For a Phoenix Feather

His sleep saw no dreams, but he would later find that the few hours he slept leading past noon were far more soothing and comfortable than the entire night before. What he did not remember was how he had nestled up against her and pulled her into a hug as he slept.

Twisted yawned softly, opening her eyes to the chest of the unicorn against her nose, a dark blush coating her cheeks as she tensed up. She looked up at him slowly before slipping from his grip and getting out of bed, stretching her wings out before a snicker caught her attention. Oh great.

She groaned quietly before looking over at the picture she knew he would be sitting in, grumbling at the distasteful mustache Discord had drawn on her in their photo together. "Dissy..."

"What? You said I could come over today and you two love birds looked so comfy I just couldn't bear to wake you!"

"L-lovebirds? What! W-We're not.."

"Sure you're not, darling. Sure you're not."

Vermillion groggily opened his eyes and shifted towards the upright, pausing as he spotted the draconequus wiggling his fingers at him in greeting. He immediately sprung to his hooves on the bed in a ready stance...

Or would have. Having forgotten where he was, namely, not camping outside on the ground, he had planted his back hooves right over the edge of the bed. The spell he had begun charging misfired as he fell with a yelp, a blue beam ricocheting from the skylight and bouncing right back into his face as hit flanks hit the floor, bowling him over backwards and leaving him sprawled on his back, dazed, his eyes spinning as he tried to process his rude awakening.

Discord was cackling with glee, slowly clapping his claw and paw together as he leaned over to whisper loudly to Twisted, such that the sprawled unicorn could hear, "Oh my, dear, where did you find such a catch? I hardly need to do anything at all! He causes so much chaos all on his own ♡" How Discord made a heart for punctuation audible was anyone’s guess.

Twisted almost growled at him, her face a bright pink as she headed over to help the poor stallion up. "Oh goodness, are you okay?" She helped him back on his feet and steadied him against her before looking at Discord with a pout. "Anyway! I don't know if today is a good day for practice, Dissy. Unless..." She looked at Vermillion with a concerned look before it went stern, "You want to get back at Dissy for what he did to you, right?" She asked suddenly; even Discord's expression looked puzzled as he watched the two.

She nodded and looked at the draconequus, "I'll go with you today if you two will get all your issues out in the open. I don't care if you remember or not, you hurt this stallion in your past so you need to take responsibility."

Vermillion snapped back to his senses at that and blurted out, "No!" As they both turned to him in surprise, he raised one hoof in a placating gesture, the other rubbing his now numb face as he sat on the floor. "No, just... I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather just leave it be. I'd rather leave it behind me. At least for now." He saw Twisted's concerned and curious expression and offered her a small smile. "If he remembers or feels like apologizing or whatever, that's fine, but I would much prefer to just let it be." He looked to the master of chaos in the corner, tapping the tips of two fingers together. He looked... guilty? That was a new one. "If he really wants to make it up to me, he'll show me how genuine his change is, starting with a normal day." He surreptitiously glanced at Twisted's talisman. "We'll see what else we can cover later."

Twisted watched him for a minute before looking over at Discord, "Well then... Do you want to tour around ponyville while I help Dissy?" She looked back over at him, stretching her wings out, "This is kinda a regular thing between us and well... It helps him. You're more than welcome to come but... I don't know how you will react." She gave a small apologetic smile as she got her bandana back on and adjusted it before heading into the bathroom to get her brush.

Discord looked over at him, "Look. Between you and me, the longer I look at you, the more I remember what happened and yes, I'm sorry for doing that. Like I told her, I got here hours ago, but I didn't want to wake you guys. Her nightmare fits are definitely something to behold." He paused, eyeing the bathroom doorway before looking back at him, "But if you don't like my magic I'd stay here."

