Shedding Velvet

Originally published November 9th, 2019.

~~~

It was seven o'clock in the morning, and Fluttershy was running through the Everfree Forest in a pair of flip flops.

She hadn't had time to put on her work boots -- they took a moment or two too long to tie up -- and she didn't own any other pairs of shoes. Well, there was the one pair of kitten heels that Rarity gave her for fancy events in Canterlot, but those things would be even more ill-suited for running than flip flops were. 

Besides, Fluttershy had bigger things to worry about than the fact that she could feel every bump, rock, and twig under her feet through the thin sandal material. 

She had received her first hint that something was wrong that morning when she woke up without a pair of mismatched limbs wrapped around her.

Now, Discord being gone didn’t usually mean anything. It happened less and less often as the years went by, but he would sometimes take off on his own to Celestia-knows-where, which was alright. It really was.

He was never gone for more than a few days, but chaos needed to disappear sometimes, and Fluttershy understood that. And besides, he always left a note. 

The second hint had been the fact that the note Discord left was very plain. 

Discord's letters were always unique. They always had something that made Fluttershy smile, even if the actual content of the message was something as simple as "Be back soon". Color-changing ink that read itself aloud in a silly voice, a little, moving pictures of dancing woodland creatures, an automated projection of his face that appeared to kiss her on the cheek before dissipating. 

But the note Fluttershy had opened that morning was very straightforward. Plain and white, with black ink. It wasn't laying in its usual spot on his pillow; she found it on the kitchen table when she went downstairs for breakfast. 

On their own, these two things still would have made Fluttershy worry; it probably signaled that Discord was in a bad mental state, but she would have eaten her breakfast before heading to the chaos dimension to try and find him.

But the contents of the message itself were the reason why Fluttershy was not only more worried than she had ever been in her life, but was also running as fast as her legs could carry her, internally pleading to the Everfree that she wouldn't trip on a fallen log or get caught up in a thistle bush:

"Harmony is dying. I have to do what I'm able to do. Please understand. I love you. - Discord"

The words kept playing on repeat in her head. It wouldn't stop. She could almost hear his voice over the din of nature's morning bird calls and cicada cries.

She cupped a hand over her mouth and called his name into the woods (he wouldn't answer her if he heard her, she knew this), sucking in a cold gasp through her teeth when her heel hit a sharp stone. She didn't slow her pace. She couldn't.

Harmony was dying. At least, the Tree of Harmony was. 

But by extension, the life around the Tree was dying, too. She had seen whispers of it for a while now. A dead branch here, a sickly bird there.

It wasn’t anything drastic, but it would eventually add up. If the rate of decay increased exponentially, the Everfree would be a wasteland within a few decades.

The home of countless animals. The life force of Ponyville’s soil. Withering away alongside harmony itself. Fluttershy couldn't have explained why all this was happening, but she could see it and she could feel it. 

The only thing that had changed was that Equestria hadn't faced any major threats since Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow were thwarted. It was the longest peace they'd had in centuries. 

Nobody had attacked the Tree. Nobody had tried to poison it. There was only peace. It was strange.

And Fluttershy didn't know what Discord had planned, but she didn't like his letter. He was never that serious in letters, even when he needed her by his side. 

This sounded too... 

Fluttershy thought of the word "final", but refused to apply it to anything involving Discord.

As she made her way deeper into the forest, she tried to head in the direction of the Tree of Harmony. She had a feeling he might be there (her feelings about him were usually correct, and lots of important things happened there, anyway).

She couldn't recognize any landmarks, since she never headed to the Tree from this direction, so she was on autopilot. Her former position as the Element of Kindness meant that her heart still had ties to the forces of harmony, so she trusted her instincts to lead her in the right direction.

She couldn't focus on much right now, anyway. Her palms were clammy and she felt like she might be sick. 

Luckily, her instincts were right, and the Tree wasn't too far from her cottage to begin with; she came to the edge of its crater in no time.

Fluttershy approached the edge of the cliff that led into the cave, and saw her Discord standing in the vicinity of the Tree. 

He was still here. She wasn't too late for whatever he had planned.

There was a glowing portal just a few feet before Discord, and it didn't look like one of his. It was a few heads taller than him, and it was a violet color, with swirling traces of silver and indigo. He wasn't too far from the mouth of the cave, and he was staring straight into the light, his arms crossed in front of him. She couldn't see his face, but his shoulders were hunched.

Fluttershy flapped her wings and started to descend to the cave floor. "Discord!"

