//------------------------------// // 120. Keep Calm and Flutter On - Part 3 // Story: Blaze the Pony Tale // by Wolven5 //------------------------------// “Now honey” – Eris finished her paper meal with one last gulp – “be honest. I know you said to make myself at home an’ all…” The devious creature lounged on Fluttershy’s couch as she flapped aloft nearby while the cottage around them was slowly turning like a wheel, sending everything that wasn’t nailed down a’tumbling. “But I wouldn’t wanna take advantage of your good will, sugar.” “Well, I did give my permission…” Fluttershy said nervously, avoiding a falling birdhouse, “but if this makes you more comfortable, by all means-” she lurched to her left, avoiding a frying pan – “please feel free.” “Oh aren’choo just the kindest an’ most understanding slice o’ spongecake,” Eris floated around Fluttershy, rather much like a shark encircling its prey. “I mean… not like them nasties who call themselves your friends.” “My friends are not nasty,” Fluttershy pushed Eris off but she slithered up against the mare’s back. “Well, o’ course you think that, child! And it’s exactly what I mean `bout you being so understanding.” Eris then flashed back onto the couch. “As a matter o’ fact, I think Sweet ol’ Celly was right in choosing you to be reformin’ me, cuz’ I am really considering it!” “Really? That’s very good to hear, Eris,” Fluttershy said with a smile, not noticing a second face of Eris peering out of the back of her head through all that hair, blowing a raspberry at Angel, who was struggling not to get squashed by the furniture. “Fluttershy!” “Can you hear us?!” “Goodness, that sounded like Twilight and Midnight!” Fluttershy zipped to go see them but came back to catch Angel before flying out. The cottage was indeed spinning around in mid-air like a wheel but doing it slowly and remaining stationary. “Fluttershy, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, accompanied by Midnight and Spike. “Are you ok?” “We’re fine, everything’s going great,” Fluttershy said in assurance as she set Angel down, “Isn’t that right, Angel?” Angel didn’t answer. He was too busy hopping away dizzy, all eyes on him and unfortunately missing some beavers nearby. “We came to get you away from Eris,” Twilight explained, Spike nodding with furrowed brows. “She’s just awful!” “Not to mention, it appears she’s out of control,” deadpanned Midnight as he gestured to Fluttershy’s airborne cottage. “Oh but you’re all wrong,” Fluttershy disagreed. “We’re actually making great progress!” Her three visitors shared an incredulous look before asking, “Seriously?” “I’m earning her trust by giving her a little space to be herself,” Fluttershy explained. “Yeah? Well she used that ‘space to be herself’ to steal all the reforming spells from the library!” Spike snapped, holding up one of the books with a page missing. “That does explain the paper eating…” Fluttershy said thoughtfully. “She ate them?!” Twilight gaped at Fluttershy while Midnight facehooved. “But we won’t need a spell! She’s already considering reformation, she told me so!” “Fluttershy, saying something and meaning it are not the same thing,” Midnight said kindly. “But if I’m going to be her friend, I have to give her the benefit of the doubt,” Fluttershy insisted, and Midnight considered. “You have a point…” “Tell you all what,” Fluttershy suggested, “bring everypony over for a dinner party this evening, and I’m certain her manners will have improved by then. I’ll even get her to put the cottage back on the ground.” “Well...” Twilight was hesitant but Midnight placed a hoof on her shoulder. “You know she’s right – we can’t expect Eris to reform if we’re not willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, like Fluttershy said. Besides, if there is a part of Eris that can be reached, I know Fluttershy can do just that.” Seeing the faith Midnight had in their friend, Twilight sighed, “Alright, dinner it is…” A while later, Twilight and Midnight were leading all their friends to the cottage. “Ugh, I can’t believe we’re having a dinner party with Discord!” Rainbow Dash griped. “Eris, Dashie,” Soarin corrected her. “Like it matters!” Rainbow threw up her hooves. “Either way, this evening is all but certain to be disaster,” Rarity was in agreement, “Makes me glad I didn’t wear my fanciest outfit.” “And that gown would still make it into Hoity-Toity’s boutique,” Blueblood complimented his mare, Rarity giving him a kiss. “Well, Fluttershy thinks this is the best way to reform Eris,” Midnight brought up, “and she asked us to