 20 or 21, and I must have took a loooonng hike, or better yet, teleported. And guess where I ended up at? The princesses' throne room! Anyway, I was so shy, for no reason, so I hid behind a corner, only to see the tall princesses. They were as tall as I was! And I am pretty tall. Anywho, I waited until they were gone, so I could explore the place. I must have ended up in a chamber, because I all of a sudden got a burst of raw magic and knowledge. My brain must have gotten all cuckoo because I started to spread chaos all over equestria! This then got the sisters mad, or at least, suspicious, so they used some magic trackng spell to know of my location. Now you will never guess where I was."
"Hmmm... A bakery!" Pinkie squealed.
"EEee! Not so loud! But, no, it wasn't in a bakery. Now Fluttershy, do you want to guess?"Discord asked
Fluttershy stammered. "I-I, th-think a, a bathroom?"
Discord blanked out. Luckily, Pinkie's high-pitched squealing knocked Discord out of this trance.
"Don't be silly, Fluttershy! Discord would not have ended up, in a BATHROOM! "
"Actually Pinkie, she's right."
"I am?"
"What?"
"Yeah, you heard me right! Celestia and Luna and I were all fighting... In the little filly's room. Okay, maybe not exactly, but at least the sink area. Well, anyway, we all used our magic against each other, mine being uncontrolled. I then exploded the roof, flew out, and fought at my throne. Yep. I got that insane to take Celestia's throne, and make it my own. Anyway, I threw a powerful shot at the princesses and sent them far away until they were a dot. I thought I got them for sure, so I relaxed on my chair and made myself some seeds that tasted like cucumber candy. They then came back, only to see me sitting comfortably on my throne. I even threw a few tricks on them, including taking Celestia's tail." Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie giggle.
"Oh it may have sounded funny to you, but then they stayed serious and said they would use the elements of harmony. I didn't believe them, so I laughed, and was caught off guard, and then got turned to stone."
Oh was all Pinkie and Fluttershy could say.
Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash are all in the golden oak library, also known as Twilight's home. It only took them a couple of minutes to find that book, thanks to Twilight's superb reading speed. They all sighed in relief that they didn't have to clean up a humongous book mound. Twilight then read the book aloud, still allowing everyone to see. Everyone gasped at the illustration in the book, except Rainbow Dash, who has seen it in pony.
"Oh my goodness! That is an absolutely ugly monster! How could I have thought it would be a fashion trend!?" Rarity gasped in horror.
"D' ya think that Fluttershy is under some sorta spell?" Applejack theorized.
"It could be possible, but in here it says that, Discord, was striped of all his magic! Or, just blocked off." Twilight explained.
"Do you think we should tell her?" Rainbow asked.
"No, but we should ask Celestia about this, to see what we should do. Spike? Could you send a letter?"
"Yeah Twilight! So, what should I write?"
"*Clears throat* Dear princess Celestia, I was wondering what I should do. You see, we are in some sort of predicament, involving a creature named Discord! Fluttershy keeps on going to the canterlot gardens, and she won't tell us why. Rainbow here said that she questioned Fluttershy about her opinion with Discord. She, as always, sees the good in everything, but as her first time seeing him, she said that he was unique. I may just be paranoid, but, she also brings a chisel to the gardens! A chisel! She may be under a spell, with Discord,but we don't know for sure. Your faithful student Twilight Sparkle."
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
Weeks have passed since the four have found the history of Discord. They all tried to excuse the fact that Fluttershy may be under a spell because of having a chisel whenever she goes to the Canterlot Gardens, but all together just couldn't shake off the fact that she may be doing this with her own will. These suspicions all got greater, as Fluttershy gradually went more often to the gardens, some times going up to nearly every day! It didn't help that Pinkie Pie went whenever Fluttershy went. Well, it did make sense that she would, because of his craziness, but why Fluttershy? Most of the suspicions went to rest, after Pinkie Pie announced that Fluttershy would be getting a job in Canterlot! All except Rainbow Dash, which finally occurred to her that Fluttershy's job could very well be in the Canterlot Gardens.
Now Celestia got the note from Twilight Sparkle. As she was reading it, she gasped at the contents. So she quickly flew out and went to the Canterlot Gardens. Fluttershy has just walked into the entrance. From the lastest news from Discord, she could actually cover up the story to why she went to the gardens every single day. She could rescue some animals, or trim the hedges. So, she filled out the application and got a job as an animal recruiter and a garden cleaner! All with the shifts when she could be alone. Now with this extra money, she could have more pet food, a larger bedding for the animals, and probably extra bird houses! All in the meantime of getting the one she would love. Of course, to all good love story, there was a catch, and that catch was that she may bring back an 'ugly' monster who was evil! He seemed nice, or at least, misunderstood. Maybe I could be-friend him, or aren't I already doing that? Fluttershy wondered. As she was beginning to trim the bushes, she heard a brushing of hard whooves on grass and dirt. As she turned to the direction of the noise, she was speechless as she saw who it was, the very princess Celestia! Startled, she hid behind the closest statue. Celestia then cleared her throat and began speaking.
