A Change of Perception

For centuries, Canterlot’s Royal Guard has been highly regarded as being one of the strongest, diligent, and most elite forces that a pony could be fortunate enough to be part of. Even though others have shown more significant moments of success in recent years (most notably the Elements of Harmony), that didn’t seem to skew the high reputation that the Royal Guard possessed. When it came to protecting Canterlot and its Nobles from various enemies, the skilled forces trained by Prince Shining Armor ensured that their lives would be secure on a daily basis. And due to the strict assessments conducted by the Royal Sisters themselves, every brave soul who applied to be a Royal Guard carried themselves through their physical prowess, as well as their upstanding nature to be patient and courteous with everyone who attended or worked at the castle.

Of course, even with those thorough requirements in place, that didn’t mean that the Royal Guards were perfect either. Most of the Guards were quick to help one another out like family, and carried themselves respectfully for Royalty and staff alike; however, there was one particular pony in Canterlot Castle that proved to be the toughest challenge for Guards to overcome. Regardless of the stallion’s reputation throughout the Canterlot elite, his arrogant demeanor was an absolute nightmare for whomever was assigned to work alongside him. And due to his high rank in nobility, which made him practically untouchable to even Celestia herself, his actions and accusations claimed the careers of many prospective Guards before they could’ve reached their full potential.

Outside of Canterlot Castle, that stallion was known as Prince Blueblood, the nephew of Princess Celestia. But to everyone within the Royal Guard barracks, he was simply regarded as Blueblood, the entitled elitist prick most likely spawned from the asshole of Grogar himself.

Regardless of the unicorn’s Royal lineage, or his relation to one of the most deeply-respected ponies in Equestrian history, Prince Blueblood was notoriously reviled among Canterlot Castle’s staff. Whether it was because of his perfectionist standards, his unbearably high expectations, or his deeply disrespectful behavior towards ponies he considered “lower” then himself, there wasn’t a single Guard or member of the castle staff who didn’t hate his guts. Considering how Equestria was supposed to be a nation that upholded love and friendship for all, it had to take a lot for someone to be given such a word as harsh as hatred. But due to Blueblood’s arrogance and notorious bigotry, most of the Guards considered him to be as insufferable as the villains who tried to enslave them.

And on one particular day, when the mood throughout Canterlot was already tense due to the Royal Sisters’ planned retirement, things were nearly reaching their boiling point within the Royal Guard locker rooms. Since it was the middle of the day, only a few stallions were lounging among the long wooden benches, taking a much-needed break after dealing with the castle’s ridiculous goose-based security system earlier that morning. However, the mood within the silent room instantly dampened the moment the doors bursted open, and two Guards stormed inside to tear off their armor. The stallion with a blue coat and deeper blue mane was the first to throw off his metal plating to make it clang against the floor, and was nearly growling from now furious he looked through his gritted teeth. While that pegasus gripped one of the locker doors tightly enough to make his hoof turn white, the other stallion was struggling not to sob while tossing his armor aside. Despite being just as muscular as his partner, the unicorn looked absolutely wrecked as his eyes carried a red sheen, and the white fur beneath his eyes were matted with his tears; of course, what caught the attention of the other Guards was the distinct red welt that could be seen across his left cheek.

“Holy shit!” A pegasus with a crimson coat and white mane jumped up from the bench, and rushed towards his horned brethren to inspect the injury. “Zapper, what happened?! Did… Did somepony hit yo--”

“P-Please leave me alone!” shouted the stallion as he brashly tried to smack the pony’s hoof away. The other two Guards who were seated got up as well, their faces showing a lot of concern for what could’ve happened. One of them was an earth pony with a brown coat, and a close-shaven yellow mane. The other Guard was actually a zebra, who towered the other ponies just under a foot in height; his size may have been fairly intimidating, but he looked just as worried as the others for what happened to the injured unicorn. Meanwhile, Zapper had to turn away from his friends, clutching the side of his face while struggling to choke through his sobs.

“Zapper, please!” pleased the red stallion as he tried to reach out towards him. “If something happened, you should be able to at least tell us! That’s what platoons are for, remember? We’ll have your back, no matter what.”

The unicorn winced as he slowly put down his hoof, but he refused to turn around to face his fellow Guards. His armor plating, much like the ones the other four had on the ground or placed by their lockers, all carried the same distinct logo of a pink triangle upon the right shoulder. It wasn’t anything too noticeable, but it gave the group a reason to stick together as they were. Unfortunately, that insignia also proved to be a target in some ways, as was shown when the blue pony finally let go of his locker. He was still seething in anger, but he controlled himself enough to try and speak towards the others. “Let’s just say, a certain somepony crossed a BIG bucking line.”

