//------------------------------//
// Chapter LXX 
// Story: Lessons in quirks 
// by Mike84 
//------------------------------//

	Discord however didn't seem to think that this talk had reached its end. 
"So?" he asked after some moments.
"So what?" Frank asked, genuinely uncertain about what the draconequus was asking for. 
"What are your plans for tomorrow?"
It was just the question Frank had been trying to banish from his mind as much as he could ever since he had realized the complete loss of his work. He turned his head away as if he had found a sudden interest in the broken window behind him. Frank didn't know about tomorrow, he didn't want to think about tomorrow and least of all he wanted to stand whatever taunts the spirit of chaos might have in store for him. 
"Nothing", Frank said, staring firmly at a large wooden splinter lying on the floor near the broken window. 
"Nothing at all? That seems like very little to make plans about."
Frank just gave Discord a very feeble look. Before he cast his eyes down again and pulled on the brim of his hat as if he was hoping to shield himself from all the world if only he managed to pull his hat deep enough over his face. 
"What's there left to make plans about? Many ponies here will think of me as a thief or worse, even if they are told differently. There is nothing left to do for me here. All my work has been destroyed and I… I guess there's nothing to do for me but to go back to where I came from. Go back to Fillydelphia and do… what I can… Please Discord, just don't mock me now! I'm down far enough!"
"And what makes you think I wanted to mock you now?" Discord's question sounded so serious and his voice and his expression were so untypically bare of any snide, irony or jeer of any sort that Frank looked up at him in surprise. 
"Once again not acting predictable?" Discord said with a triumphant tone, but there was no notable malice in this triumph. 
"As for the ponies of this town, most of them are headstrong and stubborn, much like Twilight, but you should not put it beyond them to admit if their prejudices turn out wrong. And as for your work, was there nothing exceptional or unusual you experienced or saw today that you might find interesting to study and write about? Even in the very context of your own main field of studies?"
Frank didn't have to look at the rather blurry shape that formed in the bubble to understand what Discord was referring to. 
"The Tree", he said. Of all the events of this night he had pushed that one into as far a corner of his mind as possible. 
"Yes", Discord confirmed. "Tonight you have been admitted to the rather exclusive circle of ponies who have actually seen the Tree and who can approach it in spite of its attempts to keep the curious away."
"A few old texts I read at the academy referred to a 'Tree of Harmony'. I had always thought that was some kind of old fashioned figure of speech or flowery phrase and so, I think, did everypony else", Frank said.
"Word of that tree is not exactly far spread. Not much of a surprise given how few ponies have actually come close enough to see it with none of them having much of an interest to spread the word. But you have seen it, haven't you?" Discord asked.
"The marks on it, Discord, you know what they mean, don't you?" Frank asked with an air of urgency. 
"Perhaps…", Discord said reluctantly, "…perhaps not. Perhaps I will know and perhaps I won't. I don't know if I do know, if I did or if I will."
Frank raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Discord hastily continued: "In any case, you may make something of it if you stay a little longer and pick that quill of yours rather than… whatever you thought you would do back where you came from. You really should continue with those studies you're doing. Perhaps, as time goes on, I might even contribute a snippet or two, if you continue with it?"
"What do you mean? And why are you interested in my studies?" Frank asked, eying Discord suspiciously.
"Oh, I find they are an interesting read. Did you ever notice you are using words like 'randomized', 'arbitrary', 'coincidentally' and 'unpredictable' quite frequently, referring to quite a lot of things? You know, there is a synonym for all these words you might want to consider: 'Chaotic'."
Ignoring Discord's suggestion and with his frown deepening, Frank asked: "And whenever did you read what I wrote?"
At this question Discord gave a slightly mischievous look. 
"Well, that very fancy quill of yours does more than write without being dipped into an inkwell all the time. If you permit to demonstrate…", Discord clicked with two of his talons without waiting for any permission, the quill zoomed out of Frank's shirt pocked and came to rest in the air in front of Discord. The draconequus reached into the dangling fire and pulled two perfectly unburned sheets of paper out of it. The quill began to frantically scamper across one of the sheets. As he watched, Frank saw how the very lines the quill produced on one sheet appeared on the other as well, making a perfect copy of what turned out to be a rather disrespectful caricature of Princess Celestia.
