Radio Station Dilemmas

Chapter 3

Azura found herself staring at the dull and grey alicorn as the combination of wings and horn meant only one thing, the alicorn was a Princess and what the heck was a Princess doing working in a radio station!?

“Twilight…” Spike said with a bit of uncertainty.

“How did you know my name? And don’t call me it, I’m the assistant manager and from now on call me mam or boss!” Twilight yelled. Spike saluted in fright.

“Twilight, is that your name? But darling, you look so dull and grey,” Rarity commented with concern and gave her a look with her blue eyes.

“Call me mam or boss and what do I care what I look like and why are the two of you even up here!?” Twilight gazed straight at Rarity with dull grey eyes.

It was then, Azura noticed the familiar yellow swirling effect in her eyes that she had seen in Rarity’s and Spike’s too and it had to be more than just coincidental and Azura rubbed her front left hoof down her neck. The effect only last for two seconds and Azura noticed Rarity failed to react, which meant she didn’t notice.

“Twilight, please stop yelling, we’re here helping Spike carry the paperwork to Discord’s office,” Rarity said with slight displeasure.

“Call me mam or boss, I shouldn’t have to need to tell you more than once!” Twilight yelled and spread her wings out and scowled intensely at Rarity.

“And I’ll need to check the records to find out where the two of you are supposed to be, and Spike, you better come with me to Discord’s office,” Twilight ordered Spike and dismissed Rarity by turning her head away and expressed an anti-social huff, she also gave Rarity no chance to respond.

“Actually, we’re carrying paperwork that Discord needs too,” Azura decided to speak up after seeing Twilight dismiss Rarity like that, it was the least she thought she could do and she even braved stepping toward the grey alicorn as she turned her head again.

“Alright, fine, you two can tag along for now,” Twilight sighed in great reluctance, “But keep a steady pace because as soon as the paperwork is in Discord’s office, you’ll both accompany me to my office and I’ll find out where you two are supposed to be.” Then, before any further words could be spoken, Twilight turned and began to lead the way with Spike following immediately behind her.

“Goodness gracious, Twilight has her fur in a bunch, I would ask her to calm down, but she didn’t have to speak to us in that way,” Rarity huffed to Azura.

Azura nodded in agreement, but decided it was best to get the job done and over with and followed Spike and left Rarity to bring up the rear.

Twilight led the three of them to Discord’s office, and Azura noticed the wooden door to the office was odd. The door handle was way down near the bottom of the door and it was upside down and a gold name plate was below it and also upside down while the name written on was right side up and stated ‘Discord’. Twilight pushed the door open with a small grunt and it creaked a little as it revealed the office room.

“Ah, there you are, Spike, I was afraid you might have taken a tumble and I sent Twilight out to fetch you and the paperwork I need,” Discord commented as the four of them entered the room.

Azura decided to have a brief look around and thought the whole room didn’t make sense as Discord sat comfortably in what looked to be a throne seat rather than the boss’s chair and thought it a bit odd what would a throne being doing inside a radio station. There were other oddities to catch her attention, the achievement awards were upside down on the walls and there was even a chair bolted to the ceiling upside down.

“Well, Spike, I haven’t got all day, please come over and deliver your stash,” Discord spoke in an impatient, but slightly polite manner.

“Well, me, Rarity and Azura each have a stack, so where do you want us to put them?” Spike enquired nervously and Azura noticed Discord’s voice had unnerved him, but shrugged.

“Hmm, I see you’ve managed to convince some helpers, I must say I’m impressed,” Discord smiled and stroked his beard.

Azura was about to shrug and not really care about the conversation when she recalled she had seen Discord stroke his beard before.

“Actually, while we’re here, I want to lodge a complaint against this unfriendly alicorn,” Rarity spoke out and glared toward Twilight unhappily.

Azura admired her newfound bravery to trot forward and puff her chest out toward Twilight.

