//------------------------------// // 1 - Expecting // Story: Anarchy: Pony of Chaos // by Ninjadeadbeard //------------------------------// Once Luster Dawn had been seen off with her new friends down in Ponyville, the Princess Twilight and her friends Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Pinkie Pie (with son Lil Cheese in tow), and Fluttershy returned once more to the business of running the nation of Equestria. The young Luster may have been free to learn the magic of friendship, as they all had once, but these six mares and one dragon had a duty to perform. And so… three days of meetings and deliberations ensued. Not everything could be resolved with a song and dance number, much to Pinkie’s dismay, but said Party Pony managed to keep the event as lively as possible throughout the Council of Friendship’s task. They even managed to slip in some fun here and there, untainted by bureaucracy or paperwork, a description the Princess alone would have taken offense at. But with the Council adjourned, the closest friends in Equestria had to say goodbye once more. Cloudsdale had all hooves on deck for the upcoming Fall Storms, so Rainbow had to get her Wonderbolts’ withers in gear, and Sweet Apple Acres would need Applejack’s strength to secure the barns and farm-animals before the thunderclouds rolled in. Rarity would stay in Canterlot for a few more days to attend some shows, a few soirees, and check up on her boutique in the city, to say nothing of joining Spike and perhaps Twilight herself on an expedition to the gem caverns below. With the animal sanctuary in constant need of attention, and Lyra and Bonbon’s anniversary to plan, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie needed to return to Ponyville in a hurry. Well, not so much of a hurry that they couldn’t enjoy a nice train ride together. The car they sat in was lightly attended, which made it a far more soothing time for Fluttershy. She was used to the odd pony or creature asking for an autograph or wanting to meet one of the Six… but tonight she was thankful nopony would be causing a ruckus around her and Pinkie. Except of course, for Lil Cheese. The little colt possessed an energy that Fluttershy could feel as he bounced around the cabin, admiring literally every piece of furniture and decoration in the room. And light fixtures. And a few of the other passengers. And the candy cart. Oh. And he never once let go of his rubber chicken. At least for the first five minutes. By then, Fluttershy had gotten her tail wrapped around him, pulled Cheese into an ‘auntie hug’, and with a few well-placed coos and nuzzles had the little tyke down for the count and fast asleep for the train’s duration. For once, Pinkie Pie was flabbergasted, “But… how? It took me hours to get him to sleep last night!” “Oh, it’s not all that hard,” Fluttershy said softly, a sleeping Pie on her lap, “foals just need structure, love, and enough freedom to make them feel independent, safely.” “Sort of like Discord?” Fluttershy was about to disagree… only to helplessly nod instead. “He’s a lot better than he used to be.” Pinkie chuckled, pulling a bit of candy from her bushy, frizzy mane and sucking on it, “Well, when ‘tear the world apart with pure chaos’ is your ‘used to be’, that’s a low bar.” “Pinkie…” “Relax!” the pink party planner pony smiled, “I like the guy! He still makes it rain chocolate for my birthday. And he makes you happy, so who cares what anypony else thinks?” Fluttershy smiled at that. It was true… Discord made a place in his home for Fluttershy and her animals. He gave her a place in his heart too, in that emotionally vulnerable spot he guarded like it was a dragon hoard. She loved that about him. She loved… everything about him. Pinkie kept talking, “It’s like with me and Cheese. So many ponies and creatures thought it’d never last…” Nocreature had ever thought that, Fluttershy thought to herself. Even Discord sometimes wondered if Pinkie had managed to keep some of his duplicating and transforming magic from that whole Grogar’s Bell incident, the fact that everypony knew Cheese Sandwich from before be darned… “… but here we are!” she looked down at her foal with glistening eyes. Eyes that held the raw, untempered love and joy and laughter of Pinkie Pie… all now for her Lil Cheese. It was a sight that almost brought Fluttershy to tears. But… not for the reasons one might have expected. She looked down herself at the colt. The way his coat and mane actually matched Fluttershy made her think… of a little… oh no. This was a bad train of thought. This was very bad, and Fluttershy knew she had mere seconds to think of something else or change what she was looking at, or perhaps leap out the window and fly back to her old cottage before