Vermillion's eye twitched for a moment before he exhaled, a rough mix between a huff and a sigh. "Wont know until I find out..." he grumbled. He stood up and locked gazes with Discord, who shifted uncomfortably but held his gaze. The unicorn searched his red irises for any sign of ill intent or deceit, but all he could discern was a familiar glimmer of mischief. He sighed again, softly this time. "Everyone deserves a second chance. So here's yours with me. Please don't make me regret it, D." Discord looked surprised and quizzical at the new nickname but shrugged and snapped his fingers, Vermillion's trademark scarf now adorning its owner. Vermillion nodded his thanks and began making his way downstairs, gathering his saddlebags for the day ahead. Never know what I might need, he thought.

After a few minutes Twisted came downstairs, both her tail and her mane down, and her bandana gone again, "Sorry for the wait.. I can't have too many things on when we do this. Risk losing or destroying it." She chuckled softly and looked up at Discord and asked, "You ready?" He grinned mischievously and patted her head, her bangs already turning a bright pink color "I've been waiting!" he sing-songed. Twisted blinked a few times, looking over at Vermillion with a green and pink eye now to match before smiling, "Already off to a great start!"

He did not know what he was getting into.

After heading out the door and back into the woods, Twisted and Discord led him off the path and into a large clearing that was more or less sealed off from any prying eyes, the creature clapping his hands together as he got prepared to do... well, whatever he wanted. "I know this is going to look... bad. But please trust me, okay?" Twisted smiled at Vermillion, though she knew how Discord could get... In the blink of an eye he was as tall as the trees, picking the grey mare up by her wings and setting her in his paw, tugging, and pulling them off.

Vermillion simply watched the happenings with a stoic expression. He sighed once more as he trailed behind the walking absurdity that was Twisted's chaotic friend. Take some getting used to, indeed. Thankfully, the trickster seemed content to focus his attention on her for the time being, so he took stock of his surroundings.

The edge of the woods were damp, and became more damp the closer they got to Ponyville. He figured the pegasi had brought a solid rain along and dumped any excess out by the Everfree. He would have to remember to wipe his hooves pretty much everywhere before stepping into any shop. He sifted through his bags with his magic, checking his current stock of supplies and determining what, if anything, he would need or want to pick up while he was out. As he finished, he turned back to his friend and had to resist facehoofing at what he saw.

At this point he realized what she was in this situation: a guinea pig for his magical outbursts. She was his outlet to keep his chaotic magic in check and she seemed more than happy to help him. Discord suddenly poofed in front of Vermillion, snapping as a large pink cloud caught Twisted mid fall since he had removed her wings. "Am I boring you?" He smirked, snapping again and disappearing, leaving a confused Twisted standing in front of him in a full gown, back to her normal colors, and... a horn?

Twisted whined, looking down at her attire then up at the new growth. "Dissy! Last time you did this I set a tree on fire!" She looked up at the stallion in front of her, her cheeks pink though he could not be sure if it was from the makeup or the blood rushing to her face. “I-I'm not good at magic!" Her ears perked suddenly as she looked down and took a few steps back, "Dissy. Change me back please." She almost looked panicked though. A quick rummage through their memories would say why.

It was already being over reactive. And it did not seem to react kindly to being touched by unicorns.

Vermillion actually smirked at this. She made a fairly cute unicorn, but what really occupied his mind was his hope that he could help with her magic. "Calm down, TR, you'll only send your magic into a tizzy if you get all worked up. Every unicorn learns to control their magic as they go, but I can help you out a bit with some tricks I picked up." He walked to her confidently and lit his own horn to demonstrate. "Summoning up your magic is fairly easy, since it's just a matter of channeling your natural energy through your horn. If you focus on finding your center and calming your energy, you can reign your magic back in and cut it off completely. It's a lot like meditating." His grin got a little cheeky. "Find your happy place. A quiet happy place." His smiled became soft. "Imagine that soothing calm of gazing up at the stars on a cool, clear night, wrapped in a blanket in a quiet grove."

