An Interesting Arrival

by Moongaze14

Main Camp Event

Main Camp Event

Sleep was fine for Statice. With the Elements of Harmony separated from him thanks to Discord’s magic, he was free to go on his way to breakfast. Just like yesterday, he ate only grass…initially.

“What’s up, Statice?” Rainbow Dash called out to him. “Did you come here to get another lesson from Fluttershy?”

Rainbow Dash was laughing at him as she had a picnic with her friends. They were eating some daisy sandwiches that Pinkie Pie brought along inside her mane, much to Statice and Rarity’s disgust. The fashionista was eating some cucumber sandwiches that Discord materialized for Fluttershy, who was eager to share them with her. Rainbow Dash was eating a hay shake that Pinkie Pie had brought with her as she kept teasing the stallion.

Statice glared at the prismatic pony. It was clear that he wasn’t the only one who disapproved of her behavior, noticing the annoyed glares that she was getting from Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity. Pinkie Pie had no problems with the badgering, but looked uneasy after a few minutes. Fluttershy was avoiding having another confrontation, but it was clear that she was also avoiding looking at him when he saw her gasp at him. Only Discord seemed interested in the argument, looking at it with as much enthusiasm as a foal about to get a story for bedtime.

“I came to eat breakfast,” Statice answered, not even bothering to look at Rainbow Dash. “Now buzz off.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash glared at him. “It’s not like you can have an awesome breakfast with just grass. I hope you like your breakfast, jerk!”

She just asked for it.

Lighting his horn with magic, Statice opened Hammerspace to retrieve a bottle from his dimension. He made sure to hoister the bottle above his head, giving it a little spin so that the girls could read the label it had at its center. His plan was not going to be satisfying if none of the girls knew right away what it was. A gasp from Applejack let him know that she figured out what he was levitating.

“Is that an Apple Seed’s brand of apple cider?” Applejack asked with a mixture of awe and respect. Her question earned surprised glances from everypony. Rainbow Dash in particular was the one with the biggest reaction. She had an open jaw and wide eyes, which were alternating between Applejack and the bottle.

“Did you just say apple cider?” Rainbow Dash spoke in a whimper, her eyes now entirely focused on the bottle.

“It ain’t just cider,” Applejack looked at the bottom with a look on her face that made Statice think that she was going to get down on her knees to worship it. “The Apple Seed brand is the rarest cider to ever exist. It is a cider made of every type of apple in Equestria, which is then aged for years before havin’ special species added to it to accentuate its flavor. It only comes once every few years.”

As expected from Applejack, she really knows a lot about apples. Wait a second, is that a tear coming out of her eye.

Statice narrowed his eyes as he noticed a small tear coming out of the corner of Applejack’s eye. It looked like a tear of pride and love for her family. He could see why though as her family specialized in apples and this was the best product that they ever made in the history of Equestria.

“You are correct,” Statice looked at Applejack. “I bought this particular cider in Appleloosa. It apparently costs a fortune to buy one of those. It was in one of those auctions on which you have to be the highest bidder.”

Not to mention the brawl that took place before and after I won the auction... or when some citizens got so desperate that they attempted a poorly made attempt to steal from me. Seriously, it's just cider.

“Is that cider really that d-delicious?” Rainbow Dash looked desperate, licking her lips as she eyed Applejack hungrily.

“It's so hard to make that we don’t even share it with each other,” Applejack spoke solemnly. “We don’t drink it because we have to send it right away. The only time we get to drink is if we have a little bit to spare.”

It was clear from Applejack’s words that she never tasted the cider. This was going to make it a little hard for him to do. Only his dislike for Rainbow Dash was going to help him with the deed he was going to commit.

I just hope this doesn't hurt her as much as Rainbow Dash.

“I was saving this cider for a very special occasion,” Statice responded as he forced himself to look at Rainbow Dash rather than Applejack. It was true. He had saved this cider for when he got himself a home, for when he got his first date, for his marriage, and for many special occasions.

And now I’m going to waste it in teaching this mare a lesson. Thanks a lot, Rainbow Dash. You forced my hoof in throwing away such a marvelous gift.

Tilting his head to look at the cider, he removed the cork with his magic. He slowly dipped the bottle so that its mouth was pressed against his snout. He smelled the tangy smell of the apples and the combination of aromas in the spices. The scents were more than enough to make his mouth water.

“Let’s make some good memories,” Statice boasted without looking at the mares before he chugged on the cider. His eyes widened as he drank as much cider in one go. The taste of the cider was so complicated that it sent his mind into overdrive.

It’s like drinking apple juice, but with a fresher flavor, almost as if I were drinking an apple rather than eating it. I feel it changing by the second. It goes from a sweet gentle flavor to a strong bold one in one moment. I taste cinnamon, some citric taste of orange maybe, and a spicy taste. By the stars, the sensation of the cider tickles my tongue, my mouth, and down my throat! It’s so tasty that it brings tears to my eyes!

