Transference

Fluttershy was pregnant.

I couldn't believe it.

Discord had served me a knocked-up body...

This wasn't part of the deal, but it was still fixable. I wasn't even feeling mad about it. Negatively surprised, sure. But not mad.

I would get a body of my own at the end of the night and that was all that mattered to me.

Did they know about the concept of abortion in Equestria? I wasn't sure, the topic had never come up in the dreams I visited, nor had I read about it in Twilight's books. I'd find out soon enough, I thought to myself in silence.

Still standing under the bridge, I looked at the sobbing Fluttershy and wondered when I had become so cold inside. The change couldn't have been that long ago.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Discord said as he emerged from the water in front of me. "Well, the body will be yours and all that comes with it... as I promised."

"This is low, even for you, Discord," I hissed at him. "You should have told me."

Fluttershy looked up and turned her head at me with teary eyes. "...Discord? Is he here? I don't see him. Please tell him to stop this! I beg you, both of you!"

It was hard to look her in the eyes, but I managed surprisingly well. I had to see this through and show resolve. There was no other way I feared.

I turned to Discord, who was now floating next to Fluttershy. It did seem like the sight of Fluttershy hurt him, but he didn't say anything to me in response after he had heard her heartbreaking plea to me.

"He can't stop the process. It's too late," I answered, not caring if there even was a way to stop it so far in.

I wanted this over and done. Fluttershy would live one way or another. I was certain of that. She'd have a good life, afterlife... or whatever else it was Discord had planned out for the two of them.

Fluttershy looked away from me again, muttering something inaudible. She then continued to cry her soul out.

Why did she have to be like that, come on now... Did she really have to make this so hard for me?

"I... What name?" I asked her while looking at the underside of the bridge.

"H..huh?" Fluttershy sniffled, hooves on her face.

"What name have you chosen for your child?" I asked more clearly, now looking at her with a hint of guilty conscience showing.

I noticed Discord giving me a strange look before rolling his eyes.

"M... Medley," Fluttershy managed to say while wiping away her tears. "Just... Medley."

She had stopped crying, but I could see that she was a broken mare now.
It looked as if she had accepted her fate, now just sitting there on the grass at the edge of the river, looking at her reflection in the water.

"That's a nice name, Fluttershy. I'll see what I can do about it."

I had no intention of raising a child after my newfound freedom. But maybe I could at least let it be born and drop it off at an orphanage or something... a compensation for her body. I would think about it later.

"It's almost over, Luna didn't notice us, I made sure of that," Discord mumbled, watching Fluttershy slowly disappear before him. "You have done well so far, and I'm sure you'll continue to make me proud, human."

Looking over at him with one of my eyebrows lifted. "I'm not going to-."

I could not finish the sentence as the dream abruptly ended. Fluttershy had disappeared, as had the corresponding mirror in the dreamscape with her.

The sun was about to come up, but the room was already lit by a strong yellow glow emitting from my necklace.

Fluttershy... I felt her close to me.

When I stood up from bed, I could immediately tell that this was now my own body.

Looking myself over, I noticed that Fluttershy's cutie mark was gone, leaving a blank spot. That probably meant I wouldn't be able to talk to animals in the future, too bad. That would have been so helpful.

What struck me as a bit odd was that my belly now seemed a lot bigger than last time. Did I just imagine it because I knew that she was pregnant now?

Pondering whether or not I should get a tattoo on my butt to not draw too much attention to the missing cutie mark, Discord made his awaited appearance out of thin air.

He lifted the dreamcatcher slowly with his magic from my neck over to him. He grasped it gently out of the air and gazed at it longingly for a while.

I could see him pluck the little crystal out of the web and swallow it with a comical gulp before me. The rest of the dreamcatcher lit on fire and disappeared into nothing but ash.

He faced me and spoke almost fatherly, "It is time for me and Fluttershy to leave you now. You have the whole world here as your playground. I'm sure you're going to have a whole lot of fun but try not to overdo it, you hear? You want it to last for a while."

Well, this was awkward. What was this about now? Was he talking to me or the child of his inside me?

Before I could say anything in response, he opened a portal and stepped through, waving one of his arms as a goodbye for a moment before it closed.

And then I was alone. Alone but finally alive.

I took a deep breath in.

Not wasting any time, I gathered the ready saddlebags by the door, left the cottage, and never looked back once as I made my way out of Ponyville.

Luna ran around the dreamscape, looking for the human soul. She couldn't find or feel him anymore, and it made her anxious for the first time in many decades.

A strange report had come in this morning.

Zecora had apparently found what appeared to be the remains of Fluttershy's animals, not far from her hut. All had been taken by the wild animals of the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy was nowhere to be found. And no sign of Discord either.

Twilight had already tasked Rainbow Dash and Applejack with searching for Fluttershy. Twilight said she'd follow soon after with the rest of her friends.

Luna transpired back into the waking world and flew out into the broad daylight from her balcony.

She had to find the human first. At any cost.