He turned around, his eyes widening. "Fluttershy?"

She was worn out from all the running, and her voice reflected it. "I found you!"

"Fluttershy?" he repeated. "What are you doing here? I said--"

"Did you really think I wouldn't look for you?"

She touched down and ran towards him. He turned his body away from the portal and towards her, and she nearly glided into his arms. 

Fluttershy looked up at him for a moment, her chin resting on his chest before she switched it for her cheek. She tried to keep her voice level and hide her worry. "What are you doing here"

Discord shook his head and smoothed her hair down. "Oh, don't worry about it, my dear. You should get back to the cottage. Don't the chickens eat around now?"

"They'll be alright for a little while. Henrietta's a capable girl. I'm asking about you."

"Really, it's alright. I swear." He pecked the top of her head.

"If it's alright, then why won't you tell me what's going on?" She pulled away slightly but kept their hands linked. Deep breaths. "I know that the Tree of Harmony isn't doing very well. It sounded like you were going to try and fix it, somehow."

"Well... it's not just the Tree of Harmony, Fluttershy," he sighed deeply. "It won't be just the Tree forever, at least."

She lightly dug her fingernails into his palm. "You're scaring me."

"That's the last thing I ever want to do."

"Then stop trying to sugarcoat whatever it is you're sugarcoating."

"If I don't, it might scare you even more."

"Discord."

He frowned and his eyes fell downwards. "I didn't want you to find out like this."

"Is that why you left a note on the table?"

Now he looked like he might cry. "I... couldn't bear to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Her hands went to hold his face in a caress. "You're leaving?"

Discord nodded. "I am, yes. I have to. "

"For how long?"

He looked at her like a guilty puppy -- like he hadn't just implied something unthinkable -- but there was a sort of exhaustion in his eyes, too. "After a great deal of thought on the subject, I reasoned that something must be done about all this. And I suppose there's no hiding from you that I'm the god for the job." 

Fluttershy's voice was barely a whisper. Her blood ran cold. "You can't. Whatever it is, you can't."

"I must."

"You mustn't," She stepped closer to him and ran her thumb along his cheekbone. "You didn't even come to say goodbye."

Discord shut his eyes and leaned ever-so-slightly into her touch. "I'm sorry I didn't come to tell you, Fluttershy. I was afraid that this would happen. I... I couldn't handle the thought, so I ran."

"Why do you even need to leave?" She spoke with urgency.

"Harmony's out of balance. I've got to re-balance it."

She tried to fight back the tears forming in her eyes. "I know that, but how is you going away forever going help the Tree?"

"As I said, it's bigger than the Tree. This is the center of operations, yes, but harmony itself always reaches into every corner of Equestria. If it becomes off-kilter, bad things start to happen everywhere."

"Like the Everfree Forest dying."

"Yes. It's not that noticeable now, but eventually, it'll become irreversible." An uneasy chuckle came from his throat. "I didn't think about it until just now, but I'm usually the one that makes things off-kilter, not the one straightening things back up. Ironic, eh?"

She frowned. "I don't understand. What's causing it?"

"I can't be sure, but I think it might be the peace." He shook his head. "Everyone in Equestria's getting along so well these days, and there's not much fighting going on at all. If there are no problems to work through and solve, not even small ones, then there's no balance."

 She nodded urgently. "I know how harmony works. Too much of one thing, and harmony is disrupted. But isn't there another way? Can't me and the others --"

"It has to be me." He rubbed slow circles into her back. "Order and chaos are two sides of the same coin. If one starts taking over, the other needs to keep it in check."

Fluttershy sputtered, her jaw hanging open. "But... I mean, surely the girls and I could help you channel your magic through the Tree somehow, if the problem is that chaos is weakening. Twilight's really good at stuff like that."

"It's not that simple. For my magic to be dispersed, I have to... give myself up. Let myself ascend and be reborn." 

She shook her head as tears began to well up in her eyes. "You can't! You haven't even been free for that long!"

Discord smiled. It wasn't a very good attempt. "I'd say fifteen years is a pretty good run, wouldn't you?"

"No, it's not fair. That's barely the blink of an eye to you."

"It doesn't matter." He looked at her like she was the only other living being on the planet. "What matters is that I got to live it. What matters is that I got to spend it with you."

She sobbed. "Stop it."

His breath hitched, and she could tell he was close to crying, too. She wrapped her arms around him again and pulled him as tightly to her as she possibly could. 

