//------------------------------// // Songbird // Story: The Diary of Discord Wimp // by ThePianoMan //------------------------------// “Love all, trust a few…” -Will The bus finally slowed down in response to Discord’s desperate yelling. Brakes squeaked and the driver grumbled as he pulled the crank that open the doors. “Kid, if you’re gonna keep being late like this, you might as well get yourself an auto car.” Discord smiled at the grifoon as he caught his breath climbing up the steps. “But then I wouldn’t get to see your shining face every morning, Mister Orrin.” The griffon grumbled again. “Just get on and take your seat.” Discord found an empty spot near the front. Plopping down, he fished through his bag and found his journal. Recalling the events from the ruined castle in the everfree, he began to write. He wrote in particular about his time with Fluttershy. “It’s strange to find comfort in others. When you open up, it’s terrifying.” Finding a flow of thought, Discord fell silent as he finished up his passage. He didn’t like how he ended it. But, he figured the evening would fix everything. The bus stopped, and the doors opened again. “Good morning Equestria!” Spike danced onto the bus, sporting a pair of shades that couldn’t even mask the beaming grin on his face. “Discord! Isn’t it a wonderful morning?” The dragon spun around before he landed in the seat next to the draconequus. “Ah! It’s so great to be alive.” Discord could hear raised voices coming from Spike’s house outside the bus. “The wicked witch is singing. It’s a Monday. We’re on our way to school. And on top of all of that, it’s great to be alive? Who are you, and what did you do with the real Spike?” “I,” Spike lowered his shades, “am a changed dragon. Not only has light filled this vagabond’s withering heart, but my status has also been upgraded to not single.” Discord did a double take at that. “Not single? Wait. Rarity?” “Sir!” Spike grabbed his own chest over his heart. “You make me weak by speaking the name of my beloved.” Discord couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But, you just went on the one date.” Spike shook his head. Raising one claw, he followed up by raising a second. “Yesterday was amazing.” “That seems awfully fast.” Discord didn’t like it. Something felt off, but he didn’t want to say anything to his friend who was on cloud nine at this point. “What happened.” “We talked. Well, mostly she talked.” Spike sighed as he straightened his shades. “Discord, she’s beautiful. And, her voice! Never in my life could I have imagined things going so well for me.” Neither can I, Discord thought. “She’s an artist with fabric, she makes her own dresses!” Spike quickly saw that Discord was holding something back. “Hey, what’s up?” Discord didn’t want to disrupt Spike’s high, so he addressed something else. “I have a date after school with Fluttershy.” “Woah.” Spike sat up straight. “When were you gonna tell me this?” Discord shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m not even sure if it’s really a date. I just asked her if she wanted to get food after school at the cafe down the street.” “Bro,” Spike rubbed his eyes before pointing at Discord with his shades, “that’s called a date.” “Oh.” Discord remembered the excitement on his mother’s face this morning when he told her he was grabbing a bite with a filly. “Oh! Oh no. I don’t know if I’m ready for a full on date!” “Relax.” Spike pat Discord on the shoulder. “You got money for this date don’t you?” Discord nodded. “Then, you’re fine.” Spike put his shades back on and made himself as comfortable as was possible on a school bus seat. “Just make sure you pay for the whole thing and you’re good.” ***** Everyone scrambled after the bell rang. “And don’t forget, Econ is magic!” The fluid stream of students took their path of least resistance into the hallway. It was enough to catch Discord off guard. It was too late for him to grab anything or snap to stop the fall. As he hit the floor, the contents of his bag spilled under the stampeding feet of hungry students. Not physically hurt, he went through the process of scooting and crawling to retrieve everything. The last item he reached for to round up was his journal, which was under the foot of a dragon. Discord cursed in his mind when he saw who it was. “Oh, look. It’s the freak.” The dragon in the lettercolt jacket picked up the notebook and waved it in front of Discord. “You want it? Does the freak want his book?” “Give it back to ‘im.” Discord smiled at the sight of Big Mac approaching the dragon. The dragon frowned before his lips curled into a cruel smile. “Just a second, let me fix the cover.” Pulling out a marker, the dragon scribbled something on the cover before dropping it on Discord’s face. “You know, Big Mac, coach hasn’t been happy with you defending the weak. He might cut you