//------------------------------//
// Chapter Eight: Discord's Day in Ponyville 
// Story: It takes a Kingdom to Raise a Draconequus 
// by Foal Star 
//------------------------------//

Fluttershy woke up one early summer morning, raising her hooves and yawning. She blinked and saw that the sun hadn't risen yet, giving her plenty of time to finish the chores. She got up, stretched her back out, flexed her wings, and slowly walked down the stairs of her cottage. Everything seemed so peaceful. 

Fluttershy then went to her kitchen to find Twilight with bags under her eyes and a frazzled mane, looking rather frantic. Worrying about her friend, she asked, "Do you need a coffee?"

"Yes, please," Twilight responded.

Fluttershy went and made a pot, then hoofed Twilight a mug as the unicorn drank it greedily. "Twilight, you weren't up all night, were you?"

"Of course," Twilight yawned. "I had to make sure everything is perfect for little Discord."

Fluttershy shook her head in disappointment. "That's understandable, but you seriously need to rest."

"I know…but I couldn't help but ensure we have everything ready," Twilight protested. "This is the first time Princess Celestia entrusted her ward under our care."

Fluttershy then added. "Well, I'm the main royal foal sitter. I'll make sure everything runs smoothly."

"Of course I trust you, Fluttershy," Twilight insisted. "I promise I won't be stepping on your hooves too much. I just wanted to ensure there won't be any shenanigans like when he turned Rainbow Dash into an alicorn. We don't need something like that again."

After finishing her coffee, Fluttershy escorted Twilight to her living room, seeing it was "babyfied" with a playpen, toys, and a diaper bag. Twilight then started pacing back and forth, somewhat nervous about the task ahead. "Do we have everything?"

Fluttershy nodded. "Diapers, wipes, powder, this giant playmat filled with toys, I've rented out a crib. Celestia and Luna will give us their milk to feed the little bundle of chaos." 

Twilight bent her head. "Right, it seems we're as prepared as we could be. This isn't the first time Princess Celestia had to take care of a baby," Then she asked. "Fluttershy, are you sure you can handle Discord? I feel you're too relaxed."

The two heard a knock and turned to see Princess Celestia and Luna come in with the baby lord of chaos. Twilight and Fluttershy were a bit concerned at seeing the princesses; they had massive bags under their eyes, their manes were frazzled, and a diaper was hanging from Celestia's horn. At the same time, Luna's coat was covered in milk stains. 

"Good morning, Twilight, Fluttershy." Celestia yawned. 

"Good morning, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." The two chimed in unison.

The princess of the sun then took Discord off her back and placed him down. The two Ponyville mares looked down at the infantile creature; he seemed rather adorable as he toddled over to Fluttershy.

The pegasus couldn't help but take her wings, throw him up, and squeal! "Oh my gosh, he's so cute!" She tossed the little lord of chaos in the air as he squealed in delight. 

Discord turned to Celestia. "I saw hew at Shiny and Cady's wedding, membew?"

"Oh, that's right, but we didn't talk much," Fluttershy blushed and cleared her throat. "Let me introduce myself. I'm your caretaker, Fluttershy." She took him and threw him in the air, making him giggle and squeal in delight. 

Luna, meanwhile, took out a diaper bag and gave it to Twilight. "Everything you need is in here. And remember, if things get too out of control, let us know."

"I promise I won't try to hide things if things get out of hoof," Twilight replied, then blushed. "You mentioned there's a specific schedule for his milk?"

Celestia firmly nodded. "Yes, have him drink three of my bottles during the day and two of Luna's bottles: One before noon before his nap and one at night around eight. Ensure you don't feed him any sweets after five; he can eat some solid food. We fed him baby oatmeal in the morning, mashed yams for lunch, and mashed peas for dinner."

"Mashed peas, yuk!" Discord whined and stuck out his tongue.

Celestia smirked at the little lord of chaos, gave his nose a boop, and then continued. "After he eats his peas, he can have one of Luna's bottles. Now… we've noticed with Luna's milk that he gets rather sleepy afterward. So again, please make sure he only gets one of those before naps or before going to bed.."

