> More Than a Friend
>  by Tatsurou
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Kindness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy went carefully around her cottage, cleaning everything up and tending her animals.  It was another ordinary day, just like every other.  Her friends were busy with their own lives as everything moved forward, and she had her own life to live here, tending to those creatures who could not - or would not - tend to themselves.  It was her job, her special talent, her passion.  Nothing brought her more joy in her life than bringing the smile to those in her care as she made their lives better.

A knock sounded on the door in a random pattern.

Well, almost nothing, Fluttershy thought to herself as she went to the door.  Pausing at the door, she smiled.  Perhaps today, she'd do something a bit different.  After all, she knew who was behind the door.  Heading to her chimney, she climbed up it, across her roof, and leaped down on the startled draconequus from above.  "Gotcha!" she said happily, wrapping her forehooves around his neck.

Discord fell backward in an exaggerated display of shock.  "Fluttershy!  When did you get so chaotic?"

Fluttershy giggled.  "I thought it would help you feel more at ease."

Discord rolled his eyes at the kind pegasus.  "Fluttershy, if Anypony could make me more at ease than I normally am when with you, it would be you."  For reasons of his own, his eyes kept rolling in their sockets until they bounced out, rolling across the floor until they fell into two knots, which became Discord's face as he rose out of the ground, still holding Fluttershy.  "I don't suppose you have time for tea?"

Fluttershy giggled, having come to enjoy Discord's strange method of point-to-point transmission and the tingly feeling it left her with.  "I always have time for my friends, Discord."  She hopped down, heading for the table.  Opening a box, she pulled out the animated tea set, which still bounced around of its own accord due to the magic Discord had filled it with.  The only drawback was that the tea it poured would be any variety except what was put in it, but Fluttershy found a solution to that.  She kept a stock of the only variety of tea she disliked, and used it with this set.

Smiling, Discord slipped into the chair opposite Fluttershy, holding out a tray of tea cakes in familiar colors.  "Like one?" he asked as the teapot poured him a cup.  He tasted the tea.  "Hmm, juniper with a hint of yarrow root.  Delicious."

Fluttershy reached towards the cakes, then paused.  "These colors look familiar."  She looked up at him.  "No one was hurt to make these, were they?"

Discord waved his claw.  "Perish the thought!" he proclaimed, a thought bubble appearing over Fluttershy's head and falling to the ground in death throes.  "I swear on my word of honor as the Spirit of Chaos, these cakes are not made from anypony."  He laid his lion paw over her extended forehoof.  "And more important and binding, I swear on our friendship."

Smiling, Fluttershy took the tea cake that resembled her and took a bite, enjoying the taste.

-------

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Celestia ground her teeth in frustration as she stared at the cake shaped holes in the stained glass relief of the Bearers of the Elements as they purged Nightmare Moon of dark magic using the Elements.

-------

Discord sat back, relaxing completely as he felt strain easing from him just from being in Fluttershy's presence.  "It's good to be back," he said, rocking his head around on his neck.  He suddenly jerked as his muscles locked.  "Gak!"

Fluttershy hopped down from her seat to run to Discord's side, ignoring the pile of strangely colored moldable goop that appeared at Discord's exclamation.  "Are you alright, Discord?" she asked, putting her hoof softly to Discord's shoulder.

"Yeah, just fine, really," he said, stretching his body again.  His muscles twisted, and he let out a sudden roar of pain.

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said quietly, running her hoof down Discord's back.  "Look at all these knots in your back.  You must be in agony!"

Discord smiled depreciatingly, not wanting to worry her.  "Don't suppose you can untie them?"

In answer, Fluttershy seized Discord under both arms and flipped him onto his stomach.  As he bounced, she delivered a few quick hoof strikes to chest and chin, followed by grabbing him by one leg and pulling back as she drove both her hind legs into the small of his back.  All of her strikes had a surprising level of force behind them.  As she released him at last, she then proceeded to walk on his back, pushing her hooves into him with sure motions.  "How's that, Discord?"

Discord sighed in relief, letting out the breath he'd held to keep from screaming during the forceful adjustments.  "Wow, Fluttershy...I'd no idea you were so good at deep tissue massage."

Fluttershy giggled softly.  "You'd be surprised how often it comes in handy."  She looked at him in concern.  "How do you come by so much stress, though?  And...why didn't you tell me about it?"

Discord sighed.  "Fluttershy...you remember when you 'rehabilitated' me?  How hard it was to convince the others that I really had learned to value friendship and wanted to live without hurting others anymore?"  Fluttershy nodded sadly.  "Well, convincing the rest of the world is even harder.  And...when ponies and other creatures throw their scorn and fear in my face, dredging up the worst moments of my past and taunting me with who I used to be...the old me tries to act.  I get so angry I just want to..."  Discord closed his eyes.  "But if I did that, then I'd be exactly who they claim I still am.  So I keep it inside.  I don't release my anger.  I don't turn my chaos loose on them.  It just...bottles up."  He covered his eyes with his lion paw.  "I can't talk about it with Celestia or Luna.  They'd be afraid I was slipping back into who I was.  And who else can I turn to?  Who wouldn't judge me for the rage I don't want to feel?"

Fluttershy stopped moving.  "I wouldn't hold it against you.  You could always come to me."

Discord looked at her.  "But you have enough in your life.  I can't put my pain on you.  That's not the act of a friend, is it?"

Fluttershy smiled.  "Discord, when you have a problem you can't handle yourself, you're supposed to turn to your friends for help.  Friends are there for each other when they're in pain.  I may not be able to do much to fix the problem, but I can always be here for you, to listen to you."

Discord looked at her, shocked beyond words.  "Fluttershy..."

"Now promise me you'll let me know when something's bothering you.  I can't help if I don't know, and I want to help you."

Discord smiled, flapping his wings to push Fluttershy up into the air before rolling onto his back to catch her.  "Cross my heart," he said, popping his chest open to draw an 'X' on his heart.  "Hope to fly," he continued, rising up into the air.  "Stick a cupcake in my eye," he finished, conjuring a cupcake out of the air and shoving it in his eye socket, which became a mouth and ate it.  "Hmm, carrot cake flavored."

Fluttershy giggled.  "You're silly, Discord."  She wrapped her forelegs around him in a friendly hug.

He smiled, hugging her back.  He then noticed how much time had passed.  "I should probably get going," he said.  "I've taken up so much of your time already, and it's getting on towards night.  I should be getting to bed soon."  He stretched.  "Adjusting to Harmony is tiring, and I need my sleep."

"Say Discord," Fluttershy spoke up as he turned to go, "where are you staying, anyway?"

Discord smiled.  "Generally wherever I stop for the night, I find a comfortable spot to curl up and sleep.  I need to get to finding a spot for tonight."

Fluttershy was shocked.  The idea that her friend Discord was technically homeless...  "But, don't you have a home?"

Discord shrugged his shoulders.  "The world is my home," he replied, trying to make light of it.

"Well," Fluttershy said, looking down at the ground, "maybe, if you want, you could...stop here for tonight?"

Discord turned to her, shocked.  "Really?"

She nodded.  "I'm sure you could find a comfortable spot somewhere around here.  And, you could help me a bit with the animals and I could make you dinner and-"

Discord smiled.  "That sounds lovely."

After a few more hours, all of Fluttershy's animals were fed and bedded down.  Fluttershy had made them both dinner, and it was time to head to bed.

"So, umm..." Fluttershy began, climbing onto her bed and curling up, "where are you going to sleep?"

Smiling, Discord floated into the air, curling up in a tight circle around Fluttershy.  "I'd say this is the most comfortable spot in the house," he said, grinning.

Fluttershy blushed brightly.  "Well, you can sleep here, then, and I'll sleep on the guest bed-"

"But then the guest bed will be the most comfortable spot!" Discord interrupted, whining slightly.

Fluttershy looked confused.  "I don't understand."

Discord smiled at her.  "What could be more comfortable than curling up to a friend?"  Noticing Fluttershy's blush, he frowned worriedly.  "You don't mind, do you?"

Blushing brighter, Fluttershy smiled as she shook her head.  "No, not at all."  As Discord lay down around her with his eyes shut tight, she rested her chin at the back of the base of his neck.  "This is...nice..."

The two of them slowly dozed off into contented slumber.
> Chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The land was in ruins.  Thunder flashed from a broken sky.  Stone roads melted, boiled, and turned molten at a moment's notice.  Ponies screamed in fear and agony, struggling to flee as the world fell apart around them.  Others gibbered insanely, their colors fading to grey.  The sun and moon wheeled together in the sky in a crazed dance, as the stars fell to cavort upon the surface of the boiling sea.  Across the land were the screams of agony, forming a depraved musical of torment.

Above it all danced the King of Chaos, laughing madly as he watched the world burn.  On a whim, he conjured a fiddle from midair and played it.  He knew it would only be a matter of time before the creatures of the world found a way to fight him, but in the meantime the world was his.  And when they fought him, that would be a new game.  He couldn't wait for the first move.

Gliding down to the surface, he chortled as creatures great and small screamed in fear at his approach, turning to flee from him.  However, one did not flee.

The red, horned face grinned at him as he approached.  "And you called me a monster," it said proudly.  "What a wonderful successor you make."

He flinched back from the voice, the face, the words.  He didn't want this.  This wasn't what he was supposed to be.  Turning, he snapped his talons to make things better, but it only became worse as continents split open.

The voice laughed.  "This is who you are.  You cannot change it...escape it.  Only embrace it!"

"NO!" he cried out, struggling to flee, but the face pursued him, laughing with dark glee.

Suddenly, a pure light shot through the face, dissolving it.  "Discord?" a soft voice called.  "Are you alright?"

------------

Discord opened his eyes, shivering in the predawn gloom.  Fluttershy leaned over him, looking very worried.  "Fluttershy?"

"You were crying out in your sleep," she said softly.  "Are you okay?"

Discord shook his head.  "It's nothing, Fluttershy," he whispered.  "Just a bad dream...of worse memories."

Fluttershy handed him a glass of water.  "This might help."

Nodding, Discord drank deeply.

"Do...do you want to talk about it?"

