//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 // Story: Taismo: Discovering Equestria // by RockStarMLP //------------------------------// From during the small race between the fastest racer out of Cloudsdale and the new rival from the mysterious world of Mobius, to the passing afternoon and evening of quick hustles around Ponyville, the Cutie Mark Crusaders spent their time focusing on a strange pegasus pony in their clubhouse. Snowstar was her name, and remaining hidden was more than a game, as she begged the three fillies to not reveal her to anypony. The three just agreed to this, and each managed to spend some time with her during the day while they each took care of responsibilities with their families and at their homes, and informing others that they were spending another night at the clubhouse. They collected more than plenty of food to share, including the leftovers from the brunch held at the Apple family’s home, so that the mysterious young mare would eat well, but the Crusaders’ curiosity grew and grew about her origins. By the time it was nightfall, Apple Bloom had just come back from wishing her kin a good night, and getting themselves all comfortable, the time had finally come to learn the truth about what was going on. “Snowstar, we know we’ve kept you a secret from everyone, but now we need answers,” Sweetie Belle said, starting the important discussion. “Yeah,” Scootaloo added. “We’ve prevented ourselves from asking you about it all day, but not anymore. Where are you from, and why are you here? In fact, how did you get here? And what’s with that gem you have?” The orange filly’s latter question was a reference to the other filly’s blindness, a trait that was shown to them that morning. “Well, you see, it’s start from…” Snowstar said, sounding very hesitant and worried. “…I come from… this thing is… I’m here because…” Trying to be the more nurturing pony amongst her friends, Apple Bloom stepped up to her, lifting the filly’s bowed head up so that their eyes would face each other’s. “Don’t be nervous, Snowstar,” the yellow pony said. “You can trust us. All we wanna do is help however we can. So could you, please, tell us about yourself?” The light blue pegasus closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She had a cup of water given to her before and tried to find where she had left it, only to discover one of the other ponies handing it to her. She took it in her hoof, had a small drink to quench her throat, and began to explain herself- “I’m from Cloudsdale. I’m here because I’ve left my home and everypony back there because of so much hurt I’ve been taking there. You see, I was always blind, being bored with this and having to depend on whoever I can to help me when I can’t do anything myself, and that’s a lot of things. My blindness is actually something hereditary, being passed down from one of my ancestors, a weather pegasus named Snowdrop…” “I’ve heard of her,” Scootaloo interrupted. “Twilight forced me and Rainbow Dash through a lecture about this. She’s a pegasus that created snowflakes when she was a filly like us. She was blind too, and she actually presented the first snowflake to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Snowstar continued on by saying “Well, yes, she’s one of my oldest ancestors. In fact, my parents have told me that I look just like her, and that I may have the same qualities as she did, but I really doubt it. Snowdrop managed to create something beautiful that would live on forever in so many ways as I… well… I can’t do anything. “Back at my home, I’ve never done anything on my own without having somepony else helping me, like traveling around, knowing what’s going on in Equestria, and what things do when they’re right in front of me. A lot of ponies there try to be nice to me as if nothing’s wrong with me, but I can tell they’re just acting. At my school, I was teased at and called so many names that I think there’s nothing left to think of. I’ve been bullied and tricked so much that my things would get stolen, kept away from me, or even broken. They even began to shove me around, going as far as pushing me off a cloud’s edge to fall, and it all just built up so much, I began to cry in bed every night. “I would tell my parents or teachers about it when anything happened, but the other ponies just wouldn’t stop. Even their parents punishing them and teachers putting them in different classes than mine didn’t do any good, and every day my parents would try telling me ‘Everything will be just fine.’ I stopped believing them a long time ago. I couldn’t believe them anymore. I became so broken, and after hearing them talk about how there was nothing more they could do for me other than put me somewhere new just to be bullied at more, I knew I couldn’t handle it.” “So you decided to run away from home instead?” Sweetie Belle asked, and got a small nod as an answer. Snowstar went on to say “It was a few days ago when I waited until it was late enough that everypony would be asleep. My family lives on an edge of Cloudsdale, so I knew all I had to do was hover down to the ground gently.” She paused for a moment, giving her two wings a little flap. “At least I knew how to fly, learning on my own and crashing into everything you could think of. I ended up hitting against a tree and fell down to the ground. “I’ve been on the ground only a few times before, so I knew about trees and rivers and stuff like that, but where everything was was still an issue for me. I took my time and walked wherever I could, as far as I could, before making a turn in my direction, and I did that a lot. I’ve been walking ever since, only flying a few times when I thought I would fall or needed to get around something, keeping myself going to anywhere but back home… or, what I can’t call home. "The last thing I remember, I was exhausted from not eating anything since running away, bumping into something and three other things hitting my head. Next thing I knew, I woke up in here, thanks to you. And that’s my story.” All three listeners tried to process as much of this as they could, each of them heartbroken, saddened, and infuriated at the same time. None of them knew what to say at first, other than rant about how unfair it all sounded, and the sympathies they had for her. What doubts they had in her story were shown by the tears she began to shed the more she talked, surprised that she wasn’t letting out more crying as it was. They looked at each other, worried about how to direct things next, but the shining light of a precious gem radiating next to Snowstar caught their attention. “What about this thing?” Apple Bloom asked, stepping over to pick the gem up. “I’ve never seen a jewel like this before. Never one that would be so shiny and glowin’.” “I found that when I was walking,” Snowstar explained, reaching her hoof out to hold it. Apple Bloom gave it back to her, and she then held it close to herself. “I don’t know where it came from, but when I picked it up, I could feel its glow. I know it sounds weird, but I just did. It felt warm and loving, and I didn’t want to let it go, so I took it with me, to give me what I couldn’t find back there anymore.” Looking at the purple emerald being clenched so tightly, the little white unicorn said “It’s awfully pretty. I really like its color.” Scootaloo then lightly punched her shoulder, silently addressing the wrong way the pony said it. “Ouch. Hey… oh, oh no. I’m so sorry, Snowstar. I didn’t mean to…” “It’s alright,” the light blue filly replied. Her voice began to sound weaker, even after drinking so much water between paragraphs of explanation, and strained with sad emotion. “Now… now you know all about me. A lonely, pathetic, miserable pony who has no place in this world. Please, I can’t ask for you to do too much for me, not like how I’ve had to my whole life but… but… “Please don’t force me to go back.” The Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t know what to do, still taking in all the information shared to them. They didn’t say anything for a minute, just looking at each other without an idea of what to say, and looked back at the worried blind pony as she feared for what could happen next. Apple Bloom mustered up the courage to speak first and say “Could you excuse us for just a moment?” and the three friends immediately huddled together to quietly talk amongst themselves. “I just don’t know what to do. She needs help, but she doesn’t want to be found out about. How do we keep this a secret from everypony?” she whispered. “Well we’ve got to think of something. We can’t just let her stay here forever, it won’t do any good. Besides, someone’s bound to come looking for her eventually,” Scootaloo added. “But she’s so scared to go back, and we can’t force her away. She’s got nowhere else to go,” Sweetie Belle said, and the three looked at each other in worried pause again. She spoke up again, and said “I think what she needs right now are friends, so I say we give her some.” Snowstar just sat where she was quietly, unsure of what she’ll be told by the three fillies. She clenched onto the gemstone as hard as comfort would allow, hoping for the positive feelings she got from it will reward her again with her current position. Remaining seated, she could sense the footsteps of the ponies coming towards her, then sitting around her. Looking up with her glasslike eyes, wondering exactly which pony was sitting right in front of her, listened carefully when Apple Bloom spoke. “Listen, Snowstar, we’re willin’ to help you out, but there are conditions…” /)∞(\ The next day in Ponyville shined beautifully as another lovely spring atmosphere graced the community, and