"It kept me updated on what you wrote the morning after the party."
"Fluttershy said you promised the quill wouldn't cause any harm!" Frank said sternly. 
"And what harm, pray tell me, is there in the quill doing twice the amount of work and me reading something you mean to publish anyway? Do you fear I want to plagiarize your dissertation?"
A doctoral cap appeared on Discord's head and a monocle in front of one of his eyes. 
"Rest assured that it is not my ambition to become a professor at the academy in Fillydelphia. Twilight has her pet dragon doing her mail for her and I got other means."
Frank gritted his teeth to suppress the question whenever he had agreed to become Discord's pen pal. 
"And as for what you didn't write with this fancy quill…", Discord let the quill and one of the Celestia caricatures zoom towards Frank and both slipped into his shirt pocket, in case of the caricature only after it had folded itself neatly into a fitting size. "…I had some more time to read some of it up here while you and the others were downstairs, figuring out what happened tonight." 
Discord reached under his suit with his large paw and brought forth several folders, so large that had it not been Discord, there would have been no way to keep them stored invisibly under the suit. 
Frank stared at the folders which he knew all too well and which, apart from a few harmless specks of soot, were looking perfectly fine. His look would have befitted a parched pony at the sight of a pond after crossing San Palomino Desert. At the same moment it occurred to him that somewhere far back in a subconscious part of his mind he had been hoping for exactly this from the moment Discord had revealed his role in keeping out the fire in the town hall. He had not allowed for that hope to manifest or even for himself to realize it, lest it be disappointed. For a very brief, fleeting instant there was another surge of anger about the time Discord had kept him in painful unawareness about the fact that his lifework had not been destroyed, but this surge was quenched before it could boil up. Too great was his relief to allow for it to be muddied by any anger about an attitude that was, as he thought with a slight inkling of malice, perfectly expectable coming from Discord. When the draconequus levitated the folders towards Frank, in movements that looked like they were performing the kind of dance of joy he might have performed himself had he been less battered and more awake, all Frank could think of saying was, "Thank you!" 
But it was as thorough and heartfelt a 'Thank you' as had ever been uttered in Equestria. 
Discord seemed to realize this, for he allowed himself a little smile and his third "You're welcome" tonight too sounded more thorough than the earlier ones.
"So?" Discord repeated his earlier question and this time Frank didn't have to ask for any clarifications. He took off his hat, placed it on top of the stack of now motionless folders in front of him as if the hat could shield them from any future damage, then he nodded. 
"I will go on! I will write and I will stay here in Ponyville to find… whatever it is going to be that I will find out." 
Suddenly however the colt looked uneasy, even a little scared. 
"You know, don't you?" he asked tentatively. "About what I am going to find, I mean. About cutie marks, about the Tree, about everything? Those 'snippets' you said you might contribute… Do you already know all there is for me to write?"
Discord shook his head hesitantly. He didn't seem eager for that turn of the talk, but he didn't try to switch the topic. "My knowing is something entirely different from your knowing if that makes any sense to you. And if it does make any sense, shame on me for being so sensible. But I do not know what it is that you will be writing. I am aware of some things you are not, some of which you might end up figuring out for yourself."
For a few short moments Frank pressed his lips together, then he asked: "Discord, just how exactly do you know what you know that you shouldn't know? How do you learn about whatever 'snippets' you might be providing? How do you know about me and… the anger? How does your knowing work in being so very different from mine?"
Discord cut a rather gloomy face. For some reason this sparked Frank's anger again. 
"You asked more questions than I did and don't you think I didn't notice that you skipped every single question I was asking about where your knowledge is coming from, Discord!"
Discord glared at the bubble for a moment and his look became rather inscrutable. 
"Alright, if you absolutely insist I will tell you where my knowledge is coming from, but first let me tell you one thing. There are things which the likes of you are not supposed to know or to understand, because it doesn't do any good to you! You yourself decided it was a good idea to keep everypony uninformed about which particular trait of your character made you suitable to take on that switchling, because you claim it to be for their good, because 'they are too good for this'; because 'they shouldn't have to resort to that kind of means'." 
Discord was using an almost disturbingly accurate imitation of Frank's voice for those words he quoted from what Frank had said before. 
