Just a warning, it gets a bit dark- at the end.
• Chapter Thirty-seven: Birds of the Feather •
…
Discordance could be classed as annoyance for those around it, but for the one bearing it, it is a curse. Insanity whirls, thunder quakes, frogs croak. How is it a curse? Your power is undeniable, your esteem is unbreakable, your freedom... limited. How could a curse come in such a distinct, yet, hideous form. Having this curse gives you losses of what a normal being would possess. You are less self-conscious and physically deformed. It curses you with slim immortality and your distorted personality would waver. Crippled up, earth surrounds, but it wasn't what you quite thought it'd be, for a certain Queen of Changelings forgot about one minor detail in her assassination of chaos itself.
Flurries of thoughts chundered around him, creating a unique, wet, sticky mess. Words floated through the air, lost in his pupils of the colours red, yellow and insanity. The colour insanity looked like just as it sounded- zaps of lightning and ultraviolet light danced in synchronised rhythms, which could stand fatal for those with epilepsy with the flashing strobe colours. He flew, his unsymmetrical wings flapping lightly, but his self-levitation doing most of the work with lifting him into the air. Dimensions wafted around him, no more than loosely knotted strings coiling around one another, and glinting with ice-blue. The ropes of universes snaked around him, tying him in place and nipping at his flesh despite having no teeth. Illusions of mythical creatures blazed through his eyes, and he paled, as the animals formed into a group of very- familiar animals. Dragons, pegasi, snakes, deer... these animals were a part of him, and they were mocking him reproachfully. The chaotic being teleported away, feelings his nostrils flare as he breathed in the whiff of intoxicating oxygen. Greenness hurdled into his sight, beaming away anything else visible, and two bitter pupils edged into the greenness, slit. A mouth formed, and it laughed disdainfully, with callous pleasure.
"You're gone now!"
"Nothing can stop me!"
"My plans have succeeded!"
He peered around, snapping his head in different angles as the voice seemed to be ricochetting in different directions.
"You haven't. I'm not dead yet."
There was no reply, as the greenness shot away, firing into the distance, and becoming only an insignificant speck of the galaxy.
Maybe he was just telling himself these things, and the illusions around him were just what his mind wanted to see.
The curse he withheld did this to him- it had changed him- without it, he'd be very different. But he couldn't change what he was, as he watched towers crumbling down and splattering onto helpless ponies. He was disappointed that watching this made him feel powerful. With such power he wished he could deteriorate- maybe the Queen of Changelings had done him a favour. Deep down he knew that he still wanted to be there, watching smiling faces buzz passed and hearing voices around him.
The discord couldn't help itself, rather himself, for his sorcery was blinded. He needed just a bit more help, and fortunately for him, he had been heard, as his soul was snatched out of his body. He screamed in agonising pain, and he felt all of the strength ease away from him, and his form went limp. The soul swirled around, forming into a tornado, and it picked him and everything else into it's vacuum, steering him through an opening portal. The last thing he saw of the world he'd been in before, was darkness as the soul waved goodbye, and he allowed himself to fall into a bin alongside everything else useless. He lifted his arm weakly, waving goodbye back, trusting the soul to find it's way.
Then there was nothing.
…
Snow Flutter's eyes were open, unblinking and dull. The teal colour was a shade greyer, and her expression was unreadable. She was sitting down on her bed, staring into the distance, in which was the door of her room. She sat perfectly, her tail curled neatly over her hooves, and her spine not slouching at all. She was unflinching, almost lifeless, and could easily be mistaken for a mannequin. The only part of her that moved, was the rising and falling of her chest as she breathed lightly.
After a few minutes of silence, her ears pricked, and she heard a light tapping sound on her glass window. She slowly turned around, cringing slightly as her stiff muscles began to get used to moving again. Peering through the window, her eyes rested on a dainty little bird, sitting at the window, and pecking at the glass with it's beak. The bird blinked at her, before tapping again.
