Fluttershy took a deep breath. The air in the sanctuary was warm, and held the scent of late spring—the scent of dozens, maybe hundreds, of blooming flowers.
But she had a job to do, and she shouldn't waste time dawdling. With a smile on her face, she headed towards the meeting area. Animals of all kinds were starting to assemble there, all with one thing in common—they were either pregnant, or had eggs close to hatching.
She stood in front of them, waiting until she had all of their attention. "Hello, everyone," Fluttershy said to the gathered animals. "And welcome back to M.O.M—Meeting of Mothers. Now, I know a lot of you are nervous about having little ones for the first time." Several creatures nodded, glancing down at the ground nervously. "Well, hopefully these meetings will teach you all you need to know. Today, we're going to focus on how to carry your young. And I have someone special to help me demonstrate."
Discord teleported behind her, curtains appearing and separating her from him. Smoke formed from nowhere, and he rose onto his hide legs, projecting his shadow onto the curtains as the smoke poured out. "Whoooooo's ready to learn with...chaos!" he said in a booming announcer voice, stepping forward and shoving the curtains aside.
Several of the expecting creatures flinched, surprised. "It's okay!" Fluttershy quickly assured them. "It's just Discord." He visited often enough that most of the creatures living there at least knew of him.
Slowly, the creatures relaxed, and Discord strolled over to Fluttershy's side. He leaned against her, with his arm on her head. She smiled up at him before turning her attention to the animals.
"We'll go over how each of you will carry your little ones," she said. "Discord is going to help me demonstrate using his magic." Discord held out his paw and created a dancing gold flame in his palm to show off.
The animals flinched back a bit, though their eyes widened in fascination at the display of magic. Discord closed his hand, making the flame vanish in a puff of strawberry-scented smoke.
"Now, who would like a demonstration first?" she asked the group. They all exchanged nervous glances, before a young kangaroo slowly raised her paw. Fluttershy smiled.
"Roo, you'll be holding your little one in your pouch," she said. "They'll even be able to breastfeed in there, and will stay in there for...a couple of months." Roo's eyes widened, and she looked curiously down at her pouch. "Maybe a demonstration would be helpful?"
Roo nodded, and Fluttershy turned to look at Discord. He nodded and snapped his fingers, transforming into a kangaroo...though all of his limbs were still their original color, and he still had his horns, beard, eyebrows, and snaggletooth.
Fluttershy bit her lip to keep herself from snickering. "Now, um...I'll be helping him demonstrate." She stepped over to Discord, and he grinned and opened the pouch on his belly.
With a flap of her wings, she slowly settled herself in the pouch. Only her head and forehooves were poking out. She couldn't help but smile, feeling pretty snug and comfortable.
She looked to Roo, who was watching curiously. "Of course, your little one will be much smaller, and won't even come out of the pouch for several months, after they've grown and developed a bit more," she explained.
Discord began hopping around the area, showing that Fluttershy was safe and secure in the pouch. Roo seemed to relax at the sight of this.
Fluttershy leaned back against Discord's stomach, snuggling further into the warm pouch.
"Say, I should keep this," he said. "It'd be much more convenient to keep my things in!"
"Don't you have your magic for that?" she asked with a smile, looking up at him.
"Yes, but there are some things...or should I say ponies...that this is more fun to hold them with." He stroked her mane, and she looked away with a blush, her wings shifting.
She slowly relaxed as he kept hopping around. Roo seemed to understand...and as fun and comfortable as this was, there were plenty of other mothers who wanted help and advice.
"We should continue," she said. "Discord, could you help me out and transform back?"
"Of course," he said. He offered her a paw and helped her clamber out of the pouch and get back on her hooves. As soon as she was standing steady, Discord vanished in a flash of light, reappearing as his draconequus self...though with a grey pouch on his stomach, standing out against his brown fur. She placed a hoof over her lips to stifle her giggles.
"What?" he said. "I wasn't kidding about liking this. I'm going to keep it for a while."
She just smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, Discord," she said. "Just remember that there are more demonstrations I'll ask you to help with."
"Right," he said with a smile. "Because I'm the best at demonstrations. What next?"
Fluttershy looked at the crowd. Her eyes settled on a group of pregnant cats—most of them housecats, but Valarie the bobcat was also present.
