Chapter 24: Ancient History

A skinny young colt was tossed into a pile of trash cans. Along with him were several books on self-defense martial arts—ironic, since none of them were working for the boy at the time.

"Haha! And stay there like the trash you are, freak!" shouted a big, fat pony kid.

The pony in the trash can slowly got up, a day-old banana peel dangling from the top of his hat. He was dressed in an oversized blue raincoat that was clearly too big for him, along with a large blue hat that matched—though now it threatened to fall off, something the pony did not want.

The foal looked nearly starved despite being a pony. His face already showed signs of a skull-like appearance, with sunken eyes and heavy cheekbones. As the bullies—there were three of them—laughed at him, his hooves began to shift. He tried to hide them by sinking deeper into the trash can. He could feel his tail flicker underneath his large coat. But it wasn't a ponytail he had; it was one that a dragon would have. His anger began to boil within him as he heard the bullies laugh. His eyes began to flicker from normal to a bright yellow.

"Hey, wise ass, why don't you beat it? Leave him alone; he was minding his own business," said a new voice.

Discord turned to see who it was and was surprised to see a dark blue, skinny filly pony with night-like hair dressed like a goth. "Why don't you mind your own business, Luna?" one of the bullies sneered.

"Oh, really? Why don't you make me?" she smirked, chewing on a piece of bubble gum.

That made the bully mad, and he quickly tried to hit her. But she glided out of the way and stuck her feet out, landing on her tiptoes and whacking him in the face with her foot. She landed back on her hooves as the other two tried to jump her, but she slid past them, bumping them with her rear end and sending them tumbling into the trash can. She smirked cockily at her work as the last one came from behind her and got her in a chokehold. But before he could do anything, Discord whacked him with his tail, knocking him out cold.

She turned to see him, but he quickly made sure to hide his tail back under his trench coat before she saw it.

"Thanks for that," Luna smiled. "So, got a name?"

"Umm, Discord," he said, trembling, with tears already building up in his eyes.

"Discord what?"

"Oh, uh, just Discord. I, uh, don't have a surname."

"Hmm, that's weird. I'm Luna—Luna Princess."

"Luna Princess, as in the rich kid," Discord quivered.

"Hey, got a problem with that?"

"Uh, no, no. I was just wondering what you're doing on this side of town. It's not safe here."

"No, I guess it's not. That's what's kind of fun about it." She smirked. "Tell me, Discord, what do you do around here for fun?" Luna asked.

"Fun? Uh, well, uh..."

"You do know what fun is, don't you?" Luna pressed.

"I know what fun is!" he argued back. "I just, um, don't have much, I guess." He pulled out an old storybook.

"Hmm, what's that?"

"Huh? Oh, oh, it's nothing."

"Nothing huh? Come on, let me see."

"No."

"Come on."

"No."

Luna grew a sly grin and quickly went to the left of him, which he moved to the right. It was a fake-out, though, as she moved to the right, catching him off guard. She twirled around him and pried whatever he had out of his hooves.

"Huh, but, but..."

"Haha, my mom taught me that," Luna chuckled as she looked through what she got from Discord. It was some type of old fairy tale—one she had never heard of. She flipped through the book, trying to read its odd language, but it didn't make sense to her.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It's Old Lizard Young."

Old was right. She couldn't make out any of it, except for one word: Discord.

"Your name's in this book?" she questioned. Discord tried to take the book back, but she switched on her heel and jumped out of his way.

"How are you doing that?" he asked. "Do you know Kung Fu?"

"Kung Fu? Is that what you were trying to do earlier? I thought you were just trying to be silly."

"No, I was trying... to learn how to, uh, to stop those bullies."

"Really? Well, I could show you how."

"Really?" he asked curiously. "And why would you do that for me?"

"Hmm, it's what friends do."

"Friends?"

"Yeah, friends! You saved me from that last choke hold, so I'd say we're friends."

"Okay, so friend..." Discord said nervously. "How did you do that? What fighting style was that anyway?"

She giggled. "No, no, it was just some dance moves."

"Dance moves?"

"Yep. Most of it was ballet, but some of it was breakdancing. I've taken dance lessons for years, and out here I've used it a couple of times to get out of situations like that."

"I'll show you if..."

"If? If what?"

"If you teach me to read whatever this is."

"Ancient Lizard Tongue."

"Yeah, that. So, we got a deal?" She held out her hoof.

He looked at it skeptically at first, but eventually took it, giving her a handshake. "Okay then, meet me here in this alleyway tomorrow, and I'll teach you."

The next day, she came with a boombox and began to teach him. From then on, every few days or so, she taught him how to dance-fight. He also learned Kung Fu and jiu-jitsu and incorporated it into his dance moves.

She joined him, and soon the two created a crazy form of fighting style, using a mixture of different dances and fighting moves as he taught her about the book.

It was an ancient legend, and it was hard to read and understand, but Discord's caretaker had forced him from a young age to learn reading and writing, hoping to get him into a high-class family and out of the slumps.

Discord was a word that meant chaos, and his caretaker would call him it so often that he soon just adopted it as his name.

From the book, the legend of Discord was simple. It was a magic spell that brought chaos to the land.

Luna felt bad he had such a name and chose to call him something else.

"Hmm, I know! What about Shadow?"

"Shadow?" he asked.

"Yeah, or Phantom or something."

"Why that?"

"Because shadows and phantoms are cool. Plus, you always just blend into the shadows most of the time."

"Do I?"

"Yeah, you're like a ghost."

She gasped. "That's it! You're Ghost."

"Ghost?"

"Yeah, and you know what? That's what I'm going to call you: Mr. Ghost," Luna grinned.