Snow Flutter gave a weak smile, moving closer, and lifting the glass up to open the window. The bird hopped through, and Snow Flutter shivered as a chilly wind crawled through the gap, but she kept it open in case the bird wanted to exit.
"Hello, little friend," Snow Flutter whispered.
The bird chirped back a friendly 'hi,' before flapping it's wings, and landing on Snow Flutter's mane, burying it's form into the strands of pink hair.
"Sought refuge, I see. I can't blame you, it is a bit cold out there."
The bird tweeted in agreement, before peering down at her. Snow Flutter tried to look up, but her eyes couldn't go high enough, and she didn't want to disturb the little fella, so she ended up peering through her mirror to see the companion.
The bird ruffled it's feathers, and twittered again.
"Oh, nothing's wrong..." Snow Flutter tried to sound believable, but the squeaky tone in her voice was not helping one bit.
The bird narrowed it's beady eyes, and squawked irritatedly.
"Alright, alright! I'll tell you- but promise not to tell anyone else- keep this to yourself, I'm trying to keep my name as quiet as possible."
The bird nodded loyally, before nestling down to hear the story.
"Well, you see..." Snow Flutter bit her lip, resting down into a comfortable position. "Chrysalis- probably the most powerful being has tried to kill me twice now, three times if we're counting the time she tried to get Discord to do it for her. She hasn't given up, and I feel as though she is going to try to slaughter me again- I know so, actually." She shuffled on her hooves, anxiety prickling through her skin. "That's only the cherry on top of a cake though- Discord stopped seeing me ages ago- but I keep seeing him in dreams... there's also illusions of him everywhere I turn." Snow Flutter closed her eyes. "I haven't told anypony that though. The memory of Discord just keeps on following me around." She paused. "It's not Discord's fault. It's mine. You see..." She hesitantly lowered her head. "I've told myself, all of my life, never to grow close to anypony. I learnt that from a young age- when I was in flight school, every pony just teased me! I had no friends, and I still remember the ways they mocked me..!" Snow Flutter shuddered, and thoughts bumbled into her mind at the memory of the chant which she would never forget.
"Fluttershy! Fluttershy!
A peg-a-sus,
that can-not fly!"
Snow Flutter's eyelids slid shut, and she rubbed her running nose. "I told myself never to get close to any pony, because it always ends with backstabbing, hatred and betrayal. There was this pony- when I was a young filly, she went to flight school with me, and her name was Cirrus Cloud. She befriended me, and we became really close..." Snow Flutter's heart was aching now. "I thought we were friends, but it turned out our whole friendship was a lie! Her friends dared her to become my friend... they all laughed at me when I found out..." Snow Flutter was choking out her words, her pupils having grown tiny in comparison to her whole eye. Her voice went dark, and she was trembling, her feathered-friend peering at her concernedly. "I vowed from that day never to have a friend ever again... but Discord caught me by surprise." She sobbed, and tears drizzled from her eyes. "He showed me such kindness, with the apples, and all... I decided that maybe I could have one friend- he wasn't a pony after all, maybe he could be different." She sighed. "And he was. He saved my life, and I thank him so much for that. So much that new feelings for him began to blossom from me, stronger than just friendship." She solemnly closed her eyes. "It came to a point where I was so madly in love, that I gave details about where I lived to him, not realising that it was Chrysalis." She glared hostilely at the reflection of herself through the mirror. "It's all my fault! If I hadn't made that horrific mistake, then I'd still be seeing Discord!" She gave a raged shriek, raising her hoof, and slamming it onto her pillow with a vivid punch. Her heavy breathing eased, as she slowly calmed down. Her pounding heart began to lessen into a moderate pace, and she fixed her gaze away from the mirror. "Discord left me, because he felt that with him around, he was putting me in more danger..." She closed her eyes delicately. "But I need him- I need his help to overcome Chrysalis. I really don't want to die, and I want to see the real Discord again. I want to find him, and hug him, and wish that nothing could ever happen to us ever again, and live happily ever after. I'd confess my feelings to him- and I'm sure that he would accept me..." Snow Flutter remembered she had company, and the bird gave a smug cheep.
