Twilight Sparkle trotted up the path to Fluttershy’s cottage. She was in no way apprehensive about it. After all, she’d told herself she wasn’t at least a dozen times. It must be true. That was logic. She steadfastly ignored her nagging lessons on logical fallacies and Argument from Repetition, squared her shoulders, and continued on.
Quick glances around as she started to approach. Nothing out of place, and the din of Fluttershy’s house guests (and, to be honest, the rather pungent smell despite her friend's best efforts) was quite normal. A nearby spiderweb did inexplicably spell out “Some Pig”, but it had been that way two weeks ago and no new messages had appeared. Ditto the patch of grass in garish pink plaid: she distinctly remembered Rarity weeping over it at least a month ago.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Fluttershy, she thought, as she removed a bottle of mixed oats and lentils from her bag. Harmony knew she loved the little pegasus like family. They spent hours together in town, in the castle, even a few days at the spa when Rarity had been particularly insistent. She shook the bottle and peered intently at the contents. They remained distinctly mixed, no separation at all. Good. Of course you could never be completely sure…
She frowned at herself. Now she was just being rude. It was impossible to be completely sure, which meant she would just have to risk it. Even if that Thing made a bit of caution justifiable. She crossed the remaining space in a flash of magic before she could lose her nerve, and knocked at the door. There was a clatter, a rush, and the door was flung open. And there was Fluttershy, hovering anxiously a few feet above the ground. Twilight squawked and jumped back.
“Oh my,” she squeaked, “I’m terribly sorry.” She settled to the ground, ruffling her wings with embarrassment. “I thought you were... someone else. Hello Twilight.”
Twilight took a moment to catch her breath. She really was far too jumpy about this whole thing. “It’s okay. I was just startled. Um…” she leaned close, and whispered “is Discord here?” She winced and shut her eyes, fully expecting him to pop out of a birdhouse.
“Oh, no. No he isn’t.” Fluttershy looked at the floor, her ears drooping. “Were you looking for him?”
“Thank goodness no, I’m not that desperate. I came to see you. It’s been too long since I’ve been able to visit my friend.” Twilight smiled warmly. Fluttershy smiled back, but Twilight couldn’t help but think she looked sad.
“You know you’re welcome whenever you can make it Twilight. We’re always happy to see you.” She gestured invitingly and Twilight trotted in, settling on the well worn and incredibly comfortable couch. Twilight always loved Fluttershy’s cottage. The dancing dappled light through the windows, the big central hearth, even the chirping of the small birds overhead and haphazard animal stairs made it a haven of comfort.
“Thank you. I always like it here, I wish it was like this more often.”
Fluttershy frowned. “Like what?”
“You know, without the big floating menace hanging over our heads. I like knowing I’m going to leave the same shape I arrived, no offense.” Oops, that might have been the right thing to say, she thought. Fluttershy definitely looked offended. In fact, she looked angry.
“Twilight, he’s not like that anymore. You know that.” To Twilight’s shock, Fluttershy’s voice was actually starting to rise even as it began to tremble. “I know you don’t like him, I do. I know he can be difficult even when he isn’t doing anything really mean. I know he’s hurt us before, and I know he scares you. I know alot about being scared.” Twilight was staring open mouthed. Fluttershy was actually lifting off with the intensity of her speech. Where was this coming from? “But he’s my friend, and just because you don’t like him doesn’t mean he’s better off dead!” At that Fluttershy’s voice broke, and she collapsed sobbing to the floor.
Twilight immediately rushed over and put a leg over her shoulder, murmuring apologies. What had she said wrong? She didn't want Discord dead either, pain in the flank though he was. She'd never said anything like that. And why such an extreme reaction? Fluttershy knew full well what she thought of Discord, and she’d never responded like this. The most she’d ever gotten was a scolding. What was different? She remembered Fluttershy’s rush to answer the door, the clatter as she’d dropped something. How she had been waiting for someone. Twilight looked down at the sobbing pegasus.
“Fluttershy, are you...worried about Discord?” Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but she looked up with glistening eyes for a moment and nodded silently.
“But...why are you worried about him? I mean, he’s certainly powerful enough to take care of himself. And he always comes back to you when he goes on his trips.” Fluttershy sobbed even harder at that, leaving Twilight confused. And a bit anxious herself. “Fluttershy, where is Discord right now?”
“He’s...he’s on a mission. From Celestia.” she managed to get out. “And it’s dangerous. Even for him. And...and I’m worried he won’t come back.”
That was not what Twilight was expecting to hear. She didn’t know what to say. But she did at least know how to help. Gently, she lifted Fluttershy in her aura and carried her back to the couch. She also grabbed a blanket and carefully tucked her in beside her, keeping hold of her all the while. Fluttershy hiccuped slightly, and the crying stopped, though she still looked miserable. She reached out again with her magic, to the hearth this time, and began to put together a pot of tea. Celestia would never forgive me for boiling the water with magic, she thought, let alone speeding the steeping. But this is an emergency.
“I’m so sorry Fluttershy, I didn’t know. I shouldn't have said that. I don’t know what to say, but maybe telling me about it will help?” She floated the steaming tea cup to her, Fluttershy nodded again, taking it in her hooves, and sat up. She was still wrapped in the blanket, and Twilight was struck by how adorable she looked. Not now, she told herself, focus on what’s important. Celestia but I can be a terrible friend sometimes.