it showed on her face and Pinkie… Pinkie Pie locked gazes with Fluttershy. Oh… ponyfeathers. Pinkie couldn’t have missed it. She didn’t. “Fluttershy!” she whisper-gasped, “Did… did you want children!?” “N-no…” But Pinkie saw it. “I saw it! My left forehoof shivered twice, and my right ear flicked once on its own!” She leaned in close, uncomfortably close… Pinkie Pie close, and said, “My Pinkie Sense is telling me that you actually want one too!” Fluttershy leaned back so as to prevent her eyeballs from making direct contact with Pinkie’s own. She managed to whisper back, “Um… it’s a bit more complicated…” Pinkie gasped, and slid back to her seat, “Oh my goodness! You’ve always been so motherly, and it’s because you want to be a mother, but you’re not sure if Discord wants or even can have kids and you don’t want to put that sort of pressure on him, but you also wonder if he wants kids like you or if he’s too immature to handle that sort of responsibility…” Fluttershy, from years of experience, knew to just let her friend continue. It wasn’t that she would eventually get it out of her system so much as even Pinkie would eventually need to stop for breath, water, or a cupcake… and not necessarily in that order. “… and then you’ll have to decide if saving the world is worth destroying your evil red-and-black alicorn of chaos son, but the power of love and friendship will prove too much…” Wow. Look at her go. Eventually, Fluttershy realized they would reach Ponyville before Pinkie was done, and so by the second trilogy (of a planned twelve-part series somehow already written inside Pinkie’s mind), the yellow pegasus was ready to step back in. “You’re right, Pinkie,” her gentle whisper cut through Pinkie’s tirade instantly, “I’m afraid of the time commitment to raising a child, and while we’ve talked a little about it, I still don’t know if Discord truly wants children.” She began gently stroking Cheese’s mane, “And it wouldn’t be fair to either of us if I wanted them, but he didn’t.” Pinkie did not continue in her rambling way or go off on another tangent or do much of anything, really. She sat back, and seemed to ponder the problem. She tapped her chin a few times with one hoof, and then hummed a few familiar bars of some song Fluttershy was sure she’d once joined in on, but couldn’t place. “Do you love Discord?” she finally asked, leveling a hard glare right at Fluttershy. “Yes.” There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation. Pinkie nodded, and continued, “Do you want kids?” Silence. The cabin was largely silent except for the low rumble of the train’s engine and the clackity-clack of its wheels on track. “Yes,” she finally said, with all the conviction of her first answer. “Good, good,” Pinkie seemed almost satisfied. “So… have you asked him?” Fluttershy blinked once. Then twice. Then, she turned and stared out the window, watching the sun vanish over the rapidly approaching Ponyville rooftops. Have I…? It was that question that haunted Fluttershy all the way back to Ponyville. She couldn’t seem to remember actually asking Discord about it, but instead of answering Pinkie, she’d spent the entire trip back staring at Lil Cheese and wondering… The walk back to her old cottage was nice, this time at night. Ponyville had grown quite a bit since Twilight’s coronation, which was partly why Fluttershy had accepted Discord’s offer to live in his dimension. There were all kinds of ponies and other creatures who lived in and around the once-quiet little town, and new buildings and accommodations had to be put up for them. The one Fluttershy liked the most were the new streetlights. Powered by some sort of crystal magic Twilight tried to explain to her, Fluttershy was most happy with them because their light was magic, able to be seen by most creatures, while not bothering the local animal life or obstructing the stars. It didn’t hurt that the lights made her feel a little safer. Element Bearer or not, the darkness could sometimes still give Fluttershy a fright! There were even creatures up and about, noticeably the Batponies who moved in after a particularly rowdy Nightmare Night a few years back. Luna had recommended the town to her Night Guard as a pleasant place to retire, and it seemed more than a few took her up on that offer. There was a night-market where one could get anything even well-past the normal bedtime around these parts, and Fluttershy knew Trixie was hosting some sort of magic-show or contest on the other side of town. She could see the fireworks. None of that was for the yellow pegasus though. She merrily trotted out of town, and headed for her old home. The cottage was well-kept, even if it mostly served as an office and convenient place for the mailcreatures to deliver