Just Wait Until He Has To Look Up "Escort."
It took time for Fluttershy to return. Fleur wasn't sure just how much. Normally, she could track time rather precisely, at least when Sun and Moon were visible: she'd never found any spells for simply knowing what time it was (although she suspected she would be able to learn one rather easily), but she'd quickly figured out how to translate the movements of both celestial bodies into temporal passage. But in this case, she wasn't looking at the sky, and it took a while before she could really look at much of anything. She needed just about every minute she could get to recover.
She'd won. That was undeniable. Any kind of encounter on that level which ended with her still having any time at all meant the victory had been hers. But the battle had cost her, with every tenth-bit of that price postponed until a future which had quickly turned into the present. So she rested within the grass, steadied her breathing, and eventually got back to her hooves, with her field automatically igniting to clean her coat.
He would be coming back at some point, to see his friend. It meant she was probably going to wind up dealing with him again, and there might be many more meetings than a mere two.
Her shattered life now included a true dose of discord. And, as an incidental side acquisition of what could be argued as a much lesser level of chaos, her personal threat level still had to account for a Pinkie.
She distractedly wondered what would happen if the two ever met. Explosions, probably.
The restoration of the pasture appeared to be complete. The grass was alive again or at least, as alive as it had been before he had come: there were still browning blades here and there, as that supposedly-recent season of autumn continued to inflict a much slower death. A reluctant glance behind her found the date palm gone, with no signs of disruption to the soil, and that was the only negative aspect to his departure. A little fruit would have made her feel so much better, even if the nature of that fruit made her think (and possibly dream) of so many things.
Of course, that was assuming the dates would have tasted right. Given their creator, there was every chance they would have hit her tongue as dirt and decay and things which made her stomach churn just from the thoughts and --
-- she took a breath, talked her breakfast into staying where it was, and went back to grooming her coat.
He seems to think she's his friend. She called him her friend.
How was that possible? How could anypony think to make friends with -- that -- and succeed, much less have any semblance of sentiment returned? What had taken place between those two in order to create any level of bond, and -- what if he was lying? Just playing a game, the only one available which would allow him to remain free as long as he just pretended and didn't get caught --
-- no.
We're nothing alike. I'm me and he's -- I don't know what he is. She wasn't sure she wanted to know. I'll try to get out of this. But while I'm stuck in Ponyville, I'm going to do whatever I can to match Fluttershy. Match a blank. He's -- faking it. He has to be. Nothing like him could ever understand what being a friend is...
...could he?
Fleur... didn't have friends. Not now, anyway. Over the course of her life, her closest bond had been of a somewhat different nature and looking back, for the others she'd known, there had been those she'd used, the ones who'd tried to use her, and...
...I didn't need friends. I had something better than a friend. And...
...well, at least she knew what friendship was. She certainly knew how to make somepony believe she was forming a bond closer than that as the first stage to pushing deeper into that pony's saddlebags and bank accounts. She understood friendship as connection, duty, and bargaining chip. It made her better than Discord. It made her completely different.
But the questions still nagged her. What had happened between those two, in order to create even the illusion of a bond? And if it was somehow real... Fluttershy had taken in a tiger, and that now appeared to be just the start. There was a lot to learn about her charge, and she would need to figure some of it out rather quickly. The bond might be made from shadow and deceit -- but even then, the other entity might honor it for as long as he felt it would give him advantage. She could not acquire Discord or rather, after that encounter, would not. It might still be possible to exert her talent against him, read his deepest desires -- and she didn't know if anything of her would survive the acquisition of knowledge. But as long as she had to spend time with Fluttershy...
He wants to at least make it look as if he cares about whether she's happy. That gives her leverage over him, even if she won't use it. She moves him -- and I move her...
It was a thought, and refining it kept her distracted right up until Fluttershy returned.
Fleur paid careful attention to the pegasus' lone visible eye as the yellow wings slowed in their movement, and immediately noticed the second place Fluttershy looked: towards where the debris had been. At the moment of first visibility, the worried gaze had been trained towards Fleur, as if making sure she was still there at all. And once she'd ascertained the trash was gone, that blue-green iris shifted towards the unicorn again.
