It was a warm late-summer day in Ponyville, a few odd clouds lazily drifting through the sky and a general sense of peace and ease present throughout the town. Nowhere was this more present than Fluttershy’s cottage, where birds happily chirped and one critter or another went about their business. The inside of the cottage was no exception.
“Wait, so Twilight’s spell to get the vampire fruit bats to not go after Applejack’s harvest led to you turning into a vampire bat-pony?” Quiver Quill let out a low exhale and shook his head as he accepted a refill of his tea. “Wow. Even by Ponyville standards, that’s something.”
“I know. Twilight’s still amazed it even happened in the first place.” Fluttershy refilled her own cup and continued, “She thinks it was due to very unique circumstances, including me having some thestrals in my family tree and my own innate magic, that led to it. I’m just glad everypony got me back to my senses.”
“Same here, and that there weren’t any lingering effects.” At his host’s embarrassed smile, he ventured, “Fluttershy?”
“Well, something did linger.” The pegasus opened her mouth and rubbed her tongue along one of two fangs along her upper jaw.
“Whoa. And you’ve still got them?”
Fluttershy giggled as she admitted, “I’ve considered having them removed, but they really aren’t hurting anything, so why get rid of them?” She smiled nervously and added, “Anyway, enough about me. Quiver…” A knock sounded at her door, and she called, “Oh! Come in!”
The cottage door opened to reveal three familiar little fillies. “Hi Fluttershy!” Apple Bloom entered the cottage, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo following in her wake. “Howdy, Mister Quiver!”
“Hey girls, and you don’t need to be that formal anymore.” As the trio joined them, Quiver asked, “What brings you three by?”
“Actually, I think I was just about to get to that.” Fluttershy turned nervous as she asked, “Quiver, you’re aware that Applejack, Rarity and I will be visiting Manehattan this week, aren’t you?” At his nod, she continued, “Well, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were invited along.”
“Except I’m opting out,” the unicorn filly explained. “We were gearing up for our first meeting of the expanded Cutie Mark Crusaders here in Ponyville on Saturday, and given who all’s going to be there, it didn’t feel right to leave Scootaloo alone to manage everything.”
Quiver nodded, all too aware of who was likely to be joining in on this particular gathering. “And I’m guessing this particular gathering is why I’ve been asked here?”
“We were hoping you could come and help out.” Scootaloo winced. “Sorry to spring this on you on short notice.”
The stallion shrugged. “I’ve been hit with worse on shorter notice than this. And I’m fine with helping out.” He sat up straight and proud as he added, “I’d be remiss in my duties as an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader if I didn’t lend a hoof to proceedings. What all do you need of me?”
“Just some adult supervision startin’ round noon, no crazy adventures or whatever.” Apple Bloom laughed. “We’ve had our fill’a that kinda thing fer a while.”
Quiver chuckled. “Likewise. Anyway, I’ll be there assuming nothing…” A rapping sounded at the door to the cottage, and it was slowly pried open to reveal a familiar feathered form. “Edgar?”
The raven cawed and fluttered inside, then landed atop his caretaker’s head. “Trouble! Stream!”
That got everypony’s attention, and the group emerged from the cottage, the two adults going first to investigate. They saw a vortex form in the stream, rapidly going faster and faster and looking like a miniature whirlpool until a large, serpentine form shot its way out of the water and gave out a jubilant cry. “Oh, I do love to make an entrance!”
Everypony recognized the creature before them, and the three fillies charged forth to greet him as they cheered, “Discord!”
“Hello, hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders!” Discord scooped up the trio in a welcoming hug. “Oh it feels like it’s been so long since I’ve seen the three of you!”
Whereas the rest of his friends were thrilled at the newcomer’s presence, Quiver was another matter, while the raven perched upon his head shared his sentiments with an annoyed caw.
“Well this is wonderful!” If she had any awareness of Quiver’s mood, Fluttershy ignored it as she approached her friend. “And a little unexpected. What brings you to Ponyville?”
“Well, what’s the point of being me if I act in a way that’s expected?” He gently put the Crusaders down and moved in to hug Fluttershy. “Besides, do I really need an excuse to stop in and visit with my friends?”
“Well, no.” Remembering her manners, the Pegasus continued, “Oh, speaking of, there’s somepony I’d like you to meet. This is Quiver Quill.”
“Ah, the pony you’ve mentioned in your letters… Ack!” The draconequus gagged and recoiled dramatically at the sight before him. “Good heavens, she’s hideous! How absolutely…!” The false shock wore off, and he doubled back. “Oh wait, you’re a stallion, nevermind.” He then produced a business card and offered it. “Discord, Spirit of Chaos. At your service.”
Quiver’s eyes were tabled and lacking in amusement at the sight before him. “Charmed.” He nonetheless accepted the business card. “Do excuse me, I need to be going.” He turned to his friends and politely smiled. “Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, if I don’t see you before you leave, I hope you enjoy your trip to Manehattan. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, I’ll see you on Saturday.”
Quiver went on his way, and Discord huffed. “Well, that was rude.”
“That joke was kinda mean, though.”
