”Mommy, mommy!” I called from atop a cloud. “Mommy, watch me fly!”
“Be careful, Silph,” my mom called back. But, of course, I didn’t pay attention when she said that. I leapt off the cloud and began fluttering my wings as fast as I could. I was airborne for a while, but I was quickly losing altitude. I almost fell before my dad flew up and caught me.
“Thank you, daddy,” I said, hugging him. “You’re the best daddy any colt could ask for.”
“Of course, my little Silph,” he said back. “And you’re the best son any father could ask for.” I looked up at him and smiled. He didn’t look like most other daddies that I saw in Equestria, but that was because he was one of a kind, and nopony was like him. That was because he wasn’t even a pony.
He was Discord, God of Chaos.
[SILPH]
I was galloping as fast as I could towards him, paying no attention to the others trying to call me back. All that mattered at that moment in time was me and my father. When I finally got near him, I leapt up and hugged him, causing him to nearly fall to the ground. “I can’t believe I found you after all these years!” I said out loud, hugging him as though I was never letting him go and my eyes filling full of tears.
“Who are you?” Discord asked. “Un-hoof me!”
I looked back up at him. “Don’t you recognize me, dad?”
Suddenly, his expression changed from angry-surprised to shocked-surprised. “Silph? Could that really be you?” He placed his talon hand on my head and rubbed it. “I can’t believe what those Slender did to you.”
“What do you mean?” I asked. “They told me that I was born like this.”
The others finally galloped over to where Discord and I were. “Will somepony tell me what the hay is going on?” Applejack asked.
I finally let go of my dad and turned to the others. “Everyone, meet my father, Discord.”
“Most of us are... well acquainted with him, already,” Twilight said, glaring at Discord.
Discord looked over and sent a quick smirk Twilight’s way, but then turned back to me, his expression back to a frown. “We have a lot to talk about, my son, but I’d like to know what you’re doing in Equestria, first.”
“I’ve come regarding the most recent killing in the Slender Forest. Three fillies by the names of Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. For a long time, I’ve been trying to prevent deaths in the Forest, but because of the fillies, I’ve realized that I’ll make no progress if I stay in the Forest. To this end, I’ve come here to warn the Equestrians of the Forest and see what I can do to keep them out, altogether.”
“But... how did you get past the barrier? The spell your mother cast should have kept everything in the Forest, including you.”
“What do you mean ‘including me’?”
Discord just sighed. “There is, indeed, much you don’t know about me, your mom, and even yourself, as it would seem. I suppose now is as good of a time as any to tell you all I can.”
“Excuse me,” Time Turner said. “Sorry to interrupt this little father-son reunion, but don’t we have a train to catch, or something?”
“Yes,” I said, “we do. Couldn’t we just take the next one, though? I mean, I haven’t seen my dad in about fifteen centuries. The least you could do would be to let me catch up a little.”
“Very well,” Time Turner said. “It’s been much longer than that since I saw any relatives. Well, there was my grand-daughter, but that was about 50 years ago. I suppose The Master was technically a relative, as well, given the fact that he’s a Time Lord. River Song’s my wife, so maybe she counts. Hm...”
[LYRA]
Wait, he’s already married?
[SILPH]
I left Time Turner to think about lord-knows-what and turned back to Discord. “Now then, dad... what do we have to talk about?”
”You were just about nine or ten years old,” Discord started. “You were a lovely little colt. Your coat was a dark greyish-blue, your mane and tail were dark green with a similar greyish tint, and you had the brightest of red eyes. There wasn’t a single thing in the world that would make you sad. You were rather skilled in magic, but you never could fly very well.”
(“That’s a bit ironic,” I said to myself smiling a little.)