its citizens and guests. The town’s closest group of friends agreed yesterday to have a picnic together, organized in most part by Pinkie Pie, which found her, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle joining each other for a relaxing afternoon together, and with the additional company of their two newest friends, Tails and Cosmo. The two, although greatly concerned about trying to get back home, enjoyed how there were these times of relaxing and peace between sessions of research, mostly handled by the intellectual fox and alicorn. Their time with those six ponies, getting to know them better and seeing how they maintain the most positive outlooks of things as much as possible, they were reminded so much of their friends and family that it felt as if they were at a new home, away from home, something they took great fortune in having. All eight of them relaxed in their own manners across the large picnic blanket. As Rainbow Dash leaned her back against one of the supporting trees in one corner, Tails was doing the same in the opposing corner, with Cosmo leaning against him, all three watching Pinkie Pie just bouncing around the entire area in circles. Twilight was in one of the other corners reading through one of her favorite spell books under an umbrella in a corner where there was originally no shade at all, Applejack helping herself to the contents of the picnic basket in the blanket’s center, and Rarity and Fluttershy sitting down in the remaining corner. It was another wonderful day to be with friends, even those you wouldn’t expect to see, or expect to come to know in such short time. “This afternoon has been just marvelous, if I do say so myself. A perfect way to keep the strains of staying stuck in the shop all day, even if it’s crafting my passion,” Rarity stated. “Which reminds me, Cosmo, your new dress is almost finished, and thanks to your help with Tails’s measurements, his is coming along quite nicely.” “That sounds wonderful, Rarity. I really look forward to seeing what you came up with,” Cosmo replied. “Oh I promise that you’re going to just love it,” the fashion-savvy pony said. “Knowin’ it was made by you, it’s bound to be one of the fanciest dresses ever seen,” complimented Applejack. She then took a big bite out of a slice of pie Pinkie brought, swallowed it down and pointed her hoof towards Tails before adding “Just make sure whatever you’re makin’ for that partner there doesn’t get put on if he ends up flyin’ with Rainbow Dash again.” Pinkie stopped bouncing around to say “Don’t remind me about that. I can’t believe I missed out on the coolest, most sonic booming race ever that was probably more interesting than throwing the biggest party inside the biggest inflated balloon in the world!” Pausing from her book, Twilight picked her head up to ask “And how would that be even possible?” “Anything is possible if you can make it happen. Duh,” the pink mare replied. There was no sense in Pinkie logic, just acceptance by those who would listen, so the purple alicorn did just that. “Pinkie Pie, your ideas are probably the only thing more random than you,” Rainbow Dash stated in a general tone, but not coming across as rude. “Besides, that race was just one race. Next time, I’ll really show my stuff, even go full speed.” Tails just recanted how they acted after the race yesterday, and what they each said. He didn’t say anything to add to it, and instead just thought of the possibilities of racing again, but perhaps with the X-Tornado, or for the ultimate challenge, the two fastest hedgehogs he knew. Remaining just as quiet was Fluttershy, something the pony always tended to be but not responding to much of any shared conversations that took place with anything more than just few-worded sentences. She had a thought on her mind, regarding some mail she received and sent out a couple days ago. Rainbow turned her eyes towards her alicorn friend, who was still focused on her book. “You ever going to give that thing a rest? You’ve been reading it like crazy since we got here,” the cyan pegasus stated. “This comin’ from the pony who has gone and read through every book of Daring Do over a dozen times each, and just finished the newest one for the fifth time yesterday might I add,” Applejack pointed out. “You know Twi’s busy with research to help Tails and Cosmo out, so don’t be botherin’ with her about readin’ habits.” “It’s alright Applejack,” Twilight said, “she’s got a point anyway.” She closed the book she had in front of her with a gentle sigh, having only about a dozen pages left to read through before its end, and looked up at her friends. “I just don’t like feeling like I’m doing all I can to help. Nopony here has ever done that to me, and I would never want to do that to anyone either.” “But you’ve been doing so much for us already,” Cosmo pointed out. “We