//------------------------------// // Strange Magic // Story: The Diary of Discord Wimp // by ThePianoMan //------------------------------// “...a wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.” -Reba The sun was ‘a shining bright and high this day. Discord beat his alarm clock which was a few minutes away from going off before Discord flipped the switch off. His bed was made and free of wrinkles, and his new second hand desk was organized with a mug of pens and curly pencils. On the desk was his week’s homework was finished and organized within a few manilla folders laid out next to the tape recorder Discord received from Pathfinder. The recorder was also equipped with a radio, which was now tuned to GME where the host was playing this weekend’s top forty hits. Discord finished organizing a shelf above his desk where he’d gathered a small collection of cassettes and comic books. He’d separated his collection of Flash Magnus comics from the rest as he now had his own full set of that particular run. On the wall adjacent to the shelf was a Flash Magnus poster that was creased in sections where it had once been folded up into the back of a comic book. Discord looked over all his possessions that had accumulated. He smiled at the thought of it all. It was beginning to really feel like home. There is a power unwritten and untold in the walls we inhabit. As we leave our mark and build our environments, we become comfortable. We feel attached and grounded. The feeling of belonging comes to mind. Possessions have special powers at their disposal as they create roots for the soul. Mere toys and books can become anchors for the spirit of our spaces we inhabit. Rooms become ours, beds become safety, and covered walls instill security. A knock at the door prompted Discord to turn the tape recorder’s volume down. “Yes, mom” With all that could be said about possessions, they make spaces ours, but they’re not what makes it home. That’s something else entirely. Redheart’s voice spilled through the door ajar. “Can I come in?” “Of course.” Discord pulled the door open the rest of the way. “What’s up?” “Just checking in.” Redheart tread lightly into her son’s room to look around. This was a recurring happening that Discord was familiar with. Every time they had ever moved, or any time there was a big change in their lives, his adoptive mother surveyed his dwelling. It was a time of memory forging. Discord knew she mentally documented his life as he had grown. “How was work last night?” “Oh, nothing exciting really.” Redheart smiled at the poster of Flash Magnus. “How’s school going? Are your friends still coming over?” “School’s gotten better. And, Spike and Twilight should be here eventually.” Discord sat on his bed and watched Redheart’s visual documentation. Something was up. “Mom? Are you okay?” “I don’t know, it’s just.” Redheart smiled at a picture of her and Discord on his desk. “It seems like only yesterday that you came into my life.” Discord was already off his bed with his arms wrapped around his mother. “I love you, mom. Thank you.” Redheart sniffled a little and wiped her eyes. “I love you too son. Even if after you’re all grown up, you’ll still be my baby boy.” Discord smiled. “And, no matter how tall I get, I’ll still lean over so you can reach my face to smack it.” The two laughed for a moment. Redheart jokingly brushed a hoof across her son’s face. “That’s right. Now, how about some breakfast?” ***** Spike waved to Discord as Redheart closed the door behind him. “Hey buddy!” Discord smiled at the red and green bicycles Spike and Twilight held up. “Where did you get these?” “My neighbor’s kid moved out and left these behind. He said I could have them.” Spike handed off the slightly bigger bike to Discord. “You can have this one.” Discord mounted the larger red bike and tested the handle breaks. “Sweet! What about Twilight?” “I’m not that coordinated on a bike.” Twilight sighed. “So, I’m riding on the back of Spike’s bike.” She seemed a little irritated, but more so in a teasing manner. Spike snickered. “Hey, you were the one that turned down my offer to pull you along in a wagon.” “That thing is for children.” Twilight straightened her glasses. “Anyway, the back of your seat is better than the