Discord and Co., Entreprise of Evil

by The Diplomat

Chapter IV

Chapter IV

By the next morning, Discord had left a new coffee mug on the baron’s kitchen table. Ronald Winston got up early and enjoyed his usual cup of joe on the sunny terrace of his penthouse.

He took a slurp from the steaming mug. When he set it down on his lap with a content sigh, he expected to see Discord in front of him if he raised his head. He did just so, and sure enough, the draconequus was there. He had come out of thin air as usual. He looked down at the baron with a grin.

“How do you like your new mug? It was my personal choice,” said Discord cheekily. For a moment the baron said nothing.

Then he looked up at Discord, eyes shielded from the harsh sun by his Ray-Ban shades.

“Yesterday, you told me you were a salesman of thrill,” he said.

Discord gave him a nod.

“Aye, that I did.”

Winston looked at him for a few seconds before speaking again.

“Well, what’s your price?”

Discord smile grew into a large toothy grin. He shuffled around on the spot enthusiastically.

“All right! That’s what I like to hear!” he exclaimed. He then raised his paw in a fist, and curled his wrist to face his fist with the baron.

“Brohoof?” he asked.

The baron looked at Discord’s raised fist, and then at Discord himself with a strange look.

“What the hell is a brohoof?”

Discord withdrew his paw in disappointment.

“… Never mind,” he sighed.

* * *

They arrived by teleportation in the middle of the warehouse.

“—o way that we’re going by telep-- oh god…” said Winston upon arrival, instantly feeling sick again.

“Oh, take it like a man, will you?” said Discord. He slapped the baron across the face, who gasped at first but felt right as rain when he got back up.

“Thank you,” said the baron, fixing the creases in his suit. “So, what is our next order of business?”

Discord looked around the room. “Well, we’re still going to use this warehouse as our creation studio,” he said. Then he turned around to face the baron.

“But if we’re going to expose our hypnotic works, we need to find a place to hold such an exposition. And it can’t be here.”

The baron shrugged.

“I’m sure I can arrange for an exposition at one of Saint-C’s prestigious galleries. Heck, I could even arrange for an exposition in Europe, or—“

“No, no, no,” cut in the draconequus, shaking his head. “Out of the question. It’s too risky. Best not attract too much attention to ourselves. Besides, it’s not like they let anyone inside those posh galleries of yours.”

Winston was taken aback by this last statement. He was not offended by what Discord said; he did find most galleries to be too snobby, after all. But he felt that the creature was stating the obvious.

“Well… of course they don’t!” he said. “I mean, not everybody enjoys fine painting or modern art. And as much as I think no man should be treated as inferior to another, it’s not like we’re going to let drug addicts or the like into our expositions!”

Discord flashed the baron one of his signature grins of mischief.

“But my friend,” he said playfully, “that is exactly the kind of people we are going to let into our expositions.”

The puzzled baron looked at him incredulously. “Junkies?” he said. “Are you completely insane?”

Discord stared at a point above him, scratching his chin. “I don’t know. I’m not quite sure,” he said thoughtfully. He then looked at Winston with a smirk. “Sanity is a concept lost on those who play with it, you know,” he said.

The young baron was stricken.

“But anyways,” said Discord. “That is a topic for later discussion. Right now, we need to find a place to use as an underground gallery. Don’t you have any fancy connections that could help us set that up?”

Winston sat down on a chair and thought deeply. He rummaged through his brain, zipping through the many connections he had through his parents.

But his brain-racking was fruitless. He couldn’t think of a single fancy connection that would fit the bill…

Wait a minute! He suddenly thought.

Fancy… connections?

An idea began to bloom in his mind.

There was one place. One place, in the middle of town. It was on Lunar Avenue, the richest street of Saint-Celest. He remembered it because his family had been invited to the store’s grand opening a few years ago. He’d met the store owner, and had gotten acquainted with her. They corresponded now and then through letters, although it had been a long time since he had sent the last one.

