For a Phoenix Feather

Vermillion groaned as he he woke back up, a dozen aches and pains reminding him he had just been in a pretty serious tussle. His eyes flew wide as he frantically looked around, the need to verify Twisted's well-being overriding concerns for himself. He had been in worse shape before anyway. He spared but a thought for the encounter in his dreams, filing it away as something he could verify later.

The grey mare lay next to him, her head over his shoulder as a small trickle of blood left the corner of her mouth. The sound of a disgruntled snort came from the front door as Discord frowned at the two of them and the mess they had made, "Geez... Leave you alone for one night and the cotton candy hits the fan!" he grumbled, keeping his voice at a quiet shout to keep from waking the recovering Twisted.

He snapped his claw, some of the pain and swelling in Vermillion’s injuries going down as Discord healed as much as his magic would allow without turning the unicorn into something else, "So then, you learn a lesson in this or no?"

"More or less. More importantly, I may have secured some help. And my stay in Ponyville might not be as brief as I thought." He could see Discord eyeing him suspiciously. "Oh come on, don't give me that. And you were supposed to heal her first, ya dingus." He used a fetlock to gently wipe away the blood, ignoring the wet sensation as his fur matted and stained. He could use a damn shower after this morning, anyway.

"You think I haven't tried? It's got it's own healing ability." He commented as he snapped again, going back into his own pony form and walking over to them, "Best thing to do it let her sleep." He grumbled a bit, using his magic to move her off of him and onto his back with a grunt, "Besides, you need a shower and I need to at least spruce this place up a bit before she wakes up."

Vermillion shakily stood, nodding as he did so. "Any suggestions for when she comes to? I have a feeling she'll be pretty torn up about the fight, even if it was my fault."

Discord sighed softly as he began to head towards the stairs, "Personally I don't think you can say anything that would fix it." He shrugged a bit. "That thing lives to make her miserable. Maybe that's its power source of somesort." He yawned a bit as he slowed for the stallion to catch up, "So the princesses coming anytime soon?"

Vermillion shrugged. "No idea. I was planning on stopping by Princess Twilight's at some point today, so I'll find out what I can then. She's not going to be thrilled about that, but if they try anything funny I'm not going to put up with it," he stated firmly. "I don't think the princesses are like that though, so... here's hoping." He trudged up after them, turning for the bathroom while Discord saw to Twisted.

The brown stallion nodded to him and set his friend in her bed as Vermillion disappeared around the corner. Though his concern was forefront there was almost a smile in his tone as he brushed her bandana away and watched the now collared talisman glint in the light. "No... I don't think they are. But we must keep a watchful eye. This seems like the very beginning.."

This was far from over.

The next few days went... roughly.

Twisted, after her incident with Vermillion, did not seem like she was sleeping anymore. She was always moving around the house, fixing what had been broken, jumpy and almost paranoid when he would head off into the small town on his own to, outside her knowledge, visit the princess.

Discord would pop in from time to time, breaking up any fights that happened between the two to keep Vermillion from being severely hurt in his defense against her sudden magical outbursts. It was a weird feeling being 'saved' by Discord instead of fighting against him and his chaotic magic. But, same as always, she had no memory that he could tell of the altercations. Despite his frequent interchanges with Twilight and the Princess of the Night in his dreams...Things seemed to get worse with his friend.

"She's worse?" Twilight asked softly, looking over her shoulder at her new-found friend who was sighing heavily and flipping through pages. Luna and Celestia had sent her a letter and, despite her wanting to go investigate herself, forbade her from doing so. Right now their eyes were the guard stallion who was sitting in her library, and any time he came he expected a interrogation.

"I mean... Shouldn't you bring her in for me to meet? I don't understand why the Princesses are so adamant about me staying away from her! She's a friend if any other pony is and it seems to be damaging your relationship with her as well. You just rekindled your friendship and she's freaking out every five minutes!" The flustered alicorn stopped her hooves on the table she sat at, rubbing her temple a bit as her thoughts swirled.

She blushed a bit when the stallion chuckled at her. Princess or not, she definitely did not grow up in the "royal way". It was a unique thing about her that made the stallion admire her.

Vermillion looked the princess in the eyes and thought for a moment. "You were Celestia's personal student. I imagine that brought with it a certain reverence for her, right?" Seeing Twilight nod, he continued. "Now imagine if your friends took you to Celestia because you were struggling with something you wanted to handle yourself, something embarrassing or damaging. Do you really think it will help things between us if I suddenly go, 'Oh hey, let's go see the really powerful ponies who could totally ruin your life on the chance that they can help you!'" He gave her a deadpan look as she opened her mouth to retort. "No, it doesn't make logical sense. I know you wouldn't do that, and I doubt the others would either, but it's about perception."