"Fluttershy, why are you here?"
Confused, and curious, Fluttershy poked her head out. "Umm... Pardon, but may I ask, what are yo-you doing h-here? If that's o-okay. Um, I don't mean to invade, your highness. Also, I got a new job, here, a-and I'm sure that's okay, right? Oh, am I in trouble?" Fluttershy said paranoid. Celestia was giving her a look of 'where did you get that from?' She then told her that she was not in trouble, but was simply wondering why she got the note from her friends. Surely Fluttershy told her friends about her job at least, and why did Twilight relate to Discord in this situation? So, carefully planning her words out, she told her, "Fluttershy, have you heard the tales of the statues?"
Fluttershy then replied by shaking her head.
"Well, starting off, there are the superstitions, of the statues. To start off, there is that statue." Celestia was pointing to a wizard statue. "That statue is, or rather was, Starswirl the Bearded. Ponies claim to see his ghost on a full moon. There are the guard statues, which some also claim to say that they see their eyes move, as if it were watching them. The mare with the flag, has her flag sometimes sway in the windy days, even if that flag is made out of stone. Now, the statue with the most fame, is the statue with two horns, two mismatched feet and wings, is the statue of Discord."
Fluttershy was wide-eyed with all these mares-tails, coming from Celestia herself! It made it sound like it was all real, including Discord, for she could hear him. Fluttershy immediately replied, saying this.
"Why would I need to know all that? Is it something that every canterlot garden worker must know?" Fluttershy asked, defending Discord.
"Well Fluttershy, not necessarily, the other workers here are more than likely daring each other about the statues, so be careful, Fluttershy. They are probably enjoying it. So, take this as, a cautionary tip. Farewell, Fluttershy, follow your heart."
Celestia then swooped off to her castle, and left Fluttershy confused. Why would she have to be cautious? Fluttershy wondered. Then, she wandered around, she was deep in thought. Why would she have to be cautious? Why does she have to be careful? Why does she have to follow her heart? Her thinking went to an abrupt stop as she bumped into Discord's statue. She looked up, and called to him.
"Discord? I have to talk to you about something..."
Discord then sounded like he just woke up. For he yawned, and grunted as if he was stretching. He then asked Fluttershy.
"Why whatever is it Fluttershy? I was sleeping!"
Fluttershy was embarrassed for waking him up. "Oh! I'm really sorry! I had no idea that you were sleeping! Well, anyway, I got the job!" Fluttershy said, trying to put the good topics first, then the bad stuff for last. "I got the job as a hedge trimmer, and animal rescuer!"
Discord was on full attention, not because of it being an interesting topic, (it wasn't,) but because of Fluttershy being his favorite pony, and the one conversation that he can reply too. The pranks that he tried to do appeared that he was silent, but with fluttershy, could be heard.
"Oh that's great Fluttershy! This must mean that you are full-filling your talent, of taking care of animals. Also, could you do-" Discord was cut off as Fluttershy chiseled off his eagle claw. Of course, Discord went into uncontrollable laughing! Fluttershy was warmed by having her new friend laugh with her. It felt like an accomplishment to her. With the laughing dying down, she then went to the serious parts.
"Discord, Celestia came to talk to me, and she told me of you, as if you were real! I know that isn't much of a shock to you, but there was also a group of the canterlot garden workers that would dare each other to do certain things with the statues! What, what is one of the things that they did to you? I want to know." Fluttershy was very concerned of what they could possibly do to the statues. She got her answer, as Discord said this.
"Oh Fluttershy, they would feed me dirt! And also dumped water on me, and did all sorts of other stuff that they did for only their own amusement, for I would never do that to you."
"Oh Discord! That's so sweet! For the, amusement thing, not the dirt and water." Fluttershy admired Discord's feelings for her. She also wondered what they possibly could have done to him, that may have been bad.
"Well, what I have to say is, Fluttershy, those group of ponies, are really dangerous. Don't stay overnight at this place, do not follow them, and I repeat,do not follow them! Especially if they are drunk, I heard that Cranky, a worker here, is an alcoholic, so don't follow that guy either. Understand?"
Fluttershy was shocked at all the warnings that Discord have given her. What could be so bad about these ponies? Gulping, Fluttershy replied.
"U-understood."
Fluttershy then said her farewells to Discord, to get going on her work. She once again wondered what could possibly be that important? Either way, she would follow Discord's advice, and stay away from the other workers, for she was glad she had an independent shift.
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
It was close to sunset, when Fluttershy finished her shift. She could tell by the magnificent waves of warm colors, but with some violet colored sky well away from the setting sun. She sighed in satisfaction as she completed her first day on the job. She trotted on down to the tool shed for worker ponies while singing her lullaby song, hush now quiet now.
"Hush now, quiet now," Fluttershy sang in her soft voice as the sun's rays shimmered it's last burst of the day.
