“Potions seller- I need your strongest potions!”
The bell hung on the door clattered and clanged as Discord threw open the door to ‘Supernaturals: Natural Remedies that Are Simply Super (Inc.)’. Zecora looked up at him from a customer with a wary look.
“You are not strong enough for my potions. I suggest you look for other options,” she replied, handing the customer their bag. They quickly exited, skirting around Discord before closing the door.
“Hello, my dear Zecora. How are you today?” Discord said, hopping onto the dark wooden counter.
“I am fine. Busy, but fine, friend of mine,” she said, opening her cash register. “And you? What have you been up to?”
“Well you simply will not believe what has occurred,” he said, crossing one leg over the other, leaning back closer to her. “ You know the apartment next to mine?”
“Yes, the one that’s empty all the time.”
“Not anymore! Yours truly has a neighbor,” he said, pointing to himself with an elegant hand. “Cute little thing. You would scare the hell out of her.”
“You were awkward in front of her, were you not?” Zecora replied with a smirk.”That tends to happen quite a lot.”
“I never!” Discord exclaimed in mock indignation. “But yes, that was in fact what happened. But when we spoke this morning I was, in fact, better. I even made her laugh so there.”
He stuck his tongue out at her for a moment, to which she scoffed.
“If you just came to to shoot the breeze and harass, I may just ask you to leave, or I might just kick your-”
“Okay, okay,” Discord said, interrupting Zecora’s threat. “Do you have any lily and fern leaves in stock?”
She raised an eyebrow. “As if I would not.” She disappeared behind a richly patterned curtain in the back of the shop, and returned a moment later with two small crates, placing them on the counter beside him.
“And I would never doubt you,” Discord replied, picking up a few pale lily petals, rubbing them between his fingers while reaching for a small cloth bag underneath the counter.They smelled perfectly sweet and were soft to the touch. “These are fantastic, despite it being early spring.”
“I have my ways, despite it not being the lily’s days,” Zecora responded with a smile, plucking a bag from the counter and began filling it with fern leaves. “So, you seem to like your new neighbor. How much do you know of her?”
“Well, not much so far,” he replied, staring a rather large petal discriminately before stuffing it in his bag. “She has a small, aggressive rabbit named...Angel? Yes, Angel. And she’s jumpy sometimes. But she seems sweet. I doubt we’ll keep talking past the first few weeks of her living here though.”
“What makes you think that?” Discord responded to her question with an incredulous look, before pointing at his face.
“Because it’s me. Duuuh- I thought you knew me, Zecora,” he said, sharply tying the bag closed. She laughed, handing him the bag of ferns.
“And yet I still speak to you,” she chuckled, picking up the containers, placing them on the shelves lining the wall behind her.
“Um, harsh,” he drawled, hopping off the counter. “See you later, gator. I expect your strongest potions next time.”
“Again, you are not strong enough for my potions. And in a while, crocodile.”
---
Discord quickly tied off the small, leather sachet of lily, fern, and a few other items, and tossed it into a kitchen drawer. Closing the drawer with a quick hip-check, he made his way over to his balcony, tired from his two performances that day. He flopped onto the couch with a yawn.
“Oh! Hello, Discord!”
He slowly turned his head to the right to see Fluttershy sitting on her balcony too, gently stroking the bunny in her lap.
“Hello to you as well,” he said with nod, not really sure how to continue any sort of conversation. New neighbors were a strange thing. Fortunately, she was the one to continue.
“So, um, how was your day?” she asked. Discord shrugged - he still had no idea how to to really interact with her. He was very used to being a hermit, more or less, and the skills of speaking to and even befriending other people evaded him.
“It was alright, I suppose. I had to work two shows in a row, but other than that…,” he said casually. She hummed, and looked at him curiously.
“Shows?”
“I’m...I’m a magician, actually,” he replied. She grinned from ear to ear.
“Really? That sounds so exciting!” she exclaimed. “Can I see a trick? I mean...if you want to. Two shows does sound like it would be tiring.”
“Pish posh, I’ve done more in a day,” he tisked, moving closer to her balcony. Despite actually being rather exhausted, Fluttershy seemed interested, and as if he wouldn’t jump at a chance to show off. “How much are you willing to pay?”
“Um...I have-,” she replied with a slight frown, patting her pockets, much to the irritation to Angel.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” he quickly reassured her, leaning over the railings.”Now, you don’t really seem like a rabbit out of a hat kind of person, also I lack the hat so... how about fresh flowers instead?”
He pulled a bouquet of daisies from his pocket, much to her shock and amusement. She gently placed Angel on the ground and moved closer. She felt the petals, finding that they weren’t silk, but in fact real.
“How...how did you…,” she stuttered as he handed her the flowers.
“A good magician never reveals his secrets,” he replied with a smirk. “I suggest getting those in water soon, but they should last a few days, I think.”
“Thank you,” she said, burying her nose into the flowers. “I’ll be right back!”
She was back in a few minutes, tying her her long hair back in a tie, revealing a small golden embroidered paw print on her shirt, followed by ‘Canterlot Animal Care’. He hummed.
