Equestria's Imperfections

by fluttercordlover232

Chapter 5

Since Cachi was already up so early, Fluttershy fed him first, and then went to feed the rest of her furry family members. After she was finished, she flew back upstairs with Cachi to peek in on Discord. She flew into their room expecting him to be asleep, but what she saw made her heart stop.

Discord was still lying in bed. However, he was wheezing badly and he had no color on his body at all. Instead, he was ghostly white that flickered in and out of intensity of brightness and transparency. It was exactly as Fluttershy imagined what a ghost might look like, or even a...a..spirit..

Fluttershy thought back to the time when Princess Celestia called her and her other friends to her castle in Canterlot and first told them about Discord. Fluttershy remembered vividly of the fear she had that day as she listened to Princess Celestia explaining who Discord was.

'Discord is the mischievous spirit of disharmony. Before my sister and I stood up to him, he ruled Equestria in a state of unrest and unhappiness.'

Suddenly, everything clicked for Fluttershy. Princess Celestia didn't mean that he was a representation of chaos and disharmony, or that he had the drive and mindset of it. Even though he is all of that, she really meant an actual spirit, an almost ghostly figure. It all made sense to her now, when Discord first told them in the labyrinth that he was the spirit of chaos and disharmony, he meant it literally and figuratively. Which was kind of ironic to her since Discord doesn't make sense in general.

Fluttershy shook her head to rid of the impending thoughts, and instead focus on the issue at hoof. She put a hoof on his forehead and pulled back in surprise. She was expecting to feel a burning hot like it had less than an hour ago, but what she felt now was the sharp coldness of ice. Her frown deepened, and she frantically tried to decide what to do. A million things were running through her mind at once and she couldn't focus on the one thing she needed to.

While she was still puzzling over what to do, she felt a cold paw on her warm cheek. She was apparently crying because she felt his paw gently wipe away her tears. She looked up to see him smiling weakly at her. It was hard to see through the bright whiteness, but it was there.

"Flutter..Fluttersh..." Discord was cut off by a violent cough that shook his whole body. Fluttershy snapped out of her thoughts and immediately turned back to him.

"Shhhhh..." She whispered softly as she gently caressed his cheek. He immediately quieted and relaxed into it. He brought his eagle claw up and laid it on top of her outstretched hoof. Not wanting to loose the touch.

"Try not to speak for now love." She whispered.

Fluttershy knew now more than ever that Discord's life was in danger and that she needed to get help. Fast.

She hated to leave his side, especially when he was in such a dire state, but she had to find him help.

Fluttershy regretfully took her hoof away from his cheek. She turned her head away, afraid that if she looked at him she would burst into tears. She felt she had to be strong, for Discord.

Fluttershy turned to see Cachi on the other side of the bed trying to climb his way up to the top. His little claws digging deep into the bed sheets to get a good grip as he struggled to get to the top of the large bed. When he finally got fully onto the bed, he went over to where Discord lay and placed his little paw and claw on Discord's chest, trying to get his attention.

"Dadda"

Discord's eyes slowly opened, as if they had become the heaviest things in the world. He smiled weakly down at his son. He started to stroke his son's small black mane that is so much like his own, or was so much like his own...

Cachi purred and leaned into his touch as his father stroked him. He rubbed and head butted against his father bigger eagle claw that was combing through his short mane. The act was much like how a cat would behave. Both Fluttershy and Discord have always thought Cachi was adorable when he displayed his affection this way.

Then again, he is part lion, which are in the cat family. Makes sense he would act like a cub, he is still a baby after all.

Fluttershy thought to herself as she watched the touching display of affection Cachi showed toward his father.

Discord stopped stroking him; he sat up and gave his son a soft kiss on the forehead before slowly laying back down. Discord gave him gentle pat on his head, and then slowly closed his eyes as sleep overtook him once more.

Fluttershy picked up Cachi from the bed and sighed as she looked at her husband. She went over with Cachi in her arms and planted a soft kiss on Discord's forehead.

"Do you want to give daddy a kiss?" She brought her son closer to Discord. He leaned over, grabbed his father's face in both of his little hands, and planted a kiss on his muzzle. Fluttershy pulled him to her and gave him a kiss. She looked at Discord one more time.

He wasn't too transparent at the moment, but Fluttershy knew that would worsen with time. From what she has observed, the transparency was an indicator on how much strength he had left. Earlier that morning, he had a lighter coloring, but it was still his normal body colors. He had much more energy and strength, and was a lot more alert than he was now.

Now on the other hoof, he had absolutely no color on his body and he was the slightest bit transparent, but Fluttershy knew that Discord's strength was fading and had a sinking feeling that the transparency would only grow. He sounded weak and exhausted when he spoke, and had no energy at all.

She flew out of the room with Cachi in her arms, a determined look in her eyes as she knew what she must do.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Sorry chapter 5 took so long. As always, please like and comment, and let me know if you spot any grammar issues.

Anyway, I'm sorry if I didn't describe Discord's condition well enough for you to get a clear picture, but I wanted him to look like this..

(Not the pony)