Fluttershy got to her feet and stood before Discord. She nodded her head to the side when he saw her, and he quietly followed her away from the others.

“Thank you,” he said as they made their way over a small slope of rocks. “I was getting tired of sitting. How’s your head?”

“It’s okay. Did you make this storm?” she said into the dwindling wind as they walked. She moved slowly; she had lost her flip-flops in the sinking and her feet were not used to touching rough terrain.

“I’m appalled you’d even think that way,” he said reproachfully. “Really, Fluttershy, you act as if I’m…”

“You are, aren’t you?”

He stopped walking. “I didn’t even say anything.”

“You don’t have to."

He frowned and continued over the rocks. “Contrary to your belief, I am not always up to no good. And I would never try to drown you, even if I hated you. Which I don’t.”

Fluttershy staggered behind him. “I have responsibilities. You know, I can’t just pick up and go haring off whenever I want to. I have my animals to take care of, and Twilight to help, and my friends, and Princess Celestia. You can go wherever you want, whenever you want. I can’t spend all my time with you.”

“I haven’t asked you to. Painting me as the mustachioed villain is not going to help.”

“No, Discord; it’s that you don’t help. You don’t help. You make so much more work for me, I hardly know what to do. I can never rest.”

“It’s not my intention to make you do everything.”

“It’s not your intention, but that’s how it ends up!”

Discord looked angry now, stopping again behind a boulder. “Then let’s go back to how things were before. I haunt you on occasion, I snap you in to haunt me when it suits my timetable, and then we ignore each other every other minute of every day.”

Fluttershy folded her arms across her chest. “Why should we do any of that when we can save ourselves the trouble? You wouldn’t even be here if I hadn’t befriended you. And believe me, it was no picnic. All those horrible things you did… ruining my house, tormenting Angel… which you still do, by the way…”

His face was wild for just an instant, then he folded his arms, too. “I seem to remember a time when you were too timid and polite to raise your voice.”

“There was.”

“And I recall a sense of forgiveness in you.” His anger dissipated. “So, this is what you’ve really thought, all this time?”

Her glare faltered. “We tried… it didn’t work.” She gripped the hem of her hoodie so hard she could have torn it apart.

“Let it out, Fluttershy,” he said acidly.

She rounded on him. “I don’t like being angry at you, but I am. And I don’t know why. I don’t know what to do about it.”

“You just told me why.”

“I try to lead by example. I don’t want to badger you day and night. But you don’t seem to be aware of things that bother me anymore. You’re not aware of- of me.”

“I wanted to make you happy.”

“I know.” Fluttershy rubbed her hands over her face, in part to wipe away the tears she had shed so he wouldn’t notice. “I’m confused. Sometimes I think I want things to be how they used to be, before we were together, but I don’t want that, either. I’m sorry.”

Discord relaxed his arms. “I’m really, really sorry about Angel.”

A sharp gasp came from behind the boulder. “Discord killed Angel?” a high voice squealed. It sounded like Lyra.

“I knew it was only a matter of time,” Bon Bon breathed.

“Discord didn’t kill Angel,” Fluttershy said crossly, and loudly enough for Lyra and Bon Bon to hear. Bon Bon and Lyra peeked out from the other side of the boulder and crept away in chagrin. Fluttershy returned her attention to Discord. “Are you, really?”

“Of course I am. I can’t even believe I thought it up.”

“Thank you.”

He shaded his eyes from the sunset that was now burning in the sky. “You’re angry at me. I know. I’ve known for a long time. I tried to figure it out, Fluttershy- to figure you out. But you wouldn’t talk to me.”

“I did.”

“No-“

“I did. But I didn’t understand everything that upset me then. I think I know it now.”

He frowned. “Well?”

She inhaled deeply. “You won't let me... that is, I don't feel I trust you..." She shook her head, tongue-tied. "No. What I mean is, about apologizing-"

“I apologized about Angel, and you accepted that apology. Just a minute ago, do you remember?”

“Yes." It was harder to put into words than she thought. “I do. And I’d like you to accept mine, too.”

“Yours? For what?”

“For losing my temper and- and-“

“It doesn’t bother me.” His frown faded.

Futtershy was confused. “But the bowl…”

“Fluttershy, don’t you think I could have dodged it?”