"...I'm sorry," the pegasus expertly, possibly automatically apologized. "...I didn't -- I never know how long it's going to take, and... it was an emergency, it really was, I wouldn't have left like that if I didn't absolutely have to and -- are you okay?" With surprising haste, "I mean, were you okay waiting for me? Nothing -- happened?"
You knew. There were no comfort in the thought. You knew he was there, in the form of the trash, and you were afraid to leave me alone with him.
"I'm sorry, I hope everything will be all right, please be all right, please"
You were talking to him, weren't you? Telling him to leave me alone. To make sure I was all right. And he --
-- he hadn't killed her. He could have, so very easily. But instead, he'd settled for trying to terrify her, and she hadn't let it work...
There were any number of things Fleur could have said. Letting Fluttershy know exactly what had taken place in the pasture might have given her the chance to see just much leverage the pegasus could truly exert over chaos. But letting Discord know Fleur had been scared would give him power over her, and that was something she wasn't willing to allow. If she needed to get him off her tail, if there was no other resort, then she would go to Fluttershy and see what could be done. But for now... well, like griffon cuisine, some blackmail material needed to rest for a while in order to set properly.
She searched for words, and found what she believed to be the right ones.
"You had a visitor," Fleur calmly said. "But he knows you're busy, so he'll just come back some other time."
"...a --" And now it was Fluttershy who was searching for the right words. "-- visitor?"
Fleur nodded.
Fluttershy's gaze briefly, involuntarily went to where the debris had been. "...he talked to you?"
Another nod, along with the most dismissive hoof-planted shrug Fleur could manage.
"...and you're okay," Fluttershy carefully checked, disbelief and hope mixing into the soft voice in desperate equal measure. "...you're really okay?"
Fleur's sigh was mostly artificial, completely credible, and fully expert. "If I wasn't okay," she stated, "I wouldn't be here. Do you have time now?"
After too many seconds, "...yes. Until something else happens. And while I was mixing the medicine, I was -- thinking. About sexy walks. And attracting partners. I had a few -- ideas. I think... can I try again?"
"Go ahead." Fleur settled back to watch.
Fluttershy took several deep breaths, gathering what little strength she had. Feathers rustled. The incredible tail twitched. And once all the shreds had been temporarily knit together, Sexy Trot 2.0 was unleashed upon the world.
Fleur watched it all, mostly in horror. The movement of Fluttershy's hips, with wings inadvisably involved and forelegs left as what appeared to be a complete lack of afterthought. The little head bobs which never should have been part of any pony movement. And then there was that totally idiotic thing which she was trying to do with her tail --
-- memory clicked and this time, she had to deliberately keep her hooves planted on the dirt.
"Peacock."
"...um... yes..."
"You are trying to attract a pony," Fleur needlessly clarified, "by moving like a peacock."
"...but it works for them..."
"And I'm sure that if you were looking for a peahen, you'd be bringing in any number of potential partners," Fleur stated, followed by using six seconds to get that image out of her mind. "It's the right idea, but the wrong species. Try again."
Fluttershy tried again.
"Ram."
And again.
"Badger."
Yet again.
"Okay," Fleur said after the concept of speech finally came back. "There was a time in your life when you were in the presence of a horny manticore, you memorized the way they move, and you just figured out how to mimic it, even when you have exactly the wrong kind of tail and mane. I'm sure there's a situation where that would be useful and I never want to find out what it is. You are trying to lure in a pony. And if you can pay enough attention to recreate some degree of how a horny manticore moves, you must know something about pony --"
"-- I... don't." And there was a rising tide of red coming up under the yellow fur, even as that lovely head tilted away from Fleur, looking down at the dying grass. "I don't... watch ponies. I didn't want to see... what I was missing..." With a just barely audible increase in volume and a much more perceptible rise in pain, "...and I don't know how ponies move when they want to be with somepony else, I don't..."
She stopped. Looked up, directly at Fleur, if only with that one eye.
"...but you do."
"It's part of my job," Fleur replied. "I know how to move -- but my methods won't completely work for you. There are wing shifts which pegasi display when they're on the prowl. I can't show you how you're supposed to move because I don't have the anatomy, Fluttershy. I can give you something to build on, but it's not going to completely work for you. Not when you're moving like a unicorn and your wings are just tucked against your sides."
There was an answer to that from the caretaker and no matter how hard Fleur strained, she couldn't make out any of it.
"I didn't hear that."
