//------------------------------//
// Chapter Twenty-Nine: Tensions and Tests 
// Story: Brushed Away 2: By Hoof and Claw 
// by TheVClaw 
//------------------------------//

"So… have the two of you learned your lesson?"

Blaze and Blane, both wearing large ice-packs over their heads and faces, slowly nodded as they sat at the dining room table like guilty children. Troy, keeping a deadpanned stare of annoyance on the two, was starting to resemble a disgruntled parent more than anything else as he added, "And was it that you learned?"

"Urrrrrrghhh…" Groaning under his breath, Blaze was the first to reply after pulling the ice-pack away from his badly bruised face. "Don't… don't do the fart-ring to your boss?"

"Don't do it to anyone, you dip-stick!"

"Hey!" Not liking how his younger brother was acting towards them, Blane was quick to add a response alongside Blaze. "Why are you getting mad as US, huh?! That Rainbow chick was the one who used her… pony magic stuff to trick us!"

Troy rolled his eyes and sighed tiredly. "Dude, just admit it. That mare kicked both your butts."

"DID NOT!!!" shouted both of them furiously, using their claws to bang the table and emphasize their point. Canvas, who just came out of the kitchen with a pot of tea for the two, made a small huff when he saw them do that.

"Can you guys please not try to wreck any more of my furniture?" The stallion placed the pot and two teacups on the table in front of Blaze and Blane, which honestly made the two injured Gryphons look like they were seated at a filly's pretend tea-party. "I've already had a few things of mine destroyed when it was just Troy here."

"Oh, come on!" Troy gave Canvas a disgruntled look. "I didn't break that much stuff."

"Well, you still broke a few of my pricier things, remember?" Canvas went back to the kitchen as he started to list off the top of his head, "Two of the dining room chairs, a couple of those nice glasses I got for the kitchen, the bed frame--"

Hearing that last one, Troy quickly pointed a talon at his fiancé. "Okay, you can't blame ME for the bed frame entirely, dude! You were the one who kept telling me to go harder!"

"AHHH!" Blaze and Blane both clenched their eyes shut and put their claws up in distaste. Blaze nearly dropped the teapot he was using. "Too much info!"

Troy groaned before beginning to make his way back to the kitchen. "Oh, shut up! You've all been asking me worse than that at the bowling alley, rememb--"

The sound of the door opening caught the attention of the Gryphons, whose eyes all widened in shock when they saw Blade at the doorway. Ignoring the shocked looks his brothers had, the skinny Gryphon tried to shuffle in silence to one of the dining table seats, despite walking with an obvious hobble from his hind legs. 

On his head, which was now dyed blue, Blade had a pair of scuba goggles over his eyes, along with a snorkel sticking out of the side of his beak. A bright pink leotard was stretched along his midsection, which seemed to go fairly well with the tutu he had around his waist. And with each step he made, the heavy, neon-green rain boots he was wearing over his paws made a wet plop on the hardwood floors, despite them being bone-dry.

With his eyes wide-open in a stunned state, looking like a soldier who just came back from a bloody battle, Blade collapsed into his seat in dead silence. Before any of his brothers could say anything, the Gryphon made a small cough, which made several bubbles come out of his beak like a dispenser.

"Damn, dude!" shouted Blaze in shock. "Fluttershy must've been a FREAK!"

Blane was quick to add, "Yeah, man! How do you keep getting the kinky ones?! It's like you have a magnet or something!" 

Blade's head slowly turned towards the two, his face giving off the tone that pretty much told them to stop talking immediately. While Blaze and Blane froze momentarily at the sight of Blade's stone-cold stare, Troy's eyes widened as he figured out what may have occurred. "Ummm… Blade? Did you… happen to meet Discord at her place?"

Blaze was just about to take a sip of his tea, but immediately spat it out as soon as he heard Discord's name. "WHAT?!" shouted Blaze and Blane in unison.

Blade's head instantly turned to Troy with a look of white-hot fury. "Did you know he was gonna be there?!"

Troy took a step back from Blade, trying to avoid his brother's blood-curdling gaze as he looked elsewhere. "W-well, I… I knew that Fluttershy was friends with him, but…"

Blade rose from his seat slowly, his golden eyes peered straight at Troy like a hawk eyeing its kill. "Did you not think that maybe… maybe… that would've been essential… need to know… INFO?!"

"Dude, what's all the yelling about?!" Lyle, who was back in Canvas's studio reading a comic, emerged at the doorway with an annoyed look on his face. "I'm trying to rea--What the…" Seeing how Blade looked, the younger Gryphon clenched his beak shut as he tried not to laugh. 

"Mmmph… Dude, what happened? Did you meet up with Discord or something?"

Even though Blade's appearance was beyond over-the-top, the menacing glare he gave to Lyle immediately diminished any humor his outfit may have had. Seeing that Blade was less than a second from trying to neuter him with his own talons, Lyle flinched at his gaze before running back into the studio. "Never mind, BYE!"