handlebars.” “Aw, it’s okay,” Spike joked, “I’ll get you a bigger booster seat next time.” Twilight tried no to laugh. “Spike! Come on, let’s get going!” Spike rolled his eyes. “Alright, your highness. Hop on.” Discord pulled off an elastic cord from his bike’s rear rack and used it to affix his tape recorder to the handlebars. “Look at that. Got my own stereo!” He popped open the tape recorder and dropped in a cassette. Following Spike as he took off, Discord hit play and sang along to the opening song as he caught up to his friends. Spike laughed at Discord. “Dude, that’s some old music. We need to get you some real music.” “What?” Discord dodged a lamp post and a garbage can as they turned onto Everfree Avenue. The road was wider with dirt paths instead of sidewalks and far less traveled on. One or two farm carriages passed along here, but the average auto car was far and few between on this road. “It’s not even that old.” “I dunno.” Spike got some flight time as he hopped his bike off a small dirt ramp. His wings helped him stabilize his motions as he rode on. “I don’t even think my grandma is as old as your music.” “Ha. Ha.” Discord gave his best fake laugh. “Really funny. So how far away is this place?” “Not far, if Rainbow was telling the truth.” Spike made a sharp right onto a dirt path. Twilight looked worried, more so because of Spike’s riding than what he said. “Why wouldn’t she tell the truth?” “To mess with us.” Discord stated flatly. He was a bit mesmerized by his surroundings. The next song on the tape came up. It was a slower song, that matched the sights, at least in Discord’s mind. “It’s beautiful out here.” “Trees, yay.” Twilight’s voice couldn’t have been more cynical as she straightened her glasses. Spike nodded in agreement. “Woah!” He reversed his pedaling to engage his brakes as he slid to a halt. He stopped just before crashing into a log. The dragon furrowed his brow as Twilight screamed continuously at the sudden stop. “You done?” Twilight’s screaming ceased. “We’re not dead,” he mumbled, shaking his head, “oh ye of little faith.” Discord stopped just behind Spike. Dismounting his bike, he pulled it over the log and set it there before venturing forward. The trees opened up into a fairly large clearing, possibly three acres. “It’s perfect!” Spike entered the clearing. He pointed to a structure at the edge of the clearing. “Look! A bungalow! Wonder what kind of ratings this resort gets.” Twilight scrutinized the structure. “It looks more like a shack.” Spike groaned as he nudged Discord. “Comedy is dead.” Twilight followed as Spike and Discord both headed for the shack. “Where’s Rainbow Dash. Shouldn’t she be here?” Discord pointed to the shack. “Maybe she’s there.” The walk to the shack wasn’t at all long. But, it was a little eerie for the trio as they approached the somewhat derelict structure that was shadowed by the treeline. It had a brick foundation and wood walls. The walls and roof still stood for the most part, but the paint had been peeled away by the sun. The glass windows were long gone. Its greyed wood shutters waved in the blowing breeze. Spike hummed to himself. “All that’s missing is an evil clown.” Discord felt a chill go down his spine at the mention of that. “You’re not scared of clowns, right, Spike?” “Psht! No.” Spike crossed his arms. “Good.” Discord shoved Spike in the direction of the shack. “Then you won’t mind checking it out.” Spike was about to protest until he saw Discord and Twilight step back. “What? Scaredy cats! That’s what you are.” The dragon marched up to the door. “Hello!? Anyone home?” The door slowly creaked open. “Uh,” Spike frose, “Dash?” He dragged his feet as he inched towards the door. “Ooga booga!” The white face that appeared sent Spike tumbling across the ground into a battle stance. “Ha, ha, ha!” The bluish pegasus erupted into laughter. “What is that, Captain Karate?” “Dangit Dash! I almost attacked you!” Spike crossed his arms as Twilight and Discord joined in Rainbow’s laughter. “What’s with the sports mask?” “I just grabbed a few precautions for today’s experiments and training.” Rainbow unloaded a pile of hoofball pads, helmets, and other padded guards. Spike picked up a set of hoofball pads. “This seems a bit intense.” Rainbow