Softly, "...it's most of what they're good for anyway. Would you show me? Please?"
Fleur took a slow breath, tossed her head a little and made sure her mane was in an ideal starting position. "Okay. But it's still going to need a lot of adjustment."
"...I understand. But -- just so I can see. Please?"
She nodded, then took ten unnecessary and fully normal hoofsteps, moving past Fluttershy. If she was going to demonstrate for her charge, then she was going to follow the same pattern her student had been using. Go to the starting position, get ready, and then --
Other than Fluttershy, there were no pony witnesses in that pasture. Nopony was around who could truly appreciate what Fleur was doing, much less collapse into a trembling mass of rising hormones. The local audience reacted to her by simply -- watching. Closely. There was no outer reaction beyond that, and Fleur had serious doubts about an inner.
But if anypony else had been watching...
Hooves did not impact the earth: they brushed against it, gently gliding across the surface in a way which would have translated so well to rubbing fur. Every so often, the forelegs would plant just a little more solidly while adding a tiny sliver of rotation to their landing, as if the land itself was a weary muscle in need of expert massage. Hips shifted in such a way as to make the wondrously-styled tail sway over hindquarters: hide, reveal, hide, reveal -- and every time, just before the true scope of what was being revealed could be fully taken in, the hiding would begin again, forcing any normal spectator to strain for another glimpse. A tiny smile rested upon the absolute corners of her mouth, added to eyes which were half-lidded. The mare regarded the world through seeming to glance backwards at all of it, as if checking to see if any portion had chosen to follow. Daring it to follow, presenting a challenge for which Sun and Moon might have to rally strength before any attempt at undertaking -- but the dare had to be honored, for strength needed to be proven.
That regard was completely casual. All of it was effortless, for everywhere she went was a place she owned simply through venturing there, and those who chose to follow would forever be moving through her lands. She was in charge, in charge of everything and the only option anypony would retain would be the illusion that they had the right to say no. She would decide which of them were allowed to say no. She would decide everything...
Fleur stopped, turned, trotted back.
"Like that," she said. "Only with wings. I know what that looks like, but I can't cast illusions. So we really need to find a pegasus mare for you to watch. I'm going to start checking out Ponyville's nightlife, and once I locate the right place, you and I are going to go --"
"-- I... I can't do that."
Fleur had been expecting it. "Not exactly that, no. You're a pegasus and I'm a unicorn. The movements are going to be different. But once you adjust --"
"-- you're... beautiful."
It was something Fleur heard a lot, under all sorts of circumstances. The words, coming from Fluttershy, meant very little. There had been no attraction within them, nothing even faintly resembling an attempt at approach. It had simply been a statement, and it was one which had been meant to lead into another.
"...and... I'm not."
Fleur heard the sincerity. The absolute, unquestioning belief.
"Fluttershy --"
And before she could get past that, the rest of the words came, faster than she'd ever heard the pegasus speak, emerging on a geyser of pain. "I was really gawky for a long time, and my wings aren't aerodynamic enough, not like Rainbow's, never like Rainbow's and I can't do anything to fix it, my tail is... I can't ever buy dresses from stores because nothing ever goes over my tail right, and I can't buy dresses at all because I can't afford them and everything I have is a gift, she can't afford to keep giving me gifts like that when all the materials cost her so much and she doesn't even get her costs back, my tail is too full and my wings are too big and I... I'm not beautiful. I'm not even... I'm..."
"You were a model." The words were not helpless, at least not for those which sounded outside her mind. "You don't get to be a model if you aren't --"
"-- she... said there was a temporary trend, a fashion cycle which had come around, and... I sort of fit the dresses, because they were made for me -- well, altered -- and I moved like she told me to, she just wanted somepony who would do whatever she told them, and I just... did it, because somepony told me to, and I didn't want to make anypony feel bad. But she said there wasn't anything special about me in the end, that I was just like a thousand other ponies who could take direction, and..."
The original intent had been for Fleur to take her own vengeance on the renamed Lens Cap. Nothing more. But the moisture was gathering over the visible blue-green eye, that gaze was dropping steadily downwards, and Fluttershy wouldn't look at Fleur any more. She just looked at the dying grass, because it meant she didn't have to see herself.
