The Bonding Stone

by Some1Else

Chapter 4

Rarity involuntarily placed her hoof on the edge of her bed and pulled. The sensation that followed resembled breaking out of a bundle of heavy blankets. She landed on her horn, but didn’t feel any pain from the collision. All at once, she was completely alert. She had just entered a lucid dream.

For some reason, she was in Twilight’s bed. Enough light was present to make out her surroundings, but it didn’t have a source. To confirm she wasn’t awake, Rarity raided Twilight’s bedside bookshelf. Three novels collapsed out of place as she pulled out her prize. The book hit the floor with a resounding thud. She opened it to a random page and looked at the words. They kept changing as she watched them. Definitely a dream.

“Rarity. . .why would you do this to me?”

The voice belonged to Spike. He sounded significantly distressed. She felt overwhelmed by the urge to discover what was wrong. Her subconscious could be trying to warn her about something. Dreams that began in darkness typically didn’t end well in her experience. If it got too scary, she could escape into reality simply by jerking her head to the right.

Rarity entered the hallway and found it in the same state of illumination the bedroom had been in. Spike’s groans drifted through the Castle of Friendship. She knew they were coming from the kitchen. Rarity made her way to the stairwell without any spooks. They were coming, though.

The head and upper body of a pony emerged from the wall and tried to grab her. She was ready for it and darted out of the way, nearly waking up from the shock of the encounter. The pony almost looked like Clay Mud, but several of his features were drawn from other ponies she had met in the past. Still, the feeling the presence of the mass exhumed was that of Clay Mud, so dream logic dictated it was in fact him.

“The dress!” the thing hissed. “Where is the dress for my precious granddaughter? I will ruin you! You will lose everything you have worked so hard for! You’ll have to move back in with your parents and bake doughnuts at four in the morning with Pinkie Pie for the rest of your life!”

She recognized most of its diatribe, which had come from a client who had once argued with her over how she had stitched the bonnet they commissioned. Rarity held out a hoof and thought of a specific object. She felt weight of the item in her hoof before what she intended to conjure finally appeared. Rarity held a large, pink sock. She stuffed it in the mouth of the wall creature and walked past it, flicking her tail in its face as she continued towards the kitchen.

The dancing light an oil lamp produced was visible through the doorway leading into her goal. A lengthy groan of pain accompanied her entrance into the kitchen. She found Spike on the floor with his back up against the island. A pool of dark, sparkling fluid that reminded her of Luna’s mane had formed around him. She traced the pool to the waterfall leaking down the side of the island. A large piece of charcoal in the shape of a heart sat on top of it. The swirling galaxy that should have been inside of it had spilled out of the bite Spike had taken, leaving behind a milky mess.

Spike gripped his belly in his claws. It had become enlarged to an exaggerated degree from the amount of gas in his stomach. He looked up at her. His eyes were blue instead of green, a glaring error so obvious she would have become lucid the moment she noticed it if she hadn’t been already.

It took a great deal of effort for Spike to speak. “Rarity. Does this have moonstone in it?”

She nodded.

Spike’s head fell in disappointment. “I knew it. I can’t have moonstone. It wrecks my gut.”

He convulsed, slamming the back of his head against the island. Spike’s eyes went wide and his head twisted in her direction. He held up a claw, urging her to back away as his cheeks began to expand from whatever had filled up in his mouth. Spike let out a belch that shattered all the windows in the castle. A giant ball of orange flame engulfed the entire kitchen.

Rarity dove to safety. None of the flames had stuck. At least, that was her initial impression. Then she smelled something that reminded her of the first time she had used a curling iron. Rarity needed to put out the fire. Opal uttered a battle cry fit for a bloody massacre. Rarity stopped trying to kick off the blanket covering her and quit swatting at the imaginary fire incinerating her mane. This marked the second time she had been ejected into reality struggling to protect herself from her pillows.

She sat up in bed and felt her mane fall against her back in a tussled bundle. Rarity looked for Opal and came across her sleep mask first. It had almost managed to make it to the other side of the room. Opal stood close to the door leading into the bedroom, prone to attack with the hair on her back all the way up. The look on Opal’s face could cause a star to collapse in on itself.

