Discord was deep in thought, which was pretty unusual for him. He lay along a stretched out tree branch that belonged to a tall and resilient tree that had planted its roots on the edge of the Everfree Forest. His lion paw and eagle claw rested on his furry stomach and Discord's head was tilted in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage.
Although his gaze reached towards his dearest friend's home, his eyes and mind had drifted elsewhere.
For once in Discord's entire life, he was questioning his existence. Not meaning that he was depressed or that he no longer desired to be here, but that he wondered was his purpose was now. Before he was reformed, it was clear that his soul purpose in life had been to cause chaos across Equestria.
But...now what? What was he meant to do now?
"Discord?" a voice rang through his contemplating mind and the draconequus shook his head to grasp his surroundings. In front of him, was a hovering buttercream pegasus with the most beautiful shade of teal eyes and a long pink mane that reminded Discord of cotton candy.
"Hmm?" Discord spoke in a daze. The sun was going to set in a small amount of hours and its current position, in Discord's view, was right behind Fluttershy. Making it look like she was glowing, or an angel. But after a few seconds, Discord seemed to have retreated back to his mind to continue his earlier discussion with himself.
"Earth to Discord," Fluttershy said jokingly. Although Fluttershy was surprised that Discord didn't laugh, chuckle, giggle, or even twitch. At first Fluttershy felt somewhat embarrassed for making such an ill attempted joke, but then Discord spoke in a tone that Fluttershy believed herself to have never heard come out of him.
"Fluttershy, what do I do now?"
Fluttershy was taken aback at this sudden question, and quite frankly didn't really have an answer.
"Umm...well, I suppose that's really for you to figure out isn't it?"
Discord sighed and turned his head to look upwards at the higher branches and leaves, but watched out of the corner of his eye as Fluttershy landed softly on the one slightly lower so that they were nearly at eye level.
There was a leering silence and Fluttershy was quite surprise to find that Discord didn't break it. This wasn't like him.
"Why you ask?" Fluttershy said, to break the silence and hopefully get some answers to his awkward mood.
He hesitated at first. Another thing Discord never did.
"It's just...chaos was all I've ever know until...you," he turned his head to reach her gaze, which was kept locked.
"I no longer know what I'm meant to do. If I'm a being of chaos but I...no longer spread chaos, then...what am I supposed to do for the rest of my endless life?"
He looked back up towards the leaves and Discord, unbeknownst to Fluttershy, began to clench his lion paw.
He spoke louder this time and seemed to have anger in his voice. "And that's another thing. Why do I have to live forever, why do I have to watch the ones I care about die!" He then turned, once again, to Fluttershy, his face now filled with love and longing, and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face with his lion claw. Discord began to bite his lip. This time his voice sounded strained.
"Why is it fair that I get to sit back and watch you grow old and die whilst I stay in this body feeling unfulfilled and dis-satisfied with my life that shall never end?!"
Fluttershy didn't stir nor speak. She had never heard him talk this way until now. She wondered what possibly could have brought up such emotions within him.
Discord turned away from the mare and face the forest.
"The animals probably need you," he said, with an emotion that Fluttershy couldn't quite detect. She didn't know if he was just trying to get rid of her or if he was genuinely concerned about her animal friends. Although it probably wasn't the latter.
"Discord...I'm not leaving until you tell me what all this is about," she stated firmly and gently.
"Please just go," he grumbled.
"Discord what's gotten into you? I don't understand where these sudden thoughts are coming from?"
"I'm perfectly fine, I just had a blast of hormones or whatever," he spat. Fluttershy flew off her branch and hovered in front of Discord's face.
"Discord please, be honest with me. I just want to help...but you need to want it."
He didn't say anything. All he did was stare at the ground. Fluttershy was about to speak once more but was interrupted by his voice.
"When does it end? I've looked death right in the face and even fought with it and yet its never taken me. Perhaps it's because I didn't want it to, or my immortality really is forever. If I'm to live for the rest of eternity I must have a purpose if it isn't to create chaos. But if there isn't any other path for me then...what's the point," he looked straight into Fluttershy's eyes.
"Oh, Discord...the point of the rest of your life is to make ponies happy and to make the world a better place a-"
"But what about you?! You'll die and I won't! You'll move on and I won't! You'll have peace and I won't! You'll leave this world knowing that all and everything you did was good AND I WON'T!"