"It's time to lay your sleepy head, hush now quiet now, it's time to go to be-e-ed!" She sang as she neared the shed.
"Drifting off to sleep, the exciting day's behind you," Fluttershy sang as she put away her supplies.
"Drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you." She sings as she closes the door behind her.
"Hush now quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. hush now quiet now," Fluttershy was then harmonized with a scratchy voice.
"It's time to go to bed!"
Fluttershy jumped at the voice. She immediately turned around and flew up a couple of feet to see one of the Canterlot workers, which was a donkey.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there, and I got startled, and, and I don't know you..." Fluttershy whispered.
"Oh do you think I was going to do that on purpose?! Of course I wouldn't scare a pretty thing like you! Say, what do you think about going on out with us other workers to the donut shop?" The donkey invited.
"Oh. Umm.." Fluttershy then looked down out of habit in thought. Didn't Discord say to not follow them, but instead, follow my heart, as Celestia said? Oh, who should I follow? Both? I guess that is poss- She was cut off from her thinking as another pony said:
"Oh wasn't she the one who sat by that statue?! That creep?!" The pony shouted as he pointed towards Discord's statue.
"Oh did you now, buttercup? Would you rather stay with that weirdo, or come with us, to chat and eat some chow?" The donkey demanded from Fluttershy, who was really conflicted.
"Oh you can do that later, besides, there is a myth that if you cross mis-matched's path at night, then you will get 'cuckoo!' You wouldn't want that, do you?" The donkey then questioned as he twirled his brown and bony hoof like a bird would do.
"Oh, how do you know that is true or not? And what is so special about this social, when it would take the same path?" Fluttershy questioned the donkey.
"Oh, well there was this gray mare, who crossed it's path, and became known as the dumbest mare, and the ponyville clutz! Also known as Derpy for her weird eyes." The donkey explained, which was plainly an insult.
"*gasp* how could you say that?! See?" Fluttershy then flew over to Discord's spot and moved across it, and back and forth.
"Come on! After a goods days work, you should get something for stress!" The donkey nudged Fluttershy on.
"Umm, no, I, I don't like this..." Fluttershy tried to fly away but appeared to be trapped by the donkey's hooves.
"Oh you're coming with us, my pretty."
"No, NO!" Fluttershy screamed at them and especially the donkey. She flew away but was again guarded by the donkey's friends.
"Now come on, buttercup, we have a lot of things to do tonight..."
"HELP!!!!" Fluttershy tried to scream but was cut off as a hoof went over her mouth. She tried to kick and scream, but was all stopped by the group. She silently prayed that she could escape, but didn't think that it would go reach something, but it did reach something.
"Help! I'm trapped by these garden ponies! " Discord woke up as he heard his favorite pony's voice. Except she wasn't really there.Please anyone! I hop you can hear my prayers, because I am in need of a miracle! " Discord now knows that this is not trick, and that this was the real Fluttershy voice. How am I hearing this? Discord thought. Maybe it is because of Fluttershy hearing me and not anypony else, but she has to be close! She is, who knows where, so.... Discord rubbed his imaginary chin in his limbo state.So maybe it is because of the reason why she can only hear me, so maybe this is upgraded from the original messaging! Discord thought again. Then he tried to message Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy! I think I got your call." Discord pleaded in his mind that the message would work, and so that he could see if Fluttershy was in actual danger. Woah. When did I start to see if someone was not in danger?! Discord surprised himself.
"Discord, can you hear me?! "
Discord's ears pricked up, mentally, noticing the sound. So he spoke back.
"Oh yes I can! What are you doing? You're trapped by garden ponies?! Oh no, is one of them a donkey?!" Discord panicked.
Umm.. yes? is that a bad thing?
Oh yes Fluttershy. That is Cranky doodle donkey, the alcoholic."
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
When Fluttershy woke up, she was greeted by a warm light. She slightly panicked, thinking she was in a bad place that was not her bed in her home, but quickly realized that she was in Zecora's hut. She blushed, thinking that she could just barge in, ask for advice, and sleepover, and not give the kind zebra anything in return. Fluttershy felt the heat from her cheeks die down, and decided to look for her host.
She, herself, was in a room, with a small table next to her, like a nightstand. Fluttershy got up, and saw that it was small, but cozy, so you didn't feel cramped. The walls were made out of the tree, yet were curved, as though the room itself was natural. Fluttershy got up, and made the sheets on the floor as though it were making her bed, but then decided to fold it, so she could make it convenient for Zecora to pick them up.
Speaking of, Zecora was just outside the frame of the entrance to Fluttershy's temporary room. Fluttershy rubbed her eyes with her hoof and mumbled a shaky, hi.
"If I may ask, what did you put in this soup? It looks delicious." Fluttershy didn't expect a direct answer, coming from Zecora.