Fluttershy just nodded along, seeming to absorb all that information while Twilight eagerly wrote everything down. "I've got it all written down."

"Also, don't forget to constantly check for diaper changes," Luna added. "You'll regret it if you don't."

Twilight was writing all of this down as Fluttershy simply nodded along, "I think I understand. We will take good care of him, I promise."

The two princesses were both a bit concerned: They were glad Fluttershy was taking on this task but worried she was underestimating Discord.

Twilight, however, looked up and proudly declared. "I know what you two are thinking, and we won't take any chances with him: We have baby locks for the doors, and I have a magical barrier spell placed around the cottage. He won't go running off anytime soon. You can be sure of that."

"Thank you, Twilight," Luna whispered, then continued, "Sounds like we chose correctly. My sister and I have both decided to get some R and R while Shining Armor and Princess Cadence settle into the Crystal Empire. Also, we talked to the Cakes, and they said you can organize playdates with the Cake Twins."

Princess Celestia slowly nodded, then added, "We'll be gone for a few days and pick him up as soon as Cadence says she's ready for Discord. Please contact us immediately if you need anything or can't handle him."

"Yes, princess." Twilight and Fluttershy nodded in approval.

"Tia and Lulu, ya leaving?" Discord asked as he whimpered.

"Oh no, sweetie, not for long," Celestia nervously insisted. "We'll be back eventually; we just need to, um…"

"Tend to some royal duties!" Luna exclaimed as she came over and kissed him on the forehead. "My sister and I will check up on you occasionally, so behave while we're gone, ok?"

Discord wiped the tears from his eyes and nodded at the two sisters as they flew off. As soon they did, however, the baby lord of chaos suddenly burst into tears!





"Is there any stop to this?!" Twilight shouted, now on top of some wood, as the cottage began filling with water. 

Fluttershy, flapping her wings to stay above the waters, was trying to calm Discord down. But he was continuing to wail, flooding the room. "Um…Twilight, how did you calm down Spike when he was like this?" She nervously asked the unicorn.

Twilight said nothing; she just tossed Fluttershy a pacifier, and the pegasus plopped it into his mouth. 

Discord suckled on the pacifier for a second, before spitting it out and continuing to cry. 

"It almost worked," Fluttershy sighed, then took out a baby bottle filled with Celesta's milk and plopped it into Discord's mouth. This time, he calmed down, and a smile came over his face. 

Spike was swimming over and asked. "Ok, the crying's stopped. So how do we get all this water out of here?"

Discord looked around, realizing what he'd caused. He then held out a claw and trembled as he snapped his claw, and the water disappeared. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike fell to the ground. Looking around, not an ounce of liquid could be seen. "Sorry bout tat," He apologized. "Stiww sad tat I can't be with Shiny and Cady, and my aunties weft. I just feew so wonewy."

Fluttershy's heart melted after hearing Discord's apology. It took the little lord of chaos up in her wings and nuzzled him. "Oh, it's ok, don't you worry. Twilight and I will make sure you're well cared for together while your aunts are away."

The baby draconequus then blushed and asked. "So, can I tuwn one of ya into a baby? I'll turn ya back to nowmaw eventuawwy, I pwomise. I just want someone to pway with."

Fluttershy placed a hoof over her chest. "I would love to!" Twilight then eyed the pegasus, who blushed. "But I need to stay as an adult. I promised the princesses to keep a good eye on you. And the same goes for Twilight. I don't wanna risk anything happening to her or her spells."

Twilight smirked as she turned towards Spike, who looked up with a surprised look on his face. "Why are you looking at me?!" The realization slowly dawned. "Oh no! No! Absolutely not!"

Twilight sighed. "Look, I promise if you do this and be a baby for a few hours, you can have as many gems as you want later, OK?! Just this once, please?"

"Fine!" Spike growled at Twilight. "Just hurry up and get it over with! You're the one who'll have to change me if I wet or mess myself!"

Discord squealed in delight as he then turned Spike into a toddler! A diaper appeared on the little dragon's rump, along with a cute T-shirt that read "Baby Dragon." 

