An aged mare was standing in her small house, looking out the window. Her mane no longer held its pink vibrance, it was dull, almost grey in color with white at the roots, the strands were no longer silky but tattered and rough. Her faded yellow coat was thin, barely overing the pale skin underneath. Her entire form had wrinkles covering it, bags visible under her teal eyes. She was incredibly skinny, her ribs visible underneath the fur and flesh and her joints sticking out. Her wings were completely useless now, she'd never been a great flier and age had claimed her flight, reducing the once beautiful wings to skinny, bony and useless appendages that were missing a few feathers.
Outside the window she could see the visitor she was expecting flying towards her cottage. A smile dawned on her face, but a familiar twinge made her frown again. The mare was old, withering away like a dead tree. She limped towards the couch, slow on her tired limbs. She placed a hoof on the couch and slowly climbed up, tucking her legs neatly around her as she waited for her guest to arrive. A slash of pain, like getting a paper cut, pierced her heart and she coughed, resting a hoof against her chest. She looked at the table and saw the empty space where a small sculpture had once stood, a sculpture that had been made from a broken lamp. A smile creased her face as she remembered what the sculpture had been.
A sculpture of a Draconequus doing ballet in a pink tutu while holding a light bulb.
~~~~~
The flying shape in question was Discord, lord of Chaos. He was a strange creature indeed; A lion paw, an eagle claw, a lizard leg, a goat leg, a snake tail, a horse head, an antelope antler, a deer antler and short cut black mane that ran down his long neck. His uneven wings, one of a bat and one of a pegasus, flapped hard as he sped to his friend's house. In his mismatched arms he carried a pale yellow box wrapped with a bright pink silky ribbon. There was a smile on his face, a long canine jutting awkwardly out from his upper lip as he approached the cottage.
The Chimera landed and tucked the box under his arm. He opened the door and stepped inside the dimly lit cottage, his expression of joy faltering slightly when he saw her. She looked so fragile, so... broken. He ran over and kneeled beside the couch, the box falling to the floor.
"Fluttershy?"
The pegasus turned her head to look at him, her eyes the dull flicker of faint teal magic. "Hello Discord..." Her voice was rasping like wind over jagged rocks, cracking as another sharp jolt came from her chest. She coughed a few times before some cheer came to her pale face. "It's so nice to see you again." She murmured, reaching a shrivelled hoof out to touch his lion paw.
Discord held her hoof in his very different arms, looking at her with concern in his red on yellow eyes. "Are you alright?" He asked, his normally playful tone dark with a serious tone.
Fluttershy let out a weary sigh. "This is how I'm supposed to look sill-" She broke off as another slash and coughing fit made her voce break, "silly. I'm old now. Ponies age as time goes by, but you and the Princesses never do. The years go by and you still look handsome and young." She wheezed, her free hoof returning to her chest. She noticed the box and turned back to him, curiosity igniting in her gaze. "A present?" She asked.
Discord let go of her hoof and picked up the box. He pulled the ribbon off, reached inside and took the small sculpture out. It was a Draconequus, a very familiar Draconequus, doing ballet in a pink tutu holding a light bulb. A sculpture Discord himself had made so long ago, in the younger days of the shrivelled mare.
Fluttershy giggled a bit. "I was wondering where that went. Thank you Discord." She leaned forwards and gave him a friendly peck on the cheek, something she had done so many times before. It wasn't romantic, it was a symbol of her friendship with the King of Chaos. She pulled back, a smile still creasing her wrinkled face. Another stab at her heart and she flinched against it, her face screwing up in pain.
Discord turned to put the statuette right where it had been before he'd gotten it. He turned back to Fluttershy with a small smile and his look of worry that had grown weaker came back with more force when he saw her. Her face was clenched in pain and she held both hooves to her chest. A few hot tears leaked from under her eyelids and she started coughing horribly, her chest heaving. The figurine dropped from his claw and shattered upon impact with the table as he scooped the old mare into his arms, holding her against him as he looked her in the eye, red and yellow meeting teal. "Fluttershy? Fluttershy what's happening?" He asked, fear swimming in his eyes.
Fluttershy let out a soft sigh. "Unlike you Discord, I have no immortality. I've known for a while now that I would... die soon. It came sooner than I thought." She whispered weakly. Every beat of her heart was painful and she let out a whimper and a quiet cry of pain. She curled up in his arms, all four hooves touching her chest and abdomen. Tears started flowing more thickly and freely, splashing onto Discord's arms.
The Chimera placed his eagle talon to her chest, feeling the weak and faltering beats of her frail heart. He channeled magic into her, trying to strengthen the beats of her heart. The small form in his arms was radiating with a yellow glow, but her heart was still failing. "Fluttershy don't do this!" He begged, tears pooling in his eyes. His magic wasn't strong enough, he needed stronger magic. He snapped his fingers and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving the cottage empty.
~~~~~
Inside her thrown room, a white Alicorn with an ethereal flowing pastel mane looked up as something flashed in front of her. She blinked a couple times before recognizing the odd shape of Discord. But something was very wrong, she could see it in his hysterical eyes. Her attention was drawn to the trembling and dull form in his arms and she recognized the pegasus immediately.