When Lyle disappeared back into the studio, Blade quickly turned back to Troy with a murderous look in his eyes. Fortunately, before the musician could lunge after his brother, Canvas reappeared at the kitchen doorway. "Hey, Blade, you want some tea--?"

As soon as he noticed how Blade looked, the stallion didn’t even need to be told what occurred. After his eyes widened in surprise for a moment, Canvas sighed before turning around. "I’ll get you some tea, okay?"

Blade's eyes turned to Canvas for a split second, and his mood softened just enough to not attack Troy at that moment. Instead, the Gryphon sighed before returning to his seat, sitting opposite of his two still-silent and wide-eyed brothers. Even though both of them had quite a lot to ask (starting with why the buck Discord was running around these parts), a pregnant bout of silence passed before Blane opened his beak first.

"…Ssssoooo… Did you get any or what?"





The next morning, Blade was determined to try to get that blasted Draconequus off of his back, which prompted him to wake up early for once. Luckily, the musician was willing to take Troy's advice and avoid confronting Rainbow Dash about her actions; even though he'd love to give that mare a piece of his mind, one look at what happened to Blaze and Blane was enough for him to know that he probably wouldn't fare any better against her. Plus, even if he did try to go after Rainbow, Blade was afraid what might happen if Princess Twilight caught wind and tried to vaporize him because of it. 

So, after getting the dye out of his feathers, the Gryphon decided to just try talking with Fluttershy that morning. He knew that she mentioned tending to her animals between breakfast and lunch, so it was doubtful that Discord would bother her during that time. And since he was afraid of going there at any other time and risk meeting up with him again, Blade was determined to do this now and avoid any more of the Draconequus's  chaotic antics.

While he flew up to the skies, soaring off towards Fluttershy's cottage cautiously, he didn't really seem to notice the white unicorn who was walking along the road towards Canvas and Troy's home. Meanwhile, Fancy Pants kept a slow but steady pace as he trotted silently, his mustached face not giving much evidence of a pleasant mood this morning. Of course, that was merely because he took an impromptu trip back to Ponyville to discuss what occurred earlier this week, and he wasn't able to get himself a proper cup of coffee yet.

After reaching the barn about an hour after the sun had risen, Fancy Pants sighed tiredly as he walked up to the door. Catching how chilly the morning air was feeling already, the unicorn was grateful that he had the foresight to wear a scarf instead of an ascot to go along with his jacket. The weather patrol around Ponyville was planning to start their first major cold fronts tonight, so the stallion was hoping to make this quick before heading back to Canterlot.

Surprisingly, before he could even raise a hoof to knock, Fancy Pants saw the door of Canvas's studio open prematurely. Expecting his client to arrive, Canvas was already awake and ready for whatever he might have to say. The artist tried to keep himself calm and professional, but a faint tone of unease could be seen on his face when he appeared at the open doorway. 

"Umm… Good morning, Fancy Pants…" Forcing a small smile onto his muzzle, Canvas stepped back and used a hoof to motion the stallion inside. "Please, come on in."

Fancy Pants nodded before entering, his expression still looking rather neutral. Noticing this, Canvas became even more worried, mostly since he knew that this client was usually quite pleasant with him. Hoping that the unicorn wasn't going to act too harshly, Canvas cleared his throat before opening his muzzle. "I know that you prob--"

"Canvas," interrupted Fancy Pants abruptly, looking back at him with a more focused expression on his face. Hearing how his tone became much sterner, Canvas stopped talking while the other stallion continued, "I really feel like it would be favorable if you were to explain what happened in regards to my commission the other day."

Pursing his lips shut for a second in nervousness, Canvas sighed before reopening his mouth reluctantly. "O-okay… Ummm…" Even though he didn't want to pause himself too often and make Fancy Pants even more upset, the artist knew what he had to ask in order to hive a suitable answer. "Just for clarification… What was it that you've heard already?"

Fancy Pants' brow rose slightly. "Well, that's just it…" His horn illuminated, giving off his amber-colored magic before part of his aura went inside of his jacket. "I was told by the movers that an accident occurred just as they were about to pick it up. However…"

The unicorn then pulled out an envelope for Canvas to see. "When I received the replacement piece, this letter that came with it informed me of a much different story."

Canvas's eyes widened in shock, having never seen that until just now. "Wait, what is that?"

"Well," began the unicorn as he opened the letter, looking through it for a moment before levitating it towards Canvas. "From what I've read, this letter mentions how the painting became damaged shortly after I came by. Even though it contained quite a bit of detail, especially about who was really at fault, I wanted to know which side of the story was correct."

Canvas quickly scanned the letter, his eyes widening with each sentence that was written in intricate detail.

Dear Mr. Fancy Pants,

You probably don't remember me that well, but I was the one who made you coffee when you came by to see Canvas the other day. Well, the reason I'm writing this is because I wanted to explain why this drawing is here, and not the painting you ordered.