"Now rest assured, young pony, that what you want me to tell you would be harder for you to take than your little secret would be for others to take. You would either be lucky enough not to believe me and throw some more of your angry fits because you would think I was lying, or worse even, you would believe me. And trust me when I tell you that it would not make your life any happier, Frank Blanket! You want to learn where my knowledge is coming from, but you do not really want to know this. That being said, I leave the decision to you. Are you absolutely sure you want me to tell you this?"
Frank eyed Discord taken aback. He hadn't seen this reaction coming and a shiver ran down his spine. All of a sudden he felt that his decision now mattered. His curiosity had always been very strong and he felt that he had the chance to get an answer here which few ponies, perhaps even no mortal pony ever, had a chance to get. An answer that perhaps might constitute even a piece in the unknown picture he was trying to figure out in his studies about cutie marks. But at the same time, strange as it sounded, Discord hadn't given him any reason not to trust his words or not to take his warning serious. 
There was a flash of lightning outside, its light slightly colored by the magical barrier that still surrounded the room. 
Frank Blanket closed his eyes and silently shook his head. 
"There you see!" shouted Discord. "You may fool yourself into believing that you are controlling us, but it is us who are controlling you much more!"
"What?" Frank cast his eyes open. 
For his surprise Discord had apparently not been talking to him at all but was looking towards the ceiling through which the bubble which had previously shown the images of Discord's tale was just disappearing. 
"Never mind", Discord said, having lost his previous, serious attitude. "I was just being unpredictable."
Frank decided not to mind, but there was still something else he meant to ask, but he was hesitant to do so. There was no way he could ask without it coming across wrong, especially after everything Discord had done. Perhaps there was a roundabout way to turn the talk into that direction. 
"Discord?" Frank asked tentatively.
"Yes?"
"Earlier, you said you knew much of what made me a suitable receiver of this page."
Frank tapped the pocket into which he had stuffed the page he had torn from the book. 
"I said what if I knew", Discord corrected. 
Frank shook his head: "Even so, you knew. You even told later on that you got means of your own to learn this. I don't want to ask you about those means again. Keep that secret to yourself, but with all the what ifs you were still talking about righting wrongs."
The doctoral cap on Discord's head twisted into something that looked like a black crown while suddenly an equally black gown appeared around Discord's shoulders. 
Frank shrunk back because not only had Discord apparently realized the direction into which he had meant to direct the talk, but he had also taken on an appearance that was pretty much the manifestation of the awful fears because of which Frank had tried to direct it there. 
"Having second thoughts about that job offer?" Discord asked and Frank felt unable to tell if the draconequus' voice sounded curious, inquisitive, luring, mocking or threatening. 
"No!" Frank said hastily, shaking his head. "But what you said, were you really just testing me? Or…" He stopped. The question was out as blunt as blunt could be and there was no way to withdraw it. 
"You want to know if this here draconequus has any concrete plans of dethroning the princesses and taking over and ruling Equestria?"
Feeling that he had maneuvered himself into a corner of no escape and was earning himself a transformation into stone or the like, Frank nodded. 
"Been there, done that!" Discord said in a tone as if he was bragging about an accomplishment in a competition. "It is a very overestimated job, I can tell you. And ruling Equestria? You may have noticed that I am not quite so much into ruling and making rules as I am into deruling and derailing rules."
Deruling struck Frank as a word that was probably one of Discord's own unruly creations, but given the context he had a fair idea of what the spirit of chaos meant. Discord however hadn't finished yet. His voice suddenly became serious again:
"Of course that is exactly what I could tell you if indeed I was out to sit on that throne again and was plotting to achieve it, isn't it?" 
It took Frank some moments to realize that Discord was actually waiting for a response to his last question. 
He nodded. "I'm afraid so."
"And here we are", Discord said, giving no sign of surprise or annoyance about Frank's response. "Same as my knowing and not knowing is something you don't understand, my wanting or not wanting is something that you won't understand either. I cannot give you or myself any absolute proof about my plans and intentions. But maybe you want to think about this: The Elements of Harmony by which I was turned to stone twice are away at their tree. Neither Twilight and her friends nor her royal highnesses are wielding or controlling the Elements at the moment. If I really wanted that throne and rule over Equestria, I could have it right now!"
