The Disharmonizers

by ApplauseJunkie

Inquiries

Fluttershy whimpered as she watched her friends being blindly led away, back to the train, to Canterlot. At least she hoped that's where they were going. That was what Discord had said, but if the stories about him were true, there was nothing stopping him from simply marching them outside, lining them up against a wall, and gunning them down where they stood. Discord was heartless and powerful, and that meant he could be as cruel and unpredictable as he pleased. But Fluttershy heard no gunshots as she stood pitifully in the throne room of the Disharmony Headquarters, only the engines of the jeeps that had brought them all there.

"Well now," Discord said suddenly, causing Fluttershy to jump, "While we are waiting for them to return, would you like a tour of our humble camp?"

The small woman opened her mouth, but the only sound she could make was a strangled squeaking. Discord frowned, studying her. Fluttershy was easily the shortest of the group, although he found her figure was unquestionably pleasing. Her light pink hair was long and soft, and Discord's eagle-claw-tattooed hand clenched at his side as he stifled an unexpected urge to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her teary eyes were large and glassy teal, with a manner about them that suggested infinite kindness. The butter-yellow sweater that hung off of her shoulders was too big and worn thin in places, as if she rarely wore anything else, and the too-long sleeves hid trembling white hands with bitten-off nails. She certainly didn't look as sleekly groomed as Rarity did, but she had a soft prettiness about her that for some reason made it difficult for Discord to look away.

Finally, Derpy cautiously leaned over to Discord and whispered, "Maybe we oughta let her have some time to herself..." The woman shrank when her boss spun to glare at her. "Y-you know, so she can catch her breath. She seems a little--" she stole a glance at Fluttershy, "--scared."

Discord looked from his assistant to Fluttershy. Of course she looked scared; this woman never stopped looking scared. Instead of pleasing him, however, as he had hoped, her fear just weighed on him, like a stone on his chest. His frown deepened. Making such a beautiful pony cry should have delighted him, not bothered him. The Master of Chaos sighed. "Clean out a guest room for her."

"Yes, sir." Derpy motioned to a few other Disharmonizers, who hurried downstairs. The odd-eyed assistant put a hand on Fluttershy's shoulder. "Why don't you come with me, Miss Fluttershy? I'll show you to your room."

Fluttershy squeaked again, but allowed Derpy to lead her away.

When they were out of sight, Discord returned to his pacing, grinding his teeth. He walked a thin line having this one stay in the camp. He wanted to make a good impression on the Heroes of Equestria; they had seemed almost receptive to his ideas. It might be possible to turn them to Disharmony, and if it worked, they would be the most valuable spies he'd ever had. But he knew he had a lot to overcome. And then, when he required someone stay behind, he got stuck with the most frightened of all of them. It would be impossible for him to sway her while she was too scared to even speak to him.

He looked up at Vinyl Scratch and Octavia, who were still standing nearby. The two were conversing happily, like always. The two of them had come to the Movement as a pair, and were always inseparable. It made him wonder, because the two women couldn't be more different. Octavia was sleek, refined, and cool, while Vinyl was hotheaded, messy and wild. And somehow the two were the best of friends.

"Excuse me ladies?" he said suavely, sauntering over to them. "I have a rather personal question. I can't help but notice that you two seem to be quite fond of each other?"

The women looked at him blankly. "I mean, yeah, dude, we're best friends," Vinyl said.

"And yet you have such differing personalities," Discord observed, false innocence dripping from his voice. "How do you like someone who has is so utterly different than you?"

Both of them raised their eyebrows, looking to each other. "It's not about being different or similar," Octavia finally said. "Vinyl has been there for me when no one else has."

The DJ grinned. "Yeah, and Octy always has my back. Like that time when I broke my shades and couldn't afford new ones, she went and bought me a new pair with the money she'd been saving for a new cello!"

"Or the countless times in high school that you got into fistfights with those boys who stole my lunch money!"

"Or when I go out and get drunk, I can always count on you to pick me up!"

"Even when I have a big audition in the morning," Octavia added through her teeth, gently nudging Vinyl's arm.