"...I'm... for how I look, they... they sang, and... I couldn't do the most important thing, so nopony wanted me for anything, and... when they came after that, it was just to get me into a place where I'd have to, it was a setup every time, and I -- I'm not beautiful. I'm not even -- I just --"
Those somewhat oversized wings flared out. And then Fluttershy was gone.
It took time for Fleur to make her way back to the cottage, with the animals carefully watching her as she approached the door. There seemed to be an increased scrutiny in that regard again, and she wondered if it was because they believed she'd made their mistress cry. Or perhaps they were simply watching, for the fainting couch had already testified to Fluttershy's tears being something other than a rare event.
It took time to approach that door, along with a surprising amount of effort just to raise her left foreleg for the knock.
"Fluttershy?"
No response, at least not one which came in words.
A little more carefully, "I know you're in your sitting room. I can hear you."
The sobs faltered.
"...come back tomorrow," the pegasus just barely said, the words faintly audible through the wood. "We... have to do this. I have to. So come back tomorrow, when you can. Just... tomorrow." And then the word Fleur had known would finish it. "...please..."
"We have to talk." Insistent. Dominant.
"...no."
Fleur blinked. "We have to --"
"-- come back... tomorrow. For now, just -- go away. Please... go away..."
She felt it then, the pressure of the little eyes around her. Watching. Waiting.
Her horn ignited, tested the door's lock. Ensorcelled, and powerfully: the lingering feel about it suggested a strength she'd never directly encountered before, a level of power she barely understood to exist. It had to be the work of the Elements' Bearer of Magic, and it was something Fleur didn't think she could break.
"You swear you'll see me tomorrow?"
"...I swear on..." and then, instead of invoking a Princess, "...I swear."
She had no way in, and so Fleur turned away from the door.
"Tomorrow," she said, and left the property as animals stared at her, their scrutiny holding until the moment she was over the bridge, her own previous thought echoing with every slow hoofstep.
'Nopony could look like this and not figure out what they have.'
She'd been wrong.
He'd had any number of options, and he preferred for all of them to be uninterrupted. While it was generally at least a little entertaining to watch ponies react when he decided to pay a casual visit, there were times when he simply needed privacy. And it was always best to keep the Grimcess from getting involved. Those with no sense of humor had a hard time dealing with reality, especially when so much of it was a joke.
So he could have gone to the tree, simply because upsetting the purple bundle of neuroses by cutting into her seemingly eternal need for order was something he found to be more than a little amusing. But it meant said bundle would consult the palace regarding his visit, and once that happened...
In a way, he recognized that his freedom was... tentative. He believed the Grimcess perceived him as being on something of a rather odd leash, resented the very thought, and could slip it off any time he wanted to. Not that it existed at all, of course. And if it somehow pretended to, he could so easily punish the very concept for the offense it had wrought. He just... chose not to, at least for now.
It would, after all, upset his friend.
So he waited, and there was a time when that would have been highly unusual for him. But so much time trapped in stone had taught something which could at least pretend to be patience, and he exercised that reluctant muscle until the last interfering pony was well away from where he wanted to be. It was only then that he allowed himself to fully manifest in that section of the Canterlot Archives, and he looked around at the books stacked high on sky-reaching shelves, placed carefully into alcoves carved into the walls, every last text cataloged and registered and ordered.
It was, in many ways, offensive, and that was before he reached the books themselves. He didn't generally understand the point of books. Fiction, now that was all right: the idea of creating a cherished lie, one which would distort the world around it as sapients came to believe in its teachings -- well, that could certainly work out for the best, depending on just what was being taught. But the capturing of facts and figures found on the other side of the quill, the simplistic determination to calcify... well, he could hardly be expected to take that lying down, now could he? Facts had to be tested: how else could they truly be proven?
There were times when he almost felt the librarian was starting to understand that, if only a little, and it was generally followed by an instant retreat into denial of the very concept. But he felt she would learn in time, if mostly in spite of herself. It just took the right teacher.
But for now...
"Dating," he told the books.
They perked up. Spines vibrated. Covers shifted at the edges. Several publishing logos gazed down at him expectantly.
"What, exactly, is dating?"
The texts of that carefully-chosen Archives section began to talk. All of them at once, creating a babble which he rather relished, for it was logical procession which could still rankle against the very core of his being, and the little chaos of truly overlapping arguments washed over him like perfume. He easily followed every flow of speech at the same time, taking it all in.