give it a chance.” The door to the cottage opened and out stepped Eris, wearing a pretty little maid outfit. “Y’all are just in time!” She opened her mouth and out rolled a red carpet rather than her tongue. But when it completely unrolled in front of Midnight and Twilight, Eris popped out. “We are ecstatic to have y’all here!” Eris Flashed into the doorway, holding out her eagle-claw hand invitingly. “Do come in.” Everypony entered and were surprised to see the décor of Fluttershy’s living room, with blue lop-sided tiled floor, spring green walls, purple rafters, a whimsical chandelier, and a nice yet oddly-shaped dinner table. “Eris set everything up all by herself,” Fluttershy explained, Eris standing by the fireplace and daintily dusting it with a featherduster. “I’m so proud!” But then Eris Flashed into the wall-mounted coat-hanger, reaching over to grab Midnight’s helmet. “Might ol’ Auntie Eris take your… hats, gentlecolts?” Midnight ducked, and said, “Hold onto your Elements, everypony.” “It’s gonna be a bumpy night,” Twilight agreed. Soon, they were all sitting at the table, their platters served with mashes potatoes, apple muffins, cups of tea, and a dish of apples in the center. Fluttershy sat at the head of the table (or at least the closest thing, considering the shape of the table), and stated, “As you all know, Princess Celestia hoped we’d help Eris to use her magic for good rather than evil. Oh Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie was digging into her mashed potatoes. “Would you like some gravy?” “You bet!” Pinkie replied with a spuddy smile. “Allow me, sugar,” Eris waved her eagle claw over the gravy boat, making it move and act like a puppy as it scampered over to Pinkie. “Ohh! What’a cute little gravy boat you are!” awed Pinkie as she pet the living dish, “Yes you are, yes you are!” The gravy boat happily poured Pinkie some gravy for her potatoes, Rainbow Dash sniping, “That’s one creepy little gravy boat, if you ask me!” “Except nopony did ask you, Rainbow,” Midnight clarified. “He’s right, Dashie, you’re not even giving this a chance,” agreed Fluttershy. The gravy boat appeared to be in agreement, considering it poured its contents onto Rainbow Dash’s lap, making her flap upwards, “Yow! That’s hot!” “Oop! Ho-ho, sorry honey!” Eris giggled sheepishly. “She did that on purpose!” Rainbow accused. “Nothin’ of the sort, child,” said Eris in spurious innocence, “just a little mistake! Oh, look everypony, the Dance of the Candles. Bet y’all weren’t expecting dinner and a show!” For a few moments, the ponies enjoyed the candles until Rainbow flapped out their flames, “I’m not falling for that! Eris is just trying to distract us-” *WHACK, DONK* “OW! Hey! C-cut it out!” Rainbow held her forehooves over her head as the candles started hitting her with their holders. “I suppose this is another ‘mistake’?!” “Hmph! Well don’t blame me if the performers don’t like you ruinin’ their act,” Eris scoffed, as though she were being insulted. “There’s something fishy going on here,” Twilight commented, only to get sprayed on by the coincidentally fish-shaped tureen as it spewed soup onto her and then Spike. “Eris?” Fluttershy looked up at her. “I think using the term ‘fishy’ around the soup tureen was just a poor choice o’ words, child,” Eris shrugged. “Not the dress, not the dress!” Rarity squealed but Blueblood quickly held up a plate to shield his beloved. “Tha’ tureen’s only doin’ wha’ yer makin’ it do!” Applejack accused as she shielded herself with her hat. “Now let’s not jump to any conclusions,” Fluttershy admonished, not quite catching Eris barely stifling her case of the giggles but Big Mac noticed her. At least until he got sprayed by the tureen himself. “Fluttershy, can’t you see what she’s doing?!” Rainbow knocked away the candles, “She’s playing innocent so you’ll never agree to use the Elements of Harmony against her!” “Now let’s not be so quick to judge…” Eris said with a seemingly nervous smile. Rainbow Dash finally trapped the candles under a cloche, and pressured, “You see what I’m saying, right, Fluttershy? Fluttershy…!” “What I see is, that while Eris isn’t perfect,” Fluttershy admonished them, “that none of you except for Midnight and Macintosh are giving her a chance!” Everypony else griped while midnight and Big Mac looked troubled, not exactly sure where they stood. “What’s gotten into you?!” Rainbow demanded. “Why do you keep shrugging off her behavior?” Thunderlane flabbergasted. Fluttershy put her hoof down as she pulled Eris into a one-arm hug and firmly