“Oh, Opal, I’m so sorry,” Rarity said. “I had the most dreadful dream. It’s safe for you to come back to bed.” She gave the spot next to her a pat.

Opal responded with a hiss Rarity would never forget and ran into the hallway, abandoning the comfort of the cat bed in search of some other spot to spend the remainder of the evening. Alone beneath her blanket, Rarity reached for the alarm on her bedside table. The bell inside the device chimed weakly as she lifted it off its face and sat it upright. Half-past six. Thirty minutes of sleep were all that remained. Rarity couldn’t imagine getting back to sleep in time. The nightmare had left its mark. She needed to get up and walk if off before her day officially began.

Her mind drifted to her nightmare as her coffee brewed and she prepared breakfast. She had yet to ask Spike what gave him indigestion since there hadn’t been an appropriate moment to do so. It wouldn’t have done her any good. Spike had never tried any of the ingredients in the snack she would be baking. What of allergies? Her dream had failed to account for them. Discord would know more. She would be sure to ask him.

After finishing breakfast, she entered the lobby of her store. The pole holding the wad of spider silk was knocked over. Opal. At least the protective cover hadn’t been torn off. Rarity grabbed the pole with her aura and headed for the room reserved for the wedding dress. She removed the silk from the end of the pole using magic and placed the lump inside a large wooden bucket. It was almost time to begin creating.

Rarity had learned long ago that putting on her makeup helped coax her muse out of hiding. It was one of her best kept secrets. Revealing it to anyone else would cause her to lose it. Eyes were of the upmost importance. They locked the stallion, or client, in. Beauty might fade, but the eyes were portals into the soul and could always be used to a mare’s advantage. She sat in front of her station located inside the bathroom attached to her bedroom and retrieved a bottle of eyeliner with the help of her magic.

Her alarm shrieked to life, begging to be shut off. Rarity flinched. The pencil in her eyelid ran into her caruncle, got scared, and dashed off the side of her cheek. A trail that reminded her of a crow’s leg had been left on her face. Rarity capped her eyeliner and set it down on the table gently as her alarm continued throwing a tantrum.

A smile spread across her face.

It was going to be one of those days.

~ ~ ~

The bad omen she believed she had received didn’t interfere with her first real session with Rain’s wedding dress, which went surprisingly well. She blazed through it without stopping to second guess herself once. If she happened to be lucky enough to have two more sessions of ceaseless creativity, the dress would be finished ahead of schedule. It was a gorgeous dress, even at such an early stage in its development. Her audience would want to know how she had managed to make something so beautiful. Rarity made sure to keep notes. Many of them contained optional puns, which would help make her the center of attention at any party where the water was fifty bits a glass.

The bell at her front door chimed. She glanced up at the clock. Thirty minutes remained until Discord would arrive. Time had gone by unnoticed, especially since the morning had been slow, which had given her plenty of extra time to work on the wedding dress. Rarity didn’t bother to find a stopping point. She dropped everything and exited the room, being sure to lock the door on her way out.

Rarity found Applejack inspecting the new arrangement of her items for sale in the lobby. What had gone unnoticed yesterday might now have a chance to shine.

Applejack stepped away from the hoodies to stand in front of Rarity. “Mornin’. How’s business?”

“There hasn’t been any. I’ve been working on my commission since I opened.”

“That and any leftover silk you have should cover this slump.”

“I’m not worried about it. Besides, winter is nearly here and I’ll have an exclusive new line out.”

Applejack stepped behind the counter. “Are you ready for your day with Discord?”

“As I’ll ever be. I can’t imagine what he has in mind for today.”

“Probably some other kinda test. Yesterday, in the cave? That was physical. Today might be mental. Or somethin’.”

“I hope you’re right. If you are, then that means I’ve gotten the sweaty part out of the way.”

Applejack chuckled. “You’ll be sweatin’ up a storm when you cut those gemstones.”

“Yes, but I’m expecting that, so by the time it happens, I’ll be ready. That reminds me. I haven’t written Karat yet. I had better go do that now before I forget.”