She looked up at him nervously before nodding and closing her eyes, "Happy place..." She muttered as a blue and green magic wrapped around her horn, the grey mare slowly opening one of her eyes to be face to face with her triangle, her magic wrapped around it. She jumped a little as she stared at it before a smile crept across her lips. "I-I did it! I lifted it!"

Vermillion smiled as he made some mental notes. When she grabbed it, it did not react. He supposed it would not  flip out if the wearer interacted with it. Perhaps it somehow connects or resonates with the user?

Magical theories aside, she had adapted to using magic quite quickly. "That's pretty awesome! You take to it even faster than I did." He suspected Discord’s shenanigans might have something to do with it, but the mental aspect was all her. "You'll be a spellslinger in no time the way you're going." As she continued to toy with her new appendage, they finally reached the outskirts of Ponyville.

Discord pouted a little as he snapped, the grey mare returning to her normal pegasus ways in her normal attire, "Can't have everypony knowing about our little secret." He smirked a bit before he snapped again, his body disappearing and reappearing back in her mane. It seemed he was going to be tagging along.

Twisted stretched her wings happily, "Being a unicorn is too much mental work for me. " She smiled as she looked up at Vermillion, "So? What do you wanna do first?"

The unicorn shrugged and made a vague gesture. "This is my first time around town, so I have no idea what I'm doing. You did say you'd give me the tour, so consider me in your capable hooves." He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he often did. "I did want to write up as much of our little escapade as possible for later, and I decided it would be safer to leave my journal back in Canterlot while I was traveling. I'm running kind of low on parchment at this point." He rummaged through his saddlebags, his voice muffled as his spoke with his muzzle directed into the pouches. "Plus I'm short on a few traveling supplies, namely dried rations, and I could probably use a whetstone since I seem to have lost the one I had."

Twisted put a hoof to her lips for a moment before looking down at little Discord, "Well..." She let her gaze travel around the small space of town she could see from the entrance to Everfree then smiled. "Alright. I know the first stop!" She grinned and lead the way into town.

For a while they passed little stores and other multi-colored ponies, but aside from a small wave and a "Good afternoon," she didn't seem like she was going to stop any time soon. It took a bit to get across town but before he could ask where they were going they came up over the hill to see a huge apple farm. His stomach got the message loud and clear.

"Breakfast anyone? I told you I'd bring you by here at least once before you left." She nudged Vermillion playfully before Discord appeared on his head, using his head and horn as a ship and mast before shouting, "Land ho!" Twisted snorted, shaking her head at the sudden disgruntled expression on the stallion's face. "Sorry..."

Vermillion switched to a smirk, blowing the draping locks of his mane up into Discord's face, who sputtered on the crimson hair. "No worries. He wants to have a bit of mischief for fun? We'll see how that works out for him."

He trotted along the path, taking in the broad fields of the orchards and the unbelievable number of delicious, ripe fruit hanging from the branches. If each and every one of those apples was as good as the ones he had enjoyed during the trip, that was a whole lot of deliciousness he was looking at. As a mauve barn came into sight with a nearby farmhouse, he eyed a few other trees bereft of fruit with gnarly, almost jagged branches. "What are those trees there? They don't exactly look like normal apple trees."

"Uhm.." The grey mare looked at the trees herself, frowning a bit. "I wanna say they're either zap zpple trees or they may have vampire fruit bats again." She shook her head a bit before looking ahead, Discord tugging on his mane as a reply. She chuckled softly as the got near the barn where a few ponies were talking, a red stallion and a small orange mare turned to greet them as they approached.

"Howdy."

Vermillion turned to face the arriving mare. "Hey, there. I'm Vermillion." He offered his hoof to her and she shook it. "Had a few of your apples thanks to Twisted here," he said, gesturing to the pegasus, "so I decided a visit was a great idea while I was in town, since they were so amazing."

"Well, alright, welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! I'm Applejack, and ya'll are welcome to look around." She turned to look at Twisted and then, "Discord. Weren't expectin' to see you around here. Don't tell me you're givin' these two a hard time..."

