A large draconequus sprawled on the foliage of the floor of the Everfree Forest. As he stirred, dazed, he remembered only two things about himself. First, he knew his name was Discord. Second, he remembered how he got here. Although the memories were fuzzy, he distinctly remembered two alicorns approaching him, wielding strange rocks imprinted with gems. What came next was unclear, but Discord recalled a flash of light before he blacked out and woke up in the forest.

He figured it must have been some sort of magical attack. However, he did not notice that he had any physical injuries. The only unpleasant effect he noticed was his lack of memories. Why did the alicorns attack him?

Discord figured he wasn’t going to get any answers getting beauty rest with the bugs. He flew above the canopy of the forest and looked around. To the north, a mob of ponies fled a castle in a state of ruin. Upon seeing the castle, a few memories returned to him. That was his castle, and those ponies were his subjects. Why, then, were they fleeing? The traitors! He contemplated chasing after them—giving them a piece of his mind—but his intuition told him something important was left behind in the castle.

As Discord made his way to the ruins of what was once his home, he got the feeling that its state of disrepair was a recent development. Did the alicorns attack here before targeting Discord directly? What had he done to earn their ire?

Discord landed in the front courtyard at the entrance to the castle. Although he did not remember until he saw the courtyard for the first time, he knew right away this is not what it normally looked like. Normally, his garden was a beautiful, chaotic paradise, with mind-controlled ponies breaking the laws of physics for all the world to see. Now, it was empty, barren, with upended dirt and rubble from the remnants of the row of statues he had once had carved in his image.

It was at this time Discord came to recall exactly the control he had over others. It was his magic that had controlled his subjects, and it was his magic that had gained him the power he had in his kingdom. However, as Discord tried to replicate his power by animating one of the destroyed statues in front of him, he found himself unable to use his magic. Perhaps this was another effect of the alicorn’s attack.

Discord found himself unsettled, but something told him he needed to keep going sooner rather than later. Discord made his way through the main hall of the castle, towards the throne room. After all, this must have been the place where he spent much of his time—maybe he’d remember more there. As he traversed the halls, holes in the ceiling dappled the red carpet lining the floors with sunlight. As he made it to the doors of the throne room, he used what felt like all of his strength to open the heavy oaken doors, which closed with a thud behind him.

Discord knew it was important to search, to investigate, but something stopped him. Maybe it was the journey, or the exertion from opening the throne room door, but Discord felt so, so tired. He made his way to the throne to give himself a chance to sit and rest, but he could not even make it that far. He collapsed halfway to his throne, his wiry fur rubbing against the red, velvety carpet beneath him.

He examined his surroundings. The walls were lined with paintings of what he could only assume were his various misdeeds. Turning ponies into carrots for woodland creatures to chase, replacing the town’s river with chocolate milk, turning ponies into chess pieces for a giant chess board, and more. He remembered it all. Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to chuckle as exhaustion overtook him, and he fell asleep once more.

—————

When Discord came to, the first thing he noticed was that the plush carpet he was lying on had been replaced with cold, dry stone. Had he moved locations again? No, that couldn’t be it—in front of him, the paintings still hung on the wall. He turned his head to see his throne, long and twisted in a way that only a draconequus could rest on it. He was definitely still in the throne room.

His ears rang for a moment before quieting. In the silence, Discord heard soft sobbing behind him. At this moment, Discord realized exactly what it was he came back to the castle for. In an instant, it all came back to him. It was as if he had been blinded by light once more. He didn't know how he ever forgot.

“Fluttershy?” he said, turning his head the other way to see his dear friend gently stroking his tail. Tears rolled down her face, although he did not know why.

“Fluttershy, why do you cry?” Discord asked. Although, when he tried to lift his paw to reach to her, he had an idea. Not only had the ground beneath him transformed to stone, but his own body was being consumed, as well. His paw was stuck to the ground, his palm and fingertips already hardened. Upon further examination, the entire underside of his body, as well as his lizard leg, had been mutated into stone, as well.

