//------------------------------// // Chapter Two // Story: Adapting // by RarityTookManehattan //------------------------------// Dinky Doo was once again running wildly down the street, skittering to a stop as a carriage whooshed by. She quickly turned down a smoky alley, the sound of impatient wing beats apparent behind her. "Dinky!" her mother called pleadingly. Dinky zigzagged, hoping to knock her mother off course. After a few minutes circling back and forth, her mother crashed into an alleyway wall, creating a huge crack in the bricks. As Derpy shook her head in a daze, she tried to shout a message to her retreating daughter. "You're still too young to date, Dinky! I don't approve!" A light, faraway voice on the wind replied, "Well, I do!" I'm gonna have to talk to Princess Twilight about this... the mare thought as she stalked away. === Dinky huffed, her anger still on high setting: bubbling up and out of her like water from a pot on the boil. "Why does she think she has the right to control my life?" she muttered to herself, the anger simmering down. She was still in one of the alleys and decided that she could use a bit of cuddling. Checking her saddle bags for something, she smiled when she found it. It was a small glass bottle in which Spike had corked enough fire to contact him. Dinky was in the mood for a picnic on the lake, and there was no better way to get him the message than by his fire. Anyway, she took out a quill and a small length of parchment. Using her magic to summon ink into the quill, she quickly scribbled down that Spike should meet her in an hour at Lake Harmonious. She uncorked the dragon fire, letting it leap onto the page. The fire, crackling, quickly consumed the yellowing note - whisking it away to wherever Spike happened to be at the moment. Dinky smiled as she sped off to the grocer's to grab some lunch for their picnic. Oh, and a blanket and basket too - why not? Remembering her recent magic training, she shook her head and was able to summon it all in a moment's time. Maybe she could surprise the dragon by showing up a little early... She galloped off towards Twilight Sparkle's castle, which was now a beacon of light, absorbing the daytime sunshine rapidly. Dinky felt the urge to shorten her journey by attempting teleportation. It was a new skill she was still managing to learn, however, so she only made it a few feet before she reappeared, stumbling and almost spilling the picnic basket all over the dusty ground. Deciding it would be wisest to continue on foot, before long she burst through the golden front doors of the castle - pushing through a throng of politicians and everyday ponies coming for the Day Court. Dinky spotted the stairwell leading up to the hallway of Spike's room. Almost nopony clambered around up there, so she could speed up the mildly slippery stairs with stupendous ease. In a matter of minutes she reached his door and rapped on it, retreating into the shadows to scare him when he exited. Spike's head peeked out of the room. When his survey of the area around him revealed nothing other than an old potted plant drooping in the corner, he began to retreat back into his lair. In a flash of purple Dinky jumped out, wrestling him to the the floor. He yelped in fright as she embraced him, snuggling up against his slim form. Spike, still recovering from the shock, quickly realized it was Dinky. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for a delicate kiss. "Somepony's early," he muttered in between kisses. "Mmm hmmm." The couple soon realized that they were still in the open. They quickly broke apart, Spike reluctantly tearing his lips away from hers. "We better get going then, huh?" Spike nodded. As the couple set off, meager conversation formed which soon turned from friendly compliments to deeper questions. The two being very bright, it was inevitable their discussion would gravitate towards more philosophical topics. The couple had long ago reached Lake Harmonious, and were now propped up against an oak on the lake's banks. "So, if you could do one thing in the world, what would it be?" Dinky asked Spike. "To love you forever. But I don't think I need magic to do that," Spike murmured into Dinky's ear before nibbling it softly. "Spike!" Dinky giggled. She playfully batted her eyelashes as she pushed him off of her. Spike pouted momentarily, but settled on having her sit in his lap as they continued to talk. "What would you do if you could do anything?" Spike asked his love. This was a bit of a sore subject for Dinky. In her heart she knew the answer, but she dared not to speak it: it was too selfish when there were so many other problems in the world that needed attention. "And no wishes for world peace!" Spike added, as if he knew what she was thinking. Dinky smiled, and went with the next best thing. "To help my mother." The two fell quiet as they pondered the words that had just been spoken. "Selfless, just how I like em!" Spike exclaimed after a minute of contemplation, breaking the silence. Dinky laughed and shook her