//------------------------------// // May Chaotic Showers Bring About Beautiful Butterflies Part 3 // Story: The Wife of the Old Draconequus // by misskoifishpony //------------------------------// “Everything in life is unusual until you get accustomed to it.” L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz May Chaotic Showers Bring About Beautiful Butterflies Part 3 Before Fluttershy could tell Discord her name or even properly process that the monster from last night was standing before her, Discord offered his gloved hand to her and recited, “How do you do?” “Oh, um, h-how do you do,” She politely but hesitantly responded, lightly taking his hand into her locked grip. Discord then surprised her by jerking her chained hands towards him, which earned a deep hiss and snarl from Angel. But, Discord ignored this and placed the tip of his bone muzzle on top of Fluttershy’s left hand. She immediately blushed at this gesture because it made her think, “Is this... is this his way of kissing my hand?” The cold touch sent shivers up Fluttershy’s spine, which contrasted greatly with the heat that was forming in her cheeks. Meanwhile, Discord opened one of his eyes and spied upon Fluttershy’s current state. He couldn’t help but chuckle at such a blush. Before Fluttershy knew it, Discord lifted his muzzle away from the top of her hand, but all the while he still held onto her. This still did not ease down Fluttershy’s embarrassing blush. No man, or fae for that matter, had ever held her hand for this long. Not only did she have to process this, but she also had to deal with the fact that the person performing this gentlemanly gesture was the monster from the previous night. The merciless beast who didn’t hesitate to tear the other fae apart before her very own eyes. And yet, here he was, standing before her in a suit and giving her greeting one would expect from well-groomed noble, not a creature from her nightmares. Is he truly not as bad as he seems to be? Did she judge him too quickly? Was he trying to save her last night or was she his next prey? Fluttershy didn’t know what to think at this point. “Come along my dear,” He announced, “We mustn’t stay long! I can’t have the whole neighborhood thinking that I, the Great Chaotic Mage, can stay in one place for more than a day! Can’t be chaotic if you’re predictable after all now can you?” But, before Discord could lead her to who knows where, Fluttershy stopped him with a quick question, “W-Wait! Where we are going exactly?” “Why, to my humble abode, of course.” Then, Discord pointed to the idyllic cottage that captured Fluttershy’s attention moments earlier. “That’s your home?” She asked in an astonished tone. “I know! Completely and utterly dull, isn’t it? As much as I wanted to decorate this shabby shack my way, let’s just say for good reasons, I have to keep a low profile around here. You see, I have a business of sorts that I am required to run and well… to put it lightly, the humans around here wouldn’t exactly appreciate a castle that can float twenty feet off the ground. Pfft! Those plebeians.” “Actually, I wasn’t going to say that at all. I was going to say how… lovely it is.” “Wait until you see what’s on the inside,” said Discord, with an added playful wink at the end of his remark. “Um, t-thank you for inviting us to your home, but… “ “But what? Aren’t you two hungry? It’s already past noon and I have a feeling that naked mole-rat wasn’t too keen on giving you breakfast.” “Oh no, it’s alright. We’re not-” Just as Fluttershy was about to deflect Discord’s offer, her stomach rumbled loudly. This sudden sound, not only made Discord snicker but also caused Angel’s tiny tummy to grumble too. Both the bunny and the Sleigh Beggy covered their stomach’s away from Discord’s gaze and flushed with embarrassment, though Angel’s was more of an angry humiliation. Through a snicker, Discord remarked, “I do say! I believe your stomach just caught you in a lie, my dear! Haha!” Fighting through her mortification, Fluttershy had to point out, “L-Look, Mr. Discord-” “Just Discord, if you don’t mind. ‘Mr. Discord’ makes me sound so ancient and crippled, I’m so far from those particular adjectives.” “Okay then, Discord. Angel and I deeply appreciate you welcoming us into your home but… before we go anywhere with you… where are we?” “My home obviously, I thought we covered that. But, if you wish to be more precise, my home in Trottingham,” Discord replied in a happy but matter of fact tone. “T-T-Trottingham?!” “Congrats Dorothy, you’re no longer in Vanhoover anymore!” Discord teased her again with glee. It was just too easy to make her freak out. Like a flip of a dime. “But, h-how did we end up all the way in Trottingham of all places?!” Fluttershy continued to panic, beginning to pace back and forth in the fresh, tall grass. Meanwhile, Angel hopped alongside Fluttershy, trying his best to calm her down. “Well, magic obviously. Leapdon has one of the biggest black magic market hot spots in the world you know. So, it’s no surprise that a creature like Verko would set up shop there.” “Verko? Is that the name of the fae who… kidnapped… me? That, um, naked mole-rat man?” “Now, you’re catching on.” Fluttershy paused, taking the time to formulate all the questions she wanted to ask. But, she wanted to make sure that these questions came out as clearly as they could despite her panicking mind and her racing heart. However, despite this, they still came out in a flurry, “But,howdidyouknowthatwewerewithVerko? HowdidyouknowthatVerkowastakingustoTrottingham? Whydidyousaveus-?” Discord was able to stop the flurry of questions in an instant when he placed his pointer finger on her lips. “My my my! Aren’t you just a curious little thing? And much more chatty than I initially took you for. Well, if you want answers, my dear Fluttershy,” He leaned his head forward as he paused. Out of fear, she stood completely still. As much as she wanted to scurry away from his gaze and touch, her body was too afraid to move. She didn’t know what he would do if she did. Fluttershy was forced to stare deep into his red, glowing eyes. These eyes reminded her more of a horror-filled fae than an unusual gentleman that saved her from a lifetime of slavery. “Then come join me at my cottage for some lunch.” Like a chilly breeze, Discord smoothly left Fluttershy’s side and strolled towards his cottage, leaving Fluttershy in a state of perplexed puzzlement. With Discord gone, the poor girl was able to remember to breathe again and finally relaxed her previously terror-stricken body. Her hands immediately went to her chest, placing her palms over her rapidly beating heart. “How… how did he know my name?” As she brought her palms close to her chest, her ribcage was met with something hard. She pulled her hands away and saw her hair clip in her grasp. Looking down at the hair clip reminded Fluttershy of her home. Vanhoover, her aunt, her cousin, and how truly far away she was from what was familiar to her. However, any concern over simply being in a strange place was replaced by a sinking feeling that her aunt would be gravely furious with her. She could swear that she could hear the disappointed voice of her aunt, scolding her for allowing herself to be kidnapped, and how Fluttershy should feel lucky that something far