Brushed Away 2: By Hoof and Claw

by TheVClaw

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Blade's Less-Than-Lovely Lunch

Blade was completely frozen at the spot, unable to make a single movement though his petrified shock. The only part of him that was still able to move was his heart, which was thundering fast enough to be practically vibrating in his chest. And while his brown feathers were enough to cover the paling skin underneath, his face still gave an obvious expression of pure, unbridled fear.

Fluttershy, not noticing any of this, kept her chipper smile as she placed a fresh glass of chocolate milk in front of Discord, who was still leering at Blade with a menacing grin. Seeing how terrified the Gryphon was looking, it was hard for Discord not to chuckle in delight. Instead, he just made his smirk a little wider, making sure to show off his razor-sharp canine as it glistened underneath the dining room lights.

"Here you go! Three spoons of cocoa, just like you asked." When Fluttershy turned back towards Blade, her eyes widened she finally noticed how distraught the Gryphon was looking. After making a glance back at Discord, making sure he wasn't doing anything inappropriate, she trotted up towards Blade in an attempt to calm him down.

"Blade, I--" Blade flinched away from Fluttershy's voice in a paranoid jolt, having been too focused on Discord to realize she was trying to speak to him. After the Gryphon took a couple quick, panicked breaths, Fluttershy waited until she had his attention before speaking in a calm and reassuring tone, "Now Blade, I know that he might seem scary, but I assure you that he's going to be on his best behavior."

The Pegasus then turned back to Discord with a warm smile. "Right?"

Even though his toothy grin remained, Discord still made a clear nod to Fluttershy's claim. "Why yes, Fluttershy," stated Discord in a sincere-sounding tone of voice; however, his eyes were still glued directly at Blade as he spoke. "I'll be perfectly fine."

With the way Discord's ghastly yellow eyes were staring him down, it was hard for Blade not to shudder in horror at the way the Draconequus said that remark. He could've sworn he saw Discord's red pupils get a little brighter when he said the words "perfectly fine," almost as if he was trying to burn the inflection of those words into the Gryphon's petrified soul.

"Alright, then," piped Fluttershy in a pleased tone, just before the sound of a faint whistle could be heard from the kitchen. "Ooh, perfect timing! The tea's ready!"

Blade's eyes widened in a panic when he saw Fluttershy make her way towards the kitchen, meaning that he would be left alone in the dining room with the Embodiment of Chaos himself. Before she could go past the doorway, Fluttershy looked back him with a smile, seemingly unaware of how mortified Blade was looking. "Just take a seat at the table and I'll get your tea, okay?"

Blade tried to open his beak to make a rebuttal, but the only sound that came out was a very faint creak, almost sounding like if an asthmatic colt was trying to blow a whistle. "….aaaaaaaa…"

"Oh, don't be shy, Blade!" Discord's voice made the Gryphon's feathers ruffle out in a fright, but he barely had any time to react before he felt his entire body get lifted off the ground. In less than a second, Discord's dragon-like tail managed to pick up Blade, force him into the chair opposite to his at the table, and push him into his spot. "Sit, sit now…"

Discord pulled Blade's body tightly between the table and the back of his chair before adding with a more menacing smirk. "It'll give us plenty of time to…

“Talk."

With the extent to which Blade's pupils had shrunk, they were almost unseen against the whites of his wide-open eyes. Trapped in his seat in front of the Master of Chaos, the Gryphon was barely able to register anything being said over the thundering noise of his own heartbeat.

"That sounds like a great idea!" chimed Fluttershy in a happy tone. Before the kitchen door could close behind her, the Pegasus added in a playful voice while inside the kitchen, "No fighting, you two!"

Discord gave off a playful laugh loud enough for Fluttershy to overhear, which was immediately cut off as soon as the door closed. When the two were finally alone, Discord's body relaxed a bit, like he was being held up with an unseen pressure when Fluttershy was present. But as soon as it was just him and Blade, Discord made a low sigh as he leaned in against the table, resting the paw and claw on his respective arms underneath his chin for support.

Of course, the Draconequus still kept a wide grin pointed straight at Blade.

If it wasn't for the risk of his heart going under cardiac arrest, as well as the table pressed against his chest, Blade would've tried to breathe out a little heavier in an attempt to alleviate himself. Unfortunately, his breathing was still in light, panicked gasps in his seat, which was only broken when Discord finally made a statement towards him.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"EEEENGH!" Blade almost fell back from his chair as he jolted from Discord's voice. Even though the Gryphon always considered himself somewhat brave, he learned enough about Discord in his history classes to know that being here was pretty much suicide.

Discord tilted his head slightly, staring at Blade inquisitively like a mortician examining a uniquely dismembered corpse: not much of a smile to show obvious enjoyment, but enough to indicate a small, somewhat subtle hint of interest at what else might be in store. After a few seconds of deathly silence, Discord's tail pulled away from Blade's chair, and the Draconequus's smile turned slightly less maniacal before sitting back upright. "Oh, you really shouldn't be so nervous, Mister Clawston! If you think I'm just going to hurt you right off the bat, then you must have a very misinformed impression of me! Surely you must have heard about my recent reformation, have you?"

"… uhhhhhh…" With the way Blade's face was twitching, Discord could swear that he could actually see the gears inside the Gryphon's head turning. Meanwhile, Blade's brain was desperately trying to make a coherent thought in response to what Discord just said. "Re… reformation?"

"Why, yes!" stated Discord with a more natural smile on his one-fanged muzzle. "You see, Fluttershy was asked by Princess Celestia to help reform me, supposedly so I can be less of a… threat to Equestria."

Discord rolled his eyes with a smirk after that last part, giving off a light chuckle under his breath like he said that statement as an innocent joke. "Alas, Fluttershy has offered her unwavering support and understanding by being my friend, which is why I've decided to hold myself back for the time being."

Even though Blade wasn't shaking in fear anymore, he was still giving off an obviously uneasy vibe as he tried to read between Discord's words.

"Oh, but enough about me!" Discord waved aside any more comments he could've made about himself with his right paw, and brought his attention back to the understandably uncomfortable Gryphon in front of him. He leaned into the table while re-growing his leery grin. "I'd rather hear more about YOU! You are one of Fluttershy's favorite musicians, after all!"