The other three Guards all cringed with looks of anger and frustration, none of them needing any clarification as to who the pegasus was referring to. Even though their small group was verified by Princess Luna herself, it was clear that they weren’t completely protected from persecution. More specifically, the five Guards weren’t safe from a specific member of the Royal family, who seemed to have a rather large bone to pick with them. But judging by Zapper’s injury, it seemed that his bigotry was also reaching levels that were extremely uncalled for.

“Are you bucking kidding me, Rush?!” shouted the zebra with an especially peeved-looking stare towards the blue pegasus. Rush didn’t say anything, and just scoffed with an affirming nod while rolling his eyes. That response caused the striped Guard to look away from them with an especially infuriated look, and clenched his hoof to keep from punching something. “GAH! What the buck is Blueblood’s problem?!”

“Hey, at least you don’t have to be in the same room as him,” noted Rush, who had to take another calming breath to keep from raising his voice. “I mean, all he does is ignore you, Zeno. I really hate to say it, but I’d consider that a positive.”

Zeno scoffed with an angered huff, not even looking back at Rush to dignify that claim. “Trust me, he does not ignore me. He just makes sure no ponies hears the insults he throws my way.”

The Earth pony standing beside him winced in sympathy, and he tried to give Zeno a comforting pat on the back. “Hey, we’ve all been getting insults from him, dude. Heck, I don’t think he ever referred to me by my real name.”

“Yeah, that’s kinda weird,” noted the red pegasus, who couldn’t help shrugging in surprise towards the brown stallion. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, but you’d think the name Mud-Slinger would warrant a few speciest comments from him.”

“Really, Glider?!” snapped Mud angrily towards him. “Is now really the time?!”

The pegasus lowered his head guiltily with a sigh, and was quick to rectify his opinion with an apologetic wave of his hoof. “Sorry, I just… He did that a lot with my name, but whatever.”

While Zapper wiped his cheeks with a hoof, the group stayed silent while thinking over Blueblood’s behavior over the past couple months. Ever since their platoon was inducted, it seemed that the Prince had gone out of his way to target them whenever they were assigned alongside him on their shifts. But despite the countless complaints and reports the five tried to give to their superiors or HR, it was practically worthless to expect any ramifications to be given towards Celestia’s nephew. Even when they invested in tape-recorders to catch his countless uses of slurs like ‘Feather-Brain,’ ‘Dirt-Pony,’ ‘Colt-Cuddler,’ or the ever-constant ‘Faggot,’ the only responses they received were their tapes being confinscated before being given a formal warning.

Fortunately, despite the issues they may have been having, Glider went back up towards Zapper to try and help him out. “Dude, come on. Just… at least let me see if that needs ice or something.”

“N-No, it’s fine,” Zapper said with insistence, but also with sincerity as he put his hoof back down. But despite his refusal, Glider still sucked some air through his teeth as he saw how bad that strike looked up close. Blueblood may have been a fairly big stallion, but it was surprising he could actually hit something harder than a pillow. But as Zapper’s frustrated wince intensified to a look of brooding anger, it seemed that slap wasn’t the only thing that was hurting him. As he looked down at the ground below his hooves, his lips pursed bitterly before he muttered, “I just… Goddess I bucking hate him.”

“We all do,” assured Glider as he pulled him in for a much-needed hug. “And I promise you, we’re gonna get through this. We’re Royal Guards, and we always persevere.” Fortunately for the group, Zapper was comforted enough to return his hug, and clenched his eyes to keep from tearing up again. Meanwhile, the other three looked towards each other as the mood remained understandably tense.

“Okay, what actually happened?” asked Mud as he and Zeno turned to Rush for details. “I mean, was he drinking or something?”