declared, “Because that’s what friends do.” Eris looked bewildered by Fluttershy’s words. “We’re… friends?” “Of course!” Fluttershy smiled while flapping, “Until you came along, I can’t remember my house having ever been so lively! “Um…I’ve… never had a friend before,” Eris twiddled her thumbs, the emotions she was feeling so foreign to her. “Well you do now,” Fluttershy placed a hoof on them, making Eris smile a little, and so did Big Mac, proud of his fiancée. At that moment however, the window opened and in hopped Angel, looking frantic. He hopped onto the table waving his paws in a panic. “Not now, Angel,” Fluttershy said like a parent, “we’re in the middle of a dinner party!” “Looks like th’ critter’s tryin’ t’ say sumthin’,” Big Mac suggested. Angel poured water onto himself and flopped about. When that didn’t get a reaction, he held up an apple. “Apple!” everypony guessed, and Angel pointed at Big Mac. “Big Macintosh! Angel facepawed and threw the apple into a clear pitcher of applejuice. “Sweet Apple Acres, maybe?” Blueblood tried, Angel hopping affirmatively. “Flooding at sweet Apple Acres!” Thunderlane realized, Rainbow throwing a stink eye at Eris, “And I think we all know who’s behind that!” “Who, me?” Eris tried to sell innocent by making a halo over her head but no one was buying it. “Oh give it a rest!” Rainbow snapped as everypony hurried out. “Whattya think of your friend now, Fluttershy?!” *SLAM* At Sweet Apple Acres, there was indeed flooding, that Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Twinken were floating in wooden troughs and paddling to recover any apples caught in the current. Nearby, the culprit was made blatantly know by several beaver dams, and the beavers working double-time like they were on a mission. “Ah’ve never seen floodin’ this bad!” Applejack was aghast. “They’ve built dams `round here before, but never like this!” At one of the dams, Fluttershy was trying to reason with the beavers there but they were chattering furiously that she gasped! “Such language!” She flapped over to Big Mac, looking sorry. “It’s no use, they won’t listen to me!” “You see Eris is behind this, don’t you?” Rainbow said with an I-told-you-so tone, only to flinch when Fluttershy responded. “Of course I do! Do you all think me a silly, gullible fool?!” Everypony else made lame excuses, developed an interest in their hooves, or just plead the 5th amendment by saying nothing. Big Mac and Midnight however did otherwise. “Fluttershy, we’d never think low of you like that,” Midnight assured. “We trust you, Sugarcube. But we just don’ trust Eris," Big Mac clarified. “Well I’ve been trying to gain her friendship however I could,” Fluttershy insisted, breaking away from them all. “So that she’d come to trust me enough to listen to me!” “Whoo! Hey there, girl!” They all looked out to the water and saw Eris in a two-piece, water-skiing via fish-shaped soup tureens, her long white hair flowing in the wind, looking oddly attractive. “Come on in, y’all! Water’s great!” “Time to see if it worked,” Fluttershy decided as Eris came ashore. “Hey girl! What’cha doin’ here when the actions out on the H2O?” “As you can see, there’s a big mess down here at Sweet Apple Acres,” Fluttershy pointed out. “Uh-huh, your point?” Eris shook her mane dry, sending glistening drops all over Midnight, Big Mac, and Thunderlane. “The point is, it’s awful!” Fluttershy admonished, “This is the Apple Family’s home, and it’s being destroyed by innocent creatures that wouldn’t be acting this way were it not for your impulsive behavior! You must fix this.” Eris appeared to consider for a moment before saying, “Sure thing, child! I’ll have this backwater piece o’ land all tidied up in a jiffy! If…” Seeing as Eris let the word hang in the air, Fluttershy echoed, “If…?” “If you never use your Element of Harmony against me,” Eris bargained, pointing out the Element of Kindness around Fluttershy’s neck. “You know, as a gesture of good faith from you, my friend…” “She can’t-” Rainbow was about to raise a fuss, only for Midnight and Big Mac to restrain her. “Even if we can’t use the Elements to turn Eris back to stone," Midnight whispered, "Big Mac, Thunder, and I can use our Guardian powers to trap Eris and render her powerless!” Fluttershy looked to her friends, all of them watching her expectantly, but she knew what she had to do. She unclasped her Element necklace, taking it off, “I will never use my Element of Harmony against you.” She punctuated the promise by throwing it to Spike. “Ha-ha!” Eris snapped her fingers triumphantly and