With great reluctance and effort, Statice separated his lips from the bottle. A huge smile was plastered on his face as tears were falling out of his eyes. He was glad that he was not facing the girls for them to see his reaction. He used his hoof to wipe the tears out of his eyes, but made the motions in a way that it appeared that he was wiping his mouth from cider droplets. He turned his head around and gave them his smuggest grin.

“Such a divine taste this has!” he grinned as he tilted the half-empty bottle in front of the girls. “I don’t think that I can finish this all by myself.”

“Are you going to share? Are you going to share?” Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing happily in front of the wall. “That cider looks delicious.”

“No,” Statice shook his head. “I think that I would rather keep the cider for myself.”

The response turned Pinkie’s excitement into sadness. Her eyes were bordering with tears and her lips were trembling. Statice nearly felt bad about denying her the cider. But then again, she was the type of pony who hoarded all the cider for herself every time that cider season came. The mare had a monstrous appetite for cider, one that rivaled that of a black hole. Besides, it wasn’t her that he wanted to torment with the cider.

“You monster!”

Rainbow Dash had gone berserk. She was punching, kicking, and bucking the wall in an effort to destroy it. She had murder written in her eyes as she flew back and attempted to ram herself headfirst into the wall. It appeared that Apple Seed brand was quite powerful to influence Rainbow Dash just by its sheer description.

Statice smiled evilly. This was the reaction he wanted to get from Rainbow Dash. In Discord’s videos, he figured out that she had a particular weakness from the beverage, which was further reinforced by the trauma of constantly getting her chances of drinking it taken away from her. It was the main reason on why he decided to bring such rare cider into the conflict rather than save it for the special occasion. Statice smirked as the pegasus paused to recover energies from her incessant attacks on the wall. It was time to step up on his game.

“You know what, Rainbow Dash? I think that this cider is not good enough to be breakfast. After all, breakfast is more than just a drink and I think that this one is too perfect to be partnered with something as common as grass.”

He turned around and opened Hammerspace again. From the dimension, he got a large metallic box that was releasing cold vapor. He turned the box around to show that it was filled with ice cream boxes. Each box came in different flavors that got Pinkie Pie to salivate at mere sight. Just like the cider, the box was designed for special occasions, particularly parties. After all, what kind of pony didn’t like a frozen treat every once in a while? Feeling that an explanation was in order, Statice decided to give them an explanation.

“What would be the best breakfast in the world? I think that it would be a glass of warm cider and a cold buffet of frozen desserts. It’s not just ice cream. On the contrary, I also have other frozen desserts like gelato, snow cream, sorbets, sherbets, Neightalian ice, frozen custard, frozen yogurt, and much more. Each of them comes with a different flavor and texture. Don’t you think it complements such a wonderful drink?”

Bringing up a bowl, he served many balls of frozen desserts and gave one to Spike, who reluctantly picked it up. He looked at Statice uneasily, not sure if he should trust him.

“Take a taste,” Statice offered with a smile. “I picked different frozen desserts, but all of them will have the same chocolate flavor so that you can see how different each and every one of them is by the texture alone. Prove your worth as a judge, Spike.”

Reluctantly, Spike picked up a spoonful of ice cream and tasted it. The flavor got him to moan instantly. He took another spoonful, this time from a ball of gelato. It tasted the same as the ice cream, but the consistency felt different. It felt creamier, thicker, and denser, yet it was also more elastic than ice cream. The baby dragon was overwhelmed as he kept eating new balls of chocolate, each feeling different than the previous one. By the time he finished tasting each ball, he was on the ground, breathing heavily.

“Too much…deliciousness,” Spike moaned in defeat. This was like the time on which he exploited Twilight’s decision to not move to avoid causing trouble after getting a warning from her future self to eat as much ice cream as he desired, except that he was lying on the ground more from the tasty experience of eating cold chocolate rather than a stomach ache.

“It appears that the little drake’s fire was tamed by the coldness of my frozen treats,” Statice poked Spike gently.

“Aren’t you going to share those with us?” Pinkie Pie asked hopefully, willing to forget about the cider incident as long as she got some of those frozen treats.

“I need to eat, Pinkie,” Statice sarcastically chastised her as he served himself a bowl that was twice as big as the one Spike ate. “Piercing Gaze will be here any minute soon and I need to recover my magic strength if I am to beat him.”

“What does drinking cider and eating ice cream have to do with recovering your magic, Statice?” Twilight asked angrily, not liking how selfishly Statice was behaving towards her friends.

“I have a Magic Calories Spell,” Statice got another bowl, one that was four times bigger than the one he was using. ‘

“What does that spell do?” Twilight asked, feeling curious just from hearing the name of the spell. “I’ve never heard of a spell that affects calories before.”

