Fluttershy felt dizzy and confused as she awoke on the ground in the middle of Ponyville. Her head hurt so much and her vision was still a tad blurry, but she knew this was the town square. She wasn’t sure how she got here, or why, but she was wondering if her good friend Discord was making a strange prank. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard groaning.
Slowly, her vision was returning to her, and as it did, she noticed that her five friends were beside her, also waking up. What’s going on?
Fluttershy’s vision was close to being fully restored, and thus felt confident enough to walk around a little to figure out what happened. Though she didn’t have to go far.
She saw a portal shaped like an X and was surprised she didn’t notice it before. Upon closer inspection, the yellow pony could see that inside it looked like Equestria with a weird atmosphere.
That’s when memories hit her. That floating triangle with the single eye wearing a top hat and bow tie was causing chaos to Equestria. She and her friends tried to stop him, or at least try to understand his motivation. Fluttershy thought she would be able to befriend him like Discord, but this creature wasn’t like Discord.
Discord was a being of pure chaos, but he was never truly evil. He was a misunderstood creature that, deep down, just wanted a friend to care about him. But this other being seemed to have wanted nothing more than to destroy to his hearts content. It was hard to explain for her, but you could tell nothing truly mattered to the being. Unlike Discord, he valued nothing and enjoyed hurting others.
As the blurred vision finally relented, Fluttershy saw the triangle creature on the other side of the portal. He was massive and, for a little while, just floating there. She began to hear mumbling, but then heard him shout something that made her uncomfortable.
“I’M AN ALL SEEING GOD!”
After the claim, he took his arm and, which he used to plunge into his eye, pulled out something that horrified her; a soul resembling Discord.
“Well, heh heh, it was worth a try,”Discord said in a painful chuckle. Flutteshy was lost for words. Discord fought this creature in a battle of chaos and lost. He was going to die. How could this be possible? What could stop this monster masquerading as a god?
Suddenly, her rhetorical questions were answered by his next words. “Still…I’m surprised you don’t recognize…your old home.”
Fluttershy could see the terror in the eye of this entity as the fake Equestria crumbled all around. One thing he apparently wasn’t capable of was escaping this dimension. It was good news, but then, what about Discord?
Slowly approaching the fading portal, Flurrershy felt that she stepped on something and saw that it was a parchment. She noticed the wax seal, his seal, and was on the verge of crying. She was practically speechless; only able to utter out two words.
“Discord?…Discord?”
She could see the terrified monster rush for the portal and, as it faded away, knew he was trapped in there as he once was. She should have been happy, but she felt the impossible might have just happened to Discord, but she didn’t dare continue to think about it. She decided it would be best to read the scroll he left behind instead.
She opened it up and read. Her friends were all waking up and regaining their composure too, but that didn’t deter her from reading. Even as tears began to cloud her vision, snot beginning to accumulate from her snout, and her throat starting to choke, she kept reading. She had to finish reading this no matter what, because she would never be capable of trying again, and she wanted to read the last words left by someone who meant more to her than she realized until this moment.
The yellow pony’s five friends all regained most of their basic senses and looked at each other expecting someone could explain why they were here. One thing did trigger in their heads.
“Anypony else remember that talking triangle,” Twilight Sparkle asked. They all nodded in response.
“I think I remember Equestria was in utter ruin by that fiendish floating shape,” Rarity said.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “He was messing up everything and we were going to kick his flank.”
“That guy was a total meanie,” Pinkie Pie chimed in. “I mean his powers were like Discord’s, but I can’t remember Discord being so psychotic; even when we first met.”
“I’ll say,” Applejack said. “He had all these monsters swarming around and the world looked and felt worse than Tartarus on a summer day.”
They all shuttered with the memories flowing in. The whole world was beyond dark. Orbs littered the skies. They tried to stop him, but he turned most of the ponies in town into what seemed like small statues. Then he turned the group of friends into tapestry; one by one.
It was then that they noticed Fluttershy at a small distance. She was looking down and stood as still as a statue. As they slowly and carefully approached, they heard sniffing and crying.
The five rushed over to comfort their shy, and sweet friend. She was showered with hugs from everyone and the yellow pony found herself hugging Rainbow Dash in particular.
“Hey, it’s okay, buddy,” Dash said reassuringly.
“That horrendous thing appears to have vanished for now, but we’ll be ready next time, darling,” Rarity softly said.
None of them truly understood what she was crying about, but they thought they did until Twilight noticed the letter Fluttershy had on the ground.
“What’s that, Twilight,” Pinkie asked.
Twilight saw the handwriting and gasped. “It’s a letter from Discord.” The purple alicorn began to rapidly read the parchment.
“Discord,” Applejack exclaimed. “That better not be some darn confession that he did this for our benefit or something. Hasn’t he learned a darn thing from the last time he tried that?”
“No! It’s…it’s not!” Everypony look at the sobbing yellow pegasus as she tried to muster out words in her lament. “Twi…Twilight can tell you.”
Fluttershy could say nothing else and buried her crying face in Rainbow Dash’s chest. She was annoyed by it at the beginning, but now Rainbow couldn’t get this dredged feeling out of her gut. She embraced her childhood friend and let her cry as much as she needed.
Everypony began to look worried and sad. Pinkie’s fluffy main even began to deflate and she started to think there was far more in this sadness Fluttershy had.
“Sorry, Fluttershy,” Applejack said in a regretful tone. “That wasn’t right to blame him and I’ll be nice when we ask him what he knows.”
“That…that’s not possible.”