Discord stared into the water remaining in the glass.  "Fluttershy...imagine if you will that you came into existence for a specific purpose.  That from the moment of your birth you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, exactly what you were brought into existence for, and your life is specifically to fulfill that purpose."

Fluttershy tilted her head.  "You mean...like being born with a Cutie Mark?"

Discord smiled sardonically.  "Sort of, yes.  A bit more...profound than that, but close.  But tell me...what is left for one such as this...when that purpose has been fulfilled?  When they continue to live, without purpose, direction, or function...and no one to help them understand?"

Fluttershy closed her eyes in thought.  "I guess...the only choices they'd have would be finding a new purpose or...letting go."

Discord nodded.  "But what dreams may come when we have shuffled off the mortal coil...when we were meant to be immortal?  What awaits on the other side...for one meant to be undying?"

Fluttershy nuzzled into Discord's chest.  "I can't imagine what that could be like.  It...it must have been horrible."  She looked up at him.  "But if it still hurts you...I'd like to hear about it.  If only so you can bleed the poison from the wound so it can heal."  Her eyes opened wide.  "Is...is that where you went wrong?  When your life became...empty?"

"Went wrong, huh?"  Reaching over, Discord lightly ruffled Fluttershy's mane.  "I guess you could say that, yes.  Never really thought about it like that."  He sighed.  "I didn't realize what I had become...until you showed me I didn't have to be that way.  And now...it haunts me."

"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy said.  "I didn't mean to make you hurt-"

"You didn't, Fluttershy," Discord interrupted.  "This pain is of my own making.  Don't blame yourself."

Fluttershy nuzzled into his chest.  "In that case, I'm sorry you hurt.  I wish I could make the pain go away."

Discord smiled, wrapping his arms around her.  "You do, Fluttershy.  You do."

-------------

When Discord awoke again with the full light of dawn, it was a much more gentle awakening.  Fluttershy was stepping out of the bed to go tend to her animals, and her movement disturbed his rest.  Not wanting her to feel guilty for that, he pretended to still be asleep.  After she left the room, he yawned and stretched.  He had been right.  Curled up around her was truly the most comfortable spot in the house.  Despite the nightmare of his past, it was the best sleep he'd had since the days of his nightmares.  He floated out of the room, deciding to help out with the animals.

However, as he went, he saw the small white bunny, the bane of his relationship with Fluttershy.  He sighed, glaring down at the little terror.  "Hello, Angel," he said, grinning his usual grin.

Angel, however, was not cowed.  He glared up at Discord and began making paw motions, gesturing to the bed, Discord, where Fluttershy had gone, and then shaping a heart.

Discord blinked.  "Wait, you think-"  He shook his head, waving his hands.  "No, no, it's nothing like that!  We were just cuddling, like friends do!  You act like Fluttershy never cuddles with her friends.  I've seen her do that."

Angel made rather explicit gesture to indicate that Discord happened to have certain equipment that - short of a miscast spell by Twilight - Fluttershy's other friends lacked.

Discord got rather angry.  "Get your mind out of the gutter, Angel!  It's nothing like that!  Nothing...happened.  We just cuddled."

Angel shrugged his shoulders.  He then pulled out an image of a heart and tore it in half.  He then folded the two halves into a shiv and stabbed Discord in the chest with it.

Discord stared at the paper knife embedded in his chest fur.  "...I see your point."  He plucked it from him.  "I don't see where it could come into play, but I take your meaning."  He floated out into the kitchen and helped Fluttershy feed the animals.  Once finished, he turned to go.

"Discord," Fluttershy called out.  "You know, if you want, you could...come back tonight.  And other nights.  I don't mind."

Discord smiled.  "Nothing would make me happier than to spend every night as I did last night," he said, noticing how adorable Fluttershy was when she blushed as she was now.  "However, I won't."

Fluttershy looked confused.  "Why not?"

Discord chuckled.  "Because it wouldn't do much for your reputation if you let me stay over every night. Ponies might get the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea?" Fluttershy asked, confused.  "What sort of wrong idea?"

"Ask Angel," Discord replied.  "He confronted me on it this morning...and he had a valid point."  He waved.  "But never fear.  I'll be back often."

Fluttershy smiled.  "My door's always open to you, Discord."  She paused, tilting her head, remembering.  "Or my window.  Or my chimney.  Or my walls.  Or my oven.  Or my fridge.  Or my cupboards.  But please don't come out of my toilet again, that was rather disgusting."

Discord chuckled.  "I'll keep that in mind."  He floated away, returning to his role as the Spirit of Chaos, sowing a little to keep life growing.
> Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy carefully finished her tasks for the day, smiling to herself after seeing her friend off.  It was always a bright spot in her day when Discord made time to pop in unannounced for a visit.  With everything that the others had happening in their lives, group outings had taken a sharp decrease in frequency.  While the others didn't really notice this, it was quite noticeable to Fluttershy, who had little to no social interaction outside their circle.  She was just too shy to connect with strangers.  Not that she would complain.  She had her animals, after all.  And especially her Angel, her baby.

She was glad that Angel had accepted her Friendship with Discord, despite bad blood initially.  Things had smoothed over when Angel had told her that his hostility was nothing personal against Discord as a person.  It was just that Discord had hurt Fluttershy.  To Angel's mind, that meant Discord had to die.  Admittedly, a few things got in the way of that - the vast difference in their size, Discord's magic, the fact that Discord was a predator while Angel was a prey animal - but Angel didn't let that dissuade him from trying to put Discord in his place.  Fluttershy had forgiven Discord and befriended him, however, and eventually Angel had accepted that as well.

As Fluttershy cleaned, Angel tugged on her mane and she turned.  "Angel?  What is it?"

Angel pointed to Fluttershy's bed, then to Fluttershy herself, and then to the still bouncing tea set, a question in his eyes.  Fluttershy understood the question just fine, even without using her animal speech ability.  She actually enjoyed trying to interpret Angel's messages without resorting to her special talent, just as Angel enjoyed trying to communicate with her through means other than animal noises.  "Yes," she replied, "Discord stayed over last night.  It was good for him, since he really needs someone to help him with the issues from his past he's been dealing with.  I'm glad he chooses me to come to with those issues."

Angel once more pointed to the bed, then wrapped his little arms around himself.  "Oh, the cuddling?" Fluttershy replied.  "Oh, that was just comforting him.  It's comfortable sleeping curled up to friends.  You've seen me cuddle up with the girls."

Angel held up one paw, then the other, looking between them.  "No, it's no different from then," Fluttershy asserted.  "It's just like cuddling with the girls.  Discord's no different."

Angel made a rather distinctive gesture indicating a major difference, and Fluttershy blushed bright red.  "It's not like that, Angel!" she said, very embarrassed.  "We didn't do anything!  We just cuddled, and I helped him past his nightmare.  You'd be able to smell it if I did, you know that."

Angel tilted his head questioningly, making an open motion with his paws.  Fluttershy blinked for a time.  "I'm...afraid I don't understand, Angel."

Angel put a paw to his face, then made his point distinct with animal sounds.  "Why not?" Fluttershy gasped in shock.  "Angel, we aren't in that sort of relationship.  I don't feel that way about Discord."  She turned away.  "I just don't.  I...don't."

Angel hopped around in front of Fluttershy, raising his paws again, but Fluttershy interrupted.  "Yes, I know I sound like a mare trying to convince herself against the evidence of her own mind.  But...but Angel, I can't.  I can't put my problems on Discord.  He...he's dealing with so much already.  The pain of his past, trying to fit in to the present, the lack of acceptance..."  She sighs.  "When he comes here, it's a place of safety from his problems, an oasis of calm in a sea of tribulation.  I...I can't take that away from him...just because of a...stupid crush..."  She shook her head.  "Besides, even if I did feel that way about him - which I don't - it could never work.  He's the Spirit of Chaos, the immortal ruler of Disharmony.  And I'm...just a pony.  Just like any other."  She hung her head.  "It wouldn't work."

Fluttershy turned to Angel.  She expected him to look at her in sympathy, or sadness, some form of empathy.  She had not expected him to be staring at her in frustration, looking like a tea kettle about to explode, and then storm off in high dungeon.  She tilted her head, unsure of what had gotten into him.  She giggled.  "He's just like a little colt sometimes," she said happily.  She blinked for a bit.  "It's a bit strange for him to be trying to arrange my love life, though.  Hmm...I'm going to have to keep an eye out for any single bunny maids going into season.  That should help Angel settle down, in more ways than one."

Finishing up with everything she needed to do for the day, she once more checked her schedule for the day.  Seeing it was once more empty, she sighed a little to herself.  Sitting down on her couch, she entertained herself with a book she'd picked up from Twilight's.  At first she'd thought it was a book about gardening, but she soon found herself enthralled in the story of the animal society represented in Mossflower.

After reading through several chapters, she saw that it was getting late, and she got up.  She needed to see to the preperations for her nocturnal friends who would soon be waking up, or she wouldn't get any sleep.  She found herself hoping, however, that Discord would come back to stay the night.  As the sun sank lower and lower, the possibility of that became slimmer and slimmer.  As the sun fully set, and the nocturnal animals began to awaken and clamor for their food, she sighed in defeat.  She was certain he wouldn't be showing up.  Then again, he did say he wouldn't.  Something about her reputation, and to ask Angel...

Fluttershy's head shot up as she blushed bright red.  It couldn't be.  Discord was worried ponies would think they were...But why would he worry about that?  No one would really take that idea seriously.  Even if Fluttershy was Discord's only real friend, he was too flighty to consider such behavior seriously, and he wouldn't treat it as a joke with his only friend, so why would anyone think he was trying anything with Fluttershy, unless...

She shook her head.  No, it couldn't be possible.  After all, he was as close as Equestria came to a genuine divinity, a living god of chaos.  And she was just...just Fluttershy.

Blinking away a few tears she didn't realize had formed in her eyes, she finished tending to her nocturnal animals and went inside.  She was surprised to see that Angel was already ready for bed, waiting for her.  He normally fought against having to go to bed, just like any child.  "Oh, Angel," Fluttershy said happily.  "You're being such a good boy for Mommy.  I think you deserve a little reward."