“It alters my digestive system to convert calories into magic,” Statice answered as he continued filling the second bowl with frozen treats. “The drawback is that anything that I eat while the spell is in place will not nourish my body so I have to eat lots of food after the spell is gone.”

“That sounds like the best spell ever,” Pinkie Pie remarked, wishing that she were a unicorn to learn the spell and use it every day.

“It doesn’t protect you from cavities,” Statice added bitterly, remembering how he got two of them after spending weeks eating nothing but sweets when he perfected the spell for the first time.

That reminds me, if I have enough free time, I need to create an anti-cavities spell so that I can eat sweets without worrying about them. I’m going to need to get books about teeth if I want to create the spell though.

After finally completing the final bowl, Statice levitated it to Discord. The draconequus looked surprised at the gesture.

“Here you go, Camp Counselor Discord,” Statice politely told him.

“Thanks a lot, Statice,” Discord smiled as he looked at the delicacy.

“Hey, why are you giving Discord a treat, but not to us?” Rainbow Dash protested as she placed her hooves on her hips.

“He created the camp in the first place and he is one of the boys,” Statice shrugged, noticing that Spike was close to the metal box, trying to get more treats, but being unnoticeable to the girls because the box was covering him from their sights.

“Sounds like you want to show off in front of us,” Rainbow Dash glared at him.

“I don’t need that comment from you, boaster,” Statice narrowed his eyes as he used his magic to flip Spike up. He summoned his cider once again and dipped it to Spike’s mouth. Thanks to the box covering Spike, it looked as if Statice was throwing the cider to the ground out of spite. The prismatic pegasus stared at the scene in horror before gritting her teeth in rage.

“I’m remembering this, Statice,” she darkly promised.

“Noted,” Statice turned around and took his own bowl of frozen treats.

“Let’s just enjoy our breakfast, girls,” Twilight called out, hoping to make her friends forget about the unpleasant discussion. As Statice left, he could have sworn that he saw a tear sliding down Applejack's cheek as she walked away with her friends.

Hiding behind the box, Spike had only one thing to say.

“More cider and ice cream, please.”

---

Statice was eating his frozen treats in peace. He had activated his Magic Calories Spell and was feeling his magic recover with each spoonful he took. To be honest, this was one of his favorite spells of all time. It not only helped him to recover magic in record time, but he got to eat second rations afterwards thanks to the drawback of the spell.

Always turn your flaws into a blessing. That’s one of life’s hardest lessons.

“How did you like the treats, Discord?” Statice asked once he finished eating from his bowl. He didn’t need his stealth training to know that draconequus had been spying on him for a while now.

“What happened to Camp Counselor Discord, Statice?” Discord crossed his arms and pouted angrily at not being called by his title.

“I did that to maintain the whole camping stuff,” Statice stood up and made his bowl disappeared, wiping the melted stains of his desert out of his snout. “Besides, I think that you deserved the title since you created this wall.”

“Fair enough,” Discord smiled. “It takes a whole lot of effort and dedication for me to build something.”

“You only made a wall that separated the mountain in two,” Statice deadpanned.

“But I did it in such a way that it was an establishment,” Discord glared at him indignantly. “I should tell you that for a Spirit of Disharmony such a feat is quite a challenge regardless of power.”

“Okay,” Statice rolled his eyes in resignation. “You did a great service for the eight of us. You stopped an unnecessary fight from taking place. Are you satisfied?”

“Very satisfied,” Discord smiled smugly.

“Did the girls like the treats?” Statice asked, not looking at Discord.

“Beg your pardon?” Discord asked perplexedly

“I’m asking if the girls liked my treats,” Statice looked at Discord.

“How should I know?” Discord raised his hands awkwardly. “It’s not like you gave your frozen treats to them.”

“But you did give them to the girls, didn’t you?” Statice raised an eyebrow at Discord. “I’m pretty sure that you went to the other side and gave it to the girls.”

“What makes you think that?” Discord asked with obviously fake indignation.

“You’re a rule breaker, Discord, even when you make them,” Statice rationalized as he stood up. “I’m pretty sure that you probably gave them your bowl as soon as I gave it to you.”

“And how exactly do you come up with that conclusion?” Discord asked as he leaned closer to the green unicorn.

“One, you’re friends with Fluttershy. Two, she is friends with Pinkie. And three, that girl loves her ice cream.”

“Quite a good detective, aren’t you?” Discord gave Statice a cheeky grin.

Statice smiled back in return. He knew that Discord was going to give them the frozen treats as soon as he gave him the bowl. He didn’t plan on sharing with Discord because he expected him to do it, but he changed his mind upon seeing how much Pinkie wanted to eat from his treats. Although he didn’t know if Pinkie was a friend or enemy at the time, he couldn’t bring himself to deny her ice cream when she looked like a kicked puppy.