The draconequus scoffed at Scootaloo’s remark. “Oh pish-posh, if he can’t take that sort of joke, then that’s his fault. Anyway, let’s sit down and have some tea, and you can tell me all about this trip to Manehattan and whatever it is that’s going on come Saturday.”
“Of course, come on inside.” Fluttershy ushered her friend and the Crusaders back inside, and discussion soon turned to events to come.
-
Quiver smiled contentedly as he idly pecked away at his typewriter, glad for the chance to get some quality time done with his writing. He had precious little of it, between work and his assorted bits of fun and entertainment around town, but what little he got felt worth it as his creative juices flowed. With a few choice taps, his work was done, and he pulled the paper free from his typewriter to examine his work. He then frowned. “Edgar, take a look at this.” The raven fluttered onto his head as the stallion asked, “Does that flow right to you?”
Edgar tilted his head, then cawed, “Reads neutral.”
“You’re right. I should adjust my word choice in a few places, make it more interesting.”
“Need this?”
“Thanks.” Quiver absentmindedly reached for the offered thesaurus before scowling at the one who offered it. “I don’t remember inviting you in.”
Discord grinned. “Well, you did accept my card.” The draconequus then flashed away from the stallion’s side and onto his sofa, one leg crossed over another as he regarded the stallion. “Besides, we really didn’t get a chance to chat earlier. Fluttershy’s mentioned you in her letters from time to time, and I can’t help but be a little curious about Ponyville’s new writer in residence.”
Quiver did his best to ignore his unwanted houseguest as he went through his book. “Good for you.”
“Especially considering you can’t really call yourself a writer, can you?” Discord had decided to recline on the sofa as he continued, “I mean yes, you write, but are you published? Are you making any money off of it? I haven’t seen anything of yours in books or magazines or whatever. You’ve spent most of your time since you arrived here in Ponyville following Fluttershy and Twilight and the rest of the important ponies about, or doing things other than writing.”
“Things happen. Life happens.” Having realized where this was going, Quiver folded his paper and used it as an impromptu bookmark in his thesaurus before turning his attention towards his newest distraction. “You know, if I wanted to have someone criticize me over my life choices, there are other candidates.”
“Ah, but I doubt any of them would be nearly as entertaining as yours truly.” Discord oozed off his perch and took up position beside Quiver once more and noted, “Besides, I couldn’t help but note a bit of hostility earlier.”
“You’re an unrepentant, mean-spirited prankster with a cruel sense of humor. The last time you were in town, I got chased around by a hat for a half-hour, and today, you just invited yourself into my home without even so much as a knock on the door.”
“And yet, we have so much in common!” Discord produced the scarf that Quiver had received only a few weeks earlier, and made a point of emphasizing the emblem upon it. “We are, after all, both honorary Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
“Yes, they’ve mentioned something about that.” Quiver scowled as he realized the implications of that statement. “I guess this means that you’ll be joining us for our little get-together this weekend.”
“Well obviously. After all, it would be rude of me to simply not bother to take part, and besides, it might well be fun. If a little crowded.”
Quiver had tried his best not to focus too much on that little detail, as the Crusaders had grown in number over the last few weeks. While they hadn’t had a dramatic increase, the group’s membership had nonetheless tripled, with most of the new members already having cutie marks of their own. While most of the foals tended to be rather well-behaved, he was a little anxious about having to ride herd on a bunch of school-age children, particularly given the fact that two of the new members had something of a history. And having Discord along for the ride was not promising.
Still, he was a stallion who did at least try to keep his promises.
“Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are surprisingly organized, though, and they aren’t expecting me to do any of the heavy lifting.” Quiver kept an even tone. “And hey, I know how to roll with the punches, so to speak.”
Now Discord scowled, but before he could get another word out, the front door opened. “Hope you’re up for something different, Quiver. I caught sight of something at…” The unicorn looked up at the draconequus and scowled. “What are you doing here?”
“Merely getting to know one of Ponyville’s colorful new residents. Speaking of.” Discord snaked over to the mare and pulled out a measuring tape before going over her dimensions. “Just as I thought. Sour Sweet, Twilight’s not-so-secret new bodyguard. A little surprising that Celestia chose you for the job, but then again, it’s a little surprising that it took her this long to get Twilight a security detail, given all the shenanigans she gets up to.” He stretched out the tape, and it rolled up into his eagle talon before vanishing in a flash. “Anyway, I have places to be.” He raised one mismatched appendage to his right eye in a sort of salute and said before vanishing, “Be seeing you.”
Edgar cawed as Discord vanished. “Jerk!”
“You said it.” Sour closed the door behind her. “I guess we’ve caught his attention now.”
“Guess we have. Rough day?”
“Not really.” She gave a half-grin. “Wanna fight?”
-
Quiver groaned as he found himself slammed against the earth, certain that he was going to feel that in the morning. A hoof was offered, and he accepted it. “Please tell me that I’m at least getting better.”
“You are.” Sour helped him back to his hooves. “You shouldn’t expect to be able to out-fight me with just a few lessons, though. I’ve been training in this for years, after all.”
“I’m not, for exactly that reason.” Quiver rolled one shoulder to help work out the soreness, and then another. “Ten thousand hours and all that. I’ve had, what, five? Maybe six? And getting some fighting lessons headbutted into me only worked with a different sort of anatomy.”
