//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Tales of Discord // by Moelogroc //------------------------------// In the earliest of days, in a time when Equestria was still young, Discord decided to walk amongst the ponies. He donned his guise of Cotton Candy, a brown Earth stallion with a poofy pink mane, and moved from place to place without being recognized. After eleven days and seven nights, Discord decided that life among ponies was even more boring than he could have anticipated. "What can I do to make their lives more interesting?" he said to himself. At that same moment, a nearby yellow pegasus mare commented wistfully to herself, "The sounds of the birds are so beautiful. Oh, I wish I could make beautiful sounds like they do." Discord silently agreed with her. She could not make the beautiful and inspired calls of birds. Her voice was soft and mundane. “Do you now, my dear? Perhaps we can make your wish come true. What is your name, young one?” Discord approached, his thoughts whirling through his head, as wisps of smoke trailed out his ears to float above his mane. The mare gasped in surprise at her strange visitor, stammering a reply. “M-my name is M-M-Muse, s-sir!” She shrinks back, hiding her face behind her long pink mane. Discord chuckles, placing a claw upon her head. The mare stares at the pony’s arm, wondering why he has an eagle’s claw. She looks from his limb to his face, surprised to find Discord inches away, in his true form. “You wish to sing like a bird? I can make that happen. Sing for me now, my dear Muse!” He tosses the mare into the air, snapping his fingers. She vanishes from sight, a soft scream of fright abruptly cut off. Discord dons a white toque, reaching up into a nearby tree and plucking a soft blue egg from a nest. He hums as he cracks the egg open, a fully formed pegasus falling from the tiny shell. Muse lands on her hooves, swaying drunkenly as she tries to focus her eyes. Discord sneers at her, reclining against thin air. “Well? I’m waiting. Sing for me!” Muse squeaks in fright, emitting a soft chirping sound, not unlike a bird. She gasps in surprise, her eyes wide as she turns to Discord. She opens her mouth to speak, but instead of words, the soft trilling of birdsong escapes her throat. Discord hums and haws, opening Muse’s mouth to look at her throat. “A bit pitchy, and it lacked any real melody, but you’re off to a good start. I’m afraid I’m going to vote no, but get some practice in and come back next year.” He snaps his fingers, vanishing in a flash of light, leaving Muse alone and confused in the field. Muse ran back to town, in her terror forgetting she could fly. She saw ponies working hard, tilling their fields or building homes. She stopped an Earth stallion, quickly telling him of her terrifying encounter with the Draconequus outside of town. The stallion looked on in amazement, smiling at her. “Hey, that’s pretty good! I’ve never heard a birdcall so realistic before!” He walks off, leaving Muse confused and worried. Every attempt to tell her tale resulted in more birdsong, to the amazement of the villagers and the growing concern of Muse. Soon, she realized the futility of her actions, and returned to her cottage to sulk. Other ponies came to Muse, asking her to teach them how to mimic birds like she did. But they left in annoyance after she refused to even speak to them, responding only with more birdsong. Villagers muttered to themselves when she came to town, telling of her boastful attitude and staunch refusal to speak to them. Even shopkeepers become annoyed with her, and denied her goods unless she speak to them like a normal pony. Finally, in despair, she fled to the fields, back to where it all began. Muse lay in the field, her sobs as soft as a dove’s. She wished she could take back her words, that she had never met Discord. “So, this is what it sounds like when the doves cry. I’ve been wondering about that for a while now.” Muse looked up in surprise, and sees Discord floating lazily above her head. “Of course, I could have just told your story to an actual dove. I’m sure that would make it cry. Tears of boredom. Is this how you repay me for my gift? It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?” Muse stamped her hoof, glaring at Discord. She opened her mouth to yell at him, an angry raven’s caw coming forth instead. She fumes, pointing a hoof at her mouth. Discord waves his paw dismissively. “Yes, yes. ‘This isn’t what I meant!’” Muse is shocked to hear her own voice come from Discord’s mouth. “‘I wanted to make beautiful sounds, like the birds do, not only speak in chirps and coos!’ But you must agree, this is just as fun, isn’t it?” Muse stomps in anger, clucking like an angry chicken. Her face turns bright red as she stares at Discord in shock. Discord laughs at the mare, shrugging. “Chickens are birds too! You make the sounds of birds that you find so beautiful! Would you prefer a different way of making beautiful sounds? One that all ponies can appreciate, that all ponies can participate in?” Muse gasps, fluttering her wings. “Yes, I’d like that very much!” She gasps again, hearing her voice again. “Yay!” “Consider it done, my dear.” Discord took hold of the petulant mare, ignoring her squeak of surprise and fright. “Let’s make something of you, shall we?” “O-okay…” She cowers in fright at Discord’s manic grin. Discord tore the mare to pieces, neatly separating her pieces into piles. From her tendons he made stings, which he used to make lutes, lyres, and fiddles. Her hair was used to create bows for the instruments. From her hide, he created a piece of leather, stretched tight over a wooden frame to make a drum. From her bones, hollow pegasus bones to aid in flight, he made flutes. He held a shimmering orb of energy, the same blue-green her eyes had been. “Isn’t this better? Now you can spread the beautiful sounds to all ponies, Muse. I shall call it… Music!” Discord places a swizzle straw into the ball of ethereal energy, drinking it all. He smacks his lips, savoring the taste. “Mmm! Sweet, like you were in life!” Once again donning his guise as Cotton Candy, Discord hauled a cart of instruments into town, freely distributing them to the curious town folk. “Come one, come all! Come and claim an instrument, to make Music with! Birdsong has nothing on this, folks!” **** Twilight looks up from the book, horrified. Could it be true, that Discord created music from the body parts of a pony? Some of her friends were musicians. Pinkie Pie could play all kinds of instruments. Was she benefitting from Discord’s cruelty every time she heard Lyra play on her harp? “No, no it can’t be true! Don’t be ridiculous, Twilight! The book clearly mentions Equestria, and the Hearth’s Warming Eve pageant used trumpets to announce the rulers of the three nations, which came before Equestria! It’s just a story!” She nods to herself, satisfied at her logic. A small part of her brain points out that that wasn’t music, and that the story never mentioned trumpets, but she quashes those thoughts as she turns back to reading.