With the way Discord was putting him on the spot, it was becoming increasingly difficult for Blade to not squirm in his seat like a worm struggling in a stagnant puddle. However, despite his growing anxiousness for the return of the host, Blade, stayed somewhat-still before speaking nervously. "W-w-well, I… I was just… coming to Equestria to visit my brother, and… I happened to meet Fluttershy a few days ago."

"Oh, is that so?" Discord's head tilted to the side again while he kept his smirk in interest. He picked up his glass of chocolate milk in his left claw, taking a small sip of the glass before bringing his attention back to Blade. "I suppose that would explain why she's been acting so cheerful recently, as well as why she's been listening to your albums more frequently."

Blade's brows rose a little, feeling slightly better at hearing that. Of course, the fact that it came from the muzzle of Chaos Incarnate kinda took away any sentiment that the statement could have had. "O-oh, really? That… that's nice."

"Indeed it is," replied Discord with a smile. Before he could say anything else, the Draconequus's eyes widened a little, like he forgot to do something. "Oh, that reminds me!" Discord turned his side before pulling out a large pink suitcase from behind his back, which Blade was sure wasn't there before. "On my way here, I happened to pick up one of your albums!"

"Wha- what?" asked Blade in surprise, which quickly turned to an expression of wide-eyed concern when he saw Discord open the case. As soon as the album was revealed, Blade winced as he looked away, not wanting to see the Draconequus’s expression as he spoke.

"And I must say," began Discord with a more twisted grin as he held up the album cover's artwork, "I'm quite honored to see that your band has such a high appreciation for me!"

The album of Talon Ripper that he was holding, which was lovingly titled Discord's Insanity, showed a highly-detailed depiction of a group of Gryphons with weapons fighting against a much larger-looking version of Discord. While all of the Gryphons had various spears or other weaponry in their claws (including what looked to be an exaggerated depiction of Blade holding a mace), the detailed caricature of Discord was inaccurately standing over them on all fours, looking more like a crazed Dragon than anything else as he had two large pools of spirals for eyes.

Discord's smile grew even wider as he eyed Blade down. "Would you care to explain how you got this idea?"

Blade cringed openly this time, wondering whether or not this was going to be the last meal he was ever going to have alive. "Uhhhhh… I-I-I… I released that album be-be… before your whole… return thing."

"Ahhhh…" Discord's brow rose in understanding as he turned the album back around, allowing him to look at the cover himself. "That makes sense, especially seeing how I'm portrayed so… differently…"

Discord's eyes glanced back up at Blade for a second to see how uncomfortable he was looking, which made the Draconequus grin before shrugging his shoulders. "Alas, I was told by Fluttershy that this was actually a good album. So, I decided to put trust in my friend and give this a sample. Would you mind?"

"Wh-what?" Blade's eyes widened as he looked back at Discord, seeing that the being was showing no look of insincerity.

"Well, I just bought the album today, so I haven't had the chance to sample it yet. Since we're all here now, would it be alright if I checked it out before Fluttershy comes back?"

"O-oh! Ummm…" Blade may have still been terrified about being in the same room as Discord, but hearing that kind of request totally threw him off guard. Realizing that the Master of Chaos himself was wanting to listen to one of his albums, the Gryphon blinked a couple times before nodding excitedly. "I, uh-- Y-yes, of course! G… go ahead! I would love to see what you think of it!"

"Why thank you," said Discord with a nod. While the Draconequus used his left claw to pull the fresh vinyl out of its cover, Blade turned around so see if there was a record player nearby.

"So, do you know where Fluttershy keeps her record player? I didn't see one in the living room when I came in, but--"

CRUNCH!!!

Blade's head spun back around at the loud sound of crunching, and his beak dropped when he saw what Discord was doing.

"Mmmmm…" Keeping a smile on his muzzle, Discord's jaw moved up and down as he chewed on the jagged piece of vinyl he just bit off of the record. While Blade stood motionless, absolutely mortified at what he was seeing, Discord brought the record back to his mouth to take another bite.

CRACK!!!

With that bite, Discord didn't as much sink his teeth into the album, but instead just broke a piece off like it was a large piece of hard candy. Chewing loudly and with an open maw, pieces of shattered vinyl could be seen between Discord's teeth as he savored the taste. The Draconequus then raised his claw, pausing before he began to critique the album like he was sampling a fine wine.

"Mmmmph! Let me see… I definitely detect a strong thrash-metal flavor… Also a bit of hair-metal, too… Mmmm! Now I'm getting an anarcho-punk texture in there, that's very interesting to find in a genre like this!"

Discord took another sip from his glass, making a quick swallow before taking another bite. Meanwhile, Blade's eyes and beak were agape as he watched the being in horror.

"Hmmm…" Discord's eyes looked away for a moment as he made his chewing a little slower, like he was really examining the Gryphon's album through taste alone. "You know," continued Discord with a half-full mouth as he took a second to collect his thoughts. "I can also taste the slightest hint of grunge in there. It's very subtle, but it gives it a nice tang."

"You… you're…" Blade's beak was quivering, barely able to make a statement louder than a devastated creak. "You're eating my album."

"Mmm?" Discord looked back at Blade while chewing, now noticing how distressed the musician was looking. However, after blinking a couple times, Discord only paused for a moment before swallowing and taking another bite. "What?" asked the Draconequus in confusion while his mouth was full. "You said that I could sample it, did you not?"

Blade's wide-open eyes began to bead a little, looking like he was about to cry. "That… that's an original pressing…"

"Oh?" Discord looked back down at the large fragment of the album he had left, staring at it like somepony who was inspecting the sprinkles on a half-eaten doughnut. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise as he smiled. "Oh, so it is! I thought this had a fresher taste."

Keeping his smirk, Discord ripped off another shard with his teeth, making Blade squirm in obvious distaste. "You know, I usually don't listen to metal music, Blade. I prefer something with a smoother taste like jazz or classical myself. But this!" Discord held up the last shard of the album he had left while carrying an impressed smile. "This is quite a treat, if I do say so myself."