Discord laughed at the silliness of it. "Fine, Mr. Ghost it is then." He smiled.

"So, Luna was your first friend."

"No, you were my first friend. She never really cared, especially once she saw my true form. The alleyway I met you in..." Discord said emotionless, yet he moaned slightly as she rubbed his neck. "It was the same alleyway I first met her."

"I originally lived in an orphanage that wasn't too far away from it. But a few months later, I would eventually set it on fire by accident and run away."

"And where did you go?" she asked. "To her?"

"No, no, I ran from the city. I wanted to escape. I wanted to be free. Free of it all. And I found it here." He gestured to the area with his paw. "Once there, I could actually sit and think. And when I didn't want to do that, I could fly."

"Fly?"

"Yes, fly. The first time I came here, sad as it may seem, I jumped off the side of the cliff here, figuring that would be it for me. Funny, I wasn't scared at all. I'm still not," he laughed a bit pathetically. "As soon as I was off the ground, my instincts kicked in." He breathed in, a look of peace on his face. "And I took flight for the first time. I soared through the sky, and as strange as it was, I needed no practice. It was like my body already knew what to do. It was like a dream being set free," he said as the wind blew, picking up another leaf from the tree and drifting into the night air.

"I was free," he said, his voice trailing off before he fell silent. Even though she couldn't see his face, Fluttershy could sense the emotion in his voice—the same kind of freedom she had seen in his eyes when he rode his bike. "Is that why you ride your bike then?" she asked.

He nodded, his eyes clouding over with a mix of emotions. "After I got my wings blown off, I needed something to fill the void. My bike might be tethered to the ground, but..." He narrowed his eyes. "I can still get the rush of the wind when I'm at high speeds. For so long, it was the only thing that freed me."

"Was?" Fluttershy questioned.

He chuckled at her gaze and grew closer to her. "Then I met you... and with it, a whole new kind of freedom." He told her in a hushed tone.

She smiled at his words and asked, "So then what happened?"

"I never went back to the city. I lived on the streets—sometimes in a cardboard box. All the while, I wanted to know who my parents were. Did they have wings? Were they like me? Why was I so different? However, despite my best efforts, Luna found me."

Fluttershy tightened her hoof, growing irritated, and accidentally pinched him while deep in thought.

"Trust me, dear, I was never interested in her. We were, at the time, friends," he winced in pain.

She loosened her grip, an apologetic look crossing her face, both for her grip and for being caught jealous.

"One day she even offered to help me find my parents," he said, his voice cracking on the edge of tears. "We couldn't find them, of course, but she did help me for a few years, until the day she turned on me completely. Then again," he shook his head, "it really was my fault."

The young strange colt grew into a decent-sized teen; his oversized blue coat barely fitted him now. Still, he wore it to hide his tail, especially around his friends. He sat waiting for her, perched on top of the very trash can he was thrown into when he was little. In his hoof was a chocolate muffin, one he was quite happy to devour.

Suddenly, as he was about to take the last bite, Luna ran up to him.

"Did you hear Sugar Cube Corner got robbed last night?" she exclaimed with a hint of worry.

"Oh yeah, I know," he replied nonchalantly. "Sorry, but I ran out of the money you gave me," he popped the last piece of his muffin in his mouth, talking with his mouth full as he continued, "and had to take matters into my own hands."

"You stole those," she shouted at him.

"I just took two or three," he shrugged. "Or ten," he chuckled. "Can you do me a favor and let me borrow a few bills? I'll pay you back once I get a job."

"You stole ten muffins!" she shouted back. "Where did the cash I gave you go?"

"Hmm, oh, I had to get this jacket tailored. Besides, it was only a few muffins. It's not like I stole jewelry or something. Just give me the cash so I can go make up for it. Oh, and can I have a few extra bills for dinner?" He smirked as if it didn't matter at all.

The teenage mare's eyes widened at this. "You're insane! No, there's no way I'm ever giving you another dime."

"Hmm, really?" He narrowed his eyes. "Stop playing with me and help me out. You know I'll pay you back once I get a job."

"And when will that be? Four years from now? Perhaps never in those clothes."

"Oh, you're one to talk! You're filthy rich, yet you go scampering around town dressed like that." He gestured to her jeans.

"Holes in jeans are a new fashion trend."

"Ha! Fashion? Such a stupid excuse," he said as he effortlessly closed the distance between them. She could feel him; was it a hoof at all? It felt more like a claw snatching her wallet out of her pocket. She hated purses and always carried a man's wallet, thinking it suited her better.

"Hey, give that back!" she yelled, attempting to swipe at it.

He swiftly used the dance moves she taught him to avoid her hooves, making sure to be extra careful with his steps.

He then used his height against her and raised the wallet out of her reach.

She jumped for it, but he dodged and she landed right into the trash can herself. An old cup of noodles splattered on her face. Her sister was in the car waiting for them, but when she saw Luna in the trash, she immediately jumped out.

He quickly took out her money, grabbed what he needed to pay for the muffins and a little extra for dinner, but nothing more—setting the rest of the bills back in her wallet before tossing it back at her and hitting her in the head.

"There, was that so hard?" he retorted before walking away. Just then, her older sister ran up and nearly tackled the teen. She was a teen herself, but being five years older made quite the difference. Still, the colt stood as tall as she was and she was eighteen in her last year of high school.

"Give back whatever you stole from my sister, you little twerp!"

"Little? I'm the same height as you, Tia," he said, amused. None of this was bothering him in the slightest.

"I knew I shouldn't have let my sister hang out in the south side of town," she huffed.