"Potatoes, some of my herbs, and some everfree greens. Now no need to be so formal with me, but here's your tea." Zecora hoofed Fluttershy a cup of steaming liquid. It was tainted pink, and had a pleasing smell of raspberries. Fluttershy whispered a thank you, and took a sip of the drink. Almost instantly, she felt energized, alive, and awake. She felt good, and tried a mouthful of the soup. Again, she felt good, and also felt like she ate her fill. Self-consciously, Fluttershy smiled.
"Thank you Zecora. I feel much better now!" Fluttershy spoke with rare enthusiasm. She felt she could maybe tell her friends about Discord, or even do a flip in the air, since she was so energized. The pegasus was so full of energy, she flapped her wings like a hummingbird. Zecora was watching Fluttershy. Being the observer herself, she noted that Fluttershy had so much potential energy, but put's it to use in either her shyness, or her kindness.
Fluttershy's wings went to rest, but not folded at her sides, like she usually does, but instead open and hanging comfortably by her sides. Her mind wandered, something she doesn't do often, and eventually thought of Discord, and what she herself would do to get him out. She then raised her wings up, and got an idea.
Fluttershy was at Canterlot, and was in the library. She knew there had to be something in this library that would describe Discord. She also brought a saddle bag from yesterday, since she never got the ability to go home yet. Fluttershy found a brown leather-bound book, and was a bit dusty. She skimmed through the pages, trying to be like Twilight, but ended up going at her own pace.
Nightmare moon, Sirens, Discord! Fluttershy thought as she flipped through the pages of the book. She landed on a page with a picture of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna banishing a gray Discord. She figured it could mean that he was turned to stone, but she also wondered if you could undo the effects.
Fluttershy ended up staying a whole hour, and realized it was her shift. She asked the librarian if she could borrow the book, and the sweet old pony said yes. So Fluttershy put the book in her saddlebag and went to the gardens to the shed, and set her bags down.
By the time she was done, it was sunset, as usual. She hoped she didn't encounter Cranky and his friends again, that would be horrible.
Fluttershy then decided to ease the thought by singing a song she heard from somewhere she couldn't remember.
"Close your tired eyes, relax and then, count from one to ten, and open them. All these heavy thoughts, will try to weigh you down, but not this time." Fluttershy sang as she went to sweep up leaves.
"Fluttershy, why didn't you tell me you could sing? " Discord telepathically told Fluttershy. This caused Fluttershy to blush in embarrassment.
"W-well, I'm, I'm not very good at singing..." Fluttershy self-consciously dug in the dirt.
"My dear, i'd be lying if I said your singing was below amazing. " Fluttershy noted that Discord called her, 'dear.' She also noted that he really liked her singing, and she got compliments from her friends if they heard her singing, so she assumed her singing was good.
"T-thanks!" Fluttershy didn't know what else to say, so she decided to tell Discord that she had to work some more.
*sigh* How am I ever going to get her a colt-friend? This may be harder than I thought.... Maybe I could put her on a dating website. She has told me about that, but verbally frowned upon it. Discord thought, and drifted off to dreamless-slumber, as he usually did.
View Online
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
Some thinking, some sleeping, some worry and some relief.
By the time Fluttershy was done with her shift, she could see the sun's rays lift up into the sky. With her new job, she worked at odd hours, but it was worth it, because she never had to encounter anybody, except a few stray animals, and of course, Discord. Fluttershy had thought about Zecora's words once more, and by now, it has been eating up her insides like a parasite. She had to get Discord out somehow, and judging from the book she checked out, she would have to use the elements of harmony on Discord. She knew her friends would not approve of be-friending a thousand year old villain, let alone, release him. Who knows what would happen when he is no longer gray? What does he look like when he was not gray?
Princess Cadence's and Shinning Armor's wedding.
When Fluttershy left to go to her house, she fell unceremoniously onto the green couch and slept before her mane touched the ground. Little did she know, her friends were waiting patiently for their friend to respond to their letters that they sent her, and she has forgotten them. They got to the point of where Rainbow Dash finally decided to check if Fluttershy was alright, and without persuading otherwise, she zoomed off to Fluttershy's cottage and left her friends in the dust.
"Good. I thought this job was making her not sleep! It's good to see her sleeping, thought at such odd hours, I don't think I would ever handle it." Rarity dramatically emphasized the end.
"Well I reckon Fluttershy is as dead as a log! We shou' keep some peace and quiet fer her. She's been having a wild schedule." Applejack spoke in her southern accent. Twilight was the pony to speak next.
"Maybe, this new job is not the best for her. She doesn't get to see Ponyville that much, and she hasn't associated with us in a couple of days. I wonder how she's doing."
The four ponies then turned to Pinkie Pie, who hasn't said a word this whole conversation. She usually has something to say every other sentence, and whenever she is hiding something, she usually zips up her mouth tight, (Some times literally,) and never says a word. Though, the stare that all her friends were poring on her, were slightly intimidating her, so she replied, trying to keep her usual bubbly tone.
"W-what's up? Well, besides the ceiling obviously. Heheh...." Pinkie shifted her weight on her hooves. Her friends then looked at each other, and decided to leave it be.