Before Blade's wincing expression could become even more heart-breaking, Fluttershy came back in from the kitchen with a tray on her back. "Okay, boys!" chimed the mare happily as she came to the table, easily using her wings to grab the teapots on her back like it was nothing. She poured Blade's cup first, not noticing that his frozen expression looked similarly depressing to that of a half-melted mannequin. "Here's a cup of lemon-ginger tea, just the way you like it!" She then turned over to Discord with his pot. "And here's your Earl Grey t--"

Fluttershy paused as her eyes widened, seeing the last fragment of the Talon Ripper album still in Discord's paw. "Um, Discord? Is… is that an album you're eating?"

"Oh…" Making sure to swallow first, Discord put up his claw to reassure the mare before speaking politely. "Needn't you worry, Fluttershy, this album is like eating a potato chip! It won't fill me up in the slightest. I'll still have more than plenty of room for your fabulous cooking."

"Oh. Well, ummm…" Fluttershy looked back at Blade, seeing how distressed he was, before turning back to Discord. "Why are you eating an album?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. I wanted to sample it, and Blade said it was okay."

Blade tried to make a retort to Discord's comment, but the only thing that came out was a faint croak that even Fluttershy couldn't hear. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was able to notice what album it was before growing a more upset expression. "Discord, is that one of my albums?!"

Discord made an overly-exaggerated gasp as he put his claw to his chest. "Why, of COURE not, Fluttershy! I bought this one myself, from that record store that you frequent!"

"You did?" Fluttershy's eyes widened a little, seeming a tad nervous at hearing that. "You bought that from the Cloudsdale record store?"

"Well," Discord made a small shrug as he rubbed the back of his head with a claw. He finished the last of his album while adding, "Admittedly, I tried to buy it there, but when I went up to the counter to make my purchase, the clerk threw the album back at me and said 'Take it!'"

Fluttershy gave a relieved smile. "Awww, how nice of her!"

DING!

"Ooh!" Fluttershy looked back at the kitchen as her smile grew bigger. "The banana bread is ready!"

While the Pegasus ran back to the kitchen, Discord swallowed before clapping in glee. "Oh, goody! Banana bread!" His neck crooked around as his head turned, looking back at Fluttershy as she left to the kitchen again. "Take your time…"

By the time Fluttershy was out of the room again, Discord's head was nearly at a full 180 degrees, which made Blade's eyes widen in worry. However, when the door fully closed, Discord's head quickly finished turning a full 360 to look back at the Gryphon.

"AAAHHHH!!!" Blade nearly fell out of his chair as he yelped in terror.

"What are your intentions with Fluttershy?"

Leaning against the back of his seat like he was clinging to it for dear life, it took several seconds of silence before the Gryphon registered what Discord just asked him. "I… I… what?"

"You heard me." Even though Discord's maniacal smile was still present, his voice came out much sterner than before. "What. Are. Your. Intentions. With. Fluttershy?"

As he repeated his question, Discord was sure to place as much emphasis as he could with every syllable, like he was condescendingly going into precise detail with a waiter about what was wrong with a meal he was given. Seeing how the Draconequus's tone was becoming more intense, Blade clenched his beak shut as he began to speak in fear again.

"… I-I-I… I…. I was just… wanting to enjoy some tea…"

"Oh really?" asked Discord with a raised brow, his smile slowly fading to reveal a more serious expression. "Are you now? Because when Fluttershy first told me about you, I was a little hesitant to believe that you would be the type who would come to a mare's house for 'tea'…"

Discord raised his arms to make the quotation motions with his claw and paw, making it quite clear how skeptical he was of the Gryphon across from him. Before Blade could jolt himself out of his stupor and defend himself, Discord's claw went back down to the suitcase by his side.

"And before you say anything, Mister Clawston, I know that I'm no better. I mean, most ponies would probably say that my presence around Fluttershy is more alarming than yours. And by some rationale, I would understand that sentiment completely. However…"

Discord then pulled out a large, thick book from his suitcase. Immediately recognizing the words and font-style on the spine of it, Blade gasped before trying to speak in a petrified yelp. "L-L-Listen, Mister Discord, I… I know that might be a little concerning, b-but I swear, I SWEAR! That book doesn't represent me at all!"

"Oh really?" asked Discord bluntly as he held the book for blade to see clear as day. "This is a rather detailed anthology of your song lyrics, Mister Clawston. And considering that Fluttershy is such a big fan of your music, I think this is quite an accurate portrayal of you in her eyes, don't you think?"

"It-it-it-it's not!" stammered out Blade hurriedly, not wanting to lose his composure from his own panicked stuttering. "She… Fluttershy said herself that she mostly likes the instrumentals! It-it's not like she only sees me from what I wro--"

Discord loudly cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner, silencing the Gryphon before opening the book. "Even though I haven't had the 'pleasure' of listening to your music, I did have the opportunity to read through some of your songs. And I must say, some of these lyrics are quite interesting!"

The being's eyes peered back towards Blade with a new flame of intensity. "Especially from your little album called… Alicorn Harem?"

Blade clenched his beak shut as he winced, knowing that Alicorn Harem was still one of his most controversial albums to date.

Discord flipped through the pages, peering his eyes back down as he continued. "Especially this one particular song called… 'Master Seducer'…"

"Alright, alright!" Blade raised himself up from his seat, leaning into the table with wide-eyes as he finally regained his ability to speak coherently. "When I made that album, I was pressured by three different producers to go into a new direction with it! They just kept saying 'Sex sells!', 'Sex sells!', and when I was working on that son--"

Discord made another purposely loud clearing of his throat, shutting up the Gryphon just long enough to start reading. After opening his mouth wide, Discord pulled out a pair of reading glasses from his throat before putting them on, and read through a particular verse of 'Master Seducer' in a manner like a monotone storyteller.

"So many fillies come into my nest,
They need to stand in line and take a card.
And then, when they show up ripe and ready…"

Discord's eyes glared back at Blade as he said those two words, making Blade's face grow more terrified with each passing second. The Draconequus didn't even look back down at the book as he finished the lyric.

"I'll show those mares what really gets me har--"

"I DIDN’T WRITE THAT!!!" Blade shot out of his seat, his breathing coming out in panicked pants as he shouted out in a petrified jumble of words. "I didn't write all the lyrics to that, and that's one of them I swear! I-I-… STUMPY! Yeah, Stumpy! HE was the one who wrote that in! I swear on me Mum!"

