"Long ago, before I was born and Equestria had no yet existed, the world was separated. None of the pony races had heard of the other creatures that resided in the area, such as the timber wolves, dragons, or Draconeqi. It was the age when earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns did not live together in harmony as they do now."
As they walked, Princess Celestia cast an illusion to place them both back in time. Fluttershy watched as the ancient ponies, divided by their talents and appearances, built their marvelous cities and structures.
"Far to the north," Celestia continued as the illusion scoured the land before stopping at the peak of a mountain, "lived a clan of Draconeqi. It was a small clan because, as you can see, Draconeqi are rare and powerful creatures matching even alicorns in power." They could see a few of the Draconeqi circling the top of the mountain, stretching their mismatched wings and legs. "They preferred seclusion for it provided safety and comfort as their numbers were dwindling."
"Why were their numbers dwindling?" Fluttershy asked. Her question caused the illusion to grow dark and foreboding. She nearly collided into the princess as she scooted closer.
"You must keep in mind that this was a dark age before the world was filled with harmony and light. There was no happiness or feeling of safety. Because of their powers, Draconeqi were often hunted by poachers, enslaved by them even. A captured Draconequus would obey its master for a time, but they soon rebelled at the corrupted use of their magic. Thus, instead of keeping a live Draconequus as prisoner, poachers would hunt and kill them for their coat and horns, believing they were the source of the Draconeqis' powers."
"O-Oh m-m-my," Fluttershy replied, tears welling up in her eyes as she watched the poor creatures being driven from their homes and captured, even young ones. She hoped Discord didn't fall prey to enslavement. The illusion faded back to the peaceful scene on the peak of the mountain and Princess Celestia draped a comforting wing over Fluttershy's trembling body.
"Do you want me to continue, my little pony?" she asked, concern filling her features. Fluttershy looked horrified and the coward in her didn't want to hear more. However, she had to to understand Discord better.
"Y-Yes, please," she answered with a gulp, straightening up to meet Celestia's gaze.
"Very well." She looked towards the illusion to remember where she had stopped before continuing. "Discord was a part of the mountain clan, only a child at the time. They lived in peace with each other unlike the ponies... And then the storm came."
"Storm? Do you mean the one that drove all of the ponies from their homes?"
"Exactly," Celestia replied. "The windigos appeared out of nowhere, descending upon the northern mountains first. The blizzard struck first and it was so thick that you would not be able to see your own nose in it. The Draconeqi were taken by surprise as it hit so fast that they did not have time to react and escape." The peaceful scene suddenly took a turn for the worst as Celestia and Fluttershy were surrounded by the blizzard and, though it was only an illusion, Fluttershy could feel chills crawl across her spine.
"The Draconeqi scrambled to get to their families and flee," Celestia continued, speaking faster as her voice raised an octave to just emphasized the chaos that overtook the Draconeqi clan. Sounds of screams could be heard and shadows streak through the heavy snow. Fluttershy shut her eyes out of fright, nearly tripping over her own mane. "It was during this time that Discord became separated from his family. The mountain crumbled under the weight of the snow and the sheer force of the icy wind. Some Draconeqi perished beneath the rocks. Discord, luckily, fell through to a cave within the mountain before the entrance was blocked. Alone and injured, he cried for his mother who did not answer. For days he lived in that cave, surviving by melting the snow and drinking it. It was only when he was so desperate to find his family that his magic came into play and he unwittingly teleported right outside of the cave."
All the while, as Celestia narrated Discord's story, Fluttershy watched the theatrics to go with it. She could see the mountain shake violently and collapse into itself. The deaths of the Draconeqi were censored, but she could just imagine seeing the broken, lifeless bodies of those poor creatures... and when the illusion shifted to baby Discord, she almost wept at how precious and sad he was.
"The seemingly everlasting winter was bitter, though it did not deter Discord from searching for his family. But as the years passed, they became nothing more than a distant memory... mere images in his mind. He couldn't remember their voices and had been so alone for such a long time that he craved companionship. He wanted someone, anyone to be his friend or better yet.. his new family. Thus began a new chapter of his life. One that didn't seem to be getting any better from the last."
"Wh-Why is that?" Fluttershy asked nervously.
"Well, he wasn't sure where he belonged. There were no more of his kind for miles around, if they even still existed at all. He wasn't sure what he was anymore, especially since he was made up of the genetics of so many different species. He tried living with dragons, reindeer, griffons... They all laughed at him."
Fluttershy gasped. "Oh that's terrible...!"
Celestia closed her eyes and nodded in agreement. "They thought he was a freak and told him to pick one species and stick to it. He tried, but that was who he was and he couldn't change it."
Frozen images of Discord's attempt at finding a home stretched before them and a cacophony of laughs sounded in the background. The tears in Discord's eyes were enough to make a few slip down her cheeks.