Applejack checked to make sure the documents Rarity had mentioned yesterday were still in the same place. “Who’s Karat?”

“An old colleague of mine. He’s a master jeweler who runs a shop in Trottingham. I took an internship at his shop shortly after finishing my schooling. It was part of a year I spent learning from the best. I cut gems with him for a little while.”

“Ain’t he the stallion you’re supposed to go to if you want an engagement ring? Charges a small fortune?”

Rarity chuckled. “No mare has ever refused a proposal from any stallion who purchased a ring at his shop, so I’d say what he charges is worth every bit.”

“You got one of his catalogues?”

“I do. I’ll have to find it, though. I’ll be sure to have it ready for you tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Applejack waved her off. “Go write that letter before trouble gets here. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Rarity’s office was in a room next to the lobby. Filing cabinets, notebooks, two large whiteboards, boxes, and a stack of ledgers that had grown taller than her kept her cocobolo desk and chair from getting lonely. She selected an envelope and a piece of stationary from the many she had available.

There was an art to writing letters. A warm note from an old friend didn’t need to be scrawled on an ivory white sheet of paper and folded up until it fit in the same kind of envelope she used to send out her bills. The fountain pen and type of ink used also helped convey more meaning than a typewriter could ever hope to produce.

Since the letter needed to get to Karat in the next two days, she retrieved two priority express stamps from a drawer in her desk. They bore the cutie mark of Rainbow Dash. She warmed up her most elegant cursive on a scrap piece of paper, addressed the envelope to Karat’s shop in Trottingham, and moved on to the letter.

Karat,

I know this is rather sudden, but I am in need of your resources for half a day.

I’m making a special gem for a friend of mine. It’s for his birthday, which is less than a week away.

Discord, otherwise known as the Lord of Chaos, will be in my company when I arrive. I realize that may seem alarming, but he will behave so long as I am there to supervise him. Contrary to popular belief, he can be tolerable, but only once you get to know him.

We will be using the station you have set aside for unicorns.

I intend to arrive shortly after ten in the morning two days from the date this letter is posted.

I have enclosed an express stamp you may use to send me your reply as soon as possible.

We might have some time to chat over coffee if you aren’t too busy once I have finished creating the gem.

Fashionably yours,

Rarity

She gave the letter a touch of perfume from a bottle containing a combination of eucalyptus and spearmint that was purported to relieve stress. Rarity smelled bananas. She sprayed her hoof. Eucalyptus and spearmint. Rarity bent over the paper on her desk and inhaled. Bananas. Furthermore, something strange had happened to her letter.

Karat!

Alas, I was a fool. If I had known leaving you would have caused me to gain thirty pounds by eating the most expensive chocolate I could afford, we’d be married by now.

Do you have any idea know how many poems I’ve written about you? My friends and family assure me they are all equally lovely, but the compilation I self-published has sold less than ten copies. Would you be willing to accept one for free and tell me what you think? I’d love to give it to you in person. I’ll be sure to autograph it.

Please take me back. It wasn’t you. It was all me and I can no longer bear the curse of my ignorance. Our children shall not make the mistakes I have made.

Always yours,

Rarity

The letter crammed itself into the envelope, which began folding into itself until Rarity could no longer see it. A quick glance at the clock revealed that it was five passed ten.

“Discord, you’re late,” Rarity said.

Her desk rattled. The drawer containing her stamps slid open. Each one had a picture of Discord sticking his tongue out at her. A lion paw came down hard on her shoulder, almost causing her to jump through the ceiling.

Discord chuckled at her reaction. “Gotcha.”

He dropped the stamped envelope on the desk in front of her. It no longer smelled like fruit. Rarity checked the letter to confirm it hadn’t been altered.

“Karat and I never dated,” Rarity said.

Discord extended his eagle claw in front of her snout. “Here’s how much I care.” He snapped his talons. Before withdrawing his claw, he made sure to boop her.

Rarity rubbed her snout. “Incorrigible as ever, I see. Let’s talk in the parlor.”

“I think I liked your bedroom better.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “As you wish.”

Rarity grabbed the letter with her aura and left her office.

