Discord took in deep, heavy breaths as he hurried through the thick foliage and fauna that blocked his path. Very little sunlight invaded the forest, as the trees were so large and thick that they kept blocked almost all the light from reaching the earthy ground. His eyes however, were adjusted to the dark so he moved on with no hindrance.
Oh, I hope I’m not late… She doesn’t usually stay for too long… His mind briefly wondered as he ducked under a branch. Thanks to his long, slender body he could easily snake his way through any obstacle in his way, because of this no pony could rival his speed as he navigated through the forest. Then again, it’s not like there’s any ponies out here to race…
Pushing aside such pointless thoughts, he arrived at his destination and quickly scurried up a nearby tree. With a blissful smile he laid down on a branch and observed the scene below in quiet delight.
A stunning white mare skipped through the forest clearing, occasionally kneeling down to smell some of the exotic flowers that had taken bloom in the warm spring. This was her favorite part of the woods, as the tree line was much thinner allowing a great deal of sunlight to brighten the clearing. She smiled as she caught the particularly delightful aroma of several brilliant red and white flowers.
“Ah… She’s so beautiful…” Discord mumbled under his breath in awe as he watched her in a sort of trance. He simply couldn’t take his eyes off of her, no matter how hard he tried. Were he even to try to glance at the other side of the clearing, her brilliant, gleaming mane of pink would lead his eyes back to her.
Her face was the kind of perfection that sculptors could only dream of, as her features were all but flawlessly caste in eternal marble. Her radiant, magenta eyes complimented her beauty in a way that no mare could ever rival. Everything about her screamed excellence to him, from her snow white coat to her elegantly trimmed wings.
“I’ll tell her one of these days just how beautiful she is… How stunning she is to gaze at in the sun’s light…” The creature whispered to himself as he continued to stare, every thought in his mind centered on her. “I know I will…”
Discord watched the mare for some time as she appreciated the nature around her, enjoying every blissful second he was blessed with to bask in her radiance. Finally having spent enough time relaxing, she turned away and paced out of the clearing. He merely sighed as she left; leaving him with the same stricken look that he was always left with.
“One of these days…” He muttered as he stared up at the tree covered sky. There were only a few gaps in the forest coverage, allowing just small glimpses of the bright blue sky above. “Ah, who am I kidding?” With another sigh he rolled out of the tree and paced to a nearby pond of clear water. Several fish darted about as he approached, no doubt recoiling at his freighting appearance.
“I’m just a…” He stared at his reflection for several moments, fully taking in the creature that he had come to despise. “Monster…”
Truly that was the only word to describe a beast such as him. His body was unnaturally long and slim, and his various limbs were pieced together like some sort of patchwork abomination. Where mere hooves should have been were replaced with a lion’s paw and an eagle’s talon, and his hind legs were that of a goat and a lizard. Instead of a simple unicorn horn on his head, he instead was given a deer antler and a goat horn. Finally, his crimson, mismatched pupils sat in the large seas of yellow that were his eyes.
Discord stared for some time, before finally recoiling in shame and disgust. No pony had ever looked upon him with happiness or delight; instead they were appalled and sickened that such a creature existed. “And that’s why I’m here…” He murmured quietly to himself as he moved away from his sickening reflection. “Far away from the uncaring world, where I belong…”
With another heavy sighed he leaned against a tree and buried his face in his arm. “If only she could look past my appearance… If only she could see the real, caring person that I am…”
The pony in particular he had been mesmerized by went by the name of Celestia, a name befitting of one with such elegance and refined beauty. For months now she had come to the forest, and ever since first seeing her he had been caught in trance. Like a weary sailor answering the sirens call, he was ensnared by her beauty and endured to think of her day and night. His only reprise was her weekly visits, which always put a blissful smile on his hideous face.
Finally having enough of such dim thoughts, he hurried out of the clearing and disappeared into the forest.
“Oh honey these flowers are so beautiful! Where in Equestria did you get them?”
“Oh some lowly merchant in the market was selling them, but they’re beauty is nothing compared to yours...”
Discord sighed as he watched the two unicorns smile and giggle before leaning in to kiss. Time and time again he saw happy couples such as these, and all it did was make him yearn for Celestia even more. The very edge of the Everfree Forest was much tamer then the rest, so honeymooners and lovers alike would often spend hours in its tranquil splendour.