With the exception of Fluttershy, everpony looked at the direction of the sad and terrified alicorn; wondering what she claimed was impossible.
“What’s happening, Twilight, dear,” Rarity asked with great concern.
“My Pinkie senses aren’t liking this,” Pinkie said; her mane now fully straightened.
“Damn it, Twilight, what does that letter say already!”
All shocked eyes turned to an angry and crying Dash; still holding onto her yellow friend.
“Okay, just give me a minute to gain a little composure, and I’ll read it out loud.”
Twilight began to clear her throat and wipe away tears. Afterwards, she lifted the long parchment and started reading to her friends with a volume louder than she intended.
“To my dearest friend Fluttershy, and my friends of a friend.”
Nopony interrupted, but from the first sentence, they felt like he accurately described how they thought of him and felt bad that he understood it.
“If you are reading this, then that means my main plan worked. Equestria is saved from that chaotic deity known as Bill Cipher.”
They didn’t understand, but knowing the name of this creature that Discord referred to as a god made it all the more dreadful. Of all the villains they faced, Discord never once made it seem like a threat in his eyes. He made it sound like they never stood a chance.
“Bill should be back in his nightmare realm, and I took extra precautions to ensure his realm’s door will never be opened and that no creature will ever encounter him. Still, make sure that Luna does extra protections until he dies in a few years from his own destiny.”
Now they were all scared. Discord was sealing off this creature and wanted the very princess of the night to ensure it stayed that way. They began to wonder where he was, but didn’t dare confess to themselves that they already knew.
“However if you are reading this message it also means that my other plan failed too.”
Everypony tried to hold back their tears for the inevitable.
“I failed to defeat him myself and he has killed me.”
They all froze. Nopony wanted to admit they thought he was going to say this because it seemed impossible. They thought he had to have been faking it, after all, he had already faked an illness and pretended to have been defeated before. Surely this was just another one of those moments.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m not faking it this time, girls. I would never leave behind my best friend forever and I was never good at pretending to be dead.
I’m currently writing this in my house, and I can feel the chaos that Bill is causing to Equestria.
I know I haven’t usually helped out before, but know that when I didn’t, I did so because I didn’t want any of you to lose your own worth. You never needed me to win your battles. However, Bill Chiper is on a level that, for once, I actually fear.
I know he’ll probably kill me, but if there’s one thing I learned from all of you, it’s that friendship is worth the risk sometimes.”
The five mares didn’t know this, but they all had tears flowing down at an uncontrollable pace.
“I honestly thank Celestia every day that she forced you six to befriend me; especially you Fluttershy.
I always thought of myself as a monster. One who would never truly find friends and I used to curse the very almighty for creating me into this…disfigured mess. I suppose I could have changed my appearance to look different, or hide my very nature from everyone, but you saw yourself what happens if I’m not chaotic, Fluttershy.”
They remember Fluttershy mentioning a few things that happened to Discord when she went to his house. It wasn’t until then that they understood why he always did something chaotic around them. That he had to or he would fade away.
“Now I think I understand what I was created for. I think… I think I was created to prevent chaotic beings like Bill from harming this world. I was meant to save you all and restore harmony; at least this one time.”
Aside from Twilight, her friends were speechless and beginning to sob. Even through this sorrow, Twilight continued to read and the others continued to listen.
“The amount of chaos Bill is causing has made me feel more powerful than I ever thought I could be. It won’t be easy, I want to win and I want to come back to you all, but if I don’t, I think I’m ready to die.
Before I do, though, I want to tell you something, Fluttershy.”
Twilight looked to the yellow pegasus if it was okay to continue. She saw a nod; one that screamed that she wanted them to know. The thing was, they already knew what he was going to say. They all knew how these two felt for one another. But for her respect, Twilight read on.
“Because of you, you gave me something Bill Chiper will never have; friendship and love. I’m sorry that this was how I had to confess what we both felt, but I love you.
The day you went to my house. The moment you went out of your way to prevent me from fading away because I was trying to act normal for you. The moment you said that you liked me because I was different. That’s when I knew I had been in love with you all this time.
I know it’s not fair that I’m telling you this the way I am, but I want you to know that I’m sorry I can’t be there for you anymore. You were my queen, Fluttershy. I have lived since the prehistoric period of Equestria and, in all that time, those few years with you were the most precious and meaningful.
Who knows, maybe I’ll reform and come back some day. As long as chaos exists, in a way, so do I. I am chaos incarcerate, after all.
I need to get going, but the last line is something I will write in front of Bill so he can understand what you and your…our friends taught me. He’ll probably react the same way I did the day we met, but, unlike me, he will never truly learn, because he finds no value in it.”
Twilight was beginning to lose her composure. She was trying her best to finish the last words he ever wrote. Reading this out loud hurt so much, but she managed to say them.
“Dear, Princess Celestia, today Bill Cipher learned an important lesson about friendship.”
She dropped the parchment and looked at her friends who were all crying in their own ways. Pinkie and Rarity were crying close to the level Fluttershy was while Rainbow and Applejack tried to hold it together, but had the look of agony as they looked down.
Twilight walked over to them and sat down unsure what to say for a moment, but finally found what she believed felt right; even if she was a bit choked up.
“Discord was an amazing friend in the end. Don’t you think?”
Everypony managed to calm down long enough to nod. The ponies then had all their eyes on the purple alicorn.
“I don’t think I ever imagined anything could truly kill him. I believed that he would always be with us. Sad part was, as the princess of friendship, I never thought about being a better one for him. I could have handled situations with him with more kindness like you Fluttershy. To let him know that other ponies cared about him too. I’m sorry for your loss, and I will inform the other princesses about what happened. Discord deserves a proper hero’s funeral.”