worse didn’t occur. She’d then immediately bring up her madness, and perhaps decide to put her where she can truly never escape her judging gaze. Her right to go to college will probably be taken away and in its place, private home tutoring. Or worse, remove her independence altogether and place her in the care of multiple mental health professionals, possibly even resorting to being placed in a full psychiatric hospital. As for her cousin, Fluttershy could easily imagine Sunny Daze happily leaving her behind; giving her a cold shoulder before she leaves for college and likely never see her again. Despite all this, Fluttershy felt like she had to go back home. She couldn’t just leave everything behind. She couldn’t let Mrs. Cake worry about her or forget the only home she'd ever known. Most of all, however, she couldn’t just forget her family. Or rather, her mother’s family. Regardless of all the negatives in her life, she couldn’t erase the memory of her aunt taking her in after her mother passed. She knew that the only responsible and reasonable action to take would be to run as far from here as possible and hopefully find a phone. Her mind told her to follow her instinct and run away from this fae as she had always done in the past. After all, what’s so different about this Chaotic Mage anyway? “He saved me,” Fluttershy answered herself in her mind, “that’s what’s so different about him.” Fluttershy’s gut, her stupid gut, told her to give Discord a chance. As crazy as it sounded in her head, Fluttershy couldn’t help but give this strange fae-like man a chance. True, he may have saved for likely some kind of selfish and ominous purpose, but he still saved her life regardless. No fae had ever attempted to protect her before; they were simply content with attacking and terrorizing her. She at least owed him the benefit of the doubt in return. “Besides,” Fluttershy trying hard to find some justification for her decision, “I should, at least, stay long enough for lunch. It would be rude to refuse his offer… and I don’t think I’d get very far on an empty stomach.” Deep down, there was another reason as to why Fluttershy truly wanted to stay. She had to know why he saved her. What did he gain from rescuing her from the wolf-like fae from before and why did he save her from the life of servitude? “Come along, my dear,” Discord called out to her from the opened entrance of his cottage, ”I know you’re enjoying the fields, but don’t dawdle!” Seeing that his message was received he closed the door enough to where she couldn’t see inside, but there was still a visible enough opening, almost begging her to enter. With the wind blowing gracefully through her hair, Fluttershy let her gaze linger on the cottage door, her mind weighing and re-weighing her options again and again, before finally reaching a decision. She took a quiet, deep breath as she took another moment to indulge in the lovely, natural scents of the field. While doing so, she closed her eyes and let her ears focus on the sounds of birds tweeting all around her. Fluttershy simply let the peace of this moment wash over her, like a soft sprinkle of rain. When Fluttershy opened her eyes, they held great determination inside. She loosely pinned up her hair with her butterfly hair clip and boldly stomped towards the cottage. But, she was soon stopped by Angel. He immediately blocked her path and gave her a defiant look. “I know what you’re going to say, Angel,” She tried to explain to him, “but we can’t leave. At least, not yet. He saved us. Twice. The least we can do is join him for the afternoon and thank him. Besides, we need to find out why he did it.” Angel responded in a huff and crossed his little arms over his chest. He looked away from Fluttershy and kicked some of the small pebbles with his big feet. “Look on the bright side Angel.” Fluttershy tried to comfort him with a gentle smile, “At least he’s giving us some lunch. It would be rude of us to refuse such a friendly offer.” Angel blew air through his lips, finding her reasoning flimsy at best, but still before followed after his owner, heading towards Discord’s cottage. When they reached the door, Fluttershy noticed that it had a knocker on it. Specifically, it was a golden door knocker crafted in the likeliness of Discord’s skull, holding a golden ring in his jaws. While the door itself was still open, perhaps it was because she’d undergone strict etiquette lessons with her aunt for so many years that Fluttershy felt the need to clasp upon the knocker with her still bound hands and knock on the door. Like magic, the front door slowly but quietly opened on its own. A little unnerved by the display, she quickly steeled herself, ready to face what was inside. Or at least, she thought she was. Deep inside the home was, what Fluttershy could only describe being a twisted version of a dark labyrinth, and even that could only barely describe what she was looking at inside was a mix of swirled, melted, moving colors with harsh and precise lines, along with surreal yet abstract shapes. What was up was down and what was down was up. Wooden doors floated around aimlessly in this space, opening, and closing on their own without care, revealing the different rooms that this supposed cottage had. Stairs were leading everywhere yet nowhere. Holes were leading to multiple locations and scenes. The inside matter of this place was the pure embodiment of a Salvador Dali and JT Thompson painting combined. Colors, doors, and stairs were not the only things that floated aimlessly in this non-gravity space. Fluttershy also saw all kinds of small fae floating inside Discord’s cottage. There were a few that she had seen before, but most of them were entirely new to her, and that unnerved her somewhat. In the girl’s eyes, they were all bizarre and unsettling bear witness to. She felt herself take a step back towards the door, eyes remaining trained on these new fae. “Oh my goodness, oh my goodness,” She quickly whispered under her breath. There was, however, one fae that didn’t look terrifying or bizarre; but, actually cute. Laying in the middle of the room was a tiny, dusty red gecko looking fae with orange stripes on its back and tail. This little guy seemed to simply be chilling on the ground, uninterested in the world around it. However, when its beady black eyes caught a glimpse of Fluttershy, the fae chirped out in glee and tried with all his might to air paddle towards her. Fluttershy turned her gaze towards this creature when she heard it’s happy chirp. The once ever-present fear in her eyes was replaced with curiosity as she looked at the fae. She had never seen a fae she’d considered even approachable, never mind cute and it wasn’t something she thought was possible. Still, not only was it cute, but it also seemed rather friendly looking. Sadly, despite the strange reptilian fae’s best efforts, his legs couldn’t air paddle fast enough to beat the speed of the gravity-free air, carrying him further away from Fluttershy. In an instant, the magic inside the house made him disappear into a hole that suddenly opened on one of the walls, leaving the girl confused but also a little saddened that the strange creature’s efforts were all for nothing. Thankfully, her host was quick to remedy her concerns. “Ah, there you are