She was the only pony he’d ever met…

He could picture it now. It was genius, if he dared say so himself. A store of elegant standing, yet one that managed to stay humble. Not many customers went through it daily. Business was a little stale there. Perhaps with a little monetary persuasion, he and Discord could set up expositions there. Although it pained him a little to have to resort to money to earn the favors of this pony. She was a kind soul, very open-minded, even though she enjoyed the company of people like members of the Winston family. And on his gracious demand, she would probably let in people who just wanted to admire his art. He would have to keep everyone in check though.

But it was too good an opportunity to just let it slide.

That’s where we’ll expose.

“I got it!” he said, getting up so quickly he knocked the chair he’d been sitting on to the floor.

Discord looked at him in anticipation. “Great Scott, Marty!” he said, “What do you suggest?”

Winston ignored the random reference made by the draconequus. He looked at him with shining eyes. Finally a business idea of his own!

“I know the perfect place,” he said. “A boutique on Lunar. It’s quiet, it’s elegant, but it’s not too posh when it comes to guests. It’s the ideal place to set up an art gallery if you don’t want it noticed! And I know the owner, too! A pony friend of mine, her name is—“

He was interrupted in his fast-paced monologue by a paw Discord had set up to hush him. He wore the most peculiar expression. The baron had never seen him like this. For the first time, the draconequus seemed to be genuinely worried about something.

“Don’t tell me,” he said in a gloomy tone the baron did not understand. “You’re talking about the white unicorn Rarity, right?”

Winston had to admit that Discord was full of surprises. “Why yes,” he said happily, “I do speak of Rarity. How did you—"

He was interrupted yet again as Discord closed his eyes and buried his face in his massive paw. The baron heard him mumble “Lord, give me strength…”

Discord took a deep breath as he withdrew his face from his palm. He looked at the baron and spoke.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no way we’re exposing in that boutique,” he said.

The baron felt suddenly a little sad. “Sure there is!” he said, in an effort to seem optimistic. “All we need to do is explain the situation carefully, and—“

“No, what I mean is, there’s no way we’re going to be able to expose there.”

“But why not?” said the confused baron.

“Because I know the owner,” said Discord gloomily.

“Well, that’s great!” said the baron whose enthusiasm had returned. “We both know her, and that way we’ll have even more leverage when—“

“No, you dense human, that’s not what I meant!” retorted a furious Discord. “It’s not great! Not great at all! It’s...”. He gave a large sigh, seeing as how the baron had been left stunned by his outburst.

“Look, I’m sorry, I truly am. It’s just… ugh, how do I put this…?” he said, scrunching his eyes up and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Back in the good ol’ days, you see, back in lil’ old Ponyville,” he said, the last word in an acidic tone of contempt. “I sort of… might have… eh… tried to instigate a rule of chaos with myself as its supreme leader. The leader of ponies, that goodie-four-hooves Celestia, sent six of her minions to stop me in my achievement of a world that worked in making no sense. I have to admit, to my great shame, that they managed to defeat me. And Rarity was one of those six.”

The baron was shocked at this tale that he was hearing for the first time. Had Rarity really taken part in such a feat?

“But I mean, like, they shot a double-rainbow explosion at me. Like, seriously, no kidding, they literally sealed off their town, just so they could shoot a double-rainbow laser full onto me. I mean, you ever taken a frickin’ double-rainbow laser at full force to the face?” asked Discord.

The baron stood there a little puzzled, trying to imagine the bizarre scene. “Can’t say that I have…” he said after a while.

“Aw, man, I was so stoned after that one…” said Discord, cradling his head as if prey to a bad headache.

Winston returned to the main line of thought at hand. “But it’s perfect!” he said sadly. “Carousel boutique is the ideal place! We’ll never find anything even close to that kind of chance!”

“Forget it, kid. We’re never setting foot in there, whether we like it or not.”

“Come on, Discord!” said the baron, trying to take control of the situation. “I know Rarity. She trusts me and she’s a good friend of mine! I’m sure there’s a good way to make her come around!”

Discord gave him a very skeptical look.

“Please Discord,” pleaded the baron, “just… just once. Let’s just give it one shot, and give it our all. What do you say?”

