//------------------------------// // Program Outsourced // Story: Reconnection // by GeekCat //------------------------------// Fluttershy remembered exactly why she didn't like to come into town much anymore. Just like she got the same reminder every time she went into town. She was walking down one of the market streets (thankfully not as busy as the main street), with Discord right behind her. They had spent the last two days together in her cottage, giving her time to nurse him back to full health. She had wrestled with her emotions and debated about what was best to do for him, while he had exercised muscles that had gone unused through sleep. And with him finally better, and her with a plan, they had set out into town. It was extremely uncomfortable. Fluttershy's ears flattened against the top of her head as she tried to ignore ponies' reactions toward the two of them. The dirty looks they would give Discord, or sometimes a pitying one. The even more pitying ones they would give as they looked at her. The way they turned away or moved across the street, trying to act natural but obviously not wanting to be near the pair of them. She sighed, casting a glance up at Discord. Though every look he got pained her, it always seemed like it all rolled right off of his back, either staring blankly forward or focusing all of his attention on Fluttershy. It was hard to tell if he was really unaffected, or if the spell was making him so uncaring. Either way…she started walking a little bit faster, hoping to get away from the gazes of everypony as quickly as possible. After a few seconds, Discord sped up just enough to keep pace with her. Finally, they broke away from the small market crowd and entered a much quieter street. Fluttershy let out a small sigh of relief, her pace slowing down as she kept guiding them towards their destination. Fewer and fewer ponies seemed to be around as she got closer… After just a few more blocks, they came across a totally empty street with their destination at the end. The outside looked the same as ever…Fluttershy swallowed and reminded herself that it wasn't Twilight's home anymore. That now, the unicorn who lived there might be able to help Discord. And so, she walked the rest of the way there, glancing up at Discord every so often. He showed no signs of being disturbed by this place, which she was quite grateful for. Once they were at the tree housing the Golden Oaks Library, she raised her hoof and knocked. After a few seconds, the door started to open. “You don't have to knock, you know. It's a public building,” Thorax's voice said. “You can just—oh, Fluttershy! And Discord!” Fluttershy smiled and gave a small wave hello. Discord just stood there, unfeeling gaze pinning the changeling and making small beads of sweat form on his forehead. “Well, uh…come in, come in,” Thorax said, opening the door a little wider and stepping back. “Discord, this is Thorax,” Fluttershy said as she stepped inside, the draconequus following right behind her. “He and Starlight helped rescue everyone who was captured by the changelings…and he's the one who brought us that vegetable stew you really liked.” Discord blinked, eyes focusing on Thorax and filling with a little more recognition. The changeling just grinned awkwardly, using his magic to close the library door. “Well, it's…it's good to see you up and about, Discord,” he said. “So, are you two here for books, or is this more of a social visit?” “I suppose a social visit?” Fluttershy said. “You mentioned that Starlight was doing some research into counterspells, so…” Thorax's ears perked up. “Oh, of course!” he said. “She's in her study right now. I can take you both to her.” He turned and headed deeper into the library, and the two of them followed right behind him. Fluttershy glanced up at all the bookshelves surrounding them as they headed deeper into the library…a little deeper than what it felt should have been possible. “The, uh…the library's been through some changes over the years, hasn't it?” she said. Thorax just shrugged, and Discord didn't respond at all. She kept glancing around at the walls of books around them, hoping it wasn't bringing up bad memories for Discord. Just a minute later, Thorax approached a wooden door with a hanging sign of Starlight's cutie mark. As he stepped forward, about to knock, the door was opened with magic, and Fluttershy caught a quick glimpse of a room with a small wooden desk piled with books and papers and a few pictures of equal signs hanging against the walls. Before she could spy anything