That should probably keep them busy for a while.

---

“This is so good!”

It took Pinkie Pie all of her self-control to swallow the bowl in one gulp, not out of fear of getting her brain frozen, but to let her friends have a taste.

“I must say Fluttershy that you did a marvelous job redeeming Discord,” Rarity beamed as she took a bite of gelato. “I never expected him to be generous enough to give us the whole plate.”

“I’m glad we have him by our side,” Rainbow Dash ate the sherbet. “He’s much better than that jerk.”

“Ah’m not sure about that,” Applejack frowned pensively, and a little miserably, as she ate her frozen apple custard. “Ah think that there was somethin’ wrong when Statice gave Discord the bowl. It felt as if he didn’t intend to give it to him.”

“Maybe you’re up to something, Applejack,” Twilight took a bit from the ice cream as she looked at Spike in between bites. “Statice sounded a little different when he gave Discord the bowl.”

“M-maybe he meant to give it to him after all,” Fluttershy chimed in. “They are friends. It wouldn’t surprise me if Pinkie Pie just made a pastry just for us.”

“Would you like one, Fluttershy?’ Pinkie Pie perked up, feeling happy to have the chance of making a new pastry for her friend.

“No, thanks,” Fluttershy shook her head.

“I don’t think so,” Rainbow Dash frowned upon remembering Statice’s behavior at breakfast. “Did you see the way he dumped that precious cider to the ground? He could have just drunk the thing but instead threw it away just to spite us.”

“No, he didn’t!” Spike called out from the other side of the wall.

This earned him six pairs of interested glances. The baby dragon was busy serving himself a second bowl of frozen treats. He was still beaten from the delicious flavor of the first bowl, but he had recovered enough strength to serve himself a second one.

“What do you mean by that, Spike?” Twilight asked, feeling interested in what her assistant had to say.

“Back when I was too beaten by the taste buds to move anymore, Statice poured cider in my mouth as he was talking to you,” Spike explained as he licked his lips. “It was that cider that got me back on my feet.”

“You tasted the cider?” Rainbow Dash flew to the wall, feeling curious to find out how did the best cider of Equestria tasted like.

“I did,” Spike beamed. “It was the most delicious cider that I ever tasted. It tasted like regular cider at first, except that the flavor kept changing. And it leaves a good aftertaste after you’re done drinking it.”

“Wow,” Pinkie Pie had gleaming eyes from the description. “I guess Statice is not a meanie after all.” As much as it hurt Pinkie Pie to not taste the cider, she was happy that Statice was kind enough to give it to one of her friends.

“Speak for yourself, Pinkie” Rainbow Dash curled her hooves angrily. To her, cider was one of the things that should never be denied to anypony. The fact that he used her favorite drink to torture her increased her dislike for him.

“Ah agree with Rainbow,” Applejack looked at Rainbow Dash supportively. Although she was glad for Spike, she didn’t agree on Statice’s choice of deceiving them like that. The fact that he dared to use a product of the Apple family only made her anger at him more personal.

Ah don't care if ya shared it with Spike, you don't use lies on an Apple Family product on an Apple Family pony and get away with it. You're gonna get some apple justice some day, Statice! And I'm making sure it's gonna happen soon!

“We have to focus on more important things, girls,” Twilight interrupted before they got distracted. “We still have to find out about Piercing Gaze. Spike, take a letter for Princess Celestia. We have to figure out if Piercing Gaze has been captured.”

Spike frowned as he was too busy eating his second bowl. “You may have to wait for that one, Twilight,” he apologized as he gave her regretful eyes. “I can’t send letters if I don’t have scrolls.”

Twilight groaned in frustration. She was going to have to wait for Discord if she was to communicate with Celestia again.

This is going to be a long day.

---

“Do you have any news on Piercing Gaze?”

“He’s still in the loose, Statice?”

Statice groaned in dismay. How difficult it was to capture a blind griffin? It wasn’t like he had superpowers apart from his advanced sense of smell.

“You think that he may arrive here?” Statice asked the draconequus.

“Maybe today,” Discord shrugged his shoulders. “I can talk to Celestia again if you have a problem. Perhaps her guards have already captured him.”

“It won’t hurt to try,” Statice smiled hopefully at Discord.

The draconequus vanished with a finger snap. Only a few seconds passed before he heard a second finger snap. It was surprising…although not as surprising as Discord looked like at the moment.

His whole body was singed. He had small flames coming out of his beard. He was covered in scorch marks and ashes. The most defining aspect was that Discord looked very nonchalant with the experience.

“No progress at all,” he sighed in disappointment.

“What happened to you?” Statice asked, knowing that he was going to regret asking the question.