Discord raised a brow in obvious doubt. "Stumpy?"

"YES!" Blade pointed a talon at Discord as he kept going. "Stu-Stumpy wrote that part! He was our second drummer then, and… well… technically his name is Ivan, but, you know, after the wood-chipper incident, the name sort of stuck…"

Discord's eyes narrowed on Blade. "Stumpy?"

Blade's beak went back to being shut, but still grew a nervous smile as he nodded strongly.

Discord then turned the book around, showing the lyrics straight to the musician. "Because it doesn't have any mention of that name in this book, or Ivan. In fact, it says that YOU were the sole writer for this song."

Blade's pupils shrunk as he saw the proof literally in writing, which just made the skinny Gryphon curl back into his seat like a naughty schoolcolt faced in front of a principal's paddle. Now with his smile completely vacant, Discord's voice came out more brooding and fear-inducing than ever before.

"Blade, do you think I'm stupid?"

"NO!!!" Blade's body shot upward as he clung to his seat, his fur and feathers sticking up like a terrified housecat. "No, no, no, no, NO!!! I would ne-NEVER say that!"

"Then why are you implying that I can’t read?"

"I never said that!" cried out Blade as he threw his claws out frantically. "Seriously, I wouldn't! You made it very, VERY clear that you can read!"

"Good then," said the Draconequus as he tossed the book aside. He leaned into the table as his glare grew stronger, looking straight into Blade's mortified eyes. "But, go on, Blade. I'd like to hear your rebuttal. Tell me how you're just here for tea."

Even though the silence was probably just a few seconds, the deathly stare that Discord had was enough to make it feel like an eternity for the quivering Gryphon. Before Blade's body could sink into his chair and turn into a nervous puddle of feathers, the sound of the kitchen door reopening grabbed the attention of both of them.

"Okay, boys! Here's the banana bread!" Fluttershy trotted out of the kitchen with a smile on her face, with the large loaf of banana bread sitting on a tray on her back. After carefully placing the steaming loaf on the table, giving the room a heavenly aroma of banana and cinnamon (which was much better than the stench of tension that was previously flooding at the table), the Pegasus was about to grab her butter knife as she turned to Blade. "Blade, would you want to--"

Fluttershy's eyes widened when she saw the way Blade looked. With his body stiff as a board, the Gryphon's face looked even paler than it did when he wore his full makeup during his shows. Seeing that his sunken eyes were looking straight at Discord, it only took a second of silence before Fluttershy looked disappointingly towards the Draconequus. "Discord, you better not be scaring him!"

Discord, who still had an innocent smile on his face, put his claw and paw up in innocence. "Why, what do you mean?" With a snap of his paw, Discord was suddenly wearing a white robe, as well as a halo over his head. "Do I look like I've been doing anything wrong?"

Despite Discord's appearance, Fluttershy didn't look amused. Her eyes narrowed on him as she bent her head in closer. "Do I need to remind you about what happened when Bulk Biceps was here?"

Discord dropped his smile and gave off a painful sigh, making another snap to make his outfit go away. "Oh, come on, Fluttershy. Are you going to keep bringing that up? I already apologized to Bulk for that! Besides, it was just a joke."

"Turning one of my friends into a mare is NOT a joke, mister!"

Blade's expression turned more uneasy as he sat in terrified silence and listened to them.

"For the last time," retorted Discord as he pointed towards the mare with a claw, "I didn't turn Bulk Biceps into a mare, I simply gave him the reproductive organs of one! And I reversed it as soon as you told me to, so no harm was done."

The Gryphon, now with his eyes as wide as Frisbees, didn't even realize that his legs were closing together on their own as he tried to speak. "You… you what?"

Fluttershy quickly turned back to him. "It's fine, Blade. He promised not to do that again." After giving off a tired sigh, the Pegasus began to cut a piece of the freshly baked banana bread. However, she paused before looking back at Blade with an insistent expression. "And if Discord IS doing anything wrong, you can tell me, alright?"

Blade quickly nodded with a clenched beak, trying to ignore the strong glare he could feel Discord giving him. Fluttershy grew a gracious smile before getting back to cutting, not seeing how the Gryphon was looking more anxious. Slowly, Blade began to raise a talon, hoping to get her attention and make a statement. "U-uhhhh… a-actually…"

"Hmm?" Fluttershy was about halfway through her cutting before noticing the Gryphon again, and stopped to listen.

"Well… I…" Before another word could come out of Blade's shaking beak, his body suddenly sat upright like he was being pulled by strings. His eyes widened and his face contorted to an unnatural smile, which seemed to go with the way he suddenly began to talk in a forced tone of voice. "Discord has been a perfectly fine guest, and we had a lovely chat while you preparing this food in the kitchen. You should trust him. I swear."

Fluttershy's brows raised in surprise, but didn’t see any evidence of insincerity in Blade's expression; of course, Blade couldn't feel any control of his body at all, and could feel his heart thundering as he tried to figure out what the buck just happened. When she looked back at Discord, Fluttershy saw him give an equally pleased smile on his muzzle. "Well, that sounds like quite the statement! Don’t you think?"

Fluttershy smiled back at him. "You know, it really does!" After a couple seconds, Fluttershy looked away from the Draconequus slightly with a guilty pout. "Ummm… sorry for making assumptions."

"It's quite alright, my dear. We all make mistakes."

The Pegasus blushed a little as she nodded towards him, re-growing her smile before looking back at Blade. "And Blade, thank you for telling me that."

Blade honestly felt like he was trapped inside his own brain, unable to make a single movement on his own. Before he could try to break himself free, he felt his beak open again. "It is not a problem at all, Fluttershy."

The mare gave Blade a caring smile back, and then went back to cutting the rest of the banana bread. It was at that time that Blade felt himself regain control of his bodily movements, which made him gasp softly as he looked down at his shaking claws. Unsure what the bloody Tartarus just occurred, the Gryphon glanced back up towards Discord before his eyes widened in shock.

While Fluttershy was busy cutting the loaf, Discord was grinning wide at Blade. In his claw, the Draconequus held a small sock-puppet that looked just like Blade. With a wave of his pinky, Discord made the little puppet wave one of its arms; and as soon as he did that, Discord watched in glee as Blade did the exact same movement out of the mare's sight.