from the team if you keep up the whole goody four shoes act.” Big Mac snorted in the dragon’s face. “If that’s how Iron Will coaches, then I want no part of it. If you are what he wants us to be, I’d rather quit.” He bit a hoofball patch and ripped it off his own jacket, spitting it at the dragon. “Fine then.” The dragon crumpled the patch up. “Kiss your scholarship goodbye.” He shoved Big Mac away and faded into the stream of traffic. Discord looked to Big Mac. He knew enough to understand the gist of what went down. “I’m sorry.” Big Mac shook his head. “Jerks.” He sighed. “It’s okay. I don’t belong with ‘em anyway.” “Then why’d you join the hoofball team?” Discord stood up with his notebook. Big Mac let out a sigh before he tried to disappear into the crowd like the dragon. “Stupid reasons.” Discord followed him. “Not for the scholarship, I take it.” “Hm-knope.” Big Mac sighed again. “For a filly.” Discord ran up in front of him. “I don’t think that’s stupid.” They eventually made their way to the cafeteria. “It’s a better reason than wanting to play sports with that dork.” Big Mac finally laughed. “See you around Discord.” “Yeah.” Discord almost let Big Mac go. “Hey, Big Mac. My friends and I are having a game night eventually. Would you like to join us?” Big Mac hummed before smiling as he walked away. “E-yup. Sounds good.” “Okay. I’ll keep you posted.” Discord took off his own way towards the lunch line. There was no sign of the dragon or the rest of his lettercolt posse. For that he was grateful. It was smooth sailing through the line. Discord managed to sneak a second chocolate milk onto his tray before dashing across the cafeteria to the usual spot. He saw Rainbow and Twilight, but Spike was missing. “Hey guys.” Discord noticed Fluttershy wasn’t there, either. A scowl stretched out Rainbow’s face. “Discord! What did you do to her?” “What? What did I do to who?” He recoiled a bit. Rainbow looked like she might attack. Rainbow lowered her voice. “Fluttershy, you dummy. She’s been acting weird lately. This morning she was all freaked out. Now tell me, what is going on?” Discord was afraid to answer as Rainbow flew up a little, over him. The fact that she did it so naturally kinda frightened him. “We- we’re just getting food after school. I didn’t do anything, I swear!” “Getting food?” Rainbow’s face deadpanned. “Oh.” She sat back down. “That explains a lot.” She glared at Twilight. “I swear to the Sisters, you better not pick up a boyfriend. Because, I refuse to be surrounded by this nonsense.” Twilight nodded as she pushed her taped up glasses back up. “I concur. But, at least there isn’t one of those terrible love triangles between our friends like you read in poorly written fiction.” Rainbow shuddered. “Don’t even let me think about it.” Discord rolled his eyes. “Hey, where’s Spike?” Twilight cocked a brow. “Where do you think?” Simultaneously, they all said, “Rarity.” Discord shook his head. “He couldn’t stop talking about her on the bus. It worries me a little.” “Why?” Twilight asked. “He’s riding a runaway balloon.” Discord explained. “And eventually, I think it’ll pop. I want them to make it, honestly. I just-. I don’t want him to get hurt. Like, if I ever hurt Fluttershy,” he eyed Rainbow, “I would want you to pummel me. I feel the same sort of responsibility with Spike. But, I wouldn’t go after Rarity. I would blame myself if anything happened to him. He’s my friend.” Rainbow stared at her food upon hearing that. “Discord, I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone talk like that.” “It sounds like you’re brothers.” Twilight added. “I’ve read excerpts from history that sound like that, but I don’t think people talk like that anymore.” Rainbow cracked a smile. “I guess a bit of Fluttershy has rubbed off on you.” Discord nodded to both of them. “You all are my friends. I think I don’t want to be quiet about it because you’re the first real friends I’ve had. And, I don’t want to lose any of you.” “That was beautiful.” Discord turned to find Fluttershy standing behind him. “Oh, hey.” Fluttershy sat next to Discord. “Hey.” Rainbow dived into her food. “Awkward.” Fluttershy looked at Discord’s tray, using a wing to pull out his journal from under it. “Oh, my. Who did this?” Discord finally looked at the lettercolt dragon’s handiwork from hearlier. Thinking it over, Discord was a little amused by the addition. “The Diary of Discord Wimp.” “Who did that?” Rainbow asked. “Who am I pummeling today?” “It’s fine.” Discord tucked his journal in his bag. “Big Mac already dealt with the dragon.” Rainbow deflated a little. “Of course he did. The guy’s always had a soft spot for the weaker guys. No offense.” “None taken.” Discord peeled open his chocolate milk and downed half of it. “I invited him to O&O, if that’s okay.” “Cool.” Rainbow chewed more of her food. “Twilight