> Hercules/Discord AU > by fluttercordlover232 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Long ago, in the faraway land of Equestria. There was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heroes. The greatest and most powerful of these heroes, was the mighty Discord. But our story begins long before Discord, many eons ago... Back when the world was new, there were evil monsters called Titans that ran rampant and caused havoc to the equine citizens of Equestria. Where wildfires blazed throughout the land, a moon that brought nothing but everlasting nights, and all the magic that fueled the land with love and light were sucked dry. Then along came Celestia, goddess of the sun. She intensified the brightness of the sun to temporary blind the Titans long enough for her sister, Luna, to lock them away in Tartarus forever. > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- High on the top of Mt. Aris, a great celebration was taking place. All the gods and goddesses have gathered together to celebrate the birth of a new god, or should we say...the sudden appearance of a new god... There was no question that the baby was a god. He had a grey aura, or a godly glow, around his little mismatched body. The only question was, where did he come from? There were no other gods or goddesses on Mt. Aris that looked remotely similar to this strange newcomer. The baby's head was that of a normal pony, with gray fur adorned with a short black mane; but the rest of his body was...wrong... Two tiny horns sat on the top of his head. One of which was an antler usually spotted on stags, and the other one was that of a goat. Folded neatly against his back was a blue feathered Pegasus wing on one side, and a bat's wing that was thin and leathery to the touch, on the other. A tiny but sharp fang was just poking out on the left side of his mouth. His appendages consisted of a lion paw, a griffon's claw, a scaly green lizard's leg, and the cloven hoof of a goat. And a small white tuft was at the tip of a red scaly snake tail. Out of all the baby's oddities, his eyes were the most fascinating. The baby's eyes were like a panther's. Irregular red pupils swam in surrounding golden pools. One could become hypnotized just by looking at them. The murmurings and whispers drew the attention of Mt. Aris' four leading alicorn gods. Cadence; Goddess of Love that is shared among ponykind. With her soft pink coat and godly glow, matched well with her long multi-colored locks with swirls of pinks and purples. Adorned with a purple jeweled crown and purple tipped wings, this pony could have passed for the goddess of beauty. Twilight; Goddess of Friendship that is also shared among ponykind. With a purple coat and aura, along with a dark violet mane with magenta streaks, this pony was considered as one of the most intelligent gods on Mt. Aris And the two most well known goddesses in all of Aris, Celestia and Luna. Luna; Goddess of the Moon that brings forth peaceful nights to all that abide in Equestria. With a dark blue coat and aura, along with flowing mane of stars in a darkened sea, this pony was her namesake. She was also the younger sister of Celestia; Goddess of the Sun that brings forth warm and beautiful days that are always full of joy and laughter. With a yellow aura and a coat as white as snow, and a flowing mane with the colors of an early morning sky, along with a tall crown sitting proudly on her head, she was revered as the wisest of all the gods and goddesses put together. The crowd parted to make way for the approaching goddesses. When they saw the baby lying on the luscious green grass sucking on one of the toes on his lizard leg, they were flabbergasted. "I have never seen a creature such as this. Have you, Sister?" Luna said as she looked inquisitively at Celestia. "I have not, my sister," Celestia told her, still looking at the baby. Cadence turned around to look at the crowd behind her. "Does any pony know where this baby came from?" she asked. The crowd looked amongst themselves and shook their heads, along with a few muffled "no's”. A collective sigh came from all four alicorns as they looked back down at the baby, trying to decide what should be done. Celestia used her powers to conjure up a crib and levitated the baby in it. Twilight stepped forward and peeked inside the crib. "He is kind of cute, in his own way.” She tickled his round tummy with a hoof. As expected, laughter bubbled up inside his throat. What wasn't expected, were the literal bubbles floating out of his mouth. Twilight immediately pulled her hoof back when she saw them. One of the bubbles hovered close to the baby's nose, he proceeded to touch it. Of course, it instantly popped as soon as he made contact. Startled and upset, the baby started to cry. Almost as soon as he started crying, a small gray cloud formed over the crib and released its rain-filled contents on him, with small cracks of thunder and lightning here and there. Celestia waved the storm cloud away with her hoof and looked down once more at the now completely dried baby in shock. "Well that was...unexpected," Cadence said. "This child has an immense amount of power for one so young, even for a god,” Luna pointed out. Celestia was silent for a moment, lost in thought as she looked at the baby. "Discord," she said simply. "What?" the three other alicorns said in unison as they looked at her as if she'd grown another muzzle. "That is his name. With his jumbled up parts and the randomness of his powers, it's perfect for him," she told them. "Discord..." Luna said out loud as if trying it out. "It's perfect," she agreed. The others nodded in agreement. Celestia conjured up a gold medal and placed it around the baby's neck. Engraved on it was a large flaming with its rays stretching majestically across the golden surface. Almost as soon as it was around his neck, Discord began to suck on it. "What a nice little display," a dark voice spoke up from across the room. Everyone looked to the source of the voice. In the far corner of the room, hidden in the shadows, was none other than Sombra. Sombra; God of Shadows, death, and darkness. Guardian of the Underworld where all the souls of deceased ponies go to reside. Unlike the four alicorn goddesses, Sombra did not have wings. He had a unicorn horn, but it was not long and straight like the horns of the others. It was curved like a thorn and just as sharp as one too. He wore a red