Harmony's Tale: Part One: A Child Born of Chaos and Kindness

by StarryNight1313

This is the intended sequel to the Fluttercord series I posted. The couple finally have a little girl, but it's hard growing up as Discord's child. Part One covers Harmony's unusual childhood as she grows up under the tutelage of Twilight Sparkle.

Part One: The Child born out of Kindness and into Chaos

Never had two creatures been as happy as Discord and Fluttershy on the day of the birth of their first-born child. Fluttershy lay in the hospital cot, worn and bleary, but all the more beautiful for it. In her hooves was a darling little bundle. Her husband kissed her lovingly on the forehead and beamed down upon her and the baby. Then, the baby stirred and whined a bit as it did so. Coming out of its blanket for the first time, the parents watched as the baby emerged. The draconequus was the first to say something.

"Well…she's my child without a doubt."

Fluttershy, still as proud a mother as could be, donned a gentile look, too tired for much more than that.

"She is lovely in her own right."

Discord took the child into his arms and rocked her back and forth gently.

"What shall we call her?" he asked, standing above the bed with the child in his arms.

The pegasus, sweat upon her brow, took a long moment to ponder this and, upon deciding, smoothed out her ragged mane with a hoof. Opening her soft mouth, she replied quietly:

"I think we should call her 'Harmony'; after all it was harmony that allowed us to be together after all of our strife it is this lovely little filly that restored harmony into our own lives."

Discord's golden eyes grew gently and he began to coo at his little foal. He agreed with his wife, responding:

"That sounds perfect."

And so it was that the couple brought their first child into the world and, like the mother had said, it did bring harmony into their lives, but it brought plenty of chaos as well.

Harmony had a very unique appearance, to say the least. Her form was that of a pony, however it appeared that she would grow slightly taller than most ponies due to her rapid growth spurts, which, of course, happened randomly. Her back legs were that of a pony as well, which gave way to the idea that she too would someday have a cutiemark, which was of great interest to her father, though he would not say as much. Harmony's coat was that of a grey color, similar to that of the fur upon the head of her father. However, her forelegs were that of a cheetah: yellow fur with black markings and delicate little paws at the end, with sharp claws to match, of course.

Her black mane was as soft was her mothers with bangs to one side; it was long and slightly shaggy, as though it needed to be cut properly, though it never would be. Two sharp white horns protruded from beneath her mane, and she had not one but two tantalizing fangs poking out from her upper lip. Her wings, for she was the daughter of two parents of flight, were that of a bat—dark with a thin, sinewy layer between three finger-like bone structures that supported the act of flight. Lastly, her eyes were a deep midnight blue, as if the night sky had blessed them with its hue. In every sense of the word: Harmony was special.

Even as a tiny foal, little Harmony was a big hoof-full. Though she did not seem to have her father's chaos-based abilities and magic, her flight abilities, however, made her somewhat of a household disaster—with a broken vase here and another plate over there…but, at her core, was a loving daughter who greatly admired her equally as loving parents. And though she was different, no real problems arose, until she entered school-age.

It was the first day of school and none was quite as excited as Harmony. She was flying about the house, bat-wings flapping, grabbing anything she thought she might use at school into a large burlap backpack. Fluttershy smiled lightly; she remembered when she had once been happy to attend school as well, at least for the first day, after that she had been more than nervous to continue, but none of this was relevant to her daughter…she hoped. With a quick flap her of wings, the pegasus flew over to the backpack her daughter was busy stuffing. It was full of books, food, stuffed animals…Frowning, the mother said:

"Dearest, do you really need all of this?"

The child stopped momentarily and fluttered in place. Her dark eyes were serious as she addressed her mother.

"Yes," came her fire response, though a toothily grin danced upon her face.

Then, the father came into the room. Discord's wife approached him and playfully said:

"Please tell our daughter that she doesn't need all that."

Harmony, rushing to her father's side, begged (with large, pleading eyes):

"But I do need all of it!"

Discord, ever-willing to please his darling daughter, snapped his claw; the backpack simple doubled in size and depth. In reality, it was usually Discord anyways that caved into the wills and wants of his daughter. The yellow pegasus in the room put a hoof to her head, softly exhaling.

"That is not what I meant."

Her husband drew her in and kissed her lightly on the forehead. She softened in his embraced and sighed gently, this time out of bliss. He laughed gently, releasing her once more, and retorted:

"Ah yes, but her blue eyes are just so sad!"

The parents, proud as peacocks, escorted their Harmony to the local schoolhouse. There were many other fillies that ran about and one lone adult stood in the midst of the chaos. Fluttershy went up to greet Cheerlie, her daughter in tow. Discord stood behind her, knowing he was not as welcome as everyone else. Despite everything, he still felt awkward in the presence of the "normal" pony-folk. Cheerlie did not note this, however, and approached the family with bright smile upon her face in order to greet them properly.

"Good morning Fluttershy…Discord."

(In spite of the pause, Discord brightened upon her inclusion of him in the conversation).

"And who is this?" asked Cheerlie, attempting not to let her voice betray all the questions she had. (Namely, if the child had powers or not).

Harmony felt the kindness of the pink schoolteacher in front of her and came out from her mother's side. Her eyes were fixed directly upon the adult and she spoke with an authority that was far beyond her small stature. In a deep voice that should not have come from her little mouth, Harmony addressed Cheerlie without fear.

"Nice to meet you as well. My name is Harmony."

Cheerlie, if not fazed by the foal's appearance, was certainly distressed at her voice. She felt a chill run up her spine, as if the child knew some great secret and with this secret, authority. Still, as was her duty, the teacher stood tall and grinned from ear to ear.

"It is a pleasure as well, Harmony. Why don't you go meet some of the other fillies?"

Harmony gave a simple nod and trotted off. What choice did she have, in reality? So, with a sort of languid slowness, she gazed behind her up to her parents. When they smiled at her and waved her on, she left them. Suddenly, she was not so happy; she was downright terrified. The other fillies in the yard were flying and running about. The strange newcomer did not. She walked into the throng of the others and smiled, baring her fangs unintentionally.