"I said I was sorry about that one."

"I know." The two hugged and looked back at Discord happily, who was squinting at them in confusion.

"So...the two of you are friends beause....?"

"We take care of each other," Octavia finished.

"And we take care of each other because we're friends!" Vinyl added.

"So it's just a repeating cycle? That's helpful." Discord ground his teeth, clenched and unclenched his fists, and finally turned back to the girls and inquired. "How would one go about entering into this repeating cycle with someone with whom one has not previously engaged therein?"

"What?"

"HOW DO I MAKE FRIENDS?!" Discord realized he was shouting and looked around to see most of the room staring at him.

Octavia and Vinyl Scratch exchanged a look. "Have you tried talking to them?"

"Yes!" He stomped his lizard-tattoooed foot. "It didn't work!"

"Were you nice to them?"

"Yes! I was polite and welcoming and--"

"You know, chief, there's a difference between being welcoming and taking someone hostage."

Octavia screamed as Discord lifted Vinyl off of her feet by her shirt. He held her in the air for a moment, then realized the truth of what she had said, and dropped her. "Fine, fine," he growled, pacing a short distance and returning, containing his anger. "How would one go about overcoming the trepidity of one who may feel a slight timidness toward one?"

"What--"

"HOW DO I MAKE HER NOT AFRAID OF ME?!"

Vinyl and Octavia looked doubtfully at each other. "Um...try being nice to her?"

"Like what? I can't get near her!"

"Give her stuff? Stuff she likes?"

"Do you know what sort of things she likes?"

"No. Why would I?"

"Do you know anything about her?"

Discord sighed. "She's one of the Heroes of Equestria, represents the element of Kindness, afraid of everything, got lots of press coverage for her work with stray animals. Animals!" He perked up. "That's it!" He snapped his fingers and a tiny kitten appeared in his palm.

The women blinked. "I still can't get used to the magic part," Vinyl commented. To be able to summon a kitten out of thin air was not a common ability. But Discord wasn't around to hear; he was running downstairs, kitten clenched eagerly to his chest.

Back on the train, the rest of the women pulled off their blindfolds to discover they were nearly to Canterlot, and that every Disharmonizer had vanished. Princess Twilight stood up and began to pace the car again, eventually stopping to address the group. "When we get there, I think we should proceed as if nothing happened on the way here."

"Why?" Pinkie asked, holding Twist in her lap.

"If we let on that the Disharmony movement captured us and that we think someone is manipulating the Princess, whoever it is will know we're trying to find them out and they'll be on their guard and not let us find anything out. We need them to think that we don't suspect a thing."

Applejack nodded. "Good idea, Twi. We'll go in like all we wanna do is talk to the Princess about Twist, and then just start casually askin' questions while we're there. If someone is goin' behind Celestia's back, we don't want them to know we're lookin' for 'em."

The women nodded.

"But what about Twist?" Rarity asked. "She was under heavy guard when we left Ponyville; we can't just hold her hand on the way into the castle. Everyone else still thinks she's a Disharmonizer."

"But we can't risk letting her near any guards!" Rainbow Dash protested. "If Discord was right and the guards really do shoot the suspects before they get to the castle, we'd be putting her in danger by letting them guard her!"

Twilight thought. "I have an idea." She went to the back car of the train and took one of the sets of handcuffs that had bound Twist to the chair. Bringing them back to where Twist was sitting, the purple-haired woman put the cuffs on the little girl. "There," Twilight said. "Now we're the guards. Rainbow Dash, you and Applejack carry her off the train, one on each arm. And look mean. I'm sorry, Twist," she said, "But it's much better than being dead."

The redhead nodded vehemently.

When the train pulled to a stop, Twilight exited first, holding her chin in the air and looking coldly at the guards they passed. Rainbow and AJ followed, holding Twist aloft with rough grips on her arms. Pinkie Pie and Rarity flanked the prisoner, and when one of the guards questioned them, Pinkie said in her most theatrical voice, "This one almost got away! Princess Twilight and the Heroes of Equestria are bringing her to Princess Celestia for a trial! No, we shall guard her ourselves. This one is special to us."

