//------------------------------// // The Truth // Story: Buck Off // by TheOneBehindYou //------------------------------// She couldn't even start working, no, she just had to go see Fluttershy straight away! No ifs, ands or buts about it! When Granny Smith tells you to do something, by gosh darn, you will do it. Still though, she'd have preferred hearing Twilight's obvious rant about how important it was to be honest with your friends, when she herself should know better then anypony else about honesty! Indeed, this was going to be a very slow walk. Yes, some ponies did float or walk by waving at her but she couldn't help but only mutter a few "Hiyas" and "Hellos" as she passed by. She had no time for chit chat. Not with a certain draconequus -still- on her mind. She wanted to ask so many questions and she knew she wasn't going to get many answers. The look of determination as she made herself closer to the cottage had fewer ponies even wave or look her way because of how fierce her gaze looked, piercing ahead. she knew one thing though, she was going to make sure she got those answers, by any means necessary. I mean, first of all, why was it every time she tried to speak, she couldn't sass up or even think of something genuine to say? Let alone even find her two bits for that matter? Discord's fault, that's why. He was using some voodoo chaos magic on her and she wasn't going to let it keep happening. That's why she came prepared this time, with her lasso, in case thing's got a bit fuzzy or if he tried to escape. "No more games Discord..." She grumbled, through the rope in her mouth, pacing until then galloping to the cottage. She wasn't scared anymore, she was determined to put that varmint in his place. Or by Celestia herself, she'd eat her own hat! "Applejack?" She heard a voice somewhere, probably was just another villager. She didn't have time for this! She needed to- oh wait, there it is. She got here already? That was fast, maybe she should go back and make sure she didn't go to a clone of the house or something. Yeah, that had to be it. There was no way- Slam. The door just collided with her face and the wall. "Applejack!? Applejack!? Where are you! Discord said he saw you but I told him that was just not possible because you should be laying in bed resting becauseyour'esosickand- ...Applejack?" What voice was that? Don't know, don't care. Pain, everywhere. Can't see light. Suddenly a glare of Celestia's sun and yellow, pinkness. "Oh my Gosh! Applejack! Are you ok?!" Squeaked the fluffy yellow cloud with a pink mane and tail. Wait, Pink mane and tail- Oh shoot! She really was here! "Aym, gud, fluttershai-" She collided down to the ground, she could tell only because something grimy just hit her teeth and decided to curl in her mouth. Yuck. "Here, hurry, let's get you inside! You look absolutely awful..." Suddenly she was being lifted and flown inside the cottage, oh sweet Celestia thank goodness. Wait, grime, spit it out. "It's a good thing Discord was watching the window, who knows what other infections you could catch outside in your condition...!" Fluttershy was mumbling most of this, as she only still saw blurs going by while spitting out wretched, disgusting dirt in a can beside her. She'd have chosen the floor but even as dazed and hurt as she was, she still had some decency for her friend's home. Except for Rarity, because she always got a kick out of seeing her flip out. Wait, Discord. He knew she was coming!? Shaking herself out of her daze, she jumped down and tried to ready her lasso but then she realized something, it was gone! "Wait, what!? Where-" "Looking for something my little 'sugar cube'~?" It only took one turn of her head to see that smug, obnoxious smile of Discord. "...You." She seethed, growling almost as she neared him, ready to pounce. "Nopony takes my lasso..." "Also your hat, but I take that every time." He snickered, pointing up at his head where he couldn't help but tease her further. Her dizziness satiated, she now saw the brown object above his head and now her anger was just boiling. "You give that stuff back to me right now or you'll be SORRY!" "Ooo, I'm shaking in my fuuuuur~" He purred. "What if I told you, I like it when you fight back~" "..." Stunned silence. He winked. She tried to find words, she really, honestly did. Yet all that came out was blathering and Discord was just snickering at her. "You know." He stated, suddenly dressing in a cowboy attire with a snap of his talons, his lion paw making the lasso fly up in the air with a twirl. "I always wanted to be a cowboy~" "...Give it back." She felt her own gaze narrowing now, because this was going too far. Yet suddenly, she found herself squealing like a pig, almost quite literally with how he used her lasso to tie her up and pull her in like cattle itself. "And why should I do that, Darlin'?" His voice breaking a very stupid southern accent. She never sounded anything like that! "Or I'll steal your bones for my daily sandwich." She snarled in return, pressing her muzzle against his smirking one. "...Excuse me?" Both heads turned to look at Fluttershy in surprise, somehow astonished she was there despite the residence they were at. "Can we not fight, please? You know, if that's ok... With you?" How long had she been standing there? Neither one of them knew. Yet with that one plea, they immediately broke off of each other but Discord still kept the hat and lasso. While AJ just decided, he'd give em back eventually, or else he would be mincemeat. ____ A small time later, thing's had died down and they were all able to assort themselves to some tea and biscuits. Of course, only after AJ painstakingly went through a million tests by Fluttershy to make sure she was 'cured'. Even though she had said so many times it wasn't a real illness. But with Fluttershy always worrying, she of course stated she was doing it 'just to make sure'. "Discord, can't you please give back Applejack's