He rubbed his temples with his forehooves. "I Just don't get how we're supposed to deal with this thing. Tampering with it makes it worse, leaving it alone let's things get worse, and the longer she has it on her the more damage it’s going to do to her." He rubbed a recent sore spot and muttered with an ironic smile, "I have been getting really good with my hoof-to-hoof skills though..." Always a silver lining, he thought bitterly. He looked back to the princess. "Please tell me you've made some progress on finding some kind of information on it. This is your thing, princess! This is way out of my skill range."

The princess bit her lip nervously, "Well... There was one thing but I don't know if it's what you're looking for." A few old and tattered books flew by as she brought them over to him to share, "These books speak of ‘cursed’ items. Kind of like the Alicorn Amulet if you've heard of it. It was an old relic a ‘rival,’" she paused, making quotations in the air with her hooves before continuing, "tried using and it seemed to kind of... possess her. Not in the same way you describe but... it changed the wearer and once removed, the wearer went back to normal."

She flipped through a few pages as she spoke, a few mentioning chaotic energy being used to power certain relics though what they did was never clear. "Like you and Discord have tried... The wearer usually won't let you remove it because the relic is usually using the wearer for something. There was a spell in a old book that Spike told me about. It was only used once; mostly because he ate it." She shot a small glare at Spike who kinda scurried away. "It gave the unicorn is was used on the ability to basically possess their own cutiemark! So interesting, I would have liked to study it further," she rambled before noticing his look.

"A-ahem. Sorry," she apologized. She was getting off topic again. He had gotten used to her going off into odd tangents, but she seemed to actually have begun to scratch the surface of the truth.

"And that helps our situation... how exactly? How did you put an end to the spell? You can't tell me just eating the book ended the curse..." He wore an incredibly skeptical expression. "And even if it did, destroying the thing isn't an option. The one time I took direct action against it it caused her physical trauma without even laying a hoof on her. How do you put an end to a spell that does that kind of thing?"

Twilight frowned a little at the new information. Was it too late? She shook her head. "Apparently the end of that spell was to speak the truth to the spellbearer and the spell would break. Like I said, I'm sorry I got off topic. It's obviously not even close to what we're dealing with." She rubbed the back of her head. She needed to face facts, and she felt now was a good time to ask. Even if he would be upset.

"Vermillion... I know this isn't something you want to consider but... A-And I'm not giving up! Let me assure you! But... if it's already able to physically harm her, is it possible it's already too integrated into her life to remove it?" Her expression was kind and careful though it remained firm, "I mean, if it can do all you say, who knows what personality traits it's tinkered with? What bodily harm it could be holding at bay to keep it's host safe? Are you ready to accept that kind of responsibility?"

Vermillion blinked. The implication that his friend was already (possibly) dead had not occurred to him. Best friend a zompony? Awesome, but kind of inconvenient when the thing that kept her going was a killer contraption. This was why he really, really hated some of the ponies of old times. Only idiots would concoct that kind of construct.

"If it's sustaining her, it may drawn on her magic but she'd have to be alive for it to be able to have something to heal, otherwise healing is pointless. By that logic, she's still alive, but harming her or the talisman might kill her anyway if it overdraws on her magic. The key, then, is finding a way to sever the connection between the chaos magic and her own pool of energy. Which I imagine will be rather complicated with how deeply entrenched it is at this point. This is really way outside what I can do, princess, but it gets really old to see her dealing with that thing..." His magic instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword, which he now carried with frequency after being stationed in Ponyville on what was essentially a form of active duty. He would really be digging the new pay bonus it entailed if it was not for the source of that necessity.

"I'm not worried about if it's keeping her alive or not," she replied bluntly, wandering around the room in a pacing manner. "I'm more worried about how much it's interfered in her life. Because you're right. It needs a live host. I'm guessing it runs off of negative energy; that's why it attacks you. Specifically you." She turned and pointed a wing at him, "You came back. It gets super active. Why?" She shook her head as she studied him a bit, "Maybe you're taking away its ‘food’ source?" She pondered, pacing around the library. If that was the case then perhaps the being the Princess of Friendship thing would actually come in handy here.