Angel pointed to the bookshelf.  Fluttershy raised her eyebrows, surprised.  "You want a bedtime story?  Oh Angel, you haven't wanted one of those since you were a kit."  As Angel pointed insistently, Fluttershy chuckled indulgently.  "Alright.  You pick out a good story, and I'll read it to you."

Hopping over to the shelf, he pulled a book off and brought it over to her.  She picked it up and examined it.  "Beauty and the Beast?" she asked happily.  "Oh, it's one of my favorite Fae Stories.  I've always loved reading about Belle Dame and the Beastly Prince."  She chuckled.  "That bit at the start where the prince is cursed for his beastly behavior, it kind of makes me think of the way Rarity described Prince Blueblood at the Gala."  She paused.  "I've never really been able to look at this story in quite the same way.  But I do so love how Belle was able to see past his appearance to his kind heart.  Such a beautiful story."

Settling down around Angel, she opened the book and began to read, not noticing Angel roll his eyes and facepaw.
> More
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord glided through the air away from the latest task he'd done for Celestia, lost in thought.  His tasks were rather simple, requiring nothing more than for him to be himself.  Celestia often engaged in complex negotiations over various trade rights to certain regions outside her actual national boundaries.  If negotiations dragged on too long or weren't entirely going her way, she'd 'suggest' the location in question to Discord as a vacation spot.  Once the negotiations were concluded, he'd return the area to how he found it and find something else to do.  While this didn't exactly endear him to the locals, he chose not to think of such things.  Besides, recently he had something else on his mind.  Or, more accurately, somepony else.

"I don't understand it," he said once again, as he floated along, startling a flock of birds.  "I can't stop thinking about her.  I know she's my friend - my...my only friend - but why am I thinking about her so much?  The last time I couldn't get someone out of my mind like this, unable to distract myself at all, it was...him.  My purpose."  He blinked.  "But that doesn't make any more sense.  How can she be my purpose?  That wouldn't make sense, and not the fun kind of not making sense."  He clutched his head, growling.  "How can I make sense of my head?  Who can I talk to about this?  I can't go to Fluttershy."  He conjured an image of Fluttershy in the air.  "Say, Fluttershy, I just can't stop thinking about you.  You're in my mind every waking moment, and haunt my dreams when I sleep.  Can you tell me-"  The image of Fluttershy dove into a cloud, shivering.  With a snap of his fingers, the image vanished.  "Yeah, that won't go well."

He sighed.  "I can't go to Celestia.  Nothing to do with her thinking I've gone back to my old ways, whatever I told Fluttershy.  There's...too much history there."  He closed his eyes, a pained memory returning.  

A young Celestia shouting at him.  "Then why didn't you do it sooner, when you could have saved her?!"

He shook his head, scattering the memory.  "No, I don't want to think about that.  And I can't go to Luna either.  Celestia doesn't like me being around Luna."  He frowned.  "And...that is the full extent of everyone I know well enough to talk to about this.  And talking to myself certainly isn't helping.  And it's not like I can't-" he snapped his talons "-snap my fingers and conjure another me to talk to."

"Ah don't zee vhy not, my boy."

Discord turned.  Sitting on a chair that hung from the underside of a cloud was another him, wearing glasses and a thick mustache and holding a notepad and quill.  A couch hung from the cloud beside him.  "Come, come," the other Discord said.  "Let us speak of your problemz, shall ve?"

Discord chuckled.  "Forgot who I was for a minute there."  He lay down on the upside down couch.  "Well, how do we start this."

DisFrued - as Discord chose to think of the psychological manifestation of his inner psychologist - chuckled.  "Vell, ve could staht by talkink about your childhood."

Discord frowned.  "We both know why I won't be doing that, considering we're both me."

DisFrued shook his head.  "If you do not talk, zen I kannot chelp you."

Discord sighed.  "I was born alone, I watched my mother die, my sister swore eternal hatred against me, and then I went crazy.  Next question, please."

DisFrued frowned.  "It seemz you haff deeper issuez than I was led to belief."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Discord asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice.  "Can we get to why I actually summoned you?"

DisFrued sighed.  "Alright.  Tell me about ze girl."

"Girl?" Discord asked in anger.  "She's not just a girl!  She's the first friend I've had in my entire life.  She knows what I've been, what I've done, even to her...and still she offered me friendship and trusted me.  And...she's made me so happy, just spending time with her.  It's...it's almost painful to be away from her.  I just...I just don't know what's happening to me.  Why can't I stop thinking about her?"

DisFrued jotted something down on the notepad.  "Go on.  Keep talking.  You are doing wonderfully."

Discord shook his head angrily.  "I mean, I can understand wanting to spend time with friends.  Fluttershy's always so happy when her friends come to visit.  But...it's not the same for me.  I see how she feels when friends visit.  While there's joy there...it's not as total as it is for me when I see her.  Before, Chaos was something I did for fun.  But, when I'm with her, it's because I want to see her smile...just for me."  Discord rubbed his brow between his horns.  "I've read Twilight's letters about friendship, and know how it works and how it's supposed to feel.  There's something like that with me for Fluttershy, but...it feels like there's something more."  Discord blinked.  "More...than friendship?"

DisFrued made a few more notes.  "Yes, go on.  You're getting zere."

Discord looked down at his mismatched hands.  "More than friendship...I know this one.  Ponies start as friends, and when feelings move beyond friendship, if it's mutual, they become...special someponies..."  His hands shook.  "They find...love.  Am...am I falling in love...with Fluttershy?  I...I didn't know I could even feel love that way."

DisFrued jotted something down, then looked up.  "Falling?  Or Fallen?"

Discord's head snapped up so fast it popped off his neck, flipped once through the air, and then reattached to his neck.  "What do you..."  He paused, thinking about what was said.  "I...love Fluttershy?"

DisFrued made another mark on his pad.  "It does seem zat way.  Tell me, when it comes to zings between you two, what do you zink of first?"

Discord nodded.  "Her, always.  That's why I didn't accept her offer to stay at her place every night, for the sake of her reputation, and thus her future."  Discord paused, then hung his head.  "Her future...I need to think of that, don't I?  She...she doesn't have one with me, really.  I'm Discord, spirit of Chaos and Disharmony.  The original bogeyman of modern Equestrian fable.  I can't act on this...for her sake."  He closed his eyes, a tear leaking out.  "I...can't pursue this.  Because I love her, I can't love her.  I can't make her happy.  I can't give her a future."  He sighed.  "I think I was happier when I didn't know what made me tick.  I was right.  There's no fun in making sense."  Turning, he flew off.

DisFrued made one last mark on his notepad as he began to fade.  The top page had a five by five grid labeled "Psychological Plot Clichés".  With one last sigh as he vanished, he whispered, "Bingo."
> Hecuba
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord slowly glided into Ponyville.  He hadn't actually visited the town proper in quite some time, as he had limited his visits to stopping by Fluttershy's cottage, spending time with her, and then either spending the night or going on his way.  He figured, after nearly a decade of that, it was about time he dropped in on the rest of the town.  Besides, he wasn't entirely sure if he was comfortable with Fluttershy's insistence that he sleep 'in the most comfortable spot' every night, curled up around her.  While it was comfortable, and quite enjoyable, he didn't think it was a good idea.  After all, it made it harder and harder not to act on his feelings for her, and he would hate himself if he took advantage of her kindness and friendship like that.

Flying over Ponyville, he decided he'd check in on Fluttershy's friends, the other Harmony Bearers, first.  However, a problem occurred with that plan as he extended his mystic senses.  They weren't there.  Twilight wasn't in the library, Rainbow wasn't in her cloud house or on her usual nap cloud or napping in a tree, and Pinkie Pie wasn't anywhere to be found.  Rarity was in her Boutique, but he could sense her emotional energy, and he really didn't want to pop in on her if she was raging.  She might take it out on him.  He did sense Applejack at Sweet Apple Acres, though, so he glided into the farm.

He noticed something odd as he landed.  A good portion of the apple trees were heavily laden with fruit, obviously ready to be harvested, along with baskets scattered around...but they weren't being harvested.  He could hear Applejack at work elsewhere in the field, and from the sound of her breathing she was working herself to exhaustion again.  Sighing, he decided to lend a hoof, and paw, and claw.  Snapping his talons, the baskets came alive, positioning themselves under the heavy laden branches of the trees as he raised a hoof to buck them.  He had to be careful here.  He needed to put just enough magic into his hoof to give it the strength to knock the apples from the branches, but not so much that he turned the tree purple or caused it to sprout zap apples or pomegranates or strawberries.  Thankfully, the chaotic entertainment he had given Fluttershy had taught him a great deal of control, so he was able to do it quite easily.

He worked his way towards the sound of heavy breathing, collecting the apples from the trees in the moving baskets as he went.  He eventually reached Applejack, blowing hard as she bucked another tree, bringing the apples down into her baskets.  At his approach, she looked up.

"Howdy Discord," she said happily.  "What brings you around here?"

Discord smiled.  "Originally, I was just stopping in to say hi.  However, it looks like you could use some help."  He tasted the air.  "Especially since the pegasi are prepping a thunderstorm for this afternoon."

Applejack's head shot up.  "Aww, shoot!  Is that today?"  She began racing towards the trees.  "I need to get all these apples off the branches and into the barn, pronto!  Could you lend a hoof, Discord?  I can't lose this harvest!"

"I already have been," he said calmly, gesturing to the baskets walking behind him.  "How much more is needed?"

"I need to get all these apples into the barn before that storm hits.  Any way you could speed that up would be much appreciated."

Discord smiled.  "Well, in that case..."  He snapped his talons.

In an instant, the baskets all leaped to suddenly sprouted feet and began to race around the orchard.  The baskets - in groups of three - would slam into a tree, shaking it and dropping the apples, which the baskets would race around to catch.  Once each basket was full, it would race off to the barn where the enchantment that made it move would leap to another basket that wasn't moving, which then raced out to join the others.

Sitting back, Applejack caught her breath.  "My thanks, Discord," she said, beginning to exhale slowly.  "Since Big Mac went and strained his back with Cheerilee a few nights back, he can't help with the harvest.  So it's just me here to work the trees, once again in Applebuck Season."