"Please! Please help her Celestia!" He begged, his voice cracking in his fear.
"What happened?" She asked calmly, stepping down from her thrown and walking over to him.
"I don't know! She started crying and saying how she was going to die! Her heart is so weak and she's in pain, make it stop Celestia!" He screamed in panic, looking at the barely conscious mare in his arms.
Princess Celestia sighed heavily. She knew what he wanted her to do, but she couldn't do it. Not even for Fluttershy. "Discord... There's nothing I can do for her. There's nothing anypony can do for her." She sat down and lowered her head, no tears left her eyes but there was an immense weight on her ancient heart.
Discord growled at her, baring his pointed teeth. "What do you mean you can't do anything!? You're the most powerful pony in Equestria, there has to be something you can do!" He roared, looking down at Fluttershy as her crying grew more feeble.
"Over the course of time many of my subjects have asked me to prolong the lives of themselves or their loved ones, even going as far as begging me to resurrect their families from the dead. I may be the most powerful mare in Equestria, but I have no power over death. It is not for me to decide, every pony's time comes eventually, except for us who are immortal. It is the curse of immortality Discord, there's nothing you can do." She whispered gravely.
Her words fell on deaf ears. The Draconequus rested his talon on her again and pumped magic into her dying body. She was held aloft in his golden aura as he sent spells into her, desperate to strengthen her heart.
Her hoof reached out from the cloud and rested upon his chest, right above his heart. "Discord... My best friend, the one who never left. Don't try and make it stop, I will die no matter what you do. I got to see you one last time before I went..." She coughed harder, her entire body racking.
Discord had tears rolling down his face. He was speechless and he put his paw on her hoof, holding it there as he looked into her eyes once more.
"Don't cry because it's over... Smile because it happ-"
She was cut off as another electrifying slash of agony ripped through her chest. Her heart stopped beating, the blood stopped pumping, everything in her body stopped. Her last breath came out a gasp as all life drained from her small body, leaving her a cold and limp husk.
Discord became hysterical once more. He channeled magic into her until he couldn't make a single spark. The magic holding her faltered and he caught her as she fell, pulling her in close and collapsing to his knees, hugging her corpse and burying his nose in her chest, begging to feel a pulse. "Fluttershy! Fluttershy please don't leave me!" He wailed. For the first time in his life, Discord openly sobbed. The tears were hot with pain and unbearable sorrow, flowing down his face like twin streams of saltwater.
Celestia watched, her eyes devoid of anything except for sympathy. The thousands of years she'd been ruler had hardened her against the anguish of death, but it didn't stop her from being sympathetic. She moved forwards and wrapped her great white wings around Discord, feeling his tears soak her chest as he hugged the corpse of his friend. The first friend he'd ever had.
For the first time in so many years, her heart broke, along with the Chimera enclosed in her embrace.
~~~~~
Everypony came to the funeral.
Fluttershy had been a beloved member of Equestrian society and as such it was only proper that everypony who had known her come to the funeral. Even other animals were present, from bears to small mice as they mourned the kind pegasus who had healed and cared for them and their ancestors.
Discord stood right next to Celestia and Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn had a white mane and her once beautiful coat was now dull and ragged. Tears fell from her eyes, behind the glasses she now wore. Discord walked up the coffin and to everypony's surprise, he opened it. His talon rested on his chest and started glowing. He bowed his head, closed his eyes and let out a cry of pain. The aura around his talon started glowing red as something merged with it. With a strangled shriek he ripped his talon away and in his claw he held something transparent and red.
Celestia's eyes widened in shock, but a smile of understanding crossed her face and she bowed her head, a single tear rolling down her cheek as she realized what he had done.
Discord looked at the object in his hands. It was in the shape of a heart and he clenched it tightly. It wavered slightly, it was like a bubble almost. But as it was exposed to the cold air it hardened slightly, getting as smooth as glass. He placed it next to her with a warm smile on his face, placing it on her chest and placing her front hooves on it. "I, Discord, hereby give something precious to the deceased Element of Kindness, Fluttershy," His voice amplified and he turned to the crowd of watching ponies and animals, his eyes full of tears, "I give her my love. From this day forth, I am not permitted to love another pony, Draconequus or citizen of the Earth. I am only allowed to feel friendship. I am not allowed to take a bride, I am not allowed to have children and I must remain friends with anypony I've ever come to love." He stated solemnly.
Princess Celestia was crying openly, tears of joy rolling down her face. This expression and emotion was mirrored by all the ponies present, their hearts touched by the Gift of the Draconequus. A few cheers came from the crowd and the sound of hoof meeting hoof in applause rang in the air.
Discord turned back to Fluttershy and a few tears dripped onto her fur, pearling before rolling down to touch her skin. The heart that contained his love was held on her chest as he gazed warmly at her. It had never been love between them, it had been a powerful friendship. The mare who had taught him about friends, the first friend he'd ever had. More tears fell as he closed the lid to her coffin, tears that could only be shed for one mare.
The tears of a Draconequus.