You see, right after you and Canvas left the place, I accidentally damaged the painting when I didn't notice a tube of paint on the ground, which I pressed a trash can down on. Some of the paint got onto it, which I was planning to get removed and hopefully fix. But before I could do anything, Blane thought it would be a good idea to use paint-remover on it (I mean, really?! Who does that? It's made entirely of paint!).

Anyway, the picture was completely wrecked by then, and then they tried to draw on it before Canvas came back (I tried to stop them, I swear). Canvas was upset about what happened, and I felt really bad since I knew he worked hard on it, so I tried to make a replacement. I know it's not what you wanted, but it was best I could do.

Please, please do not get mad at Canvas for what happened. He had absolutely nothing to do with it. If anyone is to blame, it should be me. I was the one who messed it up in the first place, which was by complete accident. If you want a proper replacement or something, then I'm sure something can be arranged. Just don't blame Canvas. He's cool.

Sincerely, Lyle

Blinking repeatedly in stunned silence, Canvas barely registered anything else around him. Instead, the stallion just stared at the letter, unsure of how he should react to this sort of thing. However, after making one glance back at the door way between the studio and living space, seeing Lyle standing slightly out of sight to listen in, the stallion's muzzle cracked into a smile, showing a look of gratefulness that no words could add. 

It wasn't until Fancy Pants made a light cough that the artist finally looked back at him. The unicorn kept a look of interest before asking softly, "Well?"

"Ummm… well…" Looking between the letter and Fancy Pants, Canvas took a second before clearing his throat and sighing. "Technically speaking, I… wasn't here during that. But… yeah. This letter is correct."

"I see," responded Fancy Pants with a small nod, his face still staying somewhat neutral. Canvas bit his lip nervously, not wanting his client to see him in a negative light for lying about the circumstances to the movers a couple days ago. But before the artist could try to say anything in defense, Fancy Pants' eyes scanned the studio while asking, "I'm curious, though. Do you still have the painting for me to see?"

Canvas's eyes widened before making a quick nod. "Oh! Uh, yes!" The stallion hurriedly trotted over to a corner of the studio, pulling out the damaged painting from behind a couple of blank canvas boards. "The trash collector was going to come by in a couple days to pick this up, but... here it is."

The artist reluctantly passed the piece over to Fancy Pants, which was still wrapped and boasting a large hole in the middle of it. The unicorn gave a peculiar stare to the painting before taking it with his magic, undoubtedly recalling the damage from the photos that the movers took. However, as soon as he pulled the wrapping paper away to see the painting inside, his eyes shot wide open in shock.

Canvas cringed and turned his head away from Fancy Pants. "Y-yeahhhh… I mean, I know they had good intentions and all, but--"

"Pbbbbt, AHH HA HA HA HAAAA!!!"

Fancy Pants almost dropped the painting in his aura due to his laughter, and had to use a hoof to cover his muzzle. With his eyes were strained, barely able to stay open, the unicorn's white face was blushed due to his incessant giggling. "Wooo…. hee hee hee…Oh my!"

Even though Canvas was slightly confused, the fact that Fancy Pants wasn't irate or fuming about what happened to his commission was at least a little comforting. "Ummm… are you alright?"

"Okay, who drew this?!" asked Fancy Pants between pants as he turned to Canvas with an amused smile. "Seriously, I would like to know! Who thought to draw on this with crayon?!"

Honestly, Canvas forgot which Gryphon it was who did that. He looked back to the doorway where Lyle was, which Fancy Pants noticed as well. The unicorn's face lit up before pointing a hoof at him. "Aha! There you are, Lyle! Come on in here!"

Lyle immediately pulled himself away from the door and out of sight. Fancy Pants sighed before adding in a calmer tone, "Oh, come now! I'm not going to yell at you, okay? I just want to know who drew on that."

A brief "Uhhhh" could be heard from the other side of the wall, followed by the sound of Lyle's cautious tone of voice. "Well… I think Blade did most of that, but he flew off a while ago for something."

"Yeah!" called out another voice from behind the wall, which Canvas was quickly able to recognize as Blane's. "HE did it! Go after him!"

Fancy Pants' brows rose, his smile growing a little wider as he spoke up towards the voice. "Oh, are you Blane? The one who used the paint remover?"

"…Uhhhh… BYE!"

The sound of the door opening and slamming could be heard, giving fairly good evidence that the massive Gryphon fled the scene. After a few seconds of silence, Canvas finally joined in on Fancy Pants's laughter which broke it.

"Lyle, come on!" said Canvas as he turned over to the doorway. "It's okay, I swear. Don’t be shy."

That was when Lyle appeared at the doorway; however, it wasn't that he willfully chose to go in, as much as it was that Blaze pushed him into the room like he was trying to save his own skin. The young Gryphon shook a little when he was thrust into the room, but stayed frozen at his spot when Fancy Pants walked up to him.

