miss-flutterby

[miss-flutterby]

Now posting my Bride Of Discord reimagining on Fanfiction.net as well!

[miss-flutterby]

Bride Of Discord (Reimagined) - Chapter Two: The Gala

Hello again! This is the second chapter in my reimagining of the Bride Of Discord fanfic by DisneyFanatic2364! At this point in the story, my primary goals were to tone down how scared Fluttershy is of Discord, as well as change the Applejack and Spike romance from the original series. In my version of the story, Applejack is going to have a crush on Rainbow Dash instead, so don't be caught off guard as that element starts to be introduced as the story goes on.

Three years had passed since Discord's disappearance, and the time had once again come for the Grand Galloping Gala. This year, Celestia had given Twilight the honor of being the primary party planner, a duty the newly minted alicorn took very seriously. Enlisting the help of her friends, Twilight had the preparations well underway, with each of her companions taking on a different aspect of the event planning.

Rarity was in charge of sewing fabulous dresses for each of her friends, as well as Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, a task the unicorn was overjoyed with. The moment she was offered the job, Rarity had jumped on it without a second thought, going into an excited ramble about all of the different details she planned on incorporating into their individual looks as she rushed off to begin buying all the necessary materials.

Rainbow Dash would be flying with the Wonderbolts as part of the entertainment, so she wasn't assigned any particular task, but the Element of Loyalty made a point of helping each of her friends wherever possible between practices, be it dropping off deliveries or bringing various supplies.

Pinkie Pie was in charge of the decorations, of course, and the pink earth pony was going all out, blowing up hundreds of balloons and stringing streamers from every surface she could reach. She had even attempted to wheel in a party canon or two, though Twilight had quickly vetoed the idea, stating they would be a little TOO messy.

Applejack, naturally, was tasked with creating numerous delicious desserts to be served throughout the evening. It was a big task, baking for so many ponies, but Applebloom and Big Mac had been quick to step up and help their sister get everything in order, and soon Applejack was presenting Twilight with a number of sample deserts to try and give feedback on.

And finally, there was Fluttershy, who had graciously offered to bring her songbirds to sing along with the musicians. Day after day, she spent hours in the garden with them, training them to the best of her ability as she sang along with them, voice harmonizing with their melodious chirps. All in all, the event was shaping up to be a night that no one would forget.

When the group were suddenly invited to Canterlot Castle for a lunch meeting with the princesses one afternoon, none of them batted an eye. After all, if it were serious business, it would hardly be discussed over lunch, would it? No, the six mares just figured the princesses wanted to go over what they had come up with for the gala, maybe give them a few friendship missions to accomplish, and that would be that. To their surprise, however, they were not greeted by Celestia or Luna upon their arrival. Instead, the smiling face of Twilight's brother, Shining Armor, greeted them at the gates.

"Hello girls!" The stallion greeted, smile widening as Twilight rushed in to give him a hug.

"Shining Armor! What are you doing here? I thought you and Cadence were busy trying to manage the upcoming Crystal Empire solstice celebration?" Twilight asked, clearly pleased with her brother's unexpected visit, albeit a bit confused.

"I'll explain in a minute. Come on in, Cadence is waiting for us." Shining replied, quickly ushering the six inside. He was almost shaking with excitement, something that did not go unnoticed by the others. As they were guided into the dining hall, Cadence stood up from her seat, smiling kindly at the group.

"Twilight! It's so good to see you again! And your friends, of course!" The pink alicorn said, pulling Twilight into a warm embrace. "Please, take your seats! We have so much to talk about." They all did as instructed, sitting down as trays of small cucumber sandwiches and fresh berries, along with large pitchers of lemonade, were brought out by the serving staff.

Applejack sighed with relief. "Thank goodness, I'm starved!"

Pinkie Pie was practically vibrating in her seat. "Ooh, I LOVE having lunch with the princesses!" The earth pony squealed with delight.

"You love having lunch with anypony, darling." Rarity chuckled.