silk cape with a white furred trim that covered most of his back, and he wore armor on his chest as well as on his legs With his red eyes drowning in glowing green, purple smoke billowing out of his eyes, and his mane and tail made out of smoke and shadow; this pony looked like death itself. "Sombra," Celestia greeted nonchalantly, "how are things in the Underworld?" "Oh, you know; dark and gloomy. And as always, full of dead ponies,” he said with cheerful sarcasm. He looked past Celestia and saw the crib. "Ah! There's the little ball of sunshine I have heard so much about..." As soon as he approached the crib, he looked back at the four alicorn goddesses. "What is this thing? It's no god, it's a demon! It looks like something that came out of the Underworld!" He must have understood what he said, because as soon as those words left Sombra's mouth, little Discord grabbed hold of his cape and as soon as he touched it, the fabric was covered in rainbow polka dots. He also somehow changed Sombra's coat color from dark gray, to an almost blinding neon pink! And his billowing smoke - like mane and tail to floating wisps of cotton candy! At this point, everyone on Mt. Aris was crying from laughter at the sight of Sombra. A look of confusion spread across his face at the laughing gods. Even the four alicorns were failing miserably to hold in laughter. "What?” he asked the crowd, but Sombra's obliviousness only made them laugh harder. "What are you all laughing at?" he fumed. Luna pointed a hoof at him while trying to hold in a laugh. More confused than ever, the God of Shadows looked over his shoulder, and that was when he noticed his newly brightly colored tail. He gasped as he looked the rest of himself over. His beautiful cape was now dotted with polka dots, and his coat was now a nauseating pink! "Powerful little devil..." he mumbled to himself. Controlling her laughter, Celestia used her powers to turn him back to his normal drab colors. "Oh, Sombra, don't be such a stickler for once, it was a good laugh. Why don't you join the celebration?" Celestia said cheerfully. "Love to, Sunbutt, but unlike you gods lounging around up here on Mt. Aris, I regrettably have a full time gig that you, Celestia, have so generously bestowed upon me. So I can't. Love to, but can't,” Sombra said with a sneer. "You should slow down. You'll work yourself to death." Celestia's eyes widened in realization at her own joke. "Ha! Get it? Work yourself to death!" Once again, everyone burst into laughter. And this time, no one had trouble hiding it... Celestia collapsed on the grass in a fit of laughter. "I kill myself!" she said through the giggles. Sombra chuckled darkly to himself. "If only..." > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- If there was one god you didn’t want to get steamed up, it was Sombra. Because he was concocting an evil plan... A gondola was floating smoothly down a river. Not just any river, it was a river that led straight to the gates of the Underworld. It was a river of souls. Literally. Millions of souls from once living ponies made up this ghostly river. The souls flowed at a steady stream, pushing the gondola with its gentle current. All of a sudden, Sombra felt a slight rocking of the boat. He looked over and saw three souls emerge from their river of death and desperatly try to climb in alongside him. Without hesitation, Sombra quickly blasted them off the boat and back into the river. A thin trickle of smoke due to the force of the blasts, was rising from his horn. He easily blew it off. The gates that led into the Underworld were vastly approaching. Long thin sharp rocks made up the monstrous gates. They slashed into each other, like claws from a cat striking out against its prey. The claw like gates opened as the boat neared and closed as soon as they went through. They continued to float down the river until they reached a winding pair of stairs, which led to his lair. Sombra stepped out of the boat and onto the rock. “SNIPS!” A chubby dwarf-sized unicorn with a teal colored coat and a brown mane that could easily be mistaken for orange, came trotting down the stairs. "Coming your most moroseness.” He tripped over his own hooves and rolled the rest of the way down the rocky stairs, groaning in pain at Sombra's hooves. "SNAILS!" This time, a dark orange unicorn with a teal colored mane came trotting down the stairs. He was the opposite of his henchpony counterpart. This unicorn was tall and skinny, with a long neck, oversized ears, and freckles dotting his cheeks. “I’m coming, I’m coming!” He scrambled down the steps, hyperventilating all the way down. Snails came to stand beside Snips. “Snips and Snails, reporting for duty!” They saluted. Sombra rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he blew them off, “just let me know the instant Zecora arrives.” “Oh, she’s already here,” Snails told him. “WHAT! ZECORA IS HERE AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!” he yelled. Snips and Snails just looked at each other, confused. “Uh, I thought I just did,” Snails said as he shrugged his shoulders. Sombra put a hoof to his head to massage his oncoming headache, “Remind me to strangle you after my meeting.” Snips and Snails looked at each other with worry in their eyes, knowing their master wasn’t joking. As Sombra entered the meeting hall, the soul of a very recently passed pony soured over his head and into another entrance to another chamber. “Sorry I was late, Zecora. There was this party on Mt. Aris and I lost track of time...” “I sensed you would be late, there was a lot to celebrate,” Zecora said without looking up from her cauldron. “Right...” Sombra drawled out, “let’s cut to the chase. Is the new kid going to ruin my plans to take over Mt. Aris? What does your little stewpot tell you, eh?” The zebra thought for a moment before she began to pour some potions and other ingredients into her cauldron. She beckoned Sombra to come closer. When he did, she gestured to the cauldron. When Sombra looked at the bubbling green liquid, he could see images starting to form. “In eighteen years precisely, the planets will align ever so nicely.” Sombra saw an image of what looked like stars, form a straight line in the night sky “The time to act will be at hand, unleash the Titans, your monstrous band.” An image of the Titans escaping Tartarus took over. “Then the once proud Celestia will finally fall, and you; Sombra, will rule