//------------------------------// // Chapter 26 - Keep Calm And Visit Your Neighbors, Part 1 // Story: Stranger in the Forest // by TrixterCat //------------------------------// Despite how unpredictable his life had become during the last few months, Scruffy still found himself caught completely off guard when he walked through the portal, not paying much attention to his surroundings, and almost colliding with a group of three ponies converging at the entrance. Their excited prattle cut off mid sentence and their jaws were left hanging open as they turned to stare at Scruffy. Jerking his head back in surprise as he tried to avoid a collision, Scruffy banged it against the tree frame, involuntarily crying out in pain and jolting his arms upwards. One of the two mares in the group, whose nerves had already been on the edge since they arrived at the Everfree forest, mistook Scruffy’s grunting and subsequent lurch forward as an attack, letting out a sound somewhere between a whinny and a gurgle, before promptly passing out. The stallion of the group, getting past his initial shock, tried to take a step back to give Scruffy more space, only to collide with his recently fallen compatriot and tripping on to his back, all limbs flailing. One of which kicked the remaining mare on her backside, sending her careening right in to Scruffy and causing them to fall on the ground as well. Observing the scene before her, including the pony sprawled over Scruffy's lap, Sergeant Strawberry Dazzle let out an annoyed huff. "Oh come on! How come he can make three ponies swoon and fall for him just like that? It's not fair," she grumbled, stomping forward and leaving the others to pick themselves up. Once the initial confusion and awkwardness were done with, Scruffy was introduced to the research team sent by the Royal Sisters to study the portal, lead by Professor Pastern. The other two were Professor Astral and Professor Flower, and they were a group of two unicorns and one earth pony, each of them showing some age in their features. There were also two royal guards who were accompanying them, one pegasus and one unicorn, who had been sweeping the perimeter when Scruffy walked through the portal. Scruffy noticed Strawberry and the guards exchanging salutes and a few brief words. It was Twilight’s report and the mention of the strong reaction the portal had had with her that prompted Celestia to send the research team there. It was imperative to make sure that the portal was safe to use if the ponies would make any more visits to Scruffy’s side of the portal, a sentiment he wholeheartedly agreed with. They were also trying to figure out the origin of the portal if at all possible, although the unicorns in the group were a little skeptical of finding anything. Even a cursory glance revealed to them that the portal was very old, so any physical or magical traces would be long gone. Scruffy raised some concerns of the ponies being noticed by his kind, but the team assured him that they had no plans on going to his side. Satisfied with their answers, and the team being eager to get to work, Scruffy and Dazzle said their farewells and continued with their original plan, going to Ponyville. Scruffy had been unable to go in to the forest for a few days, visions of a lumbering beast haunting his mind. But, not willing to let some barking puppy prevent him from walking the woods that had always felt like a second home to him, and with a gentle reassurance from Dazzle that she was there, Scruffy took the lead as they started walking, determined not to let the fear get to him. The creature angrily grumbled to itself. It was positively seething as it stared at the portal. He had gone through the portal, with that thrice damned pony sticking right by his side. The figure wanted to screech and snarl and vent its anger with a few hundred sets of pyrotechnic displays. But it knew that it would be a terrible idea in all regards, so it instead chose to stomp on one of the flowers in the nearby flower bed. Take that flower! The creature sighed, slumping on the ground. Why was that damn pony here? And why was it staying with him? It made no sense. It was as if that flank kisser was there just to taunt the creature! No doubt Princess Celestia was behind this, curse her to tartarus! With that stupid pony constantly running around him like a guard dog, there was no way it could approach him. It was too much of a risk. Not that it could not overpower the guard, there was no question of that. Rather, the problem was that any altercation with the pony could potentially alert the Princess, and that had to be avoided at all costs. And it was not as if the figure had not noticed the activity on the other side of the portal as well. It could easily sense the changes in the ambient magic around the gateway, as somepony probed it with magics. Could be more guards, could be something else. Again, the risk was too high to do anything about it. The creature looked at the flower it had stomped, a moment of remorse crossing its face. It should not have done that. The flowers had always been important to her, and now to him, so the creature should not harm them like this. It kneeled down, and with a flick of magic, repaired the damage it had caused to the flower. “Come! Comecomecomecomecome!” the insistent voice of Pinkie Pie demanded as she