Discord blinked, somewhat confused.  "What about Apple Bloom?  And your friends?"

Applejack sighed, getting shakily to her hooves.  "You've missed a lot, Discord.  Ain't Fluttershy told you about what's been happening?"

Discord shook his head.  "I haven't really asked. Most of the conversations we have seem to revolve around how I'm doing.  I used to ask, but she'd always say things were fine and change the subject."

Applejack sighed.  "That Shy...come on, Discord.  I'll pour you a tankard of cider and tell ya all about it."

Discord followed Applejack into the barn as the baskets continued their work.  In the barn, Applejack tapped a barrel of cider and poured them both a tankard.  "Here ya go," she said, handing it over.

Taking it, Discord gratefully drank.  While working his magic wasn't physically exhausting, the amount of control he was exerting to keep it from going haywire was a bit of a mental strain, and the cider helped ease that.  "So, what hasn't Fluttershy been telling me, anyway?"

Applejack took a deep swig of her own, sighed, smacked her lips, then looked up at Discord.  "Thing is, over the past decade, everypony's been going on with their lives, for the most part.  Apple Bloom got her Cutie Mark in construction, and that's when the wanderlust bit her.  I didn't want to chain her to the farm, so I urged her to go out and see the world.  First she joined a relief group, building shelters and various other projects around the country.  Then she joined the army, and has been building fortifications along the frontier against incursions, whatever that means."  She smiled.  "With her off traveling, we've been even busier here on the farm, which meant I haven't had as much time as I'd like to spend with the others.  Twilight's Princess duties called her back to Canterlot, so she spends a good deal of time there.  Rainbow Dash went full time Wonderbolt, so she's based primarily in Canterlot now, too."  Applejack smirked.  "I found it rather funny that Twilight's Princess duties kicked in not a day after Rainbow got reassigned."

Discord chuckled.  He'd always thought there might be something like that between them.  "So what about everypony else?"

Applejack frowned sadly.  "Well, you know how Rarity and Spike went and got hitched?"  Discord nodded.  "That ain't gone so well for them, what with ponies judging them for being a pony and a dragon.  Sweetie Belle's gone traveling around the world as a Xeno-something or other, ever since she got her Cutie Mark in musical communication.  Scootaloo's in Wonderbolt training, following in Rainbow's hoofsteps.  And ever since Pound and Pumpkin Cake got their Cutie Marks last year, Pinkie felt she wasn't needed as much at Sugar Cube Corner, so she decided to travel around Equestria, spreading more smiles.  Said something about the time traveling panda telling her it was the way to the best ending, whatever that means."

For some reason, the idea of Pinkie travelling the country sent a shiver of fear through Discord's body.  The mention of a time traveling panda he shrugged off as Pinkie being Pinkie, or perhaps a stray burst of his own magic.  "So that just leaves you, Rarity, Spike, and Fluttershy here in Ponyville?"

Applejack nods, taking another swig.  "Yup.  That's about it.  And what with my work on the farm, Fluttershy's work with the animals, and Rarity struggling to keep her business afloat despite the prejudice, we...really don't have all that much time to spend together.  Of course, whenever we're all in Ponyville, we get together, try to catch up.  We used to do it once a year bare minimum, and tried to do it more, but...well, it seems like our lives are moving on.  We still keep in touch with letters, since Spike can send to anypony now.  Our friendship's still strong, we just...don't spend as much time together."  She sighed sadly, staring into her tankard.

Discord nodded as he drank from his own.  "And given the problems you and Rarity are facing in your lives, Fluttershy wouldn't share any of her own so as not to burden you."  He sighed, shaking his head.  "The only ones she might talk to about it would be her animals."

"Or you," Applejack replied.  "That's what I was hoping anyway, but if she ain't told you about all this, then she's been keeping everything to herself.  That ain't good for her.  She needs someone to talk to about her own heart."

After a time of thought, Discord downed his tankard in a single swig, being sure not to accidentally drink the tankard.  "Well, then that someone is going to be me.  She's been there for me for so long...it's time I was there for her."  The last of the baskets rush into the barn, stacking the harvest neatly by the wall.  The baskets then cease to move.  As lightning began to strike and rain fell, he pulled out a frilly pink umbrella to keep the wet off.  "See you later, Applejack."

Applejack smiled.  "Stop by anytime, Discord.  And do what you can for Shy, okay?"

Discord smiled.  "I will."  Turning, he flew out over Ponyville.

As he glided across the rain swept streets, he glanced around at the buildings.  He wasn't sure, but everything seemed...dimmer than it used to be.  He noticed a small shape in the bushes behind Sugar Cube Corner, huddled and shivering.  Without even thinking about it, he snapped his talons, causing the roof to extend into an overhang, shielding the bushes from the rain, and rocks under the bush began giving off low levels of heat, just enough to counteract the cold of the rain.  Both effects would end when the rain did.  He didn't know what manner of creature was there, but he knew Fluttershy would have wanted him to extend that bit of Kindness.  Somehow, he wanted to as well.

Approaching Fluttershy's house, he noticed that the majority of the creatures were just sitting around, not moving.  They had food and were eating it, but none seemed interested in doing much else.  Confused, Discord glided over the cottage, seeking some sign of Fluttershy.  He found her in the back garden, standing out in the rain all on her own, face to the ground as the rain plastered her mane and tail against her body.  Swopping down, Discord held his umbrella out over Fluttershy's body, trying to keep the rain off of her.  "Fluttershy, what are you doing out here?  You'll catch cold!"  He noticed her shaking, but not from the cold.  "Fluttershy...what's wrong?"  His eyes then caught sight of the mound.  And the stone.

The stone read, 'Angel'.

Discord stared in disbelief.  He recognized a grave when he saw one.  "Fluttershy, what happened?  Who would kill Angel?  Tell me, and I'll do something.  I'll-"

"No...no one killed him," Fluttershy interrupted Discord, turning to bury her face in Discord's chest.  "It was just...his time."

Discord blinked, confused.  "His...time?"

Fluttershy nodded.  "I've had him since I got my Cutie Mark.  That's...nearly twenty years now.  That's a long time for a bunny to live.  I...knew this day was coming, I just...didn't want to face it..."  She sobbed softly into Discord's chest.

Discord stared down at Fluttershy and the grave in confusion.  While he was no stranger to death, having seen ponies die before, the idea of someone dying because it was their time just...didn't make sense to him.  He knew Fluttershy needed comfort right now, and he was desperate to offer it...but he just couldn't understand.  How could someone invest so much of themselves in another, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt the huge margin by which they would outlive them...

A lightning flash momentarily blinded him.  When he could see again, he was standing in the garden alone, the umbrella pitch black as it hung over him like a pall, holding off the rain.  He stood before two graves, one larger than the other.  The small one still read 'Angel'.  The larger one read 'Fluttershy'.

As lightning struck again, Fluttershy was once more against him, crying into his chest.  He felt his heart beat out of rhythm as realization struck him of what it must mean to Fluttershy to lose Angel.  As the thought of losing Fluttershy to as unconquerable a foe as time filled his mind, tears fell freely from his eyes.  He couldn't lose her.  He couldn't.

Dropping his umbrella, he seized Fluttershy in both his arms, pulling her into a tight embrace, tears pouring from his eyes.  He couldn't let her go.  He just couldn't.

"D-discord?" Fluttershy whispered.  "Are...are you okay?"

Discord shook his head.  He was supposed to be offering her comfort, but now she felt she had to comfort him.  "Come on," he managed to gasp out.  "Let's get you out of this rain."  Turning, he carried her back into her cottage.  Once they reached her room, he magiced up a towel and began to dry her off.  "Are...are you going to be okay, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy blinked.  "I...I don't know...I..."  She sobbed quietly.  "Angel's always been there for me.  He was my baby.  I took care of him, he took care of me.  As long as he was here, I knew...I'd never be alone.  I...I don't want to be alone..."

Discord instantly wrapped his mismatched arms around her.  "Then you won't be.  I'll be here with you."

Fluttershy blinked, staring up at him.  "D...Discord?"

Discord smiled down at her.  "If it's what you need, Fluttershy...then I'm not going anywhere.  Why would I even want to?"  He gently ran his claw along the underside of her chin, comfortingly.

As their eyes locked onto each other, Fluttershy swallowed convulsively...then lunged forward, locking her lips to Discord's.  Discord's eyes shot open wide in surprise, getting ready to pull back in shock.  However, Fluttershy had thrown her forelegs around his neck, holding him there.  By the time he remembered he could teleport away he realized he didn't want to.  Giving in to his feelings, he wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes as he leaned into the kiss.

-------------

Discord opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the light of dawn shining in through the window.  It took him a moment to recognize his surroundings.  This was Fluttershy's room, of that much he was sure.  But it was much messier than he ever remembered it being.

Then, as his body started complaining of various aches and pains, he remembered what had caused the mess.  "Oh," he mumbled.  "Did...did that happen?"  Turning to the side, he saw Fluttershy curled tight against him, her mane and tail incredibly mussed as sweat slicked her coat against her body, a somewhat pleasant scent surrounding her.  "Oh...it did."

Smiling quietly to himself, he checked his internal time sense.  Then his eyes widened.  "Two and a half days straight?" he gasped out, managing to keep his voice quiet so as not to wake Fluttershy.  "Maybe I am the right one for her.  I seriously doubt if anypony could keep up with her."  As a thought struck him, he snapped his talons, making the animal food float around to feed all the animals.  They were sure to be getting hungry by now.

He felt Fluttershy stirring against his side.  "Good morning, sleepyhead," he whispered.

Fluttershy giggled.  "Good morning, Discord," she whispered back, crawling up his body to plant a kiss on his lips, her body moving seductively against him.

He managed to chuckle.  "You are insatiable, Fluttershy," he said as they broke the kiss.  "Didn't round 20 satisfy you?"  She giggled and shook her head.  He smiled in response.  "Well, we should probably stop now, anyway.  You'll need to eat something soon."

She flopped gracefully, playfully back into bed on her back, her hooves in the air.  "Feed me here," she said happily.

