-31st Sunrise-
-Chaos-
I help Fluttershy out with the animals until noon. Both of us joke and have fun throughout, and I even give some advice on her garden - from all my time with Thorn and the royal gardeners.
At noon she starts to set out some tea stuff and making sandwiches. “Oh...uhm...Day?” She calls in her soft manner. Something is slightly different about her voice and she's clearly nervous.
“What is it Fluttershy?” I ask. I walk away from the game I'm playing with Angel, he's surprisingly ruthless at marenopoly, and look at her. She's sweating and shifting her hooves. “Something wrong?” I inquire, getting a bit closer to her.
“Yes, I mean no! N-nothing’s wrong. I have a guest coming soon. Actually he comes every week…” She says. I don't understand why she's so nervous. I tilt my head in confusion.
“I was thinking you should probably go hang out with some of your friends,” She adds. I think of the trio of fillies and their stories and visibly shiver.
“I’m not particularly interested in getting covered in tree sap.” I reply, picturing myself crashing into trees many, many ways. I shudder again.
“Oh well maybe you could have Rainbow set up an obstacle course for you,” She says. I wonder why she's so insistent on my leaving and frown at her.
“Gah! Rainbow? No. Absolutely not.” I say, with a dramatic stomp of a hoof and a flick of my mane.
“I don't get why you're so against her Day, she's the one who saved you. She's been nice to you, when unprovoked, since moment one.” Fluttershy says, starting to get fed up with my treatment of the rainbow colored egotist.
“She's an arrogant show off! I HATE show offs.” I reply with an unnecessary growl. Animals start to observe the conversation.
“So you think you can be mean to a pony just because they have a specific personality trait? You don't even stop to learn anything more. I will absolutely not stand for that kind of thinking. I know you're well-meaning, but how would you like it if somepony bullied you because of your mane-colour?” She says, her voice getting stronger with each word. I shrink back a little. I know I'm in the wrong, and lower my head.
“Sorry Fluttershy...I should go apologize huh?” I ask, looking up at her. She nods and I stalk out of the cottage.
After a few minutes of walking, a ….um….creature pops out of thin air in front of me. I yelp slightly, slightly, and fall backwards. The thing is an assortment of different creatures, like a children's monster-making game, and is rolling in the air laughing. I pull myself to my feet and glare at it as I walk past. I look forward and realize I'm back where I was a few steps ago. Weird.
“Hahahaha! You should have SEEN the look on your face! Oh!” The creature says, it's voice definitely masculine. I stop and look at it-er-him. “Wait! You can,” He exclaims with the snap of his, uh, claws… Suddenly a screen pops up in front of me and a seat of popcorn behind me. I give the seat a wary look and decide to stay standing.
“Not gonna sit? Well I don't mind if I do,” The thing says, taking a huge bite out of the popcorn. A reeling sound starts, and I turn my head to the screen. It shows an image of me walking away from Fluttershy’s, and behind me the creature pops in close to the camera and holds a claw up to his mouth in a shushing motion. He then disappears and reappears with a large pop in front of the me. My eyes go wide and my jaw drops as I scream and fall backwards.
The screen disappears as suddenly as it reappears and the creature moves into my view. His laughter is obnoxious. “What? Not funny enough for you?” He asks striking a dramatic pose and then deadpanning.
I raise an eyebrow at him, but continue walking. He teleports around me continually.
“Come on don't be dull! Be cool, like me!” He says, donning a studded leather jacket.
“Discord!” I hear Rainbow yell, the rainbow blur soon following. Rainbow stops next to the creature and crosses her arms. “Leave the filly alone. Aren't you supposed to be at Fluttershy’s for tea and biscuits?” She asks, pointing back towards Fluttershy’s cottage. So this creature is Fluttershy’s ‘guest’...Why she would hang out with somepony, or whatever he is, that has such a probability of causing a headache, I doubt I'll ever know.
“Yes well, I probably should get going! Don't want to make dear Fluttershy wait too long. I just wanted to meet our newest Princess. Tootaloo Crashy! Bye, bye Princess Ignores McGee!” The thing, Discord I guess, says with a wave and many, many gestures and movements I can't even begin to process. I stare without blinking for a few seconds before shaking my head to clear it.