Rush huffed through his teeth, looking like he was gonna snap at the mere thought of recollecting the events. However, the pegasus pinched the bridge of his snout with a hoof before he was able to say, “Well, he certainly smelled like it. As soon as we showed up for our shift, he just burst out of his room, going on and on about how we were late -- even though we WEREN’T! And then he just… he kept saying how we were probably blowing each other…”

That last part made Zeno and Mud-Slinger seethe with equally offended looks. Even though they knew they were going to face issues from ponies by being the first all-gay Guard Platoon, the group upheld their professionalism on the job to keep from being judged too harshly. But despite their efforts, it was obvious that Blueblood wasn’t going to let up until they either disbanded their group, or they quit their posts entirely. The five would’ve rather dropped dead than leave the careers they earned, but their moods continued to sour while Rush explained the rest of their confrontation. “Eventually, he… he started to insult my family, which was when Zapper tried to step in and defend me…”

That reminded caused the unicorn to sniffle a couple times, which made Glider hug him even tighter in response. Meanwhile, Rush pursed his muzzle tightly while shaking his head in frustration, and took a moment before he said back towards the other two, “And I just… as soon as he hit him, Blueblood started screaming about pressing charges and claiming self-defense, so we… we just left…”

Zeno, Mud-Slinger, and even Glider all gasped as they gawked in horror at Rush. “You… you left your post?!” shouted the zebra with a wide-eyed look of terror. “Rush, you know they’ll use that against us!”

“Yeah, and WE have the security footage of him assaulting Zapper!” shouted Rush back at him. “Neither of us did anything, and we have proof! Even HE can’t counteract the magic streams!”

Despite the pegasus’ insistence, Zeno still shook his head and looked away from him with a defeated expression. Mud looked equally as fretful, and covered his face with a hoof while saying, “Dude, we tried that before with the tape recorders, remember?!”

“This is MORE than just audio!” retorted Rush, who tried to remain confident despite his voice growing more strained. “I-I mean, he can’t alter that, can he?!”

“You know that he will,” said Glider with a hurt-looking glare pointed at the other pegasus. He still had a hoof around Zapper’s shoulder, but it was clear he had his focus on Rush now. “He’s done that shit before, and he’ll do it again!”

Rush didn’t want to break his composure, but his grimacing muzzle was showing how much his brethren’s remarks were getting to him. The pegasus may have been in the right to walk away from that bigot, but it wasn’t long before he clenched his eyes shut to keep from tearing up like Zapper had. With a long and shaky breath, the stallion covered his eyes with his hoof while he groaned to himself in remorse. “Ughhhh… Guys, I am not giving this up…”

“I know you won’t,” said Zapper with a more soft-spoken tone of voice. As he looked back at his friend, he tried his hardest to give him a gracious smile while his eyes were still puffy from the tears. “A-And… And I really am grateful you stood up for me…”

Rush looked back at him briefly enough to give a thank smile and nod, even though they both seemed unsure of what may happen next. While the other three either sulked in worry or sat down in defeat, Rush took an even deeper breath upon realizing this may be the end. “I… I’m really sorry, guys…” Even if that footage miraculously wasn’t tampered with by Blueblood, the group seemed pessimistic about how their reputation will go from there. Rush trotted over towards his plated helmet, which was left by the door and still shimmering brightly. As he picked it up, he bit his lip with a look of regret while gazing at his reflection. “Well… if we’re gonna go down because of this, I… I want to at least think it was with a sense of honor…”

Rush closed his eyes with a final sigh, looking like he was willing to accept his fate. However, the reflection shown in the helmet didn’t have its eyes closed. In fact, the reflection of Rush grew a coy-looking smirk as he shook his head, and eyed the real stallion with a raised brow. After clearing his throat, the reflection decided to speak up with a tone of voice very different from Rush’s. “Honestly, guys~”

“GAHHH!!” Rush jolted back with a panicked yelp and dropped the helmet, not expecting to hear it talking back to him. The other four Guards heard that voice too, and were staring at the armor-plated headpiece with widened eyes. Meanwhile, the face within that reflection slowly morphed its way out of the metal, almost like it was sinking through a wall of rubber to break free from its mortal confines. Of course, even if the figure didn’t change himself to his proper form, it wouldn’t have been hard for the platoon to realize who had infiltrated their locker room. As soon as the Rush reflection broke from that plate, and turned himself back to the familiar draconequus seen all throughout Canterlot recently, he only needed a quick stretch before he sighed with a smile, and put on the stallion’s helmet to hang over his horns.

“... While I do appreciate the manta of ‘Going down with Honor,’” said Discord, who used his lion’s paw to brush against his woolen chest with a look of boredom on his face, “it honestly just sounds like you guys aren’t willing to stand up for yourselves against Blueblood.”