Applejack had been smiling to herself over a pleasant thought until she spotted Discord. Her eyes narrowed. “Discord.”

Discord tipped an imaginary hat to her. “A-J.”

Rarity dropped the envelope on the counter and slid it over to Applejack with the use of her magic. “Please make sure to send this out in the mail for me while I’m away.”

Without taking her glare off Discord, Applejack grabbed the envelope and put it underneath the counter.

Rarity took the lead and headed upstairs. “What are we after today, Discord?”

“Lunatoite.”

“How exotic. I believe lunatoite is even less common than celevite.”

“Are you attempting to make a point?”

She stopped at the top of the stairs. “I had an awful dream last night that has me worried. Spike has never had any of these snacks before. What if it’s too much for his stomach?”

Discord paused to consider her question. “Did Luna send you this dream?”

“No. It ended poorly.”

“Then we’ll deal with it if it happens. Unless you want to quit.”

“I certainly do not want to quit. I just would rather not go through all this trouble for nothing.”

Discord scoffed. “Come now, Rarity. Isn’t it the thought that counts?”

“Impressive, that almost came across as genuine. I can tell you’re more worried about not being able to torture me than you are with Spike’s digestion.”

“If it will make you feel any better, we’ll take a chip out of it and ask him to eat that piece first. Providing he doesn’t lapse into a coma, he can have the rest.”

“I like that idea. I’ll be sure to remember it.”

She entered her bedroom, accompanied by Discord, who leapt into her bed. Now she would have to wash it.

Discord made himself comfortable even though his feet hung over the end of her mattress. “I don’t want to spoil too much of the surprise, but there’s something we need to discuss before we get going. You may want to sit down.”

The chair she used in her bathroom while applying makeup came hopping towards her. Rarity heard someone breathing heavily and realized it was the chair.

“P-p-please. . .sit on me,” the chair begged.

Rarity smiled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Her chair whimpered and seemed to be on the verge of crying. She would need to buy a new one since she wouldn’t be able to look at it the same way ever again. Rarity found herself forced into the chair by Discord’s magic.

Beneath her rump, the chair sighed in relief. “My purpose. It’s complete.”

“Stop allowing my furniture to talk,” Rarity said.

“Are you sure you don’t want to hear what your bed has to say?” Discord asked.

Rarity managed to keep herself from blushing. “Absolutely.”

“Have it your way. As I was saying. There’s a merchant in a certain town we will be visiting today who is selling lunatoite. He doesn’t say where he gets it. I’m sure you can sympathize with that.”

“I don’t see any problems with that. So long as it’s pure.”

“It would seem he’s a reputable character. Those aren’t my words. It’s the gossip I heard while I was in the pub.”

Because the best information usually came from stallions getting silly off cider. Rarity wasn’t certain. “Well, if he’s as trustworthy as they say, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind me giving his merchandise a closer look before I agreed to purchase it.”

“Indeed. We’ll be needing three pounds. If you would like to do this honestly, it’s going to cost an exorbitant amount. Are you ready to hear the price?”

Her heart started beating a little faster. She gulped and nodded. A loud crash came from the hallway. Rarity turned her head and watched as her safe knocked down the wall to the right of her doorframe. It bounded over to her much like her chair had, tearing up the carpet and damaging the wood flooring underneath it. As it drew near, she could hear it wheezing.

The safe stood in front of Rarity. It cleared its throat as if it wanted to say something. That was the wrong move. It launched into a full-blown coughing fit. Its door opened and closed as it attempted to dislodge something from its nonexistent trachea. The gold bars on the shelves inside the safe fell out, which invigorated it, encouraging it to cough even harder. An entire shelf shot out of the safe and slammed onto the floor. The safe sighed in relief and fell over on its side, door open.

Two hundred and fifty thousand bits. At one point in time, it had seemed like an astronomical number to Rarity. In half a year, she would make all of it back.

None of her silver was in the pile of gold. She would still have some money left over after buying the lunatoite. That didn’t make the matter any easier to accept. Rarity knew she would start shaking the moment the transaction began. It always happened to her when she spent a lot of money at once. Knowing she would still be financially secure wouldn’t prevent it.