They stayed like that for a minute. Fluttershy was trembling, and Discord was as still as a statue. 

He laughed, but it came out as just one strained syllable. “It’s funny. I always thought that, one day, it would be me saying goodbye to you. And now it’s backwards.”

“Stop it, that’s sad. That isn’t very funny at all.”

“Well, something has to be.” A few tears finally slid down his face and fell into her hair. “It’s too hard otherwise.”

Fluttershy shook her head as much as she could with her face buried in his chest. "I don't believe you. There's got to be a better way. We need to talk to Twilight, and Celestia and Luna, and maybe Starswirl..."

"I told you, there's no other way. But it's alright, my dear. You know, I think all those friendship lessons have finally gotten through to me." Discord pulled back, just enough to look her in the eye. "I'm certain this is for the good of Equestria, and for once, I'm not all that worried about myself."

Fluttershy wanted to scream 'what about me? I'll be without you!', but the only words she could articulate were ones of concern. "But you'll be gone," she said, sounding more pathetic than she intended, but not particularly caring. 

He waved a dismissive hand in the air, which looked odd paired with his teary eyes. "Not really, no. When I ascend, I'll be reborn; a new spirit of chaos will take my place somewhere in the world."

"But it won't be you."

Discord opened his mouth to reply, but paused. He looked defeated. 

He had no clue what else to say to Fluttershy, and she knew it. The only thing that he could do at this point was repeat what he had already told her.

She knew Discord was convinced that he had to do this. He probably did have to do this. Fluttershy suggested talking to the others, but she knew that wouldn't work, not really. If anything, that was a short-term solution, and it would make Discord miserable, since so much of his magic would be channeled into the universe.

Fluttershy looked at him again, not able to cry anymore or speak or do anything else. They made eye contact, and Discord's eyelids drooped as he leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together. She felt his three hearts beating against hers for what was possibly the last time.

Despite everything, there had to be another way.

She shut her eyes and let herself savor his touch for a moment longer, and then spoke. "You know all those speeches I gave you before? About being selfish and reckless?"

He hummed. "How could I forget them?"

There had to be another way.

"Well... I think it's my turn to be selfish and reckless."

She kissed him, swiftly but meaningfully, and before he could react to anything, she pulled away from him. Taking one last look at his bewildered face, she ran into the portal. 

She thought she might have heard him call her name, or felt his hand reaching out to grab her, but her ears were ringing too loudly for her to hear.

Blinding light engulfed her, and the lingering tears on her cheeks evaporated. 

When Fluttershy opened her eyes, she was floating.

She also had a hint of a headache, but it was like something else was fighting it back. Something out of her control.

It took a moment for her eyes and wings to adjust, but once she got used to the sensation of hovering without using her wings, she saw that she was in some kind of void. It was the same color that the portal had been, and it stretched on forever.

Fluttershy was the only thing in it, save for an orb of white light that was at her eye level a few feet away. It hurt to look at for too long. 

At first, she just stared and continued to float. She wasn't sure of what else to do. This might have been the afterlife, or limbo, or any number of places, and she didn't want to act too quickly.

And then, the orb spoke. One could tell that it was the orb that was speaking, because its glow faintly brightened when it projected words into one's mind.

It said, "Hello, Element of Kindness. You're not who I expected to see here." It used a female voice, one that was gentle and commanding all at once.

Fluttershy squinted. "Um... hello." 

It felt odd to physically talk in this space, since there wasn't anything for the sound waves of her voice to bounce off of. It felt like the space absorbed her words like an eraser on a chalkboard.

Regardless, the light seemed to hear her just fine. "He came in after you."

"Oh." Fluttershy sighed. "I guess I should have seen that coming."

"I can feel that you're worried. Don't fret; he's perfectly fine. He's sleeping."

"Sleeping?"

"He'll wake up when I'm ready to address him."

She tilted her head. "Wait. I don't know who you are."

The orb hummed. "I am the Tree of Harmony."

"Really? I didn't realize you were..."

"Sentient? That would be a logical assumption to make. Most trees are not sentient."

"I..."

Fluttershy fought her slight instinct to interrogate the Tree about minor questions that arose out of sheer curiosity. Discord was at the forefront of her mind.

"May I ask you a question, Miss...Tree of Harmony?"

it felt like the orb would have smiled if it had a face. "Harmony is just fine. And of course."

"Alright, then. Harmony. Why do you need Discord?"

"I believe that I heard the spirit of chaos explain the situation to you a few minutes prior to your entrance."