She blinked. “You mean you would have let it hit you?”

“No,” Discord said, looking sideways. “But I was ready for the next time.”

Fluttershy exhaled slowly. “I’m terribly sorry.”

“I know. Anyway, no harm done. You don’t have very good aim.”

Instead of a release of tension, Fluttershy’s irritation overtook her again. “You don’t ever get angry.”

“I get angry. I’m angry now.”

“Not at me.”

He was nonplussed. “We just argued. What, you want me to be? I’m not a savage who will hit you. I would never.”

“Not- not that. And that’s what I do mean. You should be able to say what you think. I threw a bowl at your face, Discord. It was unacceptable, but you’re not mad at all. And you’re right; you would never do that to me. So why…?”

“I was mad enough to leave,” he said quietly.

“I was yelling at you.”

“I deserved it, though. I-“

“There, you see? I did something wrong and you take the blame.”

“But I did something wrong first!”

Fluttershy rubbed her forehead. “Why don’t you tell me it was wrong of me to throw something at you. I would never get over it if you’d thrown something at me. You shouldn’t be okay with it.”

He hesitated. “I know I’ve been a jerk. I wanted to try… Fluttershy, I’m barely able to make friends, let alone do this.”

“I know,” Fluttershy said, looking sad.

“And Celestia is only my friend, as she is yours. She was only helping me to help you, back in Equestria. Honest. And at the hotel, Daisy-”

“I believe you,” Fluttershy said. She felt ashamed and embarrassed, but still relieved. “And I’m sorry, too. I never realized how unhappy you were.”

Discord seemed ready to object, but shrugged instead. “Not unhappy. Disappointed I couldn’t make you happy.”

“You do. Discord, I love spending time with you. We both wanted to be together; I just don’t think either of us thought it out very well. I feel like I’m your caretaker sometimes, and it’s so unfair to you. I don’t mean to feel that way. I’m afraid you’re seeing me as something I’m not.”

It took Discord some time to collect his thoughts. “And what are you not?”

Fluttershy tugged on her hair. “Someone- I don’t know how to say it. Someone without flaws. Someone who, no matter what I do, is always perfect to you.”

“But you…” He stopped and shook his head. “Are you saying you don’t want me to think the best of you?”

“The best, yes. But always right, always ideal, no. It isn’t fair. To you or to me.”

“I see."

“It’s a very high standard to live up to,” she said gently. “I know I won’t be able to do it. I haven’t been doing it, and you never even noticed.”

He nodded slowly. “What can I do?”

“Maybe you could tell me what I did was wrong. Make me believe it.”

“You already know it. Why do I have to tell you?”

She smiled. “You once wreaked havoc all over Equestria. You turned innocent woodland creatures into terrifying beasts. I know you can recognize when I do something wrong.”

Discord seemed to wrestle with himself, but at last said, “I- yes."

She grew impatient. "Come on, Discord. Tell me off!"

"Fluttershy, you were a bitch.”

Immediately Fluttershy’s lips began trembling. She brought her hand to her face, and Discord waved his arms in a negating gesture. “No- sorry- see- I’m no good at this!”

“You didn’t have to use that word,” she squeaked.

“I’m sorry!” He lay his hand on her arm. “I know. You shouldn’t have thrown the bowl at me. I would never do something like that to you, and it hurt that you did it to me.”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Do you feel better?”

“No.”

She held back a sigh. “Can we just agree that I make mistakes?”

Discord really seemed to be fighting himself this time, but he quashed whatever was warring within him. “Yes.”

“Good. Then, that’s… good.” She smiled. “This is progress, isn’t it?”

He nodded, his face twisted with uncertainty.

“-- seemed to be in some sort of clam trap,” Tree Hugger’s voice floated to them on the breeze.

“A clam trap? A clam trap?!” Bon Bon cried.

“Well, I don’t know!” Tree Hugger said, trudging around the boulder. “Fluttershy, Discord, hey, man. You know what this thing is?” She held up a something.

Fluttershy winced, certain it would be the crab that had been Blonde Buckaroo, but to her relief it was only a shiny red clam-shell that looked a little like a heart. Neither Discord nor Futtershy had any clue what it was, and Tree Hugger finally returned it to its pool.

