//------------------------------// // 118. Keep Calm and Flutter On - Part 1 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// The next day, everypony (but the engaged) had turned up in a meadow just outside Ponyville. Twilight and Midnight had gotten a message via dragonfyre from Princess Celestia, that she was bringing an important guest, and asked they meet her at this spot. “I love it when Princess Celestia comes to Ponyville!” Pinkie Pie held out her hoof, saying, “I got my hooves shined just for the occasion, just like Rarity! You like?” Seeing her pretty self in Pinkie’s perfectly polished hoof, Rarity smiled, “I most certainly do!” “If you’re looking for any flaws, dear,” Blueblood teased her, “there are none.” “Oh…!” Rarity swooned and nuzzled her stallion lovingly. “Say Twilight, isn’t the princess running kinda late?” Thunderlane asked as he did some wing-ups to pass the time. “You’re right, Thunderlane, I’m as surprised as you are,” Twilight looked towards Canterlot. “It’s not like her to be late.” “I wonder what’s taking so long,” Spike agreed. “And where are Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Fluttershy?” Twilight brought up. “The latter two? Where do ya think?” Midnight chuckled. “Every moment of free time they have they spend with each other. As for AJ, I think she was taking care of something at the orchard.” “But I still don’t get why the Princess would be so late,” Spike admonished, holding his hands together nervously. “Remember, Spike? The message said she’s bringing along an important visitor,” Midnight reminded the little dragon. “A visitor who’s important and slow!” griped Rainbow Dash impatiently. “Relax, Dashie, if this visitor of hers is so important,” Soarin assured, “I bet the Princess is just trying to make sure they’re comfortable.” Then, out of the corner of his eye, Spike saw reason to be worried, as he gasped! “Maybe the visitor has a deer antler, a goat leg, a bat wing, and a snake tail!” “Are you talking about Discord?” Midnight chuckled incredulously. “Why in the wide-wide world of Equestria would Princess Celestia bring along someone like that?” agreed Rarity. Blueblood followed Spike’s pointing claw and gulped, “You might want to ask her yourself…!” Down came the Royal Guard-drawn Royal carriage, with Princess Celestia astride. Then pulling up alongside her was a Royal Guard-drawn chariot… holding the petrified Discord!!! Everypony gasped as Princess Celestia dismounted her carriage and warmly greeted them, “Hello my little ponies. Dear nephew, I trust things are well?” “Uh… well enough, dearest aunt,” Blueblood gulped as he took in the sight of the mishmashed menace. Although he’d never seen Discord personally when the trickster had freed himself, he still recalled the stories and the worry his aunt had showed when it happened. “Princess Celestia, with all due respect,” Midnight said in a respectful tone as he walked up to her and cleared his throat, “HOW COULD YOU BRING DISCORD HERE?!?!?!?” He got tail-yanked back by Twilight’s aura as she meekly said, “Your Majesty.” “I’m fully aware that the last time Discord was here, he created serious havoc,” Celestia said understandingly as a couple guards unloaded the shaley charlatan. “If by ‘serious havoc’ you mean turning Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world!” bit Rainbow. “Don’t forget how he turned everypony crazy!” added Thunderlane, still sore over what happened. “And making yummy chocolate milk rain all over the place without a single dollop of whipped cream to go with it anywhere in sight!” Pinkie butted in, totally missing the point, as she does. “Not a single dollop!!” “Yes, I understand your feelings, everypony,” Celestia said with a nod. “But I have use for Discord’s magic if it can be reformed to serve good instead of evil, which is why I brought Discord here. I believe that you are all the ponies who can help him do just that.” “This will never work, this is a disaster!” Spike was already panicking and assuming the worst. “How will we ever control him? We’re doomed!” “Need I remind you that you are the ponies who rendered him powerless and then reverted him to his stony state?” Celestia said with a playful rise of her tone. “I suppose we can always use the Elements of Harmony against him again if he gets out of hoof,” Twilight and Midnight shared the same look. “And Mac and Thunder and I can always use our containment barrier to nullify his powers,” shrugged Midnight. “We… probably need a volunteer to run away from here right away to get them, I’ll do it!” chuckled a nervous Spike as he prepared to make tracks. “No need, Spike, I have them here,” Celestia gestured to some Guards who lowered a chest, Celestia opening it to reveal the Elements of Harmony. “And I’ve cast a spell on them to insure Discord can’t take them again, like he did last time. Which reminds me…” She fired a gentle beam of light that forked towards Blueblood and Soarin, making them flinch a moment before they felt a sense of security. “Blueblood and Soarin, neither of you have an Element of Harmony nor are either of you counted among their guardians. Therefore the same spell that will prevent Discord from so much as touching the elements will also protect the two of you.” “Um, thank you, Auntie,” Blueblood bowed, gesturing impatiently at Soarin to do the same. “Now where is Fluttershy?” Celestia brought up, noticing the yellow pegasus was not present. “I believe she may be best qualified to oversee Discord’s reformation.” “Fluttershy?! Really?” Rainbow Dash gaped at the princess At that