The stallion smiled as his lips parted from hers, and they each shared a passionate moment as their gaze met. They stared into each other’s eyes for some time, before resuming their romantic expression of love. Finally having enough, Discord turned away from his perch and growled in annoyance.
“Why can’t that be me… why am I stuck like this, trapped in this unfitting body?” He questioned as he distanced himself from the couple. “It’s not fair…” However as he basked in his loneliness an idea came to mind, spurred on by the touching scene he had just witnessed. “Flowers…”
“Flowers…” Again he muttered under his breath as a hopeful smile crossed his lips. “Maybe, maybe that might show Celestia… She may actually look past this hideous body of mine...”
As he thought the more hopeful Discord grew, and with his frantic thoughts he rushed through the forest towards the clearing Celestia had been in mere hours ago. “She, she might be different then the rest!” He grinned as he jumped over a low hanging branch. “Maybe she’s isn’t as shallow as all those other ponies, she might actually even come to love me!”
After just a few moments Discord skidded to a halt in the clearing, finding it just as vacant and empty as the rest of the woods. With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, he hurried over to the flowers the elegant mare had taken an interest in.
They were a thing of wonder, with large white pedals and streaks of red spiraling towards orange its center. They gave off a seemingly otherworldly smell; strong and fragrant they could easily rival the finest perfumes that Canterlot had to offer.
Being happier and more hopeful then he could ever remember Discord looked towards the bright sky and grinned. “I’ll finally do it; I’ll tell Celestia my feelings for her! I’ll finally tell her just how beautiful she is!”
“There you are sister! Where have you been?” A dark blue alicorn questioned the flawless white mare as she entered their estate.
“Just relaxing, that’s all.” Celestia responded hastily to her sister as she paced across the luxurious room. It was an extremely well furnished and decorated estate, with elegant red carpets lining the floors and nearly priceless paintings covering the walls. While it wasn’t as lavish as the royal palace, they were far better off than most alicorns.
“Well father’s been looking everywhere for you! You simply must stop these sudden disappearances!” Her sister snapped back, unhappy at her apparent lack of care in the whole ordeal.
Celestia turned to the dark coated mare with a scowl. “I’ll deal with it Luna… Now stop pestering me.”
Luna growled in reply. She hated how her sister constantly ordered her around, even if she was the older one. She simply thought she was entitled to it due to her beauty, and while Luna was blessed with many attracting features, she had never been able to rival that of her sisters.
Celestia smirked as her sister was left speechless. Turning away from the annoyed mare she left the room, beginning the search for her father.
Celestia arrived back at the clearing next week, and after his usual gazing and her prancing about she left. Though this time Discord did something different, as soon as she exited the clearing he leapt from his tree and chased her into the woods. Clenched in his eagle claw was the beautiful bouquet of flowers he had picked, and with intense anxiety and worry he followed her.
Thanks to his body he could easily duck and conceal himself behind the trees, giving the alicorn no chance of catching onto him. After a few minutes she reached the edge of the forest where the vast, endless sea lied. He had come to this area a few times to gaze at the mighty waves as they crashed upon the pale sand, then retreated back into the massive body of water.
He was awestruck as she paced onto the beach, her elegant mane flowing gently in the light breeze. Just past her sat the sun as it continued its daily descent downwards, its rays illuminated the water and gave the affect that Celestia herself was shinning.
I need to do it, right now before she leaves… His whole body trembled, afraid of the confrontation that was about to take place. A few worried thoughts whizzed through his mind, but he pushed them away as he looked at the flowers in his claw. With the heaviest sigh of his life, Discord stepped out of the forest and approached the mare on the beach.
He took slow, careful steps at first as his body tried with all its might to delay him. To just push back this moment a little further, but he knew better then to procrastinate. This was the moment where he would declare his love for Celestia. With his eyes clamped shut and his entire body shaking, he took the final step and stood a mere foot from behind her.
“C-c-celestia.” He finally was able to mutter, though his speech was shaky and broken.
She immediately spun around at the sudden voice, and upon seeing the hideous creature known as Discord she stepped back. As soon as she set eyes on him he knew what she felt, he had seen the look a million times and it was the one thing he most feared of seeing on her gorgeous face. Disgust.
Her eyes narrowed as she took in his repulsive body of mismatched animals. “What in Euqestria are you?”