couldn’t ask you to strain yourself so far. We wouldn’t even allow it, whether we were here or if you were in our world.” “No kidding. You need to remember to loosen up a little and relax. Where was the more relaxed Twilight from Sweet Apple Acres yesterday?” Rainbow added. “They’ve got their points,” Tails said, and in a more calmed and relaxed voice than hers, even Cosmo’s. “Sometimes we just need to let time decide what we do with it and how we better ourselves from it. As for right now, this here is what matters – a good day with great friends.” Cosmo turned her head up to her beloved’s to say “You have really adopted a lot of Sonic’s thoughts, and that just proves it. You seem just as at ease as he always is.” The fox could only smile a little when he said “What can I say? My brother’s taught me when it’s best to stay calm, and my heart and soul has taught me to always treat others as how they are to me. Right now, it’s time to be enjoyable of how we’re spending our time, and what we do to better ourselves next.” “And I really appreciate that, Tails, it means a lot,” the princess said. “But this is an important responsibility to me, and Princess Celestia strongly believes I’m the best way to help you and Cosmo out. The last thing I want to do is make my duties less important than they really are.” Fluttershy then spoke up, asking her dear friend “You mean because you’re a princess?” “Well, of course,” Twilight answered. “But you shouldn’t let your worries about being a princess cloud what else is important. You should always be balanced. That is, if there is a balance, which I’m sure there is,” the yellow mare said. “Exactly,” agreed Pinkie. “I mean, you don’t want to go from Happytown to Chaos City, do you?” “And what’s wrong with a little Chaos? It can do wonders if you know how to use it just right…” The last statement was said with a devious voice, but not one by any of the ponies, or the couple. The realization of whose voice it was made most of the ponies worried, getting up on their hooves and searching around for anything best described as ‘abnormal.’ Confused by this, both Tails and Cosmo got up on their feet, their eyes looking around seeing nothing, and their minds wondering where that voice came from. The two noticed that the only pony not reacting so much to this was Fluttershy, so they asked her about this. “Fluttershy, what’s going on here?” Tails asked. She tried to answer with “Oh, well, it’s…” before Rainbow Dash interrupted her by saying “It’s trouble. That’s what going on.” “Trouble?” asked Cosmo. “What sort of trouble?” “Well, you see…” the yellow tried to explain, but was interrupted again. “The kind that brings chaos and disharmony,” Rarity said. “Alright, where are you?” Twilight asked, calling out to nobody in particular as she looked around at any open space there was. Popping out of the picnic basket was a churro, and oddly colored as if it was a meshed rainbow. Such a sight made it unappealing even to Pinkie Pie, and what made it even stranger was when two eyes and a mouth appeared on it to say “No need to get your attitude all displeasing, Twilight.” Just then, the churro changed into a new form, a creature that couldn’t be identified as a single species, but easily as who it was. “Can’t a friend stop by and pay a visit on a nice and relaxing day?” The being, known as a Draconequus, stood nearly as tall as a tree, his body made up of many different types of parts – an eagle claw, a goat leg, a lion’s arm, a lizard leg, a large fang, a bat wing, an antler, a goat horn, a pegasus wing, among his many parts – and stood in the center of the eight friends. Most of the ponies remained surprised, the couple remained curious, and Fluttershy still reacted the least amongst them all to see the return of a somewhat reformed foe. Now joining them was none other than the master of Chaos himself – Discord. “How wonderful to see you all again,” he greeted them. “I hope you don’t mind me ‘dropping by' at all.” He then shrunk himself to fall into a full drink glass that sat on the blanket, breaching back out one before floating on the liquid’s surface. “What in tarnation are you doin’ here?” Applejack asked, staring down at him with a disapproving stink-eye. Popping back to his normal size, he said “What’s the problem? Can’t a guy stop by for a visit and see his dearest friends for an afternoon?” “Not with your track record, buster,” Pinkie told him. Though understanding for the ponies, the fox and flower were taken aback by how she said it, sounding very serious and suspicious, something that they’d never expect from her. Discord then explained himself more by saying “Well, if you must know why I’m here…” He then vanished again, this time popping up next to Fluttershy with a piece of paper in his hand. “I received this wonderful letter from dear little Fluttershy this