"Me? Oh Applejack I'm hurt!" Discord gasped, appearing next to Twisted before falling, exasperated, over her back, making Twisted tense up, "Oi!" She smirked softly before gently nudging him off her back with her wings and returning to Applejack, "No. no, he's fine. He's hanging out with us today." As the words left her mouth she bit her bottom lip, the confused expression on the mare's face making her regret saying so. "Uhm. A-anyway, I wanted to bring Vermillion here to get some apples for his stay here before he goes back to Canterlot."

"Canterlot, huh? Ain't that where you're from?"

"Uh. Yeah... We're kinda childhood friends reunited." Twisted shifted on her hooves a bit, rubbing the back of her head and while the orange mare shook it off, one would notice a certain god of chaos eyeing her with... concern?

Vermillion could sense the tension forming and decided to cut right through it. "This is a whole lot more than I was expecting to see at a smaller town like Ponyville. Would you be up for giving us a bit of a tour, Applejack?"

The farm pony chuckled. "Ain't no problem with that, and you can call me AJ if ya like."

Vermillion offered her a smile, then shot a grin to Twisted. "Well come on! Don't want to miss the grand tour, now, do we? Yo D, think you can whip me up a pair of shades? Daytime and I still have a rocky relationship."

Discord stared at him for a minute, still getting used to the nickname before he smirked and snapped, giving him a rather goofy looking pair of shades. Twisted snorted a bit, covering her muzzle with her hoof before she joined the leaving party.

Vermillion let the sunglasses slide down his muzzle and he glared down at them before closing his eyes, shrugging, and sliding them back up with a hoof. "I can work with this." He turned and followed Applejack as she led them through the orchard, reciting the names of trees she considered memorable. The unicorn would nod and smile, knowing that the trees all looked very similar and unmemorable. She did not need to know that, however.

The tour was wonderful, getting to taste the different kinds of apples, and enjoying the day was relaxing. It was more than Twisted had expected her weekend to be and while she had planned on staying home and reading she did not regret a second.

When they got to the strange trees he had asked about, they were presented with the history of the zap apple. Evidently Twisted had been right about that. After the tour, the earth pony mare offered fresh apple pie to the trio. Discord seemed ever so eager for some food, and though Vermillion politely declined he quickly found himself overridden by the force of southern hospitality. "Well, it's not like I'm about to complain about free food," he offered to Twisted with a wink.

Twisted smiled thoughtfully as she followed along, not talking much. Discord had already found himself neck-deep in pie, his little head sticking out of the crust as he ate happily. She chuckled softly as she watched him, though her appetite failed her as she watched everyone else. Honestly the grey mare seemed in a different world, her eyes closed as she rested her elbow on the table and her cheek in her hoof, her wings folded around her.

The orange mare eyed her a bit before looking at Vermillion, "So uh... How long you in Ponyville?"

Vermillion swallowed the last bite of his slice of pie before answering. "I'd say another week and a half, then I need to be getting back to Canterlot. I figure I'll spend it checking out whatever this town has to offer." He looked over to Twisted, noticing her distant expression. "Hopefully my gracious host over there won’t mind helping me out with that. You still with us, TR?"

Her ears perked a bit at her nickname as she looked over at him, offering an apologetic smile, "Y-Yeah. I'm sure that won't be an issue." She laughed nervously as Discord popped back up behind her, gripping her at her shoulders with a grin. "We got a space cadet here, Cap'n." He teased.

Twisted smiled a little as it got harder to concentrate on the conversation at hand, "Uhm.. Y-You said you needed to get parchment... Right?" She struggled with her words a little as she looked at Vermillion, tilting her head to the side.

The unicorn studied her for a moment before nodding. "And probably a bit of ink. Are you sure you're still up for it? We just got back last night, so I wouldn't have a problem with just taking a day to recover..." He noticed her distant expression and eyed Discord warily. He had that tingling up his spine he seemed to get whenever something was not sitting right with him. His intuition rarely steered him wrong, but it could also be incredibly vague. He checked her talisman to see if anything strange was happening.