“Do you know that when you get behind somepony they get scared and buck you with their hind legs?” Discord asked absentmindedly.

“Celestia did this to you with a buck?” Statice asked in wonder.

“Not really,” Discord shook his head. “I wished she did because it would have hurt a LOT less than this.”

“Then why did you gave me that metaphorical question rather than giving me a straightforward question?” Statice asked, irritated by Discord confusing him.

“It makes my answers more meaningful,” Discord stomped his goat hoof in annoyance. “But if you want the truth then here it is. It turns out that ponies DO get surprised when you meet them from the front. Celestia’s reaction to those surprise visits are to blast me with her magic.”

“Ouch,” Statice winced. "Having the most powerful pony in Equestria blasting you point blank sounded like a painful ordeal."

“Don’t sweat it,” Discord healed himself with a snap of his fingers. “It’s not like this was the first time Celestia blasted me with her magic.”

“She blasted you before?” Statice asked in surprise.

“We used to be enemies over a thousand years ago,” Discord floated in the air as he leaned on his back. “You see, when you are an all-powerful Spirit of Disharmony, you feel the desire to do something challenging. In my case, it was conquering Equestria.”

“So you’re the thrill seeking type of villain?” Statice asked, not surprised given what he had seen from the draconequus so far.

“Pretty much,” Discord nodded his head. “I heard that in the land of Equestria there were two alicorns ruling it. They were the greatest thing since sliced bread so I decided to give them a visit.”

“And that’s how you conquered Equestria,” Statice concluded, already familiar with what happened to Discord.

“Yes,” Discord nodded. “I tested their magic when I first met them. I fought them one-on-one and then two-on-one. They were strong, but not strong enough to compete with me.”

“It was like our sparring match, right?” Statice asked, remembering a similar situation they shared back when he was hiding in the Everfree Forest.

“Something similar,” Discord nodded his head. “I held back and let them hit me with every spell in their arsenal, every flying tactic that was taught to them by Commander Hurricane, and even let them kick me around every once in a while. It didn’t stop me from dusting myself up and then take them down in the time it took me to snap my fingers.”

Statice frowned at Discord and his tolerance of pain. Unlike him, Statice did not like pain and hated the experience even when his Healing Spell made it disappear. He didn’t see himself receiving damage just to see how strong an enemy was. Even if he were as strong as Discord was back then, he didn’t want to imagine being on the receiving end of Celestia and Luna’s attacks.

“How does it feel to be powerful?” Statice asked.

“How does it feel to be weak?” Discord asked back.

“Answer first,” Statice gave Discord an annoyed pout. “I gave the first question so answer it right now.”

“It feels good until you find somepony to take you down,” Discord shrugged his shoulders. “You feel like you can do everything that you want because in a way you can do as you want. But eventually somepony more powerful comes along and takes you down.”

Being leagues beyond the powers of even Celestia and Luna made Discord feel very confident with himself. This made his defeats against Celestia, Luna, the new wielders of the Elements of Harmony, and Tirek quite a traumatic experience. It wasn't something that he liked to talk about and it wasn't something that he wasn't going to share with anypony, not with Statice, Celestia, or even Fluttershy.

Then again, I could make an exception if Statice can give me a good answer regarding weakness.

“Being weak feels frustrating,” Statice answered the question before Discord repeated it. “You don’t know if you have what it takes to accomplish your objectives so you force yourself to work to the bone to make up for it. All of my spells were like that and any other skill that I learned.”

“Based on your track record, I’d say that you are very strong,” Discord praised him, remembering how many victories Statice achieved when he watched the stallion’s memories.

“If things go downhill, I’d have to face the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Sisters, have a rematch with Shining Armor, and fight with Cadence,” Statice listed with a pessimistic face. “And that’s not taking into account any threat to Equestria that has a grudge against Celestia and Luna since I am very likely to get caught in the crossfire of their attempted vengeance.”

“You forgot me,” Discord pouted at Statice. “I could capture you if things go downhill, Statice.”

“You like me too much to capture me,” Statice gave a dismissive way of his hoof.

“Be that as it may, I don’t like being excluded,” Discord snorted, pretending to be insulted in the outside but being happy on the inside that Statice saw him as a friend.

“Sorry,” Statice stretched his muscles to limber his body.

“You think that you can take him on again?” Discord asked, feeling excited about the upcoming fight.

“I am currently at 95% magic power,” Statice started doing push-ups. If I am lucky, he may take too long arriving here and I’ll be at 100% power by the time the fight starts.”

“Excellent,” Discord gave him a thumbs-up.

“Let me pick up my freezer box,” Statice smiled as he left the draconequus.

“It’s going to be an interesting day,” Discord smiled as he prepared himself for the main event.

---

“Enough frozen treats," Statice sternly warned. "You’re going to get sick, Spike.”