"Oh yeah? And why is that? You think all of us who live here are here because we want to be?" He grew angrier with each word. "You think if we had a choice, we would choose this path. You, in your stuck-up rich life whose biggest issue is deciding whether or not to wear holes in your pants! I was frickin' hungry; give me a break!"

At this, Celestia grew even more angry. In a deep, angry tone, she simply said, "Give me back my sister's money or—"

"Or what? You think you can take me, is that it? I'd love to see you try," he snarled.

Just then, a cop—one of the very few on the south side of town—was walking by, looking for clues as to who robbed Sugar Cube Corner.

"Help!" Celestia shouted. "This guy stole from my little sister!"

Discord looked at the cop and rolled his eyes. "Really? Tattling? That’s what you’re gonna do?"

"He also robbed Sugar Cube Corner!" Luna said, finally getting out of the trash can.

"Alright, bub. Come with me," the dog officer said as he tried to grab Discord's arm.

But in a quick shift, Discord used his skills to evade the cop. "I don't need this. I'm out of here."

"Hey!" the cop yelled.

"Hey yourself," Discord retorted in a grumble.

The cop then grabbed his walkie-talkie. "I need backup. Teen resisting arrest, tall and skinny, wearing a blue raincoat."

With that, in seconds, two cop cars came rolling up as the cop tried to stop Discord again. He evaded the cop and soon evaded the others.

"All this over a frickin' muffin," he shook his head. But finally, one cop tackled him to the ground—a large fat lizard, actually. Discord, though, wasn't going to go down that easily and with a mighty roar that sounded almost beast-like, he tossed the cop away with his tail. He was proud of himself for that; his own strength and rush flowed through him as he grew an evil smirk, only for his expression to falter when he noticed the two girls—especially his friend Luna—stood in complete shock and fear.

The sight of them cowering before him shook his train of thought, and it was easy for the cops to get a hold of him, tie him down, and arrest him for good.

"All that over a muffin? Really, Discord?" Fluttershy scolded.

"Not just any muffin, but my favorite muffins," he rolled his eyes, looking away from her.

She was now sitting on his lap, and he sat with his back against the tree.

"To my surprise, Mr. Cake's grandfather never pressed charges. But Luna and Celestia did, despite the charges being low. I was sent to jail and then watched by a parole officer for the rest of my teen life."

"Pinky's father," Fluttershy mumbled.

"I didn't care. All I cared about was finding my family. And if I couldn't find mine... I thought..."

After a moment of silence, Fluttershy encouraged him. "Go on," she said in an almost motherly tone—a sweet one at that.

"I thought I could help others find theirs. I became fascinated with the DNA test, and I wanted to understand how it worked. So I put everything I had into becoming a geneticist. I studied my own unique biology and its DNA strands. What I found was how unique my DNA actually was. It constantly alternated and never settled. I used my research to gain some recognition and delivered a scientific paper on the subject of alternating genetics."

"I didn't make friends after that; I didn't want any. I just kept to myself and my research. With it, I was going somewhere. That was until the day I nearly lost all such freedom."

"Minding my own business at Sugar Cube Corner, the place was attacked, and I didn't care. I didn't have a leg in this fight, and I didn't want to either. I just wanted to leave, but the big bulky cat pulled a knife on me. And despite being stabbed, I beat them so bad," he winced as she placed a reassuring hoof on his chest.

"I beat them so badly they were an inch away from death," he said as the wind blew.

"But it was in self-defense, wasn't it?" asked Fluttershy.

"At first, maybe, and sure that's what I did claim. But despite that—and Mr. Cake and his family calling me a hero—I was facing at least a decade in prison if not more... I hate cages," he snarled. The very thought of being locked up when all he wanted was to be a free bird made him feel sick. "Luckily for me, a top scientist who was helping with the war efforts saw potential in my studies and had me transferred."

"Star Swirl," Fluttershy commented.

Discord nodded before continuing, "That's when things just went from bad to worse as I joined the war effort. I didn't join because I wanted to protect the people; I joined because it was the only way to protect my own freedom."

"Two years went by, and then I met him—the man in charge of funding our little experiment to end the war: Mr. Don Sparkle. He came in to look at the research along with his family."

"A security risk, perhaps, but at the time it didn't really matter."

"It was him, his wife, and two kids. One of them begged to learn about genetics. She was so interested in science even back then." Discord shook his head.

"I didn't want to, but Mr. Sparkle insisted it be fun for his children and asked me to do a DNA test so they could see how they all related. I couldn't exactly say no to my boss, so I did as I was asked and explained to the little filly how DNA worked, as basic as you could to a six-year-old at least. I then, of course, took samples of their DNA and began to genetically decode them."

"Nothing too out of the ordinary, until I saw the mother's. I studied my own DNA strands so closely that I could tell when I was staring at my own. So you can imagine my surprise when I found that same exact DNA in a mare that would be the right age to be my mother."

Mrs. Sparkle looked at her two silly children as she hummed a little tune to herself—the same tune she often hummed to herself—as a sad smile kept on her face. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she told her children and headed to the door.

When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of a rather tall pony in a lab coat and a pair of sunglasses. "Ah, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, almost as if in a jazz tone.

"Yes, can I help you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Um, yes, you see, I…" he shook out of the daze. "I am Doctor Ghost. I am the scientist second in command of the project your husband is working on."

"Oh, he's not here right now. Perhaps if you come later?" she replied.

"Oh no, I am not here to talk to him; I am here to talk with you, actually. Do you mind if I come in?" he said as if out of breath all of a sudden.

"Uh, I am not comfortable with…"

"Oh, oh, of course not! Please, can I just have a word with you out here then? I have some papers I just want to show you."