"So… You were the one who wrote that letter?"

With the kind smile the unicorn was giving him, Lyle could see that he didn't look upset while asking that question. Nevertheless, the Gryphon still looked sheepish as he tried to reply without sounding totally freaked out. "Ummm… yeah. I… figured you should know the truth."

Before Fancy Pants could open his muzzle again, Lyle added with a raise of his talon, "And just so you know, I had NO idea that the triplets were planning that whole 'Wreck it when the movers come by' thing, alright? I think they had that planned as a sort of surprise thing."

Canvas quickly nodded and added, "That's right. They didn't mention a single word of that to me before it happened. And, well…" The stallion's expression began to turn more guilty while he continued. "When it did happen, I just… went along with it… I really didn’t mean to lie to you, and I apologize for that. I… I kinda figured it would give me some time to make a replacement or something."

He then turned back to Lyle, growing a indebted smile on his muzzle. "But then Lyle came out with that drawing, which was also something I didn’t know about! I mean, he managed to make that in less than a day, which I know I couldn't do! And… I couldn't have asked for anything better than that…"

Seeing the honesty in Canvas's expression, Lyle couldn't help growing a gratified smile before turning his head away from him. While the young Gryphon kept his face away from both stallions awkwardly, Canvas looked back at Fancy Pants to add, "But Lyle was right about the letter. I really had nothing to do with what happened, and even the spear thing was something I was uninformed about. They were just trying to help me out, but I know I should've been honest with you. And for that, I'm sorry."

Fancy Pants took a moment before making a small sigh, his face now having that understanding smile that the artist remembered from before. "Oh, it's quite alright, Canvas. Judging from the damage of that painting…" The unicorn glanced back at the painting which he let lean against the couch, making a light chortle before continuing, "I think it's clear that everything was far beyond your control, and I couldn't judge you poorly for that."

Fancy Pants' smile grew as he looked back at both Canvas and Lyle. "And as far as that drawing goes, I couldn't have asked for anything better either! Fleur absolutely loved it! She doesn't even know that I originally had a painting planned for her, but she had the largest smile on her face when she saw that sketch of her! And considering that I originally had that commission made to make her happy, I think it's easy to say that the ends justify the means, don’t you think?"

Thinking it over, Canvas had to agree with a reluctant shrug. "Well, I guess so. But…" Biting the inside of his cheek in contemplation, the aqua stallion sighed before adding, "Technically speaking, you did pay for my services, so it wouldn't feel right to not have a painting for you. If you want, I can easily make a new commission for you."

Fancy Pants brow raised in surprise, but seemed happy at that kind of recommendation. "Well, then. I suppose I'll take you up on that offer sometime."

After giving a firm shake to Canvas's hoof, which the artist was pleased to return, Fancy Pants then went back to Lyle. Lighting up his horn, the unicorn had an appreciative smile on his muzzle as he spoke graciously. "And Lyle, I want to thank you personally for making that gift for my wife. You made her very happy, and for that, you have my utmost gratitude. Thank you."

Fancy Pants put out his hoof towards Lyle, who had a surprised look on his face while trying to process what was going on. Honestly, the Gryphon thought that this guy would be upset with him about getting paint on the original piece that Canvas made; but instead, all that Lyle saw on that stallion's expression was sincere appreciation, which made him freeze for a moment before putting out his claw. "I… uh… Y-you’re welcome."

Lyle shook Fancy Pants' hoof, and grew a slight smile on his beak. Pleased to see that, Fancy Pants them pulled out the second item that he had inside of his jacket. "And I must say, I agree with Canvas one hundred percent about your artistry. You really do have a great drawing skill, and I hope that you won't let it go to waste. So…"

The unicorn levitated an envelope towards the Gryphon in his amber aura. "What I have here for you is a letter of recommendation. I happen to have a lot of connections both in Equestria and the Gryphon Kingdom, so I have no doubt that this will help you if you ever pursue an art school or internship in your future."

Canvas and Lyle's eyes both shot wide-open in surprise. Grabbing the envelope in his claw, Lyle was at a temporary loss for words as he stared at it. "A-a-a… are you serious?!"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" asked Fancy Pants with a smirk. "You have great artistic potential, Lyle. You just need to have more confidence with yourself, alright?"

Letting the stallion's words sink in, Lyle nodded faintly, his eyes still glued to the envelope. "I… I… okay…"

When Lyle finally looked back up at Fancy Pants, the smile on his beak grew noticeably larger before shaking his hoof a second time. "Th-thank you! This… this is seriously awesome of you!"

"Oh, it's quite alright," replied Fancy with a shrug after shaking Lyle's claw, keeping a more relaxed smile than the other two did. "I always have an appreciation for young talent, since they usually have their whole lives to hone their craft. Plus, you made my wife happy, which makes that letter worth every word."

Looking absolutely blown away by his client's generous act, Canvas beamed proudly before making his way to the doorway of the studio. "You know what, Fancy Pants? Let me make you some coffee!"

