45
Aegis Flare was starting to notice a rather uncomfortable trend which she should have seen a while ago. Whenever Princess Celestia called upon her student trouble always seemed to follow and her friends were likely to be pulled along for the ride. Today was one such day as she sat there, eye twitching, while staring at the statue of Discord that had been left for them to reform, more specifically Fluttershy for some reason. Her friends had to prod her a few time before she grabbed her Element to wear so that they could free him even though she wasn't sure if they even should.
She was still undecided when she felt Applejack prodding her shoulder to take her place around the statue with the others. She felt the magic from her element waver for a moment, as if feeling her reluctance, before she reaffirmed her trust in her friends decision. With a flash of rainbow colored light the statue of Discord became riddled with cracks before it completely shattered releasing the draconequus.
With her position behind the spirit of disharmony she watched as Discord started right away into his antics with the others. Her eye began to twitch even more as he continued and she slowly walked up behind him . She got to just below where he was floating with Fluttershy in his grip when he started looking around. “Hold on... three, four, five, six... Wasn't there one more?”
Hearing a grinding noise he turned to try an locate it before his beard was gripped in a magical force and his head was pulled down until he was face to face with the orange unicorn where he found the source of the noise which was coming from her teeth. His eyes widened as he took in the mare that had caused him some small problems when they last met but she began to speak quietly before he could react. “Listen here you poor excuse for a chaos spirit. I don't know why the princess thinks that you can be redeemed or why my cousin is the best choice, but if you do anything, ANYTHING to hurt her I will do everything in my power to make your life miserable. As for last time you were free...”
Aegis Flare released the spirit but before he could pull back too far she formed her shield into a bat-like shape and swung it as hard as she could into his side, catching his arm in the blow and sending him flying which caused the other mares to gasp. Shooting a venomous look at him as he shakily tried to rise again she spat one last thing at him. “If you ever, EVER get near my sister again that will be the least of your worries.”
With a toss of her head the unicorn stomped off as her friends watched her leave with looks of disbelief. Frowning the spirit dusted himself off with the arm opposite of the one that was hit as he narrowed his eyes at the retreating mare. “How rude, can't she take a simple joke? I mean it's not like I actually did anything to her. But I do know of a way to get her to lighten up...”
He tried to raise his eagle claw to snap his fingers together but all he got from the attempt was a sharp feeling of pain. Looking down his eyes widened in shock and horror as he saw his arm dangling at a crooked angle that was odd even for him. “She broke my arm? She broke my arm. That crazy mare actually broke my arm!”
He started to hyperventilate at the realization as the mare's heads turned to stare at him in shock. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie moved over to help him while Twilight turned to look back in the direction that her friend had gone before she decided to follow after her.
----------
“I can't believe that she let that thing free like this without giving us any warning. If I had time I would have told her exactly what I thought of her plan and what she could do with it. I really hope that she knows something that I don't since after that short study on him I don't think reforming him is even possible.” Aegis Flare kept muttering to herself as she watched over her sister spending time with her friends. She was still shaking a little from her encounter with the draconequus and jumped when Twilight lay down next to her.
Twilight Sparkle didn't say anything at first as the orange mare tried to catch her breath after being startled. The Ponyville librarian was quit for a while as she joined her friend in watching the antics of the three fillies and Spike until she felt an appropriate time had arrived. “Do you want to talk about what all that was about back there?”
Even after the question the silence between them continued until the red-maned mare let out a sigh. “I said most of what I had to back there, but what I didn't mention is that he completely terrifies me. Nightmare Moon, the changelings, Sombra, hay even just me being out in the Everfree every day I came closer to dying yet they never made me feel like what Discord does. It doesn't help that there was no warning from the princess about her insane plan to allow us to prepare for it. The only reason that I haven't barricaded myself in the Everfree with my sister is that we have the Elements ready this time since those seem to be the only thing that can touch him.”
Lifting one of her eyebrows the purple mare looked over at her friend curiously. “Well I'm not sure what you did then but you managed to break his arm right before you stormed off.”
It took a moment for her to register what was said, but when it did Aegis Flare's light panic faded as she looked over at Twilight in confusion. “Huh? That can't be right. He has to be faking it since you've seen everything I found in my research on him. Nothing seems to have any effect on him other than the Elements of Harmony. Even then I really didn't even hit him with anything, it was all pretty much a light show filled with nothing and should have just shattered on impact instead of him flying like that.”