stood on her hind legs, leaning against Scruffy for support as she tried to walk forward and pull him along, all while an amused pegasus guard watched on the sidelines. The two visitors had barely managed to set foot or hoof down on to Ponyville proper before being snatched along by the precariously parading party planner. “Pinkie! For Celestia’s sake, could you just walk normally?” Rainbow grumbled as she slowly floated alongside them. “No! I got my hooves shined just for the occasion, and I don’t want to ruin them before I get to show Rarity,” the pink pony replied, wobbling back and forth as she and Scruffy very slowly proceeded towards the outskirts of Ponyville. “Urgh!” “It good take slouw sometime, RD,” Scruffy said with a smile, supporting Pinkie with the arm she was holding on to. They got more than a few giggles from other ponies as they slowly made their way along the streets of Ponyville. “Bhah! If you could go as fast as me, you’d never want to go slow again,” Rainbow huffed, resigning herself to the fact that they would be going at a snail's pace. “Well whatever. It’s not like we are in a hurry since I can’t see our local egghead running around in panic yet.” “Where we go?” Scruffy asked. “OH OH OH! Princess Sunnysunsun wanted to visit Ponyville!” Pinkie said and was about to start bouncing, but remembering her polished hooves she stopped herself and instead tugged on Scruffy’s arm insistently. “Oh?” Scruffy and Dazzle both went at the same time. “Yeah, and she’s bringing a guest with her! Didn’t say who though, so it’s gonna to be a surprise!” “Guest, hmm? Imbortant guest? It okay I there?” “Sure it is,” Rainbow said with a casual tail flick. “Why wouldn’t it be? Besides, if it was some super important guest on some super important business then I’m sure the Princess would have said so.” “Hmm, would laik to talk Selestia again.” “I’m sure the Princess would enjoy a few minutes of casual conversation,” Dazzle piped up from behind them. For the rest of the way to the meet up point, Scruffy asked about Celestia’s duties and what her usual daily routine was like. When Pinkie needled him with a sly grin as to why he was suddenly interested, Scruffy shrugged and said there were not many magical princesses from where he came from, so he was curious. When they eventually arrived, they found Twilight, Spike, and Rarity waiting for them. “Hello everypony! Hi Scruffy,” Twilight greeted the group with a wide smile, and they greeted back. “It’s been a couple of days. How have you two been? Anything interesting happen?” she asked Scruffy and Dazzle. “It all good. We meet phr-p-prohffessoors when come here,” Scruffy replied, working his jaw around the new word. “Oh! That’s right, they completely slipped my mind even though I saw them just this morning.” Twilight tapped the side of her head with one hoof. “Did they make it to the portal without trouble?” “Affirmative. They seemed to be very eager to start examining the portal… Especially after Scruffy made them all fall over backwards for him,” Dazzle interjected and looked away with a mischievous smile. “W-what?” “Uhm, y-you meet they today?” Scruffy quickly asked. “I, uhh, yes… Professor Pastern taught me when I attended Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, so I wanted to say hi. I was also asked to help with the research of the portal if I have the time, but that depends entirely on this guest the Princess is bringing. I have this feeling that it’s not going to be as simple as it sounds.” “When is it ever,” the group could hear Rainbow Dash muttering in the background as she enjoyed the riveting conversation Rarity and Pinkie were having about hoof polish. “So. How have you been holding up, Sergeant Dazzle? There haven’t been any problems acclimating to Scruffy’s home have there?” Twilight asked, while in truth she was hoping to garner some new information about all of Scruffy’s curiosities. “Umm. Nope! None whatsoever!” Strawberry insisted with a tiny smile, but the shifty eyes she had did not give Twilight a lot of confidence in her words. “Uhhuh. Scruffy?” she turned to the tall being. “Well, there one thing…” he started with a smile. “Ah! Don’t tell her!” “Tell me what?” “Heh, if want know, Straewperry-” “Hey, I think that’s Celestia’s carriage!” Spike suddenly yelled, derailing the conversation as Twilight immediately snapped her head towards the sky. Whew, saved, Dazzle mentally sighed. The royal carriage emblazoned with Celestia’s sun soon touched down close to them, and while it in itself would have made most ponies gasp for breath at the majesty of it all, what made the current crowd hang their jaws open was the second carriage to touch down next to Celestia’s. The one that was carrying the petrified form of Discord in it. “Greetings my little ponies, and one not-so-little non-pony,” the Solar Princess greeted with a warm smile as she stepped away from her pegasus carriage. When Spike walked closer to her, dubious expression on his face as he watched Discord’s statue being unloaded, she reached down and gave him a brief nuzzle, making his cheeks flare up a bit in embarrassment. “With all due respect, Princess Celestia…” Twilight began as she marched closer, her tail swishing a few times and ears half mast, “HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?! Ehem, your majesty?” The outburst left the other