“Would you consider this a steal?” Rarity asked.

“Yes. He is practically robbing you,” Discord replied. “However, we don’t have much of a choice. I’d like to cut the scene where both of us run to the credit union because it would be dreadfully boring, so have a look at this.”

Discord snapped his eagle talons together. A document appeared suspended in the air in front of Rarity. It was a promissory note for the amount on the floor. Her signature and the signature of the pony who ran the union were on the note along with the current date. Though completely forged, it appeared entirely legal.

“Will you accept the charges?” Discord asked.

Two hundred and fifty thousand bits. For that, she could open a new store in some locations. She could rent a private island for a month. She could buy another wad of spider silk as big as the one she already had.

Her right foreleg trembled. “That is a lot of money.”

Discord smiled. “Yes, but at the end of the day, it’s only paper.”

He could make this a lot easier for her. Discord knew where gold was hidden. He probably even knew where they could get lunatoite themselves. But that wasn’t a part of his test. Her generosity was. Rarity couldn’t ask him for help with paying for the lunatoite. Suddenly her experience in the cave didn’t seem so bad.

“Fine. I can afford it.”

It was the most expensive gift she had ever purchased. The home remodel she had given to her parents for their wedding anniversary two years ago had been the former champion. It was a good thing that asking how much money was spent on a present was considered rude. Rarity didn’t think she could say the price aloud without feeling faint.

Her room returned to normal without warning. Rarity double checked to make sure her carpet was undamaged. The bedroom wall lacked a gaping hole. If Discord missed a detail, she feared he might not be willing to correct it without the exchange of a favor if asked later.

“I’ve taken the liberty of adding the gold from your private stash to the vault at the credit union,” Discord said. “The deposit will reflect on your account.”

Rarity headed for her bedroom door. “Are you certain that’s all you took from my safe? I’d like to look and make sure every document that’s supposed to be in there actually is before we head out.”

“You worry too much.”

The branches of a bush barged in the moment Rarity opened her door. “What in the. . .”

Rarity stepped out into what should have been her hallway. She made her way through the bushes and found herself about half a mile from a trail. Ponies pulling carts and carrying backpacks stuffed full of goods were traveling to and from the city she would soon enter. A train sounded its horn from somewhere nearby.

Discord had to have teleported them during their conversation. Rarity couldn’t determine at what point the spell had been cast. It had to have been done when she had blinked, but she hadn’t felt anything. It was unheard of. Discord had put a new spin on the spell. And it hadn’t backfired. Rarity felt goosebumps forming underneath her coat. The power and intelligence required to have done such a thing was extraordinary. If she hadn’t seen it for herself, she wouldn’t have believed it.

She leapt back into the bushes in search of Discord, who was probably still in her bed. They went on longer than she remembered. Rarity emerged from the other end. An open field greeted her. The walls of her bedroom were nowhere to be found. Some rabbits stopped frolicking long enough to wave at her. The bushes rustled behind Rarity.

“There’s one other thing I forgot to tell you,” Discord said.

Rarity couldn’t see him at all.

“The last time I was here, I was banned from the town for crashing the local economy. Among other things. I’m going to come with you just to make sure everything goes smoothly, but I have to put on a bit of a disguise first.”

Leaves and branches rustled as a form moved through them. Discord took his time, eager to heighten the suspense.

Twilight Sparkle appeared.

Rarity felt all the color drain from her face.

Twilight smiled, but something was wrong. That kind of smug expression would never cross her face. In an instant, the look of superiority vanished and Twilight’s inviting aura returned.

“Hey, Rarity,” Twilight said. Nothing was wrong with her voice. “I’m so glad we get to go on another adventure together. It’s been too long.”

The smug grin came back in a flash. It wasn’t Twilight. It was Discord. Posing as Twilight. TwiCord. A repulsive trick fit for a Changeling.

“Oh, no, no, no!” Rarity said. “Absolutely not! Forget it!”

TwiCord tilted her head. “Rarity, what’s wrong? Are you feeling alright?”

Rarity’s glare could have leveled an entire city. “Change back this instant!”