else, Starlight stepped out, closing the door behind her. Fluttershy blinked. The unicorn looked different than the last time they had met. Though her mane was still tied back, it was in a looser, more relaxed ponytail than the strict and controlled manestyle she wore in her village. And she didn't seem to be taking any steps to cover up her cutie mark anymore. “Thorax, I've hit a slump in my studies,” she said, nose currently in a book. “You wouldn't happen to know anything about correlations or lack thereof between capitalism and ponies’ overall happiness, would you?” “Um…no, not really,” Thorax said. “But Starlight, we have—” Starlight bumped into Discord's legs, falling backward and dropping her book. “—guests.” Starlight used her magic to pick up the book and send it back into her study, then stood and raised her head…and kept raising it all the way until her eyes met Discord's. “Ah, you two,” she said, glancing over at Fluttershy. “I'm guessing that you're here for more than just a few books?” Fluttershy nodded. “When Thorax visited, he mentioned that you were working on a possible…counterspell.” And she had a much bigger favor to ask than that, but it didn't feel like the right time to ask. “Oh, yes!” Starlight said. “Why don't you come into my study, and we can discuss the details.” She opened the door, and Fluttershy stepped forward. Discord didn't even move. “Um…maybe this room is a little too orderly for him,” Fluttershy said, glancing at the carefully-arranged bookshelves. “Discord…would you rather wait somewhere that's a little more chaotic?” Discord blinked, then slowly nodded. “Well, we haven't organized the Neighponese section yet,” Thorax said. “And there's a comfy armchair. It's this way, Discord.” He waved Discord towards a nearby door, and Discord slowly turned and followed him. Fluttershy watched until he was completely out of sight, then turned back to Starlight, who was just scanning her shelves, humming to herself as she chose certain books and ignored others. “So, um…what made you and Thorax want to become the new Ponyville librarians?” Starlight paused. “Well. Both of us figured we needed to find a new place to live. The old librarian wasn't coming back anytime soon, it would be a good place for me to conduct magic research, and Thorax figured that he'd stick with me.” “Why, um…a new place to live?” Fluttershy asked. “S-Sorry, I don't mean to pry, I'm just…” “Curious?” Starlight said. “Don't worry, we've faced much worse questions. Mostly from ponies who think we're plotting something.” She scoffed. “Like we'd even be able to complete an evil plot with half a suspicious town's eyes on us.” “Oh, that’s…rough?” Fluttershy said as sympathetically as she could. “Anyway, Thorax…it's a bit personal, but let's just say he doesn't want to go back to the hive just yet, even with Queen Chrysalis gone,” Starlight said. “And after what Twilight did, I'm not exactly welcome in my village anymore. I don't even need to go back to know that.” “Ah…” Fluttershy said. On the one hoof, it didn't seem right to think she wasn't welcome without even trying to find out. On the other…she glanced nervously at the picture of an equal sign hanging on the wall. Starlight sighed. “Don't worry, I'm not going to try my campaign against cutie marks again,” she said. Under her breath, she muttered, “It's not like anyone would listen to me, anyway.” “So you're just…giving up?” Fluttershy said, furrowing her brow. In her village, she had seemed so determined, so adamant that she was doing the right thing… “Cutie marks are still a danger that can tear ponies apart,” Starlight said. “But I've seen what happens when someone uses a powerful, experimental spell for the greater good.” She glanced at her door...in the direction Discord had gone in. “Well…what Twilight did was worse. But still, I'm not going to end up like her.” “So, I'm going to use a…mostly non-magical solution,” she said. “Some kind of solution that will help society in general, so that everyone can be equal regardless of cutie mark, subspecies, class level...” “Oh?” Fluttershy said. “What solution do you have?” Starlight sighed, ears drooping. “Nothing, yet,” she said. “Turns out politics and political theory is a little more difficult than magic.” Her ears lifted. “Oh, but you're not here to hear me ramble, are you? You're here so that I can try to help Discord.” She levitated a few books over to herself, flipping through them at a rapid pace. “Fortunately, I'm much better at magic, and this library has more resources on the subject,” she said. “I'll just need to do a quick inspection of the spell, and then I can help Discord.” “How exactly can you, um…inspect the spell?