He chuckled.  "Alright."  He flowed downstairs, raiding Fluttershy's fridge to prepare a very nice breakfast for her.  Within minutes he had a platter piled high with pancakes, French toast, haycon, and fried eggs.  Smiling, he carried the platter up towards the bedroom, but noticed a book sitting on a easel nearby.  Thinking he could read to her, he scooped it up as he passed.

Walking into her, room, Discord swooped down on Fluttershy's bed, setting the platter before her.  Seeing how playful Fluttershy seemed to feel, they took turns feeding each other, not caring if they made a bit of a mess of the room, as Discord could easily clean it up with a snap of his talons.  After they polished off the food, however, Fluttershy caught sight of the book.  Her smile vanished as she gently traced a hoof over the cover.

Discord blinked.  "Fluttershy?  What's wrong?"

"This..." Fluttershy began.  "This is my favorite story.  Angel was always asking for it for a bedtime story, ever since that first time you stayed overnight."  She blinked her eyes sadly, the start of tears forming.

Discord quickly snatched up the book.  "Well, how about I read it to you?" he asked quickly, trying to cheer her up.  "And I can read it to him, too."  He wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say, but he figured he could easily cheer her up if he conjured images from her mind to animate the story for her in the air in front of her.  He flipped it open, quickly reading through the introduction of the Beastly Prince.  He found it amusing that the conjured image of 'the Prince' looked exactly like Prince Blueblood, until the transformation.  Certainly, his was a beastly heart.

When he reached the part of the story where Belle Dame was introduced, however, Fluttershy had no image for her.  So Discord added his own.

Fluttershy looked at him.  "Why does Belle Dame look like me?"

Discord chuckled.  "Well, let's see...a Pegasus mare who dislikes fighting - unusual for the ere - is well educated - also unusual - and is known for being gentle, kind, beautiful, and fierce when it comes to protecting those she cares about?  Who else was I supposed to think of?"  He smiled as she blushed bright red.  He then continued to read.

When the Prince's beastly form, Discord blinked.  "Fluttershy, why do you picture me as the Beastly Prince?"

Fluttershy smiled.  "Well, he's a bit frightening in appearance when you first see him, has been alone for a very long time, and has a massive change of heart when he learns about friendship and love.  Who else was I supposed to think of?"  She smiled sweetly at Discord.

Both of them froze, blinking, as they stared from the conjured images to the book.  "You don't think..." they said simultaneously.

"Obviously not," the image of Fluttershy/Belle Dame commented drily, "or it wouldn't have taken this much to get you two together."

"How denze could zey be, really?" the image of the 'Beastly Prince' said in the voice of DisFrued.

Discord began to chuckle as the images vanished.  "All this time, he was trying to get us together."

Fluttershy hugged Discord tightly.  "Wish we'd acted on it sooner...then he could be here with us."

Discord smiled.  "Oh, I think he still is, in a way."  He wasn't sure what made him say that, but it felt like the right thing to say.

They stood there, holding each other for a time.  Then Fluttershy leaned up and whispered in his ear.  Discord's eyes went wide.  "What?  Again?"  Fluttershy smiled coyly at him.  "Fluttershy, even gods have limits!"

She giggled coyly.  "I'll just have to find yours then, won't I?"
> Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord smiled to himself as he cleaned up around Fluttershy's cottage, simultaneously feeding several of the animals.  He'd been living here...  That was something to think about.  Living here.  This was home now.  And it had been for three months now.  Three months of the happiest time of his thousands upon thousands of years of life.  Waking up curled up to Fluttershy, spending the day together, sharing their meals, talking about anything that came to mind, tending to the animals side by side, and then falling to sleep curled up to and around each other.  Of course, there were also the 'nighttime activities', but Discord had managed to convince Fluttershy to limit themselves to 7 rounds at a time, and only once a week.  She had agreed that there needed to be more to their lives - and their relationship - than that.  The way she had said it, and the look she'd given him, had tried his resolve to the utmost limits.  However, he was determined to spend the time they had together to the fullest.

Time...

He paused briefly in his movements, a frown crossing his face.  Time, the one foe he could not conquer.  Life and death, the one power beyond him.  Time would eventually steal away Fluttershy's spark, wash her away on its endless flow, and death would take her away from him evermore.  He couldn't change that, no matter how much he wanted to.  The only life extension he could do was to leech the chaos out of the world completely, trapping everyone in the time loop of a single day, everyone living the same day over and over again into eternity.  But that was no life, not for anyone.  He wouldn't do that to her.  He could only face the truth that one day she would be gone-

He shook his head violently.  He wasn't going to think about that tonight.  It was their three month anniversary, and he was going to make them both a special dinner, and they would spend the night just the two of them.  Towards that end, he flipped his head open, pulled that unpleasant thought out, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the garbage disposal.  "I'm not thinking about it," he said firmly as he switched it briefly on, snapping his head back shut.  Finishing cleaning up, he put the last finishing touches on the special dinner he had prepared and lit candles for romantic lighting.  Smiling as a more pleasant thought occurred to him, he snapped his talons.  Romantic music began playing from the walls, providing the perfect ambiance.

The door opened as Fluttershy returned from her spa date with Rarity.  Discord wasn't sure how it was possible, but she seemed even more beautiful than ever, despite the thoughtful frown on her face.  She did smile when she saw everything he'd set up for her.

However, that smile faded as she sat down.  "Discord," she said calmly, "we need to talk."

At those four words, Discord's brain went into overdrive.  His common sense fled to the farthest reaches of Saddle Arabia, his panic set off every single alarm in his head, his sense of foreboding took a nosedive into a sea of doubt, and a metaphysical manifestation of the last vestiges of his pre-redemption persona that only he could see or hear appeared on his shoulder.

"Wuh-oh!" mini Discord proclaimed.  "You're in trouble now, buddy!"

Discord gulped.  "What is it, Fluttershy?"  As much as he enjoyed the playful nicknames they'd come up with for each other, he could tell now wasn't the time.

Fluttershy sighed.  "I was talking to Rarity at the spa today, and it got me thinking.  Now, to explain, I need to share what we talked about."  She locked eyes with him.  "However, no one is to ever learn you heard about it from me, nor are you to act on what I share at all, alright?"

Discord smiled, performing the proper motions.  "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Fluttershy smiled sadly.  "Rarity's trying to have a child with Spike."

"Well, you're screwed," mini Discord piped up.  "If she's talking about babies, it can only mean her-" mini Discord transformed to add emphasis to his point, "-clock!  Is!  Ticking!"

Reaching up, Discord crushed the mini Discord into smoke, not needing the distraction just now.  "Really?  Is she now?"

Fluttershy nodded.  "Yes.  See, she knows that Spike is going to outlive her by a good margin-"  A strange noise came from the garbage disposal.  "What was that?"

Discord waved his paw.  "Nothing to worry about.  You were saying?"

Fluttershy nodded.  "Well, given how long dragons live, and the fact that they sometimes nap for a century or more at a time, she's worried the time might come where Spike might think what they had was...nothing more than something he dreamed up to stave off loneliness.  So she wants to leave him a family born of their love, both to keep him company and to prove forever that they were real."

Discord nodded.  "So very like her.  But how does this lead to us needing to talk?"

Fluttershy looked up at him sadly.  "Because when I go, you'll be even more alone than Spike, and-"

The garbage disposal exploded.

Fluttershy yelped, leaping into Discord's arms.  "What was that?"

Sighing, Discord snapped his talons, repairing the sink and garbage disposal.  Catching the stray thought, he stuffed it into his ear.  "An unpleasant thought.  Go on."

Sitting back down, Fluttershy rolled her eyes.  "You really need to be more careful with those.  They give the animals tummy aches."  As Discord chuckled, she continued.  "Well, I was just thinking.  When...when Rarity dies, Spike will still have Twilight, and Celestia, and Luna, and he'll have made lots of friends amongst ponies, and maybe he'll have made friends amongst other races as well, so he'll still have company, even family.  But, you've only really bonded with me.  You don't really have a strong relationship with Twilight, or Spike, or the Princesses, or anyone else.  When I die...you'll be all alone again."  She closed her eyes against tears.  "And...that was what made you go wrong before.  I don't want you to be alone...ever again."

Discord floated over to beside her, dinner forgotten.  "Fluttershy..."  He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him.  "There isn't really anything that can be done to change that.  That's the unpleasant thought I didn't want to cloud tonight."

Fluttershy looked up at him, smiling.  "But Discord...there is a solution."

Discord blinked.  "There is?  What?"

"The same one Rarity's using."

Discord's brain was not responding well.  He kept getting error messages.  He made a mental note to stop using Windows.  "I'm not sure I follow."

Fluttershy smiled seductively up at Discord.  "Discord...I'm saying I want to have your baby."

Discord's brain chose that moment to abandon him completely, climbing out of his skull to run away.  Unfortunately, Fluttershy snagged it on its way out and stuffed it right back in.  He managed to gather his thoughts.  "Fluttershy, I don't think you really understand what you're asking-"

"That's because I'm not asking, Discord," Fluttershy replied, her eyes becoming very intense, much like when she used the Stare.  Unlike then, however, the power of the gaze seemed to reach right through his eyes to the part of his brain keyed into his more primal impulses and play them like a lute.  "I'm in heat today, Discord.  Do you know what that means?"  Discord shook his head dumbly.  "It means I'm going to go upstairs.  You are going to join me, soon, before I start without you.  Then, you're going to rut me, and get me pregnant.  Understood?"

The heat in her voice, the way her eyes stared into him with such hungry intensity, and the way her hoof was trailing circles on his chest as she spoke, left him only one real response.  He nodded dumbly.

"Good," she said, turning towards the stairs, dinner forgotten.  Halfway there, she turned back.  "Don't keep me waiting too long."  The only thing that kept Discord from fainting dead away was seeing the beginnings of a furious blush forming on her cheeks, although that just made his heart almost give out.

As she headed up the stairs, he turned and sighed at dinner.  "Well, not what I'd planned for our anniversary," he said quietly, going around to pull curtains down on all the windows.  "Then again, you don't get anywhere telling your mare 'no'."  With a last smile, he pulled one last curtain down over the fourth wall.