The yellow pony was fighting back tears and looked at her friends beside her. She signaled for them all and they had a group hug. It was ironic, honestly. The world had been saved, and yet, never in their lives had they ever felt so defeated.
Word of Discord’s demise spread throughout not only Equestria, but the other neighboring kingdoms. His heroic sacrifice made many that still feared his long infamous history finally understand that his reformation was more than some elaborate facade. As such, after learning about the funeral to honor him, they all agreed to attend.
It was only two weeks since that day. Twilight was looking around at the amount of guests outside the castle, her castle, and it felt as if her coronation from four years ago was reset once again; except now every creature was wearing black. Fortunately, she wasn’t as nervous as that day; just sad and depressed.
Believing she wasn’t emotionally ready to speak, Twilight was delaying herself from approaching the podium and looked below the balcony for a glance at the funeral portrait that was next to the empty coffin. Beside the princess stood a group of the closest friends there were to represent Discord.
Her five friends were, of course, all there. Fluttershy was trying her best not to cry. Ever since that day, she almost never left her cottage. If any pony was grieving the most, it was understandable that the one who was in love with him would. Twilight made a mental note to talk to Fluttershy after the service was done. She didn’t like how pale and thin her shy friend was slowing, and noticeably, becoming.
Spike and Big Mac were next to the girls; Big Mac’s wife, Sugar Belle, was beside him. Twilight knew that Discord was close to these two guys, even attending Big Mac’s Wedding, and constantly playing board games with them.
When she found her number one assistant hours after Equestria was saved, she showed him the note Discord left because she didn’t want to read it a third time; she wasn’t strong enough to. It slowly broke Spike’s heart when he realized that Discord died. He had finally got Discord to open up about Fluttershy and they spoke freely about their loves; Discord with Fluttershy, and Spike with Rarity. Turns out they were both planning to confess during the upcoming Hearts and Hooves day; clique, but Discord knew that Fluttershy would have been so happy regardless.
After them, Twilight saw her former foe, Trixie next to Starlight and Sunburst. Sunburst started to know Discord during his time as vice head stallion at the school of friendship, but Trixie and Starlight knew him as an ally during the second changling invasion. He hung around the school on multiple occasions, and even studied in a few of the classes himself.
Apparently, after the battle of the bell, Discord wanted to make sure he better understood what was the right way to handle situations in order to prevent an incident like that ever again.
Starlight was apparently one of the ponies to witness some of the battle Discord had with Bill Cipher too. She was so shaken up, that she wasn’t able to describe what happened to any pony. Twilight wondered if her former student would be able to during the service. To better explain what Discord had to fight.
Turning her head to the other side, Princess Twilight saw more friends of Discord’s. It made her wish, and hope, that he was aware of how much love and appreciation he actually had.
Thorax was there. He admitted to not necessarily being Discord’s friend, as they were more of acquaintances. The main reason he was there was to mention how much he owed him for his assistance in ironically changing the changeling kingdom.
Beside Thorax was a big green slime monster known as the Smooze. It didn’t say much, but, according to Fluttershy, Discord was the first creature to be friends with it.
The next two were obvious ones in all honesty; Celestia and Luna. They knew him for a while and she knew they would have things to say. They may have retired, but Twilight made it clear to her subjects that she would not strip power from them. That they wouldn’t be ruling Equestria, but they were able to enforce laws and maintain a lot of power for being the longest reigning princesses of Equestria. They just deserved to rest after the separate ordeals they had gone through in the centuries.
Of course, Cadance and Shining Armor were there too, but that was more for family and royal reasons; Flurry was currently with her grandparents for the event. Their interaction with him was on only a few occasions, so Twilight didn’t think they would say anything.
Discord didn’t want to admit it to them, but he told Twilight and Fluttershy that he always felt ashamed to be near them for long periods of time after the first battle with Tirek. Discord never liked the look of betrayal Shining gave him that day, and he regretted his decision to do that to him and all of Equestria. Twilight felt that they forgave him though; she could see her brother trying not to cry.
Alright. I think I’ve delayed this long enough. Let’s get this over with and remember it’s to cherish a true friend.
Twilight began to slowly trot to the podium. It was only a few seconds to get there, but it felt longer. Every step made her heart race and her throat began to desire closing up. If this was how she truly felt about the situation, Twilight dreaded to know the amount of pain Fluttershy had. She felt she could never be as strong as her friend, but today she had to pretend she was that; today was certainly not about her.
She got on the podium and got a better view of the amount of creatures attending the funeral. Twilight could swear every pony, griffon, hippogriff, changling, yak, and even diamond dog was in the audience. She could see massive dragons all around the castle. Capper and the rest of the cats were around, as well as Chief Thunderhooves of the buffaloes, and even the kirin. There were still so many other creatures, but Twilight had to focus on the job at hoof now. She cleared her throat and spoke with as much authority, dignity, and grace as possible.
“Thank you every creature for coming here today. Though I wish it was under more cheerful circumstances, it fills my heart with joy to see us unite for a common reason regardless.
As you all know, our world was attacked by a chaotic monster claiming to be a god. A being known as Bill Cipher.”
She could see and hear the crowd uneasy by his name. It almost became blasphemous to say it now due to the fear it could summon him back.
“Equestria was the heart of this attack we have heard was called weirdmageddon, but your kingdoms and land suffered too.
Our world was to be consumed and destroyed by Bill and his monsters. Chaos and malice on a level never seen before by any of our friends who have lived for millennia.”