"I need to speak with Celestia about this. Maybe I can help, but I need her permission to see Twisted if I can." She looked at him. "Not go to her house with the intention of seeing her just... ‘accidentally’ bump into you two when in town on a day she's more... stable?" She gave a weak chuckle, "I'll see what I can prepare, alright? I'd like to help you as soon as possible. Before you get any more bruises."

The stallion gave a dismissive snort. "Bruises heal, and it's been a great way to brush up on my healing spells. I've never been this great at first aid." There was humor in his voice, a genuine appreciation for a challenge, but at the same time he sounded so very, very tired. "I"ll head back for now. I promised I'd help her out with some chores today. Should be a nice, quiet afternoon, then I can meet up with some of the guys tonight to unwind. By your leave, princess?" She rolled her eyes and nodded, and he made his exit. He ruminated on the conversation as he walked the path to Twisted's house. It had only been a few days, so he was still staying with her, although Twilight had offered to house him at the castle in the guard quarters. It was actually pretty tempting, especially with the possibility that his presence was causing more harm than good. Who knew being a caring friend and peacemaker would stir up more fighting than it ended? Ah, life, you cold, cold bi-...

His thoughts were broken by a call from the mare in question, who had just stepped outside. He smiled warmly, but it did not quite fill out his eyes like it usually did when he was pleased. He knew she had picked up on it, but given the amount she remembered of their fights she may very well not know what was causing him such stress.

The tired mare gave a small smile, "I was about to go get ya. I thought you ran out on me," she teased softly as she let him inside. She stood at the doorway for a minute, watching him before a sudden question caught him off guard, "I'm... hurting you, aren't I?" Her eyes were gentle and calm though he could not be sure if it was from lack of sleep or if it was a mix of concern and sleepless nights. "I see the bruises. And through the veil, I see tiny pieces." She looked down a little, kicking her hooves against the floorboards gently as she took a deep breath, "If you wanna go get a room until you can go home, I understand."

She gave a weak smile, her ears flicking back a bit, "You gotta promise to visit me every now and then if you do though." The comments and the tone of her voice almost broke his heart. She didn't want him to leave; that much he knew. But all this new information made him feel like he was the reason she was in such bad shape now. But... The other side of him wondered: what would happen if he did leave? Just to stay in town? Would things improve?

He sighed, before slowly trotting closer and placing a hoof on her shoulder. "It's whatever. I could give you all kinds of lines about friendship and being a very stallion-y stallion, but none of that really matters. You can't get rid of me that easily." A bit of spark came back into his eyes. "I don't have this red mane for nothing, y'know." His expression fell again. "I think it might be a good idea for me to get out of the house, though. On the bright side," he said as his magic fished out a scroll from his bags, "I did just get this."

Well, not just, he had had it for a couple days, but now seemed like a good time. It had been worded carefully, likely by Luna herself, to be somewhat ambiguous. He explained it while Twisted read it. "I've been assigned to Ponyville to work on a special project with Princess Twilight. Turns out talking to her about magic and some of the things I'd like to learn got her all excited." This was true in many respects. "I may even contribute to a new specialist school in the guard for more advanced spells to handle some of the crazy stuff that not every guard is trained for." Also true. Twilight had indicated doing so would be a great idea when he had brought the idea up. Might as well make some good out of all the bad, he reasoned.

She could not deny that it hurt, but she knew it was the best choice. She was hurting him without even knowing it and that scared her.

“T-That sounds great!" She gave a soft chuckle and a smile as she nudged him, "Looks like you and Twi will be spending a lot of quality time together, Mr. Casanova~" She teased before she looked down, an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach, though she could not really place why. "I'm happy. You won't be leaving so soon. But yeah. You're welcome over anytime. I'm keeping my leave time from the shop though... I haven’t felt well for a couple days," she mumbled softly.

Yeah. From the beatings she had been delivering and likely receiving it was no wonder.

She handed the scroll over to him before she moved away from him and settled back in her usual spot on her couch. The past couple days when he woke up he had found her there, so it did not seem out of the ordinary, though the light coming through the windows highlighted the dark circles around her eyes now.

Yup. Best choice. If it helps.

"Don't worry, I'll still be popping by to give you a hard time often enough," he offered with a grin as he plopped down on the couch next to her. "In the mean time, we should plan something suitably awesome, like a party." He felt a few hairs stand on end. Huh, weird. "I'm sure somepony in town will be more than happy to contribute to that. Actually, I've never partied with Discord before... that could be entertaining." His eyes grew spacey as he imagined the shenanigans to be had with the master of chaos helping him out. Oh, the sweet possibilities...

