//------------------------------// // Teaching a thing or two // Story: The Secret Side Of Discord // by Lemon Pegasus //------------------------------// "Just concentrate, Starswirl, concentrate..." Discord pointed directly at a now empty bowl, Starswirl by his side. Hope was the main fought in Discord's mind, hope that he could teach Starswirl to use his magic without any previous experience in tutoring. The tiny, blue horn glowed a smoky shade of white; abnormal. Usually a pony's magic glow will match the colour of the eyes, it should be purple... Discord was caught off guard mid-thought, as the bowl combusted in a sudden ball of flames! The roar of the flames was like a deep dragon moan, and there was a huge burn on the floor. Well, this was a huge success! Only learned to levitate objects yesterday, now he can burn shit up! "Very well done, Starswirl!" Discord stroked his beastly paw through the beautiful mane of Starswirl, who smiled back at him and bounced in happiness! "You can use this spell in emergencies, kiddo," Discord hoped he wasn't being too stereo-typical here, before too long they'll be playing Baseball and football, "don't use this unless you really have to." Starswirl seemed to understand, but still, no speech. Starswirl stared at Discord, wide eyed. Did he want something? His eyes were like those of a puppy's, so, he must have wanted something... "Uhm... would you like something?" he asked, awkwardly itching his neck. Starswirl repeatedly nodded like a bobble-head, before looking back up at his dad. "Well, I... might have something?" Discord rose and moved into the kitchen, what he needed was a cookie! Though, as you can imagine, the lord of chaos didn't exactly spend his spare time eating little foal's snacks. There was apples, too tough for the little guy's teeth, bread, a bit boring and sandwich fillers. There was some meat? "Uhm, do you like bacon?" Starswirl looked at Discord, head tilted. "Uhm, bacon, bacon! Do you like bacon?" ...well, clearly Starswirl has never heard of it. How a pony could go three years without it was beyond Discord, so, I guess he was going to have to unleash his mega Jamie Oliver skills in the kitchen! Discord removed a pan from the cupboard and placed it on the plate which sat upon the cooking spit. He would have to light the wood manually, but, Discord had a spell for starting fires. Well, he would, wouldn't he? This is Discord! With a clap, the logs burst into flames. Starswirl just sat and waited as Discord added oil, and finally bacon. So, now Discord just stood there, waiting for them to cook. The meat sizzled crazily, when, he felt something prod his leg. Looking down, he noticed it was Starswirl, who looked up at him with a gaze full of happiness. Discord wasn't one for "naaws", but... this was pretty cute. He knelt down and picked up the weightless foal with his gryphon arm, and allowed him to rest his head upon Discord chest. He really had to fight back the "naaws" right now... The cooking bacon remained a constant shade of pink, as did Discord's cheeks. Starswirl remained in comfort in his carer's fur, listening to the heart beet, wondering what it was. "This... might get a bit boring, Starswirl." Discord said, lowering Starswirl to the floor tiles. The foal didn't leave Discord's side, he sat beside him, looking as if he was a body guard. Discord grabbed a spatula from the drawer and flipped the bacon over. It was now a shade of brown with red patches. The sizzling continued, so Discord now prepared a couple of plates. Meanwhile, Starswirl paced the doorway with a proud position, looking intimidating in a cute way! The foal suddenly stopped, and stared at the plate the bacon cooked on. Discord wondered what he was doing, when, a great ember arose from the plate, leaving the metal glowing red in heat! The heat from the flame made Discord flinch, but it was over within a second! Discord looked into the plate, the bacon was perfectly cooked! What are the odds? Discord was going to explain to Starswirl how that was a bad move, but... the bacon was cooked, nopony was hurt, and Starswirl learned to control his fire spell... (I know this is the wrong thing to do, but once again, this is Discord...) "Well, thank you for the help Starswirl!" The tiny pony looked at him wide mouthed, clearly happy to help out. Serving up the bacon, Discord was happy to raise a first learner, anypony who was a slow poke might be a little TOO challenging... He handed Starswirl a plate with some bacon atop, he liked watching Starswirl lift it with his magic without struggle, this pony HE raised is learning fast! He must be doing something right! The sight of the foal giving a massive smile and closing his eyes as he took his first bite of bacon was a memorable one, never underestimate the power of meat! Like really, don't! Starswirl was on the floor right now, in some kind of blissful trance due to his new found love, Discord was hoping for some words of happiness... but... just silent joy. He grabbed his own slice of bacon and started eating, also enjoying the meat, but not quite so much he would end up on the floor. It was at this moment that Discord realized: Starswirl knew at what temperature to shoot that fire so that the bacon was cooked just right... he knew how to cook? "Hmm...." He placed some bread on his plate and presented it to young Starswirl. "Okay, can you turn this bread into toast?" It took Starswirl a moment to realize he had been addressed due to his trance. He got up, placed the bacon down, and... his horn started glowing... POOF! The bread... was gone. "Well... it was worth a try." Guess he can't cook, it is a pretty difficult task for a 3 year old. He placed the cremated bread into the bin and returned to Starswirl, who had now finished his bacon. He wondered what to do for entertainment... light bulb! "So, Starswirl, you want to play a game?"