"I'm fine." She replied, getting back onto her hooves and giving a small smile to Applejack, "Thanks for the pie and the tour, AJ. Really appreciate it." She looked up at Discord a almost undetectable gold ring around her pupils that made his eyes widen before she blinked it away and smiled at him, "You coming with?" She asked before looking over at Vermillion, her relic seeming almost dormant as a crooked smirk replaced her smile, "And beside, you'll need something to do while I laze about if we do end up going home early, right?"

Vermillion put his concerns to the side, knowing he would have plenty of time to mull them over soon enough. "I have ways of entertaining myself, and I don't mind hitting up the town myself while I'm here, but getting the supplies now is probably a good idea." He turned to his host as he stood. "Thank you very much for your hospitality, Applejack. If you're up for it, I'll buy you a round or two some time," he added with a smirk. Applejack responded with a grin of her own.

"I may just have to take you up on that, partner. You're always welcome at Sweet Apple Acres." The unicorn nodded, then turned to Twisted and gestured for them to start back on the trail towards town. He carefully observed the mare trotting next to him, but decided not to say anything with the draconequus present. He had a nagging feeling that getting the chaotic creature involved in any personal discussion would be messy, to put it lightly.

Discord seemed unsettled, though he did join them as they headed into town. The grey mare next to them trotting along with a peaceful expression and her eyes closed. As they reached the area around town she opened her eyes and looked over at him. "Something on your mind?" she asked suddenly, her head cocked to the side as she slowly pointed them in the right direction to the store that sold quills and ink.

Vermillion offered a generic smile. "A couple things, but I'd rather not ruin the day with them. Plenty of time for it later." Procrastination, his age old ally, once more served him... well enough. "Was there anywhere you needed to go? I don't want to have dragged you out here just for me." He carefully gauged the way she responded, checking it against what he understood was the norm.

She smirked a little, "Sweetie you couldn't have made me come out here anyway." She yawned a bit, watching the ponies around them with an almost distasteful look before shrugging, "I don't really have anything I need from here. The only thing I can think of would be something for lunch or dinner since we kinda skipped the first one." She turned to him, flashing a small grin, "What would you like?"

Okay, he thought to himself, mixed signals. Get it together, guy. She had flirted with him when they met, but this felt different, less playful. Pushing aside the response any stallion with a pulse inevitably feels, he just grinned and nodded. "Pie was good, but I could definitely go for a proper dinner. Let me pick up my writing supplies and next stop will be dinner."

She nodded and winked at him, "Sounds like a date." She smirked before looking up at Discord, "It may be best if-" "If I go visit Fluttershy? Yes! I think that sounds lovely! Tata!" She frowned, grabbing him by the ear. "I was going to say it may be best if you take Vermillion to get his things so I can go grab a few things myself." Her voice was cold even with the smile on her face.

Aaand now the alarm bells were ringing. Something was definitely off. He would have preferred discussing it with her in private, but now he would be afforded the opportunity with Discord first. He could work with that.

"That sounds like a plan. Shall we get to it, D? I actually had a couple things I wanted to ask you about, anyway." He offered a grin that was genuine, but held an edge as well. "We still have some making up to do for old grudges."

Discord smiled a little. "Yeah.. " He didn't seem too enthused, but it was better than hanging with his "friend" at the moment. As they parted ways and Twisted walked off to do... well Celestia knew what, Discord abandoned his persona and sighed, "Geez that was uncalled for."

"My thoughts exactly." Vermillion squared off facing the draconequus when Twisted was out of sight. "And you're going to help me figure out a few important things while we shop. Start walking, start talking. You owe me for the unplanned reading," his gaze hardened for a moment, then shifted to aggressive curiosity. "Tell me everything you know about that thing around her neck."