Then he thought about what he was hearing.
And then he did something which was still so rare for him, and listened.
"Oh, for..." and as usual, could find nothing to swear by, although at was seldom a problem. "ENOUGH!"
The books shut up, and he began to pace across the Archives' floor.
"Under most circumstances, I would be applauding right now," he admitted. "The group of you have constructed a work of art. Yes, there is but a single ultimate definition, and I typically find that standard to be somewhat lacking --"
Most of the volumes had the grace to blush.
"-- but I do understand that definition." Or at least he knew how reproduction worked, because while he could conjure a new species into existence, creating one which could subsequently wave up its own next generation was considerably more complicated. All things considered, allowing his work to use the extant system had just been a lot simpler, along with preventing anything he'd empowered from seeing what else it could dream up. "A step towards finding a mate. So ultimately, that would mean Fluttershy wants to..."
He thought about that.
"She wants to find a mate."
There were ways in which he could have found the future subject of that unexpected desire offensive: after all, he was already competing with all those others for her time, if only on a strictly technical level: he couldn't make time and had no power to change the past, but he was completely sure that he could have her all to himself whenever he truly needed that, just because. He took offense at having to work for the moments when he was the focus of her attention because he was expected to. Also because it was offensive, and having this -- Fleur... on the premises gave him no comfort. Adding another entity to that...
But the suddenly-established fact was overshadowed by another, much more important one.
Fluttershy -- wanted something.
"All very well and good," he decided. "Dating. I get that, I really do. And under so many other circumstances, I would admire the lot of you, because while you all seem to mostly agree on what dating is -- none of you are in any accordance about how to do it!"
The entire upper section simultaneously winced.
"You," he declared, pointing to one of the offenders. "You believe that immediately following an encounter, one should send flowers to the mare's home. At the very least. Assuming things went well, of course, because an apology bouquet is something different, and perhaps a little more bitter when consumed. Because the mare needs to know she is the subject of your attentions. Correct?"
The book awkwardly nodded, which was a truly impressive feat when you considered the total lack of head and neck.
"And you," he accused, spinning to face another, "state that the only way to succeed is through ignoring the mare. Make her feel as if she did something wrong, to the point where she and she alone makes the next move simply because she must learn how the other pony feels about her. Do you deny it?"
That book vibrated in a rather uncertain way.
"You! You say to compliment her at every possible moment. You! No, insult her, make her feel bad about herself to the point where she can be controlled. And then we get to you: compliment, but only backhoof kicks, praise which makes the mare feel bad about herself! A truly impressive and, might I add, somewhat nauseating feat. You say to concentrate on a single mare, you want those dates to be spread out among many, and you want them all to know about each other and battle it out!"
"I'm not supposed to be here," that last book timidly said.
"Oh?"
"I'm a harem fantasy which one of the junior Archivists was reading on the sly," the text apologetically admitted. "Sorry."
"Ah. Hardly your fault." Which was followed by a spin on his single hoof, one which left him facing a different volume entirely. "Then what's your excuse?"
"I inspired her author," the volume reluctantly confessed. "Sorry..."
He sighed.
"Which of you," he carefully inquired with completely false patience, "contains information on the right way to date?"
Several thousand volumes simultaneously insisted it was them. It touched off the fight, and he watched the hardcovers as they went after the paperbacks. The harem fantasy sensibly hid under a desk and was soon covered by the drifting remnants of shredded pages.
"Yes," he observed, watching a partial guide to effective backhoofed compliments go past him, "this is a lovely little bit of chaos. And normally, I would approve, I truly would. The problem is that this particular portion of happy disorder has completely failed to answer my question."
He snapped his talons. The books stopped fighting. Fragments wove together, united, bound themselves to spines just before the covers of those on the shelves closed, never to move again.
He took a quick glance under the desk.
"Harem fantasy?"
"...yes."
"Remind me to look up 'harem'."
He straightened as much as he ever did, looked around one more time.
"So apparently," he sighed, already feeling unjustly put upon, "this is going to require research."
And then he was gone.
After three minutes had passed, the lone still-animated book risked peeking out from under the desk, then found itself wondering what it was supposed to do with its life.
Light flashed.
"Research," Discord said, "requires a research assistant."
He picked up the rather surprised book, and they both vanished.