"Yes, he did. I understand what's going on." 

"So I assume you didn't come here for another explanation."

"No, I didn't."

"Perhaps you'll supply me with one, then: why did you attempt to sacrifice yourself in his place?"

"Well..." Fluttershy tried not to be frustrated with an ancient force of nature (which was easier for her than it would be for most people; she had plenty of practice in this area). 

She continued, "I'm not sure that was what I meant to do, exactly. Truthfully, I'm not sure what I was doing. But I felt like I had to do something."

"Discord has been on this plane for millennia. You have only been alive for about four decades -- not very long at all. In addition, the spirit of chaos would move into a new host upon Discord's ascension, and harmony would be restored. It would make perfect sense."

"I did it because I care about Discord and I don't want him to leave." She breathed out through her nose.

"And you thought risking your life would save him?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

Harmony paused for a moment in contemplation. "Alright. I believe I understand."

"If you do, maybe you can answer my question: is there really no other way to restore harmony? Is this actually the only way?" Fluttershy sniffed. "Because if anyone knows the answer to that, it's you."

"Hmm." Harmony hovered a bit to the left and right, as if she were pacing. "In any normal circumstance, the answer would be yes. Discord would give himself up and all would be well. But this is no normal circumstance; I haven't spoken directly with a mortal in millions of years. Not since I was Princess."

In any normal circumstance, Fluttershy would have thought about what a great honor this was, or wondered about the Tree of Harmony being a Princess, but she was preoccupied at the moment. 

Harmony continued, "And never before have I seen a mortal so willing to jeopardize their own soul to protect a being as all-powerful and all-encompassing as Discord."

She hugged herself. "I love him. And he loves me."

"Your attempted sacrifice, while ill-advised and hasty, is built on a foundation of unity between chaos and order. That, in and of itself, is incredibly powerful."

Fluttershy stared, unsure exactly of how to respond beyond voicing her confusion. "I'm not really sure what you're saying. I'm sorry."

"I'm saying that there might be another way."

With those words, the weight of the entire world was lifted from Fluttershy's chest, and she took her first steady breath since she had entered the forest. It was only a 'might', but it was the first thing she had heard that morning that made her even vaguely hopeful. "You mean it?"

"I mean it." Harmony laughed, and it sounded like bells. "There might be a solution that can bring harmony back to a balanced state without Discord taking part. It would mean sacrifice on your end, however."

"Anything." 

"It wouldn't be a traditional sacrifice. You wouldn't give yourself up in his place; you're not a chaos avatar, so it would do nothing. No, the relevant power lies in your love."

Fluttershy blinked. 

Harmony continued, "I'll try and keep things succinct. Essentially, your actions today have caused a boom of entropy. This entropy is now tied to your life force, as well as Discord's. There are now benefits to keeping both of your life forces intact."

"So... there's enough chaos to go around now?"

"Yes, but only as long as you're alive, Fluttershy."

"But that sounds like it wouldn't work in the long run. I'm... I'm mortal."

"And that's where my proposal comes in." The orb glowed a little brighter. "I could grant you a form of godhood."

She nearly felt her heart stop. "Godhood?"

"Your life force would become tied to that of the Everfree Forest's. The Everfree is closely connected to the Tree of Harmony, but it is also its own entity. Your new place in the universe would be as the guardian of all living things here."

"So... what's the sacrifice?" There had to be a catch. Plus, the thought of having that much power, even if it was related to the forest, was a little daunting.

"Since your soul would be bonded with the Everfree's, you would only be able to survive as long as the forest can. You would only be as mortal -- or immortal -- as it is." Harmony hummed. "In addition, you couldn't stray too far from the forest for longer than a few cycles of the sun and moon, lest you begin to wither away. Your connection with the Everfree would be strong and unbreakable, for better or worse."

Fluttershy sat still for a moment and took everything in. She pulled absentmindedly at the string around the waist of her pajama pants.

It... didn't sound too bad. It wasn't much different from what she did now, anyway; she rarely stayed away from Ponyville for very long, unless she was in the chaos dimension.

And if the Everfree ever did die, she would be dying as well, and by then, Discord would have had a fair chance at a long, full life of freedom. That's what mattered.

She bit her lip. "That's all?"

"Most mortals would display more hesitance at giving up their natural life cycle in exchange for such a lofty undertaking."

"I dunno. If it means Discord gets a chance..."

"Regardless, those are the terms. Nurture the Everfree's life, and it shall nurture yours in return."