Many creatures like former Dragon Lord Torch, Celestia, and Luna nodded in agreement.
“How grateful are we to know that the very spirit of chaos in our world would oppose this? Not to rule over everything himself, but because he cared about us. It goes to show you how being friends with one creature can dictate the fate of our future. I will give you a moment to reflect in silence before I continue.”
Twilight could see the crowd looking at one another in a new perspective. She gazed back to see Fluttershy being comforted by Rainbow Dash like the day she saw the letter. The alicorn knew that saying this could be hard on her pegasus friend, but she thought it would be beneficial to make a point for unity. The crowd seemed to have brought their attention back to the balcony, and Twilight felt it was time to continue.
“We are here today not to honor the lord of chaos, but a heroic friend who saved us despite knowing he was going to die. I tell you this as some pony once titled the princess of friendship, he was a more loyal friend than I could ever hope to be.
I will now have a few of his friends come up to say anything if they wish. Afterwards, I will say a few more things and we will have a banquet in Discord’s honor thanks to the help of Pinkie Pie, Party Favor, and Cheese Sandwich. Thank you once more for being here, and I hope this horrible experience will help us grow together.”
As her friends , excluding Fluttershy, began to come forward, Twilight stepped down and walked over to Celestia and Luna. As soon as she was no longer visible by the crowd, she started to tear up. Celestia wrapped her wing around her like a worried mother.
“You made me proud, Twilight,” Celestia said.
“You’re doing well speaking for your first royal funeral,” Luna added.
“That was harder than I thought it would be,” Twilight managed to say before losing her voice.
The sisters looked down with melancholy, remembering their first funeral they had to speak for.
“I won’t say it will ever be easy, dear,” Celestia said as she continued to comfort her favorite former student.
“Agreed,” Luna said with her head still lowered. “ You just learn to hide it.”
The young ruler of Equestria rubbed her eyes while thinking about what they said. She realized that it was okay to hurt, but that she had to continue to be strong for the rest of the service. She got herself together and hugged both the former rulers. “Thanks. Both of you helped out more than you know.”
The sisters gave her a smile and gestured to her to the direction of her friends. Twilight understood and began to listen to them as if her breakdown never happened.
Twilight felt a little embarrassed that she accidentally skipped out on the speech, Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack had. She heard them plenty for preparation, so it hopefully didn’t deviate far from what they said before.
They planned to start the funeral talking about how they met him and he slowly became their friend. The five mares knew that the kingdoms were aware of the friendship between them and Discord - knowledge like that began to spread after the battle of the bell - so they figured the more inspiring speech be saved for Fluttershy since she spent the most time with him.
Still, Twilight was upset she didn’t hold it together long enough to watch most of her friends say what they worked hard preparing. At least she could hear what Pinkie Pie had to say.
“Discord was someone who really enjoyed having fun. You would be surprised how many times he helped me and my boyfriend, Cheese Sandwich. Whenever we needed something for a party, he was there to help. He was a hoot to be around. He even complimented me for being the pony closest to using his power,” the pink pony giggled to that. It was nice to see her mane back to its usual poof.
“I’m going to miss the fun we had. He was great at pulling off pranks. After understanding friendship, he really knew how to make others smile. As such, I will smile for him, because he would want me to continue smiling. Thank you.”
Just like the others, Pinkie walked back out of view and was comforted by Fluttershy, along with the rest of the girls. Fluttershy didn’t hear the speeches like Twilight did, so these appeared to have cheered her up tremendously.
Next up to talk was Spike and Big Mac. Big Mac wasn’t going to say much as usual, so Spike decided he would speak for both of them while he stood by with his wife. The young dragon took a deep breath to relax and began to speak.
“I didn’t exactly say much to Discord for a while, I’ll admit. I considered him friends to my friends and it took them to have us decide to start a conversation.
It was awkward at first. He was the most powerful being in all of Equestria, but he was like any creature else when it came to making new friends.; he had to learn.
Eventually, him, Big Mac, and I bonded over a tabletop game. We became good friends and he helped Big Mac with his relationship the best he could. I can’t say we helped that much, but we were at his wedding in the end.
We became great friends despite the awkward first encounters. It might have been because he really liked that board game, but it was enough for him to hang out with us and have fun.” Spike began to chuckle a little before continuing.
“When the disaster happened, I found myself in the monster’s clutches and turned into a statue. I couldn’t move, but I was aware of everything around me. I was part of a throne made by us.”
The little dragon began to choke up. “I thought this was my life now until I heard Discord’s voice. That’s when I knew we were safe.”
Spike stayed silent for a minute, and it was obvious he didn’t have it in him to speak anymore. The dragon decided to conclude his speech to leave.
“Many of you will remember him as Discord, the lord of chaos, but for me, he will always be Captain Wuzz; a fearless warrior who helped his friends save the world in both a board game and in real life. Thank you for saving Equestria, Captain Wuzz. We will never forget your sacrifice.”
Spike left the podium and ran to Twilight for comfort. She held him, and watched as Celestia stepped up with Luna beside her.
From what she remembered, Celestia was going to do most of the talking, but Luna would say a few things as well; Luna preferred it that way.
“After the battle of the bell, we were not expecting something this destructive. I will not speak for my sister on this, but perhaps I was too sure that Equestria was finally free from eminent danger. Perhaps that will never be the case.
That is why we have decided to continue to watch over Equestria; no longer as rulers, but as guardians.”
Luna spoke up. “We shall not let Equestria fall like this again. We will stand by the new ruler and help her achieve the peaceful world she imagined.