members of the entourage looking at Twilight with wide eyes. “I’m fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc,” Celestia replied calmly, an amused tinkle in her eyes. “If by serious havoc you mean turning Ponyville in to the chaos capital of the world…” Rainbow countered. “And tricking us all into being the opposite of our true selves...” Rarity continued. “And making yummy, delicious chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight! NOT A SINGLE DOLLOP!” Pinkie finished with a rather dramatic screech. “Uuh…” Scruffy mumbled as he tried to keep up. “What?” “My apologies Scruffy. This is Discord,” Celestia said and nodded towards the chaotic amalgamation of animals. “He is a spirit of chaos and disharmony, a creature whose powers are comparable to mine and my sister’s.” Scruffy looked at the mismatched creature with great curiosity in his eyes, never having seen or even imagined something like it could exist. What an unimaginative mind, an amused male voice said somewhere, causing Scruffy’s eyes to turn from wonder to suspicion. “As Rainbow Dash so aptly put it, the last time he was in Ponyville, the town was left in a state of chaos, to put it mildly.” “...And milk?” “There was plenty of that too,” Celestia nodded. They all noticed how Pinkie had started to drool. “But...this rock, uh...s-saatue?” “Statue,” Celestia supplied. “Twilight and her friends were able to petrify him using the Elements of Harmony, trapping him in stone and allowing all the chaos he had caused to disperse, returning everything back to normal.” “The chocolate milk,” Pinkie sniffed. “ALL OF IT GONE!” she wailed, grabbing Rarity and Dazzle in a mighty bearhug, the unfortunate mares both letting out a gurgle as they fell to the ground together with Pinkie. “It’s ah...a common trick of his,” Celestia informed, giving the two mares a sympathetic smile. “So why did you bring him here then?” Rainbow asked. “Discord is a powerful creature. His magic would be of great use to us if he could be convinced to use it beyond causing chaos and trickery,” Celestia explained, smiling at the ponies. “I believe you are the ponies who would be able to convince him to have a change of heart.” “That’s never gonna work! How would we ever get him to listen to us? And if he doesn’t, and decides to pick up from where he left off, we are doomed!” Spike moaned, holding his head in his claws at the idea. “Wait,” Scruffy interrupted. “You make him...rock?” he asked, an expression of surprise and some shock on his face. “That is what...urgh...the elements did...grah...serves him right...Pinkie I can’t breath…” Rarity rasped from the ground, tapping the ground with one hoof and fruitlessly using the other to pry herself free. “Is he live?” “He is alive, yes,” Celestia said, giving Scruffy a sidelong glance as she observed the petrified draconequus. “But, with the help of the elements, we will be able to set him free once again.” “Hmmh,” Scruffy rumbled, an unsure look crossing his face. “W-we probably need somepony to go and get the elements, heh, so uh…” Spike nervously stammered, taking steps backwards. “No need, I have them right here,” Celestia informed as two royal guards brought out an ornate chest, setting it down. “And I have cast a spell on them so that Discord can’t take them and hide them again.” Celestia opened the chest with her magic, revealing the elements of harmony. Scruffy’s face changed to excitement once again as he saw the magical artefacts. “Now where is Fluttershy? I believe she may know best how to begin reforming Discord,” the alicorn asked, looking around just in case the lithe pegasus had not decided to hide somewhere. “Fluttershy? Really?” Rainbow asked with a skeptical look. “I am quite certain,” Celestia replied with her usual serene smile. “Well...if you say so. She’s at the Sweet Apple Acres with Applejack, there seems to have been some critter problem.” “Oh dear.” “Don’t worry, I’m sure Flutters already has it under control. I’ll go get them right away!” Rainbow said, and before Celestia could even lift a hoof to try to tell her it was alright since she could simply teleport, Rainbow had already left in a wake of dust. “Reeinbow is sure fast,” Scruffy pondered, walking to stand beside Celestia as they watched the fleeing pegasus, while Twilight turned to save Rarity and Dazzle from Pinkie, who was still holding on to them like stuffed toys. “Perhaps even the fastest,” the alicorn replied with a far off smile, before collecting her thoughts and facing the enigmatic creature next to her. “How are you, my friend?” “I am good, but it seem wen vi-isit, always thing happen,” the being chuckled with an unmistakable hint of weariness in his voice. Having read Twilight’s missive about the matter, it was not hard for Celestia to figure out what was the cause for it. “Twilight sent a letter after your last visit. She told me you practiced magic together,” she mentioned with a smile, steering the conversation towards a happier part of his visit. “Jes! It very strange know I kan magic.” “How did it feel?” “It feel...odd.” Scruffy waved on hand in front of himself, curling and uncurling his fingers. “I not fjeel it now, only with Twailaight. But when feel, it feel...like always knjow it there. Like it…” “Fits?” “Mmh.” “I remember there being a mention that you did not wish to pursue learning more about