------------

Discord lay back, breathing heavily as he smiled up at Fluttershy.  He had done as she had asked.  He had guaranteed it.

She looked down at him lovingly, but there was a bit of a frown on her face.  "Are you alright, Discord?  You're normally nowhere near this tired after only the first round."

He smiled up at her.  "That's probably because this time took more out of me.  Literally."

Fluttershy blinked, confused.  "I...don't understand."

Discord chuckled.  "It's a long story."  Seeing her looking at him attentively, he smiled.  "How much do you know about a creature named..."  He hesitated, unsure he even wanted to speak the name.  "...Tirek?"

Fluttershy tilted her head.  "Not much.  The name comes up in a few of the darker stories I've read at the library, but there's nothing concrete, except that he was a great evil from the era before the creation of the Elements of Harmony."

Discord nodded.  "That's right.  But there's more to the story."  He conjured an image of the planet.  "See here?  This is modern Equestria.  Up here in the north, where the Crystal Empire is now?  That's where Hurricane, Platinum, and Puddinghead had their rule.  The blizzard described in the history is what created the northern wastes."  He then gestured to an area to the far, far south.  "This is Celestia and Luna's homeland...and where I originally came from.  A kingdom thrived here in peace and tranquility, ruled by Celestia and Luna's parents, King Starfall and Queen Earthsea."  He sighed.  "Peace and tranquility...until Tirek attacked.  He wielded magic the ponies could not comprehend, and transformed many of them into half dragon servants that he turned against their friends and loved ones.  However, King Starfall called out to the stars for aid, and an artifact of immense power came to him...the Rainbow of Light.  Using it, the transformations were reversed and Tirek was driven back."

Discord conjured up images of the struggle, sugar coating the battles so as to spare Fluttershy the true brutality of the conflict.  "This cycle continued for quite some time.  Starfall and Earthsea, guiding their ponies, turned the Rainbow of Light against Tirek, forcing him back time after time.  However, he found an opportunity when Earthsea went into labor with their second daughter.  He brought forth his magic, but did not strike at the ponies.  He struck at the Rainbow of Light itself.  The overload of magic shattered it, and the backlash slew Starfall."  Discord made the images vanish.  "The ponies who had been transformed previously found themselves back into their transformed states, although they were no longer bound by Tirek's will.  He also lacked the power to transform more ponies, as that had been consumed by the backlash of the Rainbow of Light's destruction.  Amongst the ponies were now creatures who were part dragon, part pony...an entire new species, practically.  Ponies called them Kirin.  However, they called themselves...draconequui,"

Fluttershy gasped.  "You mean...your people?"

Discord shook his head.  "Not exactly.  See, even without that magic, Tirek was still a very dangerous threat.  And without the Rainbow of Light, the ponies had no defense.  Then, during one of his assaults, several draconequui wielded their power together against him...and he was driven back, forced to flee.  The draconequui's magic was a fusion of the power he'd wielded against them and the magic left behind by the Rainbow of Light.  However, it wasn't strong enough in small groups.  ...so they chose to act differently.

"The draconequui gathered, and discussed the situation.  At the end, they came to a conclusion, a way to join all their power to fight Tirek.  The entire race agreed unanimously.  And so, they drew the circles, prepared the magic...and when the time came, every stallion, mare, and foal amongst them drew forth the ritual dagger...and plunged it into their own hearts."

Fluttershy gasped in shock and fear.  "How...how could they do that?"

Discord sighed.  "Because it was the only way to join their entire race as a single entity, an amalgamation of every life force, every soul, every drop of magic amongst them, bonded with the magic of the world itself, into an entity that could not be bound by any laws, be they physical or civic.  An entity capable of meeting Tirek on his own terms and destroying him.  An entity...of pure chaos."

Fluttershy stared at him.  "...you?"

He nodded.  "Yes.  That is how I was born.  I have within me the soul of every draconequui.  It's why I called myself the draconequues.  I am the entire race, in singular.  However, because of that nature, I can't have children in the usual way."

Fluttershy blinked.  "Then...how can you?"

Discord smiled.  "The way we did.  I took a piece of my spiritual energy - a small piece, mind, I'll barely miss it - and embedded it into your womb, to grow into a new child.  The child will be draconequues, but not as I am.  He or she will most likely resemble you, but with a few of my features, and a good amount of my magic."

Fluttershy leaned into him, lost in thought.  "Wow..."  She started to doze off.  "You'll have to tell me more about all of this some time."

"There's one thing I need to tell you now, actually," Discord continued, somewhat nervously.  "See, because of the magical nature of the child, he or she will take...a mite longer to develop than normal.  An...extended pregnancy, if you will."

Fluttershy's eyes snapped open.  "How much longer?"

Discord ran through a few mental calculations.  "Umm...two years, total.  That's not too bad, right?"

Fluttershy stared at him, her eyes going wide.  "What?"
> Future
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord stood in the kitchen table, preparing a special meal for Fluttershy.  "Let's see..." he said as he began preparing the meal.  "Seventeen varieties of ice cream, one scoop each...check.  6 ounces of whipped cream...check.  5 pickles...check.  3 vegetable sausages, made from 7 kinds of grain ground with a special spice mix and cooked in an onion skin...check.  Hot fudge sauce...check.  Caramel sauce...check.  Maple Syrup...check.  Hot sauce...check.  Tobasco...check.  Strawberries...check.  Peaches...check.  Cherries...check.  Artificially produced cherry substitutes with that weird name I can never remember...check.  Jalapenos...check.  Graham cracker crumble...check.  And for the finishing touch...rainbow colored sparklers."  He smiled as he finished the delicate construction that stretched upward and outward from the bottom.  "Well, I think that should meet Fluttershy's cravings today.  A rather odd but specific request, the most chaotic dish I can make without my powers."  Carefully he picked up the bowl and began to carry it up the stairs.

It had been six months since he had placed their child within Fluttershy's womb, a much more deliberate act in his case than it would have been for a pony stallion, or a magically enhanced mare for that matter.  She had not been happy about learning she would be pregnant for 2 years, especially when they had discovered that the usual pregnancy symptoms - such as food cravings and morning sickness - would progress at the normal rate and be influenced by the child's chaos energy.  Admittedly, she hadn't banished him from her bed at nights yet, but he completely understood why she had completely banned any night time activities...except for a few occasions where she had pounced him without warning when he was sound asleep.  Admittedly, it was quite the invigorating way to wake up.

He stepped into their room.  He paused at the door, though, as he realized with a smile the change in how they had both come to think of the place.  "Fluttershy, I brought you your special request food."  He smiled, gazing over her ravishing beauty, untainted by her blooming physique demonstrating the life growing inside her, though somewhat marred by the expression of abject despair on her face.  "Fluttershy, what's wrong?"

She turned to him, and her expression contorted into one of unadulterated fury.  "YOU!" she snarled, lunging for him, pinning him to the floor, barely giving him time to warp the meal to the bedside table so it didn't splatter all over them both.  "You did this to me!" she hissed.  "You distorted my body, wrecked my mind, turned me into this!  It's all your fault!  I hate you!"

Discord's eyes widened, shocked at both her fury and her words.  "F-Fluttershy?"

She smiled widely, a bit of madness in her eyes.  "I'm going to gut you, Discord," she hissed, pulling an incredibly sharp knife out of nowhere and trailing it along his stomach without breaking the skin.  "I'm going to paint the town red with your blood, make a throne from your skin, and wear your guts for garters and your rib cage for a hat!"

Discord stared at her wide eyed, two thoughts warring within him.  The first was, And THIS qualifies as harmonious behavior?  The second was, Is it wrong that I'm getting seriously turned on by this?

Fluttershy's heated expression suddenly shifted away from rage to...something else.  "But first," she said in a throaty whisper that sent shivers down his spine, "you are going to rut me silly, rocking my world and making me scream in passion and ecstasy until I'm hoarse!"

Discord managed to smile, extending his arms to wrap her in a tight embrace and do as she asked.

She suddenly threw him across the room.  "But that's all you care about!" she wailed, her expression once more tragic.  "You just want to rut me!  You don't love me anymore!"  Curling up on the bed, she began to wail in despair.

Discord blinked a few times before briefly stepping out of the narrative.  "And I thought I was chaotic," he said to you before stepping back in.  He floated over to Fluttershy, hugging her tight.  "Fluttershy, it was your friendship that saved me from loneliness and madness.  It was your love that made me whole once more, healing old wounds deep within my heart.  I will never stop loving you, and that you chose to do this - to make a family with me - is the greatest gift I could ever hope to receive."  He gently tightened the hug, wrapping himself sinuously around her entire body.  "Please, don't ever doubt my love, beloved.  It will never fade."

Fluttershy sniffled a little.  "I must look incredibly silly right now," she mumbled.

Discord shook his head.  "Not at all, beloved.  Mood swings are perfectly natural."

Fluttershy managed a smile.  "Thank you, Discord."  She let out a small burp.  "Excuse me."

Discord blinked.  "Wait, but-"  He turned and saw the empty bowl on the dresser, looking like it had been licked clean, the sparklers sitting in the bowl organized by color.  "But when-  How-  Wha?"  He turned as Fluttershy let out a small giggle.  He smirked.  "You chaotic little vixen, you!" he said happily, nuzzling her.

"May I have another, please?" she asked, giving him puppy eyes.

Discord chuckled.  "Well, if I'm to make it chaotic, it can't be a repeat."

"I know."

He smiled softly.  "Be right back, then."  Picking up the bowl, he headed back downstairs.  After washing it, he placed it on the counter.  "Now, let's see what I should make her next..."  He paused as he heard a knock on the front door.  Smiling, he opened it.  "Can I help you-"

The large yellow Pegasus at the door clocked him with a solid right hook, knocking him backwards into the cottage, slamming into the couch.  "Where's my daughter, you monster?!" the Pegasus demanded, tackling him.