Twisted grumbled a little, burying her head under a couch pillow at the word, "Party". "Dont say that wooord," she hissed, nudging him with her hind leg. "She'll heeear you..." She knew he knew who she spoke of. And the reminder made him feel like he was being watched.

At the mention of Discord helping she had cringed, peeking out from under the pillow with a unsure and uneasy expression, "Vermillion... I don't know. If I'm really this unstable... Is a party with a bunch of ponies such a good idea? I don't..." she paused softly, her gaze off to the side now as she tapped her front hooves together. “I don't want to hurt any more ponies." She looked up at him quietly, her bangs now in her eyes and the pillow on top of her head.

Vermilion gave her a long glance. "Well, ultimately that's your call... but you don't seem to have problems going into town around everypony else. Not everypony is as aggravating as I can be," he offered with a face that was both impish and apologetic. "I think the longer you let fear control you, the more you'll feel threatened and the less you'll be able to get out and actually live." His words were somewhat impassioned. "A life holed up here really isn't much of a life. Don't get me wrong, I like time to myself with a good book or just some old fashioned peace and quiet, but I like it being a choice. I want you to remember that you always have a choice."

She looked down before she sat up again, the pillow falling to the floor. "I do live my life. I just try to keep ponies at arm's length. When they get too close, I hurt them and they're not as forgiving as you are." She looked up at him with a small smirk, "A party sounds lovely." she shivered, that chill again... "But if things get... out of control I want you to kinda get me out of there if you can. Deal?"

Vermillion nodded firmly. "Count on it. I'd be a terrible friend if I didn't." The moment didn't last long as they both felt a few hairs stand on end for a moment before the door burst inwards in a shower of confetti, Pinkie Pie blurring into the room from the smoking muzzle of her party cannon, planted just outside the door.

"I totally just had a crazy twitcha twitch that meant somepony was planning a party and I knew I was needed so I got here as fast as I could so hey Vermillion hiya Twisted why is Vermillion all bruisy?"

It took them a moment to process everything the pink mare had said, but Vermillion got it and replied. "I've just been doing some guard stuff and wrestling that's been a bit rough on the ol' bod’. I'll be right as rain with a bit of rest. And yes, I actually could use your help with a party." He sidled up to Pinkie conspiratorially, whispering loudly, "Ms. Grumpy over here could use some cheering up, so we should totally liven things up at Sugarcube corner this weekend. I'll stop by tonight for perfect party planning, Pinkie Pie." The alliteration made her giggle as she shot out, "Okie dokie loki!" then proceeded to speed out the door, the party cannon disappearing to Celestia knows where.

"Well that's one issue resolved. Now how about our tasks for today?"

"W-Well, we're running low on groceries," the mare stammered, watching Pinkie leave in a fluff of confetti, frowning a bit as she looked around her house. "But I think we also need to clean up her tornado." She grumbled, shaking her head as she pulled her saddle bags onto her back, pulled her bandana up around her new "trinket" to hide it before looking over at him, "So shall we?"

Vermillion nodded as the confetti scattered about the room began to shimmer blue, quickly swirling into a floating cloud and flowing into the nearby trash bin. Vermillion gave her one of his cocky grins and his eyebrows bobbed up and down a few times. "Learning magic from the bearer of the Element has its perks. Now, since I'm already all kitted up," he indicated with a wave of his hoof to his bags, "I'm ready to get to it when you are. What's on the list?"

Twisted sighed with a small smile, "I guess it does have it's benefits, eh?" She nudged him softly as she trotted past him, sticking her tongue out as she headed out the door. She seemed... Almost back to her normal self. Well, herself with sleep deprivation. But they could work on that another time.

She waited for him outside before walking beside him, watching the greenery around them, "Let's see," she said softly as she made a mental list. "Well, apples definitely. I know you love them. Some sugar, flour..." She kinda drifted off as she mentioned a couple other fruits and vegetables as they broke through the exit to the forest. It certainly seemed to get shorter and shorter the more familiar he got with the path.

"So then, where should we go first? I know we need to get you a room somewhere... a-and you need to see Pinkie later. So... What do you wanna do?"

"Well, given the slightly more permanent nature of my stay, I figure I can square away an apartment or something, but that can happen later. Let's grab the supplies for now and we'll see how much of the day that eats up." His stomach grumbled at the word 'eats' and he twisted around to glare at his own barrel. "Hush you. I'll deal with you soon enough." He looked back up to Twisted sheepishly.