“Well, we both knew that going in.” The mare frowned as she regarded her cousin. “I’m guessing Discord’s visit is still bugging you.”
The stallion laughed. “Jarring transition there, Sour.” He sat down and admitted, “But yeah, it is. Putting aside him just barging in like that, well, what he said kinda got to me.”
Sour frowned. “You know that what the whole point, right? He did all that to get your goat.”
“Doesn’t change the fact that he has a point.” He sighed. “I’m spinning my wheels, Sour. Running in circles. I mean yeah, my life’s better since I moved here to Ponyville, especially since you moved in and I reunited with Runnie, but still…” Quiver looked to his cutie mark and explained, “Awful hard to call yourself a writer when you don’t really write, do you?”
“You write.”
“I don’t publish. Don’t make a living off of it.”
Sour rolled her eyes. “Now you’re sounding like your father.” She sat down and laid a hoof on his shoulder. “Quiver, you know Discord’s a plothole, right?”
Quiver cringed. “Don’t let Fluttershy hear you say things like that.”
“Let me worry about what Fluttershy thinks about my opinions. That’s my problem.” Her expression was firm as she continued, “In any case, Discord is an immature brat with too much power and no sense of responsibility. Give a foal power like his, any foal, and they’d act the exact same way as him. That he’s willing to play nice with Fluttershy and the Crusaders shows that he has at least a little decency in him, but that doesn’t change what he’s done or who he is. So screw him.” Her expression softened as she added, “And don’t let him get to you.”
“I’ll do my best, but I’m still going to have to deal with him this weekend.”
“And that’s a problem for this weekend. Tonight, dinner and a shower. Tomorrow and Friday, you work your day job. And Saturday, you play chaperone to a rowdy, immature brat with the help of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”
Quiver laughed. “Knowing my luck, that’s exactly what’ll happen.” The two stood back up. “Thanks, Sour.”
“Hey, we gotta look out for each other, right?”
The two went back into their home, and Quiver found himself hoping for a good meal and a reasonably decent time at work over the next few days.
-
Amazing Booksellers was, as always, a busy place to work. Quiver was used to that, and had long gotten accustomed to the daily routine. Come in, clock in, work until the morning break, work again until the half-hour lunch, work some more until the mid-afternoon break, and then work until the end of his shift and go home. Ten hours a day, four days a week, assuming overtime hadn’t been called. The work he could deal with.
“Quiver! Hey, Qui-VERRRR!”
His coworkers were often another matter. “Yes?”
Leading Rose approached with his usual lazy-looking half-smile, half-leer. “Nuthin’.” The expression seemed to widen as he remarked, “So, that mare you’re livin’ with. Sour Sweet.” He leaned in. “She’s hot.”
“You’re not her type.”
That didn’t seem to dissuade the pudgy stallion in the slightest. “You sure about that?”
Quiver restrained himself as the bell sounded to start the afternoon shift. Bright Star and an unfamiliar mare stood before him and his gathered coworkers. “Afternoon everypony. We’ve had a good morning so far, and productivity is moving at a great pace. Keep at it, and we’ll finish the day strong.” Bright Star then gestured to the new mare and said, “Before we get started, we have a couple announcements. First, this is Dew Grass. She’ll be partnering with me supervising shifts here for the next few weeks, and filling in when I’m out.”
Dew Grass gave and enthusiastic wave and shouted cheerfully, “Glad to meet y’all! Let’s make that money!”
Quiver frowned. Despite a firm awareness that money was needed to get by, he didn’t think that its pursuit was the most important thing for a pony to follow.
“Second, we have sign-up sheets up for cross-training for different departments. If you’re interested in volunteering, please sign them.” Bright Star then stomped a hoof and called, “Alright everypony, let’s get to work!”
Duly dismissed to his duties, Quiver went off to find a scanner and cart, with Leading Rose following close. “So you gonna sign up for cross-training? Replenishin’s always good.”
“I’m good where I am, thanks. Please excuse me.” Quiver took a deep breath, then went on his way to get to work. With any luck, things would go smoothly, and…
“AGH!” Too fast for him to react, Quiver found himself buried under a small avalanche of bouncy balls. They were lightweight, made of thin rubber and not likely to cause severe injury, but still, the combination of surprise and the large number was more than irritating. He pulled himself out of the pile and looked up to notice that they had fallen from a higher floor, and he grumbled and tossed what balls he could into a waiting tote intended for lost items for later restoration to their proper places.
So much for things going smoothly.
-
“And the rest of the day pretty much went like that. Made rate, at least, but still.” Quiver huffed as he prodded at his meal. “I have to wonder why so many ponies seem to think that money is the most important motivator.”
“Well, in their defense, having money does make your life easier, if only a little.” Sour gestured around them and noted, “Gotta pay the rent, y’know.” Her cousin nodded, and she opted to gently shift the subject. “So that coworker of yours…”
“Leading Rose. Trust me, he’s not your type.”
Sour quirked an eyebrow. “And you know what my type is since when?”
“I don’t, but I’m pretty sure your type isn’t obnoxious, pudgy and smarmy.”