As soon as Statice arrived back into his spot, he had seen Spike trying to eat his third bowl of frozen treats. Not willing to let his freezer depleted of his favorite desserts, Statice promptly took back the freezer box to prevent Spike from serving himself a fourth bowl.

“But I’m still hungry,” Spike protested.

“Kids are always hungry for ice cream,” Statice rolled his eyes.

“I’m not a kid and I’m always hungry for ice cream,” Pinkie Pie whined, not liking to be excluded from a group.

“Hasn’t Discord given you enough of the frozen treats I gave him?” Statice asked the pink mare exasperatedly.

“I had to share with my friends!” Pinkie Pie stood on her hind legs and placed her hooves on her hips. “That’s like giving you one spoon of ice cream instead of a cone.”

“You’re one of the Elements of Harmony and one of the most esteemed guests of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,” Statice reminded her. “Can’t you just ask them to reserve frozen treats for you from now on?”

Pinkie Pie seemed to consider the idea before Twilight interrupted them. “No, we don’t,” she cut in before the pink mare responded. “They are our rulers, not our servants.”

“It’s not an order, Twilight,” Statice rolled his eyes. “It’s a favor. Are you too proud to let you and your friends ask a favor to the Princesses?”

“It’s not about pride, Statice,” Twilight glared at him. “I just don’t like to take advantage of my relationship with them.”

“And how is Pinkie Pie asking for more desserts the same as you taking advantage of your relationships with them?” Statice asked, not liking her disapproving behavior. “It is she who is making the petition, not you.”

“We can’t take advantage of our connections to the Princesses to get what we want, Statice,” Twilight shook her head at him.

“And who are you to determine how they should behave?” Statice challenged. “Just because you’re Element of Harmony was a crown and you got a new pair of wings doesn’t mean that you get to decide how your friends should behave.”

“I think that I am going to talk to Spike,” Pinkie Pie nervously got away from the arguing pair.

“Sure,” Spike laughed nervously. “I can even share some of my frozen treats with Pinkie Pie. I don’t think that I can handle eating anymore. Let me just find Discord to have him teleport the bowl to you.”

“The Princesses are very busy keeping peace in Equestria,” Twilight began. “I don’t like to cause them more trouble by asking them favors for selfish reasons.”

“You’re not asking them favors, Twilight,” Statice glared at her. “Pinkie Pie is. What’s the matter? You think that if you can’t keep your friends from causing trouble that it’s going to be your fault? How insecure can you be?”

“I am not insecure!” Twilight snarled, getting close to the wall to look at Statice.

“Yeah, right,” Statice rolled his eyes. “Even Fluttershy has more guts than you when Celestia comes to Ponyville. You’ve known her for years and yet you act as if she’s going to throw you away at the slightest mistake? That’s insecurity at its finest.”

“I don’t think that I want to talk about ice cream anymore,” Pinkie Pie chimed in, trying to diffuse the situation.

“It’s not insecurity,” Twilight grew closer to the wall until her horn was nearly touching it. “I feel nothing more than respect and adoration for Celestia after she taught me everything that I know about magic. She gave me a purpose and was always there to help me reach my full potential. So excuse me if I feel the need to make her happy just as much as she makes me happy.”

“I don’t need this garbage from you, Twilight,” Statice snorted disdainfully. “You’re nothing more than a doormat. It doesn’t matter what you do, nothing is perfect until your precious teacher praises you. Even the slightest flaw will make you think the worst out of everything. Even if Celestia fails you, you act as if you deserved it. So excuse me if I find your pathological desire to be perfect in front of Celestia to be pathetic, teacher’s pet.”

Tensions finally reached their peak as the girls gasped. They all took a step from Twilight, who was gritting her teeth in seething rage. She was no longer capable of using magic, yet she still managed to look scary with that sheer expression alone. Giving a cry of rage, Twilight charged at the wall horn first.

The tip of the horn hit the transparent wall. Nothing seemed to happen at first... until the Orichalcum ring glowed and the wall just broken. Everypony in either side stared at the event in shock.

Did she just break through Discord’s wall?

Before he could question what happened, Twilight tackled him.

---

“Darn it.”

Statice winced as Discord placed a bag of ice over his black eye.

“Never thought that Twilight was into physical fights,” Statice winced even with the ice reducing the swelling.

“She caught you by surprise,” Discord checked on the stallion’s condition. Other than a few minor bruises, he was still good enough to fight Piercing Gaze.

“How is suggesting Pinkie Pie to ask for frozen desserts at Canterlot Castle descend into a hoof fight?” Statice angrily asked as he rubbed his eye.

---

"How does Statice suggesting Pinkie to ask for frozen desserts at Canterlot Castle turn into a hoof fight, darling?” Rarity asked scandalously.

