Discord beat the apples viciously within the mortar. It was morning and Starswirl required his bowl of... apple... mash, like he did every meal. He just finished mixing when he heard a small thud by the door. He went to investigate. “Aah, just the mail” he said to himself. Starswirl walked in the room; clearly he also heard the mail come through the door.
It was the letter from Canterlot. The mail service ran 24 hours a day in Equestria, so mail delivery was quick. Discord opened the letter and read:
Dear whoever reads this (I didn’t get a name?)
Your required items will take 3 days to 1 week to prepare, and the total price will be 120 bits.
Payment is required within the month.
Sincerely, Petal Hoof, textiles designer
Discord smiled slightly, glad that he would be able to start the journey sooner rather than later. He placed the letter to one side and added some mortar to his scrambled apples. He served the food in a bowl and placed it down to Starswirl so he could eat it quickly.
Discord then grabbed a bucket and headed out to the garden. He was going to get some milk for Starswirl, but, Discord had never milked a cow before! He sat down beside the cow, which was calmly grazing as if Discord wasn't even there.
“Well... here goes” Discord said to himself in a quivering voice. He slowly placed the bucket under the cow, grabbed an udder and gently squeezed. Discord was looking away, but he heard a slight squirt sound, so he knew it worked. Discord, for all his mischievous ways, was actually rather queasy at this sort of thing. He continued the pattern of squeezing, letting go, and squeezing, and letting go until the cow seemed to be “empty”.
“Phew” Discord said to himself, and he wiped his brow. He lifted the bucket and headed back inside. When Discord got into the kitchen, he was astonished!
The bowl which Discord had placed on the floor for Starswirl to eat from, was now back on the counter! Well, Starswirl couldn't have placed that on there, unless he...
Discord stood in awe as he witnessed Starswirl’s horn glow a faint blue, then the letter Discord received levitated towards young Starswirl. He had learned to use his magic! “Starswirl, well done you wonderful little pony!” he said, throwing his arms in the air! He embraced Starswirl, and who just... took it like a man!
Discord quickly looked behind him. Thank lord; he had placed the milk on the floor when he walked in. Had he kept it in his hands and it would be everywhere right now!
The hours quickly passed: Starswirl would draw in the living room while Discord planned out their journey to Canterlot on a map. Occasionally Discord would get up to fetch Starswirl his food or to make himself a sandwich. But then, there was a large rumble!
Starswirl, now curled up in a little ball, gave a high pitched squeal for a split second. Discord looked out the window: the sky was black and thunder clouds were forming. After a few seconds, heavy rainfall occurred. A storm, great. Discord was not informed of the Pegasus pony’s plans for the weather, but clearly they had messed up on the sunshine schedule again and now they needed heavy rain to make up for it.
Discord was about to curse when he felt something wrap around his leg. He looked down to see Starswirl tightly hugging his leg, shaking as if terrified. Discord knelt down to comfort him. “Oh no, the cow” thought Discord. No stable was built yet, where was the cow going to go? He couldn't leave it out in the room, if it got frost bite Discord would not know how to treat it!
Discord opened the door to check on the cow. Immediately he was confronted with the mighty sound a water smashing against the floor and the distant rumbles of thunder and lightning. The cow lied there, shivering. There was only one thing for it; the cow would have to come inside!
Discord sprinted outside, immediately getting soaked. He covered his head with his paws and plucked some grass, holding it out to the cow. The cow looked up at Discord, and just as before, he was able to slowly lure the cow inside.
For a second, he thought the cow wouldn't fit though the door, but it got in with only a small squeeze. Starswirl smiled and giggled at the thought of a cow inside in the house. For a second, Discord did too. He closed the door and sat the cow down. The cow slowly ate the grass Discord held and rested his head on the floor.
Discord then went over to Starswirl, who looked up and shook as another rumble of thunder came. He was no longer so terrified he had to cuddle his father's leg, but the violent rumbles and booms still gave him a fright. Discord took a seat on his couch, the tiny blue foal that was Starswirl soon joined him.
“Hmm, what to do...” Discord said to himself, quietly. Starswirl was frightened, but what was Discord going to do? “I know! he said out loud. Starswirl sat up, excited about what his father has in mind.
“How about I tell you a story?” Discord asked Starswirl. Starswirl looked excited and nodded his head.
“Well,” Discord started “there once was a little pony called... uhm, Tom!” he was improvising a name here. “This boy was... different to the other ponies. They made fun of him because he looked different to everypony else.” Starswirl was clearly amerced in this tale. “Now, Tom, he got very upset. One night, he became so upset that he left town. He didn’t pack, he didn’t say goodbye, he just ran off into the woods.” The story soon became slightly harder for Discord to tell. “This boy... sat there in the forest. He wondered what to do. Where would he go, who could he ask for help? Then, he saw a small firefly.” Discord was affected, but he wasn't going to cry, HE WAS A MAN!
“This firefly ignited a spark inside young Tom, it gave him hope. Faith. Joy. Then, the firefly started to slowly fly away. Tom, the curious boy he was, followed the firefly. It guided him through the forest and over rivers, it even helped him avoid dangers that lay in the forest.” Starswirl got up and walked over to lay beside Discord. “Then, a bright light came from a break in the trees. Tom approached the light, and over the horizon was... a large town. Finally, the foal knew what he had to do. He sprinted towards the town, and... well, he became the town’s newest resident.” Starswirl just lay motionless next to Discord, occasionally letting out a small breath.
The emotions were high in Discord's mind, but he still refused to cry! For the first time in a long while, he had to fight back tears. The reason it was so hard for him to tell this story was because... it was his own story. This was the story of Discord, what growing up was like for him. How he was bullied. How he left home. How he was guided through the forest towards a town in Foal Mountain.
Discord fell asleep, Starswirl already sleeping in his arms. The storm outside meant nothing, the cow no more than 5 feet away meant nothing. This was just a quiet moment. Complete silence.