Discord At Death's Bed - Goodbye, Fluttershy
Discord At Death's Bed - Goodbye, Fluttershy
It was a warm summer day - which to Discord seemed absolutely wrong. He wanted the weather pegasi to pull in every storm cloud and let rain and lighting tear apart the world. If he hadn't promised her that he'd behave, he'd have done it himself.
Outside, a myriad of butterflies surrounded the tiny house at the edge of the Everfree Forest, slowly circling as if their wings were weighed down. A gentle breeze blew across the leaves of the trees, trees full of birds, silent and looking down. On the ground, warmed by the golden summer sun, were gathered squirrels, beavers, rabbits, bears, and all other manner of creatures. All had gathered and all were silent.
"I don't want you to go," Discord said to the ancient yellow pony laying in the bed. He sat near her in an old faded blue recliner she had bought for him to keep at her home so that he'd always have a place there and feel welcome. He didn't know what feeling welcome was until he met her.
"It's all right. It's just my time," the old yellow pony said slowly.
Her hair still had wisps of pink here and there but was mostly grey and thinning. The wrinkles on her face were deep, but they couldn't cover up the delicate nature of her high cheekbones or the brightness of her eyes.
Each breath she took was heavy and rasped in and out slowly as if she had to will the breath through her lungs. Yet, somehow, she didn't look sad, or scared, or any of the things one would expect.
"I don't have to let you go, you know. I can make you young again. I can keep you here! Just let me," he begged as tears rolled down his cheeks and collected in his beard.
"Discord," the old pony said, "sweetie, it's okay. It's time to let me go."
"It's not fair," the draconequus said, "I'm the master of chaos. Why do I have to let you go?"
"Because there is an order to things," Fluttershy said and then closed her eyes for a moment. Her breath was so shallow that even Discord had to strain to hear it.
"I hate order," Discord said, sounding more like a spoiled child than an ancient force of chaos.
"I know, sweetie," the yellow pony said, "I know, but sometimes we have to deal with things we don't like."
Fluttershy slowly lifted her hoof from her chest and reached out to hold Discord's hand. She smiled and tried to comfort her old friend.
"Do you remember when you made my house float up into the sky and spin around and around?" she asked.
"Yeah," Discord said while trying to fight back a smile, "those were good times."
"Good times?" she said playfully, "I still don't have all the cracks in the walls and ceiling patched up!"
He started to laugh, "That's what I said. Good times!"
They both laughed for a moment, but a spasm of coughs cut the moment short.
"Are you okay," Discord asked, "Is there anything I can get you? Tea?"
After Fluttershy took a few deep breaths and had her lungs back under control she smiled again and looked up at Discord with a sweet gentleness in her eyes.
"Yes please," she said quietly, "I think that would be just wonderful."
"You just wait right there," he said as he got up from his chair and started towards the kitchen, "I'll make it just the way you like. No magic. I promise. With real water and leaves."
"Thank you," she said as he left the bedroom and headed to the kitchen.
He fumbled with the teapot, dropping it several times, found the tea in the bottom cupboard behind several bags of critter food, and used just the tiniest bit of magic to get the fire in the stove burning. He waited for the teapot to whistle and thought about the years he'd spent in Ponyville since he'd been released from stone for the second time. He loved Nightmare Night, it was the most fun out of any of the Pony holidays. So much mischief and ponies loved him for it, even Princess Luna got in on a few of the pranks. Of course, that other princess never did join in on things. Too much of a stick in the mud, pretty ironic for a goddess in charge of the sun.
He was pulled out of his reverie by a series of loud knocks at the door and quickly made his way to the front room to answer it.
"Oh," he said as he looked out at the pastel rainbow maned alicorn standing outside, "I see you've finally decided to come for a visit. You sure you have the time?" he asked with bitter spite dripping from his words.
"We've both come," Celestia replied calmly and stepped inside, revealing the six-foot tall purple dragon standing behind her and waiting to come in as well.
"Hello Spike, it's always good to see you. Come in," Discord said as he stepped aside to allow Princess Celestia and the dragon to enter.