for Fluttershy. There had been union complaints a few Council meetings back over some mail-carriers getting lost in the eternal seas of Chaos… Her tree still stood by the road a little way out of town. There were few animals around these days, most either remaining in the Sanctuary or still living in Discord’s realm. Still, Fluttershy whistled softly to the nightbirds who watched her from the nearby branches, and got a lovely response in kind, so she quickly opened up a little bag of seed she’d snapped up at the night market, and spread it around her yard for the little dearies. After going inside, Fluttershy felt herself calm immediately. Not that she was anxious this night… okay, maybe a little anxious, but her old home still smelled the way she liked. The carpets were her carpets, and the tea sitting in the tin can in her kitchen was still her tea. She loved living with Discord… but there was something about this old cottage that made her heart smile. So, Fluttershy switched on a lamp, warmed a pot of tea, grabbed herself a book on sloths, and nuzzled down deep into a comfy blanket. He should be back shortly… As soon as she thought this, Fluttershy took off her reading glasses, and set them, the book, and her cup of tea aside, and then looked towards the door just before it slammed open. The Lord of Chaos hefted two suitcases as he entered, a bright smile all over his Draconequus face. And, for some reason, a blue and white-polka-dotted dress and apron, and a bright red wig. “Flutters! I’m home!” he announced cheerfully. “Hope you and the girls had a lovely time, because that O and O convention was fantastic!” Fluttershy smiled, then took back her tea cup, “We did, thank you. I’m glad you had a good time too, Discord. Tell me about it.” Discord waved his claw nonchalantly, costume vanishing and suitcases wandering off as he spoke, “Oh, where to begin? I suppose nothing too crazy went on… though at one point everyone’s characters came to life and threatened to destroy Equestria- NOT MY FAULT!” he added quickly, “I mean, who the heck expects holograms to suddenly gain sapience and turn evil!?” Fluttershy just continued smiling as he regaled her with the past three days of stories and tales. It sounded like quite the adventure. Even with a grain… or a bag of salt, Fluttershy could tell the last few days had been a wild ride for her very special somedraconequus. Everycreature’s characters came to life, which meant there were suddenly hundreds of evil alicorns running amuck, time-traveling pirate versions of the Elements of Harmony attacked at one point, and even King Sombra came back again. The whole thing was wrapped up neatly inside of thirty minutes by Discord creating another universe for all the extra creatures to live in. Sombra was blown up again though. So, it all ended well enough. But through the entire story, as Discord danced on the roof and used puppets and lasers to recount his time at the convention, Fluttershy began to notice something. As Discord performed, she could only seem to focus on him. And not just the him before her, but the Discord of years past. The Discord she’d grown to care for. Maybe it was the tea, but a warm, fuzzy feeling passed through her whole body as she thought, settling right in her chest. She could see him like this, in the future. His performance, his style… she couldn’t help but wonder how much fun a little foal would have with him. Discord’s tale complete, he bowed low. And despite there being an audience of one, the sound of applause may well have been deafening to him, considering the smile on his lips. “Thank you!” he said, catching a bouquet of flowers from somewhere, “Thank you! Now…” he appeared at Fluttershy’s side, fingers waiting to snap, “Let’s get you home and whip up something warm for dinner. I bet you’re famished!” A yellow hoof lay on his claw-hand. His eyes met hers. “Discord…” she had to know, “Can I ask you something?” “Anything, of course,” he said, a hint of… perhaps concern entered his voice. What was this about? “I am an open book!” Fluttershy somehow managed not to gasp as his… head split open to reveal a pop-up book, starring Discord and her. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, but she held together. Now or never. “You know how much I love our animals,” she began with force, but she could feel that power and confidence ebb as she looked into Discord’s wondering eyes, “and… and I do love our lives together, truly.” Why was her mouth so dry? Where’d that tea go? Oh well, in for a bit… “But I want something more. Somepony…” Now or never. “… a foal of my own. Our own,” she reached out a hoof and placed it as close to his chest as she could reach. The cottage was silent. Discord hadn’t changed expression since she started, never moved his eyes or his ears or anything. He even managed to not levitate or transmute anything around the two. He left everything as it was. The Spirit of Chaos turned, and looked away from Fluttershy. She couldn’t see his face, only feel her own heart begin pounding. And the longer she looked away, the louder and louder that sound became, until she was sure even he could hear it. “Oh Fluttershy…” he whispered, his voice cracking. Had she ruined it? Did he…? Could he…? Hot tears threatened to spill out of Fluttershy on the spot. Discord slowly turned around, and his eyes caught the breath in Fluttershy’s chest. “I could always hear your heart,” he said, a soft smile radiating from his whole face, directly into the yellow pegasus’ heart. He scooped her up into his arms and the two strangest creatures in Equestria hugged one another as though they would never let go. “You mean it!?” Fluttershy joyously shouted, as much as she could, “You… you’re not just saying…?” He set her down and laughed, “Of course! I’ve been waiting for you to ask for years!” Fluttershy’s ears perked. “Really?” “My dear, you are the most motherly, loving pony I know,” the old Draconequus smiled, “You wanting foals was as likely as the sun coming up.” “Considering how often we’ve had to deal with something or somecreature who could stop that,” Fluttershy teased, “I suppose my reaction might not have seemed inevitable.” “Yes, well…” Discord blushed, “I might have been… a little worried you wouldn’t want to have foals… with me…” She gasped, “Why would you think that?” “Um, hello?” Discord pulled his green leg off and began shaking it up and down, dumping what appeared to be a small mountain of candy corn onto Fluttershy’s floor. She only shook her head, and gave her friend a disapproving stare, “I never once thought you were ugly, Discord. And I’ve never really been bothered by weird.” The Draconequus scratched at his beard. “True… I’ve always said you were the odd one.” “So…” she wasn’t sure where to go from here, “We both… we both want this.” The songbirds outside had gone quiet. The house was completely, and utterly devoid of sound. Save, naturally, for the tea set, which now tried to sneak out of the room and leave the pegasus and the Lord of Chaos to their discussion. It kept finding the squeaky floorboards, however. “Are you sure?” Discord asked slowly, hesitantly, “You know we can’t take it back. I’m told there’s a strict no-return policy on these things.” She reached up and grabbed his paw with her hooves. “Yes.” There was nothing else to say. Her smile spoke entire libraries of love into being. Discord nodded. “Then, if you’re ready…” She blushed. “W-what? Now?” “No time like the present.” Her blush hit critical mass, her face turning into a stuttering mess of emotions, “I… I… um, I guess… I guess so…” Fluttershy gazed up into those yellow and crimson eyes with her own. Though in her mind a hurricane of doubts and questions flew... her stare never once wavered from Discord’s. And she felt… "With you," she said, finally, and smiled, "of course." "Then close your eyes..." She did so, her smile never leaving, only added to by the deep blush that came over her face. She could hear him come closer, nearer. They had been friends for so long. And then so much more since then. She felt his breath on her face, and then his claw on her mane... "Ow!" she cried and snapped her eyes open. She reached up and rubbed the top of her head, right where Discord had torn out a single pink hair. "Discord!?" The Draconequus didn't seem to notice, instead inspecting the hair with a careful eye. “Hmmm, good genes,” he mused to himself, “Not the strongest wings, but that won’t matter so much. Potential for stigmatisms should be taken care of. Unconditional love or not, glasses are not a good look…” The irritation in Fluttershy’s voice couldn’t be masked, “Discord, what in the horsefeathers was that about!?” Seemingly satisfied with whatever he found, Discord wrapped the strand around his first talon like a ribbon, and then solemnly raised his claw into the air. “This.” [Snap!] The torrential magicks of Chaos tore across the fabric of space, time, and other similar dimensions. Worlds burned, lives re-written, the pillars of the universe shook to their foundation. But those were other worlds. In this world, the land of Equestria, the mighty theurgical power of Chaos knocked a single ball out of place, nudging it a few micro-centimeters to the left, which caused it to bump into another ball, and another… until the four-thousandth and seventy-second iteration, whereupon, a ball with the number 12 emblazoned on it bumped into a ball marked with the number 87, causing that ball to be selected by an attending hoof instead. “Number 87,” a bored