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, since it's…” She gestured towards her own head. “Oh, a couple of advanced scanning spells should be able to show exactly what's going on in there,” Starlight said, selecting a few books to keep while setting the others back. “You can watch, if you'd like.” “…I'd feel better if I did,” Fluttershy said. Starlight nodded and headed into the room where Discord was waiting. He sat tall in his chair, hands over his lap and looking straight forward. It seemed as though he had done nothing but wait for the two of them to appear. “…that's a little creepy,” Starlight whispered under her breath. Fluttershy turned, about to give her a look, but the unicorn had already stepped forward, her horn glowing. “Alright, Discord,” she said. “Ready for a quick scan of what’s going on in your head?” Discord stared at her for a few moments. “…it'll be super quick,” Starlight said. “You'll barely notice!" And with that, she fired a thin beam of magic right at Discord's head. Fluttershy's stomach dropped, and her eyes widened as she focused on the beam that quickly made contact with Discord's face. Memories came flooding back, one of her seeing a magenta flash at the last moment, unable to do or say anything to stop it, because she had failed Discord and hadn't even looked up— Just as quickly as Starlight started using her magic, she stopped. The beam disappeared, and Discord blinked once before snorting and shaking his head. Fluttershy's legs wobbled, and she turned to look at Starlight. “W-W-Was the beam necessary?” she asked quietly. “Until I figure out a different way to focus my magic towards him, yes,” Starlight said, jotting things down in her journal in a blur. She rose an eyebrow, glancing between Discord and Fluttershy. “Care to discuss these results with me, Fluttershy?” Fluttershy took a few deep, calming breaths, relaxing her heart and quivering legs. “Alright,” she said with a nod. Starlight smiled and walked back into her study. Fluttershy paused, glancing over at Discord. He didn't seem any worse for wear, still staring ahead. “You don't have to just do nothing,” she said gently. She quickly scanned the shelves until she found a book, something about alien alicorns and space pirates. She grabbed it and set it on the table next to Discord, opening it to the first page. He blinked, slowly turning and bending his head to look down at it. A little comforted, she followed Starlight into her study. The unicorn was glancing over her notes, and looked up once she entered. “Well, the results were…interesting,” she said. “…good interesting or bad interesting?” Fluttershy asked worriedly. “Too early to tell at this point,” Starlight said, “I only did a very quick scan, and from what I got—well, this spell could be more complex than I realized. I just got a glimpse of a few components, and there's no telling how many there actually are.” She sighed. “If I had a few more days to safely scan him…” “Actually, um…there's a favor I wanted to ask of you,” Fluttershy said, scuffing a hoof against the ground. “One that would give you plenty of time to look at the spell.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “Could…could I ask you to take Discord in for a bit and watch over him?” Fluttershy said quickly. Starlight took a step back, blinking. “What? Why? I thought you really liked helping Discord.” “I do!” Fluttershy said quickly. “But I…I might not be the best pony to help him right now. I just…need a little time so that I could become a better keeper for him.” One that doesn't accidentally hurt him. “Well, fair enough,” Starlight said. “But why me? You have almost half a dozen friends you could ask for help.” “Pinkie and Rarity don't have the space for him to live with them…I don't want him to feel cramped or uncomfortable,” Fluttershy said. She had spent some time thinking this over. “Applejack might have some space, but she's too busy…I don't want to burden her when there's already so much on her plate.” “What about Rainbow—” Starlight started to say, before she clicked her mouth shut, pursing her lips. Fluttershy frowned, looking at the ground. “…I don't trust her to watch Discord again, yet,” she mumbled. “But you trust me?” Starlight said, raising an eyebrow. “You and Thorax,” Fluttershy said with a nod. “You don't seem like bad ponies…creatures.” Starlight looked at her for a long time…then sighed, shrugging and turning away. “There's some bedroom furniture I