Her voice was as soft and beautiful as he had imagined, but that tone was hidden behind her apparent revulsion and anger. “My…my name is…” He could hardly speak as she stared at him with that look; his worst nightmare was now quickly becoming a reality. “D-Discord… I-I’ve been watching you and all I can say…”
“You’ve been watching me?!” She snapped, her hate filed voice lashing out at him and hurting far more than any whip ever could.
“Y-yes but… You’re so beautiful, you’re the most b-b-beautiful mare I-I’ve seen…”
His broken words did nothing to sway her, and with each passing second she seemed to grow even more sickened and angered by his presence. “Disgusting, to think a creature like you has been stalking me…”
The word broke his heart, and from that moment he knew she would never understand. He was so stupid to think she would, so moronic to think that someone could ever love someone as ugly and deformed as him. “I… I love you, Celestia…” He finally mumbled in a vain attempt, holding out the flowers that he dreamed would have made her love him back.
She slapped the flowers out of his claw, the bouquet landing to the sand in a storm of hate and pain. In a final act that broke the last of his heart she crushed it with her hoof, grinding the once beautiful flowers into the coarse sand. “Get away from me, monster.” With that she took off into the sky, flying across the waves and into the sunset.
Discord stood motionless as he watched her fly away, all of his hopes and dreams of a happy life going with her. With a roar of fury he sprinted away from the painful beach and retreated back into the forest. Instead of his usual nimble movements past the branches and overgrowth, he merely charged right through them like a raging bull. He finally stopped when he arrived at the clearing.
Not being able to take it any longer he collapsed against the floor and wept. The one glimmer of hope he had in life was gone. The thought that maybe he could have been with Celestia; that a stunning mare like her could love a creature such as him, all gone. Just dust in the wind.
He pounded his fist against the ground, weeping his eyes out as his heart was torn to pieces. It wasn’t fair. He, who had never felt any real happiness in life, was being subjected to this. The very world itself had rejected him, and in a vain attempt he hid away in the forest. But even here, alone, he couldn’t find solace, not when he knew Celestia hated him.
“Get away from me, monster…”
That’s all he was, nothing but a monster. A creature born from evil, never to experience any ounce of happiness or bliss. He was to live alone, for that’s all a creature of his appearance deserved.
No… It’s not me… It’s this cruel world…
An odd, foreign voice echoed through his mind. It was so distant and unfamiliar that he glanced around the forest, wondering if in fact someone was secretly watching him.
They’re the ones at fault, all those well off alicorns that sit in their palaces sipping wine…
He realized now, that the voice in fact was his own thoughts. Clawing and screaming from the deepest part of his mind, it soon consumed him and all his previous desires.
She deserves to die.
Pain and crying turned to anger, the voice was right. It wasn’t fair that he lived like this, while the ruling alicons lived perfect, blissful lives. In a fit of anger and hate he clawed at a nearby tree, his sharp eagle talon effortlessly digging deep wounds into the thick bark. Then he did it again, and again, and again until the tree was nothing but a scarred version of its former self.
His intense weeping turned to laughter, as he finally now understood what to do. He wasn’t going too hid away from the world, hoping that alone he would find happiness. No, there was only one true option. He didn’t fit into the order that the alicorn’s had created, he would never fit in. It was useless trying.
“I’ll show her a monster…” Discord hissed as a malicious grin grew across his lips. “I’ll show them all… When Celestia is broken and crying at my feet, when she begs for me to show mercy… I’ll give her none…” With a malevolent chuckle Discord raised his claw, and awakened the powers he had held dormant for so long.
The mangled tree in front of him burst from the ground, roots and all, and with a swing of his arm it flew across the clearing and smashed into the rest of the forest. He laughed as trees fell around him, mighty crashes sending birds and leaves alike flying in panic. It was all so, chaotic. And he loved every second of it.
He had discovered his reality bending powers long ago, though he had kept them locked up and hidden to the world. He was already labeled a freak and a monster; such weird powers would only set him apart further. So he had never used them, often even forgetting he had such abilities.
So with more wicked laughter he picked up several more trees, grinning as he sent them flying and crashing about. “This is just the start… Just you wait Celestia, you’ll see a real monster…”
As the forest fell around him in storms of splintered wood and leaves a true monster was born, a monster of chaos.