The mare couldn’t help but agree. “Maker knows I had to deal with enough of those folks when I was younger. Now at least I can beat them up if they don’t get the message.”
“Just hope that you don’t meet him personally. And that he isn’t into that kind of thing.” At his cousin’s alarmed look, he added, “Hey, he might be. Some ponies are sick like that.”
Sour grimaced. “Sadly true, but let’s not elaborate on that, shall we? I don’t want to lose my appetite.”
“Me either.”
-
The rest of his work week, unfortunately, went by with little difference for Quiver, though he had the small comfort of it being a short one. Saturday, consequently, came very quickly, and Quiver soon found himself on his way to Sweet Apple Acres and the Crusader Clubhouse, where the newly-expanded Crusaders were gathering. There was some brief surprise, however, as he realized the group was gathered outside of the clubhouse, rather than within it.
Then again, when your group triples in number and one of the honorary members is simply too big to fit, perhaps meeting outside of the clubhouse is a better idea than meeting inside of it.
“Mister Quiver!” The stallion smiled as the gathered group noticed him approach, two fillies in particular looking very pleased to see him. “You made it!”
“I’d be remiss in my duties as an honorary Crusader if I wasn’t here, wouldn’t I?” Sweetie Belle gave him an appreciative grin, and he surveyed the gathered group of foals. “Everypony here?”
“I think we’re thtill waiting on a couple thragglerth.” Twist stood with the three other new recruits, and was seemingly the least nervous about being present. “I hope they’re okay.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t show up.” At the harsh looks thrown his way, Rumble elaborated, “What? They might still be grounded.”
“Or… we could… just…” Quiver turned to see a pair of familiar fillies pulling a cart loaded down with a chest towards the clubhouse, then moved to assist them by gently taking up their slack. “Whew. Thank you, Mister Quiver.” Diamond Tiara panted with exhaustion as she recovered. “Sorry everypony. I’m kinda getting used to carrying my own weight, so to speak.”
“Same here.” Silver Spoon wiped some sweat from her brow before Scootaloo brought over bottles of water for the pair. “Thanks.”
The two fillies carried themselves much differently than they had when Quiver had first met them, much to his delight and the relief of their classmates. Diamond Tiara had continued her good behavior, and even now continued to present herself as less haughty than before. Her former trademark tiara still not having been replaced only seemed to help. Silver Spoon, while she didn’t have nearly as far to go, nonetheless was trying to show herself as less of an elitist at least for this occasion, her normal pearl necklace replaced with a much less ostentatious bandanna about her neck.
“So what’s all this then?” The tiniest foal amongst them eyed the chest.
“It’s a surprise, for when we’re all here.” Diamond took a worried look around as she asked in a slightly hopeful tone, “Unless, someone decided not to come…?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t miss this for the world!” In a dramatic flash of light, Discord appeared and shouted, “Salutations, Cutie Mark Crusaders new and old!” His appearance was met with fewer cheers than expected, and he frowned at the assorted newcomers. He then slithered next to the one remaining colt and whispered in his ear, “Those things rot your brains, you know.”
Button Mash barely noticed as he continued to fiddle with his Joy Boy. “Uh-huh, almost done.”
The draconequus rolled his eyes and snapped his talons. The screen on the small gaming device flashed, and a cheery tune played as the colt’s eyes grew wide.
“High score! Awe-SAIEEE!”
The Joy Boy flew from Button’s hooves, only to be caught in Sweetie Belle’s magic before Discord turned everyone’s attention back to the chest. “Now then, if we’re all done being distracted, I’d like to see what Diamond Tiara has brought along in an attempt to bribe everyone into being her friend this time.”
“It’s not a bribe. It’s an apology.” The young filly opened the chest to reveal a number of Crusader capes, then pulled one out to demonstrate. “I commissioned Rarity to make new capes for all of the Crusdaders, not just the new ones. Instead of tying these around your neck, they have these little breakaway clasps that you can hook on and off.” She passed the first one off to an impressed Scootaloo, then turned apologetic. “They’re probably a little big for Pipsqueak, though, so I commissioned an alternative for him.” She then produced something else marked with the Crusader emblem. “It’s a scarf, like the one Mister Quiver has.”
“Aw, brilliant!” The piebald colt accepted it gleefully, then wrapped it about his neck. “Thank you!”
Discord gagged until another scarf was produced from the chest. “For me?” At Diamond’s timid nod, he accepted it, then tied it about his neck as one would an ascot. “Well, how thoughtful of you, but don’t expect this to just magically make up for all the trouble you’ve caused.”
Quiver scowled, then gestured to the two senior Crusaders. “Sweetie Belle, how about you take Diamond Tiara into the Clubhouse for a minute? Scootaloo, how about you take the rest of the Crusaders aside, let them know what the itinerary is?” He then turned to Discord. “You. With me. Now.”
The draconequus raised an eyebrow, then smirked.
-
Sweetie Belle was very swift with her instructions, and she soon got Diamond Tiara into the Clubhouse. The latter filly let out a deep breath in relief as the door closed behind them. “Thanks.”
“I think Mister Quiver deserves more than I do. This was his idea.”