"Hello fellow fillies," rang out her voice.

Though the message was clear and overly positive, her voice, and her fangs to boot, changed it slightly. The other fillies ceased their activities and stood still. Suddenly, the yard was quiet. One filly, a brave one perhaps, approached her, but not too closely, and said, in a demanding tone:

"What are you?"

What, not who, Harmony noted. Still optimistic, she smiled once more and flapped her wings once, to show her enthusiasm.

"I am Harmony, the daughter of Fluttershy and Discord."

Her father's name was all it took to send a ripple of fear and paranoia out into the crowd. One filly began to weep and more backed away slowly. Still some others, full of malice and bravado, began to lash out, screaming:

"Monster!"

And yet another, more "creatively":

"Vampire!"

The strange little filly, though she carried an air of maturity, felt very childish indeed at this moment. She hunkered back a bit, her shoulder blades appearing as her front half sank back into the ground. Her cheetah paws dug into the ground, the claws kneading at the dirt. Her dark eyes, midnight during the day, twinkled. It was unclear of how she was going to respond. Her parents, alerted to the situation upon the shout of "monster" were ready to jump in and protect their daughter at a moment's notice however, though an exchange of glances, they decided to wait a bit longer. Even they were curious to how the child would handle it, partly because she was their child and they wanted to see her grow and evolve, but partly because of her own father's disposition.

Harmony remained low to the ground, shuffling her light wings.

"Is that what you think of me?" she inquired of them all in a low voice. (If she had a moving tail, it would have surely been flicking, but she had a long black pony tail).

One of the fillies, with accusing eyes, exclaimed:

"Because you are! Look at you!"

And she did. The little filly looked down upon herself: her paws, her wings, then up at her horns. The, she looked out upon the other ponies who did not seem to have these aspects. She was different and to some degree she had always known that, so why now did it feel so prominent? Tears began to spring to her dark eyes; truly she was a monster. However, she calmed herself equally as quickly saying:

"How I look is nothing of my choosing nor is it of importance."

The filly who had shouted to her before chose to again, acting as a sort of "voice" for the crowd. He, with burning orange eyes, spread his forelegs and adopted an aggressive stance. Throwing out his voice, he claimed:

"Of course it is! But we all know that you have your dad's weird powers too. Why'd you even come to school? Did you come to cause chaos?"

Harmony stood up firmly now and her eyes narrowed, though one could only be seen underneath her long black hair. She seemed to be sneering. Her paws clawed at the ground once more and the grass began to tear under them.

"Of course not."

The other filly scoffed.

"You are the daughter of chaos. How could you be or do anything else?"

It was at this that Fluttershy and Discord flew to the aid of their daughter at lightning-fast speed. Both of them had blazing eyes, though Fluttershy seemed more terrifying—as if a deeper instinctual anger had been awoken and released. Her husband, too, glowered upon the fillies. Scooping up her daughter, Fluttershy turned back to Cheerlie momentarily saying softly:

"We'll try again another day."

And so they departed in a calm silence.

As it happened, Harmony did not return to school. For the first few weeks, in fact, she did not even leave her bedroom. Though her tears ran out after two or three days, Harmony felt as though she could not leave her room. Solitude began to suit her. Though she grew lonelier and lonelier, at least in solitude there was no one to call her names…no one to point out what was pitifully obvious. The girl's parents, even after the first week, grew dreadfully worried about her.

Fluttershy sat with Discord on her sofa, snuggling up to his side for comfort. He embraced her fondly and craned his neck towards her so that they were face to face. Discord looked directly into her soft blue eyes and hoped that their closeness in proximity would bring her comfort. He was correct in this. His lovely wife kissed him upon the snout and sat up slightly, averting her eyes.

"What are we going to do about Harmony?" she asked softly.

The draconequus, though his appearance was fearful, began to stroke her cheek softly with his lion's paw. He seemed to be pondering the question as well, though even he was forced to admit that his solution of simply keeping Harmony with them forever, was probably not the correct one. However, it seemed equally as ridiculous to send her pack into that den of wolves.

"I don't want her to go back there. I am still excluded by the pony community and you well remember how it was to be bullied at flight school."

Fluttershy's eyes grew soft with tears and she stroked her mane back with a yellow hoof. She did remember, all too well in fact. To force her child to suffer the same fate was beyond cruel. Still, how would their child learn what she needed to know without regular attendance at school? Perhaps even more importantly, how would she make friends locked in her room? The mother decided to address one issue at a time and went with education as her primary concern.

"Well, perhaps we could have Twilight tutor Harmony. After all, who is more knowledgeable than Twilight?"

Discord had to admit that this was a good idea and that it made logical sense. Twilight was very knowledgeable in many aspects of life and education. He wished to make a sarcastic remark, as he usually did when addressing Twilight, however he thought better of it given the current situation. So, he nodded and agreed, knowing that this would only the start of their troubles. He had a bad feeling.

"You go to Twilight and ask. I'll try to enter the princess' room."

Fluttershy nodded and fluttered up to kiss his head.

"Alright, darling. See you soon."

There was a knock upon Harmony's door. She, neither crying nor smiling, bade him enter. Discord sailed into the room and sat himself down on the bed beside his daughter. With his paw he reached out to her and gently stroked her black mane. She gazed up at him with deep eyes, completely void of their usual light. However, to his surprise, she did not turn away the contact but lowered her head once more and sighed deeply. Discord gazed around the room and noticed that her backpack remained untouched in the corner. To his experience, it seemed that she was avoiding the problem. For a moment he lifted his hand and sat back.

"Do you wish to discuss what happened at the school?" he asked carefully.

The daughter, long prepared for this question, shook her head and let her mane shake around her budding grey horns. In doing so her mane fell in front of her eyes so that from no view could her eyes be seen. Momentarily her wings shuffled in discomfort as she prepared her answer.

"I don't, however I know that you won't let it go even if I say no. I am not going back to that place. I can't change the way I look so therefore I can't change the way that they think about me."