"Oh, well of course," she said as she stepped out of the house and onto the porch. She sat down, offering him a seat at the little side table.

He quickly pulled out a folder and handed it to her.

She took it and opened the file; he eyed her carefully as she did.

"You see, Mrs. Sparkle, all personnel involved with the program are genetically identified. Since your husband's son was cleared to come onto the campus, so was his DNA tracked. If you look here," he pointed at a piece of genetic code on the papers, "this here is mitochondrial DNA—DNA you can only receive from your mother. It's the dominant link to your family tree. This next page is, of course, yours for obvious reasons." He grinned as he looked at it.

"It's exactly the same," she grinned.

"Yes, so it is."

"Well, I mean, he is my son, so of course, it would be 100 percent."

"Yes, well, there's just a slight problem." He pulled out a paper from his pocket.

"You see, Mrs. Sparkle, I am a geneticist. In fact, it is my own research that has given way to what your husband is spending his hard-earned money on. Most of the research is on myself, actually." He took off his glasses. "Ma'am, I know my genetic code like someone would know their best friend, and that is not your son's. This is." He handed her another paper. It was exactly the same, and she grew a surprised and worried expression as he saw the colt's ruby eyes.

Discord chose his next words carefully as he calmly expressed, "What you have there is my mitochondrial DNA. I, uh, I never knew my mother." His face grew neutral as he looked into her eyes.

Mrs. Sparkle stared at him for a moment. "It can't be," she said under her breath, but he heard it and grinned.

"I'm 19 years old. I grew up in the back alleys of the south side of Ponyville. I made many mistakes in my life, rounding up given a choice: either do time behind bars or fight for my country, using my genetic research to fund a way to stop the war. I have been searching for my mother ever since I can remember, Mrs. Sparkle," he said, a bit choked up.

Mrs. Sparkle sat staring at him, amazed and yet terrified. Just then, the door slid open; it was a young colt.

"Mommy, Twily wants to know if we could use the kitchen bowl for an experiment."

She quickly turned to her youngest son. "Oh, uh, yes, uh..." she said, as if out of breath.

Mr. Ghost looked between her and the young child.

"Umm..." she sat, not knowing what to say.

"Who are you?" asked the little colt.

At that, Mrs. Sparkle was about to say something when Mr. Ghost spoke up first.

"Oh, I'm just working for your father. Your mother and I were just talking about boring grown-up stuff." He quickly took the folder out of the lady's hooves and dumped it in the trash on the side of the road.

"I think I should get going. I am sorry to bother you, ma'am," he said with a friendly grin before putting his glasses back on and walking away. Just then, Mr. Sparkle walked up, bumping into him.

"Oh, Mr. Ghost, I am sorry, sir! I didn't see you there. What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Oh, it's nothing really," he grinned. "I need to be on my way."

"Nonsense! Come, come! You must have dinner with my wife; she makes some of the best salads you'll ever have."

"Tempy, this is Mr. Ghost. He's second in command of the big project I'm working on at work."

"You know my daughter loves science; you must stay for dinner. She'll have hundreds of questions for you."

"Perhaps another time," Mr. Ghost grumbled. "I'm sorry, but I really must be on my way." He took off without another word. Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "What in the blue blazes was that about? Why was he here?"

She said nothing at first and just turned.

"Dear, are you alright?" he asked in a concerned voice.

"Yes, he was just on his way when I ran into him. Don't worry about it," she said clearly. Her husband looked at her confused at first but gave an "Alright then," before walking into his home.

"That I'm afraid was only the beginning of my troubles," Tempest winced.

With a loud thump, Shining sat back against the wall and slowly slid down it. "I can't believe it. So it's true..." he said in disbelief. "He really is our brother."

"But he tortured you for years," Twilight turned to him, "and me. He turned me into a monster." Her lip quivered. "A monster that killed our father. Why?"

Their mother gritted her teeth. "Revenge. Revenge for what your father did to him. Simply put, what he's done is unforgivable, but…" She opened her eyes and looked at Twilight. "Your father was far from innocent; however..." she paused, and with a deeply sorry voice, she said, "In the end, it is my fault things turned out the way they did."

Discord sat in his lab feeding his pet Smooes. Though the creature slimmed away its food and slithered across its path, making Discord chuckle as he watched it, it was clear where his mind was. He thought back to seeing the grand house that she lived in, the image of her son, and apparently a daughter he didn't see but heard. The nice, strong stallion that was her husband. Could it be? Could it really be her? Could she really be his mother? Discord often wanted a life like that. He tried to imagine what it would feel like to look up to a mom and dad, and the possibility of a younger sibling to play games with. He loved games and telling jokes.

"Why?" he asked out loud, catching the slimy thing's attention in front of him. The creature repeated his question as a question of its own.

"Oh, sorry, Smooes, I—" he winced as he felt a bit of pain in his chest. "I'm just not myself right now." He set out his lion-like hand, letting the slimy substance crawl over it. He picked it up, giving it a sad smile before setting it back in its box and locking it up. Just then, the phone rang.

He cleaned off his paw with a handkerchief before answering the phone. "What do you want now?" he grumbled, expecting it to be his boss. To his surprise, it wasn't his boss, but his wife.

"Um, hello, Dr. Ghost. I was wondering," she said nervously, "if we could perhaps meet up."

Discord was bewildered, absolutely flabbergasted at this. "Uh, Mrs. Sparkle, I..."

"I would just like to get to know you a bit is all," she said timidly—almost as timid as Fluttershy.

"Of course! Just give me some time, and I'll try to fit it into my schedule." He offered a smile of disbelief.

"Oh, uh, what about 1:00 for lunch at the diner? Would that be alright with you... tomorrow, I mean?"

He quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote it down. "Sure, sure, that works. 1:00 at the diner; see you then." He hung up the phone.

"And did you go?" asked Fluttershy.

"I just wanted to get to know her; I wanted to understand why," he sighed. "Why she left me behind."

"And so for a few months, we met up in secret, had lunch, and chatted. Sometimes we'd go out where little would recognize either of us. Other times we ate at her place when the kids were at school or out of the house, or even mine... But soon, my research and the war got in the way of us seeing each other. They were hoping that by using my research, we would be able to create an army powerful enough to wipe out the enemies in seconds... But there were many doubters, who needed proof this could not only work but would be worth it—so I was drafted into the arms of battle. I kept my pony form up most of the time during boot camp and through normal routines, but on the battlefield, I was let loose to show what I could truly do. Alongside me were a select few who worked directly under the watchful eyes of Mr. Sparkle and his fellow politicians."

"He was also there down in the trenches with me, only to see what my skills could do. I was fast and strong; however, I was never completely bulletproof. While long-range projectiles gave me time to evade or shield myself, if I was up close with one, there was no way out of it." He placed his eagle claw over two bullet wounds he had on his stomach. He sighed; due to my acts of bravery, I was awarded the honor of being knighted, and due to my injury, I was finally given some time off from both my research and my duty."

Discord was in a slim black suit, standing in front of the Sparkles' doorway. In his hand was a fancy wooden cane that he leaned on.

Mrs. Sparkle, his mother, opened the door and greeted him with a smile as she held out her arm, gesturing him inside. He did so, using the cane, making her raise an eyebrow. She had never seen him walk with a cane before; with the fancy cane, it looked like just a piece of his wardrobe and nothing more. But his mother had never seen him with a cane, and at first, she didn't question it. It wasn't until she asked him to sit down and he refused that she knew something was amiss.

"I thank you for the offer, but at the moment, I'd really rather stand," he said, gripping his cane a bit tighter.

She thought it odd, but then again he was always a bit of an odd pony. "Alright then, so tell me, how does it feel to be a lord?"

Mr. Ghost smirked at that. "To be honest, I could care less about my so-called reward. It really does nothing to improve my situation; it's just a fancy title," he scoffed, taking a piece of bread from the table below him.

"Oh, come now! You were given the title by the queen herself. What an honor! A single queen, might I add," his mother winked.

He grinned his signature grin as he replied, "Oh, you've been listening to those darn papers, haven't you? I can assure you, it was just a bit of fancy wavers—nothing more."

"Oh, come now! You have to have someone in your life—someone you felt attracted to for whatever reason."

Mr. Ghost fiddled with his hooves a bit. "As a matter of fact, there might be one... Oh, but she'll never see me that way, I assure you."

"Oh, do tell, do tell!" Mrs. Sparkle smiled.

He scratched at his neck a bit before answering her question. "A fellow scientist I work with—nothing more. She just..." He sighed. "She tends to—well, it doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," she retorted. "I say perhaps you should give it a go and see where things take you."

"Is that what you did with my father then?" he asked as he took a bite of the bread finally.

With the loud crunch, it might have well been a crack in their conversation. It was Mrs. Sparkle's turn to feel uncomfortable as she fell silent.

"You always do that when I bring him up," he said with his mouth full. He swallowed and continued, "What do you know about him?"

"There isn't anything more I can tell you. We were spies; we got together, never told each other's names—that's it."

"Really? Because if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly a full pony," he argued back with his mouth full.

"Don't talk with your mouth full."

"Oh, now you want to act like a mother," he said bitterly.

"What do you want from me?" she asked angrily, standing up. She then quickly closed the distance between them and aggressively jabbed him in the chest, "I have a family! I have a husband!" She stopped as Mr. Ghost leaned over from her jab and coughed up blood.

She screamed in terror, "Oh my God! Are you alright?"

He coughed again; a few more splats of blood fell from his lips, but he cleared his throat.

"I'm calling for help!" she said frantically, but he stopped her by pulling her back with his hoof. She watched as it morphed into a claw.

"No, no! I'm fine! I've had enough doctors." He pulled out a napkin and quickly cleaned his face. "I was shot recently, that's all. You just surprised my system a bit."

"Shot? You should be lying down if you were shot! What are you doing up?" she scolded him.

"I wanted to come see you," he whined a bit. "I don't know how many more chances I will get to see you." He looked away from her.

"Show me."

"What?"

"Show me right now."

Mr. Ghost's eyes widened at that; he wanted to retaliate but instead gripped his cane for support in his left hand and undid his shirt with his right. Across his lower chest and stomach were bandages covering scratches and bullet holes. Still, the sight of him, all bandaged up and seeing how skinny he was, was almost too much for his mother to bear. It reminded her of her first love, and the sight brought a tear to her eye as she gritted her teeth. "Lay down!"

He tried to argue, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a bedroom, pushing him down onto the bed. "Hey!" he yelled back at her. In response, she only lifted his feet onto the bed. He tried to get up once more, but she placed a hoof on his shoulder, catching him off guard. "Can I get you anything?" she replied in a motherly voice, tears still in her eyes.

At first, he was stunned, but then he slowly smiled as he knelt back and began to get comfortable. "My tea and bread," he replied.

"I'll fetch it, as well as my own. We can continue our conversations in here," she said and headed out the door.

Mr. Ghost just smiled as he watched her. For the first time in his life, he actually felt—felt what, he asked himself. Love? Is this love? Does my mother actually care for me? He pondered.

It didn't last long, however, as the door opened. He expected it to be his mother, and he had a genuine smile on his face, but as he saw who it was, his expression turned to one of fear.

