Discord grumbled as he snuggled into his pillow, something that was horrifyingly uncomfortable, but he was too tired to even try and change it. The sun shining in through his eyelids was another problem, one he was willing to focus his magic on. An exceptionally pink sleeping mask appeared on his face as he smiled into his bed, which was becoming unbearable. But he shot up after rolling onto his side, the mask disappearing from his face as waves of pain shot through his waist. He winced, wondering why his entire body felt sore as he looked down and saw bandages wrapped around his torso. He raised an eyebrow, they were tinged red around the source of his pain, but he didn't remember wrapping himself in any bandages.
Before he could snap them away to see whatever was biting him and sending currents of pain through him, a voice chirped. "Oh! You're awake," a soft, quiet voice said. His head whirled in the direction of it, finding a lot of pink and yellow as a... human sat by a tree? What was a human doing this close to him? And as he looked around, she was sitting rather far away.
He looked around, deciding she was an insignificant part of his problem. He saw grass past his body, making him wonder why he was sleeping on the dirt when there were things that could be so much more comfortable, like a cloud made of cotton candy for example. He didn't remember a thing, and he had no idea where he was. But he was obviously in this area for at least a few minutes.
That was evident by the things that obviously didn't belong. Like the half-frozen pond that shouldn't exist in the middle of a thick forest. And the sun shined down strongly, making him bring his talon up to block it. He noticed the crisp edges of leaves falling, and assumed he created the large hole in the canopy. And as he looked around, he assumed he made the trees vanish as well, there weren't even any stumps left.
"I didn't think you would be, you looked horrible," the voice played again. He jerked his head to whoever this incompetent girly thought she was, insulting a god like himself. But before he could insult her back, she spoke as she rummaged through her bag. "Your wound was terrible too, you didn't even wake up while I stitched it up. And I didn't have anything to put you to sleep," she said again.
Why was she talking to him so... casually? He narrowed his eyes on her, his tail flicking in a threat as he evaluated the situation. Maybe the human look was a disguise, and she really was something that wanted his magic, and thought she could get it. She looked completely and utterly harmless, but that could only further her innocent look. And what was with the distance she was keeping? She had to know what he was, and what insane amounts of power he was capable of.
Before he could question the girl and reveal her plan and debunk it, she walked towards him and held out an apple. He raised an eyebrow at it and tilted his head. Was it poisoned? That'd be a weird way to obtain a draconequus' powers, he was so confused as he glanced up at her, seeing her beaming smile. "I have no idea what you are, and I couldn't find anything about what you are," she said, making him sit up straight in utter confusion. He didn't think a being of his power could be so completely confused.
"But you have a lot of parts from a horse and a goat," she said with her bright smile and even brighter teal eyes. He couldn't see any malice behind it. "Oh, and the deer... antler horn?" She said with a tilt of her head as she shook her hand slightly to draw his attention to the apple. He was appalled, was this little girl... mocking him?
But he was once again prevented from going through with something, in this case grabbing the apple, when she shook her head and giggled. He simply watched as she set the apple down on the ground and walked away, staring at him expectantly. "You aren't going to get any better if you don't eat," she explained and he really didn't understand.
His tail wrapped around to his front, wrapping around the apple and extending itself long enough so he could bring the fruit up to his paw. He saw a look of amazement on her face as he noticed just how yellow she was.
Her hair was probably the only thing about her that wasn't yellow, instead, it was a gorgeous, pastel pink he could get behind. But a sweater hung off one shoulder, it was definitely a few sizes too big as it fell over her yellow skirt. That beautiful canary yellow led to hideous green tights and black boots.
She looked so harmless, and she didn't seem to know what he was. But looks can deceive. He shot her an unconvinced, cautious look as he tossed the apple up and down, looking to see if any magic coated the thing, assuming magic was the only thing that could kill him. It had nothing, it looked just like a normal apple. "Oh, I have other fruits if you don't eat apples," the girl offered kindly, still keeping her distance.
"It's not poisoned, is it?" He asked, looking the apple over and wishing he could tell if anything was off the normal, not just what he did to things. "It wouldn't kill me, but I doubt it'd do any good," he said, remembering that his magic was malfunctioning. For some reason. He looked at his talon, feeling less and more unstable magic than normal.
"Of course it's not--..." She said, ending abruptly, he looked up at her and saw those teals eyes were wider than before. And her carefree, leisurely attitude was gone as her body was frozen stiff. He didn't understand again, was it something he said? He didn't think it would be, she wasn't afraid of his appearance, so why would his voice scare her? "Did-- did you just..." she fumbled, raising a shaking hand with a finger pointed at him.