Discord's heart ached inside of him. Every fiber wanted to take away all of her sadness and pain. As a father, he could wish no for his darling daughter than her happiness at all times. To see her so pained him deeply and made his being grieve for her. Still, who better to understand her current plight than he himself?

"Harmony, you know that I understand, right? I was…am…treated as such. But your mother, your lovely mother, was good to me and through her love I came into new light. It only takes one pony to change your perspective."

The girl began to scratch at her blankets with her claws. Though she had never heard her father say anything of that nature before, she believed every word of it. Still, there could not possibly be anypony out there for her. No, she was better off in her room for now.

"For now, Daddy, I'm going to stay here."

And Discord, realizing he could do no more, left the room.

Fluttershy, while her husband was talking with her daughter, had flown with haste to Twilight's home. There, she knocked upon the wooden door, hearing the echo resonate on the inside of the cottage. She tapped her hoof impatiently; she really could not prevent it. Just then, Spike opened the door, smiling brightly. Fluttershy attempted to return such a lovely gesture, but it was lost amid her nervousness, leaving an awkward smile upon her face. Seeing this, the dragon let her in, his face falling.

"Are you alright, Fluttershy?" he asked, closing the door with a squeal behind him. (Note to self: oil the hinges later).

The yellow pegasus marched in, gazing around the small library. Her teal eyes looked glassy and shallow as if any minute now they were about to shatter. Spike ran up the steps, looking for Twilight. He had a general feeling that Fluttershy was there for her and not there for simply a casual visit, or to check out a book for that matter. When he reached the top of the stairs he found Twilight upon her bed, seemingly in meditation. He woke her from this, shaking her purple shoulder. With a yipe, she awoke from her stasis, eyes snapping open. With a claw, Spike pointed down towards the center of the library. Twilight picked up on his message and trotted down the stairs, a small smile optimistically upon her face. Her friend, upon seeing her, ran to meet her at the bottom of the stairs. Spike looked on from above, perfectly silent.

Fluttershy reached out and hugged her friend tightly, her eyes closing as she did so. The other returned the hug, but her eyes remained opened and questioning. She pulled away from her friend, deep eyes looking for an answer. All they met, however, were doleful teal eyes. The yellow pony sighed.

"There was an incident at school; I'm sure you heard…"

Twilight nodded but did not add anything. Indeed, she had heard about what transpired at the school yard. It was cruel, what the other fillies had done, crueler still that it hurt Harmony so badly. Even more so, Harmony was the daughter of Discord, and no matter what happened in the future, her life would continue to be marked by fear. The Sage-Twilight was, naturally, concerned, but did not wish to approach the parents until they were ready. It appeared as though that time had come.

"I did…"

"Well, you should also know that she refuses to leave her room and refuses to go back to school. Discord is with her now, trying to speak with her. Twilight, I was hoping you could talk with her, work with her, for now."

Twilight did not respond immediately, but did blink a few times as if to better digest what she had heard.

"Of course, you don't have to…." Fluttershy followed-up nervously.

This time the purple pony did respond, nodding as she did so. A smile spread upon her face.

"I would love to tutor Harmony! That sounds wonderful."

Fluttershy smiled and hugged Twilight once more gratefully.

"Of course," she said a bit brighter, "it would only be temporary. I'd like her to someday return to school so that she can make some friends."

The unicorn nodded but her eyes seem limpid still.

"This must be hard for you, Fluttershy. I remember what you told me about your…times at flight camp."

The pegasus' face darkened considerably and she nodded softly. Twilight reached out and hugged her once more. This time, the pegasus wept openly. Her sobs seemed weak in comparison to the other days, but nonetheless there was a driving force behind them. After a few minutes, she stood back of her own accord and wiped her eyes clean. They regained a sort of sparkling brilliance to them.

"Why don't you come by tomorrow and you guys can start then?" requested the yellow one and a firmer voice.

The unicorn nodded and they parted ways.

When Fluttershy returned home it was about dinner time. The sun was already beginning to set, setting the skies ablaze with an orange hue. Today this brought the mother no joy and she trotted slowly up to her cottage and entered through the front door. It closed gently behind her and she entered to find that the dining table had already been set. Smiling gently, she called out for her family. Discord appeared at her side in an instant, using his magic as he willed. She did not startle, though she remembered having done that in the past. A few years of marriage could change quite a bit.

Her husband kissed her gently upon the forehead and, although the gesture was more than welcome, it made the mother very suspicious. She did not wait another moment to voice her concerns.

"I take it the talk did not go well," she said bluntly.

Discord's face appeared worn and drawn. It grew sullener as he hesitated to respond. His ears folded down and his normally vigorous eyes grew listless. Fluttershy took his claw and drew him to her small couch, sitting herself gently upon it. Her husband did the same, squeezing her hoof. They cuddled together and began to discuss their worries.

"Well, the good news is that Twilight has agreed to tutor Harmony. She will come tomorrow, at my request."

Discord stroked Fluttershy's soft mane, as he so loved to do.

"That is good news. Twilight will make an excellent tutor for our daughter."

"Even so, has Harmony agreed to finally leave her room?"

Discord shook his head dolefully. Despite his best effort, and his kindness words, nothing could make the filly leave her room. It had long occurred to him that he could force the filly to do so, without her consent, but what purpose would that serve? Her heart would still be withdrawn from the world, and that was what mattered. Though he himself had been recently reformed, it felt like he was going through double the pain and effort now that it was for his beloved daughter.

"No, Harmony will not leave. She doesn't object to tutoring, but even leaving the house seems impossible at this moment."

Fluttershy sighed gently. She had hoped that a heart-to-heart would change her daughter's mind. Still, it was not an issue to be forced so soon.

"Very well. She will begin her studies under Twilight and we will continue to encourage her to leave. She has to make friends her own age."

Discord kissed his wife gently upon the lips.

"She will, as I once did."

Looking into her husband's eyes, Fluttershy felt her heart melt instantly and she knew that everything would work out for the best. She fluttered up to kiss him on the forehead then called her daughter down for dinner. Harmony came out of her room, dark eyes glimmering. She flew down the stairs with her great bat wings, black hair flying out behind her. Fluttershy could not help but think how lovely her own daughter was and question why others could not see it. They sat down at the table collectively in silence.

