//------------------------------//
// The Only Chapter: Bonding 
// Story: New Roots 
// by HermitBunny 
//------------------------------//

Discord sips his cup of Earl Grey tea, giving a sigh of content as he sets his cup down on the birch coffee table. “You know, dear Fluttershy, it really is lovely out here on this beautiful spring day.” He says, taking in the lush green lawn and the bountiful Everfree forest in the distance, swaying from occasionally cool breezes.
“An oh-so-perfect weather, “ he continues, settling in the matching birch stool and raising his cup. “I’m glad we decided to have our Tuesday tea out in your garden today.” The teapot stood up and flew up to Discord’s teacup to fill it to the brim.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, gives a slight nod. “I’m glad you think so, Discord. Having our tea party outside is a nice change of pace… Oh, would you like some more blackberry-jelly sandwiches, Harry?” Fluttershy asked, noticing the big bear taking the last piece into his jelly smothered maw. Fluttershy gently sets her teacup and saucer down. “Excuse me for a moment, Discord. I need to make some more.”
“Oh, no need, Fluttershy,” Discord said, stopping Fluttershy from jogging back into the cottage. “Observe,” he commanded, snapping his talon claws. In a flash, several pieces of bread (with no crust, of course) and a jar of Fluttershy’s homemade jelly pop onto the table. One by one, a line of bread march towards the jelly jar while “hup, hup, hup” -ing along the way like a brigade of royal guards, smearing their face in the sea of sweetness before pairing up into the complete sandwich on the once empty plate.
Fluttershy giggles at the fun spectacle. “Thank you, Discord. That’s quite thoughtful of you.” Harry agrees, taking more sandwiches for himself.
“Oh, don’t mind it, my dear Fluttershy. It’s the least I can do.” He picks up a sandwich. “This jelly is quite delicious. Is it your own recipe?”
Fluttershy shakes her head. “Oh no. It’s my mother’s. She always made these as snacks for Rainbowdash and me when we were still fillies coming back from Flight School.” Her eyes lit up a moment. “Oh, that’s right. Mother’s day is coming close and I still have to get her something.”
“Ah yes. Mother’s day. Why I almost forgot about that,” Discord says, casually sipping his tea. “I’m guessing you’re taking your family out on a nice dinner to celebrate, get her a banquet of flowers, or perhaps some candy,” he asks, tallying up with the floof of his tail.
Glancing up for a moment, Fluttershy considers it. “A dinner sounds nice. I can finally take her to this really famous restaurant in the wealthier part of Cloudsdale thanks to the monthly stipends from Princess Celestia,” Fluttershy said, twiddling her hooves in thought. “But.. for now, I’m kind of curious what you’re going to get for your mother.”
Stopping mid-way in a Jenga match against his sandwich, Discord only gives her a thousand-yard stare, his mind digging deep through his cognizance: his reign, his fall, his 1000-year imprisonment, his G3 ponies! Not his proudest work in his opinion. His attempt to create a facsimile of those prissy ponies resulted in even him cringing at the abominations.
“Discord…” Fluttershy asks, waving a hoof in from of his glossy mismatched eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Shoobedooo~…. Brrghghghg.” Discord shakes his head, quickly coming back to reality. “Apologies. What was that again?” He gives his goatee a tug, pulling out a napkin instead which he promptly uses to wipe a cold sweat off his brow. Those were the dark days, spreading chaos so unrefined now that he looked back.
“Are you alright, Discord?” Fluttershy asks, placing a hoof on his shoulder. For as long as she had known the draconequus, she never witnessed Discord get so distracted, staring ahead as if reliving a nightmare. She plucks a Jenga piece out of his claw, sets it down next to the tower and takes a seat next to her friend.
“All I asked was what you’re getting for your mother? Unless…you don't’ have one?” Fluttershy trails off, realizing Discord being the only spirit of chaos ever accounted for. “Discord, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such a sensitive…”
“No, no, it’s quite alright,” Discord assures, raising a paw. He stands up, deciding to pace around the garden, his claws behind his back, while Fluttershy follows behind.“To be honest, I, too, wonder if I even did have parents,” Discord says, searching through his memories once more. “All I remembered was having a singular purpose: spreading chaos wherever I go. The landscape my sandbox; The world was my oyster.” He brings up a giant clam, mouth opened revealing a golf ball sized pear in all its beauty. It’s not an oyster, true, but you get the picture.
Remembering back to his kingdom, the chaos capital of the world as he called it, none of the ponies really did appreciate his work, especially Celestia and Luna back then. Not his checkerboard floor, the cotton candy clouds, and the endless supply of popcorn and chocolate milk a pony could want. They rather live their lives in monotony and harmony rather than in excitement and chaos.