Snow Flutter felt herself heating up. "Remember not to tell anypony this." She gave a cheesy grin before sighing. "But we all know that happily ever after doesn't exist- and unfortunately, I doubt I will ever see him again."
The bird gave an annoyed shrill, and pecked at Snow Flutter's head accusingly.
"Okay, okay!" Snow Flutter giggled, gently nudging the bird to stop. "I get it! I need to think optimistically." She smiled softly. "And maybe my dreams will come true."
The bird began to sing, a small melody running through the air, and Snow Flutter smiled, watching the bird fly off of her head, and perch onto her bed frame. Snow Flutter sighed, feeling the harmonic chords stream through her veins, and she opened her mouth to sing.
"I can see my face reflect-
Is it me they will select?
I never thought I'd be so confused.
I can see my past deject-
But who would I be to object?
Without me there would be no treason."
Snow Flutter bounced off of the bed, and skipped towards the window. She peered through, ignoring the frost chewing at her.
"Without me there would not be no conflict.
And without you, insanity, would there be concept?
If I hadn't met you would my soul be gone?
But do I even have a soul, one?"
Snow Flutter breathed in the wintry air, and spread out her wings, leaping through of the window, and flying as high as she dared into the sky, the bird soaring beside her cheerfully.
"The sunlight, and moon's bright.
My shadow is all I see that can follow.
Your chaos, and my kindness...
Will the two ever collide again, hope so..."
She landed on a cloud, and peered into the distance, her once glassy eyes now brimming with wonder and life.
"My soft heart- or my image..?
What beauty do the changelings desire?
Your nature or discordance-
Why have you left, you know you can fix my broken heart!"
She energetically bounced off of the cloud, miles above the ground, not flapping her wings at all, as she felt the wind whip between her feathers and around her body. Her eyes were closed, and it was just her and the scenery, as she was free falling.
"Survive 'til then,
stay alive!
The disorder cascades around.
Ignore the pain,
you are strong.
I can help, what's been lost and found."
Just before she hit the ground she flapped her wings, bursting up into the air. She would have landed in water, and the lake rippled under the air pressure of her wings churning upwards. The bird was at her silky tail.
"Like a CD will eject,
I will strike back and prelect
I try not to fade to memories.
Resilience is a subject-
Sadly, it's what I defect.
But I will gain more, I swear on my life."
Snow Flutter beamed, as she flew up again, to a cloud, and she burst through it, causing the tufts of cloud to poof away. The cloud had been covering the sun, as instantly, Snow Flutter felt the warm sensation of the sun's beams massaging her fur.
"Life source of us can cause a severe effect
Get through life will take up a lot of reflex.
I'm so puzzled, I don't know what will happen next.
I guess I could have came more prepared."
The bird flew alongside her, as they felt the blue sky around them. For the first time since ages, Snow Flutter was smiling properly, from ear to ear, and she was smiling because she was happy.
"First a dress, then a hairbrush.
I wonder what the next ploy to kill will be.
Six poor friends- how to help them?
So much pressure but I know I have to stand tall."
Snow Flutter's voice echoed through the forest below them, and before she knew it, a flock of the bird's friends had joined them- just Snow Flutter and up to fifty different species of birds were flying through the air. Snow Flutter had never felt so pure and alive. They were the birds of a feather flock, flying together, more literally than not.
"Survive 'til then,
stay alive!
The disorder cascades around.
Ignore the pain,
you are strong.
I can help, what's been lost and found."
Snow Flutter was so high in the sky, that her home only seemed to be a leaf from a gigantic maze. Her eyes twinkled and she smiled at the birds, before angling her body down, and flapping her wings as hard as she could, gliding down towards the earth, the birds parallel to her.
"The sunlight, and moon's bright.
My shadow is all I see that can follow.
Your chaos, and my kindness...
Will the two ever collide again, hope so..."
Snow Flutter was getting nearer and nearer to the ground, her wings pressed to her side, as if she opened them, they'd catch onto the wind and slow her descend. All the birds were pursuing, but none quite where she was. The earth came closer and closer.
