Fernando awoke the next morning to his own smell. The sun had yet to be awakened, and the moon still shined in the sky.
"Ugh. The first thing I'll ask for when all of this ends, is a good bath." he lifted his arm and smelled his armpit. This made him almost throw up "And three bars of soap" he added.
He tried to walk out of the alley, but he fell to the ground when he tried to make one step.
"So... hungry" he thought overly dramatically. His thought was like a call, because Discord appeared above him
"Do you want my services as a chef?" he asked with a mocking smile on his face
"Sorry, but today I don't want to eat a piece of silverware" Fernando responded, followed by a growl from his stomach
"But this time you won't have to eat everything" the draconequus insisted with a 'friendly' face. Fernando stared at him for some seconds before asking
"What's the catch?"
"Oh, nothing. You'll be surprised by how the food is prepared this time" Discord said with an innocent tone and face. Fernando didn't trust him, but his stomach growled very loudly again
"Okay, you win this time".
When he accepted, Discord made appear out of nowhere, and pulled a chair from his back. He snapped his finger and Fernando was seated at the table. Discord, who now was dressed as a waiter and had a serious look on his face handed him the menu.
"What would you like to order, sir?" he asked in an uncharacteristic polite tone.
"I'll have..." he paused while reading his options for a breakfast "four quesadillas, but make sure that they are made with corn tortilla", he then gave the menu back to Discord.
"Right away" the draconequus said before turning the menu into a plate. He then put the plate on the table and the food that Fernando asked for appeared on the plate.
Not too long after, the plate was devoid of food. Fernando was satisfied, but he was leaning on the table, looking at Discord, who was still acting like a waiter. Some minutes passed before he finally thought
"You're not fooling anyone! What did you do to the food?" the human demanded to know. Discord ripped of his suit and then started to crackle. He managed to say
"Do you remember when I said the food would surprise you? Let's just say that my secret slow spicy formula was in those quesadillas". Fernando arched an eyebrow and asked
"Slow spicy formula?"
"Yep! In any moment now you'll start to roll on the floor as if your mouth was on fire" then he started to maniacally laugh. Some seconds passed and Discord slowly stopped his laugh "Any moment now". A full minute passed "Right... NOW!" he pointed to Fernando's face, which still hasn't changed, except for his eyes, which were bloodshot by now. Discord growled and asked
"Why are you not suffering!". Fernando smiled victoriously, and responded
"That's because all of my life I've eaten mexican food! But trust me, I've never eaten something more spicy" Discord looked at him closely, and sure enough, his eyes were leaking some tears, but that was the only effect on him
"It's still not what I expected".
Fernando chuckled before exiting the alley. It was still very early, so he could walk through the streets without worrying about being spotted.
Fernando walked down a street in the middle of the city, the sun was being lifted by a certain white alicorn, when he heard some voices that he dreaded.
"Hey, I can see an exit!" he heard Rainbow Dash from a nearby drain. Fernando frantically looked around, but he didn't find an alley, only a carriage.
"We would have found one earlier if Twilight hadn't fainted" now was Applejack's voice the one Fernando heard. Without other options, Fernando ran to the carriage, and luckily, there was a hollow space below, probably for spare parts, that he fitted in without being seen from outside.
"Well, who would have guessed that she fears snakes and alligators" commented Pinkie when she hopped out of the sewers, forgetting to get the drain out of the way. "I mean, she doesn't fears Gummy"
"Pinkie, I'm pretty sure that she only fears a full grown alligator" Rarity responded, remembering the reptiles that were bigger than one of them.
"But they only wanted to give Twilight a surprise hug! Besides, they were Gummy's cousins. I know them ever since they only had thirty teeth and they would never hurt a pony that is my friend" protested Pinkie Pie.
"Couldn't you at least tell us about them while searching for that human?" asked Rainbow Dash when she flew out of the sewers followed by Fluttershy, Spike and Lyra, Twilight hanging from Dash's front hooves. When she set her down on the floor, she woke up
"Alligators! Teeth! Gummy!". She noticed that she was now awake, and let out a sigh of relief. She looked around and noticed that they were no longer in the sewers.