“It was a blank canvas for me to display my masterpieces, but then comes the ponies settling on my land...” Discord’s tone took a bitter tone, revealing what appears to be millennia of pent-up frustration. “Besmirching my name and my art and for whatever reason, I’m the ‘tyrant’.” Discord turns back around, now in his old throne, wearing a monocle and mustache.
“But that was in the past, Discord. And if makes you feel any better, I and maybe some other ponies appreciate your chaos.” Fluttershy smiles up at him, her eyes sparkling with mirth at the fond memories of the two of them, having tea, trading banter, and so much more. “I-it honestly livens up my rather quiet daily routines.”
Discord smiles back, secretly thanking Celestia for allowing him to bond with the kind of pony that’s been missing from his life: a true friend. “I thank you for that, my dear Fluttershy.” He reached down with his soft lion paw to give the pegasus a little pat on the head before bringing her closer in for a hug. Fluttershy stays silent, only returning his much-needed hug with small pats on his back. They stayed in the embrace for a few moments until Discord sets her down and resumes his pacing around the garden. The animals around them are content to stay back from the pair and watch the scene unfold.
“But, enough of that now,” Discord added, quickly slipping out of Fluttershy’s grasp like a snake made of jello. “Let’s not soil our weekly tea party will all this drama. Besides, who needs family…” He pulls up a wallet, opening it to let out a rather lengthy series of photographs a pony can get from a modern photo booth. “When I have my alter-egos.” He gestures towards the pictures, introducing Fluttershy to different kinds of Discord.
“Here’s an interesting fella back in the day. This one time, he fit a whole watermelon up his nose. Oh, he was always such as hoot.” Sure enough, in the upper column, there is a much sillier version of Discord, a caricature of himself, giving a pose while holding a watermelon up his nose. “And this one here is also from way back, Old Adams. I must admit, he was rather the most intriguing one out of all of us.” Discord points to a rather burly Discord with a large, white beard rather than his iconic goatee. “Looking back, I never found out where the fella went off to. Something about picking up gardening during our younger and more experimental days.”
Fluttershy looks on, studying the series of pictures and following Discord’s every word. As she read down, she notices the pictures of Discord start to vary less and less, ending with only the dopplegangers of her Discord. History of the draconequus is unfolding before her eyes as Discord drones on about his past selves from the portraits alone: his interests, hobbies, and personality over Celestia know how long Discord has been around.
“Umm… Discord,” Fluttershy said, stopping Discord’s rant about his first crossdresser self. “How come you started making only duplicates of yourself instead?”
“Well… about it. You see, after that incident with Old Adams and couple other alter-egos, I decided it be best to stop and stick with the OG Discord.” Discord leans down closer to Fluttershy to talk, tipping his new fedora up above his brows. 	“Since they tend to stray away whenever I’m not looking. Guess even alter-egos find their own ambitions at some point.”
Fluttershy catches it: the sadness in his tone, the disappointment in his words, the slight droop of his horns. Concerned, she tries to comfort him.“But Discord…”
“Anywho, that’s enough about me,” Discord cuts off Fluttershy, letting his photographs fold themselves up back into his wallet. He teleports Fluttershy and himself back to the coffee table and perches his head on both his claws. “Let’s hear more about you and that wonderful dinner you’re planning for your mother.”
“Discord, please…” Fluttershy pleads. “I know you’ve been alone for all those years, but-”
“Or, but perhaps we can take a step inside.” Discord sits up suddenly, cutting off Fluttershy again. “It is getting especially warm out here. I mean, can you believe that darn Celestia? Ruining such a nice day with this infernal heat.” Sweat drips from his brow as he looks on, shielding his eyes, at the now comically huge ball of light in the sun.
However, Fluttershy dismisses Discord's raving (and ignores the sudden heat wave). She flew around to look him in the eye, trying to get his attention. “But you don't have to hide behind this 'family’ anymore. You- ”
She is cut off again as Discord places his lion paw on her head, landing her back on the grass. “Games!” He declared. “You said you loved a nice change of pace, didn't you? Well, goodbye tea…” He firmly grabs the edge of the coffee table and flips it over, spilling everything somewhere offscreen, much to the disappointment of the remaining party guests.
“And hello game night.” Discord replaces coffee table with his own game table, made from mahogany, complete with a large velvet carpet in a pit at the center where a ton of board game boxes sat. “What are you feeling for tonight?” Discord asks, presenting Fluttershy various iconic titles. “‘Monopony,’ ‘Apology,’ ‘Scramble~.”
Fluttershy pushes the box away, her patience running thin, especially in this humidity. He’s dodging the subject, but Fluttershy feels this is something Discord needs to confront, not avoid. Her brother can attest to that.
“Discord, what about me?” Fluttershy cries out with sweat matting her coat and fraying her hair. Shocked by her sudden outburst, Discord stand stock-still, eyes peeking over his game box as he watches Fluttershy quickly combing her hair somewhat back to normal.