"Why?" asked the guard. Pinkie gave him a withering look. He backed down.

In this manner, with Pinkie and Rarity both making up nonsense about how Twist had a dark history with the Heroes, or had specifically threatened the Princess, or was personally intimate with Discord, the odd little group eventually made it to the palace. The guard at the throne room asked what they wanted, and Twilight answered, "We are here to bring a Disharmonizer to trial."

The guard frowned. "There is no need to bother the Princess with that, your highness," he said. Applejack and Rainbow Dash exchanged a meaningful glance, and Rarity cleared her throat.

"You are addressing the Princess of Friendship, my good sir. Surely Celestia is not so busy that she does not have time for her former student."

His frown deepened. "If it is simply a disloyalty trial, that is not considered important enough to be brought before the Princess."

"Do you mean to tell me that most special cases don't even reach Princess Celestia?" Twilight demanded, trying to keep the expression of horrified realization from showing on her face.

"Not anymore, ma'am. They have become too common."

"Well this one is not common," Twilight insisted, "And I am not leaving until I have spoken to Princess Celestia."

The guard looked dubious, but eventually opened the door to the throne room, royally announcing, "Her highness, the Princess of Friendship, and her friends, the Heroes of Equestria."

Princess Celestia looked up from her throne with a surprised smile, walking down the steps to greet her former student. "Twilight Sparkle, I had not thought to see you again so soon."

Twilight hugged her mentor affectionately, but then pulled away urgently. "There's been a bit of a mix-up, Princess. This little filly has been accused of disloyalty," she looked back to where Rainbow Dash was already removing Twist's handcuffs. "But when we asked why, she told us that it was because she had gotten into an argument at school. I've studied enough Equestrian law to know that hateful words do not qualify as treason."

Princess Celestia's pale brow furrowed in thought, and she knelt to look into Twist's face. Twist looked back at her hopefully, silently begging her to understand. Finally, Celestia stood up, and looked out the stained-glass windows to where the sun was setting over the distant Equestrian horizon.

"It is late," she said finally. "In order to treat this matter thoroughly and fairly, there will need to be an extensive investigation and trial. We will begin directly after I raise the sun tomorrow morning. For now, I suggest you all get some rest." She motioned to some guards, who came forward to escort the women out of the throne room. When they tried to pull Twist away from the group, several voices raised in protest.

"Let go a her!" Applejack shouted.

"She's not dangerous!" Pinkie Pie squealed.

"Couldn't it be possible to try her now, Princess?" Twilight pleaded. Everyone had the sense not to say it out loud, but they feared that if they allowed the guards to be alone with Twist, that the trial in the morning would be irrelevant.

But Princess Celestia shook her head grimly. "I'm afraid these matters are too serious to rush through. A fair trial takes time." She nodded to the guards, who forcibly pulled Twist away from the group and led everyone else to the guest wing of the palace.

When the heavy throne room doors banged closed, Celestia motioned to her head guard. He approached, and she lowered her voice. "Why would they bring a traitor themselves instead of sending her with guards, like they have for every other special case?"

"I don't know, your majesty," the man replied, pulling his helmet off to reveal messy blue hair. "I tried to explain to them that you did not need to be bothered with a treason case."

The expression on the Princess's face darkened. "And they insisted?"

"Yes, your majesty."

The monarch walked slowly to a window, watching the sun set. "I think we may need to have a discussion with them tomorrow."

"Your majesty?"

"Post a guard in front of their rooms to monitor their activity and to keep them safe. Do not let them leave the guest wing until the trial is set to begin tomorrow morning."

"The trial? For the little traitor?"

Princess Celestia turned to look at her captain.

"Then who is the trial for, your majesty?"

She turned back to the window. "For the Heroes of Equestria, of course. I want to know why they're acting this way. We can't risk them turning traitor. All of Equestria would follow them."

"And the little girl?"

"Give her a room for tonight, but keep a close watch. We will pass judgement on her case in the morning, with everyone present, since Princess Twilight wants so badly for her to have a proper sentence."