think was Twilight's,” she said. “Neither Thorax or I felt comfortable using it, but Discord's welcome to have it.” Fluttershy smiled, her ears perking up. “But!” Starlight said, pointing a hoof at her. “You're going to come in and check on him every so often. I'm not dealing with him alone, and I won't have any blame put on me if something goes wrong.” “Of course!” Fluttershy quickly agreed. She couldn't even imagine never seeing him again. And hopefully she could clamp down on her feelings and bring him back before too much time passed. “Would about twice a week be okay?” Starlight nodded. “…have you told him?” Fluttershy flinched a little. “Not…not yet,” she said. “I'll…I'll do it right now.” She headed towards the Neighponese section, where Discord still sat, waiting. He was still staring at the book in his lap, though she couldn't tell if he had read it at all. As she approached, he blinked and raised his head. “Time to go?” he asked. She swallowed thickly. “S-Sort of. But, Discord, it's just…you see…” Oh, she regretted not practicing what she was going to say! Discord just kept staring patiently. Blankly. She swallowed again, taking a deep breath. “Discord…I think you should stay here with Starlight for a bit!” she said quickly. He blinked, and she quickly began to ramble. “She'll be able to use your magic to help you, and it'll be good for you to interact with ponies besides me, and she shouldn't be able to give orders and worsen things for you…” She clamped her mouth shut before the true reason escaped her, looking to Discord for some kind of reaction. He just blinked. After a few moments, he said, “You're leaving…I'm staying?” “But I'll be back,” she said, approaching him and wrapping her forelegs around him. She could help but nuzzle into his soft fur. “I'll visit, and after a bit of time with Starlight, you can come back to my cottage…if you want.” He blinked, and a few seconds passed in silence. “…That's a bit of time,” he said. “I'm leaving now?” She couldn't help but giggle, hugging him even more tightly. He could be so funny. “It's…going to be a longer time than that,” she said gently. She pulled away, holding his paw in her hooves. “I will be back, I promise. And you'll see me soon, too.” “…alright,” he said. His expression was as neutral as ever. She swallowed the lump in her throat and gave his paw one last squeeze. I love you. But if she said it aloud…who knows how much it might affect him? And so, she released his paw and headed towards the front door. Starlight approached Discord. “I know the library might not seem like the homiest place, but there's a bedroom Thorax and I aren't using…” At the doorway, Fluttershy cast one last glance over her shoulder, watching as Starlight started to usher Discord upstairs. With a deep breath, she looked away and stepped outside, letting the door close behind her. “Fluttershy, wait!” Thorax called before she could even move very far. She looked up just in time to see him jump from a balcony and flutter down towards her. “You're leaving without Discord?” he said as soon as he was on the ground. She slowly nodded. “I think it might be…safer for him if he spent time with someone besides me,” she said quietly. “But why?” Thorax said, tilting his head and looking extremely confused. Fluttershy glanced back at the door, then at the quiet streets. When she was sure no one could be listening, she leaned forward and quietly said, “I'm…scared I could accidentally hurt Discord. Because of…what you told me.” Thorax blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Because you lo—” Fluttershy winced, glancing around again to make sure nopony was listening. “…because you care about him?” he said instead. “I don't understand how that would be bad…” She sighed, ears flattening against her skull. “If things were normal…if he was himself, then…I'd be happy. I'd want to tell him,” she said. “But, with…with that spell on him, I could influence him into becoming or doing something he really isn't.” Her vision was starting to get blurry. “I might accidentally mold him into being a creature I love, without really giving him his freedom back. I'd…I'd be just as bad as…” Her throat went tight as the image of her old friend flashed through her mind, and she clamped her eyes shut with a soft whine. Thorax placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I can't see you doing that,” he said. “Not even accidentally.” “…no one ever saw Twilight being the kind of pony to put this spell on him, either,” she said quietly. “It's…better if I just don't take any chances in the