The baby lord of chaos then took out two form swords. "Ya weady, baby dwagon?! We gotta fight a plushie dwagon togethew!"

They both turned to see as a plush dragon came to life! It started to try attacking them, but of course, it couldn't do anything as its plush claws merely bounced off them. The two then went to battle it for what felt like a few hours as bursts of flame and plush got thrown everywhere! The living room of the cottage got messed up, covered in blocks not unlike a fortress. 

At last, Baby Spike and Discord stood triumphantly over the defeated plush dragon.

"Ok, playtime is over," Twilight giggled at the adorable sight. "You have to return him to his original age, Discord."

"Well, can he make me a bit older than that? Like, say, about as old as Rarity?" Spike asked in a high-pitched voice.

"No, it has to be the exact age before he regressed you," Twilight snapped while glaring at Spike. "Or do you want to stay in diapers and have to grow up all over again?"

"No, of course not! I don't wanna go through potty training again! It was bad enough the first time with your whole family, Cadence, and even Princess Celestia all watching me whenever I had to do anything." He grumbled. 

So Discord did as Twilight had asked, snapping his fingers and reverting Spike back to the age and size he'd been earlier. "Wow, I did it wight again!" He happily exclaimed, delighted at how well he seemed to be able to control his chaotic powers. "Why it so easy now?" He wondered aloud

"All it takes is not being so nervous," Twilight explained. "Now come on, we need to feed you before your nap, just like the princesses said," Then she lifted him up, noticing a damp patch on his diaper. "But we should change your first so you don't get a rash. You're not going to be ready to get out of diapers anytime soon."

And so, after a quick diaper change, Discord was placed into a highchair in the kitchen of Fluttershy's cottage. There, he was fed some mashed yams and had a bottle of Luna's milk plopped into his mouth. After suckling down the contents, he was burped and taken out of the highchair. He was then gently placed into the crib Fluttershy had rented as he felt himself starting to grow sleepy. 

Looking out the window by chance, Discord could see the bustling town of Ponyville out in the distance, so he asked, "Can I go visit Ponyviwwe?"

Twilight shook her head. "Sorry, Fluttershy, and I promised to keep you here today. Maybe another time, ok? We can schedule a playdate with the Cake Twins tomorrow, alright?"

"Otay, fine," Discord grumbled in disappointment. 

Fluttershy promptly plopped a pacifier into her charge's mouth, then slowly rocked him to sleep. After the little lord of chaos was fast asleep. She then slowly went downstairs to see Spike fast asleep and Twilight lying on her couch. She sat in her comfy chair and sighed. "Wow, that was a lot easier than I expected it to be." 

Twilight yawned. "Yeah, I thought he would just be causing chaos and making your house come to life, or worse. But overall, he's a sweet kid and…I must admit, knowing he saved my sister-in-law makes me more than happy to be babysitting him."

Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes, I'd love to have him come to my cottage anytime! He's so adorable!"

"Hopefully, the rest of the day won't be too difficult…" Twilight commented, then yawned again. "You think you can keep an eye on things while I nap too?"

"Of course, Twilight." Fluttershy then sat back and relaxed, drinking a cup of tea. Yet it wasn't long until she fell asleep as well. Caring for Discord had worn her out more than she had been expecting.





Discord woke up early in the afternoon, and upon a glance, he noticed the others were asleep. He knew this could get Fluttershy in trouble, but he wanted to see the Cake Twins so badly. If he was going to the Crystal Empire, it could be some time before he could come to visit Ponyville. 

So Discord squeezed through the bars of his crib, dropping to the floor while taking care not to make too much noise. He slowly waddled to a window and opened it, seeing the pink magical bubble surrounding the cottage. He rolled his eyes, popped the bubble with a claw, and then waddled away as he headed towards Sugarcube Corner. 

As the little lord of chaos walked among the crowds of ponies, he saw that most of them didn't notice him. But he soon realized he was lost; he didn't know anything or anyone and thus didn't know the way to Sugarcube Corner or Fluttershy's cottage.