As the group began to eat, Twilight looked around, eyes landing on Celestia and Luna's empty chairs. "So...is it just going to be us today?" She asked, looking to Cadence in confusion. "I thought they had something they wanted to discuss with us?"

Shining Armor grinned sheepishly. "That MIGHT have been a little trick to get you guys here." He admitted. "Sorry Twi, but I promise there is a good reason!"

The younger pony raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What could be so important you had to go through all this?"

Cadence and Shining Armor shared a look. "Should I tell them?" The pink alicorn asked playfully, earning a shrug from her husband.

"It's why we brought them here, isn't it?" Shining replied, placing a hoof on Cadence's shoulder and shooting her a little wink.

Cadence cleared her throat, every eye in the room now on her. "Well, you see...Shining Armor and I...we're going to have a baby!" She said, a wide grin nearly splitting her face in two.

A chorus of gasps rang through the room.

"Wait a second!" Pinkie Pie took a sip of water, only to do an exaggerated spit take, eyes wide as saucers. "You're having a BABY?! Congratulations! Ooh, I can't wait to play with it and teach it how to bake and throw it the best birthday parties EVER!" She rambled.

Twilight squealed with delight. "I'm going to be an aunt! I'm going to be an aunt!" The purple alicorn sang.

"When are you due?" Rarity asked, head tilted curiously.

"Ten months, give or take, though if the baby is anywhere near as impatient as its father, it could be here sooner." Cadence joked, glaring playfully at her husband, who merely smiled in return.

"Ooh, how wonderful!" Fluttershy smiled.

"Well, I'd say this calls for a toast!" Applejack raised her glass of lemonade, the others responding in kind. "To the new prince or princess!"

As they all took a drink, Spike suddenly got a look of concern. "Wait, this doesn't mean I have to change any diapers, does it?"

As the group laughed, Applejack noticed Fluttershy looking a bit...off. While she was smiling, it didn't quite reach her eyes. Come to think of it, Fluttershy HAD been a bit distant lately. Was something wrong? If so, why wasn't she asking for help? Returning her attention back the the excited conversation around her, she made a mental note to get Fluttershy alone the first chance she could.

...

The next day, preparations for the Grand Galloping Gala were in full swing, ponies bustling from place to place to ensure everything would be finished in time for the big night. Applejack had been at Canterlot Castle since early that morning, setting up dessert tables, preparing treats, and helping her friends with their tasks whenever she got a spare moment. It wasn’t until after lunchtime that she could finally take a moment to breath, trotting off to the gardens in search of a moment of quiet.

However, as she trotted between the beautiful flower bushes and intricately trimmed hedges, it wasn’t the sound of silence that greeted her, but a melodious chorus of birdsong and a sweet, familiar voice. Smiling, the earth pony poked her head around a rabbit shaped topiary, chuckling at the sight that greeted her. Fluttershy hovered in the air, wings flapping gently in the breeze as she lead directer her songbirds through the chorus, none the wiser to the other’s presence.

“Sounds great, Fluttershy!” Applejack said loudly after a moment. The yellow pegasus squeaked, whirling around in surprise, but calmed down upon seeing her friend’s kind smile.

“Oh, thank you, Applejack!” Fluttershy said bashfully, landing in front of the earth pony. “We’ve still got lots of practicing to do before the Gala, though.”

“Well, keep up the good work!” Applejack paused. “Actually, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask ya, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy looked at the orange mare curiously. “What is it?”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Are you…doin’ okay? I’ve noticed that you’ve been statin’ off into space a lot, like your mind’s on something’ else.”

The yellow pegasus’ smile dropped, her gaze sheepishly dropping to her hooves. “I-I’m fine!” She said, a little too quickly. “Just been a little stressed getting the birds ready for the celebration, that’s all.”

Applejack gave her a pointer look. “Fluttershy.” She said sternly, earning a defeated sigh from the other mare.

“It’s just…I’ve been having some rather strange dreams lately, and I can’t help but feel like they MEAN something.” Fluttershy admitted.

