Equustale

by neorenamon

Frisk and Fluttershy grew more nervous as Discord continued to talk about them like lab rats before his older half-sister, Anarchy. They also felt a touch offended that they were anyone's playthings as well as the fact he never said anything about it before they ran into the other draconequus.

"Am I making your pets nervous?" mused Anarchy as she looked down on their wide-eyed stares.

"More like queasy," replied Discord, "After all, you violate just about every rule of biology in their world."

She just responded by laughing again, drawing attention from the other patrons once more.

"You see, my half-sister hates symmetry," he said as an aside to his two companions, "almost as much as she hates having a set appearance. She changes her look every thousand years or so, and each one is... more convoluted than the last one."

"I prefer to think of them as... imaginative."

"As much as I appreciate that," he replied, "I do have some sense of decency about my creativity. In fact, I prefer functionality over excess. That's why I have one head, two arms, two legs, two wings and one tail after all. I don't really need more than that."

"It's just so... basic," she replied.

"Why does she have to be so... scary?" asked Fluttershy softly.

"Because respect begins when someone fears you, little one," she sneered back.

"Oh... my..."

To everyone's surprise, Frisk reached out and touched the back of the gorilla's hand on Anarchy as she mused, 'Trust based on fear isn't truly trust. It's just obedience and a fickle one at that.'

"So you say you aren't afraid of me?"

'No, I'm not. You may be vastly more powerful than me, but I have *DETERMINATION*.'

"And what pray tell is this DETERMINATION?"

'I use it to...'

"THAT'S what experiments are for," said Discord as he cut off Frisk, "No point in spoiling the surprise, now is there?"

"Are you hiding something from your dearest sister?" she smirked, "I'm almost impressed."

"Half sister," he muttered, "as you're always reminding me. But yes, I want to make sure my results are final before making any... announcements."

"You always were good at talking big, little brother."

'Yet for all your god-like power,' mused Frisk, 'you aren't happy, are you?'

"I'm... perfectly happy, you little brat!"

'Your soul is as tormented as your heart. It's fractured and weak in spite of it's power. Disharmony within yourself... it's tearing you soul apart even if you don't realize it.'

"SHUT UP!" she hissed, "What do you know about me?!"

"Calm yourself, big sister," sneered Discord, "I'm sure her... observations... aren't meant to be any slight against your power."

"Now I'm bored!" she hissed, "I'm going to play with some of my supermassive black holes!" She then vanished without a trace.

"Well aren't you the bold and brave one?" smirked Discord as he looked down on Frisk.

'I just told her what I saw inside her,' replied Frisk as she touched Discord's paw once more.

"The last being who spoke to her like that has their molecules scattered over 13 different dimensions and about 13 million square light years," he replied evenly.

Fluttershy gasped even though she wasn't quite sure what Discord was speaking about. It just sounded big.

'We're just your experiments?!'

"Look," he snorted, "You have no idea how my kind thinks or operates!"

'I shouldn't need to know that much to know when a species is covering something up.'

"Look... in the world I was raised in, friendship and cooperation... are weaknesses. A crutch for the weak and unworthy. The truly powerful and competent... they only depend on what they can do alone."

"That's... so sad."

"When Celestia and Luna... defeated me together... with the Elements of Harmony..." he mused as he looked up at the elaborate ceiling lights, "I began to realize there was more than just me. That I failed... because I worked alone."

'You began to realize the value of friendship and the power of teamwork.'

"So you... just said those things... to try and keep your sister's respect?"

"Not that's there's much there to work with... but yes."

'Well now that she's gone off, can we get some food?'

"Very well," he replied, "Order whatever you like. I'm sure my tab here is still valid."