“Still, thanks.” She glanced around the inside of the Clubhouse. “You guys really haven’t redecorated in here, have you? I mean, not that it needs redecorating, I’m just…”
“It’s okay, I know what you meant.” The unicorn filly turned sad as she realized, “What Discord said got to you, didn’t it?”
The other filly nodded. “I know that I’ve done a lot of bad stuff to you and your friends, and I’m trying to make up for it, I really am.”
“Of course! And you’re doing great!” Sweetie Belle gently hugged the mare and assured her, “Apple Bloom would tell you the same thing if she were here!”
That prompted a smile. “Thanks, but…” A mirthless laugh escaped her lips. “Do you remember when Discord first got loose, and made his way to Ponyville?”
That gave the filly pause, and she admitted, “Not really. It was all kinda hazy, like I slept through it or something.”
“Well, I didn’t.” She ran a hoof through her mane where her tiara had been and explained, “I was out shopping with some of the housestaff and…her…when Discord came to town. He enchanted some of the stuff she was going to buy, used it to create more chaos, and, well…she didn’t take it well, and started telling him off.”
Sweetie Belle suddenly found herself with very conflicted feelings about a clash between Discord and Spoiled Milk. “What happened?”
“He pulled her up with his magic, said something about how if she was going to object to his fun that she needed to lighten up, and then put this hat on her. Like the one Button Mash always wears. Next thing that happens, her eyes go weird, her coat and mane change colors, her cutie mark changes, and she’s floating around town until it’s all done.” Diamond shook suddenly, then admitted, “I can get you giving me a chance after giving him a chance, but…why give him a chance at all?”
“Well, he did try to help us find our cutie marks, which is more than most ponies did.” Sweetie Belle mulled things over and realized aloud, “Still, I think I get where you’re coming from. That’s probably what Mister Quiver…” A loud smack sounded from outside, and the clear sounds of a fight soon started. “What the…?!”
Diamond Tiara suddenly went pale. “Oh no…”
-
Quiver had barely moved just to the edge of earshot of the Crusaders when he rounded on Discord. “Where do you get off?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You know what I’m talking about! Those jabs at Diamond Tiara! Who gave you the right to give her grief?”
Discord rolled his eyes. “And I’m supposed to genuinely believe that she’s turned over a new leaf? You’re new here, so I’ll forgive you for not being aware of a few details, but that little brat’s been nothing but a burr in the Crusaders’ saddle for as long as I’ve known them.”
“Oh, I’m well aware that she bullied them. I’m also well aware that she’s doing her damnedest to not be that sort of pony anymore, and having guilt slathered onto her at every possible opportunity isn’t going to do her any favors. And that’s ignoring how hypocritical you’re being.”
The draconequus glowered at the stallion. “I don’t think that I like your tone.”
Quiver glowered right back. “And I certainly don’t like you. Like I said, unrepentant, mean-spirited, cruel, and hypocritical.”
Discord stared at the stallion before him, then sneered. “You know, I have a very hard time understanding why Fluttershy or anypony else would consider you to be a friend. I can only assume that it’s pity, given how you’ve grown up.” He conjured up a recording of Quiver bawling his eyes out and mockingly continued, “Oh woe is me! My daddy doesn’t love me and I was bullied all the way through school!” The recording vanished. “How pathetic.”
“At least I’m not an immature brat like you.” The stony expression on Quiver’s face stayed constant even as Discord’s full attention shot back onto him. “It’s a miracle that anypony’s willing to give you even a sliver of a chance. I’ve read about you, about the havoc you caused and the chaos you created. About how you were imprisoned, locked away in stone for a thousand years. Awake. Aware. Totally cognizant of the outside world, and unable to influence it.”
A snort. “Don’t tell me you think I didn’t deserve it.”
“No, but you sure as rut didn’t learn from it. Say what you like about my old stallion, but the first time he punished me over something was the last time he punished me over it. Fear and the assurance that I would get what was coming to me kept me in line, every time. You, though? When you got freed from your prison, what did you do? Did you learn from your experiences, resolve to do what was obvious to avoid repeating them? No. You did everything you could to go back to having your fun, and woe be unto anyone or anything that got in your way. You twisted the landscape according to your mad whims, you played cruel pranks on hapless ponies, you…” Quiver growled a pause. “To Tartarus with delicacy, you mind-raped Twilight’s friends and broke her spirit, all so you could keep having your jollies. Even getting locked in stone again didn’t teach you anything. Anypony ever tell you what the definition of insanity is? Because you’ve certainly demonstrated it.”
Fury soon found itself on Discord’s face as he glared right into the stallion’s eyes. “I’d be careful about my next words if I were you. There’s no telling what I might do.”
“Other than prove my point? You might call Fluttershy and the original three Crusaders your friends, but the rest of us? We’re little more than toys to you, and…”
Discord’s talon struck fast as a cobra as he poked Quiver right above the eyes. The stallion staggered back and shook his head as Discord laughed. “Toys, eh? Well, let’s see how much you enjoy being played…with…?”
Quiver recovered, seemingly unaffected by whatever Discord had done, and locked his eyes back on the draconequus. “What…was that?”
Something was off, and Discord could tell. He leaned forward and said, “That was supposed to render you a gibbering idiot! You would’ve envied your brother in a state like…!”