Dash scoffed at Spike. “Trust me.” She recalled the strange place she and Discord ended up in when they teleported. “I’ve seen stuff.” “What exactly?” Twilight took out a notebook and began asking Rainbow questions about what she saw. The process began of clearing up the area for their activities. Twilight dictated the size of their testing zone and how each test would be set up. While She worked with Rainbow, Discord and Spike took planks with rope to flatten some of the tall grass into a testing area and runway (the runway being Rainbow Dash’s idea). When everything was ready discord took his place in the center of the testing range. Spike, Twilight, and Rainbow were safely situated behind sandbags in a shallow ditch. “Now then,” Twilight straightened her glasses with a floating pen that was at the ready to take notes, “you described your magic as a mental function. How exactly does it manifest.” “I use a focusing gesture.” Discord held his paw up, ready to snap. Twilight scribbled that down. “Demonstrate something small.” Discord looked at a small dirt circle with an X and focused. He snapped. After a bright flash, an egg fell and cracked in the circle. “Was that good?” “Excellent.” Twilight wrote furiously, “Spontaneous manifestation. Okay, is there a particular spell structure that you follow for manifesting objects?” Discord shrugged. “I just think of stuff, and I can make it happen.” “Really?” Twilight, stopped writing mid-sentence. “Anything you think of?” “Yeah.” Discord nodded. Rainbow shot her hoof into the air. “Ooh! Make a flying pig!” Spike swat Rainbow’s hoof down. “He’s not a carnival attraction.” “Actually,” Twilight nodded at Rainbow’s suggestion, “try it. Let’s see.” Discord nodded. He readied his paw again. But, as he began to think, he shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t want to screw up and get you guys hurt.” Rainbow flew up to Discord. “Listen, that’s why we’re out here. We’re in a secluded spot so you can practice your magic without damaging homes or hurting anyone. We got our protective gear and our ditch. Also, Twilight prepared a magic barrier spell for the worst possible case. It’s not like you’re gonna summon a giant monster. You got this my dude.” Discord smiled, bumping Rainbow’s hoof before she flew back to safety. “Okay.” He readied his paw, he pictured what he was trying to make appear, and then he snapped. He stared at the circle, but nothing was there. “What happened?” Twilight asked. Discord shrugged. “I don’t kn-.” His eyes grew as a shadow flew over him. “You did it!” Rainbow pointed to the sky. “You actually made a flying pig!” Spike squinted at the shadow. “Uh, why is it getting bigger?” Twilight’s jaw dropped as the wingspan of the air born swine spread darkness over their testing area. “By the Sisters…” Discord retreated to the safety of the sandbags and ditch as the massive pig came barreling down. He lunged for cover as the pig’s landing shook the ground beneath him. “Giant monster! Couldn’t possibly happen! No way, Rainbow!” The pig was the size of a house. It’s webbed wings had sharp talons that dug small canals into the ground. It slowly squared up and squealed at Discord and his friends. It was more like a roar that followed with gallons of saliva that completely drenched them. “Gross!” Rainbow shook her head until her hair practically stood on end, slimy and stiff. Spike winced as he spat out some of the fluid. Twilight pulled a jar from her bag and scraped the saliva into it. “Fascinating.” Rainbow shook Discord. “What do we do? Can you get rid of it?” The winged swine shot a glare directly at Rainbow, and growled. Discord began to yell. “I knew it! We’re gonna die and it’s my fault!” “Wait!” Twilight silenced Discord with hoof that was still dripping with saliva. “I figured it out. It’s Rainbow Dash’s fault.” Rainbow glared at Twilight. “What!? How are you pinning this on me?” The giant pig squealed again. This time, they all had the sense to take cover. Twilight explained. “Discord. You need to be as specific as possible with your thoughts. Rainbow mentioned a giant monster and it influenced your magic. You have to think of every angle. Specificity is the key!” Discord nodded. He stood up and faced the colossal swine. “Okay. Specific.” He