decided to be a stinker and not come.” “Can you chew with your mouth closed?” Twilight shook her head. “I’m just busy. There’s other stuff I’d like to concentrate my time on.” While this little conversation went on, Discord’s eyes wandered up to the balcony area. It didn’t take him long to find Spike sitting up there. It hurt Discord a little to see his friend up there. Spike had his arm around Rarity, and they were laughing. Smiling. Discord kept thinking, don’t fall, brother. ***** “Depart from your limited vocabulary. Learn new vocabulary. Expand the way you structure your sentences. First off, this is high school. Secondly, this is not writing. It’s literature!” Pathfinder flew a loop around the class before landing on his desk. “Avoid simple sentences. The day was hot. Or. The cat sat on the mat. Pathetic! Lazy. The day was sweltering. The feline laid to rest upon the carpet. These are simple changes, but do you see what they do? Words are everything. They build worlds and change meaning. Garble, give me an adjective!” The red dragon hunted for a word. “Uh, bodacious?” “Yes!” Pathfinder shouted. “What an amazing made up word. That triple backflip was bodacious. Now, that may be a made up word, but it sounds ten times better than,” he crossed his eyes and let his jaw go slack, “Uh, cool flip.” The class erupted into a quiet laughter. “Now, we come to the cardinal sin. Those of you who have had me, as a teacher before, know that I despise the word very.” Pathfinder scribbled the word on the board and drew a fat X over it. “Use words like extremely, or entirely. Drop the extra word completely if you must by jumping to the meat of the subject. The dragon prince was not very sick. He was writhing in agony.” He pointed around the room. “Emotion! That is your goal for your new poetry assignment.” The whole class groaned. “Now, now. I’m not asking for structure. It doesn’t have to rhyme.” Pathfinder wrote a word on the board. “Slam Poetry. We’re going more towards a level of unorthodox here, but I want you mainly to focus on the power of words. Try new things! These words we read, sound made up like Mister Garble’s word, bodacious. But, they are powerful. Learn them. Utilize them.” He sharply inhaled as he addressed another student, a pony. “Does that answer your question as to why there are a plethora of words in the poem, The Dragon Prince to the Dark Tower Came, Miss Sugar Belle?” Sugar Belle dropped her head on her desk. “Yes, sir.” “Good.” Pathfinder smiled to the rest of the class as the bell rang. “Finish the analysis of this poem at home. Slam poems due next week, and don’t forget to thank Sugar Bell for that on your way out.” Time froze for Discord as he watched all the other students leave the classroom. Surely there was more to stall for time but no. Aside from pathfinder, the class was empty. “Discord!” The draconequus jumped at Pathfinders exclamation across the room. “Discord.” Pathfinder pulled out a canvas pouch from his drawer. “I found some of my old dice, if you still wanted them. The white set gets a lot better rolls than the orange set, but maybe it’ll be different for you.” Discord nodded as he tried to get out of his chair. “Thank you.” He found that somehow he was glued to his seat, more so emotionally. “Discord?” Fluttershy stepped up to him. “Are you nervous?” Discord nodded. “Me too.” Fluttershy smiled to him. Discord felt his whole body relax upon hearing that from her. “Really?” Fluttershy nodded. “Okay.” Discord found the strength to leave his chair. He already felt weak enough without using magic, but around Fluttershy, he felt like even his physical muscles were giving up. Yet, there was enough energy for him to stand, by just seeing Fluttershy. ***** The walk to the cafe was quiet. They had settled on walking after Discord explained that his wings weren’t quite strong enough to fly. From then on, the only sounds were from the street, the last of the students, and the other pedestrians that moved on to their own destinations. The cafe soon came into view. Discord thought it was interesting how there was a gated exterior section with cast iron tables and chairs. “Inside or the patio?” Fluttershy smiled after observing the birds that hung around outside, picking up crumbs and other bits of food. “The patio looks like a nice spot, and the weather is nice too.” Discord held open the cafe door for Fluttershy. Looking up, he hunted through the menu items. It was only a little upsetting to him that they didn’t have chocolate milk to drink. Mentally, he slapped himself. That’s real mature, why don’t ask for a toy as well for your kid’s meal. “Hello,” the mare behind the cash register grumbled to herself as she smacked her gum, “welcome to the Songbird Cafe. How can I help you?” Discord looked for the cheapest menu item he could find. “Well, I’ll have the cucumber sandwich