unicorn stallion sighed into a speaker. “Number… 87.” “Bingo!” an unmistakable example of the Royal Canterlot Voice roared out in the pleasant, seaside hall. Its wielder, a dark-blue alicorn, trotted merrily up to the prize table, a perfectly cheery grin plastered across her face. Princess Luna, the retired diarch of Equestria, loved Bingo. Her sister, Princess Celestia, who had been sitting beside her, huffed and folded her forelegs across her chest. “Not again!” she scowled. Next to her, another retiree of the Silver Shoals community growled in a voice like a grinding tomb-door. “Confound this Bingo game. I should be glad to rip asunder the number 87’s soul and cast it into the howling madness of eternity!” “Oh Grogar,” Celestia sighed, “You say that every time you lose. Get over it.” A blue coated ram, topped with a magnificent pair of curling horns and a fringe of white mane, fixed the white alicorn with a scowl of his own. “Should the proverbial pot call its nemesis, the kettle, black of hue, though it would be correct it would also be the height of hypocrisy!” Luna cantered back, an electric-light-up scrunchy holding her ethereal mane back and a fresh set of Bingo cards held aloft in her magic. “Oh ho!” she laughed, “I do so love your verbal spars, Grogar! How humorous!” Grogar pouted. “I am not humorous. I am the Father of Monsters…” Celestia rolled her eyes and began to mouth the old ram’s speech along with him (for he gave that same speech almost every day since they’d bumped into the Father of Monsters their first day of retirement), when he suddenly paused. A flicker of coruscating violet light rippled up, down, and between his horns. He seemed… completely dumbfounded. Shocked. Taken so aback as to be rendered catatonic. “Um,” Celestia leaned in, “Mr. Grogar? Are… are you okay?” “Tia,” Luna frowned, “He just burst with magical energy.” Grogar finally spoke, gravely voice just above a whisper. “No… and nothing will ever be okay again. The grinding, plutonian shores of Tartarus could pull back to reveal an Elysian field where every dream were a reality, and every heart sang true… and it would not matter.” He turned his old eyes towards the former Princesses, and made his cataclysmic pronouncement. “For you see… Grogar has become… the Grandfather of Monsters!” [/Snap!] It took several long, drawn out seconds for Fluttershy to blink away the blinding white light of Discord’s magic, and another few moments to banish the little swimming dots from her vision, which always made her a little sad as they reminded her of little butterflies only she could see. “Discord,” she began, glancing about for him, “I don’t… understand…” A hospital bed sat in the center of her home, gurney and all. And laying in it, beneath a thin blanket, Discord looked like he’d just run a marathon, swam the ocean, and sprinted headlong into a Buffalo migration. He was plastered with sweat, mane flattened, and eyes red and weary. Well… redder than normal. But that was not what stopped Fluttershy’s breath in her throat. No, it was the tiny bundle of swaddling the Lord of Chaos held in the crook of one arm. “Would,” he managed through ragged breaths, “you like… to meet her?” Fluttershy weakly stepped towards him. She came around to one side of the bed, and with motions as timid and as gentle as ever she’d made before… she reached out her wings and took up the filly. It... she looked just like Fluttershy did as a foal. The only difference she could see were the blue bat-wings in place of her own pegasus ones, and a single black stripe through her otherwise identical pink mane. "I think she has my eyes,” Discord chuckled through a haze. Indeed, Fluttershy looked down at the little foal, and managed to not flinch at all as its yellow and crimson eyes stared back at her from underneath the bushiest white eyebrows she ever saw. In fact, instead of cringing or flinching or staring blindly… Fluttershy couldn't help but smile warmly at the sight of her own, beautiful foal. "Hello there, my little Ann," said Fluttershy, cooing at her little one. "Ann?" the Lord of Chaos, exhausted, asked. Fluttershy nuzzled her foal, "Like Anarchy. I thought you'd like it?" "Well, I don't like it," Discord sighed contentedly, "I love it..." Anarchy, as she was thus dubbed, giggled, before reaching out one of her little wings… and by pressing two of her wings’ ‘fingers’ together… she snapped! The nearby sofa couch instantly transformed into a chair-shaped wheel of cheese. And then it caught a blaze. Fluttershy and Discord, now out of bed, stared at the melting, cheesy mess, and then back to the bubbling, cooing, laughing bundle of joy that had just impacted their lives like a climate-shifting asteroid strike. “She gets it from your side,” said Discord.