a blinding Flash made everypony avert their eyes and they gasped! Sweet Apple Acres and the flooding had been frozen over! Everywhere they looked they saw ice and snow! “Hey!” “What the?!” “What just happened?!” Everypony looked to see Midnight, Big Mac, and Thunderlane had been changed! It looked as though they had switched bodies but retained their mane, coat, and eye colors! Midnight looked like Big Mac and was an earth pony, Big Mac looked like Thunderlane and was a pegasus pony, and Thunderlane looked like Midnight and was a unicorn pony! The others gasped in shock! “Whoo! Ice-skating more my forté!” They looked and saw Eris doing a pirouette, and stuck it, emphasized by a panel of Erises holding up three tens! “Eris!” Everypony looked to Fluttershy, “This is not fixing!” Fluttershy zoomed up angrily at Eris, who asked innocently, “What’s up, girlfriend?” “Do not call me girlfriend!” Fluttershy snapped, “Not only do you make the problem worse, what did you do to my fiancé and friends?!” “Oh that…” Eris sneered at the mixed-up Guardians. “See, they might have that annoyin’ containment barrier, but since their ponykinds are all mixed up, so’s their magic!” “Oh no!” Twilight realized what Eris had done! The Guardians’ inner magic was now out of harmony by having their pony kinds mixed up. If their own magic wasn’t in harmony within themselves there was no way they’d be able to project their barrier! “C’mon, girl! Howsabout a lil’ iceskating, we’ll let bygones be bygones,” Eris slithered around Fluttershy, holding up iceskates for her. At that moment, Soarin brought over Fluttershy’s necklace, “Here, Flutters! Your Element!” “She fixes all of this…” called Twilight threateningly, everypony else looking angry. “...or it’s back to the stony lonesome for her!” agreed Midnight, having finally lost his patience. “Princess Celestia will understand, Flutters!” Soarin assured her pleadingly. Troubled Fluttershy looked between her element and the iceskates Eris was offering her, squirming with her moral compass. “I made a promise not to use my Element against her and I’m going to keep it.” Everypony else groaned, Eris yelling, “Ha! See that?! She’d rather have fun with me, cuz’ we’re friends! She can’t use her element against me cuz… we’re friends! I am free as a bird, baby! Ha-ha-ha!” Fluttershy snapped, “Not! Your! Friend!” She threw the iceskates away, Eris scoffing, “Hmph! So what, I can do anything I very well please, sister! I am Eris, the Goddess of Discord!” She flashed over to Fluttershy, who was storming off and paying the trickster no attention. “Oh what, you think you can make a mild-mannered lady outta me?! You think I am gon’ change all this back just cuz you tell me to? Because if I don’t I’ll lose the one friend I…” Eris’ voice trailed off as realization dawned on her, much to her distress as she looked sadly at the iceskates Fluttershy had thrown away. She couldn’t believe it! That dainty little pegasus mare had gotten to her! She truly thought of her as… a friend! Sighing, Eris wiped away a tear and conceded, “You go, girl…” She skated over to a treetop and sat down, a blinding flash of light spreading in all directions, and in its dimming wake, it left behind no ice or snow, it vanished the beaver dams, allowing the water to flow and unflood Sweet Apple Acres, and Midnight and Big Mac and Thunderlane were restored to their real selves! Everything was as it should be. Big Mac ran over to hug his mare, everypony cheering Fluttershy when Eris flashed up to them. “Mm, kinda borin’ but… when you’re friends, you can’t have everything your way all the time.” Soon, everypony had convened at town square, where Princess Celestia had arrived. “You heard it here, honey!” Eris posed, “Eris is ready and willin’ to use magic for good instead o’ evil!” What nopony heard was Eris mutter, “For the most part…” “Congratulations on your success, everypony,” Celestia smiled proudly at them all. “I truly sense a profound change in Di- Excuse me, Eris.” But then she whispered to Twilight, “I’ll leave the elements with you, Twilight… Just in case.” “I heard that,” Eris humphed. “You were right when you said Fluttershy would be the one to find a way to reform Eris, Princess,” Twilight brought up, Midnight saying, “By treating Eris as a friend, Fluttershy helped her to realize how special friendship can be, that once she found it she didn’t wanna lose it!” “Go on, say it,” Fluttershy teased. “Fine! Friendship-is-magic!” huffed Eris. Watching from afar, the Hooded Pony was banging his head against a tree in aggravation.