“Canterlot Animal Care?” he murmured.
“Huh? Oh! Yes,” she replied looking down at her shirt, as she sat down, scooting the rabbit to the side on the cushion. “I just started there! I’m a veterinarian. I used to work out in Ponyville, but I moved to be closer to my friends, plus there’s so many animals in the city to take care of...and if I’m needed there, it’s not the longest trip in the world!” she smiled, and he found himself oddly charmed.
“What do you think of Canterlot so far? It’s only been two days, am I correct?”
“I’ve, um, actually been here a month? I was staying with a, uh, friend while I was looking for a place,” she replied, looking down at the bunny. He frowned slightly.
“So...like a boyfriend? Or something?” he asked, eyebrows furrowed. She gasped, face going red.”Girlfriend?”
“Oh no no no! It was simply a good friend of mine! We’ve been friends for what feels like...forever!” Fluttershy explained, holding a hand to her cheek.
“I am very sorry,” Discord replied.” It just...sounded like that was the case? And I was about to give some good old-fashioned advice, which would have awkward and terrible from me. Trust me there.”
She giggled, flashing a bright grin, and he couldn’t help but laugh along too.
“I hope Canterlot hasn’t been too much of a culture shock nonetheless,” he said, waving a hand at the city. “It’s a bit different from Ponyville, last time I checked.”
Last time he had been in Ponyville was at least 20 years ago, and it hadn’t changed from when he had been a mere cadet in the army years beforehand. The town seemed resilient to change, even in the post-war haven of Equestria, and all it’s post-war boom advantages. Discord wouldn’t be surprised if she was a result of it.
“Initially? I’m still a little uneasy, all the noise and people... but I’m getting used to it,” she replied, scooping Angel onto her lap. “Plus I have all my girls here, not to mention Angel.”
“That’s good. If need be, a taxi driver I know owes me a favor - if you’re uneasy he could give you a ride home whenever you need, “ Discord said. She grinned brightly.
“Thank you very much! I’ll keep it in mind,” Fluttershy replied. “That’s very kind of you.”
“I do try,” no he didn’t - he never made much effort, “especially when trying to get onto the good graces of new neighbors.”
“You don’t have to! I already like talking to you - it’s nice to have a neighbor, actually! I lived outside of town, and didn’t have any,” she said, looking out to the street. “It seems like I have a lot.”
Discord coughed, very quickly putting down the happenstance blush that had spread - not now, cheeks! “Has Mrs. Doodle dropped by yet? Sweet lady, grouch of a husband.”
“Oh yes! She actually lived in Ponyville - I went to her wedding, and my friend Pinkie planned it. It was lovely,” Fluttershy laughed. “They actually told me about this apartment when I was just starting to move. Mentioned something about living next to a grouch on par with Crankee.”
She smirked at Discord, who looked aghast, pressing a hand against his chest. “How dare she! I am not that grouchy! I’m just tired.”
“You’re not at all!” she reassured. “I’m glad you’re not either.”
There was a loud whistle from her apartment, slowly crescendoing into a screech. “Oh dear! The kettle - I forgot about it!”
She stood once again, placing Angel on her chair. “Would you like any tea? I would hate to be rude.”
“I doubt you could be, and yes, that would be lovely,” Discord replied. “Need a hand?”
“I’ll be fine! Just one minute!” she chirped, ducking inside. He pushed off the railing, stretching before quickly snapping his fingers, making a small plate of tea biscuits - the fancy kind Zecora got him from her home - appear in his hands. He hoped Fluttershy like them, and that they went with the tea. Angel stared at him with an amount of surprise that he didn’t know could be possible on a bunny. He raised a finger to his lips, which slowly turned into a sly smirk. A minute later, Fluttershy returned to the balcony with two cups of tea in her hands.
“I hope you like it! My friend, Twilight, got it for me. I’m not sure where, but I love it,” she said, offering him a cup. He gladly took it, and held out the plate of cookies.
“I brought these in thanks,” he replied. “They taste a little like cinnamon, and probably half a dozen other things but, I’m not even quite sure where they’re from. I mean, my friend got gave them to me as a gift from her hometown, but I don’t know where that is - goodness now I’m rambling.”
She laughed again, framed in the setting sun, and he chose to ignore that his brand new, very young neighbor was very pretty. “Well, we have that in common!”
He nodded with a chuckle, and took a sip of his tea. “And similar tastes in tea as well. My friend Zecora - the one who gave me these biscuits - sells this blend in her shop...I actually need to get more of it.”
“You can have some of mine! I have a huge tin of it,” she replied, also taking a sip. “I do really like it though.”
“I’ll very gladly show you her shop,” Discord replied. “Zecora’s an odd bird, I mean she puts up with me so…” He shrugged. “But she has the best teas in the city, in my easily biased opinion.”
“I’m inclined to agree,” she said, nibbling on one of the cookies. “Does she sell these too?”
“No, I think there might be a ban on them here?” he thought out loud.”So we might be eating illegal contraband. Who knows!”
“Barely two months here and I’ve already met a supplier of illegal goods!” she mock exclaimed. “What would my friends say…”
This time, she got him to laugh.