Standing in the doorway, holding a shotgun, was none other than Mr. Sparkle.

"Your father that day saw us together and thought the worst possible outcome," she shook her head. "At this point, I wish it was that simple."

"Dad thought you were cheating on him," gasped Shining in horror. "With your own son."

"What did you do?" asked Rarity, aghast.

"I froze, that's what I did. I mean, how could I explain that I was once a secret agent who fell in love with a dragon and had a monster for a son—a son that was not his?"

"What happened next?" asked Applejack in disbelief.

"Well, the two argued. I tried to intervene, but things escalated quickly to the point where both males got into a fistfight. My husband was given a black eye, and as for Discord, despite everything your father could put up, it never phased him. He was just too strong, even with his eye injuries."

"So that's what started those rumors?" asked Fluttershy in a tired tone.

"Yes, soon everyone considered me some type of ladies' man trying to woo a rich and wealthy woman despite being married." "Yuck!" he stuck his tongue out in utter disgust at the mere thought. "And my reputation was run through the mud. They tried to do anything they could to discredit me. Most of it, I know now, was Luna. As for Mr. Sparkle himself, I don't know what, or even if, Mother told him anything."

Discord leaned into Fluttershy's touch as he told the next part of the story.

"Unfortunately, my boss quickly became my worst enemy after that. He soon started taking credit for my advancement in the research. But if that wasn't enough, he publicly humiliated me any chance he got thereafter. One day, I even confronted him about it. He swore he'd see me in bars like the freak I was."

Fluttershy tried to hug Discord, but he simply stopped her and looked her in the eye. His story was not done yet.

"At the same time, I was a fool who thought this scientist had the hots for me," he said shakily.

"No, Discord, you don't have to repeat yourself," Fluttershy tried to ease him.

"That night, I went to the only person I thought could help me; someone who could believe in me," he began shaking.

"You went to your mother, didn't you?"

He only nodded in response.

Discord stood in front of their home, covered in his own blood. A manhunt was gathering because of his deeds.

Mrs. Sparkle and her husband gasped at the sight of him.

He was in his true beastly form, blood splattered across his chest. What must have been his victim's blood, they thought. Luckily, Shining and Twilight were asleep inside.

"Mother," Discord called out, tears in his eyes. "Mother, please!" He sniffled and took a step forward. But Mr. Sparkle stood between them. As for Mrs. Sparkle, she didn't know what to do. She only begged for her children not to wake; she didn't want her two children scared for life because of him. Her children were now barely six and eight, respectively. She wanted nothing more than to look away and run to her little ones inside, pretending this was all a bad dream; a nightmare.

Her husband raised his own gun and demanded that he leave them alone.

"No, no, please," Discord pleaded. "Mother!"

Suddenly, several tanks and men all surrounded Discord; in a moment of fear, he took off to the skies.

"Don't let him get away! Fire!" demanded Mr. Sparkle. The sound of a cannon went off from a tank, and it quickly caught Discord mid-air, as a blood-curdling yell of pain echoed for miles. But it didn't sound pony nor lizard, but that of a horrified beast finally giving its death call.

"After that, I don't know what happened to him. I was certain he was gone. The nightmare was over," Tempest told the room before she coughed. "We moved to a new place, hoping to get away from the past but..." She coughed again.

"A year later, however, he would emerge again—this time far worse. Everything that occurred that night, everything that has to do with Project Beast, was classified. So when he did resurface, Mr. Ghost was seen as a hero. He was quickly raised to a high-class business status. And standing out in the open, we couldn't make a single move to take him down."

"But the strange thing is he never made another gesture towards the family—not for a little while anyway. Until one day, he came to our new home. I was beyond scared and didn't know what he would do. Yet all he claimed was that Mr. Sparkle was continuing the Beast Project, to which I told him that was ridiculous, and I made him leave."

"So now you know just about everything," Discord said in a hushed tone. "Tired and alone without wings, without flight, I was no longer free, and I knew I could never be. So I became whatever one thought I was, even better." He chuckled sadly. "I became the very thing they feared: chaos itself. I took control of chaos, overthrowing the underground crime boss until I stood on top. With it, I took control of the entire city from underground. And I made sure no one had to endure what I had ever again."

"You're a hero," Fluttershy said softly.

"Hero? No, that's what you don't understand. I didn't care who I hurt or who got hurt so long as it furthers my own goals. I'm not a villain, but I am no hero. I am the Chaos King. I figured I'd go until the day I died... I thought there was only one way I was going out of this, and I only grew stronger in preparation for the day that I'd go down in a blaze of glory. But I wasn't stupid or suicidal, no," he chuckled darkly, beginning to lose it once again. He set a claw over her hoof as his eyes glowed. "It's all just a game. A game I was losing, and I decided if I'm gonna be forced to play this life's sick game, I might as well play it my way—the chaos way," he said with a crazy look in his eye. He took in a deep breath and let the craziness subside.

"Mr. Sparkle stole my research and continued the Beast Project. I wouldn't find out until a few years later that I wasn't interested in stopping him; I only wanted compensation for it."

"Compensation?" Fluttershy asked.

"Money, my dear. And if he wouldn't pay me for what was rightfully mine, I'd turn him into what he wanted to be so badly." Discord tightened his claw into a fist. "I went to confront him personally—a move I don't do very often, but for him, I made an exception. I only wanted to hurt those who deserved it. No, I'm not some judge of death who decides who or what gets hurt. I just hurt whoever I felt deserved it, because that’s all I've ever done. Anyone who dared to hurt me, I would hurt ten times more," he said as his voice began to grow angrier. "But I never wanted to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it."