"My soft heart- or my image..?
What beauty do the changelings desire?
Your nature or discordance-
Why have you left, you know you can fix my broken heart!"
Snow Flutter finally reached the earth, her head colliding with the water with a splash, before the rest of her body zipped in, in less than a second. The water exploded around her, shooting up into magnificent fountains and displays. The sun reflected onto the water, causing rainbows to jump over the horizon in brilliant colours. The dazzling performance was remarkably incredible.
"Survive 'til then,
stay alive!
The disorder cascades around.
Ignore the pain,
you are strong.
I can help, what's been lost and found."
Snow Flutter peered through the depths of the blue water, silvery fish flickering passed her. Bubbles wafted from her mouth, gently moving up. Her mane was floating everywhere, up throughout the water, and looking like a tangle of reeds spiralling in every angle possible. Snow Flutter felt so calm, sitting in the water for a few seconds, before flapping her wings through the liquid, and feeling herself whizzing up to the surface.
She finally broke free, and instinctively, the first thing she did was take in a massive gulp of air. She peered around her. She was in the centre of a massive lake, with tree branches reaching out above the water. The lake was quite large, and separated into placid bogans, water trickling down peacefully.
Snow Flutter peered at the tree branches, and wasn't surprised to see all of her bird-buddies perched on the wood, peering down at the lake below them. Most types of birds weren't fond of getting their feathers wet, as water weighed them down. Other types of birds, you couldn't get out of the water!
Snow Flutter felt her soggy mane draping over her, just a mop of pinkness. She squirted out a bit of water, before flapping her wings, and breaking free from the water. She had to flap quite fast, as the water weighed down her wings too, but she managed to reach up, and hook her hoof onto one of the branches and drag herself up to sit next to her original feathered-friend
"Thanks for letting me talk out all of my issues to you, you have no idea how much I needed that," Snow Flutter murmured, her voice quite mellow.
The bird chirped, to say 'you're welcome,' and the other birds began to chat too, giving Snow Flutter encouraging messages.
Feeling free, and weightless, despite the water dripping out from her, Snow Flutter curled up into a little ball on the branch, and fell asleep within a matter of seconds.
…
Chrysalis had never felt so powerful before. She had conducted spells that even she didn't know were possible, let along existed. It seemed that with every event which happened, the more power she gained. Perhaps the difficulty of moving forwards was benefiting after all. Immense pleasure filled her evil heart, and success lingered in the air. She had finally killed both Snow Flutter and Discord. After months and months of planning, after shedding blood, sweat and tears, finally- finally, had her dreams become true.
Her hooves clinked on the ground, as she trotted through her mansion, feeling pride soar over her.
"Now I am the true fairest of them all!" Chrysalis peered at her reflection on the marble floor, smiling as she admired her own image. She forced her eyes away, and trotted up to a window, peering out over Canterlot, and watching her changelings go about their own lives- sleeping, hunting, feeding, sleeping, hunting, feeding.
"And, I am the true ruler of all of Equestria! My changelings have a place to live, and there is more love to feed off of than any other place we've ever encountered! Nothing is going to stop our reign. Nothing! Now that Snow Flutter is dead after all!" She felt her self-admiration overflowing. "And killing her with a poisoned comb was genius! Only I could ever think of that!" She trotted along again, an extra skip added to each step, approaching her room with the mirror.
"Equestria- sounds too much like equine. Going to have to change that," Chrysalis grimaced, poking her tongue out whilst doing so, flapping her elegant wings.
Finally, she reached the mirror, the surface antiquated, uncared for and rotted.
Chrysalis cleared her voice, before speaking in a very prim and smug voice. "Mirror mirror, on the wall. Who is the fairest of them all?"
Carving it's way through the glass which mimicked those before it, the face of the old pony appeared again, and hacked a few coughs and wheezes. It spluttered a few times, causing Chrysalis to give a wry expression, scowling impatiently.
