(Cover art made by a good friend of mine, @Phantom3r. Story based on song above.)

"Discord?" Fluttershy pushed the front door of the draconequus' home open, careful not to drop her basket. It was the second time they'd arranged tea at his place, and, since the first time, he had summoned a little portal to his pocket dimension in her cottage so she was able to come and go as she pleased. "I'm sorry I'm a little early, I was just so–"

          She was cut off by the sound of a piano, the soft notes putting her in a trance of sorts. The melody was haunting, beautiful, and saddening all at the same time. The little pegasus was content to close her eyes and listen, completely transfixed by the music. Then her eyes snapped open as the singing started.

          "They used to call me monster... I made them call me king... I ruled by might and terror... I could do anything..."

          It was somehow possible for Discord's voice to make the song even more haunting, and Fluttershy could physically feel the emotion behind it, even from those few lines. Setting down her basket, she crept through the house, intent on finding the chaos spirit as he played on.

          "But monsters don't just happen... There's reasons that we're bad... And now I can remember... The one who turned me mad... The one I called my dad..."

          And there he was, hidden away in a back corner of the house that she was almost positive didn't exist a couple weeks ago, completely oblivious to her presence as she watched him play, or, if he was aware, he just didn't care. Fluttershy nearly let out a squeak of surprise as smoke erupted from the floor, swirling in the air to form figures as Discord sang on.

"For I am Starswirl's Frankenstein... I was his flawed masterpiece... He tried to conjure perfection... But a monster was all he released..."

          The smoke took the form of a unicorn in a billowing robe, one that she could only presume to be Starswirl the Bearded. The silhouette of the famous wizard danced around the draconquus' head as said being focused on his music, eyes closed as he lost himself in what he was creating.

          "A genus, but lonely magician... Was Starswirl the Bearded, the Great... He was honored, respected, a legend... A master of wisdom and fate..."

          The smoky Starswirl began to shake hooves with other smoky ponies that formed out of thin air, peering into crystal balls, and at one point was on a stage appearing to give a lecture, two familiar silhouettes of the of the Equestrian princesses in the first row of the model auditorium before it all went up in a violent puff of smoke, leaving just Starswirl.

          "But the old mage didn't have one thing... Companionship–he was alone... So he thought that he could create it... The perfect heir, son of his own... If only, if only he'd known..."

          A small unicorn appeared next to the wizard, clearly a foal, until it, too, went up in smoke, replaced instead by a pair of fearsome eyes that Fluttershy could recognize anywhere, even filled with the malice and rage they were in the smoke, before they melted away.

          "For I am Starswirl's Frankenstein... I was his flawed masterpiece... He tried to conjure perfection... But a monster was all he released..."

          A large spell book appeared and Starswirl was immediately absorbed in it, ignoring the cages that began to appear, as Discord hummed along to his own melody, the music clearly taking him back to days long passed, before he was shut up in stone, before anything had gone wrong. It was almost hypnotizing, watching the embodiment of chaos sway and hum to his own evocative melodies.

          "From all different creatures, he fashioned... A wizard to beat all the rest... Imbued him with powerful magicks... So his son could rival the best...

         "But when he breathed life to his creature... His magic went out of control... From the magic and Chaos, I wakened... Grinning and wild and whole... And the World would soon know the toll..."

          A great flash of light, and then Starswirl was drowning in a pitch-black patch of smoke, struggling and silently screaming as the eyes returned above the tortured unicorn, accompanied with an unnaturally wide, single-fanged grin and a laugh that made Fluttershy jump at the amount of venom hidden in the supposed-to-be joyous sound. Starswirl was lost in the smoke, and the dark patch melted away to reveal a miniature Discord, storm clouds brewing above its head, smoky ponies running away in fear from the silhouette.

          "Thus I was Starswirl's Frankenstein... I was his flawed masterpiece... He tried to conjure perfection... But a monster was all he released..."

         All the smoke floated back to the floor, and Discord himself stood up, the piano still playing its alluring song as the draconequus began to dance in the open space, humming once again. It looked as if he was ice skating on the hardwood floors, gliding around effortlessly in time to the music. Even though he was only humming, it was clear how much emotion he was putting behind every note, in the way each breath shuddered and how tears were welling up behind still closed eyes. Fluttershy made to creep away once he stopped moving, thinking it was over as the song died down, but stopped when Discord's voice floated back to her, impossibly soft and gentle.

          "Thousands of years, it has been... Since my daddy created me mad... But now that friendship was given... His creation wasn't all bad..." She gasped as a life-size version of herself appeared in the smoke, and the chaos spirit caressed its cheek with a paw, smiling fondly. "Perhaps my father is......glad..." He let out one final hum, tears finally falling free and rolling down his face as the song ended, the music fading out slowly and the smoky version of her turned to wisps and blew away. She wasn't even aware of her own tears until one hit the floor, barely making a sound, and Discord raised his head, back turned to her.

          "It's rude to eavesdrop, you know. Especially in my own house."

          Fluttershy swallowed, pushing the door open more and finally entering the room. "H-how long d-did you–"

          "The whole time, my dear." He turned around to face her, a smile on his lips. "Who did you think the show was for?"

          Fluttershy began to back away. "I-I'm sorry, I just...I didn't know you could sing like that. O-or play. I'll j-just...go now..."

          "No no, it's quite alright. And well, I suppose there are a lot of things you still don't know about me." He snapped his fingers, and then they were in the living room, which was much tamer than usual. "Let's keep the whole 'homemade' aspect of my backstory just between us, eh Fluttershy? Not even Celestia and Luna are aware of it. They just assumed I magically manifested myself."

          She nodded, shifting in her seat, "B-but, I don't understand...Starswirl made you? But I thought you...you know..." Discord picked up on what she was trying to say and growled, but softening slightly when Fluttershy let out a frightened squeak.

          "No, I did not murder Starswirl the Bearded. That's what Celestia and Luna believe, based on the 'evidence', and, therefore, that's what everybody believes. Their beloved magician killed himself bringing me to life, when the spell backfired. Let's have tea, shall we?"

          He brought in her basket from the front door, and their evening went on as their tea parties usually did, with laughter and flying china, but Discord's song lingered in the back of her mind, and then it was time to leave, time going by unnaturally fast. She was halfway out the door when she turned around.

          "Oh, um, Discord? I-I'm sorry I walked in on you. I-it seemed like a private thing and I just kind of...barged in."

          The draconequus smiled. "Don't worry about it, my dear. I would've ended up telling you eventually. No harm, no foul, right?"

          She nodded slowly, taking one more step out the door before turning back around again. "By the way, I'm sure Starswirl is proud of you, about how much you've changed. I mean, I am." She smiled shyly, embracing it when Discord scooped her up with ease and hugged her.

          "Thank you, Fluttershy..." He set her back down, gesturing towards the door. "Now, run along, my dear. Angel's probably throwing a fit in your kitchen!" He chuckled at the brief look of panic flashing across the pegasus' face.

          "Good-bye, Discord!"

          "Bye-Bye, Fluttershy!" The door swung shut behind her, and the chaos spirit was alone, a soft smile on his face as he began to hum a familiar tune.

"But now that friendship was given... His creation wasn't all bad... Perhaps my father is...

...Glad."