stuff...?" The shy mare was pleading with the God of chaos, much help that's going to be. If it didn't work for her, why would it work for- "Oh fine dear, but only because you asked nicely~" And with a snap of his fingers, all of AJ's belongings went back on her head and on her back. "...I hate you." She dead-panned. "Now Applejack, that's not nice, you say, I greatly dislike you." Discord stated, sounding exactly like Fluttershy as he turned to her. His eyebrows fluttering as he cupped his mis-matched hands together. Yet despite the words, Fluttershy was a bit shocked at how well he mimicked her voice but then again this was Discord. "While I do agree with Discord..." Fluttershy started, pouring some more tea for the two. "I'd advise we don't use my vocal chords... or something." She shyly looked away, still a bit perturbed by it. "You're right my dear, everypony knows if you want to have the perfect voice, you use yours truly." He placed his talons on his heart, posing righteously. Applejack felt another eye roll coming on. "Give me a break." Discord suddenly appeared underneath Applejack, making her scream as she held for dear life around his neck so she wouldn't fall. Yet Discord only sipped his tea before asking. "So what pray tell, brings you here my dear~? I know it must be something to do with me. Since you're so infatuated with my good looks and all~" Her face wasn't red, stop imagining that it was. It wasn't! "In your dreams!" She felt herself bravely jump off his neck now, landing on all fours gracefully. She now turned to face him, pointing an accusing hoof. "Now you listen to me, you sniveling excuse of a varmint!" Fluttershy gasped dramatically at that. "I want answers!" "Of what?" He now stated, being less random and a tad more serious but he was still smirking a bit. Yet a choke of air was all that left him as he felt his neck being tightened by a rope of some kind and before Discord knew it, he was being pinned to the ground and trampled on by Applejack. Instead of being scared though, a flirtatious look came upon his features and he wiggled his eyebrows. AJ ignored it though, stomping her hoof in his chest, knocking the air out of him so he went back to being surprised. It was an improvement, she guessed. "Listen here, I wanna know what the hay you freaking did to me last night!" Fluttershy was starting to flush, so she was wondering or not if this was a conversation she was even allowed to listen to. "Well, I basically told you about your Chaos Demons and-" "No! Not that! I'm talking about Granny Smith and hearing some weird voice, that sounded particularly close to yours!" "Oh, that, that's just a part of the healing process. It just scans how your handling your Chaos Demons. It also knows how to poke you in the right direction so you'll fix yourself, more or less. I can't always be around to baby sit you, you know." "But it made a fool out of me!" She growled, stomping her hoof in his air passage before pulling back up again once he started choking. "So what!? You can't expect this to be easy to rid of, do you?" He growled now, getting a bit irked by this whole situation. I mean, she'd be angry sure, but full blown choking? That was a little extreme. Maybe he wasn't all that interested in a dominant mare... He'd prefer it better actu- "But what do my feelings have to do with any of this!? You said it had something to do with my Chaos Demons or whatever the hay it is, so explain!" Discord sighed now and snapped his fingers, sitting back down in his chair to sip some tea. He then snapped and reappeared underneath her, back in his normal position, confusing the two mares. "You see..." He started, waving his talons around. "You're confused because, more or less, you have feelings for my ultimate sexiness correct?" She growled. "Just keep going..." "Well... Whenever I 'Discord' someone and they become corrupted with these Chaos Demon's after the whole 'yay harmony fixes everything' appeal, you'll become attracted to moi because of the 'chaos and disharmony' still lurking inside of you. Therefore, it is normal to have feelings for the Draconequus who created it, all ponies I've 'Discorded' have had this happen." Wait, all of them? Did...Did Fluttershy just blush? Wait Applejack blushed at this, not in embarrassment but in anger. She didn't like the sound of sharing him... And it scared her that she felt that way, at all. For Discord of all creatures. So, her feelings weren't genuine, they were just 'created' by this abomination. "..." Realizing this, she just now glared and spoke in a low whisper. "So everypony has felt this way...?" "Well, more or less, yes." "Who." She demanded. "Trick Treat, Peachie Cakes, Tom Foolery, Hufflalumps and Woozles, you name it." He grinned now, so proud of his playboy legion of toys. And boy was Applejack's face red as a beet. "..." Yet silence fell her as she stepped off of him and now calmly untied her lasso, walking up to the door. She stopped though, to whisper one last thing. "This is all your fault, you know that?" She could feel tears stinging her eyes but the heart ache that was beating in her was more painful then anything, she had felt before. "If you hadn't done this 'Discordin' business, none of this would have happened." Sensing her friend's upset words, Fluttershy tried to come over and hug her but Applejack gave her the cold shoulder, rubbing her off. She now turned to Discord, eyes red. "You did this to me..." Fluttershy and Discord both tried to say something but Applejack had heard enough of it and had already dashed home. Leaving the door ajar. She hoped Big Mac was ready for another hard day of labor, because with her heart as broken as it was, it be a miracle if she even ate anything for days. Yet what she didn't know, nor anypony for that matter, was Pinkie Pie had been listening in on the entire conversation, following Applejack to Fluttershy's cottage and soon a plan would begin to unfold for the country mare.