If the chaotic being had manifested himself before group several months ago, there likely would’ve been a lot more screaming and panic due to his unpredictability, as well as his controversial past. However, considering the fact that Discord had been more active in Canterlot to assist with Princess Twilight Sparkle, his presence to castle staff now felt like more of a startling surprise than anything else. Nevertheless, the Guards were still briefly stunned as they jolted back from their positions, and were standing around with looks of worry and unease. Fortunately, it seemed that Discord was used to that kind of reaction, and was quick to put out his claw and paw in innocence.

“Okay, usually I try not to intervene when it comes to pony affairs,” said the draconequus with a firm, but still comforting tone of voice. “However, considering how I happened to witness what happened outside of Blueblood’s quarters, it really seems like your group needs some assistance.”

None of the five Guards could try to say anything against Discord’s caim, since it was obvious that they did need some help. But still, they all still looked surprised at discovering the draconequus was aware of their issues with Blueblood. Rush, who needed to blink a couple times while processing Discord’s very presence, was the first to speak up as he asked, “Wait, you… you actually saw what Blueblood did?”

“Indeed I have,” answered the chaotic being with a nod of his head, before he reached underneath his leathery bat-wing with his claw. “Oh! And that reminds me…” Discord then pulled out what looked to be a bag of frozen peas, which he tossed over towards Zapper to use as an ice pack. “Here you go, Private. That should help with the swelling.”

The unicorn was fairly befuddled at Discord’s kindness, but he still nodded thankfully before holding the bag up against his face. Meanwhile, the draconequus returned his attention towards the other four Guards, and removed Rush’s helmet from atop his horns. “Now then! Before I say anything else, I should warn all of you that Prince Blueblood is storming down to these barracks as we speak. And judging by how he was looking, I’m fairly certain that he’s planning to implement something even I can’t condone under any good conscience.”

A mixture of enraged groans and panicked exhales reverberated around the locker room, with all five of the Guards appearing distressed by that information. Even if Discord wasn’t the most trustworthy being in Equestria, the platoon certainly believed him when it came to that intel; and given Blueblood’s demented vendetta against their group, they could only imagine what twisted form of “discipline” that Prince would try to oust them for good. So while the five Guards turned their attention towards him, Discord made a quick wave of his paw to conjure up a large digital clock, which hovered in the air above the group while displaying a countdown of three minutes.

“Now, I should highly stress that time is of the essence here,” said Discord while he pointed to the timer, “so I’m going to be blunt on your situation. As of what I’m able to determine, Blueblood likely will get away with any assault charges, even if that video evidence Rush is claiming isn’t tampered with. Of course, that’s mostly due to the egregious amounts of blackmail he has against your platoon’s superiors and higher-ranking officers, which is why he never gets disciplined in the first place.”

“GAH!” Zeno looked especially pissed by that detail as he kicked one of the lockers behind him. “I bucking KNEW it!”

“Yes, but there’s no admissible proof either, so merely knowing can’t help too much.” Discord then gave a sympathetic nod to the zebra, and huffed briefly before continuing his speech. “However, considering how I’ve been tasked with helping Princess Twilight adjust to Canterlot’s political system without much issue, I think it would be the best move to personally nip Blueblood’s corruption in the bud. Normally I would mention this to Celestia, but I already know she won’t do anything against her nephew. So… I figured I should explain my idea to the five of you for approval...”

As Discord went on to explain his highly detailed, and highly controversial method of dealing with their problem, the timer continued to count down second by second. As he went over the major gist of what he was planning for the bigoted Prince, the five Guards looked beyond shocked to say the least. Even when that timer above them was counting down with less than a minute remaining, the room became deathly silent by the time the draconequus finished the rundown of his idea. Fortunately, only the briefest moment passed within the locker room before one of the Guards finally gave a response. “Ummmm… w-wow,” noted Glider, who needed to scratch the back of his neck while sporting a heavy blush. “I… I’m not gonna lie, dude. That… That’s big.”

“So is being unjustly discharged by a violent homophobe,” said Discord as his bushy brows rose up for emphasis. Due to that brash reminder, the five Guards all turned their focus back towards one another to read the room. Meanwhile, Discord merely sighed and decided to ask, “Now, since we don’t have much time left, I have to make sure this is something your group is comfortable with me implementing.”

None of the Guards said anything to each other, but they all seemed to have the same look of contemplation on their faces by the time they turned back to Discord. Just as the timer was reaching twenty seconds, the draconequus carried a studious stare on the platoon while saying, “So… are you five alrigh--”

“DO IT!!!”