“Oh, Discord,” Fluttershy cried, “what have they done to you?” She came closer to Discord, resting her head on the nape of his neck. Even in his current state, the affection from his only friend made Discord feel warm. She always made things better. Still, she couldn’t be here. If the ground beneath Discord wasn’t safe, neither was Fluttershy.

“Fluttershy, listen to me. You need to get out of here. The alicorns that attacked used some magic on me. Shortly, I will be entirely encased in stone. It will encase you, too, if you stay here,” Discord pleaded.

At this realization, Fluttershy began crying even harder, nuzzling into Discord’s pelt. Still, after a moment, she composed herself and looked at her king in the eyes.

“Discord, before you took over Equestria, this land was a disaster. The Solar and Lunar factions were constantly warring with each other, and I lost my parents and baby brother, Zephyr Breeze in the conflict. I was an orphan with nothing or no one to live for. Then you came along, took the throne, and treated us like your toys. You were cruel, but you gave us something the Princesses never could: Peace. Now, I don’t know which is better, but I know which I prefer.”

“Then, I was hired as your attendant. I thought you were only games and ego at first, but I got to know you in ways no one else did. You’ve seen so much, done so many things, and I loved hearing all the stories of your wild adventures. It made me feel like I was on those adventures, too.”

“Then, I realized you enjoyed my company, as well. You were the first person in my life to treat me as worthy, as competent, despite how weak I am. I could never fight in a war, or protect my family, or grow food to provide for other ponies. But I could serve you, my king.”

“That’s why,” Fluttershy said, clearing her throat through the tears. “I’m not going to leave you like this. You gave me a new chance at life, and now, I would like to serve you through the very end. Comforting you, at this time, in this moment… I believe it’s why I was born. I know I’m not worthy, but… would you have me?”

Discord was stunned. Fluttershy had never been so forthright, so loving, so vulnerable with him. In fact, nobody had.

Discord was born a monster, and throughout his life, that’s all he was treated as. The ponies of Equestria rejected him for his chaotic magic and strange form. When he realized the only way he could gain respect was through fear, he began relying on controlling and intimidating others to fuel his ego. And, for many years, it felt great. It felt good to let out his wrath on the ponies who rejected him. He loved the feeling of being the most powerful creature in the room.

But it was only in this moment that he realized that it wasn’t what he actually wanted. No, Discord wanted what everyone else wanted. Love. Connection. Friendship. And now, for the first time in his life, Discord had exactly that. Fluttershy was with him, in this moment, fulfilling the needs he had long convinced himself were reserved for weak ponies. In this moment, his priorities completely shifted. He no longer needed power. No, he just needed his one and only friend.

Maybe, had Discord realized this earlier, this all could have been avoided. He could have given it all up. He could have fled, and lived with Fluttershy. But now it was too late. He was going to turn into stone, and he would never feel her love again. However, maybe Discord only felt this way because it was the end. Because everything had fallen into place, something within him had shifted. He was no longer a mighty overlord—no, in the face of death, for once in his life, he was just like everyone else.

“Fluttershy,” Discord murmured, “please stay with me.”

And so, she did.

———————

Millennium passed, and soon the whole world forgot of the tyrant Discord and the heroes who ended his reign of terror. His castle was returned to nature, overgrown with umbrage and vegetation. No one remembered these ruins, nor the fact that they were also a grave. Still, if a pony were to explore, just at the foot of a twisted throne, they would come across a statue. A statue, formed of stone, where a draconequus and a pegasus lay in eternal slumber. The pegasus holds the draconequus in her wings, clearly treating the abomination with an unexpected level of tenderness and care. And the draconequus, in all his monstrous glory, pressing into her embrace. If a pony came across the pair, they may be mistaken that they were lovers. And the saddest part of it all, is that they weren’t. But they could have been.