I will also be keeping watch over the gate that keeps this Bill. Let it be known that all the rulers have come together and agreed that any creature caught attempting to open his door will be brought forth and executed on the spot. You have been warned.”
Every creature looked nervous and began mumbling a mixture of agreements and protests. Celestia decided it was best she speak again.
“With that mentioned, let’s put that aside and talk about our hero instead.” The crowd silenced up and had her attention.
“My sister and I first met Discord as a being who enjoyed creating chaos. He wasn’t evil about it, he just considered it fun and it was only in his nature to cause it.
We eventually had to stop him once he went too far and was causing chaos to Equestria, but we never wanted to turn him to stone, it became a last resort.
Discord didn’t care for anyone in his life, but when Twilight and her friends defeated him after he broke out of his prison and wreaked havoc again, I wanted to try something.
I never told any creature until now, but the real reason I wanted Discord released wasn’t because he would be a useful ally, though he was, it was because I wanted him to have a chance to be happy. We both agreed too.”
“Indeed,” Luna said. “ I spent a thousand years banished as Nightmare Moon, and thanks to Twilight and her friends, I was able to get a second chance and made new friends. I sympathized and knew that those six ponies could make a difference in his life. We were grateful for the success. It took many ordeals, but it worked out in the end. Discord had friends.”
Luna began to smile and choke up a little. She gestured for her sister to continue.
“We spent time hanging out, and it was nice to speak to someone actually older than me for a change,” Celestia chuckled. “He would always talk about what fun he had with his dearest friend, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy had stopped crying a while ago and couldn’t help but smile at what Celestia said.
“He was once our enemy, but I’m glad we got to call him our friend in the end. Thank you, dear old friend. You will be missed.”
Both the sisters stepped down and Thorax came up.They walked back to Twilight and prepared to listen to the leader of the changelings.
“I met Discord during the second changeling invasion of Equestria. The leaders were taken, and I had only barely managed to escape.”
While he was speaking, Twilight noticed how much more confidence the once timid Thorax had gained over the years; it was nice.
“After talking with a few ponies you might know, Starlight Glimmer and Trixie Lulamoon, Discord appeared. The moment he found out his best friend was taken away, we were instantly teleported to the changeling kingdom.
You should have seen him once he discovered his magic couldn’t be used there. Despite his annoyance, and doubting he could help in his state, it didn’t stop him from marching there to his friends. He eventually helped us save the others in the end and helped create a new era for my kind.”
Thorax was noticing the fascination in the crowds expression. He decided to get to the point since this was a funeral and not a show.
“What I’m trying to say is that Discord was always willing to do things for his friends even if he might not make it. From what I was told, he knew he would die fighting this thing, but he didn’t hesitate to save those he loved.”
“You’re right about that,” Fluttershy softly whispered to herself while her head was down.
“I can’t help but to admire that. I don’t know many who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for others. I question if I could have done the same thing in his place.
I may not have been a close friend to him. But he changed my life so much that I will never forget him. He was the bravest hero I ever met. Thank you.”
Before the changeling stepped down, he saw that most of the others seemed to have had a questioning expression on their faces. He didn’t know, but he guessed that they were wondering to themselves if they were capable of sacrificing themselves for others.
Starlight came up next. It was decided that Starlight would come up second to last because she witnessed some of the battle. With that knowledge, it felt like the best placement for the speech.
Despite being a little nervous, she didn’t think about it for very long. She put on as serious of a face she could and began.
“I met Discord the same time Thorax did. We interacted more, and while he liked annoying me at first, I began to enjoy him as I became the head mare of Twilight’s School of Friendship.
He found me when this weirdmageddon happened. Years ago I would have thought he did this, but even before he assured me it wasn’t him, I could tell it wasn’t.
You might think Bill and Discord are practically the same, but Discord never unleashed massive monsters to destroy Equestria. He never laughed as ponies and every creature else was suffering in pain and agony. He enjoyed chaos, but not malice and death.
While I was trying to fight these monsters, Discord said he would take on Bill. He said that he probably couldn’t defeat him, but would do whatever he could to stop him and save Equestria.” She turned to Fluttershy’s direction.
“I told him to please be careful. I told him that someone dear to him would hate to see him die. He laughed not in a playful way, but in a way that seemed disappointed . He told me to say something to his best friend if he didn’t come back alive. I have been allowed to share these words, and I thank her.”
Starlight then looked at Fluttershy’s direction again. The yellow pegasus nodded in approval so Starlight quoted Discord; trying her best to maintain her composure and not get choked up or cry. “I give my life. Not for honor, but for you.”
Crying and sniffing could actually be heard in the crowd. It amazed the unicorn that she hadn’t already began to drown in tears too, but she felt she had more important things to continue saying, and she was going to.
“I continued to fight these creatures while Discord went up to this floating fortress Bill was in. I don’t know what happened in there, but it wasn’t long before Discord was shot out with Bill angry and attacking. I used my magic to float up in an attempt to back Discord up.
They were on the main square of Canterlot. Bill was literally buried in ice cream the size of a mountain. The weight would have killed many, but that thing burst through it like nothing while randomly playing a drum set.
The next thing he did was something that I, along with any creature else who witnessed it, would never want to experience again. He turned our world around. It flung all of us, the citizens and his monsters, around while trying to blast Discord with an eye beam. Our entire world was literally upside down. None of our lives meant anything to him. He laughed like a child shaking his toy box.
Discord grew large, turned him into some kind of chip, and ate him. I was hoping it was over, but Bill blew Discord’s head up, only for him to sneak up on that triangle. They flew into those floating bubbles that littered the sky and I stayed floating for my life.
