//------------------------------// // Spoiled Expectations // Story: The Day of Discord // by GJT_Productions //------------------------------// "What's going on over there?" "Oh, just the usual pleb stuff, honey. Just ignore it." "But the clouds don't look right, and neither does the rain coming out of them..." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And exactly why is this our concern, Filthy?" Spoiled Rich answers in a question to her husband, the two laying on beach chairs placed on the second-floor balcony of their Canterlot townhouse. "Clouds are supposed to be a pegasi thing, remember? If there's a real problem, our precious Diamond Tiara and her friend Silver Spoon will explain it all to us when they get done with their castle tour. Now be quiet, I'm still working on my tan..." The husband, Filthy Rich, just sighs and returns to his previous laying on his back position. After his filly and friend were finished with their Canterlot Castle tour, the two were supposed to spend the weekend at the Canterlot townhouse instead of going back to Ponyville with the rest of their class. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were not expected for some time yet, so Filthy gave a little shrug and tried to get back into the rare opportunity to relax. That didn't last long before one the "not right" clouds (actually the cotton candy clouds Discord had previously generated over Canterlot and were now randomly moving across the city) stopped directly over the balcony where the two wealthy earth ponies were trying to catch some sun. Filthy Rich looks over worriedly at his wife, who's face contorts, unsurprisingly, into indignation over the sun being blocked. "Hey, whoever's up there, I'll have you know that I am not just some low-life commoner you can just...!" Spoiled Rich begins ranting, only to be interrupted by a clap of thunder and bolt of lightning. Before she can start again, the cloud begins intensely raining down a brown liquid directly onto the balcony, prompting a horrified scream from Spoiled Rich as she and her husband rush to get under cover of a roof. Mr. Rich slides the glass door closed behind him to keep the liquid from seeping inside the townhouse. The raining liquid quickly covers the surface of the balcony and begins trickling down to the street level as the couple watch through the glass doors. "HOW RUDE AND INSENSITIVE!" Mrs. Spoiled Rich shouts in indignity as she tries to find something to dry herself off with. "I sincerely hope that wasn't a waste containment cloud that's dumping all over our front facade..." Mr. Filthy Rich sniffs at his coat soaked in the liquid - his wife's concern was a fair one due to an unfortunate habit of young pegasi troublemakers deciding to squeeze out the contents of "waste containment clouds" on earth ponies as a rude effort to make fun of their "lower" social status. The expected horrible stench that would've accompanied such liquid, however, simply does not exist. Instead, Mr. Rich sucks a bit of liquid of his coat - which produces an absolutely disgusted look from his wife - and then smacks his lips a few times trying to place what he was tasting. Finally, he gives a verdict with a very confused expression: "This is chocolate milk. A pink cloud producing chocolate milk rain..." "What are you even babbling on about, Filthy?! What you just said doesn't make any sense!" the wife exclaims, having finally obtained a towel to use to try to dry herself off. "SENSE? WHAT FUN IS THERE IN MAKING SENSE?" a very loud voice booms out before Mr. Rich has a chance to respond, the vibrations rumbling through the whole townhouse. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Rich couple whip heads around, trying to place where the unknown booming voice is coming from. A few seconds later, they hear a pair of screams, both coming from the first floor of the townhouse. To their horror, they also recognize who is screaming: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, even though neither of them were supposed to be in the townhouse at that time! Without another word, Filthy Rich races toward and down the stairs leading to the townhouse's first floor, his wife reluctantly following behind. When Filthy reaches the bottom of the stairs, he again whips his head around, trying to spot the two fillies he had heard screaming. After a few moments, he indeed spots them, pushed into a corner by the form of what he could only describe as a "composite creature" - later recognized as Discord himself - who's tail was also knocking around and smashing up expensive furniture and display items. The "composite creature" pauses briefly to see first bewilderment, then anger on Filthy Rich's face, which prompts him to chuckle as a result. As Spoiled Rich now joins her husband at the bottom of the stairs, Filthy Rich asks the creature what's so funny. "You ponies are very predictable - parental instincts and all that. There was very good reason I used to be in charge of this kingdom." was the response of the "composite creature" Discord. "What?!? No one is saying anything that is making any sense!" Spoiled Rich exclaims in frustration. "Just this... whoever... being here is making no sense. And being very destructive as well!" Filthy Rich replies. "But as I just said, what fun is there in making sense?" Discord rhetorically asks again, grabbing a teapot and one of a set of teacups from a display case. "Don't mind if I stay for tea, do you?" "Yes I do mind, and I have no idea what black magic is letting you do that!" Filthy exclaims in reply as he watches Discord somehow pour himself a cup of tea from the teapot, despite both pot and cup having been in the display case just seconds before! "Bah, your types are no fun!" Discord spits out, tossing the teapot behind him and having it shatter against a wall just after he speaks. He then holds up the teacup as if to drink the tea supposedly inside it, but pony jaws drop open when it is the teacup instead that is slurped up by Discord, leaving a teacup-shaped floating shape of hot, steaming tea in mid-air! A moment later, Discord snaps his eagle-claw "hand", and the floating shape of tea explodes in a bright flash, which also hides his teleportation away from the Rich's Canterlot townhouse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Both Rich parents shake off the effects of the flash, and see the "composite creature" is gone. A quick look out the first floor windows shows the chocolate milk rain is still going on outside, prompting cautious curiousity from those watching from nearby. Both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon slowly crawl out of the corner they had been trapped in, looking just as baffled and shaken as the adults were. "Do you two have any idea what exactly is going on here?!" Spoiled Rich exclaims, again in frustration. "It wasn't our fault! That thing looked like the 'Statue of Discord' that was part of the castle tour!" Silver Spoon pleads. "Yeah, Mom! Our school tour got cut short because of those 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' that fought in front of that statue, that's why we're home early! THEY must've done something, somehow!" Diamond Tiara adds. "So you're saying those low-life 'Cutie Mark Crusaders' are behind this, at least partly?" Spoiled Rich asks the fillies, her face assuming a smug curiousity that uneases Filthy Rich. "Dear, did I tell you yet that one of those 'Crusaders' is...?" Filthy Rich begins to ask, referring to Apple Bloom being of the "Cutie Mark Crusaders". "Quiet Filthy, I want to hear more from the fillies, not you!" Spoiled Rich snaps out, silencing her husband and making the fillies the unquestioned center of attention for the moment. Filthy Rich sighs, recognizing that for the moment it was useless to try to keep his daughter and her friend from telling his wife what she wanted to hear. He knew that Apple Bloom being one of the "Cutie Mark Crusaders" would lead to future problems, but his wife was not, and likely would not ever be, interested in inconvenient truths like that one...