Discord stood as a tall dark shadow; only his outline could be seen in the alleyway.

Mr. Sparkle turned to his wife. "You know what? I'm going to finish this right now," he said before stepping off to confront the shadow.

"You! You stay away from my family!" Mr. Sparkle snarled.

"I don't care about your family," Discord spat back before waving a paper at the colt's face. "This is why I'm here. I know what you're doing," he said slowly with a grin. "I know you," Discord chuckled. "It doesn't take a genius, yet here I am, to deliver your new occupations. You're still running the Beast Program."

"And what if I am? You should be at the bottom of some pit! Now, for the last time, stay away from me."

"You're stealing my research. I have no problem with its continuation, but I want my compensation and my part to play in it."

"Your compensation? You should be dead!" growled the white pony.

"Alright, that's enough you two," said a new voice entering the conversation. "My children are present, and I don't want them involved. Can't we discuss this another time?" she retorted.

"Ha! Funny coming from you. Since when were you ever worried about your children?" Discord snarled at Mrs. Sparkle.

"Okay, that's it! You can say what you want about me, but don't you ever talk to my wife like that!" Mr. Sparkle demanded, trying to keep his voice down so the kids in the background wouldn't hear.

"I just want my compensation. I don't even care!"

"You can go jump off a cliff," Mr. Sparkle retorted.

Discord rolled his eyes. "Mrs. Sparkle, if you please."

Mrs. Sparkle stepped away from him, a bit frightened. "We'll deal with this another time," she replied.

"I'm only asking you for help, and this is the way you treat me," he chuckled darkly. "Typical, I suppose," he said with an evil grin.

"You give me no choice," Discord pulled out a gun. Just then, the youngest filly walked over, not paying close attention.

"No, Twilight, don't come over here!" shouted her father, making the little filly freeze in fear. Just then, a shot went off. "Mommy!" she exclaimed and ran to her in fear of the loud noise, not realizing she was heading in its direction. Her mother screamed.

Then the bullet hit her, but was it a bullet? No.

Her dad was the first to run up to her.

"Twilight! Twilight! Oh God!" Twilight was crying. "It's gonna be okay! It's gonna be okay!" he said as he looked over her. "Twilight, everything's gonna be okay. I promise."

"You shot her! You shot my daughter!" Discord's face showed horror at what he had just done.

Lightning crackled in the air as it began to rain. The creature stood up. "I was aiming for you!" he punched her father.

None of the words registered with the little filly as she stood up.

"Run, Twilight! Run!" She saw her brother cry out. Crazy laughter filled the air as her father pleaded.

"Please stop this! Don't hurt them! Don't! I'll help you; just don't!"

"Hahaha! It's too late," Discord nervously laughed, a crazy grin on his face. "What have I done?" he laughed uncontrollably, his eyes glowing a burning amber color. Lightning struck from the sky as he lost his mind. "You!" he said, pointing the gun at the filly. Just then, the filly began to mutate.

Twilight froze, not able to move as her mother shouted, "No! Twilight, run! Please, run!"

Just then, Shining got to her just as she collapsed to the ground. "Twily! Twily!" he shouted again and again. "Mom! Twily's!"

Just then, Twilight grew bigger and stronger; a horn sprouted from her head, and her eyes glowed furiously.

Shining didn't know what to do as the creature that was once his sister punched him in the face.

She jumped over, and both the creature and Shining watched in horror as the creature tore apart their father and, most likely, their mother.

He tried to stop her, but the creature turned around and struck him in the eye. As he blacked out, the last thing he remembered was the blurry image of a claw over his face.

Discord watched in horror yet laughed hysterically at all of this, taking in the chaos that ensued.

Her mother tried to stop her, but was kicked back, her horn scratching her face as blood began to seep from her wound. She went flying into the back wall.

Discord's crazy look never wavered until he heard her plea.

"Please," she coughed, from the impact, spitting up blood. "Please protect them—watch over them!" she uttered before blacking out.

Discord's eyes widened at what he had assumed was his mother's corpse. "How dare she!" he thought. How dare she ask him to take care of her brats when she didn't even once take care of him?

He looked over to the others. Mr. Sparkle was in a pool of blood; there was no saving him. Little did he care, but the boy still cried out in pain, slowly blacking out.

Discord walked over to him, thinking, Why should he care? The thing that was Twilight ran down the other way.

"So why did you help him then?" asked Fluttershy.

"It's not because I wanted to fulfill my mother's dying wish. I simply didn't care. I just took pity on the boy, that's all. I took pity on the girl as well but thought she'd be long dead soon. I didn't think anything could survive being mutated at the time. So I picked the boy up and brought him home, but I couldn't keep him there; I couldn't let him know anything. At the same time, I saw it as an opportunity I couldn't pass up.”

"An opportunity?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I was still continuing my research, not because I was looking for a cure for the chimera, but because I wanted to be a pony—no longer a freak. I needed subordinates to get back what I needed. Even more so, I needed an heir for when I would die. Someone to continue my research, perhaps... someone to continue my reign over the city. I figured I’d long be dead by the time I had my wish. I could use the serum against my enemies or allies if they became a threat. I figured I would take Shining under my wing and do just that. I also thought how grand it would be to turn Mr. Sparkle's son into my own image. But Shining proved to be difficult—always trying to poison me or ruin my research. When I found out his sister was alive, I decided it was best to let him go be with his family."

"I had no idea about you in any way, dear. Falling for you was never my plan." Discord said, a bit seductively on his part. "As soon as I figured out you were a chimera," he gently slid his claw across her face, "knowing it was my fault that turned you, my research that turned you. I had to find a cure. And I did," he whispered to her. "I can cure every one of them," he whispered a bit more excitedly.