Fluttershy!” said Discord in trollish delight, his head suddenly sticking out of another hole on the ceiling, “What took you so long? We were just about to start lunch without you.” “Um, we?” Right on cue, on the right wall closest to the front door, another hole magically opened. It was slightly bigger than the previous holes, yet despite this, something very small ran through it. From what Fluttershy could quickly see, it looked like a grey mouse...with nine heads. Adding further to its odd appearance, it was adorned with a royal cape and tiny golden crowns for each of its nine heads. In its mouths, the mouse was carrying a light pink silk belt twice the length of his entire body, yet it did little to hinder its surprising speed. When the mouse ran past Fluttershy and Angel, they then heard an echoing, mighty and demonic voice bellowed from the same hole he’d fled from. “ARGH! GET BACK HERE, YOU LITTLE THIEF!” Fluttershy shrieked and rapidly grabbed Angel into her embrace as she saw the angry figure stomp out of the void. The tiny rabbit immediately put his paws in a flimsy boxing stance, which was more adorable than intimidating. The figure, not struggling at all to exit the small portal, was an ember charred, semi human-looking woman. She had a mane of made of white, blue, and red fire that almost completely covered her neck and head. There was a huge irregularly curved, two-pronged, unicorn horn in the middle of her forehead and a black and white-tipped body. Her eyes glowed bright white, and she wore a light pink Xiǎo mǎ-sian kimono robe. The robe, shined brightly in the light of her terrifying flames, decorated with a pattern of flowers and male peacocks. She stood on furry, cloven hoof hind legs, and swinging behind her was a lion’s tail, tipped with a small ball of blue fire. To top it all off, she had large, pointed, pony ears. “WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I’M GONNA-!” The woman halted in her tracks when she saw Fluttershy blocking her path; the poor girl cowering behind her bunny’s head. Her eyes closed yet approaching the point of tears. “Ooooooh gosh, I am so sorry!” The woman apologized sincerely, in spite of her hellish appearance, attempted to offer the girl a hug were it not for her being on the cusp of having a panic attack… and the woman being on fire, of course. “Don’t be scared. I’m not usually this, well, temperamental. But, hehe, you know how those neighbors from the Mouse Kingdom are? Especially that Mouse King. Am I right?” “Autumn dear,” Discord reminded her, now crawling out of his magical hole in the ceiling with the body of a huge, black spider; yet, still keeping his usual skull head, “you’re still on fire. Literally.” “Oh shoot! Right! Excuse me for one sec. I’ll be right with ya.” Fluttershy, after hearing a slight hissing sound, reminiscent of a soda can being opened, cautiously peeked over Angel’s head and her jaw dropped when she saw that the woman she saw before had changed. She no longer had ember charred skin, but instead soft, olivish white skin. Instead of bright, glowing, white eyes, were instead glimmering golden eyes. Her horn was no longer black and white, but instead, dark red with small light red stripes on it. Trailing from the top of her forehead to the top of her nose was a strip of green scales. Instead of a mane consisting of fire, she had a soft, amber mane. “Ah, there! Look, see?” The woman nervously chuckled, “Hehe, no more scary, rampaging, flame-throwing kirin running around. Or is it qilin? I guess it depends on if you’re in Xiǎo mǎ or Ponī.” “I’m… I’m sorry, but you’re a what?” Fluttershy dared to asked, despite her still present fear in this strange yet progressively fascinating individual. “A kirin! Or a qilin!” The woman clarified happily, “Whatever suits you. Personally, I’m not too picky. Hey, you know what? How about you call me by my name instead? I think that’ll make things much easier for both of us.” Autumn, having managed to break the ice so to speak, moved to offer Fluttershy a friendly handshake only to notice that both of her hands were still on fire, the sight of which earned another shout from the Sleigh Beggy. Autumn casually yet quickly shook the fire off her hands and offered a quick sorry before taking Fluttershy’s chained palms with a smile. “The name’s Autumn! Autumn Blaze! At your service m’lady!” Autumn took great pleasure in emphasizing the word “m’ lady” at the end of her introduction, loving the way the word rolled off her tongue. “A pleasure, m-my name is F-Fluttershy.” Autumn gasped loudly before exclaiming, “You’re Fluttershy?!” Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief when Autumn rapidly released her grip on her. But this feeling of relief did not last, “You… you know who I am?” “Well, of course, I do!” Autumn confirmed happily, “Discord told me ALL about you.” “He did?! I-In what way?” “Oh just that, you know, you’re a Sleigh Beggy and that you’re going to be staying with us from now on.“ Before Fluttershy could respond, expressing her shock on the fact that Discord just assumed that she would stay with him before they have even discussed the matter, Autumn quickly interrupted with, “I know, I’m just as excited as you are!” “It’s not every day that you get the chance to welcome someone new, especially a Sleigh Beggy no less, into your home,” said Autumn, brimming with elation as she spoke, “Oh, don’t you just love how deep your voice gets when you say home? Oh, or when you make the ‘mhmm’ sound into the ending syllable of it? It makes it sound like you’re meditating don’t you think?” Then, she repeated the word again, but this time making her voice deeper and making the word lasting longer than it should, “Hoommmmmmmme.” “N-N-No! You don’t seem to understand,” Fluttershy stuttered in a fear-stricken tone, “You see, I can’t-” “Huh? What’s this?” Autumn questioned as she took Fluttershy’s chained hands into her own, looking down at them with concern, only growing at the sight of her equally chained legs. “Just a lovely souvenir from that charming Verko fellow.” Discord added, arriving alongside Autumn in his humanoid form, thankfully having decided to change from the spider from earlier. “Not to worry, I have something far more appropriate in mind.” With a quick flick, Discord’s index finger went towards the center of Fluttershy’s iron collar. As soon as he touched the metal, the collar magically burst into beautiful specks of purple light. Fluttershy’s and Angel’s eyes widened in awe of the beauty of this light as it brightened the darkness of the cottage. In mere moments, they witnessed the specks swirling and dancing around Fluttershy’s neck; slowly transforming the collar into a new form. This magical matter grew like ivy and vines around Fluttershy’s neck. When the new transformed object had found mass, it was a jade butterfly necklace, hanging on by simple but sweet ribbon. “Oh my,” said Fluttershy, softly taking the jaded jewel in the palm of her left hand. As she stared down at the lovely stone, Angel sniffed it, clearly suspicious of the rather generous gift, especially since it came from Discord. “Oh nice, jade! Good choice Discord,” Autumn complimented the mage, poking her elbow into his side harmlessly, “You’re in luck, Fluttershy. Literally! Jade is supposed to give you tons and tons of