He tossed the apple again, assuming maybe this changeling-type creature's magic was malfunctioning like his. He declared the apple was good enough to eat, and threw it over his shoulder with a smug grin, though in that same time it appeared in his mouth. He smiled as he ate it, it tasted pretty nice. "Did... did you just... just talk?" She asked calmly in a shaking voice.
What was with this girl? He raised an eyebrow at her. "Why wouldn't I talk?" He asked, pulling the stem of the apple out of his mouth and throwing it over his shoulder, debating whether or not to make it reappear in his talon and use it as a toothpick. He decided against it as he put his hands on his hips, jerking his hand away from his... injury he didn't remember getting. "I'm not an animal."
She shook her head and laughed to herself, putting her hand in her hair as she smiled. "I must be low on sleep," she said to herself, looking behind her. "I should actually be getting back..."
As she leaned over to grab her bag, he snapped with a wide grin, appearing hanging upside down on a branch next to her. "Yes, I don't really prefer the ground as a bed either," he said, stroking his gravity-defying beard as he thought. "I don't know why I was there to begin with, actually."
She screamed and jumped away, falling to the ground and using her feet to push herself away. "Y-y-you're tal-talking..." she mumbled, staring up at him with wide eyes that only made him notice the bags underneath them. Maybe this creature disliked the ground as well. Wait, she didn't know he could talk?
He snapped and appeared over her, curious at her cowering as she had, just minutes ago, talked to him as if he was a patient. "Well, it's kind of rude not to talk to those who talk to you," he said, standing up straight and rolling his wrist as his theatrics. "Even if I suspect you to be a creature after my magic, I can at least be courteous."
She shook her head again and dug both her hands into her impossibly soft hair. "This can't be happening," she mumbled to herself, her hands shaking. He didn't understand either. This thing was after a draconequus' magic, how could she not know they talked? What all-mighty being couldn't talk? Or at least communicate in some way!
He snapped, his paw flying off of his body and grabbing the back of her sweaters collar. She yelped as his paw picked her up off the ground up to his height, which was a few heads taller than her. "Okay, you thing," he hissed. "You can give up the games. If you agree to give up this little plan of yours, I might let you off free," he said, narrowing his eyes on her. He rolled his eyes as he noticed her sweater was so big it still fully covered her.
She pointed at him. "You talk."
Now he was annoyed as he dropped her, growling. He used his talon to grab his paw and screw it back onto his arm. He leaned over her, sneering. "Alright, missy. I don't know what you're doing, but give it up, it's rather obnoxious," he threatened, snapping and making a bunch of papers appear in his hands. He had no idea what she was, and was determined to find out what if she wasn't going to tell him.
"But you talk," she said as she picked herself up slightly and saw what he was holding. Glasses appeared on his face as she gasped, getting on her knees and smiling as she looked at what he had in his hands. "And you can read?" She asked, completely amazed.
He scowled, feeling his eye twitch as this little brat was starting to get on his nerves. Was she mocking him? Was she a threat? He didn't necessarily care at this point, he just wanted to get her to understand what a draconequus was, and to speak of them with respect. "Of course I can! I'm a draconequus! We aren't some animals!" He sneered, feeling hatred override the intense pain in his side that he hadn't forgotten about.
Though the questions of what it was, why it was bandaged up, and why his magic wasn't fixing it already left his mind. Her eyes widened as her shoulders and jaw dropped, and he was honestly scared. He had never been this uninformed in his life and he didn't think he'd ever experience this. She scurried past him for her bag, rummaging through it again. "Hey!" He yelled after her, stomping over to her until he stood behind her, towering over her. "I was talking!" He said, throwing his hands up as he watched her pull a thick notebook out of her bag and flip past tons of full pages.
He didn't even have time to appreciate or belittle her for such pointless actions before she stood up, forcing him to stand up straight as she stood on the tips of her toes and pointed at a word on a blank page. "You're a draconequus?" She asked, pronouncing it horribly though her spelling was correct, all the while big, teal eyes looked up at him.
"Draconequus," he corrected, staring at the blank page with curiosity. Why was it the only empty one? Especially when she was looking to get his magic, or to mess with him. Either way, both intentions shouldn't have had a blank research page covered in question marks and such amazement at the name. Wait, why was she so astonished?
"Draconequus," she said correctly, nodding her head and furrowing her eyebrows as she pulled the book away from him and turned it to herself, flipping through it. He wondered if she was going to turn to a page that had information about him, when it hit him she didn't even know how to pronounce 'draconequus'.