morning. She wrote how you meet these two newcomers that sounded just delightful, and I wanted to come and meet them myself.” He vanished again, leaving the paper he had to float down to Twilight’s hoof to grab and read herself, but before she could, he reappeared with his body arced around the two he referred to. “And those two must be you, I presume? Such a pleasure to meet you both.” They didn’t know exactly how to react to this. His sentences were worded kindly, but his tone sounded mischievous enough to keep up a defensive guard. Regardless, they kept themselves kind and respectful, and decided to return his greeting with ones of their own. “Yes, we are,” Tails said to the draconequus. “This is my dearest friend, Cosmo. And my name’s Miles Prower, or you can call me Tails, like every…” “Miles Prower, you say?” interrupted the draconequus. “Interesting name. It sounds like you’re a person of speed or racing.” He had a short, humorous laugh to follow, not meaning to be rude but coming across as such by the ponies. “Don’t make fun of his name!” Rainbow Dash lashed out at him, flying right up to his eyes to stare him down. Fluttershy then flew between the two to say “Now hold on, Rainbow Dash. I don’t think Discord was trying to do that at all. He was just making an observation.” She turned her head around towards him to ask “Is that right, Discord?” “But of course, Fluttershy. Just as you said, it was a harmless observation,” he replied, with a trying innocent tone. His attention turned back to the focused couple to shake their hands to say “Besides, I’m just trying to get to know who could be two new friends a little more.” If there were any eyebrows raised, it came from five ponies, and a curious one from the two-tailed fox. The latter would see how this would go for the time being, but Twilight was kept at guard about this whole matter. She directed conversation over to her kindest, quietest friend to ask “Fluttershy, why did you tell Discord about Tails and Cosmo?” “Because even though you all can’t see it in him yet, he’s a nice friend, and I wanted to share the nice story from what happened when the two reunited a few nights ago. I thought he would enjoy it,” Fluttershy explained, and then turned back to give him a kind smile, to which he returned it with the same gesture, adding some innocent eyes for the others. “Well it’s very nice to meet you as well, Discord,” Cosmo said to the chaotic creature. “Maybe you could tell Tails and me more about yourself, and how you met everypony here.” When she realized what she said, she covered her mouth with her hand, and Tails looked at her slightly surprised. Being so close with the ponies, it was a matter of time before they would adapt to some of the Equestrian language of addressing others. The couple couldn’t help but grin to each other with a chuckle, knowing it was inevitable for it to happen, which in turn helped lighten the mood around them a little, but just a very little. “I don’t think you’d be too interested in learning about how we’ve become acquainted with Discord, darling,” Rarity said. “It is a long story anyway, filled with all sorts of history and explanations.” “We don’t mind,” Tails replied. “It’s more for us to learn and know about your world after all, if you’re all alright with it, of course.” “Don’t mind if we do,” Discord stated, and with a snap of his tail’s tuft he rearranged the eight into being grouped up on the blanket, sitting down and facing the same direction. He then popped up behind them with a slideshow projector filled with many pictures, and a large projection screen in front of them all for the slides to be shown on. He even used his power to turn the gazebo area into a private screening room to help darken the atmosphere for better views. Starting to tell the history, he said “Well, it all goes back to over a thousand years ago, when I received a visit from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who brought with them some interesting ‘elements’ to our little party…” /)∞(\ Discord presented the slideshow and continued to narrate the story, which mostly revolved around him, but he did give the other ponies their moments to shine as his first return was told. Many of the pictures mainly showcased his ‘achievements’ and the ponies’ more embarrassed and somewhat shameful actions based on his doing, with several looks of a certain unicorn and her big rock. He did, however, swallow some pride and told of how the six used the Elements of Harmony to turn him into a stone statue he once escaped from, and the start of when he was freed to undergo reformation. It was at this point when Fluttershy stepped in and explained about how that transpired, saying nothing but positive things about the draconequus, even when he was clearly at his worst, and how much they benefit from the friendship they had