//------------------------------// // Responsibility // Story: The Chaotic Misadventures of Discord // by DemonWriterX //------------------------------// Responsibility Part 1 Discord manages to get himself out of Fluttershy's cottage before she woke up to feed the animals. He decides to take a walk in the Everfree forest to stir up some chaos- his fingers had been aching to snap up some fun. He did not want to bother his sweet friend with his chaotic ways, and making her cottage into a bounce house would not bode well with her. He walks down the dirt trail, the rays of the sun slowly peaking over the mountains. Once he found himself in personal solitude, he entwined his fingers together, stretching them outward, and hearing a satisfying crack. "Now," stroking his beard in thought. "What shall I do today? So many things to do… Ah! I know!" He snaps his fingers, making the trees around him turn into bright-colored polka dots. He snaps his fingers again, making the trail turn into chocolate sauce. He fashions himself a pair of smooth slippers and began skating down the road, jumping and twirling, landing swiftly with his arms dramatically set above his head like a professional dancer. Sounds of whistles and cheers coming from nowhere and everywhere erupt for him as he bows. "Thank you! Thank you! You are all so very kind!" The cheers are interrupted by the sound of wailing in the distance. He turns towards the trail heading deeper into the forest, hearing the sound of continuous shrieks and wails. The sound made him clutch at his ears in an attempt to drown out the horrible noise. He decides to follow the sound and put a stop to it immediately. He walks down the trail, the noise becoming louder and louder as he made his way closer to the source. He grinds his teeth- even conjuring corkscrews in his ears did not deafen the noise. He finds the source coming from a wooden basket covered by a blue blanket, with a small form squirming underneath it. Using his powers, he pulls back the blanket, making the source of the horrible screams reveal itself. Fluttershy was downstairs in the kitchen. She looks at the clock worriedly. She has not seen Discord in a couple of hours, which was strange because he is usually waiting for her to eat breakfast. She already looked in his room to not find him there. She wonders if she did something to upset him and make him go away. The thought makes her eyes begin to gloss over. Knock.knock.knock. Her ears perk up and she flies to the door hurriedly, and throws open the door. "Disco-?!" She is interrupted by a sound of a foal wailing and flailing in Discord's arms. "Fluttershy! You must help me, I can't make it stop!" he cries, trying to keep struggling foal in his arms. He walks inside as Fluttershy shuts the door and flies up to him. "Discord! Where did you get that foal!" she demands loudly, trying to get her voice over the screaming infant. "I found it in the Everfree forest in a basket!" "Ouiii! Ouiii!" The foal cries, it's face fully red, wet tears staining it's cheeks. Fluttershy quickly snatches the foal out of Discord's arms. She bounces the foal gently, and slowly the foal's cries become quiet. Discord breathes a sigh of relief, collapsing on the couch in exhaustion. "You have no idea how much I wanted that monstrosity to stop." "Discord!" Fluttershy scolds. "Don't say that about this foal; he is just a baby and crying is what they do." "Forgive me if I don't have the same understanding as you." He sees that the foal begins to fuss in her arms, ready to unleash another crying fit. "I think he’s hungry, Discord, can you give me some milk? "I am not exactly lactating." "Discord, I meant a bottle. With some warm milk, maybe?" "Ah… of course, I knew that," he chuckles. He snaps his fingers, making a bottle appear in front of her. She takes it graciously and places the nipple in the foal's mouth. The foal's flushed face quickly went back to his normal white coat, revealing a little tuff of a black mane. It suckles hungrily, making Fluttershy lift its head slightly. "Slow down, or else you'll get a tummy ache." She smiles gently. Discord finds himself captivated by her mothering. The way she sweetly looks at the child as if it is her own. The way she gently holds its small frame in her own delicate hooves. It felt natural to look at. He saw her own beauty increased ten-fold. She glances back at Discord, finding him staring at her. She looks back down instinctively to the foal, her mane falling down over her eye shyly. She found that his eyes pierce her- she usually feels so comfortable around him, but the way he is looking at her now. She starts to feel butterflies in her stomach. Once the foal finishes, Fluttershy makes her way to the couch, placing the foal down on it's back, taking the blue blanket that bundled him off. The little colt is white with black spots, like a dairy cow, wearing a white diaper.His eyes was a piercing blue color- it was like staring into a pool of ice water. She gleams at him. "Why aren't you a cute, whittle thing?" she coos, rubbing her muzzle against his, making