"Including you?" she questioned.

To answer, his expression fell to a sad one.

"Oh, I see," she simply said as she frowned.

After a moment of silence, Fluttershy tried to speak. "Discord, I have something I need to…"

"I'm about tired of world-shattering news right now."

"Oh. Uh..." was all she could reply with. Of course, perhaps now would be a bad time to tell him.

"And that, my children, is the truth of what happened. That's everything. He is your brother. And I..." Tempest coughed. "I should have never left him at the hospital. I should have raised him alongside you guys. All of this," she sighed, "all of this is, in the end, my fault. I've made my mistakes."

"Mom, you couldn't have known he'd end up like he did," Shining told her.

"I suppose," she replied solemnly. "Now, I think I need to get some rest. A big fight is coming," she winced. "And I'm asking you guys to look out for one another. I'm also asking you to find it in your heart to look out for him. He doesn't deserve this."

"Really?" Twilight yelled. "After everything that guy has done?"

"In the end, I just can’t find it in myself to hate him despite all of that," her mother told her before she coughed again.

This caught Twilight off guard. She wanted to retaliate, to argue against it, but found she couldn't say a word as she stood, consumed by shock.

Seeing her face, her mother softly smiled. "We've all lived with so much pain, hatred, and fear for so long. I think it's time to move past that and let go of such grudges, don't you?" she told her youngest child.

"Mom."

She nodded. "I'm not saying forgive; I'm saying to look past it and move on."

"And what if I can't?" Twilight yelled in disbelief.

"Then you'll end up just like Luna," her mother whispered before drifting off to sleep.

Luna... The name brought Twilight back to the harsh reality she was now facing. Her aunt. The mare who raised her alongside Celestia when her family dispersed. Luna was now the enemy. And not only that, she was Spike's adopted mother. She turned to see the young purple lizard standing in the corner of the room. His entire expression that night was not one of anger, fear, or sadness, but one of shock. At that moment, Twilight could do nothing for him. She wanted to tell him that everything was going to be okay—that his big cousin, no, that his big sister would take care of it all and make it all okay again. But right now, she couldn't do any of that, not without straight-up lying to his face. All she could do was comfort him, so she wrapped her forearms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

He didn't even respond to it, still in utter shock. And all Twilight could think of was what would Celestia do? She made a note to herself to apologize to Celestia for how she acted as a child and to thank her for raising her when this was all over.

"Fluttershy," he sighed and nearly touched her but stopped himself. "Fluttershy, I... thank you. Thank you for everything, dear. Everything you've ever given me." He shook his head slightly. A look of longing struck his face. He then made her stand up off of him so he could stand himself. He took a few steps, keeping his back turned to her. The warmth of the fire spread across his back as he did, along with her presence.

"I thought I would long be dead by this time, but..." he began just above a whisper.

"But..." he said a bit louder and swallowed. "Tomorrow, this will all be over. And if I..." he began but winced.

"Tonight, I was planning to bring you here. Before all this happened. I thought I'd show up, catch the bad guy, prove to the world I'm not the villain everyone thinks I am. And before this all got out of hand, I..." He sighed. He then turned to her and took a step toward her.

"Remember what I told you about just running?"

"About building a cottage and living somewhere," she nodded.

"Yes, well. When this is all over…" he said, taking her hoof with his paw and flipping it to her palm. He then brought something out of his pocket—something she couldn't see. But with his claw, he placed it in her hooves. She could feel it; whatever it was, it seemed sturdy yet soft.

He removed his claw, revealing a tiny black box—the kind jewelry would come in. Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped. She went to open it with her free hoof, but he merely stopped her by placing his claw over hers. She looked up at his face. The pain he had in his eyes was nearly too much for her to bear.

Yet his lips curved into a slight grin.

"When this is all over," he told her. He wanted to grab her. He wanted to pull her close and hold her tight. But he knew if he did so, he would not be able to let go of her tonight. And tonight wasn't the night for such things. "Tomorrow night," he told himself. Tomorrow night, when this was all over, he'd pick her up, jump on the end of his bike, and take off, never looking back. Never caring what kind of prison this city had become to him.

All he needed to be free was her. But tonight wasn't the night for the answer to the question that box proposed. Tonight was a night to prepare for a bloody battle—one that he'd been fighting longer than he even knew.

Discord stepped back away from her. As he did so, he felt the shift in temperature immediately: the warmth of her, the warmth of the fire just behind her. The light shined, enveloping her in a warm glow. He knew he needed to step back—back into the shadows once more. One more time. One more day. After that, he needed not ever be alone again.

He coughed, clearing his throat. "So you were saying something… I'm sorry to interrupt," he said, wanting to talk more with her, at least. Wanting to hear her soothing voice again. It was like music to his ears. It both calmed his heart and excited it.

She looked at the box and then back to him. "Oh, oh, don't worry! It's nothing really," she gave a half-laugh. "It can wait," she assured him as she held on a bit tighter to the box in her hoof. "It can wait till later..." she nodded. "Good night, Mr. Ghost." She smiled.

He smiled back before replying, "Good night, Miss Breeze." And with that, he watched as she walked away.

Author's Note

Wooo 🥱 I really should have made this two chapters. The reason why I didn't was because I wanted 25 chapters only. Even so, I think making this, this long was a mistake. Oh well, at least I reached my goal of 100,000 words. That was something I challenged myself on and boy did I make it 😆. Ok, I think you read enough and I wrote enough for today. Let's skip the author's note story till next time.

Later 😂 👋 by the way Merry Christmas 2024 or better yet Happy Hearts Warming