formed, especially since she was his first friend. She ended the entire story with the last slide to be shown – a picture of the two at the last Summer Sun Celebration, having a cute moment together as they were each holding a churro. “And ever since then, Discord has lived in Equestria without causing any harm to anypony. Like any other pony, he was someone who deserved a chance to show and become a good friend,” the yellow mare said to conclude the show. After blowing his nose with a neckerchief turned to a little cloud, he changed the setting back to the original gazebo picnic that they were all in. “Well that was… interestingly informing,” Twilight said, not exactly sure with how to best describe it fully. “Are you kidding me? He made me look like a grade A jerk!” Rainbow complained. “And me into a big fat liar,” added Applejack. Pinkie, who was sitting next to Cosmo and Tails, wrapped a hoof around them as she sobbed a little. “It was so beautiful, wasn’t it? Looking back at memories from so long ago, it’s just so… so…” she tried to say, but then began to openly sob some more, unable to talk for her unexplainable overwhelmed emotions. The two didn’t say anything in reply, just sitting where they were feeling some confusion still. Twilight got back up on her hooves to step around from behind and say “Pinkie, it wasn’t that long ago,” and then redirected her attention towards the other two. “Other than some ‘embellished’ information, that was what happened. I’m sorry for this being so abrupt, but it tends to happen every so often.” “There’s no need to be sorry,” Cosmo replied. “It was actually enjoyable, in ways. Seeing those pictures was a fun way to learn more about your world, and your history.” Discord popped his head into the conversation, by the means of a picture of him from his first return during Ponyville’s state of chaos, appearing in the Seedrian’s hand. “Why thank you, dear Cosmo,” he said. “Glad to see somebody around here appreciates my open sharing. I guess it’s just harder to do with ponies.” He then vanished from the picture and reappeared as normal standing right next to Tails and Twilight. “It’s hard to be appreciated when you’ve given only so little reasons to receive any,” Rarity said to him, with some scolding. “Now Rarity, Discord isn’t doing anything to bother us. He’s just here to meet new friends and make a good impression,” Fluttershy stated, walking over to stand next to who he would call his only true friend. “I think that’s really appreciative to see how he’s trying.” The other five ponies didn’t say anything, withholding their own opinions and respecting her own, as any good friend would do for each other. Being surrounded by this silence wasn’t something Tails wanted to see happen, so he stood up on his feet to speak next. “And he did a really great job at it. Cosmo was right, it was very enjoyable to see all that, and to meet more friends from here,” he said. “The term ‘friend’ used very, very loosely here,” Rainbow Dash stated. “Oh come now, Rainbow Dash. It isn’t as if I will zap your wings off your back again, just for the sheer pleasure of it,” Discord stated, as a point of argument and a sense of humor. “Have I come here causing you nothing but trouble? Am I causing such a havoc that you need to figure out a way to stop me since you lack the Elements that have turned me into a stiffer version of my more flexible self?” The pegasus didn’t answer, but instead was the alicorn princess of the group. “That’s enough Discord,” she said to him sternly. “We might no longer have the Elements of Harmony, but we all know that you would rather find a way to turn to stone than lose your friendship with Fluttershy.” “Forgive me, Twilight, but I think he’s shown a lot to us here,” Cosmo stated, catching everypony’s attention. “And how do you reckon that? You saw what he turned us into,” Applejack stated, referring to how the draconequus manipulated each pony to become the opposite of their true selves before. “Where we’re from, reformation is something my friends and I have practiced many times in our own ways, and most of those times were they successful. Whether they were feared predators or evil villains, we found common bonds and paths we share together, and we’ve become stronger because of it. I see the same thing here with Discord, giving him a chance to continue being who he is, without being fully like what he was before. Fluttershy’s kindness and understanding towards him makes him a new person, who can be someone you can all come to trust, and eventually for all of you, a friend,” Tails explained. The yellow pegasus stood in front of the couple to say “I’m glad to see how much you understand this. To be honest, when I wrote him the letter, I didn’t expect him to come by at all. The fact that he’s trying to make friends with you shows a lot to me, and it