Discord couldn’t think of a time of when he’d been more distressed than this. He paced the whitewash hallways, the boringness and simplicity of the design agitating him more. His brow was furrowed, and he nervously chewed on the claws of his lion paw. For what seemed like the hundredth time, he glanced at the clock to check the time. Only three minutes had passed since he had last checked. The longer Discord stared at the clock, the angrier he grew. It seemed to mock him, the red second hand ticking along as slow as possible. Tearing his attention away from the clock, he looked at the double metal doors that led to the operating theater. When it was decided that Fluttershy needed to go into surgery, they refused to let him stay by her side. The last time he had seen her, she was doing very badly. He prayed her condition hadn’t grown worse. He sat down in a chair by the doors, and began to recall what had led to this situation.
About three weeks after Discord had given up his magic, he and Fluttershy were married. The ceremony was held in the Canterlot gardens, a wedding gift from Princess Celestia. Discord smiled, and remembered that he and Fluttershy were practically inseparable that day. For a while, the couple was worried that they would be unable to conceive a child together, considering they were both of different species. But months after the wedding, they were delighted to discover that Fluttershy was pregnant. The pregnancy was rough on Fluttershy as she was much weaker than the average pony. It was five hours ago that Fluttershy had gone into labor. Discord had quickly scooped her up and rushed her to the local hospital. About an hour into the delivery process, the doctors could tell that something was very wrong. Despite Fluttershy’s pushes, the foal seemed as if it wasn’t going to budge. With every contraction, Fluttershy was growing weaker, and the doctors wondered if she was strong enough to deliver the baby. They decided to put her into surgery.
Once the procedure began, Discord was left entirely alone, with no information on how Fluttershy was doing. It was times like this when he wished he had his magic. He could have simply delivered the foal himself and spared Fluttershy all the suffering. Discord felt sick when the possibility he could lose Fluttershy and his child entered his mind. He fiddled with his wedding ring, trying to distract himself. Fluttershy meant the world to him. What he do if he lost her? And his foal...the realization that he would be an active father soon struck Discord. Feeling restless once more, he stood up and began to once again pace the hallways.
Suddenly, the creak of a door broke Discord out of his thoughts. “Mr. Discord, sir?”, a timid nurse said from the entrance. “We’re all finished with procedure. You can see your wife now.”
“How is she?”, Discord asked abruptly. The nurse smiled, familiar with these types of questions from nervous fathers.
“She and the foal are doing fine,” she replied. The nurse opened the door wider, and gestured for Discord to enter. Hesitantly, the draconequus bent down to enter the door. The operating room was dimmer than the hallway, and the brightest light came from the center of the room. An overhead lamp beamed directly onto the operating bed, clearly illuminating Fluttershy. Her mane was messy, the pink strands sticking to her face from the sweat. She had dark bags under her eyes, and she was noticeably weak. But despite all this, she had a small, peaceful smile on her face. Her eyes were fixed tenderly on a small bundle of blankets in her hooves. She held the bundle close to her chest, and was gently stroking the foal inside. Discord could spot a small paw gently grasping a lock of Fluttershy’s mane. The yellow mare seemed not to notice Discord, as she did not look up when he walked in. He slowly approached her, placing his paw on her shoulder. She looked up, and smiled happily at her husband.
“Hi Discord,” she whispered weakly. Discord smiled and bent down to kiss her.
“Hello,” he said tenderly. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied. She held the bundle of blanks out towards him. Discord stared at it uncertainly, afraid of hurting the foal if he held it. Fluttershy silently encouraged him, and Discord gently took his baby into his arms. The foal was so small compared to Discord. It fit snug in the crook of his arm, and he cradled it protectively to his chest. It was a boy, a draconequus to be exact. His face was the same color as Discord’s, with a dark brown tuft of hair that came over his forehead. His irises were the same deep teal as Fluttershy’s, with his scaleras a being a paler yellow than Discord’s. A bit of fluff from his chest poked out from the blanket, and was the same chocolate brown as his mane. A yellow lion paw and a beaver’s claw were curled up near his tiny snout. The blanket obscured the rest of the child’s figure, but Discord didn’t mind. The deep love he felt in his heart for this little creature was indescribable. Discord had a teary smile on his face as the little one reached up its tiny paw to touch his father. Discord offered his own paw, and the foal curiously took one of the digits and stuck it in his mouth. Discord chuckled at his son’s antics and knelt beside Fluttershy.
“He’s wonderful,” he said quietly, feeling more tears began to well up.
“He is,” Fluttershy agreed, resting her head on her lover’s shoulder. “So what are we going to name our baby?” she asked? Discord looked down at the little foal, who was now content with batting at his father’s beard. Many names came to his mind, but none seemed to fit his first kin. One name broke through the recesses of his mind, and Discord knew it was perfect.
“How about Leo?” he said, turning to his wife. Fluttershy pondered for a bit, then smiled.
“I love it. Our little Leo.”