He's Going On An Adventure!
“Oh, where to start, where to begin, what to do, what to do?” The draconequus asked wistfully, ignoring the wary gazes of the ponies around him as he walked through the center square. “I could make a problem and then fix a problem-- it worked well for that colt. But nah,” he waved his paw next to his head. “Too many ponies would expect me to do that. It just wouldn’t be right doing what they expect. Have to live up to my name now.”
The draconequus’s mismatched eyes scanned the crowd of ponies around him, hoping for not the first time to see a pony in distress. For the first time, however, he hoped it was for a reason that was not related to him. Search as he might, however, he could did not see a pony who appeared anything but joyful. There was the occasional cautious eye, but he had come to expect such a look from these ponies. Remembering why made him grow a toothy smile.
“Oh but to help them would mean to gain trust with them.” He twisted his already crooked lips. “That one will be tough without a bit of magic.” He raised his claw to his mismatched eyes, individually testing each of the talons across it. “I’m sure Fluttershy wouldn’t be too upset if I just… Nah.” He lowered his claw from his face, although dropped would have been a more accurate term. “That would be too easy.”
So his lonesome trek through Ponyville Square continued, the out-of-place draconequus walking amongst the crowd of ponies shopping for goods to buy. He was so delightfully odd to the ponies that it gave him that sense of glee that often followed a good trick of his magic.
He was already one step away from fulfilling that odd requirement Pinkie set, doing what no other pony could do. Discord was quite confident no other pony could walk through Ponyville with such attention, save the princesses themselves. But those two bores were more likely to move stars than visit a town like this. He chuckled because he knew it was true. The ponies around him did not join in.
“Wait,” Discord spoke as he stopped in place. His legs kept moving, but he remained walking over the same patch of ground. “I’m losing track of myself, and not in a good way.” Still walking in place, he raised his claw to his chin, thinking of what to do. Nearly every thought that popped from his head was an idea of mayhem.
Burn a few roofs, make a few plants come to life, maybe just reverse gravity for a little bit. Those pesky pegasi did hog the sky. Earth ponies did deserve a turn. But if he did that, he’d have to take the magic away from the unicorns. It would only be fair, after all. Trade their brains for brawn, since the former was always better than the latter. It would be simple, just a few snaps of his claw…
His paw beat the thoughts from the air, watching as they separated into puffs of smoke before disappearing into nothingness. Discord snorted at them, slightly proudly but most irked that they were gone.
“That was amazing!” The voice honestly surprised the draconequus. “Can you do that again?”
He looked down at his legs, sure that no pony would match his height. There was only a pegasus or two that even dared to fly to his height. But even still, he expected to see a pony beneath him, be it a unicorn, pegasus, or a regular earth pony.
Instead, he saw a colt, and that was being generous with the word.
The small little thing was no bigger than the end of his hoof-- small enough to easily fit into the paw of his hand, digits flexed into a ball. Small, so very small, pint size really. Such an oddity made the draconequus grin with glee. If anyone could appreciate the odd ones, it was him.
“Why hello there,” Discord spoke kindly to the young colt, twisting his body around the pony. He hung over the colt like a doorway’s arch. “I don’t believe I’ve met you before, and for a spirit like me, that’s saying something.”
“My name’s Pip!” The colt eagerly spoke in return, smiling broadly at the draconequus without a shred of fear. Such a change from the everyday pony was an oddity in itself, his size and stature aside. It was enough to make Discord chuckle.
“Well it is great to meet you young Pip.” Discord held his claw out to young pony. The colt looked at it for a moment, doubtlessly marveling at its size and shape. Then, with his big grin, he gripped one of the talons with his hoof, hoping to give it a strong shake.
It fell off like a flower’s petal.
Stunned, the foal held the talon outwards, staring at it without an idea of what to say. His smile was gone, replaced with just a gaping stare. Discord’s however, only seemed to grow. He coughed into his paw lightly. The colt looked up to him as he did so.
“May I have that back?” Pip briefly looked from the talon to the outstretched paw, doubtlessly wondering what could possibly happen next. With small nibble of his lower lip, he tossed the draconequus the scaly appendage. Discord caught it easily, popping it back on his claw with ease. “Much obliged.”
“That’s amazing…” The colt continued to marvel, staring with the same unblinking gaze. Discord, however, blinked at the colt.
“You liked that?” Discord asked with a grin.
Pip returned the smile earnestly.
“Did I?” He spread his hooves outwards, lowering to the ground as he wagged his tail. “Of course I did! Ya just removed and popped a claw from ya’self like it was hat! That’s just too awesome!” Discord felt his chest swell with pride.