She shoved a spread in his face this time, both without titles and detailed drawings in pencil. He grabbed the book from her, looking down at all the studies and analyzing of him. All of them had the bandages around the waist, meaning she'd drawn them while he was asleep, because one thing he did know was that he didn't wrap himself in bandages before he went to sleep. When did he go to sleep? "So... that's a draconequus?" She asked expectantly, staring up at him with no fear.
He would've been concerned, or honored, by the great drawings if he wasn't horribly confused. This thing was meant to be a dark creature that would take advantage of his weakened state and take his magic, but instead, she seemed as if she didn't even know he was a creature that had magic. First, she acted as if she had wrapped him up in bandages, and the word 'wound' only implied she was... healing him?
That new revelation boggled his mind as he ran over all of the other completely innocent things she had done. She was shocked he could talk, she was amazed by his species, she wasn't fearful of his magic, as if she didn't know he had it, and she had acted as if she was curious of his health. And worried.
He nodded, handing the book back to her and seeing her wide smile as she held the book to her chest. She was terrifying. "So... since you know what I am," he started, deducing she could only be a great actor, or an idiotic creature that didn't know how to act. "Would you mind telling me what you are?" He asked nicely, giving her a fake smile as his mind ran with negative scenarios.
His magic could malfunction at any moment, at least, that's what little he got from his memories yesterday. She smiled sweetly as she raised an eyebrow, an amused look on her face he would've enjoyed had he not currently been furious at her for having the capability to throw him, Discord, for a loop. "Oh, me? I'm nobody," she said, taking a step towards him with a hungry curiosity in her eyes that scared him out of even thinking anything negative of her. He filled his mind with repeats of 'pretty hair' to appease the almighty magic she had to have.
He shook his head. "No, I mean. What are you? Like how I'm a draconequus, and this," he said as he made a squirrel appear in his talon. "Is a squirrel. Or chipmunk," he said, narrowing his eyes on the little rodent he had dangling from it's tail. She put down her notebook and reached up for his claw, loosening his grip on the squirrel gently as she caught it in her palms. He watched with a confused stare as she bent over and set it free.
"Oh, that's easy," she said with a smile as she stood back up with her book in her hands. "I'm just a normal girl." She flipped open her book, simply looking through the pages and letting him get a glance at every single full page as his mind fell apart, more than normally anyways.
He snapped, appearing behind her and lifting her hair, seeing nothing coming out of her back. She jumped and looked back at him. "How did you do that?" She asked, leaning away from his touches as he lifted one of her arms and rolled her sleeve up as far as it could go. Nothing again.
"Normal girl as in a human normal girl?" He asked, snapping and holding her upside down by one boot. She screamed and held her skirt in place as her shoelaces untied, dropping her to the ground as she slid out of her boot. He looked over her leg and saw nothing, and she very clearly didn't have any form of tail or horns. He snapped as he dropped her boot, it running towards her and placing itself back on her as it tied it's own shoelaces. She was amazed
"How did you do that?" She asked greedily.
"Just answer the question," he demanded of her greedy little curious stare he was terrified of. Though it was hard to be scared of her when she talked like a little school girl with a fascination.
She nodded. "Um, what are you doing?" She asked from her place on the ground, staring up at him, remembering he had essentially searched her... in an odd way. Though, she couldn't be just a 'normal girl', she had to be something. A normal girl wouldn't talk to him or even stand near him, a normal girl would be terrified.
He snapped again, a disembodied bird beak grabbing bunches of her sweater, holding enough of it to make her stomach visible. She definitely didn't have a tail. She gasped, "Can you use magic?"
He raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry, dear, but you can't simply be a normal girl," he said, crossing his arms and starting to feel anger run through him as his muscles tensed, his side erupting in pain again at the action. This girl was going to make a fool of him, and he wasn't going to allow it.
Her face fell into a frown as her shoulders dropped. "Why not?" She asked.
"Why not?" He repeated, throwing his arms up in the air, a fake, angered smile on his face. "Why not? I'll tell you why not, girl," he said, shooting a pointed paw at her chest like a rocket, another paw coming up in it's place as that one fell to the ground in an ashy pile the nonexistent wind blew away. "Because you're a little girl. That's why!"
She furrowed her eyebrows, a frown etched into her features. "That's not very nice," she lectured, making his jaw drop. "I'll have you know, I'm very capable of myself," she nodded, taking her stand against him. He didn't know he, The Lord of Chaos, could be equally appalled, confused, and angered by a creature acting innocent. All in the same day!