"My, my, presumptuous, aren’t we?" Discord sighed, shaking his head, "Honestly back in the day I dabbled in all sorts of magic, especially with the princesses coming after me. Now that was a hoot." He commented, reminiscing about his time as the "ruler" of Equestria before he noticed the stallion’s look.

"Ahem... anyway... From what I can tell it's some form of chaos magic that I haven't really seen much. Which is saying a lot at this point, considering. I kinda feel like it came from dark magic. And why it's so active... I haven’t the foggiest. It's changing her and I don't know how long its effects last." He put a claw to his chin, tugging on his beard as he thought back, "I don't think she's a danger to the land but... Those close to her might be. That's what happened to you two and her little crush, isn't it?"

Ah, new information. "I'm not familiar with said crush, but I think I've seen enough to have an idea. Plus I have some inkling as to how it affects the user. Or at least how it affected me." That tidbit caught Discord’s attention.

Vermillion clarified. "It triggered my temper, maybe a few other unsavory things, and a simple fire spell went to overkill. My guess is that it taps into the bearer's magic and psyche as a defense mechanism. It just has a terrible sense of friend and foe, if any. I can't think of anypony with much experience with that kind of magic outside of you or the princesses, though, and I'd rather avoid involving them. You're already in the know."

He glanced at Discord with resolve and perhaps a faint touch of desperation. "I need your help, Discord. If you really are her friend, you'll help me figure this out." They arrived at the store, and the unicorn left Discord to process that as he purchased his supplies.

Discord leaned against the wall of the store, snapping up some cotton candy to help his thought process, though nopony would understand how. On one hand, she was chaos. Something he loved but at the same time... It was dark chaos. Something that, while still chaos was, frankly, no fun. It would not come off even if he tried, which, to be fair, he had when she was younger. It tried to kill him. But! That was another story.

As the stallion came out he looked at him, an odd sense of seriousness coming from him now, "Deal. But you need to explain yourself before I can even attempt to help. I need all cards on the table, kiddo."

Vermillion raised an eyebrow at Discord as he settled his supplies in his bags. "And what, exactly, do I need to explain? Friends help each other out of bad situations, and I recently found out we've been friends for longer than I thought. Besides, you seem to know more than you let on, so this goes both ways, buddy."

"She tried to kill me. What do you want, V?" He frowned deeply and looked down at his not-so-welcome companion. "I've tried removing it. It only makes her more miserable the more ponies try. Why do you think the real reason she moved from Canterlot is? Why she moved out into the most dangerous forest she could think of?" Discord was actually angry. He was frustrated that no matter what he tried it never worked. Even for one of the only ponies who did not treat him like a nuisance.

"Because she did kill her parents. She's got more blood on her hooves than any other pony I can think of and yet she's the sweetest thing in Ponyville! She doesn't hold the bad looks, the sneers, or the names she's given against any of these ungrateful ponies. I mean come on! She embodies acceptance and harmony! Why would she be friends with the god of chaos otherwise?" He closed his eyes tightly, pinching the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He was unloading and knew it was stupid to do that now.

"Look. Vermillion. You forgot about her somehow. That's a thing. If you were friends before now then either it or you did something to get rid of that. So spill. What do you remember?"

Well, shit.

That was confirmation of a suspicion he was not happy to have, but knew was necessary. He could only imagine the kind of damage that had done. Next, seeing the master of chaos in a tizzy about her said all he needed to hear about intentions. You do not get that worked up over somepony you do not care about, so Discord was on the up and up in that respect.

He thought back to his school days, remembering the faces of the friends he made, but hers always seemed hazy. He was terrible with names, but somehow remembered hers with perfect clarity after the dream. He tried to recall time spent together, and all he had was the vivid recall Luna had helped him achieve.