Discord did not break his gaze. After a while, he said solemnly:

“There is no way in interspecies Hell that this will work.”

* * *

Back in her boutique, a white mare was humming a happy tune to herself as she set her newest clothing creations on the racks and shelves of the store.

Carousel Boutique, 124 Lunar Ave. That was the name of the store. It was a quaint, elegant little place, that had gained a comfortable amount of success for being one of the few stores that sold both pony and human clothes. Indeed, many ponies that had moved to Saint-Celest found that it would be actually more appropriate to suit up like humans did. The store had also known a good business growth because of its former fame in Equestria, which had followed it to Earth. It had been placed under the spotlight of Hoity Toity, Equestria’s most acclaimed designer. And it also belonged to a famous pony. A bearer of one of the Elements of Harmony, and an acquaintance of V.I.Ps – Very Important Ponies – like Fancy Pants, Prince Blueblood, and even the three royal alicorns of Equestria. A pony of the elite, all things considered. She was of course the white unicorn, Rarity.

Rarity had moved to Saint-Celest during the massive pony migration of the last decade. Prior to leaving, she had made her lifelong ambition of setting up a boutique in Canterlot a dream come true. But just then, the phenomenon of going to the human world had reached Canterlot. Thousands of ponies from the big city were lucky enough to be granted passage to Earth through the Great Portal, and as such, Rarity’s income of both customers and profit began to steadily decline. At first she resented the idea of going to the very place that had stolen all her clientele. But then, she figured that that was where business would be from now on. She moved to Saint-Celest, as did most ponies, and set up her store just as it was back in Equestria. And while it was not the place to be in the whole city, it was still good enough to attract ponies and humans who were interested in haute couture out of sheer fame. Unfortunately, that fine art was not everyone’s cup of tea, and while Rarity was glad she had at least a few customers a day, she did recall having more during her brief stay in Canterlot.

As she finished placing the last clothing items for her ‘Fall Of The Leaves collection’, the familiar ding of the front door bell was heard, indicating a customer had just entered the store. It was a sound Rarity loved. She went to the door where she found a finely clad young man. She gave him a cheerful smile. She could sense the presence of a fat wallet somewhere in the folds of that suit.

“Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where every garment is chic, unique and magnifique!” she chimed. It was a trademark greeting of hers that she had been saying for many years to her customers, without ever getting tired of it somehow.

“Um… yes, hello,” said the young man. He gave her the best smile he could muster, as nervous as he was.

“And good day to you, sir!” said Rarity, who was sensing the nervousness of the customer and generously trying to make him comfortable. “How may I help you?”

The young man shuffled on the spot. “Um… actually…” he said, avoiding her gaze, as if he had done something wrong. Rarity was starting to get confused.

“We, um… We know each other, actually, miss Rarity,” continued the young man. “Of course w-we haven’t seen each other in a while. My name is Ronald Winston, perchance do you remember me?”

At this statement Rarity raised a quizzical eyebrow. She’d heard that name before… but where?

And then she remembered it. All the correspondence they had shared; he was the heir to the Winston family fortune, the most important family in town!

She beamed at him. “Oh heavens, of course! Ronald Winston, baron of Wilkshire!” she said, embracing him in a warm embrace. The baron chuckled and clumsily tried to return it. He was happy to see that she was as he remembered her; even though she kept her connections to a select group, she was kind and generous to the bone. Which in a way saddened him and made him nervous, considering what he was about to ask of her.

“How are you, my dear?” she said enthusiastically, returning to face him. “It’s been ages since we last met! You were only a child back then! My, how you’ve grown!” she giggled. Even though she was probably fifteen years older than him, it was unnoticeable.

“I’m fine, thank you miss Rarity” he said with a weak smile.

“Oh please darling, let us not be bound by formalities! Call me Rarity” she said. “Anyway, what brings you here?”

“Um, well, you see, mi— you see, Rarity,” said the baron, shuffling his hands a little. “I-I came because I’m starting a business of my own. And, well, I was wondering if we could do business together. Namely, if I could use your fine store for painting expositions. Of-Of course, um, we would share the profits.”