Harmony began to pick at her salad, not really consuming any of it. Her parents ate in equal silence until her mother began to speak in her usual quiet demeanor.

"I spoke with Twilight today and she agreed to be your tutor."

The filly's eyes grew wide and she gazed up from her food.

"Really?"

Fluttershy blinked slowly. Did Harmony not like the idea? Though her exclamation was muted, it seemed as though she could be excited. With patience, the mother tried once more:

"Would you like that?"
The filly nodded noncommittally. Even for her own parents, it was difficult to decipher her emotions. Sometimes it seemed as though Harmony had been completely shut down by the events at the school. As if, perhaps, if it had not happened, she would be a happier filly in every aspect. Still, individuality was to be respected, so Fluttershy let the matter rest.

Discord made eye-contact with his wife, silently signally her to go on. He had nothing to add to the matter at moment. In fact, if he were to express his opinion it could possibly make matters worse. He had rather hoped that his daughter would develop his own magic skills for, although troublesome, they were rather advantageous. In his own selfish way, he had hoped that his daughter would take after him. Though she resembled him outwardly, she had a more reserved nature like that of her mother. However, he had long realized that it was selfish to think so. Harmony was perfect as she was.

Fluttershy picked up on her husband's cue and coughed lightly, signaling for her daughter to listen once more. Harmony, her ears pricking up, did so.

"I think that your sessions with Twilight could be quite beneficial, at least until you feel…well….enough to return to school, that is."

Harmony did not react, but nor did she nod in affirmation. Her mood was quite troublesome indeed. She excused herself promptly and returned to her room. When the door slammed shut, Fluttershy began to weep. Discord remained with her at the table, sitting in solemn silence.

The daughter of chaos sat upon her bed. She did not have a mirror in her room for she had rid herself of it after the incident at the school. Deep down she truly believed she was a monster; after all, nopony else looked like her. Even so, it seemed that, unlike her father, she had not inherited the chaos-based magic that the draconequi seemed to have. At least, it must be so, though she only knew one draconequus—her father, Discord. Harmony kneaded her bedsheets with her cheetah claws, deep in thought. This tutoring "thing" with Twilight could be beneficial. After all, she was one of the most studious ponies in all of Equestria. Still, returning back to the school seemed impossible at the moment. Even if the other ponies accepted her under the orders of the teacher, they would never accept her into their hearts. Her father had said that it only took one special pony to change all this but….

Harmony swatted aside her black bangs and pulled out a record player. It had sat, dusty, in her mother's spare room for years until she discovered it. She had few records now, but hoped to grow her collection in the future. With a sad smile she put a record upon the player and began to listen wistfully.

The next day, a few hours after the dawn, Twilight stood promptly upon the doorstep of the cottage. Taking a deep breath, she knocked upon the door with her hoof, books at the ready in her saddlebags. It wasn't long before the knock was answered by the loving mother of the house. Fluttershy came to the door, a nervous smile upon her pretty face. Twilight greeted her and entered the house. The living room area was very tidy. In fact, it was so tidy that it even eared the Twilight seal of approval.

The purple unicorn sat down upon the dining table and spread the books from her bags out in front of her upon the table. Moments later, Fluttershy came back down the stairs. With her was the child in question: Harmony. The purple unicorn could not help but gulp slowly. It was true that the child was unusually formed, but what bothered her today was the maleficent aura around the filly. It approached the unicorn slowly, deep eyes peering directly into her soul, or so it seemed. With a flip of its head, the filly flung its bangs back and blinked. Twilight softened. When both of its eyes were revealed, the face looked remarkably like the mother's.

"Shall we begin?" asked the tutor.

Fluttershy smiled and exited the room to the top of the stairs. She hummed brightly as she did so for she was truly optimistic that her friend could help her lovely little daughter. And who knows, perhaps Twilight could connect with her on a level that she could not at this time? The yellow pegasus opened her bedroom door, which could only be opened by her and Discord (for it was enchanted), and found that her husband was upon the bed, napping. Mischievously she flew over, wings as silent as a ghost, and kissed him upon the snout. His eyes gently slid open and, after a moment of recognition, he through his arms around her body and brought her into bed with him, snuggling her close.

"Discord," she pleaded, "I only came to tell you that Twilight was here. Remember?"

He hummed contently and shifted his position so that he was wrapped tightly around her. She pretended to escape but was relatively to stay in the bed for a moment or two longer. The draconequus opened his eyes once more and gazed upon his bride. She was staring up at him with her big teal eyes.

"I know that Harmony will like Twilight. After all, our girl is so smart. She will become a scholar in no time," said he, unphased.

The pegasus moved so that she was laying at Discord's side. This was a discussion worth having at least one more time.

"I know that. I just don't want to see Harmony end up living like a hermit. Part of the reason Twilight is so successful is not just because she's a scholar, but because she has friends."

Discord did pause at this and began to stroke her mane, just to ease some of the tension. He could no longer deny that friendship wasn't important for the pony lying beside him had proven otherwise, in more ways than one. He did wish the same thing for his darling offspring, as he had so often told her. Still, couldn't they just take everything one step at a time? If Harmony was forced into friendship she might rebel from it altogether. It seemed best to take everything slowly.

"I think we should wait and watch. Who knows what may or may not happen? But I know for certain that Harmony is my daughter and if she feels forced into something she will rebel."

The pegasus agreed and sighed lightly.

"I suppose so. We will wait."

Discord kissed his wife behind her ear, breathing into it gently. She sighed and giggled lightly, pretending to push him away. He pulled her closer and they spent the next hour bundled up in one another's company. And, though Fluttershy was forever worried about her precious daughter, she soon succumbed to the comfort only her husband could offer her.