"Not nearly enough," he spat bitterly. He did not even try to contain his frustration this time, his eyes flashing like lightning before a brutal storm. His horn fizzled out as he took calming breaths. He had not even been aware he was channeling. Yikes. "I hate this. I don't usually say that and mean it, but I really hate this." There was an imprint of his hoof in the path where he had unconsciously ground it against the dirt. "I want to blame that damn piece of junk, but how would I even know? I can be a real plothole, so maybe I'm just a terrible friend."

"Getting it now, are you?" Discord grumbled, "Now then. Shut up. We have company." He turned around quickly and smiled, "Hey Twist. Find what you were looking for?" The mare looked tired and different than she had earlier as she gave a small smile, "Sorry about that. I found everything for dinner, yeah. Will you be joining us, Dissy?" She seemed back to normal... for now. Discord glanced down at Vermillion, quirking a brow, "Well, if this guy doesn't mind me barging in on his date."

Vermillion considered Discord’s words before. He asked himself the same thing in his head. Was he really understanding?

"Sure, why not. I think a little one on one time helped ol' Discord and I be a bit more understanding of one another. I try not to turn down the company of a new friend." That's right folks, the unicorn mused in his head, VP has gone off the deep end and made friends with the incarnation of chaos. Harmony help my soul... "So where are we headed?"

"Well that depends. Would you prefer me to cook for you two or did you have something else in mind?" She chuckled and she nudged Vermillion, "Glad you guys hit it off, I had hoped you would."

"Well, I figure Discord will have a good time once I start getting him in on some of the shenanigans and pranks I get into with some of the guys from the guard." Finally, a reason to smile again. Good times. "But I think eating out is fine. Tonight, we treat ourselves!" He threw a foreleg dramatically around Discord while sweeping the other over the horizon.

Discord smirked a bit and poofed those ridiculous sunglasses back on the bridge of his nose before snickering, "How about that cafe you work at, hm? That way you can show us your favorite dishes there."

Twisted chuckled, and nodded, "Sounds good. You're gonna love the sandwiches there." She smiled and lead the way, the draconequus next to him glancing down at him with an odd expression

Vermillion quipped, "What's with the look, D? Everyone's gotta have friends..." With that, he turned and followed Twisted, flicking the shades up to rest on his horn as he followed. As they walked, he took to observing Ponyville once again. It was a quiet, quaint locale he was growing rather fond of. He had never been much a fan of the big city, so the rural setting was a fantastic change of pace. He might have to look into getting his station changed to somewhere out this way if he had the opportunity. He was brought out of his thoughts as the trio arrived at the decided upon restaurant, and he opened the door and stepped aside. "After you, m'lady," he offered with a smirk.

Twisted chuckled softly and went inside. "Hey Ellie!" She smiled at the old mare who had helped them out on their journey. Apparently she was also Twisted's boss. The old mare smiled and waved. "You find everythin’ you were looking for, Twist?" she asked, the grey mare nodding before finding them all a table, Discord transforming into a pony to fit in with the group after the old mare gave him a sharp glare.

He was a greyish brown with red eyes and yellow whites, a grey mane and a short grey tail. All in all he made a good looking professor-ish stallion. He noted the look he got with a small sneer and he rolled his eyes. "That old bag freaks me out; bite me."

Vermillion snorted. "I'd rather not. Might lose my appetite if I tried." He took his seat and lifted up the menu, already spotting a few dishes that might suit his fancy. "So what do you recommend? You've been here before, so I'm going to count on your experience to make the most of it." He started with ordering an iced tea to drink, an old favorite and staple of his childhood.

She ordered a coffee that was a bit too complicated in it's wording for his liking before she looked the menu over, "Well...the cucumber and hay salad is pretty good... OH! And I add pickles and ranch to mine. " She grinned, the two stallions staring at her for a minute before Discord cleared his throat. "And here I thought I had a colorful appetite,” he commented before the waitress came up. "Yes. Your finest cucumber burger please."