Rarity saw stars before her eyes. And customers. And dollar bills.

“Well, say no more, darling!” she said. “I would be delighted to carry out such an operation with you!”

Winston shuffled his feet some more, avoiding her gaze again.

“Darling, are you alright?” asked Rarity with concern. “You seem troubled. Is something the matter?”

The baron gave her a guilty look.

“Um, yes, actually… y- you see…” he stuttered. Rarity looked at him with genuine worry, which made him even more nervous. He felt terrible for what he was about to say.

“Well, the thing is… well, I have a business partner, and, well, he wasn’t too… pleased with the idea of doing business with you. You see, he’s… he’s an acquaintance of yours, actually…” he said.

“Oh? Well, that’s quite all right, I’m completely open to negotiations,” she said in a reassuring tone. “But who is this business partner of yours? You say I know him?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Winston gave a long, defeated sigh. There was no avoiding the issue now. Looking down at the floor, he raised a weak finger to a spot behind Rarity.

“He is,” he said sullenly.

Rarity turned around in curiosity. She could not believe what whe was seeing. She stood there, rooted to the ground, as she witnessed wide-eyed the return of a familiar face, that she would have rather never, ever have had the displeasure of meeting again.

Before her stood tall the draconequus, Discord. The very ruffian that had nearly caused her to abandon her most beloved friends in favor of a crude boulder, tricking her mind into thinking it was a large diamond. She thought that she and her friends had reduced him to a sorry statue. But there he was, flicking mindlessly through a rack of clothes he could not care less about. He spotted her staring in terror at him.

“Oh. Hi,” he said, his voice and expression reflecting total apathy.

Rarity did not reply. The two little words echoed like a death sentence in her head. He had returned. And once again, he was going to use her friend against her. But this time it would be even worse. It wouldn’t be the Elements of Harmony and Equestrian royalty that he would harm. All of his bloody mischief would be aimed directly at her.

She turned to face Winston, who looked like he was under the blade of the guillotine himself. She didn’t know what to say to him. She didn’t even know if she should feel sorry for him or loathe him for doing whatever business he was doing with that monster.

“I think we better have a nice, long talk,” he said in an attempt to seem composed.

* * *

Winston and Discord were both sitting on chairs they had set up around a table in the boutique’s storage room. They were waiting for Rarity to return with a tea set she’d offered, saying she would make sure to bring some strong black coffee as well.

The baron sat there, playing nervously with his fingers and trying to take his mind off things by admiring the many dresses Rarity had set up here. He tried calming down by telling himself that as awkward as this was, it was what he wanted and should not have expected otherwise.

Discord, on the other hand, sat on his chair with a look that indicated he believed he had much less trivial things to attend to. This annoyed the baron somewhat.

“I know you’re not enjoying this,” he said. “But please promise me that you’ll give it an honest try.”

Discord said nothing for a few seconds, staring straight in front of him and looking utterly disappointed, before speaking.

“I promise,” he said.

Rarity returned, levitating a tray to the table and setting it down there stiffly before taking a seat in her own armchair.

There was a terrible silence in the room as no one in the room said anything. Both Winston and Rarity seemed to have words hanging at the tip of their tongues that they were carefully organizing, while waiting for the other to open the discussion. Discord simply ignored the two, seemingly unaffected by the thick tension in the air.

After a while, he got up with a sigh, which made Rarity flinch.

“Well, at least we gave it our best try,” he said in mock sadness. He made a move to leave before Winston spoke.

“Oh come on, you said you’d give it a try!” he complained. “Rarity was incredibly kind to at least let us have a discussion in the first place!”

“I’m sorry, my good baron. It looks like we’re just not welcome here. We’re just going to have to look for—“

“You will sit down!” the baron hissed, suddenly fuming. This time it was him that made Rarity flinch. Even Discord was taken aback for a second. But then he grinned as he watched the baron. He saw that the young man’s eyes had gained a hint of bright red.