Fluttershy didn't think before flying fast into Discord arms and embracing him. Discord stopped to catch his breath and softly whispered, "and I won't," trying so desperately to stop tears from coming down his face.
"Discord, death is part of life. Although for you it seems that it may never come. But if it does, then make sure that when you take your last breath, that you don't regret who you left this world as...w-what matters is that you're trying to be good now. Make sure to leave a good mark on the hearts of the ponies you touched...like me," Fluttershy couldn't help but choke on her last two words as she felt the tears fall down her cheeks.
"I don't know how I'm gonna go on without you my dear," Discord softly chuckled at his comment and ran his eagle talon hand down Fluttershy's back, trying to soothe back her tears.
"I-I'm sure y-you'll be fine," she choked. Discord gently pulled her away so that he could look into her eyes.
"How can you say that? You are practically the only pony who makes me want to stay here and make me feel like I have a purpose other than chaos. But...when you are gone, then I wanna go. With. You," Discord said slowly, allowing himself to finally come to the realization that he didn't have to go on without her.
Fluttershy's pupils shrank in fear. "No, no, no, no, no Discord you can't! You have-"
Discord put a finger to her lips to silence her.
"Fluttershy, I have lived a very, very, very long life and during all of it I have never found a single reason to my existence except my chaos...until you. And...now that I've found this reason, I realize that without you I'm back to have nothing left but chaos. If I were ever to get married or have children, I would have to watch my wife and children die while I stayed frozen in time," Discord noticed Fluttershy's blush at the mention of him getting married and having fouls and smiled.
"Fluttershy, I don't want to lose you or go a single day without knowing that you're breathing and happy and alive...please, let me do this."
"B-but how will you do it?" she asked.
"I'm sure there's a spell."
It had been a few years since Discord had found the spell, which he had found in Twilight's library, of course. The spell allowed Discord to give up his immortality whenever he pleased, although if he were to use it then he would die almost instantly. Hence the fact that Discord had not used it yet.
Fluttershy and Discord had gotten married a few months ago and Fluttershy was with a child. They both lived in Fluttershy's cottage and continued to tend to the animals.
But on this particular day. On this rather seemingly ordinary looking day, Discord was outside with Fluttershy having a picnic.
"Discord could you pass the salad dressing please?" Fluttershy asked.
"Why of course my dear, nothing would give me greater pleasure," Discord said jokingly and lovingly. Fluttershy giggled and reached out as he passed it to her.
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that," Fluttershy teased, while softly rubbing her rather large abdomen. The baby was due any week now.
"You know, we're still gonna need a name," Discord said.
"But we don't even know if it'll be a filly or a colt," Fluttershy countered. Discord put his eagle talons underneath his chin as he stroked his beard.
"Well let's just say that it's a boy...what's a good name?" he asked his wife. Fluttershy thought for a bit.
"How about Clement?" Fluttershy suggested.
"Hmm? I do like it, although I feel like Clemence would suit him better," Discord said, stating his opinion.
"Yes, I agree. Now what about girl-Oow-ahg-ow-ah," Fluttershy clutched her stomach and began howling and gagging words.
"Th-the b-baby," Fluttershy yelped, "I-it's c-coming!"
Discord's eyes widened at the scene before him and wasted no more time. He scooped up his wife and teleported them to the hospital.
Discord appeared at the front desk and immediately began yelling for doctors.
"We Need A Doctor Now!" he screamed.
"Yes, yes, yes of course," the clerk at the desk said, "come right this way!"
Discord followed the trotting doctor through the halls as some nurses came out of two large doors pushing a stretcher on wheels.
"Quickly put her down!" the nurses insisted. Discord's eyes kept themselves locked onto Fluttershy's as panic and sweat showed on her face.
"Go, go, go!" a doctor said as he appeared through the large doors as well. Discord followed quickly behind the medical ponies and watched as they pushed her through two large swinging doors, to which he went through as well.
Discord couldn't remember how long he'd been sitting in the waiting room but an uneasy feeling began to grow in his stomach. Something didn't feel right and he began to get worried.
He was about to walk into the room when a doctor came out.
The doctor was quiet and gave Discord a look of apology.