first place.” She placed a hoof on top of his. “…promise me he'll be okay here?” she said weakly. It was painful to leave him, but as long as she knew it was for the best… He was silent for a long moment. “…I promise that…we'll take good care of him,” he said. “As good as we can.” She still felt…not good about this, but his words made her feel a little bit better. “Thank you,” she said. “I'll visit again in a few days, okay?” Thorax nodded, his expression still unsure. She waved goodbye and headed out the door, keeping her ears pinned back and trying not to think of Discord. As soon as she fell out of love, it would be safe to take him back. Besides, maybe he'd enjoy a little bit of change by staying here instead. The next three days had slowly, very slowly, gone by. Her cottage felt empty without Discord, even with all the animals that were still around for her to take care of. She still kept all of the little chaotic touches in place around their home, though—hopefully, her feelings would fade quickly. But she still missed him, and knew that her feelings were still far from being gone. But she had promised them all that she would visit…and perhaps if she saw how well Discord was doing without her, it would make all of this easier. And so, she quickly packed a small basket with three blueberry muffins and a thermos of chocolate milk, then grabbed her saddlebags and headed into town. It was a pleasant day, and many ponies were milling about. A few even waved to her, and she nervously waved back. Was some time without Discord really enough for ponies to stop treating her like the odd duck of the town? …it wasn't a nice thought. And she immediately knew that she'd rather help Discord as best she could than gain the acceptance of the town. She tried to push the thought out of her mind as she headed the rest of the way toward the library. The streets near it were as empty as ever, so it wasn't terribly hard to get to. She approached and knocked on the door. A few moments of silence passed, and she began to shift her wings anxiously. Before she could start to worry, though, Thorax opened the door, yawning. “O-Oh, Fluttershy, great to see you,” he said. There were dark bags under his eyes. “Come in, come in…” “I hope I didn't wake you,” she said guiltily as she went inside. “No, no, we just…had a bit of a rough night,” he said, eyes drifting closed. “…maybe you should see Starlight. She's in the study, and there's some…news.” With another yawn, he went over to a comfy armchair and plopped into it. She was worried, and wanted to ask what this ‘news' was, but Thorax's eyes had already closed, and she almost suspected that he had fallen asleep. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out one of the muffins, leaving it on the table next to him along with a paper cup of chocolate milk. With that, she turned and headed into the belly of the library, trying her best to remember the directions to Starlight's study. Though she got turned around a few times, she did eventually manage to find the study again. The door was open, and she could see Starlight in there…but she paused for a moment in the entrance, assessing the situation. Starlight looked...tired. Her head was laying on her desk, her glowing horn the only indication that she was awake. She was using her magic to twirl long, wooden blocks in the air, arranging them carefully into a tower before removing a few pieces to repeat the process and make the structure taller. Fluttershy raised a hoof and rapped on the door frame to gain her attention. Starlight's ears perked up, and she lifted her head. “Oh, Fluttershy!” she said, surprised. “Here to see Discord?” Fluttershy nodded. “And to see how well the counterspell research is going.” Starlight winced, and Fluttershy noticed a few bags under her eyes. That was worrying. “Is…is everything going alright?” Starlight bit her lip, swiveling her chair around to face her. “I've definitely made some progress,” she said with a sigh, glancing upstairs. “I was hoping a counterspell, or maybe a combination of counterspells, would just take care of this, but…I suppose that was just wishful thinking.” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, starting to grow more worried. Starlight sighed, bringing over a journal and opening it to a specific page. She showed it to Fluttershy, who squinted and tried her best to read it. Even without the illegible writing, she barely recognized the names and terms that were written. “This is a list of every spell component used on Discord that I’ve managed to identify so far,” Starlight explained. “And there's still possibly dozens of others buried under all that, or links that Twilight must have built herself to hold it together…” She sighed and closed the journal, setting it aside. “In a way, it's almost impressive,” she said. After a few moments, her head snapped to Fluttershy. “I mean—! Despicable, it's awful, that's what it is…” Fluttershy swallowed. “But, if you know what the spell components are, can't you counter them one by one?” she asked hopefully. Starlight sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Maybe. It's possible it could work, but…there are too many things that could go wrong. Removing a component might cause the whole thing to collapse uncontrollably. If it was something else, it might be worth the risk, but…good Celestia, it's entwined in his brain!” She started to pace back and forth. “Even then, I was hoping I could do it carefully!” Her horn lit up, and she began to levitate wooden blocks from the tower over to herself. “But after what happened with Rainbow, I'm not convinced that Twilight hasn't built in some kind of failsafe to prevent tampering!” She collapsed at her desk, and the tower shuddered and spilled over at her movement. With a sigh, she used her magic to juggle the pieces and slowly rebuild it, leaning her head against the desk. “But…there has to be something we can do,” Fluttershy said. “Right?” Starlight nodded, finishing off the tower. “It's a…delicate process, but I do have a plan,” she said. She took the top layer off the tower and started to fiddle with them. “If I'm very, very careful about it, I can remove the weakest top layers without the whole thing collapsing. I'll also have to limit how much magic I use on him in a timeframe to prevent side effects.” “That's…that's good,” Fluttershy said. “And that means he has…a good chance of getting better, right?” “I can do my best,” Starlight said, lifting her head. “But with just me alone, it could take years…maybe even a lifetime, depending on how engrained everything is in his brain.” She sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Not to mention the problems he causes…” “P-P-Problems?” Fluttershy said. “What do you mean? I know he loves chaos, but that's who he is, and sometimes he can be a little tricky and it’s hard for him to open up, but that's not his fault, really, and—!” Starlight held up a hoof, cutting off her rambling. “It's probably best if you saw him yourself,” she said, standing up and heading towards the stairs. “Okay…” Fluttershy said, following behind her. She couldn't help but feel a little nervous…what exactly had Discord done? Starlight guided her upstairs, to where she remembered Twilight's room being. Using her magic, she opened the door, gesturing inside with an exasperated expression. Fluttershy looked…and froze in the doorway. What she remembered as a carefully-kept bedroom was now a total mess. Deep scratches were on the wooden floor, and in the windowsills, which were sealed from the outside (something she couldn't remember Twilight doing). Books were thrown across the room, laying around with their pages splayed out. Pillows and bedsheets had been knocked off of the bed…where Discord laid with his back to the door, his arms crossed. “Oh, my,” Fluttershy said with a soft gasp. With all her years of experience, she could recognize a tantrum when she saw one. Discord's ears twitched at the sound of her voice, and his whole body whipped around. His expression was neutral, but his eyes lit up when he saw her. “Fluttershy,” he said, getting onto his feet and stumbling his way towards her. “Of course he's perfectly cooperative with you,” Starlight said with a small huff. “He's been refusing to get up and dragging his feet anytime Thorax or I ask for him. And he kept asking about you, and acting…” She paused, looking around the mess in the room. “…obnoxious.” Discord fell onto all fours and wrapped Fluttershy in a hug as soon as he was close enough. “Fluttershy,” he said again, squeezing her tightly. “…you…okay?” His arms trembled, but he still held her in the embrace with great effort. A knot formed in her throat. “I'm…I'm okay,” she said, reaching up and patting his back. “How are you feeling?” He released the hug and stood back up. “…bored,” he said after a long pause. Starlight grumbled from behind her. “Tired. …miss you.” The knot tightened. “O-oh,” she said weakly. “I…” I miss you, too. But if she said that, would that just encourage him? It'd certainly make it harder for her to just walk away… “It's…tricky to know what he wants,” Starlight chipped