Fancy Pants' ears perked up at the mention of that last word. "That would be delightful."





"Okay, how do I say this? Um… 'Fluttershy, I really feel uncomfortable around Discord.' Or… Hmmm, nah…"

Groaning under his breath, Blade was barely able to keep his mind focused as he flew closer towards Fluttershy's cottage. Despite trying to think it over, the Gryphon couldn't get his words right enough in his head to contemplate saying them to Fluttershy. Instead, he just sighed painfully as he saw her home in the distance, knowing that this wasn't going to be as simple as he originally thought. 

However, as soon as he landed in front of the cottage, Blade was surprised at how still everything looked. Last time he was here, he saw a lot of animals happily roaming around these parts; but now, the area seemed eerily silent, like something had scared all of Fluttershy's pets away. But before he could think too much about, he saw the front door of the cottage open, and Fluttershy's happy face peek out at him.

"Oh, Blade!" proclaimed the mare cheerfully when she saw him. "It's so nice of you to come by!"

"U-uh, yeah…" Rubbing the back of his head worriedly, Blade was unsure what it was he could say at the moment. His gaze looked elsewhere as he began to speak. "Uh, listen Fluttershy. I was kinda… wanting to talk with you…"

While his head was turned away, Blade didn’t seem to notice how Fluttershy's eyes narrowed on him with a smirk. "Oh, really?"

"Y-yeah…" After making a quick nod, Blade looked back at the Pegasus while speaking more insistently. "L-listen, I know that you have a lot of work to do around this time, but I was wondering if you might… want to talk privately for a moment?"

Staring at the Gryphon, Fluttershy's grin became more apparent, and she eyed him down with a clearer stare of interest. "Mmmmm… 'Private', you say?"

"Yes, an--" Now noticing her unusual tone, Blade paused for a moment as he saw how the mare was looking at him. "Ummm… Fluttershy? Are… are you okay?"

After giving off a sensual giggle, Fluttershy licked her lips before opening her door. "Oh, I'm more than okay…"

As soon as she opened the door fully, Blade's beak dropped in an instant. Standing at her doorway with a randy grin, Fluttershy was on her hindlegs as she leaned against the doorframe, showing every inch of the deep red lingerie she was wearing over herself. Blade, who was completely frozen in stunned silence, could barely move an inch as he saw how the mare was staring lustfully back at him.

"I'm so glad you could make it, Bladey-Boy," moaned the Pegasus in a surly tone as she eyed him down. "I was hoping that you and I could… talk."

A loud 'Pomf' emanated the otherwise silent space, as Blade's brown wings shot out in an instant. Even though his heart was pounding faster than ever before, the Gryphon was unable to breathe in shock. Aside from his waist, the only part of him that was moving was his left eye which was twitching involuntarily. 

"Flu… Flu… Flutter…"

A low chuckle escaped Fluttershy as she leered at him, her voice coming out in an enticed moan. "Come on, you dirty bird," said the mare enticingly as she pulled away from the doors, getting back on all four hooves before turning around. When she began to walk back inside, showing off her tail which was tied upward, she looked back at the Gryphon whose jaw was now nearly touching the ground. "Are you gonna stand out there all day, or are you gonna have fun with your biggest fan?"

Blade's mind was completely blank, not knowing how to react at all to this mare's advances. But despite his brain not responding, his body already began to step forward quickly, completely ignoring Angel who was trying to pull him back by his tail. Alas, the bunny's attempt was futile, as Blade's tail quickly swished him away while walking inside the cottage.

Angel was thrown a couple feet away from Blade's tail, which game him no time to stop the Gryphon from going inside. Because of that, the bunny could only watch in terror as Blade mindlessly went into the cottage. As soon as the door closed behind the Gryphon, Angel rushed over to one of the windows; even though all of them had their blinds down  to keep anyone from looking inside, the bunny could still overhear what was being said inside.

"Mmmmm… so Blade, you like what you see?"

"Ahhhhh… A-ah, Fluttershy, listen I… I was--"

"Oh, come on, big boy. Do you really want to talk right now?"

Blade's voice could be heard becoming shakier, his accent slipping with each passing word he tried to say.  "I-I-I… I was wanting to-- Oh! Oh… Wow, that's nice… URGH! I mean… I was wanting to talk with you about--"

"Ssshhhhhh… Unless you plan to give me a kiss, you should just close that pretty little beak of yours."

"But… but I--"

"Ah, ah, ahhhh… I think you should just do what you want to do… And I think we both know what that is…"

"I… I…"

A long bout of silence passed after that last whimpered attempt at resistance from the Gryphon. Realizing what might be occurring, Angel winced as he tried to listen. After a seemingly endless moment, he finally heard Fluttershy's voice again. 

"Therrrrre you go…"

Heavy breathing could be heard from the Gryphon. "A-A-A… Are you sure this is alright?"