“Well,” he began, straightening until he once more towered over the small pony. “Maybe this will impress you as well!”
A flash of light blinded Pip before he had the chance to raise his hooves. When he did, he was left seeing spots even with his eyes closed. He could feel the light dying away, but he was far too shocked to move his legs just yet.
“Oh come now, I promise I’m not that terrifying.” The draconequus spoke to him outside his vision. Curious, the foal looked down, not knowing what to expect.
What he saw was a simple potted plant, complete with a stem, leaves, petals, and a face smiling up at him with crooked teeth and mismatched eyes. Pip peered at it like he would an advance in his allowance.
“What’s wrong?” The flower spoke up to him, chuckling deeply as it did. “Too much green? I know it isn’t my color, but blue is just too predictable and red?” The stem of the flowered waved like it was caught in a sudden breeze. “That just makes me shiver.”
“That’s… that’s…” Pip stuttered out. The flower leaned in towards him, petals bending towards the speechless colt. “The most awesome amazingtastic thing I’ve ever seen!”
“Ha ha!” Discord cheered, slapping his leafy appendage over the colt’s nose. “Pip old boy, I think I like you.” Another flash of white momentarily overtook the foal, but he was a bit more prepared this time. His vision returned much faster with his hooves in the way. When it did, he was stuck looking at the draconequus’s feet. He looked upwards to see the long face of the Mad God smiling down at him. The colt smiled in return.
“So tell you what,” Discord began, leaning down once more until he matched the small colt’s height. “I’m out on a… let’s call it a charity rally.” The foal nodded his head eagerly. “Basically, I gotta do some good deeds for ponies in need. You see where I’m going with this?”
“Yeah! At least… I think so.” The foal bit his lip, scrunching one eye as he looked at the monstrously sized creature. “You’re offering ta… work yer magic for me?”
“Exact-o-Mundo!” The draconequus bellowed, flying into the air with a small explosion of confetti. The colt giggled uncontrollably as the thin slices of paper fell around him. His tail was wagging hard enough to nearly dislodge it from his back. “So, here comes the trick Little Pip,” Discord spoke, grabbing the colt’s attention again. “The one line I can’t cross, no matter how appropriate I think it is to, is that I can’t do just whatever I want. It has to, well, help you.” The colt nodded eagerly again. “That being said, why don’t you tell Mr. Cord here just what it is you want.”
What Discord expected was the foal to think hard on the topic. He fully expected the colt to look around him, thinking of every little thing that has happened to him in the past day or so. Maybe he’d want that ice cream cone his mom wouldn’t buy for him, or that swingset his dad didn’t have the bits to build.
What Discord didn’t expect was the speed at which Pip answered him. That, and the request itself.
“I want to go on an adventure!”
Discord’s lips nearly split his face.
“An adventure?” Discord mimicked the foal. “What kind of adventure are you looking for? One that takes you over the Crystal Mountains?” His claw touched the ground, raising with it large spikes from the soil. They were, oddly enough, peaked with layers of snow. “Or are you looking to traverse the Gobi Sands?” His claw beat down the mountains, leaving behind a playpen’s worth of sand. There was a small oasis sitting in the center of the scattered grit.
“Nah, I know what kind of adventure I want.” His smile had yet to shrink, and neither had Discord’s. “I’ve heard all about those kind of adventures from Apple Bloom and her friends.” The blush that trickled across his face did not go unnoticed by the Mad God. “But, what I want is what I’ve always dreamed about.”
“Well, don’t keep me waiting.” Discord motioned to his legs. Pip jumped momentarily at what he saw. Stone was crawling up the draconequus’s legs. “Any longer and I might freeze in anticipation.” The chuckle that followed whisked away the small amount of unease the colt had. With a bright smile and wishful mind, Pip told Discord just what he was thinking.
“I wanna be a pirate!”
The stone around Discord shattered, his eyes, lips, and fur all growing with delight at the news. Pip’s shining demeanor had yet to change.
“A pirate?” Discord questioned gleefully. “A swashbuckler, raider of the great shining seas?” A large eye patch flashed over Discord's larger eyes as he spoke, a sword in his claw. He made a few large cuts high in the air, far above Pip’s stature. The foal was almost shaking with joy at the sight.
“Yeah!” He cheered upwards. “I’ve been dreamin’ about doing that every since I saw Horseshoe Bay! Bein’ the captain of a ship of scoundrels, discovering new lands and sein’ thing you’d never find anywhere else! I can’t think of anything better!” Discord felt himself melting with joy. He was shrinking a few inches to prove just that. With a deep breath of air, he pulled himself together, bringing his liquid limbs back to him and solidifying his multi-formed body.