Twilight opened her mouth to respond before she paused, looking thoughtful for a moment, before planting a hoof across her muzzle. “Oh, sweet Celestia, why am I not surprised?” Her friend looked at her in confusion before she started to explain. “You just said that other than the Elements, nothing could harm Discord. So since you technically hit him with nothing...”
As Twilight trailed off the orange mare groaned and started rubbing at her head to soothe the oncoming headache. “Since I hit him with nothing it actually ended up doing more damage than it should have. That makes no sense and too much sense at the same time.” With a groan she threw herself to the ground with a huff while watching as Spike made his way over to the two leaving the three fillies to play amongst themselves.
“Hey Twilight, Flare. Are you already done with whatever the princess wanted you to do? What was it all about anyways? And why do you have your Elements with you now?” The two mares looked at each other for a moment before they summed up what went on and how nothing was completed yet and it all hinged on Fluttershy to complete. The young dragon looked thoughtfully in the direction of where they indicated they last saw the spirit of disharmony.
“Huh, I never would have expected that, even with all the crazy things Princess Celestia has done over the years.” Twilight glared at Spike for him saying something about the princess even while trying to ignore the fact that it was in line with what Aegis Flare had said earlier. “I wonder what he is really like anyways. I didn't see him at all the last time he was on the loose so everything I know was what others have told me.”
Twilight tried to dissuade him from going near him yet he wouldn't be denied, especially when he brought up everything that he went through to help out against him last time. With great reluctance she carried him along as she went back to the others along with Aegis Flare. They found the other mares where they left him with Fluttershy treating the wounded Discord's arm while Pinkie Pie was keeping him entertained with her antics.
When Discord noticed the group returning he proceeded to hide behind the two mares. “Not again! Keep that crazy mare away from me!”
Spike looked between the spirit and Aegis Flare before rolling his eyes. “Wow, this is what you were all scared of? No wonder the princess wants Fluttershy to reform him if he's this much of a coward.”
He flinched when he turned back to find Fluttershy glaring at him. “Spike! Be nice! Can't you see that Discord is in pain? And Aegis Flare! What were you thinking doing that to Discord when we were supposed to be teaching him about friendship!?”
The orange unicorn met her cousins gaze for a few moments before she eventually sighed and shook her head. “Fine, I won't do something like that again as long as he behaves. But don't expect me to apologize until I get one for what he did. You know how important family is to me and I would have done much worse after what he did.”
Fluttershy looked deep into her cousin's eyes, searching for something, before she slowly nodded without pressing the issue further. She knew that the unicorn would keep her word to her especially when she recognized the look in her eyes as that which she saw most days looking in a mirror. The pegasus knew what fear and terror could cause others to do from her interactions with her animal friends and, even though she usually had it under better control, ponies like her causing weren't much different.
As she returned to tending Discord's broken arm, the spirit just looked on in shock at the interaction between the two before huffing. “What? That's it? She just breaks my arm for no reason and that's all you have to say to her?”
Feeling a pat on his side he looks down to discover Pinkie Pie being the cause of it. “Silly Dissy, she didn't do it for no reason. She did it because you brutally murdered that life-like pinata of her only family member that she knew she had left when you first met.” The entire group just stared at the pink pony warily as she said that in her usual happy tone of voice which made it sound creepier somehow.
For the sake of their sanity they all decided to just ignore what had happened with Spike clearing his throat. “Well anyways, I really don't get what the big deal is with Discord. I mean, sure he has a lot of power but what good is it if you don't use it for anything important? Nothing happened to me last time, but from what I hear Discord was rather predictable and made cliché mistakes that even comic book villains would cringe at.”
Discord's jaw fell so far that it hit the ground leading to a short chase as he tried to catch it once again. Once he reattached it he glared at the young dragon. “What do you mean predictable!? I am the living embodiment of chaos, lord of laughs, a practical god! Being predictable is the exact opposite of all that.”
The draconequus crossed his arms with a humph as he turned his head away from the dragon who just rolled his eyes at him. “Oh please, you did just what every villain does in the comics and go after your biggest threat just to ignore them once you think you had won until they eventually defeated you. Then you do pretty much exactly the same thing you did when you were last free, not very chaotic when it's a repeat, and in fact predictably changed everything that you came into contact away from it's normal state. In fact you made things more orderly in the end, just an odd sort of order.”
Everyone was gaping at Spike for his insight as Twilight blurted out her thoughts. “How did you come up with all of that, Spike!?”