Discord blinked, managing to smile up at his assailant.  "You must be Fluttershy's father, Quickhoof," he said, extending a hand in greeting to the stallion.  "Fluttershy's told me so much about-"  His statement was cut off by a hoof to the face, leaving his face dented before he pulled it back into shape.  "Now that wasn't very poli-"  A left hook caused his head to go spinning around.  "Would you let me get a-"

As Quickhoof reared back to deliver another punch, a chair smacked him in the face, knocking him backward.  He landed on his back, blinking.  "F-Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy stood over Discord, glowering at her father.  "MINE!" she hissed.  "Nopony gets to beat Discord to a pulp but me!"

Discord coughed nervously, hoping that Quickhoof wouldn't get the wrong idea about their relationship from that.

Fluttershy suddenly dropped the chair.  "Oh, Daddy, I'm so sorry!"  She went over to him.  "I didn't mean to do that, I don't know what came over me.  It's just when I saw you hitting Discord, I got so mad and-"  She blinked.  "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Quickhoof got to his hooves slowly.  "Shy, you haven't even written your Mom and I in over a year!  We were just-"

Fluttershy gasped.  "Oh my goodness, I can't believe I'd forgotten to keep up my correspondence!"  She started to wail.  "And you came here because you and Mom must have been so worried, and I hit you on the head with a c-c-c-chair!  I'm such a horrible pony!"

Quickhoof gulped.  "Fluttershy, it's alright.  I'm not hurt, really.  You know how hard my head is-"

"Yeah, just so long as you don't start courting me like you did Mom after she hit you in the head with a bedpan so she could reattach your leg!" she snapped.  "I don't even want to speculate what you two get up to in the bedroom!"  She grunted.  "Rrrgh!  I can't handle this right now.  I'm going back to bed."  She waddled back up the stairs.  She shot one glare back over her shoulders.  "Behave!" she snapped at them.  Then her face and voice softened.  "That is, if you don't mind..."  She then walked up the stairs.

Quickhoof stared after her.  "I notice she wasn't wearing a ring," he mentioned calmly.  "And neither are you."

Discord gulped.  He was not looking forward to explaining the 'metamagically incapable of getting married' to anypony in Fluttershy's family.  "No, we aren't."

Quickhoof glanced significantly at the dented chair.  "And you haven't run for it?"

"Wouldn't dream of it!" Discord proclaimed, a little hotly.  He took offense at the implication that he would abandon Fluttershy when she needed him most.

Quickhoof nodded.  "Good."  He walked forward and extended his hoof to Discord.  "Welcome to the family."

Discord blinked for a while, then smiled.  "Thanks," he said, extending his eagle talon to shake.

As Quickhoof gripped Discord's talon tightly, he looked him in the eye.  "But if you make her cry from anything other than hormones, I'll turn your skull into a chamber pot."

Discord smiled, nodding.  "Dully noted."

Quickhoof smirked mirthlessly.  "In a non-lethal manner."

Discord gulped.  "Uh...dully noted."

"DISCORD!" Fluttershy shouted from her room.  "WHERE'S MY FOOD?"

Quickhoof smirked.  "I'll leave you to that, shall I?"  With that he turned to leave.  "And I thought Wind Blossom was hard to deal with when she was carrying Fluttershy," he mumbled as he went out the door.

Discord went to the fridge.  "Let's see, chaos, chaos..."
> Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy calmly walked up to the door of her cottage, sighing heavily and breathing hard.  Discord had tried a few times to go on grocery runs, but it hadn't ended well.  Despite all his attempts at improving his reputation, adult ponies wouldn't sell him anything.  He'd actually been keeping them both fed by scavenging the Everfree and swiping food from the royal kitchens.  When Fluttershy had learned, she'd decided rather firmly that she would do grocery runs from then on.  Since they were still keeping the fact that they were a couple and having a baby secret, Discord enchanted one of her housedresses with some magic that would completely hide her pregnancy, making her look exactly as she had before she got pregnant.  She was wearing it now as she went shopping.  Discord had mentioned that ponies might be more inclined to be polite and give her better deals if she let them see how heavily pregnant she was, but she had declined.  For one thing, it would be difficult to answer if anyone asked "Who's the father".  For another, her market shopping was just as effective if she channeled some of Iron Will's teachings when she went shopping, and that was surprisingly easy with all these crazy hormones running through her system.  She didn't even need to yell or be cruel, either.  All she had to do was glare, and she got everything she needed at the best prices.

Of course, Discord also enchanted her grocery bags to be completely weightless beyond the weight necessary to hang downward and not float away.  Still, the walk was rather rough on her, not that she would complain.  Still, she was glad to be home.  Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

Discord was in the kitchen, getting the food ready for the animals.  Discord then came in from the backyard, putting the chicken feed away.  Discord was also in the front room, cleaning and dusting.  Discord also came over and immediately swept her off her hooves.  "You're home!" he said happily, hugging her tight.

She smiled, nuzzling into him as Discord collected the groceries and took them into the kitchen where a different Discord started putting them away.  "Umm...Discord?  Why are there so many of you?"

Discord chuckled.  "Fluttershy, I am made of all the minds and souls of an entire race.  Multiplying to multitask is easy for me, especially if I'm staying in a single location."  Discord then took her upstairs, where more Discord's awaited.  One removed her housedress and immediately began massaging her back.  Four more approached, each one taking a hoof to massage, while the one who carried her up placed her head in his lap and began to feed her peeled grapes.

Fluttershy managed a giggle.  "You're spoiling me," she accused, suppressing a blush at having six Discord's around her.  She wished she could tell herself that the thoughts causing the blush were the result of pregnancy hormones.  She really wished she could.

Discord smiled softly.  "I want to spoil you.  It's the least I can do to make up for you having to go to the market like this."

Fluttershy smiled softly.  "I just wish you'd told me about your problems at the market sooner."

Discord sighed.  "It's no big deal, Shy.  Really, by now I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to be," she insisted.  "You're a good pony, even if you aren't technically a pony, and every living creature owes you more than they could imagine.  You stopped Tirek."

Discord sighed.  "Yeah, there is that."  He closed his eyes.  "It's not something I really like thinking about."

"Why not?" Fluttershy asked.  "You killed a demon that threatened the whole world, fulfilling your purpose."

"Not exactly," he replied.  "...in the center of what used to be the pony kingdom ruled by Starfall and Earthsea, the area now known collectively as the Badlands, lies the Wailing Well.  Scientists claim the howling sound that echoes from the well is due to wind currents, but they can't explain why nothing will grow within 100 feet of it.  Scientists are wrong."  Discord closed his eyes.  "The Wailing Well is Tirek's eternal tomb, and the wails are his."

Fluttershy could see the sadness in him, the pain he kept inside.  "Tell me," she said calmly.

Discord blinked, then spoke, not even seeming to be aware.  "When I was first formed, I knew nothing but my purpose, Tirek's destruction.  I didn't know how to go about doing it.  I didn't even know how to move or breathe, or even if I was supposed to.  It took me six months to figure out how and what to do to reach the civilized lands...where the only pony who didn't greet me with hatred and fear - thinking I was Tirek's creature - was Earthsea herself.  She took me in and raised me alongside Celestia and Luna.  She taught me how to eat, how to speak, how to live, and how to feel.  If not for her, I would have never began to live...only continued to exist.  I...came to think of her as my Mother, and she called me her son.  Luna treated me as a brother, and Celestia accepted me, although she was to old to see me as a complete sibling.  However...it was my family.  And I was...happy."

Discord closed his eyes against painful memories.  "A year later, Tirek came.  I went to fight him, since his destruction was my purpose.  But I didn't know how to fight, and he knocked me down again and again."  He shuddered.  "Earthsea didn't know I couldn't be destroyed, so when Tirek struck to kill me...she shielded me, and was slain.  I...I don't clearly remember what happened next, beyond rage."  He shuddered again.  "Tirek still falls down the Wailing Well, his soul and life force being slowly unraveled.  He will not truly experience death until he reaches the bottom."

Fluttershy swallowed.  "And...how long will that take?"

Discord lowered his head.  "Forever.  The Wailing Well stretches down into infinity.  Tirek will never experience true death for as long as this world exists...for as long as I exist...and he can never escape, because only I can undo the magic of the Well...and I will not."

Fluttershy shuddered, nuzzling Discord in an attempt to offer comfort.  "But...but if you did that to the one who killed Earthsea...how come you and Celestia became enemies?"

Discord sighed.  "I will never forget what happened next..."

An image appeared in the air before them both.  It showed a very young Discord and Celestia - Celestia didn't look any more than 13 at the most - standing before a large well as the grass around it slowly died.

"You..." Celestia was saying.  "You did this.  How were you able to do this?"

The Discord in the image turned to Celestia.  "I was created to destroy him," he said.  "This was my purpose."

Celestia stared at him, her expression flickering between grief, fear, confusion...and finally settling onto rage.  She struck him across the face with her right forehoof.  "Then why didn't you do it sooner?" she shouted, tears of rage and pain streaming from her eyes.  "Then Mother would still be alive!"  Turning around, she kicked Discord with her hind legs, knocking him back, before running off in tears.

The image vanished.

Discord sighed.  "Celestia blamed me for Earthsea's death.  After that, since she had primary control of the throne as Luna was only 2, she barred me from the castle.  I could have warped in...but she didn't want me there.  So I left.  I spent the next millennium alone with my thoughts, the memories of the race that made me...and the ability to make every thought that occurred to me real.  It was only a matter of time before I went completely mad."  He sighed sadly.  He saw Fluttershy pulling the enchanted housedress on.  "Fluttershy, you just got back from the market.  Where are you going?"

"Canterlot!" she replied, her eyes blazing.

---------------

Celestia calmly walked down the hall of her castle, heading towards her next major meeting.  As she walked, however, she heard what sounded like the start of a commotion.

"Ma'am!" one of her guards was saying.  "You can't go this way-"

The voice faded, and a familiar voice spoke, quietly angry.  "Stay.  Put."

"Y-y-y-y-yes Ma'am!" the guard gulped out.

Celestia turned towards the commotion.  She wondered what could be bothering Fluttershy to the point of using 'The Stare' on the Royal Guards.  She also wondered why Fluttershy was wearing a dress.  It wasn't her normal modus operandi.  The way she was wearing it, it almost looked like she was hiding something.  "Hello Fluttershy," she said calmly.  "Is there anything I can do for you today?"