“Well Pip,” Discord began with a sharp smile. “I think I might be able to help you out with that!” The colt’s tail began to shake back and forth eagerly. “I’ll give you an adventure full of excitement, hair-rising action, and maybe even a dash of chaos.” The toothy grin of the draconequus only served to make the foal bounce in anticipation. “Are ya ready kid?”
“Aye aye captain!” Pip yelled up the tall creature. Discord cupped his paw around his head, pulling out a flap of skin until it looked like a megaphone.
“I can’t hear you!” Discord sang back to the colt, chuckling as he did. Pip began to jump into the air as he hollered back.
“Aye Aye Captain!”
“Alright!” Discord snapped his paw, reducing his ear back to size. His paw and claw slammed into each other with a loud clap. With a bright smile, only slightly larger than the colt beneath him, Discord began to rub his forelimbs together eagerly.
“One adventure full of open seas, danger, and fun coming right up!” The draconequus separated his paw and claw. He smiled down at the colt. “Be sure to write!”
With a clap directed toward Pip, the foal disappeared in a great flash of white.
Pip blinked in confusion, the bright light from Discord’s magic fading away.
His youthful eyes looked around him, his smile growing brighter with every little thing he saw.
There were planks of wood beneath his hooves, three large masts towering in front of him and black sails billowing above him. He could hear the ocean waves beating against the wood and ponies surrounding him with equal parts surprise and rage.
Each and every one of them wore clothes tattered with marks of wear and tear. Their manes scruffy and long, beards just as weathered, and swords hanging from their waist.
Pip beamed up to them with joy.
“Ahoy there ye scurvy dogs!” He yelled up to the pack of armed brigands. They scowled at the voice. Pip paid no notice. “Are ya ready ta take to the high seas!”
The ponies began to draw their swords.
“I’ll take that as a yes!”
Twilight was having a great day.
She had just finished reading three of the latest papers from Shooting Star, reorganized half the book sections in the library, and now she was on her way to give Spike a large ruby. He had earned it over the past week, easily. Between his initiative in cleaning the old books section to his motivation for letter dictation, he had really proven himself. It was hard for Twilight not to be proud of her little assistant.
To match her cheerful demeanor, the alicorn skipped down the path ahead of her humming a tune she had heard as a foal. Cadence had sung it to her often during their play dates. For Twilight, it had become a song that really let her know that everything was alright.
Left and right, her mane waved with her head, hooves clopping on the path beneath her. She felt her new wings flutter just a touch to match her good mood. It brought a small blush to her cheeks. The alicorn could understand Fluttershy’s skittishness with such sensitive appendages. However, a little twitch of the feathers wasn’t anything to dampen her mood.
Seeing a mare sobbing in streets was.
Twilight had to blink when she first saw it. Never in the years she had spent in Ponyville had she ever seen a pony sobbing openly like she did now. There was no injury on her as far as the alicorn could see and no argument occurring around her. That only left one possible reason for the mare’s tears. Bad news.
Twilight, ever the helpful pony, knew what she had to do.
“Excuse me?” The alicorn spoke as she approached the mare. “Can I help you?” The mare sniffled as Twilight spoke, eyes still trained on the ground. “Did something bad happen?”
“M-my boy…” she spattered out, lips trembling as she finished. “I… I can’t find him.” Twilight’s wing erupted from her side. “He… He…”
The mare broke down into sobs.
They were wet hiccups that shook her body, making her shake over the ground. Her head sagged with every wet gasp, moans occasionally spilling from her lips. Tears, however, fell like small rivers from her eyes, wetting her coat and drenching the strands of her mane that fell over her face.
Twilight had seen her friends cry before, and they had seen her do the same. She had learned how to help a pony like this long ago. With a mare crying right in front of her, Twilight didn’t hesitate.
The alicorn moved herself in front of the mother, wrapping her hooves around the mare’s shoulders. She felt the mare freeze at the contact, but only briefly. Then, with shaky hooves, she began to return Twilight’s embrace.
The next few minutes was filled with tears staining Twilight’s mane, hooves matting her coat, and odd stares being given to the pair as they passed. The alicorn didn’t pay them any mind. The only pony that mattered to her was the mare in her hooves, and she deserved to have a shoulder to cry on. Especially with a missing son.
It took some time, but the sobbing pony began to calm down. Her hooves began to weaken, slipping from Twilight’s sides.
“Thank you,” she whispered to Twilight as she let go. “I’m sorry, thank you.”