concentrated. “Normal, pig. Average sized, normal pig. Normal pig.” He tried to snap his paw, but to his horror, the saliva made his digits too slippery. “What are you waiting for?” Rainbow yelled out. “Gah!” Discord rubbed his digits in the dirt until it felt like his fingers were on fire. “Everything is slippery!” Spike clasped his claws together and shut his eyes. “If you’re up there, please don’t let me die like this! Anything but a giant pig! I’ll stop stealing candy from my dad’s office, I swear!” The wings of the pig folded up as it readied for a charge. Twilight’s mouth began to flap in fear. “Discord! Now! Now!” Discord jumped up and screamed, “Normal pig!” He snapped his paw. Light engulfed the clearing. Sound vanished, momentarily replaced by ringing. As the light died down. A pink little piglet tumbled into the trench and squirmed over Spike, licking the dragon’s face. Spike began to shakily laugh. “This is fine. This is fine.” He pointed to the sky. “I believe.” Twilight enveloped her glasses in magic which cleaned them in a flash. “Let’s make ‘small’ a permanent addition to your mental and magical vocabulary.” Rainbow tapped Twilight’s shoulder. “Do you got a spell that can clean this up?” “Not safely.” Twilight shook her head. “But, while you’re at it,” she produced more jars, “can you collect some samples for me.” Discord breathed deep. “I’m gonna try something.” “Time out!” Rainbow grabbed Discord by the arm. “Do you really think that’s a good idea? I don’t really want to drown in a bubble bath tsunami.” Discord looked at Twilight and then the pig. He pointed to the open test area. “Small, and normal.” He climbed over the sandbags and moved back to the center of the testing area. He looked to the spot where the dirt circle had been. He readied his claws this time, tricking his own mind into believing the outcome would be better. “Normal, clean, shower with soap.” He snapped. A bright flash landed where the dirt circle should have been. In the wake of the flash, a white tub appeared with a running shower head and a circular red shower curtain. Rainbow, Spike, and Twilight peered over the sandbags at the newly manifested shower. Discord looked at the shower. Water rained down into the tub which was filled with water and bubbles. It looked really cartoony. But, at least it appeared stable. He tested the shower water. A little warm. He turned the knob marked C for Cold. Discord played with it until he like the temperature. He picked up a bar of soap sitting on a rack that hung on the edge of the tub. Lifting the bar of soap to his nose, Discord smelled it. “Heh, heh.” He began to laugh. Twilight popped her head up. “What is it?” Discord held up the bar of soap victoriously as he dished out a northern accent. “Mountain Spring, and I like it too.” Spike’s head popped up as well. “We’re not sharing, are we?” “Ew.” Rainbow bopped the back of his head. “Gross-oh.” “What?” Spike shrugged. “I don’t want to! I don’t know where your feathers have been.” Discord focused on a spot away from the first tub. He quietly recited the same thought, with a slight difference in mind. “Normal, clean, shower with soap.” He snapped, and another shower appeared with a green curtain. “Sweet!” Spike darted for the new shower and jumped in, closing the curtains. “Does it get hotter?” He tested the H for Hot knob. “Ah! That’s more like it.” Rainbow Dash jumped out of the ditch. “What about us?” Discord looked by the shack, and repeat the thought, “Normal, clean, shower with soap.” Another snap produced another shower with rainbow curtains. “Soap?” Rainbow Dash smirked. “Phoenix Shampoo?” Discord remembered seeing and smelling that brand at the store once. Without speaking it, he recalled just the soap in the bottle. Rainbow picked up the bottle and inhaled the scent. “Name brands. Ah yeah!” She flew into her own shower. Discord focused even harder now. “Side tables with towels.” He snapped a table with towels into existence by each shower. “Oh, Twilight.” Now Discord was ready for the next level, both at once. He snapped, and smiled at the fourth shower with purple curtains and a side table with purple towels. The color bled a little into the towels, but he beat his mind with the word normal, so he figured they’d