“Uh, what was that?” I ask, looking up at Rainbow. She flies down and lands in front of me.
“HE was Discord. He’s an old foe who was ‘reformed’,” She says, scoffing at ‘reformed’. “He's a draca-something or other, he made Ponyville the chaos capital of the world.” She adds, frowning a bit at the memory.
“That sounds like a headache,” I reply, looking past Rainbow to see Fluttershy’s windows changing colors continually. I look away before I can think too hard on it. “How exactly did you stop him?” I ask, looking back at Rainbow. Maybe letting her tell a boastful story will be apology enough, and we can actually spend time together without insults. Though, those were mainly my fault.
“Which time?” Rainbow asks, puffing out her chest and smirking. I do my best not to show how, grating, her actions are.
“Chaos capital…” I suggest warily.
“Well that was all thanks to Twilight. Discord had stolen the Elements Of Harmony, ask Twilight about them I can't explain them well, and he told us a riddle to find them. We entered a maze, and Discord took away all wings and horns….” Rainbow explains. I sit down and watch her different gestures as she tells the story. I find myself surprisingly enthralled. She tells me about everypony’s persuasion into going against their true selves, and how even Twilight had given up. I gasp at all the appropriate points, at first to convince her I was interested, though they soon become real.
“And then, with one rope left, Applejack threw. The lasso flew through the air, I was flying slower than normal, all of this a game to me. The tension was nerve wracking, if Applejack miscalculated even slightly,” She says, her voice full of suspension. I lean in to hear every word she says. She pauses for a dramatic silence. I hold my breath as she takes in a breath before starting again.
“All. Would. Be. Lost.” She says, I gasp. “Suddenly the rope was around me and I was pulled down to the ground. Everypony got a rope and was holding me in place. I bucked and bucked to no avail. Twilight approached and I growled. I knew with complete, wrong, but complete certainty that she was trying to sabotage Cloudsdale. Her horn glowed and I looked at the light, I felt as if I had failed completely and utterly. But then the memories washed over me, and I woke up.” She continues. My eyes go wide and I eat up every word. I never would have thought that I would enjoy a story this way, it's very entertaining.
“Then?” I ask. The end of the story must be so close. I can hardly wait. Rainbow smiles, and I notice she's looking behind me.
“Then you go and talk to your friend, I think he's ready to accept your apology now.” She says, stopping her story. I turn around quickly, and my eyes immediately catch Thorns.
He looks down quickly, and is digging at the ground with his hoof. I smile at the sight of him, and fly over to him. Well more of a mix of running and flying, but it was mere seconds. I pull him into a hug immediately and after a few seconds, he hugs back.
We both pull back and I smile widely. “I’m so, so sorry I didn't tell you before I came here, that I didn't let you know what I was doing.” I say, hoping for an acceptance. “You're a very important friend to me, I couldn't bear to -” I continue, but Thorn interrupts.
“It's alright. Impossible decisions and all. I'm glad you stayed.” He says. I smile wider, and flutter my wings.
“I probably wouldn't if I hadn't have met you, I have friends here in Ponyville, but I don't think I would have learned that I enjoy - even prefer this life to my old one.” I explain happily. Thorn smiles as well and I find myself at a loss of what to do next.
Rainbow Dash lands next to us. “You two have made up, good. I've been in nasty fights with friends before, best to forgive quickly and not hold a grudge.” Rainbow says. She pats us both on the head, and I take it that her comment was meant to hold a little praise.
“Sounds dramatic.” I say, smirking. Rainbow rolls her eyes some and laughs.
“It really was, but that's a story for another time, one best told by Pinky. You should probably go get some lunch. It's almost noon.” She says, and points to the clock tower.
My stomach growls at the mention of lunch and we all start laughing.
☀✴
The next few days pass quickly. Twilight gives a speech about cutie marks, which I find very interesting. I stop listening the third time she restarts. By dinnertime that night, though, Twilight had appeared with some pony named Starlight Glimmer, and everypony started singing.
I don't understand this planet. Maybe I will, but it seems like the best action is to just go with it.
I hope to understand, someday