Due to how instantaneous the group’s unified answer was, Discord actually reeled back for a second in surprise. As he looked around with his brows raised, all five of the Guards looked unbelievably determined with stone-faced glares pointed at the draconequus. After blinking a couple times, Discord grew an impressed smirk and said, “Wow! I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t expecting you guys to answer so quickly.”

“You know what?!” Zapper put both of his hooves up, looking like he had absolutely no fucks to give anymore. “If Celestia isn’t gonna help us with that prick, we’ll take whatever we can get!”

“Yeah!” added Mid-Slinger with a firm nod of his head. “I mean, if what you’re gonna do actually changes things, then we’re in!”

“YEAH!” yelled the other four in affirmation, showing absolutely no remorse for what might happen to the Prince. That response was good enough for the draconequus, who was grinning especially wide by the time he raised his claw.

“Well, it’s settled then!” exclaimed Discord with a giddy look, as well as a sly-looking wink before snapping his talons. He disappeared from sight with a theatrical poof of smoke, and left the five Guards alone by the time the counter reached zero. Just as the timer ended, the clock disappeared, and the locker room door burst open. The five Guards immediately rushed towards the middle of the room to stand in an orderly line, not having any time to don their armor or helmets. Meanwhile, the brutish white stallion they all despised trotted through the doors with a slow, and almost flaunting stride in his steps. None of the Guards gave any visible expressions on their faces, but their hearts were racing as they caught sight of two distinct things the lone Prince Blueblood had on him…

One of those things was a menacing and downright evil-looking smirk that was pointed at the five Guards. And above Blueblood’s narrowed and piercing blue eyes, his horn was brightly lit with a golden hue while holding a thick wooden rod in his aura.

None of the Guards said a word, and tried their hardest not to react to seeing that weapon the Prince possessed. Even with Discord’s earlier chat with the group, none of them were sure what to do while they were left alone with Blueblood as he was. That ominously silent grin the Prince carried was leaving all of them on edge, and their eyes continuously gazed over at that floating stick he was carrying. The platoon maintained their composure as best as they could on the outside, but their hearts were all racing in unrelenting fear. All the while, Blueblood kept his muzzle shut as the door closed behind him, and only began to speak after they all heard that loud, confirming click of the lock.

“Well, well, welllll...” Blueblood spoke with a deep, brooding voice that was dripping with disdain, and carried an unsettling tone of anticipation that worried all five of the Guards. “... I must say, it’s rather convenient that all five of you deviants are together for this~”

The Guards’ faces remained unchanged, but it was still clear that his wording struck a chord with the five. Nonetheless, the Prince continued to speak as he walked in closer towards the line, with his stick bobbing forbiddingly close to their unarmored forms. The wooden rod stopped within Blueblood’s aura to point directly at Rush, who was standing in the middle and carrying an unemotional stare past the Prince. “So, Private Rush… Do you really think that leaving your post is the appropriate action for a Royal Guard to do. Especially when you’re ordered to stand before a member of Royalty?~”

Despite how condescendingly vile Blueblood’s voice sounded as he practically spat those words just inches from Rush’s face, the Guard maintained a stone-cold look of diligence as he responded firmly. “SIR! A Royal Guard has the right to withdraw from a task if it endangers the wellbeing of themselves or their fellow Guar--”

SMACK!!!

The resounding impact of that rod was sharp enough to leave all of their ears ringing. Despite the Prince’s threatening demeanor, the stick only struck the ground before Rush’s hooves, clearly meant to make him jolt in response. But much to Blueblood’s surprise, the pegasus didn’t even flinch from that warning strike. Blueblood let out an unamused huff through his nostrils, and rolled his eyes while carrying a bitter sneer. “Hmph… I must say, it’s a shame that such a level of composure is wasted on a faggot.”

Rush’s muzzle only wrinkled up for a split-second, but his expression didn’t show any strong response to hearing that slur thrown around by the Prince. Neither did the other four Guards, who remained just as stoic and silent as their brethren. That reaction wasn’t what Blueblood was hoping for, and his glare on the platoon intensified greatly. “Oh, what’s the matter, fellas?~ Has your constant cock-sucking left you fruits unable to talk?!”

Again, none of the Guards gave any reaction to Blueblood’s toxic behavior. That made the Prince’s sneer grow even more enraged, and his teeth gritted tightly while his left eye twitched a little. “Ohhhhh… So you all think you can act like real stallions, eh?” He turned his attention away from Rush, and got in close to Zapper’s face instead. “You wanna say something, colt-cuddler?! Well, COME ON!! SAY SOMETHING!!!”

