//------------------------------// // Kindness & Chaos // Story: Forged Anew // by Vermillion Prose //------------------------------// In his ten millennia of existence, across countless worlds and in innumerable implausible circumstances, never before had Hesperos felt so utterly out of place. The tall crest of his helm nearly scraped the ceiling of the tree-cottage he now sat within. There were scratches and faint gouges trailing from the top of front door to where he now sat, a testament to his stooped and awkward shuffle to accept the hospitality of the princess’s timid friend. The fact that he had been welcomed at all likely only had to do with his quiet nature, and he had done as much as he could to minimize the volume of any statement he made to avoid startling the skittish yellow mare. It had taken little time to determine what would most endear himself to Fluttershy. Once a squirrel had made to perch upon his shoulder, warranting a fearful “eep!” from its caretaker, and he had not harmed it, she finally seemed inclined to become more open with him. He had asked her about her connection with her charges and about each creature in turn. Her trepidation had evaporated as he fed several birds that alighted on his arm, beaks pecking into an armored palm cupping a small pile of birdseed, and she described her routine and how she cared for each of the dizzying array of animals that shared the same living space. The mood became dour as she nervously began to ask him about himself. He deftly steered the conversation around the grim, fatal aspects of his previous life without avoiding his status as a warrior. It was a delicate balance, but one that rewarded him teal eyes wide with concern and fear, but not the urge to flee. He faltered after describing his current state. Tears pooled in the pegasus’s gentle eyes. Had he said something that offended her? Was his state or presence now that she understood his nature unwelcome? His concerns, and most other thoughts, came crashing to a halt with the empty thud of the pegasus tackling into his breastplate, her forelegs attempting and failing to encircle his waist as she cried apologetically into his resilient midriff. “Oh, you poor thing!” It took several moments and a few entreating stares at the now scattered animals for guidance before he thought to return the gesture, very carefully offering feather-light pats to Fluttershy’s heaving back. He assured her that it was no tragedy, especially after so long in such a state. He reminded her that despite his ashen unlife, his arrival in Equestria has restored parts of him that may have been lost forever otherwise. “Oh, is THAT what all the fuss is about?” The voice that broke the soft sound of dwindling mourning was loud, self-absorbed, and obnoxious. It was also immediately behind the sitting rubricae. Hesperos rolled forward, tucking Fluttershy into his arms as she let out a panicked squeal. He deposited her behind him as he assumed a low, ready crouch, hands readied. One extended before him, ready to slice out with crushing force, while the other was drawn back to deliver an open-palm strike. His stance faltered as he assessed the intruder. Discord in all his mismatched ‘splendor’ hovered over the weight-warped chair he had abandoned, cackling like a loon at his reaction. “Oh my, you are fun! So easy to get a rise out of,” the draconequus quipped, the chair and several unfortunate animals swirling over him in a levitated loop. “But all this boo-hooing over such a little thing is just no fun.” “Daemon…” Hesperos hissed. It was unlike any warp-beast he had ever seen. The creature was a psychedelic kaleidoscope of colors across the spectrum, mind-searing and utterly unpredictable. Were his mind not hardened against intrusions he was sure it would have driven him to apoplexy. “What?!” Discord retorted, eyes wide. He placed a claw to his chest and threw out his hip in offense. “I’m no measly ‘daemon,’ thank you very much. I am one of a kind!” A text bubble appeared over his head, reading ‘ORIGINAL CHARACTER. DO NOT STEAL.’ “Besides, I wouldn’t be caught undead with those creeps you idiots call gods.” Hesperos almost sagged with uncertainty, especially once Fluttershy shot forward and began to scold the beast. As the normally reserved mare argued back and forth with Discord in matronly fashion, Hesperos reassessed the situation. There was none of the usual malice he would sense in the presence of warp beasts as he knew them. Though the locus of this ‘Discord’ and his power was nearly identical to what he would associate with a daemon, perhaps even above a greater daemon, it was somehow void of the turmoil and sinister bent he associated with the Ruinous Powers. It was, simply, and he reflected, aptly named, discord. And, more glaringly, it appeared Fluttershy had the situation more under control than himself. Perhaps she had bound the creature to her will. Eventually he was pulled from his introspection, and literally to his feet, by a halfhearted apology and agreeable handshake that made his metal hand creak from the stress of it. The creature shot something he did not catch back to Fluttershy as he was momentarily overwhelmed by the presence of the walking abomination. Should this creature wish to unmake the barriers between worlds it need only… A snap of claws was the only warning he got before the creature disappeared in a flash. He concluded his time with Fluttershy perfunctorily and departed with her appreciation for handling Discord's unexpected arrival so well. Another comrade, and one less seal of approval to receive. That evening, however, Twilight would enjoy the full weight of his attention as he gathered as much information from her as he could regarding the beast accordingly titled Discord.