good luck. Especially jade conjured and blessed by a powerful mage. Boy, aren’t you glad that you came into our neck of the woods?” “Heh heh,” Fluttershy nervously chuckled, trying to muster the best smile that she could as she let go of the necklace, “Oh y-yes, I’m so glad that I’m, umm…” Immediately, she quickly changed the subject, “Thank you for the necklace. It’s lovely.” “Well then, come in, come in.” Autumn insisted, dragging Fluttershy into the cottage at last and making Angel squeak in protest, “Don’t be a stranger!” When Fluttershy stepped inside, she let out a surprised squeal when she could no longer feel the floor underneath her feet. However, she, unfortunately, decided to look down and saw that there was nothing but a pitch-black abyss below her. “A-Aha!” Fluttershy shouted in shock, jumping high before curling her legs and feet up to her chest. She clung onto to Angel for dear life. She could have sworn that was a floor just a second ago. I mean, she had just seen Discord and Autumn walking around here as if there was some kind of flooring to this mad place and even now they were still standing perfectly in place like nothing had changed. “Oh oops,” Autumn apologized, scratching the back of her neck nervously, “Sorry about that. I forgot about the whole zero gravity thing. My bad. But trust me when I say you’ll get used to it real quick, believe me. Heck, pretty soon you’ll probably think it’s one of the coolest things in the world.” “But until then,” Autumn offered her hand to Fluttershy, “Here, let me help you out.” Fluttershy looked into Autumn’s warm golden eyes and soft smile before hesitantly looking down at her hand. More than anything, her body told her to try to run away from this place and this strange woman altogether, along with the mage as well. Yet, despite her frightening behavior, Autumn had been nothing but kind to her. And for whatever reason, Fluttershy felt she could trust her. Thus, even though she was a creature of fae, Fluttershy placed her shaking and sweat-soaked hand into Autumn’s soft-grip, who gently pulled her down closer to eye level before moving forward. With each step, they floated gracefully and slowly down into the depths of this insane homestead. Discord all the while was simply floating along as if riding a calm summer breeze. “Oh, by the way, you’ve gotta tell me what it’s like being a Sleigh Beggy,” Autumn remarked with eager curiosity to Fluttershy, “I mean, sure we could just walk in silence but that’s just sooo boring and there’s so much I wanna talk with you about. I want all the details, tangents, and all the charming anecdotes that come with it.” The poor girl found herself unprepared for the massive flood of words and questions spilling out of Autumn’s mouth. It was only after a strange ticking sound was heard that the gleeful interrogation ceased. The group came upon an antique, chocolate brown, grandfather clock floating into their path. Fluttershy could hear the old clock’s ticking and swinging pendulum echo within the vast and limitless space they were in. The door to the grandfather clock opened; leading to a void just as dark and empty as the inside of the cottage itself. Angel growled in Fluttershy’s arms, while the teenage girl herself pulled away slightly in Autumn’s grip. “Hey now, there’s no need for that. Sure it’s dark, creepy, and so oppressively quiet you want to run in any other direction, but… huh. Where was I even going with that? Anyway… let’s hop on in!” Autumn gave the duo a shove towards the grandfather clock. Fluttershy shut her eyes as they entered into the darkness, wondering to herself just how many scary portals she had to go through blindly in one day today. When she opened her eyes, Fluttershy found herself in the most unique yet splendid looking tea parlor she’d ever seen. Far more beautiful than her aunt’s tea parlor or any she’d visited thanks to her aunt’s social inner circle. The room was rounded but spacious, made up entirely of moss, vines, ivy, plants, and all kinds of shrubbery. It was like being in a bright, secret garden cove. There were windows all around, leaving no corner in the room without sunlight. Everything was warm, green, and inviting. It felt like being in a mystical greenhouse, but without the humidity. And, as if to further add to its beauty, Fluttershy could see through the windows, allowing the lovely countryside to be visible to all within the room. Strangely enough, none of the furniture was floating like in the main lobby. In fact, neither Fluttershy, Angel, Autumn, nor Discord weren’t even defying gravity in this space either. Of course, Fluttershy was more than happy with this change, almost immediately relaxing and letting out a calming breath for the first time since she arrived. The lamps in the room were softly glowing by several giant mushrooms. There were at least five tea tables that decorated the room, and each table was made of colorful pansies. Curiously, the chairs at each table didn’t look like chairs. It’d be more accurate to say they were huge mounds of soft moss one could practically sink into. In the center of the room, there was a slightly larger tea table with a soft, moss mound chair and a chaotically patterned couch placed nearby. As she’d quickly come to expect, even the shape of the couch was like physical anarchy, reminding Fluttershy of the floating blobs one would find in a lava lamp. Oddly enough, despite all the strange decor, the only thing that bothered her about the room was the new fae currently flying around. These fae appeared to be bug-like in nature, but it was hard to believe that they were because they were certainly larger than any bug. They were about the size of a puppy, and luckily, they had two pairs of wings to hold them up. Their green, circular eyes almost took up half of their round bodies. If she were being honest, she's dare to even say they looked cute, but how could this be? These fae came in a ray of pastel colors, making the green and serene room all the more colorful. Fluttershy still couldn’t find herself able to let down her guard around them… even if they were quite possibly some of the most adorable things she’d laid her eyes on. “Oh, don’t mind them,” Autumn remarked, “Those are just the Parasprites. Or, as I like to affectionately call them, my little gremlins.” When one of the Parapsrites floated above Autumn’s head, she whistled and cooed out to it, “Come here, my little Grem-grem! Come on!” With a big smile on its face and a happy little “brree!”, the Parasprite fluttered towards Autumn. The little fae set its sights on Autumn’s mane and snuggled into it with a purr. Autumn smiled warmly down at the Parasprite and pet the top of its round head lightly with the tip of her finger. “These guys are nothing but sweethearts.” Then, her tone took on a whole new and serious tone. Her eyes grew wide and directed straight to Fluttershy, her cheerful smile was no more, and her voice went deep, “But! Do not feed them! I repeat: Do. Not. Feed. Them. Ever. Got it?” Fluttershy gulped before answering in a quiet squeak, “Got it.” Soon enough, Autumn’s usual, upbeat smile returned and her friendly tone followed after, “Well, I’ll leave you two be for now. Don’t have too much fun without me, you two rascals!” “W-Wait?! You’re leaving? I thought you were having lunch with us.” “Wish I could, but can’t. A maid’s work is never done when it comes to this cottage. There’s soooo much to do! I have to chase the dust bunnies back to their hidey holes underneath the furniture, dirty the dishes, place maple syrup on the ceiling. You know how that goes.” “Uh…?” “Oh, by the way, Fluttershy, could you do me a big favor and let me know how the tea cakes taste. I made them all myself.” “You did? Oh, that’s awfully considerate of you to do that.” “Are you kidding? How could I not?!” Autumn exclaimed with a spring in her step, “Do you know how often we get guests?” “How m?