"Why don't we talk about cats next?" she said. "Discord, could you turn us both into cats?"
He nodded, and with a snap of his fingers, they had both transformed into...Abyssinians. "Discord," she said in a warning tone, trying to balance on two legs. The wobbling was too much for her, so she dropped to all fours, shuddering a bit at the feeling of grass between her fingers. They were so sensitive...
"Alright, alright," he said with a chuckle. "For real now." He snapped his fingers, and she felt herself shrinking. Discord shrank alongside her, dropping onto all four legs as their bodies transformed into those of housecats.
"That's better," she said, stepping over to him. She paused when she realized that though they were closer in size than they normally would be, he was still larger than her. "Um...could you shrink a bit so I can demonstrate, Discord?"
"I have a better idea," he said with a grin. Before she knew it, she had shrunk several more inches, becoming the size of an older kitten, and he was gently biting the scruff of her neck.
Immediately, thanks to being scruffed, she went limp, her limbs curled close to her body. Discord held his head high and paraded her around with ease.
"See?" she said to the observing cats. "By scruffing your little ones like this, you can carry them around with ease. You'll have to do it one at a time, but with a bit of patience, you can move your whole litter!"
The group of cats nodded in understanding. Discord continued to parade her around the area, even hopping up suddenly-appearing platforms to show off his skills.
Eventually, though, after completing some impressive parkour (which Fluttershy assured the others that they would not need to do in order to carry their young), he made a ten-point landing in front of M.O.M.
They knew it was that good of a landing because three other Discords appeared in the back, each cheering and holding a sign with the number ten high above their heads.
Fluttershy laughed, though most of the other animals seemed mostly confused. Discord rolled his eyes at their indifference, and his tail stretched and twisted until it formed another hand.
With a snap of his tail hand, they both transformed back into their usual pony and draconequus selves...though Discord was still holding her in his mouth by the scruff of her neck.
"Um...Discord," she said quietly, trying not to think about how ponies normally didn't have scruffs. "Could you put me down, please?"
"Ah...'ight," he said. He slowly lowered her and dropped her gently on her hooves.
"Now...who'd like the next demonstration?" she asked. Immediately, two ducks and a swan raised their wings. They glared at each other, and the swan opened her mouth to hiss. "Oh no, don't argue!" Fluttershy quickly interjected. "You'll all carry your little ones in the same way. Why don't we head to the pond?"
The group headed in that direction en masse, Discord hovering overhead and tossing a superball between his hands, which changed color with every toss.
Fluttershy stopped at the shore of the pond. "Discord?" she said. He tossed the ball over his shoulder, where it bounced off towards town. She prayed it wouldn't cause anyone too much trouble, and continued, "Could you turn into some kind of waterfowl for a few minutes?"
He frowned. "Must I? I mean, transformations are fun and all, but couldn't we do just this one demonstration as our wonderful usual selves?" He snapped his fingers, releasing a small shower of white sparks. "Besides, I'm running on empty right now...give it a few minutes to recharge."
She rose an eyebrow, and he grinned sheepishly. "...well, not that empty," he admitted. "But I'm in the mood for swimming without transforming. And I think they'll get the gist either way, without me having to turn into a bird."
She frowned in thought...and then nodded. "Alright," she said with a smile. "Whatever you're comfortable with."
Discord cheered, and made a swan dive into the water. His head soon surfaced, shaking and spraying water droplets. The rest of his body followed, and he adjusted himself until he was right next to the shore, his back right in front of her.
"Care for a ride, milady?" he said in a posh voice. She giggled and carefully stepped onto his back, lying on her stomach with her legs folded underneath her.
Once she was safely "on board", he used his hind legs to kick off from the shore, shooting towards the deeper water in the middle of the pond. Discord paddled through the water with ease, barely making a wave in the water as he swam. Fluttershy relaxed on his back, laying her head between his shoulders.
"Of course, you'll need to carry more than one little one," Fluttershy explained to the watching waterfowl. "But then again, they'll be much smaller. And they should learn how to swim on their own quickly enough. In about two months at most."
The birds all nodded. Fluttershy rambled a bit about feathers and waterproof oil, while Discord's ears swiveled back towards her to listen.