"Have you seen me?" He asked, stomping towards her with anger seeping off of him. He didn't know how he was still talking, and why she wasn't injured yet. "I'm a monster! No normal girl would be okay with looking at and talking to this," he said, pointing to his face. It hurt him to insult his perfect self, but fact was fact, he was a monstrous beast to humans.
She furrowed her eyebrows, tilting her head. "You aren't that scary, besides, I love taking care of animals," she said with a smile before flinching in the beak's grasp. "Oh, i'm sorry, I guess animal wouldn't exactly be the right way to describe you," she said nervously, hoping she didn't anger him any further. She didn't understand why he was so violent or angry, but she wanted to help him.
He shook his head, holding up one claw from his talon and paw, shutting his eyes. "You don't find me hideous?" He asked, slowly opening his eyes.
She glanced away, realigning her feet, despite the lack of ground beneath them. "No, but, I appreciate all... creatures. I don't think I'd ever find one... unpleasant," she said nervously, hoping her considerate word choice would make him feel better. She looked down at his waist, the bandages on his right side tinged red. "Oh, I'm sorry. How do you feel? That was a nasty cut," she said, looking up at him hoping he'd have a promising answer.
He flinched with a smile, if she knew his 'wound' was a cut, maybe she'd know what happened to him. "Cut?" He repeated, the words clicking with him as he looked down himself. It did hurt like hell, but he didn't remember cuts hurting this bad. "Is that what that is?"
She nodded, feeling her heart swell as the beak let her down, having a feeling his confused, cautious look was a good sign. "When I heard you last night I--"
He snapped and something that sounded like a zipper raced across her mouth. She reached for it and felt something cold and angular where her lips would be. What was causing all of these bizarre things to happen? "Heard me last night? What was I doing?" He asked seriously, grabbing her shoulders and staring at her expectantly. He raised an eyebrow when she didn't answer, and rolled his eyes when she pointed at her mouth. He snapped and she smiled up at him.
"Roaring," she said, narrowing her eyes on him. "Wait... do you not remember?"
He shook his head, a hand flying to her mouth. "Oh, well... I found you in this clearing and you looked seriously hurt," she started, almost enjoying his attentive stare on her. "That gash of yours was bleeding pretty badly--"
"Gash?" He asked with wide eyes, leaning back and putting his paw to his chest. He looked down at the bandages when she nodded, well, that sort of explained the pain. He still didn't think a more serious injury had hurt this badly before. It was pulsing out pain from his side to the rest of his body.
"And you looked sick," she said sadly, looking away from him. "There were these... purple and yellow things around you with a bunch of sparkles too," she explained, looking back up at him with wide, sympathetic eyes as she tucked her hands behind her back. "You got quieter and quieter until you passed out. Then I came over and stitched up your wound and--"
"You did this?" He asked, pointing at his bandages. She tilted her head in confusion before nodding. He snapped, appearing a few feet away from her and pacing as he stroked his beard in thought.
"Don't worry, I'm good at taking care of animals--" she said before shaking her head. "Creatures," She corrected. She watched with her hands clasped at her chest as he paced and mumbled to himself so quietly she couldn't make out the words. "Though I didn't have everything that would be really helpful to fixing it, but I stopped the bleeding, cleaned it," she started, shifting her weight on one foot as she delved into her thoughts, holding a finger out and tapping it as a way to keep count. "I also stitched it and bandaged it. It should start healing soon," she said, putting down her count of four and worriedly watching him pace.
He snapped, though nothing happened, other than the light bulb appearing above his head. He swooped over in front of her in an instant with a serious stare. She swallowed. "So... you're a normal girl that loves critters and decided to help me?" He asked, pointing at himself and expectantly waiting for a nod back. He nodded after she did and turned away, pulling on the collar of a suit he made appear on himself. "Well I must thank you...?"
She jumped after a few seconds of silence. "Fluttershy!"
He smiled to himself at the sweet name for a sweet girl. "Fluttershy," he repeated, even liking how it sounded on his tongue. "But I'm afraid I must go, things to see, things to do," he rambled, waving his hand nonchalantly.
"Wait!" She said, reaching out for him. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, watching her face turn pink as she stood up straight and cleared her throat. "I- just, um," she muttered before taking a deep breath. "Do you mind staying here for a few days? I wouldn't want you ending up somewhere dangerous with that wound."