all.” The last image was the best of all, it showed Celestia being defeated by Sombra himself! “Yes!” he cheered, “Sombra rules, baby!” “A word of caution to this tale,” the zebra interrupted. Sombra stopped cheering. “Come again?” “Should Discord fight, you will fail.” What he thought was the last image, disappeared. In its place was an image of Sombra being defeated by a fully grown Discord... “WHAAATTTT!!!!” he screamed in anger. “Snips, Snails,” he directed his gaze on his two minions, “I have a little riddle for you. How do you kill a god?” “I have no idea!” Snips said with excited sarcasm. Snails was becoming restless with knowing excitement. “I know this one! You can’t! They are immortal, right?” “Exactly, They’re immortal. So...” Sombra levitated a glass bottle full of sinister- looking bright pink liquid with a skull engraved on the cap. “First you’ve got to turn the little devil...mortal...” > Chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After a long and exciting day, the outside world was settling down for a quiet and restful night. Gliding softly through the sky was none other than the Goddess of the Night herself, who was bringing in the nighttime for all the citizens of Equestria and the lands beyond. As Luna gently trailed among the clouds, in her wake was a darkened sky dotted with thousands of twinkling stars. The full moon shone brightly, bathing Mt. Aris and the villages below in a pale glow. But little did anypony know, the night was going to be anything but peaceful... Back on Mt. Aris, all the gods and goddesses were settling in for the night and the nursery was no different. Little Discord was fast asleep in his crib, along with his other infant roommates. Even though Discord was asleep, that didn't mean his powers were. As he slept, little Z's trickled out of his mouth and dissipated into the air around him. Luna just finished her nightly rounds when she entered the bedroom she and her sister shared. She and Celestia have always been very close, but when their parents were viciously murdered when they were fillies, they became closer than anypony thought possible. Eyes drooping, she climbed into the bed across from the one Celestia occupied and was currently sleeping soundly in. Luna sighed as she let her eyes fall without protest. Just as Luna felt herself starting to dream, she was interrupted by crashing sounds and babies crying out in distress. Thinking it was all a part of her dream, she slept on. She tossed and turned uncomfortably in her bed, until she finally woke up. She was surprised to see Celestia had woken up as well. Although still groggy from sleep, Luna knew immediately that those disruptive sounds weren't in her head, but were in fact real... Celestia seemed to realize this too, for she looked at Luna in alarm as the crashing and the crying continued. "The baby!" they exclaimed. They galloped as fast as their hooves could carry them. When the sisters finally reached their destination, they burst through the silk curtain that led into the nursery and gasped in shock at what they saw... In front of their eyes was baby Discord's crib, that now lay broken and disheveled... > Chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- They hurried down the steep hillside of Mt Aris, each helping the other to hold the baby in their magical auras. One side of the baby's body was encased in a green aura from Snips' magic, and the other half was encased in purple aura from Snails' Unlike the Gods and Goddessess on Mt Aris, mortal unicorn ponies only have the ability to use basic magic, Mainly levitation. They couldn't teleport themselves or other objects. It wasn't that they were not allowed to, it's just that mortal unicorns didn't have the ability to do that kind of magic. "We did it, Snips! Sombra is going to be so proud of us!" In his excitement, his aura that was helping to hold the baby started to falter, beginning to flicker in and out like a lightbulb. “Just hold on to the kid, Snails!” Snips shouted. As they neared the bottom of the mountain, Snails tripped over a large rock, causing both him and Snips to tumble and roll the rest of the way down the rocky terrain. The auras holding the baby disappeared as their wielders lost their concentration. Just like his captors, the baby fell from the air and tumbled the rest of the short way down. They all rolled to a stop when they reached the bottom. As one could imagine, baby Discord immediately began to cry. There were no amusing sights or sounds that came along with it this time. Only a loud, ear piercing wail. Snails pulled himself up from the ground and rushed over to the baby’s side, frantically trying to calm him down. “Let’s just kill him and get it over with,” Snails said, trying to hurry Snips along. Snips placed a rubber nipple on the bottle of the bright pink formula. “Here you go, little buddy, a little Equestrian formula for ya!” he said as he shoved it into his mouth. Once it was in his mouth, Discord immediately stopped crying. To the relief of both Snips and Snails, he began to suck on it. “Look! He’s changing!” Snails said with relieved excitement. Sure enough, the baby's godly glow started to fade away. Like a pool filling up with water, it started at his feet and ate away up the rest of his body. During all this, baby Discord didn't seem to care about what was happening to him. He just continued to contently suck the contents of the bottle like it was milk. At this point, his glow was gone from the neck down and the potion's effects started working up to the rest of his face. "Can we go now?" Snails asked anxiously while frantically looking around to make sure they haven't been seen "No, no! He has to drink the whole potion. Every last drop." But just as the last bit of magical glow disappeared from his nose, a booming voice full of irritation was heard in the distance. "What's all that racket?!" the voice shouted in the air. Both Snips and Snails panicked and ran off as fast as they could. In their mad dash for escape, the bottle Snips was holding to the baby's mouth dropped to the ground, immediatly breaking into pieces. As if on cue, little Discord started to cry again. However, a tear sized drop of pink potion clung on to a broken shard of glass, before falling to the ground and evaporating into nothing but a thin trickle of pink smoke. An elderly donkey stepped out from the corner. His eyes widened when he saw the baby. "Matilda, over here!" he