Discord started to whimper in fright, worried about what would happen if Twilight, Fluttershy, Spike, or the princesses found out he was missing (let alone what they'd do if they found him). But then, by chance, he spotted a statue of Celestia and Luna that must've been built just recently. He blushed, knowing this might be a bad idea, but what else could he do? He was completely lost. He then closed his eyes and snapped his claws. 

The statues started to come to life, then they trotted off their pedestals, looking completely confused. The statue version of Celestia then looked down. "Oh…who are you?"

"I'm Discord," Discord answered. 

The statue version of Luna blinked and shifted about. "Oh, Discord, right. You're our ward…and we're the princesses of Equestria…"

"Yeah …weww you uh awe wike Auntie WuWu and Auntie Tia and I uh… need hewp. I wost." The chaos maker blushed and whimpered.

The statue Celestia bent down to his level with a smile. "Oh dear. Well, where are you trying to go, little one?"

"I got wost wooking fow the Cake Twins at a pwace cawwed Sugawcube Cownew." Discord explained.

The statue Luna blinked, then replied. "Oh, I think I know that place," She turned to the other statue and said. "Sister, let's get Discord to the Cake Twins."

Discord blushed, seeing that they were still looking as statues. "Wait! Befowe tat, I uh gonna need to do someting to ya fiwst. Can't have ponies knowing wha ya awe." He then snapped a claw, and the two statues were given a makeover, their stone-like bodies now looking like their real counterparts. Their manes and tails were still stiff looking, but most ponies wouldn't notice, hopefully.

The little lord of chaos then hopped onto the transformed statue of Celestia (who still felt cold and hard as stone). "Otay, wet's go!" He shouted.

The statues of the princesses proceed to trot down the street. Ponies seemed to think they were the actual princesses, bowing left and right in their presence. 

The statue version of Celestia blinked in confusion, then whispered to Discord. "Why are they bowing at us again?" 

"Ya ta pwincesses, member?" Discord whispered back. "Ya  gotta act wike pwincesses."

“Right…princesses…” Statue Celestia whispered, appearing to get the idea.

Statue Luna's cheeks, meanwhile, flushed pink. And she asked. "Does that mean we have a castle?"

"Yeah, you do!" Discord confirmed

"Ooh! Can we go there?!" Statue Luna excitedly asked.

"Uh…not yet," Discord replied. "It's uh…" He struggled to think of a good answer, finally settling on. "Undew wenovations!"

"Renovations, what are those?" Statue Celestia questioned. Apparently, such words were not understood by a living statue.

Discord blushed, trying to remember some of his spelling and speaking lessons with the princesses back in Canterlot. "Is a fancy word fow being worked on! But dun wowwy bout it, otay?"

"Alright." Both statues seemed to agree, nodding in unison.

The chaos maker then told the statues. "Now, when ta biggew ponies ask ya why ya hewe, just say I hewe for a pwaydate with the twins, otay?"

"Ok." The statues agreed.

"And don't wet tem touch you!" Discord cautioned.

The statues blinked in surprise, appearing to believe they were actual living ponies rather than statues made to look like ponies. "Why?"

“Becauses…uh…ya uh…” The little lord of chaos struggled to think of a good reply. At last, it came to him as he told the statues. "Because you're pwincesses, and pwincesses shouldn't touch other ponies."

"Ok." The statues replied, appearing to believe what Discord had told them.

But Discord still needed to finish giving the statues instructions as they led him through town. "Awso, dun twy eating ow dwinking anyting."

"What's eating and drinking?" The statues wondered.

Discord groaned, smacking a claw to his face. "Basicawwy, if tey offew food and stuff, just say ya just ate and awe supew fuww."

"Ok." The statue princesses chimed. 

Discord sighed, thinking he had covered everything. Hopefully, he could have a quick playdate with the Cake Twins, get the two statues back to where they belonged, and then sneak back to Fluttershy's cottage before anypony noticed he was gone.





The Cakes were somewhat surprised upon hearing a loud knock, sounding like a piece of stone was hitting their doors. "Mrs. Cake, Mr. Cake?" I'm sorry to intrude, but we've brought Discord over for a playdate with the twins." The two looked at each other and realized that the voice belonged to Princess Celestia. 