"Hey, isn't that our carriage?" she asked pointing to it. Just then, the mares noticed it. In the lower part of the carriage, Fernando couldn't believe his bad luck.
"Well, isn't that convenient?" commented Applejack, and after she said that, the guards that were assigned to pull from it arrived, ready to take them to their next destination.
Twilight told the guards that they were going to Las Pegasus, and after that the Human Hunters entered the carriage. Once inside, Rarity couldn't help but complain
"Twilight, can't you do something about this horrendous smell?". In response, Twilight's horn let out a flash and the former sewage smell was replaced by a fresh lavender smell. "That's much better. Thank you"
Fernando was about to leave the carriage, but a sudden jerk sent him backwards, making him hit his head and to be disoriented for some seconds. He shook his head, and he was about to jump down, but they were already five meters above the ground.
"Great. I'm heading to who-knows-where, and when I arrive I have to deal with them. What else can happen?"
"Hello" said Discord, who was at his side. Fernando sighed at his misfortune.
Inside the carriage, the ponies of the Human Hunters Team couldn't sit comfortably. There was something that wouldn't let them relax, and Rainbow Dash remembered exactly what it meant.
"Hey, Twilight," she told to said unicorn "do you remember this feeling, from when we were at the castle?". Twilight thought for a moment before realization hit her
"You're right! He must be here in the chariot!" she exclaimed before using her see-through spell. The light that emanated from her horn like a flash light moved around the carriage, but to the disappoint of them all, they didn't caught even a glimpse of their target.
"Darn it. It must be another of Discord tricks" commented Applejack. They sighed and tried to sighed and tried to ignore the abnormal feeling that wouldn't leave them.
Under the carriage, Fernando saw the effect of the see-through spell, and was relieved when they weren't able to find him, but he was looking confused towards Discord, who was messing around with the carriage to amuse himself
"Hey, Discord, why they weren't able to see you?". The shrunken draconequus turned to him to respond
"Because I have the almost the same spell that you are under effect, but they will have an annoying feeling when I'm around. Yours only make them know that you're supposed to be close"
"Isn't there another way for you to entertain yourself, like video games? Or anything that is close to them?"
"Well... those kind of thingies are too complex for me. Also, the last one I was able to play had me as the antagonist. I wouldn't have any problem with that, but they made me predictable" he then leered in the direction of Play Stallion head quarters. Fernando ignored that last action and tried to rest for the rest of the trip.
Some hours later, the flying chariot was finally arriving at Las Pegasus. Fernando was preparing himself to dash out of sight as soon as he was a safe distance from the ground. Discord left a hour ago after a lightbulb appeared above his head and having stared for half a hour directly at Fernando's head.
"That can't be good" Fernando thought while remembering the action of his tormentor.
The carriage was still moving when Fernando jumped out of the refraction compartment. The landing was rough, and the street was crowded, but his sudden apparition surprised the ponies just enough for him to run away. Except that when he tried to run, he was unable to move even a centimeter. He started to get nervous, and he checked himself to see if he had the glow that would haunt him wherever he went.
To his surprise, there wasn't the presence of unicorn magic, but when he glanced behind him, he saw Discord, even in his diminished size, effortlessly stopping him from moving by holding his shirt with only one claw. The human narrowed his eyes at the draconequus and thought with disdain
"What are you doing?". Discord grinned and responded
"You'll know soon enough." he looked behind him and he saw the Human Hunters Team exiting the chariot and, noticing them, running towards them. Discord grinned even more and snapped the fingers of his free paw.
When he did that, Fernando, the mane six, Lyra and Spike were teleported and appeared some hundred of meters above the ground. A thick glass wall separated them and two Discords appeared. One on each side of the wall.
The Discord that was on Fernando's side started to explain to him what was happening.
"If you're wondering what's happening, let me explain it to you before you make unnecessary questions" Fernando didn't stop his glare that he had since several seconds ago and nodded. "Do you remember when you told me about why I didn't entertain myself with things like video games?"
"Yes" was Fernando's response
"Well, you are about to be in one" Discord added with malice in his eyes.