shouted over his shoulder. Just then, a slightly younger female donkey came up from behind him. She wore round blue earrings and white ruffled lace draped over her shoulders. Sitting in the center of the fabric, was a beautiful brooch with a silhouette of a donkey on it. She followed her husband's gaze to the crying baby laying in the dirt. She immediately went over to the infant. “Oh you poor thing!" she said as she picked him up. As soon as her hooves touched him, Discord stopped crying. Matilda continued to cradle him in her arms and talk softly to him. "Is anypony out there?" the other donkey shouted into the air. Snips and Snails watched the whole scene unfold from behind a nearby rock. "Now?" Snails asked. Snips gave him a devious smile. “Now." They found two rattlesnakes, the most venomous snake known to pony. While the two donkeys were distracted over the baby, Snips and Snails quickly levitated the snakes in front of their rock shield and watched as the snakes slithered toward the couple. Meanwhile, the donkey known as Cranky Doodle, looked over his wife's shoulder to take a closer look at their discovery. "He must have been abandoned," he said. "Though I can see why..." he mumbled under his breath. Hearing what her husband said, Matilda glared angrily at him and shielded the baby in her arms protectively. "Doodle, for so many years we prayed to the Gods to bless us with a child. Perhaps they've finally answered our prayer," Matilda said with tears of happiness and love for this precious gift, shimmering in her eyes. "Perhaps they have," Cranky Doodle said as he examined the golden medal around the baby's neck. He flipped the medal over and read the name engraved on the back, "Discord..." "You should be thankful they answered our prayer, not criticizing their blessing. There is more to this child than what is on the outside." She scolded and looked down at the baby fondly. Before he could reply, hissing sounds sliced through the air. Matilda turned around and gasped in fear as two rattlesnakes stretched up so tall, she felt as if they were looming over her. They opened their mouths to let out another threatening hiss, exposing their razor sharp fangs. She clutched the baby protectively to her chest, but little Discord didn't need protecting... As the rattlesnakes darted toward them, little Discord happily grabbed them as easily as he would've snatched up an offered toy. Matilda dropped the infant in surprise and ran into the protective embrace of her husband. The two clutched to one another as they looked down at the display in fear. Oblivious to his audience, he took the tail of one snake into his mouth and blew into it like a balloon. In fact, That was exactly what he was doing! With each blow, the snake grew rounder with air. The long thin body was now round and fat. The head was still its normal shape and the rattle-like tip of the tail stuck out on the end of it in an almost adorable way. When he was satisfied with the size of his balloon, he tied the tail into a knot to conceal the air and tied a string on it. He held the string attached to the balloon for a second, as if examining his work. He nodded his head in approval, then turned his attention to the other rattlesnake. He did the same thing he did with the first rattlesnake. This time however, instead of simply tying a string after blowing it up, he took the inflated snake and twisted and turned it in all directions until it was in the shape of a...fish? He tied another string to the end of the snake's tail, which made up the bottom of the fish's tail. With each hand holding the strings of his new toys, he bounced them into each other like punch balloons, giggling all the way. He finally let go of the strings and watched them as they floated higher and higher up into the sky. The donkeys saw this too, their mouths agape as they looked down at the baby in shock and utter belief. He waved a farewell to his balloons before he noticed the two donkeys staring at him. He put a claw in his mouth and began to suck on the digit, with an innocent look on his face. > Chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was tragic, Celestia and Luna sent all the Gods and Goddesses on Mt. Aris on a frantic search. By the time they found the baby, it was too late. Young Discord was mortal now, but since he did not drink the last drop of Sombra's potion, he still retained his God-like powers. Despite Sombra's horrid intentions, the draconequus grew more powerful with each passing day. Even though he technically wasn't either of their son, Celestia and Luna were still heartbroken at the loss. For now, all they could do was watch him as he grew up in the care of the jack and jenny. 16 years later Somnambula was a small village in Southern Equestria located near the San Palomino Desert. Being near the desert, it surprisingly never got too hot. The temperature there never went above one hundred degrees. It wasn’t an impressive settlement, but it had everything a small community would need. There were lots of small shops and bazaars that sold various goods, a water well in the Center Square, and a large pyramid shaped temple to worship the Gods at the far end of the village. The houses were not a sight to behold either. Due to the constant heat of the sun, the walls and roofs were beginning to crumble, and the once brightly painted houses that were in every color of the rainbow have now all turned into the same faded dull gray. The ponies native to Somnambula wore headscarves to protect them from the sun, and sandals to protect their hooves from the hot sand. The village of Somnambula consisted of a variety of unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies all of different sizes and shapes. It was also where two donkeys and a draconequus lived. The said draconequus entered the Center Square and released his hold on the wooden cart he had been pulling, which was filled with tradable goods. Some of which were of great value. “Thanks son.” The donkey said as he got down from where he was sitting on the cart, “When I threw my back out back there I thought I was a goner for sure.” “Sure thing, Dad. Happy to help.” The draconequus said as he started to unload the cart of its contents. “Don’t unload just yet, I need to see first if Trader Joe wants any of these goods in his shop. I won’t be long, but please stay by the cart until I come back, Discord.” Discord sighed. “Ok.” Cranky gave a soft smile, “That’s