"Mmmm-hmmm… now just lie back, and I'll do all the work."

"I… well… okay…"

Angel face-pawed as soon as he heard that.

"Ooh… someone's anxious."

"W-well… you're sort of to blame for that…" A nervous laugh could be heard from Blade after that comment, which subsided after Fluttershy spoke once more.

"Mmmmm… Ooh, we better make this quick, okay? I don't know how long we have before she gets back."

"O-okay. I doubt that would be too hard, heh heh… I jus-- Wait." Blade's voice sounded much more serious at that last word. "Before who gets back?"

…

"Before Fluttershy, of course!"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"


The door to Fluttershy's cottage broke open as Blade shot out like a rocket, screaming in pure unbridled terror with his eyes wide open. "AAAAAIIEEEEEEEE!!!"

While the Gryphon blasted through the skies, feathers flying off of him from the sudden speed, he didn’t seem to notice the yellow Pegasus who was trotting back to her cottage with a saddlebag full of birdseed. "B-Blade?!"

Noticing Blade speeding though the skies, screaming like a banshee that was set on fire, Fluttershy's eyes widened in shock. "What in Equestria happened?!"

Seeing where the Gryphon came from, Fluttershy galloped back to her cottage to notice her door was broken off the hinges. She gasped before seeing Angel standing nearby. "Angel!" shouted the mare in worry. "What happened?! Why did Blade fly away like that?"

Before Angel could make a reply, Discord's voice could be heard from inside the cottage. "Fluttershy, I think it would be in your best interest not to see that Blade fellow anymore."

"Discord? What are you talki--" As soon as she saw Discord appear at her front door, Fluttershy froze as her muzzle went agape. Now back in his regular form, Discord kept a stern expression on his face as he stood upright by the doorway with his paw on his hip. Of course, the Draconequus was still wearing the dark-red lingerie as he spoke.

"That Gryphon is a complete deviant! He couldn't keep his claws off of me when I was in your form!"

Staring at Discord wide-eyed, Fluttershy was at a loss for words when she saw what he had on. Her head turned around to scan where Blade flew off to, realizing what happened while she was gone. And when her head went back to Discord, the Draconequus flinched when he saw the furious glare she was giving him.

"A-ah… Fluttershy?" asked Discord as he put up his paw to speak. However, Fluttershy's stare on him, despite being a meager pout, was much stronger than any other look she's ever given him before. Catching that she was noticeably upset, Discord slowly put his claw back down.

Fluttershy's voice came out in a low and angry tone through her clenched teeth. "Discord… Is that my underwear?"

Discord's eyes widened before looking down at himself, realizing he was still wearing the lingerie. Nevertheless, the Draconequus only paused for a moment before looking back at Fluttershy. His muzzle grew a smirk before striking a more voluptuous pose. "Well, you have to admit that I really fill this out, don't you think?"





Keeping a content smile on his face, Troy soared through the late-morning skies with ease. Even though he was worried about leaving Canvas alone with Fancy Pants, he was also confident that his stallion could make things work out. After all, if there was one thing he knew for sure about his fiancé, it was that he never went down without a fight; he was honestly one of the strongest and most dedicated guys he knew, which was probably one of the reasons why Troy fell for him so quickly. 

And as he reached closer towards his home, Troy smiled when he saw Fancy Pants trotting down the road in a much more chipper mood, a cup of coffee in his aura. Pleased to see that the unicorn wasn't angry (or ruffled up from any attempt at a fight), Troy glided downward towards the barn with no worry, anxious to see his love during his lunch break.

When the silver Gryphon opened the door and entered the living space, an involuntary shiver overtook him when he felt the welcoming heat inside. Even though the weather hadn't gotten that cold yet, it was quite clear that winter was upon them. "Brrrr! Man, I'm glad we got that space heater!"

Hearing his fiancé, Canvas trotted out of the studio with a slight smirk. "Well, it would probably be nicer if you actually wore that scarf like I suggested."

Troy sighed and rolled his golden eyes. "I already told you, it's not that bad. Besides, feathers insulate really well, so it's not--" 

Troy had to do a double-take when he noticed a corner of the living space, seeing something huddled underneath a blanket. Upon closer inspection, Troy saw that it was his brother Blade, who looked even worse today than he did yesterday. "What the! What happened to him?"

Canvas's expression turned more uneasy as he looked over at Blade as well. "I have no idea. He just flew inside in a panic and hid himself over there. His brothers tried to talk with him, but apparently, all Blade could say were the words 'Discord' and 'Panties'."

"Ergh!" Troy cringed a little as he backed away. "Something tells me I shouldn't ask, should I?"

The stallion gave an approving shake of his head. "Nnn-Nnn."





"Ow! Ow! Ow! OOWWWW!!!"