“I’m sorry?” Discord asks, snapping his talons to revert the weather back to normal.
Feeling relieved, Fluttershy takes a moment to catch her breath and fix her mane as the high humidity turns back to normal. “I mean, don’t you have me?” Fluttershy asks with a smile, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I’m your friend. Even if you still have nopony else, I’ll always be there for you, Discord.”
Discord smiles back. “I thank you for that, my dear Fluttershy.” He continues to stare on, his eyes darting around for a moment in contemplation. “But you know, it’s just that I had my reason for denying friendship in the first place.”
“Discord,” Fluttershy says, concerned. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t feel comfortable.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright. I fear I’ve kept my grievances to myself for far too long,” he assures in a solemn tone, raising the index of his lion law in the air to make a point. Literally, making a red bullet point in front of him.
“Besides, isn’t this what friendship is all about? Talking things out with one another,” Discord says, jotting down “friendship” next to the bullet point. One of the more important friendship lessons he learned, in Discord’s opinion, since it could have saved all that trouble at the Gala fiasco with Tree Hugger.
“Well, if you really are ready, then I'm happy for you, Discord.”
“Well, then…” Discord clears his throat as a whiteboard drops down, covering the background. “As I’ve said, I’ve always been on my own. I had no responsibilities, no worries, nor of any material greed or attachments.” Discord, with a marker, drew himself surrounded by very imaginable riches to a pony. “ I literally can have whatever I want, when I want.”
Discord snaps the whiteboard away. “But alas, one day, even I began to yearn for companionship.” Fluttershy only nods in return, deciding to stay silent so Discord could finish. “It truly is a construct beyond my imagination, a treasure no money can buy, all of which I underestimated it in my youth. Those duplicates were essentially the result of me searching for the “magic of friendship” as you ponies put it, like that one imaginary friend every foal once had.
“Why I gave up that search? Well, before I met you, those ponies under Celestia’s rule may value friendship, but sometimes I wonder if they would truly extend that privilege to me,” Discord sits up. “I mean, using the so-called Elements of “Harmony” to turn me into stone for a thousand years. What kind of pony does that?”
Pausing, Discord takes a deep breath. “For all their talks of friendship and harmony back then, all they really did was kept a tight clique while shutting themselves off from the rest of the world.”
Fluttershy reflects upon her life when Discord said that. Her filly-years of being bullied, shying away from others in fear of being hurt; Her affection of animals as her way to seek friendship apart from Rainbowdash; in recent years; her prejudice against Zecora and Gilda.
Discord sighs, “Case in point, remember my plunder seeds?” Fluttershy nods. “They are, to the Tree of Harmony, very much like what weeds are to a pony’s garden.” With a snap, one very black weed sprouted among the grass. “They multiply like bunnies, sap the energy out of other flora, and are nothing but a pest to ponies.” In response, new bundles of weed sprout, pushing past any roots that got in their way.
“While I call my chaos, art, it’s nothing but a nuisance in this garden of paradise called, Equestria.” Discord slumps in his seat and snaps the weed away, leaving the area normal again, while Fluttershy takes a moment for his words to sink in. She feels the tears almost pouring, realizing how much Discord really needed a friend in his lifetime.
“Discord… I’m so sorry; I could never imagine how much you’ve been suffering all this time.” She closes the gap between them, enclosing him in another hug. Discord, surprised by her contact for a moment, embraces her as well, brushing the area between her wings to soothe her.
“You don’t have to blame yourself, you know,” Discord whispers in a calming tone. “I must admit, I did overreact by forcing my chaos onto the land, despite their protests. I was a rather horrid host, hmm?”
Fluttershy only nods. She admits that everyone involved could have talked things out instead of keep to themselves and fume at other. Settling down, Fluttershy lets go, wiping the last bit of tears from her eyes and leaving a smear from her mascara.
Discord takes out another tissue, this time plucking it from behind her ear, to wipe away the ruined makeup. “Better?” Fluttershy nods. Around them, some of the animals clap a bit at the touching moment while others give a thumbs-up at his chivalry. A sound of a cuckoo clock fills the air. Discord looks at his watch on his lion arm, a tiny Celestia popping out of a grandfather watch. “Oh, would you look at the time. Our tea party over already.”
Fluttershy’s eyes dart toward the clock, the dials crooked and the numbers jumbled up, but she is still able to read the time by the position of the dials. They have been talking for a while.
“Well, I say, it’s been swell talking with you Fluttershy, but I don’t want to keep you from your duties for the rest of the day,” Discord says, already in a trench coat and donning a hat. In the background, the scene is restored back to when their tea party began, the tea sets and finger-food present on the birch coffee table.
“Oh, Discord. Wait,” Fluttershy says, stopping Discord. “Would you like to join my family and me for that dinner… as an honorary family member?”
Discord smiles at that, his heart melting from the warmth of her kindness. “I would love to.”