After a bit more paddling around, Discord crawled onto the muddy bank, just a few feet away from the birds. His limbs sank into the mud, and he bent down to let her slide off his back.
Once she was off, he shook himself, spraying water everywhere. She laughed, using her wing to try and shield herself. "Ah, nothing like a refreshing swim," he said, standing up and using a towel to wipe the mud off of his hands.
Fluttershy glanced at the group. "While we're at the pond," she said. "Why don't we talk about how crocodiles carry their little ones?"
Carrie the crocodile looked relieved. Fluttershy sent her a reassuring smile, and turned her attention to Discord. "Could you please transform us?"
"Of course," he said. With a snap of his fingers and a flash of light, they both turned into crocodiles...though Discord was the smaller of the two this time, the size of a baby crocodile. "I'm a bit lost at sea here, so I'll let you take the reins on this one," he said in a squeaky voice.
She chuckled a bit. "Alright. Now, Carrie...your jaws are powerful, but this is one time you'll want to be as gentle as possible." She opened her jaws, bending her neck and pointing her maw towards Discord.
"...Flutters?" Discord said, almost nervously. She gave him a reassuring look...and then carefully scooped him up in her mouth.
She slowly turned and carried him towards the water, then plopped him gently into the pond. He immediately began paddling, thanks to instinct. "See?" she said to Carrie, who seemed intrigued, if still a bit nervous. "You can be careful with your little ones...and once they're in the water, they can swim by themselves."
Discord paddled his way back to her, looking up at her. "Do we need to keep going with this one?" he asked. "Or shall we move onto the next one?"
Fluttershy glanced over at Carrie...who thought for a moment, then nodded to indicate that she understood. With a flick of his tail, Discord transformed them both back into a pony and draconequus, respectively.
"Now...who'd like the next demonstration?" Discord asked, rubbing his hands together. Several more animals raised their limbs, trying to catch their attention.
Fluttershy smiled. She and Discord addressed every animals' concerns, complete with magical transformations. By the end of the meeting, each animal seemed to feel a little more confident about their upcoming motherhood.
Discord yawned, stretching as the soon-to-be mothers dispersed, heading back towards their comfortable shelters. "Goodness, they had a lot of questions," he said. "My magic tank might actually be close to running on empty!" He massaged his paw with his claw, wrapping a cold, wet towel around it.
"Oh, dear," she said. She glanced at the setting sun on the horizon. "I guess we'll have to work together and make dinner by hoof, then..."
He perked up. "Well...nothing makes up for magic depletion like a home-cooked meal!" He paused. "And chocolate. Oh, and also quality time with my favorite pegasus."
She giggled, flying towards one of the nearby portals. "I'm sure we can find a way to incorporate all of those," she said with a smile. "Maybe we can even have chocolate-covered bananas! And perhaps some mocha tea..."
Discord licked his lips as he followed behind her. "Mmm, you certainly know how to tempt me," he said. "We should make that right away, before you make me even hungrier with all your wonderful ideas!"
She giggled again, flying through an opening portal with him, and then towards their front door.
Fluttershy woke up groggy the next morning. She slowly lifted her head, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.
They both must have been more tired than they thought—right after supper, they had gone to bed to snuggle and read together, and ended up falling asleep while wrapped around each other soon afterward. And now, a clock told her it was late in the morning, meaning they had both slept in.
She sighed, and started to roll out of bed—there was breakfast to make, and chores to take care of at the sanctuary. As tempting as it was, she shouldn't spend the whole day lying in bed. But, before she could get very far, a pair of mismatched arms suddenly wrapped around her torso from behind and pulled her close to a very warm, furry chest.
She glanced up. Discord's eyes were mostly closed, though cracked slightly open—it was impossible to tell if he was asleep or awake. She wriggled in his hold enough to face him, her belly against his chest, and then stretched her neck upwards to place a gentle kiss on his lips.
Discord stirred a bit, his eyes opening just a little more. Awake, then, she thought. Even if he's kind of half-asleep...
"Mmm," he said, his eyes slowly sliding shut again. She squirmed a bit in his hold, but his arms stayed stubbornly wrapped around her.
"Discord, sweetie," she said, gently tapping his snout with her hoof. "It's pretty late...I need to get up."