sampler.” The mare tapped that into the cash register. “Anything else?” “I’ll have the hay fries pile with ranch.” Fluttershy lowered her voice. “If that’s not too much trouble.” Discord was a little surprised. He swore he’d never heard her speak that loudly before. Compared to everyone else’s voice, it wasn’t an impressive volume. But, compared to her usual volume, it was significant. “Anything to drink?” The mare blew a bubble with her gum before popping it. Fluttershy nudged Discord. “Discord, have you ever had tea before?” “No, I haven’t, but I’m up for new things.” He looked at their prices. There was a low priced deal for the pot and two cups. Discord settled on that. “We’ll have the two cup and pot special.” The mare tapped it in. “What flavor?” Discord looked to Fluttershy. “Any suggestions?” It didn’t take her long to settle on a choice. “Chamomile, please. And, thank you.” Discord did the math in his head. Remembering what Spike had said to him, he readied his bits. He smiled, confident that his ten bits were enough for everything as he offered it all to the mare who was now ringing up their order. The mare counted his bits. “That’s thirteen bits, son.” Discord felt his confidence slide off a figurative cliff, crash, and burn. “But, the food was six, and the tea was four.” The mare rolled her eyes. “It’s called taxes, kid.” Now he was panicking. Taxes! Discord swore in his mind that it was a plot, he even thought, conspiracy! His head was beginning to spin as he looked at the receipt the mare flashed at him and the bits on the counter. It seemed to be all over for him now. The conclusion closed in that Fluttershy would never talk to him again and he would end up as a lonely homeless vagrant, begging for a fortuned to get a second chance with Fluttershy. “Discord you dropped, these.” Fluttershy pushed three paper bits across the counter. Discord felt his heart leap into his mouth as the mare handed him his receipt and a plastic tent with a number. He barely registered the mare’s voice telling him to take a seat and wait for his food. Fluttershy pulled him towards the patio. “We better hurry, before all the seats outside are taken.” Discord managed to break free from his stupor as he nodded in agreement. He found a table at the end of the patio which was around a corner. It was more private, but it maintained an open view of the sky. “Here.” Discord fought his clumsy arms as he pulled out a chair for Fluttershy. He felt better as he pushed her in her chair up to the table. That momentary ascension slipped as he missed his own chair and fell to the ground. “Discord! Are you okay?” Fluttershy looked around the table. Discord shot his paw into the air with a thumb up. “I’m okay.” He forced back his groans as he climbed into his chair. “Pesky things like to walk off, don’t they?” Mounted in his chair, he forced his best smile, despite the pain that shot through his tail. He hoped nothing was broken. Fluttershy frowned. “Discord. Please tell me if you’re okay.” “Why wouldn’t I- you know I just- I-,” he gave up, “h- no.” Covering his face, Discord rested on the edge of the table, hiding from Fluttershy’s eyes. “I feel like I’m messing everything up. I didn’t even have enough money to pay for the whole meal, because I’m broke and mowing lawns hasn’t exactly been good since I’m an eyesore. I can’t believe someone like you is even talking to me, let alone getting food with me. I’ve been worried about whether this was an actual date or not. Ah! And, now I’ve been talking too long…” I can do it, he thought, I could just disappear. To his surprise, he heard giggling, no, laughter. Fluttershy was laughing quietly. “What’s so funny?” “I’m happy.” Fluttershy wiped her eyes. “I’m happy to know I’m not the only one that’s been worried. I feel so bad for bothering Rainbow all morning about this. I thought it was the end of the world.” Discord looked up and fell into his own laughter alongside Fluttershy’s. “I guess if we just talked, we could have avoided all our troubles.” “Hm. Yes.” Fluttershy gained control of her laughter. “So, is it a date?” Discord tried to read her eyes, her face. He couldn’t tell anything apart. Why are you so kind? “I don’t really know. Do you want it to be?” “Oh, well uh-.” Fluttershy hid behind her mane a bit before responding. “Do you promise you won’t be upset by what I want.” “I promise.” Discord quickly answered. He came to the edge of his seat, eager to hear her answer.” Fluttershy closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths before finally blurting out, “I want it to be a date.” A comfortable and numb feeling swept over Discord. Reaching forward he rested his paw, face up, before Fluttershy. “Then, it’s a date.” Fluttershy opened her eyes. “Really?” She looked down and gently placed a hoof in Discord’s paw. “You mean it?” Discord smiled. “Promise.”