the foal start giggling, its small hooves grabbing her mane. She pulls away, only for the foal to tug at her mane, making her pull her mane forcefully, but gently, out of his hooves. She turns back to Discord, who was looking at the foal as if it is something new to him. Something so alien; it intrigues him. He never really acknowledged foals; this was his first time seeing one so close. "You found him in the Everfree forest?" she asks, interrupting his thoughts. "All by himself?" "Unfortunately... thanks to his screams becoming so unbearable, I was only able to look so far before bringing him to you." "Poor little thing." She frowns at the foal. He blinks at them and lets out a soft yawn. She places the blanket on him as he slowly falls asleep. She lets out a sigh. "I’ll have to take him to Twilight. She can find his parents but..." Her eyes water as her voice hitches. Discord’s ears drooped; he had always hated seeing her upset. "What is it?" he asks sincerely. "Sometimes... ponies just abandoned their foals," she says with a twinge of pain in her voice. "Barbaric," Discord responds with a growl. He had no parents of his own, (he doesn’t even know where he came from), but he knew the bitter feeling of loneliness. The feeling that plagues him whenever he sees other ponies with loving mothers and fathers. Something that he would never be able to experience; the love and care of a parent. And now the foal beside him would never be able to either. He’d go through the pain he endured, all because his parents never wanted him. "What will happen to him?" he asks. Fluttershy gives a small sigh, “If Twilight can’t find his parents, he’ll be sent to the Ponyville orphanage. Hopefully he’ll be adopted by a loving family." "Orphanage?! Nonsense! Being placed in a building full of rowdy, screaming foals; with not enough nursemaids to take care of them all?! He would hate it… I know I certainly would." "B-but I’m sure his parents will come back for him.” She smiles slightly, with a small amount of optimism, “Maybe it was just an accident and there’s nothing to worry about." Fluttershy looks down at the sleeping baby, “But until they come back, the orphanage is going to have to take care of him for a while…" "But we can take care of him," he says quickly. "We?" Did she hear him right? "B-but I don't know how to take care of a foal. They’re a big responsibility. Don't get me wrong, I’ve babysat a few before, but that was only for a few hours. I could never take care of one for a whole day, I-" "But you handled that foal just fine a moment ago. What's a few days? Come on, I’ll assist you; it’ll be fun!" he pleads. "Oh, I don't know. Baby animals I can do, but a foal?" "Please, you already have the mothering instinct, and I have-” Discord stops short as he tries to think of the right thing to say, “Well, I have my uh, my…” He suddenly snaps his finger as it hits him, “My personality!” Grabbing Fluttershy in a tight hug he waves his claw out in front of him, “Together we can do anything. With the two of us working together, I believe we can take care of this foal!" "Well... okay. If it's only for a few days," she concedes. “Yes!” He loudly shouts as he fist pumps in the air,confetti and string falling above them. “Shhh,” she whispers as the foal stirs, before laying peacefully once again. It’s a miracle that Discord’s antics hadn’t roused him. She’d rarely seen this happy before; not since the first time she invited him over for tea. She couldn’t help but smile. “I need to tell Twilight about finding him in the forest, though. Will you be alright taking care of him by yourself?" she asks as she gently tucks the corners of the baby blue blanket under the foal. Before Discord says anything she adds, "And I mean really take care him. Don't take your eyes off of him, not even for a second. And if he starts crying just bounce him gently, and if that doesn't work give him a bottle of milk.” She starts heading to the door but stops short, “Oh and if he starts to smell, change his diaper. And if that doesn't work just-” “Yes, yes, yes,” he says, pushing her towards the door, “I'm sure I can take care of the infant for a measly hour until you return." “W-well," she stammers. Discord clasps his claws together and lifts them up to his right cheek, giving her the best puppy dog eyes he can create. He even makes sure to bat them a few times. She lets out a small smile. "Okay then, Discord. Take care now, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” “Bye,” Discord gives a small wave as she flies down the path to Ponyville. When he no longer sees her he steps back and closes the door behind him. Hearing a whimper Discord looks down at the foal staring wide eyed at door. His brow furrows and his white cheeks begin to turn pink as he holds his hooves out. Discord holds out his index finger, lifting the child with his magic, making him float up to him at eye level. "She won't be long," he sternly tells the foal. The foal lets out another whimper, this time reaching towards Discord. He raised a brow at this gesture. "What? You already ate; you can't