head, snuggling up against Spike once more. "We need nicknames for each other," Spike said out of the blue. They had gotten up from their tangled embrace and begun to eat lunch, the picnic basket waiting for them to dip their hooves and claws into. "Spikey Wikey," Dinky joked. Spike glared at her, earning a laugh from the unicorn. "I was thinking along the lines of Totally Buff and Super Hot Dragon Knight!" Spike proclaimed. "Sure, Spike," she said, punching him softly in the stomach. "Feelin' my abs, huh? Rock hard baby, rock hard." "More cushy." "Oh, shush you." The two began to eat their lunch as more nicknames began to form in their minds. The sun shone high in the sky. Derpy sat staring at the cracked brick wall, tears welling in both of her eyes. I'm a terrible mother, she thought gloomily. How can I look after my daughter when I can't even look after myself? A voice behind her interrupted her sad musings and made her jump. "Causing damage to Ponyville property again? It almost leads one to believe the vandalism is deliberate..." "D-Disco? What are you doing here?" asked Derpy in confusion. Discord stared back at her in disbelief, then smiled mischievously. "Disco? I prefer classical, myself, but whatever you prefer." He snapped his fingers and a huge glittering disco ball hung down from a streetlamp and cheesy music began to play. Derpy wasn't sure where the music was coming from - or why. Discord noticed her confusion and shouted over the noise, "My name's Discord." Derpy blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry," she told him. "I'm not very good at remembering things." The music and lights stopped, and Discord shrugged. He was now sat on a throne made of ice. "That's cool," he replied, then grinned. Derpy stared at him uncertainly. He pointed at his elaborate icy chair. "Oh come on! It's comedy gold. Why do I bother?" Discord complained. With a sigh and a snap of the fingers the throne vanished. After a few seconds a look of understanding dawned on Derpy's face and she let out a small, somewhat adorkable laugh. Discord's scowl softened a little. "You're not the sharpest pencil in the stationery set, are you?" he observed. Derpy nodded, her shame returning. "I sometimes deliver the post to the wrong ponies," she admitted. "And I'm supposed to be finding my daughter at the moment but I've already lost her twice." Discord stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Who's your daughter again?" he asked, pulling a pencil from behind his ear and preparing to scribble notes on a small notepad. He was now wearing a large trench coat and a matching hat: stereotypical journalistic getup. "How did you-?" Derpy interrupted, gazing at his new clothes. "I told you, I'm Lord of Chaos. You were describing your daughter?" he prompted. Derpy shook her head and tried to focus. "Her name is Dinky. She's a teenage unicorn, blonde with a lavender coat and golden eyes. Looks a bit like me!" she added proudly. Discord paused for a second and then a light bulb appeared over his head with a slight ding! "Ah! The one who has, ah, befriended a certain purple dragon at Friendship Castle, by any chance?" Derpy's mouth fell open in surprise. "Y-you know?" she gasped. Discord rolled his eyes. "I think just about everypony knows," he told the dumbstruck pegasus. "She visits Friendship Castle nearly every day, after all. Why?" he added, noticing her crestfallen expression. "Don't you approve of ol' Spikey Wikey?" He turned into a small stuffed toy purple dragon in front of her, though it didn't make her smile like most of his other antics. "I don't think she's old enough to have a coltfriend yet," Derpy confessed. "Dragonfriend," Discord corrected. "Dragonfriend," Derpy echoed miserably. "Is it suitable for a young teenage girl to be romantically involved with a dragon?" "Well, he's only a teenager too," Discord pointed out. "Then again, what do I know? I'm just an old-fashioned, out of touch draconequus." With an imperceptible click of the fingers he became much older-looking, with wrinkles and extra long facial hair reminiscent of Starswirl the Bearded. A brief flash and he appeared next to Derpy, back to his normal appearance. "And what would I know about inter-species romance?" he murmured into Derpy's ear. Her heart skittered a little and he teleported in front of her, staring into her eyes expectantly. Derpy continued to stare back, then blinked in confusion. "What were we talking about?" she asked, her mind scattered. Discord smiled in amusement. "You were about to find your daughter. I'll leave you to it." With that, he was gone. Derpy, after standing in bemusement for a few seconds, was about to fly away - but her eyes were drawn to a small gift wrapped up on the floor. She pulled the ribbon off the box and opened it to find a freshly baked blueberry muffin, along with a note: Good luck with your search! From your ol' pal, Dissy Smiling and gratefully gobbling up the muffin, Derpy began to fly away. A few minutes later a question popped up in her mind. How does he know I like muffins?