"Dreams?" Applejack questioned. "What kind of dreams?"

The pegasus looked down, unable to meet Applejack's gaze. "Dreams about...about...Discord." She forced out.

Applejack's jaw dropped. "Discord? Why in Equestria are you dreamin' about HIM?" She asked incredulously.

"I don't know. He's just been on my mind a lot lately, I guess." Fluttershy shrugged. "I mean, we still don't know what happened to him. I just can't help but wonder if we'll ever see him again."

The orange earth pony snorted. "Sugar cube, it's been three years. You don't have to be afraid of him no more." She said gently, placing a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder.

"I'm not afraid of him." Fluttershy said quickly. "I'm...worried about him."

"Worried? About DISCORD?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, he's been all alone for all this time. It must get pretty lonely, not having anypony to talk to..."

Applejack shook her head in exasperation. "You've got a kind heart, Fluttershy, but you shouldn't be worryin' for that pitiful creature. He made his bed, now he has to lie in it. You just focus on yourself, alright? You have enough on your shoulders as is."

Slowly, Fluttershy nodded, smiling weakly. "If you say so..."

Applejack grinned. "Good! Now, I've also been meanin' to ask you somethin' else. Twilight was wonderin' if you'd be willing to do more than just perform with your birds at the Gala."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one of the bands that was supposed to play had to pull out at the last minute, so now there's about an hour of the evenin' with no music. She was hopin' I could convince ya to sing, but I get it if you're not comfortable with it!"

Fluttershy squeaked. "She wants ME to sing?" She asked with confusion. "Surely there are better choices?"

Applejack chuckled. "Like I said, you don't have to if you don't want to. But for what it's worth, you've got an AMAZING voice, sugar cube."

Fluttershy stood quietly for a moment, thinking it over. "A-Alright, I'll do it!" She said, smiling shyly. "Maybe it will be fun."

"That's the spirit!" Applejack cheered. "Now, I'll leave you be, but you make sure you take care of yourself, alright? Don't overwork yourself."

The yellow pegasus nodded again, flapping her wings as she lifted back into the air, sending her songbirds into a fit of excited chirps. "I will; thanks Applejack!"

...

From within a cave, high in the mountains, a rumbling chuckle echoed. Watching his old enemies through a mirror, Discord couldn't help but grin devilishly.

"Oh, this is just TOO amusing! They truly think I'm gone for good; I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I crash their little party!" The draconequus crowed with delight.

The image in the mirror faded away, leaving his reflection staring back at him. "And that pitiful little pegasus feels BAD for us? Can you believe it! She thinks WE'RE lonely!" It cackled.

Discord snorted. "I know, how foolish can she be?" He hummed. "Oh, what I wouldn't give to teleport in front of those two RIGHT NOW and scare the daylights out of them! Aah, but that would ruin our little plan, and I can be patient when I need to be."

His reflection cocked its head. "And what exactly IS this plan this time? Not turning them into their opposites again, are we?"

Discord shook his head. "No, no, of course not. This time calls for something a little more...permanent. And of course, we'll need to make sure those pesky Elements of Harmony stay out of commission."

"But how? I doubt they would ever agree not to use them, especially on the likes of US."

"How indeed, my friend. Not to worry, I've got the perfect plan, and it's already been set into motion..."

...

The Gala was only a day away when news came from the princesses; news that came as quite a shock to poor Twilight.

"There's a crisis in Saddle Arabia!" She exclaimed, reading over the letter again and again, trying to sink it in. "Celestia and Luna were called out to help a few days ago, and now they've summoned Cadence for assistance as well!"

Spike frowned. "But what about the Grand Galloping Gala?" He asked.

"They've...left me in charge. Completely in charge, of everything!" Twilight's eyes widened in shock. "The Gala, the kingdom! How am I suppose to manage all this! I-I've barely been a princess for a year!"