"He eventually stumbled into Equestria which would prove to be a better turning point in his life... for a time. I was just a young pony then, not much older than you, and my sister was a baby. I was born in the dawn of Equestria's creation and had the privilege to see it grow into what it is today. The three noble ancient ponies still ruled over it in harmony and they were golden years filled with discovery and the blossoming of friendship. We came to know what else was out there; we learned to stay away from the Evergreen Forest. But we did not know about the Draconeqi race. It is ... justifiable to say that Discord is the last of his kind."
"He must have felt so alone..." Fluttershy mused, lowering her head.
"Indeed, and he was so ashamed of what he was. He hated feeling that way and it was only later that he turned the self-hatred he had into hatred for everyone and everything else."
"How did that happen?"
"He wasn't going to stay in Equestria, mind you. He was passing through when he noticed all of the different species of pony living together. None of them looked the same: some had horns, some had wings, some didn't have either one, and then there were the three ancient ponies who had been transformed into alicorns when they reached enlightenment that day in the cave. They were the original princesses. Discord had never seen so many different groups working together like the ponies. So, he decided to stay."
"Oh, I hope he made friends..."
"We thought he did," Celestia admitted. "In fact, I was the first to acknowledge him in a friendly manner. The other ponies reacted in much the same way as the other species did. He was just... too different in their eyes. They were still getting over rough patches harmonizing with each other to want to deal with someone who was just too abnormal."
"Poor Discord..."
"He didn't trust me at first. Many times he had been betrayed and he didn't want to be hurt again. But every day, when I was coming home from school, I would stop by the clearing he lived in and offered to play. He denied me the first few times, watching from the sidelines as I ran around and played with the woodland creatures. I returned day after day, determined to make friends with him. In time, he warmed up to me. Things had changed for him, but sadly, things were changing for me, too." Celestia paused for a moment, reminiscing on the memories with her once prized friend. She watched as her younger self ran through the woods and meadows with the Draconequus whose smile and heart grew bigger each day. "He was my best friend. We shared everything... our secrets, our worries, our pains. He encouraged me to do well in school and half of the time we spent together, he was helping me with my magic. I encouraged him as well to make friends.. But it all changed.."
Fluttershy could see that Celestia's eyes took on a misty form. She was near tears.
"My parents passed on at an early age," she continued, walking once more down the hallway. "Luna, as young as she was, still needed me there to take care of her. She was a filly, older and enrolled in filly school, but I had to be there to pick her up, take her home, cook, clean... I was the mare of the house. Not only was I to take care of my younger sister, but the princesses saw a potential in me that I did not know. There was a pattern in the stars. I woke up with the sun and slept at dusk. My sister woke with the rise of the moon and slept at the dawn of day. We had a connection with the sun and the moon that the princesses took notice of. Of course, Princess Luna was still too young to control her magic properly, so the princesses took me under their wing for the time being. My time with Discord withered away as my life took on a different path. By day, I was studying under the princesses' guidance... At night, exhausted, I would take care of Luna who could not go to sleep to save her life." She smiled a bit at that, her stature a little less proper than before.
"Oh gosh, it sounds like you had a rough time," Fluttershy remarked, feeling empathy for the princess.
"It was my destiny," she replied. "And I was proud of it. But Discord did not understand our ways. Darkness began to take hold of his heart once more, but I could not see it. As best as we could, we tried to make our friendship work. He would come to our home at night when I was not busy with my studies. We may have had only an hour together before Luna would awake and I would have to take care of her. It was then that I began to notice the change. He grew resentful, envious of my relationship with my sister." More frozen images wavered in the illusion. One of Discord watching from one room as Celestia comforted little Luna. He looked angry, his red pupils gleaming dangerously. Dark circles were beginning to form under his eyes. "He would taunt my sister when I was not around and make jokes at our expense. Discord just became.. mean. And it took a turn for the worse when the princesses took us in as their own..."
Celestia bowed her head, one tear streaking down her face as she closed her eyes. The tip of her horn glowed with a soft white light as the illusion strengthened and Fluttershy was literally placed in a crowd of ponies on Hearth's Warming Eve. In front of her, she could see a chariot making its way down the road. The three alicorn princess sat atop it as a younger Celestia with wavy pink hair and a younger Luna with short cropped blue hair sat below. They waved to the ponies as they passed by, on their way to the royal palace in the far-off distance. Before the guards took off, however, something jumped in their way. It was Discord.
"You promised me, Celestia!" he roared. The crowd hushed as all eyes turned on him. "You promised me you were my friend! That you'd never leave me!"
"Discord!" Celestia cried out, astonished. Luna hid behind her sister.
"You were going to leave without even saying goodbye?" His voice had cracked, but he fought back the tears threatening to emerge.
"I tried to b-"
"I don't want to hear it!" he shouted back. "I've had enough of your lives! It's because of your .. your... bratty sister and 'destiny' that this happened! Everything's falling apart. Maybe not for you, but for me it is! You never cared about me did you?" he asked, looking up at her with hurt in his yellow eyes.
