Discord absent mindedly stretched as his eyes explored the room. It was simple and cozy in its own way. A fireplace sat a healthy distance from a large bed which faced the lone window across the room. Heavy looking curtains covered fore mentioned window and heavier rugs stretched over the grey stone floor. Near the fireplace sat some neatly stacked logs and above them sat a shelf occupied by a teapot, some cups and containers of water. A large oak wood bookshelf occupied some space near the window, occupied by some books and rolled up maps from a long forgotten age. The old tower he was using for his home was much more interesting on the inside. Centuries ago the outpost was used to stand vigilant and be ready in case of a sudden invasion from any foe. The top of structure had a large pyre that could be seen from across the valley which housed a similar structure that would spread the warning along with a similar method. In a small amount of time he had turned the small fortress into a home and in the same afternoon plucked it from the earth and promptly (despite some complaints from Twilight regarding historical value) dropped it near the edge of the Everfree forest.
About half an hour later he put the old tower back, restored it to the way he found it and built a replica on the spot he picked. The newest Princess had gotten quite annoying about the whole thing.
Discord took a small moment to compile all the thoughts rolling around the back of his head. He had existed long before anypony bothered to establish any form of calendar. He had power that could contradict every possible bastion of the natural order of things. He could change the seasons with a glance. He could reconfigure gravity with a simple thought. He could drive Princess Celestia herself raving mad with an innocent suggestion. He could take all the Changelings that ever existed and send them to Ponyville and make them worship Spike. He could in the same moment turn the ponies into a slave race acknowledging Parasprites as their masters.
In short Discord understood that reality was quite literally whatever he made it and reflected on what manner of monster he could possibly be if he chose to display true malice. He could just as easily walk the path of a true paladin to such a degree that the most chivalrous knight would tell him that he should tone it down. The fact that he elected to be to an extent a neutral being was a mercy to Equestria as well as a show of goodwill to the friends he made.
Alright…it was more for the ponies he cared about rather than for Equestria’s sake.
With quiet resolve he closed the heavy looking curtains to hide the midday sun. With all the power he wanted and the freedom to do anything with it he never felt so helpless in his existence. He focused his energy and abruptly stopped drawing power. He steadily walked towards a small fireplace and using raw muscle instead of magic he placed a few logs and a healthy amount of straw into proper place. Instead of using the infinite cosmic forces at his disposal he started a fire with modest flint and steel. Instead of drawing power from his body to help the infant sparks along he employed patience and breath to start a fire.
Discord the Master of Chaos had to avoid using magic, which in theory could be employed to solve the problem instantly. Part of him considered attempting the easy path when some shallow coughs shook the notion from his head. The term ‘Polmonite Spirituale' echoed in his head. It was a curious ailment that existed back when the sun monarch was just an idea that her parents had. Any type of pony could carry the sickness but only Unicorns showed symptoms. Their magic would weaken a small degree and they would easily be mistaken for having a slight touch of pneumonia. The pneumonia symptoms would linger for a bit but the real damage occurred in the horn and slowly leached into the brain. The pneumonia would go away only to be replaced by something that would constantly drain magic from the patient and steer the body into a comatose state if left untreated, and use of magic to help the patient would only make it worse.
He turned his head and glanced at a bed a few feet from the now occupied fireplace. Cozy blankets moved slightly in a manner consistent with breathing. A thousand years ago this would be serious. Today the treatment was widely known despite the fact that there had been no cases of it in about five hundred years due to all the debate around the origin of the mysterious pathogen.
Today felt like it may as well have been a thousand years ago. With his strength in magic he could eliminate the sickness and guarantee the safety of the patient in the bed. He could bring her back to full speed in moments.
The only thing that held him back was the slight chance that he would slip up, and once you become a father that one slight chance is all it takes to make you stop and think.
He stepped closer to his daughter’s sleeping form and gently brushed his eagle claw through her purple and white mane. A heavy amount of guilt stormed into his heart at the logical explanation as to how Screwball got ill.
He himself was a carrier. Nothing else could have gotten his daughter ill.
The young filly’s body stirred and inched towards him. Guilt and fear melted away and was replaced by something else. All he wanted to do was keep her safe and warm. All he needed to do was keep her spirits high while her body fought the sickness. All he had to do was trust the product of Zecora’s methods and Twilight’s mind.
Discord nearly jumped as he recalled the main reason for the fire. On a simple shelf above the spot designated for storing wood for the fireplace sat a simple teapot and a pouch of dried plants with names that he couldn’t even remember.
Actually he was fairly certain that Blue Joke petals were in there.
A thought occurred as he hefted the pouch. There wasn’t much sense of brewing the remedy now. Screwball was fast asleep. The tea wouldn’t be as effective (or appealing to a filly) if over brewed.
He put the components back on the shelf and his ears picked up the sound of gentle knocking. He swore he heard a tiny voice from the other side of the door and quickly realized who was there. He opened the door and warmly greeted the yellow Pegasus standing behind the open portal.
“Fluttershy” Discard spoke with a small degree of panic in his voice “I really appreciate you stopping by.”
The gentle hearted mare stepped into the room and offered a warm smile.
“It’s no trouble at all Discord. It’s…almost like…well…”
Discord returned the smile and nodded and Fluttershy found the words to complete her sentence.
“I think of her like she’s my own after all.”
It was a fair statement considering the past few months since Discord’s reforming. The two had grown quite close as time went on and both had strongly accepted the idea that they were practically a family. Fluttershy made her way over to the occupied bed and tired not to grin to herself.