Twisted chuckled softly, and nudged him, "Come on... Let's go find you something or at least look. The sooner you're safe the better." She felt her voice crack a bit, though she kept pushing him gently towards a few apartments on the other side of Ponyville; funnily enough closer to the castle. The grey mare finally allowed him to walk on his own once he had finally agreed, though her stubbornness was barely more than his own. Still, this could work out for the better if Twilight was going to be out and about. Maybe they'd run into each other and it would make his explanations easier to see.

Vermillion was feeling torn. He could see how the new distance was hurting her, at least her feelings, but the memory of blood trailing from her mouth and his sword lodged in her floor was enough for him to shoulder past his reticence. "Come on, cheer up! It would have probably gotten awkward after a while if I had just moved in with you now that I'm in Ponyville for..." He stopped for a moment and stared at the ground before shaking his head. "Well feathers, the orders basically stationed me in Ponyville until I'm needed somewhere else." He snorted at that. "As if I'm needed anywhere else." His voice reflected a number of meanings to that. "Anyway, there's Applejack's stall. A quick snack and stocking up in one go has never been so sweet!" He trotted forward with enthusiasm, and only a sliver of it was forced.

She watched him for a minute before following after him, looking up at the element of honesty as she welcomed them back and commented on the condition the two seemed to be in. Twisted chuckled softly. "I just haven't slept well is all; having too much fun." She nudged Vermillion gently as she walked around the trees as AJ kicked some apples from them.

Vermillion valiantly ignored the slight red that touched his cheeks at her comment. Maybe she missed the implication, but it was damn hard to hide the snicker that was threatening to result from it. "Ehem, right. Anyway, freshest you've got, miss Applejack. Gotta stock up now that I'm going to be in Ponyville for longer than I was expecting."

"Really now? Well that'll be mighty nice," the farm mare replied as she bagged a few choice pieces of fruit. "What's got you sticking around, partner? Your lady friend?" she asked nonchalantly.

Twisted nearly choked on the apple in her mouth before she turned and looked at her, "E-Excuse me?" Of course. She got that implication, which could have been completely harmless but she missed her own. Wow.

AJ snickered a bit before shaking her head. "Not like that Sugar. Just askin if he's stickin’ around to keep you company. You're not lookin so good."

Twist tried to shake the blush from her cheeks before laughing nervously. "Wh-who me? Nah.. I just need some sleep is all."

Applejack gave her the flat stare of the non-believer as she accepted the bits for the produce. "Alright, sugarcube, if you say so. Ya'll have a nice day now!" The moment Twisted turned away, the orange farmer shot a look to Vermillion, who simply nodded. He needed no more of an indication to look out for her, and he had a feeling Applejack knew that was what he was going to do anyway.

"Alright, that takes care of the important part," he said as he bit into an apple, letting out a satisfied hum as he enjoyed the fruit. He swallowed before he continued, asking, "So where do we go next? I actually haven't been to the general store yet, but I'm guessing that's where they'll have the sugar and flower. Or a grocery store. I should actually figure out where all the shops are... Do they have a map for that?" He could tell he was beginning to ramble.

Twisted chuckled softly and nodded, "Well... I can show you around fully this time so you know your way around before we find you a place." She nudged him a bit though at this point she seemed to be using her nudges as a way of support as she walked ahead of him and lead the way.

The tour itself was simple enough. Most streets lead to and from most of the places he needed to go and all the while they met new ponies, said ‘hi’ and waved, all the usual greetings. It was a nice day all in all until she lead the way past the castle and towards the apartments on the far side. Now knowing the area he realized just how far away from other ponies she had settled herself.

Whenever she nudged him, he made sure to lean into it a little, attempting to reassure her. If she were a package, it would most assuredly read ‘fragile, handle with care.’ If only he were better at that.

"I'm surprised the town has as much as it does around here. I'd ask where Sugarcube Corner is, but if that," he said, pointing to the confection-styled building, "is any indication, I already think I know where to look." He smirked at her as they passed the colorful building.

"Oooh yeah. If you can't figure out which one is Pinkie's house then I'm afraid you're gonna have to stay with me." She stuck her tongue out at him and looked up at the castle coming into view, the purple princess trotting out with a pair of white and yellow coated mares at her sides. "Huh.. I guess the princess has a mission."

Vermillion had been around the princess enough to recognize her friends, and he had sort of spoken to Fluttershy briefly the day he had arrived in Ponyville. Still, he looked askance of Twisted before he went over to greet them. "Hey, you want to meet royalty? I've got an in with the princess~" he sing-songed with a waggle of his eyebrows. He knew she was far from totally comfortable with the idea, but somepony had the break the ice.