Downstairs, things were not going as Twilight had planned. Harmony seemed to be despondent. She was currently poking at a pencil with her claw with a blank look upon her face. Twilight had tried to start by taking out a book for Harmony to read silently. If this were Twilight herself, she would have been thrilled. After all, she still felt elated each time Celestia gave her a new book to read. Still, without becoming perturbed, the purple unicorn tried another route. Smiling brightly, she opened one book herself and concentrated on her horn to begin the spell. All at once, light flooded every corner of the room. The light formed tall mountains with snow-capped peaks. Gryphons could be seen flying from peak to peak, shouting out to each other. The snow swirled around the creatures and lifted their wings up as the wind curled around them. Harmony jumped off the chair and spread her leathery wings in excitement. It was coming alive. This was magic.

Of course she had long and often seen her father use magic, but this was far different. Around the house, her mother would not let her father use his magic to its full potential. However, once or twice she had seen her father do and create incredible things with his magic. To see it again, in front of her, from Twilight, was an incredible feeling. To think that magic could create in such a way. Harmony began to ponder all the possibilities for herself if, somehow, she could inherit her father's magic. Though she had never displayed her father's talent, it still could be interesting to study magic.

Harmony turned to Twilight, her eyes hiding under a long, thick, black bang. In a quiet voice, she asked:

"Can we study this together?"

Twilight, ecstatic, did not question her motives and instead dived into a long and tedious textbook. Harmony seated herself once again and this time did not get bored. She wanted to learn. Magic would be an escapism for her in years to come, but for now it was a means to an end. She wanted to study in order to be able to learn more about this wonderful thing known as magic, as normal ponies would.

However, after the initial few weeks, Twilight did become suspicious of Harmony's motives to study magic so diligently, despite the fact that she seemed to possess none of her own. It was curious, at least to the unicorn, that she did not inherit her father's chaos in any way. If anything, the child was unusually reserved and silent, though Twilight had learned to read some of her facial cues. Though true chaos was not a good thing, some variety now and again could be greatly beneficial. Thus, the unicorn took it upon herself not just to teach the young filly, but to mentor her in every way she could. So, on a whim, she brought a record and record player with her one day.

In part, the purple pony had been curious from the start which gifts the filly would inherit from her father and mother. As she noted, she seemed to only inherit her father's looks, while her mother's demeanor was much more pronounced within her. In fact, the filly was so shy that Twilight often wondered if she would have to come out of her shell over time, as her mother had done. Still, perhaps the child would have the same gift for music as her mother had.

As it turned out, the unicorn was spot on. When the records were brought into the room the filly, as she had with magic, took an immediate interest. She began to poke about in the box, her long black tail held up high with excitement. Her blue eyes were shining brightly. Twilight, attempting not to reveal her excitement as well, took an individual record out and blew gently upon it in order to remove the dust. As the filly watched, the older unicorn used her magic to put the record in the player and pull the pin down. The record spilled out a peppy rhythm with a loud saxophone solo. Harmony sat close to the player, as if she could not hear it from any other spot in the room. The unicorn smiled.

"This is called jazz music. Many times, the rhythmus are syncopated and include many instruments who have long solos or improvisation. The instrument you hear now is called a saxophone, which is used often in this type of music. Do you like it, Harmony?"

The filly turned around, her bangs falling in her face. Her eyes were glued onto Twilight's violet ones.

"I love it," was her quiet reply.

From then on, during each lesson Twilight brought a different record with her. Normally, it would be from a different category of music each time. The tutor would spend time explaining which type of music it was and how one could go about identifying it. Then she would explain a bit about the artist. Harmony, it turned out, never needed to take notes. She had an identic memory, if only for music, and could repeat back to Twilight everything that she had said, even days later. By the end of the third week, the filly was easily able to identify the type of music without any aid from Twilight. Naturally, the tutor was as proud as a mother.

After a particularly fulfilling lesson, the unicorn excused the student to her studies and told her that she would soon return. In actuality, the teacher went to meet with Fluttershy, the student's lovely mother. The two old friends met at the local outdoor café. The pegasus ordered chamomile tea and the unicorn a latte. They sat on the haystacks outside, the sun shining brightly down upon them. Fluttershy, though she had some idea, waited anxiously for her friend to tell her how her daughter was progressing.

"I am happy to inform you," began the one, "that Harmony is a bright young filly with a bright future in either music or the study of magic. She has a memory unlike anything I've ever seen and when she is interested, she can accomplish just about anything. I've never meet a filly more studious. You should be extremely proud, Fluttershy."

The mother looked up. The waiter had arrived with their drinks. She thanked him and took the tea into her hooves, sipping at it lightly. This was certainly good news, the best news in fact. Still, Twilight had not mentioned how her friendship studies were going, which was odd.

"Of course I'm happy to hear it, Twilight, and I am so grateful to you for taking time for my daughter. I couldn't be prouder. But still, what about her friendship studies? I want her to go back to school as quickly as possible. She needs to be with fillies her own age."

The unicorn paused and poked a hoof at her cup.

"Well, there was a day that I tried to broach the topic, but she was so unresponsive that I had to play three records to cheer her back up. Fluttershy, you know how important friendship is. I mean, where would we be in this world without it? Still, I can't help but think that forcing Harmony into school is the wrong move at this time. Think of how fragile she still is. Think about your own memories of flight school. Wouldn't you have been a lot better off if you hadn't gone to flight school at all?"

The mother drew in a sharp breath. It was one of her worst memories, the one about flight camp. Among others, it served as a reason as to why she had been so shy and unwilling to ever fly again. Still, with the help of her friends she had overcome that obstacle. Wasn't the same thing bound to happen to Harmony as well? Besides, if she had not attended flight school at all, she never would have gotten her cutie mark, never achieved her destiny.

"Twilight, I would never want to hurt my own daughter, but I worry for her. This isolation has been alleviated slightly by your work with her, but it's not enough. Think of your own experiences. Where would you be if Celestia had not sent you away from your own studies?"

This did sink in for the unicorn and she paused for a long moment to consider this point. It was true; it was all true. Though she did not wish to force Harmony outside of her comfort zone, it seemed that she would have no choice, especially at the pleading of the mother. Fluttershy was right.