“SOMETHING, SIR!!!” Zapper shouted back at Blueblood with a booming voice, but still maintained his stance to remain within line. His statement may have been risky, but it was still an order he followed to the letter. But regardless of the technicality, Blueblood’s bloodthirsty glare lingered on the unicorn for a long while as his eyes narrowed venomously. The wooden staff the Prince was holding tensed up within his magical grip, and hovered in close to that welt on the side of Zapper’s muzzle. A slightly shakier exhale escaped the unicorn’s flaring nostrils, but none of the four Guards saw that as any sign to intervene just yet.

“You think you’re funny, Private?” he growled with a more intimidating tone of voice, his snout getting in a few inches from the Guard’s. Zapper’s rear hooves were shaking a little bit in trepidation, but his stance remained solid as a rock while Blueblood was glaring into his unchanging gaze. A couple of the other Guards -- particularly Rush -- had their eyes turned towards the sadistic Prince in case he actually used that cane. Meanwhile, that stick floated up high above the unicorn Guard’s head, looming like an incoming stormcloud set to bring down a hurricane of pain. Meanwhile, Blueblood’s glare turned into a wide, toothy grin that would’ve made Chrysalis wince worriedly. “Well then… Perhaps after I claim self-defense for ‘holding my own’ against you five traitors... you can try your luck inside of a PRISON CELL!!”

In a split-second, all five of the Guards tensed up in anticipation as Blueblood brought down his staff, intent on striking the poor Guard and eliciting a fight. The group all knew that no good outcome would come from fighting back, but it was obvious that the Prince would’ve won if they did nothing as well. Heck, given how hellbent he was on ruining the platoon, he might’ve considered beating himself up to add to the claim and take them down once and for all. But despite the group’s lightning-quick reflexes, none of them could stop that stick from coming down towards Zapper’s skull.

THWACK!!!

That was, except for the paw of a particular draconequus that appeared out of nowhere, and grabbed that stick just before it could strike the Guard. The entire platoon was pulled back by Discord’s chaotic magic, and they were all left completely bewildered while the being stood before the wide-eyed Prince. Blueblood’s jaw was gaping in utter confoundment, and his pearly white fur didn’t conceal how quickly his face paled upon being face-to-face with the grinning beast.

“Bad move, Blueblood~” purred Discord as his eyes narrowed on him with a wide, schadenfreude-laden grin.

“HEL--MMMPHH!!!” Before the Prince could think to call for help, Discord lunged in to grab hold of Blueblood’s muzzle and his horn. While the five Guards stood in shock, the draconequus kept a disturbingly strong grip of Blueblood’s head to keep him tightly restrained. Even as the stallion’s thick, muscular hooves skidded across the floor in an attempt to pull himself back, Discord proved to be a lot more powerful than even the Prince would’ve predicted. While Blueblood struggled to shriek out muffledly through his clamped muzzle, Discord leaned in to get his face less than an inch from his.

“Do you know what really gets under my skin?” he asked with a deep, menacingly brooding tone that made the fur along Blueblood’s back stand on end. As the Prince trembled in Discord’s grip, and his horn merely sizzled in the draconequus’ avian claw without any effect, the draconequus’ expression turned much less jauntry while glaring in utter disappointment into Blueblood’s eyes. “I really… really can’t stand when ponies who have every opportunity to better themselves like their familial ties, end up wasting their lives by hurting others for the pettiest of reasons…”

Due to how menacingly grim Discord’s tone was getting, it was shocking that Blueblood wasn’t pissing himself while quivering in the being’s grip. Even the Guards looked uneasy by their ally’s method of intimidation, despite how close they all were to beating the Prince down themselves. But instead of trying to intervene, the platoon could only watch as Discord sneered with malice at Blueblood’s pathetic groveling. “Seriously,” he added with a more disdainful shake of his head, “how could somepony who spent their whole life living alongside a pony like Princess Celestia, wind up to be such an asshole?! I swear if I was still a villain, I might find it almost impressive that you carried such a blatant disregard for others. However...”