-” “Never, zero, zip! Absolutely nobody. Well, okay, I guess I shouldn't say nobody. Father Sunburst comes by of course!” “More like a forced yet required nuisance than an actual guest,” Discord grumbled under his breath as he hovered quietly over the two. “Oh, I can’t wait until after lunch,” Autumn continued without missing a beat, “The anticipation of each tea cake’s distinct and intrinsic flavor descriptions is almost too good to wait for! Don’t be afraid to embody the role of a storyteller when illustrating-” “Thank you, Autumn,” Discord stopped the chatty kirin before she could babble on and on into the afternoon, “Fluttershy will make sure to give you all the dirty little details on desert later, alright?” “Perfect cause I’ll hold you to it!” Autumn pointed at Fluttershy and winked before leaving the two alone in the parlor, causing Discord to let out a sigh of relief. When she turned her gaze away from the grandfather clock, Fluttershy then noticed Discord pulling out a soft moss mound chair from the main table at the center of the room. He turned his skull head towards her and captured her attention. “Is he… is he pulling out a chair for me?” She pondered. When she began slowly crossing over to Discord, her feet were rewarded by the soft sensation of fresh clover patches between her toes. Fluttershy immediately stopped, smiling gently to herself and took a moment to enjoy the clover patch’s texture. However, this smile was brief when she opened her eyes and remembered who she had to share this space with: Discord and the floating Parasprites. Fluttershy kept her arms close to her chest and made herself look small as she carefully walked towards the main tea table in the center of the room while Angel cautiously circled her like a protective sheepdog. With each step, she took Fluttershy purposely dodged the Parasprites. Thankfully, most of them paid no mind to Fluttershy and Angel. However, there were one or two from the flock that did see Fluttershy and rather harmlessly floated towards her, seeking some form of love and attention. Sadly all they received was a startled shout as Fluttershy waved her arms around and wiggled about to get the Parasprites off her, who moaned sadly at her act of rejection. Meanwhile, Discord was still surprisingly patient with Fluttershy and waited by the chair he pulled out from her, his glowing red gaze still focused keenly on the Sleigh Beggy. Fluttershy looked up into Discord’s stare, trying to read the emotion behind his eyes since they were the only indicator of what truly went on inside the skull head of his. Yet, no matter how deeply she peered she couldn’t find anything, be it some form of emotion or anything that would make this mage untrustworthy or suspicious. He was just, well, odd and unreadable. Feeling a slight sense of ease, Fluttershy took the offered chair and sank into its mushy fabric, actually sinking to where she needed Angel’s help to make sure she didn’t completely sink in. When Discord finally sat down on the couch, he lifted his left hand up high and snapped his fingers. This caused the table itself to react to the sound by suddenly sprouting out unusually large daffodils on its surface. When the large flowers opened and bloomed, they revealed buttercups shaped like teacups, already filled with a brown liquid inside them. More impressively, the cups even came with their own organic tea plates; serving as another petal to the flower. Hesitantly, Fluttershy followed her host’s lead as he casually plucked the teacup from its stem. When she wrapped her fingers around the handle, she was taken aback by the warmth emitted from the cup. “There’s really tea inside these flowers,” She thought, completely awestruck. As she carefully lifting the cup to her lips, she was surprised to find how delicious the tea was. It tasted just like a flower, with just a hint of honey to it. However, despite its simple flavor, it was fresh, clean, and wonderful. As Discord threw the entire teacup into his mouth, the light yet large yellow roses on the table opened and bloomed, revealing a large tea cake platter in the center. The tea cakes in question came in a variety of shapes and sizes, each decorated differently, creating a rather colorful and appetizing display. Picking one up, Fluttershy could tell that Autumn either dedicated a lot of time and care into each of tea cakes or knew an especially effective baking spell. Regardless it was an impressive display. However, amongst the spread of delightful pastries, there was one tea cake that for some reason, caught her eye. It was a round cake, decorated to look like the cute face of a panda, that Fluttershy couldn’t help by smile at. She reached for it and placed it on her flowery plate, along with a variety of other pastries. Discord meanwhile, left his plate empty, waiting for one large flower to bloom, revealing a big, bright blue, Bachelor Button. In the center of the wildflower was a wide platter filled with tea sandwich crusts. All perfectly square-shaped and freshly cut. Discord grabbed a handful of these crusts, placed them on his flowery plate, and began to happily snack away. “Are those...sandwich crusts?” Fluttershy pondered to herself, cocking her head to the side as she observed the tall gentleman gleefully devouring the plain bready remains. Before Fluttershy could wonder more about Discord’s unusual taste in snacks, another large bachelor button bloomed on the table, revealing a platter of cucumber sandwiches that were cut into a variety of different shapes, all without crusts. Fluttershy quickly grabbed one butterfly-shaped sandwich, along with a star-shaped one. They continued to fill their plates with food as more flowers bloomed all across the table, offering platters of all types of food, so much so that Fluttershy could hardly believe it. There were scones, tarts, cakes, biscuits, pies, custards, and all sorts of pastries native to Trottingham. Fluttershy tried to offer some of these treats to Angel, but the stubborn bunny refused. He continued to lay close to Fluttershy’s mossy chair, and nibble on the clover patches that covered the floor. However, even as he munched away, his eyes continued to pay a suspicious glance towards Discord. Everything on her plate looked so appetizing that she almost couldn’t decide what to eat first. Well, almost. Fluttershy picked up the panda tea cake and bit into it. She didn’t expect the little dessert to have a cherry filling to it, along with the light accompanying taste of flora. To Fluttershy, if a cherry blossom had a taste to go with its scent, then this would be it. The taste was so wondrous that she unconsciously let out a quiet yet satisfied moan as she