“Anyway, your mother and I were very proud when we had you. I had only seen her as happy as she was then once before. You lived a very happy and enjoyable life... until one fateful day.” Discord paused for a moment to hold back some tears before taking a deep breath and starting again. “One day, you got horribly sick. Neither mine or your mother’s magic could heal you or even figure out what had happened to you, and you only got worse by the day. You were on the brink of death before I got one final, although desperate, idea. I took you to a power stronger, darker, and more mysterious than myself. The Slender. Even I didn’t trust them, partially because their power was greater than that of me, your mother, or your aunt. I was standing in front of the Forest in which they resided and was about to turn back. However, when I looked down at you, I could see that you were in so much pain. I just couldn’t take it. I walked in and began searching desperately for one of the Slender. Eventually, I came across Slenderman, the eldest of the Slender. I pleaded with him for something, anything that would save you. His face was expressionless, but his voice sounded pure evil. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I will help you. Give me the colt.’ I reluctantly handed you over, putting all of my hope into this creature of death and darkness. He took you in his hands and a strange, almost grey light, began surrounding you. ‘This spell will save your son. He will live... but as a cursed half-Slender with no memory of his past.’ He then began laughing evilly. I was completely overcome with rage.
“‘Give me my son back!’ I shouted, lunging right at Slenderman. However, he knocked me back with a blast of magic. I could only watch as he cast his spell on you. You were screaming in pain and probably fear the entire time. Your coat faded to black while your face faded to white. Your mane completely disappeared and your tail turned black, as well. The rest of your body grew larger and more, in a word, slender. Your eyes faded from red to black, also mirroring the rest of your body. When the transformation was complete, he caused you to disappear, also vanishing, himself. For a moment, I couldn’t believe what had just happened. My only son had just been taken from me before my own eyes. I was filled with a rage unlike any other I had ever felt before and a sadness that no creature should ever have to feel. I left the forest and unleashed my anger upon Equestria, using my power to cause widespread chaos that resembled the way I had felt just then. My rage went on for a long time before your mother and her sister used the Elements of Harmony and sealed me in stone. Fifteen-hundred years passed and here we are, today.”
Discord had finally finished his story, and I couldn’t believe what I had heard. Everyone, including myself, was in tears. “That... really happened to me?” I asked. Discord nodded silently. I looked down at my hooves. Suddenly, it felt like I was staring at the hooves of another creature. “A curse... my whole life was a curse.”
“Wait,” Twilight said, stepping forward towards Discord. “I couldn’t help but notice something about your story. Silph’s mother had a sister, and the two used the Elements of Harmony to seal you in stone. Was Silph’s mother Princess Celestia?”
“Yes,” Discord replied. “Yes she was.”
“So, we’re going to see my mother?” I asked. “We’re on our way to talk to Princess Celestia and all this time she was my mother? I can’t believe what kind of day I’m having. I think I need to sit down for a moment.”
“You can take that moment to sit on the train,” Time Turner said. “I think it’s leaving right now.”
“Allow me,” Discord said. With a wave of his arm, we were all teleported to the train station, where the train to Canterlot was, indeed, about to take off. “Go, Silph. Go meet your mother. Go make sure no more ponies suffer at the hands of the Slender. Go fulfill your true destiny.”
“Okay, dad.” I took a moment to give him one more hug before following the others onto the train. Applejack, Winona, and Twilight stayed behind, but Big Mac and the others were coming. “I’ll see you soon.” I then let go of Discord, my father, and boarded the train. I took a seat next to the window facing the station. I waved to my father as the train began moving. Moving towards Canterlot.
Moving towards my mother.
I was laying next to my daddy under the night sky. There wasn’t a single cloud, so all the stars were out. “My Aunt Luna really brings all of these out every night?” I asked.
“Well, your mom helps her, sometimes,” Discord replied. “You wanna know something cool, son?”
My curiosity was peaked and my ears perked up. “What?”
“Each and every one of those stars are hoof-made. Not a single one is a copy of another. That’s because each and every pony in Equestria has his or her own star. That means, if you’re looking up at the night sky, you’re pretty much looking out upon all of Equestria.”
“Woah. Is that true? Do we have stars up there, too?”
But before daddy could answer my question, the world around me suddenly went black and I fell to the ground, silently screaming in pain and confusion, though I couldn’t feel the scream coming from my mouth. It was silent and my daddy couldn’t hear it.
Though I trusted the fact that he could feel it.