TwiCord laughed, dropping her act. “Sorry, Rarity. That’s not happening. I’ll be in this form for the duration of our time together.”

“Discord, have you no shame at all? You have crossed the line. I will not allow you to sully Twilight’s reputation. There are millions of ponies you can choose from.” Rarity held up a hoof. “And before you do anything, don’t even think about picking Celestia, Luna, or Cadance.”

TwiCord inspected her hoof absently. “Who wants to be those three? They’re politicians. For being a princess, Twilight enjoys some unique privileges.”

“I don’t care. Why don’t you turn into Fluttershy instead?”

“Don’t be cruel, Rarity. Fluttershy would be mortified if she heard I did that. Twilight can take a joke like this.”

“That’s nonsense! You don’t want to change into her because you’re afraid you’ll do something stupid and that is the same reason I don’t want you to be Twilight Sparkle. Pick someone else! Here, I’ll pick for you. Be Cheerilee.”

“Sometimes I think Cheerilee doesn’t want to be Cheerilee. I said it once and I will say it again. I am staying in this form. If you would like to test how well I can act like Twilight before we continue, go right ahead. We have plenty of time.”

Rarity had to think of something clever. It was tempting to make the scenario involve Fluttershy or Discord going back to his old tricks again, but those were a bit drab. They weren’t challenging enough. It hit her. There was one way to determine just how well he could emulate Twilight or anyone else. If he passed, she didn’t have anything to worry about.

“Darling, I’ve just met the most handsome stallion. He seemed more interested in meeting you than entertaining me. In fact, he’d like you to come see him right away. You’ll find him at Sparkle Library.”

TwiCord blushed. “Oh, goodness. Right now? Hold on, let me check my schedule.” An agenda overflowing with bookmark tabs appeared in front of TwiCord’s face. “I’m really sorry, but I’ve got way too much to do today and tomorrow I have to give a demonstration over enchanting gems at Celestia’s School of Magic. In fact, it doesn’t look like I’ll be free until late next week. How long is he in town for? Do you know?”

There were so many ways Discord could have chosen to react. It was his chance to embarrass and humiliate Twilight by acting out of character. He hadn’t taken the bait.

Rarity started walking towards the trail. “Come along, Discord.”

“Discord? Who are you talking to, Rarity?” TwiCord asked. “And what about that handsome stallion you mentioned? Could you get his mailing address for me?”

Rarity had no choice but to play along, but she would be certain not to give TwiCord the pleasure of being addressed as Twilight. “Yes, I’ll be sure to do that for you. We should focus on what we came here for, though. The stallion can wait. Weren’t you going to take the lead?”

“Sure, I could do that.”

“Where exactly are we?”

“Neighpal, the port town on the coast along the southern border of Equestria. It’s famous for a wide range of goods you won’t find anywhere else, wild nights, musical theater, and great food.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. Everybody had good food. Only an idiot would say otherwise. Nobody would travel halfway across the country and spend all their vacation in a city where not a single cook couldn’t make pancakes without burning them.

“It almost sounds like you’ve been here before,” Rarity said.

“No, I just read the pamphlet from front to back five times last night.”

Some of the travelers along the road leading to the city stopped to gawk at them as they passed. An alicorn was always a remarkable sight. TwiCord kept her pace brisk in an attempt to avoid having a line of ponies form in front of her waiting for a chance to shake her hoof.

Four guards were stationed at the main entrance into the city. They were in full armor and each wore a saddlebag containing a sleep disc in case they needed to incapacitate someone non-violently. They stood outside a shipping container that had been converted into an office, conversing with each other. A nearby sign featured a portrait of Discord blowing a raspberry with a set of instructions that described him as being only moderately dangerous unless angered and explicitly forbidden from entering the city.

Upon catching a glimpse of TwiCord, the guards ceased doing nothing, formed a neat line, and saluted her. Only Rarity noticed her smile was off. Too much snark.

“At ease, stallions,” TwiCord said. “I see Discord isn’t allowed around here anymore. What did he do?”