Quiver’s hoof striking his jaws came as a complete surprise.
Discord’s head spun about like a top, and his neck twisted in a comical manner that the stallion had long been accustomed to seeing with Pinkie Pie until it snapped back. The draconequus then shook his head in surprise and declared, “You hit me! Twilight never hit… wait a minute, that –!”
He failed to finish his statement before Quiver jumped from the ground with a roar and tackled him to the ground. Discord’s head was soon held tight by the stallion’s hoof and then repeatedly banged hard into the earth, each collision causing his eyes to bulge from their sockets like some squeeze-toy and his body to shift in color.
Discord tried to defend himself, but as he raised a limb to snap his digits and turn the fight in his favor, Quiver bit down on the limb and popped it off his body with all the ease of a lizard losing its tail. The offending limb was then pinned down, digits splayed out beneath the stallion’s rear hoof as Quiver continued his attack.
Even as this went on, the pair were watched by Scootaloo and the gathered junior Crusaders with amazement and more than a little fright. They stood uncertain of what to do as Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara returned. “What the heck’s going on?!”
“Mister Quiver is fighting with Discord!” Pipsqueak reported. “And I think he’s winning!”
The question that immediately crossed both fillies’ minds was ‘for how long’, and the two senior Crusaders immediately stepped in. “Mister Quiver, stop! That’s enough!”
It took a second for Quiver to register Scootaloo’s words, but that was enough for Discord to ooze out from under him and pull himself together. “Oh, what fortuitous timing! Thank you, both of you! Clearly this is all the proof that’s necessary to show that one of us needs to go, and quickly!”
“Yeah, and it’s not him.” That caught the draconequus off guard as he turned in surprise to the gathered foals. Despite having seen the grown stallion attack him, they were gathering around him, Diamond Tiara even sticking close to Quiver as Sweetie Belle stepped forward. “Leave, Discord. Please.”
Discord frowned. “And here I thought you all knew how to have fun.” He then snapped his talons and vanished.
Quiver exhaled as Diamond Tiara looked up at him with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” His gaze swept over the gathered foals. “I’m sorry that all of you saw that. Something tells me that Fluttershy’s going to read me the riot act once she gets back.”
“Maybe, but Discord kinda had it coming, the way he was acting.” Rumble stepped forward and added, “What he was doing? That wasn’t cool.”
“And maybe we’ve done enough for the day.” Scootaloo raised a hoof. “All in favor of going home?”
The raised hooves made it unanimous.
-
“Ah don’t know about the rest a’ y’all, but Ah’m glad to be gettin’ home.” Applejack slouched with exhaustion in her bench on the train, her hat slightly askew and her baby sister snoozing at her side. “That little trip to Manehattan was way more eventful than Ah’d’ve liked.”
“I agree, but it wasn’t all that terrible.” Fluttershy was in a similar state, but maintained a pleasant smile. “After all, you and Rarity have made peace with Trixie.”
“Well, circumstances like those we shared do make holding onto grudges rather difficult.” Rarity, in comparison to her friends, barely had a visible trace of any exhaustion. “And if Rainbow Dash can make peace with her, well, how would we look if we didn’t?”
“An’ that talkin’ to Twilight gave us a while back certainly didn’t hurt.” The train was beginning to slow, and Applejack gently nudged her sister. “Apple Bloom, time to wake up. We’re almost back in Ponyville.”
The filly barely moved and mumbled, “Jus’ five more minutes…”
The three mares laughed as the train came to a halt, and Rarity took a moment to help Applejack sling the latter’s sister onto her back. They collected their luggage and stepped onto the platform, only to soon find themselves with a welcoming committee.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle all but tackled her sister in greeting, and received a resigned but happy hug in return. “Welcome back! How was Manehattan?”
“Quite an adventure, dear, one that I’ll tell you about once I get home and unpack.”
“An’ have yourself a spa visit?”
The elegant unicorn flashed a smile that made clear Applejack’s guess wasn’t far off before her attention turned to the rest of their friends. “I hope nothing too exciting happened while we were away.”
The two conscious Crusaders gave one another nervous looks as Rainbow Dash scowled. “Yeah, we’re gonna have to disappoint you.” The prismatic pegasus eyed Fluttershy as she added, “And you’re really not going to like this.”
-
The house was quiet. Not the normal sort of peaceful quiet, however, but the sort of quiet that spoke of unhappy moods. Sour knew that sort of quiet all too well, despite having barely interacted with her cousin growing up. Quiver was down, so down that he lacked the energy to do anything beyond normal daily necessities. It was a dour mood that he would argue was akin to a prisoner on death row awaiting his execution.
Sour wasn’t inclined to be so dramatic, but she could understand him dreading the inevitable. He’d long been accustomed to getting lashed upon, so on some level, he expected the worst over the smallest slights. The only saving grace was that he tended to face it with as much dignity as he could, but little else. Were she in his position, however, she would do what any sane individual would and fight like Tartarus. That she knew he was able to do the same was galling, but for now, there was little she could do.
A knock sounded at the door, and Sour moved to answer it. The pony she found on the other side did little to please her. “Fluttershy?”