a good lad,” he said as he turned and walked away. When his father was out of sight, Discord leaned against the cart in a bored manner. He glanced over and saw a couple of teenage stallions playing with a flying disk nearby. He thought of how funny it would be if the disk vanished in the middle of their game. When he made sure nopony was looking, he snapped his fingers. As soon as he snapped his fingers, a blue parasprite appeared in the air above the team of stallions. It was as if it knew the aerial path the disk would take, for it disappeared into the parasprite's mouth almost as quickly as it appeared! Discord could not hold back his laugh when he saw the confused and displeased looks the stallions had on their faces. "You-you should've seen the looks on your faces!" Discord laughed as he approached the group, "Priceless!" The stallions however, did not think it was funny at all. Discord had been so wrapped up with the prank he pulled, that he forgot to snap the parasprite away... Within those first few minutes, one parasprite had multiplied into three. They spread out and began eating the rest of the village. The more they ate, the more they multiplied. In the span of five minutes, it went from one parasprite, to thirty parasprites! The villagers screamed and ran out of their homes and shops, clutching any items they wanted to save from being mercilessly destroyed. Discord tried snapping them away, but unfortunately, he only managed to snap away the original blue parasprite who started it all. He had no idea how to get rid of the rest of the twenty-nine! Pretty soon the town was left with nothing except for the desert sand from under their feet. The only structure that survived was the pyramid shaped temple. Seeing as how it was mostly built from sand and rock, it did not appeal to the taste of the parasprites. When the swarm saw that there was literally nothing left of the town, they flew off. By the time they were gone completely, it was too late. The damage had been done. A crowd of angry villagers surrounded Discord and his father, shouting insults at the draconequus. "That boy is a menace!" shouted one villager. "He's too dangerous to be around NORMAL ponies!" shouted another. The donkey tried to reason with them, "He didn't mean any harm, he's just a kid. He just...just can't control his powers." An earth stallion with a muddy brown coat and black mane marched angrily up to Cranky Doodle Donkey. This was Trader Joe, the shop owner Cranky went to see. "This has been the last straw, Cranky! I'm warning you, you better keep that...that...THING away from me!" Trader Joe shouted in his face. The crowd began to disperse, leaving the donkey and the draconequus alone. > Chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord watched as the setting sun turned the sky pink. The rich evening light reflected off the tip of the pyramid temple, making it sparkle. His father watched him with worry from the doorway of their home. Which was actually more of an entry way now. Their home had met the same fate as the Village Square. Fortunately, the majority of the home was made of sandstone. Other than the wooden door and a couple of shutters, the house was mostly spared. “Your mother just finished making supper. She made cucumber sandwitchs, your favorite!” Cranky said, hoping that would cheer him up. “Not hungry.” Discord mumbled glumly. Cranky sighed in defeat. He slowly approached him from behind and put a comforting hoof on his shoulder “You shouldn’t let those things they said get to ya...” Discord moved out of his hold and walked away from him. “No, Dad they’re right! I am a freak! I’m not a pony,” He looked sadly at his father, “I’m not a donkey...” he sighed and flattened his ears. “I...I don’t know what I am....” Cranky tried again to comfort his son. Discord...” but once again, he moved out of his hold. “I know it doesn’t make any sense..” Discord said as he started to walk away. Hoping that a late night stroll will help clear his head and rid him of these troubled thoughts that plaqued his mind. His father frowned as he watched him go. Thinking that perhaps it was time to tell Discord the truth about where he really came from. It was well past dark when Discord returned. Cranky and Matilda were waiting for him at the entry way of their home. Matilda had tears shimmering in her eyes as she held her husband's hand in comfort. Cranky swallowed nervously, "Discord, there's something your mother and I uh... have been... meaning to...to tell ya..." "But if you found me, where did I come from? Why was I left here?" Those were just a few of the questions reeling through Discord's head after his parents explained everything. He always knew he was adopted, for obvious reasons, but he had no idea he had been abandoned and left out in the middle of nowhere. His mother unwrapped a handkerchief that was folded neatly on her lap and revealed a shining gold medallion. She gave it to Discord. "This was around your neck when we found you. It's the symbol of the Gods." Discord stared at it in awe as he delicately traced his eagle claw across the majestically stretched sun, the cloth had done wonders in preserving the shine of the metal. Just by looking at it one could never tell it was fifteen years old. It looked brand new, like it was forged from a blacksmith the day before. All of a sudden, Discord’s head turned into a literal lightbulb as an idea struck him. “This is it!” he said as he held up the medal, “They might have the answer! I’ll go to the Temple of Celestia and...” he noticed his parents looking sadly at him. His mother smiled at him with tears coming down her cheeks. “Mom, Dad; you’re the greatest parents anyone could have but...I have to know.” > Chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- At dawn the next morning, Discord stood outside his home, preparing to leave for his journey of self discovery. His mother placed a shawl around his shoulders to keep him warm. Once it was secure, she pulled him in for one final hug before letting him slip away from her grasp. Before he completely vanished from sight, he turned back to wave a final farewell to his donkey parents. Matilda waved back with a handkerchief in her hoof, and tears were gently rolling down her cheeks. He arrived at the Temple of Celestia before the sun rose the next day. When he stepped inside, he was surprised to discover that it looked much larger in the inside than it did