in. Any glimmer of sadness in Discord sparked out at the sound of her voice, his eyes glazing over. “Thorax has been helpful, feeling out his emotions, but all he can tell is that here, he feels…melancholy.” She sighed. “If he feels anything strongly enough at all.” “…is there anything I could do to make you happier here?” Fluttershy quietly asked Discord, flying up and smoothing out one of his fluffy eyebrows. He silently stared at her. “…I think he'd be much happier living with you,” Thorax supplied from the doorway, yawning and rubbing his eyes. She looked over her shoulder at him, landing on the ground. “He’s already in a better mood because of seeing you.” Starlight glanced between the draconequus and the changeling, nodding in agreement. Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to look back at Discord. His expression was neutral, but his eyes were focused…and focused very clearly on her. “…do you really want to come back with me?” she asked. He eagerly nodded, with enough energy that she was surprised his neck didn't hurt. “But…” She wasn't sure what her argument would have been. But before she could speak, Discord bent down and grabbed both of her forehooves between his hands. “Please,” he said quietly, gently squeezing. Her heart melted as he gave her an earnest look. He…he trusted her so much. And…she still cared so deeply for him…even if it wasn't the right thing to do, she wanted him back. And here he was, begging to come…she couldn't find it in her heart to refuse. “O-Okay,” she said with a nod, starting to feel choked up. His face broke into a wide, glittering smile. “But…I'd still like for you to spend time with Starlight, so she can help you…?” His grin didn't falter, even as she looked around him to meet Starlight's gaze, asking for confirmation. Starlight sighed, levitating a journal over with her magic. “I'm still willing to help you, I suppose,” she said. “But while I may know a lot about magic…I think you're one of the few ponies that knows Discord.” Fluttershy blinked, glancing back at the smiling draconequus, whose cheeks were twitching as his face was slowly pushed back towards a neutral expression. Did she really know him…or did she just think she knew him? “…do you want to walk home right now?” she asked, still trying to puzzle things out. He nodded, and she started moving towards the front door. The clicking of his claws and hoof told her that he was following. “Hey…Fluttershy?” Thorax said when they were almost outside. She paused and turned to look at him. He seemed a little more awake, and muffin crumbs were stuck to his muzzle. “About you…about what we talked about. I don't think that it's going to harm…” His eyes flicked up to Discord. Discord tilted his head in confusion. Fluttershy looked between him and Thorax. Thorax elaborated, “I mean…” He stepped closer to quietly say into her ear, “Starlight doesn't think you can passively affect him. Not without using magic, anyway.” Her eyes widened, but he quickly held up a hoof. “I didn't tell her! I just…asked her a hypothetical question while she was studying. That's all.” “So…it's okay that I…” She glanced up at Discord. “Even though…?” Thorax placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Just treat him the way you have been,” he said. “And everything will be fine.” She swallowed and quickly blinked. “If…if you say so,” she said. “…thank you.” Thorax smiled and nodded. “Just…let me and Starlight know if you have questions,” he said. “Oh, and have a nice evening!” “You too,” she said. He headed deeper into the library, the two of them waving goodbye. She turned back to Discord and gave a soft smile, holding her hoof out to him. It took a few moments, but he reached down and wrapped the fingers of his lion paw around it. Her smile widened, and she headed outside with him at her side. “So, what would you like for dinner?” she asked. “I can't do anything too fancy, but I can still throw together something chaotic.” He blinked, his eyes slowly drifting along the stands surrounding them…before finally coming to a stop on the jam stand. "...Jam?" “Jam does sound nice,” she said with a smile. “How about…double-jam sandwiches? With some extra fruit thrown in for texture?” His gaze snapped back forward, and he gave a small nod. She smiled and gave his hoof a squeeze, shifting a little closer. Even if they did get a few looks here and there, it felt good to have Discord by her side. And it seemed he just might have felt the same. Hand in hoof, they slowly headed back to her cottage, enjoying the sunshine as they walked.