“Oh, you don’t recognise her, that’s good,” Discord spoke manipulatively and stroked his beard some more.

“Hey! I’ve just noticed that you don’t have your stack, and that’s going to come out of your salary,” Twilight spoke up and glared back at Rarity.

“What!? Wait, you can’t take it out of my salary, I’ve nearly completed one month’s worth of work for my gem!” Rarity whinged desperately.

“I’m afraid she can, Rarity, my dear, but what you fail to realise is the alicorn that just spoke you is more familiar to you than you think,” Discord chuckled menacingly.

Rarity tilted her head into a thoughtful pose and then Azura saw Discord snap his talons and disappear and then a second later, another snapping sound occurred and Discord appeared next to Rarity and placed his talons on her head and before she could resist, protest or react too much, he pressed down and there was a brief flash.

Azura instinctively shielded her eyes and when she re-opened them, she gasped in horror that all the colour of Rarity's well-groomed white fur and an indigo mane had been changed back into grey. Azura trotted back a pace in fright of what she had just witnessed.

“Hey, place your stack on Discord’s desk and then follow me out,” Twilight spoke up and Azura decided if she didn’t do as asked, then she might meet the same fate as Rarity and nodded and put her stack next to Spike’s and then Discord reappeared in the throne in front of her.

“Good job, Azura,” Discord spoke and then Azura felt the unexpectedly soft touch of his lion paw pat her on her head, but cringed slightly.

“Twilight will now assign you back to your post, just follow her out,” Discord said and turned his head sideways and Azura nervously turned and trotted out toward Twilight as she decided she would do what she could to avoid meeting the same fate as Rarity, who then pushed past her, Twilight and Spike and headed back down the third floor corridor.

“So, what now, mam?” Spike addressed Twilight nervously and Azura was glad she wasn’t the only one to be unnerved by what Discord did to Rarity and now she thought there was good reason why Spike wasn’t bold enough to stand up to Discord.

“Go and find the stack that Rarity dropped and return it to Discord,” Twilight ordered. Spike saluted and left to retrieve the dropped stack. Then, Twilight turned the attention of her dull grey eyes to Azura and Azura shivered a little as she noticed the attention.

“You can come with me and I’ll check the records to where you’re supposed to be working,” Twilight stated bluntly.

“Actually, I work in the record filing room, mam,” Azura mumbled as she thought Twilight’s anti-social demeanour was a bit scary, plus what she had just witnessed Discord doing was still on her mind.

“Speak up!” Twilight ordered.

“I said I work in the record filing room, mam,” Azura re-addressed a little louder, but still shook with fear.

“Oh, I presume then you can find your own way back to work,” Twilight grunted.

“Yes mam,” Azura nodded shyly.

“Then, trot off to it,” Twilight stated bluntly.

“But I do suppose you’ve saved me the job of checking the records and a little bit of time and I almost feel like I should say something, but you should get back to work,” Twilight continued, but Azura noticed her tone wasn’t quite so forceful and a little friendlier.

Azura gasped slightly when she noticed a small part of Twilight’s tail had changed colour from dull and grey to sapphire blue with part of a rose and a violet streak also being visible.

“I’ll leave you to it,” Twilight said and trotted off.

Azura stood in confusion as she was trying to process a few thoughts.

Azura began to think into why Twilight’s tail changed colour? Was it something she had said or done? She was all grey when she had first met her glaring at Spike. Plus, what she mean by she almost felt like saying something? Azura thought it a bit silly, but maybe Twilight had considered saying thank you.

However, then a hum of Discord enjoying himself inside his office interrupted her thoughts and Azura decided to leave and trotted past Spike without noticing him and back down to the stairs and into the second floor corridor and still her head was so full of thoughts and she just wanted some peace from the growing mental stress.

Azura decided to pound her head onto the wall until they stopped and then after a couple of head pounds and a more significant one, her gaze got blurry and she passed out…