Blade quickly pulled his claw back down with his free one, which just made Discord smirk in evil satisfaction. Panting rapidly, the Gryphon knew that he was basically trapped by this loony; even if Fluttershy was here to watch over them, Discord was still going to mess with him however he wanted to! With the way his mind was paralyzed in horror, Blade almost didn’t notice when Fluttershy placed a plate of freshly sliced banana bread in front of him.

"There you go!" said the mare cheerfully. She kept her happy tone as she gave Discord his helping. "And here's yours!"

"Why thank you," said Discord graciously before taking a sip of his tea. Before he could take a bite of his bread, Discord's eyes narrowed on it before looking back at the Pegasus. "Fluttershy, did you make this without almonds this time?"

"Oh, yes," stated Fluttershy as she made her own plate. "Blade is allergic to almonds."

Discord's brow raised in pleasant surprise. "He is?" His gaze turned over to Blade as his smile became much more apparent. "What a fun fact!"

Blade winced and reverted back into his seat a little, afraid of what Discord might be thinking with that new info. Of course, with the cheerful mare standing between them, his first thought was to make a good impression towards her, hopefully in an attempt to get this blasted Chaos-Maker off of his back. Unfortunately, the Draconequus spoke up before Blade could pick up his fork.

"Oh, Fluttershy!" A light bulb appeared over Discord's head, and lit up as he beamed towards the Pegasus. "I almost forgot! Don’t you have a jar of your wonderful cranberry jam in your cellar in the backyard?"

While Blade's face suddenly grew much paler, Fluttershy gasped before growing a surprised smile of her own. "Oh, yeah! I do!" She quickly got out of her seat to make her way outside. "Let me go get that! It goes great with my banana bread!"

Since Fluttershy was so excited to get her specially made jam for her guests, she didn’t even see Blade raise his claw to catch her attention as she headed towards the back door. "W-w-wait! Fluttershy, you don--"

Unfortunately, Fluttershy left before noticing Blade's panicked interruption. As soon as the mare's back was turned and the door was closed behind her, Blade felt a death-grip around his claw which was as cold as ice. His body trembled when he saw Discord inches from his face, gripping his claw tightly like a vice as he spoke maliciously.

"Wait. For. The. Jam."

Blade's whole body felt like it was shrinking out of pure fear within his presence, and his beak started to tremble. His body pressed back into his seat as he whimpered faintly.

"So, Blade," continued Discord as he pulled his head back and stood upright on his hind legs. He started to walk around the table, making his goat's hoof on his left leg and the reptilian talons on his right make unpleasant-sounding taps on the hardwood floor. "Given what I've learned about you, I find it very troubling that you decided to visit one of the few friends I've ever had. Because, as you might not know, Fluttershy is a very sensitive pony."

Blade quickly nodded as he stayed frozen in his seat. "Y-y-yes, I… I agree."

"Good," continued the Draconequus as he walked away from the table, using his dragon-tail to pull Blade's chair so the Gryphon could still be facing him. " And because of that, I hope you can understand why I may have been acting a bit… protective… I merely just wanted to make sure that things don't escalate to anything that would hurt her…"

His head turned back at Blade before adding with malice. "… Or you."

Blade cringed strongly as he saw how Discord's glare was burning against him. Despite his body unwilling to make any movements, his beak still shakily creaked open as he tried to retort, "L-listen, Discord! I never planned to do--"

"Oh please, Blade. I don’t think it would be in your best interest to lie to my face…" Discord's head bent in towards Blade's, with any hint of a smile completely vacant from his stern expression. "Especially when an acquaintance of mine informed me of a little chat you were having with your brothers the other day."

Blade's eyes shot wide-open, immediately realizing what may have happened to have the Master of Chaos be looming over him like this. Even though his face was stuck in a mortified expression, his mind was fuming in pure rage. That… that little Rainbow tosser! Did she seriously set this up?! I knew she was protective, but this is WAY too bloody far!

Before Blade could clench his beak shut, hoping more than anything that Discord couldn't read his mind right now, he could only watch as the Draconequus pulled back and began to pace in front of him. "Which, in all honesty, is why I decided to invite myself to this little party Fluttershy had planned. Since she's the first friend I've ever made since my reformation, I've come to learn a lot about her, including how easily she could be hurt through those who might try to… take advantage of her."

Before Discord could look back at Blade after that last part, the Gryphon quickly blurted out, "I wasn't planning anything like that, I swear! I-I just said that stuff to shut them up! So, whatever you have planned--"

"Planned?" Discord finally looked back him with an amused smirk. Before Blade could react, he felt the creature wrap around him in his seat, now wearing an unusual purple velvet jacket while garish makeup was splashed across his grinning face. "Do I look like someone who has a plan?"

"Uh, I--" Blade was barely able to get a syllable out before Discord pulled himself off of him, his outfit gone as he went back to walking in front of the Gryphon.

"Oh, Fluttershy is such a good friend to me," continued Discord as he kept pacing, seemingly ignoring Blade's desperate pleas. "And since she's one of the sole reasons for why I'm keeping myself restrained, it would be tragic if something were to hurt her and make me… upset…"

Suddenly, a large fireplace appeared by the wall, with two flying machine figurines on the mantle, and a large portrait of Discord and Fluttershy in matching sweaters hanging above it. When Discord started to walk in front of the mantle, now wearing a dark sweater vest over a tasteful white shirt, Blade’s heart stopped when he saw that the Draconequus was also holding a shotgun.

"Oh, I would just hate to think what I might do if something bad were to happen to my dear… sweet… Fluttershy."

Discord's gaze went back to Blade as he cocked the gun loudly.

A girlish gasp escaped Blade's beak as he clenched his talons around his seat, not wanting to become a moving target while Fluttershy was away. He clenched his eyes shut as he desperately tried to sputter out any words to keep himself alive. "D-D-D-Discord, please! I only came here for tea, I swear! I wasn't even thinking of anything more than that! I don't see her like that. I… I just…"

When Blade foolishly reopened one of his eyes, he shrieked as he pulled back to risk falling over. "AAAHHHH!!!"