"Wow, light eaters. Alrighty then, ready miss?" Vermillion asked the waitress, who nodded. "Hit me with the club sandwich, hayfries, the cucumber and hay salad..." he tapped a hoof to his chin, then shrugged, continuing, "with pickles and ranch. Why not? And can I get a look at the dessert menu? I like to plan ahead." He spared his gawping companions a glance before polishing a hoof idly against the fur on his chest. "Hey, I'm hungry. Being a guard stallion works up an appetite."

"I'll have what he's having." She smiled and nudged him, offering, "It's not a problem. " The waitress smiled before heading back into the kitchen, the brown stallion frowning a bit as he watched them. "Sweet Celestia you guys are pigs..."

"Aw lighten up, D! We're here to enjoy ourselves..." he trailed off as he spotted the double chocolate cake in the desert menu that had arrived. He whinnied quietly. "Ohhh momma, that's what I'm talkin' about. Desert choice, check." He smiled as Twisted giggled at his antics, and their ordered food arrived shortly after. Conversation waned as food was consumed, the pleased hum of the diners and the slurp of Discord’s... winding... bendy straw... were the only sounds for some time. As they began winding down with the meal and ordered desert, Vermillion considered options for conversation and decided on a tried and true topic.

"So Discord mentioned you worked here, and I was curious what else you do around Ponyville, Twist. I feel kinda lame for not having asked you about yourself sooner." He said it all with a smile until he looked down into his glass, then frowned and muttered under his breath with a childish pout. It was probably just an act. Maybe.

She laughed a bit, putting a bite of cheesecake in her mouth with a smile, "I kinda work everywhere. I fill positions ponies need filled when other ponies call in or don't have enough staff." She looked over at Ellie, waving and giving her a smile, "Thanks Ellie! If you don't mind I won't be on call for the next week. I have a friend over from out of town."

The old mare tilted her head, "Well... We'll miss ya but I guess it can't be helped."

Twisted turned back to Vermillion, "That means I'm all yours this week." She nudged him before a yawn moved through her. "Geez... I guess that trip took more out of me than I thought."

Vermillion's ear twitched and he faintly blushed as he took another bite of cake, the color fading away as the dreamy expression only confections could summon spread over his face. He quickly refocused. "Well that should be fun. I'm sure something fun will pop up." He blinked for a moment as a part of him was convinced that he had just tempted the powers that be. The next week would either be horribly dull, or, as his experience told him was his luck, it might very well turn into some maddening chaos beyond his control. A glance at the draconequus currently drinking his slice of pie merely cemented the feeling. Shaking off the tingle of impending doom, he picked up where he left off.

"How do you manage without steady work? I'm guessing it isn't too expensive to live in the Everfree, but food doesn't deliver itself, and you'd still need other things to keep your home as nice as it is," he said as he finished off the last of his cake.

Twisted paid the bill and looked over at him, "Well I've got uh.. I guess you could call them contracts with most of the stores in town. A lot of them are on call but this is the only job I have full employment at." She yawned again as Discord got out of his chair, "I assume we're all gonna head to your place?" Twisted blinked and nodded, "Sounds good. You guys seem to hit it off, but I was interrupting, so even if I pass out on you guys at least there's that?"

Discord smirked as glanced back at her with red eyes. "Yeah well, Don't worry about accommodations for me. I'll either make myself at home or go over to Fluttershy's. She should be back from Twilight's by now."

"Actually..." Vermillion interjected, "I have a stop I'd like to make before I head back. Go on without me, I know how to get back just fine and I'd like to think the Everfree is more scared of me than I am of it," he stated plainly. "After our little display before, I think the nasties will be less inclined to interrupt my stroll." Plus I can really cut loose solo, he added mentally. He frowned as the waitress took the bill and payment. He would have to get square with her during the coming week.

Twisted watched him for a moment before nodding, "I know you can handle yourself. So I'll meet you back at the house then!" She smiled as she and Discord left the restaurant.

Vermillion smiled to them as he waved, watching them make their way back towards the woods. He turned the opposite direction, and as the sun set he walked as directly as possible to the large crystal tree castle that dominated the town.