Discord had watched Fluttershy leave with Rarity countless times, the two mares trotting off to who-knew-or-cared-where, chatting happily to one another in their own way, using words he’d never heard of before, and the tone of their conversations had the interesting side effect of making his chest hurt.
When he’d pulled out the part of his chest that ached when Fluttershy was happy with someone else, he had been flummoxed to find that it had been his heart.
“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded of the offending organ, and gotten no reply. He’d shoved it back in and sat on Fluttershy’s couch. Not in a sulk of course. Never a sulk. Gods of Chaos don’t sulk. They…
Were…
Lonely.
It had taken him all of four-and-a-tenth-bit seconds to go after them.
Not because he cared.
Never because he cared.
He watched the building they’d sequestered themselves in. Simple on the outside, but with signs and windows that showcased what it offered to those who braved its depths.
Discord couldn’t read what the signs said, and when he asked the letters to explain themselves they only offered more of what Fluttershy and Rarity shared with each other that didn’t make sense to him.
“Seaweed?”
These ponies were insane.
And he was Discord.
He paced in front of the door, deep in thought. A scary place to be, really, especially when they wandered away. They usually found someone else to amuse themselves with. Making a mental note to talk to Screwball, he let himself inside.
Steam.
Was the first thought that came to mind as he entered the – spa – and looked around for Fluttershy. Rarity too, he supposed, if she was with Fluttershy…
“Excuse me.”
The voice was… The voice WAS.
Every comedian’s impression of their mother combined into one voice
Shoving the thought away – now that was a sulk if he’d ever seen one – he looked down.
He forgot how small they were…
Fluttershy was a giant…
Something about the pony in front of him was off though. Not just her colors, which were an oddly soothing blue coat and pink mane.
“You’re not scared of me.”
She looked at him, then looked at him, eyes probing his body as only an expert – of what? – could.
“Should I be?”
Her voice was calm, professional. Courteous. Kind.
She looked at him, not intrusively this time, and spoke.
“You are Discord, Lord of Chaos, or whatever title you’d like to be addressed by while you are here. You are our guest, and there is nothing to fear. From you, from us, from our services, whatever you may ask of us.” She blinked blue eyes deeper than her coat. “So, how can we help you?”
It took him a few moments to find his voice – the blasted thing had been taking a vacation in the back of his throat, blocking his ability to breathe with its migration. He took a breath – carefully, there were only so many to be had – and asked.
“Where is Fluttershy?”
Kindly, like she would have done if she was looking for him.
The pony in front of him nodded, blinking those too-blue eyes. “She had a feeling you’d follow her today.”
That floored Discord and he looked up at her in blank shock.
“Why?” the frog his voice had turned into croaked.
“May I speak frankly with you, sir?”
“Who’s Frank?”
That got a laugh out of the pony – what was her name? Fluttershy would know – and she stepped back, motioning for him to follow. “This way, Discord.”
He gathered his scattered confused wits back in their shell and fell in step behind her. Not a bad view, all things considered. She had a pink lotus on her flank, and he wondered if that had something to do with her job. He inhaled, gathering the scents of the building around him and started cataloging them.
Lots of various flowers. Some scents he recognized when Fluttershy cared for her animals. Lots of…whatever scent Rarity carried with her, and brushed off on Fluttershy whenever she touched her after a day together.
It got stronger as they approached an arch filled with a curtain, and the lotus pony pulled it aside and stepped through. Discord hesitated only a moment before following.
Fluttershy.
She smiled at him and his world narrowed to just the two of them-
“Discord!”
He flinched, and the world snapped back to normal. It had lasted less than time itself took to register, but she had known.
“Hello,” he said, and stopped. He didn’t know what to place after that, and he looked around to buy himself time. Much to his chagrin, there wasn’t any to be had. He saw Rarity – Was that seaweed? What’s on her eyes? And her face? – and she looked at him with the barest hints of a frown and he saw her body tense.
“It’s okay, Rarity,” Fluttershy said softly, and the other mare relaxed. She reached out towards him, and he was there to take her hoof – gently – in his paw. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Discord looked at her eyes. Simply looked. Usually he fell in and lost himself in that soft blue, wrapping it around himself, because Fluttershy was the only pony he wanted to see all of him.
She usually chided him about that after he was done, but she knew he needed it.
“What is here? The signs outside weren’t that helpful.”
She chuckled, a thousand little bells, making an irreplaceable sound, and motioned him towards a…table? He looked at her, arching a brow.
“Am I to be served upon a platter to others?”
“It’s for massages, to help you relax.”
Relax.
He was Chaos.
“Anathema,” he said. “Impossible. I would literally die.”
