One Big Awkward Family

by PropMaster


Fake

They appeared on a floating island in the middle of a bizarre plane of colored lights, impossible geometry, and strange shapes and vistas. Fluttershy gasped, staring out into the chaos, and Discord suddenly put his paw over her eyes, gently turning her away. "Don't look at it too hard. You'll lose your mind."

"O-oh, it was... very pretty," Fluttershy said softly, her voice quavering.

Discord raised one eyebrow. "Hm. That's a novel reaction. Usually when mortals show up here, they end up drooling, catatonic messes if they look into the abyss for too long. After all, if you stare into the abyss, it is liable to stare right back." He kept his paw over Fluttershy's eyes for a moment longer, helping her trot to the front step of the strange house that sat in the middle of the floating island. He released her once she was safely on the stoop, and he pushed the front door open. "All right. You're safe in here."

Fluttershy resisted the urge to glance behind her at the abyss, instead peering into the interior of the house. The interior... didn't make any sense. Certainly, there was a living room, but there were staircases on the ceiling, far too many doors, and strange bits of furniture that barely resembled furniture at all. The walls were painted garishly, the carpet was messy and patchy, and the whole place smelled like flowers. "What is this place?"

"My humble abode in the Plane of Chaos. Come in! Sit down! Just, you know, sit carefully, sometimes the chairs decide they would rather be tables. Or toasters. Also, don't turn on the television, it'll rot your brain out." Discord ambled inside, walking up a wall and into a door that lead to a room that couldn't possibly be attached to the house, considering the small exterior.

"It's bigger on—" Fluttershy began, before Discord waved a claw and interrupted her.

"No! Don't say it! We don't want The Doctor showing up. He's such a bore, even if he's a master of chaos," Discord said hurriedly, before disappearing through one of the interior doors. "We're only stopping here for a few moments. I wanted to grab a few things for our outing."

"O-Okay..." Fluttershy trotted carefully into the living room. She regarded several of the pieces of furniture before deciding on the larger, polka-dotted sofa with a cheerful blue end table. There was a rather ordinary stack of magazines on the end table. It was, in all the strangeness, the most normal appearing spot in the room. She sat down gingerly, wings open and ready to launch herself into the air if something happened. The coushin beneath her was comfortable, and she settled onto her side, stretching out on the couch. She exhaled slowly, allowing some of the nervous tension to escape.

Out of her vision, she could hear Discord rummaging and talking to himself, searching for... whatever he was wanting. It demonstrated a lot of foresight. He was usually more scattered, but he obviously had put some thought into this little trip. Spontaneous things weren't her favorite, but she appreciated the effort Discord was going through for her benefit... and, if she was being honest, a little break did sound nice.

Feeling more relaxed, she reached over and picked up a magazine. She smiled, reading the title. "A fancy fashion magazine? Discord, you are full of surprises," she said to herself with a small giggle. She flipped open the cover... and froze.

Her own face stared back at her, a timid, wilting violet look that was somehow compelling and adorable at once. She blinked, flipping back to the cover, and spotted the publisher. "Photo Finish! Oh, oh my goodness!"

She breathed hard, reaching over and checking the stack of magazines. They were all from her brief period as a fashion model, all photography by Photo Finish! She blushed, setting the magazines down slowly as she tried to consider how to feel about this.

Discord had obviously gone through some trouble to collect these magazines, which was... flattering. But she hated being reminded of her stint as the most popular fashion model in Equestria. That hadn't been a happy time, even though in the end the whole ordeal had brought her and Rarity closer together. However, it also made her very, very uncomfortable to think that Discord had these magazines. These pictures... weren't her. Not the real her. She was a different pony than the creature Photo Finish had created with her careful angles and doctored effects. They were idealized. Unrealistic. They weren't her, but an impossible standard that nopony could live up to.

She steeled herself, and picked back up one of the magazines from the stack, choosing one that featured her on the front cover. "Discord, when you're done, I really want to talk to you about something."