When the girls made their way back to the others, Fluttershy followed and Bon Bon whispered to her, “Sorry. But there’s only so much space on this island!”

Fluttershy’s anger had already washed away and she merely smiled. She was only tired now. The storm was still breaking and stars began to twinkle out from between the clouds. She could have fallen asleep there, if she could find a comfortable enough place, but one of the party members wasn’t doing so well.

Lyra was pacing the shore and Bon Bon joined her side when Lyra began to hyperventilate. “No one’s coming for us! No one’s coming for us!”

“Lyra!” Bon Bon cried, shaking her. “Pull yourself together!”

Discord was the last to re-join them, looking across the darkening sea and sky. “Any ideas?” Fluttershy asked him.

He shook his head. “I’d make a boat, but we’d better not risk it. Who knows where we’ll end up.”

“We can’t stay out here all night!” Lyra shrieked. Bon Bon pulled her away from the others to try and placate her.

Fluttershy pulled on her hoodie which was somewhat dry now and hugged herself. “She’s right, though. It’s getting kind of cold. Isn’t there a way off of this?”

“We need a seahorse,” Tree Hugger said, oozing up to Fluttershy and hugging her around the waist. “You know. To ride away.”

Fluttershy, Bon Bon, and Lyra looked at each other, pained, but a lightbulb appeared over Discord’s head. He snapped his fingers, and a small seahorse appeared in a large bubble of water. Its tiny eyes stared to either side as it swam in every direction, attempting to escape. Discord snapped his fingers again and was suddenly two inches tall, mounted on the seahorse.

“Waaah!” Fluttershy reeled away from him, Tree Hugger stumbling with her. “The dr- the dra… the other form, please, other one!”

With a quick burst of light, he turned into his draconequus form and held the seahorse around the neck tightly. “Better?”

Fluttershy looked at him through her splayed fingers. “Your human form, that small, it’s just so… creepy.”

Lyra was interested in joining him, but Bon Bon was repelled. “Please don’t make me small," she begged. "I don’t want to be crushed by a seagull or eaten by a fish, torn apart by a crab or stepped on by a duck...”

Bon Bon continued her grisly list as Fluttershy extricated herself from Tree Hugger’s embrace, though she didn’t mind the warmth, and sat on her knees. She brushed her hair back behind her ears. “She has a point,” she whispered to Discord. “Is your magic any better?”

Discord made a face at her. “Seahorse number two, coming up.” He snapped his tiny claws and his smug expression was replaced by a high-pitched scream as a lobster appeared, its giant red-brown claws cutting the water bubble apart. After a few more snaps of his own claw, Discord was human again, on his hands and knees and normal-sized, spitting out water onto the rocks.

Fluttershy rushed to throw the seahorse back into the ocean. Tree Hugger lifted the lobster by its tail and held it precariously close to her face, making claw motions with her free hand and humming.

“Are you all right?” Fluttershy asked Discord, very out of breath.

His collared shirt had been ripped to shreds during his desperate transformation. He coughed up more water before lying on his side. “Yes.”

“Well, this isn’t going to work,” Lyra said, looking worriedly at Bon Bon’s stricken face.

“I’ll just transport each of you as best I can, one by one,” Discord coughed. He stood up and peeled the remnants of his shirt off. Fluttershy glanced away, her cheeks warm, when she saw his wet body gleaming in the red-pink sunset.

“Who’s first?” He looked expectantly around.

Bon Bon pointed to the skipper and first mate, still resting next to each other on the shore. “Take them.”

Discord saluted them all, kneeled between the men, and with a snap of his fingers they were gone.

The girls all paced as they waited, save Tree Hugger who was patting herself down, trying to find her joint case. Fluttershy made a mental note to replace it once they were all safely back in town.

In a bright flash Discord returned, looking the worse for wear. He nodded to Bon Bon and held out his hand. But Bon Bon smoothed Lyra’s hair from her face and kissed her cheek. “Go on. And make sure she’s safe, Discord. I want her off this island before I am.”

Discord promised her he would do as she said, and when he and Lyra touched they disappeared. He did the same with Bon Bon, and then only Tree Hugger and Fluttershy were left.