Discord was now sitting in a large chair dressed as a Safari hunter, holding a much larger musket in his paw. In his claw, the Draconequus held a large trophy mount that was usually used for holding hunting prizes and taxidermy; and at the bottom, there was a small brass emblem that had the name 'Blade' clearly printed on it.

"You just what?" asked Discord curiously as he sat in his seat and listened.

"I… I…" Even though that mount was more than alarming for the Gryphon, he was able to make a nervous gulp before continuing meekly. "I just… I never met anyone who showed as much appreciation for my music as her…"

One of Discord's brows rose slightly, but he stayed silent while Blade tapped his talons together and kept going.

"I mean… most of my fans don't even know about my solo career, but… but Fluttershy knew every song! Like, by heart! And… and she totally got all the meaning I tried to put in my more obscure stuff. It's like… she's the best fan I ever met."

The Gryphon's head slowly leaned down to look at the floor between them. The more he spoke, the less nervous his voice came out, almost as if his honesty was helping him avoid Discord's gaze. "When I was talking with her yesterday, she was telling me all these stories about how my songs helped her out. And it just… it felt genuine, you know? Not like all those girls who come to my concerts who're like 'Oh, I love all your albums,' but then think that I only made four! I mean, even my Mum doesn't know how many albums I made!"

After catching his breath, feeling slightly surprised that he managed to get that all out so naturally, Blade looked back up at Discord (now sitting on a stool and not wearing any outfits) before adding insistently. "And I don't see Fluttershy like… like a groupie or anything! Seriously! I have way too much respect for the mare to even think of her in that way! She… she's one of the coolest fans I know, and she even inspired a few of my songs! Like… I know that I wrote some stupid stuff in my past, but it doesn’t represent how I feel at all! The reason I came by today was because I wanted to know Fluttershy as a friend. And nothing more."

Even though his words came out as truthfully as they possibly could, Blade's confident stature began to lessen when he saw Discord's stoic stare back at him. After a brief moment of silence, with Discord not moving a muscle to indicate a change in expression, the Gryphon slumped in his seat in worry. "You don’t believe me, do you?"

"Not really."

Blade winced and looked away, unsure what else he could do to get this guy off his back. However, Discord lifted himself from his seat before catching the musician's attention. "But…"

When Blade looked back up at him, he was surprised to see that all the things Discord conjured up were gone. The Draconequus was back in his natural state, and began to walk back to his own seat after using his tail to prop Blade back in place at the table. "Just because I don't believe you, doesn't mean I shouldn't completely disregard you. I mean, it's doubtful that the Princesses believed me when I told them I'm a changed being, but I haven't let that stop me. And since Fluttershy placed her faith and understanding in me, I think it would make me quite the hypocrite to not give you the same chance as well."

"R… re…" Blade's eyes widened in surprise as Discord got back in his own seat, leaving the two in the same positions they were before. "R… really?"

"Why of course," said Discord with a genuine smile, putting his claw and paw up in honesty. "Fluttershy managed to prove with me that anyone is able to be a good friend with a bit of trust and acceptance, and I would like to give you that chance as well. So, for our shared interest in a caring friend…"

Discord then put his paw out to the middle of the table. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Blade."

"Uh… ummm…" Before his stammering could grow to awkward levels, Blade quickly put his claw out to shake Discord's paw. "A-and it's a pleasure to meet you… Discord."

Just as the two made their shake, Fluttershy came back in with her jam. The mare quickly beamed as soon as she saw the two. "Awwww! I'm so glad you two are working things out!"

"Uh, y-yeah…" After letting go of Discord's paw, Blade grew a small smile as he looked over at Fluttershy, happy to see how pleased she looked. "It's… not a problem at all…"

Of course, as soon as he looked back at Discord, Blade felt his heart get pulled up to his throat when he saw the wicked smirk that the Draconequus had on his face…

Along with the Blade sock puppet that was back on his claw.

"I agree," added Discord with a toothy grin.

---

"So, Rarity…"

Sitting on the unicorn's seat beside her sewing machine, Lyle kept his attention on Rarity with a smirk while Canvas was busy tending to the painting on the wall. "Did you really not know what the symbol meant before you had it painted in your bedroom?!"

"How was I supposed to know?!" shouted Rarity in an exasperated tone. "I didn't know it was a symbol for anything! I just thought it would look nice on my wall."

"To be fair," chimed Canvas as he took one last glance at the original symbol on the mare's wall, a paint roller held in one hoof, "it really does look nice…"

Looking down at his roller, the stallion sighed a little in disappointment. "Honestly, it kinda feels bad to do this. I mean…" Canvas glanced back up at the painting with a hint of disheartenment in his voice. "This was the first painting I ever made in Ponyville."

Catching the tone of disappointment in his voice, Rarity sighed painfully as well. "Oh, Canvas… I'm sorry…" Before the stallion could say anything else, she walked up to him as she added more optimistically. "But you've also managed to do so much since then. This may have been the first, but it shouldn't be the only thing to think about right now, should it?"

Taking a moment to think the unicorn's words over, Canvas bit his lip before making a small nod. "I… I guess so."

Unfortunately, the sound of Lyle's muffled giggling caught the attention of both Rarity and Canvas, who looked back to see him covering his beak with a claw. "S-sorry," blurted out Lyle as he struggled not to laugh out loud, "I just think it's kinda funny that your first painting was that!"

Despite his obvious pout, Canvas looked back to the symbol on the wall before making a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is pretty embarrassing now."

Lyle shrugged his shoulders before pointing at Rarity, "Yeah, but mostly for her."

"Just WHAT do you mean by that?!" scolded the unicorn angrily.

"Well, it's YOUR bedroom, for one!"

While Rarity's face turned slightly red from anger, Canvas looked back at her with an amused smirk while pointing at the painting. "Say Rare, what did Zecora say when you showed her this? Did she freak out or anything?"

Rarity groaned and sunk her head low in shame. "No, she… she just fell to the floor laughing."

That was the comment that finally made Canvas and Lyle lose it. While Rarity looked away from both of them with a scowl, Canvas was the first to stop laughing loudly. "Oh man! I was thinking that she'd be worried at seeing that after you dragged her up to your bedroom!"