After a strong blink, two alluring spirals of swirling green light emanated from Discord’s wide-open eyes. The draconequus grew a dementedly lewd grin while peering straight into Blueblood’s eyes, which caused those stunning blue irises to morph to a similar shade of green. Blueblood spasmed wildly for a moment as the indoctrination started, almost like the last of the Prince’s resistance tried to break himself free from Discord’s grip. However, considering how even the Elements of Harmony weren’t able to overcome such an affliction, the pampered Prince’s fate was basically sealed by the time his twitching movements weakened. As for the five Guards watching the conflict from behind, not a single mouth was closed while they gawked in stunned silence.

“... Since you’ve been a very rude little colt,” purred Discord with a more sensual-sounding voice, as if he was giving a lullaby to Blueblood’s compromised state of mind, “I feel like you should let go of your prejudices… and be more honest with me and these young men. Can you do that?~”

Slowly, Discord’s paw pulled away from Blueblood’s muzzle to allow him the ability to speak freely. And due to his hypnotized state, the Prince didn’t try to scream the moment his mouth was freed. Neither did he try to use his horn to attack the draconequus, even as the talons pulled away from his untampered horn. When Discord stepped back from the unicorn, Blueblood just stood with a blank, groggy look on his face; his jaw was slightly hung open, and his eyes never blinked while swirling like Discord’s had. And much to the platoon’s shock, Prince Blueblood slowly nodded his head in response to Discord’s question.

“Thank you~” Discord blinked again to stop the swirling in his own eyes, and stood upright with his arms crossed over his chest. Meanwhile, nothing changed in Blueblood’s appearance, and he looked nothing like the violent bigot he was just a couple minutes prior. While the Prince stood with his mind a complete blank, Discord leaned his head in to ask more cheekily, “Now, are you able to speak, Blueblood?”

“Yes,” he said with a slow, but still affirming nod of his head. His posh Canterlot accent remained, but he sounded a lot more tranquil due to the draconequus’ hypnosis on him.

“Good. Now, I want to ask you a simple question…” Discord motioned his paw over towards the five Guards standing behind him, and asked the compromised Prince, “Blueblood, do you truly hate these men for their orientations?”

Surprisingly enough, Blueblood gave a firm shake of his head. “No,” he stated in a half-tired tone of voice, which still carried enough sincerity to make several of the Guards’ brows raise up. “I… I only wanted them… th-them gone because I was… I was scared…”

Rush and the other glanced at each other with varying looks of surprise, clearly not expecting that kind of admission. While it was debatable how much Discord’s magic was affecting Blueblood’s consciousness, it didn’t seem like he was lying either. Fortunately, Discord was quick to ask with a raised brow of his own, “Is that so, your Highness? May you clarify why the Guards behind me are leaving you feeling scared?”

Blueblood gave a slow nod in response to Discord’s question, and took a deep breath before stating, “I… I was scared because I… I didn’t want them to kn… t-to know about me…”

Zapper and Zeno’s heads tilted curiously to that answer, while the other three widened their eyes in early realization. Discord didn’t say anything, but made a rotating motion with his paw to emphasize that Blueblood should continue. The Prince nodded in understanding, and took a second before adding, “I… I was worried if they got too close, that they would… that they would try to… m-make me come out…”

That final remark caught four of the platoon members off-guard, not expecting to hear Blueblood say that. However, Mud-Slinger pumped his hoof with a hard grunt before saying. “YES! I bucking called it!”

The Earth pony gave a sly-looking smile over towards his brethren, who all sighed and rolled their eyes in annoyance. “Alright, alright!” griped Glider while looking back at the Guard’s shit-eating grin. “I’ll pay you the twenty bits after this!” The other three Guards begrudgingly nodded over at Mud-Slinger, indicating that they lost their wagers with him too.

Meanwhile, Discord kept his focus on Blueblood as he gave him a warm and comforting smile, as well as a soft pat on the head as a reward. “Well, I’m very happy that you were able to tell us such a big thing about you,” he cooed with a more comforting voice, which seemed to make the Prince smile a little in his hypnotized state. “However, you must understand that your behavior towards them was not appropriate. Do you agree?”

Blueblood nodded his head again, and kept his focus on the draconequus as he said, “Yes. I… I know I was acting poorly. I just… I was scared…”

“I know, Blueblood,” said Discord with an affectionate nod of his own. “But that still doesn’t excuse how you’ve been acting.”