“I’ll take Tree Hugger, if you don’t mind. I’m afraid she’ll wander into the sea if we leave her alone.”

Fluttershy stifled a guilty laugh and nodded.

Discord was gone the longest this time, but she tried to stay calm. Her thin hoodie and beach shorts were not nearly enough to keep her warm on the secluded pile of rocks. The darkness and the breeze made her a little nervous, and she tried to think of happy memories as she waited.

When Discord did at last re-appear, his hair was sticking up wildly and his face was flushed with sweat. “That friend of yours…!”

“What’s the matter? What’s wrong?” she asked worried something terrible had befallen Tree Hugger.

“I was aiming for the beach, but we ended up in some heroin den,” he said in disgust. “I wanted to snap us out of there immediately, but she wanted to stay. I had to drag her out and throw her in a cab!”

Fluttershy sat on a rock, relieved. “Thank you for taking care of her.”

“Who knows where she is now.”

“She’ll be all right. She always is.”

Discord took her hand, keeping his gaze down. “Lyra made it to the beach, but the others… in town was as good as I could do.” After one long moment of bated breath he snapped them off the island.

It took Fluttershy a minute to realize where she was. It was cold and empty, with bright, harsh fluorescent lights above. She rubbed her eyes and made to move for Discord, but something cold and metallic stopped her. She looked up at Discord, horrified, and saw him looking at her, equally horrified.

The door of the jail room opened and the warden walked in, startled. “Caught another one, I see. Good work, Hughes.”

Discord just stared at his hands, appalled at what he’d done while Fluttershy gripped the bars tightly and tried not to cry. “Ah... yes, sir,” he said. “Another day of duty. What can I say?”

The warden smiled. “You may be looking at a promotion, Hughes. I wasn’t even aware you were on shift tonight.”

“Just picking up some extra hours,” Discord said, clearing his throat.

The warden stopped smiling. “Hughes. Your shirt. What the hell are you wearing?”

Discord glanced at his half-naked form. “I… caught this one while off-duty, sir. But I’m on... on-duty now. For the extra hours. As I said.”

The warden did not seem pleased, but he picked up an empty coffee pot and said, “Take a shirt from my office when you get a chance, then. Make it quick.”

As soon as he was gone, Discord rushed to Fluttershy’s cell. It was the only cell in the room, and quite large, but luckily Fluttershy was the only one in it so far. “I’m sorry!” he whispered, grabbing the bars above her hands. “I keep trying for the beach-“

Fluttershy tried to hold it in, but she let out a whimper. “It’s all right. I know you would never intentionally put me in here, no matter h-how angry you were.”

Discord covered her hands with his, around the bars. “I’m not angry at you. I-“

The door opened again, and two uniformed officers entered the room. Discord let go of Fluttershy as if she were a hot stove. “Officers,” he nodded.

“Ah, Hughes. Didn’t know you’d be here,” the skinny officer said pleasantly. “I like your work ethic.”

“Hauling ‘em in left and right,” the short officer said.

Fluttershy covered her face with her hands and turned to face the wall, sobbing silently and shifting her feet; they were freezing on the cement floor.

“I remember that one,” the skinny officer continued. “I was looking everywhere for the girl with the long pink hair.”

“She was tricky,” Discord said gruffly. The officers laughed.

“Book her in, then let’s go,” the short officer said. He and the other officer put some files in a file cabinet and held the door open for Discord. “The storms bring out all the crazies. At least three accidents we need to get to.”

“Just a minute,” Discord told them coolly. “The booking.”

“And put on some clothes,” the skinny officer added. “It isn’t worth trying to impress those kinds of girls.”

The officers laughed again and left them alone.Discord immediately walked to the cell and closed his hands around Fluttershy’s again, which were still around the bars. “I am so sorry!”

She tried to keep from shaking. “It’s okay. But can you please get me out of here?”

His face fell, and her heart sank. “I can’t right now. It’s not that easy. They’ve seen you, and they’ll never let me go if you just disappear. We can’t be on the run.”

Fluttershy tilted her head forward so her hair covered her face like a curtain. “Why did you become a cop?”

“I needed something to do.”

“You already had two jobs.”

“I needed another one. I have seven, remember?”