Spike moved forward, placing a supportive claw on Twilight's hoof. "Don't worry Twilight! The princesses believed you could handle it, and I do too! Besides, I'm sure your friends will be happy to help however they can!"

The purple alicorn looked down at Spike, ears pinned back with worry. "You really think so?"

"I KNOW so! Come on, lets go see them right now! If we all work together, I KNOW we can pull this off!"

Twilight paused, then nodded with determination. "You're right, Spike! The princesses placed their faith in me, and I'm NOT going to let them down!"

[miss-flutterby]

THEY ARE IN LOVE 🌠

[miss-flutterby]

Bride Of Discord (Reimagined) - Chapter One: The Escape

This story was originally written by DisneyFanatic2364 on Fanfiction.net way back in 2013. It was a big part of my childhood and now that I'm older, I wanted to try putting my own spin on it. I highly recommend checking out the original fic and its sequel, Daughter Of Discord, here!

"Chaos is a wonderful, wonderful thing!" Discord declared, taking a sip of freshly rained chocolate milk with a sense of smug satisfaction. Yes, everything was going exactly as planned. Those troublesome ponies were no doubt at each other's throats, unable to even stand the sight of one another, more or less band together enough to use their precious Elements of Harmony. Equestria was his at last, to rule however he saw fit, and there was no one left to stop him.

At least, until the illusion of victory shattered like glass moments later.

"Not as wonderful as friendship!" A voice declared, snapping the draconequus from his thoughts. He glanced towards the sound, eyes narrowing at the sight that greeted him. They were back; of COURSE they were back. He should have known things wouldn't be that simple.

"Ugh, THIS again?" Discord groaned, downing the rest of his beverage before tossing the emptied glass over his shoulder, a plume of smoke erupting as the object hit the ground and promptly exploded.

"That's right! You couldn't break apart our friendship for long!" The orange mare, Applejack, declared, head held high.

Discord nearly rolled his eyes, stretching a clawed finger outwards. His magic activated, grabbing Applejack by the necklace clasped around her throat and dragging her closer. "Oh Applejack, don't lie to me. I'M the one that made you a liar!" He chided. His magic spread, latching onto the other ponies' necklaces and pulling them in as well. "Will you ever learn?"

The purple mare, Celestia's little protegee, glared at him as a burst of white magic emitted from her horn. In the blink of an eye, she vanished, only to reappear next to her floating companions. Another flash from her horn, and the group was enveloped in a pink bubble of pure magical energy.

The draconequus' expression soured as he felt his own magic being cut off, his yellow eyes watching as the unicorn carefully floated her friends back down to safety. He could not allow himself to show weakness, though, forcing an amused expression back onto his face as the unicorn (Twilight, if he remembered correctly) began to speak again.

"I'll tell you what we've learned, Discord! We've learned that friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt it's worth fighting for!"

Discord scoffed, materializing in front of the group with a look of displeasure. "Ugh, GAG! Fine, go ahead, try to use your little Elements, frenemies! Just make it quick!" He retorted, teleporting back to his throne. "I'm missing some EXCELLENT chaos here."

Twilight grinned. "Alright ladies, lets show him what friendship can do!" The mares' eyes narrowed with determination, their stances shifting as they prepared to attack.

"Wait wait wait!" The pink pony, Pinkie Pie, yelled out, rushing over to enjoy one last gulp of chocolate milk rain from a nearby cloud. She licked her lips with a murmur of satisfaction, but when her gaze met the annoyed looks of her peers, she bounded back over with a battle-ready scowl.

A white glow began to surround the ponies, light pulsing from their Elements in bright flashes of color. Purple, pink, orange, blue, yellow, red. Projections of the Elements' stones began shooting through the air, whizzing past Discord's head, making the draconequus lean forward in confusion.

"What's this?" As Twilight's eyes opened, revealing glowing white pools of magic, Discord felt his heart sink. "No..." A burst of rainbow magic erupted from the mares, shooting into the air in an arch before racing downwards towards the draconequus. Discord's eyes widened, a tremor of fear shooting through him. "Noooo!"