Fluttershy looked thoughtful, then grinned. “Oh, I don’t think you will. Not from this.” She looked at Rarity, then at the lotus pony. “We’re going to need Aloe too, Lotus.”
The blue pony nodded and trotted out of sight. Discord blinked.
“Her name is Lotus? I thought that was just her mark. I don’t call you Butterfly, or Rarity Triple Diamond, do I?”
“I would think you’d be well-acquainted with Equestrian names by now,” Rarity said from her bizarre wrap. “Besides, some ponies change them based on what their mark is, to better reflect who they really are.” She hummed. “I think Lotus was called Vera prior to getting her mark.”
“Why would they do that?” Discord asked, only half-listening as he climbing onto the table. He was far too big for it and made it longer for himself. That took up too much room, so he reluctantly made himself smaller. It’d change the tone of his voice as his vocal cords shifted, but that was simply part of who he was.
“To better reflect who they are,” Rarity repeated patiently. “Not everyone knows who they want to be at first, and might go through many changes before they’re content.” She shifted her flanks, the marks underneath the wrap familiar to their owner. “Take me. Gems are hardly a rarity in Equestria, after all, but it’s what I make that’s the rarity.”
Even Discord had to admit her dresses were unique. She had even made him a few for various occasions, and he took them because it made Fluttershy happy to see him interact with others.
Lotus returned, with a pony in tow, and Discord stared at them in disbelief.
“We’re sisters,” Lotus said to his silent question.
“Twins,” the other supplied. “I am Aloe.”
Her coat was pink, her mane blue, her eyes paler blue, yet she had the same look as her sister, and they did the same sweep over his form.
“Now Discord,” Fluttershy said, capturing his attention and preventing it from wandering. “These ponies are doing their jobs, so anything they do, trust them. Trust them like you trust me.”
He nodded. She trusted them, and anyone Fluttershy trusted was good enough for him.
“We’re not familiar with draconequus biology,” Aloe said, stepping up to the side of the table, hoof rising to hover over his body. “Do you feel tense anywhere? Anything tight? Anything that hurts when you move or stretch?”
Discord thought about it, silently asking his body if there was anything like Aloe had asked happening anywhere. He received negatives across the board.
“None that I can feel,” he admitted.
Aloe and Lotus exchanged glances.
“Try his legs,” Fluttershy suggested. “They usually aren’t as malleable as the rest of him.”
Discord flexed his left leg carefully. “Oh, yes, there is something there.” He pointed around the joints. “When these move.”
Aloe ran a hoof over it. “Breathe in.” The hoof moved. “Now out.” She nodded to herself. “This will do.”
She reared up on her hind legs – giant – and looked down at him. “Trust me.”
The hooves came down, and Discord screamed-
There was no pain.
The scream strangled itself with his tongue and he blinked at Aloe, then at her hooves caressed over his leg’s joints.
He turned red and the hooves came up in surprise.
“Why Discord,” came Fluttershy’s teasing voice. “I didn’t know you were ticklish.”
That sound he’d made… had been a laugh? Was that a laugh? His laugh? It sounded nothing like he’d ever heard before, which didn’t make sense to him. He loved to laugh, usually at others’ reactions to his Chaos, to his Fun, to his Whims…
This had been a different laugh.
“Discord.”
Her voice.
“Trust me.”
He sighed, and did.
Discord walked around on his legs, looking at them in wonderment.
“It doesn’t hurt to walk.”
Fluttershy giggled. “Well, you usually fly everywhere, don’t you? It hurt to walk on them because they hadn’t been used in a while, but the massage loosened them up like only a massage can, and…well, you can feel the results for yourself, right?”
“Is it magic?”
Fluttershy tilted her head. “Of a sort.”
“Can you learn it?”
She looked at him. “Only for my animals because they can’t go to the spa.”
Discord sighed, then crossed his arms. “So then I guess I’ll have to go to the spa more often.”
“You’re always welcome to join me, or go whenever you like.” Her gaze sharpened. “As long as you can pay, of course.”
“Of course,” Discord replied, before stroking his beard which had nestled purring in his arms. “So, why weren’t they scared of me?”
Fluttershy blinked, before laughing.
“Ponyville is home to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. My friends. Your friends. They’ve put up with infinitely worse than you. To you, you’re almost normal.” She flicked her wings. “We’ve known chaos longer than you. No offense.”
“None taken,” Discord replied, almost automatically. “Now that you mention it, Ponyville does seem to have an unusually high level of weekly chaos outbreaks.”
He looked at Fluttershy, then at Ponyville, and his chest didn’t hurt.
“And I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Author's Note
Inspired by a prompt from Tipper in the Triptych Discord (not affiliated with the Continuum though)