Although Twilight’s surprise attack led to her giving the stallion more blows, that did not mean that Statice was incapable of defending himself. He had given her one nasty kick to the gut while she had pinned him to the ground. She was currently lying on her side to check if he had not given her any injuries during their fight.

“Ah have to agree with Rarity on that one, Twilight,” Applejack looked at her friend cautiously. “Even though Statice did cross a line with that insult, you did start the argument in the first place.”

“I already gave my reasoning,” Twilight responded as Fluttershy checked on her wounds. Other than a bruise on her stomach, she was fine. It was clear that Statice was more intending in restraining her than in hurting her.

“Twilight, no offense, but Pinkie Pie asking Princess Celestia to serve frozen desserts is no reason to get uppity on somepony,” Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a doubtful look. “Don’t get me wrong, it was awesome of you to teach that jerk a lesson…but still.”

“You really think that I crossed a line?” Twilight asked, not liking how insecure her friends felt around her.

“You both crossed a line,” Fluttershy answered gently, letting her know that she was wrong but that she didn’t need to take it all upon herself. “You can fix it by apologizing to each other.”

“What about you, Spike?” Twilight asked, feeling her oldest friend and confidant could give her the best answer.

“I think that you exaggerated at the beginning, Twilight,” Spike slowly explained, trying to think each word before saying it. “Celestia has ruled Equestria on her own for a millennium, so I think that she can keep up with making an ice cream reservation for Pinkie Pie. I mean, don’t you think that Pinkie deserves a treat after helping to save Equestria time and time again? It’s just a small favor, Twilight.”

“He is right, darling,” Rarity smiled at Spike before looking at Twilight. “If you can convince Princess Celestia to give me a suite at the castle, I don’t see how troublesome it can be to make a dessert reservation for Pinkie.”

"Besides, Ah'm sure that if Princess Celestia can't give Pinkie ice cream she'll explain it to her in a nice way," Applejack interjected. "It's not like giving her a small lecture it's gonna be the end of Equestria."

Twilight sighed as she looked at her assistant. “Maybe you’re right, guys. I’ll apologize to Statice the next time I see him. In fact, I’ll go look after him”

The purple alicorn stood up and walked to the other side of the mountain, already preparing her apology for the green unicorn.

“She is going to get into another fight with him, isn’t she?” Spike asked nervously.

A chorus of affirmative responses answered his question.

“Let’s go before things get out of control,” Spike stood up and followed after Twilight. “Boy, I hate it when I have to be the pacifist of the group.”

---

“Ouch,” Statice winced as he looked at the sky. He was lying on the grass, with his forelegs resting on the back of his head. A warrior should always relax before an impeding fight.

His black eye hurt but it was not troubling his vision. He could use his Healing Spell to fix the damage, except that it was going to cost him magic and wasting magic before a fight was never a good idea for him.

Who would have thought the egghead had a nice hoof?

“Can you give me a minute, Statice?”

The green unicorn stood up from his resting spot. He turned around to see a repentant Twilight looking at him.

“What do you want, Princess Twilight Sparkle?” Statice asked, making sure not to mask the bitterness from his voice.

Twilight winced when she heard Statice speak her full name with her royal title. It was clear that he was mad at her for their earlier fight.

“I just came here to…”

“If you came here to apologize, don’t bother,” Statice interrupted her as he focused back on staring at the sky.

Twilight was flabbergasted. Did he just refuse her apology? Why would he refuse her apology? Was her attack on him that unforgivable?

“I-I… listen I’m sorry about my…behavior,” Twilight stammered. She never felt so angry at somepony in her entire life back then so it was hard to come up with an apology now that she had calmed down.

“No, you’re not,” Statice gave her an annoyed look. “You’re only feeling guilty because it makes you look bad in front of your friends.”

“What?” Twilight stepped back, surprised at Statice’s rebuttal.

“You’re not sorry for attacking me,” Statice began. “You’re feeling sorry because your friends told you that you were wrong and you’re probably apologizing to look good in front of them.”

“I am not!” Twilight yelled at the accusation. “My friends made me realize that my behavior was wrong, but I am not apologizing to you because they told me.”

“You’re apologizing because you’re afraid of getting criticized by your friends,” Statice remarked, not convinced by Twilight’s justification. “It’s that part of that messed up self-esteem of yours.”

“I do not have a bad self-esteem!” Twilight cried, feeling the same anger and desire to hurt Statice return to her.

“Oh please,” Statice laughed at her. “You think that any relationship that you have is conditional. Every time that a friend of yours says something negative about you, no matter how small it is, you act as if you committed an irredeemable crime. Face it, you shape your self-esteem based on what other ponies say about you, hence why you are trying to apologize to me. You probably think that if you don’t apologize your friends will think that you are a bully and will leave you.”