be fine. Twilight took notes as she came out to inspect the shower. “Where is the water coming from?” Discord tried to think. “Honestly, no idea.” ***** Discord lead everyone into his house and filled four glasses with water. “Here you go.” “I’m pooped.” Spike collapsed on the living room couch. Rainbow furrowed her brow at the dragon. “You didn’t even do anything.” Spike waved off Rainbow. “It’s been a lot of excitement for one day.” Discord fetched a bowl and filled it with milk for the piglet to drink. “So what are we going to do with the pig?” Twilight levitated the pig in the air and examined it all around. “Could you hold on to it so I can study it? I’d like to do some tests on it.” She set the pig on the floor where Discord set the dish of milk. “It?” Spike rolled over onto his feet. “He’s got to have a name. How about, Pigzilla?” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “We’re not naming him, Pigzilla.” “Her.” Twilight corrected. After passing the waters around, Discord kind of sat in silence with his water. Everyone else did as well. The only sound for a long time was Twilight’s pen as it scribbled out extensive notes, ideas, and theories. Discord decided to find his own journal to document his feelings. He briefly retreated to his room before returning with the journal and a pen. The only other sound, aside from deep sighs and writing, that ensued were a few cute little grunts from the pig as Spike began to play with her. Discord frowned at the vagueness of his entry’s ending. He closed the journal. “Would you guys like to go out there again?” “I am down.” Spike gave a thumbs up. “That shack was kinda cool. Maybe we could turn it into a club house or something.” “A club house?” Rainbow scoffed. “What are you, six?” Twilight chimed in. “I think it’s a great idea.” “Me too.” Discord tapped on his journal. “We could clean it up, and repaint it.” Rainbow shrugged. “Discord could just magic it up.” “No,” Spike objected, “it wouldn’t be as special unless we all worked on it together.” Rainbow sort of frowned. “Aren’t we too old for this sort of thing?” “I don’t think we’ll ever be too old for friendship.” Twilight stopped writing. “We are friends, aren’t we?” Spike nodded to Discord. “Yes. We are.” Discord nodded. “We are.” Rainbow Dash finally cracked a smile. She wrapped a leg around Twilight and gave her a head noogie. “You know it, kid.” Letting the giggling Twilight go. Rainbow sighed. “My uncle said we could do whatever with that property, so what else should we do there?” Spike hummed in thought. “Let’s build a zombie proof complex to survive the oncoming apocalypse.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Let’s start smaller.” She passed a look to Discord. Discord learned his lesson. Begin small. He realized he didn’t have full control over his powers yet. He’d barely scratched the surface, and there was more to learn. Humility came with that thought. There’s always more to learn. He locked that into his head along with the mental guides of small and normal. Add non threatening to that list. Thinking about it, Discord figured he could make some weird stuff without concern if he kept that last guideline in mind. Controlled chaos. He internally laughed at the idea. There’s that word again… “I’m home!” Redheart poked her head around a brown paper bag and sniffed the air. “Did you crash through a perfume shop?” Discord didn’t notice until he sniffed under his arm. His nose managed to pick up a strong pleasant smell. Normal soap, he though. Should have thought of normal soap. The strong desire to get rid of the giant pig saliva must have made the soap really strong. He noticed his friends testing themselves as well. “Need help with those bags, mom?” Spike and Rainbow both joined him in liberating Redheart form the groceries she carried. “Thank you.” Redheart eyed the floor. “Uh, what’s with the pig?” They each stared at each other, unsure of what to say. Twilight cleared her throat. “Her name is Pigzilla.” ***** Twilight and Rainbow Dash left in time as the evening wore on. But, they all agreed to talk at school and stay in touch. Spike stayed behind, though. He’d called ahead to let his dad know, but no one answered. The dragon was content to try again after dinner, which