"What would my exact duties be?"

Another aura of a smile. "You'd find them out in time. Truthfully, I believe that you, in particular, would adjust wonderfully."

In that moment, Fluttershy felt sure of this. Absolutely certain. If anyone could be trusted, it was the Tree of Harmony.

Discord's life would be saved. They'd both live. And becoming the Everfree's official guardian was a big responsibility, but it didn't sound very different from how she lived now. Plus, who would have guessed that their feelings alone were enough to sustain harmony itself?

Besides, she would have accepted any terms at all if it meant nobody had to die today.

She nodded, her face set. "I... I think I accept."

"You think?"

"No. I know I accept."

“You would accept this responsibility? You would join the likes of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Discord, Lord of Chaos? Abandoning the natural order of age and the cycle of life?”

“If I would be connected to the forest, I don’t think it would be unnatural. Forests live a very long time, after all.”

The orb seemed to smile. “An astute answer.”

Fluttershy felt the space around her begin to swirl as a rush of adrenaline coursed through her body.

Harmony said, "I wish you well, Fluttershy, Lady of the Everfree. May our paths cross again."

"Wait!" 

The swirling slowed, but it didn't stop.

Fluttershy looked at Harmony, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Harmony. Thank you for giving Discord, and me, this chance."

"Your courage is admirable. I would have hated for all your efforts to have been in vain."

"Is your name really Harmony?" She paused. "It's a very nice name. I just thought I would ask, in case you didn't want to be referred to as just a tree."

She laughed. "I don't mind. But... it was so long ago now, but I think my name was something else, once. It's hard for me to be sure about certain parts of myself I've abandoned, but the name Megan seems correct."

"Megan." Fluttershy reached out to touch the light in an attempt at a friendly gesture. It was warm and felt like a butterfly's wing. "Thank you, Megan."

"You're very welcome, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy woke up with a pair of mismatched limbs wrapped around her.

Her head felt heavy, and there was some sort of pressure throbbing dully against her skull. The warmth from the body she was being held close to helped a little.

She felt a bird land on the branch of a tree somewhere. A mole burrowing into the ground.

Fluttershy stirred slightly, and Discord said softly, "Fluttershy?"

"Discord..."

He shushed her gently. "Don't push yourself, my dearest. You're drained."

Her eyes were still shut, but she was hyper-aware of the scent of rain and dirt and grass and flowers. It was like her senses could reach for miles, and it was overwhelming and incredible.

Discord held her closer to him, and she instinctively turned her face towards him, nuzzling into him. She could feel him shaking.

He pressed a tender kiss against her hairline. "What did you do?"

She shut her eyes tight. "I'm not sure."

"You could have died."

"You would have died."

"That's not the point."

"Yes, it is." Her fingers gripped the back of his coat. "My head hurts. I can feel everything."

He continued to place kisses along her forehead and down her temple. "I sensed it when we both came out. Your magic is different. Stronger."

"Did Megan not talk to you?"

She felt his jaw drop. He asked, "How do you know who that is?"

"I talked to her. She told me her name."

"Is she the Tree? I thought she disappeared eons ago."

"Discord, didn't you talk to her?"

He ran his fingers through her hair, straightening out the strands. "No. I blacked out, and when I woke up, you were beside me, glowing blue. And you had horns. The glowing's stopped now, though."

"Horns?"

Fluttershy moved one hand up and felt two velvety antlers on the crown of her head. She quickly identified these were the source of her encroaching headache.

She looked up at Discord, and saw his face for the first time since they had left the Tree of Harmony's realm. He was looking at her with a mixture of awe and concern. The portal was gone now, and there was only the sun and the Tree to illuminate his features. 

He stroked her face and repeated, "What did you do?"

She bit her lip. "The Tree made me the guardian of the forest. She called me the Lady of the Everfree."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're alive." She hugged him close again. "I'll try and explain it to you better later. I'm tired."

"Whatever it means, I can feel a difference. Harmony's balanced again." His voice was soft. "You always were the bravest out of all of them, you know that? Don't be. Promise me you'll never do anything like that again."

Fluttershy groaned softly. "Okay, but only if you promise to come say goodbye to me if you ever need to leave again. Please."

"It's a deal." He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, though. About not telling you. I just thought... if one of us would be able to get over the other one's... ascension. If one of us would be able to get over the other in general. It would be you."

"I don't want to ever have to get over you."

"Me neither."

The Lord of Chaos and the Lady of the Everfree held one another.