Twisted's ears flicked back a bit before returning to normal position as she followed him, adjusting her bandana with a small smile, "N-Nice to meet you princess," she spoke softly, though she somewhat kept her eyes averted. The two mares looked at them before smiling, waving, and bidding their farewells to Twilight. "We'll see you later at Sugarcube Corner, right? Pinkie won't let you miss out," the white mare chimed as she trotted off.

Vermillion shifted as he heard that. But Pinkie said... he shook his head of those thoughts. That mare would always be an enigma, so he never bothered trying to puzzle it out.

Twilight smiled softly. "Twisted Ribbon, right? Nice to meet you! I've heard about you from Vermillion when he stops by to study with me. He has a lot of nice things to say about you." Vermillion became a little red in the muzzle as he coughed, and the princess giggled. "I was just about to grab lunch. Would you like to join me?" Vermillion tilted his head in deference to Twisted, giving her a reassuring smile.

Twisted gave the princess a smile, "Well he's got the biggest crush on me so I don't doubt it." she snickered as she teased him, nodding a bit to the princess. As for the invitation, she was unsure how to respond. She had yet to really hung out with them before so it was a little intimidating. She sighed gently and nodded with a smile. "Y-Yeah. It's about that time anyway."

Twilight looked askance of Vermillion, who just gave a little nod. With that, she donned her smile again and then asked sheepishly. "I hope you two don't mind Hayburger? Eheheh... it's kind of my favorite place this time of the week."

Vermillion's eyes lit up and he nearly pranced his way down the road next to the princess before stopping to cough into a hoof and adopt a more serious stride.

Twisted walked a bit behind the two, chuckling softly, "What a goober." She commented softly as she watched the other ponies around them in a bit of a dazed expression.

"I heard that!" he called over his shoulder as they finally reached the restaurant. A short while later,  they had ordered their food and seated themselves. It did not take long for them to get to it, and shortly after they began, Vermillion leaned over to Twisted with a look of awe crossed with faint disgust on his face. "I, uh... didn't know the princess had quite such an appetite. If this is how all royalty eat I don't feel the need to ever worry about table manners again."

She nudged him. "Not nice." She looked over at Twilight with a small smile, "So how are you, princess? I haven’t seen you out of the castle in a while."

She huffed a bit as she wiped away some stray ketchup. "Well, royal duties like to pile up, especially when certain masters of chaos come through the library making a mess. He said he was just looking for a book, but he could have used the directory! I even have the organization simplified so anypony can use it! I mean, that's how normal ponies find their books right?"

Vermillion opted for the smile and nod response, rather than snickering at his liege.

"Well, on top of that, I've been really digging into the archives to try and sort out the, uh, project I've been working on with Vermillion." She tapped her chin thoughtfully as she looked at Twisted like some diagram in a museum.

Vermillion quickly interjected. "It's been a doozy, let me tell you. Discord popping in was... well, it helped, in a crazy sort of way. On the bright side, my skills with the hexbreaker spell are way better after dealing with those animated books!" Twilight's eye twitched sligtly and a strand of her mane sprung out of place at the mention of animated books.

The grey mare did not particularly like the way the princess was staring, but she said nothing against it. "Dissy- uh... Discord can definitely be a handful sometimes. But he's really not too bad. He just likes picking on you." Only after the words had left her mouth did she realize how they sounded, "S-sorry... I know he's a menace on your library and that's no excuse." She mumbled a bit, chewing on her fries quietly. It took little time for the hair to stand on the back of her neck as a loud pop echoed in her ear.

She winced as the little draconequis poofed out of her mane, "You rang~?"

Twilight rolled her eyes as Vermillion facehoofed. He was torn between flipping the table or smashing his head into it, thinking all the while how things were not going to plan. "Hey Discord, funny seeing you here, huh?"

Twilight looked around the group at the table. "Wait, both of you know Discord too?" Vermillion gave her a flat look. "Right, at the library." She sighed and looked back to Twisted. "But what about you?"

Great.

"We-"

"Oh we've known each other for quite sometime, now haven't we my dear?" Discord interrupted, coiling around her neck like a necklace though he seemed to wrap her bandana around himself like a blanket, the metal chunk around her neck glimmering as it hit the florescent lighting.

Twisted groaned, struggling to get comfortable with her new neck adornment in the booth they were sitting in. Though it took a minute for either of their company to realize he was helping them get a better view of the item in question, teasing and distracting its tired host.