She recalled how convinced Discord was that Screwball had gotten a disease that had been eliminated a long time ago that had lay dormant in his body while he was petrified in stone. The truth was that he didn’t have it. As Twilight pointed out ‘if he had Polmonite Spirituale he would have infected Ponyville back when he broke out of the statue’. There was no convincing the stubborn Draconequus however; so it was decided that both of them would receive ‘treatment’.
Twilight’s plan led to Zecora crafting an herbal tea that would help the young filly fight off what was just a slightly stronger than mild flu.
Fluttershy took a moment to marvel at Discord’s dedication to his daughter’s wellbeing. There was a strong touch of paranoia and he could stand to tone it down a bit but she had to admit that it was justified when you consider what the sickness actually did.
Plus it proved Discord’s worth as a father. Paternal instincts earned him high marks in being evaluated as a romantic partner. She kept the thoughts to herself as Discord started tapping the burning logs with an iron poker. She took time to marvel at his restraint to not use magic. In his genuine belief that Screwball had gotten some terrible disease that became exasperated by magic he hadn’t used any of his power in days. The daughter of Chaos stirred and slowly returned to the waking world and with oddly surgical precision Discord began heating water. Screwball yawned and stretched slowly and turned to face them.
She was to put it plainly sick of being sick. She was tired of being a source of worry for her dad and Fluttershy. As nice as it was to have irrefutable proof that despite being the spawn of chaos she had a family that loved her; she really wanted to just run outside and screw around. Fluttershy took note that Discord desperately wanted to do something useful but wasn’t quite sure what to do. His heart was in the right place but without magic to help him amuse his imaginative daughter he was at a loss. Her brain twitched and she went with the first idea that came to her head.
“Screwball” The gentle mare asked “How about daddy tells you a story while I tend to the medicine?”
“I’d like that.”
With a surge of motion that rivaled Pinkie Pie’s own bouts of sudden dexterity the Draconequus was at Screwball’s side and the gears behind his eyes were turning. Fluttershy panicked slightly as it dawned on her that on the spot he might not have anything. She was about to say something when the former Master of Chaos spoke in his usual confident tone.
“Have I ever told you about the time a young rabbit incited chaos to outwit three predators?”
Screwball shook her head and Fluttershy had to admit that she herself was quite curious as to where he was going to go with this. Discord chuckled as he normally would and Fluttershy found herself smiling again. Despite how worried her was he managed to put on such a brave and convincing mask, which was what the filly needed more than anything. If her father wasn’t afraid then she wouldn’t be as scared of what she thought she had; thanks to Discord’s panic attack at the first day of constant fever and fatigue.
Discord sat on the edge of the bed and the curious filly inched up to him while bundling up a bit more in the covers.
“Well the day was like any other for the rabbit. He was hopping around doing typical rabbit things while plotting mischief for a poor innocent selfless Pegasus.”
Screwball giggled and Fluttershy elected to overlook the jab at Angel.
“As the day of bunny business went on he overheard three voices arguing on the other side of a large bush. Curiosity got the better of him and he chose to investigate. On the other side of the bush he found himself in a less than ideal situation! Around him was a large snake, a just as impressive eagle and a powerful looking timberwolf. The rabbit politely asked what the fuss was about and the snake replied ‘We were arguing over who would get to eat you’.”
Fluttershy gasped at the sudden grim angle the story went. Screwball grinned and got closer. Discord went on in his usual manner.
“The predators resumed their debate and the rabbit knew that this wouldn’t last forever. Soon they would come to an agreement and he would be someone’s lunch. The rabbit thought about running away but he knew that he couldn’t hope to outmaneuver all of them. So instead he slowly crept into the middle of them. They stopped and looked at the tender morsel and the rabbit spoke to them.
“Here’s an idea. How about we have a contest to see who gets to eat me?”
Fluttershy grew a bit more nervous and wondered if this was a good story for a child. Screwball simply waited in anticipation for what had happened next. Discord grinned as he continued.
“The rabbit proposed that they could have a race to the other side of the forest. The eagle could fly above the trees and the clever snake would surely know a lot of shortcuts and the timberwolf could obviously maintain a steady speed the longest so it would be a fair and balanced race. The rabbit went on to tell them how they could use their true skills to not only earn the privilege of eating him, but to prove once and for all who the greatest predator in the forest was!”
Fluttershy carefully removed the teapot from the heat source and listened as intently as the eager filly.
“With their pride elevated to the clouds they took off and fiercely raced to the edge of the forest. The snake knew so many sneaky small hidden paths in the underbrush, and the timberwolf could power through any obstacle while the mighty eagle charged over the trees towards the forest’s edge. The rabbit patiently waited and once he was sure they were gone he turned and ran like heck in the opposite direction!”
Screwball squeaked in delight over such capable predators being tricked and Fluttershy had a private sigh of relief that the rabbit got out safely. She had to admit that maybe in Discord’s point of view the reference to Angel was justified. The filly hugged the Draconequus and wondered how the three competitors reacted once they realized that they had been tricked. Simple laughter from Discord’s daughter had overtaken the once solemn room. Fluttershy had another private smile. The story was appropriate since Discord was himself being fooled.
She began brewing the herbal mixture prepared by Zecora and looked at the family moment in front of her.
She smiled openly this time. Judging by how the two looked at her they felt that she was part of it.