chewed. Then, she moved onto the cucumber sandwiches. When she took her first bite, she couldn’t believe how fresh, flavorful, and simple homemade it tasted. Fluttershy didn’t think she could find something that could top the unexpected yet sweet flavor of these adorable pastries. As Fluttershy continued to indulge herself in the many delightful foods before her, she failed to notice Discord eyeing her carefully after every bite. His gaze widened with interest when he saw the smile appear immediately after swallowing the first bite of her sandwich. After Fluttershy finished one of the sandwiches on her plate, her eyes wandered back to the table filled to the brim with more food and drink than one can ever imagine. Yet, once again seeing the bounty of this meal left her curious about something. “He’s going through a lot of trouble just to welcome me into his home. But… why?” “A crust for your thoughts?” said Discord, abruptly interrupting Fluttershy's train of thought. She shifted her gaze to Discord and saw him leaning forward towards her; offering her a sandwich crust. “Uh,” Fluttershy uttered aloud without really thinking, feeling a little confused by Discord’s offer, “don’t you mean ‘a penny for your thoughts’?” “I would if I had a penny on me. But, who carries cash on them nowadays?” Discord retracted the crust away from Fluttershy and popped it into his mouth. However, between its flight to Discord’s mouth, the crust transformed into a shiny penny. Without a second thought, Discord joyously opened his massive maw wide and swallowed the coin in one gulp, leaving Angel stunned and Fluttershy mildly confused, as well as frightened at being reminded of the mage’s rather large assortment of pointed teeth. Forgoing her moment of fear, and now reasonably fed, Fluttershy quietly cleaned her mouth of crumbs before preparing to speak. “W-Well, since you asked… I was wondering if you… if you could that is… I uh… ” “Ah yes, those pesky questions of yours from earlier! I remember! How could I forget? Ha ha!” Discord reached over and picked another full, floral tea cup. However, unlike before, he began sipping out of it like a true gentlemen, taking short sips to fully appreciate the rich flavor of the tea with nary a sound. His gaze quickly turned its attention to Fluttershy, still shocked at the almost instantaneous change of character. “Before we begin, I believe I should put something that’s clearly been on your mind to rest. You see, unlike most fae you may know, I am in no need of a ‘tasty’ Sleigh Beggy to eat.” Fluttershy reached for her mouth nervously to prevent a scream before gulping it down at Discord’s mere mention of possibly devouring her. Hearing her obvious distress, Discord couldn’t help himself and added a quick joke and a quick wink. “I’m strictly vegetarian now. Although, on my cheat days, I often go for some a bit more gamey just to give myself some variety.” Fluttershy responded to Discord’s joke with nervous silence. She instantly clenched on the hem of her dress, as a nervous sweat began to form across her brow. The poor girl looked about ready to cry a literal river. “But, more importantly,” Discord changed the subject, “I am in no need of a fragile gem to polish and praise over for the rest of my days. No no, I have a better, well let’s call it, business proposition in mind. Of course, you and I will both be receiving benefits from this arrangement, not just me.” The mage placed his tea cup on his petal plate and directed his sights fully on Fluttershy. He positioned his fingers to create a square with his hands, and he set this square on Fluttershy. In a car salesman like voice, Discord pitched his plan. “Picture it Fluttershy: You as my apprentice.” Angel immediately stopped gazing on the clover patched floor and popped his head up in order gawk at Discord. Fluttershy’s eyes immediately widened, in a state where she was so shocked that she didn’t think she actually heard about the crazy mage said. “ P-Pardon?” “As a mage of my age, it’s high time that I acquire an apprentice of my own.” He expanded upon casually, clasping his hands together on his lap, “A student if you will. Someone that I can pass down all my glorious, chaotic wisdom to. Someone I can teach all the magic know-how that I happen to know.” “But why me? I’m not a mage. Certainly not a mage like you.” “Yet, my dear, emphasis on the yet. Trust me, once our training is through, you’ll be as great of a mage as I am... well, almost. Let’s face it, who in this world can match my kind of talent?” Discord said, puffing out his chest with pride as he ended his statement with a wink. But, this wink and statement didn’t ease any of Fluttershy’s worries or concerns. “I… I still don’t understand. I mean, I’ve never even performed a spell before.” “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. Believe it or not, you are actually using magic now without even realizing it.” “I am?” “My dear Fluttershy, the mere act of seeing the fae requires a great deal of magic. The fact you can do it so effortlessly is impressive enough. However, for a Child of Glass-like yourself, the use of such magic is like a lake spilling a drop of water.” With a snap of his fingers and no warning, Discord suddenly sent a watery tsunami to flood the room. Luckily, he, Fluttershy and Angel avoided the flood as all the furniture in the room floated above the water. Meanwhile, the Parasprites chirped and panicked as they fluttered towards the closed windows. Fluttershy clung for life to her chair while Angel jumped quickly into her lap, watching on as all the food and tea fell into the water. Meanwhile, Discord simply sat on the couch as if there was nothing wrong. “Added to the fact that you have never performed any other proper spell in your lifetime,” He continued to explain with ease, “or even used the assistance of the fae to transmit the simplest of tricks, your magical potential is almost completely untapped. Absolutely filled to the brim with potential. And with that potential is the ability to become a truly powerful mage. Much better than most modern, upcoming mages, I assure you.” Discord pulled down on his blue antler as if he was pulling down on a lever. The seemingly pointless gesture caused the room to quickly drain out the water, returning all the furniture and individuals back to the floor. Naturally, everything was completely drenched, with Fluttershy and Angel still clinging to the chair and each other in fear of another possible flood barreling in the room. The Parasprites were still trying to open the windows by banging themselves against the glass, while soggy pastries decorated the once clean grassy ground. Fluttershy looked back at Discord in disbelief. There he was, sitting on the couch sipping tea as if the magical indoor tsunami was just a natural occurrence. Fluttershy could tell that Discord was politely waiting for her reply, which she had quickly formed in her head. “But I don’t… I don’t want to be a powerful mage. All I ever wanted to be was a normal girl. I just… I just wanted to be like everyone else.” Despite how earnestly she spoke, Discord didn’t seem the least bit convinced. “Wooow. That had to be the most depressing, mundane thing I have ever heard. My dear, you really need to learn to perk up.” “But, what’s wrong for wanting to