Vermillion smirked a little bit. Discord, you sly, sneaky, magnificent bastard. He tapped Twilight's hoof with his under the table and made a vague gesture towards his neck with his burger. She looked at him quizzically before he pointedly stared at Twisted. Then she donned an expression of realization. Behind her chair, a quill and parchment appeared, the quill furiously scratching notes and sketching diagrams as Discord continued to tease her. "Having fun over there, D? Twisted's starting to look a little wound up," he added as he snickered a bit.

Twisted grumbled a bit, clenching her teeth together as she slammed a hoof on the table, a faint glow donning the metal for a split second then disappearing. "That's enough!" Twisted snapped, Discord's eyes widening a bit before he snapped and reappeared between her and Vermillion, his ears down a bit.

"Alright, alright, Ms. Grumpy," he pouted, the grey mare sighing and resting her chin on the table, trying to ignore the stares from the loud noise she had made. She was grumpy. And exhausted. So of course her fuse was short! He had to have known that but she still felt bad for snapping at him..

"Sorry, Dissy," she said softly, closing her eyes as she felt him pat her head.

"Don't worry about it, Twist. You need a nap, I get it." This was a side of Discord Twilight hadn't seen before. Caring? Calm? Even with Fluttershy he was hardly this behaved.

Two parts of Vermillion were clashing at the moment. One was doing a little victory dance for the display, a short but perfect cross section of exactly what was going on and how it was affecting Twisted. No doubt the princess had already made ample notes on the event.

The other was kicking itself for letting her get to this point. He really hated seeing her worn down like this, and no matter what he did, it only seemed to be dragging on and getting tougher for her. This was why it needed to be solved somehow.

Twilight, however, was the one who broke the silence. "Well, I think we're just about finished with lunch here." She looked to Twisted. "Have you had the chance to come by the castle before? I feel like I would have seen you, but it's hard to tell with all the royal duties piling up," she admitted with a sheepish grin. "I'd love to show you around and get to know you better."

Vermillion clapped his hooves together. "Perfect! When you finish with that, we can meet up at Sugarcube Corner. I remember your friends mentioning something about it, and I need to head over there to talk to Pinkie anyway. Wanna come with, D?" Discord seemed surprised at the invitation.

Twisted opened her eyes and looked up at Twilight, offering a small smile before she spoke, "Sure. Sounds lovely. I never visited because, honestly, my house is its own library in itself sometimes, so I never really run out of books." She yawned before looking up at the surprised creature beside her.

"Me?" Discord asked, quirking a brow at Vermillion before shrugging. "Sure, why not. I enjoy Pinkie Pie's company more than most these days. She knows how to have fun." At the last word he pointed at the frowning princess across from him before he looked down at Twist, "After your tour though, I think this one needs a nap." He teased before looking up at Twilight then Vermillion. "So we'll leave the party planning to you then?"

Wow, a party was never a secret in this town was it?

Vermillion sighed in defeat and nodded. "Come on, let's leave the ladies to it." Discord chuckled as he popped onto the unicorn's head with a snap, taking the form of a draconequus-turban.

"I know a faster way there!"

"Wait, Dis-" and with a snap and flash, the two were gone.

Twilight loosed a sigh of her own before smiling over to Twisted. "Ready to go? I'm sure Vermillion can handle himself... I hope." She shook her head as she cleared the table and tidied up. A quick spell had her coat as clean as it was before she began.

As they made their way outside, the princess tried to break the ice. "I don't think we've had a chance to really just chat. It's nice to finally spend some time with you." Her smile was soft and genuine.

Twisted looked over at her before nodding, "Yeah... I'm not really social. A lot of ponies don't like me here so I kinda just keep to myself." She rolled her eyes at a couple of scowls then returned to look at her. "I know you're busy a lot of the time with the other princesses so I kinda just stay out of your way. Vermillion seems to have taken a shining to ya so I guess you're not as intimidating as I thought."

Twilight seemed surprised. "Intimidating?! Me? I'm a total bookworm! I mean, there was the whole Nightmare Moon thing... and the changelings... aaand Tirek..." She frowned slightly before snapping her gaze back to Twisted with a worried expression. "Do ponies really find me intimidating? Do you think I am? I don't want to be! What should I do?" If she had not been on a course for the castle, she might have started pacing in the middle of the road. It was as an amusing site, if slightly embarrassing for royalty.