The two words that came out of the doctor's mouth stung Discord to the bone.
"I'm sorry."
Discord felt his world come undone and fall apart around him. Discord, didn't think and only pushed past the doctor and into the room that had witnessed his love's, his wife's, his first friend's, his best friend's last breath. Discord ran to Fluttershy's bedside and cried. He looked over the blood and her pale face and especially her closed eyelids. He sobbed and clutched her lifeless hoof.
"No, no, no, no, No, NO, NO!" he screamed, he yelled, he cried. Out of the corner of his eyes he watched another doctor emerge with something...no, not something...it was his child. His child that survived.
His baby girl who was beautiful. She was a grey pegasus with light pink hair and ears like a bat, her tail was like her father's but had a tuft that was the same colour as her mane. One of her wings was a yellow pegasus wing while the other was like a breezie's.
The doctor walked up to Discord and held out the bundle to him, to which Discord accepted. The doctor gave a small but genuine smile as he retreated to the back room.
Discord looked back to his wife and realized that he could not raise this child alone. He made a promise to himself and to Fluttershy that when she died then he would to...but now.
Something went off in Discord's mind as he put his forehead to his wife's. Softly Discord touch his lips to Fluttershy's and used a spell that he had heard of hundreds of years ago.
As Discord kissed Fluttershy, his lips glowed with a yellow aura. From a viewers perspective it looked like Discord was putting his very essence into Fluttershy.
Discord gasped for air as the magic diminished. He fell to the floor but grabbed hold to the side of the bed. He watched Fluttershy for any sign that it worked.
Discord waited in pain as all was quiet and turned to face the floor, allowing more tears to fall. Then a noise hit his ears and he whipped his head around to see that Fluttershy's heart rate monitor began to come to life.
Fluttershy's eyes opened and she gasped for air. Discord smiled and tried to drag himself up towards her, smiling with great relief.
"D-discord, w-what happened?" Fluttershy said, looking at her husband. Discord was not in good health.
"I-I gave you life," he said weakly.
"W-what?!"
"Y-you d-died. I gave you m-my immortality a-and that w-was a-able to b-being you b-back...d-don't worry, y-you're not im-immortal," he reassured.
"But Discord, w-what'll happen to you?!" Fluttershy gasped as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Do-don't worry about me. O-our child needs you," as Discord said that, Fluttershy's gaze went to the small child that Discord held in his arms. Her eyes lit up and Discord carefully dropped the baby into Fluttershy's gentle hooves.
"O-oh Discord, she's beautiful," Fluttershy admired. Discord gave a small chuckle. "J-just like her m-mother."
Discord growled in pain as he fell on the floor.
"DISCORD! What did you do to yourself?!"
"Heh, w-well I-I didn't want to live without you...remember, so I did the only th-thing I could d-do. I allowed you t-to live the rest of y-your life, f-fully."
"B-but you're dying!"
"I know, but at least now I'll die knowing that I did something g-good. T-that *cough, I was able to b-be apart of something bigger than chaos. F-forgive m-me F-fluttershy, I-I really am sorry. I k-know th-this looks selfish and b-believe me I know i-it is...b-but I just know y-you'll b-be a g-great m-mother," Discord choked, smiling genuinely.
"No, p-please, d-don't leave m-me," she choked on sobs, reaching out her hoof towards him.
"I-it'll be o-ok...I-I k-know you're strong, I've a-always k-known. I d-don't have r-regret f-for who I a-am now...th-thank you for that...I can finally l-leave, knowing th-that I did some good l-looking at that brilli-brilliantly beautiful child. I l-love y-you Fluttershy."
Discord let his head fall onto the floor as he said his piece.
"D-d-disc-c-cord! I love y-you!" Fluttershy sobbed the loudest she's ever cried as she gazed upon her husband, who in her opinion, was the most selfless being in the world.
It felt like years had passed, when in fact it had only been two days. Fluttershy was finally back home, but this time, she was a widow.
Fluttershy looked down at the babe in her hooves and gave a small smile.
She felt like Discord was speaking to her telepathically. What should we name her?
Openly, aware that no one was with her, Fluttershy decided ~~her~~ their, child's name, "Charity."
THE END
Author's Note
I'm sorry if this made you cry, it made me cry. Please comment your thoughts.