be-?” Fluttershy and Angel flinched when Discord snapped his fingers again. However, instead of unexpected, horrifying chaos, Discord simply made the windows open on their own. Thus, releasing the Parasprites, allowing them to fly out. Discord scratched his boney chin and tried clarifying aloud, “Hmmm. Let’s try to think of this apprenticeship in another way: The more you know about your enemy, the better you can combat it. Consider this, if you truly want to live this ugh, ‘normal’ life of yours, you’ll need to figure out a way to handle the fae that are naturally attracted to you. For better or worse, they stick like glue onto you. There’s no avoiding it. In my opinion, the only way to combat this issue is to defend yourself with magic, your own magic and learn as much about the world of fae as possible. Right now, you have neither of these things. Lucky for you though, I do.” “Oh my,” Fluttershy suddenly realized the validity of what he was saying. “I didn’t think about that. Once I get back home, the same troubles I had before will be there waiting for me. And… things will only get worse once I leave college and start living on my own. That is if Aunt Cinch even thinks that I can be out in the world on my own. But still, he is right. What happened with the pack and Verko will only happen again. But… how in the world am I going to explain this to Aunt Cinch, or Cousin Sunny, or even Mrs. Cake?” “I see that you’ll need some time to think over my proposal,” Discord lifted himself off the couch and walked towards Fluttershy, which earned an automatic hiss from Angel. “In that case, why don’t you stay here for the night and sleep on the matter?” As Discord pulled out Fluttershy’s moss chair out, allowing her and Angel to properly leave the table, Fluttershy commented with concern, “Oh no, Angel and I wouldn’t want to impose.” “Oh please! You two would barely take up any space in a house like this, believe me.” Discord quickly called out before Fluttershy had a chance, “Autumn?” “Yeah, Discord?” Fluttershy jumped when she suddenly heard Autumn right behind her. Turning rapidly, she was shocked to see the kirin standing behind her with a big grin on her face and her tail was wagging like a happy and loyal labrador retriever. “Could you kindly show Ms. Fluttershy and Ole Hissyface here to their room?” “Sure thing big guy,” Autumn accepted with a friendly salute and a wink in her eye. Then, she offered her hand to Fluttershy, “Interested in taking part in Autumn’s all exclusive house tour?” “Oh umm…” Fluttershy looked down at Autumn’s hand for a moment before hesitantly accepting it with a wry smile, “Sure.” “Great!” Autumn responded, giving Fluttershy’s hand a good, strong grip and pull, almost carrying the girl with her as they moved to exit the room. While dragging Fluttershy eagerly to the grandfather clock they’d previously traveled through, Autumn excitedly brought up, “Soooo, how did the tea cakes go? You promised me details.” While Autumn continued on without giving Fluttershy time to answer, Fluttershy let her eyes wander back to the mage behind her. This automatically got Discord’s attention and his gaze was solely on her. As she approached the clock, Discord watched her closely. He watched Autumn’s movements closely too; but mostly, his focus was squarely on Fluttershy. The trollish glint in his eyes before was long gone and now spoke of a very observant but still cocky man. Or rather, fae. Or perhaps, even both. Either way, Fluttershy didn’t know what to make of such an expression. However, several questions still lingered in her mind, “How did he know that I was in danger? How did he know my name? Why didn’t he just take me away before Verko and his men could?” She hugged Angel tightly in response to her new found unease with Discord. Yet, for the moment all she could do was force herself to pull her attention away from him and walked through the clock with Autumn, leaving the mage alone. “Alrighty! Here we are! Your new room. So whadda think?” announced Autumn as she opened the door and revealed the bedroom to the new cottage guests. Fluttershy was amazed to find that her room was completely and utterly... well, normal looking. It was bare bones yes, but still, an otherwise normal looking cottage bedroom. Due to the lack of decorations and color in the room, the bedroom looked more spacious than it actually was. The only pieces of furniture that occupied the space were some wooden drawers, a wardrobe, desk, bed, nightstand, and a tall standing mirror. The wooden walls of the bedroom were bare with equally barren floors underneath their feet with no rugs on it. Overall the room had a prominent earth tone to it, with plaid curtains that hung by the windows. The only splash of color that stood out in the room were the pure white sheets and pillows on her bed, along with the small but cushioned, pink and green pet bed for Angel at the foot of her bed. In truth, the only thing that made this room stand out slightly from most cottage bedrooms was the fact it had wide and tall windows, which served to bring in all the countryside sunlight in. The view from one of the windows overlooked both the flower garden and the accompanying vegetable garden, while the second window revealed the view of the front yard and the gravel road. Fluttershy released her grip on Angel, so that they could both explore and examine the room in their own way. She cocked her head to the side when she noticed ten clay, empty garden pots on her desk. But, there was one pot that wasn’t empty, but in fact contained her pink orchid from her room back home. “My... my orchid.” Fluttershy uttered in disbelief as she went up towards the potted plant. Picking it up, she brought it close to her face it in order to truly see if it was her orchid from back home. Sure enough, it was. Same black, shiny but small garden pot and everything. “Oh, I was wondering where Discord found this orchid from.” Autumn mused, as she strolled towards Fluttershy in order to get a better look at the orchid. “Wait, Discord brought here? But, how did he… ?” Fluttershy asked aloud. She wasn’t really asking Autumn, but rather herself as more and more mysteries about the Chaotic Mage twisted and turned inside her head. “He must have brought it from home for ya. You know, in order to make you feel comfortable here.” “I... I suppose so.” Fluttershy answered, almost in a defeated tone as she placed the orchid back on the desk. “What kind of orchid is it anyway? I’ve never seen anything like it.” “Really? It’s just your standard Cymbidium Orchid. Or at least, that’s what the, um, kind old woman who gave it to me said.” “Sounds like she didn’t know what she had cause I've never seen a Cymbidium Orchid like this. Or any orchid that compares to this one for that matter. Believe me, us Kirin know our orchids. They grow out naturally all the time where we live. What kind of shop sells you this kind of beauty at standard, commercial rate?” “It wasn’t a shop, just a greenhouse owned by a kind elderly woman.” Autumn found herself perplexed as she took another glance at the orchid while Fluttershy walked away from the desk. “Well, while I look into the mysteries surrounding your orchid, I’ll make sure to mention again to Discord that we should have put more decorations in your new room. Let’s face