I know the reports said no creature was harmed, but that wasn’t true.” Starlight looked back and forth at everyone there. “I saw a lot of you fall to your deaths.”
The crowd gasped at that revelation, and Starlight continued practically sobbing. “So many of you screamed and pleaded for your life. I know some of the pegasus ponies and griffins remember trying to save them. I thought this was the end of life. Our entire world gone to a creature that killed like a child using a magnifying glass on ants.
I got tired and began to fall too, but I suddenly fell on a giant pillow. Discord showed up and turned our world back. He said that his real self was stalling Bill while he fixed everything.
He said that soon Bill would be trapped in his dimension again, but he would probably die there. I watched him put everything back. I saw my friends brought back to life. Right when he was done, his magic clone disappeared with a smile and I cried.”
The whole audience could hear her bawling from her last sentences. “I never got the chance to even thank him. You need to know how terrible this was. Believe me when I say that I would have rather been locked in Tartarus than ever experience that again. That’s what Discord had to fight alone because we weren’t unified or prepared enough for this. Things seem better now, but we need to work together to make sure he didn’t do all of this for nothing.”
Starlight sounded like she was going to say more, but the unicorn felt that she had reached her limit. It was time to finish up. “That’s all. Thank you.”
With that, Starling came down and ran to Trixie and Sunbrust. The two hugged their crying friend and it calmed her down.
“Thank you for sharing this with us all, Starlight.” She looked up to see it was Fluttershy that said it. “You were brave and I’m glad some pony got to witness his hard work and sacrifice.”
She then looked at the podium then back to her friends with a smile. “I think I’m going to go ahead and end this for all our sakes. It’s been a long and sad funeral. Discord would have wanted things to be more happy and fun.”
With those words, Fluttershy began to walk up to the biggest crowd she had ever had to face. It was strange, because for the first time in her life, as she gazed around at every creature, she didn’t feel shy or scared. She couldn’t help but let out the tinniest chuckle, so tiny that most of the crowd barely heard it on the microphone; it was more like a whisper. Regardless, most rapidly brushed it aside the moment they heard the mare speak.
“I first met Discord the same time Twilight and the rest of my friends did. We had to stop him from causing chaos throughout Equestria, and, most likely, from spreading it to the rest of the world.
I was scared of him. I didn’t know exactly what he was and with everything he put us through, I just thought of him as someone evil and malicious. I was very happy when we turned him back to stone and thought we were done with him forever, but I was definitely wrong.
After a few months, I found myself given the task to reform him by Celestia herself. When she first assigned me this task, I wouldn’t have told her back then, but I thought she was the craziest mare to ever exist.”
Celestia was a bit surprised to hear Fluttershy’s words. She didn’t take offense to it, even when she heard the crowd giggling to the yellow mares words. Celestia even laughed at that. Looking back at it all, it was a little crazy. She was just glad it worked. She didn’t regret doing that.
“I was a really big coward back then, but she tasked me with reforming him. I wasn’t sure how to do this, so I decided that I would just be myself. I didn’t try to be conniving or trick him, I decided I would be kind and get to know him.
I know he didn’t care about me that much at first. I knew he was trying to manipulate me and find the opportunity to do what he wanted, but when I told him I considered him a friend, I saw he wasn’t evil or malicious; he was just a misunderstood chaotic being who wasn’t used to being friends with anyone.
We became friends after an argument, which I don’t think he knew I had in me. We began writing letters to each other and going on tea parties and picnics. He was a good friend, but he still, like any creature, made so many mistakes.
He broke my heart when he teamed up with Tirek. He spent months apologizing to me and being nice. He made me upset when he tried to send a friend of mine to another dimension because he was jealous of her.”
Fluttershy could hear some of the audience gasp and some shouting for her to go back for a second about that, but it quickly died back down.
“He made countless mistakes, but he didn’t mean to hurt anyone. He lived long before most of our kind even existed, and he didn’t really try to have friends until he met me. After that, he made friends with interesting creatures like himself, such as my good friend the Smooze.”
Everyone saw a big green slime monster quickly wave to the crowd and swiftly move back. Fluttershy giggled.
“It’s a little shy of big crowds, but I’m trying to help it with that.
Anyway, I think I’ll also speak about the time he went to the Changeling kingdom. That experience of being captured was one of the worst experiences of my life. However when I was free, the first thing I heard was Discord shouting my name. He held me in his arms and I never felt so safe in my life. It was at that moment, I knew I was in love with him.”
The mare could hear the crowd express how sweet they found it. It made her smile.
“He changed me a lot for the better I think. We both changed each other, or perhaps I should say together we got to be ourselves, but better creatures.”
Everyone of her friends behind her were tearing up. They all knew this was hard for Fluttershy to talk about, but were proud of her courage to say it.
“Even then, we all still made mistakes, but we both learned from them. He always told me that he didn’t interfere with our conflicts often because he didn’t want us to rely on him, which I was glad for his honesty. Though I don’t think he knew that I was aware that he always kept a closer eye on me in the shadows after being kidnapped.
The whole Sombra and battle of the bell affairs were his last big mistakes, and after that, he realized that he shouldn’t do things like that to help us.
Like I said, he was a creature that made many poor decisions, but he became someone better by learning from them.
What happened to us. What this Bill Cipher did to our world, it reminded me of a creature that hurt Discord for a long time, but I helped him face that problem head on. I’m still so proud of my love for standing up to this monster just as I am for him standing up to Bill.
