Deadshot dump shook her head. “If he had wanted to confide in me, I’m sure he would have,” she patted Discord’s arm, almost to comfort herself more than him. “I’m just glad that he found someone to confide in at all. Though i must admit,” she smirked coyly up at the noodly lord of chaos, “you would never have even made it to the list of people i would have expected him to befriend.” She chuckled quietly.
Opening her mouth to say more she was interrupted by an indistinguishable jumble of raised voices and a slamming door that cracked like a gunshot. “Oh dear…” The elderly mare whispered sadly, a pained expression on her face. Suddenly she gripped Discord around the neck and pulled his face close to hers.
“Bring him back to me, to us, whatever happens, please, do that, for me…” The strength and fire was gone from her eyes and she planted quick kisses on either cheek. her grip loosened, the limbs falling limply as the pegasus stallion cane raging around the corner, shouting obscenities at his sibling while his mother wept in the doorway, his garnet sitting silent and placid in his seat, remaining detached and uninvolved.
“I don’t know why i bothered!” He bellowed, seizing his rifle from the family rack, “i can see i changed for nothing! ” turning, he stormed down the hall towards the front door where he stopped just long enough to yell at discord Bex.
“I’m leaving, if you’re following fine. The choice is yours!” With that, the heavy front door slammed shut veritably shaking the house. Deadshot looked up at the draconequus with pleading eyes, mouth silently forming the word, ‘please’.
He grinned back as she told him that he was an unexpected friend. “Well, I do love to surprise ponies. So I consider that a good thing. Just don’t go telling everypony that I’m a saint now, all right? Like you, I’ve a reputation, and I just happen to find Crackshot to be good company.” He patted her hoof in return.
He raised his brows as the raised voices cut through the air, followed by the harsh sound of the door slamming, but didn’t have time to take a look before he felt his neck being twisted forcefully, though not painfully. Just with an urgency that caused him to come face to face with Deadshot.
And her face…It was different this time. It was so broken, so sad. So tired. It reminded him far too much that most of his friends were mortal, they would grow weak and leave this world, if they weren’t on their way to doing so already. He would lose them. And it hurt to see…Especially to see on a mare with more fire than perhaps any other he’d ever met. He hated seeing it doused like that. He wanted her to spark again.
And her request..,Her kisses on his cheek were cool, dry, and urgent, and he blushed slightly. Not from embarrassment or shame, but because he felt he didn’t deserve them. Because her request…Did she not realize he was disharmony? Discord could feel his magic growing excited at the fight going on around the corner. How could she expect him to do something so good? So harmonious? He hadn’t been reformed that long, especially if it was considered as his second reformation since his betrayal…And would that make him too soft, if he did? He was only comfortable being vulnerable around very few friends. He didn’t want Deadshot to see that…
And then Deadshot came into view, and Discord had never seen him look so furious. There was also something else there, but…he wasn’t sure what it was. He screamed at Discord, apparently not caring what Discord did or not. Nor did he seem to think his own reformation had done him any good. The sound of his mother’s sobbing reminded Discord that he had a heart now, feeling a sort of pain in his chest, and for once he wished his magic wasn’t so excited by it…He was glad he didn’t need to use the disharmony for anything at the moment, as he had done when he broke out of his stone prison the first time…
It was a great thing that Discord was more than just his magic, his disharmony, his chaos. He was more than that.
And he could do anything.
So when he looked at Deadshot one last time, he gave her a nod. “Bringing about something like that isn’t quite my specialty, but I’ll give it a shot,” he whispered. Feebly, he smiled. “Pun completely intended.” He lifted Deadshot’s hoof once again, kissed it, and caught a glance at Photo Shoot trying to comfort her mother, though she looked dejected and confused herself. “See you later, Deadshot. I’ll be back…eventually.”
He ripped himself away from the image and made his way out the door to follow Crackshot.