His eyes opened a bit more this time, and seemed to fill with a little more awareness as they focused on her. He made a strange sound between a cluck and a purr, fluffing up his chest fur. He held her closer, practically laying on top of her.
"Um, Cordy..." she said. "I need to get up to check the sanctuary."
"Mmmr," he grumbled. "No. Gotta keep you safe." He nuzzled the top of her head. "Safe..."
He coiled around her. While this wasn't uncomfortable (it actually felt kind of nice), she did have to get up. "Is something wrong?" she asked, pressing her muzzle against a sensitive spot on his neck.
At her touch, he stirred and blinked a few times. "Um...I don't think so," he said. "I just have a very strong urge to keep you safe..." His fur fluffed up a bit more, and he coiled around her a little more tightly.
She mulled over this information as she nestled a little deeper into his soft fur. "Um...do you think acting motherly for most of the day yesterday triggered that?" she suggested. It was unusual, but she had learned at this point that the unusual was actually probable when it came to Discord.
"...that is a possibility," he said slowly. "Either something magical or chemical...maybe Twilight would have an explanation." He nuzzled her. "But all I care about is keeping you safe."
"Discord, we both know that the sanctuary is safe," she said. "When has anything bad...?" She paused, slowly closing her mouth.
"Multiple trips, scrapes, bruises, and scratches," he said. "Plus the chance of you overworking yourself. And that's not even counting the slightly irrational but still possible things I can think of right now!"
"...right," she said, not sure what else she had been expecting. "But, I can't just stay in bed all day."
"Well...I suppose that would get a bit boring," he said with a small nod of agreement. "Do you have any...solutions? I really do want to just keep you safe and comfortable...but I can't keep you here forever..."
She frowned in thought, watching the tip of his tail slowly swish back and forth. An idea slowly took root in her mind.
"How about this?" she said. "You can come with me to the sanctuary, to keep an eye on me. And if the way you're...feeling doesn't wear off by this evening, we can talk to Starlight or Twilight about it."
He slowly stroked his beard. "...that is acceptable," he said with a nod. "But, ah...can you do your chores in a sling of some kind, so I can keep you close to me while you're working?" He grinned sheepishly.
She giggled. "I suppose," she said. "Though I might have to ask you to lend a hand, if you want to stay...literally attached to my side."
"Deal!" he said, quickly grasping her hoof and shaking it. "Now...before we get to work, I insist you eat a full breakfast!" He paused. "Though that might be the instincts insisting. Not totally sure."
Her stomach grumbled, making her blush slightly. "Do you want to make breakfast together, or..."
A buzzing sound made her jolt. "My overprotective side is saying 'danger'!" he said, holding a buzzing phone up to his ear. "Then again...it's probably a false alarm." He slammed the phone down, and it disappeared in a flash of light. "Still...me making us food would save time..." He bat long, black eyelashes at her.
She sighed, shaking her head. "Alright, alright," she said. "You can make us breakfast with magic. But, tomorrow I'm going to make breakfast for you!" She gently tapped his nose to emphasize her point.
It twitched under her touch, and he smiled. With a snap of his claws, hardboiled eggs appeared in front of them, along with several slices of buttered toast.
They began to munch on their meal quietly. She could faintly smell vinegar from his eggs (they must have been pickled), and she saw him tying a blanket around his torso in a makeshift sling.
He glanced up as he sucked on an egg. "Look comfy enough for you?" he asked, holding up the blanket as he gulped down the egg.
"It does look cozy..." she said. "If I fall asleep in that, would you wake me up?"
"Possibly," he said with a smile. "I'm sure you'd be very well-rested thanks to it..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, bringing her close to his side.
She smiled and snuggled against his fur. The blanket sling felt soft, from what she could tell, and...spending the whole day with Discord was nothing to complain about. It might make some chores tricky, but as long as he was willing to help...
She was jolted out of her train of thought by a piece of toast being tapped against her lips. She blinked back to attention, and saw Discord offering her the toast, now with a sunny-side egg on top.
Smiling, she took a small bite of the corner. Discord smiled, satisfied, making that clucking-purring sound again. She smiled and leaned more of her weight against his side, continuing to nibble at her breakfast.
Today would certainly be interesting...but then again, wasn't it always whenever Discord was involved? She smiled at the thought as he nuzzled the top of her head.