Frank stared at Discord, unable to say anything and not knowing what he would have said anyway. Some moments passed in silence before Discord spoke up again, picking up the thread which Frank had come up with before in the hope of masking his question about Discord's ambitions on ruling Equestria: "And as for righting the wrongs, perhaps being the ruler of Equestria does not put you as much into a position to do so as one might think. Rulers of a realm may see the whole but not all of its pieces. There are places where princesses don't go. Perhaps even princesses may sometimes need a peon to lead them there and show them what escapes their attention."
"Did you just call me a peon?"
"If the princesses trusts the peon, the peon could perhaps hold up a mirror to them time and again!" 
"Don't call me peon!"
"Perhaps that peon could even convey to a princess some advise at times that the princess would not take from the actual adviser!" Discord said and he appeared increasingly enthusiastic about whatever he had in mind. 
"This here peon won't be your pawn, Discord!" Frank snapped. 
"A peon? A pawn? Now, Mr. Blanket, why would you call yourself that?" Discord asked with an expression of exaggerated surprise.
"You did—" Frank uttered a frustrated growl, realizing that once again he had walked right into Discord's trap. The draconequus had never actually called him a peon.
"Now I am surprised that you would think of yourself in such low terms, Mr. Blanket, but actually I think it is a really good idea and very kind of you to offer yourself for such service on behalf of the good ponies of Equestria and—"
"Cut it out Discord!" Frank shouted. 
Discord stroke along his goatbeard and looked down at Frank with an amused expression. 
"Maybe one should just make sure that somepony is around to call you a peon next time some switchling turns up. Is it not funny how that very sentiment you are so carefully concealing and that you fear so much at the same time makes you so fearless when it boils up? Or have I become so much less fearsome?"
The black crown on Discord's head turned into a cap and bells and the black gown into a colorful jester's costume before both began to gradually fade away until they had completely disappeared. 
Frank sighed. "Discord, I am grateful for what you have done. I truly am. You saved my life, you saved my lifework you saved this place from burning down and you probably saved Twilight too. I don't know why you won't just go to Twilight and tell her what you told me. That might perhaps make her trust you more than she has so far."
"She shouldn't trust me too much yet", Discord said, folding his arms and giving every impression that this was all he was going to say on this matter.
Frank cut a face as if he was uttering a silent scream before he took a deep breath and said: "Alright, for reasons I don't understand and that you won't lay out to me you don't want Twilight or the other princesses to trust you, but you want them to trust your advise. Why don't you make your suggestions to Fluttershy? I'm sure she would put in a good word for you when putting your advice to the others."
Discord nodded and for a moment he seemed a little absentminded. "She probably would. But I cannot tell what kind of advise I may give at times or what kind of knowledge it may entail. I don't want to hurt Fluttershy."
"So you would rather hurt me instead?" Frank snorted.
"Of course I would!" Discord snapped back. "Anypony would hurt you rather than hurting Fluttershy!"
Frank reached for his hat on the stack of folders and cut a very disgruntled face.
"Oh, get a grip, will you?" Discord said impatiently. "You know better than I do that you've seen some rougher places and will be less upset about some things than sweet Fluttershy would be! You may understand some things better and I trust you would be more capable of keeping a secret from Twilight if necessary than Fluttershy would be."
Frank noticed that the torn book page in his pocket grew very hot for a brief moment. 
Very slowly he nodded. "If you got something to tell to the princesses, I might work as your messenger and even pretend for it to be my own words if, and only if, I feel what I am to tell them is to good ends and not against the princesses."
"And what, I wonder, if helping one princess required working against another?" Discord said, but he immediately discarded the question with a wave of his hands. "That may have to be figured out in case it ever happened."
"But what I do will depend very much on what exactly it is that you will want me to do, Discord", Frank stressed. "I am not making any promises!"
"Good idea", Discord commented dryly. "Lately I noticed that promises in the best of intentions can  cause quite some problems. But shouldn't we at least seal this noncommittal agreement that not everything I say or do always deserves to be met with distrust without the benefit of the doubt with a hand-, hoof-, whatever shake?"
Discord held out his arms, the left one with the talon and the right one with the lionpaw.
Frank hesitated. 
"Still giving this the detriment rather than the benefit of the doubt?" Discord said. "I promise I won't ask you to call me your liege or anything."
There was one more flash of lightning outside and Frank Blanket reached out to give Discord's talon a bump with his own left hoof.