The words he told Starlight were words he used to tell me. We never said it to each other, but we both knew we were in love with one another, I even found out he was going to tell me this Hearts and Hooves day. It’s a shame that didn’t work out. Truthfully, I wanted to marry him one day.”
All of Fluttershy’s friends, along with the crowd, noticed that even with her sorrowful words, the mare hadn’t been crying or tearing up this whole time. They were a bit surprised and wondered why. Apparently the yellow pegasus became aware of the curiosity.
“I cried the moment I read his last words to us. I cried all the way until the first few speeches were being said, but I’m done crying. It still hurts so much and it’s good to cry, but I want to do something more for him, because he isn’t like any of us.
I once prevented Discord from fading away when he tried to not be chaotic and I will do whatever I can do to bring him back again. I appreciate everyone for sharing their words and all of you for attending this funeral. Discord would have loved to have known you cared enough to see him.
Before I let the princess of Equestria end the service, I want to say one more thing.”
Every creature was silent and focused on her next words. The atmosphere suddenly became menacing and they all felt terrified at the expression that appeared on the mare’s face.
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you, the one that unleashed this monster on our land, is listening you should know a few things. I will not be the same weak little mare you see if we meet. You better hope that the leaders find you first, because if I find you, I’m going to kill you myself. I will make sure every second you have left to live is pure agony. You will not be receiving sympathy or mercy from the element of kindness. You have lost that privilege.”
She walked off with every creature in pure shock, Twilight almost forgot to properly close out the funeral.
As she went up she could only say a few words. She was too surprised by the closing speech her kind friend had made.
“That…that concludes the service, enjoy the banquet and thank you for coming.”
During the banquet, every creature began speaking to one another with far less prejudice. With everything that had transpired - weirdmageddon, the death of arguably the most powerful being on the planet, and his funeral - you would have thought that none of the kingdoms ever had conflicts with each other. This would have been something that put a smile on Twilight’s face, but, as she moved past every creature, she had only one objective; talk to Fluttershy.
After the yellow pegasus pony swore vengeance on, arguably the world’s biggest malefactor, she just disappeared from her friends. Twilight knew she hadn’t left thanks to the conversations around, so she was hoping she could talk to her. It wasn’t going to be a lecture from the princess, but a chat between friends.
Luckily, the purple alicorn discovered her friend at the snack table. It was kind of a relief to see Fluttershy’s appetite return. Now all she had to hope was that she was still going to be kind.
Twilight approached Fluttershy, who, noticing the princess, swallowed the fruit she was eating and had a friendly expression.
“I assume you want to talk about my speech,” Fluttershy almost said with a giggle.
Twilight didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she awkwardly looked side to side; trying to put the right words in her mouth. She didn’t get to speak her questions because Fluttershy answered it as if she was prepared for it.
“I meant what I said, Twilight, but I’m still your friend.” Twilight decided not to interrupt, but to let her kind friend continue to speak her mind; it felt like she had been rehearsed this for some time now.
“Whoever did this hurt so many, if we meet, I can’t show kindness to someone who won’t hesitate to do anything to me. If it’s who I think it is, we can’t let her live.”
Wait…her? Fluttershy already has an idea?
“I asked Luna to double check the moon to see if I’m right, but I already know the results.” She then put the last bit of fruit in her mouth and practically swallowed it instantly; holding in a noticeably loud belch.
Fluttershy blushed at the expression her friend made. “Sorry. I need to start taking better care of myself again. I was more hungry than I thought.”
Twilight was about to ask who her friend was suspicious of, but mentioning the moon made it clear who it was. The princess didn’t want to ruin the mood with pointless questions, instead she hugged the yellow pegasus. The hug was returned and they stayed like that for a moment before breaking it.
“I want you to remember that you’re not alone in this, Fluttershy,” Twilight said in a serious tone. “I know he was your love, but he was still my friend. If it’s really her, we’ll see to it that we stop her.
The leaders already agreed and we are going to start an anti-chaos training program. This possibly just gives us more justification.”
“Good,” Fluttershy said, “ Then you’ll like what I left in your bedroom,”
Twilight looked puzzled.”What’s that?”
“It’s a book about chaos magic and ways to counter it. Discord left a will in my house and wrote that he wanted to make sure you had it.”
Fluttershy looked down with a slight sulk, “Something tells me Discord knew about this possible plan. That all of this was being elaborately orchestrated from the start. I’ll be busy preparing for this my way, so I’ll see you mostly at our usual meetings.
Twilight. Please be careful. We don’t know what forces never decided to make a move out of fear of what Discord would do to them. They know he’s dead, and now we truly have to rely on ourselves. It won’t be like Sombra, and it won’t be like Bill Cipher.”
Twilight had thought about that before, but she was hoping it was just her usual paranoia. She took a deep breath and relaxed.
“I will. I’m not going to ask what you are planning, but I ask you to please keep taking care of yourself. I also know I can’t stop you from your goals, so I have one more request.”
The shy pony looked to her friend more noticeably before the conversation continued.
“I don’t really know if it’s justice, vengeance, or punishment you’re seeking, but please don’t let hatred be your motivation.”
Fluttershy’s expression softened as she saw the tears in Twilight’s eyes. “You don’t understand how much of an amazing woman you are. You are so sweet and kind. It’ll break my heart if hatred consumes you and I never see that mare again. I don’t want to lose you like that. Please. I’m not strong enough for it.”
She nodded and held her friend longer than before. She didn’t let go and she decided to talk.
“You’re right. I have to make sure I don’t lose who I am in this process. I’ve always been so happy that you came to Ponyville, Twilight. The day you came made me a stronger mare. I won’t let you become as fragile as I once was.”