"Very well. How about this, though: I tutor Harmony until the end of this school year in not only music and the study of magic, but in friendship? Then, next year, she goes back to the school as normal. This way I can begin to prepare her before sending her to the Timberwolves."

Fluttershy nodded slowly.

"I agree."

So it was settled. Though Harmony didn't know it, for she was sitting in her room with her headphones on, listening to a prog-rock album, her fate had been decided for her. Her lips moved along to the lyrics, fangs shining in the light streaming through the living room window. She loved the music more than anything. Although magic interested her, and she had begun to pester her father for more demonstrations when her mother was out of the house, music was what spoke to her. In the world of music, there was no one to judge her, no one to call her names. She could get lost in each note, each melody. In a sweet voice, but with a rough edge to it, she sang softly:

"So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell,
Blue sky's from pain.
Can you tell a green field
From a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?"

Just then, her large, almost bat-like ears, picked up another sound outside of the headphones. She stopped her singing and removed her headphones with two delicate paws. Her father was flying down the stairs, circling around her as she laid upon the living room floor. In a mock-annoyed voice, she asked:

"What do you want, Daddy?"

He smiled and landed beside her, scooping her up in his arms, her long mane and tale fell around his arms as she pretended to struggle in his grip. He tickled her lightly, laughing as he did so, as if it were he that were being tickled. Harmony pawed him with her cheetah paw, gently extended a claw or two into her father's chest. He flinched lightly and set her back down. She shuffled her wings.

"Daddy, show me your magic again!"

He paused and looked out the window with a glance of one golden eye. I didn't seem like his wife was home. Fluttershy didn't like the use of his chaos magic in the house. Normally, it scared the animals. And, unbeknownst to everyone else in the house, Fluttershy was a bit frightened of the magic and the influence it would have upon her daughter, who was just starting to develop a sense of morality. What untouched power could do to corrupt her already fragile daughter scared Fluttershy to no end.

Reluctantly, Discord extended his lion's paw and tickled his fingers. Harmony stared from below, her eyes fixed upon the fingers. She could see him focus in order to make it clear to the magic what his intent was. Twilight had told her that once. Around his fingers something sparkled then, in a flash, a record appeared. The girl squealed and flapped her wings to propel her upwards. She took the record in her paws, careful not to scratch it, and put it immediately into her record player. A scream song suddenly began to fill the room with its loud beats and wailing. Then the song shifted oddly into a slow piano piece with odd arpeggiotunas sprinkled in. As the song began to shift again, the record player began to rise up of its own accord. Harmony grinned widely; this was magic. Just as soon as he noticed, Discord snapped away the record, put the record player safely on the ground, and removed any remaining magic. His daughter pouted. Just as quickly, Fluttershy entered the home. Her daughter trotted up to greet her.

"Hi, Mommy."

Fluttershy frowned at her.

"Was that your music I heard halfway across town?"
Harmony flashed her fangs in a guilty smile.

"Um, maybe."

The mother went through the doorway and into the home, assuming her more authoritarian role as unofficial head of the household. She narrowed her teal eyes at her husband first, then her prodigy. Her wings flapped and she was taken upwards towards the top of the house; she could have touched the ceiling, in fact.

"You used magic, didn't you Discord?" accused she, and not falsely.

The guilty husband shuffled his feet around, attempting to ascertain some sort of answer from within himself. When he found none, other than the truth which he did not want to say, he grew silent. Fluttershy did not back down.

"Discord! You know why that isn't allowed in the house."

Harmony took a moment to chime in here. In fact, she did not know why magic, other than Twilight's obviously, was allowed within the house. After all, it came easily to her father. It was a part of who he was.

"Why isn't it, mother?"

The yellow pegasus paused and began descending from her high place. She knew that her husband was aware of why magic was not allowed in the home. However, her daughter was a different matter. It was for her sake, after all. Still, the question was asked so earnestly that she deserved a proper answer after all. The mother sighed and brought her hooves to the floor. They landed so quietly that her hooves did not click.

"Harmony, darling, when you were born we were so happy," here she motioned for Discord to come by her side. He did so, obediently.

"We decided that we would do everything to keep you safe and happy," said her father.

Harmony stood across from her parents silently. They were avoiding the question altogether, which upset her greatly.

"And that included with magic," admitted her mother, at last.

"We decided between the two of us that I," for Discord took the helm now, "would attempt to keep my chaos magic out of your life. If you did inherit my skill, it would prove to be dangerous to you, as mine was to me."

The filly flipped back her dark bangs and looked up at her loving parents. Indeed, they were always out to protect her and her best interests, she knew that. Still, her father's magic did not seem dangerous at all, rather it seemed amazing. So why hide it away?

"Dad's magic is fine. And I clearly don't have the talent," responded the younger, bluntly.

Fluttershy's eyes grew wide and appeared as though she were going to weep. Discord put a paw upon her head and she let a few large teardrops slip before running up the stairs to her room. The door slammed shut behind her as she locked herself in. Discord looked positively broken, his busy eyebrows folding. The golden eyes were somber.

"Harmony, my magic can be dangerous. I…can be dangerous…"

The filly blinked slowly, digesting the information as it were. This was what her mother must be so upset about. At some time in the past, her father must have been dangerous, maybe even in a way involving her mother directly. That was indeed a concern. However, she could not help but think that things had changed so much that this was an unnecessary worry. This thought she gave voice to.

"Dad, you know that I love you. You know that mom loves you as well. So why this fear? You have obviously moved past whatever it was that made you dangerous. Your magic isn't the problem."

The father bent down and scooped his daughter up and into his arms, cradling her as he had when she was but a babe. Harmony kicked out a back hoof gently, trying to get him to drop her so that she could fly gently down to the floor where she wished to be. He held her tighter, whispering into her almost bat-like ear:

"I know, sweetheart, but magic can lead you astray. It is easy to abuse it. Never forget that you are my daughter; that we share the same sorts of…weaknesses. However, never forget, too, that I love you no matter what."