Discord winced in pain, feeling unable to do anything while his ear was being tugged so painfully by Fluttershy's hoof. Even though he knew that he could easily do something to stop her from pulling him by his ear like a naughty colt in a grocery store, he knew that he couldn't try anything without hurting her. He might not be happy with how she was treating him, but she was still his friend.

While hulling the hunched-down Draconequus by his ear, Fluttershy was glad that they didn't pass anypony on their way to Troy's home to talk with Blade. Despite what he did, the Pegasus really didn’t want to embarrass him like this. But still, she kept her tone of voice particularly stern while leading him. "You are going to apologize to Blade whether you like it or not, Mister!"

Discord groaned exaggeratingly loud, showing that he certainly didn't want to follow Fluttershy's commands. "I still don't see what I did--OW! Urgh… what I did wrong! I was making sure that he wouldn't take advantage of you, which he DID! If anything, you should be thanking me for taking proper actio--GAAAHH!!!"

Another hard tug was enough to shut Discord right up. "That was NOT being helpful, and you know it! Even without taking my form, what you did was entrapment, which is illegal in Equestria!"

A low groan escaped Discord's muzzle as he grimaced. He muttered under his breath, "Well, so is kidnapping Celestia's pet Phoenix--YAAAA!!!"

Fluttershy practically had Discord's head pulled to the ground at that last statement. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

Reluctantly, Discord stayed silent for the rest of the trip, and kept a bitter scowl on his face when they finally reached the house. When Fluttershy knocked on the door to the living space of the barn, a couple "Pomfs" could be heard as Blaze and Blane's heads popped out from the cloud structure above the house.

"Who is it--AAAAHHH!" 

The two quickly shot back inside the cloud as soon as they saw Discord, not wanting to deal with him after seeing how Blade ended up. Sighing at their behavior, Fluttershy waited for the door to open. Canvas was the one who answered it, who immediately grew cautious when he saw the Draconequus beside her. 

"Canvas?" asked Fluttershy in a mature tone while Discord's ear was firmly in her hoof. "Do you happen to know where Blade is?"

Blade's head popped out of his blanket cocoon long enough to see who was at the door, and made a girlish squeal before rushing up the stairs.

"Blade, STOP!" Fluttershy put her free hoof out to try to stop him. "It's me, Blade! The real me! Look!" 

Since he was already up in the loft, the trembling Gryphon had to poke his head out for a second to see that Fluttershy was next to Discord, proving that it was really her. Unfortunately, the presence of Discord was enough to make him quickly pull his head out of sight again.

"Blade, please!" pleaded Fluttershy worriedly. "You don't have to be scared, I'm right here!"

Blade's voice could be heard from upstairs. "Yeah, and so is HE!"

Not wanting this to drag out any longer than it should, Canvas walked over to the stairs to try to talk him down. "Blade, come on! You can't stay upstairs forever!"

"I don't care! As long as he's there, I'm NOT coming down! I don't care how long it takes! I'd rather starve to death than to be in front of that loony--"

SNAP!

With a snap of Discord's paw, a poof or purple smoke appeared in the middle of the living space, revealing Blade sitting on a chair while he kept ranting. 

"--and there's nothing you can say to--GAAAHHH!!!"

Fluttershy wanted to give another strong glare to Discord for doing that, but she knew it wouldn't be right. At least he was using his magic to be helpful this time. Instead, the mare sighed before speaking in a calm voice to the Gryphon. "Now, Blade. I found out what Discord did, and I don't approve of his actions at all. And because of that, I brought him here to say something."

Fluttershy pulled Discord into the living space, having him standing in front of the petrified Gryphon still in his chair. "Discord," began the Pegasus in a firm tone of voice, "is there something that you want to say to him?"

Discord scowled, keeping his eyes pointed away from Fluttershy and Blade before muttering, "I don't want to say it--OOOWWWWW!!!"

Discord tried to bend his head in the same direction Fluttershy was twisting his ear, despite it being fruitless. While the Draconequus struggled against his friend's ear-tugging, he didn't seem to notice Troy and Lyle peeking at the display from the kitchen, or Blaze and Blane looking in from the window.

"You know," growled Discord with great malice towards Fluttershy, "I have done horrible things to ponies who have done much less than this to me!"

"Yes, but that was back when you were just a big meanie! And if you want to be a good citizen, you have to face the consequences of your actions!" She then pulled Discord's head in closer towards Blade (despite the Gryphon shuffling back timidly), making everyone else just stare in awe at the power struggle happening between the two.

"Now, you are going to apologize to Blade, and prove that you can act like a good boy! Understood?"

After another angered growl, Discord made a low grumble of a sigh before nodding, "Y… yesssss…"

"Good." 

She kept a stern tone while holding Discord's ear, waiting for him to say what needed to be said. Discord cringed from the pain that she was giving to his ear, hating that she was choosing now of all times to be more assertive. Alas, after a small growl before looking straight at Blade with spite. "Blade… I am sorry."

Fluttershy's firm expression didn't change, and her hoof still had a death-grip on the Draconequus's ear. "You're sorry for what?"