magic.” “Wat would old stallion need magic?” Scruffy chuckled. “I would have thought you’d jump at the chance to learn more. After all, you did take to learning our language with quite the enthusiasm.” “Mm. Want talk to poni. More easi than wraite. Magik, not need, and give ache. It inkr-incer-i-incre-ediple know I have magik, but… Maybe learnt more in time.” There came a lull in their conversation as they both turned to look at statue Discord at the same time, neither really knowing what had prompted it. They then turned around just in time to see Twilight wrangle Strawberry and Rarity out of Pinkie’s grasp, and give the sheepishly smiling prankster pony a stern glare. “Princess, do you really believe Discord can be reformed?” Dazzle asked once she found her voice again. “I do. Every creature has the capacity to change, if they only so wish.” How positively precious, the male voice yawned in Scruffy’s head again. “Tell more of him,” Scruffy asked, nodding towards the statue with a suspicious squint. “What is he?” “He is a Draconequus, a very rare creature. While even a normal member of his species combines many different characteristics in to one being, as the spirit of chaos, Discord is decidedly unique.” “He re-eally...look that weird?” Not weirder than you. “I suppose if one were not used to seeing creatures like him, he might seem a bit...peculiar,” Celestia giggled. See, what did I-... Hey wait a minute! “Mmhm,” Scruffy nodded in satisfaction. “Back when my sister and I were still young, he gave us quite the hard time. It was like a game of cat and mouse as we chased him across our fledgeling nation, trying to shoo him away from wherever he set up shop to spread chaos from.” I’d call it ‘livening up the evening’. “Pranks and mischief are Discord’s forte,” Celestia continued, taking steps closer to the statue. “But make no mistake, what he does is not always harmless.” Celestia still kept her usual serene smile as she stared down the statue, but every onlooker could see a fierce fire in her eyes. There were no smart quips sounding in Scruffy’s mind. As they waited for Rainbow to return with Fluttershy and Applejack, Celestia caught up with her student, Rarity, and Pinkie, while Scruffy kept a watchful eye on the statue with Dazzle right by his side. On several occasions, Scruffy could have sworn the statue stared back at him, despite the eyes being closed. After some time, the rest of the element bearers arrived. “I realize that this is a tall order, but I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t confident you could get him to use magic responsibly, of his own free will,” Celestia explained to Fluttershy once she and Applejack were briefed on why ‘in bucking tarnation’ Discord was here, as the apple farmer had put it. “And… You really think I’ll know best how to do that?” Fluttershy asked, not entirely convinced. Celestia reached out with her hoof and lifted Fluttershy’s chin up. “I do,” she said with a reassuring smile, making Fluttershy blush slightly. “You can count on us, Princess!” Rainbow saluted, landing next to her friend and wrapping her wing across Fluttershy’s back. “Now, I must return to Canterlot...” Celestia began, glancing at her pegasus carriage, seemingly hesitating for a moment, before turning towards Scruffy. She kept silent for a second, calculating. “...but it comes to mind that our friend hasn’t seen much of Equestria besides Ponyville. Would you care to come visit our capital, dear Scruffy?” she smiled, waving towards the distant city with a wing. “I could give you a tour, and I wouldst think a certain night blue alicorn would also enjoy seeing you.” Scruffy’s expression morphed to something between intrigued and dreadful as the words loomed in the air. He took several glances at the vehicle he would be riding on if he were to accept and the invitingly grinning pony. “...On that?” “Yes.” “It’s totally safe, y’know,” Dazzle piped up, seeing the hesitation. “Uhhuh,” Scruffy muttered. “It have one seat.” “That is quite alright,” Celestia rebutted. “I do not mind us sharing it.” Scruffy stared at the now positively mischievously smiling (at least to him) Princess, and he could hear quiet snickering coming from his trusted escort. He let out a huff. “It nice see moar place, and sity on mountain, very excitink,” Scruffy relented with a tiny smile tugging his lips. “Wonderful,” Celestia beamed. “Ah, if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to stay here,” Dazzle interjected. “It’s not like you would be needing me there anyway, and I could use that time to...uh, get used to the town,” she continued. “Very well,” Celestia acknowledged and led Scruffy to the carriage. When they came to it, the alicorn leaned down slightly. “So, do I sit on your lap or you mine?” she quietly asked, and Scruffy did not need to turn to look to see the beam on her face. He simply looked on unperturbed, to which Celestia rolled her eyes Celestia gracefully hopped on, sat down, and gently patted the space right next to her. Scruffy hesitantly climbed aboard and sat down next to the taller Princess, and even though he tried to pout very hard, Celestia still wrapped one wing around him and tugged him close. Once he was comfortably seated, Celestia turned towards Twilight. “You may release Discord when you are ready.” And with that, the carriage took off towards Canterlot.