Redheart was happy to invite him to stay for. Redheart looked over the food she had prepared. “I think I made too much. Oh, well. Gluttony or left overs, boys, it’s your pick.” “Thanks for dinner Miss Redheart.” Spike help set the table with Discord. “It all looks delicious.” Discord smiled. “Bet I can eat more food than you can.” “No fair. You’re bigger than me.” Spike laughed. “Discord.” Redheart stared at her son. “Don’t start that. I want you guys to enjoy the food, not puke it up later.” She paused over the food as a knock came at the door. “Just a minute boys.” Undoing the lock, she smiled up at the dragon on the other side. “Oh. Hello, Andee! You looking for Spike?” “Yeah, I figured he’d be here.” He glanced at a watch on his wrist. “Work sort of held me longer than intended, but I’m here now. I hope he wasn’t any trouble.” “Always glad to have Spike over. It’s no trouble at all.” Redheart opened the door the rest of the way. “We were just about to have dinner.” “Oh.” Andee began to protest. “I’d hate to impose-.” Redheart waved a hoof through the air. “Nonsense, there’s plenty of food. Enough for a village.” Andee saw Spike wave, and that was it for him. “Alright. Thank you.” He walked in. “Discord.” Redheart gestured to the empty spot at the table. Discord jumped up and retrieved a plate and silverware for their newly arrived guest. “So,” Redheart returned to the kitchen after closing the front door, “I don’t think I’ve ever heard Spike mention what you do for work.” Andee set down a cardboard box he was carrying in the entryway. “I manage an electronics recycling warehouse.” “Good money in that?” Redheart moved the food over to the table. “Mom.” Discord hated when his mother asked questions like that. Andee laughed, though. “It’s perfect for living rather than just surviving. I’ve heard Spike mention that you were a doctor.” “No,” Redheart took a seat at the table, “I’m just a nurse, actually.” Andee took a seat adjacent to Spike’s. “Just as important as doctors, though.” Discord and Spike looked at eachother. It was if they weren’t even there. Discord didn’t think anything bad of it. Aside from his own antics and all the patients his mother had to put up with, Andee was probably the most normal person she’d be able to talk to in a long time. He laughed at thinking that Redheart’s brother, his uncle, didn’t fall under the umbrella of normal. Redheart paused before she grabbed any food. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was your wife going to be around? Do you think she’d want to join us.” Spike muttered. “His girlfriend is probably out shopping.” “Spike.” Andee glared at his son. “She’s at a conference, pulling an all nighter with foriegn investors.” “You’re not married?” Redheart was careful with that question. “Sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds.” Andee thought for a moment as he looked to Spike. “Is it alright if I tell her?” Spike nodded. Andee clasped his claws together, taking a deep breath. “I was married. But, she passed away. She got sick, unexpectedly. Um, I’m actually not Spike’s biological father.” Spike cut in. “But, you’re still my dad.” Andee smiled. “My wife’s husband died in a autocar accident. She already had Spike when I married her. My wife extended her custody of Spike to me. Then,” Andee trailed off. Red heart rester her hoof on Andee’s arm. “I’m sorry to hear that.” Andee nodded. “Thank you. I have Donna now, so things are looking up.” Redheart broke her drawn out silence and cleared her throat as she looked over the food to make sure it was all there. “Everyone dig in.” “So,” Andee picked up Redheart’s plate, offering to serve her food, “Discord is?” Discord opened it up before his mother could. “Adopted, but still her son.” “Yes.” Redheart nodded to Andee as he filled her plate. “I found him. I remember it was raining that night, and I heard him. Someone left him bundled up in a huge blanket, in the middle of the road.” “Thankfully you were there.” Andee filled up his own plate. “Yeah.” Redheart shrugged. “I guess I had a bad date to thank for that.” Discord pretended to be shocked, overdramatising his facial expressions. “You mean, I almost had a dad?” Redheart snickered at Discord. “That’s enough out of you buster.” Andee swallowed