“It’s alright,” the alicorn comforted once more, rubbing her hoof over the mare’s shoulder. “You have every right to be scared. Now,” Twilight clenched the mare’s shoulder. “Who is your son?” She watched the pony swallow on a ball in her throat, most likely to control herself.
“Pip, Pip Pinto.” She took a deep breath, an action that Twilight mimicked. “I’m his mother, Mrs. Pinto.”
“Pip?” Twilight repeated. “I know Pip, I met him last Nightmare Night. He was dressed as a pirate, right?” Mrs. Pinto began to nod eagerly.
“Y-Yes, that’s right!” A pitiful smile rose to her lips. “So you know what he looks like!”
“I do.” Twilight made sure her smile was as hopeful as she could make it. “He’s only as tall as my knees, with a spotted coat like yours.” The tears flew off Mrs. Pinto’s face under the strength of her vigorous nods.
“Yes! That’s my boy, that’s… that’s him.” A wet sniff came from the mare, doubtlessly to draw back into the straining tears. “He… He ran away.” Twilight felt her jaw drop.
“He… he did that?” The mare questioned in shock. “And he told you he was going to?”
“If he had told me I’d think it was him going off on… on another one of his little adventures.” A quick sad smile passed over the mare’s face. It was gone as fast as it had come. “But… I… I got this.”
Mrs. Pinto reached to her side, grabbing a piece of paper the alicorn hadn’t noticed before. She lifted it to Twilight, motioning for the alicorn to read it. Twilight did just that, lifting the piece of parchment into the air for her to see.
“It’s a letter,” Ms. Pinto told her, her breaths audible to Twilight’s ears. “I… He never wrote a letter like this before.” The alicorn nodded in understanding before directing her eyes back to the page.
“Dear Mum,” Twilight raised a brow at the improperly written title, but continued nonetheless. “I’m writing this now to let you know that I’ve gone off on an adventure! I’m sure there is gonna be more exploring out about town than I would have ever expected. Can’t say when I’ll be back, but I promise that when I do, I’ll be a changed pony! Here’s hopin’ that I’ll be seeing more of the unknown! You’re Son, Pip Pinto”
Twilight twisted her lips at the letter, face scrunching in uncertainty.
By itself, the letter did appear to be written by a child, complete with poor hoofsmanship and rather egregious grammatical mistakes. Only a few of the foals Pip’s age knew the difference between “there” and “their”. Really, at a glance, it was a hastily scrawled letter from a foal.
But Twilight never glanced at anything.
The letters may have been written in haste, but they didn’t have the same jittery lines that were common for most foals trying write with their mouths. More than that, the letter seemed oddly specific for a foal’s letter. It wasn’t just about adventure, it was about finding things that were unknown. Twilight couldn’t name a colt, filly, or any other foal in Canterlot that would use a word like unknown.
“My little boy exploring isn’t anything new.” Twilight saw the ghost of a smile pass over the mare’s lips, doubtlessly from remembering a fond memory. However, she maintained her silence. “What’s… what I don’t understand is how that got here?” Her hoof motioned towards the letter in the alicorn’s grasp.
“Pip’s message?” Twilight inquired, earning a nod from the colt’s mother.
“Yes, it…” She bit her lip before continuing, attempting to control herself. The alicorn was patient for her to continue. “It just popped onto his desk, like magic.”
“Magic?” The lavender mare questioned. “But, and pardon me for saying this so bluntly, but isn’t Pip an earth pony like yourself? I don’t think he can use magic.” The pinto coated mare began to nod vigorously in agreement.
“Yes, yes! That is why… I think something happened, I…” Her chest shook, no doubt from trying to suppress another series of sobs. Twilight carefully laid her hoof on the mare’s shoulder. She felt the pony lean into it, grateful for the contact.
“It’s alright Mrs. Pinto,” Twilight spoke with warmth in her voice. “Ponyville’s a safe place. I’m sure there’s some reasonable explanation for this.” The mother seemed unconvinced by the alicorn’s words.
“It’s the f-fact that it is so safe here that… that my little boy is so adventurous.” She sniffled before she spoke again, keeping her tears in check. “It’s just… he’s never done this before. It’s so… so…” Her head shook, thinking through her addled mind the right word for it. It came like the flash of a bulb.
“Random!”
Twilight’s wings fell in tandem with her smile.
The writing, the magic, and most of all how random this was according to Pip’s mother all added up. Twilight had a very good idea who was behind this. A restrained sigh left her lips.