moment however, Fluttershy was previously engaged with a problem Applejack had insisted only she could help with that the orange farmer had interrupted another of her brother and his fiancée’s makeout sessions. Big Mac watched as his sister and his mare were apparently speaking with a beaver that had chosen an inconvenient place to build its dam, a shallow river, where it was flooding up the immediate vicinity and waterlogging all the nearby apple trees. He wasn’t really paying attention – Just watching with a little amusement at seeing his sister disgruntling the beaver and Fluttershy trying to be the mediator. The look on their faces however meant the debate was swinging in applejack’;s favor until he heard Applejack snap, “Apologize?! He’s lucky Ah din’t call `im a varmint!” Big Mac chuckled a little guiltily as Fluttershy got between the two ornery parties and gasped at the beaver’s chattering,. “Mr. Beaverton Beaverteeth! Such language!” She then threw reproachfully expectant look at Applejack who conceded, “Fine, fine… Ah apologize.” Beaverton Beaverteeth wasn’t so mature in accepting it, considering the raspberry he blew at Applejack, but he kept his end of the bargain, pulling out the lynchpin of the dam, and the building water pressure sent it washing away. “Thanks, Fluttershy, sorry Ah cut int’ you and Mac’s quality time.” “Glad to be of help,” Fluttershy assured her, Big Mac coming up and smiling at her proudly. But before the happy couple could take their leave- “Hey slackers!” They all jolted to see Rainbow Dash zoom out of nowhere, “Double-time it on over to Ponyville, would ya?! We’re all waiting on you!” And before they could ask her for an explanation, she was already gone in a rainbow-colored ‘kapwing’! Soon enough, Applejack, Big Mac, and Fluttershy joined everypony and were given the gist of what was going on. But what the princess had in mind got one reaction from Fluttershy. “You want me to what?!” “I realize that this is a tall order,” Princess Celestia said in understanding, “but I wouldn’t ask if I weren’t confident you could convince him to use magic obediently of his own free will.” “You really think I’ll know best on how to do that?” Fluttershy wasn’t so sure until Celestia lifted her face to look her in the eye and smile like an encouraging mother. “I do.” Somehow, it worked, and Fluttershy felt even more confident when her beau stood next to her in support. “Now I must return to Canterlot for Equestria’s royal summit,” Celestia excused herself, alighting onto her carriage. “You may release Discord when ready.” “Wait, Princess!” Celestia held her hoof to her guards and looked to see Midnight approach with a question. “How is… Sombra doing?” Celestia smiled and said, “He is doing well, and now that I think about it, Midnight, he looks forward to giving you his thanks in person. I have faith in you all, my little ponies!” The Royal Guard took flight, taking their princess with them, everypony watching until she was just barely out of sight. Twilight sighed until she felt a hoof on her shoulder and smiled to see it was Midnight, looking as supportive as ever. “Okay ponies, guess it’s time to get started,” Twilight levitated the chest holding the elements, “time to see if this releasing spell works.” “Or let’s not!” Spike suggested fearfully as he hid behind Twilight’s tail. Midnight levitated each element to its owner, “I suggest until this whole thing is over with, we each keep our Element with us at all times.” “Check!” they all agreed. “Big Mac, Thunderlane, take formation! Let’s not take any chances,” instructed Midnight as he put on his helmet and took his position, as did Big Mac and Thunderlane, the three of them standing at the points of their triangle-formation, with Discord in the center. “Ladies? We’re ready.” “Alright, girls, let’s do this!” Twilight stood behind Midnight, with Applejack on her right, Fluttershy her left, Rarity next to AJ, Dash next to Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie between them, setting her on the opposite side of Discord to Twilight. Twilight and Midnight concentrated, a magenta and turquoise light flaring from their Elements, and the rest emitted outlined energies shaped like the cutie-mark of the element’s bearer, who in turn levitated as the spell began it work. Blueblood, Soarin, and Spike watched in awe ribbons of rainbow energy bridged between each bearer until they connected to Midnight and they extended to Twilight behind him, the rainbow beams swirling around them both to meet the jewels on their elements, invoking the spell in a brilliant iridescent flash of light! As the light fell upon Discord, they could all hear the crackling of stone and rock until… *K-KRACK/PHOOM* Everypony was blown back a little and as the dust settled, they heard the voice of their ‘guest’, which sounded oddly different. “Ooh! That is gonna leave such a crick in my neck, ow!” Everypony gaped at the dusty cloud as it settled to reveal… Discord?! It looked like the draconequus except for some obvious differences. Discord now how a long flowing and oddly stylish mane of cloud-white, some rather long eyelashes, his goat-like beard was gone, he looked to have a little more 'junk in the trunk', in fact if the ponies didn’t know any better they’d think that he was now more of a… “Hmph! It’s about time somepony got me outta tha’ joint,” ‘Discord' said with a snippy voice while doing some stretches, and apparently directing the not-exactly-gratitude towards Twilight and Midnight. “It’s not exactly polite t’ keep a lady waitin’, honey!”