One soldier stomped a hoof and stood up straighter. “Ma’am! I shall repeat his crimes in chronological order. Discord made watermelons unmarketable by generating over five thousand of them and refused to dispose of the watermelons he had made. He then evaded arrest, devalued gold by generating too much of it, refused to remove the gold he had generated, magically assaulted eighteen Equestrian soldiers, froze the harbor, and incited a brawl at the Brass Horseshoe.”

“Yikes!” TwiCord said. “How long is he banned for?”

“Permanently,” the soldier replied.

“That seems a little harsh.”

“Not really,” the soldier said. “Princess Celestia signed the decree herself. It’s going to be hard for all of us to forget what happens during an economic meltdown. All the gold had to be declared useless. Celestia sent it away along with the watermelons. She said she cast a spell to get the odor out of the air and while I don’t doubt that she did, it still smells like watermelons in the harbor market.”

“How long ago was this?” Rarity asked.

“Last week,” the soldier replied. He returned his attention to TwiCord. “Ma’am, if I may, I don’t think Princess Celestia’s punishment is harsh enough. I think Discord should be stripped of magic until it is determined he is mentally capable of using it again. It’s what they would do to anyone else who caused that amount of trouble.”

TwiCord pondered the suggestion. “You’re not wrong. I think I know why she let him keep his magic. As I’m sure you’re aware, the princesses are in the business of giving out second chances. Sometimes maybe even three or four. There’s a limit, though. I can promise you of that. If Discord were to come back here knowing he was banned, I think Celestia might punish him by limiting some of his power. I don’t think that would stop him, though. In fact, I think he would come back anyway just to see if he could.”

It was like watching a train come off its tracks and slam into a mountain. The gall. The sheer audacity. Rarity could hardly believe what she was hearing.

The soldier looked worried. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t, ma’am.”

“Good. There should be a unicorn somewhere in your unit who is able to use magic at an intermediate level. Have them replace one of you. Discord will most certainly be wearing a disguise if he comes back here. It might even be of someone famous, like me. Have that unicorn do a scan on anyone acting suspiciously. Use the spell designed to sniff out Changelings.”

He saluted her. “Ma’am! Excellent idea. I’ll do that right this instant.” The soldier turned to a pegasus pony. “Squall, go find Abra Cadabra and have her replace your post.”

“Whatever,” Squall said.

“I’d better get going,” TwiCord said. “It was nice chatting with you, soldier. Keep up the good work.”

“Thank you. I’m glad I got the chance to meet you in person.”

TwiCord gave him a final smile before continuing into the town with Rarity.

Rarity drew in close so only TwiCord could hear her. “You are absolutely unbelievable.”

TwiCord chuckled. “I disagree. Those soldiers found me quite believable.”

Rarity couldn’t argue with that. The soldiers could be forgiven for being so thoroughly fooled. She decided not to pursue the matter. Nobody had gotten hurt and Twilight’s name was still in good standing.

The streets of Neighpal were packed. Ponies of all types were going about their daily business in the presence of creatures from all the other races. A constant dull roar emitted from all their activity. The hustle and bustle reminded Rarity of Manehattan, but that’s where the similarities ended. All the “modern” aesthetic was missing. Aristocrats wouldn’t stand for unpaved roads or the lack of spotless carriages.

They passed through the section of town containing many of the buildings run by the city and moved into a spot offering refreshment and lodging. Doors to restaurants were kept open, filling the street with tantalizing odors. A faint hint of watermelon was underneath them. Music drifted from taverns. This early in the day, many of the notes were on key.

A fountain had been placed in an open area with plenty of public benches. Several kinds of trees from different parts of the world were on display for the citizens and visitors to admire. The ocean-themed banner of the city made with several shades of blue flew proudly on a pole near the fountain. Rarity spotted two reptiles locked in a conversation with each other as they watched a colt toss a single bit into the fountain. Both had red spots on their backs. One was built better than the other.

“Look, Rarity!” TwiCord said. “Salamanders! Fluttershy, Applejack, and I sure ran into plenty of those while we were taking that bug home.”