Mr. Cake then whispered into his wife's ear. "I thought Fluttershy was going to come tomorrow? The princesses never mentioned setting up a playdate today."

Mrs. Cake shrugged. "Maybe she came to have Discord come say hi."

The two then opened the door and were surprised to see the princesses, promptly bowing to both of them.

"Wait, why are you doing that?" Both princesses asked, apparently confused by the display.

"You're the princesses, aren't you?" Mr. Cake questioned.

"Oh, right…. Princess…” Celestia stuttered. “Well I… um…” The lord of chaos whispered something in her ear, and she quickly recovered. "Oh, right, we're here to have Discord playdate with the Cake Twins."

Carrot Cake laughed. "Oh, that's all? Of course, that's fine, your majesties!"

"It's perfect!" Cup Cake cooed. "They're getting rather rambunctious, and with Discord, I'm sure they'll get all their energy out," She then took out a massive cake. "Lucky for you, princess, I baked a cake for us to share! Would you like some?"

Celestia blushed and shook her head. "I would, but I already ate a lot this morning, so I'll decline."

"Ok." Mrs Cake whispered with her voice trailing. She felt it really out of character for the princess to refuse her baking (even if she said she was full).  

Celestia then took Discord to the upstairs nursery, where the Cake Twins squealed in delight upon seeing the little lord of chaos. The three then started to play as the adults went downstairs to talk. The draconequus just hoped that the statues wouldn't do anything to reveal they're just really statues. 


Fluttershy yawned as she raised her hooves and got up from a nap. Then she saw that Discord wasn't in his crib! Horrified, she started flying around her cottage while shouting frantically, "Discord! Discord!"

"Why are you shouting?" Twilight yawned as she started to get up.

Fluttershy gulped; she didn't want Twilight to learn that Discord was missing after her earlier reassurances. So she whispered. "Oh…nothing, just… uh…trying to find the diaper bag! Yes, that's it, Discord's diaper bag!"

"Oh," Twilight replied. "Well, if he needs change, I ca-"

But Fluttershy hastily and clumsily plopped a pacifier into Twilight's mouth. "No need, I got it."

Twilight pulled the pacifier out of her mouth with her magic. "Well, just let me know if anything happens…" She yawned again and rubbed her eyes. "I'm still tired from all the prep of last night."

"Yes, just go finish your nap," Fluttershy reassured her friend. "I'll make sure Discord is fine."

Twilight trotted off to sleep and curled up in the living room. As Fluttershy heard her friend snoring away, she set off from the cottage upon seeing a hole in the bubble shield. She then paused, and it didn't take long for her to figure out where her charge had gone. Realizing he'd probably gone to see the Cake Twins, she left to bring him back to the cottage before Twilight woke up again. 

As Fluttershy entered Sugarcube Corner a short time later, she was surprised to see Celestia and Luna sitting and talking with the Cakes. She squeaked! "Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! I didn't expect to see you here!"

The two alicorn princesses turned towards the pegasus, with the princess of the sun smiling. "Oh, hello, uh…um…" She got rather blushy and then said. "Uh, what's your name again?"

"It's uh…Fl…Fluttershy." Fluttershy stuttered.

"Right, Fluttershy…thank you." Celestia nodded.

The pegasus was now suspicious as Celestia should know her name and asked. "I don't mean to pry, but… are you two feeling ok? Did you hit your heads or something?"

Celestia bonked her head with a hoof, which sounded like stone clanking. "Hit our heads? What does that mean?"

Mrs Cake then came over and whispered. "Um, Fluttershy, can we talk in private, please?" The pegasus nervously nodded and followed the mare into the kitchen. Mrs. Cake then said. "Uh, I don't quite know how to say this, but…" She bit her lip before whispering. "The princesses aren't acting like themselves."

"I noticed they didn't know my name, which is definitely odd." The pegasus mare began to ponder.