The ponies were blinded by the overbearing colors and flashes, their eyes closing as Discord's horrified scream echoed through the air before falling silent. After a moment, the light began to dissipate, the magic receding back into the Elements as their bearers were gently lowered back to the ground. One by one, they opened their eyes, the landscape of overwhelming chaos that had previous surrounded them magically transformed back into its calm, peaceful original state. Their plan had worked; Discord was defeated, Equestria was back to normal.

But all wasn't right, as Pinkie Pie was quick to notice.

"Hey, where's Discord?" The pink earth pony asked, looking around in a state of confusion.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Pinkie, we just turned him to stone! He's right-" The blue pegasus paused, eyes widening as it dawned on her as well. "Wait, where is here? He should be RIGHT HERE, shouldn't he?"

"He's gone!" Applejack gasped, a pang of fear running through her.

"But...I don't understand. That spell should have turned him into stone. Equestria is back to normal, we had to have done SOMETHING!" Twilight said, beginning to pace back and forth.

Fluttershy let out a gasp. "We didn't KILL him, did we?" The yellow pegasus squeaked out, mortified by the mere thought.

"I don't think so, he'd still be here." Rarity replied, placing a comforting hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"Unless we vaporized him! Or turned him into grass!" Pinkie Pie shrieked, hoping from hoof to hoof as she looked down at the ground in panic.

Rarity yelped, rearing up on her hind legs. "You mean we could be STANDING on him?!" The unicorn squealed.

"Guys, we didn't kill him!" Applejack reassured him, though her eyes did glance nervously over to Twilight. "Right?"

"We shouldn't have." Twilight replied after a moment. "The Elements of Harmony cannot destroy. They may work in mysterious ways, but that fact is for certain. Whatever they did to Discord, they at least returned everything to normal."

"So, what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked.

"We must inform Princess Celestia about this..."

...

A few hours later, after ensuring that everything truly WAS well in Ponyville, the ponies recounted their story to Princess Celestia, who listened quietly and intently. Once they had finished, she asked to speak to Twilight in private, her guards escorting the rest of the group to the dining hall for some well-earned snacks.

As the doors shut behind them, Twilight turned to Celestia with a concerned expression. "We DIDN'T kill him, did we?" She asked slowly.

Celestia shook her head. "That sort of deed is not within the Elements' power."

"Then what exactly DID they do? I mean, they banished Princess Luna to the moon, then changed her back to normal later. They turned Discord into stone before, but didn't this time. What does it all mean?"

"The Elements' job is to restore balance to Equestria. From what I have seen, the Elements turn one into what they truly are inside. When my sister was banished, she had nothing but darkness in her heart, thus they imprisoned her within the moon. The second time, they saw an inkling of good within her, and simply brought that goodness back to the surface. As for Discord..." Celestia trailed off for a moment. "Discord has a heart that is as cold as stone."

"Does he even have a heart?" Twilight asked.

"Every creature has a heart, even if they will not show it to others." Celestia replied.

"So...what did the Elements do this time?"

"Nothing."

There was a pause, the purple unicorn's eyes widened. "Nothing?" Twilight asked in shock.

Celestia nodded in confirmation. "Yes, nothing. Discord escaped before the spell could hit him."

"But...Ponyville is normal again! I restored everyone's memories! The spell should have worked!"

"When Discord saw that he could not break your friendship, and that his re-imprisonment was eminent, he chose to flee rather than face the consequences of his actions." Celestia explained. "He knew he could not defeat you, and so, he ran like the coward he is."

"How do you know? Are you sure we didn't...vaporize him?" Twilight asked slowly.

"I know Discord. He is smart enough to know when to retreat."

'So you're saying he's still out there? We have to find him! Equestria is not safe as long as he's free!"

"No Twilight, there is no point in trying to seek him out. You will not find him if he does not wish to be found, and Discord knows better than to attempt another takeover of Equestria, at least until he finds a better way to combat your Elements. We are safe...for now."