Spike looked around at all the others before he shrugged. “Hey, there isn't much else to do when you all run off leaving me home alone while the Cutie Mark Crusaders are at school so I spend a lot of time reading. Sometimes the notes you leave laying around the library are more interesting than anything else you keep in there.”
Twilight looks over at Aegis Flare, remembering the notes that she had gotten from her after the last time Discord was free. The orange unicorn just rolled her eyes before smiling at the dragon for putting one over one the chaotic spirit. On his end he finally recovered enough before shooting a look at the young dragon. “Well if you're so smart then what do you think I should be doing then?”
Spike looked thoughtful for a moment as he tried to come up with an answer before he just shrugged. “Hay if I know. I'm not the one with all that power at my claw-tips. Maybe you should, I don't know, try something different and actually try to make friends without going overboard with your magic like you always seem to do? It's not like you can't wait for a few hundred years to see how things go with you trying something different. I'm sure Pinkie Pie alone could give you a bunch of ideas on what to do for a while, ones that won't cause others to run in panic or try to lock you away again for a thousand years. Or maybe Fluttershy can show you some, quieter ideas so that you don't always have to be so over-the-top.”
Discord looked down at the two mentioned mares to see the pegasus glance up momentarily with a smile before returning to tending his arm and the earth pony smiling up at him. Looking back up at the dragon he opened his mouth to speak before he did a double-take and peered more closely at him before answering. “Fine. It's not like I can't just change my mind later if I get bored in a hundred years or so. For at least the next hundred years I promise not to use my powers recklessly, but only because you suggested it.”
The draconequus turned away with his nose held high and walked off with one arm around the pink mare and the yellow pegasus following on his other side to keep an eye on him. The others just watched him wander of in confusion, wondering if he really meant what he said.
<><><><><><><><><><>
“...and that's what happened, Princess Celestia. Discord seems to be keeping his word but I don't know how long that will last. Also while Fluttershy is with him like you asked, Pinkie Pie started helping out as well to keep him entertained after the... incident.” Twilight Sparkle looked up towards her mentor as the alicorn sipped from her cup of tea while looking thoughtful.
“While not what I had initially planned, this may have turned out better than I expected. While Ms. Flare's actions are regrettable, the fact that she had actually managed to harm Discord is more disturbing. Still I doubt it shall happen again considering the nature of Discord since it now makes sense that what she did should work on him. Even so, you do not have to worry about Discord going against his word as it is the one thing that he has never broken. When he says something I have found that it is always the truth, even if he may twist the meaning of them.”
Twilight tilted her head as she considered her mentor's words. “So what now then? I thought this would be harder yet not even an hour has passed since we released him and he's already been effectively reformed. Something just doesn't seem right about all this.”
The princess chuckled at her student's words before she lay a wing over her back to reassure her. “Just do what you have been doing, my student. Trust in your friends to keep Discord on the path of harmony as they will teach him a lesson that he has not had a chance to learn for himself. Yet there is one thing that does bother me.” The princess looked towards the window through which she could see a group of four smaller figures playing. “Why did Discord ignore young Spike that day and why did he so readily take his advice this time? It is not something that I would have expected from him, even if he so enjoys doing the unexpected.”
Twilight frowned at hearing this and started wondering the same herself now that it was pointed out.
Bleh, tired. Having to redo my sleep schedule for work so I'm sure I'm forgetting something right now. So since I can't remember, that means up next should be the Crystal Empire episode then the season finale. Place your bets now on what may be happening in either. 
:facedesk:
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Actually...I think it is more to do with the belief that 'Nothing' can harm him and that the action was considered 'Nothing' that let him be harmed. So yeah...The trick can be pulled many times.
7705561
More factots are in play than that, but you got it right.
However, Discord is resistant to order, including repetition. This time she tried it, it broke his arm. The next time she tries it, it will fracture his arm. The next time she tries it, it will bruise his arm. Etc.
Hmm discord has met past incarnations of spike mayhaps?
7707041 have a baby punch him next time
7760851 Sorry to hear that, but it isn't just fully brushed off as it comes up later and I still have more plans for it in the future. Needless to say she just doesn't have the security clearance for much of the information and things happened...
Spike: Hey Discord stop being evil.
Discord: k
Damn.
.....I have a theory on why it would still work. Pm me to hear it.
It doesn’t make sense that he follows spike, which manes it unpredictable, which is perfectly in line of what he should be doing.
Yeah Dizzy, it's a thing called "consequence", something i don't think you have experienced too often
10752702
I don't think anyone ever been able to physically hurt him before so it came as shock to someone as old as he is.