on the outside. It was very spacious, with marble pillars stretching from the floor to the ceiling. At the end of the long hall stood a proud and regal statue of the Goddess Celestia. Discord snapped his fingers and the gold medallion appeared in his hands. He kneeled in front of the great statue and bowed his head in respectful prayer. “Oh mighty Celestia, hear me and answer my prayer. Who am I? Where did I come from? Where do I belong?” At the exact moment he ended his prayer, the sun began to rise in the sky. The early morning rays penetrated through the window and stretched it’s light down the temple hallway until it reached the statue. The instant the sunlight hit the statue, it immediately began to “melt”. It made it seem as if it was entirely made out of ice instead of rock! The Celestia statue began to twist and move until its eyes popped opened and laid eyes on Discord. It smiled tenderly down at him. “It’s been a long time, Discord.” It said in Celestia’s voice For the first time in his life, Discord was speechless. His jaw literally dropped to the floor! However, even though the statue looked and spoke like the real Goddess Celestia, it wasn’t truly her. The real Goddess’ mane were the colors of a morning sky and flowed like a gentle breeze in the wind, with a tail to match. This Celestia’s mane and tail were the color of the ivory she was carved of, and the constant breeze that made her hair flow was frozen in the stone. The statue chuckled lightly to itself, “Still as amusing as ever I see. Even after all these years.” Discord picked his jaw up from the floor and twisted it back in the right position. “I know, I’m thinking of doing stand up.” He stroked his beard in thought. He paused in his stroking and his eyes widened, just now realizing what “she” had said prior. “You say that as if you’ve known me for a long time...” “Celestia” smiled. “That is because I do know you. Since the day you appeared on Mt Aris as a baby actually.” Once again, Discord’s jaw dropped to the floor. Literally. The statue chuckled again, “Why so shocked? Surely you must’ve known your powers weren’t of this earth, didn’t you?” Discord once again picked up his jaw and put it back into place. “Woah, woah, back up Sunbutt—“ “EXCUSE ME?!” “She” said in shocked disbelief at the offensive name this mortal called “her” “What?” he said, clearly not seeing the problem. “How DARE you say something so disrespectful and rude to the Goddess Of The Sun!” Discord only scoffed, “You are not the Goddess Of The Sun, just a mere ivory replica of her. Besides, I think ‘SunButt’ is a rather fitting nickname. After all, you do have an image of the sun on your butt.” He said with common logic. “Anyway, back to what I was saying before. If ‘you’ have known me since I was a baby, and I was once on Mt Aris; that can only mean I’m a....” beginning to put two and two together. “A God” the statue finished for him. “A God...” he repeated to himself. It took everything he had to not will his jaw to drop on the floor for the third time. “Why am I here on earth then? Shouldn’t I be up there with the other Gods?” He asked when he got over the initial shock. “Yes, you should be. But someone took you from your crib one night and turned you mortal. And only Gods can live on Mt Aris.” Discord sighed dejectedly, “There’s nothing you can do?” “I can’t Discord, but you can!” New hope flared within the draconequus, “Really? What is it? What is it that I can do?” “Discord, your chaos powers are as much of a curse as they are a blessing. If you can prove that you can use them for good and become a true hero on earth, your Godhood will be restored!” Discord smiled, “That’s it? That doesn’t seem too hard. How do I begin?” “First, you must seek out Spikeartecuus, the trainer of heroes.” The Celestia statue told him where the trainer lived and how to find him. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t train me at all. I’m already so incredible I should just be on Mt Aris now.” Discord boasted. “There is more to being a hero than just being incredible.” ‘She’ said wisely. Discord only brushed it off, “Whatever, Sunbutt.” Little did Discord realize that becoming a true hero wouldn’t be as easy as he thought... > Chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord landed on the small island he was told by the Celestia statue was the home of Spikeartecuus, the Dragonlands. That only meant one thing, that the Trainer Of Heroes was none other than a dragon. The Dragonlands being called an island was an understatement, it was more like a barren wasteland of nothing but rocks and volcanoes. As expected, the land of dragons was full of...well...dragons. Dragons of different sizes, shapes, and colors. Some were tall and lean, others were short and fat. There were purples, blues, yellows, reds, and greens; any color one could imagine. As Discord looked around, he suddenly felt very overwhelmed. How was he supposed to know which one was Spikeartecuus? The Celestia statue didn’t mention any physical features the Trainer Of Heroes might have had that would’ve identified him from other dragons. “Look out!” Discord looked up just in time to see a purple and green blur crash into him and knock him to the ground. When he looked down to see what had crashed into him, he saw a small dragon laying on his stomach. He had green and purple scales covering his body . He had green spikes on the top of his head, going down the length of his spine and ending at the tip of his tail. The little dragon got off of Discord. “ Sorry about that. New wings,” he spread a pair of leathery purple and green wings on his back for the draconequus to see, “I’m still trying to get the hang of them.” “That’s alright, no harm done,” he said as he stood up. “I’m looking for a dragon named Spikeartecuus, do you know where I might be able to find him?” “You’re lookin at him!” He pointed at himself, “and call me Spike.” Discord held out his paw. “It’s so great to meet you, Spike! I’m Discord.” The young dragon grabbed his paw to shake it. But as soon as he touched it, he felt a ripple of electricity course through his whole body, shocking him. “Hahaha!! You fell for the oldest trick in the book! You should’ve seen your face!” Spike didn’t look amused. “Spike, I really need your help. I want to become a hero, a true hero.” The young drake raised an eyebrow. “You...you want to become...a hero?” He barely managed to hold in his laughter. “You’re