"They've also been making these weird clanking noises," Mrs. Cake added. "And it sounds like stones grinding when they move. They also haven't eaten or drank anything for hours, and neither have they used the bathroom," She nervously added. "I think they might be imposters. Maybe some stray changelings?"

Fluttershy paused to think, then groaned upon seeing that it was probably Discord's chaos magic at work. "I think I'll talk to Discord to see what's going on," She informed the baker. "Just keep the princesses busy and make sure they don't leave."

"Ok, sounds like a good idea." Mrs. Cake nodded and left the kitchen.

The pegasus mare then flew upstairs to find the Cake Twins and Discord playing happily together, and she snapped. "Discord!"

The lord of chaos squeaked as he blushed. "Yes, Fwuttewshy?"

"Why did you leave my cottage, and what did you do with the princesses?!" Fluttershy angrily demanded of the chaos maker. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Discord blushed as he whimpered. "I…I was wowwied I wouwdn't be abwe to see the Cake twins again aftew I moved to the Cwystaw Empiwe, so I wanted to come see tem now whiwe I couwd. And I didn't do anyting to Auntie Tia or Wuna; those awe just statues I bwought to wife."

Fluttershy blinked and paused for a second, then asked. "Wait, you mean the statues in the plaza?"

"Yeah, I bwought them to life though they stiww just made of stone," Discord confessed. "I needed tem 'cause I was wost. I made tem wook weaw so ponies wouwdn't know tey statues and not the pwincesses."

The pegasus let out a sigh of relief, having feared the worst. "Ok, that is an easy fix. Let's get the statues back to their pedestals to avoid a panic, and then I'll take you back to the cottage with me."

Discord looked over with puppy dog eyes and asked. "Ya won't teww my aunties, wiww ya?"

"I won't tell," Fluttershy promised. "As long as you behave from here on out. You're supposed to use your magic for good, not for selfish purposes," She scolded him. "You're still going to have to go in time out for this when we get back to my cottage."

"Otay…" Discord grumbled. He turned to the twins. "Guess I'ww see ya some othew time." He waved goodbye to them and followed Fluttershy downstairs as they both approached the Cakes.

Fluttershy bowed and apologized. "Sorry for the confusion, but we figured out what's happening and will leave now. I'll explain what's going on later. Now come on, uh, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I think it's… time for you two to return to your royal duties."

They both blinked, but Discord gave them a slow nod, and the disguised statues followed Fluttershy out of the cottage.

Fluttershy then escorted the statues to their pedestals (thankfully, the plaza was relatively empty at this time). "I'm so sorry for having to do this to you."

The princess of the sun nuzzled the pegasus and replied in a whisper. "It's alright, we were statues in the first place."

Luna then added. "Yes, it was fun coming to life, but I'd rather just be a statue. Though keeping birds from pooping on us would be great."

Fluttershy giggled. "Ok, I'll talk to the birds and tell them to do their business elsewhere."

The lord of chaos then waddled towards them and asked. "Would ya mind If I have ya come back to wife sometime? We did have some fun togethew."

"We could as long as your foalsitter is ok with it." The statue version of Celestia replied.

"Just make sure to get permission next time," Luna added. 

The statues then took a prancing pose across from each other, and the lord of chaos then flicked a claw! They soon lost their color and became stone-like once more as they stiffened and remained in place. 

The pegasus flew over and nuzzled him. "I'm sorry, Discord. You shouldn't be cooped up in my cottage all day. So, as long as you behave, I'll let you visit the Cake Twins once a day while you're here in Ponyville. But you can't leave my cottage without my permission. Understand?"

"Yes, Fluttershy." Discord nodded.

"Good," The pegasus smiled. "You look exhausted. I think it's time you finished your nap." Fluttershy then escorted Discord back to her cottage and felt relieved upon seeing that Twilight was still asleep with Spike. She gently laid the lord of chaos in his crib, plopped a bottle filled with Luna's milk into his mouth, and rocked him to sleep while singing a lullaby. 

Once Discord was asleep again, Fluttershy collapsed into her chair and sighed in relief at how she'd averted disaster, and no pony seemed to notice. Things will be less chaotic from here on out.