"But Princess Celestia-" Twilight started, only to be silenced as Celestia silently raised a hoof.

"Twilight, we do not know where Discord is, and it would be far too dangerous to blindly seek him out. The only thing we can do is wait for him to come out of hiding. When he does, you and your friends will need to be ready. Do you understand?"

Twilight opened her mouth, as if to protest, but then shut it. Slowly, she nodded.

"Good. Now, before you leave today, I will cast a spell to protect the Elements, so that Discord may not take them again. After that, they will be left in the care of you and your friends. When Discord returns again, we MUST be prepared."

Twilight nodded once more. "Yes, Princess Celestia."

...

And so, the six ponies returned to Ponyville and waited. Each wore their Element at all times, ready for the draconequus to make his grand return at a moment's notice. They told no one that the draconequus had escaped, not wishing to cause a panic, and went about their daily business as normally as possible. Tensions were high, and they all slept with one eye open, convinced that Discord would strike the moment they showed any weakness.

Soon, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into a year. Still, there was no sign of Discord. It was as if the spirit had vanished from the face of Equestria, leaving only bad memories and stained glass windows to remember him by. Little by little, Twilight and her friends began to relax, though they never fully let their guards down. Twilight studies divination in an attempt to see into the future, to ensure he would not return, ot at the very least locate the draconequus, to no success. She was powerful, but even Luna and Celestia could not perform such a feat.

And then, Twilight ascended to princesshood, earning a pair of wings and the title of Princess of Friendship, and things got even more complicated. While she still resided in Ponyville, she spent large amounts of time away tending to her royal duties, and slowly her divination lessons and attempts to track down Discord fell by the wayside. After all, she now had more important duties than chasing a ghost.

As Twilight's fame grew, so did that of her friends. Rarity's designs grew rapidly in popularity, and the unicorn soon became a household name among Canterlot's most rich and fashionable. Her business grew so quickly, she had to enlist Sweetie Belle and her friends for assistance, the little fillies helping her pack and deliver orders to the post office.

Rainbow Dash was offered a position with the Wonderbolts, who at first just wanted the increased media attention that came with hiring one of Equestria's saviors, but eventually grew to recognize Dash's talent for what it was.

Pinkie Pie expanded her party business beyond Sugarcube Corner, beginning to take up weekend gigs in various small towns across Equestria, though she always made a point to reserve her best tricks for her friends.

Applejack continued working at Sweet Apple Acres with her family, making deliveries to Canterlot once a month as the demand for their organic delicacies spread beyond just Ponyville. When she wasn't busy with school or her friends, Applebloom would help her big sister bake the apples into various delicious treats to sell at the farmer's market on weekends; apple pies, apple cider, apple tarts, the works.

Each one had a new, glamorous lifestyle and duties to attend to, and little by little, they all began to forget about Discord. Well, all but one.

Of the six mares, Fluttershy's life had changed the least. While her role in saving Equestria had made her more popular among the townsfolk, she still kept to herself whenever possible, spending her days tending to her animals and garden. As time passed, stallions and mares alike had started to take more interest in the pegasus, swinging by her cottage with bundles of flowers and requests for dates. She turned them all down, as kindly as possible, of course. She just...wasn't ready for a relationship, though the attention did feel rather nice.

On quiet nights, Fluttershy sometimes found herself thinking about the draconequus. While some part of her was still fearful of him (he HAD tried to take over her home), she mainly felt a sense of pity towards him. He didn't seem to have any friends, and Fluttershy was sure the spirit of chaos had been quite lonely, even if he would never have admitted it. Was there something she could have done to help him? Could she have been kinder towards him? Would that have made any difference at all?

These musings would always end in the pegasus shaking her head and attempting to go to sleep; surely there was nothing she could have done. He was a monster, plain and simple...right? Besides, it had been so long, Fluttershy doubted she would ever see him again. After all, what were the odds he would turn up again NOW, of all times?

What were the odds indeed...