"*sigh* Pinkie, we're all just worried about Flutters that's all. Plus you can tell us anythang. Flutter's stress seems to get ta me too, so it's okay to feel not yer usual bubbly self." Applejack knew something was up with Pinkie Pie, but she decided to keep it quiet, and make Pinkie chill, for once in a life time.
"Thanks for understanding Applejack." Pinkie bearhugged Applejack. "I will always consider you one of my closest friends!" Pinkie then let go of Applejack, much to her relief, but Pinkie looked at her wrist, which somehow had a watch on it. Her friends knew better than to wonder how it got there in the first place.
Look at the time! I need to make a special order for mom and dad at the Cake's! C-ya alligators!!!" Pinkie Pie zoomed off and into the heart of Ponyville and already out of eyeshot before anypony could say Cupcake.
Pinkie was inside her room, and she sighed in relief.
"Whew! That was a close one." Pinkie exclaimed, and went off to grab her baker's hat out of the wall and flew down the stairs to make the special order for her parents, which was a special rock candy cake, with rocks inside.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight were the only ones left at Fluttershy's cottage. The other's left, so this gave them time to theorize over Fluttershy and the possible Discord.
"What should we do about it Rainbow? I bet it's a weird subject to talk about with Fluttershy." Twilight spoke, rubbing her hoof. "It's like asking if you were marrying a plant!" Her voice got a bit louder at the end. Rainbow Dash would have laughed if it weren't concerning a 'thought-to-be' dead villain.
"Yeah. You could say that..." Rainbow Dash tottered on two of her hooves. "I'm just concerned about, Fluttershy. That's all." Twilight could tell that Rainbow Dash was having a moment. "She was one of my only friends in Flight Camp. We have been best friends ever since, and now I don't want her fragile heart getting broken because of some stupid colt she has been secretly meeting up with!" Rainbow Dash then had the expression of an idea, the one that Twilight gets daily. "How about we go meet with DISCORD!!??" Rainbow enthused.
Twilight looked surprised. Then she face-hoofed herself. "I hadn't thought of that! That's a brilliant idea Rainbow Dash!!" There was a spark of excitement in Twilight's purple eyes. "Let's go get the others!" Twilight and Rainbow Dash then flew and trotted over to Ponyville, first to get Rarity, who was daintily walking on the dirt path back to her boutique, and then Rainbow Dash bolted on over to Sugar Cube Corner to go get Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash then flew on over to Applejacks, who was still making her way on over to her farm. They then all gathered at the train station.
Rainbow Dash wore a prideful face, Twilight wore a determined face, Rarity's was of curiosity and slight disgust, Applejack's was of boredom, and Pinkie's was of.....
Uneasiness, nervousness, and fear.
But Pinkie is the master of masks, so she wore a nervousited one. They all got their tickets, and they were called for the train, so the group made their way into the train. They settled themselves down; Rarity and Applejack on one seat, Rainbow Dash and Twilight on another, and Pinkie Pie on one by herself, which she did not mind and actually enjoyed the isolation actually. Except for each passing moment, Pinkie Pie grew more and more scared, about what her friends would say of Discord. She also thought of what she were to do if they asked her about anything with Fluttershy and Discord.
"Heya Pinkie! We're leavin'. I'a suggest ya get on up so we can go." Pinkie felt Applejack nudge her.
"h-huh?! How long did I sleep?" Pinkie fluttered her eyes, which reminded her of Fluttershy, which also reminded her of Discord. Oh no...
"Ya slept fer two hours. Well, the train ride was two hours, so it was understandable." Applejack lend her hoof to Pinkie. "Ya comin'?"
"Oh oh! Yes! Of course I am!" Pinkie jumped from her seat and leaped up, without grabbing Applejack's hoof.
"The res' are outside. We were waitin' fer ya." Applejack made her way down the little stairs that led out of the train, and Pinkie followed suit, except with her usual bounce.
"Come on girls! The gardens are this way!" Twilight called. She also waved her hoof to point towards the street that leads to the gardens. The gang followed Twilight, as Pinkie stayed slightly behind the rest of the group. Rainbow seemed to have noticed, because she hovered, and eventually glided to Pinkie who was staring at her moving hooves on the ground.
"Hey Pinkie. What's up?" Rainbow Dash trotted at the same pace as Pinkie.
"Oh nothing... Just thinking about Discord and Fluttershy." Rainbow nodded her head, but then she stopped walking, which caused Pinkie to stop as well. "Why did you stop? Was it something I said?"
"How, do you know of Discord?" Rainbow pressed.
"U-um... PINKIE SENSE!!!" She squealed and ran over to the gardens, leaving her friends in the dust.
"Uh... What just happened?" Rainbow asked herself.
"*pant *pant *pant * "
Pinkie was at the entrance of the gardens, and she saw Discord's statue in sight, along with some other ponies in sight. Pinkie knew she had to be inconspicuous, so she sneaked into a bush and another and another and eventually ended up next to Discord's statue.