his food, pretty hard at the mention of the, “Bad date?” Redheart groaned a bit. “I guess I had hoped that none of the idiots from highschool would make it into college. My mistake.” “Yes.” Andee nodded. “We’re pretty persistent.” Redheart and Andee both fell into a fit of laughter from that comment. Discord couldn’t remember ever seeing his mom laugh like that. It was the total opposite of the melancholy he witnessed this morning. She seemed really happy, like she was enjoying herself. Discord saw a smile on Spike’s face that suggested a similar perception of Andee. It was nice. Dinner carried on like that. Everyone began sharing stories and anecdotes. Spike shared his first meeting with Discord. Discord opened up about his favorite teachers, especially Pathfinder. Redheart elaborated some of her crazier encounters with patients. Andee had a tale to tell as well. Spike and Discord both fell quiet as they realized what he was going on about. Andee was trying so hard not to laugh. “So I’m in the garage, when I hear this blood curdling scream. I nearly fell off the ladder when I heard it. So I get out to the front yard and I’m like, why are the sprinklers on?” Redheart gasped. “No. Was it?” Andee was on the edge of his seat at this point, hamming up this story. “I get inside, and standing there is Donna, soaking wet.” “Oh no!” Redheart covered her face as she began to laugh hysterically. Andee leaned back in his chair to recover from his own laughing. “She was so angry! Oh goodness, her face was turning redder than her feathers. It was hilarious.” Discord felt odd that Andee had basically omitted any of his own or Spike’s involvement. But, he wasn’t being ratted on to his mother, so he didn’t care. He was just glad he wasn’t being sent to his room. Andee looked at his watch again. “Oh, darn. Time really does fly. Spike? You have your stuff together?” Spike nodded as he and Discord began picking up plates. “Well, before we go.” Andee retrieved the box he had set down by the entryway. “I got you and Discord something from work.” Andee opened up the box and pulled out not one, but two EC radios. “Fixed them up myself.” Discord was just as surprised as Spike. “Oh, wow.” Redheart looked at the EC radio. “An EC-84. My brother had one of these. He had an antenna that could reach Griffonstone. This is…” Redheart shook her head. “What do I owe you?” Andee shook his head. “Oh. No. Don’t worry about it. I get stuff like this for free. I’m glad to pass them on to those who will put them to good use. And, it’ll save us both the extra bit or two off our phone bills whenever these two need to communicate.” Redheart smiled, earnestly. ***** Discord carefully switched on the EC radio on his desk in the dark. He didn’t want his mom to catch him up this late. He was also trying to avoid waking up Pigzilla as she was asleep in the basket by the foot of his bed. Discord promised his mom he would find her another home. Discord switched over to the channel he had told Spike about. It was an old channel he had heard his uncle mention when he was younger. He held the corded microphone’s button down, and whispered, “Spike? Do you copy?” After a brief length of silence a response whispered back, “I copy. What took you so long? Over.” Discord smiled. “Hey, I didn’t have my dad to set this up for me like you did. Over” There was another long silence from Spike. “Shut up. Over.” Discord tried to contain his laughter. “Did you notice our parents acting strange? Over.” “Did you not notice? They were practically flirting the whole time.” Spike didn’t finish with over. Discord unplugged the EC radio and moved it closer to his bed so he could lay down. He was glad it also took batteries. “What do you think that’d be like? Over?” Spike sighed into the microphone. “Doesn’t matter, it’s not happening. Over.” “But imagine if it did, somehow.” Discord remembered how happy they all had been in that moment, together. “We could be brothers. Over.” “That would be cool. Over.” “Yeah. Over.” Discord imagined it, having a brother. It brought a tired smile to his face. That would be cool. Neither him nor Spike said anything for the rest of the night, but Discord felt like Spike was still awake on the other side, listening. Brothers, Discord thought.