joking, right?” “Do I look like I’m joking?” Discord said with his arms crossed. Spike looked him up and down, taking in all of the different animal parts on his body. “Yes, actually. Your whole appearance is a joke. What even are you anyway?” Discord growled softly, “A God, actually.” This time, Spike didn’t even bother to try to hold in his laughter. “You? A God?! Yeah, right! Then why aren’t you on Mt. Aris? Oh, great and powerful one!” He was rolling on the ground in a laughing fit, tears streaming down his face. “I’ll prove it to you!” With a quick snap of his fingers, Spike's wings vanished off his back! The dragon quickly took notice when he felt a sudden lightless on his back. He turned around to look. “Hey! My wings! I just got those! Give them back!” His eyes narrowed angrily at the draconequus, but slowly, they started to widen in shocking realization at what he just did. “How...how did you do that? The only beings that possess a magic that powerful would be-“ “A God?” Discord smirked at him, “Exactly.” Spike’s mouth was agape, “BBBut....” He managed to stutter. Discord walked up to him and placed a claw under his purple chin to push his mouth closed. “Now will you help me?” A worried look spread across the dragon’s face. “How will I know you won’t turn out like the others?” “Others?” Spike nodded, “Tirek, Nightmare Moon, Daybreaker, and Queen Chrysalis. Who do you think trained them to harness and control their powers? I trained all those would-be heroes that are now villains locked away in Tartarus, and what do they do, they betray me by using their gifts for the downfall of Equestria instead of the benefit. The only heroes they are now, are heroes of destruction. I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t train anybody again. A dragon can only take so much disappointment.” He sighed. Discord was stunned speechless, Spike was the one who trained the Titans to what they are now? But wait, didn’t he say that the Titans turned their backs on heroism? “I’m not like the Titans, Spike. I want to do good for Equestria.” He said with a hint of desperation. Spike looked at him skeptically, an eyebrow raised in question, “Fine, I’ll help you on one condition.” “Name it.” “Give me my wings back.” > Chapter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 years later "Good. Now let's try one that you've particularly had a lot of trouble with; cloning yourself." Discord was reluctant. He spent the last two years in the Dragonlands training with Spike on how to accurately hone in and curb his powers on a controlled level. During those two years, he has never been able to duplicate himself. Why would this time be any different? Sure, he was a God; but not even Celestia herself could make her mirror image or any of the other Gods for that matter. Discord was pretty sure that the Titans couldn't do it either, and Spike trained them! So what in Equestria made Spike think Discord could succeed in doing what none of the other most powerful beings could? Discord threw his head back and groaned in exasperation, “Ugh! Come on, Spike. I have been stuck on this island with you for two years. And in those two years, I could never do it. Why can’t you just face facts and accept that I can’t...” he stopped mid-sentence, becoming aware that there was an echo of his voice after each word he spoke with uncanny precision. Just like with words, the Discord copy echoed every movement the real Discord made. Making it seem more like the easier explanation of a reflection in a mirror, rather than magic. "I...I don't..." he trailed off, too transfixed on his other half to continue his train of thought. Spike was standing with his arms crossed and a knowing look on his face. "I knew you had it in you." Discord didn't know how or what he did to duplicate himself, but whatever he did, he did again, because the Discord duplicate poofed away before his very eyes. “Yes!” He cheered, shooting fireworks into the air. “Next stop, Mt Aris!” Spike chuckled at his enthusiasm, “Alright alright, slow down, Discord. Hold your horses for a minute.” “Come on, Spike. I want to get off this hunk of rock and go do something heroic.” The little dragon hesitated, “I don’t know...” Discord made his eyes as big and shiny as possible, “Please, Spike?” He begged. “Fine, you want a trial run? Pack your bags kid, we’re going to Manehatten!” “What’s in Manehatten?” Discord asked as he flew alongside Spike as they flew above the Whitetail Woods. “A lot of problems. Manehatten is the roughest and toughest city in Equestria. It’s a great place to start building a reputation.” As soon as he said that, a scream pierced through the air. It wasn’t a loud scream, in fact, it was fairly quiet. It was loud enough for Discord to pick up with his acute hearing. “You go on ahead, I’ll meet you there.” He said as he dove down in the direction in whence it came. “Wait! Discord, where are you going?!” Spike shouted after him, but Discord was already long out of earshot. Annoyed with this unplanned set back, Spike had no choice but to dive down after him. > Chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Discord followed the sound of the muted cry for help, but it didn’t seem to get much louder. If it did, it was a very soft change. He couldn’t tell if the cry was more prominent because he was on the ground now, instead of up in the sky. Discord peered through the trees just in time to see a buttercream pegasus mare run across a small shallow pond before tripping and falling in her rush to escape. Following close behind her was a brawny and robust, steel blue minotaur. Huge silver bull horns sat squarely on his head, along with a matching nose ring. He had a dark navy blue mane and tail, and his eyes glowed a predatory yellow. “Where do you think you’re going?” the minotaur boomed as he grabbed the pegasus tightly around the waist. His grip on her was so strong he was practically squeezing her. The mare gasped in pain as the monster’s grip on her tightened even more, and in a last desperate attempt to free herself, she punched him square in the face as hard as she could. It must not have been hard enough, because his grip never loosened. Instead, the minotour looked at her with shock and bewilderment. He smiled evilly at her, “Iron Will likes em’ feisty!” he growled with dark subductiveness. Discord felt himself boiling with rage at the way this creature was treating her. He didn’t even notice that Spike was