Rarity made an offended gasp before giving a disbelieving huff. "Oh, please! I'm sure that Zecora would've understood that I didn’t have THAT sort of intention!"

"Really?" asked Lyle with a skeptical brow. "If someone brought you to their bedroom, and you saw a giant sex symbol painted on their wall, what would you be thinking?"

"What?! I… You… SHUT UP!"

Canvas kept his face away from Rarity's sight as he covered his muzzle with a hoof, muffling his uncontrollable laughter. Getting fed up with both of their behavior, Rarity lit her horn to float the new design towards the stallion. "If you're finished laughing at my expense, this is what Zecora had recommended for me as a replacement."

After managing to settle his laughter, Canvas grabbed the piece of paper to take a glance at what Rarity wanted to cover the current symbol. As he narrowed his eyes on the piece, wondering what this symbol actually meant, Lyle walked up to take a glance as well.

"Uhhh… Rarity?" asked Lyle in a slightly uneasy tone. "You know this symbol means 'Interspecies Love', right?"

"WHAT?!"

Seeing her shocked reaction, Lyle quickly started cracking up before walking back to his seat. "I'm kidding, Geez! That symbol says 'Generosity', alright? Relax!"

A low growl escaped the unicorn's angered pout. "That’s NOT funny!"

"Wait a minute…" Canvas looked back at Lyle quizzically. "How do you know Zebrican, Lyle?"

"Oh, Zebrica is neighbors with the Gryphon Kingdom. I don't know a lot of it, but I know a few small words and phrases." The Gryphon looked back at them as he sat back in his seat. "Have either of you been to a Zebrican restaurant before? They have the BEST curry!"

"Huh…" Letting that new info sink in, Canvas went back to the wall with his roller. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"So Canvas," asked Rarity cautiously, "Will there be any problems with repainting this?"

"Not at all," assured the stallion with a wave of his free hoof. "This will be easy! In fact, this would probably be quicker than the first time I did it. At least I don’t have any bandages on me this time."

Keeping a carefree smile on his muzzle, Canvas didn’t see how Rarity's expression quickly turned morose as soon as he said that last sentence. While the artist began to use his roller, letting his first painting disappear behind the first roll of paint which matched the wall, Rarity looked away with an obvious look of grief on her face.

Lyle originally planned to come by to see how Canvas usually did his paintings, but his focus was set on Rarity as soon as he saw how she was looking. "Ummm… Rare? You okay?"

"Oh!" Even though her unpleasant recollection of Canvas's past muddled her thoughts for a moment, the unicorn quickly regained her composure before turning to Lyle. "Oh, it's nothing, Lyle. I just got lost in my thoughts, that's all."

Lyle's eyes narrowed on her slightly, knowing very well that it certainly wasn't nothing. However, before he could try to ask more, a knocking at the window made all three of them jolt a little.

"Oh! Goodness…" seeing who it was at her window, Rarity huffed a bit before opening it. "Derpy! Why couldn’t you just knock on the door?"

"Well, sorry…" Looking slightly guilty, the grey Pegasus mare rubbed the back of her neck while hovering outside Rarity's window. "I was just doing my rounds when I saw you in here. I didn't mean to interrupt or anything."

After making a brief sigh, Rarity rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oh, it's quite alright, dear. I know you're just doing your job." The unicorn then took a glance at Derpy's mailbag. "So, I take it that my commission orders arrived?"

"I believe so!" Derpy pulled out a large folder from her bag and handed it to her. "It feels pretty heavy, so I'm guessing that's it. Oh!"

Finally noticing Canvas, Derpy smiled in surprise. "I didn’t expect to see you here, too!" She took a glance up at the half-repainted piece on the wall before raising her brows. "Oooohhh… Rarity's finally changing the mating symbol, huh?"

"WHAT?!" shouted Rarity in shock. "You mean you KNEW?!"

Derpy turned back towards Rarity with a perplexed expression. "Well… duh! Of course I knew!"

"How come you didn’t say anything about it?!"

"Ummm… I thought you had that painted on your wall on purpose."

"UGH!"

While Lyle leaned against the side of his chair, laughing with his eyes clenched shut, Derpy turned back to Canvas while reaching into her mailbag. "Hey Canvas, since you're here too, I might as well give you a letter that came in."

"A letter?" Canvas put his roller back in the paint tray before trotting up to Derpy to retrieve his mail. "I wasn't expecting any mail today. How come you didn’t just drop it off at my place?"

"Well…" Derpy looked away nervously before explaining. "It looked like a couple of the triplets were flying around to avoid Rainbow Dash. I'm not sure what is was about, but she looked furious while chasing them, yelling out something about a… 'Fart Ring' or something?"

While Rarity widened her eyes in disgust, Canvas and Lyle looked back at each other in disbelief. Lyle was the first to make a response. "I hope they actually didn’t try that on her."

"Please…" Clenching her eyes shut, Rarity avoided both of them as she put a hoof up in protest. "Please, do NOT explain to me what the context of that statement is! I'd rather not know."

Derpy, sharing Rarity's sentiment, merely shrugged before getting Canvas's letter. Seeing what the Pegasus had pulled out, the stallion's eyes widened in worry when he saw who it was from. "… Oh no…"

"What is it, darling?" asked Rarity as she put down her folder on the bed.

"Ummm…" Canvas quickly opened the envelope to see what was inside, his tone of voice coming out much more apprehensively than before. "It's… it's a letter from Fancy Pants…"

"Uh-oh," murmured Lyle from his seat as soon as he heard that.

Canvas was quick to read through the letter, and bit his lip when he let what was written sink in. "He… he wants to speak to me about what happened to the painting…"

The stallion's head raised back up towards the others in dread. "I think I'm in trouble."

---

"I'm so glad that you could come over for lunch, Blade!"

Keeping a pleased smile on his beak, Blade looked back at Fluttershy from the doorway of her cottage. "Oh, the pleasure is all mine! You make an amazing banana bread!"

"Oh…" The Pegasus's head looked away from Blade with an obvious blush on her yellow cheeks. "I was just being a good host, that's all."

"Please, Fluttershy. You shouldn't be so modest…" Blade picked up one of the mare's hooves with his claw, bringing it up to his beak. "I had a wonderful time."