"Discord? Discord! " Pinkie whispered. She heard a sound of waking up, like you have been snoring, so it sounded more like a snort than anything else.
"What is it? I was trying to sleep...." Discord mumbled.
"Fluttershy is too, but my friends aren't. " Pinkie whispered. "They're coming to see you! Don't even try talking with them! They think you are evil and all sorts of stuff! "
"I knew it. Not all of ponykind is as kind as Fluttershy. I guess that's why she is the element of kindness." Discord said rather bitterly.
"Wait, I think they're coming! Just remember! Don't speak! " Pinkie then snuck into a nearby bush and popped out of the bush near the entrance, startling Rarity.
"Oh my word! Pinkie! You startled me!" Rarity gasped.
"Oops! Sorry. My bad!" Pinkie then jumped out of the bush and next to Rarity and Applejack.
"Where were ya Pinkie?" Applejack asked.
"Um, I was.... looking around! I saw Discord, obviously, but then I also saw these guards and also a unicorn!" Pinkie excused.
"Oh! Really? Did Discord terrify you?" Rarity asked.
"Nope! Actually, he looked rather crazy to be honest. But I think he also looks cool!" Pinkie smiled, relieved that her excusing was accepted.
"Not sure if your opinion matches with mine, but that's fine. I would probably be told of it sooner or later because of Sweetie Belle's upcoming field trip."
"Oh right! Applebloom is doin' that too!" Pinkie Pie noticed that AJ and Rarity were having their own conversation, so she decided to talk with Rainbow Dash and Twilight.
"Hey guys! Did you see Discord yet? I thought he was really cool looking!" Pinkie smiled.
"You sure about that Pinkie? Because I thought it looked rather, chaotic." Twilight was about to speak, but she stopped herself as she met her eyes with two mismatched feet.
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
Looking up from the previous stone that Twilight was staring at, she took in Discord's statue in all of it's inharmonic glory. She widened her eyes and slightly opened her mouth in slight shock, amazement, and wonder. She looked back to what her friend's expressions were, and they were similar, except for Rainbow Dash, who was grinning grimly. Twilight looked back to the statue, and studied all of the deformities that Discord had. The mis-matched feet of course, but also the mis-matched wings, arms, antlers, and tail. Discord truly lived up to his name, and was clearly unorganized. If Twilight could, she would re-arrange Discord so he would at least look remotely similar in species, but that would mean the use of dark magic, the kind that is prohibited, or banned.
"No kidding when you said he was chaotic." Rarity was the first to speak, after the silence.
"Yep. Ya took those words out-a my mouth." Applejack was bewildered, at the sight of Discord. Pinkie Pie was still uneasy, and looked to her friends' expressions, judging whether or not to speak or not.
"He's so unorganized!" Pinkie finally spoke, having chosen her words carefully, so it would still be liable, and still have the same perkiness that covers it.
"Heh, you're reminding me of Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash mumbled while looking over to Pinkie Pie. She was still suspicious of Pinkie's actions, them being full of nerves, and not the random, joyful nerves. The ones of actual nervousness, the ones that Twilight would have when something doesn't go according to plan, the kind that Rarity would get when an order for dresses was due at an unreasonable due date, the kind of nerves that plagues Applejack, when she once got caught lying.
"So... what are we doing next dearie?" Rarity's polite comment broke Rainbow Dash of her thoughts.
"Good question Rarity." Twilight acknowledged. "We are here to recognize this deceased villain!" Twilight stomped one of her hooves into the ground for an extra declaration in her sentence.
"They got the illustration really accurate..." Rarity mumbled to herself. "Say, Twilight. Didn't the book mention something about the elements of harmony?" Rarity was known for her observant eye, being in use for her dress-making and choice in fabrics. This was one instance in which she would take note of something relative to the situation at hand, and something she could do to help.
"Yeah, now that you mention it..." Rainbow Dash chimed in, rubbing her chin with one of her hooves. "Didn't it say something like it being turned to stone because of the Princesses using our elements?" She was questioning once again to when Fluttershy had her chisel. If this stony monster could be changed back to his usual self with the Elements of Harmony, then if Fluttershy was chiseling away the stone on Discord, then-
"Yes. The book sure did mention something about the Princesses' magic saving Equestria..." Twilight trailed off, looking up once again to Discord. She squinted her eyes, looking up at his open jaw, as though he were exclaiming his reason for being evil. Twilight pondered the statue very intently, wondering how Fluttershy was drawn to this statue, as well as why. She was so entranced by studying the stony draconequus, that she didn't notice Rainbow Dash's alarmed face, exponentially growing more and more surprised. It wasn't until Applejack said something about her, that Twilight was drawn away from the statue.
"Twilight! Rainbow may have jus' figured out why Flutters is so..." Applejack couldn't form her thoughts into words, and Rainbow Dash beat her to it.