Harmony returned his embrace and he set her down upon the floor. Then, with a languid sigh, he went to go check on his bride. The girl waited, deep in thought, for she knew that Twilight would be able to answer her questions. The questions she now had about her parents' pasts.

Upstairs, Discord knocked upon the door. There was only a low moan coming from inside the door, so he opened it slowly in order to test the waters. When his wife did not react adversely, he opened the door completely, revealing himself. Fluttershy gazed up from her pillow, eyes wet with tears. She nodded wordlessly and Discord entered completely, closing the door behind him. He walked over to the bed and laid down beside his lovely bride, kissing her sweetly upon the forehead. She snuggled into him and nuzzled his neck with her face.

"Oh, Discord, I'm so sorry. It was silly to think that we could hide anything from Harmony. She's too clever. Someday she will find out everything that happened to us. It was a miracle we could protect her for this long."

Discord stroked his beard gently, then turned his attention back to his wife, patting her upon the head. Without waiting any longer, he kissed her gently upon the mouth.

"I know, and I agreed with you then as I do now. Harmony is a special girl and, though there's no guarantee she will, she still may inherit my magic. I told her that we would love her but to be careful. It's the best advice we can give. We can't protect her from everything, Fluttershy; she's growing older so quickly."

The wife dried one of her teal eyes with a slow wipe from her hoof. She sniffed.

"Yes, of course I know that, which is why we worked so hard to protect her for this long. Ponies will talk about her, as they did about us. She will struggle soon with accepting her reality, as we both had to. I didn't want her to face it at all, however she will never face it alone."

Discord kissed his wife slowly.

"I agree. We are a family and none of us will ever be alone so long as we have each other."

Fluttershy's response was muffled by the pressure of his lips upon hers.

When Twilight arrived, Harmony's dour mood was instantly lifted. She trotted over to her teacher and mentor and hugged her warmly. The tutor, who had just begun to receive this affection from her pupil, was deeply pleased. Twilight brushed back the bangs of the student to reveal the dark blue eyes. She smiled and stepped back from her pupil momentarily, a smile upon her soft face. They sat down at the table together and the teacher began to lay out and prepare all of the materials. The student began to sigh lightly, hoping that her tutor would pick up on the subtle signals. She was not wrong.

"Whatever is the matter, Harmony?" asked Twilight, concerned.

The child did not mince her words. Her bluntness was something that her tutor was long used to, however her questions were never simple. Still, it was one of the skills that she, as the instructor, had learned to master over time, especially in relation to Harmony.

"Why was father dangerous in the past? What did he do?"

This question put Twilight in an awkward position. Should she reveal what had happened? Had Fluttershy and Discord really said nothing all this time? Still, the child did have a right to know. It was also possible that the couple had pushed this duty onto her. Wonderful.

"Harmony, come here," Twilight ordered, but calmly.

The filly scooted closer to her tutor and cuddled underneath her arm. The physical contact revealed the intimacy that had grown between them as instructor and student. IT also made it feasible for Twilight to reveal the dark truth that had once been. The reality of the couple's relationship.

"Many moons ago, before I was even born, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were faced with an impossible task: to restore harmony and balance to their beloved Equestria. The land had become shrouded in chaos. The ruler and creator of this chaos was called Discord. Yes, your father was once the enemy of all the land. In order to bring peace back to Equestria, the two princesses used the magical Elements of Harmony to turn Discord into stone. He sat within the confines of his hardened prison for one thousand years.

Then, after a thousand years, Discord was released from his stone prison when the Elements of Harmony passed to myself, your mother, and our friends. We, collectively, defeated him, but not before he almost broke us apart. Then, a year later, Princess Celestia asked us to reform your father, and it was your mother that was able to do so. They fell in love afterwards and you are living proof of that relationship."

There was no speaking for a long time. The silence that pervaded every inch of the room became stifling. The filly felt as though she could not breath. It was true after all; she was a monster, or at least the daughter of one. Still, it all seemed so surreal. How could she possibly believe that her father who loved and protected her wanted everyone to suffer? It did not seem true at all. However, Twilight as her mentor would never lie. This Harmony could say for certain. After all, what did she have to gain from it? No, the truth was hard, but could no longer be denied or ignored. Finally, she exhaled.

"I see."

The mentor stroked the filly's head softly. The younger allowed the contact. This was a large truth, yet it seemed to be inevitable. Harmony sighed and jumped down from her chair, extending her wings slightly so that she would land without a sound. Her paws made no noise, but her back hooves clicked slightly. She sighed and put a record on her player. Twilight made no move to go to the filly. Instead, from afar, she said:

"Today we are to start our friendship lessons, officially."

Harmony clicked her tongue; it was loud enough to be heard over the music. Twilight refused to be intimidated and she persisted:

"Harmony, we have studied everything but the one thing that we most need to. You need to learn how to interact with fillies your own age. You need to get out of this house."

The filly closed her eyes and turned up her music. Her tutor jumped off of her stool and stood over the little Harmony, almost glaring. She needed to learn, no matter what the initial cost. It was for her own good.

"Come outside with me, just for a moment. We can go to lunch together. I promise, you will only have to speak to the waiter. Please, Harmony, for me."

The pony, for deep down she was truly a pony, nodded solemnly, as if giving away her soul. Her mentor patted her head and gathered her things. She stood patiently by the door, but did not open it.

"Whenever you are ready, Harmony."

"I am coming."

And Harmony walked out into the blinding light of a beautiful spring day. She hissed initially, too much sunlight did not seem to be good for her. Her hiss only made her two long fangs more pronounced. Twilight shivered a bit when she saw those fangs, though it was unintentional. The child flicked her long, dark tail and proceeded down the path. Her mentor followed at her side, close enough to offer support in their proximity.

They made their way down the beaten path towards what was considered the busy "downtown" of Ponyville. It was a lovely day with a slight breeze, so there were many ponies milling about the town. Because of this, there were all the more whispers heard upon said breeze. Harmony lowered her ears, bearing her horns. They shown in the light of the day, as bright as was possible for the slate-grey objects. Still, Harmony could hardly block out the words they were saying. For, although the sun was bright, their words were very dark indeed.