"Who would?!" cried a stallion from the crowd. "Just look at you! You're a freak! Couldn't decide which family tree you wanted to belong to, huh?!"
The stallion snorted and the crowd erupted into laughter. Discord, shocked and hurt, began to take notice of his surroundings. As far as the eye could see there were ponies laughing at him.. laughing at what he was.
"No, stop!" Celestia shouted to the crowd. She looked up at the princesses pleadingly, but even they couldn't gain control of the raucous laughter.
"Why would a future princess want to ever be around the likes of you?" the stallion continued. Discord's eyes filled with tears and he clenched his fists. "You're just a- mmph! Mmph!"
The crowd gasped as the stallion's mouth suddenly disappeared. He waved his arms wildly about in the air before running off in tears. In unison, the crowd returned their attention to Discord who was now floating over them all.
"You species are all the same!" he boomed, his voice threatening. "You think that because someone is different that they are below you! I was a part of a glorious race of creatures now as the Draconeqi before you ponies destroyed it! Yes, I know what this day is all about. I've heard the stories. We lived in peace! We were happy! I knew harmony before you were all born!" he shouted, spitting out the word 'harmony' as if it were acid. "Your hatred destroyed us! You think I'm a freak? Here, let me introduce you to life from my point of view!" With a cackle that was half-maniac, half-intimidating, he began changing the world around them. The princesses tried to stop him, but he renounced them of their horns and wings. "This is the dawn of a new age! There is no harmony. The only thing that exists is chaos and I, Discord, am now your Lord of Chaos!"
The crowd dispersed and began to scatter. Anyone who caught Discord's gaze were drastically changed, personality-wise. The buildings went topsy-turvy and spun around at high-speeds. Whoever was inside was trapped in a vortex that never stopped. The land was painted checkered, striped, the grass turned blue, the sky turned red... It was a madhouse from then on out. From where she was, Fluttershy saw Celestia and Luna escaping as Discord's laugh pervaded the air.
And the illusion disappeared.
"You know the rest from there, my little pony," Celestia said, looking exhausted and depressed.
"I can't believe all of that happened to him... The poor dear..."
"Something in him just... snapped that day. His heart was so filled with hatred and nothing could save him. The only choice we had was to seal him away with the Elements of Harmony. Even then, as you know, he could hear everything that went on around him. He heard the whispers and insults. His time in that statuesque form only increased his anger... I wish I could have done something else.. Made him feel more like he was loved..."
"Oh princess," Fluttershy said, resting her hoof against her arm before hugging her. "Oh, it wasn't your fault, princess! Not at all!"
"He was just so lost.." Celestia said, hugging the little pony back.
"But he's found a place now," Fluttershy said optimistically.
"You're right," Celestia agreed with sniff. She looked down at Fluttershy with tears in her eyes. "He has you now, Fluttershy. You stuck by him no matter what he threw at you and even when your friends pressured you to stop. You didn't betray him and he saw that. You changed him because you stood up for him... It was something I never did. If I could change the past, I would... for his sake. But I cannot.."
Fluttershy frowned. "You can mend your friendship with him, you know," she suggested.
"Oh Fluttershy," Celestia said with a sad shake of her head. "Our friendship is damaged beyond repair.. It was broken so long ago and it will never be the same again. Discord and I, in our old age now, will only ever be acquaintances. But you, you are his very best and first true friend."
It hurt to hear those words of defeat from the princess with so much optimism for the world. Fluttershy would take time to try to mend that friendship, but there was something she needed to do first.
"Thank you for the story, Princess," she said with a bow. "If you don't mind.. I need to go see him now."
Celestia smiled and nuzzled Fluttershy's cheek. "Of course, my dearest Fluttershy. Until we meet again."
Fluttershy nodded before running through the castle to find Discord's room. He was still lazing about on the couch reading a book. Without warning, she ran up to him and hugged him.
"Oof! Fl-Fluttershy! What was that ab-" He noticed the tears rolling down her cheeks and stopped. "Wh-What's wrong?" he asked, lowering his head to meet her at eye-level and bristling at the thought of whatever made her cry. "Did someone hurt you?" he asked. Oh the things he would do to that pony..
"N-No, not at all!" she replied, looking up at him with a smile.
"Then why are you crying?"
"I'm just so happy!"
"Happy? Is it normal to cry when you're happy?"
She nodded and giggled. "Sometimes, yes. I'm just glad I had the chance to meet you, Discord. You're my very best friend and as such you should know that you'll never be alone again. I'll always be your friend, no matter what happens."
Discord's ears drooped at her words, his own eyes starting to tear up before he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his cheek against hers. "Thank you, Fluttershy..." he whispered, closing his eyes as his tears melded with hers. "That means the world to me... And so do you."