She let out a faint and pitiful wail and leaned her head on the bars. “I need to get out of here, Discord. I can’t live in prison, I’ll- I’ll be eaten alive! Or worse!”

“I know,” he said, gripping her hands more tightly. The worry in his voice did nothing to ease her anxiety.

“I can’t defend myself!” She was becoming shrill.

“I know, I know. I’ll help you, I promise.”

“I don’t have any drugs or joints or bongs, I swear! They can’t arrest me for possession! I can’t be in a cell with some big brute named Helen the Harvester, I can’t!”

“Fluttershy, calm down. I promised you, all right?”

She settled her panicked breathing, and when she was calm enough asked, “How did we end up like this?”

Discord brushed her hair from her eyes. “Things happen. Accidents happen and decisions are made. It’s not unique to the two of us.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “Oh, Angel…”

“He’ll be fine. I’ll make sure he’s fine.”

“But you hate him,” she said, beginning to cry.

“I don’t hate...” He sighed. “Fluttershy, I don’t hate him. I don’t. Do you hear me?”

She nodded, her head rubbing the bars, but continued to cry. “How can I let him see me this way? I’ll never forgive myself!” Though her voice rose, it was still quiet.

As her crying gave way to sobs, Discord covered her other hand again. “He won’t see you this way. Not ever.”

“I don’t want visitation hours! I don’t want him to know!”

He kissed the top of her head. “He won’t. You won’t be in here by sunrise. Do you believe me?”

She did her best to stop her tears and nodded. His grip on her hands relaxed; she hadn’t realized how hard they’d both been holding on.

Discord brightened. “Here’s something I can say to you: you weren’t very responsible.” She smiled, and he smiled when he saw it. “There, you see? I know you’re not perfect.”

“That’s right.”

“I mean, you’re in jail, and I’m not.”

Her smile thinned. “Yes, well, that’s not entirely my fault.”

“Er, no. But you said I never noticed when you did something wrong. I’m noticing it now.”

Suddenly she could hardly bear the warmth of his hands on hers. “I know, but it’s... it’s not a switch you can turn on or off. You have to change the way you see me. You have to see me, Discord. I know it’s a lot to ask, but-”

“It’s not. It’s not a lot to ask.”

Fluttershy peered up at him, not quite sure whether to believe him or not, but he looked sincere. “Maybe not. But I don’t know how long it will take for me to believe you.”

“You can believe me right now. I can tell you off whenever you want me to.”

She let her head drop forward, defeated. “It’s something you have to believe, Discord, not just say for my sake.” Discord was quiet then, and Fluttershy thought that at last, maybe, he understood what she was telling him. Either that or he was more confused than ever. She let go of the bars and backed away. “I’ll be okay for right now.”

“I won’t leave until I get you out of here,” Discord said. He left the room after giving her an encouraging smile, and she was alone. After turning in a circle, she curled up in the far corner of the cell. There was a thin rough pallet on the floor, but she eyed it as something that would encourage her defeat and kept away.

I hope he can get me out. I didn’t do anything! Well… I did. Oh, no! She covered her eyes, afraid she would cry again. This is what comes of criminal behavior!

Over the next few hours Fluttershy stayed tucked in a ball, all manner of scenarios playing through her fevered mind. How many years will they give me? Who will take care of Angel? She wiped her eyes. I don’t even have any pants!

Her life, or what she would miss of it, flashed before her eyes. Discord hadn’t been able to save Astra Azul. And, yes, Fluttershy hadn’t been in trouble with the law before, so a life sentence seemed a bit extreme. But who knew? Puerto Caballo wasn’t part of Equestria; its laws were foreign. What would she do, really, if she had to spend more than a night in here? What if it was a month? A year? What would her parents say? What would her brother, the person whom she tried so hard to get on the right track, do? She would never be able to show her face in Equestria again. She could clearly see Zephyr Breeze, eyes filled with sorrow and shame, slowly shaking his head as she was forced to walk through Cloudsdale chained and in stripes in a long line with all the other felons.

A sound from the next room over diverted her desperate thoughts, and she strained to listen. It sounded like a harmonica playing very melancholy Blues. She listened for a few minutes before letting out one quiet sob, then lay down on the pallet and covered her head with her arms.