standing beside him and had watched the whole thing as well. Spike instructed him on his next move, speaking softly so as not to give themselves away. “When faced with a situation, the first thing you gotta do is—“ he turned only to discover that Discord was no longer there. Spike smacked his face, “he’s loosing points for this,” he grumbled. At this point, the minotaur was attempting to kiss the mare on her lips, while said mare had her hooves against his puckered ones in an effort to block him from doing so. Discord marched across the pond straight up to the bully and loudly cleared his throat. The mare and her attacker simultaneously turned their heads to look at him. Discord swallowed the nervous lump in his throat and summoned as much courage as he could muster. “Put. The mare. Down.” he spat. The beast took one look at him and laughed. “Step aside, squirt. This is Iron Will’s prize, and Iron Will does not like to share.” He looked at the mare as he licked his lips deliciously, “Especially when it’s something that Iron Will desires.” The mare squeaked in fear as she tried even harder to pull herself free from his grasp. Discord couldn’t take any more of this. He snapped his fingers and summoned a blue lightsaber, but before he could swing it, Iron Will struck him in the face with so much force that Discord flew though the air and crashed head first into a rock. He hit it so hard that the rock split in two! “Ouch! That’s gotta hurt,” Spike winced. Bleeding and barely conscious, Discord managed to lift his head out of the water and looked at his mentor. “Come on Discord! Don’t give up! Use your head!” Discord perked up with a sudden idea. After using his magic to quickly heal himself, he stood himself up and reaching over his head, grabbed the top of his black mane and pulled his head right off his body! With literally his head in his hand, he tossed his head like a boomerang. Spinning straight for the minotour so fast that when it hit him, he flew across the pond and into the side of a nearby mountain. Spike clapped and cheered, “Way to go, Discord! That’s how you do it! Not exactly what I had in mind. But still, not bad.” Something suddenly emerged from the water, coughing and sputtering. Discord suddenly remembered the mare and went over to her aid. Her long pink mane draped over her face. “Here, let me help you. I’m sorry about that, that was dumb,” he said as he picked her up out of the water and placed her on a large nearby rock. She parted her soaking wet hair out of her face, “Yes, it was. But it’s ok though,” she said in a gentle voice as she started to wring out her hair. She was surprisingly calm despite everything she just went through. Discord liked that about her, expecting the unexpected. Before he could introduce himself to her, Iron Will came running back with his head down and his horns forward. An angry bull ready to charge. “Would you excuse me for a minute?” he said as he turned away from her and summoned his blue lightsaber again. He slashed at the minotour with it like a brave Jedi Knight. The buttercream pegasus watched the fight unfold before her from her rock, while continuing to wring out water from her mane. The physical confrontation didn’t last long. After a short while, Discord walked up to shore with a proud smile on his face. Once he was on dry land, he got down on all fours to shake himself dry. “How was that Spike?” “You got lucky this time, champ. Next time you have to think before diving head first into things. Pun intended.” This was not the praise Discord was expecting to get, “At least I beat him, didn’t I?” “Yes, you did; but you can’t let your guard down and lose focus because of a pretty tail swishing...” Discord didn’t listen to what else Spike was saying, he was to focused on the mare that was now standing on shore. Her long pink mane hung over the water as she was squeezing out the last remnants of water. The golden light from the setting sun reflected off the water, making it appear that she was outlined in gold. Discord walked passed Spike without a second thought and approached the mare, “Are you alright? Miss...” He could see one bright teal orb looking at him through her wet pink strands. “Um…..I-I’m Fluttershy” she drifted off into a mumble “I’m sorry, my dear; could you repeat that? I didn’t quite catch that last part.” “M-My name is Fluttershy” she said in barley a whisper this time. “Hmmm…There must be something in my ears then” To the mare’s bewilderment, her rescuer pulled out multiple things from his ear. Such as a French horn, a pillow, a rubber duck, and a frying pan. Thouroughly amused, her earlier shyness forgotten, the mare let out a little giggle at the display. For reasons yet unknown, her sweet bell-like laugh made Discord’s hear skip a beat. He couldn’t help but smile softly when he heard it. “My name is Fluttershy.” She said with the utmost clarity. Discord smirked, “My name is Discord.” “Well, thank you Discord. I am forever grateful to you.” The draconequus felt his face grow warm as he leaned against a tree. Mostly to keep himself from swooning “So, h-h-how did you get all tangled up with uh...um...” he pointed behind him to indicate the minotaur. “Oh, well you know how stallions are. They think no means yes, and ‘go away’ means ‘take me I’m all yours’.” She sighed sadly, “My whole life, I’ve always been viewed as more of an object or a prize to be won instead of a pony. Believe me when I say, Iron Will wasn’t the first time I got caught in some psycho’s twisted fantasy.” Discord felt sorry for the mare and anger toward all the stallions that had treated her horribly. “Well, I better get going. It was nice to meet you Discord, and thank you for your help.” She opened her wings and flew gracefully out of the woods. The draconequus smiled shyly and slowly waved his hand, a dreamy look on his face, “Bye,” he mumbled. He sighed blissfully. “She’s... she sure is something. Isn’t she, Spike?” “Oh, yes. She is something alright.” Spike’s words dripping with sarcasm. “Come on, Discord; we still have a job to do. You know, the reason we came out here in the first place? Let’s go! Manehatten is waiting!” Discord snapped out of the trance he was in and flew after his mentor, taking to the skies once more. Little did he know that the pony responsible was standing by a tree gazing up at the darkening sky just as Discord and Spike flew off and out of sight. The stars just beginning to dot the sky.