Discord's Bane

by Psycho Pwny

Ch.4: Cruel Commitment

|====[Discord’s]====|
|========[Bane:]========|

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|--------------------Cruel--------------------{Chapter Four}--------------------Commitment--------------------|

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Despite Fluttershy's wise words and profound lecture on dedication, I found myself feeling horribly uninspired to own up to my current predicament. Fluttershy was kind enough to provide me with various infant supplies and to show me the basics of care that I hadn't already learned from Pound and Pumpkin Cake. Everyday soon turned into the same routine. My sense of time was further thrown off course as days, even weeks, melted into the same numb memories. Everyday I waited for Bane to wake up with a screeching maul, everyday I fed Bane, everyday I changed Bane when necessary, everyday I tried to teach Bane something--anything! Bane either cried his irritating tears or was ruining my beloved organized chaos! Worst of all--everyday was the same, same, SAME!

In all honesty, I found Bane's games humorous at first--he had a knack for creative chaos I rarely explored in my ancient age, but Bane continuously failed to grasp any of my more "controlled" teachings, and yet I persisted--I didn't remain sane as a statue for thousands of years by being an impatient dolt, correct?

I only reached progress when I presented Bane with a swirly pink lollipop he was so fond off and refused to give it over, demanding he instead make his own. Much to my annoyance, Bane's first reaction was to bite me.

When Bane finally managed to summon his own lolly I couldn't help but to soak in a pint of pride.
Soon after, Bane became a pro at molding the mountainside into various confections and sugary syrups--I recognized a learning opportunity and I happily introduced Bane to the limitless wonders of cotton candy clouds and rich chocolate milk.

Bane was my spitting image *ahem* minus my charismatic charm and endowment of all things arbitrary, of course.
I was absolutely undeniably certain he would grow up proving to be an invaluable ally, as well as a respectable heir to my position...of course, until Bane set everything on fire.

Now, I like to think of myself as a resourceful individual, but I could only think to stare as the once carefully crafted representations the finest chaos had to offer became, nothing. Thick piles of glowing ash washed through my claws as I attempted to revive color and the smoldering cotton candy filled the air with the caramelized scent of bitter disapproval.
My mountain was on fire. My first instinct was to douse the flames with chocolate milk, but it only added more fuel to the carnage. I realized I had to settle for the most common and reasonable of solutions--water.
It took all my willpower to not add something to the water to make it less *gag* harmonious: vitamin water, pellegrino, just anything else would do! It was...painful..to conjure up that water, especially when it bounced back and scalded my face.
The cinders became angry and their smokey insults really began to bother my eyes...really, I think Fluttershy might insist on taking me to the ER if she saw me.

Yet, reliable as always, genius struck. I stroked cinders out of my beard as I fondly remembered working with Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Something. The twins would occasionally bring up enough distractions to cause cooking sweets to set on fire. Pinkie solved the issues like how she solves all issues, with...FLOUR~!
The mental strain needed to summon up the fluffy powder was none existent--it was a chaotic enough solution to satisfy my needs; although, I just had to throw in some chocolate chips--something needed to be done about that awful burning smell after all.

Despite my best efforts, my mountain ended up as a pile of petroleum gruel and any chance of deriving any sort of notable color from the fallout was neigh implausible. Color was what made my chaos and without it, my talents couldn't be properly practiced. Oh bother, I would have to find a new home.

A crackling cry from the rubble soon command my full attention. Ahh, how could I forget the cause of it all?
Bane was dug out of the soot, wiggly and ugly. Bane was jet black and his colors were diluted into ugly shades of grey.
I knew right there and then that I would find a new home, a better home--and Bane would be far away from it.
The creature had caused me nothing but grief: he destroyed my pride, he destroyed my chaos, and he destroyed my beautiful beard with his filthy ashes!

I wanted to humble Fluttershy's words to the letter, I truly did, but Bane was nothing but a beast of burden I never particularly cared for in the first place. He made nothing but a mockery of my joyous chaos and dwindled my magic resources into less than what Celestia had left me with.

My first instinct was to leave Bane with Fluttershy, but I quickly tossed that possibility aside. Bane gave me the wrath of Tartarus, and he would surely give Fluttershy the super nova of Celestia's sun. I was simply too good of a friend to Fluttershy--She would convince me to keep Bane anyway.

The increasing cloud of smoke from the reformed mountain also presented me with a new problem. The Princesses and ponies-alike hated any change done to their beautiful environment and a mountain would surely be missed. The blame would immediately be pinned on me and I simply couldn't be turned to stone again--Three times the charm after all, I may not ever escape again.

A miniature version of me certainly didn't help things. Whatever the reality, Celestia would surely use its existence against me in any manner she could. My anxiety got the better of me as the smoke got thicker and I retreated to the closest enclose area: the Everfree Forest.
I landed by a generous river and decided it would be the best place to release Bane. The vital water source was solved and if Bane greeted everything in the forest like he did me with his aggravating bites, he should be well fed. I was well aware Bane could easily fall into the river and drown. The idea that all my hard work would eventually be for naught irked me, but then I was reminded that it had already happened as black smoke began to choke the sky.

I set Bane down and he quickly scampered off, but stopped when he realized I wasn't showing any concern.
I bent down to his level and presented him with a swirly pink lolly, the kind he was so fond of.
He responded by presenting his own, smaller version, and I nodded in approval before teleporting away.