The yellow pegasus looked as though she was attempting to psyche herself up for something even as she kept eye contact with the mare before her. “Hello, Sour. May I come in?”
The unicorn nodded, and gestured for her guest to enter. “Just got back from Manehatten, I take it.”
“Yes.” Fluttershy was without any sort of luggage or personal belongings, but Sour could think of several explanations for that. “Rainbow Dash met us at the station with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, and they told me about what happened between Quiver and Discord. I need to talk with him.”
Sour scowled. “Why am I not surprised.”
Fluttershy’s response was both hurt and defensive. “Excuse me?”
“I had a feeling that something like this was coming.” Sour turned and locked eyes on the mare before her. “Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions, but I’m a little worried that you’re about to try and defend Discord’s actions.”
What hesitation Fluttershy had vanished in an instant. “What Quiver did to him wasn’t right.”
“Oh, and what Discord did to him was?” The soldier was clearly working to keep her composure as she recounted, “When I was assigned to bodyguard Princess Twilight, I was given dossiers on everypony that was in her orbit as well as everyone that I might encounter as part of my duties, along with very detailed notes about critical events regarding those individuals. One such event was when Discord was freed from stone shortly before Princess Twilight’s ascension, and frankly, I’m not happy about what I read.”
“Discord fixed the damage he caused.”
“He hexed some beavers into flooding Sweet Apple Acres, and then made you promise never to use your Element of Harmony against him in order to undo the damage! And after he got that, snap! He froze the flood waters!”
“And he valued his friendship with me enough to…!”
“If he valued his friendship with you at all, he’d have undone the damage before it had even gotten that bad in the first place! No strings attached! Instead, he offered a deal, you fulfilled your end, and he didn’t! If he wouldn’t follow his end, why should you have followed yours?! Principles? The moral high ground? Oh yes, the Spirit of Chaos can go back to turning Equestria into his personal playground, but that’s fine because the bearer of the Element of Kindness and the world’s biggest doormat showed that she was good and noble and just! I feel so thrilled to know that bleeding hearts like you are keeping us safe!”
“Now wait just a minute…!”
“Oh spare me! The more you talk, the more you sound like a victim trying to defend their abuser! And trust me, I know exactly what that sounds like! Yeah, sure, fine, he put everything back to normal eventually, but that doesn’t change the fact that you were willing to let him win! Frankly, it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense that he’d even be willing to change his ways, given how he acted the last time he broke free, and the horseshit he’s pulled since has shown he hasn’t changed all that much!”
“That’s not true!”
“He warped your brain! He warped your friends’ brains! He kicked Twilight while she was down and celebrated his victory! And since he’s broken loose, he’s twisted reality like taffy trying to get the Cutie Mark Crusaders their cutie marks, you’ve had to deal with plundervines that he couldn’t bother to clean up, and then he faked being sick and caused all sorts of trouble in the bargain! And now, he tried to sabotage Quiver’s relationship with the Crusaders just to hog their attention, and tried to warp his brain in the bargain! And never once has he shown any sort of remorse!” One hoof was raised to emphasize her point as Sour continued, “Here’s something that I think a pony like you should consider – kindness to the unrepentant is cruelty to their victims! And last I checked…!”
“Sour.” Both mares turned to see Quiver standing off to the side. “I think that I can speak for myself, thanks.”
The unicorn gave a small nod, then turned back to Fluttershy and gestured with one hoof to make clear that she’d keep an eye on the pegasus before stepping out of the room.
Satisfied that his cousin was out of earshot, Quiver turned to his guest. “Obviously you’ve heard about what happened with Discord.”
“Yes, I have. And I’m disappointed.”
“I’m not proud of what I did, Fluttershy, but I’m not ashamed of it either.”
“Actually, I’m disappointed in both of you. Discord for acting the way he did, and you for taking his bait.” Fluttershy stepped forward and admitted, “I’m not going to apologize for his actions. That’s something that he should do, after all. And it might be too much to ask for you to apologize for what you did in response.” She then noticed the grim, uncertain look on her friend’s face and asked, “Quiver?”
The stallion sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to think of a way to say this that won’t result in a shouting match, or me losing you as a friend.”
Fluttershy gently draped a wing over his shoulder. “I’m a big mare, Quiver. I can take it.”
He then sat down. “Has he ever apologized for anything he’s done? Ever shown guilt, acknowledged his wrongdoing and attempted to do better? I mean, it’s hard for me to reconcile him befriending you with everything else that he’s done. He could have run for the hills, gone to the opposite corner of the cosmos when he stopped being taken for granite, but instead, he goes back to wreaking havoc and hurting ponies. He manipulated and twisted your friends into the exact opposite of the elements they represent, he reduced Twilight to a broken wreck in a way that would make the cruelest monster proud, he… he mind-raped you. And you being willing to give him a chance, let alone befriend him...” He raised a hoof. “I know that friendship shouldn’t be denied to others. I know that everypony deserves a chance to be better, to be shown another way. But…”
“But why do all that for someone like him?” Quiver looked into her eyes as Fluttershy explained, “I know that there are beings out there who are terrible, and cruel, and mean. I’ve met a few. But do I have the right to just act like there’s no hope for somepony like Discord, when I know I can help him to be the best possible version of himself?”