They broke the hug, and Fluttershy began to walk away. “I’m going to see every pony else now. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be busy with my plans. You are amazing, Twilight. Thanks for always helping me. I’ll see you later, my friend.”
Without another word, the two parted ways, and Twilight watched as Fluttershy disappeared into the crowd. Flashes of memories flooded as she thought about how the pegasus got to this. A sweetheart that was so shy and scared of everything - even her shadow - became this determined mare who felt like she was preparing to face the world.
“You’ve always had a talent for changing a pony’s character.” Twilight’s attention shifted and she saw Luna smiling. “You may not see it now, but you have changed the lives of so many for the better. Just have faith in your abilities. You were the princess of friendship for a reason.”
“Thanks,” Twilight said, a little bit softer than she meant to. “I guess Celestia is still chatting with the leaders?”
“Indeed. I came here to inform you that your plans are going to be coming together faster than you think.”
Twilight was dreading to ask but she decided to get it over with. “You checked already? Didn’t you?” There was a nod. “So she escaped the moon after all?”
“It seems that way,” Luna said, “Perhaps she made some kind of deal with Bill to escape her prison. Regardless, we will have to act fast. We don’t want to go back to square one.”
“Agreed. Apparently Discord already saw this coming and managed to give us one more chance. Thanks for letting me know, Luna. We can’t let that monster destroy the legacy Discord left behind.”
Chaosville was as chaotic as ever: pits of horror, tentacle monsters, flying piranhas, etc. Though in this abominable world, there was a house.
All creatures that dwelled in chaosville knew it was the home of Discord; the lord of chaos itself. They heard of his death, and a few tried to approach the home - to raid it - but soon regretted that decision.
All chaotic beings that approached it turned to dust. He had left a dangerous barrier around the house; making its land unapproachable. They should have realized that no creature was going to ever set foot in there for all eternity. All they could do was growl in anger and look from a distance at the possible power it held, but would never be their’s.
Without warning, the door to the house opened and, to the surprise of the beasts, out came a small yellow pegasus. She observed the monsters that snarled at her. The pony let out a yawn and made it clear she was neither intimidated or impressed.
“Could you all go home,” she asked calmly, “I’m trying to concentrate on something and I don’t like all of you making such a noise outside my house. You’ve been at this for weeks now.”
The creatures went silent until one spoke up. “Hold on a minute. You’re saying you live here? I thought this was the lord of chaos’s home.”
“It was, but he left it and everything in it to me. I’m his queen,” she stated with pride. “Now would you please keep it down? I’m busy preparing for a fight that will come, and I’d like to be ready.”
The monsters stared at her dumbfounded. They were still trying to register the new information given to them before their ringleader began laughing. Like the rest of this group, he had the body of a werewolf, but the head of a squid.
“You’ve got to be kidding. You,” he pointed to Fluttershy, who looked annoyed, “You’re supposed to be his queen? I doubt it. You look like such a feeble creature. If it wasn’t for this barrier, you would be in my stomach right now.”
Fluttershy’s annoyance turned to an exhausted sigh before she spoke up. “I just had to suffer though my lover’s funeral yesterday, so I’m not in the mood to explain that I’m not that pony you’re talking about anymore. She died a few weeks ago.”
Suddenly, the pegasus used her right wing to imitate a large hand. An audible snap could be heard and the barrier went down.
“On your knees, animals. I want you to beg me for forgiveness. Do it, if you value your life.”
The words were spoken softly, so it took the creatures a second to register what the pony just said. Before saying or doing anything else, they finally noticed the look in her eyes, along with the powerful aura that radiated from her. The barrier had most likely hid the true power from this weak looking pegasus.
Another snap and they saw that hundreds of swords engulfed in flames surrounded them from above. It hit them that they had made a grave mistake approaching her.
“Well, I’m waiting,” the pony said, a little annoyed.” Without any delay, they got on their knees and bowed.
“Please forgive us, oh queen of chaos,” one said in an attempt to preserve his life.
“We were such idiots for laughing at you,” another said in a sob.
“I promise never to laugh at you again. Please don’t kill me,” the leader pleaded. “I’ll do anything you want. I swear.”
“Anything, huh,” Fluttershy said with interest. The group began to dread what was going to transpire.
“Ok. I’ll hold you to that. Inform the other creatures that Chaosville has a new queen. I’d practice my sword skills on you, but I won’t for my friend’s sake. That, and I might need an army. Now then, get out of my sight before I reconsider.”
The creatures fled as fast as they could and didn’t even think about looking back; they feared it would change her mind if they did.
Fluttershy took a deep breath and walked back into the house. “Now then. Where was I,” she said to herself. “Oh, that’s right. I was going to try adding more power again. I might be able to control it better now.”
The pony walked over to a mismatched table and picked up a bell. The same bell that contained so much power and caused a war throughout Equestria.
Discord kept it after the last battle, and put a small piece of his magic in it; rendering its power useless to those who couldn’t control chaos. It had been a few weeks, but Fluttershy was able to finally control something with a fraction of the power.
“I’m not there yet, but I promise you, my love. I will learn to control this chaos that you left me. I will either find a way to bring you back, or use it to save your legacy. Your ex will regret ever making a deal with Bill Cipher, and taking you away from me.”
The bell rang, and Fluttershy had a new surge of magic flowing through her. Most ponies would have lost their minds to this chaos, but those ponies were never in love with chaos itself. She didn’t laugh or cry, or even tremble. All she did was smile with determination.
“Prepare yourself Comos. I’m coming for you.”