“Celestia...Celestia came to visit Discord personally about a week ago.” Fluttershy began, her voice quiet enough Twilight had to strain to hear her. “She said that he’d earned back her trust. And that she’d learned of something terrible. Something that...that only he and his special talents could fix. She said there was another world. Like the one through the mirror, but horrible! I was too scared to listen to most of it, but what I heard...creatures like changelings, but that eat humans instead of love. Monsters like green humans that kill each other for fun, and everyone else if they can. FOUR spirits of chaos, worse and more powerful than Discord ever was. Four! And the only ones keeping the humans alive was a horrible tyrant worse than Sombra.” Fluttershy was shuddering, and Twilight was holding her even as she boggled. She knew Celestia had studied other worlds, visited them even. But she had never told her anything like this. “And...and Celestia said that she thought Discord could help. That maybe he was the only one who could. She said that in a world where Order was broken, the only hope could be the Lord of Chaos. And the worst part” she sniffled again for a moment “was how serious he got. I’ve never seen him that way. Twilight, he was SCARED! And then he looked at me, and he said he’d go.”
“He did?” Twilight didn’t know how to handle this. Discord might not be evil anymore, at least not openly, but he was and always had been a jerk. How could the same being that thought the height of a good time was messing with pony’s lives in a perverse desire to teach ‘lessons’ act so...selfless?
“He did. Twilight, I was so proud of him. And he was so kind before he left. Do you know what he told me?” A smile broke through, for the first time in ages. It was like the sun returning. “He told me that he loved my cottage, because all the little bits of chaos come together to make harmony. He said it was a beautiful paradox. Just like me.” She blushed at that. “I told him I didn’t know what he meant by that, and he said it didn’t matter. But that he had never in his life known anyone like me, and that he was honored to be my friend.”
“Wow.”
“And then he put on the strangest camouflage uniform, marched outside with drum music playing, and took off in a pedal powered helicopter while going on about someone named Charlie.”
“Um…”
“He was trying to make me laugh. I know he didn’t want me to worry. And it worked for a little while. But now I’ve had more time to think about it. Twilight, he’s never really had to test his limits before. He’s never really had CONSEQUENCES. Back when...when he fought us...he didn’t take us seriously. He couldn’t even imagine he’d be hurt. He’s like a manticore that thinks it’s King of the Everfree, and it’s never met an Ursa Major. And even with all that, what Celestia told him had him scared.”
Twilight nodded. “And that’s why you were so anxious? You were waiting for him to come home?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I know what I have to do then.” Twilight nodded in resolution.
“You do?”
“I do. My family is in the Guard. I've had to do this for my brother. Discord may be in danger, and there may be nothing we can do to help him. But he is going to come back Fluttershy, I know it.” She did, too. There was no way he would miss the chance to be utterly insufferable to her about this. “And until then, you don’t need to wait alone. We’ll all be here for you. And when Discord does get back, we’ll even have Pinkie throw a Heroes Homecoming party for him. Okay?”
Fluttershy nodded, and she wrapped her wing around Twilight. “Thank you” she murmured. “Oh, I’ll have to tell Pinkie about Discord’s favorites...they’re not what you’d expect. Did you know he can’t stand zap apple jam?”
The two friends stayed together for a long time, talking until the sun went down.
Epilogue: Discord and Warhammer 40k
Discord lay coughing on the floor of a higher dimensional realm that he had, for the moment, envisioned as a boxing ring. His fur was blue and falling out in patches, he was covered in livid orange polka dots, and he was running an anti-fever of 142 Kelvin. In the opposite corner of the ring loomed the bloated and behorned form of his opponent. "You hit me" he gasped out.
“Discord, why do we have to fight?” It said in a voice that oozed compassion. Among other things. “I don’t want to hurt you. I love you.” It smiled in complete sincerity as Discord glared up at it in defiance. “I love everything. Even the beautiful quantum virus that's killing you. Please, join me and end this.”
That was what he couldn’t stand, thought a part of Discord’s mind, as another began twisting the infinitely adaptive disease’s evolution on more interesting paths. It was the rank, twisted earnestness of this creature. He steeled his will. Stood. It was hard, and even harder to stand steady. But he did it. “You know something, you twisted snot sack? You’re really kind of pathetic." The polka dots itched, so he peeled off one and ate it. Bleugh, what a nasty flavor. "You think you’re kind, and you think you understand love. I was like you too, once.” There, in the 2351st mutagenic iteration. Perfect. “But I’ve met real kindness, seen real friendship, and frankly? This twisted selfish mockery of yours just really cheeses me off.” His temperature was still dropping, but he wasn’t coughing anymore. The polka dots were falling off, and flapping around him. Just like butterflies. The air began to rain from the cold. “You were right by the way: this IS a lovely quantum virus, I’ll have to invite it to my tea parties.” The bloated bestial brute was gaping with at least four of it’s mouths, and a wicked snaggletoothed grin covered Discord’s face. He was battered, and he still ached in places that didn't even exist, but the virus was coursing through his veins like liquid helium. “Symbiosis is magic, Nurgle. It's time to let this go. Your chances of victory are” he pulled a pair of sunglasses from nowhere "Sub-Zero." The arena reconfigured itself to two dimensions, and a voice boomed out: ROUND TWO, FIGHT!
Elsewhere, across the galaxy, the forces of Chaos reduced to utter confusion as tiny shards of Discord’s power did their work. Slaneshi demons were halted by dozens of strange stimulating puzzles that, somehow, they could never remember after they were done but were sure they had enjoyed so much they had to try again. Generals of the Lord of Change betrayed each other left and right or converted to Khorne, convinced by their orders that it was required by the True Master Plan. The Tyrannid Fleet was answering a barrage of psychic hails originating from “The Queen Bitch of the Universe” that offered deadly insult to their entire genetic lineage, and was rapidly devolving into an argument with itself about which were wrong.
And, on a million planets throughout the Imperium, a thousand dreamers were waking from visions of another world and a strange, yellow pegasus that told them about a better way.
Author's Note
This wasn't originally part of the story, but I realized I had to know what Discord was up to and how his fight was going. And here we are.