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The part with the books are a nice touch, but I'm somewhat surprised that he is learning about all of this and going through the motions like a curious child.
Interesting premise. I can't wait to start reading it!
Dreadnought
A sad/funny combo chapter. That was truly gut-wrenching with Fluttershy but that archive section was one of the funniest things I've ever seen from you.
I once had an idea that gods would never bother with learning how to read, because anything that they wanted to know, they would just know. Or that they would create reality around what they know.
Walking into the archives and just interrogating the books (after animating them) is very much like Discord. Although, perhaps he has been watching Twilight too much. I think I feel sorry for that harem fantasy novel...
And now it's only a matter of time until Discord decides to start nosing in on Cadance's territory. Romance (in particular romantic plotting) makes for some of the most ridiculous chaos mortals can get up too. He won't be able to resist.
I really enjoyed how you portrayed the Archives section with the animated books! Definitely something I could see happening with Discord.
This was a great chapter and I am really looking forward to more!
One thing that slipped past me, is the librarian he talks about Twilight or some random background pony?
I think the pertinent question after Fluttershy's further tries is how Fleur recognizes the motions of an amorous manticore.
I have many questions, and I'm not sure if I want any of them answered.
The Discord interlude was a great relief after that. An excellent blend of humorous shenanigans and horrifying implications. There is no way this will end well in the short term.
Oh dear Celestia...
Discord, running around with a self-aware harem fiction book, attempting to deduce the very concept of dating, mating, love or any/all associated concepts.
The Chaos has been doubled (to start).
I have a feeling learning about dating will inspire trying to date. And Fluttershy will be his target.
7818026
That was my understanding, yes, Twilight.
Two things:
1) This story really needs the 'horror' tag on it, because I'm dreading how this is all going to play out. (Just to be safe, I'm building a bunker in the back yard for when the fireworks inevitably start.)
2) "Harem Fantasy" is best pony! (at least for a few more minutes.)
[So, wrong. Sorta. ... Okay, she's totally wrong. Discord seems better by comparison.]
[Well, I can tell how Fluttershy knows that, but how does Fleur?]
[She's gonna be wrong a whole lot more, likely.]
Oh hey! Discord POV!
Chaos magic!
OOH!
... Is he gonna look it up in the next chapter, or inbetween then and the current one? Then again, I think we'll be following all our POVs quite closely, as there hasn't been any timeskips between chapters? No, wait, between 1 and 2... Was the trip from Canterlot to Ponyville skipped? Gotta check... Yes, it was, then it was covered by flashbacks.
Interesting!
Discord wants Fluttershy to be better, as seen in Two Plus Two Equals Five! ... How Fleur and his plans work together will be interesting!
Aw... Timidness is sorta cute?
And she's female? Huh.
He can repair! He can make order!
Hmm... The Junior Archivist is gonna wonder where its book went... Discord + Harem Fantasy is gonna be interesting! ... Hmm... Could Harem Fantasy be turned into a pony? Or another Draconequus??
The chapter was extremely interesting. It was heartbreaking to see how low Fluttershy's self-esteem regarding her appearance, which contrasts with how confident and sexy Fleur could act. Discord trying to learn about dating by intimidating living books was extremely hilarious as was Fluttershy's attempts to imitate the sexy walk of animals. Thanks for the read.
7818392 This, I think, could be its own side-story.
Discord will be scarred by what he learns
Discord, more or less, just complained about a lack of order. When he realizes that, he's going to have an interesting reaction.
a interesting conundrum. i like the idea of a lesser villain swearing by Discord...
edit: i think there's a scene in "a mark of appeal" where Celestia says "i swear by Discord's antlers-"
Congratulations, Harem Fantasy. You're the new Spike!
This story is really good. Don't forget about this one for too long. Please.
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/357826/2/the-remainders-of-the-day/denial-anger-bargaining-denial-denial-denial
...
OH! Nice reference to The Remainders Of The Day or something! Only figured it out, if there was something to figure out, from reading the Remainders Recap on TVTropes...
"...I'm... for how I look, they... they sang, and... I couldn't do the most important thing, so nopony wanted me for anything, and... when they came after that, it was just to get me into a place where I'd have to, it was a setup every time, and I -- I'm not beautiful. I'm not even -- I just --"
That is quite confusing and ominous.