Twisted chuckled softly, throwing out a wing to stop her quickened trot, "Easy, Twilight. I'm kinda intimidated by other ponies. It's not you. I mean the whole princess and castle thing isn't what does it, at least for me. Other ponies get intimidated by the title though." She looked up as the castle got closer and closer. "They think they need to impress you or treat you special. For example: there have been about... 4 ponies pass us whispering about why the hay you're hanging out with me." She smirked a bit, sticking her tongue out at her. "It's all image."

Twilight frowned at that, looking around at the ponies passing them. She could see them turning away or acting normal as her gaze reached them, or providing a smile and wave to her, but as soon as they thought she had looked away, she could see their eyes lock back on Twisted with contempt. A quick sense of their surroundings made her aware of the talisman's presence even if she had not seen it before in the restaurant. It was a puzzle she was starting to finally see the pieces of.

"Well, I don't understand why they act that way towards you. And even if they do, you have your friends by your side. Vermillion has been worried about you. Is everything alright?" They paused at the entrance to the crystal castle Twilight called home as she turned to the pegasus with a look of concern on her face. She knew Twisted would have to talk to her of her own will.

"Ponies will be ponies, I suppose." She stopped as the alicorn stopped in front of her, rubbing the back of her head softly at the sudden question. "I'm fine for the most part... Nightmares have been keeping me up. And Vermillion is looking for his own place while he's here. So that's... different I guess," she mumbled a bit, avoiding Twilight's eyes as she readjusted her bandana again. "He does tend to worry but I just need a good night's sleep is all."

She knew he was worried, so much so she wondered if the princess had a little more knowledge than she was letting on. Still though, she could not bring herself to say anything. Whether it was the talisman locking up her voice or fear she was unsure, but she could not.

Twilight placed a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "If you need somepony to talk to, you can talk to me any time. It's what friends are for, right? Plus it could always be crazier. We are friends with Discord after all..." she added with an eyeroll and a huff. It did not last long though.

"Well, let's not just stand around here. Do you want to see the library?" There was an eagerness in her voice and eyes that had made many a pony wary of the princess before.

The grey mare smiled softly, "Sure, lead the way"

Twisted had a moment to observe the glee her assent inspires for the alicorn before she was swept along by eager hooves to the library. Inside, shelves lines the walls from floor to ceiling, a massive set of windows not unlike those in the royal library in Canterlot adorning the far wall. Rows of standing shelves were sectioned systematically and meticulously, likely by the princess herself, and the information desk was neatly sorted, a large ledger for borrowed books open with a quill and inkpot sitting at the ready next to it. The whole room was, for a library, light and airy, with light bouncing from the crystal walls and ceiling and illuminating each row with the perfect amount of sunlight. It was a book lover's paradise.

Twilight looked at Twisted with the eager anticipation of a filly that just gave a special gift to somepony. "Well? Amazing isn't it? The elements have done all kinds of crazy things, but this was one of them that was really special." She was positively beaming in the presence of so much literature.

Twisted watched the princess beam with the love of her books and it made her smile. "It's lovely, Twilight." She walked around a bit, looking at all the titles she had collected, some from Celestia’s library she would assume.

"I have books from every category listed in the royal archives and extra copies of most of the general knowledge. I even have a lot of the restricted books, but obviously I don't just leave those around for anypony to read because that would be dangerous, so I keep those in my private study." Twilight was quite energetic when it came to her library, that was for sure. "Oh! What's your favorite kind of book? I bet we can find something you'll like that you've never read before." Twilight would have continued, but she had noticed that her own joy at the proposition of a good read had yet to reach the pegasus. "Or we can just look around some more, eheh..." she added sheepishly.

Twisted chuckled softly and shook her head, "We can walk around if you want. I'm sorry I'm not super chipper. Discord was right, I do need a nap." She looked up at the crystal panels for the windows, watching the rainbow colors dance in the sunlight as it began to set on the day. Shoot, where had the time gone?

"Well, if you're really feeling tired, maybe we should head over to Sugarcube Corner a little early to meet up withthe boys. Hopefully they haven't gotten themselves into too much trouble..." Twilight offered with a grin and vague gesture with a hoof.

Twisted felt a sudden shudder go up her spine as she shook her head. "Oh dear. I get the feeling Discord is either in danger or has annoyed V to death. " She chuckled softly and nodded to Twilight. "Yeah. I think that would be best. Gotta make sure they don't end up killing each other."

The princess giggled. "Well come on then. Thankfully it's a short trip." With that they made their way back out into the afternoon.