* **

Fluttershy was unaware of how much time had passed. She hadn’t even believed she could fall asleep in such a nightmarish place, but she must have, for a loud rapping on her cell bars woke her up. She cringed when the sound came again and pressed herself further into the corner of the cell. She wasn’t sure who she thought would be there, and she was about to let out, though against her will, an ungodly squeak of terror when she realized it was Discord, now wearing an oversized white T-shirt.

“Dis… what is it?” she gasped.

He smiled and held up a keyring. “How does freedom sound?” He jangled the keys.

“Oh,” she cried, and lunged toward him in one giant leap, dropping to her knees when she reached the bars and gripping them. “I can really go, really?”

“Really.”

“Oh, thank you!” Her grip was so tight around the bars he knuckles were white. “How did you manage it?”

“I drugged the warden.”

“What?”

Discord seemed not to appreciate Fluttershy’s outburst. “I was joking. I do still have some sway with people” he said, not meeting her eyes. “And I’m not really supposed to be here at this hour, if you know what I mean.”

“Discord-”

“I’ve already done the paperwork,” he said, finding the key to unlock her from his keyring. “And I made them promise not to put this on your permanent record. That’s all I can legally divulge.”

“Permanent…” Fluttershy whispered; it was too horrible even to say.

He unlocked and opened the door, stepping aside to let her out. He spread his arm wide to allow her to pass him, but she stopped in front of him and burst into tears.

He hesitantly placed his hands on her shoulders with a startled laugh. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not,” she said through her tears, and clung to him. She just as soon pulled away, however, and tried to compose herself. When she was sure she could walk out without any further emotional display, she followed him to the main office. He had been able to obtain a pair of prison flip-flops for her, though they were a bit big, and they walked out into the cool air of the early morning.

The town was quiet, but for some distant band playing in a club several blocks away. Fluttershy enjoyed the walk, and Discord’s company, and purposely meandered through the side streets to extend their time alone together for as long as possible.

Discord was quiet as he followed her, though they shared several murmurs of small conversation about the weather and the music. When they neared the main road, however, Fluttershy stopped. Discord stopped beside her and they stood for what seemed quite a long time. Discord finally said, “It’s about two-thirty.”

Fluttershy rubbed her hands together to warm them. “Please change that man back.”

“Man?”

“The one you turned into that frightening crab.”

Discord raised an eyebrow. “You mean the boy who was planning to commit unseemly acts on you while you were too unwell to defend yourself?”

“I know,” she said, glancing down, “but he might drown. You’re not a murderer.”

Discord sighed. “He didn’t drown. He’s fine.”

“Where is he?”

“Where he should be,” he said, looking away.

“Discord…”

“I’m being honest. He’s safe, and so are you.”

She searched his face and thought he meant it. “Thank you. For what you did last night, and this one.”

Discord’s perpetually worried face cleared and turned into something like hope.

He’s like a puppy sometimes. I swear when he looks at me half the time he’s wagging his tail. Maybe Bon Bon and Lyra were right. She smiled in spite of her annoyance. “I’ve learned my lesson. No more drugs.” Not here, anyway.

Discord grinned. “Everyone has their vices. It’s none of my business.”

“Oh? What are yours?”

“Uh…”

“Never mind,” she said, turning around to walk backward so she could face him. She linked her hands behind her back. “I don’t need to know.”

“Nothing as thrilling as illicit drug use, I assure you,” he said with a crooked smile.

“I wouldn’t judge you either way,” she told him, blushing.

They walked silently a minute longer until a flashing neon sign of a rearing pony caught her attention. She slowed her pace and Discord followed suit. When he looked at where they were, he tensed and stepped away from her, clearly embarrassed. “I- sorry. I didn’t know we’d end up here, I didn’t- come on, let’s go.”

He tried marching past her, but stopped when she grabbed his arm. He turned to find her looking down, her free hand clenched at her side. When she felt his hand take hers, she drew him into the hotel.

Author's Note

Hmm, you have some intense, confusing emotions, don't you, Fluttershy? But I know relationships are a lot of work.

2019-
Oh, brother, what a year it has been! I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to the last chapter(s). I am just now starting to work on the rest of this story, so please look forward to it in the next month or so.