So...Equestria has (numerous) published pickup artists and books on how to do negging? The Triptych universe:
i.imgflip.com/syao5.jpg
(Still entertaining, though.
)
You know... This story has been around for a while now, and there are a whole lot of ways to describe it, but three words that have never yet been applicable, and seem to become more distant with each new chapter, are the words "romantic cringe comedy"
Likewise, the tags really need to go.
I mean, this is a psychological drama story. It has some jokes in it, on occasion, but they are peripheral to the meat of the story. And it's a good psychological drama story. I'm thinking "dark", "drama", "thriller", and "sex".
But a comedy it definitely isn't, and romantic... no.
7822786
Romance is coming.
Remember, Fluttershy hasn't even had her first date yet.
It's a little weird that Discord understands lying when you think about it. After all, when nearly everything you think becomes true, fantasy would be a weird concept. I wonder if Discord was born with his powers after all.
I love this story so much. I hope you show Fleur actually finding out more about the Bearers and having her brain break. That she can't avoid Rarity forever and the Element of Magic is the book sorting alicorn for example
I just realized...Discord is going to try and help, isn't he? Dear Lord almighty.
7822852
It's clear from Discord's petrifaction and relations with the princesses and the EOH, which are major concerns according to his train of thought in this chapter, that Discord has limits to his powers and that he knows it. This both makes him more interesting (which is VERY, kudos on your development of his character, 7822791!) and able to tell the difference between desires and reality, so the concepts of fantasy and lies are very much in the scope of his potential understanding. It's also clear that he understands the existence of other minds that can perceive and think differently, and of logic itself, as he gets pleasure from the reactions of others to his purposeful shattering of their expectations.
Overall, I think 7822791's take on Discord is similar to my own: he's the avatar of entropy - seeking disorder - which means he has to have a deep understanding of order in all its forms, and this is what he means when he calls something expected happening as being boring.
7822791
Well... yes, precisely. It's been eight chapters, 45k words, and we still haven't even gotten to the start of what the tagline suggested would be the whole point of the story. We've barely even gotten to meet Fluttershy herself.
On the other hand, we have had an awful lot of introspection about the life and worldview of Fleur Dis Lee, who seems to be a deeply traumatized sociopath, whose cutie mark and special talent - pardon me if this is a misreading but it is what I see implied - came to her because she was a victim of child abuse, possibly sexual. She, not Fluttershy, is the central character that the story revolves around, and the central motif of the story is Fleur Dis Lee seeing her world crumble around her on the whim of overwhelming power that never cared about her when she needed help.
7825146
What can I say? Humor is a variable.
I love this Discord, he is so deliciously alien, but at the same time totally loveable.
A quick question based on an earlier part of the story. Fleur said there wasn't anything particularly unusual about Rarity's tastes. We know from Triptych that she's at least fond of Spike, and views him as a friend. So . . . is she attracted to him at all? In either this or Triptych's canon?
I just had a horrible, horrible thought.
The research assistant/harem romance novel does it's job very well indeed-and gets rewarded by being turned into a real pony.
And, we've just seen part of the origin story of Flash Sentry.
7822422
Your picture is in fact one of the things that people complain about when they talk trash about this universe.
7878143
What is this "talking trash" thing? The Triptych series is demonstrably full of assholes, from the Pony in the original story which apparently almost single-hoofedly ruined Twilight's fillyhood, to the "protagonist" of the current story. Doesn't mean that I don't enjoy a lot of it.
Oh, this part at the end was what originally inspired the whole thing, wasn't it>?
And what would that be? Power? Freedom? I think we all heard that before, even if it hasn't happened between Discord and Tirek yet. Who are both a bit out of your league there, Fleur.
Incidentally, realising this, it makes sense for Discord to be meaner than usual. This one hasn't had the same humbling experience yet.
Funny thing, actually: Whenever Pinkie and Discord interact, she's too much for him. Just let that sink in.
Addendum: Discord's part reminded me of something. He really, really enjoys bothering Twilight, doesn't he? Sure, it must be great fun for him to watch her flail about whenever he decides to play one of his 'games' with her; on the other hand, he only really does so with her. He loves seeing her flustered and pushed out of her comfort zone. At times, he comes across like a schoolboy teasing a crush.