Blade's eyes widened in a panic as he tried to intervene. "A-ah, Flutter, you don't have to--"

"Say it, Discord!"

Both Blade and Discord winced at her tone of voice, silencing both of their attempts to protest. Closing his eyes, Discord made another sigh before looking at Blade again.

"Blade, I'm… I'm sorry for wearing Fluttershy's lingerie and trying to seduce you in her form."

A very, VERY long moment of silence passed in the house, with everyone staring at Blade and Discord wide-eyed. When Fluttershy realized how the tone was starting to change in the room, she turned towards the others just in time to hear the first sound after that statement.

"Mmmph… pbbt!!!"

That was the only thing that could be heard before the entire barn erupted in laughter. Blade, who was sitting in his chair with an enraged scowl, looked absolutely furious as he heard all of his brothers cackling thunderously. Fluttershy's face blushed in embarrassment as she realized what she inadvertently caused, and she winced in guilt. "Oh goodness. Um… I'm sorry, Blade."

Even though she was sincere, the Pegasus's words could barely be heard over everyone else who were still laughing loudly. Leaning against the kitchen doorway with tears in his eyes, Troy had to collect his breath before speaking in a wheeze, "Blade, you… you… you've been with more guys than ME!"

That was what set them all off again. Blade's blushing face sunk down even lower into his seat, hoping to avoid the onslaught of laughter caused by Discord's "apology". Not wanting to wait for his brothers or future brother-in-law to calm down, Blade shot a glare at Discord and made a reply. "If I accept your apology, will you leave me the BUCK alone?!"

Despite the Gryphon's attitude, Discord shrugged before making a small nod. "That was what I promised Fluttershy, so yes. I won't try to interfere on your friendship with her."

Even though he knew he couldn't trust this bugger, that statement didn't sound like a bald-faced lie. So, after a deep breath, Blade put his claw out so he could end this. "Okay then. Apology accepted."

Discord was quick to shake his claw in acceptance, which was good enough for Fluttershy to let go of his ear. "That's what I wanted to hear," stated the mare in a calmer tone as she looked between the two. "Now, I really do hope that you two can be friends despite this. And in order for that to happen, both of you have to have trust in the other. So Discord, will you promise to put more trust in me and Blade?"

Discord grimaced a little at her question, but only paused briefly before nodding. "Oh, alright! I will."

"Good." She then turned to Blade and asked the same question. "Blade, will you promise to be more trusting to Discord?"

Blade was obviously more hesitant to answer that question honestly, but was still able to nod after making a deep exhale. "F… fine."

"Great!" said Fluttershy in a cheerful as her face lit up again. Ignoring the others who were still struggling to stop laughing, Fluttershy made her way back to the door. "Come on, Discord. I still have a lot of work to finish before lunch, and I need to put some ice on your ear."

"Oh, alright," mumbled Discord as he followed her, still looking rather upset about how things went. "I better get some lemonade after."

After the door closed shut behind the two, Blade was left alone in his chair, practically feeling the stares that everyone had on him. After making a heavy groan, Blade overheard Blane speak in through the open window.

"So, Blade… You gonna try saying he had a vagina again?"

"BLANE, SHUT YOUR DAMN BEAK!!!"





Fancy Pants sat by one of the benches at the Ponyville train station patiently, taking his time while reading a newspaper that was held in his aura. Even though he would've never thought himself as the kind of pony to read a publication that's from an elementary school, he had to admit that The Foal-Free Press is a fairly well-written paper overall. While some of the stories seemed a bit immature, at least it wasn't filled with sensationalist buzzwords or fabrications to stir more profit.

At hearing the engines of the train coming in from nearby, Fancy Pants finished his coffee before getting out of his seat. He threw his paper cup into the recycling bin nearby, and then walked back to the platform just as the train began to pull into the station. The all-too familiar cloud of steam flourished around the platform and the ponies standing around, but Fancy Pants paid no heed to the warm mist; in fact, on a brisk day like this, the steam felt rather comforting for a change.

When the doors opened, Fancy and the other ponies waited while all the ponies inside got off; and since he was closest to the platform, the mustached unicorn was the first to see that the doorway was clear for him to enter. However, as soon as he put a hoof up, a wall of dark brown came into view, which prompted Fancy Pants to quickly step back.

"Oh! Sorry, sir," said the unicorn politely as he allowed the figure to pass. Unfortunately, with the way that those burning yellow eyes peered down at him, it was clear that any form of courtesy wouldn't be appreciated. 

So, Fancy decided to keep his muzzle shut as he saw both figures exit the train. Even though their size and stature was seen as intimidating to the other ponies going in and out of the train, Fancy Pants merely grew an amused grin at the sight. After all, this wasn't the first time he's seen that sort of thing today.

"My, my…" said the unicorn to himself as he finally stepped onto the train. "There sure are a lot of Gryphons in Ponyville today."