Subtle levels of passive aggressiveness were noticeable in her tone. Rarity pretended not to have heard her. Their gazes caught the attention of the Salamanders, who were startled to see TwiCord. An important detail from Twilight’s book leapt from the depths of Rarity’s memory to catch her attention. The chief and his son were the only Salamanders with red spots on their backs. They both put a hand to their chest and bowed to TwiCord out of respect for what she had done for them. TwiCord returned the bow in her own manner and kept walking to avoid having to converse with them, which came as a relief to Rarity.

A junction with a signpost was nearby and TwiCord took the path that led to the shopping district. The owner of the shop they were seeking didn’t operate in the harbor market but had likely started out there. He had his own building among the other masons. The roaring she had heard earlier was louder in this area as ponies and other creatures rushed to and from shops.

TwiCord slowed her pace until she was walking alongside Rarity. “You know, I was wondering. You sure are going through a lot of trouble. Just how much do you like Spike?”

Rarity tried to give her a look that would make her back off but failed. She and the actual Twilight had already had this discussion a long time ago. At the very least, it would be interesting to see how well TwiCord could mirror it.

“Well, if you must know, I think of him as a good friend.”

“Aww. Just a friend?”

That hadn’t been a part of the original chat. “Yes. I know he is infatuated with me. As his first crush, it would be a disservice to him if I didn’t reciprocate in some manner. I don’t want him to grow up being afraid to talk to girls because one he really liked while he was young didn’t want anything to do with him.”

“That’s so nice of you. He’s getting older, though. One of these days, he might meet another dragon. How do you think that will go?”

“My experience with dragons is limited, but I hear most of them are brutes. He hasn’t been raised to be competitive. As sad as it is to say, that won’t do him any favors. However, he has proven to be quite courageous when under pressure and if there’s one thing his mentor taught him well, it’s how to be clever, which sometimes can make all the difference in the world. Someone like that is good to have around.”

TwiCord wasn’t convinced. “I don’t know. I think he might need a little extra help.”

“I’d be glad to help him. After meeting the dragon in question, that is. I wouldn’t want him to chase after someone who is just going to use him.”

“Yeah, it would kind of stink if he got involved with someone who took advantage of him, wouldn’t it?”

Another quip. Rarity endured it. For a second. She had something she could fire back at TwiCord. “Well, you’re not wrong. If there’s one thing he needs to improve now before this fabled special someone arrives, it’s how he handles power. He tends to let it go to his head. No matter. I’m sure he’ll grow out of it, unlike a certain friend of ours who shall remain nameless.”

Rarity forced herself to laugh. TwiCord joined in, only her laughter sounded much more natural.

“You shouldn’t talk about yourself that way, Rarity,” TwiCord said. She stopped walking. “Hey, what do you know? Here we are.”

Sandwiched between a clock maker and a barber was a building that could be easily missed. It featured a basement for storage and a second-floor doubling as an apartment like all the other shops on the block. The display window had been kept clean. Rarity could still smell alcohol, indicating it had just been tended to. A variety of items were on display, highlighting everything from a cider mug to a glass sphere cut from obsidian. Each had been thoroughly cleaned and placed on stands with care. A red curtain prevented anyone from seeing inside the shop.

Rarity read the sign above the door. Talbot’s Curios.

“This is a pawn shop,” Rarity said.

“No, it’s more of a general store,” TwiCord said.

“How certain are you of the owner’s reputation?”

The front door opened. A diamond dog with a white coat and golden eyes stood in the entrance with his paw still clutching the doorknob. He wore a red jacket with two black stripes coming down from both shoulders and a purple collar with a gold heart attached to it.

The diamond dog took a quick look at their cutie marks before speaking. “Hello, ponies. I am Talbot and I have many things for magical princess ponies and fancy, prancy gem ponies. Come inside, come inside!”

Talbot went in ahead of them, gesturing wildly for his customers to follow. Rarity knew his type. If he ever had to close his shop, Talbot would wind up selling wagons. His jacket, which looked like it had been commissioned, had to be the most expensive thing he owned aside from his emporium.

“He seems nice,” TwiCord said. “After you, Rarity.”

Comments

[Hillbe]

Stink buggy!
Nice throw back
yes
they're going to catch Discord after he gave them the idea on how to, Oops!

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Funny chapter with Discord as Twilight, he-heh!