“Mrs. Pinto,” the alicorn spoke as easily as she could. It sounded as if she was talking through gravel, given the strength with which her jaw was clenched. “I have an idea of what happened to Pip. I’m sure he’s just fine, but I’ll make sure to get him back home as soon as I can. I promise.”
“You… You’re sure?” The amount of hope that hung of the words was enough to weigh down a pegasus. Twilight took the full weight of the load.
“I’m sure,” she spoke again, the muscles in her jaw easing. “I apologize for worrying you so much. I’m sure my friend is just out entertaining him.”
A slow and heavy breath left the mare’s lips.
“Oh thank you,” she breathlessly spoke. “Thank you I... I was truly worried my boy had run away from home!” Where the words had given her no small amount of fright before, now the mare was smiling. “Oh that boy is going to be the death of me someday.” She giggled at the words. With palpable unease, Twilight began to chuckle as well.
“Yes, well, um… I’ll just go get him then.” The alicorn began to back away from the mare, lips lopsided in a smile. “I’ll… I’ll be giving my friend a good talking to and make sure Pip is back soon!” With that said, the alicorn turned tail and began to trot away, her speed increasing with every step her hooves took.
“Thank you again!” Mrs. Pinto called to Twilight’s galloping form.
Magic was drawn into her horn, bringing forth the familiar lavender aura. She felt the bags over her sides lighten, levitating into the air as she moved. In a quick flash of light they were gone, moved to her patented “Fail Safe Storage.” All she had to do later was remember that she put them there.
For now, she had something far more important to take care of. And Twilight had been having such a good day, too.
Leave it to Discord to turn things upside down.
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Oh Discord is in for it now!
Well, at least Discord is trying. That's a step in the right direction. To bad his helping had to dampen Twi's day though.
Umm.... Well... Discord, I think you may need some work. Not bad for a first try though.
HAHA! Love the use of Pip in this.
Just like Discord to exactly that!
Can't wait to see the next one.
~Skeeter The Lurker
Pirates?
Oh yes.
I thought his last name was Squeak.
Poor Discord, he's just doing his best...
That scene had me grinning right up until the pirates drew their swords.
So close Discord, so close.
3043911
I don't get it. Why almost everyone thinks that ponies have last names?
We know his full name is Pip Squeak
This is good. I like Pip's reaction to Discord, but i do hope the foal gets home ok.
And Twi's enters the scene. :D
Why do I have the feeling that Discord helping Pip won't count cause he made Pip's mom sad/upset/scared? XD
Maybe Twi is so good and does have a problem she can't solve on her own and might need someone to help her with? ;3
Loved the subtle Spongebob reference. As for the story itself, all the characters mesh together beautifully, especially in Chapter Two between Discord and Pipsqueak.
3045115
Isn't that his full name? You know, like some girl from SpiderMan who was named Mary-Jane.
Another nice update.^^ Figures that Discord never thought of the consequences of his aid. XD
lol yes that is awesome! X3
leave it to Discord to freak out a parent! XD
but hes trying at least :P
Just took me until now to notice how each chapter title is a reference to a well-known line from a movie... I are disappoint in myself.
OOOOOOOOOOOH who lives in a pineapple under the sea?~
3051352
spongebob squarepants
Oh shit. Um, hopefully Discord can bring Pip back to life after he gets chopped to pieces.
3043534
He's got the pi-right idea...
3056575
ow. that one hurt. You arrrrought to be ashamed of yourself.
3051352 DIS-CORD SNAKE-TAIL!
*everypony blinks*
Well, he's not a sponge, after all. At least not currently.
3054487 Discord snaps Pip back... and finds a jumble of mangled colt parts partly digested by a shark.
And so, the story goes grimdark from then on into raging madness that makes all the readers gouge their eyes out in horror!
UNTIL... Pip comes back and reveals that he was Q all along and was trolling Discord at the behest of the Continuum.
Now THAT'S random!
Oh dear, so close and yet so far, Discord...
What's to be said that hasn't been already? The Pip/Discord interaction was great and totally believable, and Discord not seeing the consequences of his actions as well. Time for him to do some 'splaining. I just hope Pip is alright, otherwise you're going to have an angry mob after you...
Well that was fun to read.
I did have some slight trouble visualizing what Discord was doing with his transformations early in the chapter because the writing wasn't as clear as I'd have liked though.
3058654 that one also haaaaaaarrrrrrrrt
3062707
Well considering he trying to good and he left a note for mom he doing better than he used to. Considering once the only way he ended up doing good was by complete chance and he never cared enough to care what others thought he is doing pretty good for a first timer. Ponies are used to the idea of doing good but discord isn't and doing the right thing the right way is hard for him.