Twilight stood there, paralyzed, as if Statice had just slapped her in the face. Her mind became filled with thoughts, each of them focused on different topics rather than the conversation at hoof.

I am not a bully! Oh no, what if Statice thinks that I am an enemy rather than come over with peacefully? This isn’t good, what if my friends think I AM a bully? No! He’s just trying to mess with you, Twilight. He’s not a nice pony! He is a jerk!

Her mind was going to explode now. The contradicting thoughts were taking a toll on her. Twilight could feel it as her mane was starting to get undone. She was not going to give it a chance. Taking Cadence’s advice, she took a deep breath and extended her hoof as if pushing the stress away.

“I’ll admit that my friends did play a part in making me realize that I owed you an apology,” Twilight began, continuing when she saw Statice pick an interest on her. “I may have sounded a little bit like a snob and then reacted like a bully when you said something that I didn’t like. But my decision to apologize was by my own volition. They suggested the apology but didn’t ask me to make it. I chose to apologize. That’s the truth.”

“You cannot deceive me, Twilight,” Statice looked at her, unconvinced. “I’ve been in this situation before. You are not apologizing to make amends. You are apologizing to look good in front of the ponies forcing you to apologize.”

“I am not being forced to apologize!” Twilight groaned. Was this stallion so thickheaded? She already explained her reasoning to him, so why was he denying her logic?

“Twilight…when you apologize it's because somepony makes you do it,” Statice began coldly. “Every time that I ever said I was sorry about something I did was mainly because I did it under threat of punishment. The only time on which somepony ever feels sorry about something is when they can never make amends.”

“How can you say such things?” Twilight asked, appalled by what she heard.

“I have enough experience to find out that truth on my own,” Statice sighed. “The next time you want to say sorry try to do it after stepping on my hoof or bumping my shoulder. That’s the only time the word is going to work on me.”

“That’s not how apologies or forgiveness works!” Twilight glared at Statice, not liking his beliefs or his words. “If you ignore your wrongs and focus on those of somepony you know then you are just reinforcing them. You have to acknowledge all flaws in both sides to make peace with each other.”

“Not everypony is born with your talent for forgiveness, Twilight,” Statice groaned, hating the debate the longer it continued.

“Forgiveness is not a talent,” Twilight shook her head. “It is a choice that you make to let bygones be bygones and move on.”

“And there are actions for which there is no forgiveness,” Statice narrowed his eyes at Twilight, his dislike for her idealistic point of view becoming more evident with each verbal exchange they shared.

“Give me an example!” Twilight challenged.

Statice was about to open his mouth and give a detailed list of all the unforgivable wrongs that he had committed. He was very close to give each item copious details just to horrify the purple alicorn. Fortunately or unfortunately, his choice of words was broken by a very familiar roar.

The mare and the stallion raised their heads in unison to see Piercing Gaze flying above them. He was glaring at them with the same dark eyes that Twilight had seen in the memory. He was growling like a lion as he was cracking his talons.

“Well, you are just seeing item one on my list,” Statice cracked his neck but spoke with a resigned tone of voice. “I suggest that you call your friends and have them leave.”

“We can help,” Twilight gave him a determined expression.

“I know that,” Statice assumed a fighting stance. “But I don’t like to associate other ponies into my personal matters. As much as I don’t get along with you, I don’t want you to get hurt because of my mistakes.”

Twilight stared at Statice, surprised by his act of responsibility and self-sacrifice. He was throwing away a chance of easily defeating Piercing Gaze to protect her and her friends.

What’s wrong with that stallion?

Statice saw Piercing Gaze flying straight at him. He ran forward, ready to meet the griffin as he began his descent. The fight was going to be harder than the previous one but that didn’t matter now. All that mattered now was to end this to avoid those girls from getting hurt.

I hate being the hero.

Author's Note:

As Statice has breakfast with the Mane Six, tensions arise between him and the girls, Twilight in particular. Meanwhile, Piercing Gaze has finally arrived and is finally ready to settle the score with Statice. Who shall win between these two warriors? Only the next chapter will reveal the outcome of this fight?

Magic Calories Spell: A unique spell that allows Statice to convert calories into magic to restore his magical power. The drawback of the spell is that he gets no nourishment from the food that he eats since all of it is turned into magic, meaning that the user will risk malnourishment if the user does not save some food for consumption after using the spell. It's not recommendable to use this spell on healthy food since low calories will provide low magic power that will barely recharge the magical cost of the spell. Warning: the spell does not protect the user against cavities.

Comments

[mastermenthe]

Good chapter.

Statice is correct, but incorrect; the mask of a forgiving persona is artificial, but the path to maturation is irreversibly fusing that mask to the flesh of your soul.

The base hindbrain logic that decides such actions never changes, it can only be rerouted.

[Amos Anon]

Heh. Twilight and statice?

I ship it.