There was another moment of silence in the air. Then Rarity spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

“I think it’s best if you wait outside while Ronald and I talk this through,” she said to Discord. There was a noticeable fear of both of them in her voice.

Discord looked at the two of them before turning his back dramatically to them.

“We are not amused!” he said, and left in an exaggerated walk out of the store, his chin raised high and his eyes closed. Winston prayed that he would have the sense to conceal himself from anyone passing by as the draconequus simply waited on the sidewalk.

He turned to look at Rarity. He saw in her eyes that she was no longer happy to see him; instead she was weary, visibly concentrating in an effort not to upset him. Seeing the unicorn like this suddenly washed away all the anger that had surged up inside him, replacing it with guilt.

“I’m terribly sorry about this, Rarity,” he sighed. “That was extremely rude of both of us. I hope you can forgive me.”

She gave him a timid smile of relief.

“It’s alright,” she said. “Although I’m not sure I can accept any deal with you. You’re a special friend of mine. But I hope you can understand… it’s him that’s the trouble.”

Winston edged a little closer to her.

“Please,” he said, in an attempt to reason with her, “Hear me out. I have a deal for you that you will not regret sealing. Furthermore, it will only involve doing business with me. Discord will never have to be in this store again! I’ll see to that. Please, let’s talk.”

Rarity looked at him cautiously, before serving them both a cup of tea.

* * *

They had talked for about two hours. A rather tense business discussion had just taken place, and after a few cups of tea and coffee were had, both Rarity and the baron sat in silence. It had been a long talk. But they had finally reached a decision.

At this point, Winston figured there was no chance of alleviating the awkward mood in the room anymore. But he tried one more time to break the ice.

“Once again, I cannot express how sorry I am for my outburst,” he said. “That Discord…” he thought for a moment before continuing “… he gets my blood boiling,” he said with a sad smile. She had no idea that he was talking quite literally.

Rarity said nothing, simply staring into her teacup. Then she looked up at the baron with a look of concern.

“Can I ask you a question?” she asked.

“Please do,” replied the baron, glad that Rarity was willing to talk to him out of her own initiative.

“How did you ever get together with him?” she asked.

The baron looked at her for a second.

“Do you remember all the letters I sent you?” he asked. “All the endless letters about how out of place I felt here on the top floor of society?”

The white mare gave him a small nod.

“Well… I made a wish the other day,” he said, staring into space. “I wished that I would never have to send you a single letter of that kind ever again. And would you believe it… it looks like that wish will come true.” He said nothing for a few seconds, then looked back at Rarity.

“But I guess our wishes come true in the most unexpected of ways,” he said. “I wish I didn’t have to stick with him, you know. And I certainly wish I didn’t have to involve you with this. But most of all, I wish I could just have the simple life I wasn’t born in. And if that creature has a way of giving it to me... I can’t just turn my back on him.”

“Oh, Ronald…” she said sadly, “Why didn’t you just ask me for help?”

The baron thought for a little moment before replying.

“Because I was too afraid,” he said, as if realizing something. “I was too scared to turn my life around and leave it all behind. And Discord, as troublesome as he is, showed me that it was the only way to do so. The only way of seeing the radical change you wish to see is to make it happen yourself. To take courage and move on, leaving all your past habits behind. All my life I’ve wanted to do something that would leave a trace in this city. And this is it, I know it!”

“But he won’t give to you what you seek!” said Rarity in a worried tone. “I don’t think you know what you’ve applied for here!”

“I know how it looks, Rarity,” said the baron. “But don’t worry. I’m in control of the situation. And know it may seem like Discord is leading me around on a leash. But at the end of the day, I know what I’m doing.”

Rarity shook her head.

“In control?” she said. “I’m so sorry, Ronnie, but you don’t have control over him. He is the source of your sadness. I saw how he looked at you earlier. That sick look of glee… He knows he’s the one who upsets you. He knows he’s toying with you, just like when he toyed with my friends and turned them against themselves. Don’t you see?”

Winston looked outside the window of the store. He looked at Discord as he stood there, watching carefully all the people and ponies who went past the store, seemingly unaware of him, with a bitter look.