Blueblood sighed with his smile going away, and he shook his head in agreement to Discord’s comment. “N… No, it… it wasn’t right… I know that…”

Then to the Guards’ surprise, Blueblood gazed over towards them to add in his monotone voice, “I’m sorry. I… I’m really sorry for my actions…”

The five all looked back at each other with uncomfortable skews of their muzzles, clearly needing a moment after hearing that apology. It may have been genuine, but it still felt weak considering how brashly Blueblood’s behavior had been towards them. However, Zapper was the first to turn back to the Prince, and scratched the back of his head while giving an awkward response. “Well, ummm… thank you for telling us that, Blueblood. A-And… And hopefully we can accept that apology after this is all over…”

Discord seemed a little upset by how Zapper worded that acceptance, but he still shrugged his shoulders in understanding. Meanwhile, Blueblood nodded his head before looking back up at Discord. “How… H-How can I… make it up to them?”

The draconequus’ grin grew immensely large, and he peered back at the Guards to ask, “So, gentlemen… Are you all still alright with me doing this for you?~”

Given how effectively Discord nullified Blueblood’s vendetta against them, and even left the floor open for their approval, there wasn’t much clarification needed among them to know what to do. After the five all gave silent nods to each other in solidarity, Zeno looked back at Discord and said, “You know what? As long as we don’t get caught, go right ahead~”

Discord snickered devilishly when he saw the zebra’s confident smirk, and said with a quick nod, “Oh, don’t worry, Private… there’s no way I would want this to be interrupted~”

He then leaned in close to Blueblood’s ear, and covered his muzzle with a paw so he could better whisper his suggestions. The Prince stood stoically still while taking in the draconequus’ words, his ears twitching a few times as the seconds passed. His glossed-over expression didn’t falter, but the five Guards could see a heavy blush deepening across his cheeks. By the time Discord finished explaining his plans for Blueblood, he pulled away from his ear slowly while licking his lips. “Mmmmm… So, how does that sound, your Highness?~”

“... I…” Blueblood gulped while looking back at the five Guards standing across from him, and took one final breath before giving a firm nod. “... I th… th-think that would be fun~”

The zebra and four stallions all blushed greatly while chuckling amongst themselves, unable to believe this was actually happening. But as the Prince kept a goofy smile while standing beside Discord, none of the Guards seemed upset by how things were going. Instead, Rush snickered with a shake of his head before he said, “You know what? I think we’re all game too~ Right, fellas?”

“Yeah!” shouted the other four as their grins grew wider, and Discord’s smile became more mischievous.

“Excellent~” The chaotic being then pulled a couch out of nowhere, and placed it along the back wall for himself to sit comfortably. “Now, I personally don’t see the purpose of engaging in such activities myself, but I would appreciate being able to watch if that’s okay~”

None of the Guards seem to mind the draconequus’ presence, and Blueblood just smiled like an idiot in front of the waiting platoon. But before anything could officially start, Discord was quick to raise his claw and say, “Oh! And before I forget, allow me to give Blueblood a quick ‘refresher’ for consensual reasons~”

SNAP!!

With a sudden snap of Discord’s talons, Prince Blueblood tensed up as his eyes clenched tightly shut. The stallion shivered strongly in front of the five Guards, and his neck craned from the strong force of chaotic magic that was leaving his system. The group all stared at Blueblood with worry, hopeful that Discord wasn’t going to leave him completely reverted back to his old self. However, before any of them could try to clarify that hypothesis, Blueblood settled down with a long sigh, and then reopened his eyes to reveal those blue irises once more.

The Prince blinked a couple times as he stared back at his Guards, not seeming to notice Discord lounging on the couch behind them. Fortunately, instead of growing a disgusted sneer at the group, or going back to his earlier plans with that stick that was laying beside his hooves, Blueblood took a moment to process his thoughts before giving a more lighthearted smile. His head bashfully bowed to make a couple locks of his golden mane drop over his face, and his blush remained rather noticeable across his cheeks when he finally spoke.

“Ummmm… S-So… Can I… Can I make things up to you gentlemen?~”

As the Prince sheepishly looked up at his Guards with a hopeful smile, all five of them grinned just as wide as the draconequus behind them. “You know what?” said Rush as he looked back at his friends, and then shot a cocky grin back at Blueblood. “Help us back into our armor first. I have an idea~”

Blueblood seemed confused by such a measure, but he kept an optimistic smile as he lit up his horn, and floated up Rush’s helmet with his magic. “Ummm… alright then~”

Discord had no idea why Rush was wanting the platoon to wear their metal plating, but he leaned back in seat as he watched with a curious grin, and a bowl of popcorn atop his chest. “Oh, boy… I have a feeling this is going to be quite the spectacle~”