I agree, you're completely different from Discord. You're much more like Cozy Glow. Which makes me wonder, just a little bit, if you're going to end up in Tartarus, too. Oh, wait, never mind. You already are. At least in your own opinion.
This makes it sound like this story happens after the events of Triptych, after the girls have realized that the princesses are not, and never have been, goddesses of any sort. Which suggests the the two friends who are dating are AJ and Snowflake.
Honestly, though? I think Discord is asexual in a deeper, more absolute way than any other living thing could ever be, to the point that he might not even have a puzzle to solve. He is, after all, not really an organic being; not like any other creature we've been introduced to in Estee's canon. He's an abstract concept that has been anthropomorphized--if that's the right word, in this particular instance--to interact more effectively with the universe around him. His body seems to be an affectation, adopted for convenience. In Triptych, it's seen to lose it's cohesion, to no ill-effect on him, when he loses his temper. And while an utter lack of puzzle would almost certainly shake Fleur's mind just as much or more as anything else about him, it probably wouldn't break her completely.
An old joke
A man gets a wish from a genie. So, he says "Alright, first build a bridge to Hawaii (2,000+ miles from California). Then, get down on your hands & knees and use your nose to push a peanut to Hawaii & back"
Naturally, the genie protests "That's too hard. It's pointless & demeaning" & on and on.
Finally, the man says "Oh all right! Just explain to me how women think."
The genie looks at him for a moment then says "Is two lanes going to be enough for this bridge or do I have to make it four lanes wide?"
9955509
I always thought it was "how people think".
I wish I didn't, but I think I understand. It's not an easy thing to learn, because it likely requires an incredibly unlikely-to-happen open conversation with someone who has both first-hand experience and a very particular kind of self-awareness.
Fluttershy is a very sensitive soul when it comes to personal interaction. An early experience with the first steps toward intimacy didn't go well - maybe not the very first instance, or the second, but definitely somewhere in the initial three. That's not to say it went particularly badly either, but the key was it didn't go well. Fluttershy, because of her sensitivity, still took it as though it went badly, and being a personal interaction it struck a weak spot, leading with in immediate agony that cut right through any defenses she might have had, leaving behind a long-lingering shame-pain.
"Once bitten, twice shy" is neither a pun, nor just some offhand phrase. Fluttershy, who was initially anxious, took the lesson and progressed to actual insecurity - where lack of positive reenforcement is negative reenforcement. From that point on she would be so much less likely to make any overt overtures toward the path to intimacy. She would either need exceptional reinforcement first - which would require incredible patient persistence on the part of her potential partner - or a long period of gradually building interactions to get her comfortable with the idea of opening up again - which requires a potential partner to be available, amenable, and patient for a long time. And these requirements of her potential partner are with her giving no obvious signs of reciprocation. She wasn't told she was desireable at a key point in her development, so she disbelieves anyone who says it now.
"I can't..." pairs very well with "It's not possible that they would..."
Because once the initial rejection agony and long term shame-pain were held up next to the slow-simmering regret of missed opportunities, the regret was easily found the safer option. All she would need to do was accept that no one was interested, and so she shouldn't bother trying. It's a surprisingly easy deal to make.
And no one would ever know, because she wouldn't let them. Sealing over the wound was part of the deal.
7818254
My guess on that is a reverse application of her talent.
10872745
I lean towards the idea that Fleur's originally from Protocera, or at least was raised by griffons, and that explains why she's so familiar with monsters. Griffons grow monsters for food, in the 'verse, if I'm not mistaken.
Big mood
Ok I can understand Fluttershy but how on earth would Fleur know what a manticore looks like trying to get laid?
11494383
It's a big cat with a scorpion tail and wings. You pop a wingy, do the masculine version of a priss (something like a saunter with emphasis on being large and powerful and majestic), and stick the tail up and raise it high over head to make it look more impressive and deadly... Which for fluttershy would just be showing off all her "goodies".
Although, for an equine that could work.
And interestingly enough she keeps picking the male enticements because most of the time in nature it's the males who have to bother. It's only in social intelligent species where the... Females start attracting suitors actively. And even then, it's usually the males who decide (via territory or combat) who gets, ahem, access.
The only reason Fluttershy isn't swamped with suitors is that she's... Fluttershy: Socially terrified and cloistered by her own hoof with extreme prejudice.