Thanks for the Legacy

by AizakkuHorooee

Chapter III - Discord's Roundup

I am transported into a brown cave. Looking around, no one appears to be in here. Suddenly, black energy forms all through the room. The first to appear are three pegasus mares: one gold, one blue and one pink.

I beam. “Ah, no wonder I’ve been summoned. Did you sirens do it?”

The gold pegasus shakes her head. “I thought you summoned us. We were in the middle of a concert, you know.”

And WE were in the middle of managing Flim Flam Grande! Two unicorn stallions say, nearly identical to each other with the exception of a mustache on one of them.

“Oh ho ho! I knew mah formuh employees were behind this! Flim and Flam!” Gladmane shouts, pointing to Flim and Flam.

“You know these auctioneers?” asks Svengallop.

A scream echoes through the cave, and we see somepony who looks like Spitfire, but standing upright and panicking. “Thick muzzle?!? Additional appendages?!? Tattoos?!? Adagio! Why are we in another world?!?”

“We’re in Equestria, dear,” Stellar Flare answers.

Wind Rider is the last to appear, motite all over him.

“My, you look worse for wear Wind Rider,” I say. “Were you cocooned?”

“Why yes I was. But what’s everypony doin’ here?”

Well, you all have been summoned by me, replies a voice too personally familiar for me to ignore. It’s Discord! He gestures everyone to gather around a makeshift roundtable in the middle of the cave.

“Ha ha!” Flim laughs. “I knew it! Have you been freed from stone so that you can help us con more ponies?”

“I’d have second thoughts about that, Flim. You know as well as I that Flim Flam Grande is a much better place with you and your brother in charge. But that’s not why I’ve summoned you all.”

“Then what is it then?” Gladmane asks. “Place your bets, draconequus!”

“I’ve gathered you all here so that I could tell you some wonderful news. Equestria will soon be under new management. Princess Twilight’s personal changeling will be in charge of the friendship castle.”

Human Spitfire recognizes who Discord is referring to. “You mean that kid Camp Master Chrysalis was protecting?!? She totally lost her mind there!”

“That nymph sleuth called authorities and got me imprisoned!” Wind Rider recaps.

Stellar Flare stamps her hoof on the roundtable. “And he was the one that got me arrested by the very sheriff I hired!”

“Hm… this changeling has had a history with you all?” I inquire, Stellar Flare, Spitfire, Wind Rider, and Svengallop all nodding.

Gladmane shrugs. “Ah only met um at Appleoosa when Carina and Pinkie were looking for the Princess of Friendship. It’s not Aita I’m against. It’s more Applejack and Fluttuh-shah.”

“So, who are we talking about?” asks Sonata. “Not all of us are familiar.”

Discord wags his claw. “I’m sorry Gladmane, but if you aren’t against Aita, I’m afraid that behavior is unacceptable.”

“Whoa-ho-hoooold it there, buck-o,” Flam confronts. “I understand our former boss would like revenge on the elements of Kindness and Honesty, but UNACCE-”

“And the same goes for you, Stellar Flare,” interrupts Discord. “Seriously first Starlight uses the old pronoun, and now you two? I thought you ponies knew better. I guess I won’t make any suggestion if you’re going to be like that.”

Spitfire takes to the air, processing what Discord is implying, who confirms when asked. “Wait a minute. You’re saying Aita’s transformed?!?”

Discord shrugs and sways side to side. “Well it’s more of a transition.”

Everyone - except for me, Flim and Flam - starts crawling past the roundtable, going after Discord and denying this news.

I hold my hands out and get the ponies’ attention. “Now now, everypony. We can’t unite against Discord… yet. He’s not to blame. Aita is more important for you. She’s responsible for at least half your comeuppances.”

“You know, for that remark we ought to just about shoot you,” Stellar Flare scolds at me.

“Says the mare who was turning her hometown into a shopping mall,” Flam jokes.

Discord holds his claw in my direction. “Tirek has a point. You’re forgetting why you’re having all this discourse in the first place. Your common goal is getting revenge on Aita and her circle of friends: Sunset Shimmer, Twilight, Applejack, and even my best friend, Fluttershy. The way you all would like to achieve that goal is up to you. Make one big plan OR come up with your own personalized plan. I’m letting you all put the ideal Tirek taught me to the test.”

With each pony Discord name-drops, the respective pony after them gets fired up. Flim and Flam don’t seem to have this reaction at all. They look more confused than anything.

“Does this involve working ENTIRELY on our own? Not even brothers can help?” asks Flim.

“Besides, we’re the only ones you summoned who don’t even HAVE a grudge against anypony,” Flam adds. “We have a successful casino to run.”

“Hm… point taken. You two seem to’ve made the right choice by declining this offer.” Discord snaps his paw and sends Flim and Flam back to their jobs. “So, was that everyone who opposed going along with this idea?” He pauses to let us answer, allowing a good five seconds of silence. “Good for you. Now, I must return home.”

Discord teleports out of view to let us continue, but teleports back in. “Oopsie doopsie! I almost forgot! Maybe you might want to get a certain bell at the top of a certain mountain to gain some power. Maybe get those gears turning.”

Everyone left glares at Discord, who teleports back out. This leaves us with a relatively awkward silence. The first one to break it is Sonata.

“Funny the draconequus mentioned that. We have a song about bells… oh, oh and whistles.”

Aria growls. “So… was it Grogar’s bell? That was last seen on Mt. Everhoof.”

“That doesn’t matter now,” Adagio snipes at Aria. “We’ll decide to pursue the bell once we have a final answer. So… wanna hear our song?”

Every shrugs an open “why not” while we think.