it, you need more than just an orchid to brighten up this place.” This instantly made Fluttershy very curious, “Again?” “I tried asking him the first time why he made this room so plain, but he kept saying that this room was plain for reason.” Autumn immediately paused for a moment before she was seemingly hit with a realization. “Oh wait, I know why! You must be an excellent little decorator! I knew it! I knew that there was another creative soul in our midst.” “W-Well, I,” Fluttershy nervously stuttered, proceeding to look down at her fingers and hesitantly played with her fingers, “I’m... I’m not so sure about that to be honest. You see, I’ve never actually decorated a room before.” “Oh, that’s okay,” Autumn encouraged yet comforted her, “That just means that this your chance to find out for sure! I still believe that you’re a fellow creative soul.” “Thank you Autumn, that was very kind of you to say. But, I don’t know about that.” Then, Fluttershy began to nervously play with her fingers again and blush as a new thought blossomed in her mind, “Um, Autumn? Do you, any chance, know where the bathroom might be? I didn’t see one in the, um, ‘hall’.” “Oh, sure thing, let me show you!” Autumn walked over to the wooden wardrobe and opened the left door. When she opened it, Fluttershy was startled to find that there was an entire bathroom laying just beyond the modest looking closet. But not just an ordinary looking bathroom, but one that would be found in the top level suite room of a fancy hotel. The room itself was entirely made of grey and white marble, with black and gold accents everywhere. A sleek, rounded tub made for one, one sink accompanied by a wide, horizontal mirror, fresh fluffy towels, and it even came with an all glass shower. “But, wait,” Autumn commented in an eager tone, “there’s more. Look.” When Autumn opened the right door, there revealed something that should belong in a cabinet: a row of new clothes hanging amongst a row of hangers. “Ta-Da!” Autumn proclaimed with cheer, “It’s a walk-in bathroom and a closet! What do you think? Pretty neat, huh?” “I... I’ve never seen anything like it,” Fluttershy stated in awe, slowly moving closer to lightly hold the frames of the tall wardrobe. Angel, on the other hand, slowly hopped towards the room and sniffed the air surrounding it. “Is there anything else that you need help with?” “To be honest, I’m a little nervous about when it comes to leaving this room. I’m not sure that I’ll be able to navigate this house in the way that you and Discord do.” Autumn playfully bonked her own head at a moment of realization. “I knew I was forgetting something! Hang on a sec.” Autumn closed her eyes, and using her magic, she made the stripes on her horn glow light blue. Fluttershy gasped as she saw her jade pendant float away from her body slightly and glow in the same light blue hue. After hovering for a second or so, the glow disappeared from the jade and float back to Fluttershy’s chest. Limp and lifeless once more. “There, that should do the trick,” Autumn remarked, opening her bright, golden eyes, “just tell the pendant where you want to go in the house and it should light the path for you. It won’t help you with the gravity thing unfortunately, but should help you not get lost in this place.” “That’s okay Autumn, this will still help out a lot. Thank you.” “No, thank you!” Fluttershy turned to the Kirin with a look of befuddlement. “For... for what?” “For coming of course! It’s so great to have a new member to our rough and tumble family.” Fluttershy’s eyes widened and she sputtered, “F-Family?” “Anywho, just holler if you need anything, okay? I’ll be listening for ya. Or even if you just need to talk and gossip, I’ll be listening for ya too. I’m all ears with it comes to that. But seriously, don’t hesitate to call. Okay? ” And with that last remark, Autumn left Fluttershy and Angel with a gentle grin. Once Autumn was no longer in the room, Fluttershy let out an exhausted sigh and let her hands lazily grasp on the frame of the cabinet. She lifted her head sluggishly and stared deep into the depths of the modern yet exquisite bathroom. The clean, glistening marble that sparkled within it made her realize how long it must have been since she had last bathed. Suddenly, her skin felt sticky and covered with old sweat. She caught a whiff of oily hair as strands of it slowly slid down her face, only to scrunch her nose as the scent crept into her nose. “Goodness, I need a bath,” She uttered aloud in a tired tone. Fluttershy let a relaxed sigh escape through her lips as she stepped out of the bathroom side of the magical cabinet and back into her room. With her hair flowing behind her freely, she softly muttered aloud, “Ah, much better. I really needed that.” The teenage girl couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating restroom. A large spacious bathtub that had jets to massage her back, scented candles lit and spread out in every corner of the room, soft fragrant soaps and shampoos, all with a slightly warmer than room temperature atmosphere. Fluttershy felt utterly spoiled by the whole experience and almost forgotten where she was. She was able to properly scrub clean and dry her hair, her butterfly hair clip secured in her left hand. She was about to put her hair clip in when she saw Angel patiently waiting for her with a smile. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy apologized to Angel, lowering herself slightly towards his eye level, “did I keep you waiting?” Before Angel could shake his head to respond, his eyes suddenly widened and he immediately let out a series of squeaks to explain the new surprise that had just developed. “Huh? New clothes? What do you mean An-?” Fluttershy answered, before she caught a glimpse of herself in the tall standing mirror placed beside the cabinet. She stopped herself and took in the reflection of her, now dressed in her new clothes. Instead of the white, collared shirt dress that she thought she put on after her bath, she wore a multi-piece ensemble. A white collared shirt with a light pink cashmere sweater vest over it; a brown skirt that went to her knees; a long, hunter green heavy wool jacket with a hood; tall, brown, hunter boots that went to her knees; and of course, the new jade butterfly necklace that Discord gave her. “But, I thought I put back on-”, Fluttershy brought her eyes back to the cabinet. She sighed and cupped her forehead with her right hand. Kicking off her new boots, she dragged her tired feet towards her new bed, “Discord was right Angel, I really need to sleep on this.” “This is... this is all too much.” Fluttershy reflected to herself in her mind, as her body soon collapsed upon the bed. Angel followed after, and let out a cute yawn as he curled himself inside his new bed. Fluttershy’s body was soon relaxed into the comfy cushions of her bed, she released her grip on her hair clip. Her hair clip rolled slightly away from Fluttershy and disappeared into the covers of the bed. Despite it just being the afternoon, to Fluttershy and Angel, it almost felt like nighttime, making it easy for the two to silently drift to sleep. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to those in the chaotic cottage, pairs upon pairs of glowing eyes watched the cottage from the nearby forest.