Memories: Chapter Six

Memories~A MLP/Discord Fanfic

Part Six

"That can't be," Twilight muttered to herself as the memory faded and she swam through more of Serenity's past life. Was it possible that Discord had feelings for Serenity? She could see him flirting with the intent to annoy but...was he capable of true affection? Images flitted passed her again. Flashes of Serenity stacking giant cards, she and Discord skating on a pond in the summer, at the beach again, racing on some clouds...they were together a lot...fire...why was there a fire?

Her eyes opened. Discord's back was to her as he hunched over a glowing, circular sphere in someplace dark and creepy. She strained her neck to try and see the ball more clearly. It looked as though it were made of water, slowly revolving in a circle, showing images of a village. An old abandoned village. Flames were engulfing the village, leaving nothing behind.

Twilight felt her chest constrict; was this what Celestia meant by calling Discord evil? From what she had witnessed so far, he hadn't seemed so much evil as just...mischievous. A playful, mischievous creature with the power to do just about whatever he wanted. This did give him the potential to do some horrible things but why was he burning villages? That wasn't consistent with all she had been witnessing.

"Discord!"

Discord did not move as she turned to see Celestia walk up to him snapping, "Discord! This must stop now! You hear me? Enough is enough!"

"I agree," Luna materialized from the darkness, "I don't see why you hesitate."

He ignored her as well. Instead he waved a paw over the sphere, making the image of the fire shift, flare, then go out. Another image grew, of a fiery creature roaming passed upside down trees, causing them to go up in flame. Discord stroked his beard thoughtfully as he watched this. His eyes were narrowed and he seemed genuinely confused.

"Discord?"

His eyes flicked over to Serenity who approached and stood beside him, "What is that creature? Do you know of it?"

Celestia let out a frustrated yell, "It does not matter what it is! What matters is if he doesn't do something soon, it's going to kill somepony!"

"She's right," Luna calmly stated, "If you don't do something about this, Celestia and I will be forced to handle it ourselves."

"Ha," Discord let out a small chuckle, "You wouldn't know what to do with it. It's an immortal being, like myself," he glanced down at Serenity, "Not nearly as handsome, intelligent, or powerful as I am but still immortal just the same," he frowned, stroking his beard again as his bubble zoomed in on the creature, "I wonder how it made it all the way here..."

"Discord! Please!" Celestia looked as though she were almost to the point of begging, "If you care for me at all, get rid of it before somepony is hurt!"

He looked at her over his shoulder and took in her desperate expression. With an exasperated sigh he snapped his lion fingers. Twilight found herself hovering above some clouds as Discord lounged on one with Serenity floating beside him. The pony was looking around in confusion, "Where are we? Why did you-"

He placed his paw over her mouth and gestured for her to look down. She and Twilight both did and let out a collective gasp. The fiery creature was directly below them, trashing several abandoned houses that should have been torn down years ago. It was like a giant, burning...dog thing. It reminded Twilight of the Diamond Dogs she and her friends had once encountered.

"I think it's called Greed," Discord mused, still looking uncommonly grim, "I barely recognize it..."

Serenity shivered slightly, "It's rather...terrifying, isn't it?"

Sticking out his lion arm, he wrapped it around her waist and brought her close without taking his red and yellow eyes off 'Greed'. She stopped shivering and Twilight noticed that her cheeks were turning a slightly darker purple than the rest of her body. Was she blushing? Twilight hoped she hadn't missed anything important between the two.

Voice sounding a bit strained, Serenity asked, "Have you seen this creature before?"

Discord nodded, "In my distant youth."

"Um, where?"

"Where ever I'm from."

"Where's-"

A bloodcurdling shriek tore through the air making both Twilight and Serenity let out a frightened cry. Discord immediately disappeared in a flash.

"Wha-where?!" Serenity was still floating an inch above the cloud, turning about frantically, "Discord?!"

There was another flash and they were all back in the dark room, only with an added guest. Serenity was shaking beside Discord who was smugly gazing at a tiny 'Greed' stuck inside a small cage in his lion's palm.

"There you are!" Celestia stormed over to them, "I saw you laying on that cloud! What did you think you were doing?! Does that-that-thing amuse you?! It almost killed that filly!"

"Filly?" Serenity stopped her shaking, "There was a filly?"

"Yes there was!" Celestia's voice rose to a shriek, "And it almost died because HE," she shoved her horn in his direction, "Wouldn't DO anything to stop that THING!"

"Celestia," Discord's voice was hard, "I've been very patient with you. But I think it's time that you learned that your way is not my way," he snapped his talons and turned away from her. The room abruptly flooded with light, causing everypony to flinch and the little caged monster to howl pitifully.

Discord chuckled nastily at its howls and flung himself into a throne-like hammock, "Alrighty my lovely ponies, I think you should leave while I question our trespasser."

Celestia immediately opened her mouth but all that came out was the sound of a horn. She blinked and tried again. A meow. Again. The sound of a bell. She kept trying to speak but nothing but different, random sounds came out of her mouth every time.

Discord outright laughed at her, "Ohohoho! Speak up Celestia! I can't hear you! Ahahahahaaa!

Luna looked as though she were trying to not laugh as well, "Come sister, let's go."

Screeching out the sounds of crashing waves, Celestia turned and walked away with dignity. Luna began to follow, stopped, and turned to Discord, "Did you know the filly was there the entire time?"

He stopped his chortles and took in a deep breath to pull himself together enough to say, "Not until it screamed."

Luna nodded understandingly and left. Serenity shook out her mane and said, "Was that sound the filly's then? I thought it was Greed."

"It was Greed," he was teasingly poking his finger into the cage, "The filly's scream happened when yours did."

"Oh, yeah," she looked embarrassed, "I guess I'll go then," and she started to leave. Twilight slid along behind her but watched Discord as he eyed the cage then threw it into the air. With a loud blast the cage was suddenly huge, as was the creature inside it. Serenity gasped and pressed herself against the cloud wall behind her. She looked too scared to move.

Greed, seeing it was big again, roared in Discord's face who merely looked at it with contempt, "Au contraire, size means nothing to one such as I."

Serenity shrunk down as Discord grew and grew until he was menacingly looming over the cage, laughing in Greed's face. Greed crouched down, letting out pitiful whines.

"That's more like it," the huge Discord snickered, "Now answer me this: how did-Serenity? What are you doing?"

Serenity was now curled in a ball, too terrified to even respond. Discord frowned and reached over to pick her up, "Open up little pony. I have things to do," he gently prodded her, "Come on now, you're safe," he roughly kicked the cage, "See? He's nothing compared to me."

"I-I-I'm sorry," Serenity whimpered, trembling but slowly uncurling, "I'm just...it's just..."

"Nothing compared to me," Discord stated again, "It's a minor, nothing more."

"A minor?" Serenity sat up, looking pale but brave, "What does that make you?"

"Beyond anything it could ever hope to aspire to of course!" he kicked its cage again, "Now I'm putting you down by the door. Think you can handle closing it behind you?"

"I'm fine," Serenity gulped and he leaned over the cage, arching his long body over it in order to lay his paw flat for her convenience. Before she jumped off, she asked, "What are you going to do to it?"

He smirked, "Interrogate it I guess."

"With torture?" Serenity asked, almost hopefully, but Discord scoffed at the idea, "Silly Serenity. I'm the element of chaos, not cruelty. I'll deal with him MY way."

Saying that, he tilted his paw making her slide down and out the door. She quickly regained her footing so as to close the doors but, before it was completely shut, Discord's voice faintly floated out saying, "Tell me what you know of home Greed. Then tell me exactly how you happened to reach mine."