Fluttershy looked up at Celestia, her glare intense.  "Celestia, we need to talk."

Three things clicked in the Solar Diarch's mind to put her into panic mode.  First, Fluttershy had called her by name.  Second, she was behaving dominant, without her usual timidity or even standard manners.  Third, Luna had informed her that Discord had taken up permanent residence with Fluttershy.  "I'm afraid I don't have much time at the moment, Fluttershy.  You see, I'm late for-"

She was pulled up short, literally, as Fluttershy grabbed hold of the end of her coruscating mane and yanked her head down.  "It can wait!" she hissed.

"Of course, my little pony," Celestia replied automatically, her gaze held by Fluttershy's steely orbs.  She followed Fluttershy to her own bedchamber before settling down on the bed.  "Now, Fluttershy, what was it you needed to talk to me about?"

Fluttershy stared up at her.  "Don't you think it's about time you stopped blaming Discord for what happened to your mother?" she asked bluntly.

Celestia flinched.  "I don't know what Discord's told you about that-"

"That he was created to kill Tirek.  That he didn't even know how to exist or live until Earthsea adopted him.  That he was created from the sacrifice of the entire race of the Dragonequui, what we called the Kirin." As Celestia stared, surprised at how much Discord had told her, she laid out her last card.  "And that at the time he created the Wailing Well and cast Tirek into it, he was only one and a half years old."

Celestia almost jumped at that last one.  "What?  That's impossible.  He was twice my size!  There's now ay he could have been-"

"The destruction of the Rainbow of Darkness triggered the creation of the Kirin as a separate race.  That was the day Luna was born.  Three months later, the Kirin discovered their power could harm Tirek.  Three months after that, they performed the ritual to create Discord."  Celestia's eyes widened as she made those calculations herself.  "Discord was created after Luna's birth.  Luna was only two when Earthsea died...when Tirek was destroyed."

Celestia stared ahead, working her way through these realizations.  "But...but..."

Fluttershy continued.  "And it was you casting him out like that and not letting him back in that doomed him to the loneliness that drove him mad, turning him into the monster you fought 1000 years ago."  She shook her head.  "I don't blame you for what you did back then, you weren't much more than a filly yourself.  You didn't know."  She stared up at Celestia.  "But now you do, and you're old enough to know better.  So don't you think it's time you forgave him?  Don't you think it's time...you let your brother come home?"

Celestia closed her eyes, letting it all sink in.  Deep down, part of her wanted to say it wasn't her fault, that she hadn't done anything wrong, that she shouldn't have to make things right...but she'd ruled too long to let that part of her rule her.  She knew she had to do what was right.  "Do...do you think he might hear me out, if I came to apologize?"

Fluttershy smiled.  "I'm certain he would be overjoyed to have his family back again."

Celestia smiled, closing her eyes to hold back tears.  "Tell me, Fluttershy," she said, opening her eyes.  "Do you have any idea what it was that caused Discord to open up to you so much?"  She hoped it wasn't too earth shaking.  She was still reeling a bit from realigning a rather fundamental part of her world view.

Fluttershy smiled, and removed her dress.  "I think this has something to do with it," she said, laying her hoof against her now visibly swollen abdomen.

Celestia fainted.
> Life
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord smiled softly as he sipped at his tea.  "It's been a long time since I've been welcome here," he said softly, smiling at his host.  "It's good to be able to do this again, Lulu."

Princess Luna smiled softly as she refilled her own cup.  "Indeed.  The last time you attended a tea party I hosted, the tea was imaginary and I held the teapot with my hooves."

"And you were still in diapers," Discord needled.

Luna pouted at him across the table in her bedroom.  "You did not have to bring that up."

He grinned.  "I can't help it.  I'm a trickster.  That's not really going to change."

Luna smiled softly.  "I would not want it to.  ...you know that you were never unwelcome with me, right?"

"Hmm?"

Luna smiled.  "Celestia blamed you for what happened to mother, and barred you from the castle all those years ago.  I never blamed you, nor wished you gone.  You were still my big brother, and I wanted you to come home."  She chuckled softly.  "I think I drove Tia up the wall with constant demands of when you were coming home."

Discord laughed uproariously picturing it.  "Actually, Lulu, I'm younger than you."  At Luna's wide eyes, he smirked.  "I'm your little brother."

Luna squealed happily.  "I'm a big sister!" she cried out, leaping over the table to cuddle Discord.

Discord couldn't help but chuckle.  "You are certainly a strange one, Luna."

Luna grinned.  "I try."

"So what's new with you, Luna?"

"Not much," Luna replied.  "Still having difficulty getting adults and nobles to accept me.  The foals, however, are quite fond of me, whatever their class."

Discord grinned.  "The advantages of an immortal ruler.  You can afford to wait for the stupid bigots to die out, as long as you've made good friends with the next generation."

"It didn't help you, though."

Discord fell silent.  "Luna, I know you're the one who forged the Elements from the fragments of the Rainbow, at Tia's request.  And...I know, despite her explicit instructions, you designed them to be incapable of taking a life.  That is why I was bound in stone when the two of you turned them on me."

Luna nodded.  "You who were chaos, bound by order.  And why they sent me to the moon, from which I drew strength.  I knew she meant to use them against you, and for me to help.  I knew you had to be stopped, but...I could not bear to have you be gone forever."

Discord wrapped an arm around Luna's shoulders.  "It was all for the best, Luna.  The most powerful magic of Equestria is a dangerous temptation.  Some form of safety measure is needed, so that power can't be misused."

Luna nodded.  "If one being attempts to use them alone, they will deny that being for all eternity.  Another safety measure I added, which is why Tia and I can no longer wield them."

Discord smiled softly.  "You always were the clever one."

Luna smiled.  "So I've heard you and Fluttershy are having a foal?"

Discord grinned the traditional proud father grin.  He had to, it was traditional.  "Yup.  Should be due soon, actually."

"Really?" Luna said happily, clapping her forehooves.  "When?"  Discord pulled out a small device.  "What is that?"

Discord grinned.  "Pregnancy is referred to as having a bun in the oven.  Consider this the metaphorical oven timer."  He flipped it open...and open...and open...and open...and open...

It had astrolabes, Geiger counters, seismometers, sextants, compasses, clocks, rocks, boxes, pincushions, electro-magnetic monitors, and that machine that goes ping.  He wasn't sure what that last one did, but it was dreadfully expensive, and he had to justify the expense somehow.  All the different measuring devices started whirring and clicking and springing and boinging and pinging and singing and tinging...

After a time, the stopwatch in the very center revealed a countdown.  5...4...

Discord blanched.  "I'mafraidI'mgoingtohavetocutthisshortFluttershy'sgoingintolaborinamatterofsecondsseeyoulatersisbye!"  He vanished in a flash of light.

Luna blinked for a time.  "I want one of those," she said after a time.

----------------

Fluttershy smiled up at Discord as he appeared in their bedroom.  "Discord!  You're back early."

2...1...

"What about your tea party with-"  Her eyes narrowed as she felt dampness spread over her nethers.  "Discord...my water just broke."

"I know," Discord said.  "Looks I calibrated this thing pretty accurately," he said, flipping the unusual device shut.

"Discord!" Fluttershy shouted.  "We need to get to the doctor!  Wait, we never went to see an obstetrician, we don't have an appointment, what are we going to-"

Discord flipped Fluttershy onto her back and unzipped her abdomen.  Reaching in, he lifted out a rather messy foal with a goat horn and deer antler, snipping the umbilical cord.  He then zipped Fluttershy back up, the zipper disappearing.  He then lifted her over a large bucket and compressed her abdomen, purging her of all the extra birth fluids, the placenta, and after birth all without stretching her out too much.  He then wiped her up, laid her back on the bed, and proceeded to clean the infant.

Fluttershy blinked for a time as her mind struggled to process exactly what just happened.  "Umm...what just happened?"

Discord smiled.  "I delivered our baby the easy way."  He examined the foal.  "Hmm...not breathing."  Turning the infant over, he smacked the child lightly on the bottom with his lion paw.

A moment later, he was embedded halfway through the nearest wall, with the half of him on the inside flattened into a pancake with Worchester sauce.  "Strong kid," he said dizzily as the floating infant began to wail.

"My baby!" Fluttershy said quickly, flapping up to take the infant filly into her wing.  "It's okay, Mama's here.  Hush, hush..."  She held the infant to her swollen teats, and the filly immediately began to nurse.

Discord managed to pull himself back together and out of the wall.  "Healthy appetite too, from the looks of things."

Fluttershy smiled beatifically.  All the various hormones tied to motherhood combined with her innate love of mothering and the realization that this was her baby, putting her in purest bliss.

Smiling, Discord waited for their newborn daughter to finish her first meal.  "She's a beautiful filly," he said softly.  "Just like her mother."

Fluttershy looked down at herself.  "It's going to take forever to lose the extra weight," she said, looking at the hanging folds of flesh.  Then she giggled.  "Not that I ever really cared-"

Discord took hold of either side of Fluttershy's waist and pulled.  Draw cords appeared out her sides, pulling the flesh once more taut, and vanishing as he finished, leaving Fluttershy's figure exactly as it had been before she got pregnant save her swollen teats, without any stretch marks.

Fluttershy blinked.  "Don't tell Rarity you can do that," she said.  "She'd never let you go."

Discord smiled.  "But I'm yours now, Fluttershy."  He smiled.  "So what will we name her?"

Fluttershy smiled softly.  "Something to do with chaos and animals, I was thinking."

Discord grinned.  "That fits.  ANy ideas?"

"I was thinking Pandemonium."

Discord thought for a time.  "Very chaos, but I don't see the animal."

"We'll shorten it to Panda."

Discord blinked for a time, then cracked up laughing.  "How perfectly fitting," he said, remembering something from the recent past.  "What a wonderful daughter we have."  He lay down next to Fluttershy.  "Welcome to the world, our little Panda," he said, brushing the newborn filly's cheek with his lion paw.  "OUCH!  She bit me, and she's got my tooth!"