“He’s evil,” whispered Rarity.

Winston felt sad for her. She was a good friend to him, which was a rare gem in his life. But there was also something about Discord. He’d never thought about it but, in a way, the draconequus was like him. A loser. A lonely soul.

“Please,” she said in a quivering voice. “Please, Ronald. I don’t want to lose you to that monster. Whatever you do, don’t let him ruin your life!”

The baron looked at Rarity with no emotion.

“He just needs a little bit of fun,” he said dryly. “And so do I.”

Rarity’s lips started to tremble. Thinking he might have been a little harsh, the baron walked up to her and stroked her cheek.

“Don’t worry,” he said in a reassuring tone. “I’m not going anywhere. And in a week of doing business with me, you’ll forget we ever had this talk.”

She gave him a weak smile, and watched him with concern as he left the boutique.

* * *

Discord turned around as the baron left the store. The creature went to him and shook his head.

“I’m terribly sorry things didn’t work out as you wished, my friend,” he said with a fake sympathetic smile.

The baron simply looked up at him.

“I’m actually the one in position to say that,” he said resolutely. “Because we have a business deal.”

The draconequus gave him a look of pleasant surprise.

“Really now? Let’s hear it,” he said.

“Rarity has agreed to host the expositions. They will happen when we decide so, on Sundays when she usually closes the boutique. I will be there with her during that time. I’ll have you know she has also agreed to let into the expositions any person whatsoever unless they present a clear threat. Because of the nature of these visitors, we’ll only charge $20 for an entry ticket, valid during the entire exposition. The profit will be split 50/50 between Rarity and myself.”

Discord put on a giddy smile that only grew larger with every word the baron said. He’d gotten the deal just as he wanted.

“But all of this will only happen on two conditions that we will have to observe strictly,” said the baron. “One, I will have to monitor all the customers with great care, so that there is no trouble during the exposition. It was very difficult to get her to agree to let in that sort of people. By the way you have still not explained to me why it must be so. But she has agreed to it if I can keep up condition two.”

He looked at Discord with a serious expression.

“The condition is that you can never ever return to that store. You will not be there. You will not take part in all of this. You will give absolutely no sign whatsoever of your involvement in this project,” said the baron. Discord grinned at him. He could see a glimmer of doubt in Winston’s eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said cheekily. Winston tried to harden his gaze, but Discord still saw through him. “You want me to be there, but to remain unseen. That’s the catch, isn’t it?”

The baron’s gaze was now hard, almost angry.

“Rarity must never know,” he said sternly. “I swear, Discord, if you mess this up… the moment she sees you set foot in that store, we are done.”

Discord grinned at the young human. He was a clever little devil.

“I see you’re taking the reins, now, aren’t you?” he said, as if he were an amused adult talking to a child who had shown him something impressive for his age.

“All in all, I’m putting you in charge of three things,” stated the baron. “First, you will create those ‘special’ paintings of yours. Then, you’ll arrange for them to find their way to Carousel Boutique without going anywhere near the store yourself. I don’t care how you do it, just get it done. Finally, you will be present at the exposition to act as an invisible security guard in the utmost secrecy,” he said, emphasizing the last words.

Discord looked at him for a while, before looking away and nodding slowly and thoughtfully.

“Fair enough,” he said flatly.

Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Discord spoke.

“I think you’re ready to see how we’re going to make the big part of our upcoming fortune,” he said with a grin.

The baron was taken aback by the statement.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I have connections in this city. I have some very unique workers at my disposal, you see. If we’re going to set up this painting business, we’re going to need a good amount of manual labor; help with shipping our work to Rarity’s for example. Therefore, we’re going to need to convince these connections of mine to work for us. What is more, these connections have been running a business of their own here for a long time, right under everyone’s nose. We’re going to take part in it,” said Discord.

He then turned to the baron with a devilish smirk.

“And that’s where the real money is going to come from,” he said.

The baron looked puzzled.

“Oh yeah?” he said.

“Oh yeah,” Discord chuckled.