"IthinkFluttershyischiselingDiscordbecauseshecan'tusetheelementsofharmonytobreakhimfree!" The words came tumbling out of Rainbow Dash's mouth, much faster than she could stop them. The words sunk into four of her friends, which then in a synchronized movement, they all realized the grave danger they were in if Fluttershy wasn't stopped, all but one pony, who realized that everyone pieced together the puzzle pieces. Fluttershy's relationship with an inanimate object was just about to go haywire, and she had to stop them before it was too late.
"Guys, that's not-"
"Pinkie! You knew this whole time?!" Rainbow pointed an accusing hoof onto her pink friend, her face contorted into a scowl.
"Well, I-"
"Humph! Of course she did! Why would she side with a villain?!" Rarity raised her nose up, feeling more righteous than her pink, friend who betrayed them all.
"Guys! I can explain!" Pinkie was once again cut off by another remark, each one piercing her heart, oozing out guilt and sorrow.
"She's-a lookin' mighty guilty. Surely she knew what she was-a doin' was wrong!" Applejack tried to side with her, but got drowned by all the harmful words that her friends were spitting out about Discord, Fluttershy, and now Pinkie Pie.
"Guys, Pinkie didn't mean to-" Twilight tried to reason logically, but she was, like Applejack, drowned by Rainbow Dash and Rarity's assured statements. The two were bickering to AJ and now Twilight about siding with a beast! Applejack didn't like the situation she was bound in, but she had to choose, and between a chaos-causing villain and her friends, she chose the most sensible decision. To go with her friends and do what was right.
"Pinkie, I'm-a sorry, but villains are bad." Applejack declared, who looked back at her distraught friend for one last time, and didn't look back.
"C'mon Twi! You don't want to be the bad guy, do you?!" Rainbow demanded, glaring at Twilight, as well as turning her burning gaze to Pinkie, and Discord's frozen body.
"N-No! Not at all!" Twilight in the end, sided with the majority, and out of peer pressure. Pinkie was left with all the angry stares and shaking heads: ashamed for her mistake. She couldn't believe her friends! How could they, so suddenly and brashly, make an assured declaration that lined everyone in Equestria against her and Fluttershy befriending Discord?!
She was left with no words, as she silently watched her friends leave the gardens with confusion in her eyes.
"Is it over? " A familiar voice sounded, bringing Pinkie Pie out of her somber thoughts.
"Yeah... It's over..." She spoke with sourness, something that never happens to the sweetest of ponies like Pinkie Pie.
"Good... But, Pinkie, I'm truly sorry about-"
"I know!" She smiled to herself, after her high pitched outburst. "I know. I don't know what I'm going to do now without my friends... No Rainbow Dash... Rarity... Twilight... Applejack..." She trailed off, leaning her head against the stone cornerstone, feeling her eyes start to mist up.
"What about Fluttershy?" Discord innocently questioned, which stopped the tears in Pinkie's eyes from flowing.
"Fluttershy?" She repeated, hearing her name in her voice, her throat and on her tongue. The name felt so warming, yet hurtful... Sweet yet bitter. Fluttershy, the pony who accidentally picked flowers on a special day in which sparked a connection, in which that grew into a beautiful flower... Which grew into a burden...
"Yes, Fluttershy... Is she going to be alright?" He had no idea what he got her into... What he got Pinkie into... Pinkie got up from her spot, feeling her hair sag with empathy. She shook her head, as she tried to smile, looking at Discord with a hint of happiness that was no where to be found...
"I don't know Discord..." She felt the tears form in her eyes, collecting at the corners, before dropping down her cheeks, one by one, until it cascaded into a flow of uncontrollable, silent tears. "I just don't know..."
The pink pony walked away slowly, each step making her head sink lower and lower to the ground. Her hair was sagging with little to no enthusiasm, the usual bounce in the fluffy hair, now gone, and turning into a flat, and smooth cloth covering one side of her face, reminding herself of Fluttershy.
"Fluttershy..." She whispered, before running away, and onto the far side of Ponyville, and to the very house in which held the root of this whole problem. "Fluttershy, I'm coming..." She uttered her words with worry and even more empathy, feeling her gaze harden at anger at her friends.
It wasn't her fault...
was it?
Love is in every corner, even a cornerstone
The truth always hurts more than the lies.
Discord didn't hear back from Fluttershy. He started to panic, and would have sweated, but couldn't because of his state. Discord felt the right to try to break out of the stone prison and go help her, but he would then be noticed, and to never be seen again. He pleaded to wherever God was, and asked of him that he could hear Fluttershy again. God seemed to hear this prayer, because Discord heard Fluttershy once again.
"HELP!!!"
Oh hay. If Discord had tears, he would drain them all out at the sound of her scream. Discord had no idea what to do. Maybe he could telepathically send a message to let go of Fluttershy... No, that wouldn't work. How about... Scaring them?! Yeah! That's a great idea... He thought sarcastically. Well, I may as well try it.
So Discord tried his best to move, roar, shout, scream, punch, but the statue of his wouldn't allow it. Discord thought he hated his statue, but this instance really showed him that the statue was just a stupid statue. Wait... Didn't everypony think that I was haunted?!
