//------------------------------// // Little chats with family and friends // Story: Love Needs No Reason // by Evowizard25 //------------------------------// The town square isn’t exactly a place that I hold fond memories of. Being the shy pony I am, it was quite nerve wracking to deal with all of these ponies at once. While it was nowhere near as bad as big cities, such as Canterlot and Manehattan, it was still pretty bad. Not to mention that for some reason, Ponyville had quite a few rather mean ponies. I don’t know why, and I hate to judge, but it’s true. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t want to seem like I’m painting Ponyville as a bad place…I was just a pushover. It’s actually quite lovely. I usually go alone. Even though I know I might get pushed around, I do it. I don’t want to be a bother to my friends. Now however, I had someone going with me. Someone I happily called a friend…maybe a best friend, but I don’t want to exclude my other friends. Discord was always kind to me…since we’ve become friends of course. He’s just a sweetheart when you get to know him. Unfortunately….He’s quite, how do I put this gently, overly outgoing. “Let play a little game~” Discord sang as he strolled through the market place by my side. We had dismounted before going into town. I didn’t want to scare anyone. That would be rude. My list was floating the air before Discord. “Of Discord picks a thing~” Discord turned to me and smiled. “It’s a simple game~ A clever game~ To us we gotta bring~” “Discord,” I said with a warning tone. I knew something was up. “No funny business.” Discord pouted. “But I was getting to the best part, my friendly little butter flutter. I mean, why walk to our destination…” Discord twirled his fingers and several stands zoomed into the open market. Ponies yelped in shock, but quickly calmed themselves. Strange stuff happened in Ponyville all the time and nopony was hurt. “When we can bring the goods to us.” “Or we could just walk over to them.” Discord stared at me incredulously. “Just walk over? Like normal creatures? Fluttershy, you need to learn to mix it up a bit.” He snapped his fingers and all the stands popped back to where they used to be. “But we’ll do it your way.” I gave him a gentle smile. “Thank you.” Most ponies still found it odd that Discord actually listened to me. ‘They just need to know how to be a bit more understanding.’ I told myself. If they could just stop and get to know him, then they’d see him like I do….but I had to keep myself focused. Applejack was my priority. “So…” I started, looking over a few vendors. “How is Applejack?” “Ripe as ever,” Discord smirked. “Why, I’ve never seen such a fine mare in all my life.” “Hmmm,” I quirked an eyebrow. “Really? I don’t think I’ve heard you talk about her like this before? Why the change?” Discord plucked an apple from…nothing. “This, my dear.” “An apple?” I asked, unsure of how to feel about this. “You fell for Applejack because of an apple?” “Well, it wasn’t exactly just because of an apple. You see,” Discord frowned and sad violin music seemed to be playing…somewhere. “While I do enjoy our friendship, I’ve been wanting…a little more out of life. I’ve seen so many happy couples in all my years and never, never, have I been in love before. Me, the god of chaos, missing out on the most chaotic emotion? Inconcievable! So, I decided to rectify that.” He chuckled. “At first, it was just to have Applejack just because. Now however…I think I’ve come to care about her more than I ever have another pony.” “Don’t you think you’re rushing into this?” I said. While Discord’s words rang true in my ears, I didn’t want either of my friends to be hurt. “I mean, not to sound rude or anything, but this is quite sudden.” “I’m me, Fluttershy.” Discord grabbed a bunch of dirt, enveloped it in a bright light, which transformed into a little red parasoul. He gave it to me. “I’m filled to the brim with sudden ideas.” “Thank you,” I smiled brightly. Truth be told, the sun was uncomfortably hot today. Celestia usually was able to control it better than this, not that I want to sound like I’m complaining. ‘I’m sure she’s busy with something important…I just hope it’s nothing scary, like a giant dragon.’ “You’re welcome,” Discord smiled. “But to give you a proper answer, I don’t think so. I’ve been talking with Princess Cadance and she told me that love can happen whenever and wherever it does. There is no such thing as too sudden. Besides that, I’m mostly just trying to get Applejack to at least like me now. Maybe I’ll get her by Hearts and Hooves Day, maybe I won’t. I’m still going to try.” I nuzzled him gently. “That’s what I wanted to hear. Just remember to ease up on your efforts…Applejack’s kind of scared about this whole thing.” Discord frowned and looked uneasy. “Upset? I know I’ve been up to no good, but I haven’t done anything to upset her…Have I?” I nodded. “Maybe not intentionally, but she’s never been in love before. You have to take that into consideration.” I felt bad for giving up something private about my friend, but I need to get it through Discord’s head. I don’t want to be mean, but this was serious. “Oh I shall,” Discord moved his tongue around in his mouth as if he tasted something strange. “It still feels weird to talk and act with such civility. It feels almost like yesterday when I would have given you a cherry that would have soaked you instantly in cranberry sauce, laughed about it, and then grow bored and moved on…all in the span of one moment….My attention span is OH LOOK A FLUGELHORN!” I sighed as Discord swam through the air like a snake to a nearby stand. Needless to say, the salesmare was rather frightened by his sudden appearance. ‘This is going to take a while.’ ______________________________________________________________________ *Applejack* “Y’all have a nice day,” ah said with a bright smile. Ah waved off the whooves family. They were a good sort, if not a bit strange. ‘Ah still don’t know how Derpy and that Time Turner fella got together. They are so different.’ Today had been surprisingly good. There weren’t any rowdy or upset customers and ah had sold a heap of apples. Why, ah had to spare a second thought if ah could take that bag of bits home. It was nearly the size of my head. Normally, ah wouldn’t get this time of haul, but Ponyville had been getting’ its fair share of tourists. Expected and not unwanted in my eyes. More ponies meant more profit, even if it meant dealin’ with high and mighty city ponies now and again. The best part of this whole thing was, Discord hadn't shown his handsome face here to mess it up....'What did ah just say?' “Mom!” A familiar voice whined. “I thought we were going to the spa.” “Later, Diamond.” My mouth fell open as ah heard that playful mare’s voice. ‘It couldn’t be.’ Ah had to turn my head to see her with my own eyes. “Hello Applejack,” Screwball smiled at me. She was a normal lookin’ purple earth pony mare, with a clean and uptight manestyle held in a bun. Ah could smell a little perfume on her, but it wasn’t overdone like some ponies ah know. “Long time no see.” Ah smiled. “Screwball Rich, if my eyes don’t deceive me. Ah haven’t heard from ya in months. How’ve ya been doin’?” Now it was no secret that the Apples and Richs got along nicely, for the most part. Filthy Rich was like an uncle to me, teachin’ me and Mac about business. Screwball was always supportive of us and helped out now and again. Oddly enough, her special talent was pitching. Her ‘screwball’ could beat any batter she threw it at. Their kids…Well… “Yo mom,” Vinyl trotted up to the group. One of those newfound CDs were in her magical grasp. “I just found this killer Skillet CD.” Screwball sighed. “Not now, sweetie. Mommy’s talking.” She turned back to me. “Well enough. Manehattan seems open to the idea of letting us expand in their territory and Canterlot shows some promise. I wouldn’t hold my breath however. Some of the nobles are quite against the idea of having a ‘common business’ infect their city.” She scoffed. Ah glared in annoyance. “Common? The Richs got rich by workin’ their hooves to the bone. Ya deserve a place in Canterlot.” “I know right,” Diamond Tiara spoke up. Now I don’t hate Diamond. Neither does Applebloom. Honestly, they get along well enough….well most of the time…okay some of the time. It’s just that, ever since this whole ‘cutie mark’ thing that gotten in their heads, they’ve been buttin’ heads. Ah told Filthy about it, but he’s rather protective of his little angel. Vinyl and Long Play on the other hoof…Ah just didn’t get them. Ah’m not the type of pony to enjoy metal and this…what is it called? Dubstep? “How’s the farm?” Screwball asked. “Same old,” ah chuckled. “Same old. Nothin’ new.” “Oh?” Screwball raised a questionin’ eyebrow. “Really? I’ve heard a lot things on my travels. An element of harmony such as yourself must have quite some tales to tell.” “A few,” ah nodded. “But ah aint no braggart…unlike some critters ah know.” Ah muttered the last part without thinkin’. “Is something the matter?” Screwball had a concerned hint to her voice. “Nothin’,” ah said a bit too quickly and a tad too sharp. Screwball was always an insightful mare, but ya don’t need a fancy degree is psycho..whatever to see there was somethin’ wrong.  “Vinyl, why don’t you go take Diamond and get some ice-cream.” “Yeah…” Vinyl rubbed the back of her head. “You see, I’m not exactly doing well in the cash department right now and…” Screwball sighed and hoofed through her saddlebags. Grabbing a small bag of bits, she threw it at her second oldest child, who caught it in her magic. “Thanks mom,” Vinyl smiled. Turnin’ around, she sped off. “Last one there is an ear splitting cord!” “Hey,” Diamond yelled, runnin’ after her older sister. Me and Screwball chuckled. Those two were an odd pair, but they got along nicely. Honestly though, ya wouldn’t even think they were sisters unless they told ya. “So,” Screwball rounded on me. Ah sighed as she continued. “What’s the problem?” “Discord,” ah relented. “But ah’ve got this covered. Don’t you worry none.” “What is he doing?” “He….” Ah nervously gulped. “He wants to court me.” Screwball’s eyes widened. “What?” Ah nodded. “Eyup, he does. Ah’m tryin’ my best not to think about it, but ah honestly don’t know how to feel about this. Ah mean, he’s done so much to hurt me and now he wants me to love him? That’s not even the worst part. The worst part, ah’m actually startin’ to like the fella. Like him!” Ah threw my hooves up in exasperation. “That don’t help me out of this. It makes it worse.” Screwball sighed. “Well, and this is just me talking, I think you should give him a chance. He isn’t all bad. Just a little airheaded and a tad bit forgetful from time to time. He’ll make up for his past mistakes, I can assure you.” Ah blinked in confusion. “It sounds like ya know him.” “Of course I do,” Screwball’s eyes, much to my horror, rolled back into her head like one of them sharks in those nature documentaries Fluttershy made us watch. The eye continued to roll until, instead of her normal iris, it was a swirly purple. “I’m his daughter.” ______________________________________________________________________________ *Cadance* I almost lost my grip on my binoculars. My mind is officially blown. Discord had a daughter? She’s just now appearing in Ponyville? Oh this is better than any soap opera, I can tell you that. If only I had brought some popcorn….. At the sound of something crunching, I lowered my binoculars from my face. I turned over to see Spike and Chrysalis gouging on popcorn as they watched the scene. “Best stalking ever,” Chrysalis muttered between bites. I don’t know why she needed binoculars. Changelings had excellent vision. ‘Probably just wanted to imitate me.’ “We’re not stalking,” I hissed at them. “We’re observing my quarry.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes and gulped down a large bunch of popcorn. “You’re just upset you forgot to bring some popcorn. Well, tough luck princess. I’m not sharing.” “I don’t need any popcorn,” I scowled, ignoring the slight rumbles in my belly. Unfortunately, I had forgotten to eat breakfast that day. I was too excited with everything going on that I had forgot the most important meal of the day. Well, besides little private ‘snacks’, but that’s between me and Shining. “I’m fine.” My stomach turned traitor and growled loudly. Chrysalis laughed. “It seems your fat belly disagrees.” “Chrysalis,” I said through gritted teeth. “Do you want another axe to the head?” A little flicker of fear passed through Chrysalis’s eyes, before she smirked. “Awww, a little more sensitive today, are we? What’s the matter? Shining not putting out like he used to?” I flared my wings in anger. “Shut the buck up and get back to stalking.” “I thought we weren’t stalking,” Chrysalis said coyly. “Uhh,” Spike spoke up, looking rather nervous. He was nestled snuggly between us. He poked Chrysalis’s head to get her attention. “I think you might want to tone it down with the teasing.” “Why?” Chrysalis chuckled. “Is our little pink princess upset over a little joke? Grow tougher….” While she was talking with my son, I had quicky gotten to my hooves and leered down at her. When she turned to look at me, I pressed my face to her. She had a front row seat to my anger. “Get. Back. To. Stalking.” Chrysalis gulped, shaking a little. She quickly nodded and turned back to her binoculars. Now many would think I enjoyed making her quiver in fear. I mean, she nearly ruined my wedding and makes my life difficult. Yet, that’s what friends are for. We may fight, bicker, make each other piss ourselves in fear, but we do really care about one another. If someone tried to hurt Chrysalis, you bet your cutie mark that I’m going to give them a free flank-kicking all the way to Tartarus. “Mom,” Spike spoke up. “I think you may have overdone it.” I sighed. “You’re right….I’m sorry for scaring you, Chrysalis.” “I wasn’t scared,” Chrysalis quickly said. “I’m just cautious. You are a worthy opponent….” She sighed as well. “And I’m sorry for calling you fat. That was below me.” “Friends?” I offered her a comforting wing. “Friends.” The two of us used our wings to hug one another, rubbing our cheeks together. I must say that Chrysalis was quite a pleasant cuddle buddy. Her body is quite unique and feels good against my own……… ‘BRAIN! DON”T YOU DARE SHIP ME!’ ‘MAXIMUM SHIPPING!’ Yeah, even I’m not safe from my own shipping desires. Thankfully, I can keep it all under control. Well, unless Shining was into this kind of thing…No, we’re just friends, me and Chrysalis…. ‘Must get back to shipping Applejack and Discord. Must get back to shipping Applejack and Discord.’ Suddenly, there was a loud beeping noise that filled the air. ‘Thank you universe.’ The awkward moment was gone. Chrysalis sighed. “It’s for me.” She pulled out a little crystal mirror from a puff of green magic. “Who is it?” I asked. “My kids,” Chrysalis spoke up. “They’ve been gone for quite some time and I’ve only recently been able to contact them. You can thank Starswirl the Bearded for that.” She huffed in anger. “Cranky old stallion. He was always on my case.” Instantly, the mirror’s image shook like water and then… “Why are there colored monkeys in the mirror?” I asked. There were three of them; a purple one, an orange one, and a blue one. The blue one gasped. “That’s racist.” “No it isn’t,” I said. “Yes it is,” the blue one pouted. Which was really cute. “She’s totally racist,” the purple one said in an agitated tone. “Cadance,” Chrysalis growled. “Stop being racist.” “I’m not racist,” I threw up a hoof in agitation. “I just…just forget I said anything.” “Done,” the blue one smiled and then looked confused. “What were we talking about?” The other two monkeys face-palmed. “Sonata,” the orange one spoke up. “Just shut up and let me do the talking.” Sonata frowned. “Adagio,” Chrysalis chided. “Don’t tell your sister to shut up.” “But she’s being an idiot,” Adagio threw her hands up. “Right, Aria?” Aria nodded. “Can’t help that.” Chrysalis groaned. “First off, apologize to your sister. Second off, this is Cadance. Cadance, these are my kids….who are now monkeys for some reason….blasted inter dimensional travel.” “Humans mom,” Adagio corrected. “We’re humans.” “Same thing really,” Aria rolled her eyes. The other two quickly offered a small apology to Sonata. “Now,” Chrysalis spoke up. “What seems to be the problem?” Before the other two could talk, Sonata burst out into tears. “We’ve ran out of tacos!” She buried her face in her hands. “Sonata,” Adagio growled. “We can just go and sing for more tacos. This isn’t an emergency.” “But if I don’t get tacos,” Sonata pointed. “I’ll explode.” “Sonata,” Chrysalis sighed. “You are not going to explode.” “But what if I am?!!” Sonata wailed. “I don’t want to explode!” “Where did she get this idea?” Chrysalis asked. The others shrugged. The changeling queen sighed. “Is there anything else…Anything not taco related.” Adagio smiled…a very wicked smile. ‘I can see the family resemblance.’ “You remember how there wasn’t any magic here?” Chrysalis nodded. “We found some.” I felt a little nervous about that info. “Yeah,” Aria scoffed. “Now we can leave this awful place.” “It’s not awful,” Sonata spoke up. “It’s just different.” “No,” Aria messed up her sister’s hair. “You’re different.” “Hey,” Sonata cried out. “Mom, she messed up my hair.” “Cry baby,” Aria rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Aria, stop that.” Chrysalis rubbed her forehead. “Adagio, this isn’t the best time. Perhaps a little later tonight would do.” Adagio nodded. “Gotcha. See you later, mom.” “Bye now,” Chrysalis blew some kissed their way. “Mommy loves you.” “We love you too,” the three said with a smile…even Aria was smiling, which seemed odd for her. But what do I know about monkeys and smiling. Instantly, the feed cut off. “Okay Chrysalis,” I crossed my forelegs. “What was that all about?” “My daughters were sirens,” Chrysalis explained. “They got into a little trouble…You see, they tried to follow mommy’s examples and take over….It didn’t work out.” She looked away sadly. “How about we put this on hold and get back to Applejack. I’m sure something juicy is going on.” I sighed. “Fine…but we are so talking about this later.”