"Look at her! What is she?"

"It's Discord's heir!"

"Look at those fangs! Is she a bat-pony?"

Twilight glared around her, but was unable to discern where the statements came from. If she had known which ponies these statements had come from, she would have certainly done something, anything. Still, changing tactics, the tutor grabbed her student and pulled her into the nearest shop, which happened to be a record store. The door shut loosely behind them, which seemed to let in a loose breeze to an otherwise stuffy room.

Every corner of the shop was filled with thousands upon thousands of records—each dustier than the last. The stacks occupying the middle of the room were pilled upon one another, presumably to the ceiling. Only a pegasus pony could possible tell what was stored above. Twilight began to scan the rows in order to find a section that perhaps would distract her pupil, but it was unnecessary. Harmony was already flying up excitedly checking each record, flipping them back and forth with a flick of the claw. Her eyes gleamed and for a moment she seemed more than content. Once more, music was a savior for her. The tutor, relieved, scanned what lay outside of the shop through the window located at the front of the store. There were ponies milling back and forth around the store. It seemed they were waiting for Harmony to exit in order to catch a second glimpse. Twilight was a bit more than peeved at this. Still, they could afford to pass a few more moments in the store.

After the better part of an hour, Harmony came out of the store with three brand new records, curtesy of her tutor. Though there was an outward smile, the tutor knew that deep down those words were going to hurt. As they walked back to the cottage, Twilight began to broach the subject cautiously.

"Harmony, you know that I think you're amazing, right?"

The smaller pony flicked her long, dark tail and stared up at the elder as they walked down the beaten path. Such a rudimentary question could hardly be answered with any degree of effort.

"Yes."

"And you also know how much your parents adore you," Twilight began again.

The girl hummed from the back of her throat. Her grey face seemed more ashen just then.

"Yes, I do. Those ponies out there were just rude. It's okay, Twilight. I don't need them anyways."

The purple unicorn stopped dead in her tracks, prompting the other to pause as well and turn towards her, records in hoof.

"You do need them, to some degree. Oh, Harmony, life is nothing without friendship. I love to be your friend, you know this is true. But, sweetie, I cannot be your only friend. You need ponies your own age, ponies more like you…"

At this, the other sniffed; her nostrils were indeed snake-like as her father's were.

"No one is like me, that you know."

Twilight let her ears fall a bit and her deep violet eyes grew soulfully sad. It hurt her deeply that her favorite student had already quit, even before it had truly begun. Still, what could she do but accept that Harmony was always going to be this way? To change her would be tantamount to betrayal. Then again, to let Harmony continue her entire life without friends would defy everything Twilight held dear.

"For now, Harmony…let's just go back home."

They walked without another would in the empty silence that held an air of discontent. When the cottage door was flung open, the filly went immediately to her record player to pop in one of her newest additions. Upon hearing the music from the living room, Fluttershy came out of her room and downstairs. There she found a concerned Twilight and an unresponsive Harmony. She knew immediately that something was very wrong. Going to her friend, Fluttershy whispered:

"What happened?"

Twilight sighed and hung her head.

"I tried to take Harmony out to lunch but the townsfolk teased her and we had to take refuge in the record store. On the way back, I tried to speak to her, but it was no use. Harmony does not want any friends…ever."

Fluttershy's hoof flew up to her mouth. There it was, the thing she had long been dreading. Harmony had truly quit. She called out to Discord, who appeared suddenly into the house by her side. She related what Twilight had told her one last time. Discord looked shocked, but uneasy. He did not have a clue how to truly react either, as Twilight hadn't. Finally, the filly, who had heard every word, grew angry.

"You think I can't hear you?!" she screamed over her music, cranking it louder as she did so.

Fluttershy flew over to her daughter, hovering in midair as she often did when it was time to make a speech.

"Harmony, you have to continue friendship lessons with Twilight. I know it's difficult, but it's the only way," her firmness stood resolute in her voice.

But this time, her rebellious little filly was having none of it. She too took to the air, flapping her bat wings. Her tail hung below her like a great black cape, billowing out in all directions. Her fangs were visible.

"No, no, no! Ponies are horrible. They hate me. They call me the Daughter to Chaos!"

Discord started at this and zoomed up to join his wife. He put his hands upon her small shoulders in a gesture of support, though his golden eyes were filled with sympathy for his beloved daughter.

"No, that's horrible!" said he.

Harmony began to weep in midair, tears filling her deep blue eyes. As she choked on her tears, her mother reached out for comfort, but she would not accept it.

"Music is all that I need. Hear this? It's heavy metal. It's my friend and so is Jazz and Classical and Reggae. I don't need those horrid ponies in town!"

Fluttershy frowned deeply and her normally soft blue eyes were icy and firm.

"Harmony, don't say that. You're no better than them if you repeat such awful things."

The daughter shook her head, spraying tears in all directions. She let out a high-pitched yell, as if to block out all the negativity, doubts, fears, and everything that had plagued her life. She would not listen any longer; this time it was her turn to speak. However, her scream was actually in pitch and tune to the song blaring loudly in the background. Without any prompting, the little filly burst out into song.

"I'm done listening,

Screams fill these empty lungs,

Mom, dad, prepare yourselves,

My powers have awoken and now I'm not so young!"

As she was screaming, for it was truly a piercing and garish sort of sound, a bright light filled the room. As the noise continued, bats began to materialize and beat their wings widely around Harmony, who appeared to have summoned them. Harmony's eyes were white and her horns grew longer and sharper, at least so it seemed to the naked eye. As she sustained the note, the windows began to shake and some did shatter. The glass rose to join the bats in circling Harmony in a never-ending orbit. Then, suddenly, there was a brighter flash of light. Twilight could not believe her eyes and she took a step forward, covering her eyes briefly with a hoof. It had finally happened. As Harmony continued to flap in place, the bright light faded from her and her voice receded into her throat once more. Upon her flank had appeared a cutie mark: three jagged and broken musical notes. Harmony's gift had finally come to light: chaotic magic through music. Her parents and tutor knew that this was only the beginning.