Discord schemed, and came up with another idea. He had to act like he was a ghost. But how? maybe Fluttershy could portray that she is hearing things, and the workers can let go of her! Discord put his plan to action as he telepathically sent a message to Fluttershy.
Act like I'm a ghost, and you are hearing things. Oh yeah! Also say what I am going to say. Discord then heard a little murmur from Fluttershy, and then Discord started to speak. "Who are you? You are... D-Discord?!" Discord then heard Fluttershy repeat this statement and also heard the gasps from Cranky's friends.
"Discord?! Who in the hay is that?!" Said Cranky. He set down the bag as she was in it.
"D-Don't hurt me! I'll do anything!" Fluttershy was kicking and punching in the bag, and Cranky's friends were all looking at it, confused. Cranky pointed to a blue mare who was with them, and ordered her to open the bag. The pony, Screwloose, sniffed the bag and teared up the tie of the bag. Fluttershy leaped out of the bag, and she screamed. Once Cranky noticed that Fluttershy was escaping, he tried to hurry to her, but she was too fast, plus, she was in the air, flying off into the now dark sky. Her eyes were slightly watering at the speed of her adrenaline flight. She could hear shouting, but she didn't care, as she soared into the sky. She saw dark clouds, and knew a storm was brewing. She had to get back to ponyville, somehow. She tried to do a nose dive, like she saw Rainbow Dash do for her sonic rainboom. She didn't know you had to flap your wings, so she fell, and screamed. She saw the dark ground, and flew up at the last second. She felt the wind float up to her wings, and she swooped into the woods, near the bottom of the mountain. She landed, noticing the ground here was dewy, so Fluttershy looked up, and saw it had started to rain. She looked around, and couldn't find any of her animal friends, or anything for that matter. She felt the cold raindrops seep into her scalp, and she got a sense of fear.
This was not part of her woods. Fluttershy noticed. The rain was growing faster, and she had to get to her home, before she encounters something she would fear. She saw light up ahead, but was slightly blocked by some twisted branches. She ducked and walked cautiously to the light. She saw a hut, and guessed it was Zecora. She didn't get much of a chance to talk with the mysterious Zebra, so Fluttershy decided to go to the light.
She saw her hut, and by the time she did, the rain was pelting on her fur and hair, so Fluttershy quickly knocked. She was greeted by Zecora.
"Fluttershy? What are you doing here, out in the rain? Come inside, so you can dry, and not be wet, in your mane." Zecora invited. Fluttershy quickly followed, shutting the door behind her. Fluttershy was then again greeted, but with a warm blanket. "Take these covers, and tell me why you and the stone statue are steady lovers." Fluttershy blushed at the zebra's words, but also followed her orders.
Zecora motioned for Fluttershy to lay on the ground, and did so. Her hair was still wet, but Fluttershy was surprisingly warm with the thought-to-be thin covers.
"Now tell me, my dear, of this voice you hear." Fluttershy started to tell the zebra of what happened between her and Discord. From when she just casually took a stroll, to when she was filly-napped, by Cranky and his friends. She saw Zecora up at a table, with a cup in her hoof.
"Then I escaped, and landed in this forest, and that's where I am now." Fluttershy noticed Zecora was walking over to where she was laying, and she held the wooden cup, and also clay.
"Hmm. Understandable. Well, may I show you a metaphor on this floor? For when you need wise words, just remember what happened on this board." Zecora quickly molded the clay into a pony, not unlike Fluttershy, and one of a draconequus, which was probably Discord. Fluttershy nodded at Zecora's question.
"You see Discord? He is as stiff as a board. You see yourself, a lively mare, but who continues to go to this statue, very similar to an affair." Fluttershy gasped at her words. "You may ask why, but the answer is very blunt Fluttershy. Ponies never mingled with other creatures, just their selves, with the exact same features." Zecora took her cup, and, not so carefully, trapped Discord and Fluttershy. "Ponies think you will turn bad, but in reality, you will cause them to turn mad."
Fluttershy did not know what to think. From all the wise rhymes that Zecora spun, it made her burn with curiosity what will happen between herself and Discord, but also very scared and cautious, because of the unknown dangers.
"Just remember Fluttershy, you cannot love an inanimate object. You either have to be living, or, as still, as your love." Fluttershy saw Zecora walk away. She was on her stick, and was balancing it from her head. Fluttershy hadn't seen her do that before. Then Fluttershy thought to herself of all the rhymes the zebra told her. She knew Zecora was telling her that going with Discord was a bad idea, but she also thought otherwise. She said something along the lines of me either being stoned like him, or him, being living like me. Oh, ponies wont like Discord because of his backstory, I knew that from those canterlot workers, but my friends? Oh, they will be even worse! Fluttershy hid her head under the covers. They might not appro- no, they won't approve. Fluttershy thought as she huddled into a ball and slowly went to sleep, trying to rid her head of all the negative words.