He laughed, a pure genuine laugh that brought his paw close to his mouth. "Oh, Fluttershy," he said as he shook his head, snapping his fingers and watching the girl appear tucked between his arm and his chest, looking up at him with teal eyes. "Us draconequui can do anything! A measly cut isn't going to stop me," he explained cheerfully.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared up at him in awe. "Anything?" She asked breathlessly. He hummed as he looked over her, it had been decades, probably centuries, since a creature, much less human, was interested in him.
"Anything," he whispered back, seeing her smile widen.
"You have to tell me everything!" She demanded joyfully, staring up at him with an even wider grin. She quickly recoiled from it, ducking into her hair and sweater. "If that's, um, okay with you."
He dropped her, bringing his paw up to his chin as he looked up in thought. A normal girl that didn't find his appearance repulsive absolutely amazed by the thought of his species and wanting to hear more about it...? It would only take a day out of his immortal life, what was stopping him?
He grinned at her. "Sure, it'll be repayment for your services," he said with a bow, gesturing towards his bandages. He winced as he stood up straight again. "Though, it does hurt a bit."
She nodded. "It was a bad injury, it's going to hurt for a few days," she explained, making his ears and shoulders drop. "And... if your magic can do anything..." she said with her own finger to her chin, lightly walking towards him. "Can't you just relieve the pain yourself?" She asked worriedly.
He rolled his eyes at himself and nodded at her, grinning as he snapped his fingers, shutting his eyes in accomplishment. They opened as another pulse of pain washed over, he shot a raised eyebrow down at his side and watched, snapping his claws over and over again, using either arm, his tail, his horns, and got nothing.
He looked to her and shrugged. "I usually can, I haven't the slightest idea why I can't now," he said, wincing as the pain seemed to get worse with his multiple attempts at fixing it. He laughed nervously and tapped his claw and paw together. "Maybe, I could use some more of your assistance," he said with a nervous grin, watching her beam.
She rocked back on her feet, cowering in her sweater. "Is tomorrow okay? I would really love to stay, but I've been here all night and my family's probably really worried and..." she trailed off, looking down at her bag and the direction she came from. She looked back up at the draconequus, seeing his limbs went rigid as he was frozen. "Um... Mr. Draconequus?"
"Discord," he said, patting her on the head with his claw as he stared off in a random direction. "My name is Discord," he repeated.
She clasped her hands together with a smile. "That's great!" She beamed before noticing he was still frozen in place. "Are you okay? Cause I can stay a bit longer or come back after I get some more things to help you--" she started and was cut off by him looking down at her with the same serious, determined, and frozen stare on his face.
"I'll be fine," he said, pulling his claw from her hair and forever imprinting it in his memory how stupidly soft her hair was. "You can just come back tomorrow," he said, watching her smile sadly.
"Only if you're sure you'll be okay. Strong creature or not, a wound's a wound," she rambled, stopping again when he put his claw in her hair, looking up at his somewhat soft, and incredibly shocked smile.
"Just go home," he told her seriously, staring at her intently. She nodded nervously before skipping off with a smile, shoving her notebook in her bag and throwing it over her shoulder, waving goodbye as she stepped up the small hill and turned the other way. And for some reason, he waved back, half-heartedly, but still.
He watched her and waited until she was gone, snapping and making a glass throne appear behind him. It was pink with chocolate milk swishing inside as he fell back into it and sunk.
What was with that girl? He looked down at the bandages and felt... something in his heart. Why did she do all this for something she didn't even know? That could have easily ripped her face off? Why?... And why did she care so much about him already?
"Um, Discord?" Her heard her lovely voice and looked to where she left, taking a glance up at the sky and seeing the sun shining right over them.
He smiled sweetly at her to hide his obvious confusion, sweat dripping down his face. "Yes, Fluttershy?" He asked, wondering why it felt nice to say someone else's name in a good way, a nice way. A non-discordant way.
She hid behind the tree she was peeking from slightly. "Um... since your magic can do a lot of things," she said, taking a glance at the glass throne and hoping he wasn't exaggerating when he had said 'anything'. "Do you think you could teleport me back to the front of the forest by the park?"
She hid further and continued shifting her weight from foot to foot as she avoided his raised eyebrow on her. "We're actually, um, quite far in the wood and I, uh..." she trailed off, hiding completely behind the tree to where he could only see her hair. "I have no idea how to get back!" She squealed in one go, cowering into herself.
Discord nodded, though his mind was on other things. "Sure," he said, seeing her peek out from behind her tree with a wide smile before she vanished.
He sunk into his cold throne. What was she?