Blade then made a small kiss on Fluttershy's hoof, making her giggle frenziedly before pulling back from him. "Oh, my goodness! Th… thank you so much!"

Blade gave a tender smile for exactly one second, which was thwarted as soon as his head was pulled to the side by Discord's arm. "Now, now, Blade… We shouldn't postpone our plans and overstep on our friend's generosity."

Fluttershy's expression quickly turned to a confused look. "Ummm… what plans?"

"Yes, what plans?" added Blade nervously as he quickly looked over at him.

"Oh, did you forget already? While Fluttershy went out to get that jam, we agreed to spend the afternoon together!" While Blade's face paled once more, Discord turned to Fluttershy with a smile. "Doesn’t that sound fun?"

"Why, yes it does!" exclaimed Fluttershy gleefully. She looked over at Blade with a cordial smile. "Oh, Blade… I'm so happy that you're willing to help make friends with Discord!"

"I… I…" With his eyes widening in pure fear, Blade struggled to speak up to make protest. "I wasn't-- The pleasure is all mine, Fluttershy. I want to be friends with Discord, so we have to leave for the afternoon."

"Oh. Well… okay, then!" Fluttershy shrugged with a smile. "I hope you two have a great time."

"Oh, believe me…" Discord's grin grew wider as he spread his wings open, making a loud 'whoosh' to make Blade wince in dread. "We definitely will."

Blade's look of worry became more apparent, but Discord's puppetry made sure that his beak still kept a forced smile for Fluttershy to see. "Discord and I have to go now. Thank you for the lunch, and have a wonderful day."

With that, Discord flew off into the sky with Blade in his grasp. Even though the sound of Blade's terrified shriek could be heard as it slowly dissipated into the skies, Fluttershy still kept a loving smile as she watched them disappear into the distance.

"Awww… Discord is finally making friends…" Realizing what this meant, the mare's eyes widened in joy. "Oh, gosh! This would be a great thing to add to the journal!"

Comments

[SageBrony07]

That puppetry is awesome! Great job. I hope everything turns out alright with canvas. Good luck with the next chapter. Thanks for the update.

[jaime_lion]

lol that derpy scene reminds me of me. done similar things where Im like I thought that was common knowledge and you were just choosing not to do whatever cause of OCD or such.

[Recovery15]

So is unfamiliar patterns canon to this now, or not.

[thisistheusernameichose]

Is it weird that I was just rereading this story yesterday?

[TheVClaw]

5536026

It's not. This was just a little nod to my OTP.

[Bad_Seed_72]

Protective Discord is best Discord. That whole sequence was awesome!

Hmm, I'm curious as to what Fancy Pants wants to say to Canvas. He always seems so patient...

[Recovery15]

5537522
Alright

[Silverstain]

I do believe a congratulation is in order for Lyle, right? I certainly hope so at least, it seems like something that Fancy Pants would do.
Anyways, awesome chapter. I really liked the part with Discord going Joker on Blade (I totally expected him to fire the gun and shooting out one of those small flags that says BANG) even thou I usually hate the over protective character I had fun reading this.

Sincerely
Silverstain

[RandomDudeNumber005]

realy liked the chapter , i kind of feel bad for blade tho heh .

[kingtiger666]

Discord is literal shit.

[TheVClaw]

5550912

Oh, silly-filly! That's not how you spell Awesome!

[kingtiger666]

5552237 I think your dictionary is incomplete. The word you're looking for is Karma Houdini.

[Truthseeker]

Dash went over the top, not that the triplets don't deserve a bit of payback for what they did to Bon Bon's taffy puller. That was f***ed up. I do feel a bit sorry for Blade. Those three REALLY need to grow the hell up.

[nameless]

5558833
5552566
5552237
I’ve got a lot of mixed feelings about this one. Rainbow is legitimately concerned for her friend’s safety, and does the right thing by placing someone in the room who could handle the situation if it goes bad. As I have said before I am not a fan of Rainbow, but this is a good call.

Discord does not know Blade and based on how the triples behave, why should he trust him? Only the audience has the opportunity to see that Blade really is sincere about his friendship with Fluttershy which is why we get irritated when he gets bullied by Discord. Even worse, Discord isn’t just being a trickster. He makes death threats and directly manipulates Blade with magic which does not sit well with me.

I guess what upsets me the most is that everyone plays along with it. Fluttershy is clueless as to what is unfolding so I can’t blame her. It’s that Blade handles the situation in the worst way possible. When Discord acts friendly towards him in the beginning he doesn’t consider the possibility that he has the opportunity to befriend Discord and gives into the intimidation. When Discord does show his true colors Blade tries to defend himself but gets too worked up instead of keeping a professional attitude in the face of serious accusations.

In the end Discord tells him that he still does not trust him despite the argument he does make. He can’t do much about that. Not everyone he meets is going to be his friend. So, why does he shake Discord’s paw at the end? A hand shake can mean many things. It shows that neither party opposes a threat, and conveys mutual affiliations. It is a sign of respect, and an act of trust. I wouldn’t shake the hand of someone who expresses none of these qualities towards me. I don’t know why Blade is okay with it.

[Less_than_good]

"I didn't turn Bulk Biceps into a mare, I simply gave him the reproductive organs of one! And I reversed it as soon as you told me to, so no harm was done."
This reminded me of the "He had a vagina" moment

[Matrixpony]

Much of the Fluttershy visit was quite unsettling, and did a pretty solid job of presenting discord as extremely malicious and unlikeable. Far beyond protective trixter and into evil mind controller territory. It's a slight shame Fluttershy is presented as quite so naive, but I suppose it's believable given what we know from canon.

More odd is that Blade seemed to accept it once his fear died down slightly.

[Bruno]

I know I don’t like Blade a lot, but he didn’t deserve any of that torture.

[Twistedpath]

Rainbow really dicked up. I understand Discord being protective but I think he is going a little far.
Nice call back to Lyra's shipping foolery.

[LunaJack]

Chapter did not bother me. I suspect Discord is behaving this way not just to protect Fluttershy but because he is jealous. Blade and Bulk are both males after all.

[Omegathyst]

Reading Discord controlling Blade is extremely hard to read, trying to finish this chapter, but I hope he gets his comeuppance.