Finally, the mirror spoke, not even meeting Chrysalis's eyes. "The fairest of all, is who you seek? Then look into the glass and take a peek." The face faded away, causing Chrysalis to give the most resentful smirk.
"Of course! Because it's my reflection I see right back at me!"
Suddenly, her horn radiated an immense green light, illuminating everything around her, tearing through her body, and causing her skin to rip apart. Her changeling magic was acting up. Chrysalis screamed in pain, as she felt all of her limbs becoming intact, before growing again, and felt everything that was hers peel away like snake-skin. Even her eyes changed, bulging violently out of their sockets, and burning with green flames, before new eyes began to become distinguishable. Her horn was chopped off, and went crisp under the flames, smoothing out her forehead, and making it seem naked and alienating. Her wings began to distort, flapping away from her body, before new ones sprouted like grass, and grew as fast as a balloon popped. Finally, the crown which was on Chrysalis's head before, went flinging off, and landed on the marble floor with a soft tingle.
Chrysalis's lungs throbbed, as she inhaled as much oxygen as possible, before staring at herself through the mirror. It was somehow completely clear, despite the grotty surface, and reflected herself before it.
But it wasn't her reflection.
She had evidently shrunk, and she no longer bore a horn to resemble alicorn-ness in changeling diversity. All she had were wings. Her green eyes had changed to a blue-green teal colour, and she was in a pony's form. Her fur had turned into a creamy-yellow butter colour, and her mane had grown, silky and curled perfectly at the ends. It was a light pink, and her Cutie Mark showed three butterflies, pink and teal.
"No, no no, no..." Chrysalis wasn't breathing, turning her cheeks purple. "It can't be! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" She stomped her hoof on the ground, but there was little strength in this form, and the stomp didn't leave a scratch. "I can not believe it! I killed her for the sake of life!"
"Is that so?" The looming voice spoke, giving a throaty wheeze.
"Yes!" Chrysalis slit her eyes, her glare seeming even more threatening through this body. "I murdered her with poison! She can't be alive!" Chrysalis bared her teeth. "I am ruler of changelings, I can do things which all three alicorns wouldn't be able to muster- I can destroy your life with the flick of my hoof!"
"And what life is that?" The mirror's voice questioned, before the glass's surface rippled like water, and showed Chrysalis the picturesque image of a serene, little Snow Flutter curled up, amiably on a branch, surrounded by a whole flock of distinct birds.
A tinge of jealousy whispered in Chrysalis's heart, before it was replaced by animosity and virulence. Images of the so 'perfect' little butter coloured pegasi charged intoxicatingly through Chrysalis's mind. Oh, isn't she so great! Better than you'll ever be! That little twit! I will kill it. I swear I will! Chrysalis stomped her hoof on the floor again, but instead of injuring the floor, she injured her hoof, and saw blood leaking from the butter yellow hooves.
"Yes!" Chrysalis laughed maniacally. "I will spill her blood! I don't care how bloody, gory and messy it will turn out!"
She narrowed her eyes, and pressed her nose to the glass, so her eyes were baring down on the little pegasus sleeping so harmoniously. "I was being nice before, but you haven't seen no nothing yet!" Her words were slurred as she began to drool poisons and venoms from her mouth, which bubbled with froth like a rabid dog.
"I will pluck every last feather from your pitiful wings if I have to! I will tie you up with barbed wire, in bare sunlight on top of an anthill, and enjoy watching you get slowly eaten, piece by piece, while burning to a crisp from the sun and having spikes jabbing into your pelt!"
Chrysalis fell back, rolling onto the floor, as she laughed, spleen and hostility fogging up her thoughts, as she felt green flames begin to replace her form as Snow Flutter.
"I could torture you, and do anything I mentioned and more," Chrysalis alleged. "But there is something else, that I know will hurt you most, and your pain, is what makes me feel happy."
Snow Flutter's song was inspired by Drag Me Down by One Direction in case you were wondering, so if you want to know what it sounds like, there ya' go!
Cirrus Cloud is from the comic; My Little Pony: Friends Forever #38