be hungry already. What do you want?" The foal continued to desperately reach Discord, his whimpers slowly becoming small sobs, making Discord cringe. "Oh, now don't you do that! Don't you dare do that!" he warns, but the foal continues to cry. Soon to become screaming and wailing again. He puts out his paw and grabs the foal under his forearms; holding him closer. The foal lets out a sniff, his cries slowing down to a small hiccup as he rested his head on Discord's furry chest. He brought his hoof to his mouth and began sucking it, letting out a small coos as he nuzzled deeper into Discord’s fur. Discord couldn’t help but scoff. "So this is all you needed? Somepony to hold you?" he asks with a chuckle. The foal looks up at him and blinks. He slowly smiles, revealing his pink gums and small saliva covered hoof. Despite the rivulets of drool cascading down Discord's paw, he found himself smiling back. With his claw, he gently caresses the foal's cheek. "Hmm... I find it very hard to believe that your mother abandoned you... or your father... depends, but right now that is a harsh concept." He says with a shrug. The foal looks back up at Discord and sticks his hoof back into his mouth, sucking on it as he would a pacifier . "I don't believe I know your name," he says, changing the subject, not for the foal but for his own benefit. "Perhaps you need a collar." He snaps his fingers, conjuring a blue collar with a small bell hanging off of it around the foal’s neck. “If only more parents put collars on their small ones; perhaps they wouldn’t get lost as often.” Discord peers at the name inscribed on the round metal plate hanging off the collar: Little Whiner. Discord chuckles as he watches the foal play with the bell. "Yes, I believe Little Whiner is a suitable name for you." After a moment, Little Whiner stops playing with the bell. His face turns a shade of pink as his face contorts. Discord raises a brow, and places his paw over the youngin’s forehead. "What is it? A fever?" He did feel a little hot. The foal’s face goes from light pink to a darker shade of red as his face twists into a grimace. Discord searches him all over, finding nothing wrong with him; only a look of intense concentration. Little Whiner holds this expression for another minute before sighing in relief; his cheeks returning to their normal white. Discord scratches his cheek, wondering what he had just witnessed, blissfully unaware of what exactly Little Whiner did. That is until an overwhelming smell reaches his nostrils. He recoils and clamps his paw over his snout, “Eyech! What in the world is that horrible smell?!" As he bounces the foal up and down he notices he feels a lot heavier. His eyes move down to the foal's bulging diaper. Discord's eyes begin to water from the horrid stench, he places the foal on the couch, if only to get the smell farther away from him. No longer having someone willing to hold him, Little Whiner voices his displeasure. By shrieking and wailing. Discord’s paws move from his nose to his ears, as Little Whiner continues his protest. With his tail he conjures a clothespin for his nose, which now stung from the foal's “business”. "What do you want me to do?!" he pleads with the foal. More screams were his only answer. "I don't know anything about changing an infant's diaper!" Discord desperately looks to the front door, praying, to anything that would listen, that Fluttershy would walk in and help him. When no such miracle happens, Discord sighs in defeat. One flash of light later he dons an apron, and a red hoofkerchief over his head. With a snap of his fingers all the essentials he needs to change a foal’s diaper are laid out before him: a fresh diaper, foal powder, wipes, foal oil, and a freshly pressed blanket. Time to take matters in his own paw/claws. He remembers Pinkie Pie once regaling him with the tale of how she tried to change Mr. and Mrs. Cake’s two foals’ diaper. Only now did he wish he had payed attention, to know what not to do. "Ouiii! Ouii!" Little Whiner’s shrieking only intensifies. Discord’s ears shrink against themselves. He needs to change Little Whiner's diaper. Now! He places the writhing foal on the blanket, conjuring some rubber gloves, he removes the disgusting pile and discards the diaper into the waste basket. "All right, what do I do next, what do I do next?” Beads of sweat begin to slide down the side of Discord’s face. “Is it powder, wipes, then oil? Or is it wipes, oil, and then powder?” He holds the two containers in front of him, eyes darting back in forth between the labels, “Do I even really need the oil? I’m not cooking him, what is foals oil even made of?” After a moment of silence Discord’s jaw drops and he hurls the foals oil out the window in horror. “What is wrong with these ponies!?” Turning back to the squealing baby he shouts, “This is impossible!" With a heavy sigh he falls back into a stool he conjured. He covers his face with his hands and pulls it down with a loud groan. "Come on, Discord ol' boy. You conquered Equestria once, how difficult can it be to change a foals diaper?!"