makes me so happy I could just…” She decided to give a hardy cheer, or to that of which she would express it. “Yay.” “I understand what you’re all saying, but you’ve dealt with so much more compared to us, given what we’ve seen and heard from you. Here, we don’t like to take too many chances because we don’t want to put our fellow ponies in danger. I couldn’t live with myself for allowing something bad to happen, none of us would,” Twilight said, thinking as a fellow pony, a caring friend, and her royal position. “And we understand about what you mean, Twilight. Sometimes, it takes the right idea to move forward from how something once was into something even greater than before,” Cosmo said in return. Both she and her loving fox took a few steps forward to Discord, each of them reaching a hand out towards him. “It’s been a pleasure to meet you, and to learn about your history with our new friends. Maybe we can get to know about you in the future.” Feeling just joyous about what he was seeing, the draconequus let out a hardy laugh and began shaking both their hands one at a time so much that they began to shake right off the ground. “And it’s been just a delight to get to meet you two,” he said to them. He then slithered up between them and wrapped an arm around each one, adding “I’ve got a good feeling that we are going to become some good, good friends. Perhaps, since you’ve seen this world of ours, maybe I can see the world you’re from as well.” “Watch your step there, mister draconequesadilla,” Pinkie told him. “No funny business on my watch, because I’M the only pony here to do that.” “You know, I’ve just realized how difficult it’s been for us to have just one relaxing picnic without a pony acting up or something having come up,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Fluttershy and Applejack in private. “No kiddin’,” agreed the orange mare. “Weddings, breakdowns, even crash landings for Tails’ sake, and now a Discord visit. What’s next, a visit from parasprites?” “I think that would be nice. They’re so adorable,” Fluttershy grinned, but saw the glare the other ponies gave as they recalled when dealing with those creatures before. “Or, maybe not, perhaps, if nopony agrees with me.” Looking up at the sky, Tails saw that there was still plenty of daytime left, and that perhaps they could return to what he was seeing as an enjoyable picnic, regardless of their interruption. “You know, why don’t we get back to relaxing? It’s a nice day and we should try and enjoy it before having to get back to work,” he stated. “Sounds like a smashing idea to me!” said Discord, and he then situated himself with a large lounge chair, sunglasses, an iced drink with a straw, and a shirt one would wear for vacationing. “Besides, you could take a turn telling me all about where you two are from and what brought you here.” “I thought you said Fluttershy told you about that in her letter,” Rarity pointed out. He then briefly explained about them simply arriving, and not all the details of the couple’s appearance in Equestria. “What do you think, Twilight?” the fox asked. The purple pony was in an unsure state at the moment when she tried to reply. “Well… I suppose it’s alright, unless everyone objects. I don’t want to waste the rest of our time to relax after all.” Each of the other ponies looked around at each other and Tails and Cosmo, each one agreeing to stay for a while longer, most with some reluctance to the idea. “Then I guess that settles it,” she said, trying to put in a more optimistic tone in her voice. “Besides, I’d love to hear more about Mobius anyway. Are you two alright with that?” “Of course,” Cosmo replied, “but I am curious about something myself.” “And what’s that about, sugarcube?” Applejack asked. “Since I’ve met you all, I’ve heard about these Elements of Harmony being talked about, especially from Celestia when I met her, and by Discord today. They seem to have some great importance to you all. What are the Elements of Harmony, and what do they stand for?” the Seedrian asked. Twilight only answered with “That’s a really long story, and I don’t think we can cover it all here. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.” Accepting this, Tails replied “Alright, that’s fair, since we’ve been told Discord’s story anyway. So, where should we begin about Mobius?” The rest of the afternoon saw Tails, Cosmo, the ponies and the draconequus in attempt to relax, with some uncomfortable moments for most when Discord made some actions of his own. Even with the master of Chaos there, they tried to let it not spoil their time, and began to see past any bothers to enjoy the conversations about Mobius and other topics up until the group had to disperse again. It may not have been the picnic they foresaw to happen, but in the end, friends came together, and only that truly mattered.