“And how do you know he does want to be the best possible version of himself? Or that your idea of the best possible version of himself and his are the same thing?”
“I don’t. But that doesn’t mean I should just give up on him. He can be better. And I have faith that he will.” Shame then appeared on her face as she admitted, “Besides, I don’t need Discord to act like a cruel monster to my friends. Sometimes, I can do that all by myself.” At Quiver’s alarmed expression, Fluttershy explained, “I once took some assertiveness training, and I took it too far. The way I acted then, it wasn’t much different from how I acted under Discord’s influence. How can I be hard on him over making me act in a way that I already could, all on my own?”
“You still felt bad about it.”
“Yes, and keeping that in mind is something that helps me to be a better pony.” She turned a little embarrassed as she admitted, “And as much as I hate to say it, I think he probably needed what happened to him after meeting you. What he went through, hopefully, might help him to be better too. I just hope that it doesn’t happen again.”
Quiver managed a weak smile. “I hope it doesn’t either. I still feel like he was treating me with kid gloves.” He relaxed slightly. “And I’m really glad we aren’t having a shouting match.”
Fluttershy took him into a hug. “Me too. Neither of us like things like that.” She then smiled reassuringly. “But I think our friendship can survive a disagreement or two.”
“Good. Not that I want to have them in the first place, but you know me. Always afraid that I’ll say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, get someone mad at me, all that.” Now more genuinely relaxed, he opted to change the subject. “So, how was the trip to Manehatten?”
Fluttershy laughed. “Oh, that’s a very long story…”
-
“How did he do it?”
Discord was not normally one for pacing about in his residence in the Chaos Realm. Normally, he was the one who caused others to pace about, and he didn’t enjoy the shoe being on the other foot. Still, the situation that he found himself in was amazingly vexing. Quiver had hurt him. Hurt him. A mere, simple earth pony, fueled by nothing but rage, had hurt him. Not to mention his not being at all effected by his mind-warping magic. Nevermind the tongue-lashing that he’d received from that one little filly, this was far more important.
“There has to be an explanation.” With a snap from his paw, Discord conjured up charts and graphs. “Some reason for this.” Another snap from his talon, and further charts appeared. “Some random pony shouldn’t just be able to shrug off my magic! Even Fluttershy couldn’t do that! And he certainly shouldn’t be able to beat me around like a rag doll! I’m Discord! Spirit of Chaos! Reality is putty in my hands! I’ve warped ponies’ bodies and minds and…”
A lightbulb flashed into existence above his head, and Discord promptly clicked it off as he grabbed three charts. “Of course. They always come in threes. He’s not an Observer, and he’s nothing like Pinkie Pie… he’s somewhere in between.” He tossed the charts away. “And this was my own fault. Poopy.”
Despite his annoyance, however, Discord couldn’t help but grin a little. If Quiver could throw him for a loop, well, who knows what that stallion could do under the right circumstances?
“Oh, this could be fun.”
That was for later, however. Right now, he had other things to do.
-
Fluttershy sighed contentedly as she finished putting away the last of her luggage and souvenirs from Manehatten. It had been far too eventful a trip for her taste, even if it had all ended well enough. Maker only knew how Twilight would react to hearing about their adventure with Trixie.
A knock sounded at her door and distracted her from her thoughts. “Come in!”
A flash of light, and Discord appeared before her. “Fluttershy, how are you? I heard that you’d gotten home from Manehatten, and I just had to hear all about your trip!” He quickly noticed the saddened expression on her face. “Oh. Was it that terrible?”
“No, no, the trip went well enough. It’s just…”
The draconequus rolled his eyes. “Oh, of course, you’ve already heard about what happened while you were away.”
“Yes, I have. And I’ve spoken with Quiver about the incident.”
“Ah, good. In that case, you know full well what he did and…”
“Do you regret it, Discord?”
The question caught him completely off-guard. “Excuse me?”
“Do you regret it? Any of the bad things that you’ve done? Upending ponies’ lives, messing with their minds, twisting the world around them?”
Discord stared at her for a moment. “What sort of a question is that?”
“The sort of question that I’d ask any of my friends if they did something bad, and expected everyone to simply forgive them for it.” Fluttershy stepped forward. “I’ve forgiven you, but that’s mostly because I know that I had it in me to do what I did under your influence all on my own without your help.”
“And Applejack doesn’t have it in her to lie? Rarity to be greedy? Rainbow Dash to be selfish or…?”
“I’m not saying that they don’t. Nopony is without their flaws or their failings, but acknowledging those faults and failings is the first step towards being better. And the actions you took weren’t done to point out those faults or try to help them to be better ponies, but done so that you could continue to enjoy yourself at the expense of others. You did it to hurt them. And I have to ask again… do you regret it?”
Discord stared at her in silence, then closed his eyes and vanished in a flash of light. Fluttershy sighed sadly, and hoped that she had at least given him something to think about. Doing this had hurt, but much like with the Breezies, it needed to be done. With any luck, something good would come from it.
At least, that was her hope.
Author's Note
Oh, the trouble I had getting this done. But at least it's done, and hopefully, it's a good one.