Spike had grown up a little different from the normal dragons. Slower and without greed spurring his growth forward he had grown into a tall, lantern-jawed, and honorable fellow. Though he still aged, it was much slower than the ponies around him and he looked young and healthy despite all of the years that had passed since he was the baby dragon Discord had met decades before.
"How is she?" Spike asked right away.
"Not good," Discord said, "I'm making her tea."
He ran back into the kitchen as the whistling teapot reminded him of what he was doing before they showed up. After a few minutes, he came back out into the living room carrying a tray with a tea cup, some cookies, and a flower on it.
"She's very tired," he said while giving Celestia a sideways glare, "and needs her rest."
"We'll only be a little while," Celestia said.
"Okay," Discord said, "but if she looks like she's getting too tired, you'll have to go."
"Of course," Spike chipped in, sensing the stress between Discord and Celestia, "We wouldn't think of keeping her from her rest."
They crowded around Fluttershy's tiny bed and she smiled as her eyes fluttered open.
"Hello, everyone. Oh my, this is a wonderful surprise. Isn't it, Discord?" she asked.
"Yeah," Discord said as he added another pillow behind Fluttershy's head to prop her up and placed the tray on her lap, "It's always good to see old friends."
"How've you been, champ?" Spike asked the old pegasus.
"If it weren't for Discord I don't know what I'd do." Fluttershy replied, "He's been taking care of all the critters and me all this time."
"That's great," Spike said as he choked back his tears and tried to keep a brave face.
"Oh," Fluttershy whispered as she put her hoof on the dragon's arm and waved with the other for him to come closer, "Don't worry about crying. You just go ahead and do it."
"I'm not crying!" Spike said, "Okay, I am crying!"
The dragon wrapped his arms around his old friend and hugged her for what he was sure would be the last time as she whispered and comforted him.
"I'm going to wait outside," he said when he'd finally let her go and Fluttershy gave him a knowing nod.
"Are you just going to stand there and stare at her?" Discord asked the princess, "Because if that's all you're going to do, you should just leave now."
"Discord," Fluttershy chided him, "this is very hard for the princess."
"Oh, I bet it is," he said and was going to say more before he noticed the look on Fluttershy's face, "Okay, I'll shut up."
After a long moment, Celestia finally spoke, "I have come to say goodbye... and that I will miss you."
"Is that all you have to say! Why don't you offer to save her?" Discord exploded with rage, "You heartless-"
"Do not begin to think you understand me!" Celestia interrupted him, "I am not like my subjects. I have been around for much, much longer - and I will be here long after they have gone. They come into my world and leave again so quickly and the longer I live the faster they fade away. I have seen towns, cities, and nations spring up and crumble away. I have seen friends grow old and infirm again and again and I have lost so many!"
Celestia took a deep breath and regained her composer, "I'm sorry Fluttershy. I don't know what came over me. This isn't the time or place..." her voice trailed off and a single tear wound its way down her face to fall to the floor.
"It's okay, Princess," Fluttershy said softly, "I understand."
Silence painfully pressed against the walls of the room for a few moments before Discord finally spoke, "I'm sorry too, Princess."
"It's all right," Celestia said softly.
"Princess," Fluttershy spoke up, "could you leave Discord and I alone for a little while?"
Celestia looked back and forth between the draconequus and the old pony for a moment before nodding and silently leaving the room.
"I've got to go soon," she said softly, "and I would like you to hold my hoof. Please."
"I could still make you young again. Young forever," he said as he sat down in his blue chair and wrapped his fingers around her hoof.
"Just sit with me," she said, "and be my friend. Tell me a story."
"Okay," he said as he tried to think of a story, "Once upon a time there was a very lonely creature that no one understood, that no one trusted, and that had never had a friend. But one day a beautiful maiden rescued him from all the bitterness and anger and pain that he didn't even know he was in. She brought him into her home and trusted him even when he shouldn't have been trusted. She was his friend when he didn't even know what a friend was. She was the best thing in the whole wide world... and he is going to miss her."
As he finished his story and dried his tears he leaned down and laid his head on her shoulder.
"That's a lovely story sweetie... Be good," she said as she let go of her last breath and her body went limp.
"Goodbye, Fluttershy."
