"Discord, may I ask you something?"
The draconequus had just finished showing Fluttershy his water skiing tricks and was drying off.
"Anything, my dear," he said over his shoulder.
She looked down at the blanket she was sitting on. "Well...I've been here for three weeks and..."
He made his towel disappear and teleported to her side. "Yes?"
"Well...there's something that's been on my mind and..."
He scooted closer to her. "Go on?"
"I...I just want to know..."
A ray of hope appeared on Discord's face. Was she finally going to say it? But she said it was a question. Still, was this it?!
She looked up at him. "Where did you come from?"
His expression fell. "Oh...I see. Well my dear, when a male draconequus and female draconequus fall in love..."
"That's not what I meant."
He sighed. "I know. I warn you though. It's not a cheery tale."
Fluttershy lay onto her belly. "I'm listening."
Discord smiled and took a breath. "I wasn't always the only one of my kind. I had a mother and father like every creature had. There was a land filled with draconeqi, but there were very few of us even then. I was only a few years old when it happened..."
"What happened?"
He paused. "It's all a blur. All I remember is lots of snow and ice. It must have been abnormal weather if not even the draconeqi could control it. At some point I got separated from my parents and I woke up one morning to find myself in a cave. I survived on chocolate milk and cotton candy. Our magic starts at an early age, you see. After a while, the blizzard ended and I started off on my own."
He made another pause before continuing. "I'll spare you the details. Let's just say that it didn't take long for me to realize that I was different from most creatures. I searched everywhere for other draconeqi but found none. When I figured that I was the only one left, I tried to fit in with the other animals, but they were either frightened of me or found me ridiculous.
"Then I found Equestria and you ponies, and...well, let's just say they didn't take kindly to my appearance either. I eventually gave up trying to fit in and focused on my magic, making myself at home in a cave in the mountains."
"Was it that cave you took me from?" Fluttershy interjected.
"Yes, in fact. You know Celestia has stopped by there several times to see if I was hiding there? I made myself invisible whenever she came."
"How did she know you were there?"
"Because she found me there. You know, before her dye job. She saw me practicing my magic and might I add, she was quite impressed with it. She said I should use my talents for good. Well..." he twiddled his fingers, "she wasn't very specific on her definition of 'good.'"
He gave a small laugh. "I guess I may have disrupted a few banquets and rained out a couple of parades... It was after I had accidentally turned the roads into soap and lots of ponies called me a freak that things got out of hand. You know, I don't like being called a 'freak.' Even Celestia was angry with me. I just got angry back. So I took over Equestria and...well, you know the rest."
Fluttershy was silent for a while. "What was it like being in stone?"
He hesitated. "Cold, dark, but you're still aware of your surroundings. I heard those comments from the tourists! My head is not like a donkey's!"
